Part 21: Update Twenty One: Burn It To The Ground

Last time, on Earthbound, Susan had an excellent adventure and joined up with Nass and Kim. Today, we're going to see if there's something we can do about this situation in Threed. So, let's get started (also, this update is brought you to by about half a box of Moose Tracks ice cream).





Alright, that door is still locked. Thankfully, Susan has the key.



Well, kind of. He has the machine that functions as the key.



Outside of the door, there's just these stairs and that ladder.





Outside, we can see the hole the Skyrunner made when Susan arrived. Thankfully, he didn't desecrate any graves.



This shouldn't be too bad. I know to use either Flash or Paralysis on the Smelly Ghost, and to Freeze Alpha the Putrid Moldyman.



We start here, which deals plenty of damage, but not enough to drop the Putrid Moldyman.



Susan's defenses aren't up to snuff, and I really need to get to the drugstore, and fast. 49 damage is most of his health.



Making that Smelly Ghost feel strange could be advantageous. If he starts beating himself up or finishes off that Putrid Moldyman, it's all in my favor.



He may not have been affected, but he's about one hit away from death, so I'm not concerned.



As it turns out, I should have been. The Smelly Ghost proceeded to beat Susan to death, and never hit himself. It was here I made a mental note to paralyze every one I found from here on out; it's far more effective.



When a party member is downed, all the windows get that nasty red coloration to them, as well as the party member becoming a ghostie to follow you around.



Dead characters also gain no experience, so Nass and Kim would gain more exp., sure, but Susan would be left behind. I'm not in favor of that happening, so let's get his ass brought back to life.



Just speak with the nurse, and tell her who you want to see.



Then pay the fee and viola! The character is brought back, good as new. Now, since Susan got wiped so easily, I need to fix this.



This is a good start.



Susan gains his first level, and gets one step closer to not being killed (so easily)!

For this level, he gained +1 offense, +1 guts, and +3 HP.

However, even with another level under his belt, the boy named Sue still needs some survival help.



For whatever reason, I always withdraw about five times what I actually need at the ATM; $2,000 is far too much, but whatever. I'm the one with the cash.



He snags himself a Hard Hat and a shiny new Copper Bracelet.



He had too much shit in his inventory, so I sold his Holmes Hat to make space for the Hard Hat.



I sold a few other things, all of which I can't recall at the moment, but he's now got the best armor I can afford.



So, I go to wander and gain a few levels for Susan.



In the process, I remember Leonard carried a weapon upgrade for Susan, so I ran back to grab that, even though I repair the Broken air gun shortly after this.



And since I'm nearby, I decide to see if anyone in the Corps has anything new to say.



There's two new guys in here, including this charming piece of work.

: I left my wife and kids at home to escape to this tent. That's how scary the zombies are.

This makes me wonder, since he ran off to this tent from his home, how bad were things at home? Are his wife and kids even there anymore? Or did they get munched?



This guy over here is pretty cool, I think. He's honest, if nothing else.

: I just mean I am frightened. Conditions in the town are getting worse.

If things are getting worse, then we've got to fix them quickly. I rather like Threed.



This guy is the only one who changes his dialog after Susan arrives.

: It looked like it was straight out of a Saturday Morning Cartoon! Wow! Did you come here in that flying contraption?



Outside of the tent, I run into this guy. I'm showing this for two reasons.



I didn't know they could drop bombs. I'm learning all sorts of stuff this playthrough!



And Susan gained another level!

For this level, he gained +1 defense and +2 HP. How...Exciting.



I decide to hit the hotel, just on the off-chance Susan will repair the Broken air gun.



Behold, the power of save-states! (It took me about six tries to get this, for those of you where were curious.)



: Hey, Susan, did you sleep at all?



: No, but I've got THIS.

:





I'm trying to keep away from the trash-can ghouls for now, as I worry for Susan and Kim's safety when they're involved.



These two are sufficient for my purposes, though.

For this level, Kim gained +1 offense, +1 speed, +1 IQ, +1 luck, +2 HP and +1 PP.



She also picked up this snazzy little number; still targets a row of enemies, but deals pretty good damage for just double the PP.



I was wandering around up here because I thought there was something, but I couldn't remember what it was.



It turned out to be another photo op, which I'll take. I can't guarantee I'll find all of them for you guys, but I'll get as many as I can.



I ended up defeating this trash guy with no problem. So, I trolled around the cemeteries for a little bit.



Thankfully (or maybe that's not the right word), this Zombie Possessor helped me show off something I wanted to (but would have been okay with never happening.)



In battle, this is the biggest thing to look out for, as it causes a pain in the ass status effect.



For those of you who have played this game before, you all know how annoying this shit it. For the uninitiated, it won't sound too bad.



But, for now, let's celebrate Susan's level!

For this level, he gained +2 offense, +1 guts, +1 IQ, +1 luck and +2 HP.



Since Susan is possessed, there's a ghost circling around us now.



That Tiny Li'l Ghost is actually a member of our party. He's got 90 HP, and a shitload of speed (100, to be exact). Now, he doesn't help our party in fights. What he'll do, instead, is either hit someone for a piddly amount of damage, or solidify them for a turn. And since he's so fast, he's going to do it before your party can act.



There are two ways to get rid of these guys; head to this blue haired dude, pay him $70, and he'll take it away. Or, get hit with PSI Fire and hope that it murderizes the little shit.



If you think that doesn't sound too bad, just play the game and let someone get possessed. It seriously gets irritating, within about two turns of it happening.



Thankfully, the exp. around here is good enough that getting Susan caught up is little trouble. I wouldn't even say I'm grinding, really, since Kim's only gained one level from all of this, and Nass hasn't. I'm just trying to even the playing field for Susan, so he's not dead weight for a little while, even though exp. is fair enough that he'll get caught up.

Oh, uh, I guess I started rambling on a little bit. In short, Susan is catching up, and .

For this level, Susan gained +1 offense, +1 defense, +1 guts, +1 vitality, +1 IQ and +9 HP.



These two are still standing guard. So, where do go from here?



Obviously, to another level for Susan!

For this level, Susan gains +1 offense, +1 defense, +2 speed, +1 vitality, +2 IQ, +2 luck, and +15 HP.



Remember that open, bare field to the south of Threed?



There's something here now. It's been here the entire time, but I just wanted to get Susan a tad more caught up before I went to fight it.



Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm going to fight a circus tent. It's whatevs, don't worry about it.



Yeah, a sentient circus tent with large fangs and scary eyes.



Though, I guess oratorical ability isn't high on the list of concerns for circus tents.





But, let's brawl with the Boogey Tent.



We've gotta be careful here; he's got 579 HP, with good offense and defense. He's slow, but you're going to be thankful for that, since he can hit pretty hard.



Being a tent, he's weak to PSI Fire. I bust out the highest level of it, as I don't want this fight to last any longer than it needs to.



Seriously, I'm busting out the big guns. This guy's a bad motherfucker.



Fire Beta has a pretty sweet animation, I think. It deals a good amount of damage to the Boogey Tent, and I hope it keeps the damage coming that high throughout this fight.



Nass steps in with a nice hit. It wasn't the SMAAAAAAAASH I was hoping for, but I'll take it.









And that's why I saved the Big Bottle Rocket. Seriously, though, this fight isn't very hard. The Boogey Tent can raise its own defense or bash someone for a solid bit of damage, but it can also immobilize a party member, as well as having access to PSI Flash Alpha.

As long as you keep your health high and keep dealing good damage to it, the Boogey Tent will fall quickly enough. I do think it has one of the coolest in battle appearances, though.



It also drops a pretty good bit of exp.



Such as enough to let Kim gain a level!

For this level, Oh, baby! Offense went up by 3! +2 speed, +1 vitality, +2 IQ, +10 HP, and that rocks! +10 PP!



Kim's not the sole level gainer here!

For this level, Susan gained +2 HP.



After the fight, the Boogey Tent fades away, never to be seen again.



The screen goes black...



...and comes back to show us these two zombies huddled around that trash can.



The zombies notice us and flee, leaving their bounty behind.



This had better be good. I mean, if the zombies wanted it, it's gotta be good.



...What the fuck is Fly Honey!?

End Of Status Shots







Susan has caught up nicely, don't you think? And I think he's more than proven his worth even if he doesn't have any fancy PSI powers.

Next time, on Earthbound:

What the fuck is Fly Honey!?