Mystic Realm/Levels/Mudhole Karst Zone

Single Player levels
Emerald stages
MAPAN: Mudhole Karst Zone
MKZ RKZ LWZ BFZ	SCZ NCZ STZ ISZ DWZ
Extra levels

MAPAN, Mudhole Karst Zone, abbreviated as MKZ, is the first emerald stage in Mystic Realm, containing the Green Chaos Emerald. It is accessed by activating the Mystic Shrine in Jade Coast Zone Act 2. It is set in a series of meadows and caves, with harmful mud as an obstacle. The damage dealt by the mud is non-elemental, so an Elemental Shield does not protect against it.

Walkthrough

Walk forward from the starting area until you come to a fork in the path. You can either walk through the tunnel to your left or jump up the steps to your right. In both cases, you will reach a room with three small holes in the floor filled with mud, as well as a larger pool of mud to the right. You have three options to continue here: In the far left corner, there is an entrance to an underground tunnel, with a row of rings leading downwards. This tunnel leads to the left path. You can also jump across the pool of mud to reach a ledge with a cave entrance, which leads to the right path. Finally, there is another underground tunnel right next to the higher entrance to the room, which also leads to the right path.

First path split

Left path

Jump into the tunnel and walk through it, avoiding the Crawlas. Use the yellow spring at the end to reach another outdoor area. Jump up the diagonal ledge to your right. You will encounter a pool of mud, with a higher ledge with the first Star Post to your left. To reach it, jump across the mud to a small ledge in the right corner and then from there to the Star Post. The next room is mostly covered in mud, with several platforms extending from the mud and leading upwards. Make your way up across these platforms until you reach the highest ledge on the other side of the room. Turn right and enter the tunnel in front of you. After dropping down a hole in the floor, turn left and continue through the tunnel to reach another outdoor room with a large bridge spanning across the mud and the second Star Post. Here the paths rejoin.

Right path

Both the cave and the underground tunnel lead to another outdoor area. Across from a pool of mud is the entrance to another cave. Walk through the cave to reach a room with a pool of mud in the center. On the other side is a high platform with a few lower ledges attached to it. Jump across the ledges to reach the top, where you can choose between two passages to exit the room. After following a trail of rings, the two passages meet, with another passage leading to the first Star Post to your right or in front of you, depending on which exit you took. From the Star Post, turn right and walk across a bridge to reach the entrance to a tunnel. Continue through the tunnel until you come to a hole in the floor. After dropping down the hole, walk forward to reach another outdoor room with a large bridge spanning across the mud and the second Star Post. Here the paths rejoin.

Second path split

From the Star Post, walk across the bridge to the other side. You now have the choice between two exits, one to your left and one to your right.

Left path

After walking through the cave, you will enter a room with a long pool of mud to your right. A trail of rings floating in the air leads to a ledge on the other side. Jump to it and then jump up the steps going around the outer wall to reach a pillar in the center. From there you can reach the entrance to a cave. Walk through the cave until you come to a hole in the floor. After dropping down the hole, walk forward and jump over the row of Eggman Monitors in front of you. You will reach the final room and the third Star Post.

Right path

After walking through the cave, you will enter a room with a pool of mud in the center. Across from it, you should see a slightly higher ledge that you can jump to. From there, turn left and follow the trail of rings floating in the air to another ledge. Then jump up to the ledge to your right and turn around. You can now reach a set of two higher ledges above the first one. From there you can reach the pillar standing in the center of the mud, which in turn allows you to reach a ledge at the top of the room with the entrance to a cave. Walk through the cave until you come to a hole in the floor. After dropping down the hole, turn right and jump over the row of Eggman Monitors in front of you. You will reach the final room and the third Star Post.

Final room

The final room consists of three bridges crossing a large pool of mud at different heights. Walk across the first bridge and then jump up the steps on the other side to reach the second bridge. Cross that one as well and then jump another set of steps to reach the third bridge. At the end of the third bridge, you will find the first Chaos Emerald floating between a group of flowers, as well as the Level End Sign. Make sure to pick up the emerald before you exit the level.

Points of interest

Extra lives

• Each of the three emblem locations also contains an extra life.
• In the room with the second Star Post where the first path split merges and the second path split starts, look at the mud below to find a small hole in the wall on either side of the platform with the two exits. Use the Invincibility Monitor in the alcove between the exits to enter the mud safely. Walk through one of the holes to enter a small tunnel with two Super Ring Monitors and an extra life. Afterwards, you can use one of the springs on the other side of the room to get back up.
• Take the right path at the second path split. At the end of the outdoor room, just before entering the tunnel that leads to the final room, look to your left to find a bustable wall that hides an extra life.

Shields

• At the first path split, jump across the mud to the platform with the cave entrance that leads to the right path. Instead of entering the cave, jump to the ledge to your left to find an Elemental Shield in the corner, hidden between four flowers.
• At the first path split, jump into the underground tunnel next to the higher entrance to find a Whirlwind Shield.
• Take the left path at the first path split. After passing through the underground tunnel, an Attraction Shield will be in plain sight on a ledge in front of you.
• Enter the room with Knuckles's emblem from the left path. You will find an Armageddon Shield sitting on the ledge you enter on.
• In the room with Tails's emblem, there is a bustable wall on the other side from the entrance, which leads into the room with the second Star Post between the two path splits. Spindash through the bustable wall with a very lightly charged spindash, but aim towards one of the walls to the side so that you charge into it and come to a halt immediately instead of dashing forward. You should land in a small cave, with a second bustable wall in front of you. Spindash through that wall in the same manner as the first one to avoid falling down on the other side. In front of you, you should now see a high ledge. Jump to it to find two ring monitors and an Elemental Shield.
• Take the left path at the second path split. In the outdoor room, when climbing up the steps that lead up to the pillar in the center, stop on the last step and look for a bustable wall that hides an Attraction Shield.
• Take the right path at the second path split. In the outdoor room, after jumping across the mud to the first of the steps that lead up to the pillar in the center, look in the corner to your right to find an Elemental Shield.
• In the final room, start making your way across the bridge at the bottom and stop midway through. Jump across the platform to your right to reach a ledge with a Whirlwind Shield.

Invincibility

• In the room with the second Star Post where the first path split merges and the second one starts, there is an alcove between the two exits that holds an invincibility monitor.

Super Sneakers

• Take the left path at the first path split. In the room after the first Star Post, there is a Super Sneakers monitor on a ledge next to the one that leads to the exit. If you make your way across the platforms in the mud, you will eventually reach this ledge.

Emblem locations

Sonic

In the first room, jump up the steps to your right and stop at the top. On the far side of the room in front of you, you should see a high ledge with the emblem and an extra life. It can be reached with a jump and a well-timed thok, but it's easier to use a spindash-jump or bounce on one of the Crawlas below.

See image

Tails

Take the left path at the first path split. In the room after the first Star Post, after making your way to the top, look for a bustable wall near the ledge with the Super Sneakers Monitor. Spindash through it to enter a room with a bridge spanning across a pool of mud. The emblem is in the middle of the bridge. On the other side of the bridge, you will find a ledge with an extra life and another bustable wall that leads into the room with the second Star Post, where the first path split rejoins and the second path split starts.

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Knuckles

This emblem can be found in a hidden room that connects both paths of the first path split, shortly before they rejoin. If you look the left path, stop before entering the tunnel that leads to the room with the second Star Post and search the wall to your right for a bustable wall. If you took the right path, stop at the first Star Post and search the wall to your left for a bustable wall. Both bustable walls lead to a room with two islands in a pool of mud. The second island holds an extra life and the emblem.

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Technical data

Note While the next level is Rainstorm Keep Zone according to the level header, a custom exit in the map changes the actual next level to MAPA3 – Jade Coast Zone Act 3.