I've been beating my head on the final battle for several days now, with no success.

I've been relying on the Blue Super Homing gun to pass the first wave, then switch to the Blue Superwave to get everybody else.

Trouble is, even with the health bonuses I usually come to the final boss with less than 200%.

I know the final boss' weak spot and what to hit him with, but between my lowered shields, and those squiggles, it's only a few taps from the big guy, and I'm toast.

Any strategy advice would be appreciated. Should I alter my gun selection? Any advice for avoiding the big guy? Any way to kill or neutralize the squiggles?

The big, black box was annoying. Spoilers be ahead.

Watch how the pen spins around. It spins around, then goes back about 15 degrees before launching its cap at you. It then goes back another 15 degrees or so, then spins a couple of times. Rinse. Repeat. If you can manage to stay next to it as it spins, you will be right in postion when it stops. Hit it once, then continue to follow it around. It is possible to beat him without getting hit, you just have to sync up with his timing.

xander

@thelordgod, on Dec 18 2006, 06:54 PM, said in Endgame Strategy:

I've been beating my head on the final battle for several days now, with no success.

I've been relying on the Blue Super Homing gun to pass the first wave, then switch to the Blue Superwave to get everybody else.

Trouble is, even with the health bonuses I usually come to the final boss with less than 200%.

I know the final boss' weak spot and what to hit him with, but between my lowered shields, and those squiggles, it's only a few taps from the big guy, and I'm toast.

Any strategy advice would be appreciated. Should I alter my gun selection? Any advice for avoiding the big guy? Any way to kill or neutralize the squiggles?

I think your gun selection is very sound. However, here's my piece of advice:

1. Breathe and relax
2. Use the Esc key to take breaks from the battle
3. Use your missiles, even in the preliminary battles.
4 Detach yourself from the battle. Observe5. yourself as you engage the beasts.
5. Stay near the edge of the arena. You can stay there for a long time without worrying much about the Boss hitting you. Occasionallly you have to move up or down a bit, but otherwise, the Boss's attacks are pretty random.
6. Do not get discouraged. I am still trying to beat the Pen in Hard Mode. I know I'll do it.
7. If you play EV Nova, think of this as an upgrade course for your combat and flying skills.
8. Embrace your good luck when it comes.

Peace

@vicent-estrella, on Dec 18 2006, 06:35 PM, said in Endgame Strategy:

3. Use your missiles, even in the preliminary battles.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one. That said, if he is getting to the final boss with near 200% it isn't the first stages that are his problem anyway.

My advice:

Keep a safe distance away from mr. pen. No need to get close to it. Don't feel like you need to take every shot you can, either. If you keep the pen at the edge of your screen and only shoot at it when you have a very good angle, you will almost inevitably win.
Also, if you are quick you can usually get two missile hits per cap removal, which will speed up the process.

Thanks for the advice.

I was hoping for a magic squiggle killer, but I'm not losing faith.

Keep to the edge, pick your shots...

I was pretty careful not to reveal the nature of the final boss in my original post. I notice that you guys haven't been quite as shy.

@thelordgod, on Dec 19 2006, 09:44 AM, said in Endgame Strategy:

Thanks for the advice.

I was hoping for a magic squiggle killer, but I'm not losing faith.

Keep to the edge, pick your shots...

I was pretty careful not to reveal the nature of the final boss in my original post. I notice that you guys haven't been quite as shy.

Anybody who doesn't want any spoilers for the last boss will be warned by the topic title, don't be worried.

Got it. Finally.

There is a little bit of strategy, like knowing where to shoot and staying as close to the edge as you can without losing sight of Mr. Big. For the most part, though it was a lot like the Volcano Tank, and the Forrest Boss: Just keep trying, and eventually a couple of lucky shots will fall in. Turns out that the missile is mightier than the pen...

Nice game, and well worth the price of admission. I just wish that beating the thing felt more like skill than luck.

@thelordgod, on Dec 20 2006, 10:14 PM, said in Endgame Strategy:

I just wish that beating the thing felt more like skill than luck.

Honestly, I feel much the same way about the final battle. The dopplegangers are nifty, and not to difficult (though not easy on the first try). However, the random enemies that are thrown at you are a pain in the ass. They are often drawn right on top of you, and the skill level needed to take them all out varries incredibly from one attempt to the next. You might get 10 fighters or cuties in a row, which is almost impossible, or you might get a ton of blocks. Sometimes you get health, sometimes you don't. There is too much randomness thrown in for my taste. However, once you get through the crowds of random cannon-fodder, I find the final boss to be quite predictable, and fairly easy to shoot down. He telegraphs all of his moves, and only really has two attacks (the spin, and the cap attack).

xander