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(original content written by Carl Morita ( http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/file/ranger_x.txt ), released under an ad-hoc attribution license)
 
(major cleanup)
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<pre>
{{stub}}
Ranger X FAQ/Walkthrough
{{needinfobox}}
By Renolan
{{needcat}}
masomuni@hotmail.com
 
Written 9/15/01
 
Contents:
 
  -Intro


  -Gameplay
{{All Game Nav|game=Ranger X|num=0}}
    -The basics
{{infobox
    -Tips
|title=Ranger X
|developer=
|publisher=
|releasedates=
|genre=
|platform=
|ratings=
}}


  -Weapon descriptions
==Table of Contents==
{{:Ranger X/Table of Contents}}
{{-}}
==Gameplay==
===Controls===
* A: Turn left/fire pulse rifle to the left
* B: Select special weapon/fire special weapon
* C: Turn right/fire pulse rifle to the right


  -Walkthrough
===The basics===
You play as 'Ranger X', a special combat suit equipped with a pulse rifle, thrust pack, and various special weapons. Your objective in each level is to destroy all 'targets,' special weapons or structures that are important to the enemy's military. The radar at the top of the screen shows the number of targets left, and points to any that are close by.


  -Codes
The yellow bar at the bottom left represents your shields. As you take hits, it will turn red. If you get hit when your shields are gone, you die.


(taken directly from game manual)
Your thrust pack allows you to fly, but you have to come down to the ground every once in awhile to allow it to cool off. The gauge at the bottom right shows how overheated the thruster is--once it reaches yellow, your thruster will die, and the ranger will plummet.
An attack has been made on the Free Galactic System Council (GSC) based
here on Homeworld. The Homeworld Tribes were unprepared for this sneak
attack and all have suffered heavy casualties. Forunately, Tribe Tech's
capital on the far side of Homeworld wasn't targeted in the first
assault wave and they managed to raise the city's Proton defense wall
in time to repel the second wave.


Our attackers are the Rahuna, an Edgezone coalition of planets. This
You will always be accompanied by a vehicle, or ex-up, in your missions. There are two:
group of warrior beings have been envious of GSC's control of the
* Ex-up Indra: Unicycle with auto-targeting pulse rifle. To get it to jump, hold the d-pad down, then release.
planetary systems, and we believe that their goal is to topple the
* Ex-up Eos: Airship that fires lasers as support fire. It follows you slowly throughout the mission.
government and bring the galactic systems under their rule.
To get into a vehicle, fly on top of it, then press down. Being inside the Indra gives you separate shields. While inside either vehicle, you can press B to cycle between your available weapons.


Their well-documented savagery and refusal to enter into the Pan-GS
You only start the game with two special weapons, but you pick up more in later stages. You can only have one equipped at a time, but you can change while inside an ex-up. Outside the ex-up, press B to fire the weapon. Some of the weapons, like the flame unit and seeker charge, require you to hold the button down to get the most out of them.
Nonaggression Treaty (YH 411/Galactic Date 97,340) should have been
enough of a warning to make us keep our guard up, but we underestimated
their ambition. Now there's nothing we can do but fight.


They have caught us off guard. That is our mistake. But they will find
Ranger X's special weapons require power, represented by the green bar next to the heat gauge. They are powered by solar energy, so as long as you remain exposed to light, the power gauge will continuously refill.
that their attack on us is the greater error - we will fight for
Homeworld and the safety of GSC to the last standing warrior. This is
the Tribes' way.
(end quote)


Story actually has very little importance in the game. There is, as far
There are power-conversion units inside most of the missions to convert power to shields. For the large version, stand inside of it, and it will convert slowly until you run out of power, or your shields become fully repaired. For the miniature version, moving near it will do the conversion immediately, then vanish. The large version is the more useful of the two, but you will only find it in the first two missions.
as I know, absolutely no dialogue.


Every time you die, you will have an option to continue if you have any lives left. You will be returned to full health, but your power will be at the same level it was when you died. You get an extra life every 200,000 points.


__________
===Tips===
|          |
* Take advantage of your thruster pack. Use it to fly above incoming shots. Dodging is much easier when you aren't confined to the ground.
| Gameplay |
* Often, it's hard to figure out where a boss is vulnerable. Listen for the impact sound, and watch the enemy's health bar. The Indra's auto-targeting can also be useful.
|__________|
* Proceed slowly. Health isn't as important in the first couple of missions, since you can always backtrack to the power converters, but later on every bit of shielding is precious. You don't want to charge blindly.
* Don't be afraid to use a lot of special weapons when fighting enemy targets. That's what they're there for. Every stage has somewhere you can go to backtrack and recharge solar energy, even the underground one.
* Don't wait until your thrusters suddenly die to look for a landing spot. You should start looking as soon as the meter goes into the red. You want to have control over where you end up.
* If you want to make a controlled descent, don't wait until the last minute to activate your thrusters. They take awhile to kick in, and in that time you might find yourself plopping into a pool of acid or some equally painful situation. Keep tapping up to slow you down.
* On the flip side, don't feel like you need your thrusters to always be on when you're flying. You can move a surprisingly good distance on drift alone. By temporarily releasing the up button every so often, you can spend a much longer time in the air.


Controls:
==Weapons==
A: Turn left/fire pulse rifle to the left
Flame unit: Throws a stream of flame out in front of you as long as B is pressed. The length of the stream depends on your remaining power. A handy tool for augmenting your basic laser. Its symbol is four orange boxes of increasing size.
B: Select special weapon/fire special weapon
C: Turn right/fire pulse rifle to the right
 
The basics:
You play as 'Ranger X', a special combat suit equipped with a pulse
rifle, thrust pack, and various special weapons. Your objective in each
level is to destroy all 'targets,' special weapons or structures that
are important to the enemy's military. The radar at the top of the
screen shows the number of targets left, and points to any that are
close by.
 
The yellow bar at the bottom left represents your shields. As you take
hits, it will turn red. If you get hit when your shields are gone, you
die (surprise).
 
Your thrust pack allows you to fly, but you have to come down to the
ground every once in awhile to allow it to cool off. The gauge at the
bottom right shows how overheated the thruster is - once it reaches
yellow, your thruster will die, and the ranger will plummet.
 
You will always be accompanied by a vehicle, or ex-up, in your
missions. There are two:
 
Ex-up Indra: Unicycle with auto-targeting pulse rifle. To get it to
jump, hold the d-pad down, then release.
 
Ex-up Eos: Airship that fires lasers as support fire. It follows you
slowly throughout the mission.
 
To get into a vehicle, fly on top of it, then press down. Being inside
the indra gives you separate shields. While inside either vehicle, you
can press B to cycle between your available weapons.
 
You only start the game with two special weapons, but you pick up more
in later stages. You can only have one equipped at a time, but you can
change while inside an ex-up. Outside the ex-up, press B to fire the
weapon. Some of the weapons, like the flame unit and seeker charge,
require you to hold the button down to get the most out of them.
 
Ranger X's special weapons require power, represented by the green bar
next to the heat gauge. They are powered by solar energy, so as long as
you remain exposed to light, the power gauge will continuously refill.
 
There are power-conversion units inside most of the missions to convert
power to shields. For the large version, stand inside of it, and it
will convert slowly until you run out of power, or your shields become
fully repaired. For the miniature version, moving near it will do the
conversion immediately, then vanish. The large version is the more
useful of the two, but you will only find it in the first two missions.
 
Every time you die, you will have an option to continue if you have
any lives left. You will be returned to full health, but your power
will be at the same level it was when you died. You get an extra life
every 200,000 points.
 
Tips:
 
-Take advantage of your thruster pack. Use it to fly above incoming
shots. Dodging is much easier when you aren't confined to the ground.
 
-Often, it's hard to figure out where a boss is vulnerable. Listen for
the impact sound, and watch the enemy's health bar. The Indra's auto-
targeting can also be useful.
 
-Proceed slowly. Health isn't as important in the first couple of
missions, since you can always backtrack to the power converters, but
later on every bit of shielding is precious. You don't want to charge
blindly.
 
-Don't be afraid to use a lot of special weapons when fighting enemy
targets. That's what they're there for. Every stage has somewhere you
can go to backtrack and recharge solar energy, even the
underground one.
 
-Don't wait until your thrusters suddenly die to look for a landing
spot. You should start looking as soon as the meter goes into the red.
You want to have control over where you end up.
 
-If you want to make a controlled descent, don't wait until the last
minute to activate your thrusters. They take awhile to kick in, and in
that time you might find yourself plopping into a pool of acid or some
equally painful situation. Keep tapping up to slow you down.
 
-On the flip side, don't feel like you need your thrusters to always
be on when you're flying. You can move a surprisingly good distance on
drift alone. By temporarily releasing the up button every so often, you
can spend a much longer time in the air.
 
 
_____________________
|                    |
| Weapon descriptions |
|_____________________|
 
Flame unit: Throws a stream of flame out in front of you as long as B
is pressed. The length of the stream depends on your remaining power.
A handy tool for augmenting your basic laser. Its symbol is four orange
boxes of increasing size.


Seeker mine: Moves along the ground, damaging anything it touches.
Seeker mine: Moves along the ground, damaging anything it touches.
Line 189: Line 90:




_____________
==Walkthrough==
|            |
===Stage 1: Tribe Tech Capital===
| Walkthrough |
====Part 1====
|_____________|
 
Stage 1: Tribe Tech Capital
 
Part 1
Total targets: 6
Total targets: 6


New enemies:
New enemies:
 
<pre>
Mini-bomber
Mini-bomber
Small planes that come infrequently, and are easy to kill. Just sit
Small planes that come infrequently, and are easy to kill. Just sit
Line 747: Line 643:
just stay put. Don't bother trying to attack it, you're just trying
just stay put. Don't bother trying to attack it, you're just trying
to reach the bottom.
to reach the bottom.
 
<pre>
Final boss:
Final boss:
Again, destroy any weapons that the boss sends out. Plasma blast is
Again, destroy any weapons that the boss sends out. Plasma blast is
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let anything that it shoots stay around for long. They will all find
let anything that it shoots stay around for long. They will all find
ways of bringing you a world of pain if not destroyed quickly.
ways of bringing you a world of pain if not destroyed quickly.
 
</pre>
After you reduce its health by about 1/4, it will set up a shield in
After you reduce its health by about 1/4, it will set up a shield in
front of itself that follows your motions. The idea here is not to
front of itself that follows your motions. The idea here is not to
Line 772: Line 668:




_______
==Codes==
|      |
===Level skip===
| Codes |
|_______|
 
Level skip:
Start, up, down, up, down, up, down, C, B, A, right, left, B.
Start, up, down, up, down, up, down, C, B, A, right, left, B.


Slow motion
===Slow motion===
Same as above except use A instead of B as last button.
Same as above except use A instead of B as last button. To deactivate slow motion, press start again.
To deactivate slow motion, press start again.
[[Category:Sega Genesis]]
 
 
 
Special thanks to Conquering Sega Genesis Games, by Jeff Rovin, for
providing codes and boss information.
 
This FAQ was written by Carl Morita, September 2001.
You may copy or excerpt it as much as you want, but give credit where
it is due, and do not give credit where it is not due.
</pre>

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Ranger X
Developer(s)
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Table of Contents

Gameplay

Controls

  • A: Turn left/fire pulse rifle to the left
  • B: Select special weapon/fire special weapon
  • C: Turn right/fire pulse rifle to the right

The basics

You play as 'Ranger X', a special combat suit equipped with a pulse rifle, thrust pack, and various special weapons. Your objective in each level is to destroy all 'targets,' special weapons or structures that are important to the enemy's military. The radar at the top of the screen shows the number of targets left, and points to any that are close by.

The yellow bar at the bottom left represents your shields. As you take hits, it will turn red. If you get hit when your shields are gone, you die.

Your thrust pack allows you to fly, but you have to come down to the ground every once in awhile to allow it to cool off. The gauge at the bottom right shows how overheated the thruster is--once it reaches yellow, your thruster will die, and the ranger will plummet.

You will always be accompanied by a vehicle, or ex-up, in your missions. There are two:

  • Ex-up Indra: Unicycle with auto-targeting pulse rifle. To get it to jump, hold the d-pad down, then release.
  • Ex-up Eos: Airship that fires lasers as support fire. It follows you slowly throughout the mission.

To get into a vehicle, fly on top of it, then press down. Being inside the Indra gives you separate shields. While inside either vehicle, you can press B to cycle between your available weapons.

You only start the game with two special weapons, but you pick up more in later stages. You can only have one equipped at a time, but you can change while inside an ex-up. Outside the ex-up, press B to fire the weapon. Some of the weapons, like the flame unit and seeker charge, require you to hold the button down to get the most out of them.

Ranger X's special weapons require power, represented by the green bar next to the heat gauge. They are powered by solar energy, so as long as you remain exposed to light, the power gauge will continuously refill.

There are power-conversion units inside most of the missions to convert power to shields. For the large version, stand inside of it, and it will convert slowly until you run out of power, or your shields become fully repaired. For the miniature version, moving near it will do the conversion immediately, then vanish. The large version is the more useful of the two, but you will only find it in the first two missions.

Every time you die, you will have an option to continue if you have any lives left. You will be returned to full health, but your power will be at the same level it was when you died. You get an extra life every 200,000 points.

Tips

  • Take advantage of your thruster pack. Use it to fly above incoming shots. Dodging is much easier when you aren't confined to the ground.
  • Often, it's hard to figure out where a boss is vulnerable. Listen for the impact sound, and watch the enemy's health bar. The Indra's auto-targeting can also be useful.
  • Proceed slowly. Health isn't as important in the first couple of missions, since you can always backtrack to the power converters, but later on every bit of shielding is precious. You don't want to charge blindly.
  • Don't be afraid to use a lot of special weapons when fighting enemy targets. That's what they're there for. Every stage has somewhere you can go to backtrack and recharge solar energy, even the underground one.
  • Don't wait until your thrusters suddenly die to look for a landing spot. You should start looking as soon as the meter goes into the red. You want to have control over where you end up.
  • If you want to make a controlled descent, don't wait until the last minute to activate your thrusters. They take awhile to kick in, and in that time you might find yourself plopping into a pool of acid or some equally painful situation. Keep tapping up to slow you down.
  • On the flip side, don't feel like you need your thrusters to always be on when you're flying. You can move a surprisingly good distance on drift alone. By temporarily releasing the up button every so often, you can spend a much longer time in the air.

Weapons

Flame unit: Throws a stream of flame out in front of you as long as B is pressed. The length of the stream depends on your remaining power. A handy tool for augmenting your basic laser. Its symbol is four orange boxes of increasing size.

Seeker mine: Moves along the ground, damaging anything it touches. Dissipates after a certain amount of time, or a few seconds after contact with an enemy. It packs more punch than the flame unit, but you're more limited in what you can hit. Its symbol is a bunch of blue vertical bars of different sizes.

Seeker charge: Sends out twin energy charges. They begin unaimed, but as you hold B, they will gradually adjust to attack the nearest enemy. Decent damage, it's a good replacement for the flame unit. It cannot detect some enemies. If you want to use this to hit them, move in front of the enemy and just tap B - the charge will behave like your ordinary attack. If you try to have it 'seek' when there are no enemies it can detect, it will go wild and useless. Its symbol is two diverging blue lines.

Seeker falcon: One of the most effective weapons around. It will seek out enemy targets within a certain area when released, and sticks to them until they are destroyed. It can do a lot of damage in a short time. Like seeker charge, there are some enemies that it will not detect. Its symbol is a falcon (oddly enough).

Plasma blast: Does decent damage over a wide area. Takes out a largish chunk of power. It's great for dealing with a bunch of closely clustered enemies. Plasma is also nice against enemies you want to stay away from, since it has a longer range than falcon. Its symbol is a fire ball (or plasma blast) pointing to the right.

Proton storm (Proton cannon): The manual says this originally designed to aid in tunnel digging. It won't bust through any walls in the game, but it will severely damage anything in its path. It consumes your entire power bar, takes a couple of seconds to charge, and paint a huge horizontal bar of the screen red- I mean, green. Its symbol is three green dots.


Walkthrough

Stage 1: Tribe Tech Capital

Part 1

Total targets: 6

New enemies:

Mini-bomber
Small planes that come infrequently, and are easy to kill. Just sit
inside your Ex-up Indra and let the auto-targeting kill them for you.
Just remember to move out of the way of their bombs.

Missile probe
Gray floating objects that occasionally shoot missiles at you. Either
dodge them or let your Indra's auto-target destroy them. If you have
trouble hitting the probe itself from the Indra, fly up and attack them
from the side instead.

Mech
Shoot at them constantly, and bump into them with your own vehicle to
jam their firing.

Mission targets
Large green structures that periodically shoot fireballs at you. How
often depends on how high you set the difficulty. Ride on top of your
Indra to double your firepower, and throw some flame unit or seeker
mines at it if you wish. Every time it starts to charge one of its
fireballs, quickly duck into your vehicle. After it passes, come back
out. If you set the difficulty very high, it will fire so often that it
might be better to just sit there, take the hits, and hope to destroy
it quickly.

When the mission starts, you be immediately attacks by some
mini-bombers. Get into your exp-up right away, and start returning fire
while moving forward to evade their bombs. Alternatively, fly upwards
and destroy them head on. The second option isn't as safe, but it's
probably the better one.

Keep moving through the area, following the tips above for specific
enemies. Don't go too fast - you don't want to attract the attention of
too many enemies at once. There is a power converter conveniently
located right at your starting point, so you can go back and heal
whenever you need to. Since the entire mission is above ground under
(mostly) clear skies, you will have no problems with power. The whole
mission is just a straight path, so finding the targets should not be a
problem, either.

Part 2: Stage boss
The boss's arrival is announced by several loud explosions rocking the
hangar. Take the time before it shows up to make sure your special
weapon is set to flame unit. Once it enters, fly up and blast its front
(above where the legs connect with the body) with your rifle and the
flamer. Keep shooting until you stop meeting resistance (or when things
stop blowing up). This is where most of the boss's weapons are, and
it's important that you take them out.

Now, get inside your vehicle and move underneath the boss. Shoot, and
the auto-targeting will aim for the legs. The small laser gun that the
boss has in front will be unable to reach you. Once both legs go, get
out, before the boss falls on you. From this point,
simply hold the C button and everything should be fine. The Indra will
pick off any missiles that the blasted machine tries to throw while
aiming for your last target, the cockpit. Once that goes, the scenario
ends.


Stage 2: Underground installation

Part 1
Total targets: 5

New enemies:

Power generator
Not really an enemy, just something you want to destroy. They have no
attack, but provide power to the guns. Somewhat durable.

Wall gun
Not hard to kill, but their fast attack means that you will end up
taking a lot of hits too. Best to destroy their power source first.

Flying tadpole
These are annoying. Small, tough, and painful. The one silver lining is
that they are vulnerable to light. (More on that later) They come out
of the little stalactites/mites that explode and eventually crumble
under your rifle fire. Of course, you will want to leave those intact
whenever possible, to keep these monsters inside and away from you.

Tank
They fire about as fast as a wall gun, and are slightly more durable.
After they die, its turret will stay around for a while longer and
spin, spraying the entire area. Just use hit and run to keep its shots
from hitting, and stay away while the turret goes into its death
throes.

Mini-mech
Similar to the mechs in last mission, except they move by jumping. As
a result, they are slightly faster. Ramming them still stops their
firing, though.

Rock
They block passage and damage you if they fall on you. They can
be destroyed, but sometimes they contain flying tadpoles.

Mission targets
Constantly vibrating machines. Every few hits they take, they will
release a flurry of charges. The charges move slowly and can be
destroyed with a single pulse rifle shot, but there are a lot of them.
Destroy them using a few powerful hits, instead of a lot of weak ones.
Seeker mines combined with rifle fire are good.


This mission is inside a cave, so your ability to recharge power is
limited. There are certain areas where the ceiling is weak - attacking
it will open up a hole to the surface, allowing you to get precious
solar energy. One such area is directly above your starting position.
Backtrack here whenever that green bar runs low. The light is also very
useful against the flying tadpoles - they will be unable to move into
the light, and get damaged every time they try.

Start off by flying to the ledge up and to the right. Destroy the thing
sitting on it - it will take a lot of hits, but there's nothing that
can reach you while you're firing. Once you take it out, the power to
the gun below will be cut off. Searching out and destroying generators
before you go for guns will save you a lot of shields in this mission.

Make sure the Indra is facing left, then fall to the bottom. There will
be the first of the targets to the right of you. Destroy it, then turn
right. Put the ranger on top of the Indra (NOT inside) and ride across
the acid pool. The Indra's shields are only vulnerable when you are in
it - convenient, isn't it?

Destroy the power generator you find on the other side, then fly the
ranger up, past the now-disabled guns. You will find a tank and a power
converter at the top, as well as a new weapon, the seeker charge. You
can destroy the tank by moving next to it and hitting it with
everything you have. Alternatively, throw seeker mines from above, so
that they land on the ledge and trickle down. Doing this blocks the
tank's fire.

Cherish this power converter, because it's the last full sized one you
will ever see. Whenever your shields start getting low, come back here,
then go under the light to recharge your power.

For now, keep going right. Destroy the wall gun and tank, then go for
the generator. I know I said it's usually better to take out generators
first, but here the wall gun is closer and there's really no way to go
around it. Make sure you are not below or to the right of the power
cable when it goes, or else you will be crushed by rocks. Once they
stop rolling, blow them up with your rifle for points and easier
traveling. Don't worry, none of them contain monsters.

Bypass the first ceiling opening. Go through the narrow tunnel instead,
then fly up through the smaller hole. You will find another target on
the right. Destroy it, then fly all the way up, and then to the left.
You will find another opening to the ceiling, and a barrier containing
tadpoles. Whenever you release one, just stay behind the light shaft
and let them float to their deaths. Once you've cleared a path, follow
it through and destroy the generator. After that, destroy the target
below and its unpowered gun.

Go up and to the right. You will find a corridor filled with tanks.
Position yourself below the area where the rocks are trapped, and let
them fire at you. Dodge their shots, and they will cut through the weak
ceiling, releasing the rocks. Getting the rocks to destroy the tanks
requires persistance and a bit of luck. Keep moving back and forth
along the corridor, and there is a random chance one of the rocks will
decide to slide. Alternatively, you can use seeker charges to take out
the tanks. Any other weapon will not work - the acid will stop seeker
mines and keep you from getting on level ground with the tanks. Once
the chamber falls quiet, destroy the two generators at the end. This
part is optional and tough, but recommended.

Once you're done, return to your Indra at the bottom and keep heading
right. Eventually, you will come across a set of guns in a narrow
passage with acid at the bottom. If you took out the two generators,
you won't have any problems. If you didn't, use hit and run, and don't
try to charge through. The final gun will always be powered, but it's
only one, so you should be able to handle it.

Keep moving, destroying the mechs, until you come to another stalactite
formation. Cut through the ceiling first, then blast away. Watch out
for rocks - be prepared to fly up to avoid them when they start
rolling. These particular rocks have monsters inside them, so just stay
inside the light. The target itself, at the very end, should fall
relatively easy. Since it is in such a confined space, its weapons will
lose much of their effectiveness.

Go back to the area where all the guns were. The ceiling was originally
blocked off by a power cable, but destroying the target has cut off the
power. You can now go through. If you wish to get your Indra up there,
hold down, then release to make it jump.

Fly upwards until you find another power generator (don't worry, this
is the last). Destroy it, but be ready to fly up afterwards, since the
power cable is what provides you with the ground to shoot it with in
the first place.

Once that's done, fly up, and just go all the way through to the right.
Don't bother trying to shoot any mechs, just bump them out of the way.
At the end, you will find the last target. Blast it with seeker mines
and pulse fire, and hopefully it will die before the mechs arrive. Once
it is destroyed (since it is the last target) you will be invincible,
and free to take out the remaining mechs.

Part 2
Total targets: 7

Targets 1-6: They will fly in towards you from the background,
sometimes giving you warning, sometimes not. Stay inside the Indra,
stay to their rear, and keep shooting. As long as you are hitting it,
it will be unable to fire back.

Make sure your weapon is set to seeker charge. You'll need it for the
boss.

Boss:
This giant mechanical worm will charge you at first, but for most of
the rest of the battle, it will only mimic your movements. Charging it
is still not a good idea, since you will be moving closer to its
weapons, if not the creature itself. It's best to stay in one place
until it fires, so you can figure out where to dodge.

This thing is divided into four segments, each with a different attack.
The first is a series of missiles that fall in random locations. There
is usually only one or two places that are safe from them at any given
time. They're hard to dodge, so just concentrate on destroying this
segment quickly using pulse fire and seeker charge (tapping B, not
holding it).

The next segment throws bombs. Their movement is a bit more
predictable, and you will be able to destroy most of them using your
own weapons. Just keep shooting.

The third segment charges up for a large fire beam that is as wide as
its eye. Stay inside your ex-up Indra while it passes by, then pop out
to get a few quick hits before it shoots again. If the beam is hitting
you while inside the Indra, move forward or backward slightly to make
the boss readjust its legs.

The fourth and last segment will charge you. It does so at a regular
pattern, so once you figure it out you should be able to dodge it every
time. Attack it a few times, then fly back and up to avoid its charge.
Don't come down again until it passes you going back to its starting
point. Repeat until it is destroyed.


Stage 3: Jungle

Part 1
Total targets: 11

New enemies:
Armored car
Slow firing, weak attack. Easy to take out, even if your Eos doesn't
get it first.

Jumper
Somewhat faster and tougher than the armored car, but still not too
difficult.

Missile
Periodically spawned by the targets once they've landed. These things
are painful. Large and fast, they will seek you out no matter where you
are. In addition to exploding on impact, these missiles also have
projectiles of their own that they will shoot as they pass by.
Fortunately, they die in only one shot. If you have trouble hitting
them with your normal gun, just use the seeker falcon. Keep your pulse
rifle shooting even when there is nothing in sight, because these
things can close fast. Since only a few can be in the air at a time, if
a set of them passes you, turn around because that's the only direction
they will come from.

Mission targets
Some of them will start on the ground, others will start offscreen and
slowly be air-dropped in. Their only attack is the missiles, but they
are plenty enough to keep you occupied. Use seeker falcon to take them
out quickly.


This is the first mission where you get to use the Ex-up Eos. It will
provide powerful support fire as you make your way through the jungle.
You won't be able to do much while inside it, though, so only enter it
when you want to change weapons.

The thick canopy of trees blocks out sunlight. You will only be able to
recharge energy while in the sky. Spend most of your time in this
mission flying, rather than walking, to recharge lost power as fast as
possible.

Start off by dropping onto the jungle floor and moving to the right.
You can destroy the small mechs if you want, but you can get around
them just as easily by flying over. Just keep the jungle floor within
sight until you find the falcon. Pick it up, then head back to the Eos
to equip it.

From here on, just follow your radar to find the targets. If the ones
you come to are still too high in the air to hit, just skip them and go
on to others. If you ever run very low on power, you can get inside the
Eos and it will pick off most missiles while you recharge. It's still
best not to risk it unless you have to, though.

Part 2
Stage boss:
Make sure your special weapon is set to flame unit or seeker charge
before you move forward. This boss's only vulnerable point is its eye,
which closes at periodic intervals. Damaging it takes a bit of time.
Fortunately, its main attack is very predictable. Whenever the bubbles
start getting too close, just walk or fly over to the other side of
the head. While on the right side, make sure you directly behind the
eye. Otherwise, your shots will just bounce off the side. It will
occasionally throw a laser beam low, but this is very rare.

Once you damage it to about half life, it will sink into the water.
The disembodied brain will rise again, protected by giant bubbles.
Stay away from the bubbles, and shoot at it with both your rifle and
special weapon. Try to time it so that your shots hit when the
bubbles are in the background, so that they don't end up blocked.
Like before, once they get too close, move to the other side of the
screen and re-commence firing.


Stage 4: Skyscraper
Part 1
Targets: 7

New enemies:

Wall flamer
Attempts to overheat your thruster pack. If it catches you while you
are flying, your heat gauge will jump by a considerable amount.

Sky trooper
They fly up and down beside the structure. Hard to hit, even with a
seeker falcon. To take them out, fly in the same direction they do to
keep them on screen, and let the falcon do the work.

Mission targets:
They sit on the side of buildings and deploy bombs that explode if
fly near them. Since the bombs don't move once set in place, they
are easy to avoid. Just use seeker falcon to take these out.

First things first, switch back to seeker falcon. It will be effective
against pretty much all enemies in this mission. Just keep flying up,
using the ledges to rest when your thrusters start overheating. You
will also have to use the little platforms floating beside the
building. They are not designed to support your weight, but they will
give you the crucial time needed to cool your thrusters down. I do
not know how to beat this level in hard/heavy mode, when there are no
platforms at all.

The proton cannon special weapon is located inside one of the glass
windows in this mission. Which one it's in is random, so you will have
to shoot up the building pane by pane to get it.

Part 2
Pick whatever weapon you wish, you will mainly be using your rifle in
this area. The cannons have a long range, but their shot does not
travel very quickly, so you can move out of the way well before it
lands. Go through the area and destroy all the cannons.

Return to the central area. There will be an energy ball and a
mechanical object resembling a circuit board circling around inside
of it. You're trying to destroy the board. Whenever you hit the ball,
it will lash out at you. Whenever you hit the board, the two will
tighten their circle. This means that you end up hitting the energy
ball eventually whether you like it or not. Watch your shots, and
when you are about to hit the energy ball (or even if you think you
are) fly up and out of the way. Now, the ball will be locked in
position, and you will be free to wander over to the other side of
the thing and start firing again. You can use the proton cannon if
you wish to speed things up.


Stage 5: Night raid

Part 1
Targets: 8

New enemies:

Guardsmen
Tough, mobile enemies. They crouch when they fire. Fly up to dodge
their shots, and get it a few shots before they fire again.
Alternatively, just keep dodging and let the Eos do the work for you.

Fly drone
Many of them just lie around and take a long time to become activated.
They will also be activated if you ever get caught in a searchlight
while near them. They are easily destroyed. The ones that are actually
mobile will shoot at you, but they still fall in a few hits. They fly,
but are not very fast.

Hunter drone
They show up in pairs whenever you get caught in a searchlight.
Thankfully, that is the only time you have to face them. They will
always be at your back, so either use seeker weapons or wait for your
Eos to take them. Extremely fast, they will follow you anywhere.

Mission targets
Large fliers that throw fireballs at you. The fire comes in bursts, so
it is somewhat hard to avoid, especially if you're close up. It's your
call whether to use plasma or falcon to destroy these. Plasma's long
range and wide target area allows you to dodge the targets' attacks at
a safe distance while hitting home with your own. Falcon is a much more
efficient killer, but it requires getting somewhat closer.

The plasma blast weapon is located at the bottom of a pit a small
distance ahead of your starting position. You have to crouch in order
to get it.

The large numbers of searchlights in this mission may seem
intimidating, but rest assured that almost all of them are avoidable.
Keep an eye out for anything that might block them, even if it's only
for a second.

The path for this mission is pretty straightforward. There are some
dead ends, but they all contain power converters (mini ones, of course)
so it's well worth it.

Part 2
Stage boss:
This stage takes place in a long corridor. The boss has two parts. The
main one starts on the other side, the other part begins in the
background near where you start. You cannot damage it until it has
attached to the main vehicle, though. It is possible to get at the
second part while the first one is still trying to unite with it, but
you won't get in very many hits before they come together.

Damaging the first part is a major pain. Your shots have a tendency
to ricochet off in random directions, and while you frantically try to
penetrate its defenses, it will be throwing its own attacks at you.
Its attacks are annoyingly unpredictable - you never know when they
will decide to turn. Try to stay in front of them until they start
moving up or down, then fly past them. The fireballs never try to move
back to the right.

This is one of the best times to use the mighty proton cannon. Start
charging it up as soon as you see the boss, and after around a second
fly up so that the boss's center is directly across from you. If you
are lucky, you will end up swallowing up half the boss's health in one
hit. Retreat afterwards to recharge energy, then switch to plasma
blasts or seeker charges to finish the thing off. If you don't have
the cannon, just keep shooting in the general direction of the boss.
*Some* of your shots will have to hit home. Just hope that it dies
before you do.


Stage 6: Final base

Part 1
Targets: 12

New enemies:

Shield bearer
Their shields deflect your attacks. Bump into them to make them
drop them, then shoot. Keep bumping them to disrupt their firing.
(Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

Line blaster
Easy to avoid, since their movement and attacks move only on a
straight horizontal line. Use your Indra's autotargeting to kill
them as they pass by.

Flame barrier
These generally seal off an entire area, and cause extreme pain to
anything that tries to get past them. (Actually, it only causes pain
to you, but it sounds a lot cooler with anything =P) There is
sometimes a black power box that you can destroy to turn off the
barrier.

Fire phantom
Annoying mech that flies in the background and throws fireballs at
you continuously. He shows up about halfway through the mission, and
will not go away until you reach the boss. He can't hit you while
you're in the dark, but that is small consolation since you'll want
to have time to recharge in the light. He doesn't let you have that
time easy. There isn't anything you can do about him except keep
moving.

Exploder
They send attacks in several directions when hit, but their presence
causes your Indra to shoot at them. Since oftentimes the only way to
disable a flame barrier is by shooting upward, this is a good thing.

Flame traps
Metal objects that lie inside of flame barriers. When the barrier is
deactivated, they will send energy shots at you. They are very hard
to dodge, and usually you have to destroy the barrier in question to
continue, so there isn't much you can do about it. If your Indra is
less damaged than the Ranger, have it take the hits instead.

Splitter
Has one core area and 4 'arms' that it detaches and sends in
different directions. They will fire at you continuously until they
or the core is destroyed. Best to use special weapons to take them
down quickly using special weapons. They look similar to the mission
targets when all four parts are combined.

Mission targets
They have four arms, and all must be destroyed for the target to go
down. This makes seeker weapons and the Indra less effective, since
they will aim for the center area even though it cannot be damaged.
Use a wide-hitting attack like plasma blast, or move around to the
other sides so that you can destroy the arms you couldn't reach
before.


There are several areas on this level that are darkened. You won't
be able to recharge power while inside them, but none of these
areas is large enough to give you serious power shortages.

The flame barriers are your biggest enemies in this mission. Never
try to move through them, there are way too many powerful enemies
around here for you to be throwing away shields. Look for a way to
move around it or disable it, because chances are, there is one.
The levitators on this mission allow you move up and reach areas
your Indra couldn't normally access, but they also take you there
whether you like it or not. Sometimes, it will plow you into a
flame barrier. Always inspect everything carefully, and don't try
to move onto a levitator until you've exhausted all other options,
or if it's absolutely clear that the act won't hurt you.

In areas where there are several are flame barriers on the floor and
ceiling and metal objects moving in between, have the ranger ride
above (not inside) the Indra, and inch your way forward. The metal
follows a set pattern, so it is possible to move under it or fly
over it without getting hurt.

Stage boss:
It is possible to get your Indra over to the last area by resting it
on top of the block right next to the wall and then jumping. It isn't
absolutely necessary, but it comes in handy.

Start off by attacking the gun mounted on top of the thing. Plasma
blast works well, since you don't have to be directly in its line of
fire to hit it. Quickly destroy any weapons it sends out. The
missiles are easy if you have the Indra, just let the auto-targeting
take them. If you don't have it, just dodge them as they come. The
homing balls are a bit harder to hit, since they move around so much,
but plasma blast should be sufficient. While you're not taking out
weapons, aim for underneath the cockpit, at the orange thing that
periodically juts out. Proton cannon can destroy it quickly if you're
impatient.

Part 2
This area is just one long fall. Whenever the small ship shoots
something at you, briefly ignite your thrusters to fly over it.
Watch the shots carefully, though, because it will sometimes aim
above you instead of directly at you. In these cases, it's better to
just stay put. Don't bother trying to attack it, you're just trying
to reach the bottom.
<pre>
Final boss:
Again, destroy any weapons that the boss sends out. Plasma blast is
good at destroying large clusters. Aim for the giant's head. Don't
let anything that it shoots stay around for long. They will all find
ways of bringing you a world of pain if not destroyed quickly.

After you reduce its health by about 1/4, it will set up a shield in front of itself that follows your motions. The idea here is not to attack the giant, but to move yourself so that the fireballs it shoots out end up getting bounced back by the shield. Start off either on the top or bottom, then fly/fall to make the shield collide with one of the fireballs. Use plasma to stop any fireballs that come too close to you.

Once the giant starts weakening, he will throw streams of energy at you. Stay on the far left side of the screen so you get plenty of time to see where they're going and where to put yourself in order to dodge them. Aim for the giant's head. Proton cannon speeds things up.

Congratulations, you have completed Ranger X. If you are playing in normal mode or harder, you will get the ending - if you're playing it easy, you'll get a message telling you to try normal mode.


Codes

Level skip

Start, up, down, up, down, up, down, C, B, A, right, left, B.

Slow motion

Same as above except use A instead of B as last button. To deactivate slow motion, press start again.