Road to Ruin

Rewards: Clear Gem 1—destroy all 89 boxes. Clear Gem 2—get through the death route.

The first time you play this level, go for the crystal. You can’t collect all the boxes because some are in a secret area. To get there, you must enter a secret portal from Diggin’ It, a level in the Alpine Warp Room.

When the level starts, watch out for a mole as you jump across platforms. Smash some boxes and keep going by jumping onto a mole on a small platform and bouncing across a gap.

Make your way right and clear away moles as you jump from platform to platform. Jump onto a TNT box, then drop onto an Aku Aku box. Move away from the explosion and face a lizard. It has sharp spines, so don’t jump on top of it. Either jump over it or hit it by sliding into it. Continue to the checkpoint.

Jump across to a falling platform and then into a larger area, where you must avoid a lizard or slide into it. Keep going forward, then turn right. Slide into a lizard to clear the way, then time your movements past flames. Stop before you cross a long row of brown platforms that fall when you walk on them. There are flames from the gorilla head, a flame trap, out in the middle of this section, so time your movements so you don’t have to stop and risk falling.

Continue to regular stone and slide into a lizard so you claim the crystal. Jump across to the next area. Hit the switch to make boxes appear. Jump across more platforms to reach a corner where more boxes wait to be smashed. Now head right. Keep moving across the brown platforms until you reach the checkpoint. There’s a flame trap up ahead. You must jump across to a brown platform—time your jump so you don’t get cooked. Then jump onto the circular platform on the right to access the bonus stage.

The two flame traps up ahead rotate, so they cover a larger area of your route. As soon as they stop, rush past them. Jump to the right to face a monkey. Spin-attack it, then jump across to encounter a mole. Jump onto a TNT box, then slide into a lizard. Next, hit a switch to blow up the nitro boxes in the level before you follow the platform forward to face off against another monkey. Continue until you enter the portal room. Claim the Clear Gem, and end the level by taking the portal back to the warp room.

Time Trial

Time Requirements

Sapphire: 1:13:00

Gold: 0:51:78

Platinum: 0:39:04

To get through this level quickly, you can’t stop along the way. Instead of waiting for the flame traps, run straight at them and jump over the flames. If a lizard is too close to slide into, jump over it and keep going. As always, pick up all the time boxes to temporarily stop the clock. Hit the switch to make the boxes appear, since there’s a time box in the mix. Break all the Aku Aku boxes for added protection. Run all the way to the portal to stop the clock.