Sorry about the long break, the past month was absolutely awful for multiple reasons.\u00a0 With everything going on I forgot to pay the hosting bill, then I did pay it but the site had multiple technical problems keeping me from accessing the site and posting for a while.\u00a0 The problems have been fixed now, thankfully.\u00a0 For anyone who ran into that SSL security error, it’s fixed now.\u00a0 So here’s one article I’ve wanted to post for a few days now but couldn’t until today since the issues are finally fixed, and expect another one soon, I’ve got more Guild Wars images to post.\u00a0 Anyway, on to this little article.<\/p>\n
Eliminate Down is one of the Genesis’ best shmups.\u00a0 The game was originally only released in Japan, but finally got a licensed modern homebrew release from Limited Run this year.\u00a0 I got it and it has a very cool holo-cover.\u00a0 The game itself is identical to the original, so this applies to either an original or modern re-release copy of the game.\u00a0 Either way the game is absolutely amazing, with some of the best gameplay and music in any shmup that generation… and it has something that my searching has not managed to find any mention of online, a hidden level select option that you can unlock.\u00a0 It’s not a full level select as far as I’ve seen, but it’s a lot better than nothing, particularly in a game which has limited continues as this one does.<\/p>\n
So, if you go into the config menu, notice how there is a one-line gap in between Mini Game and Exit.\u00a0 This is where the level select will appear, if you’re good enough.\u00a0 What you need to do is play the Mini Game and do well at it.<\/p>\n
The Mini Game is a twitch reaction test thing.\u00a0 On the screen there is a grid of boxes with your ship’s image on them, and a cursor selecting one of the boxes near the center.\u00a0 The boxes will randomly flip over and then back.\u00a0 Each run starts out slowly, with one box at a time flipping, before speeding up as things go until lots of them are flipping at once by the end.\u00a0 Each Mini Game run is 60 seconds long, and goes similarly each time though with new random box locations so you can’t memorize it, you just need to get better at reacting quickly.<\/p>\n
At first, how to play the Mini Game may not be apparent.\u00a0 You’ll hit the button while a ship is flipping and nothing will happen, then other times you’ll get the explosion marker and get a point.\u00a0 What’s going on?\u00a0 Well, the trick is that you have to hit the fire button while the tile in question is flipping BACK to get the point, not while it is flipping forward.\u00a0\u00a0 Yes, you have to hit the button in the SECOND half of the animation to score, you won’t get anything if you hit it while it’s flipping over, only back.\u00a0 Once the animation has finished you have missed your window, so the timing is tight.<\/p>\n
With some practice, though, I found myself getting better at the Mini Game.\u00a0 It’s kind of fun.\u00a0 If you score at least 30 points in the Mini Game, you get a little musical number and the configuration menu adds a new option in the missing slot, allowing you to start from levels 1, 2, or 3 with each new game.<\/p>\n
if you score at least 45 points, there is a longer music piece after the minigame completes, and levels 4 and 5 are added to the round select list in addition to 1, 2, and 3.<\/p>\n
You’d think that there would be a third unlock to start from levels 6 and 7, but if there is I haven’t gotten a good enough score for it.\u00a0 The most I’ve done so far is 52 points, but sadly getting a score over 50 did not unlock anything new.\u00a0 I’m not sure if a score of 60 is possible, that would be insanely difficult; 50 was pretty tough.\u00a0 I got 50 but didn’t unlock anything new, ah well.\u00a0 Maybe 60 does it but good luck getting that.<\/p>\n
So, in Eliminate Down, get a score of at least 45 in the Mini Game and you can start from up to level 5.\u00a0 Given that this game has 8 levels, limited continues, and no save system, this lets you start from the halfway point of the game.\u00a0 This is a lot better than having to start it over every time, that’s for sure.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n
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Edit: Corrected the score required — you need 45 points to unlock levels 4 and 5, not 40.\u00a0 Thanks to the comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sorry about the long break, the past month was absolutely awful for multiple reasons.\u00a0 With everything going on I forgot to pay the hosting bill, then I did pay it but the site had multiple technical problems keeping me from … Continue reading