Neopets Escape from Meridell Castle

Here you’ll find some tips for getting the Escape from Meridell Castle avatar and trophy.

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Basic Information

In Escape from Meridell Castle, you control a Draik, and you go through twenty different dungeons, evading guards and other dangers, to escape the castle. Use the left and right arrow keys to move across the screen, the up key to fly, and the space bar to attack with your sword.

You can increase your score in three ways:

-Collecting stars (1 point per star)

-Hitting a Mystery Box (in each box, there’s a 2% chance of getting 100 points)

-Killing an enemy (scoring is very weird; the score for one enemy is the number of enemies left on the level (so if the level started with 10 enemies, the first one is worth 10 points, the second is worth 9…))
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Cannons can’t be killed, but they can be attacked for points; the enemies that look like suns and metal stars can’t be attacked.

You start the game with four lives, and you can get an extra life every time you collect 100 stars.

Spikes and red acid drops will kill you on contact.

In levels 11 and 19, there is a red door that will take you to a bonus level with lots of stars; if you go into the one in level 19, you’ll never be able to get out. The level will keep repeating until you run out of lives.

This one is important: If some stars or mystery boxes look like they’d be too dangerous to go for, then don’t go for them. You don’t need to collect all the points possible to get a high score.

You can get that avatar by having one of the fifty highest scores of the month at any time when trophies are awarded.

Tips and Strategies

Conserving flight energy: Your character can only fly a certain length of time before he needs to land and rest. You can get more distance out of your energy by tapping the up key over and over very rapidly. You can use this strategy to reach places you couldn’t before, or to get places faster.

Attacking: When you’re walking toward an enemy that you can kill, press the space bar about a second before you’re killed. If you press too early or too late, you won’t get the timing right, and you’ll lose a life. You don’t want that.

Flying past spikes: If you have to fly through a narrow passage, surrounded by spikes, you’ll die if you make the wrong move. What you need to do is make sure that your back is almost touching the tips of the spikes; the reason for this is that your back is immune to dangers. Don’t get too close though, otherwise you’ll die.

Landing in small spaces: If you’re flying up and need to land in a space that’s only one block wide, let off the up key just before your character is level with the space, and hold the key that will take you into the space. You’ll be more likely to get inside this way than if you wait until you’re level with it.

Level guide

Level 1

A nice, simple start… Kill the Grarrls, collect the stars, and hit the mystery box. When you’re flying between the spikes near the end, make sure to have your back facing the right set of spikes. Oh, and hit the up arrow key in front of the door to move on to the next level.

Level 2

Another decently simple one. Kill the Grarrls, minding the spikes… This is one of those situations where you shouldn’t try to collect all of the stars. You’ll almost definitely lose lives if you try to get everything.

Level 3

This level may seem daunting to beginners, it did to me for a while. When the level starts, be ready to kill the Grarrl. Carefully kill the Korbats above you, then move below the spikes that look like they’re on stairs. Fly up, and when you’re above the first set of spikes, begin holding down the left key too. Land carefully on the open spot, then fly above the spikes and through the space to the next section, which luckily is fairly easy.

Level 5

This is where you’ll see acid blobs for the first time. Be careful of the drips and you’ll be fine.

Level 6

Right at the beginning, you’ll see Korbats flying back and forth in a very small space. Here, you should note that if you slash when you’re slightly below them, they should be killed instead of you. You’ll also see your first metal star, but it won’t be much of a threat.

Level 7

Here, the acid blobs can be very dangerous, if not impossible to pass, if you’re unlucky. The drips happen at random speeds each time you play the level, so if you’re lucky you’ll get a slow drip, but if not it’ll be dripping twice a second. Wait until you know the interval of the drips before trying to go past them. Also, the first cannon is here, but it won’t be too dangerous.

Level 8

Lots of cannons. They’ll be shooting at you at least two at a time, so be watching the whole screen. Remember, you can attack the cannons for points, and they’ll give you lots of points here.

Level 9

It’s a big level, but everything is stuff that you’ve already seen. Be careful, but don’t waste too much time. There’s a time limit on every level.

Level 11

Once you get to the big yellow door, stand to the right of it and fly up (use the flight energy conservation strategy that was mentioned earlier). You’ll see energy refills as you fly, which you will need to grab. At the top, there’s a door to the bonus level, where you can get lots of points, and maybe an extra life.

Level 12

This is the most important level when it comes to getting a high score. It gives more points than any other level, so if you’re going for the avatar or trophy you’ll want to play it several times (by dying at the end each time you play). It is also one of the hardest levels in the game, so dying might not be your choice anyway. Go to the left side of the level first, slashing enemies and cannons for points all the way to the top. Once you’ve gotten everything, carefully go back to the bottom and head over to the right side. Here’s where you will die: at the metal stars, or at the cannons right above them. This is a matter of practice, so I won’t even give any advice for dealing with it. You’ll be lucky enough to get past it once in a while, but not often. Like I said, though, if you’ve gotten to this level then you’re practically guaranteed to get the avatar and trophy you want.