Deep Sea Break-In
| Cartel Stage 1: Deep Sea Break-In | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deep Sea Break-In is the first Box Cartel stage in Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level. Like Outer Space in Make a Good Mega Man Level 2, it is an auto-scrolling shoot-em-up stage that sees Mega Man riding Pike the submarine and fighting through hordes of enemies under the ocean to reach the Cartel Hideout. Unlike the former stage, though, it isn't merely an enemy gauntlet, as there are spikes, walls, and indestructible hazards to steer Pike around; additionally, each enemy is the same every time, instead of being randomly generated. While riding Pike, Mega Man can fire two Charge Shots at once, with one moving backwards to hit enemies from behind, though he can still use (almost) all of his Special Weapons.
Strategy
Charging the Mega Buster whenever possible is wise since Pike cannot turn around, meaning the backwards Charge Shot is the only reliable way of attacking enemies behind Mega Man. Despite Pike's large size, Mega Man himself acts as the submarine's hitbox, so he should be the focus when steering past obstacles. For the first minute of the level, Pike swims through small caverns with winding passageways, with the most common enemies being Shrinks that chase the submarine through terrain. Also present are Super Cutter Revenges and Presses that act as traps, though Pike's free range of movement makes it easy to move past them. Midway through the first section, Vs start rising up from spots on the bottom, acting as vertical hazards; with little means of attacking them directly, they should be avoided. Eventually, the autoscroll stops at a green Dachone, flanked on either side by shielded Wall Blasters. It serves as a pseudo mini-boss, having 16 HP over the usual 5, and to proceed, it must be destroyed. If need be, the Flame Mixer can damage it while blocking the many shots, or the Rain Flush or Beat can ignore the Reflect Blocks to take out the Wall Blasters.
Destroying the Dachone leads to a checkpoint and resumes the autoscroller, though it now scrolls straight down. For this section, maneuvering Pike past Super Cutter Revenges, Presses, and spike-laden passages is more important than fighting enemies. These spikes aren't lethal, but still do sizeable damage on contact. Partway through is a spike-riddled area next to a group of cutters, containing five E-Tanks and an M-Tank. Though it appears impossible to access, Mega Man's hitbox in Pike is just small enough to squeeze through, allowing him to grab most of them. This vertical area comes to a close much quicker than the first area, with another Dachone locking the camera at the bottom. This one has less effective enemy support, but there are more spikes and thus less safe space to move around in.
The autoscroller moves right once more as Pike swims through a large cave, the metallic green bulkheads of the Cartel Hideout gradually replacing the rocks and coral. Green-tinted enemies start appearing, which fire an aimed bullet at Mega Man upon death. Though this creates extra shots to avoid, killing these enemies is often necessary or simply more practical than keeping them alive. As passages become increasingly tighter to navigate and enemies attack from inaccessible spots, the Flame Mixer remains handy in blocking shots and quickly killing enemies that come close, allowing Mega Man to concentrate on avoiding the spikes and invincible traps. Eventually, after a third non-mini-boss Dachone shielded by Reflect Blocks, and a final V spawner, Pike will reach a quiet part of the stage devoid of enemies. It is here, however, that the level's boss, Sea King: The Aftermath, makes its dramatic entrance.
Notes
- Deep Sea Break-In was initially conceived as a "Stage 0" that preceded the Cartel Hideout itself, just like Outer Space. Once the number of fortress stages was lowered over development, however, it became the official Stage 1.
- While the Tengu Blade can be used like normal, the dash function specifically is disabled for the entire level.
- All enemy drops in Deep Sea Break-In have their gravity disabled, causing them to float in place.
- Like the entries, Deep Sea Break-In was designed around a specific box of enemies and gimmicks, although it isn't possible to see said box in-game.
| Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level - Cartel Hideout | |
|---|---|
| Stages | |
| Deep Sea Break-In • Hydrothermal Layer • Pandora's Parlor | |
| List of Bosses | |
| Sea King: The Aftermath • Shinsopod What! & Shinkhangel Where! • Kamikamin • Dockalocker • Blocky • Square Machine | |
| Final Boss | |
| Don Atetemino | |
