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--------------------------------------------
Earthbound Strategy Guide by Alasdair Lo
System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
E-mail: kylohk@netvigator.com
Date: 16 September, 2005
Version 1.1
--------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Updates
3. Getting Started
---a. Story
---b. Characters
---c. Basics
---d. Fighting Techniques
4. Setting out to Save the World
---a. A Rude Awakening
---b. Cult Crashing Time
---c. The Band and the Zombies
5. Help Arrives from Far Away
---a. Trekking Across the Snowland
---b. From the Desert to the Metropolis
---c. A Tropical Getaway
6. More and More Exotic Places
---a. It's Time for a Reenactment of Sahara-Earthbound Style!
---b. Dark and Scary, and Water that is Way too Deep
---c. What on earth, is that a Dinosaur?
---d. Ness' Journey of Self Discovery
7. The Final Stretch
8. Stuff that may Interest You
---a. Various Miscellaneous Tips
---b. A Review of Boss Battles
---c. My Review of a Review
9. Conclusion
Appendix I. Feedback Information

----------------
1. Introduction
----------------
In the 2 Super Smash Bros. released so far, there has been this kid in 
a red cap, wearing a yellow and blue striped shirt and blue shorts. His 
weapon of choice is a baseball bat. But where does he come from? He's a 
psychic boy from the Earthbound series, bearing the name Ness. But what 
on earth is Earthbound? It seems that this game was released for the SNES 
back in 1995. It is a RPG with a modern attitude, but was rejected by the 
masses due to its rather outdated graphics. Since I have a SNES, I can 
just get an old Earthbound cart from eBay for a low price and see what 
the fuss is all about. Sure, the graphics may seem like that it belongs 
to the old NES, but the sound really is up to date. The game is really 
fun, and that's what matters, right? So, I think I will write a guide for 
this game, and make it rich in spoilers! It's spoiler richness that makes 
guide writing fun for me.

---------------
2. Updates
---------------
Version 1.1:
Replayed the game with a new leveling strategy. So, the level of characters 
would have been changed. Added a new section called "My Review of a Review", 
where I analyzed one of the reviews of EarthBound in GameFAQs.

-------------------
3. Getting Started
-------------------
The starting screen of the game features a large UFO zapping down on a 
ruined town, and it says "the Battle Against Giygas" beneath the name of 
the game. Press start to begin.

---------------
a. Story
---------------
Ness, an average 13 year old boy living in the outskirts of the town of 
Onett's life seems uneventful, until something happened one night. He was 
fast asleep. Suddenly, a large meteorite fell from the sky with a loud 
bang near his house. He wakes up and attempts to go out, only to be asked 
to change into his ordinary clothes by his mom. He gets out and walks up 
the hill, and finds Pokey, his nasty neighbour messing around with the 
police. Pokey promises to report any findings to him and urges him to go 
back to bed. That's what Ness did.

Ness went to bed, and later in the night, he is awakened by a loud knock 
on the door. Pokey barges in, and says that he lost his brother Picky, 
and asks you to help him find him. The two boys fought through some wild 
animals and found Picky sleeping by the meteor. Just as the 3 are about 
to get back, they hear a loud buzzing noise. It came from a bug called 
Buzz Buzz who came from the future. He speaks of impending destruction 
of the Earth at the hands of Giygas, and he believes that Ness is the chosen 
one who will defeat him. It is believed that 2 other boys and one girl 
will help Ness defeat Giygas. To defeat Giygas, Ness must be wise, brave 
and rely on his friends.

The group heads back to Pokey's house first. There, Pokey's mom mistakes 
Buzz Buzz for a dung beetle and swats him dead. Before dying, he gives 
him a Sound Stone, and tells him to visit 8 special locations in the world 
known as "Your Sanctuary". Buzz Buzz gives Ness a Sound Stone to record 
the 8 melodies and then cops it. This is when Ness has to set off.

---------------
b. Characters
---------------
There are a total of 4 playable characters in the game. You get to name 
these 4 people when you start the game. This guide assumes that you make 
use of each character's default names. So, the chosen for will be called 
Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo.

Ness:
Ness is the chosen one from the town of Onett. He loves to play baseball, 
and prefers to take his bat and cap into battle. He is the best attacker 
in the game, and has the highest HP as well. His PP is usually a third 
of his HP total. However, as the game progresses, the HP to PP ratio will 
eventually become 1.4 to 1. And at that point, his PP will increase faster 
than his HP, so ultimately, the PP and HP will be much closer to each other. 
The only weaknesses of Ness are that he is slow, and will miss home rather 
often. That's when phone calls are useful.

Paula:
Paula is the only female character in the group. Her parents run the 
Polestar Preschool located in the nearby town of Twoson. She must be born 
with psychic powers, and can deal different types of elemental damage to 
her foes. She is quite a fast character, and prefers protecting her head 
with a ribbon! Her HP is the lowest of the 4 members in the game. However, 
the fact that her PP being the highest makes up for that. In fact, she 
will at one point have more PP than HP. In fact, the margin sort of widens 
more and more in the later stages in the game.

Jeff Andonuts:
Jeff is the son of a famous scientist who resides in an island country 
called Winters. Jeff seems to have inherited his father's talents, as he 
is smart enough to create new items from broken things found all over the 
place. He also has a set of exclusive items that only he can use, and those 
can really pack a punch in battle. Jeff cannot use any psychic powers, 
and that's his only weakness. Fortunately, this also means that he is immune 
to certain PP draining attacks and ailments. Jeff may have the 3rd highest 
HP in the game, but his rate of HP gain is comparable to the second highest 
character. So he's not horrible, in fact his offensive power can be even 
more powerful than Ness.

Prince Poo:
OK, I wonder whose idea is it to create such a ridiculous name for a noble 
prince. Poo comes from a far eastern country called Dalaam, god knows where 
that is. In spite of having such a horrible hairstyle, he is hot with the 
ladies where he lives. Poo has meditated and trained himself under the 
ancient Mu code. This makes him able to use psychic powers. He has one 
particularly powerful trick up his sleeve, as you can see later in the 
game. His HP to PP ratio is also 3 to 1. It seems that his only weakness 
is that he is very picky with food. Every single type of food except only 
1 type will restore only 6 HP to him. Poo may have the second highest HP 
in the game, but his total HP will be much lower than Ness after a certain 
event. He still can fend for himself though.

---------------
c. Basics
---------------
Button Configuration:
Control Pad: Move Around
Start Button: Move to Main Menu when the game says "Press Start"
Select Button: Cancel Selections, Bring up Current Status
L Button: Check items, Talk to People
R Button: Rings the Bell when Riding the Bike
A Button: Confirm Selection, Open Action Menu
X Button: Opens up Town Map, if the Town is mapped

The Action Menu:
Whenever you are walking around in the field, you may run into things that 
are of interest like shopkeepers or gift boxes. To interact with those 
things, you either press the L button to have the action chosen for you. 
You can also press A to open up a window that allows you to pick a course 
of action. "Talk to" allows you to talk to the person, "Check" allows you 
to have a close look at the item. "PSI" allows you to use your PSI healing 
or teleportation skills to heal someone in your group or teleport to 
somewhere else. "Goods" allows you to use items you have collected, either 
on your own members, or to give items to someone, in or out of your group. 
"Equip" allows you to equip your group members with armor and weapons. 
"Status" is there for you to see the stats of your group members.

Equipment:
To improve your characters' attack and defensive power, you get to equip 
up to 4 things per person. Each character is entitled to have one weapon 
and 3 types of armor or accessories equipped. There is Body Armor and Arm 
Armor, as well as a "Other" slot. Whenever you are choosing an item to 
be equipped, you will see the effect the item will have on your character's 
offense or defense stat, so be careful of downgrades. Poo has a dedicated 
set of weapon, armor and accessory. Equipping any other items will lower 
his stats! What a picky guy.

Saving:
To save, you must find a phone to contact Dad. He will tell you how much 
you have in the bank, as well as the EXP required for each character to 
advance to the next level. Black phones are free, while the green ones 
cost $1 to use.

Character Statistics:
Selecting the Status option allows you to see the stats of each character 
in the group. Use the D-pad to scroll left and right. There are many 
interesting stats for you to look at. The sad thing is stat when a character 
levels up, the stats will not increase uniformly. Sometimes, you may level 
up, only to find that your HP has increased by 1!

Level is the state of experience your character is in. When a character 
collects enough EXP, he will level. Note that the EXP required to level 
up increases in the order Ness < Paula < Poo < Jeff. This also means that 
if allowed to level up normally, Ness will have the highest level and Jeff 
will have the lowest. This may lead to power imbalances.

Hit Points and Psychic Points are representing your characters' health 
and ability to use psychic powers. Jeff is stuck with zero PP. On the other 
hand, Next Level tells you how much EXP is required to level up.

Offense, Defense and Speed are 3 obvious stats. Note that the former 2 
can vary depending on what stuff your character is equipping. Guts on the 
other hand, refers to the chance of your character dealing Smash attacks 
on the enemy. Smash attacks are like critical hits, they deal several times 
the ordinary damage on the enemy. This is a bonus for you, but a nightmare 
if the enemy manages to hit you with one!

Vitality and IQ are two rate determining stats. Vitality determines how 
fast the character's maximum HP increases. IQ, on the other hand, 
determines how fast the character's maximum PP increases. Jeff may be the 
highest IQ, but he has no PP. So, what are the uses of this stat? Well, 
as Jeff becomes more intelligent, he gets to be able to fix more and more 
complex items, turning them into more and more powerful weapons.

Finally, luck determines how often you miss your item in battle. Bats and 
Fry Pans have a miss rate of 1 in 16. The Sword of Kings and the guns used 
by Jeff always hit, if the enemy does not try to dodge.

Stat enhancing capsules:
You will find some items ending with "Capsule" in the levels. Capsules 
are items that increase one of the drinker's stats by 1. There are capsules 
like Speed capsule (Use on Ness), IQ Capsule (Use on Paula), Vital Capsule 
(Use on Jeff), Guts capsule (Use on Poo) and Luck Capsule (Use on Ness). 
The Rock Candy, on the other hand, randomly increases a stat by 1, I 
recommend you give this to Jeff.

Status Ailments:
Like all RPGs, Earthbound is no short of illnesses that will affect the 
characters. Here are all of them. There are many different items to heal 
different ailments, as well as different cure-alls, but for the sake of 
item conservation, I suggest you use the PSI Healing Spells.

The hospital is also used to deal with various ailments. Depending on how 
you are ailing, the Doctor, Nurse or Healer will be of help.

Solidify: Your character cannot move for one and only one turn. This is 
a minor hitch really, but if you are facing strong bosses, delaying their 
attacks by 1 turn can make all the difference with this ailment.

Lose Concentration: This ailment is only of an issue to Ness, Paula and 
Poo. In this state, you cannot use any PSI attacks, so might as well bash 
until the battle ends or when you can concentrate again. If Jeff has this 
ailment, consider it to be a bonus that the other 3 don't have it.

Mushroomize: When an enemy scatters spores at you, a Mushroom will grow 
on your head! This mushroom makes you feel flunky and may cause you to 
hit yourself or your friends. Outside of battle, the control scheme will 
go nuts! This cure may be profitable, since certain people will buy the 
mushroom off your head for $50 if you talk to them.

Possessed: Certain ghost like enemies can possess you with a mini-ghost. 
This mini-ghost becomes one of your group members, but will do annoying 
things like hitting you or solidifying you. To remove a ghost, enter the 
hospital and find a healer. Ask to be Purified.

*****CURED BY HEALING ALPHA*****
Cold and Sunstroke: Certain enemies can fire beams that cause nighttime 
stuffiness. Then, you will catch a cold and lose a small amount of HP very 
turn, as well as while walking in the field. (The screen flashes with a 
red color). Sunstroke is only obtained while walking in hot deserts for 
too long. The effects are the same as having a cold.

Sleeping: When asleep, you cannot attack nor do anything and the only thing 
you can do is to wake up. It may take several turns, but when the battle 
ends, you will automatically wake up anyway. To induce sleep in an enemy, 
attack with PSI Hypnosis.

*****CURED BY HEALING BETA*****
Poison and Nausea: The typical Poison is back again. There is a brother 
to it, Nausea. But the HP drain is more serious than that of Cold and 
Sunstroke. You will lose say 20 HP per round, and per red flash. So, hurry 
up and heal. To induce poisoning on an enemy, throw a Snake out at him. 
Vipers on the other hand can poison ALL the time! To induce Nausea, throw 
a pair of dirty socks out at the enemy.

Crying: Certain enemies can attack with tear gas style techniques, thus 
making tears come out. When that happens, your accuracy in physical attacks 
is drastically lowered. But PSI accuracy is unaffected. You will be cured 
automatically when the battle ends. (No one gets depressed that long.) 
You can make enemies cry by using PSI Flash

Feeling Strange: This is like the confused status in Pokemon. You get dizzy 
all the time, and may not be sure of who you are hitting. So, there is 
a danger that you can hit your own ally with a lethal weapon. When that 
happens, don't do anything until you are cured, unless it's an emergency. 
You can also induce this status at the enemy by using PSI Brainshock or 
Flash, depending on who you are.

*****CURED BY HEALING GAMMA*****
Numbness and Diamondize: These 2 ailments are both immobility ailments, 
so the character cannot attack using physical attacks. The latter is often 
induced by glaring. For the former ailment, you can still use PSI powers, 
for the latter, you can't. To induce Numbness on an enemy, use PSI Paralysis 
or Flash Beta. I'm sorry, but you can't diamondize anyone. The Healers 
in Hospitals are the most useful at this point, since they can either soften 
(Diamondize) you or restore feeling (Numbness). 

*****CURED BY HEALING OMEGA*****
Unconsciousness: When a character loses all HP, he will be knocked out. 
He appears as an angel in the field, and all menus will appear red. You 
should revive him with a Cup of Lifenoodles or by visiting a Hospital and 
talking to the nurse. Be prepared to pay the doctor's fee.

-----------------------
d. Fighting Techniques
-----------------------
All RPGs always involve battles with enemies. In Earthbound, we make use 
of the turn based battle system. Each character, friend and foe selects 
a move, and they make their moves in turns with the fastest character moving 
first. This process repeats until everyone has moved. Then the next round 
of moves come up. Simple, right?

Engaging enemies:
Whenever you are in the field, you will find people and animals moving 
around. If the person is moving erratically, and seem to be coming after 
you, then he is most likely an enemy. To engage him, run into him. If you 
approach an enemy from the front or side, the swirl will be black and both 
sides will engage in battle. While the screen is swirling, other nearby 
characters may join in and help.

If the enemy approaches you from behind, the swirl will be red. Uh-oh! 
This means that the enemies get to give you a surprise attack, and can 
have one free turn without you retaliating! This is particularly dangerous 
if more than 2 enemies engage you this way. On the other hand, if you manage 
to approach the enemy from the rear, you get a green swirl, which means 
you get the surprise attack. This is especially good if all 4 are present. 
Sometimes, if your levels are high enough, you can see the screen flash 
briefly, and then the You Win message will appear. That's it, free EXP 
without needing to battle! This trick is especially handy against Criminal 
Caterpillars and Master Criminal Worms, which always try to run away, but 
give massive EXP when caught. The automated victory may also occur if you 
get a black swirl, but the level difference needs to be even higher.

The Battle Menu:
In battle, all the enemies will be lined up in front of you at the top 
of the screen, in front of some weird moving background. The 4 characters' 
HP, PP and status ailments, if any will appear at the bottom. You get to 
pick a course of action in the order Ness --> Paula --> Jeff --> Poo.

The battle menu holds different choices, depending on which character you 
are. Bash or Shoot will cause your character to attack using a physical 
attack. Goods allow you to pick an item, from healing items to the powerful 
Multi Bottle Rocket in battle. Defend holds your character in a defensive 
position, minimizing damage received. PSI (Ness, Paula, Poo) allows you 
to use a PSI power against the enemy. Auto Fight causes the game to randomly 
generate a course of action for you. Run Away causes your group to attempt 
to escape.

"Pray" is a command exclusive to Paula. She will pray, and generate a random 
effect that can be good or bad for the group. (For example, she may revive 
everyone, friend or foe.) "Spy" is exclusive to Jeff. This rather important 
command allows Jeff to analyze an enemy of your choice, giving his stats 
and weakness. "Mirror", Poo's exclusive command allows him to copy one 
of the enemies. But he can't copy certain enemies, like Giygas!

He who Hesitates is Lost:
One noticeable feature of Earthbound is that when one of your group members 
take damage, his HP meter drops the same way as those gas meters. The numbers 
roll on a wheel until the total HP is deducted. This may not matter when 
you have few HP, but if you have hundreds of them and are dealt a mortal 
blow, it will take a while for it to reach zero. In that case, act quickly 
and heal the character or heal him. Either way can prevent him from being 
unconscious. (The HP meter stops moving when all enemies are beaten.)

EXP Gain:
When the enemy is defeated, the entire group will be awarded with EXP. 
Note that the total EXP gain is actually the sum of the EXP gained by each 
character. If a character is knocked unconscious during battle, his share 
of the EXP will be distributed evenly among the other survivors. Therefore, 
if Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo are in battle, and Ness and Paula are knocked 
out, Jeff and Poo will gain twice the normal amount of EXP gained if Ness 
and Paula were present. Since Jeff and Poo level up slower than the first 
2 characters, this technique is useful in catching up levelwise. Since 
Ness has loads of HP, the best places to catch up are places where there 
are enemies that use Flash or poison. Either way, Ness can get unconscious 
quickly, allowing the other 3 to catch up. I am now compiling a new standard 
strategy for this in the walkthrough.

--------------
PSI Techniques
--------------
There are a total of 4 types of PSI techniques. Offense, Recovery, Assist 
and Other. The former 3 are to be used in battle.

*****OFFENSE*****
Rockin Alpha/Beta/Gamma/Omega (Ness)     PP Needed: 10/14/40/98
Rockin is Ness' exclusive PSI move, and is also the only move that can 
deal direct damage to the enemy. Ness simply concentrates, and shoots out 
his mind's energy in a large blast, hurting all enemies. No enemies are 
strong or weak against this attack. The Omega version of the attack can 
only be obtained when Ness' conquers his own self, and his powers fuse 
with the earth's. That explains the insane requirement. Please note that 
the actual name of this move is based on your favorite thing. The default 
selection is Rockin, so the move will be called Rockin by default.

Flash Alpha/Beta/Gamma/Omega (Ness)     PP Needed: 8/16/24/32
Flash is again, Ness' exclusive move. It gives out a flash of psychic energy, 
giving all enemies a great shock. I really doubt that this move should 
be categorized as an Offensive move. The higher the Greek letter, the more 
powerful the effects, although they do not work most of the time. Alpha 
causes the enemies to cry or feel strange. From Beta onwards, Flash may 
kill enemies in one blast and has the additional possibility of numbing 
the enemies. The higher the level of the Flash, the higher the probability 
of defeating the enemies hit.

Fire Alpha/Beta/Gamma/Omega (Paula)     PP Needed: 6/12/20/42
This Paula exclusive technique involves using psychic powers to push a 
wall of flame to the enemies, hence damaging an entire row of them. You 
have the option to hit the front row or back row. Certain enemies are 
vulnerable to this attack. This attack is used to weaken a single row of 
enemies, and only shines in that factor. So, unless you are facing a large 
row that are resistant to Freeze, you are better off using Freeze moves, 
which are described below.

Freeze Alpha/Beta/Gamma (Paula and Poo), Omega (Paula)
PP Needed: 4/9/18/28
This technique freezes the area the enemy is standing in, and deals 
concentrated damage (more than Fire). This tech works on one enemy at a 
time. There is a possibility of solidifying the enemy, preventing him from 
having one turn, so this is especially useful in boss battles. Only Paula 
can learn the most powerful version of this move. Certain enemies are weak 
against it. I use this technique the most. If enemies use this, make sure 
you have a Psychic Shield before hand.

Thunder Alpha/Beta/Gamma (Paula and Poo), Omega (Poo)
PP Needed: 3/7/16/20
Paula and Poo have the ability to induce a lightning strike on the enemy. 
The number of strikes increase from 1 to 4 as more powerful versions of 
this move are learnt. The big problem is that due to the lightning bolt's 
random nature, there is a high chance of it not hitting anyone. But if 
it does hit, it can remove the enemy's shields. So, use this as a substitute 
of the Neutralizer if you don't have it. It seems that the more enemies 
there are in front of you, the higher chance it has to hit someone. When 
there are 4 or more enemies, this attack will definitely hit.

Starstorm Alpha/Beta (Poo)
PP Needed: 24/42
This is why all those years of Mu training Poo paid off. Poo will split 
his psychic energy in distinctive packets and rain the enemy in a meteor 
shower. These two moves are learnt through events. They basically never 
miss, and can deal heavy damage at a relatively low cost. This has got 
to be Poo's redeeming feature, since he joins as a low level. The latter 
is learnt a little too late in the game, and you are not likely to need 
to use it since there are other substitutes, Alpha is powerful enough 
already for Prince Poo's use.

*****RECOVERY*****
Lifeup Alpha/Beta/Gamma (Ness, Poo), Omega (Ness)
PP Needed: 5/8/13/24
This is the HP recovery technique for Ness' group. Both Ness and Poo can 
use the first 3 versions. Alpha recovers about 100 HP, Beta recovers about 
300 HP, and Gamma fully restores the target's HP. As for Omega, it restores 
around 400 HP to everyone in the group! This is particularly useful when 
you are dealt a insanely powerful area blow (like Starstorm). Use this 
IMMEDIATELY and you should be able to save everyone before anyone dies.

Healing Alpha/Beta/Gamma (Ness, Poo), Omega (Poo)
PP Needed: 5/8/20/38
This is the status ailment curing move. This time, Poo gets the strongest 
variant only. The higher the level, the more serious the ailment that can 
be cured. The final version is the most useful since it can allow Poo to 
revive an unconscious group member with full HP. Now, that will make Cups 
of Lifenoodles obsolete. The only drawback is that it takes too much PP.

Magnet Alpha/Omega (Paula, Poo)
The former is one pointless move. The first version drains very small 
amounts of PP from the enemy. That's it. However, the latter drains small 
amounts of PP from every single enemy in front of you. The latter is 
definitely much more effective, especially against group enemies with PP 
like Foppys and Mobile Sprouts, and they make Paula and Poo self sustaining.

*****ASSIST*****
Hypnosis Alpha/Omega (Ness)
PP Required: 6/18
This move puts the enemy to sleep. Omega version puts every enemy to sleep. 
Now that many enemies may wake up after a turn, but deferring their attacks 
by one turn will make all the difference.

Paralysis Alpha/Omega (Ness)
PP Required: 8/24
This move paralyzes the enemy. This is particularly effect against those 
which are vulnerable to the attack. Otherwise, it's easy to fail. Omega 
puts all the enemies in paralysis.

Shield Alpha/Beta (Ness, Poo, Paula), Sigma/Omega (Poo, Paula)
The Shields are very confusing protection moves. Since some protect you 
from physical attacks, and some protect you from PSI. I believe that Ness' 
Shield Beta and Paula's Shield Omega are the most useful. Since the latter 
erects a Power Shield on one person which halves physical damage and deliver 
the other half back to the enemy. The latter erects a psychic shield around 
everyone, and nullifies all PSI damage, reflecting it back to the attacker. 
Take that, all you Starstorm obsessives! If you are nervous about getting 
hit by enemy PSI, Starstorm Sigma is also a good idea, since it makes all 
PSI moves disappear for a couple of hits, and so the enemies that use Fire 
or Freeze won't be able to deal as much damage.

Offense Up/Defense Down Alpha/Beta (Paula)     PP Required: 10/30/8/24
These two moves increase the damage dealt to the enemy. This is because 
it either increases your attack power or lower the enemies' defense. The 
Beta versions work on everyone.

Brainshock Alpha/Beta (Poo)     PP Required: 10/30
Poo can use his psychic powers to twist the mind of the enemies. This makes 
them feel rather strange. The Beta version can make every enemy feel strange, 
as long as the enemies are susceptible to Brain Shock.

*****OTHER*****
Teleport Alpha/Beta (Ness, Poo)     PP Required: 2/8
PSI Teleportation allows Ness and his friends travel any major area he 
has visited. There are 10 total areas that can be teleported to. PSI 
Teleportation seems to be making use of the same mechanism of the Delorean 
in Back to the Future. You have to reach a certain speed before you can 
warp. This is why you will need to have considerable running space for 
Alpha to be used. If things are tight, try turning around with the D-Pad. 
Beta is much easier to carry out, since you will be running around in circles 
to acquire the desired speed.

---------------------------------
4. Setting out to Save the World
---------------------------------
It is time to set out to destroy Giygas. Insert the cart into the slot 
and turn on the SNES. At the main menu, select Start New Game. You get 
to select the text speed, the sound setting, the "flavor" (color) of the 
windows. I prefer mint flavor. Then you get to name your main characters, 
dog and your favorite food and thing. This guide assumes you select the 
default names. Wow! Let's start.

--------------------
a. A Rude Awakening
--------------------
It is the year 199X, in a small town in Eagleland called Onett. Since the 
national symbol of the United States is the American Bald Eagle, I will 
not be surprised if Eagleland is the equivalent of the United States in 
the real world. It is in the middle of the night. We now come to Ness' 
House. Ness is fast asleep. Suddenly, there was a loud noise of some large 
object hitting the ground at high speed. That wakes Ness up. You get out 
of bed and investigate with your pajamas. You can now control Ness.

Move Ness out of his bedroom, and into the corridor. Enter the first room 
you see. It's your sister Tracy's room. Open the gift box for a Cracked 
Bat. Equip it to increase Ness' offense by 4. Then get out and go downstairs. 
Talk to your Mom down there. "What was that noise?" she asks, "You don't 
seem scared. Are you nuts? And now you want to check it out? You'll sneak 
out of your room anyway, even if I asked you not to. At least change out 
of your jammies before you go." Remember, a good mother is an understanding 
one! You will be in your room again, fully dressed. Now get out.

If you talk to the man wearing glasses, he will tell you that a meteorite 
landed nearby, and he wants to be the first to get there. So, go south 
along the path. There are plenty of policemen around this place. The one 
gift box you will find contains a Bread Roll. This is food, a healing item 
in Earthbound. Don't bother with Lier X. Aggerate yet. Just keep moving 
until you reach another roadblock with Pokey, your pesky neighbour boy.

Pokey is bugging the cops. He shifts the blame into you. Go back to bed 
for now. Another night passes, or does it? Later that night, someone knocks 
on your door. Go and answer it. Pokey barges in. "Hey! Listen to what I 
got to say! When I took Picky to the place where the meteorite landed. 
Oh, good evening ma'am, you are looking lovely as usual. *snicker* Anyway, 
as I was saying, the police that were guarding the meteorite landing left 
suddenly to deal with the Sharks. You know the Sharks? They are the local 
ruffians, and they are going wild. Suddenly, I noticed that Picky was gone. 
I blame the cops, it certainly wasn't my fault at all. When my dad gets 
back, I know I'm gonna get it. You're my bestest friend, will you help 
me find Picky?" Actually, bestest is equal to only here. Answer yes.

As suggested, say goodbye to your mom in order to change clothes. Get out 
with Pokey now. Pokey suggests that you go out front while he follows at 
a safe distance. The wimp. Let's go out together. Suddenly, the phone rings, 
it's your dad. He tells you that he can create a record of your adventure 
when you phone him, so you save by calling dad.

There are only 3 types of enemies here. The runaway dogs, the spiteful 
crows and the coil snake. These aren't much of a threat, except that they 
will be faster than you for now. Runaway dogs drop bread rolls while 
spiteful crows drop cookies. Head back to the impact site, fighting the 
wild animals in the way. The Coil Snakes are really not worth it since 
they give only 1 exp. 

When Ness hits level 2, he will learn PSI Lifeup Alpha. You find Picky 
asleep next to the meteorite. "Wha! Oh! You woke me up. Pokey! I've been 
looking all over for you. You see, Pokey got scared and ran away. Well, 
I'm glad that you are ok at least. Let's go home now, I bet Mom and Dad 
are worried about us. Geez! Sometimes I wonder which of us is the big 
brother." Picky joins you, attempt to leave.

Suddenly, Pokey says, "Ness! Do you hear a buzzing that sounds like a bee 
flying around?" Say Yes. That buzzing creature appears from the meteorite! 
The bee introduces himself. "A bee I am not, I'm from 10 years in the future. 
And, in the future, all is devastation. Giygas, the universal cosmic 
destroyer sent the horror of eternal darkness. However, you must listen. 
Where I am from, there is a well known legend that has been handed down 
from ancient times. It says, 'When a chosen boy reaches the point, he will 
find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and 
will reveal the path of light.' You see, it is my opinion that you are 
that boy, Ness. This I believe. Giyga's monstrous plan must have been set 
in motion somewhere on Earth. If you start to confront the enemy immediately, 
you may have time to counter the evil intentions of Giygas. Three things 
are of the utmost importance: wisdom, courage and friendship. The legends 
of ancient times tell of 3 boys and 1 girl who defeat Giygas. I will tell 
you more later. Go now! And do not be anxious about the future. You have 
much work to do, Ness." 

Tell Buzz Buzz that you have understood him and he will join you. Pokey 
then hopes that he would not be one of those 3! What a wimp. Fear leads 
to the Dark Side, Pokey! Get back home now. As you are nearing the house, 
a bright beam of light shoots down from the sky. It's a Starman Junior.

"It's been a long time, Buzz Buzz. You've been successful in foiling Giygas' 
plans. But, Buzz Buzz, you must now surrender. You're no longer a hero, 
just a useless insect. I'll stomp you hard!" It's time to fight!

Boss Battle! Starman Junior (16 EXP)
This first Boss Battle really is laughable. This Starman Junior is a show 
off. He uses many types of PSI attacks on you. However, Buzz Buzz will 
always strike first. He uses the PSI Shield Sigma instantly. This blocks 
all PSI Attacks. Then, you can just bash away until he falls!

Ness should reach level 3, and gain a big boost in HP. "Whew! I was taking 
a big chance there," Buzz Buzz says, "He came from 10 years in the future 
to kill me, so we can't relax yet. From now on, you'll be fighting enemies 
sent by Giygas, as well as humans who have evil thoughts. They'll definitely 
make trouble during your adventure. Animals are also become violent due 
to Giygas' influence over their minds. It is the truth, so listen!"

Enter Pokey's house first. It's to the left of your house. Talk to the 
father, Aloysius Minch. He apologizes for the trouble his kids gave you. 
He herds them into their bedroom for a beating! He then comes down and 
hopes you leave soon, he claims that your dad borrowed more than $100000 
from him, and now he is living in poverty!

Meanwhile, the mother, Lardna Minch will come over and say that her husband 
is too lenient with the children. She sees Buzz Buzz. She thinks it's a 
dung beetle! She stomps it flat. This is when Buzz Buzz, our so called 
messenger from the future gets mortally wounded! Pathetic.

Talk to Buzz Buzz. "Agh! I was much weaker than I thought. So you must 
now begin your adventure. See you..." Before saying goodbye, there is 
something else, "Oh! I just remembered. Listen to my final words. To defeat 
Giygas, your own power must unite with the Earth's. The Earth will then 
channel your power and multiply it. There are 8 points that you must visit. 
Make these places your own. Each of these locations is "Your Sanctuary". 
One of them is near Onett, it's called the "Giant Step". Go there first, 
do you understand?" Say yes, and let Buzz Buzz rest in peace.

"Before I pass on, I want to give you something. It is the Sound Stone. 
You record the melodies of the 8 Your Sanctuary locations into this stone. 
It is an awesome item." He offers to repeat the story once more. Say no.

It's dawn outside now. You get the Sound Stone. Get out. It's now morning. 
First go back to your house and talk to mom. Let her heal you by cooking 
you Steak. You should be photographed by a genius photographer as you 
attempt to enter the house. Say fuzzy pickles! Also phone Dad to save. 
Then head south through the eastern path down to the town itself.

------------------------
Dealing with the Sharks
------------------------
Ness' Level: 3
The first building you will come to is the library. Enter and talk to the 
receptionist to borrow a Town Map for free. Now you can see the Town Map 
by pressing the X button. Get back out.

Go southwest along the dirt path and you will come to the Burger Shop. 
There is a trash can outside. Check it for a Hamburger. It's amazing that 
you can still eat such stuff. Inside the Burger Shop, you will find a 
selection of food available. Now, whenever I list food items in a shopping 
catalog, I will only write descriptions on the foods which I think are 
hot, or worth the money. The rest will only be displayed with the price.

*****BURGER SHOP*****
Can of Fruit Juice ($4), Cup of Coffee ($6), Bag of Fries ($8)
Hamburger ($14, restores 60 HP) **HOT!**

Now you know. The shop to the left is a Drug Store, this is where you buy 
drugs to cure ailments and new weapons. I prefer the latter, since PSI 
Healing can be used instead of drugs. So, whenever I find vendors selling 
drugs, their catalogs will not be revealed. 

It seems that whenever you select an item that is an upgrade, the character 
that can be upgraded will have a flashing box. Once you have bought it, 
you can equip it instantly, and sell the old weapon. Also, each weapon 
and armor's stat boosts will be shown, and the value shown is the increment 
relative to the item already equipped, so Offense +4 below means that the 
Tee Ball Bat will increase Ness' Offense by 4 over the Cracked Bat.

*****ONETT DRUG STORE*****
Cracked Bat ($48, Already Equipped)
Tee Ball Bat ($48, For Ness, Offense +4)
Yo-yo ($29, For Everyone)
Baseball Cap ($19, For Ness, Defense +5)
Copper Bracelet ($98, For Ness, Defense +5)

Get out of the shop, and continue heading south, past the City Hall and 
you should find the hospital. It's called the Bush Hospital! Thinking what 
I am thinking? Go right and you should find the Mach Pizza branch. It's 
not open. The building to the right is the Game Arcade. This is where the 
Sharks hang out. There are 3 types of sharks, the Yes Man Junior, who attacks 
with a hula hoop, a Pogo Punk who engages you in a Pogo stick (and also 
drops burgers), and the Skate Punk, who is capable of delivering heavy 
damage by shredding fiercely on a skateboard. (He can also call for help)

The funny thing is, whenever you defeat a Shark, they will become tame. 
What do you think they are, animals? Enter the Game Arcade when you are 
at level 4 (while realizing Paralysis Alpha). There are Sharks hanging 
around. Some of them will fight you. There is one on the ground floor, 
and one on the first floor. When they are beaten up, get back down to the 
ground floor and talk to the Shark guarding the door. Tell him that you 
do not want to be a member to arouse him! Tame him!

When you reach level 5, you should get another massive HP boost. This should 
be what you need to beat the head of the Sharks, as seen behind the door. 
In the backyard, you see the leader and a robot. Talk to the leader. "I'm 
Frank, you are? C'mon, can't you at least say your name?" He is definitely 
provoking you. Let's attack this boss.

Boss Battle! Frank Fly (50 EXP) and Frankystein Mark II (76 EXP)
Frank Fly, like any other gangster head can taunt you with something nasty, 
lowering your Guts. He also brandishes his knife to slash at you. He can 
also come out swinging. The funny thing is, Frank Fly may waste his turns 
saying things nasty, while you beat him to a pulp. After this, Frank will 
try to be fail-safe. "Fool-proof Frank can't be beaten. And this is 
Frankystein Mark II!" Now, you have to beat his robot too.

This robot attacks in alternate turns, generating steam between punching 
and tearing attacks. The latter attack deals more damage, but fortunately 
you can have a turn to heal since he has to rest between attacks. When 
his robot is beaten, Frank Fly will surrender. You should be at Level 6.

"This is my first defeat," He says, "Fool-proof Frank is now just failure 
Frank. I know you've been asking around, so I'll tell you about Giant Step. 
It seems quite a powerful spot. Some kind of special power is stored there 
that allows certain people to perform wondrous feats. However, a monster 
sucked up all the energy in that spot. It is difficult to get to Giant 
Step, that's all I know. I suggest you collect more information on your 
own. The entrance to the Giant Step is behind the touring entertainers' 
shack. Pirkle, the Mayor of Onett has the key to the shack. Ness, you've 
become stronger than I. Your adventure is just beginning."

Leave the dejected gang leader in his misery and enter the Town hall. Get 
to the second floor and talk to the mayor. He's wearing sunglasses. He 
will give you the key to the shack since you have beaten the Sharks (To 
elaborate, punch their heads off, spit into their eyes and made then wet 
their pants). He then says that he will not be responsible for any injuries 
you sustained there! Agree and the key is yours. Before getting to the 
Giant Step, I suggest you rest at home, and phone Dad to save, then go 
to town and stock up on Hamburgers.

---------------
Giant Step
---------------
Ness' Level: 6
It seems that once Ness is at Level 6, all wild animals in Onett will be 
scared of him. You may be tempted to get free EXP from them, but don't. 
Your main objective right now is to keep Ness' level down so a character 
that will join him later won't be lagging too far behind. To get to Giant 
Step, follow the dirt path outside the library to the west. You will come 
to the Entertainers' Shack. Talk to one of them and he will reward you 
with a Travel Charm. It does nothing but to defend Ness against Paralysis. 
Since no enemies can paralyze you yet, this item is useless and can be 
ignored. Use the key to the shack and you can enter and exit through the 
other side. Then enter the cave for the first dungeon.

In this cave, go as I ask you to. Try to minimize contact. There are Attack 
Slugs, Black Antoids and Rowdy Mice here. The latter are very annoying 
due to their high Guts. Their biting attacks frequently end up being Smash 
attacks. Black Antoids deal a lot of physical damage for ants, and can 
call for help! Try to avoid those 2. Attack Slugs are punching bags. Up 
to 4 may attack at once, but one bash can defeat one.

Keep going to the left until you see the rope by the opening. Climb up. 
Go right and find the rope. If you get to level 7, you should get another 
large HP boost of around 13. Climb up to the next level and head left. 
If there are lots of black dots on screen, then they most likely will be 
Attack Slugs. You will then come to an opening. Go through. Finally, the 
outside again! Go left and to the opening there. If there is a Magic 
Butterfly, use Lifeup to heal yourself fully and then walk into the 
butterfly to regain 20 PP. Enter the cave there. There may be Attack Slugs 
or Black Antoids. Check you status. Try to reach level 8. Then you can 
learn PSI Rockin Alpha, an important move to defeat the boss you have to 
face later on. There is a gift box here as well. There is a Hamburger inside. 
How kind. Then go through the opening you find.

You will be in small room. Beat any enemies you find and go to the left. 
Right now, Black Antoids may be defeated in 2 bashes. The next room has 
a long rope placed against a wall. Climb up. It's a long climb, but you 
will eventually reach an opening blocked by a shiny light. Talk to the 
light and the Your Sanctuary boss fight will begin. It's a Titanic Ant!

Boss Battle! Titanic Ant with 2 Black Antoids (759 EXP)
It's the first serious boss fight. The fight for Your Sanctuary. This 
Titanic Ant is not alone. He is helped by 2 Black Antoids. For the first 
go, use PSI Rockin Alpha on the enemy trio. This blast should knock out 
the 2 Black Antoids and deal some damage to the Titanic Ant as well. Then 
it's a boy to ant battle! Now, it seems that the Titanic Ant knows how 
to cast PSI Defense Down Alpha on Ness. But honestly it's a waste of turn 
since Ness' Defense is not that low. 

At other times, the Titanic Ant will bite you, dealing around 20 HP damage 
a blow. Continue to use Rockin Alpha until you run out of PP. (You should 
be able to use it once more.) If you are dealt a mortal blow, the rolling 
hit point system most likely can't save you, since you have too little 
HP. So, anticipate defeat and heal yourself first beforehand. (You should 
heal when you have 40 HP left.) Other dirty tricks by the Titanic Ant include 
Magnet Alpha and Shield Alpha. Fortunately, the former is rather useless 
when you have exhausted all PP to begin with, and that gives you a chance 
to deliver a free hit. Don't be surprised if you get defeated. Level 8 
is a very weak level to face this boss. But I have succeed thanks to my 
food supply (and some luck!) You should be at level 9, and your HP will 
get another 10+ boost. The light disappears.

Go through the opening. You are at the top of the hill, and some tranquil 
music is played. Walk over to the giant footprint on the ground. It's the 
Giant Step. You hear a part of a tune (In the tones DGABBD'AAB, the ' refers 
to one octave higher), and your health is restored. You will catch a glimpse 
of a small cute puppy. The melody is recorded. You can now leave, and explore 
the remainder of the cave I told you to ignore earlier.

Don't fight any unnecessary battles here. You are to keep Ness' level low 
at the moment. The enemies are now scared of you, and will try to keep 
away, so it really helps. When you are on the second level of the initial 
cave, enter the opening by the rope. There is a Gift Box with a Cold Remedy 
inside. Use it when you catch colds. Then enter the room on the right side 
of the bottom level. There is a Skip Sandwich in the present. A Skip Sandwich 
recovers 6 HP and allows for fast game play for a short time. (You move 
faster, but still cannot outrun many enemies. What's the point?)

Once you get outside, a cop will stop you. He asks you why you still enter 
the cave when there is a sign that tells you not to. He asks you if you 
can read. It does not matter how you respond. He will still require you 
to report to the police station. Before doing that, save by calling Dad 
and stock up on even more Hamburgers.

Head to the far southeast of the town to find the Police Station. There 
is one senior looking policeman with some blue on his black cap. Talk to 
him. He's the captain. "Why is the road to Twoson closed? An emergency, 
of course. At times like this, kids like you should be playing Nintendo 
Games. (Ha ha! Subliminal Messaging at its best!) Anyway, are you sure 
you want to go to Twoson?" Say yes, of course. "Okay, follow me." 

This captain takes you to a room at the far end of the police station. 
Hey, there are 5 burly cops in the room here. "Show me what you got! See 
if you can get past five of my best men!" He leaves you to brawl with the 
cops. You have to bash and take out 4 cops. They either use normal attacks 
or crushing chops, which deal more damage. (And quite frequently too!) 
Try not to use any PSI. You may pick up Hamburgers from the Cops. When 
the 4th cop is defeated, the 5th policeman will get scared and run off. 
Now, captain, you must realize that asking your officers to beat kids up 
is against police regulations. I think you should be reported! "There's 
no way I can beat you in a straight competition, so get ready for my Super 
Ultra Mambo-Tango-Foxtrot Martial Arts!" It's time to fight the captain!

Boss Battle! Captain Strong (492 EXP)
Captain Strong has some weird self-improvement moves. By losing his temper, 
he can increase his offensive power. The Submission Hold is the most lethal 
attack, and can take out 40 HP off you! That's the best he can do. Coming 
out swinging is his standard attack. If you have 20 or more PP, use Rockin 
Alpha twice on him and he should be beaten. You should be at Level 10 now 
and should have realized Healing Alpha.

"I didn't think you would do so well against the Onett Police Force. You 
want me to open the road to Twoson? Hang on for a sec, I will radio my 
staff and give them the word." Captain Strong now whips out his radio. 
"Strong here, do you read me?" He says, "Hey! It's me, Captain Strong. 
Okay, listen. A kid named Ness will be there in a few minutes. He's a kid 
in a Red Cap. I want you to open the road to Twoson for him. I know that. 
I know that! Don't ask me why, just do it! That's an order. Strong out." 
The road to Twoson will now be open. "Well kid, I'm not going to question 
you now, but I do want to see you again. Good luck!" See ya, Captain!

Before going to Twoson, go back to your house and rest there. But what's 
this? While you are sleeping, someone is communicating with you using 
telepathy! "Ness? Ness! Ness! I'm a friend you have never met before. My 
name is Paula. Can you hear me calling you? I am Paula." Who's that? Sounds 
like a girl's name. There is only one way to find out. On to Twoson!

----------------------
b. Cult Crashing Time
----------------------
Ness' Level: 10
I wonder why a friend whom you have never met would have known you. She 
must have looked up the yellow pages or something. To get to Twoson, go 
all the way to the south of Onett, and get onto the dirt path to the southeast 
of the Game Arcade. Follow it through the woods and you will find a Gift 
Box with another Hamburger in it. Then continue south until you reach the 
end of the path. Walk through the trees to reach Twoson. There should be 
some Attack Slugs and/or Black Antoids, which are simply afraid of you. 
Don't fight them for now. Keep Ness' level low. There are also Rambling 
Evil Mushrooms, whose signature attack is to scatter spores, causing Ness 
to be Mushroomized! If that's so, the cure is in the Hospital next town.

---------------
Twoson
---------------
The color of the trees has changed to a dull green, and the music is more 
of the tranquil jazz type, with a few bars quoted from the Beatles' song 
Yesterday. You are in Twoson now! Walk south along the dirt path, ignoring 
any enemies you find if possible, and you will reach the main road and 
hotel. If you have low HP, you can always rest for a fee ($50 per person). 
There is a Black Phone and an ATM Machine inside too. Save if you like.

The shop to the right of the hotel is the Cycle Shop. You can rent a bike 
for free if you like, although I do not recommend doing so, since this 
bike cannot squeeze through tight spots, and cannot outrun enemies. Besides 
that, when other characters join you, you can't ride the bike. The entrance 
of the shop is another photograph spot. The next building is the Twoson 
Department Store. It sells a wide range of goods from food to equipment.

The first floor seems to be the Food Fare. There is a Bakery and a Burger 
Shop. These are the food items on sale:

*****TWOSON DEPARTMENT STORE FOOD FARE*****
Cookie ($7), Bread Roll ($12), Skip Sandwich ($38), Lucky Sandwich ($128)
Can of Fruit Juice ($4), Cup of Coffee ($6), Bag of Fries ($8)
Hamburger *HOT!* ($14, Recovers ~60 HP)

The most worthwhile food at this point is still the Hamburger. I won't 
try the Lucky Sandwich, since the recovery is randomized. With such prices, 
I wonder if they are using Hong Kong Dollars here in Earthbound. Get up 
to the second floor. There is a toy shop on the second floor. There are 
2 attendants. Talk to them for their goods offered.

*****TWOSON DEPARTMENT STORE TOY DEPARTMENT*****
Cold Remedy ($22, Cures Colds)
Teddy Bear *HOT!* ($178, Takes Damage for the Group for a while!)
Tee Ball Bat ($48, Already Equipped by Ness)
Fry Pan ($56, Equipment for Paula)
Slingshot ($89, Weapon with Higher Miss Rate than the Bat, not worth it.)
Cheap Bracelet ($98, Already Equipped by Ness)
Baseball Cap ($19, Already Equipped by Ness)
Ribbon ($89, Boys don't wear Ribbons!)

As you can see, the only item worth it right now are the Teddy Bears. They 
act as a dud party member, and when the enemy attacks, they will hit the 
Teddy Bear instead. Attacks that only cause status ailments will be 
completely nullified! The Teddy Bear has limited HP though. With the money 
you have, 2 Teddy Bears would be good enough. Get out now.

The path leading north leads to the Hospital. You don't need to go there 
now. Just go east, past the Chaos Theater. A band named Runaway Five is 
the spotlight. Don't bother with them now. Go south and enter the park. 
It's the Burglin Park. Inside, there are hawkers selling various stuff.

I will scan the stalls in the park starting from the top row. There is 
a guy in pink at the top selling condiments for your food. Whenever you 
eat food, a condiment is sprinkled on it. Depending on the combination, 
the HP recovery will be enhanced or weakened.

*****CONDIMENT STAND*****
Ketchup Packet *HOT!*($2, Works on Hamburgers), Sugar Packet ($3), Tin 
of Cocoa ($4), Carton of Cream ($4), Sprig of Parsley ($2), Jar of Hot 
Sauce *HOT!*($3, Works on Pizza), Salt Packet ($2)

I assume that you can use common sense to figure out which condiments to 
put on which foods. For example, ketchup goes with Hamburgers, and Sugar 
Packet goes with sweets, etc. You know you have made the right choice when 
the food tastes pretty good. The second row from the top has one vendor 
selling eggs. You buy eggs, make them hatch into chicks and resell them 
for profit. But eggs take time to hatch.

On the top row from the stone path, there is a guy in sunglasses selling 
some sort of useless junk, but don't over look any of them.

*****JUNK SELLER*****
Defense Spray ($500, increases Defense for a while)
Rust Promoter ($89, damages all metallic enemies engaged)
Travel Charm ($60, protects against Paralysis only, pointless)
Copper Bracelet ($349, For Ness, Defense +5)
Broken Spray Can ($189, Useless for now)
Broken Iron ($149, Wseless for now)

As the guy says, a scientific guy could make better use of the things he 
sells. So you must wait until the scientific guy joins you before the bottom 
2 items become useful. The guy to the right sells a For Sale Sign for $98. 
Now, whenever you wave the sign in the field, someone will come and buy 
stuff from you. Take it if you like, but I prefer not to. Since not all 
useless items will be bought. There is a baker to the right.

*****BURGLIN PARK BAKER*****
Cookie ($7), Bread Roll ($12), Skip Sandwich ($38), Lucky Sandwich ($128)
Can of Fruit Juice ($4), Cup of Coffee ($6)

No point here. The woman sells bananas, while the masked man sells rulers. 
Both are not so useful. Go all the way to the right. A man on the roof 
of the management hut will jump down. "Wah ha ha ha ha! Why don't we chat 
later after we have locked horns!" It's Everdred, the park's manager! This 
guys attacks or wastes a turn knitting his brow. Several bashes combined 
with 2 Rockin Alpha attacks should do the trick. Ness should reach level 
11 at this point. This man will not chat with you. "Yes, I'm Everdred, 
boss of Burglin Park. When I jumped off the roof, I twisted my ankle. Anyway, 
I lost and nothing will change that. You know, you're pretty strong. Yeah, 
I know you want to find out about a girl named Paula. She went off to a 
secret hideout in the Peaceful Rest Valley. A chubby boy and a weird guy 
in a blue outfit have kidnapped her, though. They said they were going 
to make Paula some sort of human sacrifice. They were definitely hard core 
strange. You know, she might be gone already. You'd better hurry. If you 
save Paula, be sure to come back here. Okay? Don't forget. Everdred then 
returns to his hut.

It is time to enter Peaceful Rest Valley to find Paula. Go south along 
the road, and get past the Polestar Preschool. This is where Paula lives. 
But she's not there. Go south to the two huts marked Orange Kid and Apple 
Kid. Orange Kid's house may look tidier, but don't finance him. Instead, 
enter Apple Kid's house and take the Broken Machine out of the trash can. 
Someone can fix it in the future. Talk to Apple Kid.

"Well, I sort of neglected doing my housework. I know it's a bit of a pig 
sty but anyway, I'm Apple Kid. I haven't taken a bath in quite a while, 
so I am a bit smelly. By the way, I'm starving, do you have something to 
eat? If you do, can I have some?" Answer yes and give him a Hamburger.

"Thanks, you seem very nice. Uh, I wonder if... Maybe you would like to invest 
some money in my inventions? Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh. Excuse me, I mean thank 
you. By the way, I really could use $200." If you are really short of cash. 
Then you must fight to raise the required amount. Then come back.

Once you have given him $200, the mouse would have blocked the exit. Talk 
to him. "I am a mouse. No one has given me a name yet. You took care of 
my master. In return, I want to give you this. Please take it and say 
nothing." It's a receiving phone. It's used to receive phone calls only.

Now, get back north, and go east, past the Bus Station. Follow the dirt 
path through the woods and into the cave. You will encounter new enemies 
called Mobile Sprouts. These guys have the ability to scatter seeds, 
spawning even more of them. Get out on the other side and you are in Peaceful 
Rest Valley. The music is menacing here. The girl hanging around is a 
mushroom picker. If you get mushroomized, talk to her and she will buy 
the mushroom off you for $50. Keep moving north, and you will find the 
path blocked by an iron pencil statue. How to get out of this predicament? 
Let's head back for now. When you have gone back to Twoson, you would have 
received a phone call from Apple Kid, who claims to have a new invention.

Apple Kid is in Burglin Park. Find him. He's got a Pencil Eraser. It can 
eradicate all pencil shaped figures in a second. Just don't use it near 
a shop that sells pencils! With this, we can rub the pencil statue out 
and continue our way in Peaceful Rest Valley. Cross the bridge.

Move to the right, and run along the water. Then get up to the ridge. Hug 
the south of the ridge and you will find a Gift Box with a Luck Capsule. 
Drink it. Then go left and down south, along the river. Your objective 
is to avoid as much contact as possible. At the next open area, move right 
along the narrow path. If you are unlucky, you will encounter Territorial 
Oaks. It's not his attacks that are a problem, it's what happens when he 
is defeated. He will burst into flames, and deal heavy damage to Ness and 
the Teddy Bear. Cross the next bridge. Go north. In this narrow path, it 
is hard to avoid contact. There are Li'l UFOs and Spinning Robos here. 
They both can fire beams that cause Colds. Go north, and if you see oak 
trees moving about, move until they are out of sight and come back and 
check if they are gone. If they are still there, repeat until they vanish.

At the next junction, go east. Then go south. When the path is clear, quickly 
duck into the cave. Go through the tunnel and into the Happy Happy Village.

--------------------
Happy Happy Village
--------------------
Ness' Level: 14
Welcome to Happy Happy Village. Blue is in at the moment. That's the slogan 
of the Happy Happist cult. The music here sounds so hypnotizing! Every 
one is obsessed with the color blue. Perhaps Eiffel 65's Blue song can 
be their cult's anthem. (I'm Blue and da be dee ba dee ba, etc...)

Let's walk around and see if there are any goods that are worth it, although 
I doubt you have to cash! There are Insane Cultists prowling around, who 
can attack you with blue paint or call for more cultists to join the fun. 
Avoid all contact for now. Stick to the northern edge of the village. There 
is a self service stand that sells bananas at $5 each and Fresh Eggs at 
$12 each. It is possible to have no self-discipline and steal the Eggs 
without paying anything and watching them hatch into chicks which can be 
sold for $12 each!

NOTEL If you do that, don't talk to the Unassuming Local Guy in green hiding 
behind the tree to the south. He's monitoring the self-service stand. He 
will fight you if you don't pay up! He will moralize even if you win.

The building to the northeast is the Blue-Blue Drugstore, where all their 
goods are blessed! What on earth! Again, only equipment is listed.

*****BLUE-BLUE DRUGSTORE*****
Sandlot Bat ($98, For Ness, Offense +7)
Fry Pan ($36, For Paula)
Copper Bracelet ($349, Already Equipped by Ness)
Holmes Hat ($59, For Ness, Defense +5)
Ribbon ($89, For Paula)

Save with dad, and enter the cave to the north. There may be Insane Cultists 
inside. I suggest you reenter until they disappear. Go out through the 
other side to find a cabin. You hear a rather "worried" tune, and a girl 
is trapped inside with her Teddy Bear. Is it Paula? Talk.

"Who?" The girl asks, "Are you Ness? Ness! I'm so glad it's you. I had 
a dream that a boy named Ness is my destiny." Does that mean that she will 
be your future wife? "I know it's hard to believe. Therefore, I knew you 
would rescue me. If you didn't come, I would have to try and bust out of 
here." Lazy girl. She'd rather wait for you in the cell than to rendezvous 
with you somewhere else. You can't open the door. You will have to get 
the key from Carpainter. He's got it hidden away. I heard Carpainter can 
control lightning. In that case, you should wear this Franklin Badge. I'll 
wait until you return. Come back here and get me out once you have defeated 
Carpainter. Don't worry about me, just kick like I know you can!"

An early motivational statement made by the damsel in distress. Let's get 
out and back to the village. Hey, Pokey and 2 Insane Cultists are waiting 
for you outside! "Hey Ness! You're just here to bother me, aren't you? 
You can all me Master Pokey, since Mr. Carpainter made me an important 
person in Happy-Happyism. You should join us, but I know you won't. I'm 
glad I joined. I'm not going to fight you, but these guys will. Later 
potater!" The 2 Cultists and the Spiteful Crow then confront you!

If you are at level 14, each Paint Attack should deal about 10 HP damage. 
Your first step will be to deal group damage by Rockin Alpha. It's likely 
you will have to fight more Cultists as planned since they can call for 
help. In the worst of cases, you may have to fight Cultists A to F!

I wonder why Pokey will betray you. Maybe it's because you are the chosen 
one, so to fit in, the enemy has decided to choose the nastiest person 
possible in your neighborhood to be his head lackey! It's time to call 
Dad and save, and head to the large cult building in the middle of the 
village. As you can see, there is a large congregation of Insane Cultists. 
They are blocking the way. You will have to talk to certain ones to make 
them yield. You should go south. Then talk to the guy that is the rightmost 
in a row of 3 with a space to the right to make him move. Then talk to 
the person in front and you will find that he is chanting green instead 
of blue! You can now reach the giftbox. It contains a Skip Sandwich.

Go and talk to the Cultist to the lower left hand corner of this tight 
area and make him move. Then talk to the next person blocking the way. 
This time, you MUST fight him. He asks you, the unmasked fellow to not 
go to heaven! We'll see who's going to heaven now! Now that the path is 
clear, you can go through the door to the left and up the stairs.

Talk to the man in front of the golden statue. "Thanks for coming! I've 
been waiting for you. I need your assistance to help make the world blue 
and change it to a happy and peaceful society. Will you be my right hand 
assistant?" Just say no. "If you don't want to be my right hand assistant, 
left hand is just fine. Just kidding! Your existence is a problem for my 
religion. Defy me, and I'll end your pitiful game!" He tries to blast you 
with lightning, but the Franklin Badge you are holding deflects it! Fight!

Boss Battle! Mr. Carpainter (1412 EXP)
Mr. Carpainter's signature attack is the Crashing Boom Bang attack. It 
attacks twice in a row, but they rarely hit. Even if they connect, the 
Franklin badge will bounce it back to him and hurt him! He can also attack 
with Paint and heal himself using Lifeup Alpha. My strategy is bash, no 
PSI needed. After all, if any Crashing Boom Bang Attacks bounce back onto 
him, he will be dealt 70+ damage. An easy battle.

Now, the old man explains himself. "You see the Mani Mani statue behind 
me. Since I got the statue, I have been doing peculiar things. Please 
forgive me, if you can. I just wanted to have a normal life." You were 
not living a normal life just now, eh? "I apologize to everyone. Here's 
the key to open the jail in the mountain cabin where Paula is being held. 
Take the key and go." You now have the Key to the Cabin.

As you get out, pokey runs over to you. "What a horrible nightmare. I somehow 
woke up. Ness, let's be friends again. Please answer me, I promise to be 
good." Now you must have rejected him as he then follows up and says, "Hah! 
I lied, see you, sucker!" before running off! Get back and free Paula. 
Paula is pleased now. "Thank you Ness! You're just like what I imagined 
you to be. I'm sure that some people in Twoson are worried about me. Getting 
there may be dangerous, but we can do it if we combine our strength. I'm 
able to use a little psychic power that is actually pretty deadly. Let's 
head back to Twoson!" Paula comes out with her Teddy Bear.

You may want to return now, but there is something else you need to do. 
See the cave to the east of the village? It's a cave leading to the Your 
Second Sanctuary Location, Lilliput Steps. Enter the cave and train Paula. 
This is because, she is starting at level 1! You better buy as much equipment 
for her at the Blue-Blue Drugstore before hand!

---------------
Lilliput Steps
---------------
Ness' Level: 15     Paula's Level: 1
While training Paula, I suggest that you stay near the exit of the cavern, 
so you can get back out and rest when you need to. There are lots of Moles 
which are playing rough, and their most damaging attack is to scratch you 
with their sharp nails. These Moles drop Croissants. Fortunately the Teddy 
Bear is there to take the strain for a while. Another enemy is Mr. Batty. 
They attack most of the time, and can size up the situation, causing 
themselves to feel strange. Now, I really feel strange about this too! 
If Paula is knocked out, try to get away. Get back to the village, and 
enter the house in the southeast part next to the Healer, and have the 
Nurse discharge Paula. By the way, I have found a way to level the playing 
field with the 2 characters. The trick is to head back to the path leading 
to Peaceful Rest Valley when Paula is at around level 10, and have a Spinning 
Robo give Ness a cold, and then walk around until he collapses. With this 
trick, Paula will collect EXP by herself, and can get twice the amount 
as when she and Ness are both conscious. Since Ness cannot collect EXP 
while unconscious, Paula can catch up. Level up until Paula is one level 
above Ness, and then find the clinic in the Valley and revive Ness.

The nice thing is that Freeze Alpha is quite a powerful move. It can take 
out a mole in one blast. So make sure to use it often when Paula levels 
up. When you get weary, enter the farmhouse at the southwest part of the 
Village with the cow and talk to the man inside to rest for free. Every 
now and then your Dad will remind you to call him, so do it and save. When 
Paula is at level 13, I believe that you can go and engage the boss.

Go right from the entry area and through the gap. Go east at the junction 
for the Giftbox with a Croissant in it, and then go south. At level 18, 
Ness will realize Flash Alpha. Now, go east. You will reach a split path 
with a pond in the middle. Choose either path. You should start encountering 
Mighty Bears now. Fortunately these guys have less than 170 HP one Bash 
with Freeze Alpha should take one out. Go north and then west. There may 
be another Mighty Bear in the way. Kill it and go south. More enemies, 
defeat them and continue west along the path. There is another split path. 
There should be enemies on both sides. Take your pick. If more than 3 enemies 
are present, use Rockin Alpha. There should be a Gift Box with a PSI Caramel 
at the end of the north branch. PSI Caramels restore 20 PP to the user. 
You now come to the light guarding Your Sanctuary. Talk to it to fight.

Boss Battle! Mondo Mole (2896 EXP)
This giant Mole is extremely mean. He is resistant to both Fire and Freeze 
attacks, and can tear into you, inflicting about 90 damage on Ness at once. 
Besides that, Mondo Mole can recover HP! The best course of action is to 
use Rockin Alpha for Ness while Paula bashes. If you are feeling lucky, 
use Thunder Alpha for Paula, and hope that it hits. There is no easy way 
out of this one. It's a battle of attrition. If the Mondo Mole puts up 
a Shield, then Ness should resort to bashing while Paula continues to use 
Thunder to break the shield apart. In fact, Paula dealt the final blow 
in this battle, when all hope is lost! Oh, and if possible, use Paralysis 
Alpha as soon as possible. If that works, the Mole cannot move at all, 
and you can continuously bash him until he's down. Paula can also use Magnet 
Alpha repeatedly to fill up her PP meter.

Go out to the grass, and you will see lots of footprints there. Walk forward 
to listen to the melody. The melody this time goes like this: G (pause) 
GBA. Only 4 tones, rather short. You now briefly have a vision of a baby 
in a red cap. I guess this is part of your memories. I wonder what Paula 
is going to say when she finds out. (She might say, "Aww! How cute!")

Head back out of the cave to Happy Happy Village, engaging all the enemies 
that are now scared of you on the way. There will be a high incident of 
Green Swirls, and you may be able to beat them all up before they can even 
blink! When Ness' level is 20 and Paula's level is 17, try not to fight 
too often, or the third character will have a lot of work to do to catch 
up before he joins you two. It's time to save and leave.

We have to retrieve some items we missed in Peaceful Rest Valley. Go west, 
and go south at the next junction. You will end up on a long path leading 
to a cliff with a Gift Box. Inside is a Cup of Lifenoodles. This is the 
revival item of Earthbound. It gives the now conscious person full HP. 
Go north at the next junction. You may have to fight several baddies on 
the way. At the dead end, there is a Gift box with a Hard Hat inside. Equip 
it on Ness. It increases his Defense by 5 over the Holmes Hat. At the open 
area cross the second bridge, go south. There is a Gift Box with a Bomb 
inside to the right. Another Gift Box to the left holds a Croissant. It 
seems that the Broken Bridge is fixed. You can leave the fast way! But 
first go north and up the ridge for a Gift box with a Travel Charm. You 
can sell this for cold hard cash later. Head back to Twoson first.

At Twoson, enter the Mach Pizza branch and talk to the lady. She will give 
you the phone number of Mach Pizza. You then can all them to deliver a 
Pizza in 3 different sizes to you! A Pizza from them delivers group healing 
powers. So stock up on them when you have 3 members. Enter the Polestar 
Preschool and talk to Paula's dad. He's worried sick!

"Oh Paula! Ness, thank you so much! You must be the boy who will save the 
world, like in Paula's dream. Paula, I'm sure you will be a big help to 
Ness. It's not every day a father allows his daughter to embark on a journey 
to save the world." Paula reassures her dad, "Dad, don't worry about me. 
Ness and I will be able to take care of ourselves. In Threed, the next 
town, we will meet another friend. If the 3 of us can combine our power, 
no one can beat us. Now wipe your eyes, blow your nose and smile before 
we take off." "Goodbye Paula, don't worry, I won't cry anymore." I can't 
imagine what the scene will be like if FMVs are used. I father crying over 
his daughter isn't a very common thing, you know! Get out and it's time 
to find the Runaway Five to jam with the band!

NOTE: If Ness is unconscious at this point, Paula's Dad will say, "Where's 
Ness, he isn't here. I want to thank him. You know, I bet he's the boy 
you dreamed will save the world. Paula, I am sure you will be a big help 
to Ness. It's not every day a father allows his daughter to embark on a 
journey to save the world." Paula reassures her dad, "Dad, don't worry 
about me. Ness and I will be able to take care of ourselves. In Threed, 
the next town, we will meet another friend. If the 3 of us can combine 
our power, no one can beat us. Now wipe your eyes, blow your nose and smile 
before we take off." "Goodbye Paula, don't worry, I won't cry anymore."

----------------------------
c. The Band and the Zombies
----------------------------
Ness' Level: 19     Paula's Level: 19
When you leave the Preschool, someone outside will tell you that Everdred 
wants to find you. So go to Burglin Park and meet him in his office. Everdred 
is expecting you. "I was going to ask you to be my partner, but I know 
you will refuse. It's written all over your face. If you accepted, I was 
going to give you some money. Actually, I can't keep the money now anyway. 
Let me give this to you. It's 10000 dollars. "Use the money anyway you 
like. You cannot refuse my generosity. Just accept it. Now I plan on looking 
for the evil Mani Mani Statue that Lier. X Aggerate unearthed in Onett. 
I'll see you at another time, in another space." Now you have the Wad of 
Bills. But how should we spend this cash? And how exactly did Everdred 
get all that cash? Aha! I guess he must have stolen it somewhere and is 
trying to launder it by passing it on to you!

Go to the Chaos Theater now. Talk to the Runaway Five leader in red. "You 
are with a girl today. Ya must be really popular. How about introducing 
her to my band mate? He's right there." Talk to the man in black. "hey, 
ya came with Paula. Then you deserve a present, playboy! Here's a Backstage 
Pass. You can get into our shows with this!" You can now watch shows for 
free in the theater! As you try to enter, the photographer will swoop down 
and take a picture of you two.

Before entering, enter the Department Store to sell your useless items. 
Then enter. Present the Backstage Pass to the attendant and she will let 
you through. Inside the theater, go all the way to the left and talk to 
the girl there. She really wants to see the Runaway Five, and wants you 
to take her backstage. You agree and you will enter the door on the left 
and find the band. Talk to the leader in red. He's got some horrible debt 
blues. "If I had 10000 dollars, I could pay off my debts and move on to 
the next town. I wonder if our bus still runs. It may have rusted out." 
Get out and watch the show. Remember that you need $10000, and the bills 
are enough for that amount. 

The show starts. "Yeah! That's right! Tonight, you got the Chaos Theater 
soul men comin' at ya! Rockin' and rollin' live on this here stage for 
a limited time only!" Is limited time referring to "for all eternity if 
you don't overcome your debt"? "The World's greatest bluesmen, the Runaway 
Five! And here they come! Oh yeah! Baby!" The singing is done without voices! 
It's just some jazz and dancing around on the stage. Why is there an extra 
guy on stage with the keyboard? If you don't have voice acting, at least 
have the lyrics printed out in a text box! I give this show a 5 out of 
10. Lame! Cough cough heck!

Get out and head for the manager's office to the left. Walk up close and 
show him the Wad of Bills. "Yipes! You surprised me. Now I'm not sure what 
to do. I got the money of course, and now the Runaway Five are free to 
leave. I've got no complaints now that I have my money." At this point, 
the Runaway Five will bust in and thank the manager. They are so fast, 
it seems like that have been waiting at the door for this announcement.

"Well, what do you know? This little nipper took us from a nightmare to 
a dream." "Ow! This means that we get to get out of this dump!" "I'm a 
good driver. Come! I'll show you." "All right, let's move on to the next 
town. I'm sure our hunk o' junk will take us there." "I didn't make a 
spectacle of myself, didn't I?" The music changes to a happy one!

Outside the theater, the Runaway Five will allow you to hitch a ride on 
their coach. It's so noisy that no ghosts can bother you. This allows you 
to travel through the tunnel down south, past the Ghosts to Threed. "Hey! 
Sidewalk, step out of my way!" I quote one of the Runaway Five members. 
The roads do have such sharp turns here. It's amazing that such a hunk 
o' junk can make it through.

---------------
Threed
---------------
Ness' Level: 19     Paula's Level: 19
What a horrible blue atmosphere. Let me guess, it's nighttime in town number 
three Threed. You two will be dropped off outside the hospital. "Looks 
like we have to say goodbye for now," the leader says, "This town seems 
pretty gloomy, but I'm sure you can light up this place with your own little 
brand of sunshine." He enters the van. The driver says, "Hope to see you 
again sometime. Look for us singing at some theater in Fourside!"

Remember, you will meet them in City No. 4, Fourside. The van drives off. 
First things first, go to the Drug Store to the left and search for any 
upgrades to your current equipment. It's weird that they sell weapons in 
drug stores. I wonder if they can sell more contraband, like weed.

*****THREE DRUG STORE*****
Minor League Bat ($399, For Ness, Offense +11)
Thick Fry Pan ($198, For Paula, Offense +10)
Hard Hat ($298, Already Equipped by Ness)
Insecticide Spray ($19, Deals Group Damage to Insects)
Copper Bracelet ($349, Already Equipped)

Not many new things to choose from. But if you please, consider buying 
an insecticide spray or two, as there are insect enemies nearby. Get out, 
and go all the way to the right. There is a trash can by the house. Inside 
is a Skip Sandwich. If you talk to the Unassuming Local Guy to the northwest, 
he will tell you that due to the zombie invasion, they cannot get to Twoson 
or Fourside. However, a certain path hidden in the graveyard may be safe.

Go northwest to the hotel to the north of the circus. There is a messy 
guy there, and he says that a suspicious woman has been seen talking with 
the zombies. Better go and find her to make her eliminate the zombies. 
Maybe we should check out the graveyard first. Go northwest (again). And 
try to avoid contact. The white moving trashcans either hide stinky ghosts 
or Putrid Mouldy Men. The former are more annoying since they are resistant 
to bashing and can possess you! As for those flies, they are simply No 
Good Flies. If there are 3 or more, an Insecticide Spray is effective.

In fact, there is a Spray in the lone real trash can in the graveyard. 
It seems that the hidden path is blocked by 2 Urban Zombies. One stares 
into your soul, and one looks you over! Go back to the hotel. There is 
a man to the left of the bus stop. He says that some chick is standing 
in front of the hotel. Is that the woman we need to find? Go and find out. 
This woman wearing sunglasses runs into the hotel as soon as she sees you. 
Run after her. Inside, the music sounds rather twisted. Something's not 
right. I can feel it. The woman runs further into the hotel. Before you 
continue your pursuit, phone Dad to save.

The woman runs into the room. Follow her. To your surprise, you find Urban 
Zombies, Zombie Possessors and Zombie Dogs in the room. They close in on 
you and... WHAM! Ness and Paula are knocked out. You are losing consciousness, 
what could be the fate of Ness and his friend? You two wake up in an 
underground cave. Try to open the door, but it's locked. Paula uses her 
psychic powers to enlist the help of someone far away.

"I'm calling out to you who I've never met," Paula transmits, "I'm calling 
our friend who we have never met. Jeff! Jeff! We need your help! I am Paula 
and I am with another friend Ness. We are trying to contact you!" Who is 
this mysterious Jeff fellow? Let us find out!

------------------------------
5. Help Arrives from Far Away
------------------------------
Here's the situation. Ness and his new friend Paula enter Threed while 
a zombie invasion is taking place. They find a suspicious woman and followed 
her. What they didn't know that the woman is a zombie summoner, and the 
whole thing is a trap! But hope is not lost yet. Paula has used the same 
way she contacted you to contact another stranger from far away to save 
them! God knows how she knew things in advance! Help! Jeff!

--------------------------------
a. Trekking Across the Snowland
--------------------------------
The scene shows a large Stonehenge in the middle of a winter wonderland. 
It is Winters, a country to the north. Aha! Judging by things, Winters 
can be considered to be Great Britain in the real world, and where Jeff 
lives, it must be one of those remote islands of Scotland. The scene now 
zooms into the gates of a school. It is the Snow Wood Boarding House. A 
blond boy wearing glasses and his best friend are fast asleep. Jeff, the 
boy with glasses hears Paula's call.

"I am Paula, and I am with another friend Ness. We are trying to contact 
you. If you hear me, please wake up and head south! Only you, though far 
away can save us, Jeff. Please hear my call and begin heading south. Jeff! 
You are a friend who we have never met. But you are our one and only hope!"

This is when Jeff wakes up. You get to play as Jeff. Attempt to wake up 
and your best friend Tony will take up. "Jeff! Where are you going in the 
middle of the night? You know the dorm rules, right? If you get caught, 
you will get punished big time. What's wrong, Jeff? All right, there must 
be some reason that I do not understand. I won't stop you. But it's dangerous 
to leave without taking anything along. Hey, I think there is some stuff 
in the locker room that you should get. I'll help you get out of here."

Tony will join you for now. Get out of the room to the dorm lounge. Hey, 
3 of the tenants are walking in place! They must be high in caffeine. They 
speak of a sea monster named Tessie, Cave Boys in Stonehenge, and even 
a secret base beneath Stonehenge. Enter the room to the left of yours. 
The student inside is preparing for Tony's birthday party which takes place 
tomorrow. He's hand wrapped each Cookie by himself. Feel free to act the 
meanie and nick all the Cookies. He's not going to stop you.

Head downstairs. On the ground floor, enter the room to the left. Inside 
is the lab. Talk to the professor. "Oh, Jeff and Tony. You startled me. 
Are you looking for a late night snack? I'm having some trouble with my 
project. If only Dr. Andonuts, Jeff's father was here. He'd be able to 
provide a great deal of help. I heard he's an astounding person. He was 
the first leader of our Ultra Science Club. I heard he's greater than 
Einstein or Heisenberg. Rumor has it that he's very strange. If you're 
heading for the locker room, take this key along. It's a little bent 
though." You now have the bent key. "If you leave, call me, and I'll record 
your adventure. It's like saving the game. Ha ha ha ha!

Guess what? The professor is called Maxwell. But is he the great great 
grandson of James Clark Maxwell? Try to use the bent keys on the lockers 
and you will find that they don't work at all. Go back to Maxwell.

"Ha ha ha! The key didn't work, did it? I thought that it might be the 
case. So I just invented the... 'Machine that Opens Doors, especially if 
you have a slightly bad key.' I am sorry for you inconvenience. If you 
are Doctor Andonut's son, you should be able to repair small tools and 
make them useful. Just try to keep a positive attitude." It's the Bad Key 
Machine. With this machine, go and open each locker. One of the locker 
has a Holmes Hat in it. It increases Jeff's Defense by 10. Another has 
a Broken Air Gun inside. It's fixable in the future. The final locker has 
a Pop Gun inside. It increases Jeff's Offense by 16.

Important Tip! Fixing Broken Items
Make sure you take Maxwell's tip seriously. Jeff's IQ may seem useless 
since he has no PP, but it is a measure of his intelligence nonetheless. 
The more intelligent Jeff is, the more broken items he can fix. So whenever 
you pick up a Broken Item, give it to Jeff. All it takes is one night's 
rest for Jeff to fix the weapon or battle item.

Now that you are fully equipped, go out. Tony will form a step at the gates. 
Talk to him once more to get out. "Okay, now use me a step to climb over 
the gate. Well, I'll say goodbye for now. I don't know where you are going 
and why, but remember, we are best friends forever." Jeff jumps over the 
gate and it's time to trek through the night.

---------------
Winters
---------------
Jeff's Level: 1
I guess it's back to step one for our little near sighted hero. Jeff starts 
at Level 1, and your mission for now is to train Jeff so that he is at 
level terms with Ness when he joins up. It's recommended that you raise 
him a few levels above 20, as Ness and Paula both level up faster than 
Jeff. Now, enter the shop outside the school.

The stuff on sale are VERY EXPENSIVE, and since you have only 41, don't 
even think about them. Sell the useless Ruler and Protractor and talk to 
the woman. She offers to give you the monkey for free if you buy a pak 
of bubble gum from her. Just pay her $1 for the gum. With this, go over 
to the Monkey and give him a piece of gum. He will blow it up and follow 
you. This Bubble Monkey will join you.

As instructed by Paula, head south. Just follow the path and battle the 
Spiteful Crow and Runaway Dogs. Don't try to fight the Gruff Goats yet 
since they can ram you hard! Oh, and it seems that Jeff cannot use PSI 
and hence has no PP. But the gun he is using is rather powerful, since 
it can take out a Spiteful Crow in one shot! The same goes for Runaway 
Dogs. So, it's time for Jeff the animal killer to jump into action.

Important Warning! Bubble Monkey's Behavior
Bubble Monkey does not walk around with Jeff all the time. He can sometimes 
lag behind, and if an enemy touches the Bubble Monkey, you most likely 
will get a Red Swirl, so the enemy gets the preemptive strike. This is 
particularly dangerous if a Gruff Goat engages you.

You will eventually reach a tent. Talking to one of the people inside will 
offer you tea. This allows Jeff to regain his full strength again. As you 
are fighting, you may end up with an excess of food. You can always sell 
them in the shop for quick hard cash. If you save enough, you can buy some 
equipment as well. Here's the catalog of the Best Friend Drug Store. (I 
guess many people who do drugs try to share in parties by asking if you 
are "best friends" with him! The irony.

*****BEST FRIENDS DRUG STORE*****
T-Rex's Bat ($698, For: Ness)
Non-stick Fry Pan ($1480, For: Paula)
Coin of Silence ($2500, For: Ness, Paula and Jeff)
Picnic Lunch ($24), Skip Sandwich DX ($98), Lucky Sandwich ($128), Cup 
of Coffee ($6)

It seems that if you raise Jeff to just a little over Level 10, you should 
be able to get enough food to sell to get the T-Rex's Bat for Ness, provided 
that you sell your Big Bottle Rocket and Broken Spray Can. Those two are 
NOT needed now. Get the bat, and continue all the way south.

You will eventually reach another camp site. This time, it's been pitched 
up the Tessie Watching Club. Every single one of them have binoculars 
equipped! Even indoors. How do you expect to find anything when you are 
inside a tent? One of the tents has a phone inside, and another has a cook 
with stew for you. How can you cook while holding binoculars up! After 
eating the complementary stew. You will go to sleep. You receive the 
following message from our damsel in distress Paula.

"You are a friend who I have never met before. Jeff, head south. I am Paula. 
If you hear this message, go to the south." You wake up in the morning. 
Go over to the small tip at the right. As you go there, the photographer 
will take a picture of you and the monkey as you walk along the shore, 
only that Jeff won't give the victory sign! At that brown circle, Bubble 
Monkey will blow a bubble with gum and float over to cause Tessie to rise. 
You get to board Tessie (a purple water dragon) and ride along the coasts.

You alight on another island. Go south and fend off any enemies you find. 
You will eventually reach a cave. You must enter, since the other path 
is blocked off by a pencil statue. The cave has a sign above. It says Brick 
Road. But I don't think there are brick roads inside caves. Inside, you 
will find a sign which welcomes you to Brick Road's modest dungeon! So 
Brick Road is a person's name! This place is merely a maze with different 
enemies about. The music sounds so un-dungeony, that's for sure!

First go left along the top path for a Giftbox with a Bread Roll inside. 
Afterwards, take the central path for another Giftbox with an Insecticide 
Spray inside. Take note of the new enemy Mad Duck. This Duck is so mad 
that he will try to induce PSI related ailments like disrupting your senses 
(lose concentration) and making something spin around (drains PP). Only 
that Jeff is a non PSI user! This is pointless. Afterwards, take the bottom 
path. There is a Giftbox in the way, but it's an enemy in disguise. It's 
a Worthless Protoplasm. It can call for help. It can also size up the 
situation, making itself feel strange!

There is a Giftbox to the right with a Broken Iron inside. Then go left 
and up. There is another Mad Duck. The next Giftbox has a Croissant inside. 
Then go left and engage the Worthless Protoplasm. The next Giftbox is 
guarded by a Rowdy Mouse. Take him out and get the Stun Gun. Equip it. 
It increases Jeff's Offense by 8 over the Pop Gun. You can then dump the 
Pop Gun. This concludes this pathetic, er, modest dungeon. Phone Maxwell 
to save the game. Then get out through the exit.

Talk to the dungeon's creator Brick Road outside. "Maybe it was too easy? 
My name's Brick Road, the dungeon developer. I've devoted my life to making 
dungeons. Well, by combining my skills and proper intelligence, I can 
become 'Dungeon Man' the first combination of human and dungeon in history. 
Let's meet again once I have become Dungeon Man. Would you like a good 
night's rest?" Well, Mr. Road, I think you are pretty mad here!

If Jeff is at Level 11, he can fix the Broken Iron to become the Slime 
Generator. This battle item is used to solidify enemies will slime. Enter 
the next cave. There are Attack Slugs, denoted by black dots in this cave. 
They may also be a Rowdy Mouse. The Giftbox holds a Hamburger. It also 
seems that once Jeff hits level 11, the Rowdy Mice will be taken out 
automatically without need to fight at all.

The next room has nothing of interest but a few enemies. Now the third 
has a few ropes here and there. There are also Ramblin' Evil Mushrooms, 
but they do not Mushroomize Jeff. Climb up the first rope for a Giftbox 
with a Cheap Bracelet. Equip it on Jeff to increase his Defense by 5. The 
next rope is raised. You should give the Bubble Monkey a piece of gum to 
have him float upwards and drop the rope down for you.

The Giftbox to the left holds a Bottle Rocket. At the top of the rope, 
you will find an opening blocked by light. It's another Sanctuary location. 
Since Ness is absent, you cannot defeat the boss yet. However, you can 
always defeat the Mushrooms again and again to level up. Just let them 
reappear to gain as much EXP as possible.

The nice thing is that it is very easy to get automatic victories from 
those mushrooms. When you are at level 16, you can exit the cave. Outside, 
Bubble Monkey sees a female monkey and decides to date her! He leaves you 
alone in front of Stonehenge. Now I am sure that this place is a rip-off 
of the UK. The Cave Boys hanging around deliver generous EXP (618 each) 
and drop a Picnic Lunch every time they fall. This allows Jeff to repeatedly 
battle them to gain EXP even faster. 

It seems that the Cave Boys' attack usually deal around 12 HP damage to 
Jeff. They also have a high miss rate so dealing with them is not as hard 
as you think. The Cave Boys' HP is around 300 HP. This means that it will 
take 6 to 7 shots to take them out, assuming each shot deals 40-55 HP damage. 
Sometimes, you will get a Green Swirl (Opening attack for you) even if 
you approach one from the front. If you walk into the center of Stonehenge, 
the photographer will take a picture of you.

When you are level 23, go far south to the lab. It's Jeff's dad, Dr. Andonuts. 
Before talking to him, save and go upstairs. There is a Giftbox with a 
Broken Pipe inside. Take it and go down. Have a little father and son talk.

"Mr. Brick Road, the dungeon maker referred you, right? And not only that. 
What? Who? My son? Oh, I can't, I can't believe it. You're Jeff, my son. 
It's been maybe 10 years seen I last saw you." What? You neglected your 
son for that long! What an irresponsible dad. 

"I'm so glad you are such a healthy boy. Uh, those glasses look good on 
you. How about a donut?" It does not matter which choice you take, just 
answer yes. "Well, I was only offering, I would also like a donut right 
about now. Have you already checked out Stonehenge?" Say yes. "At least 
I asked. Okay. By the way, why are you here? Oh, I see. That Girl named 
Paula must have sensed that I was here. OK, I will try and help you out. 
I'm trying to make a Phase Distorter that can connect two points in space 
and time. It's still incomplete. I'll let you use another invention I call 
the Sky Runner. It's a little bit old and it will certainly help. When 
you board, always listen for the message that comes from your destination. 
You'll get there for sure if you listen to the message. The round machine 
over there is the Sky Runner. What do you think? Is it neat? Get in. Let's 
get together in 10 years or so." You must be ridiculous. You won't meet 
for another 10 years? This is too much.

Go to the left, and enter the spaceship like thing. That's the Sky Runner. 
It will take off, and fly past a busy city, a vast desert and finally it 
will arrive at Threed. The Sky Runner detects Paula's signal and lands 
with an explosion into the cell.

Jeff is burnt to ashes. But he gets up and introduces himself. "Man, oh, 
man, did that ever scare me! The Sky Runner, I guess it took a little damage 
while landing." You call that little, sound like heavy damage. "Oh well, 
you don't have to explain a thing. I'm Jeff. I came because you called 
me. I am not really strong, rather near-sighted, kind of shy and I tend 
to be a little reckless. This is the way I am. I hope you want to be my 
friend, okay?" The behavior of this guy is slightly better than Loid of 
the original Mother. At least he won't hide in a trash can in fear of bullies! 
If you say No, you will be considered to be making fun of him, so say yes.

"All right, let's get back to the journey then." Jeff joins you. You now 
have 3 characters. Jeff's at level 23 while Ness and Paula are at 19. This 
initial lead is needed since the latter 2 characters level up faster than 
Jeff, and this is a balancing measure. 

First, use the Bad Key Machine to open the door. Then if you have it, give 
the T-Rex's Bat to Ness and have him equip it. His Offense will increase 
by 23 over the Minor League Bat! Get out and climb up the ladder. You will 
notice that you will have a lot of useless items in your inventory. But 
how to get rid of them? Simple, phone home to Mom. Tracy will come and 
give you the Escargo Express' telephone number. Then you can call her to 
arrange for a deliveryman to come and pick up the item. You can give him 
3 items each time, with a $18 charge.

Spend the night at the hotel. Jeff should be able to repair the Broken 
Air Gun, turning it into the Magnum Air Gun. This increases Jeff's Offensive 
power by 12 over the Stun Gun. If you go down to the circus, you will see 
a dark skinned guy wearing sunglasses. He is a black market dealer 
specializing in contraband. He sells a Toy Air Gun, but that is inferior 
to the Magnum Air Gun. His bombs may come in handy though. Go to the far 
south of the town and find the tent there. It glares at you evilly. It's 
a Boogey Tent! For some reason, this tent can use the Defense Spray to 
increase its defense. Paula should use Fire Alpha while Ness and Jeff resort 
to physical attacks. When the tent is defeated, it will reveal a Trash 
Can. Inside is a Jar of Fly Honey. Take it.

Walk around a bit and Apple Kid will call you. "Hello, this is Apple Kid. 
I just wanted you to know that I finished a pretty unique invention. I'm 
not sure if it will help you or not. It's called Zombie Paper and it can 
be used to trap zombies. It works kind of like flypaper. All you need to 
do is to place it on the floor of a tent or something. You've seen at least 
one tent around right? And the zombies get stuck to the paper when they 
move around the tent. You can catch a lot of zombies this way. In fact 
I bet you could get rid of all the zombies that are terrorizing the area 
with this paper!" This will help Threed a lot.

"Anyway, I have asked the Mach Pizza delivery man to deliver the zombie 
paper to you, Ness. You should get it pretty soon. I've never actually 
seen a zombie, but if there are any, Zombie Paper would be very useful. 
I'll be calling you if I am coming up with anything else."

Just walk around until the Mach Pizza delivery man comes up. He will 
automatically assume you are Ness and present you with the paper. Place 
the Zombie Paper inside the main circus tent and spend a night at the hotel. 
During that night, all Zombies will be attracted to the paper and get 
themselves stuck. The path behind the graveyard will also be revealed. 
Let's get down there at once. Order a large pizza from the phone first.

Please note that the graveyard will still have No Good Flies, Putrid Moldy 
Men and Stinky Ghosts. It seems that Putrid Moldy Men are vulnerable to 
Freeze attacks, while the Stinky Ghosts are vulnerable to Fire. Climb down 
the ladder and follow the underground path. You finally get to fight Urban 
Zombies and Zombie Dogs. Watch out for the Zombie Dogs' poisonous fangs. 
Their biting attacks are also deadly to Paula, who has only 70-80 HP. Urban 
Zombies can also blow you with arctic cold breath, giving you a cold.

Since Ness has not learnt Healing Beta yet, you will need to buy Vials 
of Serum from the Drug Store. Zombie Possessors can reach out with their 
icy hands, solidifying the target. They can also possess you!

The first room has an empty casket. Go along the next path. The next room 
has a casket with a Silver Bracelet inside. Let Jeff equip it. It increases 
Jeff's Defense by 10 over his Cheap Bracelet. Follow the path. There should 
be some slimy blob blocking the way. He can talk!

"Gyork! Gyork! Since you had Fly Honey, I considered you a friend. But 
actually, you are just a commoner. I am the mortal enemy of your kind." 
It's a Mini Barf! His most annoying attack has got to be his stinky breath. 
He can make all 3 of you cry, and lowering your accuracy. Paula should 
resort to Fire Beta, if she has reached level 19. Once you are all crying, 
let Ness and Paula resort to PSI, while Jeff continues "trying" to shoot 
the Mini Barf. This Mini Barf can waste lots of turns with his bad breath, 
so damage should be small. When Paula Reaches Level 21, she will learn 
Offense Up Alpha.

It seems that this Mini Barf wants to eat your Fly Honey, that's all. Master 
Belch and him both like Fly Honey. Get that? Climb up the ladder. You hear 
the same menacing music of Peaceful Rest Valley, and you find a food vendor 
that sells Croissants, Calorie Sticks and Coffee. Buy some Calorie Sticks 
for later. It's gonna be tough. This vendor will tell you that there is 
a village full of weird people nearby called Saturn Valley.

Move along the path. Now you will find Farm Zombies in the way. There are 
also Armored Frogs, which are resistant to physical attacks. A little 
Freeze will do them good. There are also Red Antoids. They get the same 
assortment of annoying PSI moves. The Mach Pizza deliveryman should appear 
anytime soon. He will run out of nowhere and charge you $238 for your large 
pizza pie. It allows the entire group to recover 240 HP each when eaten, 
well except a 4th character who is not used to western food.

The first Giftbox you will find holds a Bomb. The next holds a Protein 
Drink. You will eventually come to an opening to a cave, and maybe a Plain 
Crocodile. The most notable attack is the tail swing, it deals heavy damage. 
Enter the cave. So, it's a tunnel. You notice that the music sounds rather 
weird. There are Violent Roaches in the tunnel! They can spread their wings, 
thus solidifying you. I don't know how this works. When Ness reaches Level 
22, he should learn a new Rockin move, Rockin Beta.

There should be a small room in the cave with a Bottle Rocket inside. On 
the other end of the tunnel, you will find Saturn Valley.

---------------
Saturn Valley
---------------
Ness' Level: 22     Paula's Level: 22     Jeff's Level: 24
This village is the hometown of the Mr. Saturns, those yellow fuzzy 
creatures that speak funny. The music sounds like some weird gypsy melody. 
First things first. Enter the hut to the right to find Dr. Saturn. He can 
heal all status ailments from your bodies, even if you are possessed. Then 
get out and go left. The hut there is the hotel hut. The Mr. Saturn inside 
will kindly allow you to sleep for free!

Get out and go to the right. There should be a Giftbox on top a ladder, 
with a Rust Promoter inside. Then enter the large opening on the hillside. 
There should be 3 trash cans inside. There is a Protractor, Sudden Guts 
Pill and a Broken Spray Can inside. With these items, go out and climb 
up the ladder to the cave at the left. There are several Mr. Saturn inside. 
Talk to one and he will tell you about the secret base behind the Grapefruit 
Falls. The secret password is to stand in front of the door and not doing 
anything for 3 minutes. Another Mr. Saturn by the ladder will offer to 
trade you a Horn of Life for $1780. 

Climb up the ladder to the next level. There is a ladder leading to another 
hut. It's a shop! Withdraw money and let's see what they have got for you. 

*****SATURN VALLEY SHOP*****
Insecticide Spray ($19, Damages all Insect Enemies)
Stag Beetle ($8, Shocks the enemy, preventing it from moving)
Refreshing Herb ($80, Heals most Status Ailments except Paralysis, 
Diamondize, Posession and Unconciousness)

Peanut Cheese Bar ($22)
Horn of Life ($1780, Heals all Physical Ailments, can be used to trade)
Secret Herb ($380, Heals all Physical Ailments)
Picture Postcard ($2)

Bionic Slingshot ($449, For All, Not Worth It)
Travel Charm ($60, For All, Protects against Paralysis)
Great Charm ($400, For All, Defense +1, Protects against Paralysis and 
Increases Speed, not worth it)
Silver Bracelet ($599, For All, Defense +6)
Red Ribbon ($179, For Paula, Defense +5)

I do not recommend buying Great Charms, since the Defense Increment is 
too small and that there are still not enemies that paralyze. Call Escargo 
Express to deposit useless items, and then get back out of the village. 
Head north for the Grapefruit Falls. There should be a photographic moment 
here. Then walk behind the falls and to the left. You will be told to say 
the password. Just don't do anything for 3 minutes, and you will be let 
in. It is Master Belch's hidden base!

--------------------
Master Belch's Base
--------------------
Ness' Level: 22     Paula's Level: 22     Jeff's Level: 24
Go to the left. There is a Slimy Little Pile. He asks if you have Fly Honey. 
Say yes and you can pass without having to fight. Enter the room to the 
right of the ladder. There may be 4 Farm Zombies waiting for you on the 
other side. There is a Trash Can with a Bomb inside, so it seems. Get out 
and climb down the ladder. You may find a new red jelly like enemy called 
Foppys these things are vulnerable to Fire, so you can melt them, but 
bashing is more effective unless there is a large row of them.

Down that level, there should be another ladder heading down to another 
door. That rooms has 2 trash cans. There is an IQ Capsule and a Broken 
Laser. Have Paula drink the IQ Capsule and give the Broken Laser to Jeff. 
To the left is a Fly Honey manufacturing line. The 2 Slimy Little Piles 
are talking about their leader. One mentions that it is hard to imitate 
the voices Belch makes, another thinks that Master Belch is working for 
some kind of guy called Giygas. The Mr. Saturn at work are tired but happy.

Continue to the left to deal with the Foppys. Climb up the next ladder 
to engage a Slimy Little Pile and Mostly Bad Flies! Mostly Bad Flies are 
just well, upgrades of No Good Flies. At Level 24, Ness will learn Healing 
Beta. Now you can say goodbye to poison! Just watch out of the mucus 
(solidifies) or the Slimy Little Piles. The room there is guarded by more 
Mostly Bad Flies and a Slimy Little Piles. The trash cans contain a Vital 
Capsule, a HP Sucker and a Calorie Stick. Have Jeff drink the Vital Capsule, 
and give him the HP Sucker, as only he can use it. Well, the HP Sucker 
leeches HP from every enemy you are facing, and so it Jeff's recovery item.

Get down and continue left. The next room has a Magic Butterfly that can 
reappear again and again as you reenter. So, use this opportunity to 
recharge your PP. Continue left and take out anything that gets in the 
way. Before reaching Master Belch's room, the Slimy Little Pile on guard 
will stop you. "Aren't you the Fly Honey delivery boy? What's the password! 
It doesn't mean I don't trust you. Just say it! Say it now! Someone so 
quiet is either extremely shy or extremely dangerous. What a suspicious 
fellow!" You have to fight him now! Ness should have said that he will 
stand still doing nothing for 3 minutes!

With this threat eliminated, enter Belch's room. Talk to Master Belch.

"Burp! So you are Ness? I see, gyork! Gyork! Gyork! There is a prophecy 
that a boy will destroy Master Giygas. Heeg! Heeg! Heeg! You make me laugh 
so hard. It Master Giygas were to be scared of someone, he would have to 
be worse than the greatest evil. I'll take you down big time, so be prepared 
for the worst fight of your life! Get ready to feel the true pain of true 
nausea! Come on, let's go!"

Boss Battle! Master Belch (4170 EXP)
Be prepared for the Worst Battle of your life my foot. As soon as the battle 
begins, throw the Fly Honey out at Master Belch and he will be too busy 
wolfing down the Fly Honey to fight. Then you can just repeatedly bash 
him until he is down! The only danger is that Master Belch can throw his 
nauseating breath at you at the first turn, making you nauseous. If Ness 
is nauseous, don't heal him, just keep on fighting until Ness goes 
unconscious, then the other 2 characters can get a lead in EXP over Ness.

"Looks like it's an even fight, burp! But, Master Giygas has managed to 
get the Mani Mani Statue into Fourside. The city will soon be in worse 
condition than living in your own puke! Suffer Spanky!" So, this means 
we will have to deal with Fourside next, but first let's get out of here 
through the door behind Master Belch. Meanwhile, if Paula reaches Level 
25, she will learn Thunder Beta. You will be in one new level of Saturn 
Valley. There is a new cave for you to explore.

Go back down and talk to one of the Mr. Saturn in the cave. He will give 
you a Cup of Lifenoodles, a Stag Beetle and a Mr. Saturn Coin. Equip the 
latter on Paula to increase her defense by 22 over the Red Ribbon as well 
as increasing her Luck. She should be given priority since her defense 
is the worst! You can then sell the Red Ribbon. If you do not have a Horn 
of Life, I suggest you buy one and have Escargo Express store it for you.

Rest in the hut and get back up to the cave. It's another of Your Sanctuary. 
It's called Milky Well. You can always drink coffee with a Mr. Saturn and 
be told a motivating speech that scrolls down the screen.

--------------
Milky Well
--------------
Ness' Level: 24     Paula's Level: 25     Jeff's Level: 26
Plant enemies are in here, including Tough Mobile Sprouts, Ranboobs and 
Struttin' Evil Mushrooms. The latter can Mushroomize you! Ranboobs know 
Shield Alpha and can use wonderful smelling powder to put you to sleep. 
If you get Mushroomized, find Dr. Saturn. For now, walk through the first 
tunnel. At level 24, Paula can learn Magnet Omega. The next area is out 
in the open. Just engage those enemies as they get in your way. There is 
another cave at the other end of this area. Inside is a Gift Box with a 
Coin of Slumber inside. Equip this on Jeff. It increases his Defense by 
20 over the Holmes Hat and increases his Luck.

You will come to the boss of Your Sanctuary. It's a Trillionage Sprout!

Boss Battle! Trillionage Sprout (11345 EXP)
This gigantic evil sprout is supported by 2 Mobile Sprouts, so for the 
first turn, Ness should use Rockin Beta while Paula uses Fire Beta. This 
Trillionage Sprout can use Flash Alpha, and make you all cry or feel strange. 
This is not a problem with Ness and Paula since they use PSI. But it is 
going to affect Jeff. At the same time, if he glares at you with eerie 
eyes, one of you is going to be diamondized. There is no cure for that 
yet, and that character will not be able to do anything. For any subsequent 
turns, Ness and Jeff should use physical attacks and Paula will 
continuously use Freeze Beta.

This should guarantee an instant level up after the victory. Enter Your 
Sanctuary. You hear a tone at the fountain with D'BB. You thought you heard 
your mother from far away, she said, "Be a thoughtful, strong boy." The 
melody is recorded. You can now get out and beat some scared monsters along 
the way! Have fun! When you leave the cave, you will be photographed again 
by this spinning guy.

Now, when you sleep in the hut when Jeff is at level 28, he can repair 
Broken Spray Cans to turn them into Defense Sprays. This spray increases 
the Defense of the entire group in battle. However, he cannot fix more 
than one at night. Head back to Threed. At level 27, Paula can learn Shield 
Sigma, a group psychic shield.

---------------
Threed
---------------
Ness' Level: 26     Paula's Level: 28     Jeff's Level: 29
The place is bright and happy again, and the music becomes rather dull. 
Go to the bus stop on the circus' side of the road and take it to Fourside. 
The bus will be stopped by a heavy traffic jam in Dusty Dunes Desert. You 
will be forced to alight and walk in the desert on foot!

-------------------------------------
b. From the Desert to the Metropolis
-------------------------------------
This part of the journey is just cliched like many films where there are 
people trekking through the desert to reach San Francisco! You are forced 
to go off road due to the traffic jam, but you should consider entering 
the Drug Store to buy some equipment.

-------------------
Dusty Dunes Desert
-------------------
Inside the Drug Store, you will find that the old man is selling Wet Towels 
along with other drugs. Wet Towels are used to cure sunstroke, but surely 
you can reuse a wet towel by dipping it in water or something? Anyway, 
the man behind the counter will sell the following stuff:

*****DUSTY DUNES DRUG STORE*****
Mr. Baseball Bat ($498, For Ness, Downgrade)
Thick Fry Pan ($198, Already Equipped by Paula)
Deluxe Fry Pan ($598, For Paula, Offense +10)
Silver Bracelet ($599, Already Equipped)
Coin of Slumber ($1500, For Ness, Defense +15)

Head north and there is a contraband dealer. Let's see what he's got.

*****DUSTY DUNES CONTRABAND*****
Zip Gun ($425, For Jeff, Offense +4)
Bomb ($149), Bottle Rocket ($29, for Jeff), Rust Promoter ($89)

I know it's annoying, but the Magnum Air Gun cannot be sold or dropped. 
So, you must have the Escargo Express delivery man to take it. When you 
are walking in the sand, you will notice the group members sweating. This 
means that they are feeling the heat. There is always the chance of 
Sunstroke here. Press the B button to check the characters' status. If 
you see the icon of the sun next to a character's name, he has got Sunstroke 
and needs to be cured by Healing Alpha. At level 27, Ness will learn Hypnosis 
Omega.

Keep going to the far northwest of the desert to find a Double Burger. 
It helps you recover about 90 HP. Head east, searching the desert from 
top to bottom, there may be new enemies called Crested Bookas here. There 
are also Smiling Spheres that self destruct when destroyed. Scorpions are 
also present in the form of Skelpions. They are rather electric with their 
Thunder Alpha attacks. These Skelpions can drop vials of serum, which is 
sort of like compensation for their poison they can give you through their 
stingers. Another enemy is the Cute Li'l UFO, which are wearing ribbons!

As for mammals, there are desert wolfs, not the desert fox Rommel. They 
can attack with poisonous fangs. So watch it. Bad Buffalos are even worse 
than Gruff Goats with their tearing into you, dealing over 100 HP damage. 
Bad Buffalos are vulnerable to Fire and drop Wet Towels.

Keep going east along the north edge and there will be another Giftbox 
with a Cup of Lifenoodles. If you go south, you will find a couple suntanning! 
Don't mistake them for corpses, they say.

Tip! If you go far south to the rocks, you may find a green caterpillar 
that is trying to keep away from you. It's a Criminal Caterpillar. Run 
after it and engage it. You may have to chase it around to the northern 
edge of the desert where it becomes trapped. A green swirl should appear, 
giving you an automatic victory and 10128 EXP each! 

Go east from the suntanning couple for an oasis and a Giftbox. Inside is 
a Skip Sandwich DX. At level 29, Paula can learn Defense Down Alpha. If 
you go a little northeast from the oasis, you will find a sign saying that 
a dropped contact lens is lost nearby, and if found, please present it 
to someone on the 1st floor of the Fourside Bakery. For your information, 
the lens is represented by a glare to the northeast of the sign. You can 
take it and return it, but all you get are a pair of dirty socks that cause 
the enemy to feel nauseous, so it's not worth it.

Go north for another Giftbox with a Double Burger. Keep going east for 
the east end of the desert. There is a Gift Box with a Sudden Guts Pill 
inside. With that, go southwest until you see a miner. He is looking for 
buried gold, but he's starving. Let's give him food. He promises to give 
you the gold he finds. Enter the shack. Talk to the miner inside to stay 
for the night. Save by calling Dad, then head out and southeast, back to 
the main road. Enter the tunnel. On the other side, you will find a 
suspension bridge, and the music has changed to a cheerful one. It's the 
buzzling metropolis of Fourside! (Oh, and it's time to widen the lead of 
Jeff, exp wise with Ness. Since Ness is catching up. If he's got sunstroke, 
let him go unconscious. Let Jeff and Paula level up and widen the gap. 
When you are done, use a Cup of Lifenoodles to revive Ness and go on to 
Fourside.)

---------------
Fourside
---------------
Ness' Level: 27     Paula's Level: 30     Jeff's Level: 31
You will cross a long suspension bridge to reach Fourside, I guess Fourside 
is the equivalent to San Francisco in the real world. First things first, 
go to the hotel to withdraw some money. Then enter the Topolla Theater 
to watch the Runaway Five show. There are not many enemies here, just some 
Mad Taxis, Crazed Signs and some of the cranky locals. Mad Taxis are notable 
for their exhaust fumes which make you cry. The cost of a ticket in Topolla 
Theater is $30. Buy a ticket and show it to the usher to be let in.

This theater looks even more luxurious than the one in Twoson. Go all the 
way left to the door there. Talk to the doorman to be let in to see the 
Runaway Five. Talk to the lead Runaway Five in red. "Again, we've been 
cheated by the theater owner. We're stuck here with a phony contract. Oh 
Yeah!" No good. They are not very smart in the commercial world, aren't 
they? I guess their stupidity has been circulated among the Union of 
Dishonest Theater Managers! Hee Hee... get out for the show.

"Have I got a bombshell for you tonight, kids! aaaaaAAAAAH!!! Ka-Boom!! 
The Runaway Five!!! Yeah!! 3-2-1-Go!" Watch the show now! Again, only music, 
but no singing at all. How sad. What's with the bald guy? Is he a backup? 
Get out now. Talk to the Manager. She says, "So you are a Runaway Five 
fan, huh? What? Excuse me? No, no! This band owes me a million bucks. If 
they break their contract, they will be in big doo doo with the police. 
The police would probably say 'Hey you guys!' Or something like that. Unless 
you are ready to pay a million dollars on their behalf? You'd have to find 
buried gold, or you would never be able to pay such a huge sum of money." 
Laughter follows. I wonder how can they run up a debt of 1 million that 
quickly. Don't bother with the Department Store. This is because it's 
temporarily closed. Since you need gold, head back to the desert. (Oh, 
if Ness is unconscious, find him at the Hospital!)

-------------------
Dusty Dunes Desert
-------------------
Ness' Level: 27     Paula's Level: 30     Jeff's Level: 31
Go to the mines. It seems that excavation has begun, attracting a crowd. 
Go down to the hole. Talk to the miner, Mr. Montague. "I didn't have a 
problem until this. I found a maze. Lots of monsters appeared, so I cannot 
proceed. There are 5 big moles! If I beat the monsters, I can continue 
on. I think I have a bleeding ulcer from worrying to much. I'm helpless 
to really do anything." Calm down, Napoleon!

It's up to you to destroy the 5 Guardian Diggers that are guarding this 
cave. Go north. There are some new enemies here, like Thirsty Coil Snakes, 
Mad Ducks, Gigantic Ants and Noose Men. Thirsty Coil Snakes can bite you, 
poison you with their fangs and also coil around you, preventing you from 
fighting. Gigantic Ants can drain your PP with Magnet Alpha and attack 
with their poison stinger. They are vulnerable to Freeze attacks. Noose 
Men can also employ their binding attacks, stopping you from moving.

Go north and take the right path. There will be a ladder leading down. 
At the bottom, go left. There is an alcove there. It's a Guardian Digger. 
He claims to be the 3rd best! It seems that Guardian Diggers are equipped 
with a Power Shield. They are also vulnerable to Freeze attacks, so Freeze 
Beta will come in handy. It maybe possible to give out one hit KOs with 
Freeze Beta. It seems that there is an IQ capsule in the Gift Box. Have 
Paula drink it, increasing her IQ.

Climb up the ladder to the left. Follow the path. At the junction, go south. 
Man, this place is infested with Thirsty Coil Snakes. Maybe Gatorade will 
do them good. There is a Big Bottle Rocket in the next Giftbox. At the 
next junction, first go north. Climb down the ladder. You will reach another 
room with a second Guardian Digger, he also claims to be the 3rd! Use Freeze 
Beta and Flash Alpha to take care of him. The Gift Box behind the Guardian 
Digger holds a Coin of Defense. Equip it on Jeff. It increases his defense 
by 10 over the Coin of Slumber. At level 29, Ness can learn Paralysis Omega. 
He can now paralyze every single one of his enemies.

Go left. There is an alcove with a Giftbox. Inside is a Calorie Stick. 
When Paula hits level 31, she can learn Freeze Gamma. Climb up the ladder 
at the far end. You are back on the upper level of the cave. The first 
Giftbox you find to the right holds a Teddy Bear. At the next junction, 
go right to find an open area with Exit Mice. The 2 Giftboxes hold a Picnic 
Lunch and a Croissant. I have a hunch that you should be low on PP at this 
point. So, consider taking an Exit Mouse and have him lead you to the exit. 
Then rest inside the miners' shack.

Oh, it seems that if Jeff's IQ reaches 28, he can fix his broken laser 
and turn it into a Laser Gun. It increases his Offense by 8 over the Zip 
Gun. Head back into the mine, and take the left path at the first junction 
to reach the Exit Mouse junction. (Keep going left.) Note that there are 
4 paths on the junction, and the left, north and southern paths have not 
been explored. Go left, and south first. There is a ladder, but ignore 
it and go left first. It's the 3rd Guardian Digger, and he's claiming that 
his strength falls between the 4th and 2nd strongest of the 5 masters! Give 
him the Flash and Freeze (this time Gamma) treatment. The Giftbox holds 
a PSI Caramel this time round. There is always a danger that you will be 
engaged by a large mob of Noose Men as you turn back. (I once engaged 5 
Noose Men and 1 Mad Duck at once!) But using Rockin Beta and Fire Beta 
will ensure they drop like bowling pins. Climb down the ladder.

There is a Giftbox with a Super Bomb inside. Get back up to the Exit Mouse 
junction and go south. You will first come to a Gift Box with a Bomb inside. 
This is a long path. But eventually you will reach the so called 3rd master 
of this hold. Freeze and Flash! There are 2 Giftboxes this time. One holds 
a Luck Capsule, the other holds a Platinum Band. Have Ness drink the capsule 
and equip the Band. It increase his defense by 25 over the Silver Bracelet! 
Head back to the Exit Mouse Junction and use an Exit House to leave quickly. 
Go and rest one more before hunting down the last Guardian Digger.

When Jeff's IQ hits 30, he can fix the Broken Pipe to form the Shield Killer. 
This can be used to take down any shield the enemy equips. Head back to 
the mine and take the northern path at the Exit Mouse Junction. You will 
find an alcove with a Gift Box. There is a Secret Herb inside. Watch out 
for the mob of Noose Men coming to get you. Fortunately, they are all 
conveniently lined up in a row for you to burn. I just made a discovery. 
Noose Men drop Cartons of Cream. The last Guardian Digger is up again. 
He claims that you have defeated the strongest master of this hole, the 
second strongest master of this hole, the fourth strongest master of this 
hole and the weakest master of this hole. He is the third strongest master 
of this hole. (Again!) You will now see the advantage of being third. Well, 
the only advantage you have is that your untimely demise is delayed by 
the annoying maze. Flash, agent Ness! Freeze, buster! Jeff can try out 
the new Shield Killer if you like. But hey, 1 Freeze Gamma terminated the 
Guardian Digger in one blast! The end! No more enemies.

Check out the Gift Box. It's a Guts Capsule. Take it and have Jeff drink 
it. Then get back to the junction and use an Exit Mouse to get to the exit 
fast. When you exit the mine, you will be photographed. Talk to Mr. Montague. 
"You've gotten rid of the monster? Good job. Ok, from here on, just let 
me dig. You'll see, I'll find the buried gold. Before I start digging I 
will set a careful plan of action." While he is planning, head back to 
Fourside. On the Golden Gate Bridge wannabe, Geroge Montague, Geraldo 
Montague's brother will come in his bulldozer. He says that they have not 
found any gold, but found a diamond. He will give it to you. This is just 
perfect for paying off the Runaway Five's debt!

---------------
Fourside
---------------
Ness' Level: 31     Paula's Level: 33     Jeff's Level: 33
Enter Topolla Theater. Go over to the manager. (Up close, not across the 
counter) and give her the Diamond. "That diamond! You're going to pay with 
that diamond? Okay, that's fine. I will rip the contract. Don't tell anyone 
about the diamond. Now the Runaway Five are free! You should thank me. 
That Diamond was worth, maybe $50." Yeah, right! "So I gave you a bargain." 
At this point, the Runaway Five will run out and announce their departure.

"Sorry about bein' such troublemakers!" "We won't be so gullible anymore. 
Well, our friends are waiting, baby." "Let's just do this one last show 
and get out of here." "All right! Thanks again." Then the lyricist will 
perform a little song that ranks with those of Cacophonix. (The bard in 
Asterix. No one appreciates him, perhaps he's too advanced in time.) "Money, 
that's what I want. Money, that's what is hot. Money, that's what I want. 
Money, that's what we ain't got 'cept freedom, freedom, freedom is what 
we really sought!" He tries to repeat but is dragged out!

Enter the theater and watch this one last show. "Welcome to the final 
Runaway Five performance at the Topolla Theater! It's gonna be a great 
show. We're so good that it makes me... think that those kids by the door 
will wet their pants! Those kids are hip, baby!" The Runaway Five start 
performing. In the middle of the performance, the lead pair take a woman 
in a black dress out and they perform together. At this point, the Runaway 
Five van entered via auto-pilot. They board and drive off the stage! Let's 
get back out and explore this city in detail.

If you go to the northwest, you will find a pink building with a sign outside. 
It seems that the building is used to design an Earthbound 2, and is only 
accessible by APE staff. As for when this Earthbound is going to be released 
on the GBA, it's still to be determined. Let's hope it's not never! If 
you rest at this point, Jeff should be able to fix the Broken Pipe to create 
the Counter-PSI Unit. Drop some useless items and head to the Department 
Store now. It should finally be open.

Inside, withdraw cash until you have $4000. Talking to the mouse reveals 
that it is worried that the lights will go off soon. Take this into account. 
Get to the first floor. We have the Food Fare on the first floor. There 
is the condiment cart, the Burger Shop and Food Shop.

*****FOURSIDE DEPARTMENT STORE FOOD FARE*****
Can of Fruit Juice ($4), Cup of Coffee ($6), Bag of Fries ($8)
Hamburger ($14), Double Burger *HOT!* ($24, Restores 90 HP)

Boiled Egg ($9), Bread Roll ($12), Croissant ($18), Banana ($5), Picnic 
Lunch ($24)

Ketchup Packet *HOT!* ($2, Works on Double Burger), Sugar Packet ($3)
Tin of Cocoa ($4), Carton of Cream ($4), Sprig of Parsley ($2)
Jar of Hot Sauce *HOT!* ($3, Works on Pizza), Salt Packet ($2)

This is just ridiculous. Condiments are supposed to come free with the 
food! Go through the door to find the contraband dealer.

*****FOURSIDE DEPARTMENT STORE CONTRABAND*****
Hyper Beam ($850, For Jeff, Offense +10)
Bomb ($149), Super Bomb ($399)
Bottle Rocket ($29), Big Bottle Rocket ($139)

Stock up on Big Bottle Rockets if you want. Then get up to the second floor. 
Second Floor is the drugs and tool department. Here are the goods for sale.

*****FOURSIDE DEPARTMENT STORE DRUGS AND TOOLS*****
Cold Remedy ($22, Heals Colds), Refreshing Herb ($80, Heals a Variety of 
Basic Ailments), Protein Drink ($38), Calorie Stick ($18)

Deluxe Fry Pan ($598, Already Equipped by Paula)
Chef's Fry Pan ($1198, For Paula, Offense +10)
Silver Bracelet ($599, Already Equipped or Downgrade)
Gold Bracelet ($2799, Upgrade, but you are better not upgrading now)
Insecticide Spray ($19, Damages Insect Type Enemies)
Toothbrush ($3), Protractor ($2)

You may be tempted to buy 2 Gold Bracelets, but I don't recommend doing 
so. Seeing that Ness has a more powerful Platinum Band, it may be wise 
to wait for that instead. Go up to the third floor. This is the Toy and 
Sports Department. There is another ATM near the escalator.

*****FOURSIDE DEPARTMENT STORE TOYS AND SPORTS*****
Sandlot Bat ($98, For Ness, Downgrade)
Minor League Bat ($399, For Ness, Downgrade)
Mr. Baseball Bat ($499, For Ness, Downgrade)
Baseball Cap ($19, For Ness, Downgrade)
Trick Yo-yo ($998, For Anyone, Pointless Inaccurate Item)
Coin of Slumber ($1500, For Anyone, Downgrade)
Coin of Defense ($2000, For Ness, Defense +10)
Red Ribbon ($179, For Paula, Downgrade)
Defense Ribbon ($389, For Paula, Downgrade)
Teddy Bear ($178, Damage Protection Item)

It seems that only the Coin of Defense is worth buying. I ought to complain 
to the manager for the poor selection of goods here! Get down to leave 
now. Suddenly, as the mouse predicted, the light goes out, and some green 
monster snatches Paula away! God! Suddenly, an eerie voices echoes through 
the public address system. "Your attention please, would the customer from 
Onett, Mr. Ness, please proceed to the office on the fourth floor. That 
was customer Ness, 4th floor office. Gwaaaaaaaagh!" Whoever is making that 
announcement must be some freak. Climb up the escalators to the 4th floor. 

You need to fight some evil goods, namely Mystical Records, Musicas and 
Scalding Coffee Cups. The latter are the most annoying with their espresso 
spills. It's like Fire, as both Ness and Jeff will get hurt. Musicas attack 
with electric shocks which are the equivalent of Thunder Beta. The Haunting 
Melodies make you fall asleep!

Try to avoid contact while ascending. As you get to the second floor, the 
PA will announce, "Ness, Customer Ness, please hurry to Paula. 
Gwaaaaaaaagh!" He's mocking you, Ness! Battle is unavoidable in the third 
floor. Prepare yourselves! Sometimes, the enemies will wait for you at 
the top of the escalator to give you a Red Swirl attack! As you approach 
the door of the office, the PA speaks out one more time. "Ness, Customer 
Ness, Gwaagh! Gwaagh!" Enter the office.

Prepare yourselves. The green monster is sitting behind the desk. Talk 
to the monster. He taunts that this Department Store will be your grave 
and you will go to heaven. Let's fight the Department Store Spook.

Boss Battle! Department Store Spook (12146 EXP)
This guy really is a PSI Guy. He can cast Freeze Beta, Lifeup Alpha and 
many other moves. You must be fast. While Ness resorts to Rockin Beta, 
Jeff should launch Big Bottle Rockets and Super Bombs at him. If you are 
fast enough, you should not take too much damage. When you have defeated 
him, the Department Store spook mentions Montoli before dying.

The lights go back on. For a photo, go near the Toy Section, and the 
photographer will appear. Get out of the Department Store. Go over to the 
cafe at the northwestern end of the city. In side the cafe, talk to the 
woman to the right. She says there is someone making a loud noise outside. 
Go out and check it. Hey, it's Everdred! Talk to the messy man to the right 
and bribe him with food to make him move aside. Talk to Everdred.

"Aren't you Ness? I can't see too well... Everything's blurry." Everdred, 
sniff, don't die! "You are Ness, aren't you? It's me, we met in Twoson. 
Everdred from Burglin Park. You must remember, I am the best thief around. 
That Carpainter in Happy Happy Village was hiding something strange. I 
stole it, and thought about selling it to the big city. An old wise man 
called it Mani Mani. It is a strange colored doll looking thing. Ohh, I 
am in pain and Montoli tricked me and stole it from me! He tricked a thief!" 
I guess you can't win them all, Everdred! "He wanted me out of the way 
because I know his secret. He gets his evil power from that statue! Listen! 
I will tell you only once. At the cafe, check behind the counter. I said 
I'd tell you only once. But if you insist, I will tell you once more. Do 
you wanna hear it again?" Say no. "Before I go, here's my last haiku poem: 
When on your way out, Be sure that you say goodbye then lock the door tight. 
This is my final request. Don't follow me. I must be on my way. So long."

Everdred leaves. Yay! He's alive! Reenter the cafe and check behind the 
counter. What's going on! 

---------------
Moonside
---------------
Ness' Level: 32     Jeff's Level: 34
You enter a rather black world. It's the mirror city of Fourside, Moonside! 
Everything's gone the other way round. Yes means no and vice versa. Make 
sure you take this account when answering. Get out of the cafe. There are 
enemies like Robo-pumps and Enraged Fire Plugs. The former counts from 
3 to zero before attacking. The Enraged Fire Plug can spray a burst of 
water to damage both of you at once.

The Hospital and Hotel are both at the northeast of this dimension. Take 
note of the man standing outside the hospital. You will have to talk to 
him later. There is a Double Burger in the Giftbox to the right of the 
hospital. It seems there are abstract art and Dali's Clocks as well! These 
objects attack in crazy ways like freezing your time. It may take some 
time to get used to all of these enemies. They drop PSI Caramel. Go to 
the southwestern corner of this dark world. There is a Giftbox to the far 
west, but it is out of reach. To get there, talk to the man with sunglasses. 
He says "Hello and Goodbye!" and warps you there. The Giftbox holds a 
Protein Drink. With this, talk to the man in this area to warp back. 

Go to the right of the Montoli Building, it's blocked by a bearded man. 
He says he cannot let you past because you don't have a man with connected 
eyebrows and a gold tooth with you! Then go to the hospital. Talk to the 
hunky man to warp to the next area. You will find a Giftbox in front of 
you.

It has a Night Pendant in it. Equip it on Jeff. It increases his Defense 
by 15 and helps him defend against Flash Attacks. Talk to the man to warp 
to the next isolated area. There is a Handbag Strap in this corner of 
Moonside. Talk to the man and warp. The next item you will find is Secret 
Herb. Talk to the woman and you will find that she thinks that she should 
care for Mani Mani before all else. Talk to the man in glasses to say goodbye, 
but only after a confirmation message.

You will come to a room with 2 men, and one of them is invisible. Talk 
to the invisible one. He asks, "Can you see me?" Say No! "Ha ha, you can, 
huh? He he, you have become a real Moonsidian, haven't you. Talk to the 
other man, and he will be mad that you are interrupting him when he is 
doing nothing. You are sent back to the Hotel. Get out and head to the 
Montoli Building. But what is this? Someone invisible is following you!

"It's me, you can see me, right? There is something interesting about you, 
so I am going to follow you. Don't worry though. If you get into a fight, 
I'll stay out of it." Continue on your way and this invisible man will 
brag about his connected eyebrows and gold tooth. This is just what we 
need to convince the man by the Montoli Building to move out of the way.

The two men will go out for a drink. Head to the Montoli Building. You 
see the Mani Mani Statue in front of you. A man is standing in front of 
it. Talk to him, and the man says, "Don't do anything to me, I'm not 
Montoli!" He flees. So it's the all powerful Mr. Montoli! Check the statue. 
You have seen this before, you also trigger a boss battle!

Boss Battle! Evil Mani-Mani(14070 EXP)
Although the statue is golden, it appears pink in front of you. This thing 
is a psychic generator. It can cast Paralysis Alpha. If it's Ness who's 
paralyzed, continue with Rockin Beta. Although you may have to use a Secret 
Herb as soon as possible to neutralize the numbness. Sometimes, the statue 
will emit a pale green light, nullifying the effects of PSI on anyone. 
It's not very difficult. It's the status ailments that are so troublesome.

When Ness hits level 34, he will learn Shield Beta. After the Mani Mani 
statue is destroyed, you will come back to the real world, inside Jackie's 
Cafe. You see the shattered statue. So, the Mani Mani Statue is a device 
that generated illusions. If you talk to the mouse in the warehouse, you 
will be told that you have been wandering inside the warehouse doing nothing 
at all! So Moonside is actually an illusion. Thank god that the illusion 
device is scrapped. Rest at the hotel, and continue on your little urban 
adventure. As you leave, you receive a call.

"Hello! This is Apple Kid. I have come up with another wacky invention 
that I think has real potential. Maybe you won't, but anyway. It's called 
the Gourmet Yogurt Machine. It makes many different flavors of yogurt. 
The problem is, that it can only make trout-flavored yogurt right now. 
So, I am having the machine delivered to you via Escargo Express. It's 
coming Neglected Class. Hopefully, you'll get it soon. Yeah, everything 
is..." Something explodes. "Uh, I got some problems here, go to go! Bye!"

Trout Flavored Yogurt, how disgusting! You see a monkey outside the cafe. 
He tries to run into the wall but gets burnt instead! Talk to him. He says 
that Talah Rama has finished fasting and wants to meet you. He is at the 
west end of the Dusty Dunes Desert. There is a cave with lots of monkeys. 
He will use his teleportation to leave this place. After this, the Escargo 
Express delivery boy will come with the Trout Flavored Yogurt, only that 
he has dropped it on the way! You will have to get it! A third person now 
comes. It's Electra, Mr. Montoli's maid. (The maid who's "maid" to order! 
Ha ha!) "Hello! I heard you were talking about trout flavored yogurt. I'm 
a maid who serves Mr. Montoli, and I'm looking for Trout Flavored Yogurt 
to give to our special guest. If you know anything about it, please tell 
me! I've been searching and searching."

So, the next objective is to get to the desert again to Talah Rama's cave. 
Rest at the hotel and get out to the desert. We are going back and forth 
a lot around here. It's getting annoying!

-------------------
Dusty Dunes Desert
-------------------
Ness' Level: 34     Jeff's Level: 35
Walk along the road until you get to the west end of the desert. Then go 
north until you find the ladder leading down near the monkey. It's Talah 
Rama's cave. Before you enter, you should make sure that you have a Picnic 
Lunch and a Skip Sandwich in your inventory. It will also help if you have 
3 free spaces in both Ness and Jeff's inventory. You find 2 doors that 
are blocked by monkeys. It is time for one fun puzzle! Bribe the Monkeys!

Puzzle Time! Bribe the Monkeys
To make the monkeys move out of the way so you can proceed, you will have 
to give them food and other items. When you go through, you will find a 
chest with an additional item. These can be used as bribes to later monkeys. 
To help you go through each area, I will number the rooms. Let's consider 
the room you are now in, Room 1.

In Room 1, give the left monkey a Picnic Lunch and the right monkey a Skip 
Sandwich. The left door leads to Room 2, and the right leads to Room 3. 
You will get a pizza before Room 2. In Room 2, the left monkey will want 
the Pizza. The right monkey will ask for a Wet Towel. Give the Pizza to 
the left monkey to access Room 4. You will find another pizza on your way 
to Room 4. In Room 4, you come to a dead end. The monkey there tells you 
that you will find Dragonite in one room. He gives you a Fresh Egg. If 
you need to, you can come back and ask for more.

Head to Room 3. You will find a Wet Towel before reaching Room 3. There 
may be some sprout enemies here, but they do look scared! Take them out 
with Green Swirls. In Room 3, the left monkey will want a Pizza, while 
the right monkey wants a Protein Drink. Give the Pizza to the left monkey 
to access Room 5. Before going to Room 5, consider returning to Room 2 
to bribe the monkey with the Wet Towel to reach Room 6. You will find a 
Ruler and a Hamburger before you reach Room 6. In Room 6, both monkeys 
love Hamburgers. Bribe the monkey to the right first. You will reach a 
room with a chest. Inside is a Flame Pendant. Equip it on Ness, his defense 
will rise by 15 and he will be resistant to Fire Attacks. Head to Room 
5.

You will find a Protein Drink before reaching Room 5. In Room 5, the left 
monkey wants a Hamburger while the right one wants a King Banana. Since 
you don't have any at the moment, go back to Room 3 and bribe the right 
monkey with a Protein Drink. Enter Room 7. You will get a Hamburger before 
hand. In Room 7, the left monkey wants to measure something. Give her the 
Ruler. The right monkey wants a Fresh Egg to cure his speech problems. 
If the Fresh Egg has hatched, you will go back to Room 2 and take another 
one. Enter the 2 rooms. One has a King Banana, while the other one has 
a Neutralizer. It is a powerful battle weapon for Jeff since it disables 
any effects of PSI on everyone, so if the enemy has a shield up, this thing 
can cancel it without fail at all.

Head back to Room 6 to bribe the left monkey. There is a trash can with 
a Broken Tube inside. Give it to Jeff. Head to Room 5. Bribe Man K. Man 
the right monkey with the King Banana to reach Room 8. Before reaching 
Room 8, you will find a Hamburger and a Picnic Lunch. Go back to Room 5 
and bribe the left monkey to enter the room with a Bag of Dragonite. This 
items turns the user into a dragon for one turn, who can deal massive damage. 
Head to Room 8. There is a pencil statue in the way. Use the Pencil Eraser 
to remove it. You will enter Talah Rama's Room. Open the 2 chests for a 
Cup of Lifenoodles and a Brain Food Lunch. The latter is a powerful food 
item that recovers a large amount of HP and PP at the same time. A future 
character will rely heavily on it, you'll see.

Talk to Talah Rama. "The truth of space and time moves through the universe 
like a wave," he says, "Truth speaks through space and time and makes itself 
known to human beings. I was waiting for you, and you came. This was destined 
to happen. In truth, all is pre-determined. Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo, 
when these 4 powers gather, twisted space will bring back peace to the 
world. Do you understand? It doesn't matter. Proceed as you wish. Open 
the treasure box and take what is inside with you. Did you come in search 
of this? Someone left it behind in this hole." So, it was that irresponsible 
deliveryman! You will get the Yogurt Dispenser.

Talah Rama continues, "The adventure that lies ahead will not be easy. 
I'll give you a special skill to move through space as you wish. Learn 
the skill from the monkey over there. Would you like to learn this special 
power?" Say Yes. "That's wonderful, speak to the monkey over there." Talk 
to the monkey and he will offer to teach you teleportation. Get out now.

Talk to the left monkey outside and follow him to the road. Talk to him 
again and he will give you a demonstration. So, Teleport Alpha involves 
running and accelerating to a fast speed until you reach the place you 
are thinking of. It's just like Back to the Future. You will have to reach 
88 mph to warp to the past or future. Of course, in this game, you can 
only warp to places you have been go! With your acquired Teleport Alpha, 
teleport back to Fourside to find Paula. Oh by the way, since you have 
the Neutralizer, things like the Shield Killer and Counter-PSI Unit will 
become obsolete. Deposit them with the Escargo Express.

Besides all this, you must be prepared for a tough battle ahead, so phone 
Mach Pizza to order some large Pizzas. When you are stocked up, go over 
Montoli Building. Electra the maid will be there outside. Talk to her. 
She is happy that you finally have a trout-flavored yogurt maker. She 
snatches it off you before you can even respond! She tells you to meet 
her in her room on the 48th floor. So enter the building now.

Take the lift to the 47th floor. Then change lifts at this level. The guards 
in that lift lobby are not so nice. Since they are bound to shoot suspicious 
people down on sight with a machine gun! It seems that the elevator lady 
of the next lift knows about you, so you and Jeff can continue up this 
private lift. The music changes to an eerie one. Go through the door. As 
you enter the hallway, a robot will confront you and ask for the secret 
code. Since you don't have it, you will have to fight this Sentry Robot!

The annoying thing is that these Sentries can call for help. They often 
fire beams at you, or just ticks. Another dangerous weapon of these guys 
is their Bottle Rockets. You may have allowed Jeff to use it, and it is 
no fun if you are the target! There are bathrooms in this hallway, but 
you can't enter them. There are also 4 doors here. Each pair leads to a 
room. It seems that it is possible to avoid contact with the Sentry Robots, 
since they are slow. The 2 doors to the left are to be your target.

There is a door leading north, and that leads to another room. Enter the 
room to the north. There should be another Sentry Robot here. He is guarding 
a Sudden Guts Pill. Get out and take the left door. You are in another 
green room. This time, there are 2 doors leading north. Another Sentry 
Robot is present. The left door leads to a room with a Vital Capsule. Have 
Jeff drink it. Go through the door to the right for the next room.

Go through the northern door. It's Electra the maid's room. She will serve 
you Trout Flavored Yogurt. Ewww, this isn't an Iron Chef cook out, you 
know! Get out and go left. Brace yourself... In the next room, a tiny robot 
approaches you. He makes some weird mechanic sounds and a boss battle begins! 
It's the Clumsy Robot!

Boss Battle! Clumsy Robot (16189 EXP)
The name may be misleading, but do not underestimate this guy. He mostly 
waste turns cleaning the floor and losing bolts, but when he does attack, 
he can pack a wallop! Take the missiles and beams for instance. Another 
frustrating feature of the Clumsy Robot is that every now and then, he 
will eat a Bologna Sandwich to fully recover his HP! This is purely a battle 
of attrition. Keep bashing and shooting until help arrives. The PSI should 
be reserved for medical purposes. All of a sudden, some guys rushed into 
the room. You hear the Runaway Five tune! It's the Runaway Five! It's just 
as one of the band members prophesized!

Lucky quickly ducked behind the robot. "I flipped the switch, and it 
stopped," he said. "Geez, what a loser robot. It was so easy to stop. That 
was quick thinking." So, if you want to defeat the robot, just have someone 
distract him while another turns it off! Ha ha! We really are fools!

While the Runaway Five are on standby, go through the double doors. It's 
Montoli, and he has got Paula. He begs for mercy. "Stop! That's enough! 
Please stop! I give up! I really do!" Your health is restored. He breaks 
down by Paula. Paula says, "Ness! You finally made it here. I'm fine. I 
believed you would come and save me." She believes in you! "Mr. Montoli 
isn't such a bad person. Take some time to listen to him." Let's talk.

It's quite a sobering story... "Look at my skinny arms, thin body and grey 
hair. I've become so weak since I lost the Mani Mani Statue. I'm sorry 
I kidnapped Paula. I haven't done anything to her." Really? Maybe we should 
check whether Paula is still a virgin! Wouldn't we, officer Hardigan? 
"Paula is a nice girl." He turns to Paula. "Paula. Return to Ness. I'm 
sorry I created so much trouble for you." Paula is back with you!

"I'll tell you everything. The Mani Mani Statue creates an illusion. It 
attracts evil spirits and weakens your heart. The power scared me so much, 
so I hid the statue in the warehouse at Jackie's Cafe. I often went there 
to pray." That was just like the Happy-Happyist cult! "Cryptic words 
appeared to me while I was in the illusion. Ness, your name appeared on 
the cryptic messages. 'Stop Ness, do so by your own hand.' Or, 'Don't let 
them go to Summers.' Or, 'Make sure they know nothing of the Pyramid.' 
I don't fully understand the messages, but someone obviously doesn't want 
to go to Summers.' Evil Giygas or something, I could hear his name. Anyway, 
the evil side will be in trouble if you go to Summers. Oh! On the contrary, 
you should definitely go to Summers, especially because they don't want 
you to make it there. Would you like to hear the whole story again?" Of 
course not! "Summers is located across the ocean. Take my helicopter. I 
will open the door to my heliport." Montoli pushed his stuffed bear and 
a secret door opened. "You must go on! Ness, this is your destiny. Paula, 
it's time we said goodbye. Take care."

Climb up the stairs. Go through the hallway to the heliport. Try to board 
the helicopter. It seems that someone has boarded it first! It's Pokey! 
He taunts you again. "Ness, you pin-headed idiot, you're just a half step 
too slow. I'm getting outta here! Since Montoli has become a plain old 
man again, I have no more use of him. This helicopter will really come 
in handy. Looks like you are the world class loser again!" Come back and 
fight, you coward! It's a pity that Jeff doesn't launch a rocket now.

Get back down and leave. Paula has a vision. She knows that they have to 
go back to Threed next. Runaway Five will offer to drive you to Threed. 
The music changes to a happy one! Get out of the building now, it's time 
to hitch a ride back to Threed, the revitalized town. Meanwhile, Apple 
Kid phones you, he has discovered the enemy of you and humanity. To stop 
him, he has to invent a Phase Distorter. He will head to Winters to find 
Dr. Andonuts to work together.

---------------
Threed
---------------
Ness' Level: 36     Paula's Level: 33     Jeff's Level: 36
Go back to the cemetery and find the Sky Runner. Check it, "Ah! Here's 
the problem, and it's not tough for me to fix. Hang on a second or two." 
Jeff will fix it in a jiffy! (No pun intended) "There! That should do it! 
Now, if we board, the Sky Runner will take us back to winters. With Dr. 
Andonuts' help, I can modify the machine and fly to Summers. If Dad, I 
mean Dr. Andonuts, is not available, I will have to figure it out by myself. 
Anyway, let's go back to the lab in Winters." You will now fly to Winters.

---------------
Winters
---------------
Ness' Level: 36     Paula's Level: 33     Jeff's Level: 36
This time, the Sky Runner will NOT explode. As you alight in the lab, the 
Bubble Monkey's wife will come to you. She thanks you for taking care of 
her husband. The Bubble Monkey will come and hint you of something in the 
cave to the north of Stonehenge before leaving. Go and talk to Jeff's dad. 
"Oh! You surprised me! You are Ness, aren't you? Jeff wets his bed 
sometimes." What? "But other than that, he's a good boy. Take care of 
yourself and Jeff! The Bubble Monkey said that there is a cave to the north 
of Stonehenge. I've known about it for a long time. The locals call the 
area 'Rainy Circle' but I haven't been there. I wonder what's inside the 
cave. While you are checking out that place, I will work on remodeling 
the Sky Runner. Yes, my coworker, Bigfoot dislikes violence. He's such 
a nice guy, and he loves people. He often shares his beef jerky with me."

Get out of the lab and enter the cave. There is a shiny light there, remember? 
Talk to it and start the fight for Your Sanctuary!

Boss Battle! Shrooom! (32108 EXP)
This boss must be exclamatory, since he's got an exclamation mark by his 
name. Although this thing is vulnerable to Fire, Freeze Gamma deals more 
damage than Fire Beta, so use that instead while Ness and Jeff resorts 
to physical attacks. There is also the chance of solidifying the enemy. 
Like many other mushroom enemies, this boss can mushroomize you with his 
spores. That's not all, the spores can be poisonous! He can heal himself 
with Lifeup Alpha. Other than that, it's just normal attacks. If Ness is 
mushroomized, don't use Rockin moves or you may regret it. For the levels 
you are having, this battle should be only moderate in difficulty.

There is a chance that the Shroom! Will provide enough Experience for 2 
consecutive level ups for Ness and Paula. Oh, and if Ness hits level 38, 
he will learn Flash Beta. Then comes the one hit KO goodness! Note that 
is comes at a certain probability. Go through the opening. You see a puddle 
with rainwater constantly coming down on it. Walk to it to heal and listen 
to the melody. This time the tunes are as follows: GBD'C#C#D'. Note that 
the # represents one semitone higher, so it's a C Sharp. You will catch 
a whiff of Steak for a second. Your work here is done, go back to Jeff's 
dad to see if his is. (You can also fight some Strong Crocodiles and Elder 
Battys, they are scared of you since you have beaten their boss.)

"Oh Ness!" Jeff's Dad says, "Jeff wets his bed sometimes, but apart from 
that, he's a good boy. What? Hmm... it sounds like you found something out. 
I finished remodeling the Sky Runner. You can leave for Summers whenever 
you wish. It shouldn't break this time. Well, maybe..." You hear that? It 
SHOULDN'T break this time! Can we believe in Dr. Andonuts? Enter the Sky 
Runner to find out. It's time to head to Summers!

----------------------
c. A Tropical Getaway
----------------------
It seems that the Sky Runner ran out of fuel prior to landing and crashed 
onto the beach! Anyway, welcome to this lovely resort. My guess is that 
this is the equivalent of the Italian port town of Naples.

---------------
Summers
---------------
Ness' Level: 38     Paula's Level: 35     Jeff's Level: 38
Let's get off the beach and have a look at the shops by the road from left 
to right. As you walk by the hotel, you will be photographed by the 
photographer. You will find that nothing is free here, even the hotel is 
fitted with payphones! The next building you will find is the Restaurant. 
It accepts takeaways! Let's see what delicacies they have.

*****SUMMERS RESTAURANT*****
Chef's Special ($298), Pasta di Summers ($128) 
Kraken Soup *HOT!* ($648, Full HP Restoration)
Royal Iced Tea ($78), Can of Fruit Juice ($4), Cup of Coffee ($6)

$78 for Iced Tea? That's daylight robbery! OK, it may not be that bad if 
that were New Taiwanese Dollars though. The Kraken Soup, although expensive 
is excellent since it guarantees complete HP restoration. It is made from 
the fin of a sea monster known as Kraken, so it's like Shark's Fin Soup, 
one of Hong Kong's expensive delicacies. But what's a Kraken like?

It seems that Crazed Signs and Mad Taxis roam the streets here. You will 
come to the goods shop next. It sells equipment that is not the strongest, 
but is the most expensive of the game. Here's the catalog, is it worth 
it? I will tell you after the list.

*****SUMMERS EQUIPMENT*****
Big League Bat ($3080, For Ness, Offense +6)
Chef's Fry Pan ($1198, Already Equipped by Paula)
Lucky Coin ($6000, For All, Offense +10 over Coin of Defense, +3 over Mr. 
Saturn Coin, so not worth it for Paula)
Gold Bracelet ($2799, For All, Downgrade for Ness)
Platinum Band ($6899, For All, Already Equipped by Ness)
Diamond Band ($9998, For All, Defense +10 over Platinum Band, so not worth 
it for Ness, Defense +35 over Silver Bracelet)
Super Plush Bear ($1198, A tougher diversionary item than Teddy Bear)

As you can see, the Lucky Coin does not offer a large increase in Defense 
over the Mr. Saturn Coin. So, the person who has the Mr. Saturn Coin should 
not take the Lucky Coin. As for the Diamond Band, it costs almost $10000 
and provides only an additional 10 units of defense over the Platinum Band. 
Now that one of the characters has the Platinum Band equipped, he should 
not be given the Diamond Band. So in short, you should buy Ness' weapon, 
2 Lucky Coins, 2 Diamond Bands. Buy a Super Plush Bear if you need to. 
Now, it seems that all of this will cost you $35076! This is only after 
my saving plans offered above! (It will cost you another $15998 if you 
resort to all upgrades, ignoring the money obtained by selling old items.)

You will find Club Stoic next. This place requires a reservation to get 
in. You will get the telephone number later. I checked the dictionary. 
Stoic means "member of ancient Greek school of philosophy which sought 
virtue as greatest good and control of one's feelings and passions". Hmm, 
I guess it must be a club for some nerds! The Scaraba Cultural Museum is 
next, but you don't have to enter it now. After that, you will find the 
Hospital. Having illnesses? Check in there.

Continue to the right for the port town of Toto. There is a shop there. 
It sells food items and Coins of Defenses, nothing too special. A house 
to the right has a person with sunglasses inside. Talking to him will land 
you the secret phone number of the Stoic Club. I guess that's all you need 
to know before having to turn back. As you get out, you will get a phone 
call from Jeff's friend, Tony.

"Hello? Jeff. Oh, happy day! I finally got a hold of you. Oh Jeff! Hi! 
It's me, Tony. I'm collecting player's names for a school project. You 
know, players just like you. That's right, you, the person holding the 
controller. Would you register your name, please? Don't spell your name 
wrong!" You get to register your own name. Although this seems weird, this 
name is significant in the final stages of the game, since the group may 
have to call the player to help them! If you are too shy to register your 
own name, you can just type in nonsense or just enter the name of a celebrity 
or political leader. I will just type in George W. Bush! You get to confirm 
your name. So select OK again.

"I apologize for any trouble this may have caused you. Don't put my friend 
in any dangerous situations, okay? I worry about him, I really do. Well, 
talk to you later. Jeff, I hope I can see you when I am feeling up to it. 
From T-O-N-Y. You got that? I have been on the phone too long." You then 
hear a long series of goodbye phrases. Man, this Tony really is passionate 
about Jeff. Such close friends.

Before phoning Stoic Club, talk to the sailor standing in front of the 
sea below. He can offer you a boat ride, but he is concerned about his 
wife, since she is so deep in with Stoic Club and her making of Magic Cakes 
that they have no more mutual interests to discuss! Does this call for 
a divorce? Let's help him. Phone Stoic Club to book a table. Then enter.

It seems that this place is where people discuss philosophy but no mention 
of Greece is found. Here are some interesting quotes:

"Didactically speaking, seminal evidence seems to explicate the fact that 
your repudiation of entropy supports my theory of space-time synthesis. 
Of this, I am irrefutably confident." "You guys can't envision the final 
collapse of capitalism? Incredible!" "Mmmmm. I think it's a very 
complicated issue. Oh sorry! I was sleeping." "The show? It has already 
started. Everyone stares at the stone on the stage and philosophizes. 
Doesn't it sound stupid?"

The dark-skinned waiter is the only sane person in this place. He says 
that people will pay just to have some quiet time to discuss over a glass 
of water. The most important quote is definitely that of the mustachioed 
man at the table. He says, "You know, I really want to eat some Magic Cake. 
It's a mysterious work of art. I can't get that cake off my mind. There's 
only one woman who can make Magic Cake. She's hanging out in this club. 
Yeah, she's over there by the entrance. Anyway, the absolute irony and 
study of self-identification is blah blah blah... I don't know what to do!"

This guy seems to be addicted to Magic Cake. Talk to the woman by the door. 
"I have finally awakened the inner me, the true self. The patrons of this 
club are able to stare into their own souls hard enough to burn a hole 
in their psyche. I'm now confident enough to stare at the real me, the 
true self, and burn the impression into my super ego. My id is telling 
me. What? What? Magic Cake? You came all this way just to eat my Magic 
Cake?" Answer yes. "I see, OK. Why don't you stop by the cart out on a 
beach later?" The woman leaves. Leave and get out to the beach. If Ness 
reaches Level 39, he will learn Lifeup Gamma.

You will find her by a cart by the beach. She claims that this is the best 
Magic Cake, and it's made from all leftover materials. Enjoy! This is when 
the whole world spins. What exactly is in the cake anyway? Pot? You all 
pass out, meanwhile, in some distant land far away, someone leaps into 
action. But has the eating of Magic Cake any connections between the two 
seemingly unrelated events?

---------------
Dalaam
---------------
Poo's Level: 15
We come to the imperial palace of Dalaam, a country in the far east, where 
Prince Poo is called into action. Poo's master says, "Prince Poo, the time 
has now come for you to undertake your final trial. Go to the 'Place of 
Emptiness' and endure this final test. I am praying for your success in 
the final stage of your training." This is when you get to move. Examine 
the 3 boxes in this room for a Brain Food Lunch, a Cup of Lifenoodles and 
a Brain Stone inside. Use the phone on top of the man's head to save. Exit 
the palace. It seems every single woman here is attracted to Poo!

The music here sounds very Chinese. Talk down the hill. The first house 
on the way has a Bottle of Water inside. This restores PP for Poo. The 
third house down from the hill has a Jar of Delisauce inside. This is the 
ultimate condiment. It works on ANY type of food. The next house to the 
left is a shop. But inside, there are boxes with a Bottle of Water and 
a Bowl of Rice Gruel inside. At the bottom of the hill, there is a cave 
to the left blocked by rabbit statues. Ignore that for now and turn right.

Talk to the master there. He says he has completed Mu training. Then he 
leaves. Climb up the rope to the top and meditate. A girl will try to 
discourage Poo, but don't move at all. Eventually, the Old Master will 
appear to test you. It's like a battle scene.

"Prince Poo, I am the spirit of your ancient lineage. To complete your 
trial, I am going to break your legs. You will lose the use of them. Do 
you accept this?" Say yes. Your HP drops down to 21. "So, Prince Poo, you 
cannot walk, as your legs are broken. Next, I will tear your arms off. 
I shall then take your arms off and feed them to the crows. The taking 
of your arms, do you accept this?" Say Yes. Your HP drops to zero!

"Ah, Prince Poo, Without legs or arms, you can only lie there. Now, I'll 
cut your ears off. You do not mind me taking your hearing away, don't you? 
Do you accept this?" Say yes! You can only read the spirit's lips now. 
"So, Prince Poo, No legs, no arms, no sound. By floating words through 
the air, I must ask you. Do you care if I take your eyes? Do you want to 
live in eternal darkness? I shall steal your sight. Do you accept this?" 
It may sound crazy, but do say yes. The world goes black.

"So, Prince Poo. Now, I can only communicate directly with your mind. Your 
mind is all you have left. In the end, I will take your mind, though you 
probably won't allow that, do you? So, you can't answer, you can't even 
move? Are you sad, are you lonely? If you lose your mind, you also lose 
any feelings of sadness. Do you accept this? I will take your mind, Prince 
Poo, know that I will possess it." This is when you wake up!

A master will come and tell Poo that he has completed his training. Return 
to the palace and speak to your Old Master. "I am proud. You have completed 
your Mu training. There is nothing more to teach you from the holy writings. 
Prince Poo. I shall relay a message to you from eternity. The evil entity 
that controls all wickedness is preparing for the greatest struggle of 
all time. The only ones who can challenge the entity are 3 boys and 1 girl. 
One named Ness is the leader of the four. One of the boys is you, Prince 
Poo. Now that you have completed the training, search out Ness at once. 
For all beings, for the earth itself. I pray for growth in the might of 
the four. Poo's level will increase by 3. He will learn Shield Beta, 
Teleport Alpha and Teleport Beta. This is when Poo will use Teleport Beta 
to get to Summers and find you guys.

---------------
Summers
---------------
Ness' Level: 38   Paula's Level: 35   Jeff's Level: 38   Poo's Level: 18
Poo introduces himself to Ness. "My name is Poo. I am the one who will 
fight beside you. I am the servant of Ness. I will obey Ness. Ness! My 
life is in your hands." You now have all 4 characters. You must take note 
that Poo is an extremely picky person. He does not like any foreign foods. 
Anything fed to him that is not a Brain Food Lunch will only give him 6 
HP. Meanwhile, Brain Food Lunch will give him a complete HP and a gigantic 
PP restoration. As for equipment, Poo can only accept items that end with 
"of Kings". Any other item equipped will lower Poo's stats!

Head to the museum. Pay $12 for the admission fee. Go upstairs. There is 
a door that is blocked by a man. He says the room is being remodeled. Bribe 
him with Poo's gem to enter. You then can enter.

It's a room with a hieroglyph. There are 2 live artifacts that you must 
beat first. They are shattered men. They are vulnerable to paralysis, so 
Ness can stop it with Paralysis Alpha. Then bash away. You may get Mummy 
Wraps from them. Beating one will grant Poo a boost to level 21, and he 
will learn Magnet Alpha. At level 24, he will learn Brainshock Alpha. At 
level 37, Paula will learn Fire Gamma. Check the hieroglyph. Poo can read 
it. It seems that there is a place called Deep Darkness, and it is shrouded. 
A Hawk Eye will pierce the dark. The Sphinx of Scaraba now watches over 
the pyramid, waiting for a hero to come. To enter the pyramid, one must 
dance in front of the Sphinx in a star pattern. (You will understand what 
I mean later.)

Poo gets an idea. "Ness, let's go to Scaraba! The pyramid is the key!" 
Get out of here now. Before you leave, the man by the hieroglyphs will 
give you a Hieroglyph Copy for studying hard (in bribery lessons!). As 
you are about to leave the museum, the phone rings. Talk to the man.

"Hello! Is this Mr. Fork of the Scaraba Cultural Museum? It doesn't sound 
like you. Well, I'll quickly tell you my story, since I am a busy, busy 
man. I found something so extraordinary that mere words could not do it 
justice. What do you mean, 'who am I'? Don't you recognize my voice? It's 
me, Mr. Spoon from the Fourside Museum of Natural History. Look Mr. Fork, 
I am not exaggerating this find. I'm telling you, it's fantastic! It's 
outrageous!" What's going on over there? Go back to Fourside.

---------------
Fourside
---------------
Ness' Level: 39   Paula's Level: 36   Jeff's Level: 38   Poo's Level: 24
Rest at the hotel if you need, and enter the Dinosaur Museum. Pay the 
admission fee and go to the far left of the exhibition hall. If you walk 
up close to the dinosaur skeleton, the photographer will come and take 
a picture of you four.

Talk to the man in front of the door and he asks you to bring him an autograph 
of the singer Venus at the Topolla Theater. So, enter the Theater and watch 
the show. "Oh, baby baby baby! Don't make me hurt so bad! These guys are 
all stone cold gone for you. Ow! You cute, sexy thing, you! Baby! Sing 
to me! Sing to me only! Baby! Venus! Just sing, and I can die a happy man! 
Baby! I wanna hold you tight. Venus! Baby! Boo hoo hoo! Venus!" Venus sings 
on stage, and is attracting the audience so much that one of them even 
climbed up on stage to see her! Of course, the security took care of all 
that.

There is no voice whatsoever. Just enter Venus' room to the right when 
the show's over. Venus will sign her autograph on a banana peel, and kiss 
you! Let's get out and give this Signed Banana to the man in the museum. 
The man tells you that there is a manhole behind the door, and there is 
a monstrous rat down there! Enter and see for yourself! Since Poo is 
underlevel, it will be a good idea to train him here by fighting enemies 
near the exit. Then you can get away with ease. If you go left, you will 
find a trash can with a Croissant inside. Ugh. If you go right along dry 
land, there is a room with a Broken Iron inside. 

There are Stinky Ghosts (upgrades of Smelly Ghosts), Deadly Mice (Upgrades 
to Rowdy Mice), Filthy Attack Roaches (Upgrades to those roaches near 
Saturn Valley). There really isn't anything new here! Use Fire and Freeze 
on the first, Bash the other 2. At level 27, Poo will realize Magnet Omega. 
When you are getting weak, go back to the hotel to rest. Go and get some 
Big Bottle Rockets for Jeff by the way.

At level 40, Paula will learn Offense Up Omega. When Poo hits level 34, 
you can explore the rest of the Fourside sewers. If Jeff's IQ reaches around 
38, he can fix the Broken Iron, turning it into the Slime Generator. This 
thing solidifies the enemy for a turn. It's up to you as to whether to 
store this or not. I prefer to store this, since it's not very useful against 
bosses. If there were only an item that would cause numbness.

At level 33, Poo will realize Freeze Gamma. Start wading in the tranquil 
waters of the sewer and go right. Climb up the next ladder you see, and 
go all the way to the left for a room. There is a Broken Spray Can inside. 
This can be fixed for a Defense Spray. Follow the dry path and go right 
to the next area. Get back into the sewage, and continue right. At the 
next ladder, climb up the ladder and go left. Walk along that extremely 
narrow path, beating back any enemies in the way, and enter the room.

There is a Magic Butterfly inside. Ahh, you can escape into ecstasy here. 
Just keep entering and leaving to refill your PP. After this, get to the 
left for a Trash Can with a Rust Promoter DX. Now, go all the way to the 
right and to the next area. There is a room to the right by the barrels. 
Inside is a Broken Bazooka. Give this to Jeff. It will prove useful once 
he fixes it! At level 37, Poo will learn Healing Gamma. It's now possible 
for him to revive your fallen characters.

Reenter the dirty water and go right. Climb up the ladder for dry land. 
There is shiny light blocking the ladder that leads up. It's the boss of 
Your Sanctuary. Talk to the light to encounter the Plague Rat of Doom!

Boss Battle! Plague Rat of Doom (28818 EXP)
This is just fantastic, outrageous! A giant sewer rat is guarding this 
fifth Your Sanctuary location. Whatever this thing is, it is quite 
resistant to physical attacks. So Ness, Paula and Poo should resort to 
Rockin Beta and Freeze Gamma respectively. As for Jeff, he should use the 
latest weapon, the Big Bottle Rocket. One Rocket is capable of dealing 
over 500 HP damage to the Plague Rat of Doom. In fact, this battle is easy. 
All I had to do was to repeat the strategy above twice and the Plague Rat 
of Doom is nothing but history. So, I don't even know what other attacks 
this giant rat has to offer! That's it, folks! You can always do things 
the hard way by not using Big Bottle Rockets until Ness is down if you 
like to balance the levels a little bit.

Ness got an insanely high HP boost at level 48. In fact, he gained 40 HP! 
Now, let's climb up the ladder. There is a melody to record. Walk over 
to the lump of rock. GBAD', this is the tune. You will see a baby's bottle, 
but for only an instant. This is the melody of the Magnet Hill. Check the 
box for a Rabbit Key. You may be out in the open now, but you cannot teleport 
away. You must get back out of the sewers, and out of the museum before 
you can really get to Dalaam. When you leave the museum, you will be 
photographed by this genius photographer. There is some business to take 
care of. Of course, you better go and deposit your useless junk beforehand! 
Oh, and at level 49, Ness will learn Rockin Gamma. Now, go and teleport 
to Dalaam. It's on the second page of the towns list.

---------------
Dalaam
---------------
The Levels of the Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 47,44,44,40
I have decided to use a new method of listing the levels of the 4 characters 
in the game. The levels of the characters are displayed in the order Ness, 
Paula, Jeff, Poo. Attempt to enter the palace and you will be photographed 
again. Walk to the throne and you will be given another shot. Talk to Poo's 
master to recover all HP and PP. Then save using the head phone! Go out 
of the palace, and head down to the Dalaam Restaurant. They accept dollars. 
I wonder if they accept MasterCard! Here's the menu. It's a bit rustic.

*****DALAAM RESTAURANT*****
Bottle of Water ($4, Restores a little PP), Bowl of Rice Gruel ($88)
Jar of Delisauce *HOT!* ($300, Improves the flavor of ALL foods!)
Brain Food Lunch *HOT!* ($800, Completely restores Poo's HP, and quite 
a lot of PP, restores a lot of HP for everyone else)

I always wonder what Brain Food Lunch is. Since Brain Food may be referred 
to Fish or Carrots, I would say that Brain Food Lunch is actually Fish 
Fingers with Carrots. This stuff is Poo's fodder, stock up these for him. 
Go down to the bottom of the hill and use the Carrot Key on the rabbit 
statues. They disappear, and you can enter this cave of the Your Next 
Sanctuary. (Sorry, but this is how I make it grammatically correct.)

For an oriental country, the music of this dungeon sounds a little high-tech. 
Let's have a little scouting run on the enemies in this place. There is 
the Thunder Mite. They are so weak that bashes from 3 faster characters 
can take them out, and they don't even get to have their turn! But even 
if they attack, I guess they will be using moves along the lines of Thunder 
Beta. (Which can be deflected by the Franklin Badge.)

The Tangoo looks like a genie with a blowpipe. He can attack with physical 
attacks, or blow sleep-inducing or poisonous fumes through his pipe. Second 
hand smoke is definitely bad here! (If Ness is poisoned, let him go 
unconscious. The remaining 3 can then catch up with him levelwise.) Now, 
it seems that Thunder Mites and Tangoos often attack you together. If that 
happens, priority should be given to taking down the Thunder Mite first. 
Oh, and Tangoos also have PP, so Magnet Omega is going to work on them! 
This is great and makes Poo a self sustaining healer. You can stay here 
for a long time and level up until Paula is 2 levels above Ness. For instance, 
Ness is at level 48 when he copped it, you now have to get up to Level 
50 for Paula. Oh, and I have also found that Tangoos carry Snakes. It may 
be wise to keep one for the boss battle later on. When Ness is out, make 
sure that Paula has the Franklin Badge since she will be vulnerable. Another 
thing, if you are getting weary and must rest, you should teleport to some 
other town since Poo's Mu master will revive Ness.

Another thing I found is that if Ness is unconscious, he will be temporarily 
revived in any photographic moments to give the V sign at the photographer!

Now, as for the Conducting Menaces, these guys really are menacing. This 
is because aside from the Thunder attacks, they get to Flash you! This 
may cause unwanted unconsciousness. (Let Ness go unconscious if you want 
the other 3 to catch up.) Fortunately, they are vulnerable to Freeze. So 
take these guys down fast. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Climb up the rope near the entrance. At the top, you will come to a hole. 
Drop down to the level below. There is a present behind you with a Sudden 
Guts Pill. You will be given a choice of 3 holes to drop down on. Pick 
the left hole. You will drop down into a room with a hole and a gift. Open 
the gift for Rock Candy. This confectionary randomly increases one stat 
of the person eating it. Give this to anyone you like. Drop down.

In this room, ignore the hole for now and go left. It's the entrance to 
the Your Sixth Sanctuary Location! Talk to the light and fight. It's the 
dual of Thunder and Storm!

Boss Battle! Thunder and Storm (32257 EXP)
These guys are quite weird. They are so close brothers that they entangle 
each other, thus making them only one target. These guys seem to be 
vulnerable to Freeze. All I had to do was to have Ness eat the Bag of 
Dragonite, Paula and Poo to use Freeze Gamma, and Jeff to fire a bottle 
rocket and over 1500 HP was taken from them in the first round, before 
they could even retaliate! (They were solidified, this explains it.) After 
this, I asked Paula to use Freeze Gamma again, and this took 350+ HP off 
Thunder and Storm and that finished them off! No damage taken! This 
concludes this super easy fight. Don't ask me what attacks this rather 
close dual uses. My guess is something along the lines of Thunder Beta 
and Gamma, and possibly some Flash action. (Oh, if you don't have any 
Dragonite, just use Flash Beta for Ness. The boss is vulnerable to Flash)

At Level 46, Paula will realize Freeze Omega, the most powerful Freeze 
move of them all. Meanwhile, at Level 41, Poo will learn Thunder Gamma. 
At level 46, Poo will realize Lifeup Gamma. At level 51, Paula will realize 
Shield Beta. When Jeff's IQ hits 46, he can fix the Broken Bazooka, thus 
creating the Heavy Bazooka! This is a group hit weapon. It damages the 
target and any other enemies next to it! Feel free to use this instead 
of your laser guns. Boom! Go through the opening and onto a Pink Cloud. 
The melody will be recorded as follows: E'BAGE. You will have a short vision 
of seeing your mother when she was young. Now that the boss is defeated, 
it's time to leave. Drop down the hole. There is a gift box with a Bracer 
of Kings inside. Give this to Poo and have him equip it. It increases his 
Defense by 30. Climb up the long rope to the right and exit. You can always 
have lots of Green Swirls on the enemies before leaving! Warp to Fourside 
to buy some more Big Bottle Rockets, and then warp all the way back to 
Summers.

---------------
Summers
---------------
The Levels of the Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 49,51,52,50
Now, look above. Under my new strategy, the levels of all 4 characters 
are much more closer. This helps to balance the powers a lot! Go over to 
the port town and talk to the sailor to the right. As you walk along the 
harbor, you will be photographed by this so called photographic genius. 
He thanks you for turning his wife back to normal. He will then take you 
on his boat for $80. The cruise is uneventful, only that the Captain had 
to stop once since he is seasick. At night, a giant green sea monster 
appeared and attacked the boat. It's the Kraken.

Boss Battle! Kraken (19817 EXP)
So, Kraken is a fire-breathing sea serpent. However, he can discharge 
electricity with his Crashing Boom Bang attack. It seems that Kraken is 
more vulnerable to Freeze than Fire, so Freeze Gamma is what Paula and 
Poo needs to use. As for Jeff, fire a Big Bottle Rocket. You should be 
able to beat this monster in two turns. If you still have a Snake or two 
left from Dalaam, throw it at this beast, and it will help the battle. 
It's also a good idea to try Flash Beta on this guy, since there IS a chance 
that he is knocked out in one hit.

The captain of this ship is surely impressed. "Oh, man! I thought you guys 
were just everyday little kids, but you defeated the Kraken! I also helped 
in the battle. I threw my slippers at the beast." Yeah, like that's going 
to help a lot! "Maybe you didn't notice." You continue on and eventually 
dock at the northern shore of Scaraba. It's a desert out there.

-------------------------------
6. More and More Exotic Places
-------------------------------
It's a busy town near the seashore. It's like Alexandria, Egypt. But there 
is no famous lighthouse here. Anyway, you have finally come to the parts 
of the world where it is exotic. Since there are many pyramids out in the 
desert, I would consider Scaraba to be the equivalent of Egypt.

----------------------------------------------------------
a. It's Time for a Reenactment of Sahara-Earthbound Style!
----------------------------------------------------------
This part of the adventure also reminds me of the movie Sahara that was 
out recently. Deserts often pose incredible treasure hunts, and this part 
of Earthbound is not an exception. It even included the wackiness of that 
movie, since everything is wacky to begin with. Therefore, it's Time for 
a Reenactment of Sahara-Earthbound Style!

---------------
Scaraba
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 50,51,52,50
Let's walk around town. The first building to the left is the clinic. This 
is where you get healed of any ailments. The next house is a residential 
house, nothing else. There is a man sitting on top a rope to the right, 
and he tells you that there is a man specializing in making dungeons, and 
he is now Dungeon Man! He lost the key to the Dungeon Man though, so you 
will have to find it yourself in the desert. The man to the right warns 
you of a nasty chubby kid. It's Pokey! He's near here.

Go south and check the next row of houses. The first is an inn. There is 
a Contraband Dealer inside, sitting by the table. What has he got?

*****SCARABA CONTRABAND*****
Bomb ($149), Super Bomb ($399)
Bottle Rocket ($29, For Jeff), Big Bottle Rocket ($139, For Jeff)

I don't need any explosive stuff yet, thank you. Order a Pizza if you like. 
The deliverymen seem to be as efficient as DHL here! The next is just an 
ordinary house. The house after that is a grocery store. Let us enter and 
see what he has to offer. He accepts Dollars, don't worry about it.

*****HASSAN'S SHOP*****
Wet Towel ($24, Cures Sunstroke), Vial of Serum ($58, Cures Poison)
Secret Herb ($380, Cures a Large Variety of Ailments)
Sudden Guts Pill ($500, Temporarily Increases the Guts of the User)
Protein Drink ($38), Banana ($5)

If you are confident that you can make do with Healing Gamma, don't buy 
anything here. Let's get out and take a look around the market place. The 
guy with the turban and dark skin is Red Snakes. He sells snakes, of course! 
There are 3 things offered. A Snake for $220, a Viper for $550 and a Vial 
of Serum for $58. The Serum is there to cure poisoning caused by the snakes. 
Ordinary Snakes do not poison all the time while the Viper does. Buy a 
Viper and save it for future boss battles. The man directly to the south 
is a condiment vendor. All condiments are offered except Delisauce.

The man to the south of that vendor sells some items that may be useful 
for you. Why don't we have a look?

*****SCARABA SOUTHWESTERN HAWKER*****
Big League Bat ($1380, Already Equipped by Ness)
Platinum Band ($3899, Downgrade)
Defense Spray ($500, Temporarily Increases Defense in Battle)
Crystal Charm ($600, For Paula, Defense +2, Protects against Paralysis, 
Increases Speed)
Broken Cannon ($218, For Jeff to Fix later)
Piggy Nose ($300, To Search for Magic Truffles in Deep Darkness)

The Crystal Charm and the Broken Cannon are to be purchased. The man to 
the right sells a Snake Bag. The price has been marked down to $98 from 
$290! Now you have an unlimited supply of Snakes to use. Let Jeff carry 
that, since he's the gadget boy. The final vendor to the south sells more 
Scaraba delicacies. Here's the menu.

*****SCARABA SNACK HAWKER*****
Bean Croquette ($12), Molokheiya Soup ($20), Kabob ($54), Boiled Egg ($9), 
Fresh Egg ($12), Cup of Coffee ($2), Bottle of Water ($4)

With all of this, we can get out to the desert and have some fun! (Battle 
as a mean to wait for Pizza to arrive, they take so long!) Just watch out 
for sunstroke! We have Grest Crested Bookas, Dread Skelpions, High Class 
UFOs (Pink in color!) and Beautiful UFOs (with hair ribbons!). You should 
know how to deal with these, since they are just upgrades from their weaker 
versions. It seems that Beautiful UFOs drop Kraken Soups and Vials of Serum. 
Dread Skelpions tend to drop Ketchup Packets. Yummy. Your target will be 
the large pyramid to the south, but let's do some fighting before we enter 
there, since it may be tough. At level 45, Poo will learn Brainshock Omega.

There is an additional bonus here. If you walk around, you may find red 
worms. They tend to run away from you. They are Master Criminal Worms. 
They automatically surrender once you give them the Green Swirl. You will 
get an insane amount of experience for defeating one. In fact, you get 
20643 EXP. 

Go south to the pyramid. There are 5 panels which you must step on. As 
you remember from the hieroglyphs, you have to move in a star pattern. 
First, step on the top circle, then the lower left, then the upper right, 
then the upper left, and finally the bottom right. Step on the top circle 
one more time. "Warriors, enter now. Search for the Hawk Eye." The pyramid 
opens up. Let's go in and explore. You will get photographed before that.

In this pyramid, there are Arachnids!!! Notice the 3 exclamation marks. 
These are upgrades of the Arachnids with 2 exclamation marks. If two line 
up, use the Heavy Bazooka on them! They did not even get to fight back 
due to the Bazooka's insanely high power. (Sometimes, it can be more 
powerful than the gun) They may drop beef jerky. Poo will learn Shield 
Omega at level 51. 

Climb up the stairs. Go through the next door. The hieroglyphs will start 
to come to life now! There are Guardian Hieroglyphs and Lethal Asp 
Hieroglyphs. The former can give you colds, and the latter can poison you 
with his venom! Amazing! The former is vulnerable to Fire and can use 
Thunder Alpha. The biting attack of the Lethal Asp Hieroglyph is lethal, 
especially to Paula. So watch out for her. Fortunately, Lethal Asp 
Hieroglyphs are sensitive to Freeze, maybe it's because they are 
poikiotherms. (Body temperature varies with surroundings)

The first casket you see holds a Viper. Take it and go through the next 
door. Climb up the stairs. You will encounter a Lethal Asp Hieroglyph and 
a Guardian Hieroglyph. Climb up the next set of stairs for another Lethal 
Asp Hieroglyph. The next room seems to be a tomb. There are Guardian 
Hieroglyphs and a moving casket! The moving casket represents a Petrified 
Royal Guard. They are vulnerable to Paralysis. After the body becomes numb, 
you can bash to your heart's content.

Notice that there is another door to the left. Go through it. There is 
a set of stairs leading up. Fight more hieroglyphs as you ascend. You will 
enter a small room with a casket. There is a Bag of Dragonite inside. Get 
back down to the tomb and go through the right door. You may now encounter 
Fierce Shattered Men. You have dealt with the weaker version before. They 
are still prone to Paralysis. Climb down the stairs. The next room has 
one Guardian Hieroglyph and two caskets. There is a Speed Capsule and a 
Cup of Lifenoodles in the caskets. In the next stairway, there is a Lethal 
Asp Hieroglyph guarding the hallway. At the bottom, you find a casket 
blocking the door. It won't budge. Check it and battle!

It seems that you are facing the Guardian General. He is not prone to 
Paralysis, but you can always try Flash Beta on him. The Heavy Bazooka 
is able to deal 300+ damage to him. Using the Mummy Wrap can deal 150+ 
damage and solidify the Guardian General. Some Freeze Beta also help. This 
is how I beat him without retaliation. This final room has a secret switch 
guarded by Hieroglyphs and a Petrified Royal Guard. There is a Rain Pendant 
inside the casket in this room. Let Paula equip it. It increases her Defense 
by 13 over the Crystal Charm. It protects her from Freeze attacks. Now, 
step on the switch, then go back to the burial chamber. At level 52, Poo 
will learn Healing Omega. Now he can revive unconscious members with full 
Health. Meanwhile, if Ness hits level 53, he will learn Healing Gamma.

It seems that the mummy has moved, revealing a hole. Drop down. There is 
something on the platform. Get it. It's the Hawk Eye! Fight the Hieroglyph 
and get out. There is a hole leading down again. The casket holds a Diamond 
Band. Give this to the person without the Diamond Band in Summers and let 
him equip it. It increases his Defense by 10 over the Platinum Band. Drop 
down to the room below and face the Hieroglyphs. You will then come to 
a long hallway. More enemies. Take them all down. At level 54, Paula will 
learn Defense Down Omega. Climb up the stairs and go through the door.

You will be outside. A few more steps and Poo will leave you for the time 
being. So, if you want to, you can always reenter the pyramid and fight 
some more monsters. Now, it's time for a level check, since you are at 
the south of Scaraba.

Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 53,53,54,53
Walk a few steps forward and the Star Master will come down to meet you. 
"Well done," he says, "You have made it!" You regain all HP and PP. "We 
finally meet, Prince Poo. The Stars foretold that I will meet you here. 
So now it's time to show you the way of the Starstorm. For a while, you 
must live away from your friends and live with me. Do you understand? There 
is only one answer. I must stop you here even if you don't wanted to. Stay 
with me for a while, do you understand?" Poo agrees.

He says, "It is important that I study and learn the Starstorm. It will 
be the most helpful to us. Once I learn it, I will meet up with you, Ness. 
Trust me, I will see you again." The Star Master says, "It depends on Poo's 
efforts. It will determine the reuniting of the group. Be faithful, and 
wait until the time comes!" The two whiz off.

You are now reduced to a party of 3. There are new enemies here. Namely 
the Maruder Octobot. These guys can coil around you, thus solidifying you. 
They also fire beams, and are vulnerable to Fire. There is a vendor with 
a camel. He also sells contraband. Let's have a look.

*****SCARABA SOUTH CONTRABAND*****
French Fry Pan ($1790, For Paula, Offense +20)
Crusher Beam ($1150, For Jeff, Offense +14)
Multi Bottle Rocket ($2139, For Jeff, a Stronger Bottle Rocket)
Bazooka ($950, For Jeff, Downgrade compared to Heavy Bazooka)
Bottle of DX Water ($198, Restores more PP than Bottles of Water)
Beef Jerky ($70)
Secret Herb ($380, Heals a Variety of Status Ailments)

I suggest you only buy the Fry Pan and the Beam. You don't need the Multi 
Bottle Rockets right now, and they are hell of expensive. Talk to the man 
with the spear to the south for the Key to the Tower. You can enter Dungeon 
Man. He is to the northwest. You can always slay more enemies on the way. 
But take note that any EXP gained will contribute to the widening of the 
gap with Poo! The large rocky structure in the middle of the desert is 
the Dungeon Man. Use the key on him and you can enter. When Paula is at 
level 54, she will learn Defense Down Omega.

You are now inside Brick Road's body! The music sounds horrible. Go left 
and rest at the bench if you need to. If Jeff's IQ is 49, he can fix the 
Broken Tube to form the Hungry HP Sucker. This item is Jeff's recovery 
item, as it can suck HP from the enemy and give it to you! Certain guides 
say this weapon is useless, but I find it to be effective. There is also 
a clinic, a pay phone and an ATM here. Withdraw $10000. This is because 
you won't be seeing any ATMs for a long time!

The enemies here are the same ones found in the Fourside Department Store. 
Go right now. At the next junction, go right for the Molokheiya Soup. Take 
the middle path for a Cup of Lifenoodles. Now, pick the left path. The 
next chest you find contains $5. Take the right path now. There are 2 gift 
boxes that can be reached. One has a Super Plush Bear while the other has 
a Snake inside. Take the left path for the ropes. Climb up the third rope.

There may be new enemies called Lesser Mooks on this floor. They are 
upgrades of the Department Store Spook, and are vulnerable to Fire. Pick 
the right path at the junction, the left path only leads to $10. Climb 
up the rope. On that level, you will find 2 Giftboxes. One with a Pizza 
and another one with a Sudden Guts Pill. A third box by the next rope holds 
a PSI Caramel. Climb up the rope to the next level. 

This is just a zoo of enemies. There are Mad Ducks, Gruff Goats and Slimy 
Little Piles on display. A chest by the resting bench holds a Wet Towel. 
Climb up the rope to the next level. You will find Dungeon Man's face on 
the wall. Talk to him. "Welcome!" He says, refilling your health, "Long 
time, no see. Mr. Jeff, we met in Winters a long time ago. I'm Brick Road. 
Dr. Andonuts finally made me Dungeon Man." Your dad must be mad, Jeff. 
"If you want I will come with you guys for a while. The 'Return Hole' is 
over there. Jump in that hole and then walk out." Drop down the first hole 
you see. Then drop down the next one. You will come to an IQ Capsule before 
the final hole. Give the capsule to Paula. Drop down the hole to get back 
to the lobby. Leave now.

Dungeon Man will follow you around. He packs a punch in battles. Go to 
the far south. Dungeon Man gets stuck between the palm trees. "Oh no! I 
am getting caught in the palm trees. I cannot move. Well, if I cannot move, 
it is okay. Ness, it makes me sad, but I must say goodbye here, at my eternal 
resting place. This is where you part ways. Go south to the shore, and 
talk to the native there. He says that Deep Darkness is beyond this shore. 
To get there, you must use a submarine, or you will sucked down to the 
bottom if you swim! But where can you find the sub?

Talk to the Dungeon Man. He says he has one in his old vehicle collection. 
Reenter him and go to the room with Brick Road's face. Get past the return 
hole and jump into the next one. It's the Goodbye Exit! Goodbye! On your 
way to the collection, you will run into a Talisman Ribbon. Take it and 
let Paula equip it. Her Defense will increase by 10 over the Lucky Coin. 
Go and check the sub. Jeff can fix it. You will all travel in the submarine 
on to the dark swamp known as Deep Darkness! (Sing Yellow Submarine by 
the Beatles if you like, since this sub is yellow!)

--------------------------------------------------
b. Dark and Scary, and Water that is Way too Deep
--------------------------------------------------
The submarine trip is uneventful, but Jeff decides to keep the submarine 
close to the surface, since the periscope is seen at all times. I don't 
get the native's word. How can you be sucked in if it's just a stretch 
of water that separates you from the opposite shore? Anyway, time to land.

---------------
Deep Darkness
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J): 55,55,55
With my new strategy, the levels of the 3 characters are even at this point. 
Let's try to keep it that way from now on. This means that Ness and Paula 
will have to take turns going unconscious when they start to widen their 
leads with Jeff. The music here sounds like that of 60s monster movies. 
This is not so bad, actually. Deep Darkness looks like the equivalent of 
Darkest Africa. Just watch out for enemies like snakes and even stronger 
crocodiles. The depth of water varies. If you wade in the deeper (darker) 
regions, health will slowly be drained from the characters inside. So move 
to shallower regions as quickly as possible if you are forced to enter 
such places. Of course, if you want to deliberately let Ness or Paula go 
unconscious, stay in the deep water until they both drown.

The bird on his perch can be used as a telephone to save. Do so now. There 
is a large deep area, don't be discouraged, keep going to the right. There 
will be a friendly contraband dealer here. Let's see what he's got!

*****DEEP DARKNESS CONTRABAND*****
Combat Yo-yo ($1148, For All, Weapon Downgrade)
Super Bomb ($399)
Multi Bottle Rocket ($2139, For Jeff, Most Powerful Rocket of All!)
Rust Promoter DX ($289, Damages Metallic Enemies)

The only thing worth getting is the Multi Bottle Rocket. Have 2 handy. 
There is a tough boss ahead. Go up to the hill, and you may find Moles 
Playing Rough. I guess they finally learnt the meaning of fear! There is 
a businessman in glasses. He has traveled from one of the world's strongest 
economic powers to serve this small rural village. Excellent! He acts as 
both the vendor and healer. Let's see what this guy has.

*****DEEP DARKNESS BUSINESSMAN*****
Diamond Band ($5198, Already Equipped by Everyone)
Charm Coin ($3000, Downgrade for All)
Secret Herb ($380, Heals a Wide Range of Status Ailments)
Beef Jerky ($70), Cup of Noodles ($98), Protein Drink ($38)
Bottle of DX Water ($198, Cures a Considerable Amount of PP)

If you like, buy some water. It's good for Paula. Go to the right and talk 
to the monkey. He knows that certain monkeys in Dusty Dunes Desert can 
teleport. He asks you to teach him. He tries to teleport in a tight squeeze. 
In fact, he runs into something and is burnt on the first try. He tries 
again and succeeds! You get the Monkey's Love. This item summons monkeys 
to help you in battle. The monkey may pin down the enemy, solidifying him.

Now, get back to the water and go south. Watch out for the deep water. 
You will then reach the dark parts of Deep Darkness. Use the Hawk Eye and 
everything can be visible again! The Giftbox there has a Banana inside. 
Walk past the next stretch of deep water and you will find a scuba diver. 
He is acting like an ATM, but will charge you a 100% handling fee for any 
withdrawal! So don't bother withdrawing anything!

You will come to dry land again. This is where the enemies start to appear. 
You get to fight Hard Crocodiles (Upgrades of Strong Crocodiles), Zap Eels, 
Big Piles of Puke and Demonic Petunias. Zap Eels are electric eels. They 
give electric shocks, which deliver 2 bolts. The Franklin Badge comes in 
handy here! Big Piles of Puke are upgrades of Master Belch. You know what 
to expect, nausea! Demonic Petunias are very large red flowers that roam 
the place. They seem to be resistant to Freeze, so have Paula try Fire 
instead. Watch out for their extinguishing blasts. They are like Fire Beta. 
Also watch for Hostile Elder Oaks. These guys still self-destruct! 

Continue north through the deep waters. Go northwest and you will find 
a Giftbox. Inside is a Beef Jerky. Go west for a strip of dry land a bird 
and another Giftbox. This is when the photographic genius takes the picture 
of you 3. There is an IQ Capsule in the box. Have Paula drink it. Now, 
go all the way south. You now come to the helicopter wreck on the next 
piece of dry land. It's the one stolen from Fourside! Jeff finds that this 
helicopter has NO engine. A Giftbox lies to the north. It contains another 
Cup of Lifenoodles. I have 3 already at this point, no one came unconscious 
for a long time! Continue deeper into the swamp.

This is one long stretch of deep water! There will be a Souvenir Coin at 
the left corner of the next piece of dry land. This increases either Ness 
or Jeff's defense by 30 over the Lucky Coin. Considering that Ness has 
over 100 more HP than Jeff, let Jeff take it. At this point, you will find 
even meaner enemies. They are the Manly Fish, the Manly Fish's Brother, 
Even Slimier Little Piles and Pit Bull Slugs.

Manly Fish are resistant to Fire, and attack with spears. Even Slimier 
Little Piles are upgrades of Slimy Little Piles. At the junction to the 
north, first continue to the north. Pit Bull Slugs are upgrades of the 
Attack Slugs, and they attack in groups. A little Fire Beta and Bazooka 
fire should get rid of them all. There is another Giftbox in a corner to 
the far north. Inside is a Rock Candy. Have Jeff eat it. Now, get back 
to the junction and go right. This is a really long path with deep water, 
so HP will be draining from you 3 for a while. 

Hey, there is a red pile of puke blocking the way. He looks rather familiar. 
"You may have forgotten but, burp! I'm the return of Belch. I've fought 
you before. Peeyou! Don't you remember my ripe odor? Belch has trained 
more and has returned much stronger. Burp! Belch has also changed his name 
to Puke! Bark! Vomit! Barf, barf, chuck, chuck! Drown to death in puke! 
Don't you think that's an insanely masculine taunt to throw at you?" Well, 
not really, it makes you sound stupid! Let's fight!

Boss Battle! Master Barf (31264 EXP)
This is really an easy battle given the level you are on. It is possible 
to win without the enemy being able to retaliate! Ness should bash, Paula 
should use Freeze Omega, while Jeff fires a Multi Bottle Rocket. The rocket 
should deal over 1500, and possibly over 1800 HP damage. This leaves Master 
Barf critically injured. All of a sudden, Poo will swoop down from the 
sky. He uses his new power, Starstorm! With this Starstorm Alpha, Poo sends 
a little meteor shower onto Barf, and cutting him into several pieces. 
That's all for Master Barf! Bye-bye now! It seems that Starstorm Alpha 
is able to deal about 350 HP damage, so it's still peanuts compared with 
Jeff's Multi Bottle Rocket! Poo is back for more!

Master Barf will drop a Casey Bat. It is the most powerful bat for Ness, 
but it is also deadly inaccurate. 3 out of 4 swings will miss! Don't use 
it at all! Go north and west for dry land. There is a cave. Enter. It is 
a village of some primitive tribe called the Tendas.

---------------
Tenda Village
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 56,57,57,53
The Tendas are really a shy people. Basically everyone is afraid to talk 
to you! However, there is one corner with a phone, TV and trash can. The 
trash can holds a Death Ray. This increases Jeff's Offense by 18 over the 
Crusher Beam. At level 57, Paula will learn Thunder Gamma.

There is a rock blocking some place below, but the Tenda strong enough 
to lift it up is too shy to listen. You will need to find a book that teaches 
people how to overcome shyness! Phone Dad to save, and Escargo Express 
to deposit some useless items. Leave this village for now. Outside the 
village, you will receive a call from Apple Kid.

"Hello, it's been a while since we talk. This is Apple Kid. We're having 
beautiful weather here. I'm now at Dr. Andonuts lab here in Winters. The 
doctor doesn't seem to be around right now, but I am just working on my 
Eraser Eraser Machine." Suddenly, he screams over the phone. "Hey! Oh no! 
What are you doing to me? Who are you?" The line is dead at this point. 
Something nasty is going on in the Andonuts Lab! Orange Kid will also call 
you, but ignore that call, the important thing is that he tells you that 
Apple Kid has the book Overcoming Shyness. This means you will have to 
save Apple Kid to get the book. Let's teleport back to Winters!

---------------
Winters
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 56,57,57,53
Maxwell is outside the school gates. He tells you that Tony is missing! 
This makes 3 people missing, Dr. Andonuts, Apple Kid and Tony. Go south 
to the waterfront. There areenw enemies. They include the Wooly Shambler, 
Whirling Robo. Wooly Shamblers are more alien enemies that fire beams. 
They are vulnerable to Freeze attacks. Whirling Robos are upgrades of 
Spinning Robos. The latter are particularly tough against physical attacks. 
There are also Lesser Mooks, whom you may have met before. These 3 enemies 
are tough, but not rewarding in terms of EXP. You can rest in the tent 
on the way. 

At the sea shore, talk to Bubble Monkey and he will summon Tessie for you. 
Ride this sea monster to the other shore. March over to the Brick Road, 
but use the Pencil Eraser on the pencil statue so that it will disappear. 
This allows you to skip this annoying maze. Go through the next cave and 
on to Andonut's lab. The Pencil Eraser is useless now, have Escargo Express 
store it up. Note that Escargo Express has limited storage space, so you 
may have to have excess items delivered so you can throw them away. At 
level 61, Ness will learn Flash Gamma.

Enter Andonut's Lab. Talk to the mouse. He tells you that Apple Kid has 
finished the Eraser Eraser machine. He gives it to you. Take it and go 
to Stonehenge. See the hole in the middle? Enter and climb down the ladder. 
Go through the door. There is an iron eraser statue blocking the path. 
Use the Eraser Eraser machine to wipe it away and go through. This is where 
you find enemies. We have Mook Seniors. These PSI specialists are back 
in a stronger version, and are still vulnerable to Fire. You may be able 
to beat these before they can have their go. They still use Freeze attacks. 
This time, it's the Beta version! (No pun intended) Also watch for their 
eerie eyes, they can diamondize you! If you have the corresponding Pendants 
equipped, you can just fight them without any fear since their attacks 
will be very weak against those protected.

Go along the purple path and through the next door. You may also find Starmen 
here. These guys approach you through teleporting. When you see one 
disappear, he is likely to appear in the middle of your group. So have 
Ness turn around facing the people behind. As the Starman appears, he would 
have his back turned against you, and you can get a Green Swirl. But they 
are so pathetic that they lose instantly this way! If they do attack, they 
usually fire beams at you. Bash away in this case. There are 2 paths for 
you to take. I assume you take the left path in this guide.

Go through the door. You will come to a Giftbox. Inside is a Spicy Jerky. 
There is another junction here. Take the upper path for the previous area. 
The lower path is where you have to go next. Go through the next door you 
see. We come to another junction. You may find Atomic Powered Robots nearby. 
These guys fire beams, and can occasionally replenish fuel supplies to 
completely max out their HP. This is a prime target for Poo to mirror, 
since it may mean PP free healing. When destroyed, they explode violently, 
damaging 3 of you. The right path leads to a Giftbox. It contains a Guts 
Capsule. I think this will be good for Poo, since he's lacking in this 
department.

It seems that at this point, the Starmen sort of are afraid of you. They 
tend to teleport away from you! Use this to your advantage to have more 
free EXP. Go south now. There are even more Starmen in the way. Sometimes, 
2 of them will confront you at once. In this case, Green Swirls are vital 
in delaying them. At level 55, Poo will realize Thunder Omega. This will 
allow 4 consecutive thunderbolts to hit the enemy. At the next junction, 
take the northern path for a Cup of Lifenoodles. Then take the right path.

You are now inside the base itself. We will now confront Starman Supers. 
These are even tougher than before. They can call for help from other 
Starmen. They have a psychic power shield in place, so any PSI attacks 
will be bounced back at you. Thunder will still work, but it will bounce 
back at you! At level 60, Paula will learn Shield Omega. It seems that 
these enemies are still pathetic. A Green Swirl will defeat one 
automatically. There is a reason to stick around fighting Starman Supers. 
1 out of 128 Starman Supers will drop the Sword of Kings. This is Poo's 
only weapon. This is also your only chance to get it. So, stay on this 
level and fight Starman Supers until you get the sword. There is a Broken 
Harmonica in a Giftbox to the far right. Let Jeff have it. (If you can't 
get it no matter how many times you try, you can always give up.)

At level 67, Ness will learn Flash Omega, this is the ultimate Flash move. 
It has a high chance of defeating all enemies against you. Meanwhile, at 
level 64, Paula will realize Fire Omega. It took me a long time to get 
the Sword of Kings. I lost count of how many Starman Supers I took down. 
This Sword increases Poo's Offense by 30. By the time I found it, my group 
is insanely powerful. The levels of Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo are 68, 64, 
63 and 60 respectively. This can surely roll over any enemies that dare 
to come and challenge me! Climb down the ladder.

Go to the right. There is a Giftbox with a PSI Caramel inside. How convenient. 
Use it to fill up Ness or Poo's PP gauge, as they are the healers. Go right 
and climb down one level further. Go right again and go through the door. 
This is a room with 2 Exit Mice. Talk to the father mouse to get one. Then 
go through the door to the right. You are now in some weird passage that 
lights up and goes out every now and then. Go right, then west. You will 
come to a Giftbox. Inside is a Broken Trumpet. Another broken item. Let 
Jeff have it so he can fix it in the future. Go back to the first junction 
and head north for another path.

There are two more items for you to nab. The first Giftbox you see contains 
a Pixie's Bracelet. Let Ness have it. It increases his Defense by 10 over 
the Diamond Band. The Giftbox to the right holds a Speed Capsule. Have 
Ness drink it. Head back to the parallel path and go right. There is another 
door there. Oh, by the way, it seems that there is a new enemy in this 
room that I have not mentioned. It's the Military Octobot. They give 6402 
EXP each, and use beams. Since your characters are so strong, beating them 
into scrap metal has not been easier.

What on earth! There are lots of people trapped in stasis tubes. Only that 
they are still fairly conscious! Tony, a member of the Tessie Watching 
Club, a Mr. Saturn, Dr. Andonuts, a dark-skinned bearded guy, the Apple 
Kid and a New Age Retro Hippie are trapped inside them. Let's see what 
these guys have to say. Tony is crying out for Jeff. The Mr. Saturn can 
breathe inside the liquid. The bearded guy can't breathe. Apple Kid hints 
of something in the next room. The New Age Retro Hippie mutters that he 
can't last much longer. But what is in the next room?

There is only one way to find out. You see the power core of this hidden 
base, and a Starman is standing in front of it. Talk to him. "You are much 
stronger than *whirr* our intelligence indicated. We are not *beep* 
prepared for that eventuality. The prophecy from the *click* Apple of 
Enlightenment may be true, but you must not *whirr* underestimate us." 
This guy definitely has natural intelligence but with those mechanic sounds, 
I guess he's a lot like Darth Vader! It's time to fight!

Boss Battle! Starman Deluxe (40131 EXP)
For the first turn, have Paula use Shield Omega. If you are faster than 
Starman Deluxe, every one of you four will be protected by a psychic power 
shield before the Starman Deluxe can fight. There is a reason why you have 
to put up this shield. This is because Starman Deluxe most likely will 
attack with Starstorm Alpha in his first go. This deals 300+ damage to 
each of you, severely injuring you all. If the shield is up, the Starstorm 
will bounce back at Starman Deluxe up to 4 times as he hits you one by 
one. These 4 reflected hits can defeat Starman Deluxe instantly. If he 
does not use Starstorm Alpha, it does not mean there is no quick way out. 
Starman Deluxe has no Power Shield, so physical attacks will hurt him. 
Have Jeff fire a Multi Bottle Rocket if he does not use Starstorm Alpha. 
This will heavily dent Starman Deluxe at this point.

When Ness reaches level 70, he will learn Lifeup Omega. This Ness exclusive 
move helps EVERYONE in the group recover around 400 HP. This will save 
a lot of PP in the long run. When you defeated the Starman Deluxe, the 
Stonehenge Base stops functioning. Before leaving, let's talk to the people 
freed in the previous room. Talk to the Mr. Saturn and he will give you 
a Saturn Ribbon. Have Paula wear it. This increases Paula's Defense by 
30 over the Talisman Ribbon. Talk to Apple Kid and he will tell you that 
he thinks there is a 7% chance of you rescuing him. In regards to the book 
Overcoming Shyness, he has returned it to the Onett library.

With that knowledge, use the Exit Mouse to get out, and then teleport back 
to Onett. Search the bookshelves of the library until you find the Shyness 
Book. Then you can warp to Deep Darkness and find the Tenda Tribe. (Note: 
If Jeff's IQ reaches 60, he can fix the Broken Trumpet. It will be converted 
into the Defense Shower. It's like the Defense Spray, but it has unlimited 
uses! Take note of this.)

---------------
Tenda Village
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 65,65,64,62
Give the Shyness Book to the Tenda Chief. He is the one with the horns 
by the table. It seems that holding the book already helps the chief 
overcome his shyness! What a fast learning. It will take some time for 
the others to understand the concepts though. The Chief gives you some 
Tendakraut in return. At this point, you get photographed. Meanwhile, the 
Chief asks you this. "George W. Bush, George W. Bush, are you sure that 
this is the correct player's name? If it's not right, you can change it." 
I won't change the name again. Just click OK to confirm the name.

Go north and speak to the Tenda there. He will let you rest for free! Jeff 
should be able to fix the Broken Harmonica to create the Baddest Beam. 
This increases his Offense by 8 over the Death Ray. Chuck the Death Ray 
away. Go to the northwestern corner of the village. The Tenda there is 
running an item shop. But he uses a barter system! You need to trade using 
Horns of Life. To get Horns of Life, you will have to buy them off the 
Mr. Saturns in Saturn Valley. If you have followed the instructions given 
by the guide, you should have bought one and have it stored in the Escargo 
Express' storage lockers. Have it delivered and trade. Here are the items 
offered: Plain Roll, Plain Yogurt, Plain Roll, Spicy Jerky, Bag of 
Dragonite, Talisman Coin, Hall of Fame Bat. It seems that you don't get 
to choose what you want. The higher the item up the list, the earlier it 
will be offered for trade. This means that to get the Hall of Fame Bat, 
you need 7 Horns of Life! Not worth it indeed. Don't bother.

Go south and talk to the Tenda standing by the rock. He will show you his 
strength. He throws it away, revealing a rope that leads down. Climb down 
there for the Your 7th Sanctuary Location. There is a Talking Rock below. 
He tells you the rocks here don't talk much. The ones that provide the 
most important information are found in somewhere known as the Lost 
Underworld. Go through the door now.

This place is infested with Fobbys. They are upgrades to Foppys, but they 
are still pathetic. Up to 6 will attack at once. However, they will line 
up in a row, allowing Paula to take them all out with a Fire Gamma. Follow 
the path to the left, ignoring the ladder for now. You may run into a swarm 
of Fobbies around the corner. It will be a nice massacre. There is a hole 
to the left. Drop down. The Giftbox in this room has a Super Bomb inside. 
In this room, you will meet Uncontrollable Spheres and Conducting Spirits. 
They are upgrades of enemies you have seen in the past. The former still 
self-destructs while the latter now can use mean moves like Flash Beta, 
which may take some of you out in one blast. If two of them attack at once, 
priority should be given to taking out the latter. You may want to stick 
around battling Uncontrollable Spheres. 1 Sphere in 128 will drop a Broken 
Antenna. Sure, it's junk, but there must be a reason for it to be rare. 
You can skip this if you like. At level 75, Ness will learn Rockin Omega.

Go to the right and climb up the ladder. You are back on the main path 
again. More Fobbys for you to take apart. How fun! Go left beyond the hole 
and climb down the ladder. There is another ladder at the end of this passage. 
Open the Giftbox on the way for an IQ Capsule. This is perfect for Paula. 
Climb up the ladder at the other end. It's a dead end with a Giftbox. There 
is a Diadem of Kings, this is for Poo. It increases his Defense by 20.

Tip! Operation Catch Up
As you can see, the Conducting Spirits can use Flash Beta, there is always 
a chance that they can wipe you out in a single blast. Since Jeff has a 
Night Pendant, he cannot be affected, so you may want to let Conducting 
Spirits knock out Ness and Paula, leaving Jeff and Poo. Then, get back 
up to the top level and fight those Fobby cannon fodder. Since there are 
fewer people beating them, the total EXP gain will be shared only between 
2 people, allowing Jeff and Poo to each get massive EXP, thus catching 
up to Ness quickly. Save often, though. The 2 characters should be able 
to self-sustain. Poo can use Magnet Omega to drain PP from up to 6 Fobbys 
at once while Jeff can regain over 150 HP using the Hungry HP Sucker. While 
you are doing this nasty stuff, stay near the entrance area.

Tip! Operation Catch Up Version 2
On the other hand, under the new strategy, Ness, Paula and Jeff should 
be at the 60s level wise at this point. If you want a balanced level at 
this point, try to raise Paula until she is 2 levels ahead of Ness, then 
let her go unconscious, then raise Poo until he is another 1 level ahead 
of Paula, then, it's more likely for the levels to stay balanced in the 
long run, I mean it. 

Since Ness is at Level 65 when I started this, I will try leveling Paula 
to level 67 before I let her go unconscious as well. Poo will be leveled 
up to level 68 before reviving Ness and Paula. Head north at the junction. 
You will come to another ladder heading down and a Giftbox with a Luck 
Capsule inside. Have Poo drink it. If you have guts, you can always climb 
down the ladder without reviving the two. There are Hyper Spinning Robos 
here. You know what to expect from these upgrades. Walk along the path, 
and you will come to an alcove. There is a Rock Candy in the box. Feed 
it to Jeff and have a random stat up.

Go to the left for a ladder in the middle of the path. Climb up. It's another 
area with Fobbies. Consider this to be Jeff and Poo's pit stop. Let the 
HP and PP sucking begin. The Giftbox in this small room contains a Cup 
of Lifenoodles. There is a hole for you to drop down. It leads to the 
previous level you were on, only to the far northwest. The first Giftbox 
you will find holds a Luxury Jerky. Climb up the ladder to the right.

You are back in Fobby heaven. The Sanctuary Boss, marked by the light is 
to the left. To fight him, Ness MUST be conscious. So, you will have to 
revive Ness and Paula beforehand. Before doing so, go left for another 
Giftbox. There is a Rabbit's Foot inside. This increases your speed in 
a big way while protecting you from Paralysis Attacks. The big problem 
is that you will have to compromise Defense to do so. You may want to 
backtrack through the other ladder to get a Bottle of DX Water. When you 
are ready, revive Ness and Paula and talk to the light. Fight!

Boss Battle! Electro Scepter (65410 EXP)
This thing looks like some weird metallic bolts. You heard it. It's Electro 
Scepter. He specializes in electric style attacks. This is where Ness' 
Franklin Badge comes in handy. Take note that Poo and Paula are faster 
than Ness and Jeff. So, for the first go, have Poo and Paula use Thunder 
Omega and Thunder Gamma. One of the 7 bolts must hit the Electro Scepter 
and neutralize his shield. The character will take some damage but you 
should have no more worries after that. If you have the Neutralizer, use 
it at the first go instead. Jeff's Multi Bottle Rocket should deal over 
2000 HP damage to the Electro Scepter. For the second go, it's weapons 
free. Ness bashes, Jeff uses the Bazooka, Paula uses Freeze Omega and Poo 
uses Starstorm Alpha. All of this should take it down. I must say I don't 
know what this enemy may use, since all he has is just ONE go, and all 
he did was trying to use the Hungry HP Sucker. (Other attacks including 
the use of the Shield Killer)

With the threat down, go through the gap and to the hole. Drop down to 
find Lumine Hall. This is Your 7th Sanctuary Location. This place looks 
like a disco cave. Keep walking until you are stopped. Ness' thoughts will 
slide slowly along the wall. It's a marquee display. "I'm Ness... It's been 
a long road getting here... Soon, I'll be... Soon, I'll be... Soon, I'll be... 
Soon, I'll be... What will happen to us? W...what's happening? My thoughts 
are being written out on the wall... or are they?" Hee hee, you find out 
what's going on eh, Ness?

This is the seventh melody. GBAGF# is the melody. Your Sound Stone records 
the melody of Lumine Hall, and you can leave by going left. You see a vision 
of your father holding you.

--------------------------------------
c. What on earth, is that a Dinosaur?
--------------------------------------
As you fall, you hear the sound of people going unconscious. You find your 
group as small as ants on the TV screen. The music sounds like that of 
a Jurassic world. It seems you are in the Lost Underworld, where dinosaurs 
still roam! Arrgh! Oh, just kidding.

---------------
Lost Underworld
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 67,69,71,68
I always thought Ness and company are descending to hell here. In fact, 
it is just a reference to the Lost World: Jurassic Park! Let's walk around. 
There will be periodic quakes here. When that happens, some hot springs 
will erupt. Blue ones recover HP while pink ones recover status ailments. 
Or, for enemies, we have Wetnosaurs and Chompasaurs. The latter are tougher 
and have a Power Shield up, use the Neutralizer. The former can stomp you, 
while the latter bites. Ouch! At the same time, 1 in 128 Chompasaurs hold 
a Magic Fry Pan, Paula's ultimate weapon.

Go northwest and you will find a Giftbox near the mountain range. It 
contains a Brain Food Lunch. Go right for a "Safe Area" that houses a 
parakeet that allows you to call Dad to save.

Go northeast. Check the area to the right first. There is a Giftbox with 
a Horn of Life by the southeast and one with a Sea Pendant to the northeast. 
Let's have Jeff equip it. His defense will be increased by 5 over the Night 
Pendant. This Pendant protects Ness from Fire, Flash and Freeze attacks. 
Go west now. You should find a Guts Capsule by the ridge to the north. 
It holds a Guts Capsule. Further to the west is an enclosed area. As you 
walk by the door, the Tenda boss will smell your Tendakraut, take it from 
you and let you in. This small community features a phone parakeet, a money 
lender (Like an ATM, charges a 100% handling fee.)

It seems that to rest, you need to pay $400 here. One of the Tendas will 
play a game called Store. Except this is real! New items are offered.

*****LOST UNDERWORLD STORE*****
Ultimate Bat ($2298, For Ness, Offense +14)
Holy Fry Pan ($3480, For Paula, Offense +20)
Shiny Coin ($4000, For Ness, Defense +20, Increases Luck)
Horn of Life ($1780, Heals many Status Ailments)
Mammoth Burger ($98), Luxury Jerky ($210), Bottle of DX Water ($198)

The weapons and the Shiny Coin are to be bought. Talk to the Talking Rock. 
This one does provide vital information regarding future plans.

"You finally came, Ness. Finally, you talk to me. Listen carefully, Ness. 
I'm going to tell you something very important. You may want to take notes, 
ready? You're the chosen one. Your destiny is not only yours. It's the 
destiny of the whole universe. There will be a time in which all of you 
in the universe will overlap each other. It's not necessary to understand 
now. Do you remember 'Giant Step' in Onett? That is one of 'Your Sanctuary'. 
It is a spot which gives you power and allows you to realize all your skills. 
There is a monster which protected it. The monster was influenced by the 
power of that place. You must have beaten those monsters. You must reach 
all of the eight power spots in the world. When the Sound Stone records 
the melodies of all eight power spots, you can finally see 'Your World'."

"I'll tell you all of the power spots. 1. Giant Step in Onett. 2. Lilliput 
Steps in Peaceful Rest Valley near Twoson. 3. Milky Well in Grapefruit 
Falls in Saturn Valley. 4. Rainy Circle found by Jeff in Winters. 5. Magnet 
Hill at the edge of the city by Fourside. 6. Pink Cloud which Poo knows. 
7. and... Lumine Hole where the shiny lichen lives in the cave. 8. A new 
place is now going to be opened up to you. Fire Spring, located southwest 
of here. Listen to the melodies of all 8 power spots. If you do not fail, 
you may upset Giygas' plans. Understand Ness? The time will come. The time 
when the destiny of you and the whole of the universe will overlap. It 
is fast approaching." Hear that? Go southwest.

The next cave you find is not the right one. Keep going south. You will 
run into a Giftbox along the way. It holds a Cloak of Kings. It increases 
Poo's defense by 20 again. There is another safe area, and to the west 
is the entrance to the Fire Springs.

Fire Springs is a volcanic cave. There are Soul Consuming Flames around. 
These are just live lava. They deserve a cool down with Freeze. They may 
drop Meteotite. These are to be sold for a high price. There are also Psychic 
Psychos and Major Psyshic Psychos. Take these guys down fast. Their PSI 
powers are deadly. They are resistant to both Fire and Freeze. The latter 
has a 1 in 128 chance of dropping a Star Pendant. Another enemy is the 
Evil Elemental. They are weak enough to be taken out by bashing. Just don't 
be possessed by a mini-ghost. If you are possessed, you have to let a Psychic 
Psycho use Fire on you. Then the Mini-Ghost will certainly fade away.

Enter the first room you see. There is a Giftbox guarded by some Psychic 
Psychos. The Major ones are included. The Giftbox has a Speed Capsule inside. 
Have Ness drink it. Climb up the first rope you see.

You will reach another opening in the wall. This is actually some short 
connecting hallway to the right. Climb down the rope for another Giftbox. 
Inside is a Bag of Dragonite. Head back down to the main path and go right. 
It seems that path is blocked by the lava, so you will have to divert through 
the small hallway to the north. You will come to a rope. Before climbing 
up, go to the right. There is a Cherub's Band inside. Equip it on Paula. 
It will increase her Defense by 20 over the Diamond Band.

Climb up the rope now. You come to a junction. There are 2 hallways and 
a rope to climb up. Climb up the rope first. There is a Horn of Life in 
the room above. Now, get down and enter the room to the left. There is 
a Magic Butterfly here. Use it to replenish your PP. Finally, go through 
the right hallway. More ropes for you to climb up. Another hallway is 
waiting for you at the top. Go through the first opening you see. You can 
then use ropes to climb to another Gift Box. Inside is a Moon Beam Gun. 
It increases Jeff's Offense by 12 over the Baddest Beam.

Get back to the main path and go left. Go through the door. Climb up the 
ropes and you will meet the boss of the Fire Springs. It's the Carbon Dog.

Boss Battle! Carbon Dog --> Diamond Dog (84435 EXP)
When I fought the Carbon Dog, Ness' Level is 71, Paula's is 72, Jeff's 
Level is 74 and Poo's level is 71. As a result, every one struck the Carbon 
Dog first. For the first go, Ness should bash, Paula and Poo should use 
Freeze Omega and Starstorm Alpha while Jeff fires his Heavy Bazooka. If 
all hits connect, you should be able to deal around 1000 HP damage to the 
Carbon Dog. The Carbon Dog may just bite you, or he will spray fire, wounding 
you hard. At the second go, I suggest you let Ness use Rockin Gamma while 
Jeff uses the Neutralizer. 

Why is that? When Carbon Dog takes a little more than 1600 HP of damage, 
he will give out a rainbow of colors. He becomes a Diamond Dog, and a Power 
Shield will be erected. Diamond Dog has a total of around 3300 HP. The 
Neutralizer serves to remove the shield instantly. After the Shield is 
gone, it's weapons free! Have Jeff fire a Multi Bottle Rocket. I assume 
you have one. This deals another 2000 HP of damage! I don't care what you 
use at the next turn, but the 2000 HP of damage with the damage done by 
Freeze and Starstorm during the transition from Carbon Dog to Diamond Dog 
will allow Diamond Dog to be defeated in another round.

This concludes the battle for Your 8th Sanctuary Location. Go through the 
door. Walk over to the small volcano to record the melody of the Fire Spring. 
Before doing so, make sure Ness is carrying a Viper AND a Franklin Badge, 
if possible. There is only one tune, G. You have the feeling that you are 
being watched by yourself as a baby. How strange.

-----------------------------------
d. Ness' Journey of Self Discovery
-----------------------------------
Then, the 8 melodies of the Sanctuaries will be fused together to form 
a complete melody. It's like this: DGABBD'AABG (pause) GBAGBD'C'#C'#D'D' 
(pause) BGBAD'E'BAGEGBAGF#G. Play it on the piano if you wish! But the 
melody in the game sounds funky. The world goes a little black and white 
at this point. Have we gone back to the 50s? We have Ness walking along 
a path to a house. The Sound Stone melody is played gently, sounding like 
a music box. The scene changes to the interior of Ness' House.

It seems that the dog King is still a puppy. The scene moves to the upstairs 
hallway. Inside Ness' room, you see a cradle, it's Baby Ness. We hear the 
parents talking. "Ness, hmmm... I think Ness is the right name for him." 
Says Mom. "Ness, he smiled just from hearing his own name. Do you think 
he likes his name?" Asks Dad. "Try putting that red cap onto him. Ha ha 
ha! It's too big, but it looks good on him." "I hope King won't be jealous 
of the baby." "Let's celebrate with some Steak. This baby will grow up 
to be a hard worker, just like you." Dad then says, "I don't think he needs 
to be rich or famous, but I want him to be a thoughtful, strong boy." "That's 
odd, the baby bottle that he pointed at seemed to move a little bit. Hmmm..." 
So, Ness is born with psychic powers. The music then changes to a funky 
one, and Ness dons his pajamas and appears in a weird world. It's Magicant, 
the world of Ness' mind.

---------------
Magicant
---------------
Ness' Level: 72
Since Ness' mind is only accessible to Ness, any other characters will 
NOT be available for use right now. You can talk to people everywhere, 
and it seems that doing so will change the color of this place. Go south 
and enter the buildings. The right one is a shop which specializes in 
Puddings and Pendants. Magic Puddings are $680 each, and Earth Pendants 
are $4000 each. The former helps Ness recover 40 PP, while the latter 
increases Ness' Defense by 1 over the Flame Pendant. It also protects 
against Fire, Flash and Freeze attacks. You better buy one more for Paula. 
Since Jeff already has the Sea Pendant, he won't need it.

DO NOT allow Tracy to store the extra Earth Pendant for you. It cannot 
be recovered once you regain consciousness. It seems the building to the 
left of the shop is the ATM and Phone Booth. Continue to the left, past 
the Urban Zombie, Master Belch to reach the next area. Don't worry, there 
are no enemies yet. There are lots of kids here. There is a hotel too. 
The Giftbox to the left holds a PSI Caramel. Pokey will be sitting on a 
couch to the north. He complains that he has no luck, and wants to be friends 
with you forever! Continue north along the path until you reach a house. 
There is a grave outside. It's that of Buzz Buzz. Inside the house, there 
are some bird like creatures called Flying Men. Talking to one will make 
him join you. Note that these guys can be killed.

With the Flying Man, go right to the next region. It's the Sea of Eden. 
The music here is different, and there are many enemies. Loaded Dice are 
definitely the meanest. They ALWAYS call for help, and enemies fought in 
the past will come and attack you. They are represented by moving Giftboxes, 
when you approach Giftboxes, move slowly and see if they move too. If they 
don't move at all, then you can go and pick up the item, also Giftboxes 
never appear in the middle of the path.

At the first junction, go east. You will find yourself by a Giftbox. If 
you talk to yourself, he will give you his Baseball Cap. It's useless. 
Just get the Bag of Dragonite in the Gift and head back. Go north. From 
now on, I suggest you try to avoid all contact with enemies. If you see 
enemies up ahead, move until they are out of the screen and move back until 
they are gone.

At the next junction, there is a Goddess Band to the north. It increases 
Ness' Defense by 20 over the Pixie's Bracelet. Go back south and head east. 
Continue to use all those bends and pillars as cover from the enemies as 
you slip past them all. Relatively more harmless enemies are Electric 
Swooshes represented by a pair of eyes. They only attack with Thunder type 
attacks which can be deflected by the Franklin Badge. Another one is the 
Mr. Molecule, represented by a question mark. They cannot use PSI for the 
first few rounds, enabling you to take them out before they become a real 
threat. You will come to a real Giftbox. There is a Magicant Bat inside. 
This increases Ness' Offense by 12 over the Ultimate Bat. Around the next 
corner, you will see a congregation of question marks. Take the Mr. 
Molecules down. Just be careful not to hurt your own brain, Ness!

After that, there is also the danger of the French Kiss of Death. These 
lips can poison Ness by giving the kiss of death. Continue to the right 
and open the Giftbox for a PP restoring Magic Tart. You may find Carefree 
Bombs now. These guys attack with bombs, and can cause major pain. The 
teleportation device is just attack. It's a curly thing. Check it.

Hey, you are neck deep in water. Is this the Sea of Eden, or is this your 
cerebrospinal fluid? Go right, and then north. After that, head west, 
hugging the wall to the south. Try your best to avoid the Krakens. You 
will see a small island with a statue. Sneak up to it and check it. He 
claims to be the evil part of your brain, and you can't beat him. You are 
the one who forced him into being, Ness. Now it's time to force him out 
of existence. Let's battle Ness' Nightmare!

Boss Battle! Ness' Nightmare (89004 EXP)
It's the evil part of Ness that you have to overcome. It is a lot like 
the Mani Mani Statue. This battle assumes that you have saved the Viper 
from earlier. So, at the first turn, throw the Viper out to poison Ness' 
Nightmare. At the first go, Ness' Nightmare will definitely use Shield 
Beta. He is protected, but he is guaranteed to lose HP every round due 
to the poison. After that, Ness' Nightmare will start to use all the PSI 
moves that Ness has learnt against you. 

Sometimes, he will emit a glorious light. Keep on bashing and taking damage 
from the Power Shield, that's what you can do. Don't bother using PSI. 
Save the PP for Lifeup Beta. This is because the enemy can also use this 
to heal himself, only that he will not use any Healing moves to take away 
the poison. When he starts to use Rockin Omega, you have a reason to be 
worried. Quickly heal before you are taken out! (To be precise, use Lifeup 
Gamma when your HP drops below 150. Remember the system of Rolling Hit 
Points in this game.) Another strategy is to hypnotize him time after time 
and let some HP be lost while he sleeps. After some bashes, Ness Nightmare 
would have stopped moving. You have conquered yourself!

You will be rewarded with a generous amount of EXP, about 89004! You will 
hear a familiar sound from the center of the Sea of Eden. "Giygas' goal 
is to destroy you. Listen carefully! Everything in the universe could be 
destroyed at the hands of Giygas. But he and his followers are also in 
trouble. The Apple of Enlightenment has foretold that Giygas' attempt will 
fail. It is because of the existence of a boy named Ness. That's me! Listen."

This really is a shocking revelation. You are talking to yourself inside 
your brain. "Free your mind and KNOW what you must do. Your destiny has 
already been decided. You, I, where should we go? You know deep within 
the reaches of your mind. Saturn Valley. Yes, go to the place where the 
Mr. Saturn live. You'll get something new there. Soon, Magicant will be 
no more. We must be quick!" It really IS your own voice, telling you to 
go to Saturn Valley at the double.

At this point, the 8 Your Sanctuary Locations are giving their power to 
you. Ness is filled with the Power of the Giant Step. Ness' Speed increased 
by 5! Ness' Vitality increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the 
Lilliput Steps! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness 
is filled with the Power of the Milky Well! Ness' Speed increased by 5! 
Ness' IQ increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Magnet Hill! 
Ness' Vitality increased by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness is filled 
with the Power of the Rainy Circle! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness' IQ 
increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Pink Cloud! Ness' 
Speed increased by 5! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness is filled with the 
Power of the Lumine Hole! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness' IQ increased 
by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Fire Spring! Ness' Speed increased 
by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5!

Wow, this is such an INSANE stat boost. But there is more! Instantly, your 
mind clears and you realized you have possessed great power! At that moment, 
your psychic powers rapidly expanded! Ness gains 200000 EXP! Ness' level 
is now 77! Offense went up by 1! Sweet! Maximum HP went up by 150! That 
rocks, maximum PP went up by 350! And finally, he had the power of Teleport 
Beta! You make all the hidden powers your own. You absorbed the power of 
the earth into his heart and Magicant is no more. You can wake up. Your 
friends are waiting for you! And my, they are in for a surprise since they 
will find their leader has gone a little too far up the river with those 
insane boosts. They will probably ask Ness if he has had too many steroids!

At this point, Ness alternates between different Your Sanctuaries, spins 
around while the scene changes until he wakes up, surrounded by his friends. 
The Sound Stone is now gone. Paula comes up. "What happened, Ness? You've 
been unconscious for a long time." Jeff says, "You kept saying something." 
Poo says, "Saturn Valley? What's waiting for us there? Anyway, we need 
to teleport."

---------------------
7. The Final Stretch
---------------------
You 4 arrive at Saturn Valley. Before doing anything, let's check Ness' 
stats, shall we? Ness has 750 HP, 550 PP! This makes up a HP to PP ratio 
of 1.37 to 1! Now, his Vitality is 53 while his IQ is 58. This means that 
his PP is catching up. Let's go and see what's in store for you.

Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 77,73,74,72
It seems that Jeff's Dad, Apple Kid and Geraldo Montague have constructed 
some device shaped like a Mr. Saturn. Talk to Dr. Andonuts. "Yahah! The 
Mr. Saturns are incredible folk. And the Apple Kid, he is a most exceptional 
young man, very different from other kids." I smell envy in Jeff's eyes! 
"Anyway, the prototype Phase Distorter has been stolen. Someone resembling 
a pig wearing clothes took Mr. Saturn captive and stole the device!"

Talk to Apple Kid. "Excellent, excellent! Everything proceeded as planned. 
Dr. Andonuts, Mr. Saturn and I worked together and finally completed the 
Phase Distorter. The purpose of this device is to enable instantaneous 
travel through time and space. In this prototype, you can only travel to 
different points within the same time period. It is able, however, to search 
out the locations of enemies. Right now, it is indicating the presence 
of enemies in the Lost Underworld!"

Board the Phase Distorter. But it breaks down, and you come out smoked. 
"Hmm... it doesn't work. Something seems to be missing. But that one material 
cannot normally be found on the earth. The material I am think of came 
from a meteorite that fell when I was much younger. Have you seen a meteorite 
anywhere recently?" Answer yes! "Eureka! That's it. With even just a piece 
of the meteorite, I can synthesize the material Zexonyte. I doubt that 
your mortal enemy Giygas or whatever, will allow you to go to Onett and 
get a piece of the meteorite. By now, Onett is in his evil hands. You must 
go though, so take every possible precaution. The Mr. Saturns have 
introduced some of their new developments in their shop. Please check them 
out before you leave. I wonder what Onett is like in this point in time?"

Before going to Onett, have the Earth Pendant delivered to Paula and have 
her equip it. This way, Ness, Paula and Jeff are resistant to all Fire, 
Flash and Freeze attacks. Poo is still vulnerable though. Let us go to 
Onett, this means war, Giygas!

---------------
Onett
---------------
Things don't look good. Giygas definitely has sent his minions to control 
the town. Every building except your house is barricaded and Ghosts of 
Starman, Evil Eyes and Mechanical Octobots. The former are the meanest 
since they ALWAYS use Starstorm Alpha in the first go. 1 in 128 Ghosts 
of Starman carry Goddess Ribbons. Evil Eyes like to cast Brainshock Omega, 
and glare at you to diamondize you. They are vulnerable to Freeze. Rest 
at home if necessary, and fight your way to the meteorite. Check the 
meteorite and you can pick up a Meteorite Piece. With this, teleport back 
to Onett, or you can just stay behind to fight more enemies beforehand.

---------------
Saturn Valley
---------------
Level of Characters (N,Pa,J,Po): 79,74,76,73
Give the Meteorite Piece to Jeff's Dad. "Oh yes! This is fantastic! What? 
Well, I've never actually seen this incredibly rare element before. It 
is very intriguing. All right, leave everything to us, and you get some 
rest." Spend the night in Saturn Valley. The next day, talk to Jeff's Dad 
to learn more about Phase Distorter Version 2. It repairs your biological 
functions and saves your game. When you are optimally outfitted, you can 
go. Although there is a chance that you cannot return. Talk to Jeff's Dad 
again to confirm that you are ready. Then you can enter and warp.

You are in the Lost Underworld, in some isolated area. Go right and the 
Star Master will approach Poo and grant him the power of Starstorm Omega! 
This is truly the best of the best there is. You will find a Mr. Saturn 
beside a wrecked Phase Distorter prototype. Where is he? Well, he has gone 
to the past. Examine the wreck to find a Horn of Life. Go north to a dead 
end and return. Another Phase Distorter will arrive, and Jeff's Dad will 
come out with Apple Kid.

"The Phase Distorter has been completed. We could finish it quickly because 
of Mr. Saturn's incredible scientific skill. Giygas is attacking from our 
exact location, but he is attacking from many years from the past." Wow, 
a long range time attack. Talk to Apple Kid. "You must warp to the past 
and fight, but..." But what? Talk to Dr. Andonuts again. "This is very hard 
for me to tell you, but..." He walks off to the dead end. What's wrong.

Go and see what's wrong with going back to the past. "In order to defeat 
Giygas, who is attacking from the past, you must warp to the past. This 
can be done by the way of Phase Distorter 3. However, the machine cannot 
warp living things, I mean lifeforms. Life is demolished in the process 
of warping. The only way to accomplish the time travel is to transfer your 
brain 'program' into a robot, and send the robot to the past. The transfer 
means that your spirit will go with the robot while your body is left behind. 
I cannot promise that your spirit will come back after the battle in the 
past. Yet, you must understand that you four are the chosen ones. Do you 
still wish to face Giygas by traveling to the past?" Of course say yes!

"You accept this while knowing that you may have to return to your current 
form, right?" Yes. "I see, you really have your mind set on this. Let me 
take a good look at you now. Ness, please give me that red cap. Ready, 
stand by." At this point, you four's bodies are being engineered.

"Ness! Paula! Poo! Jeff, my son. There is no turning back now. Ness, 
activate the Phase Distorter 3 by your own hand, thereby following youw 
own destiny. Will you do so?" Yes. "Only a few people know of your amazing 
courage, but the number of people you save through that bravery is immense. 
I feel very fortunate, to be present at the beginning of this monumental 
undertaking." This is when you come to the past, to 198X!

In the past, walk to the left in your robot shells. The Ghosts of Starman 
are here, as are Nuclear Reactor Robots. There are also Ultimate Octobots 
and Wild 'n' Woolly Shamblers. Ultimate Octobots can generate a mysterious 
electric field that may numb you. This is one tough stretch. Try not to 
use PSI too often. There is a Legendary Bat in the Gift Box. It increases 
Ness' Offense by 21 over the Magicant Bat. You will eventually come to 
a large ball at a dead end. Use it to warp to the next area.

There are even more enemies in the next area. Outrun the enemies if you 
must and warp on. In this area, we have Final Starmen! I have no idea what 
they use, since I was able to kill them before they get a chance to fight 
back. But I guess they may use Starstorm Alpha. No matter how strong the 
enemies are, if you can get a Green Swirl, any single enemy will be defeated. 
You will soon come to an opening in the wall. Enter. You are getting very 
close. The path now resembles the cerebrum of the brain. And what is waiting 
for you at the end of the path? It's some large mass with a large circle 
in the center. Your face appears in the middle of the circle. It's Giygas!

That's not all, Pokey appears, inside some mechanical device. Let the 
taunting begin! "Ness! Are you surprised? It's me, Pokey. I assist only 
the strong and able. That's Pokey! You guys look pathetic." Actually, I 
also think these guys look pathetic in their robot shells. At least they 
should learn from the film Robots and make robot casings that look like 
Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo in real life! "The Apple of Enlightenment has 
made a prediction. But I won't let what the Apple of Enlightenment predicted 
take place. You guys will be beaten by Giygas." Says who?! "Giygas will 
be stronger, a more powerful entity than each other. Why? 'Cause of me." 
So Pokey is the root of evil all along. "I was led by Giygas, and now I'm 
here. The Apple of Enlightenment can't predict this. Master Giygas. No, 
Giygas is no longer the wielder of Evil. He has become the embodiment of 
evil itself which he cannot control on his own." So, power does corrupt! 
"He is the Evil Power." It's time to fight!

Final Battle! Giygas with Heavily Armed Pokey
This battle is divided into 3 parts. The first part involves Heavily Armed 
Pokey and Giygas together. In the first part, all attacks should be focused 
on Pokey. Poo should use Brainshock Omega in the first go, Paula should 
use Freeze Omega, Jeff should fire the Heavy Bazooka while Ness bashes. 
The two enemies will feel strange, thus helping them kill themselves. 
Giygas himself will attack with Rockin moves. You should be able to deal 
around 900 HP damage before Pokey discharges a very stinky gas. This lowers 
everyone's offense by 11-15 units. In the second turn, Paula and Poo should 
use Freeze, Jeff should use the Heavy Bazooka while Ness resorts to Rockin 
Gamma. Heavily Armed Pokey should get to charge forward, dealing around 
250 HP to one of you, but by the end of this turn, Heavily Armed Pokey 
will start to get fed up with dealing with you. He taunts you.

"I understand you guys are already claiming to be heroes. Well, it's a 
gazillion years too early for you to oppose Giygas. You must feel pretty 
stupid to keep fighting without even knowing what Giygas looks like. If 
you were to see Giygas, you will be so petrified with fear, you'd never 
be able to run away! That's how scary it is. So, do you want me to turn 
off the 'Devil's Machine'?" Yes, certainly, I always want to know what 
Giygas looks like. Come on! I'm all yours! "Well, be prepared to be amazed!" 
Wow, I must be so excited right now that I can hardly breathe!

In the second part of the battle, Giygas resembles some purple ring like 
waveform. "So, isn't this terrifying? I'm terrified too." Great! You must 
be pathetic if you get scared by some stupid waveform! "Giygas cannot think 
rationally any more, and he isn't aware of what he is doing right now. 
His own mind was destroyed by his incredible power. What an all-mighty 
idiot!" If you know he will become a retard, why did you turn off the machine? 
"Yep, that's what he is. You will be another meal to him!"

You now can really damage Giygas, so it's time to be weapons free. Poo 
should use Brainshock again if Giygas has got over it. Ness should use 
Rockin Gamma, while Jeff resorts to the Heavy Bazooka. Paula should use 
the Freeze treatment. Giygas is acting a bit unusual, "Ness..." he mutters. 
From now on, he will attack using random PSI attacks, in a way that you 
cannot comprehend their true form! If Poo and Paula would use Freeze again 
and again, Giygas may be continuously solidified, and hence won't be able 
to fight back as often. After some effort, Pokey will appear again.

"Heh heh heh heh, you must really be at the end of your rope. In this bizarre 
dimension, you four are the only force fighting for justice. And here you 
stand, waiting to be burned with all the rest of the garbage of this universe. 
That's so sad. I can't help but shed a tear. You know, my heart is beating 
incredibly fast. I must be experiencing absolute terror. Do you want to 
scream for help here in the dark? Why not call your mommy, Ness? Say, 'Mommy, 
Daddy, I am so frightened! I think I'm gonna wet my pants! I know you have 
telepathy or something, so try and call for help, you pathetically weak 
heroes of your so called justice! No one will help you now! Don't worry, 
your pitiful suffering will be over soon!"

Pokey basically gave you the hint for the third and final part of the battle 
against Giygas. He asks you to call for help, and who knows how to call 
for help? Paula! Her prayers will call for help from the heavens, and that 
should do the trick. So, for this part of the battle, Ness and Poo should 
try to keep Paula's HP up while Jeff spies on Giygas, uses the Hungry HP 
Sucker or whatever. You will be interested in what happens during the 
praying. People you met from all over the earth will help here.

Paula prays from the bottom of her heart. "Please give us strength, if 
it is possible, please. Somebody, help us." Back in Saturn Valley, the 
Mr. Saturns, Geraldo Montague, Jeff's Dad and Apple Kid came together. 
All of the Mr. Saturn felt a new startling feeling they had never 
experienced before, and they all started praying for the safety of Ness 
and his friends. This prayer causes Giygas' defenses to become unstable.

Giygas cries, "Ness, Ness, friends..." He attacks in an unknown way. Don't 
give up and pray again. You find the Runaway Five in Summers, and one is 
flirting with a girl on the beach. Suddenly, they all come out. One of 
the Runaway Five members felt something stop him, and he prayed fervently 
for the safety of Ness and his friends." This prayer deals 46 HP to Giygas.

Continue praying. "Please give us strength. Speed this prayer to all the 
people of the earth." The scene changes to outside Polestar Preschool in 
Twoson. Paula's father runs into the school, calling Paula's mom and the 
3 kids out. It seems that Paula's father somehow heard his daughter's voice, 
and prayed sincerely for the safety of Paula and her friends. This attack 
deals 97 HP damage to Giygas.

Giygas starts to go nuts, repeating Ness so many times. He attacks. He 
complains that it's not right, and how it hurts. Pray. "Please give us 
strength," she says, "Anyone who can hear our plea, help us." Who will 
answer the call this time? The scene changes to the dorms of Snow Wood 
Boarding House. Tony runs out of his room to the people hanging out in 
the lounge. He calls Maxwell up as well. Tony is anxious about Jeff, and 
he prays strongly for the safety of Jeff and his friends. This prayer's 
effect is more substantial than the previous one, as 238 HP of damage to 
dealt to Giygas. Next turn is up.

Giygas grunts several times and says that he feels good. He attacks! 
Continue to pray. "Please grant us power," she whispers, "Anyone who can 
hear our plea, help us." It's the Imperial Palace of Dalaam. 3 young women 
stand together outside the palace. It seems one of them had a dream in 
which Poo died. This raises her concern about Poo. They begin to pray for 
the well-being of Poo and his friends. 395 HP of damage dealt to Giygas!

Giygas must be feeling high, as he comments on how good he feels before 
attacking. Let's pray again. "Please grant us strength! Anyone who can 
hear out plea, we ask for this." It's the Burger Shop of Onett. Frank Fly 
is eating with his girlfriend. Suddenly, he recalled Ness' shining face, 
and he began to pray to diligently for the safety of Ness and his friends. 
This one deals a whopping 786 HP of damage to Giygas!

Giygas continues to complain that it is not right. Continue praying. 
"Please grant us power! Speed this prayer to the people of the earth." 
It's night time in Onett. Ness' mom and Tracy wake up from their sleep 
and come down to the living room. Ness' mom is feeling terribly uneasy, 
she begins to pray for the safety of her son and his friends. The power 
of the prayers has increased exponentially, this time 1687 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas. He must be feeling real pain now.

Giygas has gone so nutty that the screen looks like a TV screen that is 
malfunctioning. The image is so fuzzy. I guess we need a specialist to 
fix the antenna, eh Giygas? Paula is having problems with her prayers. 
"I cannot think of anyone else. Someone, anyone, please help us." Paula's 
call is absorbed by the darkness. Is there hope at all? Giygas continues 
to go berserk and repeats Ness again and again. He gets a free hit on you.

Don't give up, Paula. Continue to pray. "Someone, can you hear me? Please, 
give us strength!" Paula and her friends' call touched the heart of G------ 
-.-us-.  G---g---------- prayed for the safety of Ness and his friends, 
having never met them before. This mystery person's prayers did Giygas 
good. 2850 HP damage to Giygas! -e-rge -----sh kept praying. Now, 5525 
HP is dealt to Giygas. -eo-g- W. Bush kept praying. Now, 11525 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas! George W. Bush continues to pray. 21150 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas. At this point, Giygas cannot take it anymore. He starts 
to break down. The image of the screen starts to grow blurry.

Pokey appears one last time to taunt you. "Ness! Now I... well... It's going 
to seem like I'm running away. But perhaps I'll sneak away to another era 
to think about my next plan. It's a good bet that we will see each other 
again. All right! I'll be seeing you! So now which of us do you think is 
the cool guy?" Certainly not you, Pokey! He vanishes. Giygas starts to 
flicker. The screen eventually goes out after a long flicker. That turns 
Giygas' TV off. You've been watching too much!

Your robotic bodies are destroyed by the blast. Your spirits drift out 
to find their owners. They eventually did and Poo, Jeff, Paula and Ness 
wake up back in Saturn Valley. The war against Giygas is over. Poo comes 
up to say goodbye. "Our travels together end here. I must return to Dalaam, 
and use this experience for the good of my country. Ness, Paula, Jeff, 
let me demonstrate a strange power before I go. I realized this power as 
a child. PSI Farewell! Now! I'll see you again someday." He teleports away, 
dropping 3 Giftboxes. Now, Jeff comes up and hugs Ness and Paula.

"Paula, Ness. It was great to hang out with you guys. It really was. I'm 
glad I had the chance to use some of the theories that I have been studying 
so hard. It's remarkable. If, just maybe. Well if you two get hitched 
someday, maybe I'll be the one that fixes your broken electronic devices." 
Note that the one of the meanings of the word hitch is tied up. So, Jeff 
may indirectly mean that "If you two get engaged someday, maybe I'll be 
your best man, Ness." I like this catchy phrase. "I'm going to stay here 
for a while and see if I can learn more from Dr. Andonuts. I mean, from 
my dad. So it looks this is goodbye for now, my friends."

Paula asks if you will escort her home. It does not matter which choice 
you make. She will come with you. The 3 Giftboxes contains a letter to 
Jeff from Tony, a letter to Paula from the kids at the Polestar Preschool, 
and a letter from Ness' mom. Let's read them, shall we?

Letter from Tony: Dear Jeff, Everything is going great here. I wish I could 
have gone with you on your adventure, even just part of a way, but instead 
I am just sitting here, waiting for you in Winters. I want to see you as 
soon as possible. I can't wait to see your cheerful face. I bet your glasses 
are dirty. If you come back, I'll clean them for you. Like I said, I am 
waiting for you. Yours truly, Tony. PS. Don't show this letter to anyone!

Letter from Kids: Dear Paula, how are you doing? I'm fine. I'm fine too! 
So are me! Me also! Me okay. Please come to play with us at the Polestar 
Preschool. Oh yeah, one more thing, bring us some presents if you have 
any. Sincerely, your friends at the Polestar Preschool.

Letter from Mom: Dear Ness, how are you? Since you left home on your journey, 
things have changed around here. For example, I don't have as much laundry. 
Also, we don't seem to eat as much steak as we used to. I heard you defeated 
some universal evil character-what was it, Googi or something like that? 
Well, that sounds really great! I want to hear more details, so hurry home, 
ok? Tracy, King and I are waiting for you. Love, Mama.

Now, you can warp around the world, talking to the people and see how they 
have changed now that Giygas is defeated. In Winters, Maxwell and Tony 
will be hanging outside the Snow Wood Boarding House. Maxwell tells you 
that Jeff has just called telling him that he is staying with his dad to 
develop a new theory. Tony complains that Jeff has not called and reminds 
you to tell Jeff to call him. The most important thing to do is to send 
Paula home. Teleport to Twoson.

Walk over to the Polestar Preschool. Paula thanks you. "Ness, thank you 
for escorting me home. There was something I wanted to tell you, but I've 
forgotten it. I'm sure I will remember by the time I see you again. Well, 
I guess this is it. Goodbye." It's obvious what Paula has forgotten. She 
definitely wants to say that she loves you! Talk to Paula's Dad. "You are 
a very strong young man. My opinion of you has changed. Perhaps you should 
continue dating Paula. Just treat her right. Come by and visit anytime 
you like. You can even sleep on the living room couch instead of the one 
in the den." Continue dating Paula, Ness!

When you are done exploring, go home. Talk to Mom and she will show you 
the photo album. You can then have a look at everyone you saw in the game! 
Then the credits roll. You fall asleep. You are woken up by a knock again. 
It's Picky, Pokey's brother. He tells you that he received a letter from 
his brother Pokey. He says that there is no stamp, no postmark and no return 
address in the envelope, and it is not the time for the mailman to come 
yet. Pokey seems to be wanting revenge in his letter. So he is the chosen 
one of the dark side! It is the end, or is it?

-------------------------------
8. Stuff that may Interest You
-------------------------------
This is where I include some in-depth information about the game, in 
particular the ways to use the food, some rare items and so on. But don't 
expect me to add lists of every item, since the exact stats of everything 
are of no concern to me. (Just buy upgrades, upgrades and upgrades!)

------------------------------
a. Various Miscellaneous Tips
------------------------------
Food for Thought:
I know that there are many types of food available in the game. However, 
which ones are the most cost effective. Now that I usually resort to Lifeup 
whenever Ness and company are hurt, but this should help those people who 
like to eat food to replenish health. I do this in real life!

From the start of the game from up to the point when Jeff joins you, I 
suggest you rely on Hamburgers. Hamburgers cost $14 each and recover about 
60HP. This means that it's one dollar for 4.29 HP. Not a bad ratio. 

When Jeff has joined you, you may consider some group healing items. Pizzas 
come in three sizes, small, medium and large. I assume Large Pizzas are 
10 piece sets, as in the United States. (Our Large Pizzas in Hong Kong 
have only 8 pieces, and so are the equivalent of medium). Large Pizzas 
take up one space each, and can help Ness, Paula and Jeff recover 240 HP 
at a time. This makes a total of 720 HP. Since a Large Pizza costs $238, 
this means that each dollar recovers 3.03 HP, not a bad ratio at all.

Once you reach Summers, and Poo has joined you, I assume Ness and Poo have 
enough PP between them to Lifeup any one completely. However, if you still 
want to use food, you may want to buy Kraken Soup. Each bowl can completely 
restore Ness, Paula and Jeff's HP. At $648, you recover HP completely. 
Of course, it is more worth it for Ness than Paula since Ness' HP meter 
is much larger.

You may wonder at this point: Why hasn't kylohk mentioned Poo at all? This 
is because Poo is a special character. He is so picky that he cannot stand 
any food that is not from his own country. Most effective foods for Ness, 
Paula and Jeff will restore 6 HP to Poo. Poo must rely on Brain Food Lunches. 
The good thing is that this Fish Fingers with Carrots set completely 
restores Poo's HP and restores around 70 PP most of the time. So, you might 
as well stock up on Brain Food Lunches for him.

There are also foods that restore PP. The most common one is the Magic 
Tart, bought from the woman who used to make Magic Cakes in summers. Each 
one recovers 20 PP to the eater. For Poo, you can always stock up with 
Bottles of DX Water. This drink recovers 40 PP for Poo only! Any food seems 
nice, but once Ness has learnt Lifeup Omega, I am sure that any food will 
be pointless to have, since you can rely on PSI.

Using Condiments Effectively:
Earthbound features condiments to go with your food. There are condiment 
vendors found everywhere. They sell you different condiments at very low 
prices. But not free. When a character has both a condiment and a food 
in his inventory, using the food will cause the condiment to be sprinkled 
on to the food. When the correct combinations are made, the HP gain is 
increased. If the incorrect combinations are made, the HP gain may be 
lowered. So, let me list each condiment and make a comment on each of them.

These are the condiments with their prices:
Ketchup Packet ($2), Sugar Packet ($3), Tin of Cocoa ($4), Carton of Cream 
($4), Sprig of Parsley ($2), Jar of Hot Sauce ($3), Salt Packet ($2), Jar 
of Delisauce ($300)

Ketchup Packet *HOT!*:
The inclusion of ketchup is mandatory in McDonald's and many other burger 
shops across the world. It's because, burgers and fries just taste better 
with it on it. Ketchup can enhance the flavors of Bags of Fries, Croissants, 
Hamburgers, Fresh Eggs, Double Burgers, Bean Crouquettes, Magic Truffles, 
Beef Jerky, Spicy Jerky, Luxury Jerky and Mammoth Burgers. This is a 
recommended condiment since it works with Hamburgers early in the game.

Sugar Packet:
Sweet stuff can be made to be even sweeter by a packet of sugar. Tea is 
often served with sugar as well. Sugar Packets work with Bread Rolls, PSI 
Caramel, Calorie Sticks, Magic Tarts, Rock Candy, Plain Yogurt and Magic 
Pudding. It seems that this condiment is sort of designed for all those 
PP restoring items, but since the increment will not be as significant 
as the HP restoring food, I don't recommend getting these.

Tin of Cocoa:
Cocoa is supposed to be mixed in with milk to make hot chocolate, and yet 
they consider this to be a condiment. Cocoa works with Cookies, Skip 
Sandwiches, Skip Sandwich DXs, Gelato de Resort and Plain Rolls. These 
are all low HP recovering foods, so this makes Tins of Cocoa useless.

Carton of Cream:
I expect cream to be used on sundaes, but there are no sundaes in this 
game. Carton of Cream is supposed to be used on Lucky Sandwiches, Popsicles, 
Bananas and Trout Yogurts. No hot items are included. Don't bother.

Sprig of Parsley:
Sprigs of Parsley are often used for decoration in western courses, and 
as garnish in cocktails. They have a limited range of foods affected in 
this game, and most of them aren't even western. Sprigs of Parsley work 
on Peanut Cheese Bars, Bowls of Rice Gruel and Piggy Jelly.

Jar of Hot Sauce *HOT!*:
I must confess that it took me a long time to realize that the hot in this 
sauce refers to spicy. Jars of Hot Sauce may have a limited range of Cups 
of Noodles, Pizza and Pasta di Summers, it is still hot since this can 
help Large Pizzas be more effective than before.

Salt Packet *HOT!*:
Salt is an important compound in everyday life. Sodium chloride, that's 
what it is. Goats like salt too, and Gruff Goats occasionally drop these. 
Salt Packets can be used on Boiled Eggs, Picnic Lunches, Chef's Special 
and Brain Food Lunch. This also means that salt is good for the brain, 
particularly Poo's brain, since Poo's exclusive food can be enhanced.

Jar of Delisauce *HOT!*:
Delisauce is a Dalaam specialty costing as massive $300 per jar. The good 
thing is that it works with anything and every food in the game. But I 
still recommend picking these up from Giftboxes than buying them.

1/128 Items:
In the later stages of the game, you can pick up certain rare items from 
tough enemies. They are so rare that one in 128 of that type of enemy has 
them. Here are all the 1 in 128 items in the game. Since finding those 
items can be tedious, I recommend only finding the Sword of Kings, since 
that is Poo's one and only weapon.

Sword of Kings is found by beating Starman Supers in the Stonehenge Base. 
You must find it before beating Starman Deluxe, or they will all be gone. 
The Broken Antenna is found in Lumine Hall by beating Uncontrollable 
Spheres. This can be fixed by Jeff to form the Gaia Beam, the most powerful 
weapon in the game for Jeff. Magic Fry Pans are obtained in the Lost 
Underworld by beating Chompasaurs. The Star Pendant is found in the Fire 
Spring on a certain Magic Psychic Psycho. The Goddess Ribbon is found in 
a Ghost of Starman late in the game, while the Gutsy Bat is found 10 years 
in the past on a certain Bionic Kraken.

Paula's Prayers:
Paula must be a devout Christian, having a guardian angel and all. She 
is so devout that praying will generate many fantastic effects that can 
either be good or bad to everyone, friend or foe. God shows impartiality, 
so it seems. Here are all of Paula's Prayers and their effects.

Dazzling Light: (Neutral)
This type of prayer sends a very bright light into the battlefield. This 
light has the effect of Flash Beta, and will hit everyone, including 
yourselves in battle. Sometimes, the people affected will be knocked out, 
since this is the effect of Flash Beta. Enemies sometimes use this too.

Golden Light: (Beneficial)
You will like this one. A single character in the group will have all of 
his HP refilled. Of course, this light is rather rare in appearance.

Heavy Air: (Harmful)
The air is so heavy that all participants in battle can hardly breathe. 
As a result, everyone, friend or foe's defense will be lowered.

Mysterious Aroma: (Neutral)
This weird smell is actually that of a sleeping gas. Every participant 
in battle, friend or foe will be put to sleep. Now, it's up to you to get 
up before the enemy, or else, the effects will be harmful.

Mysterious Light: (Beneficial)
This type of light affects your own group only. Ness, Paula and Poo will 
recover some PP, but not the enemies. So this is good.

Rainbow Colored Light: (Neutral)
It's the rainbow, a sign of revitalization. Every fallen participant in 
the battle will be fully revived. This will be beneficial if 2 or more 
members are knocked out, but this will not be so if you have just defeated 
a very strong enemy out of the opposition.

Sheet Lightning: (Beneficial)
A sheet of lightning will zap a certain enemy, and if he is zapped, he 
will also suffer from the effects of Flash!

Thunder: (Harmful)
This Thunder is not like that of the PSI Thunder. This is just another 
name for Brainshock for all participants. Everyone, friend or foe may feel 
strange. This will prove to be very dangerous if everyone of you cannot 
act normally, and kill each other in the battle.

Warm Light, Very Subtle Light: (Beneficial)
This is the most common effect of praying. A little HP will be restored 
to everyone. Very Subtle Light restores twice as much HP as the former.

Jeff's Exclusive Gadgets:
What makes up for Jeff's inability to use PSI is his ability to fix broken 
objects and turning them into weapons and other useful gadgets in battle. 
There are many things that only Jeff can use, and they make him just as 
powerful, or even more powerful than Ness at times. There are so many things 
that may clog up his inventory, so I will only list the things that are 
worth allowing Jeff to carry.

Firstly, Jeff should have a Neutralizer on him. The Neutralizer is found 
inside Talah Rama's cave, this item neutralizes the effects of PSI on 
everyone, friend or foe. Since Shields is PSI, using the Neutralizer will 
neutralize any Power Shields or Psychic Power Shields the enemy is using, 
and allowing you to have a clear shot at the boss. This is also useful 
when the enemy has increased their Offense through PSI.

Jeff should also have a Hungry HP Sucker in his inventory at all times. 
A Hungry HP Sucker is obtained by fixing a Broken Tube at IQ level 36. 
This move takes HP from all enemies and gives them to Jeff, this makes 
it an effective recovery item for Jeff. The amount of HP sucked is directly 
proportional to the maximum HP of the enemy. Even if you are up against 
say 6 Fobbys, and you suck 20-30 HP from each one, you still should have 
recovered 150 HP, which is a lot for Jeff.

A third item that Jeff should carry is the Defense Shower. A Defense Shower 
is obtained by fixing the Broken Trumpet at IQ level 40. This little shower 
increases Defense of everyone in the team, and can be used again and again. 
If you must, use this repeatedly until your group's Defense are tough enough 
to withstand any attack.

There is a fourth gadget that works well as a supplementary weapon for 
Jeff. It is the Heavy Bazooka. It is obtained by fixing the Broken Bazooka 
at IQ level 45. This one deals damage to the target, and delivers area 
damage (slightly lower) to the 2 enemies that are next to it. This means 
Jeff can hurt 3 enemies at once with this weapon. An advantage of this 
over the guns Jeff uses is that they still work considerably well against 
enemies that are resistant to physical attacks. (eg. Stinky Ghosts)

Jeff has one ultimate weapon. It comes in the form of Bottle Rockets. Big 
Bottle Rockets deal over 500 HP to the target, while the Multi Bottle 
Rockets deal over 2000 HP to the enemy. Since I have yet to see a boss 
with over 4000 HP, (Diamond Dog only has around 3300 HP), a single Multi 
Bottle Rocket is bound to deal over half damage to the boss, and making 
him an easy kill for you mates. Therefore, Jeff should carry at least 2 
Multi Bottle Rockets with him most of the time. Note that these things 
are highly explosive, and it is definitely illegal to sell explosives in 
the open market. To get these weapons, Jeff must go and buy them off 
Contraband Dealers. These guys have dark skin and wear sunglasses.

----------------------------
b. A Review of Boss Battles
----------------------------
Here's where I list out all the Boss Battles of Earthbound. If you fight 
and level up as instructed in this guide, most normal battles would not 
be much of a challenge to you. It's the Boss Battles that require skill 
to win. Here are the battles with their difficulties. Difficulty is 
classified by 5 stars. The more stars, the harder it is. 

Starman Junior (16 EXP)     Difficulty: *
This first Boss Battle really is laughable. This Starman Junior is a show 
off. He uses many types of PSI attacks on you. However, Buzz Buzz will 
always strike first. He uses the PSI Shield Sigma instantly. This blocks 
all PSI Attacks. Then, you can just bash away until he falls!

Ness should reach level 3, and gain a big boost in HP. "Whew! I was taking 
a big chance there," Buzz Buzz says, "He came from 10 years in the future 
to kill me, so we can't relax yet. From now on, you'll be fighting enemies 
sent by Giygas, as well as humans who have evil thoughts. They'll definitely 
make trouble during your adventure. Animals are also become violent due 
to Giygas' influence over their minds. It is the truth, so listen!"

Frank Fly (50 EXP) and Frankystein Mark II (76 EXP)     Difficulty: **
Frank Fly, like any other gangster head can taunt you with something nasty, 
lowering your Guts. He also brandishes his knife to slash at you. He can 
also come out swinging. The funny thing is, Frank Fly may waste his turns 
saying things nasty, while you beat him to a pulp. After this, Frank will 
try to be fail-safe. "Fool-proof Frank can't be beaten. And this is 
Frankystein Mark II!" Now, you have to beat his robot too.

This robot attacks in alternate turns, generating steam between punching 
and tearing attacks. The latter attack deals more damage, but fortunately 
you can have a turn to heal since he has to rest between attacks. When 
his robot is beaten, Frank Fly will surrender. You should be at Level 6.

"This is my first defeat," He says, "Fool-proof Frank is now just failure 
Frank. I know you've been asking around, so I'll tell you about Giant Step. 
It seems quite a powerful spot. Some kind of special power is stored there 
that allows certain people to perform wondrous feats. However, a monster 
sucked up all the energy in that spot. It is difficult to get to Giant 
Step, that's all I know. I suggest you collect more information on your 
own. The entrance to the Giant Step is behind the touring entertainers' 
shack. Pirkle, the Mayor of Onett has the key to the shack. Ness, you've 
become stronger than I. Your adventure is just beginning."

Titanic Ant with 2 Black Antoids (759 EXP)     Difficulty: ***
It's the first serious boss fight. The fight for Your Sanctuary. This 
Titanic Ant is not alone. He is helped by 2 Black Antoids. For the first 
go, use PSI Rockin Alpha on the enemy trio. This blast should knock out 
the 2 Black Antoids and deal some damage to the Titanic Ant as well. Then 
it's a boy to ant battle! Now, it seems that the Titanic Ant knows how 
to cast PSI Defense Down Alpha on Ness. But honestly it's a waste of turn 
since Ness' Defense is not that low. 

At other times, the Titanic Ant will bite you, dealing around 20 HP damage 
a blow. Continue to use Rockin Alpha until you run out of PP. (You should 
be able to use it once more.) If you are dealt a mortal blow, the rolling 
hit point system most likely can't save you, since you have too little 
HP. So, anticipate defeat and heal yourself first beforehand. (You should 
heal when you have 40 HP left.) Other dirty tricks by the Titanic Ant include 
Magnet Alpha and Shield Alpha. Fortunately, the former is rather useless 
when you have exhausted all PP to begin with, and that gives you a chance 
to deliver a free hit. Don't be surprised if you get defeated. Level 8 
is a very weak level to face this boss. But I have succeed thanks to my 
food supply (and some luck!) You should be at level 9, and your HP will 
get another 10+ boost. The light disappears.

Go through the opening. You are at the top of the hill, and some tranquil 
music is played. Walk over to the giant footprint on the ground. It's the 
Giant Step. You hear a part of a tune (In the tones DGABBD'AAB, the ' refers 
to one octave higher), and your health is restored. You will catch a glimpse 
of a small cute puppy. The melody is recorded. You can now leave, and explore 
the remainder of the cave I told you to ignore earlier.

Captain Strong (492 EXP)     Difficulty: ***
Captain Strong has some weird self-improvement moves. By losing his temper, 
he can increase his offensive power. The Submission Hold is the most lethal 
attack, and can take out 40 HP off you! That's the best he can do. Coming 
out swinging is his standard attack. If you have 20 or more PP, use Rockin 
Alpha twice on him and he should be beaten. You should be at Level 10 now 
and should have realized Healing Alpha.

"I didn't think you would do so well against the Onett Police Force. You 
want me to open the road to Twoson? Hang on for a sec, I will radio my 
staff and give them the word." Captain Strong now whips out his radio. 
"Strong here, do you read me?" He says, "Hey! It's me, Captain Strong. 
Okay, listen. A kid named Ness will be there in a few minutes. He's a kid 
in a Red Cap. I want you to open the road to Twoson for him. I know that. 
I know that! Don't ask me why, just do it! That's an order. Strong out." 
The road to Twoson will now be open. "Well kid, I'm not going to question 
you now, but I do want to see you again. Good luck!" See ya, Captain!

Mr. Carpainter (1412 EXP)     Difficulty: **
Mr. Carpainter's signature attack is the Crashing Boom Bang attack. It 
attacks twice in a row, but they rarely hit. Even if they connect, the 
Franklin badge will bounce it back to him and hurt him! He can also attack 
with Paint and heal himself using Lifeup Alpha. My strategy is bash, no 
PSI needed. After all, if any Crashing Boom Bang Attacks bounce back onto 
him, he will be dealt 70+ damage. An easy battle.

Now, the old man explains himself. "You see the Mani Mani statue behind 
me. Since I got the statue, I have been doing peculiar things. Please 
forgive me, if you can. I just wanted to have a normal life." You were 
not living a normal life just now, eh? "I apologize to everyone. Here's 
the key to open the jail in the mountain cabin where Paula is being held. 
Take the key and go." You now have the Key to the Cabin.

Mondo Mole (2896 EXP)     Difficulty: ****
This giant Mole is extremely mean. He is resistant to both Fire and Freeze 
attacks, and can tear into you, inflicting about 90 damage on Ness at once. 
Besides that, Mondo Mole can recover HP! The best course of action is to 
use Rockin Alpha for Ness while Paula bashes. If you are feeling lucky, 
use Thunder Alpha for Paula, and hope that it hits. There is no easy way 
out of this one. It's a battle of attrition. If the Mondo Mole puts up 
a Shield, then Ness should resort to bashing while Paula continues to use 
Thunder to break the shield apart. In fact, Paula dealt the final blow 
in this battle, when all hope is lost!

Master Belch (4170 EXP)     Difficulty: *
"Burp! So you are Ness? I see, gyork! Gyork! Gyork! There is a prophecy 
that a boy will destroy Master Giygas. Heeg! Heeg! Heeg! You make me laugh 
so hard. It Master Giygas were to be scared of someone, he would have to 
be worse than the greatest evil. I'll take you down big time, so be prepared 
for the worst fight of your life! Get ready to feel the true pain of true 
nausea! Come on, let's go!"


Be prepared for the Worst Battle of your life my foot. As soon as the battle 
begins, throw the Fly Honey out at Master Belch and he will be too busy 
wolfing down the Fly Honey to fight. Then you can just repeatedly bash 
him until he is down! The only danger is that Master Belch can throw his 
nauseating breath at you at the first turn, making you nauseous.

"Looks like it's an even fight, burp! But, Master Giygas has managed to 
get the Mani Mani Statue into Fourside. The city will soon be in worse 
condition than living in your own puke! Suffer Spanky!" So, this means 
we will have to deal with Fourside next, but first let's get out of here 
through the door behind Master Belch.

Trillionage Sprout (11345 EXP)     Difficulty: ***
This gigantic evil sprout is supported by 2 Mobile Sprouts, so for the 
first turn, Ness should use Rockin Beta while Paula uses Fire Beta. This 
Trillionage Sprout can use Flash Alpha, and make you all cry or feel strange. 
This is not a problem with Ness and Paula since they use PSI. But it is 
going to affect Jeff. For any subsequent turns, Ness and Jeff should use 
physical attacks and Paula will continuously use Freeze Beta.

This should guarantee an instant level up after the victory. At level 27, 
Ness will learn Hypnosis Omega. At level 25, Paula will learn Thunder Beta. 
Enter Your Sanctuary. You hear a tone at the fountain with D'BB. You thought 
you heard your mother from far away, she said, "Be a thoughtful, strong 
boy." The melody is recorded. You can now get out and beat some scared 
monsters along the way! Have fun! When you leave the cave, you will be 
photographed again by this spinning guy.

Department Store Spook (12146 EXP)     Difficulty: ****
This guy really is a PSI Guy. He can cast Freeze Beta, Lifeup Alpha and 
many other moves. You must be fast. While Ness resorts to Rockin Beta, 
Jeff should launch Big Bottle Rockets and Super Bombs at him. If you are 
fast enough, you should not take too much damage. When you have defeated 
him, the Department Store spook mentions Montoli before dying.

Evil Mani Mani Statue (14070 EXP)     Difficulty: ***
Although the statue is golden, it appears pink in front of you. This thing 
is a psychic generator. It can cast Paralysis Alpha. If it's Ness who's 
paralyzed, continue with Rockin Beta, although you may have to use a Secret 
Herb as soon as possible to neutralize the numbness. Sometimes, the statue 
will emit a pale green light, nullifying the effects of PSI on anyone. 
It's not very difficult. It's the status ailments that are so troublesome.

After the Mani Mani statue is destroyed, you will come back to the real 
world, inside Jackie's Cafe. You see the shattered statue. So, the Mani 
Mani Statue is a device that generated illusions. If you talk to the mouse 
in the warehouse, you will be told that you have been wandering inside 
the warehouse doing nothing at all! So Moonside is actually an illusion. 
Thank god that the illusion device is scrapped. Rest at the hotel, and 
continue on your little urban adventure.

Clumsy Robot (16189 EXP)     Difficulty: ****
The name may be misleading, but do not underestimate this guy. He mostly 
waste turns cleaning the floor and losing bolts, but when he does attack, 
he can pack a wallop! Take the missiles and beams for instance. Another 
frustrating feature of the Clumsy Robot is that every now and then, he 
will eat a Bologna Sandwich to fully recover his HP! This is purely a battle 
of attrition. Keep bashing and shooting until help arrives. The PSI should 
be reserved for medical purposes. All of a sudden, some guys rushed into 
the room. You hear the Runaway Five tune! It's the Runaway Five!

Lucky quickly ducked behind the robot. "I flipped the switch, and it 
stopped," he said. "Geez, what a loser robot. It was so easy to stop. That 
was quick thinking." So, if you want to defeat the robot, just have someone 
distract him while another turns it off! Ha ha! We really are fools!

Shrooom! (32108 EXP)     Difficulty: **
This boss must be exclamatory, since he's got an exclamation mark by his 
name. Although this thing is vulnerable to Fire, Freeze Gamma deals more 
damage than Fire Beta, so use that instead while Ness and Jeff resorts 
to physical attacks. There is also the chance of solidifying the enemy. 
Like many other mushroom enemies, this boss can mushroomize you with his 
spores. That's not all, the spores can be poisonous! He can heal himself 
with Lifeup Alpha. Other than that, it's just normal attacks. If Ness is 
mushroomized, don't use Rockin moves or you may regret it. For the levels 
you are having, this battle should be only moderate in difficulty.

Go through the opening. You see a puddle with rainwater constantly coming 
down on it. Walk to it to heal and listen to the melody. This time the 
tunes are as follows: GBD'C#C#D'. Note that the # represents one semitone 
higher, so it's a C Sharp. You will catch a whiff of Steak for a second.

Plague Rat of Doom (28818 EXP)     Difficulty: **
This is just fantastic, outrageous! A giant sewer rat is guarding this 
fifth Your Sanctuary location. Whatever this thing is, it is quite 
resistant to physical attacks. So Ness, Paula and Poo should resort to 
Rockin Beta and Freeze Gamma respectively. As for Jeff, he should use the 
latest weapon, the Big Bottle Rocket. One Rocket is capable of dealing 
over 500 HP damage to the Plague Rat of Doom. In fact, this battle is easy. 
All I had to do was to repeat the strategy above twice and the Plague Rat 
of Doom is nothing but history. So, I don't even know what other attacks 
this giant rat has to offer! That's it, folks!

Ness got an insanely high HP boost at level 48. In fact, he gained 40 HP! 
Now, let's climb up the ladder. There is a melody to record. Walk over 
to the lump of rock. GBAD', this is the tune. You will see a baby's bottle, 
but for only an instant. This is the melody of the Magnet Hill.

Thunder and Storm (32257 EXP)     Difficulty: *
These guys are quite weird. They are so close brothers that they entangle 
each other, thus making them only one target. These guys seem to be 
vulnerable to Freeze. All I had to do was to have Ness eat the Bag of 
Dragonite, Paula and Poo to use Freeze Gamma, and Jeff to fire a bottle 
rocket and over 1500 HP was taken from them in the first round, before 
they could even retaliate! (They were solidified, this explains it.) After 
this, I asked Paula to use Freeze Gamma again, and this took 350+ HP off 
Thunder and Storm and that finished them off! No damage taken! This 
concludes this super easy fight. Don't ask me what attacks this rather 
close dual uses. My guess is something along the lines of Thunder Beta 
and Gamma, and possibly some Flash action.

At Level 46, Paula will realize Freeze Omega, the most powerful Freeze 
move of them all. Meanwhile, at Level 41, Poo will learn Thunder Gamma. 
Go through the opening and onto a Pink Cloud. The melody will be recorded 
as follows: E'BAGE. You will have a short vision of seeing your mother 
when she was young.

Kraken (19817 EXP)     Difficulty: **
So, Kraken is a fire-breathing sea serpent. However, he can discharge 
electricity with his Crashing Boom Bang attack. It seems that Kraken is 
more vulnerable to Freeze than Fire, so Freeze Gamma is what Paula and 
Poo needs to use. As for Jeff, fire a Big Bottle Rocket. You should be 
able to beat this monster in two turns.

The captain of this ship is surely impressed. "Oh, man! I thought you guys 
were just everyday little kids, but you defeated the Kraken! I also helped 
in the battle. I threw my slippers at the beast." Yeah, like that's going 
to help a lot! "Maybe you didn't notice."

Master Barf (31264 EXP)     Difficulty: *
This is really an easy battle given the level you are on. It is possible 
to win without the enemy being able to retaliate! Ness should bash, Paula 
should use Freeze Omega, while Jeff fires a Multi Bottle Rocket. The rocket 
should deal over 1500, and possibly over 1800 HP damage. This leaves Master 
Barf critically injured. All of a sudden, Poo will swoop down from the 
sky. He uses his new power, Starstorm! With this Starstorm Alpha, Poo sends 
a little meteor shower onto Barf, and cutting him into several pieces. 
That's all for Master Barf! Bye-bye now! It seems that Starstorm Alpha 
is able to deal about 350 HP damage, so it's still peanuts compared with 
Jeff's Multi Bottle Rocket! Poo is back for more!

Master Barf will drop a Casey Bat. It is the most powerful bat for Ness, 
but it is also deadly inaccurate. 3 out of 4 swings will miss!

Starman Deluxe (40131 EXP)     Difficulty: ****
For the first turn, have Paula use Shield Omega. If you are faster than 
Starman Deluxe, every one of you four will be protected by a psychic power 
shield before the Starman Deluxe can fight. There is a reason why you have 
to put up this shield. This is because Starman Deluxe most likely will 
attack with Starstorm Alpha in his first go. This deals 300+ damage to 
each of you, severely injuring you all. If the shield is up, the Starstorm 
will bounce back at Starman Deluxe up to 4 times as he hits you one by 
one. These 4 reflected hits can defeat Starman Deluxe instantly. If he 
does not use Starstorm Alpha, it does not mean there is no quick way out. 
Starman Deluxe has no Power Shield, so physical attacks will hurt him. 
Have Jeff fire a Multi Bottle Rocket if he does not use Starstorm Alpha. 
This will heavily dent Starman Deluxe at this point.

When Ness reaches level 70, he will learn Lifeup Omega. This Ness exclusive 
move helps EVERYONE in the group recover around 400 HP. This will save 
a lot of PP in the long run. When you defeated the Starman Deluxe, the 
Stonehenge Base stops functioning.

Electro Scepter (65410 EXP)     Difficulty: **
This thing looks like some weird metallic bolts. You heard it. It's Electro 
Scepter. He specializes in electric style attacks. This is where Ness' 
Franklin Badge comes in handy. Take note that Poo and Paula are faster 
than Ness and Jeff. So, for the first go, have Poo and Paula use Thunder 
Omega and Thunder Gamma. One of the 7 bolts must hit the Electro Scepter 
and neutralize his shield. The character will take some damage but you 
should have no more worries after that. Jeff's Multi Bottle Rocket should 
deal over 2000 HP damage to the Electro Scepter. For the second go, it's 
weapons free. Ness bashes, Jeff uses the Bazooka, Paula uses Freeze Omega 
and Poo uses Starstorm Alpha. All of this should take it down. I must say 
I don't know what this enemy may use, since all he has is just ONE go, 
and all he did was trying to use the Hungry HP Sucker.

With the threat down, go through the gap and to the hole. Drop down to 
find Lumine Hall. This is Your 7th Sanctuary Location. This place looks 
like a disco cave. Keep walking until you are stopped.

Carbon Dog --> Diamond Dog (84435 EXP)     Difficulty: *****
When I fought the Carbon Dog, Ness' Level is 79, Paula's is 76, Jeff's 
Level is 80 and Poo's level is 75. As a result, every one struck the Carbon 
Dog first. For the first go, Ness should bash, Paula and Poo should use 
Freeze Omega and Starstorm Alpha while Jeff fires his Heavy Bazooka. If 
all hits connect, you should be able to deal around 1000 HP damage to the 
Carbon Dog. The Carbon Dog may just bite you, or he will spray fire, wounding 
you hard. At the second go, I suggest you let Ness use Rockin Gamma while 
Jeff uses the Neutralizer. 

Why is that? When Carbon Dog takes a little more than 1600 HP of damage, 
he will give out a rainbow of colors. He becomes a Diamond Dog, and a Power 
Shield will be erected. Diamond Dog has a total of around 3300 HP. The 
Neutralizer serves to remove the shield instantly. After the Shield is 
gone, it's weapons free! Have Jeff fire a Multi Bottle Rocket. I assume 
you have one. This deals another 2000 HP of damage! I don't care what you 
use at the next turn, but the 2000 HP of damage with the damage done by 
Freeze and Starstorm during the transition from Carbon Dog to Diamond Dog 
will allow Diamond Dog to be defeated in another round.

This concludes the battle for Your 8th Sanctuary Location. Go through the 
door. Walk over to the small volcano to record the melody of the Fire Spring. 
Before doing so, make sure Ness is carrying a Viper, if possible. There 
is only one tune, G. You have the feeling that you are being watched by 
yourself as a baby. How strange.

Ness' Nightmare (89004 EXP)     Difficulty: ****
It's the evil part of Ness that you have to overcome. It is a lot like 
the Mani Mani Statue. This battle assumes that you have saved the Viper 
from earlier. So, at the first turn, throw the Viper out to poison Ness' 
Nightmare. At the first go, Ness' Nightmare will definitely use Shield 
Beta. He is protected, but he is guaranteed to lose HP every round due 
to the poison. After that, Ness' Nightmare will start to use all the PSI 
moves that Ness has learnt against you. 

Sometimes, he will emit a glorious light. Keep on bashing and taking damage 
from the Power Shield, that's what you can do. Don't bother using PSI. 
Save the PP for Lifeup Beta. This is because the enemy can also use this 
to heal himself, only that he will not use any Healing moves to take away 
the poison. When he starts to use Rockin Omega, you have a reason to be 
worried. Quickly heal before you are taken out! After some bashes, Ness 
Nightmare would have stopped moving. You have conquered yourself!

You will be rewarded with a generous amount of EXP, about 89004! You will 
hear a familiar sound from the center of the Sea of Eden. "Giygas' goal 
is to destroy you. Listen carefully! Everything in the universe could be 
destroyed at the hands of Giygas. But he and his followers are also in 
trouble. The Apple of Enlightenment has foretold that Giygas' attempt will 
fail. It is because of the existence of a boy named Ness. That's me! Listen."

This really is a shocking revelation. You are talking to yourself inside 
your brain. "Free your mind and KNOW what you must do. Your destiny has 
already been decided. You, I, where should we go? You know deep within 
the reaches of your mind. Saturn Valley. Yes, go to the place where the 
Mr. Saturn live. You'll get something new there. Soon, Magicant will be 
no more. We must be quick!" It really IS your own voice, telling you to 
go to Saturn Valley at the double.

At this point, the 8 Your Sanctuary Locations are giving their power to 
you. Ness is filled with the Power of the Giant Step. Ness' Speed increased 
by 5! Ness' Vitality increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the 
Lilliput Steps! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness 
is filled with the Power of the Milky Well! Ness' Speed increased by 5! 
Ness' IQ increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Magnet Hill! 
Ness' Vitality increased by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness is filled 
with the Power of the Rainy Circle! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness' IQ 
increased by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Pink Cloud! Ness' 
Speed increased by 5! Ness' Guts increased by 5! Ness is filled with the 
Power of the Lumine Hole! Ness' Luck increased by 5! Ness' IQ increased 
by 5! Ness is filled with the Power of the Fire Spring! Ness' Speed increased 
by 5! Ness' Luck increased by 5!

Wow, this is such an INSANE stat boost. But there is more! Instantly, your 
mind clears and you realized you have possessed great power! At that moment, 
your psychic powers rapidly expanded! Ness gains 200000 EXP! Ness' level 
is now 82! Offense went up by 1! Sweet! Maximum HP went up by 147! That 
rocks! Maximum PP went up by 359! Ness' Level is now 83! Offense went up 
by 1! Defense went up by 1! Vitality went up by 1! IQ went up by 1! Maximum 
HP went up by 15! That rocks! Maximum PP went up by 10! And finally, he 
realized he had the power of Teleport Beta! You make all the hidden powers 
your own. You absorbed the power of the earth into his heart and Magicant 
is no more. You can wake up. Your friends are waiting for you!

Giygas with Heavily Armed Pokey     Difficulty: *****
This battle is divided into 3 parts. The first part involves Heavily Armed 
Pokey and Giygas together. In the first part, all attacks should be focused 
on Pokey. Poo should use Brainshock Omega in the first go, Paula should 
use Freeze Omega, Jeff should fire the Heavy Bazooka while Ness bashes. 
The two enemies will feel strange, thus helping them kill themselves. 
Giygas himself will attack with Rockin moves. You should be able to deal 
around 900 HP damage before Pokey discharges a very stinky gas. This lowers 
everyone's offense by 11-15 units. In the second turn, Paula and Poo should 
use Freeze, Jeff should use the Heavy Bazooka while Ness resorts to Rockin 
Gamma. Heavily Armed Pokey should get to charge forward, dealing around 
250 HP to one of you, but by the end of this turn, Heavily Armed Pokey 
will start to get fed up with dealing with you. He taunts you.

"I understand you guys are already claiming to be heroes. Well, it's a 
gazillion years too early for you to oppose Giygas. You must feel pretty 
stupid to keep fighting without even knowing what Giygas looks like. If 
you were to see Giygas, you will be so petrified with fear, you'd never 
be able to run away! That's how scary it is. So, do you want me to turn 
off the 'Devil's Machine'?" Yes, certainly, I always want to know what 
Giygas looks like. Come on! I'm all yours! "Well, be prepared to be amazed!" 
Wow, I must be so excited right now that I can hardly breathe!

In the second part of the battle, Giygas resembles some purple ring like 
waveform. "So, isn't this terrifying? I'm terrified too." Great! You must 
be pathetic if you get scared by some stupid waveform! "Giygas cannot think 
rationally any more, and he isn't aware of what he is doing right now. 
His own mind was destroyed by his incredible power. What an all-mighty 
idiot!" If you know he will become a retard, why did you turn off the machine? 
"Yep, that's what he is. You will be another meal to him!"

You now can really damage Giygas, so it's time to be weapons free. Poo 
should use Brainshock again if Giygas has got over it. Ness should use 
Rockin Gamma, while Jeff resorts to the Heavy Bazooka. Paula should use 
the Freeze treatment. Giygas is acting a bit unusual, "Ness..." he mutters. 
From now on, he will attack using random PSI attacks, in a way that you 
cannot comprehend their true form! If Poo and Paula would use Freeze again 
and again, Giygas may be continuously solidified, and hence won't be able 
to fight back as often. After some effort, Pokey will appear again.

"Heh heh heh heh, you must really be at the end of your rope. In this bizarre 
dimension, you four are the only force fighting for justice. And here you 
stand, waiting to be burned with all the rest of the garbage of this universe. 
That's so sad. I can't help but shed a tear. You know, my heart is beating 
incredibly fast. I must be experiencing absolute terror. Do you want to 
scream for help here in the dark? Why not call your mommy, Ness? Say, 'Mommy, 
Daddy, I am so frightened! I think I'm gonna wet my pants! I know you have 
telepathy or something, so try and call for help, you pathetically weak 
heroes of your so called justice! No one will help you now! Don't worry, 
your pitiful suffering will be over soon!"

Pokey basically gave you the hint for the third and final part of the battle 
against Giygas. He asks you to call for help, and who knows how to call 
for help? Paula! Her prayers will call for help from the heavens, and that 
should do the trick. So, for this part of the battle, Ness and Poo should 
try to keep Paula's HP up while Jeff spies on Giygas, uses the Hungry HP 
Sucker or whatever. You will be interested in what happens during the 
praying. People you met from all over the earth will help here.

Paula prays from the bottom of her heart. "Please give us strength, if 
it is possible, please. Somebody, help us." Back in Saturn Valley, the 
Mr. Saturns, Geraldo Montague, Jeff's Dad and Apple Kid came together. 
All of the Mr. Saturn felt a new startling feeling they had never 
experienced before, and they all started praying for the safety of Ness 
and his friends. This prayer causes Giygas' defenses to become unstable.

Giygas cries, "Ness, Ness, friends..." He attacks in an unknown way. Don't 
give up and pray again. You find the Runaway Five in Summers, and one is 
flirting with a girl on the beach. Suddenly, they all come out. One of 
the Runaway Five members felt something stop him, and he prayed fervently 
for the safety of Ness and his friends." This prayer deals 46 HP to Giygas.

Continue praying. "Please give us strength. Speed this prayer to all the 
people of the earth." The scene changes to outside Polestar Preschool in 
Twoson. Paula's father runs into the school, calling Paula's mom and the 
3 kids out. It seems that Paula's father somehow heard his daughter's voice, 
and prayed sincerely for the safety of Paula and her friends. This attack 
deals 97 HP damage to Giygas.

Giygas starts to go nuts, repeating Ness so many times. He attacks. He 
complains that it's not right, and how it hurts. Pray. "Please give us 
strength," she says, "Anyone who can hear our plea, help us." Who will 
answer the call this time? The scene changes to the dorms of Snow Wood 
Boarding House. Tony runs out of his room to the people hanging out in 
the lounge. He calls Maxwell up as well. Tony is anxious about Jeff, and 
he prays strongly for the safety of Jeff and his friends. This prayer's 
effect is more substantial than the previous one, as 238 HP of damage to 
dealt to Giygas. Next turn is up.

Giygas grunts several times and says that he feels good. He attacks! 
Continue to pray. "Please grant us power," she whispers, "Anyone who can 
hear our plea, help us." It's the Imperial Palace of Dalaam. 3 young women 
stand together outside the palace. It seems one of them had a dream in 
which Poo died. This raises her concern about Poo. They begin to pray for 
the well-being of Poo and his friends. 395 HP of damage dealt to Giygas!

Giygas must be feeling high, as he comments on how good he feels before 
attacking. Let's pray again. "Please grant us strength! Anyone who can 
hear out plea, we ask for this." It's the Burger Shop of Onett. Frank Fly 
is eating with his girlfriend. Suddenly, he recalled Ness' shining face, 
and he began to pray to diligently for the safety of Ness and his friends. 
This one deals a whopping 786 HP of damage to Giygas!

Giygas continues to complain that it is not right. Continue praying. 
"Please grant us power! Speed this prayer to the people of the earth." 
It's night time in Onett. Ness' mom and Tracy wake up from their sleep 
and come down to the living room. Ness' mom is feeling terribly uneasy, 
she begins to pray for the safety of her son and his friends. The power 
of the prayers has increased exponentially, this time 1687 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas. He must be feeling real pain now.

Giygas has gone so nutty that the screen looks like a TV screen that is 
malfunctioning. The image is so fuzzy. I guess we need a specialist to 
fix the antenna, eh Giygas? Paula is having problems with her prayers. 
"I cannot think of anyone else. Someone, anyone, please help us." Paula's 
call is absorbed by the darkness. Is there hope at all? Giygas continues 
to go berserk and repeats Ness again and again. He gets a free hit on you.

Don't give up, Paula. Continue to pray. "Someone, can you hear me? Please, 
give us strength!" Paula and her friends' call touched the heart of G------ 
-.-us-.  G---g---------- prayed for the safety of Ness and his friends, 
having never met them before. This mystery person's prayers did Giygas 
good. 2850 HP damage to Giygas! -e-rge -----sh kept praying. Now, 5525 
HP is dealt to Giygas. -eo-g- W. Bush kept praying. Now, 11525 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas! George W. Bush continues to pray. 21150 HP of damage 
is dealt to Giygas. At this point, Giygas cannot take it anymore. He starts 
to break down. The image of the screen starts to grow blurry.

Pokey appears one last time to taunt you. "Ness! Now I... well... It's going 
to seem like I'm running away. But perhaps I'll sneak away to another era 
to think about my next plan. It's a good bet that we will see each other 
again. All right! I'll be seeing you! So now which of us do you think is 
the cool guy?" Certainly not you, Pokey! He vanishes. Giygas starts to 
flicker. The screen eventually goes out after a long flicker. That turns 
Giygas' TV off. You've been watching too much!

Your robotic bodies are destroyed by the blast. Your spirits drift out 
to find their owners. They eventually did and Poo, Jeff, Paula and Ness 
wake up back in Saturn Valley. The war against Giygas is over.

-------------------------
c. My Review of a Review
-------------------------
OK, when I read the stuff related to EarthBound in GameFAQs, and I found 
that most of the guides did not spoil too many of the game's details, and 
that is one minus. I personally enjoy chewing through mbrocket's long guide. 
At the same time, I would savor some of the reviews in the review section. 
Of course, the positive reviews are no fun to read. I'd prefer reading 
a negative review, since their rants are always amusing. Now, the true 
challenge is to find a negative review that provides detailed information 
to sort of justify their claims. Such a review is a review by Vyse the 
Determined. The title of the review is "A game misunderstood by many... in 
many ways." (Edited). This review gave the game a score of 5/10 and was 
posted on 25th April, 2005. I will quote his review, and analyze it.

First off, I will tell you how I can properly acknowledge the source in 
order to avoid plagiarism as stated in Pages 6 to 7 in a booklet published 
by the University of Hong Kong called "What is Plagiarism?". I will properly 
identify the source by giving the link to it:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/review/R87175.html. The entire 
review will be marked by quotation mark, and the source will be clearly 
provided immediately after the review is quoted. So, here goes.

---------------
The Review
---------------
"A game misunderstood by many... in many ways. (Edited)

Earthbound...or "Mother" (whichever you prefer to call it) is a game that 
is loved and hated by many, but many people fail to describe this game 
in a way that the average individual can understand. I think it's important 
for me to share with you (the reader) just what goes on in this game, as 
well as problems you will most likely encounter. Let me share with you 
what you can expect to find in "Earthbound". Since this is a more 
"sensitive" title (like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior), I'm going to 
speak a bit out of my usual character forgive me on this one, folks.

Graphics: 5.5/10
This game was brought to the states in 1995, which was pretty late in the 
SNES' life. With that in mind, the graphics of this game are far from 
extraordinary. Many argue that this game belongs on an NES, and I would 
have to say that they aren't too far off on that opinion, but my take is 
that while half of this game slightly belittles what the SNES can do, the 
other half simply can't be embodied by the age-old Nintendo. This is 
technically the second game in the series, because the first (Mother) was 
made for the Famicom (Japanese Nintendo) and had a somewhat unofficial 
US name of Earthbound Zero. When traveling from town to town in Earthbound, 
the graphics are not leaps and bounds from its NES predecessor. Its 
simplicity and real to life appearance charms the masses, as the game was 
modeled to be a modern day RPG, something which is extremely rare to find 
oddly enough, even in today's society. An Rpg without a medieval setting 
or a futuristic theme captivated the players of this game, which is 
understandable. When you engage in combat in Earthbound however, you will 
see that this game would be virtually impossible to put on a Nintendo. 

The battle backgrounds have a interesting visage. Swirls of colors that 
seamlessly blend back and forth give the fights a subtle flair not found 
in most other Role-playing games. Its predecessor had combat scenes similar 
to the fabled Dragon Quest series (a black screen with monsters on it) 
on the Famicom while the SNES game had a battle design unique to itself. 
The attacks were "fancy" explosions of different shapes. Nothing really 
fancy, but it showed that it could still perpetuate a form that showed 
its individuality and gave off the usual emphasis of elemental properties 
and such found in just about any RPG. The enemy models are simple, but 
distinguishable. In a whole, this game has little stimulation, graphically 
speaking. It's a game for gamers who can see the aesthetic values of this 
game, and don't base it on preliminary observations. The fans and the haters 
are often at war with their views, neither side feeling it necessary to 
elaborate, only to let their hatred fester, which I find pathetic. Is this 
game misunderstood simple for its graphical aspects, Vyse? Perhaps, but 
there is much more to be said about this game. Even still, it's definitely 
not as bad as some other games I know in 1995...

Story: 3/10
Ironically, this has got to be one of the most original stories out there, 
but it is also quite trite. Think real life conspiracies for starters and 
you have the ground work already set up for Earthbound's story. Know 
anything about aliens, UFOs, Stonehenge, and Roswell? Probably not, if 
you're one of societies' more "normal" individuals. Earthbound combines 
science fiction with a taste of Japan's typical weirdness. The story and 
this game look so American on the surface that it's a work of art to think 
that it's not. You play with an ordinary kid (who by default is called 
Ness) who likes baseball and life seems good, when one night, a meteorite 
falls near his home, and it causes quite a commotion in his small town 
of Onett. From that second on, things are far from ordinary, as you grab 
your bat and go to see this meteorite with your fake best friend, Pokey. 
Not much is going on until something comes out of the meteorite and tells 
you that you have this great task you must fulfill. The being is the 
legendary Buzz-Buzz (yes, it's a fly) who is supposedly stripped of most 
of its power. 

Soon after meeting this fly, he is killed by Pokey's mom (swatted, like 
a fly) and you go home to think. Well, after little thought, you decide 
to travel the world with your "PSI" (psychic if you will) powers to look 
for three companions and "your sanctuary" locations, which Buzz-Buzz says 
you need to find to help you save the world from impending extraterrestrial 
doom. Your mom has no problem with you going off on your own to save the 
world, and your dad, whom you only know of by phone, gives you money and 
helps you save your game. From there, a lot of bizarre things happen, most 
which aren't too relevant to the story. You go around doing a lot of random 
good deeds, and sometimes, you get info on a "your sanctuary" location. 

Sometimes the game is so vague, you are left in the dark as to what you 
should do. It's pretty rare when your characters speak (Ness never speaks) 
and the story becomes strange to the point that it's ridiculous and doesn't 
make any sense. In those cases, the developers hoped the immense obscurity 
would leave players guessing and compel them to move on. Because of this, 
many people have turned their backs on this game. I don't wish to spoil 
the ending (the game kind of does that for you), but this game in the end 
was rushed and left the impression that they just wanted to get the game 
over with, which happens in about 65% of all games. Going back to my more 
laid back nature, all I can say was "what the hell were they thinking!?"... 
I won't say anymore on this subject.

Sound: 7/10
Perhaps the best part about Earthbound is its sound. Right from the time 
a person starts a new game file, they think this game has crap sound and 
graphics. The music is often catchy and the music suits most environments 
well. The battle music is something else though. It has several battle 
themes that differ depending on your opponent. Some of them are lame, but 
most suit this already strange RPG. The music in this game often sounds 
jazzy or techno-like, and considering the theme of this entire game, some 
thought was put into the music. If you don't like Jazz or Techno, don't 
even bother playing this game. Even with some okay music, this game is 
still hated by many. Fans use excuses as a shield and say that the haters 
are wrapped up in hype of Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Have they ever 
thought that a "hater" might have some valid points? Probably not. Every 
used copy with data I've played of this game over the years has not played 
the game longer than 5 hours. Even with the two I own, it's apparent to 
me that this game was not well liked. 

Gameplay: 3/10
This game's gameplay is almost laughable to me, but not because of how 
the game was designed; It was more because of how the game was programmed. 
This is the biggest reason people gave up on this game...which is also 
understandable. For starters, let me start by saying that it's at least 
original. You have four main characters, who at default are Ness, Paula, 
Jeff, and Poo. They each have their strengths and weaknesses...well, they 
each have their weaknesses. Since this game is also abused for being very 
difficult, let me describe Paula first. She has low Hp (Hit Points, or 
Health) and nearly low everything else, but High PP (Psychic Points, 
basically like Mp) I.Q (like intelligence) and basically she's supposed 
to be a wizard-type character. Problem is, She's generally horrible 
compared to Ness. Jeff is the "balanced" character, although he has no 
magical aptitude. His inventions can pack a punch, although his ability 
to invent isn't overly useful, and he primarily only helps himself. Problem 
here is, he's horrible compared to Ness. Poo is supposed to be the "super" 
character. He has moderate magic abilities (with low PP) and fair physical 
strength (only if you find his equipment). He's a bare-handed fighter, 
so you need to level him up to make him remotely useable. There's a problem 
with all of that though; He's useless compared to Ness (with the exception 
of his PSI Starstorm).

Sure, most RPGs have the strong, cool main character, so why am I comparing 
everyone to him? Heh heh...it's not just because he's so much tougher. There 
are BIG POWER IMBALANCES at work here. It's not just with Ness, but with 
the enemies and sometimes hellish bosses. Think about it for a second; 
the enemies are designed on the level that Ness can fight off some enemies, 
and give him a fairly difficult time. Okay...so what does that say about 
EVERYONE else? If Ness can hardly handle them, say sayonara to his friends. 
WAIT VYSE! How much stronger can Ness possibly be? Well my friend, in terms 
of RPGs and comparisons, Ness is stronger than virtually any main character 
in any RPG in existence. No joke. It's bad that he's MANY POINTS (at times,) 
of stats higher. The enemies at the end are so ridiculously powerful that 
you constantly run from battle. The others were dead centuries ago and 
Ness is DYING. Ha ha ha...Ness is DYING!? NESS IS DYING!! Don't get me started 
on those "Starmen" demons.

Then you have to talk about the character's relevance. Poo...you get him 
so "late" into the game, and he comes at a crappy level for when you get 
him. No...scratch that. All the characters that join come at crappy levels. 
It makes you feel like Ness was the only well thought out character. It 
shows the whole time you play the game. It's too obvious. It's funny though. 
Ness doesn't even beat the final boss...I won't say who does. The game has 
some interesting (albeit annoying) status ailments. Things like diamonize 
(like stone), colds (like poison), heatstroke (or whatever it was), 
mushroom (confusion, screwed up controls), etc. They were all a pain, even 
though mushroom has an interesting purpose. If you take it to the guys 
in the clinic, he gives you money for it. Ha ha ha... he wants shrooms. Anyway, 
the game has a few other luxuries and unique aspects to it, like buying 
items, using an ATM card (to go to an ATM machine to get money) using a 
"For Sale" sign (To get people to come out of NOWHERE to buy your stuff), 
to even ordering pizza and having a teddy bear be a decoy for you in combat. 
As unique as it all sounds however, the game is too fundamentally flawed 
to impress beyond the point of "It has potential". I think I've said enough 
for one review. One last thing though; The game CAN be VERY vague. You've 
been warned (again).

To Buy or Not to Buy?
NO. As much as this game costs in most places, you'll be lucky if you can 
buy this game at a price that's humane. If you find this for 5-15$, buy 
it, and sell it for 50$ if you don't like it. Test play it first, if anything.

Overall: 5/10 (Rounds Down)
Earthbound is a captivating game, but many go to the extremes in saying 
it's perfect, while others go out of their way to do this game harm. There 
is one thing that can be said about this game though; It is misunderstood. 
No one can truly know what motivates a person to think what they do. Some 
do it because of nostalgia, others do it out of ignorance, but I say what 
I do from experience. Until my next review, this is Vyse the determined, 
"keeping it real".

VtD: April 27, 2005"
(Vyse the Determined, 2005, at 
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/review/R87175.html)

---------------
My Analysis
---------------
First of all, the author Vyse the Determined gave the Graphics a 5.5/10. 
According to him, one of the main reason why the graphics receives criticism 
is that it is not very advanced for a game made in 1995. He states that 
the fans and haters of this game often "go to war with each other" over 
this issue. I must agree with him in this point. I once went to an Earthbound 
fansite called starmen.net, and the article of EarthBound blamed the poor 
sales of EarthBound in the United States due to the consumers cannot look 
beyond anything good unless it's eye-candy. So, Vyse does have a point 
here. However, the battle graphics look much better than the field graphics. 
The battle backgrounds are much crisper and livelier, that's for sure, 
but still, most consumers DO judge the game by the majority of screens 
that are in the field, so, that's bad, isn't it? So, people who want to 
appreciate this game are FORCED to look deep, so this may contribute to 
the author giving an average score in this aspect.

Now, for the story. Vyse thinks that the story may be original, but is 
also quite trite since all you need to do is to "think real-life 
conspiracies". The thing is, most games involve a good side fighting a 
bad side, so the bad side is definitely going to conspire in one way or 
another, right? In fact, conspiracy theories are one of the most used 
frameworks in plots of movies, so it's not a big problem that it's used 
often. As for the opinion that the flow of the story is so vague, I will 
also have to disagree. Most RPGs require the player to listen carefully 
to most of the things that other people tell the main character, and talking 
to everyone you see is definitely a must. Even if you are stuck in this 
game, it's not that hard to find the Hint Stand and pay a small fee to 
know where to go to next! In fact, if you explore everywhere in a town, 
you definitely can know how to proceed in this game.

There is one thing I would like to criticize this game for though. It's 
the lack of depth in the story. It seems that all the characters have little 
interaction with each other, and you don't get to see any intimate moments 
between any two characters, or an in-depth history on their backgrounds. 
Basically, characters join Ness, and listen to him unconditionally and 
don't offer any suggestions as to what to do. "The silent protagonist" 
definitely does not work well for a party based RPG. If it were the Legend 
of Zelda, it will be fine for Link since he's the only guy who plays an 
important role throughout the game. But for Earthbound, well, it's no good.

As for the Sound, I agree with Vyse the most part. The techno music and 
twisted music are all there to provide laughter for the gamer as they battle 
all sorts of weird things, and the battle themes definitely suit the enemy 
you are fighting. There is one issue with that section I don't understand, 
Vyse mentioned that in spite of some okay music, this game is still hated 
by many. But the problem is, he did not say any sound related issues that 
justify this point. Perhaps that statement should be placed in another 
section? Hmmm... I wonder. Has the sound got to do with why the game is hated 
by many? Which scores don't they like?

Now, for the GAMEPLAY. This is the part which I disagreed with Vyse the 
most. He claims that the roles of the characters are all stereotypical. 
But still, when there is a group of characters, isn't division of labour 
necessary to make the game interesting? I know there is stuff like job 
classes in certain RPGs, but it doesn't mean that every character has to 
have so many complex roles to make the game enjoyable though. Vyse says 
that all the characters other than Ness ONLY have their weakness, thus 
making the game difficult. Let's look at what he thinks of Paula, Jeff 
and Poo, ok?

Paula is the wizard type character since she has low HP but high PP, and 
low everything else but speed. According to Vyse, she's generally horrible 
when compared to Ness! But I disagree. Paula's high PP allows her to use 
her PSI skills as frequently as Ness bashes. Paula's Fire and Freeze deals 
much greater damage than Ness' Rockin when she targets enemies that are 
weak against those attacks, and her PSI moves are much more cost effective 
than Ness'. Paula also can set up psychic shields to hold off the enemies' 
PSI attack, so in what way is she horrible?

Now, for Jeff, the so called balanced character according to Vyse. He has 
no PSI abilities. I don't think his inventions are that useless. 2 of his 
inventions are particularly useful, in particular the Heavy Bazooka and 
Hungry HP-Sucker. The former can potentially deal much more damage than 
Ness' bash attack, and has area damage as well. The Hungry HP-Sucker drains 
HP from all the enemies you are facing, so Ness does not need to cast Lifeup 
on Jeff that often. His ability to help himself is one important factor 
in making him worthwhile to play! Finally, there's his super weapon, the 
Multi Bottle Rocket. It's able to deal over 1500 HP of damage to a boss, 
and this attack damage is far superior to Ness' bash even if he does land 
a Smash Hit. So, I ask you, in what way is Jeff horrible when compared 
to Ness?

Finally, Poo, the final character to join Ness. He has limited PP, so 
limited psychic abilities. One thing to say is that Poo is NOT a bare handed 
fighter. He does have a weapon called the Sword of Kings, that is very 
rare on only found on a Starman Super in the Stonehenge Base. It's hard 
to get, but even without that sword, Poo's Offense Stats are still high 
with a fast rate of increase, so once he's leveled up, he should be strong 
enough. Couple that with Poo's super high speed, you have a mean character 
that is in no way crap. (No pun intended) He may have limited PP, but he 
CAN recover PP from enemies using PSI Magnet, so it's possible for him 
to be self sustaining, so he's not that useless.

The reason why Vyse is comparing Ness to everyone else in the game is that 
there are severe Power Imbalances in the game. I agree with him here, but 
no matter how strong Ness is, the other 3 are still strong enough to fend 
for themselves. In boss battles, the other 3 characters still stand a chance 
to deal much more damage than Ness in many circumstances. Remember Paula's 
PSI, Jeff's Multi Bottle Rockets and Heavy Bazooka. I managed to get through 
many areas even if Ness is down, so he's not that essential. It's that 
the Your Sanctuary Bosses require Ness to be conscious, so it's not 
difficulty, but the rules of the game that impede your advance if you don't 
have Ness much of the time. 

I quote "The enemies at the end are so ridiculously powerful that you 
constantly run from battle. The others were dead centuries ago and Ness 
is DYING. Ha ha ha...Ness is DYING!? NESS IS DYING!! Don't get me started 
on those "Starmen" demons." Ness is dying huh? Note that due to the Rolling 
Hit Points system, it's possible to heal a character even if he's dealt 
Mortal Damage to prevent him from going unconscious. Besides, prevention 
is better than cure. If you can get a Shield Sigma up by Paula before that 
Ghost of Starman attacks, you are definitely safe from his Starstorm! 
Always look for a change of strategy before criticizing a game for being 
too damn difficult!

Now, about the relevance of the characters. Vyse mentioned that Poo has 
little relevance since he joins too late. A possible explanation to this 
irrelevance is due to Ness not talking at all. Since, the amount of 
interactions will definitely be low. The "silent protagonist" approach 
basically assures that only the first character is the well thought out 
character! So, he's right at this point. As for the problem with pathetic 
levels of other characters, I have a possible remedy to deal that problem. 
It is to let Ness go unconscious when the other characters are fit to fend 
for themselves, and have them fight easy to defeat, but rewarding enemies 
like Fobbies. Then, the other characters can get to catch up, and you will 
get a balanced party again. Now, of course, all ailments are a pain, and 
that's the point of ailments right? Fortunately, they are all easy to heal, 
using the Healing Spells.

As for the Rent or Buy part, I won't comment on it. But a smart consumer 
should not pay more than $20 for such an old relic. This is particularly 
true if it's second hand. If it's still sealed, then it can worth more, 
maybe not more than $30!

In conclusion, I agree with 60% of Vyse the Determined's review. It's just 
that I completely disagree with the Gameplay part. Of course, you are likely 
to find my counter arguments taking up lots of space in the analysis part 
since there really is nothing much to say if you already agree with someone, 
right? The bottom line is, I respect everyone's opinion  and won't stop 
people from saying bad things about a game. (unless they are offensive, 
of course!) It's the negative stuff that I enjoy to read all the time! 

---------------
9. Conclusion
---------------
Well, this concludes the guide of Earthbound. Earthbound is a dark horse 
in video games back in 1995, but still has attracted a very strong following. 
There is one particular fansite that Earthbound fans should visit. It's 
called starmen.net. It is named after the minions of the universal 
destroyer. Nintendo originally intended to release an Earthbound for the 
Nintendo 64, but it seems that Itoi's production team encountered a lot 
of difficulties while developing. Therefore, in spite of a playable demo 
of Mother 3 being available at Spaceworld, the game was finally cancelled 
in late 1999. This broke the hearts of all those Earthbound fans that are 
eagerly waiting. Poor guys. At least there is the option to download old 
SNES games with the Nintendo Revolution. Anyway, this guide is copyright 
2005 to the future by Alasdair Lo, and blah blah blah with all that legal 
stuff. No one may reproduce or copy this guide without my permission.

--------------------------------
Appendix I. Feedback Information
--------------------------------
Since the publishing of the original version of this guide, I decided that 
I must make some new rules for those people who want to give me a feedback 
about my guides. All future strategy guides will have this section. If 
the following rules are not observed, I will just consider your e-mail 
to be spam mail or flame mail, and I will delete it without reading it, 
and will blacklist your e-mail address.

For publishing permission:
This guide is intended to be published in GameFAQs and only GameFAQs. You 
can print it out to read it while your computer is off, but do not copy 
my work and claim it as your own. That is all. Although I do not have a 
lawyer to sue anyone if they do it without my permission, I expect everyone 
to have self discipline about these things.

Feedback Concerning Mistakes: (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, LISTEN 
UP)
As I am a human, and we are all humans, we all make mistakes. Nobody is 
perfect. If I had made any mistakes in my guide, feel free to e-mail me. 
But however, you must follow these rules. I have typed out some bad examples 
with each rule, and they are from some of the e-mail I received by people 
who are dissatisfied by my original Command and Conquer: Generals side 
comparison guide. 

You must:
Be polite, as I will take these feedback letters as seriously as formal 
letters, and you should specify the version number of my guide, then I 
can check my guide out. However, it need not be as formal as business letters, 
after all it is only a game. You should also present yourself clearly, 
I won't even think about anything that I cannot understand at the first 
glance, as I am a busy person.

For example, "I enjoyed reading your guide, but disagreed with you on some 
points." From a person called Alex Shikh or "I agree with you that China 
is the strongest factions, but it is not much stronger than the other 2." 
From Ives Gobau And so on.

You must not:
Say any foul language and offend me. 

For example, "Your guide was ********, full of lies and biased opinions." 
From K Truin. You are not going to make me listen by saying rude words 
to me, you will only give me the impression that you are either uneducated 
or have low EQ.

Conduct any surveys about how good my guide is and give it to me, as I 
could not care less about your so-called surveys. 

For example, "I have conducted a survey about your guide and over 90% said 
that it was a trashy tabloid." From Frozak.

Finally, you must not say anything I consider to be racist. 

For example, "You mentioned that you live in China that is obvious, 
considering your bias towards this side, etc..." "I am afraid that your 
living in China has blinded your judgment so much." From someone I could 
not remember his name. So, what are you trying to say, say that us Chinese 
are all idiots? Besides, the word bias is used to describe unfair 
comparisons due to neglecting some facts. As I have put all facts into 
account, I really cannot have made any bias towards any sides.

From all the 50 or so letters complaint I received, I decided to listen 
to less than 5 of them. Why? As only 5 of them could follow the rules stated 
above. So, you MUST take those points into consideration, or else, don't 
expect me to listen to you.

Submitting your own tips:
I am always ready to submit tips from readers. However, you should make 
sure that the tip has not been posted in my guide before you mail me. Also, 
write down your name or a pseudonym so I may credit you.

Game Help:
If you have read my guide and did not understand something, feel free to 
ask, but please do not do this too often, as my e-mail account has other 
uses. But do not ask about anything that was clearly written in my guide 
or I will not reply. Also please refer to the chapter you have problems 
with, as my guide is very long, and I cannot memorize everything that 
happens in this game!

You may have wondered why I put this section up. This is a new 
"Anti-disturbance" ordinance I set up for my own use, in order to minimize 
all those annoying and insulting things I receive. In fact, during 
September alone, I received at least a hundred of mail concerning my Side 
Comparison Guide, and I am now to make sure this will never ever happen 
again.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours,
Lo Kai Yan Alasdair, kylohk. (Kai Yan Lo From Hong Kong)