DESTROY THE CORE. DESTROY THEM ALL.
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\___ _________ ___ _ ___ _ _______ ____/
\___ ---- / _ /_] /]|/ ||/|/ | /|----- ____/
--- \_/ | \|/ ||// |/|_| __| ---
--- -- - -- - - - - -- ---
----------------------------------
=THE INTERSTALLAR ASSAULT=
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GRADIUS - THE INTERSTELLAR ASSAULT
Version 1.0 (08/04/2006)
Version History:
1.0: Basic Guide Complete - (08/04/2006)
Written for the Game Boy Completion Project - faqs.retronintendo.com
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Legality:
This Guide is Copyright, 2006, Matthew McIntyre
This guide may not be used on a website or in any public forum
where it is protected by copyright without the consent of the author.
To contact me: entropiclobo(at)yahoo(dot)ca or chaos(dot)wolf(at)gmail(dot)com
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
www.honestgamer.com
Game by Konami
******************************************************************************
* Table of Contents *
******************************************************************************
*To jump to a section, hold the Control Key and press F, then type in the
section number as it appears (ie type GI1)
GI1: Intro
GI2: Gameplay
GI3: Power-Ups
GI4: Stages
GI4.1: Stage 1
GI4.2: Stage 2
GI4.3: Stage 3
GI4.4: Stage 4
GI4.5: Stage 5
GI4.6: Stage 6
GI5: Enemies
GI6: Credits
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault is rated "C" for "Core." It contains scenes
of filthy meteors and vicious worms. Player discretion is advised.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| GI1: Intro |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Few series can capture my imagination like Gradius and Salamander. Everything
always seems vibrant, full of personality. Even here on the Game Boy. The Game
Boy will really surprise you sometimes - it's is a well of totally untapped
potential.
Even other shmups like the Darius Game Boy entry Sagaia, or R-Type on the Game
Boy hold their own as quality games. Original Game Boy titles are often quite
fun, too.
Intestellar Assault does have a few limitations in how it is played, as you
will soon notice after you start the game and have played other Gradius games.
It is a little slower/choppier and the sprites seem bigger - but it's a solid
title.
What it does provide are some inventive bosses, and interesting scenes that set
it apart enough from other titles in teh series that it's fresh. It also has
killer tunes, as usual. Overall, it's an enjoyable experience that will keep
you coming back for more even after you conquer it.
So strap in your double A's and get ready to DESTROY THE CORE!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| GI2: Gameplay |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault is a horizontal shooter that pits the Vic
Viper, your ship, against hordes of enemies. You will be destroyed in one hit,
unless you are shielded, and so you must take care to destroy as many enemies
as you can - and always watch out for others.
The game is continuous, in that one stage leads directly into another. After a
boss, there will be a slight reprieve as you pass their wreckage and roll the
game over to the next stage. Most bosses have a specific weak spot and this
will be apparent in most cases (ie, a large core).
In the Options menu, you can pick your control scheme. The game only uses two
buttons for play: Fire, and Power-Up. So weave your way around enemy assaults,
fire, and power-up as needed.
You can also change the game's difficulty in Options. The guide here is written
with Normal mode in mind. Rapid refers to your weapon's rate of fire. With
rapid selected, you can just hold down the button. BGM lets you sample some
music in the game.
Before you start the main game, you can select your missile, double, and laser.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| GI3: Power-Ups |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Power-Ups work on a meter. When you pick up the items that enemies leave, the
meter will increase by one. There is a bit of difference between the items that
enemies drop, however:
-____- _.--._
\/ \/ / / \ \
/\ /\ \ \ / /
_----_ -.__.-
Power-Up Bomb
The more rounded items are fullscreen bombs which will wipe out every enemy on
the screen. The difference is pretty subtle. In a polychrome Gradius game,
these would be a blue variant on the power-up. But they aren't very common here
and are useful to pick up. They activate automatically.
Power-Ups work on a meter, as I mentioned:
__ __ __ __ __ __
|S >|M >|D >|L >|O >|F >
These stand for:
S: Speed-Up
M: Missile
D: Double
L: Laser
O: Option
F: Force Field
As for a description of these:
*Speed-Up: Adds speed to the Viper. As with any Gradius game, you don't need to
max this out as too much speed can hurt you in the loong run - as in running
into walls and the like. But this game doesn't have many twists, so it isn't
as big of an issue here.
*Missile: Your secondary weapon, and highly useful for hitting enemies outside
of your normal fireing path. There are three types of missiles. You can power
up missile twice, so if you say - take 2Way, don't worry if it isn't shooting
two missiles right away.
Normal: One missile is launched down. This, I suppose is more powerful than a
split missile because it would offer no other advantage. It can be
powered up by selecting missile twice.
2Way: One missile is launched up, and the other down - in front of your ship.
These are very useful missiles for hitting enemies at the top and bottom
of the screen, while you hold a more central focus.
Tail: Two missiles will be launched behind your ship. Useful if you worry
about enemies taht come from the left side of the screen.
*Double: This is your standard weapon, but two guns will fire at once. You can
use either this or laser - and with the right amount of power-ups you can
switch between them. Why use double when you can use a powerful laser? The
ability to hit enemies at different points on the screen. There are a total of
three types of Doubles:
Normal: One shot is horizontal, the other diagonal and up.
Twin: Two horizontal shots are fired forward.
Tailgun: The most useful, in my opinion, both shots are horizontal. However,
one is fired forward and the other is shot backwards.
*Laser: A powerful weapon that will really help in the destruction of the enemy
forces. Depending on what you choose, Lasers differ greatly.
Normal: A powerful, long laser is launched forward. This is concentrated,
powerful attack and the length allows it to hit multipel targets.
Twin: Two small, horizontal lasers are shot forward. Don't underestimate the
power of Twin Lasers. They are moderately powerful in their own right,
but are also very fast. This sheer speed allows you to rapidly damage
your target.
Ripple: A wide ripple is sent out in front of the Viper. If you have
difficulty hitting enemies or want to be better equipped to hit
enemies hugging surfaces, then the Ripple is for you.
*Option: You can have up to two options at any one time. Options are small ball
like structures that follow the Vic Viper and fire in tandem - that is
extremely useful. One option can double your firepower, essentially. They have
the same missile and laser/double as the viper.
Since they follow you, you can position them behind you - to hit enemies
coming up on your tail (just before they hit you). You can position them
around you to act as a shield of firepower. Or you can even position them at
the spot as yourself - to concentrate your firepower. Very useful, and you
will want to use them to the full extent of their abilities.
*Force Field: a frontal shield that will help absorb some shots directed at the
Vic Viper. This is useful to have if you've gotten every other power you want.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| GI4: Stages |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The guide is written with Normal difficulty in mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.1: Stage 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you watch the brief opening scene, you will be in the midst of a meteor
field. A large Core ship will come up from behind. Avoid the meteors and stay
towards the middle of the screen. Eventually, you will come to a cave, with the
ship still hot on your tail. All you will need to do is maintain your screen-
central position and fly through the openings. The debris that the ship knocks
out of the cave walls it blows up should not harm you. After only a few walls,
the Big Core will be down.
The stage will slow down, and head down at a diagonal. Stick to the centre of
the screen as a few walkers will appear shortly. They will appear after the
tunnel levels out. One should drop a power-up, and use it to increase your
speed. You can take teh power-up path whichever way you like, but one or two
speed-ups are usually helpful in Gradius titles...
Fly down after this section and shoot the turrets along the bottom of the cave.
You can geta few power-ups this way. The turrets won't fire very quickly, but
keep a close eye on them if you are near to them. As the section of Turrets
ends, a large worm will come from behind. You may want to fly a bit ahead to
make sure the worm doesn't get you.
The worm will quickly make its way away from you, but as it does, you will need
to contend with some birds. Now, these birds simply raise up and fly at you,
but the space is cramped and they come from multiple directions. Try to clean
them up as best you can though, they're great for power-ups.
As the space widens, there will be three spinning balls. Likely, you will
destroy them with the screen clear item a bird will drop. Otherwise, they are
no real threat. They act as seprate entities, and can be destroyed one by one.
As another Worm enters the scene, these spinning pods will enter from either
side. Avoid them, and shoot them when you can. Turrets will be positioned
along the bottom of the screen, so beware.
After the large, crumbled colum another worm will enter the scene. This worm,
and the worm coming up do not stay on the screen for very long. After the worms
you will face a number of the spinning pods. Stay toward the centre of the
screen and fire at the pods as they arrive. They will approach from the top and
the bottom of the screen so theyw ill crush you between them if you stray too
far.
There will be ball-shaped enemies which loop onto the screen. Shoot them as
they arrive and clear them out for a power-up. Despite the fact that these are
the primary enemy of the section, the spinning pods keep coming - and from
behind at times as well. So maintain a central position. Youw ill soon pass a
large, winged lion statue.
Some dark ships, which spin as they fly on a horizontal line will fly onto the
screen. Try to destroy these as they appear since they dp shoot and numerous
will arrive. Watch out for any turrets down below. A large, crustacean-like
enemy will fly onscreen. It shoots a spread shot. Weave in between the shots
and keep firing at this enemy to do it in asap.
As you apporach the next diagonal section, two spinning pods will come in from
behind. Alright, the stage is taking quite a turn now. It becomes very organic.
As you approach the small passage, you will see odd molecule enemies. Shoot
them up because they are blocking the path. They divide as you shoot them.
The room you will be entering has some vertical scrolling available if you need
to go far up or down. The slugs in here will stop at times to let out a shot.
So while they are unassuming, don't drop your guard.
The room will be thick with platforms, molecules, and slugs. Fire on these
enemies and scroll the screen up and down as you need to get clear of shots. As
you leave the area, you will enter another thich with stationary pods that look
like brains. If you are hard-up for power, they are an excellent source of
power-ups. Don't let them start moving though, or they will fire. Shoot them as
they shake!
Yikes, and it still goes on! As you approach the next area, there will be a
number of wasps. Now, these wasps are just like the birds you fought previously
but in groups. Shoot them as they level, or after the level out - but at least
shoot them before you get hot yourself. The other enemy to watch out for here
are the Jellyfish, which hide in the platforms and fly out as you pass. Just
keep on going, fighting Jellyfish, Wasps, and Molecules.
There's a section of odd leaper enemies comign up. They are very dangerous,
however. They jump out of the floor and ceiling in pairs - one from either
direction. They also shoot. You can adjust your position backwards as each one
presses in, but they aren't so structured. Stay in the centre - between top and
bottom and avoid them as best you can. If possible, position yourself between
options (again, if you have them). This will afford a little more safety - but
don't be afraid to evade them if they're right on top of you.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 1
******************************************************************************
At long last, here's the boss! This is a two-headed boss, and while both heads
fore similar shots, they are not fired in a similar manner.
The top head lobs, that is to say _throws_ its shots into the air, and it seems
as if soem kind of gravity acts upon them because they arc down at you. The
bottom head shoots a three-way spread, one goes forward, and the others high or
low.
Now, there seems to be a safe spot between where the lower and middle shot of
the bottom head's shots spread at the edge of the screen. If this doesn't work,
go below the lower head's shots and fire on it after it shoots, then duck becak
down before it shoots again. Regardless, the lower head is fairly easy to take
out this way. This is the only vulnerable head, until you destroy it.
When that head is destroyed, the top head flies down into the gut, where the
lower head was. Avoid the head as it flies down. To be honest, this sucker
reminds me of R-Type.
The head will at times shoot out of the gut towards you. It also unleashes a
torrent of shots, which change directions when they hit the wall. Just keep
dodging, watch out for its charge, and firing. When the head is destroyed, the
boss is dead.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.2: Stage 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After killing the big boss in the previous stage, fly through its wreckage to
immediately begin Stage 2. Alright, as you leave out into space, two orbs will
fly down and trap you. They bring you into a large ship, and walls close in on
you before you get free of your restraints. But you're right in the belly of
the beast here, let's destroy them all. Watch out though - your items are all
removed at this point so you will need to start over.
When you regain control of the Viper, you will be approaching some turrets that
are on rails. You will have to line up with these before they appear if you
want to destroy them while you lack power. There will also be launching ships
off of pads, destroy these directly as they fly out.
When you leave this section, the ceiling and floor will be lines with domes.
Shoot these until they reveal power-ups. There are some enemies which phase in
here, shoot one as they appear then duck out of the way. There are also some
rotating turrets in the little alcoves here. Hit them with missiles if possible
and always keep an eye out.
Flipping rail turrets occupy teh space ahead. You can only harm them when they
face you, and you are destroyed by the rail so don't try to get in by them. You
know they will fire when they flip up, destroy them.
Ther's a tight squeeze coming up. Mark the position of the flames and weave
down the corridors avoiding them to the best of your ability. After this short
section, you will fly beneath four rotating turrets.
In the section that follows, watch out for the large, rasing walls. Destroy the
phase ships while a wall raises into place, then fly through the opening left.
Repeat until the end of the section.
The stage is quite a bit shorter than Stage 1, the boss is just ahead.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 2
******************************************************************************
Destroy the Core! This is a large core wall, and it is a pretty interesting one
at that. the two turrets positioned at either side, your primary targets, will
fire spread shots - 3-way blasts. The core itself will spin, and drag you
towards the boss. And fields of electricity will appear along the scope of the
battlestage, you can see these forming at the top and bottom of the level.
As you enter the level, aim up with one of the turrets and destroy it as soon
as possible. They are the primary threat here, because even if you fight the
tractor beam and stay between the electric beams - teh spread shots make
evasion a real pain. The electric fields will block your shots.
You can fight the tractor beam by holding back. Stay towards the back of the
screen, move out of the way of any fields and destroy the turrets.
When the turrets are destroyed, focus on the large core in the centre, which
generates the tractor beam by spinning. Stay towards the back of the screen and
fight the pull to the best of your ability - all the while firing in on the
core. The boss will fall eventually, just keep it up!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.3: Stage 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you enter a meteor field, there will be a number of looping ships - these
are just like the looping balls you'd fought earlier. The second incidence of
these ships will pring two formations in, in loops. This gets awfully tight as
far as movement is concerned, so destroy as many as possible. Destroy the
formation for a power-up.
The spinning ships that appear are a remix of the older enemy, it has a
movement in a sine wave, however, and so watch out for its undulating path.
Both types of enemies along this path have this behavious, so just blast them
and dodge the meteors.
When you approach a large meteor with a hole rimmed by metal, it launches
ships that will seek you out. they move to your vertical location, as the wasps
and birds did earlier, then fly on a horizontal plane after you. Shoot them,
then watch out as you enter a fairly thick area.
Destroy the spinning ships as you enter this area, but look out for those
small meteor-shaped pods. These will fly on teh screen and fire, then fly back
off while firing. Stick generally toward the centre - but destroy the coming
enemies or the bullets will get too numerous for comfort. You will then pass
another two meteors that launch Seekers.
A large robot flies down. IT will launch four missiles forward at a time. It
does not stay long, but still focus your shots here. The big thing you should
watch out for here are the meteor pods towards the top and the bottom of the
screen. Their shots actually have a greater chance of connecting with you than
the missiles of the robot.
As you enter the next section, some slower moving ships will appear. They fire
at you and draw rather slow curves in the air as they move forward. They move
diagonal, horizontal, diagonal, etc... destroy them as they appear all the
while keeping your eye out for Meteor Pods.
After only a short section, you will encounter a pretty thick section of
meteors. Now, some of these meteors can be pushed by the ships that appear here
and you can tell these apart from the norm easily enough. They are a little
darker, and are tall and thin. If you seem to be stuck in the meteor field, let
a ship move one of these meteors to clear your path.
This will pick up a little now. There are generally larger meteors coming up,
but the meteor pushers persist. There are also meteor pods and seekers. Of
course, you can tell the seekers by their special meteors. Destroy them as
they appear, and keep an eye on the pods towards the top and bottom of the
screen. But the seekers are priority when they are around.
I hope you have some Options, because you are going to be rushed by those
ships that phase in and fly toward you. The phase ships should be shot to a
point where you're pushed back. Then, shoot a few and get forward. They do
appear from all over the screen. So while this tactic will work to some degree,
you need to be on the top of your game always. The good part of this ordeal is
that most of them will drop power-ups.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 3
******************************************************************************
Destroy the core! We get to fight a classic Gradius big core here. It will
shoot four lasers out. It stops when it shoots these lasers, so it is easy to
stay between them. After it does this four times, moving and shooting, it will
stop and charge forward. When it draws back it will cause one of its volcanoes
to erupt - aoid the rocks as best you can.
Take it on by sticking toward the centre of the ship and firing towards the
core. Work your way through its defenses this way. Fire at it until it charges,
move out of the way. the rocks it spews are easy to dodge because they erupt
with gravity. If it is from the top volcano, they fly toward the floor. If they
are from the bottom volcano they will fly toward the ceiling.
Once you've worked your way down to the core with your shots, continue to
pulverise it until you are treated to a great scene as it and you enter an
atmosphere. It won't be as fortunate as you, however.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.4: Stage 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wait for the diagonal run to end. There were immediately be a second type of
walker. These are vaguely humanoid and fire shots with moderate frequency. Take
them out and then get a bit higher and fire at the lines of spinning ships that
appear. Destroy a formation and you should earn a power-up.
A large robot will appear now. It fires fireballs and charge at you. Despite
the few walkers around, concentrate on this robot. The fireballs lob, with
gravity, but there is some seeking towards you. There's a chance a second fire
bot will appear after.
There will be a thick array of spinning ships coming up. They are overbearing
so keep at least half of the screen clear.
There are a number of turrets up ahead. They float in teh air, but are
otherwise no different than anything you've fought. theyc ould cause a problem
with the chaser ships coming up though. These orb-like ships will chase the
Viper and stop to spin - releasing bullets. Destroy them as they appear and
before they stop. They are priority, but never forget about the turrets.
Pods on the ground will launch walkers. Focus more on the floating turrets and
take the Walkers out with whatever missile you have.
Once you enter the area with the formations of spinning ships are found - look
out for the ground. ALrge towers will rise up. You can shoot the guns along the
length of the towers and fly through the wreckage. It may be best to go through
the towers since the top of the screen seems thicker with shots.
After this section, a large pod will appear, dropping shots. Fire at this huge
enemy, and then head down and between some shots when it gets to the left of
the screen. IT can also launch sprays of bullets, weave between these as you
need to. Keep firing at the Pod until it is destroyed. Keep an eye on the
Floating Turrets the whole while, too. They may hit you while you dodge the
bigger target.
Expect a walker to appear as it is destroyes, and then you will enter a section
of spinning ships. After a series of the spinning ships and walkers (spinning
ships are priority) a large walker will appear. The Big Walker acts just like
your standard Walker. It walks back and forth, firing. Destroy it when it walks
to the right.
The Big Walker leads right into a pack of the spinning ships. The boss will be
just up ahead.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 4
******************************************************************************
This is an imposing set of guns. The guns themselves have two turrets, each one
fires a missile with limited tracking ability - so don't get too close. The
core fires a fireball which will explode into a radial spray when you fire at
it - you will probably set this off as you take care of the guns, so get used
to its spray pattern asap. To complicate matters, walkers will come in along
the bottom of the screen.
Stick to the back of the screen, and fire at the missile pods as they open. It
is at this time only that they can be hit. Youw ill need to destroy two pods
per gun arm. The core's fireball will likely explode in the process, if you are
focusing on a gun it should be no trouble to dodge the spray at all. The
walkers should be taken out with missiles, focus your primary weapon on the gun
pods.
Once the guns are taken out, focus on the core. Just move out of the way when
you hit a fireball and need to dodge the spray. When the core is destroyed, you
will start into the next level by flying through the wreck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.5: Stage 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The level will start with a high-speed descent into the heart of an enemy base.
Once the screen levels out and begins the horizontal rolling, get ready for the
action.
No sooner does the stage begin than you're surrounded by a group of white phase
ships. If you ahve options, position them around yourself before you arrive
here. Otherwise, blast and move.
Watch out for the Walkers as you head through the opening. They will be coming
from behind. there are also some pods that come in sine waves and launch radial
sprays of shots. If you can't get destroy them, they will be deflected by the
upcoming walls.
There will be a number of rotating turrets coming up. There's large pods that
launch out seekers from before. Remember that these will level with your Viper
and fly towards it. These are mostly towards the ceiling, the turrets and pods.
Options, and missiles that can hit the ceiling help. Otherwise, you will just
have to focus on the seekers if you can't hit any of teh ceiling structures.
Now, the enemies that are coming up are pretty deifficult. For the lack of a
name, let's just call them Mega Robots. Now these are big, invincible, and pack
a mean series of firepower. They will fire large shots up at a diagonal, you
must move through these. But they throw back shots when you go behind them in
a group of bullets. It's a lob, and they exhibit gravity. So, you will need to
get past the large shot, and stay above the Mega Robot as it is lobbing out the
back shots until the opening appears. Fly through the opening to _relative
safety_ when you can.
Now, after the first Mega Robot destroy tehe enemies in your way, especially
the ceiling turrets. That's because the next room also has a Mega Robot.
Two pairs of spray pods will appear from in front of you. Make sure to take
these out as they appear and grab the power-ups that are dropped. After these,
there are some pods that launch out Seekers and fire at them. Hit the pods with
missiles if you can, but focus mainly on seekers. If you can't blast the pods,
move ahead after wiping out the waves of seekers.
The next section has turrets. Again, missiles are key here. It's not really
practical to fly up near them. You will see some blocks flying by. These cannot
be destroyed, so they must be flown around.
After the next section with turrets, make sure you duck into alcove and let the
block pass by then head back down. Weave around the remaining blocks.
The music will now change drastically, and white phase ships will continually
appear. As they appear from behind you, position Options behind the ship and
blast them before they hit you. Dodge the phase ships otherwise and make sure
you fire at them because they will likely drop power-ups.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 5
******************************************************************************
Destroy the core, once again. Now, space is going to be a premium here. The
large core will fire off a huge laser periodically and teh smaller cores fire
off little blasts that move in a large sine curve.
Now, to deal with this boss, you need to let the smaller shots pass you by. Let
them reach the apex or trough (top or bottom of the screen, respectively) of
their path, then move ahead as they head towards the centre of the screen. Fire
some shots in at the large core if the laser isn't firing and get out of the
way before it does again.
The laser is coreographed by a bit of a charge around the core, then it fires.
The core is easy to hit, and won't take long to blow up if you exercise
patience. A small ship will fly out the back of the core as it blows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GI4.6: Stage 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah! The final lap!
The stage speeds up as you pass through the wreckage of the stage 5 boss. Tiles
will explode from the ceiling and floor. These will not hit you if you stay
close to the righthand side of the screen.
It is a moderately extensive area, but eventually, you will leave the enemy
base. You will come up on the enemy that escaped from Boss 5.
******************************************************************************
BOSS 6
******************************************************************************
The music changes as you enter a field of wreckage. During this section, dodge
the wreckage and keep firing at the Boss' escape pod. It launches mines as the
section goes along, but these do not explode or anything of the sort. Stay near
the back of the stage and fire out at the Boss.
When the Boss leaves teh field of wreckage, it gets pretty simple. It will stay
in place, firing a wide laser followed by some missiles. The missiles do have
limited tracking ability, so what you should do is dodge the laser then strafe
the Boss with your own firepower and the missiles should get hit in the cross.
Otherwise, get away from them. It shouldn't take long to down it.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| GI5: Enemies |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Introduced in Stage 1:
**********************
*Bird:
Flies up, then flies horizontally once it levels with the Viper. Shoot it as it
flies towards you.
*Brain Pod:
Stationary enemy that odten provides power-ups. They will shake before rolling
from their spot and firing at the Viper. Shoot them before they do this.
*Crustacean:
A large enemy which launches a spread-shot. This si a four-way shot, and you
can easily weave in between them if you are between the left and centre of the
screen. Focus shots on the crustacean until it blows up.
*Jellyfish:
Wait hidden until you come near, then give chase.
*Leapers:
Pupa-like enemies that leap out at the Viper and fire. Appear in twos, from
above and below. Try to position options around yourself when these are present
or continually adjust position.
*Looping Balls:
Move onto the screen in a loop, and may fire off some shots. Take them out as
they arrive if possible.
*Molecule:
Shoot these enemies to make them split.
*Slug:
Move across floors or ceilings, stopping to shoot at times.
*Spinning Balls:
Three balls which spin in place. Destroy them one at a time.
*Spinning Pods:
Pods which 'jump' onto the screen. Stick around the the middle of the screen
during sectiosn with these foes.
*Spinning Ship:
FLies straight forward, spinning. Fires off shots.
*Turret:
A round turret which fires a shot towards you. Even if there are other enemies
on the screen, always keep an eye out for turrets. They don't fire quickly, but
you don't want to be taken by surprise.
*Walker:
Walks along ceilings and floors, you'll need to level with them to destroy them
before you get missiles, options, or Ripples.
*Wasp:
Come out in groups, and charge you when they level with you. Shoot the lot of
them before they hit you.
*Worm:
A large, undulating enemy that you can just avoid. They can be destroyed, if
you have enough firepower.
Introduced in Stage 2:
**********************
*Flipping Rail Turret:
Runs along a rail, flipping above and below it. It will fire at you when it
faces you, and this is also when it would be vulnerable.
*Launch Ship:
Destroy the ship as it leaves the launch-pad.
*Phase Ship:
Appear out of nowhere, shoot them as they appear or get out of the way.
*Rail Turret:
Runs along a rail, firing. Again, like all turret type enemies, always keep an
eye on it.
*Rotating Turret:
Swivels to aim at you, then fires. Make sure you keep an eye on it.
Introduced in Stage 3:
**********************
*Looping Ship:
A more ship-shaped variant on the looping ball.
*Meteor Pod:
Flies on screen while firing. It then moves backwards while still firing.
*Meteor Pusher:
A ship that pushes a meteor forward.
*Missile Robot:
Fires a few missiles straight forward. Large enough to get out of the way of
the missiles and hit it directly. The problem is the other enemies on the
screen at the same time.
*Seeker:
Like the wasps and birds, it finds you at the vertical plane and flies toward
you on the horizontal.
*Slow Curve Ship:
Moves at a diagonal, stops, moevs forward, then move at a diagonal again. Fires
at you all the while.
*Spinning Ship 2:
Like the spinning ship, except it has a sine-wave movement path.
Introduced in Stage 4:
**********************
*Big Pod:
Starts by dropping large shots, then fires spread shots. Fire at it while it is
away, then duck down and avoid the shots when it draws near.
*Big Walker:
A huge variant on the walker that walks back and forth, firing. Fire at it as
it walks away from you.
*Chaser:
Follows the Viper until they stop, and then they spin and fire. Destroy them as
they enter the screen if at all possible.
*Fire Robot:
Lobs fireballs at you, and also charges. While there are some walkers around,
this bot is priority.
*Floating Turret:
Floats in the air and shoots at you periodically.
*Tower:
Raises out of the ground. Destroy the guns along its side to move through it,
passing the wreckage.
*Walker 2:
Looks vaguely humanoid. Walks back and forth and fires shots.
Introduced in Stage 5:
**********************
*Block:
An indestructible barrier. Avoid them.
*Mega Robot:
Fire large shots at a diagonal forward, and lob black shots from their back.
You will need to find a way to slip past these suckers. They're big and cannot
be damaged...
*Spray Pod:
Move in a sine curve, stopping to shoot a radial spray of shots. They will
appear in pairs.
*White Phase Ship:
Appear around the Viper and attempt to ram you.
Introduced in Stage 6:
**********************
*Tile:
Flies off of the ceiling or floor. Simply stay towards the righthand side of
the screen to avoid them altogether.
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| GI6: Credits |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thanks go out to Konami - for all of their games I've every enjoyed - which is
quite a few. Especially for the Gradius/Salamander games as it is one of my
favourite series of all time. Interstelalr Assault is a quality game that
provides a load of entertainment.
Thanks of course go out to my hosts, as without them you would not be reading
this guide.
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
www.honestgamer.com
Game by Konami