Part 20: Update Twenty: Susan And Tony's Excellent Adventure
Last time, on Earthbound, Nass and Kim got ambushed by a group of the undead, and are now in a hole, with the only way out locked. Kim sent out a psychic distress call, and reached out to the only boy who could help them...
The boy named Sue, but he goes by Susan. Strap in folks, his journey will not be a short one.
Not one to just ditch his friends, he attempts to tell his roommate that he's leaving. However, his friend doesn't seem to understand.
Tony notices that Susan is a man on a mission; Susan didn't just have to pee during the night.
: You know the dorm rules, right? If you get caught, you'll get punished big time... W... what's wrong, Susan. ...All right. There must be some reason that I don't understand. I won't stop you. But it's dangerous to leave without taking anything along. Hey, I think there's some stuff in the locker room that you should get. I'll help you get out of here...
Tony joins Susan, as he is a good friend.
Susan also starts at level 1, with the same 2 in every stat that Kim and Nass started with.
There's two comments made by this group that are interesting.
: I don't believe it! I think someone made a model and placed it in the lake.Ah, Nessie's under-appreciated cousin. Perfectly on course for Earthbound.
Something more interesting than a giant lake creature? This oughta be good.
: seen them.Well, real, walking and breathing neanderthals is pretty...Amazing, yeah.
In the room next to Susan and Tony's, someone is preparing a party for Tony. I feel bad that Susan is leaving the day before. Also, every single one of those presents has a Cookie inside of it, and I could make Susan jack them all if I wanted to.
Aww, and these two worked so hard.
: He always looks out for the younger students. Maxwell is still working hard in the lab downstairs. Anyway, these days there are many dangerous animals wandering around outside.
Maxwell's lab is right inside here. Maybe he's got some ray guns or neutron bombs we can use.
:Are you looking for a late night snack? I'm having some trouble with my project. If only Susan's father, Dr. Andonuts, were here. He'd be able to provide a great deal of help. I heard he's an astounding person. He was the first leader of our Ultra Science Club... I heard he's greater than Einstien or Heisenberg. Rumor has it he's also very strange. If you're heading to the locker room, take this key along. It's a little bent though.
Hey, he's letting us rob the other students! Maxwell, you're alright by me.
: Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha.Susan, that laugh, combined with his shady eyes, should now be your #1 clue to clear the fuck out.
In the next room, all the lockers are locked. But, we have the key!
Oh, son of a bitch!
MAAAAAAAAAAXWEEEEEEEELLLLLLL! 
Oh, you rat bastard, you knew that was going to happen?
: Machine that Opens Doors, especially when you have a slightly bad key. Sorry for the inconvenience.
At least he fixed the issue immediately.
: useful. Just try to keep a positive attitude.Maxwell reveals one of Susan's contributions to the group; when you find broken items, when you stay the night somewhere, there's a chance that Susan will repair it. All of these items have a certain IQ requirement, so it's useless to try and get certain things repaired unless Susan's IQ at least matches that number. It's Susan's answer to not having any PSI powers.
(Unfortunately, there is nothing in this locker.)
A lot of these lockers have nothing in them, so I'll give the highlights.
Even though I'm going to upgrade Susan as soon as he hits Threed, getting this stuff is going to be necessary.
Susan will be able to repair this eventually, to where it turns into a pretty good weapon for him.
This is the way out. Susan's adventure begins as soon as he sets foot outside of these doors.
That's the final hurdle out of here.
...Tony, just how are you planning on saying goodbye to Susan?
Oh. Tony, if those gates are locked, we do have the Bad Key Machine.
: I don't know where you're going or why, but remember, we are best friends forever.Aww, man, I can't even make fun of Tony here. That's a hell of a nice moment.
Also, Goddamn, Susan's jump over the gate here is just fucking boss. And I guess now it's just Susan's Excellent Adventure.
To the east of where Susan landed, there's a little shop. Let's take a looksee, shall we?
It just has one shopkeep, and this is Susan's list of items; the Ruler and Protractor are useless, so I sold 'em. Gained a $1 for each of them. Susan now has $4 to his name.
Jesus, there is a monkey there!
...Free monkey with a pak of gum? Were this a real deal, I'd be the proud owner of a monkey.
Man, monkeys and gum? Susan, spend that dollar.
As Susan goes to pick up his new monkey, he discovers he's a demanding little monkey.
Well, the monkey's more talented than I am; I can't blow bubbles.
...Far more talented than I am.
Alright, now it's Susan and the Bubble Monkey's Excellent Adventure!
Outside of the shop, we head south and wind our way through the snowy territory of Winters.
Bubble Monkey stops following every now and then, just to chill out for a second.
He'll quickly catch up, though. I find it a nice little thing.
...There are supposed to be enemies around here. Why are there no enemies around here?
Well, aside from the Goat. There should be Runaway Dogs and Spiteful Crows around here.
Out of the starting enemies that Susan gets to fight, Gruff Goats are the toughest. Not the biggest assholes, as Spiteful Crows are still around, but Goats are the toughest.
Bubble Monkey acts like any other temporary NPC. He normally just attacks (for a pitiful amount of damage), but sometimes, he'll just scratch his head.
...Yeah, Bubble Monkey isn't the best of comrades, but he's better than a sharp stick in the eye.
Susan hits moderately harder. Gruff Goats have a max of 45 HP, and are much faster than Susan. They hit pretty hard, too. And apparently, I didn't deem you guys good enough to see the damage he did to Susan.
Anyways, Susan has a unique command here; Spy.
Before I show it off, here is a shot of the Gruff Goat's damage.
Susan sees the enemies offense, defense, and whatever kind of PSI they're vulnerable to. It can be pretty handy, but since I have a guide on hand, there are few situations in which I'll ever be using it again.
If the enemy has something to drop, Susan will see it and automatically take whatever it is. It'll be handy when I'm trying to find some of the better 1/128 items.
This is Bubble Monkey's doing, by the by. This oughta be impressive.
...Or not. At least he did it, which is impressive, as his guts stat is only 5.
Susan shoots it in the face one last time to drop the Goat.
Nice bit of experience there, too.
Enough to get Susan his first level!
He gained +1 offense and +3 HP! Little lackluster, but, c'mon, it's his first time.
Maybe his second level will be more impressive!
He gained +1 offense, +1 IQ, and +2 HP. Not super impressive, but hey, he's got more IQ to play with now.
Susan can head inside this tent and get away from that Spiteful Crow.
Oddly enough, these two have no objection to a boy and his monkey just bursting into their (surprisingly roomy) tent.
Giygas' evil influence has stretched out to Winters. This is not good news.
: perhaps some tea?Susan accepts the offer for tea, as it's a full HP refill.
After his quick refreshment, Susan takes off again.
Seriously, where are all the fucking enemies? This place should be filled with Runaway Dogs and shit. It's kind of disturbing me.
Ooh, more tents! More civilization!
...Why is that man staring at that tree with binoculars?
Oh, Lord, we've encountered a group of nutjobs.
: Ahh Choo! I feel like I'm catching a cold.Were Nass here, he could easily fix that up for you.
I'm wondering if that guy can count the individual hairs in Susan's nose from that distance.
Heading west (the opposite of east!) leads us to this group of tents.
: Maybe monkeys don't like gum. If there's somebody reading this thread that can answer if monkeys like gum or not, I am honestly curious now.
: We're known as the "Tessie Watching Club"...
: We may be able to see Tessie tomorrow. I can't wait...I barely read that guy's dialog. I was too pissed off about that Magic Butterfly taunting me over there.
In the furthest tent, we have another rest area. We have to hit this one, too, as some time needs to pass.
After selecting "Yes", he insists we don't have to pay him. Good thing, too, as Susan only has $3.
: Head south... I am Kim... If you hear this message, go to the south...
Also, Susan managed to repair something, too. I think I've seen this happen every time I've been here, so I'm starting to wonder if this is scripted to happen if you have the Broken Spray Can.
The Defense Spray is alright. It increases one character's defense, but not enough to be super-useful.
In the morning, the wind is blowing.
Susan is mysteriously stopped here; he doesn't have the Receiver Phone, so there's only one answer as to who it is.
Goddamn, that Bubble Monkey is mugging for the camera.
If you say so.
Hey, what's that ripple in the water? Susan, being the sciencey young man he is, decides to investigate a little closer.
This next part is best shown in video, commentary free. So, enjoy!
After their little ride, Susan and the Bubble Monkey continue their trip to the south.
Alright, I want you to examine this screenshot closely. Carefully, even. Susan is staring that Gruff Goat dead in the face right. It knows he's coming. Susan knows it is there and that it is preparing for his attack. So, I ask you
How did I get a friggin' surprise attack on it!?
But, no questions about how Susan gained another level!
For this level, he gained +1 offense, +2 defense, +2 speed, +2 guts, +1 IQ, +1 luck, and +1 HP! Not a bad level, if I do say so myself.
There's also another one of these odd statues. I guess we'll have to take that cave back there.
...The other dungeons had entrance fees? Uh-oh, I never paid the cover to get into Giant Step!
Hey, I like it when a dungeon is polite when I enter. I've got a good feeling about this dungeon.
There are a few paths to take here, but we'll be taking the top-most path here.
Rowdy Mice are enemies in here, and they're still as big of dicks are they were back at Giant step.
Sweet. Bread rolls are good enough to restore most of Susan's HP right now.
Heading down this way, we find a present waiting for us at the end.
Aww, fiddlesticks. The Worthless Protoplasm has 38 HP, is pretty fast, but doesn't have much offense or defense. However, Susan's defense is still low enough that these guys can deal some damage to him.
Yowch. 8 HP is a good bit for Susan.
They can also call for help...
...Which can lead to a bit of a dangerous situation for Susan here.
But, with a little bit of persistence, Susan emerges victorious and gains another level!
This level, he gained +1 offense, +1 vitality, +1 IQ, and +9 HP!
Heading up and around, Susan snags something he'll repair later.
It was here that I realized I had gone the wrong way for that present.
I went back to go get it, and encountered another new enemy.
51 HP, with good speed, and decent offense and defense, the Mad Duck is a bit of a reprieve type enemy.
With attacks such as this one.
It drains some PP from the target, but Susan doesn't have any! v
v
He can also fall down, which...Does nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Doing this, he can make a character unable to concentrate.
If you'll notice, Susan's PSI window is X'd out; this is Earthbound's version of silence. Fortunately, Susan has no PSI to begin with.
They drop a good amount of exp., too.
This could come in handy later, as Susan does fight the Attack Slugs.
Back on track, Susan continues his winding way through the dungeon.
Despite this warning, there are no falling hazards.
Unless you want to count this guy as a hazard.
Another Mad Duck, another level for Susan!
For this level, he gained +1 offense, +1 defense, +1 IQ, and +3 HP.
This dungeon isn't very long, but it is a maze. So, it takes a bit of time to get through.
Food items are important to Susan right now, since that's his only form of healing.
32 HP is most of Susan's HP, so I appreciate this Bread Roll. Hell, I could go for a Bread Roll right now.
That's another Worthless Protoplasm down there.
This Rowdy Mouse is guarding something very important.
A weapon upgrade for Susan! Am I the only one who suddenly got the image of Susan blasting a goat between the eyes with his new stun gun?
This is the end of the dungeon. Now, while this is the logical place to end this update, did I consider that?
Fuck no! And my nearest save to this point is...Well, back in Twoson. And I already have all of this recorded, so we're soldiering on!
(Well, that, and I'd like to get this done. If you'd like, consider this an intermission; go grab a drink, maybe a snack, then come and finish this update.)
Alright, with the intermission over, we get an official end to the dungeon.
What is with the Magic Butterflies around here!?
: I've devoted my life to making dungeons. Well, by combining my skills and Dr. Andonuts intelligence, I can become "Dungeon Man," the first combination of human and dungeon in history. Let's meet again once I have become dungeon man.Brick Road here is a hell of a nice guy, with an...Interesting dream.
Shit yeah, after that slog. Maybe Susan will fix something else here.
...Guess not. Oh, well, I have plenty of cash for hotels.
Heading south, we come to another entrance to a cave. It's not another man-made dungeon, but it is a short little dungeon.
There are some Attack Slugs down there; Susan can one shot them and they can't do any appreciable damage back to him, so they're pretty nice for exp.
Rowdy Mice are still around, too.
And they help get Susan another level!
This level, he gains +1 speed, +1 guts, +1 IQ and +1 luck, along with +3 HP.
And Hamburgers are just as valuable to Susan as they were to Nass when he was just starting his journey.
Jesus Christ, now there's enemies everywhere.
Seriously, there's a shitload around. Yet, nothing when Susan left the boarding house.
At least there's a good variety around, that give good exp. These are actually Struttin' Evil Mushrooms, which are different from the mushrooms Nass and Kim have encountered. Thankfully, these guys can't mushroomize Susan, since he has no way of getting rid of that status ailment.
There was a Cookie in the present; I didn't know that those mushrooms could drop cookies.
And Susan hit level 8!
For this level... Oh, baby! Offense went up by 3, +1 defense, +1 guts, +1 vitality, +1 IQ, +1 luck, and +9 HP.
Up these two ropes, there lies more goodies.
Like another level for Susan!
For this level, +1 speed, +1 IQ, and +3 HP.
Sweet. Susan's defense isn't exactly stellar, so anything that'll raise it is valuable to me.
Five points is a pretty nice boost, too.
So many mushrooms! At least they give great exp.
We're almost done with this update, I swear. Just a few more things to get done.
Such as Susan gaining another level!
For this level, he gained +1 offense, +1 defense, +1 IQ and +1 HP.
Bottle rockets are another answer Susan has to PSI. I'll show this off in a bit.
Anyways, remember how that rope up there is coiled up? Susan can't reach up there to get it down.
But, our gum-loving simian pal can.
chewed it and started blowing.)
Using his amazing powers of bubble blowing, Bubble Monkey
floats up there and drops the rope down for us.
Susan and Bubble Monkey scoot up the rope.
Well, Susan doesn't have the Sound Stone, but, I guess if he clears this spot, then that'll simplify things for Nass when he comes here to collect the sound.
Aw, fiddlesticks. I was hoping to test out that bottle rocket.
Alright, let's get the hell out of here.
Hey, a girl monkey!
Bubble Monkey immediately takes notice.
: Ki kukkyo uke (I think I'll ask her for a date!)
And so, he's off, on the hunt!
Damn, they moved fast. I wonder if she can blow bubbles as well as he can.
Holy hell, we're at Stonehenge. And there really are Neanderthals around here.
These guys have 314 HP, with good offense and defense. He's slow as balls, though, but drops a good amount of experience.
Bottle rockets are pretty badass things. Just how badass, you ask?
Now, Nass can hardly break triple digits reliably. He can do it with Bacon Beta, yes, but that's also a pretty expensive power. Kim can do it reliably with her PSI, too, but it's better to save her PP.
If you'll recall, that one guy, Leonard, behind the drugstore sold bottle rockets. I have enough to cash to afford a ton of the things, and all of them will deal damage around or above this, and it only ends when the cash stops flowing.
What I'm saying is, bottle rockets are awesome. Just wait until I show off that Big Bottle Rocket Susan has in his inventory.
He seems to miss about half the time, which is fine by me.
This is why I'm okay with that; 20 HP is a lot to lose for Susan.
After enough stun gun blasts, he finally falls.
These guys here will also drop Picnic Lunches 100% of the time. If I wanted to, I could grind off these guys for a while, as Picnic Lunches restore tons of HP.
However, I only fight two. Oh, and :sugartits: goes without saying by this point, right?
For these two levels, Susan gained +2 offense, +1 defense, +1 guts, +1 vitality, +2 IQ, +1 luck, and +13 HP.
Ooh, a lab! I bet Susan will feel right at home here.
Hell, he's even got Dr. Wily for company!
I'm going to guess this is Dr. Andonuts.
Oh, yeah, he's also Susan's dad. He's just been chillin' not too far from his son's school.
And apparently has not come to visit for 10 years. Jesus Christ, Doc. Susan can't be much older than twelve.
: on you. How about a donut?
: Well, uh...Sure, Dad.
: Well, I was only offering... I'd also like a donut right about now. Have you already checked out Stonehenge?: I passed by it on my way here.: Well, at least I asked... Mmmm...mmhmmm okay. By the way, why are you here? Oh, I see. That girl named Kim must have sensed I was here. Ok, I'll help you out. I'm trying to make a Phase Distorter that can connect two points in space and time. It's still incomplete. I'll let you use another invention I call the Sky Runner. It's a little bit old but it'll certainly help. The Sky Runner? Sweet, Susan gets to fly!
: You'll get there for sure if you listen to the message. The round machine over there is the Sky Runner. What do you think? Isn't it neat? Get in! Let's get together in 10 years or so.
Before we go and do that, Dr. Andonuts has an upstairs to raid.
It'll be a while before we can fix this up, but we'll snag it now. Escargo Express can always make another trip out to Nass and co.
just like a good night's sleep.)
However, you still feel hungry.
From here, Susan's journey truly begins. I'm not enough of a prick to extend this update out by screenshotting the Sky Runner Journey, so enjoy another video!
End Of Update Status Shots
Next time, on Earthbound, let's see what Susan brings to the table when we get back to Threed. Stay tuned!