Part 24: A Higher Authority.

Let's kick off the end of the game by blowing up some stuff.



So, obviously, the red square is our destination. The Krill Planet is short and looks easy but it's anything but straightforward.





The reason for that is these doors. The entirety of the Krill Planet is a warping door maze. Go in one, come out another and hope you're on the right path. It's not the hardest thing in the world to navigate but it's not easy either.



The battles here are all against Krill forces. We'll see almost everything we saw from the intro battle, just more powerful. The basic Fighter goes down easy but flies across the screen pretty fast.



The Bomber returns and does nothing more than soak bullets since it only drops bombs.



That purple thing is new. It's just a basic enemy though, taking one or two hits to die and doesn't have an attack.



The Heavy Fighter is dangerous because its bullets do fair damage and can take a number of hits as well.



The Agile Fighter flies across the screen almost instantaneously, making it hard to kill.

All the fighters drop fair amounts of EXP, ranging from 50 to 300 I think. You can level up pretty fast in this place, so if you get lost you'll get more levelups.



Complicating the door warps are numerous ladders, making this a vertical maze as much as a horizontal one.



At the end of each room is an open area with lots of Hen'nks on it. You can avoid or fight them, their real purpose is signaling the end of the room.



The Krill Mechs return, dropping 150 EXP on defeat. And that's not a new ship I'm flying, the nodes are just overlapping me.



In my practice run this ladder stumped me forever because it sits below the screen when you exit the door warp above you, while the wrong path is visible and goes away from the ladder. I was here for 30 minutes wandering around the room.



This thing looks like it could be dangerous but it's not really. Just shoot the center piece and all five will blow up, dropping a whopping 700-800 EXP. And whenever they show up, there are two more like them to follow, making for easy EXP gain.



In a hilarious turn of events, Recker can be summoned into the class of battleship that Psyme was piloting at the beginning of the game. You're invincible in this ship but can only attack with the turrets on top. Maybe switching to B weapon allows you to fire those homing missiles but I've never tried it. It's fun but slightly bugged. You can continue firing the gun during the Stage Clear screen and hitting A immediately puts you back on the planet with no flying off to the right animation. Still a cool little Easter Egg you can have happen to you.



Bomber is still the most useless but at least I'm a better pilot than the other Bomber pilots!



I warped down from a battle and landed on about 5 Hen'nks that had been swarming me before I warped up.





The Krill seen to be fans of pseudo-Gothic architecture, giving the backgrounds here a nice and somewhat appropriate feel.





The last piece of Gun Data is the Bullet Data, Max Power Shot. It adds +10 DMG to your attack strength and makes your bullet slightly taller. The ultimate bullet to bring to the ultimate fight. And with that, we've got 100% of the Gun Data.



Speaking of Gun Data, for the final battle I'll be switching out Air Quake for Super Vampire so I can get health back as I go. There's not enough enemies to guarantee a level up in there so I can't count on a health restore from one.



Well, this place looks different...



: ... Who's there?
: You've managed to infiltrate my private chambers Mister Recker.
: So you're the all powerful Overlord?



: Psyme!!
: But it somehow seems fitting. You have served my cause with such diligence. It is only fair that you should see the heart of the Krill Empire before you die.
: You've got to stop! if you wake up whatever's down there, you planet will be destroyed in the process!
: I see that you have spoken to the race of Iot. Or rather what remains of them.
: Yeah, and they told me everything. How your forefathers tore one of those creatures out of Earth and nearly destroyed it!
: Yes. One of our more benevolent acts. Had it grown to full size, you would not be standing in my presence today.
: What does that mean?
: When my predecessor exhumed the create from your Earth world, he already knew about the one dwelling within Krill. In retaliation he released the creature on Iot, the wretched beings that impregnated both of out worlds. Against a weapon of their own forging the fools stood no chance.
: They said you stole the creature from Earth for yourselves! That's why they planted one inside Krill!
: They lie.
: So you're saying you tore a hole in Earth for its own good? I don't believe you!
: Do I not show concern for me own world? Why else would my Krill return to your Earth in these recent days, other than to monitor the healing of the wound? When the creature comes forth from our planet, the damage we sustain will be much more severe!
For being the penultimate bad guy, he makes a lot of convincing sense...
: Then why don't you do something about it!
: The prize outweighs the losses.
Ah, there we go, evil intent re-railed.
: But your highness! Krill is our mother world!
: Ahhh, that was the sentiment of those weepy-eyed simpletons on the High Command as well. Rest their souls.
: You are a monster! Psyme! Listen to what he's saying!
: ...
: She will not be deceived by you again Earthman!
: Psyme, let's get out of here! You don't have to die here with this madman!
: The birth of a deity is at hand. I must prepare myself. Psyme.
: Yes...?
: Dispose of Mister Recker.
: ...
*A noise that sounds like a ship landing occurs.*
: What's that noise?
*Recker is suddenly warped away.*



: Sir! It's Commander Zelly! She must have summoned him into a ship!
: Take care of it.
*Psyme warps up to a ship.*



VIDEO: Battle Vs. Psyme

We are warped up to above the cities, where Psyme comes onscreen in the same class of ship she used in the beginning of the game.



During the fight:

: Now let's settle this once and for all!
: I won't fight you!
: You don't have to! You're going to die either way!!
: Look around! Your world is ending in chaos! You've got to fight the real enemy!
: I'm powering up weapons! Leave, or else!
: I refuse to lose you again! Psyme?! PSYME!!



You can defeat her in one of two ways. You can destroy the eyes at the bottom or the guns on top. I always take out the guns because that means less bullets being fired at me.



Guns destroyed, Psyme has no choice but to fall back as her ship begins exploding.

VIDEO: Final Boss Sequences + Mission + Ending
This video goes from now to the credits roll. It's 13 minutes, uncommentated, so read the screenshots for the commentary.

The Overlord's speech here is well written and I applaud WayForward for using diverse vocabulary but man is he long-winded. Read on and agree.
: I am surprised you were man enough to destroy her Mister Recker. I see that you, like me, would sacrifice your own to see you goals achieved. Exactly what I was hoping for. I will enjoy keeping your company on this blessed occasion. This life is too short for planetary allegiance, soldier. Soon the galaxy will be decimated, and once I have usurped its power, I will unleash a wave of destruction beginning with your blue, gutted planet. Everyone you've ever known, burned from existence.





: Ah, can you feel it? The pangs of birth resonate already through the first creature's deafening wail. The first planet is dying, Recker. A million forest beings eradicated as their world is crumbled about them to give birth to a new life. he comes first, the Sleeping Flesh.



: And he spills out into the cosmos, so also emerge his five brothers. Each clawing and carving their way to the surface of their own planet, decimating eons of life and history in the process. The destruction of an entire galaxy in the course of a moment. And now, like starving dogs they tear at one another's flesh. The dance is divine, and when it is complete only one beast shall remain.



: It is with him, the Flesh Deity who as we speak spills chaos on this planet, with him that I will merge and claim reign to the stars. In another moment, Earthman, you will be nothing more than another corpse drifting through my space. Your actions have been in vain. Already my creature is victorious, and having consumed the strength of his brethren, he now waits to feed on me. Can you feel him coming? Can you hear him calling for his master? Together we shall consume the universe!
*The Overlord floats up above the throne*



: I...
Will be...
UNEQUALED
IN POWER!
*Each line is punctuated by a fleshy limb shooting itself into the Overlord.*



This is not good.



Scarlet? I thought you were staying on the ship!



Christ woman, how do you always manage to get to these dangerous places unscathed? There were hordes of Hen'nks on the way here!
: This is the end!! Just hold onto me!!
: No... We have to do something!
: Like what?!
: I still have the virus... We can use it but we must move quickly!
: But Tierney destroyed it! I saw him!
: Trust me!!
: ZELLY! GET US OUT OF HERE!!





: We've got to find the heart of the monster!
: What's your plan?
: We'll weaken it... Create an opening into its bloodstream! And insert the virus there!



The final mission is populated with enemies from all previous parts of the game. They retain their original HP and attack strength though so if they're from weaker planets, they will pose no threat.



Even many levels higher and with stronger weapons these bars are still a pain.



Fire Planet enemies are among the weakest ones. Also, man the backgrounds here do a pretty decent job of conveying "fleshy cave".



This mission is split into segments. These blue swirls signal the end of one, warping you to the next upon crossing them.



Aw man, not you again! Somehow this guy is easier, probably because this arena doesn't have low hanging ceilings like the one on the Forgotten Planet did.



This guy is even easier, and I opted for the fuck it route and just unloaded bullets on him, despite the fact that he shoots every time you land a bad hit.



This last segment scrolls by at breakneck speeds, like a few missions in the past have done. Best thing to do is stick to the middle/upper-middle sections and fire like crazy.



Finally we come to what we're looking for.

: Is that... the Overlord?
: He's merged with it! That's the weakest spot! Destroy it!



The Flesh Deity is annoying as a final boss because he has HP like crazy. The battle in the video goes on for 5 minutes of me using VBA's autofire button nonstop. Plus he can regain life somehow, though I don't know how it occurs because it happened once at the beginning of the fight and then never again.



He attacks very passively. The biggest threat is accidentally touching him. Touching him is an instant Game Over so keep your distance. The other things to avoid are those tendrils coming out of the background, those red bubbles...



The eye laser that only fires if you're in the middle of the screen, and the vertical ropes that appear the further back you push him. He gets pushed back simply from firing at him a lot.



A second and third rope will appear as you push him further back. Once the third rope appears you must get ready to quickly jump back to the left because all the ropes will retract and he will move forward quickly, easily catching unsuspecting players off guard and giving them an instant Game Over.



Exhibit A.



Finally after about 5 minutes...

: We did it! It's now or never!





: Use the virus!
: I have to go now... I should have told you.
: Told me what?
: Earlier, when I ran away... I gave myself the virus. It was the only way I could think of to keep it safe. I'm sorry.









*Screen fades to white*



*Victorious music plays, Recker blasts off.*



The scene fades in, back on Earth.
: Psyme! Psyme! Wake up!
: ...moan... ... What... Where am I?
: You're with me. Safe, on Earth.
: I knew somehow... You wouldn't do it...
: I had to disable your ship. I'm really sorry. But it was the only way to give you a soft landing. If you'd stayed on Krill, you'd be gone now. I'm so sorry Psyme!
: I could... only stand there... and watch. He... destroyed everything Recker. You were right all along... But how did you defeat that... that thing?





: It was Scarlet... Her body contained a copy of the virus. She sacrificed herself to save us all from that creature.
: She carried the virus all along?
: No, I don't think so. She must have injected herself with it before Blune stole the sample from the Lab. It's the only explanation. ... I can't stand it! There must have been another way!
: Recker, some people... they hold to a higher authority. They realize there are more important things than just themselves. And when those people find themselves in dire circumstances, amazing things can happen. A seemingly insignificant life can save an entire world from chaos and ruin. It's wrong of you to dishonor her sacrifice. Accept what she did for you and hold her memory in high esteem.
: You're right... I just wish there was something I could have done differently.
: Were you in love with her?
: ...
: It's ok. you don't have to answer.
: ... You know, the first time I met you I didn't like you very much.
: Yeah?
: But once I got to know you, well... That's when I really wanted to strangle you. Now though...
: You find me irresistible. Hee hee... Come on, show me around this planet of yours. I want to see everything!





Camera pans upwards into space.



Credits! Not important but we have these two guys to thank for the game concept and creation.



Just a little thing I found funny. Looks like they've got a maniacal leader too.





Boxart picture for some reason!



This is cool. For the NewGame+, you can randomly play as the Sigma Fighter in random battles.



Picture of Psyme for 100% completion! Because why not!

And that's the end. But did you know that there's an ending that isn't as happy?

Alternate (bad) ending:

There's a real reason I don't shoot the cockpit when fighting Psyme.



The cockpit is really easy to destroy, much easier than the guns.



However, destroying the cockpit implies that you've also killed Psyme in the process, since you'd be shooting right into where she was.



The ship then explodes and falls DOWNwards off the screen.



Take your dirty 2000 EXP.

After beating the Flesh Deity, the scene will change.



Recker's all alone now.



: Scarlet... Psyme... Everyone I knew and loved is dead. Was there something I could have done differently? Were we always destined to suffer and die in this war? I thought somehow, after all was said and done... That we could find a way to be happy... I was wrong. If you're listening, please... Forgive me. ... Earth is safe now. This mission is over. It's time to begin a new life. A better life.

Poor Recker...

Luckily that's not the ending I chose for this playthrough.

But as Recker said, it still feels wrong. Like there was something that we could have done differently, something that could have saved Scarlet as well as Psyme. But what could it be? We did everything we could, found everything and even got the correct ending... Could there still be another way?



Join me next time for the NewGame+ update and the true ending.

-----

Ending Weapon Data:

: 25 - Double Sweeper. 2 Helper Nodes move horizontally at varying ranges.
: 20 - Max Power Shot. Adds +10 DMG to your current power.
: 26 - Super Vampire. On the 10th impact, significant health is gained.

Endgame Stats:

Level: 62
Attack: 72
Defense: 62
Time: 9:31 (As of last save), ~10:00 (As of end of game)