You promised me a pony... with missiles... Let's Play Iji

The Greater Good

I seem to recall going to some effort to lure one of the Tasen down the lift shaft so it could missile the wall. Can't kick them too many times or they die from the fall, if I'm not mistaken.

So, I mentioned last time that this sector is where stuff really kicks in. This marks the largest difference between hostile and pacifist playthroughs, such that I'll actually pick up a few of the logbooks around here during this update.



First, though, you'll note that this sector has a lot more glimpses of the outside than the previous two, and not only that, but the sky's turning orange from the sun setting. Most important of all, though, are the multiple Tasen spaceships in the air. You can actually get a look at them in Sector 2, in the room where you fight the Elite, and the poster room, but I took the screenshots such that they wouldn't be visible, because otherwise that'd be a bit spoilersome.



Anyhow, the elevator leads down into an area that branches to the left and right. I head right first, where we find a logbook I can't get to in the pacifist run, for obvious reasons.



Ooh, both with one rocket. Classy!



"Yes! The latest in the line of Deluxe Lifts will not only take you to whatever vertical position you desire, it also comes with a number of irresistible features. The most popular addition is the integrated soundchip, which plays comfortable, enjoyable music during your daily Lift rides, with such soothing, classic symphonies as "Insect Mentalists GO CRAZY", "Annihilating Infinity", and "Welcome to Ciretako". Consumers will also be happy to learn that a minor, insignificant bug in the previous Lift model, which randomly catapulted people through the ceiling, has hopefully been fixed."

Yeah. Um. Tasen. They have a very alien mindset. Or maybe not alien enough.



The other side is accessible in a pacifist run, but hey, no reason for us not to go there.



Below all that is the way forward. We could drop into that room, but let's see what's beyond it first.



Aha, another ribbon!



Yep! Miss any of the ribbons in a playthrough, and the rest vanish. They don't unlock anything, just provide some backstory on Iji and her family, so if you don't care much about the story, you can leave them.



Down from there is a branching path. You can only take one path, and taking the left path is a bit trickier and technically requires killing some dudes.



To get there, fall, don't jump, off to that side. If you jump, you'll miss the ledge because of gravity acceleration.



"Whose bright idea was it to skip the infection check on one of our battlecruisers? The whole thing was crawling with Blits, and now they've spread across this human complex. The best part about these parasites isn't that they drain your Nanoarmor in mere pulsecycles, oh no. Those little creeps have to be invulnerable too! Some scientists say they're a miracle of technology, a self-evolved sentient lifeform consisting entirely of Nano - I say I'm requesting a transfer from this place if I find another one of those lethal little pests in my boot tomorrow! Doesn't it just suck when you're armed to the teeth, but the only way to outdo some little blobs is to run around and catch them in jars?"

Ah, just like living in Cyber-Australia!



G'DAY MATE



Yeah I dunno whose bright idea it was to put the Blit-holding glass next to the exploding barrels. Anyway, over here is a series of doors blocking off a side room.



Not much in here but more Blits, a Commander, and a few goodies here and there.

Down here, though, is a really tricky secret to get if you don't know how. You could have 10 Strength by this point in the game, yes, but you also need 10 Crack for the door behind it, and Iji simply doesn't have the points to max both stats right now. There is a way to get there, which I'll show off after these two playthroughs in an update about secret stuff.



Come on, gimme something new...



DAMN IT RNG

Yeah, to clarify, Nano Overloads will award random powerups, slightly dependent on your kills. Pacifist characters will only get "low" powerups, stuff like Nanomirror, a cloaking device, or an auto-revive, while characters that go out of their way to kill stuff get "high" powerups, which means at some point we will get something that isn't Nanomirror.



I vent the frustration by punting a Tasen through the window at the building's entrance.



Actually, I just like kicking stuff through windows. It's fun!



Continuing onwards! I wonder if this was a parking lot or something before the Alpha Strike?



Can't get through the windows up top. We've got to go through this door here.



Not terribly tricky, long as you're careful.



"My good person, have you ever considered a replacement? Yes, the army may have given you a standard old Machinegun, mayhap even a Rocket launcher if you were indeed so lucky, but what we have here is something quite different. Why, it's a Shotgun that fires thrice as fast as the regular flavor! Presenting the Buster gun, the cutting edge of yesterday's technology at an affordable budget price. This hastily cracked combination of a Shotgun and Machinegun may not look much for the world, and uses a questionable lot of ammunition, but in the right hands it may just be a life-saver. We're not really sure. But look on the bright side - you'd rather be stuck in a planetary war with one of these by your side than a pack of Blits! Brought to you by Redundant Technologies - Inventing Yesterday Today. (Redundant Technologies strongly discourages any attempt to crack your Nanogun to produce this Nanoweapon yourself. Seriously, don't do it. Please.)"

It's made more difficult in a pacifist run, though, so let's just go up here now. Behold, the first hint on cracked Nanoweapons! Plait did mention that the Tasen don't know much about how their own tech works, so it'd make sense that companies would arise based on discovering combinations themselves. If you don't want to brute-force weapon combos to find the available Nanoweapons, just keep an eye out for logbooks like these.



I wonder, are there logbooks down there?



Nope, just a Nanoweapon station. Also, that Elite totally can't see me. That underbite, man.



Sneaking past them through totally reasonable means, we come across an armor upgrade! Iji (and the Tasen) both have a baseline of 100 armor points. This armor kicks ours up to about 150 points, trivializing Machineguns even more. Doesn't do a damn thing about rockets, but whatever, we can dodge those.



Anyhow. Don't feel like fighting the rest of these guys, let's just take the teleporter.



Takes us to a vent where... hang on, new guys!



With new logbooks! That I won't read!

Spoilers: these are Komato Troopers! Like Tasen Soldiers, except a different species. They're tougher, both with regards to health and armor, though. They pack their own variant of the Rocket Launcher, seen here, called a Shocksplinter. Does the same damage, but flies faster and scatters into about six armor-damaging "splinters" upon impact.



They also have a close-range Pulse Cannon, which you can see in the upper left. Unlike the Machinegun, it actually does respectable amounts of damage.



Their security is even a bit above that of a Tasen Commander! But we're just that good.



When he tries to fire his Shocksplinter, our sabotage kicks in and it blows up in his face! Take that, sucker! After a sabotaged weapon goes off, the victim won't use that or any similar kinds of weapons anymore, limiting themselves to armor-damaging stuff and melee attacks, so this guy is easy picking after.



And what better way to test out our own, new Pulse Cannon?



Y'know, it's neat and all, but what I really want is to see what new weapons our higher Crack stat can get us.



Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh.



So kids, what happens when you take a Shotgun and combine it with a Rocket Launcher? That's right, Spread Rockets! Costs the same as firing three rockets at once, but it fires all of them at the same time, and in a cone pattern. Note that some rocket-using Tasen have cracked themselves this weapon too, and will not hesitate to try it out on us. As a result, if you're too close, you (or they) cannot dodge the oncoming explosion. Very impressive, very expensive.



As for our Pulse Cannon, it does have one combination at the moment, with the Resonance Detonator. Kinda tricky to pull off, but not ridiculously so.



This gives us the Hyper Pulse! Ever wanted to shoot someone in a way that would also kick them? Here's how. After dealing enough damage with the Hyper Pulse, the projectiles will be treated like a kick. It's still good even if you don't have high Strength, better than a basic Pulse Cannon, but it really comes into its own once you've got both high Attack and Strength. Not the flashiest weapon, but one of my favorites.



Plus, it looks cool and can break shield doors at a distance.



Doing so, in fact, gives us a Supercharge! Hooray!



However, like how some Tasen have cracked the Spread Rockets, it seems the last Trooper here is a bit of a cracker himself, and has his own copy of a Hyper Pulse. So watch out, because you're definitely light enough for them to kick (even though they don't have melee attacks).



Haha yeah we don't read. We DESTROY.



"The situation is getting unbearable. It's hard to keep a straight face when we speak of the humans, and it's impossible getting the Soldiers to understand that if a Komato scout patrol finds us here, we have to kill them IMMEDIATELY before they can report back to their fleet. That's why we need to stay alert and kill ALL resistance - after all, our lives depend on it. We can't take ANY chances with the humans, as we don't know how powerful they can have really grown. I keep hearing reports of a "Human anomaly", tearing through our troops like she's on fire. She's using Nanotechnology - something we thought this low-tech race couldn't possibly have. If all humans we meet have the potential to be this mighty, we're in serious danger. I won't rest until EVERY ONE around our colony is dead. Nothing must stand against the Tasen now that we're down on our knees, hiding from the Komato and barely surviving. This is what Hel Sarie would've wanted - the humans must be exterminated AT ALL COSTS!"

If Iji knows the name of a Tasen who's writing a logbook, then it'll be displayed as the proper author. So now we know what Krotera is like! And... it's not promising. At all. Seriously, even aside from the genocidal fury, this guy sounds like the kind of winning personality that can only win a participation award.

"What weaklings our troops are. I agree with Elite Krotera; we have not yet assessed the true danger of the human species. The "Human anomaly" is a far bigger concern than the Komato, as she seems intent on destroying us and nothing else. She has been moving in the same general direction for some time, but it's anyone's guess what her true motives and goals are. The only thing we know is that she is as sinister and coldhearted as Elite Krotera tells us, killing our men at an extremely rapid pace. Our pathetic troops will obviously never be able to stand up to the Komato if they find us here."

Not to say he doesn't have supporters, though. Also yeah, these logbooks change depending on whether Iji's started killing or not. Hence why I got them here even though they're right on the main path.



Dan did mention one last Tasen. Let's help you down that ledge for a moment, shall we?



And... PULL!



Aw yeah. I'm the best at style.

Yep, to get to this secret, you need to kick that Soldier down, then jump into her Rocket such that you get blown clean through the window.



"While scouting around our little three-man base, I managed to open the window and climb out here. Nothing but an old guard tower out here though, "decorated" with some Tasen poster. Speaking of the Tasen, I read about some "Human anomaly" in their logbooks. Better hurry back inside before she reaches our base."

Aha. Another poster. Also, now I'm curious. I should check that ID number with the logbooks in their base to see which one of them is the explorer.



Anyway, the poster is of a Tasen Elite. That red-colored armor is different from the all-yellow armor other Elites have, though, so I'm gonna hazard a guess that this one is Elite Krotera.



Thanks for helping me reach the secret! YOUR REWARD IS BEING KICKED TO DEATH.



And we'll put a bit of investment into the Tasen stat, for reasons.



Anyway, Krotera's just through here. Let's go pay him a visit!



The door locks behind us, because Krotera always wants FULL REPORTS.



Yeah, uh, why did you guys think this would work again?



Come on, man, have a heart. Would you like it if we went to your home planet and killed everyone?



Well, that doesn't sound like we can do a damn thing to fix that.



"HRRRRRGH!"

And now it's kill or be killed with Elite Krotera!

Krotera has about the same general abilities as the other Elites you've potentially fought. However, they're all bumped up in various ways, to say nothing of the arena itself. His Machinegun is a double-firing one, for starters. He also has more health, taking him up to a total of 25 (for those keeping score at home, that means a total of 12 rocket hits to take him down).



"Just try to stop THIS!"

However, as a boss, Krotera has access to a Superweapon.

Remember how I mentioned Elites have a weapon I've yet to show off? It's the last Tasen weapon, the MPFB Devastator, which fires three "magnetically-propelled fission bombs" in a straight line at varying speeds, each one dealing 3 Health on a hit. It's one of the strongest weapons in the game, and only because of their unique Nanofields can Elites fire it without knocking themselves over.

Krotera, though, has a unique weapon that Iji can't even get, which is rare even among Superweapons, called the Rapid-fire MFPB. It's most likely a crack of a Machinegun and an MPFB Devastator, and fires a spray of the bombs in whatever direction he's facing. However, Krotera doesn't change direction once he stops firing, so if you see him blink as he charges, drop what you're doing and jump over him, or prepare to taste a world of hurt.



For all his destructive potential, though, Krotera is almost trivially easy to beat if you're geared offensively at all. The Buster gun is the most hilarious way to win, because if you have an Attack score of 4 and 25 shots, you can stunlock him from the very opening of the fight to his death.



"You can't hide!"

However, we only have ten shots. So, uh, let's try to get to a clearer shooting spot. And yeah, Machinegun turrets will pop up as the fight continues. These are mostly for the benefit of players who don't have good offensive skillsets for him (say, if they focused primarily on Strength), allowing them to do damage to Krotera by booting turrets into his gut.



"AAIIEEEEEEE"

Hey guys I'm totally pro at this game and didn't get shot out of the sky by an MPFB.



"The strong prevail, Anomaly. Your race is history."

But uh yeah. As long as you're not stupid about the fight and get to the health BEFORE Krotera shoots you, you won't have trouble. Also, bosses have a unique quote if you die to them. Krotera's is the longest, and nobody will ever hear it unless they screw up like I do.



However, this DOES let us show off the fact that if you die to a boss, Iji will wrap up the cutscene prior to meeting them by musing to herself about viable strategies. And yes, these are the two big things about Krotera: kick the turrets if you need help, and never stand in front of him while he charges the Rapid-fire MPFB.



Let's try this again.



"UR- urrgh"

Yeah, not hard at all. And yes I am nearly out of ammo, but even a single point to Assimilate is more than enough to rectify that.



Yes?



Don't let him get to you, Iji. He's a raging hypocrite, and you're just trying to make things right.



Huh. Not exactly sure that's the best of plans, but they're right, we really don't have other options.



So yeah! In this playthrough, our only option is to try to contact the Komato and hope they can stop the Tasen! But what about in a more peaceful situation?

Next Time: Open Hands Hold No Weapons

I don't actually remember hearing this, although I'm pretty sure I've failed to dodge his MPFB a few times and died. Remar really stuck so many details and secrets into this game, it's insane.
Also, the way to get that supercharge on Sudden Death hasn't been mentioned yet. It requires a good bit of luck and some speed.

...Oh you are kidding me.

I've been curious about this game for a long time, but I've never found the time to play it seriously. So thanks for doing this LP! I had no idea how many secrets and Easter eggs were crammed into this little indie game, it's nice to have a guided tour from someone who knows it so well.

One sector of not killing Tasen might be a fluke, but two is a pattern, so Dan voices his concern at the start of Sector 3. That isn't remotely the biggest change to the sector though.



"A rare Komato weapon, the Resonance reflector, can bounce enemy projectiles away. It's considered an act of defense, for those worried about your kill counter, unless you were the one who originally fired the projectile. Semantics huh?"

Also, by this point, pacifist players will have noticed that there's not many stats they can really value, so by hinting at a new weapon type that doesn't add to kill counts, it gives them some new option. Not a GREAT option, but an option nonetheless.



Anyway, time for the biggest shift between the two playthroughs.



Yep. For the entirety of Sector 3, the Tasen will leave Iji completely alone if she doesn't break any of the conditions. Which isn't hard, for the most part, unless you're trying to do some overly elaborate stuff.



"I heard someone saying that Elite Krotera is "obsessed" with killing humans, and this would've never happened with Hel Sarie still alive. Give me a break! Krotera knows what he's talking about, and I don't see what these aliens have ever done for us. We shot their world to pieces, and people expect them to welcome us as heroes? We have to finish what we started if we want to survive in this place, and hasty action is better than death by far."

This makes a few of the logbooks (like the Buster gun ad) difficult to get to without breaking the truce. Which doesn't really matter a whole lot from a gameplay perspective, but hey.



The truce does give a few benefits, though. Like Vateilika mentioned, a few doors here and there will be left open, and enemies that formerly patrolled areas (like the Scout here) will be gone, letting you destroy stuff if need be.



"Elite Krotera, along with the rest of our leaders, continues to deny any link between us and the "humans". Aren't we genetically closer to Origin than the Komato? I don't like where this is going."

I didn't forget the ribbon over there either, but that dialogue doesn't change this sector.



At this fork, we instead drop to the right. It doesn't have much in it, just a pit with some Nano, a few Blits, and a Health cyborg station, which I start pumping. Once it tops out, I'll start working on Crack and Assimilate roughly evenly.



Falling from there drops you right in the middle of the main entrance. Just don't fall all the way to the right, so as to avoid hitting the turret or Soldier.



Hey maybe we can get an actual new powerup from this.



Here we go! Nanoshield is another "low" powerup, primarily available to pacifists, and it's honestly not too bad. Basically, you're immune to anything that isn't a melee attack like what Commanders and Elites use, or stuff like rockets. The inverse of the Nanomirror, kinda.



The door is gone up here too, but I have to be careful if I want the Nano on the topmost ledge. It's a tight fit with that Scout there.



Likewise over here, but there's no Commander to ruin my day.



"I never thought I'd live to see an Alpha Strike. sure, the one we used on this planet was just a taster of a real, full-force Strike, but the kind of destructive force we wield now is insane. sometimes I wonder if building bigger weapons every industrial cycle really counts as technological progress... pah, that's flawed logic. We'd never have been able to defend ourselves from the Komato without the Alpha Strike, so who's complaining? Besides, stolen technology is always cheaper, and it's technically not on our conscience that way."

We make it to the Armor upgrade's storeroom with minimal fuss. This logbook just gives some background on the Alpha Strike.



"Dear logbook, this turn I was transferred to a different subsection of this human building. I've been moved all over the place, but I'm still not close enough to my girlfriend. It's hardly rare for girls as young as me joining the army, so it's not like they will treat me better than anyone else, and move me to her just because I want to. As long as I keep asking to change Commander for personal reasons, I'll end up with my girlfriend sooner or later, but I can't blame phobic disorders forever."

This one's kind of charming. Someone misses their sweetheart! It's also part of a little subplot that'll unfold as we go, so pay attention to this author.

"We still haven't decided what to do since we arrived here - do we hide until we starve to death, or get out of here and kill as many lousy Tasen as we can? It's not like there's anything better to do, and those damn leeches ain't gonna survive to colonize any other planet, that's for sure! I've had enough of their way of killing everything they come across like they owned the galaxy."

The Komato, obviously, are not beholden to the truce. So they will still shoot at you. Excuse me sir, I am TRYING to read.



"Damnit! Me and my men were sent as a scout team to this planet, only to be shot down by the Tasen! That's right, THEY'RE HERE! We've found them at last, on a tiny spot on a tiny planet, but all we can do now is HIDE from them - we're three people stuck Tasen-infested building with nothing but expired rations to eat, and with no means of contacting the fleet. I am totally not bitter at all."

This one's written by the guy who found the poster up top. Seems he's less annoyed about the Tasen than the others, and more about, y'know, the whole "we are trapped in a foreign land with zilch for resources or recreation".



"I don't think the situation is as hopeless as the others say. Don't they remember what planet we've crashed on? I don't think it's a coincidence that we found them here; I rather think the Tasen would never expect us to come all the way here to look for them. And hey, we didn't, but there's no way they can escape the Imperial Army now. Those lowlife scum will regret ever messing with justice. You want Iosa coming down here? You'll get her soon."

And this one... well, that's a bit foreboding. Who the heck is Iosa, though?



"Bored? Tired of your neighbor? Tired of your boss? Tired of those pesky Tasen infesting the universe? Well then BLOW THEM ALL AWAY, with the latest Nanoweapon from Komato Imperial Weapon Industries! Yes, the Resonance detonator will happily blow all your problems out the window with the press of a single button. Nothing in your close proximity is safe from the severe punishment you dish out with the Resonance Detonator's beautiful shockwave of secure, guaranteed death! Since it works by utilizing your own personal strength, it may be favored by powerhouses like Berserkers, but after a few weeks at the local gym and with this little bundle of Nanotechnological joy, even the wimpiest of Komato can knock their un-favourite adversary flying through the air! Order yours TODAY for the low, LOW sum of 25'000 Units! (Komato Imperial Weapon Industries cannot be held responsible for personal injury, technical problems, or being fired from work for blowing your boss out the window.)"

And this... well, I don't even know. What is wrong with your advertising services, you maniac aliens.



Since this Iji read the logbooks, she actually knows about the Komato halfway. Dan just says what he tells us after Krotera in the other playthrough, about how they're a galactic peacekeeping force.



As is to be expected, Krotera really doesn't care that we don't kill anyone. His subordinate, though, has something new to say.

"What weaklings our troops are. I agree with Elite Krotera; we have not yet assessed the true danger of the human species. The "Human anomaly" is a far bigger concern than the Komato, whether she actually kills anyone or not - I for one don't care what that human-lover Soldier Vateilika says. The Anomaly has been moving in the same general direction for some time, but it's anyone's guess what her true motives and goals are. I only know that if our pathetic troops can't even kill a single human, we'll never be able to stand up to the Komato if they find us here."



Dang! I only need a bit more Nano to get that final point of Health! Ah well, next Sector.



Krotera's speech is about the same up until this point, where he'd normally talk about us being an over-violent LUNATIC.



Haha yeah that'll work on him. You pay attention good, Iji.



Welp, round two, now with no cool weapons. This'll be



wait what



how did you drop him in a single MPFB shot



No seriously, even at max Attack, you only do 18 points of damage with it, and Krotera has 25 Hea-- oh right, plot.



Yeah, Krotera died and we didn't even do it. Vateilika has a point though, we really weren't winning him over anyhow.



Man, it would've been convenient if she mentioned that BEFORE assassinating Krotera and pinning it on us, but oh well, necessity, mother of invention.

And she hurries off.



After this, the discussion goes mostly the same way: Dan brings up the last-ditch plan to call down the Komato, Iji wonders if that's a safe option, et cetera.



Pacifist Iji still has doubts about it, though.



And yeah, after "killing" Krotera, the Tasen will not be making any more offers of peace anytime soon.



This option wasn't originally planed for in earlier releases of the game, so this is actually a safeguard for speedruns from that time. After all, skipping Krotera does let you shave off... what, like five seconds since you can stunlock him with the Buster gun?



Between that and my logbook transcribing, this file is gonna have at least another hour by the end of this.

Next Time: There's Always a Bigger Fish

I played Iji for the first time before Daniel changed the confrontation with Krotera. It always bummed me out that I had to kill him no matter what, even on a pacifist run. It's pretty cool that the game was changed just so you can keep your kill count at zero.

Warning: Unlike my previous spoilers this is actually a sorta big one.
The change I appreciated even more than that one was being able to save Dan without having to get a kill. Previous versions made a Komato teleport onto your mine and die instantly, even though it was a cutscene and proxy through a mine it still counted. Now it just blows up the teleporter and nobody even dies.
Tacking on 10 minutes for the sake of not outdating speedruns seemed silly to me though - I understand people's fervor with speedruns pretty well and making an old record useless isn't fun, but a better way is to keep older versions available IMO.

Welcome to Sector 4, the fourthmost of all Sectors! Here, we'll engineer our plan to contact the Komato after our BADASS AWESOME NEGOTIATIONS failed to convince Krotera to not shoot us.



If you haven't been buffing the stats that give you a larger margin of error enough, you get this tip from Dan. We're doing okay, honestly, what with all our billions of weapon types, and we're only going to get more as we continue, but I probably will get a point or two in Assimilate next sector.



First, though, a brief side area that requires rockets to reach.



"It's some kind of cruel justice. first we Alpha Struck this place, now it turns out be Origin - of all planets. Then we realized it messed up the atmosphere more than any previous use of the Strike. It's too early to tell if the planet will actually recover now, but hey, I like to stay optimistic. Whatever doom we're heading into, I just hope it'll be the swiftest one. I'd rather see Origin sucked into a star than the Komato finding out what we did to this place..."

Pretty much all the logbooks here are Tasen worrying about the Komato, or panicking now that Krotera is dead.



The writer of this logbook is chilling out up here. Not much benefit to fighting him unless you really need rockets, though.



So hey, why the hell not.



Heading down here, we find an area with some more ammo and Nano, plus this.

"Alright, here's the contents of the stolen Komato logbook you requested. I know you're collecting them for research, but they just get... creepier every time. I wonder what kind of person spends their time writing this stuff. Well, here it is:"



"The pioneers of "Rocket jumping" were not exactly volunteering for the job - Komato raid parties simply found it hysterically funny to see how far a Tasen could fly when hit by their heaviest weapons. As usual, someone with the idea that ANYTHING can be turned into a game came up with the rules that still form the basis of modern Rocket jumping. Like Hyper Turret Game or Ultra Minefield Rune And Seek, the game is easy to learn. The contestant straps herself in full triple composite alloy armor, stands next to a specially designed super durable wall with her back to the scoring field, and fires the Nanoweapon of choice straight into the wall. The explosion catapults the contestant across the scoring area, with the goal being to fly as far as possible. Due to the heavy (and very expensive) armor used the contestant can usually walk away without any lethal injuries. In an attempt to make the game even more exciting, a variation on the theme is for the contestant to be launched into the air while another fires at her with the proper explosive Nanoweapon from the ground. If the second contestant hits the first in mid-air, the explosion usually sends them so high and far that the armored participants are killed by the fall to the ground itself. It is widely considered that the inventors of Rocket jumping were as brave as they were stupid, but Komato Recreational Unit would not endorse such a statement."

Wow. Um. Maybe calling these kinds of guys down to Earth isn't too smart. They might have a traditional greeting consisting of headbutts or something.



Damn it, missed the jump to the Nano. I'm getting rusty!



You don't need to have 4 Strength to get through here. That Commander on the ledge to the left can help you rocket jump through the ledge.



A bit further in, we find a new toy. Meet the Shredders, kids! A Tasen vehicle that functions not unlike a hovering jousting lance. It even has some crazy security features that prevent Komato from riding them. Iji, however, can ride them just fine.



And they move REALLY fast, too. They can even use ramps like that up ahead to jump!



To get up here, simply jump up to grab the ledge once the Shredder is about to hit the wall. That's Supercharge number 4.



Only one point away from using that fancy weapon right there. Don't worry, though, we'll be back. Oh, we will be back.



You can also find Soldiers riding Shredders. Since they take time to fire rockets, they stick to their Machineguns while driving, but they don't need to shoot to send Iji flying like a ragdoll. However, being kicked off of one of them at high velocities tends to be fatal for them, and earns you their Shredder for your own use.

Iji can fire any weapon she's got while on a Shredder, too!



Anyhow, just need one point of Nano to get that last upgrade...



Bingo! And as a result of our first level 10 stat, we get a Special trait! Each of the seven main stats has a Special trait, and they provide a neat little side benefit related to that stat. Vengeance here will add 1 point of ammo to any Tasen ammunition Iji picks up. Cool and all, but the real reason we want Tasen 10?



The MPFB Devastator, that's what.



Let's take it for a test toast!



OW. Uh, yeah, make sure to aim properly.



Once you've maxed out a stat, all Cyborg Stations for that stat dim over, indicating you can't use them anymore.



Ah, yes. There's an alternate way around those doors down there that Dan indicates.



I rarely, if ever, have the stats to go up through here. You need a Strength of 5 to kick down Commanders, and the only other thing stronger than that around here (aside from the Komato Troopers, who do require 6) is an Elite. You can damage Elites with kicks, but not move them. Generally, not worth the trouble. Strength is better suited for opening doors than direct combat, barring usage of the Resonance Detonator or Hyper Pulse.



"Sure, I couldn't stand the guy, but I never thought this'd happen. I heard the Human anomaly blew Krotera up real good. She probably didn't even know it was Krotera... he was just an Elite, one of the horde. We just aren't worth anything to her. I've been wondering why we just don't try to talk to the human, or why she doesn't approach us peacefully, because I doubt she works for the Komato. It's probably because we're all under shoot-to-kill orders, where the few who actually stop to think don't survive for long. Not to mention that we "adjusted" her homeworld with the Alpha Strike thanks to Krotera's power obsession. It's not like I wouldn't kill the Komato who tried to invade our base and take our lives. I can understand her. Maybe she does this because she doesn't have a choice, not because she actually wants to. Her power reminds me of that Komato one-woman-army, "Iosa the Invincible". Brrr..."

Anyhow, this here. It changes in pacifism mode. Also, it gives us some idea of who that Iosa character is. Sounds pretty intimidating.



From that logbook, there's a computer to the left and to the right, each guarded by an Elite.



Right, let's get your attention, shall we?



SEASON'S GREETINGS

As mentioned earlier, the MPFB Devastator fires three bombs, each doing 3 Health damage, in a straight line at varying speeds. This is probably the most damaging per-shot weapon in the game. However, firing it at all will topple Iji over backwards, so it's to be used carefully. Two shots of this weapon, even with no Attack investment, though, will kill an Elite outright.



Plus, if cracked, Elites drop MPFB ammo, so it's a nice choice for us! And that's that terminal cleared.



Mercy invincibility ensures that we can survive one MPFB hit at max Health right now, but later on we may want a bit more.

The terminal for that door is up top here.



But there's stuff over here, too!



Wow, Dan. That's kinda cold of you. Open up a little, why don't you?



Anyhow, we've got both doors open. This lets us continue, but more importantly, we can bring the Shredder with us!



I drop it down this hole here. Turns out you can't actually clear this jump! Following it down, we end up in the middle of a huge mess of Tasen, but we "escape" through them. Several times. Back and forth.



The only path we can take is this elevator down here, though.



At the end of the hall is the reactor we need to power up the communicator.



We already got MOST of the resistance on the way to it, but there's a few traces left.



Such as this Shredder rider that appears out of nowhere after turning the reactor on.



I'm the best at timing.



Bah, forget the Resonance detonator. Iji's feet work just fine.



And that lets us, and our Shredder, continue further!

Starturn 6043 Turn 314
Cycle 05: The Komato scout team that was shot down on turn 312 was discovered. They carried no communication equipment; it was most probably destroyed as their vessel was crippled. The Tasen spy team did not engage the Komato; it would have been an unnecessary risk at that point.
Cycle 06: A faked report was sent to the nearest Komato fleet on behalf of the scout team, using our communicator, to conceal our actions and presence on Origin. The report read:
"To General Tor, Fleet 1089 Tier 60
Komato Trooper 06712-07892-30144
We have found no trace of the Tasen on Origin. However, upon entering the lower atmosphere, we had a reactor core malfunction and our ship crashed. Three of us survived the crash, but we are heavily damaged. We will not survive the evening without food and medical supplies. I suppose we can call this mission a success, as we did manage to find out through standard global scanning that the Tasen do not occupy this planet. End of transmission."
Cycle 06: It appears that the General of the Komato fleet was fooled by our fake report, otherwise there would be immediate action taken. Our safety is assured.
Cycle 09: The "Human Anomaly" has eliminated Tasen Elite Krotera. It appears she also engaged the Komato scout team just prior to confronting Krotera, dispelling any suspicions that she could be working for them.



That little ledge to the left is what we need this Shredder for.



It's also the terminal that opens the final door. Those Tasen seriously do not want anyone using the communicator, do they?



Oh well. I got what I came for, and that is Crack 10. Electronic Mastery has two big effects: it simplifies the minigame by adding like ten seconds to the timer and stopping the ice nodes from flickering, and it prevents any penalties from botching a crack attempts, like enemies noticing us or stuff exploding.

This calls for a celebration!



In case the MPFB Devastator doesn't cause NEARLY enough carnage for your tastes, crack it with a Rocket Launcher to obtain the Nuke. It only fires one shot, and it still deals 3 damage, but that shot hits every enemy on the screen at once. It also knocks Iji back farther than the MPFB does when fired. Since it consumes 3 MPFB shots to use, it's not something I use often, but it comes in handy every now and then. Plus, it puts into perspective just how quickly the weaponry can escalate in this game.



Anyway, this ledge is too high for Iji to jump up, unless she makes the jump after driving a Shredder up a ledge. Hence, why we went to all the trouble to get one down here.



The area above it leads to two more Shredders, which I have displayed how not to use to get to that ledge up above us.



Either Iji or one of the Soldiers by the Shredders up there needs to Rocket the wall open first, of course.



It's okay, Dan. We're just completely CRAZY!



"We need to figure out a way to deal with the Anomaly before it's too late. We don't know where she came from, nor where she's heading. Since Nanoweapons obviously don't seem to work, how about bribing her with candy bars? You can't have enough of those. We even found and busted like two hundred human-made food containers in this place, we're swimming in alien candy bars of all kinds of ridiculous flavors. Another suggestion is to upload some online computer game to her Nanofield, connected to the Komatos' all-wide feed. At least she wouldn't bother us for a couple of starturns. Oh oh, how about that "Hero 3D" game Yukabacera hacked together? It's got 9 levels, and the game keeps getting harder until yu beat it 242 times. Of course, nothing happens if you do, but by then the Anomaly would be so zoned out we'd have the time to pick her up and put her in a display cage. Imagine her face when she snaps out of it and sees kids throwing her stale candy and cold drinks over a fence or something. These are all good suggestions for dealing with the Anomaly, but I personally don't think that Scout who draws these crazy posters of her is helping much."

Dude. You need to lay off the combat drugs.



The Scouts do make damn good posters, though.



Again, this changes if Iji doesn't read any logbooks. In that case, she doesn't see any reason to disagree with Dan, and just goes "okay let's do this". Not terribly major, though, and I think it only takes reading a few logbooks, like that gem on Rocket jumping, to instill doubt.



The distress signal goes out... and that's the Komato fleet, I assume? A very close one, at that.



Two Komato stand at a console.



And there's the signal!



Huh. That's a bit odd.



But hey! We've contacted the Komato! Maybe we can finally save the Earth with their assistance! Maybe? Anyone else a bit worried about this?

Next Time: Turn The Other Cheek

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Except maybe Dan. He probably knows not what he does.

This is probably my favorite quote of the whole game.
For a terribly masochistic challenge, try getting to that poster in an innocent run. I attempted it a few times but I don't remember if I ever succeeded.

I did it, once. I banked on a certain exploit I'll detail in the pacifist run for most of it, and headbutting oncoming rockets while in crowds for the rest.

Not worth the trouble, honestly.

Two Sector 3 nuggets of trivia that didn't get mentioned yet:

The conversation with Krotera goes slightly differently than either of the ways you showed if you make a truce with the Tasen, but break it before you get to the end of the level.

(What will happen is, Iji will try to reason with Krotera by boasting about the truce she made, but then sheepishly admit that she eventually broke it. Krotera gets pissed, both at his own troops for making the truce and at Iji for breaking it, and attacks with no Vateilika coming to save the day.)

Second nugget: If you try killing Krotera with a resonance reflector to avoid getting a kill, Iji feels so bad about it that she considers herself responsible for Krotera's death anyway and your kill count increments nonetheless. I think this might be the only time the game ever tells you explicitly that you've done something to make your kill count go up.

What happens if you're only pacifist towards one of the factions?

I think the pacificism trait tracks only kills, regardless of faction. That's what I took away, anyhow.

Speaking of, was pacificism added after the game was first released? Reading the LP kind of makes it sound so.

As I understand it, it was always a feature of the game. But it got more and more refined as later releases came along to make it a proper option with meaningful limits and changes to the narrative instead of just a tacked-on extra.

Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thanks. :3

This sector's opening doesn't change at all in the initial phase. We just can't blow open that rocket wall up top is all.



The elevator does block off a few pickups below us, but nothing major. The real prize of the alternate path is the logbooks.



This was actually unintentional.



This, however, was completely intended.



Anyway, if you don't want to go to the area where the Shredders are housed, or can't either rocket jump or kick past the level 4 Shield door, you can always head below.



Just get to this terminal and you'll open the left end of the area with the Soldiers riding Shredders.



Right down here, in fact. But we're not going that way, for reasons.



"So here are the four main threats, as established by my squad and chosen by a healthy balance between voting and arm-wrestling:
1. The "Human anomaly" assimilating so much of our ammunition that she grows her own gravitational field, atmosphere, solar system, and eventually collapses into a black hole. Seriously, have you EVER seen her run out of ammo for that Shotgun? Frightening. Where does she get it all? Is she some crazy pacifist trying to gather our entire ammo supply and never use it? Reminds me of those "Peace Sims" in that one game.
2. The Blits nibbling us to gooey pulps of Nano. They're like nuclear waste - we can catch them in little jars and launch them out of the stratosphere, but that doesn't mean the little bastards are actually dead until they starve and turn into tiny clumps of... whatever it is, it's not recyclable.
3. The Komato finding us here. The only reason we list this as number 3 instead of 4 is because the "Human anomaly" could be working for them. Then again, they'd have nuked us into molecules by now if that were true.
4. The hot drink dispensers running out of triple composite alloy mugs. Do they have any idea what kind of temperatures those mugs can endure? They plate Komato Sentinel armor with that stuff. I want my drinks HOT, damn it. You haven't experienced real taste until you couldn't tell if you were having a hot drink or being shot in the face with a Plasma cannon."

This one also changes in non-pacifist mode, but not notably so, and you lose the Perfect Dark reference.



Anyway, the Supercharge here does require mowing down two Tasen Scouts. However, I employ a quirk of the pacifism mechanics to get to it without scoring a kill. See, anything that Iji interacts with but then leaves alone for a while (about half a second) is no longer keyed to her for the purposes of her kill counter. This is true regardless of whether the laws of physics are done with said object. So a Shredder in midair motion will remain in midair motion even if Iji jumps off.



The end result is that you "throw" the first Shredder ahead of you, and it takes down the Scouts, but well out of Iji's visual range, and after that time has elapsed where it counts as a weapon of hers. After that, you can drive the second Shredder over. This does mean you've only got one shot at the Supercharge, though.



Come on, move aside...



Screw it.



MWAHAHAHAHA! I AM IMMORTAL



While you're getting a Special trait, you're actually completely invincible. Same with if you're on an elevator. So despite the situation, Iji is actually 100% safe.

Anyway! Suppression reduces all Health damage, like from rockets, by 1 point. It will not reduce the damage done to 0 Health, so melee attacks and the like will still hurt, but basically, as long as you have this, you're probably never going to die.



"Man, that was close! That Human anomaly they talk about, she ran right past the room I was guardin' on duty back in Sector 2, seriously. I saw her through the window in the door... I mean, I know she's human and all, but man, was she cute ♥ I sure regret I didn't pop out to say hello to her, but then again she'd probably have blown my head off... yeah. Better make sure to tell the Commander of this, maybe I'd even get some bonus pay!"

Okay, dude, I know someone was going on about Tasen being "genetically close to Origin" or something, but uh... no.

"Sure, I couldn't stand the guy, but I never thought this'd happen. I heard the Human anomaly blew Krotera up real good. He's pretty much the only important one she's killed - how did she know? Is she ignoring our troops while trying to assassinate our leaders, or was it mere chance? At any rate, she's a killer in my eyes. She's no different than the Komato. Then again, it's not like I wouldn't kill the Komato who tried to invade our base and take our lives. I can understand the human."

Not much of a change here, but a noticeable one nonetheless. It looks like Tasen opinion is that while Iji isn't killing all the Tasen, she's still assassinating their leaders, which is bad mojo.



"You've read the latest security report, people. The Komato have been patrolling the edges of this solar system. It has been confirmed that their closest fleet did send a small scout team here, which entered lower atmosphere before we shot them down, and three Troopers managed to infiltrate this building. Don't be alarmed, though - they carried no communication equipment, so it must have been destroyed when we hit their ship. We used our communicator to send a faked report to the General of their fleet, and I must say we did an extremely good job! If they'd been suspecting anything they'd send more teams, but none have appeared. There is absolutely nothing that can blow our cover now. Looks like we can finally relax. The only threat left around here is that "Human anomaly" - speaking of which, why in the name of Elem Sioz hasn't anyone taken her out yet!? Krotera's death was a wake-up call, people! Who knows where she'll strike next?"

Man it's a good thing nobody's spying on Iji, or even knows that Dan exists. That'd put a thorn in our sides real damn fast.



Ho hum, activating terminals...



"Let's get it straight - Krotera is dead, and Elites all over this place jumped at his position like a pack of Blits. If these upstarts think they can replace such an honorable and intelligent individual without any training in leading their fellow people, they'll just become like the rest. Remember that Komato General who sent a squad to Ciretako accompanied by an experimental Annihilator, just because he'd get kicked out of the Komato Imperial Army if he refused? They all died within minutes. Everyone knows what Ciretako is famous for. So remember, those of you here who are too self-centered to care about the death of one of our greatest leaders - this ain't survival of the fittest, it's the survival of the Tasen race."

I wouldn't exactly call him an "honorable and intelligent individual", but whatever suits you, man.



"Hey Yukabacera! I know you're there, your automated reply message is spitting scrambled opcodes at me, stop trying to crack your own logbook you freak. Anyway, got the latest news from the crew, they combined a Shotgun with a Rocket launcher and got - for real - Spread rockets. Yeah, the same that's issued as heavy equipment. It's that easy! Get yourself one if you fancy some more explosive power in the next target range game. It's tournament legal, I promise. Hah! See you there."

Another mention of Yukabacera. Guess he's got a reputation for being a cracking madman around here.



Both terminals open, down the hatch.



THIS SEEMS SAFE



Suppression. It rules. That is all.



"Someone figured we should protect the communicator access terminals better - we can't risk traitors or the "Human anomaly" trying to mess with them. The only way through this Sector is guarded by high security, and a surprise awaits anyone trying to boot up the Reactor powering the communicator without permission. Krotera's orders, and we all still follow them."

The surprise is the Shredder that shows up once it turns on. Nothing outrageous, like oh say, a flying cyborg death machine crashing through the ceiling and vaporizing us.



Using that Shredder is the fastest way for a pacifist to get out of the area. Just make sure you get hit in the right direction.



"Right, so we're down to our last colony, who cares? Security report says we've just managed to outsmart the Komato, so it's already official that we're safe. Those bastards have hunted us through so many solar systems you'd think they've made it some kind of game - I mean, to them EVERYTHING is a game, ever heard of that Hyper Turret one? - and it's not like their motives are any better. They're not trying to end some war that should never even have started, this is plain genocide, always been."

Wait, we're calling down an entire species of Team Fortress 2 fanatics? NO. THAT IS A BAD IDEA.



This one isn't actually keyed to being pacifist at all, just whether you kill the Komato in their base. Not that that will actually come up, what with you having to go past either of the non-Hyper Pulse carrying Troopers.



Iji doesn't actually say much here, just responds with "...Nevermind" when Dan asks what's up. But it doesn't happen unless you kept the truce in Sector 3. You'll see what I mean.



And yeah, this is the apex of our jump height if we lack the Shredder.



"Why must life be so cruel? I swear there's a way to get into the blocked part of this place, which the humans call Sector 4. It's just on the other side of this wall! What's so important to keep in there, anyway? Bet it's one of those well-hidden... things... you know, one of those. One in every Sector, isn't there? No, actually I have no idea what I'm talking about right now."

Oh, Scouts. Good for stupid jokes AND breaking the fourth wall!

If Iji ends up keeping the truce, and Vateilika therefore attacks Krotera, she will refuse to call down the Komato.



Maybe she thinks she can come to terms with the other Tasen in the area? Good luck with that, because haha holy hell.



So what happens next?



The Komato fleet, as mentioned, is just above Earth.



Huh. So General Tor here knew the report the Tasen sent was fake... and he's refusing to call it in. Iosa's remark at the end gives him pause, though...



Who knows what will happen now.

Next Time: If You Want Peace, Prepare for War