Dark Cloud 2

Spheda is arguably one of the most difficult parts of the game. For this trophy, you only need to win one game of Spheda. However, you will need to win all 119 games for Medalhead.

To win a game of Spheda, you need to hit the sphere into the time distortion in less than the number of hits given to you. On top of that, the sphere must be the opposite color of the time distortion (if the time distortion is red, the sphere must be blue, and vice-versa). To change the color of the sphere, you need to bounce the sphere hard enough off of a surface (wall, pillar, ceiling, or floor). The time distortion also has a slight magnetic pull. If the color of the sphere is opposite to the time distortion, the sphere will home in slightly. If they are the same color, however, then the time distortion will push the sphere away.

Actually playing the mini-game is very similar to Hot Shots Golf. Go to the sphere, and make sure you have a Spheda club equipped (press and go to "Item." Select one of your Spheda clubs and select "Equip"). Here are the various Spheda clubs and what they are good for:

• Handy Stick - Great for beginners. Good for short-medium straight shots. Has the greatest room for error. Obtained as a natural progression of the story partway through Chapter 3. DO NOT GET RID OF THIS CLUB. It's only worth 1 gilda.
• Turkey - Good for short shots. Has less room for error than the Handy Stick, but still good. Obtained if you have Monica close the time distortion for you in Barga's Valley.
• Swan - Good for medium shots. Has about the same room for error as the turkey. Obtained if you successfully close the time distortion in Barga's Valley.
• Flamingo - Good for medium shots and curved shots. Has less room for error than Turkey or Swan. Can be built up from Turkey or Swan, or invented.
• Falcon - Good for long shots. Has very little room for error. Can be built up from Flamingo, or invented.
• Albatross - Good for long shots and curved shots. Has literally no room for error. Can be built up from Falcon, or invented.

Once you are close enough to the sphere, you will see an exclamation point over your head. Press to begin the mini-game. On the bottom of the screen is a bar. This will determine how hard you will hit the sphere. To the right of the bar is the maximum distance the sphere will travel if you hit it at maximum power (excluding any bounces). On the top right corner of the screen, you will see the distance between you and the time distortion. This distance is a straight line, and does not account for any walls in your path. You will also see how many shots you have left here. You can move the map around the screen using the , or get rid of it by pressing the left side of the . You can change the direction and angle of the shot by using . You will want to make it so your next shot will land you closer to the time distortion. You can do this by going all the way down a hallway until you have to turn and shoot in a new direction. Once you have your shot lined up, press to begin. Pay attention to the bar at the bottom. A line will move across it. You will want to press at the distance that you want the sphere to go. Next, you want to wait for the line to get as close to its starting position as possible and press again. This is to determine the accuracy of your shot. If you land in the pink areas around the area, you're still good. If you land outside of those areas, the sphere will veer off course, potentially causing serious trouble. Be warned that there is a slight delay between pressing and the line stopping for both distance and accuracy.

Each area has its own challenges when it comes to Spheda. Here are all of the chapters and how Spheda works in them:

• Underground Channel - One of the harder areas for Spheda. Most edges are out of bounds. Most of the walls are flat, making it fairly easy to predict how the sphere will bounce off of them.
• Rainbow Butterfly Wood - The lack of high walls means you can potentially hit the sphere straight to the time distortion. However, you need to shoot between the trees, and it is possible to land out of bounds if you're not careful.
• Starlight Canyon - Similar to Rainbow Butterfly Wood in that the areas are very open. However, landing in the water is out of bounds, making it very difficult to stay on the pathways. You will need to pay attention to how the walls are oriented here, as they can prevent you from making straight shots.
• Ocean's Roar Cave - The walls here are all jagged, making bouncing the sphere off of them difficult. You will also need to hit the sphere slightly harder due to the water on the ground.
• Mount Gundor - The worst area for Spheda. Similar to the Underground Channel in that most of the edges are out of bounds. All of the walls are jagged as well, meaning that bouncing the sphere is difficult, and could potentially be dangerous.
• Moon Flower Palace - The best area for Spheda. Almost no areas are out of bounds, and most of the surfaces to bounce off of are flat. It's good that these ones are easy, as you'll need to get all of the Spheda medals before taking on the boss.
• Zelmite Mines - This area can be tricky. The walls are jagged, but there are support beams that you can use to bounce off instead. Landing underneath a raised area is out of bounds, which can be frustrating.

Remember, the best way to get better at Spheda is to practice. I recommend at least trying every time once it's available on every floor you complete, but don't worry too much about going back to get them until towards the end, as you'll be able to plow through all of the enemies and get right into Spheda. Before getting too far with Spheda, it will be in your best interest to talk to Mena (See Supporting Cast) as she becomes an ally when you get 10 Spheda medals after talking to her.

Once you win your first game of Spheda, this trophy will be yours.