You'll be introduced to Spheda in Barga's Valley in Chapter 3. Spheda is a golf mini-game, playable within the main game. Only Max is allowed to play the game. Although why that is so, is beyond me because it's Monica who'll expertly show Max how to play if he can't get the sphere into the initial goal. You need to have a stick for Max to use in order to play Spheda. You likely don't even want to have Max attempt playing until he has acquired at least the three basic clubs (i.e. Turkey (putter), Swan (medium range), and Falcon (long range)), and they are the only ones you really need. I used the Swan club almost exclusively. I personally didn't really understand how to hit the Spheda sphere until around Chapter 6 as I was mostly busy doing other things. You'll be asked if you want to move your character to the sphere after all enemies have been defeated on a level on which you can play Spheda. If your character is not near the remaining ABS and Gildas when the game takes over and notes that all monsters have been eliminated and then asks if you want to move Max or Monica to the sphere, the remaining ABS and Gildas will be lost if you respond with "Yes". It may also move your character far away from unopened chests. On the other hand, the sphere's location can be very difficult to see on the map. It is findable, but may take some searching.

Basically Max has to hit the Sphere into the area's blue or red Time Distortion portal, making use of rebounds and bounces in order to switch sphere colors and to gain better vantage. Max needs to wack a blue sphere into a red time distortion field to close it, and vice versa. When a sphere contacts a time distortion field of the same color, it'll be repelled. A sphere's color can be switched from red to blue or blue to red via bumping it against something. Once a sphere hits a patch of hard ground, wall, column, etc., and bounces, the sphere may switch color, and also switches color after each shot, which falls out of bounds. Once the time distortion portal has been successfully hit, it'll be replaced with a treasure chest. Prizes earned from Spheda are generally rare items the first time Max does it on each level and of lesser value thereafter. All throwable items (i.e. crates, stones, and vases) as well as opened and unopened chests and angel/devil coin areas, remaining on the level at the time Max can play Spheda, will disappear as he begins play. Use the map radar (togglable with the 'Select' button), which provides you with an indication of the direction the sphere will travel, and use the left Analog mini-joystick to manipulate that direction. If all shots are used without destroying the time distortion field, it will disappear. However fear not for it'll be back (as many times as you need) for you to try again on when you return to the dungeon level.

You can manipulate the distance that the Swing Indicator encompasses by switching clubs or moving the left mini-joystick up or down. The basic swing is comprised of three 'X' button depressions. Press the 'X' button to start the process, and the indicator will move to the left, indicating more and more distance as it does so. You can think of this as the backswing.

How far should you let it go? It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Use the maximum distance the sphere can travel and distance to the goal to gauge how long to wait before hitting the 'X' button to set the intended distance. You can think of this as the forward swing. Longer shots, even on straightaways, have more chance of contacting obstructions and going off in unintended directions. Of course sometimes this is bad and sometimes it's good. Press the 'X' button again to stop that process and determine the distance the sphere may be hit. The indicator will now start travelling back to the right toward the accuracy zone (where the indicator started from). You can use the advanced controls at this point (see below). Cause the cursor to stop within the Swing Indicator (accuracy zone) by pressing the 'X' button again when the indicator has reached the desired location (see below) and Max will swing at the Sphere.

   Swing Indicator
  ___________________
 | __________________|
 |####|___|####|

Two slightly differently shaded reddish orange bars abut a similarly sized white bar below the Swing Indicator gauge, which are used to indicate the strike's accuracy on the sphere. Swing (i.e. press the 'X' button) with the indicator in the |__| (white) area, and you'll see a musical note, followed by "Nice Shot!", and the shot will be generally well hit if distance and spin have been properly applied. If you hit within the "|####|" (reddish orange) area, you'll see an exclamation point ("!"), and the shot will generally go where intended but with less distance than if struck when the indicator is in the center of the swing indicator gauge.

Now we come to the not so nice shot conditions. If Max's swing commences outside the ### or |__| areas, you'll see a skeleton head appear and the shot will be hit poorly, and very likely not going where intended.

The advanced controls shown below are not mentioned in the in-game help or even shown on the menu. You'll note a globe on the lower left corner of the screen to the left of the Spheda gauge, which has four points. You can move the left analog mini-joystick and the red dot will move along the axis of the globe meter. Just as you cause the swing motion (i.e. after the first pressing the 'X' button), hold the desired position and press the 'X' button to swing. Note that Slice and Hook cause the sphere to curve in the opposite direction of their indications on the meter (i.e. hook spin goes to the left not right, and Slice spin goes to the right not left)!

       Top Spin          
           |             
 Slice ----|---- Hook    
           |             
       Back Spin         

• Try not to move the sphere unless it's absolutely neccessary, or unless you're sure Max has shots to spare. Messed up shots can unexpectedly occur quite easily, costing your character precious turns.
• If Max has a clear shot to the goal, but the sphere is the same color as the goal, try for a shot that will fall a bit short of the goal. If done correctly it will take one bounce, changing color in the process, and destroy the Time Distortion Field. You can also try this shot using the advanced controls by noting the power shot distance, then with the direction pushed all the way up (to impart top spin), try to hit the sphere just a little less than the remaining distance, and the sphere will land and change color, then quickly bounce forward through the Tine Distortion Field. Hitting a wall to change color is unpredictable, so only use that technique if the sphere is very very close to the goal. The "forward spin" technique will not work in Ocean's Roar Cave, which has a water surface, because the sphere bounces almost not at all, even with maximum top spin.
• If Max is down to his last shot and can only see some small part of the goal, but can't hit it in directly because of obstructions, or if he can't see the goal at all, always move the sphere (press the 'Square' button) if it will improve his shot. There's no penalty incurred when there's only one shot left. If he can now see the goal, all well and good. If not, try a bank shot and hit it hard. He may make a good shot or just plain get lucky. He did for me a couple of times!
• The sphere changes color after each shot, which falls out of bounds, however if Max swings and misses (due to the indicator being allowed to return all the way to the right), the sphere color will not change.
• If Max fails to destroy the Tine Distortion Field enough times, and you have him re-enter the same level, he'll eventually be given a very easy shot.