Frying Falcon is the Boss of Stage 8. It was formerly the final Boss in Sky Force Reloaded, before subsequent updates expanded the storyline to allow new ones to roll out.
Appearance[]
"Hunting season is open!"
For most of Stage 8, Frying Falcon can be seen flying above the player multiple times, first as shadows before flying low enough to appear on the screen toward the Boss fight.
Frying Falcon is part of an almost unseen fleet of gigantic fighter planes in the game. It is heavily armed, with defensive plating protecting parts of the hull and weapon hardpoints.
Armaments[]
1st Phase - Cockpit[]
1st Phase Attack
3-Tube Rocket Launcher
- Fires unguided SAM-like missiles in three parting directions, similar to the firepower pattern of the Ambulance Plane. The hull at the front of the plane protecting the rocket launcher from immediate damage will have to be destroyed first.
4x Dual-link Mantis Turrets (2 on each wing)
- Swiveling from side to side without targeting the Plane, these turrets unleash moderate streams of gunfire in a curve. Each side has 2 guns that discharge 22 bullet each, bringing up a stream of 44 bullets on each side.
2nd Phase - Right Wing[]
2nd Phase Attack Right wing
- Each fires a radial bullet swarm of 3 bullets in 16 directions. They fire 3 rings of bullets each, but one of them only starts shooting after the other shoots its first swarm.
1x Gun Turret
- Fires five really large bullets in a stream while tracking your Plane. Has quite a short reload time.
7x Armor Plates
- Flapping armor pieces that protect the 3 defenses from your projectiles. Reward 100 points for each destruction and drop stars like Prop Planes. They are not a requirement for clearing the phase, but you will miss out on points and stars when they get destroyed along with the last turret.
3rd Phase - Left Wing[]
2nd Phase Attack Left Wing
2x Radial Cannons
- Exactly the same as those on the right wing. Instead, they shoot out seven bullets in straight streams in 16 directions and are hence easier to avoid.
1x Gun Turret
- Identical to the right wing. Fires five really large bullets in a stream while tracking your Plane.
7x Armor Plates
4th Phase - Tail[]
3x Radial Cannons
- Mounted atop the fuselage of Frying Falcon, which function exactly the same as those on the right wing. These cannons operate one at a time from bottom to top of the screen, have increasing frequencies of bullet swarm discharge (1.5 and 2 times faster comparing to the first cannon, respectively) and are sequentially destroyed from front to back. They are the only weapons of the boss that often drop Health Restore items.
6x Aft Gun Turrets
- Mounted by the sides of this plane and provide tracking gunfire in tandem with the spread-fire cannons. They shoot homing projectiles that often fuse together into big clusters. These turrets have limited rotation and can be easily avoided by staying near the edges of the screen.
Combat Routine[]
Frying Falcon enters from below the overcast weather, getting into position. Note that as it enters your screen, none of its armor can be damaged early.
1st Phase - Cockpit[]
The battle begins with the dual-link chain guns releasing their first streams of bullets, with the triple-tube rocket launcher activated afterwards. You can fly your Plane past the two armor plates to damage the launcher and clear the phase without bothering them at all. Be aware that the chain guns on each wing face inward or outward simultaneously, so when they fire while facing inward, steer clear or protect your Plane with an Energy Shield. With a bit of patience, the chain guns will be taken down, and the rocket launcher can be freely engaged. Charge up your Main Weapon Supercharge module if necessary and tear through the hull to shoot down this armament.
2nd Phase - Right Wing[]
After taking down the weapon systems at the front, the Frying Falcon plane drifts away and afterwards edges in the right wing from the bottom left. As the gun turret releases gigantic bullets while tracking you, an ideal technique would be to destroy that first. It is actually safe to fly straight into the turret and deal damage safely while the wing is slowly revealed, and once you have done so, it will be easier to dodge the bullet swarms from the radial cannons and eventually take those down too.
2nd Phase - Left Wing[]
3rd Phase Attack
After demolishing the right wing's weapon system, Frying Falcon will edge out and reappear on the opposite bottom side, edging in the left wing. The same tactic above can be used for the weapon system is literally the same, with the exception of the radial cannons shooting out bullet swarms in a slightly different pattern.
3rd Phase - Tail[]
After disabling the weapon systems on the wings, Frying Falcon moves in to allow its rear fuselage weapon system to attack. Lasers and Mega Bombs can be released, being one of the most helpful tactics for the destruction of the aft guns. For minimizing damage, the use of an Energy Shield while doing so is also advised. As for the Radial Cannons, they are sequentially destroyed from front to back, and your Plane's MWS feature along with once again Lasers and Mega Bombs are a perfect combat tactic for these. Once you have exhausted your power-ups, be patient and stay at a safe distance to avoid being hit by a cluster of deadly projectiles.
With those weapons stripped, you can finally obliterate Frying Falcon.
Difficulty[]
Frying Falcon Trophy
In tougher difficulty modes, the final phase can be really challenging due to the high concentration of gunfire, unless you have special powers (read: Lasers) to assist you. Frying Falcon is particularly dangerous due to the great number of spread-fire turrets in combat, of which the bullets swarms are hard to avoid and can deal very significant damage to your Plane.
Trivia[]
Frying Falcon Fly-over
- Frying Falcon will fly over above and beneath the Plane several times before the Boss segment in this Stage. Occasionally, shadows indicating this can be seen.
- The steam page of the game shows image of the Frying Falcon in-scale comparison.
- Frying Falcon can be considered a younger version of Nasty Owl from Sky Force Anniversary, which also descends below an overcast weather once obliterated. Both also start by fighting the player head-on and then seems to flee during the last phases.
Frying Falcon and Nasty Owl
Plane shooting a volley of missiles at Frying Falcon. Featured on Permanent Card 9 (PC only)
A fleet of Flying Falcon bosses combating The Classic, seen on Temporary Card 3.
| Main Bosses | |
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| Bonus Bosses | |
| Mini-bosses | |