Scorching sands and a night skyline provide the introduction for Pharaoh Man's stage. From the start, head right. You'll notice that the ground here allows you to sink if you stand in place, so you'll want to keep hopping and charging your shots.
As you progress right, green scorpion-shaped robots will arise from the sand. You'll have to disable them with charged mega buster shots, as well as a small spray from the regular arm cannon. It's important to defeat them quickly, as bumping them does pretty good damage to your life meter. While you're moving, bug-like robots also fly through the air, dropping bullets in triple columns. It's pretty easy to avoid these shots, but don't let yourself become so distracted that the scorpions hit you or you sink into the sand.
There are platforms spaced between each bit of sinking sand, and you'll eventually come to a particularly wide platform with a hole leading into the ground beneath the sand. Rather than dropping down the pit, wait for the robot circling overhead to buzz off the screen, then use the Rush Coil to leap over the gaping opening. With that done, continue to the right over more sinking sand, battling the same scorpions and flying robots.
When you reach the edge of the screen, you'll find a series of ledges, upon which rests the Balloon upgrade. This item allows you to create useful ledges to climb to new areas, similar to item one from Mega Man 2. You'll be glad to have it later.
With that item collected, the game will now skip you down through the level, to the area checkpoint. From there, head toward the right. Bats hang from the ceilings here, the type you should remember from Mega Man 2. They are only vulnerable when they start to descend, so keep your arm cannon charged as you progress. You'll soon see a series of spike-lined pits. Robots hang over the top of those, and you can jump on those robots to take one-way rides to the right. As the path ascends, it will become increasingly difficult to make the jumps, but you still must do so or risk instant death courtesy of the spikes.
Once you've safely crossed, there's solid ground and a few more bats before you drop down a new hole along the right side of the screen. The next room is empty, and after that you'll drop down into a new hallway.
From here, continue toward the right. You'll notice bottomless pits scattered about, and there are more of the spike-lined ledges. As you ride more robots across the spikes, be ready to jump to solid ground and let loose a bunch of shots at the mummies that appear from the background. They tend to toss their heads, too, so be ready to avoid such shots. Also, don't get knocked into a pit by this tactic.
When you reach the opposite side, there are a few more of the mummies along steps, and finally you'll arrive at a gate leading to the encounter with the robot master of the area.
NEXT: Ring Man
