Earthbound Part #46 - Update Forty Five: ExplosionFace Made A Wonderful Thing

Part 46: Update Forty Five: ExplosionFace Made A Wonderful Thing

Welcome back. Last time, on Earthbound, we picked up the Sixth Sanctuary melody from one hell of a breather dungeon. Today, we're going to cross the sea and enter the desert country of Scaraba, so let's get started.

We've gotta head to Toto to charter a ship to get us there. For whatever reason, we can't get Susan and Dr. Andonuts to collaborate on another flying machine.

This isn't the captain we need. The captain we need is the man who was married to the Magic Cake lady.

Y'know, in that shot there, Photo Guy almost looks like a member of our party.

You see Poo's face there? That'd be my exact face if that fucker ever joined my party.

There's the captain. He has some kind words for us.

Hey, man, when you need cake, you need cake, know what I mean?

Oh, my. He actually said the word "crap" and got away with it. NoA, were you guys doing whatever the developers were when you reviewed this game?

: and experience getting seasick! After all, it could only cost you your life, and you got that for free! Luck will determine the outcome of this voyage. So, you want to sail to Scaraba?

This is the kind of shit that gets me pumped. But, he's wrong about one thing. Luck ain't going to do a damned thing on our voyage.

Man, does anyone else wanna go punch a bear or some shit?

We strut down these stairs and onto the boat.

And so, our journey across the sea begins.

We're traversing quite a bit of real estate, as is evidenced by the size of our boat and the land we're passing.

Now that I think about it, this makes me think that Earthbound establishes an RPG world that doesn't seem to be only about the size of Rhode Island.

Seriously, look at an old-school Final Fantasy game or Chrono Trigger for an example of what I mean. Earthbound's world actually seems big.

And it is big, really. We don't ever get a flying machine or anything to actually see the size, but we do travel to several different countries, and there's actually a sense that they're fairly far apart.

Barring Winters and Summers, they all also seem big. Granted, we're heading to Scaraba now, so you can't really tell just yet, but once we get there, you'll see that it's a pretty big place.

And if you're wondering why I didn't include this part as a video, it's because it's kind of boring to watch the ship slowly sail through the sea. At least the tune's nice.

Healing Beta, most likely.

: He came from Dalaam? You guys must be quite the adventurers! Hahaha! I'm feeling much better now! Anchors aweigh!

And I wanted to try commentating over a journey at least once, to see if I could keep it interesting.

Why the hell did it suddenly get dark?

Oh, Jesus Christ, look at the size of that fucker!

ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE

So, Kraken here can be a badass. He's got 1097 HP, and Fire and Freeze are only 50% effective on him. He can hit the entire party with fire, create a tornado, neutralize shields at will, use Flash Beta, and he's got a Crashing Boom Bang Attack. His offense and defense are fucking massive, too, at 155 and 195, respectively.

So, let's step up and make him look like a chump.

Kim's best offensive option is Freeze Gamma, so she'll be using that.

I went shopping earlier. I think all six of my purchases were worthwhile.

And Poo's using the most effective attack in his arsenal.

No, there was no reason for me to show Freeze Gamma again, but I like how Kraken looks entirely blue. Kraken has one of my favorite sprites in the entire game; he looks so vicious, with blood around his maw, his fangs soaked in blood, and flames peeling out of his mouth. Also, he's a sea serpent with some bitchin' hair.

As you can see, his resistance to Freeze is being shown full-force here.

This is a wonderful thing to see happen; Kraken's physicals are so crushing, any chance of shutting them down (Flash is only 75% effective, which, in my experience, means it'll never fucking hit) is a good thing. Even if it's only for a single turn, it's better than watching someone become Kraken food.

He's also really Goddamned fast, with 42 speed.

Yeergh, that was a little disappointing for a Big Bottle Rocket.

Jesus, it didn't even do double the damage of a physical attack from Nass.

Next round, all inputs are the same. It's really the most effective strategy against Kraken; pound him as hard as you can, and heal when necessary. He's more than capable of wiping your party, so don't give him that opportunity.

Much better for a Big Bottle Rocket.

And that's how I made Kraken look like a chump. It wasn't a case of being overlevelled or using an exploit to defeat him, either. It was just good ol' fashioned

; I hope anyone playing along can use this same strategy to as good of effect as I did.

He drops a fat chunk of exp., too.

Fat enough to get Kim a level!

For this level, she gained +2 offense, +1 vitality, +6 HP and +1 PP.

And learned the final power in the Freeze family. Freeze Omega is 28 PP of ass-kicking.

Poo also gained a level!

For this level, he gained +2 offense, +1 luck, +3 HP and +1 PP.

Let's continue our journey.

The Cap'n is, appropriately, surprised we whipped Kraken's ass.

Ain't no thang, man. It was mostly the help of high-powered firework explosives.

: Maybe you didn't notice.

Cap'n, if it makes you feel better, I like to think that's what actually defeated the beast.

Welcome to Scaraba, ladies and gentlemen.

Didn't you just see our ship pull up? Where the hell else would we have come from? I haven't seen any other fucking boats in this game!

Whipped him like a red-headed stepchild, if you want the technical term for what we did.

Scaraba's city here isn't too big; we're right next to the hospital, the hotel is straight ahead, and the shop is nearby, too.

This house, ultimately useless, still amuses me to no end.

I don't know why I love this lady so much, but she makes me giggle like an idiot every time.

This guy up here is interesting, too.

Um...No, not really? And how does that segue into you making a friend?

: He used to be a dungeon maker. And now he's a "Dungeon Man." Would you like to meet him?

Hell yes, I'd like to meet the fusion of man and dungeon.

Would it be too much to ask for you to rephrase that?

: I'm sorry, I don't worry about small things.

Wait, wait, so you make a new friend, mention it to an absolute stranger, then offer him a key to meet said friend, realize you've lost the key like a jackass, then you just blow it off? What the hell, guy?

Over here, we have something...Special.

Yeah, Pokey took a shit out here in the desert. If you look, you can actually see some poo nuggets. I hope you're all satisfied after having seen this.

Over here, there's a small bazaar, with a few interesting items.

And the main shop. It's fairly alright.

And somehow, Poo got fucking sunstroke, after only like, two minutes in the heat.

Well, three of ours can, but Prince Prissy over there apparently can't take the heat.

His merchandise isn't bad, really, but I decide not to buy any.

Back in the bazaar, let's browse some of the shops.

This guy's salesman technique could use a little work.

I don't want to even know how he discovered Armpit Hair Fertilizer.

Vials of serum cure poison; Snakes can be thrown at an enemy for some damage, while Vipers deal more damage and inflict poison. I spend no money here, either.

How the hell should I know?

Sleep with one eye open, whether or not you take that snake home.

I buy a Packet of Sugar here, but only a few of you will know the exact reason for doing so.

A bag full of snakes could be useful, I suppose.

I said yes here, simply because I wasn't paying attention to his dialog and just answered "Yes."

I'm now uncomfortable keeping that in Nass' backpack.

But, hey, discount!

I've got a touch of rearranging to do.

Somehow, I feel you're going to have something I want.

I could have saved a bit of scratch on the Big League Bat here, but eh, who cares? The offense boost it gives, while only +6 from the T-Rex's Bat, is still pretty nice for the Fifth and Sixth Sanctuary dungeons.