Zero Defeats Blazin' Flizard with a Single Shield Boomerang Throw
32In this battle, Zero faces off against a fellow Boomerang wielder, Blazin’ Flizard. To demonstrate the Shield Boomerang’s superiority over Flizard’s Frill Boomerang, here, I’ll be winning the fight using only a single throw of the Shield. Z3 grants the Shield Boomerang extra moves via EX Skills, so there are two distinct methods of approaching this challenge: one where you have Shield Sweep equipped—bestowing a vertical throw that covers more ground—and one where you use the familiar standard throw from the first two games.
Before getting to the specifics of how I move in each battle, let’s talk about RNG. Of the 4 games in the series, Z3 is the one that lends players the most control over what bosses will do in a battle. Skipping cutscenes resets RNG to a preordained value, so everything you see here is consistently repeatable, provided you replicate the movements shown here exactly. However, that’s not to say that what I show here is the only route to victory. Wall jumps, equipped Cyber Elves, and shooting the Buster at walls are all examples of actions that influence RNG, so there’s a lot of room for creativity despite the outwardly restrictive nature of the challenge. Concerning Flizard himself, his actions are also dependent on player position, so even if you perform the same number of wall jumps during the fight, placing Zero at different points on the floor when Flizard executes his next attack will take you to a different “branch,” so to speak.
Of the two tactics, the Shield Sweep method is easier and more consistent; there are a few benefits it has over the standard throw that make it so. First, establishing an orbit with Shield Sweep requires no dexterity at all. Simply toss the Shield at a wall while Zero is fairly close to it, and the Shield will automatically begin revolving around him. Second, the vertical nature of the throw means that the Shield covers a tremendous area with its larger hitbox and slightly modified orbit physics, making it easier to catch bosses as they move around.
To begin the Shield Sweep fight, charge the Shield before skipping the cutscene, then let go of all buttons except left on the dpad. Holding left as the warning sign disappears will buffer the input and execute it on the first possible frame, resulting in Zero immediately throwing the Shield at the left wall, establishing an orbit. From here, only minute adjustments are required—the usual precept of keeping the Shield alive by gamboling around and rebounding off the walls like a parkour addict doesn’t apply here. Instead, keep your eyes peeled for three key moments: jumping over Flizard’s first flamethrower before it’s cut short, dodging the sequential uses of Tail Flame, and manipulating RNG after Flizard uses Fear Sprinkler. The first two are self-explanatory, but for the third, you need to ensure that you wall jump once while Flizard is stunned during Fear Sprinkler. If you don’t, Zero will instantly get torched. The correct manipulation results in Flizard using his boomerang, which you can evade by stepping into the corner briefly after landing from the wall jump. After that you can stand still, and voilà.
Using the standard throw is a lot more technical, demanding the aforementioned Mirror’s Edge-style philosophy, but it’s still less taxing than many other bosses under this same condition. The fight opens with a grounded throw that stops Flizard in his tracks, allowing Zero to make a brisk hop over and around the Shield before dashing into the corner. Conveniently, Flizard’s tail is sliced off during this opening sequence, taking Tail Flame off the table. Crossing over to the other side of the room with a slightly delayed wall jump will guide the Shield over Flizard as Zero leaps. Deliberately changing the trajectory of the Shield to avoid having it hit at this point of the battle is crucial. It’ll force Flizard to waste time jumping toward Zero, which in turn means that Flizard will take another hit, all while the timer that dictates how long the amputated tail persists ticks down. The tail serves as an irritating bit of area denial, so getting it out of the picture is key.
When going back to the now tail-free right side of the room, stand near Flizard as the Shield travels to Zero; this time, you want to land a hit while Flizard’s busy charring the wall. Next is where a critical example of Flizard’s positional RNG manifests. When Flizard uses Fear Sprinkler, the first set of mini-fireballs will be shot toward the ground rather than upward at the wall so long as Zero isn’t standing in the corner. This allows you to barely dodge the projectiles; if they’re fired upward first, you’ll invariably jump into them while hopping around the Shield. With that, the complexities are done; the remaining movement is comparatively straightforward.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Shield Sweep
00:31 - Standard Throw
Thanks for watching! Any questions or comments you may have are welcome as always.
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