Popful Mail Walkthrough Version 1.0 Sunday, July 16, 2000 ------ Lady Raven therave2003@hotmail.com ------ *~ Table of Contents ~* I. Introduction II. Items & Equipment A. Mail 1. Weapons 2. Mails 3. Shields B. Tatt 1. Weapons 2. Robes 3. Charms C. Gaw 1. Weapons 2. Mails 3. Bands D. Normal Items E. Special Items F. Other Equipment III. General Tips IV. Walkthrough A. Stage 1 1. Elf Woods 2. Treesun 3. Golem Tower B. Stage 2 4. Wind Cave 5. Fossil Rock 6. Back to Wind Cave 7. Hot Springs 8. Deviant Den 9. Panic Peak 10. Back to Deviant Den C. Back to Stage 1 (optional) 11. Elf Woods 12. Treesun D. Stage 3 13. Mine 14. Zoth Shrine 15. Fort Fryght E. Stage 4 16. Icycal 17. Mt. Rip 18. Back to Stage 3: Mine 19. Back to Stage 4: Mt. Rip 20. Gyp Ship 21. Crystal Palace F. Stage 5 22. Freaky Foyer 23. Hassle Hall 24. Maniac Mazes 25. Back to Stage 4: Icycal 26. Orb Tower 27. BOSS: Morgal 28. BOSS: Necros 29. BOSS: The Overlord V. Special Thanks VI. Disclaimers/Legal Mess VII. Contact Info I. Introduction *Phases in onto an empty stage with one microphone in the center and steps into the spotlight* Well, I'm Raven and this is pretty much my new hobby for when I get bored. In case you doubt or don't know, Popful Mail is/was a genius achievement in the Sega CD world and a dedication in Action-RPG design. It's such a tragedy to live with the fact that the Sega CD had its difficulties surviving and therefore this game never got the overwhelming popularity it deserved. Since you're reading this, you probably want some strategy for this mess. In that case, toots *phases out, dropping a card* -- Lady Raven therave2003@hotmail.com II. Items & Equipment --- A note on equipment stores; you can only view the equipment for purchase for a character as you play him/her. A. Mail 1. WEAPONS a. Short Sword Price: N/A Location: Inventory b. Dagger Price: 300G Location: Treesun, Fossil Rock, Hot Springs c. Boomerang Price: 2000G Location: Deviant Den, Mine d. Flame Sword Price: 3000G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Aura Blade Price: N/A Location: Given to you by King Lipps 2. ARMOR a. Leather Mail Price: 500G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Chain Mail Price: 1200G Location: Fossil Rock, Deviant Den c. Plate Mail Price: 1800G Location: Mine d. Silver Mail Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Gold Mail Price: 6000G Location: Maniac Mazes 3. SHIELDS a. Wood Shield Price: 400G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Round Shield Price: 1000G Location: Fossil Rock, Deviant Den c. Large Shield Price: 1200G Location: Mine d. Silver Shield Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Gold Shield Price: 6000G Location: Maniac Mazes B. Tatt 1. WEAPONS a. Fire Cane Price: N/A Location: Inventory b. Dyno Cane Price: 300G Location: Fossil Rock, Hot Springs c. Electro Cane Price: 2000G Location: Deviant Den, Mine d. Star Cane Price: 3000G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Aura Cane Price: N/A Location: Given to you by Lipps 2. ROBES a. Flame Robe Price: 500G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Earth Robe Price: 1200G Location: Fossil Rock, Deviant Den, Hot Springs c. Gale Robe Price: 1800G Location: Mine d. Moon Robe Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Sun Robe Price: 6000G 3. CHARMS a. Flame Charm Price: 400G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Earth Charm Price: 1000G Location: Fossil Rock, Deviant Den, Hot Springs c. Gale Charm Price: 1200G Location: Mine d. Moon Charm Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Sun Charm Price: 6000G Location: Maniac Mazes C. Gaw 1. WEAPONS a. Fireball Price: N/A Location: Inventory b. Tail Attack Price: 300G Location: Fossil Rock, Hot Springs c. Iron Claw Price: 2000G Location: Deviant Den, Mine d. Fire Breath Price: 3000G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Aura Breath Price: N/A Location: Given to you by Lipps 2. MAILS a. Leather Mail Price: 500G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Scale Mail Price: 1200G Location: Fossil Rock, Hot Springs, Deviant Den c. Plate Mail Price: 1800G Location: Mine d. Silver Mail Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Gold Mail Price: 6000G Location: Maniac Mazes 3. BANDS a. Leather Band Price: 400G Location: Elf Woods, Treesun b. Iron Band Price: 1000G Location: Fossil Rock, Hot Springs, Deviant Den c. Steel Band Price: 1200G Location: Mine d. Silver Band Price: 2400G Location: Icycal, Mt. Rip e. Gold Band Price: 6000G Location: Maniac Mazes D. Normal Items - Usually found in various chests and shops 1. Herb - Restores 5HP (heal on contact) Price - Free, you sometimes get them from monsters. 2. Orange - Restores 20HP Price - 90G 3. Cherry - Restores 40HP Price - 180G 4. Apple - Restores 60HP Price - 270 5. Banana - Restores 80HP Price - 650G 6. Melon - Restores 100HP Price - 1000G E. Special Items - Found within various monsters/chests/shops or key points in the game. 1. Elixyr - Restores life when killed. 2. Bomb - Given to you by Slick to destroy a wall. 3. Gold Bullion - Sell for 500G. 4. Hammer - Use it to free Slick, later Muttonhead. 5. Ladder - Use it to free the trapped Gaw. 6. Prison Key/Door Key - Opens most locked doors. 7. Mythril Trinket - Traded for passage by the guards in Mine. 8. Gold Ring - Mythia's stolen wedding ring. 9. Pot O' Coffee - Used to free Slick from ice. 10. Black Orb - Obtained from Wriph. 11. Red Orb - Obtained from Wraph. 12. Blue Orb - Obtained from Draquin. 13. Yellow Orb - Obtained from the Fright Knight. 14. Dragon Stone - Obtained from the Clobster. F. Other Equipment - Often found in various chests/shops, except for the Ice Shoes (see below). 1. Amulet - Invincibility. Can be turned on and off. Price: 1500G 2. Helmet - Slightly increases defense for a short time. Price: 300G 3. Stone Shoes - Lets you walk on spikes. Price - 1000G 4. Spiked Boots - Allows traction on ice. Price - 500G 5. Ice Shoes - Lets you walk on fire. Price - 250G? Location: Mt. Rip? Too late to get them then, though :| III. General Tips - The Amulet is VERY useful, and I recommend you save several for the end of the game. When you're about to get hit, switch to the item screen and use it, then following the hit return to the item screen and turn it off. You can do this anywhere! The only downside is that you can't attack an enemy while it's on. - Kill ALL enemies no matter how much money you have. Especially in the beginning. It'll REALLY help you later in case you don't have enough for a weapon or armor, and you'll take less time going back and forth going for the gold. - Mail, Tatt, and Gaw each have their own HP. If one character becomes too weak, switch to another. - If you haven't noticed, each character has his/her advantages and disadvantages. For example, Mail is the fastest runner, Gaw is the highest jumper, and Tatt can control most of his attacks. - This isn't actually a tip, but depending on the time you beat the game, wait a couple of minutes after the credits and a new screen will appear, showing you the time it took to finish along with a rank. The faster you finish, the more outtakes you get to hear. Finish under five hours to hear all nine outtakes. - This isn't a tip either, but when you're at the main menu before starting a game, select "Quit Game". Highlight no and press Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Right, Right and finally A. Then go to Utilities and you can access a "Test Mode" which allows you to view the BGM, voices, and animations of the game ^_^ IV. Walkthrough 1. ELF WOODS In the first screen, head right, killing the badgers and you'll meet Slick in the next screen. You'll be seeing him a lot. Climb up the nearby ladder, head left and climb the ladder near Slick and all the way up to find an Apple. Climb back down and continue right. In this next area, kill the spider, proceed right and kill the next ones and into the hole. Talk to the guards to tell them about Slick. Climb the ladder. The first building is a healing shop where you can replenish your health and buy fruit, but don't buy anything yet. The second is the Weapon/Armor Shop. You should have enough gold to buy the Leather Mail. You won't need a shield for a while, and you already have the sword. When you're done with everything, talk to the people if you like and head through the door. Climb the ladder and you'll meet Namo; hit the next screen. Jump down. Look familiar? Hop through the trees and climb ladders to get to the top-right hand corner and cross the bridge to get to the next area. The sign here warns you of falling rocks. They come from enemies, so don't stand under them while waiting for a chance to jump up and attack. In the next screen, you'll immediately notice a treasure chest. Be patient and I'll tell you how to get to it (It contains an Orange). There's also another one with an Elixyr you'll REALLY want. When you're about to cross the second bridge, stand next to the wooden pole closest to it and drop down. Make your way back to the bridge and cross. If you want the Orange, don't go up the ladder and jump off the edge. Swing your sword just before you land so you can hit the ledge with the chest. I hope you thought it was worth the trouble. Make your way again to the bridge, climb the ladder and go through the door. Climb the ladder and semi-meet Tatt. After the convo, ascend the ladder behind him. ~~~ BOSS: MAD BOMBER ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body ATTACKS: Throws bombs from each platform and from ground level. This isn't difficult. Stay under the lower platform (which the battle began with) to avoid all bombs. After no trouble, you'll figure out his pattern. When he's about to throw them from ground level, that's your chance to quickly get in one strike and bolt under the nearby platform. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you can either climb down the previous ladder and to Tatt you defeated the monster, or descend the next and have him catch up with you. Either way, get to Treesun. 2. TREESUN When you first enter, climb the steps, weary of the mantis-like monster. Then hop on the elevator machine and get off at the top, climb the ladder and proceed right. Use the next elevator to go down and descend the next ladder. Ignore the next elevator for now and collect the Cherry from the chest beyond the mantis. Then ride up the elevator and make your way to the top and up the ramp. This screen is straightforward. Just follow through, slaying the monsters on your way. In the next, Namo is in the prison cell. Just climb up the ladder and take them out. More than likely, several are going to throw balls at you. If that happens, just hit down on the D-pad to shield yourself. They're stronger than the previous wizards you fought and it'll take 8 hits for each. Grab the Prison Key from the chest and free Namo. At the village, you'll get the 500G. Head left and use the elevators to reach the buildings. Buy the Wood Shield from the weapon shop. Outside the healing shop, talk to Mythia and you'll find out that the Badger Gang stole her wedding ring. This is a bit of a side quest and has some nifty stuff as a reward. At this point of the game, he's a bit too difficult so we're coming back later when we have better weapons and armor. While we're out here, I suggest you buy one or two Cherries. When you're ready, head left past the guards. We're going to take a little time to get an Apple first, so run past the ladder and descend the next. Head left and climb the ladder to get to the chest. Get back to the ladder you ran past and ascend. You'll have to get past tons of log spitters. Just wait until the coast is clear and when the logs start rolling, hop on and run against them, head up the ramp and kill the log spitter. Do this until you get to the top, head left, go down with or without the elevators, kill or avoid the bee, and ascend the ladder. In the next area, kill the falling spiders and ascend the ladder, weary of log spitters. Continue through here and up the ladders. ~~~ BOSS: THRASHMASTER+ ~~~ WEAKNESS: 'Head' part of the machine ATTACKS: 1) Bombs that are practically impossible to avoid; 2) Smacks into the ground. Stay close to him so he won't throw the bombs. He'll smack into the ground, so when he does that, immediately jump to keep from taking damage, which is also a good time to attack. You can jump and hit him at all times. Nothing you can't handle. When you're cornered, hop on the elevator and jump over him with it. Then repeat the same process. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, use the far elevator as a boost to get to the ledge with the door. In the next screen, throw the switch and descend the ladder. Go through the door. Outside, you can avoid all the enemies by quickly running down the ramps or defeat each enemy as you see it. Your choice. Descend the ladder at the bottom and go through the door. In the next area, you'll find a Banana in the chest. Go through the door and continue through the next screen, and through the next. 3. GOLEM TOWER This is a great place to save. The way is straightforward, keep going till you get to the boss. ~~~ BOSS: WOOD GOLEM ~~~ WEAKNESS: Torso, head ATTACKS: 1) Shooting his first; 2) Sliding towards you; 3) Bouncing head. This fight is tough and varies every time you fight. If he shoots his fist, duck and attack him, and attack again while it returns (it won't hurt you when he's flashing). When he slides, try to hit him multiple times to keep him from moving (which only works from the back). If he slides forward, try to run by while he flashes or retreat to the stairs, turn around, and attack. If your health gets around 30-40, heal. TRY not to get 'killed' and waste an Elixyr. When you destroy the body, the head will be bouncing around in a manner you can run under. It takes 20 hits to destroy the head. After it bounces on both sides of the screen, it'll reform the body and you'll have to do the first round again. When the body is destroyed, the damage you dealt to the head earlier will still be intact. So just repeat the process and eventually you'll kill him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll have a chat with Muttonhead. Go through the door he popped out from earlier and make your way down and to Tatt to rescue him. He'll take you to the Wind Cave. 4. WIND CAVE Now you have two characters to choose from. Head right to find Muttonhead. Apparently, some guy named Kazyr is giving him a bit of a punishment and Muttonhead vanishes. Continue right. The enemies have gotten tougher at this point, so I suggest using Tatt for this stage for his distance attack. The path for this area is straightforward and I won't elaborate. In the next, after climbing the pillar and killing the bats, will be a fork. I suggest going right for now. Just follow through the next few screens and you'll find Slick. He'll set off a bomb, blocking the exit to the cave. So go back to the fork and take the left path we neglected earlier. See the orange parts of the bridge? Stepping on those will make you fall into the water... something you definitely won't want to do. You won't die, but it'll make things more difficult and there isn't anything down there but jellyfish, so jump over the orange. Moving on, you'll find a creature. He won't help and the ledge is too high to jump over. So again, go back to the fork and go right and to Slick who will give you a Bomb. Head back to the ledge that was too high to use it and you can now jump over. Go below to find four chests. Collect the stuff and make your way back to Slick and use the Hammer to free him. Head right and climb up to find the exit. 5. FOSSIL ROCK Upon entering, jump in the water and go right under the first bridge. You'll find an Elixyr in the chest. Climb back out and head left. The next area is rather large. Let yourself fall through the orange bridge and make your way to the left (Watch out for the skeletons! 'Kill' them twice to collect your gold). You'll eventually come to a chest with Gold Bullion. Then drop down and into the water. Head right and you'll eventually come to a chest with a Cherry. Climb out via the jellyfish and continue left. Work your way up to the top-left and hit the next screen. This is where the cute purple creatures live. Head all the way left for the Weapon Shop. You can sell your Gold Bullion for 500G each! With that, you should have around 6000-8000G. Buy new items for Tatt since you'll be using him quite a bit. You don't have to worry about Mail for right now. Save your cash. Trek to the Healing Shop, which is at the bottom of this screen, and purchase a few Apples and Cherries. Try to leave around 3500G if possible. When you're ready, return to the previous area. Here, jump to the next ledge, continue to a ladder, and ascend. Up here, you'll notice you can go left or right. Let's go right. So hop up... eventually you'll near the bridge, so just jump up where it has two pieces of it missing, then cross. You'll notice a ladder on another ledge, but we don't want to go there yet. Instead, jump and hit the ledge, but keep pressing right because there is a ledge you can reach below, but can't see. You'll find Gaw who's trapped in a shaft. Now make your way back to the entrance of this screen and get back to the Gaw village. Go left to the item shop and talk to the Gaw above it for a Ladder. Return to the trapped Gaw to use it. Once he's safe, jump to the ledge across for two chests with a Cherry and an Orange. Go down and to the next screen. ~~~ BOSS: BONEY RUBBLER ~~~ WEAKNESS: Head ATTACKS: Sword This battle is such a joke. When the battle begins, stay still to see where he goes. The trick is to fire at his head with Tatt's cane as soon he comes into view. When that happens, he'll lose the front part of his horse and won't be able to attack you. As long as you keep hitting him, he won't be able to get the front of the horse back or attack you. So, pick a spot and stay there for the whole fight, even when he runs by you, stand STILL. Jump and shoot at the head once he comes into view. Turn around, and wait for him to come back into view, fire again, and repeat. If you do everything right, you won't take ANY damage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll obtain a Prison Key. Use it on the door to the right and talk to the Gaws in here. They invite you to their village... I'm assuming you remember the way. So, get back there. Once in the village, talk to the Gaw above the Weapon Shop. You'll have to find the treasure house and key to the next level now. To do that, go down the ladder to the right, continue right and cross the water. It's beyond the door. Inside, cross the water and you'll come to three chests with 2 Gold Bullion and the Door Key. Leave the treasure house and the village. In this familiar area (where you found the Gold Bullion and Cherry WAY earlier) make your way to the ladder, but don't go up. Instead, keep going right past all the skeletons and off the ledge, and continue. Head right and jump across the water to land on a ledge. Seem familiar? Yup, just hop the ledges and hit the door. 6. BACK TO WIND CAVE Descend the ladder and make your way through here and through the next. You should be in the area with that familiar fork. Go left and continue through the next area. In the final area, use the Door Key on the locked door. 7. HOT SPRINGS Now these are some new enemies! Just move through this area. In here, head across the water. If you want to hit a Healing/Weapon Shop, head left off the screen. Otherwise, descend the ladder and continue right (don't buy anything for Mail yet). Ignore the ladder and continue right, across the water until you can't go any further. Hop up the platforms and up the next set to find a path to the right to the next area. Here would be a good time to save. ~~~ BOSS: NUTS CRACKER ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body ATTACKS: 1) Sword/projectile; 2) Dolls You're better off using Tatt for this since you can blast him from a distance. Just watch out for the dolls (kill them as soon as they appear) and his sword (You can duck behind a ledge near where you arrive to avoid the arch/wave, then jump up and attack. You can also come here if you run out of Arms and he shouldn't attack). He doesn't have to be on the screen to get hit, so fire although you can't see him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you waste him, head left and through the door on the next screen. 8. DEVIANT DEN Go all the way right and descend the ladder. You'll find a treasure chest with an Apple. Head left and go through the door. Continue right, work your way to the bottom center, and descend the ladder for another Apple. Then head up again and continue right. Make your way through here, after descending the first ladder you'll find a chest with a Prison Key. Then continue to follow the only path. In this area, you'll come upon a Weapon Shop. Now is definitely the time to buy stuff for Mail and an Electro Cane for Tatt, since you should now have enough money. If not, make doubly sure you get the Boomerang, Chain Mail, and Electro Cane. Heal if needed, equip your new stuff and stay playing as Mail. Descend the ladder and open up the chest to the left for a Banana, then talk to the Gaws down here. The far one won't let you in on Muttonhead's location. Whelp, we can figure it out on our own. So, go back to the previous screen and through that. Here, jump down and just keep heading left to the locked prison door. Inside you'll find Muttonhead. Return to the Gaw that wouldn't tell you where Muttonhead is. You should know the way. Apparently, Slick has awakened Goradus and you have to clean up his mess. Head right and collect the Gold Bullion from the chest and go through the door. ~~~ BOSS: THUNDER DRAGON ~~~ WEAKNESS: Head ATTACKS: 1) Lighting/projectile; 2) 2 red dragons This is easy. Hopefully, Mail has her Boomerang. Stand at the far-left side of the room near the door/right column. Use the Boomerang and press up to fire at the red dragon as it flies above you and move out of the way before being hit. Don't stand in front of the door or else you'll exit the room. After you kill the lower one, kill the higher one. Then move to the right and attack the Thunder Dragon. Try to stay off the screen so he won't fire at you (seeing just his nose is good). If you run out of arms, retreat near the door until they refill and have at it again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, make sure Tatt is at full health and has the Electro Cane (return to the Weapon Shop to heal if you need to). Then go right and up the ladder and open up the chest to the right for a Cherry. Head left and through the door. 9. PANIC PEAK Save your game and head right. ~~~ BOSS: GORADUS ~~~ WEAKNESS: Front of the head ATTACKS: 1) Charging; 2) Jumping, which cause rocks to fall; 3) Fireballs. This is a tough fight and can take awhile if you let it. Hopefully, you have quite a few Cherries and Apples just in case, and make sure you're fighting as Tatt. At the start of the battle and whenever he's not attacked, he simply walks around... Some monster, eh? But when he is attacked, he turns red and jumps which causes the rocks to fall. As soon as you see him start to jump, run. Then, he'll either charge or shoot fireballs, sometimes both. If he shoots fireballs, dodge and get in as many shots as you can. If he charges, run like a little girl. Since each shot damages him for 3HP, I recommend jumping when he's green and immediately fire two or three times, then run like heck to the left. And you *should* dodge the rocks. He may jump a second time after that, so keep running. If you wish, quickly run back and get in a shot or two, even if he seems to shoot the fireballs (in case you didn't know, you can control the Electro Cane similarly to Mail's Boomerang). Also, when he has his back turned, you won't be able to cause any damage, and must wait until he turns around again. After the fight, return to the Gaw village in the Deviant Den. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. BACK TO DEVIANT DEN Speak with Gaw. He'll join you. Hey, now that we have Gaw in our party, we're now able to access a couple of chests in Stage 1. If you're with me, select "Stage" from the menu on the Stage 3 map and hit down twice to select 1. Travel to Elf Woods. 11. ELF WOODS Let's play as Mail for now, since she's faster. In the second area, get around the place with the sign that says "!!!DANGER!!! Ambush Zone!" and switch to Gaw. From that sign, head left a little bit until you get to the Spider. From a spot from under where he was, jump on the log "roof" to the left to find two chests with a Banana and an Apple. Hey, remember Mythia? The woman who lost the wedding ring. Yeah, her. Whelp, head through the next area. Here (with the chest near the entrance), head all the way up the right- hand corner on the bridge with the badger on it. Cross the bridge and enter the door. ~~~ BOSS: BADGER CHIEF ~~~ WEAKNESS: BODY ATTACKS: 1) badgers; 2) Running?? Hopefully, you talked to Mythia in Treesun so he'll be here. Head to the far left. When the fight begins, hop on the lower platform and jump over his head when he runs into you (I suggest you have the Boomerang equipped, by the way). When he runs into the wall, jump off the platform as the badgers fall, then quickly jump back on. After that, aim down with the Boomerang to hit him once or twice as he comes near you, then jump over his head, turn around, and do the same attack. Don't worry about him hitting the wall. No more badgers will fall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When he's dead, you'll get the Gold Ring. Leave Elf Woods somehow. 12. TREESUN At the map, select Stage 1, then Treesun and make your way to Mythia. Show her the Gold Ring and she'll reward you with an Elixyr. I heard that if you talk to her again, she'll give you some fruit, but this has never happened to me. Leave Treesun and return to Stage 3. 13. MINE There are quite a few miners. Talk to them if you wish. Head all the way right and you'll come to a Weapon Shop. Buy the Iron Claw for Gaw and the armors if you can afford it. If you have money left over, buy some of the armor for Tatt (you won't need anything for Mail). Later you'll get so much money your head will spin. Now go left and through the door. In this area, talk to the miner at the right, then ascend the ladder and head left. Talk to the miner here and head back to the right and through the door. See the hovering clouds? Don't stand still when their eyes are open. Enter the high door they're surrounding and through the next area. Switch to Gaw and go right. Kill the two mummies. Get this…each time you kill one, you get Gold Bullion! Wahey! ^^ Then go back to the previous room and into the mummy room again to get two more Gold Bullion. The downside is that once you have four from them, they'll just give you plain treasure again. Then go back to the shop by simply dropping down. Sell the GB and buy what you need. Then return to the mummy area (long way, I know) and continue this process until you have everyone's latest weapons and armor (Except for Mail. You'll only be using Tatt, and occasionally Gaw), and as much as you like after that. I suggest getting somewhere around 20000- 30000G. Trust me, in the end, it doesn't take THAT long and you'll have tons for later. Going for the 30000G is like 25 minutes max (So hopefully, you won't have to run around much trying to scavenge some up). 22200G is enough to buy all the equipment in the next stage, but you'll only be using Gaw in that, and mostly throughout Stage 5. However, getting that much now will allow you to start building up for Stage 5, which requires 36000G for all the armor (which you will need). By then, just from fighting monsters you'll have enough. When you have all the money you want, collect four more bars from the mummies, then retreat back to the door, but instead of going through, ride the elevator. Here, go right and through the door. Go up and through the door. Outside, make your way to the top-right corner, through the door, and through the next area. In here, go left and left through the next area to meet a dwarf named Glug. After the convo, head to the far right, grab the Gold Bullion from the chest, and hit the door. Head all the way right, then drop off the ledge. Keep dropping off any ledges you land on and return to the shop to replenish any lost health. Then head right and through the door. Here, climb up, head left, and ascend the next ladder. Head right through the door. Go through the next area and in the next, head up and talk to the guards. They won't let you by. Backtrack to the miner that talked about wanting to find gold and he'll ask you to bring him some gold. No problem, we already have some! You'll give him four of your five. He'll tell you that you can bribe the guards with a dwarf craft. Make your way to Glug and he'll give you the Mythril Trinket. Now go to the guards who will then let you by. Save your game before going through. Meet Venuncio, who tricks Mail or whoever you're playing as into a trap. Switch to Gaw and destroy all the flames before the platform crumble. When they're gone, the door will reopen. Head left and through the first door. Talk to Venuncio here and you'll step into another trap. Head all the way to the top-right to meet up with Glug and Slick. After the convo, continue out the door. 14. ZOTH SHRINE Play with Gaw if you aren't already and continue to the far right where there will be a treasure chest with a Banana. Go back to the left and enter the door. In here, go right and you'll find an Apple in the chest. Continue right and through the door to meet up with Venuncio. ~~~ BOSS: MYTHRIL GOLEM ~~~ WEAKNESS: Heads ATTACKS: 1) Boomerang; 2) Smashing/"drilling"; 3) Rapid bouncing (50HP) Switch to Tatt. This fight is mediocre. The fight begins when it backs away and fires something similar to Mail's Boomerang. Dodge it and stand under it. When the faces switch to a skull look, move, turn around and shoot. As the guardian rises again, stand under again and repeat. When one face dies, work on the other. If, at any time you run out of Arms (which will happen), simply follow the same pattern, minus the attack. BTW, once the second face reaches 50HP, quickly switch to Gaw to finish it off because the Guardian will go ape dokey. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, enter the door Venuncio went through. Continue playing as Gaw. You'll enter a room with a few swings. Work your way to the left side and hit the door. Save your game, go left, up, and right to meet Sven T. Uncommon. ~~~ BOSS: SVEN T. UNCOMMON ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body, when not surrounded by white light ATTACKS: 1) Two types of projectiles; 2) Charging. Use Tatt for this fight. When he fires a projectile, duck while you face him (it will block them and you won't get hit). As for his charge, jump over it. Try to keep a little distance between the two of you, so you have time to react to his actions, but not too much because you want to see what he's doing. Also, when he's firing a projectile, you can't inflict damage. The only time you can hit him is when he's simply standing there, so be quick. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, go through the door that opens. Be weary of the weird Ra-looking wizards, which are invisible and can appear where you're standing or right next to you. You'll come to some spinning planks that turn around every couple of seconds. So, time your jumps well. Continue through this and the next two areas. In the straightforward area with the totem poles that fall, killing them can sometimes get you Gold Bullion. In the area after the totem poles, you'll find a healing shop. Heal up and stock up on fruit, three or so Helmets, and buy an Amulet or two. If you need to, return to the totem pole room to get some more Gold Bullion if you wish, but I had a hard time collecting it (it's random). When you got all the fruit and money you want, save your game and continue left. You'll be blocked by a force field. Slick will appear. Afterwards you'll meet Mumbles. After the chitchat, he'll take you to see the wall of Shikra. Afterwards, continue right, make your way down the path, enter the door, and continue once more. I suggest you use Gaw in here. You'll come upon some platforms with faces. Don't stand on them for too long because a spike will come out and hit you. Move right and once more you'll meet up with Sven. After the convo, head right again and Sven will transform into Chargon. ~~~ BOSS: CHARGON ~~~ WEAKNESS: Torso/head ATTACKS: 1) Projectiles, each skull has one; 2) Sword. Boss after boss after boss... yikes. This battle is a cinch. Fight with Tatt. Stand over the first line in the floor in front of Chargon (with a shadow in it, kind of). DO NOT MOVE FROM THIS SPOT. When Chargon throws his sword, duck until it goes by, then press and hold up when you fire your Electro Cane to hit him. Then once he's hit, duck. You'll have just enough time to get in a hit and duck just before the sword returns as long as you fire right after the sword leaves the screen. For anything else, you duck. Don't dodge or anything. The spot on the floor will allow you to shield from the bottom skull's attack, while the higher one should go above your head. Nothing to it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, head right and through the door. 15. Fort Fryght Head left and climb down the ladder and get off on the first right. Then work your way to the right, hopping the platforms (you won't need Gaw to for this, Tatt will do). You'll eventually come to Sven, who will transform into the Fire Golem. ~~~ BOSS: FIRE GOLEM ~~~ WEAKNESS: Torso ATTACKS: 1) Thrown sword; 2) Fireballs that will cause the ground to catch fire for a second. Despite the golem's attack power, this fight is easy. Just stand near the right side of the LEFT chain. Then you only need to duck, which will block the fireballs. Anytime you have a chance, jump up and attack his chest. The only time you can't attack is when he has is sword up in front of his chest. When that happens, keep ducking to shield the fireballs and watch out for when the arm stops to throw the sword. You can often jump up and hit the Golem when the sword is out of the way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, head back to the left and you'll notice a new ladder. Climb up and head right to find three chests with an Apple, Banana, and Melon for your hard work. Head back left and descend the ladder, left again, and descend the next. Press up in front of Mumbles' cell to free him. 16. ICYCAL Once you enter, some penguin guards prevent you from going further and toss you in the slammer with… Slick! Talk to him, then hit the door and she'll talk to the guards. Once you're released, head to the next screen. By now, I'm sure you noticed the problem with the snow and ice. We'll have to get some Spiked Boots in awhile. For now, try not to go *too* fast. I suggest you use Gaw and his Iron Claw in this area because some monsters will eat what you throw at them. Anyway, head right and climb the far ladder. Here, head left, climb the ladder, then right, up, right and jump the gap, and right some more. Go right, ignoring the first ladder, descend the second, and enter the door to the left. You'll find the weapon shop. You *should* have enough if you got money from the Gold Bullion in the previous stage. If you want the sole truth, you'll only use Mail and Gaw for this and the next stage, so get stuff for them. When you're done, exit the shop and head through the door on the right and through the next area. Go down until you get to the weapon store sign. At that point, go left and down the two ladders, then right. Here, go up, then right, jumping the gap and spikes and down the ladder to the next area with a Healing Shop. Buy a pair of Spiked Boots and Stone Shoes if you wish, and about three-five apples if you have the money (but by now, you should have a hefty supply). Exit the healing shop and return to the previous screen. Head right and up the ladder and left up the next. Ascend the left ladder; hop up the ice platforms, head right at the top and through the door near the guards. 17. MT. RIP Head right and you'll find Slick, now frozen. Stick near him to trigger a scene of her to hack him out. You now need to get some Coffee, so leave to the map. Access the menu and select stage and get to Stage 3, then pick MINE. 18. BACK TO STAGE 3: MINE Head right and talk to the first miner to get the Pot O' Coffee. That wasn't so hard, was it? Leave and go back to Stage 4 and select Mt. Rip. 19. BACK TO STAGE 4: MT. RIP Use the Pot O' Coffee on Slick. Run all the way right and up the ladder. Hop the platforms to the left and keep going till you come to a ladder you can ascend. Then go right, hopping the platforms and through the door at the end. Here you'll find a Weapon and Healing Shop. Heal, if needed, and buy some fruit if you wish in addition to any weapons or armor you want. Return to the previous screen and descend the ladder. Head left a tad and fall down the gap. Go left some more; ascend the next few ladders. Up here, the path is straightforward (this is a great place to equip the spiked shoes). Descend the ladder, head right, up the platforms, and left and left again to chat with Muttonhead and Nuts Cracker. They'll freeze you. Afterwards, continue left. The next couple of areas are straightforward. Eventually, you'll come to your next boss. ~~~ BOSS: WRIPH ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body ATTACKS: Bubbles Play as Gaw and this battle is a cinch. Stand on the raised ground and simply jump and fire when she flies by and destroy the bubbles she releases. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll obtain the Black Orb. Head right, down, left and through the door and right through the next. 20. GYP SHIP Head right, then drop down at the stairs and descend. Go left; drop down, head right until you get to the chest with the Melon. Go back to the left and descend the ladder. Go left and up the next two ladders to get a Banana. Hop off the ledge; descend the far-left ladder and the next three to reach the bottom of the ship. Head right and up the ladder. Go right, up the next three ladders, and right to the next area. Here, descend the two ladders, go right, and then fall into the gap after the barrel Gypsy to land next to the right of the barrels. Keep going right and you'll find an Elixyr. Jump up the gap again, then up the first ladder on the left. Climb up again and jump off the ledge to the right. Proceed right and climb the ladder and ascend the stairs. Outside, go right and down the ladder you come to. The Captain Hook dude in here is easy to kill and will give you 350G. If you need money, reenter and kill him several times (you'll need 30000G to buy the best armor for everyone, but you don't necessarily have to get the money now, but will help if you want to buy some fruit later). Go through the door and head right to meet your next boss. ~~~ BOSS: WRAPH ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body ATTACKS: 1) Bubbles; 2) Projectile (50HP) Yep, choose Gaw. Make your way to the far left corner and face the right. This way, the bubbles won't surround you. In any event, use the same strategy as you used again Wriph. Once her HP reach 50, however, she'll start shooting a wave projectile. Just jump over it. Easy peasy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll obtain the Red Orb. Then go right, and to the next screen where you'll converse with Slick and King Lipps. Then leave and Slick will call for you. Just keep going right and exit. 21. CRYSTAL TOWER Save the game and go right through the door, then left through the next and right and you'll get to the final boss of this stage. ~~~ BOSS: DRAQUIN ~~~ WEAKNESS: Eye ATTACK: Shoots lightning on the floor; SECOND HALF--- 1) Lighting wall; 2) Three beams that turn you into ice; 3) Ice beam that won't damage you, but will push you back. A no-brainer about who you should use... there's two halves to this fight. The first half, just fire at the eye while it's open and jump over the lightning bolts. He'll transform after you defeat this form. Once you see a ball of lighting (the wall) jump over it quickly. To attack, just press up to fire a constant stream of flames or jump up and fire, dodging whatever comes from his mouth and letting your Arms refill when necessary. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll obtain the Blue Orb and Lipps will give you some Aura weapons. 22. FREAKY FOYER Equip your brand-spanking-new weapons. Head right and speak with Kazyr. Continue and go through the door. In this room, you can go left or right, but let's go through the door on the far left, shall we? OK, so you've probably noticed that these enemies are tough. For the helmet-heads, shoot them from behind or once it reveals its face to attack. Don't jump over it because it'll usually attack you. As for the flying knights, kill them ASAP. Recall that you have two Amulets, so feel free to use them to run through some tough areas. If you do use an Amulet, bare in mind you can't damage enemies, but you can run straight by them. If you use an Amulet, I suggest you switch to Mail to do so, since you'll need her speed to get through places. In any event, head left. In this room, you'll see some spinning maces. When you see these, jump and land exactly in the center, then jump to the other side. Go downstairs and through the door. After killing the helmet-head, check out the ceiling. Three sets of spikes will drop onto you if you go under them. I suggest switching to Mail and just running through (you'll take damage, but it's 1HP). Go through the door. Let's go left first. There's a spinning mace. Switch to Gaw. Head down the stairs to get a Door Key. Then get back up and go right to find another mace. Descend the stairs to find a Helmet and Amulet. Go back up and through the door. Switch to Mail and equip the Amulet and just run through this room, up the stairs and past the maces in the next, and through the next. In the room after that, run ALL the way to the right and through the door. The Amulet should be out by now and it probably switched. Whatever the case, turn it off. Go upstairs (there's three ceiling spikes here, just run through as Mail) and through the door. Turn off the Amulet and stay playing as Mail. Proceed right, equip the Stone Shoes and run across the spike pit. Once out, unequip them and head through the door. ~~~ BOSS: ROCK SENTRY ~~~ WEAKNESS: Red eye ATTACKS: 1) Spikes will rise from the floor; 2) Shoot the eye if you don't attack for awhile or move far away. Switch to Gaw and save your game. Proceed right and the Rock Sentry will appear. Face left and just jump to shoot the red eye. To time your jumps for the spikes, simply jump when fire seems to come out from his mouth... you'll learn the timing, rather. Just stay put, keep jumping and firing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, head right. 23. HASSLE HALL Head cautiously to the left because there are some flying knights. Go through the door at the end. Go upstairs and enter the door. Head left cautiously once more to take out the flying knights. Choose Mail to make the jumps in here, or equip Stone Shoes. Exit via the left. Go left and kill the wizard operating the walking machine. If you kill the machine, exit and reenter. Once you kill the operator, use Gaw to hop in the machine, then walk across the spikes with it. On the other side, switch to Mail and equip an Amulet and run like heck to the door at the left. Once inside, turn off the Amulet. Go down one flight of stairs and through the door on the left. Switch to Gaw for this big room. Save your game too if you're in good shape. Hop on the first platform, ride it as far up as it'll go, and jump on the ledge to the right. Jump on the next floating platform and take it to the left. Next, jump on the other one and ride it up as far as possible and jump to the right. Wait for the next and ride it across to the right (these are faster, careful) and onto the next platform. Wait for the next to come up and use it to jump across to the chest with a Door Key inside. Then drop down, sticking to the right. You'll probably land on a [red] platform or somewhere near a chest with an Apple. After that, hop on one of the platforms to the right and ride it up and jump off at the right to the next area. You know what to do with the maces by now. Before going down the stairs, jump on the ledge for a Helmet. Descend the two flights of stairs, kill the flying knight, and grab the Gold Bullion. Exit this room. Head left and drop off the ledge to the chest with the Apple you opened earlier. Walk to the left red ledge and jump left. If you timed it right, you'll land at the door, otherwise, in spikes. Head left of that door to a chest with Stone Shoes, then go back to the right and through the door. Run up the two flights of stairs and through the door. Kill the helmet-head, switch to Mail and run through the ceiling spikes. Once you reach the giant pit, wait for the mech. operator and do the same as earlier to cross. Go through the door. Stay as Mail and make the jumps in this area and hit the door. Switch back to Gaw and descend the two flights of stairs and enter the door. Head left, weary of the flying knight and ceiling spikes, up the stairs, over the first spinning mace and over the pit and next spinning mace *huff puff* and ascend the stairs. Jump over the gap to the left (there's a helmet-head on the other side, be careful) and through the far door. Head right in here. Outside, kill the flying knights and make your way to the right, and through the door in the next screen. Switch to Mail for in here. Watch out for the ceiling and pit spikes in here. Go right. There's a couple of them mech. in here. You can equip the Stone Shoes and kill the entire mech. and operator if you want to save time. Go through the door on the right. Ascend the flights of stairs, SAVE YOUR GAME in the next area and prepare for the next boss. ~~~ BOSS: FRIGHT KNIGT ~~~ WEAKNESS: Head/chest ATTACKS: 1) Sword; 2) Sends flying knights. Fortunately, they aren't as powerful as the ones in the levels. This dude is easy. Stay out of his swords reach and fire away at his head and chest area. At around 70HP, he'll send flying knights at you. Kill the knights as they appear and continue attacking him in the same way. When you run out of Arms, retreat back to the stairs (don't go down) and let them refill. Once you destroy the sword, he'll retreat to the right. Recharge your Arms before you go back there. Then use a constant stream of flame. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Afterwards, you'll obtain the Yellow Orb. Go back downstairs and the same with the next screen. Back track to the LEFT for this area and four more screens. In the fifth screen, head right, jump across the gap, descend the stairs, hop the maces and pit, descend the next set, and head right through the door (watch out for ceiling spikes, I recommend Mail for this room). Ascend the two flights of stairs, kill the helmet-head, and through the door on the far left. Head left through this area, weary of the flying knights. 24. MANIAC MAZES I've always enjoyed this level. At the beginning, hit the door on the right and the path is a bit straightforward for the next few screens. You'll eventually come to a room with two chests containing Gold Bullion. Back track through those rooms to the door you used to enter the level, and head all the way to the left door. (A note about the crab-snails, if you hit them, they'll go into their shell. Just jump (not over them) when that happens and hit again.) The next five rooms are straightforward. In a big opened area, hit the door on the left. Keep going left and through the door at the top of the stairs. Go down the stairs here and enter the first door. Continue to head ALL the way left until you comes to a chest with a Banana. Head up the stairs here and enter the first door. Go all the way right. Switch to Gaw if you aren't already using him and hop the ledges to find an Apple. Go back down and head left, killing the two enemies and hit the FAR door. Climb the stairs and enter the next, and up the next set of stairs and through the door here. Climb the stairs to find an Amulet. Go back down, and through the door. Jump off the ledge to the right and press left as you do so to fall on the one below with a Banana. Then go right and jump to the ledge up-right near a door, but don't go through. Instead, jump across to the left on the higher ledge. Go downstairs and enter the first door. Phew! Jump off the platform to the right and press left to land on the one below. Go through the door and the next. In the next area, save your game, heal if needed, and descend the stairs to prepare for your next boss. ~~~ BOSS: CLOBSTER ~~~ WEAKNESS: Head --- SECOND HALF: 1) Body Attacks: 1) Use the claws to create a harmful wave. Just jump over that. 2) Shoot bubbles from the claws. Blast them with the breath. ---SECOND HALF: 1) Charging In attacking the Clobster, simply aim at his head. If you run out of Arms, retreat up the stairs. Once he has 0HP, he'll morph into two crabs. Then retreat to the stairs and change the character to Tatt. Make sure his Aura Cane is equipped, and stay on the stairs a bit so the enemies can't touch you. Fire at a safe distance (it detects the crabs). If they run away, change to Gaw and attack them for a bit to entice them back to the stairs and fight as Tatt again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, you'll obtain the Dragon Stone. Go back up the stairs and through the door and the next. Drop off the ledge and descend the stairs and enter the door. Drop off this ledge and head to the far bottom-right door. Go left and get wet and fall all the way. Head all the way left to a chest with an Amulet. Go back to the right and up one level and left to the next screen. Shop! Enter and get the new armor for EVERYONE. By now, you should have enough. If not, kill the fish at the top for 500G each. You may have to enter/exit the store to keep it moving. After you have all the armors, stock up heavily on fruit, Elixyrs and get a few Amulets (5-10 total is good). Like the sign nearby reads, "Last Chance Store". I think that's a hint, so shop till you drop, but keep at least 3000G because we're going to need a few Stone Shoes just in case, which we can get after this level. Also, since you have three save slots, I suggest creating a second slot with a save near the store in the case that what you bought probably wasn't enough. Yeah, it'd be quite a setback depending on where you got, but it wouldn't hurt, eh? When you're done with everything, head left to the next screen. There, head all the way left. You'll drop out of the water. Jump up the next platform and get the Apple from the treasure chest. Drop off and enter the door on the far right. The next three screens are straightforward. On the map, select Stage 4 and pick Mt. Rip, but don't enter it. Instead, travel to Icycal (you'll enter via the level's exit...it's closer to the Shop). 25. BACK TO STAGE 4: ICYCAL Head left, drop down the gap and head right and descend the ladders. Descend the ladders, and head right to the next screen with the shop. Buy as many pairs of Stone Shoes as you can afford and blow the rest on fruit. Backtrack when you're done and select Stage 5, and pick Orb Tower. 26. ORB TOWER Head right through the door, and left in the next area to talk to Nuts Cracker and Muttonhead. ~~~ BOSS: NUTS CRACKER ~~~ WEAKNESS: 1) Green head of the robot; 2) Nuts (when he's out of the bot). ATTACKS: 1) Dolls from the top of the screen; 2) Mace-arm; 3) Running (when Nuts is out of the bot). Stay at a safe distance and attack the green head. Don't fire when it's swinging the mace since it'll block it. Also, be weary of the dolls that may fall from the top. The mace-arm and dolls are all you need to worry about. If you find yourself trapped and Nuts is closing in, use an Amulet and get out, then turn it off. Oh yeah, and you can run between his legs without taking damage, granted that the arm isn't swinging. Since you using Gaw, I suggest you equip the Amulet before attempting that feat, for his slow speed. Once you nuke the robot, Nuts will run back and forth, so take this time to blast him before he jumps into another robot. Before you kill the robot part, I suggest you turn on an Amulet and let your Arms recharge. Turn it off, and finish the robot. That way, you'll have the max to blast Nuts as much as possible before he boards another bot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the fight, proceed left and press up near a pedestal to use the Dragon Stone. Take it back and quickly run past the closing door and up the stairs. Climb the flights of stairs, and use the Dragon Stone at the next pedestal like the previous. Leave it this time and proceed right, through the door. Head right to find Muttonhead. After the convo, you automatically go to the next area. Go up the stairs to the left and enter the far-left door. Head left down the hall (neat statue ^^). Outside, you'll see some swinging platform mess, plus some disappearing ones. Time your jump for everything (using Gaw, of course) to make your way to the upper-left corner. Go up the stairs on either side in the next room and place the Yellow Orb on the pedestal. Drop down, go through the door and drop off the ledge outside, head left and through the door. Right down the hall, and then the next door on the right. Go left and kill the mech. in here. Jump on the right ledge, and use the re/disappearing platforms to make your way across. Then head left, hop up on two platforms, and hit the up-right ledge. Hop on the platform to the right of that to get to the highest edge. Go through the door. Just as before, put the Blue Orb on the pedestal. Backtrack to the room with all the doors and go one more door to the right. Head right down the hall. Head left and climb the platforms to the top. Drop off the ledge to the right, and hold down right as you do so to land on a ledge. Hop on the box with the right arrow to move right, then on the rightmost box with the up arrow once you near the end and ride it to the top. Hop off on the left edge, then jump and hold left to land on another edge with a door and enter, placing the Red Orb on the pedestal. Backtrack once more to the door room and hit the next door on the right. Run right down the hall. Out here, head left and jump on the box pointing right. Quickly head to the other side of the mace to jump on the box you just moved. Then jump on the dis/reappearing platform once you get to it. Follow them up until you reach the rotating platform. There are more dis/reappearing platforms to the left. So get on those and make your way to the ledge atop (don't hit the boxes yet). Now, watch for the nearest dis/reappearing platform (you'll need it). Jump on it, and then jump on the top right box, then the one next to it, the bottom right box, and finally, the bottom left. Ride it to the ledge, jump on top and hop back on the moving box. When you get to the green hall, hop up and enter the door. SAVE in here and try to place the final orb on the pedestal. ~~~ BOSS: KAZYR ~~~ WEAKNESS: Body, when it's not surrounded by white light. ATTACKS: 1) Firebird; 2) White flames that expand in a large circle. When he creates the flames, equip an Amulet or get away as far as possible to avoid them. For the firebird, start walking left or right once he morphs and don't stop! The only time you can fire at him is when he (re)appears after a morph/transport. As soon as he appears, shoot him. 27. BOSS: MORGAL WEAKNESS: Chest ATTACKS: 1) Fireballs, which create a fire pillar for a second; 2) Shield... not really an attack, but it blocks yours. The only time you can fire at her is when she's firing or else she'll block it. So, wait for her to fire--that's when you jump up and shoot her, then over the fireballs. Also, you can walk under her if you get cornered. 28. BOSS: NECROS WEAKNESS: Red orb he floats on ATTACKS: 1) Disappearing and reappearing where you're standing; 2) When he reappears, he'll shoot some white fire. Again, save the game if you're in good shape. He always follows the same pattern... disappearing and reappearing where you're standing. When he reappears, he comes up from the ground. When you see what looks like water below you, move. Once he reappears, he'll shoot some white fire. When his hands are raised as he prepares the fire, fire at him by pressing and holding up to guide the shot to the red orb he floats on. He'll release the fire after/during that depending on when you hit him, then disappear, reappear, and repeat. 29. BOSS: THE OVERLORD WEAKNESS: Red Orb, revealed when he shoots a fireball. ATTACKS: 1) He'll reveal the red orb and shoot a fireball as he does so. However, the fireball will take out a bit of the floor, revealing spikes. 2) He'll shoot his fist at you that can grab you and knock you for a wallop. Simply jump over the fist when he shoots it. The only time you can hit him is when he reveals his orb as he shoots a fireball. Try not to move around a lot because he'll be taking out the floor with the fireballs. If a large amount of area around you has been blown out, equip an Amulet or Stone Shoes and move somewhere else and turn it off. If it comes down to it, keep the Stone Shoes equipped, however, they pull your jump height down. OR equip an Amulet, wait until he reveals the orb and quickly turn it off and fire, then back on before you hit the spikes. You shouldn't have much trouble, though. Beat him and watch the cute ending ^_^ V. Special Thanks - Your smarter than the average Musk Cat, Naflign, for keeping me company in the long hours of the night. - My Lord of Chaos, Cy - For no reason ^^ - Zangulus, for no reason as well. - Working Designs for bringing Popful Mail to the US. - GameFAQs for being there to further my dream. - And you for reading this ^^ VI. Disclaimer/Legal Mess/Credits This walkthrough is Copyright (C) 2000 Lady Raven. Basically don't publish, sell, copy, disfigure, or attempt some other bizarre action for whatever the reason involving this guide without my permission, k? Popful Mail is Copyright (C) 1991 Falcom and (C) 1994 Working Designs. The test mode cheat was from Game Sages (http://sages.ign.com), submitted by Sheihha@aol.com. The same goes for the time/outtakes gig, submitted by Jonny30@yahoo.com (the latter is also found in the official guide). Bits and pieces of the strategies for the Stage 5 bosses, the Overlord, and Stage 5 in general were derived from the _Popful Mail Official Strategy Guide_ by J. Douglas Arnold and Brian Goss for whenever I was stuck during my first play. That from memory and playing repeatedly applied to this guide. It also aided in wording/terms some complexity of junk. Then again, all boss strategies in all games are generic with or without the aid of a guide, eh? "It's a matter of finding his weakness. And I WILL find it." ~ Popful Mail VII. Contact Info Questions? Comments? Corrections? Love letters? Insights to the soul? If for some reason you need to contact me, use one of these: Yahoo! IM --- ClaireREII AOL IM --- Hentai Chica X/Lady Lenore KoR/Alys Brangwin ICQ # --- 67021149 Email --- therave2003@hotmail.com