New to the series is the concept of beam-dueling. The player can absorb a captured enemy to fire a powerful laser beam over a short period of time, which will instantly destroy nearly every enemy it comes into contact with. This is primarily used during boss fights. Every major boss in the game has an equivalent laser beam. If the player and the boss fire their lasers simultaneously, a 'duel' between the two will initiate. The player must overwhelm the boss' laser by repeatedly tapping the fire button as quickly as possible. If successful, the boss' beam will eventually dissipate and the player's beam will multiply in size (as well as in power) and severely damage, if not kill, the boss. Some bosses have multiple beams and if the player manages to counter all of them, their own beam can multiply up to four times, filling up nearly half the height of the screen. The power of the beam is mitigated however by some enemies and large bullets being invulnerable to it, allowing bosses to shield themselves. Familiarity with a bosses attack patterns is thus vital for successful use of the beam dueling mechanic.