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---------------------------------------------------------
| Platform: Playstation 2 |
| Developer: Clover Studios, Capcom (2006) |
| Genre: Action |
| Rating: M (Blood and Gore, Language, |
| Suggestive Themes, Violence) |
| |
| Author: Georgi Samaras |
| E-mail: SophiaLee04@yahoo.com |
| Version: 1.20 |
| Last Updated: September 4, 2010 |
---------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
CONTENTS
Introduction .............................. [int]
Characters ................................ [cha]
Controls .................................. [con]
The HUD and Items ......................... [hud]
Techniques and Effects .................... [tec]
Difficulty ................................ [dif]
Starting Tips ............................. [tip]
Useful Combos ............................. [use]
Advanced Moves ............................ [adv]
Walkthrough
Stage 1 ................................. [st1]
Stage 2 ................................. [st2]
Stage 3 ................................. [st3]
Stage 4 ................................. [st4]
Stage 5 ................................. [st5]
Stage 6 ................................. [st6]
Stage 7 ................................. [st7]
Stage 8 ................................. [st8]
Final Stage ............................. [st9]
Shop/Casino ............................... [sac]
Extreme Fighting .......................... [fia]
Extras/Trivia ............................. [ext]
Miscellaneous ............................. [mis]
____________________________________
INTRODUCTION [int]
"In the days before time, an angel filled with pride
fell from the heavens to a life in exile
as the Demon King Angra.
"Filled with spite and hatred, Angra spearheaded
an army of demons and specters
to overthrow the world of mortal men.
"However, a man appeared with the power of god
sealed in his arms, and used this power
to once again send Angra into exile.
"The people, grateful that Angra's threat
had subsided, bestowed upon the man
the title of Godhand.
"Legend states: 'Although the man is long since gone,
a single clan continues to this day to defend
the Godhands, and the power held within.
"'Those who possess this power are capable
of becoming either god or demon.'"
It's somewhat hard to write and follow a walkthrough for a game where your
main purpose is just to beat up everything in sight, but it's worth a try! I
picked up this title on a whim and have been hooked ever since. So here's my
tribute to the awesomeness that is God Hand.
This walkthrough will try and cover all the basic stuff and provide strategy
to get you through in one piece. When I say strategy, I mean strategy. I'm
not going to blatantly say something like, "Use the Ball Buster roulette and
then go in for a four-part combo with Overhead Blow, Long Straight 3, High
Side Kick, and Drunken Fist." This game is too random for that. It's more
like laying out how your enemy moves and then providing a loose battle plan
based on said info. In no way are the strategies outlined herein definitive
or "the best", nor do I attempt to claim that they are; I'm just sharing what
worked for me.
Use the table of contents above and the Find feature to get around this guide
quickly. When searching for different sections of each stage, just keep
hitting the "Find Next" button and you'll get to where you want to go
eventually. And be sure to include the brackets when searching with a
keyword.
____________________________________
CHARACTERS [cha]
GENE
A 23-year old who lives by his fists, Gene apparently travels from town to
town, earning whatever he can. He has a strong sense of justice and can't
turn down a cry for help. Unfortunately, this gets him into trouble when
he comes to the aid of Olivia only to get his right arm cut off by demons
and replaced with one of the fabled Godhands. Though he complains a lot,
he doesn't let his outspoken, macho nature get in the way of his need to
help others.
OLIVIA
Olivia is 19 and one of the last members of her clan. Her duty is to
protect the Godhands from those who would use them for evil purposes. When
she is accosted by demons and saved by Gene, she entrusts one of them to
him to save his life and seems to gain control of his life in the process.
She shares Gene's need to help people and sends him all over the continent
in order to put the terrorizing demons in their places.
BELZE
Belze is the leader of the Four Devas, a group of demons whose primary goal
is to resurrect Angra and turn the world into a demonic paradise. Prim and
proper in his cheap suit, Belze prefers not to get his hands dirty and uses
the other members of the group to capture Gene to make sure the power of
god does not interfere with Angra's return.
AZEL, THE DEVILHAND
The other survivor of Olivia's clan, Azel is a firm believer in survival of
the strongest. He chooses to align himself with demons and is only
accepted into the Four Devas because his left arm is the other Godhand.
His relationship with Olivia is not a happy one despite their engagement,
and Azel seems to see her solely as a means to get close to and test the
other Godhand's power.
ELVIS
Elvis is a demon that knows the pleasures of life. He's never seen without
a cigar and is always taking time out to snack on human flesh. Despite his
love for pleasure, he knows how to fight when need be and is constantly
trying to prove himself in front of Shannon.
SHANNON
Always one to hold a party, Shannon is akin to Elvis in her love for a good
time. Her heart doesn't seem to be in the Four Devas, as she'd rather be
out than sitting around a table holding meetings, and she has no real
interest in Belze's ambitions. Her one desire right now is to catch Gene,
not to help Belze but to gain a pet.
____________________________________
CONTROLS [con]
LEFT ANALOG STICK
Controls movement. Since the camera is fixed behind Gene, hitting up on
the stick is the only way to move forward. Left and right will only turn
him in place. Down will slowly move Gene backwards. Double tapping
forward makes Gene sprint and hitting triangle, square, or X during a
sprint will end in a different dash attack. When using the Stomp command
on the field, tilting the left analog stick will result in different moves.
RIGHT ANALOG STICK
Controls dodging movements. Up is a quick ducking motion (not a full
crouch, unfortunately). Left and right are sidesteps, and down will make
Gene perform a back flip.
L1
Performs a 180 degree turn. This is extremely helpful when you need to get
breathing room between you and a foe.
L2
Taunt. Not only does it fill your tension gauge, but it makes enemies
steaming mad and causes them to rush towards you. Used carefully, this can
help you weed them out of a group one by one.
R1
Opens the God Roulette. If you have roulette orbs, this will cause the
game to go into slow motion and brings up a roulette wheel with different
godly moves for you to choose from. Use the left analog stick or R1 to
cycle through the choices and use circle or X to select a move or triangle
to cancel the roulette. Enemies can still attack you when the roulette is
open if they're close enough.
R2
Unleash the Godhand! When your tension gauge is orange and Gene's right
arm is glowing, you can use the Godhand to become invincible for a short
period of time, move super fast, and cause extra damage to enemies. This
power cannot be cancelled once activated.
SQUARE, TRIANGLE, X
All three of these buttons are your primary attack buttons, and you can
fully customize them to your heart's content. The left analog stick can
also be used in conjunction with these three buttons to perform extra
moves. X is used to confirm menu selections, and triangle is cancel.
There are also certain special moves you can perform with triangle
regardless of your technique/button configuration:
• right analog stick up + triangle = Low Roundhouse Kick
• left analog stick up + triangle (when enemy is on ground) = Heel Drop
(this can be charged up)
• triangle (when enemy is floating from Heel Drop) = Launch Kick
• left analog stick down + triangle (when enemy is juggled) = Laughing
Dragon Punch
• left analog stick up + triangle (when enemy is juggled) = Mid-air
Roundhouse Kick
It is easy to forget about these moves since they aren't really addressed
in-game (just in the manual), but they are incredibly useful and pack some
power as well as useful effects like launching an enemy REALLY well.
CIRCLE
God Hand uses event reaction button commands, which let you perform special
moves on your foes when the time is right. Circle is what you'll be using
most of the time, and you'll love it. When an enemy is dizzied, it will
let you perform special moves on them. Circle also lets you interact with
the environment by picking up items (use X to throw).
START
Displays the menu. This is where you can set up your attacks and roulette
moves and check your status. Hitting R1 and L1 will also let you partake
in an Olivia slideshow, which is added onto after every stage.
____________________________________
THE HUD AND ITEMS [hud]
All the important in-game stuff is on your HUD (heads up display). The upper
right corner has your radar, which indicates enemies and items. Under that
is your bank account. The lower left has your roulette orbs for your special
moves, life gauge (the orange bar on top), tension gauge (the purple/orange
bar under that), and your difficulty meter indicated by a level. Enemy drops
and breakable items will replenish money, health, and pretty much any stats
on your HUD.
Coins and money bags replenish your bank account, and they are each worth a
different amount from bronze to silver to gold in ascending order. Think
of it as start-up money for your gambling career.
Cards: Girl in Bikini = restores tension gauge
Green Skull = restores one roulette orb
Gold Skull = restores two roulette orbs
Red Skull = restores three roulette orbs
Gene's Outfit Emblem (Orange) = increases attack power briefly and
makes moves unblockable
Fruit: Cherries = restore 20% of health
Orange = restores 30% of health
Bananas = restore 50% of health
Strawberry = restores 100% of health
Since Gene does not have an inventory, you can't carry or store items. As a
trade-off, all items on the field will not disappear once revealed. So if
you happen to come across a strawberry when you're still at full health, save
it until you really need it. It'll be right where you found it. Make
absolutely sure you pick everything up before leaving an area; fruits and
cards also give you money if the stats they refill are already full, and
since you can't return to an area once you leave, they're no good just lying
there.
____________________________________
TECHNIQUES AND EFFECTS [tec]
JUGGLE
A Juggle attack sends an enemy flying into the air; however, this might not
work every time on heavier foes or bosses. Juggling sets them up for mid-
air punches, kicks, or a sound stomping from Gene's foot when they hit the
ground. It's possible for enemies to recover from a Juggle attack and
instead fly away from you, steaming, but it's still a good way to get them
to back off.
LAUNCH
Need to get an enemy out of your face? Launch attacks send them flying no
matter how much health they have left. Like Juggle attacks, this might not
work on everyone. However, most Launch attacks have the drawback of drawn-
out animation. Only perform a Launch attack after, say, a Guard Breaker or
when the enemy is dizzy or taunting. That way, they can't catch you mid-
move.
CHARGE
These are usually also Juggle and Launch attacks. Hold down the button
it's assigned to to make it stronger. These attacks are useful when an
enemy is far away and running towards you. Time it juuust right, and
they'll walk right into it. Use these with care though, as you're a
sitting duck and they'll release automatically when they reach their limit.
BREAK GUARD
Always have a Guard Breaker on hand. (No pun intended.) When enemies
brace themselves to guard against Gene, they'll stop him mid-attack should
he hit them. This leaves him open to counterattack, but performing a Guard
Breaker turns the tables on them and leaves them vulnerable. A Guard
Breaker's power doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things; it's the
action of smacking them out of stance that counts.
HEAT UP
There's only one Heat Up technique, the Yes Man Kablaam. This attack adds
insult to injury by dealing damage and filling the tension gauge, even if
your target dodges. However, it takes a while to actually connect and the
taunt afterwards leaves Gene open. Use it like a Launch attack: after a
Guard Breaker or when your foe is preoccupied. Perform a quick dodge
afterwards to cut the taunt short. There are also roulette moves with the
Heat Up effect, like the God Charge.
DIZZY
The only Dizzy move is the Granny Smacker, which is quite humorous. It's
slow and does little damage, but it can instantly render an enemy
susceptible to an action command attack with circle. Like the Yes Man
Kablaam, perform a dodge right after it connects to avoid being an easy
target when Gene performs the finishing animation. Roulette moves like the
Chain Yanker and Ball Buster also render enemies instantly dizzy. An
important note to make about a dizzied enemy is that they remain that way
for a short period of time, making it a perfect opportunity to throw
punches like the Yes Man Kablaam and finishing by hitting circle before
they recuperate. (Thanks to Knoxx for sending in this strategy.)
EVADE HIGH ATTACK
These attacks do just what they say. Most enemies' attacks are in the mid
to upper range so hitting below the belt is a good thing. They also work
well on shorter foes.
UNBLOCKABLE
Somewhat self-explanatory, enemies cannot guard against these attacks.
That doesn't mean they're incapable of being interrupted though.
____________________________________
DIFFICULTY [dif]
The difficulty settings in God Hand are a little different. At the start,
you can choose easy or normal, but the real difficulty factor is measured in
levels. The current level is in the lower left corner of the HUD by the
skull. Landing hits on an enemy, taunting, using a Guard Breaker at the
right time, and generally doing a good job raise the level. Taking lots of
damage lowers the level.
There are four levels: 1, 2, 3, and Die. The higher the level, the tougher
the enemies. Easy mode never goes any higher than level 2. Normal mode can
go all the way to Die. Hard mode, which is unlocked by beating the game on
Normal, is nothing but level Die. The more enemies you defeat on higher
difficulties, the bigger the cash bonus at the end of the stage. If you ever
find yourself on a level of difficulty that you can't handle, there's a way
out. Open the God Roulette and cycle through until you see the Grovel
option. For one orb, Gene will get down on his knees and, well, grovel.
This will automatically take you to the start of level one and cause mild
embarrassment since nearby enemies will laugh at you.
____________________________________
STARTING TIPS [tip]
Dodge like crazy! Gene cannot block so it is vitally important for you to
get familiar with the right analog stick to avoid getting your ass handed to
you. Dodging is also a trick some players use to cancel certain techniques'
long animations to make Gene recover and move faster.
Don't button mash! Mashing square over and over is obviously a bad move.
Gene will get into a combo, the enemy will guard, Gene will get thrown off,
and then Gene will get counterattacked. Watch your foe. For example, some
enemies do charge attacks; wait for them to unleash it and simply sidestep
out of the way to counterattack them. Patience is your friend.
Save your Godhand! Only use it when absolutely necessary: when you're
outnumbered, when you've encountered a powerful demon, etc. This may be a
no-brainer, but it is hard to resist using it when the meter is full. Do not
fritter it away or you will be sorry the next time a demon pops out of that
thug you just killed.
Do not waste your roulette orbs! If you want to play around with your
roulette moves, go to the training area. In battle, know what all of them do
and which ones you want to use. The wheel is randomized each time you
activate it; if you can't find your move in time, use triangle to cancel and
try again, or Gene will pick a move himself.
Run away! Some enemies have what I call the "stupid thug complex". If you
run too far away from them, they'll give up on you and return to their
original positions. Use this to your advantage! Also, be aware that only
when an exit is blocked by a magical barrier or a lock do all the enemies
have to be slain to move on. Sometimes running away really is the best
option.
Trust (or curse) your luck! Most of the drop items from enemies and
breakable objects are random, so expect to get screwed over a lot. Demons
will also appear randomly and when you need them the least. In other words,
sometimes dying can't be helped.
On that note, just keep at it! This game lets you customize your fighting
style in a myriad of ways. If you keep dying in an area, chances are your
technique needs some work or your attacks aren't causing enough damage to be
effective. Experiment. You'll strike up something that works for you sooner
or later. If not, check the God Hand message boards or YouTube to see
strategies others have found.
____________________________________
USEFUL COMBOS [use]
Here's a bit more explicit advice for those who want it. You will more than
likely come across a combination of moves that works for you. It'll work so
well that you'll want to use it over and over. This may seem cheap to some,
but for others, it's the only real way to get the job done. Here's a list of
such combos that either others have taught me or I stumbled upon by trial and
error.
YES MAN KABLAAM + SIDESTEP
Wait for your enemy to be put off guard, either by them taunting or you
using a Guard Breaker. Do one Kablaam, sidestep, do another Kablaam,
sidestep again, rinse, repeat. The point of sidestepping is to cut Gene's
taunt short, since it is so drawn out. This combo fills your tension gauge
insanely fast, and since the Yes Man Kablaam is also a Guard Breaker, you
can use it repeatedly even if your enemy braces against it. Don't use it
too many times in a row though or they'll start a combo of their own and
interrupt yours.
DASH ATTACK + YES MAN KABLAAM + SIDESTEP
The square dash attack is a personal favorite. It launches lighter foes
and stuns larger ones 60% of the time. When it successfully stuns,
instantly do a Yes Man Kablaam to start the trick listed above. If your
target should happen to guard against your dash attack, do a Guard Breaker
instead (if you have time), followed by a Kablaam and a sidestep.
CHAIN YANKER + YES MAN KABLAAM + SIDESTEP
This is basically the first strategy with the Chain Yanker roulette used to
draw the enemy in close. This also dizzies them, meaning you can pull off
several Yes Man Kablaams or simple combos without worry of counterattack,
so there's no need for dodging except to cut the animation short.
HALF MOON KICK + STOMP
Put the Half Moon Kick on a hot button, use it until your enemy falls on
the ground and prompts the Stomp command, stomp them to fill your tension
gauge, stop early and let them get up, Half Moon Kick again, rinse, repeat.
The Half Moon Kick is a dual-type move, letting you evade an enemy's attack
and coming up high to juggle them away. Even if they dodge the initial
kick, the second one is bound to connect unless they happen to guard. The
only problem with this is that the Stomp command leaves Gene extremely
vulnerable, so it only works well when not swamped.
RIGHT ROUNDHOUSE 3 + SIDESTEP (+ STOMP)
Assign the Right Roundhouse 3 to a button like X or triangle, use it, and
sidestep and kick back and forth. Most of the time, this knocks the enemy
to the ground. The cool thing about the Right Roundhouse 3 is that it's an
area kick: it hits enemies low to the ground as well as those behind or
close to you. You can either continue kicking away or use stomps to fill
your tension gauge like with the Half Moon Kick trick.
JUGGLE + CHARGE
Pick a Juggle attack and after you use it, if the enemy is knocked down or
jumps away, start your Charge attack. Hopefully, by the time the enemy
gets back up to you, your attack will be ready. This combo is less tried
and true and will not work on the more nimble foes. I just know that the
combination of the Half Moon Kick and Fist of God got me through some tough
arena fights in style.
NORMAL COMBO + GRANNY SMACKER
Axel has written in suggesting putting the Granny Smacker move at the end
of your normal combo to reap amazing benefits. Much like the Yes Man
Kablaam, the Granny Smacker is slow but with a great special effect.
"First: Granny Smacker can be cancelled any time you please with a dodge
(preferably ducking, but you could always backflip). This means that you
can immediately pull it out, cancel it, and go back into your combo;
particularly useful when you're in Devil Trigger - er, God Hand Unleashed
mode.
"Second: it takes a long time, so you can use it to milk all kinds of
stupid moves out of your enemy and then counterhit them.
"Third: it takes a long time, meaning that if you pushed the enemy away,
they're liable to walk back into it, potentially eating a CH [counter hit]
(this happens quite a bit, actually).
"Fourth: like the Yes Man Kablam, it Guard Breaks - and it's the only Stun
Enemy move in the game, filling up their unseen Stun Gauge by -lots-.
"In conclusion, while it may not hit all the time, or even that often, when
it does it usually instantly wins you the fight by virtue of the fact that
it leaves one (or more if you're lucky) enemies either useless or dead for
ten seconds (or permanently if they're dead... obviously XD). Just make
sure you cancel it's finish time, like the Yes Man Kablam."
____________________________________
ADVANCED MOVES [adv]
Thanks to a lot of work and effort on Axel Wildfire's part, this guide can now
offer a deeper look at some more advanced move combos and techniques. This
part of the guide is a continual work in progress, and (unless otherwise noted)
all the info here was researched and submitted by Axel.
GLOSSARY
For those of us not up to snuff on our fighting game terminology, here's
some terms and abbreviations found herein.
CH:
"CH is Counter Hit; when you hit an enemy and you get the golden flash and
'bam' sound effect. It occurs when you hit the enemy while they're in the
middle of executing an attack; the attack is more powerful and if it has an
additional effect (Launch Enemy, Down Enemy) that effect will come out 100%
of the time. Also, all attacks while in God Hand mode and with the Damage+
power up are apparently treated as Counter Hits -except- when they are
moves in the middle of your canned combo, and they don't have the power of
Super Flinching - unlike a regular CH, which always gets the enemy
flinching.
"When the enemy is stunned, any attack you do on them is a Counter Hit, and
when you Guard Break an enemy (Guard Break attacks are effectively Counter
Hits for guarding enemies), the next three or so attacks you do will
qualify as CH."
SS:
Sidestep.
GB:
Guard breaker. Acronyms are always easier.
Trading:
"To 'trade' is where both fighters hit each other at the same time: trade
blows."
Stuffing:
"'Stuffing' your opponent's move is intentionally attacking your opponent
as they strike with a move which has higher priority or just generally goes
straight through it. For example, in Street Fighter, Ken's shoryuken
'stuffs' any and all jump in attacks due to it's hitbox and it's
invincibility frames on startup."
Beating:
"To 'beat' an opponent's attack is to throw out a move in the mindset that
it is likely to stuff their attack. For example, you think 'well, I don't
know what they're going to do, but x or y seems likely, so I'll throw out
z, which stuffs them both,' and the result is that you 'beat' them, like
scissors paper rock."
Hitbox:
From the Shoryuken Wiki, "Invisible 'zones' for a character that, if struck
by an attack, registers a hit on the character. This also applies to the
attacking moves, as well. Attacks also have invisible boxes that determine
the zone that they are attacking. If an attacking Hit Box overlaps a
character's Hit Box, then a hit is registered. Oftentimes, Hit Boxes are
the sole determining factor to a move's Priority."
SETTING UP A COMBO
For this section, Axel has shared his theories on setting up a good combo,
and then gives an example of a set-up putting all this to work. (From here
on out is Axel.)
My theories are mainly based on what you want to have happen at any given
time. For example, the first move in your combo -always- wants to beat
whatever your opponent is doing, so I select for moves like the Drunken
Fist, which hit mid and are decent in all quarters, but the reason I like
that move specifically is because it has long range -and- moves you a
decent way forward, so you can hit an enemy who is still running towards
you.
Next up, I almost always put a guard breaker second - I like putting the
Haymaker here, first because it is, as advertised, the one and only punch
of a stupendous badass. Second, at that point in the combo, your enemy is
doing one of four things, with the following result:
1. Reeling, gets hit.
2. Reeling and attempting a counter, gets traded with or stuffed and CH'd.
3. Lowering their guard and attempting a counter, gets traded with or
stuffed and CH'd.
4. Guarding, gets guard broken and CH'd.
The only way to lose out is if your opponent ducks... at which point, you
can either use an evade high move like the Drunken Fall or CH them all over
again, or something like the Step Back Kick to dodge them entirely and then
knock them flying.
Assuming that everything went as planned, your opponent is either writhing
on the ground in pain at your feet (great! heel stomp combo!) or a few
metres away (great! dash up heel stomp combo!), or is reeling and any moves
you land will be CH. So, in order to avoid losing the CH due to incoming
enemies/them recovering, I usually chuck in a move that maximizes CH hits
while being fast - I like Chin Music and the Sugar Gene Combo especially.
Assuming you have a six-move combo (and you aren't playing Godhand if you
don't), then you have three moves left. By that stage, your opponent has
probably stopped being CH'd and started unwinding from the reel; I like
chucking something rather big here - Really Pay Up is a personal favorite,
due to it having a power of 20 (20!) while still being very fast,
relatively cheap, and it moves you forward a fair way... and of course,
with it's delay and slow-then-fast motion, it will also stuff and CH just
about -anything- they try to do to you. At which point, they are either
reeling or blocking.
This is why my fifth move is -also- a guard breaker; specifically I REALLY
like the Spinning Sobat here, due to it hitting everyone around you and
having the most retarded hitbox ever. It seriously hits in front of you
like a second before it should. This is where my combo gets dangerous, as
the Spinning Sobat takes a while to complete, but given it's speed and
damage, as well as being a guard breaker, it's a pretty good tradeoff.
And then, the final move is based on this philosophy: an enemy who is
tumbling is not attacking you, and an enemy who is nowhere near you is not
attacking you. Given how painful it is to be mobbed, you do NOT want the
final move in your combo to leave them near you or on the ground at your
feet; you want them to be on the ground half the landscape away. The
-exception- to this is the Granny Smacker, which is easily cancelled and
totally fucks with your opponent's day. Thing about it though is that it
isn't the end of the combo. It's the -means-to the end, the end being the
on-stun reaction command.
Anyway, if I'm not smacking grannies, then I usually finish off with a
quick, dirty launcher like Expert Sobat. If you're using my Granny Smacker
setup, things get a bit different... Swap Really Pay Up for the guard
breaking move of your choice, put your garage sale launcher (- like a
garage sale; cheap and dirty) in the fifth slot, and Granny Smacker in the
last slot. In this instance, the fifth slot is really where the combo ends
normally (when the enemy is knocked away), but if they AREN'T then they
will almost certainly eat the Granny Smacker and by extension the followup
reaction command.
And of course, did I mention that Granny Smacker guard breaks? Every other
move in the combo is a guard breaker.
My usual setup by the endgame is basically this:
Square: Drunken Fist 1, Haymaker 1, Sugar Gene Combo, Spinning Sobat,
Expert Sobat, Granny Smacker
Triangle: Charged Punch 1 (I view Charged Punch as a launching utility,
not a move unto itself)
X: Drunken Fall (COMPLETELY STUFFS LIKE EVERYTHING AZEL DOES especially
the Kung-Fu Tango, and it basically makes you invincible for five
seconds)
Back + Triangle: Yes Man Kablaam
Back + X: Step-Back Kick (makes everything whiff, gives free CHs, is
completely safe, etc. etc.)
Back + Square: Elbox Vortex
Think I play Godhand too much? [Editor's Note: Nah...]
MOVE CANCELLING
In its simplest form, move cancelling is performing a dodge right after -
or even in the middle of - an attack in order to cut the move's animation
short for whatever reason. Pretty much anything can be cancelled by
dodging, even the dash moves, and Axel has worked out the timing for some
of the special moves:
• The running kick can be dash-cancelled (but I assume any r-sticking will
work) basically as soon as Gene touches down.
• The roll works as soon as both his feet are on the ground.
• The slide kick can be cancelled as soon as his momentum slows (you'll see
his right leg start to straighten up).
• The Mid-Air Roundhouse Kick (forward + triangle) can be cancelled the
very moment Gene's -left foot- hits the ground.
A neat little fun fact about the Step Back Kick, too: the pause right after
the step backwards can be cancelled with any type of dodge, so it can
effectively be two dodges in one or "a free two-character-lengths slide
backwards even if you don't use the kick".
Charge attacks can also be cancelled (and in more than one way, actually).
If you start charging an attack but want to cut out for whatever reason,
simply let up on the button you're charging with and then do your dodge
before the move actually begins, since letting go of the charging button
automatically starts the move.
FIGHTING AZEL
Since Azel has the potential to be a pain in all our asses and you must
fight him multiple times, Axel wrote up some research on his moves. This
was all noted for the first time you fight him, but it should carry over
into subsequent fights with some slight changes in strategy. I placed it
here in one piece instead of opting to place it all over the walkthrough.
The rest is Axel:
He uses Shockwave, Kung-Fu Tango, and what I can only assume is the Daisy
Cutter on crack (charge up and lunge forwards). The first is avoided by
sidestep; the second, by ducking and dodging (backflip before the final
hit, which hits mid), and the lunge-punch is usually dodged by sidestepping
just as he finishes charging (don't go too early or he'll track you).
If for some reason you want to DODGE his Invitation, then don't backflip or
duck; sidestep it. Speaking of the Invitation, sitting in his face and
repeatedly ducking seems like a good way to provoke him into it. Note that
attempting an Invitation on LVL3 or DIE is basically a good way to break
your thumb or commit suicide.
He loves the flying kick, the Step Back Kick, and has a very fast punch
chain which can be entirely ducked and has two possible endings; either a
jumping double-kick followed by a haymaker or he'll do neither and
challenge you to a punch-off instead. Sometimes he'll lead the punch chain
with the Step Back Kick. Very rarely, he will add another set to the punch
chain and finish with a VERY fast Reverse Hell Kick.
He also has a butterfly kick which can be ducked or backflipped, but he
tends to track you too well when you SS. Further, he can perform the
Running Sobat and Reverse Hell Kick. If you backflip from the Step Back
Kick, he tends to perform the Running Sobat.
Azel occasionally performs the Double Blows if you're up close, as well as
the high kick. After Azel's butterfly kick, he takes a minute to get back
to a ready position, so he's wide open.
Azel likes to open with Shockwave, unless you beat him to it, where he
tends to try and use the Daisy Cutter. If Azel is knocked away by you or
loses a pummel-off, he will IMMEDIATELY return fire with Shockwave.
He has some Roulette which seems to be a jumping RH kick, but I've only
seen him use it once and he was only half onscreen, so I could be wrong.
The timing on his Kung-Fu Tango is one-two-beat-one-two-three-halfbeat-
four (backflip on 'four', as that's the mid hit).
As of LV2, he may use the Head Slicer (must be ducked) and La Bomba; he
also gains a very long sweep and the Expert Sobat. Also, if your flying
kicks meet in the air, there is a chance he will flip backwards (not a "I'm
pissed that you're juggling me" flip, but his own special animation) for no
damage. Further, if you knock him down, he will do a very fast spin back
onto his feet that will knock you away if you try and persecute his wakeup.
Azel will also now chain in his Devil Roulettes with his ordinairy attacks.
Finally, he virtually always uses the Head Slicer instead of Shockwave at
this point (which is retarded, as the Head Slicer can be SSed if you're
close AND always ducked, making it easier to avoid)...
The sweep tends to come out any time Azel ducks (you can bait him but the
sweep is so damn hard to dodge-and-counter that it's not really worth it).
As of LV3, he will use the Ball Buster.
Finally, as he levels up, his chains grow more fluid (I've seen him Step
Back Kick into flying kick, or Reverse Hell Kick into punch rush into
Roulette), so be careful.
____________________________________
WALKTHROUGH
This walkthrough was written while playing on the Normal difficulty. Easy
players can expect the same fights but lighter combat. Hard players better
know what they're doing since all enemies move much faster and attacks cause
insane damage.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-0, The Beginning [st1]
Start off by taking care of the two guys right in front of you. Remember to
dodge every now and then. A good formula to follow is three or four punches/
kicks followed by a Guard Breaker or a back flip to give yourself room before
they can counterattack or gang up on you. Two at a time isn't much of a
problem but feel free to do a 180 and run to make space. Afterwards, a fat
thug will charge out of a door. Take him out. On the right side of the
building with the crates is a thug with his back turned. He'll drop a wooden
plank you can use. Go inside the door he was guarding to find some crates
upstairs. (If you go in the bar first and then walk outside that door, Gene
will automatically run far enough away so the thug will miss him.)
In the open area next to the saloon, you'll see three guys ganging up on a
villager. If you stay in this area long enough, a statue will pop out of the
ground to the left. Punch it repeatedly to get a random item (usually a card
or fruit) or it will go back underground. Now save that poor man, but DO NOT
under any circumstances use God Roulette attacks around villagers. Gene won't
auto-target them even though his punches can still hurt them, but roulette
moves will most likely kill any and all villagers nearby in one hit. Villagers
are stupid; they will run to safety right through the middle of your fights!
After you clean up and take care of the two guys that pop out of the saloon,
enter the drug store behind you to find the guy if you didn't kill him. Saving
villagers keeps you from getting cash deductions at the ends of stages, and
they'll always give you an item in return.
Note the explosive red barrel near the saloon; you can use it on the three guys
inside. A demon will rise from the corpse of the guy sitting alone. These
demons are fierce opponents, being faster and stronger than normal foes. This
brand of demon (purple) loves to fight with its fists. It'll do a combo that
results in it lashing out with an extended arm, so back flip to safety. It
also has a long range attack, shooting fire balls at you. Sidestep back and
forth to avoid them. It will also try to teleport behind you, but Gene has a
Counter reaction command for this. By far, the easiest way to deal with demons
is to unleash the Godhand and clean up with combos afterwards. From now on,
these demons will spawn randomly so always keep a full tension gauge because
you never know when you'll encounter one. Some will even give up random
techniques for killing them. When you try to climb the stairs, two more
enemies will jump through the roof. Collect the spoils upstairs and head
outside.
The stable will open and three enemies appear. They won't stray far from the
stable so it's fun to run out and do dash attacks right into them repeatedly.
After clearing them out, check the right side of the other end of the stable
for a ladder you can climb to the roof. Raid the crates and hop back down.
The guy in front of the building by the stable has a pipe. Pick it up and go
left to find a guy with a hammer. Throw the pipe at him and steal his hammer.
Nice trade. Down the street is a fat guy sitting on a villager. Approach him
and three more will appear behind you. Do a 180 to get some breathing room but
watch for the villager as he runs away. That hammer you got should clear them
out quickly, but there is a very good chance that the fat thug will turn into a
demon. The villager will be in the green and white building. Break all the
barrels and such and move on.
From now on, after every stage you can save, continue, or enter the shop and
casino. (See the Shop/Casino section after the walkthrough for more info.)
After completing every major stage (i.e. - going from Stage 1 to 2), new
techniques, roulette moves, and power ups will be available in the shop.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-1, My Right Arm The God Hand [st1]
Use the barrels around the area on the three immediate enemies. You can also
run out into the open area behind you to get your bearings; the thugs will only
stay around the buildings. Try to go back in the hotel if you want to see
Olivia's smartass face again. Behind the green building opposite, you'll find
the Little Devil. For beating her challenge, you'll get a money reward based
on your difficulty level. If you fail, you'll reappear in the stage with your
health/tension meter and roulette orbs unaffected. If you win, you'll continue
the stage with all your stats as they were when you beat the challenge. In
this sense, sometimes the money isn't worth it if you barely make it out of a
tough challenge.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 1
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes
You start off with three normal thugs followed by a fat thug and two more
thin guys and finally a bigger thug with a bat. You don't have much room to
work with in the arena so they can easily gang up on you, and if you were
low on health when you accepted the challenge, you might have a hard time.
In this case, continue the stage to regain health/orbs/etc. and come back.
Stick with your punch/kick combos with the occasional back flip/sidestep.
Using the Godhand is a good idea when you're outnumbered, then you can handle
stragglers easier. The last guy is dangerous with that bat but at least you
can fight him one-on-one.
Cross the bridge and take care of the two fat thugs. You can kick or dash
attack them and all other enemies off the bridge. No drop items, obviously,
but a nice quick kill. More will come down in a lift. Head up.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-2, A Poison Chihuahua!? [st1]
Take care of the two guys in front of the pub. There's a plank near them if
you want to use it. Inside the pub are two more. Thugs will come out of the
building to the left of here and another is inside terrorizing a villager.
Going down main street, you'll see a man get poisoned ... by a chihuahua. If
you want to save him, chase down the little green guy for the serum. If not,
just take your time with the rest of this stage.
To catch him, beat up the thugs and the doors will open. Enter the green
building on your right and go up the ladder. Jump down and return to where the
villager is. Turn left and follow him around and inside the bar. Beat him
down (two dash attacks with square are more than enough), and he'll drop the
serum. At this point, you can ignore everyone and run back to the villager and
give him the serum in return for the Dragon Kick roulette. You can either
clean up all the new thugs or just move on.
Venturing further through the big red doors where you chased the guy down,
you'll get more thugs in a hot air balloon. The Little Devil is behind the red
building to the right.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 2
Destroy the car before time runs out.
Time: 1 minute
What an ugly color. Punch and kick it out of its misery. Honestly, I don't
know what else to say. You have to destroy all four sides of the car so move
quickly.
You can walk right by the fat thug to the next area.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-3, Secret Warehouse Carnival [st1]
Oh boy. Make note of all the crates in the area. First, you'll have to beat
three waves of thugs, two at a time. Hope that they give up some items and use
them to charge your tension meter. Mr. Gold and Mr. Silver will pull some
usual thug stunts: punching volleys and playing leap frog to vault into the air
to dive bomb you. Simple back flips and sidesteps will get you out of the way.
They also like to jump up in the air in a ball and come crashing down on you
for some good damage, but this attack is easy to spot and avoid. Whenever they
say "Whip it!", they will lunge at you, butt-first. Their strangest attack is
when they meet up in the center of the warehouse after yelling, "Here I come!",
make suggestive motions, spin at you, and lunge. You can interrupt this by
throwing a crate at them, or you can just run until you hear them stop. Don't
let them grab you or it will result in them tag-teaming: throwing you in the
air and slamming you back down. Ouch.
Some notes about their offense from Axel:
"You CANNOT duck Mr. Silver's throw attack (you can't duck Mr. Gold's, either,
but he has the standard 'bandanna mook with cig' throw instead of Mr. Silver's
ridiculously powerful combo throw).
"When Mr. Gold & Silver perform their jumping kick attacks (the one with a huge
dust cloud that is really fast), attempting to flying kick them out of the air
will result in you being caught on their model and held there, causing them to
get a free hit on you. Not fun."
If you have it, use your Godhand. Since they like to gang up on you, this will
most likely result in you hitting them both at the same time. Then you can run
to the other side of the warehouse, taunt them, rinse, and repeat until it's
full again. Dash attacks work well to break them up since they'll chase after
you together too. Take a look at which one's health is lower, find him, and
focus all your energy on him. Be careful: only throw a few punches and then
dodge since they are quick, and one will attack from the side while you're
hitting the other. If you've got room and orbs, splash damage roulettes will
work nicely when they gang up on you. Once one of them is down, they can't
pull off team moves, and it's as simple as punch/kick combos and dodges.
Outside, collect the spoils but watch out as there will be at least one enemy
hiding in the barrels.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-4, Sneak Into Elvis's Crib! [st1]
Watch out for the enemies in this first hall and the room to the left since it
is easy for them to gang up on you in the small space. If you need to fill
your tension gauge, punch the statue of Elvis until it drops its book, then
feel free to look. This will only work once though. The guy in the side room
will drop a rosary. Clear out the hall and hope you get some healing items
from those crates and vases before entering the room at the base of the stairs.
In here are three glass cases to pilfer for cash and four waves of enemies.
First, you get two normal thugs. Then three more. It is surprisingly easy to
get caught in a corner thanks to the glass cases. I personally like doing
repeated dash attacks with square to send them flying and keep them from
surrounding Gene. Next is a flood of the little green guys. As you might have
seen before, they like to throw bombs that you can kick around the room. They
will also try to poke you in the ass, which is just embarrassing. Be ready to
hit circle if you see one go behind you as this will result in a satisfying
reaction attack. A few punches and kicks are enough to take them out; dash
attacks annihilate them. Lastly, you get two of the taller thugs. Now might
be a good time to unleash that Godhand. When they're dead, get the treasure
(noting the odd busts) and the rosary and leave.
If you need to refill your tension gauge, the Elvis statue will have gotten its
book back. Upstairs, there's a room beside the door the two guys are guarding.
Save the girls inside from the fat thug to get your third rosary and meet them
downstairs for items. Use your three rosaries to unlock the door; you can beat
up those two tall thugs or run right past them.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 1-5, Who's The Boss? Elvis! [st1]
The first thing you should do is go behind Elvis's chair and get the chest
there for the Yes Man Kablaam technique. Break the vases over Elvis's head,
punch his chair, and hope for something good.
As for attacks, he has a long range attack where he hurls fire at you. He can
also hurl himself at you super fast (head down or fist out). He'll punch,
kick, and head butt as well as jump into the air and land to do splash damage
if you stand close to him long enough. He is surprisingly fast so you will
need to keep on your toes. Lastly, he can blow smoke in your face to blind
you. Watch your radar to keep your bearings and make room until it clears out.
As for offense, his long range techniques were hurting the most so I found it
was easier to keep close to him since his jumping splash damage technique is
easily avoided with a back flip. Elvis's weight keeps him from being hugely
affected by dash attacks and strong kicks, though they are good for throwing
him off kilter. Using the Godhand is the best way to pile on any real damage
since Elvis is quite fast. Luckily, the Yes Man Kablaam helps A LOT in this.
Basically, the strategy to follow is punch/kick combos until Elvis guards. Use
a Guard Breaker and, while he's recovering, use the Yes Man Kablaam followed
instantly by a sidestep to increase the tension gauge. This is a widely
popular move because it is an effective lifesaver, pure and simple. To make it
even better, if the Kablaam connects, it will stun Elvis long enough to do
another. And another. But usually not too many more than that. Elvis's speed
allows him to recover and attack quickly.
You can now enter the fighting ring in the casino complex to start earning
money. More bouts will become available after each major stage. See the
Extreme Fighting section for more info.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-1, Demons Playing With Fire [st2]
There are thugs (including females now) scattered in this area, plus you've got
guys throwing fire balls at you. You can easily take on all the baddies one by
one by using taunts to get them to come to you. Listen for the sound of air
whooshing and dodge to avoid a possible fire ball. As for the females, they
like to jerk your chain. If you see them sit on the ground and start crying,
stay away! They'll low kick you if you get near them. Someone in this group
will drop a key. Continue up the path, watching for projectiles.
Up the stairs to your right are some crates and a thug. Don't venture too far
out into the wide open area. The enemies around here will approach you
themselves in easy-to-handle groups of two. The second group is two females,
and at least one will have a whip. Either take the whip lady out in close
range or be ready to back flip when you see her raise her whip because it has a
good reach and will knock Gene off his feet. The last guy you face looks like
a normal, taller thug, but he has a mohawk that he can throw at you. Take him
out normally but be ready to sidestep if he raises his hands to his head.
He'll give up a key. Someone in this area will most likely turn into a new
kind of demon (orange). These guys brandish a blade on one arm and specialize
in lunging attacks. Keep your distance and sidestep to avoid damage, and then
go in for the counterattack. However, they can also teleport and have no
reaction commands for Gene, so get ready to run when one goes behind you. Go
up the stairs ahead of you and take care of the bladed fat thug and his friend
who were working the catapult.
In the next area, watch for more fire balls. Go to the left to find an open
area with six thugs (the more dangerous ones have a whip and a bat). They're
nice and spread out so you can easily use taunts to draw them out for one-on-
one fights like before. Use the barrels and crates to hit them and draw them
out as well. Two of them will drop keys. Further in upstairs, you'll meet two
citizens being terrorized. Pick up your new bat and use it to save them; just
be careful you don't hit them.
Go back downstairs and continue up the path, clearing three more enemies as you
go while getting another key. Those ladies you saved will be hiding to the
left near the writing on the wall. Loop around, smash the crates, and move on.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-2, Human Fireworks = PARTY! [st2]
To save this poor guy, you'll need to beat up the thugs while making sure that
the lit fuses don't reach the TNT. Stomp on the fuse to put it out. The thugs
with torches will actually be more preoccupied with lighting the fuses than
Gene so use that to your advantage, but the heavier thugs won't have torches
and so will only attack you. You'll know the fuses are lit when the villager
is screaming. A nice way to handle this is to throw punches and break their
guards when they put 'em up to buy time. Or, since they're the skinny thugs,
just dash attack them with square. You've also got two explosive barrels by
the entrance to use. While they're recovering, go and stomp on a fuse. Gene's
stomp animation does not grant him invincibility, so stomp once and then
immediately sidestep or back flip. After all the torch-bearers and fatties are
gone, a bladed fat thug will attack on his own. Watch for his long range
lunges; he's actually pretty fast with those. Throw some of the leftover
torches to easily take him out. You'll get the roulette move Daisy Cutter for
saving the villager. Use the key fatty dropped to continue.
There are only crates in the next area. This must mean there's a boss or the
Little Devil is nearby... Yes, to your right. Replenish your health if you
can/need to before talking to her.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 3
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes
This challenge is a real pain; I usually pass it up. You have two waves of
enemies. First are two whip ladies and a bladed fat thug. They start far
apart but will gang up on you before you know it. If you have your Godhand
charged, use it and you'll most likely take out the two ladies because
they'll be so close together. If not, throw a few punches and quickly dodge.
Rinse and repeat until your meter is full. Afterwards, use the fat thug to
charge up your meter again because after that you have to deal with a knife
sniper, another whip lady, and a zebra thug (a taller guy in a tacky outfit
that packs more of a punch than other enemies).
The knife guy usually keeps his distance just because he can throw knives at
you from clear across the arena. The zebra thug and the lady have no problem
chasing after you. You'll want to take the sniper and the lady out first
since they don't take much punishment to kill (dash attacks work well). Your
best bet is charging your Godhand or using roulette moves, but this is
difficult since time isn't on your side.
Three thugs are guarding the door ahead. Two attack first and then a taller
guy jumps in. Feel free to lead them back to the open area if you need more
room to maneuver.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-3, Giant Enemy Crane [st2]
You'll get a shot of knife snipers up ahead. You can jump up the ladder and
use the barrel to knock one of them off, but it's easier just to punch their
platforms out from under them and take care of them on the ground. Just be
sure to tackle them one at a time since they are easy to take care of by
themselves but a real pain in groups. Constantly dodge since they're nimble.
If you take them on one-on-one, you're under the knife (ha ha) of the one
above. They always yell before they attack; use that to your advantage. One
of them coughs up a key.
The object in the next area is to destroy the crane. Problem is, thugs are
going to be in your way for most of this first part and the crane will also
home in on you if you stand under it. You can actually use the crane to damage
the small fry; get the crane poised to attack and then run to get the thugs to
stand where you were. Bam. You can also pull the lampposts out of the ground
to use as bludgeons or projectiles. As for the crane, when an arm comes down
to attack you, it will get stuck in the ground. Just punch and kick it. Rinse
and repeat the baiting process until both are down. Just watch out that those
thugs don't catch you completely off guard. They come in all varieties but are
not indefinite, so you can take them out before turning on the crane if you
want.
Go up the only open stairs on the ground floor and loot the crates and barrels
on the way around. Jump down and go into the area you opened by killing the
crane. This door up here will lock. Smack the face of the lock until it turns
red to open it. Beware of the spiked arms that will activate. They'll shake
before they hit you, so back flip away and continue whaling on it. Or just
throw a lamppost at it to take care of it in one hit. Kill the bladed thug
inside; he can be a real pain. He's so light that a punch from Gene will make
him reel backwards, making it difficult to land any more on him without moving
closer, opening yourself up to an attack. If you have any lampposts or barrels
left, use them. He'll follow you into the open area, but not far. This way,
you can easily keep tabs on him. He'll give you a key. Use it in the crane
area on the ground floor to move on.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-4, Beware The Arrow Bridge [st2]
Take care of the two enemies. Before crossing the bridge, flip the switch in
the alcove on the left side of this area. The floor will open up, revealing a
villager in distress. Jump down to get the bad guys' attention, then jump up
out of the depression to do battle since the lady won't run to safety. For
finding her, you get the Chain Yanker roulette move.
To cross the bridge safely, just walk in between two of the pillars shooting
arrows. Not hard. Punch them out if you want.
Ahead, you've got a mohawk thug and a guy with a bat. Be careful if you kill
the bat guy first because mohawk will go and pick his bat up. They'll both
drop keys. Two whip ladies lie ahead. Throw your new bat at one of them to
instantly KO her. Use the remaining one to fill your tension gauge. Clean up
the barrels and examine the poster to use your two keys.
Poor Gene. :(
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-5, The Three Evil Stooges [st2]
Payback time! The good news about facing these three is that you'll do it one
at a time. As always, note your surroundings. Tons of crates around.
Felix, the big guy, is first. He likes to steam and charge. All you have to
do is sidestep and counterattack. You'll mostly see him swing his large arms
around to attack and end in a lunge. Don't think getting distance between you
two will keep him from landing hits. He can slam his arms down for a shockwave
attack (watch for the dirt), and he'll charge. Axel has informed me that
nothing you can do will knock Felix out of this charge, so avoid it at all
costs. You should really only use the Godhand on him once. His attacks are so
predictable that it's easy to take him down with basic combos. When he's about
gone, use him to charge your tension gauge for Bruce.
Bruce is basically a knife sniper and so is extremely annoying. He likes to
throw that weapon of his like a boomerang. Duck right before it hits you and
sidestep away or keep ducking until it comes back. Doing this may trigger
Bruce to come up to you and start attacking while you're working to dodge the
boomerang. He will also kick, use heel drop moves, and slide along the floor.
Like Elvis, he can blind you. If you're in his face, he'll spit green liquid
at you and coat the screen. Run around until it clears. Using the Godhand on
him is tough because of his weight. Like the last major thug you fought, he's
so light that he ends up reeling from one punch! A good way to keep landing
hits is to punch and kick without entering a combo. Keep your thumb tilting up
on the left analog stick, and you'll always stick close to him. If you've been
saving your crates, they work really well to throw him off balance and open him
up to some punishment; just be sure not to throw them when he throws his
boomerang, since your crate will phase through his boomerang and you will take
damage.
It seems that keeping your distance from Bruce will trigger him to throw his
boomerang, which you probably do not want. Axel recommends staying in his face
and dodging every third move or so. Ducking and sidestepping will actually
clear a lot of his moves; the downward swipe with his boomerang can be cleared
with a duck since it hits high and at an angle.
When he's through, it's Conchita's turn. Ugh, she has a whip. Really, all
she'll do is kick you if you're close and break out the whip if you're far
away. She does also have a lunge attack where she straightens her whip like a
sword. Use the Godhand to give her a sound thrashing and dizzy her for a
spanking. Keep good distance and wait for an opening after an attack to go in
for a combo or two. Just be sure not to fall for her crying bit. If she turns
blue-faced and sits down, wait for her to get back up. Taunting her while she
cries is always fun. Be sure to utilize all your leftover crates.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-6, The Cliff Ahead [st2]
See those circular patterns on the ground ahead? Simply punch the rocks so
they sit on the patterns, one for each. (The rocks say, "It's hard." Uh,
thanks?) Afterwards, three thugs appear. Watch out because fatty is fast when
he lunges with those blades! Use taunts to draw them out one-by-one if you
can. They have the stupid thug complex where they can't leave their designated
posts. If they gang up on you, run back to where you started, and they'll
retreat. Next, get the two guys by the rope ladder.
Up here, thugs will come out of the shack one at a time. Kick them or dash
attack them off the cliff to get them to back off. If you'd rather not put up
with them trickling out at you, just take care of the first one and jump right
up to the shack; they'll stop coming when you step through the door. Take care
of the knife sniper upstairs and the two other thugs. Beat open the door and
refill your health with that strawberry in the chest. Flip the switch and head
outside.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 2-7, The Return Of Fat Elvis [st2]
You'll have to deal with two knife snipers first. As soon as one is dead,
Elvis will jump in. Use the first one you kill to charge your tension gauge.
If you get the remaining sniper between you and Elvis, he'll most likely get in
the way of one of the big guy's lunges and get sent flying. As terrible as it
sounds, you can punch the gravestones apart for items, though there's nothing
around that you can throw.
Elvis's attacks haven't changed much. He'll start to turn a demonic color when
you land lots of hits on him, and he can hurl fireballs at you now as well as
blow them out his cigar in flaming smoke rings. Whenever you see him strike a
pose and reach for his cigar, back off. Elvis is actually easy to deal with
since you should have your Yes Man Kablaam moves down. Now that you have the
Chain Yanker roulette move, use it to pull him in close and dizzy him, then
whale on him with the Yes Man Kablaam to completely fill your tension gauge.
Then unleash the Godhand. If you use up your orbs or have none, a dash attack
with square works extremely well to stun Elvis long enough to get in more
Kablaams. Just make sure you do your lunge attack before he does his! When
not Kablaaming, try and stick close to Elvis since that limits his attacks to
combos and his splash attack, but keep an eye on that radar if he starts
jumping around.
Afterwards, I would definitely get the new Zen Revival move in the shop if
you've been having bad luck with keeping your health in check. The chihuahua
races are open for business as well in the item store. They're good for some
quick cash and a laugh.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-1, An Adult Playground [st3]
Enemies are hiding to the left and right of the main path here. You can enter
the building with the red doors to your left to find a villager being harassed
by a clown and two other carnival freaks. The female has a spiked hat that
she'll throw like a Frisbee. The villager will be hiding in the grass on the
right side of the street when it's over. More enemies are spread out around
the carousel area. You can pull that parasol out of the ground to use on them.
Through the door, you'll most likely hear the sounds of enemies getting
attacked. We'll get back to that. The two guys under the arch are a problem
because one will turn into a new kind of demon (spiked). (Well, he might and
he might not. In a replay game, the new demon didn't appear for me for a while
yet, so just keep this info in the back of your head if this goes for you too.)
These guys are mostly close-ranged attackers because they can project spikes
from every corner of their body, but they can also curl up in a ball and hurl
themselves at you in midair. Back flip to avoid the spikes and sidestep to
clear the lunge. Like the purple ones, they have a Counter command when they
teleport behind Gene.
Now, as to the instant enemy KOs you heard: there are spiked boxes on the
tracks in this area that spin and deal heavy damage to anything in their path.
To be on the safe side, wait until they stop spinning and punch them apart. If
you want to live dangerously, keep them intact and try to get the enemies
scattered in the hedge maze to walk into them. The boxes give up items when
destroyed so you might as well get rid of them either way.
Take the far left path and waste the spike lady to find the Little Devil.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 4
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes
You start with a clown and two ladies. Then you get a spiked hat lady and
two others with whips. To finish, there's a robot thug. Charge your
Godhand on the first round. If you have roulette orbs, use your strongest
to take a huge chunk of the ladies' health. If not, punch n' dodge. Use the
clown to build your tension gauge. Use your Godhand on the second round.
Two whips at a time with a spiked projectile is a huge pain. They'll gang up
on you so you should be able to take at least two of them out and finish the
straggler. The robot guy is no big deal. He'll float up in the air and
lunge, but that's about it as far as new attacks go. Break out the Godhand
if you have it and are running low on time.
Follow the middle path to get out. Once you kill the clown and whip lady, a
tall thug will ambush you. He'll drop a key.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-2, The Masked Man's Riddle [st3]
Your next opponent doesn't have much in the way of long range attacks. His
specialty is grabbing you and performing wrestling moves or tossing you around
like a rag doll. The first of these moves is when he swings his arm low to
grab your ankle. Get ready to wiggle free when this happens. Gene will
counterattack in his own special way and make him susceptible to a Gorilla
Suplex. When he grabs your waist, he'll slam you down for minimal damage but
prepare to perform a pile driver. The Avoid command will not always use the
circle button so wait before you start mashing to get free or else you'll hurt.
If you successfully avoid this attack, it will actually damage him instead.
The rest of his attacks are short range punches and kicks, but he can spin
around and home in on you.
When his health is about halfway down, he'll take a time out to do a jig,
calling in one of the little green guys with some bananas. Make sure you get
to him before your opponent does or else he'll regain health. One hit will get
rid of him. Steal the bananas for yourself and prepare to repeat this when he
does his dance again. You have to get to that little guy first or this fight
could drag on. Plus, those bananas are your only source of health here.
Piling on punches and Guard Breakers doesn't work too well in this fight since
he can reach under you and avoid them. The Godhand's invincibility is really
the only way you'll be safe from his underhanded wrestling moves. Use square
dash attacks to stun him long enough to get in some Yes Man Kablaams, like in
the last fight with Elvis, though you can't usually get in more than two before
he regains composure. Kicks also seem to be more effective than plain punches.
The bus stop sign can be pulled out of the ground, but it doesn't really do a
whole lot of damage.
Take his key and move on when he's had it.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-3, Shannon's Dance School [st3]
A whole host of thugs and carnies will be ahead, beating up on some villagers
and forcing them to dance. Horror of horrors! Save them! You'll probably
find a rocket launcher in the box nearby. Do not use it yet unless you want to
explain to their families why daddy isn't coming home. Feel free to fire when
they're safely in hiding because more enemies will pour in when that group is
finished. Keep in mind that you can kick apart the red and white tents for
items. The two villagers will be through the arch ahead of you, next to some
boxes and an explosive barrel. You can either enter the gates the ladies came
through or go up by where the zebra thug is; either way, you'll see boxes and a
clown guarding a lever. Flip it to activate the lock back a ways and punch it
open.
Beat up the two thugs guarding the door and enter. The other one in this area
is locked.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-4, The Not So Fun House [st3]
Move ahead to meet the Mad Midget Five. These guys are annoying for a number
of reasons. First, they like to gang up on you. Second, they're damn fast and
can jump like fleas. Third, they are so short that a lot of Gene's punches
will miss, even when using the Godhand. They can do fast punching volleys and
high kicks. When they all line up in the center, they'll shoot lasers at you,
but they can do this by themselves too. They also do this annoying move where
they double up and roll at you like freakish contortionists. Needless to say,
you're going to be doing a lot of dodging in this fight.
Having attacks in your repertoire that hit low or are of the Evade High Attack
variety (which, right now, is just the Reverse Sweep and Low Roundhouse Kick)
would be good except that they don't do a whole lot of damage. These do work
really well when they all decide to jump on you at once though. One sweep of
the leg will get them to back off. The High Kick is also a good one to use
because it is, oddly enough, an instant launch attack against these light foes.
Most of their attacks will cause them to fall over so you'll see the Stomp
command a lot. Do not use it! Gene's stomping animation leaves him extremely
open. Instead, use their clumsiness to attack someone else or get breathing
room. Use the barrels to throw them off guard or disrupt their attacks. Don't
rely on the Godhand too much in this fight except for the invincibility.
Since these buggers were constantly in my face, I found the most important
thing was to run for the entire fight. Dashing around the arena means you'll
stay one step ahead of all of their attacks. Do a dash attack when one happens
in front of you and then start running again. The best time to attack is after
they do their laser and rolling moves. Both are easy to spot since they jump
to the middle of the arena. When you hear them say "Mad Midget Five!" after
the lasers, go in for some hits since they're sitting ducks. Also, after
they're done rolling around, wait for the weird sound to stop and then check
your radar to find them and hit them while they're recuperating. Sometimes
you'll get lucky with a punch when it brings your target up to mid-height range
and lets you whale on him in midair. Pick out which one's health is lowest and
focus on him. Then, continue attacking indiscriminately until you notice
another one about to go. This strategy needs patience more than anything.
They give up items when they pass out, which is always a good thing. If you
can dizzy them, Gene's reaction command will deal lots of damage, incapacitate
them for a period of time, and is oh so satisfying to watch.
Continue to the pirate ship. Flip the lever to start a mini-game. Cannonballs
will fly at you from four different cannons, labeled with the Playstation
controller's face buttons. Right before the cannonball hits you, it will flash
red. Hit the button corresponding to the cannon that fired it to get Gene to
punch it back and crumple the mast. Beat up the thug and take his bat. On the
ship, throw the crates to break them open rather than punching them since
little bladed enemies are hiding in some. They'll jump and spin those blades
of theirs but get them caught in the ground, leaving them open. Try juggling
them near the side of the ship to knock them overboard. Get the key and 100
Fists roulette move from the chests and backtrack, watching for ambushes from
above.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-5, Shannon's Dance School [st3]
Pull out the parasol and launch it at one of the two knife snipers guarding the
door to your right. Use them to charge your tension gauge.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-6, Puppy Kingdom [st3]
Aw, wookit all da widdle puppies! They won't hurt you and you can't hurt them.
So no puppy punting. Kick apart the tent and wait for a statue to come out of
the ground and hope it gives you something good. Refill your gauges with all
the breakable objects around. You'll also find a villager to the left of the
big tent. You can't do anything to help him; he doesn't even react from a
swift kick to the rear. Just pity him and move on, I guess.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 3-7, Shannon's Show [st3]
First, note the obvious trap in the middle of the area. You'll want to go in
there at least once to get all the goodies. Unless you don't want to. Then,
by all means, don't. Wait until you're low on health since you can nab the
strawberry, take care of the thugs that ambush you, and use the items scattered
around on Shannon. The ambush is a zebra thug who will most likely turn into
a demon and a whip lady with a spiked hat, and you can fight them without fear
of attack from Shannon; she'll just watch. The chest holds the High Snap Kick.
Shannon's got some pretty good long range attacks. She swings that wand of
hers and sends deadly hearts your way. These can go high or mid range so you
need to gauge when to duck and when to sidestep. If she sends a lone heart
your way by blowing a kiss, run like hell while tracking it on your radar. (A
special sound also accompanies this move.) This one homes in on you and will
turn you into a chihuahua. I recommend letting this happen to you at least
once because Gene as a chihuahua is pretty cool; he has a new set of actions
for each attack button. Plus, he's just adorable. While you're a dog, Shannon
will kick you around (which makes you wish the SPCA were here) but does minimal
damage. As a human, if she grabs you, she'll pull a female favorite: a mach
bitch slap. If she jumps at you, she'll slam you to the floor; wiggle out of
it. She'll spin with that wand and send out a magical splash attack if you
stand too close to her.
I actually found it easiest to stay close to her since those hearts were
annoying the hell out of me. If you can get in combos and pull off your Yes
Man Kablaam technique, it will work as long as you only use it when Shannon is
stunned. She can recover from a Guard Breaker surprisingly well in certain
cases. Move in close to her and do a dash attack (triangle works); this stuns
her and lets you get some combos in. Whenever you punch her and she's not
fazed, do several back flips away because this means she'll do a splash attack.
When she's done, dash in again and repeat. If you can keep this up, you'll
have limited her to close ranged attacks, which means no hearts. When low on
health, smash the objects for possible goodies and wait for an opening to
resume the dash attack/combo/back flip routine. She'll jump away from you
occasionally which means you need to scramble to get to her before she waves
that wand. As always, abuse the Godhand but save those orbs for Zen Revival if
you have it in case you get screwed out of healing items.
If you are having problems getting close to Shannon, Axel recommends using the
center cage to your advantage. Taking a shortcut through the cage is a good
way to get Shannon to chase after you, and you can use the bars to block her
hearts should she think she's close enough to effectively attack.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-1, The Kilo-Crab [st4]
The new rig enemies aren't anything special. Some of them have whips; I'd use
the explosive barrels on them. You can also run right past everyone to the
lift. That was a whole stage?!
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-2, Robots On Parade! [st4]
Take care of the guy right next to you and use a taunt to draw in the two
females. When the fembots are about dead, they'll start to let off sparks and
attempt to get close to you. This means they're about to self-destruct, so run
for it. When you kill one of the two guys (watch out for the one with the
bat), three more will jump down. Don't let them funnel you in towards the thin
walkway where you started. Stay in the open area and use dash attacks to break
them up and combos to put them down. Unfortunately, you can't do anything for
the villagers here.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-3, Kissing A Hot Chick [st4]
Ignore the enemies at the end of this path and turn your attention to the
walkway on the left. A woman will get chased by robots. Use the crates to
one-hit KO each robot that comes out to get her. She'll flip the switch at the
end and plant a wet one on Gene's cheek, filling the tension gauge. Clean up
the crates from her walkway and then use the rest to finish the enemies
guarding the exit.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-4, Seriously, We Want The God Hand [st4]
The terrible threesome again. Like last time, there's lots of crates around.
The orange and silver construction barriers can't be picked up, but they can be
broken for items.
Unlike last time, you'll have to fight them all at once. Bruce and Felix will
come at you first, and Conchita will jump in shortly after. Actually, she'll
jump in and out of the fight. Her marker on the radar will fade when she's in
the rafters. Their attacks are exactly the same as last time; the only
challenge here is dodging two or three huge foes at a time. I tend to leave
Felix (the big guy) alone since he's the slowest and most predictable. Bruce
will likely be in your face more.
Felix's long range attacks can actually be used to your advantage. Get the
other two in his path, and he'll send them flying with a charge or shockwave.
Bring out all your toughest moves on Bruce and save the Godhand for when
Conchita is on the field since that whip is damn annoying. While fighting one
head-on, the others will most likely attack from the side. Always watch your
radar and dodge after a combo. If you can't see everyone at once, listen for
the sounds of their special attacks (e.g. - the sound of Bruce's boomerang
whooshing through the air or Felix roaring) since that means you're gonna wanna
sidestep soon. Whatever moves worked for you last time, simply repeat.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-5, You. Me. Pattycake. [st4]
Beat the three robots and use the switch. On the upper level are hydraulic
presses. Three of them guard switches that you must flip. Flipping said
switches will cause normal enemies to attack. You can lure them under the
presses for an instant kill, Terminator style, but you can also punch the
presses apart after the fight or if they are giving you trouble. The Little
Devil lies through the door.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 4
Destroy the car before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes
That ugly car again. However, there are enemies protecting it: a whip lady,
a guy with a sledgehammer, and a huge wrestler. You should have enough time
to take them and the car out. Always stay close to the car and let them come
to you. That way, your punches will hit them and then Gene can auto-target
the car when they back away. Sidestep your way around the vehicle, punching
as you go. Use your Godhand or roulettes if you want. You can also try to
get the car between you and the enemies; this works best with the wrestler.
He'll try and attack Gene through the car and will fail miserably. Pick up
the sledgehammer if you can to really do some damage.
Jump down and back up to lure the fembots to a wider playing field.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-6, Iron Bridge Fashion Show [st4]
Save that barrel and the rocket launcher you find in one of those crates and
know that there is also another explosive barrel on the other side of the
bridge. Flip the switches along the bridge to bring down enemies to fight.
Use the open area behind you for the first three. You might want to use that
rocket or the barrel on the next group. Wait until you're sure they're grouped
together or Gene will only shoot/blow up whoever is at the head of the pack.
Clean up the crowd that comes out next or just run past them to exit.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-7, Electric Deathmatch [st4]
This next stage is a bit of a pain. It's basically a series of cage matches
against some strange opponents. The first seems easy enough: four fembots.
However, one will spawn a new demon (trident). He can swing that weapon of his
for great range and damage. He can also shoot a laser in an arc on the floor
that will leave a path of flame. Do not let him grab you or he'll just about
tear Gene in half. He won't be fazed by Gene's attacks so you have to throw a
few punches and then immediately get out of the way. He'll drop that trident
when's he dead. Two robot knife snipers will be next. Do a dash attack to
stun them long enough to safely pick up the trident and then use it on 'em.
The next match is in an electrified cage so steer clear of the bars! A female
and male wrestler will attack. Try using dash attacks to get them to get fried
by the cage; it does mucho damage. Sidestep rather than back flip to dodge
incoming attacks since it's hard to tell how close you are to the bars. Up
next is another wrestler, but this guy's a little strange. Like the trident
demon, he can weather Gene's attacks better than most and will manage to punch
you while you punch him. His punches are slow, but he can grab you for a nasty
wrestling move and will most likely dizzy you or knock you clean to the floor
with each hit. Throw a crate at him and then do a dash attack to send him into
the cage. Fighting up close is dangerous, so the Godhand might be a good move
here. He'll give you the Granny Smacker technique upon defeat.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-8, Another God Hand [st4]
You should be familiar with Azel's attacks: he will fight pretty might like
Gene. He'll even use his own versions of your roulette moves. Kung Fu Tango,
Shockwave, Divine Smash, and Head Slicer were the ones I saw him use, but I
hear that he is also prone to using the Ball Buster if you're close. He is
very vulnerable after performing one, so use that to your advantage. By far,
the most fun attack of his is when he lunges at you with his arms open wide.
Instantly start mashing circle because this brings you into a humorous pummel-
off, and Gene will most likely win unless you are on a high level of
difficulty, in which case you will likely break your finger trying to mash
fast enough.
He's an excellent dodger so the only way to pile on real damage is to use your
Godhand or your roulette moves. Kicks seem to be more effective than punches,
so if you want to use dash attacks to close the gap, use the triangle one. The
Yes Man Kablaam strategy does not work here. Your best bet is smashing jars
over his head or using dash attacks and going in for combos, hoping your
punches will find his face. The good news is that the fight will end when
Azel's health meter reaches the halfway point.
Knoxx has e-mailed me with a juicy piece of info that might make this fight
easier: "When fighting Azel in 4-8, he is VERY susceptible to the Hand Plant
Kick, which will put him on the ground 9 times out of 10, which you can then
get some easy stomps in."
Axel has also done a ton of research on how Azel fights for each difficulty
level. If you're struggling and need a good analysis, check out the "Fighting
Azel" sub head in the "Advanced Moves" section up top.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-9, The Fat Bazooka Trap [st4]
Take out the knife sniper but don't go too far up the next ramp. There's a
fat thug with a bazooka tied to his back. Use that explosive barrel to throw
him off and then run up and beat him down. You could also get his attention
and then wait for him to come down since he's got lady friends up the ramp.
Once two of the females are gone, another bazooka thug will appear. He's alone
though. Easy pickin'. Use him to charge your Godhand.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 4-10, The Fifth Deva? Dr. Ion [st4]
You'll see Dr. Ion break apart and reform into several different attack forms
throughout the fight. The first will put a ball-like appendage in place of his
hand that detaches and homes in on you; run until it dissipates. Another will
put a drill in place of his arm for several lunge attacks. The next will make
that same arm a rocket launcher. They're not heat seekers so they're easy to
dodge. His normal form will be when he lunges with his foot and does punching
volleys and spinning electrical attacks. In any form, he can throw out his
left arm and shoot electricity. Back flips and sidesteps are all you need to
avoid each attack.
Dr. Ion is not a tough opponent. Punch and kick combos will see you through
just fine. You need to follow the old formula of punching and dodging
immediately after since he'll weather your punches like the last few major
foes. Because of this, he doesn't guard as much. His moves are predictable
and as long as you can foresee them and dodge correctly, combos will work until
you can unleash the Godhand. Axel has pointed out that, when dodging, always
be sure to dodge to the side rather than back since Dr. Ion's attacks bring him
forward. If you came in with at least two orbs, save them for Zen Revival
since you have no items in this fight.
There's lots of interesting moves in stock at the store. Finally, our
repertoire is expanding.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-1, Oh no! Human Horseshoes [st5]
You'll get 10,000 cash from Olivia right from the start. Use taunts to weed
out the three thugs ahead and take your share of the wares at God Hand Fruits.
Over the bridge, beat up the ring toss players to save the villager. Just do
dash attacks to send them into the river or punch them close to the edge so
they just fall over. Easy. The guy will suddenly remember that he knows how
to swim and gives you the Home Run God roulette. Clean up the crates and move
on.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-2, Dangerous Alleyways [st5]
A new enemy awaits ahead: a guy that looks like he just came out of a martial
arts movie. These guys don't have much in the way of defense, but they're good
at punching and kicking volleys. Wait until they're done showing off to make
your move. Turn to the right and enter the building with the orange door for
crates but an ambush. Outside, the darker alleys in this area always have
crates at the end. If you went up the stairs ahead of you from the start,
you'd come across a wrestler and his entourage. There's nothing up here really
except an explosive barrel so it might not be worth it to pick this fight.
Your choice. Your destination is downstairs past the green-looking part of the
street, guarded by three martial artists. Make sure to enter the building down
here for more crates. Use them to draw the three guys out one by one.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-3, Long Walk. Short Pier. [st5]
Save that barrel. Throw a crate to get the two females to come at you one at a
time. Punch the bridge down and then go back to get that barrel to use on the
dancing fools. Further down the walkway, you'll come to the docks. Fight the
enemies here or run past them to the boat to make your escape.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-4, Rock Star Tour Boat [st5]
Whoa, look at all those crates. If you want to make room to run for when you
pick a fight later, feel free to break them apart but save the items inside for
later. At the bow is a lever for a shooting mini-game which is pretty simple.
The ship you're shooting at will ambush you if you don't sink it. Whenever it
appears, fire as many cannon balls at it as you can each time it passes. If
you happen to see a UFO, shoot it for bonus money. If you fail to sink the
ship before the game ends, prepare to be boarded. Be sure to watch out for the
captain of your vessel; he's got nowhere to hide. Use your Godhand wisely
during each wave of the attack since there's bound to be a guy with a bat and a
lady with a whip.
After you finish off the ambush or immediately after you sank the enemy ship,
Ravel and three groupies will drop down from above, and your captain will have
thankfully found someplace to hide. Don't worry too much about the three thugs
unless they're in your face because Ravel will heavily damage them with his
electrical attacks. Whatever you do, DO NOT go up on the bow. They will
corner you, and it will be damn near impossible to get out. Ravel's long range
attacks are just straight-line electric blasts, in groups of one or three. If
you get up close to him, he'll just try to bludgeon you with his guitar.
The Yes Man Kablaam strategy will work well here. Fighting close range is the
best move since he's slow with that guitar. He has to strum to charge his
electric moves, so you can hear his long range attacks coming. Use the crates
in the area to throw him off balance while he's strumming an attack and move in
close. This fight is only really tough if you get trapped in a corner of the
ship, which is why it was a good idea to break all those crates beforehand.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-5, The Floating Bazaar [st5]
Clean up on the ship and meet the captain on the dock for a strawberry. Two
females wait behind the arch ahead. Kick 'em in the river. Turn right and use
the crates to draw out the enemies upstairs. The Little Devil is guarding a
key up here.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 5
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
Finally! An easy challenge! Well, semi-easy. There's one round, and you
start off completely surrounded. Your enemies are the martial artists and a
new type of wrestler. What to do? Notice your arena is a rock surrounded by
water. You got it. Dash attack their asses right off the edge. When you
get the two bigger guys alone, it's as easy as punch/kick combos. Use your
roulettes and the Godhand to give yourself breathing room if they swamp you
(and they will).
Three more guys will ambush you on the way downstairs. You can ignore them and
use your new key or fight.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-6, Knife Sniper [st5]
Go up and save the villager. You can complete this area one of two ways. The
easy way is to just punch the lock open now. Yes, there are knife snipers up
above, but they always yell before they attack and their knives show up on your
radar. Punch the lock until either it or the snipers attack. Back flip away,
run back up, and continue. The hard way is to go up to the right and make your
way up to the snipers' level. When fighting the first three enemies, get them
under the arch or back to where the villager is to be safe since the stairs are
a bad place to fight. Use taunts to draw the enemies upstairs to you if you
can. Run back downstairs if they crowd you. Break all the crates and punch
the lock open now that the snipers are gone. Clear the gate and use the crates
up the ladder to heal.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-7, Encore? [st5]
Ravel's bringing in the rest of his band now. Meet Debussy, the drummer.
Ravel's attacks haven't changed at all, and Debussy fights an awful lot like
Felix. You'll hear him pound on his stomach to charge a long range attack.
His close range moves are basically punches and kicks and hardcore drumming.
Ravel will be in your face more because he runs after you. Debussy just sort
of waddles. Use the old trick of getting distance between you and letting one
of them harm the other with their long range attacks. This doesn't do great
damage, but it works to throw them off guard. When they gang up on you, dash
away and let them come to you. They hardly ever seem to throw musical blasts
your way at the same time; someone will always move to be in your face. Throw
some punches, rinse and repeat. Just watch that radar. You can use the potted
plants scattered around for items and to break up their long range attacks.
Ravel is probably easier to take out first since Debussy can take more
punishment due to his size. Have fun watching his taunts.
When they're done, they'll give up a key and you can move on. However, if you
check Ravel before leaving, a third guitarist will fight you, who is basically
a copy of his guitar partner. Step away if you get him on the ground because
he'll pull a Marty McFly (à la Back to the Future) and start strumming like mad
along the pavement for a splash attack that ends up sending out shockwaves.
Keep close to him as much as possible. Note that you do not have to fight this
guy, and he doesn't give up anything special when he dies.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-8, It's A Trap!! [st5]
Go forward to, surprisingly enough, find a trap. You need to punch and kick
that iron ball up the path while trying not to get shocked by the floor, which
will beep rapidly and glow before it sends out a shock. There are safe spots
along the path to catch your breath. Launch attacks don't work here because
their animations are too drawn-out (even short ones like the Expert Sobat), and
the ball just rolls right back. Dash attacks are the way to go. Use the clown
that was hiding inside to fill your tension gauge and the surrounding crates to
refill your stats. Must be a boss fight coming up.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 5-9, Elvis's Graced Land [st5]
Time to fight Elvis again. He's got a new look and maybe one new move. Now he
can snap at you with the mouth on his midsection and will chew on Gene if you
don't wiggle out of it. He can still hurl fire and himself at you, and he'll
still swing his arms around. He'll also slam his arms down, stomp, and do his
jumping splash attack if you're close. The hardest attacks of his to dodge are
his lunges. He's so wide that sidesteps won't get the job done; instead, turn
and dash away. Watch for him to yell out and raise his arms like he's flexing;
this means he's going to lunge. If he does the same but rather straightens out
his arms, he's going to throw a huge fireball at you. This one you can
sidestep away from.
Elvis doesn't faze easily, even after a square dash attack, so pulling off some
Kablaam moves is tough. It's actually safer to just do combo moves or taunt
until the Godhand is ready. Throw some punches and then get the hell out of
the way or Elvis will sideswipe you and laugh. You can't charge into the fray
here or he'll get the upper hand. One of the safer strategies is doing a combo
and dodging out of the way because if you stay close to him, Elvis will
probably just do his jumping attack or slam down an arm or something. It takes
him a while to recover from such a move. While he's picking himself up or
taunting, go in with some punches. I've gotten confirmation from Knoxx that,
if you're quick enough, it's possible to get in at least one Yes Man Kablaam
after Elvis finishes an attack. If you happen to come across any cards in the
crates scattered around or have any roulette orbs, don't hesitate to use them.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-1, A Night On Bald Mountain [st6]
Olivia will give you the La Bomba 2 roulette move. To deal with the enemies up
ahead, dash attack them off the cliff. To your left, taunt the enemies
harassing the villagers and lead them out to do the same. You'll have to
juggle attack the lady in black and white over the edge since she knows when to
guard. Get your spoils and jump down to a makeshift arena. The guy guarding
the exit will just watch as you fight off the thugs unless you engage him.
None of these guys are anything special at this point. The spectator has a
mohawk and will pick up the wooden plank to use on you if you don't have it.
Use him to charge your tension gauge because when he's gone, a samurai will
emerge from a portal. This guy is tougher than your average demon. That sword
of his gives him incredible reach and his lunges with it are deadly. Sometimes
back flips aren't enough to get you away from his slashes because he's fast and
that sword is way too long. Sidesteps are better since he mostly thrusts
forward. Stay in his face so he'll be more preoccupied with guarding, or throw
crates at him to knock him out of stance. After he damages you, he'll taunt
with some cheesy line. Use that time to beat him some more. You'll get his
sword for winning.
Get the Stomping Fist move from the chest ahead. Attempt to enter the door to
the left to get an ambush from behind. Run so you're not funneled in this
small area. Use dash attacks to send the small fry over the edge and then use
the explosive barrels and braziers on the bigger foes. Don't waste them all on
the first wave because more will arrive when the numbers are low. The villager
will let you in when they're gone.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-2, Visiting Tiger Joe [st6]
To the left, pull the pipe out of the ground and throw it to instantly KO the
guy hiding behind the wall to the left. Pick up his wooden plank and throw it
to instantly KO the whip lady to the right. Why can't all fights be this easy?
Use a barrel to hit the guy ahead with the sledgehammer to get him to come to
you first. Then use his hammer on his friend or save it. Saving it for the
upcoming warrior women or Tiger Joe is better.
Down the ladder, take out the two axe-wielding warrior women. One of them will
drop a key. Pull out the pole and free the villagers while you're at it. You
will get an ambush of three lowly thugs from above. Get out of the cell and
either throw the pole to possibly take two or more out or use them to charge
your tension gauge if you need it.
On the way back, you'll meet Tiger Joe, a seasoned fighter and not one to be
taken lightly. He's really a big pain because he dodges like crazy. If you
watch how he dodges though, you'll see he mostly bends backwards and low. If
you have any techniques that are a chopping motion or a downward swipe, they
should hit him even if he dodges. The Stomping Fist move you got earlier is an
excellent example. You can also use the Godhand on him to take him down to
about half his life gauge to make him more susceptible to dash attacks.
Use your new key and move on. Dash attack the guy with the bat off the edge
and jump up to meet two ladies. Jump back down and give them some of the same.
Unfortunately, the knife thug up ahead isn't as dumb as the others. Try to
lure him away from the door and then move on if you want.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-3, Revered By Demons [st6]
You're gonna get attacked right off the bat. Some thugs in this area will drop
torches; use them to light the three braziers in the demonic alcoves around the
place. The braziers will actually go out after a while so wait to light them
until you're done fighting. When all three are lit, a whole slew of baddies
will barge through the open door. You can play Tag up and down the ladders to
make sure they don't all corner you, use the barrels you hopefully saved, or
just move on. The Little Devil is through the door, to your right.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 6
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes and 45 seconds
This is another easy challenge if you do one thing: come into it with your
tension gauge full. There's three rounds: a samurai, a warrior woman, and
another samurai. Unleash your Godhand first thing and try to get the samurai
up against the ropes. This way, he'll have nowhere to go and you can just
whale on him with normal combos. Just remember to break his guard when he
puts it up or you'll have given him an opening. Use the warrior woman to
fill your tension gauge and rinse and repeat the strategy with the next
samurai. Time shouldn't be a problem. If it is, pull off a roulette move if
you can.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-4, Shannon's Pet [st6]
Punch the lock open and carefully time your jumps across the moving platforms.
At the doghouse, you'll get a glimpse of Shannon's pet chihuahua. Throw dog
bones at it to get its attention and lead it over to the guy sleeping under the
switch. Unfortunately, Gene can't turn dog bones into projectiles to damage
the horde of fat thugs up ahead (one of which has a bazooka). They're actually
all sleeping so you can walk right up and explode that barrel in their faces.
Don't worry about the guy under the switch; he's comatose. They have the
stupid thug complex, so it's actually a good idea to get their attention and
then lead them out on the cliff path and take care of them little by little.
Once they're done, it's the wrestler's turn. He's all close range palm attacks
so sit back until you see an opening. Be prepared to wiggle the left analog
stick if he grabs you.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-5, A Killer Hand!? [st6]
Remember that line? Yeah, the Mad Midget Five are back. The only change
between this fight and the last is a new group move they do where they create a
bizarre totem pole and spin. The plus side to this attack is that when they
finish, they all fall over and the one on bottom is dizzied, making him a prime
candidate for a Stake Driver reaction command. They've also gained light
sabers to use.
Really, whatever worked for you the last time you fought these guys, do it
again. You've got a wider array of Evade High Attack techniques available at
the store if you want to try that strategy. (The Drunken Sweep is a good one.)
I just did repeated dash attacks until I saw one about to die. I focused on
him and then I started over again. If you run constantly, you'll always be one
step ahead of them. They stumble after group attacks, so listen for the sounds
of them rolling or spinning and then go in for the hurt. The last one drops a
key for you.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-6, Whip It! [st6]
Clean up on the upper level (you can't go back up once you jump down). Use
that sledgehammer in the crate as you see fit. You'll also get a plank from
one of the thugs. Down below, the first attack wave is a cinch. The next
consists of a woman, a guy with a bat, and a bladed thug. Next is a warrior
woman and a lady with a whip. Use the Godhand if they swamp you but always
remember to replenish it. Afterwards, you'll get three rewards, one being the
Forearm Smash 2.
The next tunnel is supposed to be a trap but can be used to your advantage.
Beat up the woman in the first alcove and wait. When a boulder passes, wait
for another and run out and taunt the guy in the next alcove to get him to run
towards you and right into the boulder. You could also run up to the next
alcove and run back and forth between the two. Whatever you decide, make your
way up the tunnel, watching for the two enemies hiding in the last alcove.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-7, Stop Before You Hurt Yourself [st6]
This psychic midget is a pain, but not as bad as the Mad Midget Five. He's
invulnerable while floating in the air, and he really only has two attacks,
easily avoided. One is where he pulls rocks out of the ground and hurls them
at you. Simply run and don't stop until the shadows under Gene dissipate.
The other is when he summons an electrical tractor beam he'll use to pick you
up and slam you into the ground. Again, just run for it. He'll also call in
thugs to help him, but they're nothing special and can get hurt by the midget's
attacks, so lure them under a boulder to show them what's what. They'll keep
coming, however, so there's no point in focusing all your energy on them. Be
careful with the crates: one of them has a pipe in it and another has a plank,
and the thugs will pick them up to use on you if you leave them be. If you've
got some time while the midget is floating and before he does an attack, go
ahead and take out the thugs. They might give up items, and you can charge
your tension gauge.
After he does an attack, the midget will lower to the ground and run around
like a nut. You've got to do your best to keep up with him and damage him,
which is difficult due to his height. If you've any Evade High Attack moves
from the last boss fight, break 'em out. Dash attacks also work to keep up
with the midget and to put distance between you and his cronies. Juggle
attacks that start low and finish high (e.g. - the Flying Triple) also work.
With his speed and the short amount of time he spends on the ground, this fight
will require patience! Listen for his attacks to stop and his rock to lower
and go in for the kill. Go down the lift when you've won.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-8, Elvis's Wish [st6]
Use the crates to draw out the warrior women one at a time. Take a brazier or
break open the crate for a samurai sword. A samurai will appear shortly after.
Throw the sword at him to leave him at death's door. Finish with combos. Go
up the path to the left for two chests. Around the Elvis statue, punch the
lighter to get it working, then flip the switch. Up the ladder, two guys wait
and more will come from where you started. Fight on the ground floor since you
have more room and can dash attack the small fry into oblivion. Use the big
guys to charge your tension gauge! A lone whip lady guards the lever near
Elvis' head. Flip it and you've got your exit. But first, it's time to fight
Tiger Joe again. Put chop-like moves in your combo and get in his face. It's
hard to charge the Godhand with him so you might not want to use it because
Shannon is next. There's only two crates in the area so hope for something
good!
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 6-9, Shannon Revealed [st6]
Thankfully, Shannon fights a little differently than her old form; she's
actually more like Elvis. You'll be targeting her lower half and that's the
half that'll attack you for the most part. It can charge, stomp its feet, and
swing its head. When it jumps in the air, it's going to land for splash damage
and send out shockwaves at the same time. It does have a reaction command for
Gene; when it lowers its head to one side, watch for the Avoid command and hit
circle immediately or else it'll flip Gene in the air and Shannon will smack
the hell out of him with her wand. Don't get combo-happy if you successfully
avoided this because it'll whip its head around after you've done a couple
combos to its backside. The upper half will send out magical attacks with its
wand so either keep close or back flip/sidestep.
Punches and kicks aren't going to faze her much so you've got to combo and then
dodge. Actually, you won't even be able to do a full combo before you have to
back flip away. The plus side is that Shannon's attacks are easily spotted;
the head will swing low, it'll open its mouth, etc. Stick close because her
size makes dodging her charge attacks difficult but well-timed back flips
should save you from her swipes. Break the vases over her head to get
breathing room as well as items. This fight is so much like the one with Elvis
that you should be able to repeat what you did to him to pull through. The one
important thing to remember in this fight is to always watch her lower head and
keep a ready thumb by the circle button since avoiding that attack is obviously
good for your health and leaves her open to slightly risk-free damage.
I highly recommend checking out the item shop's wares after the fight. Look at
that new roulette move, Shaolin Blast! You will also definitely want an Evade
High Attack move that you are comfortable with; the Half Moon Kick is a really
good one to pick up. In fact, it is highly recommended since it's part of a
cheap technique you can spam for quick damage and tension gauge refills.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 7-1, The Tower Mirage [st7]
First things first, run forward while avoiding the sand pits to the area with
the torch dead ahead of you. You'll find three enemies guarding a chest. As
always, dash attacks will annihilate the little guys. They'll burrow under the
ground and try to pop up under you, but they can't do so when you're on stone.
The big guy drops a scimitar for you to use.
Back to the main desert, the "mirage" part of this stage deals with those
obelisks scattered around. You need to punch apart the two that won't
disappear when you approach them. There are enemies guarding each obelisk,
including the little burrowers and bazooka fatties. Luckily, you've got a
large area to fight in. Just be prepared to mash circle if you fall in a sand
pit. You can also try to dash attack your enemies into the pits; they won't be
able to get out as easily. Stand over them and laugh as they try!
When you find and destroy the first obelisk, Dr. Ion will appear. He's got a
new left hand, but he'll still follow the same pattern of breaking apart and
reforming his right hand. The right hand attacks are all the same. His left
hand will sometimes form into a claw, and he will lunge with it. Most of the
time, that's all he'll do. If he grabs you, wiggle the left analog stick.
This attack of his is actually his downfall because it's easy to get out of and
he does it so often that you can see it coming. All you have to do is sidestep
and you'll be in the perfect spot to counterattack him. You don't even need
the Godhand when he sets himself up for damage so easily! You can usually pull
off one combo before he attacks you. Sidestep, repeat.
Find the second obelisk and destroy it to summon a UFO. All aboard!
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 7-2, The Flying Pyramid [st7]
Note all of the pots in the area. You've got quite a lot of room to maneuver,
and we'll make good use of it because you're going to get attacked in waves.
The first is a warrior woman, a bazooka thug, and a skinny guy. The bazooka
thug might damage his buddies with a shot or two, but it actually doesn't do
them a whole lot of hurt. It's easy to separate the big guy from the two
smaller ones since he's slow. You can actually just use your Godhand and then
use the fat thug to replenish it afterwards.
Next is a knife sniper, a guy with a sledgehammer, and another warrior woman.
Dash attacks will send the knife guy flying but not do a whole lot of damage.
However, they're the safest way to keep these guys in line. Note than when you
run away from them, they chase you down single file. If you have a roulette
orb or two, do a long range roulette right into them. Hopefully, this will
leave the knife guy about dead. If not, just try to funnel him to the front
and kill him first. Finish him and run to get the other two away from where
he landed. Go back, pick up his scimitar, hurl it at one or both of them
(preferably the guy with the sledgehammer), finish him, take his hammer, and
then use it on the woman.
The next batch is two warrior women, a mohawk guy, another knife sniper, and a
normal guy. Because I like to stay a moving target, I do repeated dash attacks
with square while focusing on the normal thug and the knife sniper. The former
will fall in no time and the knife sniper, of course, drops a scimitar for you
to use on everyone else. Do the trick before of running away and getting them
to follow you, going for the scimitar, and hurling it at them as they run
single file towards you. Pick off whoever's left with combos. Whatever you
do, finish this round with a full tension gauge because a samurai is last.
Clean up your vases, don't bother with that sword, and go into the light.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 7-3, Great Sensei's Revenge [st7]
The first time I fought this guy, he absolutely murdered me. Of course, I
didn't pay attention and rushed into the fight, which is suicide. He's really
fast and that sword gives him ungodly reach and an insane number of hits in one
combo. He can also make up to two duplicates of himself at once. You can
interrupt this attack, but you have to be right there when he starts it and
punch him before he finishes the move with his sword. You don't want
duplicates running around. If you do happen to find yourself getting beaten up
by multiple old men, get away and throw a jar at them. One hit from a jar will
destroy any duplicates.
This is where having an Evade High Attack move is imperative. The best move is
the Half Moon Kick, with the Drunken Fall being a distant second. The Half
Moon Kick is best because it is a dual-type move. The Evade High aspect lets
you avoid his swings and the Juggle aspect leaves him extremely vulnerable.
The Drunken Fall will sometimes launch him, other times stun him, but it's not
too reliable. If you watch how the sensei swings his sword, it hardly ever
goes lower than his midsection. See where I'm goin' with this? Get distance
between you two and dash attack into him when he's not swinging; the X move is
a low one but square always works too. This will throw him off long enough to
get into his face and low attack away.
There are a couple ways to go about actually attacking. If you start with an
Evade High attack like the Twister moves, it will let you escape his first
swing and let you go in with combos to stun him. It is easy to pound on him
continuously like this since he stuns easily. However, he will jump away and
get the drop on you while you're in a combo, and you don't want that. The
second, and arguably easier, way is to use the Half Moon Kick. Put it on a hot
button and spam it. Most of the time it will make him fall, open for a Stomp
command. Stomp him to fill your tension gauge but let up and, while he's
getting up, Half Moon Kick him again. This technique seems really cheap, and
is, but it will be your best friend later on! Whenever your gauge is full, you
know what to do. If he jumps away instead of falls, run up and keep Half
Mooning him until he does. When you hear the sound of his special move, drop
everything and punch him ASAP. If he finishes it, run away and grab a jar.
This fight is EXTREMELY frustrating. Remember that back flipping from him is
not recommended since he jabs forward with his sword. Sidestep instead. Do
not try to attack from behind since he will jab his sword behind him. Save the
jars for when he uses his special move.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 7-4, The Mirage Town [st7]
The first rule of this town is to stay in one area at a time. There's lots of
enemies hiding out here, and they will mercilessly gang up on you so you don't
want to spawn more than you can handle. Go to your left to find some pots.
Break a few and two thugs will appear behind you. A rocket launcher will be in
one of these pots. Save it for when you are in dire need, which will be soon.
Break all the pots and two more guys will appear. Luckily, one drops a
scimitar. Head over to the right side of the entrance to town and you can find
a villager being harassed in the stone building. Tons of enemies will spawn
behind you as you enter. Now would be a good time to get out of there and head
for that rocket launcher. Once these guys are dead, even more will spawn.
These groups usually just consist of tall thugs, warrior women, and the little
knife guys. Be sure to focus on the knife snipers first for their scimitars.
Someone in this group drops a rosary, and your villager friend is hiding in
plain sight in a corner with some fruit for you.
Go down main street and punch open the lock to the left. Three enemies wait on
the other side. Draw the knife guy out and use his scimitar to ... do I really
need to say it at this point? The Little Devil is up the ladder further in.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 7
Destroy the car before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes
You've got that ugly car again. Knife snipers and little green knife-
wielders are going to defend it with their lives. Unfortunately, it seems
they will respawn if you get rid of them so focus all your energy on the car.
The good thing about these guys is that dash attacks stun them easily. Run
up to the car and start throwing punches. They will likely surround you.
Back flip twice and do a quick dash attack with square to send them hurtling
into the car. This strategy may press you for time, and if they get the drop
on you, they might dizzy you, wasting even more of your time. I had to use
the Godhand twice to make sure I finished with almost 15 seconds left, if
that gives you an idea. If you can pick up a scimitar, it'll help, but
picking it up and making sure you can hang onto it can be tough when you've
got knives flying at you. You can also try what worked last time you had to
kill the car with guys surrounding you: punching and sidestepping constantly.
Head out to the main street. On the right side is a stone building with a
wooden door. Break it down to find two warrior women doing ... something.
Lead them far outside and, hopefully, one will run back in while you engage the
other. Take their rosary. Up the street and to your right is a lone thug who
gives up the last rosary. Clean up the breakable objects around the exit.
Stand around on the left side and a statue will pop out of the ground. Use
your rosaries to exit.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 7-5, The Four Devas' Leader [st7]
It's finally time to fight Belze, who is very ugly. He's got your basic lunges
and slices. Stay in his face too long and he'll spit on you, coating your
screen. He also has a charge: his arms will glow pink and he'll follow you
around. He'll most likely run into a wall or tire after this, leaving him
open. Whenever you get his life gauge down to half, he'll sprout wings and get
a whole new set of attacks for when he's airborne. He'll shoot what looks like
pink lasers at you and lunge a lot more. If you're in his face a lot, he'll
stab at you with his little pink legs for lots of hits. If he grabs you,
wiggle the left analog stick to turn the tables.
The cool thing about Belze is that he actually tells you when he's going to
attack: his eyes glow pink right before. Don't try to dash attack into him
because it won't faze him and just puts you right in his clutches. Dodges must
be well-timed. If you sidestep a lot, he'll know to follow your movements with
a cross slash. Wait until he prepares an attack before you dodge or you might
just end up back flipping into a leg full of fly. He also likes to jump away
from you a lot. Use this distance to get a taunt in to fill your tension
gauge. It's actually really easy to taunt him; if you don't make a move, he'll
wait for you to, and you'll most likely stare each other down for the most
part.
When he's a fly, you've got to get ready to sidestep when he's away from you
because this will make almost all his long range attacks miss. Damaging him
works the same way though; just wait until he's on the ground because his
airborne attacks are harder to judge and dodge than the ground ones. He
doesn't seem to be really weak to anything in particular. I especially hate
him since he destroyed my dash attack strategy that's gotten me this far.
The very fact that Belze lets you know when he's going to attack is important:
it means you need to base your offense around your quick feet. When his eyes
glow, drop your combo and dodge! Some of his attacks are harder to avoid than
others so you might just have to bite the bullet and kiss the floor. Maybe
those jars will hold something good this time?
Axel also sent in some really good strategy for this fight: "if you stick up in
his face, all but one of his moves (since he only rarely charges up close) is
duckable; you can keep the heat on him virtually forever if you just duck every
time he starts throwing out a move. The move that -can't- be ducked is the
pincer-cross that makes up the third hit of his one-two-three combination,
which is always telegraphed by the first attack (which may come with no
followup); simply ducking the first two attacks and backflipping away from the
third will keep you completely safe.
"When it comes to his second form - when flying, at least - again, all of his
moves but one can be ducked, and that last one happens to be his throw - which
since it gives you immediate advantage when you perform the reaction command
and does no damage on startup, you typically -want- to be hit by it."
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 8-1, Death Shudder [st8]
Resist that sparkly in front of you. It's only a plank. There's a samurai
sword to the left. Use it to single out the tall martial artist since the
little guys are no big deal. Lead him back to where you found the sword since
there are guys hiding behind the pillars ahead as well. You can also use the
crates back here to draw out the remaining enemies one by one. Focus on the
martial artists first because when you defeat one of the wrestler-looking guys
behind the pillars, more will come out of the nearby building. Stay mobile so
as not to let them gang up on you. Don't be afraid to use the Godhand. Save
your roulette orbs if at all possible. It is highly recommended that you
finish this first round with three orbs and have Shaolin Blast or any other
type of long range, multi-hitting roulette. The gate will open when everyone's
taken care of. Climb the ladder and you'll see why you want those orbs.
Use Shaolin Blast or any other roulettes of choice right when everyone is
funneling towards you. That should take out a big chunk of the crowd or at
least set them up for punishment. If you don't have any orbs, there are a ton
of breakable objects around the place. Sprint around and break them all,
hoping for some cards. If you don't have any decent long range roulettes,
don't panic. This crowd is manageable if you stay mobile and make them run
after you. Get distance, and wait for them to come to you. This is a good
place to spam the Half Moon Kick. If you're completely swamped, use the
Godhand, although the threat of a demon popping up is very great. Without
using Shaolin Blast, I had the whole crowd down to Tiger Joe before he turned
into a trident demon and killed me. If this happens to you and you manage to
kill it, at least you get its trident to use on the rest.
Before going through the next door, head to the left for a chest and then to
the right for our last Little Devil meeting.
__________________________________
LITTLE DEVIL CHALLENGE 8
Annihilate all of the enemies before time runs out.
Time: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
Your last challenge is a one-on-one fight with the casino bouncer. If you
remember the huge wrestlers from stage 6, he fights just like them: all slow
moves, mostly palm thrusts and a few kicks. The real challenge lies in the
fact that the bouncer deals REALLY good damage with one blow, and he's got a
lot of health. You should be able to dodge him well enough to stay on top.
It is entirely possible to defeat him without a scratch using the Half Moon
Kick/Stomp technique. If time becomes an issue, break out the Godhand or
some roulettes.
Lucas has also sent this in: "Essentially you 'Soul Calibur' him. Work your
way up to level die, get him against a wall, and just spam Charge punch.
Eventually he'll get angry and do a backflip riiiiight off the stage."
Move on when ready. We're almost done.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 8-2, Tribulation: The Three Trials [st8]
Hopefully, you got a lot of stat refills from the last stage because there's
nothing between you and your next fight. Yeah, that stair climb was an entire
stage.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 8-3, Give It Up For The Champ [st8]
The masked gorilla wrestler is back, and he's got a few new moves. Most of
them are thrusts so always sidestep, never back flip. If he raises an arm in
the air, he's going to charge forward. If he turns his back to you, he's going
to do a flip and land for splash damage, which is hard to avoid if you don't
see it coming. He's still going to grab you and slam you down. Remember to
wait for the Avoid command before you mash circle since it uses different
buttons each time. His short range attack is a really long punching volley.
As long as you are aware of his new moves, you can use the same strategy you
did last time to beat this guy. Remember the Yes Man Kablaam? That will work
here. Get distance between you two and dash attack into him to stun him and
then go to town with your Kablaams. It's also wise to let him make his move
first. Dash away and let him start an attack and then combo when he's done.
His attacks leave him very open since he likes to pose after each one.
Afterwards, break the three jars up the stairs and go to the next poor sap
standing in your way.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 8-4, Japan's Elite Obese Ninja [st8]
Bladed fatties. You know what that means: lunges galore. In fact, that's what
they'll probably do right away. Their short range combos are merciless with
their multiple swings. In your case, it's multiplied by three. You've beaten
thugs like this before plenty of times, so the only real challenge here is
fighting three in such a small space. Like all relatively slow baddies, it's
easy to see their moves coming so you can dodge, but you might dodge one attack
only to wind up in front of another.
If you want to get the two minions out of the way, roulette moves are for you.
Shaolin Blast will actually very nearly kill the big guy too. If you can't
or don't want to take the easy way out, try to dash between them and separate
them. They're susceptible to dash attack stuns. That means you can start
Kablaaming and get your gauge full. This will leave you open, however. A
safe, but long, route is to combo, dash away, combo, dash away, and
continuously whittle away their health until your Godhand is ready.
More jars wait up the stairs. You're gonna need 'em.
____________________________________________________________
STAGE 8-5, Afro Fist [st8]
The afro pimp will start off by getting his lady friends to attack you. If you
happen to launch one of them into his couch, he'll join the fray early. One is
a carbon copy of Conchita and the other is the wrestling type. I highly
recommend using the Godhand to take care of the whip lady first for all the
obvious reasons; you don't want to have to worry about being whipped around the
room when fighting afro man, who will jump in whenever one of the women is
down.
The main man's attacks are nothing special, nothing new. He's all punches,
mostly. However, he can deal lots of damage with just one hit. Don't stand
too long in front of him because he's got special moves that Gene can't wiggle
out of, most of which look extremely unpleasant. Keep your distance and let
him come to you. The Half Moon Kick/Stomp spam is a good way to go.
Otherwise, (aren't you sick of me saying this yet?) combo, dodge, or taunt
until the Godhand is ready. By this stage in the game, you should be used to
saving your roulette orbs but feel free to go all out here. The jars you'll
get after this fight will more than likely refill your health and orbs, so if
you've got some to spare, let loose.
If there's anything left you want to do in the arena or casino complex, do it
now.
____________________________________________________________
FINAL STAGE, The Last Crusade [st9]
Azel will fight amazingly similar to the last time you saw him. He's still
fast, still dodges like crazy, and still opens his arms to Gene in the hopes of
a circle-mashing contest. In fact, the only real difference may be his
roulette moves. I've seen him use Kung Fu Tango, Divine Smash, Head Slicer,
Shockwave, and Shaolin Blast. You MUST drop what you're doing and run when you
hear him start to use the last one. It homes in on you but will miss if you
stay mobile. If you're adventurous, you can stay close, sidestep, and attack
when he prepares and unleashes. Azel likes to spam his roulettes like the
cheap bastard he is and only on very rare occasions can you hit him and
interrupt them. Your best bet is keeping your distance and letting him come to
you. The Half Moon Kick/Stomp combo works really well since it hits below the
belt and will connect even if Azel dodges the initial kick. Beware that once
he is knocked to the ground, he will get back up while sending out a small
splash attack.
Halfway through the fight, Azel will gain the ability to unleash his Godhand.
If you use your Godhand at the same time, Azel will be able to dodge it. Not
cool. However, staying in his face and punching is not a bad idea since he
will waste his time dodging, and your tension gauge will fill. Just know that
this does not mean he won't ever get a hit in. The screen will briefly flash
red when he unleashes it and will do so again when he's done. A safe strategy
is to run like hell and keep your eyes on your radar. Don't stop when you see
the second red flash because he will always pull off a roulette move right
after he exhausts his Godhand. If you're finding it hard to inflict damage,
use any roulettes you have and hope the jars scattered around have fruit. If
you'd rather play it safe, save your orbs for Zen Revival. Just keep trying to
get hits in and your tension gauge will fill before you know it. Play this
fight defensively and you'll come through.
Axel sent in this bit about Azel: "in the second fight he's overly fond of his
fiery-punches God Roulette (Kung-Fu Tango DEVIL?). Any Evade High attack (I
like the Drunken Fall because it's Evade High time is -massive-) will stuff it
completely, along with the majority of his other moves."
Azel gives us some presents for beating him up. One happens to be the final
boss, the Demon King Angra himself. First off, all of your gauges and orbs
will be fully replenished. Secondly, you will automatically get the 3-orb
Double Shaolin roulette move whether you had Shaolin Blast or not. Thirdly,
don't get too cocky. Yes, it does lots of damage, but Angra has two life bars
so it's probably better to save it. Angra's long range attacks are so easy to
dodge that it's laughable. He'll shoot energy from his eyes; wait for this to
fully charge before sidestepping. When he says "You're so pathetic", he'll
bring his arms down and shoot energy beams along the ground. Sidestep back and
forth. When he leans forward, he's bringing his rear legs up to stab at the
ground in front of him. Sidestep multiple times in one direction to safety.
His only short range attacks are arm swipes and punches and another move where
he tries to flick you away from his face. Whenever his eyes glow and he
spreads his arms while roaring, he's going to send a demon to the field. He
will not attack while it's on the field, and with your new Godhand, these
demons will literally be finished in four to five hits. The best thing about
this is that they always give up a useful item. One more thing to note is that
Angra likes to move around the field's perimeter, so always watch your radar
for his blinking dot.
When you empty his first health bar, Angra will get a new attack where he
breathes fire onto the stage. You'll know this is coming when he says "Death
becomes you" and his face is glowing. Gene has a Counter reaction command for
this, and it does good damage considering how much your regular punches
inflict. The only other differences to note are that he will shoot energy from
his eyes more rapidly and can send out more than one demon at a time and stabs
his legs onto the stage after summoning them.
This fight requires patience, as if the size of his health bar wasn't enough to
tell you that. The close range moves are difficult to dodge due to Angra's
size, but all you have to do is get in a few hits every now and then to fill
your tension gauge and use your Godhands. After dodging an attack, dash up and
start a combo. Back flip, repeat. If you're low on health or need some orbs/
cards, hang back and dodge Angra's long range attacks until he sends a demon
your way. This can get boring after a while, but it's better than starting
over from scratch. His attacks are almost always preceded by a taunt of some
kind, and he repeats them so many times that you'll have his routine down pat.
Like with Azel, don't rush to get into his face. Hang back and wait for your
opening. When you're close to finishing Angra, you shouldn't need me to tell
you to go all out. Nothing beats shaving off that last third of his health
with a Double Shaolin roulette.
For winning, you get the best credits sequence ever. After that's over, you
will have unlocked a bunch of extras for your next playthrough, so save your
game. They carry over into your reloaded save file. See the Extras section
for all the details.
Congratulations on your swan song, Clover. We'll miss you.
____________________________________
SHOP/CASINO [sac]
In between stages, you'll get the option to save, continue, enter the shop,
or enter the casino. The shop is where you go to buy new moves/God Roulette
techniques and power ups. You can also sell moves you no longer use. The
radio in front of the shop retells the legend of the Godhand, and the jukebox
will play music from the game after you get discs for it, which look like
cards that say "Godhand" on them. After Stage 2, the chihuahua races will be
available. These are a funny way to make some money. To interpret the odds,
remember that the lower the number, the greater the chance that dog will win.
However, your payoff is the odds multiplied by the amount of money you bet,
so if a dog with higher odds wins, you'll get a bigger cash reward.
If you need cash badly, you can always pop in the casino for a quick gambling
spell. You can play to boost your bank account or for prizes at the slots.
It's always best to save before gambling, in case your luck isn't up to
snuff. The first floor has blackjack and video poker, with different tables
with different max bet levels. The second floor has a slot machine. The
third floor is the High Rollers' room: with a bank account of over 100,000,
you can play a souped-up slot machine.
VIDEO POKER
Classic. The machine pays up in regard to your hand after two deals. For
those of us who are poker-illiterate (*raises hand*), here's a list of what
each hand is, courtesy of the game manual.
Royal Flush = 10, Jack, Queen, King, and an Ace of the same suit
Straight Flush = 4 cards of the same suit with successive numbers
Four of a Kind = 4 cards with the same number
Full House = 3 of a kind and a pair
Flush = 5 cards of the same suit
Straight = 5 cards in succession
Three of a Kind = 3 cards with the same number
Two Pairs = 2 pairs of same-numbered cards
The pay levels for each hand are on the poker screen.
BLACKJACK
The object here is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over.
Face cards are worth 10, and aces can either equal 1 or 11. Use the Double
Down option to double your bet for just one more card.
SLOTS
Slots are easy to play. Place a bet by hitting square; you can bet up to
three times. The more bets, the more opportunities to get three in a row.
Hit the right analog stick to pull the lever. Getting three of any symbol
yields a prize; hit R1 to see what symbols give what.
Be careful not to throw punches in the casino or else you'll have to face
the bouncer in a cage match, and he's no pushover. He's got a ton of health
and his moves will shave off a lot of yours. He's fairly slow though, so if
you feel the need to fight, you can take him, but there's really no point
because it's treated like a practice match: you apparently get nothing for
winning and all your stats return to normal no matter what.
____________________________________
EXTREME FIGHTING [fia]
The fighting arena is in the same area as the casino and shop and is a nice
way to stretch your fighting legs and earn some money. You can practice your
techniques on a dummy, with unlimited roulette orbs and health, but the arena
proper is where the action is. As you progress through the game, new fights
become available. There are 51 bouts in all, and it goes without saying that
the farther down the list you go, the harder they get. All fights are fought
with prefigured life gauge percentages (not sizes), roulette orbs, and
difficulty levels no matter what game mode you're on, but your techniques and
special moves are the same.
The general rule with these bouts is that if you can't beat the time limit or
keep dying, just wait until you can get stronger moves to put in your combo
and get power ups to increase your gauges. Some of these might be damn near
impossible if you don't. Also, strategies are only listed here for the bouts
that really need it. Where bosses are concerned, the info in the walkthrough
still applies, and only changes from the in-game fight are noted.
1) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1000
Enemies: 3 normal thugs
2) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1000
Enemies: 2 fat thugs, 2 normal thugs (1 with a sledgehammer)
3) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1000
Enemies: 2 little green guys, 1 tall thug
4) Level: 2, Time Limit: 1 minute, Reward: 1500
Enemies: 4 normal thugs, 1 fat thug
5) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 2000
Enemies: 1 tall thug, 1 fat thug
6) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 3000
Enemies: Mr. Gold, Mr. Silver
Strategy: You're fighting in a smaller space than when you first
encountered them, but the strategy is the same.
7) Level: 2, Time Limit: 50 seconds, Reward: 2000
Enemies: 1 normal thug, 1 bladed fat thug, 1 female wrestler
Strategy: Run up and get the normal thug first. The female won't appear
until fatty is gone. Your tension gauge should be ready by the
time she shows up.
8) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1500
Enemies: 3 whip ladies
9) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1500
Enemies: 2 normal thugs, 1 thug with a mohawk
Strategy: The enemies are no big deal, but there are bombs on the field
that are only there to harm Gene. As far as I can tell, you
can't kick enemies into them, so watch your step.
10) Level: 2, Time Limit: 1 minute and 25 seconds, Reward: 2000
Enemies: 8 whip ladies
Strategy: They'll slowly trickle onto the stage but will end up swamping
you before you know it. Dash attacks work well to harm them,
but it might leave you pressed for time. I was able to finish
with 3 seconds left, but I also had a powerful combo. Your
Godhand will likely not charge in time to use it. Watch the
radar so you know where the next enemy will drop in.
11) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 2000
Enemies: 1 knife sniper, 1 thug with a bat
12) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 3000
Enemies: Bruce, Conchita, and Felix
Strategy: Summon one of each foes to the field by running into the
symbols. You can make this hard or easy. One at a time is
obviously easiest, but you can take on all three at once if you
choose.
13) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 1500
Enemies: 1 whip lady, 1 spiked hat lady, 1 clown
14) Level: 3, Time Limit: 2 minutes and 45 seconds, Reward: 2500
Enemies: 8 clowns
Strategy: This one might be easier when you get a really powerful combo.
Just keep punching and don't let up. You shouldn't have to
worry about your health, and you shouldn't get more than one or
two clowns at a time.
15) Level: Die, Time Limit: 15 seconds, Reward: 2500
Enemies: 2 knife snipers, 1 whip lady
Strategy: Yes, this one sucks. One hit kills you, but your opponents are
at death's door as well. They all have long range attacks, so
there's no safety in distance. Go for a powerhouse approach
since you have little time. An attack like the God Uppercut
that does 35 damage kills the knifers in one hit. After many
attempts, I finally pulled this off with three words: Fist of
God. It charges and thrusts Gene forward automatically.
16) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4000
Enemies: 1 thug with a bat, 1 clown, 1 female thug
Strategy: One punch will take care of each of your foes. However, they
will all turn into demons. Don't fret though; it's easier than
it sounds, especially at late stages of the game.
17) Level: 2, Time Limit: 2 minutes, Reward: 3500
Enemies: a variety of 50 thugs/carnies/wrestlers
Strategy: Even though there are some tough looking thugs in this bunch,
all enemies have pitiful defense. You've also got tons of
weapons to use (including something new: a paper fan which does
worthless damage). Picking up items takes time, but it also
means one less for your enemies to use. Put your most powerful
moves first in your combo and punch away. Since most of the
enemies will rush up to Gene, tilt up on the left analog stick
to move Gene along and he should auto-target the nearest foe.
This may be hazardous to your health though.
18) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4000
Enemies: the Masked Gorilla Wrestler
19) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4500
Enemies: the Mad Midget Five
Strategy: This might actually be harder than when you fought them before
since they will not drop items when you knock them out. Refine
your strategy so you take less damage and save your orbs for
Zen Revival.
20) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 3500
Enemies: 3 bunny women
Strategy: Ever wanted to beat up those women behind the blackjack tables?
They're nothing special; they fight like regular female thugs.
Axel noted that, while they look and fight like female thugs,
their legs seem to be a bit longer, so their kicks are just a
little bit deadlier.
21) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 2500
Enemies: 2 female rig workers with whips
Strategy: Watch out for the bombs on the field.
22) Level: 2, Time Limit: 1 minute and 30 seconds, Reward: 2500
Enemies: a mix of 8 fembots and rig workers (1 with a whip)
Strategy: Try and get them bunched together before you fire the rocket
launcher. Time shouldn't be too much of an issue.
23) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 2000
Enemies: 2 robot thugs, 1 robot knife sniper
24) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 3500
Enemies: the "dizzy" wrestler
Strategy: This is the guy that gave you the Granny Smacker technique, and
this fight might actually be easier now that you don't have to
worry about being electrocuted. Don't rush.
25) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4000
Enemies: Dr. Ion
Strategy: You only have one roulette orb so you can't heal yourself. If
he shoots rockets at you, dash along the outside of the cage.
Wait until he uses his drill or his regular hand to dodge his
lunges and counterattack.
26) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 2500
Enemies: 1 whip lady, 2 tall thugs
27) Level: 2, Time Limit: 2 minutes, Reward: 3000
Enemies: the martial artists
Strategy: Trigger the enemies by running into the symbols. Gauge how
many you can handle at one time; the little guys can get really
annoying in a large group.
28) Level: 2, Time Limit: 1 minute and 45 seconds, Reward: 3000
Enemies: 1 tall martial artist, 2 whip ladies
29) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 3500
Enemies: 1 huge wrestler
Strategy: You have to beat this guy without taking a single hit. This is
actually easy if you wait for an opening, spam the Half Moon
Kick/Stomp combo, and use your Godhand when ready.
30) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 5000
Enemies: Ravel, Debussy, the unnamed third guitarist
Strategy: Definitely save your orbs for Zen Revival. The third guy won't
wait for you to finish one of the other two before he jumps in.
Stay mobile because they will gang up on you in a flash. If
you keep your distance, you will sucker at least one of them
into doing long range attacks, and they will most likely injure
one of the other band mates.
31) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4000
Enemies: 1 mohawk thug, Tiger Joe
32) Level: 2, Time Limit: 1 minute, Reward: 3000
Enemies: 2 warrior women, 1 thug
33) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 10,000
Enemies: the bartender
Strategy: If you took the time to talk to everyone in the casino complex,
you'll remember this guy. He's behind the bar to the left of
the bouncer, behind the blackjack tables. He's a master of
the Drunken Fist style, so he'll use all of the same "Drunken"
moves that Gene does and, oddly enough, a lunge like the
robots'. Dodge like crazy; he's fast, and he has excellent
stamina.
34) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 4000
Enemies: the Mad Midget Five
Strategy: Whenever they do their group spinning attack, go in for a Stake
Driver. Other than that, nothing much has changed.
35) Level: 3, Time Limit: 1 minute, Reward: 4000
Enemies: 2 little knife guys, 1 knife sniper, 1 bazooka thug
Strategy: If you can get the two little guys in line with each other, one
Divine Smash 2 will take them out. This should give you enough
space to deal with the rest. Just watch for bombs.
36) Level: 3, Time Limit: 1 minute and 25 seconds, Reward: 3500
Enemies: 8 little knife guys
37) Level: 3, Time Limit: 50 seconds, Reward: 4000
Enemies: 1 knife sniper, 1 samurai
Strategy: Focus on the samurai. An area kick like the Right Roundhouse 3
is great; it knocks the samurai off his feet, should hit the
sniper too, and should fill your tension gauge in time to
finish them off. If this doesn't work, try your most powerful
one-orb roulette on the samurai (Kung Fu Tango) and then clean
up afterwards.
38) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 5000
Enemies: Dr. Ion
Strategy: Just like when you fought him in the desert. Much easier than
the first time.
39) Level: 3, Time Limit: none, Reward: 15,000
Enemies: the sensei
Strategy: Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, let him pull off his
duplicating attack; he will make four duplicates at once. Stay
in his face and spam the hell out of your Evade High Attack
techniques. If he does create an army of clones, get away and
try to dash attack into them to get rid of them.
40) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 20,000
Enemies: a mix of 30 martial artists, whip ladies, and knife snipers
Strategy: This is more a test of endurance than anything since you start
out with full stats. Fight defensively, using whatever has
worked for you so far. The lesser enemies come in groups of
three, and the taller martial artists come at you one at a
time.
41) Level: 2, Time Limit: none, Reward: 10,000
Enemies: Afro Fist, the obese ninja, 1 tall thug
Strategy: Definitely use dash attacks to go in between opposite ends of
the arena. Dash attacks don't do a lot of damage, but that's
not the point. The point is that the fat ninja is going to do
lunge attacks fairly often, and these damage the other two.
Throw punches and all that whenever you can, but save the ninja
for last because he'll do his fair share. By himself, he
should be manageable.
42) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 10,000
Enemies: 1 purple demon, 1 orange demon, 1 spiked demon, 1 trident demon
Strategy: All of these guys will move super fast. It's probably best to
wait for them to come to you. Their long range attacks are
avoidable, and two even have Counter commands for you. The
Godhand is your friend, especially on that last one. Axel has
noted that taunting the first three demons works well to build
tension but doesn't work so well on the last one. Time your
dodges well.
43) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 10,000
Enemies: the Masked Gorilla Wrestler
44) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 10,000
Enemies: Elvis from Stage 1-5
45) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 11,000
Enemies: Elvis from Stage 2-7
46) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 12,000
Enemies: Shannon from Stage 3-7
47) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 13,000
Enemies: Elvis from Stage 5-7
48) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 14,000
Enemies: Shannon from Stage 6-9
Strategy: The upper half will send out a lot more hearts than usual, and
the lower half will prompt the Avoid command more often. A
safe way to play is to get close, throw punches, back flip,
throw a few more, back flip, Avoid. Side step back and forth
to avoid the hearts instead of back flipping.
49) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 15,000
Enemies: Belze
50) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 50,000
Enemies: Azel from the Final Stage
Strategy: Azel will be much harder on level Die because he gains speed.
For instance, if you should happen to engage him in a pummel-
off, he will most likely win, and you will most likely break
your thumb trying to keep up with him. He still seems to be
more vulnerable to kicks than punches.
51) Level: Die, Time Limit: none, Reward: 99,999
Enemies: the Godhand
Strategy: Ever wanted to see the game from the enemies' points of view:
on the ass end of an ass kicking? The Godhand actually fights
very much like Azel. He will spam your roulette moves and
techniques; his roulettes actually have a wider hit radius than
yours. For example, Shockwave is three times wider and, of
course, Double Shaolin is not something you want to be caught
in. His speed is also remarkable. Beware of pummel-offs.
Because he is so like Azel, you should only have to slightly
modify your strategy from the last round. You have five orbs;
save them for Enlightenment or Zen Revival unless you're
adventurous. When he unleashes his Godhands, you can either
run or keep punching. If you choose the latter, he will waste
much of his time dodging your blows, and you can even get a hit
in while filling your tension gauge. He may find a way under
your combos and can use his speed to take advantage of any
falter in your step, so nothing is fool-proof.
____________________________________
EXTRAS/TRIVIA [ext]
EXTRAS
After finishing the game once, you get the option of saving your game.
Reloading this save file will put you back at the start with your original
life/tension gauges, roulette orbs, and techniques. Nothing carries over.
However, every single technique and roulette move (except for special ones
like the Yes Man Kablaam and the Granny Smacker) is available to buy at the
store, so if you save up your money, you can get killer moves very early in
the game. There are also new techniques and roulettes to buy; these would
be the ones with the word "god" in the name somewhere.
The general store will have expanded on your second playthrough. You can
change Gene's outfit and watch scenes on the television. The credits are
available at first, but you can win E3 trailers by completing the fighting
arena. The jukebox outside will now play music selections from the game
with the disc you pick up in the store, and you can win another disc for it
by playing the slots in the casino. If you beat the game on the Normal
difficulty, Hard mode will be available. Beating Hard mode will net you a
jukebox disc and bragging rights. In the fighting arena, the first 50
bouts will be available from the start.
You can also try completing the Kick Me challenge, a "hidden" test to see
if you can complete the entire game without unleashing the Godhand or using
any God Roulettes. The challenge actually starts as soon as Olivia puts
the "Kick Me" sign on Gene at the start of Stage 1. The sign disappears
when Gene's god powers are unleashed. As long as you finish the game with
the sign on your back, you'll win a disc for the jukebox. Now try doing
that on a Hard mode game.
TRIVIA
There are several jokes based on Japanese speakers' problems with the
letters "L" and "R". The first can only be seen in the Japanese version of
the game. In Stage 1-2, the pub Gene starts in front of is called "Rord's
Pub". In other versions of the game, it was renamed "Beating a Dead Horse
Pub" for its stereotypical nature. However, in all versions of the game,
the casino complex is called "Barely Regal", a play on "Barely Legal".
Puppy Pizza was originally called Chihuahua Curry; it was changed for the
American release.
One more change between the American and Japanese versions is in the God
Roulette (called the God Reel in Japan). The Japanese version has a move
where Gene takes damage from a heavenly pan to the head in return for a
short spell of invincibility. This is based on a popular convention in
anime and manga: a comedic way to cause damage to someone or basically put
them out of commission is to drop something on their head. (Thanks to Axel
for pointing this out.) In exchange for this cultural oddity, everyone
else gets the Head Slicer, which has a chance of causing decapitation.
This is the reason it was replaced, as overseas censors don't take kindly
to heads flying off.
Whenever you use the Grovel option, Gene gets on his knees after politely
dusting them off and says, "Onegaishimasu." This translates into a formal
version of the English "please" but can also have other meanings that don't
translate directly into English. The samurai students also say that every
time they step out of a portal ("Sensei, onegaishimasu").
The 100 Fists roulette is homage to an anime by the name of Fist of the
Noth Star in which the main character was able to hit multiple pressure
points on an enemy's body with lightning fast jabs, causing head explosion.
It is considered one of the most violent anime ever and the first to have a
story centered around a muscular hero who travels from place to place
beating the crap out of people.
A lot of the cannon fodder thugs' designs' are based off of those in the
Fist of the North Star series. Weapons like the spiked bats are also a
favorite among the common thugs.
Enemies will sometimes shout "You're not Alexander!", "I'm brutal and
ruthless!", "My style is impetuous!", "My defenses are impregnable!", and
"I'm Alexander the Great!" According to Wikipedia, these are quotes from a
Mike Tyson press conference on Lennox Lewis.
It goes without saying that almost every scene or reference to Elvis
contains a reference to the singer Elvis Presley. (Ex: "Elvis's Graced
Land", Belze saying "Elvis has left the building.")
Gene borrows the famous "wax on, wax off" line from Karate Kid for one of
the best quotes in the game: "You can wax on, wax off all you like. I'm
still kicking your ass." (Thanks to Torezu for sending this in.)
Stage 2-3 is called "Giant Enemy Crane". This is a reference to Sony's E3
conference in 2006 which featured a game with a Giant Enemy Crab.
The spiked demons have a similar attacking style to the Iron Maidens of
Resident Evil 4, shooting spikes from their bodies in every direction. Too
bad Leon can't back flip away like Gene, but thank your lucky stars Gene
can't get horribly impaled like poor Leon.
Rocket Launchers are the only firearms Gene can pick up in God Hand. They
are a staple in Capcom's Resident Evil series.
Continuing with the Resident Evil similarities, Axel noted that "Leon's
high Kick command is identical to Gene's Right Roundhouse Kick", and their
back flip animations are the same as well.
The Mad Midget Five are modeled Viewtiful Joe style, but some also think
they're related to the Handsome Men from Killer7 (produced by Shinji
Mikami). They *do* promise to deal a "killer" hand, but the Handsome Men
are nowhere near as annoying. They might also be a spoof of the Super
Sentai series which featured super heroes in colored suits. One series
reportedly had super heroes based on playing cards. Axel has spotted a bit
of an in-joke concerning comments made at the end of one of the Mad Midget
fights: "the Blue one's - 'Maybe I'll get to be the leader in the sequel' -
is particularly telling, as any time Red Ranger goes missing in SSF or PR,
it's typically Blue who steps in to play leader. Of course, he's never got
a series to himself yet...".
The music that plays whenever you play a mini-game is a throwback to video
game music during the 8-bit era. The second mini-game you play in Stage
5-4 contains a reference to the classic Space Invaders because it has you
shoot UFOs out of the air for bonus money.
Stage 5-8, "It's A Trap!!", is a possible reference to General Ackbar's
line in Return of the Jedi.
After Shannon's done fighting in Stage 3, she'll escape on a bus,
bewildering Gene in the process. This is just like the end of the first
Ayame Blackburn fight in Killer7, which takes place right outside of a
carnival-like amusement park.
The name of the track playing while fighting Azel is "Devil May Sly," an
obvious take on Capcom's series Devil May Cry. The areas where you fight
Azel are also perfectly round; exactly like a large chunk of the boss
arenas in the Devil May Cry series. In fact, the final boss fight with
Azel is very much like Dante's first fight with Vergil, what with the
similar assent to the arena and the weather and all. (Credit to Axel for
this last bit.)
According to Axel, Dr. Ion's "design is somewhat reminiscent of The Big O -
the head and the giant forearms especially - the Rocket Punch is straight
Mazinger Z, and the noise and the way he does his 'backwards dash' in
missile form are very similar to the Virtuaroids from Virtual On. The
'robot throne' is strikingly similar to some scenes from Casshern."
The last time you fight Elvis, he imitates Joe in Viewtiful Joe whenever he
gets his powers; the exact quote: "Say hello to Viewtiful Elvis, henshin!"
Axel has pointed out that Conchita, Bruce, and Felix "are all but
definitely based on Doronjo, Boyacky, and Tonzra from Yatterman - they make
up the Three Evil Stooges roster, the same as Conchita, Bruce, and Felix."
The two musicians you fight (Ravel, the guitarist and Debussy, the
drummer) are possibly named after composers Maurice Ravel and Claude
Debussy. Being impressionists, their styles were unusual for their time
but not as unusual as God Hand's musicians, to be sure.
Ravel's attacks (both close and long range) are amazingly similar to
Dante's in Devil May Cry 3 when he acquires Nevan. A guitar that shoots
electricity just by strumming? No question. He even "holsters" his guitar
and reaches behind him to grab it and swing just like Dante.
Tiger Joe is similar to Sagat from Street Fighter, especially in how he
moves. Axel wrote in that "his crouch-upper counter move is a blatant
ShoRyuKen (as is the Laughing Dragon Punch command for Gene)".
Torezu also pointed out that Tiger Joe is a reference to a character of the
same name from an old Japanese superhero show called Lion-Maru.
From Axel: "Belze's demon form appears to be a rejected monster design from
Resident Evil 4. Also, it's second form and the colour of it's bullets are
unintentionally hilarious if you're a fan of the ridiculously hard insect-
themed bullet hell, Mushihimesame." The RE4-like design is actually more
of a reference to the fact that Belze is a giant insect (like some RE4
enemies and the Plagas, and that he transforms halfway through the fight
and loses his legs like Chief Mendez.
And another from trivia master Axel: "the training dummy appears to be
based on Mokujin from Tekken, who is in turn based on the danger of the
titular obstacle in the Jackie Chan movie Shaolin Chamber of Death (aka
Shaolin Wooden Men, or Shao Lin mu ren xiang). However, the fact that the
training dummy has his own moveset (albeit one based on the 'middling' male
grunts - the tall brown-armored ones) may be a parody of Mokujin, who
borrows the moveset of another character every round."
When fighting the bouncer in the casino, Axel noted that the Deva's symbol
is his belt buckle. So... "Remember kids, when you're gambling, your money
is going to Hellspawn!"
Gene's extra karate outfit looks suspiciously like Ryu's from Street
Fighter.
The chihuahua races are also littered with in-jokes.
Burrito Libre: play on the film Nacho Libre
Fission Mailed: spoonerism of "Mission Failed" (classic Game Over screen)
as well as a blatant reference to Metal Gear Solid 2
Lucky Clover: a nod to Clover Studios
General Lee: Dukes of Hazzard
Chuck's Beard: Chuck Norris
49 Cent: play on rapper 50 Cent's handle
Viewtiful Pup: Viewtiful Joe (developed by Clover Studios)
Amaterasu: Okami (also done by Clover)
More Cowbell: line from the famous Saturday Night Live sketch
37 in a Row: watch Kevin Smith's "Clerks."
Boom Headshot: this is a repeated quote from the FPS Doug video
Mikami's Head: a reference to a quote from Shinji Mikami saying he'd
rather cut off his head than port RE4 to the PS2
Mojo: Austin Powers, among other things
Massive Damage: in Sony's PS3 E3 conference in 2006, players had to flip
a giant enemy crab to inflict massive damage
Dirty Sanchez: a type of mustache
El Pedro Loco: literally means "The Crazy Pedro"
Macho Suave: an oxymoron, since "macho" and "suave" are opposites
The rest of the names are: Sexy Maid, Jambalicious, Chichi Hiuahua, Leg
Humper, Salty Dog, Whips & Chains, Flea Fast, Fanboy
From Axel again: "Gene's 'Poke of God' finisher command is a reference an
infamous WCW incident in which a much-hyped fight between Hulk Hogan and
Kevin Nash, which resulted in an intense staredown... and then Hogan poked
Nash in the chest and finished the fight."
The song played during the ending credits is a loose cover of the intro
theme for the Mazinger Z anime. (Credit to Axel for this find.)
____________________________________
MISCELLANEOUS [mis]
Woo, that was fun. If there's anything off in this guide, feel free to
e-mail me at SophiaLee04 at yahoo dot com. Just be sure to mention God Hand
in the title. Fighting games are all about sharing strategy, so if you've
got any input, I'd love to hear it. I'd also like to expand the trivia
section more since I know there's a ton of refs I'm missing, and this game is
littered with in-jokes. Credit is always given where credit is due!
VERSION HISTORY
1.20 - 09/04/10: Seems the dream of seeing Gene in a MvC game has been
quashed for now. Damn you, Capcom. As for the guide, I
added a trivia bit concerning the credits song and its
being similar to the Mazinger Z theme.
1.19 - 05/25/09: More research by Axel, this time on Azel, up under the
Advanced Moves heading.
1.18 - 04/27/09: We've started a new section based on some research Axel
has done concerning move sets and combos and all that
wonderful jazz; will hopefully be added on to in the
future, but I wanted to post what we had since it's been a
while; I've also made little corrections here and there.
1.07 - 12/01/08: Some scattered updates, just do a text search for "Axel"
and "Torezu" and you'll find the new stuff.
1.06 - 11/06/08: Some new trivia for you all, as well as a tweaked Dr. Ion
strategy.
1.05 - 10/21/08: Added a tip for Little Devil #8; I haven't tried it yet
but I figured I would put it in so others might; I also
added the most obvious trivia bit ever concerning Fist of
the North Star (can't believe I missed that one).
1.04 - 02/18/08: Got an e-mail about an error I made in the poker section
regarding the different hands; I wasn't kidding when I
said I was poker illiterate!
1.03 - 02/07/08: Added a new host and did some proofreading.
1.02 - 01/30/08: Finished the arena section.
1.01 - 12/30/07: I've gotten some strategy e-mailed in for some Azel and
Elvis fights, as well as a dizzied enemy strategy; I have
also added a Useful Combo section.
0.90 - 10/18/07: Walkthrough partly finished and submitted; I have yet to
finish the fighting arena section because I wanted to
upload this as soon as the main part was done; it took way
too long because I had gotten all the way to Stage 8 when
my memory card decided to be an ass and corrupt my file,
so I had to start over ... and then school started.
0.00 - 07/22/07: Walkthrough started.
CREDIT/THANKS
I need to thank the ASCII Art Generator (http://www.network-science.de/
ascii) for this guide's title. I did edit it though, so it's a joint
effort.
Many chants of "I'm not worthy" go to Kung Pao Fu (http://kungpaofu.com)
for being an amazing God Hand website. For it was here that I learned to
exploit the Yes Man Kablaam to its fullest.
Thanks goes out to the God Hand entry on Wikipedia for trivia info and
enemy names (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Hand). Gotta love the Wiki.
Hardcore Gaming 101 also gets thanks for help with the Japanese/American
version trivia and for hosting a well-written and enjoyable review
(http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/godhand/godhand2.htm).
I also need to say thanks to my sister Catie because much of this
walkthrough was written on her laptop while playing God Hand on her HD TV.
That was fun.
Thanks to my mum and dad for helping me interpret betting odds for the
chihuahua races. Kids, it never hurts to ask your folks for help with
those tough gambling questions!
Thanks to my friend Stephen for helping me figure out what Gene was saying
while groveling. http://www.freedict.com/onldict/jap.html also gets credit
for helping me spell it. Stephen also gets credit for noting the
similarities between the Mad Midget Five and the Super Sentai series.
Thanks to GameStop for actually carrying this game; believe it or not, it
took me a while to find a copy.
As always, thanks to my good friend Dar for flying through the game while
I'm writing and pointing out a lot of the references and in-jokes I missed.
Knoxx gets thanks for e-mailing in strategy for the first Azel fight, the
last Elvis match, and a strategy regarding dizzied enemies.
Chris gets a thanks for pointing out a trivia correction for me.
Thanks to James for helping me find an error in the poker hands.
Thanks to Lucas for sending in a technique for Little Devil Challenge 8.
Big thanks to Axel for sending in a heaping helping of strategy, trivia,
and helping start the "Advanced Moves" section!
For more trivia, Torezu deserves thanks as well.
Lastly, thanks to all the sites that host this guide for doing what they
do: helping me when I'm stuck in a game and letting me [try to] help
others.
HOSTS
The following sites are listed as hosts for this guide, so you should only
be able to find it on those links.
GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com
Neoseeker, http://www.neoseeker.com
HonestGamers, http://www.honestgamers.com
Super Cheats, http://www.supercheats.com
GamesRadar, http://www.gamesradar.com
http://thenumber35.webs.com/
LEGAL INFO
This document was written for personal and private use. It represents not
just my efforts, but those of the people that contributed information as
well as a couple people I know personally that I bugged for help. In
short, please respect our work by treating this guide with respect. This
includes (but is not limited to) not reposting or altering it in any way.
Copyright (©) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Georgi Samaras