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So you made it through the first challenges of Islets and acquired your very own ship that flies through the air! How does the game reward you? By swiftly serving up a whole new boss fight to take on - some devious rats who cower inside their ship - this is the Sky Pirate fight.

RELATED: Must Play Bullet Hells

Airship battles in Islets play rather differently from normal fights on the ground - they're more like bullet hell sections that put your ability to dodge and weave through waves of projectiles to the absolute limit. And in this battle? You have nothing to do but dodge and pray.

Sky Pirate's Attacks

Islets Sky Pirate Fish Projectiles

You'll notice quite early on that you don't have a weapon - unluckily for you, Sky Pirate does.

Attack

Description

How To Avoid

Bombs

The Sky Pirate shoots four large bombs, aiming from top to bottom on the other side of the screen. When they hit a wall, the bombs explode into fish-shaped projectiles that need to be dodged.

If you stay relatively close to the center of the screen, you'll have the most time to watch for the fish projectiles. You should start heading towards the top of the screen once the third bomb comes out to have even more time to dodge.

Fish Waves

The Sky Pirate summons spiraling waves of fish projectiles. The waves spread out as they grow larger.

You get quite a lot of warning once this attack starts - head to the opposite side of the screen and weave in and out of the projectiles. The dodging windows get a bit tighter as the attack goes on, so don't get complacent.

Fish Mines

The Sky Pirate fires three slowly-moving mines that periodically shoot fish out at random angles. When they hit a wall, they explode, shooting more fish.

This attack looks like the Bombs attack, but is more erratic. When it starts, try to get a bit closer to the Sky Pirate - the projectile explosions that occur when the mines hit the wall are quite random and can be very difficult to dodge.

Seashell Shot

The Sky Pirate summons a circle of seashell projectiles around it before firing them all at you.

When you notice this attack, wait a second. Only move when the seashells are fired, and move either upwards or downwards to avoid the barrages easily.

Boomerang Shot

The Sky Pirate shoots a very large boomerang-shaped projectile at you. It will fly back at the Sky Pirate.

This is easy to dodge, just stay away from the Sky Pirate's mouth at all times. When the boomerang flies back at the Sky Pirate it'll take damage - this is the only way to beat this boss.

How To Beat The Sky Pirates

Islets Sky Pirate Dialogue

You'll notice that one of Sky Pirate's attacks - Boomerang Shot as we've called it - will actually backfire and damage the boss. As you have no weapon on your ship, waiting for this attack to come out is the only way to beat the boss.

Your hitbox is not the entire ship! The only part of the ship that you have to protect from harm is the circle of red lines.

You'll need to survive the Sky Pirate's attacks long enough for it to use Boomerage Shot four times in total. When the fourth one comes out, you know you've won. This can be easier said than done if you're not used to the style of bullet hell that this boss emulates.

Practice your dodging and don't feel too pressured to get the fight learned perfectly - if you die, you don't respawn too far away.

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