Sayu is the second boss in No Straight Roads, but she’s also one of the hardest thanks to some hidden gameplay quirks. So before you tackle Sayu, prepare for the long haul — because you’ll need at least 15 minutes to beat her.
The level is laid out in platforms, with each island connected by a bridge. You’ll need to avoid a variety of obstacles including killer jet streams, robots and battery-powered worms to reach the transform block for every bridge all while avoiding missiles, darts and power stomps.
Get No Straight Roads’ double jump, glide ASAP
If you can, spend fan points on jumping skills for this level. The double jump and glide are two of the best early defensive weapons and well worth unlocking before anything else. (If you need more points, you can defeat enemies over and over to earn more fans.) They let you jump over any obstacle and avoid taking unnecessary damage.
If you don’t have these skills, focus on timing your jumps between rifts in the floor, don’t touch the jet streams and avoid as many enemies as you can. When you see cases on the ground, open them up for more health or energy. Eventually, you’ll reach a crossroad splitting into three paths.
These lead to special ‘files’ you’ll need to destroy.
Hit these files with melee moves or use your transform skill to change the nearby folders into guns. Make sure you pay attention to Sayu’s explosive attacks and targeted arrows while you attack these files. Her explosions deal big damage so you’ll want to avoid them.
Her arrows can be avoided or attacked. Jump up and slam the ground to dispel any arrows targeting you. In the later stages of the fight, this will be essential.
Like the other bosses, Sayu’s attacks land on certain beats. You’ll need to listen to her music to understand her patterns and avoid them where possible.
Halfway through the battle, Sayu will transform into ‘dark mode’. This is when the fight gets real — and when you’ll ready need to start employing evasive manoeuvres.
As before, you’ll need to make your way through each mini-island and destroy Sayu’s files. They’re well protected with missiles, robots and melee attacks so you should plan carefully before leaping in. During this stage, you’ll want to dispel the targeting arrows as soon as they arrive. They’re far more frequent in the later half of the battle and can cause major damage.
After the last file is destroyed, the Sayu fight will transition into a chase. Here, you’ll need to run away from Sayu and leap between longer islands. As before, avoid enemies if you can and grab any chests lying on the battlefield.
Once you finish this mini chase stage, Sayu will transform into a fish with legs and you’ll enter the final battle. This stage appears tricky, but it’s simple once you know what to do.
First, you’ll need to avoid Sayu’s devastating wave attack. Stick to the centre of the stage and jump into the air when you see waves starting to form. Slam any targeting arrows around you and avoid Sayu’s missiles.
The next part is simple. Smash the clams you see littered around the stage. Each clam gives you missile projectiles to launch at Sayu. (Parrying attacks will also award you with projectiles, depending on your abilities.) Eventually, you’ll deal enough damage to destroy the files and Sayu will disintegrate.
The clams are essential for the final fight, but it’s not immediately obvious you can hit them. Remember they’re your most important weapon and Sayu should be a breeze.
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