The Rise and Fall of the FunFrock Technocracy: A Let's Play for Adeline Software's Little Big Adventure (Updated!)

[Synthesis]

"During the tyranny, he will also come to you. He may not look like the savior. He may look like the enemy. And you will not know whom to trust, when he asks you those four crucial words: 'Uh....how's it going?'"​

- Excerpt from The Tale of Twinsun from the Diaries of Zoë​

"Ce n'est pas possible--m'ecrivez-vous, cela n'est pas français."​

- Napoleon I ​

"Quotations are like metaphors: flourishes that all the great uncreatives use to stall for time."​

- Synthesis​

​

Following a classic "shareware" demo released earlier that year, in the second half of 1994, Adeline Software International (a subsidiary of the now-defunct French company Delphine Software International) released for MS-DOS the title Little Big Adventure, a particularly early example of a CD-ROM-powered adventure game later distributed on the Japanese PC-98 and FM Towns computer systems as well as in further modified versions on Playstation and floppy disk. Given the less whimsical title of Relentless: Twinsun's Adventure for its Anglophone distribution, the game used a particularly memorable isometric or "2.5D" game engine combing colorful 3D polygon-based objects against a prerendered 2D world a full 3 years before Final Fantasy VII (a game that admittedly would do it better), alongside extensive (by the standards of the time) character voice acting that included practically all dialog featured in the story (if not done particularly well). A direct sequel, overwhelmingly regarded as technically and artistically superior and featuring a fully-realized 3D world and much better voice acting, was released for PC (Windows and MS-DOS) in 1997, titled Little Big Adventure 2 or Twinsen's Odyssey.

Though LBA and its developers at Adeline Software have faded into obscurity in two decades since, at the time of its release the first Little Big Adventure was an impressive international commercial success for what was still a limited market for CD-ROM computer gaming. Remember, the literally game-changing juggernaut Doom from id Software didn't have a CD-ROM release until v1.666--also in 1994. Years ago, I read a article quoting Adeline Software who believed, in the immediate aftermath of its release, almost a quarter of all people owning CD-ROM-capable PCs worldwide owned a copy of Little Big Adventure in one of its many languages available (I'm going to optimistically believe that they were mostly correct). Wikipedia states that at least a half-million copies were sold by 1999, a few years after the release of the sequel. Aside from the technological novelty and the initiative put into international distribution, some of that success is probably due to the game itself: with Nintendo's declaration of the year of the cartridge, the release of Doom II, SimCity 2000, TIE Fighter, and Wing Commander III on PC (in contrast with Megaman X, Sonic the Hedgehog III, and Final Fantasy VI on console), LBA represented something of a foreign, Francophile novelty in the PC gaming space, a whimsical, colorful world poised over a surprisingly dark and even violent action-adventure storyline. Mechanically, it's sometimes considered "Metroidvania" in its gameplay: the character travels and retraces their steps through interconnected zones with areas gradually becoming accessible with new tools and abilities, but with a heavy emphasis on basic puzzle-solving and quest completing. Unlike that genre, though, the controls are frequently given as the games greatest flaw: though fairly normal for the time (with similar controls in games like Crusader: No Remorse), the player-oriented "tank controls" that were later popularized in the original Tomb Raider are largely considered unintuitive today, combined with camera limitations and often unforgiving stagger/injury mechanics. As with many games of its time, early releases were vulnerable to potentially game-breaking bugs that would made progression impossible.

Fortunately, I've played this game more than once, and am fully prepared to hack and/or cheat if necessary for this, my first Let's Play in SF.

With that in mind, let's go back in time to 1994, to a time of the Yugoslav Wars, Boris Yeltsin's burning down of Parliament, Nelson Mandela's election as president, the American Assault Weapon Ban, and China getting onto the internet--and please join me into this charming French tale of one man's prophetic quest to bring down a technocratic dictator. We're on a mission from Goddess to save our girlfriend!

 

[Synthesis]

Part 1: F-ck the Hospice (or Twinsen: Doc Killer)

(Note: The first part of this LP will be particularly graphic heavy and gameplay light, and probably shouldn't be taken as a strict indication of this project forward--mostly, I want to take the opportunity to introduce the games' unique art style and control system. Plus, I'm very, very much an amateur doing this, so please allow some time to settle into a groove.)

First, you have to start the game. We'll be using the GOG distribution via their included DOSBox setup. The faux-nostalgia kicks in with a lime green menu. Fortunately, no DOS setting changes are needed, so let's get started.







Ooh--who's that roguish hero-protagonist with 1990's lighting and...is that a poncho? A smock? We're treated to the North American distribution title. Let's Get Relentless.



The "original" title is 25% more French and 100% more whimsical.



Your typical spartan MS-DOS game introduction screen.





Not much in the way of graphics options, the game runs in 640x480. I'm actually playing this on my Surface Pro 6 because 1) it's convenient and 2) has no mouse support, making it fairly suitable to the unfolded Type Cover. Let's get playing already. And like any good ol' MS-DOS game, your first step is to enter your name...nostalgia keeps me from using 'Synthesis'. Cue the story, mon ami!

​

I don't plan on using Youtube--particularly other people's Youtube videos--in this LP, but I find this particularly useful, as let's us appreciate the opening music score and a taste of some top-quality 1994 European FMV composition. A young ponytail'd man rides a...dragon?....over the open seas to a mountain range. With eyes as oval as his head, he watches the horizon, where an impromptu light show entrances him.



It's pretty. Right?



Uh oh.



UH OH...

You can probably see where that was going. Fortunately, it was a dream. Planet Twinsun is not exploded, and person Twinsen...wakes up in a barren cell in friendly political prison/sanitarium called "the Citadel." Like the scrolling words in Star Wars, the game has already told us much of what we need to know about this alien world:

Twinsun is a relatively new planet on the outskirts of a remote galaxy. It's rotational plane has stabilized between two suns.
There is a huge mountain range running along its equator, that divides the planet in half; each hemisphere is warmed by a single sun.

The Northern hemisphere, with its orange sky, is warmer than the Southern hemisphere. Except for a polar region, the planet's climate is clement. The formation of life forms on the planet was thus favorable. Four species developed over the course of the centuries: The Spheros, the Rabibunnies, the Quetches and the Grobos. They all lived in harmony until a tyrant named Dr. FunFrock reared his ugly head.

Ever since FunFrock's rise to power, the population has been living under a reign of terror. FunFrock set up a police state where suspicion is omnipresent. He is all powerful and controls the people with an iron fist. He has at his disposal two high tech weapons that insure his power: cloning and teleportation.

He can clone any of the species at will, and subsequently recruit these clones into his ranks. He can then deploy these clones instantly through a network of telepods that are dispersed over the entire planet. A few years ago, under the guise of protecting the population, Dr. FunFrock herded the planet's habitants into the southern hemisphere. The repression is harsh. Every day brings more and more arrests, and the people slowly begin to lose hope.

In an effort to keep their spirits up, the people sometimes evoke an ancient legend along with the name of a goddess, Sendell. The mentioning of the legend or Sendell has since been forbidden by Dr. FunFrock.

Meanwhile... a young quetch named Twinsen has been having strange dreams...

Click to shrink...

So the Twinsunian Twinsen, Quetch (hominid-looking humanoids with flesh-colored skin and ponytails) of the Planet Twinsun. That won't get annoying.



So, looks like a case of indefinite imprisonment. At least they gave us a reason. In 1994, starting out in an inescapable cell with no weapons (I'll introduce the inventory in the next part) was pretty novel. But what do we do?



How about some exercise? Cue the Behavior System: LBA's (and LBA2's) system of binding moves to particular abilities to one of four "behaviors": normal, athletic, aggressive, and discreet. I'd like to say the game explains this...and it does, perhaps a bit too slowly.



Unfortunately, capturing the menu itself is a little tricky (due to it being bound to the CTRL key, but you see the behaviors, as well as currency and key counters. More on those later.

You can pace around your cell for as long as you like, but nothing happens until you you break out the athletic run.



Okay, the man in white doesn't seem that friendly, but from one Quetch to another, maybe we can work something out...



Uh oh.



No, not the face!



So from here, like any good adventure game, we're given the illusion of choice: we can stand around while Guillaume Baton rearranges our face into a bruised olive, or we can throw the first blow against tyranny. For Goddess and Country!





Our friend with the club can't take it, and a couple blows from Twinsunian Drunken (or maybe Constipated) Style Boxing knocks him out. And by "knocks him out", I mean causes him to vanish in a poof while flinging a coin at us, Ready Player One style. It was 1994. Let's assume we left his beaten, broken body in the cell after waiting for the lift to return.

 

[Synthesis]

Okay, so what's our next move?



Oh fuck.



You don't think I'll punch someone with a medical degree? You clearly don't know me.



Wait, where are you...did he say something about alarm?



Uh oh.



So, courtesy of an alarm-happy guard, we get an example of Dr. FunFrock's fabled teleportation technology, and we meet our first example of a Grobo (large, robust humanoid Elephants)...who's also wearing white. And carrying a gun. And about to introduce us to a core game mechanic.



A guided, wall-penetrating, un-dodgeable bullet that will knock our ass out.



We're treated to another charming FMV. Maybe they're here to congratulate our valor?



Twinsun gives his best "deer in the headlights" impression while a masked figure's large hand says hello.





"Oooooohh..." Be prepared to see this quite a few times if you're careless (or just haven't memorized the game). Being captured, however, is not an game over state (like exhausting your supply of lives)--instead, we're introduced to a even clever mechanic where capture puts you in the resident prison, where you must escape (just like the game's beginning) and obtain your inventory. Fortunately, we have nothing except some pocket change to our name, so we can skip that next step. Like a French alien Phil Connors, we wake up and repeat the process--except this time, we break another guard's skull, giving us an opportunity to chat. "Uh, how's it going?"





Religious persecution? In my video game?! Well, some more Twinsuian Drunken Boxing turns the doctor into a key, which we can use to get through the next door. It's not evident here, but keys only last within a given level-cell--departing it returns your key count to zero, making it part of the puzzle mechanic. Specific keys are actually inventory items, and not subject to this.







Another hospital tattletale to to get the gradeschool bully treatment in the barracks.









We get our first few inventory items: our personal ID (presumably from the regime) and our Holomap, a useful tool once we're outside this concrete mausoleum. And what's that hanging from the oddly modest changing screen....a uniform? Oooh!

 

[Synthesis]

In the next chamber, we see where the alarm is set and presumably another uniformed-Grobo itchy to shoot any prophetic dissidents in the face on the signal. Classic empty video game prison.



But we're dressed for success, so what's to keep us from strolling out through the upstairs lobby? Behold the power of positive thinking!



"Gentlemen! As you can see, I too am wearing white and serve the good doctor!"





Unfortunately, unlike this very cool, very manly adjunct, the doctor squeals like the last one Twinsen pounded into the sterile steel grating. I thought we were cool, man!



Fffffff....!



*DEEP BADGUY VOICE* "Hey Twinsen, what did the five fingers said to the face?" One hard smack and several beatdowns later, and Twinsun has the foresight to steal a uniform before meeting the twitchy guard in the next door. Let's turn on the Twinsen charm.





"Wait...we're nurse-....I mean, good day to you too fellow nurse! It's not like men can't be nurses, you just don't expect them to be carrying batons and authorized to use lethal force. It's a not a gender thing!" So whereas the actual "doctors" seem to clearly see a prisoner dressed as a nurse, your fellow nurses are not so observant. Let's take advantage of that.





"You better take your doctorate and hold it in front of your face."

 

[Synthesis]

Freedom! Like B.J. Blazkowicz of the classic PC game two years older, we've daringly escaped a concrete hellhole in triumph! Did B. J. also find himself in an ugly loading gate gate next to some high-quality HVAC? A question for the philosophers. In the meantime, those impersonating Citadel nurses should leave in an orderly fashion.



Fffff....! Fortunately, G.I. Quetch is rather slow with his rifle, and running past him to hide in the nearby garbage pile is easy, though his strange, reverberating voice does give us some pause. Meanwhile, we're introduced into to the third of Twinsun's dominant species, the Rabbibunnies, tall, lithe, and populous. This one just happens to be digging through the trash. Huh. Twinsen turns on the charm, and he shares some wisdom.









"You're telling me to hide in garbage--not to mention god-knows-what biohazardous waste? Okay, brother, I know I look like I just ran through an armed checkpoint out of military prison-hospital, but I wasn't born yesterday!"



"Fine."







"I can't believe this is working. This garbage hover-lorry is the size of a particularly extravagant garbage hover-lorry toy."



Twinsun makes his daring escape out of East Berlin South Vietnam the Citadel grounds. We're introduced into the actual use of the until-now useless "discreet" behavior--while it can be used to hide, as its animations would imply, the large open rooms of the Citadel interior leave very little option to hide anyway. Instead, it's often a trigger for specific sequences. It took an 8-year-old Synthesis an embarrassing amount of time to realize that you weren't just supposed to slowly sneak past rifle-totting guards like a 1950s Cartoon Character, completely with tiptoeing sound effect, and that you can't just jump free--you need to stowaway on the tiny vehicle....





...for about 50 meters travel. Twinsunian tax dollars at work, I suppose.

 

[Synthesis]

Taking a moment to marvel the regime's commitment to sustainability and waste disposal, Twinsen is, for the first time, in an area of relative safety (as defined by "free movement with minimal risk of being beaten or shot at"). Here the adventure gameplay kicks in...sort of: the game's manual advises you to talk to everyone you can, read everything you can, and write everything down. That might be a little extreme, but let's talk to this civilian and hope he doesn't mind our uniform.





Uh...okay, sound advice?



This is Twinsun's equivalent of "Keep Calm and Carry On"--you'll see a lot of this posters, and no indication of notices saying something more useful, but it adds a little flavor. Announcement 357-G from the regime is a bit more relevant.





Cryptic yet important sounding. Any chance that the nearby door is unlocked?



In keeping with its light RPG elements, Twinsen gets some leeway to barge into people's houses like a busybody and see what they're up to.





Another Rabbibunny, this one not digging through trash in his one-room cottage. "Uh...how's it going?"







As we've seen before, Twinsen's searching animation...involves him jumping in front of an object. Presumably to knock whatever is hidden free? The resident's complaint might have some basis then. Whatever the case, it nets us 25 of the Twinsunian currency.



Now if only we had something to spend it on. And with that, this tiny area outside the Citadel is pretty thoroughly explored, leaving nothing but a paved road to the south that could be easily mistaken by an eight-year-old as an invisible wall. In the next world cell, we have a convenient signpost.



If you're still reading, thank you for staying with me for Part 1 of my first LP! I hope to continue in Part 2 ("Straight outta' Citadel!") if there's curiosity for this forgotten gem of 1994.

 

[Synthesis]

Part 2: Straight Outta' Citadel

Yes, I went with that title. The corniness will only enhance a LP this whimsical.

Unsurprisingly, this part has come a bit later than planned (I suppose that's true about everyone's second episode of their first attempt at a LP). But it's Sunday night, I have to be at my desk in almost exactly 12 hours, and in bed in between 4 and 5 (we can all sleep when we're dead), I've got an Arnold Palmer in my hands, Achievement Hunter's Theater Mode playing in the background: it's Twinsun time!



Last we left our ex-political prisoner and Twinsun's most problematically-named Quetch, Twinsen was impersonating nurse and running out of the Citadel to the island's biggest (and probably sole) town, Lupin-Burg. Do wolves exist in this world? Probably French ones, but let's look at a different element of game: the HoloMap.



No joke, when I first saw as a grade schooler in the mid-90s, I was blown away: Wow, this game features a 3D representation of its own world! In actuality, the HoloMap--which Twinsen presumably holds by the red plastic stand in front of him like a globe when he's using it--is not all that amazing of a tool. For starters, it doesn't appear to have any actual location data that its user doesn't input itself. Which means Twinsen's HoloMap has...one other location marked on it.



Well, at least the world's savior on a mission from Goddess knows where his own house is. Or at least, can point to it on a globe. Okay, off to save the world change out of stolen clothing.



Twinsen turns on the usual Quetch charm.



For the love of Goddess, can we catch a break? Just one break? Twinsen beats a hasty exit like he's Jim Carrey in the same decade.



Our hero's presumed hometown has all the charm of smalltown Paris circa June of 1941. But unlike the "sleeper bullets", we can outrun the spreadshot rifles fired by these Quetchclones (?). And just like Paris, we'll always have the backstreets and alleys...



Ah, crap.





Oh well, thanks Doc!



Huh, looks like we've discovered the Chibi-Garbage Truck's cousin, the Chibi-Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Provoking it is not recommended.



We also run into our first Rabbi(bunny)clone--substantially more futuristic and dangerous than their Quetch counterparts due to their rabid-fire weapons and stylist Tron armor, but limited by their lack of agility.

 

[Synthesis]

As we make our way through town, we encounter a particularly unfriendly (by non-regime standards) Quetch in a grey suit and briefcase. Why do I feel like I'm going to run into this one again later? A friendlier Rabbibunny gives us some more sound advice (ignore the incongruity with the sidewalks, I've probably stitched this parts together incorrectly).



Well, say what you will about his less-than-sincere propaganda posters, the Doc's seemed to have this world domination thing down, at least in terms of transit. Amidst our chat, a humorously-cute killing machine approaches on patrol and our Rabbibunny friend....freezes?



Wait, didn't we read a poster about this in town? Yes, we did. Well, at least the regime sometimes gives good directions. Standing still causes the patrol machine to ignore you (though Goddess help you if you're standing in its route).



Passing through another zone, we hope to Goddess that Twinsen does know where he lives (and didn't get it knocked out of his brain during his arrest).



"Bug Street." Ah, whimsical.



Regime, run!



But at least we've reached the suburbs. Like many adventure games in 1994, after consulting your useless map your remaining option is to look for anything out of the ordinary. And fortunately, we find it: a blond Quetch woman in a hot-pink backless dress. Her voice leaves..something to be desired (it's much better in the sequel), but....wait, have we seen her before? I mean, more recently than before our arrest?



...

...There's a few ways to interpret this. With the ulterior knowledge that we're going to see this locker poster again, it's not too hard to believe our hero Twinsen is romantically involved with a...pinup model? "Zoé, my love! Your mildly tawdry visage was all that kept me going during the slapping treatments!"



Puritan suspicions aside, Twinsen's beloved Zoé plants a smooch on the hero and ushers him inside.









Thank Goddess for you, Zoé, because so far our plan to take down the regime has involved running around in a stolen nurse's uniform and the occasional beating. Unfortunately, no sooner does Twinsen begin exploring his palatial family estate does the law come a-knockin'.







"There's no chance they're just here for autographs, honey?



Now, without any prior knowledge, this encounter mostly ends with the arriving Nurse giving you a lovetap with a sleeper bullet, and you get to repeat the events of the game up to this point (with the exception of Zoé's comforting embrace). But fortunately for us, Twinsen remembers he can be very discreet.



Zoé heroically sacrifices herself for the freedom of her not-so-bright and dubiously heroic boyfriend. This will not stand! Threaten the very planet's existence and throw us into political prison, but when detain our girlfriend...the regime has crossed a line! This tyranny will not stand! Cue the Batman-wardrobe and equipment montage!

 

[Synthesis]

Well...that was short, but at least we now have the trademark Little Big Adventure hero look, along with our first ranged weapon: the magic ball--our only use of our actual stored magic thus far is to allow the magic ball to "bounce" along the world geometry (against walls, along surfaces, etc.). We can still injure with no magic.

Twinsen's massive multi-room home is also a choice place to use the classic RPG/adventure game mechanic of checking every possible cabinet, shelf and drawer. With our ancestral robe heavy with....our money (or possibly our girlfriend's), it's time to discreetly leave and save the love of our life (and possibly the world).







Out through our......chimney?



A sentry posted to the House on Bug Street becomes the first victim of our magic ball: a couple of good hits later, and he vanishes with a musical poof.



The regime demonstrates an impressive ability to brick up doorways. But no time to be impressed! We need find Zoé! Detective Twinsen is on the case!



"Zoé, successful model and love of my life, has been arrested by the regime! Better go ask my neighbor if they saw which way they went." Yes, this is classic Twinsen logic.





Fortunately, our neighbor is no narc, and while he can't help us he does reveal that Twinsen hired him to do some "ventilation shaft" work, marveling at how far away is from the visible house (and how strange his house seems in general). "Fun" fact--in Little Big Adventure 2, Twinsen's Rabbibunny neighbor (and his son) and quest-related characters.





"And no, it's not a bourgie thing! It's a world-saving thing! Keep your judgment to yourself, peasant!"

 

[Synthesis]

I've made a lot of jokes at our boy Twinsen's expense, but in all seriousness....the Quetch savior of the planet doesn't really have many ideas how to rescue his model girlfriend, much less overthrow a tyrannical technocracy and save the planet from destruction.





"Note to self: after revolution, have traveling businessman added to the list."



Fortunately, there's only one of those in Lupin-Burg and we passed it while dodging bullets, marked with the universal sign of a watering hole: a fruity drink in a ceramic glass.







We're told to look inside, which scientifically speaking is a win-win since even if Detective Twinsen doesn't find his girlfriend, maybe he can drink enough to forget he ever had one.









If I ever heard a reason to overthrow a government, I've heard one today. Time to be....relentless.







"Note to self: after revolution, considering addition of new lists."











"Or, and hear me out, I beat down the stairs and take the bottle from you, and save myself 10 Kashes." Uncouth belligerence aside, we have money to spare and we finally learn the name of Twinsun's gold-coin beating-spawned currency: Kashes.





"Finally! Attention, tavern patrons! You see this Grobo? This is man with purpose! This is a man with knowledge! What have the rest of you done, aside from loiter around grotesque black-and-white portraits?" Some helpful boat-themed signs point us in the direction of Citadel Island's harbor, and after another round of bullet-dodging and clone-fleeing, we find ourselves here.

 

[Synthesis]

Okay, just play it cool.



"Oh. OH! Of course! I knew that! Because that's what I'm here to do--buy a ferry ticket. Thank you, officer of the regime." Okay, Twinsen, you've still got Kashes in your pocket, just....play it cool.



The opposite of that.



"This is entrapment! You have to tell me if you've been briefed about political prisoners before I, an ex-political prisoner, ask you about my political prisoner girlfriend!"







The two Groboclones move to ensnare our hero, but neglect to consider is ability to jump (and apparently their pathfinding only works one way here). Pretending the yellow Groboclone has become ensnared in the barb wire, we're introduced into a new mechanic: enemy color levels corresponding with our own magic level. Right now, Twinsen's yellow magic ball can only injure the corresponding Groboclone--his green counterpart is merely stunned by a hit (useful, but only to a point).







"Really? And who says that, you, or someone not dressed like their attending their country club's golf tourney? Have you seen the size of my house and its ventilation shaft?" Twinsen's belligerence aside, we need a ticket, but he's not far from a solution.





Yes, this is one of those kind of games. I promise there are not that many puzzle sections like this.





Keep in mind that, as with Twinsen's House, the walls are removed for the player's convenience. Inside the Corner Muderhouse, aka Port Storage, it's pretty easy to see how to solve this puzzle, even though Twinsen won't get the ability to pull objects until 1996.







Should you screw up, which is certainly doable, exiting the building will reset the box positions.

 

[Synthesis]

If you've been paying attention, you might ask: wait, why would the regime's officers use a sea ferry when they could just teleport to wherever their destination is? Well, Zoé's not a clone, and neither are we.



"Good, let me tell you, I've had a hell of day, and I could really use a relaxing sea voyage on the....the Arg? What the hell kind of name is that for a ship, Captain Caddyshack?"







That's not bad coloration. Twinsen is literally turning green through this cinematic.



Next time, on....wait, where are we even going? Has the game even told us where this one sea route goes to? Goddess, Twinsen, it's amazing you found your own house after escaping the Citadel. Let's hope he can find his way to Part 3!

 

[Synthesis]

Part 3: Principal Island is for Lovers

(Also known as, yes, I'm still doing this!)

For anyone who actually reads this, I do owe an apology: a combination of mild technical issues, an uncooperative schedule, and laziness delayed me for a few weeks before I returned to this. I'd also like to be much more efficient with time, since it should pretty clear how this game works by now. So without further delay...



Principal (not Principle) Island! Implied to be the most populous island in the game and seat of FunFrock's dictatorship, making it the closest thing to the capital of planet Twinsun's southern hemisphere. Unfortunately, part of the aforementioned minor technical issues is a lack of a screenshot of my arrival, though we'll see Principle Island Harbor later.



And the home of le gros fromage himself. But our wholesome wannabe-prophet has bigger priorities right now.



Asking about your arrested-by-the-state girlfriend in a government building (in this case, Principle Island's large library) goes about as well as you might expect. Not pictured: Twinsen makes a hasty escape. But all is not lost.









Old Burg in the island's interior isn't quite the massive military fortress of FunFrock's HQ, and like any good film about the French Resistance, a tense hive of discontent. No sooner does Twinsen read a poster...







...does a local Rabbibunny tell us to prove our credentials. A Sphero (the fourth and last of Twinsun's dominant sapient species) agrees, so we oblige with a Rabbiclone (marked in yellow, and thus within our capabilities).





Having proved ourselves by sticking it to the man, we are invited inside.

 

[Synthesis]

The unnamed Rabbibunny woman now trusts us, but maybe that's not all it's cracked up to be...





...yes, this is the game. Twinsun's just as perplexed as the player.



Think that massive (by quaint French cottage standards) television behind her might be to blame?







Julia gives us some advice (and some resources for the cause). But first, can we do anything with that massive television?





That's right, it's a memory viewer--and apparently, only for Twinsun (allowing the player to rewatch the game's FMVs in order)! Well, no one said being the chosen one would be easy.





Still, Julia's psychotic ranting aside, we do need to keep looking for Zoë. Maybe the Old Burgers will help us.

 

[Synthesis]

The skittish Rabbibunnies put us through the paces to meet this "Astronomer"....well, they must have a better idea of what to do than Twinsun, right?





Ah, the old "door to a secret passage behind a painting opened by a conspicuous sink". Vive le Resistance!









This conspiracy reaches wide. The anti-FunFrock locksmith enables access further into Old Burg (because Twinsun's not a barbarian and couldn't climb over the fence, you'll need to wait until 1996 for that).



Yikes!











Apparently Groboclones have needs too, and our squeaky seductress buys us safe passage. The door is guarded and barricaded (sheesh!), but what's this grate above it?



What stars as an elevator turns into Twinsun falling through the ceiling hatch with a loud thump. But Bob here is apparently called "the Astronomer" for a reason.







He generously loans us some kashes and sends us on our way. Looks like we'll be explorer more of Principal Island.



Okay, so, we sort of know what's going on...can the most clueless man ever to be made a prophet coax some more information out of the Old Burg Underground?



Ah, fitting. The Library it is.

 

[Synthesis]

Running out of Old Burg, we pass FunFrock's fortress as well as the Principal Island Library, which sure enough features its own military guard.







Goddamnit Twinsun!





Now, if you recall, Twinsen's sparse inventory includes his ID card with his smiling visage....



....probably not the best idea given the aforementioned "arrest orders" and "wanted posters", but you can do...and the Librarian can slam that alarm and have some clones escort you to the local prison. But we're smarter than that, right?



Oh. Wait. No, we're not. Cheese it!



Fortunately, this is just your run-of-the-mill Quetchclone whose not all that inclined to chase after you (or maybe just deeply respectful for library noise rules) and you're free to run away and carry on.





Some intriguing propaganda from a loyal adherent of the regime. Something's up in the north...

 

[Synthesis]

So, apparently the special collections curator is a more reasonable kind of man. If I can do something about Principal Island's terrible tasting water, he'll help me out. This is a classic example of LBA whimsy: sure, I'll show you, a probably dissident and wanted political criminal, forbidden religious texts, but do something for me--namely, make the water taste better! At least our risky visit to the library was worthwhile. Well, that and...









....yeah, that's right. Someone in Adeline Software is a fan of Star Wars, and apparently Twinsun is just about to get The Empire Strikes Back.



So, our Holo-Map has lit up with semi-useful points of interest: the Hamalayi Mountains on Twinsun's frozen equator (we won't be going there any time soon), and Beatrice's house on the other end of the island that's actually accessible.







Time for two new gameplay elements: first, on Twinsen's status screen are currently two "clover boxes"--effectively, a slot for the four-leaf clover item that acts as a One-Up for Twinsen: go to zero HP with no more clovers, and you don't respawn at the beginning of the level cell, you get a game over. Yikes! Clovers are basically treated as very rare power ups (like health and magic points), but there are a finite number of clover boxes in the game. Second, Twinsen drows in any visible water. Both gameplay elements are, thankfully, modified a little bit the sequel. Exploring the area further, we find....a motorcycle?



Inspecting it while it's driver comically relieves himself reveals that you need gas on a per-trip basis which....perhaps you can buy on the general stores (with their helpful Jerry can-shaped signs?). Let's head back to town, starting with...the watering hole?

 

[Synthesis]

Always go to bars. They're always useful. You get a hint to stop by the bazaar (more of a convenience store), because why not?





Apparently, cherry syrup is in high demand (remember our Librarian). Our Holo-Map is now marked with Citadel Island's drug store.







Well, we get the hint: fix the water. Some not-so-cheap gas let's us take a trip to take the motorcycle to Principal Island's sanitation building, we actually use the cherry syrup, if we had it.





So, time to take our revolution back to our hometown...hopefully getting out of Principal Island is easier then getting in, because we're going to be doing the process in reverse.









It'd be easy to blame Twinsen's big mouth and not-so-subtle "Hey, crazy about this LEGEND huhhhhhh?", but the ticket seller intends to rip you off no matter what. While making a mental note of the Principal Island Ferry Ticket Seller for some post-revolutionary justice, we pay the fee.







"...yeah, we all have problems, man. It's called the Quetch condition. Me, I'm wanted for treason and am trying to free my arrested girlfriend. You have your hair dryers. Death of a Fuckin' Salesman, huh?"



So, we dodge more squeaky-sounding bullets to run onto the SS Arg! and make our way back to our jackboot-occupied hometown. Next time (I hope!), Return to Citadel Island! Thank you for joining me on this LP in spite of the grievous delays!