Part 62: Update Sixty One: The Finale

Welcome back. Last time, on Earthbound, we fought our way through the final dungeon. Today, we're going to end this. Let's get started. If you'd rather have this update in video, here is the entire affair.



We left off just before entering this cavern.





As soon as we step inside, the previously silver, nigh-sterile environment changes into this...Organic, disturbing texture.



Moving through it, we find paths that branch off of the main path; it does not matter which ones you take. They all lead to the same place.





Even if there were alternate paths to take, it wouldn't matter. Nothing is going to change what we have to do here; it is pointless to try and take any path that doesn't lead forward.





There are no random encounters in this area. All we have to keep us company as we walk through here is the music, and even then, it's nearly preferable if we were in silence, with only our clanking footsteps to fill the silent void.







Here we are. This is as far as we go here; this is our final arena.



Nass turns back to the others; perhaps he is offering words of inspiration or comfort; perhaps he is only looking back at them to reassure himself.



However, as soon as he turns, the entire room begins to shake violently.



And slowly something begins to emerge.





Nass' face is staring back at the party.



Above the doppelganger of the party's leader, Pokey appears again; he has taken refuge inside some sort of machine, one that appears to have been created for war.



Whether or not Nass replies here is a moot point; Pokey is taking his sweet time to gloat.



: You guys look pathetic! The Apple of Enlightenment has already made a prediction. ...But I won't let what the Apple of Enlightenment predicted take place. You guys will be beaten by Giygas. Giygas will be stronger, a more powerful entity than any other! Why? 'Cause of me. I was led by Giygas and now I'm here. The Apple of Enlightenment couldn't predict this. Master Giygas. No, Giygas is no longer the wielder of Evil. He has become the embodiment of Evil itself...which he cannot control on his own. He is the Evil Power.



This is our final boss swirl; Pokey has made his last grandstanding speech. It is time to finish this.





Giygas is still using Nass' face. The face we've come to associate with heroism, kindness, and selflessness is now being used by the very personification of Evil itself.



Being just a minion, despite one that has followed Giygas to God knows where and done things we could only imagine, Pokey is the one that is taken down first here.



Giygas attacks using Nass' unique PSI ability, in both Alpha and Beta strengths.



The damage is comparable to when Nass uses it himself. Despite having all of that power, Giygas still appears limited.



Pokey's war machine is built to withstand damage and dish it out in equal proportions.



Even Nass, our strongest member by far, is dealing nowhere the damage he was just minutes ago.



However, as this is Pokey we're fighting, he's going to use underhanded tactics before he actually begins to fight us.



It drops everyone's offense by just a little bit, so it isn't a terrible detriment.



Susan fires the final Multi-Bottle Rocket at Pokey.



Unfortunately, it looks like his final rocket was more dud than dazzler.





Pokey's power is immense. Thankfully, Nass has the raw endurance to take several of these hits.



Giygas is barely participating in this fight. His damage output is not what's to be expected from the final enemy to fight.



However, Kim's low health pool still makes it easy for him to deal enough damage to put her out of commission.



If only Nass had been a touch faster...



Susan switches back to the Heavy Bazooka for damaging Pokey.



And despite Kim's quick defeat, Poo is just as quick in reviving her; she's an essential part of the team.





Giygas does nothing but those two attacks, while Pokey finds it fit to lower our battle power even further.



We're going to need every scrap of offense we can get; Poo isn't breaking triple digits on Pokey anymore and Nass can barely scrape past 150 HP of damage.



This is before his offense was slightly repaired by Kim.



Pokey charges into Nass this time, dealing enough damage to outright kill any of the other party members.



It is of no consequence, though; Nass can easily repair whatever damage these two can deal.





Poo steps forward with the Sword of Kings to land the final blow on Pokey.



At this juncture, it wouldn't be premature to claim them as heroes; they've come much further than anyone else could have.



: You must feel pretty stupid to keep fighting without even knowing what Giygas looks like. If you were to ever see Giygas, you'd be so petrified with fear, you'd never be able to run away!

Giygas' true appearance is not that of Nass, thankfully. But, then, why would he take Nass' face? Was it an intimidation tactic? Was he just trying to psychologically scar our heroes before the fight? Or was there something else at work here?



: Well, prepare to be amazed!

Giygas' power is being repressed by this machine; it's why he hasn't outright annihilated us yet. If he had access to his full range of abilities, I can't imagine the psychic onslaught he could unleash.



Pokey turns off the Devil's Machine and the location begins to shift around our heroes.



Everything fades to complete darkness.



While what appears to be Giygas' true form appears; he has no corporeal body, and appears only to be a caricature of twisted rage and hatred.



: and he isn't aware of what he is doing now.

Giygas' power is so incredible, his mind cannot begin to comprehend and rationalize the full range of what he can do. He has ascended beyond mere flesh and blood; he began as evil, but has become what can only be called "Evil."



Pokey feels no fear in taunting Giygas, as he knows Giygas is entirely unaware of what's happening here. He's no more on Giygas' list of concerns than a fly would be on a jet fighter's.



: Just another meal to him!



Again, the area shifts and we fade to black.



Giygas is our sole opponent now; we've got to throw everything we can at him in an attempt to defeat him.



Freeze Omega can barely leave a dent in him.



As we fight, the form of Giygas is constantly shifting and moving.



Nass' PP is being saved to restore HP, so he is continuing a physical assault on Giygas.





Giygas speaks a single word, then attacks.



His attacks come in a wide variety of damages and effects; sometimes, it's akin to Freeze, while other times, it can inflict nearly any status effect.



Giygas' defense, even though he has been struck mad and cannot comprehend what is happening, is still incredible.



However, that's not a valid reason for our party to not fight as hard as they can.





All of Giygas' attacks cannot be understood by a human mind; not even the minds of our parties, probably the most powerful minds on the planet, cannot begin to grasp how Giygas is assaulting them.





Nass and Susan are the only two affected here. Nass got off easy compared to Susan.



However, it's nothing that Poo can't reverse.



Freeze Omega is the most powerful move in Kim's arsenal.



However, you wouldn't know it, seeing the damage here.



Oddly enough, even though Giygas doesn't appear to have a physical body, he can still be solidified.



Since this is the final fight, there's no reason to hoard any of these items anymore.



Both Nass and Kim are going to be utilizing Bags of Dragonite.



As Poo's PP is running low, he finally eats the Brain Food Lunch he found back before he completed his Mu training.





Even calling upon the primal force of dragons can barely hurt Giygas.



After utilizing that power, though, Pokey appears again.



Really, Pokey, it's less of that and more of I had them there, and they could be put to good use here.



: And here you stand, waiting to be burned up with the rest of the garbage of this universe... Haaaaah! That's so sad. I can't help but shed a tear. You know, my heart is beating incredibly fast.





It seems possible that Pokey has succumbed to the same sort of madness that has taken Giygas' mind.



: Say, "Mommy! Daddy! I'm so frightened! I think I'm going to wet my pants!" I know you have telepathy, or something, so just try and call for help, you pathetically weak heroes of so-called justice! No one will help you now! Ha ha ha haaah... Don't worry, your pitiful suffering will be over soon!



And again, the screen fades to black.





Giygas' defenses are still top-notch.



However, maybe we can dump out enough raw firepower to drop him.



...But not if Nass keeps that performance up.



Giygas speaks to us again, but this time...





This attack hits all members of the party.



With the side-effect of solidifying Susan.



Nass keeps everyone healthy.



While Kim launches another Freeze Omega at him.



Giygas is solidified again; his power might be unmeasurable, but at least we can mount some sort of an assault against him.





Another word from Giygas, and another attack.



The party keeps piling on the damage, having dealt several thousand HP of damage to Giygas already.



Poo pulls out all the stops and uses his ultimate attack.



So far, it's been our most effective attack.



Kim gets a quick PP boost, as her PP is the most valuable for attacking; both Nass and Poo have more powerful skills, yes, but their PP is better used for healing status effects and restoring HP.



Another Starstorm Omega, which is even more effective than the last.



Despite what I said above, I also want to pile on as much damage as possible. Giygas can't fight much longer, can he?



However, Poo's ultimate PSI attack yields far better results than Nass' does.



Is Giygas' mind broken or is it something else?



Aside from a bit of damage, this was the only noteworthy effect on the party.



Kim uses another Freeze Omega, putting every last psychic point to good use.



I think we're hurting him!





What is Giygas doing? Does he see only Nass as his opponent here?



Nass restores everyone's HP, as it's too risky to keep their HP low, considering how powerful Giygas is.



But, everyone's PP is starting to run low. Before long, we'll have nothing but physical attacks to use.







Maybe Giygas never wanted this.



But if he didn't want this, why wouldn't he stop fighting?



Or are we not the only battle that Giygas is waging now?



I'm starting to run out of options here.





I can only imagine what isn't right here; is he referring to our progress? Or are there deeper things at work here?





No matter what speculation there is, it doesn't change the power of Giygas' attacks.



But why is he so focused on Nass?







Even with one person down, Nass can't give up keeping the others as healthy as possible. Poo can easily revive Susan.





Please...

Somebody... Help us.



As Kim prays for a light at the end of the tunnel, the screen begins to fade...



And we fade into Saturn Valley.





Dr. Andonuts and Apple Kid have returned from their excursion with the Phase Distorer. But how can they help us now?





Something catches everyone's attention simultaneously.



Mr. Saturn quickly runs off.



And gathers many other Mr. Saturn within the valley.



before, and they all started praying for the safety of Nass and his friends.)



Even though they don't know exactly what is happening, even though they're working on a feeling, they still offer their aid.



And it comes through nearly immediately.



However, after that, the screen fades to black again.



And Giygas' appearance has changed again; he's even more distorted than before.



Poo brings Susan back...



...And it is immediately noticeable that Giygas' defenses are truly lowered.





This doesn't seem right. Giygas' mind is broken, yes, but just how shattered is it?



It seems broken enough to be causing him physical pain.











No matter what Giygas says, he seems unwilling to stop his assault.



Even though it hurts him.





Even though it must be desperately hurting him.



Once again, we don't seem to be making much actual progress. Kim's prayer last time seemed to do the trick.

"...Please give us strength! Anyone who can hear our plea... Help us..."



Again, the screen begins to fade...



And we open up to the Runaway Five in Summers.



Gorgeous notices a feeling that wasn't there a second before.



He wastes no time in gathering all members of the Runaway Five.



and he prayed fervently for the safety of Nass and his friends.)



Back in the fight with Giygas, he actually takes damage from those who are praying for us.









He speaks more confusing words, and attacks again. This time, Nass is instantly killed.



Speed this prayer to all the people of the earth."





Back in Twoson, we open up to the preschool.



Kim's father, on his way into the preschool, receives that same feeling that the Mr. Saturn and Runaway Five did.



He immediately rushes into the school.



And gathers Kim's mother and the students outside.



and prayed sincerely for the safety of Kim and her friends.)





With more people praying, more damage is dealt to Giygas through that power.





Considering his mental state prior to this, what is this new power doing to his mind? Are we disrupting the evil influence, or simply breaking it further?



Does he mean what has happened already? Or what we're currently doing?







Poo revives Nass; even though we're making some sort of progress, now is not the time to let arrogance start slipping in.



Kim keeps praying. Her whole heart is going into this, as it is the only thing they've found that is truly effective against Giygas.



Help us..."



As per usual, we begin our fade to black.



This time, we open back at Susan's old boarding school.



Tony, Susan's best friend, is the one who notices the plea this time.



He rushes off downstairs...



And returns with Maxwell in tow.





and he prayed strongly for the safety of Susan and his friends.)



With Tony's prayer adding to the power we're gathering, the damage against Giygas is starting to become more and more prominent.









Giygas' attacks appear to be growing weaker, as our power is becoming stronger.



"...Please grant us power! Anyone who can hear our plea... Help us..."





Our plea reaches Dalaam this time. Our benefactors are the girls who's hearts had been captured by the prince.



and she began to pray for the well-being of Poo and his friends.)



Aside from Starstorm Omega, this has been the most effective attack we've used against Giygas.



However, Giygas' defenses appear to be still growing weaker. Our regular attacks are becoming more and more effective, it seems.



All Kim can do for us now is praying and reaching out to our friends and loved ones.



We ask for this..."





This time, we open to the burger shop in Onett.



And one of the first friends Nass made on his journey is the one who is reached this time.



and began to pray diligently for the safety of Nass and his friends.)













Giygas' attacks seem to be growing weaker, but that doesn't mean they're completely ineffective now.













"...Please grant us power! Speed this prayer to all the people of the earth..."

No matter what Giygas throws at us now, as long as Kim can still pray, we're not out of this fight yet.





Kim's prayer reaches into Nass' home now.



Nass' mother, who has been so loving and supporting on this journey, takes notice of a new feeling.



She quickly glances out the window; perhaps she's just hoping it's nothing? Perhaps she knows exactly what that feeling is.





However, both Tracy and Bowser seem to have felt it, too.



and she began to pray for the safety of her son and his friends.)



The damage against Giygas is now formidable.



And it seems now that we're having a real effect with the attack against Giygas.







Even through another shift and immense agony, Giygas is still repeating his lines about happiness. Maybe this is what Giygas wants.



But, it seems to be causing him fierce pain.



"I can't think of anyone else... Someone, anyone...please help us."



...There's nobody else.











Even though it seems that there is no one else, Kim still is not giving up. This is their only chance at victory.







She found someone. Out there, in the infinite darkness, Kim found one last bastion of hope.



Their power, their prayers, combined with those already gathered, is now taking a formidable toll on Giygas.



Whoever she found, they're not giving up.



They want this fight won more than anyone.





They understand the importance of believing in your friends. In fighting for what you believe in. The importance of love and turning to those closest to you in your time of need.



Kim found the strongest force there is.



She found us.



With our prayers and the prayers of everyone else backing Nass, Kim, Susan and Poo, we provided the strength needed to defeat Giygas.









If not for The Goons, if not for us, this fight would not have been won.







Pokey. What could he want from us now?





Pokey can travel as far as he wishes. With friends, family, love, and belief, he can run across the entire universe, but there will always be someone to squash evil.



: So now which of us is the cool guy?!



Pokey makes his escape as Giygas continues to break down.















Until he finally breaks down into nothing.







And all becomes darkness again.







Nass' family is the only one shown.



The screen fades to white, but we're not done yet.



The robotic bodies of Nass, Kim, Susan and Poo lie broken and twisted at the mouth of the final cave.



And we won. No matter the cost, these children won that war against Giygas.



They stepped up to the plate and performed more admirably than anyone could have asked for. They were willing to give their lives to save the entire planet--No, to save the entire universe from the Evil Giygas had become. And never once did they falter. Never once did they think they were putting too much on the line. They recognized that they were the only ones who could defeat Giygas. Their sacrifice was not in vain, no matter what Pokey does in the future.



















We're done here. There's nothing left in this cave, except the artificial bodies that held the natural minds of the greatest heroes the world has ever known.





We return to Saturn Valley. Does everyone here know that we won? Or will they just wonder, unsure, never receiving an explanation as to what happened?



The orbs of light that we saw leave the robotic bodies return here, back to their true owners.



Poo rises first, taking a quick glance around his surroundings.



Susan is the second to rise.



Kim is the third hero restored to her body.



And Nass, the catalyst for this adventure, is the final hero to be brought back.



And for the last time, these four stand together.



Poo is the first to bid them farewell.



Always the Prince of Dalaam, he thinks only of ways to improve his country.



However, he is not a man who will forget his friends.







It's no wonder why he's popular with the ladies.



After Poo's departure, three present boxes fall from the sky.





While Susan seems to hold a short meeting with Kim and Nass.





: to use some of the theories I've been studying so hard. It's remarkable. If... Just maybe... Well, if you two get hitched someday, maybe I'll be the one that fixes your broken electronic appliances.

And Susan, the everlasting friend. Aside from Tony, we're never clued in on how many friends Susan had, but I imagine that Nass, Kim and Poo have expanded his roster quite a bit; he's never had to tell a friend goodbye and accept their leaving, so he's trying to figure out a spot for him in their lives.



He's going to also take this opportunity to further his scientific knowledge. Maybe someday, Susan, you'll have to worry about how to find time to repair their broken appliances.





He bids Kim farewell.



And goes to stand with his father.



Mr. Saturn joins in as well.



Kim approaches Nass, perhaps to give him a reward she finds befitting.



Of course he will, Kim. If I remember right, we just saved the world, so getting the girl comes next. At the very least, maybe Nass and Kim can hold hands as they walk home.



: Well, I gotta get going.



Next time, on Earthbound, let's walk a little lady home, shall we?

Stay tuned.