Cave Story walkthrough

 - HIDEOUT -

Talk to the lady in here who ends up being Momorin Sakamoto, the mother of Sue

and Kazuma.  She's trying to build a rocket that will pass the Press barrier

barring entrance to the top of the island where the Doctor resides.  To help

with building it she'll take your Booster, whether it's v0.8 or v2.0 makes no

difference, and give you a Mimiga mask in return so that you can finally talk

to the Mimiga around here--and also so you can get her a sprinkler with which

she can give the rocket the electric jolt it needs to get moving.  After your

conversation, enter the door to the right to appear in the bottom level where

you can rest and save your game, then head out when you're done.

 - PLANTATION -

You can now speak to all the Mimiga here.  Doing so will earn you more of the

story revealed, from the Mimiga's innocent viewpoint.  When you're done, head

back to the Rest Area between the sprinklers.

 - REST AREA -

The Mimiga here have more interesting things to say, but the only one you need

to talk to is Megane, the one with glasses on the far left side.  He looks over

all the sprinklers here, but so many of them break he's not going to give you

any of them unless you absolutely require a new one.  Leave to go look for some

way to convince him.

 - PLANTATIOn -

Jump up on the right ledge past the door then make a long leap to the left.

Climb up and talk to the Mimiga until you finally reach the one standing on top

of the highest point of the Plantation under the platforms.  Talk to him and he

insists that you go trade his broken sprinkler for a new one.  Examine the

nearby sprinkler to obtain it, then head again to the Rest Area.

 - REST AREA -

Go talk to Megane to trade the broken sprinkler for a working one, then head

back out.

 - PLANTATION -

You can go talk to the Mimiga that asked you to trade spinklers for him for a

bit more story dialogue, he won't actually take the new spinkler back.  Head

back to Momorin's hideout with the working sprinkler in hand.

 - HIDEOUT -

Hand the sprinkler over to Momorin and she'll send you on another mission, this

time to find a man named Itoh.  If you recall, he's the easily frightened

Mimiga you met when you first entered the Storehouse from the Outer Wall.  Go

rest and save again then get hopping.

 - PLANTATION -

Just go to the east wall past the Orange Bell and enter the Storehouse on the

bottom right corner.

 - STOREHOUSE -

Talk to Itoh and he'll give you a Controller to take to her in place of

actually going to help himself.  Head back to the Plantation when you have it.

 - PLANTATIOn -

..and back to the Hideout.

 - HIDEOUT -

Hand Momorin the Controller.  There's nothing you can do now but rest in the

bed in the bottom level of the Hideout until she's finished.  Head back out the

top when you're awake.

 - PLANTATION -

Looks like Itoh finally came out of his hiding place.  Talk to Momorin to trade

back for your Booster, and Itoh if you want.

Now, before you just go flying off on your rocket, there's a couple things to

do first.  Well, first off, you SHOULD activate the rocket, but JUMP OFF when

you reach the line of platforms high above that have the red skull signs all

hanging above them.  Just wait for the rocket to come back down and try again

if you fail.  There's a dog here, one of Jenka's dogs.  Surprisingly, it can

speak, and it gives you both the final (non-bonus) Life Capsule for +5 Max HP

AS WELL AS another Life Pot if you used the one you got from Jenka before this

point.  Now, if you didn't do EVERY SINGLE ONE of the following steps this play

through:

 - Skipped the Booster v0.8

 - Got the Tow Rope

 - Took Curly from the Core Room

 - Entered the Waterway shack and put Curly on the bed

 - Read how to drain a waterlogged robot, and did this for Curly

 - Took Curly back with you through the rest of the Waterway

 - Got the Booster v2.0

then just go ahead and ride the rocket up again to the top.  You'll reach the

Final Cave, and an easy version of it, at that.  Otherwise, read on.

Go to the very bottom-right of the Plantation, to the entrance to the Store-

house.  Now, head left, and soon you'll find a hole in the ground leading to a

small room.  Unless you did every step listed above, this room will simply

contain a lone cthulhu with a bit of story dialogue.  However, if you did

everything correctly, Curly will also be sitting ont he bed.  Talk to her to

find she's suffering complete amnesia, even worse than she already had to begin

with.  Talk to the cthulhu afterwards and he'll tell you that he's heard of a

type of mushroom that can help people recover lost memories.  Now, where have

you seen mushrooms in this game before?  Go all the way to the left of the area

past the lake and enter the Teleporter room again...

 - TELEPORTER ROOM -

...and warp back to Arthur's House.

 - MIMIGA VILLAGE -

Now, head to the top right of the village and to the Cemetary.

 - CEMETARY -

Blow up the enemies if you want, your destination is the room on the top right.

You couldn't get here earlier, if you recall.

 - STORAGE -

Even if you did come in this room before this point, or in a game in which you

had to leave Curly at the Core, this mushroom refused to talk to you.  Now,

however, you have the ability to actually get it to listen to you.  Talk to it

and select "Yes" when it asks if you have business with it.

When it asks if you want the Mushroom Badge, select "Yes".

When it asks if you really need it, select "No".

When it asks if you want it after all, select "Yes".

When it asks if you REALLY want it, select "Yes".

When it asks, once more, if you really need it, select "No".

So, Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No.

Finally, you'll receive the Mushroom Badge, a useless item.  Talk to the mush-

room once more to cause it to become flustered and engage you in battle.

*******************

* WARNING         *

* BOSS: MA PIGNON *

*******************

As you'd expect, Ma Pignon isn't the most threatening boss, but it's actually

kind of surprisingly powerful if you're not careful.  Basically, it'll just hop

around one side of the room four times, then on the fifth hop it'll glow with

energy and bullet directly to the opposite wall.  During this time, it's

invincible, and when it hits the wall it'll cause several boulders to fall from

the ceiling, which are indestructible.  It'll repeat this a few times, then

glow and bullet straight up into the ceiling.  When it does this, it'll fall

along with about five clones of itself which are easy to defeat and drop items.

There's not a whole lot else to say about this battle.  Just take out your

favorite weapon and chop down its pathetic HP meter.

* "I've... lost." - Ma Pignon *

If you win, you'll receive Ma Pignon as an item.  Nothing to do but head back

out.

 - CEMETARY -

But don't run back to the Plantation just yet!  If you want the Nemesis hidden

weapon, there's something else you need to do while you're in the Cemetary.

Look around the central set of tombstones on the ground level.  Just keep

examining them, as it's quite impossible to actually see what you're looking

for.  You'll eventually get dialogue from a tiny, tiny man.  This is the same

man that's been separated from his family in the Tiny House along the bottom of

the Outer Wall.  Take Mister Little into your inventory and head back out.

(Wait... seriously.  So we have two living, breathing little people in our bag,

a pair of panties, lipstick, keys for just about every locked door on the

entire island, all kinds of electronic gizmos, a stopwatch with no buttons, a

bunch of useless medals, jars of strange substances, a jetpack created by a

small man with a mohawk, a letter of desperation from a rabbit girl who's

actually supposed to be a human... This is the coolest inventory I've ever seen

in my life!)

 - MIMIGA VILLAGE -

Now, heal and save at Arthur's House then teleport to the Egg Corridor.

 - EGG CORRIDOR -

Make your way through here again.  Refer to the above section in the walk-

through if for any reason you have trouble.

 - EGG NO. 00 -

And head out the back.  You may want to save at the Save Point just beyond this

egg room in case you were to fall on your attempt to reach the Little House.

 - OUTER WALL -

Run past where Kazuma was and fall off the right ledge then immediately bost to

the left just under it.  Watch out for the small hole halfway through this

hallway as you head to the house on the far left end.

 - LITTLE HOUSE -

As soon as you open the door, Mister Little will let himself out of your pocket

and into his home.  Talk to Mister Little and he'll offer to trade you his

'splendid' weapon for King's Blade.  Now, this is actually a pretty difficult

decision.  Not only is King's Blade a great weapon, easily the coolest-looking

in the game and has a load of sentimental value, the weapon Mister Little

offers you in return is easily one of the best weapons in the game, probably

only contended with by the Spur for that title.  It really depends, but I'd say

to go ahead and trade away your Blade for the Nemesis.  It's a truly awesome

weapon and has the best mix of power and rapid-firing in the game, and I don't

think King will mind.  You used his Blade to valiantly tear up enough baddies

by this point that I'm sure you've done him proud.

Whatever your decition, it's time to go back to the Plantation when you're

done.

 - OUTER WALL -

Go back and save in the Egg Corridor if you want, then repeat your ascent up

the wall.

(Note:  If you're having trouble getting back over the ledge to the right of

the Littles' house without falling, try this.  Just run and fall off the ledge

to the right and don't use your Booster at all until you're further right than

the right edge of the lip above, then boost straight up.)

Be sure to try out your new Nemesis if you got it; though it has the

same general "blow up things in front of you" quality as the Spur and Machine

Gun, its main benefit is its speed.  It has incredible velocity and can be shot

quite rapidly, so in cases in which you really need to mash the shot button, it

can beat the Spur at its own game.  Just remember the major unique aspect of

the Nemesis; it's by far the strongest if you keep it at Level 1.  Levelling it

up costs 1 exp per level and it gets increasingly weak as it goes.  Level 2's

still pretty good, but Level 3 shoots rubber ducks that more or less emulate

the Bubbline at Lv 1.  Anyway, continue your ascent dodging yellow frogs and

sperm-cats (I had to) until you reach the top once again.

 - STOREHOUSE -

Save and head out to the Plantation.

 - PLANTATION -

Walk to the left and fall down into the hole again.  Take Ma Pignon to Curly.

"Stuffed it into Curly's mouth", it says.  Hahaha.

Afterward, you'll be rewarded with a bunch of storyline dialogue that actually

pertains to you and Curly for once, instead of just the Mimiga or humans.  Oh,

and if you didn't know it already, you find out that your name's Quote.  Talk

to Curly another couple times and she'll give you the Iron Band, a keepsake to

remember her by.  As far as I remember, this is required for the secret final

area of the game, as it signifies you completed the entire Curly sidequest to

its completion.

When you're finished, at last, ride the rocket up all the way past the Press

deathtrap and to the next area.

--------------------------

- 2-08  The Final Battle -

--------------------------

- LAST CAVE -

This area will be rather different depending on if you have the Booster v0.8 or

the Booster v2.0.  If you have the v0.8, it will be slightly challenging, but

nothing fancy; basically a small gauntlet of red Critters and Bats with spikes

all round, and though the enemies and spikes will likely level you down

considerably they will each only drop a single small power crystal so things

can get annoying.  The top corridor is full of Presses which you can easily

avoid by simply running without stopping, and then you're homefree.  This is

all I remember about this cave with the v0.8 as I haven't actually gone through

it like that in awhile, if you'll forgive me.  I may write up the 'easy' Final

Cave in more detail in a future version.

- LAST CAVE (HIDDEN) -

Now, if you have the v2.0, it's time to get rockin' in the real, super-tough

"Hard" Final Cave.  To begin with, unlike the "easy" version, a black wind will

blow through your body (makes me think of Magus from Chrono Trigger), resetting

all of your weapons to Level 1!  Of course, having the Nemesis and/or Spur in

your posession makes this little trick pointless, but otherwise you're gonna be

in for a wild ride.  Go to the right, past some Red Critters you'll find that

you're squeezed in between a spike-covered ceiling above and pools of deadly

lava below.  There's a reason that you're only given access to this dungeon if

you have the Booster 2.0... it is REQUIRED.  You'll have to make a low jump

then boost straight to the right between the spikes and lava.  When you reach

the skinny, tall pool with the Critter inside, take out the nest of several

Critters to your right on the platform before continuing.  Squeeze through the

spikes and grab the weapon energy capsule; I'd highly recommend levelling up

the Super Missile Launcher first and foremost.  Jet past the next lava pool and

forget about even messing with the weapon energy capsule unless you have the

Snake.  Boost up through the hearts above and land on the pillar to your right,

before climbing up to the next corridor.

(Note:  You may also want to level up the Bubbline or Snake if you have it to

make the last section of this cave a bit easier)

Here, you'll be harassed constantly by a steady stream of red Bats that swerve

up and down while you head to the left; they never, ever stop spawning, so you

will have to deal.  Grab the three hearts and boost up.  Fall down the middle

of the shaft to the left and you can turn right to grab a weapon capsule.  Up

and to the left are a couple more weapon capsules, then fall down and head left

past two more lava pools.  Go up, left and down past the pillar with spikes, it

is slightly tricky but you'll get the hang of it.  Just past is a set of three

hearts and another weapon capsule.  Go up and turn around.

You'll come to two sets of spikes on the top and bottom of two tiny squeezes

set up so that you'll have to boost forward, up, and forward again just right.

This may seem hard to you but just wait 'til the bonus area; this cave is

actually the best practice you'll get for it.  In the small room of spikes, go

right and up at the last moment.  Try to get the heart above the pit here but

don't waste too much boost power as you'll need some to jolt right at the

bottom of this pit to avoid a spike.  Go up, avoid three easy sets of spikes,

then you're at the hardest trap yet.  You have to fall between two spikes, jet

forward before you hit the lava, between two more, then up between a final set

before boosting right to land safely.  Whew.  Don't sweat it if you take a hit

here, if you mess up just try again and consider it practice.  There's another

weapon capsule here, then a super thin corridor of spikes before a huge room

in which no wall isn't infested with even more spikes.  Luckily, there's a safe

platform in the middle at which you can steel yourself before you head high

straight up into the air; you'll barely have enough juice to make it.  Get one

more weapon capsule to your right then head left and meet the boss.  Yeah, this

version, unlike the easy version of the cave, has a boss to top it all off!

******************

* WARNING        *

* BOSS: RED OGRE *

******************

This guy looks like a really pissed off Droll.  Supposedly Arthur, the hero of

the Mimiga, fought this guy awhile back, but it looks like he's still around.

He'll repeat the same attack pattern, throwing three flailing appendages (the

same kind Drolls do) in a row, then leaping and throwing three more.  They're

not hard to dodge and he's predictable, but the rate at which he keeps this up

can be tough to keep up with.  There is no better advice I can give than to use

up all your missiles then switch to the Nemesis and give him all you've got (or

Blade, if you have that instead).  His pattern never changes, and his HP isn't

that great, but after the long trek up here it's likely you'll be exhausted and

low on HP, so try to hang in there.  Eventually you're sure to take him down.

* And thus, the demon plagues the island no more... *

He turns to stone and leaves behind a lot of weapon crystals and a treasure

chest.  Open the chest to receive the Medal of the Red Ogre, signifying you

conquered the Hidden Last Cave and the Red Ogre atop it.  Now, with a perfect

inventory, you should have all but one slot filled up, including a jar of Jelly

fish Joice and a Life Pot--but don't worry unless you're a completionist, as if

you're to this part you've proven yourself enough anyway.

Head left and take care of the Critters before you try to cross this treacher-

ous little section full of red acid dropping from the ceiling.  Make sure you

know their pattern well before passing by.  The next room's filled to the brim

with red Critters, but it's nothing fancy.  After that you have a hallway of

Presses, like the end of the easy version of this area, with red Critters here

and there.  Take care of the Critters from afar then just run at full speed to

avoid the Presses.  Now, stop at the three-tile-long safe spot just before the

pools of lava.  Take care of the Critters in the lava then... well, technically

this area's passable safely if you boost to the left, run across the platform

then boost again, but that's awfully risky considering all the stuff you just

went through without saving.  Of course, there are a few weapons that can help

you out immensely here by taking out the rightmost Press so you can jump up in

the hole it left and safely remove all the remaining ones with any weapon you

choose.  The Snake is of course the best option if you happen to own it, just

jump up past the wall to your right and shoot the Press until it dies.  The

Bubbline is another fine option, if you happen to have it levelled up enough.

The Whimsical Star is great too if you have that, just equip it, charge your

Spur to MAX then keep jumping just to the right of the Press.  Once you pass

this super-dangerous hall you're finally near the end--wath out, there are two

red Critters hiding in the very last lava pool.  Once you're past them, you're

finally out of this difficult dungeon.

 - BALCONY -

It's suddenly serenely calm, a start contrast of where you came from.  Head to

the right, though, and you'll soon come face to face with a pair of Kulalas,

the rabit Mimiga miniboss from Bushtown.  They fight just like they used to,

but have a lot more room to maneuver here; of course, your weaponry should take

them down quickly.  Further east and you'll see the helicopter that originally

brought the Doctor, Sue and all the others here some time ago... and just

beyond it is a small house they probably used as a living quarters before the

whole mess started.  Go inside.

 - PREFAB HOUSE -

Here, you can rest in the bed to heal your wounds from the Last Cave, and save

your game.  Examine the bookcase on the left to read a memo left by Professor

Booster.  Reading this with the Booster v0.8 in your inventory makes it rather

heartfelt and is one of the reasons I'd suggest to just go with it on your

first playthrough; reading it with the Booster 2.0 is more like a hint towards

the fact that there's more of the island left undiscovered, a section that you

would need the 2.0 to even explore in the first place.  Head out when you're

finished in here.

 - BALCONY -

Now, heading further east, you'll come across a Kulala and an Igor-clone enemy

at the same time.  This Igor fights just like the boss, has the same HP (300)

and is even faster.  You may want to just fly past him, but if you have a

powerful weapon or max Super Missile ammo go ahead and dispatch him.  Once you

reach the eastern edge of the area climb up towards the sky rather than going

through the entryway.  You'l eventually come to a huge block of star blocks

with tons of hearts, missiles and weapon capsules all throughout.  Use these to

replenish your missiles, any   health you may've lost against Mimiga and level

up your weapons (your primary weapon, Super Missiles, and King's Blade if you

still have it being the most important).  Go up and touch the clouds along the

top to be teleported back to the Prefab Building; keep entering and exiting the

building then coming back here if you need more missiles or weapon crystals,

and go back and save your game once you're fully prepared.  After this, go

through the entry on the bottom right side that you skipped before.

 - THRONE ROOM -

(Note:  As of this room, you're going to be fighting a grand total of FOUR boss

battles in a row.  If you're NOT planning to go for the secret bonus area--i.e.

you took the Booster v0.8 or didn't save Curly fully--make sure you use your

Life Pot when you reach low health, even if you're on an early boss.  Staying

alive means you get more practice in, even if you don't think you'll be able to

slay all the bosses during that particular try, and more practice means a

better chance on all future attempts.  If you DO have the Booster v2.0 and DID

completely save Curly, earning the Iron Band, do NOT use your Life Pot here!)

You may slightly recognize this room from the short intro video in which the

Doc finds the skeleton of the previous owner of the Demon Crown along with

Balrog and Misery in stasis.  Go all the way to the right and you'll soon be

greeted by Misery.  You've persued the bad guys all the way back to their home

base now, so there's nowhere for her to teleport you to or for her to run away

to herself; the only option left is to finally face you head-on.  Get ready to

finally get the chance to get back at this witch for all the trouble she's

caused!

****************

* WARNING      *

* BOSS: MISERY *

****************

Misery is always floating around in the air, teleporting to change her position

around the room after every attack or so.  She'll start by releasing a wave of

five black energy orbs toward you soon after the battle begins.  She'll then

teleport and send three solid-looking orbs forward, which bob up and down as

they travel across the screen; this is one of her favorite tricks.  Whenever

you run under the orbs they'll blast bolts of lightning toward the ground, but

as long as you don't stop under them you won't get hit.  She'll keep repeating

these two attacks in tandem, but will also sometimes summon a huge block and

throw it at you--very powerful but easy to dodge.

She's completely vulnerable at all times, the tricky part's just hitting her

while she teleports around, often high above the ground, while dodging her

array of attacks.  I would definitely suggest NOT wasting any missiles during

this battle; the Spur and Nemesis are fantastic if you have them, but otehrwise

just use your Machine Gun or Snake.

After she loses about 1/3 health she'll start summoning a couple black bubbles

that orbit around her parallel to each other each time she teleports.  Not only

do these absorb all your attacks that don't pass between them, but the next

time she teleports after summoning them they'll turn into orange Bats--and then

she'll immediately summon two more as she finishes the teleport.  These bats

aren't at all dangerous but can cause your decision-making to falter when you

add them to all the other stuff going on during this battle; they do drop

supplies, though!

When she's down to about 1/4th health, Misery will increase her defenses to a

total of FOUR bubbles, making her hard to hit with anything but the most

spammable weapons.  She never gains any new attacks past those mentioned,

though, so as long as you keep your cool it's very possible to finish this

fight without taking a single hit, given some practice.

* DEFEATED MISERY! *

Of course, you aren't done yet.  A set of blocks will form on the left side of

the screen after Misery runs off, leading you even further atop the island.

You'll also notice that the way back to the rest of the island has been sealed

off now, so you have nowhere to go but up.

 - THE KING'S TABLE -

Cages and cages full of Mimiga.  This must be where the Doctor plans to stuff

them full of Red Flowers against their will.  Go right and you'll quickly find

the Doctor himself, who'll lecture you on the power of the Red Flower and on

the splendidness of his latest creation, a Red Crystal formed from the

concentrated essence of Red Flowers--which can even give a human unspeakable

strength.  Finally, he offers to face you himself, now that you've come this

far...

********************

* WARNING          *

* BOSS: THE DOCTOR *

********************

Without fail, he begins the battle by sending blast of two red orbs with long

energy trails that snake around each other, forming wider and wider loops and

eventually blasting off toward either corner of the room.  This is one of his

favorite attacks and he'll use it very often; the easiest way to dodge it is

to just try to move close to him and boost above it, though you can also wait

far away from it for it to split apart and run through.  He'll then warp around

the room, like Misery, though he tends to stay on the ground.  The Red Crystal

will annoyingly hover around him at all times and absorb attacks that hit it,

though with good aim this isn't too much of a problem.  The good thing about

the Crystal is that every time the Doc teleports, the Crystal will stay at his

previous position and quickly fly to his new one, which tells you exactly where

he's going to appear next--useful both for attacking and getting ready to dodge

his next move.

The main thing to worry about here is that after every three normal attacks, on

the fourth teleport the Doctor will hang in the air for a second then release a

massive volley of red bubbles in all directions around him--which proceed to

bounce off all surfaces around the room and stick around for several seconds.

They're invincible and quite difficult to dodge, though paying attention to the

number of times he attacks so you can prepare yourself for the volley can help

you learn how and when to avoid them, along with practice.  I've found that as

long as you find a safe place to avoid the initial release of them, they seem

slower and easier to predict as they bounce off surfaces--the main danger is

that the Doc never rests and will immediately start to teleport and attack you

with more dual red orbs, so be prepared for that.

He actually has really pathetic defenses beyond his attack-absorbing orbs and

Crystal, so if you keep at him he'll fal soon enough.

* But don't celebrate yet!! *

Without even a brief pause aside from a couple windows of dialogue, The Doctor

succumbs to the maddening power of the Red Crystal...

*************************

* WARNING               *

* BOSS: MUSCLE DOCTOR   *

*************************

Hey, that's what they call him in the ending.

Anyway, the Doc fights SLIGHTLY like he did before, teleporting here and there,

with the Red Crystal orbitting and shielding him--however, this time he doesn't

use impenetrable energy-based attacks but rather fights with brute force, and

doesn't teleport as often as before, preferring to dash and jump around.  When

he does teleport, he tends to teleport high into the air in an attempt to drop

down and crush you, so be prepared to boost out of the way a lot.  When he's on

the ground he tends to use a frenzied dash attack which is short-ranged and

easy to get out of the way of, but is very powerful.  Sometimes, he'll stand

still and put his arms out in front of him, a sign that he's about to release

his Bat attack; he'll spray a massive cone of red Bats toward the other end of

the room which will bounce around the room for awhile until destroyed.

Anyway, when you're ready to actually attack him, his combination of

easy-to-avoid attacks and equally squeamish HP (somehow) as the initial fight

against him makes him a quick beatdown.  The lack of attacks that absorb your

shot and the fact that his more massive stature keeps the Red Crystal from

being able to guard him as well means he will fall even faster.

* DEFEATED THE DOCTOR! *

Now you can have a moment to rest, and talk to the Mimigas if you like.  Chako

is actually the only one with 'worthwhile' dialogue, though I always found it

funny that Santa doesn't seem to really care much for what's going on, and

actually seems more concerned as to if you remember him or not.  Aww.

Talk to Chako multiple times and she'll eventually mention Arthur, at which

point the generic Mimiga all around the upper cages will heavily blush and

hearts will form over their heads (Arthur must have really been something!).

These hearts are actually the pickup item that can heal you, so collect them!

When you feel ready, go up once more to the highest point on the entire island

and prepare for the final (non-bonus) battle.

 - BLACK SPACE -

Enter here and you'll see some familiar objects... pieces of the Core that the

Doc had sent here so he could try and revive it.  Walk to the right to meet up

with Misery once more, who, acknowledging that she cannot defeat you in combat,

tries to use Sue as a hostage to keep you from messing things up even further.

Past a bit of dialogue we learn that the Doc has in fact transcended mortality

with the help of his Red Crystal and, in the blink of an eye, transforms Misery

into a brainless skeletal being and Sue into a super-powerful enraged Mimiga-

Human hybrid.  He then proceeds to posess the remains of the Core in a final

bid to rid the world of you forever.  Get ready!

*********************

* WARNING           *

* BOSS: UNDEAD CORE *

*********************

Rockin' final battle tunes aside, you've got your hands full in this fight--

Misery, Sue and the Undead Core are all separate enemies with tons of health

each that simultaneously try and put an end to you.  To begin with, I'd focus

all my firepower on Sue.  She's fast and powerful, bouncing around all over the

place, and unlike Misery she doesn't produce enemies which can be slaughtered

for items.  I'd save the Core for last, maybe hurt it here and there when it's

just asking for it, though you may want to keep Misery in the fray the entire

battle since as mentioned before she can indirectly give you health, ammo and

weapon crystals.

Move to the left side of the arena and lure Sue, who'll try to attack you with

various dashes and spinning attacks.  These hurt, but can be easily enough

avoided without having to worry about the attacks of the other bosses.  There

will be small attacks from the others that reach across the screen and mini-

core segments that will harmlessly weave by you and act as platforms, but

as long as you focus all your attacks on Sue and don't take too long it should

be easy pickings.  Even if you do get interrupted by the other enemies, focus

everything you can on Sue until she falls.

Now, by this point Misery has probably al ready summoned a legion of orange

Critters; destroy them for pickups, then you have two options.  Either focus

everything you've got on dealing with Misery so you can spend the rest of the

fight with nothing to worry about but the Undead Core itself, or keep Misery

around so you can keep getting more ammo and health from her summons-- though

this option will make things VERY FRANTIC, for some players it's preferred.  It

really just depends on how you play, and what you think is the better option.

Personally, I feel that if you're NOT going for the bonus area and still have

your Life Pot, just use it here if you get low on health and destroy Misery,

it'll make things much smoother.  If you've already used your Life Pot or are

going for the bonus area, keep her around at least long enough to fully heal

yourself and restore all your Super Missiles, attacking the Core in between,

then killing her off and focussing on the Core completely.

Whenever you ARE ready for the Core, switch immediately to your Super Missiles,

of which you should definitely have 30 from Misery's Critters.  In some ways,

this could be considered less annoying than the battle against the normal,

living Core earlier, as the mini-cores are really no problem at all and can

even be helpful; an infinite supply of them will constantly be moving from the

right side of the area to the left that are harmless and can be used as plat-

forms to easily get within shooting range of the Undead Core's face, and the

little eyeball mini-cores orbitting the main one are in the background so they

won't impede your attacks against the Core.  Now, the Undead Core will show one

of three faces every time it opens up; the 'default' skull face you saw when

the battle began will shoot bombs toward the top and bottom of the screen which

explode ont he floor/roof and sand shockwaves all the way across the area.

These can be easily avoided by just riding on the mini-cores or standing on the

platform on the left.  When the big toothy grin appears, the mini-cores in the

background near the main Core will open up and shoot several spinning firebals

straight forward, which absorb attacks.  When the open mouth appears--usually

later in the battle--you need to get as low as possible as it will launch

several huge laser blasts that are extremely dangerous.  This is basically its

entire attack pattern.

The core will close back up after receiving a set amount of damage, this is

especially worth remembering when you see the open mouth as if you launch

enough Level 3 Super Missiles it will do huge damage and also cause it to close

back up before it obliterates you.  Super Missiles are definitely the weapon of

choice here and with a full ammo count you should be able to either completely

or very nearly destroy the Core, though the Spur is another fantastic weapon,

and any long-ranged weapon like the Nemesis, Machine Gun or Snake Lv 3 are also

fine options.  Keep at it and you'll win.

* DEFEATED UNDEAD CORE! *

Now, if you have the Booster v0.8 and/or don't own the Iron Band, this is the

end of the game.  Just run back to the beginning of the Balcony and make a leap

toward the left edge of the screen from the angel statue.  This is a great

ending, definitely worth seeing even if you happen to be on the right track for

the bonus area but haven't seen it yet.

Anyway, elsewise, just follow Sue until you get to the Prefab House again, then

go in.  The door will only open if you meet all the requirements for this final

area.

 - PREFAB HOUSE -

Save your game.  The bookcase on the left side now serves as a means to 'reset'

your adventure back to before you entered the house in case you want to see the

normal ending, if this area's too hard for you... but that's not what you went

through all the trouble of getting this far for, right?!  Drop down the hole

when you've prepared yourself!

--------------------------

- 2-09  Welcome to Hell! -

--------------------------

(Now, if you still have your Life Pot after all this, do not at all be afraid

to use it at any point you need it down here--don't try to save it for the boss

until you know you'll be able to REACH the boss.  Using it to save you from

death on the way to the end means you'll have a much better chance of getting

further into the Sanctuary, which means more practice, which means better

chances next time.)

 - BLOOD-STAINED SANCTUARY: B1 -

Known in the PC version of the game as the Sacred Grounds, this pit of Hell

(hey, even the sign calls it that!) is by far the most difficult and dangerous

area in all of Cave Story.  There are no Refill Terminals, no save points, no

beds to rest in, nothing like that.  It's a test of your wits and reflexes, and

those who survive it are treated to the last chunk of story in the game,

detailing the origin of the Island and why it came to be in the first place, as

well as the true overlord of it--the creator of the Demon Crown and the most

powerful warlock in all history, Ballos!

As you fall down, you'll get hit by another 'black wind' just like in the

hidden version of the Last Cave; your weapons will drop to Level 1, though

again, if you have the Nemesis and/or Spur this matters not though you will

still want to level up the Super Missile Launcher for sure.  In addition, the

290 counter will activate if you got it earlier--this area's what it was made

for, to test your speed at defeating the Sanctuary, though by no means should

you worry about beating it *fast* before you can beat it *at all*.

Immediately you're met with a hilariously difficult instant death spike trap.

Falling down the initial area is easy enough, but you'll have to turn right,

then boost high up before you're out of the woods--you'll have to use your

Booster juice really perfectly to do this.  Expect to die a few times.  If you

really have a lot of trouble, you can forcibly land on one of the smaller

spikes to simply take damage without actually dying, and refuel your Booster,

but this CAN be done without touching a single spike; it just takes practice.

Once you complete this obstacle you'll be greeted with some dialogue out of

nowhere--this happens throughout the Sanctuary and explains everything about

the story of Ballos; I won't spoil it here, as it's worth it to experience it

yourself, being told to you in bits and pieces as sort of 'rewards' for

reaching deeper and deeper points of the Sanctuary.

Once you've read it, grab the weapon energy capsules and fall to the safe plat-

form.  Now, you'll want to boost left past all the spikes, but try and leap and

push left on your own as much as you can and only use just enough boost power

to scape by the leftmost spike, as after you drop down a bit (past a ton of

camouflaged wepaon capsules if you wanna grab them) you'll need to boost right

and into a small alcove if you expect to live.  In this alcove is conveniently

placed a Life Capsule, the bonus capsule of the game that should bring your

health total to 55 if you collected all the rest, with +5 HP.  Now drop and

boost to the right to find Curly, who seems to have found and attempted to

venture into this area herself, but has been bested.  Using the Tow Rope you'll

attach her to your back, and continue on.

 - BLOOD-STAINED SANCTUARY: B2 -

In here you'll meet a new type of enemy, a tiny angel type of creature called

a Bute.  They'll quickly swarm behind you and follow/divebomb you like faster

versions of the Stumpy dragonflies from the Plantation.  You can easily destroy

them; they drop and squirm a moment before exploding into pickups, though, like

Gaudis, and it may be a better idea to simply boost as fast as you can to the

right and avoid the falling debris, only destroying the Butes that get in your

way.

Note that all the dialogue boxes that pop up won't do so on subsequent entries

into the Sanctuary unless you reset the game, so don't worry about having to

read them all.

 - BLOOD-STAINED SANCTUARY: B3 -

The screen may be quaking and the 290 Counter may still be ticking, but this is

actually an area in which you can take all the time in the world if you need

to--and it's advisable you do so until you're good enough at the Sanctuary to

speed it up.

Just to your right are a couple hearts, and to your left is a new type of Bute

which doesn't fly but rather runs and bounces around the ground, trying to

attack you with a sword; they're fast but just as easy to dispatch as the

flying variety.  BE MINDFUL of the Presses here; don't dare go too fast until

you've memorized where they all are, as they can easily and quickly end your

journey even far into the Sanctuary.

Now, you may also notice that around this time Curly will snap out of it and

wake up, but she stays on your back; she's now equipped with the Nemesis and it

will never level past 1 with her, meaning it stays at peak strength.  She

shoots in the opposite directoin as you when you shoot, except when you aim

upwards from the ground, in which case she'll shoot with you in tandem.  This

is important to remember--and yes, you can use your Nemesis at the same time.

Head left and you'll face a third type of Bute, this one sits still on a plat-

form and shoots arrows in an arc.  Up past this you'll fight a Mesa, a large

bulky angel that attacks by lobbing shot-absorbing blocks forward over and over

... they can be annoying if you're trying for a good time, but otherwise just

keep your distance and play it safe and they're quite easy to deal with.  Past

this you'll find another Mesa behind two sword-Butes, these will stay still

until you get close to them and you'll notice that in this stance they block

all shots with their sword, so you'll have to lure them without being hit by

the Mesa to even be able to destroy them OR the Mesa.  On the wall behind them

is a Delete, which is basically an eyeball that sits on walls until disturbed

then performs a countdown from 5 just like the Counter Bomb you met in the Egg

Corridor and explodes, though the explosion has a tiny range and even helps you

by removing the wall the Delete was stationed on.  These guys really only

exist to make you angry if you're attempting a low time.

Past the Delete you'll be assaulted by a pair of arrow Butes, then you have to

turn right, pass through some star blocks and activate another Delete.  The top

right star blocks hide hearts, but some of the bottom row are concealing spike

traps.  After the Delete blows up, a bunch of flying Butes will swarm down from

the ceiling behind you.  Below is another hall with a Delete at the end, this

one protected by Rollings, invincible eyeballs that roll around a rectangular

path which they stick to forever even if it means going through midair.  Past

the bottom Delete, head left and watch out for the army of arrow Butes on

either side.  There are a pair of Mesas on the far left, but ignore them unless

you TRULY need the hearts they're guarding; behind them is nothing but a death

trap.  Your goal is the top of the stairs with arrow Butes, with a Delete on

top.

Head through here and try to fall between the rain of arrows and rocks.  A

mass of flying Butes will, again, drop down behind you as you go through here.

Ignore the hearts to your right until after you've activated the Delete to your

left on the bottom.  Go left to the pillar with three Deletes; a bunch of

flying Butes will pop up through the spikes behind you as you wait for any or

all of the Deletes to explode, though the top one should be your path of

choice.  The room beyond is filled with hyperactive flying Butes, and there are

a couple of arrow Butes playing sentry on either side of a hanging platform

that you'll want to destroy as you boost before you land there.  Open the star

block above this platform, and get the chest it reveals: it contains the bonus

Missile Expansion, which almost DOUBLES you max Missiles, giving you a set of

24 and bringing your total to a massive 54 Mssiles!  None too soon, as you're

about to fight an onslaught of the true final bosses in the game at this point.

Drop down and activate the Deletes, fighting off the horde of flying Butes that

pop up from the ground as you wait, then head west.  There's a curious-looking

object in the ceiling here, and it looks like it's the end of the line...

*********************

* WARNING           *

* BOSS: HEAVY PRESS *

*********************

The wall will close behind you and a pair of Rollings will spawn, which roll

along the bottom of the room for the duration of the fight.  The Heavy Press

will start to charge up its bottom-middle section then release a powerful

lightning bolt, so even though this section is its only weak point you'll want

to move when the bolt crashes down.  Flying Butes will neverendingly pour out

of either side of the room during the whole battle, so unless you're hell-bent

on harvesting them for supplies my advice would be to try and finish the fight

as soon as possible, before things get overwhelming.

There's an extremely simple and fast way to win this--if you have the Nemesis,

just stand directly under the center of the Heavy Press and shoot upwards,

only jumping when you must, as only when you're on the ground will Curly shoot

at the same time as you.  The barrage of Nemesis shots from both robots will

end the boss very quickly and painlessly.  If you don't have the Nemesis, just

use your main weapon (Spur, Snake or Machine Gun) and shoot rapidly up into

the Press, causing Curly to hit it with the Nemesis at the same time.

As you damage the Heavy Press, more and more of it will become revealed.  Your

goal is to reveal it completely (upon depleting its health meter) at which time

it will open its eye and crash through the ground, revealing the way onward.

As SOON as you deplete the boss's health, run for cover on either side of the

screen, or it will kill you.

* DEFEATED... er... caused the Heavy Press to fall! *

Follow it.

 - PASSAGE? -

You should remember this room from the east of the Plantation... the top doors

connect the Plantation to the Statue Chamber.  You can't go back to the

Plantation, but you are free to enter the Statue Chamber.

 - STATUE CHAMBER -

The statue maker's gone now, and the Doctor's statue is finally complete.  You

can view it to learn his real name, "Date Fuyuhiko".  Now, you can actually

blow up each of these statues to reveal a 20 EXP weapon energy crystal inside

each and 're-chisel' them into the characters Quote, Toroko, King and Curly.

Leave when you're done.

 - PASSAGE? -

Now take the bottom-right door.

 - CORRIDOR -

Run east, there's nothing dangerous here.  You'll find the ghost of a

presumably long-dead dog that looks just like the ones Jenka takes care of.  It

was owned by Ballos long ago and begs you to end his master's suffering.  Go to

the far right and enter the door.

 - SEAL CHAMBER -

You fall in between two sets of spikes, in a large room covered with skeletons.

Go right and be welcomed by the lord of the Island, the ancient wizard Ballos.

After some dialogue, your inevitable battle will begin.

****************

* WARNING      *

* BOSS: BALLOS *

****************

Ballos will dash forward, rise up into the air, dash in the opposite direction,

then stomp into the ground--all in an attempt to ram you.  He only stops and

changes direction during this attack when he intercepts you at parallel.  Upon

landing, a pair of shockwaves will emit from wherever Ballos hit the ground,

which will travel all the way until they hit the wall.  After waiting a brief

time, Ballos will repeat this.  Sometimes after a shockwave, Ballos will float

up into the air then proceed to rain down eight fast lightning bolts--you may

want to shoot him as he hangs in the air, but you'll have to keep moving if you

don't want to take heavy damage.  After the eighth bolt lands, he'll summon a

slew of bolts simultaneously, but just before they strike you'll see flashing

circles all around the room denoting where the lightning's about to strike.

Curly is indespensable here.  You'll be running from him most the time on the

ground, but with her on your back you can still greatly damage him--and when he

is in the air you can doubleteam him.  Just keep shooting and he will... well,

get stronger, of course!

***************************

* WARNING                 *

* BOSS: BALLOS, PHASE TWO *

***************************

Ballos transforms into a giant boulder-like monstrosity bearing the image of

his face.  Basically it'll just jump back and forth, sending bone shockwaves

across the room every time it lands.  Green devils flood the top of the room at

all times--they can be destroyed for supplies, and you can safely step atop

Ballos' head to collect them.  It's a good idea to try your best and resupply

as much as you can at this point, because this is the easiest of the battles

yet to come.

When you're ready to attack, Ballos' eyes are his weak points.  It's possible

to stand within his eyelid without taking damage and hammer him with everything

you've got.  You may want to start expending your Super Missile cache here, as

all forms of this boulder-headed Ballos take severe damage from point-blank Lv

3 Super Missiles right in the eye.

Keep damaging him then killing the Green Devils to replenish your health and

ammo.  As long as you're not trying to go for a fast time, make sure you've

got 54 missiles by the time you defeat him to make the further battles easier.

*****************************

* WARNING                   *

* BOSS: BALLOS, PHASE THREE *

*****************************

The final boss tune will start to play as Ballos summons a ring of spiked eye-

balls around himself.  He'll hover around the entier room in a clockwise

fashion.  When he's going left to right along the top of the room, he'll drop

skulls toward the ground at regular intervals that are far apart, making them

quite easy to avoid.  However, the real trouble starts when he comes back down

and moves right to left across the bottom of the room.  He performs no actual

attacks here but the eyeballs orbitting around him will do really severe damage

to you if you touch one.  What you have to do to avoid them is actually to

stand under him and between the eyeballs; since they actually orbit counter-

clockwise, the key is to run up close to one as he moves toward you and keep as

close to it as possible while running under him, not allowing the eyeball

behind it to catch up to you.

The key here is just to destroy each eye until it closes, rendering it

invincible.  If you have a high stock of missiles here you can use some; you

shouldn't need more than 20-30 I would think by the end of this form.  If you

start running low, switch to your favorite non-Nemesis weapon... the Nemesis is

fine as far as damage goes but the Green Devils across the top of the room will

constantly rain down power crystals if you shoot up there which can ruin your

Nemesis, and you don't want to *have* to take damage now.  Once each eye is

closed, he'll keep moving--without attacking--until he's on the right edge of

the screen, so don't worry when he doesn't instantly shift forms.

****************************

* WARNING                  *

* BOSS: BALLOS, PHASE FOUR *

****************************

Here we are... the very last phase of the very last boss.  Ballos will hover in

the air, and a set of platforms will form around him--beyond the eyes he formed

last phase--which  you should immediately stand on for safety.  It'll sound

like an earthquake as all the walls and floor of the entire room become covered

in long impaling spears, so that the only truly safe spot to stand is on the

platforms that hover close to Ballos himself.  The Green Devils along the top

of the room will go away, but they'll quickly be replaced by legions of red-

faced Butes that act as a combination of the flying Butes and the arrow Butes

from earlier in the Sanctuary--these guys will fly all around the sides of the

arena and fling arrows which are annoying but not as deadly as the ones you met

earlier.  They do drop supplies, too, and instantly instead of wriggling on the

ground like the Butes you met before, though it's harder to actually collect

the supplies than it was with the Green Devils.

A great tip is that the spears all around the room actually cause tiny damage,

1 damage to be exact, so if it looks like you're going to get hit or you need

to collect some crystals or something it can actually be to your best interest

to stand in the spears.

Ballos himself will appear to be crumbling apart in this form, with various

cracks and crevices in his face torn away to reveal bloody red skeletons.  This

time, his whole face is vulnerable to attack instead of just his eyes, but the

eyeballs orbitting him can absorb your attacks.  Luckily, some of the eyes have

re-opened after the third phase and can be damaged again--this time destroying

them for good.  Sometimes, Ballos will send an eyeball to the ground, which

will bounce around and is quite dangerous, but generally not an immediate

threat as long as you stay on the floating platforms.

Basically, he's very easy to attack in this phase since all you have to worry

about absorbing your attacks is the closed eyeballs.  If you have any Super

Missiles left at all, exhaust them immediately--if you've saved up enough

(about 20-30 is an educated guess for how much it'll take, though it depends on

your accuracy) you should be able to obliterate Ballos with them.  otherwise,

by far the most powerful weapon here is the Spur.  Charged up to Level 3 or MAX

it will pass through the open eyeballs, and deals very heavy damage to Ballos.

The only thing to worry about when using the Spur is that you have to shoot

quickly rather than charging up to cause Curly to take care of the Butes behind

you, but if you don't care about taking hits it's much more to your advantage

to use it anyway.  The Nemesis is another fine option, as you no longer really

have to worry about weapon crystals landing on you, and if none of these

options are avilable the Blade is a good fallback--Level 3 should wreak havoc

on both Ballos and the eyes, whichever you hit with it.

With perserverance, you will eventually come out on top, having destroyed all

four of Ballos' health bars and finally bringing him the sweet release of death

he and all those close to him have been begging you to give to him.

* ALL CLEAR!  DEFEATED BALLOS, AND FINISHED THE GAME! *

Now, it'll look like you might have to make one more run before the game's

finally over, but worry not.  Read the dialogue and you will be saved without

having to lift a finger before viewing the ending--the BEST ending, the one you

have earned.  Sit back and enjoy!  You've conquerred Cave Story!

Now, how good a time can you get running Hell?

=============================

= III) Extended Information =

=============================

---------------------------

- 3-01  Weapons and Items -

---------------------------

Note that many weapons are hidden or optional, and some weapons may only be

obtained if you haven't already obtained certain other weapons in the current

playthrough of the game; don't worry about these until you've finished the game

at least once, and go with what you get as you get it.  That way, you'll be

able to experience all the different weapons and be able to decide which you'll

want to keep and which you'll want to skip for others.

(THIS SECTION CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

** WEAPONS **

You can find a wide variety of different weapons throughout your adventure.

Collect Energy Crystals dropped my enemies and you can level your weapons up,

causing them (in most cases, anyway) to become more powerful--and usually in

more ways than just damage-wise.

 - Polar Star

L1 > L2: 10 EXP

L2 > L3: 20 EXP

L3 > MAX: 10 EXP

You find this weapon at the very beginning of the game.  It's not the strongest

weapon, but it's definitely one of the easiest to use and useful in a wide

variety of situations.  Keep it when Curly asks you to trade in the Sand Zone

if you want the Snake or Spur weapons later.

Level 1:  A small, fairly short-ranged, very weak thin shot.  On the bright

side, it's quite rapid-firing.  1 damage.

Level 2:  A pair of thin shots at once which are stronger and have a longer

range.  2 damage.

Level 3:  A large shot that's even more powerful and longer-ranged.  It's

actually a bit less rapid than Level 1 or 2 of the Polar Star; you can only

have up to two shots onscreen at a time.  4 damage.

 - Machine Gun

L1 > L2: 30 EXP

L2 > L3: 40 EXP

L3 > MAX: 10 EXP

Given to you by Curly Brace if you trade her the Polar Star.  Keep the Polar

Star when she asks you by choosing "No" if you want the Snake or Spur later in

the game.  The Machine Gun is still an excellent weapon, though, and perfect

for your first time through the game as it's not only the easiest Polar Star

trade-off weapon to obtain but Level 3 allows you to float upwards in the

air as long as you have ammo, vastly increasing your mobility.  It has an ammo

count of 100 but auto-recharges, and the recharge rate vastly skyrockets once

you get the Turbocharge key item which only works with the Machine Gun.

Level 1:  Small shots in a slight spread that shoot rapidly as you hold the

shot button down.  2 damage.

Level 2:  Long, more powerful shots, otherwise identical to Level 1.  4 damage.

Level 3:  Fat, powerful shots.  Hold down and shoot in the air to float upward

while holding down the fire button.  6 damage.

 - Snake

L1 > L2: 30 EXP

L2 > L3: 40 EXP

L3 > MAX: 16 EXP

Obtained by keeping the Polar Star when Curly asks you to trade and then giving

both the Polar Star and Fireball weapons to Chaba (the Gaudi shopkeep in the

Labyrinth) when you reach him.  It's unique in that it's the only weapon in the

game capable of passing through walls.  It's very similar to the Wave Beam in

early Metroid games.

Level 1: Very rapid, powerful and can pass through walls, but very short range.

4 damage.

Level 2: Longer ranged and more powerful.  6 damage.

Level 3: Even longer ranged and even more powerful.  Only four can be onscreen

at a time.  8 damage.

 - Spur

Unique weapon considered by many to be the ultimate weapon in the game, and it

probably should be considering how long you have to keep the Polar Star if you

want this.  You'll need to get the Booster 2.0 and fly back into the very first

area of the game--before the Mimiga Village--and revisit the hermit weaponsmith

with your original Polar Star to earn the Spur.  Instead of levelling up

through crystals, it "gains levels" the longer you keep the shot button held

down, and is the only weapon that has a different effect at MAX level compared

to Level 3.

Level 1: Identical to Polar Star Level 3 but can be shot with the same rapidity

as Polar Star level 1 and 2.  4 damage.

Level 2: Releases a thin laser beam that reaches across the screen and pierces

enemies that it's able to destroy.  15 damage.

Level 3: A twin beam that pierces enemies.  50 damage.

MAX: A wide beam that pierces almost anything.  50+ damage depending on how

long it's able to continually penetrate the enemy.

 - Missile Launcher

L1 > L2: 10 EXP

L2 > L3: 20 EXP

L3 > MAX: 10 EXP

You recieve this early in the game, in the Egg Corridor.  It's the only weapon

with limited ammo that doesn't automatically replenish, but it's also very

powerful.  Easy to use, mostly works like a longer-ranged and more powerful

version of the Polar Star.

Level 1: Shoots a small missile forward.  The impact explosion causes splash

damage (damage to an area).  8 damage.

Level 2: A very fat missile.  15 damage.

Level 3: A volley of three missiles.  It only takes one ammo per shot, even

though you get three missiles.  8 damage (24 total).

 - Super Missile Launcher

L1 > L2: 30 EXP

L2 > L3: 60 EXP

L3 > MAX: 10 EXP

Found in the Boulder Chamber, this is an upgrade to your Missile Launcher which

basically makes every aspect of it better, though it takes a bit more EXP to

level up.  Besides raw damage, the most noticeable upgrade from the standard

Missile Launcher is the velocity of the missiles, or the speed at which they

travel across the screen.  Also, the missiles launched by this weapon are gold

in color.

Level 1: Identical to Missile Launcher Level 1, with but with more velocity and

damage.  20 damage.

Level 2: Another fat missile.  28 damage.

Level 3: Identical to Missile Launcher Level 3, but with a massive boost in

velocity and damage.  14 damage (42 total).

 - Fireball

L1 > L2: 10 EXP

L2 > L3: 20 EXP

L3 > MAX: 20 EXP

Given to you by Santa (the Mimiga with a strange name, not the Christmas guy)

in the Bushlands for helping him get back into his house.  This can be a decent

alternative to the Polar Star or Machine Gun early in the game, as it's the

only weapon other than the Polar Star you'll find with truly unlimited ammo for

awhile.  It shoots balls of plasma that bounce around along the ground, great

for grounded enemies and for use around slopes, and its rapidity mixed with its

good power for its point in the game makes it good against many bosses.

Level 1: A small fireball, up to two onscreen at once.  2 damage.

Level 2: A more fancy-looking fireball with a trail.  Up to three onscreen at

once.  6 damage.

Level 3: White-hot fireballs that move faster.  Up to four onscreen at once. 6

damage.