The Talisman

The Talisman is a ROM hack created by RubyBeard for the Dream Themed Level Competition, in which it placed 35th. This is a story-based hack with a lot of dialogue to read, and some light platforming to accompany it.

This hack was submitted as part of the "Dreams" Hack Competition. The Talisman is a short exploration through the strange dreams of Mario. After dealing with quite a lot of stress in his everyday life, Mario ends up purchasing a Dream Talisman to allow him to explore the realm of his dreams, in an effort to find some kind of calming remedy for how he's been feeling. Some dreams, he can recall, while others, he has no memory of. Mario thoroughly enjoys his adventure. Just going from dream to dream, without a care in the world...

Areas[]

Area ID	Name	Notes
OW	You're Dreaming	Includes Mario's bedroom, and the dream space where Mario can directly interact with The Dreamstoad.
SC	The Parkour Dream	A grassland with a parkour course being used for a course run by a Thwomp, who wishes squashing people wasn't illegal. Populated by Toad's attending the Thwomp's class, most of which have slightly garbled speech.
SC	The Vault World	A strange village populated by Bob-ombs that rarely receive visitors. Talks of an enemy they call "Abductors", that they hate enough to sacrifice themselves to harm.
SC	The Island Cosmos	A peaceful place where the cosmos has never looked so beautiful.
B1	Bowser Deserves All Of Your Hatred.	Mario's last chance to remember.

Gallery (You're Dreaming)[]

The Vault World[]

This is the dream that Mario explores that is arguably the most impactful level in this hack. The Vault World is an unimaginably vast world of solid rock, with small pockets in it where Bob-omb Buddies have made a living in their humble village- in spite of how hostile their environment is.

There are many Bob-omb Buddies Mario can talk to, each with dialogue that reveals a lot about this world.

Nature	Location	Predicament	Dialogue
Bob-omb	Near the entrance of the village.	Welcoming Mario.	Our village does not commonly see new visitors. Few people run around in the open these days. I'm curious as to your method of finding our village. How far did you fall? How high did you climb? I will stop my interrogation for now. I do not have a name, but you can tell me yours, if you like. ...Mario? Welcome to our village, Mario. If you are not an abductor, I think you will like it here. As Bob-Ombs, we are not very versatile in the open worlds. Against each other, we are equally matched, but there exist those that we could not hope to face. We would either lose, or both of us would lose. Through detonation, we could annihilate stronger opponents that us - "Abductors". Thinking about their methods, their values above all else... It makes me sick. I would send myself to nothing more than shrapnel if it meant an abductor scum was sent to the underworld with me.
Bob-omb	Inside the small room on top of the building.	Just hanging out.	The talk of a "surface" has been condemned by all modern researchers. Tools are hard to come by, and our fair share of determined minds have burned through many of them, just trying to go further upward. All of the materials we have are from vaults, and we aren't desperate enough to send our greatest minds into oblivion for the chance to get some funky metals to make tools out of. Some people, though, take the materials of our researchers and forge their own tools. Some of them are hellbent on finding the answer to this world, why we're all surrounded by unconventional geometry, why we're a world littered with bottomless pits, and even why the vaults that surround us exist. So, they dig, upward, and upward. Even through their own exhaustion, they dig. They hold their beliefs strongly, the belief that just reaching anything far above our world will solve all of our questions and problems. Sometimes their bodies are found before they've completely withered away. We all have reason to be afraid of the world that we live in. It's better to thrive here, though, than die fighting a battle that thousands before you have already lost.
Bob-omb	By the fountain in the village.	Providing cautionary tales.	Are you familiar with ★Vaults★, visitor? Vaults surround us in this world. Within these vaults are innumerable riches, wondrous metals and gemstones. Opening a vault is not a simple task, however. For, to open a vault, you need to take a gamble - Will the vault accept your life? Vaults are opened through entering their mass, and whether or not the vault will accept your attempt to open it is down to the values of the vault, and the luck of yourself. Many whisk themselves into the first vault they see, being blinded by the potential riches, thus condemning themselves to an eternity swirling throughout its mass, until someone else can open the vault, and set their soul free. Vaults are dangerous, friend. Find a conventional job, find someone you love, and be happy. Wealth isn't worth this risk.
Bob-omb	Inside of the lone house, next to a blue fire.		All of the fires of the world are lit as beacons for those to follow. It is the only source of light we have in this world, discovered ages and ages ago. Its blue luminessence brings comfort to our village, and to the rest of the world that we all share. Finding light within the uninhabitated areas of our world is special - it tells the story that someone long before you was here to light their torch, to mark this area for those who came after them, and to move on after they were done. ...What? Fire should be red? ...What is "red"?
Signpost	Next to the hole at the back of the village.		This cavern is unexplored. The entrance burst open one day, but we want to gather resources before we attempt to depart. xDO NOT EXPLORE BY YOURSELF. BOB-OMBS THAT ADVENTURE ALONE, DIE ALONE.x
Bob-omb	Through the hole at the back of the village, standing beside a crystal.	Stranded, missing for weeks	DON'T GET NEAR ME! I'LL DETONATE RIGHT NOW! I'LL TAKE YOU WITH ME! STAY AWAY! I'LL SEND US BOTH SKY... high... ...Y-you're not an abductor?... I-I don't... W-who are- Y-You're not even familiar with what an abductor is?? ...I still feel so alone, I-I've been missing for weeks, a-and... and no-one came searching for me, I-... They must all think that I-I was taken, o-or... ...Listen, man-! If you're being serious, then listen up! The last thing I need right now is for anyone around me to be taken away! Abductors are just like you and me, normal, everyday Joes... On the outside, anyway! They're-! Their-! Their minds are swollen with the possibility of infinite riches! They- They abduct people like you or me... and then they throw them into vaults! Just to try and open them for their own personal gain! They know the dangers of going in themselves, but they're so d-desperate for money that th-they'll... th-they'll...! ...My m-mother went m-missing one day, a-and I... and I... I went searching f-for her, and... and I saw my father, h-holding her by the hair, in f-front of a v-vault... ... ...H-Have compassion in this world. P-Please.
Signpost	Next to the miles-deep hole near the middle of the village.		xBE EXTRAORDINARILY CAREFUL. HOLE LEADS MILES DOWN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER.x
Bob-omb	Through the miles-deep hole near the middle of the village.		Oh. Hello... ...I don't believe I've seen you before. So, you've become victim to the hole in our village as well. For a normal person, I'm surprised you didn't explode on impact. To be honest, I'm not sure how I survived myself. I was in excruciating pain for a long, long time, before it eventually faded away, what felt like days later. So: I'm not going to be thrown into a vault. Nobody's come through that hole for months, except for you. I haven't even SEEN another living person while I've been down here. I can't really move anymore, I guess I've been paralyzed. ...Don't look at me like you're surprised I'm so calm. I would rather experience a full years worth of pain through every cell of my body, than be thrown into a vault. I can't jump from this platform to the next, you could be the last person I'll ever talk to. Trust me when I tell you that this reality is PREFFERABLE to being trapped inside of a vault. The only reason I haven't detonated, though... I've held onto hope that someone would find me. I'm a Bob-Omb, exploding is part of my gig. If I'd lost hope immediately, I could have just gone kablooey if I'd wanted. I didn't, however, and now, you're here. I don't know what's up ahead, I can't see anything but pillars. However, I'm confident that a road back to the village exists from here. This world is so strangely intertwining, you'll find the strangest entrances to the strangest places. If you do find the road back, do you think you could give the other Bob-Ombs the tip that I'm still kicking down here? Thank you very much... What's your name? "Mario"? Thank you very much, Mario. I hope I'll be seeing you around. Thank you again. Stay safe.
Signpost	Through the hole at the back of the village, near the warp pipe.	N/A	You decided to call this place "Vault World", given that this place seemingly doesn't have a name. There's no region to refer to it as, there's no government, there's no hierarchy of power. There's those determined to document their world, those who want to live peacefully, and "Abductors". Exploring this place is a wondrous experience, certainly. The structure of this world is jaw-dropping, with its magnitude, and its unforgiving harshness. In many places, one wrong step would lead to certain demise, either through being pierced by jagged rocks, or falling into the endlessness below. It strikes you with a certain feeling, not necessarily fear, but something else. However, the dynamic nature of this world keeps you at ease. This is a wonderful place, maybe you should pack your bags and move here, once you return home for the day- Don't forget anything important, Mario. It is vital that you hold on strongly to your memories. You MUST NOT forget anything important. It is impossible for you to move here. You remember why. I trust that you remember why.

Gallery (Vault World)[]

Gallery (This Island Cosmos)[]

B1: Bowser Deserves All Of Your Hatred.[]

This area has three possible ways to end it. The first is to play out the battle as intended and collect the key; this will send the player to the endscreen. The second way is to pause and select Exit course; this will warp Mario back to The Dreamstoad's world, as though none of those dreams ever happened.

The third way to end it is to die; this will warp Mario back to his bedroom, although now, the Talisman is much more visible above his bed. The scene here closely resembles the version of Mario's bedroom seen in the endscreen itself. Attempting to enter the warp on Mario's bed will not take him anywhere, and will simply crash the game.

Other Dialogue[]

Nature	Location	Predicament	Dialogue
Entry message	The Island Cosmos	N/A	As you enter this realm, some kind of feeling swells within you. A feeling of comfort. A feeling of freedom. Your worries melt away. Floating above the glistening space below, You find that the air here is fresh, not some kind of murky, industrial smoke, but real, fresh air. This realm inspires you. It fills you with hope. It gives you a sense that, given your desires, you can accomplish absolutely everything you try. The stars and cosmos have never looked nicer, dancing with all of the wondrous colors that make our entire universe dazzle with charm, and beauty.