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Learn how to bypass the barriers in Metal Max Returns! This guide covers the Northern Barrier, Big Cannon, Jizo's Passageway, Subway Ruins, and Hell's Gate to help you explore faster.

Alright, so you're playing Metal Max Returns and you've noticed you can't just wander everywhere right off the bat. That's totally normal! The game's got these barriers to keep you on track, but the cool thing is, you can often find ways around them to snag some sweet gear way earlier than you might expect. Think of it as finding a secret shortcut. Let's break down how to get past these roadblocks and explore more of the world map faster.

The Fast Track: Bypassing Barriers

Metal Max Returns is all about freedom, letting you tackle things in pretty much any order you want. But these barriers? They're just there to nudge you along. Here’s how to deal with the main ones:

1. Northern Barrier: This one's just north of Leorad. It's super simple – just head into the building there and chat with the person at the table. They'll give you an ID Card, and bam, you're through. Easy peasy.
2. The Big Cannon: You'll see these two massive cannons north of Negi Village. There's no sneaking around them; you've gotta blow 'em up. They're the only way to get to Audrey Town, so get ready for a fight.
3. Jizo's Passageway: Located northeast of Rocco, the entrance to this passage can sometimes be blocked by the tide. Your best bet is usually to take on Mad Muscle and snag the Van tank. Doing that often makes the water recede, or at least, spending a night in Rocco might do the trick. This is your gateway to the Freeza area.
4. East-West Subway Ruins: This is the real secret passage! It's south of Freeza. Head west on foot through here, and you can actually reach Sol. This bypasses the Corona Building and Yuge Ferry, which would otherwise block you from heading west. It's even a shortcut to Hell's Gate if you keep going west underground from Sol. The easiest way to do this is to leave the subway at Sol, grab your tanks using the transporter, and then head back into the subway to Sol. With your tanks, the rest of the journey west is a breeze. The battles in the subway are manageable, and there's no boss to worry about. Once you're on the west side, all the towns are accessible.
5. Hell's Gate: To get through Hell's Gate and into the northern desert, you need a password. Don't worry, you can find it on the top floor of the Devil's Tower in Sol. So, if you're feeling tough enough to take on the Robot Police guarding the Gate, you could theoretically reach this northern area pretty early on.