Ok, what now after the second boss?

[Moleculor]

Right, so, this is going to be as unspoilery as possible, and I'd appreciate any 'gentle nudges' to be as unspoilery as possible as well. I just got past the... I'll call it the second boss, but I haven't been keeping perfect track, so it might not be the actual second boss. It's the one that gives you the pretty red form. Y'know "chomp chomp"? The one you turn into by singing red-orange-yellow, or 12-o'clock - 10:30 - 9:00.

After leaving the city I got it from, that mysterious cloaked figure with a smoking face (blue smoke) appeared, then swam left. Didn't think terribly much of it, since that's the way it went last time. I've now explored large chunks of the areas above me, the areas below me, but nothing really screams 'go this way', and every time I really start exploring any area -deeply- I usually end up dying to attrition. (It's taught me to save often, at least.)

I've crossed the veil. I've explored areas of Open Water two zones below the veil. I've even discovered some rather interesting costumes/treasures in the process (the one involving water bubbles that basically makes you spiky was certainly interesting to get to).

However, I'm quickly growing... impatient, I suppose the word would be, swimming to an area only to discover yet another completely wide open area to explore. The last two times I wasn't sure where to go, the world map 'sparkled' in the appropriate area to head to, and my map isn't doing that now.

What's the general direction I should head in? Up? Down? Or is there not one, and am I at a point where basically the game is wide open and I can explore as I please? As LITTLE info as possible in your answer would be greatly appreciated, unless somehow I've accidentally tripped over and eliminated the necessary sparkle/hint and it won't come back and you have to give me specifics.) For example: "Go up" or "It doesn't matter" are what I'm looking for. Sorry for being so picky about spoilers.

==

Also, just as some additional minor questions (I'm trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible)...

These strange spheres that show up on my map as what look like green Q-Tips. (*snicker*) Should I know by now what they do? (NOT 'could'... 'should'; i.e. Was it something I very much missed? If I SHOULD know what they do by now, please tell me what I've missed. If it's something I COULD know (a secret I have to go exploring to discover, or something that WILL guaranteed be handed to me at some future point, just tell me 'no, I don't have to worry about those just yet'.)

Also, leaves: I'm very much in constant, never ending need for leaves. Or maybe just plain 'n simple health food. I have massive amounts of fish meat (one very helpful treasure pot + schools of fish dying by the thousands helps with that), but I lack the necessary leaves to go with said meat. You'd think plants would be something easier to find, but they're not. Am I missing something? I -think- there's another way for me to be 'farming' health food (fish oil and eggs), but the eggs portion seems to require me to place myself in danger, and quite honestly I usually end up coming away having lost significant health and/or dying doing that. Or is that pretty much my only option? I have tons of recipes, but so very few actually restore health. Is the lack of leaves a game design choice, or am I simply missing something?

Oh, one other question, and this IS going to be spoilery, so don't read if you haven't gotten far: In the city I found a kitchen. There was apparently a memory there. All it seemed to be was two people floating there in the kitchen. Two seconds, then it was over. I obviously know who one of those people were, but was that seriously all there was to that memory? No other point to it?

(Also, what's with the cackling? Should I know what that is yet? If not, don't 'xplain.)

[silverflagon]

Head up left and hang on to your hat I can't believe that you went into the temple first though but at least your new form will be very useful when you go up and there is a lot to see 'up' there

[Moleculor]

Oh, was I not supposed to go there first? Seemed the logical place to be!

Uhm, I just read on one of these threads that seahorses can be ridden. Blast me and my swimming around in forms that don't involve singing. Great. I just hopped on a seahorse. Uh... it won't move. Why? (Or is that something I haven't discovered yet?) (NEVER MIND. Unintuitive singing habits. Gr.)

[Nemo07]

There's an area where you get another form to deal with those "barbell" bulbs, you can also find a lot of leaves in this area. Once in the area, you can find a little group of creatures' home and then your map will sparkle showing you where you can get the form. There's also a secret form hidden in this area if you look hard enough and solve a puzzle.

The next "dungeon" is in the Veil, just explore some more, you may even find an extra strange (but somehow... familiar) creature on your way there.

Seahorses only move if you are in your normal form and singing while riding them. A somewhat challenging to get treasure will allow you to move more quickly on seahorses, too.

Honestly, a big thing about this game is exploration. Exploring everything will generally get you where you need to go.

Oh, and that memory you got was the first of three and more or less a gimme. The other two take some pretty intense exploring to find them. If you find all three you get the "true" ending.

[Moleculor]

I should probably clarify, the temple was not the first form I got. I got energy, and beast, in that order. That's the order the sparkles lead me in, I swear.

But good to know, exploration is what I should be doing, and I didn't miss any sort of hints. That smoking face person WAS just supposed to appear and swim off, with no explanation, right?

[Nemo07]

That's the order I've always gone in, too. After beast form I always go to the area where you get the form that lets you pass through those green bulbs. Having beast form there makes things a bit easier.

Yeah, the smokey cloaked thing is supposed to do that, it'll appear again after you get the "bulb" form (don't want to give away what it's really called). You won't find out what's up with that until the end.

[Moleculor]

Well it seems I've found the fish puzzle long long before I've discovered where this bulb thing is at. Apparently I'm really good at finding stuff I don't absolutely need, and not the stuff I do. I'll keep looking.

And why isn't it explained ANYWHERE that the numbers on the keyboard switch forms fast? I've been singing this whole time, and died on a number of occasions 'cuz I couldn't switch fast enough. After the seahorse thing I decided I should just smash my keyboard randomly to see what else I'd been missing. This was a big one. Are there any other keyboard shortcuts not listed? Like, for example, a fast way to bring up shields or grip things?

Also, what exactly are the spiders supposed to do? So far they're the weakest threat in the entire game, and they're HUGE. I still haven't been hurt by one and I've taken out like... seven.

[Moleculor]

Ok. 'nother stupid question.

BEFORE I got fish form... I saw this room filled with five LARGE red bulbs. I was just shooting at some random swimming crabs or something when suddenly one of the bulbs 'died' and opened up, revealing one of those very large energy pearls that are usually keys?

I picked it up and started swimming, trying to see where it might go... and ended up swimming out of the zone (ultimately making  said pearl vanish, as you can't carry them between zones).

It's gone. I can't find it again. I'm ASSUMING it's back inside that large red bulb again, but I can't figure out how I opened it the first time. Uhm. Was I even supposed to be able to open it? Where'd the pearl go, if not there?

[Chibi]

Answering your "stupid"  question: shooting (right clicking) at the red flowers in nature form will open them - same with the blue sphere marked by the green barbells. While you're trying out the nature form, try holding down the right mouse button for about four seconds then release - Naija will shoot seeds that spawn large cacti.

Answering the spider question: they drop spider eggs, used in the Spider Roll (Hand Roll + Spider Egg). The food allows you to spin spider webs yourself for about eight seconds - pretty useful against powerful enemies / bosses.

Answering the shortcut question: 9 and 0 are the hotkeys for bind and shield.

Hope that helps, and welcome to the forum! 

[Moleculor]

I didn't have nature form at the time the bulb opened, though I did notice around the same time some strange flowers appearing and dying nearby.

(I have nature form now, just got it, the obvious way to open the bulb became apparent once I had it, but I'm still confused as to how I opened the bulb the first time.)

Do I have the ability to move these walls of vines yet, or is that something later?

[Chibi]

I remember a similar glitch happening with another person ... try a forum search - this should help you trace how you did it.

[EDIT] Hiro hypothesized the trick.

You need nature form's seeds to open those red plants which contain pearls. Assuming I know the place you mean, if you go up and left then there are plants which, when bumped, drop seeds. It is possible to get those seeds caught in the currents to the right of the plants, which will drop the seeds on the field of red pearl plants. In this way, you can get the pearl before getting nature form. When I played I got this by accident, you may have also done what I did. If that is the case, you got a pearl, but since you lost it (somehow) and left, the pearl will be back inside the plant (if you don't get it to the holder before leaving the map it resets).

As for the vines: they are impossible to move.

[Nemo07]

Yes, the spiky vines are a part of the forest and will hurt you if you're not in nature form. If you can find a way around the one's in the area with the big red flowers and use a pearl from one of them to unblock the way you'll be rewarded with another verse egg like the one you found in the Song Cave.

Just out of curiosity, have you found anything else in The Veil yet?

[Moleculor]

Thank you! Uhm, Veil? Several things. The wonderfully useless Li. Uh... a turtle egg. A couple of new soup recipes, I think... *shrug* Not much else.

[Chibi]

Don't forget to retrieve the Urchin Armor from the series of bubbles above where you found the egg - the armor hurts anything that touches you, and is very useful for bosses that you can cling on to (the Creator, Sea Dragon, etc.)

[Nemo07]

I was mainly wondering if you had found the temple in The Veil. The form you get from it pretty much allows you to go anywhere in the game.