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LAZY_35P's's Strategy Guide for basic SPIKEOUT operation: Like a Dragon Edition

A comprehensive Japanese blogpost for the niche beat-em-up translated to English

January 31, 2024

Preface

The following is translated from Lazy_35P’s blog post which I found from Twitter detailing useful information and strategies about the arcade game SpikeOut, done after the recent re-release of this game for the first time in modern platforms as part of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, known in Japan as Ryu ga Gotoku 8. You can check the original untranslated blogpost here, and don’t forget to drop a like on Geometric18’s post sharing this as a thank you to their in-depth explanation of this niche (outside of Japan) arcade beat-em-up.

All of the information here is translated with the assistance of DeepL and Google Translate along with some rewriting by hand to read less awkwardly, but there are some additional notes from me to complement the information that I’ll always mark as such (whenever you see [EDITOR’S NOTE] or [EDITOR], that’s my extra info or comment).

Otherwise, pictures and structure are taken from the website, and since this is still a work in progress, apologies if there’s some stuff that hasn’t been brought over yet or reads a bit awkwardly due to the translation. I also have to mention that any mentions of RGG8 were changed to Infinite Wealth as it is the international name, but otherwise I haven’t changed much. Any mention of “zakos” are normal enemies (zako in Japanese means small fry), and any mention of “linking” is playing in multiplayer, with the context of how SpikeOut multiplayer was done with multiple cabinets linked together and could join in anytime to other player sessions.

If you are interested in learning SpikeOut techniques with visual references from in-game footage or if it is the first time you’re playing it and feel like you wouldn’t get to wrap your head around things with just text, then there’s this video that also covers the basics and has English text accompanying the Japanese descriptions.

In any case, translating this has actually been interesting so far with how there’s certainly a handful of facts that you definitely wouldn’t be able to know unless you have an expert source…and with how obscure the game is outside of Japan, only a post like this written in Japanese would be able to give this much insight into the game. So huge credits to Lazy_35P for writing all of this in the first place!

Last update of the original blogpost: February 4th, 2024
Last update of this translation: August 6th, 2024 - Moved to new site theme.

PS5 version of Spikeout FE (Final Edition).
This is a strategy article for beginners!

🐰Information source: LAZY DAISY

SpikeOut can now be played in the Game Center within “Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth”!
Unfortunately, it is not available as a stand-alone item, so you will need to purchase that game to play it.

Basic information about “Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth”

Official website: Click here
Release date: January 26, 2024 (Friday)

Where to buy Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth

Downloadable version on Steam
PS4 & PS5 download version
Amazon PS4 disc version
Amazon PS5 disc version

How did SpikeOut suddenly become playable?

One genius programmer used his spare time to create a MODEL3 emulator, and as a result, SpikeOut is now playable!

The tool was originally created as a project to run the arcade game “Virtua Fighter 3tb” (2023).

You can check the development history of MODEL3 emulator in this article.
⇒ 4Gamer.net [Interview] “Virtua Fighter 3tb” Returns to the Arcade. Background of the APM3 version and the future of “Virtua Fighter esports”

⇒ Report: “Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth” test play report and interview with Hiroyuki Sakamoto: The new play spot “Dondoko Island,” where you can even create a downtown area, is too addictive.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: If you don’t know Japanese, you’ll need a translator ready to read these.]

How are the difficulty settings?

There are Spikeout cabinets with different difficulty levels at various arcade locations you can choose from.

This one for example is a Normal difficulty cabinet.

What is the level of completion like?

It is an emulation of the original game instead of a port, so the basics are exactly the same as the arcade version. However, there are a few places where the textures are not reproduced due to a glitch on the emulator side (such as the roof of Linda’s bed) but are small parts of the game.
The color of the Red Cross on the health recovery items has been changed from red to green. This is because there are laws and ordinances that prohibit the use of the Red Cross without permission, even in cartoons, games, and illustrations.
(To avoid losing the original meaning by using them unnecessarily, or in case of emergency, to avoid the situation that they are not real but cosplay).

How long does it take to play the game?

Can I play offline multiplayer?

⇒Yes, you can. 4 players can play by split-screen.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Check the multiplayer mini-game menu after unlocking the game to play with two to four players.]

Can I play online multiplayer?

⇒ The game itself does not support online multiplayer. However, it is exceptionally possible to play online through using the features of the platform of your choice.

The Steam version can be used with the remote play application “Parsec” to play online.

PS5 version can use “Share Play”. Two player multiplaer is possible for one hour only! This is due to the limitation that you can only invite one visitor at a time and that the game is forced to terminate after one hour!

By the way, the longest route of this game takes 2 hours,
(There is a shorter route, so it is possible to complete the game if you choose the right route.)

[EDITOR’S NOTE: And…only if both of you are GOOD at this game.]

If you want to play with 4-Player link with online multiplayer, it is best to buy the Steam version. If you want to play with your family or play solo, it is better to buy the PS5 version which you can play on the big screen of your TV.

About the PS5 Version Controller

When playing Spikeout for PS4 on PS5, you can use the PS4 Arcade Controller (DUALSHOCK4), but if you want to play Spikeout for PS5 on PS5, you cannot use the “PS4 Arcade Controller DUALSHOCK4”,
If you want to play local multiplayer with split screen, you will need to purchase a PS5-specific arcade controllers for the number of players, which will cost you a lot of money.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The post always refers to these controllers as arcade controllers, but it could be possible to assume that this could also apply to standard Dualshock controllers: DS4 on PS4 version should work but DS4 on PS5 might or does not work.]

If you want to use your previous generation arcade stick you will need to buy the PS4 disc.

If you want to use the previous generation arcade stick, it is better to buy the PS4 disc or the downloadable version that includes both PS4 and PS5. You will save money later on.

About the speed

The original game runs at 57.5 fps, but there is a high possibility that the Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth version is running at 60 fps.
There are quite a few people who say that the timing of the charge is uncomfortable, so you may have to wait for an update.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: That 57.5fps is what the original arcade board used, and apparently the speed in Daytona 2 for Gaiden was adjusted to match that instead of feeling faster as if you were playing Supermodel…but it seems odd that there was no speed adjustment for this game from what is mentioned]

About the History of Spikeout

■SPIKEOUT DIGITAL BATTLE ONLINE (Arcade 1998)

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The screenshot seems to be from Final Edition; Digital Battle Online has a different colored timer and silver nametags for player characters, but otherwise doesn’t look different]

This is the first version of the game, Digital Battle Online, also known as “DBO”.

Compared to the second one, Final Edition, this one is missing a few things:

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Unsure if this one is translated properly, I’ll need some context or verifying with a player if this means that you won’t respawn/reappear back on stage if you go out of bounds, which is likely the meaning here.]

■ SPIKEOUT FINAL EDITION (Arcade 1999)

This is the second version, Final Edition, also known as “FE”.

■ Rent-A-Hero No. 1 (Dreamcast, May 2000)

A loose action RPG in a silly world. Uses the same motion moves/animations as Spikeout here and there, though. It is a game that emphasizes adventure (exploration of the town), and the action elements are only for funsies.

■ SLASH OUT (Arcade, July 2000)

This is a game that uses the system of “Spikeout” and rewrites it in a fantasy world.

■ Dynasty Warriors 2 (PS2, August 2000)
Although the development was not related to SEGA at all, the general gameplay system was taken from Spikeout, wasn’t it? It is an unspoken agreement that the game is a rip-off of Spike-Out.
[EDIT: This is a funny comment to read out of context, but I guess that this game looking like a stiff 3D beat-em-up against swarms of enemies, just like Spikeout, being released as the sequel of a fighting game two years after Spikeout became a success in Japan…I guess there’s merit on that assumption even if the game doesn’t seem to play on the same controls.]

■ SPIKERS BATTLE (Arcade 2001)

This is a sequel to “Spikers Battle” in which the four members of “Team Alberto” became the main characters.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: There exists a video of this aforementioned hidden element, which is playing as boss characters and seems to be triggered by tapping outside of your character’s box 11 times before selecting a character. However, the unlock conditions are unknown to this day, and doing the command without it only hides the character name as if something were to happen.]

■ SPIKEOUT BATTLE STREET (Xbox, March 2005)

A port of FE to the first generation Xbox.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is likely referring to kicking players in online play, as this game supported Xbox Live multiplayer and strangers joining sessions between stages.]

■ Yakuza / Ryu ga Gotoku (PS2, December 2005)
The game that Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of “SpikeOut,” steered the game to focus on the story. The staff is the same and some animations are used in the game.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: And 13 years later, the franchise that superseded SpikeOut would finally give back something to it with the Infinite Wealth port.]

Basic operation of Spikeout


■ Arcade Button Layout
The number of buttons used is four, side by side in a straight line by default.
　From left to right: Shift, Beat, Charge, Jump,
　
When you play with an arcade stick, it is better to change the order of the buttons:

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This refers to mapping the buttons when playing on an Arcade Stick to be as close to the original button layout]

■ Map Switching Button

■ Check the number of specials on your side
You can check the number of specials by pressing the Shift + Start button.
You can also check the number of specials of your teammates by pressing Shift + Start button again while the menu is displayed.

■ Shift movement
When you press and hold the Shift button, you can strafe while looking forward. It is the most important button, and it is good to keep it pressed all the time during battle.

■ BBBBBB Beat
Also known as Punch, B button, etc. Equivalent to the “A” series in “Final Fight”. The enemy will be sent flying away on the 6th hit.
　
■ C button long press Charge

Also known as C attack, C button, etc. This is the most important attack, and what it does depends of how long you hold it, so I will explain it in detail:

C1:
Short press without pause to launch a single attack. Up to 3 attacks can be made in a row, and C1 is almost never used as a single attack. BBBCC is used to dispose of zakos as a combo with few gaps.

C2:
A move that launches the enemy when the button is released after a short pause of about 0.5 seconds. It is almost never used for direct hits, but is used to relaunch downed enemies.

C3:
Hold for a second and then release to for an attack that stuns the enemy on-hit. If you are playing linked with others, approach the boss from behind and hit him with C3 to make your friends happy.

If you are fighting zakos, it is common to use a combo of starting a charge, hitting them with a Beat combo and then release the C3 attack to stun them.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The BBB > C3 is the most reliable way to stun normal enemies with how its guaranteed as long as you hit the enemies with the basic string and time your charge properly to land the C3.

I love the way the “C3 behind boss in linked to make friends happy” is worded because it is true- stunning bosses alone is very difficult, so this is likely the only way you can reliably stun a boss to beat it down or hit it with a C4. And speaking of which…]

C4:
Hold for 2 seconds and release to perform a big move that knocks the enemy flying away. It doesn’t matter if it’s a normal enemy or a boss, it always knocks down, so it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s the most exhilarating part of this game!

It’s more powerful when you get close to the enemy, so if you can afford it, get close to them and shoot them! If you play linked, another player can be waiting at the end of the target to blow it further away.

The most common strategy is to use a “trick combo” where you drive them into a corner and then keep hitting them with C4 alternately.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I can picture the sight of pummeling a boss through charged attacks at the corner being not only amusing and awesome, but also extremely useful to bring its health down.]

■ J Jump
A short press will give you a low jump, but you will almost never use it. You’ll instead want to be using the long press jump.

■ BB Ascending Kick while Jumping

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Sorry but I actually thought on “devious lick” when I read using an useless kick as “a lick”- this note will be gone whenever I confirm what “used as a lick” really meant here lol]

■ B+C+J Special
A.K.A. SP, Mega Clash, Emergency Evasion, Invincible, etc. By consuming one of the lightning bolt symbols, you can perform an “invincible” move.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Useful to get off too many enemies swarming you, occasionally breaking off boss throws if they didn’t start the animation, or even comboing sometimes a juggled enemy. Just like old beat-em-up special moves, except here they’re stock limited instead of using up your health.]
　
■Grabbing an enemy and throwing with the B+C+J Special
Press B+C+J while holding on to an enemy to perform a spinning throw with a longer invincibility time than a single throw.
When linked, if allies grab each other and then press B+C+J, a combined spinning throw is possible. It is effective when waiting for the boss to appear.
　
■ Appeal command

It’s a game for advanced players, so it’s a good idea to remember it.
　
[EDITOR’S NOTE: These are intended to be used when playing with others, likely as you would be playing away from other cabinets or without talking, so you could communicate through these. And yep, it seems you can hit any enemy or boss with the Sean/Dudley’s one-point-of-damage taunt special if you are that lucky and bold to even try it.]

■ Special appeal command
Turn the lever clockwise and then press B+C+J for “Special Appeal” (SP consumption).
At first glance, it may look like a joke, but it has the longest invincibility time, so it can be used in various ways.

■ B+C > B sweep + follow-up attack
It is an easy-to-use technique that can “roll a zako with a single blow”. It is also effective against some bosses.

■ B+J Homing
A small jump attack with powerful homing performance! It knocks down with a single hit like the foot sweep, but it comes out slowly and the hit rate is high, so if you have enough energy, you can use the attack to scatter the enemy.
When you have enough energy and want to kick enemies away, use B+J>C4. Otherwise, use it to attack fleeing enemies after destroying the boss,
In other cases, it is used to avoid missing the start of a combo by launching it at a fleeing enemy after defeating a boss.

■ C+J Special Moves
The character will have an unique special move that can knock down with one hit.

■ Dash attack
Press the lever twice in the same direction to dash.
While dashing, press B for a dash kick.
It is mainly used to rescue a teammate who has been hit, or to scatter enemies in a group. Be careful with this, as rolling enemies can also hit your allies.

■ Grabbing BBB
When you approach an enemy from the front, you can grab it automatically.
　Pressing the B button while holding on to an enemy will punch the enemy in the stomach, and if you do it three times, the enemy will go down.

■ Jump Throw
After grabbing the enemy from the front, press C to go behind him → Jump → Press B while jumping to throw them at the floor.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: You might want to practice the timing to the B press while jumping, or else you might miss the window and jump without throwing- mashing B as you jump doesn’t seem to work either. This will be important to learn as it will likely be one of your only reliable approaches to attack bosses alone, either by jump throwing them quickly or by jump throwing enemies into them.]

■ Various throws
You can throw the enemy to the front, side or back whenever you grab them by the front, from the side or behind them. You can also add a C button press during a grab, regardless of which side you grabbed them at, to get behind and be able to jump throw. The direction of the throw can be changed with the lever as well.

■ Shift and hold back + C button for Water Surface Kick
　(Also known as a back kick or a water surface cut)

This is a small move that can “down an enemy from behind with a single blow”. It is almost never used as a one-shot, because it is faster to escape forward by shifting,
However, the combo BBB > Back Kick can be used on rare occasions.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Could be useful to knock enemies behind you as it turns around to hit them if there are any. Can be executed by pressing forward then backwards while shifting and pressing C, even if you aren’t punching before that, but you’ll likely only want to use this after the BBB combo.]

■ Linda’s Special CCC > C
This is a special kick that only Linda can use. The timing is very strict. Press “C” 0.5 seconds after CCC, and the move will come out.
It isn’t possible to always perform it without fail, but it is enough to learn it to the level that you can perform it at least once in every three times.

About tricks

■ 3 Minute Rush Mode
① Insert a coin
② Press and hold Shift + B + C + J then press the start button.

*[EDITOR’S NOTE: This mode starts you at Diesel Town, with 3 minutes to beat as many enemies or get the highest score, but it ends immediately if you die before time runs out; no continuing.

Expert Japanese players have sometimes showed off juggling techniques or even infinites with corners with small enemie*

■ Cinema opening
During the opening demo (other than the operation explanation screen), if you hold down any button, black bars will appear at the top and bottom of the screen. The staff name and etc. will be displayed.

■ Mirror mode
You can play with everything being visually mirrored (only for the person who entered the command- other players won’t be affected). It also works with 3 Minute Rush Mode.

  1. On the character selection screen, press the lever 11 times towards
    the outside of your character.
  2. Select a character. There’s no confirmation sound, but you can
    notice as early as the minimap preview to know if it worked.

■ Extra Stages
There are two stages called “Ship Yard” and “Astro Mall” that can be accessed in succession in a single playthrough through a route-branching technique, and it is common to play for 2 hours with this longest route possible in the arcade.

If you do not know how to do this and act without permission, you may get scolded, so please keep this in mind!

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Huh. So a random player setting course for a wrong path could be an annoyance…sounds like this game was ahead of its time for accidental co-op frustration!]

Kill only the boss, Captain Kessler, without killing any of the other enemies.

It’s quite difficult to do it alone, and even with 4 players you are very likely to fail if you miss the initial guidance to do this. Basically, it’s a trick that says, “If you can, why don’t you go to the mall?”

When the game was first introduced in arcades, there were some who would never attack even when surrounded by enemies, There were some fierce people who just chose to die, but there’s no need to be that serious.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Whew, I don’t know what’s crazier: Having to go pacifist mode and avoiding to kill any enemies other than the boss for that condition…or to read from this that there were people that were ready to die in arcades if it meant not breaking the condition as long as other players could still achieve it.]

Kill only the boss, Ryuji, without killing any of the other enemies escorting the boss.

If you use the bug to get out of the building, you will be invulnerable to any normal attacks. It is a common strat to defeat the boss. If all three of your teammates aren’t outside, they don’t have an intention to go to Ship Yard.

On the other hand, if all three of them are outside but you are fighting alone, you definitely can’t read the air. So make sure to just go with the flow.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: inhales

The original paragraph said that “you are completely KY”- KY is short for “Kuuki Yomenai”…which means that you can’t read the air. It is quite funny to see that stated with the context of how, if your teammates are using the stratto guarantee Ship Yard but didn’t follow them or don’t get what they are doing, then you are going to look clueless.

In any case, adding crucial context to that mention of a bug to leave the building, certain moves used in a specific place can clip you out of bounds and make you invulnerable to enemy damage. Since it is best to see more than to read, I found this video that demostrates all the ways to do this, which is super useful to know if you are feeling bold to try doing one more stage.

【Spikeout FE】アストロ ラスト 落ち方まとめ【バグ】 - YouTube

But additionally, you don’t necessarily have to do the bug to achieve the condition- its just a tip that should make it easier. However, you can see in the timestamp of the video below a demostration of the condition being fulfilled: No enemies but the boss killed, without leaving the building.

https://youtu.be/jkTV6DeggrM?si=mNw14cA6KsPBxUWy&t=2998

exhales Okay, end note.]

■ Skip the long demo screen
The demo screen after the first stage and the ending staff roll can be skipped by holding down the start button. However, many people go out to buy juice during the long demo screen after the first screen, so it is also kind to not skip them.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’ve played this game, then you know that its the long intermission narrating what happened at the beginning. Interesting to hear that some players would use this to take a break or buy something before the game starts again, though.]

■ 11 Lab Command
Some of the names of the enemy characters are the names of the developers, and you can change their face icons to live-action icons (their photos).

At the character selection screen, press Start 11 times.

[STRK: There will be no sound confirmation, but if you want to check this easter egg as soon as possible, activate 3 Minute Rush Mode to start at Diesel Town, do the command, and then look if one of the mooks after breaking the first gate, JUN, got his portrait changed.*]

The brown enemy “JUN” appears at the beginning of the stage with Douglas.

→

“TSUKA” appears in the battle against MICHAEL and is the only one who moves differently from the rest of the enemies during that.

→

“ENDO” is also replaced with a live-action image only if playing with 3 players or more.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The original post does not provide a screenshot or specify where this specific enemy is found, but it is likely another Michael boss fight enemy with how it follows on TSUKA’s case. I cannot confirm whether there are any other enemies with changed portraits because of this easter egg as I haven’t played a whole session of this with it yet.]

■ Obtain a special bat
This bat can be found at the Astro Mall Sports Shop, where there are multiple bats on display, but one of them is a red bat. The bat is extremely powerful and can be swung three times in a row in one attack.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Thinking about how would you ever find out about easter eggs like this outside of a Japanese expert’s guide when no other people around the world have ever dug this deep into the game? Stuff like this is why I find cool to translate this properly. Also, if you are curious to see this in action but don’t want to haul your seat that far in the game…that red bat with three swings is one of the common weapons you can fin in Spikers Battle.]

How to determine the difficulty level

When the difficulty level is changed, the player character’s strength will be lower will decrease, but there’s also a surefire way to determine the specific difficulty level like this:

  1. Defeat all the enemies in the first area of Spikerss Camp except for the flamethrower boss without receiving any damage.
  2. Deliberately eat the flamethrower.
  3. Count the number of times it takes from being hit by it until you start blinking red (help state),
    　Easiest: 16 hits
    　Easy: 14 hits
    　Normal or Hard: 12 hits
    　Hardest: 11 hits
  4. To tell the difference between Hard and Normal, knock the flamethrower boss down with a sweep. If the boss gets up with invincibility flash, it is confirmed as hard or higher.

If you forget to check it on the first stage, you can also check whether the three fat bosses in Diesel Town are invincible on get-up or not.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I was going to write here that this intel could be useful to know the exact difficulty in a random arcade cabinet, but letting yourself open to being hit until almost death seems kind of pointless if you are counting on playing with one credit. The sweep check against Python to know if it is in Normal or Hard definitely could be useful in that context though, if you aren’t emulating the game and changing the difficulty yourself already.]

Regarding etiquette during linked play

■ Technical terminology & local rules at the time

Enemies with recovery and special items

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Okay so…right now I want to take a quick break and the list of normal enemies is quite long, so for now I’ll omit it, but you can easily see the english enemies in the original site if you search the “回復＆稲妻持ちのザコリスト” section and tell what they give through whether they are prefixed with a bold SP or not before their name.

On the other hand, I will translate below the translated section for enemies with secret recovery drops due to the conditions they have.]

Enemies with hidden recovery drops

Diesel Town:
2-6A or 2-5B - Rooftop

  1. Defeat all enemies of the first group.
  2. Defeat JACKSON, the black-shirted soldier, who comes out of the room below the starting point.
  3. Then defeat AGUR, a black-shirted soldier, who also comes out from the room below the starting point and drops a big recovery item.

2-3B - Sewer

  1. The boss will appear.
  2. Defeat the two blue enemies.
  3. Defeat one of the green blond soldiers; any of them works.
  4. Defeat the additional blue enemies that will appear.
  5. An additional enemy in a black T-shirt will appear, dropping a small recovery item when defeated.

Astro Mall
3-4-1 Back Astro Food Court
Pattern 1

  1. Defeat the two men in suits and mohawks first.
  2. Defeat the two new suits and mohawks as they are replaced by new suits and mohawks.
  3. Defeat the remaining 3 fat guys. When the new 3 fat guys are spawned and you defeat them, you will get a small restoration.
    (There is no fixed number of enemies that will drop, and the drop will change depending on the order in which you defeat them.)

Pattern 2

  1. Defeat the three 3 fat ones first.
  2. Defeat the 3 new 3 fat guys as they are replenished.
  3. Defeat the remaining two men in suits and mohawks. When the new suits and mohawks are spawned, defeat them and you will get a small recovery.
    (There is no fixed number of enemies that will drop, and the drop will change depending on the order in which you defeat them.)

Imperial Opera:
4-1 - Garden

  1. Defeat all enemies normally until the 30th one.
  2. A group of 5 fire-throwing zakos will appear.
  3. Leave either PANTER (black ninja) or MANTIS (green enemy) as the last enemies alive and another enemy holding a big recovery item will apear.

4-2 - In front of the building

  1. If you hit the large door on the left side of the main gate three times, an emperor will appear.
  2. Defeat it, and it will drop a big recovery item, but it is difficult to defeat it after the boss is destroyed because of the time required.

In the case of 4 links, split into two groups: One to fight the boss and one to fight the emperor.

It is a good idea to defeat the boss when you have reduced the number of bosses by about half, and when the boss is running away, use the homing B+J to take it down.

4-2 - In front of the building: A trick to make two Emperors appear

  1. Hit the large door twice first.
  2. Guide the enemy to the front of the large door and stun it with C3.
  3. Push the stunned enemy so that it is in close contact with the large door.
  4. Defeat the enemy using a C4 and two emperors will appear.

Combo List

Basic Rules of Combo

The more hits you get, the higher the enemy gravity becomes, so if you aim for “Double 16k”, you should hit the first C4 on the 6th hit.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The idea of hitting C4 twice can sound impossible for beginners because of how it sends away…but it is possible to set up with the right character combos and the right corner. Demostrated here with a triple 16k combo / 3 C4 hits in a combo]

White

16k combo

Simplified infinite

For dealing with enemies
(BBBCC) x n
BBBBBBB>C4
B+C_B>>C4
B+J>C4
BBBBBBB>BBBBB>C4
BB>BB>BBB>C3

About White’s infinite combos
There is a technique commonly known as “cheating/fraud/ikasama”.
If you want to learn, it would be faster to watch the video. [EDITOR’S NOTE: I still have to find the video mentioned here to link it.]

First, lead the enemy to the corner, and then, in the correct position in front of the right foot, do a 6-hit 16k.
　C3>B+C_B>BBB>C4 etc.
　If you are not sure, grab him and he will surely be in the right position in front of your right foot,
　It is also effective to start a combo by grabbing and killing with BB.
(2) Against a rolling zako, do a 6-hit 16k.
　(3) Kick the enemy with a “Rise and Fall Kick” > BBB > C4 etc.
　(3) Since the enemy’s float and roll will stabilize around 12 or 13 hits, this is the first step.
(3) Start right foot forward, so get in between Zako and the left wall,
　B+C_B is only applied to the part of the follow-up attack.
　(3) B+C should hit the space in the direction of the day after tomorrow so that it does not hit the enemy.
　The follow-up punch can easily hit the enemy by simply turning around.
(4) Take one step forward and shoot C4 with your left hand while your right foot is in front of you.
　Then, since it keeps rolling steadily
　b+c_B>C4 can be applied infinitely.
　There is also a higher level technique called JLT in the derivative technique, so you should study it!

Tenshin

16k combo

Double 16k combo

earning combo

Linda

6400 point combo
C+J_C>BBB>C2>C2

Combo against boss
C3 > grab BBB > B+J > C4
　This is a special combo against bosses called "Linda Special

Combo to grab enemy
BBBCC > grab

Unstable 16k combo
This character is not a character that aims at 16k, so there is no need to stabilize it.

Spike

Enemy-dealing combo

Anti-boss Combo

24k combo

Earning combo

Strategy for Serious Beginners

Here are some techniques that can help you if you remember them.

Beginners should use “White”, which is easy to use.
Once you get used to it to a certain extent and want more firepower during boss battles, it’s a good idea to use “Tenshin”, and once you get used to those two characters, move on to “Linda,” whose throwing and maneuvering are important.
“Spike” can only be used effectively with C4 attacks, which could lead to the so-called “C4 Bopperman”, so it’s better to use him last.

For bosses, learn the moves and practice hitting them directly with C3.
Most of the boss’s moves end with a kick, so just knowing that makes a big difference.

The goals for no-continue runs are as follows:
　Die on the first stage: Serious Beginner
　Can clear the first stage: Beginner
　Beat Douglas & Nola on stage 2 consistently: Beginner +1
　Clear the sewage on stage 2: Intermediate
　Can beat the 3 fat guys on stage 2 consistently: Intermediate+1
　Can complete the basketball area in stage 2 consistently: Intermediate +2
　Clear Astromall in stage 3 : Intermediate +3
　Clear Ship Yard in stage 3: Advanced
　Clear the theater area in stage 4: Advanced +1
　Clear the game: Advanced +2
　Can go from Ship Yard to Astro Mall alone: Expert
　Can complete with all characters: Master
　Can strike in Diesel Town using White: God
　
　[EDITOR’S NOTE: The no-continue goals seem pretty consistent- I myself would be firmly in Beginner rank as I still struggle with Douglas and Nora and working upwards makes sense. I can’t tell whether the Strike Diesel Town with White = God, which another translator interprets as completing DT with White, is either a joke, or is not referring to completing the stage with the easiest character according to the guide but something different that can be done in that stage and happens to be EXTREMELY difficult with White.]

Final Editor’s Note for now

The next two sections are:
Data Sheet, which seems to have both damage values and health values along with some data about the score calculation, health per difficulty for players and so on. At the moment those you could translate with the website translator until I get around to translating that, but at least for now anything but that specific number data there is covered.

Route Paths show with IMAGES how each stage’s path splits up depending of the routes and what bosses they have. As such, while editing them to be in english would require a proper translator or rely on OCR and edit the pictures by hand…at the same time you can see with the boss pictures what stage is what and how there are only two routes to take in Astro Mall and Imperial Opera, no extra routes in Ship Yard, and only Diesel Town has four different possible routers to take.

I do have to see when I can clean up further all of what’s here, but at the very minimum, there’s a fair amount of likely untranslated or at the very minimum pretty useful information here that could be definitely useful for new Spikeout players because of its comprehensive nature from being written by an expert player. And if the editor notes weren’t indication enough, it would be nice to wrap all of this into something more elegant or at least doing a separate post that complements this without having to tack editor notes on top of what the original author wrote.

[NEXT SECTION PENDING TO TRANSLATE: ----------データシート / DATA SHEET]

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