Azure Striker Gunvolt - S+ Rank Run [Part 2]
22This is part 2 of my Azure Striker Gunvolt S+ rank run. This time I’ll be tackling the intermission stage, which introduces Copen, Gunvolt’s rival, along with the 3 remaining Adepts. Here are my notes.
-Perhaps the most important concept to acclimate to is leading your shots. Enemy groups are often designed in a manner that tagging them after arriving in their vicinity becomes exceedingly perilous. Firing in advance obviates this by landing shots on arrival, greatly accelerating your pace by reducing the time you spend engaging any given group. You can also use the Flashfield on preemptively tagged enemies, intercepting physical projectiles and interrupting attacks via knockback, further easing the task of tagging any stragglers.
-Another important concept is optimizing your combos with Air Strikes—being airborne while a triple-tagged enemy is destroyed. Assessing each scenario for viability is key, some groups are disproportionately dangerous to loiter around. Speed equals safety in such cases, so consider forgoing points to maintain flow and reduce complexity.
-Technos is a bolt with phenomenal potential that's tragically squandered by its two-tag limit. As such, its uses are confined to niche scenarios where enemies are placed below your regular line of fire, or above you at an angle that constricts jumping, though, a well-placed Orochi satellite can sometimes handle these cases, albeit at a far more languid pace.
-Vasuki is used only a few times throughout the run; victories earned with its homing bolts feel a tad hollow, but in certain cases, it proves liberating. Much like Orochi, reliability isn't its strong suit; having only 4 tags to work with, its volatile nature proves to be a fatal flaw in many cases.
-Aside from the topsy-turvy circus at the end, Sinner's Row is fairly straightforward. The issue I have with the stage is that Sakura Efflorescence—my personal favorite song—has no corresponding Audiolocket, thus, I replayed the first section over and over until the 1/8 chance decided to bless me; it's about as fun as it sounds, especially when making a critical error after being the recipient of serendipity.
-The Datastore feels oddly empty; bereft of any enemy groups posing a serious threat, the challenge derives primarily from navigating the Flashfield-attracted platforms, along with the climb past some slight overhangs at the start. The Flying Bombs that populate the stage can be guided by activating the Flashfield nearby without damaging them. They do eventually detonate regardless, but the timer is generous. Unfortunately, their movement is so painfully slow that I simply toss the concept in the bin to keep things moving at a pace faster than watching grass grow.
-Inti Creates have a habit of underpowering bosses on their first go-around, then morphing them into complete monstrosities for their second coming: this aptly defines Carrera. Here, in GV1, he feels incomplete, as though his attacks are lacking that little bit of extra oomph to propel him into threat status. A bit of a spoiler: they fix this in spades within GV2's EX stages, but that's a ways off yet.
-The Stratacombs exemplify the puzzle-platforming aspect of Gunvolt perfectly. Efficiently grouping enemies requires prudence and precision; several hair-raising jumps are demanded of players, particularly in the absence of the Blue Streak Band. Dealing with the zombies is an irksome affair; the ground crawlers are bad enough, but the bungee addicts are positively aneurysm-inducing; the hitboxes on these sludge-spewing thrill seekers are a mere suggestion at best. On many an occasion, I'd fire a charged Naga bolt that ostensibly hit dead center, only to be met with the indignation of watching them splatter into a useless pile of goop. As such, I recommend avoiding charged Naga entirely when engaging them, opting instead to lead your shots in a manner that results in one bolt flying past the fun-loving zombies, tagging whatever is behind them.
-Navigating the darkness isn't particularly hard once the topography is emblazoned in your mind. A quick way to learn the layouts is to turn the lights on and run through an area with full visual acuity, then replicate those movements in the dark, albeit with extra caution. Keep in mind that the Flashfield can illuminate your immediate surroundings, taking a second to check when you're uncertain is wise.
-Orochi is ideal for the majority of the Stratos battle. The satellite can easily tag him during his leap between phases, and access to 8 tags bestows the ability to both destroy the eggs and deal double damage during his split attack. Switch to Naga for Destiny Fang so as to only tag Stratos and not his swarm-spewing drones, thereby ending the fight quickly.
Timestamps;
00:00 - Sinner's Row | Copen
04:50 - Datastore | Carrera
09:40 - Stratacombs | Elise
14:48 - Pharma Lab | Stratos
Thanks for watching! Any comments or questions you may have are welcome as usual.
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