Azure Temple Zone

Azure Temple Zone (MAP61), abbreviated as ATZ, is the seventh Hyper Level in SRB2: TLL. The stage is set entirely underwater, taking place in a submerged temple. It features very difficult platforming that requires extreme precision, which is made feasible by the player's slowed-down physics underwater.

Trapgoyles, which are gargoyles that shoot green flames at fixed intervals, are prominently featured in Azure Temple Zone. They are used to create gauntlets with complex firing patterns that the player must dodge, as well as for puzzles in which the player has to line up the Trapgoyles to hit special targets that open doors. The stage also features the AquaBuzz as an enemy, which is a Buzz that is surrounded by an air bubble. If the player destroys the bubble, they can breathe air from it.

First Section
You start the level in an outdoor underwater area. In front of you is the entrance to the temple, with an AquaBuzz floating in front of it. After killing the AquaBuzz, its bubble will start floating upwards, allowing you to grab it for air. Inside the temple are two Trapgoyles and the first path split: You can either go left or right.

Left
Follow the corridor until you reach a room with an AquaBuzz and a staircase leading downwards. Two Trapgoyles are shooting towards you from the bottom of the staircase. Wait for a pause in their fire to descend and quickly move out of their way. In the next room, you will find two beams that are floating up and down between the walls and a bottomless pit beneath them. Step on the first one, ride it to the top and jump to the second one. Then turn around to see a ledge with an exit. Jump to it and walk through the hallway until you drop down through a hole in the floor.

You will land in a room with similar beams to the previous one, but this time, their undersides are covered in spikes and their tops crush against the ceiling at the highest point. The first beam is right in front of you. Behind it, the room bends to the right, and the next beam is behind that bend. You need to jump on the first beam and then jump around the corner to the next one before you are crushed. At its lowest point, the second beam is approximately at the same height as the ceiling above the first one. The ceiling is higher after the bend, so jump on the right side of the first beam, so you can jump off around the corner without hitting the ceiling. If you feel you're not going to make the jump, you can try to land on the small ledge in the corner and backtrack to try again. However, two AquaBuzzes are nearby and will move towards you, so prepare to defeat them immediately after landing.

After landing on the second beam, you must jump to a third beam directly after it. From there, you can reach solid ground again. Follow the corridor until you drop down through a hole in the floor. You will land in a fenced area with only one exit. Go through it to find the first Star Post. The level continues to the left.

Right
This section of the walkthrough assumes you are playing as Sonic, since the platforming in this path is more difficult as him and requires precise use of the thok. As Tails and Knuckles, you can clear many difficult jumps by gliding/flying.

Follow the corridor until you reach a room with a large pit and a small beam on the far side of the room. Jump to the beam with a running start and then thok near the end of your jump to reach it. If you have any excess speed after landing, backpedal to stand still. To your left, you can see the beam continuing, but it's blocked off by a fence. You must jump around the fence in a U-turn to reach the other side. To accomplish this, jump forwards and slightly to your left, then turn around in mid-jump, use your strafe keys to move towards the beam and thok to reach it.

Once you have landed on the beam, you must reach a door on the far side of the room, with only a small peg in-between. You need a thok to reach the beam, but since it's very small, you may not have enough room to backpedal to a standstill. Instead, jump again immediately after landing and jump towards the ledge with the door. Walk through the corridor to reach a fenced area where you can refresh your air, then continue through the next corridor until you reach another room with a pit.

Kill the AquaBuzz and then jump to the beam in front of you. Walk through the hole in the wall and turn around. On the far side of the room are two Trapgoyles that shoot in your direction. You must jump across three pegs to reach the next door, but the second and third peg are in the line of fire from the Trapgoyles. Jump to the first peg and wait until the flame has just passed the second one. Then jump to it and directly to the ledge with the door from there. Follow the corridor until you drop down through a hole in the floor. You will land near the first Star Post. The level continues to the right.

Second Section
The room after the Star Post contains several AquaBuzzes and air bubble patches. Refresh your air supply and then enter the room to your left. Here you will find two staircases, one leading upwards and one downwards. The path splits here. If you take the upper path, you may still jump down to the lower path at any point in the next room.

Upper Path
Four Trapgoyles shoot from the top of the staircase. Position yourself in one of the gaps between their lines of fire and walk up the staircase. Once you have reached the Trapgoyles, turn right. In front of you is a platform guarded by two Trapgoyles that shoot towards you. Wait until the flames have passed the edge of the platform and jump to it, then immediately jump again to the platform behind the Trapgoyles to avoid their next fire. Turn right again to see a platform on the other side of the room. To reach it, you must use the peg between the two platforms, which is guarded by a Trapgoyle. Jump to the peg once the flames have passed it and then to the next platform.

Walk along the platform and turn left to find a similar setup. This time you have to jump over two consecutive pegs to reach the platform on the far side of the room. Jump slowly towards the first peg shortly after the flames have passed the second peg. If you move slowly enough, the flames will pass under you before you land on the first peg. From there, jump over the next flames while they are between the two pegs. Land on the second peg and immediately jump to the platform in front of you. Then turn left and continue forward until you descend a small staircase and enter a small room with a hole in the ceiling and a narrow rim around it. As Sonic or Tails, jump through the hole to reach the second Star Post. As Knuckles, the ceiling is too high for you to reach. Instead, break the bustable wall to your right. You will enter Knuckles's path.

If you continued as Sonic or Tails, walk through the hallway after the Star Post. You will reach a room with a bottomless pit in the center and floating blocks suspended over it that move up and down, crushing against the ceiling. Moving pegs with Trapgoyles on them are attached to the wall. On the far side of the room, you should see a trail of rings above one of the floating blocks, which leads up to a hole in the ceiling. You must use the floating blocks to get there while avoiding the fire of the Trapgoyles. First jump to the floating block that is closest to the platform you're standing on. From there, jump to the pillar in the center of the room. Then, jump diagonally to the floating block with the hole in the ceiling when it's at its lowest point. Ride it to the top and enter the room in front of you.

To your right is a hallway with Trapgoyles shooting sideways across it from the walls. Wait for the pauses in their fire to move across it. The steps in the middle of the hallway can be safely stood upon, so stop there before crossing the second half of the hallway. After the hallway, turn right and enter the next room. In front of you will be a hole in the floor, with Trapgoyles shooting across the walls that lead down. If you start jumping when they start shooting, you will fall through the hole during the pause in their fire, reaching the ground safely. Then, walk through the hallway in front of you, which contains the next Star Post.

In the next room, a small pit will be in front of you, with a platform behind it over which an AquaBuzz floats. You can jump to the platform directly, but if you do this, you will hit the AquaBuzz in mid-jump, breathe its air and fall into the pit. Instead, stand on the edge of the pit to make it move towards you and kill it before jumping across. Alternatively, you can move around the pit by using the platform to your right, which is guarded by two Trapgoyles. After having crossed the pit, jump over the peg to your left and you will reach the beginning of another hallway.

This hallway is again guarded by Trapgoyles that shoot sideways across it, but this time a row of Trapgoyles stands on the other end, shooting flames towards you. Move across the hallway slowly, jumping over the flames every time they approach you. Be careful not to jump when you're directly below sideways-shooting Trapgoyles, or their flames will hit you. At the end of the hallway, move to your left into safety. Then turn around and jump into the hole in the floor to the right side of the Trapgoyles. While the tops of the walls are guarded by sideways-shooting Trapgoyles, the lower part is safe, so you can jump down at any time.

After having reached the bottom, you will see another hallway extending to your left. This hallway is similar to the previous one, but this time the Trapgoyles on the other end are elevated, so you can safely stand in the hallway without getting hit. Jumping, however, is dangerous. Move to the elevation in front of you during a pause in the fire of the sideways-shooting Trapgoyles. Then, jump on top of it directly after a set of flames has passed over you. Once you're on top, the Trapgoyles will start to shoot again immediately afterwards, so jump forward and over the next row of flames. Be careful to land directly behind the elevation, right where the air bubble patch is, since the hallway in front of you is not safe.

Turn left and move into the next hallway. This time, you must jump over the flames again, avoiding the sideways-shooting Trapgoyles above you. Turn left immediately after reaching the end of the hallway and jump over the elevation to your safety. After passing through a small corridor to your right, you will come across another elevation. Behind it is a hallway guarded by Trapgoyle fire to your right. Jump on top of the elevation and then into the hallway once the flames reach your view. Turn to your right. You will see that the Trapgoyles sit on a beam that moves up and down. The flames will thus come at you at different heights. Move forward slowly, passing under the higher flames and jumping over the lower ones.

At the end of the hallway, turn right and hide behind the pillar in the center of the next hallway. This hallway is another one where you have to jump over the flames coming at you while avoiding the sideways fire from above. However, the end of the hallway is directly connecting to another one extending to the right. Another row of Trapgoyles sits directly to the left of the ones you moved towards. These Trapgoyles are elevated, so you can pass under them, but you must move a bit to your right, into the next hallway, to get out of the line of fire of the previous ones.

Once you are in a safe spot, turn right and face the new hallway. This is another one where you have to jump over an elevation while avoiding sideways fire at floor level. However, one pair of Trapgoyles sits directly in front of the elevation this time, so you can't stand directly in front of it. Instead, move into the gap between this pair and the previous one, and jump from there. After having passed the elevation, exit through the door to your left. You will enter a room with a death pit and two beams with spiked undersides that move up and down between the walls, crushing against the ceiling. Jump to the first one at its lowest point, then to the second one once you can reach it, and then to the ledge in front of you. Walk up the staircase to your left to reach a hallway with a Star Post. Here the paths rejoin.

Lower Path
Move down the staircase and kill the AquaBuzz in front of you. Then turn right and pass underneath the bridge until you reach a peg in front of you. Behind this peg is a gap over which a Trapgoyle shoots. Stand to the side of the peg and jump over the gap to avoid its fire. After reaching the other side, jump on top of the elevation with the air bubble patch to your left. A row of Trapgoyles shoots at it from across the pit. Directly in front of them is a platform, which in turn is shot at by another row of Trapgoyles from the left.

Jump down from the peg into a gap between the flames and walk to the edge of the current platform (jumping over further rows of flames if necessary). Then, jump across the pit immediately before one row of flames reaches you. You will pass over the next row as well before landing. Immediately after landing, turn left. In front of you is another platform like the current one, also shot at from the left. A row of flames will already be near you after landing, so jump to the next platform immediately. Again, you will pass over another row of flames before landing. Then, turn left again and jump to the walkway to your left, which is safe.

Continue along the walkway, avoiding the sideways fire from Trapgoyles sitting on pillars to the left and right. You will reach a small room with a hole in the ceiling and a narrow rim around it. As Sonic or Tails, jump through the hole to reach the second Star Post. As Knuckles, the ceiling is too high for you to reach. Instead, break the bustable wall to your left. You will enter Knuckles's path.

If you continued as Sonic or Tails, walk through the corridor after the Star Post. You will reach a hallway with beams near the ceiling on which rows of Trapgoyles stand that shoot downwards diagonally. The first row shoots away from you. Walk forward during a pause in their fire and stop beneath the beams in the middle of the hallway, which are safe. Another row is in front of you which shoots towards you. Again, walk forward during a pause in their fire. Walk through the opening to your left to reach a similar hallway. This time, however, a row of Trapgoyles stands on the other end, shooting flames at you on the floor level. Enter the hallway during a pause in their fire and then continue forward slowly. Stand underneath the beams to wait for the diagonal fire to cease and then walk to the next beam quickly, jumping over the approaching flames.

Once you reach the end of the hallway, exit to your right. You will enter a room with a small pit in the center over which a structure of pillars and beams stands. Trapgoyles stand on the beams, shooting diagonal fire from above and below that meets in the middle. Jump through the structure during a pause in their fire to reach the other side. Exit the room to your left to reach a hallway enclosed by fences. Kill the AquaBuzz in front of you to refresh your air and look through the fence to your left. You will see a long hallway with three rows of Trapgoyles stacked on top of each other on the other end. They shoot fire that fills the entire hallway.

You must make your way through this hallway, using small alcoves to its sides for cover. Walk around the fence and wait for a row of flames to reach it. Then cross the hallway to reach the alcove on the opposite side. Turn around and look to your left to see another alcove on the other side. The two alcoves are separated by a gap in the floor. Wait for another row of flames to pass you and then enter the hallway. Quickly jump over the gap to reach the next alcove, then turn around and look to your right. The third and final alcove is further away from you than before, so you need to run as fast as you can to reach it in time. Inside the alcove is an AquaBuzz that will chase you, so prepare to kill it immediately and grab the air. From the last alcove you must reach the exit, which is on the same side as the alcove. Between them is another gap in the floor that you must jump over.

After reaching the exit, you will come across a Star Post. Continue along the hallway to reach a larger room with a bottomless pit in the center. Turn right after entering. In the corner is a platform that you must jump to, but it is shot at by Trapgoyles from the left, so wait for a pause in their fire to jump. After landing, turn left to see two pegs that you must jump across to reach the other side of the room. Jump to the first peg once the flames have reached it, passing over them in the process. Jump to the second peg once the flames have reached that one, and then to the platform with the Trapgoyles. Turn left and jump across two more pegs to reach a higher platform.

From here, turn left again to see a series of pillars that are shot at from two directions, similarly to the ones in the room where the paths split off. The pillars in front of you are blocked off by a wall of AquaBuzzes. Trying to jump across will cause you hit one of them, breathe its air bubble and fall into the pit. Instead, you must jump across the pillars. Walk onto the one in front of you once a row of flames has passed it and immediately follow after it by jumping to the next pillar. A row of flames will approach you from the right, so jump over it and the next one to the next pillar. There, follow after the row of flames travelling to the right, jumping over one more pillar to reach a safe platform.

Now turn right to see three narrow beams in front of you. They are attached to the wall, from which Trapgoyles shoot across them. Wait until the first one has shot a flame and then jump to the first beam. Then, jump slowly to the next one shortly before the next flame is shot. If you do it right, you will leave the first beam before being hit by a flame and land on the second one after it has passed. Repeat the process for the third beam. Then jump to the platform in front of you, but jump around the AquaBuzz to avoid hitting it and falling into the pit. Exit through the staircase in front of you.

You will reach a hallway that extends to the right. In front of you is an elevation with gargoyles standing on it. They block the fire of Trapgoyles on the other side of the hallway, which stand on a beam that moves up and down, causing the flames to be at different heights each time. At some heights, the fire will be blocked by the gargoyles, and at others it will fly over them. Jump on top of the gargoyles while the flames are at a lower height. Then wait until they reach a height where they would hit you and jump over the approaching row. The next row will be at the highest height, allowing you to pass under it. Move to the exit on your left and go through it.

You will enter a similar hallway, but this time with a longer distance and with additional Trapgoyles that shoot sideways fire from the walls. Jump over the row of gargoyles while the next row of flames is still far away. Now slowly move forward, jumping over approaching rows that are at low heights and passing under the other ones. Be careful not to jump while you are directly below sideways-shooting Trapgoyles, or they will hit you. After reaching the end of the hallway, exit to your left to reach a third one. This one works exactly like the previous one, but the intervals are shorter and the density of sideways-shooting Trapgoyles is higher. After reaching the end of it, turn right to be lifted through a hole in the ceiling by a fan. Turn right and drop down a hole in the floor to land in a hallway with a Star Post. Here the paths rejoin.

Knuckles Path
After breaking the bustable wall, you will land in a corridor with a Star Post. Around the corner is a hallway with two beams near the ceiling on which rows of Trapgoyles stand. They shoot downwards diagonally towards the middle of the hallway. Wait until a pause in their fire and then walk across. You will reach a wall extending upwards. A Trapgoyle stands on each side, shooting up flames diagonally. The flames meet in the center of the wall. More Trapgoyles are located on beams higher up, all shooting flames along the wall. Your goal is to climb upwards without being hit by the flames, which will cause you to fall back down.

Cling onto the wall and move upwards until you're directly below the meeting point of the flames. Slightly above you is a beam with two more Trapgoyles that shoot directly sideways. During a pause in the fire of all four Trapgoyles, climb upwards until you reach the next beam. The Trapgoyles on this beam shoot directly sideways, and from above you can see flames coming down diagonally. Move into the spot between the sideways and diagonal flames. You should now be able to see the top of the wall above you. To reach it, you must climb past another pair of sideways-shooting Trapgoyles, whose flames meet roughly in the same spot as the ones moving downwards diagonally. After reaching the top of the wall, move forward and drop down the hole in the floor in front of you. At the bottom, follow the turn of the corridor to the right.

You will enter a room with another wall you have to climb. This time, air bubbles rise up along the wall; you can breathe them while climbing. The first pair of Trapgoyles shoots sideways, and a pair of downwards-moving flames meet slightly above them. Climb past both in one move and continue upwards until you reach two consecutive beams with Trapgoyles shooting diagonally upwards. Continue climbing until you're directly below the meeting point of the lower two flames, then climb past both pairs in one move. The next beam contains sideways-shooting Trapgoyles; simply move past them. As the last challenge before reaching the top, you will encounter three beams: The lowest pair of Trapgoyles shoot upwards, the middle one sideways and the highest one downwards. All flames meet in the same spot, so climb past all of them in one move.

You will reach a small corridor with a Star Post. Turn right to enter a room with a bottomless pit over which several AquaBuzzes float. Jump and glide across the pit, but avoid the AquaBuzzes, since hitting them will cause you to breathe their air and fall into the pit. Turn left on the other side and walk around the corner to reach another pit. In the corner on the far side of the room is a pillar you can climb on. Glide to it but make sure to stay above the AquaBuzzes at the bottom of the pit. After clinging to the pillar, move upwards slightly, press the spin button to detach and turn right. In front of you are five AquaBuzzes in an inverse V shape. You must glide under them to reach the ledge behind them.

After reaching the other side, turn left to enter the next room, which is similar to the last one. A row of three AquaBuzzes is in front of you, and a climbable pillar is behind them in the corner. If you jump and glide directly, you will hit the AquaBuzzes and fall into the pit, so let yourself fall slightly after the jump before gliding. After reaching the pillar, detach and turn left to reach another pillar. Move downwards slightly before detaching and turning left. You must pass through an oval-shaped ring of AquaBuzzes to reach a pillar you can stand on, which contains an air bubble patch. Turn right to face a section filled with rows of AquaBuzzes, some up high and some down in the pit. If you jump and glide directly, you will pass through the middle unharmed and reach the next climbable pillar. From there, you can already see an O-shaped ring of AquaBuzzes to your right. Climb up slightly to line up with its center, then detach and fly through it to reach solid ground.

Exit the room, turn right and break the bustable wall in front of you. You will reach a room with holes in the floor. Jump through one of them and move forward to reach a large room with an opening in the ceiling. Jump down into the center and exit through the door to your left. You will enter a hallway with a Star Post. Here the paths rejoin.

Third Section
Walk forward and you will reach a room with two doors. One is already opened; it will lead into a path of further platforming challenges, dubbed the "action path". The other one must be opened by pushing the Trapgoyle in front of it to the left until its fire reaches the crystal in the fenced-off corner. The crystal will start glowing and the door will open. It leads to a path of more puzzle challenges involving Trapgoyles and crystals, dubbed the "puzzle path".

Action Path
After an initial hallway, you will reach a room with a basin filled with fans to your left. Use the fans to float up to the ledge in front of you, but be careful to avoid the AquaBuzz. In the next room, you must navigate over a bottomless pit, using fans to keep yourself afloat. Use the strafe keys to adjust your direction in mid-air. The fan basins have spikes around the edges, so make sure to always stay far enough above them. The first fan is in front of you. Jump to it, but only stay above it shortly before turning right and moving to the next fan. A portion of the ceiling between the two fans is lowered; if you float up too far, you will hit it and fall into the pit. At the second fan, turn right again and float to the third one. Again, part of the ceiling is lowered and must be avoided. An AquaBuzz floats above the third and last fan, be careful not to hit it.

From the third fan, you can reach solid ground again. In the next room, you must float across more fans, but this time they are all at the same height. AquaBuzzes are scattered throughout the room, carefully move around them to avoid getting hit. At the end of the room, you will reach a hallway with a Star Post. Follow the hallway until you reach a row of Trapgoyles. In front of you is a corridor with a slightly lowered floor and ceiling. Two rows of Trapgoyles shoot fire into the corridor, but they are offset so that the higher row is slightly behind the lower one. From the far side of the corridor, an identical set of Trapgoyles also shoots into the corridor. You must make your way through while avoiding the flames from both directions.

Jump on top of the Trapgoyles and wait for the next set of flames to come towards you from the far side of the corridor. At around the same time it reaches the wall, the Trapgoyles on your side will shoot their own set of flames. Jump into the corridor once the two sets have crossed each other and start moving forward quickly. Try to stay close behind the set of flames moving in your direction to avoid getting hit by the next set. When a set of flames approaches you, jump through the gap between its two rows. Also watch out for the gaps in the floor. If you time your movement correctly, the approaching flames will roughly line up with the gaps in the floor, allowing you to jump past both. At the end of the corridor, immediately move out of the line of fire and exit to your left.

In the next room, walk below the pillars and turn left to reach the edge of a pit. Once more, you must use fans to float across it. you must use fans to float above a pit once more. Jump to the first fan, and once you're above it, simultaneously backpedal to stay above it and turn right. Gain some height to reach the next fan, and from there, float over the fan that stretches from wall to wall. Land on the platform directly behind it, from which several air bubbles fly up. Jump to another fan that stretches from wall to wall in front of you and float to the fan behind it. Turn right and float across two more fans to reach a last fan with a hole in the ceiling above it. This fan is slightly higher than the previous ones, so gain some additional height before floating towards it.

After floating through the hole in the ceiling, continue forward and you will reach an outdoor courtyard. At the end of the courtyard is a building with the Level End Sign.

Puzzle Path
Walk through the door into the next room. A closed door is to your right and a fenced-off area with four crystals is next to it. Across the room are four grooves in the floor with Trapgoyles in them. Push the Trapgoyles into position so that each one activates one crystal, opening the door. At the entrance of the next room is an Elemental Shield; grab it so you can perform the next puzzles without having to grab air every 30 seconds. In this room, four Trapgoyles stand in the center and four fenced-off areas, each with a row of three crystals, are located to the sides. Push one Trapgoyle to the side of each row to activate it and open the door.

The third room contains another Elemental Shield, in case you lost the previous one. This room contains a large fenced-off area with a grid of crystals in the center, and a Trapgoyle on each of its four sides. For the purpose of this walkthrough, lines of crystals that are parallel to the hallway that you entered the room from will be called columns, and lines of crystals that are orthogonal to it will be called rows. The grid consists of two rows and two columns of four crystals each. Four of the crystals are shared by a row and a column, leading to a total of twelve crystals.

To solve the grid, you must push each Trapgoyle in front of one row or column so that its fire activates it. However, a Trapgoyle only shoots three flames with each shot, so a shot can only activate three crystals before disappearing. If the Trapgoyles are pushed into the wrong places, they will only activate the first three crystals and leave out the last one. However, if a crystal has already been activated by a flame, any other flames will pass right through and can activate more crystals behind it. To activate the entire grid, you must position the Trapgoyles in such a way that the four shared crystals are activated in the right order, allowing flames to pass through them and activate crystals behind them.

There are two valid solutions. You can either push each Trapgoyle to the right row/column (as seen from the Trapgoyle's perspective), or push every Trapgoyle to the left row/column: After activating the entire grid, the door will open. Go through it and continue through the hallway until you reach an outdoor courtyard. At the end of the courtyard is a building with the Level End Sign.
 * If you push all Trapgoyles to the right, the ones in the columns will activate the first three crystals and leave out the fourth one, which will be activated as part of its row. The third crystal in each row will be activated by its column first, allowing the flame to reach the fourth one.
 * If you push all Trapgoyles to the left, the third crystal of each row will be activated as the first crystal of its column first, and the third crystal of each column will be activated as the second crystal of its row first. Thus, both the rows and the columns skip one crystal and the flames can thus reach the fourth one.