The contact damage shield. Note the color change.Extra health is awarded based on the number of points earned. The score counter in the top-left corner acts as an extend indicator, changing from a dark orange to a lighter orange as points are accumulated. The player will gain an extra health point when the score is completely light orange. It is easier to gain health when the player has less health.
The maximum health per fighter is eight.
Both fighters can absorb up to two hits of contact damage from touching enemies before losing health. This is indicated by an outlined shield appearing around the fighter. The shield recharges after a few seconds.
Starting a boss battle with zero health will reward the player with a free 1-up if the boss is defeated.
The multiplier in the top-right corner is the main scoring mechanic of Green Orange. The multiplier increases when enemies are destroyed, and persists when enemies are shot at. The multiplier will turn paler when it is about to decrease, at which point it will be halved before decreasing rapidly. The maximum multiplier is x6.4 or x12.8 under certain circumstances.
Stalling the multiplier between enemy waves is a crucial part of scoring. The multiplier can be stalled by shooting at/locking onto enemies, absorbing bullets, and holding bullets with certain weapons.
The multiplier stays in effect for minibosses (bosses that lack a health bar). The text "BOSS BREAK" will appear above the multiplier during these battles. For major boss battles, the multiplier is not used.
During major boss battles, the multiplier is replaced with a boss timer. Defeating a major boss earns a time bonus. The time bonus is the number of seconds remaining multiplied by 100.
Failing to beat the boss before the timer runs out will cause the boss to leave (in most cases). In addition, the boss will only drop one power-up instead of two.
There is a life bonus earned at the end of each area, worth 1,000 points for each of the player's health points. Eight health points is an exception, earning 8,888 points in earlier stages and increasingly more near the end of the game.
SE-bonus items are special items that are hidden throughout each stage. There are three SE-bonuses in each stage. The first SE-bonus collected in every stage will award 1,000 points. The next one collected will be worth double the value of the previous one.
Completing some sections of a stage quickly will cause golden enemies to appear. These enemies are worth more points than regular enemies.
After a game over, any points earned will fill a samsara[1]. Each time it is filled, the player will earn another continue orb. The wheel can be filled up to eight times, for a maximum of eight continues. The continue orbs allow players to continue playing after losing all of their lives. There is no penalty for using continues. Each time the wheel is filled, the next fill will need more points.
Some enemies, like large mechs, can be overkilled for extra points. Shooting an enemy after it is dead will continue to reward points, but it will not maintain the multiplier. Overkilling an enemy until it turns white will reward the player with the enemy's point value, effectively doubling each enemy's overall value.
Players may choose from two fighters: Type-B (Rybb) and Type-C (Decker). Each fighter is already equipped with a vulcan shot, and can choose to pick up additional weapons as the game progresses. The fighters have their own variations for each weapon type. In general, Rybb's weapons have a wider range of angles with less overall damage, while Decker's weapons are more precise.
A wide forward shot. The fighter can shoot at point-blank range to ensure that all bullets connect, reaching the full damage-per-second potential of the weapon.
A narrow forward shot. Its narrow nature demands precise positioning. It is recommended to make use of moving forwards while shooting to compress the shots, amplifying the amount of damage-per-second considerably.
Back shot
A flamethrower fired in an oscillating wave behind the fighter. It pierces enemies and temporarily sticks to walls or the bottom of the screen.
Fires a continuous stream of bullets straight backwards, with low-damage and low-range afterburners at diagonal angles. The afterburners pierce through enemies, and are good for maintaining the multiplier.
Side shot
shoots electricity directly left and right, as well as diagonally upwards on both sides. The lightning travels quickly and continuously damages enemies.
Fires bullets directly to the side and to a 45 degree angle on each side of the ship. This shot deals the highest damage-per-second.
Lock-on
The reticle is a radius around the fighter. The player can lock onto up to eight targets, and release the button to fire homing lasers. Some objects in the background can be targeted as well. Tapping the lock-on button fires a single laser to the nearest enemy regardless of distance. It is recommended to map a "Fire 3 Auto" button in the game's additional controller settings to allow for quick homing shots.
The lock-on reticle is a small circle ahead of the fighter. The player can lock onto up to eight targets, and release the button to fire homing lasers. Some objects in the background can be targeted as well. Tapping the lock-on button fires a single laser to the nearest enemy regardless of distance. It is recommended to map a "Fire 3 Auto" button in the game's additional controller settings to allow for quick homing shots.
Charge
Charging creates a small field around the fighter that damages enemies and can absorb bullets. Releasing the button will fire a ball of plasma on release, piercing enemies when not fully charged. If the field absorbs too many bullets, the charge will release and the fighter will not be able to charge again for a brief period of time. At full charge, the plasma shot remains on screen for a while as a stationary fireball.
If the charge button is held for a full minute before releasing it, the fighter will fire a giant laser that pierces anything and deals massive damage.
Charging creates a charge shield in front of the ship, increasing in power over time. The field can absorb an unlimited number of enemy bullets, but it cannot absorb all types. Any bullets that the shot cannot absorb will be held in the shield instead, maintaining the player's multiplier. Releasing the button will fire a large piercing shot.
If the charge button is held for a full minute before releasing it, the ship will fire a giant laser that pierces anything and deals massive damage.
Sword
(ZeroRanger form)
Releases a flurry of slashes immediately upon transformation. These slashes, as well as charged slashes, can reflect bullets back at enemies. A fully charged slash will also fire projectiles forwards. Uncharged slashes will hold bullets in place, maintaining the player's multiplier.
Releases a large slash immediately upon transformation, which can reflect bullets. Holding an attack button will rapidly swing the sword, slowing down any bullets it touches. Tapping the button rhythmically will cause every third slash to be a large, deflecting slash.
Drill
(ZeroRanger form)
The drill gathers debris from attacking enemies. Debris will orbit around the player while transformed, acting as a side shield to enemy bullets and contact damage. The drill itself slows bullets that contact it, and eventually destroys weak bullets. Debris can erase bullets, but erasing too many bullets will exhaust all of the debris.
The drill grows larger after attacking several enemies within a short time, glowing more as it is about to grow. The drill slows bullets that contact it, and destroys weak bullets. When large, the drill erases most bullet types in front of the fighter.
The hitbox of each fighter is a 3x3 pixel square, depicted below. If an enemy attack comes into contact with the area within the red border, the player takes damage. The hitbox does not change when the player transforms.
STAGE १ START
TIME TO STRIKE BACK! / THE CORRUPTED FLEET APPROACHES!
Stage 1 starts with the player and birds flying over a tree.[2]
An orange bird can be seen flying over the tree. Shoot it to obtain the first SE-bonus. As the player flies over the city, buildings begin to retreat underground. The midboss, Arc Adder[3], has the second SE-bonus.
ALERT
DESTROY THE ENEMY FIGHTER!
Fight Arc Adder until its orange shields are depleted, then stop attacking Arc Adder and wait until it fires orange rings. Fly through the center of four rings to unlock the SE-bonus, then destroy Arc Adder. The bonus drops after Arc Adder is destroyed.
"ARC ADDER" HAS BEEN BANISHED
PROCEEDING WITH THE MISSION
The boss warning starts after Arc Adder's destruction, and four guardians will quickly appear and then fly off the screen. To get the third SE-bonus, destroy all four of the guardians, then destroy the golden carrier that appears after doing so. The golden carrier drops the SE-bonus. Because the four guardians appear so quickly, it is necessary to memorize their position and line up your shots before they appear.
After the guardians are gone, Catastrophe will appear.
WARNING
CATASTROPHE
MAY YOU ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT:
1: DIAGONAL FIRE
2: REARCANNON
3: TINY VALOR
When fighting Catastrophe, just know that it is only vulnerable in the center. After depleting the first health bar, an eye is exposed in the center, revealing the alien nature of your opponent. In this second phase, the eye rapidly spits out fire and its ship moves faster.
When defeated, Catastrophe drops two power-ups, the back shot and the side shot. You can only choose one of them. Touch the power-up that you want. If you don't want either power-up, you can shoot them to destroy them. There is no reason to destroy them, but you can.
Stage clear. You fly towards a large hole in the ground.
STAGE २ START
SO DARK... / WHAT ARE THEY EXCAVATING?
Stage 2 has a somewhat claustrophobic design, with obstacles and walls greatly restricting movement while enemies approach from all sides of the screen. Use the newly obtained back shot or side shot to deal with enemies on the rear or sides of your figher. Note that both the back shot and side shot will deal the most damage when close to the enemy, as this ensures that all shots hit; this is helpful when dealing with the more durable enemies that may appear.
The first SE-bonus is found in a block with the System Erasure logo. The block appears in the center of the screen, near four Crossnut enemies. Shoot it and it will drop the bonus.
The second SE-bonus can be found in the area before the mid-boss. Destroy all SE boxes to the left and right, and then defeat the golden enemy that spawns afterwards. It will drop the bonus for you to collect.
ALERT
STRIKE THE FIGHTER WARPED BY EVIL POWER!
When fighting Artypo[4], be aware of the properties of its orb-shaped shield. It blocks most bullets from reaching Artypo, and when it absorbs enough bullets, it unleashes a large attack. That attack can be avoided by ceasing your attacks when the shield gives its visual and audio cues that it has almost absorbed enough bullets. Waiting a short while allows the shield to become less volatile, and you can then resume attacking. When Artypo shoots the shield orb to the bottom of the screen, this is the best opportunity to attack Artypo. If necessary, position yourself between the shield and Artypo during these opportunities.
"ARTYPO" HAS BEEN BANISHED
PROCEEDING WITH THE MISSION
The third SE-bonus is found in the side-scrolling area. Look for a malfunctioning box spawner. It's the last one on the top wall, with an 'x' for eyes. Shoot inside it and the the bonus will drop.
WARNING
2nd APOCALYPSE
MAY YOU ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT:
1: L.A.S.E.R.SYS W/ LOCK-ON ADD-ON (TM)[5]
2: CHARGE SHOT?
3: TRUE SKILL
After the boss warning displays, the walls close in on you and you encounter 2nd Apocalypse. There are three weak spots on 2nd Apocalypse: the two Pieguns on either side and the center panel with the skull. The fastest approach is to shoot the skull panel, which instantly shreds 2nd Apocalypse's first health bar once a small amount of damage is done. An alien eye becomes visible after destroying the panel, and the boss enters more aggressive phases as you destroy its second and third health bars.
STAGE ३ START
GUESS WE CAN'T SWIM ANYMORE? / EVEN THE OCEAN...
Stage 3 starts with the player flying over the ocean. The first SE-bonus can be found a little after defeating the hornet enemies, when the first large ship arrives. Shoot the small island on the right side of the screen to reveal it.
The second SE-bonus is from a bonus enemy that appears from defeating all the gigantic ships you encounter just after the player is bombarded with lasers. It can be quite difficult to destroy them all before they leave, so try to memorize their positions and use your weapons well.
The third SE-bonus is acquired (from a bonus enemy) by defeating the snake boss after destroying all its other sections as well. Focus fire as it passes you and only attack the head once all other sections are destroyed. Lock-on can hit the snake when it is behind the pillar.
WARNING
MAY YOU ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT:
1: BLAZING BLOODLINES
2: TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLE
3: BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE[6]
A humanoid figure wrapped in a cape appears and destroys the possessed fleet. It is unclear whose side it is on, as after destroying the fleet it begins to attack the player. It remains mostly stationary in the center of the screen, surrounded by floating pila that fire lasers and bullets.
There are two attack patterns. In the first pattern, four pila will encircle the boss. They generate a shield around the boss and do not attack the player. Two pila will float off to the side, alternating between firing lasers and bullets. The boss will re-generate pila shorty after they are destroyed. To damage the boss during this phase, the player must destroy all four of the pila shielding the boss, taking care to destroy them all before one is re-generated.
In the second pattern, all six of the pila will encircle the boss. They fire a continuous stream of bullets at the player. The pila do not generate a shield for the boss during this phase, but the pila still provide protection by physically blocking bullets until the player destroys them.
Due to this boss not having much health outside its defensive gimmick, and its primary means of attack directly aiming at the player, there are many ways to trivialize this boss encounter. Type-B players can simply use their primary fire continuously while aligned with the boss and periodically moving up and down when the boss attacks. Type-B's spread out primary fire destroys the shield pila without any realignment being required. This strategy can usually defeat the boss before it even does its second attack. Charge users can use the charge shot to easily destroy the shield with a fully charged shot (of either type) then deal damage with another weapon. Using the "periodically moving up and down" strategy outlined above make evading while charging up easy.
The boss drops two power-ups, the sword and the drill. Picking one of them up will allow the player to enter ZeroRanger form. This form is accessed by pressing all three fire buttons at once, or by pressing a single dedicated button if one has been set.
The hitbox of each fighter in this form is still 3x3 pixels, shown in the images below.
Type-B's ZeroRanger form hitbox.
Type-C's ZeroRanger form hitbox.
ALERT
IT'S SHOWTIME!!
"BIG ZAN" HAS BEEN ELIMINATED
PROCEEDING WITH THE MISSION
STAGE ३' START
I WONDER... / I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN. / DO YOU THINK SHE REMEMBERS?
If the player remains in ship form, the fight will be the same as the boss encounter from Stage 1-3.
SINCE THE GREAT CATASTROPHE,
HUMANS WERE AFRAID OF THE STARS.
EVEN AFTER CONQUERING THEIR FEARS,
THE 2ND APOCALYPSE HAD ONCE AGAIN
SHOWN THE WRATH OF THE STARS.
NOW AT THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION
THE ROAD TOWARDS THE NEST OF EVIL
HAD BEEN OPENED ONCE MORE.
THE FIGHTERS GAZED AT THE MASSIVE
HELLSTAR KNOWN AS GREEN ORANGE,
FATIGUED BY THE ENDLESS ORDEALS
IT HAD THROWN AT THEM BY DEFYING
THE LAWS OF TIME AND SPACE.
THEY WONDERED HOW MUCH LONGER
THEY WOULD BE ENTRAPPED
BY THIS BEAUTIFUL SPACE AROUND THEM.
WASN'T THERE ANY WAY TO
BREAK THROUGH THIS VICIOUS CYCLE?
ALTHOUGH THEY COULDN'T SEE IT,
SOMETHING WAS MISSING.
AS IF THEY HAD LOST
SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT.
If the player changes to ZeroRanger form, the boss will take notice and engage the player in serious combat. The boss is revealed to be Grapefruit, the Abaddon Fighter. There are two phases, with five attack patterns in the first phase and one attack pattern in the second phase.
To start, Grapefruit enters ship form while their pila move to a wing-like formation, with both the ship and pila firing bullets. Grapefruit may fire homing shots at this time. In the second pattern, the pila will move to the top of the screen and launch drills straight downwards. Attacking a drill will cause it to grow larger and release bullets from its rear. For the third pattern, Grapefruit launches a spinning sword and their pila scatter apart. The sword bounces on the edges of the screen, while the pila fire lasers and then relocate to fire another round. In the fourth pattern, Grapefruit unleashes two snake-like attacks that home in on the player while the pila surround Grapefruit and fire a barrage of bullets downwards. In the fifth pattern, lock-on reticles will appear. The player must stay clear of the reticles that appear on the screen as Grapefruit launches a lock-on attack.
The second phase differs based on the ZeroRanger weapon that the player chose. In the player chose the sword, Grapefruit holds their own sword upwards to charge a ball of energy and launches it at the player. If the energy ball reaches the edge of the screen, it explodes and a dense burst of bullets fly out. The player can counter this by using their sword to launch the ball of energy back at Grapefruit. If the player chose the drill, Grapefruit drives their own drill, which is much larger than the player's, towards the bottom of the screen. If it reaches the bottom, a dense and continuous burst of bullets fly upwards. The player can counter this by holding their drill against Grapefruit's. The sparks generated by this clash of drills will come back at the player, so the player must dodge them while still remaining in contact with the enemy drill until Grapefruit's drill finally cracks.
ONCE AGAIN.
YOU'VE RETURNED.
DESPITE ALL THE HARDSHIPS.
DESPITE YOUR NON-EXISTENT CHANCES.
DESPITE EVERYTHING.
YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP?
...
VERY WELL.
THERE'S NO REASON TO CONTINUE
THIS ARDUOUS BATTLE
FOR ANY LONGER.
IN FACT,
I REGRET EVERYTHING
I'VE DONE TO YOU.
I FEEL THE BEST THING
YOU COULD DO IS
TO END IT ALL
AND LEAVE FOREVER.[7]
PLEASE, TAKE THIS.
Erasure offers the player a power-up orb. Collecting it causes a victory cutscene to play. Green Orange explodes, the player flies away safely, "MISSION COMPLETED" appears, and the credits roll. The credits end early, with a locket falling on the Mido's head, or suddenly dropping onto Dori's hand. Erasure OS restarts with FINALBOSS[8] as the title.
The player can destroy the orb, if you do so, Erasure will offers another one, in order to cheat player again. Destroying the orb second times will directly lead to boss battle, without entering FINALBOSS.
FINALBOSS is a special level, where enemy attacks are more dense as their bullets tend to fill the screen. The player's shot is wider, the score counter is larger, and the player has access to bombs that damage everything on screen.[9] Getting hit will cause a weaker bomb to be used around the player's ship, while pressing Fire 2 uses the stronger screen-filling bomb attack. There are unlimited lives, and the bomb supply is re-stocked upon losing a life.
GOFER OPERATOR
REPORTING IN!
ALL COMMUNICATIONS
READY.
PREPARE FOR
AN ENEMY ASSAULT
IN 3... 2... 1... GO!
WATCH OUT FOR
HEAVY ENEMY FIRE!
A HUGE ENEMY UNIT
APPROACHING FAST.
WARNING
FOR USE IN DAIKON ONLY
OPERATION OUTSIDE THIS GAME
IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED
THIS IS NOT A SIMULATION, GET READY
ACCORDING TO THE DATA,
IT IS IDENTIFIED AS
KING ONION.
King Onion drops a power-up orb. Collecting it causes Erasure OS to restart, requiring the player to replay the level. Destroying it triggers some dialogue.
STAGE ४' START
GOOD NIGHT. / NEXT TIME... I'LL PUNCH YOU FOR REAL. / TOWARDS THE BRIGHTER FUTURE!
Erasure explains a potential solution to the problem, and offers the player a choice. This choice is very important and players can potentially become unhappy with their decision depending on how they handle what happens next. If you believe you could potentially become unhappy with a major choice, back up your save. Save data for ZeroRanger is located at C:\Users\Name\AppData\Local\ZeroRanger\SAVEDATA, replacing Name with your username. Please note that the intended way to experience ZeroRanger is to NOT back up your save.
↑In the Raw Label demo of the game, this line says "1: L.A.S.E.R.SYS W/ LOCK-ON ADD-ON (TM)", but the last characters are cut off in the final version of the game.
↑This is a reference to the song Libera me from hell from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann .
