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You can only access High Seas Hi-jinx after completing Shootin ‘n Lootin. This is an aeroplane boss fight against a giant evil mermaid called Cala Maria. It takes place over three main phases and is one of the most interesting boss fights of Cuphead.

Phase 1: Mermaid

Cala Maria, the mermaid, will stay towards the right side of the screen and not only has three different attacks but is able to summon various sea creatures.

Red Fish: Cala will grab a large red fish and use it to shoot out many smaller red fish. Eventually the large red fish will jump away back into the ocean.

Yellow Fish: The yellow fish will spit out electrified dolphins that will spin around and chase you. Like the red fish the yellow fish will eventually jump away from Cala back into the ocean.

Ghost Pirates: The ghost pirates come out of Cala’s mouth and will move slowly towards you. Suddenly one of them at a time will shoot towards you quickly.

Cala may also summon various sea creatures to help out in the battle. These include:

Puffer Fish: Cala may summon puffer fish that fly directly up out of the ocean. They are usually in rows of 3 or 5. Some of them are pink so you can parry them to boost your special.

Turtle Bomber: The turtle begins at the right side of the screen and will slowly swim towards the left. As it does so it shoots out mines into the air that explode into smaller bullets. You can shoot the turtle to get rid of it quickly.

Sea Horse: The sea horse comes up from the bottom of the screen and shoots a jet of water upwards. It won’t hurt you but it will push you towards the top of the screen and make it difficult to move.

None of these attacks and summons are difficult on their own but Cala will often make an attack and a summon at the same time. Depending on the exact combination the first phase might be easy or difficult. You’ll need to be familiar with all of her attacks and summons to make it through this phase unscathed.

Phase 2: Medusa

Giant eels will electrify Cala and turn her into a Medusa. The eels will rise up out of the water and shoot out a fan of projectiles. You can shoot and kill the eels to reduce the number of projectiles.

Medusa has a stone gaze that will freeze you briefly. While frozen you won’t be able to move or shoot. The stone gaze is incredibly wide so don’t bother trying to avoid it. Instead try to put yourself in a position where you’ll be safe for a second or two if you get frozen.

Once you’ve done enough damage to Cala her head will come off and phase 3 will begin.

Phase 3: Floating Head & Cavern

You’ll need to chase the floating head of the Medusa Cala while navigating your way through a tunnel. Cala continues to have the Stone Gaze ability so expect to be frozen for about a second from time to time. The snakes on top of her head will also shoot out green bubbles which will slowly move down the tunnel. There’s also spike traps that take up additional space in the already narrow tunnel.

Avoid all of the spikes and attacks while continuing to shoot at Cala until she’s knocked out.

Next: Dramatic Fanatic

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