Rise and Shine

Saga: Prologue Arc

Prerequisites: None (game starts here)

Chapter summary: Psi awakens for the first time in his new body, having been saved from serious injury after falling and sliding down the nearby mountainside unconcious. Without any comprehension or memory of what happened to him, Psi takes it out on his rescuer, Courage. This stage serves as a tutorial for very basic combat moves and other gameplay essentials, and transitions from an opening fight scene to a trek through the woods to a nearby train station, where the Courage offers to take Psi into the city while he tries to figure out what happened to him.

Script:

The Intro

[The scene starts with a black screen, with a slowly fading in sound of turpulence in the background. After a short while, the blackness fades to a first-person shot from Psi's perspective staring at a clear blue sky above. The camera pans around as Psi glances around in confusion, including a lensflare assisted glance at the sun at one point, until he looks sideways and views the distant horizon quickly approaching underneath. The camera then suddenly jerks and strains as Psi collides with the snow beneath him, and continues to give only slight, blurred glimpses of the scene as he continues to tumble and slide downhill. At one point the tumbling stops to give a clear view of Psi's white gloves clinging to a rock directly in front of the camera, but it gives way after a brief moment, causing the confusion to continue until Psi hits the bottom of the slope.

Psi's eyesight slowly returns to the sight of grass and trees, and the purple Gem of Chaos clutched in his white glove.]

Psi: Where... [has a nasty coughing fit] ...where am I? And what the heck happened to my voice?

Courage: [Offscreen] Heeeeeey! Omigosh, are you okay? That looked like a really big fall!

Psi: I... think I'm fine. How do I look---

[Psi turns to look at the voice of Courage, only to recoil and gasp in fright in reaction to her obviously inhuman form. The two maintain eye contact for a few awkward seconds.]

Psi: [quietly] What are you...?

Courage: Uh... are you sure you're okay?

Psi: I must be seeing things.

Courage: Listen, we should probably get you to a hospital, little guy, you're acting all wierd. Here, let me help you up.

[Psi reluctantly obliges and offers his hand onscreen, allowing Courage to pull him off the ground. As she does so, the remainder of Psi's arm shows onscreen for the first time, showing an unmistakeable coat of grey fur. The BGM strikes a sudden shock chord to reflect Psi's own horror as he stumbles backwards, simply staring at the arm in question. The camera finally leaves the first person view in lieu of a gradually retreating frontal shot starting from an extreme close-up of Psi's eyes, as Psi continues frantically inspecting his own body between his arms, chest, face and eventually his own tail. Courage begins to approach Psi, visibly concerned with the events unfolding, but Psi takes a swing at her once she gets too close.]

Courage: Woah! What is your problem!?

Psi: What are you? What the hell have you done to me!?

Courage: You really need to calm down, little guy. Here, just let me--

Psi: Don't call me that!

[Psi launches himself at Courage, but she jumps out of the way, causing Psi to fall to the ground with the leftover momentum. He quickly gets back to his feet and stares Courage down angrily, letting off a fierce gutteral growl in the process. Courage, realizing the futility of talking Psi out of it in this state, sighs to herself and falls back into her default ingame stance as the camera shifts to the normal sidescrolling perspective, allowing gameplay to start proper.]

The Tutorial

[The gameplay is interrupted at specific intervals and actions in order to allow Courage to help teach Psi, and by proxy the player, how to fight to a basic degree. She doesn't, however, break the forth wall in order to explain the controller's role in these actions - her dialogue is followed up with system text boxes and button prompts wherever they are necessary.]

[After an unsuccessful fit of button mashing...]

Courage: Aw, come on! Are you trying to hit me, or are you just flailing about because you don't know better? Gotta time your attacks right, or you'll never hit me! [A prompt emerges explaining the contextual fighting system]

[After timed, but still unsuccessful attacks]

Courage: That's more like it! Now you just gotta find out what your specialty is. Everyone's better in some situations than others, so it's all a matter of--

Psi: Shut up and hold still! [The game explains character specialties for attack contexts, and gives a few examples of Psi's for the player to build on]

[Later]

Courage: See, now you're getting the hang of this!

Psi: Are you even taking this seriously!?

Courage: Not really. But I've got nothing better to do if you're gonna take it out on me for no reason.

Psi: Now wait just a--

Courage: Less talking! Come at me, little guy!

[On first successful hit]

Courage: Ow... ha. That can't be all you can do. I know you're holding something back!

Synn: Then allow me.

Psi: What the heck? Was that me? What's going on!? [The game explains Primary and Secondary movesets, and the advantages of alternating between them, as well as a few of Synn's ideal contexts]

[After landing a hit with Synn's moveset]

[Courage finally launches an attack of her own, and Psi takes the hit as he tries to retreat from it]

Synn: Idiot! Don't turn your back to the enemy! Keep your focus on them at all times!

Psi: Aggh! Get out of my head! Get out of my body!

Synn: YOUR body? What on Denuo are you talking about?

Courage: This day just keeps getting wierder and wierder. [The game explains lockon mechanics]

[After avoiding Courage's attack with lockon, then counter-attacking]

Synn: Look, this is getting us nowhere. Whoever you are, it's pretty obvious she has nothing to do with... well, whatever the hell happened here.

[Psi groans and sighs audibly]

Courage: Okay, little guy. Umm, guys now, is it? There's two of you in there? I don't even... whatever. Point is, everyone is confused and we all need a break. I have a place back in town if you need to crash somewhere while you try to figure things out.

Psi: F-fine...

[Psi reluctantly follows Courage out of the area, constantly distracted by his thoughts, theories and Synn. Gameplay moves from the original screen down to a section of path between Mt Frostbite and the Hero Cave on the map, and Courage leads the player in the direction of South City, giving more pointers and idle chatter alone the way]

[En route to South City]

Courage: So what exactly did happen up there anyway? Whatever it was, it looks like it really rattled you up.

Psi: I... don't know. I only remember the fall.

Synn: I could probably remember more if I didn't have a damned headache, so at least you're right on one count.

Courage: Well I can definently tell you weren't always like this, so that's a start.

Synn: Of course we weren't. Obviously he stole my body while I was up there.

Psi: Do you think I LIKE being like this!?

Courage: Woah, touchy subject. Sorry I asked.

[An enemy creature appears.]

Courage: Hold up a minute. Something up ahead, and it doesn't see us yet. Can't you throw something at it with those wierd glowy powers of yours?

Psi: To be honest I didn't really think about it. There's so much I'm not used to right now.

Synn: Well you better learn fast then, because I get the feeling we're gonna need it. [The game explains ranged attacks and Psi's telekinetic throwing mechanics. Dialogue continues once the enemy is dispatched, whatever the approach may be.]

Courage: Well in any case, looks like we got off to a bad start. The folks call me Courage. What are your name...s?

Synn: Synn. [Whispers to himself/Psi] Don't tell her your real name.

Psi: What? Why shouldn't I?

Synn: Listen, speaking from experience I can tell you that whenever one recovers from a near-death experience, it tends to imply someone wanted you dead in the first place. You can't be too careful, especially seeing as you currently seem to have the aptitude of a cripple.

Psi: You little... [back to Courage] Just call me... Psi.

[Opening credits play, bridging the gap towards the next story chapter as the player reaches the area goal.]