~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Realm of the Dead / Bakunen Kakusei: Neverland Senki Zero FAQ/Walkthrough By: Globe_199 (Liam Brown) [email protected] Version 1.0, submitted: 05/12/09. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTRODUCTION First of all, you may be asking why you were directed to the "Bakunen Kakusei: Neverland Senki Zero" site when you clearly typed "Realm of the Dead" into the search bar. No, you're not crazy. Probably. "Realm of the Dead" is the English translation of the Japanese version of the game. I have found very little information about either game on the internet, so you're just going to have to trust me on this one. Not being Japanese myself, this guide has been written for the version with the title "Realm of the Dead". So if you can understand what's written on the front cover of your game, then this is the guide you are after. This guide will use the Ctrl+F feature extensively as a means of organising the information you want to find. If you see a certain segment you want to skip forward to, press Ctrl and the F button on your computer keyboard simultaneously, copy and paste the corresponding code in the [brackets] into the field which appears, then press the enter key. This is a basic computer skill and I'd be surprised if you have trouble with this. I have tried to keep spoilers to a minimum, but at times some are inevitable. There isn't much plot to spoil in this game anyway, so read at your own risk. CONTENTS Plot................................................. [STOR] Basic Controls & Skills.............................. [BASIX] Characters & Character Specific controls............. [CHAR] Levelling Up & Equipment............................. [LVLUP] Tips and General Hints............................... [TIPZ] Enemies (and how to kill them)....................... [ENMYS] Items................................................ [ITEMZ] Walkthrough.......................................... [WLKTHRU] Lordhill Fortress......................... [LHFT] Act 1 Scene 1............................. [A1S1] Act 1 Scene 2: Road of the Dead........... [A1S2] Act 1 Scene 3: Central Square............. [A1S3] Act 1 Scene 4: Underground Entrance....... [A1S4] Act 1 Scene 5: Torture Chamber............ [A1S5] Act 2 Scene 1: Underground Waterway....... [A2S1] Act 2 Scene 2: Underground Prison......... [A2S2] Act 2 Scene 3: Dimly Lit Library.......... [A2S3] Act 2 Scene 4: Organ Room................. [A2S4] Act 3 Scene 1: Cavern Entrance............ [A3S1] Act 3 Scene 2: Cavern..................... [A3S2] Act 3 Scene 3: Lab I...................... [A3S3] Act 3 Scene 4: Lab II..................... [A3S4] Act 3 Scene 5: Operating Room............. [A3S5] Act 4 Scene 1: Suspension Bridge.......... [A4S1] Act 4 Scene 2: Eboto Forest............... [A4S2] Act 4 Scene 3: Amid the Mist.............. [A4S3] Act 4 Scene 4: Forest Depths.............. [A4S4] Act 5 Scene 1: Raging Wind................ [A5S1] Act 5 Scene 2: Great Hall................. [A5S2] Act 5 Scene 3: Venomous Flower............ [A5S3] Act 5 Scene 4: Silent Statue.............. [A5S4] Act 5 Scene 5: Spiral Staircase........... [A5S5] Act 6 Scene 1: Desecration of the Soul.... [A6S1] Act 6 Scene 2: Forsaken Garden............ [A6S2] Act 6 Scene 3: Accursed Lake.............. [A6S3] Act 6 Scene 4: A Long Dark Road........... [A6S4] Act 6 Scene 5: Where Hatred Returns....... [A6S5] Legal Notice Credits --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLOT (abridged) [STOR] The name of the world you are in is Neverland (not to be confused with Never Never Land, which is completely different). In the 994th Demon Year, hordes of undead attacked a human village in the Kaizeron region, and continued to spread to other villages before someone finally sat up and thought that something should probably be done about it. Upon hearing news of this event, Demon King Janus / Saint Dorifan / Geizer, leader of the Black Knights, dispatched Hiro / Greezer / Lyla Dol to single- handedly solve this problem. ...That's pretty much all the plot you're going to get. The rest is revealed through NPC dialogue and a few notes you'll find on your adventure. As you can see, the character you choose does not change the story at all apart from the introductory sequence and the final "movie" at the game's conclusion. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC CONTROLS [BASIX] All of the following information can be found on pages 2-6 of the game manual. I have rearranged them here in approximate order of importance. All of the controls listed here are the same between characters, with only a few slight variations for some of the multi-hit skills, which are unlocked through levelling up and will be discussed later. In order to use more advanced skills, you MUST have received a "level up" message informing you of this skill. *** ie: you can't use a non-basic skill until your character has learnt it. *** Left analog stick = character movement. Right analog stick = camera movement (angle will still suck, though). Square = weak attack (fast). X = strong attack (slightly slower). O = interact button (open door, talk to NPC, pick up item). R1 = Defend. Triangle = special attack (when SP1 gauge is full). R1+Triangle = super special attack (when SP2 gauge is full). Start button = pause menu. L2 = hold down to open item menu, use left/right arrows to scroll. L1 = use selected item. Hold down when throwing a bomb, aim with the left analog stick, then release L1 to throw it. *NOTE: If you're experiencing hand-eye co-ordination problems, it may be worth accessing healing items through the pause menu and using them there. However, you must use bombs and similar items through L1. *ALSO NOTE: There is no "lock-on" button in this game. This makes bombs and other thrown items a pain to use, if you even want to use them at all. BASIC SKILLS 1) "Death Lock" = approach a fallen enemy and press R1+square. In the manual, these all have different names for each character, but they do the same thing. Once you have knocked an enemy down (after a chain of attacks, for example), you will want to use this move as it deals significantly more damage than normal attacking, and is THE ONLY WAY TO FILL UP THE S2 GAUGE! Furthermore, enemy attacks do not damage you whilst you are performing this move, so don't hesitate to run straight into the middle of battle to perform this on a knocked down enemy. Though this may not be advised when you are massively outnumbered, as a group of enemies will tend to time their attacks so as to hit you just as you're coming out of it. 2) "Standing Death Lock" = approach a staggered enemy and press: For Hiro: square, square, (delay), X, X. For Greezer and Lyla Dol: square, X, (delay), X, X. Only certain enemies can become "staggered". This status is only temporary, and usually results after the enemy is at roughly half health. It is characterised by the enemy flashing red for a small period of time. The "delay" refers to waiting for the attack animation for the previous move to finish before pressing the next button. If you don't time it right, you'll perform one of the other skills you may have unlocked. The Standing Death Lock functions the same as the normal (ground) Death Lock, the only difference being that you can use it on staggered enemies who you can't normally knock down. 3) "Special Attack" (SP1) = Triangle. Only able to be performed when the SP1 gauge is full. You can achieve this by attacking enemies normally and getting attacked yourself, the latter of which is not recommended. As the SP1 gauge is easier to fill up than the SP2 one, it stands to reason that the SP1 attack is much weaker than SP2. Its main advantage is that it can knock down enemies within a large radius whilst inflicting a bit of damage, so you can run up and use a Death Lock to reduce enemy numbers whilst charging your SP2 gauge. 4) "Super Special Attack" (SP2) = R1+Triangle. Counter-intuitively, the SP2 gauge should be considered separately from the SP1 gauge. They are both charged by different things, and the status of one gauge does not affect the other. The SP2 gauge is filled only by striking an enemy with a Death Lock (R1+square near a knocked down enemy). SP2 attacks are very powerful, hitting enemies within a large radius for a large ammount of damage and knocking them down, possibly for you to finish them off with a Death Lock. I would recommend you save it for a situation when you are cheaply cornered by a large group of enemies and don't feel like losing. 5) Counter attack = hold down R1, and press X. This skill requires prediction and precision. First, you have to predict whether or not the enemy is going to use a blockable attack. These are usually weaker, faster attacks, although there are some enemies whose attacks you can never block. As soon as you block the attack, whilst still holding down R1, press X to counterattack. This deals a lot of damage. It is impossible to practice the timing of this by yourself, as it requires an attack to be blocked for it to work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHARACTERS [CHAR] You are given the choice of one of three characters at the start of your journey. Whilst this has no effect on the plot, their combat styles are slightly different, they have different base stats, and receive level up bonuses (such as equipment and skills) at different points of the game. ~~~~ HIRO ~~~~ Daughter of Demon King Janus, ruler of earth, and Maria, a human. Also known as Child of the Exploding Flames, she has the ability to command the flames of Hell at will. _______________ Starting stats HP: 2000 Attack 200 Defence: 180 Agility: 160 _______________ Despite being a woman, she is the easiest character to use, as if her starting stats didn't give that away already. Her starting weapon is a scythe with a base power of 65, which is strong enough to last a while without an upgrade. Her scythe also has a wide range and reach, making crowd control easier using her than the other characters. Her strong (X) attack is capable of igniting enemies, which is always nice. Hiro also receives equipment, including the Ring and Gauntlet, much earlier in the game than the other characters. This means that you will have a longer opportunity to level them up, and take advantage of the bonuses which come with them. Highly recommended for players who are new to the game. Ranking: 1/3. HIRO'S SKILLS Demon Cleave - Square-square-square combo. Basic weak attack. Flame Summons - X attack. Basic strong attack. Heaven's Gate - R1+square near a fallen enemy. AKA "Death Lock". Basic move. Hellfire - Triangle, when SP1 bar is full. Basic SP1 attack. Roaring Flames - R1+triangle, when SP2 bar is full. Basic SP2 attack. Fiery Slash - Square-Square-X. Level-up skill. Netherworld - Square+X, to send enemy flying. Level-up skill. Whirling Slash - Square-X (4 rapid-fire attacks). Level-up skill. Moving Slash - Whilst moving, square+X. "Tackling move". Level-up skill. Death Slam - X when enemy is in air to slam them down. Level-up skill. Inferno - Square-square-X, then mash X repeatedly. Level-up skill. ~~~~~~~ GREEZER ~~~~~~~ Refined and trustworthy Holy Knight who is well respected by all around him. Able to command the powers of divine magic. ________________ Starting stats HP: 2000 Attack: 180 Defence: 150 Agility: 140 ________________ As gamers tend to be male, would I be right in assuming that most guys would choose Greezer? I sure did. Surprisingly he is the worst character to use due to one feature - speed. In this game, speed kills. You will frequently find yourself cheaply cornered by several enemies at once, and getting quick hits in can and will make the difference between life and death. This is also the case with most boss enemies, as often you will be wanting to either get fast combos in before they can attack (for easier bosses) or get a hit or two in before running out of range (for tough bosses). Greezer does neither particularly well, which is why I consider him to be the "worst" character. Not that the game will be impossible with him, but you will have a much easier time using the girls. His strong (X) attack can send enemies flying but, you guessed it, this is also slow to pull off and you'll probably be hit before completing it. His weapon choices are fairly similar to Lyla Dol's except that they are slightly weaker (meaning that with a similar weapon, Greezer will only have 10 higher Attack than her), with a lower chance of inflicting a status. His "best" weapon has a chance to ignite an enemy, which isn't as useful as poison so you may want to stick with the weaker Valhallide for most of the game. He receives equipment much later in the game than the girls', which means you will be spending more points on healing items as he will be taking more damage, especially considering his lower speed. Ranking: 3/3. GREEZER'S SKILLS Triple Slash - Square-square-square combo. Basic weak attack. Fist of Fury - X attack. Basic strong attack. Divine Vengeance - R1+square near a fallen enemy. AKA "Death Lock". Basic move. Dragon Claw - Triangle, when SP1 bar is full. Basic SP1 attack. Fire Blast - R1+triangle, when SP2 bar is full. Basic SP2 attack. Clear Blade - Square-X-X. Level-up skill. Holy Sword - Square-square-X-X. Level-up skill. Sky Rise - Square+X, to send enemy flying. Level-up skill. Running Cleave - Whilst moving, square+X. "Tackling move". Level-up skill. Modified Sky Rise - X when enemy is in air to slam them down. Level-up skill. Raven Claw - Square-X-X, then mash X repeatedly. Level-up skill. ~~~~~~~~ LYLA DOL ~~~~~~~~ Cruel and emotionally barren warrior from the depths of Hell. Her only passion is to serve the Black Knight Geizer. The game manual calls her "Lyra Dol", whereas the game spells it "Lyla". Call her whatever you want, but I will be using the game's translation in this guide. _______________ Starting stats HP: 1800 Attack 160 Defence: 140 Agility: 160 _______________ You can see her panties when she's getting up after being knocked dowm. ;) Apart from that, you may be thinking that there has to be some benefit in choosing the character with the lowest stats, like a super-powerful weapon or something. That seems to be the trend in most games, right? Well, Lyla missed the memo on this one. Her best weapon, which only becomes available after Act 5 Scene 5, maxes out with the same Attack bonus as Hiro's. Taking Lyla's low base Attack stat into consideration, she will always be weaker than the other two characters. She will also have the lowest Defence stat too, for similar reasons. With all that said, her lower Attack stat is counterbalanced by her "best" weapon having a high chance to inflict poison, which is surprisingly helpful. It also has a max attack bonus of 85, which makes her total Attack a negligible 10 points lower than Greezer's (if using Flametongue), or equal if he's using Flarerudius/Valhallide. Specialising as a one-on-one fighter, her level-up combos tend to be much more useful than the others'. This is partly because her basic weak combo is a 4-hit combo instead of 3, so if you're going to be slashing away for 4 hits anyway you might as well make it stronger by using a combo. Unfortunately, you will most often encounter situations where you are swarmed by enemies, turning Lyla Dol's strengths into weaknesses and making her other weaknesses even more prominent. Oh, and for boss fights you won't be getting too many combos in, so don't think for a second that Lyla will have an easier time against bosses. She is fast enough for hit and run tactics against most bosses though, which is a bonus. She receives equipment at different times than Hiro, some of which are good (early Dragon Amulet), others of which are bad (later Silver Ring). You'll be wanting to level up her defensive equipment quickly, and read ahead to know which weapon you'll aiming for so you don't waste too many points. It is advised that you level up her starting weapon, the Naniol, to at least Att+60 to make her at least on par with the other characters at the start of the game. Ranking: 2/3. LYLA DOL'S SKILLS Shadowbreak - square-square-square-square. Basic 4-hit weak combo attack. Rending Fist - X attack. Basic strong attack. Impending Death - R1+square near a fallen enemy. AKA "Death Lock". Basic move. Spiraling Blast - Triangle, when SP1 bar is full. Basic SP1 attack. Silent Surge - R1+triangle, when SP2 bar is full. Basic SP2 attack. Clear Blade - square, X, X. Level-up skill. Shooting Star - square, square, X, X. Level-up skill. Blue Bolt - square+X, to send enemy flying. Level-up skill. Flowing Dance - square+X when moving. "Tackling move". Level-up skill. Earth Embrace - X when enemy is in air, to slam them down. Level-up skill. Evil Eye - square, X, X, then mash X repeatedly. Level-up skill. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEVELLING UP [LVLUP] This is one of the many areas of the game that the manual did not explain very well. Or not at all, to be exact. There are 2 "types" of levelling up: 1) After you finish a level, you may receive a "level up" upon completion. This is automatic, and your ranking for that level has nothing to do with it. This kind of level-up does not alter your stats. It enables you to use different moves, ie: those in the manual which are described as being "available after upgrade". See the CHARACTER section for details on these skills. Alternatively you will be rewarded with a new piece of equipment, which will automatically be equipped unless you already have something equipped in that slot. You can now use points to level up these equipments. 2) Using "points" to level up. Think of these "points" as your combined money and bonus experience points. You can use them as either, but not both at the same time. After completing a level, you are rewarded with a number of points depending on your rank (S/A/B/C/D). An S rank nets you 1500 points, while an A gets you 1000, and a B will get you 700. Personally I have never gotten below a B, so I can't tell you how many points you get for the lower levels (no seriously, you have to try pretty hard to get a bad ranking). To use these points, select the POINT REDEMPTION SHOP option on the screen after completing a level. You now have the option of using points to buy items or to level up your equipment. Points can also be accumulated by selling items you don't need/want. Assuming you want to level up, select the LEVEL UP option. You will be presented with options of Weapon, Ring, Amulet, Jewel and Gauntlet. With the exception of Weapons, consider each of the equipments as being direct bonuses to your stats. At the start of the game, you will only have a weapon equipped. As you clear stages and progress in the game, you will periodically be rewarded with equipment for the other menus. When there are multiple choices of weapons, only the weapon you have equipped will be considered when boosting your Attack stat. So it is not wise to waste points for weapons which you do not intend to use later (see TIPS AND GENERAL HINTS section if you need help with deciding a priority of what to level up). ~~~~~~~~~~~ EQUIPMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~ **NOTE: Bonuses are NOT cumulative. For example, levelling up the Silver Ring all the way to a Demon Ring will increase your Max HP by a total of 1000 points, NOT by a combined 2350 points. ---------- WEAPONS ---------- ::: HIRO ::: Heaven's Gate: Attack+65. --> 5000pts Attack+70. --> 7000pts Attack+75. --> 9000pts Attack+85. = MAX ("Awakened"). =============================================================================== NOTES ON HIRO'S WEAPON She only has one, so don't worry about saving up points for later. It starts off much stronger than the other characters' weapons, so you can invest points in her defensive equipment as soon as you get them and work on her weapon later. The "incomplete" status means nothing - only that you haven't maxed it out with points yet. ============================================================================== ::: GREEZER ::: Holy Sword Lodion: Attack+25. --> 2000pts Attack+40. --> 3500pts Attack+55. --> 6000pts Attack+70. = MAX. Flarerudius: Attack+35, 10% chance of igniting enemy. --> 2500pts Attack+50, 15% chance of igniting enemy. --> 4000pts Attack+60, 20% chance of igniting enemy. --> 6500pts Attack+65, 25% chance of igniting enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion of Act 2 Scene 4.) Valhallide: Attack+45, 10% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 2500pts Attack+50, 15% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 4000pts Attack+60, 20% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 6500pts Attack+65, 25% chance of poisoning enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion of Act 4 Scene 4.) Flametongue: Attack+60, 5% chance of igniting enemy. --> 3000pts. Attack+65, 10% chance of igniting enemy. --> 5000pts. Attack+70, 15% chance of igniting enemy. --> 8000pts. Attack+75, 20% chance of igniting enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion of Act 5 Scene 5.) =============================================================================== NOTES ON GREEZER'S WEAPONS I would advise skipping the Flarerudius, as the poison effect of Valhallide is a much more useful status than ignition. The Flametongue is an upgraded version of the Flarerudius anyway, so if you want an igniting weapon, save your points for that. The final boss is immune to both ignition and poison, but most enemies and even bosses in the earlier chapters are susceptible to poison, so for the most part you'll be wanting to use Valhallide. Poison lasts longer than ignition and inflicts much more damage. If you want the weapon with the strongest Attack, then you should conserve your points for Flametongue. This weapon comes at a time when you should be spending points on healing items though, so if you've already levelled the Holy Sword Lodion, you might as well use that. =============================================================================== ::: LYLA DOL ::: Naniol: Attack+20. --> 2000pts Attack+35. --> 3500pts Attack+60. --> 6000pts Attack+80. = MAX. Mephitius: Attack+30, 15% chance of igniting enemy. --> 2500pts Attack+45, 20% chance of igniting enemy. --> 4000pts Attack+60, 25% chance of igniting enemy. --> 6500pts Attack+75, 30% chance of ingiting enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion of Act 2 Scene 4.) Reita: Attack+35, 15% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 2500pts Attack+45, 20% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 4000pts Attack+60, 25% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 6500pts Attack+75, 30% chance of poisoning enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion is Act 4 Scene 4.) Inferri: Attack+65, 20% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 4000pts Attack+70, 25% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 5000pts Attack+75, 30% chance of poisoning enemy. --> 8000pts Attack+85, 35% chance of poisoning enemy. = MAX. (Awarded at the completion of Act 5 Scene 5.) =============================================================================== NOTES ON LYLA DOL'S WEAPONS The Naniol is her initial weapon, which is the weakest in the game, exaggerating her lower base Attack. I would suggest levelling it up to Attack+60 to even things out ASAP. If you sell all your Antidotes and Aid items after the first Scene, you should be able to do this easy. There is no reason to use the Reita over an already levelled up Mephitius, especially as you'll be receiving the Inferri at the conclusion of the next Act, which is basically an improved model of it anyway. Definitely use the Inferri when you get it, as the high chance of poisoning and highest possible Attack bonus will make up for Lyla Dol's base stat deficiencies. If you don't waste points on the Reita, you should be able to max it out rather easily. =============================================================================== *** Apart from weapons, each character receives the same piece of equipment for the other slots. *** ---------- RINGS ---------- Silver Ring, Max HP+200. --> 2000pts Wolf Fang Ring, Max HP+450. --> 4000pts Twin Ring, Max HP+700. --> 6500pts Demon Ring, Max HP+1000. = MAX. =============================================================================== Awarded to each character upon completion of: Hiro: Act 1 Scene 3. Greezer: Act 1 Scene 5. Lyla Dol: Act 2 Scene 2. =============================================================================== ---------- AMULETS ---------- Dragon Amulet, recovers 1HP/sec. --> 3000pts Holy Amulet, recovers 3HP/sec. --> 6000pts Black Amulet, recovers 5HP/sec. --> 9000pts Demon Amulet, recovers 10HP/sec. = MAX. =============================================================================== Awarded to each character upon completion of: Hiro: Act 3 Scene 2. Greezer: Act 4 Scene 2. Lyla Dol: Act 1 Scene 2. =============================================================================== ---------- JEWELS ---------- Silver Necklace, 10% chance to negate Fire/Poison status. --> 2000pts Gold Necklace, 20% chance to negate Fire/Poison status. --> 4000pts Rune Necklace, 30% chance to negate Fire/Poison status. --> 7000pts Demon Ornament, 50% chance to negate Fire/Poison status. = MAX. =============================================================================== Awarded to each character upon completion of Act 3 Scene 5. =============================================================================== ---------- GAUNTLETS ---------- Spiked Gauntlet, Def+5. --> 3000pts Warrior's Gauntlet, Def+10. --> 6000pts Knight's Gauntlet, Def+20. --> 9000pts Demon Gauntlet, Def+40. = MAX. =============================================================================== Awarded to each character upon completion of: Hiro: Act 1 Scene 4. Greezer: Act 3 Scene 1. Lyla Dol: Act 4 Scene 3. =============================================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TIPS AND GENERAL HINTS [TIPZ] 1) At the beginning of each stage, your health and SP bars are set to full. You can use this to your advantage in a number of ways: - Save on healing items. Check how far you have to go on a map (the finish line is indicated by green arrows). If you think you can finish with low health, give it a shot. Just keep in mind that most exits are guarded by enemies which MUST be defeated in order to progress, so don't do anything reckless. - Use your SP attacks as soon as you need them. Don't waste them on something stupid like a lone Zombie, but if you think it will save you some potions then do it. You are more than likely to get those bars back up to full before the next time you'll need them, so there's no use holding on to them for later when you could use them now. 2) Antidotes. They are plentiful in the early stages of the game, but the first time you are capable of being poisoned is stage 2-2 (sewers), which is easy to avoid. Then the issue of poisoning doesn't come up again until 4-2 (forest). If you're overstocked (max holding limit is 5) or could use the points for potions or levelling up, sell these first. 3) Bombs, Firebombs, Gas Bombs, etc. These are helpful, as they can inflict damage from a distance and knock down an enemy. That is, if you manage to get them to hit. For some strange reason, zombies tend to scatter as soon as you throw anything in their general direction, making them difficult to hit directly. You can, however, control the projectory of your bomb by holding down L1 and directing with the left analog stick. If this doesn't suit your playing style (it doesn't suit mine), then you can sell all of them for quite a lot of points. Also, you can hit yourself if you accidentally walk into the bombs' area of effect, which is another factor limiting it's usefulness. 4) Boxes. Whenever you see one, smash it in like a pinata. Usually at least one box per group contains an item, which saves you wasting points stocking up on recovery items. Sometimes they even contain key items, such as keys or documents. 5) "Which equipment should I level up?" I'm so glad you asked, hypothetical reader. Here I will list the equipment in the order I personally find more beneficial, and reasons why you should invest your hard-earned points into them. --> For Hiro, you should have ample points to level up each piece of equipment until they're MAXed as she only has one option for a weapon. For Greezer and Lyla Dol, you should MAX out their defensive items (except maybe the Necklace/Jewel), invest a few points into your initial weapon in the earlier stages but make sure you READ AHEAD FIRST to know when to stop and start stockpiling points for any upcoming better weapons. i) Rings. These are the only way to increase your character's max HP value. This will always be useful regardless of the level you are on, so level it up ASAP. ii) Gauntlets. The only way to give yourself any kind of Defence. Together with the HP boost from the Ring, this will go a long way in keeping you alive. Level it up when you are able. iii) Weapons. Hiro only has access to one kind of weapon, so this is fairly straight-forward. Considering how strong Hiro's weapon is from the start, you may want to stockpile points for when you have access to Rings/Gauntlets before investing points into this. Conversely, Lyla Dol's starting weapon is very weak to begin with, so you may want to consider boosting that up as soon as possible, despite her gaining access to better weapons later. Just don't take it all the way if you intend to use a different weapon later. Greezer and Lyla Dol come into the possession of better weapons as the story progresses. You may want to boost up their initial weapons early on, as this is the only weapon they'll have for a while. But as soon as the Attack bonuses become a mere +5, I would stop levelling it and stockpile the points for later. See the WEAPON subsection of the LEVELLING section for details on his weapons. iv) Amulets. The healing effect of these amulets are negligible until you max it out, which is a considerable investment of 18000 points. You could easily buy many, many healing items with that amount of points, which would have the advantage of restoring HP at once as opposed to slowly over time. The automatic healing is very nice, but should be seen as more of a bonus than a main source of restoring HP. They are also very useless for boss fights, when the enemy is all up in your face leaving you no time for slow healing. Level them up if you have a surplus of points and healing items, but this should be very low down on your priority list. Of course you'll want to max it out, but it's not too urgent. v) Jewels. In general, things which only have a certain % chance of happening will never work when you need them. A slight possibility for avoiding damage from fire or poison is nice, and these hurdles are fairly prominent in the later stages of the game, but it is just as easy for you to avoid these threats entirely. Level them up if you have nothing better to do, or are not confident that you are co-ordinated enough to avoid these hazards. 6) Continue Items. Sometimes after a level you will be rewarded with a "continue item". If you happen to die, you have the option of using one of these to restart the stage you died on from the very start. Items you have gained or lost before you died are NOT saved, except for Data items for some reason. Use them if you have forgotten to Save before starting the level, otherwise they are pointless as you should save in between every stage anyway. They aren't particularly useful, and they can't be sold or even seen anywhere else except after the Game Over screen. 7) When in doubt, employ Hit & Run tactics. For those unfamiliar with this term, it means run up to an enemy, attack it (usually with a weak attack), and then running in the opposite direction before they have time to hit you back. Most enemies have a limited range of movement from where they originate from, so you can usually use this method if you're greatly outnumbered. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENEMIES [ENMYS] Due to the lack of information on the internet and in the game manual, I have had to adopt a rather arbitrary naming system for most of the enemies. I have included a brief description and the locations of each enemy to aid in your identification of them, so you can understand what I am describing. ::: Zombie ::: Description: Staggers around like an arthritic old man in mud. Looks like a typical reanimated corpse. Male and female models exist, but they attack and move in the same way. Location: All stages of Act 1, heavily in Act 2. Method for killing them: Zombies are nature's disposable horror sloths. Just knock them about until they fall over, and finish them off with a Death Lock (R1+square). Be careful of large crowds though, and they can lunge forward pretty fast and far to knock you over. Not really much of a threat due to their slow movement. ::: Hell Hound ::: Description: Stray dogs who have eaten zombified flesh, becoming infected themselves. They tend to attack in packs. Location: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3. Method for killing them: When one spots you, they will jump backwards and line up to lunge at you in a straight line. Simply move out of their line of fire, wait for them to lunge, and attack them with a quick combo to knock them down. Finish them off with a Death Lock. Not particularly threatening, but annoying when they appear with other enemies as they can lunge forward and knock you out of an attack sequence. Take care of these first if you can. ::: Zombie Warrior ::: Description: Soldiers who have become infected. Larger than normal zombies, wears a suit of armour with a sword and shield, and tends to block frequently. Location: Act 1, Act 2. Method for killing them: Try to attack them from the sides or back. This early in the game you do not have access to the tackling move (moving square+X), so the best you can do is try to work around their Defendng. If you continue to attack an enemy who has a shield when they are blocking, eventually you will shatter their shield, making them easier to defeat. You do not have to do this in order to defeat them, but the option is always there. ::: Beast ::: Description: Blue humanoids with buff figures and wolf-like heads. They like to lunge at you and hold you in a grip. Location: Act 2 Scene 2, and onwards. Method for killing them: Individually, they are easy to defeat with simple square-square-square combos. By the time you encounter them you will have access to the square-X-X combo, which works slightly better. Just keep up the attacks and they wont be able to strike back. You can also block and counter their attacks if you time it right. In groups, they are similar to Hell Hounds in the sense that they will lunge forward and interrupt you. Hit and run strategies would be the way to go in that situation. ::: Zombie Knight ::: Description: A step up from the Zombie Warrior. They wear silver/grey armour, and block a lot more often. Location: Act 2 Scene 3. Method for killing them: After the previous stage, you now have access to the "tackling move" (whilst moving, press square+X). This is great for these enemies, as they only tend to block once they are in range. Simply line one up from afar, tackle them, and finish them off with a Death Lock. When they cheaply corner you, as they are wont to doing, it is easiest to finish them all off with a SP2 attack. ::: Ogre ::: Description: Large, slow-moving, ogre-like. Wields a club. Location: Act 3 and onwards. Method for killing them: They don't flinch or get knocked over easily, so hit and run strategies work here. One or two weak attacks, then retreat out of their range. Don't go in for a third, because then he WILL hit you. When they are alone, Hiro's square-X-X attack works well too. ::: Two Face ::: Description: Walks in a reverse-crab position on all fours. Has two heads. Shrieks annoyingly as it lunges at you. Location: Act 3 Scene 3 and onwards. Method for killing them: Similar to Hell Hounds. Avoid their lunge, knock them down with square-square-square combos, finish them off with a Death Lock. ::: Chained Fools ::: Description: A large, fat, black beast, with a smaller soldier-type figure chained to its back. Location: Once as a mini-boss in Act 3 Scene 4 & 5, and again as a common enemy in Act 6 Scene 2. Method for killing them: Hit and run tactics all the way. They don't flinch, so strike them once or twice and then run out of the way before he counters. Don't stand directly in front of him as he can charge surprisingly far and fast, as well as having a long reaching attack. ::: Spectral Knight ::: Description: Skeleton-like warriors with a blue glow around their bodies. Location: Act 4 Scene 2 and onwards. Method for killing them: Thankfully, they don't block as much as the other knight-type enemies. Square-X-X combos work well, as does the Square+X move to throw them up into the air. One Death Lock is usually not enough to kill them outright, so repeat what you did the first time to finish them off. You are able to Defend against all of their attacks (except their grappling move). Therefore, you can block their initial lunge and subsequent attacks and hopefully pull off a counterattack (R1+X), which will stagger them. You can then finish them off with either another counterattack, combos, or a Standing Death Lock. When you're facing a large group of them, try to get your back up against a wall so they can't attack you from behind, so your counterattack will hit them all at once. They aren't too smart, and will continue to use blockable attacks for a while, but will eventually catch on and start using unblockable grapple attacks on you. Hopefully you would have timed a counterattack right before this point. ::: Zombie Gladiator ::: Description: A beefed up version of a Zombie Warrior. They weild axes, and tend to block often. Location: Act 4 Scene 3 and onwards. Method for killing them: Working around their incessant Defending is a good start. Square-X-X works, then Death Lock them while they're down. Not the most difficult enemy to deal with. ::: Dire Wolf ::: Description: A step up from Hell Hounds. Purple, with glowing green eyes. Location: Act 4 Scene 3. Method for killing them: Not too difficult, but you can't knock them over so no Death Locking. Weak-attack combos will do the trick. Just don't stand near the bitey end, attack its sides if possible. ::: Silver Wolf ::: Description: A much improved version of the Hell Hound. Grey/silver in colour, and tackles instead of lunging. Location: Act 5 Scene 1 and onwards. Method for killing them: Silver Wolves can't be knocked down, so no Death Locking for you. Instead, if you perform a move that would normally knock them over, they will counter attack by lunging towards you with a leg swipe, which will knock you over. The best way to avoid this is to only attack them with 2 weak attacks, but stopping before the 3rd hit of the combo. If they start Defending, move away because its preparing for a tackle attack. If you do accidentally finish a square-square-square combo, run in the opposite direction as fast as you can, though more likely than not you will get swiped. Hit and run tactics will work if they appear in groups, though if you can position them so that one is blocking the path of another, you can use it as a "shield" while you beat down on it. ::: Dark Knight ::: Description: Warriors of Hell created artificially in a lab. Very quick and skilled at charging their opponents. Looks like a Beast-Knight hybrid. One arm is a sword blade, and they have wing-like structures on their backs. Location: Act 5 Scene 2 and onwards. Method for killing them: Don't try to run away from them, as they'll lunge right at you. They also like to quickly side-step so that they are behind you if you're attacking them head-on. When they start doing this, direct your character to start attacking in the opposite direction that they were already doing, and hopefully you'll hit them before they hit you. Avoid large groups of these if at all possible. At roughly half health they become staggered, so perform a Standing Death Lock if possible to finish them quickly. ::: Fly Man ::: Description: A red-coloured Dark Knight, whose wings seem to be functional. They spend most of their time hovering and attacking the hell out of you. Location: Act 5 Scene 3 and onwards. Method for killing them: You can't block his attacks, so try to run out of the way in a straight line, and don't stop until you see him stop because he can travel far. Weak-attack combos work, but he tends to block often. When he flies up, it means he will swoop at you. Don't stand directly in front of him when he does this, although he is very difficult to avoid. He can also shoot a column of black light, which is unblockable, so don't stay still for too long. Avoid this by running sharply to one side, although he will continue to target you up until he fires. He hits very hard for a common enemy, so heal up often using the pause menu so you can do it in the heat of battle. Constantly using your tackling skill may be effective, although these are often tricky to pull off, especially when there are several of these guys targetting you. You can stagger them for a short period of time by using your SP1 attack. This makes them easier to hit (although they're still a major threat), and also susceptible to Standing Death Locks. Unfortunately, you would be lucky to get the 4-hit combo in required to do this, especially when you're outnumbered. (I am still after good strategies for taking down these guys, so if you have one, please email me so I can include it in this FAQ. You'll get credit!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ITEMS [ITEMZ] Items which can be found in boxes seem to be fairly random. Sometimes you will get a Life Recovery in the first level, other times you will never even see one in the whole game. I wouldn't get too strung up about it though, because you can always buy items which are helpful for the level you are up to. Just use this guide to know what to expect, unless you like surprises. You can sell each item in exchange for half the points listed in the COST column. NAME FUNCTION COST ABLE TO HOLD S-Potion | Heals 300HP | 200pts | Max stock: 20 M-Potion | Heals 800HP | 500pts | Max stock: 10 L-Potion | Heals 1500HP | 1200pts| Max stock: 5 Fairy Water | Gradually heals HP | 3000pts| Max stock: 3 Potent Potion | Heals all HP | 2500pts| Max stock: 3 Life Recovery | Heals all HP, fills SP bar| 5000pts| Max stock: 3 Antidote | Cures Poison | 1000pts| Max stock: 5 Special Antidote | Cures poison, heals 500HP | 2500pts| Protective Agent | Guards against fire & gas | 2000pts| ============================================================================ NOTES ON HEALING ITEMS Special Antidote is a rip-off. It costs 2500pts, heals Poison and restores only 500HP. For 1500pts, you could buy an Antidote AND a M-Potion, which restores 800HP. Do not buy these unless you already have 5 Antidotes and are really, really paranoid about getting poisoned. As you can hold a whole lot of S-Potions, I would recommend buying these first as they are expendible. Plus if you find any higher Potions during your travels, you can save them for later instead of not being able to carry any more. 2 L-Potions will be enough to completely restore your HP, regardless of which character you're playing as. They cost less than a single Life Recovery, so stock up on these first. Similarly, 2 M-Potions restore more than 1 L-Potion. Only buy the higher-end healing items if you have a surplus of lower items. ============================================================================ S-Bomb | Small explosion | 800pts | M-Bomb | Medium explosion | 1500pts| L-Bomb | Large explosion | 2500pts| S-FireBomb | Small flames | 800pts | M-Firebomb | Medium flames | 1500pts| L-Firebomb | Large flames | 2500pts| S-GasBomb | Small gas attack | 800pts | M-GasBomb | Medium gas attack | 1500pts| L-GasBomb | Large gas attack | 2500pts| ExplodingFireBomb | Explosion + Flames | 3000pts| ExplodingGasBomb | Explosion + Gas attack | 5000pts| Flaming Gas Bomb | Flames + Gas attack | 3000pts| ExplodingFlamingGas| As its name implies | 6000pts| ============================================================================= NOTES ON AID ITEMS I would never actively buy any of these, as they are a considerable investment for something that you will only use once, and even then it isn't guaranteed to hit. By all means use what you find during the game, although I personally find them more useful to sell for points to spend on equipment upgrades or healing items. ============================================================================= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WALKTHROUGH [WLKTHRU] **NOTE: This is written for games with a Normal difficulty setting. If you selected "Hard", then clearly you are after a challenge so I would be defeating the purpose by writing a walkthrough for you. Now, I'm not going to patronise you by giving you step-by-step directions through each level. Most levels can be completed by opening the in-game map and heading towards the little line of green arrows which mark the exit. If you can't proceed through a locked door, chances are you haven't defeated the enemy which is holding the key for it. These tend to be in close proximity to the locked door, appear with a group of enemies, and are programmed to be the last enemy of the group which you kill. Alternatively, you may have to defeat all the nearby enemies for the door to become unlocked. In either case, trying to open the door will present you with a message telling you what you must do. TL;DR: If you are stuck at some point, try seeking out enemies first. I will, however, give you hints and describe how to get around sticky situations in the stages where issues may arise. This means that the walkthrough will (hopefully) be concise while remaining helpful. =============================== Lordhill Fortress [LHFT] =============================== This portion of the game functions as the tutorial. Talk to the various soldiers to learn some backstory and how to use basic skills if you want. Across the bridge from the starting point is a large gated area with some boxes within it. Smash them open for some items. There are some completely optional enemies you can challenge here if you want, and doing so may net you some items. If you're NOT interested, talk to the knight near the gate to open it and proceed to the first "real" stage. If you DO want practice killing zombies and maybe some items, head into the gated structure to the right of the exit. There should be a lever in the main room. Pull it to unleash some zombies, which are easy enough to kill even though you're just getting used to the controls. If you were hurt in the previous fight, talk to one of the soldiers in the base to heal yourself up, free of charge. You are now done with this tutorial, so talk to the soldier near the exit to open the gate to proceed to the first "real" stage. =============================== Act 1 Scene 1 [A1S1] =============================== Head forward and kill the zombie who is slowly staggering towards you. Be careful not to knock him too far forward, because then you will be in range of other enemies and they will try to swarm you. If this begins to happen, run back to where you came from and the other enemies will retreat to their original starting points. You can use this tactic at any point where you feel you are in danger of being overwhelmed, though it will not work in cramped areas. When you get close to the gate, the game will pause and you'll see a scene where a villager is killed by a pack of Hell Hounds. Then the gate will open itself for some reason. Kill all the previous enemies first before charging in. Hell Hounds can be a bit of a pain when they're in large groups. Use the tactic of moving out of their way when they back up and attacking after they lunge at you to defeat them. After you defeat the whole group, you will be surrounded by an even larger pack of Hell Hounds. You may want to consider using your SP2 attack when they are crowded around you to take care of them all quickly. Phew, that was hard, but you're not done yet. You still have to take care of the enemies on the bridge in order to pass to the next level. Try moving forward slowly in order to draw the enemies out one by one to take care of them individually, or use your SP1/2 attacks if you still have them and follow up with a Death Lock. After you defeat them all, don't waste any healing items as you will finish this stage at the other side of the bridge. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Fiery Slash (square, square, X) Greezer: Clear Blade (square, X, X) Lyla Dol: Clear Blade (square, X, X) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 1 Scene 2: Road of the Dead [A1S2] ====================================== First of all, I think they mean that zombies have already RANsacked the town. Secondly, there are some boxes behind you when you start, don't miss them. Thirdly, this is a pretty straight forward level. Kill whatever is in your path to get the key to unlock the next gate. It will be over before you know it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Netherworld (square + X) Greezer: Holy Sword (square, square, X, X) Lyla Dol: (Equip) Dragon Amulet (recovers 1HP/sec) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 1 Scene 3: Central Square [A1S3] ====================================== Once again, a fairly straight-forward level. Once you enter the central square, the gate behind you will close and a zombie will detonate some explosives to open up some rooms around the circumfrence of the square. You can't kill this guy, so don't bother trying. Take care of the enemies in the rooms which appear. Once you are done, the gate to the next level will open and you'll be done here. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: (Equip) Silver Ring, Max HP+200. Greezer: Sky Rise (square+X to send enemy flying) Lyla Dol: Shooting Star (square, square, X, X) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ========================================== Act 1 Scene 4: Underground Entrance [A1S4] ========================================== After a short scene, head left first to pick up the Count's Letter 2 from a crate. This has no significance game-play wise, but it is nice to have some of the plot explained for you. Don't worry, you haven't missed Count's Letter 1, it is coming up later. Go back to the room you started from. Stand on the red square and press O to open the large gate in front of you. Continue on until you reach a circular room. Here, you will be attacked in waves by plain old Zombies. They are easily taken care of, just don't charge into a whole group recklessly or anything dumb like that. The rest of the level is straight-forward. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: (Equip) Spiked Gauntlet, Def+5. Greezer: Running Cleave (square+X when moving) Lyla Dol: Blue Bolt (square+X) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stock up on healing items, because it's time for a... ====================================== Act 1 Scene 5: Torture Chamber [A1S5] ====================================== ::::: BOSS FIGHT - Female Knight:::::: Compared to the majority of levels in this game, the boss fights are kinda difficult and you are more likely than not to take some damage. That is why I suggest you stock up on healing items before each boss, because instant HP recovery will be much more valuable to you than the slight increase in stats you will get by levelling equipment. Not even I know the identity of the Female Knight. All I know is that she is female, and she is a knight. Hence my arbitrary naming of her. You can try to Defend against her attacks, but she tends to strike the ground and knock you over when you do this. I would suggest a "hit and run" strategy, which consists of running to her at an oblique angle, getting a quick hit in with square when you get close enough, maybe even following up with a quick combo, before running out of range. If you're playing as Hiro, her strong (X) attack can put fire on her, which is helpful for this strategy. You could also throw bombs and the like at her from afar if they are your kind of thing. Her main threatening move is when she spins around and forms a circle of bright light around her in a fairly large radius. Run away from her when she is about to do this. She doesn't hit particularly hard, but if she gets a few combos in on you things could get complicated. Heal up when necessary (try to stay above 1/4 health at least), using the pause menu to access healing items if you can't get far enough away to do this interrupted. The multiple health bars look intimidating, but her defence is low so they will be depleted quickly. But take your time, don't charge her head on or you will be wasting a lot of healing items. When you "kill" her, she will run off. This means you have won, and will be proceeding to the next level. Congratulations. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Whirling Slash (square, X, X, X, X) Greezer: (Equip) Silver Ring, Max HP+200. Lyla Dol: Flowing Dance (square+X whilst moving) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ========================================== Act 2 Scene 1: Underground Waterway [A2S1] ========================================== You are now in a series of underground tunnels. The first level is fairly straight-forward. Expect the usual flow of defeating enemies --> obtaining key to next level/door automatically opens --> repeat. There is nothing to particularly look out for in this level. Towards the end, a zombie will pull a lever and zombies will pour out of the pipes either side of you in pairs. Easily killable if you target one at a time, positioning yourself between them so that you knock them away from each other before going in for the kill. After 5 pairs of zombies, you will progress to the next stage. ========================================= Act 2 Scene 2: Underground Prison [A2S2] ========================================= First off, you will be attacked by a new enemy - the Beast. As there is only one of them this time, he is easily taken care of. Run forward, and mash the square button near the device on the wall to open the gates either side of you. Go through the left door and talk to the wounded soldier for some information. Then go through the right door and kill the Hell Hound that is there. Be careful of the large pipes lining the walls up ahead. When you approach them they will spew forth water, which will instantly poison you upon contact. They will feature predominantly in this stage. Antidotes are expensive, so you don't want to be wasting them. I would advise avoiding the water from the pipes if possible (which it is). You will notice that there is a Zombie Warrior hanging around right where the water comes out. No, they are not affected by it, because that would make life fair, which it isn't. Stay where you are before the turn off to the pipe-lined portion, and the warrior will soon approach you. This way you can kill it without standing precariously in front of the pipes. Once the enemy is killed, you now have to avoid the water which gushes out of those damn pipes. Don't worry, the puddle you have to cross doesn't hurt you. Move forward and stop to allow the first stream to die down, then run past it. Wait for the second one to die down before progressing, but do it quickly as you will now be in the prime position to be soaked by the previous pipe. A similar approach can be adopted for the other pipes in this level. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Moving Slash (square+X whilst moving) Greezer: Modified Sky Rise (X when enemy in air to slam down) Lyra Dol: (Equip) Silver Ring, Max HP+200. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ======================================= Act 2 Scene 3: Dimly Lit Library [A2S3] ======================================= This level is literally swarming with Zombie Knights. Luckily for you, you now have access to the "tackling move" after completing the previous stages. Line up a Knight from afar, run straight at him and press square and X simultaneously to damage and knock him over. Finish him off with a Death Lock. They are fairly easy to kill individually using this method. To progress further in this level, you will usally have to kill all the nearby enemies to open the next door. The way forward is pretty much laid out for you. Just make sure you pick up Count's Letter 1 along one of the hallways for your reading pleasure. Eventually you will pick up an old book, which is actually a key according to its description. The camera will pan to a bookshelf a few rooms over, which is where you have to use this "key". Seems easy enough. Unfortunately, you will be ambushed by several Zombie Knights along the way. The first time this happens, you can ignite the nearby gun powder barrel by pressing square near it. I would advise you get out of the way before it blows up, but hopefully not before luring the group of enemies towards it. The explosion will knock those within range down, making them easy pickings for you and your Death Lock. Look out for similar barrels in the future, as they can give you the opportunity to thin out enemy numbers right off the bat if used correctly. When you enter the room where you must use the Old Key, look out for a surprise attack by a Beast around the corner. Kill it, then open the secret door by pressing O near the appropriate bookshelf (a ! icon will appear above your head). You should also have picked up the Sage's Letter in this stage. Again, not so important, but FYI only. Go through the secret passage way, and towards the end you will be ambushed by Zombie Knights AGAIN. Because the first time just wasn't fun enough. If you have your SP1/2 charged, herd them together and use that. If not, try to pick them off individually using the moving tackle, and try not to take them all on at once. Once you have defeated them all, head through the door to finish the level. Don't bother stocking up on healing items, because the upcoming boss battle is the easiest ever. ====================================== Act 2 Scene 4: Organ Room [A2S4] ====================================== ::::: BOSS FIGHT - Arachnoid ::::::::: Oh noes, a spider who plays the organ. At first he will not move, so you can break open the pew-like structures to find some items before approaching him. Arachnoid has 2 stages. The first is immobile, and can only attack you when you are in his range (ie: right in front of him). Either stand back and waste your bombs on him, or run forward, defend his initial attack, then beat down on him with square-square-square or combos. He will soon be defeated. Or will he? After you defeat stage 1, he will spring up and actually start moving around. Run up to him and do not stop mashing square at him. If you time it right (ie: by not stopping), he wont get a hit in. When he gets knocked down, don't Death Lock him, keep mashing square. He is very easy to beat and you shouldn't have to use any healing items for this battle. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Death Slam (square+X, X whilst enemy in air) Greezer: (Equip) Flarerudius, Attack+35 and 10% chance of igniting enemy. Lyra Dol: (Equip) Mephitius, Attack+30 and 15% chance of igniting enemy. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 3 Scene 1: Cavern Entrance [A3S1] ====================================== The most annoying thing about this Act is that rocks are constantly falling from the ceiling. They don't deal that much damage, but can interrupt you at inopportune moments, leaving you open for attack. The area they will fall in is indicated by a shadow on the ground, surrounded by a yellow ring. Stay the hell away from them. Apart from the rocks, there isn't much to worry about in this level. When you approach the last area, if youw ant some enemies and items, take the left path first as this will become blocked after you take the north path. If you just want to finish, take the north path. You now have a "miniboss" battle with an Ogre. He is slow, and can easily be defeated using the method in the ENEMIES section of this guide. Just watch out for falling rocks when doing so. Pick up the wooden key the Ogre drops and head through the wooden door to the next stage. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: (Equip) Spiked Gauntlet, Def+5. Lyra Dol: <none> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 3 Scene 2: Cavern [A3S2] ====================================== Now things are starting to get irritating. Avoid the lava pits, especially as they flare up, as they deal a bit of damage. You also have a number of fun little puzzles to do on this level. They aren't particularly difficult, but the whole ordeal has you avoiding fire while you're solving them. Solving these puzzles will the the focus for this part of the guide. If an enemy approaches you, kill it. Although that should be implied by now. In the first main room, pick up Paper Scrap 1. This can now be found under Key Items in your item menu. This will tell you the order in which you must step on the numbered tiles of the first flame-puzzle. Firstly, let me tell you a little something about the flame-puzzles. All 4 are set up the in the same fashion, with an increasing number of flames to avoid making them sequentially more annoying to complete. If you step on too many wrong tiles, the puzzle will reset and you'll have to start over. When you step on the correct tile, a blue ball of flame will hover above it. The easiest way to avoid the moving flames is to move in the same direction as they are moving as opposed to running against them. I will explain the Paper Scraps now. The I, II and III obviously correspond to the tiles of the same number. The number circled in blue is the starting point, meaning you must step on that one first. Then you should follow the arrows drawn in blood for the correct order. The numbers with a bloody X over them are not needed for the puzzle concerned. The rows indicated on the Paper Scrap does not appear to line up with the actual position of the tiles, so if you're stepping on a tile and it's not working, try the same numbered tile on the opposite side of the puzzle. With all that aside, here is the order for Puzzle 1: II --> I --> II --> I Take the door that opens, defeat the Beasts, and pick up Paper Scrap 2 from the crates. It is time for Puzzle 2: III --> II --> I --> II Follow the newly-opened path. Paper Scrap 3 is in a crate along the way to Puzzle 3: II --> III --> I --> III 2 doors will open. Take the north one to get Paper Scrap 4, then head back and take the the other one to get to Puzzle 4: I --> II --> III --> I In the next room, the Two Face has the key. Defeat it first, as it likes to lunge, but do it away from the Ogre unless you feel like you need a good beating. Use the key at the door, and leave this cursed place forever. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Dragon Armlet (recovers 1HP/sec) Greezer: <none> Lyra Dol: Earth Embrace (X whilst enemy is in air to slam down) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 3 Scene 3: Lab I [A3S3] ====================================== You have to hack and slash your way through most of this stage. There are several dead ends with barriers blocking your progress. Don't get too close to them, as enemies can and will attack you through them, and you can't hit them back from here. At the start, head to the left to pick up Lab report 1. Then go back and take the north road. You will be in a large central area, with four Two Faces in holding cells in the corners. Use O at the device on the north wall to release them all. Kill them all, and the doors will open. They aren't too tricky as long as you run up and kill them individually instead of letting them group together. Now that the doors are open, bring up your map. You will see 2 green circles in rooms either side of the level. These are the locations of Silver Emblem A and B, and you need both to finish the level. To get to both, you must defeat the enemies in your way to open the doors to get to the rooms in which they are located, then defeat even more enemies in that room to leave. Good luck trying to not get swarmed. Heal up when needed, as a large group can deplete your HP very quickly. After you have both, head back to the large central area and take the north exit. Defeat the enemies here (easy considering what you just went through), and press O at both sides of the device on the wall to insert both Silver Emblems. The door will open, take it to get to the next level. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: Raven Claw (square, X, X, then mash X repeatedly) Lyra Dol: <none> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 3 Scene 4: Lab II [A3S4] ====================================== If you liked Lab I, you're going to love Lab II. It is essentially the same method of defeat, key, proceed, which you should be accustomed to now. When you enter the first large square room in the midline of the map, it is time for a frustrating mini-boss. ::: MINI-BOSS - Chained Fools ::::::: This guy consists of a smaller thing chained to the back of a larger, fatter monster. Get anywhere near it, and you will be hit and knocked down, and this guy hits hard. Hit and run techniques, as well as the moving tackle (moving, press square+X), are the best way to go, although falling rocks in this area makes this more difficult than it has to be. Make sure you keep your HP high, as you are still early in the stage and have many more enemies to defeat in order to finish. Cut it down to low HP, and the Chained Fools will meander off. Don't worry, you'll be seeing him again real soon. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Complete this stage as you did in Lab I, although there are no inconveniently placed Emblems to find which is a plus. Make sure to stock up on healing items in the Point Redemption Shop, as you have a difficult boss battle next stage. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: Inferno (square, square, delay, X, X) Greezer: <none> Lyra Dol: Evil Eye (square, square, X, X, them mash X repeatedly) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 3 Scene 5: Operating Room [A3S5] ====================================== Remember that really irritating mini-boss from the last level? Well, now you have to kill him, for reals this time. The tactics remain the same as before, except there aren't any falling rocks to deal with. Avoid his long range lunge by running to the side, and try not to stand near him for too long or he'll knock you down. When you defeat him, it is time for the real boss of this level. ::::: BOSS FIGHT - Dr. Pain :::::::::: This guy has two stages. The first stage is easy and doesn't dish out much damage. You should be able to take care of him with multiple weak attacks and/or your square-square-X combo. Once you deplete his health bar, the game will pause while he draws out a second weapon. Now the real fight has begun. Now he can use ranged attacks, so don't stand directly in front of him. Use combos on him to the sides or back if you can manage it, though quickly retreat when he starts blocking because he'll counterattack when you're done. He can also throw stuff at you from a distance, so don't run at him in a straight line. Heal when necessary, although he seems to favour a single big hit over multi-hit combos. When he stands up straight and raises his weapons in the air (like he just don't care), get the hell out of the way or you'll get hit. The good Doctor isn't particularly difficult, but the mini-boss before him can put a strain on your stock of healing items if you don't deal with him properly. Remember, at the start of each stage your SP1 and 2 bars are automatically filled, so don't hesitate to pull them out straight off the bat. Eventually the Doctor will go down, the door will open and a wounded soldier will stagger in. Don't worry, you don't have to fight him. Talk to him for some information about where you're going next, and you'll proceed to the next stage. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: (Equip) Silver Necklace (10% chance to negate Fire/Poison status). Greezer: (Equip) Silver Necklace (10% chance to negate Fire/Poison status). Lyra Dol: (Equip) Silver Necklace (10% chance to negate Fire/Poison status). ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ======================================= Act 4 Scene 1: Suspension Bridge [A4S1] ======================================= Destroy the boxes at the start, and talk to the wounded soldier. Now what could he have meant by "done for"? This is where things get interesting. Your objective is to get across the bridge. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, this bridge just happens to be swarming with enemies, which I guess isn't much different than usual so I guess that's not so bad. But did I mention that you need to defeat them quickly, because the bridge behind you has started to burn? Yes, the clincher for this stage is that you must defeat all the enemies on each section of bridge for a metal platform to ascend and allow you to progress. You must do this quickly, as the bridge behind you will begin burning after a small amount of time, and will soon catch up with you if you dawdle. Each section of bridge is basically the same, with the same objectives in order to raise the next metal platform. Pushing enemies back into the fire may help you thin out their numbers, but if they are at high health it will take a while for them to die, which will cost you some time if you can't reach them with attacks. You have just gotten the Silver Necklace yourself, but this provides only a small percentage chance of not taking damage from the fire and you would do well to just avoid it entirely. There are multiple paths leading off the bridge, but only the one on the southern extremity of the map has boxes. It also has 2 Beasts on it, so you may want to skip venturing off if you can't kill them confidently. Don't worry, the next section of bridge will not start to burn until you have stepped on it. TL;DR version: QUIT YOUR LOLLYGAGGING. ====================================== Act 4 Scene 2: Eboto Forest [A4S2] ====================================== This forest makes the one in Harry Potter look like a lame plot device in a silly children's book. Which it is, but that is beside the point. The point is that this forest is a pain in the ass, and you have 2 wonderful stages in which to enjoy it. So let's get into it. Smash the boxes at the start to get the Knight's Daily Bulletin. Then talk to the wounded soldier for an ominous warning about the flowers of this forest. Believe it or not, those flowers are one of the biggest threats of this Act besides the Boss. Luckily for you though, I will now tell you how to avoid them completely. Take a few steps forward, and you'll see a big pink flower sitting prominently on the ground, glaring back at you with malice in its heart. There are many, many more of these in the forest, in much more inconvenient places than this one is. You cannot kill these flowers. You must play this Act by their rules. When approaching the general proximity of a flower, you will notice green vines popping up just behind you. If you keep running, the next one will come up right underneath you, inflicting some small damage but interrupting your actions. This can be deadly when there are enemies around. To avoid getting hit, stop moving. Wait like a second, then run forward a little bit before stopping again. Keep doing this until you no longer see vines coming up behind you, probably a fair distance from the flower. This is how you avoid the vines. The second thing a flower can do is spurt poison gas. This will only affect you if you are standing right next to the actual flower. Getting hit by this gas will inflict the Poison status on you. Eventually the poison will wear off on its own after dealing a bit of damage, or you can use one of your Antidotes to instantly remove it. But considering how expensive Antidotes are, you are better off avoiding this completely (another reason why the Necklace is useless). To avoid the poison gas, time your movement past them (avoiding the vines, remember) so that you pass right next to them as soon as the gas dissipates. Then get the hell out of the way before it spew up again. In case 3 paragraphs weren't enough, you should avoid fighting anywhere near a flower. Only misery will come from it. Try to draw enemies away from danger areas so you can fight them on easier ground. Now, this level features predominantly Spectral Knights. As these will be new to you, you may have trouble taking them on in groups at this stage. They become very common in the later stages. Near the start, you will be attacked by 3 of them. Use your SP2 attack NOW so you have time to charge it by the end, or alternatively ignite the gun powder barrel to knock them all down (hopefully). Afterwards, make sure you smash open the boxes in this area for some items. Also in this area you will be directed by a cutscene to notice a large evil plant. These don't atatck you, but their vines block your path forward. To kill them you must perform a Death Lock on them. If you don't know how to do that by now, I suggest you read either this guide or the handbook as it really is a basic skill. Doing this will also fill your SP2 gauge, which is nice. When you're done, the plant will die and its vines will retract, allowing you to continue. In the large final area, it looks like you can rush it to the end but you would soon be swarmed. Take care of the enemies as they come, and try to lure them away from the areas where those pesky vines pop up. Right near the exit you will have to take on a whole lot of Spectral Knights at once. Hopefully your SP2 gauge will be full by now, so use that to make quick work of them. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: (Equip) Dragon Amulet (recovers 1HP/sec) Lyra Dol: <none> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 4 Scene 3: Amid the Mist [A4S3] ====================================== This level will test you on how well you read my previous rant about those flowers. Seriously, if you haven't grasped the concept that they are bad yet, then just stop playing. Stay put at the start, as the enemies will come to you (allowing you to avoid the flowers). Take them out before luring the next ones over. Make sure you kill them all before proceeding. In this first part, and in this FIRST PART ONLY there are no vines, so just run right on through (timed to avoid the poison gas, obviously). This next area has 2 new enemies for you to play around with. Read the ENEMIES section of this guide on how to take them on. There ARE vines AND poison gas here, so use a luring method to single the enemies out so you can handle them in a safe area. When you see a ring of circles, run away from it as long vines will shoot up and hit you if you are in or near the circle (hmm, I wonder who is causing this to happen?). Now the final "room" may look straight forward, but there is a wall of trees dividing it longitudinally into two halves. Head to the right first for some boxes, taking out enemies as you go. Then head back and north. Talk to the wounded soldier for some extremely helpful information. After this point, if you want some items and don't mind taking on some more Dire Wolves, head right. If not, head left. Kill the enemies, then Death Lock the large evil plant to open the exit. As always, wait for enemies to come to you instead of barging into the middle of a flower bed. After this stage, you wont have to worry about them EVER AGAIN. Well that was fun. But wait, it gets better. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: <none> Lyra Dol: (Equip) Spiked Gauntlet, Def+5. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 4 Scene 4: Forest Depths [A4S4] ====================================== ::::: BOSS FIGHT - Mea ::::::::::::::: Mea is the consort of Count Lazel. For those not familiar with that word, it means that they're more than "just friends", if you catch my drift. As she is a woman, it stands to reason that this battle will test your patience to no end. The first thing you will notice is the large red light formation in the middle of the field. Ignore this, it does nothing. Mea likes to move around a lot, which is infuriating. She also has a whole lot of tricks she likes to throw at you, often all at the same time. I'll go through these one at a time. Remember those large vines which came up in a circle in Act 4 Scene 3? Well, it was her who was doing that all along. Here, she'll do it around herself when you're attacking her, meaning you'll get hit while she runs off in the opposite direction. When she does this, I suggest falling back unless you want to get hit or, if you can position yourself exactly in the middle of the ring of circles, remain completely still and they will all miss you. Mea will very rarely attack you herself. Sometimes she will throw something at you while you are chasing her, but that doesn't deal so much damage. The most annoying thing she does is summon an owl on you, which can shoot balls of light at you for some reason in volleys of 3. You cannot kill this owl, and it will always be targetting you. When she summons this, stop attacking Mea and focus on running around the owl in wide circles, making all its shots miss. Eventually it will fade, and you can go back to killing Mea. While you are avoiding the owl, Mea probably would have pulled off her next trick - summoning a black vortex. This is slow-moving and obvious, but it will gravitate towards you until it disappears. Not too much of a threat, but keep an eye on Mea so you will know when it's coming. Try to avoid it whilst running around the owl. The best way to deal with Mea is to hit her once or twice with a weak attack, then falling back when she does her vine-circle thing. This will be a time consuming process due to all the obstacles she throws at you, but if you remain vigilant at avoiding them then she shouldn't hurt you too much. Remember that at the start of every stage, your SP bars are set to full, so be sure to use them for some big damage. After the battle, a woman will appear who looks exactly like Mea. She is Mayr, Mea's twin sister. OR IS SHE? No seriously, she is. She will explain some stuff, then take you to the next stage. You will then never see her again. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: (Equip) Valhallide, Attack+45 and 10% chance to poison enemy. Lyra Dol: (Equip) Reita, Attack+35 and 15% chance to poison enemy. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================== Act 5 Scene 1: Raging Wind [A5S1] ====================================== Right at the start, you can do nothing but stand in horror as 3 Zombie Gladiators surround you. Don't waste your SP attacks on them, you'll see why soon. Kill them, and then you'll be swarmed by even more Gladiators. Group them together, THEN use your SP2 attack to take them all out. In the next room, you will encounter a new enemy - the Silver Wolf. They can be pretty tricky, so read the ENEMIES section to learn how to deal with them. Defeat the Silver Wolves and go to the door, but then you'll be back attacked by a bunch of Gladiators. Hiro's X attack is god for knocking them down to follow up with a Death Lock. For the other characters, square+X moves will do the trick. In the next room, you'll have to take care of even more Gladiators. Defeat them all to get the Knight's Key to continue. Next room, take care of the lone Silver Wolf for another key. Use it on the south door in this room. Defeat all the enemies there to get a Fragment. Now go back to the room you were just in and press O near the sculpture next to the north door to open it. This final room contains a whole lot of different enemies, which isn't so bad because due to their different fighting styles they tend to get in each other's way which actually makes it easier for you. Kill them all to proceed. ====================================== Act 5 Scene 2: Great Hall [A5S2] ====================================== Ooh, creepy. This stage consists of a long hallway broken into segments. You must defeat all the enemies in each segment and adjoining room to get the next key to continue. From the start, smash the nearby box for the Count's Journal, then run up and destroy the box to get the Gold Key. Use this on the side door. Watch out, because in this stage the chandeliers will drop down in most rooms, having the same effect as a Large Fire Bomb which you should try to avoid. Kill the Spectral Knights in the first room to get the Hall Key. Use it on the door in the hallway, obviously. Run through the door a little bit, but run straight back as a bomb will drop. After the flames dissipate, take care of the enemies here to get the key for the room. This process will be repeated throughout this stage. Exercise caution when passing through a door to avoid the bombs. In the 3rd room, you will encounter some Dark Knights, which are very tricky. See the ENEMIES section to learn how to deal with them. In the 4th section of hallway, there is not only a bomb at the start, but also near the last door, just to catch you off-guard. In the section with the bend in it, a bomb will drop if you spend too much time in it. This is fairly easy to avoid as it doesn't happen right at the start. Kill all the enemies for Fragment 1, and Fragment 2 is in a box not too far from here. With both in your possession, press O at both sculptures near the door to open it. ====================================== Act 5 Scene 3: Venomous Flower [A5S3] ====================================== ****************************************************************************** WARNING! The game dramatically increases in difficulty as of this stage. By now you should have all the equipment upgrades that you wanted to go for (apart from the final weapons for Greezer/Lyla Dol), so spend as many points on healing items as you can before starting each stage, because you'll be needing them. ****************************************************************************** Despite it's name, there is nothing poisonous about this stage. This stage is very much a hack 'n' slash deal, but don't be reckless. At the start, try to draw the Dark Knights out individually. You don't want to be wasting your healing items this early on. In most of the rooms there are gun powder barrels, but it would be suicide trying to reach them while all the enemies are alive. Instead, stand just outside the gate of each room and employ hit and run tactics on the nearest enemy until they are all dead. Destroy any inanimate statues you encounter, as they may contain items. On the pathway to the final circular room, there are 3 Dark Knights who like to group together, and it will be impossible to isolate them. There is a mini- boss battle ahead, but I would use your SP2 attack now to save yourself on healing items. Open the gate to the last circular room, and you'll have to fight 2 Dark Knights and a Fly Man. DO NOT walk forward into the room, as then you'll have to take them all on at once. Wait outside and the Fly Man will come to you. I really don't have any good tactics for dealing with the Fly Man apart from what I have listed in the ENEMIES section. My tactic sucks, it will result in you using plenty of healing items, so if you think you have something better please email me so I can update it. I will give you credit! After you have taken care of the Fly Man, kill the Dark Knights as you would normally. There are 2 gun powder barrels in this room if you think you can use them to your advantage. ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. ****************************************************************************** ====================================== Act 5 Scene 4: Silent Statue [A5S4] ====================================== The statues... they're coming alive! In the first room, try to use the gun powder barrel to save your SPs for later. In the next room, you will be prompted to see portraits of the Count and Countess, which is nice but irrelevant. You will then be back attacked by some Silver Wolves. They tend to get in each other's way, so you can use them as shields while you kill them. Defeat them all for a Fragment, then smash open the box in the portrait room for a Black Key. The Black Key opens the other door in the first room. Defeat all the enemies in here for the other Fragment. Use both to open the 3rd door from the first room. Kill all the Spectral Knights who burst out of the statues (use the gun powder barrel if you can) for the Castle Key. Smash open the inanimate statues afterwards for some items. Remember those annoying flame puzzles from Act 3? Well they're back, baby. First, you must kill the Spectral Knights in this room to get the Papaer Scrap 1. An easy way to do this is hit and run style, which also helps you avoid those pesky flames. The solution to Puzzle 1 is: II --> I --> II --> I --> III. This time there are 2 moving fire pillars to deal with. Think of your basic puzzle as being spread out, so it's like: III...........III ........O........ II.............II ........O........ I...............I With O being the rotating fire pylons, the numbers corresponding to the numbers, and the series of full-stops being used to hold my crappy diagram together. This puzzle is actually kind of easier, as you have more room around the outskirts to move. Remember to always move in the direction that the fire is going, never against it. In the next room, these statues aren't really enemies and they won't attack you at all. Just kidding, they totally are. You should have come to expect that by now. Try to take them out without pushing them too far down the corridor, or you'll end up taking more on at once than you need to. Pick up the Worn-Out Key from the last one to enter the next puzzle room. This one is the same deal as before, except the door will shut behind you so you can't hit and run well. Just try to take the enemies on out of the way of the flames, and one at a time if possible. The last one will drop Paper Scrap 2. This puzzle has you running around a bit, as the numbered tiles have been moved around. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out. The solution for Puzzle 2 is: III --> I --> I --> III --> II. In the final room you will be attacked by Spectral Knights who emerge from the statues, of course. Use the gun powder barrel to knock them down and use a Death Lock to hopefully fill up your SP2 gauge, then just use it to hurt them all badly before finishing them off. Stock up on healing items at the Point Redemption Shop after this level, as it's time for a... ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. ****************************************************************************** ====================================== Act 5 Scene 5: Spiral Staircase [A5S5] ====================================== ::: BOSS FIGHT - Female Knight ::::::: Remember the Female Knight battle back at the end of Act 1? No, I don't know for sure if this is the same chick, but she could be. It would make sense, as she ran away when you defeated her before, right? Let's just say she is. If you remember the fight you had with her before, you will recall that she hits fast and hard. This time she hits faster and harder. She also has a number of little tricks which she didn't have last time, which makes this battle quite hard. The most important thing NOT to do is charge at her in a straight line. When you get anywhere near her, she will glow red and lunge straight at you from afar. You can Defend against this, but watch out for her follow up attacks. When she lifts her sword and laughs maniacally, run away at an angle as she will strike the ground to shoot forward damaging light both in a straight line and within a small radius around her, meaning that if you are anywhere near her, you will be hit. Hit and run tactics aren't very effective, but she tends to block any kind of combo you can throw at her at close-range so it's all you can do really. Be sure to use your SP attacks on her. As usual, heal often as she can deplete a lot of HP with just a few hits. For Greezer/Lyla Dol, she is susceptible to poison if you're using weapons with this ability. Although she does spend a lot of time close-range, so it probably won't help you too much. You may want to stock up on healing items and hold on to those Antidotes, because the next level is, for want of a better word, epic. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEVEL UP! Hiro: <none> Greezer: (Equip) Flametongue, Attack+60 and 5% chance to ignite enemy. Lyra Dol: (Equip) Inferri, Attack+65 and 20% chance to poison enemy. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. You may want to keep an Antidote or two. ****************************************************************************** ============================================= Act 6 Scene 1: Desecration of the Soul [A6S1] ============================================= As soon as you start, you are ambushed by 2 Silver Wolves and a Spectral Knight. That's not very nice. Use the wolves as a barrier between you and the Spectral Knight for an easier time. Kill them all, and use the key to open the door. The next room contains a whole lot of enemies and, more importantly, your very first Poison Gas Puzzle. They're similar to the Fire Puzzles that you have grown to know and love, but with some small differences which make them that much more fun to deal with. First, lure the enemies in this room out one at a time and kill them. You guessed it, you don't want to be poisoned by the puzzle while you're doing this. The enemies in this room seem to be pretty good at following you, so you shouldn't have much trouble doing this. The last one will drop Paper Scrap 1. It will blow your mind to discover that these puzzles have tiles which range from I-IV. To make matters worse, there are 2 rotating pillars you have to navigate around, just like the fire ones back in Act 5 Scene 4. Obviously, try to avoid the poisonous gas at all costs. The poison will wear off by itself after a while, but this is a very long stage so you will NOT want to waste recovery items. The solution to Puzzle 1 is: IV --> II --> II --> IV --> III. Stepping on too many wrong tiles will reset the puzzle, so make an effort to get these ones right. Unless you have a photographic memory, you should consider writing the solution down on a bit of paper so you have something to refer to for a quick reference. After completing this puzzle, take the door that opens. Kill the Silver Wolves, and smash open the statues for some much needed items and the key to the next door. Yay, time for another Poison Gas Puzzle. This time, the enemies are much less inclined to follow you, so do your best to lure them to the sides of the room away from the gas before fighting them. The last one drops Paper Scrap 2. The solution for Puzzle 2 is: I --> II --> III --> I --> III. The numbered tiles are located closer to the walls than what you are used to, so if you're convinced that they aren't there, look harder because they are. Also, the first rotating device will stop after you defeat all the enemies, which makes things easier. There is no way to shut down the other one, unfortunately. Once you have solved this puzzle, head through the door. Smash the boxes and statues to get teh Doctor's Letter and the Black Key for the next door. Another Poison Gas Puzzle? What a pain in the ass. Do what you did for the previous puzzles to get Scrap 3. The solution for Puzzle 3 is: II --> II --> IV --> IV --> I. Well, that's the hard part over, right? Wrong. Waiting for you after the 3rd puzzle are 2 Spectral Knights and my favourite, a Fly Man. Try to kill the Knights first, because the Fly Man is difficult. When/if you manage to defeat him, he will drop Fragment 4. Don't worry, you didn't miss 1 or 2, and Fragment 3 can be found by smashing the statues in this area. There is also a Paper Scrap in one of the boxes, but don't worry this is a piece of Data, not clues for another Poison Gas Puzzle. Surely, you're done now, right? Use both Fragments to open the next door. To your shock and disbelief, this room is literally packed with enemies and, worst of all, yet another Fly Man. If you saved any, you may want to throw a bomb or two in there to thin out their numbers. Aim for the Fly Man, because he is by far the biggest threat. After you have killed them all, there are many boxes on either side of this room, so make sure you don't miss any. One contains the Forbidden Report, which isn't very insightful but may be of interest. Finally, take the door to finish this massive level at last. ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. ****************************************************************************** ====================================== Act 6 Scene 2: Forsaken Garden [A6S2] ====================================== At the beginning of this stage, you will see a cloaked man running off. I wonder who that could be? In this first room you are faced with 2 Silver Wolves and 2 Ogres. Use the columns to put some distance between yourself and the enemies if you start becoming surrounded. Kill them all to get the key for the door. The next room has no enemies (for once), so just smash open the statues for some items and the key for the next door. This next room contains 2 Ogres, which are easy, and 3 Chained Fools. Group the enemies together and use your SP2, which should more or less take care of the Ogres while considerably damaging the Chained Fools. You can finish these off by using hit and run tactics, whilst making sure you avoid their charge attacks and long reaching attacks. Try to focus your attacks on them one at a time to kill them quicker. Use the gun powder barrel in this area if you think it'll help. Kill them all for the key for the next door. The corridor connecting the last room and the next has no enemies. First go left for some items and the key. The last room contains 2 Ogres and *gulp* 4, yes that's right, 4 Fly Men. This is going to get ugly. Take down the Ogres first, as they should be nearest to the door. As there are 4 Fly Men, if you just charge on in they will co-ordinate their attacks so that you will be in a constant state of getting knocked down and healing yourself. They hit hard, so stay above at least half health if you can manage. You can't run away from them without taking some damage, either. These guys don't play fair, so there's no reason why you should. These 4 Fly Men are progammed not to leave the room. After killing the Ogres, if you run forward into the room about 1/3 of the way, all 4 Fly Men will fly upwards and prepare to attack you. RUN back to the door, but don't leave the room entirely. Right on the edge of the screen, you should be able to see the Fly Men swoop in to attack, at which point you should take a few steps forward out of the room. Hopefully, the enemies will miss and, as you are now out of the room, will turn their backs and begin walking to the back of their room. Use this chance to run in and get 2 weak attacks in to the back of the nearest enemy, and then RUN the hell back before they can gang up on you. Repeat this process several times until they are all dead, using your Amulet's natural healing feature in between runs if you do get hit. This will be very time consuming, but will save you a lot of healing items. An alternate, more risky method is to push one of the Fly Men out of the door with your tackling move. If you manage to do this, you would have successfully isolated one from the group, making him easier to take down, and also taken him out of his programmed area, meaning his only option is to walk slowly back into the room. If you position yourself so that your attacks are constantly pushing him away from the door entrance (ie: you are between him and the door), you should be able to keep this up for a while, hopefully even killing him. However he will still be capable of fighting back, so make sure your health is kept up. Also it will be tricky to position yoruself into a position to knock him out of the room in the first place, as you'll have all 4 of them beating down on you while you are trying to do so. When/if you manage to beat them, you'll get the key for the next door. ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. ****************************************************************************** ====================================== Act 6 Scene 3: Accursed Lake [A6S3] ====================================== This stage is not screwing around. First up you will have to deal with an Ogre, a Silver Wolf, and 3 Fly Men. Try to take out the Ogre and Wolf first, as they will only make taking down the Fly Men harder than it already is. For the Fly Men, use the same constant stream of tackling moves you were doing before. There is a trick to this room if you are in a jam though. If you bait the Fly Men out of the first room (ie: to the small area where you started the level from), you can then run into the room and straight into the corners either side of the door and move back a little bit. The Fly Men will not be able to navigate themselves through the door, and will remain outside and out of attacking range. You can abuse this by retreating to this position to allow your Amulet to slowly restore your HP if you're a bit tight on healing items (or if you haven't been reading my warnings, in which case I'm surprised you've made it this far). Defeat all of them, and the door for the next room will automatically open. This next room has 5 Ogres in it, who shouldn't be too much of a problem if you hit and run them one at a time. This will also allow some time for your Amulet to recover some HP, as this will be time consuming. After you've killed them all, head to the right for some boxes and statues, then head up the path they were guarding. Destroy the box along the way for the key to the next door. If you were expecting this room to have some Fly Men in it, then you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover our good friend Arachnoid waiting for us. He's just as easy as he was the first time, although he does seem to hit a little harder than last time if you give him the opportunity to. Which you won't, if you just keep laying the weak combo smackdown on him. This time you can Death Lock him when he's down if you want to. He'll drop the key to the next door, and make sure you destroy the statues around the lovely blood fountain for some items before continuing. Now if you were seriously expecting some Fly Men in THIS room, you'll be pleased/disappointed to find it's our boss from Act 3 Scene 5, Dr Pain. This time he skips the pleasantries and goes straight into his "second form". He comes with all his standard tricks. He will throw stuff at you if you get too close, will charge forward, and has a powerful strike. Obviously, you're not going to want to hang around in front of him for very long. The key to this battle is to use the blood fountain to your advantage. Run around it and position yourself at kind of an oblique angle to Dr Pain, so there is kind of a straight line between the two of you except there is an edge of fountain in his path. Wait for him to charge/lunge/swipe at you (move back a little bit if he actually gets you), then get a quick hit or two in before retreating and repeating the process. His defences are down just after he makes an attack, so time it right. He will drop the last key for this stage, and make sure you smash all the statues around the blood fountain for some items before you continue. Every item counts! ****************************************************************************** WARNING! Stock up on healing items before the next level. Antidotes are now useless, so sell them all if you need points. ****************************************************************************** ====================================== Act 6 Scene 4: A Long Dark Road [A6S4] ====================================== Ooh boy, it has really hit the fan in this stage. The cloaked man from before is Count Lazel, and you must defeat him at each stage you encounter him in order to progress, often whilst negotiating traps and enemies. FYI: The game manual has this boss listed as "Razelle", while the game refers to him as Lazel. I am going with the game's translation, although it is completely possible that neither is a correct translation. First up, you'll be surrounded by 4 Dark Knights and Lazel. Use your SP2 first and take care of the Dark Knights quickly, because Lazel is extremely annoying and you don't want any distractions. If you are using a weapon with a chance of poisoning the enemy, you will be pleased to know that during this stage, Lazel can be poisoned, which makes taking him down A LOT easier. If you're playing as Hiro, you could try throwing gas bombs at him, I guess. Lazel runs around a lot, and his only method of attacking is to shoot a stream of red balls of light at you. He also laughs annoyingly throughout. When you see him standing still, he is generating the red balls, which should be obvious in the area above you. They are tricky to avoid, but you may be successful in doing so by running quickly either left or right. You'll find it difficult to get more than one weak attack in on him before he uses his light ball move on you. One way to get a few good hits in is to wait until he's running into a wall, then use your SP1 attack on him. He will be unable to attack you when you're doing this. As soon as your attack ends, spam weak attacks on him and hopefully you'll catch him off guard so that you can keep doing this until you defeat this first form. After you beat Lazel, the door to the next corridor will open. Here you will be attacked by some Zombie Gladiators, who you should be able to walk all over by now. Use them as an opportunity to fill up your SP bars. Destroy the statues as you go for items. Near the rotating fire sculpture, kill the Ogres here before following the flames around to destroy the boxes and statues for some items and the key to the next door. Now you will face Lazel, form 2. He attacks in the same pattern as before, except now he won't be running into the walls. Instead he'll be running in and out of the fire, as it doesn't seem to affect him. Here is one of the few times that levelling up the Necklace may come in handy. If you haven't, using a Protective Agent if you have one will help. It will come to a point where you'll be all like "screw it, I'm running into the flames just to kill this idiot", which isn't so bad as you'll have a Fire Puzzle to do right after this, so you'll have some time for your Amulet's natural healing to come into play. Defeat Lazel's second form and he'll drop the Paper Scrap. The solution for this puzzle is: IV --> I --> IV --> II --> II --> I --> III. Solve it just as you have done with all the previous ones, then breathe a sigh of relief because this is the last one EVER! For the final room, your objective once again is to kill Lazel. Unluckily for you, this room is jam packed with enemies, including a couple of Fly Men. But, in order to finish this level, you ONLY have to kill Lazel. This might be a tad difficult though, so you may want to consider killing the enemies near the door first. Obviously you're not going to want to venture in too far, as you'll be surrounded. If you can, try to position yourself so that you can knock the Fly Men one at a time out the door and down the corridor. This way you can take them on in a more favourable environment. If you're getting your ass handed to you, you can always retreat and allow natural Amulet healing to fix you up if you have the patience. Now, for Lazel. This time he will teleport around to at least 3 different positions of this room, shooting those red balls of light at you when you get too close. Assuming you don't want to have to kill every other enemy in this room, wait for him to teleport to near the door entrance (there are 2 points near the door where he should be easily reachable, assuming you've taken down some enemies). After he teleports, wait a second before smacking him about with weak attack combos. Then he should laugh and shoot balls at you before teleporting away, so at this point you should stop attacking and try to avoid them. Keep it up, and eventually you'll deplete all his health. He will drop to the ground and crawl away, meaning you are done for this level. Why you just don't finish him off now, I don't know. I guess it wouldn't make for a very epic final battle. Don't worry, that is next. ****************************************************************************** FINAL BATTLE IS NEXT! Use up all your points on healing items! ****************************************************************************** ========================================== Act 6 Scene 5: Where Hatred Returns [A6S5] ========================================== ::::: FINAL BOSS - Arachno-Lazel :::::::: You will notice that Lazel has undergone a few changes since you saw him last. For one, he seems to have lost his cape. Also, he has arachnoid legs. He uses some moves that you are already familiar with, as well as some fun new ones to catch you off guard. The most important thing to remember here is that you can't Defend against ANY of his attacks, so you'll have to avoid them as best you can. Use healing items as needed, this is the final battle of the game so don't be afraid to go all out. He has retained his red-balls-of-light trick, which he follows up by throwing additional red spheres at you right at the end of the volley. Avoid these as you did before, by running sharply to the left or right. Just make sure not to stop after the initial volley, or you'll be hit by the red spheres. Similar to the Female Knight from before, he has a long-range lunge attack which you can't block. He will usually jump backwards just before doing this. When you see this, run back and to the side to avoid it. After lunging he will be vulnerable for a second or two, so try to get a quick hit in. If you're too far away for a close-range attack, use your tackling move to close the distance. You'll want to get away quickly though, because he'll either swipe at you or shoot balls of light next. He also has a jumping move, which sends blue shockwaves out in a large radius around him, knocking you down if you are too close. He will usually jump backwards before doing this, so run away as fast as you can if you see him do this. He likes to use this right after a swipe or a ball-of-light attack, both situations occuring usually when you are close to him. Sometimes he will stand upright and wave his limbs about, as if he is taunting you. He is vulnerable now, but it is difficult to tell when he is about to do this as opposed to a lunge/jump, so it is a bit risky. Regardless, if you move in for an attack he will attack you right back as soon as he's finished. This isn't a very big window of opportunity. Try to run behind him, if your location allows it, as it will take him some time to turn around to block, giving you some time to hack at him. When you get his health down far enough, he will gain access to a move where he sprays purple liquid at you. The range of this attack can pretty much cover the whole length of the room, so try to avoid it by running left or right at an oblique angle away from him. Don't try to attack him when he's doing this, as it will always target you. Your SP attacks don't seem to deal any damage, but you can always use them to avoid an attack as he can't hit you while you're performing them. Try to use them as a last resort. He has a lot of health, so strap yourself in for a long fight. Be sure to avoid his hard-hitting attacks and heal when necessary and eventually he will be defeated. He'll stay dead this time. Enjoy the 2 minutes of closing monolgue, you've earnt it! ============================================================================= LEGAL NOTICE This guide is Copyright 2009 Liam Brown, and is to be hosted exclusively by GameFAQs. The content of this FAQ/Walkthrough may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ============================================================================ CREDITS While it's customary to thank CJayC and/or SBAllen here for keeping GameFAQs up and running, I have never met them personally so I won't. <Your name could be here! Granted, it's at the very end of the guide, which nobody reads, but I'll be sure to mention your name where your information is relevant in the guide. If you have any significant alternate strategies for bosses or enemies, or even little bits and pieces of game play I may have missed, please email them to me at [email protected], and I'll update this guide to include them after testing to make sure they're factual!> ============================================================================
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