Mother 3 high playthrough part 5: Greetings cheese popsicle

Highway continued

Further up on the highway, passed the cafe, found a little cave with a guy named Leo-Leo, surrounded by a bunch of gift boxes. He says he got these presents from some girls, and tells me not to open them... then I talk to him a few more times.

You naturally try to open a gift box the instant you see one, don't ya? But too bad! These ones belong to me!

You look like you're thinking to yourself, "Come on, just one box.", Well too bad!

I really doubt you're popular with the girls. You don't seem like a very bad dude, either. I dunno, should I let you open one...? Nope, not gonna happen!

Okay, okay! You can have one, and only one. Even a bad dude like Leo-Leo has a nice side... That's why the chicks dig me.

Hmm... this is mysterious... I wonder what would've happened if I had just taken all the presents first and then talked to him.

Opened a present.. got the "Knit sweater" with Leo-Leo's name knitted onto it... oh I see, and if you try to open more than that, the guy stops you... this wasn't very exciting...
I also found another hidden mouse kid in this room... one more to go... and the last mouse is just out in the open on the side of the road.

In exchange for bringing the mouse mom's kids back, the reward is a kiss and an item called "Shield Snatcher"

Went to the junk yard, where the defective clayman was dropped off... got attacked by a Junk Heap.

lol when you try to sniff the Putrid Junk Heap with Boney to figure out its weakness, the stench is too much and he can't do it.


This boss was pretty easy. Lucas used shield on everyone and went on healing duty, Duster tried out all his abilities until I found that tickling to lower his DEF works best, Kumatora used fire every turn, and Boney just attacked along with Lucas whenever I didn't need healing... Junk Heap also constantly uses shield, healing, and DEF buffs on himself so it took a while, but I never even came close to being in danger.

Finally got back the Egg of Light that Duster lost a few years ago, and his memory fully returned..
Then a pigmask shows up and gives us a lift straight to Thunder Tower...

Thunder Tower

Finally reached that ominous tower that has been destroying people's homes with thunder strikes.

Some new enemies here...

A "Whatever" is whatever.. the minor robot has some tricky attacks but he runs out of batteries quickly. lol this is cute... when the Minor Robot and the Battery Man are both together in a battle, they're much stronger.

The pigmask people are asking their commander to restore the generator...

If this catfish doesn't work hard, we'll run out of power! And if that happens, our mean, scary boss will get mad. And if that happens, I'll get lumps on my head. So please work hard, catfish!

Oh yeah and that Whatever enemy reacts to you very strangely, and only fights you if you talk to it or another nearby enemy fights you.

More useful pigmask NPCs... some of them feel bad for what they're doing to people with the Thunder Tower...

The tower part of Thunder Tower is full of areas that are always short-circuiting. It's really dangerous, so please don't go up there.

No problem here.
...is what I'd like to say, but the generator defense system partway up the tower is really buggy. We'd be in such huge trouble if any bad guys snuck in!
Yeah, the generator defense system further up the tower... Things could get ugly real quick.

If the generator is destroyed, Thunder Tower will collapse! So a special type of trap's been installed in the generator! I suppose in RPG terms, it would be your so-called "mid-boss"!

The catfish in the center room are much bigger... pigmasks are trying to scare them into working harder... their boss, a huge DCMC fan, is up ahead... good thing I didn't sell all my DCMC merch yet.

It's Fierce Pork Trooper, the boss from earlier on the highway who saw through Lucas's disguise... now he's got better gear on. I gave the DCMC hat to Boney, my fastest party member and this miniboss turned into a joke...

My levels are now 28 / 28 / 27 / 27

Fassad also sees through our disguises... he really hates Lucas for what his drago friend did to him... The 4 ran away up the tower while Fassad taunts them... no sense in wearing the disguises anymore.

Next is just an easy linear path up the tower, fighting a bunch of "screwloose" enemies... and I eventually get to a room with a fancy star shaped hot spring and a bunch of kid's toys and stuff...

The vending machine in this strange "King P's Room" sells lightning resistant equipment... hmm, sure I guess it's worth it...
All of the items in this room can be inspected for some extra lines of dialog...

lol this surprise box surprised me... defeating this thing was like a free level up for everyone... it was really easy after Boney sniffed out its weaknesses..

Sweet, the jukebox switched the music to the EarthBound shop music...

As soon as I inspected the Yo-yo, the robot maid attacked... Boney couldn't find a specific weakness other than "mechanical", and I already used up the saltwater gun on the surprise box... all of her attacks do a lot of damage, and it was hard to just stay healed until I finally managed to Paralyze her with Kumatora...
Wait wtf, she can still attack while paralyzed most of the time? This is tough... She gets even harder in her 2nd form.

Phew, just barely made it...

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW SO SEW SO-SO
GREETINGS CHEESE POPSICLE
THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PORK CHOPS
FROM EAST TO WEST IT GOES GOES
BROKEN BROKEN
OH SO SOW SEW BROKEN
*whir* *clank* *clunk*

Well... that extra hard optional miniboss was totally worth it...

These short circuit enemies (lol I love how these games always make scary environmental hazards into actual enemies that you battle) are kinda tough if they use PK flash on you, and their attacks can still do a lot to Boney who can't equip a rubber jacket... suddenly Lucas gets struck by lightning and learns PK Flash.

Further up... closer to the top of the tower generator...

Who the hey are you?! Actually, I guess it doesn't matter, huh? Just the fact you were able to come this far is awesome... which makes YOU awesome! I think I might be in love! My name is Sheep. Don't ask any more than that. Trying to seem mysterious is my hobby.

Whoa this is weird... i get the feeling some of these pigmasks aren't actually people, they might be sheep or pigs, secretly giving the good guys advice on purpose... I've been seeing a few of these strange pigmasks lately that have blatantly hinted they are secretly siding with Lucas. I wonder if this is what the "We pigs know all the secrets of Mother 3" hint from way earlier in the game is all about...

Defense system activated... This is the real miniboss the game was referring to...

PSI Shield on Boney first of all... then I'll try Siren Beetle, Paralysis, and Sniff... weak against ice... good thing Kuma just learned PK Freeze beta

Got him both paralyzed with Kuma and crying with Duster's Smoke Bomb... Lucas can heal everyone easily while Duster keeps fiddling with his toys, Kuma keeps freezing, and Boney just guards since he can't attack being shocked... This is easy compared to the robot maid.

It unleashes a big attack on all of us, then runs out of energy and I easily heal boney on time and now it's a harmless pile of junk that everyone can wail on. It does eventually regain energy and charge up its big attack again, but it's very easy to predict and survive to the next round of wailing...

My levels are now 30 / 29 / 29 / 28

An alarm going on as the dead robot yells out "IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU'D EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
Fassad shows up...

You! How dare you destroy this vital system of ours!
*eats banana*
Hmm, I guess this is a case of "Fools, like smoke, enjoy heights."
Nwehehehehe!

Fassad traps us on the roof of the tower...

What's funny is that happiness could've been yours, had you simply stayed in Tazmily and lived quietly, without a care in the world.

Then he's on the phone, being like "I'll be done here soon, so leave the Mother Porkship on standby above."

*eats banana*
The Thunder Tower is unusable, but this is the perfect chance to eliminate the whole lot of you in one fell swoop.

Sheesh, this sounds really ominous...

It's a bit much for three lousy rats, but our king just loves being flashy. So I've decided that you and Thunder Tower can disappear flashily together.

Then Fassad slips on his banana peel and falls off, and Duster uses his rope snake so everyone can grab onto the UFO's ladder...

The commander steps out and sees us, then tries to shake us off... Then the rope snake talks suddenly...

The good news for me, is that although we haven't known each other long, I'm now a major character in the story, thanks to you. And the bad news for you... is that my jaw isn't sturdy enough to support the weight of three people and one dog. In other words, my jaw... It's.. at... its... limit... This is... literally... jaw-dropping!

Everyone falls off to their doom.

These scroll sequence chapter summaries are so well written...

Chapter 5 End
TIME 21 : 25

- Chapter 6 - Sunflower Fields -

Try not to cry. try not to cry. try not t-

dammit

- Chapter 7 - The Seven Needles -

Tazmily Village 5

The 4 split up... Lucas and Boney land in some hay near the Tazmily old folks home where Wess and Alec are living... meanwhile a scene shows the commander leading some pigmask soldiers into a building...

I see... so the ghost of Hinawa guided her family members in their dreams so that Lucas and Boney could be saved... I wonder if Duster and Kuma were saved.
Alec says his Magypsy friends might be able to help find Duster. So I guess I know where I gotta go next, but first is another big town completionist npc dialog segment.

The pigmask army training camp is the same as always... the trainer says you need to be stuffed up and made into a fat juicy pig in order to join the pig army...

Everyone isn't sure what to do about this strange tied up boy-girl who smells like the forest...
One of the guys there isn't even talking about the magypsy...

Can I say something off-topic?

He tells you anyway regardless of which option you pick.

I picked up this doorknob the other day, but I was irritated at the time, so I threw it to the east as far as I could. I wound up dislocating my shoulder as a result. Actually, no, I was just fibbing about that last part. Hahaha.

This magypsy realizes Lucas is the one they've been waiting for for tens of thousands of years...

Can't you sense it, too? Can't you feel "the time" drawing near? It's okay if you can't. I'm not entirely sure about it, either.

Ionia wonders if the others are alright, but can't fly back without his makeup on. but he can walk... then one of the townspeople says they can show us how to go up the river easily... but before that I gotta talk to everyone else in the town.

The townspeople here are still weird and obsessed with their happiness items, but some of them are starting to come back to their senses...

It seems the factory's been closed down. So I expected my little Biffy and Butchy to come back home, but they wound up going to some New Pork Something-or-Other instead.

Jackie, the innkeeper:

Visitors from the big city have really dropped in number. Conversely, people wanting to leave this village for the city are on the rise. In which case, it would be best to move our hotel to the city. Right? Well, that's what I think, at least.

Attention, guests staying here on group work retreats: Please talk in whispered voices when conducting meetings. Thank you.

lol if you keep listening to the whispering conversation through the door, the dialog keeps changing a bunch of times, until this npc finally gives up on trying to stop you from eavesdropping.

A guy staying in one of the hotel rooms says:

I've been staying here a long time, pretending I have money, but I actually don't. I dunno what to do, so I'm gonna stay in here again today. I'm afraid. Every day I'm so afraid. I can't leave my room, I'm so scared they'll demand that I pay up.

yikes

The pigmask hanging out near Lucas's house thinks the frog is suspicious, but doesn't think it's up to anything bad so he leaves it be.
Frog:

Time certainly flies, doesn't it?

The sheep that still has its fur is jealous of the other 2 that had their fur charred off.
The sherriff isn't locking people up anymore, just hanging out with a dog...
Bud and Lou are doing a comedy routine next to a sign that says

NOTICE! Beware of snakes. Please refrain from practicing comedy routines in this area. Greetings, lumber people.

Seems all the people still obsessed with money are the ones that want to move to the city.

Jonel:

I just thought of something. I do nothing but think about myself, so I think that might make others not like me... But if other people would think about me even more, it would all balance out. Why won't other people think about me more?
Lucas! I like you. You come to talk to me every once in a while. I could make you my successor, if you'd like. But it's lonely living my kind of life...

Bob:

Each time my old man gets a year older, his "me"-ness gets worse and worse.

... deep

The sunbathing pig is dreaming about the words "Oscar" and "Mayer"... doesn't know what they mean...
A sign next to the ocean cliff:

There's something across the sea... Do you ever wonder about such things? Please call me anytime.

I bet Nana wrote that, that Paula-looking girl who's always staring out at the sea...
Nana:

I've figured out what my bad habit is. I'll put it in one sentence. I never shut up.

wait what? is that the zombie prostitute from Threed? It's the same sprite as her, I'm sure of it...
Lady:

This cape's suddenly real nice and quiet, now that everyone's gone. But it's also kind of lonely now. The only thing to hear is the sound of the waves.

I bet she's the one who wrote that sign lol

Guess I'll sell Lucas's rubber cape and exchange it for the fire resistant Aloha Coat at the sea shop. I don't know if I need it but whatever...

lol the central town message board has a bunch of propaganda ads, and also a message from Nana saying "I have sand in my shoe. Somebody do something!"
Another one says: "We've been running out of friends at the castle lately. People of Tazmily, please pass away at a faster pace, if you would be so kind. Thanks. (Anonymous Ghost)"
And one from Isaac warning everyone that they should all be kind towards Mr. Fassad...

Deposited all these "Dolphin Ossicle" things at the item guy, because I don't know what they're for and they seem worthless but who knows.
I'm still holding onto these 2 "Trivia Card" items that I'm supposed to use on human enemies but I've never fought any (besides possibly pigmasks?)

Cool, you get a flashback scene when Lucas inspects his mom's grave again for the first time in a few chapters...
Hmm, I dunno if I could try and get through Sunshine Forest on foot and ignore the NPCs offering me a boat ride... I'm guessing the chimeras in that forest are no longer too hard for level 30 Lucas and Boney...

A woman at the Sanctuary:

Oh, a kid from the village. You're so nice and unsophisticated.

And yeah there are arrow lizards in the forest, so it does seem like you have the option of taking the boat or not. guess I'll take the boat then.
Bronson's house (I think it's his house? the same guy who is sunbathing on the beach), has a notice saying he's moved out and is planning on moving to the big city.
Lighter is still living in his house that got partially blasted by lightning.. and the mouse who is secretly living in the attic is still there...

Decided to take the boat ride... the bridge raises up to get out of the way...

There are white frogs on either side of the river, and talking to one makes a frog bridge appear... so I'm guessing the boat ride was optional... there wasn't anything interesting about either route I think, just that The boat ride is much faster. You don't have to fight any of the forest chimeras if you run through it.

Back to Mt. Oriander for the first time since like... Chapter 1 I think?

It looks like you can actually go further up the mountain, ahead to Argilla Pass, but some ants at your feet block that path... This is a good place to stop. I guess I'll do the rest of Chapter 7 next high session...

TIME 23:00
Wow lol I can't believe I spent an hour and a half just on this optional "talk to all the npcs again" segment. like the frog from earlier said:

Time certainly flies, doesn't it?