Android (prototype, early build)

Mastering this early build of Android (prototype) requires learning the quirks of its unfinished development state, alongside standard arcade action fundamentals. First, familiarize yourself with the core controls: use the 8-way joystick to move your Android mech horizontally and vertically across the lower third of the screen, the primary action button to fire your default plasma cannon, and the secondary action button to deploy a screen-clearing EMP bomb that destroys all active enemies and enemy projectiles. First, note that the prototype’s enemy hitboxes are roughly 30% smaller than their visible sprites, so always aim for the center of each enemy unit instead of their outer edges to land successful hits. The first three waves of enemies consist of slow-moving scout drones that fire single, slow projectiles — these are the best opportunity to stock up on power-ups without taking unnecessary damage. Red chip power-ups boost your plasma cannon’s fire rate by 50% for 20 seconds, while blue chips increase your mech’s movement speed by 40% for the same duration. Avoid picking up the green glowing chips entirely: this is an unfinished power-up that is bugged in the early build, and will disable your plasma cannon entirely for 10 seconds after collection. Starting at wave 4, you will face armored heavy robot units that fire 3-directional spread shots. Never stay in one position for more than 2 seconds when fighting these units, as their spread fire covers most of the screen’s lower area if you hold still. Save your EMP bombs for wave 4 and later, as you will face 2x more enemies per wave and have no access to extra health pickups outside of the hidden 1-up you can unlock by clearing wave 1 without taking any damage. Note that this prototype has no save or continue feature, so if you lose all three of your starting lives, you will have to restart from the first wave entirely.