Clash at Demonhead/Route 35

Highlights

 * The Hermit who can teach you how to use Force, is held captive by a monster named Rowdy.

Description
After passing through the tunnel from, you will arrive on the left end of a forest. Walk to the right, and watch out for birds who drop down when you pass beneath them. A floating enemy of little threat will appear at the end of the forest. Proceed to the right, and you'll find a heart before a wall that you must climb. You can actually climb up and drop back down as many times as you like to make the heart reappear.

At the top of the wall on the screen above, you will find a bouncing monkey who takes a few shots to destroy. Pass through the door to reach another area. Walk to the right and you will encounter Rowdy. After explaining that you've come to rescue the Hermit, Rowdy attacks.

Boss: Rowdy
Rowdy will slowly walk toward you, attempting to get within striking distance. If he does manage to reach you, he will literally send you flying across the screen. Most of his body seems impervious to your shots. However, he does have one weakpoint: his feet. In fact, if you can keep a steady stream of shots fired along the ground, you can freeze him in place while you damage him until he is defeated. Shoot his feet until he explodes. Then hop on the little green platform creature and rescue the Hermit.

In return for rescuing him, he grants you the power of the Hermit, which you need in order to escape the area. You start with Micro Power. With the Hermit's power, you can now collect more Force beyond 99, and ultimately obtain new powers. In addition to this benefit, your health meter will also increase by two, from four to six bars.

Game walkthrough
After rescuing the hermit, return to the left, through the door, and drop down a screen to where the heart is. You will see a door to the right, beyond an extremely narrow passage that you can't crawl through. To get through it, you must activate the first Hermit force: Micro Power. By doing so, you become incredibly small, small enough to fit through the passage. Do so and pass through the door to arrive in a cavern below.