Earthbound – Day 27

–Day 27–

I thought everyone was in danger, but it looks like they were all just lounging up here in the hot springs. I also see they fixed one of the ladders so we can get back to the rest of town quickly. In addition to the hot spring, one of the Mr. Saturn offers us up some coffee before we go.

I’m not sure what was in that coffee, but we start seeing some really weird things. We even hear a strange yet encouraging message. It seems important, and it’s too long to capture in images, so I’m going to transcribe the whole thing.

“You’ve traveled very far from home…

Do you remember how your long and winding journey began with someone pounding at your door? It was Porky, the worst person in your neighborhood, who knocked on the door that fateful night.

On your way, you have walked, thought and fought. Yet through all this, you have never lost your courage. You have grown steadily stronger, though you have experienced the pain of battle many times.

You are no longer alone in your adventure, Paula who is steadfast, kind and even pretty, is always at your side. Jeff is with you as well. Though he is timid, he came from a distant land to help you. Ness, as you certainly know by now, you are not a regular young man… You have an awesome destiny to fulfill.

The journey from this point will be long, and it will be more difficult than anything you have undergone to this point. Yet, I know you will be all right. When good battles evil, which side do you believe wins? Do you have faith that good is triumphant?

One thing you must never lose is courage. If you believe in the goal you are striving for, you will be courageous. There are many difficult times ahead, but you must keep your sense of humor, work through the tough situations and enjoy yourself.

When you have finished this cup of coffee, your adventure will begin again. Next, you must pass through a vast desert and proceed to the big city of Fourside.

Ness…

Paula…

Jeff…

I wish you luck…”

It’s quite the powerful message, and it really reinforces the good that we’re doing here. I know the message said to head to Fourside, but I just know there has to be something down this other tunnel, so I want to check that out first. However, before we get a chance to explore it, the Photographer shows up to take our picture yet again. That’s going to be a good memory. But really, we need to get going to the Milky Well.

After defeating Belch, the enemies in this area aren’t very difficult. However, they ARE very annoying. The Struttin’ Evil Mushrooms for example will scatter their spores around. When they do, mushrooms start growing out of your head. There’s really nothing you can do to get rid of these mushrooms other than going to a hospital, or luckily the hot spring back in Saturn Valley.

There are so many of those mushrooms that it’s nearly impossible to make any progress without getting mushroomized. Since I haven’t really noticed what effect these mushrooms have, I just ignore it or now. Later I find that the mushrooms actually remap the arrow keys, making it difficult to walk around. But it’s not a completely random remapping, just rotational. So I simply held the controller a bit weird while I was exploring. It’s not a big deal really.

We eventually make it all the way to the end, and much to our surprise, there is a My Sanctuary boss blocking the path at the end. Considering everyone has been mushroomized, I don’t think fighting that right now would be the best idea. I think maybe we should head back to town and see if maybe they have some items that would cure the mushrooms.

Death Count: 6

Unfortunately, we discover another side effect of the mushrooms on the way back to Saturn Valley. Apparently the mushrooms also give you a funky feeling, which makes you attack your allies. Unfortunately, it was Paula that got the funky feeling right when she used PK Fire β. It hit everyone for massive damage, and because of that, the entire party was instantly wiped out.

In a way, I guess that helps. It certainly does get us back to town faster. After getting everyone healed up we need to gather up supplies before we fight the next My Sanctuary boss. We also follow up with one of the Mr. Saturn in the cave. Earlier they said they would give us some presents after we defeat Belch. Now that we have, they’re willing to keep their end of the deal. It’s not just one present either, they give us a Cup of Lifenoodles, a Mr. Saturn Coin, and um… a Stag Beetle…

Well, we’re all stocked up now, so join us next time as we attempt to make it to the My Sanctuary boss WITHOUT becoming mushroomized. See you then!