Black Tiger/Stage 5



When you start this stage, it's a good idea to buy plenty of keys before you continue, as the number of keys which appear in pots begins to decrease in comparison to the number of treasure chests that you find.

(A): Right when you pass through the entrance of this first building, stop and prepare yourself for the appearance of mummies which arrive through the doorway in the background.

(B): Try to have a good number of enemies in view before you touch the POW and eliminate all of them. This should include two witches that appear above the ground right around the time you reach this spot.

(C): Be very careful of the boulder which falls from the sky here. It's difficult to jump back to the left. Ideally, you should try to jump over the boulder as it comes back to the ground after the second bounce. A second boulder will drop just before you reach the next building. Beware of a Stone Face which may inexplicably be found inside one of the pots. And also be on the lookout for more mummies that appear from the background.



(D): A sequence of threats will appear as you exit from the building, starting with a witch that appears above the ground. A Red Arremer makes its first appearance as a normal enemy in the game, but it still requires a great deal of damage to destroy. Just beyond where it appears is a ledge that leads to a captive. A plant is waiting to strike just before the captive.

(E): On your way up through this climb, there is a secret hidden in the right wall. It is just about even with the Spinning Skull Coin, which means in order to strike the right wall, you'll have to wait until the coin floats over to the left. Strike the wall to reveal an elephant worth 500 Zenny, but don't forget to clear the wall above it as well before you try to jump over and collect it, or you'll simply fall and lose the elephant. Watch out for the Fire Demon waiting above these columns.

(F): Take care when jump from one platform to the next. Use the POW to remove the next Red Arremer before it becomes a threat. However, after you jump over the long gap, you can safely fall straight down from the higher platform to the one below, in order to destroy the plant that pops up here. Watch out for the pairs of mummies which emerge from the background of the next building.



(G): Once again, you want to lure as many enemies as you can to this location before you touch the POW and eliminate all of them. This should include the Red Arremer and witch, along with several other enemies in the vicinity. From this location, you have a choice. Climbing to the top will lead you to the boss of the stage. However, some exploration to the right will lead you to another shop and the stage dungeon, shown below.



(H): This dungeon is fairly small. Apart from some Fire Demons which appear early on, there aren't too many huge threats. Be sure to examine the wall on the right side of the structure that divides the room. Inside you'll find a dragonfly, worth 50,000 points.

(I): On your way up to the boss, there is one final secret to discover. Along the right wall, about even with the second Spinning Skull Coin, you can destroy the wall to reveal a barrel, which will increase the strength of your armor by two (up to a max of eight.) Getting it can be tricky, since the coin needs to be far enough to the left to avoid harming you, and you need to clear the wall above it as well in order to access it. Then make your way to the top to reach the boss.

Boss: Silver Draconian
Draconians are tall humanoid dragons that like to wield rather long swords in each hand. They march forward without fear, and they like to surprise challengers which their ability to use breath weapons. They spit sparks on the floor which cause an eruption of flames to rise from the ground, like a fire trap triggered by a chest. The only real way to damage them is to get a good shot at their head. Given their height, you'll need to jump up quite a bit in order to strike them. If you back away from the draconian, he will pursue you and you'll find that you get backed up against a pillar which has appeared since your fight began. This will force you to jump up on the block before the pillar (which is a good height to attempt a strike on the draconian's head) and then leap over the draconian in order to continue your assault from the opposite side. Instead, try to stand rather close to the draconian and cause it to spit out this weapon repeatedly. By standing close to the draconian, you will still be inside the safe area behind where the flames start to erupt. This allows you to jump up and strike his head at near point blank range without having to worry about the draconian advancing on you. If the draconian moves around, adjust your location until your in the safe zone again, and then leap up to strike it's head until it's defeated.