Items
- Rush "H" plate
- E-tank
- Rush Search
- Exit Unit (need Rush Search)
Stage walkthrough
Freeze Man's stage is fairly simple, only a few tricky spots exist so taking it slowly and making sure not to get hit is a must. Freeze Man's fight can be difficult so you'll want as many tries as possible.
Start off by heading to the right, when the first step is in sight, approach it with caution. When you see the cyclops walker appear on screen, make sure you move back a ways; when it reaches the end of the step it will lean off it a bit and can tap you on the head if you're too close. Jump up and shoot it four times to kill it. Continue on until you reach the step with the polar bear bot on it. It takes 32 regular shots to kill these guys; time consuming but they aren't difficult at all. Their rate of attack is something like once every five seconds so just stand in front of it, wait for it to summon an ice block and then jump when it swipes. Give yourself some room if you can't time it well. After you kill it, head into the next screen, climb the two ladders.
After climbing, move yourself against the wall below the polar bear bot. You can't get hit as long as you don't move, so when you're ready you can either jump up and shoot and fall down again, or stand up on the ledge and dodge the ice blocks right in front of it (this method usually saves time). Move slowly along this platform, at the end where it drops down deeply a shield bot will be patrolling so if you decide to jump down quickly you'll probably run into it. Stay back a little, wait for it to move out of sight and then drop down. Now you can either bypass it and keep moving right, or go slow and take it down (depending on your patience). It only takes 4 regular shots or 2 charged to kill it. Continue to the right past the spiked pit, stop at the ladder and use a peek & shoot technique to take it outwithout taking damage. Climb the ladder, continue to the right past the stalactites (be patient if you're having trouble). When you get to the first spiked pit, wait for the stalactite bot to drop its stalactite so you don't risk getting hit mid jump. Continue to the right, wait on the skinny ice platform for the bot to drop its stalactite, then use the stalactite as a platform to cross the pit. Continue to the next pit, this time kill the stalactite bot, it will automatically drop its stalactite; cross the pit and immediately slide into the small dip (where it becomes a metal floor). A shield bot will be patrolling just above your head, take it out, continue slowly to the right. You can also just move to the right and slide under the shield bot, then when the other one appears kill it before the first one returns.
Head to the right where the two ladders can be seen. If this is your first time here, use R. Coil (summon Rush then jump on his back) to reach the upper ladder. From here (it might take you a few tries) notice that you have to use two decaying ice platforms to get to the letter. The trick is to give yourself enough room to have momentum but to jump before it breaks. So jump on to the left platform, run about half way across, then run backwards and jump to the second. Use the same technique and leap to the H. Voila. If you mess up, come back here later (after beating Freeze Man), or die if you like, and try again. Head back down the ladder, fall onto the decaying ice platform and wait for it to shatter.
Head down the ladder (this is the mid-point), then down another level into the pit below the shielded green man. He's not difficult, just time your jumps and take him out without getting hit. Head down a level, to the right and when you come to the split in paths, stay to the top. This will take a few tries the first time, but just try jumping when you feel Mega Man is going to fall, not before otherwise he won't make the jump (he has to be off the platform just a little to be able to make the distance). When you continue down, you should encounter a set of platforms you may jump across. If you make it to the final platform you'll be rewarded with R. Search. Fall down to the left onto the platform with the ground sweeper (or head to the right if you couldn't reach R. Search).
While dodging the ground sweeper (make sure to keep jumping), jump up and kill the ceiling turret on the right. When it's dead, jump across the pit, and continue right to the next screen. You can either kill the polar bear bot and get the E tank, or skip it; since it's an easy fight just take it out. The bot does have an extra attack, but it's easy to dodge. Stay against the left wall, and attack when you can. You can dodge the ice blocks while against the left wall; and when the stalactites fall from the ceiling just move to the right far enough to fit in between (they fall in relation to your position so if you're far enough right you can just move left). Once dead, grab the tank, and then try to get up. Use the long jump technique and make sure to hold up while moving left (you'll have to grab it after hitting your head on the ceiling), it will probably take a few (or a lot) of tries to get up. Climb the ladder, move to the right and jump the gap. Slide into the wall immediately, watch as the bomb sled passes over and then go to the next step. Try and slide as it passes over, you might take a hit or you might get lucky. Continue on, this time when the sled comes over the tiny ledge, leap over it (stay to the left so it will be on the low platform when you jump it). Continue on to the boss door, head in, and get ready for Freeze Man.
Boss Fight
Freeze Man as a few attacks:
- He may throw an ice ball directly at Mega Man while jumping. This freezes him for a few seconds.
- Freeze Man causes icicles to fall from the ceiling.
- When jumping, he will throw a ball directly at the floor, freezing it and making it slippery. If Mega Man is on the ground, he will be frozen in place.
Freeze Man is vulnerable to the Junk Shield, but the firing pattern isn't distrupted.
Detailed analysis
- Weakness Strategy
Attack using Junk Shield, it will cause him to pause, often ending an attack sequence. You can often get two uses of the shield before it runs out, sometimes you will lose it on a single hit. Also, the shield lasts when frozen on both the ground and after being hit with one of his shots.
- Mega Buster Strategy
If you plan on fighting him without the Junk Shield, keep in mind that he'll often follow a set pattern: he'll charge from one end of the room to the other, leap into the air to freeze the ground (make sure to jump the ice wave, or it'll freeze your feet to the floor), run to the other side of the room as stalactites fall, toss a Freeze Cracker at you, and repeat the process. Shoot him while he's running, and he'll jump. Slide under him when he does so, don't just try to jump over him like you might usually do. A good rule of thumb is to stay near the center, so he can't pin you up against a wall with his running around or the Freeze Cracker.
- Attacks
- Charge: He just runs across the ground at a normal pace.
- Solution: Jump over him.
- Stalactites: He summons the ceiling to grow icicles, which then fall in a random pattern. Also uses Charge at the same time.
- Solution: Jump over him when he gets close, and try to dodge the falling icicles at the same time. Look for which ones to fall first, and try to find a gap.
- Frozen Ground: Not really an attack, but causes you to slide around when running.
- Solution: Jump more.
- Freeze Cracker: Fires a circular ball which freezes you in place, he then Charges you.
- Solution: Jump over the shot, and then him (usually charges at the same time). Make sure you use Junk Shield before that in case you get frozen, because it will damage him and save you a bit of life (stops Charge). Stay away from the wall, because the shot will split when it hits the wall, and freeze you if you get caught in the blast.