STINGER General FAQ/Walkthrough v1.0 (Initial version)
By Kristina Ann Potts AKA Aussie2B or Succubus
E-mail:
[email protected]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Introduction
Controls
Power-Ups
Normal Mode Walkthrough
Harder Mode Tips
Bonuses
Ending and Staff Credits
Contacting Me
Copyright Information
Thanks to...
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INTRODUCTION
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Stinger, known as Moero TwinBee! Cinnamon Hakushi o Sukue ("Get Burning
TwinBee! Cinnamon's Been Kidnapped") in Japan, is the second game in a
long running quirky shooter series by Konami named TwinBee. Stinger was
the only game in the series to be released in America, thus the name
change. Dozens of other TwinBee games were released in Japan, and many
of them were released in Europe. Despite that, the series has remained
quite unknown, so only a small cult following appreciates the obscure
series.
Unfortunately, the United States didn't get a very good representation
of the TwinBee series with Stinger. TwinBee games are traditionally
vertical shooters, but Stinger has several horizontal stages (in
addition to the vertical ones) which sort of have a Gradius-esque feel
to them. Despite that the game seems to rip off Gradius at times, it's
still a very fun, very under-appreciated game.
I guess the name change for Stinger wasn't enough, so Konami also
changed the story of the game. In the intro of the US version of the
game, you see a UFO attack Konami headquarters. The ship lands, and
some aliens come out to kidnap some random scientist. The game begins,
and you, TwinBee, have to save the scientist.
In the Japanese version, however, the scientist is actually Dr.
Cinnamon, creator of the robot bee-shaped ships TwinBee, WinBee,
GwinBee (usually piloted by Light, Pastel, and Herb respectively). In
his laboratory on Donburi Island, Cinnamon has been working on the
science of sweets and candy, and evil aliens kidnap him to use him for
their plan to turn the world into delicious cotton candy.
The name and story change may not make a huge difference, but we sadly
lost some much more interesting features in the Japan to US conversion.
The simultaneous three-player mode with WinBee was removed, the
difficulty selection was removed (however both difficulties can be
played if the game is played through twice), and an extra screen of the
introduction featuring the pilots conversing was taken out as well as
the song that accompanied it.
Enough back story, though; the game is fun whether you're playing the
Japanese TwinBee 2 or the US Stinger. This FAQ will help you beat the
game, rack up lots of lives, and complete the second harder quest. Are
you ready? Let's get burning!
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CONTROLS
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D-Pad
- move ship in all directions
SELECT Button
- choose number of players on title screen
- choose yes or no on Game Over screen
START Button
- start game
- pause game
B Button
- tap to shoot
A Button
- shoot hearts above you (in horizontal stages)
- throw bombs to attack land enemies (in vertical stages)
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POWER-UPS
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As in nearly all TwinBee games, Stinger's bouncing jingling bells are
your main source of powering your ship up. In all but the last stage,
small clouds will float by. When you shoot most clouds, a gold bell
will pop out. If you grab it at this point, you'll simply get some
bonus points, but if you bounce around the bell with several shots, the
color of the bell will change. Depending on the color, you will get all
sorts of different power-ups. In the last stage of Stinger, the clouds
are replaced with Konami's own mascot, Konami Man, who flies by and
throws out bells. The following are all the different bell power-ups
you can acquire:
Blue Bell (5 hits) - speed-up
White Bell (10 hits) - double shot
Pink Bell (15 hits) - laser
Pink Flashing Bell (20 hits) - two following shadow ships
Blue Flashing Bell (25 hits) - shield
If you hit the bell TOO many times (30 hits), beyond getting any of the
power-ups, it will turn into a little chubby Japanese face, which will
cause instant death if you touch it. Shoot it to destroy it.
There are other power-ups you can acquire by destroying land enemies
with your bombs. Some of these attacks are considered more powerful
than the bell power-ups, so they will replace the effects of the bell
power-up. Future bell attack power-ups you acquire will take no effect.
L - left side shot (vertical stages) or up shot (horizontal stages)
R - right side shot (vertical stages) or down shot (horizontal stages)
L & R (combined) - behind ship shot
Moon - triple spread shot
Star - five-spread shot
? (question mark) - has many effects:
1. Invincibility - For a short time, take out as many enemies as you
can for bonus point ranging from 500, 1000, or 5000. Some enemies tend
to run away while you're invincible.
2. All enemies on screen vanish
3. All enemies on screen turn into bells
4. Skull - no effect
After being hit, there are two items that can help you out:
Emergency Repair - In the vertical stages, if an arm gets shot, you
will lose both arms and the ability to throw bombs. An emergency repair
item with a red cross on it will drop from the top of the screen
accompanied with an ambulance siren. Quickly grab it to fix your ship's
arms. Only available once per life.
TwinBee Angel - When you die while possessing power-ups, a TwinBee
angel will float upward. Quickly grab it to recover all your power-ups.
If you die a second time, there will be no angel, and you must collect
power-ups once again.
Finally, while this is more of a special attack than a power-up, with
two players you can perform a special two-player attack. Simply line up
one ship on top of the other and "tap" the other ship. When the ships
bump into each other, they will fire out a huge ring attack that can
take out numerous enemies at once. However, the strength of this
powerful attack all balances out with the higher difficulty of the two-
player mode in which some item locations are moved, enemy movement at
times changes, and there are more bullets to deal with.
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NORMAL MODE WALKTHROUGH
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STAGE 1 - THE COUNTRYSIDE OVER DONBURI ISLAND
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The theme of this horizontal stage's enemies is vegetables and other
foods. You will encounter:
Radishes - These timid enemies travel in groups of five and run away if
you fly close to them. They move in a straight line diagonally across
the screen from one corner to the other. They do not shoot bullets.
Donuts - These enemies are in packs of five, and they move diagonally
across the screen as they do loop-the-loops. They usually fire out a
couple shots.
Angry Broccoli - These guys also travel in groups of five, and they
move in a huge wave pattern that spans the screen. They shoot one or
two shots.
Candy Swirls - These enemies are just like the radishes except they do
a little spin when they reach the edge of the screen and head off in a
new direction.
Green Pumpkins - Yet another type of enemy that likes to be in packs of
five. These pumpkins with faces usually form a vertical line that moves
straight across the screen, but depending on your position when they
show up, they may form a short horizontal line.
Pink Popsicles - The popsicles finally break the five-monotony since
they like to travel in groups of... six! They semi-home in on you as
they bounce across the screen. Of all the enemies in stage 1, these
fire the most shots.
The enemies of stage 1 appear in this order:
4 groups of radishes
2 groups of donuts
4 groups of broccoli
2 groups of candy swirls
2 groups of pumpkins
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of radishes
1 group of donuts
1 group of broccoli
1 group of candy swirls
1 group of popsicles
1 group of pumpkins
This pattern will repeat four more times, and the stage wraps up with:
1 group of radishes
1 group of donuts
1 group of broccoli
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- As soon as the stage begins, move down right in front of the very
first tree and fire. Your bomb should uncover a 1-Up Cross.
- Don't be too concerned about getting powered up in stage 1. If you
can get one or two speed-ups (Blue Bells), that's more than enough.
- There are plenty of Peacock Head and Money Bags bonuses to be found
in this stage.
- As soon as the pattern of one group of each type of enemy begins,
bomb the land in order to find another extra life which is hidden
right between two land targets (that turn into ? Skulls).
- If you pay attention to the land, you'll notice that the stage begins
with a long road. This road will break off and reappear periodically.
After you have seen four chunks of road, bomb the land to discover
the Dr. Cinnamon Head which will enable you to enter the bonus game
after defeating the boss. This is also the point where you longer see
the road for the rest of the stage.
- There's one more life in this stage (which will bring your life total
to at least 6 if you don't lose any on this stage or boss). When the
scenery of the stage ends (and the boss approaching music kicks in),
simply move up to the top of the screen and bomb the sky. You'll find
another Cross up there.
BOSS: CRAZY WATERMELON
This slice of watermelon moves straight up and down on the screen while
spitting out numerous watermelon seeds at you. Its pattern consists of
two shots, then a brief period in which you can attack. The best way to
dodge the seeds is to stay near the left edge of the screen and squeeze
between the gap of the two shots OR you can sneak around the shots at
the bottom or top of the screen. Get in several shots and quickly pull
back or the next spew of seeds will hit you before you even see it
coming. Like all of Stinger's bosses, you have to hit the center of the
boss for the shot to count. Use the sound clues to your benefit. A
high-pitched clinging sound means you're doing no damage while a fuller
deep sound effect means the boss is getting hit.
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STAGE 2 - UNDER THE SEA
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The theme of this vertical stage's enemies is sea life. You will
encounter:
Hebrew Turtles - I call these guys "Hebrew Turtles" because they have
the Jewish star on their backs. :P These turtles travel in horizontal
lines of three from one upper corner of the screen diagonally to the
bottom. When they hit the bottom of the screen, they'll flip over and
swim back up and off the screen. As they flip, they fire out one shot.
Round Jellyfish - These jellyfish travel in spread-out groups of five.
They move straight down for about half of the screen, but when they get
close they somewhat home in on your ship. They tend to shoot one or two
shots.
Blowfish - Groups of five red blowfish enter the screen from the left
or right side, and they move in a small wave pattern. They never shoot
anything.
Starfish - The starfish are very much like the jellyfish. In packs of
five, they appear spread across the screen. They semi-home in on you
when they get close, but unlike the jellyfish, they'll stop right
before hitting you, fire a couple shots, then move back and off the
side of the screen in an orderly line.
Triangular Octopuses - The octopuses are similar to the blowfish. They
also travel in groups of five, and they move from one side of the
screen to the other. Their "wave" is more pointed, so they are not only
triangular in appearance but also in movement.
The enemies of stage 2 appear in this order:
4 groups of turtles
3 groups of jellyfish
2 groups of blowfish
2 groups of starfish
2 groups of octopuses
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of jellyfish
2 groups of turtles
1 group of blowfish
1 group of starfish
1 group of octopuses
This pattern will repeat once, and the stage wraps up with:
1 group of jellyfish
2 groups of turtles
1 group of blowfish
1 group of starfish
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- Now that you're in the first vertical stage, it's a good time to get
powered up. The bells are much easier to hit in the vertical stages,
so pick one out and shoot it until it's a Blue Flashing Bell. This
will give you the very useful protective shield.
- The most important thing to get in this stage is the triple spread
shot. This is a must-have for the stages ahead. You can pick up this
power-up in the form of a crescent moon in the leftmost land target
in a horizontal row of three. This row appears in the stage when the
repeat of the enemy pattern begins.
- This stage is loaded with the Konami Logo bonus. In particular, you
can find a horizontal row of four of them right at the end of the
stage where the scenery stops.
BOSS: DEPRESSED SQUID
This sad looking squid moves left and right. Guarding its tender belly
is eight regenerating legs. Follow the squid as it moves back and forth
while frantically shooting to take out the legs. If you're two slow or
you miss, the legs with turn into spears and shoot down towards you.
Once all the legs have been destroyed or all the spears have been shot,
eight new legs will appear. This is one of the more time consuming
bosses of Stinger as it's hard to get in a lot of hits before the legs
come back. The spread shot helps out a lot in this battle.
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STAGE 3 - DESERTS OF EGYPT
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The theme of this horizontal stage's enemies is clothing. You will
encounter:
Buzzsaws - The movement of the row of five buzzsaws varies depending on
your location on the screen. If you're on the far left edge, they tend
to stay in an orderly line as the move diagonally across the screen.
When they do this, they're very similar to stage 1's radishes and thus
not much of a threat. However, if you're further in the center, one or
more of the buzzsaws may stray off from the orderly line to more
correctly aim for your ship. If you get too close to all the buzzsaws,
beware because they may all move in towards you. This homing in action
can be very deadly, and sometimes they even pull of circular motions.
Other than their unpredictable movements, watch out for the one bullet
they sometimes fire.
Shoe-Shining Brushes - These strange brushes with eyes hop up down
across the screen in vertical lines of five. They occasionally fire one
shot.
Spiral Snakes - Another enemy type that likes to move in rows of five.
Like the buzzsaws, they may stay in an orderly line as they move
diagonally across the screen or they may split up a bit as they home in
on you. Most often, though, the snakes like to bounce across the bottom
or top edge of the screen and fire a shot at you.
Sneakers - These shoes hop straight across the screen from the right to
the left in spread-out groups of five. They usually shoot two or three
shots from their "mouths".
Clothes Pins - These clothing pins move in on the screen from one of
the left corners, do a circle motion, then fly in a line towards you.
Right before hitting the edge of the screen, they'll do another circle-
like motion and scatter apart as they move off the screen. They travel
in groups of five, and they often fire two shots.
Clothes Hangers - Finally an easy to dodge enemy in stage 3. These
clothes hangers travel in spread-out groups of five. They move straight
across the screen from right to left. No hopping, bouncing, homing in,
circling, nothing. Just watch out for the couple shots they tend to
fire.
The enemies of stage 3 appear in this order:
2 groups of buzzsaws
2 groups of shoe-shining brushes
2 groups of buzzsaws
2 groups of snakes
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
2 groups of sneakers
1 group of buzzsaws
1 group of clothes pins
2 groups of clothes hangers
1 group of shoe-shining brushes
This pattern will repeat five more times, and the stage wraps up with
it as well.
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- Now that you've reached stage 3, you'll have to deal with your first
land enemies. They appear as white Egyptian heads and little
yellowish heads with sunglasses. When the land targets move, they're
about to fire a shot, and the bullets are always directed at your
ship. Since bombs fire automatically when you shoot in the horizontal
stages, it shouldn't take you too much effort to take all the land
enemies out quickly.
- The most common bonus in stage 3 is the Goemon Head bonus.
- The Dr. Cinnamon Head item that allows you to enter the bonus game
after defeating the boss is most often found in a diagonal row of
land targets which appears right after the fourth large green sphinx
passes by.
BOSS: PISSED OFF FAUCET
This faucet is peeved, and it's looking for someone to take out its
anger on. In a very non-threatening looking yet deadly attack, it spews
out big pink bubbles non-stop. Follow the faucet as it moves up and
down, and stay close to its toothed faucet mouth. Again, the spread
shot will make your life easier in this battle, but tapping the shoot
button like crazy will suffice (you'll just have to target more
accurately). If all goes well, you'll not only destroy all the bubbles
before they become a threat, but you'll also get in a hit now and then
to its weak spot - its mouth.
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STAGE 4 - THE ARCTIC
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The theme of this vertical stage's enemies is household appliances. You
will encounter:
Electric Fans - These fans head towards you in lines of five. They
usually split up and fire a shot or two at your ship. Sometimes they'll
just fly off the bottom edge of the screen, but most of the time
they'll "bounce" back up off the edge at least once. Beware of a large
pile of them collecting on the screen. They shoot a shot or two now and
then.
Television Sets - These starry television sets are the evilest enemy
you will have encountered this far in the game. They'll appear in
groups of five from one side of the screen, home in DIRECTLY on you in
a straight row. When you no longer can avoid them to the side, you must
move up and immediately get away from them because... when you move up,
they do too. They'll pull a sharp right angle and head up. If you
manage to avoid them by pulling up and to the side, they'll continue
straight up and no longer torment you.
Vinyl Records - The vinyl records are actually kind of fun if you ask
me. A group of five moves in from the side of the screen, and they
travel in a huge circle that fills the screen. Just stay in the center
of the screen and shoot away. :)
Water Pitchers - These pitchers will appear from one of the upper
corners in a line of five, pull a quick loop, and then fly off in your
direction. They fire a bullet or two occasionally.
Irons - Don't be close to the bottom edge of the screen when these
irons appear. They show up from one of the bottom corners in a vertical
row of five. They fly straight up, and when they hit the top edge of
the screen, they'll bounce back and move across the screen diagonally.
Telephones - These phones show up from one of the top corners of the
screen and bounce their way down in vertical lines of five. When the
bottom phone of the row is perpendicular to you, they'll turn at a
right angle at that point. Quickly move up or down to avoid their
bouncing horizontal line and the several shots they tend to fire out.
The enemies of stage 4 appear in this order:
3 groups of electric fans
2 groups of television sets
2 groups of vinyl records
3 groups of water pitchers
2 groups of irons
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of electric fans
1 group of television sets
1 group of electric fans
1 group of television sets
1 group of vinyl records
1 group of water pitchers
1 group of irons
1 group of telephones
1 group of vinyl records
This pattern will repeat once, and the stage wraps up with it as well.
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- Stage 4 can be a bit straining on the eyes, as it's hard to see
bullets and the shots of your ship against the white background.
Thankfully the stage isn't too long. If you don't have the protective
shield be VERY CAREFUL.
- This stage's land enemies are blue sasquatch looking guys and red
square-ish head with large mouths. You will have to destroy them
manually with your bombs.
- The Dr. Cinnamon Head that allows you to enter the bonus game usually
appears near the third igloo in the stage.
- There aren't a whole lot of bonuses to be found in stage 4 other than
some money bags from destroyed land targets, but you can find the
the Hat-Wearing Elf Head bonus at the end of the stage on the right
side just before the land breaks off into a tiny platform of ice.
BOSS: GENERIC 1980'S MACHINE (VCR?)
As to what this boss is, your guess is as good as mine. Looks like a
VCR to me. This machine stays in the center of the screen, and a long
chain of circles with + shapes on them spins counter-clockwise. This
boss is really easy. Just circle around the boss to avoid being hit by
the chain, and shoot every time you're below the boss and get a chance
at hitting its center.
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STAGE 5 - MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS
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The theme of this vertical stage's enemies is sports equipment. You
will encounter:
Hammers - These mallets pound their way in groups of five in a wave-
like motion from the top of the screen to the bottom. They shoot out
three shots.
Volleyballs - These volleyballs swoop in from both upper corners of the
screen and cross in the middle. The six balls will cross each other one
or two more times, and then they'll spread out as they home in on you.
They usually fire a couple shots.
Unicycles - Groups of six unicycles appear from the upper corners of
the screen and move their way down diagonally back and forth. They tend
to fire three shots.
Dumbbells - These dumbbells travel in lines of five diagonally across
the screen. Sometimes they are harmless like the radishes, while other
times they spread out or swoop back up after hitting the edge of the
screen.
Workout Stretchers - These things probably have an official name, but
hell if I know it. O_o They travel in groups of four, and they're very
hard to see against the green and blue background. To make things even
harder yet, they spread out and bounce all over the screen in no
particular pattern. Be careful not to run into them as well as their
bullets.
Footballs - The footballs start out in simple diagonal lines of five,
but they quickly spread out and ricochet around the screen like crazy.
If you don't destroy them, they'll linger on the screen for quite a
long time. Take them out in a hurry before they become a threat.
The enemies of stage 5 appear in this order:
4 groups of hammers
3 groups of volleyballs
3 groups of unicycles
2 groups of dumbbells
2 groups of workout stretchers
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of footballs
1 group of unicycles
2 groups of hammers
1 group of footballs
1 group of volleyballs
2 groups of workout stretchers
This pattern will repeat once, and the stage wraps up with:
1 group of footballs
1 group of unicycles
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- In case you've died and lost your spread shot, this stage gives you
the chance to get it back. At the beginning of the stage you'll see a
vertical row of four snake heads. Destroy the last one in the line to
discover the elusive crescent moon spread shot item.
- The land enemies in stage 5 are white snake heads and a darker
version of the shades-wearing heads from stage 3.
- There aren't a whole lot of bonuses to be found in this stage either,
but if you bomb between the two last land targets in stage 5, you
will find a funny looking Penguin. :) There is another Penguin to be
found when the stage begins if you bomb around the left side.
- Also near the end of the stage, you can find an extra life Cross.
When you see the two snake head land enemies appear at the top of the
screen on the left, bomb the land on the right just below the small
mountain group.
BOSS: STONED BOOMBOX
Another easy to defeat boss. This radio moves left and right and
periodically throws out several music notes. The spread shot will take
them out quickly, but if you have the normal shot, it's simple to shoot
one or two and use the freed up space to dodge. Aim for the center of
the boombox for a quick win.
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STAGE 6 - MILITARY BASE AND OUTER SPACE
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The theme of this vertical stage's enemies is insects. You will
encounter:
Pink and Green Bees - They may be bees like TwinBee, but they sure
ain't friendly. They move diagonally back and forth across the screen
in groups of five as they fire a couple shots. After they travel over
the full screen, they'll stop for a second and proceed to home in on
your ship. Like other enemies that don't disappear right away, be
careful to not let a huge group pile up.
Blue Ants - These ants with huge pinschers travel in packs of five.
They don't have a very clear pattern besides homing in on your ship and
shooting several shots.
Pink Beetles - These beetles show up on screen from one of the upper
corners in lines of five, but they quickly start moving in a wave
formation from one side of the screen to the other. They fire out a few
shots.
Green Fireflies - Okay, okay, these insects don't really look like
fireflies, but their behinds do seem to be glowing. O_o If you have a
better idea as to what they are, let me know. Anyway, these bugs
shuffle their way from one side of the screen to the other, and they
tend to shoot three bullets. As far as stage 6 goes, they're one of the
less threatening enemies.
Praying Mantises - Real-life mantises have a bad reputation as being
one of the more heartless bugs, and these guys are no different. Groups
of four quickly swarm in on your ship, one from each corner of the
screen. Hastily shoot the ones in front of you, dodge the ones coming
from behind, and avoid any shots they may fire or you'll be the one
missing a head. O_o
Red-Faced Snails - These snails like to drop straight down from the top
of the screen in spread-out groups of five. Then they wiggle and
"dance" at the edge of the screen for a moment before they leap up and
off the top of the screen in a wave-like movement. They occasionally
shoot a shot or two.
The enemies of stage 6 appear in this order:
3 groups of bees
2 groups of ants
1 group of beetles
2 groups of fireflies
1 group of beetles
2 groups of mantises
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of snails
1 group of ants
1 group of fireflies
1 group of mantises
1 group of fireflies
1 group of ants
1 group of beetles
This pattern will repeat six times, and the stage wraps up with it as
well.
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- By now the triple spread shot isn't proving quite as useful as it did
way back in stage 2, so it's time to get your last power-up. Destroy
the very first purple land target you come across in the stage in
order to uncover the five-spread shot Star. Once you acquire it, do
not under any circumstances pick up any Moons you come across or your
five-spread shot will be downgraded back to the triple shot.
- The land enemies in stage 6 are round purple buildings and white
square buildings with pink roofs. There are a ton of them in the
stage, and they fire frequently. However, you most likely won't get
many chances to destroy them due to the dangerous enemies in this
stage. Keep a close eye on your ship and all the bullets on screen.
Thankfully you'll receive a break towards the end of the level when
the military base ends, and you'll have a nice clear outer space
background with no land enemies to deal with.
- The Dr. Cinnamon Head item that allows you to enter the bonus game is
most often found on the land when the military base part of the stage
ends.
- Like the previous stages, there aren't very many bonuses besides some
money bags from land targets in stage 6, but you can find a couple
Dracula Heads. In particular, one can be found in the outer space
portion of the stage if you bomb near the planets.
BOSS: THREE-EYED SUN
This freaky looking sun is one of the harder bosses in the game.
Circling it constantly are numerous green flames that regenerate very
quickly. The sun moves up and down in an attempt to crush you with its
spinning fire buddies. Even with the five-spread shot this can be a
long and dangerous boss fight. When the boss is near the top of the
screen, move underneath it and tap furiously. You'll take out many of
the flames, and hopefully you'll squeeze in a few hits to the center of
the sun's body. As he lowers toward you, move to either side in order
to be a safe distance from the green flames. You should continue to
shoot if you have a spread shot. Keep this pattern up, and if you're
successful, the sun will die and the green flames will turn into bells.
Then you will see Dr. Cinnamon move diagonally across the screen
screaming "HELP!"
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STAGE 7 - THE SOLAR SYSTEM
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The theme of this horizontal stage's enemies is mini versions of the
previous bosses. You will encounter:
Watermelon - These slices of watermelon appear in horizontal rows of
five as they move on the screen. Then they'll loop back, loop forward
again, and spread out as they home in on your ship. They tend to fire
three shots.
Squids - Unlike all the other enemies in the game, the number of squids
in each group can vary. You will encounter packs of either four or six.
However many you encounter, they will always be broken up into two even
groups which move in mirrored waves. Nearly every squid fires a shot,
so I recommend dodging to the top or bottom of the screen after you
attempt to destroy the squids.
Striped Sinks - Yet again, I can't say with confidence what these
enemies really are. Even with outside input, no one can determine what
they are, and the ideas vary from a well to a bucket. Keeping with the
boss theme however, I'm guessing that this enemy is related to stage
3's faucet boss. They come out in spread-out groups of five, and they
fly straight until they hit the edge of the screen. After stopping
there momentarily, each one takes off in your ship's direction.
Red Suns - These suns are the deadliest enemies in the game, but they
can be simple to take out with the five-spread shot. Their movement is
the epitome of "homing in". They'll show up from behind your ship, so
don't hang out on the edge. They'll follow you until they fly off the
screen, but that's not it. They'll appear yet again and keep on homing
in on you until they're destroyed. The best strategy to deal with them
is to lead them forward while they're behind you; then quickly swoop up
and around them. As they follow, shoot like mad to destroy them all. If
a stray one escapes, kill it quickly once it returns.
Generic '80s Machines - These guys squirm in vertical and horizontal
movements all over the screen in packs of five. Due to their sporadic
movements and the numerous shots they fire, destroy them right away.
Blue and Green Boomboxes - These machines also travel in groups of
five. They move in a wave-like pattern until they get to your ship at
which point they split up and home in.
The enemies of stage 7 appear in this order:
4 groups of watermelons
4 groups of squids
3 groups of sinks
1 group of suns
Then a pattern consisting of the following will begin:
1 group of generic 80s machines
1 group of boomboxes
1 group of suns
1 group of watermelons
1 group of squids
1 group of sinks
This pattern will repeat four more times, and the stage wraps up with:
1 group of generic 80s machines
1 group of boomboxes
1 group of suns
TIPS AND SECRETS:
- Not much to say here. In this Gradius rip-off stage, the background
is nothing but outer space, so there are no land enemies or bonus
items to worry about. Most of the enemies aren't too hard either, so
relax and enjoy the final stage! Just be sure you don't make a
careless mistake because it's very hard to recover any power-ups with
Konami Man throwing those bells out so quickly. I've been able to
beat this stage even without any power-ups, though, so as long as you
make it to the boss with at least one spare life, you should do fine.
BOSS: EVIL SNAKE
Stinger's final battle is rather disappointing, but I suppose it's a
Konami tradition for their shooters to have easy lackluster final
bosses. This snake homes in on your ship, and it moves in circular
motions. As soon as you see it, you'll probably discover the very
simple cheap way of beating it. If you get close to the snake and in
the right position, it will circle you endlessly. While it may take a
long time, you can stay like that safely indefinitely shooting the
snake's head at your leisure. It can be difficult to get in the right
position at first, so you're best having one life to spare in order to
get yourself situated. Even if you want to do it the "hard" way, the
fight still isn't particularly challenging. If your ship has enough
speed-ups and a spread shot, you can easily defeat the slow snake by
keeping the ship moving. When the snake comes close, move around it,
wait for it to follow you a bit, then move out in front of its head
again to get in some more hits. Rinse and repeat. When the snake dies,
its body will turn into bells, and a little "exit" box will appear as a
siren goes off. It's just a trick, though. There are no more challenges
to face, and despite the siren, there is no urgency. Move into the exit
whenever you feel like it, and...
Congratulations on beating Stinger!
View the ending with Dr. Cinnamon, watch the credits roll, and if you
wish, press the START button when the game directs you to in order to
replay the game with a harder difficulty and some brand new enemies and
animations!
*************************************************
HARDER MODE TIPS
*************************************************
Beat Stinger but still craving more? Well, you're in luck because after
you view the staff credits you can press START for a second mode!
Unlike most shooters that throw in cheap harder difficulties that
consist of nothing more than more enemies and/or bullets, Stinger
actually offers a few new things in its harder difficulty. Since the
stages stay the same for the most part, it's not necessary to cover the
same things over again, but this section of this guide will inform you
of the changes.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 8 - THE COUNTRYSIDE OVER DONBURI ISLAND
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Green Mushrooms - These huge eyed mushrooms come out in
diagonal rows of five. After they reach about the midpoint of the
screen, they'll start zigzagging. They'll do so until they get close to
your ship, at which point they home in. They occasionally fire out a
couple shots. They always show up between the groups of radishes and
donuts.
Land Enemies - They were inactive the first time around, but now the
land enemies will attack. They appear as windmills (bet you thought
they were gravestones before, eh?) and brown round buildings that look
like upside-down hazelnuts. O_o
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 9 - UNDER THE SEA
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Red Sunflower Star - These multi-armed starfish travel in
groups of five. They enter the screen from the side in horizontal rows.
They turn in order to head towards you in a diagonal line. They spread
out a bit, sometimes fire a shot or two, and some may bounce back up
off the edge of the screen. They always show up between the groups of
jellyfish and blowfish.
Land Enemies - Like stage 8, the land enemies didn't attack in the
normal difficulty, but now they've become aggressive. They appear as
round green sea urchins and purple pearl-containing oysters.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 10 - DESERTS OF EGYPT
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Mops - When they appear, you'll be tricked into thinking
there is only one mop, but when it reaches the center of the screen, it
splits into five mops that spread across the full screen. They always
show up directly before or after the groups of sneakers.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 11 - THE ARCTIC
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Steel Bars - These metal bars only show up in stage 11 once,
but that's still once too many. They are the trickiest enemies in the
game by far due to the fact that they're invincible. Yep, that's right,
you can shoot them all you want, but they won't die. To make matters
worse, they show up in a group of six, and they ricochet all over the
screen for a very long time. As you're dodging the first group, even
more will swarm onto the screen. They always show up right after the
groups of irons appear for the first time.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 12 - MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Bowling Pins - Spread-out groups of five bowling pins drop
down from the top of the screen and zigzag their way all the way down.
Each one usually shoots its own shot. They always show up before and
after the groups of workout stretchers.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 13 - MILITARY BASE AND OUTER SPACE
----------------------------------------------
New Enemy: Dragonflies - These enemies are similar to the vinyl
records. When they move on the screen in groups of five, they fly in
several huge circles before leaving the screen. Each bug tends to fire
a shot. They always show up before the groups of snails and
occasionally between the groups of fireflies and mantises.
----------------------------------------------
STAGE 14 - THE SOLAR SYSTEM
----------------------------------------------
Although it's understandable, it's kind of disappointing that there is
absolutely nothing new about this stage.
Congratulations on beating the harder mode of Stinger! The game will
loop around again if you press the START button after the credits, this
time beginning at stage 15. As far as I can tell, there are no
differences between the second time through and the third time through.
The third game seems a little bit faster, though.
*************************************************
BONUSES
*************************************************
Most bonuses are acquired by destroying land enemies, but some are
hidden in secret unmarked places. Try using your bombs everywhere, even
up in the sky.
Cross - extra life
100000 points - extra life
Dr. Cinnamon Head - Allows you to enter the bonus game after beating a
stage's boss in order to collect lots of bells for
points. Bells don't change color in the bonus game.
Gold Bell - 500, 1000, or 5000 points
Money Bags - 100 or 500 points
Peacock Head - 1000 points
Konami Logo - 1000 points
Goemon Head - 1000 points
Penguin - 1000 points
Hat-Wearing Elf Head - 1000 points
Dracula Head - 1000 points
Enemy Kill - 100 points
Boss Kill - 10000 points
*************************************************
ENDING AND STAFF CREDITS
*************************************************
After beating the final boss and rescuing Dr. Cinnamon, he tells you:
"THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE. I KNEW THAT I COULD COUNT ON YOU IN MY
TIME OF PERIL. YOU ARE ONE OF THE GREATEST STINGERS OF ALL TIME."
Then the credits roll:
S T A F F
PROGRAM BY
KAZUHIRO SHINAMON
MU-CHAN
CHARACTER BY
MADAM YANYAN
MARI DAIBUTSU
MUSIC BY
CHARLEY SADA
SPECIAL THANKS
MITSUHIRO SHIMON
RUSHER SHINYA
BRILLIANT SATOE
GIANT KEN
YAMAKO
SHIMONETA KENJI
COPYRIGHT BY
KONAMI
T H E E N D
*************************************************
CONTACTING ME
*************************************************
Since I don't own Stinger's instruction manual I have to refer to
enemies and items simply by descriptive names, so if you come across
any official names in the manual that I'm unaware of, feel free to send
me the info. In fact, if someone wants to scan the whole manual, I'd
love to see it. Some names come down to a matter of opinion, though, so
I won't necessarily change something just because you don't like what I
call it.
I will not provide any ROMs, emulator help, emulator information within
this FAQ, or ROM hacking codes. I encourage all Stinger players to go
out and buy the game. :)
If you need help with Stinger or have any questions about it, feel free to
email me. Please don't ask questions answered already in the FAQ, though. If
you have requests or submissions for this FAQ, I'd be happy to hear them. If
you just want to chat about Stinger or the TwinBee series, feel free to send
me mail.
E-mail address:
[email protected]
*************************************************
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
*************************************************
This FAQ is copyright 2003 Kristina Potts. This FAQ may be used only if
the author has been contacted and gave permission, nothing is altered,
and the FAQ is used in its entirety. Credit must also be given to the
author. This FAQ may NOT be used for commercial purposes.
*************************************************
THANKS TO...
*************************************************
Konami for creating quite possibly the most enjoyable shooter I've ever
played and Nintendo for licensing it. I can't wait to play the other
TwinBee games; I bet they're even better.
GameStop for selling Stinger as well as many other cool used NES games
for low prices. No thanks to "Alex" for feeling the need to not only
write his name on the cart in permanent marker but also to CARVE it in
the plastic. Even after countless uses of Goo Gone, the back of my
cartridge still looks messed up...
The owner of TwinBee Land:
http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/twinbee/index.html
The best English TwinBee site on the internet. I learned so much about
the series from that site. I used to know the guy from the old
Castlevania Dungeon message board too... He was a cool guy; I miss him.
:(
GameFAQs for hosting this FAQ and all my other FAQs and reviews.
Andreas for encouraging me to feed my obsession for all things fruity
and Japanese. I also appreciate his help and advice, and of course, his
love.
tri-Ace because... imagine if they remade TwinBee RPG, but tri-Ace
handled it this time. It would be... dare I say... the greatest game
ever made. O_O
Myself because... I'm an open-minded importer, so a whole world of fun
TwinBee games is just sitting out there waiting for me. As much as I
love Stinger, I couldn't imagine being a US game buyer only and being
stuck with Stinger as the only TwinBee game I could ever play...
