Part 14: 13. "I owe you one, Randam."

13. "I owe you one, Randam."

I guess the chapter title spoils who we'll be seeing tonight.



When we last left Gilian, he'd just saved a nameless woman from the clutches of a nameless robot.

Behind her, a set of stairs that led us to the roof. And hopefully, Purnet.







Wandering around this new pathway on the rooftop leads us downstairs...







...to a new pathway on the second floor...



Gilian: This architecture is brutal. I feel like I'm wandering in a maze.
Metal: That must be why Purnet chose this place. It's easier for a Snatcher to shore up defenses. This must be Purnet's safehouse.
Gilian: You mean he might have known I was on his trail?
Metal: The possibility, though remote, does exist.
Gilian: ...I suppose it makes sense. He might have seen me at the factory. Still, though. How'd he know I was in South Downtown?







...and we're led to a pathway to stairs to the first floor...



Oh, come on!







Gilian: 8 Junker's Rush? Metal, can you analyze this?
Metal: (beep bloop blip) Analysis complete. It's clean, Gilian.
Gilian: Why would there be medication here?

Because in regular RPGs, you get a save point for opportune upcoming moments.



This brings my total to 16. You'd think that'd be a lot of medicine, but it's actually not in this game.



Ugh. And the stairs lead down... to the basement! Those were some, ah, pretty scary ellipses, no?





Metal: I read motion. Someone is definitely in here.
Gilian: Computer terminals? Let's keep going.



Gilian: Whoa!
Metal: There is no need for concern. These robots are deactivated.



Gilian: I have a bad feeling about this.



Gilian: It's some kind of workshop. Purnet's creating robots down here.
Metal: Or possibly modifying decommissioned ones for the Snatchers' use.
Gilian: Then, he's almost definitely a Snatcher. Not just an assassin.







Maybe he didn't expect us to be able to infiltrate his impenetrable safehouse!

Even though there was that random woman just walking around.

...On the roof.



Am I nuts, or did Gilian know Jan for all of a day? I mean, I expect some level of vengance there, but he's been waiting so long for this?





Oh, where do I even begin? I can't. This is barely mangled well enough to fake itself as English-like.

All I know is "Wait, sucker!" is entering my phrasebook.



Welcome to our first Snatcher, Baran Purnet!

I, uh, don't really know what to say here. It's kinda silly to bring up problems with perspective in a game where people's heads are bigger than everything else combined, but ah... I mean his hands are as big as his legs! And his ears are as big as his feet!

And your menu barely loads when-



He escapes and just goes running!



You showed that machine, Gilian!









Oh no! Another boss fight! ...This makes like 3. Jesus, Konami-





Meet Naizu and Kashu. Note the stats. Uh, especially that ACC of 255. They're not missing shit. A 124 DEF rating means we're a long ways away from knocking down that lowest STR stat. And they've got more than enough HP that you're not even gonna care about the XP you'll get from them.

Let's try and self-destruct them. That seems like the best way through it, except...



One hits fairly hard and the other follows up the Bio-Weapon... so we have to waste a turn before we can heal. I'm going to spare you. You're not gonna hit jack in this fight. You're going to have to use Newtriz and Junker and HOPE you get a chance to fire a shot off.

Those 16 Junker's Rush I had are nowhere near enough for this insanely difficult-



Er, sorry?



















(Admittedly, I missed capturing this really fast laser line that goes through their heads before explosion a couple times.)





Gilian and I have the same question.







I can at least tell you that of all the major characters, we've gotten the mispellings out the way. The major characters anyway.











And now, off to increase our Junk Count with Randam Hajile!

Who is gonna split up with us.

This kinda annoys me. SD Snatcher has more than a few opportunities to give Gilian a partner, at least temporarily. But no, Randam pulls the "splitting up is safer" card that so many video game characters do.



I'll spare you - we have to fight back through some more of the apartment, but fortunately...



Gilian: Where's this door lead?



Back to that hallway from last update, that's where! It's a shortcut outta here...





...and straight to...



Joy Division for some much needed supplies. Dungeons tend to drain everything you have. In general, loading your guns with 200 bullets each (or 300 in your top two), 10 Newtriz and Jyro, and every single cent toward Junker and C. Killer will last you pretty well. But occasionally, you'll find an unbalanced dungeon or two that will skew that. Who gives a shit, really, though?

We've got Snatchers to kill.





So it's back to the Dice Shaker.



Gilian: No reason. Come on, Metal. Let's blend in. Back in the pocket.
Metal: Gilian...





Metal: Gilian, now?!
Gilian: Shhh. I'm trying to blend in.





Gilian: That's the clue, I need. C'mon, Metal. This is how we play slots...







If there's supposed to be a puzzle here, I can't figure it out. I got 3 Snatcher heads on my third try. So... yeah.



That opened the door. Let's do this!



After a wait.











Gilian: (Does he mean the trap at the factory or those two robots?)
Metal: (Shhh!)











Well, for being a big guy at two meters tall, Purnet's not the brains of the operation. Despite rebuilding robots. And like, being one.









Gilian: Good idea!
Metal: (Shhh!)





Amazingly, they hear Randam come in.









And for the final boss fight of this update...



It's Chin Shu Oh (we're not supposed to know his name yet - and also SD Snatcher spells it differently) and Baran Purnet. It's two-on-two...

Or it would be if the battle system accomodated Randam, which it doesn't.

Fortunately, right after the first shot...



Chin runs off. So now it's one on one.



There's... not much to write home about with Baran, though. ACC is controlled by eyes, STR by his mouth (cannon), and SPD by his legs. Just aim for the face and he won't self destruct because he's a boss. Now here's me taking him apart.

Junker style.















And with that...

Version Differences

- Random saves Gillian from Freddy Nielsen instead of two Baran Purnet robots in the original.

- This is the first we hear about Randam in SD Snathcer; before, it's in one of Gibson's files.

- Bounty Hunters are not ever mentioned before.

Relevant Snatcher Media

"See ya, Junker boy."

Junk Count: 1

End of Act 1.