Fresh. Let's Play Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass!

Does anything happen if you choose not to shove the suicide supporting bear into the fire?

You can't progress until you do. Jonathon won't move away from the fire, even if you shake him.

Ah, I see. "But thou must shove the very bad bear into the flames" and all that. Jonathan Bear immolation is an event flag.

Also just by going by what we've seen in Smile I already have a pretty good idea why Mr. Mouse is crying.

Music: Terminal Broadcast

We're going into Jonathon Bear's Playtime Forest today. We don't want to be here, but Jimmy has to face this.



Right now it's just a TV show set. Guess Jonathon Bear's Playtime Forest is like Sesame Street or whatever and done chiefly via puppets or something?



We'll run into Jonathon's friends as encounters here. Thomas Porcupine doesn't actually attack, just giggle or apologize for his prickle pins, but he does have a passive Counter that's always active, for obvious reasons. He's also got a little Grifting money.

Hug Monkey is always in the middle, and will either giggle or give someone a hug, Grasping them for a few turns. He's got the most money you can Grift away.

Jennifer Skunk also will giggle, or sometimes accidentally release a strange smell that has a 50% chance of making a party member Sick, while apologizing. Her money is somewhere between the other two.



Hm... Jonathon's house.



Nobody here, though. He must be waiting somewhere else.



Molly Raccoon is the last of Jonathon's friends, and she'll either giggle or flick a rubber band for minor damage. Her Griftable money is the same as Jennifer Skunk's.



All of these encounters are too high level to cancel, but none of them pose a threat. Everyone is, after all, Jonathon's friend, and he's Jimmy's friend, right?



Eventually, we're able to walk off the set.



Wonder what we'll find at the end.



I guess this is the real forest?



As we enter, it gets way darker.



The path is no longer a straight shot, but it's too claustrophobic to really call it winding.



In the forest, Jonathon's friends are hard to make out from the shadows. Their movesets and stats are slightly changed: everyone can just watch you in addition to keeping the giggle, Molly Raccoon can chomp down hard on one person or tear into the entire party, Thomas Porcupine can attack directly, and Jennifer Skunk's smell now guarantees Sick and does minor damage.



This is the only fork in our path. If we go where the sign says we shouldn't...



The Compact Mirror (+5 MDF) is all right, but the confidence is definitely the better find. We need to get those 50's Style Vampire levels until I figure out what build I'm actually doing.



All right, now for the way we're expected to go.



Things are getting worse.



Almost every enemy in the game does have a chance, albeit a very small one, of dropping a Marvelous Coin. There are no other random drops in the game and the Marvelous Coins are extremely nonessential to get and very easy to farm once you get to the right area, so the usual response to this is "huh, how about that".



Things are getting way, way worse.



The forest abruptly ends, but our path does not.



I don't know if this can even be called Jonathon Bear's Playtime Forest anymore, but we've yet to see any sign of the main bear. Maybe this is more suited to his disposition now.



There's a lot in common with most of Grim Echoes' cheesy overkill Halloween decor, but this feels maybe a bit moreso.



I don't have much to say for here, but I think this all needs to be seen anyway.



By this point, the relatively harmless denizens of the forest have gone way dangerous, and now pose threats above what the usual encounters we've seen can do. None of them giggle or watch anymore, they're all hostility now. Jennifer Skunk's got a Toilet to steal, and will either use the foul odor from before or inflict Miasma on the party, like the earliest phase of the Mutt fight. Thomas Porcupine is incredibly fast and can attack, bite down hard, or rotate his head 360 degrees to telegraph tearing into the party hard. Molly Raccoon can still bite down or tear into the party, but she can also perform the same mucousy growl we saw from the Mutt to telegraph a three-hit rampage.



I'll show Hug Monkey when we encounter him, because there's no way we won't.

Jonathon's clearly waiting for us.



He's just beyond here, so if you're playing along at home, be ready.



Hug Monkey, at this stage, can normal attack instead of grabbing, and will also deal damage to whoever he has Grasped, both passively over time or with a more active grasp at the end of the turn. I'm not sure what governs the latter, maybe if he takes damage that turn, but whatever the case, it HURTS, so I'd say taking down Hug Monkey first is the way to go in this area.



That very same encounter manages to drop both Helga and Buck while Jimmy is low on MP. This is what we call a bad situation.



Let's back off and resupply.



Music: Let's Color Today

I want to be sure I'm ready for this fight. It's not one you can afford to make mistakes on.



Music: Oh-So-Cool Castle

While we're out, let's review our new furniture. Here's the Toilet (+2 LUK, 1/5 of the Gross Set).



We've also got the Raccoon Bin (+2 DEF, 1/5 of the Fuzzy Set).



And something I forgot for a while, but the Big Cheese (+2 MAT, 1/5 of the Weird Set) we stole from a Scriff Tribesman back in Blood Marsh.



Music: Hotel at the End of the World

Right, got myself a good stash of consumables, let's do this.



Music: Terminal Broadcast

Once again, through the idyllic TV set...



Through the murky forest...



And through the bloody hellscape.



Jimmy comes to a stop in front of this pit.



Music

I think we've found Jonathon Bear. A horrendous half-groan, half-growl echoes from the bottom of the pit.



So, prior to this point, the nightmare zones have mostly been out of the way. Slither, Turnbuckle, and Ebeezil were all decidedly optional. They're relatively minor fears that Jimmy doesn't feel the need to confront, any more than you might feel a need to confront, say, your dislike of an aggravating coworker.



But stealing something and lying to your family about it? That's a fear that you have to confront, as a kid. That's the sort of thing that will dominate your thoughts and hammer guilt into you.



And very fittingly, Jonathon Bear, as representative of this powerful fear, is not only one we have to face to proceed...



But in a completely different league compared to every single boss we've faced to this point.



Meet the final boss of Grim Echoes.



Music: A Cocoon Throbbing in a Dead Man's Mouth

Jonathon Bear doesn't have any gimmicks or field effects like the Mutt or Ebeezil does. He doesn't need them. He is just a straight up slugfest. He's got a powerful bite, a roar that damages everyone and inflicts Afraid on Jimmy, and a diseased claw attack that inflicts Sick. He can also telegraph one of a triple bite or a two-hit rampage when his skin writhes and twitches, and he can grab someone in his mouth to Grasp them. If someone is Grasped long enough, he'll bite down hard and spit out what's left, instakilling them. His moveset changes at 40% health, telegraphed by him staggering back. The mouth grab remains the same, but he can now rampage without charging, hit everyone with the diseased claws, and the telegraph is now for a tremor that hits everyone hard. You can grift Stitches from him, which will cause maggots to spill forth from the rip and deal heavy damage.

With a three person party facing an extremely dangerous grab, you need to be on top of your game when fighting Jonathon Bear, and you need to do this while also being VERY careful about when you Startle. Jonathon Bear's damage output is basically constant as well, which means you neglect your healing at your own peril. I actually lost this fight my first time around, and that was partly because I made the same mistake as I did with the Grumble Bear, of not holding back my stronger attacks until the dangerous low-health phase. Not only that, but the Stitching steal should ideally happen during that phase too, because the most important thing at that point is ending the fight on your terms rather than his. It's also important to note that by this point in the game, you can render the entire party immune to Sick (Helga's already immune, you have a Barf Bag, and Jimmy can have Antibodies) which is important because you very likely don't have the actions to handle that as it comes up.



Music

And even after defeating Jonathon Bear, he's still got just enough strength to try something drastic.



Music: The Thresher

He's fast, but Buck isn't going to let anyone try to boss Jimmy around except himself.



Jimmy's shoved out of the way just in time, and Jonathon drags Buck into the pit as he falls.



Helga's not about to take that lying down, of course.



So she goes right the hell in after him, of course.

Jimmy hesitates for a moment, but he doesn't want to be left alone, so he follow suit shortly after.



Music

I don't know what this means, but when we get to the end of the pit...



Music: Beep Beep Boop Village

Jimmy finds himself somewhere safe.



But Buck is nowhere to be seen.



I guess this Mulgren fellow saved us.



Helga is, understandably, in no state to head off at the moment.



For what it's worth, we've arrived at the fourth continent, Everchip. Something about the place and its inhabitants has an archaic feel to it.



We need to find some way to lift Helga's spirits.



Perfect. Let's ask Mulgren about the pod.



Can't you already invoke fireballs and darkness with your imagination?



In other words, he found Lars.



Well, Helga just lost one of her sons and learned that the other shoplifted the bear responsible. Lars reunited with his dead grandma in AI form and then had to be kicked out to save his life. Pretty understandable they'd be feeling about the same.



You're not really a very endearing fellow, Mulgren.



Helga will still dismiss you with style, though.



Eh, fair.



She seems to have a thing for scholarly dudes, I guess.



Music: Let's Color Today

Let's go give Everchip proper a look!



That must be Kingland to the south. Shouldn't take long to get there.



Music: Quest for the Journey

Well that didn't take long.



Been a while since I've seen a conical princess hat.



With a sudden scratchy roar, a dragon swoops in!



Oh COME ON! Don't just take our party member right from in front of us! We JUST had that problem!



Guess that's our immediate goal for Everchip: rescue Lars (who is currently a princess) from the Dragon. As a secondary goal, find whoever left him as dragon bait and pummel them a bit.



So, King's March, at least right now, is a small area, but it's got a lot of complexity to it that we can't immediately detect, as well as a bit we can.



For one thing, there's temples scattered all over it.



Each of the four temples to the heroes of yore has a puzzle to it.

In Aurora's case, there's these statues.



By becoming the visage of evil itself, we can pull the knight statues toward us a space.



By surrounding Aurora with her knights, we do the thing the sage said and open the way to TRESHAR



Shame we just lost Buck, he'd love this Grapeshot Cannon (+15 ATK/+8 MAT). Oh well, Helga will do just fine. (Jimmy is currently rocking a Yo-Yo I purchased to face Jonathon with.)



A lot of people find the Everchip arc to be a bit of a weak point for this game. I can see why, it lacks the creative touch of the other areas, but I don't mind it that much. Everchip has its charms, for sure.



The bridges go out so often that the architects around here just build multiple redundant bridges.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

New island, new fight music, new encounters. Slimes are as basic as all get out, having either a normal attack, or a hocked-up gummy something that inflicts Sticky.



Goblins have a little more nuance. They attack normally at first, but build up confidence and add an extra attack each turn, up a maximum of three attacks a turn.



Music: Quest for the Journey

The Rabbit's Foot (+5 LUK) currently gives Helga slightly better steal odds than the Double-Sided Coin, so sure, we'll take this as an upgrade.



Mystery fish is gradually getting braver. What is your story, mystery fish?



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Goblin Mages can cast Fire 1, as seen here, or chant in a strange language to rev up a high-powered Fire 2. They do not have a capability to transmute people or angels into eggplants that I am aware of.



Music: Quest for the Journey

Not much else to King's March. It's a short area, and there's another enemy I missed, but I can live with that for one reason...



Music: Let's Color Today

King's March actually surrounds Kingland itself from all sides. But if we try to check any other parts of it out...



Music: Quest for the Journey

We'll be prevented from going further by knights. This guy's half right about Dark Dungeon, though: right now, we don't really want or need to go there. Later? Whole different ballgame. I'll give it a quick look when we finish up in Everchip, at least.



Music: Let's Color Today

We'll head into Kingland for now.



But today's been a pretty heavy update anyway. Let's rest.

Next Time: If it takes a trespasser to save the kingdom, then I'll just have to change the law to make trespassing legal!

Man, two updates and we've lost half the party.

He is a disgrace to all J Bears.

Is there a thematic link between Jimmy confronting his criminal past and the enemies in this area generally having nothing to steal besides middling amounts of cold hard cash, or am I reading too much into it?

That feels like something that wasn't intended, but it is a neat coincidence, at least.



Music: Beep Beep Boop Village

Welcome to Kingland! It's a very traditional sort of place.



Oh hey, Aurora. We found your temple and pilfered its cannon. Nice tavern you got here.



Uncanny.



You might even call it a pit of a hundred trials, huh?



Curious. There's a bit of truth in every legend, but unless we get to the bottom of Dark Dungeon ourselves, we're not going to learn much more than that.



New area, new gear. Ms. Robin also sells all pieces of the Medieval Set (there's no other towns in Everchip), but we can't afford them all at the moment. Still, let's cover the rest of the gear here.





At least there's a bank in town.



This must be the hero James' house.



The house is bare and ancient, with the floorboards all gone.



The sole inhabitant is this dog.



While it will track us as we move around, this is the most we can get the dog to do. Nothing else causes a reaction that I can tell.



There's another temple here, although this one isn't built to honor a hero.



Nope, this is just your standard old RPG church. Nobody in Jimmy's party ever dies though, so there's no need for the church's services.



Man, first Mulgren with the "fair maiden" and now you calling Helga a goddess. Rein it in, fellas.



You? You get shaken. I will brook no princess fan clubs.



Wait... is one of the princesses seriously named Stinkweed? Why?



Good to know. Good to see you again, too, little buddy.



There's three important buildings on the upper level of the town.



That stands to reason.



Did it actually eat the princesses yet? That'll be a hitch in the plan to rescue Lars if that's the case.



I dunno, probably imagine yourself as a Rotting Jack O' Lantern and unleash ghostly flames on it. That's what I'll stick to, I think.



YOU! You're the one responsible for Lars' fate! Well, I have two things for you, and they're both my hands! Prepare to get shook!



FIGHT THE SYSTEM!



Whoops we're in jail now.



Still can't access the Clubhouse, it's in the direction of Dark Dungeon.

Huh, that's interesting. Normally we'd wait until after meeting the fake Chancellor to discover this.



The drain in our cell leads us to this aqueducty thing.



And we can just hop on out.



Maybe we can get the king to give us a proper quest. No reason not to try.



This looks like his throne, but he's not here.



There's a grimy bed in the basement. Don't know who lives here.



A more conventional bed is on the second floor.



Rats.



This room has a fancy makeup table as well as a bed. Which means there's a mirror, which means we can explore the MIRROR DIMENSION



Huh. One of the princesses is here sleeping, and there's a big green eye looking through the window. Starting to notice a pattern here: most mirror worlds seem to take us to the past, or some vision of it, it feels like.



Only other thing in town is the Arena. Which means we're gonna have a tournament arc. So get ready for that I guess.



Music: Let's Color Today

I AIN'T GOT ALL DAY! LET'S LEAVE!



We can see Castle Dragon in the distance here, but even if we couldn't, there's no passage to the south or east. I assume the King is fine with adventurers trying to face the Dragon, and nobody really cares about Mulgren.



Music: Quest for the Journey

The encounters do slightly vary throughout the different parts of King's March, but the actual paths are largely similar and inconsequential.



There's Captain Fish and his crew. What are you all up to?



Oh, so like the temple to Aurora? All right.



I don't consider that a high bar to clear.



Guess that's our big clue for how to solve the temple's riddle.



Well I was going to trash talk you, but you are clearly an unshakable fellow.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

New enemies. Goblin Clerics can perform a regular attack, cast Heal 1 (i.e. Comforting Smile), or chant to telegraph Heal 3, which may as well be a full heal for their team.



Music: Quest for the Journey

You notice this temple at all, Captain Fish?



Just like before, this is a clue for how to solve the riddle of this temple.



And just like before, we'll meet Chuff in person later. But for now...



Let's solve this puzzle. It's probably the easiest one to manage.



Low-Level Goons are experts in messing with valuables.

Just gotta redirect his attention elsewhere.



Hey, that's nice. With the Everything Bag, we can duplicate some, but not all, of Jonathon's old item-using strength. I'll hold onto this for now, maybe Lars' moveset lends itself well to this.



Again, each of the branches of King's March are super short. We need to go south for treasure, but first.



We've had a few bosses and enemies that can inflict Immunodeficiency, but they only do so under very specific circumstances (usually involving you misplaying). From here on out, we have to deal with common enemies using it on occasion.



We'll try to pay attention to these monuments as we go, by the way.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Goblin Thieves! Normal attack, the sparkly dust that Metrognomes used to Startle, and they can flee from the fight if it's not the first turn. Pretty decent haul if you can secret thief them before they escape.



Music: Quest for the Journey

Right, that's Western King's March.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Mud Golems are much hardier than other enemies in the area. They'll do a normal attack, or watch you to telegraph a two-hit rampage. After it rampages once, it will only ever do three-hit rampages until the fight ends. Grifting the Control Flower from it will cause it to become Frazzled.



Music: Let's Color Today

This way to Castle Dragon.



It's that easy.



Music: Dragon Slayer

Castle Dragon might feel big and imposing, but it's not a very tricky area to navigate.



I'll start by going through this bottom floor passage. There's three doors in the main hall, each with a fork.



I head left at the first fork.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Naga can either do a normal attack, cast Ice 1, or bat her eyelashes, which both makes Jimmy Afraid (he's shy!) and telegraphs casting Ice 2 next turn to hit the party.



Music: Dragon Slayer

Oh hey, Clean Getaway unlocked. I sure am gonna make use of that move. Most of Jimmy's forms are hovering around level 10 right now, I still haven't got a plan for how to commit. I want to get Happy Little Sunflower high enough for Positive Work Ethic, but that will take a long time and the moves that unlocks aren't very important with Helga on the team.



We can't use this mirror with 50's Style Vampire with how dark it is.



There's a prison cell in the other direction.



Hi, have we met before?



Aha. Certainly seems a very archetypal princess.



Oh no!



The lever to unlock the cell is behind us, and it also lights up the eyes of the little stone dragon head behind it.



That's fine.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Remember Information Guy talking about Immunodeficiency? That's what the Virus does. It'll either normal attack, or give you a disease that causes Immunodeficiency. Thankfully, Helga already has an immunity to that effect and Jimmy can still use Leech to heal, or you can just cure it with Mental Clarity.



Music: Dragon Slayer

Unsurprisingly, we have to find and free all three princesses before this door will open. And as you might surmise, that door leads to Lars.



Another fork. Which way...

Going north takes us to this boiler room. Why does a dragon need a boiler room?



You're not keeping this place heated? You must be freezing! Let's fix that.



Next cell, who's here?



Pretty sharp difference in demeanor compared to Honeysuckle.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

Goblin Knights can either normal attack, use a war cry to Motivate their team, or tense their muscles to telegraph a Counter next turn. That's part of the problem with Everchip: you already know more or less what everything does here before you even set foot here, so it's hard to really flex creativity or be surprised.



Music: Dragon Slayer

With what? You're unarmed and locked in a cell.



Let's tag that next switch.



Princess Raspberry does not join our party. She is too powerful.



One last one left.



If the pattern holds, the last princess should be up those stairs, so we'll delay that for a bit.



We're in a library now! Wow!



Mystery tome, but we can't do anything with it right now.



Wonder what the last princess will be like.



...I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it.



Well, this is Princess Stinkweed, I guess.



Yeah that's not happening. Stick around if you want, but walk yourself.



Door's open now, but I want to give that mirror a little more of a look. Got a hunch.



Huh, is this a gas lamp? Maybe now that the gas is on, we can light it.



There we go.



In this version, the room isn't full of treasure hordes anymore. But it's also not closed off either, so we can explore all of Castle Dragon in this state. I'm not doing that right now for Reasons.



All right, enough time wasted. We've got a Princess Lars to rescue.



Cool statue.



Just a few flights of stairs.



Healing fountain right outside the boss room, very traditional.



Let's hit it.

...Well, putting aside that attitude, I guess the dragon really just wanted company.



What do you think, Helga?



Just to really spell it out: even though Lars is a deadbeat, a lot of that is rooted in depression so heavy that he literally can't will himself to get up a lot of days.



Music

But Helga knows this, and she knows that being around family will help him out, so he's joining our party, as much for his sake as ours.



He's not leaving without a fight, though.



Music: Dragon Slayer

We've got to pry him out of the Dragon's talons first.



Let's have ourselves a good old-fashioned boss fight!



Music: Righteous Scrabble (8-Bit)

The Dragon of Castle Dragon isn't a very tricky fight on the whole. She can scratch or cast Fire 1, of course. She can also bat her eyelashes, which makes Jimmy Afraid (he's shy even in front of dragon ladies) and either telegraphs Fire 2, or flashes a toothy grin to telegraph a later Fire 3 that hits the party. At low health, she'll upgrade the scratch to a bire, and skip batting her eyelashes to either use Fire 2 or telegraph Fire 3. Nowhere near as serious a threat as Jonathon Bear was, although the fact that she alternates between physical and magical attacks matters for one big reason:



Lars joins us as an active party member for this fight! He might have a tendency to Slack Off in these fights, but nobody does that as well as he does. His stats and gear will get a breakdown after the fight, but since the skills immediately matter...

Undulate (3 MP) spells out exactly what Lars' role in a fight is, and you could probably guess it from his story role: his job is to get bullied by all the other enemies in the fight. I kinda wish this ability got reflavored to be less of a fat joke, though. Buck's Insult is just a reskinned Annoying Squawk, it could happen.

Counter Stance (3 MP) gives Lars a way to leverage his tank role offensively, and while it doesn't look like it, Lars packs a pretty solid ATK score. There's no cooldown, the MP cost is negligible, and while the stance is up Lars will perform the counter after every hit taken, so if the enemy's doing a multi-hit move you can output some wild damage. This loses value against enemies with magic or Startle effects, though.

Afternoon Nap (8 MP) is the same as Jimmy's Grumble Bear move, and it's just as useful for Lars as it is for Jimmy. I often find myself throwing Afternoon Nap on Lars when it's clearly the last turn in the fight and the more consistent damage dealers can clean up everything themselves.

Metabolize (10 MP) is what you do when Lars needs to be able to sustain himself and you don't have the freedom to commit other characters' actions to healing him. Lars has very low MP expenditure as a general rule, even if his MP pool is a little below average, so it's rare that you'll be seriously hurt by Metabolize compared to what you can gain from it. We have Helga right now, of course, but even if we didn't, this would allow Lars to sustain a full team simply by extending his own longevity.



Music

Lars just wants to make sure we're not parting on poor terms.



The dragon roars once more and flies off, leaving us alone.



You can't go adventuring in a fancy princess gown. You'll ruin it with dirt and stuff.



There we go. Welcome to the party, Lars.



Music: Dragon Slayer

We already saw what Lars was capable of in a fight, but here's the stat screen breakdown anyway. Lars has the highest HP and DEF in the game, and isn't too bad with ATK, MDF or LUK either. The drawback here is that his MAT isn't much better than Buck's, and he's got the absolute lowest AGI out of all our possible party members. He is built to take hits, and can dish them out in return, but don't expect him to do much else.



Lars is definitely a Lazy kind of guy, but that has its advantages too. When you're always taking it easy, you're maintaining a constant level of rest that helps keep you healthy. Lots of people forget to pace themselves, but not Lars. His starting gear is a Rolled-Up Comic (+18 ATK, +5 DEF/MDF):

And, of course, his usual Hawaiian Shirt (+18 DEF, +14 MDF):



Music: Let's Color Today

DON'T FEEL LIKE WALKING OUT



All right, let's deliver us some princesses.



Music: Beep Beep Boop Village

That's fine.



You better believe as soon as I get the chance I'm shaking you. Once that happens, though, all is forgiven.



I mean, if the tower's beds are to be believed, you get the nicest deal out of going back to your own beds, Princess Honeysuckle. Eh, at least Princess Stinkweed knows what she wants in life.



Whichever form you enter Kingland with after defeating the dragon determines the title you get, naturally. Which title will you try for if you play?



Speaking of, where is that Chancellor guy anyway?



Music

...Got a real bad feeling about this all of a sudden.



The Chancellor, or rather, his impostor, manifests, as if going back in time from being disintegrated.



Music: Skin Thieves (8-Bit)

...You don't see anything wrong with this guy at all? This looks normal to you?



Uh, literally brought them in after the dragon captured them.

The area throbs with a sickening green tint.



The Pulsating Mass is a real jerk, apparently.



Well, if it was just you, I'd be confident I could sneak out of the cells. Done it before, after all. The Pulsating Mass makes this a bit more dangerous.



Music

The Pulsating Mass talks exactly like the Mutt did, minus the perfunctory barks. Maybe that was just another facet of the Pulsating Mass in the first place.



Music: Slaughter Promise

So yeah, time for the tournament arc!



This is a five-round single-elimination tournament, and we'll have lots of time to talk to all the competitors. In fact, doing so is required. It gets a little tedious, since there's 31 other people we have to bother to start.



And we don't get Helga or Lars on our team. Far from it, we might end up fighting them.



We're going to take this on all the same!

Next Time: FEED THE BEAST! FEED THE BEAST! FEED THE BEAST!

It wasn't anything in this particular update but I think I worked out the plot theme. I hope not.

But this update did make me think of something: Jimmy is eight, right? Can... can Jimmy read? Because if not that makes what I think the game is about even sadder.

I think Jimmy has dyslexia... but I hadn't considered the idea that Jimmy might not be able to read at all.

Cancer, I'd guess?

The game will make itself more clear as to what it's about eventually.

If you already know, don't spoil it.

I don't wanna say in case I'm right, but on a reread With Perspective I'm pretty confident that this is gonna get Binding of Isaac levels of depressing.

Also, and unrelated, and another thing I'm hoping I'm wrong about: Cordelia Mouse is already dead, isn't she.

Maybe it's just a "you can't read stuff in a dream" bit, idk

I already spoiled myself on a lot of this game after first seeing the zombees and having my interest piqued enough to go searching and wiki diving (Jonathon the Very Bad Monster Bear is like the first result of that BTW), but out of respect for Kalir's awesome LP I'm making like Mr. Cat and going "..." until the relevant parts.

Yeah, already knowing most everything about the game is why I'm not posting in this thread so much.

This is all speculation so I don't think I'm stepping on too many toes by thinking out loud and spoilering everything. Am I?

I think that was more for people like me who have played or seen the whole game already. A bunch of us ended up playing it more-or-less at the same time.

Jimmy inspires that kind of I have to share this game with people!!! energy (citation: this LP exists), which makes it a spoilers danger zone.

Music: Slaughter Promise

Right. As mentioned, you have to talk to all the combatants in the round before you can proceed, so HOPE YOU LIKE LOTS OF DIALOGUE BOXES AND NO ACTION



After I talk to everyone I'll compile a list of matchups. Everyone in here is paired up with someone else, if you pay attention.



Wonder how that's gonna go for you.



Okay, so five fights. Unless the King (or more accurately, the Pulsating Mass) throws a wrench in the works and rigs things against us.



Guess they're pretty indiscriminate about who they sentence to gladiator matches.



Y'know what I think about a guy whose primary weapon is money?



I think GIMME YOUR LUNCH MONEY YOU LITTLE PUKE



I see we've found the crowd favorite.



They've rounded people up from all around Everchip, looks like.



Thanks, Mainie.



Curious. Mr. Mouse used to live in Smile, then? Wonder what caused him to leave.



If you say so, buddy.



The four adventurers from the tavern are here and I have nothing to say about them right now. One of them at least mentions Aurora got out of the way. Chancellor Pulsating Mass is really just nabbing anybody they can, huh.



I hope we get matched up with you first, you caricature of a ghost.



Anyway what else we got here...



Yep, that's Coltrane. The dude has nothing to say unless we shake him, which...



He doesn't waste words, that's for sure.



This Black Belt hails from Kung Fu Tower, which is that tall building you might've seen in southeast Everchip. We can't actually reach it though, no bridges.



Hey Chuff. You sure don't have the demeanor of a legendary hero who sealed away Dark Demon, but you do have the demeanor of a scoundrel who got mixed up with the people who were doing that thing.



Guess that means Mulgren was the last of the four adventurers, then. He'll probably be a powerhouse of a competitor.



Hey, uh, this is gonna sound weird and all, but... maybe don't go back to Giant Garden when you're done here, okay?



Wait, Punch Tanaka lived!? That's great news! EAT IT, JONATHON



Well, he's alive, but not unharmed. Whatever happened in Grim Echoes, it's given him some serious amnesia.



The Petty Thugs are happy to be reunited with him, but have no idea what went down in Grim Echoes.



It's not your fault, Big Enormous.

Wow, one-track mind over here. Bring it on, then.



Let's get things started.



Yeah we heard you already, Information Guy.



Oh this is gonna be onesided.



Feed the... beast?



FEED THE BEAST!



FEED THE BEAST!



FEED! THE! BEAST!!!



This shouldn't take long.



Yep, sounds about right.



That's the only round we see that isn't involving Jimmy.



Got ourselves an easy fight for this first round.



The two competitors march out into the arena from opposite entrances.



Can't help you there, chief.



PUNCH EACH OTHER



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

The Hopeless Mook is a virtual non-issue to defeat. He can either attack, apologize for being weak, or build up courage, which will either telegraph a slam attack or him tripping and faceplanting to self-damage. The slam attack hurts, but it's unlikely that it'll ever happen, and pretty much impossible for him to kill you with it.



Presented for scale.



Music

Aw, buddy... Maybe gladiator combat just isn't your thing. It's okay.



Music: Slaughter Promise

Yeah okay buddy whatever you say.



Music

Jimmy is woken up in the night by a loud clanging.



GO AWAY, TRYING TO SLEEP



Oh, it's Princess Honeysuckle.



Okay, thanks for the vote of confidence, but two points. One: was your chancellor always a mutant brain zombie? Two: LET US OUT



That's Princess Honeysuckle for you, I guess.



Fine, back to this slab of concrete that passes for a bed. Next time you visit, BRING A PILLOW

WE JUST GOT BACK TO SLEEP



I don't know what you were expecting.



Go away. Need sleep. Actually have to engage in blood sport tomorrow.



We don't even get to lay down before another person starts wailing on the door.



YOU SLEEP IN THE TOWER NEXT DOOR. LEAVE US ALONE.



If that ever becomes an issue you will be the first to know.



Music: Slaughter Promise

Right, let's post the Round 1 matchups and victories.





Good to hear.



You better watch out, buddy. Helga raised two strong boys, she's no slouch.



Sorry, you're all just too unimportant. I don't make the rules.



You're not wrong, but don't underestimate him. He absolutely knows how to use those knives.



The only agreement I have with you is that I will shake you every round between rounds.



He probably had a few of those Marvelous Coins, but a seasoned thief like Chuff already knows those are worthless.



You're either very lucky or very unlucky and sometimes it's hard to tell which is which.



This man is already dead.



He'll figure things out eventually, right?



This has gotta be really rough for you guys, but... maybe Jimmy shouldn't tell you what happened.



At least Lars is okay. Big Enormous might be a Petty Thug, but he's not out for blood.



Can't say the same for DeeDee here though.



Bring it on.



Our last fight was a bit of a cruel joke, but this one?



DeeDee hates losing, and especially losing to a kid.



She's gonna go all-out for this one.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

DeeDee's revamped her moveset significantly since the fight at Blue Staff River. She can still attack normally, but she now has a two-hit rampage that tires her out for a turn, and can bat her eyelashes and then look disgusted to telegraph a high-speed attack. Her remaining moves are a little more interesting: she's the first opponent we've seen who can actually chain a sequence of moves together. She'll start with a palm strike as seen here, which telegraphs her signature Startling leg sweep next turn, which then leads into a guillotine kick the turn after that hits WAY HARD. Doing this combo tires her out on the fourth turn, though. There's a few fights later down the road that take this principle and expand on it, although by that time you'll already be in full-on "vaporize random encounters with area attack spam" mode so they're easy to miss. It's a shame, I think it's a cool idea.



Music

Your strength isn't contingent on the strength of others. You did seriously put the pain on for that fight!

Music: Slaughter Promise

Yeah yeah.



Music

Fiiine.



This is a good way to check in with the losers between rounds. Don't really like that they haven't been eating, though. Maybe someone can help them, Jimmy's kid-sized servings aren't enough to share with an entire room of losers.



Music: Slaughter Promise

Aw, we have to fight Helga? I don't want to fight Helga. Well, here's the round 2 listings.





I guess whoever wins, we'll both have fun!



HAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA! BA-HA-HA-HA!



Coltrane's only now acknowledging us directly.



Would someone really bring that kind of demon-destroying magic into arena fights? Serious question.



Hang on, I have a good response to this.



Doesn't seem to bother him much. But no, leave Helga be.



Best of luck with that.



Now that I'd like to see.



Time to mom duel.



Hi again Helga.



Let's just enjoy ourselves for a bit, then.



Or that.



Music: Battle in the Fire Tornado

As you might guess, Helga isn't actually going to go ham on fighting Jimmy. She'll spend some turns being distracted by the audience, and even heal Jimmy every so often. She does have a basic attack, and if she can't stop smiling, she's telegraphing a self-heal. Rumor has it that if she's distracted by the audience, that sometimes telegraphs a powerful Super Slap move that can really pack a wallop, but you'd have to be pretty unlucky to get defeated like that.



Music

Jimmy is fine, Helga.



Music: Slaughter Promise

The arena can really harden a person.



Music: HONK

IF JIMMY CAN'T SLEEP NEITHER CAN ANY OF YOU



Good to see things are going well down there. Super proud of Timothy Mouse for keeping everyone fed!



Music: Slaughter Promise

Right, let's check the matches. We've gotten all the small fries out of the way, so only the biggest names remain.





We're not facing Mulgren next.



Not Coltrane either.



Nope, we're fighting Punch Tanaka again.

Bring it.



You still got your trashtalk?



Yep, that's Punch Tanaka all right.



Semifinals!



Music: Beach Volleyball Massacre

For this showdown, Punch Tanaka's moveset is the same as ever, but his tells have changed up. He'll announce the action he's going to take, but the hesitation is actually telegraphing the opposite move in his repertoire. So if he says this, he's preparing a Magnificent Combo, and if he says he's, um... going to WAIL on us? That means a Counter Stance. At about halfway through, he'll drop the hesitation from some, but not all, of these callouts, which indicates that he's not bluffing and will do what he says. Winning this fight is all about gauging these tells accurately and playing to counter: striking with magic or healing up when he goes for a Counter, and playing defensive when he's using Magnificent Combo.

Also I like how not even the ancient feel of Everchip can throw off the groove of Punch Tanaka's battle theme.



Also I forgot that he flees at low health again.



Music

He doesn't even realize he's going for the escape until he's already done it.



Music: Slaughter Promise

This is awfully self-important narration considering that we're chatting with the losers every night now.



Music

All right, then. Guess we'll be facing another real Legato Knight for the final Arena match. Not sure what Lars is up to, though.



Music: Slaughter Promise

May as well post that last update of the matchups.





I kind of love that there's an order of brave knights scattered across the lands, and that each one is a force of nature in their own right, but also they're goofy musical instrument people. The game isn't talking them up as empty threats, either: if you unite all five Legato Knights, they're a fight worthy of postgame.



Gotta say, I think the Pulsating Mass kinda misplayed here. The only person who I think would've gone actually hard if they won was DeeDee. Coltrane's a powerful fighter, but he's an honorable one.



Let's make this a clean match.



As usual, Coltrane's a saxophone of few words.



Music

But before we can begin, a familiar scratchy roar echoes over the arena!



Music: Dragon Slayer

The dragon's back!



But why? Neither of us is a princess, last I checked.



Ah, this was Lars' plan all along.



Take that, Pulsating Mass!



Later, Coltrane! We'll have that fight proper someday!



The dragon takes off with another roar.



That's the number one rule of tourney arcs: it's not about who wins, but how cool the finale is!



Music

But someone's not taking this result lying down.



Music: Quest for the Journey

The dragon makes landfall right at the southern entry to King's March.



Just like Helga says, it always pays to be kind.