LEVEL 11: BRANCHESTER
4 SECRETS
You’re finally among the Zixie tribe. Sam talks to the Zixie chief, who is confident that the area is secure from Mental’s minions. Famous last words, as they find the spot and now the Zixies are under direct attack!
When you start the map turn 180 degrees around. Cross the bridge over to another house and go around to the backside where you will find the entrance. This is Secret #1. Enter and use the stairs to climb up. Now make a series of jumps from ledge to ledge until you arrive at the top. The first several ledges are unstable and extend and retract at regular intervals. Time them so you can make it up. If your timing is not perfect, you will fall to the ground and have to start again. When you make it up there, jump to the center ledge and take the Extra Life.
Return to the starting point of the level and head out with the Zixies. No, do not neglect the boxes, they might contain something useful. It does not take long for Mental to begin his attack on the tribe. He send is a large pack of flyers and a Helicopter. You can probably take down all the enemies with your basic weapons but if you have the need for more firepower, find and man a nearby turret and give them a real shock! No, you won’t find much inside the houses, so when the fighting is over, follow the area out blasting whatever crates you see. Two crates house a Hopper each, so stay alert. When you go up the slope another fight kicks in, but an easy one in my opinion. A Turret spawns directly ahead flanked by two Grunts and opens fire. In addition, you need to kill a swarm of Kamikazes. Do what you need to do to save as many Zixies as possible. Continue up the slope when all the enemies are out of your way.
The crates on the left have a 5-point health pill and a Hopper, that’s about it. Continue out to summon more enemies. Nothing you cannot deal with. A few Witches are in the mix. What, you thought you were done with those when you left the swamps? Nope. Anyway continue beyond that and get more enemies to attack you, Tanks, Kamikazes, and others. When the fighting is over a trampoline is available for use at the end of this platform. Use it to propel yourself to the next area. Don’t forget any items on this platform though before you leave.
Mental is turning up the heat on you. You have two more Tanks to deal with on this platform, plus some Grunts, some flyers and one demon. You should be able to pick them off one by one though. Then there’s another Tank on the bridge leading out, so kill him two. The crates here, as usual, will give you some items to utilize. There is a large tree to the right of that bridge. Walk around to the other side to find a switch. Use the switch to summon an elevator. Get on the elevator then use the switch there to ride it up. When it lands, take Secret #2, a treasure chest. Drop back to ground level and follow the bridge out.
Save your game here because if you touch the water, you will not be able to get the next secret. All you have to do is jump from one wooden plank to the next until you make it to the other side. You won’t actually get physically harmed for touching the water so if you’re not worried about secrets, you can just simply walk across. But if you manage to stay on the planks the whole time, Secret #3, a Serious Bomb, will spawn on the next bridge ahead of you.
In the next area there is a large crate to the left but blasting it is ill-advised because inside it is a Kamikaze, nothing else. But killing it with good timing will mean you escaping getting hurt, and racking up more points. So go for it if you want a higher score. Go and take the Uzis accompanied by four boxes of bullets, then fend off the large swarm of Hoppers heading your way. Some will be larger than others and thus will take more rounds to kill. After the fight I had to go scouring for some health and armor so I advise doing that before triggering the next phase of the battle. A Zixie near several crates will throw you a health cube. When you’re done take the 10-point health tablets in the center of the area. Just before the exit bridge, to the right is a house with a money bag in it, so get it for 1,000 points.
Go down the bridge to the next small platform guarded by two Zixies. They will help out as much as they can. First take out a few Kamikazes, then watch the skies for some flyers and a Helicopter. When they’re all dead, continue into the next large area. You will be attacked almost right away so look to the right for a turret to climb into. Finish off the ground resistance, and watch out for bombers in the sky. Those planes are fast-moving and while they’re moving around they’re firing at you. Difficult to time correctly so you can shoot them out of the sky. But do so, time them and then fire the turret at them, eventually they will be brought down. When it’s over throw the switch behind the turret to raise a bridge near the exit. Another big fight, so get back in the turret. There is another one on the left side of the big tree in case this one gets shot up.
After the fight start collecting the items in the boxes, obviously. Also look at the tree in between the turrets. Go behind the tree situated between two houses. There is the frame of a doorway. The door will need to be blasted with an explosive, I recommend a grenade. Secret #4 will be unlocked. Enter and climb the stairs to the switch. Use the switch to raise a column so you can jump from ledge to ledge to get the money bag. On this same ledge, press another switch to make the armor accessible. Make the series of jumps and when you have the armor, drop down and return outside to finish this area off. You can simply make a large running-jump from the money bag ledge over to the armor but it’s a little more difficult.
Return outside heading for the sealed gate. Another fight commences so hop back in the turrets and bring down all enemies. Further out there is the gate, but you have more enemies to take care of, including a few bombers at one time. The Serious Bomb you hopefully found is very useful here. To the right of the gate there is another switch. To the left one of the houses has a money bag inside. Before you can use the switch another Helicopter attacks. Bring it down and the use that switch to lower open the gate. Oh yes, and also drop in a Tank so kill him. Then another Tank is lowered in, do the same with him. Proceed through the gate to end the level.
A Zixie female arrives on the tram and offers Sam a ride to the other side free of charge. You’re on your way to the next level, Woodstock!