abstract
| - What makes each match a race against time is that your opponent will be making his way through a mirrored copy of the series of puzzle stages you will be going through at the same time, and the two of you will try to make it to the central arena first. The progress of each contestant through their respective stages is indicated by a diagram on top of the screen which shows the two as blinking points marked "1P" and "2P". The advantage of making it to the center arena before your opponent is noticeable: lying on the ground of the central arena are two pieces of equipment, both of the same type but one far superior to the other. The contestant that makes it to the arena first will automatically pick up and equip the better item, then wait as the other contestant eventually arrives to the arena, picks up and equips the lesser item, and the battle begins. Isaac will have a statistically easier time battling his opponent if he arrives at the arena first, in other words, since his stats will be improved and the opponent's stats don't get an improvement. The winner of the battle is the winner of the overall match, and he will then compete in the next match, while keeping the piece of equipment he earned in the previous match, meaning that each time you beat out your opponent to the arena at the end of a match before defeating him in battle, you make your future matches easier. So, getting the strongest equipment at the end of each match is very important to Isaac, especially if his level isn't as high as it can be at this point. The puzzles within each screen (stage) of the match are quite simple on their own and may seem trivial by Golden Sun standards. What makes them a challenge together is that they are to be completed in rapid succession, and doing them as fast as possible is encouraged. Adding to their complexity are treasure chests that can be found in out-of-the-way spots through some of the stages, and these chests contain consumable items that will help sustain Isaac in his fight with his Colosso opponent, but Isaac must use up time in getting to the chests and retrieving their contents. Each match has three chests distributed among three of its stages, and if Isaac completes all of the match's stages the "normal" way (possible "shortcuts" within each stage are discussed below) as fast as possible while opening each chest, you should notice that the movements of the two contestants on the top diagram are mostly synchronized, proving that your opponent in each match is always taking his time to complete each of his stages while opening up all of the chests within them. This means that if you purposefully skip at least one of the three chests on your version of the match's stages, you should arrive at the arena before your opponent.
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