Ameseno, Italy. Where is Ameseno, Italy? Do a Google search and the vast majority of references to Ameseno that you'll find will be Tempus Irae links. There are a handful of historical references and there is a reference to the Ameseno river. Try searching on Yahoo and even Yahoo maps for Italy (not that I could read the Italian) and you'll come up blank. Repeat the procedure with National Geographic's map site. I know when I've been licked! In any case, I'm sure that there is some relevance to Ameseno more than it simply being a place visited by the mapmaker as suggested in the Spoiler Guide. In any case, this is another memorable level. It's a lot of fun to play with many areas to explore. I know that Todd prefers the heart-thumping action of Gauntlet, but I like exploration and puzzles interspersed with occasional bouts of heart-thumping action. This is a great level on all accounts. My one gripe is the amount of retracing steps and exhaustive searching that the player has to do to find where to go next. It can be very frustrating the first time through, but a seasoned player will know how to pick up on the clues.
First of all, the player starts out on Repository 6, where we encounter the second major bug in the scenario. Did you catch it? Let's look at the terminal text:
Highly satisfactory. You recovered 5 manuscripts; there are 5 remaining.
Turn around and count. Let's see, unless it's my imagination, I see 6 manuscripts securely placed in their receptacles. There are only four empty receptacles remaining. Can't the Nardo team count? I suspect that some of the terminal text was switched around among the repository levels and this one somehow was overlooked.
As far as Ameseno is concerned, this is a storm level. It reminds me of One Thousand Slimy Things in Infinity, except that Ameseno takes place at night and the lightening flashes are quite impressive. Nice work, Nardo team. You start out under heavy fire from the outset, so you need to move immediately. I find it much easier to complete the level if you first go around knocking out the enforcers up in the towers, but it's easy to play without doing so - you just can't stay in any one place for any length of time. Note that at the beginning is a journal from a groundskeeper. There is a mention of strange flashes in the sky - and I don't think he's referring to lightening. Also, there are some references to strategic locations in the castle complex, so it's worth paying attention. This is the lone terminal on this level.
There's a lot of ammo scattered throughout the level and it's fairly easy to pick up without having to use too much of it to take out the Pfhor guarding it. 2X and 3X power-ups are plentiful, so there is little risk of dying unless you're careless. Still, there is plenty of action to keep the level enjoyable. After picking up the manuscript, the underground passage will flood. There are two ways out, one of which is much easier than the other. If you've scouted things out in advance in map mode, you'll know which route to take.
