*********************
* WARNING *
It's a basic fight but has a couple interesting challenges thrown in. You
can't use missiles against Curly at all, if you try a bubble shield will auto-
matically protect her while they harmlessly explode. In addition, all four of
the Colons (the young Mimiga) will bounce around and try to attack you. They
aren't dangerous but it can be hard to dodge them when they're all over they
are a very real hazard as far as de-levelling your weapons. Shooting a Colon
one time will knock it out, but only for a few seconds. While all this is
she's about to launch a Machine Gun burst. Jump high into the air when you see
her flash and try to angle your jump toward her current position. The stream
de-level it it stays powerful enough to do the job well. Curly stays planted
firmly on the ground and the Colons don't jump very high either, so it's a
great weapon here. Basically you'll want to try to clump the Colong into a
while dodging Curly's Machine Gun whenever she flashes. If you're able to keep
levels down it shouldn't be too hard.
aren't the enemy. She'll offer to give you her Machine Gun in exchange for
your Polar Star. This is actually a pretty major decision. If this is your
first time playing, I highly suggest taking the Machine Gun as it's the
strongest and easiest to use weapon you could possibly get for awhile, it's the
simple. Whether or not you take it, talk to the Colons to learn about the Sand
Zone and what you'll have to do to progress; remove the curse from the Sun
Stones and talk to a lady named Jenka. Go in the back room to heal and save
and pick up the dog if you want, you don't need it yet but it makes a cool hat.
other than a full inventory. In the back room, open up your Map System.
You'll see the signs of a hidden path behind the wall. Jump up to the left of
where the wall juts out to go behind it. Now use the Map System to navigate
the short, simple path to the bottom right corner. Go left and press down to
open a hidden chest containing Curly's Panties. I won't even go into detail
about this, just enjoy your completionism or something. When you're ready, go
- SAND ZONE -
Now head east and past the destructible blocks. You'll see some big angry-
looking blocks that make a 'reflection' noise if you try to shoot them rather
Mimiga kid talked about earlier, so you'll have to come back later to explore
Keep going right and you'll run into a Polish, a big angry sun-looking enemy
that rolls around walls. Stay in the safety of the destructible block wall and
shoot him to cause him to split into several Babies. Try not to destroy too
much of the wall to the east when dealing with these enemies as you'll need at
HP). East of here there are several more chambers that are more or less
identical to the first one more Polishes, but now you've got the added danger
of the sand pits in the bottom, which contain Sandcrocs. It's possible to
dodge and even destroy a Sandcroc, but it's risky, so I'd suggest just staying
When you get to the area with the spikes, shoot the inside of the backwards "C"
that means backtracking a bit so you can climb up. You should notice a little
that means you can pass through the wall at that point. Go through here for a
Save Disk and to skip past the next few hazards, and you'll come out on top of
a huge structure of destructible blocks. Just climb over them to avoid all the
Polishes, but you'll eventually come to a Polish that's stuck on top with you.
the Fire Ball to avoid doing this if you really want to). At the end of this
section you'll see two small sand pits in the middle of suspended platforms.
has a Sandcroc in it so avoid it and head east. Jump up and go through the top
before they even drop. Past here, go into the large empty room and walk to the
***************
* WARNING *
***************
air full of spheres. The beige-colored rock-looking spheres are indestructible
screen. The "opened rock" spheres that look like they have red heating vents
and repeating. He's only vulnerable while his head is open. You may notice
try to shoot him with any, he'll just instantly retreat back underground before
any can hit him. The best weapon against him right now is the Machine Gun,
spheres. However, if you kept your Polar Star, don't fret. Use the Fire Ball
When Omega falls to half health he'll pop completely out of the ground and
never go back in. At this point he'll hop around the room and each time he
lands he'll spray a volley of spheres. This is when you'll finally, happily be
able to get some use out of your Missile Launcher again. Switch to the Missile
Launcher and just start pumelling him. He's completely vulnerable even when
closed up now, and every time you hit him with missiles while he's opened up
he'll immediately close and jump again before finishing his volley. His second
After blasting Omega, the "curse on the Sun Stones" will automatically be
lifted. Basically, this means that those angry blocks to the east of Curly's
house will move out of the way. Run west back to them (which will be a lot
easier this time, since you've already destroyed all the enemies in the way)
and witness the Sun Stones uncurse themselves. Go grab the dog from Curly's
place if you haven't already and drop down where the Sun Stones moved. Break
down through the layers of star blocks (I'll be calling "destructible blocks"
"star blocks" from now on); the Skullhead enemies here take some punishment but
their only strategy is to simply bounce back and forth, so no big deal. You'll
- JENKA'S HOUSE -
Enter the house and talk to the old lady. Hopefully you have the dog from
Curly's house. She'll take it back and send you on a mission to find the other
four who've hidden themselves all around Sand Zone. I'd highly suggest paying
close attention to Jenka's dialogue as she reveals a huge amount of the story-
line of the game as you bring her back more of her dogs. It's a pretty cute
ward. When you're done, save your game and let's go find some dogs!
- SAND ZONE -
order you wish, but I'll list them in order of their proximity to Jenka's house
- Mick: This dog's very closeby, but it's easy to miss the secret passage
leading to him. Go back up to where the Sun Stones were and keep an eye on the
wall to your right. Beyond the rightmost block of the top row of star blocks
you'll see a pawpad block. Run through it to the right and at the end of a
corridor you'll find a small cove with a Life Capsule (+5 HP) and a treasure
- Kakeru: Drop down from Jenka's house all the way to the floor. Head east
and after a bunch of monsters you'll finally come to a bone-tossing Skeleton
enemy with the dog waiting closeby. Kil the Skeleton and approach the dog to
cause it to run around at great speed--too fast for you to catch up with. You
pretty much just have to wait for the dog to run by you and time your pressing
of the Down button so that you grab the dog. It can be helpful to clear out
- Shinobu: After dropping off Kakeru, drop down to the same area again but
this time opt for the upper platform route. Not too far from the right edge
where you found Kakeru if you stay near the top you'll see a couple pawpad
tiles in the ceiling. Jump up and to the right here then over to the left and
run through the passage to a small house with a dog in the doorway. Approach
the dog and he'll run inside. Follow him and save your game as this completely
dark house contains a dangerous Sandcroc monster where the skeleton is. Use of
the Map System is recommended to get a feel for the 'shape' of the house. Jump
a foothold in the darkness. Now move so that you're just above the right half
of the table, jump and hold left. Once you're up here jump high and hold right
so that you're just under the ceiling, and higher than the dog. Now run right
- Nene: The last of the dogs is in plain sight, but of course is sleeping at
the furthest corner of the Sand Zone. Drop down the same way you found Kakeru
and Shinobu but keep going past the end of the sand pit. When you get past the
Skullheads and Skeletons you'll come to an area with lots of pillars and a TON
of Crows. There's no easy way past here, though it might be a good place to
use your Missiles. Nene is just past here, sleeping above and to the left of
the entrance to the Warehouse. Grab her and shoot the star blocks to reveal a
restores your HP but can only be used once... there's one more later in the
game, though, so don't beat yourself up if you have to use it) and send you to
stop the Doctor and his henchmen who've gotten the key to the Warehouse. Make
- WAREHOUSE -
you have to fight THIS boss of all bosses as soon as it's over.
* WARNING *
Toroko is way more violent and powerful once enraged than you'd probably have
imagined. She makes Igor look like an absolute pushover--well, every boss up
to this point, kind of. Basically, she doesn't seem that complicated, and
isn't really, but she's still very tough; her chucked bricks will do massive
damage, and they're both a bit tricky to dodge and completely indestructible.
She has three methods of attack, and seems to use any of them at random. All
involve throwing blocks; she'll either jump straight upwards and toss one, toss
from the ground or leap across the room and toss one at the apex. The third
option is the one she does most often; keep moving so the blocks don't hit you,
because they hit HARD. If you're cornered, it's better to just take a hit from
Toroko herself or ideally a Flowercub if there's one around; they "hatch" from
thrown blocks after they hit a surface. The Flowercubs are also a good source
Stick to your Missile Launcher and blast her until you run out. Switch then to
or collect more missile ammo from the Flowercubs and switch back. Her pattern
doesn't seem to really change throughout the battle, but she'll often surprise
She can be challenging, but I'd hold out on using the Life Pot for good reason.
Just remember that anything's better than getting hit by one of her blocks and
keep pummeling her, no matter how much you probably don't want to :C Eventually
you'll win.
After the battle, talk to King and he'll entrust you with his Blade weapon.
Anyway, even after all you've just been through, you can count on Misery to
show back up and make things even worse. You are henceforth cursed to the
- 2-05 The Labyrinth -
- LABYRINTH I -
robots. Talk to them to learn a bit about their (and your) situation then hit
the star block on the right to access a Save Disk. Now, this room is a breeze
just keep scaling the middle of the room until you reach the top. If you still
the game so far. Take out your Blade and get used to using this new weapon.
It will take out the Critters even from Level 1. The Critters here are unique,
when you get near them or shoot at them they'll lift up into the air, shoot two
Life Capsule (that gives +5 HP). Now, just above where you dropped down to get
the capsule, notice the large block with an eyeball on it to your left. When
wall Beetle. You need to activate this block without getting yourself squished
platform and be safe. Immediately jump on the mooving block and another block
above will start moving as well. Jump to the left on top of it like a stepping
stone then up again to the safe ledge. Now walk up a bit and wait on the block
ledge. Examine the terminal here to open the door at the bottom; the robots
promptly leave. Drop all the way back down to the bottom and follow suit.
- LABYRINTH II -
are relatively harmless. Continue left and don't worry about any more eye
blocks until you get to the top of the room. A block will come in from the
passes by then drop down to the left. A block down here will move from the
- LABYRINTH W -
Introduce yourself to the faster-paced remix of Jenka's theme as you traverse a
hall full of purple Critters tucked into holes. The Blade works wonders here,
again. To the right you'll each a building with easy Gaudis in front. Enter
- LABYRINTH SHOP -
Don't worry, all the Gaudi in here are friendly. Talk to them if you wish to
and hear some backstory and explanation of the Labyrinth. Save your game and
talk to the shopkeep, Chaba. Depending on the first-slot weapon you're holding
when you talk to him, he'll give you a different choice of reward. If you have
the Machine Gun, you'll get the Turbocharge, which passively doubles the rate
at which your Machine Gun recovers ammo. If you're still using the Polar Star,
he'll offer to combine your Polar Star and Fire Ball into a new weapon, the
Snake. This weapon is unique in that it can pass through walls, but it's
strategic value in many areas of the game. The final item he can offer you is
later in the game--and you'll need to keep your Polar Star even longer, denying
the Snake here, to get that weapon. Whatever your decision, when you're done,
- LABYRINTH W -
Go east and you'll quickly come face to face with a slightly more dangerous
type of Gaudi. These fly in a circular pattern and will periodically flash
purple before releasing a goo projectile to your current position. They fall
just as easily to King's Blade as their brothers, though. Go all the way to
- CAMP -
There's a couple new characters here, a small box-like couple of green medical
personnel. The one on the left, Dr. Gero, will heal you and give you a Clinic
Key needed to progress. The one on the right warns you about the ghost in the
Clinic should you choose to venture there. Curly Brace is here, too, weak and
on the bed. All you can do for now is save your game and tackle that Clinic.
- LABYRINTH W -
You'll have to make a couple weird jumps to get up to the Clinic if you don't
have the Machine Gun. Go to the ledge on the left first then jump up onto the
platform to your right.. then, you have to jump left beyong the 'lip' of the
platform above and immediately turn right again to get on top of it. To the
upper right you'll see a star block. If you have the Machine Gun you can get
in there now, but otherwise you'll have to come back later. It leads to the
- CLINIC -
*******************
* WARNING *
*******************
Also known as "Pooh Black" in the Aeon Genesis English translation of the PC
version. This strange creature looks a heck of a lot like a dark twin to
this to speculation. It does heavily resemble the small box creatures Pixel
seems to love drawing more than anything, and definitely fits the "soap bar"
explanation for his Balrog character design more than Balrog himself. But
Puu Black can be kind of intimidating. He basically stand there, generates a
the bubbles are larger and you don't have to worry about electric bolts) then
after a few seconds flies off. He'll be undetectable for a moment, then a vast
an angle that can be different each time. It's easy to tell when Puu's abou to
angle. The only surefire way to not get hit by them is with the Level 3 Bubb-
avoiding Puu's descent much more difficult, so be careful.
get hit. The spirit of King will go into a frenzy when it hits any kind of
enemy or projectile, then proceed to slash everything in a wide area. This is
in the process. If you at any point get hit your blade will level down, at
which point it's best to fall back to the Missile Launcher. If you run out of
missiles and STILL haven't beatn him, just use your main weapon to finish him
- LABYRINTH W -
Just head down back into the Camp. (I know some of these area summaries are
awful short, but I feel like the FAQ's strange or incomplete if include them
- CAMP -
the Cure-All. This shuld help Curly get back on her feet, but it's going to
take some time. Save and head back into the labyrinth when you're ready.
- LABYRINTH W -
Go east until you reach the dead end with spikes. A block will scoot down from
fall off the block into the next crevice before being crushed. Turn right and
you'll come into a long corridor full of both kinds of Gaudi and a strange
machine. Before you go far into this corridor, make absolutely sure that both
your Blade and Bubbline weapons are at MAX. When you're ready, continue on.
*******************
* WARNING *
*******************
Without a doubt, this is the most dangerous boss you've faced yet in Cave
Story. When you walk far enough into the long corridor, even before you've had
a chance to get rid of all the Gaudi, the large machine you ran past will
activate and charge you. There are many elements to this battle that I'll
First of all, by far the most deadly danger in this battle is the machine's
treads. The machine goes surprisingly fast and will smack you for 10 damage if
weapon. You'll want to jump on top of the treads for a safe ride, but at the
same time you don't want to ride too long or Monster X will drive you right
into a force field. If you jump around to the other side, Monster X will shift
direction and chase after you again. You have to jump past it and force it to
change direction three times before it'll open up and attack, revealing its
weak spot. Before anything else, however, I'd switch to the Polar Star/machine
Gun/Snake (whichever you have) and cleanse the area of any and all Gaudi. That
way, if you get hit it won't matter as these weapons you'll not be using in
Now, when you're ready to attack, do what I said above; jump over Monster X's
treads to get it to turn around, then repeat twice more. It'll finally come to
a screeching halt after the third turn, and open up in the middle. It will
goo shots (the same as the flying Gaudi). These can be a blessing because they
all have a chance to drop items and there's so many of them that you're likely
to get some good stuff. There are two ways to deal with this; in my opinion,
the best way is to use King's Blade Level 3, which will ruin all his shots and
also deal huge damage to all four targets at once. The next best option is to
ammunition from all the drops you'll get. The best place to stand while
treads. Of course, once it closes itself up, quickly jump to one side and run
so it doesn't run you over. Repeat the process of getting it to open up then
punishing it until all four orbs are destroyed. Note that this phase of the
boss doesn't have its health meter drained.
around again. The process to open its weak spot is the same, but what happens
afterward has changed. The boss will now launch several small homing torpedoes
and only stay open for a short time before beginning the chase once more. The
Level 2 Blade (Level 3 works if you still have it, but Level 2's actually
optimum since it can be spammed extremely fast at close range) is what you'll
want to use to deal MAJOR damage to Monster X. As it stops, assume position in
upward. The machine itself won't hurt you, only the torpedoes--which circle
yourself with a barrier. Even though the bubbles will pop when they hit the
machine's treads, there should always be enough of a barrier to thwart any
missile that attempts to ram into you. Just keep repeating this process, even
After a long battle, he'll finally fall and reveal his dastardly, evil,
twisted, disgusting true form as he flies out of the exploding machine. Did I
- LABYRINTH B -
Someone will fall from the roof, but you can't move to do anything. When you
regain control, save your game. What you do in this room is actually an
So that you experience every part of the game, I'd highly suggest that if this
If you do this, he'll give you the Booster 0.8 right then and there, which will
allow you to press "Jump" in the air to gain even more height. Of course, this
below Level 3 or you decide to use another weapon. It also makes the game in
the other option and DON'T check on Booster you'll get the much more powerful
bonus area. Again, if this is your first time playing, I'd say just to go
ahead and take the Booster v0.8, but it's your call. Getting up to the next
there's a bit of a trick to it. The jump is very difficult and must be done
precisely. Starting from the western door (coming in from Monster X) you
should see a little red mark on the floor if you look closely. The goal is to
run forward and jump just as your foot touches that mark. Hold Jump and Right
as you go and you should hopefully land on the ledge on the other side. If you
mess up and still want the Booster 2.0 you're going to have to reset and reload
your save, as once you've fallen there's no way to get back up unless you take
the Booster v0.8. Either way, once you're on the other side, go through the
- BOULDER CHAMBER -
You'll find yourself in a small room with Curly standing in front of a massive
boulder. If you didn't get the medicine for Curly earlier you'll have to do
that so that she appears here, or you won't be able to continue. Talk to her
with her. When you fail, a familiar face will drop down from the ceiling. Of
course, you'll have to fight him for the billionth time before he'll listen to
****************
* WARNING *
****************
He's really packing heat this time, but he's still not much of a threat. He'll
in your direction while leaving behind a set of four Super Missiles. Repeat.
missiles; weaker weapons like the Bubbline won't deal enough damage to bring
them down quick enough. If you happen to lose Blade Lv 3, Levels 1 and 2 are
Once he's been given the beatdown for the FOURTH TIME, Balrog will finally come
to his senses enough to help you out instead of trying to hinder him. With his
brawn you're finally able to move the boulder, but you have to KEEP IT A SECRET
FROM EVERYBODY. Though he seemed really miffed that he had to help you out, he
Missile Launcher into a real death machine. Looks like he's a swell guy after
all. Save at the conveniently-spawned Save Disk and head on through where the
- LABYRINTH M -
(Note: In this area, Curly Brace will actually aid you as a non-playable ally
by pretty much just sticking near you and shooting things. Her weapon depends
on if you took the Machine Gun from her or not; if you did, she's using your
old Polar Star. If you didn't, she's using her Machine Gun, fully-powered now.
She also has infinite life, so don't worry about her taking hits.)
You'll come to a room full of eggs. Gaudi Eggs, to be exact. They're
find. To the right you'll see your first Fire Whirr, an evil fan that moves up
and down and periodically releases a flaming ring forwards. These are really
easy to deal with. Pass it and you'll run into an Armor, an upgraded version
They're not too much trouble, though, especially with Curly to get behind their
shots. Going east more you'll find a group of purple Critters that are best
dispatched by running under them and shooting upwards. You'll next come to a
trio of Fire Whirrs, positioned so that you can't possibly avoid their shots
head-on. Whenever they fire, hide behind the nearby crates then peek out to
hit them with something with a good range. Eventually you'll come to an air
Now you're in another egg-filled chamber. Break them open for goodies and head
left. You'll find your first Buyobuyo Bases which cling to floors and ceilings
very annoying but very useful to farm for powerups. Try to kill a lot of the
your missile ammo and life, then blow up the Bases and head left again. After
a couple more Buyobuyo Bases you'll find an area where the water slopes off and
gets deeper. If you have the Machine Gun or Booster v0.8 here, there's nothing
to worry about. However, if you have neither, this place can be a real hazard.
Basiclaly you're going to be jumping across the water with tons of enemies
popping out from the drink that are impossibly annoying. The best way to deal
Critters, but after the far left Base don't worry about whatever they dropped,
just turn back and haul it to shallow water. If you haven't noticed up till
thing like 15 seconds and you're done. Anyway, jump along, using the solitary
top platform if you don't have any boosters to get across (don't worry, you
won't hit the spikes when you leap). Past the pool and a weird dead-end fan
vent below you you'll come to a very dangerous room guarded by a Fire Whirr and
filled with Armors. If you're anywhere near low on life I'd suggest to just
fire from the other side of the crates. When you've slain them, head to the
left edge of the room and activate the terminal to open the way down. Hug the
right wall as you fall so as to not to hit any spikes. There's a teleporter
Chaba's store early in the labyrinth, at which point you can save your game,
around that area. If you don't have any kind of boost power, you'll have to
run all the way back from Chaba's if you do this, but it can still be useful
for preparing, so it's your call. Also, if you took the Booster v0.8 and
didn't backtrack to it already, now's the perfect time to go ahead and grab the
past the Camp and Clinic. When you're done, teleport back and continue east.
Ignore the upper vent and you'll come to meet yet another new enemy, the Fuzz
Core and smaller Fuzz floating around it. You may notice that if you approach
the enemy without shooting Curly won't even try to attack it. This is a hint
you're careful. Of course, after the first Fuzz Core you'll face three more in
a row that are quite difficult to pass without getting hit. There are two last
without getting hit by the small Fuzzes, though it's still difficult as they'll
very speedily home in on you when you attack the Core. Luckily, they drop so
damage you do take. Finally, at the end of this gauntlet, you'll come to a
- DARK PLACE -
Let Curly talk and then save. As she said, the lion head door in the back is
of no use to you yet. Now, it's time to prepare. Basically, you're about to
ESPECIALLY if you don't have the Machine Gun and didn't take the Booster v0.8
(both of which are generally ttue if you're going for the final weapon or the
secret area/best ending). Before you continue onward, go back out either to
try and farm Fuzzes or back a bit further to the teleport to Chaba's so you can
easily farm Gaudis. For those of you unfamiliar for the MMO terminology that's
seeped its way into even classic gaming, "farming" means to kill the same type
of enemy over and over for whatever it drops upon defeat. In this case, it's
every single one of your weapons up to maxmimum. The only exemption is the
Fireball, which is all but useless against the upcoming boss. When you feel
you've sufficiently prepared, go back to the Dark Place, save, and continue on.
- CORE -
from the dank old Labyrinth. Well, this place is dank too, but it has signs of
an advanced civilization--which is good news for a couple of robots who've had
to run through ancient caves so much. Talk to Curly then jump up to the
terminal to open the blast doors. Follow Curly deeper into the Core to find
a jammed blast door that she refuses to walk past. Walk under the door (with
the curious red blotch above it) and shoot up at the bottom of it. You'll know
you're shooting the right spot if it emits red particles like an enemy. After
shooting for awhile it'll finally give way and go into place. Now go back to
below. Head right, activate the terminal to open the last blast door and get
some air. When done, go back out of the water and go back to Dark Place to
corner of this huge room and ignore Curly for now. You should see a sparkling
object on the ground in front of some robot rubble in the background. Examine
it to receive the Tow Rope. It is imperative that you get this item or else
choosing not to get the Booster v0.8 was pretty much for naught (well, you'll
still get the awesome Booster v2.0, but other important things later on won't
happen). If you DID get the Booster v0.8, this item won't exist, so don't
worry about it. Anyway, when you're ready, talk to Curly who's standing on the
top row of platforms.
wake up and start to attack you.
******************
* WARNING *
******************
You'll know this is going to be scary by the tone of the music playing during
this fight. The Core will float toward you from the right wall but at the same
time will keep its distance. Basically, if you run to the left edge of the
room it will follow you, but if you advance on it it will move back. Of course
being too offensive in this battle won't get you very far since the Core is
itself quite invincible until you pull back. The Core will remain closed for a
period of time, and the smaller "mini-cores" surrounding it will periodically
When the mini-cores open up they're susceptible do damage but they're not
so you can hit the main Core when it opens up. But let's not get ahead of our-
First of all and by far the most dangerous thing if you don't have the Machine
Gun or Booster v0.8, is the water. The ENTIRE arena will fill to the roof with
screen and still can't get a breath of air. Now, just imagine that without any
and jumping with severely impaired mobility. Just trying to move around at all
in the water without either 'jetpack' option is extremely dangerous, so even if
you're in an awkward position compared to the Core I'd suggest focussing on
anything else. What makes things even worse is that sometimes when the main
core opens up, it'll create a gust blowing to toward the back of the room
wall being activated and lasting for several seconds. Not only is this
during or just before a flood can be extremely deadly. If you do find yourself
platforms on the right. Luckily for Curly, she can somehow magically stand on
the background platforms that Quote can't, so she'll never fall to the bottom.
Spekaing of Curly, she'll start the battle being KOed but after about 20
seconds or so she'll get up and join the fray. Don't expect her to win the
Now, when you're ready to attack, stay on the left part of the room to lure the
Core toward you (it's a bit safer on the left side, anyway). I stand by the
notion that it's best to just use up all your Super Missiles at the very
beginning to leave the Core's health meter heavily dented and not have to worry
about when to use your missiles on top of everything else. Super Missiles, if
you haven't already noticed, are insanely fast and powerful, and easily one of
the very best weapons in the game. Hopefully you got them to Level 3, because
up. When it does open up, the Core will shoot either a large series of
three or four huge blasts. that do big damage. The tadpoles and giant shots
are easy enough to dodge, it's just all the other things you have to think
about during this battle can throw you off a bit. Once you're out of Super
If you took the Machine Gun, that's definitely the easiest and most powerful
weapon next to Super Missiles you can use against this boss. If you have the
Snake or Polar Star, things are slightly more complicated. Of course, you can
enough hits in without the mini-cores blocking, but there's a couple things you
can do to improve your odds. King's Blade Lv 3 can be used to thrash all the
weapon to deal as much damage as you can before it closes again. Of course,
you'll have to eventually fall back on either the Star or Bubbline if that's
still the weapon you have. I'd suggest the Bubbline as it can shoot rapidly,
defensively it's likely you'll eventually come out on top.
One last tip; this is easily the most difficult boss you'll fight before you
can get your hands on the game's second Life Pot, so don't hesitate to use it
if needed. That's pretty much all I can say about the boss, the rest is up to
Watch the scene with the Doctor who's delightfully frantic at your attempt to
water fills the entire Core room with no way for you to exit. It doesn't
matter what you do here, just let yourself run out of air. (You can, at least,
grab the Tow Rope at this point if you didn't earlier like you should have)
Of course, it isn't the end yet. Depending on if you have the Booster v0.8 or
not (picking up the Tow Rope may also be a factor) you'll either be simply
given Curly's air supply (if you have the Booster) or given a bit of story
involving the secret final area (if you don't). Afterward, again, if you don't
have the Tow Rope (i.e. took the Booster) there's nothing you can do here,
don't worry and continue on. If you DO have it, examine Curly to take her with
you so that she's not left to rust in this room. Go west and out of this
- DARK PLACE -
The place's covered in water now, but luckily, for the rest of the game now,
you have infinite air. The Save Disk has moved but is still functional. Your
----------------
- 2-06 Escape -
----------------
It's a good thing you can "breathe" underwater now, since this next area's
filled with it. Drop down and go left to face some flying Critters, and roof
Bats, the same you faced in Bushlands awhile back. It's a nice, safe place to
Core. Keep going west past some easy spike traps and you'll reach a deep pool
of water. Hop in, and turn right and shoot the empty-looking corridors for
some bonus health. Go left again and below you you'll see a fast current rush-
ing eastward. This is the Waterway's primary hazard (well, using currents in
conjunction with enemies and spikes, anyway) so you'd best get used to it.
spike bed. It'll keep carrying you automatically for a bit until you come to
an area in which you'll just be looped around forever until you jump up along
the bottom of the large backwards "L"-shaped platform. Next, you'll come to an
area swarming with Jellies, though you'll have a small safe platform from which
to dispatch them without worrying about the current. Use the Blade Lv 3 then
stragglers. When you're done, drop off the left side of the platform to be
You HAVE to get in this house if you have Curly. If you fall down, reset the
game and try again. Just hold left as you're coming out of the jellyfish whirl
(of course, difficult without a Booster which you can't have if you have Curly
anyway, but possible). Go in the house, look at the computer, rest, and look
at the computer again. Now, examine the right half of the bookcase next to the
beyond that it's needed to resussicate Curly. Once you've done this, examine
her a couple more times to get the option to leave her here or not. Select
"No" to pick her back up, save, and leave.
If you don't have Curly, none of this is needed, of course, but you can still
Fall down and get ready to jump over a series of three spike beds. The camera
may be very annoying here; the best way I've found to get it to behave is to
Alright, so basically, there's going to be a spike bed just under left side of
the jellyfish whirlpool area, and a long one. Leap over it then keep your head
the spikes on the floor just past it. Next, at the end of the long flat
section of floor, there'll be one more long spike bed before a rest stop.
when you're ready, fall down to the *left* of the platform so that you'll be
by a long leap just after it. Now, here, you're going to wanna try to hop
twice so that you're on the second-highest platform. You'll avoid all the
spikes and jump safely over the huge spike bed at the end. After this, just
one more jump over a small bed and you're taken to a new area.. at which you're
"Something's coming!!"
******************
* WARNING *
******************
Ikachan, a previous game by Pixel. Now, the first thing you should know in
the game. You can move freely in any direction, but you'll only be able to
face right the whole time. It's actually quite comfortable and fun, though, if
Immediately you'll be swarmed by a large mob of fish, but they're harmless, at
least at first. When they reach the eastern edge of the screen they'll inflate
left, and this repeats for the entire battle. The fish can be destroyed at any
time and drop powerups whcih flow with the current. The other major hazard is
all during the battle and absorb attacks. Ironhead himself will appear after a
moment and start to swim around, rather slowly. He's easy to avoid, but does
big damage if you do run into him. Sometimes he'll release three small
weapon you have out of the Machine Gun, Snake or Polar Star. It's actually a
refreshingly easy boss battle. If you manage to defeat Ironhead without taking
any damage, you'll earn a cameo from Ikachan, the main character of the game
Ironhead appeared in, and earn the "Alien Medal" which depicts the likeness of
- MIMIGA VILLAGE -
The music's different and no one seems to be here. Explore as much as you
want, but your destination if Arthur's House. Now, if you took the Booster
can't change direction mid-flight. You'll have to release the jump button,
charge. This is very important stuff to get used to if you plan on tackling
the secret final dungeon later on, which you probably will if you've got the
Now, if you still have the Polar Star after all this time and didn't take the
Machine Gun or Snake, there's another very powerful goody you've got access to
finally. Use the Booster 2.0 to fly back into the First Cave, from the top
left of the Mimiga Village. Make your way back to the Hermit Gunsmith where
you found your Polar Star at the very beginning of your adventure. Now, the
plete Polar Star while he was napping. If you still have it with you, he'll
back to you as the Spur. The Spur is unlike any other weapon; it doesn't gain
experience from power crystals, but it doesn't need to! You simply hold the
level, up to MAX (it's the only weapon with four different phases, with MAX
being different than Level 3). Level 1 is a version of the Polar Star Lv 3
pierce through enemies they're able to destroy. Needless to say, this is one
damn fine weapon, and widely considered to be the best in the game. What's
even better is that due to the fact it doesn't use energy crystals, you it
can't be 'levelled down'. Be aware that after you get the Spur the First Cave
will be absolutely smothered in enemies, but they're just the normal Critters
and Bats from here, so it's not like it's dangerous.
Booster 2.0, that means you still haven't been able to go back and grab the
Arms Barrier from above the Camp in the Labyrinth. Luckily, if you skipped the
of Labyrinth B and you can select it from the Arthur's House teleport pad.
your prize. And to top it all off, if you have the Spur, you can drop by
Chaba's Labyrinth Shop to grab the Whimsical Star, a special item that will
When you're all done, go back to Arthur's House and teleport to the Egg
- EGG CORRIDOR? -
Uh oh.. this place is in bad shape these days. The good news is that little
Basil spark no longer exists, so you don't have to worry about instant death.
Flowers which have caused them to become Dragon Zombies. Go to the right and
say hello to your old friends, Beetles, Bakus and Critters. Eventually you'll
come to Egg 12 which contains your first Zombie. Go to the floor and crawl to
powerful fireballs. Hide just under it until it releases a blast then
immediately jump up and blast it to pieces. Grab the chest behind it to get
- CTHULHU'S ABODE? -
It's like it used to be, only without Cthulhu...and with a lot of traps.
as you can to destroy it. You should have weapons good enough for this now,
before it falls. Repeat for the higher Press and boost your way to the door.
- EGG CORRIDOR -
it be KO'ed by a stalactite. Go east and make sure you kill the next Zombie as
you'll want to run back to where it lay shortly. Just to the right is the one
in place and counts down from 5. This guy can be destroyed, but he has really
massive HP and he still drops items if you let him suicide. Simply activate it
then run back to Egg 08 to avoid its massive kamikaze. Keep going east to and
back. When the tall stalactite falls shoot it to clear it out and continue.
- EGG OBSERVATION ROOM? -
* WARNING *
There'll be an explosion and you'll feel a cold breeze... before being
assaulted by a pair of especially rabid Sky Dragons. You'll be more or less
flight path. They'll take turns opening their mouth to expel several shots of
to them fast enough they'll become shocked and bear a unique expression during
They'll sometimes slow down then switch directions, and when they've taken
enough damage they'll begin to simply keep their mouths open indefinitely and
continually spout fireballs without stopping. The Super Missiles are by far
missiles you should've picked up in this area the 30 missile max you've
attained should be enough to completely deal with them. If neither of these
weapons ends up being an option for you and they're still alive, finish them
with the Blade. Note that the life bar is shared by the two Sisters, and when
A Save Disk will appear below. Use it, and head through the open vent on the
- EGG CORRIDOR? -
You'll have to deal with more falling rubble and Dragon Zombies as you trek
east, but you should be familiar with how to deal with them by now. There's a
you're challenging yourself by turning off your Booster. Head right past where
- EGG NO. 00 -
Examine the computer screen. You'll be greeted by Kazuma and have a nice bit
island with him on a Sky Dragon. If you answer Yes here, you'll actually get
one of the three endings in Cave Story-- the "worst" ending. It's pretty
your game and continue on when you're finished. Say "No" to progress forward
in the game. Kazuma will fill you in on a possible way to defeat the Doctor
edge of the room earlier in the game. Follow him out.
- THE OUTER WALL -
Now, you may be interested to know that there's a hidden optional house under
your starting position out here. You can reach it by flying left just under
house. If you enter it, you'll have to squint to see the tiny people living
inside, made up of just a small mass of pixels. This house is key to getting
the Nemesis, one of the best weapons in the game, later on. For now, climb up
past Kazuma and his dragon on your ascent toward the top of the island. There
isn't much interesting for a bit until you come to a long corridor to your
left, with a block with a clock symbol and some kanji to your right. If you go
thing you'll find a hidden room.
- CLOCK ROOM -
There's nothing here but a chest and a bunch of spikes. You can only open the
version), which serves no purpose until you reach said bonus area. Head back
- OUTER WALL -
Keep scaling and you'll quickly find a simple yellow bouncing enemy, called a
the floor. Another type of enemy you'll see around here is the Night Spirit,
to launch barrages of indestructible white... pillowy tadpole things, that I'd
say are a bit suggestive given their color and shape. They're actually pretty
attacking and they should be easy to dodge. You may notice that the powerups
Keep climbing the wall and you'll reach a section made up of grey blocks. You
is a narrow pit of white sand. Stepping over one of these pits will cause a
be extra careful around here. Just keep on climbing, there are no new hazards
for the rest of this area. Eventually you'll reach a place with an actual
solid background at which point you're close to the door back inside the
island. Enter it when you come to it to reach the next chapter of the game.
--------------------
- 2-07 Plantation -
--------------------
- STOREHOUSE -
You'll be greeted by a Mimiga freaking out. Go talk to him and he'll
eventually warm up to you and reveal his name, Itoh, and his story. Keep
talking to him several times until he starts to repeat himself. Apparently,
he's a master engineer but is a bit of a coward who's become scarred by all the
crazy bad series of events that've happened since coming to the island
originally as a human that he's lost his touch and sense of worth. Remember
him, as surely he'll come in handy eventually. Save and leave through the left
- PLANTATION -
Awwright, the title theme! Now, there are several places you can go from here
unless you just feel like exploring. One place of interest that never has a
- PASSAGE? -
This room may look rather ordinary, but it's actually... Well, no matter yet,
- STATUE CHAMBER -
A completely optional room that contains statues of each being who's ever owned
the Demon Crown, on order from left to right. The first two look rather alien,
latest owner...a familiar face, but his statue's unfinished. The statue carver
other than an ellipsis. Head back out when you're done.
- PASSAGE? -
- PLANTATION -
Now, first things first. Head left and across the platforms. You'll run into
anyone who gets near. The Blade Lv 3 and Spur are your best options against
these. Keep going left and ignore the door hidden in the ground for now. Just
past it you'll see a large orange monster called a Droll which watches over the
Mimiga that farm this area. He'll leave you alone unless you attack him, at
wherever you were when he began his leap. Another new enemy here is the
but is quite weak and can evern be safely stepped on. The Mimiga here will
refuse to talk to you for now, so there's no use in trying. Keep going left
This area's filled with Stumpies, little dragonfly enemies that aren't really
like this. Shred them up with the Blade Lv 3 and climb up one last bit to
- JAIL NO. 2 -
Talk to the Mimiga behind the bars, the only Mimiga in the Plantation who'll
talk to you at this time. Go through the Teleport to...
- SHELTER -
are! Seems like that's the jail where Kazuma and Booster were held. Heal and
- JAIL NO. 2 -
- PLANTATION -
- -
pole, Kanpachi from the Mimiga Village. Talk to him until he decides to go
- PLANTATION -
Make your way down to the bottom level of the Plantation. There's a new type
of enemy in the water here, called Gunfish. They will annoyingly shoot rows of
the deep water. Go all the way to the west end of this section to find
Kanpachi fishing off the edge of a platform. If you came here earlier you'd
is able to fish it out. Talk to him, then examine the bucket behind him.
You'll receive the Teleporter Room Key, which opens the door directly to your
left, on the bottom-left corner of the Plantation. If you can't reach it past
Kanpachi and don't kill them this time so you can use them as platforms. Go on
- TELEPORTER ROOM -
There's a seemingly friendly Droll standing here when you come in, but he won't
talk to you. Try to use the teleporter to somehow fall into the most obvious
- JAIL NO. 1 -
here and left a note in your pocket, that he suspects is a love letter. Open
your inventory and examine the note to read it. You'll find out a big chunk of
the ground in the middle of the Plantation. When you're done, save the game
then go through the water below the Save Disk and behind the wall. Loop around
- PLANTATION -
should drop back down. If you go too far up past this, an unavoidable set of
Presses will kill you without fail. There's actually a way to get up here now
using a Stumpy as a platform, but it's very difficult and not worth it, as you
won't even be able to enter the next area if you make it.
Plantation, hidden underground. Fall down to the little empty alcove above the
block. Feel your way down to the door and go inside using the (automatic) pass
word written in Sue's Letter.
