I should mention something I didn't have time to mention earlier: in this game, you automatically call the "game-saving hotline" when you pick up a phone. There's no other numbers, so a menu won't pop up.
Okay, now time to do that exploring I mentioned earlier. Before you do, be VERY careful around the entrances to Onett and Peaceful Rest Valley; the Super Doom Shrooms and Blue Antoids can NOT be beaten.
Anyway, almost all the NPCs have new text. Here's a few things I found interesting:
- To the left of the inn, the girl who tells you about Twoson will talk about the monster attack now.
- In the inn, the guy who gives you $50 for repeatedly talking to him is bragging about how he helped out Ness. He won't give Varik money, though. Meanwhile, the guy who had a mushroom on his head now has a bat on his head.
- The Bicycle Shop doesn't have any bikes for sale.
- In the department store, the bakery and the top-floor shops don't sell anything anymore. The cashiers will still talk to you, however. Thankfully, the burger shop will still sell you food.
- A new act called the Sexy Sisters is now playing at the theater. You can find said sisters hanging around where Lucky and Gorgeous originally were.
- The Hint Shop guy won't give you hints, since it's safe to say that you've already beaten Earth Bound.
- The dog is rather frustrated that Varik isn't psychic.
- There's a few stands in Burglin Park that are now closed: the condiment stand (cops thought he was selling drugs, druggies angry at snorting ketchup), the egg store (guy found out the hard way his eggs were all fertilized ones), the For Sale Sign guy, the Ruler stand, and the banana lady (she died! You'll see a sign where she used to be). The bakery now sells new food, the best of which is the Pumpkin Loaf (recovers 80HP). The junk shop guy now sells a weapon upgrade, the Rapier ($80) and an interesting item called the Monster Book, which I'll talk about in more detail when I start grinding.
- If you go over to where Everdred used to live, a guy in a sombrero will jump off the roof and brag about his awesome stereotypical costume.
"HELL YES MEXICANS!"
- You'll find another Teddy Bear (takes damage for you in battle) in Paula's room.
- The Mach Pizza girl won't give you a phone number, but she WILL flirt with you.
- The ghosts are in the Threed tunnel again, so you can't go through. If you manage to bluff your way past the super-powerful shrooms and ants east of the bus station, you'll find that the cave to Peaceful Rest Valley is blocked by a rock. The entrance to Onett is NOT blocked, however, but we'll get to that later.
- The gift box near the Threed tunnel now contains a Sub Sandwich (recovers 120HP, but you only walk fast for one second).
Now it's time to talk about important plot details. Watch out, there be spoilers ahead!
If you hadn't guessed at the character naming screen that something was amiss, you'll know it when you talk to the old lady outside of the department store. She'll talk about Paula, and how "young people don't deserve to die." You'll get the full details when you talk to Paula's Dad and Apple Kid. Apparently, Ness and his friends never returned after they defeated Giygas, and everyone assumes they're dead. Apple Kid tells you he's got a "bad feeling" and that he hasn't seen Dr. Andonuts in awhile. Hmmm...
With all that out of the way, it's time for us to do a little grinding. The enemies in the sewer are far too strong for Varik to take on at level 1, so you'll have to fight some enemies in town first. I like to grind until about level 5 before I go down there. I also like to make sure Varik has the Rapier first.
Before we start fighting, there's one piece of free equipment. Remember I said the Onett entrance was open? Make your way past the mushrooms and ants and head into south Onett. It's now dark, and a new song is playing (which was originally going to be the new intro). Keep going north, dodging the mushrooms to find a gift box. The box contains the Black Helmet. Even if you already have the superior Moldy Cap (dropped by the Kid-eating Dinosaurs), you might want to keep this in your inventory for later.
Anyway, if you manage to make it to the Exit Mouse's house, the guy that lives there will tell you there's a solar eclipse. If you make it all the way to Onett, you'll find it barricaded by the cops. Shucks.
(WARNING: Using the Walk-Through-The-Walls code to get past the barriers is a bad idea, as entering Onett will cause glitches!)
It was pretty late by the time I got back to Twoson, so I saved and stopped here. I'll do the grinding tomorrow (or at least, the rest of it, as I had run into a few enemies while exploring. Varik is now on level 3).
