The Ultimate Guide to MAGAX: Destroyer II

GAMES ROOM - Following the recent trend of several games such as Volcano Run II and Dubloon Disaster, this popular old game is the next to be added on the list of revamped games. Featuring a familiar pair of arch enemies, this sequel to the original game was finally unveiled after much anticipation. The game I am talking about is the newly released MAGAX: Destroyer II.

Found in the action category of the games room, the new and improved MAGAX: Destroyer II is an action-packed game that is sure to interest any Neopian to give it a try. Today, I am going to share with you the tips to getting a high score for this game and obtain that *shiny* trophy for this game.

Here is the game’s description:

‘After years of effort, MAGAX has finally managed to thwart Hubrid Nox's horrid plans. He arrived at their usual battleground one night, just as he had so many nights before. The area was quiet, however, and MAGAX feared that Hubrid was developing new plans... man, how he hates being right all the time. Your mission is to once again guide MAGAX against the evil forces of Hubrid Nox.

Control MAGAX with the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys. To fly faster, press and hold the LEFT or RIGHT arrow key. Press SPACEBAR to shoot.’

First, I shall introduce the enemies that you will have to defeat in this game:

• The fire-breathing ghost Scorchio who is able to fly up and down very fast. Take note that if you shoot him when he is breathing fire, he will not be hit and he gets harder to kill as the level increases.
• The blue Cybunny with ghastly red eyes. He is not only able to fly up and down but also able to transform into Hubrid Nox at any time. In addition, the Cybunny requires more hits than the Scorchio to be killed.
• Hubrid Nox who is the nemesis of Magax and cannot be killed. He transforms from the blue Cybunny and can shoot a fireball at you. Once hit by the fireball, you will not be able to shoot for a while but you can still move. In addition, the fireball will not decrease your health. Thus, once hit by the fireball, you should move back and forth until the effect wears off or you can pick up a health skull and the effect will immediately wear off. It will also go away if you touch an enemy but I do not recommend that you do so. Although Hubrid Nox cannot be killed, you can kill the Cybunny when he changes back into that.
• The ghost, JubJub which is very small. It appears randomly in a game and it requires only one shot to be killed.

You have to remember that once you touch any of the enemies, you will lose about one-fifth of your health. Therefore, you have to avoid getting hit by the enemies, no matter what it takes. You begin each level with a full health bar and that means if you get hit by the enemies five times without getting any health skull, you will die. Since you only have one life, you will not want to die or the game will be over. Of course, with me to guide you, that should not happen. *yay* Next, I will talk about some general tips that will help you in this game.

1. The Controls

As mentioned above, control Magax and fly around the map using the up, down, right and left arrow keys. There are two ways to play this game; when you start, you can fly to the right or to the left. Personally, I prefer flying to the right. Whichever way you choose, I recommend that you stick to it all the way throughout the game. If you are going to the right, press the right arrow key and Magax will fly in that direction. To fly faster, hold down the arrow key. If you want to stop, press the opposite direction which is the left arrow key once and he will stop and change direction. Press the spacebar to shoot if there are enemies near you.

2. The Game Screen

At the top left corner of the screen, it shows the level you are on, followed by your current score and lastly, the number of Scorchios you have destroyed so far over the total number of Scorchios available for you to kill in that level in order to proceed. The power bar and the health bar are in the top center of the screen. You may have noticed that there is no more radar to show you the positions of the enemies like in the original version. Instead, there are arrows appearing at the end of the screen to show you the positions of the enemies near you. If the arrow moves up and down very fast, it is likely to be a scorchio coming your way and if it stays around the same area, it is likely to be a Cybunny ahead. However, JubJubs will not be indicated by the arrow. Thus, you have to look very carefully to see if there is any JubJub near you.

3. Time

When playing the game, keep in mind that there is no time limit. There is absolutely no need for you to rush and get yourself killed accidentally. Take your time and play at a pace that you are comfortable with.

4. Health and Power

You will start each level with your health bar full. Like I said above, you lose one-fifth of your health when you touch any enemy. Picking up the green health skulls will regain you one-fifth of your health. Your power bar will decrease each time you shoot but it will regain back by itself if you stop shooting. However, take note that when your power bar goes to zero, you do not lose health unlike in the original version.

5. The Scoring

Every Scorchio you kill gives you 10 points and every Cybunny you kill gives you 20 points. JubJubs are worth 1 point each. In order to proceed to the next level, you have to kill a certain number of Scorchios as indicated by the number in the top left corner. The number of Scorchios you have to kill gets bigger every level. Although the game does not require you to kill the Cybunnies and JubJubs, I suggest that you kill every Cybunny and JubJub you see as they still give you points.

6. The Levels

There are a total of ten levels. The speed of the game starts slow and will get faster every level. You should be able to get through the first seven levels quite easily using the above tips. Level seven will be the last level that you can get health skulls. Thus, from level seven onwards, you have to be more careful and remember not to rush. From level eight to ten, watch out for your health as there will be no way that you can regain lost health.

If you are trying for a high score, I recommend that you fly past the last Scorchio on a level and keep flying until you see that same Scorchio again. This is to ensure that you have killed all the enemies on that level. Of course, you can check as many times as you like if you want to be sure that you did not miss anything, especially the small JubJubs. Although there is a fixed number of Scorchios and Cybunnies appearing in a level, this does not apply for the JubJubs. Thus, the JubJubs can be considered a bonus to your score. This is important if you are trying for a trophy since the random JubJubs are essential to help you get a higher score than other players.

Congratulations, you have reached the end of my guide. *cheers* I hope you have enjoyed reading this guide and find it useful. Keep in mind that you need lots of practice if you want to obtain a high score. Keep trying and you will have that *shiny* trophy added to your trophy cabinet soon.