Mini-100% guide and roadmap

[Laozuli]

Hi everyone, 

 

I wanted to give a shout-out to this game as it was a really fun an great experience! The game currently does not have a lot of owners, nor is there a lot of info online about it so hopefully this mini-guide can convince someone to try this game. 

 

Smelter is an action platformer at its core where you jump and dash with Eve across 13 stages to try and find her boyfriend Adam. Helping her in this endeavour is Smelter, a really "kind hearted" fallen angel who only asks in return is that Eve helps build his (totally not evil) empire. Building his empire is done through a very basic RTS system where you build your influence across the map in order to reach the platforming dungeons. You play as Smelter in these sections and control him as you would in a twin-stick shooter. 

 

The game features both a classic mode and an action mode, the latter foregoes the RTS side of the game. If you would like to have the platinum, then you need to play on classic mode. 

 

Its available both in a Ps4 and a PS5 variant with no notable difference between the two. There is also a physical edition, due to the courtesy of Red Art Games but owning it myself I can confirm that it does not allow a free upgrade to the Ps5 version. You need to buy digitally if you want the Ps5 version. 

 

• Difficulty: 6/10 due to the later levels having some tricky platforming, some trials being a pain and you need to learn the movesets of the bosses. Especially the final boss since he has 3 phases (but only 2 health bars and you get a heal at the last phase). I would rate it a 5/10 if you are more experienced with action platformers.
• Playthrough: 1 
• Time: 20 hours;
• Missables: None since the game doesn't save after beating the final boss so you can just reload it before you entered the final dungeon; All dungeons are replayable and you can salvage/rebuild anything in your empire;
• Funfactor: I loved the game and it was super polished! You can definitely feel the love the devs put in their game with how its written and approached. There are also no glitches, crashed or issues on the technical side. 

 

Roadmap: 

 

Step 1: Start a new game and when playing as Adam don't pick up the apple to triger the joke ending. Then start a new game on classic mode;

Step 2: Play all the tutorials and get a feeling with the games mechanics; 

Step 3: Attack each region seperately and get all the runes from the dungeons, while keeping an eye on the collectibles; 

Step 4: Do a clean-up of the world map/your empire and get max health on Eve;

Step 5: Get any missing collectibles and smelt the remaining enemies until you reach 200;

Step 6: Enter the final dungeon and beat the boss. 

 

General Tips on the game: 

 

• The RTS side of the game is not that hard as long as you compartmentalise your approach. The world map is divided in Northern, Eastern and Western part, each with their own element and each consisting of three regions. You open up the first region by completing the dungeon right next to your base and afterwards by blasting elemental rocks with the powers you gained from the dungeon you beat. While trying to conquer a region, enemies will spawn here for as long as you haven't conquered the dungeon and once you do, it stops. So as long as you open up a new region, build your defenses and conquer the dungeon before opening up a new region, then you will never have any issues managing this side of the game; 
• The RTS side of the game influences Eve's health where she gets a 20% for each 70 soldiers in your empire. So even if you have conquered a region, don't salvage any baracks or outposts since the extra health boost are quite nice during the boss fights of the game;
• Early on when building your empire, try to place Orcharion Towers in a 2x2 square. Later when upgrading your main base you unlock the orcharion boost ability where the produce more apples if placed in such a formation. Try to keep this in mind early on to minimalise restructuring your empire. 
• Eve has 3 forms, each with their own set of abilities and element. The best one is by far the earth one since it gives you the option to do a super high jump, a double jump and the ability to deflect any projectile in the game, even the ones from bosses. This is super helpful so try to prioritse the Northern regions first;
• Collectibles in this game stay picked-up after death with the exception of Moxie deposits. You need to reach a checkpoint for these; 
• Some of the trials in the later stages of the game can be a bit rough. Luckily all of the trials are short so you can quickly learn the steps needed for the clearing the tricky ones. Its pure trial and error until you find the pattern to get you trhough. Some of the harder "don't get spotted one" took me at least 30 min to get it right; 
• Your super move deals tons of damage to bosses so always prioritise this. Your super move is disabled during the first and second fase of the final boss. 

 

Story related throphies: 

• What Took You So Long?;
• Welcome to the Rumbly Lands!;
• Time to Bash Some Heads!;
• Deep in the Mounds;
• Locked Away;
• It's a Sign!;
• My Precious Gems!;
• Case Closed;
• Final Announcement;
• What's Yours Is Mine;
• A Wingman Falls;
• An Unexpected Visitor;
• We're Breaking Up;
• With a Little Help from My Friends;
• You did it? You did it!

 

Collectible throphies. The following throphies are linked to all the collectibles of the game. There are 4 type of collectibles: apple cores, trial tokens, moxie deposits and schematics. Each stage will have 3 cores and tokens while some have 3 or two deposits. Not all stages have a schematic. The game keeps track of all your collectibles in the statistics menu or when just hovering over a dungeon.  There is a great steam guide available with pictures of each location and it highly recommend to use this to avoid backtracking. If you do need to backtrack due to a missing collectible, then you need to finish the level again for it to count. 

• Shiny!;
• Gurabi Trial Extraordinaire;
• Eremagu Trial Extraordinaire;
• Nutoro Trial Extraordinaire;
• I am the Trial!
• Scour the Gurabi Domain;
• Scour the Eremagu Domain;
• Scour the Nutoro Domain;
• Gotta Collect Them All;
• I Like Rocks!;
• Scheming Away.

 

Smeltastic! & He Who Smelt It Dealt It: The first throphy will probably come naturally when playing the earlier dungeons of the game. After beating a monster there is a chance it will start glowing green, indicating you can smelt it with L1 and restore some health. Smeltastic will pop after 20 and He Who Smelt It Dealt It after 200. Getting to 200 will probably not happen if you follow the collectible guide and don't replay stages. This is no problem since the game will give you increases in smelting chance near the end anyway. Right before going into the final dungeon (the game will give a pop-up) go replay the Boombos dungeon since it has a lot of enemies and sweet disco music. With all upgrades to increade the smelting chance, you should reach the remaining amount quite quickly. 

 

Smelter's Got Your Back: This throphy is related to your super move which you build up by simply attacking enemies. Getting a 100 kills with it will come naturally as long as you don't forget to use it. 

 

Skill upgrades. The following throphies are linked to upgrading your skills by occuping structures placed on the world map, which you can make part of your empire by hovering over it and holding circle. 

• All Beefed Up;
• An Electrifying Personality;
• Let the Undershell Flow;
• In Her Prime.

 

Isn't It Beautiful? & Isn't It Grand?: These throphies are linked to upgrading your main base using apple cores. You can get to level 2 very early in the game but level 4 only just before the final dungeon. So don't forget to upgrade it after picking up your last apple core. 

 

A Little Extra Love & The More the Merrier: You increase Eve's health by producing more 70 soldiers. You get 20% for each 70 soldiers. The first throphy will come naturally while playing the game but maxing Eve's health bar requires 350 soldiers and you need to organise your Empire to do this. This means that you will need to use the provide space in the most optimal way by not placing Orcharion Towers seperately but always in a 2x2 formation to boost. Additionally, you heart needs to be level 4 so you have access to the final upgrade of the houses so that you can upgrade these and salvage the excess house for more barracks. One more tip I got for reaching 350 soldies is that soldiers assigned to posts don't dissapear when there is a house shortage or a food shortage. This only happens to idle villagers. When I went for the throphy and optimised my empire I had 348 soldiers and two idle villagers and I could not figure out where to place a new barracks. So I just demolished a house, which resulted in a house shortage but I had the room to place a barrack. Then I just assigned the final 2 villagersand the throphy popped. 

 

Overworld throphies. The upgrades to the smelting chance and power are all linked to ruins placed on the overworld. Just hover over them and add it to your empire. Each region also has an elemental tower to unlock upgrades for your soldiers, again just hover over it and add it. You will get the following throphies:

• The Smelter;
• A New Strategy;
• Remains of the Rumbly Lands;
• Fishing for Fissures.

 

Deflect This!. To deflect projectiles you need the earth circle ability. This will come natuarally while playing the game.

 

A Terrible Way to Go: To starve your Zirms, you need to be in the red regarding apple production and have some Zirms standing by idle at a house. To get this one easily, save your game and demolish your orcharion towers until you get into the red and get the hunger pop-up. Then just wait a sec until the idle Zirms start to disappear.

 

Building upgrades: You get the following throphies by just upgrading or destroying buildings: 

• A Little Renovating;
• Just Some Improvements;
• A Generous Leader. 

 

Back for More?: Felzapper is the only boss throphy you don't get by following the story. To get it you need to complete the dungeon "the Felsa Caverns" a second time and this time Felzapper will be waiting for you. 

 

How Do You Like Them Apples? This throphy is linked to the joke ending of the game. When starting a new game, you begin as Adam and see an apple fall from the tree. Just don't pick it up and walk to the right of the stage, triggering the "ending". It takes 20 seconds after starting a new game and then you are send back to the title screen. 

 

Dr. Dreinstein III. The good doctor is located in Resista Station at the end of sector c. Jump over the portal and climb the right wall. There is also a schematic there so you will find him if you follow the collectible guide. 

 

Orcharion Boost. This mechanic is introduced when upgrading your main base to level 2. The towers get a boost of +1 if they are placed in a 2 x 2 square. So one square of 4 towers is worth 4 bonus points. For this throphy you need to have 20 bonus in total, spread across all your regions. This will come naturally when optimizing your empire. 

 

Keeping Things Tidy: Each new rune allow Smelter to destroy elemental blocks of that rune. You can destroy all blocks only after finding all runes by beating all the dungeons. 

 

Allright thats it! I hope this mini-guide can convince some hunters to check this game out! 

Edited April 27 by Laozuli
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