Ok I know I'm a newb...I've spent forever trying to beat the crab boss...am I missing some sort of weapon? I beat the giant bug with the shields and got the beam but I'm still stuck!!!

That boss has a very specific weak point, that is rather difficult to hit. The beam is useful (and I congratulate you on getting through the tunnel and battle that protect it), but, as I am sure you have found, its range makes it a very risky weapon to use in this fight.

Edwards

You will find that the crab is too big to fit in the area near the door. Don't leave that area, dodge its bullets, and shoot the pellet gun continuously in the general direction of its head. It will take awhile, but it's foolproof.

cheers! I beat him! Now I just have to get past the racetrack. This game rocks

Just ram the finish line, you'll finish with a time of 0:00.
I am such a cheater

@fresnel, on Dec 10 2006, 08:41 PM, said in Volcano and Crab boss:

Just ram the finish line, you'll finish with a time of 0:00.
I am such a cheater

Did you use the third ship to do this?

@edwards, on Dec 10 2006, 01:09 AM, said in Volcano and Crab boss:

The beam is useful (and I congratulate you on getting through the tunnel and battle that protect it)

congratulate?? I had 1% of trouble getting the beam and that was all. :blink:

@hank-the-cowdog, on Dec 10 2006, 09:40 PM, said in Volcano and Crab boss:

congratulate?? I had 1% of trouble getting the beam and that was all. :blink:

Was that before or after getting the upgrade that allows you to ignore lava? How about any shield upgrades?

Edwards

@courtneyln, on Dec 9 2006, 10:44 PM, said in Volcano and Crab boss:

Ok I know I'm a newb...I've spent forever trying to beat the crab boss...am I missing some sort of weapon? I beat the giant bug with the shields and got the beam but I'm still stuck!!!

I'm in the exact same place, playing the demo, with the beam weapon, pellet weapon, and the red and yellow guns. I know where the boss's week point is, behind its claw, but I can't hit it enough times before I die.

Is there a way to strafe sideways, to dodge the bullets?

(The game has an interesting and whimsical design, but I'm thinking that this one isn't for me. The difficulty level is really high, and everything respawns each time you die. I think I may end up trashing it.)

Stay in the area near the door. Also the down arrow key (makes you go backwards) is your friend. It lets you dodge the claw and fire the same time.

Also note that you do not need to actually kill any of the enemies between the save ring and the Crab boss. Not only will flying past them dramatically reduce the time it takes to get to the boss, it will improve your flying skills to have to dodge them all.

As for the battle itself, it's largely just a matter of learning the boss's pattern, so you know when it will be where. For the simplest method, stay in the doorway, edging out a bit to keep the Crab in sight when it back up, and aim as constantly as possible at its weak point, firing all the time. When it fires, keep shooting until the bullets are just a few graph-paper squares away, and then back further into the doorway, keeping along the upper wall (the Crab's shots almost never reach there.

If you're feeling more adventurous (and have the Beam), every third arm-opening lasts much longer than the other two- you can use that time to dart out into the room and hit the weak point with the Beam, although you need to be careful to stay out of the swing of the arm, and not get in front of the Crab if its next motion will be charging forward. You also need to be able to dodge bullets.

Edwards