Overworld[edit]
The backdrop to Fire Zone's overworld is an orange sky. The entrance to the first house is a short walk away, unimpeded by enemies.
- The Weapons Master will welcome you to the Fire Zone. He recommends that you "catch" the Golden Cat for a reward.
You won't have to try hard to catch a cat since they fly over your head and then drop straight down to attack you. They will start to attack before you reach the second house, and appear steadily throughout the zone. Very rarely, a golden cat will appear that, when killed, will leave behind a red coin that is worth 200 Coins instead of the usual 50.
- The prophet advises that you should cross the fire zone when you feel strong enough.
The prophet is referring to the lava and small volcanoes that dot the landscape. Though harmful, walking on lava won't do a tremendous amount of damage as long as you cross quickly. Jumping across will help a great deal. Cross the lava to find the third house.
- Nurse Nancy offers to heal your wounds for 400 Coins. Only take her up on it if you're down to one heart.
Walk a bit further, and you'll find the fourth door at the base of a tall building.
- The Wise Wizard offers to sell you 40 Bolt Bombs for 200 Coins.
A short distance beyond this door is another lava pit. However, not only is it possible to avoid this pit by traversing the rooftop above you, it is highly recommended. You can access the roof by jumping up the block along the side of the building. Up here, you will have access to very quickly appearing cats, making this place the easiest location in the game to sit and obtain money. If you are patient enough, you can easily obtain 9999 Coins (the maximum the game will allow) in roughly 10 minutes. Not only will this set you up for the rest of the game, it will also give you some breathing room if you die and are forced to continue with half of your Coins. Additionally, the next door is found along the top of the building, and you should definitely visit inside.
- The Weapons Master will now sell you the Thunder Sword for 600 Coins.
Purchase the blade and proceed to the right. On the other side of the building, you are forced to cross a long lava pit, with a two small platforms towards the end. A house will appear beyond the pit.
- A second Nurse Nancy offers to heal your woulds for 400 Coins.
From here, you must cross two more lava pits and a small volcano before you reach the hut that lets you access the Nova Suit.
Underworld[edit]
You are introduced to a new basic enemy. Long floating skulls move in a wave pattern across the screen. The Thunder Sword will expand the range of your strikes making it a little easier to clear these skulls out of the way before they get too close. A stronger variety of Titan Guard will appear after you've traveled a bit further in. Other new threats include small flame jets that shoot out of the ground, and a stronger version of Dr. Sting.
As you travel far enough to the right, you will eventually reach a point where the platforms dip down. From here you have a choice. If you drop down and walk back to the left, you will reach a dead-end. However, this section is a safe location to let Titan Guards spawn continuously and defeat them until one of them drops a heart that extends your health meter to six hearts.
You must proceed to the right, but you can choose between climbing back up and taking a high path, or continuing to drop down and following a lower path. You'll have to deal with flames either way. The upper path contains a sequence of three jets that fire off in a row, along with a Titan Guard. The lower path contains skulls, and small fireballs that float in mid-air. These fireballs cannot be destroyed, only avoided. Even if you choose the lower path, you will hit a wall and be forced to climb back up.
Once you are back along the top, you will have to continue making progress to the right. Small skulls will join the attack alongside the long skulls, and many Titan Guards will appear to attack you. Keep going right until the platforms drop you down to a lower level. Continue right and you will walk past several pillars. Beyond the pillars, you simultaneously be attacked by long skulls, flame jets, Titan Guards, and a Dr. Sting, so be prepared.
Fight past them, and you will have to leap over small sections of spikes in order to reach the platforms beyond which help you return to the surface above. Watch the timing of the gray platforms and jump up to them when they reappear. Then leap off the highest ledge to the right to begin descending down the pit to the zone boss.
Boss[edit]
The boss of this zone is known as Baron Chairman. He attacks by appearing in a random location around the screen, and tossing a card at you before disappearing from view for a short period time. It is difficult to predict where he will appear next, but his actions upon appearing are always the same. Striking him with your sword causes him to pause, delaying his disappearance. You can slow him down considerably with repeated strikes. Jump to wherever he appears and swing your sword rapidly as you approach. You should be able to get two strikes in per leap, and two leaps in before he disappears. It takes ten strikes with the Thunder Sword to defeat him and advance to the next zone.