Palutena is unable to locate Pandora, the goddess of calamity. The source of the interference is a stronghold at the entrance to the Underworld, a place called Reaper Valley. This is not a good place to go.
The opening parts of the battle send a variety of familiar faces at Pit. Things get a bit more tense when the angel peers into the distant terrain, and sees hundreds, if not thousands, of small red lights staring right back. Tracking lasers sweep across the sky. Every single red dot is a Reaper.
Hoping to evade detection, Palutena guides Pit toward a ravine, which you hope will bypass the enormous Reaper army in the valley. Take care to avoid hitting parts of the terrain and evade enemy fire. You’ll start seeing Minos and Shulms strewn throughout the ravine. Watch out when you destroy a Toxiecap, they leave behind a poisonous cloud. While it’s short lived, if you are too close when you take out the monster, you’ll definitely be poisoned by the gas.
When you reach the caves, you’re attacked by a Mega Mussel. Take out the three red pearls between its jaws quickly, as they can regenerate if the monster survives for too long. As you exit the cave, you are rewarded with a quartet of Recovery Orbs.
When Palutena tells you that many enemies are ahead, believe her. In addition to a new swarm of Monoeyes and Miks, you’re also introduced to the Gloomerang. These baddies can’t be hurt until they’ve thrown their boomerang blade at you. Use a Special Attack if things get dicey.
As you cut through caves within the ravine, watch out for Reapers, which are easily spotted by their red lasers. If you miss destroying one and pass it by, it will summon a Reapette to attack. You can get a sizeable bonus for killing all the Reapers inside the ravine.
You fly out of the ravine only to be faced with a sci-fi epic’s worth of laser fire streaking from the ramparts of the Reaper Fortress. Do your best to smack down the final sets of enemies that present a last-ditch defense and then get ready to crash the front gates of the castle.