Strategy: Einhänder - Part 1 Dateline: 05/16/98 In a departure from the RPGs traditionally developed by Squaresoft, Einhänder is a non-stop action game. Features such as power-ups that can be collected from enemies, Bosses, and bonuses for multiple kills lends the game some familiarity with other "twitch" type shooters. The action scrolls horizontally at a more-or-less variable rate. Enemies can appear from either side of the screen, with both indoor and outdoor action. This strategy guide will focus on collecting the secret bonuses and defeating the Bosses on each level. For reference, the game was evaluated using the Endymion FRS Mk. III under the "Normal" difficulty level. Level 1 Shoot the first wave of small police vehicles, then collect the Vulcan from the weapons carrier that follows. Your fighter will slow down and descend after a few more waves of the smaller ships are destroyed. At this point, a weapons carrier will descend alongside your ship. Destroy it and collect the Spreader, which is an essential weapon for the next sequence. Make sure that you hit all weapon carriers that appear to allow Secret Bonus 2 to be played out later in this level. As your fighter begins to move forward diagonally along the city street, use the Spreader to break all of the neon signs that appear. This will unlock Secret Bonus 1. Your fighter will once again move horizontally, and two red weapon carriers will appear. Destroy both of them to unlock Secret Bonus 2. Continue forward and try to collect a Cannon from one of the weapon carriers that appear. Save the ammo from the Cannon to use against the nearby Boss. The first Boss of the level is a large blue Police robot. Configure the Cannon in the lower position, so it fires in a horizontal line directly ahead. Target the Boss' lower section, which houses it's engine. This Boss has two attacks. A rapid bullet volley from its left gun arm can be easily avoided by moving out of the way just before they hit your ship. Moving too early will result in some of the rounds being aimed in your new position. The Boss' second attack is a semi-circular spread of bullets from its right gun arm. Simply move to the left side of the screen and maneuver between the rounds. Successfully destroy the Boss' lower section to unlock Secret Bonus 3, which is a secret underground path populated by multiple weapon carriers. If you failed to destroy the Boss' lower section, the game will continue above street level. Fly through more small police vehicles and weapons carriers before descending above a highway before continuing through a service tunnel. Try to collect a Vulcan for use against the final Boss of the level. The service tunnel will exit into a large open area, which will place your fighter nose to nose with the final Boss. Configure the Vulcan in the upper position, so it fires forward. Concentrate your firepower on the "T" shaped structure on the Boss' back. This will allow the Juno secret weapon to appear randomly on the Boss's back. Your next target should be the carapace armor, marked with the number "09". Once it's destroyed, the Boss will flip over into a scorpion-like configuration to better protect its bare hull. Watch out for the large cannon that flips open on the front of the Boss. It fires a massive beam directly in front of the robot. Simply fly to the top of the screen and hover above the Boss when it's deployed. If the Boss' long neck is still intact, watch for it to suddenly flip forward and attempt to knock you out of the sky. Stay in the upper left part of the screen to prevent this from happening. Keep firing at the mid-section until the neck falls off its mounts. The Boss' last attack pattern consists of a purple energy beam that shoots out of the scorpion-like tail as well as a spread of small bullets fired from the front of the mid-section. Keep aiming for the front of the mid-section, where the legs are attached. You'll know when you've hit the right spot when the Boss begins to flash red. Sustain your fire until the Boss topples over to complete the level. Level 2 Take out the first wave of airborne attackers, then dive towards ground level when the disc shaped weapon carriers appear. Don't worry about the weapon power-ups; aim for bottom portion of the weapon carriers to completely destroy them. This will cause a special red weapon carrier to appear. Shoot down this carrier to unlock Secret Bonus 1. Use the Wasp configured in the upper position to send guided missiles into your attackers before they get too close. A Cannon can also be useful when the air is thick with opposing ships. Gain some altitude after the train pulls ahead in the background; there are several proximity mines on the ground that will explode skyward. Shoot down the cylindrical air defenses as your fighter approaches the massive cannon on the rear of the train. Keep firing on that car until it detaches from the train. Fly through another wave of defenders to catch the rest of the train. Shoot every gun turret that appears and collect any desired power-ups. Follow the train and take out the cylinders and other defenders that appear. Another car with gun turrets will come into range. Carefully destroy each gun turret without hitting the control structure with the radar dish. Precise aiming with the Hedgehog is well suited for this task. If the control structure is hit early, the remaining gun turrets will move out of range. After at ten gun turrets in this part of the train have been destroyed, shoot the control structure to unlock Secret Bonus 2. Continue flying forward until the large container car unfolds to eject the first Boss of the level. Its attacks consists of shooting a stream of bullets from its pincers, guided missiles from the rear cargo bay, as well as flipping itself into the air to face the other side of the screen. The pincer gun may be avoided by moving in a staggered arc across the screen each time it fires. The guided missiles fly relatively slowly and may be shot down. Watch for the Boss to shake violently before it flips. When this happens, fly to the top left corner of the screen to avoid being swatted out of the sky. Try to aim for the tiny dark cockpit area between the pincers and forward of the circular piece in the mid-section. A good strategy is to drop Hedgehogs or configure a Vulcan in the lower position to fire downward. The Boss will flash red to indicate the correct location is being targeted. Concentrate your fire while avoiding the Boss' attacks until it explodes into several bouncing burning chunks. Quickly climb to avoid the debris, then dive back down to collect a Vulcan from the weapon carrier. Fire a forward spread of bullets to take out the air defense cylinders. The Wasp placed in the upper position is a useful weapon against the larger disc-like robots that appear from the background. Blow through several waves of defenders before your fighter shifts directly over the train again. Once again, carefully destroy several gun turrets before targeting the control structure. This will unlock Secret Bonus 3. Your fighter will fly through a large empty cavern before reaching the final Boss of the level. The Boss is a giant robot with a central cockpit surrounded by multiple massive arms that are tipped with various weapons. At first, concentrate your fire on the structure with the red sphere above and to the rear of the cockpit. Then, eliminate the top arm, which fires a large flaming swath across the battle field. Destroying this weapon will give your fighter quite a bit more maneuvering room. The remaining weapons on either arm are easier to avoid. Move your fighter vertically on the left side of the screen and use every opportunity to hit the cockpit. Target the weapons arms when they are in range - they'll yield additional firepower, such as the Cannon and Vulcan, when destroyed. A weapon located near the cockpit will shoot a volley of bullets as well as a ring shaped energy beam. Although both attacks can be avoided by flying above or below, your fighter can actually pass through the hole in the ringed energy beams without taking damage. Also watch out for the mini-fighters that will appear behind your fighter. Dance around them and use any rear firing weapons to eliminate their threat. The Boss will retreat a short distance to the right after the outer cockpit shears off. Continue your assault on the bare hull until the Boss finally breaks off the attack and slips into the background. Strategy: Einhänder - Part 2 Dateline: 05/23/98 Continuing from Part 1, this strategy guide will focus on collecting the secret bonuses and defeating the Bosses on each level. For reference, the game was evaluated using the Endymion FRS Mk. III under the "Normal" difficulty level. Level 3 Your fighter will enter an enemy supply base and begin to descend down a wide shaft. Robots suspended from cables will drop from above. Move to the right side of the tunnel and collect the Wasp from that robot. Configure the Wasp in the upper position and use it to destroy the other suspended robots. Three free-flying ships will appear, armed with a Blade, Hedgehog, and Cannon. Try to retrieve the Hedgehog and configure it in the lower position. The next enemy ships that appear resemble tilted spinning discs. They'll fire a volley of shots that will easily fill the screen. Pepper all three of them with the Hedgehog to unlock Secret Bonus 1, which is a special red spinning disc armed with a Blade and a Spreader. Collect the Spreader and eliminate the two smaller ships that appear. An access door will open at the bottom of the shaft and your fighter will resume horizontal flying. Your fighter will encounter the first Boss of the level soon after entering the tunnel. Note the green utility drones that appear on the ceiling and floor of the tunnel just when the Boss is reached. Shoot the top drone to collect a Wasp. Use it to hit the Boss' central laser gun assembly. Although the Boss can target and fire these weapons independently, their path is easily predicted. A more serious threat is from its intertwining laser, which is fired when the two yellow helper drones appear. Due to the tight confines of the tunnel, the wide beam may be difficult to avoid. Quickly duck out of the way or shoot the helper drones when they appear. The Boss will begin to swerve up and down after the central laser assembly has been compromised. It will then drop from the side of the tunnel and continue moving on the ground. Shoot what's left of the central laser assembly to make the Boss spin faster. Look for another Wasp carrying green utility drone to appear on the upper part of the tunnel. Watch out for the Boss' yellow laser beam, which can track your fighter. Immediately destroy the red drones that appear. These drones can generate a massive energy discharge across the width of the tunnel after the Boss charges them with a purple laser beam. Also watch for the tunnel to narrow at various points at this time. A Vulcan can be collected from another green utility drone that appears on the ceiling. Use it to finish off the Boss and continue ahead. If a combined total of eight green utility drones and red helper drones were destroyed during this sequence, Secret Bonus 2 will be unlocked. Follow the burning Boss downward as it falls into another shaft. A large column will descend into the center of the shaft. Pound it will your heavy weapons, and destroy any small ships that it deploys. Try to maneuver your fighter as close to the column as possible to increase your rate of fire. If you can destroy it quickly enough, the remaining small ships inside will simply fall out of the bottom. Try to destroy all the small ships to unlock Secret Bonus 3 and obtain a Flash secret weapon. The Blade can be useful in this function. By sweeping the D-pad in a Down, Down/Forward, Forward motion, the Blade can be extended to cover a larger area. For added effect, quickly deploy another weapon while the Blade is extended. The blade will slash in a large area as it snaps back into position. Quickly switch back and repeat to keep a large area free of enemies. Keep descending and shoot the spinning discs while avoiding the weapons mounted on the arms along the sides of the shaft. Move forward into another tunnel at the bottom of the shaft, just as the column collapses. Your fighter will fly through a section with top and bottom mounted weapons before facing the final Boss. Try to collect Spreaders from the weapons, then enter the final chamber. The Boss has a variety of attacks, including self-propelled fists, a yo-yo like shoulder, and the ability to charge from one side of the chamber to the other. Use the Spreader to fire at the Boss' small head, then fly over and to the other side when it charges. Flip the Spreader to the rear-firing position and continue your attack. The Boss will launch a set of three homing weapons after the first layer of cockpit armor is destroyed. Keep attacking until it finally succumbs. Your fighter will fly down a ramp to complete the level. Level 4 Your fighter is now inside the enemy base, and must locate and destroy its nuclear reactor. After a short drop from the end of the ramp, your fighter will begin moving forward again. This section is particularly challenging. A large number of enemies, including squadrons of fighters, powerful defense guns, and turrets floating on the water will appear. Their combined attacks can be somewhat overwhelming. However, there's a trick that can get your fighter through this section very easily. Immediately drop down to water level and fire forward to catch the first buoy mounted weapon when it appears. Your fighter can actually dip its lower section into the water without taking damage. Quickly dart ahead and collect the Hedgehog that the buoy drops. This weapon must be part of your arsenal when facing the first Boss of this level, a little further along in the action. After collecting the Hedgehog, position your ship directly behind the bonus multiplier in the lower right section of the screen. The multiplier is the display item that starts at "x1", above and to the left of the score. Once your fighter is in this position, keep firing forward constantly to clear a path through any objects in the water. The fighter squadrons and defense guns won't be able to target your ship. You may need to adjust your position to avoid any guided missiles that are fired, but your fighter should be safe in that location until a submarine appears. Watch for the sub to jump out of the water from the left side of the screen. Rise up into the air to avoid a collision when the first plumes appear in the water. Drop a volley of Hedgehogs directly on the sub's deck until it explodes. Then, fly over the cockpit that launches into the air. Finish it off to unlock Secret Bonus 1 and collect a Juno secret weapon. Fly past the remaining weapon buoys and face a final green weapon carrier before descending into the first Boss' lair. A different weapon will appear on the carrier, depending on which part of hit is destroyed. Try firing your standard weapon while not adjusting your position while flying towards the carrier. This should allow you to hit the "neck" of the carrier, just behind the cockpit. This should force a Hedgehog to appear, which is a very useful weapon in the next sequence. Your fighter will descend into a large water filled chamber. The Boss has two positions during this time. It starts in the water, where it can fire tiny bomblets towards the surface, or launch defensive canisters upwards. Quickly drop a series of Hedgehogs on the Boss' back until it jumps out of the water. During this second phase, the Boss will hold onto the pipes that run along the top of the chamber while stabbing at your fighter with its telescoping arms or shoot a powerful laser. Target the Boss' head or body with your remaining heavy weapons. Don't be fooled when it dives back into the water. Keep hitting it when it returns until it explodes underwater. The next section of the base is a maze-like series of ramps and girders. Although there are multiple paths that can be used to reach the end, the following method is recommended. Shoot the first set of stacked green crates to find the Spreader. Immediately configure it to fire backwards. Note that girders that are lit indicate the presence of openings that will allow your fighter to fly through to different levels. Immediately after Spreader is one diagonal and two horizontal gaps. Use them to drop three levels below the starting level. Quickly shoot the Spreader backwards to hit the stack of crates and the red robot to find the Mosquito secret weapon. Continue forward along this level, then rise and shoot the crates on the platform sliding down the ramp. Arm the Hedgehog found inside the crates in the upper position. Fire a Hedgehog volley to take out the flight of red robots that appears overhead as you descend at an angle. Destroy the ceiling mounted gun to find a Vulcan, then eliminate the yellow and green robot blocking the path directly ahead. Move past the elevator shaft and avoid being pushed up to another level. Continue forward and destroy another yellow and green robot. Follow the ramp upwards and destroy the crates on the carrier to collect another Hedgehog. Configure the Hedgehog to fire downward and send a rain of death on the red robot that slides down the ramp. Stay ahead and above the robot to avoid his gun. Secret Bonus 2 will be unlocked and another Mosquito will appear after the robot is destroyed. Continue to fly along the ramp and destroy one more yellow and green robot at the top. Rise to the top of this area and shoot the mounted red ships before they launch by firing forward, while dropping your remaining Hedgehogs downward to take care of any free flying survivors. Your fighter will enter a blue lit section of the base. Shoot the single robot that blocks the path. It should fall through the girders below and unlock Secret Bonus 3. The resulting explosion will push your fighter up a dark shaft. Once on top of the base, you'll come face to face with the last Boss of the level. Start by dropping down to ground level and shoot the base of the weapons carrier that may appear. Hard hitting weapons, such as the Cannon or Grenade, are particularly effective. The Boss is massively armed, and can fill the screen with projectiles. Stay to the left and target what resembles a welder's mask that is protecting the front of the Boss. A large armored shield will drop over the Boss when enough damage has been done. Another weapon carrier will appear shortly after this point. After re-arming, concentrate your fire on the thin cockpit windshield, while staying at the left edge of the screen. Most of the Boss' weapons can be avoided or shot out of the sky from this location. However, watch out for a barrage of streaming arcs of light. Running into any of these trails of light will knock your fighter from the sky. Simply edge your fighter towards the boss in rapid steps as they begin raining downward. Keep shooting until the Boss crashes in flames to complete the level. Level 5 Your fighter will be ordered to attack an enemy aerial port. Take out the air defenses as you approach the massive walls of the port. Keep firing as you fly through the entrance tunnel and dip down to ground level. This level is very busy, with multiple targets and weapons. Note the small floating discs that appear from time to time. They will create an energy field and block part of your flight path. They take several hits to destroy, and should be cleared whenever possible. Be sure to collect the Wasp from one of the small fighters that appear in the first part of this section. Configure it in the upper position to allow the missiles to track and hit enemies that appear in the background before they become a real threat. Just keep avoiding incoming fire while flying forward until your fighter rises over a wall. Note the large gray vehicle in the background just before the wall. Use a Wasp configured in the upper position to destroy it and collect the Python secret weapon. Once on the other side, you'll approach a series of vertically moving barriers. Destroy each of them to unlock Secret Bonus 1. Drop down low and move forward while shooting a continuous stream of bullets to take out the air defense cylinders before they're launched. Your fighter will pass over a series of large green crates while the large bipedal Boss walks in the background. Destroy the third crate to find a Grenade launcher. After reaching the Boss, watch for it to crouch. This happens just before it jumps to the other side of the screen. Make sure that your fighter is on the way to the opposite side to avoid being crushed. Target the Boss' head with the Grenade, switching positions as needed as it jumps. After the Boss falls, it will pick up a green crate and throw it at your fighter. Dodge the crate and grab the Wasp that falls out of it. Configure the Wasp in the upper position and fire a series of homing missiles at the Boss while it's in the background. Simple fly in a circular pattern to avoid the Boss' counter-attack. Watch for the Boss to throw another crate containing a Wasp at your fighter. Re-arm with the newly found missiles, then shoot them in the guided configuration at the Boss. Watch for it to jump back into the foreground to swat its massive arms at your fighter. Keep firing the Wasp until the Boss goes down for good. During the Boss battle, try to destroy its left foot, left hand, and armored head. If you're successful, you'll unlock Secret Bonus 2, which is a Riot weapon in a red crate that the Boss will throw at your fighter. Your fighter will rise up to reach the next part of the port, which consists of more fighters and ground defenses. Try to hit the air defense cylinders before they can be deployed. They can fill the screen very quickly with incoming fire. A Hedgehog configured in the lower position can be very useful in this role. After climbing over two short rises, you fighter will encounter a pair of airborne weapons carriers. Collect the Spreader that one of them drops. Use it to clear the long line of floating discs and the air defense cylinders. Stay load to avoid the massive energy beam that's fired by the flying gun. Climb over the next rise and fight past several sorties of small fighters. Stay in the middle and fly between the two energy beams that are discharged. Keep firing the Spreader to keep the path ahead free of smaller ships. Climb over the next rise and destroy the large robot to collect a Hedgehog. Configure it in the lower position and carpet bomb the line of small vehicles on the ground. Try to keep a Wasp available for the next section of the level. Your fighter will eventually drop down and follow a turn away from the airport. Configure the Wasp in the upper position and get ready to fire them as the sky comes into view. Look for a set of three small ships parked on the rooftops to the left of your fighter. Use the Wasps to destroy the single red ship to unlock Secret Bonus 3. If you miss, it will launch and appear in the foreground shortly after this point for another chance at the bonus. Clear the skies of the small fighters that swoop on screen before your fighter rises to reach the next section of the level. The final Boss is very tough, and is well armed and protected. Three weapons carriers will appear just before the Boss. Each of them will drop a random weapon when destroyed. The Wasp, Cannon, and Grenade are good weapons to collect for this battle. The Wasp should be used in the upper configuration to hit the Boss when it retreats into the background. Your other heavy weapons should be used in a massive direct assault; a large amount of damage is needed to penetrate its forward armor. Concentrate on hitting its head. Most of the Boss' attacks can be avoided. The most difficult to avoid is the crosslinked laser beam. Try to position your fighter in between the beams where they're spread out the most. The level will be completed after the Boss explodes in a massive fireball. Strategy: Einhänder - Part 3 Dateline: 05/30/98 Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2, this strategy guide will focus on collecting the secret bonuses and defeating the Bosses on each level. For reference, the game was evaluated using the Endymion FRS Mk. III under the "Normal" difficulty level. Level 6 Unlike the previous levels in the game, there is time limit of approximately two minutes and thirty seconds to complete your task - in this case, destroying both booster engines of the ship currently headed into space. Note: The game will end if this time limit is exceeded. Watch the fighters that appear towards the top of the screen. Try to destroy any that are armed with a Vulcan or Grenade. Due to the limited space between the booster and rocket engine exhaust, a weapon must be able to follow a diagonal trajectory to be effective. This also limits the space in which your ship can maneuver, as the exhaust will destroy your ship. Watch for the booster engine to flash red with each successful hit. Keep pounding away while avoiding the turret fire and weapons dropped from the fighters flying overhead. Watch for a red ship to appear when the booster engine flames out and falls away from the rocket. Destroy the red ship to unlock Secret Bonus 1. Drop down and target the next booster. Note the twin weapons launchers that appear above the booster. Avoid the mines that are launched. Try to shoot down three of the missiles that are fired from the launchers to unlock Secret Bonus 2. Keep firing your weapons until the second booster is destroyed and the rocket tumbles back to the ground. Your fighter will fly towards the Boss, which ejected from the falling rocket. Shoot the fighters that appear to collect some additional firepower. When fighting the Boss, look for a flat disc shaped target to randomly from its top. A Wasp can be a useful weapon to fire when the Boss drops into the background to allow its spinning laser dishes to fire. Also watch for an orange glow to form below the Boss' saucer section - get ready to fly towards the lower right corner of the screen to avoid the massive spread of lasers that will follow. Keep targeting the saucer section and the area immediately below that until the Boss explodes. If you successfully destroyed the flat disc that appeared on top, look for a smaller ship to be launched as the Boss falls away. Destroy the small ship to unlock Secret Bonus 3. Level 7 A swarm of well-armed fighters will appear during this battle in space. Look for three red ships to appear during the firefight. Destroy each of them to unlock Secret Bonus 1, Secret Bonus 2, and Secret Bonus 3. Note: Shooting all three red ships will also result in the Juno being awarded with the last red fighter. Try to collect as many Wasp pods as possible. Configure them in the upper position and quickly fire them to shoot down the fighters. The Boss often slips into the background. Thus, try to accumulate as many Wasps as possible. Also watch for it to charge diagonally at your ship and launch an arm in the process. The sweet spot that you should be targeting is the small cockpit located between its shoulders and above the weapon. The Boss will flash red when the correct location is hit. The final FMV sequence of the game will begin after the Boss explodes.