Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 10/10
- Offline: 50 (1000)
- Online: 0 (0)
- Approximate amount of time to 1000 : Undefined
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: Over 12
- Number of missable achievements: None
- Do cheat codes disable achievements? Yes (Default Settings Required)
- Does difficulty affect achievements? Yes
- Glitchy achievements: None
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed? Second Controller

Introduction: Shmups
Deathsmiles is a shmup, or shoot-em-up, made by CAVE. A shmup is a horizontal or vertical shooter where the player takes control of a character with the abilities to shoot projectiles at enemies, while these enemies retaliate with numerous projectiles. The achievements in Deathsmiles range from as simple as pausing the game to as difficult as completing the whole game on LEVEL 999 without getting hit once. It’ll take a lot of practice and effort to accomplish a 1000, but 40 of the achievements are easily obtainable through this guide.

Step 1: Playthrough 1
Welcome to Gilverado. You can choose any character of your desire, although I recommend starting off with Rosa, as she is fairly easy to pick up. Now, to get the most out of your first playthrough, I recommend you follow the following paragraph exactly as I say to cross off 18 achievements off the bat.

Follow this Stage Path:C-1
C-2
B-1
A-2 (1st LIFE)
A-1 (2nd and 3rd LIVES)
B-2
Extra
Final (4th LIFE)
IMPORTANT: CHOOSE LEVEL 3 FOR ALL STAGES! DO NOT USE ANY BOMBS THROUGHOUT THIS PLAYTHROUGH

As soon as you enter C-1, you will unlock Opening Salvo. Shortly afterwards, you can pause the game and then un-pause it to unlock Everything's Stopped!. Somewhere along this playthrough, you will die and unlock Resurgence. Beating the stage will unlock Boss Milking. Head on over to C-2 and defeat Bavaria to unlock Flame Dragon. Continue to B-1 and defeat Ulan to unlock Putting Down Roots. Go to A-2, picking up your 1st Life pickup along the way, and destroy Jordan to unlock Buried Alive. Loading into A-1, you will unlock Descent into Hell. You will also find your 2nd and 3rd Life pickup. Defeat Deathscythe to unlock Infernal Scythe. Plow through B-2 and defeat Sakura for the achievement Successor. Detour over to the Extra Level, The Gorge, to unlock The Twin Wyrms. Venture into the FINAL Level, Hades Castle and defeat Jitterbug to unlock Gatekeeper. Don’t forget to pick up the Final Life pickup for Sweet Tooth after you beat Jitterbug. Finally, defeat Tyrannosatan to net Emperor of Darkness, To Hell and Back, Explosives Prohibited, and one of the Daughter Achievements.

Do NOT skip any of the cutscenes in the game!

You will now have a choice to either stay in Gilverado with your friends, or enter the portal in hopes of returning to the Real World. The choice is yours, and depending on it, you will receive 1 of two achievements.

Following this will net you 320 and 18 Achievement in the first 20-30 minutes of playing.

Step 2: Playthroughs 2 - 11
Continue running through the game with all characters twice, including a 3rd playthrough for Sakura’s achievement, Mother…. Make sure to do the original four daughters(Rosa, Follette, Windia, Casper) in the Regular Xbox or Arcade mode of Death Smiles. Sakura is a playable character in the expansion within the game, Magic Black Label, or MBL. Throughout your playthrough, try to remember the following:
  • Check the Guidelines on how to accomplish Just Barely! And Halfway There.
  • When playing as Windia, when you encounter Sakura, remember to not damage her and to survive for about ten minutes of attacks to unlock I Can’t Hurt a Friend!.
  • When playing as Sakura, the first playthrough should be on LEVEL 999 to unlock Opening the Door to Hell, and A Challenge from CAVE.
  • To unlock Mother…, you will need a second Controller. Check the Guide for more details.
  • When in MBL, select the 2nd EXTRA STAGE and defeat Ozier for Forgotten Guardian.
Step 3: Beginning Ver. 1.1

Version 1.1 is an enhanced version of Death Smiles, with the added on feature to control your Familiar with the Right Thumbstick. In Ver. 1.1, the controls are significantly changed, so check out the controls options before you jump in. Use your Familiar to soak up the Revenge/Death/Suicide Bullets the enemies will start spewing upon death, unless you’re playing LEVEL 1. You will unlock Getting Familiar by using another continue and Distinguished Angel by clearing Ver. 1.1.
 
Final Step: Mastering the Shmup (1cc)

At this point, you should have 645 out of 1000 and 40 out of 50 Achievements. These Last 10 Achievements are going to be the harder ones of the bunch, requiring skill, effort, and time.

Rosa’s True Power
Follett’s True Power
Windia’s True Power
Casper’s True Power
Hundred Millionaire
Double Millionaire
Triple Millionaire
Deathsmiles Virtuoso
MBL 1.1’s Hidden Challenge
The True Tyrant

These Achievements will determine who is really good at Shmups.

First, the easier of the bunch would be the True Power Achievements. Luckily, we already have a guide for 1cc’ing the characters easily.

https://www.xboxachievements.com/f...d.php?t=241990

All credit goes to Fox Pocket for the excellent guide.

Next, would be the Millionaire Achievements. My advice would be to check out the leader boards. The top scoring NA in the Original Death Smiles is a little over 300 Hundred Million. You can check his replay by downloading it through the In-game replay feature. Try to duplicate his path and technique and maybe you’ll be able to unlock these.

Afterward, using your Ver. 1.1 skills, beat Ver. 1.1 without using any continues in ALL Stages including the Extra Stage on LEVEL 3. The key to this is practice. Enter Training Mode and start learning the pattern of the enemies. Especially learn how to dodge Boss Attacks. Keep practicing till you’ve mastered all the stages. You’ll need it for…

The True Tyrant. To encounter Bloody Jitterbug, you will need to meet one of two requirements. Either beat MBL with ALL Stages at LEVEL 999 without getting hit once or complete MBL Ver. 1.1 without using any continues. The latter seems to be a lot easier. Keep practicing. All I have to say. Once you become good enough to 1cc MBL Ver. 1.1, you’ll end up getting MBL Ver. 1.1’s Hidden Challenge.

Conclusion: Easy 645, Hard 1000

At this point, you’re either both sick and tired of hitting start to continue, or you’re dodging all the purple bullets of death, and placing first in the Leaderboards. Just remember, CAVE is famous for creating difficult games, so don’t feel bummed out if you can’t complete it. It's a very, very hard game to max out. Enjoy the game. It’s short, sweet, and fun.

[x360a would like to thank Urge2shoot for this Roadmap]

Deathsmiles (NA) Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 50 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Move your demon friend! Ver 1.1

    Once you have control of the character, just use the  to move in any direction.

  • Play any mode once. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    The first Achievement you should receive, just enter any Stage to unlock it. Doesn't matter which one you choose, as it will unlock the moment you start playing.

  • Continue once while playing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    You will not have a problem getting this achievement, as you just have die and continue. It’s not hard to die, just go make sure that you don't dodge any of the numerous projectiles that come your way.

  • Defeat Deathscythe, the Wandering Reaper! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    All of these achievements involve defeating the boss at the end of each stage. Focus on just staying alive here, and moving into range where you can attack when the opportunity arises. If you're new to shmup's, the bosses will seem overwhelming. With time and practice though, you will eventually be able to pull off killing each boss without dying.

    Deathscythe is the boss found at the end of Stage A-1.

  • Defeat Jordan, the Buried Baron! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Jordan is the boss found at the end of Stage A-2.

  • Defeat Ulan, Conjurer of the Forest! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Ulan is the boss found at the end of Stage B-1.

  • Defeat Sakura, Witch of the Bog Wastes! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Sakura is the boss found at the end of Stage B-2.

  • Defeat Mary, the Giant Cow! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Mary is the boss found at the end of Stage C-1.

  • Defeat Bavaria, the God of Flames! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Bavaria is found at the end of Stage C-2.

  • Defeat Devaria and Givaria, the Twin Wyrms! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Devaria and Givaria are found at the end of the Extra Stage.

  • Defeat Jitterbug, He who Opens the Door! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Jitterbug is found at the end of the Final Stage. If you defeat him without using any bombs, upon his demise, he will drop a 2-Life Pickup.

  • Defeat Tyrannosatan, the Demonic Imperitor! Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Tyrannosatan is found after you defeat Jitterbug.

  • Select Level 3 five times while playing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    Obtained after you play through five stages on the Level 3 difficulty, it will unlock before you enter the fifth stage. Difficulty isn’t a problem here, even if you are inexperienced. The game offers infinite continues, so with a bit of patience, anyone can get this achievement, even people new to the genre.

  • Clear the Gorge and Hades Castle having selected Lv3 for all stages. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Descent to Hell.

    Select Level 3 for all six stages in the game, and make sure to do the Extra Stage before you do the Final Stage.

  • Clear the game without using any bombs. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    A simple achievement, however you must pay attention. You need to finish the entire game without ever using your bombs. In order to use bombs, you must press . So if you go for this achievement, be sure not to touch the at all.

    Alternatively, since you are able to customize the game's controls, go through the options menu, and remove the completely. If done correctly, even if you press , no bombs will shoot out, guaranteeing you the achievement.

  • Clear the game with Rosa. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Four Daughters of Dior.

  • Clear the game using Rosa without continuing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Casper’s True Power.

  • Clear the game with Follett. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Four Daughters of Dior.

  • Clear the game using Follett without continuing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Casper’s True Power.

  • Clear the game with Windia. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Four Daughters of Dior.

  • Clear the game using Windia without continuing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Casper’s True Power.

  • Clear the game with Casper. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Four Daughters of Dior.

  • Clear the game using Casper without continuing. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    Refer to this guide, which you can find right HERE.

    1cc guide is credited to Fox Pocket.

  • Clear the game with all characters. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    Use each character once in four different playthroughs. In the original game, not the expansion, you have access to four different characters. You must finish the game with each of the following four characters. Difficulty yet again, does not matter.

    Rosa
    Follette
    Windia
    Casper

  • Return Windia to the real world. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Local Girl.

  • Choose to stay in Gilverado with Windia. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Melancholy of the Eldest.

  • Return Casper to the real world. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Local Girl.

  • Choose to stay in Gilverado with Casper. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Melancholy of the Eldest.

  • Return Follett to the real world. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Local Girl.

  • Choose to stay in Gilverado with Follett. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Melancholy of the Eldest.

  • Return Rosa to the real world. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    When finishing the game as each character, choose the first option “Return to the Real World”, and watch the cutscene. Do NOT skip the cutscene until you unlock the achievement!

  • Choose to stay in Gilverado with Rosa. Xbox 360 / Arcade

    When finishing the game as each character, choose the second option “Stay in Gilverado” and watch the cutscene. Do NOT skip the cutscene until you unlock the achievement!

  • Clear Deathsmiles Version 1.1 with all maps at Lv3! (No Continues, Ex Map included)

    Clearing the whole game on LV3 is a challenge in itself. Doing it in Version 1.1 is little different, since it’s easier to avoid Revenge Bullets. Learn how to use your Familiar as a shield against Revenge Bullets, so as to increase your survivability. Replay the stages over and over again in Training Mode, until you become very comfortable with each of their enemies and attack patterns. Scoring high is very important as well, because you want to have as much Life as possible by the time you reach the final stage. Reaching 30 Million and 1 Billion will increase your Health capacity accordingly, so try to score as high as you can, and don’t forget to finish the Gorge before you enter the Castle. If possible, try to beat Jitterbug without the use of bombs, as you will get a 2 Life Pickup.

  • Clear Deathsmiles Version 1.1!

    Easier compared to Deathsmiles Virtuoso, since you can use continues, and do it on any level. Just finish the game however you want in Version 1.1 for the achievement.

  • Power up at 500. MBL

    It is very important to do exactly everything I say, so start up the game in MBL. Only MBL will allow you to unlock the achievement, since it’s the only mode that lets you power up at 500. Choose any character you're comfortable with, and enter C-1 at Level 1. Avoid killing any enemies that give you items, i.e. Dragons and Eyes. ONLY kill the first three Tanks on the tracks, and the four Wolves, but remember to use your powerful shot.

    Each Tank will give you around 140 Items, netting you 420 Items in your Item Counter, and each Wolf will give you 20 Items. If you kill them all, and collect the jewelry before it hits the ground for each enemy, you will have 500 items in your Item Counter. If you don't get the all the jewelry before it hits the ground, they will turn into skulls, which give less points. As soon as you reach 500 Items, hit + simultaneously to activate your power mode to unlock the achievement.

  • Return to the real world with Sakura. MBL

    Choose Sakura when playing in MBL. After completing the game, choose to go with your father through the portal into the real world. (1st Option)

    Do NOT skip the cutscene until you unlock the achievement!

  • Remain in Gilverado with Sakura. MBL

    Choose Sakura when playing in MBL. After completing the game, refuse to go through the portal with your father and stay in Gilverado. (second Option)

    Do NOT skip the cutscene until you unlock the achievement!

  • Defeat Ozier. MBL

    See Infernal Scythe.

    Ozier can be found at the end of the 2nd Extra stage of MBL.

  • Clear all 6 chapters at level 999 (continue may be used). MBL

    The hardest difficulty available in MBL, you must clear all the chapters in the game under this difficulty. While the game is much, much harder on this difficulty, you still have infinite continues at your disposal, so getting this achievement is more patience than skill.

  • Choose Level 999 once. MBL

    See A Challenge from CAVE.

 

Secret achievements

  • Picked up 4 life-recovery items in one playthrough. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    Boot up the game with whatever character you're familiar with, and start playing. Once there, you must finish all the levels in the game in a specific order. This is the only way you can get four life-recovery items, so follow the exact level path listed below.

    C-1
    C-2
    B-1
    A-2 (1 Life)
    A-1 (2 Lives)
    B-2
    FINAL (1 Life)

    Following this path, you will find all of the life-recovery items. Be warned, you must do this entire playthrough on the Level 3 difficulty.

  • Cleared any stage with 0.5 lives and 0 bombs. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    There are many ways to do this, but this is the most reliable way to pull off the achievement. Make your way through any level in the game until you reach the boss. Once you reach the boss, use up all of your bombs until you're out. Keep damaging the boss until it is close to death, then begin ramming into the boss until you have 0.5 health left(or half of your final health bar). Once you've taken enough damage, carefully dodge all of the attacks and finish the boss off for the achievement.

  • Waited for Sakura to explode while playing as Windia. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    Choose to play as Windia in an Original Death Smiles mode. Reach B-2 and begin the encounter with Sakura. But, instead of fighting her, you have to wait for a around ten minutes while she shoots at you. Sakura will blow up after a really long time. Do NOT shoot, or use bombs, or any sort of attack at all, just focus on dodging. This achievement would be hard, but the fact that you can just sit there and continue infinitely makes it fairly simple, but a bit time consuming.

  • Pressed the pause button during a stage. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    The easiest achievement in the game, simply press in the middle of any level.

  • Score has reached 100,000,000 points. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Triple Hundred Millionaire.

  • Score has reached 200,000,000 points. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    See Triple Hundred Millionaire.

  • Score has reached 10,000,000,000 points in Mega Black Label 1.1 mode.

    See Triple Hundred Millionaire.

    Again, refer to the #1 score for MBL ver. 1.1 Leaderboards. The current top score as of the time of writing this guide, is now at 71 Billion. Again, just try your best to replicate the replay. With enough time and practice, you should hopefully be able to get it.

  • Defeated Bloody Jitterbug. MBL

    To encounter Bloody Jitterbug, you will need to meet one of two requirements. Either beat MBL with ALL Stages at LEVEL 999 without getting hit once or complete MBL Ver. 1.1 without using any continues. One of the hardest achievements in this game, which only a select few people have.

    All I can say for this achievement, is if you plan on even trying to get this, good luck!

  • Score has reached 300,000,000 points. (Secret Achievement) Xbox 360 / Arcade

    No one as of yet has been able to confirm whether the achievement can or cannot be achieved in Ver. 1.1. To be safe, go for this achievement in any of the other modes in the game. As a point of reference, try downloading the replay of the #1 score on the leaderboards for Xbox 360 Death Smiles mode, and studying his technique. Not much more can be said for this achievement, other than practice makes perfect, and don't give up!

  • Chose to stay in Gilverado with Sakura.(Secret Achievement) MBL

    Not to be confused with A New Family, this achievement requires you to play local co-op with Sakura staying home. Alternatively, you can play as Sakura in MBL. Once you reach Tyrannosatan, with a second controller, join into the game as the second player by pressing . Defeat Tyrannosatan, and watch the ending. As the second player, choose to enter the real world. Sakura will stay behind and an alternate cut scene will play.

    Do NOT skip the cutscene until you unlock the achievement!

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