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.
Stage walkthrough
Items checklist
- Rush "H" plate
- E-tank
- Rush Search
- Exit Unit (need Rush Search)
Stage part 1
Stage enemies, in order of appearance:
- Petaforth (cyclops walker): shoot it four times to kill it.
- White Bear Machine: it takes 32 regular shots to kill these guys; wait for it to summon an ice block and then jump when it swipes.
- Shield Attacker: it only takes 4 regular shots (or 2 charged ones) to kill it.
- Icicle Teck: wait for them to drop their stalactite, then use the stalactite as a platform to cross the spiked pits.
Head to the right where the two ladders can be seen. If this is your first time here, use Rush Coil (summon Rush then jump on his back) to reach the upper ladder. Notice that you have to use two decaying ice platforms to get to the letter. So skip the left one and use Rush Coil to jump straight on to the right platform, run about half way across, then run backwards and leap to the H. If you mess up, come back here later (after beating Freeze Man), or die if you like, and try again.
Stage part 2
Head down the ladder (this is the mid-point), then down another level, to the right and when you come to the split in paths, stay to the top. If you don't want to use the Rush Jet, 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 Rush Search.
Enemies list, in prder of appearance:
- Sniper Joe (shielded green man): just time your jumps and take him out without getting hit.
- Gabyoall (ground sweeper): they can only be destroyed using the Danger Wrap.
- Driver Cannon: a ceiling turret.
- Bomb Sleigh: it can be easily destroyed by the Thunder Bolt.
Robot Master: Freeze Man
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
- Freeze Cracker: shoots a circular ball which freezes Mega Man in place, he then charges him.
- Solution: Jump over the shot, and then over 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. 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.
- Stalactites: He shoots a Freeze Cracker to the ceiling to grow icicles, which then fall in a random pattern. He then charges Mega Man.
- 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: he shoots a Freeze Cracker to the ground; it deals no damage, but causes Mega Man to slide around when running.
- Solution: Jump more.