NECRO'S DOMAIN 8: Return to the Oasis

Level by Lee Dunning

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, with help from Quarrystile for the location of the secrets and certain gameplay tips.

Turn around and go back for the flares. Continue NW by hopping up the blocks, then follow the ridge east to the other end and pick up the large medi-pack. If you wish to avoid triggering the cut scene described below, walk up to the SE corner of the ledge and take a running jump SE to the east portion of the ridge. Turn left and locate the hole down below. Drop down and proceed as described below. Otherwise, go back a short distance and slide down to the desert floor. Run SE and around the corner to your left to trigger a cut scene showing some unfortunate dude being attacked and killed by a giant scorpion. When the scorpion comes out looking for you, just run around it and locate the hole in the enclosed area where the deadly battle took place. Quickly drop back into the hole, grab the ladder and climb down into the darkness.

When you reach the bottom, light a flare and look around. Don't stray too far, however, or you'll alert an enemy prematurely (unless you wish to clear the area before proceeding, which may be a good idea). Make a horseshoe turn to your left around the corner and locate a wall switch. Save your game in front of the switch, for you're about to embark on a rather tight timed run. (You may want to take a trial run to get a sense of the course, which isn't complicated, and to get the first secret.) Light a fresh flare before beginning, then pull down the switch. Turn to your left and sprint to the opening past the two white plinths, alerting the first of three giant flying bugs. Continue along the twists and turns of the passage, alerting two more flying bugs along the way. You'll reach the end of the passage about the same time your flare sputters out.

If you decided to take a trial run, there's no real hurry at this point. Light another flare, hop down north and locate the monkey swing bridge spanning a deep dark room. Safety drop or climb down the wall into the room, where you'll encounter a giant scorpion. Run to the opposite end of the room, and in the right corner you'll find the UZIS for SECRET #1. Run back around the scorpion (or kill it, if that's your preference), jump to the wall and climb up. Return to the wall switch and start the timed run again. Use your sprint key as much as you can while winding your way along the course. When you reach the end this time, jump to the monkey swing and proceed across the pit with maddening slowness. When camera control is restored, drop down and dash forward before the door closes. (The door stays closed after you beat the timed run, preventing additional exploration of the previous area.)

Climb the blocks west, run to the end of the trench and climb out facing a large white building. Vault up into the north opening and jump into the water. Three crocodiles are somewhere down there swimming about (you can kill the first one from the opening before jumping into the water if you wish), so avoid them as you turn the corner and swim east into a larger area. Continue all the way forward to the SE corner, where you'll see a patch of greenery. Right there in the lakebed is a phantom opening (you can see a telltale square directly above it on the water's surface). Swim down and go up the facing shaft to pull down an underwater ceiling switch, which deactivates some spikes in the next area. Swim back out into the lake and pull out onto the east bank. Kill two SAS in the camp area, pick up the uzi ammo each one leaves behind, then take care of the crocs if you desire maximum kills.

Note the closed double doors in the north wall and proceed east past the tents, where you'll alert two more SAS. One of them drops more uzi ammo for you. Go through the east opening and turn left. In the next room is a ramp leading to the deactivated spike trap. Push the two buttons in the north wall to open the door to your right. As you enter the sloped passage, you suspect for good reason that this is an ideal setting for a boulder trap. However, you won't trigger the boulders until you're on your way back up, so just note for now the closed door to your left near the beginning of the passage, and go all the way down until you emerge in a small room where the camera angle changes. Push the floor lever to open the door back at the beginning of the passage, then pause to pick up the large medi-pack and the flares on the upper ledge before heading back up. Save your game at the entrance to this room, because when you cross the threshold the door slams shut behind you. Step forward and jump up NE into the niche to your left as a boulder comes crashing down toward you. Resume your trek up the ramp, and when you reach the corner turn right and jump into the passage. You can simply duck down at the SE step, and the boulder will pass harmlessly over you. The rest of the way is boulder-free, so go on up and enter the open doorway to your right.

You're confronted by a series of squishy blocks, so simply time a run past each one until you reach the open passage north. Continue around to your left until you reach more squishy blocks, and proceed in the same manner as before. You'll come to a large open room with water down below. Use the monkey swing to make your way east to the ledge where a mummy is waiting. When you get there, a skeleton is awakened as well, so avoid them and pick up the large medi-pack if you have the time and inclination. Use the long ladder in the north wall to get down to the ledge at water level. Note the Neptune statute, missing a trident as well as part of its face. Shoot the two crocodiles in the water, then jump in and swim over to the SW ledge. Pull up and note the closed underwater door beneath the Neptune statue, then climb the ladder in the south wall until you're near the top. Then back flip to a slope, slide down and grab when you reach the end, pull up and take a rolling back flip to another slope, slide a short distance and jump to land on a safe ledge in front of some spikes.

Time a jump over the spikes and walk around to face slightly SE. Jump to the next ledge when the spikes are down, and take an immediate standing jump east to the larger ledge. Go around to the SE end and pick up the TRIDENT. Dive into the water, pull up onto the ledge with the Neptune statue and place the trident. This opens the underwater gate directly below you, so jump into the water, swim into the opening and turn the corner to find the SHOTGUN. Swim up and locate the underwater ceiling switch. When you pull it down, the trap door at the top of the ladder in the south wall falls open, so swim over there, pull out onto the ledge and climb up the ladder to the top. Shift right or left and drop down onto the upper ledge. Push the nearby floor switch to open the door in the SE corner. Jump into the water, pull up onto the east ledge and climb up the ladder to the upper ledge with the mummy and skeleton. Quickly jump up to grab the monkey swing and make your way across to the open doorway.

Drop down and draw your pistols. As you step forward into the passage a scorpion scuttles around the corner, so kill it and proceed. Keep those pistols out, as you'll attract another scorpion, an SAS and a giant flying bug as you make your way through the passage. When you reach the ramp, run up (there's no boulder trap there) until you reach an opening to a dark room below. You can see a tin man and a horse, but the tin man makes no effort to mount the horse. Drop down and kill the tin man, and the horse will disappear with him. Enter the north opening and use the monkey swing to get past five intermittent flame blowers. Drop down into the opening at the end, and step forward onto a ledge that extends into a lava bed. Take a running jump to the dark tile SE and pick up the grenade gun ammo. Jump back to the ledge, and from there to the tile against the north wall for some revolver ammo. Jump to the central tile, then south to the next tile and pick up a small medi-pack. Finally, hop over to the NE corner and exit through the opening there.

Save your game. Run down the ramp, and as soon as you hear the boulder being triggered behind you, hit the sprint key to gain some speed, then take a running jump across the gap and grab the other side as the boulder drops down into the pit. Pull up and start walking up the other side. You'll trigger another boulder when you come out into the light, but simply stop in your tracks, duck down and it should bounce harmlessly over you. Continue up the ramp, past a large alcove to your left, and into a huge planetarium with electrified (and fixed) globe pieces in the middle of the floor.

Run straight forward past two dummy gates to your right, and when you near the opening in the middle of the west wall and turn toward it, you'll trigger a cut scene that ends with the release of two giant scorpions. When camera control is restored you'll find that the west doors are now closed, and the scorpions are trying frantically to claw their way through them. You can shoot them if you like, but there's no need to. Go to the lighter marked tile near the SE corner. The wall next to it is climbable, so climb up, back flip to the top of the pillar and pick up the small medi-pack. Hop back down to the floor, and you'll find that the doors in the west wall are open again. The giant scorpions are nowhere to be seen. Go there and step inside. The doors will close behind you, so don't climb the center blocks yet. Instead, go around on each side and locate a button behind the far pillar. Pushing them both will open the double doors at the top of the stairs. When you start climbing up the blocks you'll awaken four skeletons. A fifth skeleton is roaming the ledge up to your right. Run past the quartet and hop up to the ledge to your right (just past the balcony, where there's an opening) so you'll have to do battle for the time being only with one skeleton.

Use your shotgun to blast it off the ledge, then continue along the balcony and turn left into the north opening. Kill the SAS at the other end of the tunnel and take his uzi ammo. Turn left at the bend, kill another SAS and pick up the small medi-pack he dropped. Then go into the next room and shoot two more SAS. Don't go into the long red-tinged west tunnel, as it leads only to a couple of poised sentry guns and certain death. Instead, go back through the east tunnel and return to the gap in the balcony. Take a running jump SW into the doorway, and the frustrated skeletons won't follow.

Turn to face the lava pit and two rows of breaktiles. You'll use one row to go across, the other to come back. Here's how I did it: Take a running jump to the near corner of the first tile, turn quickly to one side and take a side flip to the next tile. Turn again and take a running jump west to the ledge. Walk over and pick up the CROSSBOW and a quiver of crossbow arrows. Go toward the dark area to the south and you'll find one of the scorpions trying vainly to access the crawl space. (Its companion is on the other side, but there are no pickups over there.) Light a flare, go past it into the crawl space and turn left for SECRET #2. Pick up the large medi-pack and three stashes of uzi ammo. Go back out and return to the other side of the lava pit, using the other breaktiles in the same manner as before. When you get back across, drop back and shimmy past the open door, pull up and use that enhanced weaponry to deal with the waiting skeletons.

Go back to that tunnel leading to the room where you did battle earlier with all those SAS. Light a flare and locate the pushblock in the SW corner. Pull it out, then pull it aside, and enter the revealed passage. Follow the passage and eliminate three more SAS along the way. You'll emerge at an indoor pool, and the sputtering blue light near the dangling rope provides firm evidence that the water is deadly. Continue south into the tunnel and you'll come to a red-tinged room with element scales. Turn right and go stand near the closed gate at the NW corner to trigger a flyby taking you through three closed gates in the south wall and coming to rest outside with an overhead view of five colored face tiles.

You now need to solve the three element rooms. Taking them in no particular order, let's start with the Fire Room at the SW corner. Stand at the entrance, wait for the flames to subside and take a standing jump to the first tile. If you're impatient, time running jumps to the south tiles for some shotgun ammo and a large medi-pack, then jump back and go to the west opening. Use the monkey swing to reach the opening in the north wall, stopping as necessary to wait for the flame blowers to subside. (Saving after each flame blower is tedious but the quickest way to get there safely.) Follow the tunnel to a large room with seven switch pieces. Wait until the flyby is over (look for the torch floating in midair at the middle of the room at the end), then push all seven switches, beginning with the nearest piece and working your way around in a counterclockwise direction (as suggested in the flyby). Some pieces will ignite at the mouth, and some will go out as you progress, but when you push the seventh and final one all of them will be lit, you'll experience a minor earthquake, and blocks will rise in the center of the room. Climb the blocks and pick up the TORCH. Hop down and light it with the flame on the right side of the closed north gate. Light the torch on the other side and the gate lifts open. (The marked tile in the south alcove is a reset switch in the improbable case that you need to start over again.)

Take the torch with you and take running jumps to reach the tile in front of the east opening that leads back to the element scales room. Save your game here, because the next jump is tricky. Stand between the middle and the rear edge of the tile and take a standing jump to land safely inside the opening. Quarrystile says a much more reliable way is to stand at the front edge of the tile, toss the torch into the opening, and from there take a standing jump with grab (since you're not carrying the torch) into the opening. Leave the torch on the raised ledge near the scales and enter the Earth Room at the SE corner

Before doing anything else, let's go for the next secret. Turn right at the entrance and locate the nearby short sloped pillar. Save your game here in case you find yourself trapped after getting the secret. Pull up onto the slope (which activates a timer) and take a rolling back flip to the pillar behind you. Immediately take a running jump to the next pillar against the wall and reverse roll. Take a running jump to the right edge of the next higher pillar, turn to your right and take a standing jump with grab to land inside the alcove before the door closes. (Even if you miss and grab the edge, you can pull up right through the closed door.) Pick up the GRENADE GUN for SECRET #3, wait a bit and the door will open again for a few seconds. You'll hear a boulder sound, but there's no danger lurking about. Quickly take a running jump to the previous pillar before the door slams shut again and traps you inside.

Take a running jump south and grab the pillar in front of the opening, pull up and save your game. When you run forward into the passage, you'll trigger a dizzying flyby that signals the beginning of a timed run. As soon as camera control is restored, turn left and follow the twisting passage, turning left at the next intersection and hopping up diagonally onto the ledge at the end. Jump down into the next room, which is being filled with sand, and dash across into the south opening before it's blocked by the rising sand.

Once you're safely inside the tunnel, continue until you reach a sandy room occupied by two giant scorpions. Curiously, they leave you alone, so pick up the gem (anomalously shown as the HAND OF ORION in your inventory) near the NE corner. Use it to open the door in the north wall and step back to enjoy the sight of the scorpions stinging the two SAS to death. Follow the passage into the next room, take the BAG OF SAND from the plinth and go to the west doorway that obligingly opens up for you. Safety drop into the Earth Room and cross over to exit through the west opening.

Make a horseshoe turn to the right and enter the Water Room. Turn around in the crawl space and drop an incredibly long distance into a pool guarded by two crocodiles. Swim around to the SE corner and pull up onto the stairs. Dispatch the crocs, then head up the stairs and jump the large blocks until you reach the NE corner. Push the floor switch there to open the first underwater gate in the pool. Go there and locate a ceiling switch just beyond the open gate. When you pull it down the water elevation in the pool is raised, allowing access to the higher stairs and ledges. Swim up, pull out onto the lower step and go to the spike-trapped ledge. Take a simple standing jump over each spike tile until you reach the floor switch in the NE corner. Push it to raise the second gate at the floor of the pool. Swim down there and pull the second ceiling switch to raise the water level still higher. Swim back up and pull up onto the ledge in the south wall.

Climb the block to your right, pull up and run to the other end of the ledge. Take a running jump, angled to your left, to the slope in the corner so that you slide down backwards. Pull up and take a rolling back flip and grab to the block against the west wall. Pull up, go to the other side and take a running jump across the crest of the sloped pillar ahead. Slide down, jump off to the next slope, slide and jump off it to grab the rope. Swing forward and release to land on the ledge against the north wall, step forward and push the floor lever to open the third gate down below (which is getting farther and farther away each time you do this). Swim down, locate a third ceiling switch and pull it down. Swim hastily back up, because air supply is now a definite factor, and climb up on the highest level of steps at the south wall.

Go around to the north opening and jump into the small pool. Swim down the shaft to enter an underwater maze. If you stay to your right, you'll come to another underwater ceiling switch. (In fact, if you try any other route the currents will give you fits.) Pull it down and continue following the same counterclockwise path so that you come back to your starting point at about the same time you run out of air. Pull out, jump into the large pool and swim all the way down to the floor. The last gate has opened in the east wall, so swim inside and locate the final ceiling switch. When you pull it down the water level in the pool rises all the way to the Water Room, so swim up and through the ceiling shaft until you reach that destination. Pull out and crawl east into a blue-tinted surrealitic room. Take the SMALL WATERSKIN >from the plinth in the center depression, and be sure to fill it while you're standing there. Return through the passage to the element scales room.

Pick up the torch and light the scale in the middle (surprise, the oil's already there), then use the Bag of Sand and the Small Waterskin to fill the scales on either side. A gates lifts in the south passage each time, so now it's completely open. Go there to find the face tiles with colored cheeks that you saw much earlier in the flyby. But before proceeding, let's go for the final secret. Head south and climb one of the ladders to the second floor. Continue forward and climb a ladder to the third floor. You'll find two moveable blocks here. Pull and push the nearer block along the shallow trench to the SE corner, where you see a tile that looks different from the rest of the floor. Moving the block to this position lowers a block to give you access to the secret. Now, go to the middle of the south wall, jump up and pull through a phantom wall into a hidden corridor (where the lowered block was). Run forward for SECRET #4 and pick up a bonanza of stuff: a large medi-pack, grenade gun ammo, crossbow arrows, shotgun ammo, uzi ammo, and finally the UZIS.

If you go back to where the block originally sat, you'll see a face tile with blue cheek dots. Similarly, the other block up here on the third floor covers a face tile with purple cheek dots. On the second floor there's a block that covers the green tile. Down on the first floor there's a block in the east alcove that covers the yellow tile; in the west alcove, the red tile. There's also a wall switch at the end of the west alcove to raise and lower a stack of blocks between the ladders on the first and second floors. Your objective is to place the blocks on their respective tiles down here on the first floor, so do the easy ones first and place the yellow and red blocks that you pulled from the alcoves. Climb to the second floor, move the green block to the raised blocks north, go down and use the switch to lower the blocks, and move the green block to the appropriate face tile. Repeat this procedure to bring down the blue and purple blocks from the third floor (easily the most tedious part of this exercise). When you've correctly placed the fifth and final block (there are no visual cues during or after), the NW gate back in the element scales room lifts.

Go there (since the plants block your way north, you'll have to move one of the blocks) and enter the passage. The gate slams shut behind you. In the next room, shoot the fuse box in the west wall and pull down the switch to purify the water in the pool with the rope you saw earlier. Before going there, go through the north opening and follow the passage to a mausoleum. Pick up some crossbow arrows, a large medi-pack and some flares near the coffins, and move the east statue away from the wall for some revolver ammo. Pull the block behind it twice to reveal another pushblock. Push the second block twice to reveal a passage, pick up more revolver ammo and find yourself in the passage connecting the element scales room and the now-fresh pool. You can go back to the mausoleum and pull out the other statue for some shotgun ammo if you want to do the considerable work that's required to get it. Otherwise, head for the pool, swim to the other side (what is that rope for, anyway?) and pull up onto the west ledge. Head down the south passage and find a pushblock at the end. Push it twice and enter an outdoor pool area where the builder has placed his traditional thanks to the player for playing his level.

The north opening leads to an passage where you'll find the REVOLVER behind a closed gate. You can see the sentry gun just outside, but unfortunately you can't get to it. Turn back, jump into the water and swim west. Go up through the SW shaft and pull out into a dark cave. Flares don't work here (unless you light and toss them), so grope around until you hop down into the finish trigger.