The Usul Suspect Game Guide

Anecdote- I first came across this game during the 2011 Daily Dare. The required score to beat AAA was 550. I read the instructions and gave it a whirl. I failed. Miserably. Determined to beat AAA and get the Gold Daily Dare trophy (which I never got; thanks, Kou-Jong... and Nova Defender), I tried again. And again. And again. And a few more times. Then it clicked.

Introduction- You've got these Usuls falling down. You’re a Nimmo on an elevator thingamajig. Use the up and down arrow keys to move. The left arrow key shoots your (aptly named) ultra-super-duper-special-ray-gun, while the right key tosses a milk bottle behind you. Shoot the Usuls and you get points. Lots of points = Trophy = Happiness.

Scoring- Unfortunately, your ultra-super-duper-special-ray-gun is pretty weak (who would’ve guessed, huh?). All it can do is knock the helicopter caps off the Usuls, giving you 2 points. Then the Usul falls to the ground. Different kinds of Usuls give you different amounts of points. Here’s a quick rundown:

Yellow- 1 Point (only at very beginning)

Blue- 3 Points (the next step up)

Green- 5 Points (getting harder but still manageable)

White- 7 Points (where the fun starts. Hope you have this guide memorized ;))

Grey- 9 Points (my personal favorite because they don’t shoot at you)

Red- 11 Points (I hate these. So much.)

Purple- 15 Points (If I see these, I get excited because I know I played a really good game)

Don’t forget that the hats give an additional 2 points. It does add up pretty quickly!

The milk bottle is only useful when you miss with your gun and the Usuls come up from behind. It gives you one point. As much as I would like to say that one point adds up and every point counts, not in this game. Sorry. So pretty much don’t ever use the milk. (Exception in the next section).

Tips and Tricks (Ordered for Importance) – These aren’t laws. Just guidelines. Do what you feel is best.

The Usuls fall in the same order every time. Memorize it (or as much of it as possible)

This is the biggest part of being successful at this game. You’ll notice that you tend to make the same mistakes over and over. So write down where you mess up and correct it. Sounds dumb, but it’s the quickest way to improve.

Know your Usuls

Most Usuls shoot back at you. Some of them only have one shot. Others have many. Know which opponent you’re shooting and take advantage. (For example, some Usuls have only one shot. Force them to shoot. And then take your time shooting it. On the other hand, Usuls such as red Usuls have several shots. However, if you shoot at them a split second after they shot at you, you’ll take them out every time. Make sure to move up or down after releasing your shot, though, or you’ll get taken out too.)

Timing

The best time to shoot Usuls is right after they shoot at you. Practice shooting and then moving down right away. And then shooting and moving up. It’s the most useful part of gameplay. You’ll do it hundreds of times.

When your score hits 500, only use the milk bottle on Usuls on the top row

Since you’ll be on the top half of the screen anyway, it doesn’t matter if there are Usuls behind you on the bottom and middle rows. Don’t waste time on them (for one point), when you can shoot forward for 5+ points a shot. Also, you’ll be getting shot at too, so if you are shooting backwards, you’ll get hit from the front.

When your score hits about 800, stay near the top of the screen.

I could go on and on about why this is important, but that’s a waste of time. Just do it. Trust me. It’ll save you lives. And frustration.

Caps

If you miss an Usul and it lands on the ground, its cap will float up. Shooting it will still give you two points. I recommend doing this quickly because it can block shots when you’re trying to shoot something behind it, allowing more Usuls to land. If the cap is on the far left side of the screen, let it go and focus on the bigger points.

Way to Think

This game isn’t separated into levels. It just progressively gets harder. So you don’t want to miss easy points early on by letting Usuls land safely. In the later parts of the game, you might be surviving and dodging lots of shots, but if you aren’t shooting back, then it’s doing you no good (since the game is getting harder and your points aren’t increasing). Usually, late in the game, it’s worth giving up a few lives for a couple hundred points.

Lumiwatergun

Type it and get a life. Do it near the beginning of the game because there’ll be too many Usuls to distract you later on.

Practice

25- 45 minutes every day for a week or two. That’s all you need. I promise.

Set Realistic Goals

Or you’re just setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. As long as you’re improving, you’re doing great.

Don’t get discouraged

This is a pretty fun game. If you’re getting angry or sad, you’re trying too hard. Time to take a break.

Submitting Score

The best time to submit a trophy score is on the first of the month. Trophies are awarded late at night (Neopian Standard Time). If you feel your score is on the borderline, but you cannot do any better, then wait to send until a few minutes before trophy time. That way, you won’t give other people a target to shoot for (I should listen to my own advice on this one).

Conclusion- Usul Suspects gets a lot easier with practice. So, with determination, anyone can score high enough for a snazzy trophy. Good luck. =)