Manhole dungeon
The manhole dungeon is the final area of the Original Game, explored during the Sword Route of Chapter 3. It is accessed through a manhole on the City Board. By traversing the dungeon, Kris encounters and battles the Shadow Mantle holder, who leaves behind the Shadow Mantle upon defeat.
Dying in this dungeon causes Kris to stop playing the game. If the game console is interacted with again, HERO_SWORD spawns at the beginning of the manhole dungeon with everything reset to how it was when they entered the dungeon originally. Upon dying in the Shadow Mantle holder battle, HERO_SWORD respawns just south of the battle arena with the entrance hallway significantly shortened.
After obtaining the sword on the City Board, HERO_SWORD enters the manhole dungeon. The dungeon contains more enemies that they need to kill in order for their LV to reach MAX, which allows them to destroy the trees blocking the way to the east.
While exploring the dungeon, Kris encounters Tenna's character in a narrow hallway. Tenna explains how his relationship with Spamton deteriorated and blames him for his misfortune. Upon noticing Kris approaching, Tenna speaks to them about the deal they made and asks them not to turn him off again. HERO_SWORD kills Tenna's character, increasing their maximum HP, and progresses forward.
Eventually, HERO_SWORD reaches a replica of the shelter in Hometown. As they advance towards the shelter, Kris attempts to resist the player's inputs and prevent HERO_SWORD from progressing. Upon interacting with the door, HERO_SWORD uses the Shelter Key to unlock it and enter the shelter.
Inside the shelter, the Shadow Mantle holder once again speaks to Kris. They acknowledge their search for the Shadow Crystals and challenge them to battle for the Shadow Mantle. Upon defeat, the Shadow Mantle holder flies upwards and disappears, leaving behind a chest that is unreachable to HERO_SWORD. HERO_SWORD proceeds to walk out of the game screen and into Kris's world.
The initial room is empty, with a hallway that veers to the east. There is no way to backtrack in this initial room. The next room contains two orange monsters roaming the room and a fire bar in the center.
Further east is a room with two fire bars in the top-left and bottom-right, as well as two blue fish monsters. There are two exits to the north and east. The eastern exit contains a room blocked by trees, and the northern room is a crossroads.
The central crossroads contains four exits in each direction and eight silent cat monsters that are initially unreachable, but wake up if the area is accessed after clearing the northwestern area. East of the crossroads is a room with thirty stationary white monsters that do not attack HERO_SWORD.
West of the central crossroads is a room with two fire bars along the bottom as well as two blue lizards. There are two exits to the east and north. The eastern exit leads to a room with seven flowers against the walls and a yellow monster to the north. The monster is initially trapped but can be freed upon killing the flowers, after which it chases after HERO_SWORD. The monster can alternatively be killed without touching the flowers, which automatically kills the flowers and opens the exit.
North of the central crossroads is a room with two flowers and two green lizards. To the east is a room divided in half. Two pressure plates are present along the top-left and bottom-right corners of the room, and a black monster mirroring HERO_SWORD's movements occupies the eastern half. The black monster cannot be damaged by HERO_SWORD's attacks initially.
HERO_SWORD must press the top-left pressure plate and guide the monster to the bottom-right pressure plate to unite the rooms. After doing so, the player takes control of the black monster, the black monster loses its immunity to HERO_SWORD's attacks, and the exit becomes temporarily blocked. The player must take the monster to HERO_SWORD, who automatically kills it, unblocking the exit.
To the west is an open room with a singing cat monster. There are three exits to the north, south, and west. The northern exit leads to a smaller room with a singing cat monster and four silent cat monsters along each corner. Killing the singing cat monster causes the silent cat monsters to wake up and dive toward HERO_SWORD. This action also wakes up the silent cat monsters in the central crossroads.
To the west is a room with a gray fish and four yellow lizards along the corners. The yellow lizards continuously shoot projectiles at HERO_SWORD until the gray fish is killed, after which the yellow lizards are automatically killed.
After HERO_SWORD's LV reaches MAX, they are able to destroy the trees blocking the way to the southeast. Past the room is a long, narrow hallway which contains Tenna. Tenna continuously moves forward until he notices Kris approaching. After HERO_SWORD kills Tenna's character, the hallway then veers to the south.
HERO_SWORD reaches an area that resembles the shelter in the Light World. HERO_SWORD walks slower in this area, and Kris repeatedly attempts to impede their progress. After unlocking the doors, HERO_SWORD enters the shelter.
Inside the shelter is a long, dark hallway that leads to the Shadow Mantle holder's battle arena. Visibility on the Original Game's screen is reduced to a circle of light around HERO_SWORD in the hallway. After defeating the Shadow Mantle holder, the boss unlocks the way to the north, which contains a treasure chest that is too high up to reach for HERO_SWORD. The eastern exit causes HERO_SWORD to walk out of the game screen and into Kris's world. After HERO_SWORD leaves the room, Kris must walk into the game screen to reach and open the chest themselves.
- There exists an unused empty room in the top-left of the map, which is inaccessible through normal means. It notably uses the tile set of the rooms in other boards rather than the manhole dungeon's unique tile set.
- In the room where the black monster mirrors HERO_SWORD's movements, it is possible to dodge the sword attacks as the black monster.[1] It is also possible to have the black monster damage and/or kill HERO_SWORD by approaching HERO_SWORD diagonally.[2]
- The black monster's initial immunity to HERO_SWORD's attacks is directly coded in, not just caused by the shape of the gap in the room. (This can be seen by removing the initial immunity through modding, after which it is possible for HERO_SWORD to reach the black monster with their attacks even across the gap in the room.[3])
- ↑ Ho, you missed that one! Try another 🍾 on Reddit
- ↑ Guys. My Sword Route took a weird route. on Reddit
- ↑ Every Secret Hiding in DELTARUNE's Code (11:11) on YouTube