Kid Icarus/Stage 2-3

The stars are twinkling over this stage, indicating that you are getting close to fortress at the end of Overworld, and the entrance to Skyworld. Since the large lake and Lava Zone extend a long distance, be careful not to waste your energy. The enemy attacks become even more severe. You should particularly watch out for Rockman and Mick attacks overhead. This stage also presents an opportunity to collect the third and final enchanted weapon. Don't miss out.

Part A


 * Compared to the previous stage, there are far fewer doors to explore in this stage. There isn't even one door in the first portion.  Instead, you will walk across a rather flat zone, with a few thorn pits along the way.  Thorn pits are no different than lava pits; avoid them both entirely.
 * Almost immediately after you start, you will be attacked by groups of Rokmen. Take them out from a safe distance and proceed between waves.
 * Among the two Shemum pots, you will encounter a flock of Kerons. Attack them before they have a chance to jump on top of you.  Leap over the pillars to the long platform beyond.  Prepare to jump on the moving platform as it approaches you.

Part B


 * You'll have to jump from the previous platform to the next platform. Time the jump when they are closest together.  Snowmen lie in wait for Pit on the platform beyond.  Take the left one out before jumping off the moving platform.
 * Minos will hop out of the water below as you approach door A. You will see a small pocket of lava, which is a precursor to a much larger lava zone beyond.  Door A leads to the very last treasure room in the entire game.  Take your chances and try to earn a Barrel if you don't have one yet, or perhaps a Bottle of Life.
 * The lava zone consists primarily of vertically moving platforms, with intermittent pillars and a couple of Snowmen (who have no problem standing in the lava, oddly enough.) Most of the Snowmen won't even interfere with your progress unless you dip too low to the ground.  Prepare to jump over any snowballs they throw at you.  Door B leads to another training room.  If you succeeded in the other rooms, you can collect the third and final enchanted weapon.  Watch out for the Micks that appear here.

Part C


 * Rokman fall from the sky as you advance to the next section of the stage. The platforms here make up a minor maze of paths.  You'll pass more Shemum pots along the way.
 * By the middle of this section, Kerons start leaping towards Pit again. Around this time, you'll have to make a decision about which path to travel along, the top or the bottom.  The bottom path contains both lava and thorn pits, while the top path only contains thorns, but they are placed in difficult locations.  In general, the top path is a little safer, since you can battle the Minos that will appear more easily.
 * Minos will begin to appear when you get closer to door C. Door C contains a shop.  Use it to pick up some extra Bottles of Life if you have a Barrel and can afford it, or Angel Feathers if you already have 8 bottles at this time.

Part D


 * The next section contains a number of pillars that you must jump over in order to access floating platforms that will help you progress through the rest of the stage. Thorns are placed in mid-air so as to make the leap off the platform difficult.  Time your jumps carefully so that you jump off the platform before they drop down to the lower thorns, but you won't jump into the upper thorns.
 * After you leap from the second platform, some Kerons will be present to greet you just prior to door D. A Snowman guards the entrance to door D.  You may want to take it out and collect the large heart it leaves behind before entering the door, which leads to a Specknose Nest.
 * Beyond door D, you'll have to be on the look out for another squad of Plutons. Some will leap right into the water and disappear, but you'll have to be very careful of the ones that make the leap.  Use the same strategy that you've used earlier, allowing each Pluton that appears to advance off the left side of the screen before introducing the possibility for anymore to appear.

Part E


 * Once you get through the previous section, you will reach the last door if the stage. It contains a Black Market which may be freshly supplied with one of your enchanted weapons if one of the Plutons managed to touch you earlier.
 * Another lava section will occur where you must safely leap from one moving platform to a pillar and to another platform. At the end, you will encounter a group of thin pillars which Kerons will jump off from.  Remove the Kerons, then jump across the pillars very carefully so that you don't slip and wind up in the water below.
 * The final leg of this section is very level. Shemums will fall out of the pots that you encounter, while Minos will leap out of the ground.  Since you can't stand on a high platform, you won't be able to attack them easily unless you hit them on the way up or down.

Part F


 * Rokmen fall out of the sky as you make your final approach to the exit of the stage. Stick around and fight them, not just for the valuable hearts, but also to ensure safe passage over the series of pillars that are coming up.  It's much easier to jump across when the Rokmen stop falling.
 * Carefully make you way over the thin pillars over the pool of water. As you reach the end, more Kerons will attack.  When you finally make it to the solid platform, Girins will join by climbing out of the platform and trying to bite you with their pincers.  Run to the exit as long as you're already over 200,000 points.