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*--------------------------*
v1.0
Mobile Light Force FAQ
written by superpeaches
[email protected] /
[email protected]
November 9th, 2004
*--------------------------*
Mobile Light Force is a traditional, vertical shooting game released in 2003 on
the same date as Mobile Light Force 2 (also by XS Games). In reality it is a
horribly butchered port of Gunbird by Psikyo (1994). Mobile Light Force 2 is
not even a direct sequel, it is Shikigami no Shiro (Castle of Shikigami).
What's so bad about MLF is XS Games sucked the soul out of the game, but at
least they left the gameplay. ^_^
This game is the best example I've seen of just how much bad localization and
lazy and / or stupid game developers can ruin a game that would have otherwise
sold decently, despite the dwindling market for shooters or shoot 'em ups.
I highly recommend you try to play an original version if you can.
*--------------------------*
CONTENTS
1. STORY
2. CONTROLS
-Gameplay
-items
3. CHARACTERS
-Marion
-Yuan-Nang
-MILF 2000
-Jason Last
-John Suarez
-Ruge, Cload, Ace
4. STAGES
-Jungle
-Mine
-Village
-Castle
-Sea
-Sanctuary
-Atlar
-Last
5. MISC
6. LEGAL STUFF
*--------------------------*
STORY
"The story takes place in the beginning of this century in Europe, when humans
finally figured out how to fly. At that time many people searched for the
magical mirror Atlar, which claims to make any wish of the owner come true.
This mirror was stolen amny years before from the king's grave, and nobody
knows where it amy be. As time passed and technology and science had
advanced, people forgot about the existence of this magical mirror.
So it seemed...
A French archeologist found a piece of the mirror wit an inscription that
explains how the mirror will make your wish come true. 5 adventurers, each
with their own wishes and dreams, set out to look for the mirror. With the
ability to soar in the sky they all think they have the upper hand, but what
they don't know is that another big organization is also after the same
mirror."
In addition is the fact that the mirror was broken into 4 pieces. Also, it is
the 19th Century, rather than the 21st Century.
*--------------------------*
CONTROLS
Directional buttons - move your person
Shoot - square button
Rapid Shoot - hold down circle button
Bomb - triangle / X
Power Shot - hold down the shoot button
-
Standard shooter fare; shoot stuff and get points, get hit and you blow up.
With one exception, when a flying ship runs into you, you will not die.
But you will get stunned for 1 second and lose a Powerup, or a bomb if you are
at level 1 Power.
-
There are 7 stages of difficulty, 1 is the easiest. Changes are mostly faster
bullets and quicker enemy patterns. On lower levels you don't have to replay
the levels again to get the ending.
-
Coin - looks like a gold coin = 200 points
Power - looks like a bullet with a "P" on it = 2000 points*
Bomb - looks like a bomb with a "B" on it = 10000 points~
*must be at level 4 power
~must have 6 bomb stock
*--------------------------*
CHARACTERS
-
Name (original name, if changed)
Description
Place of Birth and Age
Shot - levels
Special - name - description
Bomb - name - description (Fullscreen or variable damage, Invulnerable or not)
Basic strategy
-
Marion - Sorceress
A powerful magic user, Marion is an extremely energetic girl. She is an
inexperienced wind magic user that uses a broom to fly. She has a cute face
but is very stubborn, and is probably up to something again. She and her
rabbit friend Bom Bom will go on an adventure looking for the legendary
magic mirror.
Born in England, age 13
Shot - (1) standard 1 shot (2) double shot (3) wide spread with 3 homing star
(4) double wide spread with 6 homing stars
Special - Fire Rabbit - A large shot in the middle with 6 star spread
Bomb - Windshaver - Blades of wind swirl outward (V*, I)
She is a very good beginner character, though her attacks are fairly weak and
slow compared to Valnus, she has homing missles and a good spread shot. Her
Fire Rabbit is best when used up close, but it is able to easily hit most of
the screen. Her Windshaver Bomb is great for saving lives because it is the
safest bomb of all to use.
*Most damage is given when fired as close to the enemy as possible; gives a
fullscreen effect
-
Yuan-Nang - Chinese Sorcerer
Presumably a female fighter, but is not quite certain if she is even human. She
has the ability to ride a cloud. Small body frame, but a very experienced
fighter who is always looking to fight enemies that are stronger than she is.
There are many mysteries about this person. Some say she is actually a monkey.
Born in China, age ?
Shot - (1) standard 2 small needles (2) double small needles (3) adds ethereal
swords that fire straight (4) adds 2 more swords, needles get stronger
Special - fighting stick hell attack - extends her staff; good range, strong
Bomb - multiple enemy attack - several shadows of Yuan cover screen (F*, V~)
Yuan-Nang could probably be described as the most balanced character in the
game. She has tight shot that is not the strongest, but certainly not the
weakest, it has the sword powerup which give it great spread and power,
especially when strafing. Her Stick attack Special is a very longe range
attack that, while not as strong as Valnus' is very good. Her Bomb could be
the best in the game; it is pretty safe, hits hard (especially on bosses) and
covers the screen for the longest duration.
*The shadows will stick to any enemies remaining; still nullifies some shots,
making this an excellent super for bosses because of the protection
~The Shadow images will protect you if you stay behind them; still a safe bomb
-
MILF 2000 (Valnus) - Robot Soldier
An attack robot capable of flying, he was developed by the Russian Military.
Uses a central axis that enables him to do circular attacks. Always receiving
orders from the military, and this time he's ordered to go find the magic
mirror. But lately, it seems like he's starting to think on his own...
Made in Russia, age 6 months
Shot - (1) 4 small shots (2) shots get bigger (3) adds more shots, 2 lasers
(4) bigger shots and 2 more green lasers
Special - rocket punch - fires both arms forward
Bomb - MILF 2000 Buster - In a rather stupidly named attack, 4 sets of lasers
fire at 90 degree angles in medium spread(V*, I)
Power, lots of it. His Green Lasers at level 3 and 4 go through anything and
are exceptionally strong. His special will kill everything but the boss in one
hit, and his bomb is safe with good coverage, but it has the lowest mobility.
His main hinderance is having the tightest spread in the game, but it's strong!
*Damage is best when at 90 degree angle to target, or on top of target
-
Jason Last (Ash) - Archeologist
A scientist who has a degree in archeology and is also a very cool adventurer.
After hearing about the legendary magical mirror, he could not keep himself
from going out to look for it. He built a rocket pack that lets him fly.
Born in Germany, age 28
Shot - (1) standard 1 shot (2) double shots (3) adds a shock wave
(4) adds a bigger shockwave, shots get bigger
Special - Shockwave - Shoots out a big Ball of energy that splits upon hitting;
very good against groups of enemies at top of screen
Bomb - A scientifically formulated bomb - throws a big grenade(F, V*)
Ash has pretty good normal moves, and his Shockwave special is probably the
best special if used at long range. His bomb is... lacking. It is not a safe
bomb, and it's not the strongest.
*When bomb explodes, all enemy shots are removed
-
John Suarez (Tetsu) - Lighthearted Carpenter
After losing his wife 40 years ago, he has been working non-stop as a
carpenter. He rides his helicopter that he built himself. Using his muscles
and strength, he flies to places unimaginable.
Born in Japan, age 60
Shot - (1) standard 2 shot (2) doubles shots (3) adds rockets which fire
straight at intervals (4) doubles the rockets and adds stronger bullets
Special - Dragon Rocket Shot - fires a volley of rockets; strong, but it is
only useful if you have no bomb and are low level
Bomb - The great fire of Edo - Fires 2 columns of flame that split (V*, V~)
Tetsu has a shot spread very similar to Yuan-Nang, but a little stronger and a
little tighter. His special is decent to just throw out, but don't expect to
use it for precision. His bomb is a very good one; strong, long lasting, and
unlike Ash's it's semi-safe.
*Most damage is given when in front of an enemy, flame splits off to the sides
~Flames will destroy any enemy shots they touch
-
Ruge - Red Trump pilot
President of the large company Pakusta. Has a lot of ambition and beauty. She
uses her elite employees to organize Trump, an underground gang. She heard
about the legendary mirror and was first to look for it, however...
she is also very clumsy.
Born in England, age 26
-
Cload - Brown Trump Pilot
Manager of one of the Pakusta factories. He is tall and built like a rock, but
is a very sensitve man. Many workers are loyal to him, but people say that
even his brain is pure muscle. In the Trump organization, he is a pilot and
is also also a good fighter with more than 10 special moves.
Born in France, age 34
-
Ace - Blue Trump pilot
Theleader of the development of the Pakusta Empire. He has superior knowledge
and an exploding personality. he is in charge of the weapons depertment in the
Trump organization. Actually, he was school mates with Jason Last and is one
of his biggest rivals. As you can see, Ace gets mad very easily.
Born in Germany, age 25
*--------------------------*
STAGES
Name
Continue: YES / NO- if you get a game over on a NO stage, you will start over
the YES stages are random and make up the first 3 levels
Description
major battles; aka minibosses, larger than normal enemies, or stage quirks
BOSS battle description (bosses don't actually have names)
Item locations
-
Jungle
Continue: YES
An asian forest with wooden towers and wooden decks, and lots of trees. It
appears as though Trump is building robots here under the disguise of tree
cover. Perhaps they are searching for a piece of the mirror? Destroy the
Robots they are making and prepare to fight their Super-armor robot.
Blow up the wooden deck to the right and Ace will be revealed. Behind that
are 2 towers with gatling cannons, quickly destroy them. A Hover Robot will
fly in and attack, to the right trees will slide away and reveal a red box.
2 more will be shown to the left, then the right, and then 2 tree covers slide
away on the left and reveal Ruge and a Green Robot.
Ruge, Cload, and Ace run off to...
BOSS: Robot Samurai Armor
A giant, red robot armor that looks sort of like samurai armor is revealed.
STAGE1 - Blow up the gloves, then dispatch the body or take out the turrets to
the side if you want. Fairly simple.
STAGE2 - It will spread out helicopter blades and begin to take off. Main
shots are from the head. Blow up the body to win; you may also blow
up the engines to the left and right in the front and back, they fire
circular shots. If you do not kill it, it will self destruct.
COINS - 5 coins are in the 2nd wooden deck (to the left after the 2 towers)
-
Mine
Continue: YES
Some sort of mining operation, hard hat workers are everywhere. It appears
that Trump is mining for a piece of the mirror here too. Destroy their
mining facility before they get away.
Blow up the 2 trains for a powerup and a bomb. Defeat the large hover robots
that appear and prepare to fight as Trump retreats...
BOSS: Mecha Miner
A large mobile minging facility appears and shows it's true colors as it opens
up 2 large gun turrets open up.
STAGE 1 - The mining facility pops up and shoots some spread shots, then slides
part of it forward to uncover 2 large gun turrets which fire
circular shots.
STAGE 2 - A robot pops out of the deck of the facility and flies to each corner
and fires 3 spread shots. Then drops to the background letting out
several helpers, then repeats. Wait too long and it self-destructs.
COINS - 1 coin in a shack to the left, 6 right afterwards in tanks to the right
-
Village
Continue: YES
An average village in Europe that was housing a piece of the mirror, chase
down Trump before they escape out of town on the train!
2 Blimps start the stage; people are scurrying around, probably to escape the
ensuing mayhem. A robot is retreating; if under the bridge it cannot be hit.
Another robot is retreating, several turrets pop up on the nearby rooftops too.
A hover robot may appear, stay directly in front of it and it won't hit you
with it's first volley. Go to the train station and you will see Ruge, Cload,
and Ace board a train...
BOSS: Getaway train
A large train is escaping town, catch up and destroy the engine.
STAGE 1 - Destroy Ace, who has a spread pattern. Then destroy Cload, who has
a circle hot from each shoulder. Then destroy Ruge, who has a spread
shot followed by a double shot. They will leave the robots if you
wait too long.
STAGE 2 - 3 rotating turrets fire double shots at you, watch for the 2 gatling
turrets to open up. Strafing works well.
STAGE 3 - The train engine has 6 small turrets that fire double shots that
spread slowly, staying in the back is advisable.
STAGE 4 - A robot comes out of the front, it has 2 long arms which alternately
extend and open, letting out a circular shot. Blow the arms, then
when the head blows off, a gatling cannon is revealed that fires a
large circular pattern. Blow the rest of the body to when, it self
destructs if you wait too long.
COINS: - There are 5 coins inside the turrets on the rooftops
-
Castle
Continue: YES
A generic middle age castle setting, footmen are walking around casually. The
surroundings look to be English; blow up the tower on the right before the
drawbridge and a viking will run out.
There is a robot on the draw bridge that will walk backwards into the courtyard
and 2 more robots, one of them is a Trump pilot. Blow up the top of the castle
entrance for a bomb. When you get to the back of the castle Ruge, Ace, and
Cload will run to a giant cannon...
BOSS: Mecha Sir Lancelot
A very large turret with many, many small turrets around it appears.
STAGE 1 - The turret fires 2 big shots in the front a more from the back of it.
The real danger is when the small turrets fire, it's a strange loopy
pattern that can vary a lot.
STAGE 2 - A big suit of armor comes out; it fires shots from the shield, the
neck and a big group of shots when the visor opens. The lance will
lower occasionally and fire 3 spread shot groups, either stay away
from it or slightly to the side and back. Blow up the chest piece to
win; the shield and lance can be blown up seperately.
COINS - there are 4 in the courtyard, hidden within the small towers.
-
Sea
Contiue: NO
The first of the no-continue stages, you take off from the coast and have to go
through a blockade.
There is a tower, with an armored boat to the left and a 3 gunboats to the
right. You pass a dock with 3 turrets that pop up, with an armored boat to the
right. An armored boat is to the left and 2 Trump robots attack, head out into
open waters and prepare for the last ship in the blockade...
BOSS: Mega Battleship
A giant boat stands between you and the open sea.
STAGE 1 - There are 8 rotating turrets on the ship. There are 2 large fins
fitted with a big cannon. Then there are 2 gun placements of 6
turrets that pop up. Destroy them all and the back will open.
STAGE 2 - A large Pteridactyl robot flies out, it doesn't fire until you blow
both wings. So just shoot the middle part until it is smoking, then
if you want the points and / or need the powerups in each, blow up
the wings. Then blow up the body; the plane will self destruct if
you wait too long.
COINS - There are 5 coins in the warehouse on the dock, to the right.
-
Sanctuary
Continue: NO
You fly in from the sea, it appears Trump has beaten you here (somehow). It
appears to be a South American temple area.
Approach the pyramid and there is a robot on the front, and several towers.
Destroy the towers with red on the top because they are the only ones with
guns. There are 3 Trump robots by the towers. You notice a strange object
on the ground...
BOSS: Guardian of the Sanctuary
You see a big seal in the ground, suddenly the ground falls.
STAGE 1 - The 3 Trump robots are here. Ace and Cload will strafe in and out
and fire at you. They will regroup and Ruge will fire 2 arms with
turrets on them. If you don't kill them they will leave.
STAGE 2 - A large statue head appears with the seal on it and attack you.
STAGE 3 - The head splits in 3 and the 2 small ones attack you. One fires a
burst at you, the other fires homing shots.
STAGE 4 - The large head returns and seemingly infuriated, it turns gold and
grows spikes. Strafe to the side to avoid the shots from the spikes,
and look out for the blocks it drops as helpers.
COINS - There are 4 coins at the entrance inside of towers.
-
Atlar
Continue: NO
You approach this ancient civilization's stronghold. It seems unguarded at
first...
There are a lot of cube shaped towers that will fire at you. Behind them 3
octagonal towers rise, they circle around and fire at you. Then they group
and fire shots spread shots. As you go up the pyramid there are turrets to the
side and red orbs which will send out shots in all directions when blown up
(except when blown up with bombs). The pyramid opens up and you approach 2
towers that move around firing shots at you, blow up the large box in the
middle to get to the Seal. This is the only level without the Trump.
BOSS: Seal of the Ancient Dragon
A big seal of a dragon is on the ground in front of a platform. Perhaps it was
used for ceremonies.
STAGE 1 - The dragon seal comes to life and shoots at you. All of the circular
things around it also fire at you will spinning.
STAGE 2 - The seal summons a Fish. It slowly strafes and fires spreadshots or
drops helpers. Sometimes an Eye will come out, it is similar.
STAGE 3 - A skull is summoned, it goes to the corners and shoots 2 rows of
shots or a spreadshot, then it spits out skull helpers. There was
a time when something in a robe came out; like the eye it is fairly
similar, but harder.
STAGE 4 - The seal sends out it's true form. It screeches and then fires
spreadshots at you as it flies from corner to corner. It's actually
kinda similar to the first stage.
COINS - There are several inside the cube towers, can't miss 'em.
-
Last
Continue: NO
You enter some sort of chamber, there is an ethereal sort of red cloud in the
background.
There are several gold orbs which open up and fire spreadshots at the beginning
Blow up all the large soldiers with swords statues to get powerups and some
bombs. A red pod flies underneath...
BOSS: Ultimate Mecha
A large robot comes out of the pod. The Trump pilots taunt you and get in.
STAGE 1 - It pulls out a gun, then fly back and fire spreadshots from each
corner, throwing out some sort of grenade sometimes.
STAGE 2 - It pulls out a double cannon and fires, then shoots at each corner.
STAGE 3 - It pulls out a bazooka and does the same pattern as 1.
STAGE 4 - It pulls out a giant array with 2 big cannons and a few guns, then it
follows the pattern of 2. Blow up the gun and all 3 Trump pilots
will wave the white flag of surrender.
Blow up a bunch of red orbs and then you reach an large tower. You throw the
mirror at it (or it is taken), and the tower glows. It fires a circular shot
and then a spread shot.
FINAL BOSS: The Master
A robed figure appears and throws off it's robe...
STAGE 1 - The Master bursts through the wall; charge up your special. Flies
around and fires spread shots. He drops what looks like paper that
forms 2 large electrified spikes, blow them up.
STAGE 2 - Still fires spread shots, drops a large column which fires at you.
STAGE 3 - a row of glowing birds are made, they all shoot at you and protect
The Master. Blow them up, and continue to hit the Master. He will
continue to drop the birds. He blows up and you have to play through
the rest of the game again depending on the difficulty, if it's low
enough you don't have to. I'm not sure if you replay the levels
on the arcade version or not.
COINS - None
-
There is no ending, it just says 'THE END'. Apparently they cut it out,
so it's really confusing as to what happened with the mirror and everything.
*--------------------------*
MISC
+If you want to beat the game badly enough, add in a second player. Even On
the no continue stages, you will stay in if there is another player.
+The Rabbit on the loading screen is Marion's friend Bom Bom.
+John Suarez's original name was Tetsu; Tetsu was a homosexual in the
original, which means his wife was a man.
+Jason Last's original name was Ash; Ash was a pedophile in the original.
+MILF 2000's original name was Valnus; apparently MILF is an acronym from
American Pie.
+Yuan-Nang is based very liberally on the Chinese legend of The Monkey King
or "Xi You Ji" (Journey to the West); namely because of the cloud upon which
she rides, her extending golden staff, and her tail. Other examples of the
legend are Goku (Dragonball) and Son Son (Capcom).
+The original name was Gunbird; it had a goofy story, several endings, funny
text, and the Import version has a large fanart collection. All of this was
removed, and ported poorly by XS; but the gameplay is still fairly accurate.
+Jason Last is on the QA team in XS, John Suarez is the Producer. Why they
would label their atrocious localization job so openly is beyond me.
+Mobile Light Force 2 (Shikigami no Shiro, NOT Gunbird 2) has the same awful
cover art as MLF. Not only did they use a horribly inaccurate and just plain
bad cover, they also used it twice for a game that wasn't even a sequel!
XS's motto should be: "Ruining gaming, one port at a time"
+You can get Gunbird for the Sega Saturn, and Gunbird 2 for the Dreamcast.
+I personally ridiculed this game when I saw the cover art and low price. I
instead bought 'Sky Divers Extreme' by Natsume. It's also a decent, low key
game. Never judge a game by it's cover!
*--------------------------*
LEGAL STUFF
Thanks to:
'rockmanzallz' and 'worldwatcher' who reviewed this game on GameFAQS so
that I knew it was an actually good game.
GameFAQS for making the website.
Psikyo for making a solid shooter.
XS Games for making me realize how much bad localization can ruin a game
-
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
This FAQ Copyright (c) 2004 Nathan M. Paul
Mobile Light Force (c) 2003 XS Games LLC
Gunbird (c) 1994 Psikyo
All other trademarks and copyrights contained in this FAQ are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
*--------------------------*
