Part 5: Limbo Bimbos

Next destination: Limbo.

More tridents and Stench Beasts along the way.



One of them brings us to a most primitive time.



The one slightly to the south of it, on the contrary, to a time most advanced:



And then we reach Limbo.



This game's Limbo is basically Dante's Limbo, the place of residence of virtuous pagans who had the misfortune of being born before Christ and were therefore unable to attain salvation even despite their virtuous life. It is a unique place in Hell, with a "noble castle" surrounded by a beautiful little stream, but a part of Hell nevertheless. Not all pagans, however, are in Limbo, only those who would practice the natural virtues; the rest are in Hell's torment proper.



In this game, Limbo does indeed have a stream, as well as a library instead of the castle. It is also heavenly blue.



Now, getting back to one of the questions from the beginning of this LP...


Unfortunately, I must admit I was wrong: I didn't remember this from my last playthrough, but most of the famous NPCs do tend to be Moaners. More effort apparently went into creating unique monsters than unique NPCs for some reason; must've been either some kind of memory limit or a rush job. I guess I simply wasn't paying attention to their looks last time I played the game. Oh well, let's just assume they all bemoan being in Hell.



The guards mistake us for a VP.



And Ulysses informs us Alan is being held in Capone's City.



Meet Ach-Chu, the one the Oriental Lady at Minos' Court told us about.



Googling Ach-Chu didn't bring up anything, so I can't say just who this guy is supposed to be.
Anyway, even though we choose not to recruit him at the moment, he keeps annoyingly following us around. Some nerve he's got.



A skateboarding punk rocker, huh? There was apparently a game called Skate or Die! released for NES in 1988, with this review telling us that skateboarding and punk rock were "inextricably linked during, as well as pursuant to, the time period in which Skate Or Die was made in the minds of the typical layman". The more you know.



Confucius throws some game-winning philosophy at us. And no, in case you're wondering, there was naturally no Confucius in Dante's Limbo.



The Moaner we come across in a building in the western part of Limbo is none other than...



Plato!
Also, a jab at the concept of anamnesis.

As you are walking away, you hear Plato mumbling to himself, "Why did I ever think of that idea anyway... Platonic relationships." He shakes his head pathetically.



A Wrist Rocket is conveniently found beneath the bed in the next room.



Aaron Burr also lives in this building...



...the pistols being a reference to the famous Burr-Hamilton duel.

Aaron wants some lead, and hey, it just so happens we're carrying the Basket o' Forks we grabbed, by pure accident, at the Court of Minos.



We now have a group target weapon called Police Special, which only has 6 attacks, and a Spiked Shield. Given that armour is easily destroyed, we don't equip the shield but save it for some particularly tough battles to come.

The cabinet next to Burr's bed contains his pistol sketches:



They are a part of a side quest -- a side quest with a catch, as we are soon to see.
Searching through the cabinet again is pointless:



So we just explore further.





Our exploration is rewarded with a Pistol. Better not think about where it's been, though.



Virgil is hiding in a not so easily noticeable spot behind the building.



"You can utilize technology of the time (submachine guns, grenades, weapons of wholesale total destruction) to get out! Do it!"

Virgil is as helpful as ever. "So did Carpentier" references Allen Carpentier, the protagonist of Inferno, a popular 1976 novel and apparently one of the influences behind this game.



A moaner we encounter in the northwestern corner of Limbo gives us a particularly cryptic advice.



Oh, I get it. RLS = Richard L. Seaborne. Must be an ego thing.



Another house with even more Moaners inside.



Benedict Arnold seems to have a thing against Burr... Or does he?



Um, no, in fact he has a thing against us.
The entire town turns hostile, so doing that side quest wasn't such a good idea. Oh well, choices and consequences. We reload and place the sketches back into Aaron Burr's cabinet:



Conscience, you say?



A moaner on the pot. Let's disturb him.



Uh, thanks I guess, but we don't need any more shovels.





A rock album straight from Hell. Can't pass on that.



A soothing sensation fills your body...

Another healing thingy, it seems.



Now approaching the Limbo Library.



Marc Anthony teaches Melee to Khan and Hamlet.



Whereas Titus Lucretius Carus is being, even after death, his usual materialist self.



Chef Alfredo instructs us in the basics of RPG (fetch) quest-doing.



And 9 Beachers are in fact...



Seneca!

...

Nevermind.



A woman tagged as "Enchantress" is actually the famous Helen of Troy. But... isn't Alison Richard's girlfriend?.. Must be some kind of misunderstanding there.



Probably my favourite sign in the game.



The library is green and full of NPCs.



"Where will it end?"

Thucydides tells us Hell currently has three levels, with Satan's fortress located on the last one.

"By the way would you like to learn how to use a bow? Let me give you a quick lesson." He quickly gives you a few pointers.

With that, Thucydides teaches Archery to Richard.



Our passive skills sure have improved.



Aristotle produces a syllogism to convince us we can escape. So thoughtful of him.



While Socrates provides a moral argument against that. Bastard.



A Singer seems to be enjoying himself in here.



None other than Nero, hey.



Nice, but we already learned Dueling at the Training Camp.



Tamerlaine warns us of fighting Arch Devils. Fair enough.





A... sound stage?



A number of Moaners and a stage in here indeed.



The above is a hint to obtaining a parachute. We're going to need one in order to reach the second level of Hell.



Heh, this is the closest you can get to knowing you SHOULDN'T steal Burr's sketches for Arnold.



Breaking the fourth wall, now aren't we, Cicero?

As we approach the stage...





Goddamn commercial breaks. Horrible creatures.



Outside the sound stage, there are three identical Temptresses roaming free.



They all look something like Cleopatra and have "Limbo Bimbo" written across their chests. Fascinating.



A group of six Roman soldiers advertise the many uses of ranged weapons. Those will really come in handy once we start encountering tougher enemies.



Shakespeare wants us to reunite Hamlet and Horatio. Well, maybe, or maybe not. It's all up to you, dear readers, because

IT'S VOTING TIME!

We must decide who we're going to take to Lucifer's Landing and then to Hell's level two with us. Without further delay, I present to you our contenders, introducing two new ones -- Dante and John W. Booth (the man who assassinated Lincoln), both wandering around the Hell Guard Training Camp.

1. Dante

Location: Hell Guard Training Camp







2. John Wilkes Booth

Location: Hell Guard Training Camp



Before joining our cause, he wants us to give him a Pistol.







3. Ach-Chu

Location: Limbo







4. Hamlet

Location: southern mountains







5. Horatio

Location: southern mountains







6. Ghenghis Khan

Location: City on the Edge of Eternity







7. Stalin

Location: City on the Edge of Eternity







Naturally, I'm going to improve the passive skills of new party members and grind 'em up a bit if necessary.
So here we go:

Ach-Chu
Dante
Ghenghis Khan
Hamlet
Horatio
John Wilkes Booth
Stalin

Pick any two of the above! The two most popular ones will join Richard in his escape to Hell's level two.