Welcome to my Secret of Evermore walkthrough. This is a step-by-step guide to help you get through this game, and nothing more. This is not one of those walkthroughs with all the tips and lists at the end. I am providing those separately to make them easier to get to. Well, let's get started, shall we?

Select New Game from the main menu and choose a name for your character. Since he does not have a default name, I will simply refer to him as the Hero.

The story begins in 1965, in a small town called Podunk. Don't push any buttons yet. You'll see (well, hear) an experiment in progress, but something goes wrong. Thirty years later, we see the Hero and his dog leaving the movie theater. The dog chases after a cat, and you end up in a condemned mansion. Inside, the Hero finds a strange machine. Unfortunately, the Dog chews on some wires and the two of them are sucked inside. Next thing you know, the Hero wakes up in a futuristic room with a strange-looking guy named Carltron, who says he needs to get you out of here so that a certain professor can work on his experiments. Carltron takes you to a seemingly empty room. After the Hero says "Now what?", you are free to control him. Push B on the golden ball-shaped thing on your right to find a Bazooka. After you get it, you must battle two robots. Just use the Bazooka and they'll be gone in no time. After the battle, the Hero stumbles into an escape pod, where he meets up with the Dog. The two of them are sent spiraling down to Earth, where they crash in the jungle.

1. Where Are You?

Too bad - the Bazooka was destroyed in the crash. Suddenly, the Dog appears, but he has changed. He now looks like a prehistoric wolf. To prove his identity, the Hero asks him to fetch a stick, but the Dog brings back a bone, which is your new weapon, the Bone Crusher. Good enough! Now the real game begins. Here's a tip: when the Dog sniffs, follow him. He'll usually lead you to alchemy ingredients, treasures, and even secret passages! Search the area for gourds with items inside, and practice fighting some enemies, too - you'll definitely want to build up your attack skill. Of course, there are some places you can't get to yet. Come back with the next weapon to explore those areas. Ultimately, you'll want to reach the next screen. When you first get there, search the sides of the area for ingredients, then walk to the center of the screen. You'll be attacked by dangerous dinosaurs called raptors. A good tactic for beating these guys is to stand off to one side and wait for one to appear. After it runs around for a second and comes back to make another pass, hit it with your weapon. Also, set the Dog's ACT all the way to the right. This will make him very aggressive. Keep this up and you should be able to beat them if the Dog is still fighting. If you lose this battle, it's all right. The Dog will drag you to safety and it'll be over with, so don't waste any Petals here. If you can win, though, you get a bonus of 50 Talons (money) and a Petal.

2. The Search for Strongheart

Continue north and you'll find a village of cavepeople. The leader of the village is named Fire Eyes, or so it seems. To the left is Fire Eyes' hut. Talk to the guard and Fire Eyes will appear - she's a little girl with nerdy glasses! What's she doing here in the jungle?! She says her real name is Elizabeth and asks you to step inside. This is where you get to name the Dog. He doesn't have a default name, either, so name him whatever you want. Fire Eyes explains that you are on a world called Evermore. The Hero asks if she knows how to get back to Podunk. She is intrigued, and offers you a deal. It seems that the village alchemist, Strongheart, is missing in a strange place called the Bugmuck. Fire Eyes agrees to help you out if you can find Strongheart and help him to return to the village, and the search is on. Before you leave, Fire Eyes gives you your first alchemy formula, Flash, which hits enemies with a small fireball. It requires 1 Wax and 2 Oil to cast. Equip the spell and get going. Search the local huts for items, and the village outskirts for ingredients. Check out the various shops, as well. At the armor shop, make sure you get a Leather Collar for the Dog, and a Grass Hat if you have the time to get enough money, but don't buy the Grass Vest. The guy next door will give it to you for free if you beat the raptors. The Vine Bracelet isn't worth it, either. Also, head due south when you exit the armor shop. Head left through the trees and you'll find some secret treasures. Here you have a choice - do you want a Biscuit now or a Call Bead later. If you want the Biscuit, take all the treasures. If you chose the Call Bead, take all of them except the one on the far left. There will be a Call Bead in it after you rescue Strongheart. Be sure to save at the inn, too. Once you're finished in the village, head back to the way you came, but don't exit the village. Make a right turn and you'll be in a new area. Head right, killing any enemies you can to increase the skill of your Bone Crusher. When the screen changes you'll be in a quicksand field, where sinkholes appear and disappear constantly. Let the first hole suck you up, and you'll be at the entrance to a cave. Inside is an item seller who offers to give you the Jaguar Ring - an item that lets you run faster - free with any purchase. Even if you don't need anything, just buy something so you can get it (I think you have to get it in order to complete the game). Back outside, you can use the A button to dash around the whirlpools of sand. Try to avoid most of the enemies here, and keep your Dog on Search mode so he can sniff out alchemy ingredients. When you reach the south end of this area, head up the stairs on the left. There are treasures and alchemy ingredients up there. By the way, if you find an item that you can't carry any more of that's in a treasure, use one of them on yourself and then get it. When you're done here, head south to the Bugmuck, which is like a tar pit. Watch the Dog constantly - there are tons of ingredients here. Head south and you'll see a small cave. Inside is an alchemist. He isn't Strongheart, but he can help you. He says Strongheart was heading for a giant bug skeleton, which is a dangerous place. Since you're going after him, he gives you the Hard Ball formula, which takes 1 Crystal and 1 Clay to use. Buy any ingredients you need, save your progress, get the treasure, and you're outta there. Take the path east and follow it until you come to a larger cave. This is the entrance to the "big bug". Inside is a maze of crumbling floors. Follow my directions to reach the other side: go up, then right and up, make a left, and go around the u-turn so you're heading up again. Skip the first left and take the second left, go all the way up, then all the way right and all the way up. You should now be at the exit. In the next room, go as far up as you can and turn left. Outside, take the Petal and enter the next leg. Cross the bridge and you're back outside. Enter again to the south, and head left. Get the treasure and go back in. Head all the way up and you'll reach the first major boss: Thraxx. Right away set the Dog's ACT to full strength. There will be Maggots everywhere, and you'll want the Dog to get rid of them while you handle Thraxx. Avoid Thraxx's claws and take a swipe or two at his heart, which you can see beating his cage of a chest. A few Flash spells work well, too. Don't let your HP get too low. Thraxx often casts Acid Rain, which can deal about 30 HP of damage in one hit. After a hit or two from your weapons, Thraxx will open his chest and you'll have a clear shot at his heart. Get in there and nail him with your strongest physical attack. Keep it up and eventually Thraxx's chest will get stuck open. Once this happens, just keep using regular hits on his heart and he'll croak in no time. When he is defeated, you get 750 Talons and the Spider's Claw, an axe-like weapon. Now you can cut bushes and other varieties of plants that get in the way. Use it to cut open the cocoon before you, releasing Strongheart. He thanks you and gives you same ingredients, then heads back home. Exit through the new doorway, and follow the path back to the village. Just as you're about to leave this screen, look to the south. You'll find a gourd with a Mammoth Guard in it, which is a piece of arm gear. When you reach the northeast corner of the next screen, you'll see a wall on your right that doesn't look right. The Dog may even walk through it! Walk through the wall and you'll come to an alchemist who teaches you the Acid Rain spell! Using it requires 1 Ash and 3 Water. Be sure to save your progress before you leave. On your way back to Fire Eyes, be sure to use your new axe on the brush to reach new areas.

3. The Cooling Volcano

Once back at the village, speak to Fire Eyes. She commends you for saving Strongheart, but now there is another problem. The volcano to the north is somehow cooling, which could bring on an ice age. The Hero is anxious to get home, but Fire Eyes says that finding out what is causing the cooling could be his ticket. It turns out that she's from Podunk, too! Her grandfather lived in the mansion where the Hero and the Dog got lost. He invented a machine that could send people into worlds of their own imagination. Since Elizabeth loved dinosaurs and stuff like that, this is her world. But now she's trapped here. Living in the volcano are the Vipers, who she thinks are lead by someone from the real world. If that's the case, their way home could be inside the volcano. To aid you in this task, Fire Eyes gives you six Call Beads, which you can use to call up one of her spells in an emergency. Then there is a humorous scene as Fire Eyes demonstrates her power. Her spells can be a lot of help, especially Life Spark. When you're done with her, head back the secret area south of the armor shop. There will now be an alchemist there who teaches you the Defend spell. It costs 1 Clay and 1 Ash. Remember to get the Call Bead if you left that one treasure alone. Next, head south of the village to the area where you first arrived. Use the Spider's Claw to access new areas like Strongheart's hut. Be sure to pick up the Shell Hat on the way. When you reach Strongheart, he gives you the Cure formula in thanks for saving him. Using it costs 2 Root and 1 Oil. If you need Roots, buy them here - Strongheart is the only guy in Prehistoria who sells them. Strongheart isn't through thanking you yet, though. If you still don't have a Leather Collar, talk to him as the Dog a couple times and he'll give you one for free! Being finished with Strongheart, return to the village and head north and east from the house where you got the free Grass Vest. Beware! The enemies here are tougher than before. Explore the area for ingredients. In the northwest is a merchant who sells armor. Buy a Shell Plate from him. To the east is a large boulder blocking the entrance to a cave. Head north from there (worry about the rock later). You are now in a mammoth graveyard filled with alchemy producing nutrients. Scour everywhere for them. Avoid the spiders in the area. They are diligent enemies who provide little experience and are annoying as well. At the north end of this area you'll face the Vipers, and there are a lot of them. Set the Dog to a high attack level and use your axe on these guys. Beware of their long tongues and try not to fight too many of them at a time. If you are near the center of the screen, try to hit the gray Viper Commander when rolls down for his "shake attack". Heal when necessary, and whatever you do, don't let them trap you in a corner. When they are defeated, the Viper Commander comes out to duke it out with you. If the Spider's Claw is at level 2, use your charge attack on him. If not, you'll have to use the same tactic as you did the others, which may take a while. Don't heal unless you absolutely must, because you can fill up for free afterward. When you beat him you get the Horn Spear, your first spear weapon. Next, an alchemist appears. He wonders why you are headed for the volcano, but when you mention Fire Eyes, he knows he can trust you. He says the entrance may be atop the volcano. He opens the gate and offers to heal your wounds. Unless you are almost full, say yes. If you say no, he gives you some ingredients. Either way, he also gives you the Heal formula, which requires 1 Root and 1 Water. When he leaves, search the battleground for ingredients - there are tons of them! When you're head north through the mammoth skull. This next area is populated by raptors which are even stronger than the ones you fought earlier. Be careful! Get to the upper left as quickly as possible. There is an inn here where you can save your progress. Back on the path, try out your spear. You'll want to have it at least at level 2 before the next boss. Make sure the Dog practices, too. At the far right of this area is an item seller. You'll probably want to get some Petals from her. The path farther right leads to the swamp. You'll be going there later. Continue your upward trek until you come to another cave. This one has three raptors inside. Beat them and you'll get a Dino Skin, which is much better armor. Continue up the mountain until you come to a rocky area with lots of Widowmakers (spiders). You should explore this area thoroughly for treasures, using geysers to propel you upward and caves to bring you down. To find the correct path, cut away all bushes at the base of this small mountain. You should find a secret geyser which will take you in the right direction. Once you're up there, take the left cave and step on the geyser you come out next to. You'll land on the very top of the volcano, where an old man is mixing a brew. He claims that going in through the crater would be fatal, and that you should try entering through the catacombs at the base of the volcano instead (the cave with the big rock in front of it). To get around that obstacle, he gives you the Levitate formula. Casting it requires 1 Water and 1É Mud Pepper? What is that, you ask? The old man says they grow in the swamp, east of the item "shop" you passed on the way up. When you're done here, walk off the lower-right edge. You're now at the base of the maze of geysers and caves. Head for the item seller (the inn might be a good stop, too). Stock up on Petals and head for the swamp (actually, you should stop at the armor seller in Fire Eyes' village and buy the Dino Helm and Claw Guard)! Be careful! The small frog-like animals called Frippos are a real nuisance. Although they're tough, you must kill as many as possible, because some of them are triggers that open secret lily pad walkways. Whenever you see a lily pad at the riverbank, step on it and another will appear. Continue this and eventually you end up with a whole bridge. Continue to the next screen to the right. Now, to tell you how to find everything in the swamp would be impossible, but I can give you the most direct route to the end. Cross the first wooden bridge on the right, then head straight up and cross the first bridge you come to. Head north from there, killing Frippos as you go. One of them should make a lily pad appear. Cross it and kill lots of Frippos on the other side. One of them makes a lily pad show up north of the second bridge I mentioned. Cross and the boss it just to the north (you should have the Horn Spear at level 2 by now). Now you face the Salabog, a giant snake. He also summons little enemies called Will o´ the Wisps. Have the Dog take care of them. When the Salabog comes out of the water, charge up your spear and throw it at him. Keep doing this every time he shows himself. He takes a while to beat, but is relatively easy if you use this technique. Just take care to avoid his snapping jaws. When you get hurt, use your new Heal formula. You'll need this often throughout the game, so use it often to get it to a high skill level. After the battle, a man named Blimp appears and welcomes you into his hut. In thanks for saving him from the Salabog, he gives you a Mud Pepper! Now you can enter the volcano! Being finished here, leave the swamp and head south until you reach the large rock blocking the cave. Use Levitate and it easily moves out of the way. Go inside. When you first get in, you can walk through the wall on the left just below the bones that are lying there. There you'll find a Call Bead. Back on the main path, you come to a room filled with lava. Head left and follow this path around to other side of the small room with treasures in it (which you should get, by the way). You should wind up going under an arch east of the treasure room. The gourd there holds a Mud Pepper. Immediately cast Levitate on the rock to your right. Head for the new door, which is to the right of the entrance. Once you go up through the door, head right to reach the other side. Head up and go up the ramp. Push B on the rock to the upper left and you'll knock it into the lava. Go back down the ramp, head west, and go up the next ramp. Push this rock off, too. Together the two rocks will have made a new path. Follow it to get a Mud Pepper. Use Levitate on the rock to the right. Once through, go right, past the rock and to another ramp, which leads to yet another boulder you can push into the lava. Take the new path you've created, and go up the next ramp and deeper into the caves. In this maze of caves, go left one screen and down two. Walk through the wall on the right here to find an alchemist who teaches you the Speed spell. It takes 1 Wax and 2 Water. Save and continue on you way. Head left in the screen above this one, and you should have little trouble finding your way. Eventually you'll wind up back in the lava fields, and face to face with a Viper Commander. Defeat him as you did the one before (having the Dog's attack at level 2 makes it really easy), and he leaves you a Mud Pepper. If you want, you can leave the screen and come back, and the Viper Commander will be back, and he will leave another Mud Pepper each time you beat him. Anyway, go back through the caves so that you're back where you first exited the lava fields. Head right until you reach a rock you can Levitate. Take the new path up and you'll be in a sewer of some sort. Take the upper left pipe, and you'll be in a real maze. Go up, through one pipe, and left through the next one. Then go all the way up, all the way left, all the way down, and all the way right. You'll fall into a room with a switch and a Viper in it. Step on the switch to open a door which I'll tell you how to get to in a minute. Next, take a swing at the Viper. He's friendly, and will record your progress for you (save). Enter the top pipe, and you're back in the main room. This time take the upper right pipe and go straight up. Enter the door on the north wall, and get ready to fight. The evil villain controlling the Vipers isÉ Fire Eyes? Suddenly Fire Eyes appears and there are two of them! The bad guy is actually Fire Eyes' evil twin, who is trying to finish off the villagers so she can take over. Suddenly the two of them disappear and you are pitted against the evil twin's "pet rock", Magmar. Use the Defend formula right away. Speed might also be helpful. Set the Dog's ACT as high as possible, and you're ready to rumble. Attack Magmar by throwing your spear at him. It's very effective and you don't have to be near him for it to work. Attack spells are relatively useless against him, but you'll be healing a lot. You may even need to use Fire Eyes' Life Spark now and then! Avoid his shots as much as you can, and you should be able to beat him without too much trouble, but you have to keep healing. With Magmar gone, the evil twin turns the heat back up, but too high. The volcano explodes, and the Hero and the Dog are sent flying high into the air. The two of you land in a river and go over a waterfall.

4. The Sacred Dog?

When you awake, you're in a place you've never seen before, and the Dog is nowhere to be seen. Your next task - find him! The place you're in now is a town built around a wrecked pirate ship. It's only fitting that the area is populated by pirates. Luckily, they're friendly. Explore the town thoroughly. The residents here use different money than the people of Prehistoria. You can exchange in any shop. Every Jewel is worth 2 Talons. At the armor shop, get one of everything, including the Spiky Collar. In the area east of town, look in all the caves and you'll find Blimp! Like you, he was blown here when the volcano exploded. Suddenly the scene switches to the Dog, who has transformed once again, this time into a sleek white dog. You must control him here (be sure to equip the Spiky Collar). Walking will cause you to jump across the lily pads to dry land. Then enter the palace on the right. Inside, two men are talking about retrieving something called "The Diamond Eyes of the Dog Statue". However, one of them claims that they need a sign from the "Sacred Dog". When the Dog suddenly appears in the room, they are quite surprised. Meanwhile, Blimp has created a path across the chasm to the north of his cave. He also gives you the Crush formula, which is quite effective. It consumes 1 Limestone and 1 Wax. He also has a variety of ingredients, including Mud Peppers. Check this out: in the room in the upper right corner of Crustacia (this town), there is a monk hiding behind some boxes who will offer to sell you something called an Amulet of Annihilation for 10,000 Jewels. Sound ridiculous? Do it! Fight local enemies until you have enough money, then buy it. When you do, he gives you the Chocobo Egg as a bonus, which increases your maximum HP. Each time you buy it again he gives you other charms like the Magic Gourd and Wizard's Coin. Plus, you'll be well worked up for the battles ahead. After purchasing it, you might want to fight a little more so that you have some money to work with (the Mad Monks give you lots). When you're finished here, head north over the chasm to the Desert of Doom. If you head north you'll find an oasis, which refills your HP when you stand in it. On the other side of it is a skeleton sitting in a boat. He offers to give you a ride across the desert if you present him with an Amulet of Annihilation. Take the ride (that's what the amulets are for). While you ride he acts like a tour guide, which is annoying, yet comical. Anyway he drop you off at the great city of Nobilia. Note: Somewhere out in the desert is Sting, a relatively weak attack spell which requires 2 Water and 1 Vinegar. Although the ride seemed short, the desert is actually quite large. When you enter Nobilia (the entrance is on the left side), you find yourself in a crazed marketplace where they trade items instead of using Jewels. If you want to get anything here, do it quickly. The market closes for a meeting in fifteen minutes! But whatever you do, don't buy any armor except the Bronze Gauntlet. You can get the rest for free elsewhere. Besides, I usually don't bother with the market until after the next boss. Do check out the next screen on the right. In the southwest corner is a shop. When you go inside, you'll see a spider crawl behind a stack of boxes. Follow it and you'll bump into a big burly guy. He takes one look at you at says you look weak. He gives you the Atlas formula, which temporarily increases your strength. It costs 1 Ash and 1 Atlas Medallion, which you can buy from him for 100 Jewels. However, each time you buy one it gets more and more expensive. Also the other end of this shop opens to some market stands that are normally inaccessible. Also, there is man wearing green clothes who is standing near Nobilia's entrance. Talk to him several times and eventually he'll say that they are all characters in a video game. You then have the option to change him into one of several embarrassing forms. Instead, push Y and you won't turn him into anything. In thanks he gives you a Stone Vest, which is much better armor. When time is up and everyone leaves for the meeting, look in the upper left corner of the marketplace. Between the two stands on the north wall is a pot with 500 Jewels in it. The head back to the screen on the right. Everyone is gathered in the square, and everyone is worshiping the Dog as the Sacred Dog. In honor of the Sacred Dog's appearance, there is to be a battle in the Colosseum, and the Dog is to choose who will fight against their champion. Of course, since the Dog belongs to the Hero, he comes right to you. Somehow the Hero realizes it is him. A barbarian named Tiny (figures) takes you to a cell where you await your turn to fight. In the cell, the man who was speaking earlier introduces himself as Pompolonius. He is somewhat rude, but offers to save your progress. When he leaves search the room for treasures. There is also a secret passage through the wall on the right. There is lots of armor here. By now the gate will be open so get ready to fight. Watch the Colosseum background. You might notice a special area of seats with an awning over them. Some Final Fantasy III characters are sitting there. Now you face Vigor, the champion. Use your level 3 Horn Spear against him. His spiked chariot normally protects him, but after he attacks he'll ride past you and you'll have a clear shot at his back. Watch out when he flexes his muscles - this means the audience is about to throw some fruit at you. Just move around and you'll avoid that. Keep your energy high - Vigor's attacks do big damage! But with the Horn Spear at level 3 he won't take many hits to beat. As a prize for your victory, you are given the Gladiator Sword.

5. The Search for the Diamond Eyes

The Hero is confused and wants to get back to Podunk. Pompolonius says that your answers may lie on the west side of the river near Crustacia, in the Diamond Eyes that everyone is talking about. With them Pompolonius hopes that Nobilia's leader will have enough power to send the Hero home. Meanwhile, Nobilia's leader is talking to someone. It seems they are up to no good. If you listen closely, you'll hear that these two are somehow in league with Fire Eyes' evil twin! Meanwhile, the Dog has rejoined you and you are back outside the Colosseum. To the right is a large rock. Use Levitate on it and Tiny appears. He says it is his rock, and no one lifts it but him. He'll show you the real way to lift a rock if you give him a tapestry, which is something you can get in the marketplace. Do it. Tiny hurls the rock high into the air. The Hero is wondering if it will ever land. As far as armor goes, you should now have the Centurion Cape, Gloves of Ra, and Obsidian Helm. Go out in the marketplace and get the Centurion Helm, as well as any charms that interest you. The charms available here are: Silver Sheath, Moxa Stick, Armor Polish, Jade Disk, Ruby Heart, Sun Stone, and Magic Gourd. There is also a man who sells Amulets of Annihilation in exchange for rice. Get one or two of those. Ride back across the desert. As you near Blimp's Cave, Tiny's rock lands and makes a new path to some items. Talk to Blimp again and he'll give you the Revive formula, which works somewhat like a Dog Biscuit. It costs 3 Root and 1 Bone. Note: Hard Ball should be one of the first spells you unequip - Crush is much better. Now that you have the Dog back, you should also search the area around Crustacia for alchemy ingredients. In Crustacia, the Dog cannot climb the ladders, so you'll have to ride the lift to get him to the inn if you want to rest. Sell your extra armor and continue west of Crustacia. When you come to the broken bridge, switch control to the Dog and you can jump across by walking towards it. Head north and ride the lift back so the Hero can come across. In the next screen to the left, head for the northwest corner. Note that the Dog's experience level is much lower than the Hero's because of all the battles he missed. So be careful with him, but fight enemies so his level will go higher. Anyway, cross the bridge in the next screen and you find an old man. He somehow guesses you're from Podunk, and introduces himself as Horace Highwater. He is also from Podunk. This part of Evermore, Antiqua, is his creation. It now seems that four people are trapped in Evermore other than you: Elizabeth, Horace, Professor Ruffleberg, and a librarian by the name of Miss Bluegarden. When Horace learns you're after the Diamond Eyes, he suspects that Nobilia's leader has bad intentions. To make sure the Diamond Eyes don't fall into the wrong hands, he asks you to retrieve them and bring them to him. One Diamond Eye is in the Hall of Collosia, the other is in the Great Pyramid. You can use Call Beads to summon Horace as well as Fire Eyes. Talk to his assistant, Madronius. He'll give you the Revealer formula so you can get across the pits around these two areas. It takes 1 Wax and 2 Ash to cast it. Madronius also has a brother who lives in the Hall of Collosia. Look for him when you're there. You have a choice of which Diamond Eye to go after first, but the Great Pyramid is probably your best bet. To reach it, head southwest from the screen to the right. You are confronted with a pit. Use Revealer to see the way across. When you reach the entrance, have the Hero step on the switch so the Dog can go inside. Inside jump over the water as you did before and place the Dog on the upper left switch. Switch control back to the Hero, who should climb the steps of the pyramid and enter the first door he is able to. Use the Horn Spear's throwing ability against the Bone Buzzards, and take the western steps. Out on the roof, take the steps down to a new door. Empty this room of its treasures, and take the northern stairs down. To avoid the Stone Cobras, step only on plates with ankhs on them. Next, move the Dog to the lower left switch. Head through the open gate to fight the Sons of Anhur. Use high-level spear throws to beat them, and you'll get the Bronze Axe, which can cut down the stone doors in here. To the upper right is a save point. Once you've saved, position the Dog on the lower right switch. Next, have the Hero head south and use the Bronze Axe to cut through the first stone door he comes to. Continue south until you come to three paths across the water. Take the one on the far right. Head east and up through the now open gate, stepping only on ankh symbols as before. In the small room here is a new call spell for Horace, Regenerate. It works like Pixie Dust (or Life 3 if you're a Final Fantasy III fan). Anyway, go back across the water and cut down the door on the left to reunite with the Dog. Go back across the water on the far right as before, but this time go back across farther to the right and go up the steps there. The steps which originally took you to the roof are now to the left. Find them and ascend. Outside is a gate with a switch on each side. Have the Hero stand on one switch and the Dog on the other and the gate will open. Inside you face Rimsala. Stand near the entrance to avoid the Flash spells cast by the statues in the room, and power up the Horn Spear. Attack Rimsala's eye (that weird-looking thing that keeps spinning around the room) with strong spear throws when it stops spinning. Don't worry if the Dog gets hurt. All he usually does in this battle is draw the Flash spells away from you. When Rimsala is defeated, you obtain one of the Diamond Eyes. Suddenly you're back outside the pyramid. Return to Horace's camp (you can just fall into the pit and you'll be there) and Madronius will give you the Escape formula, which is pretty much explained by its name. It takes 1 Wax and 1 Vinegar to use it. Save your progress and head for the Hall of Collosia, which is just north of the entrance to Horace's camp. Also look for walls which the Bronze Axe can break down. One of these is back across the bridge near Crustacia. In this small cave is an alchemist who teaches you the Drain formula, which requires 1 Ethanol and 2 Root. Anyway, to get to the Hall of Collosia, use Revealer as before, and search the area around the entrance for alchemy ingredients. Inside, go as far up as you can and the Hero will see a switch that he could hit if he had something to throw (for some reason the Horn Spear won't do). You can use Revealer here to make two paths across the pit. One leads to a save point, the other to a floor switch. Step on the switch and you'll hear a door open. There are four doors in this room, one in each corner. The one that opened is the northwest one. Enter, go around the south wall, and head northeast. Hit the switch and a bridge appears. After you cross it it disappears, though. Cross it and follow the path to a floor switch, which opens the southeast door in the main room. Next, you must hit a switch to the west of the original bridge you crossed. A bridge that leads back across the pit appears, but only temporarily, so hurry and cross it as quickly as possible. Note: south of the bridge you can walk through the wall on the left and find some Pixie Dust. Find your way out of this room and enter the southeast door. Here is the Minitaur, an extremely fast boss who runs around the room like a madman. Set the Dog to his highest attack level and he'll make quick work of this guy. A new floor switch appears which opens the southwest door in the main room. In there are three floor switches, each of which is in front of a gate. For the left gate, step on them in the following order: right, left, center. Center = right, center, left. Right, which is the correct path = left, center, right. In the next room is a bridge. Don't cross it yet. To the left of the torch above it you can walk through the wall. Inside the wall, head down, right, down, left, and up to find a room with a lot of Honey in it. Leave the secret passage and return to the bridge. Press A rapidly while running to make it across. Don't worry if you fall - you need only beat two Lime Slimes to get back to it and try again. On the other side, walk south and a gate closes behind you. Hit a switch to the left, then proceed to the right. In this area are several (six) floor switches. Hit them all and head north. Keep going until you find a switch on a stand, which opens a door that takes you back to the main hall. The northeast door should now be open. Follow the path in this new room and you'll find a switch that creates a bridge. Cross it and head west. Hit the floor switch and a gate opens. Skip the gate and hit a floor switch to the right of it, then go through it. It leads to two sets of stairs. The one on the right is the way to go. Cast Revealer here and continue south. At the bottom of the screen head left and up and you'll come to a Mad Monk. This one is stronger than most, but he leaves a Bronze Spear behind when you beat him. Equip it and start working it up right away. Also check the left wall in the lower left corner. There is a secret passage the leads to a small room. There is a secret passage in this left wall that leads to an alchemist who is actually Madronius' brother. He gives you the Fireball formula, which is quite effective. It takes 1 Brimstone and 2 Ash to use it. Retrace your steps to the bridge that originally disappeared. Stand to the left of the left column and the Hero throws the Bronze Spear at the switch, causing the bridge to appear again. In the main room, the Hero will throw his spear again between the two Revealer spots and make a bridge appear. In here is a giant boss called the Megataur. Set the Dog to his highest attack level and use a powered up spear. Keep your energy high - the Megataur's attacks are devastating. When you beat him he gives you a Diamond Eye, plus a cache of 3,000 Jewels. Back outside, return to Horace's camp. Apparently Horace is out near the river. On your way there you meet up with him, and he's got some cool green duds now. Suddenly he takes the Diamond Eyes and sics two pirates on you. They aren't too hard to beat, but the Hero doesn't think that was Horace, and suggests they head for Nobilia. Do just that. In the town square, Horace's evil twin places the Diamond Eyes in place. The statue explodes and the Aegis appears in its place. He will summon smaller enemies to distract you. Let the Dog handle them (ACT level 2 should do). The Aegis can only be hurt when he doesn't have a medallion on his head, so power up your spear and attack when he drops it. When you beat him the real Horace Highwater appears. He notices that the Aegis' energy core is still sitting there and could explode. Tiny appears and hurls it high into the sky. At last the threat of the Diamond Eyes in over.

6. A Ticket Home?

Suddenly Madronius shows up and says that the energy core exploded north of their camp and made a huge hole in the ground. Horace thinks this may be the way home to Podunk! He also gives you a charm called the Staff of Life, but only if you have at least six call beads. Why that is I don't know, because he doesn't take them or anything. You might also want a Jeweled Scarab and a Golden Jackal from the market. When you're finished here, go back across the desert and head for the Great Pyramid, but on the way, stop at the cave near the river (where you got Drain) and the alchemist there will be so grateful that you stopped Horace's twin that he gives you the Double Drain formula. It works just like Drain, only better. To use it requires 2 Ethanol and 2 Vinegar. To the left of the pit you can go down into what used to be the river. Take it left and up and you'll find yourself in Horace's camp, but in the river. As I was writing this I also noticed you can walk directly into the river in Horace's camp on the lower left side. To the north is a giant hole you must fall into. This area is a dark maze of teleporters. Note: Be sure to practice the Crush and Fireball formulas while you're here. I'll try to help you find your way. Head due south and take the teleporter there. Then take the second teleporter to the right. Then go up, right, and then down. Take this teleporter and head left and up. This next enemy is the Aquagoth, a large squid-like creature with tentacles that are everywhere. Let the Dog handle the tentacles while you hit Aquagoth with spear throws. Look out for his Corrosion technique - use Cure when he uses it on you. He isn't too hard to beat, and you get a lot of money when you win. Suddenly a bucket appears and the Hero climbs in. He reappears at the top of a well with an odd-looking man. When the man brings up the Dog, he has transformed again, this time into a pink poodle. Wondering where you are now? The man says you're just south of Ivor Tower, where some queen lives. Perhaps she can help you. Before you go anywhere, press B on the well handle several times. You should bring up an Oglin, who runs off into the forest. You'll see what that's for later. Head northwest, but just before you reach the Ivor Tower gate, head left through the trees, down, and right. You'll find yet another spell for Horace, called Aura.

7. Dinner With Royalty

Inside the town, start searching the houses of the townspeople for items (I know it's rude, but do it anyway). When you reach the item shop, you can exchange your Jewels for Gold Coins, which is what shopkeepers accept around here. Don't buy any armor except the Defender Collar. Between the two houses two the right of the store is a secret passage through the right wall which leads to a room full of treasures. Also the second house to the right of the store is the home of an adventurer named Lance. Go inside and go upstairs, but don't take any treasures. When you try to leave, Lance appears and thanks you for not messing with his stuff. He gives you the Lance formula, an attack spell which costs 1 Iron and 1 Acorn to cast. After this he allows you to take his treasures, which include an Amulet of Annihilation and a Gold-Plated Vest. There is also another secret room behind the right side of the house north of his. When you have all the treasures you need, return to the entrance. You'll notice there is a marketplace here like Nobilia's but much smaller. Here you can trade the Golden Jackal and Jeweled Scarab for the Oracle Bone, an item that will prove useful later on. There is also a man who has a charm called the Thug's Cloak. Most important of all, trade an Amulet of Annihilation for an Exhibition Ticket. Head into the west alley. There are more merchants here, like a man who sells armor. Get the "helmet" and "arm protection" from him. A woman here sells charms that you traded away. If you never traded anything away, she instead has Insect Incense, which repels insects and spiders. If you want the Insect Incense, but she has other items, you'll have to buy them to get it. If you didn't get the Chocobo Egg, another person will trade it to you for Perfume and Beads. Head north from here to Perceval Plank's Exhibition of Cultural Oddities. Basically, it's a freak show. This is what the ticket is for. The Dog waits outside while you go in. As unbelievable as it may be, the Dog winds up in the show with a pig mask on his face! He gets spooked and runs out into the alley. You may have heard from the townspeople that there is a pig race being held, and the owner of the winning pig gets to have dinner with the queen. The Dog winds up in the race and - being a dog - wins by a mile. This means you get to have dinner with the queen. What a lucky break! The queen may know how to get to Podunk. You sit down at the table and the queen makes her entry. To tell the truth, she is actually quite fat. A guard introduces you. She says you can call her Queen Bluegarden. Meanwhile, the Dog - still with his mask on - is about to be boiled alive by the castle chef! Suddenly the Dog shakes the mask off and makes a break for it. Now you are in the ducts controlling the Dog. First off, alternate going left and up until you're topside again. Head left, up, right, and back into the ducts. Here, alternate going right and up and you should wind up on the ground floor again. Head through the door on the right and jump into the ducts once again. Head up, right, down, and all the way right. You will be dumped into a maze of secret passages. If you manage to find your way through you'll find a woman who gives the Dog a key. This will be useful later. Leave this duct the way you came in and go back into the one before it. Then head left, down, left, down, right, down, right, and up. In the room you end up in there is a secret duct behind the bookcase. Inside, head down, left, down, and all the way right. Take the path there back up to the ground floor. Head east to the balcony and enter the door at the very bottom of the screen. The duct here will at last take the Dog out of the maze. While Queen Bluegarden is talking about how much she likes everything clean, the Dog shows up and jumps onto the table, making a giant mess of the food. The queen is outraged and throws you both in jail. Luckily the Dog escapes through a hole in the wall, and you must use him to open the other cells and fight off enemies. If you have the Defender Collar it should be relatively easy. If they are too much for the Dog alone, step on the switch in front of the first cell to release the Hero. Inside the last cell is an entrance to the sewers. The water here is yellow and polluted, and it will hurt you if you stand in it for too long at a time. Somewhere in the upper right region of this area is an alchemist who gives you the Corrosion formula (if you're still using Acid Rain, unequip it and use this instead). It takes 1 Mushroom and 3 Water to cast it. To the left of him is the exit.

8. The Queen's Task

No sooner do you leave the sewers than a guard finds you and takes the two smelly adventurers to the queen. Queen Bluegarden has a job for you. To the east is another town called Ebon Keep. She and the townsfolk used to live there, but they moved out because it was filthy. A few people refused to leave Ebon Keep, and she wants to go after them. Ebon Keep is to the east, across a giant chessboard. The drawbridge leading to Ebon Keep is down though, and she needs you to find a way down below the chessboard so you can lower the drawbridge and allow her soldiers to storm the town. As you are about to leave the room and head on your way, the Hero at last notices the key around the Dog's neck (if you got it). In the east wing, which is east of the dining room, you can use this key to open the locked doors and retrieve the treasures. There are lots of alchemy ingredients laying around as well. One room even contains a man who is the husband of the woman who gave the Dog the key. Give it to him, but only after you've looted all the rooms. As a thank you for returning his key, he gives you the Fire Power alchemy formula, which consumes 1 Feather and 1 Brimstone each time you use it. Anyway, the correct passage to reach the chessboard is in the southeast corner of the east wing. The hedge maze around the chessboard may look difficult, but all you really have to do is go clockwise around the center, taking the innermost path when possible, and you should wind up in the middle. On the chessboard you'll face the Footkinght. Set the Dog's ACT level as high as possible. The Footkinght is very fast, and is too hard to hit with a spear. Don't bother with alchemy, either. The Bronze Axe charged up is probably your best alternative. Once you beat him, some stairs appear that lead under the chessboard. As you follow this path, you'll see something that looks like the energy core that the Aegis left behind. Remember this. When you leave this area, you'll see a scene which seems to say that Queen Bluegarden intends to do away with you once you've finished your task. Meanwhile, in this next screen is a man who will save your progress. Nice of him. Head south and you'll be in the Dark Forest, the toughest maze of all. At the bottom of the next screen down, you have a choice of direction. Left is the way to go, but if you head right you may be able to find an alchemist who gives you the One Up formula, a truly awesome healing spell. It takes 1 Feather and 1 Root to use it. Once you get it, go back to that first intersection and go left. While in the Dark Forest, try to get some of your attack spells (mainly Crush and Fireball) to at least level 2. The Gargons are especially susceptible to spells like these. Anyway, once you've gone to the left, head as for north as you can. Then head west, and then south. You can usually tell if you're going the right way because you'll see a little blue creature up in the trees. When you can no longer go south, head left and once again as far south as you can go. At this point you should turn right, then go up, then right again, and then down. The go right, down, left, down, and take the first right you come to. Then go down, right, up, right, down, and take the first right. You should find yourself at a bridge guarded by shape shifters who take the form of the Hero. You will have to beat three of them, but one at a time. Use high-level spear throws and set the Dog to ACT level 3. Watch your HP all the time - the Bad Boys will use devastating alchemy like Crush, Storm, and Nitro. Each one you fight will be harder and harder, but if you keep your HP up you should be fine. When you win you get the Crusader Sword, the next weapon in your arsenal. Cross the bridge and you'll find a kid who was watching the fight. He'll allow you to save before venturing deeper into the forest. Next, go right, up, right, up, and as far right as possible. You should bump into an Oglin. Don't worry, this is the Oglin you rescued from the well! He gives you the Wizard's Coin as a reward for saving him. The Wizard's Coin is a charm that increases Magic Defense. Once you have it, head left one screen and turn south. Skip the first right and take second one. Then head up, right, up, left, and up. The boss here is Timberdrake the dragon. Set the Dog to his highest attack level and use a spear you have at level 3. Look out when he roars. That usually means he is about to cast a Fireball spell. But with both the Dog and the Hero using level 3 attacks, the Timberdrake should be toast in no time. When defeated he gives you a Lance (which he was picking his teeth with), plus a whole lot of money. Head east and up the stairs. You should wind up in a sewer system similar to Ivor Tower's. Head right, down, left, and down, all the while using your new Lance to work it up. Skip the first turn and go down at the second. Head all the way left, up, left, and down. This path should eventually lead you to an intersection where you should north. Follow this path to the upper right and you're home free. There are also several secret passages in this sewer. See if you can find them. You should now be in a jail room like Ivor Tower's. Like before, you must open all the cells and defeat the enemies inside. The last cell leads to the streets of Ebon Keep, which looks just like Ivor Tower, except that everything is broken or dirty. Most of the houses are locked tight, but the inn and store are still open. And guess what? They're run by Cecil, a familiar face to veteran RPG gamers! He also mentions his wife, Rosa, but she doesn't make an appearance. If you say you've heard of him he'll lower his prices for you. Get any armor the Hero can use. He also gives you your old Bazooka, which he found in the jungle! Unfortunately, it only has one shot left in it, which you should save for the next boss. Save your progress before continuing. There is also a secret passage behind the first house in the next row up, just like in Ivor Tower. An old woman there will give you the Regrowth formula, which takes 1 Acorn and 2 Water to cast. Purchase any ingredients you need and head on your way. The house she's behind is also one of the few that is still open, and there are lots of alchemy ingredients inside. Head left and enter the castle. The rats in the area are a good way to work up your weapons. Ignore the doors and stairs on the sides, but do check out the basement. Eventually you'll run into the Verminator, a giant rat who sits atop a stack of crates where most weapons cannot reach him. Use your Thunder Ball (Bazooka shot) right away, then start casting rapid-fire Crush and Fireball spells. As soon as the damage numbers appear on him, cast another spell. You shouldn't even give him a chance to move, because he uses extremely potent alchemy spells like Explosion and Acid Rain. If he manages to hit you, heal yourself right away. Don't worry about the Dog. He is completely useless in this fight, and the Verminator will still cast spells on him when he's defeated. The Verminator leaves behind TONS of money when defeated.

9. Camellia Strikes Back

You are soon stopped by a strange man. When the Hero explains about his task, he takes you to the throne room. It's Queen Bluegarden?! Maybe she's an evil twin. No, the first one you met is the evil twin. This Camellia Bluegarden is the original from Podunk. She used to rule Ebon Keep, but the evil twin locked her up and moved everyone to Ivor Tower. Her husband, the king, is being held somewhere where he watches a hypnotic puppet show that keeps him in a trance. It is imperative that Camellia's twin be stopped, and to help you with that, the real deal lets you use Call Beads to call her now, too. To find out what to do next, talk to Tinker, the strange man in the room to the east. But on your way there, the pictures in the stained glass windows come to life. You should be able to beat them easily, though. Next you meet Tinker. He likes to work with machines and alchemy. The Hero tells him the story of how he and the Dog first came to Evermore. When Tinker hears about the space station where the Hero met Carltron and the Professor, he says that he has seen it through his telescope. He says the way back to Podunk is probably up there. Meanwhile, the Hero uses the telescope to spy on the impostor, who is looking for some sort of power-producing device. Tinker thinks that going back across the chessboard would be to obvious a move, and suggests you head north and visit his brother Gomi. In a treasure at the south end of the room is the Knight Basher, an axe which you will need to reach Gomi's place. Read the book on the table next to it to learn the Explosion formula, which combines 2 Ethanol with 1 Ash. Another formula, called Slow Burn, is hidden in one of the bookcases in the room. It consumes 1 Iron and 1 Brimstone each time it is cast. When you're done in Tinker's room, head back to the room right after Verminator. Take the door in the upper left which heads to the dining room. West of that is an area with many side rooms. Most of them contain treasures and the like, but in one you'll find a person named Naris. If you can guess the number of marbles in his hand (mine was four, but it might be random), he gives you the Super Heal formula, a great asset. Just mix 2 Ethanol with 1 Acorn and you'll have a potent healing spell. Then head west from the room after Verminator. You should now be in the jail. One of the cells here leads to the sewer. Work your way to the exit which leads to the Dark Forest, which will much easier now that you can break down the large barriers with the Knight Basher. When you exit the sewer, use your new axe on the barrier to the north and you'll be on your way to Gomi's Tower. Gomi's Tower is a rickety old thing with many spots that crumble as you walk over them. You can avoid this if you dash, but it is usually hard to tell where they are. The enemies here are very strong, so try to avoid them when you can, especially the Dragoils. To reach the end quickly, go up two flights of steps and then go left across two bridges. There is a spot here that will crumble and take you close to the ground, but in a different spot. Descend to the ground and head right. Ascend this section of the tower and you'll see a door. This is an elevator. When you get off of it you'll be only a few stairways from the top and the next boss, Sterling. Sterling is a dragon similar in appearance to Timberdrake. His Fireball attack is devastating, and he likes to pick you up and drop you a few floors down so that you have to climb back up to him. Keep your HP high and use strong alchemy formulas like Crush, Fireball, and Lance. Another good technique is to stand on the floor just below him and hurl spears at him. The Dog will also lend a hand if you set him at level 3. You'll probably use up lots of ingredients, but keep it up and you'll eventually beat him. When you do, Gomi shows up and breaks up the fight. Sterling is his friend. In fact, all dragons are. He doesn't think you should go to Ivor Tower, but when you say that Tinker sent you, he agrees to help out. He gives you the Lightning Storm spell, which requires 1 Iron and 2 Ash. He then gets Sterling to carry you all to a secret entrance to Ivor Tower's sewer system, where Gomi will save your progress for you. Enter and head north and west. If you missed Corrosion, you can get it by going north and east. As before, you'll be in the main hall of the castle. Head for the throne room, but don't go all the way up the steps. Instead, go through a door on the left (like Tinker's but on the other side). As Camellia's evil twin watches from the balcony, you must do battle with two giant puppets, as well as the feared Mungola. Kill the puppets a few times and Mungola shows up. No matter how many times you kill the puppets, they will keep coming back. Try and use level 3 spear shots against Mungola, while the Dog keeps the puppets out of the way. Do be careful - Mungola can use alchemy like Corrosion. Use Cure to negate its devastating effect. The pink puppet, Mephista, also heals him sometimes. Just keep attacking Mungola from a distance and you should be able to beat him. The fake queen is outraged. She dives off the balcony and tries to land on you, but ends up falling through the floor (several floors, actually) and exploding. The Hero notices mechanical pieces where she landed, suggesting she was a robot. The king appears and gives you 10,000 Gold Coins for your troubles. The queen's fall damaged the castle foundation, so the king leads you out of danger. Suddenly he realizes that everyone has gone back to Ebon Keep (when did that happen?), so he goes there as well. Head through the east wing to the chessboard. This time, just walk around to the other side of the area and you'll come to a bridge that takes you right to Ebon Keep.

10. Space Cases

Head for Tinker's room. He isn't there, so check the balcony to the right. He suddenly floats down in a primitive flying machine, called the Windwalker. Tinker thinks he knows how to get you to that space station the Hero seems so interested in, but he needs a few things first. He needs two pieces of the device that was cooling the volcano near Fire Eyes' village, a Wheel and a Gauge. He also needs the Diamond Eyes to power his creation. He allows you to take his Windwalker so you can search for what he needs. You can land the Windwalker wherever you see a light on the ground. And now it's time for takeoff! The Windwalker's controls are listed in the instruction manual if you need them. Head east and land near Fire Eyes' place. Your Dog is now back in his Prehistoria form (the big hairy one). His form is affected by the area he's in. Head south and west to reach the village. When you talk to Fire Eyes, the Hero tells her that he met Horace and Camellia. The only one you haven't found yet is her grandfather, Professor Ruffleberg, who is probably in the space station. When Fire Eyes learns why you're here, she tells you that most of the debris landed in the Bugmuck and on the volcano slope. The Hero also asks if anyone else was there during the experiment, but Fire Eyes says that only the robot butler was there. Find a store and exchange your Gold Coins for Talons. Now head for Strongheart's place. He has developed a new formula, Miracle Cure, which will replace his original Cure formula. It takes 2 Root and 1 Vinegar to use it. Talk to Strongheart as the Dog and he'll give you Spot's Collar, the ultimate in protection for the Dog. Next, head to the Bugmuck and proceed through it like you were headed for Thraxx. When you reach his chamber you'll find that a similar creature has moved in and taken his place. This new enemy is called Coleoptera. She has very strong alchemy, so keep your HP high. Use spear throws and you should have little trouble defeating her. When you win, cut open the cocoon as before and you'll find the Wheel, one of the parts needed for Tinker's machine. Next you should head north of Fire Eyes' village to the volcano slope. Use the geysers the way I showed you to reach the top of the volcano where you learned Levitate. However, instead of landing on top of the volcano (which is now a steaming pool of lava), you land next to a gourd with the Gauge inside! Use the cave to return to the ground, and head for the Windwalker. Fly east to Nobilia, where you should head for the palace. It's north of the former site of the Sacred Dog statue. Horace tells you that Tiny has appointed himself as leader of the Oglins, and must be stopped. He also gives you the Barrier formula, a spell which will prove essential in the final battle. Its cost is 1 Limestone, 2 Bone. Now go across the desert, which you can now do with the Windwalker because there is a landing spot east of Crustacia. Head west to the Great Pyramid. Go down into what used to be the river and you can enter a cave near the pit. Enter the teleporter here and you'll be in a new section of the pyramid. Stepping a switch here opens the door in front of it. There are many treasures in the side doors, including a secret passage in the south wall of the southwest corner of the area. To reach Tiny, you must hit all three switches at once. To do this, use Levitate to place the large rock on the right switch. Then position the Hero on the center switch and the Dog on the left one. Head through the center door. Tiny himself will not do battle with you, but sends hordes of Oglins after you. Their number is unlimited. To make a long story short (since this battle can go on for hours if you don't do it right), step into the first teleporter. When you reappear, step back into the teleporter you came out of. Do this a few times and you'll end up on Tiny's perch. He gives up and gives you the Diamond Eyes. Leave the pyramid and return to the Windwalker. Fly to Tinker's place and he'll be ready to send you into orbit. When you land you'll be in some sort of junkyard. But nothing is more eye-catching than the Dog's latest transformation. He now looks like a robotic dog with a body made from a toaster (can anybody say "K-9" from Doctor Who?)! Don't let his looks fool you, though. Inside that toaster is a powerful gun which can knock off a whopping 2,000 HP with one hit (at level 3)! If you head right you'll eventually find a Guardbot who is disappointed because his shift is over but his replacement is missing. Backtrack to where you fist landed and take the lower left path. There is a strange-looking machine here. Go around it and keep going until you come to a column of light. Step into it and it'll take you to a room with a pool of green slime. Use the Dog's nose here, 'cause there's lot's of alchemy ingredients in here. Next you'll come to a room with four switches, one of which is turned off. Hit the switch next to the one that's off (left middle), and a cage opens, releasing a Guardbot. It turns out to be the missing replacement. She is thankful and gives you the Neutron Blade, the strongest sword in the game. Note: Do not hit the last switch on the right unless you are definitely up to it. Inside is a mechanical raptor, one of the strongest enemies yet. If you return to the Guardbot in the junkyard, he is so grateful that you released his partner he gives you the Reflect formula. Its components are 2 Grease and 1 Iron. Anyway, to the right of the four cells is another light column. You are now out in space, in a series of rooms that are numbered like a grid. The rows are lettered A through D, and the columns are numbered 1 to 4. You can see the letter and number of the room you're in on the south wall, which at this point should be A1. The passages between these rooms cannot be passed through until the little sphere above it is destroyed. To do this, switch to the Dog and exit the airlock (the little door in the upper right corner of each room). He can now fly around outside the rooms and fight off any Sphere Bots you need to. Many horizontal passages contain Rimsalas, so it might be a good idea to take care of them with the Dog before destroying the Sphere Bot. Head for room A2 and go down through the floor. In here is a shop where you can exchange your money for Credits, which is the currency used in Omnitopia (this place). There are three terminals here: one for items, one for ingredients, and one for weapons and armor. Don't get any armor, and try not to get Bazooka ammunition either. If you think that you simply must use the Bazooka, only get Thunder Balls. Head south and you'll see a room with little cleaning robots. Talk to them and one will tell you a random color code. Remember what it is. There is also a colored light column which acts as an inn. It will even record your progress. Use the teleporter on the left and you'll come up at room B2. Your next destination is the room at C2, which is directly below you. In the room within C2 there is a switch that activates some fans. Hit it and return to the surface. Next you must head left to C1. Like always, there will be a Sphere Bot and Rimsala that you must beat to get there. In this room are several heating machines. You can only walk between the ones that aren't glowing. Work your way past them and you'll come to another light column. Before stepping into it, check out the object to the right. It looks like the ball you originally found the Bazooka in. Inside is a helmet called Old Reliable. Equip it and head topside. You should now be at room D1. Head two rooms to the right to D3. Defeat the minor enemies inside, and look at the switches on the left. The first one says "Access Code" on the screen, and has three switches with lights under them. Enter the code given to you by the cleaning robot in this way: 1 = Red, 2 = Blue, 3 = Green. To the right are two switches that control the lighting in two rooms. Just a note: if you change one, the other one changes too. Turn the lights on for now. Also you may notice a screen on the north wall that says "Lock". There is another code you can enter on the "Access Code" switches that opens it. For me it was 1, 3, 1 (red, green, red), but I hear that it's random. Inside is a chamber that leads to two faces in the wall that look like what Horace's evil twin was talking to. They have no physical attacks, but do use alchemy like Heal and Flash, so Reflect might be useful. Stay on one side of the room so only one face is after you. Play the Dog in this fight and use level 3 attacks. By the time they're beaten, you'll have obtained 4,000 Credits and a lot of Particle Bombs, which are a type of Bazooka ammo. Note that these, as well as Cryo-Blasts, the best Bazooka cartridges, never seem to run out. What I mean is that their number does not decrease when you shoot; only the Thunder Balls do this. A note about the two Faces: they don't have to be beaten, so if they are too hard, just skip them. Anyway, when you're finished here, head to the surface and east to D4. Search the room for treasure balls which contain armor, Bazooka ammunition, items, and ingredients. Then head back to the room with all the switches (D3), and turn the lights in the two rooms off. Next head for room C4. If you put in the code like the robot told you, you can walk right through this room to the exit, next to which is a Titanium Vest. Back outside you'll be at B4. Head left to B3 to enter the greenhouse. If the lights are off, you should have no trouble reaching the exit. Normally the plants in this room are active and can kill you in one hit, but with the lights off they are asleep. Also, next to the exit is a treasure ball with Cryo-Blasts inside. Head right when you exit and you'll be at room A4, the entrance to Professor Ruffleberg's lab.

11. The Final Battles

The Professor has been watching you from here, and knows all about your journey. It seems that Carltron the butler is behind everything that's been going on; the sabotaged experiment, the evil twins, everything! If it wasn't for the Hero and his furry friend Carltron would have ruled all of Evermore. He is now hiding in a chamber at the very center of Omnitopia. The Hero agrees to stop him once and for all, as long as he can go home to Podunk afterward. However, the only way to reach Carltron's chamber is with a special item: the Energy Core you saw under the chessboard in Gothica. The Professor uses his controls to open a new stairway on the chessboard. He also gives you a formula called Call Up, which makes Call Beads, which you can now use to summon him in battle. Its cost is 1 Meteorite and 1 Dry Ice. After saving your progress, hit the switch the Professor used earlier. You can use it to buy armor. Get everything the Hero can equip. Then head into the room where Carltron first sent you. In the ball that held the Bazooka is a new weapon, the Laser Lance. Head down through the opening ahead and you'll be back on Evermore in control of a new aircraft which takes the place of the Windwalker. Land at Tinker's and go inside. Remember the treasure that held the Knight Basher? Inside is a new axe, the Atom Smasher. There is also a new formula on the table called Nitro, which takes the place of the original Explosion formula. It requires 1 Gunpowder and 2 Grease. Next, check out Ebon Keep. Everyone from Ivor Tower has moved here, and there are lots of new treasure to be found in the houses. The marketplace is the same as before, except for two things. One, the west alley no longer exists, and two, the woman who used to sell Exhibition Tickets now sells Bazooka ammo. Note: there is no point in buying any Bazooka shells other than Thunder Balls because the other two kinds are unlimited. When you're finished in town, go back into the castle and find the room where you met Naris and learned Super Heal. West of that you'll find the chessboard. Make your way to the center as before, but this time take the southeastern steps. It shouldn't take long for you to find the Energy Core. Push B to pick it up. If continue to follow this path you'll come to an alchemist. Normally he just gives you the Force Field formula, but if you have the Oracle Bone he also gives you the Stop formula. Force Field takes 1 Grease and 1 Iron to use, while Stop consumes 2 Wax and 1 Crystal with each use. Intelligently, the ingredients he sells are Grease, Iron, Wax, and Crystal. Be sure to stock up on these. Return to Tinker's place and fly back to Omnitopia, which is done by saying that that's where you want to go when you take off. The Professor has a new spell for you called Energize, which is really cool. The formula is 1 Crystal and 1 Iron. Make sure you have Barrier equipped before you leave. Now you are finally ready to face Carltron. Leave the lab and head all the way left, back to A1. Return to the junkyard and proceed to the console you passed when you first arrived. It activates using the Energy Core and will save your progress if you like. Then it teleports you to a new room with an iris door in the floor. Choose the Bazooka as your weapon, and hook in the Cryo-Blasts. Set the Dog's ACT to level 3 and you're all set. Enter through the floor. When you first enter, it will seem as though there is nothing to this room except the little bombs that come out of the wall. Not true. Your targets are the speakers and fans that make up the north wall. Hit them using the Bazooka, but don't get too close or they'll blow you back. The bombs are relatively easy to avoid, and shouldn't give you much trouble. You can tell when one is going to explode because it will start to pulsate. When they have all been destroyed several switches will appear in their place. Hit them all and a ton of monitors appear. Immediately cast Barrier to protect your two characters from harm. Several robotic raptors will appear. Thanks to Barrier, you should be able to beat them with little more than Cryo-Blasts and some attacks from the Dog. Ignore the piles of dust they leave behind, for these are nothing. When a Mechaduster (cleaner robot) appears, do not kill it. This only causes Death Spiders to appear, which are very tough to beat. This Mechaduster will appear several times, and you should never try to hurt it. More raptors will appear shortly. Note: whenever Barrier wears off, you should always cast it again quickly, before an enemy can hit you. Keep Barrier on for the whole fight. After several waves of raptors you'll fight some Final Rimsalas. These guys are tough to hit, but should pose little trouble with Barrier on. When they are gone, the computer will clone the Hero and make another Bad Boy like the ones from the Dark Forest. This guy is a wimp and will probably break down in a couple of shots. The Dog's clone, the Dark Toaster, which shows up next, is another matter altogether. He has tons of HP, attacks constantly, and is fast and tough to hit. He will take some time, but you can do it. After he is gone and the Mechaduster has cleaned up the mess, a new version of the "pet rock", Magmar, appears. His attacks and alchemy will slow you down, but Barrier will protect you from being hurt. Luckily, Magmar is a big target who is easy to hit. Sometimes Magmar will jump into the middle of the room and energy from the walls will start healing him. Shoot him quickly to stop it. If you stopped the healing process quickly, it shouldn't be long before Magmar is defeated and the final enemy, Carltron's Robot, appears. If you can, position yourself directly behind the robot and fire away at his backside. If you keep using Barrier and stay behind him, he should be no trouble at all.

Well, I hope you enjoyed Secret of Evermore, and that you found this information helpful. Now sit back and enjoy the ending, as the Hero and his friends try to leave Evermore before it's too late. Note that this is one of those endings that has a little segment at the end if you let it sit there for a while, so don't turn it off right when it says "The End".
 

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