onoes it's teh d00d dat own3d up teh cryptic castle

Yes, I rocked the place (place, place). Here's how I did it.

-all-
Slide into the first door, than spindash into it. Light dash one of the next ring trails and destroy the next door. Run down this slope and jump off the side before you reach the floor thing you would need to flip over. Jump dash down to the first checkpoint.

Get on the balloon, then the rail quickly. Kick the back-left torch in the air to try to grab it without stopping. Swing the torch to light the lanterns in one swoop. If you're doing the Dark mission, Jump Dash over the giant lantern to light it. Otherwise, run past it. Spindash when near the edge on the left or right and release it. Angle yourself while airborne to get around the tower and you'll bypass the fall and the second checkpoint.

Ignore the balloon. Get on the edge and spindash to either side of the next area.

-Normal and Hero-
Get the Egg Gun after grinding. Blast these doors down with 2 shots each. If you're doing the Hero mission, don't forget to fire 5 shots at the cracked wall with Cheese behind it.

-Dark-
Hurry up the middle rail and slide into the little lantern to make a skull spring appear. Swipe at the lantern to light it. Slide down to the lower Black Hawk.

-all-
If you're doing the Hero or Normal mission, fire 3 shots quickly at the Black Hawk. If you're doing the Dark mission, defeat it with Homing Attacks quickly. Get on and hold A. Stay in the middle the whole time, changing altitude only when you approach the second ring balloon. Get to the next checkpoint.

Quickly grind down the next rail and hit the second skull spring. Blast the door down and attempt to spindash jump to the other side while avoiding the Death Leeches. Blast down the next door and quickly spindash along the red slime. Get on the balloon and hit the skull spring up ahead. If you're doing the Dark mission, grab a torch and swing at the lantern. Otherwise, run past it. Hit the next spring. If you have all 5 keys, this is where you want to go. While the door is getting ready to open, get a torch (unless you're doing the Dark mission). Slide into the cracked wall and spindash it 4 times. Quickly light the 2 lanterns in here, slide into the next door and spindash it. Light dash to the other side and spindash along the slime.

-Dark-
In the next area, swipe at the lantern, then destroy the door on the Dark route. Light the 3 small lanterns, light dash the rings that appear once you hit the switch, and defeat the Black Hawk quickly. Dodge the walls that are in your way. At the end, get a torch quickly and swipe at the last lantern.

-Normal-
In the next area, run to the side opposite from where you entered. Slide into the door and spindash it. Spindash jump as far as you can and jump dash before it turns into a homing attack on the Egg Pierrot below. Run along the wall for about a second, then triangle jump with some running. Lift the part of the floor to get to the next area. Get in a jump dash to save some time. Mash the X button as you escape from the Walker. When you hit the spring at the end of the rail, don't hold a direction. Quickly pull yourself up from the edge and jump dash into the goal.

-Hero-
In the next area, run to the wall on the right side. After touching it, it'll move back. Take this time to get the rings around the lantern. Get them and hurry back to the wall. Try to come in contact with Cheese as early as possible.


And there you have it. That stuff is exactly what I did to get my times. However, throw in an already-open key door for my Dark time.