Mercs Guide by Ian Watkins (Nai255) Version 1.0: 02/05/2017 ! This guide is spoiler-free ! ---CONTENTS--- {0. Guide Information} [0a] - Version History / Credits [0b] - About This Guide [0c] - Legal Bits [0d] - Contact Info {1. Game Information} [1a] - Story [1b] - Controls [1c] - Options [1d] - Status Display [1e] - The Mercs [1f] - Weapons [1g] - Items [1h] - Allied Camps [1i] - When Life Runs Out / Game Over [1j] - General Tips {2. Arcade Mode Walkthrough} [2a] - Arcade Mission 1 [2b] - Arcade Mission 2 [2c] - Arcade Mission 3 [2d] - Arcade Mission 4 [2e] - Arcade Mission 5 [2f] - Arcade Mission 6 [2g] - Arcade Mission 7 {3. Original Mode Walkthrough} [3a] - Original Mission 1 [3b] - Original Mission 2 [3c] - Original Mission 3 [3d] - Original Mission 4 [3e] - Original Mission 5 [3f] - Original Mission 6 [3g] - Original Mission 7 [3h] - Original Mission 8 {4. Secrets and Cheats} [4a] - Mission Select Code [4b] - The Original Mode Code [4c] - First Aid For All [4d] - Top Secret Information {{{ 0. Guide Information }}} *** [0a] - Version History / Credits *** Version 1.0: Initial Release. 02/05/17 * Credits* FFCrono: for the Mission Select code *** [0b] - About This Guide *** This is a general walkthrough for "Mercs", the second of three titles in Capcom's "Wolf of the Battlefield / Commando" series. In particular, the Sega Genesis port of this arcade run-n-gun. While it is only a single player affair compared to the 3 player co-op in the arcade game, it makes up for this with a unique Original Mode, a remixed version of the game where you recruit multiple Mercs with various weapons and traits who will fight with you through a brand new set of missions separate from the Arcade campaign. This guide covers both the Arcade and Original modes present in the Genesis version of Mercs. I was surprised there hadn't been a guide made for this game until now. Though it is a pretty straightforward shooting game, I think there's still enough info worth putting together for a guide to not just help both newcomers and veterans of Mercs, but also do justice for a personal favorite I grew up on as a kid. Looking for a particular section? Open your browser's search function (Ctrl+F), then just type in the appropriate bracket code as shown in the Table of Contents. Example: for "[2e] - Arcade Mission 5", type: [2e] *** [0c] - Legal Bits *** Mercs, and all related elements (C) 1990-2017 Capcom, SEGA. This guide (C) 2017 Ian Watkins. If you wish to use this guide on your website, please contact me and request permission in advance. Hosting this guide without giving credit is a violation of copyright. Websites currently authorized to use this guide: * GameFAQs.com * NeoSeeker.com *** [0d] - Contact Info *** Comments and suggestions are always welcome! E-Mail: DoomedQuaker (at) hotmail.com Steam: Nai255 {{{ 1. Game Information }}} *** [1a] - Story *** * Arcade Mode Story * As a skilled professional soldier, trained in anti-terrorist tactics, you have been hired by the U.S. government to assist in a top secret operation. While touring Central Africa for world peace, the former President of the United States was taken hostage by a group of revolutionaries. Due to diplomatic reasons, the U.S. government cannot send military intervention. Instead, an elite corps of mercenaries known as the 'Mercs' have been selected to rescue the President and stop the rebels' attempt to take control of the country Zutura. As a member of the Mercs, your mission awaits! * Original Mode Story * The White House has received a report that the government of Quira has secretly developed long range ballistic missiles. Fearing that the newly developed strength of Quira could affect the global balance of power and eventually lead to war, the President ordered the "Mercs", an elite corps of hired soldiers to take out these missiles. *** [1b] - Controls *** The default controls are listed below. D-Pad: Moves your character in-game. Moves selection cursors in menus. A or C Button: Shoot your weapon. B Button: Use a Mega Crash Bomb. Start Button: Pauses the game. Also brings up the Merc selection screen in Original Mode. *** [1c] - Options *** The following options can be changed from the Options menu. Press Up or Down to select an option, and change that option by pressing Left or Right. * Mode Choose between Arcade or Original to adjust that mode's difficulty using the Level option below. * Level Adjust the difficulty level of the game. Arcade Mode's difficulty mainly determines how many Continues you get: 5 on Easy, 4 on Normal, 3 on Hard. Original Mode's Hard difficulty has more enemies, less items, and mixes dangerous kamikazes in with the common foot soldiers. * Control Change whether the A, B, or C button activates Mega Crash, and which of the other two buttons shoot your weapon. * Rapid When turned on, your weapons will shoot automatically while the Shot button is held down. * Sound Test Sample the background music and sound effects from the game. Press A or C to play audio, and press B to stop it. *** [1d] - Status Display *** Track the Mercs' status with the display on the right side of your screen! Going from top to bottom: * Mission * Your current mission. There are 7 missions in Arcade Mode, and 8 missions in Original Mode. * Score * Your total points. * Time * Missions are timed in Arcade Mode. If the timer reaches 0, your Merc will go down. * Medals * Replaces the Time display in Original Mode, showing how many medals you have. * Life * The green portion of the life gauge decreases as you take damage. If it runs out, your Merc will go down. * Mega Crash Bombs * Your remaining Mega Crash bombs. * Vehicle Life * Appears when you enter a vehicle. Any damage taken in a vehicle will reduce it's life instead of yours. When a vehicle's life runs out, it is destroyed and you will automatically eject. * Boss Life * Displayed as five bars at the top of the screen during a boss battle, which disappear as you damage the boss. When they're all gone, the boss is defeated. In Original Mode, you can review each Merc's status from the Pause menu. From left to right: * Weapon Power and Movement Speed levels * Life * Mega Crash bombs remaining * Bulletproof Vests and Gas Masks (when found) *** [1e] - The Mercs *** The following is a list of the Mercs as they appear in Original Mode. * Code Name: "Rifle" Weapon: Assault Rifle Default Merc available from the start of Original Mode Rifle is the well-rounded Merc, whose assault rifle is somewhat stock compared to other weapons, but is still servicable against groups of lesser enemies, and shooting down salvos of enemy missiles once powered up to shoot with wider coverage. He also has the greatest speed potential of the Mercs, letting him dodge attacks with ease and outrun certain threats altogether. Max Life-Ups: 4 Max Power: 10 Max Speed: 5 * Code Name: "Burner" Weapon: Flamethrower Recruited in Mission 2 Burner brings the heat with his flamethrower, effortlessly sweeping through entire screens of lesser enemies and destroyable projectiles while still being decently powerful against bigger tanks and trucks. A very capable Merc whose only real weakness is his relatively low life cap, which a Bulletproof Vest can help offset. Max Life-Ups: 2 Max Power: 10 Max Speed: 3 * Code Name: "Launcher" Weapon: Grenade Launcher Recruited in Mission 3 The slow but strong type. Launcher's grenades hit harder than Rifle or Burner's weapons, though his limited speed and attack range make him best suited to take care of big targets that stay in place and have simple attack patterns. Launcher's high life cap makes him a good candidate for a Bulletproof Vest, as well as a Gas Mask since he has the most trouble getting away from toxic gas clouds. Max Life-Ups: 5 Max Power: 10 Max Speed: 2 * Code Name: "Laser" Weapon: Laser Beam Recruited in Mission 4 His trademark beam has a slow rate of fire which makes it tricky to pick off groups of small enemies, but Laser can cut through the big guns in record time, and only needs three Power-Ups to reach his full potential. Coupled with a max speed rivaled only by Rifle, you've got yourself a mobile boss-killing machine. Max Life-Ups: 4 Max Power: 4 Max Speed: 4 * Code Name: "Homing" Weapon: Homing Launcher Recruited in Mission 8 The last Merc you recruit, though not exactly the best, sadly. Homing's heat-seeking missiles work alright against small groups of foot soldiers, but their limited damage output makes them ill-suited against anything else. Their ability to home in on targets could be useful in areas where the enemy cannot be seen, however... Max Life-Ups: 2 Max Power: 3 Max Speed: 3 (Though his max speed is technically 3, there are no Speed Boots found between when you recruit Homing and the rest of the game, effectively locking his Speed at 1. Likewise, there are no more than 2 Life-Ups found after recruiting Homing) *** [1f] - Weapons *** In Arcade Mode, your default weapon is the Assault Rifle, but you can find different weapons inside of item crates. Picking up a new weapon will replace your current weapon, but any Power-Ups picked up will persist between weapons. Weapons and Power-Ups are also kept when using a Continue. In Original Mode, each Merc has their own unique weapon which never changes, along with their own separate stocks of Power-Ups and Mega Crash bombs. * Assault Rifle Shoots rapid-fire bursts of bullets. Has decent power and a high rate of fire for sweeping through groups of lesser enemies and destroyable projectiles. Power-Ups increase the damage and overall width of the bullet bursts. Drops as a gray gun in Arcade Mode. Rifle's weapon in Original Mode. * Flamethrower Shoots a stream of fire, burning any foot soldiers caught in the flames while doing consistant damage to other targets. The flames will bend and turn with your movement while the Shot button is held down, dying out shortly after the button is released. Because of the delayed tracking on the flames, it is best to let go of the Shot button if you need to attack someone coming from behind, then turn around and press the button again once the flames go out. Power-Ups increase the damage, size, and length of the flames. Drops as a gun connected to two fuel tanks in Arcade Mode. Burner's weapon in Original Mode. * Spread Shot Shoots spreads of bullets with decent power that cover a wide area. Effective on groups of small targets at a distance, and against big targets when fired up close so that each shot connects. Power-Ups increase the damage and size of the shots, turning from a 3-way spread to a 5-way spread at Power Level 5. Drops as a green gun in Arcade Mode. Not available in Original Mode. * Grenade Launcher Shoots grenades that explode on contact with an enemy or after traveling a set distance. The grenades have limited range compared to other weapons and can only be fired two at a time, but do heavy damage with their explosions. Power-Ups increase the damage and size of the grenades, and the explosions become bigger at Power Level 5. Drops as a gray gun with a strap in Arcade Mode. Launcher's weapon in Original Mode. * Laser Beam Fires long, thin lasers one at a time, which pierce through any enemy in their way. The low rate of fire makes it difficult to use this weapon against groups of foot soldiers, but is very powerful against big targets, doing damage that rivals, if not surpasses that of the Grenade Launcher. It also has the longest reach of any weapon, going past the edge of the screen. Power-Ups increase the laser's damage and width. Not available in Arcade Mode. Laser's weapon in Original Mode. * Homing Launcher Shoots missiles that automatically seek out enemy targets, but have limited attack power. Power-Ups increase the missiles' damage, and the amount that can be fired at once. Not available in Arcade Mode. Homing's weapon in Original Mode. * Mega Crash Bomb A consumable item that unleashes a big explosion, eliminating lesser foot soldiers while heavily damaging bigger targets caught in the blast. You are also invincibile during, and about a second after the explosion. Available in both modes. Drops in a gray clamshell case with an 'M' inside the lid. In Arcade Mode, you start with 3 Mega Crash bombs. Your supply of bombs will reset to 3 if you have less than 3 bombs upon using a Continue or clearing a mission. In Original Mode, each Merc has their own stock of Mega Crash bombs, starting with 1 bomb apiece (Homing starts with 2). *** [1g] - Items *** Several types of items can be found in both Arcade and Original Mode to enhance and assist the Mercs. Most of these items are found inside crates when shot open. In Original Mode, items also drop from enemy supply runners when shot, and can be purchased with medals at allied camps. Items only benefit the Merc that picks them up in Original Mode. Some items are exclusive to Original Mode, highlighted on this list with next to their name. * Food Restores a small amount of life, and worth extra points. In order of effectiveness: Burger (500), Spinach (2000), Chicken (3000), Roast Beef (5000). * First Aid Kit Restores a large amount of life. * Gold First Aid Kit Fully restores life. * Life-Up A green gauge with "UP" on the corner. Increases maximum life. Also restores a small amount of life. * Power-Up An orange "POW" icon. Increases weapon power. * Mega Crash Bomb Adds one extra Mega Crash bomb to your supply. * Medal In Arcade Mode: restores a small amount of life, and worth 1000 points. Sometimes found in place of food. In Original Mode: used as currency to trade for items at allied camps. * Twin Medals Worth 3 medals. * Big Medal Worth 5 medals. * Speed Boots Increases movement speed. * Bulletproof Vest Reduces all damage taken by half. * Gas Mask Prevents damage from green gas clouds. * Elixir Revives a fallen Merc, fully restoring their life. Only available at allied camps. * Top Secret Information Provides in-game tips and information. Only available at allied camps. * Dynamite An explosive trap! It will go off and cause damage if you get too close. Wait for it to explode from a distance. *** [1h] - Allied Camps *** In Original Mode, you will find tents and buildings marked with "ENTER". Move into these to access the allied camps inside, where you can trade medals you have collected for various items. A new Merc will also join your team at the first allied camps you enter in Missions 2, 3, 4, and 8. Use the D-Pad to select an item, and the A or C Button to purchase it. Unless you are purchasing Top Secret Information, you will then be asked which Merc gets the item. Press Up or Down on the D-Pad to choose a Merc, and press the A or C Button to confirm your purchase, or the B Button to cancel. If a Merc is already maxed out on a specific type of item, they will be unable to take it, and you will not be charged any medals. When you are finished, select EXIT to leave camp. *** [1i] - When Life Runs Out / Game Over *** When your Merc's life gauge runs out, he will go down. In Arcade Mode, you will be given a chance to resume play so long as you have at least 1 Continue remaining. Press Start before the continue timer reaches 0 to jump back into the fight. If you have no Continues, it's Game Over. In Original Mode, you will be taken to the Pause Menu to choose a Merc to take the place of the one whose life ran out. If all of the Mercs go down, it's Game Over. *** [1j] - General Tips *** * Some bosses can be attacked before their life bars are visible, but will not actually take damage until these bars appear on-screen. Don't waste Mega Crash bombs before a boss's life is visible. (Destroyable turrets and parts on a boss can still be damaged beforehand) * If a boss doesn't show up at the end of a mission and the music doesn't change right away, try scrolling the screen to one side by moving left or right to trigger the battle. * Some enemy projectiles can be destroyed with your own weapon fire, making it possible to stand your ground against these threats without immediately retreating from their line of fire. * Mega Crash bombs are just as great for defense as they are for offense: the grace invincibility granted from using a Mega Crash bomb starts as soon as one is used, which can save you from taking damage against projectiles that cannot be destroyed. * When using multiple Mega Crash bombs in a row, wait a moment between when your Merc's bomb animation finishes and using the next bomb to get the most damage and grace invincibility out of them, without any overlap. * Always be aware of foot soldiers attempting to sneak up from behind at the bottom of the screen, particularly while working on taking out bigger targets, and especially in Original Mode's Hard difficulty where some of them can be of the quick kamikaze variety. Never stay at the very bottom of the screen outside of boss battles longer than you have to. * It's possible to trigger dynamite traps in Original Mode to explode early without hurting you by inching towards them horizontally, either from the left or right. Stop moving once they explode, and the explosion should just miss you (Be sure to wait until the explosion is completely gone before moving on). {{{ 2. Arcade Mode Walkthrough }}} *** [2a] - Arcade Mission 1 *** A pretty simple entry mission. Start by going up and to the right from the coastline, shooting through the trees marked "SHOOT!". Inside the crate nearby is a [POWER-UP]. Continue up and left, shooting through the buildings marked "SHOOT!" to get past the landslide ahead. Further up will be enemy soldiers in bunkers. They cannot be shot while inside their bunkers, but will retreat and become vulnerable when you get close. Two more crates can be found to the left and right of the bunkers, containing a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and [FOOD] respectively. Cross the bridge on the right past the bunkers, clearing out any enemies in the way. The basic enemy foot soldiers that come after you here and in every other mission will fire a single shot while moving, a burst of shots at a standstill, or toss grenades from afar. The grenades are easy to see coming, but do more damage. Watch for their shadows to see where they'll land. * BOSS: Attack Chopper * Position yourself to fire at the chopper from a diagonal angle as it rises into view. The chopper peroidically strafes to the side towards your location while firing, but will sometimes hold it's fire when moving. Stay away from the front of the chopper to avoid it's gunfire, and shoot at a diagonal whenever it's safe. When it closes in on one side, run downwards toward the other side when it's not firing, and resume your attack once you've got some distance on the other side of the chopper. If you're feeling bold, you can try squeezing in some shots in front of the chopper if it moves in front of you without firing. You can also cheese this fight with 3 Mega Crash bombs if you space them out so that it takes the full amount of damage from each bomb. You go back to 3 bombs after a mission if you have less than 3, but could have 4 going into Mission 2 if you got the bomb earlier and hang on to the lot. *** [2b] - Arcade Mission 2 *** The crate just above your starting point has a [POWER-UP]. Immediately to the left after grabbing the Power-Up, you'll find a crate with a [FLAMETHROWER], and another crate up to the left nearby with a [SPREAD SHOT]. I recommend taking the Flamethrower, as it is useful throughout this entire stage. A pair of enemy jeeps will pull up towards you just ahead. Stop moving when you see the first one pull up so they don't run into you, then take them both out. You can use the second jeep afterward: it will be marked "ENTER". Run up to it and you'll automatically enter. You move a lot faster inside the jeep, and can shoot strong missiles. Up ahead is a crate with a [MEDAL]. Continue up and right down the street, and further up towards a tank yard, at the start of which will be two crates with a [LIFE-UP] and [POWER-UP]. Your jeep's missiles will make short work of the enemy jeep and watchtower nearby. The two crates up ahead contain [FOOD], but don't run out to get them just yet. Keep your distance from the nearby tank just above and shoot at it between dodging the shells it fires. If you position yourself just a bit off-center from the tank's cannon, it may fire straight ahead and miss you altogether. This tactic works best when the tank itself isn't moving to the side. Once the tank is destroyed, shoot the crate next to it for a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Another tank waits just above behind a wall. Shells fired from tanks travel through walls, but so do the flames from the Flamethrower. If you don't have the Flamethrower, shoot out a portion of the wall and fire at the tank from there. Should a tank shell hit you, you'll take a lot of damage and be knocked back. Don't hesitate to use a Mega Crash bomb to break away if you wind up stunlocked by tank shells. A third tank waits to the left, next to a crate with a [SPREAD SHOT]. Above the third tank are two crates: one with a [FIRST AID KIT], and one with [FOOD]. Grab the First Aid if you need it, but don't move towards the Food. Instead, move straight to the right, ignoring the tank on the other side of the wall by these crates. Keep moving until you see a different tank. Take this one out, then proceed up and to the left. Shoot the first crate you see for some [FOOD], and continue diagonally up-left. The tank you ignored will be here, but won't fire shells if you're above it. The crate next to the nearby watchtower contains a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and the two crates on either side of the bridge up ahead contain [FOOD]. Watch out for several grenades being tossed your way as you approach the bridge, and take out the bikers on the other side. * BOSS: Panzer Tank * Stand at the bottom-middle of the screen and fire at the tank. If you're in the center, your weapon's fire should destroy the homing missiles it shoots at you. After firing 3 pairs of homing missiles, the tank will shoot flame pillars towards you, one after another. Dodge between the flames and return fire. The tank will alternate between these two attacks, and eventually start to move back and forth. Move off to one side if it comes close, and dodge the orange energy balls it shoots whenever you're on either side of the tank. Once the tank is down to 3 life bars and starts smoking, it will stop shooting flame pillars and homing missiles, switching to flamethrowers that periodically flare up from either front corner. The tank itself will also start moving back and forth more frequently. Be ready to dodge the flamethrowers when you see (or hear) them flare up. Stay towards the left or right edge of the screen and shoot the tank when you're not dodging the flamethrowers in front of the tank, and the energy balls fired when you're by it's side. The flamethrowers fire in straight lines towards your position, though won't be able to reach you if you're directly in front of the tank. That said, only get in front of the tank when it's not coming down onto you. *** [2c] - Arcade Mission 3 *** The first three crates contain [FOOD], an [ASSAULT RIFLE], and a [POWER-UP]. As you reach the Power-Up, a pair of armored vehicles will pull up: the one on the left unloads foot soldiers, while the one on the right shoots missiles. Prioritize the vehicle on the right first, shooting down it's missiles with your own covering fire, keeping a distance to avoid the gunfire from the gunners inside the vehicles. Take out the foot soldiers that emerge from the left vehicle between missile attacks from the right vehicle. Once the vehicle on the right is destroyed, you can press on and sneak behind the vehicle on the left. Just watch out for gunner fire. At the end of the nearby bridge going onto the ship to the left will be a turret, and another turret above just off-screen that can still reach you. Turrets sit in place while firing missiles that can be destroyed. When dealing with turrets, position yourself to fire at whichever turret is closest, changing your direction of fire only to intercept missiles from additional turrets further away. Before moving up to reach the second turret, head to the far left to find a crate with a [LIFE-UP]. Take out the second turret and grab a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] from the crate nearby. A pair of soldier-mounted turrets await just above, but aren't nearly as dangerous. Take them out from a distance, then climb up the ladder. The crate just above the ladder contains a [SPREAD SHOT]. Move onto the lift nearby marked "ENTER", and ride up to the next area. Up ahead will be a blockade with a mounted gun that sits in place, firing bursts of bullets towards you. These bullets cannot be destroyed, but you can destroy the rocket soldiers that emerge from either side above, as well as the rockets they shoot at you. Dodging the gun's fire while dealing with the rocket launchers AND additional foot soldiers can be tricky, but one Mega Crash bomb will soften up the mounted gun just enough to make it go down after a few additonal shots. Proceed past the broken blockade and take out the turret nearby to open up another path ahead. Inside the crates nearby are [FOOD] on the left, and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] on the right. Just ahead from here, take out another pair of mounted turrets and the barricade marked "SHOOT!". Inside the crate on the left is a [FIRST AID KIT]. The crates on the right contain [FOOD], a [GRENADE LAUNCHER], and an [ASSAULT RIFLE]. The Grenade Launcher is very powerful if you don't mind the relatively limited reach. To the right past the barricade and mounted turrets is a crate with a [POWER-UP]. Take out the armored vehicle unloading soldiers from a distance while watching out for gunfire from the mounted turret next to it. Once the vehicle is destroyed, take out the mounted turret. When you see "ENTER", move up onto the turret and you can take control of it. Steer the turret with Left or Right, and use it's spread shot to destroy the armored vehicle above just off-screen, to the left of the turret nearby. Mounted turrets lose life over time, not just from enemy fire. Be ready to move out once the turret's life is empty. Once the vehicle and turret are destroyed, continue up to the left. There will be a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and another mounted turret you can take control of. Use this turret's firepower to soften up another armored vehicle unloading rocket launcher soldiers up to the left, and the turret off to the right. There is one more mounted turret you can take over to the left of this one if you need it. Move up once the coast is relatively clear. * BOSS: Special Attack Unit "Scorpion" * The Scorpion chopper flies along the top of the screen, shooting a chaingun on it's left side while launching missiles from it's middle. The chaingun bullets must be dodged, but you can shoot down the missiles. Prioritize dodging the chaingun bullets while shooting at the chopper and it's missiles. Eventually the chopper will land, firing chaingun shots from the right instead of the left while unloading foot soldiers. The Scorpion will not shoot missiles while it's landed, so move in towards the far left and shoot at it's door where the soldiers emerge, out of the range of the chainguns firing from the right. After unloading several soldiers, the Scorpion will lift off again and it's attack pattern will repeat. *** [2d] - Arcade Mission 4 *** Shoot at the lock on the gate to break it open. Your movement speed is limited while in the swamp on the other side, so be extra careful about avoiding enemy fire here. Inside the first crate by the destroyable building nearby is a [FLAMETHROWER]. Additional foot soldiers will slide into the swamp from the right, but the biggest threat here are the divers that emerge from the swamp next to you and attempt to stab you with knives, which do a lot of damage. Stop moving if one emerges nearby, back away a bit, then take them down. Continue up and to the left through the swamp, at the end of which will be a crate with a [LIFE-UP]. Continue upward past the swamp and to a pair of destroyable buildings. Shoot through the one on the right, grabbing a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and [FOOD] from the two crates just beyond. Take out both enemy hovercrafts before entering the water up ahead so the torpedoes they fire can't reach you, exploding harmlessly against the shoreline. Enter the orange hovercraft and ride upward. If any additional enemy hovercrafts get in your way, shoot them down before reaching the bridge up ahead. Move up next to the bridge and rapidly shoot torpedoes at point blank to break through. Don't worry about the rocket launchers that cross onto the bridge. You should be able to break through if you're quick enough. If your hovercraft IS destroyed, a Mega Crash bomb should finish the job. Continue up past the broken bridge and return to shore on the right, but watch for another orange hovercraft to attack from above on your way. Continue upward towards the right on land and you will find five crates containing [FOOD], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], [ASSAULT RIFLE], [SPREAD SHOT], and [GRENADE LAUNCHER]. Take your fill and cross the bridge on the left, entering the lift marked "ENTER" on the other side to ride up and face the mission boss. * BOSS: Battle Cruiser * The Battle Cruiser starts off towards the center, moving back and forth a bit while firing shots that drop down from above in groups. Dodge the shots, and stay clear of their lingering explosions which can also hurt you. Once the cruiser is down to 3 life bars and smoking, it will switch to a flamethrower attack and begin moving further back and forth. Stay towards the bottom of the screen and move off to one side before the flamethrower flares up. When it dies out, stop moving and shoot at the cruiser. Then, start moving off to the other side about a second later as the flamethrower flares up again, and repeat this process. *** [2e] - Arcade Mission 5 *** Move upwards from your starting position towards two lots of crates. The five on the left contain a [LIFE-UP], [FOOD], and a [POWER-UP]. The two on the right contain [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. The Life-Up here will max out your life gauge, assuming you've collected the other three up to this point. Before rushing in to collect everything else besides the Life-Up, watch out for a tank to pull up from the top of the screen, coming to a stop down towards the right. Keep your distance and dodge it's shells, firing back between dodges. Remember, if you distance yourself a tiny bit off-center from a tank's cannon, it should fire straight ahead and miss you altogether. Once the tank goes down, grab the rest of the goods and move on. Inside the next three crates are an [ASSAULT RIFLE], [SPREAD SHOT], and [GRENADE LAUNCHER]. To the left of these crates is a tank blocking the way with a gunner inside shooting from behind it. After taking out the gunner, you can take this tank for yourself. It's slow and a big target, so enjoy it while it lasts. Use it's shells to destroy another tank blocking the way just ahead. Further ahead will be a truck that pulls up to a crosswalk unloading soldiers from the left. Take them out and the truck they rode in on. As you reach the crosswalk, an armored vehicle shooting missiles will pull in from the top of the screen. You will need to destroy this particular vehicle before the screen will continue to scroll up. Shoot it and it's missiles down from a distance, and press on. As you pass by where the armored vehicle was, another tank will block your path at the top of the screen, past which will be a minefield. Don't touch the mines! They will kill you off instantly if you step on one. You can cross between them from any direction, but the safest way to slip past is to hug the wall by the leftmost mine. Watch out for rocket launchers coming in from the left above the minefield as you cross. Just ahead is an enemy jeep you can take control of after taking out it's driver. Next to the jeep is a row of four crates, containing from right to left: [FOOD], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], a [FLAMETHROWER], and a [POWER-UP]. If you hold Left while entering the jeep from the right, you should just miss picking up the Flamethrower in case you don't wish to switch weapons. Take the jeep left and up, past (or through) the destroyable fountain, past which is a crate containing a [FIRST AID KIT]. Continue up and to the right. Before going too far upward where the diagonal part of the path ends, wait for another tank to pull in from the top of the screen and take it out from a safe distance. It must be destroyed before the screen will continue to scroll upward. To the left of this tank will be a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Grab it and take on another armored vehicle shooting missiles coming in from the top on the left. Just ahead past the armored vehicle will be a truck on the right unloading soldiers. Feel free to move past this truck, staying to the left while crossing another minefield by hugging the wall by the leftmost mine and taking out the rocket launchers moving in from the left on the other side. Shoot through the door marked "SHOOT!" and step onto the lift marked "ENTER" just ahead (The timer will reset to 200 once you're on this lift). * BOSS: Armored Train * As the lift you entered reaches it's top speed, artillery shells will rain down from above. Their locations are random and cannot be destroyed. Best advice I can give here is to stay towards the bottom of the lift while dodging as best as you can, and know that the shells usually won't strike in the same place twice in a row. As the armored train comes into view to your right, start working on destroying the three huge cannons one at a time, staying out of their line of fire and moving aside between their shots. Don't let any of these cannons make contact with you, as they'll kill you off instantly. Use a Mega Crash bomb if they start moving in to crush you. Once a cannon goes down and starts exploding, it can no longer crush you. Next, start working on the array of eight turrets above the three cannons. The six camera-shaped turrets fire standard shots that must be avoided, while the other two in the center of the lot fire missiles straight ahead that can be shot down. Finally, the train's engine will come into view, surrounded by flamethrowers on either side. Stay towards the bottom of your platform, then move up past the bottom pair as they meet your position and start flaring up, positioning yourself facing right at the engine between the flamethrowers. The train will start shooting missiles that rain down on the left side. These missiles can be destroyed with your own weapon fire: stay on the right edge of your platform, shooting the engine between missile volleys. When the missiles start coming down, aim upwards to clear out any that may hit you, then resume your attack on the engine. The train will also move down, trying to hit you with it's topmost flamethrowers. When it does, get towards the bottom of your platform to safety. *** [2f] - Arcade Mission 6 *** Upwards from your starting point will be a crate on the left with a [POWER-UP], and three crates on the right with an [ASSAULT RIFLE], [FOOD], and a [SPREAD SHOT]. Up ahead behind a destroyable gate will be a tank, along with rocket launchers running up to either side of the tank. Focus on taking out the tank from a distance, prioritizing shooting down the rocket launcher's attacks instead of the rocket launchers themselves, as they'll only keep coming back. Past this tank will be another tank with rocket launchers running up to either side of it. Take them out before shooting through a pair of destroyable gates up ahead. Past the gates will be two crates on the far right containing [FOOD]. Back towards the left are several crates. Inside the row of four is one of each weapon: a [FLAMETHROWER], [SPREAD SHOT], [GRENADE LAUNCHER], and [ASSAULT RIFLE]. I suggest getting the Grenade Launcher for the next part ahead if you don't already have it. The two crates closer to the lift on the left contain [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Head to the far left of the screen and up onto the lift marked "ENTER" from the left side. You'll face a few obstacles as you ride the lift upward. First, there will be four flamethrowers alternating right, left, right, and left. If you have the Grenade Launcher, it should be no trouble destroying them before they get to you. Otherwise, better to stay at the top end of the lift, and retreat to the bottom as soon as you see one of the flamethrowers flare up. Return to the top part of the lift when the flame dies out, and repeat this process. Past the four flamethrowers will be two mechanisms that close in, one at a time. You should have just enough time to destroy them with the Grenade Launcher before they reach you if you keep firing and don't let up. If they do crush you, you'll be killed off instantly. Don't hesitate to use a Mega Crash bomb if it looks like you won't be able to destroy one of these in time. At the end of the line, grab a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] from the crate on the right as you continue in that direction. Keep going right without scrolling the screen upward and you'll find a pair of crates with a [POWER-UP] and [LIFE-UP]. The Life-Up won't extend your life gauge any further if you've already got all the other Life-Ups up to this point, but will still restore a bit of life. Continue along the bottom-right path to find three crates with [FOOD] inside. On your way upward will be three lightning traps along the walls. These trigger when you get close, then turn off for a brief moment. Move your character so his head is between the triggers on the sides, and wait about 1 second after the lightning appears for it to go away, then quickly move across towards the next lightning trap and repeat this process. As with the crushing mechanisms, the lightning traps will kill you off instantly if they hit you. Be careful. Past the lightning traps are a pair of doors with soldiers pouring out of each. Shoot the doors to destroy them and prevent more soldiers from coming, then proceed left. Grab some [FOOD] from the pair of crates nearby, and go up. Before you move onto the solid portion of the floor by the door above, shoot out both doorways along either side of the solid floor where soldiers are coming out of. After both doors are gone, move towards the door up top and it will open. Forklifts will come down through the door in this order: right, left, left, right, left, right, left. The best way to dodge these forklifts is to move up a bit towards one, then diagonally downward to the other side when it comes close, then up a bit towards the next one and diagonally down to the other side as that one comes close, in sort of a figure-8 pattern. Once all the forklifts have passed, the door will close. Shoot it open and proceed upward. A pair of armored vehicles shooting missiles blocks the way ahead. Aim your weapon between both vehicles from a distance and you should be able to tack on damage to both while countering their missiles. Past the armored vehicles will be a planeyard. Shoot at the cockpits of each plane to destroy them: they'll shoot you with rapid fire if you try to pass by beforehand. Watch out for foot soldiers and the occassional rocket launcher as you make your way through the planeyard, collecting a few more loot crates on the way, containing in this order: [FOOD], a [SPREAD SHOT], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], a [FIRST AID KIT], and a [GRENADE LAUNCHER]. If you don't have the Grenade Launcher, I strongly suggest getting it here as it will be the most useful against the final boss coming up. Shoot out the gate at the end of the planeyard, beyond which will be an armored vehicle blocking the way with a pair of turrets on either side. The vehicle unloads rocket launchers, so take them out first while countering the turrets' missiles from a distance. Take out the turrets once the armored vehicle goes down. * BOSS: Missile Silo * A relatively simple fight, the Missile Silo sits in place firing missiles in sets of four that quickly come down together on your location. It will fire these missiles a random amount of times, then stop firing for a bit before resuming it's attack. Stay towards the bottom of the screen as you attack the silo from a distance, giving yourself plenty of time to dodge the missiles by moving off to either side: their explosions can be safely walked through, just don't let the missiles themselves hit you. *** [2g] - Arcade Mission 7 *** Arcade Mode's final mission consists solely of a boss battle. With that said... * BOSS: "Hercules" Transport * You will have about 20 seconds to destroy the Hercules before it flies off to the right and gets away. If it does, the battle will start over from the beginning. You can retry this fight as many times as it takes, but the Hercules gets all it's life back each time, so it's best to come out swinging: shoot at the propellers of the Hercules while avoiding the missiles from the turrets on either side as best you can. The turrets and their missiles cannot be destroyed: try to shield yourself from their shots with a well-timed Mega Crash bomb below the propellers of the Hercules so they're also caught in the blast. It shouldn't take more than 3 Mega Crash bombs and your grenade launcher to ground the Hercules in time. CONGRATS! Consider yourself a hero. {{{ 3. Original Mode Walkthrough }}} *** [3a] - Original Mission 1 *** The enemies in this stage consist exclusively of basic foot soldiers common to this and every other mission, which charge in from off-screen. They will fire a shot while moving, a burst of shots at a standstill, or toss grenades. The grenades are easy to see coming, but do more damage. Watch for their shadows to see where they'll land. On the Hard difficulty, some foot soldiers will run quickly toward you and explode if you touch them, doing a lot of damage. Prioritize these kamikazes when they rush in and shoot them down quickly. Never stay too close to the very bottom of the screen to avoid getting ambushed by a kamikaze from off-screen. Immediately to the right of your starting point through the water are crates containing [2 MEDALS]. Back on land towards the left, look for two crates containing a [MEDAL] and a [POWER-UP] as you continue upward. Shoot through the fences or go around in the water. Your initial movement speed is slower here than in Arcade Mode, so be wary of foot soldiers attempting to flank you before you're able to move faster, especially while you're in water. Just past the fences are two pairs of crates on the left and right containing a total of [6 MEDALS]. NORMAL ONLY: Just above those crates is another pair containing [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Continue up along the coastline and grab some [SPEED BOOTS] from the next crate. Further up and right along the coast will be a crate with [FOOD], and then a crate with [3 MEDALS]. Continue moving up and towards the right from here, through the water and into a secret area with a pair of crates containing [3 MEDALS] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], then return to the left and proceed upward, shooting through the fences in the way. Past the fences will be a crate towards the left with a [MEDAL], next to some bunkers. Dodge the shots fired from the soldiers in the bunkers as you run up towards them to make the soldiers inside retreat and become vulnerable to your own fire. The crates to the left past the bunkers contain [FOOD] and a [MEDAL]. NORMAL ONLY: As you move up to these crates, an enemy supply runner in a white uniform will run in from the top of the screen. Shoot him and he'll drop a [FIRST AID KIT]. This supply runner is not present on Hard. Instead, there will be a third crate by the other two containing another portion of [FOOD]. * BOSS: Attack Chopper * This fight is similar to the one in Mission 1 of Arcade Mode, though you won't have as many Mega Crash bombs to fall back on. Best to save them for later anyways unless you really start to struggle during this battle. Position yourself to fire at the chopper from a diagonal angle as it rises into view. The chopper peroidically strafes to the side towards your location while firing, but will sometimes hold it's fire when moving. Stay away from the front of the chopper to avoid it's gunfire, and shoot at a diagonal whenever it's safe. When it closes in on one side, run downwards toward the other side when it's not firing, and resume your attack once you've got some distance on the other side of the chopper. If you're feeling bold, you can try squeezing in some shots in front of the chopper if it moves in front of you without firing. *** [3b] - Original Mission 2 *** Shoot at the lock on the gate at the beginning of this area to break through. NORMAL ONLY: Two crates can be found next to this gate, each containing [FOOD]. To the right just past the gate will be two crates with a [MEDAL] and [SPEED BOOTS]. An armored vehicle will pull up in the center of the path ahead. Stay towards the bottom of the screen and shoot straight ahead at the vehicle, destroying the missiles it shoots as you tack on damage. If any additional soldiers attempt to rush you, take them down between missile attacks before resuming your assault. You could also try running around the armored vehicle while shooting it's missiles now that Rifle's Speed level is 3, but it's risky. The crate to the left of the armored vehicle contains [3 MEDALS]. Enter the allied camp just ahead. * ALLIED CAMP * (Burner joins the party) Burger: 2 medals Spinach: 3 medals First Aid Kit: 8 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 5 medals Power-Up: 5 medals Life-Up: 6 medals Top Secret Info: 1 medal (2 available) It's up to you what you want to buy, but I suggest at least getting a Power-Up for Burner. If you let him get the other two Power-Ups in this mission along with the one here in camp, he'll be at Power Level 4 by the time you reach the boss, which will greatly improve the reach (and power) on his flamethrower. If playing on Hard, a Mega Crash bomb is also a good investment, as they are fittingly harder to come by on that difficulty. Above all, get First Aid for Rifle if his life gauge is almost empty. Outside the allied camp will be two crates to the left, containing a [LIFE-UP] and [POWER-UP]. If Burner gets this Life-Up along with the one from the camp, his life gauge will be maxed out. As you proceed upward, watch for gray knife soldiers that run in quickly from above. They do a decent amount of damage. In the nook to the left will be crates with [3 MEDALS], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and [SPEED BOOTS] (the Mega Crash bomb will not be there on Hard). The Boots should go to Burner, since any Merc with only 1 Speed is basically a sitting duck, especially on Hard. Shoot through the fence blocking off the second nook on the left to get to a crate with [3 MEDALS]. An armored vehicle will pull up at the top of the screen on the right side of the path unloading soldiers. On Hard, a second armored vehicle shooting missiles will be to the left of the other armored vehicle. Take out the vechicle shooting missiles first from a distance, and any additional soldiers that try to ambush from above or below between missiles. After dealing with the vehicle(s), proceed upward. NORMAL ONLY: The nook to the right of the armored vehicles hides a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. On Hard, this nook will be blocked off by an indestructible fence. Up ahead are turrets that sit in place, firing missiles. Focus on the turret closest to you, shooting repeatedly to counter the missiles it fires. When a turret farther away fires a missile, quickly switch your aim to shoot it down, then continue working on the turret closest by. On Normal, there will be two turrets: one on each side. On Hard, there are four turrets: two on each side. Past the turrets is an armored vehicle shooting missiles in the middle of a fork in the road. Shoot it from a distance while countering it's missiles with your own weapon fire. The path splits from here: first, grab the [3 MEDALS] from the crate on the right, then go back and up the left path. A pair of crates in the first nook on the left contain [DYNAMITE] and [3 MEDALS]. Grab the medals after the dynamite goes off, then cut through the path on the right just above the crate nearby with [FOOD]. Keep going right until you see a fence. Shoot through it into a secret path that goes right and up. Along this path are several crates containing a [POWER-UP], [2 MEDALS], and [DYNAMITE] between another [2 MEDALS]. If you stick to the left path, you'll find [DYNAMITE], a [MEDAL], and more [DYNAMITE] in the nooks on the far left. If sticking to the right path, watch out for [DYNAMITE] inside the row of three crates, and shoot through the upper fence if you're taking the alternate path. The lower fence cannot be destroyed. If not going through the fence, the crates in the nooks to the right contain a [MEDAL], then [DYNAMITE]. At the end where these paths merge is a crate with a separate [POWER-UP] if you don't cut through the fence on the right. At the end of these paths will be two turrets, and a crate containing [5 MEDALS]. Beware of knife soldiers along with the regular foot soldiers between the initial path split and the two turrets. NORMAL ONLY: A second crate next to the one with the Big Medal by the two turrets contains a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Above the turrets is another crate containing [FOOD]. Shoot the lock on the gate above the two turrets to reach the boss. * BOSS: Fortified Bunker * Soldiers will emerge from the doors on either side, which can be shot at to destroy them and stop more from coming. Rocket launchers will also run in from above the doors, shooting rockets towards you that can be destroyed with your own weapon fire. Your main target however is the lead solider in the center, along with the turret above him. As soon as the battle begins, drop a Mega Crash bomb down in the center while Burner shoots his flamethrower straight ahead. This should be enough to take down the lead soldier, which makes the main turret vulnerable. Burner's flamethrower will make short work of the turret, quickly piling on damage while taking down the missiles it fires. Once the turret goes down, victory is yours. *** [3c] - Original Mission 3 *** Just above your starting position, a supply runner will come down on the right, who will drop [3 MEDALS] when shot. Enter the allied camp just ahead. * ALLIED CAMP * (Launcher joins the party) Chicken: 4 medals First Aid Kit: 8 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 5 medals Power-Up: 6 medals Life-Up: 7 medals Elixir: 12 medals Top Secret Info: 1 medal (2 available) If Rifle or Burner went down during the last mission, best to revive them here with an Elixir, which will fully restore their life in the process. If you buy the Power-Up here for Launcher then let him get the rest of the Power-Ups found in this mission, he'll be at Power Level 5 by the time you reach the boss, which will make his grenade's explosions bigger. Outside the camp, head up and go left, away from the truck that pulls up unloading soldiers. The path upward will take you to three crates with a [LIFE-UP], [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and [3 MEDALS]. By comparison, the path on the right of the truck only contains two crates with a single [MEDAL] and a [LIFE-UP], past a square lot of crates holding [DYNAMITE] next to the truck. Back on the left path, there will be a crate up ahead with a [MEDAL], but if you cut through on the right instead, you can reach the crate at the end of the right side path with [3 MEDALS]. Another truck unloading soldiers awaits where the two paths meet back up. Feel free to move past it on the left. Blocking the way up ahead is a truck that shoots missiles in a straight line. On Normal, you can safely walk past on the left side, but a second missile truck will be there on Hard. The truck's missiles can be shot down, but it's safest to shoot at the trucks from a diagonal next to either crate nearby. There are [SPEED BOOTS] in the crate on the left, and a [POWER-UP] in the crate on the right. I suggest letting Launcher get the Speed Boots, maxing out his movement speed right there. At the beginning of the bridge up ahead is a crate with [FOOD]. There's [DYNAMITE] in the crate(s) on the bridge (1 on Normal, 3 on Hard). Watch for grenades being tossed from the soldiers on the sides of the bridge as you wait for the dynamite to go off and safely cross: their shadows can be tough to see through the fog. On the other side of the bridge are three crates to the right with [4 MEDALS] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Right as you grab the Mega Crash bomb, be ready to shoot straight ahead at another one of two missile trucks. You can slip past them both on the left on Normal, but a third truck will be there on Hard, completely cutting you off. If you gotta fight through, have Burner or Launcher lay down suppressing fire straight ahead on the far right, focusing on the rightmost truck. Once it starts exploding, rush forward and shoot through the destroyable building ahead. NORMAL ONLY: A crate next to this building contains a [FIRST AID KIT]. HARD ONLY: Two supply runners will run in from above on either side as you pass the destroyable building. The one on the left drops a [FIRST AID KIT], while the one on the right drops [DYNAMITE]. Up ahead, the crate at the end of the bridge on the left has [SPEED BOOTS]. Going along the bridge on the right, hold Down and Right as you make you way across to the right. Continue holding Down and Right until you're across the bridge and the camera snaps forward. Inside the crate barely visible on the bottom of the screen is a [BULLETPROOF VEST]. Be sure to grab this first for whichever Merc you plan on using most BEFORE scrolling the screen upward: it will reduce all damage that Merc takes by half. Grab [2 MEDALS] from the crates up ahead, and enter the allied camp nearby. * ALLIED CAMP * Burger: 2 medals Spinach: 3 medals Chicken: 4 medals Roast Beef: 5 medals First Aid Kit: 9 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 5 medals Elixir: 12 medals If any of your Mercs went down, revive them with an Elixir. Otherwise get First Aid for whoever needs it most, and a Mega Crash bomb (if playing on Hard). Outside camp, grab a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and [POWER-UP] from the crates at the end of the lowermost bridge on the left. HARD ONLY: The [MEGA CRASH BOMB] is instead dropped by a supply runner who comes down on the far right as you're leaving camp. Take the bridge in the middle across to the left. There's [DYNAMITE] inside the three crates toward the end of the bridge. Up to the right across this bridge are two paths you can take, one of which isn't quite as obvious: going across the upper bridge will take you to three crates with a [POWER-UP], [FOOD], and a [LIFE-UP]. However, the lower bridge that appears to be broken can also be crossed. A narrow, hidden path at the end of the lower bridge leads to the right, snaking slightly up and down a couple times, and ending at another broken bridge that leads up to a separate cache of crates with a [LIFE-UP], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], a [FIRST AID KIT], and a [POWER-UP]. You can't reach both sets of crates, but the lot past the lower hidden path is more valueable. You will have to take one of three bridges across up ahead. The bridge on the left makes for the safest and most profitable trip. Their contents are as follows: Left: supply runner with [FOOD]. Middle: supply runner(s) (1 on Normal, 2 on Hard) with [DYNAMITE]. Right: one crate with [FOOD], and three crates with [DYNAMITE]. The crate in the way beyond these bridges contains [DYNAMITE]. When shot open, you can safely hug the rightmost edge going diagonally up and right. The dynamite's explosion will just miss you. Immediately to the left past this dynamite is a crate or two with [5-8 MEDALS] total. (the crate with Twin Medals sometimes won't show up, and doesn't appear to be tied to difficulty). Grab some [FOOD] from the crate(s) up ahead (3 portions on Normal, 1 on Hard) before meeting the boss further up. * BOSS: Panzer Tank * This boss is similar to the one in Mission 2 of Arcade Mode. Any of the Mercs here can defeat this boss relatively easily. Use Launcher if his weapon is at Power Level 5 and has maxed-out Speed. Stand at the bottom-middle of the screen and fire at the tank. If you're in the center, your weapon's fire should destroy the homing missiles it shoots at you. After firing 3 pairs of homing missiles, the tank will shoot flame pillars towards you, one after another. Dodge between the flames and return fire. The tank will alternate between these two attacks, and eventually start to move back and forth. Move off to one side if it comes close, and dodge the orange energy balls it shoots whenever you're on either side of the tank. Once the tank is down to 3 life bars and starts smoking, it will stop shooting flame pillars and homing missiles, switching to flamethrowers that periodically flare up from either front corner. The tank itself will also start moving back and forth more frequently. Be ready to dodge the flamethrowers when you see (or hear) them flare up. Stay towards the left or right edge of the screen and shoot the tank when you're not dodging the flamethrowers in front of the tank, and the energy balls fired when you're by it's side. The flamethrowers fire in straight lines towards your position, though won't be able to reach you if you're directly in front of the tank. That said, only get in front of the tank when it's not coming down onto you. *** [3d] - Original Mission 4 *** Make your way up and left through the bog at the beginning of this mission. Reduced movement speed is the least of your worries in the bog: divers will emerge next to you and try to stab you with knives that do a good amount of damage. If one emerges in front of you, immediately stop moving and back away a bit as they're still surfacing, quickly turning to shoot them down before they can reach you. Being the fastest Merc and with a rapid-fire weapon, Rifle will having the easiest time here. On the other side of the bog, grab [5 MEDALS] from the crates nearby, and enter the allied camp just ahead. * ALLIED CAMP * (Laser joins the party) Chicken: 4 medals Roast Beef: 5 medals First Aid Kit: 9 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 5 medals Power-Up: 7 medals Life-Up: 8 medals Elixir: 12 medals If you buy the Power-Up for Laser, you'll be able to max out his weapon power right away with another pair of Power-Ups just outside this camp. Though Laser can only get 3 Power-Ups, that's all it takes for his weapon to gain the strength to cut through the big guns and bosses like butter. Buy him a Mega Crash bomb (if playing on Hard) while you're at it. To the left outside of camp will be a shorter bog, with three crates on the left containing a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and [2 POWER-UPs]. If you are giving these to Laser as suggested, have Rifle shoot open the crates first and clear the way for Laser to grab them, since he's much slower at the moment and will have trouble picking off all the smaller enemies with his limited rate of fire. On the other side of the bog will be crates with [SPEED BOOTS] (ideally for Laser) and [2 MEDALS]. Remember to watch for knife-wielding divers in this bog, and the next bog coming up. Towards the left in the next bog are three crates containing a total of [3 MEDALS], at which point the path splits. The left path leading out of the bog contains two crates with a [LIFE-UP] and [MEDAL], along with another [MEDAL] in a nearby crate above. But if you stay in the bog and go right, you'll find an alternate path with crates containing [FOOD], [5 MEDALS], a [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and a [LIFE-UP] (The Food won't be there on Hard). Up ahead where the paths merge is a row of five crates, each containing [DYNAMITE]. Shoot them from a distance and wait for the dynamite to go off before moving up. Past the dynamite, watch out for knife runners rushing in from above as you move up. Grab a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] by the waters ahead. Take out the hovercrafts before entering the water so their torpedoes can't reach you, harmlessly exploding on the coastline. Switch to whichever Merc is lowest on life and enter the orange hovercraft. Immediately to the right will be a nook with a row of crates containing 4 portions of [FOOD] (3 on Hard). Shoot down the other hovercrafts with your own torpedoes before reaching the bridge up ahead. Pull up next to the bridge and rapidly fire torpedoes to break through. If your hovercraft is destroyed, quickly look for another orange hovercraft to take over nearby. NORMAL ONLY: Straight ahead past the bridge on the leftmost part of the coast will be three crates. The middle crate contains [3 MEDALS], while the crates on either side of it contain [DYNAMITE]. On Hard, only the dynamite will be there. Stay in your boat and park on the right side of the coast instead. Back on land, a row of five crates up ahead contains, from left to right: a [POWER-UP], [5 MEDALS], a [LIFE-UP], a [FIRST AID KIT], and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. After looting up, move upward into the water ahead to face the boss. * BOSS: War Craft * The War Craft rushes in from the top of the screen the moment the screen stops scroling and all foot soldiers still in the area are automatically wiped out. It moves back and forth along the top of the screen, firing homing missiles in pairs that can thankfully be destroyed, as dodging them in the water is pretty much out of the question. The War Craft may also charge straight ahead towards the bottom of the screen to hit you, before returning to the top. All the while soldiers inside the craft will be shooting several standard shots your way. This boss and it's attacks are pretty difficult to avoid, but it doesn't take much to destroy it either, making it a bit of a glass cannon. It's honestly best to end this fight ASAP: the moment the War Craft rushes in from the top and it's life bars appear, drop a Mega Crash bomb on it while spamming Laser's beam. If he's fully powered-up from earlier, this fight shouldn't take much more than 5 seconds. *** [3e] - Original Mission 5 *** The crate just above your starting location contains a [POWER-UP]. Just ahead are several bunkers occupied by soldiers that will shoot at you from the safety of these bunkers. You can move in towards the bunkers to get the soldiers to retreat and become vulnerable, but Burner and Laser's weapons can also be used to take out the soldiers before they've left the bunkers. Past the bunkers is a row of three palm trees. Shoot the trees to destroy them and obtain items from each. From left to right: a [MEDAL], a [FIRST AID KIT], and some [FOOD] (the First Aid Kit will not be there on Hard). The path splits in two beyond the three trees. Both paths are relatively similar in both enemy and item layout, but contain an exclusive allied camp at the end, both with different stocks of items. The left path is technically better, but read on for more details. The left path starts with a crate containing [3 MEDALS] next to a destroyable building. Beyond the building will be a pair of crates with a [LIFE-UP] and a [POWER-UP]. Take out the tank above from a distance and the rocket launchers that run in front of the tank before grabbing these items. Inside two crates near the allied camp past the tank are [2 MEDALS]. The right path is similar but does not contain Medals, and the allied camp exclusive to it's path has an arguably inferior selection of items. * ALLIED CAMP (left) * * ALLIED CAMP (right) * First Aid Kit: 10 medals Burger: 2 medals Gold First Aid: 13 medals Spinach: 3 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 6 medals Chicken: 4 medals Power-Up: 8 medals Roast Beef: 5 medals Life-Up: 10 medals First Aid Kit: 9 medals Speed Boots: 7 medals Gold First Aid: 12 medals Elixir: 15 medals Elixir: 13 medals Though prices are a bit higher in the camp on the left, you'll also have more medals to trade for a better selection of items, including some Speed Boots which you should buy if nothing else. Elixirs will be less expensive at the first camp in Mission 6 if you can hold out that long. If two or more Mercs are currently out of commission however, best to revive one of them now. Both allied camps lead outside near the same location. NORMAL ONLY: Up past the allied camp on the right is a group of crates containing [SPEED BOOTS] surronded by [DYNAMITE]. Up past the allied camp on the left is a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Grab the item from one side, then cross to the other side to get the other item before continuing upward. Only the crates with dynamite will be here on Hard. Up ahead where the two paths merge outside the allied camps will be two tanks (three on Hard) that patrol back and forth. Best to have Laser pick them off: his beams travel the entire length of the screen, letting him snipe each tank from afar. And if his weapon power is maxed out, it shouldn't take more than 4 direct hits to take down each tank. Laser's beams can even pierce through multiple tanks at once if you're feeling so bold. If you're feeling EXTRA bold, and Rifle's Speed is maxed out, have him run past the tanks altogether once there's an opening (best not to try this if more than two tanks are currently present). Past the tanks is a row of three crates containing a [POWER-UP], [5 MEDALS], and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. On Hard, two additional crates containing [DYNAMITE] will be located between these crates. Immediately to the left of these crates is a set of three palm trees in a triangle pattern. Shoot the leftmost tree to find a [POWER-UP]. HARD ONLY: Another set of three tress can be found to the right of the three trees on the left. Shoot the leftmost tree to find a [FIRST AID KIT]. On Normal, the tree containing the First Aid will not be here. While searching these trees, take out the jeep driver nearby and take his jeep for a ride up ahead, shooting your way through two more rows of trees. All the trees will make noise as if taking damage when shot with your weapons, but only every other tree within each row can be destroyed. If a tree is still standing after two jeep missiles, try the next one over. The three destroyable trees in the first row each contain a [MEDAL], while the three destroyable trees in the second row contain [DYNAMITE]. Past the second row of trees will be a cluster of more trees up towards the center. Shoot out the two on the bottom to find [2 MEDALS]. NORMAL ONLY: A tree will be present in the center of the cluster that you can reach after shooting away the other two on the bottom which contains a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT]. Enter the allied camp up ahead. If you manage to make it here with the jeep intact, it will self-destruct automatically. * ALLIED CAMP * Mega Crash Bomb: 6 medals Chicken: 4 medals Roast Beef: 5 medals Power-Up: 8 medals First Aid Kit: 10 medals Gold First Aid: 13 medals Elixir: 15 medals Buy whatever you think you'll need, but know that there's a Gold First Aid Kit not too far past this camp which can be obtained on either difficulty level. Outside camp, proceed up and to the right. Inside the crates nearby will be [FOOD] and [3 MEDALS], along with a [LIFE-UP] if playing on Normal. Continue to the far left. Inside the next pair of crates will be a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and a [POWER-UP]. Leave the crate above that's fenced off alone for now, and go right. Look for a column of four stick bundles on the left side of the path up ahead: you can slip under and through the stick bundle on the bottom to reach the crate that was fenced off, which contains a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT]. Return to the right back through the bottom of the stick bundle column. If you scrolled the screen up too far, you can escape through the upper portion of the column instead. There's [DYNAMITE] in the three crates blocking the way ahead up to the left. Keep going past them to the far left without scrolling the screen up to find a pair of crates with [5 MEDALS] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Up ahead will be two tanks standing between you and the boss. Have Laser shoot at them from behind the row of stick bundles. The tank shells will still be able to pass through the bundles, but so can Laser's beams. After the tanks go down, grab a [FIRST AID KIT] from the crate on the other side of the stick bundles. * BOSS: Desert Tanks * This fight is broken into two phases. Bikers will ride up from the bottom of the screen, then jeeps will come down from the top of the screen. There are about 16 bikers and 6 jeeps total. The bikers will go down quickly to weapon fire, but you're better off avoiding the jeeps since they're more durable. After this, the boss fight begins proper. The first Desert Tank pulls up towards the top center of the screen, followed shortly by the other two tanks pulling up on either side towards the top. The center tank shoots energy balls similar to the Panzer Tank from Mission 3, while the side tanks shoot destroyable missiles. Right after the side tanks appear, the center tank will move down towards the bottom of the screen, as all three start attacking at once, each moving back up or down at times. Try opening this fight with Launcher or Laser, softening up the middle tank as soon as it rolls in while dodging it's energy balls. Then, try dropping a Mega Crash bomb so it catches one of the tanks on the side along with the center tank, while giving you a bit of time to safely reposition yourself as the tanks shift positions. As each tank goes down, the remaining tank(s) will start firing more quickly. If possible, take out one of the tanks on the side first, then the middle tank, and finally the tank on the other side. It can be difficult to deal with both side tanks at once when they have you surrounded and start shooting more quickly. *** [3f] - Original Mission 6 *** You won't have to worry about any pesky knife divers as you work through the waters at the beginning of this mission, but there's no shortage of common foot soldiers, either. Avoiding their attacks can be tougher due to having reduced movement speed in the water. Their grenades in particular can catch you by surprise since their shadows are harder to see atop the water. Stay vigilant. Rifle will have the easiest time crossing through the waters with his high movement speed and rate of fire. Inside the first two crates at the start will be [2 MEDALS]. In the first body of water are two small patches of land, with a pair of crates on each. First on the left is a [POWER-UP] and some [FOOD], then on the right is some [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Out to the right side in the second body of water is another island with two crates containing [5 MEDALS] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] (along with two more crates above these containing [DYNAMITE] on Hard). As soon as you cross onto land up ahead, head left to find a crate or two with [5-8 MEDALS] (8 on Normal, 5 on Hard), and another [3 MEDALS] total from the three crates on the right. Enter the allied camp up ahead towards the left. * ALLIED CAMP * Roast Beef: 5 medals Power-Up: 9 medals First Aid Kit: 10 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Elixir: 10 medals Elixir: 10 medals Top Secret Info: 1 medal (4 available) Plenty of recovery items here should you have taken any heavy casualties during the last boss battle, which hopefully won't be the case. If any Mercs did go down, revive them now. Things only get tougher from here on. Immediately to the right outside camp is a crate with [5 MEDALS]. Be careful getting this on Hard that you don't get ambushed by a possible kamikaze from the bottom of the screen. Up ahead are two missile trucks: the first one pulls up on the right side of the road just above the nearby fountain, while the second truck pulls up on the left just above the first one. The first truck on the right fires volleys of destroyable missiles straight ahead similar to the trucks from Mission 3, but the elite truck on the left shoots bigger missiles in sets of two that split into smaller missiles when they land or are shot. The payload fired by these elite missile trucks can be tricky to deal with. You're best using a Merc with high movement speed and/or a weapon with wide coverage to cancel out the big missiles and the smaller missiles they unleash or avoid them altogether. You may be able to dodge one big missile in a set of two, but then have to shoot down the small missiles coming from the second missile when you see it land further away. Grab some [FOOD] and a [POWER-UP] from the crates near these two trucks once they're dealt with. Up ahead is another new missile truck (on Hard, a second one will appear before the first one as you enter the narrow portion of the road). These toxic missile trucks also shoot big missiles in sets of two, but these explode into clouds of toxic green gas when they land. Getting hit by one of these directly is bad enough, but standing in the gas clouds will cause your life to drain quickly unless your Merc has a Gas Mask (or post-damage invincibility). Avoid the missiles and the gas as best you can, and take the truck down while watching for additional foot soldiers below. The second truck that shows up first on Hard will fire at you in a tight space, making it's gas clouds difficult to avoid as soldiers close in from below: a literal choke point. Don't be afraid to use a Mega Crash bomb on this truck. Grab a [LIFE-UP] from the crate to the left of the truck(s). Past the destroyable flowerbeds and fountain up ahead are a pair of crates with [FOOD], and another crate to the left with a [MEDAL]. Proceed to the right. An elite missile truck will pull up ahead as you approach the nearby crosswalk, just past which will be a toxic missile truck. Once it goes down, head left to find three crates with a [LIFE-UP], [POWER-UP], and [SPEED BOOTS]. Grab these, then start shooting at the barriers just to the left. Eventually they'll blow up, leading to a secret area with more crates containing a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT], [MEGA CRASH BOMB], and [BULLETPROOF VEST] (the Gold First Aid only shows up on Normal). Up ahead back to the right will be a pair of crates containing [FOOD] on the left and [DYNAMITE] on the right. Three supply runners will also start coming down the left path, dropping [FOOD], [3 MEDALS], and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] in that order. Let the supply runners pass just below the column of trees on the right side of the left path before shooting them so you can grab their spoils while still taking the narrow path on the right side of the trees that contains crates with [5 MEDALS] and a [FIRST AID KIT] (on Hard, only the supply runner carrying Twin Medals will be present). At the end of the narrow path between the trees ahead will be crates with [FOOD] and a [POWER-UP]. A standard missile truck will come in from the right as soon as you grab these (along with an elite missile truck off to the left if playing on Hard), joined by a toxic missile truck just behind it towards the center. If you're able to, try dealing with one truck at a time from a distance before scrolling the screen upward and triggering the toxic missile truck to start attacking. Alternatively, you could risk having a fast Merc make a run for it past the trucks, which will go away once you reach the boss just ahead. * BOSS: Artillery Base * Move over to the far left or right side before triggering this boss battle to be out of the way of all the missiles launched once it begins, and start firing at either turret on the far side to counter it's missiles. There are four missiles turrets alongside the main missile launcher in the center: the two turrets furthest from the center shoot homing missiles, while the two turrets closer to the main launcher shoot missiles straight ahead. All the turrets and their missiles can be destroyed, while your main target is the central launcher that shoots toxic missiles. Start working on either of the turrets on the far side of the screen as you counter it's missiles and the missiles from the turret on the other far side. Stay towards the edge of the screen out of the way of the turrets towards the center that fire straight ahead as you avoid the toxic missiles and their gas. With Mega Crash bombs, try dropping one so it hits multiple turrets at once along with the central turret. Once all the side turrets go down, you're free to finish off the central turret. Fire at it towards the bottom-middle of the screen between sidestepping past the missiles it launches your way. *** [3g] - Original Mission 7 *** This is easily the most non-linear mission, with multiple paths and hidden areas. NORMAL ONLY: the two crates next to your starting position contain a [POWER-UP] and a [LIFE-UP]. Immediately to the left of your starting position, shoot at the skinny crate. It will eventually blow up, clearing the way to a hidden path with several crates containing four portions of [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Just off to the far left will be two crates with [FOOD] and a [GAS MASK]. Whichever Merc takes the Gas Mask will be immune to damage from the green gas that comes from the toxic missile trucks (though obviously contact with the missiles themselves will still hurt). Best to give the gas mask to a slow Merc, if not whoever you're using most. There are two paths you can take up ahead. The main path in the center, and a hidden path to the far right blocked off by destroyable barricades. Both paths contain a crate with a [POWER-UP], but the hidden path on the right will let you skip fighting an elite missile truck. To the far left at the end of either path will be more crates with [FOOD], [3 MEDALS], and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Go back right and proceed upward. A missile truck on the left and an elite missile truck on the right will block the way ahead. The nook to the right of the trucks is a dead end. Proceed up instead into the allied camp. * ALLIED CAMP * First Aid Kit: 3 medals First Aid Kit: 11 medals First Aid Kit: 11 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Elixir: 16 medals Plenty of healing items here to help tend to your wounds. The First Aid going for 3 Medals is a great deal. Definitely buy it, if nothing else. There are several branching paths outside camp just ahead. First up, the path splits in two. The main path on the left will have you fighting a missile truck, followed by a toxic missile truck just behind it. The crate blocked off to the left contains a [FIRST AID KIT]. Shoot the skinny crate nearby to destroy it and get to the First Aid. The secret path on the right however, accessible by shooting through the skinny crate on the far right, will let you avoid these trucks and contains crates with a [FIRST AID KIT] and [GAS MASK]. The path splits in two again just ahead. Both are pretty similar, containing a line of two turrets (three on Hard) and some medals in a crate or two, but the path on the left will get you [3 MEDALS], compared to [2 MEDALS] on the right path. Next up ahead, the path splits three ways. The left and right paths each contain a toxic missile truck (two toxic trucks on the right path on Hard), while the middle path contains a row of three turrets. If you take the path on the right, you can reach a crate with a [BULLETPROOF VEST] by shooting through the section of fence just to it's right. Finally, the path splits in two again just ahead, each path having a different configuration of turrets. On Normal, each path has a column of three turrets on the sides of their paths. On Hard, each path has five turrets: alternating sides on the left, and together in a column on the right. To the immediate far left just path these paths is a crate or two with [3 MEDALS] (and a [FIRST AID KIT] on Normal). Grab these before getting the [MEDAL] from the crate above nearby, and continue upward towards the left. Shoot through the skinny crates in the way before scrolling the screen too far up, which will trigger rocket launchers to run in behind the crates. The crate behind the skinny crates contains a [POWER-UP]. The row of three crates up above only contain [DYNAMITE]. Instead, go towards the immediate far right to find a pair of crates with [FOOD] and a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Then, go back up the left side of the boxes to find another pair of crates with [FOOD] and [SPEED BOOTS]. Assuming you're playing on Normal and got the Speed Boots from Mission 5's allied camp, every Merc should now have maxed-out movement speed. Continue up to the right, and move onto the raft marked "ENTER". As you ride the raft upward, watch for soldiers from either side, and a line of 4 turrets (5 on Hard) on the left side. Shoot the turret missiles down from a diagonal angle, but be sure to dodge any stray grenades that head your way as well. Take out the rocket launchers that run in from the top-right towards the end of the raft ride. Once docked, head to the immediate far left, scrolling the screen up as little as possible. You should find a crate with a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT]. Grab this before getting the [FOOD] and [MEDAL] from the other two crates, then enter the allied camp nearby. * ALLIED CAMP * First Aid Kit: 11 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Mega Crash Bomb: 7 medals Power-Up: 10 medals Life-Up: 12 medals Elixir: 16 medals Top Secret Info 1 medal (1 available) Buy whatever you need, and be on your way. Outside camp, shoot through the skinny crates up ahead, then through the skinny crate above the fence on the right. Further right past this crate is a pair of crates with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB] and a [LIFE-UP]. Just ahead on the main path will be a toxic missile truck on the left, and an elite missile truck behind it on the right (and on Hard, another toxic missile truck behind that one on the left). You have limited room to fight all these trucks, as you cannot cross onto the beach nearby just yet. Try to fight them one at a time before scrolling the screen too far upward. A supply runner will come down along the right side of the path as you pass the elite missile truck's location. He will drop a [FIRST AID KIT] on Normal, and a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT] on Hard. Take the stairs behind the trucks up onto the beach, making sure to scroll the screen all the way to the right before going up into the water to face the boss. * BOSS: Battleship * Position yourself on the right side of the beach as the Battleship's left side moves into view. Take out the three small turrets first, while dodging the missiles fired from the two missile bays on top of the ship (their explosions are safe to run through, just don't get hit by the actual missiles). Once the small turrets are down, take out the missile bays. Once both are destroyed, the Battleship's right side will move into view. The right side of the Battleship only has two small turrets and one missile bay, but also has a doorway which rocket launchers will emerge from. Take out the small turret on the left at the very least, then focus your attack on the door and missile bay from a diagonal angle, using Laser for the best results. His beams can pierce through both the door and missile bay at the same time. DO NOT SHOOT AT THE SQUARE LINE PATTERN ON THE LOWER-RIGHT! This is the ship's oil tank. If shot open, the resulting oil spill will force you off the beach and into the water, making it's attacks that much harder to deal with now and during the next phase of this battle. Once the missile bay goes down, the Battleship's center will come into view. In the center of the Battleship are two more small turrets, along with a pair of big turrets and a flamethrower in the center. The big turrets cannot be destroyed, but their missiles can be shot down despite resembling the indestructible shells fired from tanks. Be ready for both the turrets and flamethrower to fire the moment the Battleship is centered and it's life bars are visible. The flamethrower is your main target, which will flare up in a straight line towards your location. Dodge to the side as it flares up and return fire, shooting down any missiles shot from the big turrets on either side. If you triggered the oil spill from earlier, Mega Crash spam your way to victory with Burner or Launcher: they can't afford to stay in the waters for long during this phase due to their low movement speed. *** [3h] - Original Mission 8 *** Just above your starting position will be a pair of turrets. Focus on one at a time, shooting down it's missiles with your weapon, changing your aim only to counter missiles fired from the other turret. NORMAL ONLY: Past these two turrets is a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. Two more pairs of turrets await past the first pair. Try to take out the first two before scrolling the screen upward and revealing the other two just above. Enter the allied camp up ahead towards the left. * ALLIED CAMP * (Homing joins the party) Power-Up: 1 medal Mega Crash Bomb: 8 medals First Aid Kit: 12 medals Gold First Aid: 14 medals Elixir: 16 medals Elixir: 16 medals Top Secret Info: 3 medals (2 available) The inexpensive Power-Up is technically meant for Homing, along with the Power-Up just outside this camp. But even at full power, Homing isn't exactly a strong Merc. There are no Speed Boots between here and the rest of the game either, locking his Speed Level at 1. Don't feel bad about giving these Power-Ups to somebody else. This is one of the last allied camps: buy whatever you can afford. Outside camp, watch for minecarts that come in from the top of the screen along any of the three tracks ahead. They can be destroyed, but you're better off dodging them when possible since they'll just keep coming. Look for an opening between minecarts, and send your fastest Merc across. The minecarts will stop coming once the tops of the tracks are visible. NORMAL ONLY: Immediately to the far right outside the allied camp is a crate with a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT]. The two crates above contain a [POWER-UP] and a [LIFE-UP]. Dotted along the minecart tracks up ahead are more crates leading left, right, and left again, containing a total of [6 MEDALS]. Try to have at least 6 medals on you before leaving this area. If you already do, feel free to ignore the rest of the medals here and move up into the planeyard. Inside the planeyard, shoot at the cockpit of a plane before trying to pass by it's front, or you'll be hit with rapid fire shots. If Rifle's speed is maxed out, he can run past between shots with good timing. Deal with the first plane in either fashion, then the next plane up to the right. Feel free to ignore the plane in the lower-right. Up to the left past these planes will be [FOOD] inside a crate or two (2 portions on Normal, 1 portion on Hard). Continue to the right along the upper part by the wall of obstacles, ignoring the plane to the far right, going up and to the left. Up ahead from here are five more planes to deal with: one on the left, a pair above that plane, and a second pair above the first pair. Immediately to the left past the second pair of planes is a crate with a [BULLETPROOF VEST]. Take out the watchtower on the left and the gunner shooting from inside. Proceed to the left. NORMAL ONLY: Immediately to the far left just above this watchtower is a crate with a [FIRST AID KIT]. On the far left will be a pair of crates containing [FOOD]. Before grabbing the Food however, deal with the armored vehicle shooting missiles up above, and the pair of gunners in the watchtowers on either side. This vehicle must be destroyed before the screen will contniue scrolling upward. Proceed up and to the right, scrolling the screen upward as little as possible to give yourself room to take on another armored vehicle unloading soldiers along with another pair of watchtower gunners. Up ahead past them will be one more armored vehicle unloading rocket launchers. Focus fire on the vehicle's door from a distance to take them all down at once, then shoot through the door behind the vehicle into the next area. The inside of the enemy hideout here mainly contains common foot soldiers, some of which will emerge from doors in the walls. Shoot at these doors to destroy them and prevent additional soldiers from coming. Take the first right towards a crate with [DYNAMITE], past which will be a door on the far right with no soldiers coming out of it. Enter this door to access a secret allied camp inside. * ALLIED CAMP * First Aid Kit: 1 medal Gold First Aid: 1 medal Mega Crash Bomb: 1 medal Power-Up: 1 medal Life-Up: 1 medal Elixir: 1 medal Top Secret Info: 1 medal (1 available) You can stock up on everything here with the 6 medals you got from the minecart tracks. Buy whatever you can and return to the left back outside. Further up ahead will be a door you can shoot open. Beyond this door are two crates containing [FOOD] and [DYNAMITE]. Watch for attacks from the soldiers off on either side as you wait for the dynamite to blow. Proceed upward to another door you can shoot open. The area behind this door is dark: you'll be able to see it's walls and the enemy soldiers' attacks, but not the soldiers themselves. The idea here is to use Homing's missiles to seek out the soldiers since they cannot be seen, but any Merc can get through this area just as well with a bit of blind fire. Past the first bend in the rightmost wall will be two crates with [FOOD]. Continue up towards the right, then proceed left. NORMAL ONLY: A crate to the left of the door at the end of this dark area contains a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT]. Shoot through the door and proceed upward outside the darkness. To the right past two doors with be three lightning traps lined up along the walls up ahead. These aren't as fatal as their Arcade Mode equivalents, but still do a LOT of damage. Line your character's head up between the trap's sensors, then wait about 1 second for the lightning to disappear once it's triggered. Quickly move up to the next lightning trap, and repeat this process. Take out the soldiers and the two doors they emerge from as you finish crossing the lightning traps. NORMAL ONLY: Past these two doors to the left will be a narrow path blocked off by two crates containing [DYNAMITE]. At the end of this path past the dynamite is a crate with a [MEGA CRASH BOMB]. The dynamite crates will return on your way back to the right. Ignore this area on Hard, as only the dynamite will be present. Proceed left, up, and right, shooting through the soldiers and the doors they emerge from. Shoot through the door at the end of this pathway and step onto the lift above marked "ENTER" from the left or right side. Soldiers will attack from either side as the lift moves upward. You will also have to avoid two more lightning traps: stay at the top edge of the lift, then retreat to the bottom edge as soon as the lightning appears. Do this again for the second lightning trap, dodging any stray grenades as well. At the end of the line, you'll find seven crates leading up to the final door containing four portions of [FOOD], a [FIRST AID KIT], a [GOLD FIRST AID KIT], and [DYNAMITE]. Patch up Laser and whoever else you plan on using for the final encounter, then shoot through the door up ahead. * BOSS: ICBM * The ICBM itself doesn't attack, but you'll have to watch out for missiles launched from the sides that come down towards you. These missiles and the turrets that fire them cannot be destroyed, so just dodge them instead as you damage the ICBM that rises up in the center. You will have about 24 seconds to destroy it from the moment it becomes vulnerable to attack once the front end is visible. Laser will have the easiest time taking it down, but Rifle, Burner, and Launcher can also get the job done in time so long as they have at least 2 Speed to consistently dodge the missiles and a reasonably powered-up weapon. Mega Crash bombs will also help speed things along, just don't waste them before the ICBM can be damaged. WARNING: DO NOT USE HOMING FOR THIS BATTLE! His limited attack power will not be enough to stop the ICBM in time by himself. And unlike Arcade Mode's final battle, if the ICBM is allowed to launch and get away... it's Game Over. CONGRATS! Your country salutes you. {{{ 4. Secrets and Cheats }}} *** [4a] - Mission Select Code *** At the SEGA logo, hold down the following buttons on Controller 2: Left, Down, A, B, C. Keep holding these buttons until the Mercs title screen appears. Upon selecting Arcade or Original Mode, the Mission Select screen will appear. Press Left or Right to select a Mission (Round), then press Start. *** [4b] - The Original Mode Code *** The default initials on the high score table are as follows: ORI, GIN, ALM, ODE, ABC, STA, RT When put together, they spell out this code: "ORIGINAL MODE ABC START". Highlight Original Mode from the main menu, then hold down A, B, and C while pressing Start. This code turns most all the normal foot soldiers in Original Mode into quick kamikazes. This code works on Orignal Mode's Hard difficulty as well for the ultimate challenge! *** [4c] - First Aid For All *** In Original Mode, have a Merc that's low on life pick up a Gold First Aid Kit. The moment their life gauge fills up to full, press Start and quickly select another Merc that's low on life. Press Start to unpause the game, and the other Merc you selected should start to recover life as well. As soon as that Merc's life gauge is full, press Start and quickly switch to another Merc that needs life. Repeat until everyone's life gauges are full. *** [4d] - Top Secret Information *** The top secret information that can be purchased in Original Mode is made somewhat redundant by this guide, but has been listed here for completion's sake. Mission 2: * "Beware! Some item boxes have bombs in them." * "Within the fences, you'll find things you can break." Mission 3: * "You'll sustain less damage if you grab the special uniform." * "You may get to places that seem inaccessible." Mission 6: * "Stay away from poisonous gas." * "The missile trucks carry poisonous gas. Beware!" * "Pick up the gas mask to protect yourself from poisonous gas." * "Some things cannot be broken unless you use certain weapons." Mission 7: * "Do not aim at the gas tank in the rear end of the tanks." Mission 8: * "Be careful when crossing railway tracks." * "You'll find allies within the enemies' buildings." * "Pay extra attention when in the dark." ~Fin