Part 19: Update Nineteen: Avast, Ye Sea Dogs!

Welcome back. Last time, on Super Mario RPG, we conquered Star Hill, got a Star Piece for doing nothing, and encountered a very creepy fellow. But, where are we going today? Let's get this show on the road and find out!



First order of business is to get the hell away from the creepy inn. There were a lot of shops around. Maybe they'll be less spooky.



Nope! Guess that was a pipe dream.



Well, why the hell else would I come here, ?



...You have the worst shop in the world. However, I buy a Muku Cookie, because when they're used in battle, they do some random shit, and I might play with that later.



Leaving that shop and entering another, we encounter this...Fellow. The hell...Is wrong here...?



In the middle of what he's saying, he runs over to the other counter to confer with his friend. I wonder why.



Aww, and here I thought pirates were known for their generosity and their benign nature!



A star you say? And pirates? Keep speaking, my good man. Or zombie.



Are you two talking about me? I'm right here, you know. At least wait until I leave the shop to complain about your customers.



Jonathan Jones? That's a good name for a pirate, methinks. And thanks for the warning on his nastiness. I'm sure I'll beat it out of him later.



In the next shop, we find this guy. As for what the hell he's doing up here, I have no clue. I'm more curious about how he knew we were collecting Star Pieces. And how many we had.



Well, that's useful. Thanks, buddy.



Go visit Grandpa Zombie, you say? In a bit.



Something is rotten in the city of Seaside Town, methinks.



The Elder's house is up here. Maybe he can shed some light on why his citizens all seem a little off. Was it Smithy?



Hey, you impatient asshole! I was at the Inn all night. Just ask the innkeeper, who was watching me sleep.







And that's all he has to say. Maybe he needs the star to help heal the town. He seems the most normal one left here, anyway.



Oh, a frog! Huzzah!



Is it racism if I say that they all look alike to me?



So, you're reading books in a zombie's attic. Well, noble venture and all, I suppose.



When's the last time you went downstairs? Seriously, man, there is a dude who I'm pretty sure consumes the flesh of the living not fifteen feet away from you.



Searching for the meaning of life and making a quick buck? I like your style.



Oh, my. The frog here has some nice things for sale.

See Ya: This lets you run from any battle. Not worth it to me, and especially not worth 10 Frog Coins.

Earlier Times: This lets you restart a battle. How useful it is depends on the situation. I'd never use it, so I'm going to skip it.

Exp. Booster: For 22 Frog Coins, I can double all experience one character gains from battle. Why must I be a slave to my audience?

Coin Trick: For 36 Frog Coins, you can double all Coins won from battle. Not worth it, even for 1 Frog Coin. Regular Coins are too easy to get.

Scrooge Ring: For 50 Frog Coins, you can cut FP use in half. IN HALF. Toadstool could heal the entire party for 2 FP. Mallow can electrocute all enemies for 1 FP. All skills, 1/2 off, for just 50 Frog Coins. I'll be back, my green friend.



But, for now, we're leaving Raccoon City, Mario edition, and heading to the Sea. Our team for this excursion is Mario, Bowser and Toadstool. Toadstool seemed fairly popular in the voting, and Bowser was coming regardless. You'll see why soon enough.



The room prior to this has a trampoline to get out with. That's all you missed in the entrance here. But, look at that guy in the robes.



He's a shopkeep. And he sells the best weapon in the game.



Since I'm a big fan of the Work Pants, I don't buy any of the new armor here. However, see those Hurly Gloves? Those are for Bowser. And they are, by far, the best weapon in the game. I'll show you why in a bit. 92 Coins, by the way, if you're curious what superiority costs.





Oh, so we get to go squid hunting, in addition to tracking down a Star Piece. Well, they all can't be as easy as the last one, right?



Don't worry. I'm in no danger.



In that room behind him, there's a savepoint and some chests we can't reach yet. We'll get those soon, though.



Great Googa-Mooga! Look at all those enemies, all the experience in this room! And there's treasure at the end!







I love this place.



I get most of the way through the next room before my Star quits on me. It runs out just in time to make me fight this battle.



These are Zeostars. In addition to being kind of cute, they have 90 HP, with mediocre stats everywhere else. Weak to Fire and Thunder, these things don't even rank on the Threat-o-meter. I'll be using them to show why the Hurly Glove is superior to all other weapons.



That's exactly what it looks like. Bowser is fucking throwing Mario at the enemies. I can't properly express how that really is.



I don't even give a shit the rewards suck. Like, I'll never use that Mushroom, but I don't care. Bowser fucking murdered them by throwing a portly plumber at them.



Those chests we spied earlier are here; a Frog Coin, a Flower and a full-heal Mushroom.



For some reason, I'm a really big fan of the way these Mushrooms throw that green healy effect across the screen.



In the next room, I fail to stay on land and fall in the water immediately. I'm a master gamer, have I mentioned that?



That whirlpool on the left is how we sink into the water. I guess diving is just too foreign of a concept or something.



But, in that last screenshot, you can see an exit. It's hard to see, but Mario's nearby it. Going inside leads you to a square and a few bubbles that will let Mario float back to land and hit this chest.

Max Mushrooms work like X-Potions. I have like, four in my inventory now. And five Kerokero Colas. And a few Red Essences. I'm set for just about anything.



Heading outside, we find some more whirlpool diving spots, and encounter some Bloobers. That's not a typo, by the way. They're Bloobers in game, and that was their original name instead of "Blooper".



I like them for one reason. They always seem to drop Lucky Flowers, and they give no Coins. You remember what that means, right?



Yep. Scored 16 experience from that encounter.



And it gave Bowser enough to hit level 15. He learns "Crusher" at this level, and gained an extra +2 Attack while he was at it. Quite a productive level, if you ask me.



The other new enemy in this area are the Mr. Kippers. 133 HP, with crap stats, and easy to crush. They're also weak to Fire and Thunder, but honestly, almost all characters have a half-decent shot of killing them in one blow.



We jump up the sunken mast to the top here. I found nothing else of interest in this area.



Naturally, it turns out to be a pipe of some kind. In we go!



We're now guests on a spooky sunken ship.



Apocalyptic logs? I see no reason not to take a look.



Ain't no "itchy. tasty" but it'll do. Before we head right here, let's investigate to the left a bit.



These notes are scattered about the ship.



Some offer clues and some, like the first one we read, are just there for flavor. I think they're a nice touch.



Speaking of touches, the Greapers here have a bad one. They have a lot of different magic attacks at their disposal, and they're fast enough they'll usually fire 'em off before you get to act.



That Reacher in the back is a ton son of a bitch. 184 HP, with bitchin' Defense. Weak to Thunder, and have a very low chance of dropping a Royal Syrup, which will restore FP to full. Their attacks, from what I've seen, are nothing special, but they can Mute a character.



For comparison's sake, I saw Bowser hit a Greaper for 220 in this dungeon later on.



They also have a chance to drop Defense Up Flowers, which is very fitting, I think, considering their own monster Defense.



Another of the Greaper's attacks, this one doesn't inflict instant death or anything.



Instead, if you'll look at Bowser's portrait, it inflicts Fear. Greapers are kind of a pain in the ass. But, with 148 HP and a weakness to Thunder, they're manageable. Though, that Crystal at the start of the fight? It did 12 damage to Mario. They've got some power behind that magic.



I like the Sunken Ship.



Toadstool snags herself another level, to bring herself up to 14. She gains an extra +3 Magic Attack, too.



Another of the Greaper's magic attacks. This one is single-target, too.





...Or maybe they got a lucky shot off on Mario. What the hell.



Oh, and if Mario is inflicted with a status ailment when Bowser attacks?



Bowser is the best. Also, Greapers drop Lucky Flowers sometimes.



I really like the Sunken Ship.



Geno hits level 17, and learns Geno Flash, his final special. He also gets a +3 Magic Attack to help put that new skill to even better use.



Another mysterious log. What are these six hints? They've mentioned it twice now.



Ah, hell. As long as I don't have to pop emblems in anywhere, I'm okay with this.



You may have noticed the skeletons in the last shot. Dry Bones can't be killed through physical attack. They literally have 0 HP. You need either magic or Pure Water to drop these guys. Anything else won't affect them and they'll remain forever, using their ineffective attacks.



Since I'll never use it anywhere else, probably. I like the look of Crusher.



Meh rewards, too. Oh, well.



In this next room, there's a staircase leading down and four Alley Rats patrolling it. I leaped past all of them for that chest. It contained nothing but Coins.



Greapers have a lot of fucking magic attacks. Blizzard hits the whole party, as you might remember.



The results are...Less than stellar.



Yeehaw! I drop the other Greaper and Alley Rats show why I tend to hate fighting them.



Coward! Stay and die like a man!



Unfortunately, this was an opportunity to double my Coins. Since I had max, I passed.



But, it was enough experience to get Mario to level 18. He learns Ultra Flame, his final special skill. He also gets a +2 Attack for his troubles.



That's a lot of Greapers. Guarding a lot of rooms. If you'll recall, there was a room back at the beginning that we never checked out.



On the way back, I encounter the Enigma's less assholish cousin; Gorgons have 140 HP and are weak to Thunder. They can Mute characters, or hit with Diamond Saw or Willy Wisp, neither of which they used.



After Bowser one shot the other one, I decide to cleanse the land with fire.



Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to drop that other Gorgon. Toadstool finishes it off, if you were wondering.





That's enough to get Mallow to level 18. He learns his last skill, Star Rain, and also gains +3 Attack. I wish it had been Magic Attack.



Back at the beginning, there's that door to the right that I skipped earlier.



It holds another apocalyptic log and a savepoint.



Crewman Vonnegut here is handling the loss of his treasure well.



Why, yes, I did initially skip this room because I thought it'd make a good stopping point later.

Anyways, next time, we solve the mystery of this ship and maybe we'll even meet Jonathan Jones, alleged pirate and nasty man. Stay tuned!