Cotton (set 3, World, FD1094 317-0181a)

Mastering Cotton (set 3, World, FD1094 317-0181a) is all about balancing aggressive power-up collection and smart movement to avoid the game’s steadily increasing bullet density. First, familiarize yourself with the core arcade controls: use the 8-way joystick to move Cotton around the screen, the primary button to fire your standard magic shot, and the secondary button to deploy your area-of-effect magic bomb. Prioritize collecting red power-ups first, as they upgrade your standard shot up to 4 levels: a max-level shot deals 3x more damage than the base shot, and will cut down boss fight times drastically. Note that you lose one shot level every time you take damage, so prioritize avoiding hits over collecting extra points when you are at max power. Blue power-ups upgrade your magic bombs up to 3 levels: a level 3 bomb covers 80% of the screen and can wipe out every enemy and bullet in its path, so save at least one level 2 or higher bomb for every boss fight. Collecting golden fairy fragments will add extra copies of Silk to your side, up to 4 total: Silk fires supporting shots, and can block small enemy bullets for you, making her one of your most valuable assets. For stage-specific tips: in the first forest stage, stick to the lower half of the screen to avoid surprise flying enemies, and target the giant flower boss’s open center to deal maximum damage during its attack windows. In the second crystal cave stage, watch for dark shadows on the ground to dodge falling rock hazards, and move left or right immediately when the crystal giant boss raises its arm to signal a laser attack. The set 3 version fixes the earlier lava stage collision bug, so you only take damage if you make direct contact with bright red lava, not the surrounding rock platforms. When facing the final Dark Witch boss, move slowly through the gaps in her spiral bullet patterns, and eliminate her summoned bat minions first before focusing fire on her core.