MISSION 10: Desert Behemoth
--------------------------
Difficulty: Medium
------------------------------
|BOSS FIGHT: King Zaknel Lvl. 1|
------------------------------
Just for your information, I’m still using one Mogyoon Yumipon, with the rest
being just normal white Patapons. I’ll notify you once I change my army, so
that you can get an idea of how hard I found the missions too.
King Zaknel has three main attacks: (1) Fire Breathing, (2) Head Slam, and (3)
Spoilt Child Attack. You’ll see what I mean when he does Attack (3). The
strategy is the same: anticipate and react accordingly.
For (1), Zaknel will rear himself up into a S-shape, with his tail almost
touching his head.
For (2), Zaknel will try to stand up straight, and this time he will rise
higher with his tail closer to the ground.
For (3), you don’t get much reaction time, because he just stretches out flat
on the ground, ready to start thrashing around.
To counter:
(1) --> Just defend and you should be fine.
(2) --> The best you can do now is defend too, and hope that whilst defending
your troops retreat past his attack zone (which is rather limited).
(3) --> This attack spans the entire stage, so no matter where you are, once he
starts thrashing just Defend!
By now you should have realized that if you deal enough damage to bosses, they
are momentarily stunned and their current actions are cancelled. I’ve seen
how people on Youtube like to focus exclusively on Attacking, continually
stunning bosses so they don’t get a chance to respond, but it really depends
on how powerful your army is now.
Patience is the key, so don’t rush it if you can’t deal enough damage now!
Learn to recognize the attacks and defend, that will really save your Patapons
from lots of damage. Played well, at the end of this stage all your units
should still be in green health.
When defeated, Zaknel will drop the Memory of Kibapon! Yay for new units! Note
too, that while it’s thought that only higher level Bosses drop Level 4
materials, I’ve gotten Mytheerial from a mere Level 2 King Zaknel! I think it’s
just a matter of probabilities, then.
Interlude - New Unit: Kibapon!
------------------------------
Meden informs you that there’s an oasis that’s the centre of a tussle between
the Patapons and the Zigatons now, so that’s where you’re headed next. You have
the opportunity to create Kibapons now, although there are no new Minigames.
More on Kibapons and their strengths in the Patapon Unit Combinations Section.
I managed the next stage without them, but take your time to experiment with
them. Take note though, Kibapons are as good for hunting as a blindfold is for
driving.
MISSION 11: Battle For The Oasis
--------------------------------
Difficulty: Medium
It’s dicey on this stage because without constant Fever, I find that my units
start dying. My suggestion is to really start exploring the Rarepons now, and
to find out which suit your playing style. As a quick guide, I suggest using
Gekolos or Tikulee units, with at least one Rarepon for your Tatepons so they
can better withstand damage, and another in your Yumipons for damage.
In any case you begin the stage with a bit of trash talk between the two armies,
and then you have to plow through a series of stone walls, towers, and stones.
Again, keep your cool, they’re not dealing as much damage to you as you think!
There are about 4 waves of enemies on this stage, and they tend to stop your
advancement with Tatepons whilst firing on you. I suggest getting up as close
as possible, then allow your Yumipons and Yaripons to attack them. It’s a
useful strategy once you get the hang of it.
There’s no life potion on this stage though, I suspect the game is trying
to get you to use the new Kibapon units because they are great for breaking
through enemy Tatepon defenses. But I don’t like them, and I survived, so power
to the gamer.
Seriously though, use the Kibapons to see if you have an easier time. Note that
the Kibapons are much, much better in Fever than when they are out of it.
Interlude
---------
Meden, who is very slightly getting on my nerves with her whining now, tells
you that General Gong is angry about recent developments, and needs you to
handle matters for her. In normal layman speak, that means to ’kick his ass’.
No new Minigames! So pump all you need to, then head on out!
MISSION 12: Gong Returns
------------------------
Difficulty: Hard
The stage begins with Gong pleading with you to stop the Patapons, and this was
the first time I actually got guilty about the destruction my lovely little
Eyeballs were causing. Take this time to build up Fever!
Once Gong is done talking, he engages you in battle, and other units come up to
aid him. He’s got two attacks of note, one is a Tornado thing that causes minor
damage and disrupts your current action, and another is a Ground Smash that
throws everyone to the ground.
Defeat the first wave, and he’ll happily retreat, skipping over rocks which you
have to tediously break down later. A second wave pops out from the bushes, and
barely after you defeat this wave does a new unit make his appearance - the
Dekapon!
He’s this big menacing thing with a stick, and while he does deal quite a bit
of damage and has high health, he’s not invincible. Take him down, finish up
the remaining waves, and Gong runs away! Stage done!
I had a lot of problems with this stage, mainly because my units kept dying
and there’s a lack of potions too. I suggest keeping in Fever mode and using
Rarepons, they will make your life much easier. If you’re good at Fever, use
Kibapons, they really help smash a path through the enemies.
Interlude
---------
When you’re back, you discover a voice of dissent amongst the Patapons. It
seems as if not everyone is very sure about their overall goal, or even the
morality of their actions.
Kinda like bombing a city and then wondering if you should have just asked for
what you wanted nicely first, but hey, they are your Patapons so you gotta love
them unconditionally.
As your parents do to you.
Hopefully.
Ziggies are attacking the Basin again, so it’s you to the rescue!
MISSION 13: Zigatons Attack Again?!
-----------------------------------
Difficulty: Medium
This stage certainly isn’t a walk in the park. You’re up against 3 waves of
Ziggies, the latter 2 of which will include 2 Kibapons and 1 Dekapon each. Make
sure that your units are well-equipped - as a general rule, if more than 4 of
your units die during the course of the stage, your units are either weak or
you’re employing the wrong tactics.
A health potion will only present itself after the second wave, so try your
best not to lose any units until then. I tried spamming Fever attacks against
the Kibapons, and while it works, it may be more efficient to defend against
them and allow your ranged attackers to take them out.
Finally, some units from the 3rd wave will run away instad of staying to fight
the good fight. Don’t worry about them, it’s not going to affect your loot
drops much.
Interlude
---------
Meden frets about there never being peace for the Patapons, and contemplates
some grander plan in order to ensure everyone’s (not the Zigatons’, for sure)
safety.
Meanwhile, there’s another hunting level open to you, so we’ll go on and check
out the Desert Paradise stage!
MISSION 14A: Desert Paradise
----------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
Remember, this is a hunting stage, so leave your Kibapons and Tatepons at home.
Advance along and you’ll soon see a Pink Motiti, otherwise known as the Momoti.
He’s flighty, so work up a Fever and attack with Yumipons from afar. He’ll
grudgingly drop the Dusty Crystal, which is your key to the next Ruins / Boss.
Elsewhere on the level, you’ll also encounter a beetle-like Kacheek, who will
not take your intrusions lying down. He’s not much of a threat though, and
after you put him down he will leave behind a Kimpon Cap, which will unlock
the next Minigame back home in Patapolis.
That’s it for this stage, so finish it up quickly. A new Minigame beckons!
MISSION 14B: Guardian Of Knell - New Song: Retreat Song!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty: Hard
---------------------------------
|BOSS FIGHT: Great Dokaknel Lvl. 1|
---------------------------------
In case you’re wondering, this stage was unlocked the moment you found the
Dusty Crystal from the previous Desert Paradise hunting stage.
Another black tombstone, another song for your Patapons. This time, it’s the
Retreat Song, which is a truly important addition to your arsenal. Practise
it for a bit, work up a Fever, then move on.
A bit further on, say hello to King Zaknel’s upgrade, Dokaknel. The good thing
is that both Worm Bosses essentially behave the same way, and the bad thing is
that this one has slightly higher HP and attack power.
As a quick summary:
(1) Fire Breathing --> rears up into an S-shape, tail touching head
(2) Head Slam --> rears up straight(er)
(3) Spoilt Child Attack --> sprawls out flat on ground, begins to arch
I wonder if my eyes are deceiving me, but it seems as if this Worm’s number (2)
attack, the Head Slam, seems to be faster than that of King Zaknel’s. This
means that you have less time to goof off on the timing when he sidles up to
your army.
It’s almost as if the game if forcing you to use the Retreat Song (yessss I
know it’s technically called the Ponpata Song but damned if I want to be
clearer). Retreating is a good maneuver if you can pull it off - you completely
avoid any damage at all, which is crucial when you refight the Bosses at higher
leverls.
If you have problems clearing Dokaknel, or if a single Head Slam of his wipes
out your party, you might want to consider fighting the easier bosses in order
to unlock a few Rarepons to help you out. My party for this battle was: 2
Mogyoon Yumipons, 1 Tikulee Yaripon, 1 Tikulee Tatepon, the rest being the
plain White ones.
Note, Dokaknel randomly drops the unique Spear, Dokaknel’s Fang. It’s a pretty
good Spear, and although I only got mine at Level 8, there have been people on
the forum boards who report having gotten it much earlier, so it’s really the
luck of the draw I guess.
MISSION 14C: Convoy Escort
--------------------------
Difficulty: Medium
After you finish the sidequests, head over here to continue your next story
mission. Turns out that Meden’s plan is to construct a fort of your own, to
protect the growing Patapon tribe.
In order to do this, you need to escort a convoy cart to the end of the level.
Thus, you need to cut a path through enemy Zigotons. You’ll be facing about
4 - 5 waves of Zigotons, but they won’t present too much of a problem to you.
If you’re having problems, it’s probably because you can’t bash through the
enemy Tatepons fast enough, such that their Yumipons have enough time to fire
on your convoy cart.
To combat this, bring along Kibapons and stay in Fever: they will knock back
front-line enemies, so then quickly Advance, and engage the enemy Yumipons.
If you’re still too slow, upgrade your weapons!
Interlude - New Minigame: Mountain Minigame!
--------------------------------------------
The Mountain Minigame is unlocked, and if you think it’s going to be as easy
as the Tree one, get ready for a big shock. I almost broke my PSP out of
frustration from this Minigame (and admittedly, from many other moments in
Patapon), so save your game before you squander all your resources trying to
develop a sense of rhythm.
Meanwhile, Meden reports that the Zigaton castle has been discovered, and that
she fears for the future of the Patapons. In other words, she’s asking very
subtly that we go ahead and demolish the Zigaton base. Being nice, we shall
oblige.
MISSION 15: Despair
-------------------
Difficulty: Near Impossible!
I think this stage can’t be completed with any army you can muster at this
point, but you’re free to go ahead and try. Quickly take out the three towers
that you come across, along with the accompanying Ziggies, and you’ll get an
idea of what I’m talking about.
After the 3rd tower, you’re reach an open space, and the background changes to
an ominous orange-castle backdrop. Warmly welcoming you is a bunch of well-
equipped Ziggies, and if you manage to defeat them, you’ll discover a very well
defended fort, indeed.
Four reasons why your Patapons are quickly decimated here: (1) there’s a plank
from which rocks roll off, crushing advancing Patapons, (2) there’s a spiked
clamp which squishes any Patapon who dodges the rock trap, (3) there’s spikes
coming out of the wall which deals insane damage, and (4) the Ziggies you just
defeated keep respawning.
I tried. And I failed. But it’s ok, the game wants you to fail. Either fight to
the last Eyeball, or just retire from the mission after you reach the fort.
Also, reader Chun Hong verifies that if you were to start this mission and quit
immediately, it triggers the story event just as well, but I would still advise
you to play through to the fort so that you can see what defenses lie in store
for you.
UPDATE: The impossible’s been done! Reader Muobman has actually managed to beat
this stage, and confirms that if you do beat this stage the Catapault Mission
disappears, so your next stage is Mission 17 and Mission 18 doesn’t trigger.
This is how he did it, and once again thanks Muobman!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|2 Pykola Tatepons - Sleep sword + Ice shield, Steel Axe + Steel Shield |
|1 Normal Tatepon - Wind Helm + Steel Axe + Iron Shield |
|1 Gekolos Tatepon - Iron Sword + Wood Shield |
|1 Mofeel Tatepon - Tin Axe + Wood Shield |
| |
|1 Mofeel Yaripon - Wooden Spear |
|1 Gekolos Yaripon - Scorching Spear |
|4 Normal Yaripons - 2 x Steel Helm + Iron Spear, Steel Helm + Steel Spear, |
| Wind Helm + Steel Spear |
| |
|2 Mogyoon Yumipons - Steel Bow, Flame Bow |
|1 Tikulee Yumipon - Steel Bow |
|3 Gekolos Yumipons - 3 x Steel Bow |
| |
|I tried to stay away from the defenses, but the Tatepons all suicided, in the|
|end it was luck that really decided it, as my last Yumipon faced their |
|Yumitons, and I won by moving closer so they overshot, and then repeatedly |
|defended so my attack was shorter range so I took them out. What happened |
|after was that the new hunting stage and attack on Dekapon tower just |
|magically became available and, as you say, the catapult stage was skipped |
|entirely. I ended up keeping a save just after it and actually doing the |
|catapult stage in the end, simply for the extra loot, but I can confirm that |
|it IS possible, but only just. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude
---------
Upon retiring from the mission, you spot Meden, and she quickly apologizes for
the failed mission. Just then, Meden’s assistant appears, and informs both of
you that they’ve spotted a Catapault they may be able to use.
(This is the turning point. The turning point at which I start to believe that
my chosen prophet, Priestess Meden, is a doofus in a skirt.)
Meden then demonstrates sublime wit and insight in the way she assesses the
importance of the aforementioned Catapault. Seriously. Well, all this is a big
enough hint for your next mission, yes?
MISSION 16: Ray Of Hope
-----------------------
Difficulty: Easy
Once the stage begins, you’ll see that a stone wall separates you from the
Catapault. Quickly bring the wall down, and push back the Ziggies to seize
control of it. To ensure that you don’t inadvertantly destroy the Catapault
yourself, leave your Yumipons at home. Kibapons, Tatepons and Yaripons are
a good combination for this stage.
Once you touch the Catapault, it will defect to your side, and while you
can’t really count on its firing rate or accuracy, it deals an awesome
punch to whatever it does hit. Watch those towers fall oh-so-fast!
Ensure that you’re always ahead of the Catapault, because in a badly-played
game the Ziggies can deal enough damage to your Catapault to destroy it.
You’re going to go through 2 towers, rocks, and then a 3rd tower manned by
enemy Archers. In total you’ll face off about 4 - 5 waves of Ziggies, but
in Fever mode you’ll make short work of them.
Finish up the final tower, then end the stage. Make sure you’re getting
useful non-repeat items from these story stages! I got a couple of flame
weapons from this stage alone.
Interlude
---------
Now, after going to such lengths to secure the Catapault, Meden asks what it
is for. Her assistant rushes to explain that it is exactly what you need to
take down the fort from a few stages ago...
... don’t you feel like reaching down, squishing Meden and promoting her
assistant? I know I felt that way. =)
Another hunting stage is open to you now, and while we don’t need to rush to
it now, I find that the Tailwind Miracle you receive from it is pretty useful
for the next story mission, so it’s there we shall go now!
Mission 17: World Of Ooze
-------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
Watch out for lightning bolts, they hit you for minimal damage and interrupt
your current action. Ok fine you can’t really watch out / avoid them, but
just thought you should be aware of the inclement weather here.
Advance slowly, and you should spot a Gold Bird, the Motsitsi. Kill it with
a Fevered Yumipon / Yaripon attack from a distance away, and it should drop
the Tailwind Miracle. If I’m not wrong, *this* Gold Bird is susceptible to
Fire Weapons, so there’s no need to fiddle with your iventory. If I’m wrong,
then just swop out Fire Weapons for normal ones.
Further on, you’ll see Crabs too. Don’t get too close to them, their pincer
attack really stings! The Crabs drop Metal materials, and the first one drops
the Gashapon Cap, which is the link to the Cooking Minigame.
Come back when you have time to hunt the Gold Birds, since they drop Mystery
Meat, a Level 4 material. Since this is a relatively replenishable stock of
materials, it should go a long way towards building a nice stable of Rarepons.
UPDATE: Reader Holygrunt has written in to let me know that there’s a way to
temporarily stop lightning bolts. Basically, just do a Rain Miracle, and there
won’t be any lightning for the first few bits afterwards. Though, take note,
as your Patapons improve the damage from the lightning is minimal, and you’ll
find it better to maintain Fever.
Interlude - New Minigame: Cooking Minigame!
----------------------------------------
With the Gashapon Cap, you have a new Minigame unlocked! Remember the Vegetable
materials you were stocking up earlier? Now’s your chance to use them to
create a variety of Stews.
The good thing about Stews is that you can equip them prior to missions, and
they boost your Patapons’ health and other stats by different amounts. The
Divine Stew even grants all your Patapons Fire-Based attacks! Equip them in
the slot above where you equip Miracles.
I suggest that you take some time out to cook up a few Stews for any battles
that you might find hard later. It really makes all the difference for some
of the harder Boss / Story battles.
For the next mission, you technically can survive without the Tailwind Miracle,
but I find it makes your life much easier, so pack it along with you!
MISSION 18: Door Of Promise
---------------------------
Difficulty: Hard
This is basically the earlier Despair stage, but with a much cheerier and
brighter sounding name! You begin with your trusty Catapault at your back, and
you’ll be glad for it.
As with the Despair stage, bash through the first 2 towers, and before you
demolish the 3rd tower, invoke the Tailwind Miracle (ensure first that there
are no items around you want to pick up - they disappear once the song is over).
Then, after you destroy the 3rd tower and face off with the Ziggies over that
little open space, you’ll find that enemy arrows from the Fort are no longer as
effective against you. What I like to do then is advance to the front of the
Fort, and then spam my ranged attacks from a safe distance.
The Tailwind Miracle ensures that your arrows hit the Fort, but more
importantly, that you and your Catapault aren’t pulverized by enemy fire. This
is when your Catapault really shines - watch as it pummels the various Fort
defenses into oblivion.
If your front units are still getting hit by the Fort defenses, stay where you
are and just Defend - your Yumipons and Yaripons will still fire, albeit at a
decreased rate. This part of the timing is tricky, because you might even have
to fend off another round of Ziggies.
You’re just buying time for your Catapault to take down some of the defenses,
to allow you to go in and mop up. Usually, if your Yumipons / Yaripons are
strong enough, their might combined with that of the Catapault’s is enough to
bring it down veyr quickly.
This is a hard stage, so if you keep getting your units killed by sending them
in too early, or you can’t seem to bring down the Fort, just keep trying again.
Practice makes perfect!
Interlude - New Minigame: Chef Minigame!
----------------------------------------
You learn that the Catapault has broken down, although you can swear that you
protected it very well. Maybe Meden was in charge of maintenance, who knows.
Meden and her very trusty assistant tell you about the Dekaton tower, and they
subtly hint that you’re going to need the Tailwind Miracle with you again, so
pack it along!
MISSION 19: Battle! Bachikoi Fort
---------------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
From the outset, Fever up and invoke the Tailwind Miracle - there’s no other
way to get the wind to stop blowing against you, and you’ll soon find out why.
Quickly work your way through the first 2 towers, and you’ll then reach a huge
Windmill protected by barricades.
It seems as if the Windmill is the structure responsible for causing the
unfavourable winds, so you need to take it down. Right about now your Tailwind
Miracle should be winding down (hurhurhur), so unleash another Miracle. Work
your way through the barricades, Ziggy Dekapon and other miscellaneous Ziggies,
and presto the stage is over!
The main difficulty I had with this stage is building Fever to unleash the
Miracle, but if you’re good in that department, this stage should be a breeze
(ok ok no more bad puns I promise).
If you’re wondering, I’m still using 2 Mogyoon Yumipons, 1 Tikulee Yaripon, 1
Tikulee Tatepon (the rest are White), and this stage was still very doable.
Interlude
---------
Meden brings it to your attention that her spider sense is tingling, and that
there’s a another Patapon Memory nearby, so head on out to find it!
MISSION 20: Lord Of The Mountains
---------------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
------------------------------
|BOSS FIGHT: Gaeen Lvl. 1 |
------------------------------
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love the Boss designs. This one looks
like it came straight out of Shadow of the Colussus for the PS2, sized down
for the PSP. Though it looks like a frog when it’s sleeping.
Gaeen has three main attacks: (1) Overhead Crush, (2) Toss Up Attack, and (3)
Laser Eye Attack / Better Than Sharingan Attack.
For (1), Gaeen will raise his hands above his head, and seriously, any kid can
tell you what’s to come.
For (2), Gaeen cups his hands on the ground in front of him, then rushes
forward and flings up any nearby Patapons.
For (3), Gaeen will stand up ramrod straight, and start powering up while his
eyes flash nastily.
To counter:
(1) --> Either Retreat or Defend. Easy attack to avoid.
(2) --> Try to Retreat, but sometimes your front units are trapped behind his
hands, such that when everyone else Retreats they are stuck there. In
such a situation, just Defend, it’s your next best alternative.
(3) --> Just Defend, damage is minimal despite my name for the attack.
This Boss is much easier than the previous ones (at this level at least),
because of his larger exposed surface area and relative slowness. This means
that more of your Yumipon arrow attacks connect, and it’s easier to take him
down.
When defeated, Gaeen drops Dekapon’s Memory. Note, he drops a unique weapon,
Gaeen’s Horn for the Megapons, at higher levels. (I got mine when he was Level
8, but I hear you can get it earlier)
Interlude - New Unit: Dekapon!
------------------------------
I personally finished the game without using Dekapons at all. Once I’m done
with this walkthrough, I’ll experiment with them a bit more to find out just
what they are good for. In any case I saved my materials for Megapons, after
hearing about how good they are.
If you’re good at using Dekapons let me know how you utilize them!
Rest up, there’s a tough battle ahead! Take the time to pump your Patapons a
little!
MISSION 21: Legendary Night Sky
-------------------------------
Difficulty: Hard
At the beginning, Gong will be perched on some ledge (how did he get up there?)
as he delivers a moving speech. Take this time to Fever up! He then challenges
you to a duel: whoever bashes through 4 rocks first to rescue / kill a Patapon
prisoner wins!
The camera swings over to General Gong as he makes a show of attacking the
rocks on his side. It then pans back to you, so off you go! Advance to your
side of the rocks and bash your way through. Note, the camera will swing away
again, so if you’re already in Fever, as a rule of thumb Advance once for every
two Attacks you make.
(Interestingly enough, I replayed this mission and noticed something:
Gong
destroys the rocks at the exact same rate as you do! This is to ensure the
Dramatic Moment, when both your army and Gong reach the prisoner at the exact
same moment. Once, I destroyed all four rocks at the same time, and Gong did
the exact same thing! Pretty cool to watch.)
Once you’re at the centre, break the cage to set the hapless Patapon free.
This is where the real challenge begins.
The thing is, Gong’s reinforcements come along, so behind him stands a stable
of Yaripons with Fire Spears. You CAN’T kill Gong at this point, so what you
need to do is defeat all his reinforcements.
To do this, I invoked the Tailwind Miracle, and kept Gong at bay with my
Tatepons. My Yaripons and Yumipons then fired on the reinforcements, with
both the Attack and Defend Songs depending on how much I was missing the
enemies by. Just to be 100% clear, this is because arrows / spears fired with
an Attack Song fly at different heights as compared to the Defend Song, so use
the appropriate Song for the occasion.
I admit, this is a pretty tough mission. I experimented with Kibapons and
Dekapons, but neither seemed to hold up as well as the Tatepons did. Once you
kill them all, Gong will retreat, and this challenging mission will end. Part
of your loot includes the Broken Sign, which will point you towards your next
Ruins.
Extra Tip! Reader Ghianluca wrote to inform me that he had a different strategy
for this Mission. Apparently, after saving the prisoner, keep Retreating and
only Gong will follow you! This means you get to kill him first, then deal with
the reinforcements separately later! I’ve not tried this out myself, so do
give it a try. When I manage to verify it I’ll say so here! Thanks, Ghianluca!
Interlude
---------
You return to Patapolis to discover that Meden has been kidnapped. I know, the
foremost question on your mind is whether we can skip saving her!?! You can’t,
sorry.
But no one said we had to do it immediately. Maybe her ordeal will do her some
good, so we’ll concentrate on other matters for now.
Two things of note: one is a new hunting ground, and the other is the Ruins
that was unlocked by the Broken Sign. We’ll head over to the hunting ground
first since it unlocks tons of Ka-Ching + an important Minigame. After that
we’ll pay a visit to the new Boss and see what booty he has for us.
And then maybe after that we’ll go save Meden. As you can see, I’m not overly
worried about her.
MISSION 22A: Search For A Lucky Star
-----------------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
The big secret about this stage is that you’re, well, on a search for a lucky
star, but it won’t appear when it rains. How do we get it to stop, then?
Did you spot the clue embedded in the description of this stage? Yeap, it seems
that if you want to get it to stop raining, you’re going to have one of your
Patapon army sacrifice himself (why not Meden?). Not to worry, it’s not a
permanent sacrifice.
First off, equip a few of your Yaripons with the most basic gear, such that
they are returned to their original 100 HP. This is to help them accomplish
the act of self-sacrifice more easily.
During the stage, you should see a couple of Pink Birds, clear them out of your
way. What you’re looking for is the Crab. Hurt him a little to draw out his
Crabby form, then sidle up and wait for him to use his pincer attack on you.
After he kills any unit, PICK UP THE CAP, then kill the Crab and finish the
level.
Afterwards, the rain on this stage will RANDOMLY stop. Yes, that’s right,
RANDOMLY. I’ve experimented, and sometimes it stops the very next stage after
I sacrificed my Patapons, but sometimes it takes up to 15 (FIFTEEN) other
battles / stages to occur before the rain stops. So don’t get discouraged,
just go off and fight a boss or two. Just check back every time you come to
the World Map.
(If you’re insecure, and worry about whether you did the Eyeball Sacrifice
properly, feel free to go back and repeat it until you are very, very, VERY
sure you saw that Patapon DIEEEE in all his glory.)
When the rain stops, head back into the stage, and then DE-EQUIP your Fire-
Based weapons. This is because a Gold Bird you’ll find on this stage is
invulnerable to fire attacks. Once the stage begins, you’ll spot only two
animals, a Picheek and a Gold Bird sleeping next to it.
The Gold Bird has low HP, so it shouldn’t take more than a couple of shots to
get it down. The Picheek isn’t much of a challenge either, and when it sputters
it coughs up a very interesting prize... Hoshipon!
Yeap, Hoshipon’s the Star that got swallowed by Picheek. Note! When Hoshipon
first flies out, there’s tons of moolah all over the shop, but don’t get
moving just yet! Advance and Hoshipon will think you’re not interested in what
he’s saying, and he will fly off!
What you should do, is simply wait for Hoshipon to continue his riveting tale.
Advance only once per speech bubble that Hoshipon delivers. If Hoshipon accuses
you of not listening, stop advancing, and just wait him out. Eventually, he
will deign to reward you with a prize! Only then is it safe to advance to
collect all the Ka-Ching!
The first time you do this whole routine, Hoshipon gives you the Black Star,
which points you to the Claws of Guchoppa Ruins. You would have thought
Hoshipon would have learnt his lesson...
...but you can actually keep repeating this process for Ka-Ching and another
prize. NO, you DO NOT need to sacrifice another Patapon again. Just wait a
couple of rounds, and this time round Hoshipon will yield the Kampon Cap,
which unlocks the Smith Minigame!
You can repeat this ad nauseum, but Hoshipon doesn’t drop any other goodies
after he gives you the Kampon Cap. He should stock up on brains instead of
presents, and just friggin avoid being eaten again by the Picheek, sheesh.
This star’s as good as eluding predators as the ones in Mario, it seems.
MISSION 22B: Claws of Guchoppa Ruins (From Black Star)
------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty: Medium
------------------------------
|BOSS FIGHT: Cioking Lvl. 1 |
------------------------------
Cioking has three main attacks: (1) Bubble Power, (2) Pincer Smash, and (3)
Overhead Pincer Grab (I ran out of pseudo-witty names).
For (1), he will lean backwards and snap his pincers menacingly, and then
release a stream of bubbles that deal minimal damage. Note! His
pincers open and close AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.
For (2), he will do a similar stance as in (1), his pincers will NOT open
and close at the exact same time! They no longer open and close in
sync! For this Attack he smashes his pincer down in front of him for
heavy damage.
For (3), he will arch over the ground in front of him, and any units he scoops
up will be thrown away / KO’ed permanently.
To counter:
(1) --> Just keep attacking! The bubbles do put you to sleep, but they cause
minimal damage!
(2) --> Retreat! Or Defend if you have the chance!
(3) --> Retreat! You don’t want to lose units!
Thankfully, for the story battles the Crab bosses are easy enough to handle.
Your army should be sufficiently sturdy enough to withstand the occasional
Pincer Smash that you can’t avoid in time, and powerful enough to deal him a
couple of stunning blows.
Be very alert when he starts clamping his pincers, that’s the only way to
differentiate between Attack (1) and (2)! When he does (1) it’s your chance
to lay it on him good, while you really should Retreat / Defend when it’s (2)
you’re up against.
(Thanks a lot Dragros for pointing this out to me! You’ve got really keen
eyes!)
If you’re having problems with timing your defense after consecutive
attacks, I suggest Retreating / Defending once for every time that you Attack.
Lastly, by now you should have perfected the art of chasing after a Retreating
Boss, and then firing from afar by observing that look in your Patapon’s eyes.
This strategy will give you a lot of room in which to engage the Boss in.
There’s not much else to say for him at this point, other than he seems to be
one of the easier bosses, in the grand scheme of things. When you defeat him,
he will drop the Earthquake Miracle.
MISSION 22C: Awakening At Gayeen - New Song: Charge Up! (From Broken Sign)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
------------------------------
|BOSS FIGHT: Dogaeen Lvl. 1 |
------------------------------
Just to inform you, this stage is unlocked with the Black Star that Hoshipon
drops in the Search For A Lucky Star Stage. Begin this stage and you’ll spot
another black tombstone, which holds the Power Up Song. After the tutorial
you get to face off agianst Gaeen’s elder sibling!
This Giant attacks the same as the earlier Gaeen. That makes for three main
attacks: (1) Overhead Crush, (2) Toss Up Attack, and (3) Laser Eye Attack /
Better Than Sharingan Attack.
As a quick summary:
(1) Overhead Crush --> raises his hands above his head
(2) Toss Up Attack --> cups his hands in front, on the ground
(3) Laser Eye Attack --> stands up straight, starts powering up
To counter:
(1) --> Either Retreat or Defend. Easy attack to avoid.
(2) --> Try to Retreat, but sometimes your front units are trapped behind his
hands, such that when everyone else retreats they are stuck there. In
such a situation, just Defend, it’s your next best alternative.
(3) --> Just Defend, damage is minimal despite my name for the attack.
As expected, Dogaeen is slightly more hardy and strong compared to Gaeen, but
all the way to Level 10, these two bosses are easier than the rest. After that
it’s a different story, but more on that in an update.
I didn’t have much use for the Power Up Song during this stage, or during other
stages for that matter. I’ll experiment with it more to discover when are good
times to employ it, because mostly the other Songs get me by just fine.
Note though that the Power Up Song changes the Attacks your Patapons make.
Here’s a quick list of the different types of attacks to expect:
Tatepons --> They do a little running jump attack.
Yaripons --> They shoot more arrows than usual.
Yumipons --> They do a jumping attack.
Kibapons --> They seem to rush forwards to deal more damage than usual, and
their range is significantly improved if they are not already
in Fever
Dekapons --> They do a ground smash, which stuns all enemies on stage.
Bosses are unaffected by this.
Megapons --> They shoot out red piercing notes instead of normal ones. When
you Defend after Charging, you spit out yellow blocks which
stick in the ground and act as barriers against approaching
enemies! Thanks to DenisF who told me about this!
As a final note for the Charge Up Song, it’s useful when you’re out of Fever,
but I can’t verify if it causes that much more damage when you’re already in
Fever. It seems not to make any large difference in damage dealt, though for
the Dekapons you still have the ground smash thing.
Interlude - New Minigame: Smith Minigame!
-----------------------------------------
In some ways this is one of the more important Minigames, because it is only
through this Minigame that you get access to the most powerful weapons in the
game, otherwise known as the Gold Weapons. More on that in the Minigames
section.
In any case, I hope you have a huge store of Mytheerial! You’re going to need
about eight of them to complete the collection!
MISSION 23: Meden Kidnapped
---------------------------
Difficulty: Easy
To pass this mission without a hitch, don’t equip any Fire-Based weapons.
However, for some pretty funny sound effects, keep your Fire-Based stuff.
That’s all you need for a pretty disturbing / gratifying scene that is well-
worth the restarting of the mission.
In this mission your task is to rescue Meden from the carraige in which she
is being driven off in. It looks like a simple mission, and really it is. Just
keep Advancing and Attacking, once you’re in Fever you basically Advance twice
every three times you Attack.
The Zigatons here aren’t going to give you much problem as well, so I can’t
even imagine how you could possibly fail this mission...
... unless you have Fire-Based Weapons! If you do, you set fire to the carraige
eventually, thus dooming Meden to a fiery end. Her death scream is unlike
anything you would expect from an Eyeball, and even the Ziggies chastise you
for burning her.
Ok enough with the Meden hate. It’s all out of my system now.
UPDATE: Reader fourtwo has written in to inform me that this stage may not be
as easy as I originally listed. Apparently, if you take too long to destroy the
cart, your Patapons will cross over to Toasty Desert Territory, and hot lava
geysers will sprout out and decimate your Patapons.
Therefore, try your best to save Meden before you reach that bit of background
with all the huge rib-cages around! If you want a video of it, you can watch
the one fourtwo uploaded, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcypjwLJ1c.
Thanks fourtwo!
Interlude
---------
I decided it was time to give my Patapons a makeover, so I grinded until I had
6 Mogyoon Yumipons, 3 Mogyoon Yaripons, and 2 Mogyoon Tatepons. I kept the
White Patapons so that I would have units to try out new helms that I found.
Of course there’s no need to create the same army as I did, in fact, it’s
better if you found an army that suits your playing style. I prefer raw power
as opposed to nimbleness, hence the Mogyoons. That said, my difficulty ratings
for the remaining missions are assigned from a strategic perspective, so you
can still get an idea of how demanding a mission is.
There’s nothing much else new to do, so just head on out to your next mission.
MISSION 24: Gong Vows To Fight
------------------------------
Difficulty: Hard
For this stage, prepare for a hard battle. There will be multiple waves of
Ziggies, mainly Tatepons and Yaripons, a smattering of Kibapons, and most
importantly, Megapons.
Megapons appear by the third wave or so, and this marks the hardest part of the
mission. Again, General Gong acts as a one-Eyeball roadstop, preventing you
from getting to the weaker reinforcements behind you.
Since Kibapons can’t knock Gong back as well, I chose to move my units as close
to Gong as possible, and then aim for the Megapons from that vantage point.
Take note that the Tailwind Miracle doesn’t seem to have an effect on the
Megapons’ attacks, thus you’re not going to stop them from hurting you bad.
Take out the Megapons, and Gong will only have Makoton left. Gong will then
duplicate himself as a final resort, but then only one of them has his real
strength, the rest are only as good as normal Tatepons.
Once you defeat Gong, he’ll either drop his Scythe or his Helmet. I personally
prefer the Scythe because it’s so badass, but check out their stats in the
Items section to see which is more up your alley. Just reset and play this
mission again until you get the item you want.
Lastly, try your best to maintain Fever in this mission. I found that with
Fever it was much, much easier than without.