The Quest of Ki/Floors 71 - 80

Floor 71
Time: 60, Treasure: Gift, empty

There are a number of hallways on this floor, but you should actually ignore a majority of them. Above the entrance are two Beholders that fly back and forth guarding a treasure chest that is empty. Above that platform is another platform containing a Salamander. Below the entrance is a chest that contains a Gift. If you wish to collect it, run to the left side of the starting platform, drop down to the bottom after the fire cannon shoots, and chase the flame across the floor, collecting the Gift from the chest as you go. Once you reach the right side, jump up to the highest platform you can reach.

On your way up, you'll have to watch out for the flame breath of the Salamander. Likewise, when you reach the platform just below the exit, you must carefully time your approach so that you arrive between the frequent fireballs of the blue fire cannon. Once you land, you'll have to move quickly to stay ahead of the cannon, while simultaneously jumping over the small patches of jagged floor. Once the space above you is clear, jump up to collect the key, and return to the right to reach the exit.

Floor 72
Time: 60, Treasure: Wing

After running to the right from the entrance, time your jump up to the next platform so that the orange Beholder is on the right. As you jump, you should notice that there is a wind which blows Ki to the left as you rise. Take that into account when you prepare for the next jump to the platform above. You'll have to pass a blue Beholder on your way up. If you don't stop your jump in time and hit the ceiling, you will almost assuredly hit the Beholder, so be careful.

Once you're safely on the next platform, time your rise to the key when the Raven is flying to the right, and then come back down to the platform before you rise too high and get hit by the Will o'Wisp. You'll collect a Wing from the chest. You must use this Wing to time your rise past the Will o'Wisp and another orange Beholder in order to reach the final platform. You should hover next to the far right column and stay below the Will o'Wisp until it moves to the left. Then begin your rise when the orange beholder is on the right. Take the wind into account so that you don't bump your head on the platform as you rise.

Floor 73
Time: 60, Treasure: Orb

This is a short level, but the variety of enemies present can make it quite challenging. From the start, you will see an Ogre guarding the key. You'll have to start by heading to the left below the Ogre. Watch out for a bat hanging from the ceiling. When you reach the column, you'll want to jump up and over both the column and the snail beyond, but you must be very careful, as there is an invisible orange ghost floating above the snail. Stay as low as you can afford to.

When you see the invisible ghost's spell fly to the right, it's safe to jump up to the next level, where two blue ghosts are flying in waves while protecting a treasure chest. The chest contains an Orb which will remove the Ogre from the platform, but you must be very careful collecting it so that you don't get hit by either blue ghost. When it's safe, proceed to the right, drop down to collect the key, and head out through the exit door.

Floor 74
Time: 60, Treasure: Wing

Ishtar's preamble: A date at Italian Tomato is the best! I love their rare cheesecake and risotto!

Ishtar rewards your tenacity with dating advice, but it won't really help you very much. In the game or real life. Maybe she was just trying to take your mind off of how frustrating this floor can be. In truth, the best advice is to muster as much patience as you possibly can. One slight mistake, and you'll have to repeat this floor.

Start by collecting the Wing from the chest to the right of the entrance. Then carefully jump out to the left so that you avoid the asteroid and float up to collect the key. There's a slight wind that blows Ki to the right. Avoid hitting the ceiling after you collect it, and drop all the way the down to the bottom, hugging the left column. Stop short of hitting the jagged floor. At this point, the wind can actually help you. Float below the column on the right, over the eagle, and under the next column.

Before you float out into the open, be sure to watch for acid drops. Above this open space, there are two acid drips side by side. The one that drips closer to the left falls shortly before the one on the right. After the left drip falls, float out into the space, but hug the left side until the right drip falls. Then let the wind blow you out to the right, but remain to the left of the owls. Float to the top, and wait for one more drip to fall from the left, and then slowly float to the column on the left.

Do not rush over to the column or over shoot it; there's a Giant Leech hanging from the ceiling that's just waiting for you to make a mistake and rush to the exit. Once you are safely on the column, move very slowly to the left so that you inch your way across the column and slide down to the floor below. Once you are safely on the floor, you can head to the exit.

Floor 75
Time: 50, Treasure': none

This floor introduces the cores from Bosconian. They fire missiles into the center of the of the shaft that you must rise up through the middle of. Start out by collecting the key to the right. Then move Ki just enough to the left so that she is out from under the platforms on the right side. Now you must carefully time when to send Ki up to the top of the floor. The best time to begin your jump is right when the missiles collide with the far columns. The moment this happens, hold down and rise until you reach the top platform.

Floor 76
Time: 100, Treasure: Wing x9, Orb, Warp

This is another floor that can try the patience of even the best players. There are 11 treasure chests strewn throughout the floor. A majority of them a placed on top of jagged floors, which makes them unsafe to collect until you find a Wing. There is one chest that you can safely collect, but it's a bit challenging to reach. From the entrance, jump up through the gap above, and land on top of the left column. Then continue jumping up to the ledge on the left. Stop before the jagged floor and hop over it. The hold down and launch Ki across the gap and the next jagged floor. You'll slam into the column, but you'll land on safe ground and collect a Wing from the chest.

From here, you can proceed to collect any of the other chests, but most of them are Wings, and you already have one. One chest that is not a Wing can be found immediately below the chest you just collected. However, inside this chest, you'll find a Warp. And since Warps are punishments in the Special Stages, this one will send you all the way back to, so avoid it.

Instead, fly out to the right, and start making your way up to the top of the floor. Hover over the jagged floor on the left, and then begin to drop down until you are flying over the platform above the Ogre. From here, you should continue left and fly up to the exit door. Although you don't have the key yet, you will find an Orb in the chest next to the exit. This will remove the Ogre, and you can fly down to where it used to sit. Beyond this point, you must very carefully thread your way through the narrow hallways until you collect the key hanging above more jagged floor. Once you collect it, immediately turn around and make your way back to the exit to escape this difficult floor.

Silver dragon's warp: Do you think you can clear the Special Stages that easily?

Floor 77
Time: 60, Treasure: Lucky Flag

The only point to collect the chest in this floor is for bonus points. Since you get more if you collect it faster, you should move to the right quickly, and hop over the three columns until you make it to the lower right corner, and collect the Lucky Flag inside the chest. Then make your way back to the entrance.

From the entrance, fly up above the hopping frog and collect the key from the ledge above. Then drop back down, jump over the frog, and land next to Pooka from Dig Dug. The Pookas simply walk back and forth and aren't much of a threat, but the platforms they occupy aren't very wide, so you need to move quickly. Jump out of the Pooka's way and up to the second platform. Wait for the acid drop to fall down, and hop on top of the next column.

Wait for the next Pooka to hit the right column and bounce back before jumping over it and up to the column. Time your jump over the next hopping frog so that you can clear it, and land safely to one side of the third and final Pooka. When you land, jump up through the gap along the far right column, and land on the top platform. Hold and launch Ki over the set of jagged floors to reach the exit beyond.

Floor 78
Time: 60, Treasure: Wing

Right from the beginning, this level will challenge you by placing a chest at the end of a narrow hallway that is occupied by a quail. You'll need to jump up to this platform, and time your landing so that you hit the edge right after the quail begins to run to the left. Run behind the quail and be prepared to jump as soon as the ceiling above you opens up so that you leap over the quail when it bounces back. Hopefully, your momentum will also help you collect the contents of the chest, which happens to be a Wing that you'll need to complete the rest of the level.

Float up and over the small platform, and then down and around until you reach the owl. Carefully fly over the owl so that you don't hit your head on the ceiling above, and then float down to the bottom. Watch the acid drip that falls on the right side of the column. Slip below the column, and then rise up along either column, anywhere but the middle, until you spot the key. Collect it when it's safe, and then float over to the left, avoiding another acid drip as you drop down to the safe platform below.

Don't rush off to the left, there are two Giant Leeches hanging from the ceiling, just waiting to pop out and kill Ki. Instead, walk into the alcove on the right and wait for the acid drip above to fall. Then hold down and rocket Ki across the platform in order to avoid the two leeches. Once you safely reach the left side, hop up and over to the exit.

Floor 79
Time: 60, Treasure: none

Ishtar's preamble: Peace has returned to the world thanks to you. From now on, you're no longer my servant. You'll protect the world as its hero.

Ishtar's words may be a little premature, since Gil still needs to climb The Tower of Druaga, and then the two must escape from the tower in The Return of Ishtar. Regardless, when you arrive, jump up to collect the key above the entrance. You will notice that there is a considerable wind blowing to the left. Compensate for it as you rise, then drop down to the ledge below.

Watch the Bosconian core as it fires missiles to the left. Time your drop down to the bottom so that you land right after a missile is fired off. Then hold to start running to the left, and hop over the patches of jagged floor. The left blowing wind should actually help you clear each one, so you barely need to jump. Just tap when you reach each one, and don't overshoot so that you hit the next patch of floor.

When you reach the far left, you must hop up and pass through two pairs of Inky's in order to reach the platform at the top. You will now be at the top of a flight of steps, but each step is composed mostly of jagged floor. There's a small safe bit of ledge at the very tip. Your goal should be to reach the tip of the very bottom step. From there, you can jump up to the next platform on the right containing a Pooka. Hop over the Pooka and up to the platform beyond, which contains the exit.

Floor 80
Time: 60, Treasure: Wing, Special Flag

After jumping up to the platform high above the entrance, don't be tempted to simply fall upon the key that you see above the quails, as there's no safe escape. Instead, you'll have to hold and launch Ki off the platform to the left, and over or on to the next column. You'll need to slip below the platform below the exit, and you'll have to hold in order to fly over the jagged floor and on to the safe area below the platform. You'll need to do this two more times as you drop to the right, and then back to the left.

When you make the final drop to the left, you'll be able to collect the treasure chest, which contains a Wing. You'll need this Wing to safely collect the key. You need to get back up to the column that you jumped over. How you get there is up to you. You can either reverse your path and pass through the platforms below the exit, or you can try to take a shortcut. If you fly out a bit to the right, you'll see a man sitting on the floor. That man is supposed to be game designer Masanobu Endoh himself! Like everything else, you can't touch him. But you can carefully fly up through the narrow gap on his left.

Once you reach the top, you should be able to collect the key with little worry. You could escape at this time, but there's one more reward for those who are a little more daring. If you return to the platform above the entrance, you can drop down to the ledge and fall to the left. Avoid the spikes and drop down to the bottom on the right side of Endoh. There you'll find a chest containing a rare Special Flag, and earn an extra life. Just be careful getting back out.