Hoedowns are tank-like vehicles used by the GEATHJERK Federation Supreme Armada. Fast, well armored, and designed for long range attacks, Hoedowns will flatten any target that approaches them without a plan or strategy.
First encountered in Operation 001-A, Hoedowns are the first enemy type in the game with armor that blocks Unite Morph attacks, establishing the importance of using Unite Guts to create an opening against enemies (and the frustration of players who didn't buy the ability from the Wonderful Mart).
Hoedowns are related to several other tank-like enemies:
Raydown: a model capable of firing lasers.
Gehdown: a model armored with spikes and capable of indirect fire.
Dough-Kun: a hovering model that sacrifices armor for mobility.
GEATHJERK File[]
An armored vehicle equipped with a magnetically guided molecular disintegration cannon.
Its high-capacity Jerk-matter drive allows it to travel up to 1,000 kilometers unaided. This computer-controlled unmanned weapon boats impressive agility and a fierce armored charge attack in addition to its main cannon, making it a fearsome offensive foe.
The Hoedown is also well equipped to defend itself against enemy vehicles thanks to its frontal high-density GEATH-Titanium Shield.
Description[]
Hoedowns are green, tank-like vehicles consisting of a large rotating cannon mounted on top of a four-wheeled car. Their most notable feature is the heavy shield in front of their cannon, which can split in half to make room for the cannon to fire oversized projectiles.
Shield Damage States
Hoedowns have multiple health indicators in their design, the most obvious being the state of their shield, which shows visible damage at around half health and disappears entirely once destroyed. Separate to the shield's health, the color of the details on a Hoedown indicate its actual health: changing from blue, to green, to orange, and finally to red as it's damaged until it's destroyed.
A Hoedown's actual health is indicated by a health gauge on-screen whenever it's damaged.
Though not obvious at a glance, the Hoedown's car section has a distinct front and back, appearing darker in the back and sloping downward toward its brighter front. This is important to note, because the direction the car is facing in is always the direction a Hoedown moves toward when using its Dash Attack, rather than the direction the cannon is aiming in.
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
 Hoedown
| |
|---|---|
| Climb Attacks to Stun | 6 Members |
| Attack Size to Launch | Any |
| Wonder-Liner Throw | 8 Members |
| Unite Whip Size to Grab | Size 20 |
| Item Catcher Drop | Small Wonderful Cake |
Hoedowns are defensive enemies whose shields protect them from most attacks, and the only reliable way to create an opening against them is by skillfully using Unite Guts to reflect their attacks back at them: this is already enough to make them a major source of trouble for beginners, but their long range Cannonball Shot attack and ability to flatten the team with sudden melee attacks can cause problems for experienced players as well, especially when they're fought alongside other enemies.
Hoedowns try to turn their shield and cannon to face the team leader at all times, unless stunned from Climb Attacks or the effect of Hero Time/Hero Sense is active.
Shielded Hoedowns can be attacked from behind, but they take reduced damage. On the other hand, Unite Morphs that make direct contact with their shield will break, stunning every member used in the attack. The only exceptions to this are Unite Hammer and Unite Spikes, which can safely hit a Hoedown's shield. Melee Enemy Weapons that hit their shield are also instantly dropped.
The main way of destroying a Hoedown's shield is to reflect its Cannonball Shot back into it using Unite Guts, but their shield also takes full damage from ranged Enemy Weapons, thrown enemies, and Unite Hammer.
Other Unite Morphs deal reduced damage to the shield, even if they break on hit. Unite Gun, Unite Bowgun, and Unite Goggles can be used to safely attack the shield at range, but Unify Boomerangs still break on contact.
If a shielded Hoedown is stunned by using Unite Guts to block its melee attacks, it will be flipped upside down with its underside exposed, causing it to take full damage from any attack until it recovers.
However, even when stunned, shielded Hoedowns cannot be launched or juggled: if stunned using Unite Guts, attempting to launch one will flip it right-side up, ending the stun early and causing your Unite Morph to hit its shield, whereas if stunned using Climb Attacks, Wonderful Rising Skills have no launching effect.
Despite this, it's still possible to pick up a stunned shielded Hoedown using Unite Gun's Bazooka form, Unite Whip (if stunned using Climb Attacks you must not hit the shield), or by circling them using the Wonder-Liner.
After losing their shield, Hoedowns can be attacked using any weapon, and it becomes possible to launch and juggle them in the air when stunned. Unshielded Hoedowns can also be stunned by cannonball explosions, such as from their own reflected shots or from using their Enemy Weapon against them.
However, losing their shield lets Hoedowns use their Dash Attack more quickly, making them more dangerous.
Variations[]
There are two versions of Hoedowns with different behavior: "mobile Hoedowns" and "stationary Hoedowns."
(Unless specified as stationary, any Hoedown mentioned on this wiki refers to the mobile variation.)
Mobile Hoedowns move from their spawning positions and wander around slowly between attacks. Mobile Hoedowns may stop momentarily before deciding to attack, and they may stop if you run around them repeatedly at close range. Mobile Hoedowns also don't move for a few moments after recovering from a stun, during which they may attack.
Mobile Hoedowns are capable of the Jump Attack and Dash Attacks, and whether or not one is moving (or trying to move) when it attacks is important, as this determines which version of the Dash Attack it can use.
On the contrary, stationary Hoedowns never move from their spawning position on their own, as they're intended to attack using only their Cannonball Shot attack. Stationary Hoedowns never use the Jump Attack or Dash Attacks, however, they can use a unique Stomp Attack when approached.
The only time a stationary Hoedown will ever move on its own is if it's moved far enough away from its spawning position, in which case it also stops attacking completely until it returns to its original location. However, most missions areas are not large enough for this to be possible.
Attacks[]
| Cannonball Shot | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
A Hoedown opens its shield (if it has one) and orange rings appear in front of its cannon as it expands with a stretching sound. Once the rings close and the sound effect finishes, the Hoedown fires a cannonball that explodes on impact. This attack is easily identified by the distinct stretching sound, which can be heard even from far offscreen. | |
| Properties: Blockable Breakable Projectile Reflected shots only stun Hoedowns after their shield is gone. | ||
| Dash Attack/Fast Dash Attack | ||
 |
An attack Hoedowns use if they're not moving. If a Hoedown still has its shield, it first revs its engine and rears up on its back wheels. After which, or if it has no shield, the Hoedown tilts downward and dashes forward with a loud rev and a blue glow. If a Hoedown still has its shield this attack is easily identified by rev sound and rearing animation, but after losing their shield they use this attack with very little warning. Note that Hoedowns dash in the direction their car section is facing in, not where their cannon is aiming. | |
| Properties: Flattens Blockable | ||
| Hop and Dash | ||
 |
An attack Hoedowns use if they're moving or trying to move. A Hoedown hops up and turns to aim itself toward its target in midair. Upon landing it uses the Dash Attack (landing on the ground does not deal damage). This version of the Dash Attack can easily by identified by the hop. | |
| Properties: Flattens Blockable | ||
| Jump Attack | ||
 |
A Hoedown stretches upward with a creaking sound and then launches itself into the air toward its target with a bounce sound, dealing damage on contact until it lands. This attack is easily identified by its sound effects, and Hoedowns fly through the air slowly, making this attack easy to react to. There is no limit on how far a Hoedown can jump to reach its target. | |
| Properties: Flattens Blockable Overhead Attack (Hammer/Naginata) | ||
| Shake Off | ||
 |
A Hoedown loudly skids its tires and then quickly hops up and down, dealing damage in a tiny radius when it lands. Hoedowns only use this attack to remove Climb Attacking team members. | |
| Properties: Flattens Blockable, No Stun | ||
| Stomp | ||
 |
An attack used only by stationary Hoedowns. The Hoedown hops up and down while turning to aim itself toward the team leader in midair, dealing damage in a tiny radius when it lands. Stationary Hoedowns only use this attack if the team leader is directly next to it. | |
| Properties: Flattens Blockable, No Stun | ||
Strategy[]
It's that easy?
Before a Hoedown can be freely attacked its shield must first be destroyed, which is most easily done by waiting for the Hoedown to use its Cannonball Shot attack and reflecting it back using Unite Guts, which will eventually destroy its shield, or stun the Hoedown if its shield is already gone. The "stretching" sound effect used by the Cannonball Shot attack is one of the most distinct sound cues in the entire game, and is reused by other enemies that fire cannonballs, so it's useful to react to the sound effect on reflex whenever you hear it.
While it's possible to attack a Hoedown from behind to avoid its shield, it's more trouble than its worth in the majority of situations, and you should just focus on either destroying the shield or attacking it while it's stunned: blocking a Hoedown's main two melee attacks will flip it over and expose its underside, stunning it and making it temporarily vulnerable. Shielded Hoedowns that are stunned like this shouldn't be attacked too much, however, as their shield will break your Unite Morph as soon as it recovers. While it's normally possible to extend stuns by launching an enemy into the air, shielded Hoedowns cannot be launched, as any attempt to do so will hit their shield and end the stun early. Hoedowns can only be launched after their shield is destroyed.
Apart from reflecting their Cannonball Shot, their shields can also be destroyed by stunning other nearby enemies and throwing them into the Hoedown, and some Enemy Weapons can deal massive damage to the shield. In particular, the Hoedown's own Enemy Weapon can be used to great effect against them, as not only will it quickly destroy their shield but it will also stunlock them once its gone, giving you another reason to hold on to these Enemy Weapons as much as possible.
A new option for destroying a Hoedown's shield becomes available once Unite Hammer is obtained in Operation 003-A. As Unite Hammer is capable of damaging armored enemies without breaking, you can use it to rush in and attack a Hoedown at any time.
Staying behind a Hoedown will make its Dash Attack miss.
A Hoedown's melee attacks are arguably more dangerous than their Cannonball Shot, as they're all relatively fast and will flatten any Wonderful Ones they hit, which prevents using Ukemi to nullify their damage. Most of their melee attacks can be avoided simply by keeping your distance to maximize the amount of time you have to react, however once a Hoedown loses its shield it becomes able to use its Dash Attack much more quickly. While this makes little difference for the slower Hop and Dash version of the attack, which now only requires you to activate Unite Guts a little earlier, it makes it much more difficult to react to the faster form of the Dash Attack, which is now used almost instantly. The best way to avoid the faster Dash Attack is positioning: pay attention to which direction the Hoedown's car section is facing in (not where the cannon is aiming!) and stay behind it, and the attack will miss you completely.
Finally, if your Unite Morph hits a Hoedown's shield, there's a very brief delay before your Unite Morph breaks where it's still possible to safely put it away. Putting away your Unite Morph before it breaks like this is an advanced technique that's worth practicing, as this applies to hitting any other armored enemy or surface capable of breaking a Unite Morph.
While tricky (and very energy-inefficient on 101% Hard), this can even be abused to destroy a Hoedown's shield using any Unite Morph by attacking it, putting away your Unite Morph before it breaks, and then repeating this until the shield is destroyed.
Unite Drill Spring will break on contact with a Hoedown's shield and stun the entire team, so it's recommended to disable Unite Drill Spring in the UNITE MORPHS list in the FILES section of the pause menu before fighting Hoedowns.
Difficulty Changes[]
On Hard and 101% Hard, the time required for a Hoedown to "build speed" before its Dash Attack is significantly reduced, to the point that it can appear as if Hoedowns use the attack without any warning at all after losing their shield. On these Difficulty levels, the most reliable defense against the no armor Dash attack is positioning: try to stay behind the Hoedown to make this attack miss, and don't risk trying to bait out the attack to block it using Unite Guts.
In Remastered Version of the game, Unite Morphs do not break on contact with armor on Easy and Very Easy, meaning their shields can be destroyed using any weapon.
Collectibles[]
GEATHJERK File No.004[]
In the box
- Location: Operation 002-B
The Hoedown GEATHJERK File can be found inside a Unite Hand Box in the rooftop area after Mission 003 (the first encounter with a Nyerk.)
Enemy Weapon[]
When killed using the correct Unite Morph, a Hoedown will drop its Enemy Weapon: The Hoedown Cannon.
Hoedown Cannons are 10 charge Enemy Weapons that fire cannonballs in a straight line that explode on impact. Due to their infinite range, high damage, high rate of fire, and ability to stunlock enemies that are affected by explosions, Hoedown Cannons are among the most powerful Enemy Weapons, and they should be obtained and used whenever possible.
Hoedown Cannons are functionally identical to Gehdown Cannons.
Gallery[]
- Gameplay and Cutscenes
- Enemy File
- Art Gallery
- Other Images
Trivia[]
- The name Hoedown is derived from "砲弾 (hōdan)", the Japanese word for cannonball. [1]
References[]
[]
| Enemies | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEATHJERK | |||||||||
 Dough-Goo  Cough-Foon  Chew Dough-Goo  Hoedown  Diedough-Goo  Gatcha  Dahkarts  Raydown  Tiekuu  You-Hough  Die-Tiekuu  Hah-Markee  The Meizerr  Gedie Dough-Goo  Nyerk  Gehdown  Notoriyeah  Envan  Megang  Dough-Kun  Orgon  Dahkarts (Self-Replicated)  Ankho  Hah-Gonay  Die-Rixen  Koh-Tumeekey  Doora  Kaizor Ohrowchee  Surey Doora  Tumeekey  Kuzzler  Deah-Kani  Kaizor Diejeah  Gurry Doora  Gunchew  GEATH-Wahksay Gah-Goojin  Diekuu Ohrowchee Revived  Diejeah  Ohdarko  Wallgah-Goojin  Vaaiki  Giga-Goonkhan  Giga-Goojin Laambo  Prince Vorkken  Chewgi  Wanna  Vijounne  Walltha  Heyourgah  Gimme  Jergingha
| |||||||||
| Gameplay | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations | Prologue • 001-A/001-B/001-C • 002-A/002-B/002-C • 003-A/003-B/003-C 004-A/004-B/004-C • 005-A/005-B/005-C • 006-A/006-B/006-C 007-A/007-B • 008-A/008-B/008-C • 009-A/009-B/009-C • Epilogue Operation 101 | ||||||||
| Mechanics | Unite Morphs • Wonder-Liner • Skills • Team Attacks • Unite Gauge Difficulty • Temporary Members • Total Rank • Items • Combo • Awards Wonderful Mart • Mixer • Solo Mode • Subscreen • Taunt • Body Type | ||||||||
| Collectibles | Bottle-Cap Collection (Achievements) Minor Wonderful Ones • Wonderful Files • GEATHJERK Files • Wonderful Figures Hero Heart Fragments • Wonderful Toilets • Underground Items Enemy Weapons • Secret Missions • Kahkoo-regah • Platinum Coins | ||||||||
| Game Modes and DLC | The Wonderful One: After School Hero Time Attack • The Prince Vorkken (DLC) • Multiplayer Missions Wonder-Size Cadet Demo • Demo: Boot Camp | ||||||||
| Extras | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallery • Wonderful Codes • Platinum Codes • Glitches • Unused Content | |||||||||