[TEXT] Spoiler-tagged Hints to finding all PHANTOMS / Civilians

This guide contains text hints that will help you collect everything in all stages without resorting to videos, holding your hand too much or giving away more information than you want.

Introduction

This guide does NOT intend to show you every single enemies. Instead, I'll provide hints on how to find the most hidden stuff, and I'll also tell you how many enemies you need to have killed when you reach each of the checkpoints.

Note that the hints are spoiler-tagged, so you can still use the guide if you just want to know how many enemies you need on each checkpoint.

It's worth mentioning that Civilians always provide 10 PHANTOM points, so I won't need to list them separately.

General hints:

• Take your time to explore, since there's no rush.
  
• Be careful not to break potential platforms.
  
• Most manned vehicles (tanks, helicopters, mechas...) will spit a PHANTOM when you destroy them. Don't forget to kill the pilots as well!
  
• If you pause and hit "Restart", you'll go back to the previous checkpoint, but you'll also lose a PB Jar. It might be useful if you notice you've missed something and can't go back.
  
• "Retire" will make you leave the stage. You'll lose the progress you've made in that level, but you get to keep your Peanuts / PB Jars (and you won't lose a Jar).
  
• Water can help you douse fires (from the environment and from the enemy), and it can also kill small mechanic enemies, like the drones from PHANTOM Dome 1. Some enemies stop acting for a while when they're hit by water as well. It can also modify the environment, so make sure you try it out, especially if you have access to a fountain.
  
• I'm not including boss fights in this guide because you just have to beat the boss to get all PHANTOM points.

Zone 1: Shell City

Stage 1 — Battle of Shell City

Checkpoints: 74 / 144

Stage 2 — PHANTOM Express

Checkpoints: 95 / 126 / 203

Hints:
(a) After the 2nd checkpoint, before smashing the walls above the spikes, take the path above, to the left of the walls.
(b) After that, you'll soon run into an area where you're being bombed. Right after the trampoline there, before the PHANTOM with a sword, there's a gap with 4 peanuts above it. Fall straight into the gap, between the 2 bombers, for a hidden area.
(c) Right after the 3rd checkpoint, take the path above the spike first, through the cannon.

Stage 3 — Into The Inferno

Checkpoints: 74 / 120 / 169 / 198

Hints:
(a) First checkpoint count includes the enemies above it.
(b) Enter the first cannon only when you're at 120.
(c) Enter the second cannon only when you're at 166. Note that you can smash through the floor to the left of the cannon.

Stage 4 — PHANTOM Dome 1

Checkpoints: 60 / 70 / 128 / 231

Hints:
(a) After the first "tennis ball fight", DON'T smash the trash. Douse the flamethrower PHANTOM with water and use a NORMAL jump to smash him.
(a) In the secret area a while after the 3nd checkpoint (in the zone with 2 blue flames, after destroying the fire tank), destroy only the 2 inner pillars (WALK past the 2 outer pillars).
(b) Uppercut the 2 damaged Stompers in the last section.

Zone 2: Greenville Peaks

Stage 6 — Rolling Hill Ruckus

Checkpoints: 61 / 135

Hints:
(a) In the area with 4 sprouts to climb the high wall, there's a PHANTOM in the grass field.
(b) Climb the wall to the left before hitting the first checkpoint.
(c) Climb the lilypads to the left before hitting the second checkpoint.
(d) A few enemies emerge from sprouts on the ground, so make sure to water them all.

Stage 7 — Cliffside Clash

Checkpoints: 36 / 101 / 179 / 262 / 330

Hints:
(a) Enter the first cannon when you're at 92.
(b) Kill the thorny PHANTOMS by stomping close to them to make them flip.
(c) After the third checkpoint, don't break the stones so you can climb to the left.

Stage 8 — Vertical Velocity

Checkpoints: 26 / 93 / 243 / 306 / 337

Hints:
(a) Bring the first bowling ball all the way to the right and send it to press the switch.
(b) Bring the second bowling ball all the way to the left, on the trampoline. Send it flying up, follow it, and do an uppercut in order to break the platform above and release the Civilian.
(c) After the third checkpoint, go back to the right for a hidden passage.
(d) Send the last bowling ball through the path above and into the area with the tanks.

Stage 9 — PHANTOM Dome 2

Checkpoints: 42 / 108 / 180 / 198 / 291

Hints:
(a) Careful after the first checkpoint. You'll need the platforms to go up right before the second checkpoint, and even the house up there will be necessary.
(b) Mind the secret door hidden behind the trucks right before the third checkpoint.
(c) When you reach the top of the conveyor belts, keep going left (under a bomb turret) for a secret area.
(d) There's another secret area to the left of the fifth checkpoint (make the punch plant stretch all the way there).
(e) Ater the fifth checkpoint, in the area with the lasers, after the second spring jump, simply dash all the way to the left to free the Civilian.
(f) Right after the previous note, be quick to take out the helicopter and rescure another Civilian. Don't be afraid to get hurt.

Zone 3: Zappo Land

Stage 11 — Welcome To Zappo Land

Checkpoints: 129 / 155 / 214 / 250

Hints:
(a) After the 2 zappers going around, careful not to fall through the floor before exploring the area to the right.
(b) After the second checkpoint, break the floor to reveal a cannon before going down on the right.
(c) After the area with many high jumps with bumpers, fall in the hole for a Civilian before breaking the ground. Then, take the path above the platforms for another Civilian. Then take the path below those same platforms, through a cannon. Only after all this you may break the floor (your count should be 250).
(d) Move below the statue to find the last Civilian.

Stage 12 — Zapporail

Checkpoints: 99 / 138 / 208

Hints:
(a) Make sure you bring a few Jars. The laser section after the third checkpoint is hard. My Jar balance on this stage was -9, and that's all because of the last laser part.
(b) This part is really hard, since you can't make mistakes. Don't worry about killing PHANTOMS, since the laser will do the job for you, but you'll need to rescue Civilians.
(c) On that section, after the tank, you'll soon jump over three tanks. Right after that, fall through the gap to rescue a Civilian.
(d) The ninth Civilian is really hard, since the laser will be very close to you and you'll need to uppercut him. Before that, on the conveyor that moves backwards after the exploding crates, it might help to use the dive spin to gain a bit of time.

Stage 13 — Electric City

Checkpoints: 84 / 195 / 348 / 486

Hints:
(a) There's a hidden secret area above the first checkpoint.
(b) After the area with 3 helicopters and a bowling ball, don't miss the secret passage on the left.
(c) This Civilian is hard to find. Right after you run down the stairs with the bowling ball, killing the spikey enemies on the way, bring the ball to the area above the door and toss it up to break a platform and make a Civilian drop from above. Note that this Civilian is not visible, neither is the platform.

Stage 14 — PHANTOM Dome 3

Checkpoints:
* Green door: 141
* Blue door: +92 (233)
* Pink door: +93 (326)
* Yellow door: +169 (495)

Hints:

(a) Green door: After the electric helicopter, break the ground right after the door.

Zone 4: PHANTOM Fortress

Stage 16 — Enter the PHANTOM

Checkpoints: 138 / 271 / 419

Hints:
(a) Start by dashing and jumping across to the left.
(b) When you're dashing through the first series of PHANTOM busses, don't miss the breakable ground. In the secret area, run ahead of the bowling ball and push it to the left when it reaches the area with enemies. Don't let the first ball fall into the hole to the right.

Stage 17 — The Hothouse

Checkpoints: 0 / 131 / 289

Hints:
(a) This level is more like a gauntlet and you'll need to beat all enemies rather than explore. Just make sure you kill all pilots and PHANTOM sprouts (water them!) as well.

Final words

Did this guide help you? Don't forget to rate it up!



Found a mistake, or missing information? Leave a comment so I can fix it!

[MakoSipper]

<3

[Helispark]

I'm glad a guide like this exists, even if I only had to use it twice near the start of the game. Good job!