Kero Blaster - Original Game Boss Rush in 1'12"30 by GIRakaCHEEZER

Well, that ain't bad at all, now, is it? Enjoy.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 28 of 28

I'm still trying to figure out what kind of ending this is.

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel

Holy cow, the Kuro Blaster just tears through the mid-boss. While you may not be able to use it efficiently against the end boss, though, you'll still be able to easily tear through it with your now-upgraded weapons.

Stage 4: White Laboratories

Drop down the pit at the beginning and destroy the wall to the right with fire. You're now in the third glitch area, where the floors are lined with work and glitched-out birds fly by. Stay on the muddy floor so that you don't get killed at the bottom, and make your way to the right. Nothing like glitch trains that fire moles and ground that hurts when you land on it.

Head to the right once you make it out of the elevator, and destroy the dresser enemies. You'll then go through a bunch of doors followed by a walk through a cutscene and a glitched out resort. If you see four enemies try to fly around you in circles, that's a glitched-out version of the final boss. GET OUT OF THERE!

The third Kuro Blaster power-up is on the beach if you want it. Head to the right and you'll see an interesting in-game character roll call that looks like it's straight out of a late-1970s/early 1980s crime drama like T.J. Hooker or something. You'll then head back to the title screen.

By the way, if you die in a glitch area, you end up in a glitch hospital where you get woken up by a talking phone that sounds like the president.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 27 of 28

Now that we are in Omake Mode, we can get the Kuro Blaster again!

Stage 1: Hinterland Fort

(continued)

The Kuro Blaster really works wonders on the boss here.

Also, instead of a stack of work, you have to destroy negativus legatia-type creatures to open the teleporters.

Stage 2: Greenery Zone

The stage is the same as ever, but you now that little gray guy who acts as a platform slowly walking back and forth. Once again, the Kuro Blaster is totally overpowered.

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel

Now that you have the jetpack, fly to the right at the beginning. Jetpack to the right, then approach the blue shopkeep. You'll drop down a shaft, then you'll be in an empty room. Head to the right. You're in another glitch area.

Keep heading to the right. You'll be dealing with a multitude of hazards, such as snowballs and platforms that seem solid but aren't. When you reach the area with the green background, drop into the hole on the right. From there, head to the right and talk to the other shopkeep. He'll keep uttering the same Japanese character over and over again. You'll drop down to a store. Go the right. Fight off the glitch wind as you climb to the top and then head to the right. Shoot down the yellow squares to get the second Kuro Blaster icon and upgrade it, then go to the right to return to the title screen.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 26 of 28

Now it's time for New Game Plus mode...again!

Stage 1: Hinterland Fort

Yes, you can get the Kuro Blaster in Omake Mode. It is New Game Plus for Zangyou Mode after all.

Remember the bridge in the the second section? If you've gotten the Fire weapon upgraded enough to break the discolored parts of the bridge with the shield, you'll be able to go under the bridge and into a very dark area located underneath the skeleton. You'll need to add to your maximum health if you plan to go down there, as it's made to look glitchy on purpose and the sound is reminiscent of the hum of an Atari 2600 game. After dealing with enemies that glitch out, very small platforms, a floating mole, black backgrounds, an empty safe and a chest containing one coin (among other things), you'll make it into a glitched out office building. Go left, use the jetpack to go up and move further to the left to get the Level 1 Kuro Blaster.

Go all the way to the left to exit the area, and the game. You'll have the Kuro Blaster when you restart.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 25 of 28

We have finally beaten the boss! 

When you finally beat the large flying salesman head, the head will explode and split into several salesman. You'll then see a bunch of those black creatures sleeping. Keep making your way to the right, and make sure you don't fall into a pit. You'll eventually come across a platform with a table. A red phone will materialize on it. Pick up the phone.

Back at OXOX Commerce, someone will wake up to the sound of the phone. The work turns black and white before disappearing. The frog wakes up outside of the power station, and heads off, avoiding the media as they want to question him.

Back at the resort, the item salesman apologizes for all the trouble caused, and that everything is back to normal. The president voices her opinion on the Work Producing Machine, the frog returns, and everyone is finally able to relax.

After the ending, if you press a button several times, the item salesman will ask if you were satisfied with your playthrough. Say no and you'll play Omake Mode, which is the Zangyou Mode's New Game Plus mode. You're back to yellow, and you have no money and only one hit point, but you get to keep all of your weapons.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 24 of 28

The mastermind behind the work producing machines is finally revealed!

Stage 7: Destination

(continued)

Apparently you can stand on the front edge of the boss and do some major damage. You'll more than likely take damage from doing this, but it's worth sacrificing a hit or two to deal some major destruction.

When you beat the boss, a couple of those black creatures pop out of the explosion and flee. Follow them outside.

Section 13 leads back outside. If you can pull off a nice wrap-around jump at the beginning, you can get the 1-up here. Be on the lookout for floating black spheres with blue auras through this and future sections of the stage, as they aggressively fly at you when shot and can also split into two. You may get a bunch of coins from one of them when that happens.

To enter Section 14, get on top of the stack of work on the left at the end of Section 13 and jump straight up. You'll be in the air as you enter the next section. Jump up with the jetpack and you can grab the ladder. There are green platforms that move back and forth as well as light brown enemies that stick to the wall and shoot at you.

Section 15 has a much darker sky. This leads to Section 16, where you'll meet the black creatures, the Work Production Machine salesman...and the salesman's manager. The salesman flies away, and you'll hear the manager taking an order. When he hangs up, he faces you, his clothes torn and his soul a shadow of his former self. It's the boss of OXOX Commerce.

The OXOX Commerce manager will soon be hanging on strings, shooting blobs with sea green auras at you while surrounding himself with spinning shields. Those shields then converge into one big one that he shoots at you. He then flies to the other side, shooing out spinning projectiles that stay in place. Shoot down as many as you can (and get the coins if you can, too), and avoid the ones you can't destroy when they turn red and are sent straight at you. From there, he repeats the pattern. When the OXOX Commerce manager is defeat, he changes from black to green and falls unconscious as the strings disappear. He then falls asleep as desks and cabinets fall into a stack leading into the sky. Jump up the stack to climb a ladder leading to an office in a black cloud. It's the Work Production Machine salesman. He speaks to you in the same manner as the President, then it's time to fight.

Keep shooting at the salesman at the start, then he'll turn around and download an enemy. Watch the monitor to see what he sends at you. When his back is turned, you can't hurt him. 

The black creatures with red eyes jump around. Take down as many as you can before he turns around, then hit the salesman again.

The pot hanging off a spring sends down pots from the ceiling. Some of them contain fish that leap out.

The spiked pufferfish are indestructible. Use the platforms that pop out of the ground to avoid them.

The large black creatures with the red eyes and mouth will come at you, and also jump up towards the ceiling when you try to jump over them, attempting to hit you in the process.

When you beat the salesman, he'll fly away and you'll follow him on a floating platform. He now has red eyes and wings. He will make four clones of himself. Avoid them as they come at you, and damage them as much as you can. Remember, you only have a few platforms to land on up here, so be careful.

The platforms will then be in the center. The four salesmen will then circle you, shooting projectiles at you. Shoot upwards while avoiding these projectiles, and you'll eventually take three of them down. The last one remaining will circle the screen fast, tossing document shurikens at you that you can also shoot down. After enough damage, you'll beat the salesman...but it's not over yet.

You're now in an auto-scrolling segment with flying salesman heads that fly at you but also fall asleep when you kill them. You'll be fighting a large flying salesman head surrounded by black telephone. Shoot at the head, and whenever you come across a blue telephone on a platform, pick up that phone to take down one of the black telephones surrounding the boss, making it more open to attack. Watch out for the black telephone projectiles, the small flying salesman heads and the laser beams that can come out of the boss' eyes.

If you die on this part of the stage, you're doing the entire battle with the salesman all over again. Be careful.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 23 of 28

If you game over on Stage 7, you'll be told if you want to continue by a blue trash bag. If you shoot the blue trash bag and the surrounding work after selecting "Yes," you'll meet the item guy. If you have the cash, go get some health upgrades if you need them.

Oh, and the big hearts refill three hits.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 22 of 28

After six stages, we reach a new destination, but it's not over yet...

Stage 6: Train Station

(continued)

When you reach the end of the train station, leap on the cart being pushed by the birds to start the next boss battle. Turns out, the birds on the pushcart are penguins, and the clock boss now has a TV monitor for a head. Even though you're on the smaller pushcart instead of the much larger train, this guy fights somewhat similar to the original version of this boss...except you'll have to move under him while it's in the air and you'll have to jump over it when it charges at you. Be careful moving left and right, because the penguins aren't exactly the best at tracking your horizontal movement.

Avoid or shoot down the gears it shots down, move underneath it when it jumps to the other side, and jump over it while avoiding the projectiles the birds hoots out while it charges back to the left. Keep shooting this thing in the face to do damage.

At half health, the boss' face turns pink. When that happens, you'll see a new attack: the boss shooting gears that then act like boomerangs as the boss moves away. Shoot down the gears before they return your way.

After the battle, you'll get a cutscene with the cat, Pink and the President at the resort. Apparently the cat thought you would be here by now. A news report comes in: the work producing machine is now wreaking havoc at the nearest substation, and the black creatures are taking over the Work Producing Machine, which has now come to life! The electricity goes out...

Stage 7: Destination

Stage 7 is now a brand new stage. Instead of appearing back at the office, you'll reach the resort.

If you can get on the roof at the start and go all the way to the left, you can get the 1-Up located there. Also, the nearby trash bag contains a coin. Shooting down the seagull nets you 10 coins.

In the second section, you'll meet a bunch of white enemies that look like frog heads that make a lot of noise as they jump around. Thankfully, it doesn't take much to destroy them. If you keep to the top route with your jetpack, you can go right and get over 300 coins!

In the third section, you'll meet the penguin pushcart again. Get on, and shoot down whatever you can so you don't take a lot of damage. Be ready for those jumps! You can continue to take the pushcart to the seventh section if you wish.

The fourth section has fish leaping up from under the bridge trying to hit you. The fifth section has a 1-Up underneath the bridge. These two sections have a lot of fish that you'll have to contend with if you take the lower level. The sixth section has a shop. The seventh section has these spider-tank enemies that will shoot out lightning as well as their own eyes, with the eyes going up at a really high angle before coming down. If you can shoot down the eyes successfully, you can sometimes get 50 coins from one.

The seventh section has dragon enemies that slowly move up from the water and shoot fireballs into the air. (If you've taken the lower path in the fifth section, you've probably met this enemy already.) You can shoot them anywhere to get rid of them.. Also, there have been seagulls since the third section, some that just fly to one side and others that drop stuff at you. Be sure to look under the water for some more gold.

The eighth section is the resort entrance. The box enemies here can shoot homing projectiles at you, so keep an eye on the sky for any projectiles if they peep out to shoot any.

The ninth section goes further into the resort. At this point, the box enemies are out and about in much greater numbers. If you've upgraded the fire weapon at least twice, the flame shield will be able to protect you.

The tenth section leads into a building. Before you destroy the cabinet enemy, jump onto it, leap up and go right. Go all the way to the right to find a hidden ladder. Climb up it for a neat treasure stash before entering the next section, which leads to the substation.

The twelfth section is you versus the Work Production Machine. If you have the Lazer Uzi, you'll be able to do a lot of damage. Shoot at the claws, and don't let them or the balls the machine shoots out hit you. When you do enough damage to the claws, they fall to the ground and become spikes in the next phase.

For the next phase, the machine will shoot out books from its top. Shoot at its mouth when it is opened, and watch where the books are going so you can avoid them. Avoid or shoot the blue books that come out of its mouth.

For the third phase, the armor will be blown off. Shoot at the black mass to damage. Double-jump over it when it charges at you, and avoid or shoot down the books that drop from the ceiling. You cannot damage the boss when it is red and charging. Run under it when it jumps towards you. Watch out for its homing projectiles that bounce off the floor, too. and make sure you have the flamethrower equipped so it also produces a shield when you shoot so you can instantly deal with them. Also, the claws that act as floor spikes from the last phase will be wiped out when the boss charges into them.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 21 of 28

We've finally caught up to the bad guys, but we've got to take the train again.

When you beat the boss of Heichi Plateau and enter the teleporter, one of the black creatures that follows the Work Production Machine guy around goes in with you. Hmmmm...

When you make it back, you'll find out that overtime is over. However, the cat still finds some work. The cat finds out it's from OXOX Commerce, and as he looks at it, the frog notices the black creature and chases it to the teleporter. The creature makes it to the switch first and sends the frog to the Train Station.

Stage 6: Train Station

You can jump on the rubber duck that you land on at the beginning of the stage to move it around.

Watch out when you begin the stage. Look around carefully to see where you can go next, and watch out for the floating negativus legatia enemies that blend in with the walls. Thankfully, you can see their eyes. Watch out for the red drops that come down from the ceiling, as they can damage you.

The platforms in the third section fall away when you step on them, and only the small squares stay put. Take your time on these platforms.

Go left when you enter the water in the beginning of the fourth section to find a 1-Up.

You'll face a boss in the fifth section. The boss here is a giant robotic flan covered in armor. There are platforms that lower every so often, and they will help you get to the top of the metallic flan and destroy the small flan creature at the top of it. Kill that off, then shoot at the flan itself when its armor open, and avoid or shoot down its projectiles.

Near the end of the sixth section, you'll find a hidden 1-Up just under the exit. Also, the chains act as barriers to the sparks that move around here.

The seventh section is a shop entrance.

The eighth section leads you back outside. There are parts of the ceilings in the train cars where you can jump onto the tops of the trains, and there are more of those black flying creatures with the blue eyes.

The ninth section is the inside of the train station. Shoot at the lockers in the walls to get some major cash, and even a 1-Up. Also, the chains acting as barriers that keep the sparks moving around in a specific area now remind me of World 7-2 from Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic so much it's not even funny.

The tenth section has a guy throwing ticket punch and leads to the train itself.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 20 of 28

It's time to face the negativus legatia boss again...

Stage 5: Heichi Plateau (continued)

The tenth section is another expansive room. Make a beeline for the upper-left corner for 138 coins. Then, make your way to the upper-right, and destroy everything with fire if you need to.

You can knock the snow platforms off by bumping them from underneath with your head.

The eleventh section is a windy section. The wind will be blowing with you instead of against you, and while this helps with the jumping over the pits with the jetpack, this also leads to blocks being blown around from the left-hand side as well as the TV enemies also coming at you from the left-hand side.

The twelfth section is even more of this, but with negativus legatia-type enemies raining down on you and even wider pits. In case you do get blown to the next section, you can still come back and get to the ladder above the exit. This leads to a hidden room with both shopkeeps and a chest containing 125 coins. One of the shopkeeps will be drinking some tea in honor of a hard day's work.

The thirteenth section is an ice maze. You'll have to feel your way around and destroy a few things while avoiding sparks and trying to get the 1-up that can plainly be seen. Using the bubble weapon will really help with telling the real platforms from the fake ones.

The fourteenth section has those flying platforms above a bottomless pit again. Be sure to destroy the work when you reach the top so you can find safety at the top of this section.

The fifteenth section also puts your jetpacking skills to the test as well. Get rid of some of the work to get the 1-up.

The sixteenth section has an enemy in a drawer you can kill, as well as a falling light.

The seventeenth section is the giant negativus legatia boss. The fight is more or less the same as the first time.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 19 of 28

Hey, we're here again. Hey, it's that boss again.

Stage 4: White Laboratories
(continued)

The eighth section has you going down while dealing with those auto-laser shooters. The ninth section introduces a new enemy: flat screen TV's that bounce towards you. Also, Desk Guy shows up again.

When you trip the green laser at the beginning of the tenth section, you'll cause the two tires at the top that you saw at the beginning to roll towards you like Indiana Jones boulders. You'll have to deal with even more of the televisions here, but you want to make avoiding the tires your top priority, because those things will kill you.

The eleventh section is full of spikes, but if you trip the flashing red monitor you can make a bunch of tires drop down to make crossing this area safer.

The twelfth section is that truck boss again. Not only does it have a new paint job, it also shoots a ton of missiles out of the front and a bunch of circular saw enemy-like projectiles. Also, one of those black creatures similar to the ones with the Work Production Machine guy is driving it. The Lazer does quite a bit of damage to this thing. Oh, and you'll have to jump over the work. Talk about work getting in the way of things.

When you beat it, you'll get Fire again. And you'll finally be able to get out of here.

Meanwhile, at the hotel, the media is now at the travel inn, and business is booming because of it. Unfortunately, they're there because of unnatural phenomena: a large amount of work has just suddenly fallen from the sky. Pink calls the cat on the phone, and Frog and the cat take a quick break from work only to find out that work is falling from the sky at the hot spring where Pink and the President is at. The media interviews a few people in the area...including the man trying to sell the Work Producing Machine.

Next stop is Heichi Plateau. You'll get the Jacket again before you go.

Stage 5: Heichi Plateau

Love the background here. Definitely worth watching at 60 FPS.

The first section is laden with spikes, while the second section has some pretty wide bottomless pits. Hope you're good at double jumping.

The third section is simply the entrance to a cave, while the fourth is the inside of the cave itself. There are more spikes and pits here when you enter, so be careful. Also, this is where you'll first see the ice platform. They're just like the usual flying platforms, but they're made of ice and they have ice physics as a result.

The fifth section leads out of the cave and has you dealing with the enemies that blow you back while carrying the insta-death polar bear heads. There aren't a lot of new enemies this time around, but there is plenty of gold to farm if you can get some. Some of the enemies will randomly drop 50 coins, so it pays to go back between sections if you're short on money and really need to get stuff upgraded.

The sixth section is just a segueway into the seventh, which now has you inside a building. If you're careful, patient and good at double jumping, you can get the extra life in the second bottomless pit and safely make it to the other side. There are also enemies on the ceiling that spit snowflakes at you. There's also a negativus legatia-type enemy here, which is weird, since we supposedly got rid of them all in the original game.

The eighth section has the negativus legatia boss in the fan again. There are huge sparks that travel around the walls and ceilings, but this battle isn't any tougher.

The ninth section is the store.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 18 of 28

What is this work? Where is it coming from?

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel
(continued)

The fish boss is nastier than ever. The worst part is the blue fish that come out of the water on propellers and attack you. Your best bet is to attack it in the water, but watch out for that three-way electrical zap.

When the boss here hits half health, four orange fish will appear and start leaping up past the surface of the water to attack you from below if you're above the surface. The boss will also jump out of the water and shoot electricity across the room, too.

Beating the boss here gives you the jetpack! Finally, you have the jetpack again.

When you teleport out of here, you'll see more flashbacks from the President. It turns out the Work Producing Machine has worked too well, and the workers have finally had enough of the never-ending work and the inability to get a single day off. As the workers walk off, a small black creature which seems to look like the creature the President had in her office in the original game drops off a small stack of work. The President follows the creature into the office, where the other works are complaining. The Boss just keeps piling the work on, and when she and the other worker follow the black creature into the area behind the boss's desk, they find the Work Producing Machine. Nearby is the same salesman that was pitching the machine to C&F not too long ago.

We seen see Pink and the President in the hot spring, with the President telling Pink her story about the Work Producing Machine. They then head to a travel inn and watch a local horror program: The Conundrum of Never Ending Overtime Hell. As Pink describes what's going on - which is too similar to what happened at OXOX Commerce and what is currently happening at C&F - the President notices one of those black creatures sneaking around in the hotel room. Work then drops down inside the hotel room.

Stage 4: White Laboratories

As soon as you enter, you'll be glad that you have the jetpack. Try not to have the friendly little guy on the last platform undo your jetpack jumps. Jump far before using the jetpack to avoid the spikes at the end of the first section.

You'll have to touch the switch that triggers the two tires in order to exit the second section. There is money and a 1-Up, but getting those will take some doing.

The moving platforms are back in the third section. When you climb up all of then, go through the left wall just like you did in the original game. You'll be able to get the money and the 1-Up from earlier.

The top of the fourth section has two 1-Ups. Make sure the platforms don't crush you as you get them. Also, there is a fake ceiling above the bottomless pit that you can get into with the jetpack. Beyond that is another safe with some money. If you need to, use the blue platforms. Remember, blue moves left and orange moves right.

You'll then fight...a giant, evil safe that moves around, then runs into the wall and then the ceiling in order to hit you with some ceiling tiles. Use Wide to destroy it, and be sure to shoot down the ceiling tiles that fall down when necessary. It leaves 45 coins and a 1-Up when it dies. You'll need them for the store...if you have the money for anything, that is! Then again, that's what farming for coins in the next section is for.

We've (kinda) seen it before in some way in the seventh section, but we have the purple platforms make their debut proper here, and they move upwards. The green ones move downwards. If you've upgraded to the Laser, use it to take down the enemies here. There are also a few saves that you can destroy for some money.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 17 of 28

We're back at the OXOX Hotel, and even this place seems to have gone by the wayside.

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel

There are sparks moving around the floor at the start of the stage and throughout that you'll need to avoid. Also, you won't be able to go upwards at the beginning due to the lack of a jetpack. Great.

Apparently the maze at the beginning of the stage has seen better days. There are now spider enemies that simply drop down and cobwebs everywhere.

There are now chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that take more damage in order to destroy.

The lobby has a bottomless pit, and that guy behind the counter that throws coins and other things is still there. It's like this place is condemned and he thinks he still has a job here.

Also, enemies can drop extra lives randomly. Who knew?

The mole mini-boss is the same as ever, except he throws rocks down at you. Once you beat him, you'll be able to head to the store and get stuff if you need to.

If you leap to the left off the last moving platform in the fifth section, you'll be able to get a 1-up.

For the sixth section, you'll have to make your way downward with the platforms on the left side of the area, then make your way to the right and go back up with the moving platforms.

The seventh section is another "avoid the tire boulder" segment. Be sure to explore more of the area before you leave. The upper-left and upper-right sections have chests that contain a couple of coins.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 16 of 28

We're back in the Greenery Zone...and there are a lot of pits.

Stage 2: Greenery Zone

There's a lot of bottomless pits here, too. Are there a lot of bottomless pits everywhere in Zangyou Mode? Because I'm beginning to think there is.

If you lose all your lives, you get sent back to C&F Headquarters. You can get health upgrades from the Blue Shopkeeper here if you need them, so don't give up! (If you do, you get the game over ending which has the President yelling at everybody for going to the hot spring and the cat just taking it.)

Behind the second yellow plant at the end of the second section is a hidden wall that leads to over 20 coins.

The third section has a lot of birds. And platforming.

Watch out for the red bubbles coming out of the mud in the fourth section. They will hurt you. Also here are a lot of yellow and blue bugs. They don't take a lot of damage, but they can be very annoying. At least the store here provides some respite, as well as an upgrade for the Fan weapon if you have the cash. Also, health upgrades are 90 coins? What?!?

The sixth section introduces purple cloud enemies that fly to the other side of the screen fairly quickly and will go for your throat as soon as you attack them. Wide is a good weapon to use here.

The seventh section has that mud creature boss with the in-game bridge cutscene and everything. Once again, switch to the Repeater to do more damage. Also, watch out of the pans that drop down from the top of the screen. That wasn't there in the original game. Also, the mud creatures come out in greater numbers along with the falling pans when the boss is at half health.

Also, if you shoot the pile of work on the bridge before taking on the boss, you might get a coin out of it. You never know.

Beating the boss here gives you the Bubble weapon. Also, go for the treasure on the other side of the bridge when you beat the boss here this time around. You'll get 50 coins. Just get away from the pan hanging on the rope first, because it will fall down.

When you teleport out of the level, you'll get a cutscene with Pink and the President. They'll both get on the train after The President asks where you and the cat are. Pink laments that no matter what era we live in, there will always be overtime. This causes a flashback involving the President when she worked at OXOX Commerce, where it is revealed that at one time, there was no work. The President's boss here laments that if there is no work, it can't be helped. He then says to himself that he wouldn't be able to pay everyone's salary. He then gets a phone call...and it involves a Work Producing Machine...

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 15 of 28

Well, this is new.

Kero Blaster now has a Steam release...and it has a free upgrade. When starting the game on the Steam release, the game will ask you if you want to try Zangyou Mode. If you select "yes," the frog will be turquoise and you'll get a whole new story.

The story begins with Pink finally getting her work done so she can take the company trip. When she looks for the frog and the cat, she founds out that more work is being done. They're getting it done so they can enjoy the trip, and tell Pink to go ahead without them.

The cat teleports you to Hinterland Fort for the first task, just like last time. After you're teleported out, the cat gets a call from someone about a Work Producing Machine. A small stack of books is both figuratively and literally produced and teleported into the teleporter room.

Stage 1: Hinterland Fort

You'll notice that the stage layout is different, and that the background is more detailed. If you play the original game as it was on the Steam version, the backgrounds will be more detailed on there as well.

Like the first two trips through the game, you'll start the game with three lives, two hits and the Pea Shooter.

The first section introduce the plant enemies with the faces that you saw in the original first stage, but some of them jump high as they bound towards you. The second section introduces purple spikes that, when destroyed, produce bees that fly around. Thankfully, the bees are very weak and go down from one hit from the Pea Shooter. Sadly, the purple spikes don't give you money.

The third section gives you the first shop of Zangyou Mode. You should have enough to upgrade the Pea Shooter into the Repeater, but if you do, you'll probably have to wait before you can upgrade anything else...unless you grind, of course.

There are a ton of pits in the fourth section. You'll also find a hidden one-up in a wall you can walk through, and it's quite difficult to miss.

The fifth section is just one screen and has a small stack of books on the right. Use it as a platform to take care of everything here. You can destroy it with your gun if you want.

The sixth section is a rematch with the armored plant boss we fought in the original first stage. It seems a little bigger this time around, and when it's brought down to half health, it goes crazy and spits a huge salvo of fireballs into the air and down at you at an even faster speed than before. Keep shooting the the exposed bulb when it opens its armor, and avoid all the fireballs as you do so, and you shouldn't have much trouble.

You'll get the Fan weapon for beating this thing. You'll need it.

Destroy the books (or work, if you want to call it that) to activate the teleporter, then get in. You'll return to Cat & Frog, Inc, and you'll see the cat talking to a guy in a suit. You'll both return to the teleporter room, and unbeknownst to our heroes, you'll see that the guy in the suit has a machine next to him. After a rumbling sound, the cat will tell you that the guy left, and you'll learn he is a salesman that specializes in "Work Producing Machines."

Why do I have the feeling this is all connected somehow?

You'll then head to the Greenery Zone. Watch out for mosquitoes!

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 14 of 28

And now it's time for a boss rush...

When you go all the way down the stairwell that leads to the rooftop instead of all the way up, you'll enter the basement. There are a ton of bats here, but the Level 2 Kuro Blaster should protect you. Enter the elevator and go down to B2. You'll enter the teleporter room. If you need items, you can get them here. Also, climb up the ladder that leads straight to the ceiling, leap into the ceiling gap to ther right and go to the left from here to find a hidden 1-up.

From this point is the teleporter itself. Talk to the shopkeeper and you'll start a time attack mode. This time attack mode is a boss gauntlet, where you'll fight all the bosses from Stage 1 all the way to the final boss. The same strategies apply, and this time you'll most likely have max hearts and all weapons (except the Kuro Blaster, ideally) fully upgraded. Once you beat the last boss, you win. You'll then get the credits.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 13 of 28

New Game Plus feels like a supercharged version of the normal game...until...

Stage 6: Train Station

(continued)

As you can see, having the most powerful weapons while fighting the Stage 6 can go a long way.

Stage 7: Back to the Office

Tearing enemies apart with the Kuro Blaster as soon as you leave the subway can be fun.

Also, fighting the shielded plant monsters is much easier with the Level 2 Kuro Blaster. Simply stand near them and hold Up while firing, and you can hit the plant when it's exposed without much effort.

When you return to the rooftop, you'll find out the wall has been repaired. If you go into the door to the President's office and then leave, you'll see boxes stacked up from where you came in from. The storekeeper who awarded you with New Game Plus mode will be pushing the boxes out from the stairway leading up to the roof. From here, you can go all the way downstairs...but what does this lead to? Find out next time in the finale!

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 12 of 28

At this point, DeceasedCrab really starts to rip through the game.

Stage 5: Hekichi Plateau

It should be noted that the Fire weapon is the only one that can get past the spikes.

Once again, the Level 2 Kuro Blaster tears through a boss in record time; this time around, it's the mid-boss before you reach the shop.

The boss at the end also fares no better, but the weak point will hide back into the body again after taking enough damage.

Stage 6: Train Station

For some reason, the flan boss was unable to crush DeceasedCrab on the left side of the room. Weird.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 11 of 28

DeceasedCrab continues to blow through the game in New Game Plus mode in Part 11.

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel

(continued)

Thanks to the jetpack, you can easily beat the tire to the boss room.

Speaking of the boss, you can easily beat it without going underwater thanks to the Level 2 Kuro Blaster.

Stage 4: White Laboratories

If you go down the pit at the beginning of the level where the first mini-boss is, and use your Fire weapon on the wall to the right. You'll find the Level 3 Kuro Blaster, which shoots around you at a wider range and also in front of you, but is weaker and a little less useful than the Level 2 version and is not recommended.

The Kuro Blaster cannot bust through the bubbles blocking the extra life.

DeceasedCrab plays Kero Blaster - Part 10 of 28

Our journey through New Game Plus mode continues...

Stage 1: Hinterland Fort

(continued)

The boss is easier to take down with the Lazer or Uzi Lazer the second time around.

When you beat the bosses this time around, you'll get money instead of weapons and the music heard after beating a boss is different.

There are also no cutscenes in New Game Plus mode, either, so you just go straight through to the next stage after entering the teleporter.

Stage 2: Greenery Zone

Not much of a difference here between the first and second playthroughs, but the Kuro Blaster does pretty well against the boss here.

Stage 3: OXOX Hotel

Go to the right at the beginning instead. Use the jetpack over the gap to get the Level 2 Kuro Blaster. This causes two rings of Kuro Blaster energy to move around you, one above and one below. They go to the sides if you shoot straight up. The first upgrade for this weapon is the best weapon in the game, hands down. It can even go through walls and ceilings at times. The only downside is that unlike its Level 1 form, Level 2 does not work underwater at all.

The Level 2 Kuro Blaster will lay waste to the mole mini-boss.