Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Angels Take Manhattan: 2012

Stone me!
Previous Episode: Sontaran Disturbance: USA


Game version played: 2.5.1 (GP-A)

The Weeping Angels. The best original monster of New Who and perhaps one of the greatest in the show's 51 year history. Original, fascinating and scary. It looks like we're about to face them in mortal combat. Prepare yourself for Angels Take Manhattan.

Do you think there was some analogy in Steven Moffat's mind when he demonised the Statue of Liberty in this story? The USA's symbol of freedom and democracy becoming a giant Weeping Angel. Is he saying that liberty has become a force for evil, that great horrors and destruction are wrought in order to preserve an impractical ideal? Perhaps the Moff feels that certain individual rights should be sacrificed in order to improve the common good.

Is he instead saying that if you take your eye off liberty for a second then we are all doomed? That freedom must be watched constantly. Blink and it becomes corrupted.

Was it a comment about the USA itself? Is he implying that the country which styled itself as the embodiment of freedom and democracy is now a monster? A monster that sends its enemies back to the stone age, or snaps their neck and steals their voices?

I doubt it. More likely someone said "Imagine if the Statue of Liberty was a Weeping Angel. That would be brilliant that would." Mr Moffat hears that and says, 'Och! That would be fine indeed. I'm away to write that up. Cheers pal." That's how The Angels Take Manhattan was born. Well it is in my mind anyway. Enough of this prattling.


Metaphor of monster?
Blue Time Fragments are signalled for this level so the Angels are likely to be Blue. That could be a problem as Green is my weakest colour. Rory will have to earn his keep in both dealing and healing.

My team is led by the 11th Doctor in his new monkly attire at Rank 2. Jenny Flint is at Lv.9 and Porridge, Madame Vastra and Rory Williams are at Lv.8. I still have an empty slot but there will be no chance to fill it in this adventure.

This is another level with a shifting background. It changes between the roof of the Winter Quay apartment building, with some interesting Skaro inspired graffiti, and the night skyline of Manhattan. Very pretty.

As the level starts the 11th Doctor warns us to be careful. He says that a lot in this game.

We first face one Blue Weeping Angel. It's taking 3 rounds to attack so it looks as if they'll be slow. The interesting thing to note is that one of the gems looks like a grey marble. It is in fact a stone gem. These appear in Weeping Angel levels and are a pain. They have no colour so can't be used to attack or heal. The only way to get rid of them is to combine them with other stones, at which time they shatter. Shattering stones count as a combination in your damage calculation so they are not completely useless. It pays to get rid of them as they mount up steadily. Don't make it your priority but if you can do it while making a good colour combo then do so.

This first Angel was reasonably tough and it took me two rounds to get rid of her though I took no damage. The stone gems make it difficult to rack up a decent set of combinations, which effectively makes the Angels more durable.


My slightly new-look team
Wave 2 of 3 was a brace of Blue Weeping Angels. The battle lasted 7 rounds and I learned that each Angel does 150 damage, as they both hit me before I could kill one. 300 points is not insignificant when you have just 874 to start with. 6 hits without healing and I'd be done for. Happily I got through the wave just 150 points down at the end, thanks to careful use of Pink gems. Jenny Flint was primed for use but turning Blue Gems Red when you're facing Blue enemies is not wise. There seems to have been a few levels where I've had to put her special power aside.

It was decent scrap but I prevailed, with a Blue Time Fragment as booty. We stepped forward to the Boss wave. And what a big Boss it is, Lady Liberty herself.

Fighting the Statue of Liberty is hard. She's as tough as nails, hits like a hammer and steals your gems. It took a Riposte from Vastra, a bomb from Porridge, Cunning from the 11th Doctor, and 9 attack-filled rounds to beat her down. She deals 300 points per hit but they are 4 rounds apart, so with Rory's help I was able to keep ahead of  the damage.

At 18 rounds this was my longest level yet. The enemies' damage is high if infrequent, and the stone gems are an effective handicap. My advice would be to heal your wounds quickly as Pinks appear less often, and it won't take many hits to knock you over.

I gained a Blue Time fragment from this battle and another achievement, Time Lord Chancellor for making 500 gem combos. Another plaque for the TARDIS wall. Experience-wise I got Vastra, Porridge and Rory to join Jenny Flint on Lv.9. Maybe the next level will get Jenny to Rank 2. Fingers crossed.

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