Magi Nation (Game Boy Advance) - RetroAchievements/guides GitHub Wiki

1) Synopsis
Set Difficulty 6
Approximate time to master 40 hours
Minimum numbers of playthroughs needed 2
Number of missable achievements 31
Hardest achievement of the set Gotta Catch 'Em All

2) Introduction

Magi-Nation for the Game Boy Advance is a port of the much more popular version on the Game Boy Color. A few corners were cut, but the battle system is much faster and less clunky. It was developed by Matahari Studios in Indonesia. The ROM file contains both Japanese and English text, as presumably the game was tested in English by the game studio before finally using Japanese in the final version. An English patch is available.

This guide goes through all the achievements that are not automatically unlocked in a normal playthrough, or that are not obvious from the achievement description. Generally, the achievements are in chronological order, and so if you try and obtain the achievements when they are next on the list, you should not miss them.

3) Tips and Warnings

  • There is an infinite money glitch: buying and re-selling most Gems to the same shop will yield a profit.
  • If you would like to encounter Ormagon, follow an Ormagon guide from early on. Remember not to cure Orwin until after reaching the end of the quest.
  • If you do not return Ashgar's key before leaving the Cald after beating the Cald Shadow Geyser, you will no longer be able to forge Cald dream creatures and nobody in the Cald will want to talk to you.
  • You will be forced to leave the Shadowhold when you look down the pier, so avoid doing so until you have finished exploring.
  • There are two different endings based on whether Orwin was cured. You can wait to cure Orwin until the end of the game, allowing you to quickly unlock both endings without having to restart the entire game.

4) Ormagon Quest

Ormagon is the strongest dream creature in the game. The Ormagon Quest was a secret quest to obtain Ormagon that was supposed to only be revealed in the sequel of the game, Keeper's Quest. However, the sequel was never officially released! The steps to encounter Ormagon were discovered by players of the Game Boy Color game in 2001. At this point in time, it is not clear how exactly this happened, but we suspect that the developers had a role in leaking some key details to help the fanbase.

Here are the steps you must take to complete the Ormagon Quest (note that they differ slightly from the Game Boy Color game):

  1. Shortly after completing the second Shadow Geyser, you will end up waking up in Wence's house. Before going to talk to Gia, you must go to the town in the Underneath and talk to the hunter to learn about Ormagon.
  2. In the Cald, when using the ferry for the first time, you must retain the Ferryman's services. Note that this locks you out of the achievement "So That's Where Soap Comes From", but you can get this small and easy achievement on your second playthrough of the game. You can retain the Ferryman's services in two different ways:
  • You can agree to pay the 300 animite waiting fee. Note that this locks you out of the achievement "Bargainer".
  • You can take advantage of a small bug that was missed, exclusive to the Game Boy Advance version of the game. You can save the game before boarding the Ferry for the first time. Sail to Orothe, refuse to pay the Ferryman, and then immediately use the Eldritch Awl to teleport back to the Cald mainland. There, you can negotiate a new price with the Ferryman and sail a second time to Orothe. This can unlock the achievement "Bargainer".
  1. In the Orothe Tunnels, you must find some Algae and leave the tunnels WITHOUT getting Agadon's Boots.
  2. Take the ferry back and give the Algae to the hunter who is now located in the Abandoned Tower in the Underneath.
  3. (Note that you can at this moment obtain Fungicide before completing the Cald Shadow Geyser, but unlike the Game Boy Color version of the game, it is more convenient to do it later, so it is recommended to skip this step for now and to only do it near the end of the game)
  4. Do NOT cure Orwin until the end of the guide, as Orwin will prevent you from completing the quest.
  5. When you get to Oscent Mar, before exploring the Underwater Ruins, buy a Specimen Jar and bring it to the Underneath.
  6. In the Underneath Caverns outside of Gruk's Mushroom Farm, you will find a trail of fungus leading to a wall. Interact with the wall to put some fungus into the Specimen Jar.
  7. Give the Jar of Fungus to the boy who collects spooky plants in Vash Naroom. At this point you may continue your quest in Orothe.
  8. After defeating Morag, the spooky boy's house will be overrun by fungus. Get the Fungicide from the Training Grounds. Unlike the Game Boy Color version, the Fungicide is obtainable at this point of the game. To get the Fungicide, you must enter the Training Grounds and run counter-clockwise around the statue exactly 5 times, and then interact with the empty eye. An easy trick (which does not work in the Game Boy Color game), is to simply interact with the empty eye every single time you run past, as there is no penalty for checking in the Game Boy Advance version. If you mess up, you must exit the Training Grounds completely and re-enter, or else the puzzle will not reset.

Training Grounds

  1. Use Fungicide to get rid of the fungus in the spooky boy's house.
  2. Pick up the Hollow Stool in the spooky boy's house.
  3. You may now cure Orwin.
  4. Head back to the Underneath Caverns to the wall of fungus. Use Fungicide to destroy the wall and enter the secret room.
  5. Use the Hollow Stool in the middle of the room to encounter Ormagon. Quest complete!

5) Achievement Guide

Acquired Taste
Eat 20 mushrooms

Before completing the second Shadow Geyser, learn about mushrooms from one of the town's inhabitants, then go in Motash the elder's house and eat 20 mushrooms.

Fiery Exorcist
Obtain Maelstrom from Valkan by defeating at least 5 ShadowMagi

After getting to the Cald, you must fight ShadowMagi. Prioritize fighting the two northern ShadowMagi that are standing around, and then prioritize the two southwest ShadowMagi standing around. You should be able to easily get up to a count of 5 wins before the scenario ends.

Have Some Flame
Obtain Fireball in the Cald

A secret passage exists on the pathway to the Ferry in the Cald. By running around in front of a specific one of the paintings on the wall, the painting will swallow you and bring you into the secret passage.

So That's Where Soap Comes From
Tell Eidon about Oflardt's stories

Refuse to pay the Ferryman after going to Orothe. On your way back from Orothe, talk to Eidon. Note that refusing to pay the Ferryman will lock you out from getting Ormagon, so do this on an alternative playthrough.

Skeleton Key
Find the Channeled Gem using Ashgar's Key

The locked door is located in the Weave.

Bargainer
Haggle the ferryman down to his lowest price

Refuse to pay the Ferryman after going to Orothe. Once back on mainland, head back to the Dock in the Cald. Note that refusing to pay the Ferryman may potentially lock you out from getting Ormagon, unless you use the Eldritch Awl to teleport back to the mainland to negotiate a new price before getting Agadon's Boots.

Closet Unicorn
Open the training equipment door

As part of the Ormagon quest, the training equipment door is unlocked by running 5 times around the statue counter-clockwise. See the Ormagon Quest guide above for details on how to open the door. This achievement is NOT missable, unlike in the Game Boy Color version of the game.

Second Largest Screwdriver
Examine the large screwdriver near some Goraths

Found at the end of the Shadowhold.

Junk Collector
Find all 3 useless items: Wence's Arrow and two Feathers

Wence's Arrow is found in the Underneath, and the two Feathers are found in the Shadowhold.

Double the Pleasure
Get a Spice of Life from Karyn or a Pinch of Life from Eryn

After beating the third Shadow Geyser, save Karyn and Eryn by fleeing from Morag. Thereafter, talk to one of them in Vash Naroom for one of the two rewards.

Savior
Cure Orwin

Get the Cloud Frond from the Shadowhold and bring it to the Seer. Note that healing Orwin will lock you out of the Ormagon quest, unless Orwin is healed after getting the Hollow Stool. Consider healing Orwin at the very end of the game, to unlock both endings.

Jailbreak
After rescuing all 7 prisoners, claim a reward from each of them throughout the world

Fully complete the Shadowhold by rescuing all 7 prisoners. After escaping from the Shadowhold, the prisoners can be found at the following locations:

  1. Vash Naroom
  2. Wheat Farm
  3. Bogrom, the Underneath Town
  4. A secret room in the Underground Caverns on the way to Gruk's Mushroom Farm
  5. Ashyn, the Cald Town
  6. A secret room accessible via Blast Urn in the Cald Lava Vents
  7. Dock

Now THAT is a BIG Mushroom
Encounter Ormagon

Complete the Ormagon Quest as described above.

Funeral
After defeating Agram, attend a funeral instead of going home

Instead of going back home after defeating Agram, try to head back 3 times. This ending triggers if Orwin was not healed.

Spoiled Kyros
After defeating Agram, attend the party instead of going home

Instead of going back home after defeating Agram, try to head back 3 times. This ending triggers if Orwin was healed.

Simpsons Homage
Do everything at the Naroom party, then leave

At the party, talk to Blu, Pruitt, Salafy, Yaki, Eidon and Valkan. Help Evu via Poad, reunite Gruk, Ulk and Gogor, help Logan, and complete Orlon's and the Seer's challenges without cheating.

Great Furok
Obtain a Great Furok in New Game Plus by almost escaping the Tavel Gorge caves

The Tavel Gorge caves have 3 different maps associated with them. After taking the crystal, you must run all the way back to the very first map before falling down into a chasm. After that, Pruitt will automatically give you a great Furok (level 5), as opposed to a normal or good Furok (level 2 or 3).

The Dark Side
Visit the Core Ringsmith in New Game Plus

After starting a New Game Plus, head to the secret passage between the Naroom cave and Gruk's Mushroom Farm.

Smash All the Pots
Open all the chests and in Naroom and the Weave, and find the 2 items hidden in Vash Naroom and 1 item hidden in the Wheat Farm

The only missable chests are the chests associated with Ashgars key - see the achievement "Skeleton Key".

Gotta Catch 'Em All
Forge all the Dream Creatures

Core creatures may only be forged in New Game Plus. In this second playthrough, there are two rare dream creatures that you should make sure not to miss. All other forgeable creatures can be encountered an unlimited amount of times.

  • Chaos Jile (only 1 encounter)
  • Gorath (up to 5 encounters)