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Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure Guide > Walkthrough > Spinach Caverns: Forgotten Den

Items: Chocolate, Low Table, Mystery Bag, Samurai Helm

As she enters, Parin will sense someone following her. It's the familiar cat, and he leaves behind a sign. When she reads it, Parin will find that it's another bit of advice signed only by a mysterious stranger named 'M.' Could it be that Motoro is responsible for all the sage advice you've been using to navigate the various dungeons? In this case, the clue comes just in time. To proceed deeper into the stage, you'll need to attach Shock Parts to your drill, then swipe at the stand to the left of the locked door. Doing so will cause it to open and will gain you admittance to the dungeon. Destroy any debris in the area for coins then proceed.

In the next room, you'll find another helpful sign suggesting that you might not want to fall. There's a big pit and bats are swooping overhead, dropping boulders along a path you must climb. From the sign, head left along the ledge, then take a right onto a wider ledge. There's a boulder here. Defeat it with a powered drill attack and press onward, but note that now you'll be facing those rolling stones you saw. The trick here is to dash up each slope and use your Dash Guard to avoid any rocks that are about to strike. It's a little like Donkey Kong, if Donkey Kong had a third dimension. When you reach a ladder, start to climb it but pause and wait for a rock to roll into the wall to your right and crumble. That's your cue to quickly climb over and start up to the left, repeatedly pressing the 'Square' button to use your Dash Guard move and escape damage. Repeat the same general strategy as you work your way to the top of the area. Break any vases you find there, and now you have a decision.

There's a weak wall up here, and if you drill through it you'll be able to proceed through the stage. Just left of where you arrive after drilling that wall, you'll find a counter carved into the wall. It's counting the number of times boulders have smashed against walls in the area below, where the bats were dropping them. When the timer reaches 999 and rolls over to 000, a gift will appear that contains the SAMURAI HELM. It takes some time for enough boulders to smash, so if you're doing this all at once you'll want to have something to keep you busy while boulders smash. If you want to try for the helm, the best place to stand is near the bottom of the trail, pressed against a wall as boulders roll past you above and below. Basically, start up the first slope as it heads right. You'll see a torch on the wall below you. Stop a few paces ahead of that and press against the wall. The boulder along the path will roll harmlessly past if you're positioned right, and because you can hear two separate boulders smashing, both of them will count toward the count the timer is keeping. When you've succeeded, you'll hear a chime and can go collect your prize (it will appear on a nearby ledge, next to a treasure chest; keep reading for info on how to reach that ledge).

Once you've reached the top and you're not worried about the timer, you still want to destroy the bats in order to get the 'S' ranking for the stage. Once the bats are of no use to you, head down the slope and take them out with targeted attacks. There are a total of three bats in the whole area and they're not so tough when you're attacking from their level rather than avoiding stones they drop. When you've taken them out, head back up to the top and the whole you drilled in the wall.

In the room with the timer, you'll see a patch where you can recharge your drill if needed. There's also a bit of debris, and to the right of the charging station you'll see a platform even with the ground. To the left, there's the top of a crate. If you investigate, you'll find that there are two wooden crates stacked there. Stand on the top one and use a weak charged drill (fill up only the first slot on the meter). When you release the button, somehow you'll drill apart the top crate while standing on it. That leaves the bottom one, which you definitely want to leave where it is.

Now head back to the switch and step on it to make some unbreakable crates appear. There will be two stacks of two crates. Push one left a bit, then along a ledge so that it drops over and falls on the remaining wooden crate. Once it settles into place, you can use it to climb up onto the ledge and walk over to the treasure chest. If you managed to build the counter up to 999, you can open a gift box that will be waiting here to claim the Samurai Helm prize. When you open the treasure chest, you'll find that it contains a MYSTERY BAG (this one you can take back to Pamela in Tiese Town for POWER OIL). Once you collect the treasure, some Phantoms appear on the ledge behind you. Take them out with charged attacks and then it's time to consider the other stack of crates that appeared when you pressed the switch. Push it off to the right from where it first appeared, which will allow you to hop over a gap onto a raised ledge. There, destroy some vases. As you hop up with plans to pass through the door, two Phantoms will attack. Take them out with Drill Tornado attacks and don't get too close to the door or you'll accidentally pass through before the Phantoms are defeated. Once they're
toast, pass through into the next room.

Ahead, you'll see a low ledge. When you jump onto it, three Phantoms will attack. They're all going to fall pretty easily to your Drill Tornado attack, and you'll get some Junk from their discarded armaments. With them gone, drop back down a level and head left from the door where you entered the room. There you'll find two more Phantoms. These guys are guarding a treasure chest that contains CHOCOLATE. They're difficult enough to beat that you might use a chocolate bar just beating them! Grab the candy if you can hold it--remember that you can only hold three of any one consumable item--and then drill the weakened wall behind the chest for some coins. Now it's time to wrap your way back around to some crates on the other side of the room. You'll notice they're resting on a weak bit of wall. Use a charged drill to break that free, then rush under to find a blue barrel with Junk in it and a plant that you can destroy, also. When you've done that, climb a ladder up to the area above.

Here, you'll see a spike-covered ball circling a pot. There also are plenty of views of piles of crates. Break open the pot it's circling before hopping up a crate back toward your right, where you can see a raised ledge. On top, you'll find a boulder that you can drill, as well as a purple vase and a platform that restores any life you've lost. Refill your life, break apart the boulder and vase, then prepare to hop up to the next level. Before you do, note that there are spike traps waiting to damage you. Watch them until the spikes have just receded, then immediately jump up and run to the safe spot at the middle. From there, you can head left at the next chance as the spikes recede, then wrap around and drill the nearby plant for some coins. Also break open the vase for some coins before heading through the double doors.

In the room beyond, you'll see a bat flapping toward you. Switch to your goggles if you're not already wearing them, since this area is full of water, and take out the bat with a charged attack. Also break open the pots that were near the entry door. Now you're looking out over a lake of water. There should be a second bat nearby, probably located far enough over the water that you're going to get wet killing him. Still, it must be done. Use targeted attacks as normal, and also watch for the fish swimming around in the murky depths. Take him out with some targeted attacks when you lure him up near the surface. Now, there are some levers on bits of dry land. Flip the two of them and you'll open a nearby door. Destroy the vases on either side, then pass through and into the next room.

Through that gate, there's another sign with the skull on it. It's time to switch back to the gas mask. Once you've done so, proceed through the next gap. Destroy the four plants that wait there, along with any debris, then descend the slope that heads toward your left. There are more plants and stalagmites waiting for your drill's attention at the bottom, so take care of that and then also look to the wall on the left at the base of the slope. There's a weak spot there that you can drill to reveal a path that heads upwards. Climb it and then drill the weak wall that waits at the top. This will dislodge a huge boulder. You need to run back down the slope while it chases you, then duck out of the way so that the hunk of rock roles past and into the shallow pit. As you approach the edge, static-covered blue balls will attack. You want to hit them fast and furious, with Drill Tornado attacks if necessary, because they move fast and are good at getting in hits and retreating before you have time to recover. Once you defeat the three of them, use the boulder to climb onto the next raised ledge.

Here, make sure that you break open the vases. To your left, you'll see some Phantoms congregating. They're wrapped in ice, so they can afford to be brazen. You'll have to swipe at them a few times--the Fire Parts seem to come in handy here--before breaking them loose. From there, use Drill Tornado attacks to make quick work of them, while regular swipes can pick up any stragglers. You definitely don't want to give them time to mount a full attack. Once the Phantoms are done for, proceed past the area they were guarding, down some stairs and through a low archway. Beyond, bats are circling. Take them out with some shots from your drill, which should again be charged with Shock Parts. Also, break open any vases in the area. As you scout, you'll find plenty of them. When you're done busting some pottery, return to the area just ahead of the archway that granted you admittance to the hallway. You should see a pedestal like the one you lit when you first entered this dungeon. Swipe it with your drill to open the door at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, this will cause two Phantoms to appear, and they're in drill tanks.

Head back around to where the Phantoms are waiting and lure them forward away from the door, then retreat while you charge your drill. Finally, turn back around and rush them to remove their armor, then finish things up with some Drill Tornado attacks. Once they're done for, go ahead and pass through the door beyond. You've made it safely to the treasure room. Jump up on the pedestal to grab the LOW TABLE. Go ahead and return to Monster Village now. Pass through it and enter Tiese Town.

By now, you can probably make some nice trades with your grandfather. Remember that he trades 1000 coins for silver medals and he will give you items for the gold medals. Anyway, with money from medals and the fact that you haven't been spending much, it's time to head to the junk shop to make a big purchase. Talk to Disk if you have 19800 coins and you can buy the VAMPIRE KIT. This item will allow you to restore HP when you manage a critical attack. Purchase it and equip it, then talk to him again to charge it up to level three. At that stage, it will reduce damage by 25% and give you a 20% boost to your attack power. As an all-around accessory, it's quite useful (hence the cost). When you're done taking care of that, turn to the right and talk to Rocko. You'll mention that you found his low table and he'll take it back to Monster Village. There, he's so grateful for his restored furniture that he causes more Dark Mist to fade away on the world map's eastern and western sides. The time has come to explore some more. Head east again, to the area you just cleared, then move south to your new destination: Ancient Lagoon.

NEXT: Spinach Caverns: Ancient Lagoon