Vindicators FAQ
Version 1.2

By chessjerk (John Kearsley IV)

Created - January 15, 2006
Updated - February 19, 2012

Questions?  Comments?  Contact me: [email protected]

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Welcome to my Vindicators FAQ. Love to shoot enemies with fully-loaded tanks?
Look no further, this is the game for you.

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Table of Contents:
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I. The Object of the Game
II. Controls
III. Items & Weapons
IV. Shops
V. Enemies
VI. Strategies
VII. Credits/Disclaimer
VIII. Version History

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I. The Object of the Game
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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.

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II. Controls
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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

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III. Items and Weapons
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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.

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IV. Shops
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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)

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V. Enemies
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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.

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VI. Strategies
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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.

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VII. Credits and Disclaimer
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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!

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VIII. Version History
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Version 1.0 - Original FAQ submitted
Version 1.1 - Minor changes and corrections made
Version 1.2 - Minor spelling/formatting changes

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