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Disaster Report Diaries (Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3) Part One

Disaster Report Diaries (Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3) Part One

Released only in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in 2009, I had hoped that there would be a fan translation for Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3: Kowareyuku Machi to Kanojo no Uta one day. Well, now there is, as of 2022! With the right know-how, you too can install this patch onto your homebrew-enabled PSP.

The English translation for the title is The Desperate City 3: Damaged Town and Her Song, though the fan translation team has gone with Disaster Report 3: A Fading City and Her Song. It’s less literal, but does what any good translation does, and brings across the spirit of the thing it’s translating.

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Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3 has two protagonists, Naoki Kousaka and Rina Makimura, but you can only choose to play as one of them. There is also a Stress mechanic, rather than the thirst or body temperature mechanics from the previous two games. As you encounter stressful situations, it gradually depletes your health until you’re left struggling to walk, then hit a game over. Sitting on a bench (which is a save point) and using First Aid Kits will reduce Stress, however, so expect me to be sitting a lot! Naoki has higher stamina but is more easily stressed, whereas Rina is more resistant to stress with lower stamina, so I figured that I’d go for the less stressful option.

This is my exploration of the Disaster Report series where I will chronicle my playthrough like a text-based Let’s Play. Now let’s begin Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3: Kowareyuku Machi to Kanojo no Uta...

It was towards the end of March 2011, Rina Makimura, an 18-year-old student, was on the express bus from Harusaki City to Central Island, to begin a course at university. It was 7:10 am when she woke from a nap in time to see the city across the bay, before the bus descended into the Undersea Tunnel, on the Outbound side of the Harusaki Lagoon Line.

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Two women were talking about how Central Island was featured in a magazine as the “Best Place to Live”. They seemed to be visiting to do some shopping, but since I was about to be a college student, I decided that I’d need to find a part-time job. A child woke from a nap and complained about being hungry, which made me realise that I was also hungry, so I decided to eat all the calories I could, just for today!

In the row ahead of me were two men who had a not-quiet-enough conversation about the company which constructed the island. Recently, the president’s secretary had taken her own life, because she had been caught embezzling. That wasn’t the only rumour about the company, but the pair didn’t let slip any others, so I decided that I should try to find out more when we arrived.

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The bus shook suddenly, and I stood to get a better look, as did others. Everyone sounded concerned, but there wasn't time for discussion as everything shook violently. The bus skidded, then tipped over, and everything went black.

It was 12:08 pm when I woke up on the floor in the middle of the two rows of seats. The roof of the bus was now too low, preventing me from standing, so I shuffled forwards. The seats that I passed were still occupied, but with the ceiling in its new position and the fact that nobody was moving or breathing, it was clear that they were never leaving under their own power. Before the crash I had counted eight passengers on the bus, this was serious. Well, eight not counting the hungry child, as I obviously hadn’t seen their head over the top of the chair earlier…

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The moment I exited the bus, the tunnel roof began caving in! I ran for it, escaping certain death, but my luggage was definitely gone. I found a White Handkerchief on the ground and picked it up, then received Disaster Manual 01: Evacuation from Smoke. It explained that I should put a handkerchief or towel (preferably wet) over my mouth and nose to avoid inhaling smoke, so I equipped the White Handkerchief and went through the smoke coming off of a burning car.

I stopped when I spotted someone kicking angrily at a person hanging out of an overturned car’s window. I decided to stay out of sight, lest he turn his anger on me. He pulled out a mobile phone and tried calling someone, though couldn’t seem to get through. He did name himself as Morita, so I made a mental note of that as he stormed off, and I received Disaster Manual 04: Disaster Message Boards. It detailed how mobile phones had access to message boards which allowed them to email people outside of disaster areas, though that seemed to apply more to real life than Rina’s situation.

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As I continued to crawl through the smoke emitting from cars, I overheard a radio news broadcast. It was full of static but confirmed a massive earthquake had struck Central Island, but it sounded like that wasn’t the only place hit. Worse, it mentioned a tsunami before cutting out.

Almost as an afterthought, I leaned down to check on the person stuck through the car window and was shocked by the fact he was dead. This made my stress meter rocket up! Checking their bag to find out their identity, I found it empty, but figured they would be glad it helped me and nabbed the Rucksack. This also gave me Disaster Manual 73: Backpacks, explaining the usefulness of having one to keep your hands free, and it would protect your back from falling objects.

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After crawling through a cloud of smoke, I picked up Disaster Manual 02: Use of Maps which explained maps and a compass were essential to locate evacuation sites when a familiar landscape could have changed completely. I then climbed up a ledge next to a truck and found a First Aid Kit which I grabbed. After jumping across a gap in the road, made a little tricker by my increasing lack of health, I picked up and equipped a Devil Tail Compass.

Unfortunately, I failed to cross the next section, but on the upside, it reset my health and stress levels. A truck was wedged in between two sections of road, which I needed to cross to reach a door. The moment I climbed up it began to fall, so I made the mistake of moving slowly when I should have run — which I did the next time.

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Once through the door to the Inbound side of the Harusaki Lagoon Line, I braced as a tremor brought down the tunnel behind me. I found a bench to sit at, and did so before finding a Doodle Compass nearby. Once I exited into the tunnel proper, I found rubble blocking my way, so I knew that I’d need an alternate route, or a way to clear that one. So, I ran off down the opposite way and suddenly heard someone cry out! Then, I obtained Disaster Manual 23: How to Search for People, which told me to shout to be heard when looking for those buried alive.

I found someone trapped by rubble and a car, and next to said car were a Weekly Magazine and a Water 500ml. I forgot to read the magazine right away and spoke to the person who said that it was getting harder to breathe. I told them I’d find a tool to lift the car, then ran off to do just that.

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A car hung precariously over a pit with something on its bonnet, but I wanted to quickly check over the other side of the hole, so clambered over a car to the side, and behind it I found a Boyish Outfit. I decided that I might need a change of clothes later — my current ones were merely tatty at worst — so I jumped back across, then climbed onto the hanging car. I was able to retrieve the Jack, and also got Disaster Manual 03: Use of Jacks, detailing how to use it to help people trapped by debris.

A tremor hit, and while the hanging car remained so, a car directly behind it rolled towards me and collided with it! I managed to leap to safety before both cars went into the hole, then I hurried back to the trapped person and used the Jack to get them out. They had been driving and when the tremor hit they woke up beneath the car. I asked if she was injured, but she said she was fine and asked what happened. I panicked and told her it was a strong earthquake, and she suddenly remembered that she heard someone else before me, and had even called out to them but been ignored. I agreed that it was awful for them to do it, and thought that it was likely Morita.

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Saki Honjou finally introduced herself, and I answered formally. As we began to leave, Saki collapsed and asked that we find somewhere to sit, so I took her to the bench. She asked my age, and when I told her 18, she said that she was four years older than me, and yet when we left the bench it was me taking the lead…

We moved some of the debris out of the way and crawled through a gap just in time for another tremor, some more rubble closing the hole behind us, and the walls beginning to leak water! We hurried through a door before yet another tremor fully collapsed the tunnel, but found ourselves in a room which was filling with water, and a broken door was our only way out! We managed to bash the door down together and raced up some stairs, stopping only to grab a Harusaki Bay Flyer. Then, I remembered that I had another thing to read, too, so quickly did so.

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The Weekly Magazine talked about how the Hazuki Construction president’s secretary was embezzling and offered potential reasons such as coercion or aliens. The flyer I had just picked up talked about the Harusaki Lagoon Line tunnel and Matsutani watermelons.

With that, we exited into the Matsutani Intersection, hoping to find help…

Disaster Report Diaries
 
Andrew Duncan

Andrew Duncan

Editor

Guaranteed to know more about Transformers and Deadpool than any other staff member.

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