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/_/ \____/ .___/ /_/ /_/
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|__ __| (_) | |
| |_ ___ _ __ | |__ ___ ___
| \ \ /\ / / | '_ \| '_ \ / _ \/ _ \
| |\ V V /| | | | | |_) | __/ __/
|_| \_/\_/ |_|_| |_|_.__/ \___|\___|
Pop'n Twinbee FAQ v1.0
--------------
by TIDQ (Email at the bottom)
========
Contents
--------
For ease, every part of the FAQ can be accessed by hitting Ctrl+F and searching
for the section number or section title.
1.0 Preface
1.1 Game Overview
1.2 The Story
1.3 The History of Twinbee
2.0 Getting Started
2.1 Option Mode
2.2 Controls
2.3 Mini Formation
3.0 The Bells
4.0 Walkthrough
4.1 Stage 1: The Town Level
4.2 Stage 2: The Underwater Level
4.3 Stage 3: The Cloud Level
4.4 Stage 4: The Flying Fortress Level
4.5 Stage 5: The Forest Level
4.6 Stage 6: The Enemy Base Outside Level
4.7 Stage 7: The Enemy Base Inside Level
5.0 Miscellany
5.1 Legal Stuff
5.2 Emailing Me
5.3 Version History
5.4 Special Thanks
===========
1.0 Preface
-----------
_________________
1.1 Game Overview
Pop'n Twinbee is a vertically scrolling shooter released for the SNES in Japan
and Europe. There is an English version, but unfortunately it was not released
in North America. Unlike other shooters, Twinbee does not seek to impress the
player with giant grotesque enemies and dark scenery. Instead, it uses its
graphical advantage to create a vibrant, colorful, and light-hearted world.
On the surface, the game may seem geared for kids, but the engine is solid and
adds gameplay twists like the power-up Bells and a life meter that make it a
refreshingly unique experience for old-school shooter fans. The addition of
adjustable difficulty also lets novices as well as veteran players have an
appropriately challenging experience.
As you notch up the difficulty, the game gets really hard, really fast.
_____________
1.2 The Story
Our brave adventurers, Light and Pastel, are out on patrol one day when Light
receives a distress signal. A girl named Madoka has news that her grandfather
is plotting to take over the world. Apparently, he used to be a kind and
benevolent scientist, but then he hit his head on a pole and turned evil.
Madoka pleads to Light and Pastel to save the world and her grandfather. Of
course the challenge is accepted, and it's up to our heroes and their flying
robot suits, named Twinbee and Winbee, to stop the mad scientist's army from
taking over the globe.
__________________________
1.3 The History of Twinbee
The focus of this guide, the game Pop'n Twinbee, is not the first of its
kind. Twinbee is a well-known franchise in Japan, although few know of its
existence in the Western world. Most of the games in the series are top-down
view shooters, and this one is no exception.
It all started with the arcade smash hit "Twinbee," which was also ported to
the Famicom. The inevitable sequel, "Moero Twinbee," was actually ported over
to America. In America, it's called "Stinger," probably because that made the
game sound more badass. The third 8-bit installment, "Twinbee 3," tested the
limits for level design and creativity in early shooters.
The string of 8-bit hits led to a renewed and graphically pumped set of
shooters that have come to define the franchise. Finally, people were able to
see the world of Twinbee in brighter and more fanciful colors, and the series
was able to identify itself as an anime-style shooter it had always meant to
be. "Detana!! Twinbee" became one of the most well-known Twinbee games when it
hit arcades in Japan.
The 16-bit era also brought with it a platformer spinoff, "Pop'n Twinbee
Rainbow Bell Adventure" and another shooter made specifically for consoles,
"Pop'n Twinbee." Some people have called this the best of the series, and I
think they have a good argument.
Other Twinbee games include a puzzler spinoff and even an RPG for the PS1. If
you like Pop'n Twinbee, check out some other parts of the series.
My brief explanation can't do the series justice, but to date, the original
Twinbee is one of the best-selling Konami games of all time. A mega-hit by any
standard, yet most people outside of Japan still have no idea it ever existed.
===================
2.0 Getting Started
-------------------
_______________
2.1 Option Mode
Before starting a 1P or 2P game, you might want to peruse the options menu.
There are several important options that can only be changed prior to starting
the game.
- Controls
The individual controls can be set with this option. The use of each action
is covered in the Controls section. Twinbee covers player one's controls and
Winbee covers player two's controls. Note that by default, Punch and Bomb are
set to the same button. If that makes you uncomfortable, changing Punch to
one of the shoulder buttons might not be a bad idea. Let Shot be the most
comfortable button to press, as it will be used most often.
- Game-Level
Unlike previous Twinbee games, Pop'n Twinbee has variable difficulty, from
a range of one to seven. With increased difficulty, enemies will fire
projectiles more often, and enemies that didn't previously even fire any
bullets, now will.
- Game-Mode
The Game-Mode can be changed between two settings, Normal and Couple. This
only applies to two-player games. In Normal mode, enemies fire at both
Twinbee and Winbee. In Couple mode, all of the enemy fire will be centered
on Twinbee. This style accomodates less skilled players if they play the
second player, Winbee, along with a more competant friend who can handle the
brunt.
- Sound-Mode
Set the sound to optimal output, depending on whether you have a stereo or
monaural speaker system.
________________
2.2 The Controls
The controls in Pop'n Twinbee can be changed through the Option menu.
- Shot
Shot is set by default to the B button. Like any shooter, this is the button
to hold down to make the ship fire its main gun. There is the normal shot,
the cannon, and the spread shot. Shots can be changed by grabbing the
appropriate Bell during gameplay, as explained in the next section. (3.0)
Shots only affect airborn enemies, although these are the most plentiful
kind of enemy in the game.
- Bomb
The ground Bomb is set to the Y button by default. Ground units cannot be
hit by airborn shots and must therefore be taken out with the slow-acting
and tricky-to-aim Bomb. When throwing a bomb, a red target will appear in
front of Twinbee (or Winbee) showing the trajectory of the bomb. This target
does not have to be aimed precisely. Simply getting in the general area of
the thing to be bombed will cause the red target to lock onto it. Ground
units at least only take one hit to kill usually. 80-90% of ground units are
also capable of leaving Health powerups (shaped like hearts). They usually
leave either a "DUD" message or a Heart. If a unit succeptible to Bombs does
not leave a DUD, then it's not capable of leaving a Heart either.
- Energy
The Energy action is set by default to the X-button. It has no use in
one-player mode. In two-player mode, it transfers energy from the life bar
of Twinbee to Winbee or vice versa. When the two players are overlapping
each other, either of them can press the Energy button, and whoever has more
health will transfer some of it to the player with less health until both
players reach equilibrium.
- Chibi
The mighty Chibi blaster is set by default to the A-button. This is the
common feature in shooters that lets the player obliterate everything on
the screen, and are in very limited supply. Unleashing this will cause
countless Chibi-robots to bounce around every corner of the screen, damaging
everything they touch. Unlike the wide-area attacks in some shooters, the
Chibi blaster is an excellent boss killer, since it hits multiple times for
a large cumulative damage.
- Punch
Interestingly enough, the Punch attack is set by default to the Y-button,
which is also the Bomb button. This setup somehow works though, as Punching
requires the player to hold the button down, while Bombs do not. So a tap
of the Y-button will yield a Bomb, while holding it down will garner a Punch.
Punches come in two different strengths, medium and strong. A medium Punch
is created when the player holds down the button for 1-2 seconds before
releasing. A strong Punch is if the player holds the button down longer than
that. The difference is illustrated by the stars that will fly off in the
event of a strong Punch. A punch will land the instant the button is
released.
Punches are a mixed bag. Although the radius of the punch is larger than the
reach of the glove, it is still a very small reach compared to normal Shots.
It's a risk to the player's health to use a Punch to attack, although Punches
do inflict an incredible amount of damage. Perhaps the more practical use of
the Punch is that it can deflect projectiles, such as the little pink bullets
that you'll come across a million times. Lastly, there are a small number of
flying objects that can only be killed with a Punch.
- Throw
Throw is an infinitely amusing attack. It almost makes the game cheap in a
way. In two-player mode, have the two ships overlap. Press the Throw button
to grab your partner and start swinging him (or her) around. When you let go,
your partner will bounce around the screen, homing in on any airborn enemies
it can find, killing them. Of course, your partner will be temporarily
invincible while all of this is happening. It does take time to wind up, but
otherwise it's very cool. Throw is set by default to the R-button.
__________________
1.3 Mini Formation
During the course of the game, you can recruit little Mini-bees of sorts
(refered from here on out as Minis) that will fly with you and fire at the
enemy. They cannot be killed by running into enemy fire, but you'll lose one
for every time you get damaged without a shield. Before the start of the game,
you'll be asked to pick a formation for the Minis to fly in. Although it
appears that Twinbee and Winbee have the same three choices in "Normal,"
"Surround," and "Engulf," they're actually different from each other. The
Mini formation you pick is the one you're stuck with for the entire game, so
pick carefully.
- Twinbee Normal
Twinbee's Normal formation has his Minis follow his trail exactly wherever
he goes. If Twinbee moves to the right, the Minis will follow and form a tail
on his left. When Twinbee stops, the Minis will catch up to him and sit
right on top of him. This will create concentrated shooting on a single
target as long as Twinbee is standing still. Bosses can go down faster with
this setup, although that's assuming Twinbee even has time to stand still.
Normal is not the best for crowd control through the level though.
- Winbee Normal
Winbee's Normal formation is almost the same as Twinbee's but not quite. Much
like Twinbee, Winbee's Minis will fly in a tail behind her, firing ahead.
However, when Winbee stops, the Minis won't move up and sit on top of her.
They will stay in the tail formation for as long as they're alive. More aim
is needed to set up the possible usefulness of this setup over Twinbee's
Normal, although being able to sit still and have concentrated fire to the
side of Winbee very nice for a few bosses, like the last one.
- Twinbee Surround
Twinbee's Surround formation has the Minis orbiting in a constant circle
around him. The Minis will also always face forward, shooting in a range
that cover's Twinbee's left, center, and right. This setup is very useful
in shooting a lane of enemies open to fly through without having to move
Twinbee all over the place.
- Winbee Surround
Winbee's Surround is very cool. Much like Twinbee, her Minis will orbit
around her in a tight circle. However, her Minis will face away from Winbee
at all times, making them fire in 360 degrees around the screen as they
orbit. It's great for just taking out all sides of the screen, in front,
in back, to the side, whatever. However, There's obviously less concentration
on the front as opposed to Normal, so it's worse for bosses.
- Twinbee Engulf
Twinbee's Engulf is my personal favorite setup, and one of the details that
sets Pop'n Twinbee apart from other shooters. As long as Twinbee is firing
his Shot attack (making the Minis shoot) and moving, the Minis will start
flying a peculiar route. They will fly to the side until they get to the edge
of the screen, then fly up, then fly back to the middle of the screen, firing
towards the center of the screen the whole way. Then they'll retrace the
route back to Twinbee and start over. Essentially, this makes a box-shaped
attack area. When there are four Minis going simultaneously, firing from all
sides of the screen, it's a beautiful thing to behold. Not only does it do
decent crowd control, it's also not that bad for bosses. With a bit of
practice and luck, Engulf can be aimed to hit a boss's weak spot, even if
Twinbee is out of danger zone.
- Winbee Engulf
I'm really having trouble figuring out how Winbee's Engulf is even half as
useful as Twinbee's Engulf. The two are identical, except instead of the
Minis forming a box in front of the robot like Twinbee's, Winbee's Minis will
form a box behind her. Three sides of this "box" then become almost totally
useless, because it primarily attacks enemies that are behind Winbee. Since
this IS a vertically scrolling shooter, the enemies come from the top of the
screen usually, and the player wants to stay near the bottom. Yet, this Mini
formation would have you flying well in front of the enemies to do much
damage. I wouldn't use this.
Although five out of the six Mini formations I have deemed useful, my
preference when playing Twinbee is to use Engulf, and Surround when using
Winbee.
=============
3.0 The Bells
-------------
The Bells are almighty. Learn to love them. You will not beat this game without
comprehension of the Bell system. In every level of the game, there are objects
that will release Bells when shot (almost always clouds). The Bells will give
specific power-ups depending on their color. These Bells will always be
bronze-colored at first. Juggle them with your weapon for a while, and they'll
change color. Shoot them too much and they'll turn back to bronze. Shoot them
some more and they'll turn into a new color. Turning them back to bronze is
necessary to get the Bells you need sometimes. Bells will fall rapidly to the
bottom of the screen if they're not shot, so juggling Bells while handling
enemies is one of the primary challenges of the game.
- Bronze Bell: Points
Oh boy, points! The Bronze Bell is a boobie prize. Try to turn these bells
into something more useful, unless perhaps you're aiming for a high score
rather than just winning. With each Bronze Bell grabbed, the number of points
each Bell gives multiplies. I suspect getting a lot of points might grant an
extra continue, but turning Bells into useful things will save more lives
overall.
- Pink Bell: Damage Shield
The Pink Bell is the most important Bell in the game. Always go after this
one if you're shieldless. Although your ship's life bar can take quite a few
hits, the shield can take a lot more. In addition, the Minis will start to
disappear one by one while taking damage. With a shield up, you can get hit
without making those valuable Minis go bye-bye. The shield will change color
as it absorbs damage. Grabbing another Pink Bell will recharge the shield to
full capacity.
- Green Bell: Mini
Every Green Bell nabbed grants another Mini to your little fleet. Every time
you take damage, a Mini dies. Up to four Minis can be on the screen at once.
Every Green Bell obtained once there are already four will go into the Mini
reserve. The number next to the life bar is the Mini reserve number. When you
take damage, instead of losing a Mini, the reserve number will go down by
one. Getting hit is unavoidable, so to keep those Minis alive, be sure to
grab a shield (Pink Bell) first.
- Blue Bell: Speed Up
The Blue Bells fortunately can be used sparingly. Once a Blue Bell is
obtained, the player's ship will speed up, and the power-up will not wear
off until the player dies. Speed can be increased a total of three times for
layering effect. Grabbing three I think is excessive and more likely to cause
you to lose control of where you're flying. Most projectiles in the game
aren't all that fast, so reflexes are more important than speed, but it
certainly doesn't hurt to grab one or two. Grabbing a fourth Blue Bell will
return the ship to its slowest speed.
- Flashing Bronze Bell: Chibi Ammunition
The screen-clearing Chibi blaster attack cannot be used very often. The lower
left and right corners of the screen show how many Chibi attacks Twinbee and
Winbee have remaining, respectively. You start the game with three Chibi
blasts, but a Flashing Bronze Bell is needed for every additional Chibi
attack. My advice is to not use them too much in the beginning levels, and
save them for when things get really crazy. You can hold a maximum of 9 Chibi
attacks in reserve.
- Silver Bell: Cannon
Silver Bells... Silver Bells! No wait, not the song. Silver Bells will
upgrade your weapon from a small blaster into a large energy cannon. Despite
the look of the cannon, it does not do more damage than a normal weapon
attack. It fires at the same rate and speed. The only difference is the size
of the bullets you shoot. They're huge. Basically, their purpose is to take
some of the pressure off your aim. Getting additional Silver Bells once
equipped with a Cannon doesn't do anything. Cannons will last until you die
or grab a Purple Bell.
- Purple Bell: Spread Shot
The Spread Shot is the other possible upgrade for the main weapon of your
ship. Energy blasts will fire in three directions, straight ahead, about
30 degrees to the right, and about 30 degrees to the left. This has the
widest range of attack of the three possible weapons, and it's great for
clearing out levels full of enemies. The downside? It doesn't fire nearly as
often directly in front of it. So a Cannon will do more damage to a single
target in a given amount of time. Most bosses will go down faster to a weapon
besides the Spread Shot. It is possible to concentrate the three energy
trajectories into a single target if you get REALLY close, but if you're
going to get that close, you might as well Punch it. Like the Cannon, getting
additional Purple Bells doesn't serve a purpose. Spread Shot will last until
you die or get a Silver Bell.
You will probably spend most of your time hunting down Pink, Green, and
Flashing Bronze Bells. Purple, Silver, and Blue serve their purpose but aren't
needed very often, due to their long-lasting effects. Bronze should be avoided.
The other power-ups in the game are the Heart and the rare Faerie. Hearts are
made by bombing things, and Faerie's are found by randomly destorying things,
although they only appear rarely. I find about one per game. Hearts restore
the life bar, and Faerie's restore the life bar more than a Heart.
===============
4.0 Walkthrough
---------------
This walkthrough is based on my perspective in single-player mode, although I
highly encourage a two-player game. It's even more fun that way. A single-
player game does not mean you have to use Twinbee as your ship. If you're
playing with the second controller, you can use Winbee's ship instead, which
could be to your advantage, as it does have different Mini Formations.
Dieing in a one-player game means you'll have to use a continue and start the
level over from the beginning. Dieing in a two-player mode means the person who
died can use a continue to join back in at any time, and the stage won't have
to be restarted. If both players are dead simultaneously, then you'll have to
start the stage over, assuming you still have a continue.
Regardless of whether you're playing a single- or two-player game, both ships
will collectively have 8 credits between them, meaning seven continues in a
one-player game and six continues in a two-player game. A two-player game can
potentially burn through those continues much quicker, so take advantage of the
double fire power and keep each other alive.
Rather than talking about every formation you're about to encounter one by one,
I'll describe the nameless enemies that appear in the level and how best to
deal with them. Then I'll give the boss strategy.
The highest level difficulty I've beaten the game on is four. I do know that
starting with difficulty five, many enemies start shooting bullets when killed.
However, my notes are based on difficulties 1-4.
___________________________
4.1 Stage 1: The Town Level
The first stage should hopefully be a breeze. There are a few tricks and turns,
but mostly this levels is to accustom the player to the workings of the game.
Zigzagging Yellow Things: The staple easy to kill unit of any shooter. These
things fly in a zigzag formation down the screen. On harder difficulties, they
also shoot bullets. Just stay low and fire at them. They go down in one hit.
Flying Pink Flowers: The pink flowers will swoop down and then quickly go off
the screen. They won't get in your way much, so shooting is optional. They will
shoot at you on higher difficulties.
Ground Units: Walking pineapples, men in barrels, and small rodents litter this
level. They all go down with a single bomb, but they will shoot bullets on
harder difficulties, much like all the other seemingly harmless ground units in
the game. Cucumber shaped plants will spit out orange projectiles that can be
shot down. Take them out with bombs as well.
Rockets with Big Silver Ashtrays: I'm sure the description is a little
inaccurate, but that's what they look like to me. While flying over the town,
these guys will fly down at you. The rockets use the ashtrays like shields,
although Spread Shot can reach around the shield and kill the rocket if you aim
well. The ashtray shields themselves can only be destroyed with a might Punch.
Flying Grapes: The grapes are tough targets. They take many hits to go down,
and chances are you won't have enough time to stand in front of it and shoot it
dead. They do shoot bullets and will eventually wander off the screen.
Floating Watermelons: The watermelons are best avoided. Some of them fall down
the screen naturally. Others will fall towards you when you shoot them enough.
They cannot die though.
Floating Pods: The floating pods each have a little enemy soldier inside. The
pods will shoot bullets on higher difficulties. They will stop firing when hit
with a single bomb. However, they will not yield Heart containers.
Swooping Yellow Things: These look a bit like the zigzaggers, except they swoop
from the top of the screen, and they don't fire bullets. Shoot them or dodge
them.
Flower Train: Shortly after seeing the first floating pods, you'll see little
trains of enemies. The front is an enemy soldier, and he's carrying a line of
flowers behind him. These guy can home in on you. Shoot them. Then, if they
get too close, move in a circle to get back under them. Then shoot some more.
Destroying the head will send the flowers skating to the side of the screen.
Parachuters: These guys jump in from the side of the screen and open
parachutes. They will hang there like sitting ducks. Shoot them.
***********************
* Boss 1: Cannon Ship *
***********************
Suggested Weapon: Either
When you first run into this boss, it'll be using its mechanical arms to
harass some other ship. Don't try to touch the ship. You'll only get hit by
the arms.
The first phase is pretty straight forward. Soon after the battle starts,
the boss will open up an area on the front of it that reveals a giant
multicolored bright spot. Fire right at it. If you take too long, the arms
will stop spinning and fire single lasers at you. Dodge them, then go right
back to work. You can even afford to use Punches or a close-up Spread Shot
to speed up this process. Eventually, the arms will blow up along with the
roof of the ship.
During the second phase, cannons on the ship will start firing, so stay back
far enough. They can't fire directly at you but rather they'll fire along a
set trajectory. The goal is to knock out the little guys controlling the
ship. Stand back and fire, or fly up and take them all out quickly with
Spread Shot if you're feeling lucky. On harder difficulties, each little guy
will take turns shooting fire circles at you. These can easily be dissipated
with your weapon though. Kill all the little guys, then the big guy will
start firing. He will also shoot out fire circles, but if you have Spread
Shot, there's no chance they'll hit you. Once he dies, the ship goes down.
On the easiest difficulty, the entire battle can be won without the enemy
ever firing a single shot.
_________________________________
4.2 Stage 2: The Underwater Level
Ground Units: Crabs, Sea Anemones. They'll all fire bullets on harder
difficulties. Dodge their shots, Bomb them, and take the Hearts.
Sea Turtles: Sea turtles swim in from the side of the screen, stop in front of
you and fire. Their attack goes in diagonal directions, excpet for a laser shot
that goes down. Try to stay in front of them but slightly off to the side to
avoid getting hit.
Eel: These guys are really annoying. They take many hits to kill and will
follow you around the screen occasionally. When you see one of these slithering
at you, try to fire some shots at it. Then move out of the way. If it follows,
move in a circular pattern around the screen until you can get under him again.
Fire some more until he's dead. They can only be hit in the head.
Floating Purple Jellyfish: Much the same as the yellow things, except with a
different swimming pattern. Not a big threat.
Small Pink Jellyfish: Very annoying. They will come up from the bottom of the
screen to whatever height your ship is at, then float horizontally towards you.
Very carefully climb up the screen when they appear. When they're high up the
screen, drop back down and fire from below.
Snails: Snails zoom across the screen. Yes, irony. It's not even necessary to
kill them, so just stay out of their way.
Squirmy bumpy blue tube things: I don't know what these are supposed to be.
They're easy to kill though. They squirm down the screen, stop for a second,
then lunge at you. They're kinda fast, but they're easy to kill and avoid.
Angelfish: Angelfish will appear on the side of the screen and accelerate
across to the other side. They appear only in never-ending lines. Often, a
row of angelfish coming from the left will be right next to a row coming from
the right. In these cases, pick a side and shoot at it. Before it can recover,
zoom through the second line of fish. You can't take out both sides at once,
and going up the middle is riskier.
Submarines: Submarines are easy to spot, and fairly easy to kill. They take
only about three hits to kill, but they may launch a pair of missles before
they go down. Missles go straight, so don't worry about them. Just stand in
front and keep firing.
The School of Fish: Near the end of the level, a humongous school of fish will
emerge from the left side of the screen. Avoiding all of them is very hard,
even if they do die quickly. Having a couple of available Minis set on the
Engulf formation will take care of this area of the level with no sweat.
Winbee's Surround formation is also worth using. If these are not options,
consider using a Chibi attack to clear the crowd. Or, just try very hard to
dodge.
**********************
* Boss 2: Robo Squid *
**********************
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
Phase one of this boss will fire bubbles at you. Lots and lots of bubbles.
Just shoot them down, as they break as easily as... well, bubbles.
Eventually, he'll change up and start firing missles which are also easily
destroyed. If a missle is on your tail, just swim around in a circle then
shoot from below. The glowing eyes are the weakness, if that weren't
apparent.
When he's sustained enough damage, the squid will open up and go into
full-on attack mode. Now your target will be the big green circle in the
middle. The boss will shift left and right while firing lots of laser beams.
These are most easily avoided by staying directly in front of him and
shifting as necessary. When the eyes start to radiate, move out of the way
to the left or right. He'll do an electric shock beam directly in front of
himself, then go back to the lasers. Keep firing up the middle until he goes
down.
____________________________
4.3 Stage 3: The Cloud Level
This is a transition stage. Overall, it's not terribly hard compared to the
later stages, but it does start to introduce more varied enemy attack patterns.
The variety of ways to die in this level should give you a taste of what's
ahead. There are almost no ground units in the entire level, so keep that
shield up.
Zigzagging Yellow Things: The yellow things return again, and they're just as
wimpy as ever.
Flying Pink Flowers: The pink flowers from level 1 return, and they behave
exactly the same way as before.
Flying Blue Flowers: Unlike the pink versions, these upgraded models take
multiple hits to kill and shoot out multiple bullets. Nothing special to add
here except to weave through the bullets like anything else.
Teleporting Green Turrets: These guys teleport into the screen out of nowhere.
On easier difficulties, they can simply be shot down. On harder difficulties,
they will fire a laser every time they're hit. Stand as far back as possible
and fire. Move out of the way before a laser gets to you then move back in.
It should take two rounds to kill him, unless you're using Twinbee Normal
formation. With one or two Minis, it's possible to do enough concentrated fire
to kill these guys before dodging. Or you can simply let them be and they'll
teleport away.
Flying Onion Baskets: I don't think they're really onions inside, but let's
pretend they are. These things fly up the screen from the bottom, shaking their
onions and letting them spill everywhere. There's no point in killing the
basket so just stay out of its way and avoid the onions. Winbee's Engulf might
help you avoid having to deal with these guys, but it'd be one of the too few
situations where it'd be useful.
Electric Red Pod: This creature hovers down the screen and splits in half.
The two halves will start generating an electric current in the air in a
regular rhythm as the halves go up and down the screen. You'll have to time
your way through the electric field a few times. Do NOT try to kill this thing.
If one of the halves gets destroyed, the other half goes ballistic and fires
things everywhere. Just pass through it a couple times and it will go away.
Raining Pandas: In what other game could someone possibly go, "AARGH! PANDAS!"
Probably the single most memorable part of this game for me is the section
where 200 pandas just start falling from the sky. They can be shot easily
enough, but they drift left and right, meaning they can hit from the side.
Twinbee's Surround would help the most here, although Twinbee's Engulf and
Winbee's Surround would also work. Spread Shot might also save your butt. If
you have none of the above, simply move off to the side of the screen. Yeah,
it's easier that way, but it's more fun to shoot the pandas.
Giant Sky Caterpillars: They appear from the bottom of the screen and shoot
single bullets. Just avoid them entirely.
Ground Units: Ground Units are extremely rare in this level. Much of the way
through the level, you'll find some little guys hopping across a wall. They
won't hurt you, so bomb them all and take a Heart.
************************
* Boss 3: Green Walker *
************************
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
Phase one of this boss goes in a three-part pattern. First, the middle eye
will flash and fire three quick lasers. Then, the purple eye on the right
will fire three more delayed shots. Then, the left side will fire a few
rounds of scatter shot. Stay far back and try not to move around too much,
particularly during the scatter portion. Attack anytime the first eye isn't
moving and aim right for the middle of the body. Staying near the middle
should prove to be the safest spot anyway.
When he's damaged enough, the legs will detach. The main part of the body
will continue its three-part pattern of shooting, but on top of that, the
legs will be firing missiles at you constantly. There won't be a good safe
spot anymore, so using a Chibi attack or two might speed things up. Move
around enough to shoot the missles but keep pressure on the middle and stay
in the safe area where the left and right attacks won't be able to hit you
easily.
______________________________________
4.4 Stage 4: The Flying Fortress Level
This is the prototypical shooter level where you fly over an enemy base and
shoot turrets and cannons on the side. It's also the first level where you get
to meet your rival, Evil Bee. One thing that always gets me in this level are
the propellors. They're immovable and unbreakable, and you'll probably run into
them at least once while trying to dodge something else. When the camera shifts
and the screen starts moving down, watch out that your ship doesn't blindly
back onto a propellor.
Flying Pink Flowers: Same as before
Flying Blue Flowers: Same as before
Propellors: Do not try to get near these things. Do not try to attack these
things. Just stay away. They will hurt.
Lil Rocket Boosters: I think the best way to deal with these guys while they're
swarming the screen is to shoot the ones on the sides and hug the wall,
avoiding any projectiles.
Big Jetpack Guys: These big fellas can shoot missles, and they take a few hits
to kill. Concentrate more on destroying the missles, and the guys themselves
will fly off the screen soon anyway.
Sky Mines: These spiky green things will fall down the screen then explode
into a rain of bullets. They're not terribly difficult to avoid, but they can
be neutralized early with a Punch.
Duck Launchers: When the fortress finally pierces the clouds, the first enemies
you'll confront are the duck launchers. They open up and release mechanical
ducks that fly at you. The launchers can be destroyed with Bombs, but I'd
recommend against it. They take 16 Bombs to kill. By the time you throw that
many, they'll be practically off the screen. Just concentrate on killing the
ducks as they come.
Mini Cannons: Little cannons that can be taken out with a single bomb each or
a Chibi attack. They fire in unison every few seconds. I usually try to take a
few out, but getting close enough is a risk.
Dragonfly Planes: Little guys driving planes with dragonfly wings on the side
will assault you when the first round of cannons show up. On higher
difficulties, they shoot quite a barrage. Coupled with the cannons' attacks,
this is one of the hardest parts of the level. A Chibi attack to take out the
cannons and planes is not a bad idea.
Large Cannons: Just before the boss, you'll come across eight large cannons.
They're all firing at you, all the while Bell clouds are floating by. Juggling
Bells and enemies is one of the challenges of the game, but these Bells might
have to take a back seat, because you cannot afford to not put all your energy
into killing and dodging the cannons. They take four bombs each to kill. Just
keep moving left to right to left to avoid the fire.
*** Mini-Boss: Evil Bee ***
Suggested Weapon: Either
Yes, scary as it might seem, there is an evil clone of Twinbee and Winbee.
He has a two-part attack. First, he will hover left and right, trying to get
right in front of you. On harder difficulties, he will do a scatter attack
while doing this, which is really annoying, because the white scatter attack
blends in with the cloud background. The scatter is easier to avoid by going
through the side, so try to zig zag.
Once he stops, he will pause for a moment, then he'll strafe to the right or
left while shooting double-helix shaped beams. Instead of trying to outrun the
beams, an easier way to avoid them is to lure Evil Bee to the middle of the
screen. Wait until he starts to go left or right, then go in the opposite
direction. Then you won't have to deal with the silly beam attack. Don't let
up on your shooting, keep dodging, and he'll be toast.
************************************
* Boss 4: Flamethrowing Helicopter *
************************************
Suggested Weapon: Spread Shot
Stay alert at the beginning of the fight. The boss will zigzag across the
screen a couple of times. Don't get hit.
Unlike the rest of the bosses, this guy doesn't have to go through two
phases to be brought down. Rather, he has a well-guarded weak point. You
have to decide which arms you want to disable, if any, before hitting the
center.
Two of his arms will shoot bullets in a spread pattern, and the other two
will throw flames at set intervals. The boss also sweeps left to right.
Instead of following it, go the opposite way and only attack it when you're
crossing each other's pathes. Eventually, he'll use two other, yet more
easily evadable moves. He can take one of his flame arms and sweep fire
along the bottom of the screen, or he'll take off and try the swooping
motion he used at the beginning of the battle again. Both are very easy to
see coming and dodge.
I recommend Spread shot because getting directly underneath this thing is
risky at first. With Spread, you can attack at an angle from the side more
easily. Twinbee's Engulf works phenomenally on this boss. Use it if you've
got it.
Since this boss has so many parts to attack, this is also one of the best
bosses to use Chibi attack on. If you have plenty saved up, use one here.
If you defeat all the arms before the center is dead, the boss will turn a
manly pink color and start shooting white balls at you. Stay near the center
and keep up the pressure. Try not to let this happen though. He's less
deadly with one arm than no arms.
_____________________________
4.5 Stage 5: The Forest Level
On easier difficulties, this is moderately difficult. On harder settings, this
level is a nightmare. There are a ton of ground enemies in this stage, and
they all fire bullets at a rapid pace. The ones in the first half of the stage
also have temporary invincibility. When the tough ground units are gone, you'll
have to deal with the deadly twirling bunnies. This is one of the two hardest
levels in the game, so work those reflexes.
Ground Units: Gophers will not move and shoot little bullets, as per ground
units on other levels. However, they're only susceptible to bombs when they
have their heads peaked above ground. Hippos pretty much exactly the same
except in the water. Wait until they open their mouth to shoot to bomb them.
Waterskiing pigs (you can't make this stuff up) will go all over the screen.
Don't let bombing them distract you from dodging bullets, but they will drop
Hearts. Armadillos are also in this level. They're easy prey.
Flying Squirrels: Flying squirrels are the most harmless things in the level.
They fly straight down but eventually curve left or right, depending on where
your ship is. Don't run into them.
Big Yellow Pigs: These aren't like the waterskiing pigs. They swim through the
air somehow, going from the top of the screen to the bottom. Do NOT shoot them.
They will break apart into eight smaller animals and spread across the screen.
Just let them pass right on by.
Wheel of Ostriches: The wheel of ostriches really makes you step back and
realize how weird this game can be. This spinning wheel of feathers will
follow you around the screen. On harder difficulties, it will spit bullets in
eight directions. Taking down each bird is too much of a chore, so wait out
the ten or twelve seconds that this guy is on the screen by flying around.
Eventually he'll disappear. Use a Chibi attack to kill it if he's really making
you mad, but I'd save it.
Mice: Four mice will appear at a time. First they will run in a tight circle
a few times. Then they'll cut a line towards your ship. Just fly out of the
way without trying to shoot them. It's easier that way. If they're hard to
dodge, try a Speed powerup.
Twirling Bunny Soldiers: The twirling bunnies are incredibly annoying. They're
gone from the screen too quickly to worry about killing them, except with a
Chibi attack. They'll pop up on the screen, shoot many, many bullets, then
fall away. Stay far away from them so you can fit through the bullets, or
simply Punch them away.
*** Mini-Boss: Evil Bee 2 ***
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
Evil-Bee has returned, and he's... actually, he's easier than last time. First
he'll start moving left to right to left, and shooting white balls if you're
on a harder difficulty. Fortunately, the white balls are easy to see on this
level. Stay as low as you can to see them coming.
Once he stops, he'll fire six homing missles. Just stand there and keep
shooting him and the missles. Try to take out the missles on one side, so you
can move in that direction and let the other missles drift off screen.
Just keep firing the whole time until he's toast.
**************************
* Boss 5: Flying Carrier *
**************************
This boss has many parts to kill, and you have to take them out to reach
the weak spot in the center. Four large mounted cannons will shoot at you,
but they're not a huge threat. The bay door in front will release little
flying soldiers though, and they will chase after you. Try to kill as many
soldiers as you can the instant they leave the ship. Otherwise, use evasive
maneuvers like flying in a circle to get under them and shoot some more.
Try to take out the bay door first, as it's easily the most dangerous part.
Using Cannon fire will help more than Spread Shot for that, although Spread
will help target all the weak points at once. Just about any of Twinbee's
Mini Formations will help in this battle, although Winbee's Surround isn't
as useful.
Smaller cannons will shoot out pink bullets. These turrets cannot be
destroyed, so just concentrate on the cannons next. As each cannon blows up,
a little guy will pop out to extinguish the fire. You can't kill him.
Once all the cannons are gone, just aim for the cockpit and avoid the pink
bulets. Eventually it'll go down.
_________________________________________
4.6 Stage 6: The Enemy Base Outside Level
In this stage, almost all the enemies are from previous stages. The hardest
part of this level are the ground units that fire all over the place. Otherwise
there's nothing here that cannot be handled. In the easier settings where the
ground forces don't fire bullets, this is one of the easiest parts of the game.
Ground Units: Little yellow guys will be your pickings in this level. On harder
difficulties, they will shoot at you. In fact, then they'll be just about THE
most dangeous thing in the level, as most everything else is easy to handle by
itself.
Zigzagging Yellow Things: Same as from the early levels. These should be a
piece of cake now.
Flying Blue Flowers: As seen before.
Flying Pink Flowers: As seen before.
Flying Squirrels: Also seen before. Now in green!
Pink Lil Rocket Boosters: Also a blast from the past. They're not too hard to
shoot with a Spread shot or Minis. Otherwise, run and hug the wall.
Blue Lil Rocket Boosters: They take more hits than the pink ones. They'll come
from the side in a diagonal pattern at first. Shoot straight ahead to make a
hole in their wall and fly through. When they swoop in a circular pattern, it
gets tricky. Fly in a large circle around the edge of the screen as necessary
to stay out of their way. Eventually they'll swoop in a large circle around you
that you have no choice but to blast through the middle. Shoot, preferably with
a cannon and some good Minis to avoid taking damage.
Big Jetpack Guys: These guys make a return from the Flying Fortress. This time
though, most of them swoop low enough that you have time to kill them before
they fire missles. If the missles do come, swivel around to get them all before
they close in.
*** Mini-Boss: Evil Bee 3 ***
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
This guy just won't stay down. On the easier difficulties, this guy isn't all
that tough. On the harder difficulties, you'll have an infinite amount of
ground units shooting at you, which makes this unpleasant.
As usual, Evil-Bee starts out by trying to maneuver in front of you and firing
his white balls. Use your experience with the previous encounters to avoid
them. Once he stops, he will phase out, making him unable to be hit for a few
seconds. When he reappears, he will scatter some missles in your direction.
Try to stay directly in front of him and don't move, rather than moving around
to get all the missles. Just stand directly in front so you have lots of time
to shoot him, and just take out the one missle directly in front of you. The
missles will explode in mid-air when you shoot them, leaving a damaging blue
cloud behind, so don't let the missle get close to you. Of course, sitting
still is easier said than done when there are ground units shooting at you, but
at least they can give you some Hearts before the main boss.
************************
* Boss 6: Robo Mardock *
************************
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
A giant robot face bearing the likeness of the mad doctor will be the last
barrier on your road to entering the final level. His attack pattern is very
simple. First he has his finger guns. The finger guns will glow, letting you
know they're going to fire. They will each shoot three lasers simultaneously
at you. To dodge these six shots, either fly towards the left or right wall
of the screen. There are also a couple of fairly safe spots in the middle of
the screen near the bottom. Since Mardock's hands never move, you can simply
memorize any of these safe spots and go back there anytime.
Mardock's mouth will constantly go back and forth between two attacks. First
he will fire missles which can easily be destroyed if you're standing
directly in front of them. Then, Mardock will lower a ladder out of his
mouth. From this latter, ground soldiers will come out, three per round to
be exact. The ground soldiers will shoot bullets at you, so dispose of them.
The small ones take one bomb, and the big ones take three bombs. Whatever
you do, don't let go of the shoot button while you're bombing the soldiers.
You can't afford to forget about killing missiles.
Mardock's weak point is his gaint face, so he's hard to miss. Just stay near
the middle in a safe spot, bomb soldiers as soon as they come out, shoot
missles, and don't let up the pressure of your weapon. Normal formation
Minis will make this battle twice as fast, but anything will help.
_______________________________
4.7 The Enemy Base Inside Level
This is the final level in the game, so hang in there. There are no clouds in
this level. Instead, you'll have to destroy the soldier guns with bombs to get
Bells. There's also no way to get power-ups between the Mini-Boss and the Main
Boss. There are plenty of enemies to keep you busy. It's not an easy level, but
it's probably better that way.
Soldier Gun: These large, round turrents spit out little worthless soldiers
that fall from the sky and can hit you. A single bomb will destory it and give
you not one but three Bells. Bells are therefore plentiful for much of the
level. This is a good thing, because your shield will deplete easily.
Ground Units: The main ground units are little creatures that resemble colored
playing cards with arms and legs. They, of course, will shoot bullets on harder
difficulty levels. They're not as bad as the ground units in some levels
though. I wouldn't waste my time trying to take them out unless I really needed
the Heart container. Eventually, you'll find ground units that look like
rainbow caterpillars of sorts. They shoot more often and are worth killing.
Eventually, you'll run into the same ground units from outside.
Hammer and Ball: The hammers juggling balls can be divided into two groups. The
ones with blue balls will try to fire them at you. The hammers with green balls
won't throw them, but they will impede your movement left and right if you
don't kill them. They're pretty managable. The balls take one hit, and the
hammers take a few hits.
Ghosts: Cute little ghosts will cross the screen from side to side. They can
spit single bullets and are easy to kill. They're gone quickly, so killing them
isn't a necessity.
Tops: Spinning tops will teleport into the middle of the screen and shoot fire
wheels, a la the first boss. Usually I have to fight the urge to just randomly
go all around the screen and try to shoot everything at once. When these guys
show up, that actually becomes a decent strategy. Try to get them as soon as
they show up and keep moving to kill all of the fire wheels before they reach
you.
Giant Babies: Just like with the pandas, how often do we get to say, "AARGH!
GIANT BABIES!" The Giant Babies will walk from the top of the screen in a
straight line to the bottom of the screen. They also have a trail of smaller
babies right behind them. On harder difficulties, they do shoot bullets, so
they're worth killing. Otherwise, their main annoyance is impeding movement
left and right while you try to dodge other things. Several hits will kill the
big baby, and it will take all the little babies with it.
Stone Robots: The stone robots appear around the same time as the caterpillar
things. They move in rigid pathes, but they can turn and move quite fast.
They don't shoot anything. They will simply try to gang up on you and run into
your ship. Fly in circular patterns to avoid getting crowded. They take quite
a few hits to kill, so it might be better to concentrate on killing the
caterpillars while dodging the crowder robots.
Laser Robots: The laser robots fly down from the top of the screen, shoot
lasers, then fly back up. Killing might control the amount of fire coming your
way, but it's not mandatory. Don't kill yourself over trying to get these guys,
in other words. The number of lasers they fire is directly proportional to the
difficulty level. If that's more than one, they'll pan horizontally as they
shoot. Try to stay off to the side when possible.
Zigzagging Red Things: They're essentially the same as the yellow variety
you've seen since level one, except they fly in a tighter formation.
*** Mini-Boss: Evil Bee 4 ***
Suggested Weapon: Cannon
This is the final confrontation between you and Evil Bee, so make it count.
Being able to get by this guy without much damage is the key to beating the
final boss, since there are NO Bell power-ups between Evil Bee and the final
guy.
It looks like Evil Bee has done some Bell grabbing of his own, as he has two
Minis and a rather impressive shield. The Minis won't do anything on low
difficulty games, but eventually they'll fire annoying spread bullets. Taking
out these guys is purely optional.
He'll start out with his usual white ball and hover pattern. Dodge the balls
as well as the Mini fire. Then, he'll use his double-helix blaster from the
first time you fought him. Use the same strategy of trying to lure him towards
the middle of the screen, then going in the opposite direction of his strafe.
This time, when he uses his main weapon, he'll also fire missles. There are two
varieties of missles, the slower ones that explode into damaging blue clouds
when shot, and the faster, homing variety. Spread Shot can get rid of them, but
it isn't necessary if you have a healthy supply of Minis with you. Just keep
firing until his shield is gone, then destroy his body, too.
As I said, the goal is to beat him with minimal damage. If you have a lot of
Chibis, use one or two of them to help ensure that process. Save most of them
for the next battle though.
When Evil Bee dies for good, he'll use a kamikaze attack to try and take you
out. Avoid the shower of bullets by moving in a wide circle around the screen.
********************
* Boss 7: Mega Bee *
********************
Suggested Weapon: Either (Spread is better for Phase One; Cannon is better
for Phase Two)
This is it. The final confrontation. There's just a behemoth of a robot
standing between you and victory.
The first phase has four targets to destory: Two flamethrower arms, and two
large cannons, much like the helicopter boss. He moves much like that boss
as well. He has three parts to his attack pattern. He will strafe from one
side of the screen to the other side, sporadically firing all four weapons.
The worst place to stand is right below him, so stand to his side whenever
possible and only cross under when he moves on top of you. Another attack
is his tractor beam, which can only be executed when both cannons are still
intact. You'll be able to see it coming by the large glow. It's fairly easy
to fight the pull, so take the opportunity to blast away at his appendiges.
Lastly he will fire missles out of his back. Use your Minis and Spread Shot
to stop them if you can. The cannon shots will turn into damaging clouds if
you shoot them, but there's no reason you should get that close anyway.
Spread Shot is great for the first phase because it lets you stand off to
the side and still hit him from a safe distance. Also great here is Winbee's
Normal Mini formation. Just make the Minis freeze just off to the side of
you and just in reach of the arms. Then blast away.
Of course, this is the final battle, so use whatever Chibi attacks you have
left. Three of them should take down the whole thing. Everytime he loses an
arm, he will charge forward, until all the arms are gone of course.
When Phase Two starts, it's safer to stand right in front of the big bee. He
will take turns shooting missles and colored balls that explode into harmful
clouds. He will also charge repeatedly, but it's easy to spot and dodge.
Just aim for the giant target on his front. X marks the spot. The Cannon
will get the job done faster, but other Mini formations will help manage the
projectiles better. Move left and right in wide arcs, because it's hard to
kill all of the balls. Just keep shooting. Use any Chibis that are left.
There's no reason to save them. Some of his missles in this phase can turn
into bullets when destroyed, so don't stay in their path.
When he finally explodes, watch out for the barrage of bullets. Survive, and
you've successfully beaten Mardock!
Congratulations! You've won the game! Watch the credits if you like. When they
finish, you'll be transported back to stage one for a chance to up that high
score.
==============
5.0 Miscellany
--------------
_______________
5.1 Legal Stuff
This FAQ is Copyright 2004-2005 by me. Any publishing of this FAQ without my
explicit permission will be in a world of trouble, and I will find out if that
happens. Pop'n Twinbee is the Copyright product of Konami. I am not in anyway
affiliated with the company or its employees.
_______________
5.2 Emailing Me
I'd love to hear any commentary or questions about the FAQ. I can be reached
at
[email protected]
If there is something missing or wrong with the FAQ, please feel free to email
me and I'll try to fix it. Also if you have a question that is not addressed in
the FAQ, I will try to help you answer it.
Do NOT ask me where to get a copy of the ROM. These emails will go straight
into the trash.
___________________
5.3 Version History
- 12/31/04 - v1.0 Finished the FAQ in its entirety and submitted to GameFAQs.
__________________
5.4 Special Thanks
Special Thanks goes out to Konami for making a great game.
Thanks also goes out to GameFAQs for being one of the greatest resources on
the internet.
_____________________________________________________
Pop'n Twinbee FAQ (c) 2004-2005 John "TIDQ" Robertson
