Chapter 4: The Reckoning
Navigation:
Chapter 1: The Rescue
Chapter 2: The Restoration
Chapter 3: The Riddle
Chapter 4: The Reckoning
Chapter 5: The Race
IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE BUTLER DID IT!
As Cooper crosses the threshold to the Baron’s Quarters, he’s in for quite a shocking display taking place on the other side of the room. It seems that Crivens has managed to get to the Baron’s Quarters before we could, and what’s more he’s taking on the Baron by himself! While both men are completely cast in shadow from the light of the full moon outside, it’s clear to anyone that the Baron is getting pummeled by the kindly old butler donned in a tuxedo. After laying it on thick with a bout of punches to the Barons chest and jaw, Crivens changes things up by bashing his master over the head with the comically large and heavy key intended to free the prisoners of the Hall. While there isn’t any sort of struggle from the Barons end, he collapses to the floor in oddly-stiff fashion while Crivens makes his way over to the light. Smiling boldly, Crivens seems to be quite proud at himself for singlehandedly dealing with the Baron as he makes his way over to a stunned Cooper.
“Crivens!“, Cooper manages to blurt out in shock, clearly taken aback by how agile and spry the elderly man was moments ago, “What’s going on? Who were you fighting?!” Crivens takes a look at the window before turning back to Cooper and placing his hand around the lads shoulder. “Oh that, Sir.” the butler says flatly adjusting his bowtie as though he had only just forgotten what had happened, “I’ve just had a little disagreement with the Baron on your behalf!” As the two stare at each other blankly in shocked silence, Crivens clears his throat softly before turning his attention to the specialty weapon he used to take on Baron Von Ghoul. Reaching into his back pocket, Crivens pulls out a rather heavy key thats been crafted with a skeletons face on the handle. “I believe this key I took from him will help you release those poor souls“, Crivens offers as he gestures towards the large key and raises his eyebrows for dramatic effect.
As Cooper reaches out for the key in gratitude, Crivens nearly places it in his open hand but pauses just for a moment. Twisting his face into a sinister grin, Crivens withdraws the key as he reels his arm back and then uses the momentum to swing the key right into Coopers jaw where it connects with a tremendous thunk! Cooper crumples to the ground immediately as Crivens’ daunting frame towers over him from above. As the elderly man raises his bony hand into the air, Cooper watches in utmost horror as the would-be butler pulls away at the mask that hides his true face. In one sure tug that only gets caught momentarily on his nose, the mask is taken off completely, revealing a chortling Baron Von Ghoul underneath! As Cooper breathes in a silent gasp from the floor below, the Baron removes his fancy facade and in a whirlwind of activity changes into a pair of full length baby blue pajamas with a maroon housecoat that comes up much too short on his wrists.
“Foolish boy!“, the Baron spits out as he relishes in setting up such an elaborate scheme that was orchestrated so well, “Did you like my clever disguise?” he says leaning closer and stroking his chin, chuckling to himself to himself as Cooper stares up in disbelief. “Bet you never guessed that the butler did it?!” He shouts as he points a mocking finger. Cooper blinks twice as the joke is lost on him entirely and the smirking Baron takes some time to walk leisurely around the room, thinking what to do next. Turning towards Cooper, the Baron rubs his hands together in triumph as he flashes a wicked smile to the boy below, “Oh, how I’ve enjoyed toying with you throughout my house! But I fear your feeble adventure ends here!” The Baron says matter-o-factly before creeping toward Cooper with his arms outstretched, his twisted smile still stretching across his face. “Oh yes indeed“, Baron Von Ghoul adds as he advances, chuckling maniacally as Cooper scrambles to his feet.
THE FINAL FIGHT: COOPER AGAINST BARON VON GHOUL
There’s literally no time to waste as you start off against the Baron, as he’ll come up swinging before you’ve had a chance to familiarize yourself with this new area. Before the Baron has a chance to rush over to your position, you’ll want to escape his clutches by heading over to his private bathroom to the left, which can be found just past the billowing cloud curtains. Once you’ve found your way inside you’ll need to crack open the sink, which can be found on the leftmost wall wedged in the corner. Doing so will reveal a Super Weapons! Soup Tin, which we’ll leave by the wayside as we continue out trek through the bathroom. Be sure to avoid the lunges of the mad Baron if he’s managed to follow you inside, and carry on to the corner opposite where you should manage to spot a thin shelf overhead a small table. Delivering a swift kick to the shelf will expose the hidden Turbo Cooper! Soup Tin above, which we’ll also leave behind for later – let’s start to work on the offensive.
You’ll effectively have to lure the Baron into your attack range by approaching him and coaxing him into swinging, and then backing away quickly before he’s had a chance to land a hit with his propeller. If you’ve done this correctly the Baron will come up just short, leaving himself wide open for an attack. If you’ve managed to get in a solid hit, the Baron will turn red with anger and try following it up immediately with a second swing; this can be negated by following the technique above until you’ve gotten to the third hit, in which the dizzied Baron will be vulnerable for a showy finisher. After you’ve whacked the Baron across the room, he’ll drop his trusty propeller, which you’ll need to pick up before he’s gotten the chance to. While the Baron attempts to flee, we’ll rush back to the bathroom and collect our Super Weapons! and Turbo Cooper! Soup Tins, which should allow us to save a good chunk of time otherwise wasted chasing the Baron around his own room.
Under normal circumstances the propeller will only provide you with three hits to land on the Baron before it crumbles in your hands, allowing the Baron to withdraw a second from within his housecoat and resume his post. With each successive round of sorts, the Baron will get more and more agile, to the point where it can become quite difficult to halt his pacing. With aid from the Super Weapons! Tins however, it’s entirely possible to progress through these stages much more quickly, as you’re still landing the same amount of damage, but you’re dealing it out in one sitting rather than stretching out in increments of three over the course of a few rounds. To make things more difficult, the Baron will be blinking red in this stage, and you’ll only manage to land a hit when he’s turned back to normal momentarily. It will take some timing on your part, but you should manage the pattern fairly easily. Try keeping the Baron isolated in a single area and keep pinning him down.
A PANTOMIME PLANE FOR THE CONSIDERABLY INSANE
You should squeeze in at least four untapped hits from the Super Weapons! Tin before you’ll have to rely on the original three hits provided from the propeller to take care of the Baron. If you waste one of the propellers hits, you’ll have to repeat his initial stage to grab his propeller once more, so try to make every shot count. After you’ve given the Baron a taste of his own medicine and reduce his energy to 140 points, he’ll see that a change of strategy is in order. “Gadzooks, Crivens and all manner of old English exclamations! This isn’t working!” Turning his head toward his makeshift runway, the Baron calls for desperate measures, “I can’t put it off any longer. She may not be completely ready but it’s time to unveil my pride and joy… the Red Baron!” Scrambling into his garage, the Baron soon emerges with a large red biplane that he wears like a suit. As the Baron runs down his runway, he springs into the air and his plane takes over – leaving the Baron to hover just above the floor.
Right, things are starting to get a little tricky now. You’ll have to avoid the Barons divebombs and wait until he’s crash landed after preforming one to get in any damage. If the Baron manages to dive into you after shouting his signature “Tally-Ho!“, you’ll lose ten energy from the ensuing ram, same goes if you simply bump into the propeller as the Baron flies around. Your best bet is to use the desk nearest the large window as your cover, as the Baron will be unable to dive into you if you take out the midsection with a solid whack and then stand inside it. After the Baron has toured around his room for a while, he’ll dive bomb towards the desk and if you’ve managed to stay between the two drawers he’ll spin out of control. Be on your toes here; you’ll have to follow the Baron once he’s stopped spinning and begins traveling in a new direction. While he’s facing away from you, you’ll have to land a sturdy hit to the back of his plane, which will send him hurtling to the ground.
Before the Baron has gotten a chance to regain his composure, work your way back towards the center of the desk and line it up so that the Baron will force himself into another crash landing. A second whack to the back of his biplane will send the Baron to the floor once more, “Mwa haa! Your puny attacks cannot harm me! You must join me and together we shall rule the mansion as father and son..!” A shocked Cooper looks up towards the mad Baron with considerable doubt, “Nooooooo! That’s not true! That’s impossible!” The Baron takes a moment to reconsider, “No, wait, wrong speech! What I meant to say is I’m a sporting gentleman, so take this weapon and I’ll give you a fighting chance!” Now that Cooper has become equipped with his Soda Pop gun, we’ll fire a shot once the Baron has crashed into the desk again. Drenched with soda, the Baron will ponder to himself before withdrawing a trumpet from within his cockpit, sounding out a call to the Ghoulies…
Responding to their masters call, the portraits around the room depicting various phases of the Barons youth are soon slashed open to allow a gaggle of Ghoulies passage to the Baron’s Quarters, which in this case is a crew of Skeletons. You’ll want to spin around on the spot as soon as you regain control here, as the desk is directly in front of one of the portraits. Blast the Skeleton before it has a chance to sneak up on you and then work your way to the floor to deal with the others. If you’ve taken a bit of damage from the Baron you’ll have an opportunity to recover during this segment if you blast the two large vases found in front of the large central window, each one containing a 5 Energy Boost! Soup Tin inside. Make sure to keep watch for the Baron while you’re doing this however, as he’s still likely hit you with his propeller. Once you’ve managed to pop a single shot into each of the Skeletons the Baron will render himself vulnerable from your Soda Pop gun again.
If you’d prefer to save some time in having the Baron decide to divebomb the desk if you’ve chosen to hide behind it, you can always wait until he’s facing the opposite direction and fire a shot into his rear, it can be a little difficult though as he’s prone to turning around at a moments notice. Regardless of how you land your shot, a second drenching from your Soda Pop Grenade will cause the Baron to withdraw his trumpet once more and summon a hoarde of Zombies to flood his bedroom. Compared to the Skeletons prior, the Zombies are a tad more difficult to manage, as they’ll require two hits from your Soda Pop gun to take out, which can draw from your reserves fairly quickly. On the positive side, the Zombies aren’t as agile, so you shouldn’t have much trouble in dealing with them as they shamble along. Take care of the Zombie behind the desk first before working your way through the rest of the ranks, once the Baron is left vulnerable, take him down with a third blasting.
After having his biplane taken down for the third time in row and sopping with sticky soda, the Baron decides to call forth his most volatile ranks of Ghouly. Raising his ornate trumpet to his mouth, the Baron blurts his deflated note as the room soon fills with Worms that have burst through the portraits. Akin to the Skeletons, the Worms can be easily dispatched with a single shot of your Soda Pop gun, just be sure to make every shot count or you’ll be squeezing the trigger in vein as a Worm with a short fuse starts bouncing over to you gingerly. If you’ve got some time to spare it would be wise to start uncovering some handy Super Soups that will help you to survive through these final rounds of Ghoulies. Launch a Soda Pop Grenade towards the large Grandfather clock to the left of the runway near the desk to expose an Invulnerability! Soup Tin. Another can be found in the leftmost shelf of the Barons selection of books, next of his bed near the bathroom.
With all of the Worms dealt with the Baron will once again appear vulnerable as he divebombs towards you, wait for him to spin out, or wait until he’s turned the opposite direction to drench him in soda spray once more. Retrieving his trumpet from within the cockpit for the last time, the Baron calls forth a group of rogue Zombie Pirates to finish off Cooper once and for all. These nautical nuisances will proof themselves quite the challenge, as they’ve brought along their treasure chest which they’ll toss from afar. It would be wise to pick up one of the Invulnerability! Super Soup Tins if you haven’t done so already just to provide yourself a bit of insurance if a chest barrels its way towards you with little chance to react. Each Zombie Pirate will require two hits from your Soda Pop Grenade gun, so make fast work of the Pirates by firing quickly and accurately before things have a chance to get too difficult when they start slinging their chests about.
After you’ve managed to defeat all of the Zombie Pirates, the Baron will spin out on his own accord, clearly enraged that you’ve managed to mow down all of his expendable Ghouies, he saves himself a soda soaking and decides to have it out with a dogfight. This is it, the final confrontation with Baron Von Ghoul! If you have the time to venture out onto the floor to pick up the Invulnerability! Super Soup without the Baron divebombing into you, it would be wise to do so now and then travel back to the desk to take cover. The Baron will be relentless in his diving here, which will help to speed things up drastically if you’ve taken shelter behind the desk, otherwise it will be an absolute nightmare if you’re still out on the floor. The Baron will only become vulnerable after he’s crashlanded, so there’s no shots from the rear to be had here. Once you’ve managed to land Soda Pop grenade shots on the Baron however, it will be enough to ground him for good!
SENDING THE BARON ON A HIGH FLYING ADVENTURE
Forcing the Baron to make an emergency landing, Cooper delivers a powerful kick to the defunct propeller, which sends Baron Von Ghoul soaring backwards towards the large window overlooking the front yard below. Upon contact with his bulky biplane, the massive window shatters on impact, sending the middle aged man in his pajamas hurtling towards the ground far, far below. Before his frame has a chance to squeeze all the way through the window however, the illusive Skeleton Key loosens from his grasp and spirals into the air towards Cooper. As Cooper reaches up to catch the key as it falls, a bony limb manages to swipe it up! Spinning about, Cooper scowls only to see that it’s Mr. Ribs and Amber come up to see how he’s made out. “I’m actually almost impressed.” Amber says to a defeated looking Cooper before her smile shows through, “Just kidding! You’re a real hero now! MY hero!” Cooper bears a sheepish smile before turning to Mr. Ribs.
“Mr. Ribs hold key to prisoners and skeleton doors!” the stocky skeleton exclaims as he raises the heavy key into the air, “We go and rescue prisoners! Mr. Ribs want to be hero too!” His pleas fall somewhat on deaf ears as Cooper and Amber become lost in each others eyes as they move in to hug. Amber rests her head on Coopers shoulder before whispering into his ear, “You go with Bonehead.” Clearly expecting something else, Cooper snaps up and cocks his head to the side, “I’ll go tell Ma, Babs and that dubious Fiddler guy that they are free to leave this place! Cooper nods in agreement as Mr. Ribs carries the heavy key over to the Barons Door. Upon approaching it with key in hand, the vines slither away allowing Mr. Ribs to unlock it. Stepping into the darkened doorway, Mr. Ribs turns back toward Cooper and Amber who are still holding each others hands. “Time for kissy-kissy later!” Mr. Ribs protests, “Hero boy chase Mr. Ribs now! Ooh!” Right, let’s go!