Crystal Caves HD

Crystal Caves HD

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Crystal Caves - Achievements Guide
By Adelion
Most achievements in the game are straightforward, though a few require specific levels or conditions to be met. In this guide, I provide a brief description of all achievements and explain how and where to obtain them.
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1. Introduction
As mentioned in the guide description, most of the achievements in Crystal Caves HD are straightforward and will most likely be unlocked while simply completing all four episodes. However, some achievements have special conditions and can be missed if you're not paying attention. The most troublesome are those unique to specific levels, as completed levels cannot be replayed in the same file. Fortunately, you can start the episode on another file and quickly return to the necessary level, often accessible directly from the start or after completing one or two maps. Therefore, all achievements are relatively easy to obtain.

Most of the information given in this guide can also be found by going through various threads in the forum. So consider this mostly a summary for convenience's sake. Concerning the order for the guide, the achievements are listed in the same order as in the in-game achievement showcase. To find a specific achievement, simply press CTRL+F and type in the name.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If you find any errors, please let me know so I can correct them.
2. Achievements - Part 1
Name: Trouble with Twibbles
Type: Story Achievement
Description: Finish Episode 1

As mentioned in the description, simply complete the first episode, "Trouble with Twibbles". This involves finishing all sixteen levels in the mining hub and returning to your ship. It’s very straightforward.

Name: Slugging it Out
Type: Story Achievement
Description: Finish Episode 2

As mentioned in the description, simply complete the second episode, "Slugging it Out". This involves finishing all sixteen levels in the mining hub and returning to your ship. It's still very straightforward.

Name: Mylo versus the Supernova
Type: Story Achievement
Description: Finish Episode 3

As mentioned in the description, simply complete the second episode, "Mylo versus the Supernova". This involves finishing all sixteen levels in the mining hub and returning to your ship. It's still very straightforward.

Name: The Final Frontier
Type: Story Achievement
Description: Finish Episode 4

As mentioned in the description, simply complete the second episode, "The Final Frontier". This involves finishing all sixteen levels in the mining hub and returning to your ship. It's still very straightforward.

Name: Crystal Caves
Type: Story Achievement
Description: Finish all Episodes

This achievement is awarded automatically upon completing all four episodes. If you play them in chronological order, you will receive it after finishing the fourth episode. However, the episodes can be completed in any order.

Name: Prospector
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Find 100 secret crystals

Secret Crystals can be found in levels with the block type shown in the gif. To reveal a crystal, simply jump below the blocks, and it will pop up. Not every block will contain a secret crystal, but the ones that do are always the same if you replay the level.

You don't need to actively collect the secret crystals; making them pop up automatically counts as collecting them. You will see them vanish and receive 5,000 points per crystal. The count of secret crystals is cumulative across all episodes, even when replaying them, so there's no need to worry about missing any. Additionally, there are well over 100 secret crystals in the game.

Name: Forager
Type: Single-Level Achievement - All
Description: Collect all fruit in a single level

Each level in the game contains three hidden fruits, although some levels may seem to have none. To find these hidden fruits, you need to tap or jump through specific, invisible trigger points in the level, which will cause the fruit to appear briefly. For an example, check the gif on the left (click to enlarge the image). You must actively collect the fruit, so be quick. To earn the achievement, you need to collect all three fruits in a single level during one playthrough. With 64 levels in the game, you will likely achieve this at some point.

Name: Perfection
Type: Single Level Achievement - All
Description: Complete a level with a perfect score

To earn this achievement, you need to collect all crystals in a level (which is mandatory) as well as all bonus items. It appears that hidden fruits and secret crystals are not required for this achievement. The egg bonus is likely not needed either, but you can avoid this issue by playing a map without eggs.

However, it is crucial to get the perfect health bonus, which means not taking any damage in the level (50k points for Normal, 75k points for Hard). You should achieve this naturally as you progress through the game, most likely early on.
3. Achievements - Part 2
Name: Night Vision
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various
Description: Complete any dark level without turning on the lights

There are at least two or three dark levels in the game, with the easiest one being in the first episode.
In each dark level, there is a switch to turn on the lights. As long as you don't activate it, you'll be fine regarding the achievement. If you activate it by mistake, you can simply restart the level. Also, don't worry, even with the lights out, you can still clearly see each platform and enemy.

Name: Pacifist
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various
Description: Complete any level without killing a single enemy

In many levels, enemies block your path, forcing you to either kill them or take unavoidable damage. Due to Mylo's low health, killing them is often the only viable option. However, there are still several levels where combat can be avoided easily. An example of this would be the snake level in the first episode (see "Speedrunner" achievement).

Name: Super Mylo
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Unique+
Description: Destroy 10 enemies with the power of a single Red Mushroom

To my knowledge, there are two levels in the game where this achievement can be completed. One is in Episode 2, and the other is in Episode 3. Let's start with the one in Episode 3.
The tricky part of this achievement is that you have to play somewhat counter-intuitively. There is a passage on the lower floor where you need to let the enemies live and pass through them by taking damage. Otherwise, you won't have enough enemies left after acquiring the mushroom. Additionally, you need to pass this section twice, which means you will lose two health points "by design". Therefore, you have to play on normal or easy difficulty. After obtaining the Red Mushroom, quickly destroy the six rock enemies on the same floor, then proceed to the lower floor and eliminate the remaining foes.

Alternatively, you can attempt this on the Episode 2 level with the whirlwind (see the "Went with the Wind" achievement). Two users have commented that this level might be easier. The trick is that the caterpillar counts as four enemies, one for each body part.

Name: B-O-N-U-S
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various
Description: Collect Bonus

This achievement is easier than it might seem. No, you don't need to collect all the eggs in the game - just the letters B-O-N-U-S in a single map. How to find these letters? By destroying the eggs. The first egg you destroy will turn into the letter "B," the second into an "O," and so on until you have all the letters of the word B-O-N-U-S. Eggs are not in every level, but if you find one egg, there will be four more. So, look for a suitable level for this. Additionally, collecting the B-O-N-U-S letters gives you 10k points instead of the usual 1k points per egg.

Name: Antidote
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various
Description: Eat a Green Mushroom without dying

Similar to the "Night Vision" achievement, there are at least two or three levels where this can be completed. If not before, you will most likely earn the achievement in the second episode, in the same level where you find the whirlwind. The earliest opportunity is right at the beginning of the first episode.
Simply pick up the Red Mushroom and run through the Green Mushroom. You have more than enough time to get there.

Name: Wormhole
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Unique
Description: Find and enter the Wormhole

This is among the top two most difficult achievements to find/activate in the game. It can only be completed in one level in the fourth episode. You'll recognize it by a sign in the level warning about the existence of wormholes.
To trigger the wormhole, you need to destroy one of the stone creatures in the upper left corner. The power-up for this is located in the lower right corner. The stone creatures are behind a closed door, so before attempting this, eliminate all enemies you can and activate all switches. Then, pick up the power-up and rush to the upper left corner. The time limit is strict, so you can't stop in between, which means you'll likely take some damage while passing the rock monsters on the upper floor since you might not be able to kill all of them quickly enough while running. After destroying one of the stone creatures, you'll receive a notification indicating that you've completed the hard part. Now, simply finish the level and destroy the suspicious barrel in the mining hub. Enter the level, and you'll earn the achievement. You don't necessarily need to finish the level.

Name: Sandbox
Type: Special Condition Achievement
Description: Create and play your own level

This achievement is special because it is not tied to playing the existing four episodes. Instead, you need to use the level editor in the game to create a level and play it. Uploading or publishing your level is not necessary. To complete this quickly, just place a Mylo, a single crystal, and an exit next to each other. You can accomplish this in a minute or two.

Name: Secret of the Volcano
Type: Episode Achievement - Any
Description: ???

This is the second of the difficult-to-find/activate achievements in the game. You can think of it as a bonus for completing an episode. At least if you're aware of it. Obviously, you must do this before returning to the ship.
First, complete all sixteen levels of the episode. Then, go to the volcano at the top. If it starts shooting out magma, jump from the left side to the right side and back several times. If done correctly, the volcano will blink white and erupt, scattering fruits across the entire mining hub. You have about thirty seconds to collect them all, with each fruit adding a few seconds to your time.

Note that the fruits from the secret volcano mechanism do not contribute to the "Fruit Diet" achievement.
4. Achievements - Part 3
Name: Treasure Hunter
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Unlock 200 Treasure Chests

Treasure Chests are identifiable by their brown color and the keyhole on the front side. However, you cannot open these chests directly. As indicated by the keyhole, you first need to find a key somewhere in the level. Once you've collected the key, you can open the treasure chests by moving over them. Occasionally, backtracking may be necessary, but all Treasure Chests remain accessible after obtaining the key. Like other achievements of this nature, you must collect 200 chests throughout the entire game.

Name: Crystal King
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Collect 5000 Crystals

This achievement is likely the most grind-intensive of all the collection achievements. Even after completing all four episodes, I had only gathered 3800 crystals and still needed to collect more. As mentioned earlier, replaying levels and episodes will add to the counter, though it can be somewhat tedious. Additionally, I'm unsure if crystals collected in Community Levels contribute (I don't think so), but crystals collected before dying likely do count toward the total amount.

Name: Exterminator
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Kill 250 enemies

If you play on normal difficulty, you'll eventually achieve this during your playthrough of all four episodes. On hard difficulty, it might be more challenging since you need to conserve ammo and kill fewer monsters. Still, just keep shooting enemies and you'll accomplish this achievement in no time.

Name: Went with the Wind
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Unique
Description: ???

At least, I think it is Unique. Since as far as I remember, there is only one level in the game where this can be achieved and this is in the second episode.
To trigger this, simply grab a Red Mushroom and run into a Whirlwind. Time is tight, so be quick.

Name: The Hard Way
Type: Episode Achievement - Any
Description: Finish any episode on Hard difficulty

Also, straightforward. Simply start a new episode (or replay an old one) on Hard difficulty. To the best of my knowledge, there are just three differences between Normal and Hard difficulty. First, you have only two health points. Second, you earn 50% more score points. And third, you receive less ammo from ammo pickups. The latter can be problematic because ammo persists between levels, and not every level provides enough ammo to complete it. Therefore, you must use your gun sparingly to avoid being left unable to progress. I recommend starting with the first episode, as it provides the most margin for error.

Name: Loadout
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Own at least 60 ammo

Ammo persists within a single episode but not between episodes. Therefore, this achievement must be completed within one episode. That said, it isn't very difficult. As long as you don't play on Hard difficulty, ammo will be plentiful. Collect all ammo pickups, and you should be good to go.

Name: Down with the Overseers
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Defeat 30 bosses

Well, "bosses" is certainly a stretch as the game doesn't feature traditional bosses. What is meant here are the larger monsters that require multiple shots to defeat and award 5k points upon killing. Currently, I'm aware of four monsters that count toward the Overseers Achievement:

- The Two-Eyed-Monster (which can only be harmed when its eyes are open)
- The Green Lizard (which charges at you)
- The Blue Ball (which can only be damaged while it is sleeping)
- The Red Triceratops (which shoots fireballs)


Name: High on Extra Points
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Collect 1,000,000 points worth of bonus items

This achievement is quite grindy. Even if you collect every additional item (unlike crystals, you don't need to collect them), you'll likely unlock this achievement earliest in Episode 4. That said, simply collect everything you see during a normal playthrough, and you'll eventually achieve it. I'm not entirely sure if Secret Crystals, the Egg Bonus, and Fruits count toward this achievement, but I assume they do. Therefore, collecting the Secret Crystals and the Volcano Fruits should greatly help in obtaining this achievement.

5. Achievements - Part 4
Name: Reverse-reverse Gravity
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Unique?
Description: Reverse gravity while playing a reverse gravity level

I'm not 100% certain if this achievement is unique to a single level. There are two conditions that must be met: first, you need to play a reverse gravity level, which is already rare enough; second, the level must contain a reverse gravity token.
I am aware of at least one level in Episode Four where you will definitely get the achievement, as completing the level otherwise is impossible. This is fairly easy as long as you find the suitable level.

Name: Fruit Diet
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Collect 50 fruits throughout the levels

As described in the "Forager" achievement: There are three hidden fruits per level, totaling 192 fruits across all episodes. So, if you keep your eyes open, you should naturally collect the 50 necessary fruits at some point. Unfortunately, the fruits from the "Secret of the Volcano" mechanism do not count toward this progress.

Name: Floor is Lava!
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Unique
Description: Jump between crumbling platforms 15 times

Crumbling platforms are introduced in the new episode, so this can only be done in Episode 4. While various levels feature crumbling platforms, you need enough of them to loop your jumps. Currently, two levels come to mind, with one being predestined for achieving this.
Jumping to the top nets you about 14 jumps. So, all you need is one or two additional jumps. You can also form a small loop since the first crumbling platform reappears after four jumps.

Name: Out of Air
Type: Single-Level Achievement - All
Description: Oopsie!

I would be very surprised if you didn't get this achievement while playing through the game, as it is very easy to get by accident. If you possess god-gamer skills and have somehow managed to play through all episodes without getting it, don't fret. To earn this achievement, you just need to shoot the Air Generator. Note: This will also kill you.

Name: First Steps
Type: Single-Level Achievement - All
Description: Finish your first level

You cannot miss this achievement unless you don't play the game. At all. Simply finish any level, and it will be yours.

Name: Arachnophobic
Type: Collection/Grind Achievement
Description: Kill 10 spiders

"Grind." This achievement shouldn't be too hard to get since there are more than enough spiders in the game. While they aren't in every level, you'll find several per episode, and they are easy to kill. Just play the game normally.

Name: Speed Runner
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various?
Description: Finish any level in under 1 minute

This achievement is more challenging than it sounds because you need to collect all crystals to reach the finish. The key is to find a level where this can be done quickly and easily. According to forum recommendations, the "Snake" level in Episode 1 is very suitable for this.
The level is short, all enemies can be easily seen and avoided, and there are very few crystals to collect. It's also straightforward to complete without killing any enemies, making it ideal for the "Pacifist" achievement.

Name: Sharpshooter
Type: Single-Level Achievement - Various
Description: ???

This achievement is granted for killing an enemy from the maximum distance possible. Since your rockets don't travel farther than the screen, you need to stand at one side of the screen against the wall and shoot at an enemy on the far opposite side. The "Snake" level is actually good for this achievement. Simply start the level, drop down one block, and immediately shoot the snake on the right side. It may take a few tries, but you should accomplish this in less than a minute.
6. Final Remarks & Advertisement
Well, that's about it. Honestly, I don't think the game really needs an extensive achievement guide since most things are straightforward to figure out. However, since some questions keep popping up, I believe it can still be helpful.

To my pleasant surprise - I've managed to attract over 100 visitors to this guide and even received 25 votes for it to be rated!

And since you've made it this far, allow me a bit of self-promotion. If you have the time, please play and vote for my CCHD Workshop maps. I've compiled most of them into a collection, featuring thematic maps as well as some more puzzle-oriented ones:

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2971051613

Thanks for reading!
17 Comments
Gequi 4 Jul @ 2:03pm 
Fast & Efficient !! :lunar2020confidentrooster:
Adelion  [author] 4 Jul @ 1:30pm 
I added the information to the guide. With two comments, it should count as confirmed. Thanks.
Gequi 4 Jul @ 1:16pm 
Great guide ! I confirm what @Serotonin is saying: Super Mylo achievement is really easy on the same Ep 2 level with the Whirlwind.
Adelion  [author] 3 Feb @ 10:51am 
Interesting. That is information I did indeed not possess. I'll have to correct this in the guide.
✪ heromeister 3 Feb @ 8:55am 
Great guide, thanks! FYI, just tested this, the fruits that you get after the volcano erupts do not count towards the achievement.
Adelion  [author] 18 Oct, 2023 @ 10:34am 
The pumpkins are actually the eggs. During October there is a Halloween skin in the game which transforms eggs to pumpkins.
Muf 18 Oct, 2023 @ 5:34am 
One tip, for B-O-N-U-S achievement, you don't need to shoot eggs, halloween pumkins works the same way ... and are present in early levels of episode 1
Adelion  [author] 7 May, 2023 @ 2:48am 
Huh, that is interesting. Would have to replay the level to check the numbers. But yea, I support the theory that the caterpillar counts as four enemies.
Serotonin 6 May, 2023 @ 4:27pm 
I somehow just pulled off the Super Mylo achievement off on the same Ep 2 level with the whirlwind on Hard difficulty!. I got the Went WIth The Wind achievement too but on a separate playthrough of the level afterwards.

Timing has to be just as precise of course, but it's possible. I think it counts each part of the green caterpillar as an enemy? idk
Clockwork Terminator 6 Jan, 2023 @ 5:09pm 
I'm positive I didn't grab any fruit and when I got the achievement I got the "perfect health" bonus. I only grabbed the crystals, and bonus items no hidden items. I've only completed 7 levels for episode one. The ones I have finished are 1,2,4,5,6,7, and 8. I used this guide https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/154591-crystal-caves/faqs/39322 to figure out which doors were which.