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| EarthBound owned by Nintendo. Images used for educational purposes only. |
Winters
- Unlike most jumps to Winters, this time you’ll wind up in front of Jeff’s old Boarding House. Things are obviously amiss ‘round here. Have a chat with the dude manning the Drugstore to finally make use of the local equipment, then head outside and wander south. The enemies, now very much alien, have received an upgrade:
- Lesser Mooks, which you may have fought in Dungeon Man, are PSI specialists that can diamondize your characters. Mash them quickly with physical attacks.
- Whirling Robos are upgraded versions of enemies you’ve fought before. Not much to say.
- Woolly Shamblers are fairly indistinct monsters that are at their worst if they use PSI Flash. Otherwise, easy kills with physical attacks.
- Make your way to the spot where Tessie transported Jeff earlier in the game. The Bubble Monkey will take you across a second time. Brick Road’s old dungeon is to the south, and if you still have the Pencil Eraser you can bypass it. Otherwise you’ll have to slink through the dumb ol’ dungeon again…
- … and, beyond, through Rainy Circle. Pretty easy. You’ll emerge near Stonehenge soon; head south, visit Dr. Andonuts’ Lab, and speak to Apple Kid’s mouse. He’ll give you the Eraser Eraser.
- Head north to Stonehenge and approach the dirt circle in the middle. This will expose you to a photo op (if you didn’t get it much earlier) take you below ground. There’s an eraser-shaped statue down here that you can destroy with the Eraser Eraser.
- Welcome to Stonehenge Base, one of Giygas’s earthbound strongholds. This is, depending on how important equipment is to you, one of the longest-lasting dungeons in the game. It’s filled with an assortment of powerful new enemies:
- Mook Seniors are stronger, slightly more dangerous versions of Lesser Mooks. Smash them quickly before they can use any PSI strikes. PSI Fire works quite well.
- Atomic Power Robots are annoying physical hitters that like to recharge HP, and can do so very well. PSI attacks maul them quite nicely. Atomic Power Robots explode upon defeat and inflict a lot of damage, so always take them down last.
- Military Octobots are annoying fighters that can freeze your characters temporarily. Otherwise they’re just not that difficult.
- Starmen are physical hitters and semi-defensive fighters that are very easy to surprise. Not too difficult, and they’re great scapegoats for getting into surprise battles.
- Starmen Supers are upgraded versions of Starmen, and aren’t much more difficult. Don’t use PSI attacks and you’ll be fine, as they reflect PSI, and don’t let them live long, as they can call in reinforcements. They’re only unique in that Starmen Supers have a looooooow chance (one in 128) of dropping Poo’s only viable weapon, the Sword of Kings. If you want the Sword you’d best be prepared to fight a lot of these bastards.
- Wander until you reach an area with enemies. Once you hit an open area, take a right and follow the path to another area. South of where you come out is a Spicy Jerky. Follow the path east from here.
- Another open area’s ahead. Take the right path to find a Guts Capsule, then double back and go south. You’ll be following this path for a while. Do so until you reach an open area that branches north and east. Go north to find a Cup of Lifenoodles, then take the east path.
- You’re now in a more technologically-distinct area. This spot is probably the best place to hunt for the Sword of Kings. Head east from the door to find a Broken Harmonica, then wander back west and go down the ladder near the door. The next path below leads to a PSI Caramel and, eventually, a room containing an Exit Mouse.
- Past the Exit Mouse room is a winding passage. Follow the lower, eastern path until it leads you to a Broken Trumpet, then sweep back south and west to the previous intersection. Follow it north to another intersection. Take the northeastern path to find a Speed Capsule, southwest to find a Pixie’s Bracelet, and southeast to leave the enemies of this area in the dust.
- Beyond a room of creepy tubes you’ll find the boss of Stonehenge Base. Don’t fight him until you’re satisfied with your Sword of Kings hunting, as taking him down will rid Stonehenge Base of enemy encounters permanently.
Starman Deluxe
This is a pretty painful fight if Jeff isn’t loaded down with Bottle Rockets or Paula is low on PP. The Starman Deluxe starts the battle with PSI Shield B raised, and will reapply the Shield whenever it runs out. Otherwise the Starman Deluxe will use two attacks: a normal physical hit, painful enough… or Starstorm A. One hit of this thing can wipe out your entire party. Have Paula use PSI Shield E to protect your party from Starstorm, replenishing the Shield as necessary, and whack away at the robot with physical attacks. It has a decent amount of HP, but so long as you have enough PP to keep casting Shield E this isn’t too bad a fight.
- Beating Starman Deluxe will bring an end to the Stonehenge Base, shutting down all random enemies and releasing the captives in the previous room. Speak to anyone you like here, though make sure you talk to the Mr. Saturn to receive a Saturn Ribbon and Apple Kid to learn about the book Overcoming Shyness.
Part 24: Lumine Hall
Part 24: Lumine Hall