Parched Earth

Parched Earth is an interesting level because there is a 5 minute time limit to completing this level. If you don't get to the exit in time then the door shuts and you can't get past it. However, with your extensive jumping skills that you earned in the Labyrinth and a bit of practice you will get through this level without too much trouble.

What I did in Parched Earth was go through it two times. The first time was to ignore the timer and just get all of the Xichrons and scope out what the level looks like. Then I saved at the save point at the beginning so from that point on I could concentrate on speed. The second time I tried to go through it as fast as possible and to beat the 5 minute timer. You probably won't be successful the first time and you shouldn't be depressed or down. Just keep trying and you'll soon be on the other side of the door. While there is no right way to get through, I'll tell you what I did that worked best for me.

Picture 1	Picture 2
Picture 3	Picture 4

You enter in Parched Earth from the right to find another Habnabit in Picture 1. She tells you that this level has a 5 minute time limit or else you won't get through. In Picture 2 you'll see a flag that marks the beginning of the time limit. Enter the level when the Dragon Cannon that's pointing the left is starting to move up and try to make it over the spinning Dragon Cannon that's at the top. After you get over these cannons you'll be in Picture 3. Jump in the Dragon Cannon that's above Ferazel and head to the left to Picture 4. Now go in the Dragon Cannon that's above Ferazel and since this one automatically fires you out, hold the left key to land in the Dragon Cannon that's to the left.

Picture 5	Picture 6
Picture 7	Picture 8

In order to fire out of one Dragon Cannon and land in the one to the left, I waited until the Dragon Cannon that I was in was below the one that I wanted to get to and just beginning to move up. That way I could still see the Dragon Cannon and make sure that I landed in it. I'm showing off this procedure in Picture 5. After going left I was in Picture 6 and then I went down. At the bottom there is some quicksand and a floating platform that I got on in order to get to the ledges where the Gold Xichrons were. At the top I am in Picture 8 and there are more Dragon Cannon's to the left and spikes above them. Following the above procedure for Dragon Cannon hopping is even more important here because if you jump too high you'll hit the spikes.

Picture 9	Picture 10
Picture 11	Picture 12

After going left past the Dragon Cannon, you'll be in Picture 9. Climb up above Ferazel to find yourself in Picture 10 and a stash full of goodies. Note that you shouldn't go into this section when are trying to beat the 5 minute limit. Go back down to Picture 9 and run as far left as you can and then stop between the spiked balls when they start to come down again. You'll be in Picture 11 and follow the same procedure for these spiked balls as for the previous ones. Head to the right and follow the path to Picture 12. You can get the Invincibility power up and that will be a lot of help to you. Now go right and up over the springs.

Picture 13	Picture 14
Picture 15	Picture 16

In Picture 13 there is a large area of quicksand that you have to go into and left past the wall and then get out of there before your oxygen and/or health run out. I found that climbing out can be faster if you climb up on the wall. Go left past the quicksand to get the Double Speed power up. Get above the quicksand in Picture 15 and go left to Picture 16. Climb up to find an Invincibility power up and then go back down.

Picture 17	Picture 18
Picture 19	Picture 20

In this section there are many Dragon Cannons and spiked walls. You start out in Picture 17 and what you do is fire the Dragon Cannon when the other cannon is directly across from you. If you're lucky or very skillful, you won't get hurt at all or very much. At the end you'll be in Picture 19 where you can get a quick boost from the Ziridium Brine. After this, there will be an area of Dragon Cannons with Gold Xichrons between them. You'll have to aim when you fire out of the cannon so that you can both get the Gold Xichron and land in the next Dragon Cannon. This is really tricky and you will most likely fall but you can easily get up again. Since you're not worried about the time when you first go through, you don't have to be concerned about falling. Getting through this section is a lot easier when you aren't trying to get Gold Xichrons.

Picture 21	Picture 22
Picture 23	Picture 24

In Picture 11 follow the Gold Xichrons to find a Double Speed power up. Climb out and go to the left path until Picture 23. Keep on going right until you get to Picture 24. Kill the Red Slime and then go down to Picture 24. Get in the left Dragon Cannon and get fired underground past the spikes that are above you. Just be sure to kill the other Red Slime that's to the right of the exit Dragon Cannon.

Picture 25	Picture 26
Picture 27	Picture 28

Go up to Picture 25 and follow the path to Picture 26 which is the exit that you want to get to within 5 minutes. Now you simply go to the right and get on the teleporter to arrive back in Picture 27. Heal up if you need to and use the save point at the beginning of Parched Earth. From now on you can concentrate on speed rather than getting all of the secrets and Gold Xichrons. In Picture 28 you can see my most recent score although I have beaten the level with 1 minute and 30 seconds before so you can get through this level really fast.

What a quick level this was! It required skill and used your jumping skills that you refined in the Labyrinth to get 100%. If you found this level easy, don't worry because the future levels will prove to be much more challenging. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email me.