(NOTE: Watch the Youtube video in 720p60. Some video effects in the game don't work in 30fps.)
- Emulator used: BizHawk 2.5.2 (syncs up to and including 2.6.2, but not 2.6.3 or later)
What is Indivisible Prototype?
Indivisible is a Metroidvania/RPG hybrid PC game (often described as
Valkyrie Profile with Metroidvania elements) that was released on October 2019 after an ambitious crowdfunding campaign starting in 2015. As part of the crowdfunding campaign (this was back in 2015, remember) there was a
prototype PC version of what the game could have been like. This prototype inspired someone to
demake the Prototype version and create a NES version. This demake has no RPG elements, so it's essentially a mini-Metroidvania.
What is Clearest!%?
Essentially the "100%" category for this game. There are three possible categories: Clear (beat the statue boss and leave), Clearer (visit the secret room without beating the secret boss), and Clearest! (beat the secret boss). "Clearest!" is the most complete (essentially 100%) so that's the category I do in this TAS.
Mechanics
There is acceleration in this game. You can activate dash speed (max 2.5 pixels per frame) by double-pressing left or right while on the ground. It's faster than normal speed (max 2 pixels per frame). Wall jumping is a little faster horizontally (around 3-4 pixels per frame speed) but can only be used in limited circumstances.
You get the axe partway through, which allows you to do more damage to enemies, break down some walls, and climb a wall without wall-kicking (have to hold B for this). Wall kicks are normally faster if they are available; however there are a few places where using the axe on a wall is preferable.
After beating the statue boss, you get super dash (max 5 pixels per frame). It is activated by running at dash speed for a while. Super dash is required to access the secret boss room.
- It is faster to run through the temple sections, not fighting any minor enemies (except one which is in the way).
- Near the end of the second temple section it is possible to use a ground axe attack to take out two walls at once. However, taking them out one at a time is faster (ground attacks are slow).
Statue boss
- The statue boss has 126HP. Axe attacks do the most damage (3 per hit), although sometimes it is possible to reflect one of the boss's attacks back for 10 damage. This can actually be done at the beginning, but it turns out to be slower.
- I keep the boss near the right side, so when the boss spawns enemies, I can do wall jumps and take out the enemies easily.
- The boss is supposed to spawn a second set of enemies, but is defeated before it can do so.
Getting out of the pit
- Normally you're supposed to just leave to the right once the boss is defeated, and get the Clear ending. However, it is possible to climb back out of the pit (in order to backtrack to the secret boss). This is something that was also in the prototype PC version, and requires an extremely difficult set of axe wall-climbs to pull off.
- The author of the game (Kasumi) actually did a speedrun of Clearest!% showing that you can deathwarp out of the pit. However, I believe it is actually slower, because it requires you to go through both enemy summoning phases, and then manipulate the boss into using the fire attack.
Secret boss
- The secret boss is some kind of in-joke called "Mike Z's cat" (or whatever, I don't know). It has "9 lives" and gets progressively more difficult to defeat (in this demake, it starts out by having only 1HP on its first life, and it increases by 1HP per life so it has 9HP on its last). Punches, axe attacks and super dash all do the same damage (1HP).
- Starting on its fifth life, the cat will start jumping around when attacked (unless it's doing an attack); it's hard to hit it during this phase so I sometimes manipulate it to do an attack; this requires waiting a bit, but ultimately ends up faster.
ThunderAxe31: Technically speaking, this game is not a prototype in itself, it's a homebrew; although a bit obscure and short, it's relatively good quality.
I agree that this movie goal can be considered as a form of full completion, more specifically as best ending.
The movie seems well optimized to me.
Accepting for Standard.
