Retro Arcade: The Goonies 1986 Platform Game Walkthrough: Stage 5

Stage 5: Aquatic Odyssey

Time Limit: 450 seconds
Special Items: Raincoat, Armor
Hidden Stuff: UFO

Welcome to the ultimate showdown, the final stage before you lay your hands on One-Eyed Willie's treasure trove. This place is soaked, my friends, with water everywhere, dripping and cascading like a neon waterfall. Don't let the pressure get to you; keep your cool and stick to your search strategy. The fifth Goonie, our pal Mikey, is waiting to be found!

By now, you should be no stranger to this stage's layout. A big central region, flanked by two separate back regions. Your entry point depends on your journey so far. If you've arrived from Passage B, you'll pop into the middle of the lower section of part A. But if you've used the warp from Stage 3, you'll drop in from the right side of the upper section of part A.

If you've come through the passage, begin by making your way left to skull mouth A. When you reach it, take a quick moment to unlock the skull door on the right before venturing into the perilous territory of part C. Brace yourself; it's a tricky spot. Your first challenge: leap over two puddles to your right. The ceiling is low, so you'll need to leap from the far left edge to clear the water. Failure means a lost life. Once you've conquered these treacherous jumps, the worst is behind you. Climb up the vine and pop open the top door, then navigate all the way left to find another door. With both unlocked, head back to skull mouth A and return to part A.

Now that you're back in part A, march to the far right and ignore the vines leading up to the top section. Seek out a skull door beneath the stage lock. Pop it open, then ascend the nearby vine to the upper section of part A. Keep climbing the next vine and unlock the door to your left. Afterward, hustle to the far right to locate another skull door. Double back to the far left and approach skull mouth B. Glide through it into part B.

Part B shares similarities with part C, but the tricky bottom jumps are optional. From the skull mouth, go right until you find one skull door. Then dash all the way right to spot a second one. Return to the skull mouth and hop back into part A. To reach the exit, use the vine on the left wall, not the right. Climb down and hop one level to the right, leap across the gap, and you'll reach the exit lock.

Secrets:

Raincoat

If you missed the raincoat earlier, you're in luck. It's tucked away to the left of the two vines leading up to the upper section of part A. You'll need it more than ever in this watery stage, so don't forget to snag it.

Armor

The armor is a game-changer, and if you warped from Stage 3, you might've missed it. It's conveniently located near the water beneath skull mouth B in part B. With this protective gear, you'll be unstoppable.

UFO

An odd UFO can be summoned in the upper section of part A, near the right end. Execute the right actions, and it'll appear on the left side, floating to the right. Unlike the Vic Viper from the fourth stage, this UFO is relatively easy to catch, and it's worth a whopping 5000 points. Miss it, and you'll still score 1000 points, but why settle for less when you can have an extraterrestrial bonus?

Passageway C: Final Spelunking Cavern

Time Limit: 90 seconds
Special Items: None
Hidden Stuff: None

You stand at the precipice of victory, the last leg of your quest to reach One-Eyed Willie's legendary treasure. But beware, for the ominous skull mouth that awaits you holds a sinister secret. A powerful enchantment guards the entrance to Willie's fabled ship, and it demands the rescue of every Goonie before granting access. Should even one be missing, you'll be cast back to the beginning, forced to relive your journey.

This passage, much like the one before it, stretches out before you. It's a straightforward path, yet it conceals two sets of precious diamonds. While the first set can be collected along your route, the second requires a slight detour away from your ultimate goal. If you're equipped with the trusty armor, the only threat you face is the relentless skeletons.

Stay tuned for Final Stage 6 of The Goonies 1986 Platform Game, coming next week!