Thexder/Levels 1 - 5

Level 1

 * As you begin the game, you are faced with a decision to drop down to a lower levels or stay high above. The truth is, other than a more relaxed pace and the opportunity to reclaim any energy from Baffins that you might have lost, there is little to gain from taking the lower paths.  You can't raise your Max Energy, so you might as well stay above.
 * Either way that you go, you will be faced with a swarm of Tribars before you encounter your first Energon Fence, which you must destroy before continuing.
 * Once you pass the fence, the lower path provides you with the first opportunity to raise your Max Energy by defeating the two stationary Centibeets. You'll have to do it as a jet though because you can't fit through the gap any other way.  The higher paths involve stronger Tribars and more Baffins to collect energy from.
 * You have to make your way to the lowest path and kill two Baffins for energy before entering an open area. There are two swarms of Red Tribars that are easily dispatched as long as you don't rush forward.  If you move too far too fast, you will become surrounded by the Tribars, and lose massive amounts of energy, so proceed with caution.
 * Beyond the open area is an area with a few tougher Black Tribars. Deal with them carefully.  There are six valuable Centibeets on the other side of the wall from where you are, and they are blocked by an Electron Fence.  There are two ways of removing the fence.  Either shoot it from the left by taking the passage that winds beneath the Centibeets, or fly up to them and shoot the fence by transforming back to a robot, fire while you fall, transform back to a jet, fly back up and repeat.  Either way, don't leave without killing the Centibeets.
 * The final section of the map can be tricky as the four Golans there will quickly swarm around you. Destroy them as fast as you can.  If you haven't used your shield, don't worry about the energy you lose, you will get most of it back as part of the no-shield bonus.
 * There is a hidden enemy, an Eye in the upper right corner of the wall. You can shoot at it to release it, then drop below it and jump up to shoot at it for extra Max Energy.  It will take a long time to destroy, but it's worth the effort.

Level 2

 * When level 2 starts, you will immediately want to drop down and head to the left for a substantial Max Energy boost. As if the four Centibeets weren't enough, you will notice that your laser is attracted to something buried in the ground.  Drop down the left side and fire into the little gap to reveal three strong, but valuable Bells.
 * Once you're done, you can choose between the high road or the low road. The high road forces you to make contact with a number of 4-Balls, but also presents you with easy Baffin targets to regain some energy.  The low road is a little safer, as it only makes you face a few Golans, with plenty of time to fire on them before they reach you.
 * Before you reach the very dangerous open area, there are a few Bells that you can discover and shoot for extra Max Energy. The easiest one is on the bottom, and can be destroyed with little effort.  The other five, however, are at the top of stage, and take a little more effort.


 * There's no easy way to take direct shots at the remaining five Bells without first constantly jumping up-and-down while you fire into the gap on the left of the nest. Once you have done this enough to expose the Bells, there is a trick you can employ to hit them without further jumping.  If you fly directly above the nest, then when Thexder is in the middle of the tunnel, turn Thexder around while firing the laser.  This reveals a hidden channel of destructable blocks, two blocks wide, which leads down into the center of the nest.  It is too narrow for Thexder to enter, but you can employ a trick to cause Thexder to hover over the channel and fire down into it.  If you press the Up Arrow (or push the joystick up) while Thexder is pointed straight down into the channel, the Thexder stays in that position, jiggling back-and-forth.  You can then fire the laser continuously down into the channel to destroy an entire column of blocks.   In the process, you will strike the Bell that sits in the center of the nest.  The Bells in two of the adjacent quadrants will move into your laser's path as well.  Then, slightly reposition Thexder over the second half of the channel, destroy the remaining blocks, and the two remaining Bells.  It's a little time-consuming, but worth the gain in energy.


 * When you reach the wide open area, prepare to be attacked by a swarm of Black Tribars. These are very hard to kill, and they will swarm around you quickly.  It is extremely hard to get through this section without using a shield.  If you use it, you will sacrifice the 100% energy bonus at the end of the stage, but you might not be able to make it to the end of the stage at all without the shield, so consider using it unless you are an expert player.
 * Once you get past the Black Tribars, the worst is behind you. There is a large Electron Fence that you must destroy to some degree to get beyond.  It's best to destroy the whole thing, which makes fighting the following Red Tribars a lot easier.
 * You will only want to enter the chamber to the right of the vertical shaft if you are very low on energy and want to destroy a few Baffins. Otherwise, fly up the shaft to continue on.  You will face a number of 4-Balls upon exiting the tunnel.  Prepare to fight or flee.  You can outrun a number of them.
 * Before you exit the stage, there are even more Bells to find. One is on the bottom right of the 4-Balls chamber and might be too troublesome to attempt to reach unless you cleared the 4-Balls out.  Another four are just above the tunnel that leaves the stage.  Zap them before you leave.

Level 3

 * The beginning of Level 3 can be a little frustrating. When you start, head down and to the left to defeat a few Baffins to regain any lost energy.  Now you must head to the right and pass through a number of dangerous enemies, like Blue Missiles, Fotons, Eyewalls, and Blademills.  You can either try to deal with each one at a time, or transform into a jet and try to blast past them.  Either way, you will probably lose a bit of energy.
 * A lone Centibeet can be defeated for more Max Energy at the top of the stage. Beyond the tunnel leading to it are more enemies and two Baffins.  You have no choice but to climb high up in the stage in order to continue.  The floor of this section is lava and must be avoided.  After a few Eyewalls are two more Baffins.  Defeat them and prepare for the next section.
 * Now, it's not a good idea to become a robot and try to walk on the floor since you will lose a substantial amount of energy. So it's best to remain a jet and fly through the next section.  But the jet's laser is imprecise, so you'll want to alternate between the floor and the ceiling in an effort to confuse the enemies and get ahead of them.  When you're past the lava floor, a tower of three Hoppers might serve as a blockade for some of the enemies behind you, so fly down when you are beyond them and continue until the Hoppers are off the screen.
 * With all the other enemies behind you, you only have three Blademills and a Hopper to worry about before you drop down. When you do, you'll have to destroy an arrangement of Electron Fences to continue.  Once you clear them, you can easily choose to defeat the two Hoppers, two Centibeets, and two more Hoppers and exit the level, but if you invest a little more time, you can raise your Max Energy by quite a bit.
 * If you head to the left, there's another Electron Fence that you must destroy and pass. Beyond that is a double set of fences that may appear difficult to destroy.  But if you fly back to the little alcove to the right of the fences, you can fire through the wall and destroy the first set of fences very easily.
 * Once you clear these fences, you will notice three Centibeets behind a rock wall that seems to follow you wherever you go. You want it to follow you until you come across some more Centibeets and another rock wall.  Once the two rock walls are together, race back to the right as a jet.  When the walls are off-screen, they can no longer follow you.  Now you can easily defeat the earlier Centibeets.
 * For even more Max Energy, head back to the left, and lure the walls so that they are far enough to the right that you can run to the left and push them off-screen. You can destroy the three Baffin there.  Then run to the wall and turn right.  Your laser will fire into the ceiling revealing a Geisha that cannot harm you and will give you a large Max Energy bonus when you defeat it.  There are three other Geishas in the level, but they are more trouble to defeat than they are worth.  Once you free them, they can follow you, and you can only hit them as a robot if you are willing to stand on lava. You can also defeat the Geishas by flying in the vertical tunnels over them and firing, but you need to be quick and escape through a tunnel to the left or right and repeat this action until they are destroyed.

Level 4

 * The start of Level 4 is sure to whittle down some of your energy due to the number of Blademills that you are forced to encounter. Try to proceed slowly so that you only have to face a few at a time, and clear all of the ones you see before continuing.
 * When you reach the middle of the stage, you will have to clear the wall and go to the opposite side. At this point you can go back through a low path.  You will only have to deal with two Blue Missiles on your way to the left through the low road.  When you make it to the end, destroy the four Centibeets, then fire through the left side of the blue platform to reveal a Geisha.
 * Go back to the open area in the center and defeat the swarm of Red Tribars. Beyond that are some Blue Missiles and some easily defeated Hoppers.  Destroy the first set of Electron Fences.  You only need to destroy the second set if you are desperate for energy.  Otherwise, fly up the shaft.
 * At the top of the shaft, you could fly back to the right for more energy and Max Energy, but the danger is very high and generally not recommended unless you are willing to use your shield. If you prefer to have to the no-shield bonus, skip the left passage and continue to the right.
 * In this last section of the stage, there is a lone Blademill to defeat, before you enter a small tunnel that leads back to the left. Fly through it and you will enter a chamber with a lava floor, and what looks like a configuration of Mines and a Morb.  You don't have to completely destroy this object in order to continue, but the Mines provide you with energy, so it's worthwhile if you can avoid getting attacked by the Mines and the Morb that get released.
 * The best strategy is to fly to the right, firing continuously, and turn around at the last second. Wait until the entire object is off screen and then return to the right, firing again.  It does not matter too much at which height you fire, since gravity will continue to pull the objects down to the floor as the ones beneath are removed.  If a Mine or a Morb is freed from touching any other object, it can swarm around you, so focus on any that become loose.
 * As soon as a path is cleared, you may pass right through to the escape tunnel at the end of the level.

Level 5

 * This is the first cavern level. The caverns feature very uneven terrain that makes walking through the area difficult as a robot.  You will be forced to jump around more, or fly through as a jet more often.  This level also introduces the Eips and the Bats, which swarm around Thexder like the Tribars.  The blue water floors is just as deadly to Thexder as the red lava floors.
 * If you drop down the first lower passage, and follow the chambers back to the left, you will encounter a few Throbster before finding a number of Baffins. Beyond the column of three Baffins is a hole in left wall.  If you jump up and shoot through it, you will reveal a Flower, which you can destroy for more Max Energy.
 * Back through the top passage, you must continue right and face a couple of Eips, followed by more Bats. There is a central "island" that you must fly over or under, followed by a choice between a high and middle passage to the right, or a low passage to the left.  The high and low passages lead to energy, Flowers, and a dead-end and are generally more trouble than they are worth.
 * The middle passage ends in an open area full of Eips. Ignore the lower passage to the left and continue along the high passages to the right.  Eventually you will dead end.  Fire into the little gap to the right to reveal another Flower.
 * Once you destroy the flower, hug the bottom wall until it wraps around to the right and on to the level's escape tunnel