You're stuck in the Rah Empire. It happens to everyone. World 9 is where Guardian Tales starts to get legitimately mean with its level design, and the Kantterbury Refugee Camp (Stage 9-2) is usually the first big wall players hit when trying to 100% the map. Getting Guardian Tales 9-2 3 stars isn't just about finishing the level; it’s about dealing with those specific, headache-inducing Star Pieces and Purple Coins that the developers tucked away behind perspective tricks and annoying puzzles.
Honestly, it's easy to miss things here because the map is dense. You’ve got refugees everywhere, soldiers breathing down your neck, and a layout that loops back on itself just enough to be confusing. If you're sitting at 97% or 98% completion, you're likely missing that one Star Piece hidden in the basement or the one triggered by a specific interaction with an NPC.
Why 100% Completion in the Kantterbury Refugee Camp is a Pain
The difficulty spike in World 9 is real. By this point, you've probably realized that the game rewards you for poking every single wall and talking to every random person. In 9-2, this is mandatory. The stage is basically a test of your patience. Most players get the "Mission Complete" banner but notice they're missing two or three Purple Coins or a single Star Piece. It’s frustrating.
You need to keep an eye out for the "hidden" paths that don't show up clearly on the mini-map. The Rah Empire aesthetic uses a lot of brown and grey tones, which makes certain interactable objects blend into the background. It's a classic dev trick.
Tracking Down the 5 Star Pieces in 9-2
Let's talk about that basement. One of the most common spots people miss involves the underground area where you have to manipulate the light or move blocks to progress. There is a Star Piece tucked behind a destructible object that you'd swear was just part of the environment. If you haven't checked every corner of the basement with a torch or a bomb, go back there first.
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Then there's the "Old Man" questline. Guardian Tales loves its recurring NPCs. In 9-2, there’s a specific interaction involving a refugee and some supplies. If you rush through the dialogue or ignore the side-quests, you're locked out of the Star Piece until you restart or backtrack. You have to actually pay attention to what the NPCs are complaining about—usually hunger or lost items.
Another piece is tied to the "hidden" path behind the houses. Look for a narrow alleyway on the right side of the main camp area. It looks like a dead end. It isn't. If you walk against the wall, you'll slide into a small sub-area where a Star Piece is just sitting there, mocking you.
The Purple Coin Struggle
Purple Coins are the bane of my existence in World 9. In 9-2, they are often hidden behind pillars or inside tents. Because of the top-down perspective, if a coin is placed directly "south" of a large building or a tent wall, it's invisible to your eyes but your character can still pick it up.
- Check behind every single tent. Seriously. Walk along the back edges.
- The area with the train tracks has a few coins tucked in the corners of the fences.
- Don't forget the indoor sections. Some houses have multiple rooms, and it’s easy to grab the obvious loot and leave the corners unexplored.
The Electric Puzzle and the Hidden Key
There’s a puzzle involving a battery and some electrical circuits. Most people solve it to open the main door and just keep running. Stop. Look at the wiring. There is a secondary path you can power up by moving the battery to a different conductor. This usually opens a small gate to the side containing—you guessed it—more Purple Coins and a Star Piece. It's a classic "distraction" puzzle where the obvious solution isn't the complete one.
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The Rah Empire soldiers are also a factor. Some areas are guarded, and while you can fight your way through, sometimes "stealth" (or just walking the long way around) reveals a path you would have missed if you just charged in.
Common Missed Spots for Guardian Tales 9-2 3 Stars
If you are still stuck at 4/5 Star Pieces, check these specific things:
- The Dog: Did you interact with the dog? There’s a small sequence that involves following or helping an animal that leads directly to a reward.
- The Trash Cans: I’m not joking. Break everything. In the Rah Empire, sometimes the loot is inside the breakable props that look like background clutter.
- The "Hidden" Basement Entrance: There is more than one way down. If you only went down the main stairs, you missed the vent or the side hole that leads to the isolated ledge.
Basically, if a wall looks a little bit too flat, try to walk through it. Guardian Tales is notorious for "fake" walls that don't have the classic cracked texture but are still passable. In 9-2, this happens at least twice in the residential area of the camp.
Putting It All Together for the Full Clear
To get the gold trophy and the 3-star rating, you have to be meticulous. Check your map screen. If there is a "greyed out" fog of war area, that's your target. Even a tiny sliver of unexplored map usually hides a Purple Coin.
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The quest involving the "Suspicious Refugee" is also a big one. You might think it’s just flavor text, but following through on the mini-stories in the camp is almost always tied to the Star Piece count. The game wants you to feel the tension of the refugee camp, so it hides rewards behind the acts of "helping" the people there.
Practical Steps for Your Next Run
- Equip a fast character: Running around the camp takes forever. Use someone with a movement speed buff if you have one, or just someone with a dash.
- Toggle your brightness: It sounds stupid, but bumping up your screen brightness helps you see the "hidden" gaps in the brown-on-brown walls of the Rah Empire.
- Watch the '!' icons: If an NPC has a speech bubble that doesn't go away after one tap, keep talking. Sometimes the Star Piece only triggers on the third or fourth interaction.
- Re-enter the stage: If you’ve finished the main quest but are missing items, re-entering makes it easier because the story cutscenes won't interrupt your exploration. You can just focus on the corners.
Go back into the camp. Start from the bottom left and snake your way to the top right. Don't leave a single tent un-probed. Those last two Purple Coins are probably behind the tent near the entrance, just barely out of sight. Once you grab those and that final Star Piece from the basement "secret" ledge, you’ll finally see that 100% pop up. It’s a grind, but for the gems and the completionist high, it’s worth the twenty minutes of hugging walls.
Actionable Next Steps:
Load up World 9-2 and immediately head to the basement area. Locate the electrical puzzle and ensure you have powered the secondary gate before moving the battery to the exit. After that, perform a "perimeter sweep" of the refugee tents, walking behind the northern walls of each structure to snag the hidden Purple Coins that the camera angle obscures. Once the coins are cleared, talk to every NPC with a persistent speech bubble to trigger the final Star Piece event.