Vindicators FAQ Final Version By chessjerk (John Kearsley IV) Created - January 15, 2006 Updated - August 12, 2006 Questions? Comments? Contact me: chessjerk@msn.com =============================================================== Welcome to my Vindicators FAQ. Love to shoot enemies with fully-loaded tanks? Look no further, this is the game for you. =============================================================== Table of Contents: =============================================================== I. The Object of the Game II. Controls III. Items & Weapons IV. Shops V. Enemies VI. Strategies VII. Credits/Disclaimer VIII. Version History =============================================================== I. The Object of the Game =============================================================== The object of the game is to maneuver your tank through the maze, collecting items and shooting bad guys, until you reach the exit. There are two keys on every level which open the corresponding doors at the end of the level. In a two-player game, both players cannot exit through the same door. There are eight stations, each with 4 levels, and the final boss after that. Each tank has a fuel gauge that decreases over time and when as enemy hits you. If this gauge reaches empty, you have 10 seconds to exit the maze or pick up more fuel, or else you will explode and lose a life. Each player has three lives at the start of the game. The bottom of the screen details the player's current status, including: score, fuel gauge, stars, smart shots/bombs, and shields. After exiting a level, each player will earn fuel depending on how many points they scored on that level. If their fuel tank is full, they will earn stars instead. After that, they will have a chance to purchase upgrades for their tank (stronger shots, more weapons, etc.) using the stars they have accumulated. Unused stars carry over to the next level. At the end of the fourth level of a station, there is a warehouse you have to shoot your way into, grab as many items as you can in 15 seconds, and escape through the randomly opening and closing doors. If you are not able to escape, the warehouse explodes, causing major damage to your fuel gauge. In a two- player game, both players may exit through the same door if they wish. There are many different enemies you will encounter, as well as three mini- bosses (at Station 2, Level 2; Station 4, Level 1; and Station 6, Level 2), who will all try to destroy you. Strategies for defeating them are outlined below. =============================================================== II. Controls =============================================================== Up/Down - Moves tank forward/backward Left/Right - Turns tank left/right B - Fire special weapons (smart shots or bombs) A - Fire guns Select - Switch special weapons from smart shots to bombs and vice versa Start - Pause the game =============================================================== III. Items and Weapons =============================================================== These items will be lying around on each level, so be sure to grab them all. Fuel - Restores a portion of your fuel tank Star - Used as currency in the shops after each level Key - Opens the corresponding exit door at the end of the level Shield - Adds two shields to your total, when you are shot, your shields will lessen the damage to your fuel gauge Crosshairs - Adds two smart shots to your total, these shots are similar to homing missiles (when shot, they will seek out the nearest enemy and head for it) Arrows - Adds two bombs to your total, these shots are similar to your regular shots, except they go further and explode on impact, causing more damage. They are essential when fighting the mini-bosses and the final boss due to their damage potential. =============================================================== IV. Shops =============================================================== After every level, these are the upgrades and weapons you can purchase. The number in parentheses is the number of stars each selection costs. For the tank upgrades, you can buy up to four upgrades throughout the game and they will never go away. For the weapons and shields, if you already have 40 or more of the corresponding items, you cannot buy more. You cannot increase your shot speed until you have fully maximized your shot range (once you have maximized your shot range, "Increase shot speed" will replace "Increase shot range" on the list. Increase tank speed (3) - Speeds up your tank's movement Increase shot range (3) - Your tank's shots go further Increase shot speed (3) - Speeds up your tank's shots Add 10 to force shields (4) - Increases shields by 10 Increase shot power (5) - Your tank's shots do more damage Buy 10 smart shots (5) - Increases smart shots by 10 Buy 10 bombs (5) - Increases bombs by 10 Buy fuel (5) - Increases fuel (similar to fuel item) =============================================================== IV. Enemies =============================================================== Here is a list of the enemies who will try and stop you: Tanks - These tanks look similar to yours and they will shoot at you. They can be destroyed with any type of weapon. Later stages will have different tanks that shoot double shots at you. Turrets - These are stationary guns that rotate and try to shoot you. There are two varieties: ground-level guns and pop-up guns. The ground level guns can only be destroyed by shooting it when the gun is facing you (all other shots will have no effect). The pop-up guns can be shot as long as the gun is raised, if the gun drops down after it shoots at you, it cannot be harmed until the gun rises up again. Some turrets have both kinds of guns, for them, you must destroy the pop-up gun first and then destroy the ground-level gun, in the same fashion as above. Electricity Poles - These come in pairs of two and randomly fire electricity between them. Don't drive through them unless you have to, if you drive through them, you will be damaged if the electricity hits you. Mines - These red dots on the ground explode if you drive over them. Simply avoid them, or hope the enemy tanks drive over them. UFO's - These fly at you and attempt to shoot you with double shots. They cannot be shot with your regular gun; you must use a special shot (smart shot or bomb) to destroy them. Mini-Boss #1 - At Station 2, Level 2, you will encounter a larger version of a UFO. Use bombs against this enemy, around 20 or so should do the trick. Try to move around when shooting it to avoid taking major damage from its powerful guns. Mini-Boss #2 - At Station 4, Level 1, you will encounter a wall with guns mounted on the top. Again, bombs are the way to go, and again, keep moving as much as possible to avoid taking too many gunshots. Also, beware of enemy tanks that can appear for the middle of the wall to attack you. Mini-Boss #3 - At Station 6, Level 2, you will encounter another wall-type creature with a long line of guns opposing you. This is the easiest mini-boss by far, since the guns can only fire on you one at a time and can only damage you greatly if you just stand there. Just bomb away; you will know when you are hitting it when the wall starts to collapse on itself. Final Boss - After Station 8, Level 4, you will encounter the final boss, which looks like some kind of alien with four eyes. The object is to destroy the eyes. In a two-player game, this boss is not too bad, just fire bombs at the eyes as quickly as possible before its shooting overwhelms you. However, in a one-player game, this boss is quite difficult due to all the fire being focused on you and you not having enough bombs to take out all four eyes before you die. The only strategy I can recommend is to stockpile as many bombs and shields as you can and try to aim for the spots in between the eyes. If you're lucky, you can take out two eyes at once and then focus on the other two, hopefully before your fuel gauge succumbs to the boss's powerful assault. =============================================================== VI. Strategies =============================================================== The game itself is pretty simple. Just shoot all the enemies you can without getting hit yourself and get to the exit as quickly as possible. Buy the speed upgrades as quickly as possible, since you can accumulate more stars as you go along by having a lot of fuel at the end of each level. However, you should never fail to pick up all of the items and to destroy all of the enemies on a level, especially the turrets, since they may reveal items when they are destroyed. Also, your end-of-level bonus is determined by how many points you scored, and the only way to score points is to destroy enemies. The main problems arise with the first two mini-bosses, who can outright massacre you if you are unprepared. Even with a sufficient stock of bombs to kill it, if you get unlucky and are hit with a barrage of shots right off the bat, your chances of survival decrease dramatically. Try to land a few hits as quickly as possible, if you do, the bosses seem to slow down their assault long enough for you to take them out without much damage. If you are playing a two-player game, the early battles are harder due to a lack of items to go around, but, as the players progress, the battles become easier. Just try to fire at the bosses from different angles, and they can't possibly take you both out before they die. =============================================================== VII. Credits and Disclaimer =============================================================== This FAQ is copyright 2006 by John Kearsley IV. This FAQ may be distributed freely as long as it is not altered and I am credited for its existence. Thanks go to everyone else involved with the NES FAQ Completion Project, of which I am proud to be a part. Also, thanks go to GameFAQs.com and CJayC for hosting a great site. Keep up the good work! =============================================================== VIII. Version History =============================================================== Version 1.0 - Original FAQ submitted Final Version - Minor changes and corrections made