**************************** * * * GUNSTAR HEROES * * BOSS FAQ * * FOR THE * * SEGA GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE * * * **************************** **************************************** * * * Copyright 2004, Evan Atkin * * December 13, 2004 * * Version 1.1 * * Written and Researched by Evan Atkin * * E-mail: Pidgeo5@yahoo.com * * Boss FAQ written for Hard mode * * * **************************************** Table of Contents **Note** I have included index numbers below. If you wish to skip to a specific section, simply run a search for the number (be sure to include the whole number in your search). 0.1 Introduction 0.2 Story 0.3 Controls 0.4 Additional Controls 0.5 Shot Types 0.5.1 Free Shot 0.5.2 Fixed Shot 0.6 Weapons 0.6.1 Machine Gun 0.6.2 Lightning 0.6.3 Homing 0.6.4 Fire 0.7 Combinations 0.7.1 Machine Gun x 2 0.7.2 Machine Gun + Lightning 0.7.3 Machine Gun + Homing 0.7.4 Machine Gun + Fire 0.7.5 Lightning + Machine Gun 0.7.6 Lightning x 2 0.7.7 Lightning + Homing 0.7.8 Lightning + Fire 0.7.9 Homing + Machine Gun 0.7.10 Homing + Lightning 0.7.11 Homing x 2 0.7.12 Homing + Fire 0.7.13 Fire + Machine Gun 0.7.14 Fire + Lightning 0.7.15 Fire + Homing 0.7.16 Fire x 2 Level 1: The Ancient Ruins 1.1: Papaya Dance 1.2: Bravoo Man 1.3: Pinky Roader Level 2: The Underground Mine 2.1: Seven Force 2.1.1: Soldier Force 2.1.2: Tails Force 2.1.3: Tiger Force 2.1.4: Eagle Force 2.1.5: Blaster Force 2.1.6: Urchin Force 2.1.7: Crab Force Level 3: The Flying Battleship 3.1: Swapping Reg 3.2: Colonel Red 3.3: Orange Level 4: Black's Strange Fortress 4.1: Hanging Turret 4.2: Valvalion 4.3: Item Room 1 4.4: Timeron 4.5: Rush & Go! 4.6: Minion Soldier 4.7: Melon Bread 4.8: Destroy 4.9: Pit 4.10: Rush & Go! 4.11: Item Room 2 4.12: Phantom 4.13: Vortex Base 4.14: Curry & Rice 4.15: Abarenbou Gel 4.16: Super Gondola 4.17: Item Room 3 4.18: The Way Back 4.19: Black Beat Stepper Level 5: Rescue Yellow! 5.1: Final Great Soldier 5.2: Smash Daisaku (A.K.A. Colonel Red) Level 6: The Empire's Spacecraft 6.1: Timeron 6.2: 1000mm Gun 6.3: Seven Force 6.4: Core Guard System 6.4.1: Unit of the Hammer 6.4.2: Unit of the Dragon 6.4.3: Unit of the Runner Level 7: The Final Assault 7.1: Duck Battalion 7.2: Pink Lobster 7.3: Orange 7.4: Black Fly 7.5: Green 7.6: Golden Silver 8.0 Contact Information 9.0 Legal Information ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.1 Introduction Welcome! My name is Evan and this is my Boss FAQ for Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis. Gunstar Heroes was developed in 1993 by the amazing people at Treasure - who, after some creative differences with their original employer, Konami, decided to go into business themselves... thus forming Treasure!). The game play is similar at times to run & gun action titles like Contra or Metal Slug; with swarms of enemies on the screen at one time, over-the-top boss battles, and action, action, and more action! What set this game apart from other action platformers (at the time) was the ability to carry two weapons and combine them for varying effects. Although the game is over ten years old, it is still challenging and enjoyable to play, offering many memorable boss fights. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.2 Story (Taken directly from the instruction booklet) Sometime in the future, somewhere not too far from where you live, an amazing adventure takes place... The Gunstar family has been the protector of the Gunstar 9 (G-9) for generations. Professor White Gunstar, in his youth, defeated the Robot Golden Silver, a machine that traveled millions of miles to suck G-9 dry of all its resources. Professor White was able to extract the four famous Mystical Gems (The robot's power source), and imprisoned the robot on one of G-9's moons. But now, years later, a new menace has arisen. Colonel Red, a vicious dictator (and a very bad dresser), found out that the Gunstars knew the location of the Mystical Gems. One day, The Colonel kidnapped the Gunstar twins' older brother Green and used a mind control machine to make Green obey his orders. With Green's help, Colonel Red has amassed all four Mystical Gems, has turned Gunstar 9's peaceful worker droids into deadly menaces, and is now preparing to leave for Gunstar 9's moon to reactivate Golden Silver. As one of the Gunstar twins, you must fight your way past Colonel Red's Empire Army and retrieve the Mystical gems, or Golden Silver, the Destructor will rise again and destroy your world! Are you heroic enough for the task? ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.3 Controls (Default) Control pad up: Look/aim up Control pad down: Duck/aim down Control pad left/right: Run in the desired direction (A) Select button: When you have two weapons in your inventory, select will allow you to choose between slot 1, slot 2, and combination fire. (B) Jump button: Allows you to spring free from the ground by the muscular action of your lower appendages...i.e. Jump. (C) Fire button: Shoot your selected weapon. If you are near an enemy or bomb that can be thrown, press the fire button and the desired direction. Also used as the punch button when you don't have your gun in Black's Dice Palace. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.4 Additional Controls Slide: By holding the control pad down and pressing the jump button, you can execute a slide in the direction you are facing. Use it to evade attacks or damage enemies. Running Slide: Harder to pull off than the regular slide. Perform a half-circle with the control pad (ending the half-circle in the direction you want to slide), and press the jump button at the same time you complete the half-circle. Damages enemies and bosses. Body slam/Jump kick: Press the jump button again while in the air to perform a body slam/jump kick. Use to cause multiple damage to enemies and bosses. Holding onto a platform/climb up: Stand under the platform you wish to grab onto. Hold up on the control pad and press the jump button to grab. To climb up, push up and jump again. If there are any enemies in your way, they will be damaged. If you are above the platform and want to get down, simply hold down on the control pad and press the jump button. Wall kick: Jump towards the wall in question and press the jump button when you are against the wall. You can also use this trick to jump against the side of the screen. Throw: Press the fire button while near an enemy or bomb you wish to throw, and hold the control pad in the desired direction. Block: By pressing both Jump and Fire at the same time, your character will go into a blocking stance. This will reduce the damage taken from some attacks, but not all! You can still be thrown, if you're blocking. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.5 Shot Types Before you start, you will be asked to decide between Free shot or Fixed shot. 0.5.1 (FREE SHOT) * Pros - Your character will be able to run while shooting - You can do a body slam when you press jump twice (instead of a jump kick) - The Lightning + Homing combination will come in handy during boss battles! - You can duck and shoot at the same time. * Cons - Your character can not stand still and fire (unless shooting straight up), making shooting stationary enemies at an angle difficult. - The Homing + Fire combination will be very difficult to use. - You won't be able to shoot straight down (unless you jump). 0.5.2 (FIXED SHOT) * Pros - Your character will be able to stand still and fire in 8 directions. - You will be able to use the Homing + Fire combination with ease! - You will do a jump kick when you press jump twice (instead of a body slam). * Cons - Dodging enemies will be difficult...especially if you have to stop to shoot them! - You won't be able to run & gun with the Lightning + Homing combination. - You can't duck while shooting (it will cause you to aim down instead). Choose carefully, because it will affect your strategy during the game (to be honest, I have always chosen "Free shot" when I play because it's just easier to use. If this is your first time through the game, I would suggest choosing free shot. Once you have chosen, you can't change your mind. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.6 Weapons In addition to your brawling skills, there are many weapons at your disposal. When you first start the game, Professor White will instruct you to choose a weapon. Choose carefully because this is the weapon you will always start with when you continue (although you can always switch it for a different weapon during a level). It's a good idea to choose a weapon based on the style of shot you chose. You have 4 types of weapons to choose from and as you play through the stages, you will be able to pick up additional weapons and combine their effects! There are 10 different weapon combinations in the game (not including the standard weapons). 0.6.1 Machine Gun Your run-of-the-mill machine gun fire. It can't shoot through enemies, but it has the highest rate of fire for all the weapons. 0.6.2 Lightning Shoots a blue laser straight in whichever direction you are pointing. It can pass through enemies, but also has the 2nd slowest rate of fire. 0.6.3 Homing Shoots little "homing bullets" at your enemies. The weakest weapon to start with in the game, and it can't shoot more that 6 bullets at a time. It's a good weapon to use for combinations though. 0.6.4 Fire Torches enemies at close range, but the flame doesn't reach far. Great if your the type who just wants to sprint through the level. Hold down the fire button for a continuous stream of fire. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 0.7 Combinations (MACHINE GUN) 0.7.1 Machine Gun x 2 This will amplify the size and spread of your bullets. Also increases the rate of fire. 0.7.2 Machine Gun + Lightning Shoots a sectioned laser beam. By rotating the control pad, you can fan the beam to shoot in more than 8 directions. 0.7.3 Machine Gun + Homing Machine Gun fire with homing ability. Can be tricky at times to focus on one enemy. 0.7.4 Machine Gun + Fire Shoots balls of fire that explode on contact, causing damage to all enemies in the vicinity of the blast. (LIGHTNING) 0.7.5 Lightning + Machine Gun Same as Machine Gun + Lighting 0.7.6 Lightning x 2 Amplifies the strength of your laser, also improving the rate of fire. 0.7.7 Lightning + Homing Shoots a homing laser that will move from enemy to enemy, causing damage until they are destroyed. Excellent for boss fights where you have to concentrate on dodging. 0.7.8 Lightning + Fire A Laser sword! Probably the most powerful weapon in the game. You can also use the sword to destroy bullets and lasers fired at you by your enemies! It doesn't have a long reach, so it can make some boss battles hard for you. (HOMING) 0.7.9 Homing + Machine Gun Same as Machine Gun + Homing 0.7.10 Homing + Lightning Same as Lightning + Homing 0.7.11 Homing x 2 Amplifies the strength and number of homing bullets you can shoot. It also turns your bullets into stars. 0.7.12 Homing + Fire Shoots a ball of fire that you can control and move around the screen. Careful though! While your controlling the fire, you can't move! (FIRE) 0.7.13 Fire + Machine Gun Same as Machine Gun + Fire. 0.7.14 Fire + Lightning Same as Lightning + Fire 0.7.15 Fire + Homing Same as Homing + Fire 0.7.16 Fire x 2 Amplifies the strength and reach of your flamethrower. If you release the fire button, then the flame will travel in the direction you were last facing. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 1: The Ancient Ruins (3 bosses) 1.1 (Mini-Boss) Papaya Dance (Vitality) 1234 (Methods of attack) Balloon Bomber: Drops spores that look like balloons. Mother Ant: A giant worm will materialize and inch its way towards you. This will probably be the first mini-boss you run into. Simply fire straight up into the top of the tree. Since it will sway when hit, it's best to use a weapon like Laser + Homing or Fire + Fire. Avoid the balloon pods the boss will drop and keep an eye out for a large ball of light that will occasionally drop from the sky. When it hits the ground, it will turn into a giant caterpillar and inch towards you. 1.2 (Mini-Boss) Bravoo Man (Vitality) 3421 (Methods of Attack) Dragon Punch: Uppercut punch Spinning Driver: Bravoo man will fly off the screen, then across to the opposite side, fully replenishing his energy! Ballerina Twirl: Twirls on one leg Flying Russian Dance Spin: Bravoo man jumps into the air and spins in a Russian Dance kinda style... Leg Sweep: Bravoo man will try to kick you with a leg sweep. This boss is a bit more difficult than Papaya Dance...but not by much. The spinning driver move will recharge all of Bravoo Man's vitality, so its important to finish him off as soon as you can. Your best bet is to just follow him around, jumping into him with your body slam and when you land, slide to cause more damage. Another trick is to time your body slam so you can kick off the side of the screen and back into Bravoo Man to cause more damage. Don't let up! 1.3 (Boss) Pinky Roader (Vitality) 3201 (Methods of Attack) Hitman Shot: One of Pink's lackeys will fire at you from a retractable turret. Homing Bombs: Homing bombs Iron Knuckle: A giant spiked ball which will try to flatten you. Here's the first minion of Colonel Red, Pink is paired up with a comical pair of lackeys. The Pinky Roader will start on the left side of the screen, attacking you with the hitman shot. Do your best to avoid the lasers, and try to hit the main body of the Pinky Roader. After a bit, the turret will retract and the Pinky Roader will begin to stomp. This means it is getting ready to move towards you. Either jump over it, or slide under it as it raises its legs (this is more of a challenge). If you're really gutsy and have a lot of health (and a good weapon, I suggest Lightning + Fire), you can stay under the Pinky Roader and fire up into the belly. Doing this will pin you under the boss and make escape difficult, but it will be easier to get more hits in. As the Pinky Roader moves across the screen, it will swing the Iron Knuckle at you. It's pretty slow and easy to dodge. Next it will start to fire off some homing bombs. It will repeat this pattern again, then start jumping from side to side. Be patient, and it should go down. For trouncing Pink and her lackeys, the blue jewel is now yours! ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 2: The Underground Mine (1 boss) 2.1 (Boss) Seven Force (Green) (3 Forces on Easy, 5 Forces on Normal, all 7 Forces on Hard/Expert) 2.1.1 Soldier Force (Vitality) 4101 (Methods of Attack) Arm Vortex: Shoots his arm at you for a distance attack. Arm Boomerang: Tosses 3 boomerangs that spread out and cover the top half of the screen. Steel Balls: Tosses a cluster of three balls at you if you're on the ground. Power Slide: A nasty surprise if you get too close while on the ground! **Horizontal Mine** You will always start off the battle against Soldier Force. For this battle, it's best to stay near the upper-right portion of the screen. If Soldier throws his arm boomerangs at you, just move to the bottom-right of the screen. When he points his fist at you, you have a few seconds before he fires his arm at you. Keep your distance and stay mobile and you should be able to dodge his attacks with no problem. If you get too close to him while on the ground, Soldier will slide into you! Stay on the ceiling and keep shooting. If you have to move behind Soldier, be ready to dodge his boomerangs with less space to move. 2.1.2 Tail Force (Vitality) 4102 (Methods of Attack) Somersault Tail: Does a somersault, whipping his tail over his head Lightning Zap: A turret opens on the head and pelts you with a wide spray of bullets. **Vertical Mine** Usually, Tails will move counter-clockwise against the edge of the mine, starting from the top. When it gets to the lower-left corner of the mine, it will begin to shoot at you while it continues moving counter-clockwise. Follow a bit behind the tail to avoid getting shot. Tails will then stop on the right side of the mine and stay there for a bit, giving you an opening to attack. Keep an eye on the turret on top of Tail's head though. When it starts to open, get ready to dodge! Move down just a bit on the left wall so you can still hit Tails, but not get hit. If it starts to somersault, cross over to the opposite wall in between spins. 2.1.3 Tiger Force (Vitality) 4203 (Methods of Attack) Sight Laser: Two methods of attack. One is a small cross hair that will follow you along the screen and shoot a beam of energy where the crosshair stops. The second is similar, except the crosshair is larger and the beam will explode when it makes contact. Trace Zapper: Shoots a laser that ricochets around the screen. Pay attention to the dotted pattern for insight on where the laser will go. **Horizontal Mine** The sight laser is Tiger's main weapon, which is easy enough to avoid. Keep moving along the top of the mine and don't stop! Tiger will usually alternate between shooting at you a few times with a small sight, then using a larger sight to shoot a grenade at you. Just keep moving around on the top of the mine and you should be able to avoid his attacks. After a few shots from the sight laser, Tiger will set-up his trace zapper. Pay attention to the pattern because it will give you a general idea how the laser is going to ricochet off the walls. This will be the best time to attack. Tiger will usually repeat this attack a few times, then switch back to the sight laser. 2.1.4 Eagle Force (Vitality) 4005 (Methods of Attack) Dance Dance: Climbs up the mineshaft, blocking your passage. You will need timing to get past his wings and tail unharmed. Spread Laser: (Used in stage 6) Chases you around the screen shooting lasers at you. **Vertical Mine** You won't have to dodge any shots during the battle with Eagle Force, but you will have to pay close attention to how it moves. Eagle will climb up the mine shaft, blocking your way as it goes. The wings can move in three positions, while the tail will only move back and forth. Timing is important here, so watch carefully. Eagle will always start this battle with the its head facing up. The best time to move is when one of the wings is pointing up with the tail under the opposite wing, giving you a clear escape route. Make sure there is enough room at the bottom of the screen to avoid the tail! Once Eagle reaches the top of the mine, it will come back down to start the climb again. If the Eagle's head is facing the left or right of the mine, then all you have to worry about is the wings, so take this opportunity to really unload on it. If Eagle comes at you backwards, good luck! Use the same strategy as before when Eagle was facing the top of the mine shaft. 2.1.5 Blaster Force (Vitality) 4007 (Methods of Attack) Grenade Shoot: Perhaps when the gun is loading (I have never seen it shoot a grenade at me)? Gold Bullet: (12 Shots) Fires bullets at you. **Horizontal Mine** Blaster Force is the easiest to beat out of all the Force incarnations. Before it can get a shot off, position yourself just under the second circle on the Blaster (probably where the trigger would be). Then just point up and fire. The gun will spin and fire off all 12 shots, but they won't hit you at all! They will just explode harmlessly to your left. Keep firing away at the Blaster until it is defeated. 2.1.6 Urchin Force (Vitality) 4304 (Methods of Attack) Hypersonic Spin: (Starts after Vitality is below 1500) Spins in the center of the screen shooting energy balls in various directions. Rush & Roulette: Bounces back and forth along the top/bottom of the screen, randomly charging at you. **Vertical Mine** **Phase 1** Urchin Force has two phases of attack. The first is its Rush & Roulette attack. Starting at the top of the mine, it will bounce back and forth. Just before it will charge you, it will spin faster, then dash down/up the wall it is against. Always stay at the opposite end of the mine during this fight. If Urchin starts to dash at you, switch to the opposite wall then make your way to the bottom/top of the mine. **Phase 2** When Urchin's vitality reaches 1500, it will reform in the center of the mine and begin its hypersonic spin. As it spins, energy balls will form on the tips of its spines. When it stops, you have a very short time to find an opening and avoid the balls. Find an opening and keep hitting Urchin while it is spinning. 2.1.7 Crab Force (Vitality) 4505 (Methods of Attack) Crash Mine: Drops mines along the top and bottom of the mine (at the same time). Will o the Wisp: Shoots a ball of energy that travels diagonally from its turret. Wall: Deploys a wall that is 4 segments tall. **Horizontal Mine** You will always be able to see what attack Crab Force is going to execute next. This fight will require a lot of dodging, so stay on your toes! Stay near the right side of the mine and pay attention to Crab. When it is going to fire a wall at you, jump up/down to avoid it (sometimes you will have to weave in between a series of walls!). The mines are easy enough to avoid, simply jump over them. As for the will-o-wisps, they will only travel diagonally from their position. You only have to worry about the will-o-wisps that are opposite from your position (I.E. You're on the top, so worry about the ones coming from the bottom). Keep dodging and firing straight ahead and you should be finished with this boss soon enough! Your reward for defeating Seven Force is the green jewel! ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 3: The Flying Battleship (3 Bosses) 3.1 (Mini-Boss) Swapping Reg (Vitality) 2041 (Methods of Attack) Reg Vulcan: Peppers the ground below it with machine gun fire. Can also raise its legs to fire. The Swapping Reg is pretty easy to beat. Just wait for it come into the screen and then use its leg as a boost to get on to the wire hanging over-head. It helps to have Laser + Homing for this mini-boss, but if you don't just hang down from the wire and fire at the Reg while it is attacking. It won't be able to hit you if you're far enough away from it. 3.2 (Mini-Boss) Colonel Red (Vitality) 0520 (Methods of Attack) Bombs: Flies around the screen dropping bombs on the helicopter. After Burn: (retaliatory attack for being thrown) A quick dash that is very difficult to dodge. Here's your first battle with Colonel Red. After he taunts you a bit, he will begin to fly around the screen, dropping bombs on you. Keep shooting him while avoiding the bombs (You can throw them back at him if you're quick enough). Don't try to throw him though. If you do, he will retaliate every time with his after burn attack. 3.3 (Boss) Orange (Vitality) 2400 (Methods of Attack) Hard Shoulder: Orange dashes at you with his shoulder. Break Wind: A fart that will explode along the wing of the helicopter (if you are on the wing) or directly below Orange (if you are below Orange). Rotor Press: Orange jumps up onto the helicopter's rotor, spins around, and tries to land on you from above. The first time you encounter Orange, you might have a hard time with him. Unlike most bosses, Orange can only take so much damage until he is knocked down. Afterwards he will be invincible for a short time. (Exception: You can keep damaging Orange while he is doing the rotor press). It's best to keep your distance from Orange and shoot up from under the helicopter (I suggest you use Lightning + Homing to make the fight easier). If you're really daring, you can try to throw Orange into or off the helicopter. The helicopter usually banks to catch him, so he will recover fast! If Orange does manage to get a hold of you, he'll body slam you a few times...and sometimes throw you off. The white jewel is now yours for showing Orange who's the boss! ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 4: Black's Strange Fortress (11 Bosses!) 4.1 (Mini-Boss) Hanging Turret (Vitality) 0860 (Method of Attack) Chain-gun Attack: Fires bullets directly in front of the turret. Pretty simple to beat. Stay under the boss and keep shooting up at it. Mind the soldiers though...they will still come pouring into the screen to keep you busy. ************************** * Enter the Dice Maze... * ************************** Blue > Item > Yellow > Blue > Red > Blue > Blue > Yellow Space 1 Room 1 Space 1 Space 2 Space 1 Space 3 Space 4 Space 2 ^ V Start Yellow Space 3 V Item Room 2 V Final < Way < Item < Red < Yellow < No Gun < Red < Red Boss Back! Room 3 Space 4 Space 4 Space Space 3 Space 2 Black's Dice Maze is loaded with a bunch of mini-bosses. Below is a detailed description of each space. ** Blue Space 1 ** 4.2 (Mini-boss) Valvalion (Vitality) 2821 (Method of Attack) Ram: Will try to run into you with its head. Valvalion is a giant snake that will try to ram you. It will always attack from right to left, always bouncing in the same four spaces on the ground. The best way to avoid this attack is to stand a little off to the left or right from the center of the screen. Valvalion should bounce over your head and you can keep shooting it. When it starts to curl up on itself, its preparing to come straight at you...so get ready to run! ** Item Room 1 ** 4.3 Item Room Choose between a Machine Gun, Lightning, Homing, or Heart power-up. ** Yellow Space 1 ** 4.4 (Mini-boss) Timeron (Vitality) 2423 (Method of Attack) 4-D Bombs: Timeron drops bombs that explode and, after 10 seconds have passed, will "rewind" the last 10 seconds of its actions. Notice the timer above Timeron for it plays a role in this battle. Every time the timer starts, it will count up to 10, then back down. Timeron will float above you, trying to drop bombs on your head. After the fourth bomb has been dropped (Usually 10 seconds have passed), it will begin to reverse time, and pick up the bombs as they implode. Just stay away from the bombs and keep shooting at Timeron. ** Blue Space 2 ** 4.4 Rush & Go! Navigating the maze and getting the correct gate to open for you can be a challenge. You will start at the bottom of a 3x4 grid. The best path for you to take is left one, up two, then left two (Reference the diagram below for more information). Punch the buttons to match the color with the gate you want opened. ----------------- | | > | > |Fin| ----------------- | | ^ | | | ----------------- | > | ^ | | | ----------------- ** Red Space 1 ** 4.5 (Mini-boss) Minion Soldier (Vitality) 2010 (Method of Attack) Multiply: Spawns a group of replicas that chase you. Can be destroyed with one shot though. Mini-Hadoken: Small, but powerful. Spirals in a straight line across the screen. This mini-boss is a big pain-in-the-butt. You'll have to crouch to hit him with your weapons (Unless you have Lightning + Homing), and he will constantly chase you around the room. If you get caught, he will toss you, doing about 20 damage! He also can spawn little versions of himself that explode or shoot a mini-hadoken at you. Just stay away from him and if he gets too close, slide into him to push him back a bit. ** Blue Space 3 ** 4.6 (Mini-boss) Melon Bread (Vitality) 1310 (Method of Attack) Spit: Spits a bomb out of its mouth. Very easy to avoid. This mini-boss is a big pushover (but a cute one). Just fire straight up at the nose. You can let it chew on you (you won't get damaged), but when it's finished, it will spit out a glowing bomb. That's the only thing you have to avoid. ** Blue Space 4 ** 4.7 Destroy!!! (Vitality) 0847 You have 1 minute to destroy the vehicle. Start with the boxes on the left and right side of the vehicle. You should be able to find a heart in one of the boxes. ** Yellow Space 2 ** 4.8 (Mini-boss) Pit (Vitality) 0375 per sphere (Method of Attack) Crushing: You will take damage if you get caught under the moving wall, or any of the spheres. This battle can get a little congested at times. You won't get damaged if you stand on top of the spheres (this will keep them from bouncing around), but you can get crushed by them and the moving wall (The spheres can also hurt you if you touch them from the side). Try not to get cornered and keep shooting the spheres. The best thing to do is slide under the wall as it is moving towards you. This way you will have more room, and time, to focus on the spheres. ** Yellow Space 3 ** 4.9 Rush & Go! This space is easy to clear. Just body slam/jump kick up the walls and make your way to the goal. Take care of the soldiers along the way. ** Item Room 2 ** 4.10 Item Room Choose between a Fire, Machine Gun, Lightning, or Heart power-up. ** Red Space 2 ** 4.11 (Mini-boss) Phantom (Vitality) Same as other Phantoms (Method of Attack) Kamikaze: Grabs you and releases a bomb that will damage you both. Dash: Slides into you. Bomb: Tosses bombs at you when you are too far away to slide at. This Phantom is no different from the others you have faced. Just keep your distance and watch for the bombs he will toss at you (he can hit you anywhere on the screen with them). Also be careful of his dash attack. If your timing is good, you can throw the bombs back at Phantom, causing more damage. ** Red Space 3 ** 4.12 (Mini-boss) Vortex Base (Vitality) 2802 (Method of Attack) Roulette Laser: After a random sequence, a laser will travel from sphere to sphere in the same sequence they were lit. The core's only method of attack is to shoot a laser thats redirected from sphere to sphere. Before the core attacks, the spheres lining the area will flash in a pattern (which tells you where the laser is going to go). When you have an opening, fire at the core. ** No Gun Space ** 4.13 (Mini-boss) Curry & Rice (Vitality) 0362 (Method of Attack) Scissor Kick: Does a short jump into the air and kicks its legs out. Cartwheel: Jumps into the air and does a cartwheel. Punching Fury: Punches like crazy if you try to body slam into it. Exploding Head: Head flies off and explodes after you defeat it. Oooohhhhh! This mini-boss can be frustrating at times. As the space states, you can't use your firearm. So only hand-to-hand combat is allowed. The trick here is to fake out Curry & Rice to do its scissor kick. Move in close, and then quickly backtrack as it tries to kick you. Wait until it lands, then slide into it. If you've timed it right, you can knock it back and you won't get hit! Be sure to run back though because Curry & Rice gets up fast! Once you have defeated Curry & Rice, the battle isn't over yet! The head will fly off and explode, causing you a lot of damage if you get caught by the blast. Expect to take at least one or two hits from Curry & Rice during this fight. ** Yellow Space 4 ** 4.14 (Mini-boss) Abarenbou Gel (Vitality) 3510 (Method of Attack) Crush: The gel will try to crush you against the wall or ceiling. Bomb: Drops a bomb behind it so you can't slide under when it jumps. It's pretty easy to avoid the Abarenbou Gel's attack. After it comes into the screen, it will jump towards you, dropping a bomb behind itself. You can easily lead this boss around the room and it will do nothing more than take short hops and drop bombs. Back up against a wall and fire at it. When it has come close enough, jump on top of it and quickly jump off (Don't stay on top for too long or it will jump into the ceiling, crushing you). Run to the opposite end of the room and repeat. ** Red Space 4 ** 4.15 (Mini-boss) Super Gondola (Vitality) Seven Turrets, each having 0375 (Method of Attack) Bomb Turrets: Drops bombs that explode and destroy the floor where they land. Beam Turrets: Aims in three directions, trying to hit you with a beam of energy. Spread Turrets: Shoots lasers in a three-way spread. Flame Turret: Shoots a wall of flame. Switch: Hit this to replace the floor if it has been destroyed. This fight is pretty tricky because the gondola will continue to move while it is firing at you. The Gondola has seven turrets in all. 2 bomb turrets, 2 beam turrets, 2 spread-beam turrets, and 1 flame turret. In addition, there is a switch that will move the platform you are on, should a bomb destroy it. Take out the bomb turrets first to prevent them from destroying anymore of the platform you're on. Next go for the beam turrets, then the spread turrets. Finally, take out the flame turret. ** Item Room 3 ** 4.16 Item Room Choose between a Homing, Fire, and two Heart power-ups. ** Way Back ** 4.17 Way Back If you're unlucky enough to land on this space, you'll have to start from the beginning of the dice board. However, you won't have to go through any fights or trials you already cleared the first time through. You can only be sent back to start once (but should you die while playing, you'll have to start all over again!). ** Final Boss ** 4.18 (Boss) Black Beat Stepper (Vitality) 6482 (Method of Attack) Red Fireball: Fire comes out of the square Black's left foot is on, and moves clockwise via red squares. Green Cutter: Same pattern as the Red Fireball, except it moves diagonally from green square to green square. Blue Cracker: 4 blue bombs simultaneously come out of each blue square and explode. Yellow Laser: 4 lasers will simultaneously shoot out from each yellow square and travel in a straight line across the room. Once you know the pattern that Black sticks to, this battle is incredibly easy. Pay attention to the different color floor plates surrounding the room (Clockwise from the bottom-left, the colors are Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, and then repeat). Before Black will move, he will fire a die from his stepper. Take note of the number the die lands on, because its the number of steps he will take. Whatever color the left foot stops on will determine the attack Black will execute (so you can pretty much predict which attack Black is going to do before he even takes a step!). Black's foot is on Red: A fireball will come out of the red square that Black's foot is on and travels clockwise via the red squares. Just jump out of the way when it comes at you. Black's foot is on Green: A string of green balls will come out of the green square that Black's foot is on and travel clockwise, diagonally, via the green squares. Just crouch in a corner and wait for the beam to pass over you. Black's foot is on Blue: 4 blue bombs simultaneously come out of each blue square and explode. Stay in the center of the room for this attack. Black's foot is on Yellow: 4 lasers will simultaneously shoot out from each yellow square and travel in a straight line across the room. Stay in any of the four corners to avoid it. Overall, your best bet to avoiding Black's attacks is to just stay in a corner. Of course the Blue Cutter is the exception. If you linger too long in the corner, you will get hit. After you destroy the Black Beat Stepper, beware of Black's nasty little trick! He will feign submission and give you a fake red jewel (Exploding after a few bounces)! Shoot him to make him cough up the real red jewel. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 5: Rescue Yellow! 5.1 (Boss) Final Great Soldier (Vitality) none...it's something cute the programmers put in. (Method of Attack) Love Love Dancing: It just sways back and forth on its feet. Heh...this really isn't the boss, just a cute joke. Too bad you don't get to fight him though. It would be interesting to see what Love Love Dancing really is. 5.2 (Boss) Smash Daisaku (a.k.a. Colonel Red) (Vitality) Phase 1: 2199 Phase 2: 3810 (Method of Attack) (Phase 1) Bombs: Flies around the screen dropping bombs. After Burn: Will begin to spin, and then dash across the screen. (Phase 2) Spiral Head: Two types of fire. The first is a fireball that has a nasty tendency to curve up as you jump over it. The other is a pair of fireballs that weave up and down across the screen. Bravoo Reg: Kicks an extending leg at you from the air **Phase 1** After Smash Daisaku disposes of the Final Great Soldier (awwww), he will begin to attack you the same way that he did in the Great Battleship stage. Only this time he will charge at you a lot more. When he begins to spin, get ready to dodge his after burn attack! **Phase 2** After you have drained Smash's vitality, he will ditch his jetpack and continue the battle on foot. The biggest threat now is from his gun, which has two types of fire. One is a single shot that will snake its way, up and down towards you. Another is a pair of fireballs that will criss-cross as they make their way towards you. The latter is easy enough to dodge (just step in between the fireballs as they create an opening). The shot you really have to look out for is the single shot. If you try to jump over it too early, it will move up to hit you. Wait until the last minute to jump over the fireball. Eventually, Smash will begin to move towards you. Keep firing at him and watch his movements. When he jumps up, run under him quickly to avoid his extended kick, and then slide away from him. Keep this up and you should defeat him in no time. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 6: The Empire's Spacecraft 6.1 (Mini-boss) Timeron (Vitality) Can only take a few hits (Method of Attack) Varies depending on how long you have been fighting it. Generally consists of bullets shot from Timeron or that materialize around the screen. Timeron is back! This time, it will start a timer and challenge you to dodge its attacks. Unfortunately, the battle doesn't get more exciting than this. If you're looking to get a higher score, try to dodge the shots for as long as you can. The Timeron FAQ (found on GameFAQS.com), written by BPGalway, goes into greater detail on how to accomplish this and the reward. Trust me though...unless you have a ton of free time and patience, you'll want to just destroy Timeron quickly and move on. 6.2 (Mini-boss) 1000mm Gun (Vitality) 1999 (Method of Attack) Bullets: Shoots a ball that releases 8 smaller bullets that spread out. Missiles: Shoots missiles from two nearby missile launchers. Laser Spread: Deploys a ball of light that forms 3 or 4 lasers. The 1000mm Gun will bombard you with lasers, missiles, and bullets. The lasers will space out and cover most of the screen, alternating between three or four shots. Meanwhile, the 1000mm gun will shoot balls of energy at you that will explode and release a spread of bullets that will travel in 8 different directions. Keep weaving around the lasers, and shooting at the gun. If you have the Lightning + Fire weapon, just get up close to the gun and shoot directly into it. The weapon should destroy all the projectiles the gun will shoot at you! 6.3 (Mini-boss) Seven Force (Vitality) 5777 (Method of Attack) Soldier Force: Shoots out a boomerang that travels outward in three directions. Tails Force: Whips its tail around in a somersault. Tiger Force: Dashes across the screen. Eagle Force: Chases you while shooting a laser from its head. Blaster Force: Stays stationary as it fires bullets at you. Urchin Force: Stay stationary as it spins and fires lasers at you. Crab Force: Chases you around and drops mines behind itself. Seven Force is much easier to defeat this time than when you first battled it in the underground mine. Keep pelting it with laser fire and don't let up. Most of its attacks are easy to dodge (see above for a description of each attack). If you have the Lightning + Fire combination, you can even destroy the lasers and bullets that Seven Force will shoot at you! 6.4 (Boss) Core Guard System (Unit of the Hammer) (Unit of the Dragon) (Unit of the Runner) 6.4.1 Unit of the Hammer (Vitality) 2609 (Method of Attack) Lasers: Shoots lasers at you from its head. Smash: Tries to pound you. Spin: Rotates around the core to try and hit you as it comes around. You're going to have to pay attention to the foreground & background during the first phase of this battle. The Hammer will try to position itself above you and shower you with laser fire. After it lets off a few shots, it will begin to rotate around the core and try to hit you on each pass it makes. As it spins, security drones will come out of the core and attack you. Either avoid them or destroy them as you continue to dodge the Hammer. After the Hammer has made a few passes at you (8?), it will stop and repeat its attack pattern. When its vitality has been drained down to 1400, it will try to pound you. Continue to fire at it, sliding out of the way when it is above you and the Hammer should go down in no time. After the hammer is destroyed, security drones will pour out of the core and explode around the screen. Just worry about being hit by the explosions, because the drones themselves will not hurt you. 6.4.2 Unit of the Dragon (Vitality) 2398 (Method of Attack) Gas Cloud: Fires multiple gas clouds at you. The Unit of the Dragon is easy to take down. After it snakes around the core a few times, it will come into the foreground to attack. The dragon will only stay on the top of the screen while it shoots clouds of blue gas at you. Just avoid the gas and shoot up into the dragon. After the dragon is destroyed, another wave of exploding security drones will come out of the core. 6.4.3 Unit of the Runner (Vitality) 2308 (Method of Attack) Energy Balls: Tosses spheres of energy that will either arc upwards or follow the ground. The Unit of the Runner will attack by throwing energy balls at you. The ball alternate from curving up to traveling along the ground. The Runner will move away from your platform and begin to spin its arm in a circle. When it comes back to the platform, it will release its energy ball. Keep track of which direction the last ball went, and use that to anticipate the Runner's next attack. Keep dodging its attacks and shooting at the head. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** Level 7: The Final Assault 7.1 (Boss) Duck Battalion (Vitality) Phase 1: 2910 Phase 2: 0828 (Method of Attack) Heavy Vulcan Shoot: Tries to hit you with laser fire. Usually as it's jumping backwards. Walking Press Eddie: Runs forward to try and crush you (or maybe it's when the taller lackey picks up a Vulcan cannon at the end of the first fight). Phase 1 The first battle is against Pink's two lackeys. Usually after the battle starts, they will charge you. Get ready to slide under them, and then stay on the right as they jump back into view from the left side. Their guns will be angled down, making it difficult to slide under without taking damage from the guns (or being crushed for that matter!). Wait until they have made it past the center of the screen. When they land, quickly jump on the Duck Battalion and jump off their next jump. If you time it right, you won't get crushed or shot. If they level their guns at you, just duck to avoid the lasers. After you beat Duck Battalion the first time, the taller lackey will pick up one of the vulcan cannons and the second phase of this battle will begin. Phase 2 Now it's just you and the taller lackey (Eddie?). He's pretty ticked off, but isn't much of a threat. Just before the battle starts, run over to him and throw him straight up (You'll do about 250-300 damage to him, each time you throw him). Just stay where you are and crouch. When Eddie lands, he'll usually just stand where he is and shoot over your head. When he stops flashing, toss him straight up again. He won't be able to take more than 3 or 4 throws. 7.1 (Boss) Pink Lobster (Vitality) 5000 (Method of Attack) Slash Chopper: Pink Lobster brings down its claw in a karate chop motion. Slash Nipper: Thrusts a claw at you. Bubble Bomb: Blows bubbles towards you. If you get trapped, the bubbles will carry you up to the top of the screen and burst to cause you damage. Pink and her lackey are back! This time you have to face a giant lobster. Most of its attacks are short range, but can cause you a lot of damage if you get hit. Just hang back and shoot straight ahead. The lobster will advance and try to clobber you with its claw. Avoid getting cornered by either sliding under the lobster when it jumps, or jump over it. Also, look out for the bubble bomb attack. Getting trapped inside a bubble won't hurt unless it hits the top of the screen. If you get trapped, wiggle the control pad left and right while pressing jump repeatedly to escape. After the lobster's vitality has been drained to 2400, it will back up and guard its face. You won't be able to attack from a distance while it is guarding, so get it to lower its guard. Just run towards it a bit, then run back when it begins to attack with the bubble bomb. Repeat this until the Pink Lobster is no more! 7.2 (Boss) Orange (Vitality) 5503 (Method of Attack) Final Big Bang: Creates an explosion that spreads out in a half circle from where Orange is standing. Ground Burning Draft: Like the Break Wind attack from your helicopter battle, Orange will create an explosion that will travel along the ground. Hard Shoulder: Dashes at you with his shoulder. Hyper Hard Shoulder: Jumps into the air and flies at you with his shoulder. Upward Spiral: If you are standing above Orange, he will shoot two balls of energy that will spiral upward. Orange is back, and this time he is even more of a pain to dispose of! It helps to have Lightning + Homing for this battle so you can keep moving while hitting Orange. As with the battle on the helicopter, never stay on the same level as Orange or he will charge you (with a vengeance!). If he gets under you, he will try to hit you with his upward spiral. He will try to body slam you from the top level if you are below him. Orange will also attack with his ground burning draft (which acts like a beefed up version of his break wind attack from your first encounter). If Orange gets close enough to you, he will try to execute his final big bang attack or suplex you. WHEW! One strategy is to have Orange try to body slam you from the top level and move out of the way. When he lands, he will leave himself open for a short time. Grab him and throw him away from you (preferably to the second level). Then just repeat. Unfortunatly, this won't work for the entire fight. If you want to play it safe, then just stay on the opposite level as Orange and shoot up at him. When his vitality is around 2500, he will begin to charge you more frequently. One move Orange likes is his hyper hard shoulder! He also recovers pretty fast, so keep on your toes! 7.3 (Boss) Black Fly (Vitality) 3920 (Method of Attack) Psychic Gambit: Drops beams that (randomly) come down from the top of screen. Shadow Hurricane: shoots out three beams in a Y-pattern which rotate around the Black Fly or shoots a powerful beam of energy straight down. This is going to be a bit of a tricky fight. Get as many hits on Black before he leaves the screen, then get ready to dodge his psychic gambit! Watch how the beams come into the screen, and try to plot a course through them. If you find yourself stuck, you can try to shoot the mines at the center of the beams (I find that this usually takes too much time), or slide though just as the mine hits the platform (Unfortunately, I don't know if there is a pattern to the psychic gambit. If you know of a better strategy, please e-mail me, and I'll include it in the FAQ). After the last mine has been destroyed, Black will come back into the screen. Keep wailing on him, and when his vitality has dropped past 2700, he will start to attack you with his shadow hurricane. Just before Black starts this attack, the red jewel will begin to gather energy. Stand off to the right or left of the elevator to avoid being hit. If the beam begins to rotate, then try to stay ahead of it by using the elevator shaft to get over the Black Fly (or you can time a body slam so that as you're hitting the Black Fly, you also pass though the beam. This method is trickier, but makes dodging the beam easier). This attack can last for a while, so be sure to keep hitting Black when you can. 7.4 (Boss) Green (Vitality) 4602 (Method of Attack) The Gunstars' Action: Basically like fighting yourself. He can block your shots, throw you, kick you, punch you, slide into you, and he will toss throwing stars at you. Green is VERY aggressive, so get ready for a really tough boss fight! To make the battle tougher, Green can block your shots (most of the time), so no sitting back and hitting him from afar. Green will usually throw stars at you if you're at the opposite end of the screen, so try to get a level below or above him to avoid his stars. When he gets closer to you, he will either try to slide into you, uppercut, or throw you. Counter with a slide attack of your own. One strategy is when he tries to jump up to the second level, slide into him. You will knock him down and cause some damage. When Green's vitality is below 3900, he gets even more aggressive! Now he will try even harder to throw you, so don't try to slide into him. Continue to keep your distance from him and shooting as you go. If you are thrown... try to throw Green while you are still flashing (don't bother if he is too far away though). The best weapon to have for this battle is the Lightning + Fire combination. It will disintegrate Green's throwing stars, and it can't be blocked. You'll be in for a really tough battle though if you have the Lightning + Homing combination. If you do manage to throw Green, throw him into the right wall to do more damage. 7.5 (Final Boss) Golden Silver (Vitality) 9999 (Method of Attack) Golden Blast Nuclear: Fans out his fingers in front of himself and shoots 5 explosive balls in a spread pattern Earth Resolver: Punches the ground to send an explosion that travels towards you along the ground. Jewel Strike - Red Jewel: Shoots a long tongue of flame that spirals slowly around the jewel as it moves around the room - Blue Jewel: Fires a very powerful laser straight down from above - Green Jewel: Floats in the upper half of the screen shooting homing bombs at you (the explosion can knock Golden Silver down) - White Jewel: Fires "Force Fire" in your direction Dash: Jabs and dashes at the same time. Materialize: GS disappears, and reappears next to you with fists swinging! Before the final battle begins, there will be four power-ups on the ground (Machine Gun, Lightning, Fire, and a Heart). Grab whatever you want because it will quickly disappear! I recommend you have the Lightning + Homing combination, but if you don't have it, then use Machine Gun + Fire. The trick to this battle isn't to hit Golden Silver (GS), but the jewels. It doesn't matter which jewel you hit, so I recommend a weapon with some splash damage (like Machine Gun + Fire or Lightning + Homing). When the battle starts, GS will just stand in the center of the screen. If you move back, it will advance a bit, but that's all. Take this time to shoot at the jewels and after his vitality drops below 9000, he will start to actively attack (usually with a punch). If you get too close to GS, he will dash at you, so keep your distance and focus your fire on the jewels. GS will continue to advance, so if he gets too close, just slide or body slam into him and knock him down (or you can try to throw him). Watch him carefully. If GS crouches down, he is going to perform his Earth Resolver, so get ready to jump over the explosions. If he can get close enough to you, he'll try to hit you with his Golden Blast Nuclear, so run away as fast as you can! The battle can also get tricky because he will sometimes charge you without warning, or do his materialize move! Keep shooting up at the jewels when you have an opening, and watch out for GS's attacks. After GS's vitality drops below 7650, the jewels will begin to circle around him and he will start to attack more aggressively. Keep dodging his attacks and keep your distance. If you body slam him to knock him down, you can also cause some damage to the jewels. When GS's vitality goes below 4200, the fun really begins! Now you will have to avoid GS as he chases you around the room in addition to avoiding the jewels' attacks (Although GS will stop attacking with his Golden Blast Nuclear and Earth Resolve). The jewels will move back up to the top-center of the room and take turns attacking you. Keep an eye on the jewels; when one starts to flash, that's the one that will attack. Keep dodging GS and pushing him back when you need to. Use the following to avoid the jewels and their attacks. Red Jewel: The red jewel's attack can be tricky to avoid. It will come down and move along the ground, shooting a long tongue of flame that spirals slowly around the jewel. Watch the flame closely and when the flame lifts up, quickly slide under it (and usually into GS). Don't let GS get a hold of you because he has a habit of tossing you into the flames! Blue Jewel: Its attack is pretty easy to avoid. The jewel will try to get above you and shoot a laser straight down. Lead it to the left or right side of the screen and slide out of the way before it can fire. This will give you more room to deal with GS and attack the other jewels. If you manage to find yourself trapped, duck and wait for GS to come closer (usually he will try to punch you, but miss because you are ducking). Then quickly throw him away. Green Jewel: If you time it right, you can use the green jewel's attack to knock GS down. The jewel will float along the top of the room and shoot a homing bomb at you. Don't try to jump over it because it will just change course and hit you in the air. Try to get the jewel behind GS. Then move in a bit and when the jewel fires off a bomb, GS should be in the way and get hit (knocking him down). If the bomb manages to miss him, slide away just before the bomb connects with you. White Jewel: The white jewel will shoot a concentrated stream of machine gun bullets in your direction (you can use GS to block some of the bullets)As the jewel is moving down from the top, pay attention to which side it moves to, then go to the opposite side. GS should get hit by most of the attack, but a few shots will slip by (unfortunately, GS won't get knocked down by this attack). Duck and slide, back and forth, to avoid getting hit and to keep GS from grabbing you. Fortunately, this attack doesn't last for long, but there will be no clear opening for you to attack, so just focus on keeping safe for now. Keep wailing on the jewels and GS should go down eventually. Congratulations! Now just sit back and watch the end of the game. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 8.0 Contact Information If you have any questions, suggestions, or corrections pertaining to this FAQ, please send me an e-mail at Pidgeo5@yahoo.com. Also type "RE: Gunstar Heroes Boss FAQ" in the subject line. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** 9.0 Legal Information The following websites have been granted permission to display this Boss FAQ on their webpage. If you have seen this FAQ on a website other than the one's listed below, please notify the author of this guide. The following websites have been given permission to display this Boss FAQ: www.gameFAQS.com www.neoseeker.com This Boss FAQ was written by Evan Atkin, and is protected by United States copyright laws. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. For more information on copyright laws in general, please check the help section on www.gameFAQS.com or for more on copyright information in general, please go to www.nolo.com/lawcenter/index.cfm/catid/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48.