Chapter 29: Excavation of the Bryyo Ruins

With power restored, this Golem obediently hops out of bed.
With power restored, this Golem obediently hops out of bed.

We'll now head for Bryyo, so select the planet and touch down at the Cliffside Airdock. Firstly, head through to the Gateway chamber and deal with the pair of hostile Reptilicus loitering there. Climb up into the chamber on the west side and roll through the right side of the narrow tunnels etched into the walls.

Stand up at the exit and look outside, see the frozen Reptilicus up against the wall? Simply use your Nova Beam to break the target down and reveal a narrow tunnel inside the wall. Climb in and roll right - eventually you'll discover Missile Expansion BR.12 directly above one of the security nodes. With your latest Missile tucked away, stand up and head back inside the enclosed chamber. Roll through the left side of the tunnel network and make your way over to the vast Grand Court canyon.

Leap down off the balcony upon arrival and step towards the Mogenar-class Golem lazing around on its back. See the control unit atop its head? Switch on your X-Ray Visor and successfully interface with the control unit to restore power. The Golem obediently stands up, revealing a small Phazon pool within its former bed (that can't be comfortable).

Plenty of ancient Bryyo lore still await discovery.
Plenty of ancient Bryyo lore still await discovery.

Two Phaazoids promptly emerge from the Phazon pool - these strange phenomena occur here just like on SkyTown. Quickly enter Hypermode and destroy both. Just as you may have guessed - one of them splits into a Red Phaazoid. Clear all the remains and take out the Red Phaazoid to score a bonus gold credit (don't forget to pick it up). Take a short dip in the Phazon pool to restore your health before returning to the Gateway.

Once there, head south and move beyond the crashed Federation frigate. Screw Attack through the Falls of Fire chasm and energize the Golem at the far end of the cavern to be taken down below the deep shaft. As you stand up at the base, remember seeing the Wall Jump surfaces here ages ago? Simply use the Screw Attack here to reach Missile Expansion BR.13 high above in a small alcove.

Not too shabby, let's move onward to find more items (which your map shows a plentiful supply of thanks to the satellite launched from the Chozo Observatory). Jump down and move onward to the Hidden Court. Here among the massive Federation Fuel Gel pump, normally you'd need to travel below and head for the Hangar Bay to ultimately find a path leading back around here to the other side of that sealed gate on the southern wall. But first we'll pull off a sneaky trick to visit a nearby region first.

This giant Golem head must have a purpose...
This giant Golem head must have a purpose...

Climb up atop the single platform attached to the huge Fuel Gel pump. Look at the northern wall - see the cliffside there normally too high to reach? Simply Screw Attack from here to barely reach it. Move along the wall to find an orange door behind a group of overgrown mushrooms. Step on through to discover the winding Hidden Court Hall - home to a group of pesky Hoppers. Clear them out and travel around the region.

Roll through the narrow winding tunnel on the far end to reach a very similar hallway. As you stand up quickly deal with more Hoppers and take a look at the left wall. Scan the elaborate Bryyonian lore sculpture for the Salvation entry.

This one documents the Science Lord's efforts to cleanse Bryyo's atmosphere and save what fertile land remained (he mentions launching machines into the atmosphere - is that what those huge orbs in the sky chained to the ground were?). Amazingly, the sights of the machines trying to restore the planet stirred hatred in the Primals who promptly set out to hunt their enemies - these Primals sure can be pathetic creatures at times.

Freeze these Fuel Gel spouts to easily climb up.
Freeze these Fuel Gel spouts to easily climb up.

Exit the Hidden Court Hall around the corner to discover a very interesting region. This is the Fuel Gel Pool, aptly named for the vast deposit of Fuel Gel dominating the region. But the real sight is the massive Golem head resting in the oily liquid (just how did it get there?). Scanning the mammoth head reveals that your ship can actually lift the object. Sure enough, there's a Ship Grapple Point directly on top.

Summon your ship and command it to lift the Golem clear of the pool. Amazingly it has no trouble, watch as the head's cleanly extracted from the pool, leaving behind globs of Fuel Gel attached to its underside.

With the head gone we'll now take a closer look around. Screw Attack over to the ledge on the southern side of the Fuel Gel pool (or you could've actually stepped through the Golem's head before to reach it as well). Freeze the nearest Fuel Gel spout and the following two to give yourself handy stepping stones. Leap atop the cliffside overlooking the pool to find Missile Expansion BR.14 waiting patiently there (watch out for the disturbed Nightbarbs swarming out of a nearby statue head).

With this Missile secured, listen closely. Do you still hear a very faint item proximity humming sound? There must be something else here... Sure enough, if you take a plunge into the Fuel Gel pool below, you'll discover a hidden opening in the rock wall behind the Fuel Gel spout. Climb inside to find Missile Expansion BR.15 hiding inside a small cave.

Look at all those items scattered everywhere.
Look at all those items scattered everywhere.

With your activities complete here (that Golem head will come in handy later on) head back to the Hidden Court. Upon arrival, turn right and Screw Attack over to the half-pipe on the western side of the region. From there, use the Boost Ball to climb up the right-hand side. Up here you'll discover Missile Expansion BR.16 hiding in a tiny alcove.

With this item secured, climb down and move through the door hidden deep underground. Climb up the Ruined Shrine to the Hangar Bay. Don't summon your ship here, as you still need that Golem head it's magically carrying around. Instead, step through the orange door exit and move through to the Hangar Bay Hall. Clear out any Hoppers along the way and exit this region to discover the vast Hall of the Golems chamber.

Home to three Golems, this chamber houses a massive Fuel Gel pond and one of the most annoying creatures in the entire game. Strutting about high above a rocky outcropping is the only Fargul Hatcher you'll find in the game. Bring it into view and scan the pest for your Logbook. This annoying fiend periodically launches small red hostiles from its mouth, all of which home straight in on you, even if you pose no threat to the Fargul Hatcher. Scan the swarm of tiny Fargul Wasps for your Logbook as well.

Before exploring the depths of this chamber, I strongly recommend you climb up to the Fargul Hatcher and fill its ugly may with Hypermode blasts when the thing opens. You'll be glad you did, as you don't want those pathetic Fargul Wasps constantly swarming in every ten seconds. With the creature gone and silence your reward, take a look at each of the Golems. Each one possesses a different clamp over its Bomb Slot, but thankfully by now you've got everything you need to access them.

Before playing with any of the Golems, be sure to open up the Bryyo lore security panel between them all and scan the sculpture for the Victory lore entry. This one details the victory of the Science Lords and their exile into polluted lands, seeing the grim reality of their dying planet.

Use this ancient half-pipe to find more suit expansions.
Use this ancient half-pipe to find more suit expansions.

Now for the Golems. Firstly take a look at the right Golem. Simply attach the Grapple Lasso to the clamp and overload it with energy via the Grapple Voltage. Energize the exposed Bomb Slot and watch as the Golem restores power to a huge network of Spider Ball tracks all around the chamber, leading up to Missile Expansion BR.17. Climb up the tracks once the Golem powers down and watch out for coursing electricity covering the tracks early on.

Move around the network and use a double-bomb jump near the end to reach an otherwise unreachable track. Keep moving to eventually reach the Missile, then fall back down to ground level. Stand up and send a charged Nova Beam shot into the nearby Golem to uncover its Bomb Slot. Climb in and lay a bomb - watch as the Golem steps forward, turns right and spews flames forth to burn through an elaborate wall.

With a new passage opened up, we'll activate the final Golem. Climb up the rocky ledges to reach the Golem's high platform, then send a single Ice Missile into its clamp to break it open. Jump in and lay a bomb - watch as this Golem steps forward before delivering freezing breath all over the Fuel Gel falls. Freezing the liquid solid, this Golem has now given you another handy exit.

With two exits to choose from, we'll first head through the one down beyond the door the second Golem opened up. Beyond here lies the Colossus Vista, and boy what a view. Looming down from above rests the biggest Golem you'll witness - and curiously it's headless. Now you know the purpose for that giant Golem head your ship's carrying.

This headless statue looks like it's waiting for something...
This headless statue looks like it's waiting for something...

Scan the cage covering Ship Missile Expansion BR.03 nearby to learn that only massive physical force can break this thing open - same goes for the huge pile of debris covering one end of the region. Also be sure to scan the Decline lore entry on the wall near the entrance - this one details the last Lord of Science's efforts to restore Bryyo, his discovery of Fuel Gel and the Primal's decent into primitive barbarianism.

So let's get that Golem powered back up again. Look up and activate the Command Visor. See the icon above the Golem? Lock on and watch as your ship arrives, depositing the head upon the statue's neck. The Golem promptly restores to life, smashing one massive fist down on the chamber, demolishing both the cage and the debris blocking the corner nearby. Pick up your handy new Ship Missile Expansion before moving through the door once blocked by the cave-in.

Step through to discover the Machineworks Bridge - and a literally bottomless pit in the almost pitch-dark cavern. Hop into the Spinner device attached to the cage before you and use the Boost Ball to rotate it around. A long bridge swings out as the cage rotates, eventually locking into place and bridging half the chasm. But you're not just doing this to help bridge this region. See Energy Tank BR.04 high above ahead? Walk over beneath the item and wait for a pair of Wall Jump surfaces to move in close to the bridge.

As they travel close enough, quickly use the Screw Attack to reach the ceiling and grab the Energy Tank before the walls depart. Fall below and return the way you came - you'll need to visit this area from the other side of the far exit to fully bridge the gap. Travel back to the Hall of the Golems - this time we'll take the exit high above the now-frozen Fuel Gel falls.

Deal with the horrible Fargul Hatcher if it annoys you too much, otherwise try to climb the frozen falls quickly up to the exit. Step through to find yourself inside a tiny chamber bearing a narrow opening in the wall ahead. Roll inside to discover the Burrow - a massive twisting underground region filled with crystallized Fuel Gel. Your exit lies at the very bottom-right of the area, but remember to backtrack and blow out the Fuel Gel formations to eventually find Missile Expansion BR.18 hiding within the open maw of a stone statue head.

Travel down to the bottom-right of the region and roll through a long connecting tunnel to find your exit. Stand up and spin around - open up the security panel guarding the Bryyo lore sculpture and scan it for the Struggle of Exiles entry. Here we learn of the Science Lord's plans to save the remaining fertile environments on Bryyo, and their regret in not heeding the Chozo's warnings (you should always listen to wise birds).

Exit the Burrow to find yourself back in the Hidden Court, this time inside the caged region beside the Fuel Gel pump. Simply fire at the pair of locking clamps to release the gate, giving you a handy access point to the Burrow from here. The gate also deploys a Grapple Point - normally used to swing across to the northern wall, but we've been naughty and used the Screw Attack earlier to reach it.

There's not much else to do in this region of Bryyo, so climb down underground and up the Ruined Shrine to the Hangar Bay. Summon your ship and climb aboard. We'll now head for the Thorn Jungle Airdock to eventually find the other side of that massive chasm in the Machineworks Bridge.

Next Chapter: Bryyo's Final Bow