Wonderboy in Monster World by Sega Author: DJ Tigresa and MC Pantera Email: djtigresa@classicgaming.com, mcpantera@classicgaming.com Copyright 1992 Chiguretha"Tigresa" Steel and Pansela "Pantera" Steel aka Ice and Ember Queen X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the fifth in the Wonder Boy series, and it continues the tradition of each sequel being better than the last. This time Wonder Boy must fight an evil force of monsters that have invad ed the once tranquil village of Alsedo, and restore peace. By defeating the monsters you can collect gold, used to buy weapons, shields and potions. A battery feature allows easy saving of your game in the Tavern of each village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basic Tips ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can use your Spear or Trident as a shield by holding Up and rapidly pressing B. To buy valuable items you must have gold. Each time you defeat a monster you’ll receive various amounts of gold, and by leaving and reentering an area you can make monsters reappear. Save your game whenev er given the chance. If you don’t have enough money, build some up, then save. When you save you sleep, which replen ishes your energy. Talk to everyone each time you see them. Some will have new, and valuable, information which is necessary to find items and defeat monsters. Buy new weapons and shields whenever they’re made available. If you don’t have enough money collect some by defeating nearby monsters. Enter and building and then exit to replen ish the monsters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Beginning ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go right and enter the first tree to find an old man. Speak to him and you’ll receive an Elixer (energy replenish) and the Fire Storm spell, which you should have ready by pressing Start and selecting Magic. The second tree you encounter has a pair of Leather Boots offered for sale. The bargain price is 30 gold pieces. A snake appears to the right, and will give you from 1 to 8 gold pieces when defeated. Stand at the ledge to the left or right and bend down, then hit the snake with your sword as he approaches. Wait a few seconds for another snake. After defeating two or three snakes you’ll have to walk off the screen to the right and come back before he’ll appear again. Keep doing this until you have 30 gold pieces, then get those Boots! Keep heading right across the islands until you reach a sign that reads, “You can ride a jellyfish!”. A Jellyfish will jump at the right of the island. You must jump and land on him as he’s jumping, then bounce to the right across three more jellyfish. You’ll now be in Alsedo. There are many valuable items to buy here, but you’ll have to build up a lot of money first. The snails throughout the village provide an excellent source of income. Keep collecting gold until you have enough to buy everything in the village. By buying the Small Spear first you won’t need to hit snails as many times to defeat them. Stand between the two statues at the, center of the town and press up to enter a magical area and receive a guardian fairy. She’s not much help, but fun to watch and provides an occasional boost in energy. After buying the Small Spear and Chain Mail head to the cave (right) and get the Ocarina, then return to the town and talk to the towns people for musical guidance (house to right of statues). Before entering the cave a second time, go to the Tavern and Save! Once Inside the cave, stand on the pedestal of notes next to the first door and play the Ocarina. You must first select the Ocarina from the items menu, then hold A and press left or right (depending on its location) to select it. The first tune is BABABCB. The tune for the sec ond door is ABCBCAB. Open the chest to find a Big Heart, which extends the number of hits you can take. The tune for the third door is ACCABAB. The next door is the boss! Jump up next to the column before this door and you’ll find two small hearts. The boss is Myconid (a large Mushroom). It leaps around and releases smaller mushrooms. Use your Fire Storm spell against him while poking with your spear and avoiding his pounce. If you’re low on energy select the Medicine in your items Menu. After defeating Myconid, return to the village. Buy another Medicine in the first house if you don’t have one, then return to the Tavern and Save. Next, go talk to Queen Eleanora by standing between the stat ues and pressing up. The tree she speaks of is to the far left from where she stands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Purapril ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before going down the ladder in the tree, jump over it to the left and rapidly jump to find a few gold coins. Then go down the ladder. Keep walking left as far as you can, past the passage downward. The bats will swoop down as you approach. Hit them as you’re walk ing towards them. The red blobs will bounce towards you. Walk towards them as they land and hit them before they make another leap. To the far left is a knight in strong armor. To defeat the Knight, hold up on the control pad and press B rapid ly to spin your Spear. As long as you spin your Spear you’ll be well protected from the Knight, although he may jump on top of you once or twice. After defeating him you’ll meet a princess. Follow the path up and right to her castle throne. Next, head back down the stairs to the previously locked door and enter it. You are now In the Castle. Go left to the Tavern and save your game. From the Tavern In the Castle you can go right to the Maugham Desert, which will result in your death very quickly, or go left to find shops. Beyond the shops is the back entrance to the Castle you encountered at the beginning of the game (with those two stubborn guards). Below and very far left from the shops is Lilypad — a dwarf village with shops and important goals to achieve. After visiting the shops in the Castle, and buying anything you can afford, go to Lilypad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lilypad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the way to Lilypad you’ll have to fight spiders and spirits while climbing vines. There’s no time limit, so don’t rush through. The enemies are easy to fight, and you’ll want the gold to upgrade your weapons and armor later. When climbing on the vines, climb to the top and hold the directional pad in the direction of the next vine, then climb up again. You don’t need to press the jump button. In Lilypad, the dwarf village, your first goal is to find the lost dwarf child. He’s being held captive by a group of headhunters far to the left. Rest up and save your game at the Inn, then venture left to the headhunters camp. On the way you’ll meet a few lone headhunters. They hop and throw items, and can be a bit tricky to fight. It pays to be aggressive. Charge towards them and hit them, then as they are knocked back by your hit keep walking towards them and hit again. There are many opportunities to build up your gold in this area. From the village, walk to the next screen on the left and fight the enemies. Each enemy will reappear two or three times, and you can reset the enemies on any screen by walking off and back onto the screen. The Headhunter’s Camp is easy to conquer. Stand at the bottom of the rope and spin your Spear (hold up on control pad and rapidly press B). After defeating three or four of the headhunters, the rest will run off the screen. The dwarf child will also run off, but you’ll find him safe in the town. Talk to his father in the first building at the far left, then go to the Inn and save your game. After resting and saving you must seek the Trident in the monster’s lair. Go to the right to find the dwarf child. Talk to his sister (standing next to him) and he’ll join you. He’s very useful for finding secret doors and gold. Buy the Potion in the building marked with a ‘?‘, then go to the monster’s lair to the right. In the monster’s lair you’ll be shrouded in darkness. Go to the left, quickly to avoid the ene mies, and jump on the white plunger. A door to the left will open. Enter and fight the bat inside. Use the Fire Storm spell and Potion if necessary. Upon defeating the bat you’ll receive a lamp that will illuminate every room you enter. The lamp will not burn out, so there’s still no reason to rush through, which will often result in a major loss of energy. Go to the right and climb down the stairs. As you walk to the right a very large boulder will drop from above, and you must stay ahead of it to avoid being squished. Run to the right and drop down, then quickly go left and drop down. The boulder will roll over, and down a pipe, which leads back to the entrance. The low pathway to the right from the boulder leads to a hidden Big Heart, but you must have the dwarf child with you to find it. Follow the path up the two ladders, then go to the left off the screen to find a plunger. Step on it, then go back to the right and down to the stone wall. Break through with your sword, then walk slowly to the right until the dwarf child breaks open a door. Enter this door to find a treasure chest with a Big Heart. After exiting the room you can take a shortcut by falling through the floor at the right. Work your way back to wear the boulder fell down the pipe. If you are low on energy, go down the pipe and right to the exit, then return to the village and rest up (and save) at the Inn. Next it’s time to search for the boss and get the Trident. From the pipe where the boulder went down, go left by climbing up the ladder over the pipe and falling down to the left. Follow this path until you reach a plunger that’s blocked by blocks above. A few steps up to the right has a treasure chest with an Elixer, which will recover all of your energy. Jump to the blue platform at the left of the plunger, then climb up to the moving platform. When you jump off the moving plat form to the right blocks will crumble under your feet and you’ll sink to the plunger. This plunger causes a group of blocks above to turn grey, which you can break with your sword. Through this breakable wall you can jump across platforms to the right and enter a new area. Rush to the right in this area to avoid being hit by the many enemies. A door to the far right is an exit to the outdoors, but if you have enough energy you should jump down the pipe below. The blue heads in this area shoot arrows (like those earlier). You can block the arrows with your shield, but you’ll be knocked back a few feet. If you have the Dwarf child go left. He’ll reveal a hidden door where you’ll find a treasure chest containing a Hard Shield. To the right, over the arrow-shooting heads, you’ll find a room with four plungers and four lamps. You must step on the plungers in the correct order to open the pipe against the far right wall.. If you make a mistake (the flames will bum out) you can reset the plungers by leaving and re-entering the room. Here’s the pattern: jump past the first and hit the second, then hit the third, the first, and finally the fourth. Down the pipe awaits the next boss, Gragg & Glagg. Gragg & Glagg are two large heads that open their mouth and spit out large boulders and small stones. Have a spell and potion ready (if available), then stand on the center platform and jump straight up over the small stones that cross the cen ter. The large boulders will roll to the center below the platform, hit each other, then roll back to Gragg and Glagg. Keep jumping over the small stones, then as the boulders are rolling back to Gragg & Glagg run behind it. When you reach Gragg or Glagg hit them with your sword once or twice, then quickly run back to the center platform. Repeat this pattern until one of the two monsters are destroyed. Now both boulders will roll out of the remaining monsters mouth. The pattern is a bit trickier because the boulders will take longer to roll across the screen. Continue to follow the second boulder back towards the remaining monster, and hit him with your sword. Since this second pattern is tricky and takes longer, you may want to spend the first part of this battle taking turns hitting each of the two monsters. Upon defeating both monsters you’ll receive a nice sum of gold and the Trident. Head back to the town and save. Upgrade your weapons, then return to the Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to the Castle, Then Into the Sea ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you reach the Castle, enter the Inn to save your game. Now that you have the Trident you can swim underwater. Go to the far left to exit through the front entrance of the Castle (where the two guards stand). Go right to find the first water area you passed over. Equip the Trident, then jump in. One important note for the underwater area: you’ll occasionally see a very large red fish that spits out small fish. With the Trident you’ll have to hit him six or seven times, but you’ll be rewarded with a full energy refill. Go straight down and you’ll see the passage you took prior to enter the Castle basement. Go right and drop down. The wood wall in the shape of an upside-down ‘L’ holds a secret which is common in the underwater area. Stand under the inverted ‘L’ and push up on the directional pad to enter a hidden door. You’ll be warped to a treasure chest with a lot of Gold (over 600!). There are a few of these hidden doors underwater. To find the next, swim to the treasure chest you just opened, then go up and right to the narrow passage located just below the land surface. Swim to the far right in this passage and push up to reach a treasure chest with over 600 gold and a small heart or two. Remember the treasure chest you couldn’t get to near the beginning of the game (it was guarded by a monkey)? Jump up to the land above and go right across two land masses (you’ll see the treasure chest halfway through the second land mass). Dive down into the water and search for the passage that leads to the treasure chest. It fol lows the bottom surface to the left, then goes up through a simple maze. As you jump up you’ll have to quickly jab your spear to hit the monkey. If you’re low on energy you can gain a few hearts from this monkey by jumping up and hitting him, then falling back into the water. Repeat this until he gives you as many hearts as you need. Inside the treasure chest is the Pygmy Armor, which you’ll use much later. To the right are two more treasure chests. One is easily reached, and contains a Big Heart. To reach the other you must find the hidden door, which is located in a small passage directly above and left of the first chest. You have to fight the red monster that is guarding the passage, then walk all the way into the passage and press up. The second treasure chest has over 700 Gold. To the right of the second chest is an area with wood in the form of a ‘U’. Sink down into it, then rapidly jump to find over 300 Gold. Your next goal is the entrance to Poseidon. To find it you must have the Amulet. Before seeking it, swim up to the surface and go right to Alsedo to Save your game at the Inn. When you awaken, stand between the statues and push up to enter the fairy area, then go left to enter the Dungeon of the Castle. There are two underwater areas in the dun geon. The first is the second pool of water you come to. Without the trident you would float across the surface, but with it you will sink into the deeper area of this small pool. Push up to enter a door and find a Big Heart. Go left to find the next underwater area, which enters into a whole new world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Shrine and Poseidon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After entering the new underwater area through the Dungeon of the Castle (see last paragraph), explore the area to find the Thunder spell, then swim up to the surface. Go left to find a treasure chest with the Pygmy Sword, which you’ll need much later. The Amulet is located to the far right. On your way you’ll see a hut on an island. Inside a lady will offer to tell you where the Amulet is located, but she wants your Ocarina. You won’t need the Ocarina again, but if you don’t want to give it up here’s what she tells you: “There’s a door hidden amidst four palm trees. From there you should be able to find the Amulet.” The four palm trees she speaks of are located to the far right. Stand between them and push up to find the treasure chest with the Amulet. Go back one screen to the left and dive into the water to find the entrance to the Underwater Shrine. Once in the Shrine, take the first passage up and go left. Jump on the up arrow to receive a full energy refill. To defeat the skullheads in this area hit them, then quickly take a few steps back. To the far right is about 100 gold, but don’t bother if you don’t need it. Go back underwater and swim to the right. Below and right are three passages. The center passage has a treasure chest with a Big Heart. The top and bottom passage each have propellers and a red orb. You must destroy all of the red orbs in this area to enter the next. Swim against the current of the propellers until they stop long enough to destroy the orb. Continue searching for the red orbs and destroying them. After you pass the area with the red spiked balls take the upper passage to find a treasure chest with a Return spell. You can cast this spell anytime to return to the last Inn you visited, and all spells are recharged when you sleep. Go back to the lower passage and follow it through until you exit the water. To the left you’ll find a treasure chest with an Elixer, then go right to enter the next under water area. There is one persistent propeller in this area that guards a treasure chest. Ignore it for now — you’ll be able to get it after talking to Poseidon. Continue hit ting the red orbs to stop the other propellers until you find the room with a propeller on each of the four walls and a large red fish (with a Big Heart). Slay the fish and collect the heart, then enter the lower passage to meet Poseidon (Don’t panic! He’s friendly). He’ll send you on a search for the Oasis Boots, which are located in that one chest you couldn’t reach below the persistent propeller (which has now stopped). It’s a long trip out, but you can return instantly by using the Return spell (after getting the boots). Don’t forget to Save! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maugham Desert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Saving and resting in the Castle Inn, put on your Oasis Boots and grab a Potion from the medicine shop (downstairs). The Maughan Desert is to the right from the Inn. You’ll need to be aggressive with the Sand Crabs. Walk directly up to them and hit them (you’ll knock them back), then keep walking towards them and hit them again. A few screens into the desert you’ll enter an underground area. Drop to the bottom and go to the far right. Stand against the wall and jump to find hidden coins, then go back to the rising platform and ride it up. Go right to find a treasure chest with a Quake spell, then go left to the original area you fell into. You’ll have to jump from platform to platform to climb upward, and as you land on each new platform a bat will appear. When you hit a bat the next platform will appear. Continue until you reach the top platform, then jump up and right to reach the top surface. The next stairs down lead to a treasure chest with a Shield spell. Further is a door and water. There is nothing of value in the door (that I could find, at least), but if you select your Trident you can enter the water and search for the Sun-Key, which you’ll need to enter the Pyramid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pyramid and the Sphinx ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After getting the Sun-Key, enter the center door of the Pyramid. There is nothing left or right. Climb up the rope at the center, being careful to avoid the heads shooting arrows. The treasure chest on the left contains the Moon-Key, which opens the door to the right of the Sun- Key entrance. Go to the right and drop down, then hit the plunger and go left. There’s only one path to the Sphinx. The spiked ceiling can cause major head injuries. It drops down, then rises up slowly. Stand in the lower areas and duck, then jump forward to the next lower area and repeat. You can perform a low jump by tapping the jump button, which will help prevent head injuries on the spikes. The room before the Sphinx has a few tough Mummies. Lay down on the higher ledges and hit them in the head with your sword, then run to the next high ledge. The Sphinx asks five questions. If you can answer at least four cor rectly she’ll let you continue, otherwise you restart at the entrance to the Pyramid. Here are the answers we know to be true (answer quickly): Which of these items is not sold at the Wanderer weapon shop? Trident; Which of these stores does not sell weapons? Felissimo; Which of these monsters did you battle first? Myconid; What’s the first type of magic you acquired? Fire Storm; What’s the name of the queen in the elf vil lage? Eleanora; After defeating Gragg & Glagg, what did you receive? Amulet; What item helped you to traverse Maugham Desert? Oasis Boots; Which key do you need to enter the Pyramid? Sun Key; What’s the name of the dwarf village? Lilypad. She’ll let you enter a room with the Star-Key, which opens the door to the left of the Sun-Key entrance. The Moon-Key room has a treasure chest with a Pygmy Shield, which you’ll use later. The Star-Key opens the first (left side) door of the Pyramid. A passage leads up to the top, where you can warp to a new area. After warping you can go left and find a cliff. The sign reads “Danger: The Desert Lies Ahead.” By dropping down you’ll end up in a location to the right of the Pyramid, but there’s a major advantage to dropping off. As you’re falling hold right and you’ll enter hid den passages in the cliff- side. The first passage has a Power spell increase, while the second contains a Shield spell increase (each by two points). After falling down the cliff, enter the Star-Key door again and climb to the top. This time go to the right, where you’ll find Begonia, the Dragon Village. Enter the shops to power up your weapons and shields, and don’t forget to visit the medicine shop in the bottom left corner. After you’ve spent all of your hard- earned cash, go to the Inn and Save. Speak to the Elder Dragon to receive a Bracelet. Now you can enter the Ice World, which is located in the Castle Dungeon. A door near the top of the village will take you back to the Castle, then go right to the Tower, enter, and enter the bottom door inside the tower. You’ll now be in the Castle Dungeon. Go right until you find the passage leading downward. Keep working your way down through the blocks with trapped skuliheads. When you reach the fourth, be careful not to break too many blocks. After you pulverize the skullhead, change to the Trident weapon. You’ll need one block you can step up onto, then spin the trident to break a column of blocks. Jump and poke your spear to break the blocks ahead, creating a stair which you can climb up onto. If you break too many blocks you’ll have to leave this room and reenter to reset this area. Ahead is a treasure chest with a Big Heart, and another with the Quake spell (it’s a tough jump!). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ice World, Childam, and the Ice Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bracelet will melt the seal to Ice World. This area is plagued with large Penguins. When you hit them they’ll jump high towards you. Swing again quickly to hit them in the air as they are leaping. The path to Childani is simple. When you arrive, check the shops to upgrade your weapons (and buy that Holy Water!), then save. The Ice Castle is to the right from the village. The beginning is straight— forward — once you get comfortable with sliding around on the ice! To stop sliding across a platform or surface simply jump straight up. The white apes are a good source of hearts, if you get weak. Be aggressive when fighting them, hitting them and walking towards them to hit a second time. After riding up the second elevator you’ll be faced with plenty of white apes, snowbeasts and platforms. Go left to the ladder, then go right to clear the way of a white ape. Take a few steps back, then run and jump across the opening. After landing, jump to stop sliding, then prepare to meet two more white apes. After climbing the second ladder you’ll find a room to the upper-right. Climb to it and enter to find a snow- beast (that provides a full energy restoration), and a treasure chest with Pygmy Boots (which you’ll need later). Go left and climb up the next ladder to enter a room, where you must find a gem. If you thought those snowbeast outside were mean, check out the one waiting at the bottom of this room. He’s much bigger and rushes at you in a similar pattern. Use your spells if necessary. When you defeat him you’ll receive an Elixer, then climb up the rope to find a treasure chest with a Gold-Gem. Once completed, do the same in a similar room to the left to find a Blue-Gem (which you’ll fight a large blue ape to get). If your energy is low, you can return to the room at the upper right or left tower to fight a (small) snowbeast for a full energy restoration (the room at the left also contains a Big Heart in a treasure chest!). The gems are nec essary to open a door above at the center. Climb up the steps carefully, then go left and right to place the gems in their proper spots. A door will appear back at the center, which will take you to an elevator, and Ice Bomber. Ice Bomber is a large snowbird, most likely of Indian descent, that flies backwards to the right and occasionally spits snowballs. His weak spot is his head, and the only way to hit it is to climb up the platforms that scroll by. The shield spell is effective in breaking up the snowballs, providing an opportunity to climb towards Ice Bomber’s head. An even more effective strategy is to run and slide under Ice Bomber, then jump up behind him and attack. If he backs into you, rapidly swing your sword and you’ll be able to land three or four hits easily. Your spells will refill later when you sleep. Once he’s defeated, you’ll be back at Childam. There’s no need to save yet, unless you’re very nervous. Enter the new door that has appeared to the left of the Inn. You’ll end up back at the main Castle, but you need to take the Old Axe back to the Elder Dragon, which can be done quickly by taking the shortcut to the left of the medicine shop. Once the Elder Dragon gives you the details of your next mission grab any missing items at the medicine shop, then rest and save at the Inn. When you awaken, go back to the Elder Dragon if you want his grandson to rejoin you, but we found him to be more of a distraction than a help! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wonder Boy vs The Volcano ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fire Urn has been stolen and taken to the Volcano. To enter the volcano you must have all of the Pygmy items, which you should now have. Head out of the village to the right and stop in the small house on the way to be pygmatized! Inside the volcano you’ll find a straightforward path with several new enemies. The firemen will jump towards you when hit, so be ready to swing that second lethal blow. You’ll receive huge bags of gold worth over 1,000 each! The firebirds swoop down as you approach (similar to the bats fought earlier). Swing as they swoop. It’s often safer to jump into the firepools and run than to fight the tougher enemies or become outnumbered. On the first floor you’ll find the Power spell, which increases the strength of your sword for a few seconds. Continue to the left and jump on the plunger, then return to the right. To reach the next boss you must work your way back and forth in search of plungers, then drop down to the lower floors whenever possible. The snakes will jump over you after being hit. Throw the first blow, then step forward as they jump over you, turn, and hit them again. If you have trouble running into the snakes try tapping the directional pad instead of holding it down. After reaching the bottom and hitting the last plunger you’ll find a rising platform. After riding it up and running left, you’ll find the final plunger before the boss. The firepool to the left of this plunger is actually a hidden entrance to a room with a treasure chest. Inside the chest you’ll find a Big Heart, which will make the next boss just a little bit easier. Enter the door in this area, then enter it again to reach the next area described. You may come across an exit door buried in a group of breakable grey blocks. Don’t enter it yet (if you do, enter the same door again to return). You haven’t found the Fire Urn. Run to the left of this door to stand on a sliding platform, which is actually a plunger and causes a wall above, to the left of the two snakes, to turn into breakable grey blocks. Break your way through, finding a treasure chest with an Ellxer within, and enter the door at the bottom of the pit. To the right in this passage is the next boss, The Tyrant Dragon. The Tyrant Dragon is simple to beat. Your tiny shield will provide sufficient protection from his hot breath. Stand on the two small ledges at the left or the right. As the dragon approaches, jump and swing to hit him in the head, then quickly climb back up to the ledge. As long as you face him your shield will protect you from the flames he breathes, but don’t let him get too close. You can also climb to the top platform to hit him in the head, but he doesn’t always stick it up far enough. Return to the Dragon Village and give the Fire Urn to the blacksmith (directly above the Elder Dragon). Go to the medicine shop to stock up on any missing items, then go to the Inn to rest/save. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Search For the Almighty Demon King ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you only have 8 or 9 Big Hearts, you may want to read the next section first to collect a few more, and other fun items. The final battle takes place in the clouds above. Go to the tower next to Purapril Castle and climb up the stairs to the top. The quickest method is to stand at the center and jump rapidly up the stairs. Go left to the gazebo-like arch and press up to shoot into the clouds. A trea sure chest above contains a Big Heart. Knights are making their way down the steps as you climb up. They jump towards you when hit, so be ready to make a second hit. Inside the castle is a maze of passages. The first enemy you’ll encounter is the large bat, which is a source of full energy hearts Keep hitting them until a full energy heart appears. You’ll know you’re headed in the right direction when you see the second enemy, a cute green demon that turns mean. They won’t give you any energy, but they will supply you with tons of gold (1500-2000 each) and blue spell points, which restore any missing points. The maze is a simple pattern, once you know which way to go. If you continue in the same direction, or backtrack the wrong way, you’ll end up seeing familiar areas. The correct path is: fall down the first pit, go right and climb up the chain, go right and climb up the next chain, go left and climb up the chain, go right (over the pit) and climb up the chain. Jump on the skateboard (for lack of a better description) and duck down to avoid the first two spiked walls ahead. As the skateboard reaches the right-side area again, jump off and get the Legend Boots in the treasure chest, then equip them. Go left until you drop down. You’ll see a chain and a small platform, which you can’t reach. Go right until you fall down, then keep going right until you reach the maze area of the castle again. Go right to the chain and climb up to the skateboard. This time stay on it and ride until you reach the area with that chain you couldn’t reach. You have to time your jump to land on the platform below the chain, then climb up. Go right and grab onto the rope, then drop down (by holding right on the direc tional pad). Grab the next rope and ride it to the treasure chest, where you’ll find a full energy heart. Drop down to the left to find a treasure chest with Legend Armor. The narrow passage to the left seems to require your pygmy form, but there’s no way to get up here without having the Legend Sword equipped, and you can’t do that while you’re a pygmy! Enter the door, then go right and enter the next door. An exit!? But you’re not done. Enter the door you just came through (on the left, not the exit). A-ha! Climb up the chain. The left passage is a looping trap that will bring you back to where you are now. Go right and demolish the pink sea creatures. There are two rising ropes to ride here. The one on the left reaches a treasure chest with Legend Shield. The one on the right continues to the next battle. Prepare a spell (Quake, Thunder or Fire Storm), then as you ride up with the rope, cast the spell to destroy the pink sea crea tures above. When the rope reaches the top, fall off to the right and open the chest. Use this same technique to reach the door at the top of the rope on the right. If you don’t let go of the rope, hang on until it lowers and rises again. If you fall off and can’t reach the rope you’ll have to leave the room, enter and start over. After entering a few doors, you’ll be faced with two skull creatures. If you’re low on energy, use the potion. If you don’t have a potion or elixer you should use the Return spell and rest up (saving your money). There is no easy pattern for the skull creatures, but they don’t inflict much damage. Make sure all of your Legend items are equipped/selected, then swing away rapidly at the skull creatures. The large purple dragon is next, and there’s good news — he is the bearer of a few full energy hearts. You may have to fight him as many as 15 times to get the heart, but once you know his pattern you should be able to defeat him with minimal damage to yourself. By hitting him rapidly with a steady rhythm while walking towards him, you can “push” him all the way to the left as you hit him. When he’s against the wall, decrease the rhythm of your pattern slightly. Upon defeating him you’ll receive the valuable heart or a huge bag of gold. Enter the door that appears, which poses a tricky puzzle in the next area. When you drop off the bottom of the next area you’ll return to fight this dragon, but practice the puzzle above until you know you can complete it, then keep dropping down and fighting the dragon until he gives you his heart. The trick to the moving platforms isn’t easy even once you know it. By jumping from platform to platform you’ll climb to the top of this area. As you jump off one of the two platforms it will move up to the next step, then you must jump back onto it. Don’t over-jump too far, or you won’t make the jump back to the other platform. When you reach the top, one of the plat forms will move to the right (instead of iii Jump on it and ride it down along the path of arrows. When you reach the bottom of the wall, you must jump right and land on a solid platform, which will disappear as soon as you slice up the creature on it. You’ll have to use the two platforms in this area to climb upward again, but this time they will follow a much trickier pattern. Jump to the top of the wall when you can reach it, then jump left and grab the rope, which will carry you to the door of the next boss. The Almighty Demon King seems menacing enough to be the final boss, but he’s not! His first head is a gopher, and there are two more where that one came from. He marches back and forth while throwing fireballs. Save your magic for later. Jump and hit his head until it drops off (don’t worry folks, there’s no blood!). It sprouts ears and flies around the room dropping flames, while an elephant head replaces it. You must continue to hit the head, using spells as necessary. After it drops off, both of the first two heads will continue to terrorize you while a final head sprouts with a horn and three eyes. Don’t bother attacking the first two heads. When you destroy the final head you destroy the boss, and that’s all that matters! If you know you’re going to lose a life for sure use the Return spell so you won’t lose any of the items or money you’ve gained to this point. Don’t for get to pick up a Potion and Elixer (from the dragon village) if you don’t have them. After defeating the boss you’ll return to the arch, but notice the electric force field to the left is gone, allowing you to enter. First you’ll want to return to Purapril Castle and rest/save. Use the Return spell for a quick trip. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Biomeka: The Final Battle! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With full energy, a potion push up to warp into the sky. Go left and enter the elevator. Jump into your spaceship. Awesome! The next room has five ladders. The one at the cen ter going up leads to the final boss, but first you must climb the other ladders to re-introduce your self to some familiar foes. The upper left ladder leads to the Myconid, but one hit will destroy and an elixer, head back to the arch and him! The Ice Bombs is waiting up the upper-right ladder, and three or four hits will beat him. Down the lower-right ladder is the Tyrant Dragon, requiring four easy hits. And finally, down the lower-left ladder is Gragg & Glagg, each requiring two hits. After beating the four old bosses, it’s time to meet and beat the final boss up the center ladder. Biomeka begins his fight with a fireball cannon that just won’t quit, until the Prince shows up and lends a hand. Be sure to have 10 full hearts before entering this room, or you may lose a life. You can gain more energy by fighting the enemies beyond the other ladders. After the Prince destroys the cannon, your energy will be totally refilled. The blue eye is Biomeka’s weak spot. Stand in front of him and jump attack to hit the eye while avoiding and destroying the laser cannons that follow the grey dotted lines. After 16 hits he’ll change, losing his metal shield and adding new obstacles. The ground where you stand will turn into a conveyor belt, pulling you left, while a sawblade will appear and move from side to side. Two laser cannons will appear at the same time. Use your spells, potions and reflexes to their full extent. By hop ping rapidly on the right side of the conveyor belt you can reduce its pull, but you still have to avoid the sawblade and laser cannons, which are often better ignored than fought. The Thunder spell will destroy the laser cannons, but they’ll soon return. Use the Power spell to increase your sword's strength. If you destroy Biomeka you’ll be treated to a long list of credits, but don’t look away! After the credits you’ll be treated to an animation, with dialogue between yourself and the other characters, and an excellent teaser... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Secrets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CHARMSTONE: This one had us stumped. We finally noticed it let us open a door that we couldn’t before. After purchasing the Charmstone from the medicine shop at Purapril Castle, or finding one (see “Backtracking” below), go to the bottom floor and left to the door of the dwarf village. To the right of this door is a thick green vine, and at the center of that vine is a door which can only be opened if you’re holding a Charm stone. Inside is a man offering an increase in spells for your Charmstones. These aren’t new spells, just more maximum points for the ones you currently have (three points of Quake, Fire Storm and Shield for two Charmstones). The fastest way to raise 500,000 gold is to enter the castle in the clouds and collect bounty on the large bats and green demons. They pay off up to 2,000 gold each, which adds up quickly. See the next tip to find a Charmstone. There are others out there somewhere... BACKTRACKING: THE PYGMY ADVANTAGE! You may have noticed many narrow passages that were impossible to enter because you were too tall. Now you have the power of the pygmy! Explore these previous areas to find a few valuable items. After entering the pygmy-tizing house, go back to the Monster Lair near the Dwarf Village (invite the Dwarf Child to tag along). After climbing down the first stairs enter the passage to the left to find a small door, treasure chest, and Big Heart! Return to the dragon vil lage, then (after shrink ing) go left out of the vil lage and head down to the two statues. Press up to warp back into the Pyramid, then climb down and enter the nar row passage. Jump on the plunger and go down, then go through the pas sage at the left. I have no idea how to get the treasure chest above (encased in the wall— there’s a hidden door somewhere), but by climbing down the rope you’ll find an area with four doors leading to plenty of treasure chests. Inside the chests you’ll find plenty of gold and a Charmstone (worth 500,000 gold!). Walk through the wall to the left of the four doors to find another chest with a Big Heart!