Part 20: Intermission

Update Twenty: Intermission
Alternate title: Mother, I Believe in Second Chances and That's Why I Believe in You







Since we last saw our him, things haven't gone well for Leo. Left cold and alone by the wayside, he now faces the possibility of eternal irrelevance. Before we see what happens next, let's retrace our steps and see how we got to this point





Let's go to the very beginning of the timeline of events. Eighty years ago, Leo's great-grandparents, George and Maria, lived a normal life. That is, until one day where the two of them vanished from the face of the planet. After George reappeared two years later, he tirelessly spent time researching PSI until his eventual death.

This intro just doesn't seem like important information, but if you stick around, you'll see just why it matters, but that's for another time.






Leo began a day like any other (although with a bit of an identity crisis, calling himself Barry), until his lamp suddenly came to life and attacked him. After taking care of himself, he quickly protected his sisters from a lamp and a doll that came to life in a similar way. There was something special about the doll after the fact, though.






It played a simple melody that Leo couldn't help but memorize.




With the melody secure in his mind, Leo talked with his mother and then his absentee father. With little to no apparent reason given, Leo's father urges him to embrace the adventure of a lifetime and leave home.






So he did.

After setting out to rescue the lost local girl, Pippi, Leo found that nearly everything in the world was turning strange. He even had to fight zombies to rescue Pippi from the Mother's Day graveyard. In the town's department store, a baby canary was found on sale, but the clerk as so inent on being rid of the sad little bird, it can be had for free. Some (like me) would be a little too willing to walk away from that part of the store since it's not entirely obvious one would really want to spend time there.

A short trip to the nearby Canary Village afterwards nets...




This one has some chirpy noises first.

...the second melody. Still no context yet, but one might as well get these things out of the way before they become a nuisance.




All of the craziness around even got to the Mother's Day Zoo. Crazed elephants, lions, and other wildlife abound, Leo pushes on to try to get things sorted out.






As it turns out, there's a distinctly other-worldly presence on the premises. With that bit of trouble settled, the immediate area of the Zoo is considered better.






Now Leo can visit the famous singing monkey for the third melody.








To finally leave the area around Mother's Day, Leo came across a strange stone that seemed to speak to his mind. With a little help from George's diary, Leo was swept away to a magical land called Magicant. Aside from various swimming cats and people in strange, almost whimsical clothing, there was one person present of great importance in Magicant.












Queen Mary. She tells us of the relevance of the melodies so far and why we want all eight. They're the building blocks for a song she wishes to sing, but has long since forgotten. She doesn't even seem to know why this song is important, but she begs Leo to find the melodies and help her remember.




Upon leaving Magicant, Leo found himself near the town of Thanksgiving. The main thing to note here is that Leo came across his first companion for his journey, Champ.






Sure, he was hiding in a trashcan and it took a bottle rocket to convince him to join Leo in his adventures, but a friend to share the burdens of the journey is always welcome.




Their first stop together was Duncan's Factory to clear some railroad tracks. The less said about this place, the better.






A short stop in the incredibly unimportant Reindeer netted the friends a girl's hat for almost immediate use after then going to Snowman.






Here, the boys meet Merry, the psychic powerhouse. She joins as soon as you bring her hat from Reindeer. Fun fact: if you visit her first and then get the hat, the woman will mention her by name.




Over in the town of Halloween, things aren't very good. A Starman is running the hotel, people have been chased out of half of town by monsters, and the Rosemary mansion is even worse off. The Rosemarys have a piano that needs a visit, though.






Mainly because it has the fourth melody. Halfway there.




A trip to the far north takes the party to a desert. The man here has not only the only plane we're seeing during the game, but a tank. The first plane ride you take shows off the big important thing you need to find here, a cactus with a face.






Which holds the fifth melody.

After riding enough and earning the tank, Leo and gang find themselves heading over to a monkey-filled cave that eventually takes them back to Magicant through a different route. It's typically here that players will find their main character around level 25, so the game effectively unlocks the keys to beating it since you're closer to capable of dealing with some horrible monsters ahead.




At level 25, the bard in Magicant makes sure you at least have some clues as to where the melodies are.




You can also finally fight a derpy dragon.






For the sixth melody.






Leo and company find themselves just outside the town of Easter upon their exit from Magicant. Here, the entire town is populated by children, as their parents were all taken away. The parents must be fairly close as it must be hard to move that many people too far with the lack of vehicular transport present in this area. The only important person left is a baby with the ability to teach the ability to teleport.




A short journey through a swamp and meeting with Pippi for the first time in quite a while takes our heroes all the way to the big city of Valentine, full of gang members.





So that brings us to the present. Leo has to muster all of his will to continue on this arduous adventure, but he can manage it. To do so, however, he will be reborn as Mark, alongside his companions Isaac and Lisa.


With all of that out of the way, shall we?


Next time: we see some things that were originally missed and actually make some progress.