E1A8: Through and Through (Secret Level)

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STRATEGY
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Difficulty: **

Intro:
Welcome to a subtle gimmick level. You fight only Triad Enforcers. That’s about the closest I can come to the meaning behind the level’s name: you fight only this enemy type through and through.

Strategy:
This level may seem intimidating because of the fact that you start in a big open area, populated with Triad Enforcers. However, if you know what to do, it becomes a total cakewalk as it only gets easier after the start; there’s literally nothing else challenging afterwards. Even without the tactic, it’s quite doable if you keep moving and make them detonate their grenades near themselves on the GADs.

The starting area is essentially + shaped, with doors along each line segment leading into rooms. The rooms themselves have more enforcers, but also enough firepower for you to use, as does the + area. The center of the + is an inner + structure formed out of GADs that ascend to the center of the level; there’s a Flame Wall up here. At the far southeast across your starting point is a tiny fenced-off area with 2 Mercury Mode powerups.

Carefully make your way to either set of GAD stairs beside this fenced-off area, climb up and run in there to get one of the powerups. This should be the only tricky part due to the dense enemy presence. If you’re being shredded by their gunfire, there’s a Bulletproof Vest to the right of your starting area. Anyway, fly over to the north end of the map and get the level breaker: an Asbestos Armor. From here, it’s your choice how you want to clear the area, the quickest being the Flame Wall in the center I mentioned. If that wasn’t enough, there’s another one of these vests in the silver key room.

The Mercury Mode powerups should provide sufficient time to explore the main/starting area, too, and you might really want to do that. Lots of good stuff hidden behind raised wall segments, including the first static appearance of the MP-40.

The rest of the level is very easy. At the end, you have a choice of 3 paths to take with an exit in each and they’re all redundant. You choose a path while standing on GADs near the ceiling and dropping behind a fence; fittingly, too, as there are a bunch of enforcers in each section. They’ll already be activated early on, so just let them off themselves. Each path offers its own explosive weapon. Did I mention that this section is essentially broken due to the remaining Merury Mode powerup in the fenced-off area, allowing you to explore all 3 paths? Either way, I like the path straight ahead of you as it has a Firebomb.

Outro:
A very short level that has no environmental challenge, the only difficulty coming from the confrontation at the start; and that’s if you don’t know the tactic. Still, it’s a fun little level.

EROTT-Worthy: Yes

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SECRETS
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There aren’t any actual secrets. The closest thing to one is that you can reach more areas with the Mercury Mode powerups, which are available in plain sight. Look all around the level; there are quite a lot of high fences and items that are generally floating all around. One such item, as mentioned before, is the MP-40 which you probably will want.

© Alum “Cass Paze” Tarly