#kiratext

First, let me explain a few key mechanics for those who might not know anything about 2kki or ynfgs:

EFFECTS: these are power ups mixed with collectibles. you find effects out in the worlds. some worlds need these to reach, and this trip is unique in how it handles this.

EYEBALL BOMB: An effect. This one is used to return to the Nexus, the starting world, without waking up or having to backtrack. Waking up resets and changes many things, and backtracking is an impossibility when trying to reach VI, so it's a requirement here.

BAT (AND BAT WARPS): Another effect. Using it lets you set a Bat Warp in a world, allowing you to return to a specific spot in that map by using it again. It only works when you're in the same map as the warp, which is important.

DRUM: Another effect. This one has no practical uses in everyday wandering, but all effects have at least one use in getting to other places and Drum is no exception.

TROPHY ROOM (AND DROPPING EFFECTS): A special world that you enter in order to "drop" effects. Dropping an effect means you can't use it anymore; it's effectively no longer in your inventory. Usually you just drop all your effects to access endings, but this is a rare case where it has a different use.

FAVORITE EFFECTS AND THE SHIFT MENU: You can "favorite" one effect, allowing you to equip it at any time, with a special procedure involving the side drawers of Urotsuki's desk in both the real and dream worlds. You can also toggle a "shift menu" that lets you open an effect quick-select menu, with the favorite always on the bottom to be selected at any time. The specifics are a bit long winded for the purposes of this though.

CHASERS: Scary getters. Guys that chase you and, when they catch you, drop you someplace that is almost impossible to escape without Eyeball Bomb or just waking up.

now that we have all the key mechanics explained, lets go into the meat and potatoes.

the first hurdle is the simplest: omurice labyrinth. its a GIANT maze with an eye-hurting color scheme. its got no other gimmicks for us, but it by itself is infamous, so it deserves mention.

the next hurdles involve trophy animal land, silhouette complex, and grand beach. to get from trophy animal land to silhouette complex, you need to interact with an NPC that can only show up while using the Drum effect. In order to get from silhouette complex to grand beach, you explicitly need to NOT have the Drum effect on hand. paradox and impossible, right?

nope.

note my wording choices for the above glossary. a dropped effect is "no longer in the inventory." a favorited effect is able to be equipped "at any time" from the shift menu.

So, in short, before you start your trip, you need to Favorite Drum, and then drop it off in the trophy room, in that order.

that way, you can present Drum to the NPC that wants it, and then unequip it and still be considered as not having it in order to reach Grand Beach.

the next hurdle is the more complicated of the two: the trip from Floating Brain World to Spike Alley. Floating Brain World is home to this interesting formation shaped kind of like an 8.

If you currently have Bat in your inventory, the pin puzzle will look how it looks on the left. If you DON'T have Bat in your inventory, the puzzle will look how it does on the right. Either way, it appears impassible; you have to use the Favorite Trick on a completely different Effect to even reach here, right? However, that's not so.

Chasers don't always send you to isolated areas in the same map. The spiders in Forest Cavern (SPECIFICALLY the spiders!) send you to an isolated area in Floating Brain World.

So first, you set a Bat Warp in Floating Brain World. Anywhere is fine! Then, you must use Eyeball Bomb to return to the Nexus. Then, Favorite Bat and drop it off as usual. Then go get got by spiders!

You can use Bat to warp out of the spot you get dropped at; by using Eyeball Bomb, your set Bat Warp is not reset, even though technically we don't have Bat anymore. Then you set a new warp within the proper bounds, as shown.

Now we have to reverse our decision to drop off Bat. Eyeball Bomb one more time, and go piss off the spiders again.

And then you end up in a situation that looks a little like this:

It's absolutely exhausting, but Spike Alley is the world right before Voxel Island. and what is your reward for going through all this?

Well, on YNO, you can get two badges here. (See the shark in Grand Beach while you're there if that's how you play; good to get everything in one trip!)

Otherwise, there is a little creature there called Boogal who gives 7777 Yume when chainsawed. There are no collectibles to be found here, such as menu themes or wallpapers.