-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Life Force: Boss Strategies and Patterns An informative FAQ written by Frankomatic Copyright 2004 Frankomatic All Trademarks and Copyrights contained in this guide are owned by their respective Trademark and Copyright holders. Any extra questions, corrections, or concerns can be sent to fgrisi@dbzmail.com. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== i. Version History I. Introduction II. Key III. Boss Strategies IV. Credits =============================================================================== i. Version History =============================================================================== 1.00 Initial Release, also likely the last unless some sort of grievous error is spotted. (6/14/04) =============================================================================== I. Introduction =============================================================================== Yo, Frankomatic checking in once again. While my last work was a full walkthrough for a game that actually benefited from one, this is a smaller and simpler sort of guide for that old space shooting classic, Life Force. What I'm hopefully going to accomplish with this is giving you, the reader, an in depth explanation of how each boss operates, their weaknesses, and how to exploit them. With this obligatory, if not short introduction out of the way, let's get on with the show! To jump to any give boss, just hit ctrl-F and type in S followed by the stage number you happen to be at for quick reference. For those of you who might be wondering why I lack a controls section. you wouldn't be looking for boss help if you didn't know how to play, would you? =============================================================================== II. Key =============================================================================== This is a quick section that'll show you the breakdown for each entry in the upcoming boss list. Phase (if applicable) ------------------------ Which part of the fight you happen to be on if there's more than one. Description -------------- A description of what the boss looks like. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- How the boss will attack you or defend itself. Patterns ---------- How the boss operates. Weak Point -------------- Where you shoot to kill it. Strategy ---------- How to kill the boss quickly and effectively. That's all of it! =============================================================================== III. Boss Strategies =============================================================================== S1. Stage One ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description -------------- A very large brain with two very large arms and an equally large bulging eye sticking out of the front. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The brain will point its arms in your general direction menacingly as well as slowly follow you around the screen with the intent of smashing into you. Patterns ---------- It. well, follows you around the room with the intent of smashing into you. That's it. Weak Point -------------- The large eye sticking out of the front of its "body". Strategy ---------- Seeing how this is the first boss in the game, it is fittingly easy to destroy. After the walls disintegrate, the brain will take three small hops towards you before sprouting its arms. A few moments after this, it'll slowly begin to move towards you. Notice that the eye isn't open yet. Here's what you do. Move to the lower left corner and wait for it to get close, then move across the screen. When it gets close again, move up to the top right and wait for it to get to about the middle of the screen. The eye should have opened by now, so dart around in front of it and fill it full of bullets. If you're quick, one pass should be enough. Otherwise it shouldn't take more than two. S2. Stage Two ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 1 ------------------------ Description -------------- A room with three orbs at the top protected by three shields each. There are also some of the normal turret enemies on the walls at the start of the battle. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The orbs at the top will drop balls down that will bounce around the screen randomly for a little while before they either fall off the screen or get sucked up one of the orb paths again. Patterns ---------- None, really. The orbs bounce around randomly as far as I can tell. There will only ever be four on the screen at one time, though. Weak Point -------------- The orbs themselves are the weak points, you must destroy all three to move on. Strategy ---------- Well, all I can really say for this one is to kill the turrets quickly so you have less to focus on dodging, then just use your flying skills to dodge around. Having a speed upgrade or two helps out a lot, and the laser weapon can cut through the shields quite quickly. Once all three of the orbs are destroyed, line yourself up with one of the paths to keep moving on. Phase 2 ------------------------ Description -------------- A large machine object with four whirling arms of death and a blue "eye" in the middle. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- Contact with the arms or the body of the machine will cause death, but it doesn't actively attack in any other way. Patterns ---------- The arms will move clockwise at a constant pace and the whole boss itself will move clockwise at a slower, but also constant rate. Weak Point -------------- The blue "eye", which is guarded by three shields much like the orbs from the first phase. Strategy ---------- As this boss enters, the arms are already spinning. As soon as it gets near the bottom of the screen it will begin to move in the same direction as the arms, so get ready by placing yourself between two of them and moving along with them. After a few moments, the weak point will open up. Every time you happen to be beneath the boss after this, take some shots at the shields blocking it. Once those are gone, the boss will fall quickly to your attacks. S3. Stage Three ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description -------------- The very large head of a presumably very large dragon. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The only attack this dragon has is to fire off very large busts of flame at you. Patterns ---------- The dragon will stay over on its side of the screen, but it will move up and down to follow you. It'll fire off its fire blasts at random, though from the way it tends to stay lined up with you, it generally doesn't seem like it. Weak Point -------------- All I want for Christmas are my -two front teeth- o/~! Joking aside, just pound its teeth. Strategy ---------- After the hellishly difficult stage that came before this guy, he is mercifully easy to defeat. Just move a little up or down when he fires off a shot and keep working away at those teeth. He'll be dead in no time. Also note that unlike most other bosses, his attacks won't block your shots, so feel free to fire at it through its attacks if you're feeling daring. S4. Stage Four ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description -------------- A big freakish skull with two creepy eyes that follow your every move. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The skull will open up its mouth and spit out a flurry of bullets at you. Also, after enough damage is sustained, its eyes will fly out and chase you around the screen. Touching them is just as deadly as running into anything else. Patterns ---------- The skull will just follow you left and right around the screen, never moving any higher or lower. Every couple of seconds, it opens up its mouth and spits out a cloud of bullets. After you damage it a bit, one eye will fly out and try to smash into you. A little more and the second will follow suit. Weak Point -------------- The mouth is its weak point, but only when it happens to be open. Strategy ---------- Try not to be too freaked out by this guy in general and you'll likely be okay. Just keep lined up with it until the mouth opens and then try to get some shots off and into said mouth. Its shots will block your own so this can be a bit difficult. When the eyes come off, a few options are presented to you. You can either shoot them a few times to kill them, or occasionally they'll fly off the screen and forget to come back. When the boss is effectively blinded, its bullet flurries become a lot more random and it becomes a lot easier to actually cause some damage to it, so go nuts and take it out. S5. Stage Five ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description -------------- A possessed stereotypical Egyptian pharaoh death mask surrounded by a shield of golden orbs. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The orbs will circle around and fire off shots at you and every now and then, the boss itself will slowly move forward to try and ram you. Patterns ---------- The boss will bob up and down for a little while, shooting at you with its orbs, before charging forward to try and kill you off. When it gets across the screen, it will repeat the bobbing and firing for a little while, then move across the screen once again. Weak Point -------------- The flashing, seizure inducing eyes of the mask. Strategy ---------- The first thing this boss does is to try and collapse the room on you, so hang out around the middle of the screen when it stops scrolling. After the first two or three blocks fall, dash back to the left at the next opening and you'll have successfully dodged this attack. Once the orbs appear and the eyes start flashing, the fight has begun for real. Dodge up and down to avoid the shots from the boss and try to hit its eyes. The orbs will frequently block your shots, so this can take a while. After a few seconds of this, the boss will stop in the middle of the screen and start to move across it. Get to the top or bottom to avoid running into it, and take up the open place on the right side of the screen. The previous pattern will begin again, but this time you won't be able to get at the eyes, so all you can do is dodge. Once it crosses the screen again, quickly target the eyes and try to finish it off before you have to change sides again. S6. Stage Six ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 1 ------------------------ Description -------------- Two of the Easter Island head enemies that jump about instead of staying still while they attack you. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- Well, they still shoot the donut shots at you, but they also jump around and can run into you if you're not careful. Patterns ---------- Hop and shoot, hop and shoot. That's all they do. Weak Point -------------- Shoot them in the mouth while it's open. Strategy ---------- It's not too much different than a normal fight with these kind of enemies, though it's actually a bit easier since they'll open their mouths in mid air, which makes them easier to hit. Just be sure to move up and down the screen a bit every now and then so you don't get boxed in. Phase 2 ------------------------ Description -------------- A large red orb with a snake circling around it. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- The snake will fire blue bullets at you every now and then, and the fact that you have a very small area to move around in works against you as well. Patterns ---------- None really, the snake just circles about and shoots every few seconds. As long as you don't move from the bottom of the screen, it'll never run into you or anything. Weak Point -------------- The head of the snake. Strategy ---------- You don't have much room to move around in, as touching the orb is deadly. Just dodge the stray bullets as they come towards you and shoot the snake in the head. The orb won't block your shots, so whenever you have a shot lined up, take it. This won't take very long at all. Phase 3 ------------------------ Description -------------- A large red orb with a small, pulsating eye near the bottom of it. Attacks/Defenses --------------------- None. .Well, the screen does slowly advance you towards the orb, so if you crash into it, you die. Patterns ---------- None. It just sits there and pulses. Weak Point -------------- The pulsating eye of the orb. Strategy ---------- See that eye? Line up with it and fire away. The boss will do nothing at all to stop you from killing it. After this, just make your way through the escape sequence and you've won the game. Congratulations! =============================================================================== IV. Credits =============================================================================== fealu_bryne for always being there for me when I need her. CjayC for making GameFAQs the great site that it is. Konami for making this great little shooter. The readers, because without you all, I wouldn't have a reason to be writing this stuff. That's all for this edition of Frankomatic's FAQ theater, see you again next time. Same bat time, same bat channel!