Archon Grid

*"You're almost there. You can congratulate yourself now. You're the best. The home stretch. Ah. So nice, feels good. Welcome to the ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT, my friend."*

## Description

### Walkthrough

#### First Area

The first section of the level is a room filled with many NPCs walking around. Near the door to continue is a room with a Divine Light Shrine inside. After this room leads to an empty room with copies of Gorbino's Quest sitting on the windowsill overlooking a spinning block with "PUNISHMENT" on it. After this area is a platforming section where you will have to make some relatively easy jumps to reach the next section.

#### Puzzle Section

The second area is a collection of puzzles with many civilians, some enemies, and Grid Crabs that cannot be killed. These puzzles can be solved to access the area with the Holy Scope. After these puzzle rooms, there is a single room with two Psychos and a Rubber Sniper inside. The easiest method to beating this room is to pop out from behind the rocks in front of you and quickly pop back in so the Psychos don't mess with you too much.

#### Before Abraxas

The last room before fighting the final boss is very tricky due to the small size and high concentration of Rubber Grunts with AMG4s inside. Be sure to bring either the Security Systems Anti-Armor Device or the Riot Pacifier to deal with this room easily.

#### Fighting Abraxas

This fight is relatively simple, as long as you can move quickly. You have to shoot the three "heads" on Abraxas to kill him, a fully automatic weapon does this most effectively. After killing Abraxas, you simply walk to a tunnel behind his corpse to end the level.

#### Ending Cutscene - "Entrapment"

Upon reaching the exit, the level finishes, and the first ending plays. The ending starts with the player walking through a tunnel towards a brick wall, which the player then breaks. An expansive, seemingly endless field is on the other side, with some civilians walking around. If the player walks into any of the civilians, they gib instantly. A white sun shines up above and rocks back and forth, and a pillar seems to get slightly taller as the player walks toward it. Some text appears as the player walks, which reads as follows.

"YOU EMERGE FROM A LONG AND WEARY SLEEP."

"THE WORLD APPEARS AS A LARGE FLAT PLANE OF OPPORTUNITY."

"THE SKY IS BOUNDLESS AND BLUE."

"YOU ARE AMONG FRIENDS."

"THE AIR IS FRESH WITH THE SCENT OF THE OCEAN."

"YOU HAVE LEARNED ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS."

"BUT YOU LACK KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING."

"YOU WILL BE TRAPPED FOREVER."

"THE PAST IS EVER-PRESENT."

"THE SUN SMILES AT YOU WITH ETERNAL MALICE."

## Enemies

### Standard Enemies

Gore GruntDogPsychoKniferRubber GruntRubber SniperEliteRevolver CopShotgun CopSwamp CultistSwamp SniperGrid Crab Abraxas [Hostile Target/Boss]

### Hope Eradicated Enemies

 Flesh TrooperDarkworld GruntDarkworld Heavy WeaponsGolemShitman GruntCruelty Squad GruntGrid Golem
[Hostile Target]

## Weapons

K&H X20

AMG4

## Implants

The Holy Scope can be found by solving all the block puzzles from the start (push the bluish blocks onto the bluish tiles), and then crossing a very long obstacle course. Alternatively, the Grappendix can be used to bypass the block puzzles and enter the obstacle course directly.

## Fish

Fishing spots:

* Small pool through which you enter the maze.
* Later in the level, you can swing beneath the level and slip through a small crack in the geometry (a small piece of bog is visible next to a bit of green brick wall near the four large pillars at the bottom)

The following fish can be found:

* Slurper
* Fish
* Dead Fish (only in Hope Eradicated)
* Cubert
* Mistake
* Sunfish
* Success

## Trivia

* Archons are import figures in gnosticism, representing hostile entities created by the Demiurge, a flawed god-like being responsible for creating the physical world. The primary role of archons in gnosticism is to keep divine souls (which inhabit physical human bodies) trapped within the material realm and unable to return to the divine realm. The name of this level and its goal (disabling the Archon Grid) may be a reference to gnosticism, with the Archon Grid representing the means by which humans are perpetually regenerated upon death.