Metal Gear Rising Walkthrough Part 29 – R-04: Hostile Takeover (Ranked Battle 12: Sundowner)

Metal Gear Rising Walkthrough Part 29 – R-04: Hostile Takeover (Ranked Battle 12: Sundowner)

Sundowner has a very unique defense set up. Those shields of his are explosive. When they are hit they will detonate and cause damage to Raiden. Therefore it is important to aim very carefully and to take this battle very seriously. The battle ultimately breaks down into 3 parts where he acts very differently.

Sundowner Abilities: Phase 1
This is Sundowner's "Slow" phase. It is easy to see the attacks coming with a little practice, thus Parry Counter them. Try to sever some of the Shields or all of them to move things forward. If you sever all his shields, move onto Phase 2. If you get him down to 10% before then, move onto Phase 3.
Dash: Sundowner will charge Raiden with some of his shields forward. Parry it to get an interactive scene. This will let Raiden safely sever 2 of the 6 shields. He will use this attack when Raiden is at a distance commonly
Shield Approach: Sundowner approaches Raiden with all 6 shields in front of him. Move in close and use Blade Mode to slice through the highlighted weak points. This will allow you to sever 2 more shields. Also, using Offensive Defense will let you cut around the shield and get at Sundowner.
Dash with Swords: Sundowner chargers Raiden with his swords. As the sword arc begins, Parry to hopefully get a counter to stagger Sundowner. Again you will find a chance to cut through his shields.
Sword attacks: Occasionally he will strike with his swords. Use this time to parry or Parry Counter him. The attacks will be either single swings or part of a 3 strike combo. The combo has some odd timing so be wary of it.
Shield Bash: When Raiden is at close range Sundowner will have his shields start to rotate around him to repel Raiden. These attacks can be Parried or Parry Countered if you timing is good.
Blood Bath: This is an unblockable attack so start running when you see the Yellow Glow. Either keep Ninja Running or jump into the air and perform a long Aerial Combo until the attack is over. Dodging with Offensive Defense is possible but it very tight timing.

Phase 2:
Sundowner's pace picks up drastically here as he is free of his armor. This adds in a number of different attacks. Parry Countering will lead to a Parry War but it will leave Sundower stunned with you win it. Still, it is better to focus on hitting him with the Sai to stun him. Follow it up with the secondary attack to knock him down and then go to town with a long combo.
Upward Strike: A single upward strike that will knock Raiden down if it connects. You can parry this easily.
Forward Thrust: This 2-hit combo needs to be watched out for. The first part can be parried to interrupt the second. The second part has a second of charge time but it is unblockable so dodge out of the way. You can either use the Aerial Combo dodge, Ninja Run out of the way or a well timed Offensive Defense.
5 Hit Combo:A fast 5 hit combo with the fifth using the unblockable attack from the Forward thrust. Parry or block them then dodge the final
Pole Swipe: If  Sundowner is in this phase over 1 minute then he will jump out of the arena, call in some Cyborgs then return with a Pole. Fight and kill the Cyborgs quickly then work at dodging or parrying the incoming Pole Swipes. Try to move in and hit Sundowner to stop him from using this attack.

Phase 3:
The Final phase and more a chase than actual fighting. Just avoid the incoming pillars, slice through the ceiling and then take down Sundowner.