Hard mode

2011-01-24 12:43:19 pm

Bangaa Bishop

After finally finding everything, I'm starting up hard mode. So far, I like the genuine challenge posed by being more vulnerable (and not having that last chance hit when you get down to 0 energy) instead of the usual enemies have double health method, but are there really NO items whatsoever? it certainly appears that way.

It made me wonder... how am I supposed to get through the heated areas pre-varia? I remember those draining your energy really fast without it and you don't get any energy tanks. Maybe I'm just noob but... yea it seems like it will be hard. lol

Thread title:

UchihaSasuke

2011-01-24 01:04:18 pm

my umbrella goes directly to Bankai

there are no pickups whatsoever and all areas are beatable without e-tanks. you just need to do them without mistakes.
the pre-varia segment drains energy slowly so it's not like it is dark aether or anything ridiculous like that.

sabata2

2011-01-24 01:10:41 pm

ANKOKU

Yeah, you'll be fine for Pre-varia sector 3.

Just get to some safe spots and Concentrate every so often.

Prime Hunter

Edit history:

Prime Hunter: 2011-01-24 01:50:57 pm

2011-01-24 01:50:45 pm

Just be sure to leave yourself enough time to do so, because your health will still drain due to the heat while you're in the middle of Concentration.

Miketroid

2011-02-22 08:57:24 pm

My thirst is endless.

Hard mode truly lives up to it's name. Don't worry, sector 3 pre-varia isn't tough.

During hard mode, you'll be using concentration, a lot.

Tahngarthor

2011-02-25 01:08:15 pm

Bangaa Bishop

It's a low% runner's dream to be sure. No powerups in your way that you need special tricks to avoid. Heck, no powerups at all other than what's required, so... yeah. :D

UchihaSasuke

2011-02-25 04:03:04 pm

my umbrella goes directly to Bankai

there's the downside of no post-credits sequence though. a few people prefer nomal mode's low% because of this.

Prime Hunter

2011-02-25 11:51:47 pm

Yeah, like me. I like the extra segment and the Phantoon battle, especially on a 3% run because it can be so chaotic throughout the battle and you have to be on constant guard or else you'll be dead real quick.

Plus it just doesn't feel right to not have to do the escape sequence, since it's become a staple of Metroid games these days it seems.

Tahngarthor

2011-03-08 01:40:16 am

Bangaa Bishop

You can't fight the final final boss on hard mode? =\

should point out that hard mode is still different than just not picking up items because of the last 0 energy last chance effect on normal that is removed in hard.

Prime Hunter

2011-03-08 01:58:15 pm

Nope, it ends once you defeat the Queen and MB if I recall. I find it a really odd design choice, but as I remember someone saying before when we've talked about it it may be due to those Power Bomb bug creatures and the fact that the developers thought they'd be too difficult on Hard Mode or something like that.

Tahngarthor

2011-03-10 12:52:38 am

Bangaa Bishop

I'm pretty sure they're capable of oneshotting you if you have no energy tanks, right?

tomatobob

2011-03-10 01:25:32 am

One shall stand, one shall ball.

Quote from Tahngarthor:

should point out that hard mode is still different than just not picking up items because of the last 0 energy last chance effect on normal that is removed in hard.

That sounds like a positive for me actually, I think that thing's done a better job of killing me than saving me.

"Welp, I'm dead I guess, wait I'm not? Wh- Oh now I am."

I have a tendency to stop trying to avoid things when it seems pretty clear that I died, i.e. health indicator reads "00" I was not aware for quite some time that this was the wrong thing to do. Either was was missing something important or they really needed to do a better job of indicating that I was only mostly dead after Ridley ate what was clearly my last bit of energy.

Tahngarthor

2011-03-10 01:49:35 am

Bangaa Bishop

I think it was just a little jarring because that never happened in any other game.

I don't think it's entirely off the mark though. It's established in Prime that your suit energy is used to keep its shielding charged. If that sheilding runs out, it makes sense to met hat you're not instantly dead but rather that you're vulnerable and if you get shot or eaten again, it's going to get through to Samus's tasty flesh.

tomatobob

2011-03-10 02:09:00 am

One shall stand, one shall ball.

I don't really have a problem with the feature in theory, a last gasp kind of thing isn't so bad. I just wish it was indicated better, by the time I notice that it hasn't popped over to a Game Over screen I'm all dead, because I had no idea I wasn't in the first place.

Like if it just stuck your health at 01 instead of kicking down to double zeros for a moment it would help a ton. I know it flickers back and forth but by that point I'm not really looking at the health bar. It always seems to come out of nowhere.