Barracuda

This entire page contains **SPOILERS** for the Story Mode of *Just Shapes and Beats*. It is recommended to play the entirety of Story Mode before proceeding this page!

You have been warned.

*Are you looking for this boss battle's character?*

"***BARRACUDA!***"
— The level's faint vocals.

### World

ISLAND

**Barracuda** is the eleventh level in *Just Shapes & Beats* and is the boss level of the ISLAND world. It is an encounter with a triangular boss that unexplainedly appears and fights the player. It acts as the third boss level in the game, and is playable after repairing the Boat by completing Termination Shock, Sevcon, and Cascade, and sailing across.

This level is required in order to proceed further into the cave of the corrupted VOLCANO. After beating the level, the player will unlock the 'Snakes, it had to be snakes' achievement.

## Description

Barracuda is the third boss level of the game, in which the player encounters a boss which appears similar to the triangles that guided the player through the world. The boss uses three-way attacks, referring to the amount of sides that it has. This level also features snake-like creatures, better known as pyramid snakes, that slither across the area of the level in a wavy pattern. This is considered one of the easier boss battles in the game.

The level lasts around one minute and fifty-four seconds before the track fades out and the level ends.

## Story Sequence

After sailing across the corrupted waters with the Boat, the Boss is seen slamming a piece of the Tree at the peak of the VOLCANO as both the Blue Square and the Boat reach the shore. The Blue Square jumps into the VOLCANO's cave. However, their way is blocked by a rocky wall that cannot be passed through. The Blue Square is left with no choice but to start the level.
After the level, the triangle destroys the wall blocking the Blue Square's way, allowing them to proceed further. This transitions to the third chapter of the game, VOLCANO. The boss itself however has no real story value, and is therefore classed as a minor character.

## Layout

### First Phase

The level kicks off with a beat, with the boss blasting a ring of small circles around it. Three pyramid snakes come out from each side of the boss, slithering in its own direction. The boss then flips and repeats these attacks, and vice versa. Three lines then start to form around the boss as it unleashes a three wave attack at the upper corners of the screen and one to the bottom, and four pyramid snakes come out in the process. This attack repeats eight times before flipping and attacking using its three-sided attacks eight more times.

The boss flips once again and floats downwards as four pairs of pyramid snakes come out from each relative direction. the player is then suddenly attacked by a large number of square snakes rising up from the bottom of the screen, as the boss slowly rises up into a pyramid form. Once it fully rises up, the next wave of attacks begins.

### Second Phase

The boss moves to the right side of the screen, attacking the bottom of the screen with large spectrum bars from the base of the boss and attacking the top of the screen with slow-moving, expanding, circular radio waves. The boss then pauses the attack after a short while, with three pyramid snakes slithering upwards from the bottom. The boss attacks the player with radio waves four times vefore moving to the opposite side of the screen. It then attacks the player in the same fashion.

### Third Phase

After the second phase, the boss moves to the center of the screen before dropping to the bottom to attack the player by jumping up and attacking a certain side with spectrum bars and a spread of five radio waves. This attack repeats seven timees in different directions before four pyramid snakes from each side of the screen slither to its direction. The boss then attacks five more times before stopping.

The boss then reappears where it was at the beginning of the level, in its initial form, before pyramid snakes come out in three directions, and exploding afterward into a shower of falling triangles. The level ends shortly after.

### Hardcore Mode Changes

#### First Phase

* Three rings of small circles are blasted rather than the usual one.
* The boss periodically uses the ring attack in its evolved form.

#### Second Phase

* In addition to its radio waves, the boss also blasts rings of small circles.

#### Third Phase

* Whenever the boss attacks, a pyramid snake comes out of one of the four directions.
* The boss gives a longer warning.
* A spread of ten radio waves are used in the ambush attack instead of five. The circles also move much faster

### Previous Versions

* Prior to Update 1.1, the boss had short warning times, like in Hardcore Mode, making it very difficult to dodge.
* Prior to Update 1.1, the boss was not perfectly in the middle at the end of the last phase. Additionally, there were still falling triangles even after beating the level.

## Gallery

The level in the selection screen.The first phase.The intermission.The second phase.The third phase.The second phase, animated.

## Trivia

* This level is the only level with a track made by Noisestorm, and introduces the composer to the game.
	+ Noisestorm is notable for making a track called 'Crab Rave,' which is parodied on many other videos.
* It is the only boss level that is not related to any of the characters in Story Mode.
	+ However, the boss itself resembles one of the pieces of the Tree.
* The achievement which is rewarded for completing the level is a reference to *Indiana Jones*, who is known for a fear or hatred of snakes. A number of pyramid snakes are used in this level.
* Barracuda was originally the boss fight for the scrapped Cavern world.
	+ When the Cavern world was reintroduced as the LOST CHAPTER, the Barracuda boss did not return to being the boss of the world, with the Spider Dance (Remix) boss taking its place.

## References

1. ↑ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/535191715397763084/586271413174796318/unknown.png