You begin the game in the lower left corner of the map shown above. Learn how to jump high enough to collect the cherry by holding 
when pressing 
to jump. A group of red Onis will attack you as you approach the steps. On the steps,the first blue Oni will appear, and he will spit fire at you if you leave him alone long enough.
Keep heading right, and you'll eventually reach a set of vines. Kill the blue slime hanging out near the bottom of the vine, and then leap up to grab it. Then jump from vine to vine until you reach the ledge on the right. You'll see a set of platforms rising off the ground. Before you jump up there, make sure you have at least 650 Zenny saved up (if you don't, continue to the right to fight a few more enemies to get more Zenny.)
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Hop up to the top platform. Break the pots on the platform to the right, before jumping back over to the left. Hop down the stairs, watching out for the blue slime and the blue Oni waiting near the bottom. Approach the shop keeper. Since this is the first shop, these are the cheapest prices you will ever see for these items. Purchasing a red fist will help you break some walls and find hidden items. Purchasing a gourd will help save your life if you ever run out of health. The peach spell isn't necessary, but at 200 Zenny, it's worth picking up if you can afford it.
Once you're done shopping, carefully frop down to the floor below (to avoid hitting any enemies), and proceed to the door on the right. Press and hold up to move on to the next area.
In this small section, climb up the stairs until you get to the top. Giant plants will appear, one from the ground in front of you, and one from the ceiling above. There's little you can do about the plant on the ceiling, but it won't harm you either. Clear away the one in front of you, and then jump down to the ground beyond the lava. Strike the red Oni on your way to the door and then proceed to the next area.
When you first arrive in this next area, you'll encounter a Daruma hopping on the ground. While you are in this area, Boros will fly across the screen. You don't have to kill the Daruma if you don't want to, so you can strike it until it starts rolling towards you, and then jump over it. To the far right, you'll find the first walls you can break if you have the fist. The walls hide an apple and a scroll.
Grab the vine and climb up. Walk to the left, watching out for the slimes which drop to the ground. Jump up to the next vine, and climb up, but avoid the fireballs spit out by the totem pole to the right. Time your approach carefully and remove the totem pole. Continue hopping up the platform and take out a second totem pole as well. Then climb up the vine. There is another hidden item in the wall to the left of the top of the vine.
Take out the slimes as you cross to the right. Carefully hop over the fireball which leaps out of the lava, and destroy the plant on the ground where you land. Approach the platforms, and begin riding up the platforms which float up and down. When you reach the top, be sure to jump up and grab the 
key. Then head to the door on the right.
Upon arriving in the next area, head to the right. As you climb up to the top, you will encounter red Onis and Boros. The area beneath the vines is great for standing around and attacking Boros for Zenny. Just be careful not to collect and skulls that drop. You next destination is to the left of the vines, but before you go that way, climb up the right vine and go right.
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More Boros will appear as you make your way to the right. When you get far enough, you will notice a POW on the ground. Grab it as quickly as possible to eliminate all of the enemies in the surrounding area, and collect any fruit they leave behind. Then go talk to the shop keeper. This shop keeper sells a lamp which allows you to continue. At 1000 Zenny, this is the cheapest lamp you can buy in the whole game. But buying it will make it harder for you to afford some of the expensive items in the next stage. Choose wisely, and then head back to the left to return to the vines.
Hop from vine to vine over to the left. As you are heading down the platform, be prepared to face the blue Patapata bat. It will drop down and fly toward you. You may need to back up in order to strike it twice and defeat it without getting hurt. Then head through the door.
When you arrive here, you will find the first of two hidden items in the wall to the right of your arrival (not shown in the map above). But you may choose not to use up your fist power in this stage, in order to save it for more important uses in the second stage. Head to the left, up the stairs and over the platform above the lava. When you see the vines, climb up and you'll discover Cho Hakkai waiting for you on the ledge. He will mention that Sagojo can be found in Stage 2. A second hidden item is hidden high up in the wall to the left of Cho Hakkai.
Drop down and clear away any enemies as you proceed to the left. Carefully cross the platforms above the lava by watching out for the liquid that drips from the ceiling, and the fireball that flies up between the platforms. When you reach the other side, take out the blue slimes occupying two of the smaller vines. At the top, you'll see a large heart which you should collect to restore five lost health points, and a large face coin. These coins are indestructible, so don't bother trying to destroy them. The women to the left of the door is not a shop keeper, she will simply tell you to use the key on the door. Passing through it will send you to the boss lair.
Boss: Koriki Taisen[edit]
The boss of the first stage is a tall tiger named Koriki Taisen. He attacks by swinging a long curved sword. You can trade strikes with your staff, but as long as you're just close enough, you can hit him without hitting you. You only have to worry if he leaps off the ground. He will jump toward you and swing his sword out at the end, which is sure to hit you if you don't move out of the way fast enough. Even better than moving out of the way, is jumping up and hitting him before he has a chance to swing and hit you. If you strike him enough, he will be defeated. He erupts in a spread of fruit, which you should have just enough time to collect all of, before advancing on to the next round.