I didn't want the review itself to be too long so here's the rest of the information & unlockables:
Achievements:
There are 4 Achievements for completing each of the 4 levels, and then 4 Achievements for completing the game with each character using no continues. The misc Achievements are for not swinging Sensei's sword for 30 seconds, anchoring Ruby's special weapon for 10+ seconds, repelling 20+ projectiles with Tempest's shield, and maintainng the max bonus multiplier for 30 seconds. All of these can be done in Stage 1, PM me or post here if you need help.
Extra Credits:
5 credits - Play for 60 minutes total
8 credits - play for 180 minutes total
Free play - play for 300 minutes total.
Characters:
R.A.D. - Beat the game in arcade mode using Ruby
Sensei - Beat the game in arcade mode using Tempest
Modes:
Challenge mode - beat the respective level in arcade mode
Arcade++ - Beat the game once
Challenge++ - Beat the game once
Retro Mode - Beat Arcade mode with Sensei
Other:
Female AI Voice - Beat Arcade mode using R.A.D.
Character weapons & effects:
Ruby:
A - Rapid-fire laser; upgrades increase rate of fire & spread
B - Beam laser; upgrades increase damage, number of beams and add reflective properties
C - Electric beam; upgrades increase damage and adds short-range collateral damage
Special weapon: a satellite that can absorb enemy projectiles; RT will send it out to hook on to an enemy, doing damage over time & focusing Ruby's attacks
Tempest:
A - Lava cannon; upgrades increase damage & length; RT adds lock-on
B - Acid sprayer; upgrades increase damage & rate of fire; RT toggles spray pattern
C - Mercury gun; upgrades increase damage over time & size; RT fires 4 seeking projectiles
Special weapon: a shield that slows enemy projectiles as they get close; stop firing momentarily by flicking the Right Analog Stick and it will fire the enemy projectiles back the way they came
Sensei:
A - Katana & "hadouken" fireballs; upgrades increase damage & rate of fire
B - Katana & shuriken; upgrades increase rate of fire & spread
C - Katana & kunai throwing knives; upgrades increase damage & spread
Special weapon: Sensei's katana can cut through walls and destroy basic enemy projectiles & missiles;
pressing the Right Analog towards enemies causes him to do a medium-range, high damage slash;
holding the Right Analog towards enemies causes him to do short-range, high damage slashes;
rotating the Right Analog causes him to do a 360 attack that hits multiple times;
pressing RT launches Rikimaru (his dog) at enemies and if he connects, Sensei will fire the current projectile type at locked-on targets
R.A.D.:
Same weapon types as Ruby.
Special weapon: R.A.D. has a satellite that works similarly to Ruby's except she can still aim independently when it is attached to an enemy.
Note: R.A.D. moves much faster than Ruby but aims slower; it is best to attack enemies by focusing your weapons and moving laterally.
Lastly, here are some tips for people just starting off:
1. No matter what character you're using, you start Stage 1 with A type weapon at level 1. You will quickly come to 3 pickups arranged vertically, each containing a weapon upgrade. They are A, B and C from top to bottom. Since you already have A 1, grab the A pickup first to get A 2, and then grab the C pickup to switch to C 2. The reason is because soon you will come to another pickup near the ground that will have a C upgrade, getting you to weapon Level 3 as soon as possible.
2. When in doubt, use the B type weapons. For Ruby, it is a good combination of focused damage and spread, and at level 3 it will reflect off walls giving you awesome attack vectors. For Tempest, it does really good collateral damage and its alternate firing mode will help you take care of large numbers of weak enemies at a time.
3. If you KNOW you're about to get hit, use your 'dimensional field' ability (Right Bumper). Yes it costs health, but it's less than taking the hit.
4. Save up the pink chips and don't use the LT bomb unless you absolutely have to. It's far more valuable to have the pink orbs rotating around you as potential shields.
5. If you're fighting a big enemy, or one that's stationary or doesn't move much, get right up in its face. Your rotating pink chip orbs will damage the enemy as they glance off it, increasing your overall damage output. This is especially useful during boss fights except Stage 2's.
6. Try fighting the Stage 1 boss, 'Vampire', from the inside! When the word "DANGER" starts flashing, position yourself in the middle of the screen. Vampire will form around you, and you can blast away at its vulnerable parts. You will have to move around with it to avoid taking damage, but it's better than having to dodge all the crap from outside and wait for it to run patterns. Note that the characters' hit boxes aren't the full size of the model, so you can cheat this a little bit, especially with Tempest as his hit box only extends from about the bottom of his neck to his crotch area.
7. Experiment with the Right Trigger abilities of each character. They will help immensely.
Achievements:
There are 4 Achievements for completing each of the 4 levels, and then 4 Achievements for completing the game with each character using no continues. The misc Achievements are for not swinging Sensei's sword for 30 seconds, anchoring Ruby's special weapon for 10+ seconds, repelling 20+ projectiles with Tempest's shield, and maintainng the max bonus multiplier for 30 seconds. All of these can be done in Stage 1, PM me or post here if you need help.
Extra Credits:
5 credits - Play for 60 minutes total
8 credits - play for 180 minutes total
Free play - play for 300 minutes total.
Characters:
R.A.D. - Beat the game in arcade mode using Ruby
Sensei - Beat the game in arcade mode using Tempest
Modes:
Challenge mode - beat the respective level in arcade mode
Arcade++ - Beat the game once
Challenge++ - Beat the game once
Retro Mode - Beat Arcade mode with Sensei
Other:
Female AI Voice - Beat Arcade mode using R.A.D.
Character weapons & effects:
Ruby:
A - Rapid-fire laser; upgrades increase rate of fire & spread
B - Beam laser; upgrades increase damage, number of beams and add reflective properties
C - Electric beam; upgrades increase damage and adds short-range collateral damage
Special weapon: a satellite that can absorb enemy projectiles; RT will send it out to hook on to an enemy, doing damage over time & focusing Ruby's attacks
Tempest:
A - Lava cannon; upgrades increase damage & length; RT adds lock-on
B - Acid sprayer; upgrades increase damage & rate of fire; RT toggles spray pattern
C - Mercury gun; upgrades increase damage over time & size; RT fires 4 seeking projectiles
Special weapon: a shield that slows enemy projectiles as they get close; stop firing momentarily by flicking the Right Analog Stick and it will fire the enemy projectiles back the way they came
Sensei:
A - Katana & "hadouken" fireballs; upgrades increase damage & rate of fire
B - Katana & shuriken; upgrades increase rate of fire & spread
C - Katana & kunai throwing knives; upgrades increase damage & spread
Special weapon: Sensei's katana can cut through walls and destroy basic enemy projectiles & missiles;
pressing the Right Analog towards enemies causes him to do a medium-range, high damage slash;
holding the Right Analog towards enemies causes him to do short-range, high damage slashes;
rotating the Right Analog causes him to do a 360 attack that hits multiple times;
pressing RT launches Rikimaru (his dog) at enemies and if he connects, Sensei will fire the current projectile type at locked-on targets
R.A.D.:
Same weapon types as Ruby.
Special weapon: R.A.D. has a satellite that works similarly to Ruby's except she can still aim independently when it is attached to an enemy.
Note: R.A.D. moves much faster than Ruby but aims slower; it is best to attack enemies by focusing your weapons and moving laterally.
Lastly, here are some tips for people just starting off:
1. No matter what character you're using, you start Stage 1 with A type weapon at level 1. You will quickly come to 3 pickups arranged vertically, each containing a weapon upgrade. They are A, B and C from top to bottom. Since you already have A 1, grab the A pickup first to get A 2, and then grab the C pickup to switch to C 2. The reason is because soon you will come to another pickup near the ground that will have a C upgrade, getting you to weapon Level 3 as soon as possible.
2. When in doubt, use the B type weapons. For Ruby, it is a good combination of focused damage and spread, and at level 3 it will reflect off walls giving you awesome attack vectors. For Tempest, it does really good collateral damage and its alternate firing mode will help you take care of large numbers of weak enemies at a time.
3. If you KNOW you're about to get hit, use your 'dimensional field' ability (Right Bumper). Yes it costs health, but it's less than taking the hit.
4. Save up the pink chips and don't use the LT bomb unless you absolutely have to. It's far more valuable to have the pink orbs rotating around you as potential shields.
5. If you're fighting a big enemy, or one that's stationary or doesn't move much, get right up in its face. Your rotating pink chip orbs will damage the enemy as they glance off it, increasing your overall damage output. This is especially useful during boss fights except Stage 2's.
6. Try fighting the Stage 1 boss, 'Vampire', from the inside! When the word "DANGER" starts flashing, position yourself in the middle of the screen. Vampire will form around you, and you can blast away at its vulnerable parts. You will have to move around with it to avoid taking damage, but it's better than having to dodge all the crap from outside and wait for it to run patterns. Note that the characters' hit boxes aren't the full size of the model, so you can cheat this a little bit, especially with Tempest as his hit box only extends from about the bottom of his neck to his crotch area.
7. Experiment with the Right Trigger abilities of each character. They will help immensely.
