Air Date: October 23, 2015
In this video I complete star tropics on the original Nintendo Entertainment System console. I load the game right after completing Chapter 7 which begins with Mike aboard the spaceship orbiting the planet.
The first task at hand is to dispatch Zoda after entering the official dungeon portion of the level after viewing the image of Zoda on the deck. For this battle my method of attack is determined by the three hearts filled in my life meter. Since I am stuck with the yoyo at this point, since my life isn't filled far enough, I scramble for the blaster conveniently located within the same room as the boss. Zoda stands there long enough for me to grab the gun and then position myself near the center of the room. The center of the room is always my default location encase Zoda sends his claws out instead of his floating head. The strategy is pretty obvious. Evade the claws and then blast away at his head when it appears. The eyeballs he shoots should not pose too much trouble since they are easy to dodge and only take out two hearts if you are hit.
After the battle Zoda transforms into his second form and sleeks off into the darkness, leaving you to exit the room to the left opened door. From here it is a matter of dealing with the snipers and familiar space suit soldiers that you had to master in chapter 7. On the third section of this stage I choose to jump into the opened hole that the soldier jumps out of in order to get myself some extra supplies. You drop into a room full of space suit soldiers but will come out with both types of blaster weapons, three life potions, and a pill which refills your life. When you emerge you have to back track a little but I feel as if the gamble is worth it.
Eventually you will arrive at the core of the space ship. My advice is to not get too greedy here. Kill the soldier which jumps up through the floor and wait for the ports that launch spiky projectiles to close. At this time go to the bottom middle and fire away at the core until it closes again. Then get back to the left side of the screen to avoid the soon to be opening ports again. From this point repeat until the core has had enough damage. It is a bad idea to wait at the bottom because the spike projectiles will kill you faster than anything.
After the core blows up the atmosphere gets dark and you have to exit to the left once again. At this point you have to climb toward the top while dealing with fiery enemies which are coming from Zoda's roosting spot. I like to kill these in order to replenish my life if need be and then proceed with full reserves. During the final battle I recommend the hit and run method, mainly playing defense. I kill all of the fire balls which come my way and then go hunting for Zoda. The fireballs will sometimes give away his location since the screen positioning is focused on you and not him. He can kill you with one direct touch so it is a good idea to advance slowly since he will not appear on the screen until his whole massive body is in view. I land my hits on the sides of the room and then retreat as he starts closing in.
After a while Zoda's face melts off from damage and you will have free passage to the final cube and the end of your journey. After getting the last cube you are warped to Coralcola and I take the time to speak to each of the village people. When you are ready for the ending go into the chiefs hut to have the final talk. After the ending I let the credits play through along with the epilogue and montage of all of the milestones in Mike's journey.