[Guide] Y Tower as Axel (Mania)

Overview

The slippery floor, aggressive kickboxers, fierce Kevins and the infamous locker room. In this guide I will show you how to dominate Stage 9-1 as Axel.

Stage 9 at Its Best. How do we even…?

Hello, dear ladies and gentlemen. Today we will take a look at the hardest Stage in the entire game for Axel – Y Tower and its first part in particular. The slippery floor makes Axel feel like a tank in this one especially when stunned. The locker room is so tiny there is barely enough space to maneuvre. Is it even possible to beat this Stage with Axel on Mania without losing a life consistently?

Yes, it is.

Forget About Quick Recovery
This one applies mainly to Stage 9-1 before you reach the locker room. When surrounded by a crowd of absurdly aggressive Ravens and Condors it is not a good idea to use Quick Recovery since the kickboxers as if ignoring the fact that the floor is still slippery can rapidly dash over to you and use their beloved kick chain to send you flying across the screen. You might be tempted to use Quick Recovery and try to reposition yourself but you’ll be most likely met by another kick chain from a kickboxer who seemed to be quite passive a few moments ago.

Try To Move Only When It Is Absolutely Needed
Axel is a big and strong guy and we can feel all of his weight at its max in Stage 9-1. It’s not easy to get him moving but he’s even harder to stop. Move wisely. Don’t try to chase after some random Kevins or Galsias. They are not the enemies to fear here.

Use jump kick to boost your speed when you do need it to quickly catch up with Raven or Condor and block their sudden aerial attack (knee kick) before then they manage to get up or when they are about to do it. Be careful though, since you need to properly evaluate whether you will be able to shorten the distance to counter the attack before you even start jump kicking to them.

Don’t rush B
This is the thing I say all the time to anyone trying to understand how to approach Mania in general if they are not skilled enough (just like me). However, Stage 9 has very few moments when you can actually trigger certain enemies to appear in small groups. It might still be a good idea to use a few of those opportunities there are to minimize the risks of losing health when unnecessary (the first and second screens of the Stage).

This is where is gets intense. They are fast, cruel and won’t show you any mercy should you lose it at some point. Stay calm and …behind that one precious pillar as much as possible. If you are hit from behind it won’t allow you to fly into a crowd of infinite kick chains and if not…well, it’s time to cheese some kickboxers. No shame though, this is just as fair as to put a heavy character who can’t run nor dash on a slippery floor.

This room can rival the Last Koobo ft. Zs encounter with its sheer unfairness. But hey, that’s Mania for you. No one said it should be fair. We can be just as unfair towards the enemies as well so…
Before we enter the room, you need to bring a mop to get rid of at least one Dokujo before the real action begins asap. If you are just as weird as me, you might try to fight the other two Dokujos like your standart Dojos, being very accurate with your positioning and lighting fast when making decisions on how approach them without being dragged into The Most Annoying Chain™.

Then the second wave of Dojos comes out. Rush to the place where they come out from and as soon as half of their body is visible start your standart chain to then cancel into Forward Special. Done.

Now stay where you are. Do the same thing with Dojos but as soon as you see those nasty Pheasants getting close enough to launch any attack – use your Star Move. And the rest is history.

I’ve been testing this strategy for 5 runs of which 5 were successful when using it.
To be honest, it does not mean you do not need any skill at all with this strategy. Just as I’ve said before, it you’re not focused enough a crowd of merciless Ravens will tear you to shreds at any moment.

Hope you find this guide helpful 🙂
Good luck!