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SD Gundam Force: Showdown! Walkthrough/FAQ
By Xenon
Version 1.00
Guide Started 9/24/2008
Last Updated 9:15 PM 9/29/2008
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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Legal Information
3. FAQ
4. Basics
5. Characters/Forms
     A. Captain Gundam
     B. Zero, the Winged Knight
     C. Bakunetsumaru
6. Walkthrough
     A. SDG Headquarters/Basics
     B. Part I
        I. Neotopia
        II. Lacroa
        III. Ark
     C. Part II
     D. Part III
7. Block Interruptors
     A. Support Characters
     B. Dark Axis
     C. Duels
     D. Extra Battles
8. Enemy List
9. Item List
10. Secrets
11. Version History
12. Credits
13. Closing


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1. Introduction
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Hello, and welcome to a quick little guide to SD Gundam Force: Showdown. I 
am a huge Gundam fan, watching all the shows, buying the occasional model, 
and continuously trying to find good Gundam Video Games to play. As such, 
SD Gundam Force: Showdown was put onto my Gamefly queue ages ago, and about a
week ago it came up. I expected to find a breezy run through part of the 
series that showed up on Toonami a few years ago. I went to GameFAQs to see 
the rough length...and found no guides. And no Reviews. Really? Really. 
I went back to the game to find an original storyline and some decent 
gameplay. It's best described as a kind of dungeon crawler, and while there 
are certainly some flaws, it comes out to be a decent game.

I decided to rectify the no-guide situation, and this is how this document 
came into existence. If you've read my past guides, I hope you've come away 
with a sense of utter completeness, or at least approaching that. With my 
guides, I try to give all the information possible that you could want for 
the game. This.....is not that type of guide. The game is a rental, and 
there's not a whole lot of information to give out. The purpose of this 
guide is to satisfy people who may be wondering one thing or another about 
it. Since nothing is up about the game, this can be quite irritating for 
someone like me. As such, this guide may end up as pretty barebones, but if 
you wish to make something better, then be my guest.

Here begins Xenon's quick and dirty guide to SD Gundam Force: Showdown

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2. Legal Information
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This guide is copyright Luke M. Stevenson (c) 2008. If you wish to post this 
guide on your site, send an e-mail to the address that can be found in another
one of my guides. I want to know where my guide is. Note that it may take some
time for me to respond to your e-mail, but I will.

As of 3:40 PM 9/24/2008, this guide may be posted...

www.gamefaqs.com

If you see it anywhere else, please be sure to e-mail me so I can do something
about this. Note: If you've sent me an e-mail requesting to post this guide 
on your site and I've not updated the list, don't panic. List updates 
generally only happen when I get a new version of the guide.

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3. FAQ
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I may be making these up.......

1: 

Q) Does this game feature <insert Gundam here>

A) The only Gundams in this game are those that are found in the series SD
   Gundam Force. However, some new creations have been made for the game, 
   and these are usually based upon some pre-existing unit in the Gundamverse.
   Additionally, several of the machines in SD Gundam Force were originally 
   based on existing machines.

2:

Q) Does this game follow the storyline of SD Gundam Force?

A) While based in the same universe and featuring the same heroes (and a 
   few of the villains) as the SD Gundam Force series, the game features a 
   completely unique storyline.

3:

Q) Is this game any good?

A) It's decent. Much like the show it's based on, it shouldn't get any awards,
   but you've got a serviceable game here.

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4. Basics
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Progression
-----------

Progression in the game works like this. You start out at SDG base, where 
you'll be able to swap items around, change forms, or change the character 
you use. When you go to Dr. Bell Wood's lab, you'll be able to choose which 
area you want to teleport to (from Part II onward). Once selected, you'll 
be taken to a randomly generated block filled with a random number of rooms 
with a random number and type of enemies, and a random exit. Once you arrive 
at a block, you'll have to find said exit by defeating all the enemies that 
are in the room with the exit. Note that enemies CAN respawn there, but once 
you've revealed the exit, it will stay revealed. ANY room in the block can 
contain the exit, including the room you start in. You only have as long as 
the timer in the top left portion of the screen says in order to find the 
exit. Once you find and enter the exit, you'll be awarded an emblem based on 
the number of blue orbs you've collected and move on to the next block. The 
timer will not be reset, but additional time will be added. Once you clear 
all three blocks, the area will be complete. The emblems you got will be 
tallied and experience will be awarded as appropriate. Once you complete the 
total number of areas that you're required to complete, you'll face a boss. 
Beat the boss and you'll be returned to SDG base. Addtionally, if you're on 
part II or III, all the emblems you've gathered will be tallied and progress 
towards your chosen character's next form will be added. You've completed a 
stage and can save, change forms, change characters, whatever. Rinse and 
repeat as the game tells you to or until your satisfied with your character's
progress, whatever your goal is. Note that this is the normal progression, 
but it doesn't always work out so perfectly. In between blocks, one of several
events could occur. Check the Block Interruptors section for details.

In simplified chart form....

Base ----A--> Block -----> Block ----> Block ---B--> Boss  -----> Base

Until B number of Areas completed, return to A upon reaching B.  


Combat
------

There are four options during combat....well, four plus the abiltiy to change
targets. Attack, Special Attack, Defend, and Dash.

Attack - Attacks with your chosen character's weapon. The type of attack will
depend on who you're using and what form they're equipped with.

Special Attack - Unleashes the character's special attack. For all three 
characters, this is a sort of charge shot that shoots forward in a straight 
line after a charge up animation. This can only be done when you've built up 
energy by attacking enemies with the normal attack. The more you attack, the 
stronger the burst. When fully charged (it'll flash), the charge up animation 
will be skipped by a cutscene.

Defend - Blocks and incoming attack. You have to get your timing right, which
makes this kind of useless. Just dash.

Dash - Moves a character with a burst of speed. Very useful for avoiding 
attacks from enemies.

~When you defeat an enemy, they will drop blue and/or green orbs. Blue orbs 
fill up the blue bar, Green Orbs fill up the Green Bar. When the Blue bar is 
filled, the emblem you'll recieve for completing the mission will go up. When 
the green bar is filled, you'll recover up to one large health orb (you 
cannot exceed your max health). 

~If an enemy absorbs ANY single orb, they'll level up (C->B->A). It does not 
matter how many orbs they absorb at one time, they'll only go up one level. 
Once the transformation is complete, if they absorb another orb, then they 
can level up again. If a level A enemy absorbs an orb, they'll simply recover
all there life. When leveling up, the enemy will also recover all their life.

~Some enemies cannot level up. These enemies will appear naturally in the 
level up'd state depending on what level the Area is. These enemies can still
absorb orbs, but they won't level up.

~Leveled up enemies drop more orbs, but have more life, are faster, and do 
more damage. Be careful.

~Killing an enemy with the special attack dramatically increases the number of
orbs that they drop.

~If you've been reduced to only small health orbs, defeating an enemy with 
the special attack will cause it to drop ONLY green orbs.

~As you hit enemies more times in a row with the attack button, the specific 
attack will change. The word on the right side will change from Hit!(which 
will increase in size) to Heat Up, and then it will end with Finish!. The 
attack pattern will change with each attack, and if you get an attack off 
during the "Finish" stage, this "finisher" tends to be more powerful and/or 
hits a wider area than most standard attacks. The effectiveness of the 
finisher will vary from character to character. Captain's tend to be less 
useful overall, and Zero's tend to annihilate anything that stands in the way,
with Bakunetsumaru's in the middle of the spectrum. If you miss, stop 
attacking, or get hit, the combo will reset.

~The charge rate for the special attack is based on the number of hits, not 
the amount of damage done.




Growth
------

There are two ways characters can grow. The first is leveling up. The 
character's level is based upon the form, so just because you reach level 
A with Zero in his default form does not mean that all his other forms will 
also be level A.

Levels are as follows:

C - Default (all but Secret Form start here)
B
A - Maximum level....under normal conditions
S - Secret Form Level, attained by beating final boss with a form.

In order to level up, you need to get emblems. The better the emblem, the 
more experience. You get better emblems by filling up the blue bar.

Zako Zako Emblem - Obtained by completing the level without filling the blue 
                   bar a single time.
Normal Emblem (Green) - Obtained by completing the level after filling the 
                        blue bar once.
Bronze Emblem - Obtained by completing the level after filling the blue bar 
                twice.
Silver Emblem - Obtained by completing the level after filling the blue bar 
                three times.
Gold Emblem - Obtained by completing the level after filling the blue bar 
              four times.
S Gold Emblem - Obtained by upgrading a Gold Emblem through a Block 
                Interruptor Event.

New forms are obtained also by emblem collection, except the tally is not 
given until you complete an entire stage. If you fail to complete an entire 
stage, NO PROGRESS TOWARDS A NEW FORM WILL BE GIVEN.

Notes on Growth:

~Earlier forms are easier to level up than later forms. 

~Similarly, Later Forms are harder to unlock than earlier forms.

~I REPEAT, LEVELS DO NOT CARRY OVER BETWEEN FORMS.

~Incomplete Blue Bar (and Green Bar, for that matter) progress will be 
retained in between blocks, but not areas. Even if you can't make it to the 
next emblem with enough leftover time, your progress won't be lost.

~Time does not carry over between areas. Use every last second you can to 
obtain a Gold Emblem on the final Block. Be cautious, but don't leave too 
soon.

~S Rank is as high as it goes. Even if you get an upgrade through a Big Zam 
or Duel Battle and then get another upgrade through an Extra Battle, S is as 
high as it goes.

~If you defeat an enemy


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5. Characters/Forms
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SD Gundam Force: Showdown features three playable characters and three 
support characters are introduced during part II. The support characters are 
covered in the "Block Interruptions" section. Here you'll find information 
on the three playable characters, Captain Gundam, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru.

In SD Gundam,each character has four stats and two "qualities", let's call 
them. The stats are Health, attack, defense, and speed, and range from one 
point to three points. The qualities are their level (ranging from C-S) 
and Form. The character's form is what will determine their statistics (going
up as the form levels up), level, and the way a character attacks. You level 
up your form by completing an area (three blocks), and you get a new form by 
completing a stage in either part 2 or part 3 (two Areas and a boss in part 
2, three Areas and a boss in part 3). You'll only gain a level or new form if
you've gotten enough experience, though you can gain partial credit. Getting 
better emblems will give you more experience, so this will be a big incentive 
to collect those orbs.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A. Captain Gundam
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Captain Gundam's big advantage is his ranged weapons. All of Captain's forms 
have him using some kind of Gun to trash your enemies. Outside of the final 
area, it's debatable whether Captain or Zero is better, but there's no 
question that Captain is the man for the final area. For this reason, those 
that wish to get through the game as quickly as possible should stick to 
Captain. Captain's one downside is that since he stands back to eliminate the
enemies, more enemies than normal will turn into their higher class forms. 
While you can turn this into something helpful, it can take a lot of time as 
well, so be aware.

Forms
-----

Captain Gundam
--------------
Info: The Captain's default form is serviceable enough. His beam rifle 
performs similar to the old school Gundam Beam Rifles, it's strong, but slow
firing. The problem here is that you'll miss quite a bit if you just sit 
back and fire. But getting close will sort of negate the point. Of course, 
that's what the next form is for....

Gunner Form
-----------

The heavy weapons form of Captain Gundam features one big change, speed. 
Both a faster firing rate and shots that go faster. While each shot is 
weaker, the increased speed will make life much easier. You can stand back 
and just mash the square button until everything's dead.

Assault Form
------------

THIS!!!!! IS!!!!! MY!!!!!!! BOOMSTICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Er...sorry. 
Captain gets a shotgun. Up close, this will do significant damage. From 
farther away, it'll spread and hit multiple enemies. Adjust as necessary. 
This guy seems to run, too, so his rating in speed seems deceptive to me. A 
Favorite of mine, though I've always had a soft spot for the shotgun in 
shooters.

Form 4
------

Form 5
------

Form 6
------

Secret Form
-----------

Captain turns into something that looks like a rainbow version of the Super 
Gundam and becomes VERY powerful. His beam shot passes through enemies and 
hits multiple times on its way through. While it's kind of slow, the power 
more than makes up for it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
B. Zero, The Winged Knight
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Zero is the first of the two Melee users, and my personal favorite of the 
three Gundams. His forms all feature attacks that hit a wide area with each 
swing of his sword. Additionally, they all feature a devastating finisher that
will make your life much easier, assuming you can get to it. Zero's only 
real downside is that he is, as mentioned earlier, melee. This means you're 
going to have to close the distance and enter the enemy's rang to attack. 
In most areas, this isn't a big deal, but on the De'Scar Road, life becomes 
very difficult for the melee people.

Forms
-----

Zero, the Winged Knight
-----------------------

His most basic form, it has all the traits that seem to carry over through all
of Zero's forms. Wide range attacks and a awesome finisher. This form's 
finisher doesn't have a whole lot of range, so be careful. On the other hand,
the default and Aquarius forms both seem to be more lax about getting to the 
finisher. Like, you don't actually have to hit anything with all the hits.

Aquarius Form
-------------

Bigger, Stronger, Better. The Aquarius' attacks are a little bit more fancy, 
but it's a functional fancy, as they tend to circle around Zero and let him 
hit people on all sides. Best of all is the Aquarius' finisher, which is a 
larger and more damaging version of the default's finisher. Once you get the
Aquarius Form, there's just about no reason to go back. And really, this one 
competes with other forms, too.

Cyclone Form
------------

After two great contributions, the Cyclone form falls flat on its face, 
plain and simple. Zero flourishes too much in this form, taking a whole bunch
of movements that don't actually hit anything. You may notice that his weapon
is a bow, but he uses it as a blade until you're deep into the combo. Then 
he'll fire off a few arrows. His finisher does a lot of damage to one side, 
but there isn't a whole lot of knockback to this form's attacks, making 
reaching the finisher quite difficult. It's also much more picky about 
contact. Just stick with the Aquarius form. No matter how nifty it looks, 
it's just not good.

Luxion Form
-----------

Quicker and better armored than Zero's previous forms, the Luxion Form 
doesn't have as wide of an attack area. This leads to more focused attacks 
as opposed to diving into the enemy and taking them all out at once. I used 
it, but I can see how someone could stick with the Aquarius form.

Chronos Form
------------

Chronos Form is nice. Possessing good stats all around, the big draw to the 
Chronos Form is that you get a little bit of range to boot. You see, the 
damage from the Chronos Form doesn't come from the blade, but rather from the
black lightning that is called down with each strike. This gives it a wide 
attack area, even for Zero. While the combo is harder to chain together than
the remarkably easy default and Aquarius, the finisher is a massive black ball
of energy that can do tremendous damage. The downside to the Chronos Form is
that it doesn't always really hit where you want it to. While the lightning 
hits an impressively large area, it also can miss enemies in the middle of it
completely.

Paladin Form
------------

Zero's final earned form is quite the doozy. Possessing great damage, speed, 
defense, range, a wide attack area, and an amazing finsher, there's litte 
reason to go back to the other forms once you acquire it. The finisher calls 
down several waves of lightning in a circle around Zero. The only possible 
complaint for the Paladin form is that since it's the sixth form, you have 
to grind significantly to get it. There's no real flaws to the form itself, 
but you could have beaten the game long before you unlocked it.

Secret Form
-----------

Zero's Secret Form is a nice little number that's not that special. While 
Powerful on both offense and defense, it just doesn't stand out. The 
finisher is a fairly powerful straight beam, but you can get more damage 
elsewhere. If you're feeling lazy about unlocking the new forms, you 
could certainly use this and it would serve you well, it's just not 
that spectacular.

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Bakunetsumaru
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Poor Bakunetsumaru. He's the other melee fighter, but unlike Zero, who uses 
wide sweeps to wipe out fields of enemies, Bakunetsumaru's attacks tend to 
focus on one enemy. This is bad. I just couldn't get the feel of using him. 
Unless his later forms are much better, I have to say that Bakunetsumaru is 
easily the worst of the three.

Forms
-----

Bakunetsumaru
-------------

As mentioned before, Bakunetsumaru is the single attacker. And while he 
does seem to be a bit stronger than Zero, he's not by a sizable margin. His 
series of slashes and stabs doesn't really have any knockback or stun, 
either. This makes his combo hard to get to. His finisher is actually 
pretty good, but to get there.....

Beast Form
----------

A slightly faster and stronger version of Bakunetsumaru. Largely suffers 
from the same problems as the standard version, but the increased attack 
speed allows him to get to his finisher considerably easier. It's 
definitely an improvement.

Form 3
------

Form 4
------

Form 5
------

Form 6
------

Secret Form
-----------

While his speed rating is only 1, this version of Bakunetsumaru is really 
quite good. Decent attack radius, great power and defense. His Finisher is 
also very good, hitting a large area in front of him for good damage. 
Definitely worth considering.

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6. Walkthrough
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All in all, SDGF: Showdown can be quite a short game. It'll probably take a 
bit of grinding to get through though. Just don't get discouraged.

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A. SDG Base
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The SDG Base is where you'll return to after each mission, pass or fail. I'm 
no good as ASCII art, so this may not turn out well....



                                  Commander Haro
                                 /              \   - Guneagle
                              Kao Lyn         Shute
                                 |              |
                              Bell Wood  ---  Sayla

Above is the basic layout of the base. Zero, Captain, and Bakunetsumaru 
(minus the one you're controlling) will also be hanging around the base 
ring. Below are descriptions of what to do in each room.

[Commander Haro] - You'll have to return here after completing missions, but 
there's little else to do here. If you talk to Juli, you can access the SDG 
report in the game to find out information on Items, Forms, and Enemies that 
you've seen.

[Kao Lyn] - During Part II, Kao Lyn will start working on his Hyper Custom 
Device. To complete it, you need to complete three stages without running out 
of time or health. Once it's completed, you'll be able to apply Hyper Coating,
which increases performance (at least attack power, maybe defense and speed,
I'm not sure), but cuts your health in half. Additionally, if you input the 
secret codes into his interpreter ball, you'll be able to access the Secret 
Forms. Note that failing a stage will break the machine and you'll have to 
start all over. You'll lose access to both the Secret Forms and the Hyper 
coating while it's broken.

[Shute] - Shute can store spare items or change your form. The item that 
you'll be switching in the one selected in the pause menu, so to store 
multiple items, you'll have to back out and change the selected item to put 
it in.

[Sayla] - Sayla saves your game. Simple enough. Note that she doesn't have 
a room, she's just out on deck.

[Bell Wood] - Bell Wood transports you to the mission areas.

[Guneagle] - After he's been unlocked, Guneagle will sit in between Haro's 
room and Shute's room and will trade you items. He has the same inventory as 
when he interrupts an area, so whatever you give/take from him will be/not be
there when he interrupts.

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B. Part I
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

******************************************************************************
I. Neotopia
******************************************************************************


After the initial scene in Commander Haro's room, you'll be in control of 
Captain Gundam. If you want to switch to Zero or Bakunetsumaru, simply find 
them on outside at base, they'll ask if you want them to take over, and 
simply answer yes. I reccommend sticking with the initial 3 for these first
missions, at least once, just so you can get a feel for how they control.

Once you're controlling your selected Gundam, simply walk to Bell Wood's 
room and tell him you're ready. He'll transport you to Neotopia. Now, as 
mentioned earlier in this guide, everything about Neotopia is randomized. 
However, since this is the first part, you won't find the more advanced 
enemies, nor should the areas tend to be very large. Zako Zakos will be your
primary enemy, and they're real easy to take out. After you clear all three 
blocks, you'll be taken to a Duel battle. Later in the game, these Duel 
battles will happen at random and will upgrade the last emblem you got. Here, 
however, they're just a boss battle before you can clear the area.

BOSS: Duel Captain
------------------

To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about Duel Captain, cause I only 
fought him twice, and I crushed him rather quickly both times. From what I 
can tell,I he really does is spam his Gatling Guns, but he doesn't seem to 
aim or even fire all that often. When you fight him later, you may have to 
worry about Shadow Mode, which creates a shadow form that doesn't have much 
life, but has to be defeated before the original will return for you to 
smash. He may or may not have that in this first fight, so be aware.

---

After you defeat the Duel Captain, the area will be clear and your emblems 
will be totaled. Don't be surprised if you don't level up. You may, but since 
it's only one area, you may not, as well. You'll be returned to Shute's room
(which is where you'll always return after a successful mission). When you 
leave his room, the PA system will tell you to go to Commander Haro's room, 
so head on over there for the second mission of part I.

******************************************************************************
II. Lacroa
******************************************************************************

After the cutscene in Commander Haro's room, you'll be in control of Zero. 
Just like before, if you want to switch, simply walk up to your chosen Gundam 
and talk to them and agree. Go to Bell Wood and you'll be taken to Lacroa. 
Again, everything is randomized. In Level C of Lacroa (where you are), you 
probably won't run into anything worth mentioning, you probably won't even 
have to deal with non-melee fighters. Go through the three blocks to face 
a significantly stronger boss.

BOSS: Duel Zero
---------------

Though he's a Melee fighter, Duel Zero is significantly tougher than the 
Duel Captain. He attacks with standard combos with that blade thing he has,
and that's not too bad. The much more dangerous attack is his Red Claw Smash.
This can take a whole Large Health Orb, and you can't afford that.
Fortunately, the windup is very obvious. Before attacking with the smash, 
he'll bring his shield arm back and red beams will come out of it and lay on 
the ground, this is your cue to dash sideways. He won't reaim, and it only 
really hits in front of him, so once you're out of the way, feel free to 
pound on him. The most annoying and lengthening thing here is that Duel 
Zero will teleport all around the field. You'll need to dash a lot, but if 
you focus, you should make it through without too much difficulty. Note that 
just like Duel Captain, Duel Zero has Shadow Mode in later fights, and 
may have it here.

Like before, Emblems will be tallied here and you'll be returned to base. 
The PA system will blare again, so head over to commander Haro's room.

******************************************************************************
III. Ark
******************************************************************************

After THIS cutscene, you'll be in control of Bakunetsumaru. Same rules apply 
as before. Once you reach Ark, you'll have to cut through various samurai 
themed enemies. Very few ranged enemies here, so you shouldn't have too 
many problems, just be on top of that dash and guard. Get through the three 
blocks and you'll be up against...

BOSS: Duel Maru
---------------

Duel Maru's difficulty is directly related to which Gundam you're 
using. Bakunetsumaru is going to have a rough time, Zero a little less, 
and Captain has it pretty easy. Duel Maru doesn't do a whole 
lot. He has Shadow mode in later fights, maybe in this one. Attackwise, he'll
generally just sidestep for a while, then pause, charge you and slash. 
Sometimes it's a three hit combo, other times it's just a single slash. As 
Bakunetsumaru, I found the best strategy to wait for him to attack, guard the 
attack, then lay into him. It takes a while, but you should be able to 
interrupt his combo, or at least hurt him more than he hurts you. You can 
try to dash around behind him, but you'll have to be careful, as his attacks 
hit a wide area.

Defeat him, and you'll have finished part I. Your Emblems will of course be 
tallied.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
C. Part II
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Things get a whole lot looser here,so I'll explain the format. The goal of 
part II is to destroy the three jamming devices located in Neotopia, Lacroa, 
and Ark. To get to the Jamming device, you'll have to go through two Areas. 
After you finish the first area (sans the boss), you'll be taken to the hub 
world. Here, you can enter into any of the three areas, you don't have to 
continue on the same place. There are a couple of important things to note 
here.

1) Selecting the same area that you came from will upgrade the level of the 
area. If you complete Lacroa Level C, and then go back to Lacroa, you'll be 
on Level B. Higher levels feature tougher enemies and, generally, larger 
blocks. While more difficult, the increased enemies will make it easier for 
you to gather blue orbs, and hence, earn new forms and higher levels faster 
than if you were to go to two level C areas.
2) The boss you will face is determined by the final area. IF you go to 
Ark twice, you will fight the Ark boss. If you go to Lacroa first, then go 
to Ark...you'll still fight the Ark boss. You'll fight the boss after going 
through two areas, regardless of level.

This part will be over when you defeat all three of the bosses. Note that you
may fight any one boss as many times as you like. This can be useful for 
gaining new forms. Whether it's better to grind out the new forms in this 
part or the next is debatable. You'll make less progress in this part, as 
you go to only two areas. On the other hand, because there are only two 
areas, you get to the guaranteed point sooner, and there's nothing quite so 
enraging as getting through two areas and then dying on the third block of 
the final area. It's your call. Note that if you're going to grind, I've 
found that Ark is the most beneficial, followed by Lacroa, trailed distantly 
by Neotopia. Your milage may vary, but I thought I'd throw that in there.

Another important thing you should keep in mind is that you recieve an item 
after every area (assuming you did somewhat decently), and you can only hold 
three items. so if you go through more than one stage with a Gundam, be sure 
to either use or put some items away before you leave. Your health doesn't 
regenerate, so you may need that Cake/Rice Ball/Health Drink.

The only real strategy I can give is to not waste too much time in the early
blocks so that you run out at the ending blocks. It's all for naught if 
time runs out. Even a Zako Zako emblem is better than losing all the progress
you've made.

Oh, and then there's boss strategies.....

Neotopia - Bit-Da-Elrello
-------------------------

A mismash of various Bit using UC mobile armors, Bit-Da-Elrello is cake. At 
the beginning of the battle, it will launch its bits which will hang out on 
the outskirts of the field. They will occasionally fire electricity balls at 
you, so you should watch for them and dash. Bit-Da-Elrello itself is 
capable of attacking with a large cannon, but it only does that occasionally. 
It's most common form of attack is simply to charge you. It will open up its 
claws slightly before it does this. Bit-Da-Elrello is actually immune from 
damage under normal circumstances. It's barrier must be broken first. 
Fortunately, it will break it's barrier when it hits the wall after charging 
you. Simply dash out of the way, and while it's stunned, unload upon the 
helpless boss. The Bits may still attack occasionally, so dodge them if you 
can, but they're not a huge threat. Once you deplete all its energy, Kuchi 
Kuchi will appear from the Bit-Da-Elrello. YOU MUST HIT KUCHI KUCHI WITH AN 
ATTACK TO FINISH THE BATTLE. Failure to do so will cause him to regenerate 
the Bit-Da-Elrello to full health. You have to do this to finish all the 
boss battles, actually. Don't let him get away!

---

Lacroa - Crystal-Da-Libra
-------------------------

Yes, it's based off of the superweapon of Wing, the Libra. Crystal-Da-Libra 
doesn't actually move onto the stage. It also only actually has two attacks. 
The first, it's most common one, is a two-parter. Crystal-Da-Libra will spin 
around the arena and Blue crystals will grow out of the stage. At the same 
time, purple crystals will fly in from the air and will sprout crystal 
'bloom's upon landing. This isn't TOO hard to avoid, but it may take some 
getting used to to follow Libra without taking too much damage. The second 
attack is a huge beam that shoots out strait in front of Libra. Libra will 
then spin around the field with the beam active. If you can move in a circle, 
you can EASILY avoid this attack, it even has a cutscene activation. Beating 
Libra is as simple as pounding on him when he stops moving. Once again, when 
his health is depleted, Kuchi Kuchi will appear. Smack him once to finish 
the battle.

---

Ark - Da-Rama-Dara
------------------

Da-Rama-Dara can be VERY easy and fast, or incredibly maddening. He has two 
sets of attacks. The first involves his bells growing spikes. They will then
either slide around the stage in an attempt to hit you, or they'll drop 
from above on your location. Because of this second attack, you'll need to 
be moving constantly. Eventually, the bells will lose their spikes and 
go dormant on the ground. At this point, you can start your assault and 
Da-Rama-Dama will begin his. Da-Rama-Dara has two attacks. The first is a 
pink stream of light that will come out of his mouth area and track you a 
little bit. Once it's done with it's first pass, it'll come back, so be 
aware. Beating Da-Rama-Dara is where the trick comes in. Your target is 
actually the four bells. Kuchi Kuchi is in one of them, and you have to 
find him. Once the spikes are gone, pick one and beat on it. It'll go down 
faster than a normal boss. Wait a second, and if you've picked the right 
one, then Kuchi Kuchi will appear. Smack him and the battle's over. That's 
what happened my first fight. If he's NOT there, then pick another bell and 
try again. If you pick three wrong ones (so that only the one he's in is 
left), he'll regenerate the other three. This is where it can get irritating. 
You've just got to get lucky.

---

Once you defeat all three of the Jamming Bosses, you'll be finished with 
Part II.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
D. Part III
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Part III doesn't add much new stuff, just the De'Scar road. The old areas are 
the same except that they're now composed of three areas instead of two. The 
bosses still sit at the end, however.

The De'Scar road is, surprisingly, as different as they claim it to be. It's 
also hard. Very hard. I strongly reccommend suiting up Captain Gundam in a 
form that works well from a distance (I used a Hyper mode Gunner Form). 
De'Scar road has three randomized blocks, just like the other areas. However, 
each block only has one room. Some large, some small. You'll hear a voice and 
a wave of enemies will appear. Defeat that wave of enemies, and a new wave 
will appear. Once you've defeated all the waves, the portal will appear. Step 
in and the block will end like normal. What makes this so difficult is the 
enemies are stronger, faster, and more resistent. They attack quickly and 
are harder to stun. The worst part about them, however, is that they explode 
into a heavily damaging green cloud of gas when they die. This makes it very 
hard to use Zero and Bakunetsumaru. Captain will face even more upgraded 
forms than normal, but he'll be able to stay back and pop shots off until the 
enemies are all dead. They are, still, mostly melee fighters. Once you get 
through the three blocks of De'Scar Road, you'll face the final battle.

Kuchi Kuchi
-----------

The Battle with Kuchi Kuchi has four parts, though two of them are very 
similar. For the first part, he'll split into four and you'll have to pick 
off the real one. The fakes dissappear with a single hit, so you should be 
able to find the real one with relative ease, especially with the Captain's 
Gunner form.

Defeating the first form will cause him to summon his Guardian Spirit. 
Kuchi Kuchi will then begin to spin around the arena. I know little of what 
the spirit can do, because I just blasted Kuchi Kuchi into oblivion. It 
doesn't take long, and he's not that hard of a target.

Part 3 is the same as part one, except that Kuchi Kuchi will retain his 
spin attack.

The final part combines the Duel Force into an invincible warrior. Literally.
It's invincible. Kuchi Kuchi is serious when he says it's impervious to all 
attacks. But Kuchi Kuchi isn't. Just change targets and blast Kuchi Kuchi. 
You'll need to dodge the Duel Force's attacks, but Kuchi Kuchi goes down 
pretty quickly.

---

Once you defeat Kuchi Kuchi, the form you were using (unless it's the 
Secret Form) will be upgraded to S Rank. 

Congratulations! You've just beaten SD Gundam Force: Showdown!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Block Interruptors
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Normally when you finish a block, you'll go right on to the next block. But 
sometimes special events will happen. These Interruptors can be a big boon 
when looking to unlock new forms by getting good emblems, so they're almost 
always a great thing.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A. Support Characters
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

After destroying 1, 2, and 3 (that's all of them) of the Jamming Bosses 
(note that beating the same boss twice doesn't count), Gunbike, Guneagle, 
and the Gundiver Team will be unlocked. They all have different effects, and 
you can have multiple effects on you at one time.

Gunbike - Gunbike will max out your special attack meter and make it MUCH 
easier to build up your special attack meter. Great for getting more blue 
orbs.

Guneagle - Nearly useless. Guneagle is an item ferrier. He starts with an S 
rank healing item for all three Gundams, and you can trade any items you want 
to with him. If you REALLY need that healing item, then great, or if you 
forgot to dump your items on shute before moving on, then once again, great, 
but since his appearance is random, well, he's not dependable.

Gundivers - The Gundivers increase your attack and defense power. They're 
a great site to see. Simple, but great.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
B. Dark Axis
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

At some point in part II when Shute calls you, he'll mention that the Dark 
Axis is active. So you'll need to deal with that when they come up. When they
interrupt, you'll have to fight the Big Zam. simple smashing its face in is 
pretty simple, but you will almost certainly take some damage. After you 
deplete its life, a missile will fire, and you'll have to guide it to hit the 
Big Zam. Simple. Once you do that, a new member of the Dark Axis will take 
over the Big Zam and you'll have to repeat it. When you've done it three 
total times, you'll have won.

As a reward, the emblem of the block immediately previous to the fight will 
be upgraded.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
C. Duel Battles
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Remember the Duel Force enemies? Well, here you'll fight them. The one you 
fight is based on the world you're in, not the character you're using. Captain
with Neotopia, Zero with Lacroa, and Maru with Ark.

Defeating the Duel Force will earn you an emblem upgrade.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
D. Extra Battles
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The best thing that could happen to you. Here, you'll be forced to fight 
against three essentially S rank enemies from the Area that you just went 
through. Yes, Extra Battles happen only at the end of the third block. The 
enemies don't tend to be too troublesome, and the reward is fantastic.

For clearing the Extra battle, all three of the emblems from that block will 
be upgraded.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Enemy List
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a listing of the enemies by area, and some strategies if I've fought 
them. Also, I'll make a note if they're the non-upgrading type.

==========Neotopia===========

Zako Soldier
------------
Melee attack, very weak. Try not to breath too hard on them.

Hy-Gogg Assasin
---------------
Faster than the Zako, they're mostly just annoying.

Gelgoog Sniper
--------------
They feature a long range attack, which earns them some priority.

Ballon Zock
-----------
Doesn't attack, gives a lot of Orbs. It may be orb farming time when you see 
one.

Cursed Gogg
-----------
They can only attack up close and are quite slow. Captain laughs at them, and
they're not much of a threat to Zero or Bakunetsumaru, either. They CAN be 
VERY hard to avoid if they reach level A, so...try not to let them.

Volt Acguy
----------
They attack with electric chain spikes, but they have short range and don't 
seem to be that good at judging the distance to you. Like, I've just stood 
there and had them miss.

Spin Adzam
----------
Very annoying, they'll rev up their blades then bounce around the room. 
Repeat ad naseum. You can take some damage from these guys.

Acgtank
-------
Even MORE annoying. This thing fires tracking rockets, and the rockets are 
actually quite accurate. Take these out as soon as you see them.

Gyan Commander
--------------
They didn't seem all that special to me.

Destroyer Kampfer
-----------------
Unloads his guns liberally, but doesn't really aim.


???
---

Bit-Da-Elrello
--------------
See the Part II boss strategies.


==========Lacroa==========

Pawn Leo
--------
Like the game says, as weak as the Zako. Well, maybe a tiny bit stronger at 
higher levels.

Maganac
-------
Kinda tough and annoying. They attack pretty suddenly.

Chief Maganac
-------------
Slightly different attacks, but essentially the same as the Maganac.

Pawn Aries
----------
Long Range, but long wind-up, too. Just get behind him.

Mage Taurus
-----------
Casts magic, which is easily avoided because a glyph appears on the ground 
where it will go off. Move away from where the glyph appeared.

Bishop Taurus
-------------
Essentially the same as the Mage Taurus.

Serpent Golem
-------------
Slow, but a decent range. Honestly, few of these ever appeared or where able 
to hit me.

Heavy Knight Virgo
------------------
Oddly enough, I can't remember ever actually having fought one of these. 
I think you need to get behind them.

Knight Scorpio
--------------
Tough little guy. It's a non-upgrader.

Master Merate
-------------
Has a lot of health and usually appears alone. Long wind-up limits his 
threat. Teleports around a lot. Non-Upgradable.

Mirror Tallgeese
----------------
Teleports, casts magic, and has some good sword combos. Take him seriously.

Crystal-Da-Libra
----------------
See the boss strategies in Part II.

=======Ark===========

Nobusshi
--------
They attack surprisingly fast with their bamboo spears. Higher level ones 
can be dangerous.

Zako Busshi
-----------
While not very powerful, they're notable because they have range and won't 
hesistate to fire.

Kairikimaru
-----------
Slow but powerful, you don't wnat to be hit by them, but that shouldn't be 
too hard to accomplish.

Vagabond Nobusshi
-----------------
While they do a lot of damage, they have a ton of wind-up for their attack. 
If you're paying attention, you shouldn't be hit by them.

Skullmaru
---------
A non-upgrader that teleports around the field and throws giant kunai at you.
They don't attack much, and really aren't that much of a threat even at 
higher levels.

Cannon Busshi
-------------
They fire long range explosives. You can dodge them without TOO much hassle, 
but it's better to just deal with them first.

Karakurimaru
------------
Attacks by winding up the windmill on its chest and firing out a gust of 
air. The windup is so long that you shouldn't be hit, though.

Phantom Moth
------------
They're small and hard to hit, but not a huge threat.

Fallen Warrior
--------------
They're very slow, but they do a ton of damage. Additionally, they're 
unstunnable, they'll just keep coming.

Minaret Saber
-------------
They sit still for a moment, then spin and fly around the area. Kinda 
dangerous.

Pesca Tengu
-----------
They're kind of fast, but I've found they tend to die pretty easily. 
Non-upgrade type.

Da-Rama-Dara
------------
See Strategies in Part II.

==========De'Scar Road===========

Zooloo
------
They attack FAST.

Zoolooati
---------
Supposedly an upgrade, I found them much easier.

Zooloodia
---------
Really, I couldn't tell much different between this one and the Zoolooati.

Shasha
------
They both move AND attack fast. I think they're the fastest moving enemy in 
the game.

???
---

???
---

???
---

Geekeng
-------
Turns himself into a wheel and charges you. By comparison, he's not that 
dangerous except on some block designs.

Jababa
------
I don't remember these being anything particularly special.

Gu-Zoola
--------
When mixed in with the smaller ones, and considering the explosions, these 
can be quite dangerous. Though again, considering the danger posed by the 
smaller ones, the gap isn't as big as it is in a place like Neotopia.


=======Other=========

Duel Captain
------------
See Part I strategies

Duel Zero
---------
See Part I strategies

Duel Maru
---------
See Part I strategies

Big-Zam
-------
See Dark Axis section of the Block Interruptors part.

Kuchi Kuchi
-----------
See Part III strategies.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Item List
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While this item list is incomplete, from what I can tell, all three 
characters have essentially the same items, though they have different names 
and apperences. Note that items are Gundam Specific, Zero cannot use 
Bakunetsumaru's and vice versa.

Also note that Items may come at multiple levels, higher levels being 
stronger, of course. The listing will be comparable to the Enemy List.

====Captain Gundam=======

Repair Kit
----------
Restores health.

Metallic Bomb
-------------
Damages all on screen enemies

???
---

???
---

???
---

Time Recover
------------
Refills some of the timer for the Area.

???
---

???
---

???
---


=====Zero, the Winged Knight=========

Sayla's Cake
------------
Restores Health

Skull Bomb
----------
Damages all enemies on screen

Gale Cloak
----------
Increases Attack and Speed.

Lacroan Rose
------------
Causes Special Attack to charge faster.

Chrono Crystal
-------------
Refills some of the timer for the Area.

Stone Slab
----------
Reveals the entire Block map.

???
---

Holy Wall
---------
Absorbs a few hits for you.

======Bakunetsumaru=======

Rice Ball
---------
Restores Health

???
---

Tengu Clogs
-----------
Increases Speed

???
---

Bamboo Clock
------------
Refills some of the timer for the Area.

???
---

???
---

???
---

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Secrets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While they aren't that many, there are some things to be aware of that you 
can unlock.

Sound Test
----------

Fill out the SDG report(that means getting all forms, beating all enemies, 
and getting all items) and the Mayor of Neotopia will appear to tell you that 
you've unlocked the sound test. Just save and you can access it from the 
options menu.

Secret Forms
------------

As long as Kao Lyn's machine is operational, you can turn your Gundams to 
their secret forms by inputting the proper code into the Translator Ball. The
code varies from Gundam to Gundam.


Captain Gundam - Circle, Square, Triangle, X, X, Triangle, Square, Circle, 
                 Triangle, Circle, Square, X

Zero - Triangle, Triangle, Circle, Circle, X, Square, X, Square, Circle, X, 
       Triangle, Square

Bakunetsumaru - Triangle, Circle, X, Triangle, Circle, X, Triangle, Circle, X,
                Triangle, Circle, Circle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Version History
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.25
9/24/2008

Typed up my current forms,the introduction, and the FAQ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.40
9/25/2008

Typed up the basics and the SDG HQ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.50
9/26/2008

Typed up Parts one and part of two of the walkthrough. Got the Paladin form 
for Zero and added it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.75
9/28/2008

Typed up Part III of the walkthrough and the enemies for Neotopia and Lacroa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 1.00
9/29/2008

Typed up the rest of the enemies (that I know of), the items I know, the 
Version History, Credits, and Closing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very little went into the making of this guide as is. A few to credit...

Me - I wrote the guide.
Asch the Hated - The Secret for unlocking the Sound Gallery
Conveniens - The Secret Form Codes
GameFly - Rented me the game.
Toonami - For getting me into Gundam in the first place.
CJayC - For founding my favorite website.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Closing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Normally, this is where I would opine about the difficult struggle it was to 
bring this guide to completion. But this isn't true here. The guide is 
sloppy and only really fully covers the walkthrough. There's missing 
information all over, and I doubt it'll be filled in by me any time soon. 
That said, I didn't go into this project trying to be the grandest guide 
around, I did it to fill a void. I think it does that quite well. If anyone 
wants to fill in the gaps, just e-mail them to me and I'll update them. I 
intend to return the game and so I doubt this will be updated, but I hope 
all six of you that read this find the guide helpful or interesting, at least.
Thanks for Reading.


                                                    Sincerely,
                                                          Luke Stevenson

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c)2008 Luke M. Stevenson