Vindicators FAQ Version 1.2 By chessjerk (John Kearsley IV) Created - January 15, 2006 Updated - February 19, 2012 Questions? Comments? Contact me: chessjerk@msn.com =============================================================================== Welcome to my Vindicators FAQ. Love to shoot enemies with fully-loaded tanks? Look no further, this is the game for you. =============================================================================== Table of Contents: =============================================================================== I. The Object of the Game II. Controls III. Items & Weapons IV. Shops V. Enemies VI. Strategies VII. Credits/Disclaimer VIII. Version History =============================================================================== I. The Object of the Game =============================================================================== The object of the game is to maneuver the tank through the maze, collecting items and shooting bad guys, until the exit is reached. There are two keys (one red and one blue/black) on every level which open the corresponding red and blue doors at the end of the level. In a two-player game, both keys must be collected since both players cannot exit through the same door. Either tank can exit through either door. Overall, there are eight stations, each with four levels. After all thirty-two levels are passed, the final boss level appears. Each tank has a fuel gauge that decreases over time and when receiving hits from the enemy. If this gauge reaches empty, a 10 second countdown begins, during which time the tank must exit the maze or pick up more fuel, or else it explodes and a life is lost. Each player has three lives at the start of the game. The bottom of the screen details each player's current status, including: score, fuel gauge, stars, smart shots/bombs, and shields. After exiting a level, each player earns fuel depending on how many points they scored on that level. If their fuel tank is full, they earn stars instead. After that, they have a chance to purchase upgrades for their tank (stronger shots, more weapons, etc.) using the stars they have accumulated. Unused stars carry over to the next level. At the end of the fourth level of a station, there is a warehouse instead of a normal exit. A regular shot from either player opens the way into the warehouse. Once inside, each player grabs as many items as they can. However, after 15 seconds have passed, the warehouse explodes. Any player still inside the warehouse at this time suffers major damage. To avoid this damage, escape through the randomly opening and closing doors on either side. In a two-player game, both players may exit through the same door if they wish. There are many different enemies to encounter, as well as three mini-bosses (at Station 2, Level 2; Station 4, Level 1; and Station 6, Level 2), who all try to destroy the players. Strategies for defeating them are outlined below. =============================================================================== II. Controls =============================================================================== Up/Down - Move tank forward/backward Left/Right - Turn tank left/right B - Fire special weapons (smart shots or bombs) A - Fire guns Select - Switch special weapons from smart shots to bombs and vice versa Start - Pause the game =============================================================================== III. Items and Weapons =============================================================================== These items are lying around on each level, so be sure to grab them all. Fuel - Restores a portion of the fuel tank Star - Used as currency in the shops after each level Key - Opens the corresponding exit door at the end of the level Shield - Adds two shields to the total, when shot, shields lessen the damage to the fuel gauge Crosshairs - Adds two smart shots to the total, these shots are similar to homing missiles (when shot, they seek out the nearest enemy and head for it) Arrows - Adds two bombs to the total, these shots are similar to regular shots, except they go further and explode on impact, causing more damage. They are essential when fighting the mini-bosses and the final boss due to their damage potential. =============================================================================== IV. Shops =============================================================================== After every level, these are the upgrades and weapons available for purchase. The number in parentheses is the number of stars each selection costs. For the tank upgrades, up to four upgrades can be purchased throughout the game and they cannot be lost. For the weapons and shields, once 40 or more of the corresponding items have been accumulated, more cannot be purchased. Since "Increase shot range" and "Increase shot speed" occupy the same line on the list of upgrades, shot speed cannot be increased until shot range has been fully maximized (once shot range is maximized, "Increase shot speed" replaces "Increase shot range" on the list). Press select to toggle between purchasing smart shots and bombs. Increase tank speed (3) - Speeds up tank's movement Increase shot range (3) - Tank's shots go further Increase shot speed (3) - Tank's shots go faster Add 10 to force shields (4) - Increases shields by 10 Increase shot power (5) - Tank's shots do more damage Buy 10 smart shots (5) - Increases smart shots by 10 Buy 10 bombs (5) - Increases bombs by 10 Buy fuel (5) - Increases fuel (similar to fuel item) =============================================================================== V. Enemies =============================================================================== Here is a list of the enemies to be faced: Tanks - These tanks shoot bullets at the players' tanks. They can be destroyed with any type of weapon. Later stages have different tanks that shoot double shots. Turrets - These are stationary guns that rotate and try to shoot the tanks. There are two varieties: ground-level guns and pop-up guns. The ground level guns can only be destroyed by shooting it when the gun is facing the tank (all other shots have no effect). The pop-up guns can be shot as long as the gun is raised, if the gun drops down after it shoots, it cannot be harmed until the gun rises up again. Some turrets have both kinds of guns, for them, destroy the pop-up gun first and then destroy the ground-level gun, in the same fashion as above. Electricity Poles - These come in pairs of two and randomly fire electricity between them. Don't drive through them unless necessary. The electricity causes damage to the tanks. Mines - These red dots on the ground explode if driven over. Simply avoid them, or hope the enemy tanks drive over them. UFO's - These fly around and shoot with double shots. They cannot be shot with the regular gun; a special shot must be used (smart shot or bomb) to destroy them. Mini-Boss #1 - At Station 2, Level 2, a larger version of a UFO blocks the path. Use bombs against this enemy, around 20 or so should do the trick. Try to move around when shooting it to avoid taking major damage from its powerful guns. Mini-Boss #2 - At Station 4, Level 1, a wall with guns mounted on the top blocks the path. Again, bombs are the way to go, and again, keep moving as much as possible to avoid taking too many gunshots. Also, beware of enemy tanks that can appear out of the opening of the wall. Mini-Boss #3 - At Station 6, Level 2, another wall-type creature with a long line of guns blocks the path. This is the easiest mini-boss by far, since the guns can only fire one at a time and can only cause significant damage to stationary targets. Just bomb away; it becomes apparent when it takes damage when the wall starts to collapse on itself. Final Boss - After Station 8, Level 4, the final boss is reached. It looks like some kind of alien with four eyes. The object is to destroy the eyes. In a two- player game, this boss is not too bad. Each player can fire bombs at one set of eyes as quickly as possible before its shooting becomes overwhelming. However, in a one-player game, this boss is quite difficult due to all the fire being focused on one target and not having enough bombs to take out all four eyes before becoming overwhelmed. The only strategy I can recommend is to stockpile as many bombs and shields as possible and try to aim for the spots in between the eyes. With some luck, two eyes fall at once and then the focus can be shifted on the other two, hopefully before the fuel gauge succumbs to the boss's powerful assault. =============================================================================== VI. Strategies =============================================================================== The game itself is pretty simple. Just shoot all the enemies without getting hit and get to the exit as quickly as possible. Buy the speed upgrades as quickly as possible, since more stars can be accumulated by having a lot of fuel at the end of each level. However, always pick up all of the items and destroy all of the enemies on a level, especially the turrets, since they may reveal items when they are destroyed. Also, the end-of-level bonus is determined by how many points are scored, and the only way to score points is to destroy enemies. The main problems arise with the first two mini-bosses, who can outright massacre the tank if it is unprepared. Even with a sufficient stock of bombs to kill it, if the tank is unlucky and gets hit with a barrage of shots right off the bat, the chances of survival decrease dramatically. Try to land a few hits as quickly as possible. After suffering damage, the bosses seem to slow down their assault long enough to take them out without much more damage. In a two-player game, the early battles can be harder due to a lack of items to go around, but, as the players progress, the battles become easier. Just try to fire at the bosses from different angles, and they can't possibly take both tanks out before they die. =============================================================================== VII. Credits and Disclaimer =============================================================================== This FAQ is copyright 2006/2012 by John Kearsley IV. This FAQ may be distributed freely as long as it is not altered and I am credited for its existence. Thanks go to everyone else involved with the NES FAQ Completion Project, of which I am proud to be a part. Also, thanks go to GameFAQs.com and SBAllen for hosting a great site. Keep up the good work! =============================================================================== VIII. Version History =============================================================================== Version 1.0 - Original FAQ submitted Version 1.1 - Minor changes and corrections made Version 1.2 - Minor spelling/formatting changes