__ __ ______ ______ ______ __ __ ______ /\ \_\ \ /\ __ \ /\ ___\ /\ __ \ /\ "-.\ \ /\ ___\ \ \ __ \ \ \ __ \ \ \ \__ \ \ \ __ \ \ \ \-. \ \ \ __\ \ \_\ \_\ \ \_\ \_\ \ \_____\ \ \_\ \_\ \ \_\\"\_\ \ \_____\ \/_/\/_/ \/_/\/_/ \/_____/ \/_/\/_/ \/_/ \/_/ \/_____/ Hagane: The Final Conflict Strategy Guide By: Sean Koch, Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved Started: August 1, 2010 Completed: August 5, 2010 Version 1.41 --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- Version History --------------- Version 0.1 - August 1, 2010 Started the guide. Version 1.0 - August 5, 2010 Guide hits version 1.0 and is ready for editing and submission! Woohoo! Version 1.1 - August 6, 2010 Made some minor edits. Apparently, I've been lied to. It seems that Hagane hasn't been released on the Virtual Console yet. Sorry, guys. That'll teach me to rely on hearsay, huh? In any case, hopefully we'll see it soon! Version 1.2 - August 6, 2010 Added an explanation of Hagane's Dragon Punch and Flying Kick. Hopefully everything is clear now. Version 1.3 - August 6, 2010 Final version - for now. Made a number of edits and cleaned up some of my grammar. I removed the part about using the Flying Kick on the miniboss in Stage 3-2, because it just isn't as effective as I thought. Version 1.4 - August 7, 2010 Final-final version! I promise! Edited a few things. Added a section on the secret in Stage 3-2, if you can even call it that. If I missed any secrets, or pseudo-secrets, just drop me a line at the email address listed in the Closing & Contact Info section of this guide and I'll credit you. I appreciate it. Version 1.41 - August 11, 2010 Added a useful tip on how to fight Amano in the Amano-Ikazuchi section. ----------------- Table of Contents ----------------- 1. Introduction 2. Story 3. The Art of the Ninja 3.1. Controls 3.2. Weaponry 3.3. Power-Ups 3.4. Advanced Techniques 3.5. Rhythm and Control 3.6. Keep It Simple, Silly 4. Stage 1 - The Path to Disaster 4.1. Stage 1-1 4.2. Stage 1-2 4.3. Stage 1-3 4.4. Stage 1-4 4.5. Musha-Mukuro 5. Stage 2 - The Fortress of Doom 5.1. Stage 2-1 5.2. Stage 2-2 5.3. Stage 2-3 5.4. En-Mikoshi 6. Stage 3 - Violated Heavens 6.1. Stage 3-1 6.2. Stage 3-2 6.3. Stage 3-3 6.4. Stage 3-4 6.5. Jasei-Jyu 7. Stage 4 - Cry of the Spirits 7.1. Stage 4-1 7.2. Stage 4-2 7.3. Stage 4-3 7.4. Jyuso-Dama 8. Stage 5 - Into the Darkness... 8.1. Stage 5-1 8.2. Stage 5-2 8.3. Stage 5-3 8.4. Stage 5-4 8.5. Stage 5-5 8.6. Shurb-Oh 9. Final Boss - Amano-Ikazuchi 10. Hard Mode 11. FAQ 12. Closing & Contact Info 13. Credits & Thanks 14. Legal Stuff --------------- 1. Introduction --------------- Hagane: The Final Conflict is one of my all-time favorite games. When it was released in the United States, it was available only at Blockbuster Video stores, and so it was destined for obscurity from the moment it arrived on western shores. Had the title gotten a full State-side release, I wholeheartedly believe it would've gone down as one of the best games on the SNES instead of just a cult classic. Thanks to the Virtual Console, though, soon anyone who owns a Nintendo Wii will be able to play it! Hallelujah! My goal with this guide is to teach you how to play the game and provide you with helpful tips and strategies for each of its five stages, rather than walk you through it and rob you of the satisfaction of having beaten the game on your own. With that said, let's begin! -------- 2. Story -------- Hagane: The Final Conflict "The Fuma clan possesses extreme strength and spiritual power. They are ninja capable of using ninja arts and black magic at will. Their quest is to protect the Holy Grail. It is said to possess power that can destroy the world. From long ago, the evil Koma clan had plotted to destroy the world using the destructive power of Holy Grail. Suddenly, they attacked the Fuma clan and stole the Holy Grail. However, they failed to notice that among the severely wounded, one man survived... On the verge of death, the barely living man known as Hagane was brought back to life by advanced cyber-technology performed by a mysterious old man named Momochi. However, none of Hagane's body survived except his brain... Already a powerful ninja, he now had the incredible power and speed of a human cyborg. With this power, he vowed to take revenge on the Koma faction. "The Fuma and Koma clans who live mainly in darkness have mastered the secret arts of the ninja and black magic. Although they look just like normal people, they have strength and spiritual power beyond normal human beings. Each clan consists of several groups called factions. The Fuma clan is split into factions based on the Chinese zodiac. For example, the cow, the tiger, and the dragon. The Koma clan is split into factions by color, consisting of the white, the gold and the red dragon. In the case of the Fuma clan, members of a given faction know nothing more about any other factions except that they exist. Their blood lines are cut off from the outside world and are destined to decline." That's the story as quoted from the game's instruction manual. It doesn't make much sense, but since we're playing a video game about cyborg ninjas, I think it's okay to suspend our disbelief for the sake of great gameplay. Hagane is interestingly plot-driven. Every boss has a name and even a hint of personality. There are no cutscenes or dialogue to be had, but the way the game is presented will make you feel like you're battling old enemies. I like that. ----------------------- 3. The Art of the Ninja ----------------------- 3.1. Controls Hagane has a pretty standard control scheme. The following should be used as a reference. Y - Attack B - Jump A - Special X - Change weapon L - Forward flip to the left, backflip when facing right R - Forward flip to the right, backflip when facing left Up - Grab onto the ceiling when jumping Down - Duck Left - Walk left Right - Walk right Start - Pause Select - Change weapon 3.2. Weaponry Hagane has a number of weapons at his disposal. They're all very similar, but contrary to what you might think, they still have their uses. You can sift through your cache of weapons with either the X or the Select buttons. The Select button cycles through your available weapons in reverse. So if, for example, you need to quickly switch to your grappling hook from your sword, you can tap the Select button once, rather than tap X three times. Note that you can also pause your game while selecting your weapon. Now, onto the weapons! -Sword- This is your main weapon. It's powerful, fast, versatile, and oddly reminiscent of Strider Hiryu's cypher. On the rare occasion, its short range will limit its usefulness. -Kunai- These are a type of throwing dagger. They're thrown straight, which makes them highly accurate. You can carry a maximum of 99 kunai. -Grenades- What separates these from Hagane's kunai is the angle at which they're thrown and the radius of the explosion once they hit their target. Grenades arc over Hagane's head and can be used to attack enemies from above or around obstacles. You can carry a maximum of 99 grenades. -Grappling Hook- This has two uses: as a weapon and as a tool for latching onto the ceiling. If you hold Up on the D-pad, you can aim it directly overhead, which will be useful in the later stages of the game. -Special- Save the best for last, and I mean it! By pressing the A button, Hagane unleashes an incredibly powerful explosion, killing, or at least severely damaging, every enemy on the screen, while also providing himself with temporary invincibility! You get a very limited number of these, so I recommend saving them for the final stages of the game, and not using them as an "Oh crap!" button for when the going gets tough. 3.3. Power-Ups In this section I'll provide information on the items that drop from slain enemies. Sometimes, in order to pick up Power-Ups, you have to press Down on the D-pad while standing over them. You usually have to do this when the game decides that you have enough of a particular item. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but it makes this decision before you've maxed out your supply, so always try to keep a mental note of how much ammunition you have. -Kunai Ammunition- 10 kunai. The icon for these has a distinct triangular shape. -Grenade Ammunition- 10 grenades. The icons for these look like a cylinder. -Health Refill- The icon for this looks like an orange ball of fire. It restores one bar of health. -Health Up- The icon for this looks like a blue ball of fire. It gives you one extra bar of health up to a maximum of 5. The effect disappears after you die, so be careful. If you already have 5 health bars, this will refill one of them instead. -1-Up- The icon for this says "1-Up" on it, so you can't miss it. It gives you 1 extra life, up to a maximum of 9 (plus the one you're currently on, technically giving you a maximum of 10 lives). -Special- The icon for this looks like Japanese writing. It gives you 1 more Special, up to a maximum of 9. These are pretty rare, so if you see one, jump on it! 3.4. Advanced Techniques Hagane employs a staggering number of techniques, and there are many different ways to kill your enemy, so you can experiment and develop your own fighting style. Below is a detailed explanation of Hagane's moveset. -Somersault- Aside from the usual running and gunning typical of games in this genre, Hagane can also perform somersaults and backflips with the L and R buttons. Somersaults can help you avoid damage when properly timed, but usually jumping or simply stepping out of the way of an attack works better and doesn't leave you as vulnerable to getting hit, even if it is less stylish. The main purpose of the somersault technique is to charge up your Dragon Punch and Flying Kick. Usually flipping once and pressing Y to perform a Dragon Punch or B to perform a Flying Kick is enough to seriously damage or kill most normal enemies, and although you can flip continuously to gain more attack power, it's generally not as effective or safe as simply killing enemies with your sword. Note: In order to somersault continuously without charging Hagane's attacks, tap the L or R buttons instead of holding them down. Below, I'll detail Hagane's Dragon Punch and Flying Kick: 1 Flip - Hagane doesn't blink. Standard attack. 2 Flips - Hagane blinks green. Semi-charged attack. 3 Flips - Hagane blinks yellow. Fully charged attack. -Standard Dragon Punch- Hagane lunges forward with his fist and then automatically backflips away from his enemy. This technique does a lot of damage, but it's not always a good idea to use this in the middle of a level where Hagane can backflip right into danger. -Semi-Charged Dragon Punch- Hagane performs a spin kick in the air. The problem with this technique is that it doesn't do a lot of damage and it's difficult to control. Not to mention the fact that since he's using his foot, it isn't much of a "Dragon Punch". -Fully Charged Dragon Punch- A fully charged Dragon Punch is an AoE (Area of Effect) attack that damages everything on either side of Hagane. This attack isn't too useful because you just don't ever need it. -Standard Flying Kick- Hagane jumps into the air and kicks his foot forward, damaging anything he comes into contact with. This is my favorite technique because it allows Hagane to leap through a group of enemies unscathed. Very useful! -Semi-Charged Flying Kick- If you ask me, this looks more like what the Semi-Charged Dragon Punch should've been. Oh well. Hagane spins into the air, engulfed in orange fire. Unfortunately, it's about as useful as the Semi-Charged Dragon Punch, because like its Y button counterpart, it too can be difficult to control. -Fully Charged Flying Kick- A fully charged Flying Kick will send Hagane kicking straight up into the air, making it one of only two attacks that can be aimed directly upward (the other being the grappling hook). It's useful against a number of minibosses, but it's in no way essential. Note that Hagane is invincible during the activation of any Dragon Punch or Flying Kick. -Drop Kick- This is a cool move to perform when you're above your enemy and want to swoop down on them like Mario. When you're in the air, press Down on the D-pad and Hagane will descend with a fiery foot onto an unsuspecting foe. The best part about this move is that Hagane bounces off his enemy after he completes it, allowing you to continually jump on your foe until it's dead - or at least until it moves out of the way. If you hold down the Jump button, Hagane will jump higher when he bounces off his enemy. -Mid-Air Somersault- This is a tricky move to pull off, often giving players a similar problem to that of the double jump in Shinobi III. But unlike in Shinobi, in order to perform the Mid-Air Somersault, you have to jump into the air and then press the Jump button again BEFORE Hagane reaches the apex of his leap. In other words, if you wait too long to press the Jump button while in the air, it won't work. I highly recommend practicing this move, because it's vital to the game's platforming. Hold down the Jump button for greater distance. If Hagane hits a wall while performing this technique, he will bounce off of it. -Slide- If you hold Down on the D-pad and press the Jump button, Hagane will slide across the ground. It's useful for dodging enemy fire and in those rare instances where ducking isn't enough of a defense. 3.5. Rhythm and Control This is a simple concept: In order to succeed in battle, you need to control the battle. If you keep dying against a boss, then you're not in control. In most games, especially ones as old as this, enemies have attack patterns that are easy to predict. In Hagane, however, many bosses are not as predictable as in other games, and so you have to learn to react as well as anticipate. If you go into certain fights only trying to predict what your enemy will do next, you'll lose. Whereas the key to anticipating your enemy is, of course, knowing your enemy, the key to reacting to your enemy is knowing yourself. For example, Hagane's Mid-Air Somersault can launch him directly over and away from an enemy, making it a great defensive maneuver that's useful against almost everything in the game. In short, it's not all about quick reflexes and knowing your enemy. Knowing yourself and even your environment goes a long way too. 3.6. Keep It Simple, Silly As a general rule, try to keep things simple. If an enemy can be killed by standing in one place and hitting it with your sword, then kill it by standing in one place and hitting it with your sword. This game is challenging, and you might make unnecessary mistakes if you try too hard to show off. Power means nothing without the wisdom to know when and where to use it. And now you know. And knowing is half the battle! --------------------------------- 4. Stage 1 - The Path to Disaster --------------------------------- 4.1. Stage 1-1 This stage is easier than it looks. Don't be cautious; the best way to beat this level is to push forward with your sword swinging like Hagane's life depends on it, because it kind of does. Even if you feel overwhelmed, try not to use your Special this early in the game. There may be a lot of enemies on the screen, but their attacks are easy to dodge and they die easily. Don't let their large numbers intimidate you. A good technique to use in this stage is the Flying Kick. If you see a group of enemies in front of you, somersault once and press the Jump button and Hagane will leap past them, killing anything he hits and taking no damage in the process. When you encounter the ships that drop enemy soldiers on you, you can destroy the turrets by jumping into the air and slashing them with your sword, or if you're confident in your acrobatics, you can use the Flying Kick attack to take them out in one hit. After a few short battles, you'll have completed the level. 4.2. Stage 1-2 This is another easy stage. Beware of the spider-looking things crawling on the ceiling, because they can rain debris down on you. You can play this level in one of two ways. The first method is for beginners: Move through the stage killing enemies with your sword and using your kunai or grenades if and when you need them. If you go this route, I recommend climbing along the ceiling for the first parts of the level, that way you can avoid the black piles of goo that try to Falcon Punch you. Use the grappling hook to latch on to any ceilings that are too high for you to reach with jumping alone. The second method for completing this stage is for more advanced players who have been through this level a few times already. It's possible to Flying Kick your way through the entire stage. Flip once and then press the Jump button to launch Hagane through a group of enemies. Do this continuously throughout the whole level to breeze through it in record time without taking any damage. -Secret- There's a 1-Up on the slanted ceiling near the flying house that shoots fire at you. To get it, ascend the ramp to your right and then use your grappling hook to latch onto the ceiling above you. Head left and take out any enemies that are in your way, and remember your grenades! If you try to descend the incline, Hagane will fall because he can't climb on an angle. So what you'll want to do is inch your way down with the Jump button, using your grappling hook immediately as you begin to fall. It requires practice and quick reflexes, and if you're having difficulty, you can safely skip it since extra lives are abundant in this game. -Miniboss- Now you're going up against a giant punching toad. You can hang back and throw kunai at him for an easy victory. Just Mid-Air Somersault over him if he gets too close. For more advanced players, try using your Dragon Punch to speed things up. Easy, right? This game's a lot of fun when you start to get the hang of it. 4.3. Stage 1-3 You should approach this stage with a healthy dose of caution. Kill the giant worms and the turtles with your sword and be patient: This level is short, so you have plenty of time to complete it. For more advanced players, you can breeze through the first part of this stage by wisely using your fully charged Dragon Punch. Play around with it and see what you can do. Everything else in this level is standard action-platforming. Make use of your ranged weapons against enemies in high places. 4.4. Stage 1-4 Try to stay to the right of the screen at all times. Don't run ahead or you won't have enough time to react to what this stage throws at you. Make good use of your Mid-Air Somersault as well. It takes practice - don't get discouraged if you keep dying here. 4.5. Musha-Mukuro Your first real boss! This guy is both fun and easy. Basically, you want to jump up and slash him with your sword while avoiding his very predictable attacks. Don't be afraid of him - get in there and flail around until the cows come home. Note: It's not practical to rely on your Dragon Punch or Flying Kick against this boss, because those moves require precision and accuracy, and Musha-Mukuro is just too fast. You've now beaten the first stage! Let's move on to Stage 2! --------------------------------- 5. Stage 2 - The Fortress of Doom --------------------------------- 5.1. Stage 2-1 I like how Stage 2 opens with a miniboss. What a nice touch. The scenery is gorgeous too, isn't it? But I digress. There are a lot of different ways to tackle this guy. For beginners, you'll want to keep him at a distance with your kunai or grappling hook. Avoid his attacks and use your Slide move if you need to. For more advanced players, you can get in close and make short work of him with your sword, or if you're feeling like more of a daredevil, try using your Flying Kick. 5.2. Stage 2-2 Remember your Slide technique, because it's useful at the start of this level. Like with Stage 1-1, a lot of enemies were put here to distract and intimidate you, but as long as you keep in mind that you shouldn't kill them all, you'll do fine. This stage has some tricky platforming. Unlike in most games, Hagane can't get a good running jump off of a ledge; if you try to do that, he'll fall, so be careful. You'll want to walk to the edge of a ledge and use a Mid-Air Somersault while holding the Jump button down for as long as you need to until you reach the next platform. The game isn't unfair - you'll get the hang of it with practice, I promise! There's a sequence at the end of this stage that consists of dodging security lasers mounted onto moving walls. You'll take damage if you touch the lasers. Use the Mid-Air Somersault to propel yourself over the lasers and to bounce between the walls of the gaps in the ceiling. 5.3. Stage 2-3 This level is light on enemies and heavy on platforming. Use your Mid-Air Somersault and remember that Hagane can use it to ricochet off of walls. -Miniboss- You'll face off against a machine that spits balls of electricity at you. My advice is to stay to one side and damage it with your sword after it exposes its weakness. After some pretty forgiving platforming, you'll face off against... 5.4. En-Mikoshi Honestly, the best way to fight this guy is to keep it simple and use your sword. Close in and melee him after he shows his weakness, and remember to duck! It's a fast battle that isn't too difficult. Hint: Sometimes dodging attacks isn't enough and you need to deflect those attacks with your weapon. Sometimes you can't reach those attacks without getting hurt. Sometimes those attacks are directly above you. Aren't you glad you have a long range weapon that you can aim upward? ----------------------------- 6. Stage 3 - Violated Heavens ----------------------------- 6.1. Stage 3-1 A lot of the enemies that you'll encounter in Stage 3-1 are best dealt with from a distance. The option to Dragon Punch everything is there for those of you who err on the side of fashion rather than function. Yes, the Dragon Punch works here, but beware of the automatic backflip Hagane performs when he's finished. Don't be afraid of the guys with the balls and chain. Stand at the opposite end of the screen from one and open fire with your kunai, so that you can kill him without fear of retaliation. Another option for dealing with these enemies is by getting in close: If you duck in front of one, the spiked ball he wields will go right over Hagane's head when it's swung, allowing you to safely melee him to death. If the spiked ball comes back around, jump over it and finish him off. 6.2. Stage 3-2 This stage isn't too different from the one before it, except that now you have to deal with turrets that hang from the ceiling and fire lasers at you. You can kill them any way you want, with your sword, kunai, or grenades. -Secret- When you come across the first group of rotating platforms, ascend them and head left instead of right to find a small corridor containing loads of enemies and power-ups. At the end of Stage 3-2, you'll fight a miniboss. -Miniboss- This thing is a piece of cake. Get beneath one of its guns and attack its weakness from below with your sword or grappling hook. Although it might be tempting to use your fully charged Flying Kick, I wouldn't recommend it because you're fighting on a conveyor belt and this miniboss' weak points are small to begin with, so aiming your kick would be very difficult. 6.3. Stage 3-3 The time limit on this stage is just another intimidation tactic (I'm noticing a lot of those in this game). This level is on rails, similar to stage 1-4, so it's impossible to run out of time here. My advice is to take out any enemies with your sword as soon as they appear on the screen, and if you can't reach an enemy, kill it with your kunai. Try not to use your Specials in this stage either; if things get too hot, swing your sword around like a berserker and remember that you can deflect incoming missiles with your attacks. Don't be afraid to take a hit or two, because this is a very short level. 6.4. Stage 3-4 Use the same strategy as in the previous stage, but beware of the flying centipedes. Not much has changed here other than the fact that you now have more room to dodge enemy fire. 6.5. Jasei-Jyu This boss might seem scary at first, but she's a real pussycat in reality. At the start of the battle, stay at a distance and throw kunai at her. If she gets in too close, circle around her and attack from behind, but beware of her tail; use your grenades to attack from a safer distance. Another option for when she closes in on you is to position yourself under her and spam your grenades until she dies, as the blast radius from the grenades will help to deflect some of her attacks that you wouldn't otherwise be able to avoid, but I don't recommend doing this with only three bars of health. If you're in a tight spot, feel free to use a Special. You may have defeated Jasei-Jyu, but don't get cocky - the remaining three stage bosses are even harder. ------------------------------- 7. Stage 4 - Cry of the Spirits ------------------------------- 7.1. Stage 4-1 This stage is very similar to Stage 1-1. There's no platforming here, just a lot of very strong enemies in your way. Don't be hasty this time - stop and kill enemies if you need to, but try to avoid the birds as they're mostly harmless. -Miniboss- It took me two and a half hours to master this guy. You might be tempted to keep him at a distance with your kunai, but stave off that temptation because if you stay too far away from him, he'll slide and jump around more and you'll quickly lose control of the battle. Instead, keep him close. I know, he's faster than you, but he's much more predictable if he isn't sliding around like a crazed penguin. The standard Dragon Punch is his weakness: Not only does it do a lot of damage, but it provokes him into using his short ranged attacks, which Hagane will then dodge with an automatic backflip. Also, hitting him with any weapon can both damage and stun him, allowing you to keep this duel well under control. 7.2. Stage 4-2 Although this cave might appear to be nonlinear, it's actually only pretending to be. None of the branching paths go very far, or lead to anything worthwhile, so you can safely skip them. The falling boulders aren't as tricky as they look. Just slide under them. Badda bing, badda boom. To kill those green ninjas that pop up out of the ground and throw shurikens at you, stand directly under them and kill them with your grappling hook - very easy. -Miniboss- A giant snake that can burrow into the earth? That's original. To end this fight quickly, hit him with your sword a bunch of times. It's that simple. If his tail appears on the ground to send a shockwave in your direction, jump into the air to avoid it. 7.3. Stage 4-3 Again, I'll tell you: don't be afraid of the obstacles that you'll face here. Be patient, and watch out for any green ninjas that pop up out of the ground. After dropping down from the ledge, head left and take a ride on the mining cart. Be prepared to Mid-Air Somersault to the next platform. The rest of the stage should be easy - it just requires some skillful platforming. -Secret #1- There's a whole mess of items on a nearby ledge at the beginning of the stage that I can't seem to get to. I've decided that the developers put it there as a wild goose chase, but if anyone knows how to get to them, send me an email and I'll credit you. Thanks. -Secret #2- Underneath the platform where the mining cart is are a couple of enemies and a Health Refill power-up. If anyone knows how to get it, send me an email. Thanks again. 7.4. Jyuso-Dama You have a large room in which to do battle, so I recommend using it to your advantage. In Jyuso-Dama's first form, try to position yourself directly under him so as to avoid his attacks, and jump up to damage him with your sword. It's not difficult. In his second form, he'll throw parts of his body at you. Move all the way to one side of the room and let him come to you, attacking the red pieces of armor he tosses your way until they're all gone. In his third form, he'll lunge at you from above, but you can simply step out of the way of his attack and hit him with your sword until he disappears and tries it again. In his final form, Jyuso-Dama transforms into a large green face. He breathes blue fire onto the ground that branches out in either direction. You can perform a Mid-Air Somersault over the blue fire to dodge it, but I highly recommend positioning yourself to one side of the room and letting Jyuso-Dama come to you. When he's in range, attack him with your sword, kunai, or grenades, and when you see him about to breathe fire, walk or somersault past him to the other side of the room. Rinse and repeat until he's dead. For more advanced players, try to aim a couple of fully charged Flying Kicks at him to end this fight quickly. You've made it all the way to Stage 5. What a workout, huh? You ain't seen nothin' yet! --------------------------------- 8. Stage 5 - Into the Darkness... --------------------------------- 8.1. Stage 5-1 Stage 5 consists of a gauntlet of miniboss battles, but first you'll need to take care of the minor enemies at the beginning of the level. Just kill them as they come. The Dragon Punch works here because the enemies come one at a time. -Miniboss #1- The first miniboss that you'll encounter floats in the air and shoots purple fire in your direction. For beginners, I recommend killing this thing with your grenades, as the blast will also destroy the laser turrets that hover around it and the purple fire that it tries to shoot at you. For more advanced players, open this fight with a fully charged Flying Kick and then finish this miniboss off with a few swipes of your sword. -Miniboss #2- This bloke is a joke. Stand at the opposite end of the screen from it and pump it full of kunai. If you see Japanese writing appear in front of it, that means it's chargin' its laser, so jump up to avoid it. If you see crosshairs attach to you, that means it's locking onto you with its missiles, so be prepared to dodge those as well. -Miniboss #3- Ah, it's Hagane's old nemesis! And this time he can teleport! Use the same strategy as in Stage 4-1, and remember: keep him close and don't let him intimidate you. He'll teleport in order to get close to you, so just step out of the way and stun him with your weapon to maintain control of the battle. Well, now that that's over with, we can move on. 8.2. Stage 5-2 If you've gotten this far, you likely won't need much advice for this level, because it's pretty much the same thing you've been doing for the whole game. Watch your back, though - literally. If you're having difficulty dealing with the enemy that wears a sakkat and shoots fireballs through the wall, you can toss grenades over that same wall to kill him while jumping up to avoid his attacks. Or you can ignore him. When you come across two doors, one on top and one on the bottom, it doesn't matter which one you choose, as both doors lead to the same place. Neither path is safer, but the bottom door is the shortest route to the end of this stage. 8.3. Stage 5-3 -Miniboss- The game forces you to use your grenades on this guy, so that's what you should do. He's easy and can't do much to you. If you're low on ammunition, the brown writing that hovers about nearby can be destroyed to drop grenades. 8.4. Stage 5-4 I bet this stage frustrates the heck out of you, huh? This is another part of the game that requires practice. Don't give up, because it's easier than it looks. Ignore most of the enemies on the screen and Mid-Air Somersault your way across the platforms. Ignore the 1-Up you see until you've fully mastered the Mid-Air Somersault. 8.5. Stage 5-5 You're in the home stretch! Only one more level to go! This stage is a tricky one too, often making players use up many continues before finally throwing down their controllers in frustration. For starters, remember your Drop Kick! Also, you'll encounter platforms that attempt to make you fall by spinning around beneath you. Simply jump into the air before the platform starts spinning and you'll be fine. -Spiked Wall Sequence- I've decided to devote a whole section of this guide specifically to this difficult and frustrating part of the game. I'll try to walk you through it as best as I can. First things first: If you attack the spiked wall with your weapon, you can stop it in its tracks momentarily, which can help buy you some time if you mess up. If you Dragon Punch the wall, you can even push it back a little bit, which is useful for the beginning and latter parts of this sequence when you're not jumping from platform to platform. There are three enemies in this part of the level: a fire-breathing woman, a swordsman, and then another fire-breathing woman. Ignore the first fire-breathing woman and the swordsman as they serve only to distract you. Mid-Air Somersault from platform to platform, and know that you can still make the jump to the highest ledge from the lowest platform. Finally, kill the last fire-breathing woman and destroy the wall with your sword, Dragon Punch, or Flying Kick. It takes practice, but it's perfectly doable! 8.6. Shurb-Oh This is the most patterned boss in the entire game. I recommend using your grenades for this fight because his weakness is often difficult to get to and the blast radius of the grenades bypasses any obstacles that might be in your way. When he attempts to strike you with lightning, evade it with a well-timed Slide or Somersault. Everything else should be a cinch to dodge - just remember your Mid-Air Somersault. Now that Shurb-Oh is defeated, it's time for the final battle! Are you as pumped as I am!? ----------------- 9. Amano-Ikazuchi ----------------- Amano is one mean mother trucker. In order to win this battle, you have to destroy the five heads in the center of his body and the three remaining heads at the top before the timer runs out. I hope you've honed your platforming skills because you'll need them here! I also hope there's a soft pillow nearby for you to punch because you'll likely die a lot at first. Watch out for the fire-breathing dragon heads on the ledges and for the fire that each one of Amano's heads can shoot at you; if you get knocked off a ledge and fall too far, you've basically lost the battle. Use your sword, kunai and grappling hook as needed. If you have any Specials left over, try to save them for the top three heads. Make sure the heads are on the screen when you use them, otherwise they won't take any damage. A truly excellent way of defeating Amano is by getting above him and using the Drop Kick attack on each of his eight heads. Be careful of those pesky fire-breathing dragons, though, because some of them can still hit you! Tip: Try to use your Specials defensively rather than offensively. Specials will destroy the multi-directional fireballs that Amano shoots at you, and so you shouldn't unleash them all the moment his top three heads appear on the screen. Instead, use them while attacking with your sword or Drop Kick to avoid getting hit and falling too far. Congratulations! You've beaten Hagane: The Final Conflict! Now you can watch the credits and see what happens to our hero after all is said and done. ------------- 10. Hard Mode ------------- Oh, man. You've beaten Amano-Ikazuchi and now you've opened up Hard Mode! This should be twice as challenging, right? Nope. Sorry. Hard Mode doesn't pose as much of a challenge as you might think. The normal enemies and minibosses are all two to three times more powerful and the attack patterns of some of the minibosses have changed, but the actual stage bosses and platforming puzzles were left untouched. That's right, this means that the minibosses in this mode are much harder than their stage boss counterparts. Because the gameplay remains largely unchanged from Normal Mode, the only advice I have to give you here is dodge - a lot - and remember that you don't need to kill everything. All in all, if you're playing Hard Mode, then chances are that you've mastered the game and don't need my advice. Practice, and trust yourself. ------------------------------------ 11. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ------------------------------------ Q: How do you pronounce Hagane? A: Ha-ga-nay. Q: Why is this game so unknown? A: Probably because it was only available at Blockbuster upon its release in the US, and it was an obscure game to begin with. It also didn't get much advertising, if any. On top of that, it was really difficult for its time, and I know of some people who think the game is cheap and unbalanced. Q: What's with those weird rhythmic blips when I pause the game? A: I'm not sure. It's as if the developers tried to do what Rare did with Battletoads, but they tried to be less obnoxious about it. Q: Hey, I have a better way of doing such-and-such! A: Cool, send me an email, which you can find in the Closing & Contact Info section of this guide. Q: Your tips aren't working! This game sucks! A: Be patient. In order to succeed in this game, you not only need practice and speed, but patience and observation. Really ninja-like in my opinion. Just keep at it! Q: Why is Amano Ikazuchi so hard!? A: Hey, back in the day, games were praised for having difficult bosses. Suck it up and keep platforming! -------------------------- 12. Closing & Contact Info -------------------------- Whew, I'm finally done! I want to make this guide the best it can possibly be, so please send any questions, comments, tips or strategies to the email address listed below. I'll be sure to credit you for your contribution. supertuftlive.com Thanks. As a final note, I'd like to apologize for anything that I got wrong in this guide. If you have a correction to make, whether it's about the game or my English, send me an email. Thanks. -------------------- 13. Credits & Thanks -------------------- Rev. Sean Koch - Yours truly. Mrs. Koch - My soon-to-be wife. Thanks for helping me write this guide and for being so supportive. Hudson - For making this brilliant game. You - For being patient with me while you read my first FAQ and for providing me with any potential feedback. --------------- 14. Legal Stuff --------------- This guide and its contents are Copyright Sean Koch, 2010, All Rights Reserved. Hagane: The Final Conflict is Copyright Hudson Soft, 1994/Copyright Red Entertainment, 1994. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for personal and non-commercial use only, and may only be distributed with the author's permission.