Strider Achievement Guide & Road Map

Strider
Strider Achievement Guide

Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty:4-6/10 [depending on skill]
- Offline: 30 (1000)
- Online: 0 (0)
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 10-15 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2 - 1 on Hard, 1 on Normal
- Missable achievements: 10/2 - 10 achievements can be collected if you beat the game but do not save, however 2 achievements are truly missable and will require a new game if missed.
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: Yes. See 'Special Class-A'.
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: None

Introduction:
Welcome to the Achievement Guide and Roadmap for Double Helixs' Strider, a reimaging of a classic. Based on the 1989 game of the same name, Double Helix have delivered a fresher experience with a touch of Metroid. Unlike some Japanese side-scrollers, this doesn't have an infuriating difficulty level, but finds a nice balance that caters to gamers of all levels. Set in the city of Kazakh, it is down to Strider Hiryu to rid the city of Meio; the evil overlord. Strider has a download size of 3.09GB.

Abbreviated Walkthrough:

Step 1 - Hard Mode.
I would recommend playing on hard mode first, as ultimately you need two playthroughs of the game. By playingon hard mode first, not only do you get it out of the way but this sets you up to complete your speed run on normal difficulty. The game is one big world with no levels as such, but the city is blocked off until you progress throughout the story. The game is incredibly linear and despite the frustration of navigating Kazakh, your objectives will always be marked by an easy to follow waypoint. The game features a 'point of no return' which is clearly marked, so its best to get all miscellaneous achievements out of the way before crossing. However, if you miss something, don't fret - read step 2.

Step 2 - Mop Up.
Instead of mopping up achievements in the final step, you want to do them before your speed run as you wont make the cutoff time for the achievement. If you pass the 'point of no return' on your hard mode game, you can choose not to save and be placed back in Kazakh City to finish off your collectibles. If you did save your game, you will have to do an extra playthrough to finish the collectible achievements.

Step 3 - Normal Mode/Speed Run.
After beating hard mode you will have a better understanding of the bosses, how to get around quicker and general gameplay. Even though there is an easy difficulty, a speed run on normal should take approximately three hours leaving plenty of time to spare. You want to get through the game as fast as you can by skipping most mobs and occasionally stopping for upgrades. Don't be put off by wasting time getting your gear upgraded as these will ultimately make the boss fights easier and therefore quicker.

Strider Hiryu has a few main equipment functions. At the start of the game you only have a basic jump and your primary/secondary Cypher attacks, but as you defeat bosses along the way you will unlock extra upgrades and new abilities.

Jump. Later upgraded to double jump. This is your primary means of navigation at altitude in Kazakh.
Cypher. Your Cypher is your energy sword and your primary means of dealing damage as well as opening charged Novo gates. Charging a Cypher attack (holding down ) gives twice the range and twice the damage.
Secondary Cypher. This is a more powerful Cypher attack utilising an upward thrust. More powerful than
Kunai. Kunai are Strider Hiryu's throwing knives. Kunai are used for shooting enemies at range and opening Kunai gates.
Plasma Catapult. A tool used for an additional jump, rapid dash and dodge. It is also the only way to navigate through Plasma Rings.

And also special magical attacks called options :

+ Eagle Power. Summoning a fiery Eagle is a great way at dealing damage to bosses and ariel mobs. Eagle flight points are used to traverse the planes of the city.
+ Panther Power. Summoning a phantasmal panther is a great way to deal damage to grounded enemies. The panther gets stronger with every consecutive hit. Panther runs are used to fast travel around Kazakh.
+ Mechanical Power. Summons a mechanical barrier. This shield protects you from certain projectiles and missiles. It also grants the ability to operate big machinery.

Whilst progressing through the story you will unlock different plasmas for your Cypher which are unmissable. To get the plasmas to effect your Kunai and Plasma Catapults you must find the relevant upgrades.

Explosive - The first plasma you will receive is the explosive plasma. This deals insane damage to your foes as well as setting them on fire which causes damage over time.
Cold - The cold plasma freezes enemies that it hits and locks them into place. A charged cold hit will freeze any enemy, including bigger mobs.
Magnetic - The magnetic plasma acts as a homing device and can automatically target onto enemies.

In Strider you will notice that many gates block your path. Here is a brief guide on how to unlock them:

Novo Gates - The first type of gate you will encounter. Novo gates are unlocked when you use a charged Cypher attack on their switch.
Kunai Gates - Kunai gates are identified by their pneumatic rams at the base of the door. You must shoot their opening switch with a Kunai.
Plasma Rings - Plasma rings are the gates that look like portals. They can only be traversed by using the Plasma catapult.
Explosive Gates - These gates are marked by their orange glow. To open them, you must either hit the gate with a Cypher/Kunai attack using the explosive plasma.
Deep Cold Gates - These gates are the frozen gates with rotating parts. To open them, you must either hit the gate with a Cypher/Kunai attack using the cold plasma.
Magnetic Gates - These gates are the purple gates with metallic circuitry on them. To open them, you must either hit the gate with a Cypher/Kunai attack using the magnetic plasma.

Collectibles
Strider features an awful lot of collectibles with achievements tied to most. There are health upgrades, energy upgrades, kunai upgrades, green canisters, fallen striders, the challenges and concept art. The achievements related to each can be seen below in the guide itself. Due to the different achievements relating to the collectibles, I have included maps below showing the locations of ALL collectibles in each zone below. You can bring up your map in each zone and compare the fog of war to what you see below, hopefully locating any missing collectibles you have. Or, you may just want 100% in every zone, see THIS thread.

Conclusion:
Overall, Strider is a fun side scrolling slash-em-up with enough mechanics to keep you entertained for a reasonable price. If old school is your thing and you like a decent challenge, then Strider is a game I would recommend.

[XBA would like to thank Lavindathar for this roadmap]

Master of Unlocking

5
Charged the first Novo
Story related and unmissable. This is the first achievement you will earn in the game. After getting the upgrade to charge your Cypher attacks, you will come to a Novo gate that won't open. You must stand next to the Novo switch beside the gate and hold down to charge your Cypher. When charged, release for a more powerful attack. This charge will power up the Novo and open the gate.
You've Got The Power

10
Collected all Energy Upgrades
(1)
Scattered throughout Kazakh there are fifteen different energy upgrades to collect. Ten of these will upgrade your maximum capacity for energy and the remaining five will increase the recharge rate of your energy meter. They are marked on your map by a yellow bar with an arrow on them. If you are unsure of the icons, bring up the map and press to bring up the legend with a list of all icons there. These will only show on your map when you are relatively close and have uncovered the fog of war. Unfortunately, the health and energy upgrades share the same icon on your map, so there is no way of knowing which is which until you collect them. Try to collect these before progressing into Meio's Tower. If you miss any, you can choose not to save your game so you may return to Kazakh to collect the ones you have missed. To see which energy upgrades you have collected, bring up your map and use / to scroll through to the status page. Scroll down to upgrades and it will show you the total collected against the total available.
Remember The Fallen

15
Collected all Fallen Striders
(1)
Scattered throughout Kazakh are eleven fallen striders, the bodies of Striders who have come before but now perished. These are equipable skins that you can outfit your Strider in. Unfortunately they are the only collectible with achievements related to it that do not appear on your map, which make them hard to find. They look like little 8-bit characters, so when you do find one you won't miss it. Below is a video showing the twelve locations. The great thing about this video is at the start of each Strider a little map will appear showing you the general location in the City. Using this, you can try to guestimate whether to progress to the left or the right of your current area. To see which Fallen Striders you have collected, just bring up the map then use / to scroll through to costumes. Here is a list of all twelve Strider skins, with those you haven't collected stating 'locked'.
Health Nut

10
Collected all Health Upgrades
(1)
Scattered throughout Kazakh there are ten different health upgrades to collect. They are marked on your map by a yellow bar with an arrow on them. If you are unsure of the icons, bring up the map and press to bring up the legend with a list of all icons there. These will only show on your map when you are relatively close and have uncovered the fog of war. Try to collect these before progressing into Meio's Tower. The health and energy upgrades share the same icon on your map, so there is no way of knowing which is which until you collect them. If you miss any, you can choose not to save your game so you may return to Kazakh to collect the ones you missed. To see which health upgrades you have collected, bring up your map and use / to scroll through to the status page. Scrolls down to upgrades, and it will show you the total collected against the total available.
Cuts Like a Knife

10
Collected all Kunai Upgrades
(1)
Scattered throughout Kazakh there are seven different Kunai upgrades to collect. Four of these upgrades increase the number of Kunai you may throw, and three of them increase the range of your Kunai attack. They are marked on your map by a yellow bar with an arrow on them. If you are unsure of the icons, bring up the map and press to bring up the legend with a list of all icons there. These will only show on your map when you are relatively close and have uncovered the fog of war. Try to collect these before progressing into Meio's Tower. The health and energy upgrades share the same icon on your map, so there is no way of knowing which is which until you collect them. If you miss any you can choose not to save your game so you may return to Kazakh to collect the ones you missed. To see which Kunai upgrades you have collected, bring up your map and use / to scroll through to the status page. Scrolls down to upgrades, and it will show you the total collected against the total available.
Collector of Collecting

20
Collected all Large Canisters
(1)
Throughout Kazakh there are large canisters dotted throughout the landscape. They grant a large boost of health when smashed and are green in colour. These collectibles appear on your map as large green ovals. There are many throughout the game. A general tip is when you are mopping up and going for your collectibles, if you uncover the fog of war in all corridors on each screen then you won't have missed once as none of these are truly hidden away. There are two important things to note with regards to the canisters :
1) There are six/eight (need confirmation) located in the Balrog level. If you uncover all the map, you won't miss any. Be warned, as once you exit the Balrog level it is impossible to return, making this achievement one of two that is 'truly' missable.
2) There are eight canisters after the point of no return located in Meio's tower, so don't worry if you're scouring through the map but your achievement hasn't popped.

NOTE - Some members are claiming they missed canisters located on the Balrog but still got their achievement. Waiting for confirmation on if these count.
Didn't Miss a Beat

15
Completed the Balrog without falling
(2)
Towards the end of the game you will be teleported into the skies above Kazakh, tasked with boarding the Balrog airship to destroy the third Gravitron. You start off on your approach, and have to make it from the start of the level to the Balrogs deck without falling. If you do fall, then once you have respawned let an enemy kill you. This returns you to your last checkpoint and you are free to try again. You can also quit to the main menu then reload your save if you prefer. Be warned, this is the second 'truly' missable achievement. If you leave this level, you may never return to try again without starting a new game.

Below is a video showing a succesful run :
Speed Demon

40
Completed the game in under 4 hours
(1)
I would recommend attempting this on your normal run as there is no achievement for beating easy and normal is easy enough to give ample time for completion. A good normal speedrun will take approximately three hours. If you attempt this after your hard run, you will gain prior knowledge on boss patterns, enemies, and which way to go.
Here is a few tips :
1. Jump/Avoid as many enemies as you can. When moving from waypoint to waypoint, jump all the enemies in a row.
2. Make sure you collect whatever upgrades you are close to. Check your map often, as most upgrades only require a detour of a minute or two, and in the grand scheme of things make the boss fights go far quicker.
3. Once obtained, make use of your plasmas. If you do need to kill enemies, explosives take them down fastest. Also spam Eagle power for the sections where you are locked in until the enemies are defeated.
4. The cold plasma is great when speed running, especially when used with the Kunai attack. You can freeze enemies and turrets as you run past them to stop you taking damage.
Special Class-A

30
Completed game on Hard difficulty
With the exception of one or two parts hard mode is actually not that hard at all. Do not be put off if you are expecting some crazy Japanese style difficulty. The difficulty can spike somewhat on the bosses, but they are all patterned and with a few tries practice you can beat them quite easily. Difficulty is selected from the main menu after pressing the 'New Game' prompt. Here are a few tips to make your life easier :
1. Take your time. You may face problems if you try to speed run through this difficulty, as too many enemies may cluster and take you down very fast. Make sure its safe before you move.
2. Make sure you collect all upgrades. Keep your eye on your map and collect every upgrade in the game. This will make hard mode that much easier.
3. Use your plasma. I personally made great use of the Explosive and Cold plasma, preferring cold. Even though it does less damage, the ability to freeze enemies lets you buy time in taking down big packs one mob at a time.
4. Abuse Eagle Power. This is your best weapon in the game, dealing insane amounts of damages to all enemies and bosses. If you have energy, and your fighting mobs, use it.
Class-A Ninja

20
Completed game on Normal difficulty
If you followed the road map steps outlined above, this achievement will be done in conjunction with your speed run. After completing hard mode you will know exactly what to expect and breeze through it. The difficulties do not stack, which is why a separate playthrough is required for each. Difficulty is selected from the main menu after pressing the 'New Game' prompt.
Eye of the Tiger

10
Defeated 20 enemies using Panther
You will unlock your 'Panther Power' after defeating Xi Wang Mu. This power summons a phantom panther which will run across the screen hitting every enemy in a line, getting stronger with each consecutive hit. To summon the panther you must have enough energy then press +. Simply kill twenty enemies using the panther to unlock the achievement. A great place to unlock this is as soon as you unlock it, as you will conveniently find multiple enemies lined up in a row.
Untouchable

15
Defeated 20 consecutive enemies, without being hit
(2)
This is obviously easier on lower difficulties and also the further you are upgraded. I would at least recommend using the explosive or cold plasma to speed enemy deaths up/or lock them in place. The best way to do this whilst playing casually, is to take your time and try to reflect/jump over any incoming gunfire. Fighting one enemy at a time certainly makes this easier. I personally got this on one of the games many long corridors that house 5-6 enemies at a time. I went through carefully, freezing enemies and reflecting bullets whilst killing them one by one until all twenty were dead.

For an easy method, you can earn this right at the start of the game. After getting the slide ability, you can exit the room, kill four enemies then return to the upgrade point. When you exit, the enemies will have repsawned and you can repeat until you have unlocked your achievement.

I've included a video I made showing you how and where to use this method.
I Got You!

10
Defeated Solo
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games fourth boss fight, Solo. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Death of the Iron Ruler

10
Defeated General Mikiel
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games eighth boss fight, General Mikiel. Mikiel will fight using the Tornado mech. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Equal in the Face of Death

15
Defeated Grandmaster Meio
Story related and unmissable.This is for defeating the games final boss in his first form, Grandmaster Meio. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Don't Drink the Water

10
Defeated Juroung
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games thirteenth boss, the loyal Shaman Juroung. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Shock the Monkey

10
Defeated Mechapon
(2)
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games twelfth boss, a giant robotic monkey called Mechapon. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Red Dragon Awaits

10
Defeated the Armored Dragon
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games first 'true' boss, the armored dragon Ouroboros. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
You Must Defeat Sheng Long

10
Defeated Xi Wang Mu
Story related and unmissable. This is for defeating the games ninth boss, 'Queen Mother of the West' Xi Wang Mu. Defeating Xi Wang Mu unlocks the 'panther ability'. Below is a video showing you how to beat her.
That's No Moon

5
Destroyed Gravitron
Story related and unmissable. This is earnt for defeating boss number seven, and first of the games Gravitrons. Below is a video showing you how to beat it.
All Fall Down

5
Destroyed Gravitron 2
Story related and unmissable. This is earnt for defeating boss number eleven, and second of the games Gravitrons. The fight is the same as 'That's No Moon'.
I'm Rubber, You're Glue

15
Defeated 10 enemies using Reflect
After beating one of the games early bosses you will be given the ability to reflect bullets. To do so, hit just as the bullet is about to hit you, reflecting it back.
After getting the upgrade there is a tutorial that forces you to use it to progress. You will get six enemy kills on this tutorial, meaning you only need four to complete the achievement.
Meet Cypher's Edge

25
Maxed out the Hit Meter 25 times
(2)
This is one of the games trickier achievements at first glance, asking you to max out your hit meter twenty five separate times. Your hit meter is the circular icon in the top left of your UI. Whenever you hit enemies, points are added, and when you get hit by enemies points are deducted. If you do not keep a combo up then the meter will drain completely. This is possible via natural progression by a skilled player, especially one utilising the cold plasma well. The key to filling your hit meter is moving fast and dodging incoming fire whilst maintaining up a steady stream of hits.

For an easy method there is a section you can abuse in the final part of the game, past the point of no return. On the first bridge in the right hand side tower, you can hang below the ledge and repeatedly hit the teleporting guards. This does no damage and doesn't kill them, yet it also grants you hit points. Please see the below video I made to show you how.

Now I am the Master

20
Defeated Meio Prime
Story related and unmissable. This is for beating the games final boss, in his second form; Meio Prime. Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
Another Soulless Copy

10
Defeated Pei & Nang Pooh
Story related and unmissable. This is for beating the games third boss, the twins Pei and Nang Pooh. Winning this fight unlocks the double jump ability. Below is a video showing you how to beat them.
A Cold Wind Blows

10
Defeated Pei Pooh
Story related and unmissable. This is for beating the games second boss, Pei Pooh. Below is a video showing you how to beat her.
Dragon Slayer

10
Defeated the Armored Dragon Stage 2
Story related and unmissable. Featuring as the games tenth boss, Ouroboros is back! Below is a video showing you how to beat him.
The Circle Is Now Complete

10
Defeated Resurrected Solo
(1)
Story related and unmissable. This is the games fourteenth boss, Solo. Again. Generally considered to be the hardest fight in the game, below is a video on how you beat him.
Run Crying Back To Your Masters

10
Defeated The Winds
Story related and unmissable. This is for beating three of the wind sisters at the same time, the games fifth boss. Below is a video on how to beat them.
Spice Must Flow

5
Defeated the Millipede
Story related and unmissable. The games sixth boss, is the Millipede. Below is a video showing you how to defeat him.