Kirby's Return to Dream Land: A Complete Walkthrough and Guide to Unlockables By: Alice Kojiro (MotherKojiro(AT)enter(DOT)net) Note: This work is mine exclusively. I've spent several hours writing it. If you don't believe me, try writing one yourself. Anyway, if you need to contact me, just send me an e-mail. E-mails have 3 main criteria. First of all, they need a subject line that tells me that the message is about my walkthrough. Another important criterion is that it needs to be suggestions about the walkthrough. I don't appreciate invitations to blogs, invites to chat rooms, flaming, or anything like that. Your suggestions can be anything from spelling and grammatical errors to new sections you think I should add. The only other reason you should be writing to me is to ask me to use this guide on your website. You cannot do so without my consent, as it is illegal. All you need to do is ask and it is highly unlikely that I will deny you the use of this guide. You also have to give me credit for writing this. Failure to do so is plagiarism. I appreciate your cooperation. Thanks for choosing this guide. ~Kojiro ================= Table of Contents ================= I. Intro II. Thanks III. FAQ IV. Abilities A. Main Abilities B. Super Abilities C. One-Shot Abilities V. Walkthrough A. Cookie Country B. Raisin Ruins C. Onion Ocean D. White Wafers E. Nutty Noon F. Egg Engines G. Dangerous Dinner H. Another Dimension VI. Energy Spheres A. Cookie Country B. Raisin Ruins C. Onion Ocean D. White Wafers E. Nutty Noon F. Egg Engines G. Dangerous Dinner VII. Bosses A. Minibosses B. Level Bosses VIII. Lor Starcutter Unlockables A. Copy Rooms B. Minigames C. Challenge Rooms IX. Postgame A. Extra Mode B. Arena X. Conclusion ======== I. Intro ======== Energy Spheres are marked [Energy Sphere] for your convenience. Due to line breaks, it would be best to just search for a square bracket ([ or ]), since they are not used elsewhere in this document. I've written this guide because the game is so new (as of this writing), and I haven't had the opportunity to write a walkthrough for a new game before (and, due to my financial situation, I may never again). Please bear with me, because it's the first Platformer for which I've written a walkthrough, and I struggled a bit with constantly writing "Move forward, follow the path, walk right, etc." I tried to spruce it up, but I'm really more accustomed to writing walkthroughs for RPGs and Action-Adventure games. You won't find much in the way of boss strategies in the main walkthrough. Mainly because of The Arena, I felt that it would be more useful to give them their own section, so look there if you have any trouble with them. Be forewarned; there are some unavoidable spoilers within the walkthrough, so scroll with caution. Then again, it's a Kirby game, so you're probably playing more for the awesome gameplay and pretty colors than for the story. ========== II. Thanks ========== Nintendo for making this game and the Wii. Hal Laboratory for making the game and many other classics. My wife for playing the stages a second time as I wrote this. My grandparents for giving this game to me as a gift. GameFAQs for hosting this guide. You, the reader. ======== III. FAQ ======== Q: I had an item, but then it started flashing and blew up in my hands! What gives? A: All items except the key and candle wear out after a while, so move quickly when holding them. The candle will be snuffed out if it enters water (but not ice for some reason), or if you enter a well-lit area with it. Q: I feel like the game keeps dropping me subtle hints about taking abilities. Should I give in to my suspicions? A: If you're given an ability, take it; chances are that you'll need it very soon. This is almost always the case with minibosses. Q: I missed an Energy Sphere near the beginning of the stage; can I just exit the stage from the menu? A: If you go back for an Energy Sphere, you have to finish the stage to keep it; choosing Exit Stage from the menu will cause you to lose what you've collected. Q: Does this game save the number of lives you have? A: No, quitting the game causes your number of lives to reset. Q: What's the point of the stars I keep finding everywhere? A: The different colored stars you grab have different values. The yellow stars are worth 1, the red stars are worth 10, and the blue stars are worth 30. Obtaining 100 stars nets you an extra life. Q: How do I tell what a cannon is going to do when I jump into it? A: Cannons are clearly marked in this game. The orange ones with the burst pattern will fire automatically, whereas the green ones with the arrow must be fired manually. Q: What's the Goal Game all about? A: The goal game at the end of each stage is just as it was in Kirby's Adventure, but this time, it blinks when you're supposed to hit the button. The prizes are as follows: 1 - 30 Stars 2 - 15 Stars 3 - 10 Stars 4 - 5 Stars 5 - 3 Stars 6 - 1 Star 7 - Nothing Q: Should I go through this game hardcore (without using abilities)? A: Well, every boss has attacks that you can inhale and spit back, so it's possible. The only advantage is that those attacks do more damage than the typical ability move. ============= IV. Abilities ============= I'm not going to give a list of controls and moves here, since that's all in the pause menu; you can look at that yourself. What I have here is a list of every ability, its properties, and an assessment of its usefulness. Unlike most Kirby games, I didn't find any one ability to be better than all of the others. Some are good, while others suck, but many are situational, making it easier to give them relatively equal playtime. The following parameters will be used in my assessments: Combo - Does the ability have a combo attack? Dash - A dashing attack that thrusts forward, and can tear through an enemy without damaging you. Aerial - Is the ability good for flying enemies? Slam - Does this ability have a downward attack? Projectile - Does the ability have a ranged attack? Underwater - Can the ability be used underwater? Grapple - See note below. Parameters - Properties of the ability; see note further below. Grapple attacks are ones that require a small object to use; anything that you can inhale qualifies. Grapple attacks are great, because they do more damage than normal attacks, though they are harder to execute against bosses. Parameters ---------- Sharp - Cuts ropes that suspend platforms. Strong - Destroys metallic blocks and pounds stakes. Burn - Lights cannon fuses and melts ice. Extinguish - Cools magma blocks. Light - Throws its own light in dark areas. A. Main Abilities ================= These are the standard abilities that you get from swallowing enemies, and they never wear out. These will be the bulk of your ability experience. Beam ---- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: Yes Slam: No Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Light This one's a classic, and it's just as great in this game. It's good for long range attacks, and can attack above and below you relatively easy. The grapple is a little awkward for attacking bosses, but the ability to indefinitely suspend yourself in the air while spinning an energy whip around you is a big help. Bomb ---- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: So-So Slam: No Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Light This one takes some getting used to, even if you're accustomed to how it works in Kirby Super Star. The ability to throw the bomb straight without having to produce one first is a definite improvement, but it just seems a bit awkward to use to me. I got used to it after a while, but it's definitely best used on slow enemies. Cutter ------ Combo: Yes Dash: Yes Aerial: Yes, but requires practice Slam: Yes Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: Sort of Parameters: Sharp New to the Cutter ability is the ability to guide your whirling blades of death vertically after throwing them. This ability was made for me because my favorite weapon in the entire Mega Man cannon is Spinning Blade, which launches two spinning blades, which curve behind you. For some reason, I'm awesome at backwards arc physics, so I face away from my target and throw them, then curve them right into my enemy. You can also charge your cutters now, which makes them even deadlier. At close range, you perform an insane combo that does a lot of damage. Fighter ------- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes, but it's diagonal Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Burn, Light (only with Giga Force Blast for both) I liked this one a lot better in Kirby Super Star. There are a lot of new moves for it, many of which travel far and do a lot of damage, but it seems like it's been nerfed a great deal. The ability to perform combos is now gone, which I think might be the problem for me. However, it is excellent at performing air combos with its Moon Somersault Kick. Fire ---- Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: No Slam: No Projectile: No Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: Burn, Light This ability is lacking in useful moves, and the main attack (its fire breath) does very little damage. Other than its utility purpose, I couldn't find too many instances in which this ability was useful. Hammer ------ Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: No Slam: No Projectile: Yes, but it sacrifices the ability Underwater: Yes Grapple: No Parameters: Strong As you might expect, this ability is powerful, but has lousy range. It isn't as awkward as it was in Kirby's Adventure; it's on par with where it was in Kirby Super Star. I didn't find too many fights in which this was useful to me. Hi-Jump ------- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes Projectile: No Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: None I don't like this ability; I didn't like it from its introduction in Kirby's Adventure, and I haven't grown much more fond of it in the passing years. All it gives you is the ability to jump really high and blow through enemies on the way. It's practically useless in combat, and is only good for a few puzzles here and there. Ice --- Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: No Slam: No Projectile: Only upon grapple or kicking frozen enemies Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Extinguish This one isn't bad, but the breath has little range, and the attacks don't fare too well in combat. The dash attack works better than in Kirby Super Star, but overall, it's kinda meh against bosses. It works reasonably well in regular stages, though. Leaf ---- Combo: Sorta; the main attack can hit continuously Dash: Yes Aerial: Yes Slam: No, but you can shoot downward Projectile: No Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: Sharp This is actually a decent ability. Your main attack, if you hold down the 1 button, works well against aerial foes, and can throw enemies around. You also have an uppercut attack, which works well against flying enemies. You can even jump while the leaves are swirling about. Needle ------ Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: Yes Slam: No Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: None (it can stick to walls and ceilings, though) This one's a big improvement over its previous incarnations, too. You can still cover yourself in spikes, but you can also shoot those spikes, make a giant spike upwards, like those traps in Needle Man's stage in Mega Man 3, or even turn into a spiky wheel and dash forward. It's pretty decent, even in a boss fight, though it's best used in areas in which you're main goal is moving upward. Ninja ----- Combo: Yes Dash: Yes Aerial: No Slam: Yes, but it's diagonal Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Sharp This ability is excellent, especially against earthbound enemies. You can throw kunai very quickly, which racks up damage unbelievably. You can now disappear in response to being attacked when you're guarding, which helps a great deal. Its only real weakness is against aerial enemies, unless you're able to attach yourself to a wall, from which you can throw kunai. Parasol ------- Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: No Slam: Yes Projectile: No Underwater: Yes Grapple: Yes Parameters: Extinguish This one's not terrible, but not great, either. You can use it to float, which is useful at times, and really irritating at others. Its attacks are pretty weak, and it's difficult to use in a fight. Its best attributes are that it shields you from above, and that it can be used in water. Spark ----- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: Yes, especially if you're good at Mega Man Slam: Yes Projectile: Yes Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: Light This is more like the Plasma Ability from Kirby Super Star combined with the traditional Spark ability. You can now shake the Wiimote to charge up, which actually works better than just running around like an idiot. You can also shoot long bolts of lightning up or down. It's a great twist on a previously lousy ability. Spear ----- Combo: Yes Dash: No Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes Projectile: Yes, but it doesn't travel far Underwater: Yes Grapple: No Parameters: Sharp This is probably the best of the new abilities. You can thrust the spear in any of the cardinal directions, and it's great in a fight, even against flying enemies. It's excellent all around, and its only real weaknesses are its lack of dash attack, and the awkward nature of its projectile attack. Stone ----- Combo: No Dash: No Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes Projectile: No Underwater: No, but if you turn to stone above water, you'll remain in stone. Grapple: No Parameters: Strong This ability isn't much different from before, except that you now have an uppercut, which is great for fighting. When you're turned to stone, you're basically invincible, so it's a cheap way to beat bosses, if you're patient enough. The forms are interesting, too; these are the ones I've seen: Kirby Statue Flexing Muscleman Star Block Kine/Coo/Rick Statue Kirby's Adventure Rock Star Stone 8t Weight Fist Mt. Fuji & Sign (or crates) Angry Face & Fist Sword ----- Combo: Yes Dash: Yes Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes Projectile: Yes, if your health is full Underwater: Yes Grapple: No Parameters: Sharp This is an old favorite of mine, largely because I'm good with a sword in real life. Anyway, it has great combos, and now it has a spin slash (as if it wasn't enough of a Link rip-off already), which is quite fun to use, though difficult to implement in combat. It's great in most fights, but unless your health is full, you can't fight from afar. The upward slash is pretty great, too. This is still one of my favorite abilities. Tornado ------- Combo: No Dash: Sorta Aerial: Yes Slam: No, but you can shoot a tornado downward Projectile: No Underwater: No Grapple: No Parameters: None I've always hated this ability because it's nearly impossible to control. You now have moves that shoot straight up and down, but the main attack is still way too erratic for me to use, except when it's absolutely necessary (which is rare). If you liked this ability before, you'll love it now, but otherwise, stay away. Water ----- Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: Okay Slam: No Projectile: Yes Underwater: Enhanced water gun Grapple: No Parameters: Extinguish This is another great new ability. You can surf by dashing, which allows you to slide right across the surface of the water. You can also raise the water beneath you while dashing, making it a nearly unstoppable dash. It is a little difficult to fight flying enemies, but if you stand beneath them, there are two decent moves to use against them. Whip ---- Combo: Yes Dash: Yes Aerial: Not really Slam: No Projectile: No Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: None (can grab items, though) This is a neat new ability that allows you to grab items with your whip. It's pretty decent during stages, though it falls flat during boss fights. You can whip upwards, but that's your only real defense against flying enemies. It's fun to use, but not great in a tough situation. Wing ---- Combo: No Dash: Yes Aerial: Yes Slam: Yes Projectile: Yes, but with limited range Underwater: No Grapple: Yes Parameters: Sharp This isn't much different than its incarnation in Kirby Super Star; it's just tweaked a bit. You can fly very quickly, and your wings hurt enemies as they flap. You can now guide the direction of your feathers, as well. It's better than its previous incarnations, but still nothing terribly special. B. Super Abilities ================== Super abilities are acquired by inhaling the sparkly enemies that make a big production when they appear. If you defeat said enemies, they'll leave the star behind, which can be acquired that way, if you prefer. When you have one, there'll be a rainbow bar by Kirby, which decreases over time. When it runs out, your ability disappears. Unlike the standard abilities, ejecting them will cause the star to burst almost immediately, rather than bounce for a while. The primary purpose of super abilities is to destroy large objects with sparkly stars on them. Most of these are obstacles, though there are a few enemies, as well. When you see a super ability, you'll know for sure that there is a very large object to destroy nearby in order to reveal a star gate, which will warp you to some weird area where a purple wave chases you and, you'll have to fight some incarnation of a Sphere Doomer for 2 Energy Spheres. Flare Beam ---------- This powered up version of the Beam ability allows you to create large spheres of energy, for which you control the path. In addition to breaking things, this one also allows you to light up transparent blocks bearing stars, but you have to light all of the blocks in an area with one sphere, or they'll go out. Grand Hammer ------------ This is a beefed up version of the Hammer ability, which allows you to swing a large hammer. You can make it larger and stronger by shaking the Wiimote after whipping it out; there are three different levels. Swinging your hammer will also produce a shockwave in either direction. Monster Flame ------------- This ability summons a serpentine dragon made of fire. It's a bit difficult, but you can guide the dragon in a particular direction by pressing up or down, albeit not very much. It's not as much fun to use as some of the other super abilities, but it does look very cool. Snow Bowl --------- This souped-up Ice ability turns you into a giant snowball that can be "thrown" further by shaking the Wiimote. The obstacle courses they give you with this ability tend to be a lot of fun to go through. Upon breaking, you will scatter snow and enemies everywhere, much like the double-Ice combination from Kirby 64. Ultra Sword ----------- This ramped-up version of the Sword ability is the simplest to use, but one of my favorites, nonetheless. You swing a giant sword that takes up the entire screen. You have the standard sword, a cutlass, Meta Knight's sword, a meat cleaver, and a fan, each of which shows up randomly. C. One-Shot Abilities ===================== These are abilities that can only be used once (or in the case of Mike, three times). They aren't common, but when you find one, it's usually advantageous to take it, except Sleep, obviously. Crash ----- This is the same as ever was, but now, if you hold the attack button and shake the Wiimote, you can charge it up. You can tell just from the charge that something is going to die. That is, unless there are multiple enemies on the screen; then everything's going to die. Mike ---- This one's a bit more focused than in the past, since the enemies have to be in the path of the sound waves to be damaged. Technically a three-shot ability, this one does a slightly different attack each time. Press and hold 1 on the third and final attack while shaking the Wiimote for a bigger blast. Mix --- This isn't technically an ability, but it shows up as one. If you inhale 3 or more enemies with abilities at the same time (much easier with that super inhale), you'll get this. It's like a big slot machine in that it cycles through every ability in the game, then lands on one and gives it to you. You can stop it early, if you like, but it's still fairly random, since they're cycling so quickly. Sleep ----- Sleep is as useless as ever; you just fall asleep. It doesn't heal you, but if you shake the Wiimote, you can wake Kirby up more quickly. ============== V. Walkthrough ============== This is the meat of the guide. I'll walk you through the stages, guiding you to every Energy Sphere. I will NOT, however, detail every single star and piece of food that is to be found. Most things in the game aren't that difficult to find, anyway. Let's do it! A. Level 1: Cookie Country ========================== It's your typical grass level, done Kirby style. There's nothing terribly noteworthy about it, though it IS pretty. In some stages, you'll see rainbows flowing through the background. Stage 1 ------- Charge to the right, following the instructions of the cute little signs. Doing so will add a checkmark. It's not a bad tutorial method, really, since it's non-intrusive. Anyway, just keep on going, plowing through enemy legions until you reach a door; enter it. Follow the path until you reach a key. Touch it to pick it up, but beware: you cannot use abilities or fly while carrying it. Pressing 1 will throw the key; the longer you hold it, the higher the arc. Carry it to the locked gate and either touch it while holding the key or throw it and try to hit the gate; either will work. Anyway, on the other side, you'll encounter your first [Energy Sphere]. Grab it and continue on until you reach a stone block. Discard your ability and do the super inhale to eat the stone block to gain access to the 1-up. Now, take the upper path and follow it to a bridge. Press down to drop below it, then grab the stars and food and follow the path up a ladder to the door at its end. Charge forward and eat the big sparkly guy. You now have a super ability! This allows you to destroy things with glowing stars on them. Keep pushing on, destroying the landscape. Once you reach a large rock formation with Waddle Dees all over it, smash the thing to open a star gate. When you're ready, hop in and get ready for some auto-scrolling. Keep running to the right. The purple stuff won't hurt you, but will push you. You can spit stars at it to temporarily dissuade it, but the main strategy is to keep moving. A good general strategy for these areas is to get a big object in your mouth, then spit it out and chase it; it will clear the path ahead of you, making your life a lot easier. This one's pretty simple, so just keep moving, following the strategy I gave you, then enter the door at the end. Here, select either Fire or Sword (I prefer sword), and move on, preparing for a miniboss. You'll encounter a Sphere Doomer. Blast him to bits to get 2 [Energy Spheres], then move on, grabbing the tomato, and jump into the gate. After resurfacing from your monochromatic swim, continue on, then go through the final door to finish the stage. Stage 2 ------- Walk forth and climb the ladder, then continue on. The little plant guys give you the Leaf ability, if you want it. Get to the end and jump on the Warp Star to move on. To the left are some stars, if you want, and to the right is the Cutter ability. Once you reach the platforms suspended by ropes, you can sever them with your Cutter or any sharp ability. One nets you a blue star! Go into the door at the end. Go down the steps and grab the shiny red cannon and run. Keep going, hit the switch to activate a bridge, and run until you see a ceiling made of the metal blocks. Hit it with the cannon to get an [Energy Sphere], then proceed right to the door. Grab the Needle ability (it's quite useful here) if you want, and move up the tree. Drop it for the Beam ability from the one-eyed guy, then proceed upward. At the top, go to the upper-right to find an [Energy Sphere] in the tree, then exit. Pick your weapon (I prefer the Beam), and march forth. Battle Gigant Edge, then swallow him for the Sword ability. Jump up on the little platform and slice the rope through the wall, then go up to grab the last [Energy Sphere] and go through the door at the end. Stage 3 ------- Grab the little Spark guy for his ability right at the beginning, then move on. Hit the bomb block to reveal the door and go through it. Follow the path, grabbing the Spark ability if you want it, then take either path; left has more stars, but right is easier. Continue to the door, but don't go through it. Press down to drop down and grab the first [Energy Sphere], then go back up and into the door you just ignored. Keep going, taking caution that some pillars move up and down as you go. Inhale the stone block and use it to break the blocks if you want some food and stars, then hit the switch at the end and go through the door. Grab the beam, and use it to hit bomb blocks and drop cannons as you go. You'll eventually reach a locked gate; go right from there to find the key. Go back to the gate and unlock it for the second [Energy Sphere], then back along the path and enter the door at its end. Beware the spikes and proceed. Once you hit the switch, RUN LIKE CRAZY to make it to the end before the little guy with the key, then beat him and take the key, taking it to the gate to get your last [Energy Sphere]. Now, proceed to the exit. Stage 4 ------- Proceed down and to the right, carefully watching the background. In addition to the pretty rainbow winds, you'll also notice rock pillars that look like they're about to fall; they are, so get near, then run away or just dash past them. Continue on until there's a hole in the wall in front of you. Walk into the opening to grab your first [Energy Sphere], then move on to the door, and go through it. Move to the right until you reach a switch. Hit it and grab the lollipop to become invincible, and run like a madman/woman to the door and enter it. Proceed through the cave until you find the trumpet, which shields you from above until it wears out. You can also use it as a weapon, with a little creativity. Move to the right until you find a switch, step on it, then grab the nearby [Energy Sphere], shielding yourself if you still have the trumpet. Next, proceed up the ladder to the door and go through it. The star blocks contain food and stars. Move right and grab the sparkly guy for another super ability. Use it to destroy starred objects as before, like the nearby trees. Continue on, enraging Smokey the Bear, until you reach a large tree. Reduce it to cinders to reveal a star gate, and enter it. Don't waste time fighting all of the spiders here, just jump through the webs, since they won't hurt you. Keep inhaling large objects to make starry steamrollers to pave the way, until you reach the door. Choose either Leaf or Spark (Leaf works better for me), and battle the Sphere Doomer for the last 2 [Energy Spheres], then exit through the star gate. Move to the stage's exit. B. Level 2: Raisin Ruins ======================== This is a desert stage with ruins. There's nothing special about this one, either. Stage 1 ------- Proceed to the right, inhaling the first enemy you see for the Whip ability. Go until you reach some gray bridges near a big yellow chompy guy. Drop down through the bridges and enter the door at the bottom. Whip the 1-up to grab it, then go back out and continue on to the next bridge, and grab the star and food, if you wish, then proceed to the door and go through it. Grab the Fire ability, then move to the right, light the fuse, then jump into the cannon for your first [Energy Sphere], then go back through the door. Inhale the large block to get some stars, food, and the Needle ability, if you wish, then proceed to the door and enter it, taking a moment to admire the big, sandy beach ball in the background. Hit the bomb block to release the boulder, then outrun it. Proceed to the switch, step on it, then let the rock go ahead of you, clearing the path of enemies. At the next switch, let the first rock go in front of you, then, run to avoid being smashed by the one that follows. At the end of the path, stay down, letting the rock smash the obstacles in front of you, revealing the second [Energy Sphere], grab it, then jump to avoid the second boulder and go through the door. Enter the alcoves as you go to avoid the boulders coming your way, then go through the next door. Grab the lollipop and go nuts, plowing through enemy legions, then drop down and enter the door at the end. Grab the Parasol to defend you from everything falling on your head, then go right, then pick either Whip or Sword (or not), and go on to fight Bonkers. Make sure to eat him to get the Hammer ability. Crush the metal blocks with it further on to get the last [Energy Sphere], then keep going to the exit. Stage 2 ------- Move to the right, grabbing the Water ability from the little blue dragon. Go right, dashing right over the surface of the water, and hit the tall enemy to knock him down to size. Do this to the next one as well, then enter the hole behind him for some food and stars, then go into the door along the main path. Grab the Stone ability and proceed, sliding down the hills as you go, and pound the stake on the way to destroy the blocks and enter the door. Pound the stake, then rush to the [Energy Sphere] before your path is blocked. If you mess up, just exit and reenter. When you're ready, just keep sliding until you reach a door and enter it. Swim right, then jump out and enter the door on the way for a 1-up if you'd like, but you'll need Water to get it. Moving along, swim along the bottom until you find a door, and enter it. In here, look at the channels closely. If that doesn't help, just hit the block on the ceiling and grab the [Energy Sphere], then exit. Continue on through the cool ring trees and grab the Warp Star at the end. Jump up and grab the overhead lever to open the gate, then go into the door. Climb up, avoiding the fire-breathing statues, and inhale the sparkly guy for the Flare Beam ability. Blast through the pillars, and make your way upward. You can go back down for the others, if you so desire, but all you'll get is stars. There's a Maxim Tomato in a statue head off to the left, if you care, and once you reach an octagon of statues, destroy the left side of them to open a star gate, so enter it. Get a running start to make yourself swim a little bit faster, at least to start. You can get away with flying for a while, too. Just remember the usual stellar weed whacker strategy, and make your way to the door at the end. Grab either the Parasol or Whip here (I don't care for either, but usually go with the Whip), and go forth to battle a Fire Sphere Doomer. This one's a little different from the previous ones, and can use fire attacks, so be careful. After beating him, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres], and go through the star gate. Back in the real world, go up a bit to reach the exit. Stage 3 ------- Head to the right, enjoying the funky music, and proceed upward until you reach the door, and enter it. Head up the right side, then the left side for the most bonuses, then enter the door at the top. Keep going up and to the right until you reach a large stone; inhale it and go through the passage. Use Tornado to break the blocks and get your first [Energy Sphere]. I hate Tornado, so I usually ditch it right afterwards, though you can keep it a bit longer to reach some food. Proceed to the door and enter it. Grab Hi-Jump from the enemy, and continue upward until the path branches in 3 directions. Go up the middle for the second [Energy Sphere], then continue on to the top, and go into the door. Choose your weapon, then throw the box, and it will break open to reveal a Maxim Tomato. Proceed to fight King Doo, then inhale him for the Beam ability. Go forward and jump into the cannon, then hit the bomb block a bit further on with the Beam to get the third [Energy Sphere], and proceed to the door and enter it. Jump into the cannon and fire it, eventually making your way to the upper-right to find the last [Energy sphere]. Now, go up the middle to reach the exit. Stage 4 ------- As you enter, grab the key and make your way up the pyramid, but beware. All of the scarfies will go all Phanto on you while you're holding it. Luckily for you, scarfies can be killed, so do so, and make your way to the locked gate. Inside, inhale the little guy for the Bomb ability and enter the nearby door. Keep moving to the right, holding on to your bomb ability, though it sucks for this part. Drop a bomb to break the blocks over the door when you reach it, and enter. In here, kill the guy, then set a bomb near the switch, and run like crazy to grab the [Energy Sphere] before the gate closes, then exit. Continue on right and enter the door at the end. In the darkness, follow the path until you reach the candle, and pick it up. You can set it down by ducking, then pressing 1, and I'd recommend doing so to fight enemies. Continue on the path until you notice the [Energy Sphere], then go around to the left to grab it. Now, continue along the path until you find the door, then go through it. Discard your candle, if you haven't already, and move forth, avoiding the magma blocks, but remembering their location. At the junction, pick Cutter or Beam, or keep what you have (I prefer cutter), and battle Water Galboros, then swallow him. Remember those magma blocks? You can cool them off with the Water ability, making them breakable. The ones before only have stars, so grab them if you want, and move on. When you get to the wall of magma blocks, break them, and proceed forward a bit, stopping short of the spiky enemies. Fire a shot to hit the bomb block, dropping them into the abyss, then grab your 1-up, then proceed to the next door and enter it. Keep moving to the right until you find a crystal. This will make you blink out of existence, but it WILL break after holding it long enough, so grab it and run as fast as you can to some blocks that look like your crystal, through which you can pass. Go in and notice the door on the other side of the wall. Get to and through that door, then through the blocks in this new room to grab the third [Energy Sphere], and exit. Now, continue on to the right and through the door at the end. Take the sword, then slice the ropes, grabbing stars and imprisoning cannons. Go down the ladder and inhale the sparkly guy to get Ultra Sword. Slice through the giant rope in front of you, and continue on, slicing everything to ribbons as you go. Once you reach two ropes in the same place, slice them both, and enter the star gate that was behind the left one. In here, bust it to the right, then double back and run to the left. Drop cannons where possible, and beat back the purple wave when it gets close, since this place is full of steps, so the 5-pointed wheat thresher method won't do much good in most places. At the end, you'll drop down and have to run back to the right a bit to reach the door, so make haste! In the next room, you're given Sword and Cutter (I prefer Cutter), and you'll encounter a Fire Sphere Doomer. Be cautious about the breakable blocks that lead to pits. After beating him, grab the last 2 [Energy Spheres], and jump in the star gate. After that, just go down the ladder and into the exit. C. Onion Ocean ============== This is where the game gets very pretty. This aquatic area has such beautiful shades of blue and purple, complimented by white. It's somewhat reminiscent of Poseidonia in Rygar: The Legendary Adventure/Battle of Argus. Stage 1 ------- Travel to the right, grabbing the Parasol ability to shield you from coconuts, and shimmy across the rope. Keep going, grabbing Ice if you want it (it can also extinguish magma blocks), and continue to the Warp Star and grab it. Grab the Parasol and float down to the bottom. Along the way, there's a concrete block to the left that conceals several stars, but nothing else is noteworthy. Enter the door at the bottom, but beware of the nasty fish. Move on to the right, grabbing Parasol if you don't have it to shield you from the giant exploding coconuts, unless you're really sweet on Tornado. At the end, travel up and enter the door. Inhale the bee for the Spear ability, and move on to the right. Travel along two rafts and across a breakable bridge. Jump on the third raft, making sure to thrust your spear upward to hit the bomb block along the way. Enter the door that it reveals. Go down and grab the key, then quickly run across the two switches and jump up the bridges to unlock the gate and grab your first [Energy Sphere], then go back out. Now continue on to the right and through the door. Move along to the right until you reach a sparkly guy, and eat him. Use your new super ability to bowl over flaming statues and sand castles as you go. Go into the door at the end, making sure your ability bar is well charged. On this next screen, destroy the giant sand castle, and enter the star gate that appears. This time, the curtain comes from above, so just keep making your way down and stepping on the switches to make the pillars fall. Enter the door at the bottom. Choose either Tornado on Sword (you can probably guess which one I picked), then fight the Fire Sphere Doomer. Be advised that there is water on either side of the battlefield. After winning, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres], then jump in the gate. Move along to the exit after resurfacing. It's a bit like having a nice big lunch of pizza and sparkling lemonade after a long morning's swim, eh? Well, maybe that's just me. Stage 2 ------- Dive in and swim to the right, heading up through the breakable blocks if you'd like a sword, then keep moving on, and enter the door at the top of the ladder at the end. Move along the bridge until you encounter Kibble Blade. Defeat him, then swallow him, unless you have another sharp ability, and move on to the rope platform, slice the rope, jump in, and head left to grab the first [Energy Sphere]. Head back right and across the bridge, then enter the door. Grab the Spear immediately, then dive in to the right and keep on swimming. In the third tide pool, you'll notice a large rock formation in the center. Hit the switch on the right side, then enter the door that's been revealed. Kill all of the enemies you can reach with your spear, then destroy the 3 levels of barriers and grab the [Energy Sphere], then go back out. Continue on to the right and into the door. Jump into Kiriboo's Shoe (huh, huh). It will break over time, but you can hop over spikes, stomp stakes, and bounce on any enemy with it. To bounce higher, hit the jump button as you land on the enemy's head. You'll have to do this to get across gaps here. You can mess around with the first boot, but the second one is required to get a hidden item. Crush the golden block for a 1-up, then keep going until you find 3 pink flying enemies. Hop across them and crush the golden block at the top and go into the door behind it. Now, swim up, grab the [Energy Sphere], then pull on the lever at the top. Swim through the passage, heading to the bottom, then swim along the passage, staying near the top. Above the fifth eel you see, there are breakable blocks and an [Energy Sphere] behind them, so grab it and continue on to the exit. Stage 3 ------- Blow up the bomb block and swim along the passage, getting shot straight down. Go to the left and jump out of the right side of the waterfall for some stars. Now move to the right to the next bomb, then jump out the left side of the waterfall and inhale the concrete block for Hammer, which can be used underwater. At the bottom, go into the door. Hit the switch, and move forward, being careful because the current is very strong here. When you reach an area with stars lining the top of a crusher, wait for a door to be revealed. If you want a 1-up, go into the door, then jump into the water and blast the bomb block on your way, then jump into the top to grab it (there's no current in there), then go back out and continue on. Go on the underside of the next crusher, since there are no enemies and you can get some stars, then go into the door. Swim to the top, then hit the middle switch, following the path for some goodies, then through the door at the bottom. Swim up and break the box for a Maxim Tomato, then continue along the path, grabbing Water if you want it, and fight Moundo further up, making sure to swallow him for Stone. Stand on the star blocks and activate Stone to smash through and break the current to get your first [Energy Sphere], then proceed right to the door. Now, swim up to the top and hit the right switch, and follow the path for your second [Energy Sphere], then go through the door at the bottom. Blow up the bomb block and get ready for an insane jumping challenge, as both the water AND the air have strong currents. You can fly to an extent, but it's easier if you jump rhythmically through the water as you need to. Enter the door at the end. Proceed to the right and swallow the sparkly guy for Monster Flame. The weird statues can only be destroyed when their mouths are open, showing their stars. Just keep moving along until you reach a shipwreck. Study it closely, and attack as the octopus lifts it up enough for you to hit him, revealing a star gate, then enter it. Get a running start to begin swimming a bit faster, and employ the celestial bulldozer technique as usual, entering the door all the way at the right. Choose either Spear or Parasol (I prefer Spear) and fight the Fire Sphere Doomer, utilizing the water columns on either side of the battlefield if you wish. After winning, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and hop into the star gate. Back in the real world, drop below the nearby bridge and continue to the exit. Stage 4 ------- Dive right in, swim to the bottom, and hit the switch for some underwater terraforming, then move on and enter the door. Break through the bomb block, and carefully navigate the passage until you head left and reach the end of the passage, which then turns downward. Go up through the bomb blocks and into the door. Hit the switch, then pull the lever once the bridge closes, jump over the switch, grab the key, and use it to grab the [Energy Sphere], then exit. Continue down the path until you reach the door at the bottom, and enter it. This part's pretty straightforward; just keep hitting switches to open paths, grabbing Water along the way, if you wish. You'll eventually see a door that leads to a lollipop. Grab it, then swim quickly around the rock formation, enter the door concealed by the seaweed, and blast your way to the [Energy Sphere] and exit. Now continue on, jumping out of the water for some meat and stars, if you wish, then proceed to the door at the end and enter it. Now, proceed along the path, avoiding the large, spiky shell, but making sure to grab the Spear ability along the way. Hit the pink switch, then, when you're ready, hit the blue one and outswim the giant shell, then keep going. Once you reach the next pink switch, repeat the process, ducking into the alcove to let it pass over you, and it will clear the path to your third [Energy Sphere], then proceed upward to the door and enter it. Go down the left side, since it's easier, and continue down to a rotating sphere with stars and a skull on it. Run like crazy, clinging to the walls when you fall from platforms to save some times, then throw it at the blocks along the way for a 1-up and trying to stay out of the way, because it will hurt you when it blows up (and it's a big explosion). Please note that the bomb will not explode until it's flashing, and that putting it down will stop it from ticking until you pick it back up. Keep going until you find another, then repeat the process, making sure to hit the switches to extend the bridges because you can't fly while you're carrying it. Keep clinging to the insides to slip through the cracks, and throw the bomb at the gold blocks at the end to reveal your fourth [Energy Sphere]. If the Waddle Dee's a problem, just put your bomb down, deal with him, then go back for your bomb. Once you're finished, go back to the platform before the gold blocks and slide down the ladder underneath it and through the door at the bottom. Get ready for Eel City. Watch them closely before trying to get by them, and time your movements accordingly. When you see a place to pop out of the water, do so, and grab the Spear ability if you don't have it, then continue on. Once you get through the bomb blocks, head to the top of the new chamber, and use your spear to hit the bomb block above the upward facing eel to get the last [Energy Sphere], then continue to the right, through the bomb blocks, and take the exit. D. White Wafers =============== This is one of the most wondrous ice levels I've ever experienced. The backgrounds are breathtaking, especially in the later stages, even though the auroras look kinda cheesy (I think they have too many different colors). The music in certain areas compliments the stark winter's night very well. Stage 1 ------- Note: You can't melt all the neat-looking ice stuff, even with the Fire ability. Yes, I spent several minutes trying. Proceed to the right, grabbing the Fighter ability, if you wish, then keep moving on until you find a Fire enemy; eat him. If you can't find him, he's in an igloo next to the one blocked by ice. Now, you guessed it, use the fire to break into the igloo that's frozen shut, then blast down through the floor to find your first [Energy Sphere], then continue on, and go through the door at the end. March forth, grab the cannon, and run like mad, blasting everything in your path. If you run fast enough, you can take out the ceiling, netting you a 1-up and some other goodies, but nothing else. Go through the door when you're ready. Note: For this part, I'm only giving instructions for the manual cannons, which are green and have an arrow on them. You can't control the orange cannons, so I'm not going to even mention them. Hop into the cannon, then blast to the upper-right, then to the lower-right, then right, then up into the hidden alcove and up again for your second [Energy Sphere, then back down, blast right through the spiky guys, right again. Now, blast to the lower-right twice in a row, then to the well-hidden cannon in the lower-left to get to a door, then go through it. Keep moving to the right, grabbing the last [Energy Sphere] along the way, which you can only do if you took the path I recommended with the cannons. You can grab the Mike ability for some added fun, and pull on the rope to open the gate, then go through the door. Keep moving onward, and fight Gigant Edge, grabbing his ability if you want it (it lets you get the Whip ability, and the nearby 1-up), then proceed to the exit. Stage 2 ------- Move to the right, keeping in mind that the snowmen will fall forward when you get near them. You can grab the Ninja ability if you want (it's a lot of fun), then continue on to the door and enter it, going up for some food and an extra guy, if you want it, though you need Ninja to get it (stick to the wall and throw kunai at the rope). Continue to the right in this next area, making sure to grab the Fire ability as you go, and keep going until you reach the cannon, clearing yourself a path for the ensuing mad dash, though it's not as frantic as some of the cannons in Kirby's Adventure. Once you're ready, light the fuse with Fire, then run to the cannon and jump in, and it will fire you into a secret area. Run over the switch and do your Burn attack to get through the gate before it closes, and grab your first [Energy Sphere], then exit. Continue to the right and enter the door at the end. Proceed along the path, until you reach the boot. Make your way to the next boot, stopping to crush the gold blocks for some food if you need it. Hop into the second boot, go through the door behind the gold blocks, then hop across the enemies to reach the high platform. Crush your way through, grabbing the second [Energy Sphere] on your way down, then exit, and get back to where you found the boot, wait for yours to explode (stay in it), then hop in the new one and continue on to the door at the end and go through it. Grab the Stone ability, then slide your way down the slopes, stopping before you fall into any pits. If you do, wait for the cannons to fire their 3 shots before coming back out. Slide to the end and go through the door. Use Stone to pound the stake in the next area for some food, select Sword or Beam, if you wish, then continue on to battle Super Bonkers. Beat him and grab the Grand Hammer ability that he leaves behind. Run through, pounding stakes as you go. You can only kill the jack-in-the-box guys when they're popped up and you're on top of them, but destroying one takes out the whole group. Smash the group of giant ones to reveal a star gate, then jump into it. This one's tricky, since you have to keep grabbing keys to progress. Slide to break the bomb blocks, since you can do so while holding the key. When you reach the mini Waddle Dees, you can either drop your key and inhale/spit them to crush the blocks, or, if you're fast enough, like me, just keep sliding as fast as you can. You'll eventually reach a cannon, which you'll use to clear your path of bomb blocks, breakable blocks, and large enemies. Don't be afraid to lag a bit to make sure your path is clear before proceeding. Just keep going until you reach then end, then go into the door. Pick either Ninja or Fire (believe it or not, I don't take either), and go on to battle an Electric Sphere Doomer. I usually swallow one of his projectiles and use Spark on him. After beating him, grab the last two [Energy Spheres] and hop into the star gate. Now, just go right and up the ladder to reach the exit. Stage 3 ------- Grab the rope to make a path, then follow it down, avoiding the giant ice cannons. Fire is helpful here, to drop some of the cannons into pits, but not necessary. You can also use it to get some food and an extra guy along the way. Make sure to grab the Spear ability from the knight guy, and proceed to the end and enter the door. Swim to the right, avoiding the large shells, and hit the blue switch with your spear when you reach it to reveal some stars and an [Energy Sphere], then go through the nearby door. Proceed forth, avoiding the giant balls of ice trying to give you the Pancake ability. On the second tier, ignore crystal for now, and grab the Fire ability to break the ice on the nearby ladder. Now, go back, grab the crystal, head up the ladder with it, run through the blocks, slide into the bomb block, and keep the crystal so that the giant ice boulder passes harmlessly through you. After it's gone, grab the [Energy Sphere] that's behind where it was, then go through the nearby door. If you inflate yourself before entering the downward currents, you won't descend as quickly, but watch the bubbles closely to see which way they go. Be sure to grab the Cutter ability, then keep going until you reach a platform suspended by a rope. Charge up a Hyper Cutter, then throw it upward, and it will bounce back and forth, severing the rope. DO NOT do this from underneath the platform, or you'll be crushed to death instantly. Go into the door, then down the ladder and hit the switch with your cutter to make the ice boulder drop, then fly up the shaft for your third [Energy Sphere], then exit. Continue to the right and through the door at the end. Note: You can skip the bombs in the upcoming area, if you wish. Rush forward, grabbing the bomb, and throw it onto the pillar, then hit the switch to raise it, pick it up again, then keep going until you reach the gold blocks and use it to blow them up. Now you have a clear path, so grab the key and unlock the gate further on for... ANOTHER BOMB!? Ugh, grab it, then jump up the platforms and continue on to the right and throw it at Water Galboros when he appears, then grab the Water ability and the key, and place the key on the pillar. Standing on the pillar next to the key, shoot the switch with Water, then grab it and run to the gate to grab the last [Energy Sphere], then proceed to the exit. Stage 4 ------- Grab Sword if you like, and prepare for another crazy high-wind jumping spree. Just let your reflexes do the talking, and enter the door at the end. Now, on this screen, keep your eyes peeled for a cannon, and be ready to jump into it. The cannon is right after the Waddle Dee riding a boar, so jump into it to get your first [Energy Sphere], then go into the cannon to the right to resume the stage, after going through the door. Here, pull the rope and proceed with caution. The trumpet will shield you, but move quickly. The updrafts will keep you afloat over the large pits. You can pull on the ropes to release enemies, but grab your trumpet back quickly or get out of the way. The third one is activated by a switch, but your trumpet will likely have broken by now, so run over it, turn around, and super inhale to grab all three large enemies. Now, proceed to the door and enter it. Go down the ladders, grabbing Water, and hit the switch, then outrun the little guy and steal his key before he lets the Scarfies out, then drop down and use it to grab the second [Energy Sphere] instead, then go through the door at the top. Inhale the sparkly guy for Snow Bowl, then use it to knock over all the bowling pins. Some of the ramps go up and down, so time your bowls carefully. When you reach the giant snow ball, roll on top of it as a snow ball to make a snowman, which will explode, revealing a star gate, then hop in. The wave descends from the top this time, so keep running and hitting switches as you go. Use your shots to break the icicles hanging overhead and make your life easier. When sections of the ceiling start breaking, pause until they drop completely, so you don't get crushed under them, then run over the tops. Go into the door near the end of the second section of falling ceilings, then pick either Bomb or Cutter (I use Cutter), then descend the ladder and hit the switch to fight an Electric Sphere Doomer. Parts of the floor will move up and down as you fight. Once you win, snag the 2 [Energy Spheres] and hop into the star gate down the ladder to exit. Back in the land of reality, head a bit right to the exit. Stage 5 ------- Grab the Ice ability if you want, then go into the door at the bottom. In the next room, head to the left and through the door. Grab the key in here and go back through the door and head to the right this time, going through the door at the end. Go through the next door as well, grabbing the food if you want. Head to the right, being careful not to get crushed, and grab the cannon when you reach it, then run to the right and into the door between the glaciers a bit after the breakable blocks overhead. Inside this area, use the cannon to clear the path of metallic blocks to make a path to the first [Energy Sphere]. Now, exit and continue on your way to the right, making sure to grab the Fire ability as you go, then enter the door at the end. Make your way through, breaking the ice as you go, and enter the door you find. Now, hit the bomb block and run as fast as you can, because walls will fill in along your path, so you have to beat them. Jump at the first nub to avoid the first wall, then drop under the bridge and run to beat the second, then fly like crazy at the next little nub to avoid the last, then rush forward to grab the [Energy Sphere], ride the cannons back, then exit. Now move on, climb the ladder, and enter the door at the top. Go to the right this time, entering the door at the end, and grab the key, killing the Scarfies as you go, and head back through the door. Run to the left, open the gate, and go through the door. Go through the next door as well. Move through the darkness, making sure to grab the candle as you go. Pull the rope when you reach it for some stars, then go to the point where you have to go up. STOP! Now, use the candle (or Fire, if you have it) to break the ice to the left by throwing it (don't worry; it won't go out), then enter the door behind it. In here, grab the Ice ability, freeze one of the cloud enemies that drop, then kick it up the spike-lined hill to hit the switch to unveil the [Energy Sphere], then exit. Continue down and to the right, grabbing the candle, and use it to break the ice and hit the switch for more path-lining stars, and enter the door at the end. Clear the path ahead of Scarfies, then hit the switch, grab the key, and unlock the left door for your last [Energy Sphere]. Now, grab the key and unlock the right door this time, and proceed to the exit. E. Nutty Noon ============= This sky world is also quite breathtaking, particularly the sunset areas. There are floating islands, lots of vines (I'm a big fan of vines), and orange clouds. When I'm cynical about beautiful visuals in newer games, just remind me of this area and I'll shut up. Leave it to Kirby to create stunning visuals in a world of either brown and gray or overly saccharine anime-clones. Stage 1 ------- Climb up the mountain, grabbing the Parasol on the other side if you wish, and grab the Warp Star. Proceed to the right; enter the door along the way for a 1-up if you want, but you'll need Whip. I like Wing for this part, which you can find shortly after the 1-up, but go through the door at the end when you're ready. Fly up, grabbing the Parasol if you want to protect your head, and break the blocks to reveal a door that has your first [Energy Sphere], then go back out and continue up and through the door at the top. Grab a sharp ability here (I like Wing, which I've kept from earlier), and move on, being careful not to kill yourself by severing your own cord. You'll notice an opening in the clouds above you near a suspended platform. Go up there and sever the platform above the door and enter. Grab the [Energy Sphere] in here, then exit, go back down, and proceed to the right and enter the door at the end. Move along, grabbing Tornado if you want it (NO WAY!). Along the way, after two cloud enemies right next to each other, you'll notice a hidden alcove in the clouds. Go in and fly up for your third [Energy Sphere], then continue along the path and go through the door at the top. Beware of spiked balls here. At the first switch, hit it and outrun the ball. At the second one, hit it, then try to fly over the little one ahead of you, if possible. At the end of the path, the balls will hit bomb blocks, which will create walls in front of the [Energy Sphere], so you'll have to at least outrun the big one behind you. The little one makes a low wall, and the big one makes a high wall. Once you've gotten it, continue on to the exit. Stage 2 ------- Pull on the rope ahead, and enter the castle, pulling on the next rope as well as you move along the path. Pull on the next rope for some stars, then inhale the large concrete block for stars and food, if you want. Keep going and pull on both ropes, then enter the door at the end. Grab the Bomb ability right away, then continue on, and grab the bomb and run forward. Put it down when you can't jump to conserve time. Blow up the big gold block at the end to reveal a door, and go into it. Grab Bomb if you don't have it. Now, stand on the switch and throw a bomb at the bomb block to get the [Energy Sphere], remembering that bombs can be aimed. For some reason, I can't stop saying "bomb". Now exit, and continue, pulling on the two ropes, and entering the door at the end. Now, at the first area, pull on the left rope. At the second, pull the right to grab some food, and the middle to move on. At the third, pull the second to move on, and the far right one for a sammich. Further up, hit the middle switch under the blocks to move on, and enter the door at the top. Blast your way through, pulling on the rope to fight Moundo, making sure to swallow him after you win. Pull on the rope, then pound the stake further on, then the next, but NOT the one on the far right, then run underneath to grab the [Energy Sphere], then pull the rope and enter the door at the end. Move on until you find the sparkly guy, then swallow him for Flare Beam. Hit every transparent block in one shot to light them up and open gates. Most will net you a bunch of stars or food, but the third one will let you reach a giant face, which in turn will reveal a star gate when lit; enter it. Inhale blocks to hit bomb blocks and proceed, some of which are tricky to time. Just watch how the stage moves before firing, and enter the door at the end. Select Stone or Parasol (or not) and move on to fight the Electric Sphere Doomer. You're on a moving platform this time. I usually grab Spark from his projectiles and use that instead, though it's tricky to do. Grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and hop into the star gate. Climb up the ladder to your right, enter the cannon, and exit the stage. Stage 3 ------- Climb up the ropes, dealing with the strong winds as you go. If you grab the Beam ability along the way, you can get a 1-up. Just make your way to the top and enter the door. Continue upward through the beautiful sunset, grabbing the cannon along the way to make your life easier. If you reach the top with it, you can get some goodies. Enter the door to the next area. In here, you'll want either the Needle or Stone ability (or anything that can crush things underneath you as you're falling). Hit the switch when you're ready, and blast down through the blocks, making sure to beat the little guy and grab the key before they fall into the abyss, then open the gate, grab the [Energy Sphere], and enter the door to the left. Climb to the top once again, avoiding the giant lightning cannons and munchers. Stick to the ladders, since the wind is strong here. At the second set of bomb blocks, use the Beam ability (found here) to blast through and enter the door. In here, climb the ladder and make your way through this labyrinth of pain, pull the rope, grab the [Energy Sphere], and exit. Continue your ascent and enter the door at the top. Grab Hi-Jump and crush your way to the pink switch. Stand on it, charge your jump, then release to get through, then pull the rope to move on. At the next switch, do the same, but drop from the rope, charge another jump while falling, then release upon landing, but angle as far to the right as you can to grab the [Energy Sphere]. Continue upward to the door and enter. Hit the switch and defend yourself from the para(sol)troopers. Continue upward, repeating the process where necessary, ascending to the cannon and jumping in. In this next area, grab the [Energy Sphere] hidden in the clouds just above the flying enemy, then exit. Stage 4 ------- Jump in the boot if you wish, proceeding to the right until you reach the second boot, which you will need to enter. From this second boot, proceed to the end of the bridge, smash through, then back left to grab the [Energy Sphere], then enter the door at the very end. Climb the ladder, then shimmy along the rope, then up the next ladder, across another rope, up another ladder, then drop from the next rope for the second [Energy Sphere], then continue moving upward to the top, pull the rope at the top, and enter the door. Climb up, grab either Fire or Ice, if you want them, then climb up and beat the tar out of Super Bonkers and grab the Grand Hammer ability. Enter the nearby door. Charge forth, smashing everything in your path, particularly making sure to smash the big whack-in-the-boxes and the stake beneath them. At the top, slam the giant spring to eventually reveal a star gate. Dive into it. Blocks here will move back and forth, so be careful not to get crushed. Your lawnmower of death tactic will work fairly well here, so remember it. Really, though, you can fly over most of the stage, but be careful at the end, since the door is trapped in the middle of two crushing blocks. Pick Whip or Spear (I prefer Spear), then move on to fight the Electric Sphere Doomer. The platforms will separate, then come back together periodically, so have fun with that. After beating the feathers out of the thing, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and jump into the star gate to head back. From here, enter the door in the upper-right. Climb the ladder, pull the rope, then head right to the exit. Stage 5 ------- Climb up the ladder and enter the door. Pick from Fire, Bomb, Beam, or Stone (or keep what you have), open the crate for a Maxim Tomato if you need it, then enter the door at the end. Defeat Gigant Edge, then swallow him for Sword and enter the door. Sever the rope to grab the first [Energy Sphere], then enter the door. Run up the ramp, grabbing Spear if you wish, then enter the door. Defeat Moundo, then swallow him for Stone and enter the door. Crush the blocks for second [Energy Sphere], then enter the door to the right. Charge up the ramp, grabbing Beam if you like, and enter the door. Defeat Water Galboros, then swallow him for the Water ability and enter the door. Douse the magma blocks and break them for the third [Energy Sphere] and enter the door to the right. Dash up the ramp, grabbing Sword if it suits you, then enter the door. Defeat Dubior, then swallow him for Spark and enter the door. Charge up your power to full, then blast the bomb block to nab the last [Energy Sphere] and enter the door. Proceed right to the exit, grabbing a much needed Maxim Tomato on the way. Note: If you fly above the door to the tower on the first screen, you can enter a secret door covered by bars, which will start you at the Water Galboros. This will take you on an alternate route through the tower, which is a bit more difficult. F. Egg Engines ============== This is your typical machine world; a gray steampunk paradise. I'm not a fan of steampunk and I sigh a little bit whenever a platformer goes mecha (which they invariably do). Stage 1 ------- Head to the right, running past the hazards in the background and hitting the switches to clear your path. Make sure to grab Fire along the way. Light the fuse, then run like crazy to enter the cannon and blast to a secret area with a 1-up if you want it. Continue right and enter the door. Move across the breaking bridges, avoiding the Sleep and grabbing Water from the enemy, if you want it, then enter the door at the end. Jump into the cannon, then time your shots to get through the crushers. At the fourth set of crushers, you'll see a door. You want to fire yourself into them when they're closed to bounce off, then enter the door. Shoot yourself into the wall in here to gain access to the [Energy Sphere] and other goodies, then exit. Continue blasting on through the crushers. The long chain is tricky; shoot right as they're opening up. Once you're through it, enter the door. Proceed to the right. Once you reach the long runs with the cannons, run right behind their shots to keep from getting hit. Enter the door at the end. Hit the switch, grab the lollipop, then go berserk, running as fast as you can through everything. You can grab the Sword and enter the door for a 1-up, but there's nothing else there. Enter the door, after grabbing the Maxim Tomato if you want it. If you DO decide to grab it, fly up the left side on your way out to avoid getting shocked. Move along a bit, then grab Monster Flame and light the fuses on the weird bomb things to destroy them. Just keep moving on until you reach a gigantic bomb; light its fuse to destroy it, and dive into the star gate that it reveals. Inhale the blocks quickly and spit them at the wave to push it back, then make a mad dash to the left, using air puffs or baddies to hit the bomb blocks to clear a path. Slide through the walls of star blocks, and keep in mind that you'll have to double back a bit to get into the door. Grab Ninja or Bomb, (I go with Bomb) then go fight the Ice Sphere Doomer. You can inhale its shots for Ice, if you want. Defeat it for 2 [Energy Spheres], then jump through the star gate. The exit is right next to you, so go through it. Stage 2 ------- The music is kickin' in here! Enter the door right there. Watch the death boxes closely before proceeding, and enter the next door. Grab Fire in here, then fight your way to the door and enter it. Move along the path, fighting the tough enemies along the way, and enter the door at the end. Use the death sled above you to shield you from spikes. Along the way, grab Ice, Parasol, or Water, since you'll need one of them, then enter the door. Extinguish the magma blocks to make a safe path for yourself. Once you reach the first piston pumping upward (the fourth and last one), extinguish the magma blocks at the top and break them to grab your first [Energy Sphere] and head through the nearby door. Be careful of the cannons, grabbing Stone as you make your way up through the death shaft and enter the door at the top. Swim through the passage, avoiding the spiky turbines, until you reach the third set of them. There's a readily visible [Energy Sphere] in here. Swim into the air bubble above and turn to stone to smash in and grab it. Move on to the left to find the door to the next area; enter it. Run and slide through the blocks, or use Stone to protect yourself from the blasts, then enter the door at the end. Fly carefully along the path, making sure not to touch anything as you go, and enter the door at the end. Move to the right and fight Dubior. Inhale him and take Spark, then enter the nearby door. Hit the switch, and use Thunderbolt to destroy all of the bomb blocks, especially the last one as the box moves you along. If you hit the last one, it will reveal an [Energy Sphere]. Grab it, then head through the door. Pull the rope, then grab the key and take it through this obstacle course. Don't bother fighting the red guy, since you're likely to make him respawn anyway. Hit the switch to flip over the spike platform, then wait for the series of pistons to open, then run across them right away. Once safely on the other side, unlock the gate, grab the last [Energy Sphere], and exit the stage. Stage 3 ------- Pull the rope and get ready for a conveyor belt fury with high winds. Dodge everything the best you can and enter the cannon at the end. In this second area, go until you reach a high hill with one of those helmet head guys on it. After descending, there will be a rope to pull. Run against the conveyor to slow your progress and grab it to net your first [Energy Sphere], then move on to the door at the end and enter it. Grab the much needed Maxim Tomato from the crate, and run along the belts, grabbing a Spear if you want/can, and fight both King Doo and Moundo at the same time. Swallow either one of them to get some food and stars. With Stone, turn into stone and pass through the spikes; with Beam, shoot a charged blast at the bomb block. When you're done, go right and through the door. Hit the switch to raise the platform, grab Water, and return to the left. When the switch rises again, hit it, then surf like crazy across it until you reach the gap, which has an [Energy Sphere]. If you miss it, go back, hit the switch, and try again. When you're done, go through the door at the end. Climb the tower until you can get the Flare Beam, then continue upward until you reach an area with thinner blocks on either side that move up and down; it's through the door at the top of the current area. Light them all with one shot to reveal a star gate. If you plow through and only get one side, just get the other side on the way back. Jump into the star gate. Run to the right and time your movements carefully to avoid being hit. The cannon balls cannot enter water, so use that to your advantage, and enter the door at the end. Grab either Hammer or Spear (I prefer Spear), and go on to battle the Ice Sphere Doomer. There is water in the middle if the platform, so watch out. After winning, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and jump through the star gate. Jump into the cannon to the right and exit the stage. Stage 4 ------- Swim around the spiral and enter the door in the center. Move along through the darkness, grabbing Fire to help you see, and the candle, as well. When you see the sword enemy, go up through the breakable blocks and grab Hammer, then continue on. Once the path splits below you, go to the right, using the Hammer to crush the blocks and grab your first [Energy Sphere]. Now, go to the left and stop at the door. Smash the blocks behind it, go through the water, and enter the door at the end of that path instead. Now swim through, grabbing the [Energy Sphere] in plain sight, and either Parasol or Fighter if you want, and go through the door. In here, head to the right, beat Kibble Blade, and take Cutter. Just to the right, shoot the switch from the left side of the waterfall to break the blocks and reveal your third [Energy Sphere], then enter the door beyond. In here, enter the chamber. Head down, then right, through the passage, right, grab the milks if you need them, then down, down again, grab the [Energy Sphere], through the passage, down, then right and through the door. Now, swim through the passage until you reach the sixth eel (facing right). Behind him is a door; proceed with caution (swimming along the top helps) and enter it. Swim up onto land, then head right, grab Spark, shoot the lighted bomb block for the candle, then use it to figure out which one has the key (second from the left), then blast it free, unlock the gate, grab the [Energy Sphere], and exit. Continue on your way, waving up and down to avoid eels and grab stars, then exit the stage. Stage 5 ------- Move to the right, being careful not to get crushed. You'll have to wait in the gaps to avoid being crushed by the long crusher. Pull the rope at the end to crush the enemies and score a 1-up, then enter the door and get ready. The ceiling will come down with different patterns 5 times to crush you. For the first round, run to the right. Second, run to the left. Third, stay where you are. Fourth, avoid the spikes and duck. For the fifth and final crush, run to the left and jump up to grab the [Energy Sphere]. Enter the door that appears. Move forward, grabbing Wing as soon as you can. Flap along until you reach two bow enemies. Not long after you pass them, a Maxim Tomato will fly down the belt. A little further on, you'll reach a door; enter it. Inside, grab the key, throw it onto the belt, then fly over to the other side and grab it, then unlock the gate and grab the [Energy Sphere]. Wing helps a great deal, since it lets you fly faster. Exit when ready. Continue right and enter the door at the end. This is another crush puzzle. For the first drop, go to the left. For the second, go to the right and duck. For the third, stay near the center and fly up the middle to grab the third [Energy Sphere]. For the fourth, go to the left. For the fifth and final drop, pass the enemies and head to the right. Enter the door that appears. Hit the bomb block and head along the path. Pull the rope and duck under the Gordos. Now, pull the next rope, grab the crystal and run through the crystal blocks. Pull the rope and grab the [Energy Sphere], then proceed through the door after pulling the rope. This crushfest is a little different. Head kinda right, then jump on top and run left, then run back through it as it ascends. Round 2: head left, then jump on top and run to the right, then back through it all. Round 3: run right, jump up, then run to the left, then back through it all again. Finally, avoid the large towers crushing down from the right, making sure to grab the [Energy Sphere] under the third one, and enter the door at the very left before getting crushed to exit the stage. G. Dangerous Dinner =================== Despite my love of fire and all things red, I don't usually care for fire worlds, but this one has wowed my like no other. What did it for me, I think, is the use of purple and black. I think this might even dethrone the Blaze Area from Maze Hunter 3D on the Sega Master System and Scorch from Ristar on the Sega Genesis as my favorite fire areas ever. Stage 1 ------- Move along, being careful about the lava spouts, which bubble a bit before erupting. The enemies, curiously, will get burned by the lava, too, so you can use them as shields at times. At any rate, enter the door at the end. Outrun the giant lava ball and hit the switch to make it drop below, then jump into the cannon and do it again. When you see the lava balls above, run like crazy, because the blocks are going to explode, and they're going to fall at you. Grab the key along the way and jump over the enemy, then unlock the gate to get the [Energy Sphere], then continue on to the right and enter the door. Charge forth, grabbing Fire if you want, and battle Water Galboros while dodging the stupid cannon, then swallow him for Water. Grab the key and surf over the lava (just dash with Water), unlock the gate, and enter the door. Here, you want to cool all of the blocks on the surface, then grab the key and jump up the steps, unlock the gate, grab the [Energy Sphere], and exit. Head right and through the door. Stay along the top, pausing when you see bubbling lava. Wait a few seconds to find out why. Hit the bomb block to reveal a door and enter it. Now, in here, you want to run along the path but only hit certain switches. Hit 1, hit 2, then jump over 3, hit 4, hit 5, jump over 6, wait until the right time to hit 7, and hit 8 once he's at the gate. Beat him, grab the key, unlock the gate, grab the [Energy Sphere], jump into the cannon, and exit. Now, head right and enter the door. Acquire Snow Bowl and blast your way through the obstacle course, knocking over flaming bowling pins and crushing enemies as you go. At the part where the pillars crush down, transform, wait until they're going up, then shake the Wiimote to dash through. You can also smash giant lava blocks and roll over lava with impunity. When you reach the volcano, put your giant snow ball in the crater to freeze it over and reveal a star gate, then jump inside. Inhale the blocks and spit them at the wave to push it back, then use the usual technique to make your way through, dropping cannons as you go. Move quickly at the breaking bridges, especially when inhaling a block while on one. Pull the ropes and quickly drop down, but be careful, because the recoil from the cannon fire will cause the rock to come crushing down on you. Inhale the large block at the end and use it to push the wave back so that you can enter the door. Grab the Whip or Sleep (real tough decision there) and go fight the Ice Sphere Doomer. This arena has a large fire cannon in the middle... goodie... Upon victory, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and dive through the star gate. Head left and exit the stage. Stage 2 ------- Hit the switch and stick to the center, battling enemies as they come. You'll see a blue star on the right and an [Energy Sphere] on the left, but they're guarded by the helmet head enemies. It's right after the bomb section, and they blend in very well (I jumped right into them my first time through!). After that, lava balls will roll through. Just persevere, and you'll reach the bottom; enter the door. Grab Ninja and head in a generally downward direction, avoiding getting crushed as you go. After descending the third ladder, break through the star blocks, hit the bomb block, and go down the next ladder. Halfway down, fly right through the lava (it's just part of the foreground) and enter the door behind it. Now, stick to the wall one block below the ceiling and throw a kunai through the opening that the lava pillar makes to sever the rope and release the [Energy Sphere], then exit. Fly back through the lava, then continue down. Drop into a gap, proceed slowly, and enter the door. Grab Hi-Jump, then proceed upward (kinda counter-productive, eh?). Move quickly to prevent a smooshy demise. Now, as bad an idea as it may seem, Hi-Jump along the right side where the fast-moving crusher is to reach the little alcove with the red stars. From there, Hi-Jump again, guiding it to the left to grab the third [Energy Sphere], then continue up, hit the cannon, and enter the door at the top. Grab Spark to help you see in the darkness, making your way to the right. Grab the candle, and swim along the surface to keep it lit. Dodge the sea creatures as you go, and watch out for the spikes from above. Throw the candle into the ice to get stars, a Maxim Tomato, and a 1-up, then enter the door nearby. Run quickly to avoid getting smooshed; don't even stop to grab an ability. Grab the cannon to help you clear the path as you run along, then enter the door at the end. Grab an ability if you need one, then battle Super Bonkers and take the Grand Hammer. Charge forth, crushing everything in your path. You'll encounter some strange gray blocks with lines through them. The idea is to line them up with the various strengths of Grand Hammer. For the first one, just hit the middle block with the weak hammer. You can also smash the Mario- style pipes that spew flames to break them. For the next block puzzle, hit the second block with a weak hammer and the third with a medium hammer. For the third puzzle, hit the rightmost one and the middle one with the weak hammer and the second from the left with the strong hammer. At the end, hit two pipes on either side of the strange mural to break the ice around the large pipe in the center, then smash it as well to reveal the star gate and dive in. This time, the wave comes from above again. Navigate the obstacles flying at you as you make your way to the other side to drop down. Hitting switches will make the terrain move, and you'll have to dodge more quickly. When you see breakable blocks, the sides will slam inward, crushing the blocks and you too, if you're not careful. The exit is at the bottom, but you'll have to wait for the wall to recede to see it. Pick Leaf or Sleep (oh yeah; definitely Sleep!), then drop to hit the switch and battle the Ice Sphere Doomer. The ground beneath you keeps moving back and forth, so have fun with that. Luckily, Leaf is a good anti-aerial (remember that you can jump while the leaves are swirling), so stomp him, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres], and head through the star gate. Head right and through the door. Battle the three ninjas and exit. Stage 3 ------- Jump into the cannon and blast downward. Fire the second one just as the slabs are opening. Grab Fighter if you want, then get to the bottom and enter the door. Proceed forth watching out for the FLAMING DEATH SPHERES OF DEATH! They'll start to come diagonally and break the blocks, so watch your step. Enter the door at the end, which will be revealed by the aforementioned meteors. Move forward, noting the [Energy Sphere] beneath you as you go. Crush the blocks near the end of the bridge, then head to the left across the crumbling blocks to grab it. Now, go back to the right, watching out for the giant lava cacti in the background that will fall at you. Go down the diagonal bridge and enter the door at the end. Head along the scrolling floor, then battle Dubior. Don't worry if he falls; for the first time ever, you don't really need him, though Spark would be quite helpful. If you wait a while, other abilities will scroll by. Enter the door when you're done. In this area, follow the platforms, going up at the first split if you feel like risking your current life for an extra one. When you reach the door, DON'T enter it! Go back a bit left and fly above the giant ball of fire. Behind it is a door; enter it. In here, grab the boot and hop along the path, crushing blocks on your way. Note that you CAN bounce on the lava geysers. Head up and crush the blocks to get to the second boot. Bounce on the meteors to get across the gap, then crush the gold blocks to get the second [Energy Sphere] and exit. Now, enter the door I told you to ignore earlier. Hit the switch and grab the trumpet and use it to shield yourself from enemies falling on your head. Get under the key guy at the end with it to beat him, then grab the key and go through the door. Head to the top, keeping in mind that everything is out to kill you. There are large meteors, flaming eels, scarfies, helmet heads; you name it. At the top, unlock the gate and grab the third [Energy Sphere], then go through the door. Pull the rope and go up the ladder, then grab Ultra Sword and take your revenge on all of the minibosses for the suffering that they've put you through. Destroy pillars to make the floor drop down and reveal some stars, and just have a great time (I sure did!). The second set of pillars will cause the ceiling to drop, so stand in the gap when swinging your sword. At the end, you'll see a volcano; slice it in half to reveal the star gate and dive into it. Inhale the concrete blocks and proceed with caution, since there are meteors EVERYWHERE. If you're strapped for time, just slide through blocks, since it's a quick way to get through them. You'll also need to hit switches, but note that big stars can go through meteors. Later on, there will be a swimming section. After it, hit the switch to make the ground and ceiling fall away to reveal the path to the door. Select Sleep or Water (or both for Waterbed), then proceed to simultaneously fight a Sphere Doomer and a Fire Sphere Doomer. Upon your victory, grab the 2 [Energy Spheres] and dive into the star gate. Grab the Warp Star just to the right. Now, just exit the stage. H. Another Dimension ==================== This is a beautiful rendition of outer space, albeit a short one. You eventually land on a dark star of sorts, which is also very pretty, with its flaming blue surface. Get ready for a Horizontally-Scrolling Shooter stage. Blow through the popcorn enemies (it's a Shooter term) as you learn your moves. The walls don't hurt you, so don't worry about that; you'll still have to worry about the structures closing to crush you, though. Once you pass the 1-up, you'll have 3 large enemies attack you. Fight them one at a time to keep a wall of post-death projectiles from crushing you. Shoot said projectiles to break them if you can't avoid them. In the second area, beware the giant stained glass stars, beat the large enemies, and be sure to hit the switches to open the paths as you go. When you reach the crusher section, hide in alcoves when they come together. On the other side, dodge the even more gigantic stained glass stars. In the third area, you'll fight the boss. If you need help, refer to the boss section, as always. After the boss, you'll arrive at the final battle. Again, if you need help, refer to the boss section. ================== VI. Energy Spheres ================== This is a quick reference to where all of the Energy Spheres throughout the game are located, and likely the real reason that you're reading this guide. Naturally, this will be a bit less detailed than their descriptions in the main walkthrough, so consult that section for further details if necessary. As a side note, Energy Spheres will show up as red stars in spheres if you've already collected them. I've marked each entry with {parameter/ability} if you need something specific to get it. A. Cookie Country ================= Stage 1 ------- 1) It's right along the path on the other side of the locked gate; you can't miss it... unless you're trying, that is. 2) Once you get the Ultra Sword ability, destroy the large pile of rocks (it's the fourth destructible object) to reveal the star gate. Fight the Sphere Doomer for this one. 3) Same as above. Stage 2 ------- 1) When you find the cannon, grab it and run as fast as you can. Use it to break the ceiling of metallic blocks, which conceal this sphere. 2) In the area where you first get Needle, get to the top, then go to the upper-right to find this "hidden" in the leaves of a tree. 3) After beating Gigant Edge, sever the rope above the platform to grab this one. {Sword} Stage 3 ------- 1) In the cave where you get Spark, it's below the door; just drop below the bridge to grab it. 2) You'll encounter a locked gate that contains this sphere. Go to the right across the chasm to find the key. You know what to do. 3) You'll notice a little red and yellow guy with a key. Race him to the end and beat him to take his key, then unlock the gate to grab this one. Stage 4 ------- 1) In the very first area, keep going until you reach the door. Right under it is a hole in the wall; walk through it for this one. 2) In the cave where you get the trumpets, break some bomb blocks to get this one in plain sight. 3) Once you get the Monster Flame ability, keep going until you find a gigantic tree that's as wide as the screen, then blow it up to find a star gate. Fight the Sphere Doomer for this sphere. 4) Same as above. B. Raisin Ruins =============== Stage 1 ------- 1) Once you come across a cannon, light the fuse and hop in. {Burn} 2) When you get to the boulders, there are some blocks at the end that the boulder will destroy for you. After it does so, run in and grab the sphere. 3) Pound the stake after fighting Bonkers. {Strong} Stage 2 ------- 1) In the second area, pound the stake to reveal a door. Inside, pound the stake, then rush to grab the sphere before your path is blocked. {Strong} 2) In the third area, swim along the bottom until you find a door. Inside, hit the top bomb block to get this sphere. 3) Once you get the Flare Beam, go until you see an octagon of statue heads. Destroy the left side of them to reveal a star gate, then fight the Sphere Doomer within to grab this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 3 ------- 1) When you reach a large concrete block, inhale it and use Tornado to blast upward through the blocks to grab this sphere. 2) In the room where you get Hi-Jump, head up the middle path, when it splits. 3) After beating King Doo, find a bomb block and hit it to reveal this sphere. {Beam} 4) When you're in the large area with lots of cannons, always shoot up and to the right, and you'll eventually be able to blast straight up through some blocks to grab this sphere. Stage 4 ------- 1) In the area with all of the conveyors, break through some blocks to enter a door. Inside, set a bomb near the switch, then run through the gate before it closes again. {Bomb} 2) You'll see this walking through the darkness. Go past it, then up, and back to the left to grab it. 3) Using the crystal, run left through the crystal wall and into the door, then through the crystal wall within. 4) When you get Ultra Sword, you'll eventually reach an area with a giant rope on either side of you. The left conceals a star gate. Defeat the Fire Sphere Doomer within for this sphere. 5) Same as above. C. Onion Ocean ============== Stage 1 ------- 1) At the part with the rafts that move when you step on their switches, the third raft passes under a bomb block. Hit it with a long ability, such as Spear, which is available earlier in the stage. 2) When you get the Snow Bowl ability, go to the next area and destroy the giant sand castle to reveal a star gate. Defeat the Fire Sphere Doomer to net this sphere. 3) Same as above. Stage 2 ------- 1) After defeating Kibble Blade, sever the rope above the platform to find this sphere. {Sharp} 2) In the third tide pool, hit the switch on the right side of the rock formation to enter the door behind which this is found. {Spear} 3) When you reach the second boot, take it to the 3 pink flying enemies, hop across them to reach the upper level, crush the gold block, and enter the door, and the sphere should be just above you. 4) In the eel infested area, break the blocks above the fifth eel to reach it. Stage 3 ------- 1) Defeat Moundo, take his Stone ability, then stand on the star blocks above the water nearby. Turn to stone, crushing through them, and sink to the bottom to grab this sphere. {Stone} 2) When you reach the top of an area and are given 3 switches, choose the one on the right, then follow the path to this sphere. 3) When you get the Monster Flame ability, be on the lookout for a shipwreck. It will lift up, revealing an octopus; hit it to reach the star gate, then enter and defeat the Fire Sphere Doomer for this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 4 ------- 1) At the first downward bend, break the blocks above you and enter the door. Hit the switch to dunk the baddies, then pull the rope to net this sphere. 2) You'll find a door that leads to a lollipop on the other side of this sphere. Go around to the other side of where the door was, then enter a door hidden behind the seaweed to get this sphere. 3) When you're being chased by the second giant shell, duck into the alcove and let it roll overhead, then follow it to let it crush some blocks, revealing this sphere. 4) The second bomb you reach is critical; rush it to the gold block wall and destroy it to reach this sphere. 5) In the large room with tons of eels, head to the top, then hit the bomb block above to get to this sphere. {Spear} D. White Wafers =============== Stage 1 ------- 1) There's an igloo with its openings blocked by ice blocks. Burn your way through them, then down through the floor to get this sphere. {Fire} 2) When you're in the cannons, look for a hidden alcove above you, then blast into it. 3) At the large open area with multiple cannons, look for one that's toward the bottom of the screen. Entering it will get you to the door that leads to this sphere. Stage 2 ------- 1) Light the fuse and hop into the cannon to reach this one. {Fire} 2) At the second boot, crush the nearby gold block and go through the door behind it. Stomp across the rising cloud enemies to reach the upper level and stomp through the blocks to grab this one on the way down. 3) Using the Grand Hammer, crush the giant smack-in-the-box to reveal the star gate. Defeat the Electric Sphere Doomer within for this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 3 ------- 1) In the second area, hit the blue switch to find this one. {Spear} 2) Pass the invisible crystal, melt the ice on the ladder, then grab the crystal and rush up the ladder and along the path until you reach a bomb block; slide into it, then grab the sphere after the ice boulder passes through you. {Fire} 3) Use a Hyper Cutter to sever the rope over the big metal platform from the left, or you'll get crushed. Enter the door and hit the switch, then fly up to grab the sphere. {Cutter} 4) Grab Water after beating Water Galboros, then grab the key, place it on the pillar, and stand on the pillar yourself. Shoot water at the switch, then grab the key and run to unlock the gate to grab the sphere. {Water} Stage 4 ------- 1) In the second area, watch out for a cannon and jump into it to get this. 2) Outrun the guy with the key, then grab it and unlock the lower gate for it. 3) When you get the Snow Bowl ability, roll onto the giant snowball to make a snowman and reveal a star gate. Defeat the Electric Sphere Doomer for it. 4) Same as above. Stage 5 ------- 1) In the room where the glaciers slam together, grab the cannon and enter the door that is between two of them. Blast through the metallic blocks for it. 2) In the area after the glaciers, break the ice, enter the door, and make it through the obstacle course for this sphere. {Burn} 3) In the dark area, when you head upwards, throw the candle at the ice to the left and enter the door. Inside, grab Ice, freeze a cloud enemy, and kick it up the hill to hit the switch and release the spheres. {Ice} 4) Near the end, grab the key and unlock the left gate for this one. E. Nutty Noon ============= Stage 1 ------- 1) In the area where you get Parasol, break the blocks around the door, then enter to grab this sphere. 2) In the area with many rope-suspended platforms and sharp abilities (a bad combination), look for a platform under a tall opening. Fly up there, sever the rope above the door, then go in and grab it. {Sharp} 3) In the area where you can get Tornado, look for an opening in the clouds to the left near two cloud enemies. Head in and fly up to nab it. 4) At the second large spiked ball, run as fast as you can, trying to even outrun the little one ahead of you. The little one makes a low wall, and the big one completes it, so get into the little area and grab it quickly. Stage 2 ------- 1) When you find a bomb, use it to blow up the gold block and enter the door. Inside, grab the Bomb ability, stand on the switch, and lob a bomb in an arc through the gate to hit the bomb block. Now, grab your prize. {Bomb} 2) After defeating Moundo, pound the stake, then pull the next two ropes, but NOT the last one (left and middle ONLY) to make a path to this one. {Strong} 3) With the Flare Beam, light the third formation of transparent blocks, and you'll reach a new area with a face. Light the face to reveal the star gate and defeat the Electric Sphere Doomer for this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 3 ------- 1) In the second area, grab either Needle or Stone, then race the little guy to the bottom, beat him, and take his key to unlock the gate and grab this one. 2) In the area with the electric cannons, use Beam to blast through the second set of bomb blocks and enter the door. The sphere is in this area. {Beam} 3) In the area where you get Hi-Jump, stand on the second pink switch you see, then charge a jump. Release it to grab the rope, then drop quickly, charging another on the way down, then release it upon landing and angle as far to the right as you can to make it to the sphere. {Hi-Jump} 4) In the last area, this is hidden in the clouds above the Wing enemy. Stage 4 ------- 1) Jump into the second boot, rush to the end of the bridge, smash through, then head back left across the Gordos to reach this sphere. 2) This one's in plain sight between two flame cannons in the second area. 3) Crush the large whack-in-the-boxes and the stake between them with the Grand Hammer to reach a giant spring. Smash that as well to reveal the star gate. Defeat the Electric Sphere Doomer within to earn this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 5 ------- 1) After Gigant Edge, sever the rope to grab this sphere. {Sharp} 2) After Moundo, crush the metallic blocks to nab this sphere. {Strong} 3) After Water Galboros, extinguish and break the magma blocks for it. {Water} 4) After Dubior, use a fully charged shot on the bomb block for it. {Spark} F. Egg Engines ============== Stage 1 ------- 1) At the cannon section, there's a door in plain sight; shoot into the crusher when it's closed to bounce off of it, then enter the door. Inside, shoot into the moving wall to reach this sphere. 2) With the Monster Flame, light the fuse of the large weird bomb enemy by the exit to reveal the star gate, then beat the Ice Sphere Doomer within for it. 3) Same as above. Stage 2 ------- 1) At the top of the fourth piston (the one that moves upward), extinguish the magma blocks and break them for this sphere. {Extinguish} 2) In the underwater area, move along until you reach an area with 3 grinders. In here, hit the stake to reach this sphere. {Heavy; Stone will work} 3) In the moving gearbox, you will pass under 3 bomb blocks. Hit the last one to reveal this sphere. {Spark} 4) In the last area, pull the rope to reveal the key, then unlock the gate at the end to net this sphere. Stage 3 ------- 1) In the second area, watch for a hill with a helmet head enemy at the top. At the bottom of that hill, there is a rope above to pull to release it. 2) After the double miniboss, hit the switch to make the platform rise. On it, there will be a Water enemy; grab it. Now, raise it again and surf like crazy to reach this sphere in the gap before it descends again. {Water} 3) With the Flare Beam, light all of the blocks that split apart from each other in one shot to reveal the star gate. Inside, defeat the Ice Sphere Doomer for this sphere. 4) Same as above. Stage 4 ------- 1) In the dark area, go right at the path split and crush the metallic blocks to reach this sphere. {Strong} 2) In the dark area, don't enter the first door you see. Instead, break the blocks to the left of it, swim through the passage, and enter THAT door to put yourself on the right path to grab this sphere in plain sight. 3) After Kibble Blade, hit the switch on the other side of the waterfall to reveal the sphere. {Anything with a long-range air attack} 4) In the current maze, don't go right to the area with the door; go down instead to find this sphere. It's two paths down from the room with milk. 5) In the area with tons of eels, wait near the sixth eel. When he retracts, you'll notice a door. Carefully enter it, then grab Spark in the dark area and use it to shoot up and get the candle. With the candle, jump around to see which bomb block will give you a key, hit it, then unlock the gate. If you don't want to do that, it's the second from the right. {Spark} Stage 5 ------- 1) In the first room with things coming down to crush you, wait until the fifth crush and stick to the left. Jump when it comes down to get the sphere. 2) In the conveyor room, there is a door behind a large enemy; enter it. In here, throw the key onto the conveyor belt, then fly around to the other side, grab it, and unlock the gate. {Wing; might not be necessary} 3) In the second room with crushing ceilings, stick toward the middle during the third drop, then fly up the middle for it. {Wing; might not need it} 4) When you get the crystal, run like crazy, dash through the crystal blocks, then pull the ropes to reach this sphere. 5) In the third and final crush station, the fourth set will have 4 towers coming down on you. The third one will have the sphere under it. G. Dangerous Dinner =================== Stage 1 ------- 1) At the part where the lava balls fall on you, there is a key underneath the third one. Run, grabbing it on the way, jump over the baddie in the next section, then unlock the gate for this sphere. 2) Grab Water from Water Galboros, then grab the key nearby and surf over the lava and unlock the door to the left. Inside, cool all of the magma blocks on the surface, then carry the key to the gate and unlock it. {Water} 3) Hit the bomb block near the fire eels to reveal a door and enter it. In here, hit the first two switches, jump over the third, repeat the process for 4-6, then wait at 7. Hit it to time the little guy's run so he doesn't fall into the abyss, then hit 8 when he reaches the wall. Jump down, beat him, take the key, then unlock the gate to net the sphere. 4) When you get Snow Bowl, roll into the crater of the volcano to reveal the star gate. Defeat the Ice Sphere Doomer within for this sphere. 5) Same as above. Stage 2 ------- 1) In the first area, you'll descend past this one on the left side in plain sight. Watch out for the helmet heads; they blend in very well. 2) In the second area, there will be some lava that's only in the foreground along the fourth ladder. Fly through it and enter the door. Inside, stick to the wall one block below the ceiling and throw a kunai through the gap that periodically opens to release the sphere. {Ninja} 3) In the area where you get Hi-Jump, use it to jump into the alcove with the red stars. From there, Hi-Jump again, angling to the left to get this one. {Hi-Jump} 4) With the Grand Hammer, pound all of the pipes on the big stone mural (the middle one's ice breaks after the others are done) to reveal the star gate. Defeat the Ice Sphere Doomer within to win this sphere. 5) Same as above. Stage 3 ------- 1) On the bridge with the meteors, you'll notice the sphere beneath you as you proceed. Go to the end, break the blocks, then head to the left under the bridge to get the sphere. 2) In the fifth area, there will be a giant meteor near the door. Enter the door behind the large meteor, then go through the boot shenanigans, bouncing on lava geysers and meteors to reach the top left, then stomp through the gold blocks for the sphere. 3) In the trumpet area, get under the key guy with it to beat him and take the key through the door. Carry the key upward through fiery death land and unlock the gate for it. 4) Slice the volcano in half with Ultra Sword to reveal the star gate. Defeat both Sphere Doomers (one is of the Fire variety) to earn this sphere. 5) Same as above. =========== VII. Bosses =========== If you need help with the bosses, this is where to go. I have laid out every attack that I've seen, whether or not you can grab a star from it, and what kinds of abilities work best. The format will be as such: Name ---- Ability (Minibosses Only): What ability you get from swallowing it upon defeat. Abilities (Level Bosses Only): Abilities given right before battling the boss. Weakness: What abilities work best on it. Strategy: Suggestions for beating the boss. Move - Description of the move. This move will not yield something to spit back at the boss. Move* - Description of the move. This move will yield something to spit back at the boss. Note: If a move will give you an ability when swallowed, I'll mark it as {Ability} after the move description. A. Minibosses ============= These are the guys that show up within stages. Swallowing these upon defeat will give you an ability, which you will usually need to get a nearby Energy Sphere. They appear repeatedly throughout the game, so their listings will be alphabetical. Sphere Doomers will be listed separately at the bottom. Bonkers ------- Ability: Hammer Weakness: Long-range attacks Strategy: Keep your distance and fire projectiles at him. If he comes near you, fly over him or, if your ability permits it, dash through him. Coconut Toss* - He'll toss one or three coconuts at you. Hammer Spin - He'll spin in circles with his hammer out. He's invincible during this move. Hammer Swing* - He'll approach you and swing his hammer. Stomp* - He'll leap into the air and stomp down. Super Bonkers ------------- Ability: Grand Hammer Weakness: Long-range attacks Strategy: Keep your distance and fire projectiles at him. If he comes near you, fly over him or, if your ability permits it, dash through him. He's not too different from regular Bonkers. Coconut Toss* - He'll toss one or three coconuts at you. Hammer Flip - He'll perform a flaming uppercut with his hammer. Hammer Spin - He'll spin in circles with his hammer out. He's invincible during this move. Hammer Swing* - He'll approach you and swing his hammer. Stomp* - He'll leap into the air and stomp down. Dubior ------ Ability: Spark Weakness: Anti-aerial abilities Strategy: Try to stay underneath it, but a bit off to the side, and strike upwards. Lightning Bolt - It shoots a lighting bolt straight down. Dash* - It'll surround itself in an electrical barrier and charge forward. Summon* - It calls upon two small drones that zigzag across the screen. Gigant Edge ----------- Ability: Sword Weakness: Long-range attacks Strategy: Keep your distance and fire at him, but watch him closely; his shield will block attacks when held up, and his Sword Wave will hit you from afar. Block - He'll hold his shield up to block incoming attacks. Dash* - He'll charge across the screen with his sword pointed right at you. Swing* - He'll swing his sword. Sword Wave* - He'll create a ground wave with his sword, much like Final Cutter does. Kibble Blade ------------ Ability: Cutter Weakness: Very long-range attacks Strategy: Stay far away and fire at him. He might seem tough, but his slow speed is a great weakness to him. Cutter: He throws a cutter. Curve Cutter*: He throws a cutter and curves it toward you. Dash*: He runs across the screen. Down Cutter*: He leaps into the air and throws a cutter diagonally down at you. Kojiro Cutter*: I named this one after myself, because it's something I would do. He throws the cutter in the wrong direction, then curves it so that it turns around and flies right at you. King Doo -------- Ability: Beam Weakness: Very long-range attacks or combos if you're fast enough Strategy: If you're quick, dash in, land a combo, then dash back before getting hit. If not, spam projectiles like a n00b. Charge Shot* - He'll charge up a blast and fire it at you. He can do this twice in rapid succession. Dash* - He'll rush from one end of the screen to another. Whip - He'll swing his ability's trademark energy whip. He'll sometimes do this while jumping. Moundo ------ Ability: Stone Weakness: Long-range attacks or combos Strategy: He's very sluggish, so it's easy to land several combos without taking a hit, even when he's dashing. As with most of the others, he's easy to kill with projectiles. Dash* - He'll "run" across the screen at you. Spin - He'll spin in circles. Stomp* - He'll leap in the air and slam down. What did you expect from Stone? Water Galboros -------------- Ability: Water Weakness: Long-range attacks Strategy: Stay back, since this guy sends water along the ground, and can shake off many short-range projectiles at once. Study him closely and strike accordingly. Dash* - He'll slide across the room at you. Ground Shot - He'll send a water ball along the floor. Shake Off - He'll shake like a wet dog, sending short-range projectiles all over. Stomp* - He'll leap into the air and come down hard. Water Shot - He'll lob a medium-range water ball. Sphere Doomer (Normal/Purple) ------------- Ability: None Weakness: Anti-Aerial Strategy: Your strategy will change depending upon the stage, since the terrain on which you battle will be different in each one, as will the available abilities. The main strategy is to try to pick something that works well on flying enemies and stay beneath it, but not directly. Study how they move closely, then strike. This variant isn't too dangerous. 3 Spheres* - It will fire 3 spheres at you. Dash - It will fly horizontally at you. Sphere Mortar* - It will fire 3 spheres at you from the background; one lands on the left, one on the right, and one in the middle. Swoop - It will dive down at you in a perfect arc; stick to the sides. Sphere Doomer (Fire/Red) ------------- Ability: None Weakness: Anti-Aerial Strategy: Your strategy will change depending upon the stage, since the terrain on which you battle will be different in each one, as will the available abilities. The main strategy is to try to pick something that works well on flying enemies and stay beneath it, but not directly. Study how they move closely, then strike. This variant isn't too bad, but can be tricky. 3 Spheres* - It will fire 3 spheres at you. {Fire} Fire Shower* - It will launch 4 fire spheres at you from the background, which will burn for a while after hitting the ground. {Fire} Flaming Dash - It will light itself on fire and fly horizontally at you. Swoop - It will dive down at you in a perfect arc; stick to the sides. Sphere Doomer (Electric/Green) ------------- Ability: None Weakness: Anti-Aerial Strategy: Your strategy will change depending upon the stage, since the terrain on which you battle will be different in each one, as will the available abilities. The main strategy is to try to pick something that works well on flying enemies and stay beneath it, but not directly. Study how they move closely, then strike. This variant has some nasty tricks, so fight cautiously. Homing Sphere* - It fires several spheres that will fly right at you. {Spark} Lightning Storm - It will pass overhead horizontally, firing 4 lightning bolts straight down at specific moments. Time them carefully, and run underneath when it won't be firing one. Swoop - It will dive down at you in a perfect arc; stick to the sides. Wave Cannon - It will charge up energy and fire a large ball of lightning. Sphere Doomer (Ice/Gray) ------------- Ability: None Weakness: Anti-Aerial Strategy: Your strategy will change depending upon the stage, since the terrain on which you battle will be different in each one, as will the available abilities. The main strategy is to try to pick something that works well on flying enemies and stay beneath it, but not directly. Study how they move closely, then strike. This variant can be pretty rough, depending on the situation; watch carefully and move quickly. Try to keep your distance, if possible. The best way to fight it without an ability is to suck the spheres off of it during Sphere Shield. Dash - It will fly horizontally at you. It will only do this during Sphere Shield. Homing Sphere* - It will release its Sphere Shield, firing the shots right at you individually. {Ice} Ice Mine* - It will leave small ice bombs around the arena, which will later explode. {Ice} Ice Storm - It will surround itself in an icy barrier, as with the Ice ability. Shotgun - It will fire its spheres at you from the background simultaneously. It will only do this during Sphere Shield. Snowburst - It will repeatedly explode snow everywhere with itself as the epicenter. It has a very small blast radius. Sphere Flurry* - It will shake violently, throwing short-range spheres all around. {Ice} Sphere Shield* - It will gather several spheres and have them orbit it like a shield. {Ice} Swoop - It will dive down at you in a perfect arc; stick to the sides. B. Level Bosses =============== These are the bosses at the end of each level. They will have their own stage, which is essentially a short lead-up with a few abilities along the way. The break in the middle of the moves signifies a split; when a boss loses half of its health, its moves change. This split reflects the divide between the two modes. Whispy Woods ------------ Abilities: Cutter, Fire, Spark Weakness: Combos; Leaf works best Strategy: If you have Leaf, just walk right up to him and hold the attack button, retreating only when he begins to inhale during the second half. If not, you can do much the same with Fire's Fireball Inferno technique. Otherwise, just wail away at him, avoiding all of the things he drops on you. Halfway through, he gets bigger and can inhale you, so run, and shake the Wiimote like crazy if you're caught in his mouth. Apple Drop* - He shakes his branches, dropping apples that bounce at you. Breath - He exhales puffs of breath at you. Breath - He exhales large puffs of breath at you. Inhale - He tries to inhale you. Run away, but if you're eaten, shake the Wiimote like crazy to extricate yourself. Monster Drop* - He shakes his branches, unleashing enemies, and even Gordos. Mr. Dooter ---------- Abilities: Hi-Jump, Water, Whip Weakness: Something with a dash attack (I use Sword) Strategy: He throws all sorts of different attacks at you. The best thing you can do is come in with an ability that lets you dash through an enemy and use that when he corners you. It's best to attack him only when he's on the ground, and watch carefully and evade when he's not. Juggle* - He juggles small objects for a bit, then tosses them at you. Stomp* - He'll leap into the air and come down hard. Tornado Stomp* - He'll spin around in the air for a while, then come down hard. Turban Surprise* - Like a magician, he pulls off his hat and creatures come out of it. I've seen bats and snakes come out. Juggle* - He juggles small objects for a bit, then tosses them at you. Now, he'll sometimes put Gordos in the mix. Punch Combo - He'll punch out a 3-hit combo, knocking you across the room if you're hit. Tornado Stomp* - He'll spin around in the air for a while, then come down hard. Sometimes, he'll stay low, smashing into you with his tornado. Triple Stomp - He'll come flying down out of nowhere and slam into the ground 3 times in a row. Turban Surprise* - Like a magician, he pulls off his hat and creatures come out of it. I've seen bats and snakes come out. Fatty Puffer ------------ Abilities: Ice, Parasol, Spear Weakness: Long-range attacks or dash attacks Strategy: It can be a bit tricky, but if you have something that can dash through an enemy, that will help. Otherwise, shoot it from afar. When it puffs up, either dash through it or fly over it, and just keep your distance to give yourself enough time to evade its attacks. Babies* - It spits out little fish. Roll* - It will puff up and roll across the screen at you. Stomp* - It will leap into the air and slam down. Water Ball - It lobs a water ball at you. Bounce - It puffs up to an enormous size, then bounces around the screen at a diagonal. Find the safe spots and run between them to avoid it. Roll* - It puffs up almost as big as the screen and rolls at you. Believe it or not, you CAN fly over this thing, but you have to be against the ceiling. Stalactite* - 4 stalactites form on the ceiling and drop down on you. Water Cannon - It shoots a huge stream of water at you; fly over it. Goriath ------- Abilities: Fighter, Fire, Ninja Weakness: Anti-aerial or Ninja Strategy: He loves to stick to walls, so anything that's good against flying enemies will also work here. Alternatively, use Ninja and stick to the opposing wall and throw kunai at him. You'll want to keep your distance as much as possible, since he's pretty quick. Your terrain isn't exactly flat, either, and he will periodically break it from under you, leading you to a different terrain set. Snowball* - He throws snowballs down at you from the wall. {Ice} Stomp* - He comes down hard to the ground. Stretch Punch* - He punches with his extendo-arms, which reach across the entire screen. Duck under them. Hyper Wall Jump - He jumps back and forth between the walls very rapidly. Snowball/Ice Star* - He throws snowballs and ice stars down at you from the wall. {Ice} Stomp* - He comes down hard to the ground. Stalactite* - Stalactites form on the ceiling and drop down on you. Stretch Punch* - He punches with his extendo-arms, which reach across the entire screen. Duck under them. Triple Fireball* - In a move that doesn't rip off Dragon Ball Z at all (much like his transformation), he shoots 3 blue fireballs at different angles. Grand Doomer ------------ Abilities: Cutter, Fighter, Whip, Wing Weakness: Anti-aerial (I use Cutter) Strategy: This is like fighting a really beefed-up version of the Sphere Doomer, so the same basic strategies apply. It has some really nasty tricks, so keeping your distance is definitely a plus. Right before you beat it, it becomes invincible, and its energy bar has segments and stars. You know what breaks stars, right? So, when it summons enemies with Ultra Sword, you grab them and smash it! Clone Bomb* - It will drop 4 spheres as large as its main body, which explode. Sphere Shot* - It will fire spheres at you. Swoop - It will dive down at you in a perfect arc; stick to the sides. Warp - When dark energy swirls at the bottom, avoid it. This thing will come screaming out of it, and if you're caught in it, it will grab you and continue chewing until you shake the Wiimote hard enough. Heavy Vulcan - It will paint the ground in rapid-fire spheres from the background. Just stay off the ground and you'll be fine. Homing Sphere* - It will fire 4 homing spheres at you. Sphere Shot* - It will fire spheres at you. Spin Shot* - It will go berserk, spinning in a circle and spraying spheres in many different directions. Swoop - It will swoop much lower this time; fly above it. Bounce - It will bounce around. Summon - It will summon enemies, one of which has the Ultra Sword ability. Metal General ------------- Abilities: Beam, Hi-Jump, Ninja, Sword Weakness: Long-range attacks (Ninja is excellent) Strategy: If you want to do this the easy way, just use Ninja and throw kunai as fast as you possibly can. If not, watch him closely, then rush in and score as many hits as you can when you get a clear shot. When he whips out his rocket, just keep running back and forth, then guard right before it's about to hit you. That way, even if you don't evade it, you'll take minimal damage. Watch out for his laser attacks, too; try to find a safe spot from them. Broken Laser - He'll fire a segmented laser in 4 simultaneous directions, then a second time, rotating the axis 45 degrees. Dash* - He'll rush from one side of the screen to the other. Rocket Launcher* - He fires off a few rockets, which follow a very erratic movement pattern. Sword Combo* - He performs a sword combo, just like the Sword ability's. Big Rocket* - He'll whip out a giant rocket, then fly into the background. From here, he'll fly at you once or twice, then land it, creating a large fire on the ground, which burns for a while. Broken Laser - He'll fire a segmented laser in 4 simultaneous directions, then a second time, rotating the axis 45 degrees. Now, he'll fire a third time in all 8 directions! Dash* - He'll rush from one side of the screen to the other. Drones* - He'll summon small drones to attack you. They can fire sparks. Proximity Mines* - He tosses out a few small mines that explode when you step on them. Spiral Swoop - He leaps into the air, spins like a drill, then air dashes at you, though the range is relatively short. Sword Combo* - He performs a sword combo, just like the Sword ability's. Landia ------ Abilities: Bomb, Cutter, Leaf, Ninja, Wing Weakness: Anti-aerial (Leaf works wonders) Strategy: With Leaf, stay underneath him; with Cutter, fire cutters behind you and keep your distance. He has a lot of nasty attacks to throw at you, so staying back will give you more time to react. During the second half of the battle, hit whichever you like, and attack quickly to keep them from bringing out the really ugly attacks. The first half is actually harder, in my opinion. Fireball - Each of the 4 heads will shoot a fireball at you, one at a time. Flamethrower* - Two heads will sweep either side of the screen with a long blast of flame. Stay off the ground; the middle and sides are unsafe, even though they look fine. Swoop - He swoops down at you; fly above if possible. Tail Whip* - He spins, whipping his tail at you 3 times in a row. Wind Cutter - Landia flaps his mighty wings, blowing you back and sending many air blades all over the place. Dodge carefully. Drill Swoop - The dragons will spin and swoop at you, one at a time. Energy Cross - The dragons will make a cross out of energy. Fireball Catch* - The dragons will toss a fireball to each other. First, it gets passed along the borders, then in an X-shaped pattern. Ground Fire* - The dragons will each spit a fireball at the ground simultaneously. They will do this several times in a row. Spinning Cross - The dragons will perform Energy Cross, but move around the battlefield, rotating the cross as they go. Lor & Magolor ------------- Abilities: N/A Weakness: N/A Strategy: Just concentrate on dodging Lor's attacks while firing or charging. Don't worry so much about aiming as avoiding attacks. If it looks like you can't dodge, just use the 2 button and dash through it, though it will NOT work on the tornado attacks. Depending upon your playstyle, you may want to just shoot rapidly, or you might want to use charge attacks almost exclusively; either strategy can work. Dark Sphere - 4 dark spheres form behind Lor, then rush forward 2 at a time. Dark Star - Lor flies up and down, shooting dark stars forward. Emblem Cutter - Lor fires its emblem like a boomerang. Oarpedo (sorry) - The oars gather above the ship, then fire at you one at a time. They will aim at you, so keep moving. Spread Shot - Lor moves up and down, firing a 3-way star shot. Tornado Cannon - This creates a horizontal tornado that sucks you in, damaging you repeatedly as Lor moves up and down. You CANNOT dash through this unharmed. Barrier Rush - Lor is shielded with an invincible barrier, then rushes forward. Dark Sphere - 4 dark spheres form behind Lor, then rush forward 2 at a time. Sometimes, it will fire 6 instead. Emblem Cutter - Lor fires its emblem like a boomerang. Fire From Afar - Lor will pepper you with shots from the background. Homing Sphere - 4 red spheres form behind Lor, then fly directly at you. Sometimes, it will fire 6 instead. Dodge or dash. Oarpedo (so bad) - The oars gather above the ship, then fire at you one at a time. They will aim at you, so keep moving. Spinning Tornado Cannon - This is the same as Tornado Cannon, except instead of moving up and down, Lor will rotate; outmaneuver it. Star Storm - After Barrier Rush, Lor will fire dark stars in many directions from behind, leaving you to dodge them without counter-attacking. Magolor ------- Abilities: Fighter, Spark, Spear, Sword, Water, Whip Weakness: Anti-aerial (Spear is a great choice; Fighter is better) Strategy: This guy is a total marathon. The best way to tackle him is to either be really patient, hitting him from below with Spear, or to use Fighter's Rising Break, then follow up by chaining several Moon Somersault Kicks together. Dodge his attacks the best you can, and be patient. His orbs can be deflected, by the bye. Also, at the end, he can only be damaged by super abilities. After every 2 hits during this phase, he'll unavoidably dispel the ability, though it will not damage you when he does so. 3 Orbs* - He throws 3 orbs at you in a spread pattern. 4 Orbs* - He throws 4 orbs at you in a spread pattern. Orb Burst* - He throws 6 orbs in different directions around himself. Orb Juggle* - He juggles 3 large orbs, then throws them at you. Spikes - He'll create purple pools on the ground, which erupt into tall spikes. Watch carefully as they form, because they erupt in that order, and that way, you'll know where it's safe to stand. Swirling Fire - He fires several swirling balls of blue fire at you from the background. Summon - He opens a gate, which summons a swarm of Sphere Doomers, which fly through. It's more like a projectile attack than an actual summon. Big Blast* - He will charge up energy, Kamehameha style, then will emit a very large beam. The best way to avoid it is to duck. Orb Burst* - He throws 6 orbs in different directions around himself. Orb Ring* - 6 orbs swirl about, then fly in all directions. Spikes - He'll create purple pools on the ground, which erupt into tall spikes. Watch carefully as the form, because they erupt in that order, and that way, you'll know where it's safe to stand. Stellar Vortex - A large, star-shaped vortex is created, which tries to suck you in. If it succeeds, you are taken to a DIMENSON OF PAIN, which will hurt you a lot. It's like Marx's attack from Kirby Super Star. Dispel - Instantly robs you of your current ability, though it does no damage. Orb Burst* - He throws 6 orbs in different directions around himself. Orb Juggle* - He juggles 3 large orbs, then throws them at you. Orb Wall* - Orbs will come in from both sides. Stellar Vortex - A large, star-shaped vortex is created, which tries to suck you in. If it succeeds, you are taken to a DIMENSON OF PAIN, which will hurt you a lot. It's like Marx's attack from Kirby Super Star. Summon - He summons 3 enemies at a time, one of which has a super ability. Magolor (Part 2) ------- Abilities: Fighter, Spark, Spear, Sword, Water, Whip Weakness: Anti-aerial (Spear is a great choice; Fighter is better) Strategy: If you die fighting him, you'll start at this form, so don't worry. This incarnation is pretty brutal, so bring your A-game. You have to be able to watch his movements and react quickly, so pay close attention. During the second half, he gets really nasty, pulling out his own versions of several super abilities. When he's using Dark Arts, watch him closely to see where it's safe to be. Big Blast* - He will charge up energy, Kamehameha style, then will emit a very large beam. The best way to avoid it is to duck. Inward Spikes - 6 star-shaped openings will appear in an arc, each of which will emit a long spire; stay on the outside. Juggle* - He juggles several baddies, then throws them at you one at a time. If you get lucky, you'll nab an ability; if not, he'll throw Gordos. Orb Rain* - Several orbs float high above you, then drop down. Orb Ring* - 6 orbs swirl about, then fly in all directions. Spikes - 6 star-shaped openings will appear in a zigzag along the floor and ceiling, each of which will emit a long spire. Stand directly under a ceiling one to avoid damage, since they're not long enough to reach. Warp Dash - He'll warp, then create two openings and dash between them twice at varying heights. He will do this twice in a row. Dark Arts (another bad joke) - He will draw a shape from the background. Watch it closely, because it will tell you where you can safely stand (or fly). Dark Dragon* - His version of Monster Flame will have a black flaming dragon fly across the screen several times. Dark Flare - His version of Flare Beam surrounds him in an invincible sphere of dark energy as he bounces around at a diagonal. Dark Swords* - His version of Ultra Sword gives him 2 dark swords. He'll swing on the left side of the screen, then the right. If you stand in either of the very bottom corners, you should be able to avoid them. Orb Ring* - 6 orbs swirl about, then fly in all directions. Orb Wall* - Orbs will come in from both sides. Warpdouken - He will charge up energy, Kamehameha style, then will emit a very large beam into a vortex. Several times in a row, you will see 2 vortices, which will be connected by the blast. It's like connect the dots... OF DEATH! The last one will have only one vortex, and will shoot straight down through the middle of the battlefield. ================================ VIII. Lor Starcutter Unlockables ================================ These are the different rooms you unlock by finding Energy Spheres. Each item will be marked with (#), depicting how many spheres you need to unlock it. A. Copy Rooms ============= These rooms have the crystal ball things that contain abilities; 5 in each one. These have been around in Kirby games as long as the abilities have, but this game's version has a new feature: practice dummies. These dummies allow you to practice grapple techniques, as well as test out all sorts of other principles with the abilities without worrying about getting hurt. For example, it was in one of these rooms that I discovered that the Spear Copter can pick up an enemy and juggle it on its spinning blade of death. Every main ability shows up in one of the 4 copy rooms. The abilities are listed in the order in which they appear in the room, from left to right. The copy room numbers, however, go right to left. Copy Room #1 (20) ------------ Sword Fire Needle Leaf Cutter Copy Room #2 (40) ------------ Spark Beam Whip Parasol Stone Copy Room #3 (60) ------------ Water Hi-Jump Tornado Bomb Spear Copy Room #4 (80) ------------ Ice Hammer Fighter Wing Ninja B. Minigames ============ These are the only 2 minigames in Kirby's Return to Dreamland, but they're actually quite fun, and that's coming from someone who hates minigames. In true Kirby fashion, beating them doesn't give you anything more than stars, so it's not completely necessary to finish them. Both have 3 levels and each level is unlocked by beating the one before it. Ninja Dojo [15] ---------- You hold the Wiimote vertically, then flick it forward to throw a shuriken. The idea is to hit the bull's-eye, but hitting anywhere on the target counts as a hit. If you miss one, your game ends. Any score 80 or higher is a bull's- eye, and will split the target in half. A bull's-eye will net you 30 bonus points, and the more you get in a row, the higher the bonus you'll get. Later rounds will have non-target boards and Gordos, which deflect your star. You can only throw one star per round, and every round has a random pattern, so you'll never get anywhere by memorization; it's all reflex! Scope Shot [30] ---------- Ah, another reference to the Super Nintendo's Super Scope. You shoot robots with tons of different destructible parts, like in Battle Clash, and the like. Once you've destroyed enough parts, the weak point is exposed; shoot it to win. There are background objects that you can shoot for bonus points, too. You can fire rapidly, or charge for a stronger shot. If you get hit by a missile, you'll be temporarily stunned, so blow them up first. C. Challenge Rooms ================== These are crazy obstacle courses, each of which you tackle with a specific ability, which you're given upon entry and cannot lose. You'll need to know that ability's moveset inside and out in order to master these rooms. In order to get 100% completion, you'll need to finish each one, but even a bronze medal will do. If you so desire, though, you can go for gold in each challenge. Unless I get a real demand for it, I'm not going to give a detailed walkthrough for each course, since they're fairly straightforward, and the best advice I can give right now is just "play better". It sucks, I know, but it's a visceral experience, and it's your reflexes that will serve you best here. I'll post the minimum scores for each medal later on. Sword [7] ----- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Whip [25] ---- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Hi-Jump [35] ------- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Bomb [50] ---- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Water [70] ----- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Wing [90] ---- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: Item [120] ---- Bronze: 100 Silver: Gold: ============ IX. Postgame ============ These are things unlocked by beating the main game. You don't need a particular completion percentage to unlock them. A. Extra Mode ============= It's just like regular mode, except you have half of your usual health. It has its own completion percentage, but is otherwise just the same as regular mode. B. Arena ======== You battle all of the bosses and minibosses one after another, as in Kirby Super Star. You have Maxim Tomatoes to eat in between rounds, but you'll have to economize them, since they don't grow back. After taking a Maxim Tomato, it will respawn as a regular tomato one time only. In between rounds, you also have 2 abilities from which to choose, if you wish. ============= X. Conclusion ============= Kirby's Return to Dream Land is a wonderful adventure that will delight Kirby fans of all ages. It's best described as Kirby's Adventure with movesets like those in Kirby Super Star. As with many great Kirby games, it pulls elements from all over the series, improving on many. The scenery is gorgeous, and the level design is a great deal of fun, though the music is hit-or-miss. I hope you enjoyed this guide and that it was helpful to you on your adventure. Until next time...