Hanii in the Sky/Stage 5

Upon reaching this stage, you won't obtain a new weapon. Instead, you'll receive your first armor upgrade. Make sure you enter the menu and enable it. This will cut the amount of damage you receive in half. If you typically took a lot of damage in any of the four previous stages, presumably you could revisit them with this armor and complete them with more health remaining.

This stage is similar to Stage 2, in that there are several choices you must make along the way. Some choices lead to an item and a dead-end which returns you back to the fork in the path, while the other choice allows you to progress further into the stage. It just so happens that in this stage, the choices are always the same: left leads to a dead-end, and right lets you proceed.


 * 1) The stage starts with wave after wave of small tiny enemies that serpentine down the screen.  The don't shoot, they just try to overwhelm you in numbers.  When you first visit this stage, you can really only choose between the 3-Way Sword and Double Blades.  Although they take more shots to defeat with a Sword than with Blades, the spread of the 3-Way Sword helps you cut through more of them as they fly about.
 * 2) At the first choice, if you go left, you'll encounter stationary three eyed creatures with open mouths.  Out of their mouths, they release endless amounts of slow moving fireballs that spread out in three ways.  They can only shoot up, down, left or right, never diagonal.  As a result, you can actually shoot them diagonally from a relatively close position and be safe.  At the end of this path, you'll see an item on the floor.  Collect it to gain an Invisibility item.  Then you will be sent back to the fork in the path.
 * 3) At the first choice, if you go right, you'll face a new type of enemy.  These stationary structures resemble walls that are only oriented either up and down, or left and right.  They have two guns on either side of their center, and the center is their only vulnerable spot.  Shoot the center while dodging their bullets to destroy them.  In this case, while the 3-Way Sword has a shield, the Double Blades is a more effective weapon since they take a lot of hits to destroy.  Just make sure you're using a fast engine to zip you around the bullets.
 * 4) At the second choice, if you go left, you will fly through a very short zone where you will only encounter one wave of the enemies which appear at the start of this stage.  There is an item lying on the ground, but you may wish to avoid it.  If you collect it, the game will switch from full color to black & white.  The effects end as soon as you enter another stage.
 * 5) At the second choice, if you go right, you will fly through another short zone with a single enemy.  This enemy has several object rotating around him, however, and enough must be shot and destroyed so that you have a clear shot at the enemy in the middle.  Use Double Blades and focus on the the center enemy.
 * 6) Hanii in the Sky Stage 5b.jpg At the third choice, if you go left, you will go through another section with the wall that are only vulnerable in the center.  About halfway through this section, you'll come across another item that you may wish to avoid.  If you collect it, the background music will stop playing, although the regular sound effects continue.  The effects of this end as soon as you enter another stage.
 * 7) At the third choice, if you go right, you'll be heading through the last section of the stage.  At first you'll be attacked by creatures that resemble brains.  They come in groups of four, each oriented in a different cardinal direction.  Only the eye at the base of the brain is vulnerable.  While the ones facing south, east, and west can be shot from below, the one facing north must be attacked from the side or above.  As you get close to the end, small versions of Hanii will appear from each corner and slowly close in on you.  Eliminate them before they get too close to Hanii and start to hurt him.

Boss: すさのお (Susanoo)
Susanoo resembles a very large worm. It moves in a way that can best be compared to an accordion. It stretches itself, and then contracts, alternating between going to the top of the screen, and to the bottom. As it does this, it inches its way to the left or to the right until it gets close to one side of the screen and goes back the other way. All the while, each segment fires off a slow moving black ball that Hanii must avoid.

Its head and its tail are invulnerable, but all of the segments in between can be shot. Once a segment takes enough damage, it explodes, and the remaining segments band closer together. It's easier to take out the middle segments by shooting from the side. But you must keep Hanii moving around the screen so that the black balls Susanoo releases don't get the chance to overwhelm you and pin you into a corner. Circle around the boss as you chip away at each segment until they are all destroyed.