Athena/World of Hell

Arcade Walkthrough

 * You are now in the World of Hell. The enemies here will be considerably tougher, including the infamous Death Knights which are worth 5000 points per kill. When you arrive, be sure to fall down the very first pit that you come to (you will have to destroy the blocks that cover it.) When you land, you will find both a Red Ring and a Wing of Pegasus to your left, so be sure to grab them before you continue. Fly back up to the top when you're done.
 * If you have a good weapon, such as the Magic Tome, you may decide to remain on the top level and fly your way across the entire stage. However, if you'd like to collect the Fire Sword, there is an opportunity to find one in the lower level. Be aware that even though it will restore you to full health, it will also cost you one hit point to swing it until you are down to five hit points. If you're going to collect it, try not to use it much until you reach the boss.


 * The boss of the World of Hell is a monster known only as Mado, who has the ability to teleport. It will appear on the screen and attack Athena by shooting a series of magic fires that can heat seek Athena's body. It will then move randomly about the room, and you can track the position in which he will next appear by watching the two flames that surround him. If you have the Fire Sword, or the Magic Tome, you should be able to defeat Mado quite quickly. If not, you will have a tougher time, trying to anticipate where Mado will move to and hitting him before you have to avoid his attack. Be aware that if you did not collect Pandora's Box from the previous boss, your attacks will do no damage to Mado, and you will effectively have to quit the game since you cannot proceed.
 * When Mado is defeated, one of the objects that will drop as part of your reward is the special Key. This key is necessary in order to access the World of Labyrinth, where you will collect an item of vital importance if you wish to defeat the final boss. Without it, you will have no hope of winning the game. Be sure to collect the key before you advance to the end of the stage. If you previously visited the World of Labyrinth by collecting the hidden Key in the World of Sky, you won't get another Key here and you can instead proceed directly to the Final World.

NES Walkthrough

 * The World of Hell is a bit more nefarious in the NES version than in the Arcade version. As usual, there is an upper level and a lower level. However, the lower level is completely water (the River Styx) from which you cannot return, and it will ultimately send you back to the beginning of the level. Therefore, you must avoid falling into the lower level at all costs in order to reach the boss. Choosing which jump to use becomes crucial. Jumping too high over certain gaps will cause you to hit the ceiling and fall in.
 * Since you will most likely start this level off with the Club, you will want to quickly change that weapon to something stronger. Collect the Blue Sword and the Yellow Sword from the enemies that approach you. Once you are powered up, proceed to the middle of the map above and break the blocks in order to find a Red Sword. Beware of the enemies on this level as they have a high likelihood of damaging your armor or downgrading your weapon if they touch you too much. Losing the Red Sword will make progress very difficult.


 * You may find moving through the darkened areas of the map a little confusing. There are invisible blocks throughout the black background that must be broken in order for you to advance. If you are having trouble reaching some visible portion of the map, try swinging your weapon around to break whatever is getting in your way.
 * The enemies will generally appear non-stop throughout this level, which can make concentrating on your jumps difficult. Nevertheless, you must choose the right kinds of jumps carefully in order to avoid falling into the water below. Certain terrains, like the one shown to the left may lead you to think that you must pass through the narrow gap at the top, but it's actually much safer to remove the four blocks below the platform and pass through the gap you create.


 * Mado is just as difficult in this version as he is in the Arcade. And of course, you need Pandora's Box in order to have any hope of defeating him. Unlike the Arcade version, Mado's flames do not wander about the room when he disappears. Instead, they disappear along with him, but they will precede him in reappearing, giving you some idea of where he will arrive. He actually cycles through 10 predetermined positions. As a result, there are a few safe locations to stand so as not to get hurt when he materializes, and to give you the best chance of hitting him when he does. One is shown in the picture to the right, and the other is down in the lower left corner. Try to predict where he will arrive and swing your weapon slightly before he appears. Then continue to strike until he disappears again. If you do this correctly, you should be able to defeat him before he completes three or four full cycles around the room.