Xexyz/Area 3

Outdoors
You start out in the Island of the Forest facing a spider that climbs up and down a tree. This species of spider shoots small webs at Apollo. If the webs hit, Apollo takes damage and is temporarily frozen in place. You can shoot the webs if you're fast enough. It's best to stand directly below the spiders and fire upward to remove them. Enter the first door to find: A jump enemy will appear around the first star column. Destroy it, hop over the column, and continue past more spiders to the second door: After you leave, a flying enemy will approach. A spider will be hanging above the second star column. Drop into the water, and look out for the serpent who sticks his head up out of the water. Then jump up the platforms back to the third door on the left, which is a Treasure Box room. Play this mini game twice for more E money if you like, then drop back down the platforms to approach the next door near the water: Hop up to the next door above and to the right to find: This information obviously applies to room you previously visited below. Drop down the platforms and continue walking along the ground. Along with a spider, a new hovering enemy will slowly descend to the ground, bombing the area below. Head to the next door to find a Upgrade room, which you shouldn't need if you visited the Weapon room twice. Instead, continue on and collect the E block on top of the star column. Visit the next door to find: Jump over another star column, and drop to the water. Collect the L block to the right of the door if you are low on health, and then come back and enter to find another Hot tub rescue room. Defeat the head to earn another 50E, then exit. Continue right to find another E block. This area will contain a number of hover enemies, so take them out carefully.
 * Information room: "Welcome Apollo. This is the island of the forest.  Our leader, Queen Emilia is captured at the mechanic castle on this island."
 * Weapon room: The creature inside provides you with the Wave Ball, a weapon capable of firing through solid platforms.  Exit and re-enter the room to receive the upgraded version of this weapon which adds a second ball.
 * Hot tub rescue room: Like the Fairy rescue room in the first area, there is a floating head in this room. You must defeat it to save the spirit that occupies the hot tub.  Stand near the middle of the room and jump up to attack.  When the head begins to charge, escape to the left, and then return when the head retreats.  If you defeat it, the spirit will reward you with 50E.
 * Information room: "The fairies of the hot springs on this island were all frozen by Goruza. Please bring them back to life."
 * Item shop: In this room, you can buy the same items that you could buy from the item shops in the castle of Area 1.

When you reach dry land again, the first door high above the ground contains a Money room where you can receive 20E for free. Back outside, you will find a new enemy, an inchworm that appears to have a cannon strapped to its back. They can leap very high. Enter the next door beyond the star column to find a Recovery room. Pay 60E to restore all of your health if you happen to be below 50%.

Beyond that door, you will see another star column. This is the column that you must shoot to reveal the hidden door above. Inside is the When you exit, you must get past one more cannon inch-worm to reach the entrance to the castle.
 * Force Star room: Assuming you have a powered-up Wave Ball, you must use the same strategy that you used in the previous room, standing between the columns, and jumping up when the bullets pass over Apollo's head.  The difference is that Apollo must wait to fire until the height of his jump so that the Wave Ball strikes the statue's head.  Do this enough, and the statue will reward Apollo with the second Force Star.

Indoor 1
The first section of the castle contains only one level, there are no air-wells to travel through. Right away, you will be confronted with two small tanks. You may notice the weakness of the Wave Ball weapon. If it misses the tanks and sails over them, it will keep going to the end of the screen, and you must wait before you can fire again. Do your best to take them out as quickly as you can, then head to the right.

A small ball will roll off the platform, and transform into a head when it lands on the floor. It waits before shooting in your direction, so blast it before it can fire. Head under the platform if you'd like to collect an E block, but return to the left after that since this path leads to a dead-end. Jump on top of the platform and head to the right.

The platform above leads to a door with a Gambling room inside. However, if you are in need of health, stay on the lower platform until you reach the L block on the ground. If you visit the Gambling room first, there's little chance that the L block will still be there when you get back.

Once you reach the floor beyond the first set of platforms, watch out for more tanks and more balls rolling off the next platform and jump on to it. Continue to the end of the first platform to collect an E block, and find a door that contains a Rescue room. Defeat the floating head inside to rescue the fairy and earn 40E. Then head back out, and jump up to the higher platform. Drop down to the floor, and you'll reach the hangar.

Shooter
One ground enemy precedes a set of enemies that travel through the screen in waves. An S capsule will appear on the bottom. When the first P capsule appears, you'll see purple orbs which shuttle back and forth between the floor and the ceiling until you destroy them. A little further along is another S capsule. Move wave enemies will appear until you see a small cannon attached to the wall between two doors. To proceed to the next section take the lower door; the upper door will cycle you back to the beginning of the first section.

A new enemy will appear. It drops down from high to low, moving in a Z pattern when they get close to you. A P capsule will appear on the floor. Collect it to upgrade your main weapons and fire a second bullet upward. At this point, the section will become a slight maze, with columns sticking out from the floor and ceiling, forcing you to adjust your position around them. You won't die if you get stuck behind any of them, but you will sustain damage. Another new enemy will drop from the ceiling when you approach them. A number of columns will appear along the floor, so remain higher up as you finish out the section. When you reach the end, take the lower door to proceed to the second interior.

Indoors 2
You will immediately be set upon by a small green robot. Destroy it quickly, but watch out for the purple bouncing heads waiting for you on the platform above. Remove any dangers before proceeding, and then jump up to the high platform to find an L block. The door nearby leads to an Item shop. At this time is it highly recommended that you purchase the 45 Ball for 40E instead of sticking with the Wave Beam. The boss at the end of this area will be much easier to defeat.

Drop down to the floor below the shop, and continue to the right, watching out for the heads. You will start to see insects which streak toward you when you get close. You'll have to leap over a gap in the floor to the small platforms beyond. You can safely fall down to the lower platforms below, including the small one with an E block. You may notice an air-well above you, the only one in the castle. Beware of using this air-well, as it is positioned over empty space. When you travel back down the well, you must be sure to press as you fall, or you will lose a life.

If you head up the air-well, you will encounter three bouncing heads guarding an E block, and a door in the upper right corner. Inside the door is an: Remember to push right as you fall back down the air-well. Then walk to the right where you will encounter two more purple heads and two more green robots before you reach the door that leads to the boss.
 * Information shop: Pay 20E to learn, "Boss's weakness is its eye."

Boss: Stinza
The boss of the area resembles a short fish with a single bulging eye. It moves in the shape of an infinity sign, first down, then diagonally upwards, then down again and diagonally backwards. It fires two spines from above and below its eye straight ahead. Periodically, it will send its eyeball flying in your direction, which is immediately replaced by another eye. You can shoot the eye if you are fast enough.

If you followed the advice and bought the 45 Ball, this fight is significantly easier than if you stuck with the Wave Ball. Simply stay near the top of the screen, and position yourself so that you can rapidly hit Stinza with the 45 Ball. Move left or right accordingly to dodge the occasional eyeball. If you stuck with the Wave Ball, it's much harder to make it through this fight unscathed. You need to lead Stinza a bit so that he will end up moving into your shots. Don't try to line up with him directly, as one of the two spines is bound to hit you.

Defeat Stinza, rescue Queen Emilia, and take her Cyborg Rider to the next area.