0-5: Cerberus
CERBERUS
| 0-5: CERBERUS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| General | |||
| Layer & Part | PRELUDE /// CLIMAX | ||
| Challenge | Don't inflict fatal damage to any enemy. | ||
| Music | Cerberus | ||
| Tip of the Day | |||
Attack sound cues allow you to keep track of enemies who are off screen.
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| Enemies | |||
 2 Cerberi
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| Rank Requirements | |||
| Rank | Time | Kills | Style |
| S | 02:00 | 2 | 3,200 |
| A | 03:00 | 2 | 2,500 |
| B | 05:00 | 1 | 1,250 |
| C | 10:00 | 1 | 500 |
| Levels | |||
| Previous | Next | ||
| 0-4 | 1-1 | ||
0-1, 0-2, 0-3, 0-4, 0-5 0-S,  0-E
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For information on the boss, see Cerberus.
0-5: CERBERUS is the fifth and final level of the Prelude, which stars the titular 
Cerberus as the boss of the level.
The music used in this level is Cerberus.
Overview
0-5 is a boss level centered around the encounter with the Cerberi, Guardians of Hell, two large versions of the normal Cerberus enemy that the player has to fight in an enclosed cramped space. The level is set on the edges of the Prelude facility, connecting to the entrance of Hell and it's layers.
Cerberus is first introduced in this level as the boss encounter. 0-5 is also the first level to contain lava hazards.
Areas
LAVA FOUNDRY
A large chasm with a river of lava sitting at its bottom. The entrance to the boss arena is located from the far end of the player, accessible by a narrow passage of crushers and grinders connecting to a bridge above the lava.
HAZARD PASSAGE
A small passage connecting to the entrance of the lava foundry and the boss arena entrance. The small height of the passage requires the player to slide to get through. A set of three crushers sit in the middle of the passage, requiring timing to slide through them without getting crushed. At the end of the passage lies a pit of grinders around a corner, leading to the boss arena entrance.
SMALLWAY
A small hallway leading to the entrance of the boss arena, lit with walls of flowing lava. A Terminal is located to the right nearby the door.
BOSS ARENA
A square chamber with two large Cerberus statues, guarding the gates to Hell. Inscribed into the gate lies a message, reading as "Abandon hope all ye who enter here", in reference to the famous passage found on the Gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno.
Entering into the arena causes the left Cerberus to awake from its pose after a short wait, beginning the boss fight against Cerberus, Guardian of Hell. Upon the first Cerberus reaching half health, the second Cerberus statue also awakens, resulting in the player having to fight two Cerberi at once. The second Cerberus is set at 50% of the normal boss health.
After the player defeats the boss, the gates open to lead to a stairway descending down to the exit elevator. Multiple inactive Cerberus statues are seen lining the stairway. In the distance stand gigantic metal structures, presumably acting as other exit elevators for other machines descending into Hell due to a similar column holding the exit elevator for the level.
Challenge
For this level's challenge, the player needs to cause both Cerberi to damage themselves, instead of normally attacking them, in order to kill them. This can be done by kiting a Cerberus into throwing an energy orb at itself, resulting in it being damaged by the explosion. Chip damage from weak attacks such as the primary fire of the 
Revolver or the 
Feedbacker can help get a Cerberus down to low health to ensure it dies from its own explosion.
Gallery
The start of the level
Lava Foundry
The crusher passage
The grinder pit
The hallway leading to the boss arena entrance
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
The boss arena
The end stairway lined with Cerberi
Trivia
- In this level, the Cerberi are shown guarding the entrance to Hell. This is in reference to the portrayal of Cerberus in Greek Mythos, where Cerberus guards the gates of Hades to prevent the dead from escaping.
- Only two Cerberi are fought despite the Cerberus famously being a three-headed dog. There were supposed to be three, but two Cerberi were already too hard for the Prelude, thus why the second Cerberus in the final version of the fight joins halfway through and at half-health.[1]
- The entrance to Hell is a large gate with the writing "Abandon hope all ye who enter here". This sentence is drawn from Reverend H. F. Cary's translation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, where this is the last of nine verses inscribed on the door to Hell.
- This is the only fifth level in a layer, not counting secret levels.
