Part 10: The Hero's Journey
Update 10 - The Hero's Journey
We may know where to go now, but we still need to head into town to talk to all the townspeople and fetch our crew back! Let's mosey on in...
MUSIC: Tatango
Welcome to the town of Tatango! Already there are people at the gates ready to talk to us. First up is that cloud-link hybrid man.
Hi there, I'm a hero in training, as you can probably tell. My parents said heroics had no future, but I have to follow my dreams! So let me know if you hear about any, like, quests.
Heroic quests, huh? I definitely don't know about any of those. OK! That wasn't suspicious at all. Thanks anyway.Bard is NOT the best at sabotage and stealth, that much is for sure. This man is named Hiro, by the way.
I've been shopping for the good hero stuff, getting ready to make my big debut. Look out, world! Got my hero sword, and my hero haircut... All the pieces are there. HERO TIME, BABY! Just, uh, need some quests... heh...Competition, eh? Well good! I know who's going to dramatically turn up in Act 6 to be our arch-nemesis now!
Moving on to the girl standing next to him...
Don't tell anyone, but I actually ran away from home... I always wanted to travel the seas. But no one took me seriously because I'm a kid. So I took matters into my own hands. That's okay Sydney, we're Uhh years old, and no one takes us seriously either!
You'd never see this kind of stuff where I come from. It's so exotic! I love it. My parents are probably worried sick and I do kinda miss home. Stowing away on boats and sleeping in cargo is cool for a while. But sometimes, it is kinda sad too. Though it's not an adventure if it's easy, right? I'm sure I'll go back someday. This town seems to have a motif of adventurers and pirates. Unlike us, of course, who are heroes!
Hey! There's Penny and Francisco! We'll go talk to them since we can't talk to the man playing an instrument.
That was a pretty fantastic freakout you had last night from one coffee. You wouldn't last a second on our crew, hah. Well... I kind of am on your crew now. Right? ...I guess.Don't be too enthused about it Penny.
Normally I do the bean-selling, but I put Francis on the job today. 
Please don't call me Francis. I go by Franciso with everyone except Penny here. Because she's a deeply rude person with no respect for anyone. Thus how I can get him to do my bidding. ... Are you two... dating?
When I was a kid, I thought being a pirate sounded so dang cool. But you know what I'd like now? Some nice things, a comfortable life - most pirates don't get that. That's why I work my butt off for this crew. I guess I figured as a pirate I'd be finding buried treasure. But in life, it turns out the real treasure is... Friendship? No, coffee beans. People pay top dollar for this stuff.The turnabout on the joke is real good, even though the game does like to go to the well of friendship a lot...
I got put on duty to sell the coffee beans. Usually it's Penny's job... ... Ugh. I'm so bored. We're always drinking coffee, so we practically never sleep on that ship. I don't know how anyone can handle this without sleep, though. I want to stab everyone. In the face.It seems Francisco has discovered the joys of working a retail/food service job.
Would you like some coffeeeeeee beeeeeeaaans? Would you like some cooooooffee beeeeeeaaans?? Would anyone like some coooffeeee beeeeeeaaans???...I think we should leave him be.
Next in line is...
Oh my gosh!!
The cute monkey dances endlessly to the tune. I do like in games where the music in the area is coming from people playing instruments. It happened in Delphi, but it's also happening here. It makes the world feel more alive and less... gamey? Fake? Whatever word you want to use, it's pretty cool.
Is that a person with a bunch of bombs behind her?
Heya! Welcome to Anne's bomb shop! You want bombs? Cause that's... pretty much what I got! Why would I want bombs? Y'know, to blow stuff up! It's fun! I'll pass! Say you're out in the world... And ya see a big, suspicious looking crack in a wall. You'll wish you had bombs then! Cracks always mean treasure! That's a weird reason to carry bombs around all the time! Sheesh, what kinda adventure you on anyway? A cool one! With pirates, and singing, and other stuff too! But no bombs? Snore. We don't need bombs or explosives to have fun, lady!
The lady in the bonnet ignores us, but the uh... lady with standing next to her does have things to say.
Hi there, cutie. You look so helpless and adorable. Are you lost? Nope, I totally am not!!
I'm from far away too. I'm an adventurer, you might say. Oh, that's cool! I'm also an adventurer! Hehehe! I bet you are!This is... Yuu. She's a bit flirty, to say the least.
How's your adventure been so far? Ummm... good...? You know, really like, epic, and stuff... Fight lots of big monsters? ... You don't have to impress me. You're so cute as you are. Really. Good luck on your adventure, cutie......Moving on.
That building is where we need to go, but if we head further right towards the docks...
We find a singing spot! This isn't an important spot though.
You can sing here and get a different color fish depending on the color of your note. It's kinda neat, but ultimately kinda pointless. I still did it for a full minute though
Pictured: Me having fun.
Ok, enough lollygagging. Let's head inside...
MUSIC: The Crusty Bean
Ahoy to you all as well! We're in a good old pirate pub, ready to make some salty language!
This man seems like a nice enough fellow to strike up a conversation with!
Howdy-do there, whipper-snapper! We're not used to seeing your type in our little spot here. But don't you worry, we're friendly! Why not join us for a coffee?
Wow! Pirate Bernie!
The sea is a harsh place to make your living. There's no room to be mean in a world like that... This is our place, and time to be friends together. Let's cherish that. Bernie doesn't have much to say, but what little he says is awesome and a bit heart-warming!
Ok, now to make our way to the capt--
MUSIC: What a Jerk!!!
Uh
Cool it, Markus!!
We're cool! So step off, ya jerk!!
... ...Sorry about that. My wife recently left me... It made me feel emasculated, so I felt the need to assert my physical dominance... playing out my masculine insecurities, you see? Uhh... I'm glad you understand. I'll remove myself from the situation now.It's...O..kay?
What a jerk!!MUSIC: The Crusty Bean
With... Markus... taken care of? We can now go talk to the captain about the mermaids.
No prob. So I talked to a fortune teller... And she said I have to find the mermaids for my quest!
SFX: YAR
MERMAIDS, aye? Yeah, and some tear jewel... We have to go to "The Ruins" to find it!MUSIC: The Crusty Bean (slow)
Ever since the mermaids disappeared... A huge monster took over their old temple! That's why it's "The Ruins," matey! Oh. But... it's the only way to find the mermaids... 
*crowd gasps and yars*
We can't even tell you... How much we've all missed the mermaids since they disappeared! Their voices gave such life and magic to the sea...
Or worse... If you could really bring 'em back, you'd surely be a hero to us all! Hmm yes, the mermaids... It would be kinda cool... Finding out what happened to them...MUSIC: I'm Going With You!
SFX: YAR
AAARRRIGHT, matey! We'll help ya!
*crowd yars*
Come Nina! To the ship!
We've got our first true hero's quest! And a crew to help us through it! Just about everyone in the town just got some new dialogue for us, since word got out really fast about us saving the mermaids... It surely had nothing to do with a love-sick captain screaming it as he ran back to the ship, no sir!
First up, is pirate Bernie!
When the mermaids vanished, we were all left feeling despondent... We didn't even THINK about... actually doing something! We just started drinking more. Coffee, that is!I surely cant criticize that statement. Though it may not have been coffee...
Oh, how exciting! Bring the mermaids back soon, whippersnapper!We'll do our best not to let Bernie down!
Back outside, and Yuu has more words for us.
Ooh la la! Everyone's buzzing about a fancy new hero... Who's going to bring back the mermaids! That's you, isn't it?It may in fact be us! Who's to say...?
I've been on some adventures myself. But, if you find the mermaids... You'd be the greatest in the sea! Good luck...Aww, thanks yuu! You were a lot more tolerable than I'd thought you be.
Nex-
THE RUMOR?! ARE YOU THE ONE? WHO'S GOING TO SAVE THE MERMAIDS??? Um. Yes! AAAAHHHHHH!!! I WANT TO THROW MY KERCHIEF AT YOU!!! THAT'S WHAT DAMSELS DO TO HEROES, RIGHT?? I... I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE RULES FOR THIS! I'M SO WOEFULLY UNPREPARED! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I AM A BAD DAMSEL! That's okay! I don't really want your kerchief anyway.Jeez lady, we'll forgive you if you promise not to scream in our ears anymore.
Mother always told me... "Be prepared for the arrival of a Hero!!!" I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime... And yet... here you are!!! A true hero!!! Shucks! Well, I'll try my best!Bard, meanwhile, is really enjoying all this new attention he's getting. It's not going to his head... yet...
As we walk through the area, everyone reacts and shows their appreciation in some way. The damsel screams, but almost everyone will get a smiling/jumping sprite. It's pretty neat and I didn't even notice it my first time through.
Egad! What's happening? Everyone's gone nuts... Did you do this? Captain Lucas says we're searching for mermaids? What? Didn't they disappear years ago? I was fine just selling beans... Faced with the inherent silliness involved in hunting down mermaids, Francisco now prefers the dry mundanity of retail life. Truly, the life of a serious man must always be boring.
Captain says we're hunting mermaids now! You really got him all up in a frenzy. Almost as bad as that week we switched to espresso. Hoo boy... But I guess it's not a bad time to adventure. Bean sales are going swell. It'll be like a vacation.
Vacation or not, the mermaids must be found! Hiro and Sydney have nothing to say, likely upset that the TRUE hero has arrived!
Heck "Yeah!!" Let's find the mermaids!
Great, I'm done with this heat too. 
MUSIC: Sailing with the Coffee Pirates
SFX: YAR
Guide us with yer music! Don't forget to hold down any button to see the map, too.
Welcome to the travel screen for Act 3. We get a wide open area of land to explore with our ship and only a couple of places to actually visit. You can go anywhere at anytime, though some things are blocked off or just don't register until the prerequisites are met, the Mermaid's location, for instance.
Here's the map of the area. Lost Waterfall is the nexus point, with Mermaid Ruins our current objective. We'll still visit Turtle Shores, but at a later time. For now...
VIDEO: Sailing with Pirates
LET'S TRAVEL!
This little thing is probably my favorite part of act 3. Everyone all bouncing as they sing, the fish following behind you, the colors of the marks on the map corresponding to the colors of your notes, and Miriam's grumpiness. I really really love this!
Anyway, to Mermaid Ruins!
We arrive on the shore of the Ruins... with the captain quaking in his boots. Uh... what's wrong, captain?
This is where they used to live... It used to be underwater. They say its layout is fulla puzzlin' configurations. (And a giant monster). If only ye coulda heard the mermaid's voices... They're such beautiful creatures. And they built wonderful technology controlled by song... This place makes me beard hairs stand up... Be careful, matey! If you see the monster... RUN, aye?Oh... right, the monster. Well, we took out that troll, so I'm sure we can take out a monster too!
That was easy! We're already here! Just a matter of getting inside, finding the tear, and getting out!
Now to figure out how to get inside. There's a little song note, so let's try singing!
Specifically, we have to around the radial dial clockwise to open it. This place, and act, loves making you spin the dial for its puzzle solutions. Which is fine for the puzzle, but makes your singing sound like nonsense.
MUSIC: Mermaid Ruins
That's... some somewhat familiar dungeoning music.
The puzzles have already started, with us needing to get from the left to the right side. The levers on the stone's are the same ones on the outside, so if we sing along the radial wheel...
We can raise the platforms to be able to jump across them! The last one is a bit tricky, in that it's clearly broken. So it slowly falls once you stop raising it. To make it past the whole thing, you need to make sure that it's raised as high as it will go before you go run to jump across.
The platform gives you plenty of time to make it, so you don't have to feel rushed.
If we enter into the next room, we can make out a stairway above us, even if it blends in a little too well.
Making it to the top, shows us where we need to go, and how we need to go about doing it. The three middle platforms need to be raised so we can jump across.
Let's start with the first one!
The same lever as before is present so if we... whoa wait is that a treasure chest on the other side!?
Oh... I guess someone was here before us? Or maybe the mermaids took all their stuff when they left. It would be kinda irresponsible to just leave your treasured belongings behind.
Anyway, back to the puzzle. If we jump on top of the raised platforms...
There's a block in front of the door we need to leave out of. Since the platforms were raised to make it to the right side, let's shift them to the left.
Then we lower this barrier...
And then we return the platforms to their original state, and head across!
Once in the next area, we find an elevator of sorts that is run using the same lever as before. So, we just sing along the wheel again...
SFX: Puzzle Solve Sound
Yes you heard that right.
We are at the top of the elevator, so we can leave and...
We're back in the main hall. One pillar down, two more to go.
This one is a bit trickier, since we need to get this platform to the other side. We have to make sure that we follow along with the platform, if we go too fast, it'll go in reverse and does so somewhat quickly. So you could end up having to start over. It only takes a couple seconds to go back, but it can still be a bit annoying.
Once the platform is here, we just need to stand above it, so it will raise us up with it so we can reach the door.
Once in the next room, we have another elevator, which means...
SFX: Puzzle Solve Sound
Only one more pillar left, and we can find the Mermaid's Tear!
The next area has a platform suspended over water. If we fall into the water, we get Zelda teleported back to the door.
Once on top of the platform, we have to spin our way around the line its attached to until we hit the top.
After that, we've got like a second after we stop to jump over before the platform heads back to its original position. And it goes pretty quick!
Once on here, we can already tell the next one is going to have a bit of trickery to it.
Sure enough, we have to raise the barrier while continuing to stand on this platform, before we jump to the other platform. You can try and raise the platform while jumping, but if you don't get it precisely, you'll have to fall down and start again.
Once on this platform, its just a matter of raising it to the top and heading into the final elevator room.
SFX: Puzzle Solve Sound
And that's all she wrote! Time to finally advance into the inner chambers of this place.
Once in the next room we see...
A platform? But also a room without a barrier? Okay, let's check out the room first, and then the platform.
Oh crap! The monster! We found it!
]VIDEO: Giant Enemy Crab
...... It's... dead? Huh... okay.
There's a mighty big scar on its head... I don't think this was a natural death...
There's another empty treasure chest behind it too... Was there really somebody here before us? If so... how long ago before us?
It's weird... but we have to move on and find the Mermaid's Tear.
Back in the platform room, it's a simple job of just simply raising the platform...
...While avoiding the walkways above us. If you've ever played a mario game, it's like those sections that always sucked. But what made them suck, doesn't matter here because if Bard gets squished - he just makes this face and the platform stops.
Once the platform hits the top, we just have to open the contraption above us through song to get through. It opens and closes depending on the direction we sing, so spinning the dial is counter productive.
There it is! The Mermaid's Tear!! It's still here!
The Tear belongs to us! With the monster dead, and the tear in our hands, this has been a successful quest, I'd say!
We seem to be on the roof of the ruins. Huh. Well hopefully this is a shortcut down/
MUSIC: Rooftop Slide
VIDEO: Rooftop Slide
Here's a skating minigame to finish off the area!
It's... a skating minigame. You've played a video game before right? All you do is go down the hill, and jump to collect these coins along the way.
Along the way, you'll see the levers that were in the ruins. If you spin the dial, you'll raise a ramp which will let you get up to the highest platforms and get the coins worth more.
That said, I don't know what the coins do, or even the purpose for this, outside of it being a downtime mini-game.
When we reach the bottom... Mask is here?
Hey hey hey no, wanderer. Sweet moves. 
You can retry and do the slide as many times as you want. I don't know if there's some secret hiding within, as I did it like 3 or 4 times and got as many coins as I could without anything changing.
So let's stay right here.
Cool. I've been wanderin' this ocean. It feels beautiful to get lost... I like not knowing where I am. But there's one island in particular... Well... maybe I won't say too much about it. Some things are best discovered yourself.Ah, a secret huh? We'll definitely have to find that next time we're on the boat. But first... we need to make it back to the boat.
And we're back at the entrance! We survived the Mermaid's Ruins and we've got the tear! Looks like this being a hero thing is pretty easy for us!
SFX: YAR
You're alive! (Are you alive?)
There's only one choice here, let's be real.
... You'd be a terrible ghost, matey.But we'd be a great banshee!
I found the tear!!! Really? I think. So you escaped the clutches of the monster! Actually... I think it was dead when we got here! That's impossible... Unless... someone, or something was here arready...? The thing I got doesn't look like a tear, either. Hmm. Then you may have just a piece. A classic case'a multistep heroic quests! I have no idea where the rest would be... But it's out there somewhere, aye?
We are done on this cursed island. We'll head back to the ship and travel around and try to find the other piece of the Mermaid's Tear...
Nothing is ever easy, is it?
