Embedded Files
Yes, folks, it's that time of year again; the 12 Tracks Of Christmas project for 2014 has begun, and this year, I'm doing something different; a Gonkaka solo album! Which means that it's going to be a faux-OST for a non-existant game, but rather then just going with the gimmick alone, me and Dio teamed to really push the idea, as you will soon see; this album will include extra art images and TONS of flavour text to help sell the concept, all of which will be included in the final album download! This promises to be the biggest and most ambitious 12 Tracks album I've done so far, so I hope you stick around for the project; it's gonna be one hell of a ride!
---
1) Heaven Shatters (Attract Mode)
composed by: Fumie Saso
"The year is XX92. Technology has advanced so that at any given point, people are connected to the Network via cyber augmentation, allowing them to access news, online stores, video sites, and most prominently net-based games on the get go, wherever they are. It is estimated that at any given point in time, at least 90% of the worlds population is logged into the Net in some form, and 40% of that total is playing a net-based game, the most popular of which is Battlemania. Developed by the 103rd Game Company, Battlemania is a massive multiplayer virtual reality crossover beat ‘em up, featuring characters, enemies, and locations from the most popular games, movies, comics, novels and animated shows; it randomly generates campaigns of varying length and difficulty for groups of players, building from a database of over 1000 characters and 500 locations. Despite initial concerns from the media and inside the company itself, the game became a huge hit, and the company has made enough money back to cover all the licencing fees at least 10 times over.
But then, at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, the entire Net becomes compromised; every single machine connected to it starts behaving strangely, everyone accessing it from an augmentation device is locked in with no way to disengage; to make matters worse, all nations with nuclear armament have lost control of their systems, all of which are armed and ready to fire at any given moment. Tracing the trail of corruption, experts discover the origin of the code; SAINT j92000, the central computer at the heart of the system running Battlemania. Amidst the chaos, every screen begins to transmit the same feed; a man in a red coat, wearing black and white makeup, a cruel smile on his face.
“Good evening, people of the world. My name is Pied. I was created for the sole purpose of providing players with the greatest challenge possible, and tonight, I think I've achieved just that; I have trapped almost all of you in the Net with me, and I have armed every single weapons system on the planet; exactly twenty four hours and fifty three minutes from now, I will fire every single one... If you survive my challenges and make it to my lair, then you may wake to a new day, but be warned; if your character dies, YOU die with them! Hahahahaha!!!”
Though brave and hungry for a challenge, one by one the players fall before Pied’s insidious challenges, the life support systems in their augmentations shorting out their brains as their lives count down to zero, until ultimately, only 8 players remain; a team known as the Brave Herts, spoken of in hushed tones by other players as the absolute best of the best, are the only hope humanity has to avoid a nuclear winter.
And they've just eight hours left."
---
2) Never Say Die! (Character Select)
composed by: Shinji Namiki, Denji Koshiro
"The Brave Herts are a group of 8 players well known within the Battlemania community for being the cream of the crop; players that have completely mastered their chosen character and can clear entire campaigns in only a few hours, with zero handicaps and only the default life count. Despite all the prestige and elite status, though, the players are noted to be very friendly and welcoming of newcomers in the community, and have helped get many a player started on their run to starting their own teams. On the night of the disaster, they not only watch their entire community fall to pieces, they not only have to fight to survive, but they fight knowing that when their comrades fall, they perish outside of the game too. For the Brave Herts, this isn’t just about saving the world; this is personal."
---
3) Under Armageddon's Sky (STAGE 1: Sunset Serenade)
composed by: Fumie Saso, Denji Koshiro
Name: Tony Harper
Age: 15
Weapon: Nail Plank, psychokinesis
Series: Beyond Human
“Hmm... The wall’s like... T-t-too high to j-jump, too w-wide to go around... Darn, th-this problem could take like, f-f-ive whole MINUTES to figure out!”
The most remarkable thing in Tony’s cosy life in the country was the fact that nobody really questioned his bright orange right eye, and for a long time it seemed that his adventurous spirit would be swallowed up by the day-to-day humdrum, until one day, his hometown was attacked by an army of robotic creatures, sent there for one purpose only- to bring him back with them. After accidentally awakening latent psychic powers whilst saving his friends and family from the invading force, Tony finds himself on a journey of discovery; one where he has to confront the truth of the world, the machines hunting him, and who he is. Sweet natured and imaginative, Tony has never let any obstacle or adversity get in the way of his goals, and he’s dreamed big from the very start, talking almost non stop about his dream to travel the world, see it’s wonders and experience it’s beauty. He’s also very energetic, known for taking morning jogs and showing a keen interest in Kendo. He is somewhat self conscious of his stutter, and would rather you not mention it.
Sunset Serenade is the only area outside his hometown he has any sense of familiarity with; lush fields, tall trees with dangling branches, the odd row of houses here and there, and the odd telephone line are all that dot the dusty, cracked old motorway road that runs through the area, yet is almost never used. Some of the rows of houses appear empty, also. The large, mostly flat open space allows for absolutely gorgeous, bright sunsets that cast the area in a sea of yellows, oranges, pinks and reds, and is what gives the area its name.
---
4) Perfect Bhlewos (STAGE 2: The Temple Of The Cradle Of Creation)
composed by: Denji Koshiro
Name: JP
Age: 17
Weapon: 5 different Calls, martial arts
Series: Boulevard Of Distance +
"Your first helping in this butt-kicking buffet is ME, followed by a can of whoop-ass with a facepunch chaser. And I'm packing 5 Calls VERY anxious for a good time out, so its your move, darling. Come 'n have a go if you think you're tough enough."
JP won't tell you what his initials really mean, or even if they're his real name. But he will give you an enigmatic smile and perhaps a good-natured chuckle. It seems like the world is one big adventure for him to discover new Calls--magical creatures that can be summoned from gemstones--as well as immerse himself in different cultures and simply make his life one big journey. He prefers to get right into the thick of battle alongside his Calls, and while it seems reckless, its because of his compassion for his battle mates and the desire to understand people and Calls alike through combat. One would say he has simple tastes, though he is a philosopher at heart. But get on his bad side by threatening his friends or family, and you won't have a more stubborn enemy. His loyalty knows no bounds, even when it could put him at risk. Then again, that's all in a days work for an adventurer like JP.
The Temple of the Cradle of Creation is more than just a mouthful: its a sacred place. Legends state that the Calls known as Cradles of Creation were the wellspring of all divergent life on the planet; humans, Morphers, Calls, animals, even plants and insects all can trace their evolutions back to these creatures. As such, this temple is by far the oldest, with crumbling marble carved straight into the very stone of the caves surrounding it. Light cascades in from crumbling roofs or purposefully carved skylight holes, onto hand cut pillars covered in moss and ivy. Crystal shafts also appear, creating rainbows on the walls, and clear pools of water dot the entire temple.
---
5) One Pence Empire (STAGE 3: Meterville Bay)
composed by: Denji Koshiro, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi
Name: Simon Stiles
Age: 16
Weapon: Football, magic (healing abilities)
Series: From Dreams To Nightmares
"I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; I hope the quest for glory is worth the broken bones. And the mental trauma."
From the outside, Simon seems very unremarkable; he’s quiet, a little bit withdrawn and somewhat shy. But behind the awkward twiddling of the fingers and the glance away is the heart of a healer, someone who cares deeply for those he’s close too and shows it by way of nagging and an almost motherly disposition; an attitude fitting of someone blessed with the ability to heal the wounds and illnesses of others. Though he cannot use his powers on himself, Simon doesn’t mind too much; it’s making sure people like his foolhardy twin brother, Jason, don’t break TOO many limbs in pursuit of adventure keeps him busy enough. Though he doesn’t share the thirst for adventure his brother has, he does have aspirations and one day hopes to play for his hometown’s football team, the Quarter Staffs. It’s a good thing, then, that he has a kick that could cross dimensions. Possibly.
Meterville Bay is something of an ageing relic; less a seaside town and more an in-sea town almost entirely constructed on an network of interconnection and ageing piers, with arcades, penny stores, and the odd sailor’s dive barely surviving amongst the modern amenities, such as trendy clothes stores, coffee shops, and most importantly, neon glazed nightclubs that overlook the narrow, creaky streets, dying the entire town in a sea of bright greens, purples, reds, blues and yellows; a world where new and old clash that’s just trying to stay afloat, literally and figuratively.
---
6) Shotgun Republic (STAGE 4: Miskatonik University)
composed by: Takayuki Mitsuyoshi, Fumie Saso
Name: Mei Asakawa
Age: 24
Weapon: Ofuda, exorcism, Sig Sauer p227
Series: Creepy & Crawly: Next
"I'd say vade retro satanas, but having a demon behind me is the LAST thing I'd want."
Once upon a time, Mei Asakawa was wet behind the ears, just a young girl hired by the often shady office of Creepy & Crawly, a paranormal investigation team. In charge of the ghostly side of things, she specialised in folklore, research, and exorcism, with her trusty camera in hand. 10 years later, Mei Asakawa has, shall we say, grown up quite a bit. When she's not busy with her job as an in-demand exorcist in japan, she's teaching photography at the university, as well as raising a family: her twins Jessica and Toby, along side her husbands--yes, plural--Henri Bitner and James Marcus, as well as playing hostess to a myriad of kind spirits that live in her home. Modelling on the side like her late mother also figures in, but that's peanuts compared to clearing out haunted houses. While she isn't your typical Japanese housewife, Mei herself is just as compassionate and kind as she ever was…its just that now she knows when to use tough love, and when to bring the house down. Some may say she really wears the pants in the family.
Miskatonik University looks like a typical Ivy League college in Massachusetts, but there's a few things that aren't typical of a distinguished state university campus. For one thing, its not unusual to see evidence of rituals or roaming spirits and/or demons on the oft snowy campus. Old brick buildings covered in ivy and climbing vines are interspersed with gleaming glass windows that look into large classrooms. A elegant mix of modern architecture with old world feel. The highlight of the campus is Dr. Harold Peter Arkham's library, which is rumoured to hold some of the most valuable as well as dangerous books in the world.
---
7) Many Voices, All Silent (STAGE 5: Minimoog National Forest)
originally composed by: Decon Theed
arranged by: Fumie Saso, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi
Name: Treble & Bass
Age: 32
Weapon: Mobile, motion controlled music machines
Series: E.Q.
“It was supposed to be about the music!”
“Yeah, but that was before music could kill a man.”
One day, Trancer 42 was living the fishbowl high life: the golden boys of the Music Corps, a government branch on a global system that used music to control and pacify whole nations, a career of only music making, and the utmost respect of other countries for being the best at what they do: pacify riots and control the peace. In a single, fiery, violent night, both men fled this gilded caged life to pursue music on their own terms. On the run from the government hand that fed as well as kept them imprisoned, Treble and Bass, formerly Arpeggio and Felipe of Trancer 42, strive to find their place in a world that seeks to control their most powerful assets: the music they make. Bass is a man of nothing but passion and emotion, all-consuming in his quest for freedom, even if it can get him into trouble. Its worth noting his confident and sensual manner often wins him admirers of all types, but his heart and trust lie solely in his partner Treble. By contrast, his partner is cooler and calmer, prone to quick and efficient actions coupled with his superior musical capabilities, though he relies the most on his partner to help him express emotions he often lacks. Between them both is a single heart, soul and talent pool that makes them unmatched in the arena of musical warfare.
Mini Moog National Forest isn't a typical national forest, where technology is hand in hand with nature. Wrapping and lining the trees and shrubs are coils and strings of cords and wires that connect to speakers that hang from the branches. You'll see old televisions scattered around too, and some might even still turn on to show white noise, or even video if you're lucky enough. A pile of video and sound equipment also are stacked in haphazard piles, up to the clear lake in the centre of it, nestled within a small mountain range. The televisions and speakers often whisper sweet secrets from the underground movements of musical rebellion, if you're brave enough to wander."
(listen to the original track this is a remix/cover of HERE, and download the two track release it's a part of HERE)
---
8) Zero Below (And Death From Above) (STAGE 6: Niflheim)
composed by: Denji Koshiro
Name: Aina Fidela
Age: 17
Weapon: Magic (making and manipulation of shields)
Series: Ragnatropolis
“This is almost as hard as collecting rent from a trickster god.”
Aina Fidela just inherited landlord duties over the massive, but strangely profitable boarding house, Asgard Manor. That's when her teenaged life is turned upside down, because the entire complex is staffed as well as inhabited by Norse gods, of which she finds out she belongs to. Never mind the Fates keep the house spic and span in addition to tending to the destinies of people in Metro City, and never mind her husband Loki happens to prefer the body of a 10 year old kid. She shares the manor with some of the most famous entertainment talent (DJ QT Pi, mangaka Brad Daidoji, even pop idol Caleb Beauregarde), gets to eat some of the best divine cuisine thanks to chef Andre, and now owns the state's most profitable apple orchard, tended to by Pomona Gardner AKA Iduna. Now if only the giants that came to attack would consider how much trouble they make on damage deposits.
Niflheim isn't your typical depiction of Hel. In fact, its rather different than most people would expect Lady Hela to keep her domain. Her realm is a lot like an industrial city locked in eternal ice, with snow and frost adorning tall, often half-decrepit and abandoned buildings, pillars of ice, and frozen lakes. Technology in her realm is often industrial in nature with an aged patina, in greys, blues, and even verdigris green. Its treacherous going, with iced up concrete that doesn't give good footing, but its nothing a goddess can't handle, provided she's equipped with a good overcoat and scarf."
---
9) A Thousand Fists A Second (STAGE 7: The Museum Of A Thousand Nightmares)
composed by: Fumie Saso
Name: Kiripa (aka Samantha Rostron)
Age: 26
Weapon: N/A (primarily uses fists), Magic (the ability to drain life by touch)
Series: Trickster’s Paradise
“What the...? What?! Nobody told me we were gonna have to deal with things like THAT!! Can you even PUNCH something like that?!”
By day, Samantha (know to her friends as simply “Sam”) is an art student, coasting by putting in hours as an assistant for a small magic act; by night, Sam is part of a trio called the Trickster’s Troupe, a three-part act that protects the city of London from injustice, be it in the form of petty criminals trying to rob a bank, a supernatural entity awakened from centuries of sleep, or anything and everything between. Unlike her co-workers Aaron, the leader of the group and an excellent illusionist, and Susan, an old friend of Aaron’s and a master magician despite her young age, Sam wasn’t born into a life of magic, or aware of the world beyond her understanding and the powers she possess; as a result she’s still a bit green, and very hesitant to use her powers. Despite how easily spooked she may be or how new everything is to her, her kind heart and good energetic shine through, giving her the bravery she needs to fight the forces of darkness.
The Museum Of A Thousand Nightmares is roughly the size of the Tate Modern, not that you’d notice; it is hidden behind a veil that most people not wise to the world of magic can see through, and for good reason. The Museum deals specifically in artefacts, relics, and objects that are extremely dangerous, carrying hauntings or curses so vile and evil that only certain people are allowed to enter the building as observers, let alone how few people are qualified to actually work there. Cold glows of blue, purple and red seep out of the display cabinets and shelves, reflecting off of the pearl white tiles and mixing with the moonlight that pools in through the reinforced glass walls, an unnatural cool air and mist curling around the ankles of all those who dare to wander in after dark.
---
10) What Once Was, Has Since Ceased To Be (STAGE 8: Heaven's Grave)
composed by: Shinji Namiki, Fumie Saso, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi, Denji Koshrio
WARNING: TWO CHALLENGERS APPROACHING!!!
Name: Jacob & Dio
Age: N/A
Weapon: Pen & Keyboard
Series: N/A
“"This has the tone of an Incredible Hulk episode…."
“Good; that means I’ve done my job.”
Jacob is a simple man of relatively simple pleasures: good food, fine drink, copious amounts of Converse and hoodies, and above all else, music; classic rock, jazz, hip hop, synthpop, anything and everything, but his first loves will always be the many faces of electronic music, and especially video game music. He tries his dab hand at the odd bit of writing and drawing, but he’s been chasing the dream of being a video game musician like his heroes for so long now, he can’t remember what it was like wanting anything else. Well, that, and not being cursed with having to sleep, and Orange Pepsi. How he fell in with Dio’s company as deep as he did is a story best saved for a rainy day, but either way, he found a true companion in her, difficult though it can be to sit through her cheesy jokes. Dio's kind of a renaissance woman: she does it all. Photography, drawing, painting, writing; you name it, she probably has spent at least a week trying it out before her butterfly-like attention span calls her to something new. That's not to say she's not a master of none, but its hard to say she's master of more than being a lazy bedbug. Still, at the heart, its music that gives her wings of inspiration. That, and probably sweets. And sleeping. Maybe that's why she sticks around with the likes of Jacob, who fills the one talent she lacks in music. Its also probably why they abuse each other so much. Who can tell?? Though not with the Brave Herts, the pair have watched over them since the beginning, and now fight alongside them to bring this story to an end.
And here we are, Heaven’s Grave; Pied’s lair. A place where crumbling stone meets rotting flesh; walls and floors fade in an out of pulsating cysts, bloody pools, colossal totems stretching into forever, and cracking walls covered with carvings depicting old legends. Further adding to the chaos are relics and remnants of many different worlds and places bursting through the walls, some fantastical, some down to earth, all sad reminders of worlds that once were, but have since ceased to be. The air is thick with moans of pain, cries of terror, and roars of anger, which only grow louder and louder on the path towards the throne room where the mad creature awaits...
---
11) The Devil's Nearest Neighbors [Heaven's Finest Fallen Mix] (Boss Battle)
composed by: Denji Koshiro
As if the trodden path wasn’t hard enough on its own, Pied has made things even more difficult for the Brave Herts by selecting some of the hardest end of level guardians in SAINT j92000‘s database to guard the end of each stage; Empire General, a hulking half-tank robot armed with cutting edge weaponry; Dark Rhys, a bloordthirsty Doublet mimicking the form of someone very special to JP; Nightmare Umbrella, an enormous, ancient octopus with a chip on it’s shoulder for humanity in general; The Book Of Counted Nightmares, an impossibly old and very evil tome with a mind (and body) of its own; Sonatina, a ruthless high ranking member of the Music Corps., lacking in empathy but determind to almost a fault; Geirrod, a conniving Frost Giant that always gets what he wants, come Hel or high water; and Master Dread, an undead magician who lost his life in an attempt to rob those of the citizens of London. All apparently reprogramed to serve his demented will, they will stop at absolutely nothing to stop our heroes dead.
(listen to the track this is a remix of HERE)
---
12) 920 Seconds To Doomsday (Final Boss)
composed by: Shinji Namiki, Fumie Saso, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi, Denji Koshrio
xxnxxxxPxxxxxxxxxxxx//PIED.NUXX
axxxxxxxxxxxRxxxxxxxxnxxn//NULL
xxxaxxAxxnxxxxxxxxxhxxxx//NULL
sxsxxxmrexxsxoxxnxmYaxs//NULL
“Excellent, excellent! By making it this far, you’ve proven your strength and bravery. Or, your thoughtless, overconfident stupidity. It makes no difference to me; either way, I now have the pleasure of tearing you all to pieces with my own two hands! HAHAHAHAHA!!!”
A character taken from one of the 103rd Game company’s own franchises, Pied is every single rumour told to hurt another person; every single spiteful insult spat into another’s face; every single act of violence, from a punch to a bomb blast; he is every single negative impulse or emotion felt or thought by every single sentient creature. Cruel, vile, menacing, callous, and above all else dangerous, Pied’s influence can turn men to their darkest temptations, make wild animals rampage, and even blurs the line between what’s possible and what isn’t. Pied’s devious ways are often anarchic, chaotic, without pattern or seemingly without rhyme or even reason, and even if one of his plans puts his own existence in danger, all it takes in the promise of complete chaos for him to follow his plans through to the bitter end. Very few people have ever come close enough and lived long enough to know his true intentions, and those that know the truth behind the smile don’t dare speak of it.How the construct from the game gained enough power to manipulate the entirety of the games code, let alone break free of the games constraints and gain control over every machine connected to the Net is unknown, and not even the people that designed him and programmed him have any idea as to weather it’s a glitch in the programing, or something more nefarious; all they can do is accept that it has happened, and help the remaining players bring down the monster they birthed.
(listen to the track this is a remix of HERE)
---
13) A Legend Born Of Bravest Hearts (Ending Credits)
composed by: Denji Koshiro, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi
“A pocket where Pied allowed them in, but never would allow them out. That last trick up his sleeve to take the most likely of threats and place it square in his pocket, away from the world they were trying to save, and force them to watch their world be destroyed.
Its that complete severance from the game that allowed the programmers to do the impossible. It didn't seem to both Pied, but who can tell the true mind and heart of an artificial evil?
It was not an easy battle, even for the most experienced, and quite possibly the fastest players in the game. Mobbing a boss in a simultaneous fashion was always the whole point of a game like that. But there's a method to it. Always has been. The way tanks would pursue it in a fashion of waves of destruction, timing your blows correctly, while a healer was always on keeping everyone in the best of health.
Not this time. There could be no systematic pattern to destroy something to powerful, and that's what they all counted on. A crescendo of almost incasing blows and slices and hacks, cutting that program down, whittling its HP by minute increments.
That hopeless feeling of no progress when you watch the countdown timer descend faster than the red pixels of that health bar.
It was paralyzing.
Only they couldn't let it be.
There was a tremendous cracking sound, and the health bar itself can't fall fast enough; instead of sliding down into the end, it disappeared in great chunks, pixellating and crumbling in digital artifacts until its all gone. Silence descended to the area, as the fighters finally drop to the ground in exhaustion.
That's when Dio checks her log and sighed. She opened a transparent code box, and with Jacob's help, they opened a text field and typed in a single, short code.
rm-rf*
"It means that its going to delete everything from a root. Namely here…." Jacob opens a save box, and slopes his hand against it, to "save". "And everything inside here. There's no guaranteeing that if we simply leave here and do nothing that he wouldn't come back. I wouldn't put it past the program to have wormed its way into the deepest parts of the system. But that won't matter if we mass delete the whole thing. Pied. The world."
"And you?" comes Simon's small voice. He's looking at his avatar, where parts of the model start to come apart.
"And you too if you don't get going," Dio said, as she started to open a couple more code boxes with Jacob. "Its going to take awhile, to erase everything. But if you stay here, then you'll be deleted too."
A shimmering surround them, and JP shook his head. "You can't."
"We have to. Its for the best. This'll warp you to the first starting area, and you'll have time to log out by a long shot. Don't worry."
"No, I mean…you can't just do it all yourselves!"
Dio laughed softly. "Oh, you mean make a grand sacrifice?" She swiped the command line and sent them all away, just before the ground portions of the area begin to dissolve.
"Looks like the kids have grown all up."
"They weren't all kids," Jacob countered as he eyes the bits of Pied beginning to reform.
"You know…this has the tone of an Incredible Hulk episode."
"I'm going to go ahead and take that as a compliment, sweetchucks."
***
The 8 players stood by the starting area, but things from there have changed. Many of the choices for other areas show error codes. Its only their area, that quiet hill that overlooked the first beginnings of familiar levels, where the snow no longer fell in broken artifacts, but as clear as it usually does.
"The clock…is working," Aina said softly, as she opened her menu. Indeed, all their world clocks had begun running, where Pied's countdown clock had replaced it. According to the in-game clock, it was now dawn, and accordingly, an artificial golden orange light began to rise. They stand to watch it, silent, knowing that this new day dawned on the end of an old world.
"Think…I'll take some time off for awhile," came Kiripa's voice. "You know. Maybe go out and do something different for a new pastime for awhile. Collect books or something."
There was a quiet sound, and they turned to look as JP smiled and began to log out. "Its been…I guess real, guys…. Maybe next time it won't be so dangerous…."
"Thank you," Mei said, and she smiled with a genuine smile that was more than pixels and polygons in a digital world.
Aina turned to look at them all, and though they were fake, the tears in her eyes seemed so real. "I'll never forget you guys. Never."
JP smiled. When he was gone Mei gave the rest of them a hug. "Better start paying attention to the actual kids…. They'll never let me touch another video game as long as they live."
Treble and Bass decided to make their exit next. "You guys stay in touch, yeah?"
Tony looked miserable, but Simon only gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Its ok…if they're good programmers, maybe they got out ok."
The others leave, but when Tony gets ready to log out, Aina is still watching the sunrise.
"You know…where I live…its probably going to be happening for real. A real sunset. What about you?"
"I'm about 8 hours from it." He smiled sadly. "But if I leave now, and stay up, maybe I'll watch it."
Aina was the last one left, watching the rest of the real but fake world begin to go out. When she logged back out, her computer showed a log in error when she tried to load it again.
There was no going back to the old world now. Both outside, and inside.”
~~~
The clocks ticked over. People trapped within the Net began to regain consciousness, able to free themselves from their digital confines. The frozen supercomputers opened back up all at once, allowing the programmers access once more. All the active weapons systems disarmed themselves in unison, returning to a neutral state. The wind was still blowing. The snow still fell. It was Christmas Day.
The period of global mourning for the many lost lives seemed to pass quickly, the world itself keeping on carrying on. Not many people were very privy to the investigation into the incident, but truth be told, there wasn’t much to uncover; Dio and Jacob’s code wiped the entirety of the coding housed within SAINT j92000, and what remained couldn’t function in any form without it. The game was, effectively, gone completely, and it was almost like Pied's influence had never broken free of the game’s confines at all. Fewer still ever found out what happened to the Brave Herts; for the most part, their presence on the Net gradually petered out as time went on, until eventually all contact with any of them ceased completely. The 103rd Game Company ceased activity as a business, and it’s global funds went to multiple sources, from grieving families to Net safety companies, and most of it’s employees faded into obscurity in much the same way.
Years pass. The disaster becomes a distant memory kept alive only through written stories, art and comics, concept albums, hearsay and urban myth; the story of a popular game that turned deadly, threatening the safety of the world on one of the holiest nights of the year, and of 8 brave hearts who stood up against the darkness and saved the world from certain destruction.
---
14) NEW RAVE ORDER (Bonus Stage)
composed by: Denji Koshiro
One of the most highly touted features of Battlemania is its Bonus Memories feature; in every level, there is a secret task that opens up an alternate pathway towards the end of the level. Heading down it takes the player to a 16bit, simplified rendition of the stage they’re currently on, where the goal is to engage in a number of “modes”- for example, “kill 30 enemies”, or “destroy all boxes”- with each stage having a different set of tasks to acomplish. A feature the 103rd Company Calls “Pinball Style” allows these modes to be stacked atop each other in any combition, allowing players to score huge points. There is no “end” to the stages in terms of goal, and the player returns to the main game once the timer runs out.
---
15) j92000.NUXX (Main Menu [FC1 Version])
composed by: Takayuki Mitsuyoshi, Fumie Saso
---
16-19) THE JINGLES
1) Higher Board (Stage Clear)
composed by:Takayuki Mitsuyoshi
2) Ticking Away (Continue Countdown)
composed by:Denji Koshiro
3) Stone-like Resolve (Name Entry/Ranking List)
composed by:Denji Koshiro, Takayuki Mitsuyoshi
4) Quiet (Game Over)
composed by: Fumie Saso
---
That's it, ladies and gentlemen! The most high-concept album I've done so far... Is done! I hope you enjoyed the ride, had an excellent Christmas, and wish you all well in the new year!
~ Decon Theed (02/12/14 ~ 31/12/14)
all music composed by Decon Theed under various aliases
all art and character design produced by Dio Maxwelle
flavour text + mini bios written by Decon Theed and Dio Maxwelle
all series' and characters represented belong to Decon Theed and Dio Maxwelle
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse