In Progress Let's reach out to the truth in Persona 4!

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I have a suggestion: double (or triple, or quadruple, if your computer can handle it) the game's internal resolution, but keep the window size at 640x480. This will make the models prettier without stretching and messing up the 2D elements, particularly the characters' portraits.

I don't know about that.
Japanese games are notoriously wordy, but that's not the problem; Transcribing everything is.
The likes of PS:T possess a 'log' which can show multiple responses at a time (as well as the player's responses) and can be expanded to fill the whole screen. Dialogue tend to progress a lot faster as well so it's quite feasible to present the dialogue in screenshot form.
I could present it like that too, but we'd either end up progressing incredibly slowly or producing updates that are somewhere north of 400 screenshots; a sure fire way to lose interest.

Thanks for the support though

I've been using 1600x1200 (with a 1600x1200 window too) and scaling them down to 800x600 afterwards. The screenshots themselves are just raw framebuffer dumps produced via Gsdx. The portraits themselves were extracted from the 1600x1200 versions, but at 128x128, a lot of detail will be lost regardless. I was initially afraid too much would be lost to make it worth the time to clean up each portrait.
I had a few performance issues so I toned down the texture filtering a bit, but I've identified the bottleneck so it shouldn't be a problem in the future.

Since we're now on page 2, update incoming!

4 new portraits today and the list has been updated. A brofist for the first to identify the 4 new ones in this update.
I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to May/June or whenever they don their summer uniforms...

For those unfamiliar with Japanese honorifics, the term "senpai" appears a fair bit in this update. Senpai (先輩) means senior, it is used when referring to your upperclassmen, much like kouhai (後輩) is for juniors and underclassmen.
:themoreyouknow:


And so we start our 3rd day in Inaba...
As previously mentioned, the forecast is displayed when you move towards the next day. You may also notice that Sunday is coloured red. These days are your days off - in other words you do not have school on those days (excepting some events). I think those days allow an extra action during the morning/afternoon period but I'm not too sure of that at the moment.



The biking student from yesterday zooms past and once again collides with the local trash heap.


S-Someone...

> Maybe you should help him...
Took you long enough to arrive at that conclusion...


I give my future bro a hand and he seems absolutely elated.


Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm...

Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Hirato Kirata.


He shall henceforth be known as "Brosuke."

> Brosuke seems to be all right...

Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna


You think?


Dangling a dead body over a roof like that... That's just messed up.
Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place.


Oh crap, we're late!


You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine.



You guys ARE in high school, aren't you!? Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense?
First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice...
I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored!?
And I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it? Now get your books out!

> You listened to the lecture intently...
> Your Knowledge has increased.

How Morooka-sensei managed to avoid getting fired is beyond me, we'll be tolerating his sass for a while.
We also learn from this scene that Knowledge is one of the available attributes, Along with Courage, there are 3 others, I'll withhold explanations until I can show them to you.

You'll occasionally bear witness to things in the classroom. Most of the time this'll confer a boost to Knowledge, occasionally you might have to answer a question to get the boost. Depending on the situation you may also get a chance to bond with one of your friends.

Classes have ended for today and Brosuke comes to talk to me.


Wow, that was fast.


There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else.
The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy?


It's grilled steak, man!
Like that's anything special, huh?
I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me.



My "Trial of the Dragon."


Urgh... You always come aorund when I'm talking about food...


How about it Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us too?


I'll pass... I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway.


Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?


It's not like that, I'm just helping out when it gets busy.
Well, I should be on my way.
> Yukiko departs.


Oh well. We should get going too.


Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people...?


Here we are, Nanako's favourite place in Inaba...




Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans.


Still, that's no reason to take us to your place


Dude, this isn't my place or anything.
> You're slightly confused...


Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh?
I moved here from another city about six months back.
This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it.
So our entire family came out here.
> Brosuke picks up his drink.


Here, this is to welcome you to town.
> You pick up your drink.


Satonaka, yours is on me too.
> Chie picks up her drink.

Yeah, I know.


> The conversation became animated over small talk...


It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since.
A lot of stores there started closing, and... Oh, uh...


...You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?
......




Hey... It's saki-senpai!


Can just as well put that out there, Brosuke really likes Saki-senpai. It should be quite self-evident from the following dialogue...


Haha, he wishes.
Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district.
...I think she's working here part-time though.



Heeey! I'm finally on break...
What's up, Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?


Madam, you wound me!

Kidding aside... You look down. Did something happen?


...It's nothing. I'm just a little tired.


Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen, I...


*chuckle* I'm okay. Thanks, though.

*sigh* Why'd I leave school early yesterday...?
> Saki sights me at the other table


Hey... is he the kid who transferred here?



It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh?
I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much.


N-Not necessarily...


He doesn't have too many good friends, so I hope you two get along good.


Honey, your meek voice annoys me much more than Yosuke did throughout the entire game...


Ahaha, I know... I'm just kidding


C-C'mon, Senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that.


My break's just about over. Back to work I go...
Laters!
> Saki departs.


Oh, uh, Senpai...!


Hahah, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me.
She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way...


Ohhh. you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Oh, I get it... So that's how it is...
The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain...
The flame of forbidden love!


Wha--!? Dude, it's not like that.


Oh reaaaally.. I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart.
You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?
You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night.
While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen...
And they say that person is your soulmate.


What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful...
How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?


Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?


Of course I don't!


It's raining tonight! Let's all try it out-- then you'll see!


Try it out...? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself!?


Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid...


All that aside... you know that "incident" yesterday? You guys think it was murder?


Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around...? Heehee...


Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one...?
All I'm saying is, you guys better try it out tonight.

> You heard the rumour about the Midnight Channel, where one can see one's soulmate on a rainy night.
> Maybe you should try it out tonight...

For those of you paying attention, it was revealed in the previous update that the deceased announcer, Yamano Mayumi, appeared on the midnight channel. Is this merely a coincidence? The answers and more are coming your way, so stay tuned!




...Yeah.
Oh! He's home!


What a day...


No. You're late again...


I'm sorry... Been busy at work.
Can you put the news on for me?
> Ryotaru takes a seat on the sofa.

<Announcer> Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba.
<Announcer> Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town.
<Announcer> It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi.


> When Ms. Yamano, the TV announcer, was alive, she was having an affair with a councilman's secretary...
> The man's wife seems to be a Misuzu Hiiragi, an enka singer...
> Could the incident be tied to their lover's quarrel...?

<Announcer> The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them.
<Announcer> In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body.


*sigh* An interview with the kid...?
Where the hell did they find her?


It's Saki-senpai. If you're like the progagonist and that took you more than a few seconds to figure it out, go kill yourself.

<Female student> U-Umm...
> The female student's face and voice are indistinct.
> But you feel like you've seen her somewhere before...
No shit...

<Reporter> Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?
<Female student> Huh...? She was killed?
<Reporter> Oh, errr... So did you see anyone suspicious around here?
<Female student> No, not really...
<Reporter> We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?
<Female student> Huh? That's...
> The reporter's enthusiasm seems to be perplexing the girl.
> Looking closely... she reminds you of Saki Konishi, Yosuke's Brosuke's senpai...
I told you it was Saki-senpai... and that she's meek...

<Announcer> --A tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district.
<Announcer> Many store owners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result...


Hmph. If they lose more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it...

<Commentator> It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna...
<Commentator> I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit.
<Announcer> Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime.


Loads of prank calls, though...
> Ryotaru stifles a yawn...

<Commentator> So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet?
<Commentator> Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?
<Announcer> We'll be right back after these messages.

What happens now? You guessed it!

You make us proud Nanako-chan.


Hey Dad... Can we go to Junes together sometime?
...
...No?


> Ryotaru seems to be asleep

As I retire to bed, I remember the rumour about the Midnight Channel and resolve to determine its veracity...

> You can hear it raining outside...
> It's almost midnight...
> "Your soulmate appears if you look into a TV on a rainy night"...
> Could Chie's story be true...?

CUTSCENE TIME!








A woman in a liquor store... Could it be Saki-senpai? The image is flickering and unfocused...
It appears as though something is attacking her...
...
Suddenly I am overcome by a loud ringing noise and a mysterious voice speaks to me...




I soon recover and walk towards the TV... it's past midnight...
I reach for the screen...




Ripples fly outward at my touch and I instinctively pull my hand back.
I summon my courage and slowly move my hand towards the screen once more...
The screen offers no resistance as my hand moves inside it



Suddenly something grabs my arm and pulls me toward the screen, I narrowly avoid falling into the TV.



I gather my strength and push back...





I heard a really loud noise...
Well, good night.
Oyasumi nasai you little trooper

> Nanako seems to have returned to her room.
> What just happened...?
> You decide to talk about it with the others tomorrow.


That's all for 4/13.
Is Saki's appearance on the Midnight Channel some sort of omen?
Is there some sort of link between Saki and Mayumi?

Stay tuned, for tomorrow (game time), we travel through the looking glass!

Though Kanji's more my style, "Brosuke" is indeed way too charming and cuddly and nice. If they ever release a girls' side like they did with Persona 3 it's, like, totally huggies time.

AFAIK, it's been confirmed that Persona 4: The Golden won't have a female protagonist.

@ ChibiMaroon

Yay, I know.

I still hope they will add one someday. Half the point of the life sim and dating sim parts are kind of lost to me. Even when I generally love games that mix both that and role playing game, like the Harukanaru games, I find just too hard to relate and identify with a character that's not a girl.

Now I want to Let's Play P3P, but, like, gee, the framerate drop on dungeons and battles is like terrible.

It almost physically hurts to imagine all the transcribing you'll need to do in order to finish this.

Still, wordier games have been LPd, so good luck.

Well I remember getting the undub, get pissed by the FARMING, FARMING, FARMING and rage-quit in the Yukiko dungeon shadow fight (sorry but there is a limit to much I can take XP farming) that made me break the support disk (well delete it from the HDD), still I think somethings were not firing up as they should as some events I should have got never fired.

While the game is definitely wordy, I felt much of the dialogue and exposition goes toward legitimate character development. The only point in the game I could see that as an unquestionably valid criticism would be when Scooby and co. start reviewing clues at Junes or on the school rooftop. Theeen things get a bit excessive. But still, coming from a personal standpoint, I didn't mind just because the characters are so damn likeable. I savored every moment with those guys, even if they presumably had the memory of someone half their age.

On a side note, anyone here seen much of the anime? I've been told, generally speaking, that if you like the game, you'll like the anime, but I don't know about that. For one, the anime is largely a scene-by-scene reconstruction of the game, and while I feel Persona 4's storytelling is perfectly suited for a game, I'm not sure how well it stacks up in non-interactive form. Thoughts, opinions?

Branching off from that side note, it seems Atlus are really milking that Persona 4 cow. Persona 4, Persona 4: The Animation, Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, Persona 4: The Golden...

What about Persona 5, or SMT 5, Atlus? Actually, I doubt we'll ever get the latter, considering the phenomenal market failure that was Strange Journey.

Anyway Hirato, hang in there. First 4(?) hours are so are gonna be tough going, what with P4 having one of the slowest openings in jRPG history.

I've been following it, it initially does resemble the game closely with differences only an ardent fan would spot.
As it progresses it literally develops a life of its own and it begins to follow the story more loosely and even shake things up.
They're even making some new scenes and mixing a few things...
For example, Yukiko in the anime can be seen nursing a bird, her character is compared with that of the bird and some of her storyline developed on that angle while the others are rescuing her. As an example of the latter, they combined the meeting of Saki's brother with one of the school's field trips (quite a clever change IMO), as opposed to making them discrete and separate events. They also dedicated a large chunk of an episode to seeing things from mitsuo's perspective, something we don't get in the game at all.
I'd say it's worth a watch, you can always drop it if it gets boring.

Also, THIS!
Though their memory never came across to me as poor...

My hands can definitely attest to that!

This one seems to be missing from your romance option poll.

Also I have never played any of these before. Any of them on the PC?

While I enjoyed most of the writing, I feel the sheer amount of it makes replays pretty difficult. I don't want to read through all of that again, and the triangle button doesn't skip text fast enough. I believe it takes something like an hour to fast forward through the first week.

Wasn't Persona 5 unofficially announced for a while? No press release was issued, but Atlus representatives mentioned it in interviews. I think the last time was near the announcement of The Golden when it was said that they were done with the new engine.

Nah, it'll happen eventually. Atlus simply doesn't release main series titles often. Nocturne was released 9 years after II, and Strange Journey came out 6 years after that. I'm not even sure I mind this approach. It prevents the main series from getting stale and gives us curious things like the Raidou Kuzunoha games and Devil Survivor.

It was an oversight on my part, but considering how the game progresses and concludes, the Nobody option is effectively a vote for Nanako.
I would've amended it a while ago but I'm unable to alter the poll options.

As far PC versions, the only one I know of is "SMT: Imagine", but I'd be very wary of that on virtue of it being an MMORPG.
Otherwise, as far as I know, they're all developed for consoles, from the NES, to the playstation and its successors.
Emulators that can run them relatively well should be quite abundant though, but I'd advise against that route unless the console's controllers are simple or you have a suitable controller at hand.

So you're following and enjoying an LP that primarily consists of things you dislike?
Codexian logic at its finest.

I'm certain it has been discussed ad nauseum, but I definitely disagree with this point.
I'll concede that characters who are nothing but a faceless collection of stats have their place, but to me half the fun of character development is delving into their history and motivations and even seeing how they'd react to certain actions and situations. Of course the characters would need to be interesting, likeable or at least respectable for it to be worthwhile.

But hey, I grew up grew up with Fallout 1, Arcanum and Final Fantasy as opposed to DnD and the early wizardries with which most other codexers did; I wouldn't want my RPGs any other way.


Anyways, I've got a few portraits to clean before I can do the next update, speaking of which, I notice no one's taken up my challenge to identify the 4 new ones in the previous update. Don't be shy, there's a brofist up for grabs.

I blame consoles, personally. Like, if I wanted to LP something like Remember11, I can just download the translation scripts in plain text and ctrl-c/ctrl-v everything for great justice, while you have to slave away at the dating sim part of P4 because you can't reasonably extract the script from a console game.

5 portraits today, once again a brofist bearfist is up for grabs to the first to identify them, keep your eyes peeled if you want it.

This is a very bearific update, so I've decided we need a healthy injection of face palm face-bear inducing bear puns and general inappropriate insertion of the word to commemorate our first trip to the other side!
Unless you guys bears really like it, I won't do it again - being this tasteless requires time.


4/14 starts off with a beartiful rainy day...


This morning we are introduced to one of the more normal teachers we'll be exposed to at Bearsogami High (yes, you read that correctly)...

<Ms. Sofue> First, a little about me. I love to use my dowser to look for lost items, and there's nothing quite like a romance.
<Ms. Sofue> In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river; it was born in the past paws and flows ever forward.



<Ms. Sofue> And since this is my first lecture, I'll start with a beary easy question.
<Ms. Sofue> Our transbearee, Mr. Kirata, please stand up.


You may remember that I mentioned that you will sometimes need to answer questions during the school periods for a boost to knowledge. There's not much to explain here, sometimes you will be asked directly or chie or yosuke will ask you indirectly. If you answer correctly you will receive a boost to knowledge as well as a boost to one of your relationships in the latter cases.
Fun fact, I learned more playing this game than I did in my last year of high school English.

> You gave the answer you think is correct...
<Ms. Sofue> Ah, you seem to understand this well. And does anyone know what B.C Bear.C. stands for? Oh I'll just tell you.
<Ms. Sofue> Before Bearfore Christ, or the years bears bearfore christ was born
<Ms. Sofue> This is, of course, the way we count our bears today, but it wasn't adopted in Western Europe until the 15th century.
<Ms. Sofue> Hohoho, it was around that time that there were many religious bearigious wars and power shifts occurring.
<Ms. Sofue> Anyhow, the world's beliefs beariefs have been in an ever-flowing tide since humanity began to emphasize bearigion.
<Ms. Sofue> Most holidays are related to bearigion, you know. If you do some research bearsearch, you may find some interesting facts.
<Ms. Sofue> But regardless of the culture or the tradition, the tide decides who will survive in the present and the future.
<Ms. Sofue> And those survivors ensure that their will is passed down to the next generation...
<Ms. Sofue> ...But now it's time to start from the beginning. Let's take a look at the origin of civilisation...

> You gave the correct answer...




Awh, I wanted to know more about the origin of civilisation...

<Sitting girl> Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution? it's messed up...
<Short girl> My senpai told me it was a third-bear named Saki who found the body.

While the girls gossip in their corner, Bearsuke approaches us. He seems nervous and ill at ease.


It's, uh, it's not really that important, but...
Well, yesterday on TV, I...
> He looks down for a moment, he seems troubled...


Oh, uhh... Never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha...


Bearsuke, did you hear bear the rumour?
Saki-senpai is supposedly the one who discovered discobeared that body.


I wonder if that's why she looked so down... She doesn't seem to be at school today either.
> Yukiko Yukuma stands up... I am totally going to hell for that one...


Huh? Hey Yukuma, are you helping out at the inn today too?


Things are really out of hand right now... I'm sorry.


It is just me, or does Yukuma-san seem way stressed out today?


I guess they're running her ragged...
By the way, did you see... it... last night?


Huh...?
Uh, well... What about you?


I did! I seriously saw a girl!
But... my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean?
I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure...
Her hair bear was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing out school uniform, and...


Hey... I think that's the same person i saw.


I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier bearier.


Wait, so you saw it too!?
And we saw the same girl...? Does that mean... we have the same soulmate?


How should I know?


How about you? Did you see it?

I told them about what happened last night. The mysterious voice, the girl on the screen and the TV pulling me into it...


It sounds like we all saw the same person bearson...


But weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV...?


Were you that tired last night? You must've jsut fallen asleep in front of your TV.


That'd be one interesting dream, though.
I like the part where you got stuck bearcause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic.


Well, if it had been bigger, the--


Ohh, that reminds me, Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV.


Oh yeah? Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days.


Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing bearing up our electronics department debearedment this month.


Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just got to see my bear-fu movies on the big screen!


Chie seems excited...


We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I be they'd be big enoguh for you to fit into, hehe.

> They don't believe you at all...


> You decided to go to Junes with the others
> The Junes, electronics debearedment



I dunno... Rich folks?
Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around.


Huh... Not worth trying then, I guess. At least looking's free.



...Nope, can't get in. Figures.


Haha, this proves it. It was all just a dream.


Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side...


Argh, what am I saying!?


So, chie. What kind of TV are you guys in the market for?


O-Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?



Wha--that's not cheap at all! There's way too many zeroes!


I should've asked what you meant by "cheap" right off the bat.


You've got connections, right? C'mon, hook me up!


You know I can't do that...
Hey, how about this one over here? It's a display unit and it's a little old, but...


> With a TV this big, you really might be able to go inside...
I'll show them all, then they'll be beary sorry!




Huh? Something wrong, Bearsuke?




Whoa...
Uhhh... Is that some kinda... new model? L-Like with a new function?


Hell no!



Oh man... This is for real... That's some magic trick, man!


So how's it work, huh!? What's the magician's secret!?
> Both of them are starting at you, astonished...
> You might be able to put in more than just your arm...


H-Hey, don't do that! What're you doing!?


> There is empty space inside... You tell them that.


Wh-What do you mean, "inside"!?


Wh-What do you mean, "empty space"!?

> It seems beary spacious inside...


Wh-What do you mean, "spacious"!?


I mean, what's going on!?


Holy crap... I-I think this is all too much for my bladder...
Dear Atlus... I would've prefered to remain ignorant of Bearsuke's desire for relief...


What the--? Are you gonna pee your pants!?


I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go...
Aaarrgh! Can't... hold it... anymore...!

Sure brings back memories of my school days...
> Bearsuke runs off... and returns within moments


Shit! Customers! They're coming!


What!? But we've got a guy half stick in a TV here!
Wh-What're we gonna do!?


Dance of course!
I tease.. They run around a bit and look silly.... beary silly...



And in typical anime fashion, they collide, fall onto me and we all go through the looking glass...



Me...

Bearsuke...

Chie...



Seems there's still some Z-fighting issues... There's meant to be an overlay to the checkboard floor that looks like a black and white archery target adorned with many white silhouettes, sort of like the chalk outlines you'd typically find at homicide related crime scenes.



Along with Knowledge and Courage, Understanding is one of 5 social traits


I landed right on my wallet...
I think my butt's cracked now...


Of course it is!


Whoa!


Wh-What now!? Did you wet your pants!?


No, stupid! Look around!





Is this... a studio?
All this fog... Or is it smoke?
There's no place like this in Inaba, is there...?


Hell no...
But man... This place is huge...


What else can we do? I don't see an exit...


Huh? B-But...
Look, we need to get home and--!
> Chie takes a moment to get her bearings...


H-Huh...?
Wait a minute... Which way did we come in from?
I don't see a way in... or out!


What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!?


I don't know! Don't ask me!
I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!!


Yeah, exploring's no fun with a bunch of crybears
Remember those words, they might even save someone's life someday...


Y-You're right. Okay... okay.


Let's calm down and think about this.
All right, so we need to find a way out.


Is there really a way outta here...?


We got in... so we must be able to get out somehow.


That's true, but...


If there's no exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around.



What is this place...? It feels different from where we were before...


It looks like we're in some sort of building, but... Damn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see.


Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?


I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instrinct a little.


I know, but...
> It seems that there's no choice for now but to continue onward...



I and Bearsuke arrive in this room before chie...


Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?
> Bearsuke checks his cellphone and seems a bit miffed...


No service. What a surprise...


Can't you guys slow down a little, it's hard enoguh to see where you're going...
> She turns around


Huh? What the...!?


Pay no mind to the blood stains, the shattered glass on the floor and the defaced posters of Hiiragi Misuzu...


It's a dead end! There's no exit!


It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go...
Aargh! I can't hold it any longer...
My bladder's gonna explode...!


Or the glowing noose...


I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!


You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding...


T-Turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching!
Aaaaargh... I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts
> Bearsuke zips up and turns around...


Like I care...
Anyways... what's with this room?
Check out these posters... Their faces are all cut out...
Somebody must really hate this bearson...


Took you guys long enough to start paying some attention. You may rest easy Codex, they're far more attentive in the other scenes. Though in their defense, this world literally saps their vitality.


Dude... this chair and rope... That kind of arrangement is never good...
It's tied in a noose... Is this a scarf?


C'mon... Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit...


You don't say...


Who CARES!? Let's go! I am sick of this place!


And I'm not feeling so good..


Now that you mention it, me too...

> Your body does feel heavy...
> Could it be due to this place's oppressive atmosphere...?


Alright, let's go back. I'm seriously starting to feel sick...



Whew... We finally made it back here...
Wait... What's that...?



Th-There's something over there!


Ladies, Gentlebears and Trannies of fair Codexia!


I present to you, our special guest star for the evening!


Put your paws together for! The mysterious bear!
Pompompompompompom


What is this thing? A monkey? A bear...?

What in the world...?


Th-That's what I wanna know! Who are you guys...?


*gasp* It talked!!


Uhh... What are you!? Y-You wanna fight!?
> The bear cowers in fear.


D-Don't yell at me like that...



This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name.
It's where I live.


You... live here?


If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side.
Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache.


Huh? Throwing people in? What're you talking about?


I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!


Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that!?
What ARE you!? Where are we!?
What the heck's going on here!?


The creature cowers behind me after Chie's outburst...


I already told you...
A-Anyways, you should hurry back.


What it comes down to is, you want is to get outta here, right?
Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!


Urrrrgh! That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!
Uh... Kuma-kun, this is the first time you mentioned that... Translation error or just a quirk of his personality? I'll let you decide


Like I keep saying, we don't know where the frickin' exit--


Wait... What?
> The bear does a bearific stomp and a set of TVs appear in a cloud of smoke.



What the hell!?


Wh-Where did these TVs come from!?


Okay, now go, go, get ouuta here! I'm a busy bear!


What's going on now!? Whoa! Hey, what're you doing!?


S-stop pushing!



This one does not count for the portrait identification contest




Did we... make it back?
> the bell of the PA system resounds throughout the store..

<Store announcement> Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor.
<Store announcement> Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight?
<Store announcement> All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain beargain!
Nanako magnet detected...


Crap, it's already that late!?


Looks like we were in there for quite awhile...


That's right...
Now I remember where I saw that poster before...?
Looks over there! that's the poster we saw!


What's up now?



Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi.
She's been all over the news lately.
Something about... her husband having an affair with that announcer lady with died the other day.


Hey, so does that mean...?
The weird room we saw... Could it be related to that Yamano lady's death...?
Now that I think about it... there was that creepy noose hangign from the ceiling...


Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this.


I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore.


I'm feeling a shill too...
Let's go home... I wanna lie down and rest.



> You still feel sluggish...


Uh--Hmm... Well, I doubt you'd know...



Oh. I see...
To be honest... we got a call from her family. She's disappeared.
We've got people looking for her, but he hasn't been found yet...


*sigh* Works just keeps piling up...

On an unrelated note, I jsut noticed there's a smiley face on the TV stand...

<Announcer> And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba.


<Announcer> Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown.
<Announcer> But the police investigation had found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn.

> The Amagi Inn... It's the inn that Yukuma's family runs...

<Announcer> She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal...?
<Commentator> Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate.
<Commentator> The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumoured that she'll take over the inn this spring.
<Commentator> If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!
<Announcer> Uhh... I-I see... Moving along, it's time for the weather report.
<Announcer> The rain has begun to subside.
<Announcer> From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region.
<Announcer> Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area...
> The news continues.

> Just before the announcer was found dead, she was apparently staying at the Amagi Inn, run by Yukuma's family...
> And it seems the whereabouts of Saki Konishi, who discovered the body, are unknown...


Is he ramen ready now?


Give it some more time.

> You sneezed
> You feel a slight chill


Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment.
Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?
You should get to bed after you take it.




And that is all for this beary bearific update!

The mystery has started to reveal itself and yet the fog deepens...
What could've happened to Saki-senpai?
What significance does that room in TV world hold?
Does it hold any relation to Yamano's incident?
What's the nature of the TV world?
Why was the bear we met so eager for us to leave?
Is our hero ill, or were Chie or Brosuke talking about how cool he is?
How did our hero attain the ability to enter the TV world?

The answers and more coming to you next time, so stay tuned!
And don't forget about me, kuma! It gets really lonely over here by my bearsome self!

Interesting...

Holy shit...
I thought I'd made a start on update #4 and I have 812 screenshots to sift through (a bunch of these are doubles though, yay!) and there's a heap of new portraits as well....
Definitely content for the next page...

IF I don't update again, take heed, Crooked Bee was right all along, abandoned at page 3.
On the other hand, if I do, shit starts getting real, look forward to it!

I'll just leave this here to wet a few appetites...

It's not as though we're doing this for you or anything, kuma...

You know, I really appreciate all the trouble you are going throught by doing this, but I think you could ditch changing the characters picture everytime...I know it's cool to see their reaction, but man, you are already doing the mother of all LPs, no need to make it even more hard on you.

YEAH, IT'S JUST LIKE A BETHESDA GAME

I appreciate the concern, but changing the portraits takes virtually no time at all... over 90% of the effort will be spent on transcribing the text and most of the remainder sifting through the screenshots and deciding which I'd like to keep for the update.
Cleaning them up does take time though, so I can see where you're coming from....

But it's a game I really like (dungeons aside) and as such I really do want to present it to the best of my ability in the hopes that my fellow codexers will enjoy it just as much as I did via this LP (my juvenile sense of humour aside). The different expressions will probably stay for the immediate future.

LOLOLBROS IT'S JUST LIKE A BETHESDA GAME EXCEPT THE CHARACTERS ARE LIKEABLE, THE WRITING ISN'T JUVENILE, THE HUMOUR IS ACTUALLY FUNNY(*) AND THE ART ACTUALLY LOOKS GOOD!!!11
ALSO BROS, THE GAME DOESN'T CRASH EVERY 10 MINUTES, ALL THE FEATURES WORK AND IT'S ACTUALLY OPTIMISED FOR ITS TARGET PLATFORMS LOLOLOL
AND THERE'S NO RADIANT AI DOG FUCKER SHIT EITHER LOLOLOL

Probably the best BLOBERT impression I can manage but damn...
-10 Kodex Kool Kredits for trying too hard, or would you prefer to back up your position?

(*) unless my yukuma pun or the line about Saki's "bear" count (those two made me laugh far too long), we haven't really gotten to much of the funny yet, so for now you'll just have to take my word for it.

I WAS TALKING ABOUT THERE NOT BEING ANYTHING
YOU KNOW
LIKE IN A BETHESDA GAME
FULL OF NOTHING
IT'S FUNNY
LAUGH

Since you already got to that part, I'll leave this genius comic-parody-turned-video here: