Hinotori Houou Hen: Gaou no Bouken/Feudal Japan stages 1 - 4

Stage 1
You begin each new game on this stage. (If you have returned here after completing stage 7, you should search for the warp to Future World 1.) As with all stages, you must advance to the right to reach the end where the stage card is contained. The game starts out by presenting every possible item to you in order to familiarize yourself with each item's properties. After collect the 10-gargoyle block treasure, you'll have to use one block to leap over the next rock ledge. Eventually, you will find the mirror which allows Gaou to walk right through physical terrain. You can't get trapped in a wall, so don't worry. You will reach an area with Officials walking about, along with some snakes. Break the walls that lie to the right of some ledges so that you break the top two blocks, and the first middle block. An item is usually hidden in the first middle block, including a 1-up doll. You can use the staircase-like arrangement to reach any treasures on top, including the invincibility granting Phoenix feather. If no wall is available, you can always create gargoyle blocks as steps. After you defeat the last string of Officials, continue to the open area, where you'll have to use blocks to reach the top of some very high ledges to proceed. Remember that you can create blocks in mid-air while you jump. This can help you cut down on the number of blocks necessary to clear the stage. You will reach the boss after clearing this section

Boss: The boss of this stage is a giant Gargoyle head that bobs up and down across the room. When he reaches the peak of his floating, he shoots two boulders from his nose. It is possible to play this fight very carefully and avoid danger, but you can also run right up to him and fire at him quite rapidly and destroy him before he can cross the room one time. You will take a bit of damage, but if you entered the fight with full health, you'll defeat him very quickly. Don't forget that Gaou can also fire his chisels upwards.

Stage 2
Compared to the last stage, this stage is more of an open plain. There are a number of treasure chests that lie on various ledges, but they are easily accessed. Try to avoid taking much damage until you reach the life restoring Onigiri in the second treasure chest. Your biggest threat here are the bouncing foxes. Eventually, you will find one treasure chest that contains the necklace which stops time for the enemies for a short period. Use it to advance quickly through the stage. After the first gap, you will begin to see the floating evil spirits that cross the screen. The treasure chest at the top contains an invincibility feather. Use it to crash through several enemies. Shortly after that, treasure chests will begin to drop from the sky. You'll have to shoot at them at just the right time to hit them and collect their contents before they hit the ground. Once they drop, you can't access them anymore. The enemies tend to appear less and less as you reach the end of the stage, and you will reach an enclosure shortly after collecting an invincibility feather from the last chest.

Boss: There is no actual boss to this stage. All you have to do is destroy some of the blocks that close off the room where the card is contained. Two foxes and a Monk also occupy the room, but they are easily taken care of. Take the top route to avoid the most damage, stand beneath the card next to the right wall, and fire up to let the card drop and collect it.

Stage 3
The rocky terrain of the third stage is laid out a bit more like the first stage. In the beginning, the biggest threat will be posed by the owls that float across the screen, and the occasional fox. You won't have to use any gargoyle blocks if you jump properly. If you happen to get stuck in a crag, you'll have to lay one or two down to climb back out. Eventually, the jumps start to space out a bit more and it may be more practical to rely on a block or two to help you along. The sky will start to open up and the terrain will level out. You will find a treasure chest enclosed in some rocks. Read the spoiler below to find out what it is. As you continue, more gaps will begin to appear between the rocks, and floating evil spirits will traverse the screen. Take it slowly, so as not to slip off a ledge to the gaps below. If you do happen to fall, try to save yourself with a gargoyle block. You will reach some ledges where you must rely on a couple of gargoyle blocks to get you over and beyond. When you see three chests close together, you are just before the stage boss. Be sure to collect the Onigiri in the middle chest.

Boss: The Rock Man is a living creature of stone. He can leap high up in the air and cross the screen, or he can tuck himself into a giant boulder and roll across the floor in an attempt to flatten you. When he stands, he typically throws stones at Gaou. Once again, you can trail this boss rather closely, and continuously hit him with chisels as rapidly as possible in order to do away with him quite fast. Try to anticipate his moves, and you'll be able to destroy him in no time.

Stage 4
When you start this stage, you will probably be quite distracted by the treasure chests that reside high up in the tree branches. While a few of them are worth the effort to climb up and collect, the majority of them are just point bags which are not worth endangering your life to grab. Your much safer staying on the ground and poaching a treasure chest whenever one becomes more accessible. After the first to tree chests, two more chests will fall to the ground which you must accurately time a chisel throw in order to hit and collect the contents. As you progress, be on the lookout for enemies which are likely to attack you from above. Stand still and shoot them out of the air if necessary before proceeding. You will soon come to a watery location where coy fish jump out of the water, and can hurt you if they touch you. While the first treasure chest may be tempting to collect, it will place you in a lot of danger as you try to collect it. It is better off to stick to the top level of platforms and avoid the fish. When you are forced to drop down, be sure to collect the last chest in the area for an Onigiri. Finally, you will reach another small watery gap with one fish. Carefully build a staircase up to the first chest, collect the time stopping necklace, then continue up to the next two chests and collect one last Onigiri before proceeding to the boss fight.

Boss: The Face Wheel of fire hovers over the center of the screen, pouring down balls at Gaou as it spins. It moves very slowly from that position, so you can stand beneath it and fire straight up at it. To speed up the fight, create a few gargoyle blocks beneath it, and climb higher so that you can fire you chisels at it more rapidly and collect the card before it even begins to move.