The Village Masher

The Village Masher is the second Guardian level in the Caveman Village.

Walkthrough
Move up the path and stomp open the first crystal crate. Jump to the nearest island. To reach the successive islands, you'll need to do a triple jump, pressing forward on the last jump to be able to go far enough without landing in the Lava. You must also time these jumps to occur when the Fly Traps are open. When you make it to the far side, open the second crystal crate and climb up the wall in the back.

In the cave, kill the Skeleton Dantini immediately in front of you, then smash the crystal crates to either side. Head into the tunnel and jump across the tiny islands in the Lava Pits, partially blind as the light fades when you jump. After each Lava Pit, kill a Skeleton Dantini. There is a crystal crate between the third and fourth Lava Pits, and two more when the cave widens out at the end. Cross the long bridge and break open the two crystal crates before entering the cave for the boss fight.

This fight is pretty straightforward. The Village Masher doesn't target you, opting instead to stomp around randomly and shoot fire at any old place. This works out great for you, but isn't very smart on its part. Pick up the Bucket that the Gobbo in the tower drops down, and move into the water on one side of the arena. The Bucket will reappear beside the water filled, so pick it pack up and head towards the Masher, avoiding the fires that burn the landscape (these will fade after a while, or you can throw water at them to put them out yourself). Note that these fires also periodically throw out smaller embers that bounce a short distance before fizzling out, and these can damage you as well. You will lose your Bucket if you take a hit, but it will quickly be replaced with a new one from the Gobbo in the tower. With a full bucket, you need to throw it at the Masher's head as it is open to breathe flame. This is most safely accomplished standing to the side of its head, or diagonally behind the hinge of its jaw. Each successful hit takes away one point from its life meter. After the second hit, the Masher breathes fire more frequently, and more flames will dot the landscape.

You receive 50 Crystals for defeating the Masher. You can replay this stage at any time from hereon by entering the gates behind Swap Meet Pete's shop.

Trivia

 * This level is believed to have been one of, if not the first level ever created for Croc 2.