Zero Storms the Missile Factory [100P Recoil Rod Only]
34What better way to invade a missile factory than to pogo and punch your way through everything?
This is a 100-point run of the Missile Factory, the first of Z3’s intermission stages, using only the Recoil Rod and its associated EX Skills to blast through the facility and the missile itself. The first half of the stage is a twisting vertical ascent, while the second half comprises a mad dash through a well-guarded, cramped corridor. In both cases, the level design is highly compatible with the Recoil Rod’s capabilities.
To start, Zero’s armed with the Normal Body, Double Jump, Quick Charge, and Clokkle—the standard getup for any instance of rapid Recoil Rod usage. With two jumps at his disposal and a charge time of only 1 second, Zero can soar through the stage with phenomenal speed. Double Jump enables the chaining of multiple pogos without landing and helps with avoiding landing lag when using the Recoil Rod’s other attacks.
On the topic of pogos, the stage opens with a bit of an odd technique. The Recoil’s Rod’s charged attacks are meant to launch enemies depending on the direction of the strike. Forward hits impart considerable energy to the target, sending them a great distance horizontally. It turns out that this hit reaction can be replicated by striking an enemy with a pogo at just the right moment of the animation. A normal pogo simply keeps the target in place, so a successful hit of this type is superb for sweeping away any imminent rabble while still granting Zero the height and momentum of a pogo.
I’ve found that it’s strangely common for the toughest jumps in many stages to be placed near the onset of a stage, and this one’s no exception. The pogo off the first Generator Cannon—along with the slick weaving between the Pantheon Guardian, Eye Cannon, and the fast-flying Keaton spawned by the Generator Cannon—is easily the most rigorous bout of movement during the whole journey. Most of my failed attempts came courtesy of this section.
Past that is a satisfying chain of double jumps and pogos, followed by a quick sprint up a conveyor, resulting in the first Heavy Cannon getting absolutely eviscerated. Soul Launcher pulls double duty here: not only does it deliver extra damage to the Heavy Cannon for a quick 2HKO, but it also protects Zero from an amorous Keaton that just doesn’t know when to quit. For those wondering why I don’t pogo directly toward the second Heavy Cannon and instead jump off the far wall, it’s to manipulate when it fires its ever-irritating bowling ball. The charged Saber can melt right through it, but I have no such luxury here. Instead, I showcase the mechanic of reflecting the ball back at the Heavy Cannon. Once again, Soul Launcher has merit here: if Zero is slightly too far to the left while standing on the box, the projectiles provide a backup hit if the actual Recoil Rod strike whiffs.
Technically, a reversal would be slightly faster at disposing of the Heavy Cannon, but if my choices are to illustrate a novel method of utilizing a weapon’s characteristics or to wiggle around like a maniac, I’m always going to favor the former. The same is true for the last Heavy Cannon, where I buffer a 1000 Slash input while airborne so that Zero executes the skill the moment he lands. Another forward-launching pogo leads to the Generator Cannon guarding the exit.
It’s imperative that the Generator Cannon is allowed to spawn a couple of Keaton; this shortens the mini-farming session required atop the missile. Defeating it with a 3-hit reversal is possible but loses time overall. Knowing this, I had an excellent opportunity to demonstrate another abstruse mechanic. The animation of vertical charged attacks with the Recoil Rod can be canceled by sliding on a wall for at least 1 frame. Wall jumping after that animation cancel allows Zero to initiate a standard attack earlier than he otherwise would. I exploit this property to “combo” a charged attack, a normal hit, and Soul Launcher in quick succession.
It should be readily apparent that the trek through the missile itself is the sort of claustrophobic, fickle navigation where a slight misstep will completely ruin a run, but the two Shotcounter enemies hovering near the winding walls before the boss door deserve special mention. Those two cruelly placed foes fire slow, wall-piercing projectiles forward, creating a race against the clock. Remember that the Recoil Rod’s attacks will affix Zero to the ground, so if you aren’t adroit with your double jumps, you can kiss any semblance of speed in this section goodbye—the Shotcounters’ painfully languid bullets will intercept Zero as he tries to snake past the obstacles.
The threat Crea & Prea pose is directly proportional to your desire to make the battle entertaining. My approach entailed a varied mix of attacks to keep things from feeling dull, which demanded more practice than you might expect.
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