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Mega Man 4 Guide > Robot Masters > Ring Man

High over the rooftops of some futuristic metropolis, you'll find Ring Man's stage. It begins with an ascent between two walls that tower sky-high. As you climb, there are cannons mounted along the walls. They'll hit you with periodic shots, which is inconvenient because you will be having some difficulty coping with the light beam ledges.

Since the ledges of this type will be located throughout the level, you might as well get used to how they work. When you first step on the edge of one, it will fall away in a straight path. If you try and cross during that time, you'll fall through. When it has finished receding, it will fill back across, exactly as it emptied. During this time, you are safe to walk or slide across, as none of the ledge will fall back away again until the ledge has filled itself. If that doesn't make any sense, try it yourself and you'll learn how the process works. In this manner, you can have twice the amount of time to cross. That'll come in handy later.

When you reach the top of this series of jumps and head right, you'll encounter a new robot in the shape of a hippo. It rides up on a platform, then fires missiles from a distance. To hit it, you should pummel the underside of its ledge with shots to break it away so the hippo is down on your level. During that time, keep jumping and firing so that you destroy any missiles it may send out, keep working on the platform along its base, and also connect a few shots to the hippo itself.

Once the hippo is done for, continue along the ledge to the right. You're now in an area with more of the light beam ledges. They cross over a series of grooves where enemies patrol, and also over spiked pits. Use the same strategy you used to so easily climb the tower as you work toward the right. Saturn-shaped enemies hover in the air throughout, so don't let them knock you down to spikes. Keep pressing right and you'll find a hole leading down to a new room below.

In this room, you're once again fighting a tougher-than-average robot. It is comprised of a series of red-lidded eyeballs at the center of green rings. You must hit the red eyelids with your arm cannon shots, but they are invulnerable when the rings are encircling them. Every once in a while, the rings will break free and fly toward you. You can jump and shoot to destroy the eyeballs. However, it seems to work best if you anticipate when the rings will fly out (shouldn't take long to get down the timing), as if you jump only to avoid them, it's generally too late to shoot and expect to connect.

When the robot is destroyed, the platform at its base will explode, and you'll drop down to the next screen. Here, there's another of the platform-riding hippo robots, so take him out carefully. Your life gauge is likely somewhat low by now.

To the right of the hippo, you'll see a ladder hanging from the ceiling. Use the Rush Coil to hop up and reach it, then climb up to the next screen above to meet Fliptop. He's your new friend, and will toss a random power-up your direction. Grab it, then descend to the screen below again and resume your march to the right.

First, you'll come along a set of gradually ascending steps, and you'll want to take out the robots there with charged shots before they have the chance to roll into you. When that's done, you're now in a new series of ledges that will test your jumping and shooting abilities. Unlike the light beam ledges, these recede in the opposite direction. The same general trick will help you cross, with modifications. However, you need to watch out for the Saturn-shaped enemies, which will attempt to knock you backward into the bottomless pit. Past them, you'll find a ladder leading down into another room.

Go ahead and drop down that ladder, and be prepared to quickly slide left the minute you land. Why? Because you'll be on a ledge over a pit of spikes, and it will quickly drop you onto them if you don't get moving. From the edge of that ledge, drop left and climb the ladder down into the next room.

Drop from the ladder and you'll find you're facing another of the enemies with the red eyeballs. This one tends to fire its rings a little further, but you'll need to use the same strategy you did before if you hope to win. Once that robot is defeated, head right and slide under the narrow opening. You'll now find yourself at the gate leading to the robot master.

Ring Man


If you're life meter is full, or if you're on your last life, you should enter the arena where Ring Man waits for you with the Pharaoh Shot charged. When you enter and your enemy's gauge fills, let loose with the shot to do some pretty good damage.

With that done, you'll now need to avoid his attack pattern as you pelt him with additional shots from the same weapon. His pattern really isn't that difficult. He starts by throwing a ring at ground level, which you should jump as it nears. He then leaps into the air and throws one diagonally toward you, then lands and starts to rush you. Halfway across the screen, he'll throw another ring directly toward you, as he crosses to where you stand.

Be ready to jump the ring and robot as you switch sides, then turn to let loose with more shots. Just repeat this process, going back and forth, until you've won and Ring Man is resting in the scrap heap.

Password: A-1, B-4,6, C-4, D-1,3

NEXT: Dust Man