Akatori Monk Forest Walkthrough

Monk Forest is the first biome in the Akatori Steam demo—a lush, Asian-inspired canopy where Mako learns staff combat, kung fu parkour fundamentals, and the rhythm that defines Contrast Games’ 2.5D metroidvania. Roughly the first third of the Demo walkthrough happens here before you transition toward the vertical Bamboo Location and later Underwater gauntlet. Treat this page as a zone guide: checkpoint order, optional fights, tutorial prompts you must not skip, and links to Combat combos plus Traversal moves when mechanics need drill time.

Narrative-focused players may have seen simpler forest paths in Chapter One before obtaining the staff—that prologue lacks this demo’s expanded tutorial depth.

Zone overview

Monk Forest features:

• Soft-lit pagoda ruins and firefly particle effects in 2.5D layers.
• Gentle slopes introducing slide → jump → glide chains.
• Wolf-type Amber-corrupted enemies with slow telegraphs.
• Training scarecrow and NPC monk explaining staff throw recall—critical for every later biome.
• First shrine checkpoint saving progress toward Chaos Arena branch.

Visual style blends pixel-art Mako with fully 3D environmental geometry, establishing the franchise aesthetic before bamboo islands and underwater caverns escalate spectacle.

Step-by-step route

Entry path

1. Move right from spawn; jump tutorial prompts appear.
2. Double jump over first pit—note horizontal distance for later comparison in Bamboo.
3. Interact with monk NPC; complete scarecrow combo lesson (light, light, heavy).
4. Staff throw tutorial: throw at distant post, press throw again to recall.

Skipping recall practice causes deaths in Monk Forest part two when flying enemies appear.

First combat encounter

Wolves spawn in pairs:

• Dodge bite telegraph sideways.
• Punish with light-light-heavy.
• Execute finisher when glow appears—see Combat combos.

Medicine tip: Early wolves drop minimal currency; save purchases until vendor in mid-forest hub per Getting Started advice.

Glide introduction

Cliff edge tutorial forces glide across a gap:

• Jump off.
• Hold jump at apex.
• Land on opposite moss platform.

Failure drops you into a shallow pit with climb-out—no death, but wastes time on speedruns.

Shrine checkpoint

Light the forest shrine to save. From here the demo branches:

• Main path: deeper forest combat rooms toward Bamboo transition cinematic.
• Optional side path: extra wolf pack for combo practice; no unique loot required for demo completion.

Mid-forest combat room

Mixed elevation with small bamboo platforms foreshadowing the next biome:

• Ranged imps require staff throw recall—do not chase with naive double jumps off cliff edges.
• Elite guard with block meter: charged heavy break from Combat combos.

Exit to Bamboo Location

Cutscene or loading gate transports Mako to vertical bamboo groves. Ensure you understand:

• Dodge iframes (Keyboard / Controller bindings)
• Glide hold duration
• Throw-recall timing

If any feel shaky, rematch wolves before leaving—Bamboo punishes weak fundamentals immediately.

Monk Forest vs Chapter One forest

Chapter One’s pre-staff sections are shorter and lack scarecrow lab, glide cliff, and multi-wave combat rooms. Skills overlap once staff is obtained in Chapter One walkthrough, but demo Monk Forest remains the best mechanical boot camp.

Enemy notes

Enemy	Threat	Counter
Amber wolf	Low	Dodge bite, finisher
Forest imp	Medium ranged	Staff throw recall
Elite guard	Medium melee	Charged guard break

No boss fight occurs in Monk Forest proper—demo boss Bumblebee and Chapter One’s Takatsugu await later content.

Collectibles and secrets

Demo Monk Forest hides minor health upgrades in optional upper glides—scan for hook anchors off main path. Nothing here gates demo completion unlike Chapter One relic hunts.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting staff recall during imp fights.
• Charging heavy without poise break—getting counter-hit.
• Skipping double jump tutorial timing before glide combo rooms.

Practice drills before leaving

1. Ten finisher kills on wolves without damage.
2. Three consecutive glide → hook → land sequences if upper path anchors found.
3. Staff throw maximum range recall into dash-light—preps Chaos Arena in Demo walkthrough.

Continue to Bamboo Location via demo main path or return to Walkthrough hub for overview.