Author: Chris Moon
E-Mail: camoon@radiks.net
Please contact me with any questions, comments or corrections.
OUTLINE:
1. About this FAQ
A. Why write a Strider 2 FAQ?
B. A message for lamers
C. Updates
D. Credits
2. A brief overview
A. Strider Hiryu
B. Power-ups
C. Game System
D. Strider Hien
E. Comments on PSX version
4. Game Play
A. Level 00
B. Level 01
C. Level 02
D. Level 03
E. Level 04
F. Level 05
5. Secrets
6. Merchandise--show your support!
7. About the E rating
8. Updates
9. Legal
1. About this FAQ
A. Why write a Strider 2 FAQ?
You might ask 'Why write a Strider 2 FAQ?', since it has infinite continues,
and you can get through the game in under an hour even if you are terrible at
it. But that, I reply, is precisely the reason why someone needs to write a
Strider 2 FAQ. Like Strider 1, you aren't going to be getting a fraction of
what this game has to offer when it comes down to real fun factor unless you
pick up some mastery of the game. And if you don't have any interest in taking
the time to master it, don't even bother purchasing it--this isn't the sort of
thing that will draw you back if you're doing badly. What keeps me coming back
is that I can get through all the levels except the last without using a
continue, and I'm trying to improve on that. This guide is really meant to
help share some of the strategies several of us Strider fans have discovered so
that you can start getting what you should be out of the game--namely the rush
of smashing through a level at record speed, your heart-beat loud in your ears!
You aren't getting any of that if you just continue over and over.
OK, so maybe that could be said about a lot of games, but Strider has always
been special. Back in 1989, there was simply no other game like Strider,
nothing that could deliver the same rush, and in the year 2000, I dare say that
I have yet to see a game that delivers what Strider 2 does. This game is not a
clone of something else, a poor man's 'fill in the blank'. Strider is a unique
game concept that fuses anime style art and atmosphere with a cinematic feel
and kamikaze-type game play. It need not be debated whether Strider 2 is good
enough to belong to this tradition, Strider 2 IS this tradition, unlike the
heretical Strider Returns. So for those who say that Strider is just another
platform jumper...you are missing what makes Strider such an awesome gaming
experience. I've seen Strider compared to Castlevania and Metroid, and while I
don't abhor these comparisons (both are amazing series in their own rights)
they are not Strider. For all these reasons, I think Strider 2 really deserves
more attention than the luke-warm reception it has received...and maybe a good
walk-through will get a few more people excited about this game. Well enough
excuses...
B. A message for lamers:
Although I will not dispute that my love for Strider 2 borders on fanatical,
there are certain observations that have been made regarding Strider 2 that
seem to originate from that demographic of video game players we can only refer
to as 'lamers'. No, I am not talking about the under 13 crowd--they seem
pretty clever when it comes right down to it. Rather, check out this
mind-boggling quote from Daniel Erickson of the Daily Radar:
"Side-scrolling fans of old can't help but smile at the mention of Strider, the
awesome action game that changed the way people looked at the entire genre. The
sequel, years in coming, is not only derivative, but actually much worse than
the original. Gone are the mechanical helpers and the clever platform puzzles.
In their place are a few short hours of gameplay so simple and boring they
would make the creators of Bad Dudes blush. Jumping and swinging a sword a few
hundred times at forgettable bad guys just isn't exciting in this day and age,
and it seems to us this title might have fallen short even had it been released
back in the Genesis days."
Now this and many other quotes in this review really capture my idea of the
video game lamer, but you wouldn't expect the folks to be publishing. I
understand the gripe that the game isn't 30 hours long, but recognize that that
is JUST A GRIPE. The original Strider could be beaten in under 20
minutes--yes, that's right, Strider 2 is a longer game, one of the most common
mistakes made by reviewers. Strider was never designed to be a long game, it
was designed to be a mastery game, just like shooters. There are fantastic
games like Cannon Spike that are under 15 minutes long! Deal with it, whiners!
Secondly, Strider 2 is much more challenging than Strider 1. I could teach
anyone to beat Strider with one credit, something I simply can't do with
Strider 2. In the original Strider, you could do a few tricks with the
power-ups to make yourself nearly invincible. In revisiting the game with a
friend a few years back, the comment was made that the game should be named
after the little dipodal bots rather than Strider, as they do most of the work.
Third, the comment on level design (and this is the first time I've seen it)
seems totally uneducated. Strider 2 is loaded with secrets, different paths
you can take and some twists and turns that could never have been incorporated
into Strider 1. Both games show innovative level design, but later on in the
review we learn that the reviewer has barely touched the game:
"Strider 2 has been a long time in coming to the US, and it's pretty easy to
see why. Even the stats sheet for this title can't make it sound exciting. "A
mix of 2D and 3D action! Five levels!" That's about as amazing as the game
gets. Walking right while jumping and swinging a sword, the player kills
everything that moves for about two hours and then it's all over. Oh, wait, not
quite! After beating the game for the first time, there is a second playable
character unlocked! How amazing! Total addition to replay value from second
playable character: 0.0003%."
First off, the whole game can be beaten in 26-40 minutes, if it took this
reviewer two hours, his playing must have consisted of dying over and over
again, cheating on the infinite continues. I am quick to agree that Capcom
should have removed the infinite continue option, but then they didn't count on
the lame-o factor, did they? Secondly, while the reviewer spends a little bit
of time talking about Strider 1 (praising it in a half-ass sort of way), it is
also clear he never unlocked level 0, meaning he didn't even bother to really
check out Strider 1. All this turns his review into rubbish, since he praises
Strider 2 at the cost of Strider 1's innovative levels (which I guess he only
played for a couple minutes:
"Yet the second adventure of the Strider falls flat, while the first is still
fun to pick up and play, at least for a few minutes. "
So why take the space to make these points to lamers? Mostly, I am sick of the
pretentiousness that goes into articles like this and the ignorance that fuels
it. Most reviews like this fail to recognize that Strider itself was a short,
fast-paced side scrolling game, making their arguments that Strider 2 is a weak
sequel because it is a short, fast-paced side scrolling game nearly laughable.
The fact that nearly every review and comment I have seen to this nature seems
to be expressed by people who have no skill at either Strider game is also
annoying. I figure that anyone reading this FAQ could write a more informed
review that the one I have quoted here, and whether the love Strider or hate
it, at least they know what the $%@# it is!
C. Updates:
>From version 1.25 to 1.50
-Difficulty settings explained
-Complete text shown between each level
-S ranking
-Further comments on PSX version, including PS2, Bleemcast and emulation news.
-A message for lamers
-Various minor tidbits including newly discovered bonuses and the occasional
tricks that are too numerous to list here.
- Added commentary from Yoshox2000 (yoshox2000@hotmail.com)
Cyber-Mammoth strategy
>From version 1.0 to 1.25:
-New Bonuses:
Level 0: life max
-More info on progressive difficulty
- Added additional commentary from Strider Ishmael:
Armored Knight mini-boss
Grand Master flinching
D. Credits:
Special thanks is due to Mohammed Daud's hidden bonus guide (only covering
level 01) Also some credit should be given to J.T.Kauffman's mini faq both for
his early coverage of controls and documenting all that other Strider
merchandise we can't get a hold of here in the states. Much thanks also goes
to Mr. Bueno who has suggested strategies for some of
the most difficult areas. As in my previous Strider FAQ, a great deal of the
material here comes from Strider Ishmael who has helped uncover the best way
through Strider 2 and pushed me in writing a FAQ for this amazing game.
Also (and this should be a given), if you have any suggestions, strategies, or
have found other secrets, PLEASE e-mail me. It is not uncommon at all that I
find something new, and this is after having put hours and hours into the game.
So please send those e-mails in! (camoon@radiks.net)
Lastly, I'd like to dedicate this FAQ to Dean Thompson, the man who taught me
everything there is to know about living the legend that is Strider.
2. A brief overview:
"In the future, one man controls the world. Calling himself the Grand Master,
he rules with an iron fist of tyranny. Plagued by his insane dictatorship, the
world spirals toward cataclysmic annihilation, but somewhere within the
insidious corruption, a hero rises from the shadows. With the fate of the
entire planet in his hands, he strives to complete his mission of destroying
the Grand Master!"
A. Strider Hiryu:
You control Strider Hiryu, a somewhat more involved rendition of his appearance
in the 1989 arcade. You have only two buttons, attack and jump, however these
can now be used with greater versatility than before. Your weapon (and you
cannot lose it) is a plasma sword or Cypher called Falchion, which you can
swing as fast as you can hit the button, but has limited range. You can attack
while running (though strangely you cannot attack and walk at the same time),
jumping, sliding and climbing (though unlike the original, attacks are not
slowed while climbing). Attacks with falchion can now take on another form as
the 'savage slash' or midi-giri slash, an aerial special move that causes Hiryu
to whip his sword about him striking several times. Consequently, Hiryu hovers
in air for a second while also rendering him momentarily invulnerable.
Much improved is Hiryu's jumping ability. Strider can now double jump and can
push himself off walls in an air-dash like move called the hassou jump
(opposite direction of wall + jump.) Both these moves add a considerable
amount to Strider 2, as you can now easily cover the width of the screen in a
second (especially if you are running and then jump). As before, Strider can
slide by holding down and jump. As an addition to this move, you can now back
flip out of a slide (hold back and jump).
One of Hiryu's most dynamic abilities, and the one that really makes the game
is his ability to crawl/climb on anything. This means you will find yourself
dangling from the ceiling, the bottom of moving craft, etc. This is an
integral part of game play and makes Strider 2 significantly different from any
other platform games other than Strider 1 of course.
Another aspect of controlling Hiryu that confused many players in 1989 was the
existence of 'reverse gravity' rooms, meaning that the ceiling becomes the
floor and vice-versa, so that you are playing upside-down. This is hardly
worth mentioning to the savvy players of the 21st century, however being able
to deal with upside-down playing, or even spinning around a gravity core are
imperative to mastering Hiryu and Strider 2, just as it was in 1989.
B. Power-ups:
Life power-up: There are three types of life power-ups (always found within
canisters or hidden throughout the games). These appear as Kanji letters, and
since I can't read Kanji, it has mostly come down to learning what each symbol
does, though in the rush of battle, who cares right? According to the
instruction manual these are Ryu, Hi and Hiryu, but all you really need to know
is that of the three, one restores one unit of health, one gives you a new unit
of health and a third fills your life-bar completely. I should mention here
that I have found only one full life-up bonus in the game, why not more?
Sword power-up: This is just called 'power-up' in the game. If picked up, you
will have considerably more range on your swings with small, very limited
projectiles shooting from it. Also, you will do greatly increased damage.
When Hiryu has a power-up, he will glow with a purple aura. If he is hit even
once, he will lose the power-up, however these are plentiful throughout the
game. Lastly, more than one power-up may be acquired but it seems to only add
points.
Boost: Instead of robotic companions, Strider can use a Sword boost, a super
move that will both increase the damage of his hits and cause projectiles to
fly from his sword, seeking out targets. If you try the boost cheat (see the
secrets section) you will quickly find how powerful boosts are. Save these for
bosses or areas you have problems getting past. Each boost lasts for a limited
time but you may collect as many boosts as you can find within a level and they
are not lost when hit.
Hidden Bonus Items: Again, I would like to direct you to Mohammed Daud's FAQ
which discusses these bonus items in greater detail. I will occasionally point
them out, but don't expect me to give them all away. I'll more frequently make
mention of them if they require going to hidden areas (like the underside of
the satellite dish in level 01), or more regularly if they are hidden life-ups
or power-ups. Still, some of these have been hidden pretty cleverly so I can't
help but share.
C. Game system:
(1) Difficulty level: This is a little different than the difficulty settings
in Strider 1 where setting the game to easy drastically altered game play such
as the speed of projectiles, how aggressive enemies were, etc. As far as I can
tell, The difficulty setting affects three things--
A. Damage done by Strider (on easiest level, Strider does a LOT of damage.)
B. Number of enemies. It seems that with a low difficulty setting, Strider may
not encounter as many enemies, though I've only noted this in the first level.
C. Some bonuses become life-ups. Only seen in first level.
The big point here is that behavior of the game does not change at all when you
alter the difficulty settings. Expect to see the same thing you saw in
previous games, just with a different damage ratio.
(2) Life-units: This system works in a nearly identical way to that in Strider
1, though you start with more life-units than in the first game (5 versus 3.)
In the PSX version you can adjust this, starting with as many as 8 or as little
as 1. When you are hit you use a life-unit, and when you run-out, you die.
Once again, Strider 2 utilizes a system by which you can add more life-units to
your health (see the Power-up section above) with the right life-up item, while
other items only refill your current health units and do not add additional
health.
One additional note here. Unlike Strider 1, additional life-units added cannot
be carried on to the next level. In my mind this is one serious drawback to
Strider 2 and encourages you to skip levels since you really have nothing to
gain by completing them (other than getting more points). If, on the other
hand you could keep adding more life units/collecting more boosts, this would
add continuity between the levels sorely missed from the first game.
(3) No Life system: Strider 2 uses a 'no life' system, which is to say when you
run out of units, you not only die, but you must choose whether or not to
continue. In the arcade, you'd have to stick in another quarter. This is
different than Strider 1 where you started with three lives, and when you ran
out of life-units, you used one of your lives. Note that if you continue, you
will get all your life-units back (including extra ones you acquired through
game-play) and you will keep all your boosts.
(4) Rapid: This is a new option for Strider. To keep attacking with your
sword, just hold the button down. This is something like Ryu's insanely fast
ducking short kick he could perform in the first few SF2 games, far exceeding
the ability of human players in button pressing speed. Now you can take part
in the fun yourself--just hold down 'attack' and slash away!
(5) Variable difficulty of levels: Unlike the setting in the options menu, here
I am referring to the difficulty of levels depending on which one you decide to
run through first. 01, for instance, is challenging but still relatively easy
when you go at it as your first level, but if you take it as your second level
it becomes significantly harder.
One additional comment I'd like to add here is that there are not merely two
difficulties (1st level and subsequent levels). Some levels get progressively
harder depending on when you do them. When doing level 02 as my fourth level,
for instance, I was confronted by TWO minelayers in the chase scene, not just
one.
(6) Scoring: Score is broken down into five categories, the first called simply
'score' and the remaining being 'bonus' scores. I don't know how the score for
the time bonus is calculated however for the life bonus you are awarded 100,000
for each bar of life you have. The item bonus is apparently determined by all
the hidden bonuses you pick up. The final and somewhat mysterious bonus is the
'special' bonus. Don't be expecting to get this one soon because it requires
going through the level without getting hit once! Doesn't matter if you have
full health at the end of the level, if you got hit once you will not get any
bonus here.
Total Score and Strider Rank are then listed at the bottom of the screen. If
you cleared the level without continues and aren't doing terribly on health
you'll receive an A (always seems to be somewhere around 2 million points
plus.) Rank is from A to E (where E is in general worth less than 1.5
million). It is also possible to score above an A (though I've only done it on
the easy setting) by getting the extremely rare S ranking. What's really
interesting is that if you are able to complete the level without getting hit
and pick up the 'special' bonus score, you'll receive a ranking of 'star'
(better than an S) and receive an additional 1.8 million points. If you do get
hit, you will typically get an A or below, so how it is you are supposed to get
an S ranking is a bit of a mystery. The last two levels seem to be worth more
than 1.8 million since my miserable E ranking on the third moon still warranted
almost 2 million points.
(7) Multiple paths: Unlike Strider 1, you can to a limited extent chose which
levels you want to play and in what order. This will be immediately evident to
anyone who has so much as turned on the game, however I felt it worth
mentioning that while levels 1, 2 or 3, once completed will open up level 4,
level 0 does not open up level 4. Also, you need to complete level 4 to open
level 5. This may explain why levels 1-3 seem to be scored identically (though
they are by no means of the same difficulty) and level 0 is a sort of bonus
level (it isn't very hard, and you really don't run any risk of dying.)
D. Stider Hien:
This is an excerpt from Strider Ishmael's E-mail:
> There doesn't seem to be much out there about Strider Hien, which is sort
> of odd. I'm sure you've noticed all this, but here's what I've seen for
> the guy: He can throw two cyphers, except when he has the power-up -then
> he can throw three. The only actual in-close move he has is the savage
slash, > which can be done even when he's tossed all his cyphers [does he hit
> people with the scabbards?] Each cypher will target a different enemy, and
> if there is only one enemy on the screen, only the first cypher will home
> in on the target. If the second one is thrown it will aimlessly fly off
> the screen. The second one will home in on the same target, however, if it
> is thrown after the first one has already connected and not destroyed the
> target. The cyphers will damage any object that crosses their flight
> path, whether it is their intended target or not.
Beyond this, Hien plays exactly the same as Strider Hiryu with only one other
exception--for some reason Hien is not allowed to select levels, and must play
through the game from level 00-05. I am not sure what level it starts with if
you have not unlocked level 00 yet.
One more note with Hien, namely that you may wish to turn Rapid off with him as
you will find yourself accidentally throwing that second cypher before you know
it.
E. Comments on PSX version:
Strider 2, the arcade, was designed on a more powerful board than the PSX as
should be evident to anyone who has played through the PSX version. During
boss stages there is substantial slowdown--especially combined with the boost,
which can bring the game to an absolute crawl, virtually disabling the ability
to jump or execute precision moves. I asked around to find out just what
system Strider 2 was designed on, hoping that perhaps we might someday see a
version that runs correctly. Here is one informed response from TheeAlien
(smallfri@bigfoot.com):
>They -ARE- basically playstations with a little bit more umph. Several arcade
>systems were based on Playstation's hardware such as: Atlus PSX, FX-1a &
FX-1b, >Raizing PSX, Konami PSX, System 11 & 12, TPS, Videosystems PSX, and of
course >the ZN1 & ZN2 systems.
>Most of the time the systems just had addition processors, or more ram. For
>example, the ZN-2 system (Which Strider & Strider Hiryu 2 ran on) simply had
an >extra Zilog 80 Chip, QSound Chip, And twice the ram of the Playstation.
The point being that the Strider 2 was essentially designed for a PSX, but one
with more power. Hence, Strider 2 dogs a bit when you put it to the test--and
while that would be fine if it was one of several versions, as the only
version, I am rather dissatisfied.
One of the solutions which has hence fallen through was a rumored Dreamcast
version. I e-mailed Capcom in regards to this, and got only the standard
response that they currently had no plans to do so. With the Dreamcast
currently on the way out, the chance of a DC port of Strider 2 looks amazingly
slim. Of course, when Saturn was essentially no more, Capcom still kept
putting games out for it, so feel free to speculate, but my guess is we won't
see any future ports of Strider 2.
Another solution is the Playstation 2. It would make perfect sense to me if
the PS2 solved all the slowdown problems, given that the backgrounds are 100%
3D rendered, however, from the few reports I've heard from PS2 owners (it would
seem that Strider fans just don't own PS2s), there is no improvement in speed.
CableGuy (wjcoll@mail.wm.edu): "the slowdown doesn't really get any better with
a PS2, I'm afraid. Looks a little nicer with the blurred textures, but fighting
the Woolly Mammoth is still slow-down hell."
The last of our solutions come from the world of emulation. The first being
the Bleemcast. At this point, Bleem has not yet announced the discontinuation
of the bleemcast, however with a year delay and the state of the DC, this also
seems extremely unlikely. Also, the Bleemcast will support only 1 game per
disc. Is there even a prayer they will bother putting out a disc for Strider
2?
Secondly, there are always computer emulators, such as the famous CPS1 emulator
Callus, and the currently hot CPS-2 emulators such as Nebula and Final Burn.
None of these emulate the ZN2 system however, and it is unclear if a PC-PSX
emulator (such as bleem) would resolve the speed problems. The same is true of
bleemcast.
4. Game Play
A. Level 00 -- Investigate the Ancient Ruins
"Mysterious encounters in the heart of the jungle."
Directions: Break through the jungle and then infiltrate the ruins!
Two special notes about this level. Unlike level 01-03, the health bonuses
remain health bonuses and do not turn into point bonuses. Other things do get
more difficult though--at least faster and more annoying. For one, the guards
in the first scene seem a little more aggressive (especially the guys with
flame throwers), and the flying snakes in scene two become faster. Also,
Strider Hien becomes more of a pain to kill.
The second point that you should keep in mind is that completing level 00 does
NOT unlock level 04 as does completion of all the other levels.
(1) Scene 1: South America - Guyana Guaykinima falls
Fairly straightforward level populated by several soldier types--some hanging
from ropes tossing grenades and others with flame throwers (watch out for the
latter.) Proceed right as far as you can taking out a guard with a flame
thrower. Up, dodging a boulder. There is a barrel bonus to your right in a
bush, but you want to head left (collecting a sword power-up along the way)
until you get to a cliff. Go up to the top then left again taking out three of
those spore shooting blobs. Retrieve a life-up here then head right, jumping
the first gorge. At the bottom of the next is a cow life up. Climb up taking
out more of the spore-shooters and carefully take out the soldier with the
flame-thrower (another alternative is to just jump the gorge and end it with a
savage slash, potentially taking out the whole lot of them.) Following the
flame-thrower guard there is yet another gorge with four cow bonuses along the
left hand side and a red star bonus at the bottom. Climb to the top again and
proceed right for the end of this scene.
(2) Scene 2: Mysterious region - El Dorado
You will be starting on a small platform with vines to each side and several
levels above you of similar vines crossing a wide gorge. Directly underneath
the platform you are on is a red ball bonus. Up a couple levels (directly
above the owl-like bird) is a life-up on a small platform. If you double jump
straight-up from that platform is a sword power-up), also introducing you with
the flying 'snake' creatures which are much more annoying than the snakes that
crawl on the vines. From the same platform where you picked up the life-up,
there is yet another small platform to the right--on top of this is a hidden
Capcom spaceman bonus. There are many routes you can take here, and it is a
pretty easy area but be careful of the green flying creature that occasionally
turn invisible, as it can spit at you vertically! There is also a boost
power-up at the very top of this area: just move all the way to the left then
climb the wall to the very top. When you are done here, just move to the right
wall and climb to the top and over the edge.
When you move into the next area you'll see a short video of a series of
platforms you will need to navigate to get to a small bridge. Now something
very very strange should happen, but its taken me a long time to see how truly
weird it is. Two snake creatures will appear and almost any gamer will destroy
them immediately. If you do not however, they will start acting very
strange--in fact they will mutate right in front of your eyes. Each snake will
grow four legs and they will start jumping around very oddly, attacking you
with their scorpion like tails. I can't believe how much work they went to for
some creature that no one will ever see--so sometime give these guys a chance,
they are pretty amusing.
After taking out the snake creatures, jump to the first platform and double
jump straight up to collect another life up. Then walk off the platform so you
are on the bridge again. Carefully jump to the log to the right and get the
hidden boost item here. Jump up to the platforms again and proceed right. At
the last one double jump again for a red star. Go down to the log below only
with extreme caution--preferably Double jump from the platform to the right to
make it to the bridge and the next scene. If you chose to fiddle with the log
however you will find along the left hand side is a full life max bonus.
(3) Scene 3: Tunnel to the ruins
This and the next scene seem more like episodes from Strider Returns than a
real Strider game. Definitely no awards won here, on the other hand, they are
easy. Stay away from the very left as rocks will fall down and hurt you. Very
shortly you will be facing the first of two booster tails. If you have a
power-up you should easily be able to take out the lower booster just by
running/walking along with it. Once it is gone, carefully jump toward the
other booster (don't double jump or you'll grab the ceiling and be hit by rocks
as you move toward the left side of the screen!) and execute your savage slash
in the air. As soon as the first booster tail is dead, another one will
appear. Use exactly the same technique to destroy that tail as well. Boring.
The next tail is the Cannon tail. Destroy this using the same technique as the
two booster tails, however before you are done a large central cannon will
appear. just be careful to avoid its blast by running ahead of it. Again,
take it out with lots of savage slashes. If you take too long the tail will
start issuing several mines along the bottom and the top. You can either dodge
these or keep running right slashing at the same time--this will destroy them.
Slightly more interesting is the Snake Tail. You will face two sets of two
tails, then one primary snake tail. All of them are easy. Just avoid their
strikes (the top head strikes first.) If you have kept to the same strategy of
staying to the bottom and jumping occasionally to use the Savage slash, you
should destroy these snake forms easily. Again, if you have the power-up, this
will go very quickly. Also, once you learn their pattern, you will find they
are no threat at all.
The Carrier Tail is the hardest of the tails and the most stupid. Since you
should have three boosts by now, this is a good place to use it. With either a
boost or a power-up you should be able to run up to the bottom segment and kill
it before it thrusts out. Let the second one thrust out and then jump up and
kill it with a few savage slashes (if you have the boost on, you won't even
need to jump up and kill it). If you are not able to kill the bottom segment
right away, you will have to carefully dodge it, possibly grabbing on to the
ceiling.
Note, there are absolutely no power-ups or hidden items in this stage.
(4) Scene 4: Interior of the El Dorado ruins
Yet another lame-o level. Here you must kill a Drill Cruiser. First double
jump to the right and keep hitting the hemisphere until it dies. Don't pay
attention to the rocks falling down, if you moved far enough right they won't
hit you. Next proceed left to a sort of 'nose' with three jets of fire coming
out of it. Stand as far right on it as you can without being pulled back by
the drilling mechanism, then duck and attack it over and over.
Lastly, you will need to proceed down and to the right. There is a eye-like
apparatus that will periodically shoot lasers. Attack from as close as you
can, making note which parts of it light up. To be safe you might try running
to the left and up when it is going to fire, but if it is shooting from the
central eye-like opening, all you need to do is be ducking.
An addendum from Strider Ishmael makes this trick even easier. Once you've
finished with the nose-piece, jump down and grab onto the track above the
eye-like apparatus. The track pulls you in and instead of ducking the central
laser, you'll actually be pulled too close to be hit. This trick doesn't work
when it fires the two separate lasers at angles, but there is a good chance
you'll kill it before that point anyway.
Once again, there are no power-ups in this level whatsoever.
(5) Scene 5: The bottom of the El Dorado ruins
Here at last is an interesting scene. The master appears and pits you against
Strider Hien. Watch out because Hien has several computer-only moves, on the
other hand, he isn't that smart. If you see him 'charging up', jump out of the
way since this will either be his rush or a move where he fires out a big beam
of plasma. Also, be careful not to get too far away as he'll throw his cyphers
out at you and they are hard to dodge. Best to stay on him, especially when he
does his 'block' move. This is another good place to use up all those boosts.
Again from Strider Ishmael:
"Another way to beat Hien is to chase him into a corner -using a boost
helps a lot- and keep hitting him before he can get his bearings. Instead
of trying to get you off him Hien more often than not tries to grab onto
the wall which makes him very easy pickings."
End Dialogue:
Hien: "Hiryu, you must stop. The master's already left here. Don't you
understand that he is the creator of this world? The ruins, our country, the
striders...everything!! Hiryu, stop this. I don't want to fight with you.
You are fool..."
Hiryu: "Tell the master that I am the hunter and he is the game. And Hien,
next time challenge me with all your might."
Hien: "Hiryu..."
B. Level 01 -- Take out the terrorists who are occupying the city
"Destroy the militia group! Wait...Who is that?!"
Directions: Come from the lowest point, then destroy the militia.
(1) Scene 1: Neo Hong Kong City
This scene feels very much like a tribute to the first game. It is a basic
left to right scrolling level. You can also see much of this scene if you
watch the 'how to play' section displayed when the machine is left to idle.
Proceed right taking out about three guards and grabbing a power-up in the
process. Climb to the top of the building and again proceed right taking out
three helicopters on the ground and one in the air along with a few guards. To
the right is a gap you can climb down to collect a point bonus, but ultimately
you'll want to jump over this gap and proceed right, down a declining section
of road way (taking out a couple helicopters and guards). At the bottom of
this is another gap you can again climb down for a point bonus (be careful not
to fall down these). Again proceed right, this time climbing up another
section of roadway--if you jump up around the 03 marked on the road you can get
some additional point bonuses. The hardest to get is a red star which is very
high up. Go to the top of the road then begin running left. Immediately
execute a jump while swinging your sword and you should be able to get it.
Don't execute the savage slash as this will stop your jump and often leave you
falling down the gorge between the two roads.
At the top of the road is a junction point to a level roadway where you will
confront the Transport. OK, that is about as exciting as it sounds, still you
get to meet one of your most annoying foes here. As to killing the transport,
just stay to the right of the screen as its turret is pointed to the left. A
few hits with your savage slash will kill it. The real foe here are those
little imps that keep dropping from the sky. They're a pain because as you'll
find later they can climb walls like you, thrust their swords while hanging to
walls and do a spinning attack that can easily catch you off guard and has high
priority. If you are playing level 01 as any other level than your first you
may want to turn tail and run from them here, but if not, wipe 'em out just for
fun. Also, note the point bonus hidden in the scaffolding above.
>From here you can either double jump right or climb down the side for a point
bonus. Once you've leapt over to the next platform on the right side (the
canister before the burning car contains a life-up if you are playing this as
your first level) you'll face your first boss of any real significance, and he
is nothing to brag about.
The Terrorist is slow and your best technique will be to simply slide to his
backside before he makes his attack (you may need to switch sides several
times). Be careful of those imps creeping up on you in the process.
(2) Scene 2: the slums of the city
Not quite as pretty as the first scene, there are still some dynamic parts in
this section. Proceed right, taking out several guards in the process. If you
wish to collect two hidden point bonuses, do not proceed right past the large
red up arrow as you can double back on yourself and pick up a red star (along
the ceiling) and a spaceman right where you started. Again proceed right being
careful to avoid incoming missiles from the first spider form. I typically
stick to the ceiling here, picking up the life-up bonus and dropping down on
the spider-form. After a few hits, it will fly up the shaft. Take out the
flying cannons here and a few guards. There is a power-up at the bottom of the
shaft and a cow bonus right above the doorway (note, there is a trick to
getting even more bonuses in the shaft by timing your ascent perfectly--but
I'll leave that to Mohammed Daud's FAQ.) Ascend the shaft (I suggest taking
the left side), then vault off the wall to the right side (where you see a
poster of a giant head.) Climb up this until you see a canister floating in
air (its another cow bonus.) If you still have a power up, you can open it
from here, then vault to the left, combined with a double jump so you can land
a hit on the first spider form. After you've triggered it off, jump on to the
moving cart where you should be able to easily dispose of the spider form
either by just holding down the sword button or a couple savage slashes.
>From here you'll see a sequence showing the second spider form up in a second
shaft. Run to the left taking out several guards and picking up a boost and a
life-up. Watch out for incoming missiles from above. Climb the shaft and take
out this ridiculously easy boss. The biggest challenge here are the imps that
climb up and down the walls--make sure and stay out of their way.
(3) Scene 3: A dirty passageway
This room has got three hidden point bonuses in it. Proceed left up the
escalator, taking out guards along the way. At the top of the stairs you'll
face a new opponent. No idea what this mechanistic looking thing is called but
while it dies easy if you play this as your first level, if it is played later
these guys can be a pain--flying off with an explosion of flames that tend to
hit you. From here, jump right (or climb up the ceiling careful not to ascend
up the shaft) and proceed right until you have reached the extreme end of the
room. Take out two imps and collect a power up. Proceed left again to the end
of the platform and climb down to its underside where a canister will have
appeared (life-up). Keep climbing all the way to the right end of the room for
a hidden point bonus. Now you'll be where you started the level and a new
canister will have appeared at the base of the escalator. Take it and then
proceed up the shaft.
After taking out several imps that are falling from the sky you'll find
yourself in a room with four floating platforms. There are a couple point
bonuses here...I'll let you find them. To the left side of the room at the
bottom should be a life-up. Also, on the uppermost flying platform is a
power-up. You'll face several imps and helicopters here along with that weird
mechanistic enemy I told you about. Nothing that hard, but those imps can be
annoying. Head to the top of the room to proceed to the next level.
(4) Scene 4: The high society residential area
Not a lot to say about this very short scene other than to comment on how great
it is--and that it is TOO short! Here you'll face 'Tong Poo' the three girls
from Strider 1, but now you must fight them on the tops of moving air-cars. Be
careful not to fall off, and note that you can't deflect their energy attacks.
Also, there are plenty of bonuses here--points, health and power ups. Might
even be worth letting the last one jump around a while to collect more goodies,
but don't mistake these girls as anything other than dangerous, so be careful.
(5) Scene 5: The wealthy area of the city
The first thing you'll see is a crane being raised (What? Am I playing an
Eidos game?), so obviously you'll need to do something to lower the crane.
Because this is a Capcom game however, the only thing you'll need to do is kill
people, not solve box puzzles.
You'll be starting on the top of a building. Immediately start attacking to
the right as there will be a couple imps dropping down here, and they tend to
jump into their spinning attack right away. Proceed to the right where you'll
see a helicopter with a point bonus. The moment you go beyond the extreme
right edge of the building though, the first of the most silly bosses in the
game will show up. Yes it is the dreaded Tiger form!
For some reason, these guys thought it would be cool to get air cars that
looked like tigers. They are absolute wimps and good only for a laugh. Kill
the first one and here you can decide to screw around on the scaffolding (there
are some bonuses on the underside, including a potential life-up), or keep
proceeding to the right, inciting the second Tiger form to appear. There is
yet another point bonus if you climb up to the top of the crane before it
lowers (killing the second tiger form will make it lower). Destroy the Tiger
geek and proceed right across the crane (there are bonuses on the underside.)
There will probably be a helicopter and a flying cannon here to destroy. Jump
right to satellite dish (point bonuses for climbing down) and climb up and over
onto the dish itself (there is a hidden bonus here too, up and to the right
directly from where you have dropped down onto the dish.) Here you'll face the
first and weaker version of Solo. He only has his three shot gun for now, and
he dies very easily. The best technique seems to be running up to him and
whomping on him until he dies or flies away. You can stay out of his range by
just standing under him as he cannot shoot down. There is also a point bonus
canister here (Monkey.)
After Solo has fled, climb to the top and proceed right. You'll find a place
where the floor curves down (the stem which holds the dish)--a significant
place for two reasons. Attack left and receive a cow bonus. Also, so as to
avoid landing on an imp, take a running leap to the right from here, then
dashing in from the left where he is guarding a life-up. Proceed right (taking
out a helicopter in the process) and fight Solo a second time.
This fight is the hardest in the level because Solo is really pumped now, and
being able to fly makes this a lot easier for him. Also, Solo can fire off
these 'death frisbees' which can target you anywhere on the screen (though if
you time it right you can evade them.) Fortunately he has to charge them up so
you have aren't going into this without warning. The fight itself can be very
hard or ridiculously easy depending on how you set it up. If you still have a
power-up, get him in a corner and just keep attacking him (don't bother
jumping). Your attacks should be enough to keep him from getting off more than
one round of the death-discs, and you can often time a slide so he completely
misses.
To the right is a second building (a sky scraper actually.) If you lost your
power-up before the fight with Solo you will have time to quickly grab a
powerup from this building before Solo starts doing much of anything. Also you
will find near the bottom of the screen a life-up bonus. At the top of the
screen are two score bonuses. Once again, if you can just pin Solo in a corner
and whomp on him, this is a much better technique than jumping over to the
sky-scraper where Solo will manage to fly out of reach and bombard you with his
weaponry. Also you may risk time running out if you do this. Don't forget
that you should have two boosts--one of which would make short work of Solo.
(6) Scene 6: The skies of Neo Hong Kong
In another fantastic scene directly inspired by Strider 1, you will find
yourself riding on the back of the Emperor Dragon. Watch out because this
mechanical beast can turn around and attack you as well as running a bolt of
energy down its spine. The combination of this and the fireballs it can
project from its mouth often work in deadly combination. This is of course the
perfect place to whip out your boosts and let the dragon have it. Running up
to its head and laying on it will make short work of the dragon, just be
careful to dodge his attacks. If you have a power-up, it will die even faster.
Just don't forget to check out the amazing background while you're here, and
the fantastic detail on the dragon.
End Dialogue:
Tong Poo: "Ha! You are a fool! Do you really think that you can get close to
our lord? The world belongs to him! And so do you, Strider! Ha Ha ha!"
Hiryu: "No. It is you who will always be a servant to your master."
C. Level 02: Invade and attack the armed fortress
"Uncover the origins of the distorted technology!!"
Directions: Target the underground cavern of the main building.
(1) Scene 1: The outside area of Fortress Wahnen
You will be starting outside the castle with the wall to your right. Climbing
the wall and then vaulting off of the very top to the left, followed by a
double jump will yield you a cow point bonus. Once at the top of the wall,
standing on the highest point you can double jump straight up for a barrel
bonus. After killing a guard (if he is there), you can drop down the other
side of the wall. At the base you'll find a point bonus (monkey). Go right
underneath the building, however note that there is a pad along the ground that
if touched will trigger a trap, forcing you to backtrack and climb up over the
building where you'll have to fight a guard with a morning star--a tougher
battle than it sounds like. Pick up the power-up and point bonus.
An alternative route is to start from the castle wall and simply do a dashing
jump across to where the guard with the morning star is. Just dash or jump
past him. Although you miss out on a bonus this way, it does make things a lot
faster.
>From here go to the right, climbing up the 'tower' where you will get a 3
second film or so (I don't know why this needs a film). Double jump to the
right (dodging the incoming shots of the 'Skewer Cannon'), then destroy it.
You should actually land directly on top of the cannon, which is a new strategy
in Strider 2 that you could not use in Strider 1 (merely touching your enemies
in Strider 1 was enough to suffer damage). If you drop down and to your left
after destroying the cannon you should be able to grab a point bonus (this is a
life-up if played as first level.)
(2) Scene 2: The weapon storage area of Fortress Wahnen
In this scene you will face Metall Hengst, and he is a VERY easy boss, though
this again requires an understanding of the new system Strider uses. Unlike
before, you can run and slide through bosses, so use this to your advantage
here. Metaal Hengst has a large arsenal of attacks (given he's just a guy on a
horse), but you can avoid them all by just staying behind him. Whenever he
turns, just slip around behind him again. Don't jump to the ceiling, though
you might want to collect some of the bonuses here (hidden in the boxes at
either end). If played as the first level you can also find a power-up and a
life-up at either end of the room along the ceiling. Hopefully you've gone
through this much of the game without getting hit.
(3) Scene 3: The bridge of Fortress Wahnen
The ease of this scene depends on how much the game likes you. Basically
you're running from a big tank that is indestructible, so all you need to do
here is RUN, or so it would seem. Be careful to keep your sword handy because
you'll encounter occasional obstacles, and if you're unlucky you'll find a mine
layer at the top one of the hills--though this seems to be random.
One odd thing you can do in this scene, if you feel inclined, is to jump over
the tank, putting him ahead of you. Since the tank causes the bridge to
collapse, if you have done this right, the tank will not be able to retreat
after you. This leaves ample opportunities to explore, but there is really
nothing you can do here.
At the end of your route you can jump for a life-max (first level) or life-up
item. The tank will drop into the water, bringing you to yet another 'easy'
boss:
Sturngeschutz V: This machine may seem fearsome but if you have a power-up,
it'll drop as quick as the cybermonkey from Strider 1. The moment you have
control, slide so that you are directly under or 'in' it, or just right behind
it. Start slashing the crap out of it, and if you have a pow, it will probably
not even have a chance to move before it dies. If it does, keep on it looking
out for the little blue mines it lays (your sword slashes should take care of
those.) Whatever you do, don't stand anywhere in front of it, as this machine
has a number of missile type attacks. Watch out for the flying gun turrets
(though this won't be a problem if you are under Sturngeschutz.
(4) Scene 4: The prison tower of Fortress Wahnen
Here's where the level starts getting difficult. Directly above you is a point
or life bonus but you'll need to proceed right a little bit to jump up to the
railing. Once you have that, proceed right, timing your progress with the
flames. There are two bots here with rotating blades that you will need to
patiently hack away at, carefully avoiding the pit-fall trap. If you are
desperate for a life-up, trigger the pit-fall than lure the first bot into it.
When the bot dies, it will give you a life-up.
Nothing that challenging here. As you get to the end of the flame-jets you
will find a point bonus along the top of the screen.
Coming up next will be your first encounter with the weaker version of the
Armored guard. These guys take a lot of hits and wield a fearsome ax, but they
are also slow. Dash right in on this guy so that you are once again occupying
the same space he is. He'll die before he even has a chance to swing his ax.
Proceed up and to the left for a power-up.
Continue up this tower. Platforms will either have a guard with
shoulder-mounted rockets, armored guards, the weird armored ninja or nothing.
The armored guards have larger platforms, and you'll notice under the first one
are two cow bonuses and behind that armored guard is a life-up bonus. At the
final level there will be a wizard. You don't even need to attack him if you
don't want to, just proceed up through the top. If you get anywhere near him
or hit him he'll disappear. After a few seconds you'll be taken to another
room to fight Dullahan.
You'll see the wizard summon a rather nasty looking headless knight with a HUGE
sword. Then, rather humorously the knight kills the wizard (though if you have
the boost, you can kill the wizard before Dullahan can!) and now it's your
chance to duke it out with him/her/it/whatever. As a side note, you can kill
the wizard yourself depriving this monstrosity of its chance to kill its
creator--if you have a power-up, just hold down the attack as the fight begins.
The name of this creature is Dullahan, and I've certainly lost a few battles to
him, but in true Strider tradition, if you know what you are doing you can take
this guy out with no problem.
The secret (as provided to me by Strider Ishmael) is to stay on the ground.
Dullahan is very slow but he can summon four flying skulls that spit out
fireballs. Although you will need to worry about both of them, jump only with
great caution as even touching Dullahan's sword while he's getting ready to
swing will do damage to you. The best strategy I've found is to keep behind
Dullahan and slash away at him, while sliding under incoming fireballs from the
skulls. Once trying this strategy I found it easy to beat Dullahan flawless.
A few rounds of slashing him in the back and sliding under skull-fire was
enough to put an end to Dullahan. Make sure and grab the power-up in the upper
left-hand corner before you go on to the next scene.
(5) Scene 5: The walls of Fortress Wahnen
This is a rather large area and there may be several good ways to approach it.
You will start out climbing up a wall. If you descend just a little you can
find a cow point bonus. Proceed up, timing your ascent with the firing of
several wall mounted electrical discharge units. Once on top you will fight a
guard that looks alarmingly like a large MegaMan. These guys shoot the rockets
you probably remember from Strider1 that are fired up and then arc back down.
Given the good placement of these guards this can work to very lethal effect.
You'll also be fighting more armored ninja--and all this on top of a turret.
BTW, there is a hidden gold star point bonus right above the turret.
Once done here, proceed down the other side. This next scene is nothing but
chaos. Directly below you is another MegaMan guard. There are more in-house
ninjas and you'll also note another of those guards with the shoulder-mounted
cannons. Beware. Also, you may not wish to jump right from the turret as you
will find the air is filled with a hoard of aerial explosives (still, you can
use your savage slash to cut your way through some of those.) The best route
I've found is to drop straight down taking out the MegaMan guard, and proceed
down the slope. I've had the best luck actually rushing this scene to avoid
being targeted by the guard with shoulder-mounted cannons (though you can also
slowly hack your way through it as well). At the bottom of the slope, take a
running leap across the chasm and proceed up while swinging to the left to take
out the aerial explosives (amongst the explosives are two bonuses--Spaceman and
Monkey).
When you've reached the top you will have a chance to grab an extra boost.
Watch the cross hairs that you see on the ground and be careful not to be there
when the incoming shots land. The boost will be directly above these, so grab
it and be quick.
Proceed down the other side, and here you have a choice of descending (while
dodging some more of those electrical discharge thingies) and grabbing a life
up (note that along this path you'll find four bonuses--two monkeys and two
cows), or proceed to the right. Either way you'll eventually find yourself
facing another armored guard and his ninja buddies. This is the weaker one so
take him out quickly. Climb another wall with discharge units and climb over a
weird extending pole with a light shining out of it--if this thing targets you,
it will shoot you. Once to the top you will again be on another turret,
nothing new. Kill the ninjas and guards and proceed right to fight the
stronger version of the armored guard I've been warning you about.
This is the "shin" armored guard. One really tough dude. I suggest using one
of your boosts here as this will take out the guys in the background who are
shooting at you. Once they are gone this is an easy game of
stay-behind-the-guard, a trick you should have perfected by now.
Strider Ishmael adds these cautionary words:
>For the mini-boss knight at the end of lvl.2 I often use a boost super as well
>to get rid of those pesky grenade launcher guys in the background, but you
>have to be judicious in your use of the boost because the axe knight has a
>shield as well. If you spaz out with your super he'll block the shots to such
>an extent that he'll get knocked back until he's wedged in the doorway. At
>that point he's very hard to dig out before time runs out. Waiting to use the
>boost until you're behind him seems the best trick.
(6) Scene 6: The dungeon of Fortress Wahnen
Among one of the coolest bosses in Strider 2, this is a giant cyber-hydra
commanded by Herzog Schlange, a man floating about on a platform. Your
objective here is to kill him, and the technique is pretty
straightforward--jump up and clobber him with your savage slash. The problem
is he tends to 'run' away, so you'll have to pursue him. The area is a giant
ring (though watch out for the pitfalls), so you can just keep following him in
circles. Fortunately he stops to command the hydra, so you'll have your
chance. I've found the remaining boost marginally useful though it can also
unbalance the game play. Between the mecha-hydra and your sword-missiles, the
PSX can really start dogging down and you might find the controls worsening
momentarily (this has caused me to fall into pitfalls a few times even though I
hit jump.)
Another interesting thing to note is that the heads of the hydra can be killed.
A good strategy if one of the heads lunges at you, is to dodge and then strike
it repeatedly while it is lodged in the ground. Less heads means less things
trying to attack you, and you get points for killing them, so swing away.
If you kill all the heads and leave Herzog alive, his platform will start on
fire and he'll drift around aimlessly, but you still need to kill him. Also,
when you beat the level, instead of seeing the heads fall down into the lake at
the center of the ring, you'll see the dome the heads came out of burst into
flame. This is just another example of how many things Capcom thought of in
programming this game, since it really takes a lot of work to kill all the
heads before bothering with Herzog.
End Dialogue:
Herzog: "You're insanely stupid, Strider! You dare to take on our lord?!
Aren't you afraid of dying?!"
Hiryu: "I will not die by his or anyone's hand!"
D. Level 03: Infiltrate the research facility
"What truths are hidden deep within the ice and snow?!"
Directions: Sneak into and then destroy the research facility.
This is a beautifully rendered level, capturing some of the spirit of the
second level of Strider 1 ('I've got you.'), but this time set in Antartica.
Unfortunately the level itself is a bitch and a half, and one I tend to avoid.
(1) Scene 1: The Antartica Ross Ice Shelf
You'll start this scene out by navigating your way from iceberg to iceberg. If
you jump left you can get on an iceberg with a penguin and a hidden point-bonus
at the water-line (also a canister with a barrel bonus flying in the air--but
not present if this is done as your first level). Return to where you started
and jump right where you'll encounter one of those imps from Strider 1--no
real threat here, though if you give them time to react, their attack is rather
funny. Double jump to the next berg and take out two of them. Drop down to a
small iceberg to the right of that one and collect a power-up, and to the left
is a cow point bonus.
>From here you can dash through the rest of the scene. After a small ice
'walkway' you'll climb a hill and on the other side you'll meet up with several
bird-faced would be hockey players. There is a fair share of humor in this
level, and these guys are part of it. If you want, just dash through them
taking them out as they get in your way. At the base of the hill you'll come
across another atrocity--the bad guys here have taken to mounting bombs on
penguins, and then hurling the penguins at you. Again, just dash through them,
carefully timing your jump so you don't land in the water.
Climb the wall, killing the flying guns as they hover around you (one should
have a power-up). At the very crest, if you swing to the left you'll find
another cow bonus.
Once on top you'll confront the dreaded Missile Mobile! OK, I'm just kidding,
this thing is probably the easiest 'boss' in the game. Just slip behind him
and let him have it. After he drops, all the freed penguins (who I guess now
don't need to worry about being strapped to bombs) sing out their praise to
you. Actually, if you play around here walking back and forth you'll find they
follow you! Yup, Capcom is just as weird as ever. (Please tell me there is a
code to get the penguins to follow you through the rest of the game!)
Anyone know what determines the number of penguins you get, or is this just
random? (I've seen between 2 to 5)
(2) Scene 2: The Olaf Wall Base
This is in a lot of ways the hardest scene in the level, but only because of
those round bots that shoot energy balls. I've had times I get through this
scene flawless and other times they chop me into little pieces, but I think
I've found some strategies that will help.
Start by going to the left and climbing down a pipe where you'll find a
canister with a point bonus, and if you climb up a little from here and attack
to the left you'll find another hidden point bonus (red star).
Clamber up to where you started and climb the wall. Here the fun begins. Take
out the guard and flying gun, then jump to the wall on the right. The best
strategy for taking out any other flying guns, since they can only shoot
downward is to get to the same height as them and just let them come to you.
The problem now are the two round bots above you that are doing the best they
can to knock you off the wall. Wait until their volleys are clearly grouped
(they've moved farther up the cliff)--this may require dodging a couple
volleys, but that shouldn't be a problem. Once their shots are grouped,
clamber up the wall and take out the last flying gun. From here jump to the
ceiling and wait for the bots to fire another round...you should be well out of
their range with them harmlessly firing into a wall. Once they've exhausted
themselves, climb over to them and take them out...you'll probably end up
taking a guard out with them as well.
Once you've passed them you'll flip up on a ledge with some sort of metal
scaffolding along it with an electrical charge running up and down its
length--be careful to avoid that. At this point Beluga F (a large blue
helicopter) will show up. Jump on to it, attacking it as much as you can. It
will take you to the top of this scaffolding and actually to the top of the
cliff if you let it. You may wish to jump off at the top of the scaffolding
though as there is a life-up here, and there is also another round bot who
seems particularly good at taking pot shots at you. If you are quick, you can
take care of both these items and jump back onto the Beluga before its gotten
too far out of range.
Another alternative is to stay on the cliff. There are a few bonuses there,
but I'd rather take the damage off Beluga then go after points (and I'm not to
fond of it shooting at me while I'm on a wall.) Well the choice is up to you.
At the top of the cliff you'll actually have to fight Beluga F, so if you kept
attacking it you'll notice it only starts with half its health. The strategy
here is very simple. Beluga F has three basic attacks. It has a rear laser
which cannot hit you unless your on the ground. If you are hanging from its
mid-section, you can safely attack this unless its front guns are pointed back
at you (its second method of attack.) When these guns swing around, drop to
the ground and run to the front of the helicopter and jump onto its nose.
Climb up farther (out of reach of that gun) and attack the very front of Beluga
F. Its third form of attack is the missile launcher mounted here, but your
sword swings are faster than these attacks, so they won't hit you if you are
attacking it. In short, two main attacks (one from the mid-section and one
from the front) should completely obliterate Beluga F.
But that isn't the end. The helicopter crashes causing a series of explosions
you'll have to out-race. Sure, it isn't as realistic as the mountain-side mine
field in Strider 1, but remains a nice tribute. This is pretty
straight-forward. Run right, jump where the cliff ends. If you keep your
sword engaged you'll find some hidden point bonuses along the way. You'll land
on a small platform with a boost power-up. Hopefully you haven't used your
other boost yet as you'll need booth of them to get through the next scene in
one piece.
As a note for Strider fanatics, I've also tried jumping back over the flame
(hey, it worked for the tank, right?) Unfortunately, a new jet of flame will
spring up under your feet in a few seconds, so nothing is to be gained by this.
(3) Scene 3: The entrance to the lab
You'll start by facing a strange metal structure with some more of those hockey
players on it and some flying guns. One of the guns has a life-up bonus in it
(save it for after the boss), and on top of the scaffolding is a power-up.
Also, there is a hidden boost if you go to the top of the scaffolding and to
the very right end...double jump straight up and you'll find it there.
Destroy all the folks below you to fight the hardest boss in the level--
Instead of the fondly remembered Cyber-Monkey, you'll have to fight a Frozen
Mammoth, and were this boss any less annoying I'd probably have fond memories
for this guy down the road too, but...
The best strategy I've found is to use two boosts on this guy and do a lot of
running back and forth. Be careful though, his tusks, trunk and feet can be
used as weapons, what's more, he can shoot fireballs at you (lots of them), so
this makes for a REALLY tricky fight.
Here is a strategy offered by Mr. Bueno:
>For the Mammoth, you have to REALLY put your double jump to good use. You
>might also want to use a Boost for him as well if you have any since he's
>harder than the actual stage boss. Go right beneath him at first and hit
>him with all you've got. If he shoots spheres at you, that's the signal to
>run away or execute his slide to avoid getting hit. Don't stay too close to
>his front or rear cause he'll either hit you with his trunk or kick you.
Alternatively, Yoshox2000 gives us another strategy:
>I was trying to jump up and get that
>hidden booster on top of the right side of the red structure when the
>mammoth suddenly made his entrance before I could get it. Well, once the
>battle started I hopped up there again to see if I could get my booster.
>Once I got it, I activated it and let loose. The booster shots were hitting
>the mammoth while his blue energy shots were coming at me. I had an easy
>time dodging them from on top of that structure and didn't have to worry
>about being stomped on or attacked by the guys who look like hockey players.
>I used a second booster on the mammoth and was starting to whittle down
>his life when suddenly I saw his head come up and smash through the
>structure I was standing on. I dropped down to the floor and had to fight
>him the hard way. By this time though, his life was pretty low and I had
>enough blocks of life to kill him before he could kill me.
(4) Scene 4: The research section of the lab
You start out in a cave. In the upper left corner you'll find a hidden score
bonus. To your right will be a pair of round bots and these laser shooting
ceiling mounted devices. No real strategy here, just wait for the first bot to
shoot and destroy it. Jump to the ceiling and take out the laser contraption.
Then drop back down and repeat. Note that sometimes this can be quite
hazardous, as the bot will be within the range of laser thingy.
After you've destroyed them you'll come into a gravity reversal room. Before
you do anything else, pick up the power-up and then face-off against the
Antartic Guard! This is another one of those humorous build ups, because he is
no challenge at all. The worst thing he can do is throw out another bot, and
he'll do that in the opening scene before you get anywhere near him. Just go
slash him to pieces.
Now you have a choice as to whether to proceed or to get all the bonuses in
this room. I strongly recommend you do the later, as this room is really worth
clearing out. On top of the weird floating tubes you'll find a boost and a
life up, while beneath them (IE toward the top of the screen) there are many
hidden score bonuses. Just be careful not to get hit by the round bot.
When you're done, jump back to the ceiling and proceed right. You'll enter
into a rust-brown tunnel. Stay along the ceiling and proceed into a steel
walled lab for one of the funniest scenes in the game.
Here you will meet up with two researchers who upon noting your arrival
transform into hyper versions of a walrus and an Arctic wolf. The wolf has
moves like John Talbain and the Walrus can do Blanka's spinning ball. Just
keep your sword engaged and you'll defeat them easily without getting hit--run
to either side and corner them for lots of damage. Each should pop out a
life-up bonus.
I just need to comment how amazingly Capcom this scene is. Really, what other
company has made so many games with people stuck in tubes and evil scientists
that either create or they themselves become monsters? Look how similar this
scene is to the scene in Captain Commando where an evil scientist summons a
monster that looks EXACTLY like a Hedra from Nausicaa! What I am amazed at is
how much humor they seem to derive from it too--it isn't like this is done
seriously (you try to take a Walrus that does Blanka's roll seriously!) What's
more, neither of these animals even exist in Antarctica! So if you step back
from this for a moment, 'evil' scientists are using their trade to turn
themselves into super-powered north-pole critters? And when they aren't doing
that, they are strapping bombs on to penguins? Honestly, if science was this
silly, I'd be a scientist in a second!
After defeating the researchers, follow the tunnel, taking out round bots as
you go until you meet up with a ventilator fan (it actually has its own life
bar). You may still be dodging shots from round bots, so be careful. Destroy
the fan and proceed to the next scene.
(5) Scene 5: The gravity testing section of the lab
Although the basic strategy is quite simple, it can be rather hard to pull off,
and you might just want to use one of your boosts here (though I wouldn't
recommend it--you'll want your boosts for the boss). The Gravity Core will
first shoot out a small pulse that will run along the ground--unfortunately it
will do this in the opposite direction of the four beams that it will
subsequently shoot out, rotating in a clockwise direction. The trick here is
to run in a clockwise fashion so as not to be hit by the beams--never mind that
you run faster than the beams, and that you have that pulse running
counter-clockwise. This is more than enough to make me just want to use a
boost, but you'll need to take out one of these later, so perhaps it would be
wise to get practice here.
After you've done enough running, the core will turn red and pull you in as did
the gravity core in Strider 1. Now you can circle around it striking with your
cypher. Between this and your earlier attacks (you did attack it earlier,
right?), the gravity core should be done for. Off to an even more annoying
stage.
(6) Scene 6: The experimental area of the South Pole
This is a pretty weak boss--at least in the sense of originality. Looking
something like a cross between some Lovecraftian elder god and a giant
cucumber, you must now destroy the Kraken. It has six knobs that can fire
horizontal energy beams, and you need to destroy all of them. To complicate
matters it has four arms with which it can attack you and can also spit out
vertical energy beams. Best strategy I've found is to attack from a distance
first, taking out one set of its arms, then get in close to destroy the knobs.
When arms regrow, focus on them instead of the knobs. There is also a power-up
on the other side of the screen but I wouldn't worry about it until you've
taken care of the left side firset. Oh and did I forget to mention you should
still have a boost or two left? Use them here.
Use the same strategy on the other side until dead. Be wary of those vertical
energy beams. Ouch!
End Dialogue:
This is going to require some explanation. In this scene we hear a discussion
between several characters we have not yet been introduced to. One of which I
believe to be Admiral Wilhelm--though it isn't like I'd recognize the man were
I to bump into him on the street. Its just that he is the only major character
who Strider hasn't sliced and diced yet short of the Master. If you know who
this fellow really is, let me know.
Admiral Wilhelm: "What happened? Has the lab in the South Pole been
destroyed?"
Unidentified man: "What, Hiryu?"
Strider Hien: "He is a survivor of the Striders, just like me."
Admiral Wilhelm: "Let him go for now. We can follow him and learn... However,
it doesn't really matter until the lord comes. Now, let's move on..."
E. Level 04: Pursue the Flying Battleship Balrog
"The battleship must be stopped at any cost!"
Directions: Take out the power reactor of the flying battleship.
This level along with level 01 is my favorite of the entire game. There are
many tributes here to the first Strider while also simply being a gorgeous
level. It is also among one of the most challenging in the game--you will find
it very difficult to complete without using a continue.
(1) Scene 1: In the skies of Equator Malay Island
This seems directly inspired by the helicopter sequence in Strider 1, though
not quite as challenging as dealing with all those bombs. You'll be jumping
from helicopter to helicopter, and if you're observant you'll notice that you
can get onto higher tiers of helicopters above you. There is a second tier
with a power-up, but you'll have to dash to make it to the third tier, as the
first helicopter of this tier will quickly ascend out of reach. If you are
quick though you can get on this helicopter, and then you will be treated to
the real visual spectacle of this scene--something that all those people who
burned through the game on infinite continues have surely missed. Once on the
third tier you will get this awesome shot of the Battleship Balrog and every
helicopter you get on will have a bonus of some sort. I found a second
power-up, a life-up and lots of point bonuses. Just the visual treat alone
though is worth the effort to get up here.
The best strategy (despite my advice in the previous version of this faq) is
not to run like a mad man doing lots of double jumps. No, no, no. That was
wrong. Although you do need to run to get to the third tier, don't do it
anywhere else. Instead, carefully wait until you see the next helicopter in
sight (which might be challenging when someone is shooting at you.) In
virtually all cases, I have found that the helicopter eventually pulls up right
next to you. If you find you are occasionally dropping to your death, switch
to this technique--I've been able to pass through this scene without a scratch
by just being a little more patient.
At the end you'll face off with the Squad Leader, requiring you jump over to
his craft. Is it just me or does this guy look like Sabretooth? Plop down on
his head with a savage slash and continue to slash him on the ground. No
strategy needed here as he doesn't even fight back (at least not while your
sword is in his face.) Your biggest enemy is gravity--be very careful in how
you move around on his craft as it is small and easy to fall off of. Also
watch out for those Solo want-to-be's that try to throw a volley or two at you.
(2) Scene 2: Outside the tail of Flying Battleship Balrog
This scene will having you hanging on for your life as you dash across the hull
of the Battleship Balrog. If you want to move at all you'll have to dash as
there is so much wind.
Proceed right taking out a small turret (there seem to be point bonuses in
every turret.) Keep your cypher out because there will be mines flying at you
constantly in this scene. Continue right, taking out a guard, then run down
into a small ravine where you'll find a power-up. Without moving farther
right, take out the turret and wait for an opening in the mines.
Double jump straight up onto a scaffolding like platform and flip onto the
top-side. Again proceed right taking out mines along the way until you come to
a ship. Carefully double jump over it using your savage slash to sustain your
air-time. After landing, collect the boost bonus and continue right. You'll
come to the end of the platform. Jump down and destroy the turret to your left
for a cow bonus. If you are desperate for a life-up, you can proceed left
under the scaffolding, but be warned that this is dangerous ground. To your
right you'll find another life-up bonus. From here you'll see a second or two
of Strider advancing and there will be a guard in front of you. Destroy
him/her/it and now you will be confronting what has made this level so
frustration, the Minelayer itself.
My strategy has been to get in its face (???) and slash it until you see it
start shooting out mines. At that point focus on destroying the mines as the
Minelayer can fire a bolt that will make them all detonate--then return to
destroying the minelayer (anyone notice this is actually a guy in a suit?)
(3) Scene 3: The gravity transformer of the engine room
This scene is the worst conceived scene in this level and could easily be
removed without any loss to the game itself. Basically you are in a square
room with a track that runs to all four corners along which 'Scarabee' (a big
cube) can move. Along the borders of this room there is an electrical pulse
which rotates, and in the center are two squares you can leap up to and climb
about on (though they also have electrical pulses running about their surface.)
Sound like one big pain? Yeah... Well here is my suggestion. Jump up to the
space between the two squares, latching on to either one--you'll see this
immediately because there is a canister there (power-up). Once there
(carefully dodging the electrical pulses), engage your boost and let them find
Scarabee. When it passes under you, drop down and follow it to either corner
(carefully avoiding the pulse along the ground if it's there) while attacking
the whole time. Slashes combined with the boost will make short work of
Scarabee, but be ready to retreat if necessary. Repeat until dead, though I
would only waste one boost on this 'thing' as you'll have good use for your
other boosts later on.
(4) Scene 4: The development dock area
This is rather large scene and one that will keep you swinging your sword
almost constantly. Dash right until you come to a door with some researchers
on the other side. You should hit it with a few slashes but don't take the time
to open it now--immediately retreat where you'll see some ninja suddenly
appear. These guys are an absolute pain because they have good range and
they're pretty fast. Take them out and return to the door, destroying it and
the researchers. (Why are you killing researchers? I have no idea, especially
since they are locked up, but they give you points, so go for it! Strider
needs no morals.)
You'll also notice another kind of foe--these weird robots with treads. They
move fast and they can extend an electrical bolt in front of them. Again, if
you dash about with your sword activated, you should eliminate these guys
before they hurt you.
Continuing right and up a ramp you'll find a life-up. Jump left and continue
in that direction where you'll come to another door. Repeat the same technique
as before. After you've killed the ninja and researchers (actually, you'll
find the researchers can't even attack you), continue left up a ramp where
you'll come to the top level. Proceeding right again, you'll notice a door and
part of the ceiling going upwards. As before, take out the ninja that appear,
but this time proceed up the wall, jumping and slashing left for another point
bonus (incidentally, there is also a rather good side-view of Goliath here, so
if you wondered what you were destroying, here is your chance.)
Continue right, you'll find a place where the floor drops off. Drop or climb
down to a small platform where you'll see a canister. This is a boost, so get
it! When you do drop down there however, another ninja will appear, dispose of
him quickly.
Ishmael notes:
"Another alternative is to hang on the ledge just at the edge of the
platform. The ninja will come out but he won't be able to hit you, while
you can slash his feet out from under him. Not exactly a fair fight, but
considering you were cutting down scientists while they tried to run away
from you just a moment before why should you worry about that sort of
thing now?"
Double jump right (or alternatively climb up the scaffolding and grasp hold of
the ceiling and climb right) where you'll come to Goliath. I'm not quite sure
what this is, but we need to break it. When you cross the highest point of
Goliath, it will suddenly become vulnerable, weak points will be marked and
several ninja will suddenly appear. To make matters worse, those weak spots
also shoot lasers that can reflect off other surfaces and come back at you. Be
careful. I've found the savage slash does a LOT of damage to these spots, but
don't make yourself too vulnerable.
No real strategy to suggest as I don't know if there are any patterns. When
you finish with Goliath, move swiftly to the right. Along the ceiling is a
canister with a gold star bonus, while in the doorway is a red star bonus.
Note that these lab-coat wearing guys in the doorway have guns, though they
scream like women. It would be embarrassing if you got hit by one of them,
wouldn't it?
(5) Scene 5: The central engine room
Rather breathtaking and a fine improvement upon the gravity core that you had
to destroy in Strider 1. Here you'll find yourself standing on a platform with
two sets of rotating platforms on either side (yellow.) Above you is the
Reactor Core--a strangely humanized core I might add, as it talks and screams
at the end when you kill it. It also looks as though it's a tube with a woman
stuffed into it. I know how much Capcom likes shoving people into tubes, so
I'm not surprised, still I don't understand how a ship would be powered by a
woman stuffed into a tube? Psycho-power?
Well anyway, as you might imagine, get on one of the rotating platforms and use
this to strike at the Reactor Core. You should have two boosts left, and this
is a great place to use one of them. You should be able to get both a series
of strikes and then a jumping savage slash off on the core just by one pass of
the platform.
Be careful though, the reactor core has several forms of defense including some
energy balls it can hurl out at you (though quite humorously, you can deflect
these--often right back into the core itself), it can electrify the platforms,
and it can cause a giant column of yellow energy to materialize--so be careful.
Still, a little practice and that boost will make quick work of the engine
room. There are a couple point bonuses here in either upper corner but I don't
think they are worth going for. Also, there is a power-up along the right hand
side of the reactor core in a canister--something you might find useful.
(6) Scene 6: The satellite escape ship
This is in my mind one of the coolest scenes in the game, completely capturing
the spirit of Strider 1 and ending with an awesome duel. The music is also
completely appropriate here and makes one wish they could get their hands on
the import soundtrack.
Like the Balrog scene in Strider 1 (directly following the destruction of the
gravity core), you'll be racing to get out of the ship and to an escape pod
before the Balrog blows. You'll need to proceed right across two platforms and
one escape pod that literally crumbles as you climb over it, coming at last to
the admiral's escape ship.
Along the way you'll find a few soldiers and some mechanized turrets and so
forth. Just keep running and take them out as you go. You should also find a
power-up and some point bonuses, though I don't know how much you really want
to dally here.
The basic strategy with Admiral Wilhelm is this: When he is standing on either
left or right 'wing', move directly below him where his descending
'sword-wave-attacks' can't hit you. When he move to the floor of the ship, he
can attack in two ways, either with his giant swing attack or his 'pulse'
attack that sends two pulses of energy along the surface of the ship. When he
moves to the floor, stand directly on top of him and time your attacks. When
he charges up for the pulse attack, jump up and do your Savage Slash, putting
you out of the way of his pulse attack. For his giant swing, I've found
ducking under it works well. This pattern should allow you to beat the Admiral
without much difficulty.
Oh, and don't forget you should still have one boost left--so use it to make
quick work of this guy.
End Dialogue:
Wilhelm: "I don't understand? You have to tell me why. It's a thousand to
one. You have no chance to win!"
Herzog: "It is impossible to defeat our lord!"
Tong Poo: "The world is in his palm."
Wilhelm: "The military and economy, even science...they're all his."
Hien: "Hiryu, you are just dreaming..."
Grandmaster: "Ha ha ha! Are you going to come to the third moon? And kneel
down before my feet! Ha ha ha!
F. Level 05: Terminate the Grand Master
"The final battle on the Third Moon!"
Directions: Infiltrate the base, then terminate the Grand Master!
(1) Scene 1: The Spaceport of the Third Moon
This scene along with 3 and 4 are the only areas I don't always get slaughtered
in. It is possible to get a perfect here, but will take some time to learn the
layout and patterns.
First thing to note is this scene's use of zero gravity. The way it works is
that if you are on the ground or the ceiling, you'll walk along it as if in
normal gravity. If you jump though, you'll continue in that direction until
you reach another surface. It is possible to change direction with the double
jump.
You will start in a tall rectangular room with Solo and three of his green
imitators. The best strategy I have found is not unlike what I use in level
01. Basically stick to the ground and lure Solo down, trapping him in a
corner. Note, that this will not always work and you may need to do some crazy
stunts. Because the room is several screens tall, you can also do some weird
vertical jumps, getting a few stabs at Solo along the way. Still, this room
can be either maddeningly difficult or surprisingly easy, depending on Solo's
behavior.
Moving up and to the right you'll come to a smaller room with some canisters
mid-air and a few baddies. Notably, up along the ceiling is a larger creeping
machine capable of firing a three way laser and also running over you. Take it
out quickly before it hurts you. Also, along the ground should be two or three
mutants (well, guys that the Master has grown to take over the earth.)
Typically these fellows aren't much of a threat, but wait until the next scene!
Jump up and down collecting the two point canisters and the life-up bonus.
When done, proceed down to the next area where you'll meet up with a weird
bouncing machine. It takes a lot of hits, but has no attacks, so destroy it.
Beyond it is a spinning gun with three lasers on it. Fortunately these things
only take one hit. Destroy it and proceed down again, this time to the right.
Destroy another bouncing thing, some more guards and from here you'll come to
an opening in the ceiling with another rotating laser gun above you (actually
there is more than one.) A good strategy here may be to jump straight up,
swinging your sword all the way...with luck this will take both of them out.
You'll now see that to your left is another one of those crawling
machines...and don't take them lightly, they are very very bad. Destroy it
then move to the wall along the right (yes, the one that ends--don't jump past
that!)
Clamber over the top of the wall and down a little bit (I'll let you be the
judge here), and then do a vaulting jump (hassou jump) to the right where
you'll latch on to another wall. Climb up slightly to get a power-up, then
climb down. If you wait too long a large flaming butterfly will pursue you!
Woah!
Once you come to the bottom of the wall, wait for one of those huge tanker
things to pass you (you can actually attack it through the wall to clear your
path), then drop/jump to the ground and quickly move to the right. There will
be another rotating gun. Move directly below it, then jump straight up
annihilating it. You will be clinging to a ceiling above you (don't ask me why
you cling to this one), move left until you get to the end. Again, time this
with the passing of those tankers, flipping up into a hallway.
To your right is the door to the next room, but you'll see a hoard of bouncing
machines and guards. Don't hesitate--just run through them. I'm not sure why
this works here, but it does, and it seems your only chance!
Strider Ishmael suggests a more refined strategy:
"The alternative is to hang off the ceiling and slash your way through.
Guards will come out of the doorway, but in order to get a bead on you
they cartwheel up into the air and blunder into your sword before they can
get a shot off. The only danger here is that the whole procedure takes
awhile so you can end up getting the HURRY UP klaxon if you dawdle too
much."
(2) Scene 2: The new bio development section
With this room I'm going to leave you in the hands of Mr. Bueno. I really
don't have any other suggestions and there is SO much going on here I can't
take time to describe it all. In general, you will be proceeding right, with
many gravity changes that come at the sound of an alarm, at which point parts
of the floor will move as well. This is a scene I really struggle to get
through as there is so much trying to kill you all at once. Be ready to fight
more of those crawling robots with the three way guns and also, there are these
hovering bots that may not sound like much, but depending on which way the
gravity is, they shoot out a jet of flame. You'll need to be cautious and time
your advances.
There are also really only two bonuses I heavily stress picking up. When you
get to the vertical shaft you will find a boost bonus on the top-side (which
side is top these days?) of the first platform. Also at the very top of the
shaft is a life-up. These might seem like tiny consolations at the end of a
very tough scene, but you WILL need them--especially the boost.
Here is Mr. Bueno strategy:
>In the Bio Development station, you have to take your time but be sure not
>to pace too slow so that your time limit will diminish. Keep in mind that
>your time counts for points as well! Take out a few enemies and then move
>on. Avoid ones that take too long to kill and try not to get hit. Keep on
>the look out for bonuses that are lying around and collect any power ups that
>are there even if you're already fine. Extra power ups can mean extra
>points as well. Also, don't use your boost just yet. Save it for Caduceus
>as he's the real challenge in the stage and it slows down the game when you
>use it in this room.
(3) Scene 3: The gravity control device area
Use the same strategy you used in the first gravity core room. This one is
even easier because the energy pulse runs the same direction as the beams. If
you've practiced with the first gravity core, this one should be toast.
(4) Scene 4: The central entrance
This is an awesome scene, though one that can seriously cost you some life if
you aren't careful. You will be riding the back of a plainer (though no less
cool) emperor dragon, on top of which stands Strider Hien, ready now to fight
to the death. The only thing which might have made this scene cooler (though
would have been too much) is if this had actually been the emperor dragon and
it still shot back at you. Clearly though, this scene really demonstrates the
very limits of the PSX's ability. I really hope when and if the Dreamcast
version comes out that we will be able to see this and other scenes with no
lag!
Well my suggestion here is to spend a lot of time running through Hien, though
again be careful for his moves he charges up and when he throws his cypher. A
very cheap trick I have found is to knock him off the tail of the dragon and
hit him every time he tries to jump back on. This can take a lot of time, but
given Hien's ability to block your moves, I'd rather beat him flawless than
worry about how long it takes to do it.
Mr. Bueno's suggestion:
>When fighting with Strider Hien for the second time, be sure not to use your
>boost. Once again it'll cause slowdown to the game and you'll want to save
>it for Caduceus. Attack Hien methodically and carefully. His dash attack
>can be really easily avoided, but be sure to remember that when he throws
>his cypher, that it can hit you when it returns to him. As for
>his laser attack, get a running start if you're far away from him to avoid
>the laser.
One last note about Hien (if I haven't noted it earlier) is a very nasty
property of his rushing sword attack. Observant players will note that it
leaves a trail of energy behind him, meaning that he can hit you even if he is
going the wrong way. Be careful.
(5) Scene 5: The control section
Here you will again fight the Grand Master as you did in Strider 1. Even the
layout of the level is quite similar. Take your time to collect all the
bonuses (especially boosts and life-ups). The Master, given time will summon
various body parts of the next boss (I know. weird...), and finally summoning a
strange translucent fish. These things are tough to kill, so try if you can to
avoid them and focus all your energy on killing the master and collecting
enough goodies to make it through the next stage!
Additional commentary from Strider Ishmael:
"Also, when fighting the Master you can hit him out of the incantations for his
spells. All the other bosses can't get knocked out of their wind-up animation
for an attack so this is somewhat useful to remember, especially since his
spells [lightning, a spell ball that explodes for a long time] are annoying."
(6) Scene 6: The throne room
Instead of ending as this game should have, you now come face to face with one
hugely cheap boss. Caduceus (literally the name of the symbol used by the
medical profession--you know, the staff with the serpents coiled around it?) is
so massive that in perspective Strider looks like a dot, you'll no doubt be
putting a few continues into beating this thing. The only things I can tell
you for beating Caduceus is 1) His head is the only part of him that is
vulnerable and 2) you can turn off his arms with repeated slashes, but they
will eventually turn back on.
The reason for turning off the arms should be obvious since you can stop a good
chunk of Caduceus' attacks, but this doesn't end the death-beam attack
(Caduceus literally covers the entire screen with energy blasts), nor does it
(as far as I know) stop his massive fire-ball attack. My suggestion is to
climb up his arm, turn on your boost and hit him in the head until he knocks
you off (and probably kills you.) Fortunately when you continue you'll get
another boost and you can use this to finish the giant bug off. Also I have
found I can use Hiryu's savage slash to avoid some of Caduceus's attacks, but
this requires precise timing and is easy to miss.
Lastly, if you have played through this level wisely, you should be facing
Caduceus with three boosts. You should be able to unload at least one of them
into its head before the giant bug starts getting mean, so it seems possible to
beat Caduceus without getting killed.
Again, here is Mr. Bueno's strategy--
>For Caduceus, you have to be really tricky with maneuvering. When those blue
>spheres appear, you have to stay still in one spot and then move out of
>there before anything hits you. Same goes for the Electricity attack he
>has. As for the fire, that's telegraphed by his arm movement. If you're
>hanging somewhere near Caduceus' weak spot and slashing at him, you'll have
>to drop down and avoid being hit. If you're a master of the double jump,
>you can double jump to either arm you're closer to and climb up so that you
>won't have to start from the bottom of the screen. For that shower of
>lasers that he does when he flies off the screen, you'll have to go to the
>sides for it. You'll notice that the farther you go outwards,
>the larger the gaps are between the lasers. This is the last fight, so be
>sure to use as much Boost as you possibly can.
End Dialogue:
Grand Master: "What... What has happened...?! Could you be?! Are you that
Hiryu?! The one who appeared before me almost two thousand years ago before I
took this world?! Are you going to finish what you couldn't do back then?!"
(Strider kills the Grand master)
Hiryu: "Hiryu to headquarters... Mission accomplished."
If anyone understands the 'almost two thousand years ago' reference, please
e-mail me. I don't think it is a reference to Strider 1 (you did kill the
master in Strider 1). Somebody help me out!
5. Secrets
Special Bonus: Don't get hit at all and receive the 'star' ranking, worth an
additional 1.8 million!
The following are all relatively well known:
-Play through Strider 2 and save your game to make Strider Hien playable
-Save the completed Strider 1 game and Strider 2 game to the same card and
unlock level 0.
-Play through Strider 2 and unlock 'infinite boost' option.
-Beat Strider 2 without continues to be able to have penguins follow you (just
kidding!)
6. Merchandise--show your support!
OK, not a lot to put in this section because I haven't yet picked up the
Strider 2 soundtrack, but I do have this fantastic shirt you can buy from
Capcom of America. Yeah, its kind of expensive, but you know you want to wear
this awesome black shirt with the Capcom logo on front and Strider (as he
appears on the front cover of the video game) hurling across your back.
But why not more Strider merchandise? There was a Strider action figure put
out as part of a series of characters from Marvel vs. Capcom, but honestly, the
figure (and the whole line) was really low quality. Perhaps you can wait for
Rhesaurus to put out their action figure of Guy and paint him blue? You'd
think someone would see our need for a Strider toy, but as of yet, nothing
really satisfactory has been put on the market.
I did note, doing a search across the internet that someone made Strider's
sword out of balsa wood. I gather they were going to some part as
Strider--kind of a limited gig, but for all of you Strider want-to-be's, here
is a new idea for you.
Also, why did we never see any Strider posters? You know you want to decorate
your walls with that same picture of Strider that we see everywhere (why can't
Capcom make more Strider images?) This seems like a really under-marketed
game.
Lastly, Strider itself is based off a Strider manga. Incredibly rare and
expensive, I think you can find some shots of it on the internet, though I
don't recall being overly impressed with the little bit I did glimpse. Still,
this is what started it all--a small obscure comic. Keep an eye on ebay if you
want to snag a copy.
7. About the E rating
Ever notice the rating on the front of videogames? Just a precaution to keep
the little tykes from playing Fear effect 2 and Conker's bad fur day--receiving
ratings like M for mature. Strider 2 receives an E for everybody (does this
imply that somewhere there is a N rating for Nobody?)--essentially a G. Now
I've never completely grasped the ratings that movies get, and Strider 2's
rating seems just as inexplicable to me as Beneath the Planet of the Apes
getting a G rating--despite the main character getting shot in the head,
Charleton Heston's heart practically oozing out of his chest, and the entire
world getting blown up. Strider 2 is an E the same way that Beneath the Planet
of the Apes is a G.
Although Strider 2 doesn't have gratuitous 'stealth kill' scenes, you hack a
few hundred people in half over the course of the game. Of course, most
'humans' just vaporize when you hit them with your sword. The imps (which I
gather are robots) actually fly apart with their heads often spiraling off in a
different direction. I guess this is an issue of style over substance. Most
Capcom games (never mind their Resident Evil series) never have focused on
gore. If another company was doing Strider 2, it could easily earn the M
rating. It would also probably suck.
Still, I find it an interesting note that a game where you play an assassin who
kills literally thousands of people with only his sword earns an E rating.
Move over Pokemon, Strider is fun for the whole family!
6. Updates
The following are additions I would like to see in future versions of this FAQ:
-Any updates regarding other versions of Strider 2 (including emulation or
Bleemcast) that might eliminate slowdown. I still have not seen Strider 2 on
the PS2, but word is that it is unchanged. Also, no word on if Strider 2 runs
on Bleem for PC.
-What are the differences between the PSX and the arcade version? (Does the
arcade lag like the PSX version does?)
-More hidden items!
-Better strategies!
-And just what's up with those penguins?
7. Legal
Strider, Strider Hiryu, Falchion, Strider Hien and all other related
names/trademarks are copyright/trademarked Moto Kikakaku and Capcom Co., Ltd.
Playstation is copyright Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
This document is copyright Chris Moon 2001 and cannot be reproduced for profit
in any form. It can be freely distributed over the internet as long as it is
unaltered and is only distributed on free (i.e. non-subscription) sites. If you
do choose to post this document on your site, please email me to let me know.
