I forgot to adjust the audio level on the video due to me being so ticked off with making it, so as a result, you can't even hear my commentary. Sadly, I can fix it due to not having the raw files, so this is what you'll have to work with.
Maelstrom
As you fight through the deck at the start of this super-long level, purple fanged creatures will dig out from underneath. This is Constrictus, the sea monster that Bloth keeps imprisoned on his ship, and you do not want to be near it at all as it will attack you - and enemies - with the purple tongue that extends out of its mouth. You'll also get hit by a fierce rainstorm, but it doesn't affect the gameplay in any way.
You'll also face both of the Lug Brothers as well as Konk a second time midway through the stage. Same strategies apply.
Eventually, the ship will catch fire thanks to a flaming barrel exploding, and you'll have to watch out for the flames that change position every so often so you don't get burned.
Don't use the traps here; rely on your combos instead. Relying on the traps will take way too long and will only make the level even longer. This is where the game really starts to drag out and even a person such as myself - who likes beat 'em ups in the vein of Streets of Rage and Final Fight - can get burned out. The second half of the game has far more enemies than the first half, but here, the game just doesn't know when to quit bringing out enemies, and it can get very, very tiresome. Not surprisingly, the game going completely overkill on the number of enemies is tosses at you makes this the longest stage in the game hands-down, and the fact that this video is only slightly longer than the last two videos combined really says something.
The boss is Bloth, but before you can face him, you'll have to face Mantus a second time. Once you manage to beat him down, you'll face a few normal enemies before Bloth finally jumps in. IAgain, the game doesn't know when to quit with the overpopulated enemy stopovers, which turns this from a special battle into one that is clearly annoying
Bloth has the same attacks as he did in Round 1, but he now has an attack where he jumps up and punches the ground as well as a fling shoulder tackle. He also has a throw that takes off two-thirds of a complete health bar. Thankfully, he does not have any minions with him when he fights you. Use strong and dash attacks to knock him down, never be too far away from him so you don't get hit with a running shoulder tackle, and don't be near Bloth when he gets up from being knocked down so he doesn't punch the ground again. Once you beat this stage, you'll get the seventh treasure of Rule, then the game ends.
The game ends with the Maelstrom crashing into a rock, knocking everyone overboard and scattering the seven treasures to the bottom of the sea, never to be recovered. As the Dark Water chases after Bloth, who is eventually pulled back onto the Malestrom, Ren and the others regroup. Since the cartoon never formally ended (only eight of the thirteen treasures were ever gotten in the cartoon), and the games do not end on such a note either, there is no resolution, and the game ends here...mercifully. I liked the game at first - it's pleasant enough in the first half of the game - but in the second half, the game goes nuts with the number of enemies it throws at you and it makes the game drag on way longer than it should as a result. It may be the best 16-bit game Sunsoft brought us, but there are better beat 'em ups - and games in general - on the Super Nintendo and Genesis. There's fun to be had, but there's a reason why this one isn't looked upon favorably.
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