Streets Of Rage 4 - S RANK Stage 12 / Y Island (Hard) [Maniac & Stage Mastery Trophy / Achievement]

This is the second time I achieved the S Rank for Stage 12, Y Island on Hard difficulty. I am no expert at this game and took lots of damage in this run but if I am able to get an S Ranking I believe anyone can.

To get an S Rank on Stage 12 on Hard I believe you need a score of 35,000. Racking up large combos is the easiest way to secure a high score. The Star Bonus is only worth 500 points per star so if you really need to use your star power to get out of a tough situation it is definitely worth it! Health bonuses also add a substantial amount to your final score (I lost a life on the last boss fight because I was careless).

TIPS;

First of all, I kept my play style basic. I play mostly Adam because I like his dash ability and his damage output. Also, don't forget you become invincible for a split second at the apex of a vertical jump or during a defensive special.

Y Island (Phase 1)
You will be met with lots of low level thugs in order for you to recover a lot of lost health resulting from the plane crash of the previous level. If you don't get a perfect run here and amass one flowing combo it's worth retrying because here is an opportunity for easy points. Just watch out for the two knife wielders from the right.

Next you will face off against the punk girls and the helmet ladies. Careful when there is a destructible between you and a charging helmet lady because
when she hits the obstacle, it will slow her for a fraction of a second which means if you plan on jumping over her it will mess up the timing.

Y Island (Phase 2)
You will be met with two suits with pistols and then, a kickboxer. Dash over immediately and perform high damaging combos and specials to delete the suits ASAP. Try to group them together, if possible, by moving up and down as you approach them. This part becomes punishing if you don't put them away quickly because
the kickboxer will destroy you while the suits limit your vertical lines.

The chandelier section is the HARDEST part of this whole stage. The Z's (bald dudes with baggy yellow pants) are anti air plus they catch projectiles and can throw them at you.
The Signals slide on the floor and the Jonathans will come at you diagonally with knives. All this put together really limits your options.
Try and save the chandeliers for the Z's if possible because they should be your first priority to kill. Once they are down it becomes a lot easier. Try and protect the weapons from the enemies.

Y Island (Phase 3)
First up are the Shadows. A good combo will beat them fast but they also move very quickly and throw ninja stars three at a time. Don't stay still for too long because they will punish you.

Next is the wrecking ball and the Big Bens. This is simple, just keep fly kicking the ball and let it do all the work. Back off when you need to and pick up the large health item to the right when you're low.

The last section will see you fighting Ms Y for the first time. She is very easy to beat because she telegraphs her moves. Careful when she flashes red because she will grab you. When she has lost about half health she will then add an extra move where her sword sparks with electricity and she dashes across the room. This is easy to dodge because she moves from corner to corner like an X. After taking some damage she will always have iframes and jump away.

Y Island (Phase 4: Final Boss)
A lot easier than I expected. You will fight against Mr and Ms Y. Ms Y is essentially the same as the last encounter but Mr Y complicates things. They will keep you busy if you don't act quickly. I try to close the distance as quickly as possible by dashing and taking out Mr Y with combos. He will go into his second phase after losing about 1/3 of his health and this is more manageable. In most attempts, I don't have any trouble with this fight but in this run I wasn't paying enough attention to Mr Y in his machine and lost a life.

The strategy is to force Mr Y into his machine and then soley focus on Ms Y on the bottom of the screen within the middle third to avoid the reach of the machine.
Again, Mr Y's moves are telegraphed and performed in a predictable pattern but I got careless and was trying to damage both enemies simulaneously instead of focusing on one at a time. Take out Ms Y in the same manner as the last encounter. Once she is down, pick a side (left or right) and hammer away at one of the arms. Keep watching for his attacks because he will become more aggressive. He will also attack one side at a time which gives you a change to lay down some damage. Patience is key in this part (if I had some I would have scored better!)

If you entered the last fight with around 20,000 points and all lives in tact, there is a good chance you will get the S Rank on Hard. The main objective is to get lots of points at the early stages with long combos and then purely just survive the rest of the level without losing lives.

Happy gaming.
Dizza.



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