Willows

==Willows==
Willows is a game for the Odnetnin Switch. It follows the story of an extremely tall boy named Stanley Willows who, after getting into a plane accident, must find his parents and make his way home, while meeting up with allies along the way.
===Gameplay===
The gameplay has Stanley and his allies explore a wide world in six different environments, each with new and exciting things to do. The quests in this game are also quite differentiated, meaning there's many unexpected turns to the story and the people you meet! However, once you engage with an enemy, the game will initiate a combat phase.
In combat, your team and the enemy team will be placed in a wide open area. On your turn, you get the option to move to a certain point anywhere in the specific character's radius. You also get to use attacks, which affect their designated area and you can pivot your characters to aim them. Moving and attacking can be done in any order, so you can use an attack at the start of the turn if an enemy's close enough, then retreat. One of the main aspects to this system is you not only have to plan your current turn, but also employ strategies and predict your opponents. Otherwise, you might see your enemies escaping your reach and overwhelming your team.
Your team can reach a maximun of three individuals at a time, each with their unique quirks and abilities. You recruit allies along the way, with a grand total of 7. To make sure allies can be freely changed and to ease grinding, allies not being used will gain a little experience after each battle. Stanley himself will sometimes be mandatory for important events. Moves will also be unlocked as your team levels up, and in battle, each member has a moveset of 4 moves. In the overworld, you can swap out moves and members on the fly.
==Prologue==
The screen cuts to an airplane flying through the sky before getting an interior shot. Most of the passengers appear normal, though there are some who definitely stand out from the crowd. Most notably, near the back of the plane, is someone who's having a hard time squeezing himself in the seat...      
Stanley Willows! This tall guy is... definitely not entirely human. Characterized by an impressive height of 8'4 due to abnormally long limbs; and he's got four hands, he's literally standing out from the crowd. His personality is shy and reclusive, as he was made fun of during his childhood and teen years.
Sitting next to him is...
His father, Pedro. He's... literally the most normal guy you'd ever meet. He works in psychology and psychiatry, and in this cutscene he is seen comforting his son with an arm around him.
Pedro:"So... how was the trip? I'm sure it was quite nice overall!"
Stanley:"Y-yeah... I had... fun... I guess..."
Pedro:"No... don't feel bad... you definitely looked like you had loads of fun over at the beach! You make a pretty good swimmer!"
Stanley:"T-thanks, dad..."
Pedro:"Now... how about you, Stel-"
Stella:"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It was AWESOOOOOOME!"
Everyone in the plane stares at her. She has her arms up and her wings fluttered excitedly.
This is Stella. Stanley's mother, and the reasoning for Stanley's... uniqueness. While the height was simply a case of a deformity, Stanley acquired his extra arm pair from her. Stella comes from an ancient race of humanlike people with extraordinary control over light, but no one really knows much of the details of this race... not even her.
Stella then begins rambling about all of the WONDEROUS TIMES she had, including some... pretty wild bar shenanigans. And she goes on about the fact that she somehow managed to drink four dozen beers in one sitting. Impressive! But this rambling is cut short...
By a part of plane suddenly exploding off.
Stella wasn't in her seat, so she was almost instantly blown away. Stanley and Pedro try to reach out, but fail. Don't worry... she has wings! She'll be fine... maybe?
Pedro clings onto Stanley, who does the same. Suddenly, another part of the plane rips off... which includes where Pedro was. He tries to cling onto his son, but the suction was too much and he's sent tumbling.
Stanley:"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"
Pedro:"STANLEEEY!"
Stanley then proceeds to brace for impact... and the scene cuts to an explosion. When the dust settles... Stanley picks himself up, wheezing in pain. Oddly enough... he's not hurt much... save for the arms coming from his back being broken and rendered unusable. He climbs out of the wreckage... looking around at his surroundings... and finds himself in the middle of the forest. Now... he's alone... or so he thinks. He soon sees... trees moving? He carefully walks closer...and as he gets closer...
Is that police tape?
END OF PROLOGUE
==Chapter 1==
Stanley:"Hello? Hello-agh... gh... hello?"
One of the trees stops and points what appears to be a wooden gun at Stanley.
Tree:"YOU! HANDS IN THE AIR! This area is under investigation by the LeaFBI! State your business!"
Stanley freezes before raising his working arms. He struggles to say something under the pressure of this police officer pointing a gun at him.
Tree:"I don't see all of 'em up! State your business or we will have to use for-"
Another tree shows up and swats the gun out of his hands.
Tree 2:"What the hell, Jake! This kid is clearly a survivor! Stop being so paranoid!"
The first tree grumbles and walks off. The second one turns to Stanley.
"I am so sorry... sometimes Jake ends up making things out to be the worst-case scenario."
Stanley:"W-what's going on! Where is my family! What are you doing!?"
"Hush now. You're safe here. Plane crashes don't exactly go unnoticed. As for your family... we do not know. However, we do have teams sent out to recover lost passengers. As of what exactly we're doing, we're investigating."
Stanley:"I-investigating... w-what?"
"Perhaps the plane crash isn't as much as an accident as it may seem..."
Stanley:0_0
"Through testimonies from other survivors, we have seen that it is likely that this crash was intentional. Jet engines can blow up, but not the actual side of the plane. We are looking for clues as to who caused it, and perhaps afterward, we could find out why."
Stanley:"I-is there... anything I can... do to help...?"
"I am afraid this police work is a little advanced for you as of now, so I suggest taking an escort to your home. Baobab should be available... should be that way."
He points.
Stanley:"...uhh... thanks... I guess..."
He hesitantly walks off into that direction. This is when you first take control of Stanley, going down a series of pathways. Nothing too special around here, and most of the environment here is closed off by police tape. However, you can open up the menu and see Stanley's stats! Nothing too special, though. He has no equipment equipped, and only has two attacks: Light Punch, which has him punch forward and knock an enemy back, with good melee range and low energy cost. Light Blast goes a long way, does more damage but uses more energy and has no knockback. He will get more moves later. You also don't have anything in your inventory... unless you explored a bit and found an item crate with 3 Health Berries! You can also get a goodidea of Stanley's statspread: average HP, good offense but low defenses, making Stanley fittingly a good long-range character in conjunction with his attacks.
Soon, Stanley makes his way over and he starts hearing... some rustling?
?:"HEY! HEY! YOU DARN LOGS GET BACK HERE WITH MY DONUTS!"
Stanley:"H-hello? A-are you... Baobab?"
?:"..."
Baobab:"Indeed I am... and these guys just can't catch a break!"
Stanley:"You mean... those log things?"
Baobab:"Yeah! Those guys! We call em "Wudli!"
Stanley:"A-all right..."
He approaces them cautiously... and the Wudli strike! The screen and music shifts and changes and places Stanley, Baobab and three Wudli in a circular arena.
Stanley:"W-whoa! W-what happened!"
Baobab:"Ah, great. It's a Battle! Hope you got moves..."
Stanley:"M-moves!? Like what!?"
Baobab:"Like... uhh... walk up to that one and punch it in the face or something! I dunno!"
The game then directs you to have Stanley walk over to a Wudli and use Light Punch.
Baobab:"Yeah! Like that! Now it's my turn..."
The game directs you to have Baobab walk up to another Wudli and use Wood Baton. Things to note are that Baobab's movement range is lower than Stanley's, and Wood Baton does higher damage. Instead of knocking back, however, it causes the Wudli to get a debuff to its movement range for two turns.
Baobab:"Here they come!"
Stanley:"Wha-"
The Wudli then begin their attacks. They either run up to the two and hit them with their heads or shoot a nut at a safe distance.
Stanley:"Owwwww..."
Baobab:"You'll get used to it, kid... now let's do this! Try hitting that one!"
The game directs you to fire a Light Blast at the undamaged Wudli.
Baobab:"Yeaaaaah! Like that!"
The game then directs you to move and use Baobab's tazer to hit said Wudli. It does low damage, but has range and also restricts movement.
The Wudli attack.
Stanley:"Agh..." (If hit)
Baobab:"Great! Now you got the basics down! Now let's finish them!"
Upon winning a battle, you recieve rewards like coins, exp and sometimes, loot! The loot will vary depending on the enemies you fight, so it might be worth battling a wide variety of enemies in the future and get equippable items which will boost your fighting ability. In the case of these, you might end up with an Acorn Shell, which will increase your resistance to ranged attacks.
After the fight, Baobab recovers his donut box.
Baobab:"Thanks, kid. Couldn't have done it without ya."
Stanley:"Owwwwwwwwwwwww... y-you're welcome?"
Baobab:"Alright... I uhh... think I know what the deal is... you want me to escort you home, is that correct?"
Stanley:"Y-yeah..."
Baobab:(Figures... why do I get all the boring stuff...) "Do you know where your home is?"
Stanley:"Yeah... it's on... uhh... how do you get to 566 Otonne Street from here?"
Baobab:"No clue... my phone went missing... how about yours?"
Stanley:"Oh... it's in my...
...
what? I-it's not here! IT'S NOT HERE! How am I gonna get home? How am I gonna get back to my family?"
Baobab:"Now now... no need to panic... but guess there's something we gotta take care of... you up for it?"
Stanley:"...uhh..."
Baobab:(Perhaps this could finally be my time to prove myself...) "Does seem you don't have a choice... come on... what we will have to do is find clues as to where our phones and other belongings are, then we can find your family. All right?"
Stanley:"All right..."
Baobab:"But... j-just after this donut..."
He starts eating the donut.
Stanley:"B-Baobab?"
Baobab:"Oh... this is so... good... maybe another won't hurt..."
Stanley rolls his eyes.
Eventually... Baobab ate the whole box. He sighs happily before turning back towards Stanley.
Stanley:"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Baobab:"Dang it..."
He tickles Stanley awake with a leaf.
Stanley:"zzzzzzzhahahhahzhzhhahzhhahzhahha AAAH! I'm awake! I'm ready!"
Baobab chuckles. "Good... now let's see who the theif is!"
Stanley and Baobab reappear in the overworld, and it's much more explorable! The police tape blocking off the pathways is now gone, allowing Stanley and Baobab to go around on winding split paths, climb up canopies and find items, as well as fight more monsters and gain exp! You can also get more items by talking to NPCs and accepting their sidequests, which will grant you EXP as well. Enemies that spawn will depend on the current environment; Wudli would spawn on the forst floor, while when climbing tall trees, you might find hostile birds and monkeys, and by a pond you can find frog and fish enemies. However, this is still a main quest to be done...
In the canopy, you'd find a large ape sitting atop a pile of bananas.
Ape:"Hey! You two! Stay a long ways from my hoard! Some of em have been taken from me and I'm making deeeeeead sure it doesn't happen again!"
Stanley:"Ah... I had stuff taken from me as well... so I guess we could help each other?"
Ape:"Go away."
Baobab:"Step aside... I'm trying to find this theif to bring the boy to his family... so do you have anything to say?"
Ape:"Hmmmmm... I guess... but I gotta trust you first."
Baobab:"And how will we do that?"
Ape:"Break those rocks over there and get me 2 Topaz and 1 Ruby. Then we'll talk. You do your job, I keep my word."
Stanley:"W-what!? I-I can't break that!"
Baobab:He smirks. Turns out he can swing his wood baton in the overworld to break objects! With the press of a button Stanley and Baobab will swap being the leader, and with another Baobab can break rocks easily. Getting a Ruby and 2 Topaz won't be too hard, but you might encounter more items and sometimes an enemy encounter. The Ruby and Topaz are gauranteed to appear in this specific patch of breakable rocks.
After bringing the gems to the ape, the ape will thnk you before placing them in a jewel collection.
Ape:"It seems you two have done well... now... the theif... I didn't really get a good look at him, but he was large, brown had a big bag of stuff on his back. Probably filled with some of my bananas!"
The ape proceeds to rage out, prompting Baobab and Stanley to run right out of there.
Baobab:"Large, brown and big bag of stuff... looks like we know what he looks like! We gotta know more, though... who else has had an encounter with this theif?"
In another part of the map, Stanley and Baobab will be chased out by angry bees.
Bees:"Hey! No one comes into our turf! Not after our honey was stolen!"
Baobab:"D-don't you know who I am!? I'm trying to fix this!"
Bees:"Hmmm... nah. Come again another day."
Baobab:"Ugh... how are we gonna get through this..."
Stanley:"...
I... think I might have an idea..."
Stanley proceeds to concentrate, and using his light wave manipulation, he now appears invisible.
Baobab:"W-what!? How'd you do that!?"
Stanley:"I think it has something to do with light manipulation... though I can't hold it up for long..."
He becomes visible again.
Baobab:"Nice... guess I'll stay behind, then?"
Stanley:He does a nod, and looks towards the bee's path.
Stanley can now be able to turn invisible on the overworld, rendering him undetectable from most! You can use it to go along the path to avoid the bees, occasionally going into safe spaces to hide as each casting only lasts a short time. If the bees see you, they will chase you out back to the start.
At the end of the trail, Stanley will see the remnants of a slime trail, leading deep in the woods...
Stanley:"Ah-ha-!"
He becomes visible, and surrounded by bees.
Bees:"What have we told ya? SCRAM!"
The bees proceed to chase Stanley out while Baobab was eating some donuts.
Baobab:"Want one?"
Stanley:"I'm... good... but whoever it was... left a slime trail..."
Baobab:"Interesting... though now we gotta find out where he is currently..."
And eventually, Stanley and Baobab encounter a sloth... with a detective hat and holding a magnifying glass. A sloth sleuth if you will.
Sloth:"Greetings... it appears that you want to find the strange theif that's been terrorizing our forest, right?"
Baobab:"Indeed... this boy needs to get home..."
Sloth:"Wow... that's one big kid..."
In response to this, Stanley whimpers and steps back.
Sloth:"Anyways... I have deduced a potential pattern in the theif's wherabouts! Take a look!"
The corkboard is an absolute mess. Lines everywhere... pictures... you name it. The sloth isn't organized at all... but Stanley steps up and... really concentrates on it. Turns out, he is using his light manipulation to use X-Ray vision! The player will then make certain layers visible to track a line around the board with help from previous clues, which will eventually give away the theif's location.
Stanley:"He should be in the northern part of this forest, under the redwood tree."
Sloth:"T-that fast!? What!? Normally it takes me six weeks to crack me a good case!"
Baobab:"This boy is just full of surprises..."
Stanley and Baobab then move towards the big redwood. If they went there before getting all 3 clues, nothing will happen, and there will be no slime trail. Here, however, this is a slime trail, and Stanley and Baobab eventually find themselves face to face with...
Stanley:"W-w-w-WHAT IS THAT THING!?"
Baobab:"Bag on its back... a slug, which explains the slime trail... and under the redwood? We got our guy!"
Stanley:"I... didn't expect him to look like that..."
?:"Ey! Don' think I won' 'ere ye blabberin back dere! Dis stuff's mine! Ye here me? MINE!"
Baobab:"All right... bud... this is the police... put those slimy hands up where I can see them!"
?:"Ohhhhh hohohoho..."
Tropod:"I like it when dey come and fite back... lessee if ye can keep up!"
This starts the first boss fight in the game against the slug monster Tropod. Tropod is alone, and can't move far during his turn, but is a tank. Tropod has three actions: He can get up close and punch you, which reduces movement range, sweep his body around to knock you away or, if you're thinking of camping him out, ooze up and and increase his movement distance! Upon reaching half health, He will start getting mad, making his attacks stronger. If you keep your distance and have healing items on you, you should be totally fine to make this guy into fine escargot...
Or so you think. After beating Tropod, he will simply laugh and throw down some kind of smoke bomb before making his escape... somehow. The trail is still visible, though.
Baobab:"Blast it... so close! But hey... we can follow him!"
Stanley:"T-that sure was heated..."
Baobab:"Trust me, kid... I don't think you've seen the worst of it yet. Let's go follow that slug!"
The two then go off and follow the trail.
By now, if you have been getting exp at a steady rate, Stanley and Baobab should be around level 4-6. Getting Stanley to level 5 does have a huge reward, though; he gains access to a move called "Stunning Flash", which will render an enemy dazed and immobile for a turn! This can't be used twice in a row for obvious reasons, but if you had access to it during the Tropod fight, it would have made for a very useful weapon to keep him in check. If you've been grinding like a maniac, you'd probably be around level 9-12, which would pretty much make the rest of chapter 1 a breeze.
The trail will lead to a village populated by treefolk much like Baobab and the other police trees, as well as other forest dwellers.
Baobab:"Here we are... Kurakura village! Ain't much, but it's homey!"
Stanley:"Y-yeah... d-does feel nice... well... seeing civilization again..."
A few human residents take strange glances at Stanley and mutter remarks to each other about his height and arms. This causes Stanley to flinch and feel insecure.
Baobab:(Now that I see it... this kid really is special... bet he gets glances like that all the time... poor thing...)
Stanley:"W-we should go... now..."
Baobab:"All right... all right... but... why so soon? Let's see if there's anything that can help you around here..."
Stanley whimpers a bit, then hesitantly nods.
The village serves as a small hub for this chapter. There are many NPCs to talk to, and some even give you sidequests to do. Items you've accumulated during your journey will also prove to be useful, as there are shops and trade stands to help yourself in. You can also sell valuable gems like Topaz and Ruby and get lots of coins!
You can also help yourself in a few minigames, like a battle minigame. You are put into a ring with a few healing items and you have to defeat as many spawning monsters as you can. The more monsters you defeat, the higher the rewards. Another minigame has you use Stanley's vision tricks to quickly spot desired targets as fast as possible before time runs out. You'll get rewards depending on your ranking! There's also a maze minigame, where Stanley must use his invisibility to sneak around and collect rewards and not get caught.
Back to the main story, Stanley and Baobab make their way back to following the trail and find themselves... blocked by a giant rock pile that blocks the exit. How did it get there?
Baobab:"W-w-w-w-what!? Since when was that there!?"
Stanley:"L-looks like we'll have to... find another way out..."
Baobab:"Guess we'll have to go the other way..."
Stanley and Baobab then go along to the way they came... and find it blocked off as well.
Stanley:"W-what!? W-who would do this!? Can't be the slug... right?"
Baobab:"Sssh!"
...
Baobab:"It's quiet... a little... too quiet..."
Stanley looks around. No one's outside... strange...
Though suddenly... small robots that look like crabs show up! The seemed to have a symbol on their back that looked like... an anchor?
The robots also seemed to take a great interest in Stanley...
Stanley:"U-uhh... hi...?"
The crabs attack!
Baobab:"Look out!"
After a tough battle phase and acquiring some good loot and a hefty amount of coins, Stanley looks shaken up.
Stanley:"W-w-w-w-what was that?"
Baobab:"I... don't know... where did they even come from! Who made them! What's with the anchors?"
Stanley:"U-uhh... B-baobab?"
Baobab:"W-what is it...?"
Stanley:"T-they're everywhere..."
Baobab:"Oh dear..."
And indeed they are. They crawled over houses... through the streets... everywhere! They snipped their claws as they searched... when brought back to gameplay phase, they will relentlessly chase Stanley when he gets close and try to initiate a combat phase, but show no interest in Baobab if Stanley turns invisible. The game will now say that the current quest is to "find shelter!" However, all doors are locked... but there is a lonely house that a few crabs are trying to enter, preventing the door from being fully closed. After defeating the crabs, the resident will silently reveal herself...
Stanley:"U-uhh... hi?"
The girl does a shy wave. She seems intimidated by the presence of Stanley and Baobab.
Baobab:"No... don't be scared... you're safe now-"
A crab has gotten in! It tries to lunge at Stanley.
Stanley:"W-WAUGH!"
Suddenly... the crab stops in midair? Seems that the girl is... levitating it simply by holding out her hand! She proceeds to toss it away.
Baobab:"W-whoa!"
Stanley looks shocked at what he just saw.
Baobab:"Impressive... but I gotta keep moving... but how are we gonna get out of here..."
The girl perks up. She then signals the two to come along... and eventually... they reach a hidden hole in the fence.
Baobab:"Nice."
Stanley:"So uhh... what's your name?"
The girl takes out a slip of paper and presents it to them. It reads:
"My name is Ellie." This marks when Ellie has joined your party! Stats-wise, she is definitely more on the ranged side, with high ranged attacka nd defense and low melee stats. Where she really shines, however, is her moveset: when you initially get her, she is level 6, and she has Psyhex, a low power movewhich will lower someone's ranged defense, causing the subsequent Psyhex to deal some good damage. She also has Odd Brainwave, which will lower a target's highest stat, and Skill Lock, which will temporarily disable someone's last used move, making her incredibly useful! You can only disable one move per enemy, though.
The game then takes you to another explorable section. Here, you will find more areas to look at, more sidequests and more opportunities to solve puzzles and use your overworld abilities! Ellie in particular can use telekinesis to move objects around, which can be useful for clearing up paths or solving puzzles. There's also some strong enemies too, so if you want good exp and loot, be sure to check them out!
Once you get further, though, you hear some rustling...
Baobab:"Who's there! Get out with your hands up!"
"Ohhh... seems like the Snippers didn't get him... looks like we'll have to do things the hard way..."
Baobab:"I'm warning you!"
Suddenly... three incredibly muscular people come out of the bush, two men and a woman. The woman seems to be leading the gang. Strangely, their hair seems shiny and... fluidlike.
"Hand over the boy... and we will send you off on our way..."
Baobab:"No way! I am an officer, and I won't back down from you!" He's visibly shuddering.
"Oh... I love it when they act so tough... right before we snap them like the twig you are... heh heh heh... let's see how you keep up your act..."
A battle ensues. The three are tremendously powerful, with the leader having slightly higher stats. They have two attacks: a very powerful punch and they can lengthen their arms to drag you in! They don't have good movement range, though, but can take quite a beating. This is where tactics come in: with Stunning Flash and Ellie's moves, you can really change the tide of battle and limit their options! You can also use Baobab to come in and deal some damage, as he can also afford to take hits. It's a hard-fought battle, but if you play your cards right, you can emerge victorious.
After the battle, the strange people scowl and retreat before Baobab can do anything about them.
Baobab:"Dang it... more that got away..."
Stanley:"Snippers... s-so those are what those... crabs are called? And... why do they want... me so much? What did I to to them?"
Baobab:"I don't know... but we gotta get you home and safe... and that's more reason to keep chasing that stupid slug! Come on!"
Ellie isn't sure what's going on... but follows suit. She was visibly frightened by the encounter, though... but is pressing on... why?
This next segment is rather short. It features a few enemies and items, as well as things needed to complete some sidequests. Nothing too major... as the path leads up towards a clearing, with Tropod nowhere to be found.
Baobab:"W-what!? T-that's impossible! We missed him!?"
The trail seems to be leading down into a canyon below... Baobab tries looking forward... but feels a tap.
Baobab:"W-what is it?"
Ellie, shaken, points towards a bunch of rustling plants. Due to the forewarn, the group narrowly dodges an oncoming blue van that looked beaten up. The van skids to a halt, sending strange... monsters out of the windshield.
Baobab:"U-uhh... can I... help you guys?"
Red monster:"Can you help with the fact that this dude over here can't seem to LEARN HOW TO DRIVE!?"
Purple monster:"Well EXCUUUUUUUSE me for being the only one here with hands! Now... where did Tropod go!"
Stanley:"Tropod? You mean... the slug?"
Purple monster:"YEEEEEEEEEEAH! That guy!"
Baobab:"Well... we are hot on his trail... and are hoping to catch him..." He motions to the slime trail.
Purple monster:"EUREKA! We're gonna be RICH, boyyyyyyyys!"
Baobab:"Huh? We need our stuff back!"
Purple monster:"Fat chance, treeface! We're gonna make BANK! And perhaps to rub it in even more we're gonna give y'all a big fat L! Take it away, bluey!"
Blue monster:"Bo! Bobobobobo!"
The monsters enter the van and swerve around to face the group.
Purple monster:"YEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!"
And so... another boss fight starts! This time, it's against three strange gremlins in a van. Be sure to split up for your turn, because the van will pick a target and run them over, dealing an incredible amount of damage and possibly one-shotting Ellie or Stanley if you're unprepared! It with then hit a wall and... lose 1/3 of its HP. The monsters will then start repairing the vehicle, which is your opportunity to strike! After two turns of healing 1/6 of the boss's health, the van will right up again to ram you. This time, however, the blue monster will exit and attack independently! After the van charges, you now have the blue monster to worry about, who will jump right at you or at close range headbutt at you to deal notable damage. If you defeat it, it will fly into the van and deal a bit of damage to it, and won't fight again. The van will continue the same strategy once again, only this time the red monster will hop out. It has two attacks: a ranged spit attack and a physical bite attack, with the spit dealing higher damage. It's less defensive than the blue one, but it does keep its distance. Upon defeating the monster, it will fly into the van like the blue one and deal damage to it. This leaves the purple monster left. The purple monster will then take some time to position itself to hit multiple people at once or crash at a point where it's less vulnerable, and if the boss is at less than 1/3 of its HP, it will become less reckless... no longer crashing with speed, but it doesn't do as much damage. The van is immune to Skill Lock, but can be stunned by Stunning Flash. It's a hard-fought battle since you have to make sure the van ram isn't too devastating on you, and you constantly have to think about where it will hit and adapt to the monster in play. If you do enough damage per turn, you can even be able to finish the fight very quickly! At the end, the van will completely break down and the monsters then run away in defeat.
Baobab:"Well! That was something..."
Stanley:"...Owwwwwwwwwwwww... that was unnecessarily rough..."
Ellie:She looked tuckered out... but is still looking towards the canyon.
Baobab:"Hm... something tells me... there's still a looong ways to go..."
END OF CHAPTER 1
==Chapter 2==
Chapter 2 starts off with Stanley and the gang coming down the canyon and are suddenly assaulted by enemies they haven't seen before! When the battle starts, there will soon be a small tutorial introducing you to attributes. Attributes are essential for understanding your enemy and dealing efficient damage! Attributes are a passive ability that is either triggered by an action or is constantly active. For example, the three rock bugs you encounter have the attribute "heavy", meaning when launched, they won't fly as far. Sounds familiar to the three strange people you fought earlier!
When you open up your character profiles, you'll see that an attribute has been added to your characters as well! Baobab has the attribute "Plant Matter," which will reduce damage from attacks that shake the earth. If you're fighting enemies in the future with a lot of AoE shockwaves, give Baobab a go and he'll be able to eat them up like he does to his donuts! Just don't put him against a fiery opponent, though. Plant Matter takes hefty damage from a fire attack. Ellie, on the other hand, has the attribute "Central Cortex" which decreases damage dealt by mental attacks and prevents status effects related to mental effects, like panic (raises movement speed but disables all support moves) and confusion (sometimes causes the user to face or move another way, sometimes dealing damage to teammates). Be sure to use her for tricky opponents! As for Stanley... he doesn't seem to have one... yet.
You might also be able to get new moves. Stanley now has access to "Photon Beam", where he shoots lasers out of his eyes! This deals a lot of damage, but takes quite a bit of energy, so use it wisely. Baobab now gets "Ironwood Shield", which raises up a riot shield made of wood. This will allow him to block any damage to the front, but he is vulnerable from the back. As for Ellie, she now has access to "Kinetic Slam", which will deal damage and pull flying targets to the ground, making them easier to hit with ordinary attacks, as only a ranged move can hit a flying target.
Baobab:"Well... so much for a first impression..."
Stanley:"O-of course this isn't going to stop... how worse is this going to get!"
Baobab:"Careful what you say, my friend. You know that dastardly phrase always jinxes stuff!"
Ellie shudders.
Baobab:"Only thing now is to keep on moving..."
A lightning strike is seen in the distance... but there are no clouds?
Stanley:"W-WHAT WAS THAT!?"
Baobab:"Much peculiar... this calls for an investigation! Let's get a move on, sonny!"
Stanley:"I'm not "sonny"... whatever..."
The group gets a move-on with another explorable area filled with the usual stuff: sidequests, puzzles that now have elements that include the abilities of multiple characters and even more enemies to KO, as well as other opportunities to gain XP. Eventually, the group reaches another village, with shops and items and... an underground railway? Turns out, this railway can be used to transport the group back to the forest in chapter 1 as a means of fast travel in case you missed something.
In the village, however, you'll soon see that a house has been... frozen!?
Baobab:"What the heck happened here!?"
Stanley:"F-first slugs... then weird metal people... then ice users!? W-why is everyone out to cause harm and destruction!?"
Beobab:"Now now, Stan. We can be able to apprehend the culprit... all we'll need is a witness..."
Ellie begins shaking... and then jumping as if she wants to get their attention.
Baobab:"Now... howsabout we ask around and-"
There's a fireball headed straight for them! Though luckily, Ellie manages to push the two out of the way. The fireball, however, end sup hitting the ice, shattering it and freeing the occupant inside.
?:"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Baobab:"I-it's okay, madam! What happened!"
?:"THE TANK! THE TANK IS HEEEEEERE!"
Stanley:"T-t-tank!?"
?:"YES! The dreaded FROSTFIRE TANK which has patrolled this canyon for YEARS and causing UNTOLD amounts of destruction!"
Baobab:"Tell me more..."
?:"It's... big. And frosty. And fiery. And sometimes... it speaks in an intimidating voice..."
Baobab:"It speaks, huh..."
Ellie perks up.
Baobab:"All right... looks like it's time to track down a big ol' tank!"
?:"B-be careful!"
Stanley:"I-I didn't ask for this! I thought we were going to find my family!"
Baobab:"O-oh... right... but we can't let that thing go rampant... can we?"
Stanley:"..."
Baobab:"Okay... let's stop lollygagging and get a move on..."
The three then move on out to a new, smaller area by a river. Once they reach the river...
They find Tropod on the other side!
Tropod:"AHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You found me again! But this time... I will destroy you! With the power of this... blade thingy!"
Tropod raises up... a TREMENDOUSLY long rapier up to the sky, where a bolt of electricity seems to strike it.
Stanley:"T-that lightning! From before!"
Tropod:"Heck yeah! Time for my REVENGE! EN GARDE!"
This starts off the second battle against the slug monster. Tropod has pretty much the same attacks as before, but now he can raise the rapier to charge it, then bring it down to do incredible damage! When he charges it, it's important to get as far as possible as he will send a wave of electricity forward. Baobab's shield would be perfect for blocking this! Another aspect of the battle is the field being split into two with 2 sets of stepping stones between them, where characters can hop across to get to the other side, including Tropod. You'll have to utilize this in order to successfully defeat him!
Tropod:"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
He flies backward, defeated, dropping the blade. He then looks around... and then proceeds to dive into the river.
Tropod:"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"
Baobab:"Dang it! He got away again!"
Ellie looks a little fearful...
As Stanley picks up the rapier... inspecting it... feeling it within his hand... almost as if it was built for someone of his size...
Stanley has acquired a Lightning Rod!
Stanley lifts up his rapier and swings it around, releasing green electric sparks all around. The blade gleams in the light as he smiles in glee.
Stanley:"I... I think I like this thing!"
Baobab:"C-careful there, chap! It's dangerous! You could hurt someone!"
Ellie's hiding behind Baobab.
Stanley:"You crazy? I'm not gonna hurt you with it! But... it's... resonating well with me! I gotta test this out!"
Baobab:"I highly suggest you put that thing dow-"
The three are immediately jumped by a group of enemies themed after ice and fire.
Baobab:"UWAH"
In the next combat phase, Stanley is shown holding the new rapier and has a new move: Electro Stab! It's a simple thrust forward, but it goes... a very, VERY long way. Useful for dealing with enemies from a distance, and especially so, as the tip deals more damage then the rest of the blade. Stanley also has a new attribute: Shock Absorption, which causes electric attacks to be absorbed and his rapier to be charged, meaning his next attack with it will deal increased damage.
After the battle, Stanley looks at his blade.
Stanley:"I... LOVE IT!"
Baobab:"Ugh... fiiiiiiiiiiine... I guess you could keep it for now... but keep in mind, that thing's likely stolen! It might belong to someone else!"
Stanley:"Oh... right."
Ellie proceeds to tap on Baobab and Stanley's shoulders to get their attention.
Baobab:"Ellie? What it i-"
The landscape below is coated in patches of ice and fire. That Frostfire Tank got busy!
Baobab:"...oh."
Stanley:"L-let's go get out of here..."
The next section is pretty tricky to navigate. The field has a lot of patches of damaging fire as well as areas of ice similar to ice puzzles in Pokémon. Enemies in the area are fitting to the theme too, though there's plenty of items and sidequests scattered around as you make your way towards the final stretch. Halfway through it, you come across a bunch of washed up objects. While most of them are unremarkable, among them are...
Baobab:"OUR PHONES!"
Stanley:"Yes! Now I can know where my mom and dad are!"
Baobab:"And I can take you two home!"
Ellie:She smiles. With them having phones, she can communicate using text!
The three go to pick them up before... metallic tendrils snatch them?
"Oh... oh hohohohohohohohoho, you thought we were done... did you..."
Stanley:"You again..."
"Yes... it is us... and no one will be able to find you!"
Now begins a second battle against the strange metal trio. They act pretty much the same, hitting hard and being heavy, and have the same attacks. However, they are stronger, and the terrain is different too. During fights in this area, you'd have ice that makes you slip and go further than you want your characters to go, and those pushed back or launched on these surfaces are going back further than usual. There's also damaging fire in the arena... though the fire seems to damage them more than what it would usually deal?
After the fight, they stumble back and drop the phones, before clenching their fists and absconding. Stanley and Baobab pick up their phones.
Baobab:"Finally! I thought we'd have to chase that thing all over!"
Stanley:"Y-yeah! Now all I gotta do is..."
He immediately starts dialing his father.
Pedro:"Hello? Stanley? Is that you?"
Stanley:"Yes! Yes! It's me! It's me!"
Pedro:"Oh! I have been trying to get a hold of you! What happened! Where are you!"
Stanley:"Long story, dad. But... I'm in this canyon with fire and ice everywhere and-"
Pedro:"Ohmygosh Stanley! I was in there!"
Stanley:"Y-you were!?"
Pedro:"Yes! Yes! I was! I was! But I had to seek shelter in a cave after something shot a fireball at me! And the cave entrance sealed! I'm stuck and hungry and I can barely see anything!"
Stanley:"Okay! Dad! Where's the cave entrance!"
Pedro:"Just follow the river! It will take you there!"
Stanley:"Got it!"
Stanley takes a sigh of relief. Another gameplay section, that is much like the previous one, only tougher and you have to follow the river. You might have to freeze or melt objects to pass, too, or to do certain sidequests or find items. If you level Baobab up enough, he'll get "FREEZE!" where he takes out a megaphone and will literally freeze enemies in range! This only lasts one turn and can't be used for two turns afterward, though. Anyways, once you reach the end of the river, which flows into a lake, you'll see a cave entrance blocked by rocks.
Ellie walks over and puts her hand on a rock.
Baobab:"Looks like this is the place..."
Stanley:"Yup. Don't worry, dad, I'll get you out!"
Stanley holds out his hands and motions Ellie to get out of the way. She does, and Stanley fires off a laser beam. It... gets stuff out, but the entrance is still blocked.
Stanley:"All right... let's try this again..."
He prepares another beam... but something comes up behind them?
Baobab:"Uhh... Stanley? We got company..."
Stanley:"Ugh... seriously-"
Stanley:"That's a Frostfire Tank all right..."
The battle starts.
The battle against the Frostfire Tank starts off plain and simple. It's a large, bulky enemy that will surely take a lot to bring down, and will hit hard with either explosive fireballs that can deal a lot of damage or ice balls that can freeze your allies for a turn. One you get down to 3/4 of its health, though, it will begin getting serious. It will spin its barrel, coating the area in ice! This means you will have to adapt to the changes accordingly. It will also try and smack you with the barrel, sending you sliding off, and can put embers that linger on the field. If you get blown into an ember, it will surely ruin your day! Once you reach 1/4 of its health, it will start going berserk with damage. It will start to aimlessly spew projectiles and wander as its only move, and this attack is unpredictable, meaning you can either get hit by a full on barrage or even not get hit at all. If it rams into you, you'll take damage and slide away.
Upon defeat, the Frostfire Tank will buzz and experience multiple internal explosions. However, it will charge up one last fireball, aimed right at Baobab! It fires, and Baobab barely dodges the blast before the Tank deactivates. He soon notices his leaves are on fire and dunks his head into the water.
Baobab:"Well! that was something!" He eats a donut.
The fireball collides with the rock wall, making it blow up and revealing the cave entrance.
Stanley:"That's one way to do it..."
Ellie sighs in relief... as she notices a presence in the cavern. She taps the others to let them know.
Stanley:"H-huh?"
The three watch the cave entrance with caution... as a figure steps out.
Pedro:"Been a while, eh?"
END OF CHAPTER 2
== Chapter 3 ==
Stanley:"DAD!"
Stanley immediately runs over and hugs his father tightly, lifting him up in the process. Despite only two of his arms working, his massive size made this an easy task.
Pedro:"H-how's my little-urk-boy doing? gack I was urrrrgh so... worried... aaaaaaaaahyoucanputmedownnow"
Stanley lets go of his father, who regains his breath and straightens his back.
Pedro:"Heh... sometimes you never truly realize how strong your body is..."
Baobab:"H-hold on a second. This regular joe's your dad? Dude! He honestly looks like he'd be your son with that much of a height difference!"
Stanley whimpers and turns invisible.
Pedro:"P-please... he's a little self-conscious..."
Ellie makes a frown at him.
Baobab:"Sorry..."
Pedro: "But still, I'm so happy you're all right!"
Stanley:"What about Mom? Is she okay?"
Baobab:"Lemme guess... she's the tall one?"
Stanley:"Nope. Well, she is taller then Pedro, but not on my level."
Baobab:"I suggest keeping a better eye on her, reg Joe."
Pedro:"W-WHAT!? NO! SHE'D NEVER!"
Baobab laughs. Stanley facepalms and Ellie rolls her eyes. Pedro simply shakes his head and lightly growls.
Pedro:"Ugh... but... well... bad news is, I can't contact her. I've tried multiple times... but... no luck."
Baobab:"Bummer. We might have to send a search party."
Pedro:"But... I may have possibly found something that might interest you."
Stanley:"Huh?"
Pedro:"Perhaps it might find us a clue..."
The group heads inside the cave.
PEDRO HAS JOINED YOUR PARTY!
Pedro is... rather unique. Rather than having a bunch of attacking moves, he only has one: a pathetically weak slap. However, Pedro makes up for it for... somehow being the tankiest character, and his other moves help pick up the slack. He comes with Motivation Boost, a move that will motivate someone's will to fight. This increases their attack power for two turns by 50%, making it incredibly useful. He also has Mindfulness, which has him meditate or help an ally become at ease with their mind to gain a bit of health and alleviate status effects. Finally, he comes with Soothing Remedy, which puts an enemy in a calm state to put it to sleep, making them unable to move for 2 turns or until it is struck. Overall, Pedro is a supporter that will do an incredible job at helping your team overcome obstacles, and if paired with Baobab with his FREEZE! and Donut abilities, can shut off enemies and keep your team alive.
The cave can prove to be a challenge to traverse. Many pathways require things like Baobab breaking rocks, Ellie moving away rocks or floating up rock platforms or using Stanley to figure out where invisible platforms are using thermal vision. Thermal vision will also be useful for finding hidden traps and moving through dark places, the latter of which could be teeming with enemies. As you move forward, though, you come across some... broken pottery and cave drawings.
Baobab:"This what you wanted to show us?"
Pedro:"Uhh... yeah?"
Ellie looks at some of the pottery and other things. She then notices something after dusting it off.
Baobab:"We came all the way for this? Not gonna lie, it is interesting, but we have a scared child here missing his parent!"
Pedro:"But-"
Ellie holds up the piece. It seems to have... patterns of four-armed wings people?
Pedro:"L-like Stella! Stella!"
Stanley:"What!? Let me see!"
He takes a look at it.
Stanley:"Oh my gosh... perhaps... my days of not knowing what the hell I am are over!?"
He looks to the drawings... and flashes his eyes. The light soon reveals that it's a gigantic mural depicting many four-armed winged people fluttering around what seems to be a giant green beacon, much like moths to a flame. The beacon is situated on the top of a mountain.
Ellie looks surprised. Stanley steps back as he witnesses this... is this part of his species's history!?
Baobab:"Huh... seems that we gotta have her come to us!"
Pedro:"Whoa... you're right! But... how the hell do we get to that mountain!"
Stanley:"I say we find another exit to this cave..."
Baobab:"But how?"
A powerful scream is heard, rattling the cave and sending purple sound waves everywhere.
Ellie covers her ears as she looks for the source.
Stanley:"What was that!?"
Baobab:"Gh... stay close!"
Pedro:"Wait... no! This is how we can get out of here!"
Baobab:"How?"
Pedro:"We can follow that sound! If the source can help us, we can use the sonars to find our way out!"
Stanley:"Great idea!"
Baobab:"Alright lads... let's go!"
The next part of the chapter has you following the sound waves and tracking the source. To prevent cheese, pathways to progress to the exit are blocked off, but the path to the source isn't exactly linear or brightly lit, making it hard to traverse. Eventually, though, you do hear the sounds and see the waves clearer, until you make it into a room with the source.
???:"AAAAAAAAAAAH! THEY'VE FOUND ME!"
Baobab:"Who?"
???:"G-GET AWAY!"
Pedro:"W-we're not gonna hurt you-"
???:"I'm.... warning... you..."
Baobab:"Please... we gotta-"
He takes a step forward. The girl proceeds to blast him away with a powerful sonic blast.
Baobab:"Okay... maybe we'll have to use force to get her to listen..."
The battle starts. The girl proceeds to use her spear to vault over to a bunch of rock platforms over some spikes, with your team stationed at a starting area. What you will have to do is make your way to the girl using these platforms and not get blown off. Fortunately, her powerful sound attack takes a turn to charge, meaning that, if the terrain allows you to, you can move out of the way. If you do get blown onto some spikes, you'll take damage and get sent to the beginning. The girl can also utilize a weaker sound wave to stun you for a turn or attack directly with three weak jabs from the spear, so don't think you can just constantly avoid big screams. An optimal strategy is Ellie, Pedro and Stanley, as Ellie cannot be stunned, Stanley can use Stunning Flash on her when close enough as well as punch her into the spikes (which will launch her to her original position, which she doesn't stray far from) and Pedro can give Ellie and Stanley a helping hand with his support moves.
Baobab:"Well that was unnecessarily violent..."
Pedro:"You okay there?"
???:"S-stay away from me..."
Pedro:"Listen. We don't even know who you are! We just want to get out!"
???:"You... don't know who I am?"
Pedro:"No! We don't!"
???:"..."
Pedro:"Hello?"
Halley:"Well hello then! My name is Halley Skommete! It is a pleasure to meet you all!"
Halley smiles and strikes a pose.
Baobab:"...what."
Pedro:"So... will you help u-"
Halley:"Of course! It's been so long since I could just talk to someone! Everyone just simps over me and gets on my nerves all the time! That's why I came here!"
Baobab:"That sounds extreme."
Halley:"I wasn't prepared for it..."
Stanley:"I... understand. I know what it's like to be unprepared... like... nothing could really prepare me for all the names I was called, the laughs, the tripping..."
Halley:"Don't feel bad, kid! You must have killed it in basketball!"
Stanley:"I actually tried out once! I... wasn't accepted, I'm afraid. They said I was "too good" and took away the challenge aspect."
Halley:"Damn. That sucks... but hey, you'll get your chance someday!"
She smiles as she gets up.
Halley:"Wow you're tall."
Stanley steps back.
Baobab:"Can we actually get outta here now?"
Halley:"Oh! Right!"
Halley has joined your party!
Halley is quite the opposite of Pedro. She's quite frail, yet boasts a lot of offensive power, especially at a distance. As of now, she has 3 moves: Earsplitter, Power Shout and Mike Strike. Earsplitter is a wave of noise that stuns targets, Power Shout takes a turn to use, but is powerful when executed, and Mike Strike is 3 rapid jabs from her spear. She also has an overworld ability: by using sonar, she can allow you to see hidden pathways and traverse dark areas! However, if you level her up a bit, you might get a new move: Sound Barrier, which has Halley set up a strange barrier that prevents attacks from going in. Useful if you can get your allies to safety, and what's even better is that your own attacks can pass through it! It lasts for two turns, but there is a 2-turn recharge time afterwards.
Other new moves you should be getting at this point include:
* Stanley: Lightburst: A powerful AoE move that cannot be used on the next turn.
* Ellie: Mental Illness: Sends an odd brainwave that afflicts the Poison status condition.
* Pedro: Happy Place: creates a field of happiness for 3 turns that steadily restores HP of Pedro and people around him. Be careful though, as enemies also get this benefit.
With Halley now on the squad, you can now use her sonar ability to traverse the cave, even going past those blocked off areas. However, there's a 3 second cooldown, so don't go wild with it. Some specific areas require you to be quiet as well, so if you don't want trouble, be sure to use Stanley's vision instead. Halley's sonar also can find hidden pathways and items the vision can't normally find, as well as wayfinds the exit, so that gives you incentive to use it over Stanley's thermal vision.
Soon the gang reaches another cave painting, this one looking far more recent. After Stanley illuminates it, you can see that it depicts these four armed people... getting captured by... silver haired people and being places in small cubes? The people in the cubes look like they're in pain...
Stanley:"...I...I don't like this..."
Pedro:"Holy... what? What's happening to them?"
Halley:"Okay... this is creepy..."
Ellie shakes.
Baobab seems to be taking notes.
Stanley:"C-could this be... what's happening to Stella?"
Pedro:"I don't think so... I think this could be what has happened to her kind! No wonder why we never saw any more of her around!"
Baobab:"Racial genocide, eh? How'd that slip under the radar?"
Halley:".........uhh... what exactly are we talking about?"
Stanley:"Well... you see... we're trying to find... my mom. And she's got four hands, like me, and wings on her back."
Halley:"Sounds flashy. I like it! Now what's with the racial genocide thing?"
Baobab:"We think that-"
???:"Well well well... you again..."
Stanley:"Oh no..."
???:"You thought you could just get away from us... but now we'll surely beat you down and take the tall one!"
And yet another fight with the three buff metal people. They generally act the same, but are stronger, and the woman can now stomp the ground, sending stalactites crashing down on the next turn! Be sure to move away before they hit you, and be sure that you don't just run into another person. You can also potentially push them into a falling stalactite if possible, too!
After the fight, the three retreat.
Baobab:"Guess this solidifies it."
Pedro:"Oh... oh god... that means they probably got her..."
Stanley looks visibly stressed too.
Baobab:"Don't worry you two. We're on the case, and we will get her back. Though now it's even more urgent than we ever thought..."
Halley:(What am I getting myself into? Oh well...)
Now comes the final stretch of the cave, which shouldn't be too hard to traverse, really. Many items and quests, though, so be sure to explore a bit. However, the exit is nearby as well! upon leaving, you find yourselves in a caveside town, which acts as the hub for this chapter, which you can use to go to previous chapters. You can even purchase a map of the cave as well to facilitate travel in it for future occurrences, as well as do the many sidequests from the villagers. Soon, however, it will be time to depart and move forward... though then you come to a large rocky platform, clouds swirling around it, with nothing but you, some kind of small tree in a floating pod and a tall robot figure.
???:"I see you have brought something back to me... Stanley..."
Stanley:"What!? How did you know my name?"
???:"Oh... I've been commissioned to watch you... GET you..."
Stanley:"Wait... what?"
Baobab:"Something's fishy... did you send those crabs and metal folk after us?"
???:"No, that was my commissioner. Though the plane crash? Heh. That was me."
Baobab:"Whoa! Guess we got our culprit!"
Stanley:"No..."
He draws his weapon and makes it spark with electricity.
???:"Heh... heheheheheh... you seem to have already been quite proficient with that blade... unsurprising..."
Stanley:"It was made for me... was it not?"
???:"Nope! It was made for..."
The robot figure turns around, revealing... two more arms, and a resemblance to Stanley!
???:"A robot specifically designed to read and copy your every movement and take you down! STEEL STANLEY!"
Steel Stanley:"TARGETS LOCKED. INITIATING ATTACK PROTOCOLS"
Stanley looks at both the tree and the doppelganger dead in the eyes.
Dr. Maple:"BEHOLD! YOU WILL FALL TO THE HANDS OF STEEL STANLEY, AND THE GENIUS BEHIND HIM, DR. MAPLE!"
Boss battle starts. Steel Stanley and Dr. Maple will be a formidable duo, and will take a lot to defeat. Steel Stanley's set is basically copying Stanley's moves, specifically Lightburst, Stunning Flash, Photon Beam and Light Punch, only Light Punch now hits twice. If that's not enough, Dr. Maple has access to: a weak laser that goes a long way, a grenade that explodes after 2 turns, the ability to increase Steel Stanley's attack power and the ability to restore Steel Stanley's status conditions. The optimal strategy is to try and use stunning moves and Ellie to stop Maple from buffing Steel Stanley while taking him out as soon as possible. When Steel Stanley reaches 1/3 of his health, he will go into overdrive mode! This makes all his attack moves more powerful at the cost of defense. However, Maple will change his attack buff into a defense buff, which will essentially negate this. However, if Maple gets to 1/3 of his health, he will activate the robot's Overdrive Mode early, which is a further incentive to focus on Steel Stanley first. One thing to note, however, is that Stanley and Steel Stanley take half damage from each other, with the exception of attacks that use Stanley's rapier.
After the fight is over, Maple drops to the ground where he is promptly cuffed by Baobab. Steel Stanley, however, looks up to see Stanley, looking PISSED. Suddenly, his injured arms burst out of the casts, healed, and proceeds to pummel the bolts out of Steel Stanley before stabbing his robot clone, electrically charging his rapier to the point where Steel Stanley overloads and explodes.
Pedro:"S-Stanley? W-what's wrong?"
Stanley looks to his father, his eyes glowing with rage.
Stanley:"Baobab, make sure that son of a fucking bitch gets what he deserves."
Baobab:"U-uhh... yes, Stanley!"
Pedro:"Stanley?"
Ellie shakes at this rapid shift in personality as Stanley walks towards the mountain seen in the cave paintings, as everyone simply looks on, questioning what they just witnessed.
END OF CHAPTER 3
== Chapter 4 ==
Chapter 4 begins with a cutscene of the rest of Stanley's party looking up as Stanley starts walking up the mountain, alone.
Baobab, loading Maple in a convenient police car: "Should we go after him? What's wrong with him?"
Pedro: "I dunno... he seemed pretty pissed... understandably so, but still. But why is he leaving us? He's just... going!"
Halley: "We should definitely go after him. The mountain is probably too dangerous for him to climb up alone..."
Ellie proceeds to nod. After Baobab shoved the rest of Maple in the car and it drives off, it's time for the next explorable section. This time, however, Stanley is not in your party. Better hope you didn't just rely on him the whole game! This presents a unique challenge for the player, meaning they have to adapt to the change in both battle and the overworld, with some sidequests and hidden treasures being unobtainable unless you actually get Stanley back. The mountain itself is quite tall and steep, though, with a bunch of rocky enemies, and as you scale the mountain, you start to see some more icy enemies too... as well as the crabs from earlier!? You must press on, however. Stanley needs your help.
New moves you should probably get:
* Pedro would receive Thick Skull, which is his most powerful attack. Despite his pathetically low attack stat, it actually does some pretty good damage all things considered! It does hurt Pedro a little, though.
* Ellie would soon get Skill Enhance. This will allow her to make an ally's skill do more damage, heal more and, if applicable, make status effects last longer.
* Baobab would get Root In. Baobab will plant his feet into the ground and will start passively healing at the cost of much of his movement. He can still attack, however.
* Halley would get Disarmor Shriek, which will scream at enemies so loudly that their defense drops
Once you start reaching the peak, you hear a sound. Ellie begins to worry.
Baobab: "What in tarnation?"
Halley: "That wasn't me I swear!"
Pedro: "Was that Stanley!?"
Baobab: "Hope not."
Ellie shakes her head and points over the ridge. You soon make out the shape of... a warship?
Pedro: "What the..."
Baobab: "A warship? Oh man... we getting the military involved in this? This is outta my league!"
Halley: "I never signed up for this!"
Pedro: "I just hope Stanley's safe..."
Baobab: "Don't worry, Pedro. I'm sure he'll be fine. We just have to look a little more..."
Halley: "Look! Up there!"
Halley points her pike up to the peak, and there's seemingly a large... palace at the top?
Baobab: "Whoa! Good eye!"
Pedro: "Is that what Stanley was headed to?"
Baobab: "Only one way to find out..."
And so you then scale up the rest of the mountain. It's not much different from the other icy areas aside from slightly stronger enemies and an ice puzzle at the very top. Once you do reach the top, however...
Stanley: "Huh?"
Pedro: "STANLEY!"
He rushes in for a hug.
Pedro: "Oh thank goodness you're safe! Please, for the love of me, don't run off like that!"
Stanley looks down.
Stanley: "S-sorry Dad... Sorry... everyone... I just... really needed to cool off after that. I didn't want to hurt any of you and..."
Pedro: "Don't be sorry, son. It's completely understandable. And that's why we have each other."
Stanley looks at his father and smiles.
Baobab: "How nice..."
Ellie smiles as well.
Halley: "Oh... but uhh... how are we supposed to open this big door?"
Baobab: "There is only one logical way."
The whole group proceeds to try and push and pull the doors open, but they won't budge an inch.
Stanley: "Ugh! It's no use!"
Halley: "WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING! Let's see what else can work-"
Baobab: "I hear something! Hide!"
After staying back, Stanley uses his powers to make the group invisible, though is having trouble upholding this. There are indeed footsteps... loud, heavy and metallic.
Stanley: (Of course...)
It's the three metal people again. They don't seem too fond of the cold, however, and are notably quite sluggish.
"Ugh! Finally! We're here. Now, let's get the Beacon ready and get out of this dump."
...It only takes one to easily budge the doors open. The group is in shock.
Stanley's invisibility wears off.
Baobab: "...That takes care of that."
Pedro: "What even are those guys..."
Halley: "No matter. It's open!"
The Party then heads inside. Oh, hey! Stanley's back in the party, and his level is now 3 levels higher than previously (to better catch up with the rest of the party) and has two new moves.
* Luminous Assault: Stanley will use all four arms to barrage his opponent, dealing low damage eight times.
* Ultraviolet Burst: Stanley will concentrate his energy on the first turn, and fire off a powerful exploding burst of energy on the second. The burst deals high damage and medium damage to anyone around it... including allies.
Upon entering, the group would see... the three strange people completely frozen in place?
Stanley: "W-what!? What happened here?"
?: "I happened!"
Stanley: "Huh-"
A streak of ice-cold energy nearly misses the group?
Soon, a blue feminine figure descends... drinking a slushie?
?: "Wow... been quite a while since I had visitors! It's so nice to see you all come in here and look around! I would totes let you all stay and play some KillGames or something together or read comics... have chips... have fun but... well... I do sadly have a job to do. Protect this place... so don't take this personally and... just let me, the Aurora Guardian, kindly show you the way out."
Battle starts. The Aurora Guardian seems to be coated in three bands of aurora, and is in fact invincible like this. This means you'll have to take this opportunity to use buffing moves or items. However, non-damaging moves and items can work! You can get a head start with burns or poisons, but don't put it to sleep just yet. Oh. And it's immune to freezing. However, it will attack by either using a freeze beam that deals moderate damage or by using its Aurora bands! The blue one will encircle an area, making it inaccessible to anyone outside and trapping anyone within. The red one will spiral into a tornado and will draw you in a bit each turn. The green one will be a band that goes along the floor and will segregate the area. These bands will deal damage on contact, and with all this limited space and the tornado active, it can really mess you up! However, once it uses a band, now you can damage it! The amount of damage you deal will be based on how many bands circle her, and if all 3 bands are on the field, that's your chance to deal some big damage if you can!
Aurora Guardian: "Oh nooooooooo! You beat me! Nooooooooo!"
She dramatically falls to the ground and lies limp.
Baobab: "... Nice try."
Aurora Guardian: "Eh, worth a shot."
She rises back up.
Aurora Guardian: "That being said... you guys are pretty darn strong! I guess I'll lat you pass. Or better yet, come and visit whenever you like! I'm lonely."
Halley: "What other games do you got?"
Baobab: "Focus here. Where's the Beacon?"
Aurora Guardian: "The Shineling Beacon? Right over there!"
Stanley: "The... Shineling Beacon?"
Aurora Guardian: "Yeah! The Shineling Beacon! Flash a Shineling's light into it and it will call every Shineling in the area!"
Pedro: "Umm... what's a Shineling?"
Aurora Guardian: "An extremely powerful race of humanoids sporting four arms, wings and light powers to put it simply. Like him!"
Stanley looks in disbelief. He seems to try and say something, but no words seem to come out of his mouth.
Pedro: "M-my gosh it... it's what we're looking for... S-Stella! Stella's a Shineling, which means..."
Everyone looks at Stanley, who's shaking as he looks around at his peers, to Pedro, his own body. And this information was just presented so... casually to him? Like it wasn't a big deal?
Stanley: "So that's who I am. A Shineling. Who my mother is. Who my ancestors are."
Pedro: "And who my wife is..."
Ellie and the rest of them stand back and just allow them to have their moment.
Stanley: "All this time... not even she knows who she is and... the answer's here..."
Pedro: "I know, Stanley. Now come. Let us bring her back to us. And find out who we all truly are. As a family..."
They smile as Pedro takes Stanley's hand and directs him to the beacon. Stanley closes his eyes and holds out his hands, making some light into the beacon. Suddenly, the beacon glows, and glows ever so intensely, as a radiant beam shoots out of it and out of the palace, a Beacon that can be seen for miles. Eventually, after a bit, the Beacon stops glowing.
Stanley: "What now?"
Aurora Guardian: "And now... we wait I guess."
Soon... a cutscene plays. The Beacon is shown on the top of the mountain, and all is silent... for just a few moments. Suddenly, Ellie would notice Stanley seemingly has... an unusual reaction to the Beacon. He's... walking closer to it. Pedro calls out to him but... he won't listen. Not even Halley gets a response out of him! His head moves little as he takes each step forward... and it becomes clear he's in a trance-like state. Baobab steps forward and puts his leaves in Stanley's face. With the light no longer in Stanley's eyes, he'd soon break out of the trance and stumble back, breathing heavily. Just then... Pedro looks up, with an expression that comes between awe and horror. Soon, you see *HUNDREDS* of Shinelings, swarming around the Beacon like moths to a flame. The party looks at the swarm while shielding Stanley's eyes, trying to pinpoint Stella in this massive horde, with the Aurora Guardian eating popcorn in the back. 
That is... until... an explosion happens, sending everyone back! The Shinelings continue to swarm the beacon as a whole army of crabs and silver haired people swarm the room, and you look up to see large nets and other capturing devices being thrown at the Shinelings! The party hides just in time... but when the smoke clears, the Temple is in shambles, the Beacon is destroyed and every Shineling is lost. The Aurora Guardian looks especially distressed.
Aurora Guardian:"Oh no... Oh nononono.... The Shinelings... the Temple... it's all gone..."
Pedro:"T-that definitely wasn't supposed to happen..."
Aurora Guardian:"Y-you THINK!? NOW THE WHOLE WORLD WILL FALL TO RUIN! WHY DIDN'T ANY OF US FORSEE THIS HAPPENING!"
Baobab:"Well. It does seem that we have pinpointed the main threat! All we have to do now is get to the bottom of this!"
Aurora Guardian:"This is not just your typical crime drama, you stupid tree! These are Eichi we're talking about! EICHI! They stop at NOTHING to get their way! And now that they have the power of Shinelings at their beck and call, they're UNSTOPPABLE!"
Stanley:"So that was what these pictures are..."
Aurora Guardian:"Yeah. Made em myself..."
Pedro:"You know... why didn't to stop us from activating the Beacon if this was a big issue in the first place!?"
Aurora Guardian:"YOU'D THINK THE COLD WOULD DISSUADE A LIQUID METAL PERSON BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."
Baobab:"I see..."
Aurora Guardian:"BUT NOW EVERYTHING IS DOOMED!"
Halley:"Now that's some negative thinking, huh."
Ellie seems to agree, before writing...
"If we stop them before they get a chance to use this power... then the world would be in good hands again..."
Baobab:"That's sounds great! Stop the crime before it gets too out of hand..."
Pedro:"B-but it's just us! Against what I can only assume is a whole military race!"
Aurora Guardian:"The regular man is right. You don't stand a chance."
Pedro:"B-but Stella's probably in there! We have to save her!"
Stanley:"Then we get an army of our own."
Everyone stares at Stanley.
Stanley:"All we have to do is get their power on our side."
Aurora Guardian:"Oooooohhh... I like where this is goiiiing!"
Stanley:"We'll have to be quick. I can likely tell these... Eichi are pretty slow and lumbering, but all this talking probably gave them a head start already. Let's go."
The next gameplay segment consists of moving down the mountain towards a fleet of battleships in the distance. Things seem similar to before, with hidden secrets and side missions where Eichian soldiers are causing a ruckus. Speaking of which, those are present as well, and make for tough fights. While their movement range is low, their power and defense are quite high, making them powerful threats. They do make for good exp though.
Eventually... the party would get to the ships... with one of them being docked. Without a moment to lose, the party would climb aboard... to enter a maze of dark empty hallways. This next part will be filled with unique items and enemies to fight, like Eichian scout and repair robots. However... there are also quite a few notes scattered about, detailing various weapons and applications... 
The Omega Cannon is powered by three Shinelings. Draining them of all their reserves, it can unleash a powerful beam of light capable of destroying an island. Further testing is ongoing. Main drawbacks include the fact that it will take time for the Shinelings to be able to return to a usable state, if at all, as the Shineling has a chance to die from overextertion.
Handheld weaponry that utilizes Shineling energy has been successful, with our poweful light guns and electromagnetic grenades proving promising results. Reloading is the main problem, though. We would be unable to seek new power as the Shineling would be stationed at the bases we occupy. Rechargers are being made, but they won't last us forever.
The Dark Shineling experiement is an experimental attempt at creating a Shineling capable of fighting for us. With research from our magic experts, we are able to corrupt and control the mind of a Shineling to do our bidding. Their practical usage, however, remains uncertain.
Eventually... you'd reach a dark room... with a capsule inside. The sounds of running electricity can be heard from within, and there is the vague silhouette of a woman. There is a label that reads...
"EXP CAPSULE: DARK SHINELING"
Baobab:"Interesting... interesting..."
Halley:"Oh my gosh! WE HAVE TO FREE HER!"
Baobab:"HALLEY NO-"
Halley:She screams into her microphone, causing an extra-loud sound to resonate through the ship and shatter the glass... revealing that the woman was...
Stella.
However, it seems that... she's been corrupted. Her skin has taken on a purple hue, and the orange on her body has changed to darker blues and purples. Without any time to revel or react, She'd clutch her head and face the group with crazed eyes.
And now... Boss time.
Corrupted Stella would start the battle by splitting into five copies of herself, that soon fly around the room. Four of which are fake, and one real. The real one will be indicated by a visible shadow. While you can attack Stella and get damage off, it becomes clear that you're better off dealing with the clones. They disappear after one hit, but they acts independently and fire off attacks of their own, albeit weaker attacks. They can fire lasers between themselves after the end of every turn, so don't put any party members between any of the Stellas. Their attacks include exploding star-shaped projectiles, a flying punch and a burst of AoE light. Making sure your party members don't take too much damage is key, as Stella herself hits MUCH harder than the duplicates and if she doesn't take you out, the duplicates certainly will. Stella can also refresh her duplicates every 4 turns.
Once you get her to half health, she starts to spaz out, possibly fighting her corruption. Her attacks get much wilder, with plenty more explosions! She can also radiate an aura of microwaves that will damage those too close over time. She still sends out duplicates, which you still have to watch out for. She can also scream, causing all the duplicates to explode violently, doing heavy damage, before unleashing a powerful laser on the next turn. This goes on until Stella is finally defeated.
Stella would spaz out in the following cutscene, her body's color repeatedly changing. The party approaches her... but the temperature of the room starts to rise. Soon, footsteps are heard, and the Eichi storm in, but would soon look in fear as Stella rises in the air, light swirling around her body. Stanley would run forward and hold his arms out... right before Stella unleashes a massive burst of energy...
You then see the docked ship they were on... exploding. Other ships are sent off or tilted, also crashing into rocks or each other. the shockwave is felt throughout the level, and the screen fades to black...
== Chapter 5 ==
Find out next time on KillGames 2 new funky mode and knuckles amogus edition