Technicians

Technicians are power-ups who grant extra perks in the game, similar to Bonus Cards. They can be unlocked progressively when players collect Prestige points and reach a certain number. While playing a Stage, the Technician selected will occasionally unleash their unique ability.

Overview of Technicians

Image	Name of Technician	In-Game Blurb/Description of Technician's Effect
	Gringo Star	"Fills a random crate with a bunch of extra Stars" During a Stage, some crates will emit a yellow glow. They are the ones affected by this Technician; they give accumulated Stars when destroyed. The crates will also gain extra hit points.
	Kate Brush	"Paints over your first scratch, that's one more chance to stay untouched" Provides an extra chance for getting the "Stay Untouched" Medal by discounting the first time you come into contact with an enemy. Note that damage will not be nullified.
	Burton Panic	"Has a few power-ups of his own" Occasionally, this Technician releases a charge of any one of the three power-ups, making it useful for blowing away barrages of bullets or shells discharged by enemies. On a side note, this occurrence takes place at random, meaning that it can at times be helpful and in other circumstances be useless. Power-up charges on board the Plane will not be consumed.
	Lucy Clover	"Brings good fortune in all aspects" The chances of success at many things, such as finding Cards and Plane parts, as well as obtaining power-ups and other in-game items such as Wingman Cubes, Health Restore, and Weapon Upgrades, are higher. In addition, for destroying Prop Planes, more of them seem to crash to the ground instead of blowing up instantly. The Ace of Spades Plane boasts a similar ability, increasing the chances of finding Bonus Cards.
	Slo Mo Chan	"Slows down hostile bullets" Bullets and enemy armor discharges travel across the screen at a reduced speed. Note that vehicles, such as Prop Planes, Battle Tanks and Bosses will still travel in the same speed. Some laser attacks are not affected as they appear instantly. It can be noticed that this Technician unleashes a unique shockwave around the Plane at the start of every Stage, which puts the aforementioned ability into effect. The shockwave itself is only a visual effect with no other benefit.
	Tase MeBro	"Strikes nearby enemies with a lightning bolt" Similar to a tesla coil, coming near enemy rolling stock or Boss armaments will cause your Plane to discharge a lightning bolt that relentlessly tears them down. The Technician will deal continuous damage until either the Plane or the enemy is destroyed or when there is a considerable distance between them. Work best against Prop Planes (especially if they are behind the Plane).
	Holo Granny	"Places Decoys on the field" A hologram shaped like your Plane randomly appears at intervals, causing tracking enemies to fire at it instead. The hologram is temporary and does not receive damage; enemies' projectiles will phase through it instead. Can be very helpful against Stage 5 since the EMP Missile present there can also be distracted.
	Hayes Core	"Helps out in chasing those high scores" Dispensers that generate power-up charges are converted to a score accumulator (except some Dispensers at the end of stages). When hovering near the Dispenser, additional score is gathered and added to your overall tally. A number hovering above the Dispensers indicates how many points are being collected, as well as a multiplier number on the Dispensers themselves that goes up once a charging cycle is completed (take the same time as charging one power-up). If the connection to the Plane is severed, the amount of points displayed will be rewarded multiplied by the number on the Dispensers. Disconnecting with them also clear the accumulated points and reset the multiplier back to x1. Note that not all stages have available Dispensers (Stage 1, 5 and B1), making this technician useless when playing on such Stages.

Strategy

• Gringo Star is the first Technician to be unlocked, whose ability provides a great boost in Stars early game so the player can upgrade faster.
• Burton Panic's activation seems to be the same if the same situation is replicated every playthrough; i.e., placing the Plane in the same spot at the same time (most notably at the start of Boss battles), though this can be quite unreliable. The chance of activation is increased if the player lets their Plane fly near harmful projectiles.
• Burton Panic also activate quite infrequently while during Tournament Stages, which seems to coincide with the reduced drop rate of Power-ups items. Consider equipping another Technician while playing them.
• The Lucy Clover - Ace of Spades combination almost guarantees a Bonus Card every few playthroughs on Nightmare difficulty.
• Slo Mo Chan is perhaps the most powerful Technician. His ability gives players a better chance at dealing against Railgun Turrets and Energized Railgun Turrets, as well as making it easier to navigate through bullet hell. On mobile versions, the Technician works well with Iron Clad's MWS ability; it provides extra reaction time as well as prevents the player from overusing and potentially causing the Plane to explode.
• Tase MeBro helps dealing against low HP targets such as Prop Planes, even if they manage to escape behind your Plane. It allows for a nice boost of firepower and complements Gladius' playing style. The Technician also provides consistent damage while the player circles around the defense to avoid its bullets.
• Hayes Core shines in co-op mode on PC and Console versions, where one player immediately charge up any Dispensers in view while the other defends them.

Trivia

All of the Technicians' names can be noted as references to/derivatives from real things commonly found in everyday lives, names/phrases or even famous people.

• Gringo Star - A reference to Ringo Starr, member of the Beatles and former narrator for Thomas & Friends.
• Kate Brush - A reference to musician Kate Bush. Its name is also derived from the term "Paint Brush".
• Burton Panic - Panic Button.
• Lucy Clover - Lucky Clover.
• Slo Mo Chan - Slow Motion. The surname "Chan" and the dragon art on the head also infers that this Technician is presumably of a Chinese nationality, race and/or religion.
• Tase MeBro - "Don't tazze/tease me bro!"
• Holo Granny - Hologram.
• Hayes Core - Highest Score.

Images

A crate glowing yellow, meaning Gringo Star's power affects it for more Stars.

Kate Brush icon next to the "No Damage" section, saying that the player has taken one hit from an enemy, but is not counted.

Slo Mo Chan releasing its shockwave visual effect that slows down bullets and projectiles.

Tase MeBro discharges his tesla coil/lightning bolt zapping armaments on the Murky Huntress gunship.

Holo Granny's decoy forces Canned Dread's tracking missile launcher to fire at it instead.

Iron Clad hovering above a Hayes Core's Dispenser, which glows every time it advances to the next multiplier.