The slab revolver is one of the most powerful weapons in ULTRAKILL. However, it is quite difficult to obtain. It requires the activation of 4 different slabs – one for each level – in the second layer of the game, “Limbo.” While it may sound like a lot, in reality, it is truly not; this guide will show the instructions necessary to unlock this secret powerhouse of a weapon.
The written steps to unlock this weapon would be extensive and confusing, so here is a simple video tutorial on how to unlock the revolver.
This weapon, while slower then the basic revolver, can do a lot more damage and it can swiftly drain the enemies’ health. If the piercer slab revolver is paired with coins, it can take down large foes swiftly (if the shot is timed right, that is).
In ULTRAKILL, there is an extremely useful weapon called the “saw blade launcher.” This weapon is an alternate version of the nail gun; it’s alternate fire can shoot a metal pole, and primary fire shoots saw blades, which will spin around the pole rapidly, dealing massive amounts of damage to any unfortunate soul who happens to be in the way of the saws. Unlocking this weapon is fairly easy as well, and this guide will explain how to do just that.
First, travel to 4-4, and walk on those blue bounce pads near the entrance to be launched upwards. Once at the top of the hole, there will be a hallway to the left, a locked door in the middle, and a slightly cracked open door to the right. Walk up to the cracked open door, and there will be a skull on a pedestal.
Use the whiplash arm (the one obtained from fighting V2 the second time) to obtain the blue skull. Once done, aim the electric rail gun here as shown.
After firing, the sound of doors can be heard opening; return back to the locked door in the middle and it will be open. Proceed through, and the saw blade launcher can be found – along with another surprise (one that is best left unspoiled).
That is all it takes to unlock the special saw blade launcher in ULTRAKILL. While the process to unlock it is simple, it does not mean the weapon is weak – in fact, it is quite the contrary; the saw blade launcher is an incredibly powerful tool that can even be used to help cut down the mighty Minos Prime himself (a guide on how to beat him can be found here).
In the popular action indie game “ULTRAKILL,” there is a secret boss only accessible when the Prelude and Act I are P-ranked. This boss is known as “Minos Prime,” who is an extremely difficult boss who utilizes moves reminiscent of a character in a fighting game. Many people have trouble beating him, as he has a ton of health, his attacks can be devastating, his attacks are quick, and there are only brief periods you can gain back health. However, there are a few tricks one can use to beat Minos, without having to reset hundreds of times.
First, before the legendary battle with Minos, you must defeat his prison, the Flesh Prison. This foul “creature” can utilize a variety of attacks in order to defeat you quickly. However, this creature is not too difficult to defeat; if he sends out blue orbs after you, either slide or dash around the arena to avoid them. On his light pillar attacks, simply get out of it’s radius before it activates in order to not get hit. It will also send out a black hole, similar to the Corpse of King Minos. The best way to deal with this and to not get most of your health taken away is to always keep an eye on it, and quickly run away once it gets near. Also, you may notice the small “orbs” that float around the Flesh Prison – these orbs can damage you, but pose little threat. However, if you don’t deal with them quickly, they start to heal the Flesh Prison when the green bar under the boss health bar reaches 0, so it is best to use explosives, a rail gun, or shooting coins to take them out. To deal plenty of damage to the Flesh Prison, try using the saw blade launcher (which you can obtain in 4-4 in Act 2), shooting a pole into him using right-click, and shooting a bunch of saws at him. They will spin around the pole, constantly hitting the Flesh Prison, dealing tons of damage. Once you finally kill the abomination, Minos Prime will be freed, and he will give a dramatic speech – right before you start one of the most dramatic and legendary fights in the game.
To kill Minos Prime himself, it is best to follow these tips:
Whenever he attempts to punch you, spam the slide button and move to the left or right. Spamming the slide button will allow you to gain some speed, allowing you to outmaneuver him when he attempts to attack you; however, this will not work with all attacks, as some will require special movement to survive.
When Minos yells “Judgement!,” dash right before the explosion hits you. Dashing provides a brief moment of invincibility, so dashing when the explosion hits you will allow you to come out unscathed. If it is too difficult to time the dash right, try spamming the dash key instead, to increase your chances of being undamaged by the explosion.
When he announces “Die!” or “Crush!,” immediately dash away and jump up. When he says either of those lines, it means he is in the air and is about to crash into the ground, creating a shock wave that will damage you. While the shock wave itself can be avoided by just jumping, he will still attempt to crash into you, dealing damage, so the best thing to do is to dash to avoid the slam itself, and to remain in the air or jump to avoid the shock wave.
When his body starts glowing yellow, be prepared to parry. This is possibly one of the most important tips; a glowing yellow body means that he will launch a yellow snake that will swiftly fly towards you and hit you, dealing some damage. However, this can be parried, restoring all your health, but it may be difficult to time properly, and he may launch it when he’s far from you or directly next to you. Also, once Minos reaches half health, he will become more relentless in his attacks, providing less opportunities for you to attack while he is “out of stamina,” or in other words, not attacking you and simply walking towards you.
Use the saw blades. Luring Minos into the saw blades can help deplete his health quickly, so it is best to place them down when he is regenerating stamina (a guide on how to unlock this weapon can be found here).
Use the slab revolver. You can obtain it by finding all 4 slabs in the “Limbo” layer (a guide on how to do so can be found here); the revolver itself is extremely powerful, and the piercing version of the revolver can be charged up and shot at Minos, dealing a decent amount of damage and regenerating most of your health. However, if you do not have access to it, the overheating version of the nail gun can be used to regenerate health quickly as well.
This concludes the short list of tips to beat Minos; while they don’t go in-depth, this information is incredibly useful for taking down the legendary Minos Prime.
Credits: The article’s thumbnail is from a YouTube Video Thumbnail; it can be found here.
(Image credit goes to the official Steam page and the owners of it. I do not own this image, and no copyright infringement is intended.)
ULTRAKILL, a high octane DOOM-like game, is possibly one of the most intense games out there. It features powerful weapon combinations, outstanding movement mechanics, and more. Overall, it’s a fantastic game; however, there is just one problem: while it isn’t overly difficult, if you are attempting to get a high rank on each level, including the prestigious P-rank, you may encounter a bit of trouble. After all, P-rank is the highest rank you can get on a level, and in order to get it, you must not only kill all the enemies within a narrow window of time, but you must not die and you must have a high “style” count. If you find this task too difficult, perhaps it’s because you’re not going fast enough, you have trouble finding all the enemies, your score isn’t high enough, or you simply aren’t killing efficiently enough. Here are some tips and tricks to resolve those problems, and get you one (or several) steps toward the legendary P-rank.
Learn how to parry attacks. It may be difficult, but try to practice hitting attacks with your blue fist (not the red one) right as the attack connects with you; not only will it deal extremely high damage back to the target, but the parry will also restore most of your health. Generally, any attack that looks like it can be parried, can be parried (even the drone dive-bomb), so try and parry any attacks you can. It’ll help you kill more enemies and keep you alive long enough to continue the level. Even if you find parrying attacks practically impossible, that doesn’t mean you can’t get P-rank, but it does mean you’ll have to get a bit more creative with how you take down enemies.
Coin flips can be utilized with the Railgun. One of the revolver’s abilities allows you to flip a coin in the air; when shot, it will reflect to the nearest enemy, dealing extra damage. Not only can it be hit with the charge-up pistol ability, but it can also be shot with the Railgun. Simply pull out the Railgun right as you flip the coin and shoot the weapon, and the beam will automatically hit any nearby enemies, causing tremendous damage. This can clear out large groups and take down large enemies, allowing you to complete the level quicker and getting you closer and closer towards P-rank.
Speed can be quickly gained by sliding + jumping, and then repeating the process. By sliding and immediately jumping, you are able to quickly gain speed, which is then transferred on to the next slide. You can then keep repeating the process to go faster and faster, allowing you to reach high speeds and complete a level much quicker.
The Rocket Launcher can be used to give you a quick boost of speed. The rocket launcher is an interesting weapon; if you don’t hit an enemy, it’ll launch nearby enemies within the AoE into different directions, and if it’s right below them, expect the enemy in question to go flying into the air. The explosive properties of the weapon only kick in once you actually hit an enemy; therefore, if you aim the rocket launcher behind you, you’ll get a nice boost to your momentum without taking any damage from an explosion. This can allow you to practically soar down long hallways you would otherwise have to run through, saving you a lot of time.
Try to kill every enemy in style. You can do this in a multitude of ways, like parrying an enemy, shooting a coin that you flipped, or killing an enemy while in the air; in fact, you can probably find an extensive list online, if you so wish. It is recommended that you try sliding or jumping as regularly as you can, as you can get a point multiplier (up to 3x) if you do so, allowing you to earn a ton more points. Also, try not to use one gun too much, as it’s own boost will go down slowly, from “fresh” to “used” to “stale” and so forth. Therefore, try to switch weapons constantly, as keeping the “fresh” status on a weapon will give you a 1.5x boost to style points. Overall, make sure to regularly slide/jump/switch weapons to earn a plethora of points.
Unlock the slab revolver from Layer 1, “Limbo.” The slab revolver is an alternate style for the base revolver; this weapon is absolutely devastating, and can be used to take down huge enemies with ease. Obtaining it on one’s own can prove to be difficult, as you must find several secret “slabs” just to unlock the weapon. A guide on how to do so can be found here.
Use the shotgun parry. If you parry with your blue fist and shoot your shotgun (both shotgun types work) at the same time, you will be able to “parry” your own bullets. These parried bullets will explode on contact with an enemy, so these can be used to take down groups of enemies, or even big enemies, with ease.
Listen to the music. This may sound odd, but listening to the soundtrack of the game can help you determine if there are still enemies alive in a room; after all, they’ll sometimes get stuck on something. If the music seems intense, there’s likely one or more enemies nearby, so try flipping a coin into the air and firing it, as the reflected shot will target any enemies nearby automatically. If that doesn’t work, try moving around while still shooting the coins, as some enemies may be hiding behind a wall that the reflected shot can’t get through. If the music seems calm, all enemies in the room are likely dead, but if you don’t feel sure, try reflecting a shot into the room anyway.
Try doing a practice run through a level before attempting to P-rank the level. This may seem simple, but learning the layout of the level is crucial in getting P-rank. Some levels contain puzzles in order to progress, and if you don’t know how to solve them, your time will quickly increase, and you will not be able to finish the level with a P-rank, regardless of what you do. However, if you complete the level once (or twice) just to figure out your surroundings, you’ll know what to do and where to go on your P-rank attempt, and you will most likely be successful (at least in terms of time).
This guide is by no means a thorough guide that covers every aspect and every mechanic of this game, but by following these tips, you’ve already increased your chances of getting P-rank in ULTRAKILL.
Risk of Rain 2 is a roguelike third-person shooter developed by Hopoo Games and published by Gearbox Publishing in March of 2019. Though the game is over 3 years old, and it was only made by three people (four if you count the amazing composer, but we’ll get to that later), that doesn’t mean it’s a game to scoff at; as a matter of fact, this game has better reviews overall then some of the triple A game studios who have hundreds of developers working for it. However, you may be asking yourself: “What makes the game so special?” “What are the device specifications for it?” “What are some tips that can help me out?” Don’t worry, this article is here to clear up those questions and more regarding the popular roguelike.
Gameplay
Before we talk about the gameplay, we must first establish what exactly a “run” in the context of this game is, as we’ll be using it a lot in this article. A “run” is defined as starting up the game and playing until you win or die; in either case, the game will reset, allowing you to start a new run. Typically, each run is around 30-40 minutes, but it can vary depending on how fast you go. Now, the gameplay itself usually consists of killing a monster, getting gold from the monster, using it to open chests, grabbing a random item from that chest, activating a teleporter which spawns a boss, kill the boss, and move on to the next map (or “stage,” as it is called in this game) until you reach the final boss.
This may sound easy, but let me assure you, it is NOT. As the game progresses, the difficulty will increase, which means you must act quickly to obtain items and move on; however, if you go too quickly, you won’t have enough items to tackle the next stage, leaving you weak. On top of that, the game also has a separate set of difficulties which determine how quickly the run’s difficulty go up. These difficulties range from “drizzle,” which makes the game’s difficulty go up slowly, all the way to “monsoon,” which makes the game’s difficulty go up very quickly. Personally, I would recommend the difficulty “rainstorm” to a beginner, as it is the “normal” difficulty of this game; it’s not easy like drizzle, and not overwhelming like monsoon.
Review
Some believe that due to the high difficulty, Risk of Rain 2 can’t be fun. However, if you thought that, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. The difficulty of this game actually makes the game more fun; not only are you always on your toes and trying to determine if you should risk it or play it safe, but overcoming the huge challenges presented in this game (like finally getting past a specific stage) gives you an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, and it always keeps you coming back.
It isn’t just the difficulty, though, that makes this game so good. There are plenty of other things going for this game. If I were to go over every single detail that makes this game what it is, though, it’d probably be over 10 pages. Therefore, here is a list (that’s still quite lengthy) full of major details that make this game so fantastic:
The multitude of characters presented means that there’s always going to be a character that fits someone’s playstyle perfectly; not only that, but the unlock-able abilities almost all the characters have means that you can play your favorite character in a completely new way.
Most games attempt to make the player just as powerful as the enemy in order to prevent the player from getting too bored from how easy it is, or in order to prevent the player from feeling like they are getting steamrolled by the immense difficulty. Risk of Rain 2 does not do that at all; you can be as weak as you want, yes, but if you get enough good items/get a set of items that work extremely well together, you can be as powerful as you want. In some cases, you can stand perfectly still, and everything around you instantly dies. This game allows you to play how you want to play, and that alone offers infinite replayability and it gives the player a chance to be as creative as they want.
The soundtracks (which are made by the composer, Chris Christodoulou) are extremely well made. In fact, I find myself looking them up on YouTube (and Chris does upload them to YouTube, by the way) just to listen to them, due to how fantastic they are.
Loot and enemy spawns aren’t just randomly done; instead, it’s up to a set of “Directors,” which not only decide what loot spawns where (and how many chests are on one stage), but the enemy spawns are completely random, and you will not see the same enemies spawn in the same spots (and even in the same order) over and over again on each run. This ensures every run is completely different, and that the replayability of Risk of Rain 2 is practically infinite.
If you find that you are doing extremely well on one run, you can decide to “loop” your run. This means, on stage 5, you change the teleporter’s destination, and when you activate it, it will teleport you back to stage 1. However, you will still keep your items, the difficulty will not reset, and some enemies will start spawning with different abilities (like being able to stop you from regenerating if you get near them).
The final boss fight is very well made, but he is extremely powerful if you don’t know how to avoid his moves; however, finally killing him and leaving the planet is probably the most rewarding experience this game has to offer, and the experience alone is definitely worth the price of 25 bucks this game has.
If you get bored of the main content, there’s a DLC available for this game, which offers new variations for stages, more enemies, more items, two new characters, a new item rarity and a second final boss. While it’s a bit more unfair then the base game, it’s still a DLC that is worth the purchase.
I can’t think of a single bad thing to say about this game; even the bugs, which plague most new games today, are either nonexistent here or so small that they are unmemorable. All in all, this is an excellent game worth the purchase, and it’s an easy 9.5/10.
PC Requirements
This game can run pretty smoothly on a PS4, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. However, if you have a PC, you should know the system requirements this game needs before getting started. Here are the requirements (which are pulled from “Steam,” the site where you can easily purchase this game on PC):
You don’t need to know what this all means; all you need to do is compare your current system to the system requirements that are recommended. To figure out if your system meets the system requirements, you must first go to your settings, go to “system,” then to “about,” and some of the details should be listed. What is missing, however, is the storage and “graphics.” The storage is easy to find; just click on the folder application and click on “This PC,” and it should pop up. To find the “graphics,” type “Device Manager” into your device’s search bar, click on the application that pops up, click on the arrow next to “Display adapters,” and what pops up is going to be your graphics. Simply cross-check what you have to what is required, and then you’ll figure out if your PC can run this game.
I wouldn’t suggest buying this game on PC if your system requirements don’t meet the recommended requirements. Even if they are better then the minimum requirements, you may experience frequent frame rate drops and crashes. Therefore, I would suggest either not getting the game, upgrading your PC, or playing it on console (which is what I would recommend, if you have one).
Important Tips
I’ve made a list of some important tips that every player should know before (or maybe even after) they hop into this game.
There is a “5 minutes per stage rule” that is followed by many players, and it was created by the popular Risk of Rain 2 YouTuber “Woolie” (his YouTube is linked here, and the specific video I reference is linked here). However, this “5 minutes rule,” as it is called, is a bit controversial; many people have their own opinions on how much time one should spend. Therefore, I would recommend starting with 5 minutes per stage, and as you go, you can find the perfect time per stage that suits you. If you’re new, don’t worry about taking a little longer then usual; use this as time to practice.
If you find the game too difficult (or possibly too easy), there’s a mechanic in the game that makes the game easier (or harder): Artifacts. By going to stage 5, and jumping into a hole in the map, you’ll find a platform with a portal, a computer, and nine small barrels in the ground. You can activate these barrels to produce different shapes; if you get the right combination of shapes, the portal will open. Once this happens, you will have to do a trial, and once you complete it, the artifact will be given to you and your run will loop. There are multiple other resources online with the exact codes you need to activate these artifacts; now, the artifacts themselves can range anywhere from allowing you to choose your own items (making the game easier), all the way to creating an evil copy of yourself, items included, to relentlessly hunt you down (and this makes the game harder, of course).
If you get enough items, and activate the teleporter fast enough, the boss that spawns in probably won’t be very difficult. Therefore, it’s good to work carefully, yet quickly, in order to complete a stage.
You should try and complete the challenges presented in the logbook; these will unlock items which will be available in future runs in chests. These items can help your chances of success skyrocket.
Experiment with your character and find what items work best with them. There are many guides on the internet, but guides don’t typically take into consideration your playstyle, so experimenting is the best route to go down.
This game is definitely a must for anyone who likes a challenge (that has a decent PC or a console).
Resources: The image used in this article was found at Wikipedia, and the image used in the article preview was found at Fandom, No copyright infringement is intended, and I own none of these images.
