I’m still having trouble getting to sleep. Ever since starting the game I’ve had this weird anxious feeling, like I needed to be ready for something. I’m not entirely pleased with what I’ve seen, that grey creature gives off a very bad vibe. But I’m not ready to quit just yet.

World 4, Amorphis.

Green board with 4 level types;

RUIN
FALLS
REEF
DEPTH
“RUIN” is a level of flooded temple ruins. It has a dismal atmosphere to it. Some of the platforms sink into the water after being stepped on. I don’t know if the water is harmful or not, but I won’t chance it.

I’ve noticed a pattern: creatures that stand still when you walk up to them are usually okay to talk to. The things that are constantly moving around either don’t respond, or they attack. Right here is a something that’s standing still so I’ll say hello:

He seems bitter. Since I’m conversing with one of these, I’m going to ask it something I’ve wanted to find out. Which is how exactly these creatures can hear what I’m saying.

He’s a little smartass, apparently. I doubt he’ll be saying anything useful so I’m moving on.

The level is sparsely populated by creatures, most of them are these things that leap and bite. I’m glad I’m going through here with Rodan because I can fly over them.

After browsing through the level for a minute I found Usol! Let’s see how he’s doing.

He’s not doing too well. The poor guy’s lost his home from the sound of it. I don’t know what to do other than say I feel bad for him. It’s a really strange feeling trying to comfort something that lives in a video game.

Then I ask him if he knows anything about a password.

I feel conflicted by Usol’s response. While I’m happy that I got a password, I’m also worried by this “They” that he mentions. Who are “they”, and why would they come after him? I try to ask him to explain, but he starts to fly away.

Might as well see what this password does. Heading back to the Transcendence Project and…
We’re in!

It’s rather strange that Usol got a code that works for this. I was under the impression that his “world” was separate from this game menu stuff. Makes me curious as to how he got it, but anyway, let’s see this “Project”.

It appears to be some kind of journal, with separate entries as readable text scrolls..

This…makes no sense. Why is there a written document about the cartridge IN the cartridge? How did it get there? Did this doctor disassemble it and encode his own journal into the game? Why would he do that?

Nothing to do but start reading.

Seems as if someone donated this game to a lab and some scientists ran tests on it. The journal doesn’t say who the donor was or how they knew where to send the game. Nor does it say what exactly the problem with the game is, it’s only referred to as an “Anomaly”.

The rest of the entries describe tests done with the game. I’ll post screencaps of some of the more interesting ones.

The last two entries are alarming.

To be honest I didn’t really believe a lot of Zachary’s testimony about his game ended, with the paralysis. I figured he was playing some weird modded game and was getting caught up in his own imagination. But this bit about “Jeremy” having a seizure is making me rethink it. And judging from this, Zach is the only person to have completed the game in it’s “anomaly” form.

“Group Test Day 13”, dated September 21, 1997, is the last entry in the journal. Either the project was abruptly ended at this point, or the rest of the journal has not been recorded on this. While this does give a bit of insight about the game, it raises more questions than it answers. Assuming that this is even legitimate, that is. These entries are very short for what’s supposed to be a professional experiment.

But real or not, I still don’t understand how it’s even in the game. The journal itself isn’t lending me any answers, and I don’t see anything else to look at on this page except the journal entries. So I’m going back to Amorphis to complete it.

“FALLS” is a waterfall level. Mostly the same as RUINS, just walking through and jumping over pits. Enemies here are the 1998 Godzilla, a giant lobster, and some more of those jumping creatures. The music is faster in pace and sounds more threatening.

The end of the level has you right at the waterfall, having to jump across blocks that come down the falls. Very much like those parts in Mario Bros 2, except it’s a little harder because Godzilla’s jumping is awkward. Jumping creatures come down from the top of the screen every few minutes.

Time for another boss!

“Dagahra” is an aquatic reptile that alternates between crawling and flying around. When he flies, he releases starfish that attach to Godzilla and then explode.

His last trick is to spin around rapidly, creating a whirlwind that blocks the heat beam, and makes it hard to attack him. The only thing that works against this is the tail whip.

From there, it’s onto the Reef.

In this underwater stage, Godzilla can actually swim! I don’t recall him doing that in the game before. I’m very glad to see more health boosters, that bastard Dagahra nearly took out Godzilla.

Godzilla actually handles better underwater than he does on land, although there are some drawbacks. He can’t kick or tail-whip, unless you go to a surface and stand on it.

The fish are peaceful but the octopus will try to grab Godzilla if he gets too close, and there’s more lobsters. They also move faster underwater.

An unsettling sight- a creature tied to a rock. He must have gotten on someone’s bad side and they decided to drown him.

At the end of REEF is a mini-boss, a long necked aquatic dinosaur. He fights a lot like Godzilla, but doesn’t have a heat beam. Instead he opens up his tail and knocks back with a blast of air/water/something. Lack of ranged weapons makes him easier to deal with than Dagahra.

“DEPTH” is another swimming stage, this time at the ocean floor. Very eerie music, and it’s hard to see. Not a good sign.

I don’t know what this is, but I don’t like it.

Uh-oh. Looks like the drowning wasn’t an isolated incident..

At least there’s spare health laying around(These enemies doesn’t give any after being destroyed). God only knows what I might run into down here.

Like this dragon. I thought this was going to be a problem at first, but when I went to cross, he just stood there. Which is nice.

Maybe if I keep going left I’ll find the exit.

NOPE.
Alright, after about 10 minutes of swimming around, I seem to be getting somewhere. I figure I’m at the ocean floor, nowhere lower to be, so the direction to go is up. Freakish mermaids have started swarming on me, so I must be close.

Going up led me out of the depths and into a waterfall stage, this one is set at night. I ran into this green character and then this happened:

I think I know who Usol’s afraid of.

Let’s see how he likes getting blasted.

 

I wonder why he left after being attacked. Too cowardly to stay and fight? I doubt it.

 

This fight was fairly easy until “Odia” gave me a surprise-

Turns out it can shapeshift. What’s worse is not only it’s heat beam is as powerful as mine, now it moves even faster.

It switches between Godzilla and it’s true form every few seconds. After losing a lot of life, it dives downward towards some underwater caves.

Odia hides inside them and sticks it’s head out to spew green spheres, which stick and make it hard to move. Then Odia rushes forward to ram Godzilla into spiked walls.

It’s an interesting tactic, in fact I’m going to use it myself.

Another one bites the dust.

And there’s another world completed. I wonder what happened to those people who were part of the project…