[Let’s Play] Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebook 1: Metal City Mayhem

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; looking around in case this is a trap.

210
The prickles along Sonic’s back rise up … he can sense that something’s wrong. Something’s about to happen, but he can’t tell what. Roll on Sonic’s Quick Wits, to beat a 7. If you succeed, turn to section 221. If you fail, turn to 154.

Rolling the die and adding Sonic’s Quick Wits yielded a 7, so our hero barely succeeds.

221
Sonic looks up into the sky. Something is falling towards him! He dives out of the way and a huge glass box, exactly like the one that Sally is trapped inside, lands with a thump, trapping the silver guard robot inside it. The edge of the glass wall is touching Sonic’s trainers – if he hadn’t moved so fast he’d have been squashed flat under it. The robot inside the box steps forward and bumps into the wall. It turns, and bumps into another wall. A radio antenna extends from the top of its head, a light flashes on its chest, and a second silver robot stomps around the corner into view. Sonic looks around, and sees Sally has slumped against the wall of her prison. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is shallow. Of course, he thinks, she’s running out of air in there. He has three choices: try to smash the glass (turn to 205), smash the new robot (turn to 245), or plug a cartridge into the new robot (turn to 67).

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Try a cartridge on the new robot.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote acknowledged; plugging a cartridge into the new robot.

67
Which cartridge does Sonic choose to use? He can only use the ones you’ve written down on his Vital Statistics. There’s not much point in using Eggs-ercise, because that’s what the robot has at the moment. If Sonic chooses Blitzkri-egg or Eggs-ecute, turn to 78. If he chooses Pter-egg-dactyl or Ren-egg-ade, turn to 196. If he chooses Botman or Eggs-terminate, turn to 217.

Sonic currently has Eggs-terminate, Ren-egg-ade, and Eggs-ecute cartridges. Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Eggs-terminate and Eggs-ecute sound like they'd be bad for us, so I think we should go with Ren-egg-ade. My only concern is that we might need it more, later. But hopefully we can restock! 3/4 for Ren-egg-ade.

[JourneymanN00b]

Choosing the Ren-egg-ade cartridge.



196
The robot doesn’t react as Sonic switches its cartridge, but suddenly it stands bolt upright, its eyes flashing wildly. It spins around, then does what Sonic guesses is a robotic attempt at a super-sonic spin, and runs at the nearest wall. CRASH! To Sonic’s surprise it goes straight through, out of the cage, into the wall of Sally’s cage. CRASH! through that cage and through the far wall. CRASH! Overcome with the strain, its arms and legs drop off. The robot’s body falls over and its stares ups at Sonic for a moment before its head topples onto the ground. Five gold rings roll out.

Sally is dead impressed by this. ‘Wow! That was great, Sonic! Thanks for rescuing me. How did you make the robot do that?’

‘Oh,’ says Sonic nonchalantly, retrieving the cartridge from the collapsed robot and picking up the rings (write them down). ‘When you’re a super hero, that stuff’s easy!’

What does Sonic say next?

     ‘Teach me to climb the crane, so I can rescue Flicky?’     Turn to 10
     ‘Find Tails and tell him to bring help?’     Turn to 228
     ‘Do you know how to beat the giant robot in Botman?’     Turn to 124

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

SONIC’S VITAL STATISTICS
SPEED: 5
STRENGTH: 2
AGILITY: 2
COOLNESS: 5
QUICK WITS: 3
COOL LOOKS: 3
LIVES LEFT: 4
RINGS: 18
EGG-O-MATIC HITS: 0
SONIC’S STUFF
(Equipment, gadgets and stuff that Sonic will collect in his adventures)
Red trainers
Sega Game Gear
Eggs-terminate cartridge
Armor (enemies must roll above 12 to hit Sonic)
Comb (+1 Coolness and Cool Looks)
Ren-egg-ade cartridge
Eggs-ecute cartridge
Eggs-ercise cartridge

[Thaluikhain]

Teach to climb cranes.

(Again with the Botman, hmm?)

[deaddmwalking]

Yeah, we need to learn to climb.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; asking her to teach Sonic to climb the crane.



10
Sally looks at the blue hedgehog with surprise. ‘Well,’ she says, ‘I’m surprised that you’ll admit you need my help. It shows you’re a true hero, you know – knowing your own limits. Of course I’ll help you.’

They reach the bottom of the crane. Flicky is still hanging in his cage way above them. Sally gives Sonic a quick lesson in how to climb – how to decide which handholds and footholds are going to support him, how to balance his weight properly and, most importantly, to take the climb slowly and carefully. Then the two of them set off up the crane, Sally going first and shouting advice to Sonic. It’s a long climb but they finally reach the top, and walk carefully along the crane’s arm to Flicky’s cage. It has a trapdoor in the top and Sally climbs down the rope to it and undoes the door. Flicky flutters out, very grateful at being released. While the three of them are on top of the crane, Sonic can use the time to look out over the city. Which way does he look?

     Towards the gates?     Turn to 292
     Towards the large star-shaped building?     Turn to 171
     Looking for Robotnik?     Turn to 64

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Wiseman]

Towards the large star-shaped building.

[deaddmwalking]

Yep! Not ready to leave and not ready to fight. Let's learn about the building.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; looking towards the large star-shaped building.

171
Sonic searches until he sees the building. From up here it looks like some kind of large starfish, or perhaps a fat person lying on the ground, with a hollow area where their heart would be. All the scaffolding and construction robots have gone. Sonic sees something gleaming in the hollow. It’s a chaos emerald! It must be powering the city!

Something big, gold and spiky moves out from behind the star-shaped building. Sonic only catches a glimpse before it goes behind another building, but it wasn’t like any kind of robot that he had seen before. Something explodes and the crane shakes. Sally squeaks and almost falls off. Sonic steadies himself and looks down. A gang of robots are climbing up the crane, and one of them has blown up. Sonic can see that all their cartridges read Eggs-plode – if they all blow up, the crane will collapse! Does Sonic jump down to the ground in a foolhardy, devil-may-care way (turn to 262), does he start climbing down (turn to 51), or does he ask Flicky to carry Sally and himself away (turn to 157)?

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Get Flicky to save us.

[deaddmwalking]

A friend in need..

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; asking Flicky to carry Sally and Sonic away.

157
Flicky shakes his head sadly. ‘Sorry, old friend, but I can’t do that. One passenger is my limit; I can’t carry you both. I’ve only got little wings.’

Sonic is torn between two choices: should he do the heroic thing and let Flicky carry Sally to safety (turn to 51), or should he insist that, as he’s the only one who can beat Robotnik, he should get the ride (turn to 200)?

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Heroic thing. Let Flicky carry Sally to safety.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; doing the heroic thing and letting Flicky carry Sally to safety.

51
Sonic starts climbing down the crane. It’s more difficult than climbing up, especially because he has to check every step to make sure he’s not going to be grabbed by a robot. He watches as Flicky flies off into the distance, carrying Sally Acorn with him. The tower shakes as two more of the climbing robots explode below him. Sonic feels his grip on the girders loosening … Roll on Sonic’s Agility, to beat a 7. If you make the roll, turn to section 234. If you fail, Sonic loses his grip and falls off; turn to 111.

Rolling the die and adding Sonic’s Agility yielded a 3, so he loses his grip and falls off.

111
Sonic hits the ground at such speed that he bounces back into the air. His second landing is much slower and safer, and he unrolls and looks up at the top of the crane. He can just see Flicky carrying Sally Acorn away to safety, flying faster than Robotnik in his Egg-o-matic which buzzes around the top of the crane like an angry bumblebee – until one of the climbing robots explodes, knocking out one girder too many, and the structure totters and falls with a crash that shakes the whole city.

Sonic shrugs his shoulders. ‘Shoddy workmanship – or should that be work-robotship?’ he wonders. ‘If I was going to build a mega crane and imprison someone at the top, I wouldn’t get robots to do it; no way. Come to think of it,’ he thinks, ‘I guess I wouldn’t do it at all. That’s the difference between Robotnik and me. Of course he’s also ultimately fat; stinks of eggs, has a moustache, is unspeakably evil and wants to destroy me and rule the world.’

Turn to section 103.

103
Sonic turns the corner and there is Boombox, holding some rolled-up papers.

‘Oh, it’s you,’ he says, ‘I was wondering when you’d turn up again. Look, I was tunnelling and I found these. They’re blueprints of Robotropolis – like, maps or plans of the whole city. Take a look.’

Sonic and Boombox spread the papers out on the ground and study them. Does Sonic:

     Look at the layout of the star-shaped building?     Turn to 172
     Look for the city’s power source?     Turn to 274
     Just browse through the plans?     Turn to 121

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

3/4 vote for browse. We think the power source is in the star-shaped building, but we don't know what we don't know that could be helpful. Maybe there's an unprotected exhaust port and a direct hit will overload the reactor core...

[Thaluikhain]

May as well browse, yeah.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; browsing through the plans.

121
Sonic looks all over the plans, and notices a small box in one corner, labelled ‘Robot Statistics’. He reads it carefully:

Bronze robots – Workers, minor guards     Total: 2775
Silver robots – Overseers, soldiers     Total: 194
Gold robots – Special patrol duties     Total: 2
Platinum robot – All details classified     Total: 1

‘Gold and platinum robots?’ says Boombox. ‘They’re new. I haven’t come across any of them before.’

‘Nor me,’ says Sonic, trying to remember if he’s beaten more than 194 silver robots, and deciding that he probably hasn’t. ‘I wonder what they’re like.’

The ground trembles, and something in a nearby street revs its powerful engine. Boombox looks at Sonic. ‘I’ve no idea,’ he says, ‘but I think we’re about to find out.’

Does Sonic dash into the road to see what’s there (turn to 2), hide around a corner and watch as it goes past (turn to 249), or climb onto a nearby building for a better view (turn to 61)?

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Not sure if it remembers we learned to climb. I suggest hiding around a corner. 3/4 vote for that.

[JourneymanN00b]

Hiding around a corner and watching as it goes past.

249
Sonic dives behind a huge piece of pipe as the robot rumbles by, and peeks out after it. It’s hard to get a clear view, but it’s very big, gold-coloured and covered in guns and weapons. It’s on two large caterpillar-tracks which move it quickly through the streets. A bronze robot walks into the road ahead of it. Two of the gold robot’s guns track it for a moment, then BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM and all that’s left is a cloud of bronze smoke. Sonic can attack the massive metal monster (turn to 180), climb on a building to get a better look (turn to 61), sneak past it towards the star-shaped building (turn to 288), or duck back into the alley (turn to 225).



Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

1/2 vote for sneaking past it, in case climbing skills have been forgotten as mentioned above.

[deaddmwalking]

I suspect that sneaking past it is going to require a test, and I'm not sure which attribute would be used. Probably not one that we're particularly good at. I favor the alley.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; ducking back into the alley won over sneaking past it by a 1-0.5 vote.

225
Sonic drives back into the side street and hides behind a pile of unused pistons. He hears the gold robot rev its engines and drive away. There are occasional crashes as it fires its guns at something, and more occasional explosions when something doesn’t get out of the way in time. The pile of pistons shakes and Boombox crawls out from under it. ‘What was that?’ he asks.

‘The gold robot,’ Sonic replies. ‘It’ll take more than just me to defeat it. Will you help?’

‘Hey – I’m a mover, not a fighter,’ says Boombox. ‘Besides, while you were dodging bullets, I was looking at these blueprints. There’s a thing called the Zap Cannon on top of the tallest building in Robotropolis. According to the plans it’s computer-controlled, but you can take it over and fire it where you like. Get the idea?’ Sonic nods, smiling. ‘Then there’s the other plan. The other gold robot is over by the city gates, guarding them. Gold robots shoot at anything that moves, so if you lure that one over here, they should attack each other. It’s more risky than the cannon, but it could be fun.’ Does Sonic go for the Zap Cannon (turn to 241) or dash off towards the gates (113)?



Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice reaches 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.