Excluded and Commonly Missed Locations
An ✗ indicates that the given location is excluded in the logic difficulty that column belongs to. Excluded locations are still present in the game, but will always contain an unimportant filler item. (No locations are ever excluded by default in Master logic difficulty.)
Episode 1
| Location Name | Beginner | Standard | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| TYRIAN (Episode 1) - First U-Ship Secret | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
At the start of the level, a wave of U-Ships will fly down the left side of the screen.
Wait for the first one to start flying upwards before destroying it. |
|||
| TYRIAN (Episode 1) - HOLES Warp Orb | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Destroy every wave of U-Ships that appear at the start of the level.
Each wave must be fully destroyed before the last ship of the next wave appears on screen. After doing so, the first spinner formation after approaching enemy platforms will then contain an item. |
|||
| TYRIAN (Episode 1) - Tank Turn-and-fire Secret | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| At the section with four tanks driving across two parallel strips of road, wait for the rightmost tank in that group to get into position, turn, and start firing. | |||
| TYRIAN (Episode 1) - SOH JIN Warp Orb | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Do not destroy any of the waves of U-Ships at the start of the level.
(Except for the U-Ship that drops the "First U-Ship Secret" item, which may be destroyed freely.) Just before the boss flies in, there will be an additional ship that contains an item. |
|||
| BUBBLES (Episode 1) - Coin Rain, First Line | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BUBBLES (Episode 1) - Coin Rain, Fourth Line | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BUBBLES (Episode 1) - Coin Rain, Sixth Line | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| These locations are excluded on Beginner logic due to the light and color effects during the Coin Rain section. | |||
| ASTEROID2 (Episode 1) - Tank Turn-around Secret 1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Do not destroy the very first tank in the level until it reaches the rest of its squadron, turns around, and starts to fire at you. | |||
| ASTEROID2 (Episode 1) - Tank Turn-around Secret 2 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
In the second squadron of tanks, two tanks on the right side will stop firing and start heading upwards after a short time.
One of those two tanks will drop an item if you wait until it reaches the top of the pathway, turns around, and starts firing again. |
|||
| ASTEROID2 (Episode 1) - Tank Assault, Right Tank Secret | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| As you're approaching the Tank Assault section, destroy the tank on the right side as it turns onto the rightmost road, but before it goes offscreen and turns around to fire at you. | |||
| ASTEROID? (Episode 1) - WINDY Warp Orb | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
Destroy the platform on the left side of the screen next to the four "welcoming" launchers,
then destroy the two heavy missile launchers that spawn afterwards.
After the mid-boss launcher, an additional tank will then appear that contains an item. |
|||
| WINDY (Episode 1) - Central Question Mark | ✗ | ✗ | ∗ |
|
This obstacle that drops an item is plainly visible on screen, however it is surrounded by indestructible bricks.
* In Expert difficulty, you are expected to use Invulnerability to obtain this item. If Invulnerability is not in the item pool and is not available in any other way, this location is excluded by default. |
|||
Episode 2
| Location Name | Beginner | Standard | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| TORM (Episode 2) - Ship Fleeing Dragon Secret | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Near the beginning of the level, one green ship in the last V formation (the fourth in line from the left)
will remain on screen after the rest of the ships in its formation leave.
Shortly after, a dragon will descend and attempt to attack that ship; shoot the ship as it starts to flee. |
|||
| GYGES (Episode 2) - GEM WAR Warp Orb | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Three purple marker ships will appear in sequence throughout the level.
They will stop spawning if one of them is not destroyed and is allowed to leave the screen. After destroying all of them, the last will drop an item. |
|||
| ASTCITY (Episode 2) - MISTAKES Warp Orb | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Periodically throughout the level, red variants of the shield-shaped enemies will appear.
They will stop spawning if one of them is not destroyed and is allowed to leave the screen. If none of them are missed, then an item will appear all on its own near the end of the level. |
|||
| MARKERS (Episode 2) - Car Destroyer Secret | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
At various points throughout the level, red cars will appear from behind you and drive forwards.
They will stop spawning if one of them is not destroyed and is allowed to leave the screen. After destroying all of them, the last will drop an item. |
|||
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Orbsnakes, Trigger Enemy 1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Orbsnakes, Trigger Enemy 2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
MISTAKES is a complicated level, where destroying (or not destroying) specific trigger enemies changes which part of the level you play next.
In Beginner logic, all parts of the level that require anything more than destroying everything are excluded. The simplest path to reach the Orbsnakes section is to destroy Trigger Enemy 2 (the second purple marker ship) in the starting section, and leave Trigger Enemy 1 (the first such ship) alive. |
|||
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Claws, Trigger Enemy 1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Claws, Trigger Enemy 2 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The simplest path to reach the Claws section is to destroy neither Trigger Enemy in the starting section. | |||
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Super Bubble Spawner | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
First, reach the Claws section, as stated above.
Then, in the Claws section, destroy Trigger Enemy 2 (the right shapeshifting turret) and leave Trigger Enemy 1 (the left shapeshifting turret) alive. The Super Bubble Spawner will appear at the end of the section you will be taken to afterwards. It will also drop a significant amount of money when destroyed. |
|||
| MISTAKES (Episode 2) - Anti-Softlock | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
First, reach the Orbsnakes section, as stated above.
Then, in the Orbsnakes section, destroy Trigger Enemy 2 (the orbsnake that travels quickly from the top-right down to the bottom) and leave Trigger Enemy 1 (the orbsnake that orbits the screen for a significant amount of time) alive. Note that Trigger Enemy 2 does not actually gain its trigger or drop its item until it is halfway down the screen already; if it is destroyed too early, it will not count. If done correctly, a solitary ship from SOH JIN should appear containing an item. |
|||
| BOTANY A (Episode 2) - End of Path Secret 1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Just before the "Mobile Turret Approaching Head-On", there are two more mobile turrets resting on a track,
one of which retreats and goes further down it.
If it is allowed to reach the end of the track, it will start firing faster and drop an item. |
|||
| BOTANY A (Episode 2) - End of Path Secret 2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
Immediately after the above section, there are many mobile turrets and a complicated rail network.
One of the last mobile turrets in this group will take a complex path eventually leading itself to a dead-end along the right side of the screen. If it is allowed to reach that dead-end, it will start firing faster and drop an item. |
|||
Episode 3
| Location Name | Beginner | Standard | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAWBLADES (Episode 3) - SuperCarrot Secret Drop | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Throughout the level, SuperCarrots (carrot-shaped ships) will fly down towards you.
They will stop spawning if one of them is not destroyed and is allowed to leave the screen. After destroying all of them, the last will drop an item. |
|||
| TYRIAN X (Episode 3) - First U-Ship Secret | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TYRIAN X (Episode 3) - Second Secret, Same as the First | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
At the start of the level, a pair of U-Ship waves will fly down each side of the screen.
Wait until the U-Ships start to ascend, and the first U-Ship of the left formation will contain an item. The second pair of U-Ship waves also contains an item, obtained by doing the exact same thing a second time. |
|||
| TYRIAN X (Episode 3) - Tank Turn-and-fire Secret | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| At the section with four tanks driving across two parallel strips of road, wait for the rightmost tank in that group to get into position, turn, and start firing. | |||
Episode 4
| Location Name | Beginner | Standard | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| SURFACE (Episode 4) - WINDY Warp Orb | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
At the very start of the level, destroy all of the four waves of grey "fork" ships that appear.
Later on in the level, a line of three such ships will fly through an arch on the left. If the ships at the beginning of the level were destroyed, another line of ships will also fly through the arch on the right; one of them contains an item. |
|||
| SURFACE (Episode 4) - Secret Orb Wheel | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
At the very start of the level, ignore all of the four waves of grey "fork" ships that appear.
(Ignoring them will also cause some ships in those waves to not spawn.)
If this is done, after the lightning turret mid-boss, a wheel of orbs will spawn; the single vulnerable orb will drop an item when it is destroyed. |
|||
| WINDY (Episode 4) - Extra Section, Start | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| WINDY (Episode 4) - Extra Section, Ending | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
Throughout the level, there will be a series of destructible bricks that look similar to the normally
indestructible brick walls, except they contain a pair of chevron marks on them.
Destroying all of these bricks will make the secret level jingle play near the normal end of the level, and the level will continue on longer than it normally would, allowing collection of the items within. |
|||
| EYESPY (Episode 4) - Billiard Break Secret | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Near the end of the level, a group of blue eyes will line up in a formation that resembles a rack of 9-ball.
They will then be broken up by a green eye appearing from the top of the screen, and scattered.
Wait until the formation of eyes break, and the blue eye in the top-most position will drop an item. |
|||
Episode 5
Episode 5 does not contain any excluded locations due to its short length and relatively simplistic nature.