------------------------------------Exerion-----------------------------------
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Version 2.0 8/12/05
Created by Matthew McIntyre (
[email protected])
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Legality:
This Guide is Copyright, 2005, Matthew McIntyre
This guide may not be used on a website or in any public forum
where it is protected by copyright without the consent of the author.
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
Exerion is copyright Jaleco
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Version History:
-3/27/2006, added 1up as a host.
2.0: Retooled the Guide (8/12/05)
-Some reformatting (but not much).
-Some added info.
-Some tips.
-Reclassified.
1.0: Basic Guide Complete (9/03/04)
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Bring upa search box with Control + F, then search for the code provided to
jump tot hat section (ie, type E1).
Table of Contents:
E1: Intro
E2: Basics
E3: Level Enemies
E4: The Enemies
E5: Enemy Ammo
E6: Tips
E7: Credits
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/////-----[[ Section 1: Intro ]]-----\\\\\
E1
Exerion. There's a name I love, Exerion's always been a favourite of mine. A
member of some multicarts, Exerion was planned for a North American release but
Jaleco never saw it. That's a shame because it's a great game with a unique
feel. The scrolling background, the sweeping aircraft, the voracious enemies...
they all come together to win my affection.
Exerion's a shootemup, like so many other games on the NES. But it has the
benefit of being able to differentiate itself. Like many shootemups, however,
much of how well you do is determined based on your skill and not on whether or
not you know what wave follows what wave.
That's just not the way games like these work. While R-Type, for example, has
discrete levels when definite environment, Exerion is just wave after wave of
enemies. What you really need to do is fall into a groove, and once you're in
that groove you'll be able to react to sudden encounters. And that's what you
really need to do.
/////-----[[ Section 2: Basics ]]-----\\\\\
E2
Exerion is pretty unique. The whole thing has a floaty feeling. You never leave
the screen, just fly around it. It’s kind of like Space Harrier mixed with
Galaga... The ground perspective reminds me of the ground of the latter and the
enemy behaviour is reminiscent of the former.
Steering your ship may be kind of awkward at first. The reason being that your
ship has some momentum. Obviously, in waves of enemies, you’ll want to swing
your craft across the front of them so that the momentum, although slight,
doesn’t carry you into oblivion.
You do have two modes of fire in Exerion - one that uses ammo and another that
doesn’t. The unlimited ammo gun fires two bullets straight forward. Sounds
pretty nice, right? Well, it’s a pretty slow weapon. In really big waves of
enemies, using the double shot will lead to much more dodging.
Your other mode of fire is a rapid fire, single filed shot. While you will kill
many more enemies using it - you should save it for tricky situations. The gun
uses ammo, which is charged by the enemies you kill. So if you want sufficient
ammo, you’ll need to rely on the double shot for much of your play time.
It’s rather nice how everything comes back to the enemies.
Your screen:
+-------------------------------+
| 1UP | <-- Score
| 0 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|_______________________________| <-- Horizon
| |
| |
| 50 | <-- Ammo
| |
+-------------------------------+
Two Player: Two palyer in this game is two-player alternating.
/////-----[[ Section 3: Levels ]]-----\\\\\
E3
Exerion usually has about 2 indigenous species per level. As you progress
though a level, the waves of enemies become more ferocious and persistent.
When you see the three-headed dragon, the level is about to change. The
change is relatively seamless, you go right into the next stage.
There are 4 stage types:
Barren: Canyon like area, barren with scattered rock formations.
Cloudy: Above the clouds.
Pink City: Scroll over a large city.
Head and Pyramids: Alternating rows of pyramids and Easter Island Heads.
(The Gradius Moai would be most pleased)
Every fifth stage is a Bonus stage where your rapid fire is infinite and you
gain charge for it by killing the fast moving enemies.
Enemy waves will eventually pass past the bottom of the screen.
*Loop:
Level 1: Barren Canyon Area
- X ships
- Triangle ships
- Three-headed Dragon
Level 2: Clouded area
-Winged beasts
-Big winged beasts
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 3: Pink city
-Saucer
-Blades
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 4: Heads and Pyramids
-Big winged beast 2
-Winged beast 2
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 5: Bonus Rapid Stage
-Triangle ships (rapid)
-Bulbous pink creature
Level 6: Barren Canyon Area
-Blades 2
-Triangle ships
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 7: Clouded area
-Winged beasts 3
-Big winged beasts
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 8: Pink city
-Triangle ships 2
-Blades 3
-Three-headed Dragon
Level 9: Heads and Pyramids
-Big winged beasts 2
-Winged beasts 2
-Three-headed Dragon 2
Level 10: Bonus Rapid Stage
-Triangle ships (rapid)
-Bulbous pink creature
//game loops, though X-ships start out more aggressive.
/////-----[[ Section 4: The Enemies ]]-----\\\\\
E4
The enemies aren’t called by their official names- due to the lack of that
material, I have just given them appropriate handles.
Enemies have the ability to wrap around the stage - going of the right and
reappearing on the left. You can’t, so play safe.
*Big winged beasts
*Straight bullet
You won’t get too many of these guys on the screen at once, but that doesn’t
matter. These guys can take a beating - three hits. They’re large so they
provide a difficult obstacle if they desire to ram you, and they do have more
backwards ability than their little cousins, by virtue of the larger wings I
suppose. You’ll want to consider rapid fire.
*Big winged beasts 2
*Missiles
Well, the stamina remains the same as your last variety, but the shot is
greatly upgraded. Easily the most difficult enemy in the game, they can make
escaping death pretty hard. Definitely use rapid fire here - you’ll want to
take them -and their missiles- down as quickly as possible.
*Blades
These spinning rotors will chase you down with great fervour. Their turn
radius is very tight, but they seem to travel in small loops. They’re fairly
quick so be ready for a pursuit.
*Blades 2
*Straight bullet
Just like Blades except they can now shoot. They’re You should be able to swing
your double shot here, but I do suggest your rapid fire if they’re too much.
they often appear in two lines, take out one and then dodge around the second.
Loop it around you and to get a good shot, but watch out for its shots.
*Blades 3
*Floaty bullet
Just like blades 2. Take out one row then loop the other around. Be careful as
their bullets will remain on screen for a bit of time. You may want to consider
rapid fire, but I don’t really recommend it. Patience and the double shot
should work just fine.
*Bulbous pink creature
*cannot harm you
Cool name, I know. These guys are only in the bonus levels and are basically
the fastest enemies. Use rapid fire.
*Saucers
*Floaty bullet
These classic, UFOish enemies are very chaotic. They tend to spread over the
screen, wrapping the stage via the sides and spreading their shots out. They
can get pretty hectic.
*Three-headed dragon
Thinking about Godzilla yet? Well, these guys aren’t as threatening as the
three-headed Ghidrah of the Godzilla movies, but instead provides a nice
bonus (1000 points) if killed and basically means that the level will soon
switch. The only way the dragon can kill you is if it rams you, it could
surprise you from the side of the screen, or be an obstacle you hit while
trying to dodge a pursuing wave of enemies.
*Three-headed dragon 2
*Missiles
This version of the dragon just flies on screen and launches a few missiles.
It’s only difficult if there’s a significant amount of danger on screen
already. It does seem to launch multiple at once though, so do a fly-by on it
and maybe use rapid fire.
*Traingle ships
These fly straight towards you, usually 4 in one row. They aren’t very
threatening, though can provide a pain if you’re coralled into them by another
enemy.
*Triangle ships (rapid)
*cannot harm you
A fast version of the triangle ship that appears in the bonus round only. Use
your rapid fire.
*Triangle ships 2
*floaty bullet
These green triangles ‘snake’ along the screen, going in a sinusoid while
firing their bullets. Since you’ll usually have two snakes at once they can get
difficult, but just concentrate on taking one down at a time. The bullets
aren’t fast, but there can be a pincer situation between you, the ships, and
the bullets.
*Winged beasts
*Straight bullet
Winged creatures that often attack in large groups. They behave in a definite
gliding-type way. They’ll drop in position the screen in small intervals and
seem to have trouble pulling back to get at your ship. If you get ahead of
these guys, you’re basically in the clear until the next wave.
*Winged beasts 2
*Missiles
Ouch! These guys carry the same ammo upgrades as their bigger relatives but
instead of being tanks, they travel in bigger groups. If they get close use
rapid fire.
*Winged beasts
*Straight bullet
Exactly like winged beasts except they’re yellow. Use the same strategy and
you should be fine. Due to lateness in the game, the swarms will be fairly big.
Consider the rapid fire.
*X ships
*Straight Bullet
X ships are the first enemy you’ll come in contact with. They aren’t super
aggressive, but they’ll dog you while they can remain on screen. They will
fire shots at you and loop back at you before disappearing off screen.
/////-----[[ Section 5: Enemy Ammo ]]-----\\\\\
E5
There’s three types of ammo in the game besides the bulk of the enemies
themselves. Each one has it’s disadvantages and advantages, but they’re all
terminal to you.
*Straight Bullet
This is a quick shot forward, similar to your type of ammunition. The shot can
be easily dodged given enough room, but can be deadly when unleashed by swarms.
Advantage: Quick shot
Disadvantage: Small
*Floaty Bullet
These round bullets that stay on the screen for a prolonged period. They move,
but their movement is rather slow. Of course, a shot like this is easy to
dodge, but what about when you’re chased by multiple enemies while these
meander around the screen?
Advantage: Lingers
Disadvantage: their slow movement also makes them more apparent and easy to
dodge.
*Missiles
These are the most dangerous form of enemy ammo. Missiles are pretty cool - the
enemy will fire it forward. The missile will eventually loop backwards,
boomerang style. If that’s not enough, the projectile will then come back down
again and go off the screen. So how do you deal with such a nasty weapon? You
shoot it.
Advantage: Big, loops back and forth
Disadvantage: Can be destroyed with your weapons
/////-----[[ Section 6: Tips ]]-----\\\\\
E6
Ammo: Gain ammo early in the game by exploiting the early enemies. Rapid fire
makes short work of your foes, but will be truly useful later on. If you die,
you start with 50 shots just like when you begin the game.
Big Guys: The big enemies can be hard, taking multiple hits and being quite
nasty with their own attacks. Rapid fire is often best used here, especially
if they fire missiles.
Dogged: If you just can't shake an enemy or hit it with your double shot, don't
be afraid to use a quick burst of rapid fire. Look, it's important to conserve
ammo - but even more important to survive.
Dragon: the dragon makes a definite sound when it arrives, so if you're looking
for that bonus, keep your ears open!
Enemy Movement: Learn how the enemies move and apply taht to how you approach
them. Some of the enemeis that chase you actually suffer from teh same momentum
troubles that you do. You can slow them down, essentially, but be warned that
they have different turn radii.
Looping: Looping around enemies is sometimes a decent tactic, because if they
have any degree of tracking it will slow them down. Don't get cocky and get too
close, however, as they can still shoot you. Only practice looping when an
enemy is known to chase you.
Missiles: I know missiles seem to be tough but really the only way to handle
them is to either shoot them or get out of the way. If you're really fearful of
them, just clear yourself a little space to move around in, though enemies will
sweep a bit. The best thing to do is to wipe out the wave of enemies.
Momentum: Your ship has momentum, I've mentioned this but it is paramount that
you understand. If an enemy is shooting at you, and you're moving away from it
do _not- try turning without first gaining some distance. You will slow down
before you turn and likely get destroyed.
Movement: You have the entire screen within which to move. Don't forget this,
it allows you to fly behind enemies and make loops, which the dogfights often
degenerate into.
Red Shots: They float around the screen, lingering. It is imperative that you
note their location as enemies could corall you straight into them.
Screen: Watch the screen, the enemies can appear suddenly, and wrap the screen
horizontally.
Strafe: You should move from the left to right flanks of an enemy wave firing
as they appear from the top of the screen. Of course, they aren't always from
the top but this sweep is ueful for those that do appear there.
Weaving: Weaving between bullets is risky business in Exerion. Do not attempt
it unless you know you can make it. In otherwords, if you don't have to change
your left and right direction too much.
Wrapping: While you are bounded by the stage, enemies are not. They can wrap
the stage horizontally, going off the side of the screen in one direction and
emerging on the other side. So if you see them disappear off the screen, don't
get too excited. They'll be arriving on the other side, so watch out for their
fire.
/////-----[[ Section 7: Credits ]]-----\\\\\
E7
Jaleco, you made a great game that provides a unique taste for those times when
you just want to play something fun. Thanks a lot!
If I missed anything or made a mistake, please contact me.
[email protected]
This Guide is Copyright, 2004, Matthew McIntyre
Exerion is copyright Jaleco
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