Thank you, I appreciate your comment and am glad this was helpful in any way. There are some odd things in this game and it took a while for it to click for me too. It just doesn't happen with certain games sometimes and that's okay too. Happy shmuping!
Awesome run dude! I share your frustration with the micrododging in this game as well. It's really hard to predict and sometimes it's better to just misdirect and make really aggressive macrododges. I sort of wish that M2 STG had included an arrange mode as well in the port that adjusts some of the more punishing/obtuse things about the game (like power down/chain deaths, shield recharge, slowdown, etc). I would gladly give up Irori's room for that... lol Congrats again and looking forward to what you tackle next!
Thanks! Yeah I found myself wanting exactly the same thing, they could've adjusted at least some of these for the Arcade+ mode because now that I've gotten this clear, I don't really see myself ever going back even with Alice and the new TLB. The micrododging is weird and makes it more of a pain than it should be. I still love the game but it could be more fun.
Great run! I'm a sucker for a shmup commentary and you hit the right notes for me. Covered the mechanics and how you interpreted/enjoyed them on top of a nice general review and guide. Looking forward to your next clear!
Thanks for the kind words, I agree that commentary makes runs more fun to watch and yours are great as well. Congrats on your Blue Revolver Hyper clear by the way! I love that game.
Absolutely epic run and I had a feeling I’d hear essential info that I was missing to actually make sense of this game. The micro dodging has always been the issue for me since sometimes early bosses go super well and other times I’d fumble simple things very early and I never understood why things felt so messed. I am stoked to hear you can add the character hit box which will come in handy but I’ll need to figure out where that is in the Japanese menus! Also stoked to hear you mention the slowdown stuff since that is new to me and also very important, so I'm glad to know this now! I’ve only ever really chipped away at this game for a few nights at a time before losing interest but I feel much more equipped to tackle this seriously. Thanks for such a great chat and essential information! Congratulations!
Many thanks Dace! Yeah the inconsistent slowdown made micro-dodging terrifying for me in this game, and it took me a really long time for me to realize what was happening. It was hard for me to accept that maybe it wasn't just me and that something felt off in the game. Once I got it, I tried to adopt a more passive way of positioning myself properly and adjusting before letting the bullets come to me and it seemed to work a lot better in this game. To be fair this way of "dodging" is probably more fundamentally sound but it is something I understood just recently. So at least I learned something from this experience! I can look up where the visible hitbox display option is if you want, the menus are kind of complicated in Japanese but there are a few translations out there.
@@letsblocking I was actually able to find the hitbox just from testing every possible option! I also didn't realize the scoring worked in the way you describe where you need to have enemy units "tainted" with the one shot, and use the other. I did a test session earlier and man, stage 3 feels like such a slog right now. It's very tricky getting anywhere in that level without taking a hit and reminds me of my past experiences with the game. I think this will need to be a short bursts type of experience because progression feels very different in this game compared to most other shmups.
@@Shmuptopia Yeah, I can relate to that experience. I first played it in late 2021 when I was completely new and I couldn't get anywhere. Then I played it for a few weeks last summer and I could make it to the stage 4 boss after things clicked, but anything beyond that was still impossible. I picked it up again about a month ago and this time I was immediately able to do better, although reaching and beating the final boss still took some focused routing practice. Which character are you using? You can influence stage order to some extend depending on the button you use to pick your character (shot, special shot and shield I think), so if you're struggling with a version of stage 3 you could try a different one. The first stage is fixed for each character (Yusuke gets the High School, JB gets the Mall and Irori gets the Bay) but you can switch the order of stages 2 and 3 as you'd like. There are basically 3 versions of each of the first 3 stages and bosses that have different levels of difficulty and in my experience some are easier than others. For instance, high school as 3 is a bit rough in my experience. Don't force yourself though, it's better to focus on other games if you're not having a good time with it at the moment!
@@letsblocking I'm using Yusuke. He's the character I've always leaned more toward and have the most experience with. I usually use the bottom button when picking him but I have yet to really nail which route feels best for me. I do like JB for the spread shot effect catching tons of side enemies and being able to stay on top of things in that sense, but at the same time feel it's somewhat misleading compared to typical shmups because it doesn't actually feel as effective whereas at least with Yusuke you can zip around and speedkill loads of mid-sized enemies before things get too crazy. Have a great weekend, man!
@@Shmuptopia Yeah, I think Yusuke is a little stronger because most of the threats come from larger enemies and bosses, which he can take down more quickly. I usually enjoy wider shots but not in this game. Have a great weekend too!
Nice clear. I came so close to doing it myself (died at the last boss), and it just crushed my self-esteem. I've been meaning to try and go for it again, but I know it'll be a lot of work.
Thank you! Before this run I made it to Gaara 9 times and lost every time, including twice during the final phase. It's definitely soul-crushing because one minute you're doing great and it can spiral down really quickly. If you can make it to the last boss though, I'm sure you got this! Focus on stage 5 and the final boss and the clear will come with time.
Félicitations pour le clear, t'as du sauter au plafond quand tu l'as enfin eu ^^. La seconde phase du dernier boss est tellement difficile et hyper longue! T'es super doué pour commenter tes runs, c'est hyper fluide et passionnant bravo! T'as un prochain jeu en tête? Retour sur Dodonpachi ? (qui est bien plus simple dans son premier loop, je pense qu'il te résistera pas bien longtemps)
Merci poto ! Je dois rejouer un peu a Street 3 lors des prochaines semaines en préparation de l'event HFS parce que j'ai pas mal perdu la main, et après ce sera retour sur les shmups. Le 1-ALL de DDP est sur la liste pour 2023 mais je ne sais pas encore si je retourner dessus immédiatement ou essayer d'autres styles d'abord...
@@letsblocking Ah cool ça tu vas au HFS, va falloir ressortir le Yun ^^, y'aura aussi un peu de Shmup d'ailleurs me semble ;). Oui pareil pour le DDP il est toujours dans un coin de la tête mais je joue à autre chose en ce moment
@@VinuShmup J'essaie d'y aller chaque année, en 2022 je n'avais pas trouvé beaucoup de temps pour doser les shmups sur place mais je me souviens qu'il y avait entre autres une borne avec Dragon Blaze et une autre avec Shikigami 3. J'y vais plus pour le côté communautaire que pour la compète sur 3.3 mais on va essayer de ne pas trop dropper les combos 😜
good work there brother, ive been trying so hard my first 1cc but i set a impossible goal: J-B the 5 with school at stage 3, and is making my life a living nightmare, satoru is just really hard to predict, and his stage feels as the same difficulty as stage 5a, any tips to deal agaisnt it or just skip school at stage 3?
Hey my friend, to be honest I think Satoru as 3rd boss is quite difficult and I would just pick school as stage 2 and bay as stage 3 (the helicopter is much easier), at least until you get your first 1cc. Esprade is a great game but runs can easily crumble towards the end so I would go for the path of least resistance first. Your current goal is not impossible but quite difficult, because even if you get a good stage 3 you still have a lot to deal with afterwards (stage 4 boss, stage 5, Gaara), adding to the stress. After you get the 1cc you will probably feel less pressure and that should help a lot.
I've always struggled to click with this game and this guide really helps a lot and has convinced me to give it another go! Great video.
Thank you, I appreciate your comment and am glad this was helpful in any way. There are some odd things in this game and it took a while for it to click for me too. It just doesn't happen with certain games sometimes and that's okay too. Happy shmuping!
Awesome run dude! I share your frustration with the micrododging in this game as well. It's really hard to predict and sometimes it's better to just misdirect and make really aggressive macrododges. I sort of wish that M2 STG had included an arrange mode as well in the port that adjusts some of the more punishing/obtuse things about the game (like power down/chain deaths, shield recharge, slowdown, etc). I would gladly give up Irori's room for that... lol
Congrats again and looking forward to what you tackle next!
Thanks! Yeah I found myself wanting exactly the same thing, they could've adjusted at least some of these for the Arcade+ mode because now that I've gotten this clear, I don't really see myself ever going back even with Alice and the new TLB. The micrododging is weird and makes it more of a pain than it should be. I still love the game but it could be more fun.
Great run! I'm a sucker for a shmup commentary and you hit the right notes for me. Covered the mechanics and how you interpreted/enjoyed them on top of a nice general review and guide. Looking forward to your next clear!
Thanks for the kind words, I agree that commentary makes runs more fun to watch and yours are great as well. Congrats on your Blue Revolver Hyper clear by the way! I love that game.
Absolutely epic run and I had a feeling I’d hear essential info that I was missing to actually make sense of this game. The micro dodging has always been the issue for me since sometimes early bosses go super well and other times I’d fumble simple things very early and I never understood why things felt so messed. I am stoked to hear you can add the character hit box which will come in handy but I’ll need to figure out where that is in the Japanese menus! Also stoked to hear you mention the slowdown stuff since that is new to me and also very important, so I'm glad to know this now! I’ve only ever really chipped away at this game for a few nights at a time before losing interest but I feel much more equipped to tackle this seriously. Thanks for such a great chat and essential information! Congratulations!
Many thanks Dace!
Yeah the inconsistent slowdown made micro-dodging terrifying for me in this game, and it took me a really long time for me to realize what was happening. It was hard for me to accept that maybe it wasn't just me and that something felt off in the game. Once I got it, I tried to adopt a more passive way of positioning myself properly and adjusting before letting the bullets come to me and it seemed to work a lot better in this game. To be fair this way of "dodging" is probably more fundamentally sound but it is something I understood just recently. So at least I learned something from this experience!
I can look up where the visible hitbox display option is if you want, the menus are kind of complicated in Japanese but there are a few translations out there.
@@letsblocking I was actually able to find the hitbox just from testing every possible option! I also didn't realize the scoring worked in the way you describe where you need to have enemy units "tainted" with the one shot, and use the other. I did a test session earlier and man, stage 3 feels like such a slog right now. It's very tricky getting anywhere in that level without taking a hit and reminds me of my past experiences with the game. I think this will need to be a short bursts type of experience because progression feels very different in this game compared to most other shmups.
@@Shmuptopia Yeah, I can relate to that experience. I first played it in late 2021 when I was completely new and I couldn't get anywhere. Then I played it for a few weeks last summer and I could make it to the stage 4 boss after things clicked, but anything beyond that was still impossible. I picked it up again about a month ago and this time I was immediately able to do better, although reaching and beating the final boss still took some focused routing practice.
Which character are you using? You can influence stage order to some extend depending on the button you use to pick your character (shot, special shot and shield I think), so if you're struggling with a version of stage 3 you could try a different one. The first stage is fixed for each character (Yusuke gets the High School, JB gets the Mall and Irori gets the Bay) but you can switch the order of stages 2 and 3 as you'd like. There are basically 3 versions of each of the first 3 stages and bosses that have different levels of difficulty and in my experience some are easier than others. For instance, high school as 3 is a bit rough in my experience.
Don't force yourself though, it's better to focus on other games if you're not having a good time with it at the moment!
@@letsblocking I'm using Yusuke. He's the character I've always leaned more toward and have the most experience with. I usually use the bottom button when picking him but I have yet to really nail which route feels best for me. I do like JB for the spread shot effect catching tons of side enemies and being able to stay on top of things in that sense, but at the same time feel it's somewhat misleading compared to typical shmups because it doesn't actually feel as effective whereas at least with Yusuke you can zip around and speedkill loads of mid-sized enemies before things get too crazy. Have a great weekend, man!
@@Shmuptopia Yeah, I think Yusuke is a little stronger because most of the threats come from larger enemies and bosses, which he can take down more quickly. I usually enjoy wider shots but not in this game. Have a great weekend too!
Congrats on the clear!
Very nice commentary as well.
Thanks Juju, you're an inspiration! 😀
Nice clear. I came so close to doing it myself (died at the last boss), and it just crushed my self-esteem. I've been meaning to try and go for it again, but I know it'll be a lot of work.
Thank you! Before this run I made it to Gaara 9 times and lost every time, including twice during the final phase. It's definitely soul-crushing because one minute you're doing great and it can spiral down really quickly. If you can make it to the last boss though, I'm sure you got this! Focus on stage 5 and the final boss and the clear will come with time.
Congrats!
Thank you!
Félicitations pour le clear, t'as du sauter au plafond quand tu l'as enfin eu ^^. La seconde phase du dernier boss est tellement difficile et hyper longue!
T'es super doué pour commenter tes runs, c'est hyper fluide et passionnant bravo!
T'as un prochain jeu en tête? Retour sur Dodonpachi ? (qui est bien plus simple dans son premier loop, je pense qu'il te résistera pas bien longtemps)
Merci poto ! Je dois rejouer un peu a Street 3 lors des prochaines semaines en préparation de l'event HFS parce que j'ai pas mal perdu la main, et après ce sera retour sur les shmups. Le 1-ALL de DDP est sur la liste pour 2023 mais je ne sais pas encore si je retourner dessus immédiatement ou essayer d'autres styles d'abord...
@@letsblocking Ah cool ça tu vas au HFS, va falloir ressortir le Yun ^^, y'aura aussi un peu de Shmup d'ailleurs me semble ;). Oui pareil pour le DDP il est toujours dans un coin de la tête mais je joue à autre chose en ce moment
@@VinuShmup J'essaie d'y aller chaque année, en 2022 je n'avais pas trouvé beaucoup de temps pour doser les shmups sur place mais je me souviens qu'il y avait entre autres une borne avec Dragon Blaze et une autre avec Shikigami 3. J'y vais plus pour le côté communautaire que pour la compète sur 3.3 mais on va essayer de ne pas trop dropper les combos 😜
Good stuff dude!
Thank you!
good work there brother, ive been trying so hard my first 1cc but i set a impossible goal: J-B the 5 with school at stage 3, and is making my life a living nightmare, satoru is just really hard to predict, and his stage feels as the same difficulty as stage 5a, any tips to deal agaisnt it or just skip school at stage 3?
Hey my friend, to be honest I think Satoru as 3rd boss is quite difficult and I would just pick school as stage 2 and bay as stage 3 (the helicopter is much easier), at least until you get your first 1cc. Esprade is a great game but runs can easily crumble towards the end so I would go for the path of least resistance first. Your current goal is not impossible but quite difficult, because even if you get a good stage 3 you still have a lot to deal with afterwards (stage 4 boss, stage 5, Gaara), adding to the stress. After you get the 1cc you will probably feel less pressure and that should help a lot.
Shmuptopia sent me here. This game is pretty confusing for me.
Yeah the systems are a bit complex. It's a cool game but you gotta invest some time to really enjoy it.