Game Manual - Michigan Technological Universityjwwalker/files/NUFManual.pdf · 2012-07-21 · lazy as possible. An unabashed otaku, Lillia uses her wealth and power to spend all her

Nuclear Unicorn Force and In Excelsis Studios Copyright © 2012 by James Walker. All Rights Reserved.

Game ManualVisit inexcelsis-studios.com for all the latest news and info,

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Table of Contents

Health & Safety Warning 2Story 3Controls 5Characters 6Gameplay 14Powerups 16High Scores, Grades, & Leveling Up 17Options 18The World of NUF 19Threats & Foes: Occupational Hazards 22Tips & Tricks 23Credits 26Notes 27

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http://inexcelsis-studios.com/


Health & Safety WarningPhotosensitive SeizuresA very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.

These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms – children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: sit farther from the screen; use a smaller screen; play in a well-lit room; do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued.

If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

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Story

Once upon a time, there was a special girl named Lillia Fang.

Lillia Fang was the princess of the magical Lollipop Kingdom.

Lillia was a kind and wise princess, beloved by all her people.

But Lillia had a secret that she must not let any of her subjects find out.

Lillia was a vampire.

In order to live, Lillia had to drink the blood of unicorns.

And every month, on the night of the soppy moon, Lillia replenished her magical powers by taking a unicorn blood bath.

On one such night, once it was almost her bedtime, Lillia entered her secret bath chamber as usual.

As Lillia frolicked in the unicorns’ blood, a bubble rose from the bath and danced playfully in the air. Lillia giggled with delight.

But Lillia’s delight turned to shock when the bubble issued a grave pronouncement:

“Tonight, the reign of your lineage shall be challenged. By break of day, the Fang dynasty and Lollipop Kingdom shall have changed irrevocably.”

Its warning given, the bubble popped.

As Lillia pondered the mysterious words of the bubble, a blinding flash came through the skylight, along with a thunderous roar that shook all of Sugarplum Castle.

In the sky, the magical barrier that protected the castle buckled, shattered by a terrible impact.

“What manner of magic could be strong enough to breach the great barrier of Sugarplum Castle?” Lillia wondered, concerned.

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“Something dangerous is afoot in Lollipop Kingdom,” Lillia realized. “I must find the source of this discord, that I might protect my castle and the honor of the Fang dynasty.”

With no time to lose, Lillia sprang from the bath. She changed her apparel, stepped out onto the balcony, spread her fledgling vampire bat wings, and took to the sky to meet her destiny.

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Controls

Keyboard

Action Default Key (Configurable from Options menu) Move/menu selection Arrow keysConfirm menu selection/

advance dialogue/toggle ally targeting mode Enter

Cancel menu selection/pause menu/skip cutscenes (hold for >1second, then tap) Escape

Fire ControlToggle slow move Shift

Xbox 360 Controller

Action Default Button (Configurable from Options menu) Menu selection D-Pad/Left thumbstickMove Lillia Left thumbstickConfirm menu selection/

advance dialogue ACancel menu selection/

pause menu/skip cutscenes (hold for >1second, then tap) B

Fire Right triggerToggle ally targeting mode YToggle slow move X

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Characters

Lillia Fang

Race: VampireSex: FemaleAge: 18Height: 5'3”Weight: 109 lbs.Role: Princess of the Lollipop KingdomLikes: Anime, videogames, slacking, unicorn blood, nighttime, her brother VladDislikes: Politics, work, the sunVoice: Celia Cleaveland

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Profile:

Lillia is the princess of the Lollipop Kingdom, and the de facto ruler since her father, the king, mysteriously vanished several years ago. Her family, the Fangs, have ruled for hundreds of years under the guise of normal humans, since vampires are widely regarded as evil beings and the populace would probably rise in revolt if they knew the true nature of their rulers.

Lillia is among the most laissez-faire rulers imaginable. Her relaxed leadership has afforded her people both freedom and prosperity and made her extremely popular. It is ironic that she achieved this simply by being as lazy as possible. An unabashed otaku, Lillia uses her wealth and power to spend all her time playing fighting games and watching giant robot anime, while leaving “boring” administrative responsibilities to her more politically-minded younger brother, Vladimir.

Despite her slothful and sometimes even bratty nature, Lillia has a heart of gold. Although she must subsist on unicorn blood to survive, one of her rare political initiatives has been to implement reforms to acquire the blood she needs as humanely as possible. She hates evil and injustice, employing the full force of her vampiric powers to crush anyone who would threaten her people. Since she is a member of the royal Fang lineage, a vampiric bloodline of incredible power, her wrath is nothing to take lightly.

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Christina “Chris” Ritter

Race: WerewolfSex: FemaleAge: 22Height: 5'6”Weight: 131 lbs. (all muscle, she insists)Role: Captain of the Royal GuardLikes: Guns, sports, exercise, honor, loyalty, comrades, LilliaDislikes: Criminals, deceit, fleasVoice: Michelle Deco

Profile:Ten years ago, Chris' werewolf parents were killed by frightened villagers. Enraged, Chris preyed on the villagers, attacking and robbing them to survive. One day, she was arrested and brought before the Fang king, Lillia's father, for sentencing. Lillia took a liking to the feisty Chris and pleaded with her father to give Chris a light sentence. Taking pity on the werewolf cub, the king placed her on probation and gave her a chance to redeem herself. Chris proved herself so well that she eventually became captain of the royal guard.

Chris is intensely loyal to Lillia for the kindness Lillia showed her, and because of her admiration for Lillia's effective rule, even if that effectiveness is mostly accidental. Owing to her werewolf heritage, Chris is highly active and excels at physical pursuits. She also loves weapons, especially weapons that make enormous explosions. In stark contrast to these traits, she is calm and level-headed, sometimes exasperated by her liege's impulsive outbursts.

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Featherby

Race: WinglianSex: MaleAge: 19Height: 5'6”Weight: 143 lbs.Role: Apprentice to the Great Sage, AlabastionLikes: Magic, voluptuous women, nature, his master AlabastionDislikes: Despoilers of nature, big cities, cowardsVoice: Daniel Jordan

Profile:Featherby was raised in a group of tribal winglians who preserve old traditions and revere nature. From a young age, Featherby demonstrated considerable aptitude in the ways of tribal magic. His mother is cousin to Alabastion, a great sage and former advisor to the Fang family. When Alabastion retired into the remote wilderness, Featherby's mother convinced Alabastion to grant an interview to her son. Impressed by the lad's magical talent, Alabastion agreed to take Featherby as an apprentice.

Featherby has spent his entire life far removed from urban civilization, and would be considered by some as rather naïve and uncultured. He tends to be impulsive, acting without thinking. He thinks the world of Alabastion and is always eager to make his master proud. He also has a romantic heart which is as yet unsullied by any bitter experiences of failed love.

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Luwelen Fishtail

Race: FirillSex: FemaleAge: 26Height: 5'8”Weight: Not Telling <3Role: Princess of the FirillLikes: Handsome men, water, adoring fans, breaking heartsDislikes: Dry heat, rude men, uncultured people, being spurnedVoice: Celia Cleaveland

Profile:Luwelen is the princess of the firill, a race of all-female sea folk. Firill must mate with males of other species to reproduce, and given that the average firill is strikingly charming and beautiful, competition for their affections tends to get rather heated. What often goes overlooked is the dark side of the firill, for they tend to be as aloof and fickle as they are beautiful. Luwelen nicely embodies all the stereotypical characteristics of her people.

As fellow royalty from a race of demihumans, Luwelen is acquainted with Lillia. Years ago, Lillia's father was often engaged in negotiations with the firill (there are rumors of liaisons between him and the firill queen), and during this time, Lillia and Luwelen were often playmates. Luwelen was quite taken with the tiny and adorable Lillia and assumed the role of a smothering older sister. Lillia, for her part, found Luwelen's attentions overbearing and is just as glad that the two of them haven't seen each other in years. However, circumstances may soon push the two of them together again, much to Luwelen's delight and Lillia's consternation.

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Antagonists

Mane Hornlind: A wericorn, a type of unicorn capable of changing into human form at will. Mane is an elite knight and commander of the Nuclear Unicorn Force’s 1st Strike Division. He is arrogant, yet deeply committed to the ideals of honor and chivalry. Voiced by Edwyn Tiong.Makoto: Formerly a pure maiden and friend to the unicorns, she was forced to use her trust with the unicorns to lure them into traps. Bitter and disillusioned, she trained as a ninja-assassin and joined the NUF. Thanks to her talents, she became leader of the Intelligence Division. Her nickname is “maiden of the faded stars.” Voiced by Avery Smithhart.Lasbutin: A masked magician who loves to sow seeds of chaos. He has lent his fearsome abilities to the NUF’s cause, but his motivations are unknown. Despite his overwhelming skill, he is distrusted by the other officers. A true enigma. Voiced by Richard “Kaitsu” Nguyen.King Bartley: King of the narwhals, who are upset because idiotic unicorn hunters sometimes mistake them for unicorns and harvest their blood. Outraged at his people’s pointless suffering, King Bartley has joined the NUF to avenge himself upon Lillia’s regime. Voiced by Robert Ducat.Nuclear Emperor: The mysterious entity who founded and organized the Nuclear Unicorn Force. He(?) speaks only through a gigantic obelisk, issuing orders to the NUF's top officers, who act on his behalf. No one knows the Nuclear Emperor's true identity, but his crusade against Lillia and the Lollipop Kingdom has earned him the undying loyalty of the unicorns. Voiced by Michael Gonzalez.

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Gameplay

Nuclear Unicorn Force is a quasi-bullet storm style shooter. Your objective is to fly Lillia to the end of each stage while avoiding enemies, their projectiles, and the terrain.

Hit Area

Lillia can “graze” enemies, projectiles, and terrain without harm. Only a direct hit to Lillia's center counts as a hit. Lillia's hit area is represented by a spinning heart icon. As long as nothing ever touches this heart, you will be safe.

Blood Sucking

Lillia automatically drains the blood from nearby enemies. This refills the blood gauge (the red bar underneath Lillia), which depletes over time. Enemies explode once you have drained all of their blood. Some enemies have no blood to drain, or are protected, and thus are immune to Lillia’s blood sucking ability.

Ally Attacks

You can also collect powerups to summon allies to your side. If you have an ally, you can hold down the fire button (Control on the keyboard, or right trigger on an Xbox controller) to shoot projectiles of your own. These projectiles can destroy enemy shots and are also capable of damaging many enemies that are immune to Lillia’s blood draining power. However, you have a limited amount of energy, and if this energy reaches zero, you have to wait for it to recharge before your ally can continue firing. The amount of energy remaining is depicted by the blue gauge underneath Lillia (only visible when at least one ally has been summoned).

It is possible to summon multiple allies simultaneously, which greatly increases your firepower, but this also drains the energy gauge more quickly.

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Different allies have different targeting patterns. You can lock allies into place by pressing the appropriate button (Y on an Xbox controller or Enter on the keyboard). Press the key again and the ally will resume default target acquisition behavior.

Victory and Defeat

Each stage is self-contained. Your lives and powerups are reset each time you start a new stage. You lose a life if the blood gauge reaches zero or if you collide with an enemy, projectile, or the terrain. If you lose all your lives, you must start the stage over from the beginning. In order to unlock additional stages, you must clear the current stage.

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Powerups

During your battles, you can collect the following kinds of powerups:

Speed: Increases your flying speed.

Bloodsucking Range: Lets you suck blood from enemies farther away.

Bloodsucking Speed: Enables you to suck enemies’ blood more quickly, thus killing them faster.

Blood Pudding: Refills your blood gauge by 1/2.

Extra Life: Gives you an extra life.

Ally Summon: Summons an ally (Chris, Featherby, or Luwelen) to your side. If you already have that ally, collecting their powerup again refills your energy by 1/2 and increases their version number by 1. The higher the version number, the deadlier the ally’s attacks.

Vampire Bat: Summons a vampire bat. Vampire bats allow you to suck blood from multiple enemies simultaneously (one extra enemy per bat). You can have up to 4 bats at once.

Red Lollipop: 10,000 points.

Green Lollipop: 50,000 points.

Blue Lollipop: 250,000 points.

Ammo: Completely refills your energy gauge.

???: It is rumored that there is an even stronger powerup than those mentioned here. See if you can find it!!

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High Scores, Grades, & Leveling Up

The maximum level for most powerups is 6. You will not gain additional power beyond that. Whenever you start a new stage, all of your powerups are set to their base value.The base value for your powerups is determined by Lillia’s current experience level, which starts at 1 and can be raised to a maximum of 6 (in which case you begin all stages with all powerups at maximum level). Your experience level is determined by your current total score, which is calculated as the sum of all your high scores on the stages. Therefore, you can raise Lillia’s experience level by getting better high scores on the stages.

The scores required to raise Lillia’s experience level are as follows:

1: Starting level2: 750,0003: 3,000,0004: 6,750,0005: 12,000,0006: 18,750,000

In addition to high scores, you are also assigned a grade from F (worst) through SSS (best) for each stage you clear. Grades come into play after you clear the main game, at which time you may play bonus stages based on your average grade from all the stages. In order to play all the bonus stages, you will need an average grade of at least S.

To get better high scores:

• Clear the stage on a higher difficulty setting.

• Kill as many enemies as possible.

• Set your starting lives lower on the options menu.

• Clear the stage at a lower experience level.

To get higher grades:

• Clear the stage on a higher difficulty setting.

• Set your starting lives lower on the options menu.

• Clear the stage at a lower experience level.

• Clear the stage without collecting any powerups (lollipops don't count).

• Clear the stage without summoning any allies.

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Options

You can configure various settings from the Options screen, accessible from the title menu:

Fullscreen: Switch between fullscreen and windowed modes. The game display does not scale, so fullscreen mode simply places a border around the display area.

Targeting Mode: This determines how Lillia prioritizes enemies for bloodsucking. Also affects how Featherby chooses targets. There are 4 options:

Strongest Foe (default): Target the greatest threat in range.

Sticky: Target the first enemy to come in range, and continue targeting it until it dies or moves out of range.

Lowest HP: Always prioritize the target with the fewest HP.

Closest Target: Target the enemy physically closest to Lillia.

Difficulty: Determines how difficult the game is. The game is designed to be accommodating to a wide range of skill levels, but there are rewards for playing at a higher difficulty. The 3 options are Firecracker, Napalm, and Nuclear, corresponding to Easy, Normal, and Hard:

Firecracker: For casual players. Enemies shoot far fewer projectiles. Some enemies don’t appear at all. Some bosses have fewer forms and attack patterns.

Napalm (default): For experienced players. Normal firing and spawning settings for enemies, standard boss forms and attack patterns.

Nuclear: For expert players. Enemies shoot significantly more projectiles. More enemies spawn in some areas. Some bosses gain extra forms and attack patterns.

Starting Lives: You can set yourself to start each stage with anywhere from 1-9 lives. Having more lives obviously makes clearing stages easier, but you will get a higher score and better grades by playing with fewer lives. The default number of lives (which grants no score or grade modifier, either positive or negative) is 3.

Max Level: By default, whenever you acquire enough points to level up (see “High Scores, Grades, & Leveling Up”), Lillia's power will always be set to that level from that point forward. However, you can deliberately cap your experience level. For example, if Lillia is at level 5 and you set your Max Level to 2, then Lillia will be set to level 2. This level cap is temporary. If you later restore Max Level to its former value, Lillia will immediately regain her lost levels. While intentionally capping your level may seem strange, motivations for doing this include (a) the ability to replay early stages without being overpowered and (b) if you clear a stage with your experience level lower than “expected,” you get bonuses to your grade and score. By default, Max Level is set to 6, which is the highest level Lillia can achieve.

Momentum Compensation: Off by default. If set to On, Lillia gets a speed bonus when moving backwards to compensate for the constant forward motion of the stages.

Sound Settings: You can individually turn various components of the sound (music, voices, SFX) on and off.

Controls: You can configure the keyboard and gamepad controls.

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The World of NUF

Sugarplum Castle

Lillia's ancestral home has served as the seat of the Fang dynasty's power for generations. Much of the castle still sports the same imposing medieval decorations it was built with, though Lillia has converted her private quarters into a very modern electronic entertainment center. The castle is protected by a magical barrier so powerful, it can repel any attack short of a tactical nuke.

Gumdrop City

This bustling coastal metropolis is the largest city in the Lollipop Kingdom, and serves as a thriving trade center. Gigantic billboards displaying Lillia's self-possessed smile serve as a testimony to the populace's love for their young monarch.

Cinnamon Roll Woods

This sprawling forest at the edge of the Lollipop Kingdom is renowned for its brutal wilderness. Many vicious beasts make their home in the green depths. The forest is also home to a tribe of traditional-minded winglians, and it is rumored that the great sage Alabastion, former advisor to the Fang monarchy, retired into meditative seclusion here.

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Sodapop Sea

This ocean is located off the northern coast of the Lollipop Kingdom, its sea lanes serving as important trade routes. While the ocean may seem lifeless and featureless on the surface, far beneath the waves dwell vast and sophisticated societies, including a narwhal kingdom and an empire of firill.

Spicy Mountain

This active volcano is located just off the coast on the eastern side of the Sodapop Sea. Both the cavernous depths of the mountain itself and even the undersea regions around it are full of flowing magma rivers and red-hot flying debris caused by tectonic instability.

The Ancient KingdomIn the southwest corner of the Lollipop Kingdom lies the Valley of the Onyx, wherein can be found the old ruins that comprise the so-called Ancient Kingdom. Long ago, the members of the Fang monarchy ruled from this region, but eventually they migrated outside the valley. More recently, for reasons unknown, the entire valley was permanently closed off and all citizens were forbidden from entering it. No one knows what ancient secrets are hidden within these strange ruins, but an aura of dark foreboding lies heavily over the valley and all who draw near it.

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Mechahorn Fortress

The central base of the Nuclear Unicorn Force is located in a gigantic mechanized complex known as Mechahorn Fortress. The base's centerpiece is a tower that stretches all the way into the heavens, connecting the ground forces with some manner of orbital command post.

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Threats & Foes

Following is but a tiny sample of the vicious hazards that will impede Lillia's quest to repel the aggressions of the Nuclear Unicorn Force:

Scalefeathers: A strange breed of creature that combines the features of birds and fish. Normal scalefeathers are generally peaceful and helpless, but there exist far more dangerous subspecies.

Spiralhorn Missiles: Prior to deploying invasion forces, the NUF likes to soften up targets with enormous barrages of Spiralhorn missiles. Get used to these projectiles, as you'll be seeing a lot of them!

“Big Betty” Bombs: When Spiralhorns aren't enough, the NUF launches Big Betty bombs. Packed with far more explosives than their weaker cousins, Big Betties spew out numerous fireballs upon impact.

Pixie-Fairies: To reinforce their limited numbers, the NUF has forged alliances with numerous other creatures, including the hated pixie-fairies. These creatures come in many colors, each with different abilities. It is rumored that the black and red pixie-fairies are the deadliest of the lot.

Proximity Mines: Another favorite tactic of NUF invasion forces is to litter occupied territory with proximity mines. These smart explosives hover in place until a target comes near, at which point they chase

the target down before detonating in a cluster explosion.

Soldier Unicorns: The rank-and-file of the NUF come with countless abilities, including rocket barrages, homing missiles, particle beams, flame curtains, and good old-fashioned charge attacks.

Knight Golems: Automated attack drones, knight golems have no weapons, but they are impervious to all attacks and attempt to ram into targets to crush them with their great weight. Their movements are slow but inexorable, and they can be quite annoying to avoid when combined with supporting fusillades from other forces.

Trojan-class Aerial Battlecruisers: Enormous flying warships armed with phalanx point-defense systems, bomb bays, hangars full of NUF chargers, and a lethal heavy particle cannon. They also have thick armor that can withstand an extreme beating before they'll explode. Threat level is very high!

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Tips & Tricks

General Tips

• If you encounter a stage that you just can't seem to clear, remember that you have many options. You can try to get better high scores on previous stages to improve Lillia's experience level. If that doesn't work, you can go to the Options menu to decrease the difficulty and/or increase your starting lives. Later, after you've gotten more practice or Lillia has leveled up, you can go back to previous stages and clear them on higher difficulty modes.

• Thanks to their ability to shoot down enemy projectiles, your allies are even more valuable for their defensive potential than their offensive capabilities. Don't hesitate to use a burst of shots to clear a path through heavy fire when you need to.

• When the screen is full of slow-moving projectiles, you might find it easier to dodge with precision by activating slow-move mode. Just remember to turn slow-move off to get your speed back after the enemy fire has cleared up a bit.

• If you have trouble using some of your allies effectively, remember that you can lock allies in place (except Chris), which might make it easier to aim. However, allies are at their most versatile if you can learn to use their default targeting behavior to your advantage.

Tips by Stage [CONTAINS SPOILERS]

• Stage 1-2: Proximity mines are most vulnerable after they've been activated. To clear out these hazards quickly, intentionally fly close to them, then take them out with one shot before they explode.

• Stage 1-2: If you have trouble flying through tight terrain, you can try activating Momentum Compensation from the options menu, which makes you move faster when flying backwards.

• Stage 1-3: A good way to get around knight golems is to move up and down in a quick slalom pattern, causing their movements to become exaggerated. Then, before they can correct themselves, duck under or vault over them.

• Stage 1-4: Trojan-class battlecruisers have a design flaw: They are unable to target enemies who fly in the empty space underneath their heavy particle cannons. From this position, the battlecruisers can be destroyed with impunity. But watch out for escort forces!

• Stage 1-5: When dodging Mane Hornlind's overlapping particle beam attack, the trick is to fly through the beams while they are still harmless, before they intensify.

• Stage 1-5: Good use of your resources will make the battle with Mane Hornlind easier. Personally, I like to fire with Chris throughout the entire first phase. That way I can stay close to Mane, continually draining his health, while Chris shoots down his attacks. For the second phase, I stop firing (except to destroy mines as necessary) so that Chris can recharge. Then I resume attacking with her for the third phase.

• Stage 2-1: Don't let the wall-building plants cut you off. If you fear you won't be able to kill one in time, quickly fly to the right side of the screen before you get trapped behind the wall.

• Stage 2-2: Featherby's attack where he flies in a circle around Lillia while shooting fireballs in a cross

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shape is easier to dodge than it appears. Simply fly in a circle in the same direction as Featherby, and most of the attacks will miss with only minimal extra dodging needed. Alternatively, you can try staying completely still and only move slightly when a fireball gets near you.

• Stage 2-3: When red pixie-fairies drop their cluster sparkles, you can decrease the effectiveness of the attack by destroying as many large fireballs as possible before they get the chance to explode into smaller fireballs.

• Stage 2-4: Many of the geysers can be easily dodged simply by staying near the right side of the screen. This works for geysers in general.

• Stage 2-5: The real threat of beam attacks is not the danger of getting hit immediately, but the fact that you can't move through them without taking damage. Thus, they cut off entire sections of the screen until they dissipate. When an enemy starts firing a beam, try to judge quickly which side of the beam it would be most advantageous to be on, and move to that side before the beam intensifies.

• Stage 2-6: Your allies will be most useful here for their ability to shoot down Bartley's bubble projectiles. Additionally, when Bartley moves back and forth across the bottom of the screen, shooting bubbles straight up, you can inflict massive damage by flying in front of him and firing continuously. When Bartley uses his attack where he drops lightning-emitting bubbles, destroy the lightning emitters as your top priority. If he floods the screen with them, they can be extremely hazardous.

• Stage 3-1: This long stage will test your endurance. When fighting the king scalefeather miniboss, stay almost directly over its head until it starts firing a stream of bubbles straight at you. To dodge, slowly move clockwise around the boss until it stops firing. Then move back over its head again and repeat until it's dead. When the patrol boats start appearing, make it a priority to get in their faces and saturate them with shots at point-blank range to destroy them quickly.

• Stage 3-2: Luwelen swings around to face the opposite direction of your movement. Also, at higher power levels, she fires both forward and backward. You can combine these behaviors with the ability to lock allies in place to effectively customize Luwelen's direction of fire. Often, you'll want to lock her in a forward position, but there are times when it can be useful to have her fire in other directions, too.

• Stage 3-3: Whenever you hear an alarm blaring, keep a close eye out for a flashing ! near the edge of the screen. A burst of magma is about to flood onscreen from that direction, to stay clear.

• Stage 3-4: For the first part of this stage, you can avoid the attacks from the salamanders (the red frogs) as well as the monofilaments by staying near the front of the screen. If you run out of ammo while fighting the miniboss at the end, wait around for a little while and a fresh ammo powerup will drift onscreen. The miniboss' orbiting rocks also drop ammo.

• Stage 3-5: Just because you're presented with 3 allies to summon doesn't mean you have to use them all. In fact, when ammo is a concern, you might be better off only summoning 2 allies so that you don't drain ammo as quickly. I personally like Chris and Featherby for this fight. It's useful to try staying near the center of the screen so that you have time to dodge when the monofilaments come streaming in.

• Stage 4-1: The mobile beam cannon that attacks from the rear presents a deadly new obstacle in this stage, but it's actually not as daunting as it appears. You can fly behind it and destroy it with ally attacks in short order (and you are recommended to do so, as it makes the stage much easier and the cannon drops a green lollipop when destroyed). Even if you don't have allies on-hand to destroy the cannon, you can still take advantage of the fact that you can fly behind it to avoid getting pinned on one side of the screen.

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• Stage 4-2: This is a very different kind of stage. Lillia is on her own for most of the stage, and the primary hazards come from traps and terrain rather than enemies, so keeping her blood meter up is a concern. My best advice is simply to practice this stage as much as necessary to familiarize yourself with the layout.

• Stage 4-3: This stage's primary gimmick is the necessity of using your allies to remove destructible blocks in your way. Whenever you're presented with multiple ways to go, the easier way is generally the way that's blocked.

• Stage 4-4: I find that this stage is easier to handle by staying near the bottom of the screen.

• Stage 4-5: The key to winning this battle without losing any lives is patience. Some of the Progenitor's attacks are difficult to dodge if you get close enough to suck her blood. When that happens, there's nothing wrong with staying far away from her and waiting to move in and suck her blood when the situation is less hazardous.

• Stage 4-6: The trick here is the necessity of staying close enough to Lasbutin to drain his blood so that you don't drop out of Fallen Breed mode. As with Progenitor, it's easier to get close with some attacks than others. If your blood meter is about to run out, it's worth losing a life to get close enough to drain Lasbutin's blood so you don't lose Fallen Breed mode. The fight is exponentially more difficult without it.

• Stage 5-1: This stage is mostly a rehash of things you've seen before. The third part constitutes the most intense N.U.F. battle yet, but it's made easier by your access to a Fallen Breed powerup. You are highly recommended to destroy the mobile beam cannons the moment they appear.

• Stage 5-2: Once again, prioritize the mobile beam cannon first, then focus your fire on the unicorn mecha. Once the boss battle starts, focus on eliminating Makoto first. She is both deadlier and has lower health. The fight will be a breeze once she's gone.

• Stage 5-3: Destroy the spherical drones that the Nuclear Emperor launches at you for blood and ammo refills. Aside from that, you should be good enough to handle his attack patterns by this point in the game.

• Stage 5-4: Mane Hornlind will put all your skills to the test. A baseline level of dodging competency will be needed to avoid his attacks and there's no tip that can make up for that. Another vital aspect of this fight is resource conservation. You are periodically granted ammo refills, but they are infrequent enough that if you fire continuously, you will run out of ammunition. Therefore, try to use your allies' attacks judiciously – only when you need them to survive attacks without losing a life (and, believe me, Mane has some attacks where using your allies to shoot down his projectiles is critical).

• Stage 5-5: The final boss is strictly a one-on-one affair, but at least you have Fallen Breed mode to help you out. There really aren't any tricks to this fight, unfortunately. Simply dodge well and remember to stay in blood-draining range as often as possible, and you will prevail!

• Stages X-1 through X-4: No advice for the bonus stages. These constitute the game's greatest challenges and it's up to you to prove you can handle them!

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Credits

Designer & Developer: James Walker

Custom Fonts, PR Consultant: Ryan Donnelly (bludworks.com)

Featuring the Voice Talents of:

Celia Cleaveland as Lillia Fang, Luwelen Fishtail

Paul Prescott “Scott” Tolin as The Narrator

Michelle Deco as Christina “Chris” Ritter

Daniel Jordan as Featherby, Vladimir Fang

Edwyn Tiong as Mane Hornlind

Robert Ducat as King Bartley

Avery Smithhart as Makoto

Richard “Kaitsu” Nguyen as Lasbutin

Michael Gonzalez as The Nuclear Emperor

Rina Adachi as Progenitor

James Walker as Extras

Testing: James Walker, Xane H.S.

Special Thanks: Ian Stocker, Jonah Stiennon, Mary Stiennon, The CogNation Game Club

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Notes

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Documents

Game Manual - Michigan Technological Universityjwwalker/files/NUFManual.pdf · 2012-07-21 · lazy as possible. An unabashed otaku, Lillia uses her wealth and power to spend all her