Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Version 1.15

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Table of Contents

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1.  Intro
2.  The story
3.  How to play
4.  Items
5.  Level Explanations
6.  Tips/Tricks
7.  FAQ
8.  Emailing/Legal
9.  Credits
10. Conclusion
11. Version History

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1.  Intro

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Nintendo's newest multiplayer Zelda is out.  I have one thing to
say:  It's one of the best multiplayers for the Gameboy Advanced.
It's the perfect blend of co-op and backstabbing.

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2. The Story

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Part of this is from the Instruction Booklet.

In the land of Hyrule people lived peacefully.  Then all of a
sudden it suffers an attack and many of the viliges young and
beautiful women are being upducted (No I'm not making this up)
by the wind mage Vaati.

One day a young boy stood up and said "I'm going up there to
save those people.  Drawing out a mythic blade the lone boy
became four, and their strength combined conquered Vaati and
sealed him away in the Four Sword.

Now many years later Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, sensed danger
at the shrine of the Four Sword.  Immediatly she summoned a boy
named link whom she trusted above all other people.  After
discovering that Vaati has destroyed the seal that bounded him
in the steal, he kidnaps Zelda.

Now it's up to you (link) to go and save Zelda, but you cannot
go alone.  You have need of the Four Sword.  You are to draw out
the blade and with the power of four you shall overcome the Wind
Mage Vaati just as the boy once did...

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3. How to Play

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!WARNING!  This is strictly a multi-player game.  Under no
circumstance are you alowed to play this quest by yourself! If
you have 2 or more people with you then you may play the quest.
Link up you GBAs for the appropriate number of players as shown
in the diagram below...

           4P                        3P
           |                          |
           |                          |
           \------------CB-----\      |
                               |      |
                               \------CB
                                      |
                          /-----------/
                          |
                          |
           /--------------CB----------\
           |                          |
           1P                         2P

Each of you is a diffrent colored link.

1P: Green
2P: Red
3P: Blue
4P: Purple

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How to clear a stage
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Each stage [with the exception of the of Vaati's Palace] is in
the following format.

Level 1
Level 2
Boss

To clear each level ALL players must coroperate.  At the end of
each level there is a heart container which will allow you to
carry one more heart.

A stage is not considered complete until you obtain a key from
the gardian fariy of that paticular stage.  In order to receive
a key you must collect a number of rupees for the entire stage.
Once you have all keys you can unlock Vaati's Palace.  There are
three forms of each stage.  Silver Keys, Golden Keys, and Hero's
Keys.

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About Triforce Medalions
--------------------------------------
In each stage every person is in a competition to see who can
collect the most rupees.  Now this is where the backstabbing
comes into play.  The one who collects the most rupees shall
receive the triforce medalion.  To see why these medalions are
so important then skip on down to tips and tricks.

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Death and it's toll
--------------------------------------
Just as in other Zelda games when your heart count reaches zero
you become dead.  However in this game you are considerd to be
downed and you must pay the toll in order to revive yourself.

First time:   50
Second time:  100
Third time:   150
Fourth time:  200
Fifth time:   250
Sixth time:   300
Seventh time: 350
Eight time:   400
Ninth time:   450
Tenth and up: 500

As you can see each time you die the toll increases by intervals
of 50 rupees.  If your team does NOT have the money to revive
you then it's game over.

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Rupee Fever
--------------------------------------
At any time everyone one your team has full health then you have
the stats Rupee Fever.  Rupee Fever doubles the value that
rupees are worth.  Try to make sure that you have Rupee Fever at
all times.

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4. Items

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Here's a brief explanation of items

Four Sword: The sword whose mystic powers have overcome Vaati.
            It is the standered sword carried by all players.

Hylian Shield: A shield made in Hyrule.  Can deflect most
               attacks.

Bombs: Highly explosive charges.  Press A to light one and press
       it again to throw.  Press A once more to detonate it
       without the wait.  Getting caught in the blast radius is
       hazardous to your health.

Boomerang: Object for getting those hard to reach enemies/rupees/
           switches.  Always comes back when thrown.

Magnetic Gloves: Use for pulling yourself by use of magnets.
                 Can be used to pull other players to you.

Gnaw Hat: Allows you to become "insect size".  Use it to reach
          place you can't get to in you original size.

Roc's Cape: Used for jumping.  Press A at the peek of your jump
            to glide that "extra mile"

Pegesis Boots: Allows you to run fast.  Use it to clime ledges.

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Rupees Values
--------------------------------------
Green:       1
Blue:        5
Red:         10
Giant Green: 50
Giant Blue:  100
Giant Red:   150
Black:       -40

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About Rupee Shards
--------------------------------------
Rupee Shards are the yellow rupees and are worthless on there
own.  Once you collect all four they form a Rupee that is worth
500.

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About Rupee Wraths
--------------------------------------
Every once in a while you come across a Rupee Wrath.  These guys
stalk you a drop your Rupees everywhere for other players to
collect.  To get him off of you touch one of your teamates.

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6. Level Explanations

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Because of the fact that the game completly randomizes each
stage, I can only tell you so much.

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Chamber of Insights       Difficulty:*
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If your new come to this place.  The faries and levels in this
stage offer an explantion of how to use each item.  Once you've
mastered them all take the test and see if your ready for the
real levels.

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Death Mountain           Difficulty***
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This level really isn't that hard, but if your new then you may
run into some problems.  Basicly the mountain has A LOT of lava
in it.  Seveeral of the fire enemies can burn you and set you on
fire.  While on fire you lose hearts constantly and run really
fast.

------------------------------
BOSS
------------------------------
This boss is a joke.  When he splits find the fire ball that
takes multiple hits.  When he gets himself together shoot the
energy ball back and forth.  Whose ever color it is must hit it.
Once it's black it will hit the boss and once again he will
split.  After three time's of this he will die.

->Advanced Forms<-
He takes more shots than usual.

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Lost Woods                Difficulty:*
--------------------------------------
The easiest of all stages.  Simple and straghtfoward.  These
stages offer more rupees as long as you're willing to do the
task that require them.  Also on the Golden and Hero's quest the
enemies can become quite dangerous.

------------------------------
BOSS
------------------------------
This boss can become extremely frustrating and confusing.  If
you are NOT working together you will accomplish nothing.  The
first part simply hit the flower that coresponds to your tunic
color (i.e. if it shows a green flower only the green link can
hit it).  After that there will appear levers on each side of
the flower.  Two of you must pull the levers at the same time.
Once they are pulled they reveal a flower.  Sometime it will be
multi-colored.  The two whose color it coresponds to must hit
there section.

->Advanced Form<-
The boss will have two heads that will shoot seeds at you.

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Talus Caves             Difficulty:****
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With ice all over the stage this can become very frustrating.
Also many of the paths offer you to get "lost" within them.
Also if you really get mad at another player just pick up a pot
and throw it at them.  They will be blinded with the barrel over
their heads.  IF the ice gets to slippery equip the gnaw hat.
Being small increases your friction with the ground.

---------------------------------
BOSS
---------------------------------
This huge snail will bounce all over the place.  DO NOT HIT THE
BUSHES!  They all contain faries.  Only collect them if you're
low on hearts.  Just hit him with the Pegeses Boots until he
hits the ice wall and freezes.  Once frozen hit him over and
over again until he dies.

->Advanced Form<-
He will have two more formations.  The first one is where he
will split in four: three decoys and one real.  The real one has
a shadow.  Just hit him like before.

He will also dissapear from all but one players eyes.  The one
with the sight must hit him for all other players to see him.
Just hit him into the ice wall.

-----------------------------------------
Vaati's Palace           Difficulty:*****
-----------------------------------------
The hardest level.  This dungeon contains some stages from the
previous three as well as its own.  Quite simple and offers many
rupees.  Also on the Hero's quest you must face all three
previous boss in order to continue.

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Vaati  PHASE ONE
----------------------------------
Patheticly simple when his whirlwind is up throw bombs tworads
it and let them hit him.  When he hits the ground slash him like
crazy and he is gone.  Or is he?

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Vaati  PHASE TWO
----------------------------------
Did you really think he'd let you go after an easy battle?  This
time he wants revenge.  Now he has three types of attacks.

The first attack he surrounds him self with skulls.  DO NOT HIT
THE FLASHING ONE.  Doing so will set off a dangerous attack.
Each skull that you hit at him causes damage.

The second attack features the flower attacks.  Just hit the
corresponding colors when he opens them up.

The third attack features energy ball hits.  The same concept as
Death Mountain's Boss except you must aim the ball at the other
players at Vaati himself.

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The Aftermath
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After you kill him the second time the four sword will seal him
up once again and Zelda is safe till next time.

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6. Tips/Tricks

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Unlocking the "Palace of the Four Sword"
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To unlock the Palace of the Four Sword beat Vaati's Palace once.
In lttp, defeat Gannon and go to the last crack in the wall of
the pyrimad.  There should be one more dungeon for you.

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Unlocking the Riddle Quest
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To unlock the Riddle Quest succesfully obtain 10 triforce
medalions in Four Swords

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Unlocking the Hurricane Blade
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Succesfully complete the Riddle Quest in lttp.

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How to unlock the sword beam in FS
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Get the master sword in lttp.

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How to unlock the Hurricane Blade in FS
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Get the Hurricane Blade in lttp

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7. FAQ

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Q. How do I get a triforce medalion
A. Get the most rupees on a level

Q. How do I get the Hurricane Blade
A. Get 10 triforce medalions and complete the riddle quest.

Q. Where can I view my stats?
A. At the file selection screen the left box contains your FS
   stats

Q. How can I start the Gold/Hero's quest
A. Sucessfully defeat Vaati's Palace on your current quest level
   to go to the next one.

Q. How many rupees do I need to get a Hero Key
A. 5000 total

Q. Can I play this alone?
A. No

Q. Can I use the GameCube to play?
A. Yes.  One GameBoy Player equals one player.

Q. I did a puzzle incorectly.  How do I make the chest/rupees
   appear?
A. You can't

Q. My link cable doesn't work why?
A. If you are using a Universal Link Cable get rid of it and get
   a GBA link cable. If you are using a GBA Link Cable get a new
   one.

Q. Is this a single-pak link game?
A. No.

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8.  E-mailing/Leagal

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For any question whatsoever just e-mail me as long as you follow
the rules.

1. Put Legend of Zelda in Subject line
2. BE NICE (some of you really need to read this rule)
3. If sending suggestions/info put your name for credit.
4. Be patient.

I can be reached at the following...

Neo7_2004@hotmail.com
NeoHigurashi@hotmail.com

This document is copyrighted by me (Neo Higurashi) 2004.  All
rights reversed.  UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO COPY ANY
OF THIS MATERIAL WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.  DOING SO PUTS YOU AT
RISK OF BEING SPAMMED!!!

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9. Credits

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-You (the reader) for reading this

-leo100 for playing the game with me

-Ultimajk for playing the game with me

-Instruction Booklet for the story

-Nintendo for making the game

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10. Conclusion

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If your still reading this why arn't you playing the game?

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11. Version History

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1.0->An FAQ is born

1.15->Added FAQs section.  Added Version History Section.


SUPER METROID REVERSE BOSS ORDER RUN

BY: Ducknerd (ducknerd@gmail.com)

Version: 1.00
Last update as of May 23, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: This is a run for people who, after their umpteenth playthrough of Super
Metroid, have gotten bored with the game as it is and need a challenge. If you
do not consider yourself extremely good at this game, DO NOT attempt this run.
It is extremely difficult and can try the patience of anyone who attempts it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction

Hello! This guide will show you the easiest and most interesting route with
which you can complete the game by defeating all of the main bosses in reverse
order. In this particular route, I stick to the purist ideal of not even
entering areas in their normal order. This run also has a close sister, the
slightly easier Suitless run. Periodically, I will add small tangents
bookended by the heading <Suitless> for those too frustrated by Lower Norfair.

Numerous small variations exist in this run, and although I believe that I
have a fairly optimized route, feel free to deviate, as there really are a lot
of different ways to do this. I have optimized it for ease, but I occasionally
sacrifice that for the sake of an interesting run. If there's an item that I
say to get early on but the method is too difficult for you, just skip it, but
remember to get it later on. In particular, I never go into Maridia, but there
are some energy tanks there that might help in Lower Norfair.

Contents

0) Advanced moves required for the run (READ THIS, EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW
ALL OF THEM)

1) The Beginning: Ceres Station to the Norfair Elevator

2) Norfair, Part 1: The intermediate items

3) Brinstar revisited: Collecting tanks for the run ahead

4) Norfair, Part 2: RUN!

5) Maridia

6) Wrecked Ship: All downhill from here

7) Kraid and the End

8) Thanks

9) Legal Stuff

<Suitless>
Parts 4 through 7, of course, are interchangeable. The extra tanks,
particularly the energy tanks from the Wrecked Ship and Kraid's Lair and the
two Super Missiles from the Wrecked Ship, make Lower Norfair much, much easier.
</Suitless>
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0) Advanced moves
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a list of the special techniques and glitches that will help you on
the run. Some of these are found on any "moves" page, but there are also some
facts about the physics engine that will help you in Norfair and Maridia.

Wall Jump: If you spin jump against a wall, then pull away, there will be a
few frames where Samus appears to be hanging onto the wall. Hit jump there and
she will jump off of the wall. This can also be done in lava and water,
although the physics for each are very different.

Infinite Bomb Jump: This allows you to attain infinite height; a very useful
trick with a very boring execution. Lay a bomb on the ground. Lay another just
as it propels you upward. Lay the next as you fall just above the second. All
subsequent bombs should be laid like the third.

Shinespark: If you are speed-boosting (when Samus goes very fast and turns
blue), you can crouch and charge a shinespark. Samus will flash white while
she is still charged. Shinesparks carry Samus in a single direction very
quickly, sapping energy until she has none left or you run into a wall. The
controls for these are somewhat complicated.
NOTE: all of these controls assume you are facing right. If you are facing
left, replace every instance of "right" with "left".
Horizontal, ground: Tap jump, then immediately hit right.
Diagonal, ground: Hit jump and the R button at the same time.
Vertical, ground: Just hit jump while standing perfectly still.
The ground sparks can be irritating sometimes, because you can be trying to do
an ordinary jump and accidentally shinespark. A way to circumvent this problem
is to press L as you jump vertically and to always be running BEFORE you spin
jump.
NOTE about the aerial shinesparks: these can ONLY be executed from a jump.
They don't work if you just fall off an edge.
Horizontal, air: Tap up, then immediately press jump and right simultaneously.
Diagonal, air: Tap jump and R at the same time.
Vertical, air: Tap up.

Short Charge: This lets you use less space when charging up a shinespark. Walk
for the first two steps Samus takes before pressing the run button. It's that
simple.

Crystal Flash: You'll be using this one a lot. When you have less than fifty
energy and no reserves, morph into a ball. Lay a power bomb and hold fire,
down, L, and R. Your energy will be refilled at the expense of ten of each
type of ammunition. The trick does not work if you are hit between when the
bomb explodes and when the Flash starts or if you move at all during this time.

Mockball: This maneuver, by manipulating the game's physics engine, allows you
to maintain high speed while morphed. While falling during a spin jump at
whatever speed you happen to be at, press and hold jump. Aim down, then tap
down again as you hit the ground. Instantly afterward, roll your thumb to the
direction you are rolling in. You should continue at the same pace you were
running at.

Crouch jump: If you do a vertical jump while crouching, you get a slight
height boost. Aiming down in midair makes you go even higher. This move will
prove incredibly useful in Maridia.

The following are not technically moves, but they are obscure facts about the
game that make maneuvers easier. You don't technically have to do any of them
to complete this run, but they're handy to know nonetheless.

Slow fall: As you fall, you slowly accelerate. Unmorphing, however, stops this
acceleration. Thus, continually morphing and unmorphing as you fall lets you
fall much more slowly, while still allowing for considerable horizontal
movement.

Downward midair aiming: Each position that Samus can enter has its own
properties in terms of physical size. For some reason, the "aiming down while
jumping" position is very small. This can be abused in a number of ways. It
can give jumps a slight height boost because the "bottom" of Samus is higher
than when she is just jumping. It lets you cross small gaps without jumping;
specifically, two-block wide ones.

Instant stop: Aiming diagonally with no other buttons pressed makes Samus stop
moving immediately. This is handy for underwater precision as well as a few
frames saved on some parts of Lower Norfair.

Midair Morphing physics: For some odd reason, when you morph in midair, your
vertical momentum becomes unchangeable. What this means is that if you are
holding jump when you morph, the game will act like you do a full jump even if
you don't want to. Keep this in mind, especially in Lower Norfair.

Midair Mockball: If you do a running jump and then do the same motions that
you do for a mockball while still in midair, you will retain your velocity
until you hit the ground and bounce once. This is handy for keeping momentum
after jumps.

Damage boost: If you are damaged, you can hit jump and the direction opposite
the direction you are facing to get boosted backward. This can be a handy way
to try to salvage a Norfair attempt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) The Beginning: Ceres Station to the Norfair Elevator
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This early section differs somewhat from the normal game. Even if you think
you know this early part, I would recommend skimming through this section to
make sure you have all the items listed here.

Go through the space station. If you have any trouble here, you should
seriously reconsider taking the rest of this run on.

From the landing site, run left into the next room and exit through the bottom
door. Fall down the long shaft and go through Mother Brain's old room to go
down the elevator.

Grab the Morph Ball on the left, then head right, down, and left for Missiles.
Destroy the Red Door on the right and grab a second Missile pack at the end of
this hall. Head back up to the room just outside the landing site.

From here, head through the small morph ball passage, go through the halls,
and fight the Silver Torizo for Bombs. As long as you remain awake, he should
go down easily.

Now, go back down to the room where you got the second pack of Missiles and
kill all the enemies in it. Shoot at the ceiling in the general vicinity of
the short Morph Ball passage. Eventually, an Energy Tank will be revealed.
This next maneuver is your first challenge. Stand directly underneath the tank
after its hiding block respawns. Fire up and then immediately jump straight up,
morphing in midair. Lay a bomb as you rise, lay a second as you hit the first,
and lay a third at the peak of your bounce from the first explosion. Done
perfectly, the second two bombs will propel you into your first Energy Tank.
Go back up to the landing site and save in your ship.

From your ship, go left to a small patch of grass. Begin Infinite Bomb Jumping
until you can bounce to a small ledge. Wall jump up here and lay bombs along
the wall. You'll uncover a secret passage.

NOTE: The next few rooms can be very difficult, but doing them makes Upper
Norfair much easier. Pick your poison.

In the first room, wait until the acid begins to fall. As soon as it goes
below the floor, drop down, jump, morph in midair, and lay a bomb. When you
land, jump and morph again. Done quickly, you can avoid the acid. Perform the
same maneuver for the next false wall.

Wait now for both the acid to fall and the grabbing snake-thing to retract.
Fall down, lay a bomb at the bottom of the wall, then start walljumping on the
top side of this wall. With quick fingers, you should again be unscathed.
Repeat for the second layer of this wall, then roll through.

There are several more false walls; repeat the first maneuver for them, then
enter the second room.

Snag the Energy Tank, then wait on the statue for the acid to fall. Quickly,
lay a bomb on the walkway, taking care not to be hit by it, then fall through,
bomb the block of the left, and hop back up onto the statue. When the acid
again subsides, roll through the pipe onto safe ground.

Go through three more obstacles like the very first. Spikes are added here,
though, so be sure to release the jump button BEFORE morphing so you don't
rocket up and hit them. The acid here is a bit lower, so use that to your
advantage.

Jump quickly to the leftmost pedestal and make a series of short, quick jumps
to minimize your damage. Don't worry, there's a third energy tank around the
corner. When the acid falls, do another of the first maneuvers on the spiked
left side. They aren't real, so don't worry about damage.

In the next room, shoot out all the false blocks. Slowly walk forward until
blocks disappear under your feet. Jump forward so that you're half on the left
side of this cluster and half on the block to the left of it. You should fall
through a long series of crumble blocks. As you do, fire constantly in one
direction. As the last cluster breaks, fall onto a ledge and IMMEDIATELY jump
back up. You should land safely in the alcove you revealed with your shots.
Grab the two Missiles here and fall through the rest of the way, taking out
the shot block in the floor and rolling to the left. Exit to the door directly
on your right for a third Energy Tank, then turn back, fall through the
Pirates, go through the left hall, and go down the elevator.

Fall and open the first red door on your right, but don't enter. Instead,
stand at the edge of the platform, then run toward the door, jumping at the
last minute. In the next room, do a mockball on the ledge you land on. You
should clear all the falling gates. Go into the next room, claim a Reserve
Tank, roll through a pipe on the floor, grab the Missiles, then bomb the wall
by the pedestal to reveal more Missiles. Return to the mockball room and open
the secret passage in the ceiling on the right. Here, you'll find Super
Missiles. After falling back down, bomb the pedestal near the bug-pipe for yet
more Missiles and reenter the elevator room.

Fall all the way down and exit to your right. Proceed through this long
hallway. In the very large room you now enter, proceed downward until you
reach a set of Missiles. Bomb the extremely conspicuous blocks in the weird
rock formation and go down to find the Charge Beam. Come back up and exit
through the green door on the right.

Go straight in the next room until you reach a tube that's higher up than the
others and doesn't have enemies coming out of it. Go through this for more
Missiles.

Continue going to the right for the next three rooms, falling down the long
shaft. In the third Red Brinstar room, shoot the block above the door and
walljump up this secret passage. Follow it to the Spazer, then continue right
to the Norfair elevator.

<Suitless>
If you'd like, go kill Kraid from here to have yet another energy tank for
Upper Norfair. Just don't accidentally grab the Varia Suit!
</Suitless>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Norfair, Part 1: The intermediate items
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go down the elevator, then enter the lowest left door. Grab Energy Tank number
four, the High Jump Boots, and more Missles. Back in Norfair's first room, fill
your reserve tank, save in the lower-right room, return again to the first
room, and enter its top-right door.

The instant you enter the next room, duck and shoot diagonally down. Fall
through the hole, run and do a mockball to dodge the enemies, then jump up the
platforms and open the red door with a Super Missile.

Do a low jump onto the one-block-wide platform; make it a mockball if you want
a little extra speed. Either way (even if you miss the jump), jump to the
leftmost edge of the second strange-looking platform, then do a running jump
and a midair mockball. You'll clear the enemies, then fall back down. Open the
green door and waltz on through.

This next room can be annoying. Here, don't worry about speed; instead, jump
very carefully. You have enough energy to make it through, but getting hit
will almost always kill you. Go slowly, dodge the fireballs, and be VERY
careful not to fall in the lava. With patience, you should make it to the
bubble room.

Go to the right and fall down through some blocks for Missiles. Go up and to
the left and save. Refill on the enemies in the bubble room, using the save
room to let them respawn. Open the door of the save room (from within this
room), then do a running jump through the door. You should be able to walljump
up the large bubble formation and enter the top-right door.

Jump up and shoot the green diggers from a distance, then shoot out the
ceiling and jump up. Refill fully on the respawning bugs here. Run through the
long room on the right, grab the Missiles in the ceiling on its far-right end,
then collect the Speed Booster and leave. Don't forget to refill again on your
way out.

In the bubble room, enter the door just below the one you exited. In this
room, drop down, killing the seahorses with Missiles, then enter the first
door you come to. Hop carefully between the yellow platforms; if you fall,
you're essentially dead. Take the Missiles on your way. From the Missile
ledge, make a leap of faith, walljumping up the far side. Take the Wave Beam.
For the way back, make another leap of faith across the spike pit. You'll fall
short, but fall through some crumble blocks. Run left through the door,
equipping missiles. Ascend the shaft like you descended it; quickly and with
missiles.

Reload to about seventy energy and save in the bubble room. Bomb your way down
the the lowest part of this room and go through the left door. Here, fall down
and refill on the bugs, then exit to the left.

This next room is not heated, but do NOT get hit by the pirates; they do
eighty damage each. Go left in the next room, refilling on the bugs. In the
room after that, go down through the green door. Fight Crocomire, hitting his
open mouth with a charged wave beam. Thankfully, his room is not heated. After
he dies, shinespark to the right and claim your fifth energy tank. Hop quickly
back through the acid and exit to the left.

Save in the room at the bottom right here. From the bottom right of the room,
do a running jump, leaping just before you reach the bug pipe. Take the Power
Bombs and exit. From the cool room, go through the downward door. Fall through
the shaft, get the Missiles from the room on the right, then enter the downward
door. Lay a power bomb to clear the debris, then do a running jump from the
rightmost part of the room. Enter the door you land at, grab the Grappling
Beam, then return to Crocomire's room. Go up through the door and go up
through the hot room. In the next room, go to the top, then grapple across.
Take the free Missiles, and say hello to Norfair's first room.

Go up through the fake floor, save and reload, enter the top-left green door,
and run past the falling gates. Hop across the lava pits. In the next room,
midair morph into the small gap. Jump up and midair morph again into the
middle gap. Roll through, collect and then dequip the Ice Beam, then exit to
the gate room in the same manner you came in. Lay a power bomb, then jump up
through the small gap in the ceiling (ignore the large gap in the floor, we're
skipping that). Roll through the ceiling's morph ball passage, then return to
the first Norfair room.

Cruise through the cool rooms back to the bubble room, reloading on your way.
Enter its top-left door. Kill the enemy with Missiles and take the Missile
pack. From there, shoot diagonally upward and enter the morph ball passage. In
the next room, kill all enemies with missiles. Shoot the last one-block
platform to reveal still more Missiles, then take them along with the Reserve
Tank. Exit very quickly, then go back up Norfair's elevator.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Brinstar revisited: Collecting tanks for the run ahead
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And you thought the boring errands were over.

Return to the Red Brinstar shaft and refill your energy. Go through the yellow
door halfway up the shaft for the X-ray Visor. There's nothing you can actually
do with this item, but it can give you a bit of time to think in time-dependent
situations, a lot of which you are headed toward. Return to the shaft and go to
its top. Cross the flowery, spiky room. In the next room, shoot out the floor
and go along to find Power Bombs. Lay one there to reveal Missiles as well.
Back in the Red Brinstar elevator room, enter the upper left door. Kill the
giant sidehoppers, the lay a power bomb above the one flower without a grabber
in it. You'll fall through and get a third power bomb tank. Go up the elevator.

Welcome back to Crateria. Take a brief detour right first. Take the missile
pack over the lake, then fall into the water in the next room. Shoot out the
false wall at the bottom left and take more missiles, then go left to the
landing site. Charge up a shinespark, then spark diagonally up from just left
of your ship. You should land perfectly on a ledge. Enter the nearby door for
your fourth Power Bomb pack, then fall back down and save.

Head left to the Green Brinstar elevator and take it. Go to the bottom of the
room, then lay a power bomb. Fall down and enter the door at the bottom. Pass
through the one-block room. In the next room, walk left slowly. The four
blocks to the right of the energy tank are false; jump over them. Take the
energy tank and, in the next room, the super missile.

Return and fall through the false blocks, then proceed through the room. The
Etecoons want to show you how to walljump, not that you need too much help. Go
up the shaft, midair morphing at the top to grab your fifth Power Bomb tank.
From here, reenter the Brinstar elevator room. Take the route you used in the
beginning of the game to get to the large pink room.

Go to the top of this room and fight Spore Spawn as many times as you want. If
you leave via the green door in mid-fight, you can return to a fully healthy
miniboss. After you're done, fall through the long shaft its death unveiled
and take your third Super Missile pack. Exit to the big pink room.

Go up one block and enter the yellow door for energy tank number seven. Go
further up until you find a line of grapple blocks. Use them to get to a
Missile pack. Lay a power bomb here and go through the false wall to the left.
Take the power bombs in this room and leave.

Back yet again in the big pink room, go down to where you found the Charge
Beam and lay a power bomb. Roll through the pipe and enter the door. Go to the
far left edge of the next room. If you have extremely good timing, there is
just enough space to charge up a regular shinespark, but in my opinion it's
easier just to short charge. Either way, spark to the left and take energy
tank eight.

For the last time, return to the pink room and exit to the right like you did
your very first time here. Go through the yellow door in the next room. Take
the free Power Bombs, then keep going right all the way to the room where your
second Missile pack and first Energy Tank were. Lay a power bomb by the strange
overhang, then shinespark up the passage that is revealed. Dequip the high jump
boots and do a running jump through the door. You should land on an invisible
platform. Run to the left and take the Missiles in the next room. Bomb the
left side of the platform the pack stood on for another pack. Go back to the
Blue Brinstar elevator and take it.

In Mother Brain's old room, lay a power bomb by the broken tank and fall
through for more Missiles. Enter the tall shaft to the left. Near its bottom,
you'll see a small platform on the right side of the wall. Lay a bomb there
and roll on through. In the next room, freeze all the yellow blobs from a
distance, then shinespark up the long shaft for your fourth pack of Super
Missiles. Return to the room to the left of the landing site.

<Suitless>
From, here, you can do parts 4-7 in any order you like. Doing Lower Norfair
later, especially with the Plasma Beam, makes it much easier.
</Suitless>

As you climb up, enter the first door on your left for one last Missile pack.
Go to the landing site and save.

You should have:
*125 missiles
*20 super missiles
*35 power bombs
*eight energy tanks
*two reserve tanks
*morph ball
*bombs
*high-jump boots
*charge, ice, wave, and spazer beams
*speed booster
*grappling beam

Those checked off, head all the way back to the first room of Norfair.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Norfair, Part 2: RUN!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go through the second-lowest right-hand door, save, then run through the long
cool room. Fall through the false floor, refill COMPLETELY on the bugs, then
head left, fall down the shaft, and go through the door immediately to your
right.

Refill your energy, select grapple, and take a deep breath. The next part of
the guide is extremely detailed, with one paragraph per room. The route
described here is the easiest I could make, and it all HAS been done in
real-time. It does not, however, allow any room for error. The enemies in
Lower Norfair are extremely powerful; getting hit by one more or less
instantly ruins your chances of success. During the second segment, if you
make any major mistakes, such as missing an important trick or getting hit,
you can try to make it back to a recharge room. In the first, third, and
fourth, however, you should basically just reset.

You may want to create a second save file doing a normal route to familiarize
yourself with Lower Norfair and do proctice runs. You should develop a
room-by-room strategy; the ones here work best for me, but you may have a
different playstyle.

Also, one important note: make your reserve tanks manual, not auto. If they
are automatic, you will lose energy even as they refill you. I don't actually
tell you when to use them, just do so when you think you can afford to pause.

<Suitless>
Doing the bosses in a more normal order makes this section much, much easier,
as previously mentioned. The actual, practical run is done in a very similar
form. You should do the two crystal flashes in more or less the same places I
say to. The only differences are that some tricks may not be as necessary and
some bosses get different strategies. I will note these departures from the
normal route when they come along.
</Suitless>

All digressions aside, jump up and use grapple as fast as you can. Hold R and
release fire every time the screen jerks. This will cause Samus to travel
across the room in a strange but fairly quick motion. If you see her sinking
lower and lower, give her a little extra time for the grapple to reel her up.
On the last block, extend the grapple on the forward swing and let go while
still low down. If you don't have quite enough height, aim down in midair. Hit
the lava/spikes, and you're dead. Go back to the recharge room if you do.

Next room. As you enter, fire diagonally up to open the gate, then roll
through the passage. As you roll, select power bombs. Lay a power bomb at the
level of the first midair platform (do NOT land on it), then fall to the
ground. Run toward the door so that it opens just before Samus hits it.

Now the hard part. The lava here sucks your energy to an absurd degree, so
waste no time. Any mistake is essentially instant death. Run and hold left as
you fall. When you land, hesitate for just an instant to dodge the shot of the
skull just below you. Then, make a series of low, quick jumps to the left,
hitting jump the instant you land. When you get to the bottom of the lava pit,
do a long spin jump upward, dodging any fireballs still on screen, and land on
the lowest skull. Wait a moment for the skull above you to fire. After it
does, jump up and walljump off that upper skull, and hold to the right. Let go
of jump near the peak of your jump to dodge the fireball above you. When you
hit the right wall, do a small walljump back into the wall to wait out the
firing cycle of this other skull. After the single walljump, do another
walljump to the left. Let yourself fall slightly before walljumping again off
the single ledge here. That ledge can be very annoying; you're in a
no-man's-land at the peak of your jump where you're too low to land but too
high to walljump. Back on land, run through the door, pausing to use your
reserves along the way.

During the door transition, check your health total. If it's less than two
tanks, don't save and see if you can do two Lower Norfair segments in a row.
If it's more, you can afford to continue on past the elevator and save.

Either way, go down the elevator next. The instant you hit bottom, turn right,
morph, and begin a crystal flash. You shouldn't have deselected power bombs
yet. Run to the right, midair mockballing on the way, and enter the door.

Immediately lay a power bomb here and fall through the middle gap. Enter the
left-hand door.

This next maneuver can be frustrating, but fortunately you get ten tries at
it. Select super missiles, then do a low running jump. Hold R while still in
midair. Your goal is to hit the small corner between the green gate and the
ceiling while still maintaining forward velocity. At the moment you hit this
corner, fire. If everything goes well, the gate will open and you can run
through. Just let the bugs damage you; freezing them will slow you down (and
thus hurt you) more than getting hit by them.

Lay bombs on the two ledges and take the Screw Attack at the bottom. Jump back
up and enter the middle door on the right. Recharge your energy, then do a low
spin jump through the door. You'll break through the floor again. Enter the
door.

<Suitless>
You don't even really have to fight the Gold Torizo thanks to your larger
number of super missiles, but the plasma beam makes him much easier, so go for
it anyway if you like. The strategy is the same, it just tolerates more
mistakes.
</Suitless>

The instant you enter this next room, do a spinning jump. This will protect
you from the falling Gold Torizo. If you are hit at any point during the fight
or delay more than a few seconds, you will die. Fortunately, it's quite easy to
get its AI in an easy-to-defeat loop. Roll into a ball near where the Torizo
stands up; when it's standing, its feet will not harm you. As it turns gold,
roll just under its feet. It should immediately jump back against the wall. As
it jumps, walk very close to, but still slightly in front of, where it will
land and begin charging your Ice/Wave/Spazer beam. In the proper place, its
body will not damage you, but neither will its projectiles. Meanwhile, it will
start leaping up and down without actually doing much. Capitalize on this and
start firing charged shots upward as fast as you can. You can tell that a shot
is fully charged when Samus starts blinking white rapidly. Release these shots
very quickly. Also, at some point, pause and use your reserves. With good
timing, you should have a little health to spare when the Torizo finally dies.

Immediately exit the room and recharge before reentering. With full health and
plenty of time, walljump up the right wall to the small ledge and then off that
ledge. You'll clear away a small alcove. Shoot away the left wall to reveal
more Super Missiles. Exit and recharge.

In the recharge room, stand directly in the middle of the rightmost block of
the small, raised ledge. Run left and jump as you hit the door. In the next
room, walljump off the small ledge and refill your super missiles in the room
to the right. When your health gets low, go back down and recharge. Repeat
this process until you have full (25) super missiles.

When the supers are full, recharge one last time and enter the bug room. Screw
attack through them, but stick around for the pickups; they're almost always
energy. Reopen the green gate and open the door, but then run left to the edge
of the red rock floor. Short charge to the right and through the door. You
should have a comfortable amount of space in which to charge up. Enter the
next room, do a short spin jump, and shinespark across.

Next room. Spin jump up onto the platform, selecting power bombs in the
process. Do a full spin jump onto the wall, walljump off and to the left, then
morph at the peak of your jump and lay a power bomb. Continue falling to the
left to dodge the one living Space Pirate. Jump back onto the wall and make
another walljump just above the large crack in the pillar. This jump will take
some practice, and you can only afford to mess it up a couple of times. Once
you get it, the rest of the room is a cakewalk; just stay jumping (and thus
invincible) as much as possible. Run normally through the door without jumping.

Last room before a rest stop. Hold right for a while as you fall, then let go
near the bottom. The moment you land, start spin jumping forward. Once you get
to another platform with a gold pirate on it, spin jump up and to the left onto
the lowest red platform. Jump up this platform staircase. On the last red
"step", jump up and to the left to another platform. Make your way to the
right.

Cross the small one-block room. You are permitted to scream at your television
if you die here as I once did.

Kill the skull to the right with a super missile, then take a rest, dequipping
Screw Attack while you do. Make your way down through the passage its death
opened and kill the lantern-bats. Leave one alive and use the invincibility
from jumping into it to make your way to the right for a much-needed Energy
Tank. There is another lantern-bat here; do the same maneuver to get back to
the small platform. You'll now be exiting blind. Do a full running jump to the
left, but then curve right. You'll land safely in between the fingers of the
strange hand you saw when it was still lit. Walk a few steps to the left, then
do a spin jump to the right to get onto more solid ground. Run to the right,
then walljump up. Walk to the left. There is only a two-block-wide gap between
the ledge extending from the door and the edge of the invisible walkway you're
now on. Jump it and enter the door while aiming diagonally downward.

Shoot to reveal a way downward. As you fall through it, shoot straight down.
When you land, start zigzagging down the room. Screw attack anything in your
way. Enter the first door and save unless one of the red insects hit you; if
so, you are, sadly, screwed. Exit and continue downward.

Select power bombs at some point during this. When you land in a small nook
created by a diagonal pipe and the ground, lay one. Roll through the
now-unblocked tunnel, and when you see a small statue, lay another power bomb
and deselect them. Fall through the door in morph ball form, hugging the left
wall.

Hold left as you fall through. The fire's damage should boost you into the
small gap. Lay a bomb here, roll through, and lay another one. Unmorph and run
forward, selecting power bombs and screw attacking the three giant hoppers. Lay
a power bomb near the strange bird-statues, then fall through. If the bomb
didn't destroy the shot blocks on the right of the floor you land on, shoot
them out. Wait on the spiked platform, and disembark once it hits bottom.
Morph and wait to roll under it so you can wait on the next platform. Open the
green door at the bottom and run through with super missiles still selected.

Screw attack through the first silver pirate when it throws arms at you. When
he turns around, jump through one more arm. It will then jump over you. Walk
to the left, crouch, and aim up. Hit it with one super as it jumps up, then
jump straight up and hit it with a second as he passes underneath you. As he
walks away, hit it with a third. Repeat for the next pirate. Open the door,
then short charge but only run through it.

In the next room, shinespark.

Jump along these platforms in the next room quickly but carefully. Time is
extremely important here. If you can, kill the eye door with missles; if not,
one super is okay, too. At some point in this room, you will hit a health
total of 60. At this moment (try to make it as late as possible), Crystal
Flash. Ideally, you can kill the eye door before flashing, but you can still
make it past Ridley anyway if you don't.

Ridley is, as one might suspect, incredibly difficult. Lay a power bomb as you
hit the ground, then begin charging your beam. The first few hits you can get
in on him for free. Jump and fire your charged beam as his mouth opens.
Immediately begin charging again and fire diagonally up as he rises. From
there on out, his pattern is too random to predict accurately. All you can do
is react to his moves.

There are, fortunately, some general rules of thumb. First, stay low to the
ground unless he's swooping (more on that later). In general, the higher up
you are, the higher he'll be. Second, use missles when you have a good idea of
where he's going and you can afford to just pump them in with reasonable
confidence that they're hitting home. Otherwise, use charged shots and/or
super missiles. Third, if you're screw attacking, the only part of him that
can hurt you is his tail. You will come to despise that tail. Fourth, don't
use wave beam shields. They're just way too risky. Also, again, if he hits you
(even with fireballs), kiss any hope good-bye.

When he bounces at high health, load him up with missles. If he's bouncing
left, you can stand at the leftmost edge of the platform for temporary
invulnerability. After a bit of damage, he'll add swoops to his repertoire of
attacks. When he rises up and disappears for a while, begin charging your beam
and walljump up the side opposite to where he disappeared to. As he begins to
descend, fire your charged shot, followed by a Super Missile or two. With a
little experience fighting him, you can know exactly where he goes in his
swoops. Another attack he uses around this point are charges. He will go up
for only a moment, then make a boomerang-like motion toward you, leading with
his tail. Resist the urge to jump through him and instead jump briefly into
him, waiting for him to back away. Hit him with missles and charged shots as
he does this.

Follow the pattern above, trying to be slightly conservative with your supers.
At some point, he will turn red and speed up. Here, strategy changes slightly.
Use fewer missiles, as his faster pace means less time bouncing. Instead of
rolling underneath his tail, start jumping into, then out of him. This will
cause him to briefly back away. Keep pressure on and soon he will turn a
darker shade of red and start moving very fast.

Here is what is likely the most difficult part. Use all your super missiles
now and make sure each one hits. Here are the numbers that are important in
this case:

Second speed up: 4500 health (I'm fairly certain of this)
Super missiles do: 600 (double damage!)
Missiles do: 100
Charged Ice/Wave/Spazer beam: 300
Thanks to Kejardon for these numbers.

When Ridley reaches 0 health, he does not immediately die. He instead
continues attacking you, but being grabbed by him ends the fight. His AI
changes very subtly when he hits this level; you can either watch for this
change or keep a mental tally of his health starting with the second speed-up.
Use the X-Ray for a bit of time to think if you need it. Regardless, once he is
at 0 health, lay a power bomb. He will immediately grab you and die. Be very
careful not to lay it early, though; this will simply cause him to charge into
you, likely killing you instantly.

Congratulations! You beat Ridley! Now, you just have to get out. Head to the
left for a tenth energy tank, then exit to the pre-Ridley room. Camp out
between the two respawning bugs and start killing them with the screw attack.
While doing so, kill some of the blue orbs. Do this for a while; you need ten
missiles, ten supers, and thirteen power bombs, and you have some incidental
pickups that you will encounter along the way. You do have a fair amount of
spare time in this segment, so don't panic, instead erring on the side of
security. Once you have enough, start jumping to the right for the next two
rooms until the room with the falling platforms.

Wait until the first one falls, then jump straight up. At the peak of your
jump, go left into the alcove. Do a small spinning jump into the next alcove
above, then ride the second platform up. Shoot out the ceiling, then lay a
power bomb. Screw attack through the hopping enemies, then bomb your way
through the morph ball tunnel. Unmorph as you hit the ground to avoid the
damage knockback, then screw attack leftward through the door.

Somewhere around here, you'll probably need to Crystal Flash. Do it.

Spin jump through the small statue, then roll through the tunnel. Roll through
the tunnel and lay a power bomb. Go up this room and enter the first door you
encounter. Save and celebrate if you have at least six tanks counting
reserves, which you almost certainly do.

Exit and continue jumping up the corridor, exiting to the right. The next room
is cool, so take your time and be very careful not to get hurt. Open the door
to the left, then stand on the very edge of the straightaway. Begin a short
charge, then jump as Samus hits the door.

In the next room, sail straight over the spikes, then jump up the series of
jutting platforms and exit left.

Wait for the acid to fall, then drop down and jump over to the small alcove at
the left above the morph ball passage. Wait out the acid again, then roll
through. Start jumping up the zigzag platforms. At the top one, shoot out the
middle of the ceiling and jump through.

Last room of Lower Norfair! Fall through the crumble blocks and screw attack
through the walls. At the left edge, roll through the morph ball passage and
exit through the topmost door.

Take some time to rejoice in a life total that stays where it is, then go
refill completely. It's probably fastest to go to your ship. Regardless, head
to the glass tube you encounter near the Upper Norfair elevator once you're
done.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Maridia: Just when things couldn't get harder
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Be ready for a different challenge here. This portion of the run also takes an
enormous amount of patience and skill, though it is arguably less repetitive.

Lay a power bomb to break the glass tube, then fall down and save. Head back
up the tube room and enter the upward door.

A handy note for this room: crabs freeze on their second shot, while fish
freeze on shot number three. That noted, get the first crab and fish you see
to within one shot of freezing. As the crab climbs onto the ceiling, head to
the left. It is also important to know that while crabs move offscreen, fish
don't. Make sure you can see the fish heading back to the right when you go
right to get the crab in your sights. Select super missiles and aim diagonally
up. Fire at the wall the crab is on, then, as the crab falls, hit the deselect
button and fire horizontally. The crab should freeze; immediately jump up on
it and freeze the fish near (but not at) the right wall. Jump on the fish,
then up again to the small platform. Continue up this room, jumping between
the small platforms, until you see your third crab. Freeze it while it's on
top of its platform to keep it out of your way, then do a long, low jump to
the right. From that platform, jump to the crab platform. It is vital that you
not kill this crab. Freeze the fish above you while it is turning around on the
left side of its patrol and re-freeze the crab while on top of the platform,
preferably on the right side. From the crab, do a crouch jump with downward
aiming up to the fish. You should clear it by a hair. Continue upward.
Immediately freeze the next crab you see, then use it as a stepping stone to
clear the otherwise-impassable outcropping. Continue up, crouch-jumping when
necessary, and enter the next room. If you mess up any maneuvers involving the
crabs, it's probably quickest simply to exit the room and do it all over again.
Keep in mind that there is another door to the right after the first
crab-freezing that you can use.

<Suitless>
This is for a Super Missile pack. Take it if you wish.

In this next room, go down and to the right. When you reach a long, diagonal
slope followed by a sheer drop, jump off and hug the edge. Morph as you fall
and hold left. The nearby crab should damage you considerably; ignore it. Go
through the tunnel until you reach a small vertical section. Unmorph and kill
the nearby crab. It is difficult but possible to jump and midair morph into
the upper tunnel. Take the Super Missiles, then return through the tunnel.
Fall to the bottom of the room, take the downward door, then fall to the
bottom of this room. You will wind up near the bottom of Maridia's first room.
Climb to its top as before.
</Suitless>

Grapple across the top of this room. If you're doing reverse boss order,
there's really nothing to see here.

<Suitless>
This is for an Energy Tank.

On the right side of the grapple room, fall to the left. You'll encounter a
downward door; take it. Head to the left, being careful to avoid the
invincible pink pirates, then fall to the bottom in the pit just before the
leftmost one you fell through when you got the Super Missles. Go to the right
through the false wall. This next room can be extremely annoying, as the beta
testers probably should have spent more time with the enemy inside. Fire at
the small turtles to wake the big one. After it's out of its shell (it will
hit you if you jump on it earlier), jump on its back before it can start
ricocheting around. It will rocket upward, hopefully not hurting you in the
process. (NOTE: If you mess this maneuver up, it's likely better just to exit
the room and retry altogether; the turtle does a whopping two tanks per hit
and can hit you at some unlikely times.) At the peak of its "jump", select
grapple and jump straight up and slightly to the right. Latch on to the
grapple point, then swing up to claim an energy tank. Go to the right and fire
downward as you fall for some Missiles. Exit this room and return to the first,
tall room. Ascend it and cross the grapple room.

The next detour starts in the room after the grapple room and nets you a Super
Missile and two Missile packs.

Jump upward and kill the crab that is coming down the left passage, then begin
walljumping up it (the passage, in case that needed clarification). This is
extremely tedious, but it does eventually end. Go up through the door. Don't
kill the fishes in this next room; instead, head all the way to the right and
through the false wall for Missiles. Go back and freeze the right-hand fish to
jump to the upper part of this room. Go to the left and enter the door. Head
left in the next room and left again in the one after that. In this second
room, fall through the false block in the center of the pit for Super Missles
and a Missile pack. Make your way back up with a crouch jump. Return to the
room you started this detour in; the one after the grapple room.
</Suitless>

Shoot down through the floor and head right through the green door. In the
next room, lay a power bomb and head left to save.

<Suitless>
These next four items aren't particularly necessary and can actually be
incredibly annoying to get. Know what you're getting into before following
this section.

Go to the right in this room and bomb out a section of pipe. Go left and fall
through one of two sand pits. The far one leads to Missles and a Reserve Tank,
but only if you're a master of underwater walljumping. The near one takes you
to Missles and Power Bombs; the former is easy to obtain, but the latter is
near impossible. You have to do a perfect midair morph when walljumping to the
right for the Power Bombs. I personally have yet to obtain this item. Either
pit you choose, exit by heading to the left until you reach a small room where
crabs come out of the floor. Fall through the place they came from, then exit
to the left. Continue left to find yourself in the tube room. Return to the
starting point.
</Suitless>

Head to the right and make a choice. You can head slightly further to the
right and climb with the snail on the tall, skinny block, or you can wait for
the snail on the ground near you to climb along the ceiling so you can climb
the wall right beside you. The first is tricky because you have to cross a
grapple gap. It's not a very hard jump, but messing it up forces you to repeat
the whole thing. The second can be difficult as well, however, because you have
to pass several snails coming downward. Whichever you choose, take some time to
familiarize yourself with the snail's AI. Generally, it will stop when you are
facing left and move after you have been facing right for about a second. What
this means you should generally do is stand on the snail while facing left,
jump straight up while turning right in the process, then turn left as you
fall. The AI is somewhat more complicated than that, though, so you should be
prepared to improvise. The snail will come half out of its shell just before
it starts moving; use this as a warning to jump. Eventually, you'll make it to
the top. Exit upward.

Crouch jump to the top of the structure, then head to the right and fall
through the crumble blocks. From this middle-height position, jump back up to
the top as you go to the right. Kill the red thingie, fall through the crumble
blocks, and freeze (but DO NOT kill) the mocktroid. Fall through the next set
of blocks, then let the mocktroid come down to the lowest level where you are.
At the rightmost part of the lower space, freeze the mocktroid. Try to freeze
it at a fairly low level; generally, it works best if you crouch and shoot it
just as it is latching on. Press against the frozen creature, then jump, aim
down, and press against the mocktroid again at the peak of your jump. Properly
done, your head should poke through the ceiling. If it doesn't work, freeze it
at a different elevation. It's fairly hard to freeze it too low in this
particular environment. Jump up, shoot out the wall to the right, and go
through the wall.

In the next room, camp out in the lower left corner. You can't be hit there
except sometimes by green gunk. Finish off Botwoon with ten charged shots.
Easy, no?

Head to the right until you reach quicksand. Jump up and midair morph into the
conspicuous hole in the structure in the ceiling. Roll to the right and take an
Energy Tank. Continue right. Whenever you stop moving, just unmorph and do a
midair morph to the right. Eventually, you'll make it out. Exit right.

Take out the two mocktroids here, then slowly grapple up the right wall. Exit
through the top-right door. Grapple to the right through the long room and
enter the upper door. Reload your energy and save here. Reenter the long room
and go through the lower door. Take the missles hidden in the pipe on the
right. Go back to the left side of this room and fall through the fake spikes.
Kill the eye door with Missles and head on in.

Take out the three turrets with Missiles immediately. Sit in the right corner
and hit Draygon with a charged shot as it swoops down. This part is very
difficult. You have to bring the boss very near to death. Here are the numbers
to keep track of:

Draygon's initial health: 6000
Missles do: 100
Super Missles do: 300
Charged Ice/Wave/Spazer does: 300
Ice/Wave: 150
Wave/Spazer: 200
Ice/Spazer: 180
Spazer: 120
Ice: 90
Wave: 100
Normal: 60
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Keep a mental tally of Draygon's health using these numbers. Thanks to
Kejardon for these. Also, be careful to keep at least 10 of all your ammo.

At some point during this process, get yourself to less than 50 health with no
reserves. Draygon only deals damage by the 160, but grappling onto a dead
turret will drain your energy properly. Anyway, when it starts doing the
gunk-spewing attack, begin a Crystal Flash while it's still offscreen. The
goal is to get hit with a piece of gunk while Crystal Flashing. If you lay the
bomb early, it won't destroy any gunk. Unfortunately, this part is somewhat
luck-based. If the gunk misses you, Draygon will hit you and kill you
instantly. However, if it does hit and it grabs you, you will receive what I
call the flash suit. It is essentially a perma-charge; unlike the blue suit,
which permanently puts you in the state of running at full speed, the flash
suit puts you in a state of being charged up for a shinespark. Also, for
reasons completely unclear to me, it turns your beam a weird shade of silver.
What the suit amounts to, essentially, is one free shinespark. You have to
beat Draygon while still having it. Keep in mind that you can set this spark
off by pressing any button combinations that would make you shinespark.

Anyway, you have the flash suit and Draygon is almost dead. Make sure you have
at least 450 energy; if not, reload by shooting Draygon's gunk. Believe me,
there is nothing more infuriating than beating Draygon and then not having
enough energy for the escaping shinespark. Get deliberately caught by Draygon.
(NOTE: Yes, this is exactly what you do to get the flash suit. If you do the
flash suit maneuver with Draygon almost dead and regained more than 450
health, feel free to do this next maneuver at the same time) It takes exactly
thirty repetitions of left and right to make it let you go, or sixty button
presses in total. Your goal is to get dropped at the top of the room, so
there's plenty of time to input exactly 59 presses. Wait until Draygon carries
you over the small ledge at the top, then hit the last button. It may be
possible to quickly finish it off with a missile here, but I have never had
any success with this.

Instead, walk to the left side of the ledge, crouch and aim diagonally down,
and begin firing charged shots. You essentially have to finish off Draygon
while blind. This is why I made you lower its health so far; it's hard enough
to get just one hit in. Just have patience and keep on firing shots down.
You'll know it's dead when Samus' sprite force-stands. Exit to the right, but
don't celebrate quite yet. Oh, and sorry, but no space jump for you.

Welcome back to the pre-Draygon room. Follow this instruction exactly. The
floor you're standing on consists of five blocks, connected by short pipes,
like so:
D
O
O
R S
=+==+==+==+==+
Stand where the S is; on the second block from the left. Shinespark straight
up and MAKE SURE TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION AS YOU FALL.

Now, you can celebrate. That was the last of the truly weird things in this
run. The rest is just for chuckles.

In the long grapple-and-mocktroids room, go back up to recharge and save.
There is a somewhat convoluted method of getting out from here. Cross the
grapple/mocktroids room, then go through the bottom-left door in the next
room, NOT the blinking gray one. Back in the quicksand room, jump back into
the overhead passage and go back like you came: jump and midair morph at every
obstacle. This route ends somewhat differently, though; near the end, you fall
out and into the quicksand. Let it happen. You'll fall through the pit into a
long room. Go to the left to find yourself among the snails. Save in the room
at the left.

Head to the right of the snail room and bomb a small section of pipe. Fall
through and run along the bottom. Fall through one of the sand pits and
continue down through the coves.

<Suitless>
My RBO route has you entering the Wrecked Ship from the wrong side, but you
may not be taking a route that involves that.

Choose the far cove, but head left instead of right. Go through the small room
to a room where crabs come from the floor. You've probably been here already.
Do exactly what you did before; kill the crabs, then fall through where they
came from. Go to the left and through the dry room to find yourself near the
Norfair elevator.
</Suitless>

In the next rooms, head right if you chose the far pit and left if you chose
the near. Freeze the mini-Draygons. If you get stuck in sand, there's a
difficult job ahead of you. Jump in and out of sandfalls; there's no other way
to get unstuck. You'll usually recieve quite a bit of damage in the process, so
try not to mess up here.

Either way you went, you'll end up in a very small room. Lay a power bomb to
reveal a new route. Crouch jump up the platforms and go through the upper
door. Ride the Maridian Pipe. Jump up to the top of the next room, then head
right and down. Walljump to the flashing door and enter. Go through the next
few rooms for the Plasma Beam, then return to the flashing door. Use long
running jumps to escape the Plasma room.

Back in the large, post-Tube room, jump down and to the left to land on ground
just above the water. Go straight and right. In the next room, immediately
shoot diagonally down to freeze the grabber. Freeze the bug coming toward you
and use it as a platform to cross to the right door. If you get caught, go
through the left door of where you wind up, then climb through the water to
familiar ground.

In the next room, head straight. There's really not much to see. In the room
after that, go through the red door to save, then take the elevator up.

Go through the small rooms, then use the X-Ray visor to make your way through
the strange, rocky room. Continue through several more boring rooms to find
yourself in the Wrecked Ship... on the wrong side.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) The Wrecked Ship: All downhill from here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship is off, and there's really not much going on. None of the items are
there, nor are the enemies, nor is the water. It is interesting, though, that
the game developers happened to put room states for deactivation in rooms that
theoretically were inaccessible when the Wrecked Ship was "off". Go down and to
the left to the main part of the Ship.

Go down the shaft, then to the right through the eye door past the fake
bombable wall. Still nothing going on.

Say a quick hello to Phantoon! His flames do 40 damage, but you don't have to
worry too much. Three charged shots and you're on your way. Consider this
payback for that stupid unpredictable AI.

Go back up the main shaft. Enter and exit the first door on your left for
Super Missiles.

<Suitless>
At the same elevation as the door you just exited, bomb the right wall. Head
to the right and back for more Super Missiles. Use the X-Ray Visor if you come
to any dead-ends.

Go up the shaft and enter the next door you encounter; the one you came in
from in the RBO. Go right and then to the top of the vertical room, shooting
out the false ceiling. Take the energy tank in this room, then return to the
shaft.
</Suitless>

Go up the shaft until you reach two doors facing each other. Take the left one
and exit the Wrecked Ship. If you really feel like it, you can instead go up
and along the obvious path for the Gravity Suit, but there's almost no reason
to get it. Go left through rooms you've already been in, then save at your
ship.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Kraid and the End
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WAIT A MINUTE! WE FORGOT KRAID!

<Suitless>
No, we didn't.
</Suitless>

Go all the way back to the Norfair elevator. Shoot out the super missile
blocks and go to the right. Fall through the next room and bomb the right
wall. Go up through the door, then shoot out the obvious crack in the floor.
Head through the next few dull rooms, then pay a quick visit to Kraid.

This is fun. The programmers were NOT planning on Samus facing Kraid with what
she has here. Shooting his arm makes a strange stream of explosions that is
kind of fun to watch. Screw attacking him yields some more interesting
results. The only thing you can't do is the following: do NOT hit him with a
missile and then a charged shot. This will cause some funky AI bugs that make
him invincible and eventually crash the game. This is because Kraid was not
meant to die before rising up, so the game makes a weird compromise. Once
you're done having fun, finish him off. You can take the Varia Suit if you
like, but again, there's very little reason to do so. On your way out of
Kraid's Lair, you can take an Energy Tank from the formerly gray door.

Now, go do whatever you feel like. Get any items or do whatever you want to do
before Tourian. At the end of this, go to your ship and save.

Go straight to the left to the tall shaft. At the bottom, take a right rather
than a left. Go right to the statue room, let them explode, then go on down to
Tourian. Save in the room to your right.

There's really not much to Tourian. The route is very obvious and the metroids
aren't hard. Just keep going and do walljumps out of the acid. This guide picks
up in the save room before Mother Brain.

Go out, down, and left into Mother Brain's room and start using Missiles on
the Zebetites. Destroy all four, then go back up, refill missiles and energy,
and save. They won't come back.

Go up to Mother Brain again, trying not to get hit. Freeze the fire-rings near
you and start pounding her tank with Super Missiles. After about 12 hits, the
real fight will begin. Just hit her with charged shots. Stay low and jump over
any attack she sends at you. After 20 hits, she'll hit you with an undodgeable
attack. If you have the Varia Suit, it hits for 3 tanks; if not, it hits for
6. As long as you dodged with reasonable skill, you shouldn't die from this.
Watch the Metroid come and save you, then pulverize Mother Brain with your new
Hyper Beam.

The escape is reasonably easy; just take the obvious doors. You can save a
little time by taking the lowest route in the third room and shinesparking up.
Save the animals if you'd like by going through the morph ball tunnel in the
room just before the landing site. Congratulations!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am only the compiler and tester of this guide; the true work was done by
others.

Many thanks go to:

*The population of Metroid 2002 for being a constant resource as well as a
sounding board for my own thoughts, reactions, and discoveries.

*Saturn, for inspiring me with his tool-assisted RBO run, still in progress as
of May 2007.

*072, for corrections regarding the exact controls for shinesparks.

*Kejardon for a post (I can't even find it now!) that listed all the boss HPs
and the damage of Samus' attacks.

*Tifas-Revenge and his No-Boss-Mini-Boss guide for a little help on the route
in Maridia.

*Intelligent Systems, for developing this fantastic game but leaving a number
of holes in the final code that make it even more entertaining.

*The amusingly titled Japanese site "Duty bowl of rice topped with deep-fried
prawns!" for information regarding the Flash Suit. I'm certain they have a
better name when it's not mangled by Google Translator.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Legal Stuff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I seriously don't care what you do with this guide. I wrote it for anyone who
is stuck on a very difficult run of a very good game, and authorial credit
really doesn't matter to me. Distribute, edit, and otherwise use or abuse this
text to your heart's content.