Part 17: Update Seventeen: Lilliput Steppin' To Sanctuary Two

Last time, on Earthbound, we defeated the Carpainter and broke his hypnotic grip on Happy Happy Village, in addition to rescuing Kim. Today, we're going to go pick up the second Sanctuary spot. So, let's get started.



I can barely step out of the cabin with Kim before the paparazzi arrives.



I like how it looks like that Spiteful Crow is posing next to Nass in this shot.



The paparazzi flees before Nass and Kim can activate their PSI powers.



Spiteful Crows are still automatic victories, but this shot displays that this game uses the "divided experience" system. The total exp. dropped by an enemy is divided between how many party members you have. If Nass died, Kim would gain the full exp., and vice versa. But, I'm not crazy enough to kill Nass off to let Kim soak up all the juicy exp., as I don't think she'd be able to survive on her own.



All the Insane Cultist enemies are gone, which, normally, I'd mind, as it'd be a nice, easy way to get Kim some exp., but there's something better right around the corner.



Before we go too much farther, though, Kim has no equipment to speak of.



And since we have more than one person to carry shit, whenever we buy something now, we have to decide who carries it. Kim has to carry her own equipment, so we give the Fry Pan to her.



It gives a nice boost to her offense.



She's definitely going to need this, as well as a Ribbon. If you want to go the cheap-ass route, you can buy her a Holmes Hat, but it's only $30 more for something even better.





Even with all of this defense, Kim is still about as fragile as an egg. Fortunately, she has that Teddy Bear with her; it's an actual, helpful useful item. It acts as another target in battle, which enemies will target more often than not. Teddy has a decent chunk of HP, too, which means he's quite helpful in keeping people alive. And Kim's going to need all the help she can get.



This cave leads to the Lilliput Steps, and is where we're spending the majority of this update today.



It's got the same boring cave flavors as the Giant Step cave.



On the right side of the screenshot, you can see a bear. Yeah, they're bad motherfuckers. And yeah, we're going to kick plenty of bear ass while we're here.



Heading down this way leads to a present box.



As well as our first new enemies!



Mr. Batty has 86 HP at max, but his defense is very low. Nass is just about guaranteed to one-shot them, but they're fast enough, they'll always act first.



This is their most common action during battle, even though they can attack and can inflict Hold, like the Coil Snakes could.



And yeah, this move inflicts feeling strange on them. It's just kind of a gimme, I think, since with Kim around, they could probably kill her quite easily.



Both of 'em do it, too.



Nass easily crushes one. For a quick visual indication of who's acting, look down at their status box; whichever one is raised is the character taking action.



Not a bad hit from Kim. But, bashing isn't her strong suit.



Feeling strange can be "cured" by a whack to the noggin, so Mr. Batty doesn't stay that way for long, unless Nass hits them. Then they just don't stay for long.





I think it's a 75% chance that an enemy will hit the Teddy Bear instead of one of your characters.



But, another bat swing from Nass finishes this fight. Also, get ready for a overload.



Nass' status box is going to stay raised this entire time, but, who cares, Kim gained her first level!



It was certainly a level, if nothing else.



Her second level up!







Some nice numbers there. Her speed is going to be one of her best stats, while her HP and offense aren't going to be so hot. But, she's a girl in an RPG, so I'm sure we all expected that.



But, she's also our black mage type; PSI Fire Alpha is one of the three elements, and it hits an entire row of enemies at once.



Level-up number three!



This is one of those good levels.



Her speed is going to go past Nass' before long. And I'm perfectly okay with that.





She's going to have a shitload of PP, too, which is perfect for her.



Well, shit, let's take another level!



Even though it's not super-exciting, that's still four levels in one shot. This is far from the last she's gaining this update.



Another present box is down here.



This goes on Kim. Ordinarily, since Nass has had his Travel Charm longer, I'd give it to him, but she needs the defense.



It's not a ton of defense, but a point is better than a sharp stick in an eye. I tried to give her the Hard Hat, if you were wondering about that. She's a Ribbon kind of gal.



How much, is a bit, you wonder?



Well, here's Nass' speed.



And here's Kim's. Sixteen levels higher than her, but she's just as fast. By my calculations, the Great Charm added five speed. I had forgotten entirely this thing was in here, so any regrets about selling that Travel Charm are gone now.



On our way back, we meet another new enemy.



The Mole Playing Rough; 103 HP, with decent offense and speed, he can also size up the situation to make himself feel strange.



Kim's going to light up the front row with her new found pyrokinetic powers.



Nass, as per usual, is just going to hit stuff with his bat.



Mr. Batty B apparently started to schmooze up to somebody, maybe offered them a drink, I don't know.



This is something I can't blame anyone for. If a bat started fondling my moobs, I'd back the fuck off.



But, our Teddy Bear (fifteen years sober!) doesn't take any of that shit and rebukes the Mr. Batty.



For the Mole Playing Rough, he can also be absent-minded, which wastes his turn, or make himself feel strange.



This is good, as the Mole can do some decent damage.



Remember, Kim is level 5. These numbers are wonderful for that low of a level.



Nass deals some good damage to the Mole. Everything here is softened up enough to finish off with physicals.



If Nass or Kim were alone, these numbers would be doubled. At one point, I was tempted to try and get Nass murdered so that Kim could soak up all these points. I managed to fight that urge off.



Yeah, another level!



And she's now faster than Nass. Vitality also went up by one.



Most of Nass' stats always seemed to line up perfectly for these shots, but Kim's don't want to cooperate.



These numbers could be reversed, and I'd still be happy.



Yay for a PSI power I'll never use with Kim!



But a big ol' fuck yeah for another level!





While it wasn't four levels, I'm still quite happy with two.



I don't like the way that bear is eying Teddy...



Heading down here, we find another mole and more bats.



And yet another level!



Thank God for more defense.



Granted, she's probably not in one-shot territory anymore (but still very close), but her defense isn't exactly the best, so she needs all that she can get.



And two more PP to round off the stat gains.



Thunder Alpha rounds out her list of elements. Thunder deals good damage, but it's a touch unreliable, as it works like Carpainter's Crashing Boom Bang Attack. Doesn't stop me from using it against the boss, though.





There are enemies everywhere in this cave, but since the majority of them are the Mr. Batty and the Mole Playing Rough, there's never really any true danger.



But there are plenty of levels!



And three more PP for Kim.



Alright, up there is the only major threat in this dungeon (aside from the boss).



The Mighty Bear. It's 167 HP, high offense and defense pile of ass-whippery.



However, bears hibernate in the winter. Therefore, they do not like ice.



They definitely do not like Freeze Alpha.





Another save by the Teddy Bear. I love that little bastard.



Thank God for that. They can also bite and use their claws. No matter what, though, the Mighty Bear is going to try and kill your ass, and they're very good at it.



Either way, even though the Mighty Bear is dangerous, taking it out first (a Freeze Alpha/bash combo works best, methinks), renders it no more of a danger than anything else in this dungeon.



...Aww, Kim didn't gain a level from this. I'm kind of saddened by that.



But, after killing the shit out of that mole gains her another level!





Not a bad level, either. This is her ninth, if you somehow lost count.





Moving along, Mighty Bears become more and more common. I don't think this has ever happened to me before, but if the game is willing to throw this much exp. at me, then that just means I don't have to grind!



Ooh, a Magic Butterfly, too!



Those two Moles Playing Rough weren't much, and the Mighty Bear doesn't appear all that interested in us now.



And that's 20 PP for both of them; thankfully, this isn't split between the two of them.



And that bear pushes Nass to a level!



One more HP tops out these stat gains.



And he gets Bacon Beta; oh, .



We won't be testing it on that bear. We need more subjects before we unleash it.



And hell, Kim can ever have another level while we're at it!





Two more PP, and one other very nice thing.



Fucking Freeze Beta. Kim is now officially the most dangerous motherfucker in our party. I'm 100% serious when I say that; she can one-shot everything in this cave (even Nass), except for the boss, but that's a given.



Test subjects acquired. Let's move in.





The Mighty Bear is going down before the Bacon Beta can launch, but that's okay.



Oh-ho, Kim, you are my favorite from now on. As you can see, Freeze got a little more elaborate with its power up.



As did Bacon. It also deals an assload more damage.



Kim didn't level up this time, either. But, I do like that number.



However, Moles and Mr. Battys do not learn the lesson to stay the hell away from Nass and Kim, though.



However, that's fine by me.







She also gained four more HP, but there's something more exciting:



A bunch more PP! That's almost another casting of Freeze Beta.





Ooh, PSI Caramel! You don't find these every day!



And here's why. 20 PP is a good bit. For me, these kind of have the "Ether Effect" from earlier Final Fantasy titles. I'm terrified to use it, as I may need it later.



There's something off about this screen shot...



There we go. That's much better.



However, I missed a present box earlier in the dungeon. I couldn't remember what was in it, but I thought it was an armor upgrade for Kim. I ran back to grab it, so here's a highlight reel of my trip back to that box and back to the boss!











Also, one more PP this level.







...Oh, Goddammit. Sure, that's a free heal for Kim, but I was really hoping she got another armor upgrade in here. I thought I remembered one besides the Great Charm in here.





Mighty Bears can drop extra Teddy Bears, which I did not know. Anyone got a drop rate on that?









Honestly, I did not intend for her to gain this many levels here.



However, I did intend this, as I thought it was a sweet thing to do. And maybe, just maybe, I'd like someone to draw a picture of this.



Anywho, back to the boss!





Fuck yeah, Nass level!







A nice level, but not the only one I have to show you!











This level was good, too, and quite special.



Now Kim can be a massive asshole like the Mobile Sprouts are!



Alright, it's boss time.







Mondo Mole is kind of a big deal in the mole world.



If you have Paralysis Alpha here, use it. He's vulnerable to it, and it should lock him down for the rest of the fight.



Since I know he'll be locked down and unable to maneuver, I don't worry about accuracy. For this fight, Kim's all about the zappings.



Kim starts her first boss fight off with a bang; Mondo Mole has 498 HP at max, with a bunch of offense and defense, so knock 114 of that off right out of the gate is nothing to scoff at.



He can also tear into you, but he never got the chance to do that this fight.



Unfortunately, Teddy Two took the assault and lost his life for it. His sacrifice will be remembered forever.



A braver bear there never was.



Mondo Mole is now officially locked out of physical actions for the rest of the fight. We've got this one in the bag.



Kim will be using Thunder Alpha for the remainder of this fight, and Nass will be bashing his brains out.





As you can see, we're putting up good numbers. This fight won't be lasting much longer.



This is the shield that affects PSI attacks, by the by.



Oddly enough, after he put it up, Kim missed her first thunder strike.



Mondo Mole just strengthens his shield; right now, it's one of three things he can do. The other is Life Up Alpha or he can use Offense Up on himself. He never uses the latter in this battle.







Now, Thunder Alpha here didn't deal any damage to him, but it did destroy his shield, opening him up to further Thunder Alphas.





He tries to move, but finds his body won't cooperate. Perfect.



Aww, Kim, you were doing so well.



He used Life Up Alpha this turn, prolonging his demise.







Good God, Kim! She did not appreciate that Life Up Alpha!



And Mondo Mole did not appreciate that Thunder Alpha.



Oh, that's a very good number.



Because Kim gained her fifteenth level!







Oh, Kim, this is wonderful!



Nine more HP, as well.



Goddamn, Kim, that was an amazing level.



Let's go get Lilliput Steps.

Once again, I don't want to ruin this with words, so there's a video. The bonus video at the bottom also has the boss fight and this moment in it.



This one kind of tugs at my heartstrings.



We leave the cave. Let's go take a rest. We can take Kim home in the morning.

: Okay. I kind of had fun with you guys!



I'm glad this cow regained his senses, too. I would have felt bad beating him tame.



Absolutely. Free heals are something I'll never turn down.





Oh, you son of a bitch.



In the morning, Nass and Kim are all rested. That trip through the cave really took it out of them.



Nass calls his dad real quick, and I find I have a lot more money than I thought.



We'll own that house before we know it!



Kim has caught up fairly well, even though it was just one dungeon.





And, finally, our end of update status shots. Kim is twice as fast as Nass, and just as smart, even seven levels lower. However, he's got 110 HP on her, and hits a hell of a lot harder than she does.

Next time, we'll take Kim home and see if her dad has any of that pie left...

Bonus Video

Mondo Mole Boss Fight

Lilliput Steps is included in this one, too, if you don't want the experience to be cut up.