(A): When you begin the game, turn around and strike the left wall repeatedly to break it open and reveal a hidden bamboo item. Collecting it adds 30 seconds to your timer—an invaluable boost. Then return to the right to face your first orcs and slimes. Slimes can fall from the ceiling or pop out of pots, so keep an eye on both ground and overhead threats as you advance.
(B): Soon you’ll come across your first treasure chest. Be cautious—it may be trapped. If it is, you’ll hear a warning tone, and four pillars of flame will erupt in a staggered pattern from the ground: the first directly beneath the chest, followed by three others advancing toward you. Either back away when you hear the warning, or if you're nimble, stand in a safe zone between two flame spots to avoid damage.
After leaping to the first column platform, two bats will spawn and briefly hover before attacking. A reliable way to deal with them is to quickly move either far left or far right—past the leftmost or rightmost bat—wait about half a second, then jump straight up and fire multiple dagger spreads to take them out before they can home in on you.
To the right, a snake dangles from a column. Be careful not to jump into it or you'll be poisoned. Continue to the next chest, but beware: standing near the wall just to its right triggers a deadly flame spurt trap. Open the chest quickly, then immediately step left to avoid getting hit. Time your return to grab any treasure during the safe gap between flame bursts. This chest may also be trapped, so be ready to dodge another flame pattern.
(C): Climb the next pillar to reach your first route decision. Red arrows mark the shortest path to the boss, while gray arrows point to optional areas filled with more treasure—and tougher enemies. If you’re trying to save up for early weapon upgrades, exploring the longer route is worthwhile. Heading right, watch for slimes dropping from the ceiling and flaming projectiles hurled at you by Fire Demons above. Stay alert and proceed cautiously.
(D): To the right is a doorway leading to a dungeon—an optional challenge area filled with monsters and loot. You only get one chance to explore it. Whether you leave the dungeon alive or die inside, the door will permanently seal after your attempt, and you’ll return to the main stage at its entrance. The layout of this dungeon is shown in the map below.
(E): Inside the dungeon, strike the left wall to uncover a hidden Mobi-Chan, worth 10,000 points. This gets you closer to a health bar upgrade at 20,000 points. As you proceed right, rescue the two frozen captives and watch for skeletons that burst from the ground in endless waves. Near the end, you’ll spot a POW icon—grab it quickly to instantly destroy nearby orcs, making for an easier exit from the dungeon.
(F): Back on the main path, a Fire Demon stands guard on a pillar. If you’re approaching from the right, jump onto the platform carefully—doing so triggers two bats to spawn. Immediately retreat to the right and eliminate them with daggers before returning to face the demon. Strike him repeatedly with your flail and daggers while shooting down any fireballs he launches. If one hits you, retreat quickly—flame hits can stack for extra damage. Just left of where the Fire Demon stood, a large man-eating plant will burst from the ground. Defeat it for a 100 Zenny reward.
(G): Continue upward while dodging more bats and a snake. At the top, you’ll reach a captive who opens a shop. Buy the Level 2 chain whip here—it’s your best option at this stage and should be affordable if you’ve been collecting treasure. Don’t worry about other upgrades yet.
Before leaving, strike the wall behind where the captive stood. It hides an elephant worth 500 Zenny. However, if you break both wall sections before visiting the shop, then enter the shop before grabbing the elephant, it will disappear.
To collect the elephant before visiting the shop (a tricky maneuver), break only the first wall section, climb onto the bone structure, and jump left at just the right height. The optimal jump point is when the horizontal spike of your flail is level with the top of the upper rib bone. If done correctly, you’ll land past the shop, break the second wall section, collect the elephant, and then walk back to shop—potentially affording the Level 3 weapon, depending on difficulty and treasure collected.
(H): At the top of the final staircase, an orc stronger than the rest will block your path. He takes more hits to kill, so don’t hesitate to backpedal while attacking. After defeating him, jump right to enter the boss arena.
Boss: Two Stone Heads[edit | edit source]
The boss of Stage 1 consists of two massive stone heads that bounce around the room, trying to crush you. Each hit deals two points of damage, so avoid being landed on. The top head has purple eyes, while the bottom has orange eyes. The key to victory is this: you only need to defeat the orange-eyed head to end the fight.
As they take damage, both heads begin to crack. Hitting them can cause erratic bouncing—sometimes directly toward you—so keep moving and strike when safe. Once the orange-eyed head is destroyed, you win and receive a 300 Zenny bonus. Additionally:
- Your health bar is refilled
- Your armor is restored to level 2, if it was lower