BLUE SPHERE

 

Level by Michael Prager

 

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, assisted by Klaus Kleinmayer's video walk, which clocks in at 39:50, thereby beating the builder's challenge.

 

(original walkthrough/outline by the builder follows below)

 

Slide down to a ledge overlooking a large open area. Hop down to the next ledge and ignore the floor lever for now (it's timed). From where you're standing, poised to push the floor lever, turn right and take a swan dive (walk + jump key) slightly SE to land in the water hole below. You'll explore this underwater area later, but for now swim back up, surface and pull out. Avoid the mummies while making your way to the NW corner. Jump into the pool and find grenade gun ammo in the hole. Pull out, find a similar pool in the NE corner and find more grenade gun ammo in the hole. Pull out, run across the room to the E pool and jump in to find the GRENADE GUN in the hole.  You're now free to blow away those pesky mummies. Run around a bit and try to draw all four into a compact group so you can dispose of the lot with a single grenade.

 

Go to the central pool by which you entered, wade to the W wall and pull up into the alcove. Climb the ladder to the floor lever and save your game.  Push the lever to open an underwater door, take another swan dive down to the hole below and follow the E passage (bearing to your right and staying high to avoid getting caught in the collision) to an intersection. Loop around left and follow the passage past the timed doorway. If you have enough time you can pick up the small medipack for SECRET #1 and continue for the HORSEMAN'S GEM.  If you don't retreat in time, the door will close and you'll drown, so you may wish to leave the medipack behind on this trip. You can go back if you like, push the lever again (two times, to "close" and then re-open the timed door). In either event, proceed through the level by continuing E through the triangular opening to an air hole.

 

Pull up in front of a ramp and save your game again. Jump out left onto the ramp and continue jumping with left curves as you make your way down the ramp toward the NE opening. When you reach the next ramp take jumps (no more than three) with a right curve so that you land on a flat spot just in front of a deadly ledge (it took me many tries). Pick up the large medipack for SECRET #2, save your game and take a running jump NW to land on another slope. Take jumps with a right curve to land in a hole in the NW corner, probably sustaining some health loss.

 

Go down the passage and use the gem to open the door at the end. Step forward and pull up into a dark blue spherical room (from which the level gets its name) to trigger a flyby. Climb the W ledges and pick up 2 x crossbow arrows (normal and explosive) at the top one.  Go over to the N ledges and find the CROSSBOW on the top one. Continue over to the E ledges and find poison crossbow arrows on the top one. Finally, find the LASER SIGHT on the top S ledge. Pull up higher, using the flat surfaces, to reach the S opening. Follow the passage to a new room, but stop at the entrance or you'll run into an unmarked spike trap on the floor.

 

Turn right and pull up onto the corner block. Combine the crossbow and laser sight and look W. You can see the tops of three jugs near the NW corner.  Shoot them all, using the crouch key to zoom in, and note that some of the floor spikes are triggered. Then turn left and get onto the other corner block. Target and shoot two more jugs, triggering most (but not all) of the other floor spikes. Drop down to the safe tile next to the block and walk forward W onto the next safe tile. The W tile beyond the spikes is also safe, so time a run there. The NW tile beyond the spikes is safe, so get there. The final NW tile in the corner is also safe. Pull up W, use an explosive arrow to deal with the skeleton and enter the W opening.

 

You see a Golden Star (1 of 5) ahead, but you don't yet have the crowbar to pry it off the wall. Turn right and walk slowly N. You'll trigger spikes. Once triggered they're harmless, so continue walking forward until the next one is triggered, and so on until you reach the wall. Pull up left into the crawl space and crawl forward to a pushpiece. Push it forward onto the face tile, climb the N wall, shimmy left over the pushpiece and drop down. Face E, light a flare, jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing toward the crawl space you can see on your right. Turn to face it, drop, grab and pull up inside. Follow down the ramp and left around the corner.

 

Drop down, pull up left (N), then left again into the W crawl space. Follow to another pushpiece. It looks like the same one as before, but it isn't. Each time you perform this exercise you work your way higher, much as if you were climbing a spiral staircase. Pull the pushpiece onto the face tile, use the wall to climb and shimmy past the pushpiece, drop down and face E. Light a flare and monkeyswing to the crawl space on your right. Crawl around the corner and drop down. Pull up left two times again (noting another Golden Star [2 of 5] in the nearby alcove), crawl to the pushpiece and push it onto the face tile. Monkey swing to the crawl space as before, drop down at the far end, pull up left and see the opening ahead (N). Go past the Golden Star into the passage, jump to grab the hard-to-see pole and slide down to the bottom of the shaft.

 

Walk forward to an opening that overlooks the dark blue room you visited earlier. Take a running jump slightly SE to grab the first rope. Turn back slightly left to face the suspended tile and jump to land on it. Look left to see another Golden Star (3 of 5) in the distant N wall. Take a running jump E to grab the next platform, pull up and jump to grab the second rope. Swing forward and jump off to access the opening in the E wall. Follow the uneven passage to a new room. Two skeletons are awakened as you enter, so wait for them to gather close so you can deal with both with a single grenade or explosive arrow. Go to the NW corner, loop around left and pick up the grenade gun ammo. There are two closed doors at the end of the NW passage. Walk E up the ramp, look down to your right and you can see another Golden Star (4 of 5). From the N end of the ramp, face E and take a running jump with a midair roll over the gap so that you land on the other side facing backward.   

 

Slide down, grab the edge, pull up and take a rolling back flip to grab the flat surface in the corner. Pull up, hop down, turn right and jump over the slope to find a large medipack for SECRET #3. Continue to the S wall, vault up right and look down right to see two water holes. Jump to the nearer one or shimmy over and drop (easier). Swim down and E, and pull up into a small room. Push the pushpiece onto the face tile. Get back into the water and swim W, into the small opening beyond the shaft where you swam down, turn the corner, follow the passage and allow the current to pull you W. Swim up the shaft and pull out to face a ladder.

 

Climb the ladder and pull out into the room where you met the skeletons earlier. Get across the E gap, using the same technique described above.  Instead of pulling up at the flat spot, shimmy right and drop into the water hole nearer to you (the one you didn't drop into earlier). Swim down and E as before, this time fighting a moderate current. Pull up into the small room and move the pushpiece onto the face tile. Get back into the water, swim all the way W, this time with the current, and up the shaft. Pull out and climb the ladder to the familiar room.

 

Run to the SW corner and loop around right for grenade gun ammo. Turn around and follow the SW passage past the opened door and E to a face pushtile on your right. Push it and note the cut scene. Return to the previous room, go to the NW passage and see that one of the doors there is now open. Run down the long E passage to find another face pushtile, this one on your left. You get what appears to be the same cut scene as before.

 

Return to the previous room and get to the two water holes in the same manner as described above. When you reach the small rooms you find that the locations of the face tiles have changed. Move the pushpiece onto the face tile in both rooms (you know the drill by now, so I don't have to repeat the directions). When you've completed this exercise, climb back up to the ramped room and enter the SW passage to your left.  The door at the end on the left is now open. Run down the N passage toward the facetile, and about halfway down you'll find a face pushbutton in the wall. There's a minor earthquake which is over in an instant. Continue N, turn left at the corner and continue W to the next corner. Pull up right into the second opened NW doorway, signified by the "attaboy" music.

 

Make your way along the uneven passage, crawling as necessary, until you reach a new room. Two skeletons come out to greet you.  Note the receptacles for the Golden Stars on the N wall. Turn left at the W wall and safety drop into the next area close to a Golden Star (5 of 5). Run S along the ledge, pause for crossbow arrows and push the floor lever at the corner. Watch the flyby carefully. You don't have to be told which pillar tops are deadly to land on. Hop back from the floor lever, turn right and hop twice to the unadorned surfaces. The next one W is deadly, so stand at the edge, step back and hop back, then stand jump to grab the ladder on the side of the deadly pillar. Climb down to the bottom. Turn around, hop E down several large steps, and when you reach the bottom step jump up NE into the higher alcove. Pick up the flares for SECRET #4, then make your way W back up the steps to the ladder.  

 

Climb to the top but don't pull up. Back flip onto the safe ledge and jump N onto the safe pillar with the friendly face tile on top. Look for the five jars along the W wall.  You need to shoot them, but in the proper order. Counting from left to right, shoot #3. A spike ball comes rumbling down.  Wait for it to reach the bottom of the room before shooting the next jar. Now shoot #1 and wait. Then #4, #2 and finally #5. Jump back to the S ledge, where the door in the SE corner is now open. It leads to a new, higher area of the dark blue room. (According to one of the reviews, the sequence of 2, 4, 3, 1, 5 also works.)

 

Take a running jump S to grab the nearest hanging platform. Keep jumping and pull up onto the central block for the CROWBAR you so desperately need. Turn around and shoot that loud, annoying mummy with an explosive arrow. Take a running jump E to grab the sloped ledge formerly occupied by the mummy. Pick up the MUSIC SCROLL and go back the way you came, to the N opening. (The nearby platforms are for later.) Hop down onto the ledge with the floor lever and run to the other end to claim your first GOLDEN STAR.

 

Return to the dark blue room and slide down to the ledge area you explored much earlier.  Make your way around to the S side of the room and pull up to the opening. Follow around to the room with the spikes and get across the same way you did earlier. The next GOLDEN STAR is in the W passage. Turn right, go through the N spike-free passage, pull up left into the crawl space at the end, pull the pushpiece off the face tile and back onto it again (this may or may not be necessary, but do it anyway), shimmy past it and use the ceiling to monkey swing to the crawl space on the right. Crawl around, drop down and pull up left twice. Crawl to the pushpiece, push and pull it, shimmy past it and monkey swing to the crawl space. Repeat as before, and when you drop out of the crawl space you can pull up N for the third GOLDEN STAR.

 

Follow the E passage to the pole, slide down and jump to grab the first rope. Turn left to face N, swing and jump off to land on the platform. Take a running jump NE to the next platform and claim the fourth GOLDEN STAR. Turn around, jump back to the ledge and pull up into the W opening. Jump back to grab the first rope and use the platforms and second rope to get across to the E opening. Pull up inside and follow the uneven passage to the room with the E ramp. Walk up the middle of the ramp to the top, hop down onto the block and take the fifth and final GOLDEN STAR. Turn around, jump to the ladder and climb back out.

 

Exit via the NW passage and pull up into the higher passage. Follow around to the room with the star receptacles.  Insert a Golden Star in each one and try to ignore the annoying and unrevealing (to me, anyway) cut scene after each insertion. Drop down from the SW opening and run along the ledge to the dark blue room. Use the same platforms to get onto the block where you found the crowbar. Jump to the sloped ledge where you found the Music Scroll. Jump SW to the adjoining platforms and jump S to grab the crack. Shimmy right and drop to grab the platform below. Pull up and turn around. Take a running jump N to grab the platform, repeat to grab a higher platform, pull up and jump E to grab the ladder block. Climb the pole at the top, back flip into the upper reaches, turn around and place the Music Scroll to end the level.

 

 

Blue Sphere
by Michael Prager

1. You start with a slide and get to a lever high up. This lever triggers a timed door under water. If you make a swan dive you should be easily able to get the pickup at the end. If you are fast, you can also get the secret or you can climb back up to the lever and do the trip again. In the big room with the mummies there are some goodies to be found.

2. Climbing out of the water your next task are three steep slides where you need to use jumps with turns in mid air to not get burned at the bottom. At the end of the second slide is a secret on the right which is tough to get.

3. Place the gem and enter the Blue Sphere at the bottom. Explore it for the crossbow, lasersight and some ammo and enter the only room you can get to.

4. Red spike room: hint use the crossbow to shoot vases (all of them!). Don't worry about the star at the end but remember it as you will have to go back when you have the crowbar

5. Climb/Crawl Sequence. Climb in on the left, note you can climb on walls and ceilings in these rooms. Pull or push the object once and exit via the ceiling and the crawlspace on the right (light a flare to see it). This has to be repeated 3 times to reach the top and another star for later

6. Back to the Blue Sphere: Use jumps and ropes to make your way straight across, but note that on the left hand side there is star number 3.

7. The trick in this room is a long running jump across the slope which you see when you stand on the edge and look down to see the fourth star. You then slide down the other side and if you jumped at the right spot fall into water. Dive through, move the object and back out. This opens doors and you have to do it a few times (as the rooms flip) and push a few pressure tiles in the room above to finally open the door on the left side of the entrance to the room high up on the wall. There is also a secret to be found in this room.

8. See the 5 receptacles for the stars - you will come back here.

9. Drop down into the room with the boulder maze puzzle. Note the fifth star on the wall. SAVE YOUR GAME! Here is what you need to achieve: If you get it wrong you are stuck! Pull the lever first. This opens 8 doors down in the pillar maze. There are 5 vases on the other side. Shooting one drops a boulder which makes its way down the maze into a hole. This triggers changes to the doors (opening and/or closing) and thus changes the maze. The objective is to end up with one boulder in EACH of the 5 holes - this opens the blueish door back to the Sphere. Another hint: do not shoot the vases too fast - make sure you let each ball find the full way down. There are at least two sequences that work. And there is another secret in this room, too.

10. Back to the Sphere you can now make your way further up and finally find the crowbar. So make your way back for the 5 stars and place them to open the exit at the very top of the Sphere and make your way out.

Good luck! It can be done in 40 minutes if you are really fast