Switchball
12 Achievements
200
20-25h
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Xbox Series
Speedroller Master
Gold Medals on all levels
30
How to unlock the Speedroller Master achievement in Switchball - Definitive Guide
Dat Boi Treezy
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
Collect Gold Medals for all levels
5 Worlds with 6 levels in each.
Some of the videos will have differences to the XBLA Version but i will note down any differences and give any tips i can that the videos don't cover. I am currently up to the third world with all gold medals so far but i am going back to the first levels to try and test the videos to make sure we can use them to the fullest extent.
This guide has been made while playing the game and watching the videos so it should be pretty useful. Maybe opening up a web page for the videos and one for the guide might be a good option
Sky World
You should be able to finish this world with Gold Medals on all levels without much video guidance really. But i will include the videos and any tips i can give just in case
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 0.39
There shouldn't be any problems here really, easy level and the only part you can lose a few seconds on is if you mess up pushing the boxes.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.24
At 1.59 be sure to take the shortcut just after you roll over the cloth with the marble ball, line your camera up so you see if you are inline and then just slowly roll of the ledge. Also this a hidden path which will give you 1/3 towards if you dont already have it.
The Gold time for this includes taking the hidden path so the only part that can really slow you down is lining up to drop off the ledge to use the hidden path, so be careful!
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 1.11
Exactly the for both versions but its a pretty simple level.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 1.33
At 5.05 there is a hidden path you can use but it doesnt save you that much time. Instead of rolling through the cloth with the metal ball, roll back along the path and break through the loose planks and land on the rails and carry on to the end.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 1.34
Easy level but there are no hidden paths or shortcuts, just comes down to how smooth you roll. PC and Arcade version are the same for this level.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 1.32
At 8.20 in the video you will see that he uses a barrel to keep the platform tilted, but for us there is no barrel to be seen! So transform into the Metal ball and push the wooden boxes underneathe the platform making sure you keep one of the boxes on top of the rest otherwise there wont be enough height to roll over the platform and make it to the otherside. Once you make it over carry on over the wobbly platforms to the finish.
https://www.trueachievements.com/Callum+x360a.htm has suggested a potentially easier method to this part for those who may struggle with the above tip:
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 1.45
Straight away the level is different for us so you cant use the video until 0.36. For the Arcade version simply transform into the Metal ball straight away and follow the path until you come to 3 Metal boxes blocking the path. Push either the left or right one of of the ledge so there is room for the Airball to roll through, which is what you then need to go back for using the narrow path that branches off to the left and once transformed roll back up past the Metal boxes and through the checkpoint.
At 1.02 he skips transforming into the Air ball and somehow manages to roll across the rail and make it to the other side, very impressive! This can be pretty tough to pull off but it does save you about a little a bit of time. This shortcut is not needed to make the time for the Gold Medal.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.52
Another slight difference at 2.00 is that instead of a row of 4 metal boxes like in the video, we get an extra row of 4 stacked on top of the others. Doesnt really make much difference and you still need to push the boxes slightly so that they are sucked into the magnet and you can roll through. But more than likely it will take a little bit extra pushing to get the metal boxes within range of the magnet.
At 2.17 you cant take the same path using the Air vent because for the Arcade version there is a small rail ramp you have to climb, which you cant do because there is not enough room to squeeze through. Instead you still need to switch on this Air vent and then transform into the Airball, hit the next switch to turn off the second fan and then roll through the rail structure. Once you hit the next checkpoint you will be back in line with the video.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 1.52
At 4.11 there is a shortcut you can use. Instead of taking the long way round which is to use the path rolling past 3 fans, go straight towards the 2 fans that are halfway into the path and roll into the blades. This causes the blades to stop for a second and gives you plenty of time to roll on through, very easy to pull off. You wont have the checkpoint to fall back on but if you were to fail at anytime you should restart the level, simply because you will waste to much time retrying from a checkpoint to begin with.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 2.57
At 2.22 we can use the same shortcut by inflating the Air ball on the second inflation pad and simply floating all the way to the same path in the video. Then from here you have a nice easy path to the finish!
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 3.08
At 3.24 the PC version has a different part to go through as you will see, just 2 cloth paths to roll over. But for the arcade version you can either: Carry on rolling with the Air ball and roll into the blades of the fan, can be tricky to do but it can work. This gives you a small amount of time to roll past and carry on to the next checkpoint bringing you back in line with the video.
OR
Simply transform into the Marble ball and roll pass the fan without much trouble and continue on to the next checkpoint after the vents.
At 5.00 there is a shortcut you can use which saves a ton of time, even if you take your time to do it! (Well, not too much time obviously) Sometimes i couldnt get this work the same way its done in the video, but you can still roll over the rails if you fall into the middle section of the rails. I fell in between the 2nd and 3rd metal boxes and could still manage to roll awkwardly past the 3rd box.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 2.47
At 7.18 you will see for the PC version that there are 3 fans and for the Arcade only the 1. So this makes the shortcut he uses impossible for us to do. Instead you will need to use the inflation pad to float across to the platform with the Metal Ball transformer on, using the metal ball you then need to knock out enough large boxes so that 1 or 2 are still there that you can use to roll onto to the platform. But once you transform back to the Air ball and use the inflation pad, make sure you float to the left or right of the wind direction and you will have enough time to land on the large box that should still be there.
If you cant manage to pull this off then the other option is to use the Metal ball to push the large box next to the Air Ball transformer into the fan so that it stops blowing for when you float in its direction.
Cave World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 1.06
You can only start to follow the video from 0.43 but you wont have any problems to begin with. As soon as you come off the black rails (facing the direction you were rolling in) turn left onto the next set of rails, then roll past the 4 boulder tubes and into the checkpoint. This part is slightly different because the Arcade version has sets of mini stairs to climb to access the Powerball, but once you power up with the dash power you can follow the video again if needed.
At 1.06 the PC Version has an Airball transformer they can use to climb the stairs to the finish which for the Arcade nothing is there. You can still climb the stairs while dashing once or twice and it wont cause any problems.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.51
At 1.27 straight away there is no Powerball transformer for us, for the Arcade this comes just before hitting the first checkpoint.
At 2.51 there is a Hidden Path which we can use too, dont forget to use your magnet power incase you dont land on the platform. There is a magnet that can save you very close to the platform and then another for after you shoot out of the second cannon. This path needs to be took for the Gold Medal time.
At 3.05 same ending as the last level with the spiral of stairs there is no Airball transformer for the Arcade version.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 3.25
Try not to waste time pushing boxes for yourself to jump off once you have the jump power up, you really need to learn how to hit the thin post next to the chute so then you can just simply jump on the post and straight into the chute without any hassle.
Quick tip for the Dash powerup would be to do exactly the same as he does in the video. This seems obvious but before watching the videos i would always dash when the ball reached its highest speed instead of just before it would roll back down.
Incase you miss what happens at 5.26 basically you just need to load up a cannon and then blast it at the wooden box that is on top of a switch almost right in front of the cannon.
At 6.00 after transforming into the Powerball and then getting the Magnet power up go back along the path you just rolled up, fire yourself in the first cannon just like in the video. Then in the second cannon aim as high as the cannon will allow you to and keep hold of 'A' so then the Magnet on the platform can save you from a potential fall, then just roll to the finish. This route is needed for the Gold Medal time.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 3.01
PC and Arcade versions are the same here so use the video so that you know what to expect. Only trouble on this level can be the jumps near the end but just try not to jump till the very last moment.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 2.57
PC Versions Level 6 is the Arcade level 5, you can use the video if you want as it has certain parts that are similar but i wrote up this guide anyway at the time:
Once you roll to the Metal and Air ball transformers, transform into the Airball and roll up the steep metal path. Using the Airball up the metal ramp will save you a few seconds, once at the top turn left and roll to at the side of the left box so then you go past the box and straight into the Metal transformer. Once changed, roll back along the thin path and then roll into each box making a clear path for the narrow planks below.
Roll back down the ramp and transform back to the Airball and work your way across the ropes and platforms, hit the switch to deactivate the fan and roll through the checkpoint.
POTENTIAL SHORTCUT Just tried this and pulled it off, JUST! Transform into the Airball and head straight for the lower path, roll into the boxes blocking your way and put the Airballs weight into the box. This slowly makes the box (thats tied to a rope) roll around the Airball, it may seem like the Airball will fall off but its actually really easy to recover because of its weight. As soon as i thought of this idea i managed to pull it off first time, this will save you a ton of time!
Change to the Powerball on your right and then grab the Jump power on the other side of the path, then jump from plank to plank to plank until you hit the next checkpoint. Now you quickly need to change the power to the magnet power, but most times (for me) i never make it to the floating magnet in time. But if you have taken the shortcut mentioned earlier you can afford to purposely fall off the edge, this makes the floating magnet re-spawn at its starting position and you can just latch on to it straight away.
Let go of the magnet once you reach the other side, roll through the checkpoint and switch to the dash power. This part gave me loads of trouble because to me it seems like each jump needs different timing, but this comes down to trial and error. First jump i pressed 'A' just as the ball hit the bottom of the dip, second and third jump needed more speed and power so i waited until almost the last point. But for the second you may have to pull back a little bit once you go up in the air, i was constantly scraping the ledge and managing to fall off.
Then for the last part head straight to the magnet power up and grab it, roll left towards the switch and hit it to activate the magnet on the platform across from you. Use your power to get across to this ledge and roll over the rails to transform into the Metal ball. Use the Metal ball to knock the rotating planks into place so you can roll across them after changing back to the powerball.
Before knocking the last plank, make sure you are knocking it into place from the side where you can just roll directly to the power ball transformer. Otherwise you may end up rolling within range of the magnet which is still switched on! After you roll over the planks you will see the finish!
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 6.30
Level 6 for the Arcade is the PC's Level 5! So follow PC version Level 5 for help on this level.
To begin with you will see that everything that is supposed to be done at the beginning is skipped, roll straight for the fans in the path and watch how to get past them at 0.26
This is not easy to do at all but saves so much time that it makes it worth practicing to get better at, plus if you fail you only have to roll from the start again anyway so it could be a lot worse. Basically you need to roll into the blades of the first fan but hold your position they for a split second so you have enough space for a run up into the rail. If you can hit the rail hard enough this makes it harder for the fan to blow you off the edge.
That part is easy but getting past the third can be a little bit tricky, you need to jam the blades of the second fan. But first of all fight the air its blowing at you without going to fast and falling behind the fan and not to far away from the fan so that you get caught in the air of the third. Once you are set to make a dash from the second fan, go for it! Put the weight of the marble ball into the third fan, you should be able to roll past no problem but sometimes it cant be helped that you wont have enough of a run up to make it.
Obviously practice is key here but its definitely worth trying the shortcut everytime because of the large amount of time you will save!
Follow the video again if needed, there is only a small difference so far at 1.36 where the PC's Airball transformer is situated just before the rope bridge, for us this is just after the first sets of rope bridges we roll off.
At 1.44 he changes to the powerball and takes a time saving shortcut thanks to the cannon. For us this area is completely different, using the Airball you have work your way along the Sideways and narrow rails. There not as hard to handle as they first look, just be sure to lean into the rail depending on which side its on. Take time and care when changing position or dropping onto a flat part and you should be fine.
Once you hit the checkpoint you can start to follow the video again from 1.59. Now this section is slightly different in size and the PC have boxes to push instead of the heavy metal balls, but the same method is required for us to pass too. Start by pushing both Heavy Metal balls through the first air vent and then your marble up the vent too. Push one of the heavys onto the first switch to the right to activate the rightside vent where you need to push the other ball into this vent. Roll through this vent and push the heavy onto the switch you will find at the end of the platform, this activates the middle vent that lets you access the next floor so use this vent.
After you reach the next floor push the new found heavy ball back down to the floor you just came from, this bit i find really annoying because of the two black hooks that the heavy can get stuck inbetween. Unfortunately this can be a huge time killer and has cost me the Gold medal several times, only tip i can give is to face the camera in the same direction that you want to push the heavy and be gentle and slow when pushing the heavy past the hooks.
Then push this heavy into the vent on the leftside (once you turn your camera back round), then get the best run up that you can and knock the heavy from the rightside to the leftside switch. This activates the vent on the left pushing the heavy up, use this vent as well and push the heavy onto the switch at the end of the ledge. This activates the last fan on the next floor up allowing you to carry on rolling to the next checkpoint.
At 4.27 you can start to follow the video again. But the last part is surprisingly very easy, once you reach the other end of the rails you will see the finish!
Cloud World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 1.18
At 0.45 instead of a full path with fans the Arcade has a thin plank to sprint across while still trying to not be blown off by the fans. The alternate is to carry on with the jump power and take the other path which takes too long. But another way is to carry on with the Jump power and jump over the wind from each fan, you will only be pushed a tiny bit so its not too bad. But this route must be taken to get a gold medal because the time is very harsh for this level.
At 1.10 the shortcut taken in the PC version cant be taken in the Arcade as the gap between the platforms is just way too wide. Instead there is actually a 'hidden' path we can take which is uncluded in the gold medal time! Once you reach this section ignore the box and make sure you still have jump power, climb the stairs to the right and when you come to the tall rail fence you need to slowly roll around the side of it. This allows you to jump straight across to the next platform!
So basically you need to stick with the Jump power the whole level, ignore the Dash and magnet power! Jump through the fans - follow the tunnel - climb the stairs - roll to the side of the fence - roll to the finish - DONE!
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 2.36
You can only follow the video from 1.50 as the Arcade has a very harsh set of obstacles to roll up. Grab the powerball and the dash power and roll up the ramp, as soon as the ball is about to stop rolling hit 'A'. This works best for me but im really bad at these types of ramps and it always takes me ages to get past them within a decent amount of time.
At 2.30 the PC version takes an easy shortcut after blasting the second switch! Unfortunately for us the two barriers have been boarded up and extended so this shortcut is a no go for us. So once you come to the second cannon, load it up with the cannon ball and aim pretty much into the ramp just to be safe. Carefully blast youself over to this same position and push the ball onto the switch, do the same for the other side and then carry on through the two barriers.
At the end of the level its possible to save a few seconds, after using the second inflation pad fly across to the blue tunnel and roll along the top of it. Once you reah the end where the exit of the tunnel widens roll off to the rightside and the gap is big enough for the Airball to roll straight through!
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 2.12
At 4.00 this shortcut cant be taken on the Arcade version because of the two post on either side of the tunnel, instead you will need to grab the jump power up and jump into the tunnel.
Straight after this another shortcut is taken in the PC version, because he still has the dash powerup he can slowly push the platform blocking the tunnel underneathe out of the way. For the Arcade you will need to use your jump power to jump across each platform to the right and then change to the Metal Ball. Push the metal block to create an opening and then carefully but quickly roll back down the platforms, you might as well drop down the tunnel with the Metal ball and transform into the powerball once you reach the transformer.
Another method here is to skip pushing the metal block and just roll back down stairs and try to move the platform with the Metal ball, this can be awkward though as the platform doesnt budge that much but if can get it to work you will be saving a small bit of time. I find that hitting the block once and then rolling down to push the platform seems to work too.
At 4.42 is yet another shortcut the Arcade cant use, even before you try to fire the cannon in the same direction you will clearly see that the whole layout looks different! However you can fire the cannon so that your powerball lands infront of the stairs just to the left of the exit of the tunnel.
Then for the last part where there are 3 large boxes, change to the metal ball and push the left box (closest to the powerball transformer) underneathe the rails. Ignore the other two and then after changing to the powerball and grabbing the jump power jump off the ledge to the left of the rails and onto to the box. Once on top of the box jump into the tunnel and roll to the finish!
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 3.32
At 8.15 there is a little shorcut, instead of using the magnet to the left of the checkpoint to reach the switch above, use the air vent as shown in the video. Make sure you have a little run up to the vent so you have enough time to make it.
At 8.52 there is another shortcut you can use which is really easy to pull off.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 3.27
Slight difference at the start of the level, our powerup and magnet power are next to each other where as the PC versions are seperated by the tube.
At 1.03 we have another shortcut that cant be used now because of the rail fence in the way. Instead go straight for the jump power up to the left of where you landed, ignore the metal ball power and jump to the thin rails to access the dash power up. Dash back across to the main path and roll back towards where you first landed to activate the timed magnet switch to the right. Then use your dash as much as possible and once you make it to the magnet power up use its power to attract to the magnet and continue on through the tunnel. Now you will be back in line with the video.
At 1.25 another shortcut is used which at first looks like the Arcade version can also pull this off too. But if you look closely (and may find out anyway) there is a silver rail blocking the small ledge you need to climb up in order to take this shortcut. So instead you will need to hit the 3rd-4th-1st-2nd switch in that order and use each magnet to successfully make it into the tunnel.
At 1.50 i almost had dejavu lol! This part is 4.46 in the last video which is Level 4 (PC). I went back to other video but found but found no differences or shortcuts.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 4.59
At 3.10 he takes an impressive shortcut by rolling straight over the rail, if you can pull this off then 'good job!'. Otherwise you need to use the magnet power to swing across to the next platform, roll along the rails and transform to the Airball. Inflate the airball and float back across to the main path, roll across the thin rail and turn left. Hit the switch to stop the fan for a short amount of time and roll past it.
If you did manage to cut across the thin rail with the powerball and the magnet power then you can use the same shortcut in the video at 3.21. If not then im afraid you will have to take the longway.
At 3.36 the PC version has a different part to work through, at 4.00 you can follow the video again.
At 4.25 the whole level is different and you will see that we are no where near the finish yet!
For this section take if use the jump power to change to the magnet power located up the stairs to your right. Then swing from magnet to magnet until you reach the end and hit the switch to turn off the fan, work your way back across the magnets and then change to the airball.
Using the airball and the inflation pads begin to work your way on top of the hovering platforms until you reach the end where you can simply use an inflation pad to float to the finish!
If you dont have any silver medals for Lava World than a congratulations should be in order as you will have just unlocked:
This is my solution for completing Lava World from:Solution for Airball Badge In Switchball I will edit or change any differences i find now that i am going for Gold Medals
Lava World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 6.23
If you are using the video for Level 1 you may notice that their is a small addition to the XBLA version.
At 4.17-4.27 After the player passes the now 3 deactivated magnets, he also passes through a checkpoint. For the Arcade version this part doesn't come straight away. We have to use two air vents to climb higher and then be back 'in place' with video so to speak. It's only a small addition but obviously it adds time and can confuse people, so now you know!
So besides whats been noted for Level 1 everything else is exactly the same.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 5.03
For level 2 at 7.14 in the video the player manages to cross the gap with only 2 out of 3 balls in place. This can be tricky to do, i managed to do this on my second attempt but you need to hit the first ball as it rolls back a little bit from the impact of hitting the first ball.
After hitting the checkpoint there is another slight change from the video, in the arcade version we have to use an Air vent and then successfully elavate to the next checkpoint using 3 Air lifts. This is pretty simple but i would advise leaving plenty of space and time to be able to roll to each Air lift. After hitting the next checkpoint you will be back in place with the video.
At 8.39 in the video he uses the vent to launch straight acroos to the next path. For the Arcade version this cant be done because the path is set a lot further away, here you need to use the Vent to get back to the path right in front of the vent. Then you will see another windmill type machine which you need to use to knock you across to the path, this can be awkward as you need a full on hit to make it. Failing is not to punishing as you respawn as the default ball and can go straight across to this part to try again. Then you are back in place with the video.
At 8.56 there is another minor difference, just that after using the first inflation, there is no platform full of nails until we after the second inflation pad. In the video as soon as he uses the inflation for the first time, the nails/spikes are underneathe the player straight away.
At 9.55-onwards the player uses a shortcut but it is so hard to pull off. To do this copy what he does in the video, but you will only make it with an amazing run up and enough impact off of the ledge you hit as you take off. Once on the otherside keep to the left as much as you can and fight your way through the fans, but keep in mind that they dont blow you away if you are far enough to the left, so dont keep your pad held down to the left too much!
If you really cant get this to work then you need to transform to the default ball and roll across the railing. Turn off both of the fans by the pads, roll back across to the other section and just push one box (the smaller one) onto the pad to the left. This will switch on the top fan above the vent and give you enough force to reach the other side and roll to the finish.
If you are on a gold medal run i would recommend using the default route unless you can master this shortcut.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 7.48 (Thanks to https://www.trueachievements.com/MrBigShade.htm for finding out the Medal time.)
I apologize for not knowing what the actual gold time is, but my time was 7.04 and was good enough for Gold. Even though i fell off the edge twice when trying to block the fan with the Airball at the rails after the windmill and then fell off the edge when you have to use the metal box as a kind of spring to reach the next platform i still got gold.
So this shows that there is room for a few mistakes, but i also checked out the leaderboards and my time was 3rd overall in the world (granted people would have done this offline). SmokiestDadn (hope you dont mind the mention) was behind me in 4th place with 7.35 and he has the full 200G for Switchball. 5th place was 'TrinaLuvsGeorge' with 12.58 which would probably scrape a silver medal.
So at the moment id set the gold medal time for anything better then 7.40, if anyone finds out what the time is then let me know please. I cant find out myself because when you start a level you haven't previously won a medal on, the time displayed is the Bronze medal time. If you beat the all medal times in one go then the only time it will display if you play again is your own personal best.
Although this may sound stupid i will make a note of this just incase:
When you come to the part where you have to knock the box off the platform using the Air ball, don't forget to wedge the box into the side of the fan where the blades are coming down otherwise the box will just be knocked if placed on the wrong side!
At 2.35 he uses a shortcut, which is to go straight for the rails and block the fan. Leaving you with just a second to roll past it and onwards to the next part. This is not to hard to pull off and i managed to do this on my second attempt.
At 4.52 this path wont work for the Arcade version as the fans are in different places. So first take the right rails and after rolling to the last switch leave that one on, roll over the one before that but make sure this one is switched off. Then before taking the rails on the otherside make sure the last switch is activated too.
Then on the left rails the 1st and 2nd switches will be on and the 3rd will be off, you need to make it so that only the 2nd and 3rd switches are activated. Then use the inflation pad underneathe the high set fan, this will push you forward into the vent which will rise you up into the fan which pushes you all the way to the ledge you need to reach. Then simply use the next inflation pad to be pushed by the fan into the vent which raises you to the last runway and your homestretch to the finish.
Plus the shortcut he manages to pull off at the end of level 3 is insane!
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 2.35
PC version is exactly the same as XBLA version so no problems for this level. Mainly comes down to personal execution for most parts in this level.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 4.34
After the next checkpoint after the metal blocks are moved by the magnet, the Arcade version has a nice and annoying part to work through. (Roll through the checkpoint and die if the pads are not there as this saves waiting time) First you will see two flying pads that have a small rope path between them, you need to quickly roll onto the right flying pad before it sets off upwards to avoid the fan in the middle of the wooden wall. Then use the rope and the other pad to dodge each set of fans as the pads escalate. Once you reach the next checkpoint you will be back in line with the video.
At 3.05 instead of a set of rails to that keep the other airball inline to go upwards, the arcade version has a tunnel but they both result in the same outcome for the airball.
At 3.36 you wont really need to use the video as the PC version has a couple of extra rail parts for them to do, where as for the Arcade version we can just wait until the other airball drops down onto the magnet activating switch clearing our path to the finish!
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 5.15
From 4.40-4.58 doesn't matter to us as this is an extra part for the PC Version, but even after this small part we cant follow the video again because he uses the Jump ability to his advantage and is able to skip the pushing of the box that is needed for the Arcade version.
So to start the first stretch there will be just the 4 boulder slides, it looks pretty easy to quickly get the box across but its not! Timing and speed are obviously the keys here but sometimes you have to allow the boulders to skim or just tap the box so that you can make it past in one piece too.
After making it through the first path you will need to push the box onto the pad which deactivates the magnet above you and releases a metal box. Now you need to roll ahead being extremely careful of the two fans and then avoiding the next boulder slides, give yourself a good run up to roll as close to fans as possible and at the same time timing it to not get hit too hard by the boulder which can sometimes be unavoidable.
Then transform into the Metal ball once you make it across the path and take the Metal ball back across to begin pushing the metal box. The Metal ball is pretty much unaffected by the boulders or the fans but the metal box can be!
The fans only really move the metal box at the same time that you are pushing it, so keep yourself at a good angle towards the fans to keep it in the middle of the path. Then the boulders can still knock the box a decent distance so if the box gets knocked to close to the edge then just let it go and go back for another one that will respawn (unless you are on a Gold Medal run).
After making it past the boulders with the Metal box, push the box over the ramp as hard as you can and then give yourself a good run up to make it over. Then push the box onto the pad and carry on to the next checkpoint but be warned the level is still different from the video.
It is important to try your best to reach the checkpoint just before the flying platforms at least before the 2 minute mark! If you reach this point and the floating platform is not there the best thing to do is roll off of the edge AFTER CHANGING TO THE POWERBALL.
When you respawn the floating platform will be waiting for you and you just need to quickly grab the jump power up and then jump over to the platform. This helped me on my achievement unlocking run because once the floating platform leaves the path it wont return for about 30 seconds, which is too much time to waste waiting!
So for the Arcade versions extra part you need to powerup the ball with the ability to jump, then once you jump onto the platform you need to balance and make it past three windmills. Dependant on which way the windmill is spinning you will either need to put the weight of the ball into meeting the windmills impact or going against the impact (If you get me?). Either way this part can be annoying and each try will probably end up with very different results from the last one.
At 5.18 we can begin to follow the video again.
Now as you will see this part is full of timed switches, try not to pause around this section, off of personal expirience for some reason if i set a timer off and then paused, the timers would still continue to count down and once i unpaused the time would have ran out on the switch! However if this happens to you, you are safe to pause it once you jump to the flying pad at 6.00.
Follow the video all the way to the end using the same method as in the video when he stays on the rails and jumps past the heavy ball you are following. Once you get to the part with the two magnets you use to cross the gap you are pretty much homefree, but just dont get too excited when crossing the last plank. I got too excited about finally reaching the end that i hit the plank before it had settled and fell through the gap meaning i had to do the whole rail part and the magnet part AGAIN!
On my gold medal run this level was by far the hardest level to master, i've unlocked the achieve now and its 5.14am. Ive been playing this since around 11.45am, minus time to smoke, eat, drink, visit the bathroom and boost for 3 hours. Dedicate yourself to the game and practice, master the parts in levels you may keep messing up and you will have this achievement in no time. To be honest its not as hard as it seems at first, the only levels that can really take a few hours would be a few from the last world, especially the last level!
If there are any questions or any mistakes i may have made dont hesitate to drop a comment, good luck!
(Credit to Omgarrett for all the amazing videos)
5 Worlds with 6 levels in each.
Some of the videos will have differences to the XBLA Version but i will note down any differences and give any tips i can that the videos don't cover. I am currently up to the third world with all gold medals so far but i am going back to the first levels to try and test the videos to make sure we can use them to the fullest extent.
This guide has been made while playing the game and watching the videos so it should be pretty useful. Maybe opening up a web page for the videos and one for the guide might be a good option
Sky World
You should be able to finish this world with Gold Medals on all levels without much video guidance really. But i will include the videos and any tips i can give just in case
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 0.39
There shouldn't be any problems here really, easy level and the only part you can lose a few seconds on is if you mess up pushing the boxes.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.24
At 1.59 be sure to take the shortcut just after you roll over the cloth with the marble ball, line your camera up so you see if you are inline and then just slowly roll of the ledge. Also this a hidden path which will give you 1/3 towards if you dont already have it.
The Gold time for this includes taking the hidden path so the only part that can really slow you down is lining up to drop off the ledge to use the hidden path, so be careful!
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 1.11
Exactly the for both versions but its a pretty simple level.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 1.33
At 5.05 there is a hidden path you can use but it doesnt save you that much time. Instead of rolling through the cloth with the metal ball, roll back along the path and break through the loose planks and land on the rails and carry on to the end.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 1.34
Easy level but there are no hidden paths or shortcuts, just comes down to how smooth you roll. PC and Arcade version are the same for this level.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 1.32
At 8.20 in the video you will see that he uses a barrel to keep the platform tilted, but for us there is no barrel to be seen! So transform into the Metal ball and push the wooden boxes underneathe the platform making sure you keep one of the boxes on top of the rest otherwise there wont be enough height to roll over the platform and make it to the otherside. Once you make it over carry on over the wobbly platforms to the finish.
https://www.trueachievements.com/Callum+x360a.htm has suggested a potentially easier method to this part for those who may struggle with the above tip:
I couldn't for the life of me, push the crates under the see-saw. Instead, I pushed the metal box onto the end of the see-saw, and transformed back into the marble, then just rolled over, easily.
Ice WorldLevel 1: Gold Medal time: 1.45
Straight away the level is different for us so you cant use the video until 0.36. For the Arcade version simply transform into the Metal ball straight away and follow the path until you come to 3 Metal boxes blocking the path. Push either the left or right one of of the ledge so there is room for the Airball to roll through, which is what you then need to go back for using the narrow path that branches off to the left and once transformed roll back up past the Metal boxes and through the checkpoint.
At 1.02 he skips transforming into the Air ball and somehow manages to roll across the rail and make it to the other side, very impressive! This can be pretty tough to pull off but it does save you about a little a bit of time. This shortcut is not needed to make the time for the Gold Medal.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.52
Another slight difference at 2.00 is that instead of a row of 4 metal boxes like in the video, we get an extra row of 4 stacked on top of the others. Doesnt really make much difference and you still need to push the boxes slightly so that they are sucked into the magnet and you can roll through. But more than likely it will take a little bit extra pushing to get the metal boxes within range of the magnet.
At 2.17 you cant take the same path using the Air vent because for the Arcade version there is a small rail ramp you have to climb, which you cant do because there is not enough room to squeeze through. Instead you still need to switch on this Air vent and then transform into the Airball, hit the next switch to turn off the second fan and then roll through the rail structure. Once you hit the next checkpoint you will be back in line with the video.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 1.52
At 4.11 there is a shortcut you can use. Instead of taking the long way round which is to use the path rolling past 3 fans, go straight towards the 2 fans that are halfway into the path and roll into the blades. This causes the blades to stop for a second and gives you plenty of time to roll on through, very easy to pull off. You wont have the checkpoint to fall back on but if you were to fail at anytime you should restart the level, simply because you will waste to much time retrying from a checkpoint to begin with.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 2.57
At 2.22 we can use the same shortcut by inflating the Air ball on the second inflation pad and simply floating all the way to the same path in the video. Then from here you have a nice easy path to the finish!
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 3.08
At 3.24 the PC version has a different part to go through as you will see, just 2 cloth paths to roll over. But for the arcade version you can either: Carry on rolling with the Air ball and roll into the blades of the fan, can be tricky to do but it can work. This gives you a small amount of time to roll past and carry on to the next checkpoint bringing you back in line with the video.
OR
Simply transform into the Marble ball and roll pass the fan without much trouble and continue on to the next checkpoint after the vents.
At 5.00 there is a shortcut you can use which saves a ton of time, even if you take your time to do it! (Well, not too much time obviously) Sometimes i couldnt get this work the same way its done in the video, but you can still roll over the rails if you fall into the middle section of the rails. I fell in between the 2nd and 3rd metal boxes and could still manage to roll awkwardly past the 3rd box.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 2.47
At 7.18 you will see for the PC version that there are 3 fans and for the Arcade only the 1. So this makes the shortcut he uses impossible for us to do. Instead you will need to use the inflation pad to float across to the platform with the Metal Ball transformer on, using the metal ball you then need to knock out enough large boxes so that 1 or 2 are still there that you can use to roll onto to the platform. But once you transform back to the Air ball and use the inflation pad, make sure you float to the left or right of the wind direction and you will have enough time to land on the large box that should still be there.
If you cant manage to pull this off then the other option is to use the Metal ball to push the large box next to the Air Ball transformer into the fan so that it stops blowing for when you float in its direction.
Cave World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 1.06
You can only start to follow the video from 0.43 but you wont have any problems to begin with. As soon as you come off the black rails (facing the direction you were rolling in) turn left onto the next set of rails, then roll past the 4 boulder tubes and into the checkpoint. This part is slightly different because the Arcade version has sets of mini stairs to climb to access the Powerball, but once you power up with the dash power you can follow the video again if needed.
At 1.06 the PC Version has an Airball transformer they can use to climb the stairs to the finish which for the Arcade nothing is there. You can still climb the stairs while dashing once or twice and it wont cause any problems.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 1.51
At 1.27 straight away there is no Powerball transformer for us, for the Arcade this comes just before hitting the first checkpoint.
At 2.51 there is a Hidden Path which we can use too, dont forget to use your magnet power incase you dont land on the platform. There is a magnet that can save you very close to the platform and then another for after you shoot out of the second cannon. This path needs to be took for the Gold Medal time.
At 3.05 same ending as the last level with the spiral of stairs there is no Airball transformer for the Arcade version.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 3.25
Try not to waste time pushing boxes for yourself to jump off once you have the jump power up, you really need to learn how to hit the thin post next to the chute so then you can just simply jump on the post and straight into the chute without any hassle.
Quick tip for the Dash powerup would be to do exactly the same as he does in the video. This seems obvious but before watching the videos i would always dash when the ball reached its highest speed instead of just before it would roll back down.
Incase you miss what happens at 5.26 basically you just need to load up a cannon and then blast it at the wooden box that is on top of a switch almost right in front of the cannon.
At 6.00 after transforming into the Powerball and then getting the Magnet power up go back along the path you just rolled up, fire yourself in the first cannon just like in the video. Then in the second cannon aim as high as the cannon will allow you to and keep hold of 'A' so then the Magnet on the platform can save you from a potential fall, then just roll to the finish. This route is needed for the Gold Medal time.
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 3.01
PC and Arcade versions are the same here so use the video so that you know what to expect. Only trouble on this level can be the jumps near the end but just try not to jump till the very last moment.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 2.57
PC Versions Level 6 is the Arcade level 5, you can use the video if you want as it has certain parts that are similar but i wrote up this guide anyway at the time:
Once you roll to the Metal and Air ball transformers, transform into the Airball and roll up the steep metal path. Using the Airball up the metal ramp will save you a few seconds, once at the top turn left and roll to at the side of the left box so then you go past the box and straight into the Metal transformer. Once changed, roll back along the thin path and then roll into each box making a clear path for the narrow planks below.
Roll back down the ramp and transform back to the Airball and work your way across the ropes and platforms, hit the switch to deactivate the fan and roll through the checkpoint.
POTENTIAL SHORTCUT Just tried this and pulled it off, JUST! Transform into the Airball and head straight for the lower path, roll into the boxes blocking your way and put the Airballs weight into the box. This slowly makes the box (thats tied to a rope) roll around the Airball, it may seem like the Airball will fall off but its actually really easy to recover because of its weight. As soon as i thought of this idea i managed to pull it off first time, this will save you a ton of time!
Change to the Powerball on your right and then grab the Jump power on the other side of the path, then jump from plank to plank to plank until you hit the next checkpoint. Now you quickly need to change the power to the magnet power, but most times (for me) i never make it to the floating magnet in time. But if you have taken the shortcut mentioned earlier you can afford to purposely fall off the edge, this makes the floating magnet re-spawn at its starting position and you can just latch on to it straight away.
Let go of the magnet once you reach the other side, roll through the checkpoint and switch to the dash power. This part gave me loads of trouble because to me it seems like each jump needs different timing, but this comes down to trial and error. First jump i pressed 'A' just as the ball hit the bottom of the dip, second and third jump needed more speed and power so i waited until almost the last point. But for the second you may have to pull back a little bit once you go up in the air, i was constantly scraping the ledge and managing to fall off.
Then for the last part head straight to the magnet power up and grab it, roll left towards the switch and hit it to activate the magnet on the platform across from you. Use your power to get across to this ledge and roll over the rails to transform into the Metal ball. Use the Metal ball to knock the rotating planks into place so you can roll across them after changing back to the powerball.
Before knocking the last plank, make sure you are knocking it into place from the side where you can just roll directly to the power ball transformer. Otherwise you may end up rolling within range of the magnet which is still switched on! After you roll over the planks you will see the finish!
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 6.30
Level 6 for the Arcade is the PC's Level 5! So follow PC version Level 5 for help on this level.
To begin with you will see that everything that is supposed to be done at the beginning is skipped, roll straight for the fans in the path and watch how to get past them at 0.26
This is not easy to do at all but saves so much time that it makes it worth practicing to get better at, plus if you fail you only have to roll from the start again anyway so it could be a lot worse. Basically you need to roll into the blades of the first fan but hold your position they for a split second so you have enough space for a run up into the rail. If you can hit the rail hard enough this makes it harder for the fan to blow you off the edge.
That part is easy but getting past the third can be a little bit tricky, you need to jam the blades of the second fan. But first of all fight the air its blowing at you without going to fast and falling behind the fan and not to far away from the fan so that you get caught in the air of the third. Once you are set to make a dash from the second fan, go for it! Put the weight of the marble ball into the third fan, you should be able to roll past no problem but sometimes it cant be helped that you wont have enough of a run up to make it.
Obviously practice is key here but its definitely worth trying the shortcut everytime because of the large amount of time you will save!
Follow the video again if needed, there is only a small difference so far at 1.36 where the PC's Airball transformer is situated just before the rope bridge, for us this is just after the first sets of rope bridges we roll off.
At 1.44 he changes to the powerball and takes a time saving shortcut thanks to the cannon. For us this area is completely different, using the Airball you have work your way along the Sideways and narrow rails. There not as hard to handle as they first look, just be sure to lean into the rail depending on which side its on. Take time and care when changing position or dropping onto a flat part and you should be fine.
Once you hit the checkpoint you can start to follow the video again from 1.59. Now this section is slightly different in size and the PC have boxes to push instead of the heavy metal balls, but the same method is required for us to pass too. Start by pushing both Heavy Metal balls through the first air vent and then your marble up the vent too. Push one of the heavys onto the first switch to the right to activate the rightside vent where you need to push the other ball into this vent. Roll through this vent and push the heavy onto the switch you will find at the end of the platform, this activates the middle vent that lets you access the next floor so use this vent.
After you reach the next floor push the new found heavy ball back down to the floor you just came from, this bit i find really annoying because of the two black hooks that the heavy can get stuck inbetween. Unfortunately this can be a huge time killer and has cost me the Gold medal several times, only tip i can give is to face the camera in the same direction that you want to push the heavy and be gentle and slow when pushing the heavy past the hooks.
Then push this heavy into the vent on the leftside (once you turn your camera back round), then get the best run up that you can and knock the heavy from the rightside to the leftside switch. This activates the vent on the left pushing the heavy up, use this vent as well and push the heavy onto the switch at the end of the ledge. This activates the last fan on the next floor up allowing you to carry on rolling to the next checkpoint.
At 4.27 you can start to follow the video again. But the last part is surprisingly very easy, once you reach the other end of the rails you will see the finish!
Cloud World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 1.18
At 0.45 instead of a full path with fans the Arcade has a thin plank to sprint across while still trying to not be blown off by the fans. The alternate is to carry on with the jump power and take the other path which takes too long. But another way is to carry on with the Jump power and jump over the wind from each fan, you will only be pushed a tiny bit so its not too bad. But this route must be taken to get a gold medal because the time is very harsh for this level.
At 1.10 the shortcut taken in the PC version cant be taken in the Arcade as the gap between the platforms is just way too wide. Instead there is actually a 'hidden' path we can take which is uncluded in the gold medal time! Once you reach this section ignore the box and make sure you still have jump power, climb the stairs to the right and when you come to the tall rail fence you need to slowly roll around the side of it. This allows you to jump straight across to the next platform!
So basically you need to stick with the Jump power the whole level, ignore the Dash and magnet power! Jump through the fans - follow the tunnel - climb the stairs - roll to the side of the fence - roll to the finish - DONE!
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 2.36
You can only follow the video from 1.50 as the Arcade has a very harsh set of obstacles to roll up. Grab the powerball and the dash power and roll up the ramp, as soon as the ball is about to stop rolling hit 'A'. This works best for me but im really bad at these types of ramps and it always takes me ages to get past them within a decent amount of time.
At 2.30 the PC version takes an easy shortcut after blasting the second switch! Unfortunately for us the two barriers have been boarded up and extended so this shortcut is a no go for us. So once you come to the second cannon, load it up with the cannon ball and aim pretty much into the ramp just to be safe. Carefully blast youself over to this same position and push the ball onto the switch, do the same for the other side and then carry on through the two barriers.
At the end of the level its possible to save a few seconds, after using the second inflation pad fly across to the blue tunnel and roll along the top of it. Once you reah the end where the exit of the tunnel widens roll off to the rightside and the gap is big enough for the Airball to roll straight through!
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 2.12
At 4.00 this shortcut cant be taken on the Arcade version because of the two post on either side of the tunnel, instead you will need to grab the jump power up and jump into the tunnel.
Straight after this another shortcut is taken in the PC version, because he still has the dash powerup he can slowly push the platform blocking the tunnel underneathe out of the way. For the Arcade you will need to use your jump power to jump across each platform to the right and then change to the Metal Ball. Push the metal block to create an opening and then carefully but quickly roll back down the platforms, you might as well drop down the tunnel with the Metal ball and transform into the powerball once you reach the transformer.
Another method here is to skip pushing the metal block and just roll back down stairs and try to move the platform with the Metal ball, this can be awkward though as the platform doesnt budge that much but if can get it to work you will be saving a small bit of time. I find that hitting the block once and then rolling down to push the platform seems to work too.
At 4.42 is yet another shortcut the Arcade cant use, even before you try to fire the cannon in the same direction you will clearly see that the whole layout looks different! However you can fire the cannon so that your powerball lands infront of the stairs just to the left of the exit of the tunnel.
Then for the last part where there are 3 large boxes, change to the metal ball and push the left box (closest to the powerball transformer) underneathe the rails. Ignore the other two and then after changing to the powerball and grabbing the jump power jump off the ledge to the left of the rails and onto to the box. Once on top of the box jump into the tunnel and roll to the finish!
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 3.32
At 8.15 there is a little shorcut, instead of using the magnet to the left of the checkpoint to reach the switch above, use the air vent as shown in the video. Make sure you have a little run up to the vent so you have enough time to make it.
At 8.52 there is another shortcut you can use which is really easy to pull off.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 3.27
Slight difference at the start of the level, our powerup and magnet power are next to each other where as the PC versions are seperated by the tube.
At 1.03 we have another shortcut that cant be used now because of the rail fence in the way. Instead go straight for the jump power up to the left of where you landed, ignore the metal ball power and jump to the thin rails to access the dash power up. Dash back across to the main path and roll back towards where you first landed to activate the timed magnet switch to the right. Then use your dash as much as possible and once you make it to the magnet power up use its power to attract to the magnet and continue on through the tunnel. Now you will be back in line with the video.
At 1.25 another shortcut is used which at first looks like the Arcade version can also pull this off too. But if you look closely (and may find out anyway) there is a silver rail blocking the small ledge you need to climb up in order to take this shortcut. So instead you will need to hit the 3rd-4th-1st-2nd switch in that order and use each magnet to successfully make it into the tunnel.
At 1.50 i almost had dejavu lol! This part is 4.46 in the last video which is Level 4 (PC). I went back to other video but found but found no differences or shortcuts.
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 4.59
At 3.10 he takes an impressive shortcut by rolling straight over the rail, if you can pull this off then 'good job!'. Otherwise you need to use the magnet power to swing across to the next platform, roll along the rails and transform to the Airball. Inflate the airball and float back across to the main path, roll across the thin rail and turn left. Hit the switch to stop the fan for a short amount of time and roll past it.
If you did manage to cut across the thin rail with the powerball and the magnet power then you can use the same shortcut in the video at 3.21. If not then im afraid you will have to take the longway.
At 3.36 the PC version has a different part to work through, at 4.00 you can follow the video again.
At 4.25 the whole level is different and you will see that we are no where near the finish yet!
For this section take if use the jump power to change to the magnet power located up the stairs to your right. Then swing from magnet to magnet until you reach the end and hit the switch to turn off the fan, work your way back across the magnets and then change to the airball.
Using the airball and the inflation pads begin to work your way on top of the hovering platforms until you reach the end where you can simply use an inflation pad to float to the finish!
If you dont have any silver medals for Lava World than a congratulations should be in order as you will have just unlocked:
This is my solution for completing Lava World from:Solution for Airball Badge In Switchball I will edit or change any differences i find now that i am going for Gold Medals
Lava World
Level 1: Gold Medal time: 6.23
If you are using the video for Level 1 you may notice that their is a small addition to the XBLA version.
At 4.17-4.27 After the player passes the now 3 deactivated magnets, he also passes through a checkpoint. For the Arcade version this part doesn't come straight away. We have to use two air vents to climb higher and then be back 'in place' with video so to speak. It's only a small addition but obviously it adds time and can confuse people, so now you know!
So besides whats been noted for Level 1 everything else is exactly the same.
Level 2: Gold Medal time: 5.03
For level 2 at 7.14 in the video the player manages to cross the gap with only 2 out of 3 balls in place. This can be tricky to do, i managed to do this on my second attempt but you need to hit the first ball as it rolls back a little bit from the impact of hitting the first ball.
After hitting the checkpoint there is another slight change from the video, in the arcade version we have to use an Air vent and then successfully elavate to the next checkpoint using 3 Air lifts. This is pretty simple but i would advise leaving plenty of space and time to be able to roll to each Air lift. After hitting the next checkpoint you will be back in place with the video.
At 8.39 in the video he uses the vent to launch straight acroos to the next path. For the Arcade version this cant be done because the path is set a lot further away, here you need to use the Vent to get back to the path right in front of the vent. Then you will see another windmill type machine which you need to use to knock you across to the path, this can be awkward as you need a full on hit to make it. Failing is not to punishing as you respawn as the default ball and can go straight across to this part to try again. Then you are back in place with the video.
At 8.56 there is another minor difference, just that after using the first inflation, there is no platform full of nails until we after the second inflation pad. In the video as soon as he uses the inflation for the first time, the nails/spikes are underneathe the player straight away.
At 9.55-onwards the player uses a shortcut but it is so hard to pull off. To do this copy what he does in the video, but you will only make it with an amazing run up and enough impact off of the ledge you hit as you take off. Once on the otherside keep to the left as much as you can and fight your way through the fans, but keep in mind that they dont blow you away if you are far enough to the left, so dont keep your pad held down to the left too much!
If you really cant get this to work then you need to transform to the default ball and roll across the railing. Turn off both of the fans by the pads, roll back across to the other section and just push one box (the smaller one) onto the pad to the left. This will switch on the top fan above the vent and give you enough force to reach the other side and roll to the finish.
If you are on a gold medal run i would recommend using the default route unless you can master this shortcut.
Level 3: Gold Medal time: 7.48 (Thanks to https://www.trueachievements.com/MrBigShade.htm for finding out the Medal time.)
So this shows that there is room for a few mistakes, but i also checked out the leaderboards and my time was 3rd overall in the world (granted people would have done this offline). SmokiestDadn (hope you dont mind the mention) was behind me in 4th place with 7.35 and he has the full 200G for Switchball. 5th place was 'TrinaLuvsGeorge' with 12.58 which would probably scrape a silver medal.
So at the moment id set the gold medal time for anything better then 7.40, if anyone finds out what the time is then let me know please. I cant find out myself because when you start a level you haven't previously won a medal on, the time displayed is the Bronze medal time. If you beat the all medal times in one go then the only time it will display if you play again is your own personal best.
Although this may sound stupid i will make a note of this just incase:
When you come to the part where you have to knock the box off the platform using the Air ball, don't forget to wedge the box into the side of the fan where the blades are coming down otherwise the box will just be knocked if placed on the wrong side!
At 2.35 he uses a shortcut, which is to go straight for the rails and block the fan. Leaving you with just a second to roll past it and onwards to the next part. This is not to hard to pull off and i managed to do this on my second attempt.
At 4.52 this path wont work for the Arcade version as the fans are in different places. So first take the right rails and after rolling to the last switch leave that one on, roll over the one before that but make sure this one is switched off. Then before taking the rails on the otherside make sure the last switch is activated too.
Then on the left rails the 1st and 2nd switches will be on and the 3rd will be off, you need to make it so that only the 2nd and 3rd switches are activated. Then use the inflation pad underneathe the high set fan, this will push you forward into the vent which will rise you up into the fan which pushes you all the way to the ledge you need to reach. Then simply use the next inflation pad to be pushed by the fan into the vent which raises you to the last runway and your homestretch to the finish.
Plus the shortcut he manages to pull off at the end of level 3 is insane!
Level 4: Gold Medal time: 2.35
PC version is exactly the same as XBLA version so no problems for this level. Mainly comes down to personal execution for most parts in this level.
Level 5: Gold Medal time: 4.34
After the next checkpoint after the metal blocks are moved by the magnet, the Arcade version has a nice and annoying part to work through. (Roll through the checkpoint and die if the pads are not there as this saves waiting time) First you will see two flying pads that have a small rope path between them, you need to quickly roll onto the right flying pad before it sets off upwards to avoid the fan in the middle of the wooden wall. Then use the rope and the other pad to dodge each set of fans as the pads escalate. Once you reach the next checkpoint you will be back in line with the video.
At 3.05 instead of a set of rails to that keep the other airball inline to go upwards, the arcade version has a tunnel but they both result in the same outcome for the airball.
At 3.36 you wont really need to use the video as the PC version has a couple of extra rail parts for them to do, where as for the Arcade version we can just wait until the other airball drops down onto the magnet activating switch clearing our path to the finish!
Level 6: Gold Medal time: 5.15
From 4.40-4.58 doesn't matter to us as this is an extra part for the PC Version, but even after this small part we cant follow the video again because he uses the Jump ability to his advantage and is able to skip the pushing of the box that is needed for the Arcade version.
So to start the first stretch there will be just the 4 boulder slides, it looks pretty easy to quickly get the box across but its not! Timing and speed are obviously the keys here but sometimes you have to allow the boulders to skim or just tap the box so that you can make it past in one piece too.
After making it through the first path you will need to push the box onto the pad which deactivates the magnet above you and releases a metal box. Now you need to roll ahead being extremely careful of the two fans and then avoiding the next boulder slides, give yourself a good run up to roll as close to fans as possible and at the same time timing it to not get hit too hard by the boulder which can sometimes be unavoidable.
Then transform into the Metal ball once you make it across the path and take the Metal ball back across to begin pushing the metal box. The Metal ball is pretty much unaffected by the boulders or the fans but the metal box can be!
The fans only really move the metal box at the same time that you are pushing it, so keep yourself at a good angle towards the fans to keep it in the middle of the path. Then the boulders can still knock the box a decent distance so if the box gets knocked to close to the edge then just let it go and go back for another one that will respawn (unless you are on a Gold Medal run).
After making it past the boulders with the Metal box, push the box over the ramp as hard as you can and then give yourself a good run up to make it over. Then push the box onto the pad and carry on to the next checkpoint but be warned the level is still different from the video.
It is important to try your best to reach the checkpoint just before the flying platforms at least before the 2 minute mark! If you reach this point and the floating platform is not there the best thing to do is roll off of the edge AFTER CHANGING TO THE POWERBALL.
When you respawn the floating platform will be waiting for you and you just need to quickly grab the jump power up and then jump over to the platform. This helped me on my achievement unlocking run because once the floating platform leaves the path it wont return for about 30 seconds, which is too much time to waste waiting!
So for the Arcade versions extra part you need to powerup the ball with the ability to jump, then once you jump onto the platform you need to balance and make it past three windmills. Dependant on which way the windmill is spinning you will either need to put the weight of the ball into meeting the windmills impact or going against the impact (If you get me?). Either way this part can be annoying and each try will probably end up with very different results from the last one.
At 5.18 we can begin to follow the video again.
Now as you will see this part is full of timed switches, try not to pause around this section, off of personal expirience for some reason if i set a timer off and then paused, the timers would still continue to count down and once i unpaused the time would have ran out on the switch! However if this happens to you, you are safe to pause it once you jump to the flying pad at 6.00.
Follow the video all the way to the end using the same method as in the video when he stays on the rails and jumps past the heavy ball you are following. Once you get to the part with the two magnets you use to cross the gap you are pretty much homefree, but just dont get too excited when crossing the last plank. I got too excited about finally reaching the end that i hit the plank before it had settled and fell through the gap meaning i had to do the whole rail part and the magnet part AGAIN!
On my gold medal run this level was by far the hardest level to master, i've unlocked the achieve now and its 5.14am. Ive been playing this since around 11.45am, minus time to smoke, eat, drink, visit the bathroom and boost for 3 hours. Dedicate yourself to the game and practice, master the parts in levels you may keep messing up and you will have this achievement in no time. To be honest its not as hard as it seems at first, the only levels that can really take a few hours would be a few from the last world, especially the last level!
If there are any questions or any mistakes i may have made dont hesitate to drop a comment, good luck!
(Credit to Omgarrett for all the amazing videos)
38 Comments
Honestly cheers so much for this man, what a guide. Im on 9/30 atm and going pretty well :)
By OlsAbsss x on 29 Oct 2010 20:21
glad its helpin out, keep up the good work!
By Dat Boi Treezy on 29 Oct 2010 22:02
patacama
This is by far the most difficult trophy in the game. Try to complete all the levels as quick as you possibly can. If you're having trouble, check the speedrun videos in this post:
Speedrun Videos
UraMallas
This is a very tricky achievement well worth all 30 gamerscore points you'll receive for it. For this acheivement you'll have to get a Gold Medal time on all 30 levels in the game (up through 5-6.) The only advice I can give you here is to use the YouTube videos in the Speed Run thread right here and practice, practice, practice. The videos should definitely help on a lot of the levels to find a lot of shortcuts as well as "Hidden Paths" so that this goal is attainable. Credit for videos go to the people that put them up on YouTube. Good luck!
