Of the numerous forms players can utilize in ZX Advent, the Pseudoroids are often maligned as unwieldy and impractical. However, I’ve grown to enjoy them quite a bit, so in this video, I’d like to shine the spotlight on Hedgeshock, one of my favorites. Here, I’ll be showcasing her prowess, not in the realm of stage traversal, but rather, as an adorably fierce combatant. I’ll be fighting four of ZXA’s boss roster with her; here are my notes.
Hedgeshock’s offense consists of three moves. First is Plug Shot; a basic, 1-damage Buster pellet with a unique sprite. Second is Spark Ball, a wide-ranging 5-way shot emanating from Hedgeshock; the direction depends on whether you’re airborne or grounded. Last, but not least is Rolling Spike, which I’ll be calling a Spindash because, well, the reference is rather blatant, isn’t it?
Hedgeshock’s Spindash is the key to shredding three of the four bosses shown here. The crux of her offense is that the Spindash can “combo” into itself, dealing up to 7 damage in the best case. Under normal circumstances, contact damage quashes this avenue for offense, but the fights I’ve elected to tackle have ways of circumventing this problem.
-Buckfire: Fire-elemental bosses in the ZX series have their contact damage hitboxes temporarily disabled when struck by electric attacks; this makes Buckfire a prime candidate for Hedgeshock to extend her spines and slice him up with some rolling. Spark Ball deals a cool 6 damage on its own and renders Buckfire immobile if timed properly. By initiating a Spindash and shuffling Hedgeshock back and forth, you’ll accumulate multiple hits on your target. It’s crucial that you hold the dash button the whole time; letting go and initiating a new dash will break the combo, resulting in fewer hits. Buckfire falls surprisingly quickly to this assault; adding insult to injury, his flame arrows can be erased by Spark Ball, giving Hedgeshock free passage to roll to her heart’s content.
-Argoyle and Ugoyle: The Shisaroids are of a neutral element and quite agile too, so no Spindash shenanigans here. Spark Ball picks up the slack, think of it as a less efficient version of Model A’s Homing Shot. Their triple-stacked health bar means little when you’ve got two targets to strike, though, more consideration into aiming and timing is required; Spark Ball briefly holds Hedgeshock in place when she uses it, even in the air. Hedgeshock’s normal size and strong mobility relative to the other Pseudoroids mean that you can actually weave between the Shisaroids’ attacks without much trouble.
Bifrost: My usual policy for anything involving the “no damage” stipulation is to avoid attacks that bind, freeze, or otherwise hinder a player’s movement, even if said attack deals no damage. Bifrost’s Ice Breath is one such example: if you stand in its range, you’ll be briefly frozen, otherwise, a large ice crystal will form, which Bifrost proceeds to shatter with a hulking jump. The reason I exempt myself from this rule for Hedgeshock vs. Bifrost is that by allowing yourself to be frozen, you save an astronomical amount of time. Whenever Bifrost freezes you, he’ll still attempt a flattening jump as though the crystal is there. This is a perfect attacking opportunity; this jump is so clunky that you have an eternity to walk under Bifrost and Spindash his tail, which lacks a contact damage hitbox. Furthermore, if you’re in a corner after dodging the first jump, he’ll almost inevitably jump at you again, meaning more free damage. Outside of that, it’s also possible to Spindash combo Bifrost from the front and shred his face for a bit, but it’s a lot more risky and a lot less lucrative.
-Atlas: As I’ve noted in the past, Atlas can be wildly unpredictable, so while the offensive strategy here is nearly identical to Buckfire’s, dodging is much more worrisome. The dominant defensive tactic remains jumping over Atlas before she attacks, but the timing of said jumps can be tricky owing to her penchant for sudden movements even while she’s afflicted with the stun effect from Spark Ball. Blast Bomber’s instantaneous hitbox is still an irritant, though, with proper positioning and timing, both the main charge and the fragments can be extinguished by Spark Ball.
There’s a large necessity for luck to achieve a swift victory, with the key point being that you never want to see Atlas wall-jump up to the elevated platform. Hedgeshock can’t pursue Atlas due to a lack of wall-climbing capabilities, and while you can just spam Spark Ball from beneath and win, it makes for a flavorless scrap. It’s crucial to keep your eyes peeled for Ground Breaker; it’s a simple thing to careen directly into the lingering wave of flames while using the Spindash to rack up damage.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Buckfire
00:25 - Argoyle & Ugoyle
01:11 - Bifrost
02:02 - Atlas
Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed this Hedgeshock showcase! Any questions or comments you may have are welcome as usual.