Cavalcadence plays HoloCure 3: Sora (main-only + no items + no stamps) vs. Stage 4 (Hard)
0HoloCure - Save the Fans! (PC(W)/itchio/Steam)
Version 0.7.1732393897 (2024/Dec/04)
Stage 4 (Hard) - Gelora Bung Yagoo (Night)
Tokino Sora
main weapon only (i.e. no Weapons other than Main Weapon) + no items + no stamps
So... perhaps unsurprisingly, after Amelia's main-only + no items win, I kinda wanted to try some "main-only, no items, no stamps" test runs, just to see how much more difficult removing stamps would make things. ^.^
As it turns out... pretty difficult. ^^; Interestingly, though... after several runs worth of strategy adjustments... Amelia actually started making it pretty far into the level, pretty regularly. ^^
Long story short... after making it to the final boss (and losing) a few times with Amelia, I realized that the main problem I was having was the piercing limit on Amelia's main, which, combined with the crowd density late in the level, meant that a lot of shots weren't getting through to hit the final boss.
Thinking about it, adjusting the HP/SPD/ATK/CRT balance to sacrifice defense for offense would probably work for Amelia... but just for fun, I started thinking about maybe trying a different character instead. ^_^
And looking through the characters I'd had the best 4H runs with, it occurred to me that... wait, doesn't Sora's main have a guaranteed piercing distance? ^.^
And after some quick tests... yep, it did look like the piercing distance was guaranteed! It was a much shorter range than Amelia's main, so Sora would have to be closer to her intended target... but guaranteed piercing meant a more reliable way of applying direct damage to the final boss! =)
Sora also had some Healing via one of her Skills (and also her Special), which meant that HP didn't have to be quite as high a priority... and eventually, I settled on a Stat-upgrade balance that seemed to work fairly well... and then, not too long after that, this run happened. ^_^
So anyway, here it is... my first ever "main-only + no items + no stamps" 4H win! Hope you enjoy!
Some notes and possible points of interest:
0:00 (Disclaimers)
0:02 (Photosensitivity Warning - flashing bright lights & fast-moving images)
0:08 HoloCure - Save the Fans! (version 0.7.1732393897)
0:13 No Stamps, Weapon Limit -5, Item Limit -6, G Rank Off
Amelia doesn't currently have any G Rank bonuses, but Sora does, so turning that off here. ^^
0:21 Tokino Sora, Stage 4 (Hard)
0:29 Support Item: Quick Dash
Highly-recommended for Stage 4H, to make avoiding lightning strikes a bit easier!
0:31 0000 - Stage 4 (Hard) begins!
2:44 0145 (two healers)
IMO the first significant spot where things can definitely go badly if you haven't upgraded your offense enough! On an earlier run, where I was upgrading mostly just HP and SPD, these healers definitely caused, umm, quite a lot of trouble! ^^;;
3:01 0200
3:57 Saving the weapon upgrade for the next box essentially means an extra Stat upgrade here!
Technically, saving ALL weapon upgrades for boxes would mean even more Stat upgrades... but it would also make the earlier parts of the level a lot harder (weaker main!), so I've generally been trying to get to Main LV7 via the 0400 box (or maybe the 0600 box at the very latest). ^^
5:24 0400
5:56 Bright Star LV 7 (MAX)
6:01 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +1
7:43 0600
8:45 Oof! Definitely didn't avoid as much damage as I was hoping, here... =/
That barrel getting in the way definitely contributed. =p
8:53 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +2
10:05 0800
11:07 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +3
12:24 1000 (mid-bosses)
14:57 1200
15:25 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +4
17:18 1400
18:05 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +5
19:28 Anvil: (Upgrade Failed)
19:34 1600
19:42 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +6
21:17 Anvil: (Upgrade Failed)
22:10 1800 (giant bomb-penguin)
IMO this is the final significant spot (before the final boss) where things can definitely go badly if you haven't upgraded your offense enough!
With so much going on, it can be hard to spot the countdown timer... but if you have Quick Dash (which grants 1 second of invulnerability!), you can just keep an eye on the Stage Timer and dash at around 1822 and 1842 (if I recall correctly) to avoid the first two bomb blasts. ^_^
23:10 Anvil: (Upgrade Failed)
24:41 2000 (final boss)
25:31 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +7
26:02 Anvil - Bright Star AWAKENED +8
26:33 Lv: 67
26:53 Oh, Special has recharged! And I think we're pretty close to defeating the boss...
26:55 Hmm, the extra healing might be enough to keep Sora safe while she goes in to attack...?
26:58 Nope, nope, bad idea, retreat! ^^;;
27:11 2215 - Stage 4 (Hard) ends!
Whew, made it! My first ever "main-only + no items + no stamps" 4H win! ^_^
More HoloCure:
• HoloCure - Save the Fans!
https://kay-yu.itch.io/holocure
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2420510/HoloCure__Save_the_Fans/