Gunslugs Trophy Guide & Road Map

Gunslugs
Gunslugs Trophy Guide

Estimated trophy difficulty: 5 (personal estimate, Trophy Difficulty Rating)
Offline trophies: 13 (9, 3, 1)
Online trophies: 0
Approximate amount of time to 100%: 5-10h (skill dependant, Estimated Time to 100%)
Minimum number of playthroughs: 1 + chapter select
Number of missable trophies: 0
Glitched trophies: 0
Does difficulty affect trophies?: N/A
Do trophies stack?: N/A
Do cheat codes disable trophies?: N/A

Evil army? check! Explosions, chaos, and screen-shakes? check! A group of familiar looking heroes? check! Welcome to Gunslugs! Fight the evil Black Duck army as they try to take over the planet using their technology and a huge collection of foot-soldiers.

A classical run and gun, Gunslugs was first released on iOS in early 2013 and was ported on the Vita in February 2014. Comprised of 18 levels spread over 6 different settings (the last one being optional), its fast-paced and score-driven nature along with randomly generated layouts instilled with 80’s nostalgia make it pretty addictive (and great value at such a low price). The trophies are fairly easy to earn except for one which shouldn’t take more than 10 hours to earn.

Make sure to check the General Tips section below and the Boss FAQ if you need any help!

Apart from beating the various levels, Gunslugs tasks you to complete quite an extensive list of in-game objectives. Note that the trophies are tied to them: you will need to complete an objective to get the corresponding trophy. If you fulfill the requirements before unlocking the objective, the trophy won’t unlock (and you will have to do it again).

To spice things up a bit, you will only have 3 objectives active at any given time. A new one will be given to you at the end of each level for each one that you've completed. As you probably have figured out already, you will have to complete a lot of these before being able to unlock the last one you’ll need (which will probably be "Complete Hell").

You will find a list of the in-game objectives and how to complete them in this post.

The main thing if you want to survive in Gunslugs is to go slow. The game urges you to rush through the levels, constantly throwing enemies at you that drop coins and supplies when you kill them, but the faster you move the more chaotic things become and the higher the chance you'll be killed by an explosion. Always value progressing carefully and remember the following:

Don’t be afraid of backtracking a bit to an area you’ve already cleared. Let the enemies come to you. It’s better to have them all prettily lined up for you to kill easily rather than in a swarm jumping all around you.
Always try to avoid direct confrontation with tanks, prefer shooting them for afar or from a higher ledge.
Make barrels and bouncing mines blow from a safe distance. A random shot can make them explode and if you’re too close, you’re done for.
If possible, clear out an area (crates included) before triggering the landmines. This will allow you to move away more quickly from their blast radius.
Always try to pick up coins, ammo and life packs but not at the expense of your life bar. I know those shiny items look tempting but they won’t be useful if you’re getting killed in the process now will they?

Another important thing worth mentioning is that you should stock up on coins until you get a "Continue". When you accumulate 100 coins, you will always get the opportunity to buy one in the form of a voodoo doll the first time you enter a house (see the “Voodootastic” objective). You can only buy one at a time, but it will be extremely useful: if you get killed, you will lose your coins and points but you won’t die and will continue your current run almost as if nothing happened. Once you have one, feel free to purchase other power ups (the armor will protect you until you wear it out and the drink from the bar will slow everything else down) or try any of the mini-games as playing one will replenish your life even if you die within seconds. You should avoid the one shaped like the Tardis from Doctor Who though, because if you die in there, game’s over.

Step 1: Play levels until you free Sarge, completing as many objectives as you can
You should first concentrate on completing the various levels from the first 4 stages (Plane Yard, The Jungle, Siberia and Egypt), freeing your companions on the way. Remember that each character starts in a different stage (see trophy descriptions). You should also try to complete all of the objectives that you can.

During this step, you will get at least:

Play as Sly Rocko
Play as Willis KiYay
Play as B.A. Baracuda
Play as Sarge
Play as Scarlette Sonya

Step 2: Objectives clean up
You shouldn’t even attempt the Hell levels before unlocking the objectives specific to this stage: Kill a fire skull, Kill a death worm, Destroy 5 Hell tanks and Complete Hell. Until you have at least two of these in your current list, just stay in the other stages and complete every single one the game throws at you. Make sure to check the Objectives section if you’re stuck.

During this step, you will get at least (if you haven’t unlocked them already):

Chain explosion of 3
Beat the arcade
Air kill a dude
Blow up 4 dudes at once
Drive over 10 dudes

Step 3: Complete Hell
Now for the final blow out! This won’t be a walk in the park, but a little self-control and tenacity should do the trick (see the Complete Hell trophy for more details). Good luck!

During this step, you will get the remaining trophies:

Complete Hell
Kill death worm
Destroy 5 hell tanks

[PST Would Like To Thank kinjall for this Road Map]

Complete Hell

Achieve the "Complete Hell" objective
(3)
No wonder why this is the only trophy. Take another look at the General Tips provided in the road map as they will be essential. In addition, I strongly advise staying away from all the enemies because they will either kill you instantly or consume your life extremely quickly. You should also be extremely careful when you advance, as the fire skulls are usually aimed right at you. "Land Mines" are often placed directly beneath crates as well, so pay attention to their beeping sound.

Furthermore, you should NEVER buy anything other than the voodoo doll. The sooner you get it the better, and you probably won’t be able to buy anything else (you may get a shot at one mini-game or buying the armor from the last house if you’re lucky, but sometimes you won’t even have enough coins).

Fortunately, you get a brand new weapon: the Skull Gun. It’s relatively short ranged but powerful, and its bullets split in three so you’ll be able to shoot enemies that are above and below you. Avoid the jetpack though, it’s too unreliable to be useful. Other than that, just play with Sarge, keep at it and you will eventually Complete Hell! If you need advice on how to beat the boss, please refer to the Boss FAQ.

The trophy will unlock after taking the chopper, so try not to die by falling into the hole after defeating the boss.
Kill death worm

Achieve the "Kill a death worm" objective
This trophy is actually easier to earn than it sounds. Death worms are the giant worms that shoot out from the ground in the Hell levels (similar to the sand worms in the Egypt levels, see pic below). Watch out for when the ground starts shaking, move out of the way so the worm doesn’t kill you, and shoot it with the skull gun. A few well-placed bullets should do the trick.
Chain explosion of 3

Achieve the "Chain explosion of 3" objective
Similarly to Blow up 4 dudes at once, this is really easy and will come without even trying. If anything, you will have more trouble planning it than unlocking it by chance. Barrels, bouncing mines, land mines, choppers, giant white robots, the occasions to blow stuff up won’t be scarce. If a few of these are close, destroying one will make the others explode. Deactivating a beacon is considered as an explosion as well and will make choppers passing by crash, which will also count for this.
Beat the arcade

Achieve the "Beat the arcade" objective
You’ll find the arcade in some of the houses (random) and will have to pay 25 coins to attempt it. This is the only mini-game that you will need to actually "beat" to complete the related objective. The arcade consists of a platforming section in the style of old Donkey Kong games. There are barrels and mines almost everywhere, so make sure to blow them up from afar whenever you have the chance. You also have to pay attention to fire skulls that will aim directly for you almost every time you set foot on a new platform.

Even more so than usual, proceed with caution and you should be fine (and be rewarded with a bunch of coins and the trophy).
Play as Sly Rocko

Achieve the "Play as Sly Rocko" objective
Sly Rocko is the third character and acts as the checkpoint for The Jungle levels. He can be unlocked in Level 2-1. Set him free by shooting his cage, which you will find in the first house.
Once freed, start a game with him to unlock the trophy.
Play as Willis KiYay

Achieve the "Play as Willis KiYay" objective
Willis KiYay is the fourth character and acts as the checkpoint for the Siberia levels. He can be unlocked in Level 3-1. Set him free by shooting his cage which, unlike others, is somewhat hidden. At the beginning of the level, you might see a “Help” speech bubble above you. Grab a jet pack dropped by an enemy and fly straight up towards it to reach a platform. Shoot the cage on the platform to set Willis KiYay free.

Once freed, start a game with him to unlock the trophy.
Play as B.A. Baracuda

Achieve the "Play as B. A. Baracuda" objective
B.A. Baracuda is the fifth character and acts as the checkpoint for the Egypt levels. He can be unlocked in Level 4-1. Set him free by shooting his cage, which you will find on your path, out in the open on the ground.

Once freed, start a game with him to unlock the trophy.
Play as Sarge

Achieve the "Play as Sarge" objective
Sarge is the sixth character and acts as the checkpoint for the Hell levels. He can be unlocked in Level 5-1. Set him free by shooting his cage, which you will find on your path, hanging from above out in the open.

Once freed, start a game with him to unlock the trophy.
Play as Scarlette Sonya

Achieve the "Play as Scarlette Sonya" objective
(1)
Scarlette Sonya is the seventh character and acts as the checkpoint for the Marine Docks levels (which won’t be needed for 100%). To be able to free her, you must first complete 5 tours with Johnny Rumble. One tour is equivalent to completing the three levels from a stage. So to get 5 tours, you can either complete the Plane Yard levels 5 times, or complete the Plane Yard, The Jungle and Siberia levels then the Plane Yard ones twice, or any other combination that you desire.

Scarlette Sonya will then be available in level 1-2. Set her free by shooting her cage, which you will find on your path, out in the open on the ground.
Once freed, start a game with her to unlock the trophy.

Note: the requirements to unlock Scarlette Sonya seem a little glitchy. While the developer stated that 5 tours with Johnny Rumble were needed, some players claim that they had to complete more or free other characters first (like Willis KiYay). To give you an idea, I’ve played the game twice and she showed up after differently on these two occasions: the first time I had completed a dozen tours with Johnny Rumble and freed both Willis KiYay and B.A. Baracuda, the second I had only completed 3 tours. That being said, she always turns up eventually, so come back to check from time to time if you have trouble having her to show up.
Air kill a dude

Achieve the "Air kill a dude" objective
(2)
As described, you have to shoot a "Dude" while he’s in the air which shouldn’t prove too difficult. Watch out for choppers as they’re dropping off troops. Another good opportunity is when you are on lower ground than incoming soldiers, they’ll jump down to reach you. You might have to jump so the dude you shoot is dead before he reaches the ground.
Blow up 4 dudes at once

Achieve the "Blow up 4 dudes at once" objective
Like Chain explosion of 3, this will probably happen without you even trying, since explosions tend to be quite frequent, especially in the latter levels. If you have trouble unlocking it, try to disable a beacon with 4 dudes on it, shoot a barrel with enough dudes around or trigger a land mine with dudes following you.
Drive over 10 dudes

Achieve the "Drive over 10 dudes" objective
This is another really easy trophy, and is actually a good way to progress as hijacking a tank will prevent you from taking damage until it’s destroyed or have to leave it behind. You will first need to shoot a tank until you kill the guy who drives it, then hop in and run over the tiny dudes crawling at your feet.

This is cumulative, so you don’t need to drive over 10 dudes with the same tank.
Destroy 5 hell tanks

Achieve the "Destroy 5 Hell Tanks" objective
These bad boys deal colossal damage with their flamethrower and will follow you if you get too close. Take cover behind a crate or shoot them from a distance (better yet, from a different platform).
This may not be cumulative but you will face more than 5 when attempting Complete Hell so it doesn’t really matter.