Gradius 2/Plant Planet


 * The pre-stage of the Plant Planet is extremely similar to the pre-stage of the Collosus Planet, so you will know what to expect. If you just recently obtained the Up Laser after beating the first stage, it would be a good idea to activate it and upgrade it to level 2 as quickly as possible; it's power will come in handy on this stage.
 * As soon as you begin the stage proper, you will encounter some plants which grow along the floor and ceiling. These plants rise up and "bloom" after they scroll onto the screen.  Upon blooming, they open up and release deadly pollen into the space around the Metalion.  You must dodge this pollen (or absorb it with your Force Field.)  The plants can be destroyed with a heavy concentration of firepower, hence the suggestion to power up your Up Lasers.  Missiles and conventional weapons should help you destroy the plants along the bottom.


 * After encountering a few such plants, there is a plant along the top that you can destroy, revealing an Enemy Slow time limited power-up. By collecting this, you will slow down the plants, and more importantly the pollen, for 15 seconds.  Use it to gain the advantage and make dodging the pollen a little easier.
 * After a while, you will reach a wall of particles which you must shoot through in order to advance. Blast as big a hole in the wall as you can using your own weapons and the added firepower of your Options.
 * Beyond this wall, the path through the stage will actually be divided by a narrow strip of land down the middle of the screen. In addition to dividing the screen, more particle walls will appear that must be blasted through.  Although you will be squeezed in by the land in the middle, it will shield you from the pollen of any plants occupying the path you didn't take.


 * After you fly through the first middle strip of land, another will appear. This time, squadron formations of enemy fighter will appear up and down the right side of the screen and rush to your position.  The last wave of these fighters will be red, and consequently will leave behind a lot of power-ups if you destroy them all.
 * A plant near the bottom is hiding a time limited power-up Option Barrier. If you destroy the plant and collect it, any Options you have will begin to spin around the Metalion in a circle, expanding the range of your firepower quite a bit.
 * Shortly beyond this, columns of plant matter will extend from the floor and the ceiling, creating a maze that you must pilot the Metalion through. Alternatively, you can rush to the right side of the screen in an effort to stay ahead of the extending masses, but you put yourself at risk of colliding with something if you don't give yourself enough time to react to it.
 * To make matters more difficult, there are occasional land masses which occupy the center of the screen, forcing you to choose a path above or below the mass. Typically, the path closest to your arrival will be covered with particles that you must blast through.
 * While you navigate through these mazes, small amoeboid like creatures will be floating in the vicinity and attack you when you get close. There are a few red ones which will leave power-ups behind when destroyed.  Don't risk crashing with the walls to collect them.  The stage culminates with one final large particle wall.

Boss: Misfits Ship
The Misfits Ship is a very wide ship that contains four laser cannons evenly placed throughout the ship. It navigates up and down in relation to the Metalion, and occasionally fires all four laser cannons at once. The cannons produce very long destructive beams which move up and down with the ship until they are released. The beams are positioned widely apart from one another that the Metalion can easily sit in between any pair of beams, as long as you successfully move up and down with the beams while they are being launched. None of the beams directly defend the shields and the core of the ship, so you can maintain an alignment with the center of the ship and continuously blast at the core while it fires beams above and below you. If you're completing the second stage, do your best to defeat the ship within 30 seconds in order to obtain another power-up from within the core of the ship.