Bangai-O Spirits - Nintendo DS

Introduction

Bangai-O Spirits is a game about a robot. A big robot. Rumor has it that long ago, he rampaged throughout the galaxy. Now you're in charge. You'll pilot Bangai-O through more than 150 levels, turning buildings to rubble, destroying other big, bad robots (some much bigger than you), and generally run amok.

Bangai-O follows a simple formula to entertain you:

Fire missiles.
Dodge missiles.
Blow stuff up.

Bangai-O Spirits is an action-shooter game with truckloads of fruity, frenetic fun. Mind-bending challenges scattered throughout the levels along with unreasonable demands, requiring you to dodge literally hundreds of missiles will leave you either numb, frustrated, or begging for more. Bangai-O Spirits is a game that doesn't care whether you're a veteran or a rookie it will beat you senseless without remorse. You're going to need every scrap of tactics and strategy you can find to stand a chance against some of Bangai-O's tougher levels, so let's get started.

Bangai-O, GO!

Controls

If you need a refresher course, or maybe you don't know about the secret things you can do in Bangai-O, check out this section. Here we list the controls for Bangai-O, the Menus and Edit Mode.

Menus

+Control Pad Move Selection	B Button Return to Previous Menu
A Button Select Highlighted Option	START Select Highlighted Option

Name Entry

+Control Pad Move Selection	B Button Return to Previous Menu
A Button Accept Name	START Accept Name

Edit Mode

+ Control Pad Move Point of View	L Button (Hold) Eyedropper Function
B Button Return to Edit Mode Menu	SELECT Return to Edit Mode Menu
R Button Undo/Redo Shortcut

In-Game

+ Control Pad Move Bangai-O	SELECT (Hold) Enters Edit Mode²
R Button Fires EX Attack¹	L Button Fires EX Attack¹
Y Button Fires Normal Weapons¹	B Button Fires Normal Weapons¹
A Button (Hold) Performs Dash Attack	START Pauses game, selects from Pause Menu; Hold for SLOW Mode.³

¹. Holding both the L and R Buttons (EX Attack buttons), or the Y and B Buttons (Normal Weapons fire) cancel the MIX properties any MIX attack normally has, allowing you to fire each missile independantly.
². Hold SELECT to enter Edit Mode. While in Edit Mode you can add and remove any enemies you like and alter the level as you see fit. Your High Score/Best Time will not be saved.
³. Hold START while in a level to enter SLOW Mode. In SLOW Mode, the game only moves forward one frame every time you press START. Like Edit Mode, your High Score/Best Time will not be saved.

Enemies and Objects

Bangai-O Spirits has a myriad of enemies some swing swords, others swing bats, and the rest almost invariably shoot missiles. We've compiled a list of every enemy in the game, along with strategies to beat them, attacks to avoid, and weaknesses you can exploit.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Core	None
Summary
Cores can be nasty or harmless depending on how you approach them. If you go in guns blazing, you'll find that their shields will reflect your missiles, giving you a taste of your own medicine. If you want to save time and health, then you might just want to rush up to the Core so it lowers its Shield, rather than take a missile to the Bangai-O.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Spawner	None
Summary
Spawners are really simple enemies, but can be devastating if a group of enemies demand your attention, like AirMines or giant Drill Bosses. Getting at the Spawner can be troublesome, but they have no defenses of their own so they should always be your highest priority.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Hut	None
Summary
There's nothing really special about this brown, house-shaped hut. It just sits there, sometimes acting as scenery, other times as a buffer between you and the bad guys.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Prefab	None
Summary
Much like the Hut, the Prefab is stationary. It is a bit larger, but other than that, there is no differences.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Building	None
Summary
The Building is exactly like the Hut and the Prefab: decoration. It'll leave Fruit behind just like any other enemy, but it's a building, it's not going to fight back.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Cannon	Normal Missiles
Summary
The Cannon is a stationary enemy that fires Normal Missiles toward you at regular intervals. Stand next to it and it will stop firing. Use a Shield to get the most bang for your buck it'll intercept everything the Cannon can throw.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Homing	Homing Missiles; seeks Bangai-O
Summary
Homing enemies are, essentially, Cannons that shoot Homing missiles. Use the same general tactics when fighting both. Dodging once is usually not enough to shake their Homing missiles as it will loop around to strike you again. Fire as you approach, allowing Bangai-O to auto-target the Homing missiles so they don't hit you.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Bounce	Bounce Missiles; bounces off non-destructtible surfaces - bounces toward Bangai-O
Summary
Bounce enemies fire bouncing missiles, simple, right? Just make sure you keep moving, continually dodging their shots because they'll bounce off of the nearest surface and damage you from behind.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Napalm	Napalm Missiles; non-seeking, leaves behind a damaging explosion.
Summary
Napalm enemies are just like the other stationary enemies, but their Napalm missiles will cause some serious damage wherever they explode. The strategy of EX Attacking and rushing is not the best option since it can take Bangai-O through one of their explosions. Consider how you'll weave through the ensuing explosions before you approach.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Break	Break Missiles; will pass through two player-owned missiles before exploding.
Summary
Break enemies fire Break missiles. These missiles will destroy the first missile they make contact with and continue on until it reaches a second one. If you have Break missiles in your arsenal the two will collide and they will cancel each other out. If you don't want to use Break missiles, a Shield will stop Break missiles just as well.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Laser	Lasers; a constant beam of alternating color.
Summary
Lasers can be very dangerous if a lot of things are coming you way. The Lasers won't give, and your shots won't do any damage unless it hits the enemy itself. Break missiles will usually punch through the laser itself and damage the enemy, too. Laser enemies are rarely alone, so pay attention as to what is damaging you the most and focus on it. If the Lasers are not a major threat, you should focus on the mobile enemies first.

Enemy Name	Weapon
H.Cannon	The same weapons the set of Homing, Bounce, Break, etc. enemies have. The H-Type enemies shoot in a half-circle around themselves.
Summary
The H.Cannon enemies are exactly the same as the normal stationary Cannon enemies, except they fire a lot more missiles. You won't be able to hide behind your Shield to protect yourself (but it still helps). These enemies are rarely in an area by themselves, and they're usually meant to be nothing more than a distraction. They usually exist to put more missiles in the air, making it that much worse to slip up. The best way to deal with them is to patiently wait for enough missiles to surround you and then fire off an EX Attack. You'll counter, most definitely killing the H.Cannon, and the collateral damage will probably take out any nearby enemies.

Enemy Name	Weapon
F.Cannon	The same weapons the set of Homing, Bounce, Break, etc. enemies have. The F-Type enemies fire missiles in all directions.
Summary
The F-type enemies are even beefier than the H.-types. They fire in a full spread around themselves, and if they're an F.Homing, that's a lot of missiles to contend with. They'll stop shooting if you're touching them, just like any other cannon-type enemy. In a best-case scenario you can deal with them off-screen, sniping them until they explode. Equipping Break-type missiles will allow you to quickly punch through all their missiles, just make sure you find a safe spot to fire from. A Countered EX Attack is more than enough to take one of these guys out, but if you're too far away, then only two or three of your powered-up missiles will hit. This will still give you more than a few seconds of uncontested fire to focus on a specific enemy. You'll find that F-type enemies are usually bunched together, so an EX Attack is usually your best bet. Homing-, Break-, and Bounce-Type Missiles (in tight areas) work best for taking these guys out.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Ball	Object; gets pushed around, causes damage just like enemies when sent flying. Can't be destroyed.
Summary
Ball Objects come in very handy. Once you Dash into them, they'll go flying. When flying like this they send enemies flying as though you had hit them with a bat. The Ball will also soak up all missiles that it comes into contact with, but each will reduce the speed at which the Ball is moving until it is no longer a danger to enemies. Note: BatBots can hit you and cause you to Free-Fall. If you collide with a Ball, it ceases to do damage to anyone while flying around.

Enemy Name	Weapon
WoodBox	Small box that can be sent flying like a Ball. Essentially a weak projectile that can damage enemies, but can be destroyed easily.
Summary
This Box can be pushed around gently by flying into it, or you can Dash into it like you would a Ball to send it free-falling. Eventually it will be destroyed, leaving Fruit behind. This is often forgotten when clearing out enemies to open a Gate, but WoodBoxes count as enemies, too.

Enemy Name	Weapon
RockBox	Immovable block that can only fall down.
Summary
This Box's main function kinda like a door for Bangai-O. The player either has to move quickly enough to get through the area before these slam into place, or they must clear out whatever is holding the RockBoxes in place to move on. Generally there is nothing you can do if these are in your way.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Life1, Life2	Health recovery object. Life1 restores a portion of Bangai-O's health, while Life2 recovers all of it.
Summary
The casing around the health must be destroyed before you are able to obtain the heath inside. A Dash into the box can cause it to fly around and damage some enemies. After the box collides with a few objects, it will break apart allowing you to retrieve the health.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Box, BoxFrame	A Box that can be pushed one space every time you Dash into it. Overlapping a Box and a BoxFrame 'destroys' the BoxFrame, giving you credit for killing it, if it is a Target.
Summary
Boxes serve as puzzle elements in Bangai-O. You'll find them in places where it's tricky to move them around, almost always paired with a BoxFrame. Since it is a puzzle, you'll probably want to think on it in peace and quiet. So clear out the enemies around the Boxes and BoxFrames before you attempt to solve the puzzle, otherwise you could make a mistake (ruining the puzzle), or die.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Gate	A sturdy object that acts as a gate, keeping you from a specific area until you'd killed the enemies necessary.
Summary
Gates work in a very normal, very practical way. They stay in place until you've killed the enemies in the direction they are pointing. For example, if you are on a level that is perfectly square and in the absolute center the Gate points up and to the right. You would need to kill all the enemies in the upper right quadrant of the screen. Note: Simply moving the enemies that are in the area the Gate is pointing toward is enough to cause the Gate to explode.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Bomb, BombBox, Mine, AirMine	AirMines will move toward you. Mines and Bombs will remain in one location. BombBoxes will fall like WoodBoxes. All of these explode.
Summary
Touch any of these enemies or shoot them and they'll explode, leaving behind a very large explosion. Getting caught in one or two explosions is usually enough to kill you. Do your best to avoid jumping into an area full of these. The best tactic for these guys is to detonate them at a safe distance, but keep an eye out in case they appear interspersed with other enemies..

Enemy Name	Weapon
MegaMine	The enemies body constantly seeks Bangai-O. It's spikes grate and tear until there is nothing left.
Summary
MegaMines are ruthless enemies that have no care for any punishment you throw at them. They will amble toward you at about the same speed as a BigBot, but they're usually placed in areas where there's not enough room to get around them or run away. If you must deal with them, charge an EX Attack and focus it towards them. It takes a lot of damage to take one down, but a single, fully charged, EX Attack is usually enough. If you get cornered, stay calm and try to EX Attack, you will most likely be defeated, but you may be able to squeak by if you get the EX Attack off. They are slow, but they have a lot of health, and they do a lot of damage in a short amount of time, so be wary.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Enemy	A mobile enemy unit that fires normal missiles.
Summary
One of the weakest moving enemies in the game. They fire normal missiles and are easily defeated with a Dash attack or a few well-placed shots, but don't ignore them completely in a group their attacks can add up quickly.

Enemy Name	Weapon
HomngEnm, BouncEnm, NaplmEnm, BreakEnm	Each of these enemies acts exactly like the Enemy, except that they fire a different missile, denoted by the first part of their name.
Summary
Each enemy fires a different projectile, denoted by the first part of their name. They are all grouped as 'Enm'-type enemies. They all act like Enemys, but each has a distinct look. Generally all the same attacks will affect the Enm-types just as they do an Enemy, Dash into them to send them flying, use an EX Attack to overwhelm them, etc. Stay mobile and you should be fine. You'll usually find these enemies alone, or in a group of Enemys. If you do happen to find them in groups, don't hesitate to EX Attack them down. Trying to fight past all their fire with nothing but normal missile attacks is a losing battle.

Enemy Name	Weapon
MGunEnm	Identical to Enemys, except that they fire very quickly.
Summary
The MGunEnm is basically a super-Enemy. He'll do everything the same as the normal Enemy, but he fires about five times faster. He is also more agile. Don't think that you can just fire an EX Attack at this guy to take care of him. His missiles will buy him just enough leverage to escape and keep annoying you. A Shield will protect you from one or two MGunEnms, so long as you keep them on one side of you, but your best bet is to try Break or Bounce shots against them. Break should be able to punch through one or two of the MgunEnms that are firing at you. If you bounce your shots around randomly, they'll eventually get stunned and the rest of your shots will clobber them.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Ant	Biting; needs to be directly touching you.
Summary
There's not much strategy with Ants, just stay away from them and fire at them with the heaviest stuff you've got (Napalm is a good choice). They have to actually bite you to damage you, so stay moving to stay alive. Be careful when attacking them, they have enough health to close in on you and take a bite, and they almost always travel in packs.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Tank	Napalm Missiles; fires while retreating.
Summary
Just like Ants, the Tanks usually travel in groups, have a lot of health, and enough staying power to be really dangerous if left alive. They fire Napalm shots, which limit your options of how to combat them. The explosions their Napalm shots cause will damage you, and if you aren't careful, will stun you until you die. Take Break shots into battle against these guys, and consider pairing it up with Homing. This will allow you to focus on dealing with their shots, and then you can sneak in an EX Attack to take them out as soon as possible.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Mech	Lasers; retreats then fires from a safe distance.
Summary
Mechs can be pretty annoying if you let them do their own thing. They'll back away from you and any incoming fire until they're about half a screen away, then they'll calmly fire their laser at you. A single Mech, even if it hits you a couple of times with a laser, isn't that big of a threat. But, unlike most of the other enemies in the game, these guys never travel alone. If left alone you'll have a phalanx of Mechs firing lasers at you in no time, and that usually means death.

Enemy Name	Weapon
BatBot	A big bat
Summary
BatBots can be brutal enemies. They swing a Bat just like you can, but they usually come in twos and threes, so if you aren't careful you can end up getting knocked all over the place until you die. BatBots will slowly float toward you, unless of course you Dash into an enemy near them. This will cause all BatBots in the vicinity to flee, so start sending enemies free-falling if they get too close for comfort. Oh, and never fire an EX Attack directly at them, they'll bat it right back at you. Note: When a BatBot hits you, use the Dash Attack to break out of free-fall.

Enemy Name	Weapon
NinjaBot	Sword that detonates any missiles it hits.
Summary
NinjaBots have no discretion or subtlety, they will dart toward you as soon as they see you. Their swords can handle any missile you throw at them, and they don't stop swinging when you collide with their sword. Despite this they do have an Achilles' heel: Napalm missiles they leave behind an explosion when they detonate, and when NinjaBots swing, they usually carry themselves forward into the explosion. You can also try to Dash into their backsides to send them flying but this requires that you circle around them, which can be tricky.

Enemy Name	Weapon
FastBot	Homing Missiles, and a body slam attack.
Summary
FastBots are one of the more notorious enemies for being annoying, persistent, and dangerous; a deadly combination. At range they'll fire several shots at you, then curl up into a ball and hurl themselves toward you. Every second they touch you while in this ball form will cause several hits to register. Don't Dash, try to remain calm and navigate away from them. They don't make adjustments once in flight, so just getting out of the way is usually enough. Once they've passed, they'll uncurl, and you can take a few shots. Dash into them if you can and don't let up. Alternately, you can fire an EX Attack to put their lights out, but keep in mind your missiles still have to travel the distance to reach them and they may curl up before the missiles land. Just keep pressure on them and you shouldn't have very many problems.

Enemy Name	Weapon
BigBot	A huge sword that can reflect missiles.
Summary
Firing at BigBot's front is a lesson in disaster. He'll swing his sword once and your trusty missiles will be turned against you. Aside from that, he'll slowly mosey toward you, intent on defeating you with his sword. It takes anywhere from four to six swings to kill Bangai-O, so remain cautious when approaching. These guys don't swing slowly, either. Once you get hit, you'll usually take two swings before you can break free. Just focus on getting behind him and then you can deal with his vulnerable backside. If you're finding that the BigBot, and only the BigBot, is causing you problems, then equip Freeze to help you get behind him.

Enemy Name	Weapon
MGunBoss	An array of twenty-four Ball cannons mounted on all sides.
Summary
These guys aren't all that dangerous, even at 2X size. Just charge up an EX Attack when you notice their presence, and wait patiently until you get to 100. You'll take a few shots, but wait until your opportunity to Counter is best. The ensuing EX Attack should take out about a third of the cannons around the outside of the boss. You'll probably notice that the cannons and the boss have independent health. Destroying all of its cannons does not necessarily mean that the MGunBoss dies, and even without the cannons it can harm you by grinding its bulky body into Bangai-O. It usually takes three full EX Attacks to take one down, but each Ball cannon leaves behind a piece of Fruit so you almost always end up with a full EX Gauge after the encounter.

Enemy Name	Weapon
CannBoss	A huge missile
Summary
Despite the size of the missile CannBosses fire, it's usually not enough to kill you by itself. The missile itself doesn't do any damage when it connects, but it leaves behind a heavily damaging explosion. If you fall into one of these explosions it'll only deal about one-third of your health in damage. Dashing through an explosion, on the other hand, will cost you around half your life. Don't worry, much though, they fire slowly and have no other defenses, so if you dodge the missile you are free to retaliate.

Enemy Name	Weapon
DrillBoss	Two homing drill projectiles, and a pair of H.Cannon-like entities on its side (these fire 17 missiles in an arc).
Summary
The DrillBoss is probably one of the most unique enemies in the game. It has two drills on its front, and two cannons on its sides. The front drills will cause damage even before they've been fired. And if you strafe the DrillBoss, then the H.Cannons on its side will wake up and fire off a burst of missiles. The drills it fires home in on you, and all-told, it has extreme damage capabilities but only if you keep running around it, triggering all of its offenses. Try staying in one place when it approaches and charge an EX Attack. Counter the two drills as they close on you and you should be able to disable the thing without much trouble, just be respectful of the amount of damage it can dish out or you'll quickly get bored.

Enemy Name	Weapon
Longai-O	Bounce missiles, and a Homing EX Attack.
Summary
Longai-Os are among the most deadly enemies in the game. They can Dash, EX Attack, and worst of all, Counter. Fire any attack at them and they'll Counter it, so don't try having an EX Attack battle with them, trust me, they have more EX Attacks than you. There's only one reliable method for beating them: Freeze and Direct. If you're facing a normal-sized Longai-O, just wait for it to close in on you, while you charge up the timer on Freeze. Once it's frozen, charge up a Direct to 100 and let it hit the Longai-O at close range. Larger or smaller Longai-Os requires differing amounts of missiles to take down. You can also try and trick them by running away, and getting them to Dash after you. Charge up an EX Attack while they're closing in and release at the last possible second. Longai-O's can't Counter when Dashing, but if they stop fast enough, then they will Counter, which will most certainly end in your death.

Weapon Information

It's very important that you understand the strengths of each weapon, as there are a variety of challenges offered by every level. For example, it may be useful in the beginning of a level to use a specific setup, but if you can't seem to get past a certain part, then a setup designed to deal with that problem could help you beat the level. You could use your familiarity with the opening section of the level and gear up for the part you're having a problem with.

There are seven different types of normal weapons and EX Attacks. Following is a brief explanation of what each of them does and where best you can employ them.

Experiment with each of the weapons until you are comfortable with them. There will come a point where you just can't get past, and switching weapons may be the only solution to the problem. There are many such levels in Bangai-O where attempting the level without the appropriate weapons means that you literally can't beat the level.

Normal Weapons

Homing Homing missiles will track after any nearby Targets, but not just enemies, the missiles they fire, too. So if you've got a lot of enemy fire incoming and you just want to take out the guy behind it all, these may fail you. Stick to wide, open spaces when using these missiles to make the most of their potential. These missiles can also be useful in harassing quick or flighty enemies like the Mech.

Homing Missiles combine well with Bounce, so that if an enemy dodges, your shot will rebound off the nearest wall instead of being wasted, tracking after your Target the entire time.

Bounce Ever wanted your missiles to do all the work for you? If so, then Bounce missiles are the missiles for you! If you've got a lot of enemies you need to worry about, then start firing at the nearest wall. The shots will bounce off the wall and toward the nearest Target even up slopes, if it will take them toward enemies. If you keep shooting off random walls, each shot will take a slightly different trajectory to get to their enemy, making it easier to stun them.

Bounce missiles combine best with Break missiles. Break missiles allow you to get the most bang for your buck. You'll find that most enemies will try and shoot at the nearest projectile, if you're ricocheting Bounce shots all over the place then enemies will be shooting at each projectile in turn. The first one to get through will stun them (if they can be stunned) letting the rest connect without contest.

Napalm Napalm missiles cause a little less than double the damage the other missiles do. They are easy to hit with so long as you can get them to detonate (have them strike an enemy or projectile, striking a wall will cause them to disappear without the damaging explosion effect). The larger enemies really suffer from Napalm attacks: Ants, CannBosses, BigBots, etc. If the larger enemies are giving you trouble, try using Napalm to soften them up.

Napalm missiles combine well with Break, giving them a chance to get close to the enemy before creating a big explosion. Bounce also works well, since you can strike with devastating damage from around corners and from really far away.

Break Break missiles are definitely the most utilitarian missile in the bunch. They add minor functionality to your shots that doesn't really mean much by itself. But if you combine them with virtually any other missile type, then you will find that they guarantee 50% more of your shots connect with the enemy. Instead of meeting and disintegrating without effect, your missiles will push through and deal with the source of incoming fire. This makes each of your missiles worth two of theirs (unless they are using Break missiles, too). Break makes any of your favorite missiles just that much better, so they combine well with anything, but on their own they're outclassed by the damage or utility of other weapons.

Sword The Sword provides you an interesting capability. Instead of having to deal with each projectile individually, you can literally cut a swath through the swarm of enemies in front of you. You have the same weakness as NinjaBots when you're using the Sword so be wary of enemies that fire Napalm, and stay far away from Longai-O's and MGunBosses as you go adventuring with a sword and you should be just fine.

Bat You'll find that the Bat swings about four times slower than the Sword, but it has the really cool effect of reflecting your enemies projectiles back at them. This can be pretty handy, but it's mostly a novelty as you won't be killing many enemies with their own projectiles unless they fire relatively slowly. The best aspect of the Bat is probably that it provides this reflect shield while giving you the chance to knock enemies into free-fall. If you're having any troubles with a bunch of little guys, then just take a swing at them and see where you get. If you hit any of them, then you'll send every enemy that was touching the one you hit flying.

Shield Don't ever underestimate the power or importance of the Shield. If you are finding that you are facing enemies that all approach from the same side (which can apply to a lot of levels), or there are a lot of bottlenecks in the level you're trying to beat, then it might pay off to pick up a Shield. It'll stop any and all shots that touch it. That's right, all missiles that hit it detonate as though they'd hit Bangai-O, without dealing any damage. Don't mistake this for invulnerability. The Shield won't protect you from explosions that would otherwise touch Bangai-O. For example, it'll block Napalm missiles from damaging you, but you can't charge forward into the explosion, you'll still take damage.

EX Attacks

Homing If you've ever been terrified by seeing an F.Homing fire a volley of missiles at you, you'll be thrilled to fire this thing off. The Homing EX Attack, of course, suffers from the same problems that the normal Homing Missile has: If you fire this off in a tight space, a large portion of the attack will be wasted, even if you point it toward whatever is threatening you.

Bounce One of the coolest things about this EX Attack is how, using a nearby wall, you can point your EX Attack toward the wall not the enemy and they'll all bounce in a way that is not unlike a Direct EX Attack. If you have a big enemy that you want to take down, they'll almost all bounce directly toward it, instead of fanning out like they normally do. It goes without saying that a Bounce Ex Attack is incredibly useful for fighting in tight corridors and to fire around corners.

Napalm A normal stream of Napalm shots can't really dish out the firepower necessary to keep up with the options available by MIXing other shots. That is the exact opposite with the Napalm EX Attack, which can usually take down a large foe in one shot. Use this EX Attack if you ever have plenty of time to charge up and need to take care of a really large menace.

Break On its own, the Break EX Attack, just like the normal Break missiles, suffers in that it doesn't confer a powerful enough effect by itself. But, again, it combines very well with the other EX Attacks, so MIX it with another EX Attack and see if it suits your needs.

Direct Direct is much like Break: it is utility that doesn't offer much else. By itself it is nice for taking a heavy swing at a single enemy, but it's hard to take out multiple enemies with it. Combine it with other EX Attacks to see it really shine. An interesting combination is Direct-Bounce. Charge up as high as you can, and when you fire, you'll smear the enemy, but if it dodges, your shots will bounce up and catch it in the rear. Direct combos really well, so don't forget about it when you're checking out the Weapon Select Screen.

Reflect Reflect is a easy-to-use, hard-to-master kind of EX Attack. You can Reflect all day long and never get touched, but you won't necessarily do enough damage to the enemies you're trying to hit to make it worth all your hard-earned EX Gauges. If an enemy can be stunned then it can be sent free-falling with Reflect. This could be the solution to your FastBot and NinjaBot problems, but the timing can be difficult.

Freeze The payoff you get for holding Freeze is exponential. The longer you hold the charge the longer the enemies will stay frozen, giving you that much more time to obliterate them. You can Counter with Freeze, just like you can with any other EX Attack, and you can only go above 9.9 seconds by Countering. The timer may appear to be stuck, but 9.9 is as high as it counts. That just means that you've got plenty of time to do whatever you want. Be careful when Freezing, if you don't plan ahead and pay attention to your EX Gauge you'll have a bunch of frozen enemies you can't do anything to kill.

Multiplayer Hints

Bangai-O Spirits takes an interesting spin on the competitive nature of multiplayer. Instead of destroying all your friends and claiming victory over their smoking ruins, you have to work together to destroy all the Targets so you can beat the level. That being said, you will probably need to push and shove, because the winner of the level is the one who scores the most points. Here are some general tips you can use to get ahead of your rivals.

Push your friend's Bangai-O around. It may seem cheap, that's because it is. It's hard to come to a complete stop once someone has started pushing you, but at the same time, this is hard to pull off. One wrong move from either of you and you'll slip off one another and it may just be you who's ends up in peril. Essentially, take the time to push your friend's Bangai- O into any explosions you think you could survive.

Money doubles your score while Fruits add raw numbers to it. So if your friend grabs all the Fruit and you grabbed all the Money, they'll end up with more Score. Simply put, two times zero is zero. However, if it ever comes down to picking up two or three pieces of Fruit and rushing for the Money, grab the Money. The money will provide a bigger boost than a couple of Fruits. Essentially, it's like you picked up twice as many Fruit in the past.

Keep track of where you are if you don't want to be on the receiving end of a push into oblivion. Each player's color is a slightly different shade of green or blue, so it's hard to tell one another apart, especially with all the explosions and missiles flying around, but focus and plan ahead so you can react to things coming your way.

It's important to note that you'll always respawn next to the player one number higher than you. If you're P3 you'll respawn next to P4, if you're P4, you'll respawn next to P1, etc. Think of these players as your 'buddies', if the level traps them and ill fortune befalls you, then you'll respawn on top of them, trapped with them. So save the backstabbing for your buddy last. You don't want to trap them in the beginning portions of the level, only to die and have to spend the rest of the level cooling your heels with them.

Play in an open area with little other interference from electronics or walls. Bangai-O is a pretty intense game. The DS chugs through it sometimes, but giving it any more problems, like a large distance between you and the people you are playing against, or heavy wireless traffic, will cause your gameplay to suffer.

Sound Load

Sound Load takes the novel sound your fax or dialup modem makes and interprets it as a level. No, you can't just play the sound those devices make and hope to get a level out of it, Bangai-O is pretty specific about the sounds that it'll take to make a level, as you'll soon find out.

Basically, you save a replay or a level that you've created in Edit Mode and then you have two options: You can either transfer the level directly, by grabbing yours and a friend's DS and matching the two up, or indirectly, by saving the sound onto a computer and using the internet to get it to all the different Bangai-O fans out there.

Using Sound Load can be very difficult and it can take a lot of tries before the level or replay transfers. Below are a few tips to help anyone who is having a hard time transferring sounds. There is also a concise list of tips at the end of the walkthrough, in the FAQ for Sound Load.

Do not try to Sound Load in a noisy environment. It always help to reexamine where you're trying to perform the transfer and consider the noise level. Transfers are always more successful in a quieter environment.

The Help pictures show the two DS pointed toward one another (as it appears in the picture above). This usually means you're going to have to point one DS toward a flat surface your lap, a table you've sat one of the DSs on, etc. Try to pick a surface that won't reflect sound very well. Hardwood surfaces, plastic, glass, etc., these will all carry sound really well, so consider a different surface, like a cloth or rubber mat and you should find that you get fewer errors.

Try putting a cloth over the speaker you aren't using. There'll be less sound to be reflected by nearby surfaces, which will cut down on interference and errors.

Use a DS Lite to receive. We've found that the DS Lite receives sound much better. This may have something to do with the newer hardware the DS Lite has. If you've got a Nintendo DS and your friend has a DS Lite, consider switching it up so that the receiving DS System is the DS Lite, and the sender is the Nintendo DS.

You're going to be adjusting your volume a lot. If the game tells you that you need to "Try again in a quieter environment." then you should turn up the volume. Likewise, if it tells you that your "Volume is too loud.", then you'll need to turn it down. Adjust volume slowly, never moving very far from the last attempt made.

Edit Mode

Once you ve completed the game you may still feel the urge to rough up some baddies. Luckily, there s a fantastic level editor included in your game. Even though you can t play them in multiplayer you can still share them with your friends through the Sound Load option on the Main Menu. Don t worry if you ve never used an editor before, we ve create this Edit Menu Walkthrough to explain the various tools, items and cool tricks you can use to make fun and interesting levels.

When you first load up the editor you'll be in a black room with nothing but Bangai-O and the Edit Mode Palette. Not everything on the palette is as obvious as it seems, so let's start by going over what each of the buttons do.

This'll probably be the tab the Edit Mode Palette loads into, unless you've been playing around in the editor by yourself. The Edit Mode Tabs switch the palette between the different layouts. Each layout is specific in what it does: The BG tab covers all the stuff on the background that doesn't really count as an enemy. The OBJ tab allows you to edit the meat of the level, enemies, Bangai-O's location, each enemies orientation, what's a Target, what's not, etc. And the EDIT tab gives you access to all the cool different features that make creating a level that much easier.

OBJ Tab

On the OBJ tab there are three buttons at the top: X, P, and E. The "X" is the Delete Button. Touch this button and the Edit Mode Palette will read "Delete". Start tapping the entities on the playing field to remove them one at a time. The "P" only allows you to edit Bangai-O's starting location and orientation. Touch a place on the map with "P" highlighted and Bangai-O will be transported there. Tapping the "E" will take you to the myriad options for editing enemies, which as you can see in the picture above, is what is selected.

Below those buttons, there are two sets of arrows. The Enemy Selection Arrows the light blue arrows allow you to scroll through all the different enemies. The Enemy Orientation Arrows the darker blue arrowheads allow you to rotate the enemy to your liking. While scrolling and rotating, the enemy portrait will update in the space between the Enemy Orientation Arrows.

There are two toggle buttons in the lower-right side of the Edit Mode Palette: The Target Button and the Size Modifier button. The Target button toggles between whether the highlighted entity is a Target or not. If you already have eight Targets on the screen, you'll hear an ugly buzzing sound to let you know that no more Targets can be added. You'll need to toggle another enemy's Target status off before you can change further enemies into Targets. Lastly, the Size Modifier button allows you to double or half the size of the selected entity. Use this to create the monstrous enemies you see on levels like Heartstopper and Superhuge!

BG Tab

Much of the layout for the Edit Mode Palette changes when you tap the different tabs, for the BG tab all the buttons change to drawing and background object buttons.

Touching any of the top seven buttons will change the specific object you draw onto the playing field. The objects from left to right are: Empty Space, Diagonal Block, Square Block, Destructible Block, Hard Block, Soft Block, and Fuse. Below that are the Brush Size selections and the Paint Bucket Tool.

The Paint Bucket Tool will allow you to to flood the playing field with whatever BG Object you have selected, stopping when it meets another object. This can be handy to erase large portions of connected BG Objects, or to fill in an empty space automatically.

By now you've probably been wondering what the "Build Points" are that appear in the lower-right corner of the Edit Mode Palette. Well, every time you place an entity the Build Points get reduced. You cannot place any entities until you free up Build Points. Keep in mind, this is every entity, not every enemy. Even WoodBoxes, Huts, and Balls will cost you Build Points to place.

NOTE: Placing a Longai-O, or DrillBoss costs two Build Points, placing an MGunBoss costs ten Build Points, everything else costs one Build Point.

Edit Tab

The last tab is the EDIT Tab. This tab has controls for all the functions that make it easier to make your levels. Got a piece of the level you'd like to move, but you don't want to painstakingly recreate it in another place? Switch to the EDIT Tab and touch the CUT button. Drag over the piece you like and tap OK. Then PASTE it wherever you need.

The selection method for the tools is rather unique. Because of how difficult it could be to select a row or column, creating a selection works differently based on how you slide from the point on the Touch Screen you touch first.

For example, if you touch and drag down and to the right you'll create a normal, rectangular selection like you would on a computer with a mouse. If you drag up and right you'll create a selection that highlights the entire column you cover. Dragging down and to the left will select all the rows that you highlight. Finally, dragging up and to the left will highlight the entire playing field (this can be useful in transferring whole levels into other, larger levels to be used as components). These selection methods are only used with the CUT and COPY tools, but knowing how to use them should enable you to make levels more efficiently.

The PASTE tool will allow you to place the selection created by the CUT or COPY tool. Move the selection by touching and dragging on the green selection, then selecting OK to place it where you want.

The UNDO tool can be a handy panic button when you accidentally use the Paint Bucket tool when you meant to draw a simple line. Use the R Button to UNDO without moving to the EDIT Tab.

The RESET Button is like a giant UNDO button. It'll take back any changes you've made since entering the editor.

RESIZE allows you to change the dimensions of your level without starting over. You're still restricted by the same principles that govern the "Create New" setup. Basically you can't have the product of the X and Y dimensions of your level greater than 16. So the largest square you could make is a 4x4, the longest level would be a 16x1, etc.

The GRID function is hard to explain. Just know that it'll create a Dashed line that intersects at the middle of the level. If you set it to SCREEN then it will create horizontal lines roughly equal to one screen high at every screen-tall interval this can be useful in gauging what the player will and won't be able to see when creating your levels.

The Editor Itself

Editing levels is pretty simple. Grab your stylus and select the option you want to use to edit. Maybe you want to lay down some walls first, then go to the BG tab and highlight the Square Block. Touch and drag across the playing field. Anywhere you touch will get painted with the Square Block. Placing an enemy works exactly the same way, except that you'll need to select the OBJ Tab.

Once you've placed an enemy you can continue placing enemies by touching different points on the playing field. Touching another enemy will select it and allow you to place other enemies of the same type on the playing field, instead of the original enemy you had selected.

Deleting objects works exactly the same way as placing them. Select the Delete tool and touch an enemy and it'll disappear. If you are trying to delete a BG Object then you'll need to go to the BG Tab and select the Empty Space and start painting over the spaces you want erased.

That pretty much wraps up how to use the editor and how each of the functions inside it work. While you may know how everything works, it still may not have clicked, so we've compiled a few tips on how to make a good level.

Tips and Tricks

Always save. Leaving Edit Mode prompts a Yes or No selection there's a reason for that. You never want to quit without saving the progress you've made on your level. Oh, and don't forget to come up with a legendary name for your masterpiece.

Play around with the Other Options on the main menu of Edit Mode. You can change the background image, the music of the level or even the pattern that the BG Objects look like.

A lot of the stuff that happens in Bangai-O happens the same way every time. You can use this data to provide some tough areas in your levels:

Fuses explode affecting a 3x3 grid. These burn at roughly six Fuses per second.
To speed up the burn rate Fuses burn at, put a BombBox on top of them. It'll explode when the Fuses reach it and set off everything close by.
Laser beams fire 12 blocks in length.
BombBoxes and Bombs explode to cover a 14x14 grid.
Mines make a 10x10 explosion when normal size; 6x6 when half size and 18x18 at 2X size.
The Ball object is a 2x2 sized object when normal-sized (about the size of Bangai-O); a 1x1 object when at half size, and a 4x4 object when 2X size.

When creating a level, the units of measure used are 'blocks' of 32 x 32 squares. FIX is a special size that is the height of the Touch Screen and is only 32 x 24. If you have a specific idea in mind, consider how much space you need. The screen itself is 32 units wide and 24 units tall (each 'unit' being the size of a 1x1 object like a Fuse).

Don't underestimate how much it's going to cost you to build your level. Everything you place down from the OBJ Tab will cost you a Build Point. Fuses and BG Objects don't.

Consider starting from a level that is like the one you have in mind. There are more than 150 levels in the game, certainly one of them is at least somewhat like the level you had in mind. You can cut and copy accordingly, change the background image, and soon enough the level will be all yours with nothing from the original level intact.

Try making interesting combinations or puzzles unlike the ones you saw in the levels of Bangai-O. A Core has no defenses by itself, and a Cannon is easy pickings, but if you place them on top of one another the player to close the gap to deal with the Cannon underneath the Core or get his shots reflected back at him.

Try placing things in weird positions and places. If you put an enemy that doesn't move, like a Spawner or a Building on top of a few pieces of Square Block walls they'll become invincible. Use this to create interesting problems for the player, like a Spawner that is invincible, or a Building that you can't destroy, but is allowing all your enemies to fire at the player unimpeded.

Walkthrough

There are plenty of levels in Bangai-O Spirits that will make you consider throwing your DS in a fit of righteous anger (D3Publisher does not condone nor suggest throwing your DS in a fit of righteous anger). Some of the stages will kill you within one second unless you do something immediately. Other stages just throw so many enemies at you that it's hard to formulate a strategy that could solve the challenges of the level and leave you with enough juice left to get past the roughest spot in the level. Well, we've got you covered. Every single one of the 167 levels that come stock on the game have been covered below. We've documented the weapons we used, the tactics we employed, as well as an explanation of how we got past the toughest bottlenecks and biggest BigBots.

Tutorials

It may seem odd to include the tutorial levels, but we're going to cover every single level. Not to mention the fact that you'll find every one of these dutifully replicated in the last 17 levels of Other stages. These levels are meant to get you into the game, and between the three characters you should be able to get a firm grasp of the mechanics behind Bangai-O. Read all the tutorials provided by the Professor, pay attention to the hints provided by Ruri and Masato, and get through these levels it'll make it easier to get through all the rest.

001 - Give it a Try!

Once the level begins use the +Control Pad to fly Bangai-O to the top of the tall gray building on the right hand side of the level. From here, fly your Bangai-O to the top of the level. Then, while holding Left on the +Control Pad button, press the R Button to release your EX Attack which will destroy the enemy turret.

002 - Using Shots

This level, as are almost all of the Tutorials, is simple. Charge your EX Attack to 100 and fire it. The resulting missiles will destroy everything in the level.

003 - Fixed Shots

The minimalist method to beating this stage is to fire an EX Attack and then fire your normal shots to the right until the level is over.

004 - Using Boosters

Dash in a ring around the outside of the level, you'll destroy everything and take minimal damage.

005 - Send 'Em flying

Fly up once the level begins, and Dash to the right. As you collide into the exposed bricks a chain reaction will occur, destroying your Targets.

006 - Using EX Weapons

As the level starts, you should be directly in the middle of the map. Dash up, through the platforms to the top of the level and keep going until the top-middle Spawner is destroyed. Move Bangai-O to the left a little and charge an EX Attack. Point it left and fire. Repeat for the other side. If any Spawners are left just run them over with a Dash Attack.

007 - Counterattacking

As soon as the level begins, charge an EX Attack while holding Up on the +Control Pad. Just as the enemy missiles are about to hit you, release the EX Attack. This is Counterattacking and it is one of the most important tools in Bangai-O.

008 - MIXing Weapons

This level isn't all that difficult if you stay out of line-of-sight with the Spawner. As soon as you or one of your missiles gets line-of-sight it with the Spawner it will release a group of baddies. Just stay on the bottom of the level and fire straight up. Your shots will bounce off the ceiling and into the Spawner.

009 - Break & Napalm

Start the level by charging an EX Attack and pointing it to the right. As your EX Attack fires, hold down the attack button and walk toward the cannons. After the first row is destroyed, move Bangai-O to the second platform and repeat the process, destroying the remaining cannons and collecting the Fruit.

Once you move into the large open space above you, the giant Ants should come out of the spawn points to attack you. Lure them as far from the Spawners as you can, then circle around behind the ants. Use a fully charged EX Attack to take care of the Targets.

010 - Using Swords

Hold the button to attack with the Sword and chase down all the enemies in the level. If you always point toward the source of incoming missiles you won't take any damage.

011 - Using Bats

Just like Using Swords you'll want to keep swinging your Bat until there are no more enemies on the screen.

012 - Using Shields

Your Shield will protect you as you move, for the most part, so just Dash around the outside border of the ring until you've killed all the Cannons.

013 - Direct Attacks

Charge an EX Attack all the way to 100 and fire it to the right. It'll tear through all the Ants in the way, and kill the Target.

014 - Freezing

Press the R Button as the level begins. Then charge your EX Attack to full and release. Repeat as necessary to destroy remaining Targets.

015 - Reflecting

From your starting position, Reflect once. This should take care of all of the Targets.

016 - Use 'Em All

You'll need to destroy the enemy on your left and all the Huts on your right to open the series of Gates above. The Huts, Spawners, WoodBoxes, everything on the level, really, counts as an enemy. Destroy everything in your section to keep moving on up until you can push the Box into the BoxFrame on the right.

017 - Real Combat

Charge upwards, then to the right, setting off the Fuse. You can ignore the Enemys if you prefer, they can't see you and aren't really worth destroying unless you want something to destroy. Follow the Fuse down and fire your shots through the entryway until the turrets on the bottom are destroyed. Let the fire die down, then Dash into the room and start charging an EX Attack. Counter as best you can and try not to tarry as you move into the next area.

Fly Bangai-O down into the right hand side and use a combination of Freeze and Homing EX Attacks to destroy the enemies and turrets. It's important that you not miss the MGunEnm Target as you dive into the right section, otherwise it will run away and you'll have to chase it down. Use your Sword as a quick way to destroy the Core at the bottom of the level.

Treasure's Best

These levels appear from past Treasure games and have been recreated for your nostalgic pleasure. These aren't the easiest levels in the game, but they are a far cry from the hardest. These are, however, some of the longest levels toward the end of the list. The difference between theory and practice when it comes to strategy in Treasure's Best, is great.

The format here is slightly different from the Tutorials. Since you can choose your own weapons, we've added a suggested attack selection to the right of the stage's name. Feel free to use your own combinations. However, the suggested methods for completing each stage uses the weapon setup shown.

001 - Fireworks	Shield - Bat / Reflect - Homing
At the start, charge up a Homing EX Attack and Counter at the last possible second. This will give you enough breathing room to pick a corner to flee to. Move into a corner of your choosing and take out the enemies in that corner. Move from corner to corner using your EX Attacks to clear out the enemies. There should be more than enough Fruit to keep your EX Gauge full.

002 - Bot Army	Shield - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect
Aim a Reflect down and to the right to bounce the smaller enemies around until they slam into the BigBot. This will severely hamper it's movement, and you may be able to score a few hits with your Napalm Missiles. If things get too out of control, straighten things out with Freeze.

003 - BlueSky Bangai - O

Shield - Bat / Reflect Bounce

Charge straight down from where you start. When you've gone down as far as you feel comfortable, use your Reflect EX Attack to send all the enemies down. Chase after them and try to hit them side to side so that they keep crashing into one another. Charge up a Bounce EX Attack while they're flailing around, releasing at 100. This should kill most of them. Reflect any remaining enemies left or right to give yourself the chance to gather some Fruit, and/or charge up another EX Attack. With all the mobile enemies gone, you just need to pick off the last four Targets, which are the four Cores at the bottom of the stage. If you get into any trouble, the Bat should be able to give you some breathing room, and the Shield should cover you from any stray shots while you're in the thick of combat.

004 - Freedom

Shield - Homing / Bounce Napalm

It works best to mentally break this level into two sections, the corridors and the open area where the Targets are. When in the corridors, use your EX Attack to clear the way of lasers and enemies. Out in the open area, try using your Homing missiles to destroy the enemy turrets which are floating above you, just off screen. Try to keep the Targets from moving too far from you, use your EX Attack to force them in one direction, then charge after them and try to knock them into a free-fall.

005 - Go! Go! Go!	Shield - Homing / Freeze - Homing
As the level begins, charge Freeze to 2 seconds then release. Once the enemy is frozen, charge your Homing EX Attack to 100 and fire it in the direction of the CannBoss. Land on top of the blue Soft Blocks at the bottom of the map, charge down, and destroy the final Target.

006 - I'm Going In!

Bounce - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect

To complete this level, it is best to handle one set of NinjaBots at a time. The same tactic will work on every set. Place yourself outside of the Soft Blocks so that the enemies are in a straight line ahead of you. Once in position, fire your Napalm missiles through the Soft Blocks at the NinjaBots. The effect from the Napalm will stun them and you can keep pushing them back with it. You can equip other EX Attacks for an offensive use, the Freeze and Reflect combo here is as a panic button in case you get their attention without stunning them and they start hurting you. Keep in mind, you can't hurt them while they are frozen if you froze them while they were swinging.

007 - Surrounded!

Bat - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect

This stage is all about using the Balls at the bottom of the stage to destroy the BigBots. From the get-go, charge straight down and send the soccer balls flying upward. From here you can do a bunch of different things, but its best to use your Bat to send the soccer balls at the Big- Bots. Use Freeze to reposition yourself if necessary, but your goal should be to keep the BigBots inundated with soccer balls. You'll want to avoid using offensive EX Attacks here, as the soccer balls will absorb all the missiles you fire.

008 - Just Go For It!	Napalm Break / Freeze - Napalm
Quickly clear out the bottom of the level by focusing on the Bombs. The BigBot should slowly amble on-screen. When it does, start charging up Freeze. Once the timer reaches about two or three seconds, release your EX Attack then get behind him. Once you're behind him you've pretty much won, just remember that three swings from his sword will kill you. Be Careful.

009 - Bashing is Fun	Shield Bat / Homing - Reflect
Wait a few seconds for about three WoodBoxes to fall, then simply Reflect everything up. This will send all the WoodBoxes into the Spawners, killing them, then all you have to do is push the Box into the BoxFrame on the right side of the screen.

010 - Four Fuses	Shield Homing / Freeze Homing
Once the level starts, move Bangai-O to the left hand side of the screen where the Fuse ends are located. Activate the second Fuse from the bottom. This is the Fuse that protects the Core, so just wait for it to burn, destroy the Core, and end the level.

011 - Falling Rock

Sword - Bounce / Homing - Reflect

To do this level you must destroy the WoodBoxes one by one with the B Button attack. Then you must quickly move into the space where they used to be, before the blocks above them can fall. Now, destroy the WoodBoxes below you and jump into its place. Then the block to your left and the one below that.

Here, you must destroy the block below and to the right of you so that the Rock Box to your right falls. Then move to the now open space to your right and move through the two WoodBoxes to the right of that. Then destroy the first two WoodBoxes below Bangai-O. You can then destroy and move through the WoodBoxes to your left five times. Once you reach the left wall, destroy the four blocks below you, then the one WoodBoxes below the Rock Box to your right.

You should now have three WoodBoxes to your right which you should destroy one by one. When you reach the next Rock Box, destroy the WoodBoxes below it. You can then destroy the remaining blocks to your right until you hit the next Rock Box. You should now have WoodBoxes below you which you should destroy. From here, destroy the WoodBoxes to your right, and then the two directly below it so that you are no longer standing on blocks. You can now destroy and move past the next three blocks to your left so that the opening below the blocks is half covered. Now press Down-Left on the +Control Pad and press the A Button, using the Dash Attack to destroy the last block. Now quickly move into the section below and destroy the Target.

012 - EX! Use That EX!

Shield - Bat / Reflect - Homing

The strategy for this map is to use your MIX EX Attacks to destroy the enemy units in each section, collect the dropped Fruit, repeating until you reach the Target at the bottom. Most of the sections can be fired into from safe locations. The Bounce-Break EX Attack is perfect for this level, it can bounce off walls and has the punching power to reach it's targets. Try firing EX Attacks around a corner, once it hits the enemies, move around the corner and get to work with your Sword. The level is called "Use That EX!" so don't feel shy about using it often. There are plenty of enemies, and plenty of Fruit all over the stage. Don't neglect to pick up the HP power-ups located in the level and you should be able to make it through OK. If you are having troubles, slow down, charge up your EX Attack all the way, then focus it toward the area you are about to enter. This will keep you from charging through enemy fire, since you'll have plenty of your own fire acting as a buffer.

013 - Wide Samurai

Homing Bounce / Homing - Bounce

In the beginning of the level, shoot off several normal attacks to the right to get the first enemy to back off. Walk up the incline, shooting normal attacks the entire time. The Targets in this level are all in the very last section, so if you are interested in getting more score, you can remain to finish off enemies, otherwise you'll be boosting past most enemy encounters in this level. Keep heading right, while flying to the top of the level, firing normal attacks, but otherwise ignoring the enemies. You should be able to get past them with next to no injuries. Ignore the 2X Enemy, and the Spawner, just take the high route, where the baseballs and BatBots are. Dash into the area and don't stop. Even if you get hit while Dashing, you won't be knocked away. Make your way into the next area with the AirMines. A volley of normal attacks should take them all out.

Move to the top of the level, then start smashing through the Hard Blocks. You should only have to worry about the Enemy, and the Life2 Object if you do. Stick to the top of the screen and blaze past the Enemys and the Spawners. If you want some more Fruit or score, feel free to stop, otherwise bolt straight through the Soft Blocks and past the Huts. The high road is optimal here, as there are NinjaBots on top, and FastBots on bottom. The NinjaBots can usually be taken care of with a well-timed dodge, but the corridors are a little too small to try and avoid FastBots in the same manner.

Once you've dealt with the MegaMine and made it past the NinjaBots, Dash into the room and keep going until you hit the wall of Destructible Blocks. This will set off the Fuse at the bottom of the level which will destroy those Destructible Blocks. Charge up an EX Attack and brace yourself to Counter. Once the screen is clear enough of missiles, Dash into the area with the Cann- Boss. You can ignore him or take him out, but Dashing into the Cores and moving from Core to Core is usually fast enough to dodge the giant missiles he shoots. If the CannBoss is proving to be troublesome, lure him away from the Targets then take him out you don't want a series of Homing- Bounce missiles reflecting off the Cores.

014 Boost!

Shield Sword / Freeze Homing

In this level, two Targets are on the far end of the stage and if you take too long you'll either get locked out, making you unable to beat the stage, or get locked in while dealing with the Cores. It is important for you to move quickly to ensure that you have time to destroy the Targets at the far end of the level and get out without being trapped. Because of this, it pays to do the boring work of destroying a lot of the Hard Blocks before you set off the Fuse. This will give you plenty of time as a buffer to make it across the stage.

Return to the Fuse and set it off. Dash ahead, and wait at the tail-end of the level. As soon as you can, rush in, deal with the Cores and rush out. The way back will probably be a bit scary, as there are about 50 H.Cannons in your way. You'll find, though, that if you rush through it and Counter with an EX Attack when you're overwhelmed, that you'll rarely take any damage.

015 - Machine Map

Shield Sword / Break - Bounce

You'll start the level by taking out the Enemys that are shooting at you, then head up through the plus-shaped Soft Blocks to take out Target 8. Head back the way you came, and take the opposite hallway down and left to where you will need to deal with Target 2. Head right and you'll find Lasers above your position. This will sting a little, but, you're going to need to rush into the area above you and into the corridor to your right so that you can take out Target 1. Be careful when attempting this, as any damage to the Mines situated on top of the Spawners (Targets 3 and 4) will detonate the Fuses causing RockBoxes to fall and seal you in the chamber with Target 1. Once you've dealt with Target 1 feel free to charge up an EX Attack from within the corridor and aim it up into the Lasers, just make sure you're out of that corridor before the RockBoxes fall in on you.

Now you'll have access to a large area above you where Targets 5 and 7 are located. Don't charge in there without doing some planning first. There are four FastBots, two of which can see you as you enter the tunnel that was just filled with Fuses and RockBoxes, so you'll probably want to fly into the corridor and then back-track immediately, to draw the FastBots in after you. Once you've dealt with one or two of the FastBots, you should be able to run into the open area and start Counterattacking with EX Attacks. Be careful not to fire directly into a FastBot that is curled up, as it will absorb all of your missiles. Note the F.Bounce enemies holed up in those alcoves, they'll fire a full volley of missiles which will bounce out of the alcove in a mess of Bounce Missiles. It can get hectic, just Counter with an EX Attack and you should be fine. If things get too rough for you, just run to the space in front of each alcove that houses a Target and fire an EX Attack in. That should kill the Spawners, then its just a matter of rushing over to Target 6 and ending the level. You should note that none of the Spawners actually spawn enemies.

016 - HURRY UP!

Shield Bat / Napalm Bounce

Speed is essential on this level, but you can't rush past the first set of enemies you see, as they are Targets. Use your Bat to set off the Fuses, then rush in to the chamber with the Tank. Fire off an EX Attack pointed at the Tank. It may seem extreme, but you'll need all the extra seconds you can muster. Dash through the opening as soon as you can, which will bring you face-toface with a CannBoss. Either Bat the missile back, or start charging an EX Attack so you can Counter. Both can have disastrous results if you mistime, so you'll probably want to release your EX Attack early to avoid having it blow up in your face.

Surge forward and clear the room of Bounce enemies with judicious use of an EX Attack. Run through the last two sets of RockBoxes and straight into a pair of waiting NinjaBots (man, they're sneaky). Your trusty Napalm-based EX Attack should serve you well in disposing of those pesky NinjaBots, just try not to overreact as there are three Cores at the bottom, and you don't want to spend precious time and health dodging your own missiles. The two MegaMines above you will be freed from their Destructible Block cages shortly, so take care of the Cores quickly, or, if you have enough EX Gauges left, you could deal with the MegaMines, too.

017 MIP

Shield - Sword / Break Bounce

It is important to deal with the enemies on this level section by section. At the same time, you should make an effort to move quickly. You don't have to deal with any enemies on the left half of the stage unless you want to. In every section of the level, you can simply detonate the Fuses underneath the section you are waiting to enter, charge up an EX Attack and unleash it when the moment is right to Counter. Oh, and don't rush into a section that the RockBoxes are falling to cover you'll get stuck. This can work in multiplayer, but plenty of players get over-zealous and end up getting stuck in the level.

Work your way down through the level, focusing on opening up each section, charging up, then Countering to wipe out the enemies in the section, rush in to clean up any stragglers, then move on. Once you get past the MGunBoss, it gets a little bit tougher, since so much is in one room at one time. In the room with Targets 6, 7, and 8, you'll need to watch out for: Mines, so don't rush in quickly; FastBots, so try and draw them out to deal with them; And lastly, two H.Bounces and an H.Cannon sitting on top of a Spawner. There are NaplmEnm in there as well, but they'll die as soon as the first Mine explodes. Basically, fire a fully charged EX Attack at the mouth of the alcove, then back up to draw the FastBots to you. Use an EX Attack, or Dash Attack to take care of them, and finally rush in and Counter the H.Bounces to take out the final Target.

018 MIP2

Shield Sword / Homing Bounce

Much like the other MIP stage, this stage is better when it is beaten quickly. Deal with each section of enemies individually. This can be controlled by not setting off the Fuses until the enemies that are behind the walls have been destroyed. This will keep the amount of enemies you must fight to a minimum. It will also give you ample time to gather all the Fruit from the area, recharging your EX Gauge. The best way to destroy the enemies in each section is to wait outside of the wall as it disappears, charge your EX Attack, and unleash it as the wall falls past you. The remaining enemies can be defeated with a second EX Attack, or by using your Sword and Dash Attack to blitz them. For the last section of the level where the Target is, be sure that you hit the FastBots with your EX Attacks and then move in quickly with the Bat to finish them off. If you're in a hurry, just float through the Core and push the Box into place.

019 Just Fight It

Shield Break / Break Direct

Start by moving into the first section and use your EX Attack to destroy the enemies and Target in the room. Once you have defeated the enemies and destroyed the Target, activate the Fuse and move into the next area.

The key to this large area is to move around the outside of the map, firing EX Attacks along the wall toward the next H.-Type enemies and charging after them. Be sure to collect the Fruit as you go so you don't run out of EX Attacks. After making your way around the outside of the level, go back around and finish the rest of the small enemies and turrets before releasing the BigBot. Once it has been released, charge behind him and into his back until he is destroyed, then Dash into the lower-left corner to destroy the Core.

020 Gate Fetish

Shield Sword / Reflect Bounce

Position yourself on one side of the Cannons then use your Sword and slash across the level. Repeat this tactic until you get down to the Napalm enemies. You'll need to employ your Bounce EX Attack to protect yourself. If the enemies ever get to be too much to handle, use Reflect to keep them in line.

Once you get past the Napalm enemies, you'll find that the game picks up speed. Without all those Gates and enemies, you'll be moving at a different pace, so be careful when you approach the bottom of the stage. There are FastBot's below you. Move back and forth above the platform that has the health sitting on top of it to lure the FastBots up to you. Dodge out of the way and use your Bounce EX Attack to take care of them, then jump down to the lowest part of the level to deal with the BigBot and the F.Homing. Counter the F.Homing with a Bounce EX Attack and it should take a chunk out of the BigBot's life, too. If the BigBot reflects them, just use them as fodder for a Counter of your own.

021 Watch Your Head

Shield Bat / Napalm Bounce

Activate the Fuse and as the enemies start to be released, charge your EX Attack firing it directly upwards. Move into the space you created, then fire again. Collect the Fruit around you (so you have enough EX Gauge to do it again) and fire again. Keep firing and moving upward and you'll clear out the Targets (NinjaBots) before you know it. If you want to get a higher score, you may want to try something the NinjaBots can defend against, like Bounce Break instead.

022 SPIRITS!!

Shield Bat / Homing Bounce

To beat this level, divide it into sections which you will beat one by one. The first section is the top, including both of the two areas next to the start point. The other two sections are the two halves that make up the bottom of the level. Begin by launching a fully charged EX Attack directly downward. As the missiles split and head for either side, Dash down and fire another EX Attack to the right side with a charge of around 75. You'll want to wait until the BatBots send your missiles back so you can send a really powerful Counterattack back at them. Turn around and fire your last EX Attack onto the left side. Fly right and collect the Fruit that has dropped and finish off any remaining enemies. Don't venture too far down, deal with the enemies on the opposite side first. Flood the area with EX Attacks, then round up as much Fruit as you can find.

For the remaining two sections, you'll want to fire a fully charged EX Attack to lead the charge, but be mindful of the FastBots that are hiding behind the Prefabs. Move to the bottom section and use your EX Attacks and the Bat to defeat the NinjaBots, their Spawner, and the Cores. If you're feeling desperate, deal with the bottom-left side first, then deal with the right. The left side seems harder, and if you only have a little bit of health left when you go for the bottom-right section, you can Dash right up beside the Core, and fire off an uncharged EX Attack. This will kill the Core and end the level before the NinjaBots can end you.

023 Nail Biter

Shield Bat / Homing - Break

The key to beating this level is to time your EX Attacks so that you get as powerful a Counterattack as possible. There are four Health Packs, one per small corridor, near each corner of the level. Use these to keep your health up, because a lot of the enemies in this level are X2 in size. When the MGunBosses approach you, try to move Bangai-O into a location where he will be receiving heavy fire, then Counter with a highly charged EX Attack. Once you've punched a hole in the MGunBoss's defenses, circle it and fire your EX Attacks into the gap where it is missing cannons. After clearing the stage of the MGunBoss enemies, approach Target 7 and stay close to him without being hit. When he uncurls to launch an attack on you, hit him with the Bat and then unleash your EX Attack on him.

024 Superhuge!

Shield Napalm/Freeze Napalm

Start off by destroying the WoodBox in order to get through the Gates in front of you. Stay where you are and charge up your Freeze EX Attack to 2 seconds. This will allow you to fly around the back of the BigBot. Once you are behind him, you can start to do a constant Dash Attack into his back while rotating with him. If you want to use a different EX Attack, then you can try leading the BigBot up and circle around him. It can cost you as much as one-third of your health, but this will allow you to use a slightly more powerful EX Attack combo, like Bounce Napalm.

The next enemy is a CannBoss. You should gather the Fruit necessary to keep your EX Gauge full, then charge up an EX Attack. Counter the lone missile to take care of roughly threequarters of the CannBoss's HP. Follow up with Napalm shots while dodging the missiles it fires and you should have no problems.

The giant MGunBoss is next. Start shooting Napalm EX Attacks. Doing this will cause damage to the MGunBoss, making him release Fruit. Once all of its guns are destroyed, you can start shooting it with Napalm normal attacks to finish it off.

After the MGunBoss is destroyed, the last wall will break, and a wave of enemies will come at you. Dodge their attacks and charge your Freeze EX Attack, wait for them to get close, release the Freeze EX Attack, and then Dash into them to send them all sprawling. Be wary of the Fast- Bot, if it isn't shooting missiles at you when you free it, it'll be invincible while frozen.

025 Black Angels

Shield Homing/ Freeze Direct

Start charging your Napalm EX Attack when starting the level and wait to be hit by one of the Longai-O's Dash Attacks. Once he hits you, release the attack and fire an uncharged Freeze attack. Position yourself close to the Longai-O and wait for him to unfreeze. Fire a Direct EX Attack in a Counter and you should take out the last Longai-O. Make sure to get the money bonus that is dropped to get your EX Gauge back up because you still have to face the BigBot.

Destroy a couple of buildings to fill up your EX Gauge, then use Freeze to get the upper hand on the lone BigBot. Circle around him and use another Direct EX Attack to take him out. The last Target is in the building farthest to the right, at the bottom of the level. There will be a core hidden inside of it.

026 YAMATO

Shield Homing/Freeze Direct

YAMATO can be tricky, or incredibly easy. Charge up a Freeze EX Attack and when the Longai-O is within the range that most attacks can be Countered, release the EX Attack, and immediately begin charging a Direct attack. Once its fully charged, fire it at the Longai-O, and it should immediately die.

You'll need the Money it drops to reach one and a half EX Gauges. Circle around the Japanese island look-alike and down around so you don't detonate any of the Fuses. Doing so uncages three 2X-Size Longai-Os. Your safest bet in dealing with Target 2 is to take a few hits from the Longai-O in order to bump your EX Gauge up to 2. Once it's there, you can deal with the second Target just like you did the first: Freeze, then Direct. If you don't have the stomach to take a few hits, do your best not to allow the Fuses to detonate, and try to fire a Direct EX Attack as it is Dashing toward you. Remember, Longai-Os cannot Counter when they are in the middle of a Dash.

027 The Earth

Shield Homing / Napalm Direct

When the stage begins, fly around the circle of Soft Blocks (not through it), but keep in mind that there is a full-health Object in the middle of there. Slowly approach the enemies, keeping a safe distance between you and them. Jump back and forth across the half-way mark of the planet and you should be able to get one of the Longai-Os and only one to come after you. Slowly lower yourself back down, and charge up an EX Attack. Point it toward the incoming Longai-O and at the last possible second, release it! The missiles should appear directly on top of the Longai-O, making it so that it doesn't have the time to Counter. The timing for this may require you to attempt it once or twice, but once you get the idea down, you should be able to beat Longai-Os like this without any trouble.

Do your best to sucker the other Longai-O down without drawing the attention of the other enemies, and handle him like you did the others. We tried to beat this stage with Freeze and Direct, but because the Longai-O's were double-sized it just cost too many EX Gauges to bring one down. That being said, waiting until the last second to pull the trigger is not fool-proof, one mistake and the Longai-O will Counterattack, killing you.

When fighting the giant NinjaBot, you can dodge it and follow up immediately with a Dash Attack. This, however, can cause you to instantly die if you mis-time the attempt. A safer method, but much costlier on this sparse map is to use your Napalm EX Attack to deal with it. If you have enough EX Gauges to spare, use them. It is far simpler and less likely to get you killed. The BigBot isn't really a problem unless you are fighting it while you attempt to fight everything else. Treat it like you would any other BigBot.

The FastBot can be difficult if you are low on health, but just treat it like you would any other FastBot. Dodge its rolling attack, then Dash after it to keep it in free-fall until it dies. Use an EX Attack to deal with it if you have the EX Gauges to spare.

The Longai O will probably be the toughest enemy here. Be sure to charge your Freeze EX Attack all the way before you use it. This way, you'll have enough time to charge your Homing EX Attack and shoot it at him. When this is done, you will have to dodge him because he will do his EX Attack. As soon as he does this, perform another Homing EX Attack at him and boost towards him.

Puzzle Stages

If you're looking for a change of pace from the raucous beat-em-up that is Bangai-O, then fear not. The Puzzle Stages offer a unique blend of explosions and intellectual stimulation. Read on for concise tips to beating each of these puzzling stages.

001 Batting Practice

Bat Homing / Reflect - Bounce

Hit the soccer balls to the left, one at a time. Try to get two swings off at each ball to ensure that it doesn't get lodged in front of the enemy. If the balls do get lodged, just use a charged EX Attack with your Homing/Bounce MIX and it should finish off the enemy.

A much more expedient route is to Reflect the Balls up, then quickly fire an EX Attack to the left. The Balls will kill the Cannons and the Bounce EX Attack will bounce around and kill the Enemy.

002 False Treasure	Homing Bounce / Freeze - Reflect

This stage is very complicated, and each Box has been labeled for your convenience. Follow these steps to be awarded with a Stage Complete. Be careful using your Dash Attack when you don't need to, you could accidentally move a Box to a position you didn't want, and then you'll have to start the stage all over. To start, push Box G to the right three spaces. This gives Bangai-O access to the rest of the stage. Head over to Box A and push it two spaces to the right. Now circle around Box A, and stand on top of Box B. Push Box B down two spaces. From here, push Box A one space to the right, finishing Box A. Once that is done, push Box B one space right, also completing Box B. Now simply push Box C to the left one space to finish it, leaving Bangai-O free to stand on top of Box D. Push Box D two spaces down, to its final resting place. Now that the boxes on the right half of the screen are done, head over to the left and stand on top of Box E. Push Box E down one space. Now, circle around to the right of Box F and push it left one space. This puts Bangai-O on top of Box G. Push Box G down one space. Now, circle around again and push Box F two spaces to the right. Now it's time to finish Box G with just a few movements. Stand on top of Box G and push it one space down, and then two spaces to the right. After this is done, circle around and stand on top of Box G and push it down one space, then one space to the left, finishing it. Take Box F and push it two spaces to the left, placing it on top of Box E. Take Box E and push it to the right one space, then circle around and push it two spaces down, then two spaces right. From here Bangai-O is forced to fly around to the other side to stand underneath Box E to push it up into the Target. It's time to get rid of Box F. Start by standing on top of it and pushing it one space down, one space to the right, and two spaces down. Once here, push Box F three spaces to the right, stand underneath it and push it up one space, and Box F becomes no more. From here, it's simple to push Box H two spaces to the right and you have made it through this merciless stage!

003 Light My Fuse

Shield Bounce / Homing - Bounce

This stage is all about getting to the end before the explosions catch up to you. Start off by hover-sliding to the right (tap right twice on the +Control Pad). Follow the patch while shooting the boxes as you're coming up on them. It takes two shots from the Bounce gun per box. Just don't shoot it too many times, or it's game over. Once you make it to the end, just stand in the middle of the platform (you will take some damage, but not enough to kill you). Once the explosions are done, you win.

An alternate method to winning is a bit sneakier: Keep the same weapons layout you had before, but when you get clear of the first explosion, shoot straight up. The Fuses should knock you around, but if you keep pushing up you won't die, and you'll escape the punishing explosions. Just be careful not to die by running into the tail-end of a Bomb's explosion.

004 Breakin' Out

Shield Sword / Homing - Bounce

In this stage, it's important to Dash your way through the boxes as quickly as possible and find the right path out. As soon as the stage starts, move to the right or the falling RockBoxes will block your progress. Dash up and to the right to where the Soft Blocks were, then start moving back towards the middle. When you make it to the middle column, continue Dashing up to prevent the RockBoxes from falling. Whenever a WoodBox falls next to you, Dash into it's spot as fast as possible so that you can keep moving up. If all goes well, you will have a small spot to sneak out of once the RockBoxes stop falling. Now, move up into the next area and dispatch the enemies using Bounce/Homing EX Attacks. Finally, deal with the Spawner to complete the level.

005 Move the Box

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

Move the Box Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce You can do this puzzle stage the way it was intended or you can do it the easy way. I'll tell you how to do both and you can decide whether or not you want to take the easy way out.

Easy way: Stand on the platform next to the hole in center of the stage. While there, fire your EX attack while aiming it diagonally down and right. One of the random missiles should hit the Fuse and open the path to the core. This method also works on "Which is Moved?" as well as "Bullet's Reach".

Slightly longer, not much harder way: Move up above the Boxes and move both of them down one space. Go to the opening and aim diagonally right and down while shooting the homing/bounce missiles. If you've fixed yourself in place correctly, you should be just missing the Fuse. While still firing, hold down and the missiles will shift slightly and the opening to the Core should be cleared.

006 Which is Moved?

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

This stage is all about moving the correct Box into position so that you can do some complicated bounce shots to hit the Fuse and give you a free shot at the core. All you have to do is move two of the Boxes. First off, move the top-left Box one space to the right. Then move the Box on the right side of the stage one space to the left (very important to only move this one space or you'll block the path to the Fuse). Once you've done all the hard labor of moving those heavy Boxes, make your way to the small opening and do a fixed direction shot diagonally down and right. While you're shooting diagonally, hold straight down on the +Control Pad to shift your shot just a little to make those Bounce Missiles go right into that Fuse. Now it's just a matter of walking, flying, or Dashing to the core and destroying it in whatever way makes you happiest.

007 Bullet's Reach

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

Yet another stage that has you moving Boxes so that you can show off how good you can bounce those missiles! You can start off by clearing out the Mechs. Bounce some shots into the small opening on the platform. Once you've dispatched all of them, the gate will open up and you can head up top. Move the top-right Box one space down. Now it may not look like it, but you can actually squeeze some missiles in between this Box and the walls to light the first Fuse. Stand on the small ledge to the right of the Box you just moved down and fire diagonally down-right and you should hit the Fuse. Now, move the second Box up top, down one space, then move the bottom Box up one space. Each of the Boxes should have been moved once by now. Finally, make your way to the opening again and fire fixed directional shots diagonally down and right. Your missiles should be missing completely until you push down on the +Control Pad to shift your shots. Once the final Fuse is lit and the path is opened to the core, go do your worst to it and finish off the stage.

008 Play Ball	Sword Bat / Homing - Bounce
This one is fairly simple. All you have to do is Dash the Ball up and out of the top left hole. Dash while holding up and left on the +Control Pad, and the Ball will fall down onto a mine that destroys the Target. If you fail to do that, you can simply fire a fully charged EX Attack out of the spot you start. You should be able to tap the Mine at the bottom and clear the Target.

009 No Touching!

Bounce Shield / Napalm - Break

This one is all about weaving through obstacles as fast as possible without touching them. To start, shoot the Fuse if front of you. Then Dash through the level while following the blue path of dots and avoiding contact with the other obstacles. If you make it to the Target before the RockBoxes drop in front of it, just destroy the Target and you win. This level can take a lot of practice, so don't get frustrated. There isn't really any trick to it, except that you should try and race around the level, following the track laid out for you, touching as few walls as possible.

010 Cannon-ism

Bat Homing / Freeze - Bounce

In this stage, you can either Reflect the missiles that are shot at you in the beginning, or you can Freeze all the cannons, destroy one of them, then move into its nook. Start off by charging Freeze, releasing when the CannBosses fire. If timed right, the missiles should just be leaving the cannons, and you should be able to Counter, destroying the missiles without causing you any damage. Once the cannons are frozen, move in close to the left or right cannon and charge up a bounce EX Attack to destroy it (if the first charged EX Attack doesn't kill it just do another one immediately). Once that cannon is destroyed, you have a nice little nook to work from. You can beat the other cannon by simply floating to about the middle of the nook, facing the right way and swinging the Bat in place. You should be able to continue doing so until it is destroyed. To complete the level, charge an EX Attack to 100 and point it diagonally toward one of the CannBosses. That should take them both out. If it doesn't, and you can do it again, do so. You have all the time in the world to fire Homing Missiles to finish the job. The initial hurdle of the level is the hardest part.

011 Labyrinth	Bounce - Break / Freeze - Direct

Make it through this maze alive by equipping Bounce as one of your regular attacks, and either Freeze or Reflect as one of your EX Attacks. Bounce makes killing the enemies easy since you can stand out of harms way and bounce shots in to kill them. Progress as slow as necessary to avoid being caught by surprise. A volley of bounce missiles from a F.Bounce missile platform will kill you no matter how far in the maze you've gotten. Follow the path drawn out on the map here.

012 Playing Mole

Sword - Bat / Freeze - Reflect

Open the level by using Reflect to hurl the Wood Boxes in whatever your preferred direction is. Rush to the bottom of the level, trying to avoid letting a stack of Rock Boxes from getting in your way. Once you get down with the Cores, use your Freeze to keep yourself from getting eaten alive immediately. Dash, use the Sword or Bat, and destroy the Cores to end the level. If you get stuck at the bottom, you won't be able to kill both of the small Cores, so be quick and careful when taking them out.

013 City Generator

Sword Bounce / Bounce - Break

From the start of this stage fly up to the top and position yourself in the middle of all of the Buildings beneath you. Fire a fully charged EX Attack down at the Buildings. If you were successful, you can move to the Core. If you find it difficult to nail all of the Buildings at once, use a Dash Attack to nick off some or most of their health so that they'll fall easier when you use your EX Attack.

014 Vrooom!

Bounce Homing / Bounce - Reflect

This stage takes a lot of practice: you'll need to set off the Fuses and Dash along the path until you reach the Core. Along the way Rock Boxes will fall, attempting to block your path. If you're too slow, you'll end up getting stopped and need to restart the level. Move down to the long vertical shaft beneath your starting location, then fire several Bounce shots diagonally up as you fall. They should bounce up until they set off the Fuse. There's no real strategy or tactic to getting there faster, beyond giving yourself the head-start you get by firing your Bounce attack lower in the level. You'll need to practice making the turns in order to beat the Rock Boxes before they lock into place.

015 Puzzle Fever

Bat Shield / Reflect Break

To start, let the level fall and get out of everything's way without disturbing how the blocks fall. Observe the pattern that everything falls in to. You should notice that everything is touching in some way or another, at least diagonally. Restart and quickly dip down and left so that you make it over in between the WoodBoxes on the far left, without disturbing any of the other objects. Once everything settles in place, simply Dash down and to the right, then start pushing your way up and to the right, your goal: Target 8. Destroy it and you should beat the stage.

016 No Touching! 2

Bat Sword / Reflect - Freeze

You will need to use the Dash Attack in order to break through the Soft Blocks, but watch out for all of the Bombs that are around the path, one false move and it is Game Over. This stage will require plenty of practice on controlling Bangai-O. If the bombs do begin to explode, try to stay out of the explosion radius while making your way to the Core at the same time. If the Bombs do explode, they will release some Rock Boxes preventing you from getting to the Core, so it would be best if the Bombs were not touched. Once the Core at the end of the stage is destroyed, the stage is complete.

This level can be made easier by firing an EX Attack down, slightly to the right of the player's starting position. From there, Dash through the explosions and follow the path from there. This will get you quite banged up, but it only requires you to get through the last third of the level easier by far.

017 Cannon-ism Redux

Napalm Homing / Freeze - Napalm

At the beginning, use the Freeze attack and charge the Napalm to the maximum amount and aim down at the CannBoss, this attack will destroy it. Once that one is destroyed, move into the hole that housed that CannBoss. Use your MIX of Homing and Napalm to destroy the other three CannBosses. The CannBoss above you will be attacking you, so make sure you keep moving until that CannBoss is destroyed. Once all four CannBosses are destroyed, the stage will be completed.

018 Labyrinth Box?	Homing Bounce / Break - Bounce

Use the map provided as a reference for this level. First, follow the light green line and smash the WoodBox at the end. Then, follow the yellow line to another WoodBox that needs to be smashed. From there, follow the light blue line. After that, go back to where the white line starts along the light blue line's path and follow that. Finally, take the path of the red line to the Target. It must be done in this order or some of the paths will not be unlocked. Destroying the WoodBoxes destroys a corresponding Gate.

Other Stages

Compared to Treasure's Best, these stages are brand new, but they still fit the tradition of Bangai- O. There's explosions and missiles, but little of that fancy, puzzle stuff. Just pure mayhem, here. These levels demand a lot, and they make up the bulk of the game. Once you've finished them, you've beaten all the stock stages Bangai-O has to offer!

These first three levels are some of the hardest levels in Other Stages, so it's a good idea to skip these until you are a little more familiar with Bangai-O Spirits before attempting them.

Stages 001 - 020

001 The Face

Break Shield / Homing Napalm

Start by hopping off the lip you start on and fire as you drop to clear a way into the area below (watch out for the F.Homing). When you get a cluster of enemies around you, start charging an EX Attack wherever it is convenient and release it when you are about to get clobbered with missiles. Keep heading down, you'll find a fight waiting about level with Bangai-O's nose (the picture on the top screen): lots of Tanks, F.Bounce, and other enemies. Repeat your EX Attack until you have enough room to breathe, collect the Fruit, and repeat. Don't stray too far to the right, you're heading for Target #2. Head down and deal with the Core, gathering health from the Life Objects, if necessary. From the Core, head right, taking care of the MGunBoss if you haven't yet. Follow the bottom edge of the level and keep going right. You'll need to set off a bunch of the starshaped Fuses to destroy the highlighted section of Bangai-O's chest (again, using the picture of the level on the top screen as reference) to continue right. Move up and around that section and deal with the enemies in whatever way is necessary to get to Target #1, the Core. From here, it's a straight shot to the upper-right corner, to get the final core, just be careful not to Dash Attack the Fuses.

002 Sessyu

Break Homing / Direct Break

Start by firing missiles from where you start, that'll take out the Spawner you can't see and the Enemys that it has spawned. Jump over to your left and slowly hover down as you fire missiles down below you. About halfway down the map, there's a break and a trio of Life Objects to your right. Recharge, if necessary, and then dive in, dealing with the Ants as best you can. Try and wheedle your way past all the enemies and into the alcove where the Core is, then release an EX Attack while you are close enough that the Core's shield is down. Deal with the enemies as you please, and then head right. Trace the bottom border of the level safely destroying the Fuses from far away. As you close in on Target 1, either charge in and use a quick EX Attack as a Counter, or fire your Homing missiles from the safety under the Soft Blocks. Once you get out into the open, you'll find that there are Tanks and other enemies above you. Use an EX Attack or judicious use of your Homing missiles to take care of the enemies then slowly creep up. There's a double-size MGunBoss ready to attack you as soon as you poke your head out. Either circle him entirely or use your attack and the cover provided by the level, but make your way up to the final Core. Take out the guns there quickly, followed by the last Core. Be careful though, as they are Napalm-type and it won't take but a few volleys to turn Bangai-O into pieces of scrap.

003 Sabu

Bounce Shield / Reflect Bounce

Start by taking out the AirMines, then the little MegaMine. Dash across to the right and open up the pen for all those Mechs that are trapped. Once they start firing on you, use Reflect to get them under control. Fling them into the MegaMines (above and to the right of you), collect some fruit, and keep going. You'll want to send them roughly up, then to the right to take care of the Tanks that shouldn't be able to get to you. Rid this area of all the enemies you can, then fly up through the gap at the top of Sabu's cap, then around and down, until you can destroy the Core. Fly back to the gap, then down and to the left until you are even with the tip of Sabu's nose. Fly over, destroy the Fuses to break open a path and fly out into open space and destroy the Core, ending the level.

004 Space Message	Homing - Break / Homing Break
Set off the explosive and wait until all the Fuses have finished. There are a bunch of stationary enemies on the top edge of the level, as well as a Core acting as a Target. Compared to the previous three levels, Space message is a breeze.

005 Soccer Pyramid	Bat Break / Napalm Homing
Dash into the Balls to wreck the NinjaBots. Keep the pressure on them and they'll die in quick fashion. As usual, you'll want to stay away from using EX Attacks since they will just get absorbed by the Balls.

006 Smash 'n See

Sword Homing / Freeze Bounce

With a name like "Smash 'n See" it's pretty obvious your Targets aren't the buildings themselves. It just so happens that there are BigBots hiding in the buildings. Shoot the Huts and Prefabs beneath your starting location to free the largest one. Once you start destroying the Prefabs, BigBots will come out. Try and let them out one at a time. Once you've gotten one out, simply Freeze it, circle it, and then start attacking its big backside. If you've got more than one to worry about, use your Bounce EX Attack to bounce off of a wall and strike them in the backside. Find all three, and survive, to win.

007 Three, Two, One!

Sword - Bat / Homing Break

As soon as the level starts, a Fuse will start racing ahead of you, set to cut off your path if you take too long. You're on a tight time limit to finish off all the enemies in one room and make it to the next before the Fuse gets too far ahead of you. If you don't make it to the Target by the time the Fuse does, RockBoxes will drop down and block one of the Targets. Use your EX Attacks to destroy the enemies in each room as quickly as possible. You will get plenty of Fruit in each room to keep your EX Gauge full, so don't worry about using up one or two EX Attacks per room. Once all the rooms of enemies are clear, destroy the Core along the far wall and quickly go up. If you go up before destroying the Core, a Gate will be in your way, and you'll probably have wasted enough time that you won't be able to destroy the Target Core that is hiding up there.

008 T-Minus 10

Bat Bounce / Homing Break

Hit the Fuse to start the countdown and free yourself. Your best bet to take care of the Targets is to send all of the large Enemys twirling through free-fall with a Dash Attack or swing of the Bat. All you have to do is move along the level destroying each Target as it presents itself, and reach the Core at the end of the level. If you move too slow you will get cut off from the Core, so move fast.

009 Push the Limits	Bat Homing / Reflect Homing
Light the Fuse and follow the explosion as closely as possible without taking too much damage. As you're going through openings with falling RockBoxes, Dash Attack right and up diagonally until you make it to the other side. Once at the end, you can use a mix of Bat, Homing, and EX Attacks to dispatch the enemies. Then, destroy the Target.

010 3BR APT

Bat Homing / Homing Break

Light the Fuse to free yourself, and start charging up an EX Attack. Mostly it's a game of chicken to release the EX Attack when enough missiles are near, because you'll want to clear them out neatly. Keep an eye on the Wood Boxes to the right, if you accidentally set off the Fuse, you'll need to ignore the enemies and rush to the next room. If you don't make it, there's no other option, you simply have to restart. Keep moving through each room repeating the cleaning process. Be careful once you get to the last room, make sure you're ready to Counter as the mini- Drill Bosses' Drill Attack moves pretty fast. When you Counter, you can usually take out between one and three Drill Bosses. Don't get desperate when you're surrounded and focus on Countering with your EX Attack. Make sure you get the Fruits and Money to keep your EX Gauge full.

011 Don't Give Up!

Bat - Shield/ Reflect Freeze

This level requires immediate action, so start by using Freeze and move (don't Dash Attack!) left and down, out of the way of any explosives, then, as Freeze wears off, use Reflect, which should kill most of the enemies. If you're seriously hurting, don't dawdle. Destroy the Cores and complete the stage. If you have enough health to secure a victory, use Freeze and kill any enemies still alive, and destroy the Spawners to harvest them for their Fruit.

012 My Box, My Enemy

Homing Shield / Homing Bounce

Destroy all the Fuses available to you in the beginning to clear a path you can use. Next, destroy all the NinjaBots and Enemys, taking care not to set off the Fuse that winds around near the MGunBoss. Once you have cleared the way, manipulate the Box to the BoxFrame by following Figure A. Once you've finished with the Box, move on to the area below. Careful here, as soon as you've start the Fuse you have to rush all the way down and past before the Rock Box cuts you off.

Once you have successfully passed the RockBox, clear away the MGunBoss above you with a couple of EX Attacks at full charge. Collect the Fruit and health and move into the area before the next room, blowing up all the different mines with a careful missile. Repeat the EX Attacks as you enter the next chamber, chasing down any enemies stubborn enough to stay alive through your assault. Dispatch the enemies in the next area, careful not to move the Box. Once they're all dead, including the Cores, take a look at Figure B on how to move the Box to its respective BoxFrame.

013 Flies Fly	Homing - Shield / Bounce - Break
Start the stage by charging an EX Attack, releasing at the last possible second to get a X4 Counterattack. Immediately begin charging another EX Attack, releasing it as soon as the opportunity to Counter arrives. Mop up the final enemies and rush the Cores in whatever order is necessary to stay alive until the job is done.

014 Cutting Loose	Homing Break / Bounce Break
Much like the previous level, this level is solved largely by charging an EX Attack and releasing it at the last possible second. A X4 Counterattack should render all the Cannons dead and win the level. You won't get any points, but you'll complete it in roughly one second.

015 I Hate Big Mines	Homing Break / Homing Napalm
As in the last two levels, you simply need to charge your EX Attack, instead of waiting for the opportunity to Counter, simply let the Attack go off as soon as you get to 100. That should clear out four of the MegaMines. Charge to 100 and fire again. You should kill the remaining four, completing the level.

016 - Mine, All Mine!

Bat Homing / Homing Break

Release two EX Attacks as soon as the stage starts to avoid losing to the AirMines. Then weave in between the MegaMines, instead of destroying them, and go after the Spawners. The MegaMines are a threat, but destroying them only makes a new one pop up. Destroy the Spawners while avoiding the MegaMines for a fast time or, destroy the MegaMines until you can contain the situation (like destroying the top two or bottom two) for a better score.

017 Belly of Beast

Bounce Break / Bounce Break

Charge an EX Attack as soon as the level begins, all the way to 100, and release it. Immediately charge another EX Attack to 100 and fire it. Do that once more, and start laying into whichever side you feel needs the pressure with a barrage from your normal missiles until you're out of enemies. It may seem as though you're taking a beating, but it's important to destroy as many enemies as possible in the first EX Attack so you can charge the rest of your EX Attacks in relative peace.

018 Tanks Only

Shield Break / Bounce Break

Begin by double-tapping the button that fires your weapon to lock yourself in place. You'll want to refrain from using an EX Attack for now you don't want to destroy the cover that's been provided to you by the level. Use Break attacks to destroy the Tanks left, right, above, and below you in the 'inner ring'. Once you've thinned their ranks a bit, pick a corner. Destroy the Tank in that corner, and keep shooting until you've destroyed its big brother. Finally, dive into that corner and start charging an EX Attack. Pay attention to the Tanks' attacks, your Shield should take care of some of the missiles the Tanks shoot. Counter when you can, firing off a pair of fully charged EX Attacks until you have enough space to move about the level. Mop up the remaining enemies with the EX Attacks you get from your spoils, or simply use your Break Missiles to overwhelm them.

019 Bunch o' Drills	Homing Napalm / Homing Napalm
The easiest way to deal with this level is to fire three EX Attacks in succession. Fire the first, charging it to 100. Then, fire the second and third whenever you get the opportunity to Counter all the drill attacks from the Drill Bosses.

020 I Hate BatBots	Bat Shield / Reflect Bounce
This level is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Reflect left to push the BatBots into the MegaMines. Chase left without using your Dash Attack and Reflect right. Once the BatBots lose inertia, Dash into them and send them into the last MegaMine.

Stages 021-040

021 Drill Boss

Bat Homing / Bounce Break

In its essence, this level can be beaten by Countering with your EX Attack at every opportunity given. Start by charging an EX Attack and release it so that the AirMines are at a safe distance so they don't kill you in their explosion. Immediately charge another EX Attack and wait for a drill attack to get close before releasing. Repeat as necessary, destroying the AirMines as they approach and picking up the Fruit to keep the EX Attacks coming. It'll take several tries, but the key point of this level is to keep the AirMines far enough away and keep Countering.

022 Spikey

Bounce Napalm / Bounce Napalm

Charge up an EX Attack and aim it left. Release the attack when the MegaMines get close, to trigger a Counter. Move to the left to avoid any mines not destroyed and charge another EX Attack, aiming it to the right. Keep going until all the Spawners are destroyed. Keep in mind that the MegaMines don't take damage until they are fully opaque. Use this time to score hits to the Spawners before the MegaMines cover them again.

023 Spikey 2	Bounce - Napalm / Bounce Napalm
Use the same strategy that got you through Spiky, however, this time you'll need to focus on each leg of the level. Make sure you destroy the Spawner to each section of the level as you go, because two MegaMines will pop out of these Spawners.

024 Ant Farm	Napalm Break / Bounce Napalm
Use your EX Attack to destroy the swarms of ants while you rush the Cores. If you get overwhelmed, fall back and use your Napalm-Break missiles to cover you as you retreat. When you reach the top of the level, use several EX Attacks to clear out most of the ants before they regenerate. Rush the Spawner to secure the stage.

025 Getting Antsy

Bounce Napalm / Bounce Napalm

Bounce your missiles off the top of the screen to eliminate the ants without harm. Keep doing this, slowly progressing through the tunnel. Use your EX Attack whenever you get crowded, but make the most of it, Ants are slow to attack. Continue clearing out the tunnels until you reach the final chamber. Release one more EX to destroy all the ants and clear a way for you to rush the Core placed against the wall.

026 CannBoss

Bat Homing / Bounce Napalm

Charge an EX Attack, aiming right, and release it as missiles are getting close to you, so you Counter for at least a X2. Instantly charge another and aim it up and right and wait for the opportune moment to Counter. Charge and Counter again, this time aiming low and right to finish the level. If any CannBosses are left and you have an empty EX Gauge, just grab the money left behind by the previous CannBosses and charge an EX Attack at point-blank range.

027 Batting Cage	Homing Break / Bounce Break
The top chamber to the stage has one CannBoss, the middle chamber has two, and the bottom has three. Begin the stage by going to the top, setting off the Fuse, and taking care of that CannBoss. After that, move your way down until you've taken care of them all. This may seem daunting and dangerous, but you can Counter the CannBoss' missles just like you can with any other missile.

028 Strike! Yer Out!	Bat Homing / Freeze Reflect
Head right until you get to the first BatBot, then Bat him to the right. Catch up to him before he stops tumbling, and hit him again. Continue this until the end, and you should have a nice collection of BatBots to keep hitting into the BigBots. Reflect them into the BigBots and you'll be able to kill them all without ever getting close.

029 Bat 'n Ball	Bat Homing / Reflect Homing
This stage plays almost exactly like Strike! Yer Out! However, instead of gathering up BatBots, just rush to the end. More than enough BatBots are present at the end of the level to take care of the BigBots with the ensuing free fall mayhem. Once you've dealt with the BigBots, sneak around and deal with the Spawners to secure the level.

030 Longai - O

Sword - Shield/ Direct Freeze

Charge your Freeze EX Attack as the first Longai-O gets close, then attack him with the Sword until he is defeated. Destroy all the buildings and health boxes to unlock the gate. Use the same method to kill the second Longai-O. The Sword should eliminate any missiles he manages to shoot after the Freeze wears off. Charge up your Freeze as the third Longai-O approaches. Wait until he closes in or fires a lot of missiles, then Counter and start charging your Direct. The effect is best when the Longai-O is close to you, but you'll need to put more than one fully charged Direct into the large Longai-O to put him down. If you get desperate, point your Shield the wrong way and use the damage to spike your EX Gauge. Hunt down some Life Objects to refill any lost health, if you have the need.

031 Big Circle	Homing Break / Bounce Break
This level is really simple, use your EX Attack as soon as the level starts and rush the Core. You'll beat it before you realize what happened.

032 Balls 'n Baddies	Bat Shield / Reflect Freeze
Dash straight up into the Soccer Balls to get things rolling. That'll create a barrier that will eventually send all the Enemys free-falling. Should any of them stop free-falling, use your EX Attacks to send them going again. Once you've dealt with the Enemys, zip up through the hole where the Gate was and finish off the Core.

033 baNGai-O

Bat Shield / Reflect Bounce

Dash down and Reflect as quick as you can; hopefully, you'll get the FastBots before they curl up into an invincible ball. Keep bouncing everything around until you can get them all in a tight spot, and get rid of them all at the same time. Use your other EX Attack to cause serious damage while they're flying around. If you have to square off against a FastBot and you still have one full EX Gauge, be sure you wait until it has uncurled before attempting to Reflect.

034 Four Stories	Bat Shield / Bounce Break
This level is remarkably simple, just take your Bat and swat the enemies in each row then Dash after them until they are dead. Keep moving up, repeating this technique until you uncover the Core. Defeat it to end the level.

035 Core Score

Bounce Homing / Bounce Break

Charge up an EX Attack to destroy all the nearby enemies, then move up to the next area. Try not to get the attention of any of the enemies as you move. From a safe spot where you aren't taking any fire, start shooting your normal missiles. That should take care of a large number of the Spawners, which are also your Targets. If you get stuck on the FastBot or NinjaBot, evade them and take out their Spawner before you try and deal with them. If worse comes to worse, find a quiet place and fire off another EX Attack so it bounces around and deals with your enemies for you.

036 Shoot 'em Up	Bat Shield / Bounce Break
This level doesn't require much use of your attacks, simply start the level and Dash into the Soccer Balls, positioning yourself in the middle of them, and nudging them every once in awhile with a Dash Attack to keep them traveling upward. Dive into the alcove that hides the only Target in the level, when the opportunity arises. Finish it off to complete the level.

037 Batboy

Bat Shield / Reflect Bounce

This level is an easy stand-off between you and a BatBot. Hit the Balls with your Bat, and the BatBot on the other side should die pretty quickly. Alternately, you can use Reflect to knock him flying, and then charge up an EX Attack while he's bouncing around. Release the EX Attack just as the explosion from the BombBox dissipates. Either way, try to stay away from the middle, where the explosion from the BombBox could eventually kill you.

038 WoodBoxing	Break Shield / Bounce Break
This level looks complex, but can be solved by simply using a Dash Attack to Dash down-right from where you start the level.

039 Manda

Break Shield / Bounce Break

This level can be solved with quick reflexes. Begin by charging up an EX Attack, aiming it down, and bouncing it off the bottom of the level and then up into the enemies above. Try your best to ignore the missiles that are coming from all the different directions. Race to each alcove, firing an EX Attack at each one. You should be able to destroy each of the Targets, and you'll barely take any damage to boot.

040 Hate Grows	Break Shield / Bounce Break
Position yourself over the opening at the top of the diamond, then charge an EX Attack. Aim it down, and release it once you get to 100. Dive into the mess below, then Counter with an EX Attack to clear out any remaining enemies. Crash into the Core to kill it, ending the level.

Stages 041-060

041 Heartstopper

Break Shield / Bounce Break

Begin the stage by using your regular attacks to defeat the enemies of the first chamber. If you took some damage, now would be the time to heal up using the Life Objects on the left side of the stage. Slowly approach the chamber and draw the larger Drill Boss toward you. Fly around it, avoiding it as best you can in the cramped chamber, and dive for the Spawner. Fire off an EX Attack when you're in the small alcove with the Spawner to wipe everything out. Even duking it out with the Drill Boss won't get you anywhere as the Spawner is set to pop another one out as soon as you kill the first.

042 Enemy Ambush	Break Shield / Bounce Break
Use EX Attacks to pave the way as you chase after the errant shots. Keep moving and EX Attacking until you get to the final section. Be a little more careful here as your shots will bounce off the Core and turn against you. Dash in if you're feeling gutsy with your main focus being getting close enough to the Core to destroy it.

043 Lots of Enemies

Break Shield / Bounce Break

Rush into each corner using the Dash Attack to send the MiniGun Enemies free-falling to the opposite side. Then quickly perform an EX Attack at an angle so that it fires into the alcove with the Spawner. Move as quickly as you can to the other side, and Dash Attack through the enemies, refilling your EX Gauge with the Fruit dropped. Repeat for the remaining section of the level and you should be good.

044 Steppin' Off

Sword Shield / Bounce Break

From the get-go dive down the corridor and once you get past the first series of enemies, start charging an EX Attack. Point down and wait until the prime moment to Counter. As soon as you release the EX Attack, start charging another. This time don't wait to Counter. Fire it at around 60, still aiming down. Rush into the bottom section and destroy the two Spawners to secure the stage. Fall back on your Sword if you get pushed back.

045 One-Hit Treasure	Sword Shield / Reflect Homing
This stage is easy to beat using Reflect. Simply aim the Reflect down and to the right. You'll knock all the BatBots into the Spawners around them, thus winning the stage in less than two seconds.

046 DS of Doom

Homing Napalm / Bounce Napalm

Start by destroying the few blocks in the middle of the level, being careful not to rush in and grab everyone's attention. Stand in the middle of the corridor on the left side of the gap and charge an EX Attack to 100, firing it toward the gap. Charge another to 100 and fire again, that should take out the BigBot. Now is the hit-or-miss section of the level: Dash into the gap and start charging an EX Attack. Immediately fire it as soon as you get the attention of the NinjaBots. One of two things will happen: you'll kill them, or they'll kill you. Either way, the level is over.

047 Valley of Death

Bounce Napalm / Bounce Homing

Destroy the Building at the start, and then head up and to the right, just in front of the Bombs. Charge an EX Attack to 100, point it right and release. Let the explosions clear, and then chase after your shots picking up the Fruit to restore your lost EX Gauge. Dash to a spot above and to the left of the two Full Laser platforms and charge an EX Attack down and to the right. You'll clear out the two enemies, and you'll probably find a MGunBoss waiting for you. Duck down and to the left to avoid it entirely. It's not a Target and there's nothing interesting on the other side of it, either. Just destroy the Building below you and complete the stage.

048 Marine Sisters

Break - Shield / Bounce Break

This level is a lot of fluff as you make your way to your Targets. Ignore the Tanks firing at you, and fly up and to the right until you spot a Target. Charge an EX Attack and Counter at your earliest convenience. You'll want to get out of there as fast as your little boosters can take you. Once you've downed the first Target, bob and weave avoiding as many Napalm shots as you can. Don't stop for a second longer than you have to, those Napalm shots make it hard to live through more than a few volleys. Get close to the second Target and release another Countered EX Attack. Zoom over to the final Tank Target and use another EX Attack on him. Then, close in on the right edge of the stage and use another EX Attack to simultaneously cover you from the Napalm the Tanks fire, and to destroy the Fuses around Target #4, the Core. Dash in, kill the Core and claim victory!

049 Which Way?	Break Shield / Bounce Break
Begin the level by going to the right side and detonating the explosive blocks. Then, eliminate the enemies in the chamber. Continue going down, repeating this exercise, until you reach the Core. Once you've made it to the Core, do your best to kill it, they can be quite vicious.

050 P-Type

Break Shield / Direct Napalm

Begin the level by rushing into the alcove with the CannBoss and charging up an EX Attack. You can gamble a Counter if you like, but release the EX Attack before the CannBoss kills you (you only need to charge to about 60 before you can kill him with a normal EX Attack). From there, Dash over the top of the level and take out the Core as quickly as you can, taking as little damage as possible. Consider using an EX Attack to speed things up. Ignore all the Cannons you are passing. Almost all of them regenerate, so it isn't worth the time it takes to kill them. Keep going, circling the level rushing up to the remaining Cores. Use your EX Attacks if you need to make a pocket of safety as you race around.

051 Trap City	Break Shield / Bounce - Direct
Detonate the explosive blocks and Dash up, holding the Rock Boxes in place in the air above you. Wait for the other blocks to settle, then zip out and up to the top of the level. EX Attack the Spawners to destroy them before they start releasing MiniGun Enemies. Once the generators are down, rush the Core Targets to complete the stage.

052 Classic Arcade

Bounce Break / Bounce Reflect

There are several ways to approach this level. One is to approach each of the Spawners and use Reflect to bounce the enemies spawned into the Spawners killing them. Then, collect the Money left behind and move on until you've hit all of the Targets. Another method is to use your normal attacks and shoot from around the corners. This way you can bounce your shots into the enemies until you've killed the Spawner and then you can move on. Regardless of which method you employ, this level is fairly straightforward. It only gets a little difficult when you hit the center area. Counter with an EX Attack if you're having any difficulty, and remember to focus on the Spawners. They are your enemy, not the things they spawn (which will just come back anyway).

053 Laser Labyrinth	Break Shield / Bounce Break
Trace the left side of the level up until you reach the top. Touch the Core to disengage its shield and perform an EX Attack to wipe it out. Keep doing this, moving to the next Core each time. This level shouldn't trouble you that badly.

054 Strongest Shield

Bounce Shield / Homing Bounce

It is important to know that only every other block, starting with the second in from the wall, needs to be pushed up on this level. Dash up and push away out from beneath the Boxes. Then head up, skating the left side of the level as you push past all of the MiniGun Enemies. You can take it slow and easy and work your way up from the bottom, but it's more work in the long run if you try and take it slow. Once you have made it to the area where the Box Frames are, charge up an EX Attack and Counter as late as you can. If you get a X4, you'll be able to clear out almost every enemy in the level at once. While the devastation from your first EX Attack is still working its magic, charge up another one and release it at 100. Don't worry about Countering unless a lot of enemies somehow survived your first assault. Once you've cleared out the enemies, and most importantly the Spawners, the real fun begins. Go back down to the bottom of the level and push every other Box up until it snaps into place. With that done, you can put this level behind you.

055 Smorgasbord	Break - Shield/ Break Direct
This stage is pretty straightforward. Open up a chamber, kill the things inside, and move on to the next chamber. Repeat until you've destroyed all the Targets. Simple, right? There's even a few Ball Objects in case you need some artillery. Conserve the Life at the bottom of the stage. That way, if you ever doubt that you can take the people behind the next door, you can fill up.

056 Screamin' Sky	Break Shield / Break Homing
To clear this stage, work each Target separately. First, fire off an EX Attack toward the Target, then, as the smoke is clearing, fire a volley of Break Missiles toward the Target. That should leave enough Fruit for you to regenerate your EX Gauge, while wiping out any threats. Move on, and repeat until all the Targets have been destroyed. Watch out for the Mines on the right side of the level.

057 Flying Wedge	Bat Shield / Reflect Freeze
With this setup, there are two methods you can use to beat this level. Freeze the enemies in place, then use the Bat to knock them around, or use Reflect and Dash into them to cause them damage. Either of these strategies should make this stage trivial.

058 Fun With Gravity

Bat Shield / Reflect Bounce

Move next to the stacked WoodBoxes and use your Bat or Reflect to knock them into the Spawner. Move down and knock all the WoodBoxes downward into the next Spawner. Clean up all the Boxes and then the Gate will drop allowing you to move on. Repeat the same maneuvers for the next set of Spawners. Next, move on into the small space with the Core. If a bunch of MiniGun Enemies fled here, rely on Reflect to get them off their feet. Once they're tumbling, Dash until you've killed everything; otherwise, just rush the Core for the win.

059 Deep Space	Homing Shield / Homing Break
Begin the stage by firing your EX Attack at the entrance to each Target. Wait for the explosion to settle, then enter to secure the Fruit. Repeat for each of the Targets, being careful not to get caught in the explosions of all the different exploding things.

060 War in Space

Homing Break / Homing Napalm

As the stage begins, you will already be under heavy fire. Don't worry though, that's what EX Attacks were made for. Whenever you feel like there is just way too much action going on just Counter with an EX Attack aimed at the area where the most enemy missiles are coming from. Follow your barrage of missiles along their path and collect any fruit so you can keep your EX Gauge charged. If you ever find yourself short on EX charges, just head up to the large planet that spawns mines in the northeast and destroy them to collect their fruit. There are a couple of things that you will want to look out for while making your way from Target to Target. There are a plethora of FastBots hanging around southeast of Target #1. If you can separate them a little you can easily take care of them with your homing/break missiles. Running into a big group of FastBots unexpectedly can really mess you up fast. There is also an enclosure in the northwest area of the stage that houses a BigBot, Drill Boss, and CannBoss. Those are three things that you don't want to unleash into the open. Make sure that when you're heading towards Target #3, you don't have any stray missiles hit the Fuse that will free those enemies. Take another precaution when going after Target #5. There is a Longai-O guarding Target #5, but he is boxed in by hard blocks until you get rid of them.

There is a path that seems to work fairly well when making your way between Targets. Start off by taking out Target #1, then heading over to Target #7, and Target #2. Once those are taken care of, heading down to Target #6 is a good choice. The easiest way to take out the MGunBoss is to Dash into the soft blocks until there is one layer of them between you and the MGunBoss. Once in this position, start charging your EX Attack up to 100 and releasing it towards him. This should take him out in one shot, but if it doesn't, just release another quick EX Attack. After Target #6 is taken care of, you can head up to Target #3 and then on to Target #4. Once only Target #5 is left, you can shoot out some of the hard blocks and let the Longai-O chase you out. It would be a tough fight to destroy him, so just lure him away from the final Target. Once he's far enough away, just go back in and destroy the core.

Stages 061-080

061 Cannon Cavalcade	Homing Shield / Bounce Napalm
This stage is very straightforward. All you have to do is move from room to room unleashing your EX attacks to clear out the enemies and open up the next room. From there, just rinse and repeat until you reach the final room that contains the Targets.

062 Home Invasion

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

There are three partitions to this level. Each partition has its own collection of enemies for you to demolish. The area that you start in contains a bunch of cannons that can be brought down mostly with your normal missiles. Once you reach the right side where there are cannons on the top and bottom, just unleash an EX Attack. After they are taken care of, you can shoot a missile up at the Fuse to open up the next area.

The second area is full of Enemys and Bounce cannons. It's easy enough to just throw around a few EX Attacks to dispatch all of them. There is a Life2 box on either side in the corners, if you do end up taking some damage. Once this area is cleared out, go light the Fuse that opens up the final partition.

As you enter the third area, you will be greeted with Napalm cannons, Homing cannons, and MGunEnms. There are also some HomngEnm and BounceEnm enemies in the little wings to the left and right, but don't worry about them. Clear out the path to the Target and destroy it, unless you really want those extra points from the Enemys in the wings.

063 To The Core!

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

This stage has a single Target in the center that is blocked off, until you light the three Fuses that start in the corners of the stage (northeast, northwest, and southeast corners). The area that you start off in is a mini maze of Cannons and Enemies, but they are easily taken care of by bouncing some shots around the corners of the maze. The next area you make it to will have its walls lined with Homing cannons waiting to tear you up. Don't worry though, just Counter with your EX Attack and all is good. Once that area is clear, you'll need to light the first Fuse in the northwest corner so that you can continue your epic journey to the core.

The next area that is opened up has plenty of Enemys and Cannons that you can demolish with a few well placed EX Attacks. If there are any stray enemies after some EX Attacks, just mop them up with some regular missiles. Then it's off to the second Fuse so you can move one step closer to the prize.

The final area has six MGunEnms that will put up a small fight. Just keep those EX Attacks going until the MGunEnms are all gone and then light the final Fuse. Finally, it's off to the Core! Destroy it and you win.

064 Journey's End

Sword Shield / Direct Break

This stage is a snake run of enemies and blocks. Make your way along the path and anytime that you get to a level with enemies, slice and dice your way to the end. The Enemies and MGunEnms will continuously back up until they are stuck against a wall. At that point you can either continue to chop them into little pieces, or you can cause a little more mayhem with your EX Attack. Once you have made it past all of the enemies, you can casually stroll up to the Core and lay waste to it.

065 The Name Is . . .	Sword Shield / Bounce Break
There is a nice little mix of enemies spread around this stage. Fortunately, you just need to deal with the enemies along the top of the large letters. You can slice your way through the enemies, or you can just tear through them with EX Attacks. Either way is fine! Once you reach the end, chop your way towards the Core until it is destroyed and you win.

066 Four Rooms

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

Decisions, decisions... It all comes down to which room of enemies looks the most fun to you. Either of the rooms on the left side would probably be the easiest. Shoot whichever Fuse you want to, to open that room. Once the room is open, launch you EX Attacks until the room is clear. Make your way to the outer edge of the stage and follow it to the Core at the bottom. Once there, destroy the Core.

067 Hidden Fortress?

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

There are a total of six Fuses that you must ignite in order to make it to the Cores at the bottom of the stage. There are a few Napalm and Homing cannons in the main area, and there are spawners guarded by Lasers in front of each of the Fuses. Bounce Break is your friend when dealing with the Spawners. You can just stand back and bounce shots into them until they're cleared. It may be best to launch a few EX Attacks to clear out a majority of the random enemies. If you divide this stage up into a bottom and a top half, and take care of the enemies in that order, it isn't all that difficult. When you move to the bottom half, look out for the MGunEnms. You should be able to take care of them fairly easily with your Bounce Break missiles.

068 Boy's Room

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

Shoot the Fuse to let yourself out of the little holding cell you start in. From there, you can bounce your missiles down to clear out all the Homing cannons lining the walls. The next room has some Cannons, an AirMine Spawner, and an MGunEnm. Bounce will make that room laughable. Once you clear that all up, you can push the Box to let yourself into the next room. There are plenty of enemies in here that can be easily wiped out with an EX Attack or two. Once you kill the Spawners and the blocks holding up the RockBoxes, make sure not to get trapped when the RockBoxes fall down. The final room can be cleared out with some EX Attacks as well. Make sure to watch out for your own missiles bouncing back at you off the Core though. Once you destroy the Core, it's game over and you've cleaned up the Boy's Room.

069 Horoscope

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

Now, it's time for me to tell you your future. If you take the top two paths, there will be much frustration and backtracking in your future. If you take the bottom two paths, there is a giant, blue robot in your future. If you take the third path up from the bottom, you will be that much closer to luck. Anyway, take the third path up from the bottom with the NaplmEnm's in it. Keep working your way to the right along this path and move down one path the first chance you get. Along the way to the Target, you will encounter an MGunBoss, Bounce cannons, a CannBoss, and a MegaMine. All of those are easily destroyed by using your EX Attack to Counter them. Keep working your way right, and you will find the Core that you need to destroy to finish the stage.

070 Battle City

Homing Break / Bounce Napalm

This stage is made extremely simple if you let your Homing Break missiles to do all the work for you. Start off by destroying that pesky AirMine from a distance just in case. From there, you can stand underneath the column of Hard Blocks to the right and fire your Homing Break Missiles straight up. They should home in on the Tank and the Spawner on the platform. If you keep firing straight up, you can get the Tank and Spawner in the top right corner from the same spot. If you're feeling lazy, you can even stand in the very same spot and fire diagonally up and left to get the Tanks and Spawners on the other half of the stage as well. Then, you can move to any strategic point you want to, and take out the final Tank and Spawner.

071 Adventure

Bounce Break / Bounce Napal m

Oh, Bounce Break missiles, how I love thee! This stage has you making your way down a small hole filled with enemies and Fuses that leads you to the Target. Lucky for you, you rarely have to see the enemies, thanks to your Bounce Break missiles! All you have to do is keep those missiles bouncing around and you will take out most enemies before you know it. Make your way down, while destroying enemies and lighting Fuses, and you will eventually reach the Target. Destroy it, and this Adventure is over.

072 Demon's Den

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

Oh no, Demons! Actually, it's not as bad as you might think. If you utilize your EX Attacks to clear out each room, it's a piece of cake. Make your way to the entrance of each room and launch a Charged EX Attack into the fray. It should wipe out pretty much everything. The only exception to this will be the last room. There are some MGunEnms and some Lasers surrounded by Soft Blocks here. If all of them aren't destroyed by the first EX attack, just launch another one.

073 Dirty Alien

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

Yippee for more bouncing goodness! There is a room filled will things that want to blow you up as soon as you step into sight. Lucky for you, there are these things called Bounce missiles that will let you clear out a majority of the enemies without you ever being put into danger. Stand up top and bounce shots into the hole that opens up after you destroy the Fuse. Once a few of the enemies clogging up the entrance are destroyed, you can go in for an EX Attack to clear out the rest. Be careful that you don't get hit by your own missiles reflecting back out you from the Core though.

074 Door of Fate

Bounce Break / Direct Napalm

This stage might be a tad bit intimidating at first, but don't worry. The important thing to remember is that you don't have to fight all of the enemies on the outside edges of the stage. You can Dash up into the area that the CannBoss is in. Once in there, just blow it up quickly with an EX Attack or two before it even turns around. From there you can go straight into the area that encloses the Drill Boss. Take him out the same way that you took out the CannBoss and it's game over...for them!

075 Barrage!

Homing Break / Bounce Napalm

The hardest part about this stage is the fact that the Homing cannons will continue to spawn until you can get to their Spawner and destroy it. Using a healthy dose of EX attack will help clear the way initially, but you'll want to move from Spawner to Spawner to destroy them. Once all the Spawners and Homing cannons are destroyed, you can safely aim into the openings that lead to the Fuses and the Targets to destroy them.

076 Bounce Me Baby!

Bounce - Sword / Bounce Napalm

This is one of those stages that is all about the Bounce. There are plenty of spots where you have to bounce your missiles through a small hole to hit a Fuse at the other end. Most of them are pretty straightforward on how you should bounce it through. The first bounce puzzle is probably the hardest to figure out. All you have to do is fire diagonally up and right while standing in the starting position, and your missiles should make their way to the Fuse. To clear out the remaining rooms of enemies, you can be tricky and bounce shots into the rooms so that you can stay out of harm's way, or you can go in and blow everything up with EX Attacks. If you continue along the path destroying enemies and bouncing your shots at Fuses, you will come to the room full of Cores and MGunEnms. This is a very dangerous place to be using EX Attacks, because they will inevitably hit those Cores and bounce right back at you. Instead, you can use your Sword to destroy all the Cores and the enemies. As long as you keep yourself from getting surrounded, you should be good. You can use the explosions from the Cores to help protect you as well. The blue explosions from the Cores stop enemy missiles for a short time. Destroy all of the MGunEnms in this room and you win.

077 Ant Nest

Bounce Napalm / Bounce Napalm

Nothing beats fighting your way into an ant nest, right?! What about an ant nest full of missile firing cannons? You ll start off with a bunch of Cannons firing at you, but all you need to do is Counter with an EX Attack and clear up any leftovers with regular missile attacks. From there, you can dive into the nest and start making your way towards the bottom left area of the stage to light a Fuse. There will be plenty of Ants in your way and some Homing and Bounce cannons guarding the Fuse. You can take care of them with some Bounce shots and your EX Attacks when you feel that it is necessary. Once the Fuse is ignited, a door will open up to the home of the queen. There are a couple of extra large Ants and plenty of itty bitty Ants. EX Attacks will make quick work of them. Finally, go destroy the Core.

078 Buried Fortress

Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce

Why is it that enemies always put a secret passage into their fortress? I guess it s a plus for us good guys! Anyway, take the long route around the outside of the stage right into the room that has Target #2 in it. There will be some MGunEnms waiting for you, but your Bounce Break missiles should do the job of taking them out. Once you take care of Target #2, head into the room housing Target #4, Target #5, Target #6, and Target #7. Lay waste to any enemies blocking your path. Once those Cores are destroyed, head up to the room with the BatBot and make a fool out of him by Dashing straight though the Soft Blocks at him to destroy him. Make your way to Target #3 while destroying the enemies along the way. Finally, head down to Target #1 and destroy it.

079 No Vacancy

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

This stage is laid out like a large honeycomb. There are plenty of dead ends that you can run into, but there isn t too much enemy resistance. Your Bounce missiles should be able to clear any of the rooms fairly easily. Move from room to room, heading towards Target #1 first, by staying along the left hand side and destroying the enemies. There are some Fuses that you will need to destroy before moving on, but they are all obvious enough. Once you take out Target #1, start making your way to Target #3. Finally, head towards Target #2 and destroy it to end the stage.

080 Path o'Paths

Bounce Break / Bounce Napalm

The path begins with a couple of MGunEnms at the end of it that are easily dispatched by firing your Bounce Break at them. A Fuse separates you from the room full of Homing cannons, Enemys, and Cannons. It s simple enough to use either an EX Attack or bounce some missiles in there. Once they are all cleared out, head up and to the left, but make sure the MGunEnm don t catch you by surprise. This is another job for Bounce! Along the left path, there are some Bombs, a couple of MGunEnms, and some cannons to take care of. Your goal is to light the Fuse and make your way to the right before those RockBoxes drop and block the path. If you make it out fast enough, you will want to clear out the newly opened room below you and ignite the Fuse that blocks the Target. Then, go up and right to destroy those Bombs and AirMines from a distance. Now, light the final Fuse that will unleash a bunch of enemies that are easily dealt with by using an EX Attack or two. Once they are taken care of, it s a free shot at the Core to finish out the stage.

Stages 081-100

081 Gobs of Enemies!

Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce

The name says it all. Luckily, a gob of enemies means gobs of fruit, and gobs of fruit mean plenty of EX Attacks for all! Make your way along the stage by following the path and unleashing EX Attacks on the gobs of enemies in each room. A couple of things to look out for as you re progressing through the stage are the CannBoss in the top chamber and the BigBot in the final chamber. Make sure that you Counter the CannBoss with an EX Attack to make quick work of him. As for the BigBot, make sure he doesn t trap you in the room. If he does, you should be able to position yourself correctly to take him down with some bounce shots. Once you make your way through the waves of enemies, you can blow up the Core for the win.

082 Fire When Ready!

Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce

This is another stage where it is all about moving from room to room and peppering it with your EX Attack. There will be plenty of enemies in each room to replenish your EX Gauge, so don t be shy. There are some Fuses that you will have to light on your way to unlock the next room, but your EX Attack will normally hit them while taking out all the enemies. You will eventually make your way to the Core that ends the level when destroyed.

083 Black And White

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

Follow the path while using your EX Attacks generously until you reach the MGunBoss. Make sure to share some of those EX Attacks with him. Continue past him, while taking out any enemies in your way, until you reach the left side of the stage with all of the Soft Blocks and Hard Blocks. Dash about halfway through them and then cut right into the center area. There you'll meet up with a CannBoss and some enemies in the center that are guarding the Core. Make sure that you Counter the CannBoss with your EX Attacks and avoid missiles that may bounce off of the Core. Once that Core is destroyed you can head back out and up to the remaining MGunBoss in the top area (there is a Life2 Object behind it if you need it). Destroy it and you re golden.

084 Aim for the Top!

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

There are plenty of enemies on your way to the top, which makes it extremely easy to keep your EX Gauge full. Upon entering each room, try to get a good Counter EX Attack off and clean up any leftover enemies with your regular missiles. There are Life1 and Life2 Objects on your way up as well. Just make sure to hit every Target on you way to the top so that you don t have to backtrack and miss out on setting that Best Time!

085 Meet at the Top

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

Most of the enemies in this level can be easily taken out by bouncing some missiles while you re behind cover. Use your best judgment on when you want to use your EX Attacks, and when you want to hide behind cover to pick enemies off. There is an MGunBoss in the second large area of the stage that is easily destroyed with a well timed Counter of your EX Attack. Once that room is cleared, there is a RockBox being held up by some Blocks that you can shoot out to open up a hole that exposes a Fuse. Shoot the Fuse to open up the next area. Clear out that room any way you feel is best and destroy the Core that exposes another Fuse that can be ignited to open the next area. The final area is filled with plenty of enemies. I would recommend using an EX Attack or two in there to clear it out, and don t forget to destroy the Spawner Targets. If the final Fuse wasn t ignited in the mayhem, go ahead and light it. When you do, be ready to take out a FastBot. It should be fairly easy to take him down with your Bounce Break shots. Once you take him down, go ahead and destroy the Core.

086 Detonation Maze

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

Don t let the name of this one fool you. It s not much of a maze at all. Just follow the path and use EX Attacks to clear each room. Lighting each Fuse to open up another room. There are a few Ninjabots to look out for, but luckily their swords don t cut through your EX Attacks. There are also a couple of Life2 Objects along the way if you need them. Once you get to the end, don t let any AirMines sneak up on you. Clear out the room with the Core and destroy it to finish up the stage.

087 GO! GO! Right!

Bounce - Shield/ Break Bounce

This level is a lot of covert destruction. Hide around corners and fire your Bounce shots into enemy trenches. Fire through the diamond-shaped Soft Blocks so that your Bounce shots ricochet and take care of whatever enemies are on the other side. Then blitz in and fire your EX Attack to finish off whatever enemies may still be in the area. There aren't really any tight bottlenecks, except where the FastBots come in. Avoid them. Don't try and deal with them in the close quarters. They'll curl up into a ball and score enough hits to drop you to half health before you know it, if you aren't careful. Keep going, and keep an eye out for the Life2 that are hiding throughout the level. There shouldn't be any areas that trouble you. If you find any areas that do, solve them with your EX Attack, and be that much more cautious moving forward.

088 GO! Right! Again

Bounce - Shield/ Break Bounce

This stage is almost identical to GO! GO! Right! in terms of tactics and opportunities. Just hunker behind some cover and ricochet your Bounce shots. Use your Shield as a way to get into an area to charge your EX Attack for a fraction of a second longer. You can also use it as a method to set up hefty Counters. Toward the middle of the stage there is a Drill Boss and a pair of CannBosses. Ignore them if you can, they aren't Targets. If you're quick enough, you can set off the Fuses without taking a shot from them. Once you get to the final Target, there are several options: up, down, forward, etc. Go all the way down, kill the enemies, and set off the Fuses in the lower-right most corner. Do battle with the MGunBoss if you prefer, or skip it. The Fuses you set off uncover the final Target, which is a Core, so it won't put up much of a fight.

089 Rock & Mines

Bounce - Shield/ Break Bounce

This level is solved by judicious use of your EX Attack. The enemies in the alcoves are packed much tighter, and you have plenty of time to prepare because of all the Soft Blocks in the stage. In every area that you can, settle yourself onto a Block and start Charging your EX Attack, pointing it toward the threat on the other side of the Blocks. Just make sure you're ready to use your EX Attack at a moment's notice in case you get the enemy's attention. Get all the Fruit you can to keep your EX Gauge full, you'll never know when you need it. Watch out for AirMines, they have a way of sneaking up on you.

090 Uphill Battle

Bounce - Shield/ Break Bounce

Like all the corridor-type stages before it, this one can be beaten by simply letting your Bounce shots do the work for you. This is especially true in the starting section of the level, just on the other side of the Lasers. There are about six Mines on the other side of those WoodBoxes. Let your Bounce shots do the legwork for you, and clean up with an EX Attack, if necessary. Keep going up, using your EX Attack whenever the action gets too rough, because there aren't as many opportunities to hide behind corners in this level. As a tip for taking out the last two Targets, try taking care of all the surrounding enemies with Bounce shots first. Then, rush the Core and perform an EX Attack right on top of it, which should kill the Core. Several extra shots should bounce toward the slew of enemies between the first Core and the second.

091 OMG!!

Bounce - Shield/ Break Bounce

It may seem like the weapon selection hasn't changed much, because it hasn't. Levels that have lots of walls, and tight corridors let Bounce missiles shine. Push the box down to get things started, and shoot an EX Attack into the room and follow it down. As you start into the room, charge an EX Attack and try to Counter it, pointing it down. There's a lot of baddies down there, and firing an EX Attack here will catch them unaware, and killing most, if not all, of them. Make your way into the small shaft with the Spawner in it and fire a fully charged EX Attack straight up. That should take care of the Spawner above you, the Enemys, and deal a little collateral damage to the MGunBoss coming up. Rush up past the Rock Boxes and use two EX Attacks to wipe out the Boss and the little baddies on the side. Free the Rock Box above and set the Fuses off to open up the area to the next MGunBoss. Don't waste any time Charging up an EX Attack. At 100, fire it toward the Boss and start charging another, he's got backup. Lots of enemies are out of sight to your left, so fire a third EX Attack and then gather up as much Fruit as you can. Hopefully that puts you back to full. Settle in the spot where the next pair of Rock Boxes are, and fire an EX Attack into the room below. Kill everything and move on, gently pushing the Box to the right. Push it until it is one space away from the gap leading down. You won't be able to push it past, but you don't necessarily need to deal with everyone in the room above you. Just sidle up alongside the Box and fire an uncharged EX Attack. That'll clear away the blocks, provide cover for you to zip around it, and push back any enemies that could chase you. Head down, without Dashing, and stand just in front of the corner so the Homing enemies start firing at you. Your Shield should allow you to charge an EX Attack. Point it down and to the left. Your main goal is to destroy the Spawner that is just out of view to the left. Check your map, and once it's gone, rush the Core and fire an EX Attack as fast as you can to clear the stage.

092 4 Drill Brothers

Break - Shield/ Napalm Bounce

Prior to the top section where the Drill Bosses are housed, there is very little strategy required, just stay alive. If at any point in the level, you feel that you need a pick-me-up, go to the alcove to the left beyond the second Target. Once you can actually get up into the area where the four Targets are, make sure you are ready, then storm in. There is a MGunBoss in the middle of the area. Don't let him take you by surprise. Fire a couple of fully charged EX Attacks up before you get level with the Drill Bosses. Make sure you kill the MGunBoss, by using another EX Attack, and then collect the Fruit as best you can. If you need to, flee and get the Life2 for a health boost. Rush into the space the MGunBoss was occupying and start charging an EX Attack. Wait until all the Drill Bosses' attacks are on their way and close to you before you release. Repeatedly Counter until the Drill Bosses are all dead. If your EX Gauge runs dry, find an alcove of one of the deceased Drill Bosses and fire at the one opposite you. That should make it easier to deal with them overall. Once the four brothers are slain, the level is yours.

093 Coming and Going

Bounce - Shield/ Bounce Break

There is no simple solution to get through this level. You'll need to rush into certain areas and fire off an EX Attack, Countering when possible. At other times, you'll need to Bounce your shots from around a corner. Generally, the level is composed of pockets of enemies. If you have Destructible Blocks (the yellow ones that blow up when a Fuse detonates near them) between you and the next pocket of enemies, start charging an EX Attack. Let it fly when the opportune moment to Counter arises. There's a particularly hairy room toward the end of the level that has four FastBots. One of the better methods of dealing with this room is to rush in, fire an EX Attack to the right, and dive into one of the FastBots. This will sending it free-falling into the MGunEnm and the FastBot below. FastBots are, surprisingly enough, fast. If you get stuck, you'll find yourself dead in the span of a second, two at most. The level runs in three legs: getting to the room with the FastBots, killing the FastBots, and then killing the final Target. In the last room, consider a desperate move: clear the way with an EX Attack, rush the Core, and fire another EX Attack as soon as you see its shield drop.

094 Mimic Battle

Break - Bounce/ Break Bounce

This level is pretty simple with this setup. Just hold down the attack button and saunter into the different rooms. If you move slow enough, your Bounce shots will precede you. Pay attention to the blue explosions as the enemies die. If you're looking for a safe place to land, those explosions will destroy all missiles that touch them. Keep a steady pace and float toward your enemies, you should have no problem. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, just fire an EX Attack and start rebounding your shots into the contested zone. FastBots are here, too, but they are a little easier to deal with in this level as there are a lot of corners. Whenever a FastBot curls up into a ball, get out of it's way and shoot after it, keep your fire trained on it. When it uncurls it will be stunned, then die. There is a specific part of the level that can be difficult if you rush in. Once you get to the lower-right most section of the level, where the Tank, the Spawner, the Ants, and the AirMines are, simply fire into the open corridor above you. You can nail every enemy by shooting from about the point where the Fuses let you through. Once you're done with that area, position yourself under the lip of the cliff and charge an EX Attack up. The shots will bounce of the ceiling and take out several of the enemies waiting for you. Rush in, EX Attack again, and you'll knock out the final Target, a Spawner that creates Ants.

095 Big Shot

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

This stage has a few areas that you can pass up completely on your way to the three Targets. Don't even bother with the Fuse that looks like it opens up a path near to where you start. For a little fun, you can Dash into the WoodBoxes and send them flying into the enemies. After those enemies are dealt with, you can follow the path towards Target #1. There is a CannBoss that is surrounded by Hard Blocks that you can pass up. If you do end up breaking the Hard Blocks accidentally, you can Dash past and out of line of sight by the Core to avoid the CannBoss. Once the Core is destroyed, you can light the Fuse that opens up the area below you. From there, you can either bounce shots down from safety or rush in and use an EX Attack to clear out the area. Light the Fuse at the bottom and move left through the path that opens up. Clear the next area out with an EX attack and continue down to Target #2. You can either kill all of the enemies guarding the Core or sneak in, blow it up, and run out. Enter the final chamber and clear it out with an EX Attack. Then move in and destroy the MGunBoss with EX Attacks. Once it's clear, head up and destroy the last Core.

096 Big Wheels

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

This stage is all about the MGunBoss. Whenever you're dealing with one, it is best to charge up an EX Attack and wait for some enemy missiles to get close so you can Counter for extra killing power. There are also plenty of AirMines, so watch out. You don't want to be caught in one of their explosions because they can mess you up pretty fast. Other than those little tidbits of information, it's all about following the path and using plenty of EX Attacks.

097 Fight! Bangaio!

Bounce - Break/ Napalm Bounce

This stage is made extremely easy with a few little tricks. The enemies lined up in a nice row are just begging to be Dashed into and sent tumbling into each other. Go ahead and do that, and keep Dashing into them until they are all destroyed. After those goons are taken care of, you can see a BigBot waiting patiently on the other side of a small overhang and some Hard Blocks. You will want to stand just a few steps back and charge up an EX Attack while aiming down and right diagonally. Release it, and plenty of missiles should bounce right into the BigBot and destroy him. Watch out, because there is a chance that he could bat your missiles back at you. You definitely don't want to get killed by your own missiles! Once you deal with him and the Core he was guarding, you can bounce missiles in at the boxed in FastBot. Make your way to the next area by Dashing through all of the Blocks, and continue to Dash through all of the enemies that are, again, conveniently lined up for you. Move up and light the Fuse that opens up the next area that houses an MGunBoss and a few Enemies. Use your EX Attacks to clear this room out, and the gate to the next area will open when all the enemies are dead. This is where a nice little dose of Bounce missiles does you good. Dash through the Blocks into the top right corner and shoot straight down. You will notice that you will be slowly destroying the Drill Bosses at the bottom with no resistance at all. You can just stand right there and destroy them to finish out the stage.

098 Enemy Crush

Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce

This is another stage where you move from small room to small room blowing the heck out of it with an EX Attack. The only rooms that you will have to switch up this strategy will be the rooms with the BatBots or FastBots. You can easily Dash right into the BatBots to destroy them without much thought. The room with the FastBots will take a little bit of work because you will want to EX Attack to destroy the Spawner. Then, separate the FastBots and take care of them with your Bounce Break missiles. Just dodge their rolling attack and fire missiles at them until you finish them off. Once you get to the MegaMine, you can bounce shots in or EX Attack to finish him off to end the stage.

099 Not More Ants?

Bounce Napalm / Bounce Freeze

This stage can get fairly hectic, but if you utilize your EX Attack you will be stomping those ants in no time. There is a Life2 Spawner down in the large room if you find yourself low on health at any point. The first thing you're going to want to do, is to light the Fuse that is guarded by a BigBot. Luckily, Freeze will make it super easy to sneak by the BigBot and kill him from behind. After you go up and light the Fuse, you will want to head down into the main area where all of the Ants are. There are other cannon enemies, BatBots, and AirMines mixed in, so be careful. You can freeze and just run by most of them, if you have enough charges, or you can blast your way through with your Bounce EX Attack. Either way, you want to make it to the right side and destroy the Blocks that are holding up the RockBoxes. Once you've done that, you can head up to where the two NinjaBots and the MegaMine are. There are a couple of H.Napalm and an F.Cannon enemies between you and them, so be careful and take them out with a Bounce EX Attack. Fire your Bounce Napalm missiles upwards as you're going up to catch the NinjaBots off guard. Destroy them and the MegaMine, and you've finished the stage.

100 Boxes o' Bosses

Bounce Break / Direct Napalm

This stage is exactly what the name implies. You move from box to box and each one contains a different boss that you must destroy. You just have to light the Fuse that opens up the box, go to the entrance, and charge up an EX Attack so you can Counterattack each boss. The only wrench in the gears will be the BigBot that is at the end of a small tunnel. You can Dash out and to the back of him if you're fast enough, but you will probably take a hit or two. Thankfully, there is a Life2 Object behind him. You can use your regular missiles or your EX Attacks to clear the small paths on your way to Target #5. You will more than likely have to use your EX Attack to take out the NinjaBot, since he will deflect all of your regular missiles. Once you're to the room with the Balls, just bounce them around with Dash until all of the enemies are destroyed. Finally, follow the path around and ignite the BombBoxes to destroy the final Target.

Stages 101- 122

101 Castle of Fools	Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce
This stage is fairly simple. Each small room is filled with just a few enemies that are easily destroyed by bouncing your missiles in from a safe spot. Make your way from room to room doing just that, and you will eventually come up to the Target in the top left area of the stage. Destroy the Target from a distance to avoid getting blown up by the Fuses.

102 Distant Goal

Bounce Break / Napalm Bounce

This is a fairly long level with winding paths that are full of enemies. You'll have plenty of opportunities to to use your EX Attacks, but make sure to make the most of them by Countering. The hallways are full of weak enemies that you should tear through with an EX Attack or two. Just keep your EX Gauge full and you'll survive. The final room will be really crowded, but time your EX Attacks and you'll sweep the room. With it being the last room, feel free to use all your EX Attacks.

103 Annoying Stage

Bounce Break/ Bounce Napalm

This is another stage where you will have plenty of opportunities to utilize your EX Attack. Each room is piled full of enemies and the best way to clear them out is a whole bunch of missiles. You can utilize your Bounce Break missiles when you don' t feel like going in like a madman. The room with the MegaMine in the top right area of the stage has a FastBot that can easily catch you off guard. There are plenty of Life2 Objects scattered around the level just in case you take any damage. Follow along the path taking out enemies, until you reach the BigBot guarding the Core. Bounce shots into his head from around a corner so you can avoid having to rush past him.

104 Having a Ball

Bounce Direct/ Bounce Napalm

This stage has plenty of slanted ramps full of enemies lining the walls. This definitely suggests Bounce Missiles. Halfway through the first ramp leading down is a Spawner that will spawn three AirMines when you get close enough. Kill all the Spawners from a distance to protect yourself. There is also a point where you will come up to a BigBot that is surrounded by Mines. Use those mines to do a decent chunk of damage to the BigBot, and Bounce missiles between the platforms to finish him off. You will also want to look out for the two FastBots in the second MGunBoss room. If you separate them and pull them into another room to destroy (or ignore) them, it will make dealing with the MGunBoss easier. Other than that, it just comes down to smart use of your EX Attacks.

105 Blue Triangle

Bounce Break/ Bounce Napalm

This stage is definitely not an easy one, but if you utilize your EX Attacks smartly, you can clear it out pretty quickly. There are plenty of MGunEmn enemies along the way, but your Bounce Break missiles will make quick work of them if your EX Attacks don't take them down. There is an MGunBoss at the top left of the level that can be easily destroyed if you Counter with your EX Attack. There are some Life1 Objects about mid-way through the level in case you take damage. After you drop the RockBoxes down, there will be a CannBoss at the bottom waiting for you. Continue on into the DrillBoss room and use your EX Attack to Counter his drill missiles. Make your way up through the Blue Triangle and destroy the final Spawner Targets to finish the level.

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These consist of the Tutorial Stages. Please consult the Tutorial Stages section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Help! I keep dying what can I do?

Stop, and examine the specific stage or scenario that is killing you. Bangai-O operates on the same level as any puzzle game. Generally there is a solution in a rock-paper-scissors format. For example: try using Napalm missiles against NinjaBots. Use Break-Homing on the ENM enemy types (the mobile enemies that fire a specific missile type). If you're having problems with a BigBot, deal with the enemies near him, then circle around behind him to avoid his melee attacks.

What are some suggested combinations of attack MIXes?

This is largely based on what level or enemy combinations you are going to see in a particular stage. If the stage you are playing has lots of bottlenecks with enemies on the other side, then go with a Napalm-Break combo. If you need to shoot around corners into a bunch of enemies, then a Homing or a Bounce with Break or Napalm would probably suit you best. If there are a lot of corridors, lean more toward Bounce, since you can be fairly certain that a missile, once fired, will eventually bounce around until it hits someone.

If you're having problems with a specific enemy, refer to its section in the walkthrough, each enemy has a specific strategy that works best against it.

Regarding EX attacks: don't ignore the usefulness of Freeze and Reflect. They can't MIX with any other EX attacks, but there's nothing like Freezing everything and then attacking with a Direct EX attack, or facing off against some Longai-O's and using Reflect as soon as you see them fire their EX Attack.

Is there any storyline to this game?

The simple answer is: No. The plot goes about as far as the tutorial.

Bangai-O focuses heavily on twitchy, frenetic gameplay. The tutorials offer a few pieces of background information here and there, but no, there is no story.

I'm having problems getting Sound Load to work, can you provide any advice?

Treasure described the Sound Load feature as "an adventure unto itself". Sometimes it can be frustrating failing to transfer a level repeatedly, but with a few of these tips you should be able to transfer stages after only a few tries.

Adjust your volume to be lower and lower each attempt until the game starts to register the transfer (or vice versa). If you are getting to 100% and then a "Data transfer failed." error message appears, then lower your volume slightly. Essentially the sound is too loud, and the DS's speakers aren't sensitive enough to understand the complicated sound at that volume.

If you keep getting an error before the transfer even begins, then the sound is getting refracted, or there is some kind of interference. Examine the location of the speaker and microphone and make sure that the two are situated directly on top of one another. Try positioning the DS in different ways. Holding a piece of cloth over the Speaker during the transfer can also reduce interference. It helps to perform the transfer in a environment that will absorb sound well, such as a carpeted room, to keep noise and interference down.

The best success rate we've had was transferring from DS Lite to DS Lite with one DS' speaker set on top of the microphone. If you don't have two DS Lites to transfer with, then try using the Nintendo DS to send to the DS Lite.

Headphones are incapable of transferring information if they are directly linked to the Nintendo DS. They do not produce enough volume for the game to pick up.

How come my attacks don't appear to be doing very much damage?

Each of the mobile enemies constantly fires a specific type of missile towards you. If they are taking fire, they'll attempt to dodge out of the way. If you feel that you're not doing enough damage, try switching up missile types as the enemies may just be dodging your shots, or their missiles may be nullifying yours. Homing and almost any weapon combine well for this purpose, while a Shield will allow you to close in and fire missiles point-blank. Try out several different combinations, as there is a trick to beating almost every enemy.

Excluding the Napalm (which does more), all missile types deal the same amount of damage to the enemy. The Sword and Bat are more powerful than the missiles per strike, with the Sword capable of hitting multiple times per swing.

Bangai-O Spirits - Nintendo DS

Introduction

Controls

Menus

Name Entry

Edit Mode

In-Game

Enemies and Objects

Weapon Information

Normal Weapons

EX Attacks

Multiplayer Hints

Sound Load

Edit Mode

OBJ Tab

BG Tab

Edit Tab

The Editor Itself

Tips and Tricks

Walkthrough

Tutorials

001 - Give it a Try!

002 - Using Shots

003 - Fixed Shots

004 - Using Boosters

005 - Send 'Em flying

006 - Using EX Weapons

007 - Counterattacking

008 - MIXing Weapons

009 - Break & Napalm

010 - Using Swords

011 - Using Bats

012 - Using Shields

013 - Direct Attacks

014 - Freezing

015 - Reflecting

016 - Use 'Em All

017 - Real Combat

Treasure's Best

001 - Fireworks

Shield - Bat / Reflect - Homing

002 - Bot Army

Shield - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect

003 - BlueSky Bangai - O

Shield - Bat / Reflect  Bounce

004 - Freedom

Shield - Homing / Bounce  Napalm

005 - Go! Go! Go!

Shield - Homing / Freeze - Homing

006 - I'm Going In!

Bounce - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect

007 - Surrounded!

Bat - Napalm / Freeze - Reflect

008 - Just Go For It!

Napalm  Break / Freeze - Napalm

009 - Bashing is Fun

Shield  Bat / Homing - Reflect

010 - Four Fuses

Shield  Homing / Freeze  Homing

011 - Falling Rock

Sword - Bounce / Homing - Reflect

012 - EX! Use That EX!

Shield - Bat / Reflect - Homing

013 - Wide Samurai

Homing  Bounce / Homing - Bounce

014  Boost!

Shield  Sword / Freeze  Homing

015 - Machine Map

Shield  Sword / Break - Bounce

016 - HURRY UP!

Shield  Bat / Napalm  Bounce

017  MIP

Shield - Sword / Break  Bounce

018  MIP2

Shield  Sword / Homing  Bounce

019  Just Fight It

Shield  Break / Break  Direct

020  Gate Fetish

Shield  Sword / Reflect  Bounce

021  Watch Your Head

Shield - Bat / Reflect Bounce

Shield - Homing / Bounce Napalm

Napalm Break / Freeze - Napalm

Shield Bat / Homing - Reflect

Shield Homing / Freeze Homing

Homing Bounce / Homing - Bounce

014 Boost!

Shield Sword / Freeze Homing

Shield Sword / Break - Bounce

Shield Bat / Napalm Bounce

017 MIP

Shield - Sword / Break Bounce

018 MIP2

Shield Sword / Homing Bounce

019 Just Fight It

Shield Break / Break Direct

020 Gate Fetish

Shield Sword / Reflect Bounce

021 Watch Your Head

Shield Bat / Napalm Bounce

022 SPIRITS!!

Shield Bat / Homing Bounce

023 Nail Biter

Shield Bat / Homing - Break

024 Superhuge!

Shield Napalm/Freeze Napalm

025 Black Angels

Shield Homing/ Freeze Direct

026 YAMATO

Shield Homing/Freeze Direct

027 The Earth

Shield Homing / Napalm Direct

001 Batting Practice

Bat Homing / Reflect - Bounce

002 False Treasure

Homing Bounce / Freeze - Reflect

003 Light My Fuse

Shield Bounce / Homing - Bounce

004 Breakin' Out

Shield Sword / Homing - Bounce

005 Move the Box

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

006 Which is Moved?

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

007 Bullet's Reach

Homing Bounce / Homing Bounce

008 Play Ball

Sword Bat / Homing - Bounce

009 No Touching!

Bounce Shield / Napalm - Break

010 Cannon-ism

Bat Homing / Freeze - Bounce

011 Labyrinth

012 Playing Mole

013 City Generator

Sword Bounce / Bounce - Break

014 Vrooom!

Bounce Homing / Bounce - Reflect

015 Puzzle Fever

Bat Shield / Reflect Break

016 No Touching! 2

Bat Sword / Reflect - Freeze

017 Cannon-ism Redux

Napalm Homing / Freeze - Napalm

018 Labyrinth Box?

Homing Bounce / Break - Bounce

001 The Face

Break Shield / Homing Napalm

002 Sessyu

Break Homing / Direct Break

003 Sabu

Bounce Shield / Reflect Bounce

004 Space Message

Homing - Break / Homing Break

005 Soccer Pyramid

Bat Break / Napalm Homing

006 Smash 'n See

Sword Homing / Freeze Bounce

007 Three, Two, One!

Sword - Bat / Homing Break