Part 12: Salsa’s Escape
When Fassad exits the castle, two Pigmasks and their tanks are blocking the drawbridge. Fassad yells for one of them to make room for him to pass through. The soldiers start arguing about which one should move out of the way for him. Fassad then scolds both of them and the bridge is cleared. After that, one Pigmask calls the other an idiot, and the other one responds with, “I know you are, but what am I?” Fassad is extremely frustrated with his men, as the Egg of Light’s location could be anywhere now. Clearly, the Pigmask army is only strong because of their technology. Fassad seems to be the only one that really cares about the operation.
Before you go back to the inn, you’re able to explore the village again. If you go up to Hinawa’s grave, Alec will be there paying his respects. When you talk to him, he says to Fassad, “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t want any of your cockamamie Happy Boxes. So could you stop bothering me already?” If you go to Isaac’s house, he says, “Your generosity really got to me, Mr. Fassad. I’d love to be a follower of yours, if possible.” If you remember from when Fassad first gave his speech, nobody was completely sold on his idea of “happiness,” but once Isaac received his Happy Box, he’s now asking to hear more of Fassad’s ideology. Some, however, have been suspicious of the Happy Boxes, and never been convinced, like Alec. This once again shows how each villager is their own self, with different thoughts and opinions.
What is a Happy Box, anyway? It looks a lot like a television. It emits a strange light that people love to look at. However, Itoi says Happy Boxes aren’t supposed to resemble anything. I don’t think it was the best decision to make them look so similar to a real-world object if it was supposed to be abstract. It doesn’t matter what your interpretation is, though.
When you get to the town square, you will see Butch arguing with Wess about who stole his money, just as they were at the ending of Chapter 2. However, we now get to see an extended version of this scene. Fassad walks on screen and says,
“My goodness! I simply can’t believe that someone would steal the money I so humbly gave you! …Perhaps it’s true, then… Perhaps this village really is starting to become cursed… [he faces to the crowd] We can’t allow Tazmily Village to become a dismal hive for evildoers to run amok. We must all seek happiness… or this village will be in grave danger!”
Salsa takes a deep stare into Kumatora’s eyes. Fassad asks, “Oh? What’s this? Are you fond of the nice lady here? Come, now. I’ll give you lots and lots of Luxury Bananas later, so let us return to the Yado Inn. Okay, little Salsa?” When they get back to Fassad’s room, he shocks Salsa, saying “Hey! Stupid monkey!! It seems you still don’t understand the situation you’re in! If you ever disobey me or try any funny business in the slightest, I’ll make sure your beloved girlie monkey winds up in some serious trouble. Remember that! Now go to sleep!” Salsa starts to cry, and the screen fades to black.
Fassad’s hypocrisy is sickening to watch. He was the one who stole Butch’s money, and he’s now preaching to everyone about how they need to put an end to this thievery. He treats Salsa like a beloved little pet when he’s in public, but the moment they’re alone, he treats him like a mechanical tool. I also think it’s interesting that he refers to Kumatora as a “lady,” being the only one besides Wess to correctly identify her so far. Fassad is obviously intelligent and knows how to please people, but the fact that he uses it for manipulatory purposes is despicable.
Late into the night, when both are asleep, Salsa is awoken by Kumatora’s voice. She and Wess pop in one of the windows and gives Salsa a chance to escape. He looks at Fassad and thinks hard about the decision he’s about to make – if he gets caught, it’s the end for him. Salsa decides to jump out the window to Kumatora and Wess.
While Kumatora was concerned about saving Salsa, Wess is concerned about the Egg and Duster, which they still haven’t found. But before they do anything else, they need to keep Salsa from ever getting shocked again. Wess, using his thief skills, sneakily swipes Fassad’s remote. Wess accidentally presses the shock button on his way out. The remote is laid out in front of Salsa, who furiously stomps it to pieces, getting shocked one last time in the process.
While Salsa is technically free, his girlfriend is still in danger, which Kumatora senses through her psychic powers. Kumatora calls Fassad a “cheap bastard” in response. Unbeknownst to them, he listened to their every word, and approaches them with a group of Pigmasks. He also remarks that he’s surprised to be meeting with the Princess again. How does Fassad know who Kumatora is? Our heroes flee, with the Pigmasks chasing after them. Fassad, left all alone, gets on the phone and tells the receiver that Kumatora and Wess are headed their way. He also says, “… I see. Then remain there on standby. I’ll be there shortly.”
Kumatora, Wess, and Salsa are headed to the forest. On the way, you can stop by and check out Leder, the freakishly tall man who stands next to the bell tower. Kumatora says, “What a huge person. Hellooooo, up there! Oh! He smiled!” This is the first time that Leder has ever remotely responded to anybody’s actions.
Once they enter the woods, tanks and soldiers are already on standby. When a tank blocks their path, they run back. But before they can exit, another tank attacks! After a hard-fought battle, the tank breaks down. Instead of firing cannonballs, all the operator can do is toss them at the party for negligible damage.
This song is another military anthem. This one sounds more intense than what plays when you fight against regular Pigmasks, with a dramatic drumroll at the beginning of the song. The percussion in general is more hard-hitting, which makes you feel more like you’re fighting a Pigmask in a tank rather than a Pigmask on the ground.
But by the time the tank is defeated, Fassad catches up to them with even more soldiers. They’re outnumbered. Just when it seems all hope is lost, Lucas walks onto the scene to help. He calls a baby Drago, who then calls its mother to wreak havoc on the enemy!
Finally, justice has been served to Fassad, who tormented Salsa for the entirety of this chapter. With that, Chapter 3 concludes. Wess notes that all Lucas has been seen doing is crying at Hinawa’s grave, but it seems he’s also been up to some other things as well. Unlike Claus, who sought revenge on the Dragos, Lucas sought to befriend them, believing them to still be a force of good. Despite having killed his mother, Lucas had faith that these towering reptiles weren’t truly wild. This bravery has paid off, as Lucas saved the lives of two people and one monkey. Wess and Kumatora catch Lucas up on what’s been going on, and Kumatora takes Salsa to safety. It seems that Lucas is now part of the “Pigmask resistance force.”
Text scrolls up the screen in what I believe to be the best-written piece of literature in Mother 3 to conclude the chapter:
“Tazmily Village is now transforming exactly how the newly-come peddler had planned.
Only a handful of villagers realize that things that were good and right are being tossed away one after the other.
Although prosperity is increasing, an eerie darkness seems to be growing heavier over the village at the same time.
However, within that darkness, a frail, young boy grows ever stronger.
Soon, Lucas will repaint this tale of sadness with a bright, new color.
The deeper the darkness, the brighter the sunrise at dawn.
The once-coddled Lucas is now on his way to become a brilliant, young sun.”
Though Chapter 3 was a painful one to endure, ripe with abuse and stolen bananas, evil is being trounced upon. No matter the odds, the forces of good will always stomp out evil. If you remember at the end of Chapter 2, the ending summary asked what has happened to Lucas – the end of Chapter 3 answers that triumphantly. There is still much more evil to be defeated, but it looks like the brilliant, young sun is beginning to cast out the darkness.
This concludes part 12 of the analysis.