Stage 05: Floating Sponge Garden

Ink these three sponges and walk across them. But watch out for the three Octoballs that appear ahead. Instead of shooting them, simply retreat to the center sponge. As the Octoballs chase you across the first sponge, their ink causes the sponge to shrink—eventually they’ll fall, netting you Power Eggs without even firing a shot. This is an important lesson—enemy ink causes sponges to shrink!

The large blue sponge here has already absorbed your ink. You need to get it to shrink. Eliminate the two Octopods around the base, then swim to the top of the sponge, luring the two Octotroopers above to fire down at you. Dodge their incoming fire, allowing it to hit the sponge. As the sponge shrinks, a cargo net is revealed beneath it—just below this net is a hidden platform holding the level’s Sunken Scroll.

Sunken Scroll After the sponge has been shrunk, drop through the cargo net in squid form to access this platform where the Sunken Scroll is waiting in a crate. If you can’t shrink the sponge above, you can still access this platform. Walk off the side of the platform above, and drift toward this platform as you fall.

Crossing this array of sponges is risky, due to the three Octocopters and Twintacle Octotrooper waiting on the other side. Stay hidden in your ink until you reach the second set of sponges in the middle—the Octocopters are now in range. Engage the Octocopters one by one. If you come under fire, stay near the center of the sponge, as this is the safest place to stand as the sponge shrinks. Continue to the third set of sponges and engage the patrolling Twintacle Octotrooper on the neighboring platform. Just ahead, use the Ink Cannon to blast your way through the remaining opposition.