Part 55: Episode 54: In Which I Go Mad With Power
Previously, on Parasite Eve 2, I acquired a truckload of super murder bullets AND a portable laser cannon. But before I rush off and see my enemies driven before me, we start off with some incidental stuff I missed earlier. Y'know, like I do.
That seems like an odd question to ask an officer of the US military, but hey, you're the protagonist.
No shit?
Granted, most of my knowledge of army protocol comes from Aliens and M.A.S.H., but it seems really odd and unnecessary to change a dude's rank based the mission he's currently overseeing. But then, these guys did give me an infinite supply of grenades, so he can call himself a Modern Major General for all I care.
: I made the decision to save you, but I can't do much more. I'll contact you if we find out anything about your colleagues. You and I are both concerned for our subordinates.
We can also scope out the Lieutenant's internet history.
But he doesn't want us to find his Starship Troopers fanfiction, so why don't we take a look at those important looking papers on the table?
Bugging NPCs probably shouldn't amuse me as much as it does
Anyway, with that out of the way, we can charge headfirst back into the Shelter. Hell, we can just go straight to the Final Boss now if we want to. But we have some things to take care of first.
First, we can use Eve's teddy bear on Flint. Naturally, if Flint died back in the Burner fight, this bear is useless.
Of course, since none of us are scrubs here, Flint's alive and we can use out canine companion to reap some swag rewards.
Okay, so I know it looks like the dog is just standing there like an idiot, but Flint will now follow us into the Shelter and lead us to a nice little side scene.
Let's talk to this dude and head in.
: I was in New york during the incident... on vacation. A bad vacation spot in retrospect.
: Oh, you were there for that? Did you see the part where I fought a T-Rex?: Err...no, I was actually evacuated before--: I punched it to death. Right in the face.: Oh? That's...well, anyway...
: I haven't done anything to merit such gratitude.
: Well, not literally. I was actually fighting a sentient evil organelle that grew out of my dead twin sister. And this time, it's more like clones of me and my dead sister/evil monster lady, I guess? But I mean like an internal struggle against--: Hey, that's great and all, but I really gotta get back to standing here and staring. So uh...good luck with...with all that.
Anyway, the dude also tells us that Dryfield and the Mine and all that has been locked down, but that there's still Golems lurking around in the lower levels of the Shelter. I kinda fucked up the capping of that incidental dialogue and didn't notice until just now, so my bad.
Let's head back inside!
Despite our new doggy friend, the tunnel back to the garage is unchanged and completely uneventful, since none of the Golems have respawned.
So let's jump ahead. You have to take the car back to the Garage, you can't hoof it. Now that I think about it, I honestly have no idea how long this tunnel actually is. That helipad could be miles away from the Shelter proper.
I mean, these guys did spend God knows how much on a subterranean monster zoo. They could have that crazy tunnel from Willy Wonka installed in there for all I know.
: This is Lieutenant Grant Speaking. We don't have details yet, but we've received orders to withdraw.
That does not sound good.
: I'm sorry, we have yet to find him.: ...I understand. We won't get in your way. Comeback as soon as you've completed your objective.
Well, we'll just promptly ignore those dire warnings and proceed to do whatever the hell we want. Because there's no actual time limit, and I have some Golems to fuck up.
Oh yeah, almost forgot about this. If you're going for the good ending, remember to scope out the Golem Freezer after chatting with Jodie.
Inside, we can find some sort of frozen wiener?
Oh. Or Pierce, whatevs
: So cold... Where...Where?: You're in the shelter.
Pierce scrambles to his feet.
: ...they came rushing in.: It's okay. Baldwin's behind bars.
: That's a relief.
Now just saving Pierce here doesn't quite mean you're done. He actually has a bit to say, and you need to hear him out. I only mention this so that you don't get to this first little pause and then rush off and
: Better than being one of THEM...
I'm not sure if this awkward pause is Aya lamenting the fact that "THEM" is referring to what are kinda sorta her clones, or if she's trying to decide whether to tell him the fun facts she learned about the Mind Sucklers that attacked him earlier.
: Thanks, Aya. That's twice you've saved me.: I'm sorry. This is all my fault...
whoa, this is getting pretty anime for a game without Maeda, guys
: I... I just...
Aya steps forward, and the screen fades to black...
But it turns up she was just givin' Pierce a recap. I know he's an easy target, but this is still funny to me. Plus it always nice when the game makes the joke for me.
: Wow... You've been through a lot. It's like you want to finish this yourself. Leave the cleanup to me. You worry about Eve.: Okay.
Aww, and it still ends on a sweet moment
After that, Pierce has a few more incidental lines, but they all boil down to "Get going and finish the game, doofus!" Although, the line pictured might be my favorite line in the game for how goofy it is.
Alright, let's go kill us some Golems!
oh wait, we gotta do that thing we brought Flint to do first
Just outside the decontamination room, we find this crispy critter chillin' out with a pair of grilled Golems.
Without Flint, this poor guy is dead and gone by the time you get here. Luckily we brought the miraculous healing power that is dog!
Really, Aya?
: Who's there?: I'm an FBI agent.: I... I can't see. A radiation leak up ahead... So sudden... The heat... I took quite a hit. I'm done for.
Aya sez: "Walk it off, ya pansy."
Honestly, Aya's pretty hilarious throughout this cutscene. "Oh, those aren't radiation burns. They're just your cells themselves burning from the inside."
: Your sight should return soon.: You sure?: You'll be fine, I promise.
: You're kinda bumming me out, to be honest.: Hey, don't worry. The pain's goin' away, just like you said. I'll be able to walk, once I can see.: Flint...
This update is just full of
The cutscene boots you out to the next room, but we actually want to go back in there because Aya has some interesting stuff to say about those dead Golems.
Also, Flint has already led the wounded soldier to safety because nothing is faster than a dog.
: It's all charred. What could generate that amount of heat? Did Eve do this? Putting on that helmet must have caused Eve to...
Jesus, Aya, the poor dude already burned to death, there's no need to rub salt in the wound.
: Eve... Is she really this powerful? If she keeps using her energy like this, she'll burn herself out. A candle, burnt to a stump.
Yeah, we should probably go do that, but I can't help but feel like something's missing here...
THERE we go!
But now, it's time.
It's time to accept my calling...
To go on a ravenous Golem killing spree!
This is the Javelin Laser. It fires a constant stream of damage for a few seconds, and you can even sweep it across the room for dramatic effect. It also pierces enemies. In the above image, I'm hitting a Pawn Golem AND a turret on the wall that I didn't even know was there!
The constant damage and piercing effect also makes it damn effective for dealing with Rooks and their irritating shields. And as an added bonus, it is a laser gun
But our trusty AS12 shotgun and our new supply of Rifled Slugs easily steal the show. Did I mention that R.Slugs have a 100% Critical Rate against Golems? Cuz they do, and it's wonderful.
At close range, two shots are enough to kill a Golem. ANY Golem. Pawn, Rook, annoying ass Knight; none can stand against Aya Brea and her magic murder gun
Oh shit, it's a Bishop Golem! Bishops are basically Knights on Steroids: they have the same teleporting/cloaking gimmick, but nearly twice the HP and able to dish out WAY more damage with a single hit. Generally, if you are dying at this stage of the game on normal mode, it's because of a Bishop.
If only I had some sort of weapon designed to completely flatten Golems!
oh wait
Actually, Bishop Golems are my favorite Golems. I'm not fond of actually fighting them, but they give the most BP/EXP of any Golem AND they always drop a Protein Capsule. Max HP up plus a Full Heal? Yeah, that's worth a minute or so of frustration.
The Neo Ark has been repopulated with Golems, too.
I decided to fix that.
Livin' on the edge
jesus fuck i love r.slugs so goddamn much
At about this point, I realize just how much EXP I'm racking up, and decide that y'know what? I'm not quite overpowered enough yet.
Lemme just max out Combustion and...
Yes, that all sounds very good to me, gimme gimme. Inferno is the third Fire spell, and believe it or not, you've already seen in in use. In Parasite Eve 1.
Remember that thing old Eve used to do to...well, everyone? Yeah, we can do that now. It's not as practical as Lifedrain, or cost effective as Apobiosis, but it does allow us to burn our enemies from the inside out.
600 damage at level 1
fuckin' love this game so muuuuuuch
Ahem. After I have finished littering the Shelter with mangled corpses, I figure I should head back to the garage and see what rewards we reap for saving that soldier earlier.
Oh hey, an army truck moved in.
No way in balls is that guy's name really "Ironheart".
: He's on a transport topside with your pet dog. Thank you.
So, our reward for saving Jeff Ironheart is two new guns added to the shop inventory. They are both very expensive, but very flashy.
The first is this massive fucking M249. As tempting as it is to go on a Commando inspired rampage, I've kind of already killed everything but the end boss. Plus, it can only fire boring old 5.56 rounds like our Assault Rifle, which makes it way less cool than our multipurpose shotgun of devastation. It is, however, great fun to fuck around with if you can spare the BP.
And the other bonus gun is...
...oh my goodness. Is that 12 round grenade revolver?
Sweet merciful crap, it IS a 12 round grenade revolver! I...I think I need to go lie down.
Next Time
We go through that door, and face The End Game.