NES STRIDER WALKTHROUGH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 1.4 - November 10, 2008 by Scion (scion238@gmail.com), webmaster of the Light Sword Cypher Mainframe http://www.lscmainframe.net/ ====================================================================================== ** CONTENTS ******| Preface | Backstory | How to play | Items | Tricks | Walkthrough | Miscellaneous | The Future | Legal Stuff | ******************* ~ PREFACE ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The NES Strider was produced in a day and time when home consoles were woefully underpowered. As a result, the home versions of arcade games were often vastly different from the game actually in the arcade. Strider fell victim to this trend, as did Bionic Commando. Unlike Strider, however, Bionic Commando actually improved upon its arcade counterpart. It had solid gameplay; mastery of one basic move meant life or death. Strider had a solid storyline, thanks to the manga it was based upon, but unfortunately, its collision detection, stiffly animated sprites, poor translation, and quixotic responsiveness to the controls did it in. It simply cannot compare to the majesty of the arcade game. However, it is an under-documented game. There are many secrets scattered throughout its levels, and the storyline is often cryptic enough to confound a sage, thanks to Capcom's brilliant translation work. And, despite my gripes, I love this game. It was the first experience I ever had of anything Strider. I didn't play the arcade version until several months after I borrowed my best friend's cartridge. The sheer breadth of options arising from the combination of action, exploration, and strategy found in the NES version is captivating. ~ BACKSTORY~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Strider" is the strongest clandestine maneuvers group in the world. It specializes in espionage, smuggling, kidnapping, demolitions, disruption, etc. One Strider of C-grade is equivalent to one well-trained team of SpecOps. Hiryu was the youngest Strider to ever make Super-A grade. After being forced to eliminate his own sister, an A-grade Strider gone mad, he decided to retire and was spending his life peacefully in Mongolia. One day the Vice-Director of Strider, an Englishman named Matic, showed up. Apparently, Hiryu's friend Kain had been caught by the enemy. Matic ordered Hiryu to destroy Kain and threatened to start slaughtering the Mongolians when Hiryu refused. Hiryu had no choice but to accept the mission and return. And thus the fate of the world hangs in the balance. ~ HOW TO PLAY ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the title screen, you are presented with two options: GAME START or PASSWORD. You can either start an entirely new game, or continue from an earlier point by entering a password you've earned. You can also bypass the opening scenes and go directly to the Blue Dragon console by selecting the PASSWORD option and entering the password that appears there. Controls: UP raises your cypher and attacks upwards. When you receive the Plasma Arrow technique, this command will charge it. RIGHT and LEFT move Hiryu in those directions. DOWN makes Hiryu duck or sends him down a transport tube, if he's stand- ing over one. DOWN, FORWARD, and A make Hiryu slide in the direction he's facing, once you've acquired the Slide In technique. And after you've found Ryuzaki's Attack Boots, you can kill enemies by sliding into them. A button makes Hiryu jump. B button attacks in the direction Hiryu's facing. SELECT accesses your menu screen, which displays various stats: keys, data files, acquired skills, and "tricks". START pauses the game. There is another techniqe Hiryu starts the game with. It just so happens that mastery of this technique is crucial to beating the game, AND it is the most difficult move to pull off. It's the TRIANGLE JUMP. You jump towards a wall, then immediately jump away as you touch the wall. If you time it right, you'll bounce off the wall at a 45 degree angle. If you don't time it right, you'll hang there for a second before dropping to the floor. Combined with the aforemen- tioned collision detection issues, it's usually better to use the JUMP trick instead of messing with this. However, there's one point in the game where you absolutely must use the TRIANGLE JUMP because you don't have the JUMP trick yet. So learn it! ~ ITEMS ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEALTH BALL (large) - replaces 10 HP HEALTH PILL (small) - replaces 1 HP ENERGY BALL (large) - replaces 10 EP ENERGY PILL (small) - replaces 1 EP SKULL PILL - deducts 10 HP DATA FILE - contains storyline information, unlocks new mission areas KEY - unlocks restricted areas MAGNET BOOTS - you can walk up special walls with these AQUA BOOTS - gives you the supernatural power to walk on water ATTACK BOOTS - harms the enemy when used in conjunction with slide ~ TRICKS ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are abilities that Hiryu learns as he progresses through the game. They will consume energy for each use. Select them at the menu screen; use them by pushing the B button. De-select by going back to the menu and putting the cursor over the TRICK option. Fire (5 EP) - allows Hiryu to shoot out a fireball that flies across the screen. Medical (10 EP) - recovers 20 HP Spark (5 EP) - Hiryu shoots out a spark that travels along the ground Jump (10 EP) - extra jumping power Warp (30 EP) - beams Hiryu back to Blue Dragon Ground (30 EP) - causes flying enemies to crash to the ground Medical (25 EP) - recovers 50 Hit Points SP-Ball (15 EP) - an extra powerful version of Spark Medical (50 EP) - recovers 100 Hit Points ~ WALKTHROUGH ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assuming you haven't done the quick start, the first thing you see when you start the game is the Blue Dragon console. Matic appears onscreen and gives you your assignment. This is the first of the really bad Engrish dialogue, and sadly it is not the last. Here's what he says: "Hiryu, there is only one reason I asked you to come for. Kain was captured by the enemy. Since they once knew who he is, rescuing him is meaningless. Kill him! That's your mission." Then he logs off and Hiryu says, "Kill Kain...I can't do it... The first thing is to find him." From there, you have three options: TRANSFER, ANALYZE, and PASSWORD. TRANSFER beams you down from the Blue Dragon space station to a mission location; ANALYZE reads the messages in computer disks you'll find scattered throughout the levels; and PASSWORD gives you a code that will return you to your current point in the game at a later time. This option also stops the game, so in order to continue you have to enter the password you've just gotten. This is kind of annoying, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Anyway, what you want to do is select the TRANSFER option and go to Kazakh. **********************************| KAZAKH, PT. I | password: AAIA AAAA AAIA | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! The battle has just begun! Where is Kain who was captured by the enemy? Coming next scene! "The Kain Rescue Mission!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is where the game really begins. This level is fairly straightforward, but you'll be returning to this level three more times (no, I'm not kidding), so take the time to familiarize yourself with its layout. Note where the doors are, the transfer tubes, the glowing floor, etc. It'll save you some time later. After you beam down from Blue Dragon, make your way to the right, go down the transport tube and head back left. Drop through the hole in the floor and fall to your right. You'll land on a platform suspended above some arrow- head shaped spikes, and a cheapass Solo ripoff will hassle you by firing pellets at you as he floats just out of reach. This is where you get to experience the beauty of this game's collision detection. Do not try to jump over this Solo ripoff's bullets. Even if they pass underneath your feet, you will take damage. Also, if you run into an enemy, you will lose HP for the duration of the time your sprite intersects its sprite. There is no grace period of invincibility following a hit. So if you get hit, move out of the way immediately! You will receive File 1 after you ascend to the top of the second transport tube. The S-3 door is on the second level, in between the two tubes, but since you only have the S-1 key at this point, leave it for later. Go through the S-1 doors and descend down the corridor. When you reach the ramp, look up at the ceiling. There should be three upside-down stairstep-like protrusions up there, just past the one-way transport tube. If you jump and slash at the third step, the largest one, a HEALTH BALL will appear. There are power-ups like these hidden throughout the game. So slash at every wall, every ceiling, everything you can. Continue up the corridor and head left. Ignore the transport tube at the top of the ramps for now. Just head left until you meet up with the General. He's a pansy. He doesn't fight you, but instead begs for his life by speaking some more Engrish: "Please wait. A Kain is up there and the commander has the key. You'll find it if you analyze this. Please let me go." WTF? "A Kain"? There's more than one? Did someone clone your best friend? He gives you File 2, you get a level up, your EP jumps to 12, and you learn the Slide In technique. The room to the left of the General just looks like a dead end with red glowing walls, but like I said, you're gonna have to come back here, so make a note. This is important later. But for now, go back to the beginning of the level and jump at the left edge of the screen. This will take you back to Blue Dragon. You can always go back to Blue Dragon by doing this, in any level except the last. Analyzing File 1 gives you a message from a C-class Strider: "I'm Ryuzaki, a Strider. I left my attack boots in China. Please find them." Analyzing File 2 outputs a message from the General: "Vice commander? It's me. I'll go to Egypt via Phantom Train. Don't lose the prisoner." Now, you've unlocked Egypt and Australia on the map. Australia is a major teaser at this point, because even though you can beam down to that level, the main part is locked away behind an S-5 door. So in order to avoid getting pissed off, just go to Egypt. **********************************| EGYPT | password: BCJB BBNB NBAB | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Train, desert, and pyramid. You'll find a clue somewhere! Can Hiryu find out Aqua Boots and meet the enemy commander? Coming next scene! "The Mystery of Pyramid!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You start off on the outside of the Phantom Train. Keep moving right and soon you will get to the end. Destroy the cannon and you will find yourself at the pyramids. Run up the side of the pyramid, cross over the top, and start descending back down. Take your time on the descent, because there are some rather annoying rolling bomb dispensers perched at various spots. I hate those things. Anyway, at the bottom there's an area with an S-2 door and a down transport tube. Don't even bother with that S-2 door. Even after you get Key 2, it doesn't do anything. All it does is take you back to the beginning of the pyramid. You have but no choice to go down. After you go down the transport tube and you're in that little room with the spikes in the middle, slash as you're jumping over the spike pit. Another ENERGY BALL will appear. Score! Go up the other transport tube. In this pyramid, you will have many opportunities to practice the Triangle Jump (you have no choice. you MUST use it). Soon you will reach a junction with floating platforms that take you up, or a series of jumps over spike pits that take you to the left. If you go left, you will end up at a place filled with water that you can't cross. YET. Take the upwards route. You will have to use the TRIANGLE JUMP here. Since I'm playing the game as I write this, I feel your pain. Just as a side note, when you're jumping in this pyramid (or any level, for that matter), jump first, then choose your direction while in the air. If you're holding a direction when you jump, you'll get stuck on the wall you're standing next to. Travel as far left as you can. Use the TRIANGLE JUMP to launch Hiryu upwards into the area with cannons that rise up out of the stairs and floating platforms guarded by that Solo poseur. After you cross over the floating platforms, run down the ramp, jump over the spikes at its base, and fall down the long corridor into a narrow room. The Aqua Boots will drop from the ceiling. Slide through the narrow space, pick up the boots, go up the transport tube, and head right. You'll drop down onto another ramp slanting down and to the left, which has a rifle-armed soldier guarding its apex. Kill him. He'll fly off the ledge and drop an energy ball. Don't chase it. Instead, jump along the floating platforms to the right. You'll reach a wall with platforms embedded in it that continue up above your head. Jump straight up through these until you reach another plateau guarded by a rifle-armed soldier. Kill him, then drop down and you'll find yourself at the end of the area with spike pits I told you to avoid earlier. Descend down through this area and walk across the water like Jesus to fight the shark robot. After beating him, head right out of there, TRIANGLE JUMP up out of the area and you'll find the Vice Commander. He's a pansy too: "Why do Striders have to disturb us? Oh, ok. I'll give this to you. Please don't kill me." He gives you Key 2 and you level up, upping your HP to 25 and your EP to 15, and giving you the FIRE trick. Exit and go back to Blue Dragon, then transfer to Kazakh. ***********************************| KAZAKH, PT. II | password: CEOC KCOC OCMC | ************************************ THE NEXT STORY! Hiryu finally obtained the number two key. Hurry! Kain is right there in front of you! Coming next scene! "The Reunion!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember where the transport tube at the top of that section with the ramps was? Go there. Go up and head left. Go through the S-2 door and a guy on a one-wheeled motorcycle (WTF?) named Kodiak shows up, talking smack: "So, you are Hiryu. Let me see Striders' power." Just jump over him as he drives towards you and attack him from behind. After beating him, proceed left. Kain is unconscious in the next room. You say, "Kain! Wake up! No response. I guess I have to bring him back to base." You receive File 3, you level up, your EP jumps to 18, and you learn the MEDICAL trick. Analyze File 3 to find a message from Kain: "Something awful is happening. The Zain project ... should be interrupted. The chief in Japan might know something helpful." So it's time to go to Japan. **********************************| JAPAN | password: DGPD LDBD BDAD | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Hiryu, succeeded in rescuing Kain, is on the way to Japan. What does the chief know? Coming next scene! "Zain, the devil's weapon!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as you enter the pagoda, you are threatened by a punk-ass cybernetic samurai named Dragon Friend: "Under orders of the vice director, we can't let you pass here. We shall kill anyone who comes close." Then he attacks you. He's a wuss. Just keep slashing and don't let him hit you with any plasma. Take the tube down and head left. Kill the bats and head through the door. There's a scientist in a room who tells you, "I'll fix your cipher so that you can shoot plasma." SCORE! You now have PLASMA ARROW! Travel through the doors to your right and you will meet up with Director Ku- ramoto, who says, "You've gotten stronger, Hiryu. Take this with you." He gives you File 4 and a level up, your HP jumps to 30 and your EP jumps to 25, and you learn the SPARK and JUMP tricks. Analyze File 4 for a message from Director Kuramoto: "Hiryu. Zain is a dreadful weapon created by the syndicate. It penetrates into your mind and makes you crazy. Hurry! There's one in China." At this point, you're interrupted by a voice saying, "Ha ha ha ... Hiryu! You'll be sent to your grave by me Mr. Kain. Die!" Then he attacks you, but he's weak from imprisonment and falls pretty quickly. After you defeat him, you say, "Same. My sister was the same way when she lost her mind. Zain! I'll destroy you 'til the last circuit. Sheena! Please take care of Kain." With that, head off to China. **********************************| CHINA | password: HLDJ PIGH GHCH | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! The world is struck with horror! Can Hiryu obtain the number four key at the top of Kazakh and destroy Zain? Coming next scene! "Zain destroyed!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first elevator you can go down leads to an S-4 door. Can't go there yet, so keep going to the right and you will encounter a huge drop. You don't incur damage from falling, so fall all...the way...down ...to the bottom. Then fight your way up the tower to your right until you get to the top, a room with 3 tubes. Take the far right one to obtain the Magnet Boots. The middle tube takes you to a room with a Strider scientist who asks you, "Did you go to my room? The Key 4 should be at Kazakh." Uh, no. No, I didn't. DAMMIT! I gotta go back to Kazakh! Take the left tube to go back to the beginning of the level. Return to Blue Dragon. **********************************| KAZAKH, PT. III | password: HLDJ DIGH GHGH | *********************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember that room with with red walls I told you to make a note of? The one past the room where you got File 2? Go there, walk up the wall, and you will find a room where Key 4 will drop from the ceiling. Exit Kazakh and go back to China. **********************************| CHINA, PT. II | password: HLEJ DIGH GHHH | *********************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go back to the tube that led down to the S-4 door. This level is enor- mous because it marks the midpoint of the game. You will face one miniboss after another, and the hidden powerups are few and far be- tween. Work your way down until you reach the part with the moving spiked walls. The important thing to keep in mind about this part is that you have to jump before you start pushing right on the control pad. There is a hidden HEALTH BALL after you get past the part with the spiked walls. It is located on the right side of the transport tube, slightly above the opening, right above where that cannon came out of the ground. Grab it! There's a mini-boss directly after this part, named Badger. He is armed with a sword and shield, and he mimics your moves, so if you crouch, he will. If you jump, he will. If you just stand there, he will attack with his sword. To beat him, jump, then move under him as he jumps and attack him from behind. After you beat him, you will go through another section with moving spiked walls. Once you clear this portion, go down the tube. You should be in an area with floating platforms and a long fall down on your right-hand side. Don't go across the platforms yet. Jump down. You'll fall into a pit where the Attack Boots are located. Take the tube back to the start of the level and work your way back down to the point with the floating platforms. Cross over the floating platforms and battle your way through to the first Zain Terminal. Make sure your health is maxed out by killing the spark- shooting machines outside the boss chamber before you enter. The Zain Terminals are pretty easy to kill, and you can use the same strategy on all of them. First, destroy the computer chips that are orbiting the room. Then you can run under the terminal's head and stab it from underneath. It will die shortly, leveling you up, your HP jumps to 40, your EP jumps to 35, and you get Key 3. Upon returning to Blue Dragon, Sheena runs out, saying: "Hiryu! Kain escaped when I took my eyes off him. He seemed to be in his right mind, but his wound is not healed." Great. So, where to now? Well, if you did what I told you to, you'll re- member where those S-3 doors are. That's right, they're in Kazakh. So it's back to Kazakh, and this is the last time, I promise! **********************************| KAZAKH, PT. IV | password: INHK GJHI HILI | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Hiryu is returning to Kazakh seeking for the next Zain. Is it life or death that is waiting for him? Coming next scene! "Infiltration!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to the section with the transport tubes, where you got File 1. S-3 is in between those two tubes. Work your way through and you will come to a fork. You can go left or right. Going left takes you to a room full of those hidden power-ups and a tube that deposits you back at the bottom of that room where the Solo poser was hassling you. Going right takes you to another Zain Terminal. This one is somewhat stronger and faster than the last, but only if you're being nitpicky. Beating it levels you up, raises your HP to 45 and your EP to 35, teaches you the GROUND trick, and gives you File 5. Analyze File 5 for an intercepted message from the Strider commander: "Commander-in-Chief Mr. Faceas Clay. We, the Strider Matic unit, will protect the Zain in Africa." Like hell you will. Transfer to Africa and stop him! **********************************| AFRICA | password: JPIL HKIB IBMJ | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Matic has finally revealed his ambition! Hiryu's battle against the syn- dicate and Striders continues! Coming next scene! "The African Earth!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fight through the jungle, cross over the swamps and it seems like it never ends. The enemies are annoying, particularly the birds, and of course the collision detection issues will piss you off when those guys start dangling from the trees. But keep ascending, and make your way to the upper right corner of the level. You'll see a corridor lined with white rocks. There are hidden HEALTH BALLS hidden in the areas near the tubes, so slash all around the tubes if you're low on health. You will reach a couple of areas with moving platforms that are royal pains in the ass. Make sure Hiryu is totally planted on the platforms in his standing position before you try to move him. If you don't, you'll fall. However, if you fall, make your way all the way to the right to find another hidden HEALTH BALL. Then return to the section with the moving platforms and try again. A transport tube awaits you just past that area, heading down. Beside it is another hidden HEALTH BALL. Eventually you will face off with another Zain Terminal. As always, you level up, up your HP to 70 and your EP to 60, learn a more powerful MEDICAL trick, and receive File 6 for the effort. Analysis of File 6 reveals another message from the Strider commander: "I'm Faceas Clay. I have an appointment with Matic in Los Angeles. Take care of things when I'm gone." Then, bizarrely, Hiryu rushes into the bridge of the Blue Dragon, shouting, "Sheena! Sheena! Where did she go?" Well, you've unlocked Los Angeles on the map, so go there to intercept Mr. Clay's meeting with Matic. **********************************| LOS ANGELES | password: CJBE ADBO BONC | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Faceas Clay, the syndicate commander-in-chief. Is he the mastermind? Coming next scene! "Sheena's Sorrow!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a surprisingly straightforward level, considering how far along in the game it is. As you go right, you will encounter the moving spiked walls you had to negotiate in China. There are three transport tubes in the floor. Don't take either of the first two, because they will deposit you back at the beginning. Take the third tube. Kodiak, the motorcycle guy, awaits you through the doors. He guards another transport tube that takes you to an underground lair. Here you meet up with Sheena, who is dying. With her dying breath she tells you, "Hiryu! Please defeat Matic! Get...revenge...for...me!" Mr. Clay is down in the lower right corner of this area, past the spikes, through the door, sitting behind a "tempered glass" wall. He says, "Ha! You fools! This tempered glass can't be broken by human power. You should have sided with me as Matic did." Then you have a shot at breaking the glass. If you try to charge up a plasma arrow, your time will run out. DO NOT DO THIS! Instead, slash repeatedly at the wall as fast as you can. If you slash fast enough, the glass will break and Faceas Clay will exclaim, "That can't be true! You ... monster!" You level up, your HP jumps to 100, your EP to 80, you learn the SPARK BALL trick, and you get Key 5. **********************************| AUSTRALIA | password: BJAP PEAN ANOB | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! There is a secret underground path from Australia to Africa! What's in Hiryu's mind after Sheena's death? Coming next scene! "Chase Matic!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now you can finally go through that damn S-5 door in Australia. But be- fore you get there, you have to cross three spike pits. You can be skill- ful and jump across carefully (unlikely), or you can use the JUMP trick to get across (much easier, and less stressful. Go through the S-5 door. There's a tube inside that takes you back to Africa. Once there, you have a few choices. There are three doors: one door to the left, one below that one, and another off to the right. The ones on the left are useless. In one, Badger is waiting to tell you, "Stupid! It doesn't do any good to destroy Zain's terminal as long as there exists the main tree." Ryuzaki awaits you in the other one, and says, "Go after Matic! It's all his scheme!" But if you go right, you will encounter the third Zain Terminal. Beware the SKULL PILL by the second tube; there is a real HEALTH BALL by the third one. After defeating the third terminal, you level up again, your HP jumps to 150, your EP to 100, and you learn the third MEDICAL trick. Upon returning to Blue Dragon, you get a frantic transmission from Kain: "H...Hiryu...I tried t...to catch Matic. But...I...failed. Hurry! Hiryu! He... he is...at the Red Dragon!" **********************************| RED DRAGON | password: DMCC BGCP CPOD | *********************************** THE NEXT STORY! Finally, Kain too has died. Now, the last battle has begun at the station, Red Dragon. Show your rage, Hiryu! Coming next scene! "Yugdesiral!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahh, the final level. There is a SKULL PILL near the entrance of the first tube. Avoid it! This is a long and difficult level. You will need all the health you can save. After you go up the tube, head left underneath those guys who drop from the ceiling. Kill the dog who jumps down from the overhead platform just past those guys, and head up the tube. You should then be in an area with spikes on the ground. The easiest way to negotiate these spikes is to inch up next to them until Hiryu's knee looks like it's touching the spikes, then jump straight up. While you're in the air, move Hiryu forward to the next gap. Repeat this process until you've cleared the area. Just as a side note, there are HEALTH BALLS just after the first and third sets of spikes, and a SKULL PILL right after the spikes. After you pass the area with the spikes and cross over above them on the floating platforms guarded by lasers, you will be presented with your choice of two tubes. Take the one on the right; the left one leads to a dead end. After you drop out of the right tube, a message from Matic pops onscreen: "Hiryu. You've done well so far. But, you can't defeat me, Matic the Vice Director of the Striders. Ha ha ha..." Then Flash Blade appears. You may have encountered him in Africa, if you got lost during the transfer from Australia. The trick with Flash Blade is that you have to hit him in the air. He'll bounce around the room like Vega, then when you connect with Falchion, he'll spin like a top and bounce off the walls. There's a discernible pattern to his movements, though; if you're perceptive enough, you'll pick up on it. He'll fall after about half a dozen hits. After you defeat Flash Blade, you will come across a Strider technician like the one who modified your Cypher. He says, "Matic is in the room over there. However, we can't open this unless we destroy two systems somewhere." From here you have two choices: you can take the tube heading up, or you can go through the door on your left. The tube gives you two more options: another tube going down on the far right, or a path upwards. The path leads you to a platform with multiple one-way tubes. There are some power-ups hidden in the air in this section. Slash to reveal them. Here's the order they appear in: HEALTH BALL, ENERGY BALL, 3 SKULL PILLS in a row, and a final HEALTH BALL. That sword-and-shield mimic guy waits in the room just above this area. He guards the first system, a strange Metroid-like orb thing hovering in the middle of the room. Destroy it. (NOTE: there is a skull pill near the entrance and a health pill at the far end of the room with the system) Go back to the room where you had the choice between taking the path down and the tube going down on the far right. Go down the tube and you will find yourself in a large room with platforms. If fall straight down on the right-hand side, there is another tube going down which will depo- sit you in a room where Ryuzaki awaits. He says, "Aim at the cypher I left and fall straight down." What the heck is he talking about? Go back up the tube and look for his cypher. Fall straight down and you will land on a tube surrounded by spikes. This is the only safe place to land on that floor. Thanks, Ryuzaki. You kept me from being Strider shish-ka-bob. The shark robot shows up a little bit later. He's easily beaten. Work your way past him, go up the tube, and slash near the tube by the glowing mag- netized walls. An ENERGY PILL and a HEALTH PILL will appear. Walk up the magnet wall, and TAKE YOUR TIME doing it. Those little robots do chipping damage. They will knock you off the wall if they hit you! This is why I wish Hiryu just used his hook in this game. I mean, he's carrying it on his back, for crying tears! Why can't he use it? Anyway, after you make it up the magnet wall, you will enter a room pre- senting you with another choice. Go right to destry the second system, left to find another Strider technician who tells you, "The main tree, Yugdesiral, is a demon's weapon. Watch out, Hiryu!" If you go down the tube in the room with the Strider technician before you've destroyed the system, you will have to retrace your steps back up the magnet wall, so don't make that mistake! After destroying the system, go down the tube to will find yourself back near the place where the tech told you Matic was behind the door. Go through the door to find a console similar to the one on Blue Dragon. Matic appears onscreen saying, "Hiryu! Welcome to our Red Dragon. We'll dance on your grave." What an asshole. Of course, what more can you expect from a guy who kicks sheep out of spite (sorry, little in-joke for those who have read the manga)? Now, in true Capcom fashion, you have to run a miniboss gauntlet. Badger is waiting for you just past the console, then Flash Blade, and finally Dragon Friend. In the room past them, Matic awaits. He talks smack to you as you enter the room: "You made it Hiryu. I'll make you into the rust of my Cipher." ...and he nearly does, too. He is HARD. He is a badass motherfucker, and he will kick your ass if you don't know what you're doing. I spent many, many sleepless nights trying to figure out how to beat this douche- bag when I borrowed the cartridge from my friend back in '89, and I have tried every strategy known to man. You can't attack Matic directly because he disarms you and tosses your cypher across the room. You have to walk through him in order to get it back, and this is where that "no grace period following a hit" comes into SERIOUS play. Matic does super damage to you, just by touching him. The official strategy for beating him goes something like this: charge up your PLASMA ARROW and jump up and down. When Matic approaches you, he won't damage you if you're charging up. Hit him with the PLASMA ARROW to disarm him, then slash the hell out of him while his cypher's across the room. THIS STRATEGY HAS NEVER, EVER WORKED FOR ME, DESPITE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO MAKE IT WORK. AS SUCH, I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT IT IS, IN FACT, A BALD-FACED LIE! I wish that way actually worked, but it doesn't. So, here's what I do, and it's much harder to pull off: call up your TRICKS menu while Matic is still a good ways away. If he's right next to you, you can't do ANYTHING to him, because he'll disarm you if you even try and then wail on your ass. Select the FIRE trick, then go back to the game screen and wait for your power-up period to subside while he draws closer. If you timed it right, he'll be just close enough to you by the time you stop flashing for you to smack him with a fireball without him being able to disarm you. IF YOU TRY TO USE YOUR FIRE TRICK BEFORE YOUR POWER-UP PERIOD HAS EXPIRED, YOU WILL WASTE YOUR EP AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT MATIC!!! TIMING IS EVERYTHING, IN THIS TECHNIQUE!!! As soon as Matic is disarmed, go back to the TRICKS menu and de-select the FIRE trick. Pursue Matic across the screen as he hops back to his cypher and wail on his ass. As soon as he's within range of his cypher, RETREAT! Then repeat the process until he's lying in a puddle of his own reptilian blood on the floor of the Red Dragon. After you beat Matic, you will enter a corridor where a Strider tech tells you, "Be careful. Yugdesiral's behind it." Yugdesiral is the main Zain Terminal, and as such, is easy to beat. Just use the same techniques you used when taking out the Terminals in China, Kazakh, and Africa. After you beat Yugdesiral, the final cinema scene comes up: "Thanks to Hiryu, Zain the devil's weapon has been destroyed. Although the chief asked Hiryu to return to the group, he quietly turned it down and started to walk..." Then it shows a more detailed shot of Hiryu walking away, over dusty ground (WTF? wasn't he on a space station?). He tosses Falchion back over his head. It flies up towards the viewer, sticks into the ground, and the credits start to roll. ~ MISCELLANEOUS ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I mentioned previously, the NES game is based off of a Japanese manga published by Kadokawa Shoten back in 1989. This manga is long out of print, but if you are resourceful enough, you can track down a used copy online. The manga differs from the game in two main points: 1) there are no space stations; everything is Earthbound. 2) Kain's sickness causes him to kill Sheena, and he himself does not die by the end of the story. Most of the dialogue in the NES game is culled directly from the manga, so if you're a fan of this port, it'd probably be worth it to you to find a copy. ~ THE FUTURE ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is not much hope for a new Strider game, as Strider is an under- developed Capcom license. While it would be nice to see a fourth installment, this is unlikely. The license is fifteen years old, and Strider 2 tanked stateside, due to lack of support from Capcom USA. Which in itself is a shame because Strider 2 was a fantastic old-school game. If you want to see more Strider games, here's my suggestion. Write to ReyJ@capcom.com and flood his inbox with requests for a new game. Maybe if enough Strider fans speak out, Capcom will listen. I won't hold my breath waiting for one, though. ~ LEGAL STUFF ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do whatever you want with the information in this FAQ. I don't care if you rip me off by removing my name and posting it as your own. Just don't sell it to anyone. It's free for anyone and everyone.