=================================================================== Maximo is a 3-Dimensional platformer with heavy focus on close combat and no small amount of environmental exploration. It is a remake of a "classic" game, that being Ghouls n' Ghosts for the arcade and 8-bit Nintendo. The game keeps the difficulty of the old title and adds new challenges to conform to the increase in dimsension. Keep in mind that Maximo is not for everyone. It is a dedicated game designed for dedicated gamers (or dedicated cheaters -- I know where I stand), so if you're looking for something to occupy you for just an evening, go break the house at Vegas. Conversely, if you want a challenge, you should buy this game. Maximo has a high difficulty level, and no -- you can't change that no matter how hard you try, Timmy. =================================================================== The game progresses like this: (1) Introductory Stage (2) Smash the Exit Crystal (after slaughtering enemies) (3) Go into Hub Level (4) All other stages (includes Introductory Stage) (5) Beat-down Hub Level boss (6) Repeat four times, then rinse. ================ Health Meter ================ Maximo uses a health system unique to its forebear and to its series. Character starts off with two (2) bars of health. Each bar contains four (4) hits-to-kill (or 'hit points', you nerd). Technically, Maximo can only take four (4) HTKs of damage, the extra armor just allows him to carry more HTKs. Losing all the HTKs causes the character to lose a life. Lose all the man's lives, and you are forced to pay for the ability to continue with "Death Coins" or as I like to call 'em, credits. Losing health is easy, but getting it back is hard. That's because if a health bar empties out (and has no HTKs in it) you lose the bar until you find armor (which adds a full lifebar). This means if Maximo is hit continuously, he will have less HTK to absorb when he "recovers" his current lifebar. This translates into extremely careful gameplay, or you will find yourself not being able to complete tasks required because you bled all the way over here without using a hemeostat. It's like I said to Regina before she started fighting rejects from Jurassic Park: DO NOT GET HIT. Understand? Normally, you are limited to the maximum of three (3) lifebars. Getting armor while you're at the three bar maximum grants you 20 seconds of invincibility -- as well as refill your current lifebar to its maximum -- so you should always keep yourself in tip-top condition. If you find yourself swinging back and forth between boxers and armour, it means you're rushing things or going about it the wrong way (there's probably a better solution but you're not using it). That's not the way to go if you want to see the ending. Keep in mind that there are four, very good looking sorceresses to save. Just remember that and play on. ============== Save Pools ============== You can only save your game at a Hub Stage, provided you find the save pool and have 100 gold coins . It costs money to save progress -- so if you don't go nuts and buy everything you see, you'll always have money to spare. Additionally, scarf up all the gold coins (money) you can as you play stages. You'll need them. Trust me. You also use save pools to travel back to other hub levels you've completed (for 100 coins). Use the travel option to "reset" the prize wheels and hidden chests in hub levels to stock up. The money you find in the hub levels will defray the costs of travel and purchases. ================ Check Points ================ You will come across spots to temporarily save your progress while you're in a stage, called checkpoints. To activate them, you will need to down strike the checkpoint to activate it. If you die in the stage and have another life to spare, you restart here rather than from the beginning. What's saved at a checkpoint? Checked ------- Enemies killed Locked Chests opened Locked Doors opened Iron / Gold Keys taken Statue Switches destroyed Abilities lying in the open, taken Hidden Chests with Armor, Magic Blades, or Abilities opened Not Checked ----------- Spirit Stones / Snowmen destroyed (checked for Mastery, however) Torches / Goo Globes destroyed (checked for Mastery, however) Always Checked -------------- Coins, Bags, Gems taken Normal Chests opened (Mimics replace them) Hidden Chests with Money or Potions opened (Mimics replace them) Power-ups taken (Armor, 1-up, Magic Swords, Potions, Prize Wheels) Charges left in a Magic Sword ============== Lock Spots ============== These ability spots save abilities you want to keep should you lose a life. Abilities not in Lock Spots are lost and must be reacquired, which may be impossible with some. You start with three Lock Spots, but Lock Spots are increased by one for each boss you cack until you have a total of seven Lock Spots to secure Maximo's social security. =========== Arsenal =========== Maximo uses his sword to lay the smack-down on monsters. The sword can power-up to magic swords that have different elements affecting different enemies, and can have other unique abilities as well. Unlike the shield, the sword is not made from cardboard and is unbreakable. It would've been funny though, to see if Maximo can do bad kung-fu without a weapon, like Dante. After you see Maximo die 86'986'435 times, this sentence will not be funny. Maximo's shield protects him from blows, but has a limited durability. His shield is more useful with certain power-ups than as a constant, reliable defense. As enemies increase in later levels, keeping a shield gets harder and harder. That's why it'll be important to go to the ADVANCED section for good tactics to avoid being put in danger in the first place. There are three (3) shields available for play: Iron (starts off with this every time you die), Silver (buy one), and Gold (buy one). Gold and Silver shields are kept after you die, but if they are destroyed, they are replaced by an Iron ('crappy') Shield with your next life. This means you need to buy another one. There are a limited number of Silver and Gold shields you can buy since non-Hub level Prize Wheels do not restock. Silver and Gold Shields are never seen in Hub Levels. Tough luck. If you buy a better shield, keep it in good shape unless you are fond of wasting stuff. =========== MONEY ITEMS =========== Gold Coin - Each coin increases your expendable income by one. Let the good times roll. There are a lot of them and they tend to be left over the air, as a trail for you to follow to more important items. Coin Bag - Bag of the stuff, worth five coins. Unlike the single coins, bags are affected by gravity and always drop to the ground. Gem - shiny objects attract lots of attention, and gems are no different. Like single coins, they can be found in the air or on the ground. Worth ten coins, gems are rarer and harder to find in certain instances. Spirits - you only get them from breaking spirit stones (see TERRAIN ITEMS). These blue glowing balls with wings are an alternate form of currency. Collect 50 and you get a continue credit with the next spirit stone you shatter. This item is never dropped by enemies. Death Coin - because "credit" sounds too blase. But that's what they are: credits which allow you to continue your game once you run out of Maximo's. Every time you game over, Death makes a killing by upping the price for continuing. Not having enough credits to cover the cost to go on livin', and it's, "Game over, Kingston". Iron Key - not really money, but might as well be. Just like in Gauntlet, you'll need keys to access valuables. Unlike Gauntlet, you cannot buy keys. There is precisely one (1) key for each lock (be it treasure box or gate) in any one stage, and you can carry up to nine (9) of them. Gold Key - Give us the gate key. I have no gate key. Fezzik, tear his arms off. You mean this gate key. Gold (gate) Keys are used to unlock gold gates and/or doors. They are rarer than iron keys and you can only carry one at any given time. ============= TERRAIN ITEMS ============= Prize Wheel - a very crappy store with one item to sell at a price that is non-negotiable. Take it or leave it, it's up to you. Watch what you buy, because once you take it, it's gone forever. Spirit Stone - takes a variety of forms, but its purpose remains the same: it holds five (5) spirits inside. The top half holds two (2) spirits, the bottom half three (3). A down strike is needed to completely destroy an entire spirit stone. Top half damages your shield if you throw against it. The bottom half cannot be destroyed by a shield toss and does not damage your shield even though you hear the clang. Snowman - behaves exactly like a spirit stone (see above) but is found in the Frozen Wastes. Torch - a fragile terrain item that may or may not hold money. Damages your shield if you throw against it. Goo Globe - behaves like a torch (see above) and is found only in the Dreamlands -- I mean, Spirit Realm. Statue Switch - small gray stone statue that will be unlike spirit stones and other indestructable objects since Maximo will actively look at it when its in range. It activates something crucial to completing the stage. ============ HEALTH ITEMS ============ Green Potion - restores two (2) hits-to-kill (HTKs) to Maximo's current lifebar. Can be found already placed in a stage or in a treasure box. This item is never dropped by enemies. Red Potion - restores all hits-to-kill (HTKs) to a barely empty lifebar. Can be found already placed in a stage or in a treasure box or even bought at prize wheels for 50 coins. This item is never dropped by enemies. Armor - armor adds one (1) full lifebar to your total, so you carry an additional four HTKs. At auction, this item is expected to cost you 100 coins. This item is never dropped by enemies. 1-up - In Italian, it would be "up-ones". Little hearts that add one (1) life to your stock. You can buy this at prize wheels for 150 coins. ============ MAGIC SWORDS ============ Magic Swords have twenty (20) charges in them. Each time you successfully strike an enemy, a charge is used. Each fireball you conjure will use two charges (whether successful or not). Each doomstrike you perform will use four charges (whether successful or not). Magic Swords are occasionally dropped by enemies. Firebrand - Orange torch pick-up, element of fire. Grants +100% damage to undead enemies (which considering what you're facing, is a good thing) and +200% damage to enemies of elemental ice. However, demons have a natural defence against this weapon and it suffers a penalty of -50% damage against Hammer and Goat Demons. - Magic Bolt: single shot in a straight line. - Doomstrike: fire bubble in a very small area. Lightbringer - Yellow torch pick-up, element of light. Grants +200% damage to undead and demons, but lacks punch against plants, ravens, and anything else with a pulse. - Magic Bolt: single shot straight ahead that's supposed to home in on enemies. - Doomstrike: multiple fireballs shoot out and attempt to home in on nearby enemies. Icebrand - Blue torch pick-up, element of ice. The first strike will freeze an enemy (uses one charge). Frozen enemies cannot move or attack or hurt you for five seconds. If they thaw, they can attack normally, but if attacked while frozen, they shatter and die. Only an overhead strike can shatter frozen enemies (requires another charge). The Icebrand will be the sword that runs out of charges the fastest, so use it on enemies that require a special sequence of attacks to bring down. Bone Pirates come immediately to mind. The only caveat are enemies that are resistant to ice enjoy the -50% damage penalty that the Icebrand has against them. - Magic Bolt: shabon spray; okay, so I like Sailor Mercury more than the rest, what's wrong with that? The mist acts like a shotgun and freezes all enemies it touches. At close range, enemies may freeze and shatter if you're lucky. Frozen Zombies always shatter with this move. - Doomstrike: the blizzard will damage enemies in the local area like the Firebrand's doomstrike, but it has a bigger radius. Armageddon - Purple torch pick-up, element of, ". . . these dark souls . . . are mine." Grants a +200% damage bonus and works on all elements. Most powerful weapon available and kills things in one, maybe two hits. This weapon is almost always found right before lots of enemies, ensuring that you'll have little or no charges left by the time you finish the level. Treat as a Bishamon Sword that doesn't last. Using it against bosses is a pleasure enjoyed only by the few who escaped a level with this baby, or lucky enough to have it randomly dropped by an enemy in a hub stage. - Magic Bolt: a wave of destruction moves out to medium distance and dissipates. Anything it touches is vaporized. The wave is affected by gravity and behaves erratically on the edges of land. - Doomstrike: meteor shower that lasts fairly long, and moves where you move. There is at least one meteorite for every enemy around you, and they will home in as well. ============ WEAPON ITEMS ============ Sword Charge - banded sword icon. Refills five (5) magic charges to your current magic sword. Monsters randomly drop this. You can also buy it from prize wheels for 150 coins. Shield Charge - banded shield icon. Refills five (5) shield durability to your current shield. Does not replace your shield if you lost it and is not dropped by monsters as often as you'd like. Replacement Shield - complete shield pick-up. Gives back a shield if you have none, or repairs ten (10) shield durability points to your current shield. This item is rare and will not be found everywhere. It is never dropped by enemies. ================= ABILITIES: SKILLS ================= Abilities are items that add moves to Maximo and allow him a greater range of movement than he has initially. There are 17 abilities separated into four categories; green abilities are the most basic and do not incur any costs. Abilities are occasionally found in the open, inside treasure chests, but the most common way to get one is from a monster. Second Strike - allows a follow-up attack to the quick strike. Useful against Bone Shields, but is weak and is not effective against most later enemies. Motion is square-square. Mighty Blow - allows a piercing attack with overhead strike. Strong move that can break an enemy who turtles; bad news is that the stab is narrow and can easily miss, leaving you vulnerable. Not good for multiple enemies. Motion is triangle while moving. Furious Spin Attack - spin attack is lengthened in duration. Useful only against weak enemies, and can miss enemies that block or move. Motion is left analog stick counterclockwise-square. ================= ABILITIES: SHIELD ================= Blue shield abilities allow Maximo something better to do with his shield than block. One of the shield abilities should always be locked since it is so crucial ot the game, but you'll find that there are two more shield tricks that will prove invaluable as well. Throw Shield - allows the circle button to be used to toss the shield like a boomerang. Extremely useful when it comes to distracting an enemy who may knock you off in a jump, or for the even cooler collection of money. Short range and the shield is damaged whenever it strikes an enemy or destroys an object, like torches. Motion is circle. Mighty Throw - increases the throwing range of the shield toss. Necessary to reach those far away coins and requires the Throw Shield ability. Hovering Shield - the guys must've ran out of ideas. This ability keeps the shield out until you recall it (like a Predator), depriving you of a shield until it is recalled. This is the most useless ability I've found, next to the Sorceress' Kiss. Actually, this ability ranks below the kiss, since the babes' affection actually does something. Motion is to hold circle button down to keep the shield out, release button to recall disc -- I mean shield. Shield of Midas - this is it. The money grabbing sucker everyone's talking about. It'll be the next big thing in 3D fantasy platformers I guarantee. Combine it with shield toss and increased throw for totally excellent results. Sadly, this ability is exclusive from the other two special shields (see below). This ability is a shield with "evil red energy" surrounding it, so grab it if you want it and it'll replace your current shield (but not durability). Shield of Storms - another excellent shield ability that goes a long way to making that shield last. Everytime you press R2 and raise your shield, it emits a puff of air that blows back an enemy so you can attack or flee (your choice). It does no damage unless thrown, but it can push away naughty enemies who tend to get rough with your shield. Exclusive from the other special shields. This looks like a shield with lots of white smoke around it; grab it if you want it, it'll replace your current shield (but not durability). Shield of Thunder - it's lightning. Lightning damages enemies, not thunder. Sheesh. Anyway, this is for people who enjoy attacking with their shield and have more money than they know what to do with (for buying new shields of course). The lightning attacks high and low, so you can use it to break spirit stones that you don't care to leap to, at the cost of shield durability. Using this shield for defence will allow you to deal damage to any enemy who strikes your shield, so it is better than your normal shield -- you are protected from damage and deal damage at the same cost of durability. Looks like a shield with lightning around it; grab it if you want it, it'll replace your current shield (but not durability). ================ ABILITIES: SWORD ================ Red sword abilities enhance your sword attacks and are quite useful. Two red abilities require you to have botha magic sword and enough charges to use the ability. By far the most useful will be the abilities that don't incur any costs. Magic Bolt - so that's what it's called. I always called it a fireball. Allows you to shoot fireballs from your sword at the cost of two (2) charges. Requires magic sword and at least two (2) charges. Motion is triangle-triangle. Doomstrike - makes the down strike more interesting. Requires magic sword and at least four (4) charges. Motion is cross-cross-triangle-triangle. Long Sword - makes your sword longer by +50%. Works whether your sword is normal or extra-crispy, and is one of few abilities that do not incur extra costs. This one's a keeper, and coupled with Mighty Blow, these two abilities is nifty combination. Gold Seeker - sends out a green radar pulse everytime you down strike that bounces off treasure chests. Also unearths hidden chests for you. Useful the first tiem, then you realise that I'm telling you where everything is, so screw this. Motion is cross-cross-triangle-triangle. Wider Shockwave - doubles shockwave radius of Maximo's down strike, allowing him to stun monsters farther away. Useful by itself, even more useful with gold seeker or what's next. Ring of Pain - I might as well call it the Ring of Death. A definite keeper ability since it will allow the stun shockwave to do damage to enemies. Although not effective against some monsters, the ring will be useful against all the little suckers that you want to kill before they swarm you like those seagulls in, "The Birds" and kill you before you can get to that sea-bell. ======================== ABILITIES: MISCELLANEOUS ======================== The last two abilities are extremely powerful and suitably rare. Although both are good to keep, both abilities are theoretically exclusive, since they do not work well with each other. You have to decide the way you fight to find the one right for you. Mask of Sorrow - black and white mask. Having this thing in your inventory will let you become a Revenant. Instead of merely becoming invincible in gold armor, Maximo will become a revenant and be able to kill any monster by a simple touch, turning tough enemies like Crocodiles, Bone Elites, and Bone Pirates into something like a human hand lopped off into a blender. Should you go into a boss fight in Revenant form, you'll realize you wasted your efforts since the damage done is minimal (about one pixel's worth). Use it to clear the end of the stage fights on later levels. Increased Armor - hammer and anvil item. Allows Maximo to carry one extra lifebar (up to four) instead of the usual. If you die, you still start with two lifebars, but you will get the benefit of four HTKs should you find enough armor. Nice for players who have problems in boss fights or to get past areas that you keep taking extra hits because you're lousy. It takes longer to reach "spiritual invincibility" since the added lifebar gets in the way. You have to decide what you want Maximo to keep. Kiss - color depends on Sorceress. They have no in-game use but they do unlock something (see SECRETS). It's up to you to keep them locked in a spot (so you don't lose them when you die). I think they are a waste of valuable Lock Spot space. ================== Double-Jumping ================== The double-jump was something inventing in the days of yore, for 2D platform jumping. Ghosts n' Goblins was one of few games to take advantage of it. Basically a second jump after the first, where the player is tested on how well he/she/it can manipulate the game's parameters and adjust the jump. Double-jumping has not changed much in Maximo, and in fact, has been improved upon for the game. Normal double-jumps, where you press cross-cross as fast as you can, are usually for manuevering or to deliver a down strike. To make it through the game alive, you will be required to perform two additional "styles" of double jump which merely take advantage of the double jump theme. The first style is called the double back jump. It basically consists of the character jumping in one direction, then using the second jump to land back in the same spot. You should practise this manuever, because you will use it to get things you normally cannot get, or to avoid an attack an return to the same spot. It is required that you perform it at least once in the game, and if you're human, you'll be doing it a lot more than that. The second style is called the double long jump. This version of double jump has the character perform the second jump not at the height of the first jump (which is what normally happens for the greatest increase in height) but rather at the lowest point possible inorder to gain the most distance. This manuever trades height for distance, and is used to reach those "impossible" ledges. A minor variation on this move involves falling, executing the first jump, then the second jump, each at the last possible moment in order to maximise distance. Do not try this at home. As any doctor can attest, it doesn't work in real life. =================== Terrain Tactics =================== Use the terrain to your advantage to avoid enemies and to attack them one at a time. Enemies cannot climb, but they can drop. This means you should seek the high ground and trigger death from above. Retreat and repeat until they die. Even better, enemies are limited and remain dead if you restart at a checkpoint (only if you killed them and then activate the checkpoint). It is possible to avoid a lot of enemies and make it to the exit crystal with a lot of health to take on the exit crystal melee. This will also help preserve your shield's durability until you actually need to use it. Also, fight enemies one at a time to make sure you are not surrounded. Since Maximo can only swing his sword only at one, maybe two enemies, he cannot hope to fight against an army of undead and win. That's only if you're cheating. Know your enemy as welll; for example, mimics can be avoided by memorisation, or by inspecting a chest and then retreating immediately as the chest begins its animation. If it's a mimic, you will be far enough away to avoid its attack and return the favor. ============== Hub Levels ============== Prize Wheels do not restock items, but prize wheels in hub levels do. Keep this in mind when you prepare for a boss fight or are simply collecting stuff in a hub level before you tackle the next stage. If you are clever, you find the best stuff in the hidden chests and start almost every level well armored and equipped with a fully charged firebrand. ============== Lock Spots ============== You start off with three Lock Spots but you will earn more as you paste bosses against the wall and rough 'em up a bit. Abilities are stage specific, so if you find one you like, keep it locked. Pick and choose carefully since some abilities do not appear as often as you like. While some are easily retrieved from stages, you may want to keep some abilities because they are really helpful. These are the ones I have personally; this starting gear should be enough to help you get the other abilities that you lost when you died: - Throw Shield - Mighty Throw - Shield of Midas - Long Sword - Mighty Blow - Ring of Pain - Mask of Sorrow ========== Key Me ========== Have three to five iron keys stocked up. This saves you time in backtracking to a locked chest on later levels; they allow you to avoid dangerous and costly detours to find the iron key for a gate or locked chest you need. If you are going for mastery, you can still have some keys "for emergencies". So long as you don't have the maximum of nine (9) keys in stock, you can pick up iron keys along the way but you have the option to open the locked chest first. ============== ENEMIES ============== Monsters spawn out in their own unique way, usually popping out from the ground but occasionally come at you by being sent in via a casket or a plant. Although you can destroy these monster delivery vehicles easily in the first few stages, you'll find out that the monster caskets become more dangerous as you go on. Bone Soldier (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Skeleton that runs up and punches you. Majority of the monster type you'll encounter. Maximo can only be hit once, but if you guard both attacks, the shield is damaged twice. Best thing to do is to avoid it if you can, or overhead strike it and kill it with one hit. The harder ones (you'll know which ones) will teleport, much like Spinal from Killer Instinct, under the ground and come up behind Maximo. Bone soldiers are vulnerable when they reappear from the ground, or if they are still immobile in their monster caskets. On later levels, they tend to swarm so provoke them only a few at a time. Any magic sword works well and don't hold back, or you will wind up taking a lot of damage. Bone Axe (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Skeleton that doesn't move but wields an axe. You'll notice it quickly since it'll begin to throw its axe out much like Maximo does his shield. This monster is easy on large open levels but they are placed in spots where it can knock you off into lethal terrain (killing you) or where it can hit you at least once before you get to it to kill it. The best thing is to approach from one side, have the monster throw its axe at you, jump over and quick or overhead strike the monster before the axe can return to hit you. The axe disappears if you successfully kill the monster. Bone Shield (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Skeleton armed with a sword and shield. Other monster you'll meet constantly. Like the Bone Soldier, it comes in three colors and flavors. The hardest ones can "skele-port" but Bone Shields also guard against Maximo's quick strikes and overhead strikes quite effectively. If you have Maximo guard, the Bone Shield attacks. This repeats until your shield durability goes to zero. Spin strikes work only against the weakest of Bone Shields, but prove ineffective at stopping the tougher ones. The best thing to do is to knock one down with an overhead strike and then finish it off with a down strike. Bone Elite (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Skeleton with a full suit of armor and a poleaxe. Patrols in a small area but pursues if it sees you. Quick strikes and down strikes are ineffective against this monster. Even overhead strikes are of limited effectiveness, requiring two overheads to finish the job. The first overhead knocks off the helmet. The second should kill. Down strikes will do the task of the first overhead strike, but not the second. Even magic bolts cannot kill this guy (unless it is an Armageddon wave). The only magic swords to cleave this sucker without a problem is the Armageddon or the Firebrand. With a normal sword, Mighty Blow works, or you can hop over the monster and attack it from behind while it is swinging its poleaxe. Bone Bomber (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Skeleton that throws bombs. Behaves like the Bone Axe, but almost mandates that Maximo get wounded if it dies. The only way to beat this monster without suffering any wounds is to execute a crouching quick strike so that it stops throwing bombs. After you stop the Bone Bomber, retreat to a safe distance and wait for it to die, then clean up. Do not try to destroy the bombs it tosses and be attentive to the "smoke" timer on the bomb and be ready to get out of the way when the timer reaches one. Also remember that like the Bone Axe, this monster can only throw out one of its shots at a time. So it has its bomb a tickin' and it leaves itself open for some killin'. Bone Pirate (n/a) Fire - special Light - special Ice - freeze Dark - special ---------------------- This monster is exceptional on the annoyance meter. This is because it is a fast, mobile, and common monster that cannot be defeated anyway except by a down strike. Plus it has the ability to do about ten damage to a shield with one of its attacks. It basically is a skeleton that looks like a pirate and even sounds like one, albeit a dorky one. It is nearly invincible to take on from the front. The only way beat one is to knock one down, preferably from behind so that the sword it has sticking through its body points to the ground. Once it is prone, Maximo can down strike it and that's that. Down striking a Bone Pirate when it is face up is a no-no, because although you'll kill the little ess-oh-bee, the sword in its body will strike Maximo for one damage. Jumping over it as it charges will cause it to be confused. Overhead strike it from the back, then down strike and finish it off. Use the Icebrand to freeze this monster and shatter it in little pieces so even the King's men can't put it back together. Zombie (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Walking corpse that lunges at you. Attacks with two punches like the Bone Soldier but is tougher in that it will not fall with one quick strike. Use the overhead strike or Mighty Blow to down this sucker with one hit. Tougher zombies will lose their legs when struck and come at Maximo again by crawling on the ground. You'll then need to deliver crouching quick strikes to finish the job. Be ready to deliver two overhead strikes to zombies as you progress into the game. Conversely, down strikes work on all forms of zombies. One zombie variant found only in swamps has carnivorous fish on its body and it will fling them on you if you watch try to kill Maximo. Moral of story: shoot first, question later. The KGB does it, and so should you. Raven (living) Fire - one hit death Light - one hit death Ice - one hit death Dark - one hit death ---------------------- Quoth the raven, "Gimme your money punk!!" Ravens do no damage, only steal money instead. In a way, they're another kind of ghost. They swoop down quite fast and they make no noise, the primary concern. Be alert for their squawks that alert you to their otherwise silent presence. Ghost (apparition) Fire - one hit death Light - one hit death Ice - one hit death Dark - one hit death ---------------------- White gaseous monster that appears only if Maximo carries one (1) or more spirits. It deals no damage, only stealing your spirits. Either quick strike it as it nears, or you can spin strike for more satisfying results. Either way will do, since it dies with one hit. Since this monster makes no sound until it is almost upon Maximo, you will need to remember where this monster appears, and keep a lookout for its tell-tale appearance: a whitish cloud of smoke signals its presence when you have spirits to be taken. Poltregeist (apparition) Fire - one hit death Light - one hit death Ice - one hit death Dark - one hit death ---------------------- Green gaseous monster that appears similar to the Ghost but shows up all the time. Instead of stealing spirits, it will take possession of Maximo for five seconds. Prevent this by killing it before it touches Maximo or remaining invincible (having the Mask of Sorrow active is best). The tell-tale sign is the green smoke it erupts from (like a ghost). Once a poltregeist touches Maximo, it never reappears again (until you replay the stage) and makes attaining mastery a little more difficult if you miss striking it. Stone / Crystal Statue (n/a) Fire - one hit death Light - one hit death Ice - one hit death Dark - one hit death ---------------------- Stationary "monster" that rises from the ground and is fairly crappy, although it will damage you as it's erupting. It doesn't cost any charges to destroy this enemy, plus you can use it as a barricade against mobile monsters. Destroy these enemies after you deal with more lethal threats. Mimic (special) Fire - normal Light - normal Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Looks like any regular chest, but will attack you when you try to open it. Best defense against it is to remember what chests you opened and to avoid inspecting them when you restart at a checkpoint. Rogue Wizard (special) Fire - one hit death Light - one hit death Ice - one hit death Dark - one hit death ---------------------- Weak monster, but most likely it will age Maximo either into a baby or an old man before you know it. These two forms of Maximo cannot attack. Behaves like the Bone Axe or Bone Bomber, the Rogue Wizard also has the element of surprise since it looks like any other regular treasure chest. It usually lies in wait with other enemies and attacks when you are distracted. Because it always appears in the same area, a Rogue Wizard can be dealth with by memorisation or by becoming invincible and getting near it until you can spill its brains on the pavement. Killing this monster without getting struck by its magic bolts will net you a 1-up. Being transformed once will net you a gem. If the monster hits you enough times with its magic bolts, you will only gain a coin for your efforts. If you down strike monsters too often, you will risk summoning a rogue wizard to the next normal chest you get close to. Monster Plant (living) Fire - +100% dmg Light - normal Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Plants behave like they do in Resident Evil, spitting spores that explode or do other nasty effects, like make mini-me's of the plant that try to get on Maximo's leg. Best defence is good offence. Overhead strike or spin strike them until you decapitate the plant. Fight them one on one for best results. If you get close be prepared to be hit if you are slow to strike because the monster plant will use its vines to beach-slap you. Moral of tale: on the plains of hesistation are those who waited, and waiting died. If you are going to shoot, shoot. Don't dwaddle. Crocodile (undead) Fire - +100% dmg Light - normal Ice - normal Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Crocodiles are tough monsters and have the property of surprise as well. They only appear in swamp, and then only in water. The only tell-tale presence of a croc are the bubbles that float from the water, as if Maximo had too much chili and went for a swim. When the croc attacks, it does savage damage before it disappears and tries again. Down strikes and quick strikes do not work well but overhead strikes do. In fact, overhead strikes are the way to go in most cases. Hit croc on the snout three times with an overhead, it will go belly up and probably belch out an item. Ice Plant (ice) Fire - +200% dmg Light - normal Ice - resistant Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Stationary enemy that makes ice cubes around itself. Touch the ice cubes and Maximo freezes solid for five (5) seconds, making him vulnerable to attack. Down strikes work against this monster and you should appraoch with caution since other enemies nearby tend to take advantage of your helplessness. Frozen Zombie (ice) Fire - +200% dmg Light - normal Ice - resistant Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Looks like a zombie sailor with a pointed stick encased in ice. Now I'm going to tell you 'ow to defend yourself against an assailant armed with a pointed stick. Right -- first off, normal quick strikes do not damage the monster since the ice acts like armor. Overhead strikes will work since that attack will hit the monster's head. Down strikes theoretically work, but don't so don't try. Note that the Firebrand will work normally against this enemy, as will the Armageddon. The Icebrand works at well, but it will behave like a normal sword against a Frozen Zombie. The weapon's Shabon Spray will instantly destroy a Frozen Zombie (it's already frozen) so keep that in mind. Yeti (ice) Fire - +200% dmg Light - normal Ice - resistant Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Large, ugly, superbly annoying. Quite like a pokemon, but angrier and you derive extreme satisfaction from killing one and displaying its carcass at the British Museum of Natural History while smoking cigars and dumping ash on its taxidermed hide. Yes, you will hate this monster because I told you so. It has a large amount of HTKs, so when you can, use a Firebrand or Armageddon (doubtful) and kill it in one stroke. Steel swords require more than one overhead strike and fighting it with the Icebrand is pretty much attacking a tank with a toothpick. Be sure to avoid the linear avalanche it launches Maximo's way since it is unblockable. When you need to fight multiple yeti, you are in for a world of pain. Hammer Demon (demon) Fire - resistant Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- By the time you reach the Spirit Realm / Nether Realm / Noob Saibot, you should be ready for anything. This little fiends walk softly and carry a bog hammer that behaves like a Ring of Pain. Crouching quick strike to hit these monsters and if you see them stagger, be ready to double jump to avoid the shockwave attack. Overhead strikes do not work since the hammer acts as a shield; the only time you can attack them from above is when they throw their hammer back right before they attack. Goat Demon (demon) Fire - resistant Light - +200% dmg Ice - freeze Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- Humanoid goat monster. Stomps its hooves and charges at Maximo. If you want, you can block and strike back when the monster hits your shield. Or you can double jump straight up, down strike to stun the monster, then go in for the kill with an overhead strike. Up close, it can still attack you by doing shortened versions of its ram attack. Wraith (apparition) Fire - resistant Light - normal Ice - normal Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- The Spirit Realm's "ghost" is much more malign. It doesn't want spirits; it doesn't want control of Maximo; it just wants to pick him up, take him out in the middle of nowhere and shoot him. But since firearms haven't been invented, Wraiths just drop Maximo over the closest bottomless pit. All about the same, insta-death. Wraiths do no damage -- if Maximo is held by one, hit the square button repeatedly to free up Maximo, not minutes. Prisoner (living) Fire - normal Light - normal Ice - normal Dark - +200% dmg ---------------------- The prisoner is insane and bays like a dog, eats like a dog, and humps your leg like a dog. It does no damage but will restrain Maximo while other monsters attack him. Unlike the Wraith's grip, you must hit cross button to escape this hold. Any attack works well against this monster. Black Knight (unknown) Fire - special Light - special Ice - special Dark - special ---------------------- The Black Knight is a unique enemy requiring a special attack sequence to destroy. Two down strikes will detach the head from the armor. When this is done, hit the floating helmet with any attack and the head will re-attach itself to the body. Repeat and it will die. Magic swords have no bonus or penalty on this enemy, and it requires a charge to hit the helmet. If you have the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave, the phantom blades of the ring will have the same effect (do three down strikes instead of two) and you'll be able to kill the Black Knight without expending valuable magic sword charges. ================ WALK-THRU ================ If you're a smart enough gamer, go fetch the money yourself and fight enemies one on one. I'll tell you where the nasty spots are, and I'll throw in the keys for free. I'd like to tell you how to do things exactly but too much detail will confuse you. It's not my style. Mebbe it's Puke Skywalker's style. I know he teaches his student(s) before he sleeps with them, but it's not how I do it. I'm more of a "paint bunny rabbits on the electric outlet and let her learn it the hard way" kinda guy. But Maggie's not afraid of rabbits. She will be. =============== Bone Yard =============== Terrain: ------- Mostly benign unless you stray off the pavement and go on the purple patches of "soiled earth". This purple stuff looks like the leftovers of a crematorium bankruptcy and should be avoided since skeletal hands will grab at Maximo, trying to "cup" him, just like the Joe-enemy from Final Fight 3. Being "cupped" will cost Maximo HTK. Avoid being "cupped" by rapidly jumping over this terrain, where (obviously) treasures and keys will soon be on. The only other thing to look out for is hot lava. That kills you instantly. There are also stone coffins with heavy lids on them. Derived from Egypt, passed on in tradition through the Dark Ages, etc. Nevermind the history, down strike to break the lid. All other attack crack it, but amazingly, it will not break. This ceramic crap is better than I thought. Enemies: ------- Bone Soldier Bone Axe Bone Shield Bone Elite Zombie Mimic Rogue Wizard Ghost Raven Stone Statue Monster Plant Bone Towers are more a trap than an enemy, since it is indestructable. But because it can hurt you, it's listed here. It spits out damaging skulls in 3-round bursts. They are predictable in where they appear and fire, so you should have no problem avoiding them after expending a few Maximo's. ------------- Grave Danger ------------- Start off by getting the iron key on the hilltop to the right of your start. The locked chest is up to you. Hehehehe. You can get hidden chest 1 before you proceeding to the first checkpoint. You should also explore how you move in this environment asince there are no enemies until you pass through the gold gate just over that hill. 1st Checkpoint There's a gold key in the chest to the left of the gold gate. Hidden chest 2 is here too. Be sure to collect at least one spirit from a spirit stone before heading out. However, if you don't want to meet any ghosts, then don't -- but you also won't be increasing that Death Credit counter, so you gotta weight your options. Past the gold gate, engage the Bone Soldiers and trigger (and kill) the ghost before you make a left at the second tree into the secret alley for some money. 2nd Checkpoint To reach the secret caged area, follow the paved ramp into a cave and down strike the coffin. The statue switch will allow exit. I advise that you activate the checkpoint after you visit this area. At the open grave, head left into hidden alley ranch #2 for monster with an iron key. The key is for a hidden chest. You need to use the tombstone at the open grave to reach this secret. Or you can screw it and keep the key for later use. Be sure to visit the hidden "bat cave" at the next fissure (look to the lower right of screen to find it). If you can't find two more hidden chests, watch out for the Bone Towers and go on to the checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint There'll be a prize wheel with full health, but buy it only if you're desperate since it will not be restocked with an item once you buy it. Be careful of the Bone Axe and use the Mighty Blow (if you got it) to kill the monster in one stroke. Head past the broken bridge and if you are bold -- and daring -- island hop to the gem and back. Use the residual boulders to stay off the bad ground and down strike enemies as they come. Exit Crystal The exit crystal is in the cave to the left. Fight the monsters one at a time or you will be swarmed. Head back to the residual boulders if you need to do a strategic withdrawal. Here's a hint: loiter after you make the exit crystal vulnerable. You can find lots of stuff after exits since programmers have nothing to do but torture gamers. There'll be a monster with a key just outside the exit crystal's cave entrance -- it'll be for the locked chest past the cave entrance. A ghost will attack you on the way there, so hang back to deal with it before proceeding. Now you can exit. ------------------------------------------- Tomb Tower Hub Level (Lenore's Love Shack) ------------------------------------------- From the cave where you have the portal to the Grave Danger stage, head right. You will encounter in counter-clockwise order: - a hidden chest spot - Coffin Canyon stage - a hidden chest spot - the save pool (probably save too) - Dead Heat stage - a hidden chest spot inside a statue switch cave - the wooden bridge - a hidden chest - Bad to the Bone stage - the "hidden" prize wheel in the river (armor) - and back to Grave Danger Avoid the enemies by running; they give up after chasing you so far. The regular Bone Soldiers, whether they die with one hit or not, you should get rid of since they are relatively easy to kill. Use caution against Bone Shields, and if you want, you should avoid Bone Elites when you can. To access the "hidden" prize wheel, face the suspicious skull formation while standing in the river. Head towards the wooden brige (suspended over lava) that leads to a ramp and into cave. The statue switch is in there. And unlike normal stage prize wheels, this one restocks itself everytime you come back to the hub, so if you need armor be sure to have at least $100 ready. If you're smart, you'll also find the free Firebrand in the hub level and have it on hand before you start Maximo on the next level. In fact, you should have it ready and refilled whenever you kill all the enemies and need a free magic sword. See SECRETS for all the hidden chest locations. Another thing to consider: replay the Grave Danger stage, collect two or three iron keys, and don't use them. This way, you'll have extra keys to use when you really need them later, or if you chicken out trying to get one, you wussy. ---------- Dead Heat ---------- When you start, turn left, go around the building you're in and rob the monster of its key. Use same key to open the locked cemetary behind Maximo's starting building. There's a hidden chest in that area. Watch out for the raven as well. When you're done grave robbing, head to the church floating in the lava. Jump past the swinging gate when it's swinging away from Maximo. Away. Try jumping when it swings towads you for fun. After you die or make it -- whatever, fight the monsters on "safe ground" and you should earn two iron keys and find a third one over "bad earth". Loot and pillage the locals, then head for the first checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint The 1-up is enticing, make sure you are as close as possible to the rising / falling coffin platform before you jump for it. There is a key just past the mausoluem once you reach safe ground (past the lava). It'll be for the concealed, but not hidden, locked chest behind the mausoleum's stain glass. Lesson learned: smash everything. 2nd Checkpoint Follow the coin trail to the gold key. Hop the lava, kill monsters and open the gold gate. 3rd Checkpoint Pass the gold gate there will be a ghost attack, as well as a hidden chest spot (trust me, you missed a lot by now, so check SECRETS for all of them). There will be a Bone Shield with a key near left stone coffin. It'll be for the hidden chest mentioned above. There are two placed iron keys inside the mausoleums, so open the building left of the gold gate first, then the right, then the building that you see from the third checkpoint. The last building mentioned has the gold gate key. Past the gate, you will have another ghost attack, tag teamed by a raven. You will also encounter two Bone Axes attacking in tandem, so down strike one, then the other to put them prone. Then kill them one at a time with down strikes before they get back up. Exit Crystal There's a 1-up behind the exit crystal. See? Did I not tell you to loiter? What ever I says, goes. Understand? -------------- Coffin Canyon -------------- Watch the ravens when you begin. They'll be some earth shaking and some lava hopping. Be sure not to miss out on the "bat cave" experience after the quake. It'll be in the newly formed cliff. Inside, you'll face a Bone Solider (easy), a Bone Elite (medium), and three ghosts (not fun). The reward? Lots of money. Head up to the first checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint As you follow the pavement to the stone archway, a Bone Tower will be "guarding" its entrance. From there, turn right 90 degrees and head forward to the "bad earth". A monster will attack you on the "bad earth" and will drop a key when slain. Use it to open the locked chest on top of the stone archway. 2nd Checkpoint There's a hidden chest near the tree. I'm only mentioning this because it holds a potion and because it's your first time. Land near the tree to uncover the chest. Watch for the ghost as you discover the chest. Watch for any surprises in the ground. Now you know how's like in California. There will be a Shield of Midas lying on open ground later. Come back to this stage if you want a Shield of Midas (if you picked up another shield by mistake) since it's free and the stage is easy. There is a Bone Elite with a key near this shield power-up. The key is for the locked cemetary. If you have not picked-up the Throw Shield ability, you can still use this shield's money grubbing power by holding R2. Just make sure you have this ability locked for the first few stages. 3rd Checkpoint Past the broken bridge, there will be a monster holding a key to the locked gate. Watch for a raven after the broken bridge, and again after the gate. To provoke the raven past the gate, you will need to go on higher ground and jump to get its attention. A Bone Elite in front of the mausoleum with the indestructable cage holds a key for the locked chest behind stain glass in other building. The indestructable cage mausoleum has a statue switch that leads to the exit. Exit Crystal Fighting on the narrow gaps is tricky. You can eliminate monsters by down striking them off the cliff side. This does not count for mastery, but will serve the purpose of getting the hell out. ---------------- Bad to the Bone ---------------- Here's another good tip: when you start any stage, turn around. You may be surprised at what you find. In this case, there are enemies, but they are also guarding some armor. If you are at three lifebars, save it for later. If not, grab it and you can take some extra hits. proceed down the path until the earth shakes. There's a hidden chest somewhere before you make the leap; specifically, I won't tell you unless you want me to (SECRETS). Head for the first checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint As you cross the lava, you should notice the three spirit stones on "safe land". Land ho, eh matey? Guess what? Get your butt ready for a ghost attack. Whack the zombie then attack the ghost. Head up the ledges sticking out of the cliffside and explore the area around the stone coffin. Did I say to go down? Did I say go down? No. I did not. Explore the area and pick up money, spirits, mebbe other stuff. See the 1-up? Do a varied form of "double back jump" so you land on the other side of the fence. Then go back and NOW go down the stone coffin (use down strike to break lid). Fight off the Bone Soldier welcoming committee and look around. Kept that Midas Shield like I told you? No? Then you're not only a moron, you'll be a poor moron. That gem in the skull cave's eye is fetchable only with a Midas Shield thrown from standing on the tall rock at the mouth of the cave. Go check yourself. 2nd Checkpoint The monster on the wooden bridge has a key. That key is for the locked chest concealed past the secret "demolish-able" wall near the checkpoint. Follow the river until you reach the waterfall. Turn right 90 degrees and head over to the small clearing near the big christmas tree. BAM!! Rogue wizard. Got hit? Hide inside the open grave until the spell wears off. The old fart runs off after several seconds. If not, Maximo hasn't been attacked enough by his spells. If you need to combat the guy, approach from an oblique angle and jump to avoid the magic bolts. One hit is all it takes to send the old folk home. If you need healing, go inside the waterfall and "spot" (jump and land on) the area between the coins for a potion. Exit Crystal Head up past the Bone Tower and towards the exit crystal. There's a 1-up near the Bone Tower, if you can find it. HAHAHAHAHAHA (SECRETS). -------------- Boneyard Boss -------------- Prepare by getting a flame sword and armoring up for the fight. Be sure all of Maximo's lifebars are filled and that you have one or two iron keys for the next level. You'll be using them after the boss fight, not during. I dated a Goth Girl once. She had an ex-beau that looked like the boss you'll be fighting. Save if you wanna, then hop on the platform and attack; I want you to attack right now. Lock these abilities ==================== - Throw Shield - Shield of Midas - Mighty Blow Boss Attacks ============ Dirt toss - Stay far enough away and the boss will toss dirt balls with its shovel. You can block these, but why? You can run one direction and they will usually miss. Best thing to is stay near to preclude this attack. Shovel swipe (unblockable) - This attack is when you get too close, or if you have Maximo attack without the boss distracted by having it gloat. Stay away to prevent this attack. Shovel pound (with shockwave, unblockable) - This is the window you look for. The shockwave goes out, you avoid, boss gloats, you kill. This attack is launched at "medium" distance, so loiter there. Strike Window ============= Wait for shockwave shovel pound. Jump over the shockwave and towards the boss. Down strike the boss' foot, making it hop. Do it again to make it sit down. Overhead strike / Mighty Blow the head and retreat back to "medium" distance. Repeat until it gets buried in its own grave. ====================================================== Great Dank (just call it the bloody Swamp already) ====================================================== Terrain: ------- The Swamp is water logged with boggy green water and dirt ground. This is an extremely difficult place to find potions due to the colors and bags of money are hidden in quite well. Just trudge around and explore when it's safe and you should do fine. Remember to take things slowly and attack monsters one at a time. The lava is replaced by a nasty brown water that behaves the same way, it kills Maximo instantly. The "bad earth" is present in the first few stages of this world as well. A new type of terrain, the tar pit, is only found in one stage (Dem Bones) and is not immediately lethal when you sink in; you die if you stop moving, so keep moving and stop only to strike at enemies (Mighty Blow preferred). Escape the tar by finding a suitable ramp that leads back up to dry land. There is ALWAYS a ramp. There are no exceptions. The micro-tarpits are surrounded by the "ramp". Just walk up and out. Enemies: ------- Bone Soldier Bone Axe Bone Shield Bone Elite Zombie Mimic Rogue Wizard Ghost Raven Poltregeist Crocodile Monster Plant Vines are listed here, since they can hurt you. They only block the path and can be cut down by several quick strikes (do not overhead strike as Maximo steps forward). They grow back fast, so make the jump when it's immediately clear. ------------- Watery Grave ------------- Wanna open the locked chest? Use a stocked key or if you want, use the fungi platforms on the sides of the tree to reach the hut above the water. There's a key in the hut. Cut past the first set of vines and detour right into a secluded area with a spirit stone. Come back and pass the second set of vines to the checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint There's armor on the left tree when you get Maximo out to the open area. Use the fungi platforms to reach it. The gold key is inside the monster by the gold gate. Go through it. 2nd Checkpoint You should see a key on the wall above the checkpoint. Use the tone coffin's corner to jump on the broken wall and up to the key and a 1-up. Past the fountain, you will see a locked building with armor inside. I will call this mausoleum Building-A. At this point, you can get the second iron key the easy way, or the hard way. Hard way: head left of Building-A and hop the islands over the lethal water to the key (last building). The Bone Axe is difficult from this direction since you need to hop on another platform as it attacks with an axe throw while you head back and strike it. You then have to go back the same way. Easy way: from the front of Building-A, head right and you should see some fungi platforms that allows you to reach the roof of Building-A. From the roof of Building-A, you should head to the roof of the buildings next to the lethal water. Hope the roofs until you get the Mask of Sorrow (Lock this ability) and drop down to the gated off area and pick-up the iron key. Kill the Bone Axe on the way back ot safe ground. The surface area of the log makes it easier to dodge the axe. If you have three lifebars, head for Building-A, open up the door, turn into a revenant and run into the green water. Two Crocodiles will attack, one in each large expanse of swamp. Being an undead killer can be fun as you run your skeletal, burning-with-arcane-energy fist through their squishy brains. You can even take out some of the exit crystal's army before you revert to normal Maximo. Exit Crystal There's a monster with a key that allows you to access the last locked building. Use it if you want. Loiter if you are able. Do it especially if you have two or more lifebars left. There are three tricky treasures in this stage that will befuddle your widdle mind until someone points them out. Numero-Uno is a bag of coins behid the door jamb of the last mausoleum (building nearest exit crystal). Notice the camera doesn't turn? Notice you also can't look (R1)? That's right baby, check the jambs behind every door or you'll be SORRY. Numero Two-O is near the last prize wheel where you fought Crocodile number one. See the tree's roots trying to hide something in the corner of the stage's wall? Potion. Get. Now. Numero-Three-O requires a "double long jump" from the roof of Building-A to the mausolems in the green water. There's a 1-up on top of the building that had tricky treasure number one. Now you can exit and head for . . . -------------------------------------------------------- Magic Tree Hub (Comet's -- I mean, Maries' Magic Tower) -------------------------------------------------------- Head right and in counter-clockwise fashion from the Watery Grave stage, you will encounter: - hidden chest spot in green log - save pool - hidden chest spot - Dem Bones stage - Prize Wheel (armor) & hidden chest spot - hidden chest spot - Quick and the Dead stage - Voodoo Village There's a lot of money lying around, and you should use the Midas Shield to fetch them without putting Maximo in danger. Watch for crocodiles in the water as you complete more and more stages in the Swamp. The prize wheel offers armor for $100. --------------- Voodoo Village --------------- Turn around when you start; there's a key in tree hollow for the chest in hut. Going forward, you will encounter two crocodile attacks. Head for the first checkpoint after you kill as much as you can (explore later). 1st Checkpoint There is a key placed underneath first locked hut. The first locked hut has a gem inside. The locked hut has a lightbringer inside; the key to that is in the third open hut. The second area of the village is over lethal water. There are two keys in this section as well. The first key is on the fungi platform, the second is on a cantered wood plank plaform near the conveyor belt wheel. There is a locked chest behind a locked door in the hut. Precious item? It's armor. 2nd Checkpoint Go through the vines since Maximo can't fly. When you come to the area where you can go high or low, go low for treasure, high for the exit crystal. Low road has money and a treasure chest. Head back when you're done foolin'. High road has enemies. Past the Bone Axe, you see armor. If you want it, jump to it, and you'll get a free magic Bolt ability on the way back. Past the Bone Shield, observe that you can drop on two fungi platforms on either side of the main path for money. The 1-up is an easy grab. Exit Crystal The temple battle is fairly tough due to the battlefield being surrounded by lethal water. Overhead strike enemies and finish them off with a down strike. Explore after the battle, as some items are on the temple's lowest steps. ------------------- Quick and the Dead ------------------- Turn around when you start and "spot" between the two torches for a hidden chest. I was just nice for that one. Going forward, you'll contend with a raven among the monster rabble. Stay on the ground for now and focus on killing monsters rather than exploring for now. A croc attacks in tandem with a raven, so trigger one, then the other, or you'll wind up wounded and poor. A Zombie with a key marks one milestone; just past it is a tree stump with a key on its top. A ghost will attack as you head down the corridor. As you keep going, the path turns right 90 degrees, then left 90 degrees. Ghosts attack after each 90 degree turn. When you reach the checkpoint AND killed all the monsters, feel free to activate the checkpoint AFTER you go back and collect everything (it's all safe now that everyone's dead). Back where you made the first 90 degree left turn, there is a building with tree roots coming out of it. There is a 1-up on the building's roof. Use the tree's roots to reach the roof. From the key placed on the tree trunk, you can get two more keys by jumping on the roofs of the mausoleums and then the narrow wall edge. This will allow you to open the locked doors you passed while you were fighting for your life and screaming like a woman. If you had extra keys, you could've opened them earlier, and the keys you now hold should've replaced them (better idea). 1st Checkpoint There'll be a croc attack immediately after the checkpoint. The gold key is in the Bone Shield by the gold gate. Past the gate, a poltregeist will attack. Som earmor is suspended in mid-air on the right. Hopefully, you have armor to muscle past the next section, or you'll have to proceed and kill everything the old fashioned way: one-at-a-time. There are no less than three crocs in the water ahead of you, plus you need to be aware of the Rogue Wizard in the second chest on the left. Approach everyone slowly and with deadly precision or you will not have the resources to go on. A ghost attacks at the end of this marsh slaughter. 2nd Checkpoint Hop the logs / shells when you see them come at you in groups of two or three. Stuck on a single? Head back to safer ground. You'll wind up in a cave with a checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint Use the monster generator as a way to give you skills if you died. Money also helps. Do some log hopping again and you'll face monsters on the safe spots to the exit crystal. To avoid the Bone Elite guarding the bridge, jump towards a torch and attack it from behind or with Mighty Blow. To fight the Bone Axe, hop past the monster on the logs (avoiding the axe) and then to safe ground as the axe comes back. Attack it while it's waiting for its axe to return. Exit Crystal There is a 1-up near the exit crystal. Risk it if you bold; but are you daring? ---------- Dem Bones ---------- This stage is the only stage with tar as a primary terrain. Do not stop moving or you will die. Use you Midas Shield if you want to get money. Hopefully, you were smart enough to Lock Mighty Throw to increase your shield toss range. The 1-up is only accessible by jumping on top of the sinking animal skull from dry land. Miss? Wade to the ramp and try again. Fight your way to the checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint By now you should have five very useful abilities (Throw Shield, Mighty Throw, Shield of Midas, Mighty Blow, and Mask of Sorrow) but only four Lock Spots. Chances are you're missing one of them. If you play conservatively, you should have kept The three shield abilities (money talks, beee-ess walks) and Mighty Blow. The Mask of Sorrow works great -- if you have the armor and lifebars available. You can pick up a Mask of Sorrow here too. Detour over the tar from the checkpoint to the cave beyond the island for a 1-up and money. The statue switch near the giant skeleton platform is your ticket to the next area. As you pass the grey petrified tree, the next island will force you to be aware. A rogue wizard is on the left. Deal with it and head to the checkpoint. 2nd Checkpoint The key is placed in cave past the vines; the chest is outside near a monster plant. Head into the tar to pick up the lightbringer and a 1-up. Detour past the crocodile skull (with armor in its mouth) and a ghost should attack you. You can do one spin strike before you need to remain moving. Go up the ramp and go across the crocodile skull back to a checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint Head back to the crocodile skull and take the gem in its eye. Remember Bianca from the Rescuers? I didn't think so. A ghost attacks at the first island created by the rockfall. Two monster plants attack towards the exit crystal. Rush them and spin strike, then step to the side before you are hit by the Bone Axe. Repeat until everything is dead. Exit crystal There's a gem on the ledge at the mouth of the cave. The fight is in narrow quarters, so retreat outside or you'll be smashed. ------------------ Witch Doctor Boss ------------------ This boss has the appeal of week old sinus drainage and the same moral qualm of an acid junkie dealer selling heroin laced with rat poison to small kids in your neighborhood. But that's just me. Have a firebrand and armor if you can. The boss is lethal if you do not kill it quickly. And bring some extra keys for later. Three or four will do. Lock these abilities ==================== - Mighty Blow - Throw Shield - Mighty Throw - Shield of Midas and carry unlocked Mask of Sorrow, Long Sword, and Magic Bolt if possible. Boss attacks ============ Shrink n' Stomp - Rangeless attack. The little snit-stain will shrink Maximo and try to crush him by stepping on him. Your only defense is to run; after seven steps the magic wears off. Clone Attack - the boss will clone itself and run around doing a Chinese Fire Drill. Does not matter which one you hit since the last one standing is always the real one. If you fail to wound the boss at all, the next attack is triggered. Needle Through Your Brain (automatic, unblockable, preventable) - Fail to wound the boss when it's running its clone subroutine, and Maximo will sustain nasty damage that cannot be blocked and cannot be avoided. It is prevented if you wound the boss. If this attack hits, the boss will keep repeating Clone Attack and the Needle Strike until Maximo lies dead in a puddle of his own pee. Voodoo "Children" / Magic Bolt attack - the voodoo children are summoned and boss fires magic bolts at Maximo. Attack triggered when boss is wounded. Jump to avoid the bolts and stay away from the dolls. You can destroy them, but it is easier to run. Spin strike if they get close. The "kiddies" remain when Maximo is shrunk, but are automatically destroyed when he grows to normal size again. Stay alive! Strike Window ============= When the boss is split into clones after Maximo "grows" back to normal size, spin strike the clones until one "clone" is left. That one is always the real boss. Overhead strike it with a firebrand and watch that life go . . . Repeat one more time and you'll be off to paint the Frozen Wastes with Heinz 57. Having trouble with the clones? Use a magic bolt to fry the little guy. Just remember though, to use the charges on the clones and overhead strike the last one, and not waste charges, life, and time blasting the voodoo "children". ======================================= Frozen Wastes (Snow field / Tundra) ======================================= Terrain: ------- Mostly white, like Michael Jackson. The new surfaces are ice and frigid water. Ice is slippery and Maximo cannot manuever properly on it. Double jumping may help you regain footing. The lethal water is now blue and still makes you lose a life. Wouldn't it be funny if it let you gain life instead? Secret walls are more common in this world than any other, and they tend to blend in with the surrounding snow and ice. Other than that, this place is no problem. Spirit Stones are now Snowmen for the duration of this world, and I will refer to them as such. The only other new thing to learn are the darker colored ice platforms floating in the water. Supposed to be "dark ice" laden with minerals; same stuff that sank the Titanic. You know the drill. Oh wait you don't. Jump on, jump off fast. These suckers sink into lethal water. Enemies: ------- Bone Soldier Bone Bomber Bone Shield Bone Elite Bone Bomber Zombie Mimic Rogue Wizard Frozen Zombie Bone Pirate Ice Plant Yeti Crystal Statue With all the other death traps around, the only hazards to look out for are ice and dark ice that can make Maximo's life counter deplete to nothing. ------------------ Shiver Me Timbers ------------------ Turn around at the start and fetch stuff with the shield. I hope you're paying attention to the Midas Shield ability. The frozen zombie can only be killed by overhead strikes; a firebrand can cut through the armor like it was nothing. Continue into the cave and you will see a locked chest. The key is past the checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint The icebergs loop counter-clockwise. When there are three icebergs, you better make sure you are on the one that will not sink. Stay at the checkpoint and observe them for a minute. Your destination is the ship in the distance, but first, a detour to the island on the checkpoint's right. The monsters there hold a key for the locked chest in the cave. If you had extra keys, then was the time to use them. On the ship, you'll face your first Bone Pirate. If you have the Mask of Sorrow and full lifebars, there's armor amidships to let you tear them apart. A 1-up is on the bow spar. From the ship, you travel through a small snow canyon into another area; a monster in the boat to key-monster in boat's bow to your right. The locked chest is hidden on the island where the snowman is. Here's another tricky treasure: when you jump off the boat bow and onto land again, turn around and Midas the gem in the dragon etching on the ship's prow. 2nd Checkpoint Left to the cave or right to the ship in the mountain? The left cave holds a locked chest and the key is on the island to the right of that cave (inside a monster). A rogue wizard is in the chest to the left of the ship coming out of the mountains. Deal with this and head for the exit crystal. If you were careful, you can use the Mask of Sorrow in conjunction with the armor floating on the sinking ice cube to walk up to the rogue wizard like terminator. Only this time it won't be, "Come with me if you want to live," but rather, "I am Max'xeemo. I v'ill kill you now, ja?" Exit Crystal Loiter; there's money inside a hidden chest neear the two chests at the exit crystal. -------------------------------------- Dark House Hub Level (Aurora's Aerie) -------------------------------------- From Shiver Me Timbers stage, go left (clockwise): - Dead in the Water stage and prize wheel (i-up) - hidden chest spot on the outlook - hidden chest spot - Go with the Floe stage - hidden chest spot - the save pool and hidden chest spot - Viking Longboat - Cannonball Run stage Use the raised moat to traverse the stage and avoid enemies. The ice and water can be a killer. Once you reach this hub level, you can get free armor and start stocking up on lives with the prize wheel. See SECRETS to fully take advantage of this hub. --------------- Cannonball Run --------------- Turn around at the start and notice the chest. The key is in a monster if you detour to the ship's prow and land on the snow ledge above the start. Inside the cave is your first encounter with the yeti. Watch for the linear avalanche it sends your way and attack it with overhead strikes. Goodies are hidden in the bone ribs along the left side of the cave, be sure to inspect them. There's a key in the second secret wall on the rightside of the cave. The chest is across from the key room. 1st checkpoint Do some hopping in the next section and WALK the thin ice bridge. There's a hidden chest here on one of the islands over the chasm before the bridge if you want to have some "fun." 2nd Checkpoint Left of the checkpoint is a monster with a key. To the right of the checkpoint is a yeti and a rogue wizard. Use the crystal statues to block the bolts and send the freak back home to momma. The key is for the hidden chest in this cave. When you tire of searching, go on outside and shield toss the Bone Bomber to death. The 1-up in the alcove is fair trade for one point of shield durability. The cannonball run is no where as neat as the Burt Lancaster movie, but it's surprisingly easy to hop and Midas all the coins. Exit crystal The monster mash is in narrow quarters, so down strike in crowds and escape to a more open area to do battle. The key for the locked chest is with a monster near the exit crystal. The locked chest is yeti guarded. Walk in then out to lure out the peons, kill the peons, then charge the large stupid sucker with Mighty Blow. Is the 1-up worth it? You answer that question yourself. ----------------- Go with the Floe ----------------- Look up when you start; there's stuff on top of that stone arch. Head around to left to reach the armor. At the stone tower formation, do you want to go up or down? Down: ice hop across lethal water for the key. Some of the ice cubes bob up and down at timed intervals. Watch and learn the pattern. Up: leads to the checkpoint and the next area. 1st Checkpoint Careful fighting on the top. You can run past a lot of monsters if you want to. When you get to the top of the falls, island hop against the current and hit the checkpoint. 2nd Checkpoint Clear out the cave of monsters. You heard me, kill, kill, kill. Unless you want to by pass this area and head for the exit crystal, you want to clear out this area. The locked chest is not heavily guarded, but to get the key, you will have to go to the roof of the cave from the outside and drop back in, probably getting surprised when you come back in. To get to the roof, you'll need to step outside the cave to see another island hopping area and head left and up. Slide on the ice into the hold in the cave for the key. Done? Head for the next checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint Past the checkpoint is the land of broken ice. If you don't want the prize wheel and don't want to investigate for hidden chests, head left up the snow cliff's stairs. When you reach the top of the frozen river, it'll all be ice, so slip slide your way onto the ship and head for the exit crystal. Exit Crystal There's a key on the bow spar protected by a Bone Pirate. For the locked chest amidships. ------------------ Dead in the Water ------------------ Turn around when you start, there's a prize wheel with a hidden chest spot and money to boot. The iron key placed over the lethal water can only be reached by a fall, then "double jump" to escape icy death. The locked chest is a Midas Shield. There's a 1-up in the cave guarded by a Bone Bomber. You should know how to trick them into throwing out a bomb then going in to cack them by now, or you wouldn't have survived this far. The ship has armor if you are badly beaten up, robbed, and need clothes. Take the Icebrand for dealing with Bone Pirates. 1st Checkpoint Avoid the cannon and head up the snowy valley. Bust the yeti's nuts and head into the cave slowly. There's a secret wall on the cave's left (as you progress forward) holding a monster guarding armor. 2nd Checkpoint See the spinning ship? Jump only onto the stern; it's wider, safer, and has a higher launch-off point than the bow spar. The two Bone Pirates must be dealt with to get peace of mind. One has a key. From counter-clockwise fashion, the locales are: - Cave with checkpoint - Cave with Icebrand - Snowman - Locked door with armor - Prize wheel, a monster with a key, gold gate and the exit crystal - Mimic or rogue wizard (did you down strike all the Bone Pirates?) - Locked door with gold key - Cave with iron key Exit Crystal Before you open the gold gate, jump near the corner of the gate and wall for a locked chest. You will need its contents for the exit crystal fight. Also some tricky treasure: the locked door holding the locked chest (armor) has dirty treasure of its own. Check behind the door jambs where the camera don't go to. -------------------- Pirate Captain Boss -------------------- Prepare with a firebrand (see SECRETS if you get tired of not having a free one each time) and even better, free armor (SECRETS). Pump up your lifebars as much as possible and restore your shield's durability by buying a Silver Shield (limited number of 'em in Prize Wheels so watch it). If you want, go to SECRETS and find out how to make travel worth it between the hubs. although I recommend you do this after you access the Spirit Realm Hub Level (more money). Save when you're in good shape. Lock these abilities ==================== - Throw Shield - Shield of Midas - Mighty Throw - Mighty Blow - Long Sword and try to keep a Mask of Sorrow around. Magic Bolts are ineffective against this boss, even if it's an Armageddon wave. Boss attacks ============ Pistol Shots - unless you're close, you'll have to block, because they home-in. You just don't see it until it's too late. The fire shot does damage, the ice shot freezes Maximo for five seconds while the boss walks in close to turn you into tuna. Anchor Swing (unblockable) - get too close and the boss will use the anchor swing. Stay far away and it'll shoot you. Why don't you lay down and just die? Because the babe is worth it. Run left or right while close and you will not only avoid the move, but can attack the boss with a jumping quick strike to guide it where you want. Works in tandem with the Strike Window section. Spin Attack - there's an energy build-up right before the boss does this, so stay awy, or block. It'll send Maximo flying, but with his face on the ground. Strike Window ============= This boss is dependent on the terrain, which makes it annoying. There're three (3) grates on the floor. Stay at "medium" range to preclude pistol attacks, but far enough to avoid the anchor swing or spin attack when needed. Try to avoid rather than block. I thank you. Maximo's shield thanks you. The money thanks you. When the boss does a spin attack, it will dizzy if it missed Maximo. Quick strike it towards a grate and get it stuck. The weak spot is the peg leg. ONLY CROUCHING QUICK STRIKES WILL DAMAGE THIS BOSS. If you want a faster method of "guiding" the boss to a grate, use jumping quick strikes to force the boss into a grate. This boss, like the Witch Doctor Boss is one fighter that will force you end things quickly. ========================================================== Spirit Realm / Underworld / Nether Realm / Noob Saibot ========================================================== Terrain: ------- Only two terrains exist for this world -- lethal and safe. The rock (sometimes with green water) is safe, everything else is lethal. Care to find out? Jump off. Lava also makes a return to this level. Bearclaw platforms are one of three new plaforms in this world. Hop on, duck, snap, hop off. Touch the claws and Maximo gets hit and possibly knocked off the platform. Brain platforms are benign and acts like non-Newtonian trampolines. Each bounce will be higher than the next until a terminal limit is reached. Maximo won't die from heights unless you can't see where he's going and flies off the platform and misses the rock ground. Whammo, spend a death coin. Just like Circus-Circus. Blade platforms spin on a horizontal plane. If you miss, you don't need to worry about being hurt by it, because you'll just fall into the lethal nothingness that surrounds the place. Rule of thumb: don't miss. Lastly, the torches have been replaced by Goo Globes. Smash the glass spheres for money. The goo looks like fun. Enemies: ------- Bone Soldier Bone Axe Bone Shield Bone Elite Bone Bomber Zombie Mimic Rogue Wizard Ghost Hammer Demon Goat Demon Wraith The flaming closet the monsters come out can wound now, so walk forward cautiously unless you know where they pop-up. Experience and dying will learn you where, boy. Other stuff include the swing mace, like something from Mortal Kombat Mythologies. The swing mace will damage Maximo if you're dumb enough to let him walk in like that. The scratch marks on the ground provide a clue where not to be when the swing mace returns. The other hazard is the vertical blades similar to the blade platform. If they don't damage Maximo, they'll bar him from completing a jump successfully and he'll wind up in limbo-bo-bo-bo-bo-bo-bo-bo . . . Finally, the fireball trap is a nuisance, guarding areas and pathways. The fireball trap is immobile, so time the fire bursts and pass by without a scratch. Better yet, stay far away from them as possible so you can attack mobile monsters without fear of being hit by a fireball. ---------------- Infernal Devices ---------------- Turn around start. Watch the wraith and get the key from behind the wall for the locked chest. You'll come to the checkpoint soon. 1st Checkpoint You can bypass the monsters below and head for the bearclaw platform. If you can do it, why not? Grab the obviously placed purple flame torch thing by detouring on high ground. Once you have the Armageddon sword, you'll swear it's better than sex. From the bearclaw platform, follow the rocky road (watch for the fireball trap) to the checkpoint. The Armageddon should clear this path of enemies you encounter. 2nd Checkpoint Is the man showing brain? Head past the brain platforms for a key and locked armor. The brain platform leads up to the way forward. At the cave exit, a wraith attacks. There will also be a rogue wizard on the chest to your right. You will have to get rid of it somehow to access the checkpoint. If you are hit, use the gear's spoke as cover until the monster disappears. Armageddon's magic bolt will do wonders. 3rd Checkpoint Detour to the cliff behind the checkpoint for a bit. There's a key placed below the checkpoint. The low path leads to another Armageddon in a locked door. The upper path has two keys, one for the Shield Replacement, the other for the Armor. The defensive items are on the upper path. I suggest coming back to get the Armageddon last, so you have a big fat magic sword for the next stage. Going forward again, stop at the rock island with a smoking stack rock pile. Go to the smoking stack rock pile and look over the edge. There's a Zombie and armor down there. If you have full lifebars and a Mask of Sorrow, you need to get that armor, bounce on the brain platform (quickly) and start touching people at the exit crystal. Use the remainder of the Armageddon (or better yet regular sword so you can head back and get a full Armageddon later). Clean up and loiter. Exit Crystal Facing the exit crystal, you can look around the wrecked place and spot a window. There's a key past the window (behind the high wall) for the locked chest below it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iron Tower Hub Level (Sephonie's Soiree, if-you-know-what-I-mean-and-I-think-you-do) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Infernal Devices stage, head right and in counter-clockwise direction you will encounter: - The save pool and hidden chest spot - Dual moving rocks and access to a hidden chest spot - hidden chest spot - Crushed Spirits stage - Unkindest Cut brain platform - hidden chest spot - Down the Gullet brain platform and prize wheel There's only money in this level, but if collect all the money you see (hidden chests included), it'll only cost you three bucks to travel to another hub level. This doesn't incude monster money, so if you got the guts (and a Midas Shield) you leave for free! See SECRETS for a better exploitation of hub travel. Prize wheel has 1-up for sale. -------------- Unkindest Cut -------------- There's a hidden chest behind the start and a key is in a monster in a cave below the starting platform (get used to it). The armor inside the cave belwo should help out too. Just take things slowly. There'll be a ghost attack when you decide to head onward. Want some dirty treasure? There's a green potion behind the tree on your left when you start this stage. At the set of four gears, the key is on the upper forward gear, but you need to go past the lower gears and detour around to get it (watch the Bone Axes). The locked chest is to the right of the lower forward gear, and there'll be a wraith guarding it. Take the upper ramp after you decide to leave the four gears (as opposed to the Four Corners). 1st Checkpoint If you didn't get the key from the monster, do it now, then come back and head forward. On your merrie way, you'll find the smallest island being occupied by a swing mace. Most stupid players will attempt to land there and go to the next piece of safe land. You will get hit as sure as someday you will die. Do a double long jump (execute first jump after falling from platform) to safe ground instead and bypass sucker trap island. You'll land with no injury. Fight the monster if you want (at least clear the ones out by the checkpoint), and activate it if you want. 2nd Checkpoint Advance on the rocky path being careful with the drop off. Go to the island with the Prize Wheel and then the isalnd with the brain platform and checkpoint. Land near the checkpoint (try not to activate it) then head to the right to whack the ghost before you checkpoint yourself. 3rd Checkpoint Brain jump up to the cliff and take the key near the bearclaw platforms. Then take the Armageddon. Use only Mighty Blow or spinning strikes to conserve charges. Take the armor from the hidden chest. The spot is to the right of the cave entrance along the ledge of the cliff, end of the trail past the spirit stone. The armor will help. You'll need to jump over the first set of saws. Duck the second set of saws. Jump the third set of saws. Here's the kicker, don't get hit, and if you have the Mask of Sorrow and full lifebars, get the hidden chest at the end of the third set of saws ('spot' the spot at the end of the third set of saws where Maximo cannot be hit by the baldes when they are closest to him). Revenant mode will make quick work of the monsters. If you don't have the capability to do this, then that's what the Armageddon is for. Whack away. One monster holds a key for the gate. Exit Crystal Loiter at the exit crystal if you dare. There's a hidden chest nearby. ---------------- Down the Gullet ---------------- Make your way down to the Monster Cave's Mouth, which should be closed. There are two ways to go through this stage: the quick way, and the greedy way. There will be a bonus area we'll call Bonus Cave Island (it is also called 'Hidden Pirate Island', aka: Hong Kong). Greedy way: Head towards the bearclaw platform, triggering a wraith. Go past the checkpoint and statue switch and do not stop until you get to the already open cave. Bonus Cave Island has about 20% of the stage, so you will have to visit this area if you want to master the stage. There'll be a wraith on the roof of the Bonus Cave Island, so watch out. On your way back out (this island cave is a dead end) you should hit the first checkpoint to save your progress. 1st Checkpoint Quick way: Around the first checkpoint, you hit the statue switch and activate a moving platform (watch movie). Go there next to hit another statue switch. A monster with a key will be around there too. The chest is for the hidden chest when you go back to the now open Monster Cave Mouth. "Spot" the area near the left jaw chain, or head directly for the next checkpoint inside Monster Cave's Mouth. 2nd Checkpoint Go from the mouth, through the large interior to be "expelled" from the Monster Cave's rear. The jumps are possible, and you only need to down strike to stun the monsters as you land. You should watch for the lava pools on the islands as they tend to give a big surprise if Maximo touches them. The metal elevator with the vertical column of money is reachable with a falling "double long jump". When you wind up at the Monster Cave's butt, strike the checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint Island hop and you'll see the Armageddon. There's a fireball trap guarding the Armageddon. If you feel lucky, get the Armageddon. The only safe spot on the island is the small, small protrusion on the side of the island. Whether or not you get it, the way forward is in the open mouth cave (looks similar to Bonus Cave Island) and if you follow the lower causeway (with the Prize Wheel) to the end, you will get a much needed Shield Replacement. The way on though, is up the floating stone steps to the roof of the Last Cave. Exit Crystal On the roof, the right leads to a key for a chest later. The left is the way to the exit crystal. When you get to the end of the left path, you should STOP when you see a coin along the path. You'll be fighting and be distracted, but there is a big gap between the roof of the Last Cave and the island the coin is on. From there, you can just island hop the rest of the way to the exit crystal. ---------------- Crushed Spirits ---------------- Turn around the start for goodies. The key is in the monster rock hut, the chest on your left as you fell off the steps from the start. The lightbringer should be handy for the monsters coming your way. USe the brain platform to scarf up the gem and head for the next area. The cave will empty out to a rising and falling gear. Ride it to the checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint Use the gear to ride up to the spinning blade platform for money. When you get to the green lighted area with low walls, a wraith will attack if you attack the spirit stone on the left. There's a key to the left of the dual gears, and if you get it, another wraith will attack you. The locked chest's location is quite obvious. When you've had enough, ride the rising gear up to the next area. 2nd Checkpoint There'll be a wraith waiting for you on the next jump past the checkpoint. There's a locked door on the cliff, but the key is on the rising gear. Notice that the gear's spokes always wind up in the same spot every time it rises and falls. If you pick the correct spoke to stand on, the key will come to you without requiring you to jump. Going on, you'll notice there's a locked chest near a fireball trap. There is another key past the exit crystal, requiring you to come back down to unlock it. If you have extras though, you can skip this detour and open it right now. If you still have a Shield of Midas and the ability to throw, snag the gem floating above the bone tusks while on the brain platform. To beat the Bone Bomber, brain platform yourself and bounce until you are high enough. The bombs can be avoided by double jumping at the moment you see the bomb tick to "1". Kill the Bone Bomber, then the rest of its buddies. Loiter. Exit Crystal Behind the crystal are more enemies, a spirit stone, and a key. Don't leave here without it. -------------------------- Demon "Spirit Trash" Boss -------------------------- Have magic sword (any ole' one will do) and have all your armor and lifebars filled up. Save and buy some 1-ups from the Dark House Hub Level. Save. The next fight is not hard but will kill you instantly if you delay termination. Lock these abilities ==================== - Throw Shield - Mighty Throw - Shield of Midas - Mighty Blow (or Long Sword) - Ring of Pain - Wider Shockwave and have a Mask of Sorrow or Long Sword (or Mighty Blow) if possible. There're not necessary though. Boss attacks ============ Acid Spit - the boss will spit green shots at Maximo at any range, and it will stop to laugh if it hits. If you keep him running in one direction, he will never be hit. Tail Whip - get too close and Maximo may trigger this attack. The boss rears up for a moment before it does this (almost always in the middle of an acid spit attack) so you will no something is wrong if the sound effect pattern is skewed. Jump to avoid. Flame Breath - large fan area effect that does damage. Being hit by it means you may miss the strike window. Butt Stomp (unblockable) - after wounding the boss, be ready to double jump over the shockwaves of its counter-attack. Floor Destruction (preventable, special fatal) - the boss will lower the floor closer and closer to the lava as time passes. Prevent this by killing the boss. Strike Window ============= See the outer and inner gray circles on the floor? Run in one direction on the smaller gray circle and don't stop. When the boss performs the Flame Breath attack, execute a jumping quick strike at the boss' butt. Repeat until dead. Down strikes and overhead strikes do no damage, and in most cases, cannot reach the boss' weak spot. ============== The Castle ============== Terrain: ------- Mostly safe terrain with lethal nothingness all around. Stay on the road if you want to live. Who built this place? And who authorized the building permit? It's sure as heck not safe in an earthquake. New terrain include acid (green lava) and "bad ground" similar to the Graveyard, but in metal strips of yellow. Lava makes a comeback in one level. The only new terrain item is the wooden coffin. Looks like they have enemies inside, but they act like non-trapped treasure chests, holding items and keys. Secret walls are well concealed with the dark gray stone, so ram your sword through anything that may pay off. Gold gates are replaced by gearboxes. They all do the same thing. They lead to the next area. Enemies: ------- Bone Soldier Bone Axe Bone Shield Bone Elite Bone Bomber Zombie Mimic Rogue Wizard Monster Plant Ghost Poltregeist Raven Prisoner Black Knight New "enemies" include the Drill Spike and the Axe Trap. The drill spike is a metallic top monster that is indestructable and travels in a predictable path. Avoid touching one, even if you are invincible (knocks Maximo back but does no damage due to invincibility). The axe trap is a suit of armor that is immobile. It swings its axe down in front of it and is easily avoided unless you are inattentive or just don't givva crap. ---------- The Siege ---------- Put the Long Sword in your new Lock Spot. You start the stage and wonder if you should buy a gold shield. It's pricy for sure but if it gets damaged, be sure you keep it until you can repair it with a Shield Replacement or Shield Charge item, or you'll have to buy a new one. The gold key is in the tower guarded by the Bone Elite. 1st Checkpoint Left or forward? Left: there's a gold key, poltregeist and a Bone Bomber, as well as a hidden chest near th gold key (check SECRETS). Forward: a rogue wizard in the chest and the gearbox to the next area. Use the hill top to down strike the monsters that come out. Black Knight. Do two down strikes to shatter the armor. Then jump and quick strike the head. Repeat. If you have the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave, you can do three down strikes for the same effect (kill monster) AND spare your magic sword a two charges by using the Ring's phantom blades to attack. 2nd Checkpoint Forward or right? Forward: the tower has a key at the top and a poltregeist. The locked chest is nothing special, but you might want it anyway. Right: the siege tower has a hidden chest around the edge (see SECRETS) and a 1-up. You'll need to fall from the top to reach the 1-up. Dirty, rotten treasure: check behind the wooden block in the second level of the siege tower for something neat. When you've done, make the big jump to the other side by doing a "double long jump" from the siege tower's very top. The gold key and gearbox are on the other side. Past the gate, beware there are two ravens. The gold key is with the Bone Elite near the palisade. Activate the catapult and hit the checkpoint. 3rd Checkpoint Behind the checkpoint, near the smashed wooden wall, is a hidden chest. I'll tell you this one, because it's important. Face the wood wall and "spot" the right corner. The chest has an Armageddon. If you have a magic sword, don't get this weapon. If you want to get it do so. However, I prefer to get the Armageddon after I can make a bee-line for the exit crystal and have a fully loaded Armageddon for the next stage. It's up to you. In any case, get the chest AFTER you trigger the checkpoint, so you'll always have it there if you die. There is a rogue wizard past the two pavises (shields) on the ground. Wait for the three bolts and strike when you are able. The Black Knight and Bone Bomber tag-team can be dealt with by the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave. If you don't you'll have to time the bombs to make your strike against the Black Knight and that's not fun. The last gold key is suspended over the precipice. Double back jump to fetch it and make for the gearbox to the left of the gate key. Use the drawbridge to retreat to for the exit crystal fight. Exit Crystal The key is in a mimic in the first door on the left. The chest in to the right of the exit crystal, go around on the path outside the castle. ------------------------------------------ The Keep Hub Level (Sophia's hubba hubba) ------------------------------------------ Whereas previous hubs allowed you the luxury of avoiding enemies, this hub requires you to seek out and destroy enemies for iron keys to unlocked doors in the hub stage. Talk about sick stuff. The best thing to do is have about five or six keys with you all ready for this emergency. The enemies change in this hub stage as you finish the last two stages of the Castle and you will get new enemies who will have iron keys. First floor from the Siege stage, left, clockwise: - save pool - hidden chest spot - stairs to second floor Second floor from the stage Great Escape, left: - the armory Second floor from the stage Great Escape, forward: - Dungeon of Despair stage and hidden chest spot - stairs to third floor Third floor, forward: - stairs to fourth floor Fourth floor: - Black Knight and the boss Whenever you can, visit the armory (after finishing the Great Escape) so you can power up with free armor, red potion and a firebrand. To reach the armory, perform a "double long jump" from the battlements. From the armory's entrance, count the chests 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 from left to right: (1) - armor (2) - fake (3) - red potion (4) - firebrand (5) - fake There is no prize wheel in this hub, just a locked chest that keeps re-stocking itself at the top of floor four before the last locked gate. ------------- Great Escape ------------- If you have no keys, you will need to turn around at the start and find the key in the monster filled room, then battle the black knight. Past the locked gate, you will encounter a drill spike. Avoid it and go into the room with the checkpoint. 1st Checkpoint "Spot" the area between the checkpoint and the wall. Then fight the black knight. The door left of the black knight is a drill spike corridor that leads to another black knight with a key, as well as a room with a key placed behind one of the columns. Head back out and towards the second checkpoint. 2nd Checkpoint Up or forward? Up: clean up the goodies and detour to the battlements for a shield replacement, then hop the battlements to the end for a key and drop down for an Armageddon. Forward: there's a monster with a key near the bas-relief on right wall; it will attack much earlier than you can see the bas-relief. Whether you go up or down, you can reach the locked gate regardless. In the hedgemaze, the fastest way out (at each turn) will be: (1) - left (2) - right (3) - right (4) - left (5) - right (6) - right (7) - straight (8) - left (9) - right (10) - right (11) - left (12) - straight (13) - left (14) - left (15) - right (16) - straight Loiter if you dare. Exit Crystal There's a rogue wizard with Bone Shields guarding the exit crystal. Attack them one by one, then rush the wizard with everything you've got. ------------------- Dungeon of Despair ------------------- Turn around at the start and fetch the key placed past the secret wall. Smash everything. If only San Quentin was this crappy, I'd have chosen another venue of work. Fight the Bone Elite outside for another key to access the armor. There's a third key placed in the left coffin hollow (left of the gold gate, near the axe trap) and a fourth key with a monster guarding the gold gate. The gold key is behind the locked gate and in the locked chest. Whoa, heavy . . . man . . . Past the gold gate, do yo go forward, left or right? Right: monster with key and armor. Center: hidden chest (Armageddon) is spot on in front of the two vats. It's a small area and you'll find it. The key is in a coffin, and the potion on the vats is free. Left: this path has the gold key past the axe traps. Past the gold gate, you'll see a pool of acid. Still have that Midas Shield? Grab the gem floating above the pool of gree goop and watch for the drill spike. Careful, as the next part can get you killed. Maybe I should have said that more, eh? From the acid pool room's entrance, the door to the right has the key for the gold key locked in the left room. The left room has a rogue wizard just past the entrance. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the drill spike has a way of making people nervous. Use what you know to dodge the bolts and whack the guy. You'll be fighting blind for a bit too, so be prepared. Tricky treasure: green potion on the alchemist's table. 1st Checkpoint There will be a key in a treasure box to the left of the gold gate. Open the locked gate on the right and proceed into the secret tunnel past the two axe traps to the gold key. Past the gold gate, you will face an acid river, and you will need to coffin hop the platforms to the other side. Stop. Watch. And learn the pattern. On the other side, there'll be a monster with a key. Go through the locked gate to the checkpoint. 2nd Checkpoint Another black knight / Bone Bomber tag-team. You'd better have the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave handy. Next thing to ponder: left, right, or forward? Left or right: these two doors lead to the same place and a prize wheel. Forward: the wooden door next to the gold gate has the gold key and a slaughterfest of Boen Shields. Keep on going with that Ring of Pain. Past the gold gate is another wider acid river. Coffin hop to the other side. The other side has a drill spike and Bone Elite team guarding the gold key. The first door on your left has a key. The first door on your right has armor. The second door on the left is a hidden chest. And the second door on the right has the gold key in locked chest. The second key is with the monster closest to the gold gate. Exit Crystal Whack the black knight, and deal with the monsters as they come, one at a time. Time to heal. Aaaw . . . man . . . -------------- Achille Boss -------------- Prepare with the firebrand and armor. If you want you even get an Armageddon and sic it on the boss. Just go to the Siege stage and between the third checkpoint and the exit crystal, clear everyone away before you fetch the Armageddon from the hidden chest. That'll learn 'em some respect. Lock these abilities ==================== - Throw Shield - Mighty Throw - Shield of Midas - Ring of Pain - Wider Shockwave - Mighty Blow - Long Sword and have increased armor so you have the four (4) extra HTKs to use. You may also want Magic Bolt, but that's not a big deal. DO HAVE the Armageddon sword at twenty (20) charges. If you're clever, you'll have around six to seven keys ready to open the locked gate between the Dungeon of Despair stage portal and the boss portal. The black knight can be dispatched without using a single charge if the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave are in your inventory. All other enemies up to the boss' portal can be avoided by sticking to the battlements (good!) or by down striking with the Ring of Pain / Wider Shockwave to kill them (risky, you may use a sword charge). If you can, have a Silver or Gold Shield "for fun", but it is not necessary unless you intend to block a lot. Boss attacks ============ Magic Bolts - the boss fires magic bolts that do damage. Jump to the side ('side jump') to avoid. Purple Wave - a wave that travels on the ground in a straight line. Side jump to avoid. Purple Lightning Field (knock away) - triggered when Maximo is too close to the boss. Happens when you have him loiter near the boss after wounding the boss. Causes no damage, but knocks Maximo to the ground. Summon Avatar Head (indestructable) - the big, giant head is indestructable, like William Shatner's acting career. Avoid the head and stay awy from the little purple crown crap it drops. They act like land mines. Unlike the Voodoo children, the landmines remain when the boss shifts attacks, so be wary. Force Field (special counter needed) - the boss creates a weird looking forcefield with an Ability Symbol wallpapered on it. Use the appropriate ability to destroy the forcefield and wound the boss. If you do not possess that ability, you can wait for the boss to change the ability, but as you do, the big giant head keeps attacking. Become Avatar (indestructable, special counter needed) - wound the boss until it is at 50% life and the boss will trigger an automatic subroutine and become invincible. Attacking the boss is not a good idea considering it will do more damage to you than you can to it (which will be zero). Strike the four (4) radar dishes that regenerate the boss' life to stop this attack phase. Triple strike - this boss attack is used only after it has exhausted its invincibility streak. It can be blocked, but have Maximo run to the jump to avoid it instead so he can have something for the next fight. Strike Window ============= This boss will prove annoying once you discover that it is extremely easy to dispatch once you do not have to deal with its "god mode" attack. Avoid all attacks, hitting the boss with the ability wallpapered in the forcefield, then wounding it. Retreat to a safe distance immediately before it turns into the energy giant (which may sometimes occur immediately if you use the Armageddon sword in an overhead strike). Maximo's magic bolt can be useful if you need to stay away, just don't miss, because the costs in sword charges will be staggering. This repeats: magic bolts, giant head, ability bubble, God. After second time the boss turns into the energy giant, the boss will go through the magic bolt, giant head, ability routine, but the god mode will fizzle and the boss will resort to the Triple Strike attack. Side jump to avoid the attack and wait for the boss to hesitate during the thrid strike so Maximo can stop and do a Mighty Blow or overhead strike on the boss. If you want to do the overhead strike, remember that the analog stick must be in neutral position to avoid doing the Mighty Blow. ------------ Sophia Boss ------------ Be good. Very good at avoiding all of the first boss' attacks. There are two ways to face this challenge: the way of the turtle, or the way of the snake. Boss attacks ============ Claw Strike - boss swipes at you with a claw, from the side(s). It's hard to see in darkness, and this attack is one of three strike windows, so you'll usually wind up getting hit if you mis-time your own attack. Bite - boss bites. Another strike window, so it's a toss up between it and Maximo. Charge Lunge (unblockable) - boss steps back and charges. This is a potential strike window, but the speed of this attack precludes any counter of your own. Side jump to avoid. Strike Window - Turtle ======================= Run back behind until you cannot move any farther. Face one of the windows to either side of the room so you can see the boss' silhouette. If the window appears empty, face the other window. Do this repeatedly and follow the boss' movement as it wonders why Maximo is such a dweeb and is avoiding direct combat. You will see brief glimpses of the boss when the lightning flashes. Raise shields if you want, but you'd rather be ready to execute a jumping quick strike to the boss' head when it tries to attack with the claw or bite. If the boss steps back, it wil do a charge that will knock Maximo over. The boss will retreat when wounded and this process repeats until the boss or Maximo is decorating the room with their bloody viscera. Strike Window - Snake ===================== You are bold to go this far, but are you daring? The way of the snake requires you to have good reflexes and an understanding of the way the boss moves. Basically, you have Maximo hop into the room. The key is to keep doing single and double hops as you guide Maximo like a little piece of meat around the room in a lazy figure eight pattern, using the four columns in the room to avoid the boss as you make like Puke Skywalker and "stay on target." Using the two windows on the side to spot where the boss is, you can get a sense of where the boss is. The boss does not "teleport" -- the dark room makes it look like it does. So getting a bead on the boss, you can intercept the boss by predicting where it can go next. Because you're single jumping all the time, you are almost always ready to do a jumping quick strike to wound the boss. The boss always retreats once wounded and Maximo can kill it without much trouble. The only danger comes when the boss charges; because of your constant hopping, it will always hit. If you can double jump to avoid the attack, the better for you. Luck factors in somewhat with this tactic, but you must provide the skill to predict where the boss is for this to work. Use the force, player. And if you die, just reset and reload. =========== SECRETS =========== "Gal"-lery Mode =============== If you were smart, you would've taken the save or full armor from the Sorceresses. But if you want a challenge, take the Sorceress' kiss. This item does nothing by itself, but once you collect all four AND SAVE YOUR GAME, you can access the Gallery housing 45 of the slowest loading pictures ever in gaming history. And yo probably guessed it after you "swap out the kisses for something more useful", lose the kisses and save over your previous game means you lose the gallery. This obviously means you have access only to the three (3) original Lock Spots you started with as the kisses occupy four valuable spaces. This will require Maximo to go about more carefully when choosing the stuff you want him to keep. Avoid enemy fights and finish it by not risking your life. You only need to finish The Siege stage to save properly, and you can leave the "gallery game" unfinished as you start another file to REALLY do the work. Only worry about the first four boss fights and any tricky spots in the stages as you fight to reach the save pool in the Castle. Lock these abilities ==================== - Ring of Pain - Wider Shockwave - Shield of Storms Or - Long Sword - Mighty Blow - Any ability This should give you a good "healthy" start if you die and need to acquire non-locked abilities again. The Shield of Storms will allow you to push enemies off into pits, or knock Bone Pirates onto the ground without expending any sword charges or putting you in danger of being wounded. Keep the Long Sword and Mighty Blow if you prefer attacking (not recommended) and swap to the Ring of Pain and Wider Shockwave as you go into difficult territory. Use the Spirit Realm and Forzen Waste hubs to buy your armor and lives and you'll be okay for The Siege stage. Exploiting the Hubs =================== Besides the prize wheels that re-stock when you restart, you should take advantage of the four (4) hidden chests in each hub stage -- except for the Spirit Realm which has five (5) and the Castle which has a sucky two (2). Using the Shield of Midas, Mighty Throw, and Throw Shield combination, you should be able to snag all the "open" treasure that is placed in the hub stage. I advise that you use the Spirit Realm hub (Iron Tower) and Frozen Waste hub (Dark House) for your commute. Here're the totals for all the placed treasure in each hub (includes hidden chests, but does not include monster earned money). Graveyard 51 coins Swamp 66 coins Snow Field 97 coins Underworld 83 coins Because the totals are NOT 100 coins, the game ensures that you always lose money when you travel to another hub stage, no matter how small. Using the Underworld and the Snow Field hub levels (Dark House and Iron Tower) since they have the most money to be had, you can buy two (2) 1-ups each way you travel (Dark House has one 1-up, the Iron Tower has another), free red and green potions, free armor (a $100.00 value), and because we vaule your patronage, we'll give you a hidden chest guide for free (see below). Assuming you get every available treasure, the costs calculated should be: Snow Field 97 coins Underworld 83 coins + -------------------------- Open total 180 coins Monster money ? coins + -------------------------- Total at least 180 Travel Costs -200 coins (roundtrip) ------------------------------------ Total costs -20 coins per roundtrip So it'll cost you 20 coins to claim free armor and the opportunity to buy two 1-ups (at 150 coins each). So if you have 9999 coins, you can buy about sixty (60) lives and have the money to cover travel costs (at an average of 10 coins each way, you'll be spending 300 coins for one 1-up one way, then the other 1-up at the other hub). With the potions and armor in the hidden chests, you'll have more than enough dough and men to spare to take out an entire country. Hidden Chest Guide ================== Hidden chests hold hidden goodies. Hidden chests are found by landing on or near the spot where they are. In the tradition of "chest spotting", I will use the word "spot" to cover the procedure of jumping and landing multiple times in a small area to find a hidden chest. This for of "chest-spotting" is not the kind done by drunk college frat boys, but requires finesse and no quantities of alcohol and tom-foolery. "Spot" incorrectly and nearby monsters that you hoped to defeat with the contents of a hidden chest will cram their bony finger into Maximo's backside and have him make funny faces as they squeeze his prostate. Last note: hidden chests are never on moving platforms and are never hidden on land that was triggered by a statue switch. Grave Danger ------------ Hidden chest 1 - "Spot" near the tree to the left of Maximo's initial starting position. Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - Lone tree in the middle of the road near the gold gate. Spot is near the tree, between the tree and gate. Money. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - From the open grave past the checkpoint, face the left lava pool. You should see a tree in the distance across the road. The tree should be on the left side of the screen. Spot between that tree and the edge of the lava pool. Money. Hidden chest 4 - on top of the hill next to the open grave. Use the tombstone to reach that chest. The key is in a monster in the small alley below the hidden chest. Firebrand. Hidden chest 5 - Past the lava gap with the secret "bat cave" is a tree on your left. Nearby, the Bone Tower's skull shots reach their maximum range and explode. Spot between that tree and the edge of the lava pool. Armor. Hidden chest 6 - Just before the third checkpoint is a prize wheel. At the prize wheel, cross the road. Spot the area past the second of the two coins. 1-up. 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 7 - Past the broken bridge is an area of "bad earth" with boulders acting as islands over the stuff. Face the tree so three islands line up on the left side of the screen and one island on the right side of the screen. Maximo and the tree will form an imaginary straight line. Spot the side of the rock on the right side of the screen. Money. Tomb Tower Hub (Lenore's Love Shack) ------------------------------------ Hub level hidden chests are given in no particular order. Hidden chest 1 - From Grave Danger stage portal, you come out of a cave and will see a tree immediately on the right. Spot between tree and the ledge. Money. Hidden chest 2 - From Bad to the Bone stage portal, head to the wooden bridge. Stop just short of crossing the bridge and spot the tree to the left of the bridge. Red potion. Hidden chest 3 - In the "secret" area where you encountered the statue switch to access the prize wheel, there's a visible chest on the left and two trees on the right. Face the two trees. Spot the area near the right tree. Money. Hidden chest 4 - From Coffin Canyon stage portal, face Maximo so the boss tower is on his left and the rock wall on the right. Walk forward so you see the raised land the save pool is on. Stop when you can see two trees. One on the left side of the screen, one in the middle, and a large rock boulder on the right side of the screen. Spot around the middle tree. Firebrand. Bad to the Bone --------------- Hidden chest 1 - Follow the falgstone path when you start and before you drop down into the broken area, there is a tree to the right near "bad ground." Spot the area near the tree and the "bad ground". Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - From the checkpoint, face Maximo so the prize wheel in on Maximo's left. SPot the right tombstone. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Stand in the river and look at the wooden bridge. See the christmas tree on the left. Spot between that tree and the prize wheel. Shield of Midas. Hidden chest 4 - Behind the waterfall in the circle of coins. Red potion. Hidden chest 5 - On the floating island with the Bone Tower, spot to the left of the Bone Tower. 1-up. Hidden chest 6 - At the clearing with the rogue wizard, there is a christmas tree. Standing in the open grave, spot the area between the tree and rock wall on the left. Money. Hidden chest 7 - At the top of the waterfall and you can see the exit crystal, spot the ledge near the water. Money. Dead Heat --------- Hidden chest 1 - Locked cemetary behind initial starting position. Past the gate, turn right, spot to the left of the tree. Armor. Hiden chest 2 - From the floating church, leap onto the ledge to the left of the swinging gate. Spot there. Money. Hidden chest 3 - Before you jump to the checkpoint, there is a locked cemetary on your left. Do not go in, and notice the tree and spirit stone just outside that place. Spot between the tree and spirit stone. Red potion. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Near the second checkpoint, there is a Bone Tower. Spot between it and the checkpoint. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - Near the third checkpoint, there is a building. Beware of the ghost and spot near the wall of that building. The key is in a monster near the stone coffin. Armor. Hidden chest 6 - Past the gold gate. Notice the thin tree in the distance. Spot a little past the tree. Money. Coffin Canyon ------------- Hidden chest 1 - When the road breaks, stop. Spot the area between the left tree and the tombstone. Green potion. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - Past the checkpoint, spot between the tree and the Bone Tower on the left. Firebrand. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Get rid of the ghost. Spot near the first tree past the checkpoint. Green potion. 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - As you cross the crumbling stone path to the cemetary, head to the right of the gateway. Spot the small ledge there. Armor. Hidden chest 5 - Past the first locked gate in the cemetary, there is a tree on the right. Spot near that tree. Money. Hidden chest 6 - After activating the statue switch, you will proceed to the exit crystal on small cliff ledges. Stop at the one with a plant on it. It will be one more jump to the exit crystal's ledge, but spot near the plant for the chest. Money. Watery Grave ------------ Hidden chest 1 - Follow the wood plank path to the right towards the prize wheel. Around the middle of the path start spotting. Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - Near the vines behind the first checkpoint. Money. Hidden chest 3 - From the gold gate, turn to see the tree with the orange fungi platforms. See the fern on the right side of the screen. Spot near that fern for the key for hidden chest 4. Chest will be in water. Hidden chest 4 - From the gold gate, face the tree with the orange fungi platforms. Go to the tree with the orange fungi platforms, then turn left 90 degrees. Spot the dead end; the chest will be in the water. Lightbringer. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - Face the mausoleum with the locked armor (Building-A). The spot is to the left near the tree roots. Money. Exit Crystal Hidden chest 6 - From the exit crystal, face the water. Spot the corner of the building and the rock wall on the left. Chest will be in water. Red potion. Magic Tree Hub (Marie's Magic Tower) ------------------------------------ Hub spots are presented in no particular order. Hidden chest 1 - From Watery Grave stage portal, turn right 270 degrees and go into the big green log. Spot at the end. Money. Hidden chest 2 - From the save pool, face the boss tower. There will be a broken fence on the right side of the screen; fall off there and onto a small green ledge. Spot that ledge. Firebrand. Hidden chest 3 - From the prize wheel, walk to the boss tower and spot between the tree's roots. Chest will be on land. Money. Hidden chest 4 - At the Quick and the Dead stage portal, face the boss tower and turn left 90 degrees. Fall off the concavity in the cliffside. Spot where you land. Red potion. Voodoo Village -------------- Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start. Face the locked chest in the hut. Spot to the left of the hut. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Going forward again. Near the first floating log and fern. There'll be a croc attack. Armor. Hidden chest 3 - Towards where the water meets dry land, you can see some vines in the distance. Notice the floating log. Spot between the log and land. Money. 1st Checkpoint 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Past first and second set of vines but before third. Spot near where the monster came from the ground. Money. Quick and the Dead Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start. Spot between the torches. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Before you turn 90 degrees left to fight on, the spot in the corner where the tree roots come out and the stone wall on the right. Armor. Hidden chest 3 - You turn left 90 degrees, spot the end of the dark gray wall. Green potion. Hidden chest 4 - Past the tree stupm key, you turn right 90 degrees. Pass the locked armor but before you turn left 90 degrees. Spot the right corner of that turn for a locked chest. Any ole' key will do. Icebrand. Hidden chest 5 - Right before you can activate the checkpoint, there is a small island on the right. Spot the edge there. Red potion. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 6 - Past the gold gate there is armor suspended in air to the right. Spot the area beneath that ammor and watch the croc. Lightbringer. 2nd Checkpoint 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 7 - Inside the cave where the third checkpoint is, go past the monster generator and stop. You will see the cave exit as well as a rock to the left and a torch to the right. Spot near the rock. This rock is the last one you see as you leave the cave. Armor. Dem Bones --------- Hidden chest 1 - Near the petrified (gray) tree you see when you begin. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Face the prize wheel and turn right 90 degrees. Place the vines in the center of Maximo's vision. Spot is between the petrified tree on the left and the tar pit. Armor. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Spot the tree on the island past the one you triggered with the statue switch. It'll be before the rogue wizard. Lightbringer. 2nd Checkpoint 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Pass the checkpoint and stop on the island before the crocodile skull. Turn right 90 degrees and spot the island with the spirit stone. Midas Shield. Hidden chset 5 - on the island past the crocodile skull, spot the ramp to and from the tar. Money. Hidden chest 6 - After landing on dry land, you battle two monster plants and a Bone Axe. The spot is the deadend formed by the staircase. Money. Shiver Me Timbers ----------------- Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start. Spot the three snow mounds. Armor. Hidden chest 2 - Before you enter the cave, there is a ship stern embedded in the cliffside. Spot beneath the burning spar to the right of the ship stern. Money. Hidden chest 3 - At the mouth of the cae, see the two stalagmites near the entrance. Stand between them and place the torch "over" the left stalagmite. Spot the area just forward of where Maximo stands. Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - At the checkpoint, stand between the jagged rocks. Spot there. Firebrand. Hidden chest 5 - Past the snow canyon, you see the island with the snowman. Spot that island. The key is in the monster in the ship's prow. Don't forget the gem in the dragon carving on the prow. Shield of Midas. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 6 - To the right of the rogue wizard is a burning skull in the cliffside. You will see four yeti tracks as well. Walk towards the burning skull and you'll come to a small boulder you can stand on. Do so. Face the jagged rock nearby. Spot is near the jagged rock. Green potion. Hidden chest 7 - Loiter at the exit crystal. Spot past the two visible chests. Money. Dark House Hub (Aurora's Aerie) ------------------------------- No particular order. Remember that. Hidden chest 1 - From the save pool, go to the raised land behind. Spot near the small snow patch near the wall. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Leave the save pool room and turn right. Spot the end of the ledge you are on, where the torch is. Red potion. Hidden chest 3 - From Go with the Floe stage portal drop one level and overlook the lethal blue water. Look at the blue water. Spot the chest in that vicinity. Money. Hidden chest 4 - Go to the overlook where you can see the pirate ship that leads to Dead in the Water stage portal. Spot the chest on the promontory. Armor. Cannonball Run -------------- Hidden chest 1 - Past the first right secret wall in the cave. Spot right before the prize wheel. Armor. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - On the island before you land on the island with the thin ice bridge, spot the center. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Go into the secret wall to the left of the checkpoint for the key; the right secret wall has a rogue wizard and hidden chest 3. Spot near the torch where the snow meets the rock. Firebrand and armor. Hidden chest 4 - After the cannonball run, spot near the ledge by the secret wall and close by the water. Green potion. Hidden chest 5 - Across from the exit crystal, head into the tunnel with the gem and torch. Spot under the gem. Green potion. Go with the Floe ---------------- Hidden chest 1 - At the stone tower formation, from the locked chest head back where you started from, and spot near the tall thin rock. Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - From checkpoint, you go on a cliffside. Spot the area wher you can land. Money. Hidden chest 3 - Spot the ledge with the open red potion. Money. 2nd Checkpoint 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - After the third checkpoint, you arrive in the "land of broken ice". Go to the prize wheel and face the checkpoint. Turn 180 degree around and walk adhering to the wall then the hole. Spot the deadend. Money. Hidden chest 5 - Fromthe prize wheel, face the ship and walk underneath it. On the lowest snow-ice steps leading up the cliff, spot the lowest step. Money. Dead in the Water ------------------ Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start and spot the start of the coin trail at the end of the path. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Spot the prize wheel behind the start. Firebrand. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - After checkpoint, walk to dried branches on the path and line up with the cannon. Walk forward until you are about to fall off. Spot there. Green potion. Hidden chest 4 - At the second checkpoint, turn around 180 degrees. After hopping two crevasses, spot the right ice column. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - At the gold gate, spot the corner of the gate and rock wall. Firebrand. Hidden chest 6 - From the gold gate go to the lowest "step" on the cliff and follow the ice around to the key. Spot where the ice meets the rock. Money. Infernal Devices ---------------- Hidden chest 1 - Pass the first swinging mace ('swing mace') and stand between the ground scratches and the jagged rock. Spot there. Green potion. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - Past the checkpoint, go on the metal catwalk to the spinning gear. The key and hidden chest spot is on that island. Money. Hidden chest 3 - From the prize wheel, go the the monster mouth; turn 45 degrees left and spot between the two tusks. Money. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Are you showing brain? Bypass the brain platforms and head to the key on the cliffledge. Spot near the key. Money. 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - On the "upper path" outside the Shield Replacement power-up. Spot past the small boulder on the trail. Red potion. Hidden chest 6 - Past the third checkpoint, a wraith will attack on a swing mace platform. The next jump is a brain platform. Spot near the swing mace ground scratches. Money. Hidden chest 7 - From the exit crystal, face the direction where the third checkpoint is. Turn left 90 degrees and walk out to the edge of the land. The prize wheel is on your left, and the chest spot is on the right. Money. Iron Tower Hub (Sephonie's Soiree) ---------------------------------- In no particular order . . . Hidden chest 1 - At Down the Gullet stage portal, face boss tower. Turn 180 degrees and jump to the two floating islands, with jagged rocks. Higher island's centre spot. Money. Hidden chest 2 - From Crushed Spirits, face boss tower. Turn right 45 degrees. Go forward until you are have green water on Maximo's left and a rock wall on his right. Walk forward between the two terrain until the rock goes off the screen and spot. Money. Hidden chest 3 - From Crushed Spirits, face boss tower. Turn left 90 degrees and walk over the portal's cornerstone. Spot-hop in a straight line for the chest. Money. Hidden chest 4 - From save pool, walk forward to the boss tower. When you are out of the water, spot the corner of land. Money. Hidden chest 5 - At the dual rising / falling rocks, jump to the island with the smoking stack rock tower. Spot there. Money. Unkindest Cut ------------- Hidden chest 1 - By the right tree where you drop onto the lower path to the armor and key. Money. Hidden chest 2 - Turn around start; chest needs key. Stand with three jagged rocks on maximo's left. Spot the right-most jagged rock of the left group. Icebrand. Hidden chest 3 - Spot island past lower second gear. Has two jagged rocks and a spirit stone. Armor. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Turn 180 degrees while on second checkpoint. Spot the jagged rock to the right of the stone archway. Money. 2nd Checkpoint 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - Brain bounce up to the cave entrance. Hidden chest is past the bearclaw platforms along the rocky trail. Spot past the spirit stone. Armor. Hidden chest 6 - At the end of the third set of saws, spot the closest area where you can't be hit by the saws. Armor. Hidden chest 7 - Loiter at the exit crystal and spot to the left of the jagged rock. Money. Down the Gullet --------------- 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 1 - Spot island where the first statue switch is. Red potion. Hidden chest 2 - Coming from the second statue switch, stop at the island before the swinging mace. Spot near the pillar. Shield of Midas. Hidden chest 3 - Requires a key from the monster near the second statue switch (opens the mouth). At the mouth opening, spot the left jaw chain. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Enter the mouth of "Monster Cave Island" and go through the body. As you come out the other end, stop between the first two firetraps and spot. Money. 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - Past the checkpoint, you jump on a lava island, then two normal islands. Spot the second normal island. Red potion. Hidden chest 6 - On top of the Last Cave Island, where you jump off from the floating stone steps, spot the landing area. Armor. Hidden chest 7 - As you make your way to the exit crystal, you will hop from stone island to alcoves in the main land mass. Spot the first alcove you come across. Has a Bone Axe guarding it. Money. Crushed Spirits --------------- 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 1 - Under the nose of the first fireball trap you come by. Armor. Hidden chest 2 - In the green lighted low-wall area after, spot near the low-wall by the right spirit stone. Red potion. Hidden chest 3 - From the second checkpoint, turn 180 degrees around and spot along the edge of the ground scrathes of the closest swing mace. Money. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - From the second checkpoint, spot the area hit by the first fireball trap you encounter. Firebrand. Hidden chest 5 - Pass the checkpoint and ride the rising / falling gear. Go past the first set of vertical blades and spot the island after, near the jagged rock on the right. Money. Hidden chest 6 - At the island of the exit crystal, spot the stalagmites that are to the right of the cave entrance (and away from the trail going around to the key). Money. The Siege --------- Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start. Spot near the wooden wheel. Money. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - From the gold key, spot the area next to the right stone column. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Go around the siege tower and head for the side with no wheels. Spot between the axles. Firebrand. Hidden chest 4 - Spot bewteen the catapult and the discarded battering ram. Red potion. Hidden chest 5 - TRurn 180 degree around at the third checkpoint. Spot right corner of wall and rock wall. Armageddon. 3rd Checkpoint Hidden chest 6 - Key in monster in first left room, past gate. Chest is on trail to the gate's right along the edge of the castle precipice. Spot at the end of the path. Armor and 1-up. The Keep (Sophia's hubba hubba) ------------------------------- Hidden chest 1 - First floor. From The Siege stage portal, head right to the stairs (or locked door if you haven't finished Great Escape). Turn left 90 degrees and spot near the first purple banner on the right. Red potion. Hidden chest 2 - From Dungeon of Despair stage portal, go beneath the portal and spot the area near the hay that is furthest from the prison bed. Green potion. Armory - From the Great Escape stage portal, go onto battlements and turn left. "Double long jump" to the armory to be equipped. The Great Escape ---------------- Hidden chest 1 - Turn around start. From the prize wheel face the center of the room, then turn 90 degrees to the right. Walk to the shield and axe set and spot there. Lightbringer. Hidden chest 2 - Past the first black knight and before the second and third lava pools. On top of the stairs near the axe trap, spot near the blue window. Armor. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Between the checkpoint and the wall. Armor. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 4 - Go up rather than forward. On the battlements where you get a Sheild Replacment, jump onto the "J-shaped" hedge. From the "J-shaped" hedge, reach the suspicious square hedge and spot there. Armor. Hidden chest 5 - From the entrance to the hedgemaze exit, face the exit crystal and walk forward. Stop when two of the four trees go off screen. Turn 90 degrees left. Spot between the two tree and the wall. 1-up. Dungeon of Despair ------------------ Hidden chest 1 - After the first gold gate, go down the ramp to wine cellar. Spot between the two barrel vats. Armageddon. Key to room is in monster in room above. 1st Checkpoint Hidden chest 2 - Past the checkpoint, head into first locked door on the right. Go past the two axe traps and into secret tunnel. Count. Second stream of light is spot. Firebrand. 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 3 - Past the checkpoint, but before the gold gate. Go into the right door (on ground level, not up the stairs) and pass two axe traps. Before you pass the double axe traps, spot the area in the corner. 1-up. Hidden chest 4 - Past the wider acid river with four rows of coffins to jump, wind up in room with two (2) drill spikes and two (2) Bone Elites. Second door on left is spot. Money. Mastery ======= Mastery is a special stage you get to play (no saving) after you accomplish 100% of all other stages. (Question) - What stages count towards mastery? (Answer) - All stages count towards mastery, except for Hub stages (Tomb Tower, Magic Tree, Dark House, Iron Tower, The Keep). Bosses are the easiest stages to get mastery on, since you do or you don't. (Question) - What elements are counted towards mastery? (Answer) - All placed items and monsters in a stage count towards mastery. All enemies count (except the ones generated by monster generators), all placed money, potions, armor, 1-ups, abilities, magic swords, keys, torches, snowmen, spirit stones, goo globes, and all chests (hidden or not) are counted for mastery. (Question) - Do I have to do it all in one sweep? (Answer) - No. As long as you finish the stage AND SAVE YOUR GAME, whatever you did is saved as "done". Now do what you haven't done. (Question) - I knocked a monster off the cliff, does that count? (Answer) - No. You have to see it spew something so it can count as "killed by Maximo" not "killed by act of God". Monster Insurance doesn't cover acts of God, just acts of Maximo. (Question) - What about the stuff that monsters drop? Does that count for mastery? (Answer) - No. And neither does the stuff inside any treasure chest or spirit stone. Just items already "placed" in a level. (Question) - I can't seem to find this percentage, can you help me? (Answer) - If I had a nickel for everytime someone asked me that, I could buy my own country and rule like a despot and play "Flight of the Valkeries" with every ORCA sortie. It's 2:15 A.M., and I've had enough of Maxxxxxxximo and I can't seem to keep those NOD chem-missiles out of my base. So, in a word, no. Here are some tips: #1 - Look behind every door jamb and object. You'd be surprised at what can be hidden. #2 - If you're at 98% or 99% and you can't find that last percent, do something you haven't done before. Go somewhere you've never been to. Chances are you missed a tricky treasure. #3 - Enemies can be placed anywhere. Have spirits, have patience, and be observant of where they can show up. One or two monsters can show up off the beaten path. #4 - Check the hidden chest guide. That done, look for "placed" treasure you may have missed. Got all those coins before? Then start looking for monsters in places you've never been. Master Level Hidden Chests -------------------------- Hidden chest 1 - From the starting cave, spot the first tree to the cave's left. It'll be on "bad ground". Armageddon. Hidden chest 2 - The grave mound near the only spirit stone in the stage. Money. Hidden chest 3 - In the area with three Bone Towers before the broken bridge, go to the broke nrdige and face it. Turn 180 degrees and spot near the tall gray boulder near the left Bone Tower. Money. Hidden chest 4 - Past the broken bridge, but before passing through the broken wall to the cemetary. Turn left 90 degrees at the foot of the bridge. Spot the "bad earth" near the bushes. Firebrand. 1st Checkpoint 2nd Checkpoint Hidden chest 5 - Spot between the prize wheel (silver shield) and closest tree. It'll be near a leafy fern. Armor and red potion. Hidden chest 6 - Line up the prize wheel (silver shield) and the lone tree in the grassy island in the middle of the paved road. Walk forward towards the fence in the background and spot near the grassy area before the fence in the background. Armor. Hidden chest 7 - Line up the thin tree and the tall boulder that you can jump on to reach the start of Grave Danger. Spot is the right most edge of the paved road. Armor. Hidden chest 8 - The prize wheel to the left of the save crystal, where the coins were near the first iron key in Grave Danger. Spot the area between the prize wheel and the rock wall of the stage. Armageddon. ================================================================= Nude Pics of Anime-Gals In Bizarre Rites Or Your Hot Sister / Mom In Bondage Are Required for All Replies To Gaming Questions Exceptions? None. --> simalcrum@hotmail.com <-- =================================================================