The Fine Art of Destruction by geovii |  |
HAUNTED WOODS - Undead Aishas got you down? Can't seem to get rid of those
slime-spewing Chias? Is MAGAX:
Destroyer becoming MAGAX: Destroyed? Fret not, fellow Neopians. Your
days of frustration are over. Now, you too can learn the intricacies and secrets
of the art of destruction.
MAGAX: Destroyer is the Haunted Woods' latest game. You play as MAGAX, a super
powered Wocky out for vengeance against the unscrupulous evil of Hubrid Nox.
You must face down hordes of undead ghost Neopets, the result of Hubrid's latest
scheme to conquer all of Neopia. Your weapons: the power of flight, your ghost-zapping
laser blasts, and your trusty axe. Your foes: hundreds of ghastly ghosts and
a moustachioed arch villain with many dark magicks at his command. Sound like
fun yet?
Aside from being a fun game, MAGAX: Destroyer is also a great way to earn Neopoints,
with payoffs equaling your score. It is possible to score up to one thousand
Neopoints per game, for a grand total of three thousand per day. An impressive
sum for just one game. However, this is much easier said than done. What follows
is a compilation of hints and strategies to maximise your game, whether you're
out for a hi-score, or just out for NP.
Key Skills - The first thing any good Destroyer needs to do is to familiarise
themselves with the controls. The arrow keys move MAGAX up and down and turn
him left or right. MAGAX always flies at full speed in the direction he is facing,
that is to say, he cannot hover. The only way to stop yourself from crashing
into enemies is to turn around and fly the opposite way. Sadly, MAGAX's handling
isn't too good. It takes him a couple seconds to stop himself once he's turned
around. Learn to turn early to avoid hitting enemies. I find the best strategy
is to slow yourself down by turning right before you get to the point where
the enemies are on screen. Take it slow. Charging in with your laser blasts
going will only end your game all the more quickly. Speaking of lasers, you
should also practice your aiming. Being able to take out an oncoming Chia in
one good shot is preferable to madly shooting blasts in all directions without
care. In the upper left hand corner is the Power meter. Every time you take
a shot, the meter depletes. Though it recovers quickly, too much shooting can
cost you big time. If the meter reaches zero, your health will start to deplete
each time you take another successive shot. To be safe, you shouldn't hold down
the spacebar for more than three or four shots unless you REALLY have to. In
fact, you should learn to time your shots carefully to take out more than one
foe with a single beam. This becomes useful in the later levels, when enemies
will come at you in increasingly larger swarms, so getting the most out of every
shot is crucial if you're out for a hi-score. After you master turning and aiming,
it's time to combine the two skills. The ability to turn and shoot simultaneously
is invaluable. You can take care of many enemies on both sides if you can successfully
utilise this skill. Moving and firing fluidly is the key to winning.
Watch the Radar - On the top of the screen between the Health and Power
meters is the radar, quite a useful device. The red dots on the radar represent
enemies, and the white dot is you. Keep an eye on the radar whenever you can!
It will show the positions of all the enemies in relation to your own, helping
to tell you when to slow down before you hit the next batch of enemies. Knowing
where your enemy is helps you to not hit them when you need to do some dodging.
Experienced players can even use the radar to shoot enemies that are off screen!
However, the radar is not perfect. Be mindful of the red band on the bottom.
Low flying enemies can conceal themselves in this band, hiding them from your
radar. Look for a slight bulge in the band to indicate the position of a hidden
foe.
Grab the Health Orbs - I cannot stress how important it is to grab health
whenever you can. Not only do the oversized skull marbles replenish one fifth
of your health, but they also score you five extra points as well, so it's worth
your while to snag one even if you don't need the health. Health Orbs will disappear
if you wander too far away from them, so go for them as soon as you see them.
There are two Health Orbs in every level, so finding them both is a good idea
unless you're pressed for time.
Know Thy Enemies - There are four different enemies in the game: Aishas,
Jubjubs, Chias, and that despicable Hubrid Nox, each with different attributes
and powers. Of the four, the Aishas are the simplest. They have no abilities
whatsoever, they merely float about, waiting for you to bump into them. One
shot finishes them, so they shouldn't cause any trouble unless you're careless.
Next in the hierarchy is the Jubjub. Jubjubs make no aggressive movements, but
when hit, they split into three smaller Jubjubs that must be dealt with individually.
If you fire immediately after the Jubjub splits, though, you should be able
to catch all three before they scatter. The good thing about Jubjubs is their
point value. Killing the big one earns you five points, and each of the smaller
ones also earns you five. Therefore, one Jubjub earns you twenty points. Jubjubs
are not too much harder to deal with than Aishas. After they split, the smaller
Jubjubs are harder targets to hit, but are also very difficult to bump into,
even on purpose! Since they are also non-aggressive, they shouldn't give you
too much grief, so you should deal with them last if there are other enemies
in the general area, since taking out a Jubjub requires some concentration.
Chias, on the other hand, can be quite dangerous, especially in groups. Once
they see you, a Chia will begin to spit gobbets of green slime at you at random
intervals, they may even shoot two or three in succession! This can be quite
hazardous to your health, so the best defence against it is to take them out
before they get the chance to start shooting. One shot will do the job, so get
it in quick. Remember to always keep in motion around a Chia. If you don't move
around enough, you're likely to get slimed. And for goodness' sake, keep your
distance! The more room there is between you and the Chia, the longer it takes
their shots to reach you, and the more time you have to dodge. Always always
ALWAYS get rid of Chias first if you happen to see one in a group of enemies.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Hubrid Nox. This bad boy cannot be killed
by any means, unfortunately. Every now and then he'll come flying down on his
little black cloud and cast one of three not-so-nice spells. Their effects cannot
be avoided, so the only way to defend against Hubrid's attacks is to complete
the levels as quickly as possible. Stick around too long and you'll give Hubrid
more chances to attack. The first of Hubrid's spells is a Drain Life spell.
MAGAX becomes engulfed in flames, draining one tenth of his maximum health.
This problem is easily solved by collecting Health Orbs, so try not to give
it too much thought unless you're low on health already. The second attack is
a Freezing spell, encasing you in a ball of ice, temporarily freezing the controls.
This is Hubrid's most dangerous spell. While frozen, you will continue to fly
in the direction you were going, hitting any enemies in your path. If you get
frozen in the middle of a large group, you can take anywhere from one to three
hits, severely lowering your health. The last spell is a Growth spell. All enemies
double in size. This is actually a mixed blessing. While the enemies are much
easier to run into, they are also much easier to hit. If you keep an eye on
your radar, you shouldn't bump into one accidentally, so this is actually a
good thing. It's especially useful against Jubjubs!
Practice, Practice, Practice! - Even with all the tips provided above,
there is simply no substitute for experience. Keep at it! Practice those turns
and perfect your aim. Soon you'll dazzle those undead with your aerial finesse
and deadly accuracy as you watch your score skyrocket. Never give up the fight!
Well, I hope this guide has proven useful to you, my fellow Destroyers. And
now I have but one last thing left to say. Get out there and show that dastardly
Chia who's boss! Remember, all of Neopia is counting on you to foil Hubrid's
evil scheming once and for all!
Got any questions or comments about this article? Feel free to Neomail
me. I'm always open to suggestion. Thanks, and good luck to you all! |
