Stand in front of the door and knock on it (press up) to enter a room. A room may be a shop that sells armor, shields, boots, or other useful items, a tavern where you can recover some Life Gauge with a drink, or a hospital to completely recover yourself. Early in the game, you can easily identify shops by the sign on the door. As the game progresses however, the doors will stop being marked, and in some cases the door itself may not be visible.

Once inside a shop, use left or right to select an item, and then press ( for the Classic Controller) to buy. If you select EXIT, you will leave without a service. Some shops will allow you to enter and buy items twice; others only once. If the shopkeeper thinks you’re just browsing, he will close the shop.

Beware, shops and taverns aren’t the only things behind doors. A Round Boss may be hidden inside as well. And for doors that are locked, you must first defeat the Boss that holds the Key.

Useful hint: Enter a tavern, have a drink or two, and listen to what the bartender has to say about Monster Land.