Galerians:  Ash Walkthrough
Copyright Nojo Jojo (N. Jemison)
Posted 2/16/03
Version 1 (possibly the only)
NOTES:
I.    This is my first walkthrough.  The only reason I'm writing it is because a)
this game's so damn hard, b) I'm snowed-in and bored, and c) there aren't many
other G:A walkthroughs out there.  Therefore it's going to be very bare-bones,
and I'm not going to follow the traditional FAQ format (e.g., description of
characters, explanation of the controls) because I'm also going to assume that
anyone who's reading this guide has purchased the game and therefore has a copy
of the instruction manual.  Anybody who's renting and didn't get the manual...
well, tough.  A true Galerians fan would buy!  ::strikes cheesy pose::  Anyway,
I'm rambling.
II.    I ramble a lot.  Get used to it.
III.    I'm female.  I'm a big fan of manga/anime/doujinshi, particularly shoujo
and yaoi, so don't be surprised if I occasionally make comments about how this
character or that is a hottie.  Got a problem with it?  I've got six words for
you:  "Dead or Alive X-treme Beach Volleyball".  If the female gamers of the
world have to put up with that, the male gamers of the world can put up with me
making the occasional comment about Rion's navel.  Whoops, rambling again.
IV.    This guide is based on the "Normal" version of the game, and the
English-language edition.  I'm using the default control pad configuration.
On with the show.
****************
GETTING STARTED
Turn on your PS2.  =P  Watch the opening animation and admire the pictures of
psychotic bishounen (pretty boys, in Japanese).  Well, except for Spider.  Skip
to the startup screen and start a new game.  Remember, this guide is for the
"Normal" version.
Some overall gameplay tips to remember:
-When you kill enemies in this game, you get one of two things:  additional
drugs, or upgrades for your stats.  Use the R2 button to "lock on" to enemies
to get slightly higher upgrades (20 points instead of 12, for example).  These
add up over time.
-Push the right joystick down (as if pushing a button) to see your HP, AP, and
currently-equipped drug meters in numbers.
-Hit your enemies up close from behind or while they're down to do more damage.
Yes, it's a bit dishonorable, but there's a billion of them and only one of
you.
-D-Felon is almost useless in its Level 1 form, but at Levels 2 and 3 it's very
effective against large groups of enemies.
-Parano is the hardest boss in the game.  Save up recovery items to fight him,
both times.
-To save Recovery items and Delmetors, use the swirly blue light in the Hyper
Sleep Chamber.  It's worth it to make extra trips to the chamber to refresh
yourself (rather than using items), because you'll really need those items
during boss fights.
-You *can* get through this game without killing most enemies, but you
shouldn't.  You need the upgrades and items.  Enemies will regenerate for a
time while you kill them, but eventually they'll go away and the room will stay
"clear" until you leave the building/world.
****************
INTRODUCTION
Lilia narrates a recap of the events from the last Galerians.  While watching
the recap, I realized that several key questions from the first game have never
been answered:
-Why didn't Dr. Steiner pull the plug on Dorothy as soon as he made the virus?
Why go through all the rigamarole of operating on Rion and Lilia?
-Why are all the Galerians crazy? (Except Rion.)
-Why is Cain into leather?  =P
After the recap, Rion and Lilia stand in the Family Program Room.  Isn't it
interesting that Rion's voice has broken, even though he still looks like the
14-year-old boy from the last game?  (THIS IS probably A CLUE.)  Explore the
room and find:
a) Cain's body.  On it is a Rion/Cain-type Galerian file.  If you go to the
Menu screen and check in "File", you'll find an explanation of some of the
basic game concepts.
b) A teleporter, which does not work.
c) Large capsules stationed around the room have labels describing the type of
Galerian who used to be in them.  The one with "____" where a name should read
is, of course, the capsule that once held Rion.  Interestingly, for those who
remember the first game, you can't call up images of the capsules' former
inhabitants anymore.
d) As you approach each capsule, items will appear in the air.  Take them;
you'll need them.
Go through the door that looks like it has Duracell batteries around it.  Go up
the steps and you'll enter the Dome Area.  After the cut scene, run around the
room.  Enemy critters (Rabbits) will appear; fight them if you want (you don't
have to, but you'll get useful items and powerups if you do).  Red works better
against them than Nalcon.
There are four doors in here, each with different-colored lights around them:
red, bluish-white, white, and green.  Only the red-lighted door is usable, but
if Rion approaches any of the others he'll get items (note that items are not
visible in this game until you get right up on them, so you have to explore
everywhere).  If he tries to go through the other doors, he'll be stopped by a
mysterious power.
Note that Lilia crouches uselessly nearby while you fight.  She's such a wuss.
You'll be in a strange-looking room.  To the right (as you come in the door) is
a machine that allows you to change the configuration of Mushroom Tower
(remember this from the first game?).  Fortunately, you don't have to use it
because the configuration is fine.  To the left is a Save Point and the
elevator's drive unit (which does nothing).  Run around a bit and find the
items in the room before proceding toward the center door.  When you approach
this door a quick cut scene will occur and enemies will come out to kill you
(those yellow robot-things).  Fight them.
-Tips on fighting the yellow robots:
a)  They have square "shields" which protect them against Nalcon single blasts.
The blasts will rebound and hit Rion.  Try to avoid the shields.
b) Hit them up close for *much* more damage.  Even better, hit them while
they're down, or from behind.  Yeah, it's cowardly, but hey---they've got guns,
and you've got what?  A drug-soaked brain.  Trust me, it's fair.
c) Watch out for their lasers.  They'll target you with a red sight-line before
they fire.  Wait until they're firing to attack them.
Once the yellow guys are dead, another cut scene will occur.  Go through the
doors (be sure to grab the Recovery Pill to the right of the door!) and up the
elevator to the Last Galerian R&D Area.
Another cut scene will occur, and then more enemies will attack (the Rabbits).
Kill them and explore the room.  You'll see machines and a face set into the
wall; neither of them is necessary for anything (yet).  There's a pink light in
the center of the floor.  Run to it and stand on top of it.  Whoops!  Slippery
little thing, it moved.  Chase it and stand on top of it again.  You'll have to
do this about eight times.  If you don't get to the pink light fast enough,
it'll move back to the center of the room and you'll have to start over again.
Use Rion's "roll" move if you're not able to run fast enough.
Once you've caught the pink light, run back to the machine on one end of the
room and unlock the Bridge that leads to Dorothy's chamber.  Brief cut-scene.
Head through the doors that lead to the bridge.
Out on the bridge, ugly critters will attack you.  I'm not sure what they're
called, but they're the froglike creatures that spit poisonous vomit from the
first game.  I'll call them Vomit Frogs.  Like the Rabbits, they're more
susceptible to Red than Nalcon.  This is good, because you're going to need all
your Nalcon soon.
Cross the bridge and there will be a Save Point before the doors at the other
end.  I'd recommend you use it.
************
BOSS BATTLE:  DOROTHY
Another cut scene and then guess who you get to meet again?  That's right, this
is the boss battle from the first game all over again.  It's a little different
this time---the goal isn't to hit the wiggly eyeballs, but Dorothy herself.
Nalcon is the only effective weapon against her.  Be wary of her attacks, which
take several forms:
-Lightning.  You can't do diddly against this.  Her hands will glow white
before the lightning strikes.  Run back along the bridge and get out of the
way; she'll only hit within the platform right in front of her, not along the
bridge.
-Flame.  You can shield against this, but only if you're facing her, and the
shield raises your AP pretty fast.  Her flame has too much range for you to
easily outrun, however, so shielding against it may be your only option.
Dorothy will inhale and you'll see flame near her mouth before she breathes
fire.
-Eyeballs.  (Really, who throws an *eye*?)  She'll summon them up, but they
won't attack immediately.  You may have to kill the center one in order to get
a clear shot at Dorothy.  When the eyeballs do come at you, they'll come one
right after the other.  The shield is very effective against them.
-Lasers.  You can shield against them, but they'll still hurt you.  Lots.
Better to avoid (although they will sometimes come down the bridge too).
You'll hear Dorothy's power cycling up before she hits with this.
The basic strategy is simple:  avoid the obstacles.  In between her attacks,
charge up Nalcon and hit her (aim for her belly).  She'll "flash" when you hit
successfully.  It takes a total of about 30 hits (5 or 6 charged Nalcon
attacks) to trigger her "demise."
Why is demise in quotation marks?  Because...
*************
BACK TO THE INTRODUCTION
Huh?  Deja vu?  You better believe it.  Playing through this section works
almost exactly the way it did before.  There are some *slight*
differences---you don't have to fight the yellow guys or the Rabbits
again---but that's because this time you have to face Spider.
************
BOSS BATTLE:  SPIDER
Cut scene.  Yap yap yap.  For crazy people, these Galerians sure talk a lot.
But Spider has cool music.
Spider's pretty easy.  Things to avoid:
-Crawling spiders (black and green).  Hard to see, these little parasites will
latch onto you and bite you until you Nalcon them off (if you can past the
instinct to freak; I hatehatehatehateHATE spiders!!). They're a little hard to
see, but otherwise easy to Nalk before they get to you.
-Falling flaming spiders.  Just don't hold still, and they won't hit you.
-Webs.  Going through the strands won't hurt you, but note that sometimes the
black and green spiders sit in the centers of the webs.  Kill the spider and
the web burns away.  (You don't need to do that, but I found it strangely
satisfying.)
Basic strategy for Spider:  He'll spend a lot of time on the ceiling, but
periodically come down to taunt you.  Nalk him or Red him, your choice (but
Nalcon works better).  Don't let him get close to you, or he'll jump on you and
do a head-butt, then laugh at you.  Little punk...
Once he's dead, you'll get a Skip.  Use it now or later, on whichever upgrade
you want.  Personally I chose to upgrade my shield first, but it's up to you.
After this, it's same as before---proceed across the Bridge, kill Dorothy,
yatta yatta yatta.  But then...
**********
RION'S NEKKID!
Which would be nice if he weren't so skinny, but anyway.
Enjoy the Matrix-ripoff elements, and the fact that Rion has now aged
physically.  He's gotten a new collar, and his bellybutton shows, which is
nice... but... but... those pants.  Red leather pants?!  *That's* the best
wardrobe Lilia could find for a guy who's got to go save the world?!  What's
wrong with her?  I thought she was supposed to be smart!
Once Rion gets dressed in the idiotic outfit Lilia gives him, you can start
exploring the Airport Facility.  There are items in the Hyper Sleep room, as
well as in the Control Room downstairs (after Major Romero gives his macho
spiel).  Then...
**********
PARANO ATTACKS
(Parano?  Other Galerians get a cool, descriptive name.  Nitro, Rainman,
Spider, etc.  The rest get normal names like Rita and Cain.  What the hell is
"parano"?  Bad translation of "pirhana"?)
Anyhow, you can now begin exploring the facility.  Despite the fact that the
facility is under attack, everyone acts pretty casual.  You'll see the soldiers
standing around chatting while you explore.  Talk to them if you like.  Only a
few will have anything interesting to say.
-One of the soldiers standing outside Sick Bay will mention that the key to the
Emergency Generator has been misplaced.  He was sure they had it when they
barricaded the door to the West-side underpass... (THIS IS A CLUE.)
Some areas of note:
------
3rd Floor:
-SICK BAY (has a red cross on the door).  Nobody in here has anything important
to say, but there's a Delmetor in here.
-TACTICAL OPERATIONS ROOM (very near the stair that leads up to the 4th floor).
There's a "Counter-Galerian Manual" sitting on one of the countertops, a Save
Point, and a Recovery Pill (near the Save Point).
-LABORATORY NO. 1 (turn left coming out of Tactical and go straight down the
hall.  It's on the right.).  Lilia is here.  She'll give you a new Beeject,
which you'll need for new PPECs that she's developing (she'll give you a file
telling you about these).  She'll also give you the map device which is
connected to Elaine, the supercomputer for the facility.  She'll tell you to go
to the General Office to access the Hangar where the Galerian is.
(...Y'know, maybe it's just me, but... isn't it kind of dangerous to have
another super-advanced AI computer in charge of the facility, when the enemy is
an even more advanced computer?  Kind of like using a 98-pound weakling to
guard something, when the enemy is WWE's The Rock...)
Anyway.  The stairwell to the second floor is the only door that stands open.
------
2nd Floor:
-EMERGENCY GENERATOR ROOM (now that you've got the map, it's easy to find).
Nothing useful here... yet.
-SAVE POINT.
-WAREHOUSE NO. 2:  Not much in here, except... a cable?  But you can't take it
yet.  Some items are in here, too.
-ARMORY:  Some items here, and a door that leads down to the first floor.  You
can't use it yet, though.
Go through the doors in the approximate center of the floor to reach the first
floor.
------
1st Floor:
Note that the little meter under the map has a tiny purple section.  That's
your radioactivity meter.  It lets you know there's a "Galerian reaction"
nearby, which I assume means that friends of Ash the Nuclear Bishounen have
come to visit.  More things to note:
-FLIGHT CONTROL OFFICE:  Not much in here yet.  Ignore for now.
-DOOR LEADING TO HANGAR NO. 3:  Near the end of the west-side long corridor is
a boarded-up door, as the soldier mentioned earlier.  If you check the boxes
here, there's a key... but you can't get it yet.
-SYSTEM R&D CENTER:  There are several items of note here that you can't use
yet.  One is the backup computer (shouldn't computers be smaller in the
future...?).  One is a device to operate the backup computer.
-GENERAL OFFICE:  Pay dirt!  Here you'll find an item, and also a stairwell
leading down into the basement level, as Lilia told you.  Take the stairs down
to...
-----
Basement Level:
-WEST-SIDE UNDERPASS:  is a fancy name for "hallway."  Go through the doors and
you'll encounter a cut scene and meet another character (Cas).  You'll get to
see Rion's psychic powers in FMV action, after which he says something
incredibly arrogant ("Mere mortals"?!) which perhaps suggests he's starting to
resent working for people who despise him.
Down here you'll find a save point and some items.  I'd recommend saving,
because even though the zombie soldiers you're about to encounter (after a cut
scene) are easy to handle, the guy who's coming up is not.
**********
BOSS FIGHT:  PARANO
This fight took me like a billion tries.  Here's my strategy:
You'll start off, after the cut scene, in the center of a room.  Near you are
two robots; behind you are two more---one in each corner.  The solitary ones
are the easiest to pick off, so go get 'em.  Remember, standing close and
whacking 'em with Nalcon is the best way to kill them quickly.
As you off the third robot, however, Parano will appear and start to attack.
Try to kill the fourth robot anyway, or it'll make your job harder.
Parano has only a few basic attacks, but they're whoppers:
-Bad voice acting and dialogue.  You can ignore this, with an effort.
-Bad teeth.  You'd think Dorothy could afford braces...  I dunno, maybe they're
a body-art thing.
-Lightning slashes:  If he gets close to you, he'll come at you like a ninja,
basically chopping you to electrified shreds in short order.  Bottom line:
don't let him get close.
-Lightning strike:  He stands still, crosses his swordish things, and calls
lighting down on you.  The lightning hits in three quick stages--- two little
"feelers" that don't hurt and then the actual strike, that does (even if you're
shielded).  I don't know if this can be dodged, because it's also your best
opportunity to hit this fast little bastard.  As soon as he starts summoning
lightning, charge up and flame him (this is easiest to do if you're locked onto
him).  He'll stop in mid-summon and the lightning won't hit you (though the
feelers might, but they're harmless).  Hitting him with Red this way nets about
200 - 250 HP at a strike.  He has about 2500 total.
-Lightning twirl:  Once you get Parano's HP down low, he'll start flying at you
in a spinning maneuver.  Switch to Nalcon and hit R2 to lock onto him.  Shields
work against the twirl, but it might be easier just to dodge using Rion's roll,
or simply step aside.  He twirls in a sort of circle or arc, so you can avoid
it pretty easily.  Start charging Nalcon when he begins the third spin, because
he stops after that.  Let it loose when he stops.  Do this 10 times (faster if
you catch him when he's either just finishing the twirl, or when he's near you
in some other way) and he's toast.
He drops a Skip as he leaves.
**********
THE FACILITY IS UNDER ATTACK!
Save if you like, either in the Underpass or on the 2nd or 3rd floor, but then
go all the way back up to the 4th floor.  (Rion gets his exercise in this game.
Good thing, too, 'cos he could use a little muscle.)
After Romero bitches and Cas congratulates you, the Galerians will attack at
multiple points.  Before you go down to greet them, head to the Hyper Sleep
chamber and use that glowing blue swirly thing to restore your HP and clear
your AP.  Then head down to the first floor.  Explore anything you like along
the way; nothing will have changed except the fact that access is a little more
difficult.  You can now get down to the first floor in one of two ways:
-Through the Armory (2nd floor).  The door that was closed before is open now,
and you can go down to the General Office from this door.
-Through the central doors (which you used to get to the first floor before).
Go through these and you'll end up in the Lobby.
Either way you'll come out surrounded by enemies.  For the sake of an accurate
walkthrough, let's say you take the stair through the Armory.
In the General Office, you'll see a cut-scene, then have to fight some zombie
soldiers.  Cas will tell you to come back with her as they leave the Office.
Silly as it sounds, go *back* up to the 4th Floor.
Talk to Cas and Romero, who tell you that because the Airport Terminal facility
can't be defended forever, they need to strike at the Uranium Plant where Ash
is.  Romero scoffs at the idea.  If you head down to Lilia's office to talk to
her, she'll tell you that it's possible to reach the Uranium Plant.  Cas will
confirm this and warn that you'll have to fight your way there. Lilia will
unlock a door for you (it will be in the northeast section of the map) that
leads down to Laboratory 2.
Before you leave the Lab, talk to the technician up on the platform near the
"new PPEC" machine.  He's finished one of them and will give it to you:
Bustanor.
In Lab 2, you'll find some items, and another door leading down to Warehouse 1.
In Warehouse 1, you'll find some items, and a locked door which leads to the
hangar.  The door can't be opened until you turn on the power, however.
Inspect the door, the panel beside it, and the power station next to it (you
have to do this), then head out via the shuttered door at the other end of the
Warehouse, which you can now unlock using the switch beside it.
Go out into the main lobby, which is full of yellow robot-things.  Remember
that key you found in the West long corridor, sitting on some crates?  Well,
the crates are now guarded by yellow robots, but you need that key.  Time to
try your new PPEC, don't you think?  (Or Nalcon, if you want to save your
Bustanor.)
Once you've got the key, head to the Emergency Generator room on the 2nd Floor.
The central stairway is closed, so you can go through Warehouse 1 to get back
there.  Careful!  There's zombies in there now.  Take the stairs up to Lab 2,
then up to the 3rd Floor, then go to the stairs that lead down to the 2nd floor
from here.  The Emergency Generator room is to the right.
In the E.G. room, use the key to activate the generator.  When it starts, you
might notice a panel near the generator controls, which seems to be sparking...
Looks like you need that cable from Warehouse 2.
Get the cable, bring it back.  In a gratuitous waste of time, you'll have to
shut the generator off, install the cable, and then turn it back on again.
Fortunately this doesn't take long.  Now head to the central stairwell for this
floor.  The soldier will let you through, with some bitching.
On the first floor in the main lobby, run to the entrance for Warehouse 1.  Go
in, kill the zombies again, then operate the shutters for the door.
This leads into the East Side Underpass.  As you run down the corridor from the
door, you'll see a door to your right---ignore it for now.  You need a key to
open it.  To your left will be zombies.  Beyond them is a Save point, and a
turn which leads to another door.  Kill the zombies or not, save or not, but
head for that other door.  This leads to Hangar 2, where the Air Beagle (plane)
sits waiting for you to board.  Once on the Air Beagle, you'll meet the
thoroughly annoying Pat, then fly to the Uranium Plant.
(I think it's interesting that Rion seems to be growing more and more alienated
from the humans.  By the end of the first game, he was barely able to
acknowledge that he was a Galerian.  Now he not only accepts it, but he seems
to look down a bit on the ordinary humans.  Not that I blame him, given the way
most of them treat him.  Anyway, I'm rambling.)
**********
URANIUM PLANT
(Note:  With all this stress, it shouldn't be surprising that Rion's AP meter
has started to creep up spontaneously, even when he's not using his powers
actively.  It's not as bad as in the first Galerians, but it does mean you'll
need to be more conservative with your Delmetor from here on.)
As soon as you step off the Beagle, watch out!  There will be two great big
WTFs (What Tha F---?!) there who will try their best to make paste out of you.
Each has something like 2000 HP.  I found it helpful to just use shields to
make myself short, kill them, then Delmetor myself, but your mileage may vary.
Take the only functional door (there's a Save Point near it) which is an
elevator, down to the Security Floor.
It should be obvious that the doors guarded by fire are the ones that actually
lead to something.  Using the compass on the map, the doors consist of...
-North Door:  Leads to General Sick Bay.  Lots of Rabbits will attack you here.
D-Felon them to death.  Not much else is here, except... notice the sickbed
that has a sort of reddish light over it?  Inspect it, and get a Blank Key
Card.
There are two other doors here.  One leads to Enriched Uranium Storage; you
can't go in without special protective clothing.  The other is the Saturn Door
(see below).
-West Door:  Unguarded because it's useless.  Can't be opened from this side.
-East Door:  The Mars Door.  You can't do anything with this until you have the
Mars Keycard.
-South Door:  Leads to the Control Office.  You'll be attacked by some big... I
dunno what the hell they are, but they're ugly.  (Ash sure has a thing for
*big* monsters.  Size really matters to him.  Maybe he's trying to
overcompensate for something...?)  Avoid their water-blasts and use Red on
them.  Don't get too close or they'll spike you with their tails.  Three hits
each (two if Red is Level 2) should do it.  They'll regenerate a few times and
then finally leave you alone.  Other useful things in this room include a Save
Point, and (up on one of the platforms) a Solar System Memo, which gives you a
clue to the puzzle of the planetary doors.  The Jupiter door is here, along
with a door to the Control Computer Room.
Assuming you went through the North Door first and got the Blank Key Card, now
proceed through the South Door, to the Control Computer Room.  WARNING:  The
room will be empty at first, but then when you inspect the main computer Ash
will talk to you.  As soon as he shuts up, a regenerating succession of Big
Whatchamacallits will attack you here, and they're *tough.*  I found it most
helpful to just induce a short (using Apollinar or shielding until you short),
spend a while in that state so that I killed the Whatchamacallits as they
regenerated, and only use Delmetor when they stopped regenerating.  You don't
have to do this---they're fairly slow so it's just as easy to move around them
and do your business.  It's good to kill them, though, because if you do, you
get a Skip.  Kill them all once and they won't bother you again.
Note that the Earth door is in here.
In the Control Computer Room is a passcode device, which you can use to input
the passcode for each of the planetary doors on the Blank Key Card.  Insert the
Blank Key Card, and then jiggle the letters to get various words---the names of
the planets in Latin.  The number of letters will tell you  which code to try
for.  Use the Solar System Memo (last page) to give you a clue if you don't
want to use spoilers (and skip down to the Boss section if you want to figure
it out for yourself).
The first one is "Saturnus", for the Saturn door.  After getting the card
coded, proceed back to the Security Floor and through the North Door.  In the
General Sick Bay, go to the Saturn door and use the key on the panel at its
side.  This leads to the Reprocessing Facility, where dozens of little
bubble-spitting, laser-shooting munchkinlike creatures will attack you.
D-Felon works well against them as long as you get them all---leave one out and
it'll shoot you from behind before you can drop the others.  Fortunately, I
shorted at this point, and just spent a while exploding the little bastards.
That was fun.
In here is another passcode device.  Insert the Saturnus card and re-code it
with "Jupiter" (there will be a space before or after it).
Head now back to the Security Floor, and through the South Door.  The Jupiter
Door is in the Control Office.  Insert the passkey and head into the Refining
Line Area.
Amazingly, nothing attacks you here... at first.  As you explore, however,
Spider will menace you with... Leo, his pet spider?  Well, also with some
black-and-green spiders, but those are easy to kill.  After this, Spider will
go away.
There's a Save Point and another passcode device in here.  This time the code
is "Mars."
Head back up to the Security Floor and proceed to the Mars (East) door.  This
door leads to the System Control Room.  More of the Big Bubble-Spitters are
here; fry them.  The Venus door is here as well, along with another door that
leads to Enriched Uranium Storage (the door you couldn't get through, in Sick
Bay).  And look who's here!  It's our old friends, the Big Whatchamacallits.
You *have* to fight them this time.  Bustanor is helpful, or shorting.
There's another passcode device here.  This time the code is "Tellus"---Latin
for "Earth".  (Who says you can't learn anything from video games?)
Now you can unlock the door to General Sick Bay.  Using either this route or
the one you came in by, return to the Security Floor and go through the South
Door, then the Control Office, then the Computer Control Room.  The Earth door
is in here, so use the Tellus card to open it.
Beyond is the Management Office, and a bunch of Rabbits.  D-Felon them, and
then use the passcode device in here to code your card "Venus".  You can also
unlock the door that leads to the West Door of the Security Floor, and go
through it to get back there.
Head back through the East/Mars Door down to the System Control Room, where the
Venus Door is.  Use the card to open the door.  Take the lift down---but get
ready, because another of those big creatures that attacked you near the Air
Beagle will come at you now, and you have to kill it.  I'd recommend Bustanor.
Fortunately, you'll get a Skip when it's all over, and then the lift will stop.
Wander a bit before you go through the big door in front of you, and you'll
find Recovery Capsules and Pills, as well as a Save Point.
Hmm... smells like a boss battle a-brewin'.
Go into the Waste Uranium Chamber.  You'll get blasted with some kind of gas in
the entryway, and for a moment Rion will seem to black out, but it passes.  A
scare tactic on Ash's part?  But whoa, that radiation meter is going off the
chart---maybe that should scare you more.
Beyond the multiple doors is a vast chamber full of what else?  Waste uranium.
Notice the sun-spot at the center of the chamber.  Go up the steps to the
platform, and run around it collecting items and activating the three Energy
Control units.  When they're active, they'll send out a beam of energy to
activate the sun-spot at the center of the room.  Run to the spot and get ready
for...
**********
BOSS BATTLE:  ASH
After a cut scene (watching Ash eat that stuff just sent a shiver down my
spine), the battle begins.  Keep in mind that Ash is a walking nuclear reactor;
he'll start by sending out little beams of white light that don't do much
damage (although sometimes they'll chain-hit you and you won't have time to
recover in between), but DON'T GET TOO CLOSE TO HIM!  Stay as close to the
edges of the room as you can, because when Ash stops sending out the little
beams, he's about to go critical.
The strategy here is simple:  try to survive.  You can't kill Ash at this
point, but you have to hurt him to stop him from hurting you.  =P  Bustanor is
best, because it allows you to strike from a relative distance.  If you don't
have that (or if you want to save it), Nalcon works too (though not as well,
and you have to get closer to use it).  Shield yourself against the little
white beams.  Your best chance to hit him is a slight pause before and after he
sends out the white beams.  Hit him once, then shield while he sends out the
white beams, then hit him one more time, then run.
Once you've done enough damage, there will be another cut scene.  The yaoi fan
in me was delighted by this scene until I remembered that Ash JUST ATE URANIUM.
Yuck---wonder what *his* breath tastes like.
Afterward, Rion will wake up in the entry chamber again, wondering what just
hit him.  He'll also wonder how he ended up there---did Ash drag him out of the
chamber, thus saving his life instead of killing him?  Weird...
You can't go back into the Waste Chamber at this point; there's too much
radioactivity.  Might as well go back out to the lift.
*********
BACK TO BASE
As if it's not bad enough that your character is probably running around with
Ash's silver lipstick smeared on, now you've got to fight monsters again, even
in the rooms you've cleared.  There's really nothing else to do in the Uranium
Plant, so you can either screw around and kill things or head back up to the
surface to the Air Beagle, and return to the Airport Terminal.
There'll be a brief cut scene in which we see how the other Galerians react to
Ash's decision not to kill Rion.  Maybe this is why Ash didn't kill him---given
the personalities of the henchpeople he's got to put up with, Rion would be a
good replacement for any of 'em.
But while you were gone, the defense of the base hasn't gone well.  The place
has been overrun with Rabbits and other critters.  Pat will warn you that the
enemy has penetrated through the 2nd Floor, and Rion will respond that he's
heading for the 3rd Floor.  So hop to it!
But be careful, because every floor and room now contains various enemies.
Once you reach the first floor, you'll be in Warehouse 1 again.  Use D-Felon
(level 2) to kill the super-Rabbits here.  Both doors are locked, but one of
them has a manual control to the right.  Try to use it and you'll trigger a
brief cut scene during which Pat will open the door for you.  You can then
proceed to the second floor by whatever means you want.
If you go straight to the door that leads up to the 3rd floor, however, you'll
find it shuttered, and the humans won't let you in.  They can hear the enemies
moving around down there and they think you're one of them, so you're going to
have to kill off some of the enemies on the 2nd floor before they'll let you
in.  Go back and check the door after you've done so.  You may have to check
the door 2 or 3 times, but eventually Cas will hear you and let you in.  The
humans are appropriately glad to see you ("Wow, I never thought you'd make it
back..."), except Major Romero, as usual.  One of the soldiers tells you that
Lilia is in Lab 1, so that's where you should go.
Rion tells Lilia that he wants to access the Family Program again, which means
he wants her to send him back into the data world.  She'll leave and head up to
the Hyper Sleep Chamber.  Join her there whenever you like, and she'll then
send you back into the place you escaped from at the beginning of the
game---the electronic simulation of the Mushroom Tower.  (Why is it that
everything Rion does seems to hurt like hell?  Poor kid...)
**********
MUSHROOM TOWER PT. 2
When you get there, you'll see that Ash has already begun transferring
Dorothy's backup out of the data world and into the real world.  Not good.  The
ultimate goal of this section is to find out more information about
Ash---including possible ways to defeat him---by accessing the 3 hidden
computers somewhere in the Mushroom Tower.  You must access the first of these
3 computers now, then return to the real world for a side-mission, then come
back to access the other two.
Use the computer to Rion's left to unlock the door out of Dorothy's chamber.
This will connect the bridge to "Last Galerian R&D Area III."  Fight your way
across the bridge and into Area 3, but be careful---two of the big bull-like
creatures will be in here waiting for you.
You won't be able to go through the door that leads to the elevator (directly
across from the door that led from Dorothy's chamber).  Instead you'll have to
go left, which will lead you through a corridor (kill the wab-biiiits...) and
into General System Area Alpha.  You're in luck; the first of the three
computers is here, as well as a device which will allow you to rotate the dome
areas.
But the General System Areas are all boobytrapped, so you'll have to first
figure out how to get to the computer.  This first room is easy; there's an
energy maze that surrounds the computer.  You can either navigate the maze
(which is easy) or simply cross the energy walls, which won't hurt you much if
you only do it once or twice.
Have Rion scan the computer; he'll need to transfer data about the computer to
Lilia, who'll be able to analyze it and give him the code he needs to unlock
it.  She'll tell him to come back to the real world.  You can wander and
explore the Mushroom Tower if you want, but the story won't progress until you
go back and see her.  You can get back to the real world by doing the
following:
1) The bridge to Dorothy's chamber disappeared once you left the R&D area III,
so the door to get back there is locked.  Use the floor rotation device in
System Area Alpha to rotate the floors and line up Security Area S with R&D
Area III.
2) Go back to III and take the elevator down to S.  Kill the monsters here.
Use the Floor Rotation device in S to try and connect Security Area N (the only
one already open, if you remember from the beginning of the game) with one of
the other R&D Areas.  I don't think it matters which one at this point.
2) SAVE.  That's because once you unlock the door that leads out of S into the
Dome Area, you're about to face...
**********
BOSS BATTLE:  NITRO
Nitro is one messed-up chick... and a tough boss to defeat.  All you need is
Nalcon or Bustanor, but the trick is finding an opportunity to hit her with it
because she attacks almost constantly.  You'll need lots of Delmetor for this
battle, because she'll force you to shield frequently.
Her four main attacks consist of:
-The fire-snake.  She'll do a weird kind of cartwheel just before she unleashes
one of these, so roll out of the way, then immediately shield because the snake
will turn back and hit you.  Then it'll start circling you.  This won't hurt
you, so after the first strike you can let your shield down and start hitting
Nitro (if you can).
-The Pirouette of Doom.  Nitro likes to dance.  When she starts, you've got
maybe one chance to hit her before she gets up to speed and starts flinging out
little bits of fire everywhere.  Shield; there's nothing else you can do.
-The flame-wall.  Periodically, Nitro will send a wall of flame in your
direction.  You can shield against it or dodge it.  I'd recommend dodging;
that'll save your shield/AP a little.
-The strafing run.  Nitro will leap up into the air.  I've found it best to
lock onto her.  She'll glide around trying to get over Rion, and wherever she
flies a trail of fire will run behind her.  Just keep backing up/away from her
and the trail will never hit you.  You can attack her with Bustanor at this
time, if you have any, but it's best just to wait out her attack because before
she comes down, she'll gather six or seven big fireballs and send them down at
you one after the other.  When she stops moving around in the air, get ready to
shield; you can't outrun the fireballs (or at least I couldn't).  She'll come
back down to earth after this and do nothing for a few seconds, during which
you can hit her.
Do enough damage and she'll stop attacking and disappear. You'll get a Skip
after this.
**********
GETTING BACK TO THE REAL WORLD
After the battle with Nitro, you might understandably be a little confused as
far as which direction to go.  Just remember the color of the lights:
N = Red
E = White
S = Blue
W = Green
You just came from S, and you want to go into N.  Head there now.
...Oops, but you can't get through to the elevator because the security measure
from the beginning of the game is still in place, and this time you don't have
Lilia to help you get past the sentry.
The problem is that although the sentry can tell you're a Galerian, it still
knows you're Rion.  You're going to have to find a way to make yourself seem
more like a Galerian who still has access rights.  Hmm... let's see.  Who looks
like you, has similar enough DNA/retinas to pass, and was still probably on
Dorothy's "good boy" list before you offed him?
That's right, your old buddy Cain.  Head to the Family Program Room (careful,
the Dome Area is now swarming with Super-Rabbits) and scan the tube where he
was developed.  Your eyes will get that lovely Cain glow.  Now go back to N and
the sentry will let you through.  Hurry; Cain's retina ID only lasts for a
short time.
(Yes, you have to go see the sentry *before* you scan Cain's tube.  There are
no shortcuts in this game.)
NOTE:  While you're in the Family Program Room, you might want to look around.
If you scan the other tubes twice, you'll be able to see the images of the dead
Galerians from the first game (and yourself).  Also, if you scan the glowing
well in the center of the chamber, you'll get a slightly different message this
time.  "The center of the light is like a mirror..."  (THIS IS A CLUE... for
later.)
Once you get to the R&D Area, use the unlocking device to connect to Dorothy's
chamber.  Go there and scan the small round device right in front of Dorothy,
and that'll take you back to the real world.
**********
ACTIVATE THE BACKUP COMPUTER
Lilia will tell you that the data you got from the Alpha computer was so
massive that she can't analyze it with just the base's main computer Elaine.
She needs extra processing power from the backup computer.  After she says
this, Elaine will warn of a Galerian attack.
The backup computer is on the first floor, in the System R&D Center.  Only...
you won't be able to get in from the first floor; Elaine's locked the doors as
a security measure.  You'll need to find a back way in.
Fortunately, there's one in the Armory on the 2nd Floor.  Go there and you'll
see that a door in the Armory has been damaged.  Rion can use his natural
psychic abilities to force the door open wide enough to go down.  You'll emerge
in the General Office on the first floor, which is connected to the System R&D
Center.  There are monsters in both rooms, so be careful.
Examine the backup computer and it will say there's no power.  Also examine one
of the computers nearby and it'll say "you see a space for a startup key."  If
you examine the computer that displays the service log (near the door you used
to enter this room), it'll say an Air Beagle pilot was the last person to use
the backup computer.  YOU MUST DO ALL OF THESE THINGS TO ADVANCE THE STORY.  I
spent hours wandering around trying to figure out what to do next because I
didn't check the service log; hopefully this will save you the same degree of
frustration.
Air Beagle pilot, huh?  Well, you saw one in the Sick Bay on the 3rd Floor, so
go talk to him now.  He'll tell you he left the Backup Computer Key in Air
Beagle 67.  Idiot.  He'll give you the key to Hangar 1, though, so you can go
fetch the key.
TIP:  Before you head down to Hangar 1, check back with the techs in Lab 1.
They have a new PPEC ready for you by now.
Head to Warehouse 1 on the first floor to reach the East-side underpass that
leads to Hangar 1.  Use the pilot's key to unlock the door.  More of the
bubble-creatures will be inside, along with a nifty blue Air Beagle.  But
wait---if you go into this Air Beagle, there's no key.  Ah, but remember, the
pilot told you the key was in Air Beagle *67*.  This is the wrong ship.  Head
back out of the ship and over to the control panel along the side of the
hangar.  This will switch out the Air Beagles and put 67 (a green ship) into
place.  Go inside and you'll find the key on the dashboard.
(You can skip going into the blue ship altogether, if you like, and just switch
them to get the green ship if you want.)
Head back out to the underpass---and I'd suggest saving here.  That's because,
when you go back up to the first floor and leave Warehouse 1, you're going to
see an old friend again...
**********
BOSS BATTLE:  PARANO 2.0
Yes, it's the boy with the dental hygiene---and personality---of a shark,
Parano.  As before, he sets robots on you at first.  These are a little tougher
than the last because they have bazookas, but if you got Breakaron from the Lab
1 techs, they'll be toast in no time.  Parano won't attack you until all four
are dead.
His attacks are much the same as in the first battle---just a little faster.
The only real change is when he begins his spinning move; he'll jig to the left
at the end of each turn.  Roll to avoid this and lock onto him again.  He'll
spin around you and jig three times; after the third one you should start
powering up Nalcon or whatever you're going to use against him.  When he stops,
he'll hold still for about a half-second, during which he's shielded.  Hold
your shot until he moves for maximum damage.
Once you defeat Parano, he'll bitch a little and then disappear.  Whew.
**********
Now head back upstairs to the Armory, and back down to General Office and then
to the System R&D Center.  Insert the Backup Computer Key into the computer
terminal at the far end of the office, and this will start the backup computer.
To make sure the Galerians won't be able to get to it, Lilia seals the room in
some kind of gel.
Rion then must return to the 4th floor and speak to Lilia.  She's now had time
to analyze the data, and will have the password you need to unlock the Alpha
computer in the data world.  After this, she'll send you back into the data
world.  No rest for the psychic.
While you're in transit, we'll get a cut-scene which reveals how Ash handles
discipline among the ranks.
**********
BACK IN THE DATA AGAIN
When you reappear in front of Dorothy, use the computer to your left to unlock
the bridge, which will take you back to Area III.  Once again you must kill
creatures in every room.
I can't really explain how to navigate the Mushroom Tower because there's more
than one way to do it.  The ultimate goal is to try and get the three Security
Areas (N, S, W, and E) to line up with the three R&D areas (I, II, and III) in
order to access the computers in the three hidden System Areas (Alpha, Beta,
and Gamma).  In order to find all three computers, you'll need to do the
following for each one, in whatever order works best for you:
-Get passwords from Lilia to unlock the System Area computers.  Unlocking each
will give you information about Ash, and will also unlock one of the Security
Areas (one of which is already unlocked, as you might recall from the beginning
of the game).
-Use the floor rotation devices in the  Security Areas to line up the areas
with the R&D Areas.
-Use the floor rotation devices in the R&D areas to access Dorothy's chamber,
which is the hub for all three areas.  In a gratutious waste of time built in
by the game's designers, you'll probably have to go in and out of Dorothy's
chamber several times to access each R&D area (her chamber will always rotate
to a different R&D area than the one you came from).
-Solve puzzles or defeat enemies in the R&D areas to open up the System Areas.
I'll tell you how I did it, which isn't necessarily the fastest or most
efficient way, but it works.
1) From Area III, head left to reach System Area Alpha again.  Scan the Alpha
computer once more.  This time Lilia has given Rion the password, so he'll
receive a brief cut-scene about Ash, and then the computer will unlock one of
the closed Security Areas (W in this case).  Note that the computer has also
turned off the booby trap for this room.
(Note something else that's important to the plot, and which I believe is a
poor translation.  Rion gets an image of Ash as pure data and says, "So, Ash
was created here."  What's relevant is that Ash was created AS DATA.  Please
see my Plot Analysis, also posted on Game FAQs, for a further examination of
this.)
2) Go to the floor rotation device in this room and rotate the floors so you
can leave Area III.
3) Go back to Area III and take the elevator down to Security Area S.  Use the
floor rotation device to rotate once to the left.  You need to align the
newly-opened Area W with Area II.
4) Go to Area W (green lights).  Might want to save here.  Take the elevator to
Area II, which is surprisingly free of enemies... or is it?
Of course not.  =P
**********
BOSS BATTLE:  SPIDER 2.0
This is exactly like the first time you fought Spider, except for the fact that
Spider now can fire energy bolts.  He doesn't do it often, however, so this
battle shouldn't be too difficult.
Afterward, Spider will warn you that Ash is not what he seems.  You'll also get
a Skip, and the pedestal-like thingie in the corner will light up to give you
the Crested Key.
*********
If you try to use the key in the strange-looking door on the side of the room,
the game will tell you that the key is an exact mirror image of the design on
the wall.  Hmm... mirror...
Ah-ha.  You have to go back to the Family Program Room, where the well of light
is "like a mirror".
Resuming the steps from before the Spider battle:
5) Go back to the elevator where you came up, down to Security Area W.  Proceed
from there to the Family Program Room and toss the Crested Key into the well of
light.  You'll get back the Inverted Key.
6) Go back to Area W and up to Area II.  Use the Inverted Key on the funky
wall-design.
7)  Go through the corridor to System Area Beta, where you've found another of
Ash's computers.  The booby trap here is easy to navigate.  Keep moving so the
red targeting beams won't settle on you, but stop behind the large square
objects in the room whenever one of the energy waves comes at you.  Or shield.
8) When you get to the computer, scan it and Rion will again send data to
Lilia.  Here the mission to find Ash's computers will be interrupted *again*
when Lilia frantically asks you to return to the real world to stop a huge