Valkyrie no Bouken/The third continent

Surviving the arctic
After riding the Magic Ship across the rainbow, you will become stranded in the north west corner of the third continent; a snowy region filled with ferocious monsters the likes of which you have never seen before. Don't worry though, they behave very much like monsters you've witnessed in the past, they just have more HP and take longer to defeat. You should have collected the Blue Mantle before you arrived here, or at the very least, be wearing a regular mantle. The chill of the arctic air is just as damaging to the Valkyrie as the harsh desert environment, and only the Mantle can protect her. Additionally, watch out for the crystalline structures that dot the land, they can poison you just as the cactus and the underground mushrooms can.

The frozen tundra wastelands extend far to the east, and halfway down the continent. Two ranges of mountains separate the land into three vertical strips. The left-most strip will dead-end at the bottom. The right-most strip contains snow drifts that are so high, that the Valkyrie will fall in some of them and get hurt (like the desert quicksand). However, these snow drifts are home to some of the best above ground enemies that you can fight for XP; the Tundra. They are very similar to Black Sandra, so they are easy to fight, and the strongest variety (further to the south) provide close to a thousand XP per kill! After you establish your safety at a hotel, remember to come back here.

Obtaining the Tiara
As you travel down the center lane of the arctic, you will eventually hit a wall that separates the north of the continent from the south. The only obvious point of passage along the wall is at a large statue of a lion. Approaching its paws will cause a new symbol to flash above you; the Tiara. Fortunately for you, the Tiara is actually close by. To the north and slightly to the west is a lake. Two poorly made bridges lead to an island in the center. If you learned your lesson from the lake near the desert, you know that the bridges will collapse and drop you in the water. The water will do damage to the Valkyrie until you get her to a dock so that she can climb out. The good news is that a dock is connected to the island with a treasure chest in the middle. The bad news is there does not seem to be any other docks which you can use to escape the lake. Clearly you need to visit the island and use a key on the chest to obtain its contents, which happens to be the Tiara. Collecting it will be easier than escaping. Read the box below to learn how to escape with your life.

Below the Lion
Once you have safely escaped with the Tiara, you may find yourself somewhere familiar, or somewhere unfamiliar. There's a chance that you reappeared right in front of the lion statue. There's a chance that you're standing in front of one of the hotels of the second continent. And there's a chance that you're somewhere you've never seen before. It turns out that possession of the Tiara changes the destination of the Valkyrie when she uses one of the warp zones. The destinations change as follows: So if you ended up to the right of a dock below a field of gray flowers, then relax. You are merely south of the lion. You can travel north and follow the east coast through the field of flowers (which will drain your health, Mantle or no Mantle), and continue traveling until you get above a range of forest. Once you clear the forest, head west to find the hotel.

If you ended up at one of the other hotels, find a warp zone, and warp while facing left, and you'll end up in front of the Lion statue. Walk up to its paws, pause the game, highlight the Tiara in your inventory, and press. The paws will disappear and you will be granted access to the far milder souther portion of the continent. A short trip south will lead you to the hotel.

Exploring the continent
Now that you have free roam over the remainder of the southern continent, you can take your time fighting monsters to become stronger, and exploring the area. There aren't many point of interest, but it's fun to explore none the less. One important location to note is the circle of trees in the upper left corner below the wall. Inside is another oddly colored patch of grass. This happens to be a warp zone that you can use to get back to the second continent, or to other locations on the third continent, such as above the Lion statue. However, you are required to carry an Ax in order to reach it.

Below the hotel, you may see a treasure chest in the woods. It contains a Super Potion. Below that appears to be some kind of castle or fortress, but no amount of investigation will get you inside. The treasure chest nearby, however, contains a useful Gold Key. Below this building is a field of gray flowers that poison the Valkyrie as she walks through it, and not even a Mantle can protect her.

Further to the west, you may be surprised to find an invisible barrier preventing you from exploring much further. It turns out that there is an invisible maze which blocks you from reaching the southern coast along the peninsula. There are a couple of different paths that you can take to get through it, but the red line in the image to the right shows you one of the most direct routes. If you navigate carefully through the maze, you will arrive on the other side to find two things: a large stationary two headed monster that you've never seen before, shooting fireballs at you, and a shop to the left. Killing the monster and visiting the shop are both optional. The shop contains: Blue Lamp (800), Super Potion (320), Super Antidote (240), Power Ax (1200), Power Sword (1600), Tent (800).

Preparing for the final battle
There's only one more stop to make in your mission to save Marvel Land: Zouna's Castle. As should be expected, Zouna's Castle will be quite large and easy to get lost in if you don't have a map. If you are ready to embark on the journey to Zouna's castle, you will first need to make sure that you possess the following items: the Blue Mantle, the Blue Helmet, Marco the Whale, and a Sandra's Soul. You will also possess the Tiara, and one weapon, and the Gold Key won't hurt either. If you don't have one, you'll need to bring two sets of keys. Ultimately, you will need one available space in your inventory for the last weapon, which you can trade the second set of keys for.

While there are opportunities to escape from the castle if things go badly, you will ultimately need to last long enough to make it all the way to Zouna's chamber. A high HP and MP count will ensure that you can take enough damage, and heal yourself frequently enough without running out of magic. A Tent can help, and a Super Tent is even better. However, there is one secret item in the game that can substantially reduce the challenge of the final dungeon. Read the following section to learn more about it.

Off to Zouna's Castle
Whenever you are ready, head down through the poisonous field of gray flowers and over to the dock. Without a ship, you will be traveling through the ocean courtesy of Marco, the whale that you rescued. You will need to swim along the southern coast of the peninsula until you clear it and can travel north. Eventually, you will see the fourth continent come into view. Its landing dock is on the lower left corner.