The Legendary Axe/Zone 4

Part A

Although there are three parts to this zone, the first part is very short. Before you reach the entrance to Part B, you must face off with two tribal warriors with long swords. If at all possible, try to get both of them on one side of you to make the battle easier. Once destroyed, proceed to the right and pass through the door.

Part B

The second part of this zone will resemble Zone 2. Once you are fully inside, stop and wait for your strength meter to fill up. When it is full, advance to the right and you'll see a giant boulder rolling toward you. Strike it, and then back away until your meter is full again, and turn around to strike it one more time to destroy it. When you approach the item statue, a lizard will drop from the ceiling and attack. Clear it away before you proceed.

Jump onto the floating platform to cross over the gap. When you arrive, you will be attacked by another lizard. It's very easy to miss, but there is an item statue behind the rocks off of the floor. Destroy it for a health item. Drop down the steps and when you reach the bottom, you will be confronted with a demon eyeball, like the boss from the previous zone. Dealing with just one is easier than dealing with a group. Once it stops hovering over you, it's easier to go on the offensive and strike it repeatedly until it is destroyed.

Jump over the water to the platform beyond, but watch out for the jet of water that flies up into the air. If you hit these, you will die instantly, regardless of your health. Keep your eye open for more as you advance. You'll reach a swinging vine. You must swing across three of these, each one a little lower than the last, until you reach the ground beyond. There are three golems which you must face off with on this level. Then jump up the steps to the next item statue. Between this statue and the next, it's easy to miss the grey golem hiding behind the rocky terrain.

After dropping down again, you will be attacked by another eyeball. A Frog Man will also leap out of the water and spit a fireball at you. Back away to the left to deal with the eyeball if necessary, and then leap over the Frog Man when it drops back down. After jumping back up the steps, you will be attacked by another lizard. Once again, there is an item statue high up off the ground and behind the terrain that is easy to miss. As you begin making your way down the stairs again, you will be attacked by another lizard. One will also appear on the ledge across the water and leap over to fight with you.

When you jump over the water, two lizards will drop down to fight you. However, the second one will likely leap over your head and fall to its doom. Another lizard will greet you at the top of the steps. One your way back down, another eyeball will attack. As you walk along the ground, Frog Men will hop out of the water, just before item statues. Another eyeball will also attack. When you begin to leap over gaps in the water, be on the lookout for another eyeball to appear, and be careful not to attack at a time when you can be pushed back and fall off the ledge. As you reach the end, you will see one golem on the final ledge, and another one on the ground below the ladder which appears. The item statue below the ladder is likely to contain a large health item. Climb up the ladder to reach the next part, but watch out for moths flying through the area.

Part C

Walk to the right for a while, watching out for bats, and strike the item statues for some jewels. Eventually you will see two item statues close by. The ground before the second one is actually an illusion. If you leap over to the statue, you can strike it to find another axe power-up which should advance your strength meter to a full 100%. However, if you fall down into the pit, you will encounter two armadillos and a giant spider like the one you encountered in Zone 1. If you defeat it, it will release an axe power-up (unless you collected it from above) along with health items or jewels. Climb up the ladder that appears to continue. However, do not jump too high into the air; be sure to leave a good portion of the floor below visible.

As you walk along the ground, a tribal warrior will approach. If your able to swing with a full 100% strength meter, you can actually destroy the warrior with a single hit. When you approach the next item statues, there will be a trick floor between them again. If you didn't jump too high and can still see the ground below, you will see portions of the floor are only one block deep while others are two blocks deep. The single block floors are fake, while the double block floors are real. The statue beyond the false floor contains a health item. If you fall down into the pit, you will have to square off with three monkeys who leap around and grab on to you. You must rock the direction pad left and right to remove them, but swing fast in order to strike them before they grab a hold of you again and do more damage.

Beyond the second pit, you must fight two more tribal warriors. You'll encounter a third pit with more monkeys. After that comes a long uninterrupted section of more warriors. Always stop and let your strength meter fill up before you continue so that you can potentially remove each warrior with a single strike. You need to keep your health as high as possible for one of the most difficult battles in the game. When you see a group of item statues clumped together, be prepared for the boss. Wait for your strength meter to reach 100% before you walk all the way to the right and trigger the fight.

Boss

You will once again be outnumbered in a boss fight against enemies who not only have a good deal of health, but a greater range with their spears than you have with your axe. They also have shields which they can use to deflect your axe strikes. Even if you squat down to avoid the spears that they throw through the air, you will still be vulnerable to the long reach that they have when they extend their weapons toward you. For this reason, you'll want to remove one of the enemies as quickly as possible. Obviously, it is better to try and get your strength meter up to 100% as much as possible before striking. Additionally, you are likely to have a better chance of hitting the enemy if you do it while jumping. It takes two 100% strength hits to defeat one of the spear wielders. Once you manage to remove one, the battle gets substantially easier. If you occupy the opposite side of the screen, the enemy will not approach you, giving you all the time you need to build up your meter, rush in and jump attack, before retreating and building up your meter again.