This is part 2 of my Buster only 100 point S rank run of Mega Man Zero 3. A quartet of resurrected Z1 Reploids fulfill the role of Zero’s nemeses in Z3’s midgame, along with a pair of toddlers for some inexplicable reason. I digress, here are my notes.
-A detail to be mindful of when firing Reflect Laser: just like all of Zero’s other shots, the elevation at which you fire depends on whether you’re still, walking or dashing. Changing your initial firing height can allow Reflect Laser to skirt past some obstacles and corners it would otherwise be stymied by.
-The Missile Factory acts as a perfect canvas for showcasing a rather curious property of Reflect Laser, namely, that when fired at close range against regular enemies, it hits twice, seemingly because of some hitbox irregularities. This allows it to annihilate Generator Cannons in the blink of an eye while simultaneously reflecting in a different direction, making for some exquisite trick shots. Other high-health enemies are susceptible to this behavior, which I showcased in part 1 against Aqua Pantheons and Gyro Cannons, and you can also pierce Lamplort shields. The conveyor segments bestow players with chances to contort the laser in atypical ways.
-The Frontline Ice Base is jam-packed with interesting topography and enemy placement for Reflect Laser to leverage. The stage opens with a set of descending slopes in open water before tapering into a constricted tunnel punctuated by spike pits. This brief cave-diving stint is brimming with enemies; experimenting with various methods of movement to manipulate them into lining up for trick shots is good fun. The excitement carries over to the indoor section as well; normally, Heavy Cannons are irritating pace-breakers, but the layout of the various ledges and walls allows players to combo laser bounces with half-charged shots to speed through. Pair that with suspiciously convenient arrangements of Pantheons and Clavekers, and you can weave a beautiful tapestry of movement and marksmanship.
-Unfortunately, there's little I can do to prevent Twilight Desert from being a pitifully boring endeavor. Without the Recoil Rod compensating for the perfunctory level design by granting players the luxury of pogoing off bombs and flowers, you're left with a trip that could generously be described as drab; doubly so when accounting for the ludicrous enemy count requirement. The abundance of slopes doesn't create as many interesting Reflect Laser outcomes as you might expect, predominantly because most of the enemy selection consists of shifty airborne annoyances. For positives, V-Shot gets to flex its muscles against the miniboss while Blizzard Arrow makes quick work of Aunbis, who otherwise mirrors the trite nature of his stage flawlessly.
-Anubis is a perfect test dummy to illustrate the close-range prowess of Blizzard Arrow. The ice ball from which the rest of the shards emanate is rather powerful, dealing 5 points of damage to bosses. It also has a combo value of 1, while the shards-which add 2 damage a pop-have values of 2, 3 and 4. This results in a perfectly placed Blizzard Arrow dealing 11 damage to bosses that are neutral to its element, and 16 to those that are weak to it. Of course, it's necessary for the target to be a mostly sedentary lug for Blizzard Arrow to achieve maximum effect, but it's still incredibly useful in the correct scenarios.
-The Forest of Anatre is filled with enemies that lend themselves to ornate Reflect Laser combos. The Generator Cannon's progeny, multiplying Seimerans and Tile Cannons all populate various segments of the stage and each is present in at least one arrangement that just begs for a well-placed laser to slice through them like a hot knife through butter. The eminent example is a positively scrumptious angled shot that tears through three Tile Cannons preceding the boss door. Hanumachine reciprocates my passion for trigonometric antics by forming his battle strategy around his own brand of maniacally bouncing around.
-Area X-2 is ephemeral, but the brutality of this segment can't be overstated. Saving time in this stage absolutely requires that you commit to learning a few key maneuvers that allow you to speed past with minimal waiting for platforms to align. Fittingly, being the stage where you receive Reflect Laser, Area X-2 is well-suited to its capabilities; precise firing can deftly dispatch the swarm of Gallisni that inevitably flood the screen upon tripping the security lasers. Making things exponentially more dangerous, I waltz with Copy X far beyond reason just to let him show off his own Reflect Laser, nearly getting myself burned and frozen in the process.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Missile Factory | Crea & Prea
02:03 - Frontline Ice Base | Blizzack Staggroff R
04:23 - Twilight Desert | Anubis Necromancess V
06:48 - Forest of Anatre | Hanumachine R
08:55 - Area X-2 | Copy X MK. II
Thanks for watching! Any comments and questions you have are welcome as always.