3. Story walkthrough
Once you have Scramble loaded up you should begin a new game in Arcade mode. You may select your preferred graphical setting with a choice of either the modern revamped look or the original 1981 style. This will not make a difference to the difficulty of the game.
Level 1
It’s possible to obtain 3 different achievements on level 1. The only achievement that may be missed involves destroying 10 fuel pods out of the 11 in the level. If you miss two before the end of the level you can suicide and the level will start over, with the previously destroyed fuel pods still counting towards the achievement, allowing you to destroy the remaining fuel pods to unlock the achievement.
Destroy 10 or more fuel containers on level 1.
You also shouldn’t have any trouble destroying 3 of the ‘mystery objects’ that are littered throughout the level. The mystery objects in question are the red buildings you see on the ground. Destroy 3 and the achievement will unlock.
Destroy 3 or more mystery objects.
The first level is a relatively basic level designed to introduce you to the game and how it plays. There is ample room to manoeuvre around to avoid enemy rockets as they launch and rock peaks as they pass by. If you are having any difficulty with this level then stay near the top of the screen and close to the back so as to avoid any confrontation with the enemy while bombing as much as possible to keep your fuel reserves high. Once you reach the end of the level the terrain will immediately change to the second level and the level one complete achievement will unlock.
Make it all the way through level 1.
If you are attempting one of the weapon specific achievements it is recommended that you attempt the bombs only achievement as that will make the fuel pods much easier to hit during the first level.
Level 2
The second level introduces a new form of enemy and one that is only used during this level, the Spaceship. These ships are uniformly distributed throughout the level with about 2 of your ship lengths between each one and they move up and down throughout the level with a slight horizontal shake. The easiest tactic to avoid these enemies is to stick to the bottom of the level. Try and position your ship so that it flies just above the peaks of the rock formations. This should also align you with the point at which the enemies alter their trajectory from down to up making it easy to shoot them down with your laser.
If you haven’t managed to hit 30 enemies yet with bombs then try and navigate your way through the spaceships while bombing and the achievement should unlock not too soon after the start of the second level. Otherwise, simply mash both your laser button to kill the spaceships and your bomb button to destroy and fuel pods. Notice that the entire level is a tunnel so you don’t have any room to really manoeuvre at the top of the level.
Destroy 30 enemies without using your forward shooting weapon.
Once you work your way to the end of the second level the terrain will once again change to low-lying rock formations and the Spaceships will disappear. The achievement will unlock upon this transformation.
Make it all the way through level 2.
Level 3
Level 3 requires a more defensive approach compared to the previous 2 levels. The level features a low-lying landscape with Fireballs shooting from the right side of the screen to the left. These Fireballs spawn at a seemingly random location on the right side of the screen, coming either very low and close to the top of the rocks or high up at the top of the screen. The best tactic for beating this level will have you hiding behind the small peaks on the ground of the level as Fireballs cannot go through rock. The only time you are in any danger of dying is when you must fly up and over a rock peak to avoid being hit as it passes out of the screen.
Avoiding the Fireballs while navigating the rocks can be tricky. The best method I have found to avoid being hit by anything is to move your ship as far forwards as possible and then wait for a peak to approach you. When one does you can quickly fly over it. If there are too many low flying Fireballs to achieve this immediately then bring your ship to the back of the screen and wait for a gap. One should appear before the rocks reach you, allowing you to escape being hit by either Fireballs or terrain. Remember to continuously bomb during the level to replenish your fuel reserves and you shouldn’t find this level too challenging.
Make it all the way through level 3.
Level 4
Level 4 will bring you back to a similar layout to that of level 1. Rockets are your only enemy, there is no roof to the level and fuel pods and mystery objects are spread out through the level. The only difference is that the level is significantly higher than the first level. This means that when a Rocket launches at you, you only have a fraction of the time to react. The main objective here is to try and bomb as many of the Rockets out of their little launch holes as you can before they take off and keep you fuel gauge as full as possible.
As you progress through the level you will notice 2 instances where the terrain flattens out and the tips of the Rockets rise above the surface area allowing you to destroy a whole set of them before you are even close to them. Take advantage of this to reduce the risk of being hit by them. Fuel pods are in abundance in this level and since the terrain is elevated so are the fuel pods making it much easier to time your bombs correctly.
The end of the level will be heralded by a couple of fuel pods blocking the entrance to a thin tunnel. Shoot the pods out and continue to level 5 as the achievement unlocks.
Make it all the way through level 4.
Level 5
Level 5 contains no enemies, just an abundance of terrain that you may crash into if it’s not properly navigated. There are many fuel pods in this level all of which are blocking the tunnel ahead and must be shot for you to progress. The level requires you to time your movements correctly to avoid being caught between the terrain and the back of the screen. To do this you must move as far forwards as you can while in a thin tunnel. Once you enter a bigger cavern you must move your ship upwards or downwards, depending on where the next tunnel is, and also backwards to avoid hitting the terrain in front of you. This means that as you enter a cavern at the bottom you must be as far forward as you can be and at the bottom of the screen and when you leave at the top of the cavern you will be at the top of the screen and at the back of the screen. You must then work your way back to the front of the screen before entering the next cavern.
Repeat this process until you exit the tunnel to an open area. The level 5 achievement will unlock as you have just entered the final level.
Make it all the way through level 5.
Base level
The base level is very small and consists of the enemy base and a few towers, the tallest of which has the name Konami on it. Just behind this tower is a smaller tower and just behind that is the enemy base, covered in flashing lights. After shooting all the fuel pods in level 5 you will have enough fuel to allow for a single fly-over before you must destroy the base. To destroy the base you should fly just over the top of the Konami tower and then immediately hold ‘down’ to bring your ship down as it moves forward. Once you pass over the smaller tower you should move the control stick to a diagonal down and left position to keep your ship moving down but stop it moving forward. Once you are low enough to be just in behind the base drop a bomb onto the base and pull up and away from the tower in front of you to avoid dying.
Congratulations! You just beat the game Scramble. After the base is destroyed a congratulations screen will appear and the achievement for the base level will unlock. Additionally, if you managed to make it the whole way through the game without dying then you will also unlock the ‘Perfection’ achievement at the congratulations screen.
Successfully destroy the enemy base!
Complete the entire game without losing any lives.
Regardless of how well you played on your first playthrough of Scramble you will still need to unlock the alternate weapon achievement. This should be the laser achievement so start up a new game and kill 30 enemies with the laser gun. This is much easier than bombing 30 enemies and should require you to go no further than the start of level 2.
Destroy 30 enemies without once dropping a bomb
That brings the offline section of the achievements for this game to an end.
Online Co-Op
The final achievement for this game requires a second person to play the game with over Xbox Live. Create a lobby for a Co-Op game and either wait for someone to join or invite a friend in. To get a score of 30,000 in Co-Op isn’t too hard. Simply play through the game to around level 4 each and you should have enough points to unlock the achievement. If you are having trouble with making it far enough through the game to collect 15,000 each then suicide just before the end of level 1 and play it over again until you run out of lives. You should be able to get roughly 15-20K for repeating level 1 each, easily passing the 30K required for the achievement.
Rockets are everywhere on level 1 and they give you 50 points if shot on the ground and 80 if shot while in the air. Fuel pods will give you a fixed sum of 150 points and mystery objects will give you 100, 200 or 300 points so try to destroy as many of these as possible to raise your score. Your score also increases constantly at a rate of 10 points for each second you're alive.
Obtain a score of 30,000 or more while playing an Xbox Live co-op game.
Well, that’s it. Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked every achievement for Scramble.
This walkthrough is the property of TrueAchievements.com. This walkthrough and any content included may not be reproduced without written permission. TrueAchievements.com and its users have no affiliation with any of this game's creators or copyright holders and any trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners.