Part 21: Exiting Saturn Valley
Up on the mountain is the house of Phrygia, who is almost always sleeping. Next to his bed is a sign that tells you exactly where to go inside the volcano to find the Needle.
As you go on your way, you can hear two Pigmasks talking about Fassad. One says, “Apparently, he’s undergone a HUGE makeover to change his image.” The other says, “Yeah, I heard about it. Apparently, he’s made some pretty hardcore changes to himself sound-wise. Sounds like we better find the needle before he yells at us louder than ever. And this time, he’s got horns, no less.” Somehow, Fassad survived his fall from Thunder Tower. What could he possibly look like?
When you reach the Needle inside the volcano, Fassad will try to stop you:
So that’s what he looks like! He certainly does have horns! Fassad himself is now a Chimera. The name, “New Fassad” makes him sound like a toy, which is how Chimeras seem to be treated. The song that plays here, Hustle for Pride, is a remixed version of Unfounded Revenge, the song for when you fought the Pork Trooper. This song sounds like it’s trying to sound as imposing as Unfounded Revenge, but it’s constantly malfunctioning, either going too fast, too slow, or not getting the cue to move on to the next part of the song. It’s a hustle for pride, overworking itself for greatness. If you take another look at New Fassad, he doesn’t seem very comfortable – he has prosthetic legs, a prosthetic eye, and a prosthetic nose. He probably shouldn’t be out here in a volcano fighting against three people and a dog, but he still is because of his yokubari, his greed for greatness.
Once you defeat Fassad, he flies away doing his evil laugh, and his interpreter leaves after him. Lucas pulls his second Needle. The earth quakes, bright lights shine inside the volcano, and a purple burst of smoke blasts out of the ground. There are only 3 Needles remaining. Phrygia wakes up just in time to tell Lucas where two more needles are: Tanetane Island and Chupichupyoi Temple (good luck pronouncing that). The last Needle’s location is unknown, and Locria is supposed to be protecting it, but Phrygia doesn’t know anything about him.
When you exit the volcano, a Pigmask bombs the exit to Saturn Valley! Duster suggests you ask the Mr. Saturns if there’s any other way to leave. One says, “WE COLLECT BIRDIES. LOOOOTS OF BIRDIES. FOR FLYING VEHICLE. BUT NOT ENOUGH BIRDIES YET. MAYBE ONE MORE.” You can find a few Mr. Saturns fishing for birds with hooks attached to balloons, without much success. If you sneak up to a bird and catch it, you can get the last bird they need. The Mr. Saturn tells you to wait at the hot spring while they prepare the bird vehicle.
Throughout this part of the game, you can talk to all the Mr. Saturns and get their insight on life. Here are my favorite moments:
A Mr. Saturn will give a map at you, which looks like this:
“GIRL. AM GIRL.”
“DO YOU KNOW? HOMESTEAD ACT.”
“LADDER PLAYING IS FUN. PLAY AT ME? NO PLAY AT ME? NO PLAY? OH.”
“WE ARE ALL, US.”
In the hot spring, a Mr. Saturn will offer Lucas a cup of coffee. When he drinks it, he takes the time to reflect on his journey. A blue backdrop takes over the screen as text scrolls up:
“No one is simply born ‘strong’.
People only grow stronger little by little, by encountering difficult situations and learning not to run from them, no matter how frightening or daunting they may be.
Lucas. This is exactly what you have done to grow strong.
However, you did not do it for yourself.
You grew strong for those you would otherwise be unable to help. They are the reason you are strong.
Even now, you occasionally show a glimpse of it, Lucas. Fleeting images of that once-pampered, crybaby boy can sometimes be seen in your smile.
You’ve come a very long way.
There’s no telling what to expect from here on out, but if one thing is certain, it’s that those who believe in you will be right there to help.
Trust in them.
Now go forth, toward whatever stands out the most in your eyes.
Go, facing not the darkness, but the light.
Lucas…
And his companions…
You have driven the enemy into a corner.
The enemy’s back is to the wall.
There is nothing to fear now.
Everyone is watching on, with complete faith in you. In their hearts, they all say, ‘Thank you!’
Can you hear them?”
Since Chapter 7 is so long, I assume that Itoi couldn’t wait for the end of it to flex his writing muscles. Therefore, he stuck a narrative recap in the middle of it. This portion solidifies the game’s narrative as a coming-of-age story, more specifically a Bildungsroman. In a Bildungsroman, the main character usually faces a terrible tragedy at the beginning, but manages to overcome life’s challenges regardless of what he was up against. I especially love stories like these, as not only does the main character grow, but it offers the reader/player ways to grow as well. In Lucas’s case, his family has been torn apart, but he hasn’t let grief consume him. However slim the odds are, Lucas is firmly working towards the one-in-a-billion chance to completely turn the tables. Most RPGs only focus on the growth of the main character’s physical strength; what makes Mother 3 special is that it focuses on the main character’s mental strength as well.
The scene where Mr. Saturn gives the main character a cup of coffee at a hot spring that makes the player reflect on how far he has gone is a direct reference to EarthBound. In fact, the song that plays during this moment is a one-to-one recreation from that game. The funny synths at the beginning represent the fact that we are going into Lucas’s state of mind. After that, the song starts building up, with the drums getting more intense; something big is coming… Then boom! A synth begins the melody, playing the same note eight times in a row. This represents Lucas’s firm confidence, being able to consistently stand tall, unshaken by his enemies. The rest of the melody is extremely uplifting, symbolizing the bright future ahead for Lucas and his team. This was used to great effect in EarthBound, when it asks, “When good battles evil, which side do you believe wins? Do you have faith that good is triumphant?” In one word, I would call this song, “Breakthrough.”
After the coffee break, a Mr. Saturn walks over to Lucas, saying, “I POLISH DULL THINGY TO SPARKLY THINGY,” and takes his courage badge that was passed down from Flint. He also notes that the bird vehicle is ready for flight. The vehicle is really just a bird cage with a lot of birds in it; it’s ridden by holding on to the rope at the end. The Rope Snake makes his appearance once more, offering to be used instead of the Mr. Saturns’ rope. Despite having dislocated his jaw trying to hang on to the Mother Porkship, he pleads to be given another chance. After a little while in the air, the Rope Snake starts having trouble holding on, and he loses his grip and sends everybody freefalling. Conveniently, they all fall into the water of Tazmily’s beach. After having failed to carry out his duty, the Rope Snake cowers into a hole, having lost all self-esteem. He says he’ll be going to the city to make it big pretty soon.
This concludes part 21 of the analysis.