Hey everyone -- so I've been playing Hammerfest for a few weeks now, and while I've definitely been getting better (getting up to level 2 on the pyramid in just two weeks!), I feel like I'm no longer improving as fast as I used to be. The highest level I've gotten to is 70, and most games I run out of lives around level 65. Likewise, I can't seem to score much more than a million points. What could I improve?
I find that, as hard as I try, I can't avoid losing a few lives on early levels due to stupid mistakes, and once I get to the 60s I start losing them left and right. Should I be focusing more on collecting CRISTALs? (I usually average three or four a game before I die.) Or should I be playing more conservatively to avoid dying? Do I need to complete more quests?
And, for those of you who consider yourselves experts: What percentage of the levels between 1 and 40 would you say you can get big crystals on? I have strategies for most 4-enemy levels, but up until this point I've given up on trying to do levels with five or more. Any thoughts?
The strategy is pretty different depending whether you want to maximize your points or go as far as possible.
If the points are your goal, then focus on getting the big crystal on EVERY level. Yes, I said every level. Of course, it's impossible to get it every time, but if you at least try to kill the first one or two enemies in sequence you are improving your odds of getting it in the end. You shouldn't be intimidated by the levels with many enemies because they are often easier to solve in order then it initially seems and the payoff can be spectacular (for example, getting the crystal in level 36 looks ridicilously hard yet it's far easier then getting it in let's say level 9). Use the enemy-in-front trick when the enemies start to jumble together. I also find that getting C-R-I-S-T-A-L letters in order is a great score boost - I usually manage to do it at least once during the game, more commonly two times - but needs a bit more patience and skill.
If you want to improve your lowest level, then it's a whole different ball game. Forget the big crystals, forget points, just kill the enemies in the quickest and safest way possible. In early levels try to chain-kill as much as possible and in the to unlock as many different letters as you can in the next level, then take your time to collect them all. Grab the bonus items only if you're 100% sure they will be helpful and you can reach them safely and ignore the point items (which can be really hard to do, especially if an long-awaited quest item suddenly shows up). After levels 40+ do not plunge headlong in the next level but rather first look at its screenshot on astham's site and plan your strategy, this is invaluable if you want to avoid stupid deaths or grab the nice power-up bomb.
As for the quests, I am really irritated about the fact that the only useful ones after "Igor and Cortex" and "Armageddon" are the ones opened by the incredibly elusive Book of stars. The rest of them are more or less just fluff.
I dont know if you have been doing this but the 90.000 point crystals on 54 and 56 are relatively easy. for 54, just jump out of the way of the first two bombinos, then get back to the middle. all of them will fall down and then place a bomb in the middle. it will kill all of them at once. between the little and big crystals you can get 130.000 points.
for level 56, go straight down to the bottom part, kill only the first apricot-thing, and track where the two little ones fall. the get the second big apricot. try to get the first two little apricots with the same bomb and then the last two with the same bomb. takes some practice, but now i can get it most every time.
Wow, these tips are fantastic -- thanks so much, guys! I had definitely guessed that there was a trade -off involved in going for big crystals / CRISTAL letters, but this really spells it out for me. I've always been developing new strategies for killing them in order, but this gives me some new approaches -- and no, I had no idea that 54 would be an easy big-crystal level! Am I right in my assumption that a single bomb that kills multiple enemies more or less simultaneously (i.e., a bombino explosion or a blue bomb on the lowest level) will <b>always</b> be valid for getting a big crystal?
Also, as for which strategy I adopt, I think I'll work on getting to the lowest level for now, so as to maximize my chances of finding quest items and, y'know, see what more there is to see of the game. Thanks!
Any time you kill enemies simultaneously it is assumed they are killed in big crystal order. That's why the blue bombs are so neat...
thanks for the advice - never got about 130.000 points so fast (level 54) made my million!!!!
