Board 8 > The end is nigh.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Tombs & Torture.

My god.

Am I gonna get a headache from focusing so closely on a screen full of objects moving that fast?

The first few levels were the hardest, I think. But level 10 was really tough.

In one of the first two rooms of Wall of Sorrow, huh? Geez. I just looked at them so closely and took every off-screen exit I could find, and all I did was die. I don't see any weird formations or blocks either.

Thanks.

My only issue with stuff like Toms & Torture, from a gameplay perspective, is, no, it's not too hard, but it is hard enough that I'd want to take a break from it and come back after a bit, and you can't do that because you'd lose your progress.

If I'd been playing 3 weeks ago, I'd just remember where I found the secrets so I would know where to start looking for the last ones. So I don't think it's unfair to ask.

But thanks for the hints in advance, haha. I'll try to find without. But I know I already looked through Hollow the other week and never found the 5th. Haven't done Golgotha yet so more hopeful there.

There's a video somewhere of how incredibly hard T&T room #9 used to be. They patched it though and now it's kind of a pushover.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzjJdE6AAYw

This was how T&T room #9 used to be. Don't mistake it for easy like this looks here -- I had no idea how to approach the problem.
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Oh. Key door in Golgotha. Duh. I didn't even remember that if I had one left, it must just be a key door, since every world has one.

I swear I hadn't looked in Golgotha yet, I was just like "Uh, I missed only the last one, but I don't want to re-find the first 6 just so I can count them out and figure out where the 7th might be"

Pus-Man was relaxing compared to Tombs & Torture.

Yeah, I feel like Pus-Man is the one glitched cart I might be able to do without dying.
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tfw you get to 3-4 in acceptance but then realize you haven't played the rest of it in weeks so you're probably gonna screw up and why didn't you just practice area 3 on its own.

I died more in 3-1 and 3-3 than anywhere in the 2s, 4s, and 5s. The 1s only compete because of how many times I had to run through them.
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Okay, I'm sorry to ask, but actually, can you tell me which rooms SS Exodus secrets 3 and 6 are in?

And also, which room is the cart in in Machine?

It's just not really fun for me to be re-exploring levels that I played 3 weeks ago, looking just for secrets. I normally like secret-hunting, but because it's been 3 weeks, my memory (and muscle memory) of the levels has dropped and replaying them feels kind of like a chore.

Got number 6 in Exodus actually.

I was trying to count where the first 2 secrets were in Exodus and the map layout just confused me and I couldn't keep track.

Hah, I was so sure Exodus secret #3 was gonna be in the bottom right corner of this level.



Thought I was gonna say "Nevermind, found #3 also"

Jumped off-screen there and died.

Was I the only one who thought there must be a hidden area there?

Oh. I did find #3. Behind a very clearly breakable wall that I somehow missed every time I went through the area.

Oh. I see the machine cart. It's one of the few times you can see a second secret area from another... but I don't know how to get there. But that gives me a way to narrow down roughly where the entrance might be, at least. So I may be okay.

This is my last hidden thing in the first world map.

Ok yeah I need a hint. I don't have a clue how to get there.

travelling through Ruin...

noticing all the levels are clearly designed in a way that they can be done backwards

hmmmm

Machine's cart is in room #9.

And nice catch about Ruin...!
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Thank you.

The "collect 10 rings" carts sure get pretty tough huh?

the first few were so easy I thought they were like the "casual fun bonus mode" of the game.

but the last few are pretty tricky.

Yeah, sometimes the rings are harder than not dying the whole cart. You got this!

I just got to Anguish on my new file -- 53 deaths at 47:48. If I can stay under 200 deaths and 90 minutes, that'll be two new achievements (and maybe the last I'll play of the game). I'm practicing each world a few times on my original file first before I touch this new file, so I think I can do it!
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OH SHIT ACTUAL NEW SPOILER

I found Isaac! I saw him on Reddit and kinda thought people were messing with me because they didn't explain how to find him, but he's reeeeeaaaaal.


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Oh man, the secret area in Ruin. That was so satisfying. I love how they "gift" you with the super easy screen of blasting through all the cannon balls at the end of it.

Hahaha.

Well, I officially love Ruin. Definitely my favourite area in the game.

I made it back to level 9 in my first attempt.

I'm confident I can get it in 2 more tries.

You were right, speed running is fun and I wish the game had more of it.

Second attempt: Ruin 4.

Third attempt: 1:27.

What is "Acceptance" on the map? It just brings me back to the glowing orb room? But it says there's a secret?

Delseban posted...

Oh man, the secret area in Ruin. That was so satisfying. I love how they "gift" you with the super easy screen of blasting through all the cannon balls at the end of it.

Glad you enjoyed it! Now do it again "the other way" AKA while the countdown is on.


About your other question: don't think too hard on it. You'll be pulled in the right direction before you know it.....
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Ohhh. Is that what the secret under Acceptance is? Doing that area "the other way"?

Hmm. Okay...

Oh Man.

This game is so cool

Stuff like this is what makes me rank it for sure above SMB.

Yeah, game's legit and has a lot of fun reveals.

Practicing Anguish again, really trying not to die sixty times in this world anymore.
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How many tumors do you have?

I've got Anguish down to 27 deaths...gonna replay each screen until I can beat them twice in a row, then give it the ole' one-two on the actual file.
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Anguish practice run is down to eight deaths, but room #10 is liable to take a dozen lives just by itself. Time to see what happens...!
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Six deaths, flawless room #10!

Now at Gloom...59 deaths, 53:10. 141 deaths and 36:50 to go, so I think I can do it! I feel like this won't make me deal with Nevermore, but if so, fuck -- I've only gotten forty tumors along the way so this won't be happening.
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First run of Gloom: 90 deaths. Yep...glad to practice.
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Down to 20. I'll grind a little more later, then knock out Gloom.
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Dead Racer!

I made it to level 5 the first time before I even noticed there was a timer!

Made it to level 7 my second time.

Just barely made it to level 10 third time.

I have 479 tumors. I have everything from the world map. I'm just missing the second half of the collect-10-rings carts. Those give tumors right? I've never paid attention.

Made it to the very last jump on my fourth attempt.

2:28 remaining on my fifth and final attempt.

Nice.

Uhhh

Well I made it to 5-1

Died at a jump there. No idea how to even do it.

3-1 and 3-3 really are the only tough spots, though some of the jumps in the later 3-X levels are tricky.

Kinda lame to make you keep doing it when you're obviously gonna die in the 5th area a few times. But okay.

Nicely done! You should be in good shape for Nevermore then. I ran against it many times with I think 9 tumors before I went to grab more...and yes, cart-achievements give you tumors too (except the unbreakable !-achievements, though Steam still gives you an achievement).

Just did Gloom in 13 lives! 1:00:31 with 72 deaths. Time is what worries me now, but I think I'll be fine with practice.
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Speaking of limits that I didn't notice...

I got a "game over" on Nevermore 7 which made me realize the life limit.

I had 30 extra tumors, so I tried again and got to 9.

But I guess I should do the rest of the carts first.

Carts are good practice and let you build up your lives for Nevermore. Have at it.

Blasted through Blight my first time with 47 lives...lot better than I thought it'd go. Might finish it off tonight or more likely tomorrow.
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rubble bobble is dumb because there's a ring in 8-3 that, if you miss it, you fall to the end of the level and can't kill yourself to get back so you just can't get the ring goals and have to restart. it's bad design.

Oh wow, I think I get to teach you something important if I understood your post right: press Back/Select to explode and begin a new life from where you entered.
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Also, if it wasn't for Future/Acceptance, Rubble Bobble would probably have the best music in the game. It helped a lot in its most frustrating parts (3-9 flashbacks, oh no).
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HaRRicH posted...

Oh wow, I think I get to teach you something important if I understood your post right: press Back/Select to explode and begin a new life from where you entered.

...cool.

I also realized tumors have always been lives, not just in Nevermore

I realized this only because I read a comment about the game being too hard because you have a life limit in the future (like did this person just never collect tumors???)

I just gotta do Rubble Bobble

then I'll only have super mega cart and Acceptance, and Nevermore

idk if I'll ever do super mega cart. I never really learned how to get rings without dying, I knew I had 20 lives so I was pretty reckless. Not sure I'm up for learning all those levels again.

Haha, I'm dealing with that now. I made sure I collected a few tumors so I wouldn't ever have to restart a world, but not too many and only the easiest ones because I'm on a time-crunch and lives matter. Think I have forty...been enough for how I'm doing things.
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I expect to die for certain rings. I think you can probably survive getting every single ring, but some of them are pains.
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Well

I really needed to sleep

But I figured I'd give Nevermore one more try

And I beat it

Which unlocked The End Is Nigh

and so I figured I might as well give it a look

And after beating a level or two, I realized if I stopped I'd have to redo them because the game doesn't save progress on these

So I just had to beat them all

Not the best level to play at 2AM when you need sleep

But I did it

So now all I have left is Rubble Bobble, Super Mega Cart, and Acceptance.

I... should really beat Rubble Bobble. I may be the only one to beat TEiN cart before it. lol.