Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts/Stage 2

Stage 2-1
This stage is tougher, but it shouldn't be too much trouble if you’re careful. There are Ghosts galore here, and Mimics to a lesser extent. The Ghosts appear as wisps of cloud at first and start to swirl around into actual form. One final thing to watch out for is to avoid jumping too high in certain parts of this stage. If you do, the ship will start to sink prematurely and you’ll likely die. Jump off of the rickety dock and onto the mast of the ship.

Jump forward when you see the rope on the mast to reveal a chest. Continue on after you grab it and another chest should appear further ahead. When you reach the end of the ship, jump up at the edge and grab the two Money Bags. Don’t worry about the guillotine above, you can walk under it. The ship will sink up to the platform when you jump onto it. Head back to the left and go up the rope ladder. Keep going left and jump off of the side and jump back to find a chest.

Walk to the right and jump over the guillotine there. Now jump onto the pulley at the far end and let it take you to the next ship. Jump off at the far end to reveal another chest. If it doesn’t appear, jump off of the side and jump back again. Once you got it, head left and wait until the Mimic starts rattling around and the top opens. Hit it a few times to destroy it and continue upwards. Don’t climb right to the top of the rope ladder because of the guillotine there.

Wait until it swings away and then climb up and jump over it. There will be another guillotine at the opposite end with a Mimic at the top of the rope ladder. Get up there and destroy the Mimic. Head right and a chest will appear at the end. Open it and head back to the right and over the gap in the platform. One last guillotine will be swinging back and forth ahead. Grab the Money Bag but just ignore the Mimic on the other side of the guillotine.

It’s probably a death trap if you try to go that way. Instead go down the rope ladder and jump off of the side to make yet another chest pop up. To get that chest you’ll have to kill the Mimic further ahead and then the one where the guillotine is since the rope ladder is too short to reach. Either way continue to the end of the ship and the raft hanging off of the side. Jump onto it and it will drop onto the sea. The next part of the stage begins here.

Stage 2-2
You start out on the open sea but there will be two whirlpools ahead. The first one will catch the raft you’re on and start moving it back and forth. There will be two more rafts ahead though. Jump onto the second raft in the second whirlpool and then the third raft further ahead. After being on the third raft for awhile the sea will get more turbulent, making the water move up and down continually. The Fish will be the first enemy you run into here.

They will fly towards you after rising out of the water so you should stay a reasonable distance from them. Soon after you take out the Fish two chests should appear beside each other. You may have to move around to reveal the second one but you can also use the Crossbow Magic to get it. A Coral Cannon will appear soon after that. These enemies should be destroyed quickly since they will shoot at you and will just switch directions if you jump over them.

Another Coral Cannon will appear soon after the first one on a much higher coral pillar. Kill it and grab the Money Bag on the side. Jump over the coral and destroy the next Coral Cannon. Destroy the reddish blocks in the middle and grab the Money Bag hanging near the top. Two more of those bastard Coral Cannons will be waiting ahead, much closer together than before. Get rid of the first one and hit the second one from the left if you can.

Jump over the coral pillar and destroy the reddish blocks in the center of the next one. Right after that a Fish Man will appear low in the water. Hit the bugger before it shoots a pair of fireballs at you. Another pair of Coral Cannons will be perched high on the screen. Defeat both of them from the left side since there isn’t much room to maneuver if you jump over the first coral pillar. Grab the Money Bag and then pass under the second coral pillar.

A fourth raft will be waiting ahead, ending your run with this one. Jump onto it and kill the Fish Man that will appear on the right side of the raft. A chest will appear as well as another raft just beyond the Fish Man. There will be two more rafts in quick succession ahead as well as a few more Fish Men and Fish in combination. Once you make in onto the last raft, there will be a long stretch of nothing ahead, except for the boss of course.

Stage 2 Boss: Giant Barnacle
The boss will appear from under the waterfall in the rock face. It only has one attack but because the water is continually going up and down, it can be either hard or simple to avoid. The boss moves left and right at first and then up or down when it fires shells at you&mdash;two or three shells on normal and more on higher difficulties. A weapon that travels along a straight trajectory are best against this boss, those being the Lance, the Dagger, and the Axe. After that the Crossbow and the Scythe are decent alternatives. Avoid the shells by jumping/double jumping or ducking. Stay within sight of the boss and move left when it fires shells to gain a little time for the water to lower or rise so that you can avoid them easier. You won’t be able to move to the right side of the boss so don’t bother trying if you get hit.