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The Fallen City in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is unlike any other stage in the game. Throughout every section of this level, there will something doggedly pursuing you. Whether you are being chased by a vindictive robot, or a wildfire consuming everything around you, the emphasis here is quick decision-making and fast reactions.
However, just because you are being pursued throughout doesn't mean that there aren't secrets to obtain along the way. In fact, the break-neck pace makes for some particularly easy-to-miss power-ups. On top of that, you will have be contending with three boss encounters. Naturally, we will cover everything you need to know in this guide.
Fallen City Stage 1 - City Outskirts
As we alluded to in the introduction, you will be pursued throughout this stage. In the outskirts section this will take the form of a giant robot taking aim at you from the distance. So, when a reticle pops up on the screen, it would be a good idea to avoid it.
During this first section, you will be encountering Snipers and Mortar Troopers exclusively. Generally speaking, you should be rushing forward whenever possible. So, the Snipers likely won't have a chance to take a shot. You will have to deal with a little mortar fire, which will rain down from the sky in a spread shot formation. Just try to weave between the bullets the best you can while sprinting. You will likely run past these bullets before they can ever reach the ground. Momentum is key, here.
All the troops you encounter in this stage will go down from a single Dashing Attack or Dive Kick. Generally, you can maintain a little more momentum with the Dashing Attack, so use that whenever you can, and hit enemies with the Dive Kick whenever there is a larger gap in between you and them, or they are positioned above. Remember, you get quite a bit of height off of a Dive Kick, so you can also use enemies as a launch pad to clear obstacles.
There is one extra life present here. It will be located in the power-up canister you encounter during the falling platform section. The rest of the power-up cannisters contain either health or MP regenerating items. So, don't stop for them unless you are severely injured.
One more thing to tackle. You will hit two giant, mechanical walls as you progress through this stage. You need to hit the orb that is shifting up and down, while also avoiding the projectiles from the robot in the distance. There isn't much of a trick to this, though if you have the Stormshot special weapon, it is great for taking that orb out quickly.
When you hit the section with the falling platforms, try to grab the item (it is an extra life), but other than that, just sprint to the right, and you will be fine.
Fallen City Stage 1 - City Outskirts Boss
Once you reach the end of the stage you will finally get an opportunity to strike back at that robot that has been stalking you. This boss has two primary attacks. It will take two giant swipes at you, which will carry it across two thirds of the screen, or it will fire a heat-seeking missile at you. The missile will track to your location. When it lands, it will leave behind a wall of fire. Ideally, you will guide the missile to the corner of the screen. That way you won't have to deal with the fire.
The best way you attack this boss is to hit it with Dive Kicks. Don't hover directly over top of this boss, as then you will be hit by the missile when he fires it off. Instead, you want to bounce back a little bit, and then dive back in with another of your angled kicks. This method nullifies both of the boss' main attacks. However, it does sometimes perform a jump to get to the other corner, and it will probably clip you when it does one of those.
Fallen City Stage 2- City Ruins
The second part of the Fallen City is pretty similar to the first. However, instead of dodging the firepower of a giant robot, you will be dodging their limbs instead. If you stay stationary in one spot too long, a limb will break out of the nearby ceiling or floor and strike you. What complicates matters are the giant pieces of rubble blocking your path. You will need to slash your way through. The solution to this problem is simple: when you see a piece of rubble coming up, pause for a moment a couple of character lengths away from the rubble. Then, when you see the limb coming, rush forward and attack the rubble as the robot flails at nothing.
You will be facing off against a few different troops in the ruins. There is a spider-like droid and some of those red soldiers that rush forward. Just be ready to take them out with a Dash Attack whenever you see them. You are still going to be rushing forward in this stage, so, ideally, you will never even see any of their attacks.
Once again, you are going to want to skip most of the power-up canisters for the sake of time (unless you are near death, that is). However, the canister on the far right side of the stage, just after the robot limbs start coming for you, holds an extra life. That one is worth getting.
Beyond that, just keep pressing forward. You will come upon a segment of the stage where everything is collapsing. Just sprint forward, and tap the jump button to get the short hop in order to get over ledges and cross pits. There is no time for stopping!
Fallen City Stage 2- City Ruins Mid-Boss
It is time for round two with this giant robotic fiend. At first, this battle seems much tougher. It now has these giant projectiles, and it alternates between throwing them high and low. It will also shoot a tracking projectile from its mouth. However, shockingly, the clawing motion it does to create those giant half-moon projectiles will not hit you. Which means that this boss is completely destroyed by the Dive Kick (good ol' reliable Dive Kick).
The homing projectile it fires from its mouth is trickier to dodge in the air, so when it does that, you are better off going back to the ground. Otherwise, Dive Kick it to the head until it dies.
Fallen City Stage 2- Rising Inferno Section
Once you defeat the boss, everything will be set on fire. This is one of the few times in the game where a stage obstacle will kill you if it touches you, so this section is super dangerous. However, here is the path you need to take...
The canister on the right holds a health recharging item. Unless you are on death's door, it is probably better to go without.
Travel up the shaft on the left, then travel up the shaft on the right (make sure to avoid the flamethrower embedded in the platform). Once you get to the top of the shaft, don't jump to the left side, jump at the right wall instead, and hop off of it to get to the platform above.
From that platform, sprint to the edge and hop up to the highest railing (there will be another flamethrower embedded in the wall on the right, but you should be able to hop over it this way). There will be a Sniper above you. Climb the rails on the left, hop up, and Dive Kick the Sniper; as you bounce off of his broken neck, grab the rail above.
From here you just need to wall jump up the shaft, kill the Sniper above, and then hop up to the platform above. You are safe here. There is an extra life on the ledge in the left-corner.
Acquiring The Bloodlust Chip
Once you leave the room with the extra life, you will clear some rubble (and kill a few of those Charging Soldiers). There will be a shaft above you. Climb it and destroy the rubble. This will cause a piece of heavy debris to fall and crash through the floor. Jump through the hole you made, and you will be able to acquire the Bloodlust Chip!
Fallen City Stage 2 - Rising Inferno Section Boss: Flamechaser
This is another fight where we are going back to our ol' standby: the Dive Kick (all praise its glory). In his first phase, the Flamechaser does not have a single answer to this attack. The Flamechaser's low kick and flaming backhand attacks have no chance of hitting you. He does have a Shoryuken-like rising uppercut attack. However, it will miss you every time if you are directly above him.
The only other attack that the Flamechaser has will see him cling to a wall and then fire a shuriken at you. This projectile acts as a boomerang, so, it isn't smart to jump over it and then pursue him. Instead, when he is throwing it, try to bait him to throw it high, then just stay under it (you can also bait low and cling to the wall to avoid the shuriken, whichever you prefer).
Once Flamechaser loses his first health bar, he will start to use an attack where he will shoot a pillar of fire directly overhead. This is obviously bad news if you are hovering above him when he does this. However, he only performs this attack when he is in the center of the screen.
So, when you see him running to the center of the screen, return to the ground. He will be a sitting duck after using this attack, so lay into him with your Dash Attack or sword combo. The fire raining down from the sky is tricky to dodge, but it doesn't fall on the same spot twice. So, worst case scenario, you should only get hit once.
The Photondash is extremely useful for escaping the falling fireballs. So, if you have that move, make use of it here.