C O M M A N D E R   K E E N
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S e c r e t   o f   t h e   O r a c l e
FAQ/Walkthrough, v1.0
Written by Snow Dragon © 2004
All rights reserved
= | =================
= | TABLE OF CONTENTS
= | =================
1  Introduction
2  The Story So Far
3  Menus
3a  Keen's Wristwatch
3a-1  Game Files
3a-2  Configuration
3a-3  Miscellaneous Stuff
3b  Vital Statistics
4  Controls
4a  Basic
4b  Advanced
5  Items
5a  Trinkets
5b  Power-ups
6  Bestiary
7  Walkthrough
7a  Border Village
7b  Slug Village
7c  The Perilous Pit*
7d  Hillville
7e  Miragia
7f  Lifewater Oasis*
7g  Sand Yego
7h  Crystalus*
7i  Chasm of Chills
7j  Cave of Descendents*
7k  Isle of Tar
7l  Isle of Fire*
7m  The Wishing Well*
7n  Pyramid of the Moons
7o  Pyramid of the Gnosticene Ancients*
7p  Pyramid of Shadows*
7q  Epilogue
7r  Pyramid of the Forbidden^
8  Credits, Legal Junk, Etc.
* Indicates that there is a Councilman to be saved in that level.
^ Sort of a council member. Not really. You'll see.
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= | ============
1 | INTRODUCTION
= | ============
Hello everyone, and welcome to my 39th FAQ, an encyclopedically thorough run-
down of Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle. SotO is the first of two games
in the Goodbye Galaxy! saga, the other one being Commander Keen V: The
Armageddon Machine. Hopefully, with this walkthrough, you can track down all
eight of the councilmen needed to activate the Oracle machine and race to the
Shikadi planet in time to save the galaxy from total annihilation and
reconstruction.
I'm finally glad to be covering this game, as this is one of my favorite old-
school PC series, and with luck I covered all my bases. If I didn't, however,
you can e-mail me any time at [eubanks1084@hotmail.com] to correct my follies
or even just give me a pat on the back for a job well done. I appreciate both
types of messages. Just make sure, however, that you do the following before
sending an e-mail my way:
> put the name of the game you're addressing in the subject line
> triple-check to make sure that what you're contributing isn't already in the
guide
> be literate, and don't sound like an idiot
That's all for that, so let's have fun playing Commander Keen IV!
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= | ================
2 | THE STORY SO FAR
= | ================
Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle opens immediately after the conclusion
of the three-part "Marooned on Mars" series, in which a younger, blockier Billy
Blaze (aka the Keen we know and love) thwarted the happiness-threatening plans
of the evil Dr. Mortimer McMire. After saving the universe, Billy goes home,
does homework, eats mashed potatoes, and mows the lawn, all the while shutting
himself away in his laboratory so that he can be ready for when the Next Big
Thing strikes.
Sooner than you can say "Bean-and-Bacon Megarocket," the Next Big Thing appears
on the scene. Keen has invented a type of radio (it has a name, but it throws
around a lot of science jargon and is easily forgettable) that picks up signals
from all over the galaxy. One night, one of these signals happens to be a
distress beacon from the far-away planet of Gnosticus IV. Heeding the call,
Keen puts on his brother's football helmet and runs full speed ahead into
action, not knowing what obstacles lie ahead.
Will Commander Keen save the galaxy? Will he figure out the eponymous secret of
the Oracle? And the most pressing question of all: will he get grounded when
his parents discover that he's gone? Oh, it's no life for a child! But surely
we must beat the game to find out the answers to these brain-busting queries!
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= | =====
3 | MENUS
= | =====
There are two main menus to keep abreast of as you proceed throughout the game:
the one found on Keen's wristwatch, and his vital statistics menu.
-- | -----------------
3a | Keen's Wristwatch
-- | -----------------
Most of the commands on this small menu can fit into one of two categories -
those relating to saved game files and those relating to the way you configure
the game. What doesn't fit gets to go in its own fun but mysteriously vague
"miscellaneous" category. What fun!
---- | ----------
3a-1 | Game Files
---- | ----------
NEW GAME
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Starts a new adventure. You can choose to play in one of three difficulty
modes: Easy, Normal, or Hard. This walkthrough is based on the Normal setting.
LOAD GAME
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You can load a game at any time from this option on the wristwatch. If you are
currently in the middle of a game, you will be reminded as such, and then
forced to choose whether or not you want to load the game. Press Y to accept
and anything else to decline.
SAVE GAME
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Commander Keen IV is almost like its own little emulator. You can save anywhere
you want, and you'll maintain the same amount of lives, ammo, etc. each time
you start back up! This makes the game a little too easy in this regard, but
you should nonetheless remember that any time you enter a sticky situation, it
is a good idea to save that you don't lose a truck load of progress!
When you save a game, you will be asked to name your save file. Basically
anything that fits in the field is acceptable. Save games can be renamed any
time you save.
END GAME
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You can close out any game at any time in order to start a new one or attend to
business out in the real world (pssh!). Once you choose "End Game," you must
load a saved game or start a new one to play again.
---- | -------------
3a-2 | Configuration
---- | -------------
CONFIGURE
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Choosing this opens up a world of options, the most relevant of which are
listed as bulleted items below:
> Choose the type of sound and music you want. Older systems were much better
at handling sound capabilities; I pretty much played the game mute.
Under the Options menu, we have a variety of .... options .... to choose from.
> Toggle the score box in the upper left-hand corner.
> Turn two-button firing on and off. I highly recommend leaving this feature
off, because two-button firing requires you to shoot using the Ctrl and Alt
keys, which are the same keys you need to execute the super pogo jump. This
is a necessary move to pull off at some points in the game, so leave those
keys available for that handy-dandy trick and just use the Spacebar for
shooting the ray gun.
> Toggle an option that makes the game fix jerky motion (not a problem on newer
systems).
> Make the game compatible with an SVGA monitor (now obsolete).
You can also choose the object you will control Keen with. If nothing is
plugged in, you'll have to use the keyboard by default. Keen IV supports the
Gravis Gamepad, which is about as good as PC peripheral controllers come. If
you have one, I recommend using that instead of the keyboard. A joystick is
just plain unwieldy.
---- | -------------------
3a-3 | Miscellaneous Stuff
---- | -------------------
Where the stuff that didn't fit anywhere else goes.
RETURN TO DEMO
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Allows you to watch a fun demo of Keen strutting his stuff in Border Village.
If you wait long enough, you'll get to read the game's storyline, which is
presented in a Star Wars-spoofing manner.
PADDLE WAR
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What a cool kid. Keen actually has Pong on his wristwatch! It's even more
accurate than the old 70's Atari game in that it goes all the way up to the
regulation score of 21 instead of 9 like that old relic did. If you're tired of
the hustle and bustle of boring humdrum monster killing and universe-saving,
use this mini-game as a diversion to get away from it all.
HINT: The CPU paddle is susceptible to the ball being hit at a very sharp
angle. You can often score two points in a row if you hit it hard enough.
QUIT
¯¯¯¯
Quit the game.
-- | ----------------
3b | Vital Statistics
-- | ----------------
For your viewing pleasure, a crude ASCII diagram showing the menu that appears
when you press Enter during a level or on the world map:
|      |
|      |
__|______|__
____________|____________|____________
|\ __________________________________ /|
| |                                  | |
| |             LOCATION             | |
| |  |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|  | |
| |  |____________________________|  | |
| |        SCORE         EXTRA       | |
| |   |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|   | |
| |    ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯    | |
| |       RESCUED        LEVEL       | |
| |   |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|   | |
| |    ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯    | |
| |   KEYS  |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|  AMMO |¯¯¯¯|   | |
| |          ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯         ¯¯¯¯    | |
| |   KEENS  |¯¯¯¯|   DROPS |¯¯¯¯|   | |
| |           ¯¯¯¯           ¯¯¯¯    | |
| |  |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| PRESS A KEY    | |
| |   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                 | |
| |__________________________________| |
|/                                    \|
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And now, because I'm so nice, an explanation of what all this gobbledygook
means follows.
LOCATION: Where you currently are at the moment. You don't have to be a
geography major to know this.
SCORE: Your current score.
EXTRA: The score you need to attain to earn an extra life. Each time you get
another life, the amount needed will increase by the next power of 2.
For example, once you get the extra life at 20,000 points, you'll have
to get 40,000 for the next, then 80,000, then 160,000, etc.
RESCUED: Little councilman icons go here. The number of them that you see in
this box indicates how many (out of eight) that you have saved.
LEVEL: The difficulty level you're playing the game on (Easy, Normal, or Hard).
KEYS: Shows you which color keys you have (out of red, yellow, blue, and green)
AMMO: Gives you the most accurate count of how many blaster shots you have. The
score box in the corner of the screen only displays up to 99 shots, but
you can in reality hold many more rounds than that.
KEENS: How many lives you have currently.
DROPS: You've probably seen these around, floating or ostentatiously hanging
from ceilings posing as dewdrops. Well, if you collect 100, you'll get
an extra Keen. These can also be found in the form of Lifewater bottles,
which is the equivalent of getting 100 drops at once (i.e. a 1-up).
???: You won't know what goes here at the start of the game, but once you get
the scuba diving outfit from the Miragia level in the desert, the word
"Wetsuit" will appear in that box. You can't go in water without the
diving equipment, but you need it to save two of the game's eight council
members.
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= | ========
4 | CONTROLS
= | ========
Like any good hero, Commander Keen has a variety of useful moves at his
disposal. Unlike most heroes, he's a little more believable on account of his
radiant youth.
-- | ----------------
4a | Basic Techniques
-- | ----------------
Left & Right
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> Walk.
> Control the paddle in the Paddle War mini-game.
> Scroll through pages in the help file.
Up & Down
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> Press Up to turn switches (the panels on the walls with red and green
lights).
> Enter through doors (up).
> If you are hanging on the edge of a platform, press Up to pull yourself up.
> Hold either direction to get a peek at territory out of your line of sight.
> Hold either direction to point your ray gun that way.
> Climb poles or slide down them.
> Navigate the menus.
Ctrl Key
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> The default key for jumping.
> Hold down Ctrl to increase the height of your jumps while on the pogo stick.
Alt Key
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> The default key that activates Keen's pogo stick. Press it once to whip it
out, and again to put it away.
Spacebar
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> The default key for firing your ray gun.
-- | -------------------
4b | Advanced Techniques
-- | -------------------
Ctrl + Alt
Super Pogo Leap
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Press Ctrl and Alt at the same time in order to perform a pogo leap that has
far more height and range than the normal one. This allows you to grab things
that are out of your reach even when you hold Ctrl to enhance your pogo leaps.
Ctrl, then Alt
Controllable pogo jump
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The pogo stick is a rather chaotic item in terms of control, but if you jump
and then press Alt, you stand a better chance of landing where you intend to
when you use the pogo.
Ctrl, then hold Up or Down and press Spacebar
Midair shot
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You can fire your gun in the air as well as on the ground, and you can fire it
up or down while in the air. Just hold the direction in which you want to fire
the gun in the middle of your jump, then press the spacebar to shoot it. This
is good when you're in quite the awkward fix.
Hold Up, press Ctrl
Faster pole climbing
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This combination of key presses allows you to climb poles faster via a series
of repeated jumps.
Hold Down, press Ctrl
Drop through ledges
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If you are on the right type of terrain, Keen can drop through the ledge to the
one below by using the key combination listed above. This is very handy for
getting to certain items and secrets.
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= | =====
5 | ITEMS
= | =====
Commander Keen has about as many items to collect as he does vegetables that he
hates. His mission would certainly be a chore if all there was to collect was
broccoli and alfalfa sprouts, but fortunately the Shadowlands are littered with
yummy candy to pick up, as well as a few other useful power-ups. Read what said
items are in further detail below.
-- | --------
5a | Trinkets
-- | --------
Basically, to fall under the category of a trinket, an item really doesn't do
much else other than raising Keen's score. That's still somewhat important, as
you can gain extra lives if you earn enough points, but they don't do anything
to really increase his status. Other items that have a greater impact on Keen,
like ray gun charges and the pogo stick, are listed in another section below.
Here are all the little things, mostly types of dime-store candy and whatnot,
that slowly build upon Commander Keen's score like mildew on shower tiles:
ITEM               POINTS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
soda                  100
gum                   200
chocolate bar         500
jawbreaker           1000
donut                2000
ice cream cone       5000
Another trinket to be on the lookout for is the droplet, which usually gather
in great crowds or are spaced fairly evenly apart. You can see how many drops
you've collected on the pause menu (press Enter to access it). 100 drops later,
you'll have an extra life! That's pretty nifty!
-- | ---------
5b | Power-ups
-- | ---------
RAY GUN & AMMO
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Keen's main weapon of choice is a blaster, which is good for him because he's
not yet at the age where overdosing on caffeine causes shaky hands and
withdrawal migraines. Ammunition for the gun looks like the gun itself: a small
green, kind of rounded device. You'll know when you get it; you'll hear a short
trumpet fanfare.
POGO STICK
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This common children's toy is essential for getting up to spots that even a
precocious pre-adolescent boy can't hop up to. Press Alt to start hopping on it
and to stop, and hold Ctrl to get very high boosts out of it. There are even a
couple more interesting moves you can do with it if you're good enough.
GEMS
¯¯¯¯
Along the way, you'll find colored jewels that are used to open locked doors in
certain areas. There are little placeholders in front of or near such doors,
and to unlock the door, you will have to place the gem in the holder whose
color corresponds with the holder. Got that? Don't worry if you don't, you'll
soon find out how they work. Gems come in four different colors (red, green,
yellow, and blue).
LIFEWATER BOTTLES
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Grabbing one of these is the equivalent of getting one hundred drops, resulting
in an instant 1-up. Not only are such things rare, but they're often put in
very hard-to-reach spots, so if you're able to track one down and obtain it,
consider yourself quite the platforming genius!
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= | ========
6 | BESTIARY
= | ========
Keen will meet a number of enemies in his quest to save the universe before
bedtime (I swear I'll try to keep obligatory kid-saves-the-world jokes to a
minimum). Bearing that in mind, let's meet some of the varied cast right now.
Unlike in the help files provided with the game, these enemies are listed in
their order of appearance (more or less - this is a rather nonlinear game) as
you meet them throughout the game. There are also some enemies here that you
won't find listed in the help files, so be on the lookout!
* * *
Poison Slug
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WHERE FOUND: Practically everywhere in the game.
ATTACKS: Pooping.
DESCRIPTION: A little yellow slug who does little aside from crawl along the
ground. Occasionally he will freeze, contort his face, and leave a
sticky green present on the ground. Don't touch the slug poop at
any cost - it can kill you! It doesn't stay forever. If you're
just THAT afraid of jumping over, you can wait for it to fade out
of existence before moving on.
Bounder
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WHERE FOUND: Hard to say, really - usually in places where there are trinkets
or power-ups way out of your reach (because you can stand on him
and get them).
ATTACKS: None, but sometimes you get unlucky and he kills you through some
funky glitch.
DESCRIPTION: This red ball grins constantly and bounces along the ground of his
own free will. It's kind of hard to get on him because he usually
moves away at the last minute, but if you land on him, he's sort
of under your control (he'll bounce in whatever direction you're
facing). Although he won't attack you, he can be put out of
commission with a single ray gun blast.
Lick
¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: In spots where he's really hard to kill.
ATTACKS: When he gets near you, he shoots fire at you.
DESCRIPTION: Looks like a demon-possessed hackysack with a constipation issue.
He hops around in really random patterns that don't make a lot of
sense. The best way to kill him is to employ the services of the
midair shot. He'll never see it coming.
Skypest
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WHERE FOUND: Along the ground and all about the air.
ATTACKS: Divebombing you. He's a kamikaze bug.
DESCRIPTION: These little bugs, which might as well have just been referred to
as mosquitoes, the similarities are so evident, are among the most
annoying enemies in the game. Their fancy flights include barrel
rolls and nosedives aimed right at our hero. Stay well away from
them at all costs. If you feel the urge to kill him, wait until
he's on the ground, then squash him with your pogo stick. Really.
Mad Mushroom
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WHERE FOUND: Almost every level.
ATTACKS: None. If you feel like dying at the hands of a Mad Mushroom, run into
one.
DESCRIPTION: A rabidly stupid mushroom that does nothing but bounce up and
down, usually serving the purpose of poorly blocking your passage
to some important area. That look on its face is truly psychotic.
Every third bounce it makes will be a really high one, so use that
time to move deftly under it.
Inchworm
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Mostly in pyramids and woodsy areas.
ATTACKS: If being so darn cute counts as an attack, then he scored a hit on me!
DESCRIPTION: These small yellow worms are utterly harmless. However, one way to
have some fun with them is to find a ledge where a bunch of them
are and let a horde of them gather around your feet. Isn't that
cute the way they eat your shoes? Awww!
There's more to these little boogers than meets the eye though.
Particularly in the Pyramid of Moons *wink* *wink*
Wormouth
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Cruising slightly above ground in various locales.
ATTACKS: Pops out of the ground to bite you.
DESCRIPTION: You might barely notice it cruising around the ground as a tiny
green dot, but you don't want to be near it, or else it will pop
up and take a chunk out of your fragile, boyish complexion.
Fake Rocks
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Most any cave stage.
ATTACKS: Sneaks up on you and jumps awkwardly and lopsidedly at you.
DESCRIPTION: These rocks look just like a background object, but will try to
sneak up on you and catch you unawares. If you see it coming near
you, get out of its way immediately.
Angry Clouds
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Roaming the skies along with other, nicer clouds.
ATTACKS: When it gets near you, it will unleash a comical spray of lightning.
DESCRIPTION: Upon approaching this cloud, it "wakes up" and starts hovering
near you. If Keen stands under when it rains lightning down on
him, you'll have some Kentucky-fried Keen on your hands. Simply
stay away from it, as there's no way to stun it into submission.
Big Bad Bird
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Crystalus.
ATTACKS: Finding you and beating up on you with its big bird muscles.
DESCRIPTION: If you see a blue bird with its fists clenched walking at you,
then don't just stand there! RUN, you fool! It's not too happy
about having its slumber disturbed. Shooting it with your blaster
will buy you some time, but unlike most enemies, the big bad bird
doesn't stay out of it forever. Run while the running's good!
Berkeloid
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Isle of Fire.
ATTACKS: Being fiery, throwing fire at you.
DESCRIPTION: These flaming entities have a tendency to hover near you, so avoid
them at all costs. They can't be destroyed with your gun either,
so that makes these baddies doubly dangerous! If you must be near
one at any time, get away from it fast!
Schoolfish
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: None. Totally harmless.
DESCRIPTION: Sort of like the watery version of the Inchworms, these fish will
give Commander Keen a loyal following if he floats near them. They
don't attack him, so they're kind of nice to have around.
Sprite
¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: Firing electricity from his dangerous trident.
DESCRIPTION: This hoary mischievous imp roams the seas waiting for Keen to swim
down and eat the bolts that come out of his trident. The grin on
his face is most certainly not to be trusted.
Dopefish
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: Eating you whole.
DESCRIPTION: The Dopefish means well, so I wouldn't exactly consider him an
enemy. He's just a big dumb lug who needs a bite to eat, and it
just so happens that you're the meal that will satiate his
appetite. You might be kind of rubbery like calamari in the
wetsuit, but what does that matter to a giant buck-toothed marine
being? Since your blaster is rendered useless in water, you'll
have to find a way around him. No small task indeed!
Some Big Fat Red Thing Whose Name I Am Not Aware Of
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Pyramid of the Gnosticene Ancients.
ATTACKS: Being a goofball, running into you.
DESCRIPTION: This oddly grinning monstrosity has a tendency to disappear into
thin air when you approach it, so it's best to shoot it on sight
to keep it from trying anything funny. There's no telling where it
will run off to if you don't catch up with it, so go ahead and
eliminate the threat while you can!
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= | ===========
7 | WALKTHROUGH
= | ===========
Keen begins his mission in the Shadowlands, where he has two options: he can
explore his Bean-and-Bacon Megarocket to no avail (it's not like he's going to
retreat the second he sees the joint), or he can go on ahead and explore the
fort just ahead of him - a little spot called Border Village. That's probably a
wiser choice. Let's go there first.
Before we dive in, note that this walkthrough is based on the NORMAL difficulty
of the game. There are much fewer enemies on the Easy mode, and while there
aren't really more on Hard, they just have a tendency to be more aggressive and
require more ammo to take out. So, bearing that in mind, let's hit Border
Village.
-- | --------------
7a | Border Village
-- | --------------
Walk in the first house and grab the sodas suspended up in the corner, then
leave and go in the next one to the left. Among the various confections and ray
gun charges you'll see a pole. Slide down it and take the path to the left.
What we have here is apparently some sort of King Slug worship shrine flanked
by pools of dangerous acid. Use the pogo stick to grab the candy and head left
to the other pole. When you exit through that door, you will be placed squarely
at the stage exit. Leave and go to Slug Village.
-- | ------------
7b | Slug Village
-- | ------------
If you want some cool candy for points, drop into the first narrow pit you see
and hang a couple of rights to go through the wall twice. Among other things,
you'll get some ray gun ammo and an ice cream cone - the most valuable of all
the sweet treats in the game. Continue left after raiding the hidden booty to
a thin hole with two chocolate bars in it. There is another segment of hidden
wall to the right of it. Follow the trail down and left to get a lot of charges
for your blaster.
After climbing up the flagpole, you'll be more or less where you would be if
you hadn't taken the low road through here. There are a lot of treats to the
left, which I'll tell you how to get if you want them. If you don't, head up
the slope to the right, jump out, and start going left. Skip the next paragraph
and we'll meet up with you after it.
The platform to the left that's cruising over the fire has majorly stunted
movement. Flick the switch by the fire pit by pressing Up on the keypad while
standing in front of it. It will start coming over near you. Jump to it and
ride it over. You'll have to blast a hopping Lick to get to the donuts and the
bit of ammo, but he's easy. Once you have all this loot, head out of the pit
and return to the surface world, where you'll meet some nasty Skypests (really
just mosquitoes).
Skypests can only be shot while they're in the air, and they're such tiny
targets that it's not worth it to waste your guns on them. Instead, run away to
the left to the level's exit. If you want to ride the Bounders to grab the
droplets, be my guest. Watch out for the Lick along the way.
-- | ----------------
7c | The Perilous Pit
-- | ----------------
Head in the first stone house for some candy and such, then drop into the giant
pit and hang a hard right. You should cling to a ledge with some ray gun shots
on it. Drop down to the next one with a pole and climb to the middle of the
pole, then jump off to the right to go through a wall for more ammo. Leave the
small alcove and head all the way left to a pole which leads up to a blue gem.
These gems act as keys to doors, and you'll need this one to save the first of
eight council members you need in order to beat the game.
With the blue gem in your inventory, head back to the far right and slide down
that pole to come to an area where a Mad Mushroom is guarding the red gem. Grab
it and return to the top, then fall in the hole to the left to find a small
gem holder. This one is red, and thus requires the corresponding jewel to open
the door in front of it. Once inside, you'll have to deal with a Lick below the
assortment of poles hanging from the ceiling. Kill it, then hop up the steps to
the left and use an enhanced pogo bounce to get to the switch. Flick it to
green.
Upon returning to the central portion of the pit, you'll find that the platform
that before sat still now moves up and down. Hitch a lift on it and jump to the
left where a bunch of raindrops and a Mad Mushroom lie in wait. Behind the Mad
Mushroom is a large door. Enter and place the blue gem in its holder (Keen will
do this automatically). Run into the councilman to talk to him in outdated 90's
jargon, and you'll have beaten the level.
-- | ---------
7d | Hillville
-- | ---------
With Slug Village conquered, the whole world is now open to you, beatable in
any order you see fit. Because it's closest, let's make a quick stop in the
quaint village of Hillville.
At the top of the level's highest hill, you'll meet Princess Lindsey, who tells
you of some swimming equipment found in Miragia that will allow you to swim in
the lake. As you noticed if you tried to step in the waters south of the
Perilous Pit, Keen told you he can't swim. He needs this equipment to go for a
dip in the lake, and so this is advice well taken. We'll head to Miragia next.
As for right now, slide down the pole below where Princess Lindsey was floating
and flip the switch you find to make a ledge move up and down outside. From
there, ride along the series of moving platforms over the lake of fire and the
spikes flanking it. You'll eventually touch down near the level's exit. Beware
the rock that looks like a background object but actually comes to life and
sneaks up on you. If it gets close enough, it will attempt to jump and ram you
in the head. Run away to the exit.
-- | -------
7e | Miragia
-- | -------
From Hillville, walk left and through the mountain pass to the desert. Miragia
may not be there at first, but you'll see it appearing and disappearing in the
desert. Enter when it is visible; you can't otherwise.
There's not a set exit to this level, really. We're just here for the scuba
diving stuff, and it's a short trip. Start by riding the lift up and then
climbing on the appearing and disappearing ledges to the top of the tall dome.
Jump from the dome into the pit to the right, which is lined with sodas and
rain droplets. Slide down the pole and head right, blasting the two Poison
Slugs in your path.
The route leading up is plagued with slugs who have apparently eaten out of a
huge vat of beans, because they like squirting their special juice all over the
ground. For each ledge that you have to jump up to, hold Up and press the
spacebar for a clear shot at them. Subsequent ledges require you to use the
pogo stick's high jump to get up to them. At the top, there is one of those
platforms that fades in and out of existence. When it's solid, hop up to it and
jump up to the top. You'll find your swimwear there; grab it to beat the level.
-- | ---------------
7f | Lifewater Oasis
-- | ---------------
Here's a level near Miragia that requires you to save one of the bearded,
red-robed councilmen, and it's mercifully short if you don't decide to explore
the bottom half, where countless objects can be found to enhance your score and
possibly life count (lots of droplets, and as you know, 100 of those yield a
1-up). If you feel like exploring the way bottom of the level, do that, then
shimmy up the pole to the upper cavern area. There is a switch up that you need
to flip. It will activate a ledge outside to the far right of the stage.
Ride that ledge that drops when you stand on it up and kill the Poison Slug at
the top. A series of moving platforms will lead you to a high-up plateau, on
which there is a single pole for you to slide down. Head down before the angry
cloud sends a stream of lightning down on your head, which contrary to popular
opinion will NOT absorb that bolt, but will kill. Go in the majestic door you
see there.
As you can see, the councilman here is not immediately within your reach. You
will have to get the green gem first, and you can find it by standing on the
first black platform there. It will drop, taking you to the green jewel and a
switch that will activate a way for you to get back up. Unlock the green door
and go ledge-hopping to the councilman.
-- | ---------
7g | Sand Yego
-- | ---------
(Get it?)
Sand Yego (a play on San Diego, in case you didn't GET IT) is due south of the
Lifewater Oasis. Enter it and find the many secrets of the hidden walls in the
first area before you move on. Head to the right to an area where several fake
rocks sit atop raised plateaus. Pogo into each of the gaps to get the trinkets;
the rocks won't detect you. At the last of these, use the pogo to get to the
ledge above you and to the right, at the top of which is a green jewel-key.
With that in hand, slide down the pole just below you to the right and walk in
the narrow door.
If any of the Poison Slugs drop their lethal slug doots in here, you'll have to
wait for them to be magically Febrezed by that invisible source before you pass
through. Place the green gem in the jewel-holder to open the door, then shimmy
up the pole. Drop down the gap next to the Mad Mushroom, where you'll see a
different type of switch which looks more like a lever. Pull it and watch the
blue floor disappear before your very eyes! Plunge into the new hole and pull
both switches in there, then ride the black platform to the left out of here.
Take the low road where the path forks to the right. There are a number of
Skypest mosquitoes located in here to bug the crap out of you (no pun intended)
and generally cause mischief. The minute you see one, run away, then come back
and take it out with the business end of your pogo stick while it sits on the
ground licking its lips. Ride the platform to the top (being careful to avoid
the nasty fake rock), then follow the linear path to the exit.
-- | ---------
7h | Crystalus
-- | ---------
After conquering the desert, head north to the icy region of the Shadowlands.
Crystalus is the level with the markedly ice-covered gate. Go inside and let's
net our third councilman. (This isn't the NES game either, mind you!)
Shoot the Poison Slug, the Lick, and the other Poison Slug in that order, then
prepare to begin the maddening journey upward. There are a lot of gems to get
in this level, and we're going to have to backtrack a lot to accomplish
everything we need to.
When the ground slopes up, jump to the thin ledge above and head left to a
vertically moving black platform. Both ledges at the top have a slug on them;
get off to the left and make your way up. At the very top you'll see a door
requiring a yellow gem blocking the way to a red diamond. A green gem (!) is
just to the right, in the middle of a narrow but long chasm. Hang a hard right
to get it, then return to that door with the yellow gem-holder. This time, make
a curved jump to the top of the ledge above the door.
Here you'll locate some very small ledges that require precision jumps to get
to. Do a high pogo jump to the first of these, and a super pogo jump (Ctrl and
Alt at the same time, remember?) to the second. At the last one, above which
you'll see two jawbreakers and two ammo rations. Jump from there to the right,
making the biggest longest jump that you can. If you succeed, you'll end up
on a ledge in a sort of short tunnel. Drop down to the right to get the yellow
gem. If you don't make it, keep trying until you do. Only perseverance will
help you!
With the yellow gem in your possession, return to the yellow jewel-holder/lock
and place it in. Get the red gem and fall down the long narrow pit to the right
there. From there, head right still until you meet up with a Mad Mushroom,
whose lofty bounce will take him to the next ledge up. You can go either left
or right from here, but we choose to go right, because eventually the path
upward will yield the valuable blue gem key - the final one in our exhaustive
mission.
With that blue gem (which you had to use your red gem and kill a Lick to get,
as you undoubtedly discovered), drop all the way to the bottom of the level.
What, you say? All the way back? Yes, to where you blasted those two Poison
Slugs and that single Lick. Go to the right and prepare to meet the rather
nasty bird that pops out of the egg. He will chase you without mercy, but you
can stun him temporarily with a well-placed blaster shot. While he is stunned,
you'll have ample opportunity to unlock the blue gem door and go in the door
that indicates that there is a councilman behind it.
Enter that door and blast the Lick on the other side of the short wall. There
is now a series of horizontal moving ledges above a small but surprisingly
hazardless section of floor (unless you count the slugs as hazards, but their
poop is deadlier than they are). The reason to stay off the floor is because of
the egg at the end of the line. If you're foolish enough to sock it with a ray
gun shot, a bird will pop out and will be none too happy to find his incubation
coming to a premature halt.
Instead, it's wisest to ignore the egg totally and save the councilman, which
brings your total to three.
Three down, five to go.
-- | ---------------
7i | Chasm of Chills
-- | ---------------
This is the cave just to the left of Crystalus, and it's a fairly short level
that doesn't offer too much challenge. The main thing is staying atop the high
road, although there's nothing much in your way on the low path either. Ahh,
I'm confusing you, let's make sense of all this rambling hash.
The first few platforms can be gotten to with a regular jump, but for almost
all the others along this road, you'll need to make repeated use of the super
pogo jump. (If you don't know how to do it, refer to the Advanced part of the
Controls section.) Keep super pogo jumping until you see a Lick at the top of
the canyon along with (gasp!) the light of day. Aim up and kill the Lick, then
do a super pogo jump to the open air.
There are a few rewards up here, but the biggest deal is the return appearance
of Princess Lindsey, who has even better advice for you to heed. This tip is in
regard to the Pyramid of the Forbidden, which is the one you may have seen with
the red hand on it. It's closed off, so you can't exactly walk to it, but she
tells you that the key to making it there is in the Pyramid of Moons. To find
her, locate the cloud that you can step on (there is a black platform hidden in
it). Pogo on the hidden black platform to reach her. The full scoop on how to
get to the Pyramid of the Forbidden is located in the walkthrough for the
Pyramid of Moons, located in subsection 7n of the document.
After listening to Princess Lindsey, go to the far right and drop down to the
rock ledge, then fall off and hang a hard right to reach the exit.
-- | -------------------
7j | Cave of Descendents
-- | -------------------
Over in the corner of the polar area, you'll find the Cave of Descendents. Save
the old bearded councildude here and you'll be halfway done with the game. Yes!
Walk down the hills and all the way until you see a narrow hole to drop into.
Plummet down it to get to a black platform with highly inhibited up-and-down
movement. There are some rewards to the left if you feel like squashing a very
finicky Skypest and toying with death. Not recommended. Instead, grab the red
key and turn the switch to give the platform just to your right the full range
of its movements. Get out of the pit and head to the far right edge of the
level, but not up the path that leads back to the beginning. Take the low road,
where the path will fork once again. The high road leads to a red gem-holder,
and since you have that item, place it in and grab the yellow key.
With the yellow key, make the long trek to the far LEFT side of the level. (A
lot of walking, I know - it'll all end soon.) There, you will find the familiar
door that tells you that a councilman of the Oracle is inside. Enter. The final
room of the stage is an easy exercise in platform-hopping and avoiding a slew
of Mad Mushrooms. Leap to the top and save the fourth councilman.
-- | -----------
7k | Isle of Tar
-- | -----------
You have the swimming equipment, but maybe you haven't explored the full
possibilities that said scuba gear has to offer yet. In that case, let's travel
to the lake south of the Perilous Pit and discover some of the landmarks
within. The first of these shall be the Isle of Tar, the island with all the
goopy black puddles all over it.
The first house you see has some ammo in it. Collect, then go outside and shoot
your way through a line of Poison Slugs until you come to a gaping pit. Jump
into it and hang right, then use the super pogo jump to get up to a plateau
that contains a pyramid structure of raindrops. I don't recommend going any
farther right from here, so go back in the pit and fall to the removable floor
below.
Don't turn the removable floor switch just yet, but remember this place,
because you'll be returning to it shortly. Head left and kill the two slugs on
the slope, then use the stationary ledge hanging in the air to get to the step
formation to the left. Pogo up to a small corridor peppered with tar puddles
and maneuver through them. When you fall off to the right, hang right and pull
yourself up to the small alcove containing a switch. This activates a thing to
the left that allows you to get to the red gem.
Return left and hop to the ledge with the door and the patrolling Wormouth.
When it reaches up to bite you, shoot in the face and continue left. Wait for a
platform that moves up and down to come down to you. Hop on it and ride up to a
wide open room housing the red gem and a pesky Skypest.
Squash the Skypest and grab the red diamond, then hold Down and press Ctrl to
drop through it. Keep to the right and you'll land on the ledge where you
killed the Wormouth. Return to the removable floor, and this time pull the
switch to make it disappear. Fall through to an area with black ledges situated
dangerously above a bubbling tar pit. You don't want to become an Earthling
fossil, do you? I thought not. So jump to each ledge going to the right before
one dips down under young Keen's weight and kills him. At the last one, pogo up
to the pole and climb it.
Turn the switch you see to green and ride the platform that now services you
all the way to the top. Behind the red door is a yellow key. Grab then, then
fall down one ledge, shoot the slug, and climb the very long pole to the right.
This will take you full circle back to the removable floor. Walk down the slope
where you stunned the two Poison Slugs to find the door that requires the
yellow key. Follow the linear path downward to find a switch that will take
away the floor in another part of the level. But just where is that?
A hidden wall to the right will take you down a little bit. Hop over the small
hump to the right and either shoot the Wormouth when he goes to eat you or
avoid him entirely. When you enter the next room, you'll discover that the
floor that was here is now gone. Drop down and kill the TWO Wormouths that
appear here, and to the right you'll find the blue gem/key hanging high over
what you'll soon discover is familiar ground. That's right: it's the ledges
hanging over the lake of tar. Make your way back to the right, back up the two
poles, and you'll be back at the area with the first removable floor. However,
this time, go right to discover the blue gem-holder. This will lead to the
stage's final sequences.
Ride the platform up to the rock house near the exit. Inside the rock house,
you can get a 1-up if you're good enough with the pogo stick. To get it, stand
on the falling black ledge. As it falls, walk to the left of the ledge and do a
well-placed super pogo jump from the edge to get it. Once you have this rare
valuable extra life, exit the rock house and leave the level.
-- | ------------
7l | Isle of Fire
-- | ------------
Hike up the hill salted with fire to the top, where there are two poles which
essentially take you to the same spot. Slide down either one and head left
through a swarm of fake rocks (face them to get them to calm down). Scoot
slowly left until you find the yellow key and a switch that needs turning. If
you jump somewhere in here, you'll also find a tunnel leading to several
valuables, such as ammo and a 1-up.
From the place where you found the key and flipped the switch, head all the way
to the right to a pole leading down a short distance (watch out for slugs and
their feces). Blast your way through until you find two ledges leading up. Pogo
to each and then climb up the pole, then walk through the winding corridor that
leads to the surface. From there, hop over the small brushfire and drop
straight down.
To the right is a pole, but you can't just slide down it willy-nilly. There's
a fiery Berkeloid at the bottom waiting to sample his wares on your face.
Luckily, the blue jewel-slash-key lies in wait at the bottom of the pole. If
necessary, lure the Berkeloid away from the pole by staying at the top and
adjusting your vision to look down (hold Down). When the time is right, go down
the pole and swiftly climb back up it before the fiery demon can get to you.
Afterward, simply drop down and make your way to the right. The councilman is
just behind the locked door.
-- | ----------------
7m | The Wishing Well
-- | ----------------
Just a few notes before entering the Wishing Well: you're in your wetsuit
swimming around as opposed to walking, and you can't use your blaster, so it's
going to take some fancy movement to get around all the obstacles and save the
councilman located here. However, this isn't a difficult level. Watch and
learn.
Swim down, avoiding the spiked mine that moves back and forth; it will blow up
and take you with it if you touch it. Stay far left of the floating Sprite (the
little imp with the electrified pitchfork) and swim down past his lethal bolts
to a Lifewater bottle which provides an extra life. This essentially gives you
infinite tries to beat this level, as it's always there whenever you die so you
can retrieve it once again.
After getting the 1-up, swim down to the bottom of the well to find a forking
path. (No remarks about watching my language, please.) At this split, take the