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[Master's Play FAQ] \ \_\ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \_\ \_\
[Hurball Interactive] \/_/\/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/_/\/_/
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[1.0][Contents]==============================================
[2.0] Version History
[3.0] Introduction
[3.1] The Hurball Company
[3.2] About The FAQ
[4.0] Gitaroo Man
[4.1] Normal Mode
[4.2] Master's Mode
[4.3] Controls & Tips
[5.0] Master's Play
[5.01] Panpeus
[5.02] Flying-O
[5.03] Mojo King Bee
[5.04] Ben-K
[5.05] Mecha Ben-K
[5.06] Kirah
[5.07] Sanbone Trio
[5.08] Gregorio III
[5.09] Kirah
[5.10] Zowie
[6.0] Experience
[6.1] My Thoughts
[6.2] My Best Scores
[7.0] FAQs
[8.0] Other Stuff
[8.1] Disclaimer & Legal Stuff
[8.2] Contact Information
[2.0][Version History]=======================================
Version 1.0: First draft of the FAQ. All sections completed and
checked over for errors.
Version 1.1: Whole document made a little wider and easier to
read. New difficulty ratings added for every level, as the last
ones didn't really sum up them properly.
[3.0][Introduction]==========================================
[3.1][The Hurball Company]-----------------------------------
Before I get on with the fic, it's worthwhile pointing out that
the Hurball Company is not a real company, and we haven't ever
produced anything of note. Basically, the Company was a bit of
fun for myself and a mate, for us to make CDs, comics and the
like. We ended it a while back, but I've kept it going, mainly
for things like this FAQ.
[3.2][About The FAQ]-----------------------------------------
This is the first FAQ I've ever written, so bear with me if
there are any errors within it. I decided to write it due to
two things - one being the amazingness of Gitaroo Man, and two
being the fact that there wasn't any real help for Masters Mode
at all on the internet. Normal mode on the game was a doddle,
and its Master's Mode where the help is really needed. And so
here's the FAQ, hopefully it should be of some minute help at
least...
[4.0][Gitaroo Man]===========================================
[4.1][Normal Mode]-------------------------------------------
The basic mode of Gitaroo Man, this is the only mode you'll be
able to play when you first put the disc in the console. I won't
go into detail, because there are already FAQs for this mode.
The game, put basically, follows the progress of a boy (U-1),
as he learns from his dog (Puma) that he is in fact the last in
the line of the legendary Gitaroo Man, and that his destiny is
save the planet of Gitaroo from the clutches of evil. Yes, the
storyline is poor, but everything else about the game is superb.
Instead of boring old fighting, U-1 must defeat his foes with
the use of his Gitaroo, using killer riffs to dispose of his
enemies. As a result, the game is superb and ends up being one
of the trickiest games you'll ever play.
The first level is a training mission, where Puma gives a decent
tutorial of how to play the game. Move the left analogue stick
to follow the trace line, and press the circle button to play
each note. Dodging is also covered here, where the circle, x,
triangle and square buttons must be pressed as they move over the
central point of the screen.
After the training, it's straight into battle for U-1, as a demon
(Panpeus) attacks him. Beat him and it's on to the next level,
and so on. I won't cover any more of this mode, and if you've yet
to complete it, then this FAQ isn't going to help you!
[4.2][Master's Mode]-----------------------------------------
Once you've completed the original game, you'll notice that the
title screen of the game has now changed, and now included in
the menu is a new selection: "Master's Play".
Clicking on it, you'll be taken to the first level once again.
But this time around, things are a lot harder. You have to play
the guitar for every note now, and also you'll have to bend each
note where they bend (if that makes sense...). The trace line now
moves a lot faster than it did previously, and defending has
changed the most. You'll have to dodge at least double the number
of attacks you did on normal mode.
Sounds fun doesn't it? After pretty much strolling through the
normal game, I didn't expect Master's Play to be as hard as it
actually turned out to be. You have to be a decent player to
complete the first mode, but completing Master's Mode will require
a lot more. Sorry if all that sounds ominous, but that's how the
game is!
[4.3][Controls & Tips]---------------------------------------
By now you'll be familiar with the controls for the game. The
game has some optional setup schemes for the controller (look in
the manual, and if you can tell what the difference between Type A
and Type C layouts is, e-mail me!), but for this guide, I'll talk
as if you're using the default setup.
You may have noticed that you don't have to use the circle button
for the guitar bits of the tune. There's no problem with using
another button, just use what suits you best. I used the circle
button, but I know some people who've used X instead. There's no
downside to using a different button, and I won't try to claim
otherwise.
Tip #1: Some players seem unsure about whether this works, but
I've tried it, and it definately does. When you're playing the
Gitaroo (attacking or charging), for the longer notes, instead
of holding down the circle button until they're finished, let go
of it just before the note ends. This deals more damage/heals you
more. I don't know why this is the case, but it is. I tried not
using this method (holding down circle until the note's finished)
on the charge bit of level 2, and despite getting every note, I
didn't have full health. Trying again, with this tip, I got full
health easily, even with a couple of misses.
Tip #2: Don't try to use 2 hands for the defending. It doesn't
really help, and when I've tried it, I just get confused and miss
more than I would usually.
Tip #3: For some bits of defending, it helps to change your grip
on the controller. For example, if the screen suddenly fills up
with opposite buttons (triangles and xs, circles and squares), the
best way to hit most of them is to not use your thumb, and use
your index and middle fingers, hitting both buttons as fast as you
can. This helped me numerous times, but for it to work you need to
learn when the bits are that you need it for, otherwise by the time
you've changed your grip, it's already too late :-(
Tip #4: If you miss one, don't let it get to you. Get yourself
together again, and start the next lot fresh, without suddenly
bashing every button in sight and missing a lot more than you had
to in the process. The worst thing that usually happens is that I
miss one and lose the beat, but if I can forget about the miss and
move straight on to the next bit, I'm usually okay.
Tip #5: Don't be afraid to press circle for the guitar more times
than you have to. Pressing circle for ever note perfectly is an
impossible task, and when you get a long line of small notes, the
best thing to do is to get the analogue stick lined up, and press
circle as many times as possible.
Tip #6: If you feel your thumb slipping off the analogue stick
(this happens to me a lot in the first and second Kirah levels),
wait for a longish note, and hit it, but then let go of the analogue
stick for a second, just to get your grip back.
Tip #7: Perseverence is good, for the most part. If a level beats
you, play it again, if it beats you again, have another go. But if
you start to get frustrated or your hands start to tire, then the
best thing to do is to take break from the game, and come back later
for another go.
Well, there are all the tips I used. If you have others, feel free
to let me know about them. And with all that out of the way, let's
move on to the main part of the FAQ - the Master's Mode guide!
[5.0][Master's Play]=========================================
[5.01][Panpeus]----------------------------------------------
Level: 1
Track: Twisted Reality
Difficulty:
Attacking: ***
Defending: ***
Overall: ***
The first level. Straight off the back of completing normal mode,
this might not be too much of a problem for you. But you'll
definately notice the way the level has changed. More defending,
harder attacking, a faster trace line, and there are fewer misses
allowed.
But it isn't too difficult. For a Master's Mode level, it's
relatively slow, and after a few plays through you should have no
trouble with the defending part or the majority of the guitars.
Watch out though, because you can't miss that many, and the Final
may well prove a little long as you can still lose health in it.
Overall though, not too bad. A decent level, and if you can't
beat it first time, keep on trying at it and you should complete
it eventually.
[5.02][Flying-O]---------------------------------------------
Level: 2
Track: Flyin' To Your Heart
Difficulty:
Attacking: ****
Defending: ****
Overall: *****
A massive step up from the first level. The defending isn't too
much of a problem here, and the attacking is fine too. But the
main difficult here is the fact that you can only miss a few
throughout the level. Any miss whatsoever will result in a hefty
chunk of your health to disappear.
Becuase of this, the charge phase is vital. And it isn't easy to
get full health. If you hit them all, you should have full health
(see Tip #1 in the previous section). The two most important
notes are the two longest ones (the ones that follow the two
quick taps of the circle button) and if you hit these you can
afford to miss some of the smaller ones, but if you miss them
you can kiss full health goodbye. Hitting them proves more
difficult than it should be, I can't remember the amount of times
I tapped circle for the notes before, and missed the most
important one afterwards...
The attack phase isn't a hard track, but you'll have to play it
through a few times and learn the defending parts. There's one
difficult bit of defending early on (usually the second or third
bit), but other than that, if you persevere you should be okay.
Even if you reach the final completing the level isn't a foregone
conclusion. Keep your concentration and make sure you don't miss
more than a couple, and if you do miss one, make sure you don't
start a big chain of misses- that would certainly kill you.
[5.03][Mojo King Bee]----------------------------------------
Level: 3
Track: 'Bee' Jam Blues
Difficulty:
Attacking: ******
Defending: ******
Overall: ****** (yes, six out of five...)
Once you complete level 2, you'd have thought things wouldn't be
quite as difficult now. Unfortunately, you're wrong. This level
is by far the most annoying, most difficult, most frustrating
level in the game. I spent months stuck on this, and as a result
Gitaroo Man found itself unplayed for a long long while.
The main difficulty lies about 3/4 of the way through the track,
when Mojo unleashes a crazy attack that I have still yet to defend
properly. One minute the song is alright, and things are going well,
the next minute the screen is filled with circles, xs and squares,
and your health has vanished.
And that's the thing about the level - it's fine until that point,
and because that point is so far through you'll end up having to
play most of the track until you die, and trying again, and again,
and again...
Going over the rest of the level, the charge is pretty easy, you
can miss a fair amount and still have full health. And defending
isn't too bad on the whole. If you know the tune, getting the
timing right on the defence isn't a problem. The attacking is a
little more difficult, there are high numbers of quick short notes,
so you'll have to be good at tapping circle quickly as well as
getting the analogue stick facing the right way.
The Final is a doddle. Once you see Mojo lean back with a shout of
"ha!", all that's left is easy long notes, with a quick burst of
short ones right near the end. But it's getting to the Final that's
the hard thing, due to that one bit of the song.
The main thing to do is to keep at the level. It varies A LOT, right
from the beginning of the attack phase. If you keep on playing, you
should be getting further each time, and if you manage to reach the
impossible bit with a decent amount of health then you should be
okay to reach the Final. And note that he doesn't always play that
bit. Sometimes it's replaced with a wall of xs and traingles which
isn't as bad, if you're expecting it - see Tip #3 in the previous
section. However, he has done that bit and then followed up with the
impossible bit straight after to me. Cruel. Good luck with this!
[5.04][Ben-K]------------------------------------------------
Level: 4
Track: VOID
Difficulty:
Attacking:
Defending: *******
Overall: *****1/2
Not quite as hard as the last level, but still very difficult.
There are some very hard bits of defending to be done here,
but as it's a short level, and as there isn't the added problem
of attacking, it's not too frustrating.
The level starts off relatively easily, but after the opening
bits quickly moves into a long middle section of a difficult
pattern of defending. The trick here is to learn the pattern.
At first I was bashing all the buttons as I saw them appear,
but I then noticed the pattern to the defending, and have been
able to get past this bit of the track easily since.
The pattern is: x, x, triangle, x, square, x, circle, x and
then back to the start of the pattern again. There are slight
variants of it throughout, but you should be okay with them
once you get the timings right.
After that bit, it's not too long before the end of the level.
But there's some seriously hard defending to be done before.
I can't really give specific help for this bit, and all I can
say is for you to have a high amount of health before you reach
this point, and you should make it to the end. And good news
for you once you do complete this level - the rest of the game
won't be anywhere near as hard as the last two levels... Well,
excluding one or two of the later ones ;-0
[5.05][Mecha Ben-K]------------------------------------------
Level: 5
Track: 'Nuff Respect
Difficulty:
Attacking: **
Defending: ****
Overall: ***
The easiest level in Master's Mode. Maybe it's just me, but after
struggling through Mojo King Bee and the last level against this
guy, this level is remarkably easy.
It's a slow level, and with the longest notes in the game.
Remember, with the long notes, as long as you hit them you won't
lose any health. If you can keep them lit all the way through
you'll do more damage or get more health, but it isn't the most
important thing in the world - not losing health is!
The defending parts should be a walk in the park for you after
the last level, and there are numerous charges in the track too,
to make things even easier. I completed this level first time,
and I'd expect anyone who'd just completed levels 3 and 4 to
waltz through this too.
[5.06][Kirah]------------------------------------------------
Level: 6
Track: The Legendary Theme (Acoustic)
Difficulty:
Attacking: ***
Defending:
Overall: ****
Another relatively easy level. No defending here, so it's all
down to your Gitaroo skills (or more precisely, your analogue
skills). Not much has changed from the normal version of the
level. It's slightly faster, and there are a few extra notes to
play, but otherwise you should know the track instantly.
The main problem here is that you can hardly miss any. I think
the most notes you can miss is 6, though I did miss 4 and
somehow managed to get an A ranking... But if you keep your
concentration all the way through this track, and don't let
your thumb slip off the analogue stick (see Tip #6 in the
previous section), you should get past this level easily.
[5.07][Sanbone Trio]-----------------------------------------
Level: 7
Track: Born To Be Bone
Difficulty:
Attacking: ******
Defending: *****1/2
Overall: ****** (another six out of five...)
Looking on the internet, it appears as if most players find this
level the hardest to complete on Master's Mode. And whist it is
an incredibly hard level, it's nowhere near as frustrating as
Mojo King Bee was. I completed it on my fifth attempt, and
overall it wasn't the crazily difficult level I'd expected.
You start off without your Gitaroo, and with the Trio attacking
you, all U-1 can do is defend. The defending isn't too hard, and
if you keep at it, you should get past the start after a few
attempts.
After this, the song becomes a little harder than most, as the
guitar parts are incredibly hard to get. Even tapping circle as
fast as I could, I wasn't hitting all of the notes. In the charge
bit this wasn't too much of a problem, but I did lose a fair
amount of health from missing attacks. The best thing to do, as
usual, is to keep at the level and just do as well as you can.
Hitting them all can't be possible... Surely!
I didn't actually get full health after the charge phase (you
may have to not miss any of the defending bit in order to have a
chance of getting full health), so don't worry if you haven't
got 100% health to begin with.
As defending goes, the level's not too bad. There is one hard
bit of defending (a bit with mostly xs and triangles in an
unusual combination, you'll notice it when you see it), but
otherwise the defending should be no problem. You'll lose far
more health from attacking, bizarrely, but if you stick at the
level, you should complete it after a few attempts. The Final
isn't too hard, and is similar to the one on normal mode.
NOTE: It seems that I may have been slightly fortunate to finish
this level as quickly as I did. I've tried completing it again,
but to no avail, though I blame this on my lack of any Gitaroo
Man practice recently. I completed it when I was perhaps playing
the best Gitaroo Man of my life, and even then I had flashing
health by the end and scraped a C ranking.
The main tips I can give anyone about this level is to persist
with it. Master the starting bit and get used to hitting the
circle button as fast as possible for the attacking, and you
should get better over time at the level. And another little
hint - find a video of someone completing the level on YouTube,
watch it, and learn some of the defending or attacking patterns
from it. The main thing though, persist with the level and
you'll at least get better at it. Good luck!
[5.08][Gregorio III]-----------------------------------------
Level: 8
Track: Tainted Lovers
Difficulty:
Attacking: ****
Defending: *****1/2
Overall: *****1/2
Another difficult level, again not as frustrating as Mojo King
Bee, but close to Sanbone and Ben-K in the difficulty rankings.
You get two charges here, with an attack of your own in between,
without reply from Gregorio. After these, you'll be on (or at
least near to) full health, with a chunk of health knocked off
your enemy.
From this point on, there are two different ways the level can
go. Usually, he'll start off with a relatively easy bit of
defending (it starts with a circle, I believe). If he starts
with this, you should have no problem getting up to the last
few bits of defending in the level. These are Bee Man-esque in
their impossible-ness, but get enough of them, and you'll reach
the Final no problem.
The second way Gregorio starts the attacks is with a trio of
very difficult defending combinations, and you'll probably die
very quickly. I couldn't actually get past these bits, and have
no idea if the track actually gets any easier afterwards.
Basically, if he starts with these combos, you're probably going
to die. Don't get frustrated though, most of the time he uses
the easy defending bits to begin with.
The main difficulty with the level is the last two bits of
defending (assuming he started off with the easy ones). The best
thing to do is to reach them with a decent amount of health, and
hit enough of them when you reach them so that you stay alive. The
Final is very near, and isn't difficult at all, so if you reach it,
you should've completed the level.
[5.09][Kirah]------------------------------------------------
Level: 9
Track: Overpass / The Legendary Theme
Difficulty:
Attacking: ****
Defending: ****
Overall: ****1/2
My favourite level in the game, amazing from start to finish! The
level is split into two parts, the first is a normal battle, the
second is purely guitar, no defending at all.
The first part is the more difficult of the two. You start on low
health, and you can only really miss 3 things before you're dead.
Luckily, it's only a short piece of the level, and you should get
past it after a few tries.
Now it's on to the second part of the level. First up is a charge,
and this blends in to the next attack phase in such a way that
they're both pretty much the same. You may or may not get full
health on the charge (I think you may have to not miss any of the
start in order to have a chance at full health). Full health is
desirable, but not really necessary. The rest of the level is just
guitar, and it's not too bad. You're only allowed a small number
of misses, but if you keep your concentration the level should be
fine.
[5.10][Zowie]------------------------------------------------
Level: 10
Track: Resurrection
Difficulty:
Attacking: *****
Defending: *****
Overall: *****
The last level at long last! Having completed all the previous
levels, this shouldn't be too much of a problem for anybody, but
it isn't an easy level by any stretch of the imagination.
As in the normal version of the level, you get a fair amount of
charges dotted throughout the track. But unlike the normal
version, you barely get any health back from these at all. You
could get all "Great"s on the charge bits, and still only get a
little health back.
Because of this, you can only miss a few things during the whole
track. But luckily, there isn't a single part of this level
that's as hard as the defending on Ben-K, or the guitar on the
Sanbone Trio. You should be okay at getting the defending fine,
and the guitars shouldn't be too bad either.
You'll probably lose health over the course of the track, don't
expect your charges to get you back to full again. But equally,
don't miss too many, or the level will wear you down until you
die. Ideally, try to keep your health above 75% as long as
possible. Once you reach the Final, the level's in the bag, and
you've completed Gitaroo Man on Master's Mode! And your reward
for doing so? Nothing, not even a new completion message. Bah,
but at least you can rest more easily now it's done! You truly
are the true Gitaroo Man!
[6.0][Experience]============================================
[6.1][My Thoughts]-------------------------------------------
I decided to include this just to give you an idea of how I went
about completing the game, and to show that I'm not an uber gamer
of any kind. I started off rubbish at this game, and only
practice at it made me any good. Completing Master's Mode was
something I never actually thought I'd be able to do, and once
I completed it, I decided I'd write a FAQ to help other people
do the same.
As I've already said, I breezed through the game on normal mode,
and completed level 1 on Master's Play without much difficulty.
Level 2 followed after a fair number of retrys, but it was Level
3 that stumped me.
I was stuck on the level for ages, and the game went back into
its case for months before I gave it another go. This time around
it was perseverence that got me past the level. For a couple of
weeks I played the level a few times in the morning and a few
times at other points during the day. I kept getting further
through, but it was the last bit of defending that got me every
time. Somehow, I got past it, struggled to the final with no
health, and managed not to miss a single other note to complete
the level :-D
After that it was level 4 that I was stuck on, but not for as
long. A fair amount of trys on the level and I got past it, and
from then on the game wasn't too bad. It was difficult in places
(especially Gregorio), but the majority of the levels I completed
first time - including the final two levels.
Master's Play was very difficult, yet this made it more worthwhile
to complete it. However, I do think that some levels - especially
the insane level 3, are a little too hard. I know numerous people
who've given up after reaching that level.
Going back on normal mode after completing Master's, is crazy.
Everything is in slow motion - you're waiting for the buttons to
go over the centre, and usually miss them because they're going too
slowly! If completing the game on Master's does anything, it's to
improve your skills more than I ever thought possible!
[6.2][My Best Scores]----------------------------------------
Will be included in the next revision of this FAQ. Don't expect
anything amazing, I have yet to get an A No-Miss or an S ranking
in any level (though I have come close).
[7.0][FAQs]==================================================
Will be added in the next revision of this FAQ, when I actually
get questions to answer...
[8.0][Other Stuff]===========================================
[8.1][Thanks]------------------------------------------------
Firstly, a great shoutout to Koei, for creating one of the most
enjoyable games I've ever been lucky enough to play. It's good
to see the game's not been forgotten about (with the recent
release of Gitaroo Man Lives!), and hopefully another console
version will be released in the future.
Thanks to my brother, who decided to buy the game. And thanks
to all my mates who've been beaten by us at the game over the
years :-)
And a huge thanks to Voton, who's FAQ on this game was very
helpful indeed, and gave me the tip about releasing circle just
before the note ends. Nothing has been copied from their FAQ,
but it helped greatly.
[8.2][Disclaimer & Legal Stuff]------------------------------
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are
owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
Nothing except the document itself is owned by me, and this is
a non-profitable document.
This FAQ is allowed on GameFAQs.com, but as of yet nowhere else.
If you wish to use this FAQ on your site, feel free to contact
me with your requests.
[8.3][Contact Information]-----------------------------------
Feel free to contact me with questions, queries, tips, whatever,
at my e-mail address. Because I hate spam, and have managed to
keep this address free of it for a while now, you'll have to
remove all the # signs.
a4###r##0##
[email protected]###o.u###k
Otherwise, thanks for reading the FAQ, and I hope it's been of
some use :-)
