Part 75: Monster Time Part 5

Monsters of the Department Store

I sure hope your game's Kim wasn't carrying anything important. Basically this area is only really dangerous if you were caught off guard. Make sure to equip Susan with the Franklin badge and lots of Big bottle rockets, which you should feel free to use whenever you're feeling pressed. (Save one for the boss, though.)

The general strategy in this place is to kill lone enemies with physical attacks, and use big bottle rockets to one-shot the most dangerous enemy in a group.


Musica
The main threat from this enemy is its "haunting melody," which makes everyone fall asleep. (We're not even close to finding items that protect against Hypnosis.) The sleep attack is a nuisance when facing a lone Musica, but a deadly menace when there are other enemies around. Unfortunately there's no countermeasure other than killing it fast. Its electrical attack functions like Thunder β, and isn't too dangerous if Susan's got the Franklin badge.
Strategy: Use physical attacks. In a group, this guy should be your first target - sleep is fatal when there's Mystical Records around.

HP 292, Offense 69, Defense 85, Speed 21, Luck 8.
Special abilities: "Use an electric shock attack," "Play a haunting melody."
Resistant to Flash.
Worth 3,748 XP and $341, with a 1/128 chance to drop a Sudden guts pill.



Mystical Record
The most likely enemy to appear in pairs, the Records have powerful physical attacks but none of the PSI trickery of the other enemies.
Strategy: Standard for this area - use big bottle rockets until there's only one left, then take it down with physical attacks.

HP 263, PP 35, Offense 63, Defense 78, Speed 20, Luck 7.
Special abilities: Strong attack, Lifeup α.
Weak against Fire. Immune to Flash and Hypnosis.
Worth 2,736 XP and $310, with a 1/64 chance to drop a Pizza.



Scalding Coffee Cup
These guys scared the crap out of me as a kid. Their espresso attack, which they use every turn, is a disguised Fire α dealing 60-100 damage to both Nass and Susan. Fortunately their Defense is low so you can take it out fairly easily.
Strategy: Physical attacks again. When the Coffee Cup appears alongside Records, it's actually the lower priority - the espresso hurts, but it can't one-shot anyone. Thankfully these guys never share a pack with a Musica.

HP 190, Offense 55, Defense 20, Speed 23, Luck 1.
Special abilities: "Spill some scalding hot espresso."
Vulnerable to Freeze. Resistant to Fire, Flash and Hypnosis.
Worth 2,462 XP and $280, with a 1/2 chance to drop a Cup of coffee.



Dept. Store Spook
Give back Kim! The Spook eschews physical attacks, relying exclusively on PSI. (Too bad his Luck's too high for Counter-PSI.) He alternates between attacks (Fire or Freeze) and support powers (Brainshock, Lifeup, PSI Magnet). Of all the powers the Spook can use, the one to look out for is PSI Freeze, which can easily one-shot Susan - be ready to save him before his HP rolls down to zero.
Strategy: A big bottle rocket can potentially one-shot this guy; if not, a follow-up Bacon should finish him. If you consider that to be "cheesing it," use regular bottle rockets and Bacon Beta, and be ready to heal quickly when you get hit with Freeze. Remember, he always and only attacks every other turn.

HP 610, PP 290, Offense 82, Defense 135, Speed 19, Luck 62.
Special abilities: Fire α, Freeze α, Lifeup α, Brainshock α, PSI Magnet Ω.
Resistant to Paralysis.
Worth 24,291 XP and $1,648.




Monsters of Moonside

Ugh. I love the concept of Moonside but it's such a slog. You've only got two party members, there are enemies everywhere, the layout is confusing as fuck and I'm always afraid I'll miss the pendant.

Anyway. When visiting Moonside be sure to pack Susan's tools, especially the HP-Sucker and Slime generator. All the enemies here have very low Luck, so the tools nearly always work. Also bring big bottle rockets, of course. (You need to ration them this time, though - Moonside's a bit bigger than the Dept. Store.)


Abstract Art
It's so deep, man... Probably the least dangerous enemy in Moonside. The single-target Hypnosis α isn't too scary after fighting Musicas, and their Offense isn't anything special.
Strategy: Physical attacks (not that you've got much else). If you're got PP to burn, you can paralyze it, then have Susan heal up using the HP-Sucker. Not worth using a rocket on.

HP 301, PP 60, Offense 67, Defense 79, Speed 19, Luck 7.
Special abilities: Hypnosis α.
Weak against Paralysis. Resistant to Hypnosis.
Worth 4,361 XP and $255, with a 1/32 chance to drop a Refreshing herb.



Dali's Clock
Continuous attacks hurt like fuck. (The stop-music effect is creepy, too.)
Strategy: Because of its low Speed and Luck, Susan can completely lock it down with the Slime generator. If there are other enemies around, use Hypnosis to disable it until you can focus on it properly.

HP 296, Offense 65, Defense 66, Speed 4, Luck 4.
Special abilities: Continuous attack.
Weak against Hypnosis. Immune to Paralysis.
Worth 2,503 XP and $314, with a 1/128 chance to drop a PSI caramel.



Enraged Fire Plug
SO ANGRY. Another enemy that terrified me as a kid. Their water-blast is a regular attack that hits both characters at once.
Strategy: Always kill these guys first; there's no good way to disable them and they wear you down pretty quickly.

HP 309, Offense 60, Defense 81, Speed 14, Luck 4.
Special abilities: "Spray a gigantic blast of water."
Weak against Freeze. Immune to Fire, Flash and Hypnosis.
Worth 4,321 XP and $346, with a 1/128 chance to drop a Sudden guts pill.



Robo-Pump
They spend three turns counting down, then throw a bomb for absurdly high damage. After that they "replenish a fuel supply" (a free full heal to itself or an ally), then start counting down again.
Strategy: Spam physical attacks. If it doesn't look like you'll make it in time, you can either use a rocket to finish it off, or (if your HP is high enough to take a risk) use the Slime generator to try and immobilize it on the turn it would throw the bomb.

HP 431, Offense 70, Defense 113, Speed 19, Luck 4.
Special abilities: "Throw the Bomb," "Replenish a fuel supply."
Resistant to Fire, Freeze, Flash and Hypnosis.
Worth 4,797 XP and $349, with a 1/64 chance to drop a Super bomb.



Evil Mani-Mani
The "glorious light" is the statue's most dangerous attack: it functions as Flash Ω with a 3/8 chance of instant death. The "pale green light" cancels out PSI effects, so don't bother throwing up a shield. And it has Luck 80, so don't bother with Susan's tools.
Strategy: Equip Nass with the Night pendant and the Evil Mani-Mani can't do anything but paralyze him (which doesn't stop PSI) and bash him for so-so damage. As long as Susan manages to get at least one rocket off, Nass can finish the fight by spamming Bacon.

HP 860, PP 88, Offense 86, Defense 145, Speed 15, Luck 80.
Special abilities: PSI Magnet α, Paralysis α, "Emit a pale green light," "Emit a glorious light."
Immune to Paralysis.
Worth 28,139 XP and $1,852.




Monsters of the Monotoli Building

All the robots here are functionally NPCs, so if you're having trouble with this area, you can leave and come back without losing your progress. That said: be careful. Monotoli's guards are pretty strong.


Sentry Robot
Don't take them lightly. Sentry Robots have lots of HP, high Defense, and a powerful bottle rocket attack. They can call for help, which is a serious problem if you can't kill them in one turn.
Strategy: This is another enemy with low Luck, so you might want to have Susan lock them down with the Slime generator while Nass whittles them down with physical attacks and/or PSI Bacon. If more start showing up, break out the bottle rockets.

HP 372, Offense 77, Defense 105, Speed 17, Luck 4.
Special abilities: Call for help, "Fire the bottle rocket."
Resistant to Fire and Freeze. Immune to Flash.
Worth 5,034 XP and $392, with a 1/64 chance to drop a Big bottle rocket.



Clumsy Robot
The Clumsy Robot is a fucking tank - a PSI Shield wards off psychic attacks, high Defense protects against physical damage, and absurd Speed renders bottle rockets almost useless. Offensively, the Robot only has one trick up its sleeve - the missile, a strong attack that hits both characters. It hurts like a bitch, so make sure to keep Nass and Susan at full HP.
Strategy: Step 1: Kill the shield. The Neutralizer you found in the Monkey Cave works perfectly. You can then cheese the battle with Paralysis (might take a few tries to work). If you'd rather fight fair, have Nass throw up shields, then spam PSI Bacon while Susan attacks relentlessly.
To trigger the Runaway Five sequence, you need to inflict about a thousand damage to the robot. The bologne sandwiches don't actually do anything, so don't worry if the little guy starts spamming them.

HP 962, Offense 88, Defense 137, Speed 83, Luck 49.
Special abilities: "Stumble, but fire a strange beam," "Fire a missile, making itself dizzy." "Eat a bologne sandwich." Protected by PSI Shield α.
Resistant to Fire, Freeze, Flash and Hypnosis.
Worth 32,378 XP and $2,081.