Super Hydlide/Forbidden Cave

A whole extra floor

First floor

Super Hydlide on the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive only contains one level for the Forbidden Cave. If you're playing one of the original computer versions of Hydlide 3, the cave is actually composed of two floors. The floor in Super Hydlide is the second floor of the original version, so you skip the entire first floor. It is shown to the left in case you are playing a version that contains this floor.

There are a few things going on in the dungeon that you need to know in order to complete it.

• All of the enemies that you encounter here are evil, so don't hesitate to attack them. If you have the Invincibility spell, you may want to use it as much as possible.
• While most of the dungeon is linear, there's actually one place where it connects from one area to another in a weird warp. The right-most path on the far right side of the dungeon leads up to a wall that can be passed through. When you do this, it takes you to the bottom of the room that is one screen to the right of the left-most screen.
• Your goal is the top left-most screen. Varalys, the original antagonist from the first Hydlide is sealed in a room behind the door found here. You'll need to defeat him in order to obtain a statue that you'll need to continue on your adventure.
• Unfortunately Varalys has the ability to restore himself to full health in the middle of battle. In order to prevent him from doing this, you'll need to find five points of light that shine in various locations throughout the dungeon.
• However, these points of light will only shine upon someone who is pure of heart. The only way to become pure of heart is to have a 100 for your Mind Force level.

A strange change in stock

A weird thing happens when you set foot in the Forbidden Cave. Suddenly, the equipment store in the Forest City gains a new piece of equipment to buy: the Fairy Mail. This is the best armor in the game, and is worth whatever they charge to obtain it. But keep in mind, it's very heavy. You may need to ditch your shield to deal with the weight.

So, if you don't have a 100 Mind Force, your best bet is to exit the dungeon and defeat evil monsters out in the open plains of Fairyland, where it will be easy to rack up kills without a lot of obstacles in the way. Your MF goes up one point for every ten kills that you perform. Once you have 100 MF, return to the dungeon (you'll need to use a Holy Water every time you want to enter), and explore the dungeon.

There are two treasure chests in the dungeon. The one immediately to the left of the entrance contains the Flaming Sword. With the single exception of the secret Light Saber hidden in the game, this is the best sword you can find. Not only does it strike for a lot of damage, it also shoots flames like a ranged weapon. If you happen to have the Light Saber, it will be hard to convince you to give up that weapon, but don't throw the Flaming Sword away, as it is incredibly useful against the few remaining boss battles ahead.

To find the five points of light, you should seek out dead ends and walk all the way into them. Each point of light is located in such dead-ends. You should be able to find three of them before it becomes clear that you can't access the upper half of the dungeon. In order to explore the portion of the dungeon that seems cut off, you must look for a section of wall that you can actually walk through. You'll find it one room to the left of the right-most room. If you examine the walls, you should see one section that has a gap between the pillars. Walk through this tunnel to access the upper portion of the dungeon.

Find the remaining two points of light that are left, and then approach the door in the upper left corner. Prepare to begin your fight against Varalys.

Boss: Valarus

When you step foot inside Varalys' room, it seems empty at first. Varalys will appear somewhere randomly in the room. He will wait a moment before shooting a bolt of electricity at you. Then he will disappear again and reappear somewhere else. You will take damage if you walk into Varalys, or get struck by his bolt. However, you should be at sufficient strength that you can get very close to him without touching, and attack him as frequently as possible. Unfortunately, the beams from your newly acquired Flame Sword don't work on him, but if you are still holding a Stone of warrior, you can just hold the attack button down for continuous strikes. If you do this, the battle should be over in a matter of seconds.

IMPORTANT: When this battle concludes, you are returned to the entrance to Varalys' chamber. It is not apparent at this time that a key item can be found on the floor behind you. You need to step back into the doorway, where you'll hear the chime indicating that there's an item at your feet. Search the ground and you'll discover the Statue of Varalys. Be sure to collect it before you leave the cave.