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Fighting enemies and playing through a 2D platformer requires you to time your jumps, understand enemies, and identify the best strategies to reach the end of the level.Shieldmaiden: Remix Editionoffers fun challenges without making them too punishing, thanks to the consistent checkpoints. However, you may sometimes struggle and find it challenging to defeat bosses or go against enemies in this great indie title.
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As you play through the game and utilize every technique in your arsenal, you’ll fend off enemies and learn about what happened to your sister. These tips will help you figure out the best strategies, see what works, and what you should keep in mind as you play.
Understanding Your Movement Options And Techniques
You have asolid arsenal of movesto help you navigate the world and succeed. You’ll want to remember your various moves andhow they relate to movement, so you’ll complete levels while utilizing your jump.
You candash over larger gaps to make jumps.
Shield Throw
Youtoss your shield in a direction, causing it to bounce off walls and collide with objects.
You canhit switches too highto reach or oneswith a timer, so you maximize your time.
Wall Jump
You press jump against the wall to send yourself in theopposite direction diagonally upward.
you may wall jump to make it back up endless cliffs or to reach higher areas. Evensmall vertical walls let you leap off them, giving you additional height.
The game usually requires you tochain moves togetherto overcome various obstacles. For example, if you need to get on top of a high ledge, you’ll need tojump to it, wall jump, then turn back to the wall and perform a dash. Doing so can give you enough distance to make it on the ledge and continue through the level.
Watch For The Red Pits
As you go through the game, you’ll come across different pits, butsince you may’t point the camera down, you can’t see if there’s ground below. However, the game has a red hue to indicate an endless pit. If you fall down one, you’ll take damage and even get a game over if you run out of health.
If you see one without any red, you can safely go that wayto find a different path or even collectibles. Sometimes, the pit might be deeper than expected, so you couldslide down the edge to see if it leads somewhere. You slide slower than you fall, meaning you can react to the red hue by wall jumping up the hole or using a wall jump into a dash to get back to safety.
If you can’t determine whether you are facing a bottomless pit or not, you can play it safe and jump over it. You can alsotake advantage of checkpoints by checking the pits when you reach one. That way, you’ll respawn there while also healing your health.
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Defend Then Attack
Sinceyou have a shield as your weapon, you’ll want to take that literally byprioritizing defense over attacking. You only have two ways to hit enemies: smacking them with your shield, and throwing it. You’ll want to use them in the right circumstances andfollow a general strategy when fighting enemies.
Most enemies requiremultiple hitsto take them out, so you may’t sit still forever. That means you’ll want to hold your shield up and deflect attacks when possible.As you keep walking up, you can get in range and damage the enemy with a ranged attack. Even though it won’t deal as much damage, you can whittle down the enemy while getting closer.
Once you get in melee range,spam your attack button to take out the enemy before they can counterattack. You shouldfocus on approaching one enemy at a time, especially if they spawn around you in a combat area.
You canonly block so much, as shown by thestamina meter. Don’t let yourself block for too long, or you’lllose access to your shielduntil your stamina refills.
Timing Remains Key In Combat
Going off combat, you mustfocus on timingto succeed. Not only must you attack at the right time, but you should pay attention to your enemies.They usually have patterns they follow, so you’ll know exactly what to expect as you fight them. For example,the plant enemy will charge, turn slightly red, and release five butterflies into the air. Those butterflies will move toward you, but you can use your shield to avoid damage and build yourspecial meter.
Shielding remains a crucial part of succeeding and timing your moves.Once you reflect enough projectiles, you can use a full-screen special moveto destroy enemies. Not only will that help you defeat foes, butyou’ll also clear projectiles off the screen, protecting you from damage when you find yourself in a rough position.
Timing Against Bosses
You want toapply your timing tactics even more when you fight a boss. Since they have consistent patterns and attacks, you’ll knowwhat to expectfrom them. For example, the first boss, the Warden, has the following pattern.
Every enemy and boss in the game seems to have a general pattern. Even though it may not shoot the projectiles in the same spot,you can expect them to do the same attacks, allowing you to time your attacks against it. Doing so will help you avoid wasting attacks or throwing your shield during a powerful attack.
You can’t throw your shield and defend at the same time. Wait until you find a gap in the enemy’s attacks before you throw your shield, so you don’t leave yourself defenseless.
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Remain Patient
Some platformers expect you to go through the levels as quickly as possible, maximizing your score through bonus time. However, Shieldmaiden doesn’t track your time, so you won’t have to worry about such points. You shouldfocus on timing your jumps correctly, tackling your enemies one at a time, and finding the best solutions for the area, especially in these circumstances.
When you end up in an enclosurewith multiple enemies, focus on dodging and blockingwhile you remain patient. If you try to rush through the fight,you’ll take too much damageand potentially die, sending you back to the checkpoint and costing you more time. In short,you’ll save more time if you act patientlyrather than trying to rush through each situation.
You could also run off a ledgeif you go too fastsince you won’t see whether you need to dash or add a jump. On the other hand,you could jump and dash, but end up colliding with an enemy.
Patience also matters when you fight bosses sinceeach one has its weaknesses. For example, the second boss, the Crow,won’t take any damage during most of the fight. Instead, you must reflect attacks, wait until you have your super, and wait for a specific moment to unleash it. He’ll then become vulnerable to your attacks, allowing you to deal massive damage quickly.Bear this in mind and adapt to each battle.