Well, you did destroy what made a part of your enemy, which was the core to the making of your fighter. I believe, with the tradeoffs, it was worth it.
The amount of stress behind this track when you understand perfectly well what the game is saying to you. Don’t mess up, or it’ll all be for nothing... ZeroRanger is truly a masterpiece.
To everyone that came here before reaching this point in the game: Please do yourself a favor, and Refrain from listening to this until you have reached this point in the game. The experience is that more rewarding, I would think. May you attain enlightenment.
I would recommend continuing to persist but if you really can’t beat it cheating is slightly preferable. I’m not saying cheating will get you as good an experience as doing it legit so maybe keep trying to.
ZerOranger is truly a work of art. Maybe it's too much to call it "the best game ever made" since different people value different things in video games, but I will die saying that if any game deserves to be called "art", it is ZerOranger.
I think that this boss fight is a meta joke about the 1cc nature of the shmup genre, if you lose you will lose all your progress... The game otherwise avoids this issue because it works really well even when credit feeding, but in the real final boss you have everything at stake. It's fantastic and the track is fantastic too.
In literally any other game, I would call losing your save file when you lose "cheap, bullshit, horrible game design." And... the rational part of my brain tells me that, yes, that's what this is. But the emotional part of my brain is completely absorbed in the moment, and how much it means, to both the pilot and the player. It's something that could truly only be accomplished via the medium of video games, and for this moment, I am not the person at the keyboard anymore. For once, my cynical, overly critical gamer brain completely slips away, and for this moment; I am ZeroRanger.
"YOU'VE ENTERED A VICIOUS CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH. YOU MUST FOLLOW THE NOBLE PATH TO ESCAPE IT." "BE WARNED THOUGH. AS YOU CLING ON TO THIS CYCLE YOUR DESIRES POISON YOUR MIND." "IGNORANCE." "ATTACHMENT." "AVERSION." "FEEDING THESE UNWHOLESOME THOUGHTS WILL ONLY LEAD TO MORE SUFFERING." To avoid these desires, is to reach enlightenment. That is what it means.
Dude I totally feel the same way. ZeroRanger really is so much of an emotional experience, solely through the use of its gameplay mechanics. It's absolutely brilliant
@@Ratigan2 If you're keen on puzzle titles, the devs of ZeroRanger released a title called "Void Stranger". It can be extraordinarily difficult, and you gotta dig in order to find the parts that make it truly stand out, but if it clicks, it clicks _hard._
Beat this boss my first try with 5 continues, almost lost it by the end because I was at 1 hp on the last attack. I could actually hear my heartbeat and feel my nerves straining while my brain worked in overdrive to increase my awareness. I don't think I will have another experience quite like that for a long time.
Same. Got to what looked like the end, saw where they were coming from and how tight it was. Looked at my 2 lives, looked at it, said "fuckit" and charged right in. Finished with 0 continues left.
even though this is already long behind me, my heart still starts beating hard whenever i listen to this... no game has been able to do that before. ever.
I haven't beaten this boss yet, but I think this stage cemented this game as one of my favorite shootemups, and one of my favorite games, of all time. An amazing way to cap off this game's next-level presentation. I still don't know what happens if you beat it. Edit a few days later: I beat it. What the heck.
The most stressful boss fight in any game ever, PERIOD. If you lose, your save file is deleted. All your effort will be for nothing. If those aren't some serious stakes, I don't know what is.
Recently, I had a dream that recreated ZeroRanger's finale, except it was a father fighting his young daughter, who has the power to turn into giant, surreal mecha, which resemble TLB's from various shmups I know and a giant moth too for some reason. I guess that last one is because of Space Moth DX, ha ha! Also, I think the father resembled the player character from Nex Machina. Instead of the way ZR's TLB ends, the father gets through to her with words, and they fly off into space together in the moth mecha. It was fucking magical, and it was one of those dreams you get completely immersed in, as if it's your reality. Maybe one day I'll fill in the blanks and make a full story and game out of the idea. Big maybe though.
It was definitely an unique part when i first saw it, the music and everything you had to do to reach the ship, it almost made me cry, unfortunately i didn't make it :(
Oh yeah, it's a relatively easy part, but it's mitigated by the fact that the stakes for losing are so high. (And, of course, having to approach the Lotus in a completely different manner than before.) Don't be afraid to keep a save backup handy if you wanna try again.
It's not too bad. Having learned the game to get that far, getting back there is relatively simple and quick. Even if you fail this fight you can still beat the game in four hours.
Well folks, 35 deaths in total(the entire game) I think like 85% of those were my attempts at beating the...well, you know. This stage. It'll be tough, and yes. I definitely did rage quit for an entire 2 weeks after I found out what happens if you lose here. But you'll persevere, you have to, it depends solely on your resolve. May you attain enlightenment.
I found out the hard way too. But it only strengthened my resolve. I immediately got back up and blazed through the game the second time, since I remember the levels, and got back to the end much faster than before. I managed to rack up one more continue than previously, and I made absolutely sure to beat the normal final boss without using too many continues to ensure victory. Second time's the charm, and it surely was. I defeated the true final boss, and beat the story... Is what I would say, but I have a hunch the game wants me to beat it one last time...
Honestly, I love this and NieR: Automata's ending's usage of saves to provide stakes. It's the fact that to even sacrifice your save file, you have to give it your all to get to that point. To become invested in the world the game presents to you. And for you to make the conscious decision to say "this world matters to me." It may seem cringe to say "I'm a gamer because I choose to live many lives" but in a way, these "lives" are part of worlds we interact with. Worlds that we want to understand further and deeper. Hoping there is some enlightenment at the end, and a future we can take for ourselves.
I'm kinda glad I failed this level on my first try. Blazing through the game again with everything I learned was awesome, I also discovered the monk's secret on the 2nd playthrough which made this whole thing so much cooler
A few months ago, after countless attempts, I finally beat the game. Every repeat, I kept learning more, both about the boss and the game itself. Never had I felt so much relief when it all came together. No matter how good or bad you are at this game, keep trying; you can do it! What also didn't occur to me is that special text appears should you spare the monk; I thought it was always available.
this entire comment section is telling you to play it though there is a lot of spoilers but regardless this is one of those games you never forget, you should really give it a shot, i think there's a free demo to test out if you like it
SPOILERS Took me 2 extra playthroughs to finally get the true ending. It really is a testament to what a great game this really was that I was willing to put that much more time into the game to truly finish it. This game went above and beyond my expectations multiple times and I ended up putting over 12 hours into the game when I was expecting to put in around 4.
I went into this with 3 continues/lives, and was nervous the whole time. I finished with one hit left in the final phase. I was a fucking wreck until I managed it. And it felt so gooooooood.
As harsh as the risk is for achieving the true ending, at the very least this bit isn’t all that tough. It’s not easy per say, but it’s Childs play compared to despair. Plus it’s not that hard to regain your progress. The first time I lost my save, I had already gotten to the point that I could make it all the way to despair with no continues. Getting that far without resets will easily give you back loads of your continues.
Could be a stretch, but I feel like this song and context it's played in took some inspiration from Requiem of the Sky. A sea of beautiful choir played in the final moments in both Mushihimesama and ZeroRanger. Both of their finales are infamous for the amount of stress they conjure on the player. Mushihimesama's Requiem of the Sky plays at the very last attack in the game, and it's one of the most iconic hardest patterns to dodge in shmup history. Ending many upon many no continue Ultra runs that are forcibly dared to challenge it. I say it's a potential stretch as choirs being used heavily during the crescendo of any game is a bit of an established trope. But at the same time... this game is the swan song of shmups, culminating in many references and inspirations.
I finally beat the true final boss yesterday. I was so fucking salty when I lost the first time around, but eventually I picked myself back up and got back to it in a day, and this whole scene was pure stress, but beating it was like a fucking religious experience.
first try: with 6 continues, died in the last pattern somehow figured out the last pattern requires waiting few seconds before collision with the boss second try: with 4 continues, about to died in the meantime and restart the game. And the game was hard-reseted... third try: with 6 continues, somehow beat the game, but failed to get steam achievement (maybe due to forced restart in second try???) fourth try: with 7 continues, and finally got the achievement (with losing 2 continues) "MAY YOU ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT"
I did it without backing up my save, not knowing what lie ahead. I failed. But of course, that didn't get me down. It was just another bump in the road to me, so I played again.
a hint... but also a spoiler for everyone who didn't reach the *final* boss. you can make a backup of game's savedata if you are feeling anxious, you know. Well, at least if you can find the appdata/local folder.
![FULL ALBUM [Part 1]: ZeroRanger Arranged Album -GREEN ARRANGE-](/img/n.gif)
The only thing more heartbreaking than losing is realizing how much you really lose when you win.
The post-game takes away many things, but it gives you others in return. It is up to the player to decide if gaining what they did was worth it.
Just press the [????] and you can go back to the start! Steam will even take back your achievement.
@@_drnova1064 What’s that?
@@jmachero5852 there's an option somewhere in the settings menu that lets you do the whole game over and unlocks white vanilla as well.
Well, you did destroy what made a part of your enemy, which was the core to the making of your fighter. I believe, with the tradeoffs, it was worth it.
Literally the most stress youll ever feel playing a videogame
The amount of stress behind this track when you understand perfectly well what the game is saying to you.
Don’t mess up, or it’ll all be for nothing...
ZeroRanger is truly a masterpiece.
Fun fact: Eebro credits Raumjai Choir. I believe he sampled from them, and boy do they send an impact straight to the soul.
I messed it up
Just remember: 3 bounces on Green, Orange is hurt.
May you attain enlightenment.
To everyone that came here before reaching this point in the game:
Please do yourself a favor, and Refrain from listening to this until you have reached this point in the game. The experience is that more rewarding, I would think.
May you attain enlightenment.
May you attain enlightenment.
May y’all attain enlightenment.
I have already spoiled myself before listening to this so ill just continue on
i'm too bad to reach it, i can't beat stage 2-4 at all, tried so many times.... should i just use cheat engine or watch a video?
I would recommend continuing to persist but if you really can’t beat it cheating is slightly preferable. I’m not saying cheating will get you as good an experience as doing it legit so maybe keep trying to.
8 hits wasnt enough.
This cycle never ends...
ZerOranger is truly a work of art. Maybe it's too much to call it "the best game ever made" since different people value different things in video games, but I will die saying that if any game deserves to be called "art", it is ZerOranger.
Zer Oranger
I only now realize "Orange" is part of ZR's name.
How did I not pick up on that earlier?
"this is it THIS IS IT THIS IS IT"
Level of stress: 99
*100
Stress level: Critical Mass
Why?
@@traezy25 make a wrong move and you'll regret it.
I think that this boss fight is a meta joke about the 1cc nature of the shmup genre, if you lose you will lose all your progress... The game otherwise avoids this issue because it works really well even when credit feeding, but in the real final boss you have everything at stake. It's fantastic and the track is fantastic too.
Whether you succeed or not, now depends solely on your resolve.
May you attain enlightenment.
In literally any other game, I would call losing your save file when you lose "cheap, bullshit, horrible game design."
And... the rational part of my brain tells me that, yes, that's what this is.
But the emotional part of my brain is completely absorbed in the moment, and how much it means, to both the pilot and the player. It's something that could truly only be accomplished via the medium of video games, and for this moment, I am not the person at the keyboard anymore.
For once, my cynical, overly critical gamer brain completely slips away, and for this moment;
I am ZeroRanger.
Is this the enlightenment the game says you may attain?
"YOU'VE ENTERED A VICIOUS
CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH.
YOU MUST FOLLOW THE NOBLE PATH
TO ESCAPE IT."
"BE WARNED THOUGH.
AS YOU CLING ON TO THIS CYCLE
YOUR DESIRES POISON YOUR MIND."
"IGNORANCE."
"ATTACHMENT."
"AVERSION."
"FEEDING THESE UNWHOLESOME
THOUGHTS WILL ONLY LEAD TO
MORE SUFFERING."
To avoid these desires, is to reach enlightenment.
That is what it means.
Dude I totally feel the same way. ZeroRanger really is so much of an emotional experience, solely through the use of its gameplay mechanics. It's absolutely brilliant
So it does the Nier thing again?
@Eclectic_Spaghetti, @MoonlitWyvern Beautifully said, you two!
You make me want to say:
Games are art.
Some games already are HIGH ART.
Every once in a while, a game that is so unbelievably good makes itself known. One that you will absolutely never forget.
This is one of those games.
What are some other examples? Looking for some good games to play :)
@@Ratigan2 If you're keen on puzzle titles, the devs of ZeroRanger released a title called "Void Stranger". It can be extraordinarily difficult, and you gotta dig in order to find the parts that make it truly stand out, but if it clicks, it clicks _hard._
Beat this boss my first try with 5 continues, almost lost it by the end because I was at 1 hp on the last attack. I could actually hear my heartbeat and feel my nerves straining while my brain worked in overdrive to increase my awareness. I don't think I will have another experience quite like that for a long time.
You're not wrong... Something about this fight, experiencing and clearing it for the first time, was something truly magical.
Same. Got to what looked like the end, saw where they were coming from and how tight it was. Looked at my 2 lives, looked at it, said "fuckit" and charged right in.
Finished with 0 continues left.
ffs, it took me 4 tries
even though this is already long behind me, my heart still starts beating hard whenever i listen to this... no game has been able to do that before. ever.
this just screams "you are terrified, do your best"
Yeah, that sounds about right
I beat the game yesterday and that's just the truth.
1: Do
2: Not
3: Give up.
I haven't beaten this boss yet, but I think this stage cemented this game as one of my favorite shootemups, and one of my favorite games, of all time. An amazing way to cap off this game's next-level presentation.
I still don't know what happens if you beat it.
Edit a few days later: I beat it. What the heck.
Achieving enlightenment is losing and being delighted to play it all over again.
At least imo :)
your power is one and the same
*"May you attain enlightenment."*
this is the dark souls of my save file getting deleted 3 times
same
try 5... after the 2nd i just got pissed and backed up my save
The most stressful boss fight in any game ever, PERIOD. If you lose, your save file is deleted. All your effort will be for nothing. If those aren't some serious stakes, I don't know what is.
Recently, I had a dream that recreated ZeroRanger's finale, except it was a father fighting his young daughter, who has the power to turn into giant, surreal mecha, which resemble TLB's from various shmups I know and a giant moth too for some reason. I guess that last one is because of Space Moth DX, ha ha! Also, I think the father resembled the player character from Nex Machina.
Instead of the way ZR's TLB ends, the father gets through to her with words, and they fly off into space together in the moth mecha.
It was fucking magical, and it was one of those dreams you get completely immersed in, as if it's your reality. Maybe one day I'll fill in the blanks and make a full story and game out of the idea. Big maybe though.
Dude, if you can, that'd be really awesome!
that sounds like a good anime premise.
Spoilers for Void Stranger
finnishian rhapsody
*May You Attain Enlightenment*
I can’t stop thinking about the tree.
Gets hit once
TRAUMA TIME
So funny story, I didn’t realize your continues translated to lives until my third try. Legit thought you had to beat the whole thing with one health.
Despair takes NO prisoners.
feelsbadman
This song is so beautiful!
It brings me unimaginable pain...
My jaw dropped at this part. Third time in 20 minutes.
*AN ABSOLUTE UNIT OF A SHIP
It was definitely an unique part when i first saw it, the music and everything you had to do to reach the ship, it almost made me cry, unfortunately i didn't make it :(
Oh yeah, it's a relatively easy part, but it's mitigated by the fact that the stakes for losing are so high. (And, of course, having to approach the Lotus in a completely different manner than before.)
Don't be afraid to keep a save backup handy if you wanna try again.
@@areoants9453 i had like 3 orbs left in that stage, and i was so curious i couldn't help it, worth it though
It's not too bad. Having learned the game to get that far, getting back there is relatively simple and quick. Even if you fail this fight you can still beat the game in four hours.
@@areoants9453 get that weak shit out of here. You lose, you play the entire game again.
This track is like a holy mix of Metroid Prime and Panzer Dragoon, and I am here for every second of it
O shet that actually sounds accurate
I don't know which songs from those series this sounds like. This is a lot more like 0²'s Theme.
Well folks, 35 deaths in total(the entire game) I think like 85% of those were my attempts at beating the...well, you know. This stage.
It'll be tough, and yes. I definitely did rage quit for an entire 2 weeks after I found out what happens if you lose here.
But you'll persevere, you have to, it depends solely on your resolve.
May you attain enlightenment.
I found out the hard way too. But it only strengthened my resolve. I immediately got back up and blazed through the game the second time, since I remember the levels, and got back to the end much faster than before. I managed to rack up one more continue than previously, and I made absolutely sure to beat the normal final boss without using too many continues to ensure victory. Second time's the charm, and it surely was. I defeated the true final boss, and beat the story...
Is what I would say, but I have a hunch the game wants me to beat it one last time...
This track IS the enlightenment.
Honestly, I love this and NieR: Automata's ending's usage of saves to provide stakes. It's the fact that to even sacrifice your save file, you have to give it your all to get to that point. To become invested in the world the game presents to you. And for you to make the conscious decision to say "this world matters to me."
It may seem cringe to say
"I'm a gamer because I choose to live many lives" but in a way, these "lives" are part of worlds we interact with. Worlds that we want to understand further and deeper.
Hoping there is some enlightenment at the end, and a future we can take for ourselves.
I'm kinda glad I failed this level on my first try. Blazing through the game again with everything I learned was awesome, I also discovered the monk's secret on the 2nd playthrough which made this whole thing so much cooler
man I beat this with 1 hitpoint left, thanks for giving me a heart attack
The best song I have ever heard in a videogame. Period.
A few months ago, after countless attempts, I finally beat the game. Every repeat, I kept learning more, both about the boss and the game itself. Never had I felt so much relief when it all came together.
No matter how good or bad you are at this game, keep trying; you can do it!
What also didn't occur to me is that special text appears should you spare the monk; I thought it was always available.
May you attain enlightenment!
Bro this track is fire. Never played the game but this entire soundtrack is fucking amazing
this entire comment section is telling you to play it
though there is a lot of spoilers but regardless this is one of those games you never forget, you should really give it a shot, i think there's a free demo to test out if you like it
what escaping samsara sounds like...
SPOILERS
Took me 2 extra playthroughs to finally get the true ending. It really is a testament to what a great game this really was that I was willing to put that much more time into the game to truly finish it. This game went above and beyond my expectations multiple times and I ended up putting over 12 hours into the game when I was expecting to put in around 4.
I went into this with 3 continues/lives, and was nervous the whole time.
I finished with one hit left in the final phase. I was a fucking wreck until I managed it.
And it felt so gooooooood.
I'm putting more hours in after the fact just to get a 1cc
As harsh as the risk is for achieving the true ending, at the very least this bit isn’t all that tough. It’s not easy per say, but it’s Childs play compared to despair.
Plus it’s not that hard to regain your progress. The first time I lost my save, I had already gotten to the point that I could make it all the way to despair with no continues. Getting that far without resets will easily give you back loads of your continues.
I feel like part of the reason for you losing your save is to get you to go back to the beginning and see just how much you've improved.
Could be a stretch, but I feel like this song and context it's played in took some inspiration from Requiem of the Sky.
A sea of beautiful choir played in the final moments in both Mushihimesama and ZeroRanger. Both of their finales are infamous for the amount of stress they conjure on the player.
Mushihimesama's Requiem of the Sky plays at the very last attack in the game, and it's one of the most iconic hardest patterns to dodge in shmup history. Ending many upon many no continue Ultra runs that are forcibly dared to challenge it.
I say it's a potential stretch as choirs being used heavily during the crescendo of any game is a bit of an established trope.
But at the same time... this game is the swan song of shmups, culminating in many references and inspirations.
2:03, holy mother of TLB themes!
Reminds me of Xiga from Radiant Silvergun.
Objective: Survive.
Encountered an Assilant Despair Primeval: Be attitude for gains: 1. Pray for mercy, Pray for forgiveness, Pray for Redemption
Boop.
Boop. boop. boop. BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP-
I finally beat the true final boss yesterday. I was so fucking salty when I lost the first time around, but eventually I picked myself back up and got back to it in a day, and this whole scene was pure stress, but beating it was like a fucking religious experience.
Getting Metroid prime vibes in the BEST way possible
Why do I feel so scared when it's my last life during TLB while listening this music?
what an end
first try: with 6 continues, died in the last pattern
somehow figured out the last pattern requires waiting few seconds before collision with the boss
second try: with 4 continues, about to died in the meantime and restart the game.
And the game was hard-reseted...
third try: with 6 continues, somehow beat the game, but failed to get steam achievement (maybe due to forced restart in second try???)
fourth try: with 7 continues, and finally got the achievement (with losing 2 continues)
"MAY YOU ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT"
I see a diamond!
May you attain enlightenment.
Om Mani Padme Hm
This part reminded me a lot of Illumination LASER’s final stage
I wish this song was extended
even when completing it rather easily first try I was sweating bullets
I did not cry during this... I did not cry during this... I did not-😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
me coming back to this sequence for the 5th time:
This track gives the same final bowser fight/run thing in nsmbw.
I've gotten here one time, with two continues remaining.
Died thirty seconds in.
Luckily I have a save backup.
I did it without backing up my save, not knowing what lie ahead.
I failed. But of course, that didn't get me down. It was just another bump in the road to me, so I played again.
I reached this point with 5 continues. That wasn't enough the first time, but when I returned, I was ready.
more like oneranger amirite
a hint... but also a spoiler for everyone who didn't reach the *final* boss.
you can make a backup of game's savedata if you are feeling anxious, you know. Well, at least if you can find the appdata/local folder.
I hate this boss so much
I take 3 time to beat it
the last thing you hear before pasting your save files back into the savedata folder
magically missing the point of the entire game but ok
Only cowards back up their save in ZeroRanger.
If someone did lyrics to this song, I'd have to imagine someone would have to do this both in English, then in Japanese for the anime feel.
Sounds like Radiant Silvergun...
And FFX's seymour battle theme
And the true last boss from Mushihime.
Mushihimesama from Cave?
AND Ten and Till (doujin shmup)'s final stage.
I mean the game is Radiant Silvergun as fuck, so it's fitting.
I lost 2 times! Going for the third try.
Huh, I beat this stage first try I didn't even know that you will lose your save file when you die. It was very close tho, I have 1 HP left.
I think I may have found my favorite final boss next to Zodiac Libra from RefleX.
May you attain enlightenment.