Saving Neopia One Ship At A Time

Let’s face one major fact; the driving force of most Neopians is neopoints. If something such as games can bring in the dough, most of us will flock to it without much thought. Games such as Meerca Chase, Kass Basher, and Ice Cream Machine are often the most celebrated games for their high payouts and high enjoyment factors. But what most Neopians don’t realize is that there are other games on Neopets with equally as high of payouts which can be attained just as easily. One of these games, which I’ve decided to target in this article, is Escape to Kreludor.

Escape to Kreludor is a fantastic game in which 3,000 neopoints can be easily made each day in a relatively small amount of time. The principle of the game is simple: survival. You play Gorix and Cylara, two Neopians who just barely escaped the wrath of Sloth and are fleeing the Virtupets Space Station in order to survive. Furious at their escape, and not easily deterred, Sloth has dispatched Virtupets fighters to put an end to the pair.

In order to help Gorix and Cylara escape, it is our mission to guide their Escape Pod through the masses of evil Virtupets fighters and get them safely to Kreludor. In order to protect the pair, the pod is equipped with unlimited torpedoes on the right and left side of the pod. However, this game would be no challenge if it were only the enemy fighters which needed to be destroyed – no, you cannot forget the comet, the indestructible force in space which obliterates anything which it contacts. Needless to say, this force should not be reckoned with. And just to make the game slightly more challenging, a turn system was enabled – meaning you get one turn to move one space, and then it’s the enemy’s turn, who move one space, then it’s yours again.

Now let’s talk strategy. First it is important to recognize that there are three different enemies in the game. The first is easily averted and destroyed, the blue Virtupets Fighter. This fighter is the less intelligent and dangerous of the bunch, taking the most direct path to reach the target, your escape pod. The Blue Virtupets Fighter often runs into asteroids (instant death for them), other Blue Virtupets fighters (which makes both explode), or straight into the path of your torpedoes. In order to destroy these lesser enemies, all one needs to do is lead them to collide with one another or debris left from a previous collision, to collide into an asteroid by following you, or to get them close enough to blast them away with the torpedoes.

The second enemy, which is slightly more dangerous, is the Red Virtupets Fighters. These fighters are much more intelligent and will avoid crashing into other fighters, the comet, or asteroids. The only way to destroy the Red Virtupets Fighters is to blast them out of space with a torpedo.

The third enemy is the comet. This is the most dangerous of all the enemies because it is impossible to destroy. The only way to avoid the comet and the destruction it brings, is to run and never come into contact with it.

So now you know the weak and strong points of the enemies – let’s talk about the wormholes in the game. When you play, you will notice that there are four wormholes, one at each side of the screen. These will be ESSENTIAL in your strategy. You will enter a wormhole and it will randomly teleport you anywhere on the grid. This can sometimes be a life saver or a game ender, but it will often be your only hope on later levels.

Every level there is also a special bonus gem. The green bonus gem puts a cloak around your ship for the duration of the level. This means that none of the enemy ships or the comet know your location and cannot go after you. The red bonus gem is an em pulse, which sends shock waves through space destroying anything in its path up to two squares away in any direction. The purple bonus gem gives you a whopping 50 points. The blue bonus gem downgrades enemies to the Blue Virtupets Fighter. Any Red fighters will be downgraded to blue, and the comet becomes an asteroid. Last, but definitely not least, the white bonus gem gives you an extra life.

Now let’s talk about racking up those points. You receive ten points for destroying the Blue Virtupets Fighters (no matter how they die) and fifteen for destroying the Red Virtupets Fighters. The only other way to receive points is with the purple bonus gem, which gives you fifty points.

Now for the real strategy. The first levels are crucial to how well you will do throughout the game. If you do not receive a purple bonus gem (for fifty points) or a white bonus gem (for an extra life) in the first two levels, you might as well restart the game. You will have no need for a cloak, an em pulse, or downgrading enemies in the first few levels. You should also be able to complete the first couple levels without losing any lives. You’ll need them later!

The first Red Virtupets Fighter will appear on level four, with four Blue Virtupets fighters. This is when things can start getting tough. Analyse your situation at the start of the game; try to see which enemies can reach you within the first two moves. These are your primary targets to destroy first. I’d also suggest trying to eliminate the Red Virtupets Fighters first, as they can prove to be difficult to evade when you get too many. At level six, you will see your first comet, one Red Virtupets Fighter, and six Blue Virtupets fighters. Hopefully you’ve managed to keep all three of your lives (or four if you were lucky enough to get an extra life), because the game gets VERY challenging from this point on.

When playing the game, you must utilize all your allies. Do not forget that asteroids, debris, and even the comet can be your friend. You should look to see if you can force the Blue Virtupets Fighters to collide with one another, an asteroid, debris, or the comet while you make your escape route. Generally, if possible, I tend to head directly for a wormhole in the later levels, and take out as many enemies as possible on my way. Do not forget that you may travel diagonally. This may save your life a couple of times throughout the game!

If you find yourself in a position where there seems to be no escape, don’t forget that you only get points for what you destroy. Instead of running away, sometimes it is best to head directly into the bulk of the enemies to destroy as many as possible (and maximize your potential points) before they are able to eliminate you.

As you progress throughout the levels, the Blue Virtupets Fighters will be replaced with Red Fighters, creating a more challenging game. Do not be deterred by the large amounts of enemy ships; just take it one ship at a time. Always use the bonus gems if you're able to get to them without losing a life; they can be a huge help. And don’t forget that for every ship you destroy, you will get more points, so the more ships on the grid, the more points you can get!

Hopefully with all this information you are better equipped to help our dear friends, Gorix and Cylara escape the grip of the evil Dr. Sloth!