Icebound (Frozen City)

"Soldiers driven by revenge above all-yet vengeance provides only momentary respite from rage. Let such be a warning for them and your former self." - Flavor text for Gunvolt

"Demons call a frozen city home. It is a microcosm at rest, the embodiment of how man and monster cannot coexist." - Flavor text for Copen

Intro

The Frozen City is a stage for Azure Striker Gunvolt 2. This city came under siege by Eden troops led by Tenjian who has covered it in ice and based himself inside a high-class hotel. The mission's objective is to defeat Tenjian and restore the city. This is one of few missions that Copen and GV both play in their stories.

Briefing

GV

Xiao: Heads up, GV. Eden's taken over a nearby city. They covered it in ice and brought everything to a standstill.

Gunvolt: A city covered in ice? Tenjian's fingerprints are all over this.

Xiao: Seems like it. We located him in a luxury hotel on-site. I think they're using it as a staging point of some kind. The ice is spreading, so you need to move fast

Gunvolt: I'm on my way.

Copen

Nori: Hey, Copen? Seems like someone's covered a nearby city in ice. And Eden's using the chaos to take over the place.
       
       Copen: Eden has an ice adept named Tenjian, right?
       
       Nori: He's there, holed up in some pricy five-star hotel.
       
       Copen: I didn't realize Eden had such refined tastes. Regardless, I'll crush their caviar dreams and free the city!
       
       Nori: You'll need help with that ice. I'm sending support materials now.

Stage Composition

• This stage contains a lot of ice. As in, A LOT of ice. You will be constantly subject to ice physics as you go, slipping and sliding everywhere. The level will take advantage of this, gleefully sending you down icy slopes and into enemies or spike pits.
• Scattered around the stage are canisters that contain a special anti-skid coating. Shooting them or zapping them with Flashfield causes them to expel a white shower. Touching this shower will enhance your footing, temporarily negating the ice physics of the level. The coating only lasts for so long though, so you may need to find more canisters to reapply the coating.
• There will be segments where icicles sequentially appear and disappear in midair. You must navigate these icicles to make your way through the level. Essentially, it's a disappearing block sequence without red herrings or absurd patterns, but you are still subject to ice physics on them.
• At the very start of phase two, you will face off against the hero you are not playing as. While this battle isn't particularly hard, it can be mildly time consuming, especially if your level is low and your equipment isn't good.
• Also in phase two, Tenjian can spontaneously freeze parts of the stage using Permafrost. This can create sudden ice physics and even pits of icy spikes.
• Destroying the alarm in the Alarm Room before it freezes up yields a 555 "Secret" Kudos bonus.

Challenges

Gunvolt

• Frozen Heart: Clear within 11 minutes. (Rewards: Kripp Alloy x5)
• Overabundance: Clear within 7 minutes. (Rewards: Phased Fluid Metal x1)
• Icy Blight: Clear with Rank B or higher. (Rewards: Xiwidia x3)
• Frigid Finale: Clear with Rank A or higher. (Rewards: Faraging Steel x2)
• A Probable Fate: Clear with Rank S or higher. (Rewards: Propulsion Mechanism x1)
• Raging Dragon: Clear Frozen City without using any anti-skid coating. This includes the fight with Tenjian. (Rewards: Nanochip 98 x3)
• Tooth Beats Claw: Defeat Copen within 50 seconds. (Rewards: Proto Infrastructure x5)
• Amidst the Snows: Find all 5 medals and clear the stage. (Rewards: Kripp Alloy x10)
• The Thaw: Clear 3 times. (Rewards: Phased Fluid Metal x2)

Copen

• Frozen Heart: Clear within 11 minutes. (Rewards: Kripp Alloy x5)
• Overabundance: Clear within 7 minutes. (Rewards: Phased Fluid Metal x1)
• Icy Blight: Clear with Rank B or higher. (Rewards: Xiwidia x3)
• Frigid Finale: Clear with Rank A or higher. (Rewards: Faraging Steel x2)
• A Probable Fate: Clear with Rank S or higher. (Rewards: Propulsion Mechanism x1)
• Raging Tiger: Clear Frozen City without using any anti-skid coating. This includes the fight with Tenjian. (Rewards: Nanochip 98 x3)
• Claw Beats Tooth: Defeat Gunvolt within 50 seconds. (Rewards: Proto Infrastructure x5)
• Amidst the Snows: Find all 5 medals and clear the stage. (Rewards: Kripp Alloy x10)
• The Thaw: Clear 3 times. (Rewards: Phased Fluid Metal x2)

In-Mission Dialogue

• Frozen City/Japanese Script (With Translation) (Copen route)
• Frozen City/Japanese Script (With Translation) (Gunvolt route)
• Frozen City/8-4 English Script (Copen)
• Frozen City/8-4 English Script (GV)

Trivia

• Interestingly enough, the stage has slightly different variations on its music depending on if it's Gunvolt or Copen playing through the stage.

Gallery

Stage select icon

Stage select backdrop

Where Tenjian is fought

After Tenjian uses All Freeze

Additional concept art

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 Fields
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