Stage 1:
-Take the alt path
-Try to finish the stage with 5-6 bombs and a shield (this is rather RNG heavy and not a bad spot to reset the game)
-Only the wave beam shoots through walls
-Use the homing fire from the side of the boss. Survival is more reliable with a shield directly in front of the ship
-Try to save a couple lightning powerups for the boss, they last a while before falling off screen

Stage 2:
-Do not take the alt path this time
-Use homing shots for most of the stage. Try to grab as many coins as possible! A 1up spawns every 50 coins or so, so stay around the middle of the screen when collecting coins
-Use a bomb on the double mini-boss fight
-Save the last lightning powerups to shock 2 of the pods in the boss fight
-Try to block the triple shots with the shield, but using one bomb here isn't fatal

Stage 3:
-Take the alt path again. The boss is harder, but the stage is immensely easier
-Try to use 1 bomb max
-This boss will likely require fairly extensive practice timing the lightning powerups to become intangible against the bullets. Once again, the wave shot can pierce the walls but the homing shot can't

Stage 4:
-Take the alt path once again. Try to kill enemies with the homing shot and weave for the 1ups while collecting 50 coins once again. This is normally the point where the player will collect 2 1ups if they went for the regular route in stage 2
-The invincible enemies can be repeatedly shot for extra points and by extension an extra 1up, but try not to get too greedy here
-Try to use 1 bomb max against the angels
-Against the boss, try to use homing shot from the side of its bullets and save a bomb or 2 from the last couple forms. Bait out the 4 giant orbs from the final phase

Stage 5:
-Kill the first enemy with the wave beam, and possibly a bomb if depowered. The bottom middle is generally a safe spot
-Do not take the alt path here. Hit the 1st switch and the 3rd switch, but not the 2nd
-Try not to be too greedy with bombs but feel free to use 1 or 2 in the stage if the pressure is too high. Try to use homing shots to expose hidden powerups after the 3rd switch section
-Make certain to grab a shield before the boss by killing the item-dropping enemies
-Before the boss fight begins, align the ship perfectly to the bottom center of the screen and position the shield directly in front of it. Hold down the wave beam without moving until the first phase is over. During the second phase, bait out the laser beams and try to win with only 1-2 bombs

Stage 6:
-Take the alt path one final time
-Killing the tanks with homing shots is generally safer, but killing them quickly with the wave shot may be swifter
-The handgun bullets from the soldiers do not actually hurt, so don't bother dodging them. Try to destroy the building tops for extra points and a spare bomb. Don't be afraid to use it if the tanks are overwhelming here
-Try to bring a shield to the mini-boss. Leave it directly in front of the ship and use the wave shot from the bottom center. Otherwise, try to weave through bullets and kill the boss with the particle cannon during the 2nd part of the fight
-Stay at the bottom left of the screen during the final boss' speech. Hopefully there are enough extra lives and bombs to reliably defeat the final boss. Do not be greedy with bombs and good luck