Phases

Recommended route (draft)

Draft 2026-10-13 for the site’s /route/ page. Room references use the database notation (Field A-1).

Sources and confidence

  • Phases 1–7 are translated from the jpdb walkthrough (jpdb/through/phase001–004), with room numbers checked against the EN database and wiki.
  • Phases 8–20 are reconstructed from the item requirements (EN database), the gate conditions (jpdb) and the wiki’s guardian, sage and mantra pages. The order follows hard requirements; where two orders both work, I picked the one with less backtracking.
  • ⚠ marks a step or order I couldn’t confirm from the sources. Check these in the game.

Guardian order in this route: Amphisbaena → Sakit → Ellmac → Bahamut → Viy → Baphomet → Palenque → Tiamat → Mother.

Phase 1: Surface and Guidance Gate

Goal: Grail, Shuriken, first Ankh Jewel, defeat Amphisbaena.

  1. You start at Surface G-4. Enter the tent and talk to the Elder; he opens the gate to the ruins.
  2. Break the pots at Surface E-4, F-4 and K-1. Each gives coins and a Weight, but only once.
  3. Defeat every enemy at Surface I-2 for the Shell Horn.
  4. Put a Weight on the pedestal at H-3 and enter Guidance Gate from H-4.
  5. From the shops at F-4 and G-4, buy the Glyph Reader, Handy Scanner, Game Master and Ruins RAM 8K. Make a few trips into the ruins for coins, then buy the MSX2, Waterproof Case and Buckler.
  6. Guidance Gate D-1: step on the switch for a Life Jewel. Read the Grail tablet at D-2.
  7. F-2: put a Weight on the pedestal. The spikes are fake. A ladder appears, and the Shuriken comes out of the tablet.
  8. C-3: put a Weight on the pedestal for the Map. At C-4, break the green stone so an elevator appears in B-4.
  9. B-3: push the block onto the grey zone to raise a pedestal, then weight it. A pedestal appears in D-3.
  10. An invisible floor runs from the angel statue at B-3 to D-3. Walk along it and weight the new D-3 pedestal. This brings out the Ankh in E-5.
  11. D-4: defeat every enemy to make a block appear in E-4. At E-4, use the three blocks to fill the grey zone and raise a pedestal; weighting it brings down a ladder.
  12. Walk through the wall behind the bottom-right skeleton at E-4 to reach B-4. Push the block onto the grey zone and take the Grail.
  13. A-6: break the statues in the order sword, shield, helmet, armour. A ladder appears in B-6. Climb it and step on the switch, and a pedestal appears in D-5.
  14. D-5: weight the pedestal for the Ankh Jewel.
  15. E-5: use the Ankh Jewel on the Ankh and defeat Amphisbaena. Shuriken into its open mouth work well; it takes about 20–30.

Phase 2: Mausoleum of the Giants

Goal: Throwing Sword, defeat Sakit.

  1. Enter from Guidance Gate A-6.
  2. Go to the back of the pot at B-2; the floor collapses and drops you to A-2. Defeat only the masked men, leaving the ghosts alone, for the Throwing Sword.
  3. Step on the switch at C-2, then weight the pedestal at C-1. The Map appears in C-2.
  4. Read the Grail tablet at E-3.
  5. F-4: put a Weight at the foot of the right-hand giant for a Life Jewel.
  6. E-6 is a star, sun and moon puzzle:
    • Set all stars: a pedestal appears at G-3. Weight it for the Ankh Jewel. Climb up from the fallen giant at G-4. From the starting state, hitting the middle moon twice turns everything to stars.
    • Set all suns: a pedestal appears on the chest of the statue at H-4. Weighting it meets one of the conditions for the C-5 Ankh.
    • Set all moons: the Ankh appears at C-5.
  7. C-5: defeat Sakit. Hit its face with your main weapon, about 20 Whip hits.

Phase 3: Temple of the Sun

Goal: Knife, Heatproof Case, defeat Ellmac, get the Bronze Mirror (opens the back-side fields).

  1. Enter from Guidance Gate D-5.
  2. Attack the socket-like object at the bottom of B-1, then strike the control panel at B-2 to turn the power on.
  3. Break the off-coloured wall at C-2, then step on the switch at C-1 for the Map.
  4. B-1: defeat both Bennu to raise a pedestal and weight it. The minecart in C-1 comes down.
  5. B-2: use the lit floor to reach A-2 and defeat the room guardian.
  6. C-1: push the minecart down and read the Grail tablet. Taking the map removes the ladder; push the statue against the wall to bring it back.
  7. D-2: from the gap at the very top, hit the face relief on the right wall with a Shuriken. The wall vanishes; step on the switch for the Knife.
  8. Push the cart down through C-2 and C-3. At D-5, ride the blue platform down to the middle level and push the cart into D-6.
  9. E-5: break the lowest pot to reveal a shop. Buy the Heatproof Case and Diviner Sensation.
  10. C-5: listen to the person in the hole until they finish talking. Then stand under the eye at B-5 for about 5 seconds and the chest releases the Ankh Jewel. Go round via C-5 to the middle floor and weight the pedestal to open the door to it.
  11. D-4: defeat both bats for a Life Jewel.
  12. E-3: walk through the wall below the sun and step on the switch in D-3. The E-4 floor opens and a pedestal appears in E-3. Weighting it opens the floor beside the G-6 chest.
  13. D-6: defeat the Bennu to bring out the Ankh, then defeat Ellmac on the minecart. Shuriken into his open mouth; bring about 60.
  14. E-6: read the tablet and take the Bronze Mirror.

Phase 4: Twin Labyrinths shops

Goal: Helmet and Dragon Bone. The rest of the Labyrinths stays closed until Phase 11.

  1. Enter from Mausoleum of the Giants H-4.
  2. Take the stairs down at A-2 to J-2, up the stairs at J-2 to J-3, then down the left stairs to A-4.
  3. A-4 shop: buy the Helmet and the expensive Handy Scanner. It’s a fake, but buying it makes a second shop appear at J-4.
  4. Take the left stairs down from J-3 to J-4 and buy the Dragon Bone, which opens the way to the Shrine of the Mother.

Phase 5: Spring of the Sky

Goal: Conception Seal, Scalesphere, Glove, Boots, defeat Bahamut.

  1. Enter from Guidance Gate G-2.
  2. B-6: jump over both waterfalls and the Map appears.
  3. Defeat the room guardian at E-3, then take the Conception Seal from E-2.
  4. D-1: open the chest with the Conception Seal for the Scalesphere.
  5. C-2: break the seal with the Conception Seal. A waterway control appears; weight its pedestal to open the floodgate.
  6. D-2: hit the left gear until it starts turning, about 15 Whip hits.
  7. D-4: break the seal with the Conception Seal and a shop appears.
  8. The chest at C-5 is now open. Take the Glove.
  9. Read the Grail tablet at B-5. At C-8, defeat the fish-man himself for the Ankh Jewel.
  10. B-10: knock the bone off the top of the chain so the gear at B-9 turns. The water from B-10 now flows into Temple of the Sun F-4 and G-4.
  11. Drop from B-10 into Temple of the Sun F-3. Break the pot at G-4 to reveal a pedestal and weight it for the Boots.
  12. Weight the pedestal at Spring of the Sky C-9 and the Ankh appears at C-2. Defeat Bahamut.

Phase 6: Surface, east side

  1. After Bahamut you come out at Surface L-1. Jump from the waterfall and land in the middle of L-2. Take the Birth Seal.
  2. L-3: break the wall near the bottom of the waterfall for a Life Jewel.

Phase 7: Inferno Cavern, first pass

Goal: Flare Gun, Grapple Claw, Chain Whip. jpdb recommends having the Ice Cape (Phase 9) first.

  1. Enter from Temple of the Sun A-2.
  2. E-1: hit both snake statues until they shoot back, and the Map appears.
  3. D-3: open the seal with the Birth Seal. The Penguin Adventure ROM is lying there.
  4. Break the upper-left wall at D-4 to reach C-4. Push every block onto the grey zones for the Flare Gun.
  5. Read the Grail tablet at F-4.
  6. G-5: step on the switch sunk in the lava. Blocks fall; stack them to reach the pedestal and weight it for the Grapple Claw.
  7. Go down the shaft at D-2, using the Grapple Claw, into the new left-hand passage at D-3. Defeat the room guardian at B-3.
  8. A-3: weight one of the two bottom pedestals and climb onto the floor that pushes out on that side. The floor rises; weight the top pedestal for the Chain Whip.

End of the jpdb walkthrough. Everything below is reconstructed.

Phase 8: Tower of Ruin (first pass) and Viy

Goal: defeat Viy. This opens the Tower of the Goddess and the way into the Chamber of Extinction.

  1. After Bahamut, the gate at Inferno Cavern D-5 leads to Tower of Ruin D-6.
  2. Tower of Ruin: defeat both black dogs at B-3 for the Map. Strike only the characters M and U in the background at F-4 for an Ankh Jewel. Go through the hidden passages to the switch at E-4 for the Spear (E-5). Weight the pedestal at F-5 for a Life Jewel in G-5. ⚠ Not confirmed that all four are reachable this early.
  3. Come back through the Ruin D-6 gate into Inferno Cavern D-5. That brings out a pedestal at D-4; weighting it makes the Ankh appear at D-6.
  4. Defeat Viy. The wiki recommends standing on the high platforms and using Spears on the eyelashes and Throwing Swords into the open eye.
  5. Viy’s defeat unlocks the Surface K-3 door (Tower of the Goddess) and the Inferno D-6 → Chamber of Extinction G-2 route. The sphinx at Temple of the Sun F-3 crumbles: examine it for the Talisman. The room past it holds the eight mantra hint tablets; read them now.

Phase 9: Back side, first sweep

The Bronze Mirror (Phase 3) opened these. All are short visits.

  1. Temple of Moonlight (from Temple of the Sun D-5):
    • Ride the elevator up from E-4 and hit the red button at E-3 repeatedly with Shuriken for the Serpent Staff.
    • Weight the pedestal at A-1 for the Ice Cape.
    • Weight the lower-left pedestal at D-6 for the Book of the Dead.
    • Use the Knife on the stone holding the boulder at B-3; the boulder rolls onto the switch and gives you the Axe.
    • Weight the pedestals at C-2 upper-left, upper-right, lower, centre for the Map.
  2. Surface: with the Serpent Staff, defeat Algol at B-3 and take the Feather (double jump) at A-3.
  3. Confusion Gate (from Guidance Gate A-3):
    • Get the Pepper from the occupant at F-4, take it to Guidance Gate C-1 and jump in front of the stone face for the Treasure. Bring the Treasure back to F-4 for the Anchor.
    • Read the left tablet at D-3 so a room appears at F-5. Talk to its occupant for the Mini Doll.
    • Take the Mini Doll to the Mausoleum of the Giants to open the way to Confusion Gate D-4. Defeat Shu.
    • Break the two blocks by the elevator at C-3 to reveal the chest; with Shu dead it opens for the Endless Key.
    • Pass in front of every opened chest at D-5 for the Map.
  4. Graveyard of the Giants (from Mausoleum D-3, open after Sakit):
    • Defeat the Kamaitachi at E-3 for the Bombs.
    • Use the Birth Seal to turn off the barrier at D-4 and climb with the Grapple Claw for the Gauntlet.
    • Defeat the wizard at D-3 for the Map.
  5. With Bombs and Flares now in hand:
    • Surface J-2: in the underground tunnel, bomb the rightmost wall for the Pistol.
    • Guidance Gate E-2: use the Birth Seal and shoot the three enemies that appear at the top with Flares for the Cross.
    • Temple of Moonlight F-4: bomb the large block near the top to open the shop and buy the Bracelet.
    • Twin Labyrinths D-4: bomb the upper-left block to reach the shop and buy the Lamp of Time (200). Buy the Scripture at G-4 (350) when you can afford it.

Phase 10: Endless Corridor

Entered from Mausoleum of the Giants B-5. Goal: Keyblade, Twin Statue.

  1. Read the Grail tablet at A-1 in the top corridor.
  2. Use the Endless Key: a ladder appears at B-1 down to the second corridor.
  3. Second corridor: defeat every flower enemy at C-2 for the Keyblade. To reach the third corridor, light the lanterns that spell the “end of the 5th year of the Aztecs” (2012, from the manual), touching each lantern once. The wiki’s Endless Corridor page gives the order.
  4. Third corridor: weight the pedestal at D-3 and race to A-3 for the Twin Statue. The hidden passage just right of the upper ladder at D-3 is a shortcut.
  5. ⚠ Corridors 4–5 (block puzzles, then down to the Shrine of the Mother) can wait until Phase 17.

Phase 11: Twin Labyrinths and Baphomet

  1. Open the whole field: holding the Twin Statue, enter the twin gate at the bottom of D-1 and warp to G-1. Weight the pedestal there, go back to D-1 and weight the top pedestal.
  2. Collect:
    • Map: break the wall to the right of the foot of the D-2 ladder.
    • Life Jewel: go through the hidden ceiling passage at C-3 and weight the hidden pedestal.
    • Ring: step on the upper switch at B-2.
    • Katana: come in through the I-3/I-2 twin gate, step on the lower switch at B-2, then the switch that appears at I-2. The Katana is in I-2.
  3. Ankh Jewel: defeat the red enemies at D-2, then the sorcerer and mage at G-2. A floating pot and a witch appear at D-2. Defeat the witch, then break the pot to open the chest at G-2.
  4. Defeat the room guardians Peryton and Zu to open D-3 and G-3.
  5. Stand still in the centre of G-3 for a few seconds; the Ankh appears at D-3. Defeat Baphomet. This opens Inferno Cavern B-1 ↔ Tower of Ruin F-1.

Phase 12: Katana errands

  1. Graveyard of the Giants: cut a hole in the B-1 floor with the Katana and take the Silver Shield in B-2. Don’t buy the A-1 shop’s 150-coin imitation.

  2. Confusion Gate: break the floor of A-3 with the Katana and escort a Key Fairy from A-3 down to A-4 for the Body Armor.

  3. Confusion Gate Flywheel (E-1), in any order:

    • Defeat the Ba at D-1.
    • Lure the lizard into the ray of light at B-3.
    • Freeze time with the Lamp of Time and break every pot at F-2.

    The Flywheel wakes the mud men and opens up the Chamber of Birth.

Phase 13: Tower of the Goddess

Entered from Surface K-3 after Viy. The tower starts dark.

  1. Defeat the two Vimana at D-2 for the Plane Model. Some of the goddess statues that block exits disappear.
  2. Weight the pedestal at A-2, then the one it lets you reach at A-4, for the Eye of Truth (A-5).
  3. Save first. The Mace is permanently missable. Step on the switch at C-4 and balance the scales with the soul weights for the Mace. The wiki has the full order.
  4. Read the Grail tablet at B-5. Break the wall left of the top ladder at C-8 and weight the pedestal for the Map.

Phase 14: Chamber of Birth

Entered from Tower of the Goddess A-2 or Graveyard of the Giants E-5. ⚠ Exactly how the Flywheel gates entry is not described in the sources.

  1. Collect:
    • Map: climb the ladder hidden behind the grey block at D-5.
    • Perfume: wait at G-2 until a mud man walks over the switch.
    • Pochette Key: defeat the Big Man at F-5.
    • Woman Statue: weight the pedestal at I-4. When the spikes start dropping, quickly weight the second skeleton from the right to escape, then re-enter the room for the statue.
    • Container: at G-2, reflect the turret’s laser with the Silver Shield to destroy it and get into F-2.
  2. Buy an Ankh Jewel at the C-4 shop (120).
  3. Hit the top of the big white wall at H-3 until the small window lights up; this lights the dark rooms in the Chamber of Extinction.
  4. Take the Woman Statue to Temple of the Sun E-4 and wait there. Then enter Temple of Moonlight D-3 from above and pause the game (F1) on the raised platform under the relief; the Ocarina appears when Lemeza falls asleep.

Phase 15: Chamber of Extinction and Palenque

Entered from Inferno Cavern D-6, Surface J-2 or Temple of the Sun G-4.

  1. Collect:
    • Map: defeat the room guardian at C-4.
    • Life Jewel: step on the switch at C-3.
    • Read the Grail tablet at F-5.
  2. Life Seal: break the left wall above the green pool at H-5 with the Axe and follow the hidden passages to F-5. Open the seal there with the Birth Seal and push the block that appears onto the grey zone. The Life Seal is in F-4.
  3. Palenque:
    • Warp from Chamber of Birth G-3 into Extinction G-2 and weight the pedestal. A Plane Model mural appears at B-2.
    • Touch the mural while holding the Pochette Key to raise a pedestal. Weighting it brings out the Ankh at I-3.
    • Defeat Palenque. This opens Chamber of Birth D-2 ↔ Extinction C-1.

Phase 16: The Sages

Needs the Ocarina. Each sage opens a path.

  1. Alsedarna, Temple of Moonlight E-3: opens the ladder at Endless Corridor E-2 down to Shrine of the Mother A-3.
  2. Samaranta, Tower of the Goddess B-5: opens the ladder from Shrine of the Mother D-3 to C-3.
  3. Giltorriyo, Spring of the Sky A-5: opens the ladder from Tower of Ruin F-1 to F-2.
  4. Fobos, Dimensional Corridor B-5: visit in Phase 18.

Phase 17: Shrine of the Mother

Needs the Dragon Bone (Phase 4). Entered from Twin Labyrinths G-1, the bottom of the Endless Corridor, or Chamber of Extinction H-5.

  1. Attack the two statues at F-3 until they fire back, then weight the pedestal for the Map.
  2. Bomb the column hanging over the chest at A-3 and weight the pedestal under it for the Death Seal.
  3. Life Jewel at C-2: use all four seals. Get this before you defeat your 8th Guardian. The Shrine changes into the True Shrine and this jewel is then lost for good.
  4. Show the Talisman to the Elder (Surface G-4). Then at Shrine E-2, open the chest with the Life Seal and freeze time with the Lamp of Time so the pillar can’t block the path. Take the Diary.
  5. Bring the Diary to the Elder for the Mulana Talisman. Use the Life Seal on the chest at B-2 and take the Crystal Skull; you need the Talisman to pick it up.

Phase 18: Dimensional Corridor and Tiamat

Enter from Twin Labyrinths J-2 with the Crystal Skull. The Grail doesn’t work here, and the only way out is the one-way door at C-6 into Endless Corridor B-1.

  1. Collect:
    • Ankh Jewel and Map: jump onto the central pillar at C-7.
    • Angel Shield: clear the enemies at B-3 three times.
    • Life Jewel (D-1): ride the D-2 room guardian up into D-1, then use the Lamp of Time and climb the falling blocks to the pedestal.
    • Defeat the room guardian at B-5 to reveal Fobos. He lets you chant BIRTH and DEATH in the Tower of Ruin.
  2. Defeat all eleven room guardians. The Ankh appears at D-3. Defeat Tiamat for the Magatama Jewel.
  3. ⚠ Tiamat is your 8th Guardian in this route. Check you have the Shrine of the Mother Life Jewel (Phase 17, step 3) before the fight.

Phase 19: Final preparations

  1. Tower of Ruin, second pass:
    • Wedge: weight the pedestal at F-2 (Giltorriyo’s ladder) and defeat Nu Wa at E-1.
    • Medicine: at C-4, freeze time and defeat two of the white flying enemies. Follow the passage that opens and weight the pedestal at its end. With the Container in hand, chant BIRTH at D-2 and DEATH at E-2 and F-2. This gives the yellow Medicine of Life; collect it at G-2. If you get the wrong colour, talk to Fobos again to reset.
  2. Read every Grail tablet, front and back, so the Grail turns gold. The Shrine of the Mother’s own tablet isn’t needed.
  3. Mantras: with the Wedge and Magatama Jewel, chant all eight in order. The tablets behind the sphinx (Phase 8) say where each one is. Don’t save and reload until every mantra is chanted. The wiki has the full method.
  4. Bring the Keyblade, Katana, Axe and a Whip.

Phase 20: True Shrine of the Mother

  1. Weight the dais at B-2, use all four seals, then strike the Ankh with the Keyblade.
  2. Mother’s forms and the weapon each needs:
    1. Stone face: Keyblade.
    2. White silhouette: hit her shots back (any weapon; the Katana is best).
    3. Weeping Mother: Axe.
    4. Two eyes: Katana, striking right, left, right, right, left, right, left, left. This pattern comes from the tablets.
    5. Small silhouette: Whip.
  3. If you don’t have the gold Grail and the yellow medicine, you get thrown out after the first form.
  4. Escape the collapsing ruins back to the Guidance Gate entrance.

Optional

  • Hell Temple, Maze of Galious, Legendary Tree (separate pages; sources: wiki, jpdb tohell/ and mog/).
  • All 84 MSX ROMs and the Skimpy Swimsuit (Hell Temple C-10).

Lost forever (summary for the route page)

  • Shrine of the Mother Life Jewel, if the Shrine transforms first.
  • Mace, if you balance the scales wrong.
  • Graveyard of the Giants C-1 ice block, if you use the pedestals in the wrong order. You can still get past it with the double jump.
  • See the wiki’s Lost Forever page for the full list.