Part 41: Extra 4

Even though we're done with the game, there are still some things to show in this final Extra update. Firstly, I haven't shown the main menu screen at any point during the LP properly- it changes over the course of the game. Initially, it just looks like this, with the person on the screen changing each time you leave/come back (cycling between the main eight):



However, once you've done the initial route (i.e. the “Ending A” that actually happened with the real humans), this begins to glitch out, which is a clue towards the truth of what's going on. There is, also, a hidden easter egg image that sometimes happens where the logo changes to this when it glitches:



...Which is also a clue. (I only caught the image itself because it was a pain in the ass to get cleanly) Finally, once the game has been beaten and you've gotten Ending S, the menu permanently changes to this:



The old version of the game did something similar (minus the characters) but when you get Ending S in that game, the 'continue' button breaks permanently, and the menu looks like this:



It's always fun when VNs play around with the UI like this, especially if it's meant to hint at stuff in the story. Lastly, here's what the old flowchart looked like in the original game:



It looked a lot closer to a circuit board, which was probably considered too much of a hint (hence the change to make it resemble the metro station map in the remake).

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Here's the rest of the locations in the game compared to their old version:






















In the old game, the puzzle for the pool section is different, but it's not really solveable through text form, so I left it out of the update- it required you to rotate lasers to form a shape- specifically, the cross of the Empty S that's visible on Smiley's robes.










No point in showing the Stars, since it's a completely black screen in the original.

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And here's a compilation of what the cast looked like in the original game.



















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Lastly, there are a few small conversations we missed. The first one is on the dead end path for dark green, when we decided not to show Jasmine the message and instead would end up going to the science lab with Agnos. Last time, we talked to Jasmine; this is what the conversation is if we talk to Agnos.

BGM: Ambient Strain

I have a question for you.

Oh, by all means, go ahead.

Which stations were closed when you went up north?

The old man frowned a little, visibly trying to think about them. Was that genuine, or...? No, it was a little forced. He was definitely acting. The man knew more than he revealed, and his pause was telling me he was hiding something.



Is that where you left E?

Ah, yes, indeed. She asked for it, in fact.

Then I'm sure you won't mind if we head there and check up on her, first. I'm sort of worried over her, you understand?

That makes complete sense, of course. But...

Hey, what are you two plotting? You want to go check on the gymnasium and then come back for the laboratory? Won't that be impossible?

Huh?



Precisely!

I glared at Jasmine; she gave him a way out! What was she thinking?!

That way, we would be much better off stopping at the science lab first.

I sighed, shrugging in a very obtuse fashion. The train was arriving anyway, so our discussion was cut short, and after this betrayal it only reinforced my feeling of distrust towards Jasmine. What was she thinking...?

And that's that. Next up, when we go to the casino with Greta, we were given three options for what Simon thinks the station is going to be like. We went with, well, 'the casino', since that's what it ends up being, but here's the other two options:

BGM: Silence
-There will be a movie theater

It'll probably be some kind of theater. You know, to watch movies?



Maybe... but we won't be in a class or anything, I don't think. Though, I wonder if we'll be able to watch all kinds of movies there...

Yeah! Action movies, dramas, thrillers... Isn't there a theater on the other side, though?

I slapped my forehead at that revelation.

You're right. It'll probably not be a movie theater then. We should've gone the other way for that one... not that we'd have gotten to it unless two other groups would go first.



E-excuse me?

Yeah, movies for adults! Like documentaries!

The sweat I felt starting to roll down my forehead dried up in a split second.

O-oh, yeah, that kind of movie! Those are also, uh, really good.

What did you think I was suggesting, exactly? What kind of girl do you take me for?!

Can I please the fifth?

This isn't the United States, you can't!

I meant like, uh... anime?



Thankfully, I was saved by the gong.

-There will be a bunch of toys

Might be toys in there. Brick toys, maybe? Would it be like a child's room?

Oh, no... are we gonna have to play with mini figures?

Hey, there's nothing wrong with mini figures.

It's childish, that's all.

I tried to think of some point I could stand on to argue to the contrary, but the more I thought about it, the more she had a point.

What if we just left the figures where they are as decoration?



I mean... I guess I never really thought about it that way. They're just decoration!

I don't know. I'm not convinced. If I entered a guy's room and it had all these little people around, I'd want to turn around and leave right away!



The last conversation we skipped in the game is when we're going to the pool. We spoke to the twins beforehand, but this is the conversation you get with Jasmine.

BGM: Ambient Strain
So what's your plan?

My plan?

I get that we should care for the twins, but I feel like H doesn't really plan on coming back here. She put a lot of emphasis on the “together” part earlier. It was kind of forced.

Oh, you noticed that too. Yeah, I don't know... maybe we should've split up? But, well, kinda late now. As for my plan... Depends. If we can meet them again, then we'll be better off teaming back with them. If we can't... we just have to hope we can make our way out of here. And that's with or without the twins.



If we wanted to go get the police, we couldn't trust anybody to do it for us, unless they worked in the force and none of us here were policemen, except for Ray, possibly. Then again, counting on Ray was like counting on a sack of potatoes. If it came down to it, we definitely should be focusing on leaving as our first priority.

And that's it! There's going to be one more update coming pretty much immediately after this one that just contains the in-game lexicon; every time you saw a word or phrase in a different color, that was because it was being added to the lexicon. Most of it is just further explorations about the themes already discussed, but there are some character/lore details only found in there.