It should be relatively easy to clear the first stage. While steadily defeating your enemies, cautiously climb the steps one by one. Be particularly careful where the steps narrow. If you slip and fall off of the screen, it will be "Game Over." Earn extra points to keep your score high. Ideally, you should earn 20,000 points before clearing this area. If you do, you will earn a longer health meter before moving on to the next stage.
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Part B
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- Forks in the road are rare, but the first one occurs half-way up the first stage. If you chose the right path, you'll end up in a narrow space on the left side where you can access a Specknose nest. Taking the left path will pit you against the first Reaper.
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- The first harp appears early on in the game. To maximize it's potential and collect eight mallets, kill the first set of Monoeyes that appear, and collect the harp after the second set fully appears on the screen. Collect the four mallets that appear, and wait for the next four to drop straight down from the top of the screen. Jump up and collect them immediately before the harp runs out.
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- Monoeyes begin to appear at this point. Just like the Shemums, they occur in four groups of four at a time. These enemies leave half hearts behind, so they can really increase the size of your wallet. Be careful when they decide to stop hovering and start diving down at Pit.
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- The game starts out by sending squads of Shemums at you. Shemum occur in groups of four. You will encounter four groups before you reach door A, and another four groups above the door. You'll never find anything of interest inside door A if you've just started a new game, but it's possible to gain an arrow upgrade if you're entitled to one after you've beaten the game and started over.
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- Watch out for the Nettlers and McGoos that occupy the highest platforms near the exit. If your score isn't at 20,000 yet, try to lure some McGoos out of the ground and destroy them for extra points before you leave the stage.
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- A pair of Reapers await your arrival here. Deal with them slowly and carefully. Wait until they are looking away from Pit, and jump up to shoot them in the back twice. They will turn around to see who attacked them. Wait until they turn away again before proceeding with another attack. Ten arrows are required to defeat them at the lowest power level.
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- The narrow footing here creates the first jumping challenge. If you didn't happen to collect an Angel Feather from the treasure room below, you'll want to make sure that you time the landing of your jumps very carefully, or you'll have to start over from the beginning.
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- Whichever way you go, you'll end up by the entrance to a treasure room (door C) and a Cup of Life, both of which are guarded by a Reaper. If you arrived from the right, you can jump over the door and dash in before the Reaper can see you, but if you arrived from the left, you'll have to remove the Reaper first if you want to reach the door safely. Both the Cup and the Reaper will disappear when you exit the treasure room.
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- If you took the right path, you'll end up on the left side of the barrier. You can only access door B nest from the left side. Enter it to fight eight Specknoses and earn the chance to collect 80 hearts. Watch out for the Monoeyes on the way up.
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