Part 31: Episode 30: Workin' in a Coal Mine

As we can see from Aya's enthusiastic mission recap, we're leaving Dryfield and heading off to our next major location!


Farewell, Dryfield. You may be run-down, filthy and crawling with exploding babies, but I'll miss you. You had far more personality than most ghost towns, and I enjoyed killing stuff in you.

Okay, that sounds weird.


Let's blow this Popsicle stand.


I don't know why, but Kyle is hyped as fuck for this road trip.

WARNING: Crazy Loud FMV. Sorry about that.


So, we get another 20 second FMV of a car leaving a garage. Dunno why these are necessary, but whatever. I do like that you can actually see Aya and Kyle through the windshield.




Yup, we sure did leave that place!


Oh, shit, a Disc transition! Well, that's less jarring that PE1's happening while you stand on a bridge, but still a bit anti-climatic.



Another FMV! Watch this one, it's pretty cool.


Ah, the Mojave at night. I always thought night shots of deserts were pretty but a little unsettling. Not sure why.




Well, maybe playing this game at a young age could have skewed my opinion of deserts.





: Fuck da Police!








Wouldn't be a Japanese game without a massively over-sized moon!






Okay, the baboon-faces were kinda weird, but the porcelain baby faces on the Chasers in this FMV are really freaking me out.






And here's the leader of the pack. Do horses travel in packs? Or howl at the moon? I think these Chasers are a little confused about what animal they are.


Sweet beard, bro.






Man, I hope they're running off to attack some OTHER plucky protagonists.




*CRASH*


Based on some sound effects during a black screen, we can pretty safely assume our car was trashed, and we are stranded.




Uh, no they didn't?






No way in the world did a Chaser get to Kyle, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he got hurt in the crash.




The coming fight is triggered by an invisible timer, so it's entirely possible to miss this little dialogue before you get thrust into combat.

Chaser Fightin' Music!


A lone Chaser bounds over the fence to attack.


It's easy to miss this, but you see that blackness down there? That's actually a cliff. And that means...






BWAHAHAHAHAHA, that never gets old! Yes, you can totally dupe the Chasers into running straight off the cliff. With a little patience and quick reflexes, you can actually finish this entire fight without ever even touching any of your attack buttons!


After killing the first Chaser, we get this brief little scene.





: Seriously, even at full health, you're about as helpful as an asshole on my elbow.


So, Kyle bows out, mercifully sparing us from an escort mission in the middle of a marathon fight.


So, let's see if we can't drop some more of these mutants off a cliff!


wait fuck


...


Okay, let's try that again.


Much better.


A little fucking around with our brand new M950, I remain unimpressed with its damage output, but it is kinda fun.


After taking down 8 or so Chasers, the onslaught finally ends.


lookit all those BPs


With all that handled, time for poke around for some flavor text!


Well, there's also massive claw marks across the hood, so... probably a little more than just stalled. Anyway, we're stuck here, wherever we are.


Looks like some sort of mine. Let's check out that shack there.

: There's a guard shed here. The door has been boarded up. It's been abandoned a long time.


Yup, definitely a mine.


uh...whoops.



: Somebody doesn't want visitors.

Well, let's head inside.


I hope he's dead


Oh no, moths!


and some more Chasers. How should I handle this...?


Oh, right, electric death!


Anyway, welcome to the Abandoned Mine


I...do not care for the Abandoned Mine. It is extremely transparent filler between the game's two major locales, and it is hugely boring. Think of it as the proto Final Fantasy 13, since it's basically just one long hallway with the occasional fight. Also, it's a mine, so it looks...like a mine.


Luckily, it's pretty short, with what little we've discovered on the map accounting for a full third of the whole level. That southern corridor is the only real branch, so let's scope it out.


Don't care, going south.




Well, that's annoying.


Yes, there is.


I cannot think of a single reason for this to be in the game.






It is an obstacle that is removed but simple examining it and pressing X. It takes two seconds to remove and makes no sense beyond briefly annoying the player.


Whatever, there's probably something rad down here, right?


Oh...




Well, this will certainly never come up again to solve a puzzle two rooms from now. Certainly not!


Boy, this mine sure is interesting!


Let's just move on.




In the next room along the central path, we are ambushed by mutant rabbits lurking in mine carts!


Yeah, Plasma is basically my Plan A for every situation at this point. It's pretty sweet.


Yup, that's all there is in this room.


Well, this looks slightly different.


Something about this bridge seems...off.





: That's a pretty deep gorge. I might be able to jump across, but the bridge doesn't look too firm. I can't even see the bottom...


Maybe it collapsed after he passed over? Yeah, I could believe that. Or maybe it collapsed when he stepped on it and now he's dead! That'd be okay, too.


Hmmm, how will we pass this gorge? If only we'd had found some sort of very obvious solution previously. If only!

I'm gonna need to puzzle this one out.