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Elemental Gearbolt FAQ
v0.2
Last revision: 5/11/98
by Jonathan Weeks
(jon@animejin.demon.co.uk)
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LEGAL NOTICE
============
Copyright 1998 by Jonathan Weeks. All Rights Reserved.
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information
contained herein, no guarantee can be given.
You are granted the following rights:
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Contents
========
Contents...............................................................here
Introduction.....................................................just below
Revision History...........................................a bit further on
Game Mechanics...................................................after that
Scoring.............................................in the middle somewhere
Secret Chalices.....................................most of the way through
Strategy Guide...................................... .......near the bottom
Acknowledgements.................................................at the end
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Introduction
============
This is a FAQ for the US edition of the Playstation game 'Elemental
Gearbolt'. In its current form it is woefully incomplete. Suggestions for
further information to include, more strategies or the location of the last
chalice would be gratefully received.
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Revision History
================
v0.2 - 5/11/98 - fixed lots of typing and spelling errors.
- figured out how the score multiplier works and added a
table for it.
- removed the continuation trick, as it doesn't improve
your score in light of how the multiplier works.
- added notes on the difference between one and two player
modes.
- found out that chalices do have a point value.
- added a scoring table
- added a level/experience chart
- added a note on the hit bonus
v0.1 - 19/10/98 - first release.
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Game Mechanics
==============
Controllers
-----------
The manual has illustrations for the use of the Standard Control Pad,
Analogue pad, Namco Guncon and Konami Justifier. Other controllers that are
compatible with these are presumably supported.
The one detail missing is the control method for the Analogue Pad. This
operates in a similar way to the standard controller, but in analogue mode
the speed the crosshair moves changes according to the angle of the
joystick.
Leveling up
-----------
The trade off screen in-between acts gives you the opportunity to take
bonus points as either score or experience. Beginners are recommended to
choose experience as this advances your level, increasing weapon power and
maximum health so that you have a better chance of completing the game. As
you improve, you should be able to complete the game at lower levels,
reducing the need to trade off and increasing your score.
Note that the level chart in the manual give the experience required to
move from one level to the next, not the total experience required. Here is
a chart of the total experience required for each level
Level Next lvl Total
1 0 0
2 50,000 50,000
3 120,000 170,000
4 300,000 470,000
5 520,000 990,000
6 820,000 1,810,000
7 1,170,000 2,980,000
8 1,570,000 4,550,000
9 2,000,000 6,550,000
10 2,500,000 9,050,000
11 3,000,000 12,050,000
12 3,500,000 15,550,000
13 4,000,000 19,550,000
14 4,500,000 24,050,000
15 5,000,000 29,050,000
16 6,000,000 35,050,000
Continuing
----------
In normal mode you have four credits, so that you can continue after being
killed three times. Each time you continue your score is halved but your
level is increased by one.
Two player mode
---------------
Two player mode is the same as one player mode except that:
All the enemies (including bosses) have twice as much health as in one
player mode.
You can continue without returning to the start of a level, providing the
other player is still alive.
If all fairies in an act are shot, both players receive the 100,000 point
bonus.
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Scoring
=======
The manual has names, descriptions and point values for most of the enemies
in the first three acts. Here is a complete table of the point values for
all destroyable targets in the game. Enemies marked * are not named in the
manual, so I have given a description instead. ??? indicates that I haven't
figured that score out yet.
All acts
--------
orb 10 fairy 120
silver coin 500 gold coin 3,000
small potion 10 large potion 10
chalice 100,000
Opening Act
-----------
Tyrl 150 Tiashi 120
*blue hopping thing 170
Vidal 240 *Vidal missile ???
Saferimniru 230 *Saferimniru missile ???
Wardom 20,000 *Wardom missile 1,000
Act 2
-----
*orange walker 240 Flig 240
Tiashi 120 Ozle 270
Berge Mill 240 *Berge Mill bomb ???
*thin green flying thing !!! Redmag 180
Midguld 30,000 *Midguld spike 1,000
*Midguld bubble ???
Act 3
-----
Hadeline 180 Tyrl 150
Tiashi 120
Halemod 310 *Halemod shot ???
*big soldier 320 *big soldier shot ???
*small brown wall thing 190 *wall thing shot 1,700
Neethog 36,000 *Neethog shot 2,500
Act 4
-----
*small beige soldier 280 *thin green flying thing !!!
*big brown armoured thing 230 *big armoured thing missile ???
*big spidery thing 230 *big spidery thing shot 1,800
*small dark red floaty thing 310 *small floaty thing bomb 2,500
*small grey spinning thing 2,000
Audmra 40,000 *Audmra shot 2,400
Act 5
-----
*small rock 3,000
*winged flyer 320 *winged flyer bomb 4,500
*small dark floaty thing 310 *small floaty thing bomb 2,500
*dark blue/yellow soldier 190 *blue ball on pole ???
*winged statue 50
*big red scythe wielder 260 *scythe wielder shot 3,700
*brown flying thing 350 Idon 50,000
*Idon bubble 20,000 *Idon shot 750
Finale
------
*torch statue 50
*dark blue/yellow soldier 190 *red Tiashi 120
*red soldier with shield 290 *red soldier shot 3,800
Maldel ???
*Maldel shot ??? *Maldel column ???
boss2 ???
boss2 white shot ??? *boss2 orange shot ???
boss3 100,000
*dagger ??? *green mist ???
*orange shot ??? *blue bubble ???
!!! - The thin green flying things are worth 240 points if destroyed close
up, or 1,100 points if destroyed while far away.
The Score Multiplier
--------------------
Hitting consecutive targets without missing a shot or taking damage
increases the 'combo' value displayed at the top left of the screen. As the
combo increases, the score awarded for destroying each target is multiplied
by an increasing factor that is displayed when the target is destroyed. The
multipliers that occur are x2, x3, x4, x5 and x10. The following table
lists the combo needed for each multiplier at each level. The obvious point
to make is that higher multipliers take longer to get at higher levels, so
if you want to maximise your score you should stick to lower levels,
particularly if you want to get x10 which only occurs if you are on level
one.
Level: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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x2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 18
x3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 19 21 25 29 33
x4 7 9 10 11 13 15 17 19 22 25 29 33 38 ?? 50 57
x5 11 13 15 17 20 23 26 30 34 39 45 52 59 68 ?? ??
x10 50 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[the table is currently incomplete. I'll fill in the ??s in due course.
I have achieved a combo of 88 on level 16 but I was still getting x4.]
The Hit Bonus
-------------
Hitting consecutive targets without missing or taking a hit, even if you
don't destroy them earns a hit bonus. The bonus is 15 points per hit,
multiplied by the hit counter, up to a maximum of 450 points (30 hits).
However, there is no bonus when using the Blaze Pheonix, so you must use
one of the other weapons to get the bonus. There is also no bonus awarded
when hitting a chalice.
Weapon change bonus
-------------------
You get 10 points every time you change weapons. I don't recommend persuing
this, as even if you take every opportunity to use it, you're not going to
add more than a few thousand points to your overall score.
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Secret Chalices
===============
The manual mentions the presence of twelve hidden chalices in the game.
Chalices are worth 100,000 points and one of the conditions of the high
score contest detailed in the back of the manual is that you must find all
of the chalices to qualify. Of course, since there's $10,000 at stake,
players are understandably reluctant to divulge what they know. Luckily,
not being a resident of the US or Canada disqualifies me immediately so I
can blab all I want (ha ha!). To obtain a chalice, you must shoot it twice
with the weapon specified, once to reveal it and then again to claim it.
The other weapons will register a hit, but will not reveal or claim it.
Opening Act : Grieving Angel's Descent
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About a third of the way through the level, you jump down into the main
part of the city. You then move forward and briefly face left. While you
are facing left, there is a fairy and an orb (small potion) in front of
you. Shoot the door of the building on the left hand side of the screen
with the Blaze Phoenix.
Just before you approach the boss, you jump over a high gate and then pass
through a large open area with two orbs (coins and large potion). Shoot the
door on the right hand side of the building on the left hand side of the
screen with the Thunder Tiger.
Act 2 : Enter the Dragon
------------------------
While making your way through the forest at the beginning of this level,
you come to a small rise, with a fairy and orb (coins) together in from of
it. Shoot the base of the bush immediately to the right of the fairy/orb
with the Water Snake.
Near the end of this level you pass under two bridges and then over
a third. There are now a number of spires in front of you and Redmags in
the water. One of the spires has a fairy in front of it. Shoot just above
the tip of this spire with the Blaze Phoenix.
Act 3 : The Crypt of Despair
----------------------------
Most of the way through this level there is a long fall after which you
pass over three Ari rising out of the sand. Shoot the mouth of the first
Ari (between its pincers) with the Blaze Phoenix.
Immediately before you reach the boss, you pass over a bridge and then
pause briefly before turning left to face the boss. During that brief
pause, shoot straight ahead at the centre of the roof of the corridor with
the Water Snake.
Act 4 : Plains of Regret
------------------------
There are several spider-like enemies in the first part of this act. At
one point you pass three of them on your right and then immediately circle
a rock formation to come face to face with the third one. Shoot the area
immediately above this spiders head with the Blaze Phoenix.
After the initial approach to the boss, you turn around and fly backwards
for a while. A fairy appears to the left of a rock formation. Shoot
the gap between the fairy and the rock formation with the Thunder Tiger.
Act 5 : The Palace Ruins
------------------------
After you jump the palace gate you move forward, up some steps, forward
again and then through some trees. Just before you enter the trees, there
are some larger trees on the left side of the screen. Shoot the centre of
the rightmost of these trees with the Blaze Phoenix.
Once inside the palace you pass through two large chambers, connected by
a vertical section. In the vertical section, there are two ledges with
enemies on them. At the second ledge, shoot the middle of the first pillar
to the right of the back of the ledge with the Water Snake.
Finale : Purposed to Perish
---------------------------
The first part of this level consists of two corridor seperated by an open
area. At the start of the second corridor there is an alcove on the left.
Shoot halfway up the wall in this alcove with the Thunder Tiger.
The location of the other finale chalice is unknown.
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Strategy Guide
==============
General
-------
Weapon choice : Despite the manual's claim that different weapons work
better on different enemies, I have found that The Blaze Phoenix works
best for almost everything. The one exception is using the Thunder Tiger
to destroy missiles.
Coin orbs : To hit all the coins in a coin orb use the fire weapon and fire
twice, first at the ball and then second at the area immediately above it.
The second shot should hit all the coins as they fly up before they can
scatter. This will not work if you are too close to the orb, so try and do
it when you are as far away from a ball as possible.
Opening Act
-----------
Immediately after the first chalice, you move to the right and then onto a
small bridge with a fairy in front of it. There is a small potion orb
hidden behind the bridge, at the same screen position as the fairy.
As you move backwards while facing the Wardom, a hidden coin orb appears in
the tree on the right.
Wardom: Just pound on him with the Blaze Phoenix until he blows up. Shoot
other enemies when they appear and use the Thunder Tiger on any missiles.
Act 2
-----
As you rise up to the plateau section, you can see a large, multi-segment
ship flying in the air. This is the Sltole mentioned in the manual, which
registers hits when you shoot it, although I've never been able to destroy
it.
When you rise to the upper level of the plateau, there is a large spire
in front of you. The second time the top of the spire is visible, a potion
orb appears at its tip.
Midguld: Alternate between Blaze Phoenix for the boss, and Thunder Tiger
for everything else. The end of it's tail does not register hits. When it
swims around with only its fins showing, you can still hit it.
Act 3
-----
Near the start, there is a chamber with two fairies. As you move to the
right out of this area, there are two Tyrls behind low barriers. There is a
hidden coin orb behind the right-hand barrier.
The Ari don't appear to register hits, but the manual lists them as worth
???pts, suggesting that it may be possible to destroy them somehow.
Neethog: Keep shooting the head/brain continuously and any Hadelines as
soon as they appear. When the boss raises it's arm to swipe at you, you
have to shoot the end of the arm.
Act 4
-----
The most important thing about this act is that the enemies are smaller
than other acts, but take longer to attack you. If you wait until they
approach you before shooting them, you may be overwhelmed, so shoot then as
soon as they appear, even when they are a long way off.
Audmra: Just keep pounding away with the Blaze Phoenix at its central area
until it runs out of health. It blows up when you take out the green sphere
that appears underneath it, but don't forget to wait until you've hit all
the fairies (the last three are in a group together).
Act 5
-----
You overtake three Sltoles during the first part of this act, but as in Act
2, they register hits but I've never been able to destroy one.
Just before you approach the palace gate, you fly past several large
arches. Two of these arches have potion orbs under them.
When you jump the palace gate, there are two fairies and a small potion orb
on top and a hidden large potion orb in the trees on the ground to your
right. You only have enough time to shoot the fairies and one orb, so shoot
the one in the trees.
There is a coin orb hidden in the tree to the left of the tree containing
the first chalice.
Idon: He tends to fire at you from very close range, so you have to
anticipate and fire simultaneously to avoid being hit.
Finale
------
The statues lining the corridor at the start of this act can be destroyed.
Red soldiers: These guys have shields that make them invulnerable until
they raise their swords to fire. Time your shots carefully.
Mardel: When he materialises in the central area, he releases a number of
purple spheres. You take damage if you hit them, so stop firing while they
are on screen.
Second Boss: This one just lumbers around the screen, firing slow shots at
you. The only point would seem to be to lull you into a false sense of
security before what comes next.
Final Boss: This boss has several attacks, all of which can be countered
with accurately timed Blaze Phoenix or Thunder Tiger shots. Anticipate the
attack patterns and counter as soon as he fires.
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Acknowledgements
================
The chalice locations are taken from various postings to the Working
Designs Discussion Forum (http://www.workingdesigns.com), notably those of
Radhil Trebors.
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