"A SPOILER? On MY Owl Express?" |
Award Ceremony is Act 6 of the second Chapter: Battle of the Birds, as well as the chapter finale. In this Act, Hat Kid attends the Award Ceremony for Annual Bird Movie Award after the player decides the winner based on the scores of acts 2 through 5; Murder on the Owl Express and Train Rush boosts The Conductor's score, while Picture Perfect and The Big Parade will boost the score for DJ Grooves.
And the winner is...[]
Upon selecting Act 6 the player is asked if they want to give the award to the director with the most points. If not, the player must return to earlier missions to raise their favored director's score. Once the finale is entered, the winner is selected for the duration of the finale.
Entering into the award ceremony, the player will see the winner, either DJ Grooves with an audience of Moon Penguins, or the Conductor with all attendance being Express Owls. Walk over to the winner and talk to him. If DJ Grooves is the winner, he will thank Hat Kid from the bottom of his heart and comment on how the Conductor has only lost twice before. If the Conductor won, he'll take all credit for himself and gloat, wishing he could see Grooves' face now.
Either way, the winner will say there will be no more movies until next year, and to thank Hat Kid for her part in his movies, the winner will give Hat Kid a Time Piece, suggesting that they could sell it on eBird. And with that, the mission ends!
If the score is tied, the player is asked to let the game decide who wins randomly or raise the score of the favored director's score.
Dead Bird Studio Basement[]
When Hat Kid returns to her ship and tries to leave the Machine Room, the door will lock and the phone next to it will ring. The same voice from Murder on the Owl Express will tell Hat Kid the award was rigged and that the winner still has one of the Time Pieces, and they know the power it has. The voice will tell Hat Kid to investigate Dead Bird Studio while no one is around, ending the conversation by calling her either "darling" or "lassie," confirming the voice to be the loser.
Now the player must select Act 1, this time the mission will be called "Dead Bird Studio?" When Hat Kid enters Dead Bird Studio this time around, it will be at night and no one will be around. Enter through the same vent as before and continue to the first moving platform. All the power is off, so Hat Kid will need to make the jump herself. In the house after the wild west set, there will be an elevator. Take it down into the basement.
B1[]
The elevator ride down is fairly long, but you'll be able to see a few of the collectables on the way down. The lift opens up to a small hall leading to a room with a shelf and two cameras on either side of the shelf pointing away from where Hat Kid enters. Jump up on to the shelf and take the tight rope to another platform to jump over the wall dividing the room. A yarn piece will be visible through a glass wall. Hat Kid can't reach it yet, so go through the downward hall.
In the next room there is mostly a huge hole with electrified ropes connecting the various landings. There is also a room with a shut door where the player will be able to see a Rift Token. Again, it cannot be reached just yet. Jump across the tightropes (being careful of the electric currents) and get to the large pipe on the middle right side of the room. Get the heart orbs and turn towards the room with the present and you will be able to see a hookshot spot. Hook onto it and swing into the hole to get to the Rift Token in it. Exit out the same hole and continue along the tightropes. Once you reach the vent pipes with the wood spring on it, jump up to the platform, where you'll be able to overhear the winning director say something about the Time Piece.
Jump up onto the boxes to reach the top of the room the director was in. If you want another piece of yarn, take the catwalk to the end and jump onto the ventilation pipes to reach the yarn. Now jump over the pipes to the footprints on the wall, and run up it to reach another catwalk. Don't take the upper path just yet and head towards the other footprints to get a Brewing Yarn. Then head up the catwalk to find several light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. Use the hookshot several times to swing over to the next platform with a door leading to the next area.
B2[]
Through the door will be a room full of crates and boxes. Head straight to the boxes in front of you, and Hat Kid will say they are labeled "Jonbar Hinges." Jump behind it to a platform, and jump to the sandbag in the air after that. Look up and to the right to see a Sprint Yarn. Run up and grab it, then head back to where you entered the room and turn left this time until you hit the wall. Look to your right again and you will see the glow of an item. Hop over to it to find another Sprint Yarn.
Go back to where you turned to look and wall jump up to a platform with a ramp. Jump over to the platform it leads to and there will be more Sprint Yarn above your head. Ignore it for now and continue to the next platform that will require a long jump to reach. There will be a spring. Hop onto it and go you'll be able to see more electrified wires, which you can hop on to collect the Sprint Yarn that was above your head earlier. Go back to where the spring took you, and loop around the wall while avoiding the cameras.
After jumping on a sandbag you'll find a pon-cluster. It doesn't do anything but give you more pons. Now follow the trail of pons to the next few places to jump, and soon enough you'll hear the director again. Use the sandbags to jump to the next platform with several cameras o it, and to your left you will see the Ice Yarn from the beginning of the area! Nab it and return to the platform with the cameras and look for three pons leading into a large entry way. That's the exit, so head over there, but don't leave once you get there. Instead turn around a use yet another sandbag to jump to another platform. Jump up to another platform and you'll find one more Ice Yarn. Now you can leave to the box room.
The next room is full of wires and iron bars. Right in front of you there will be a locked shutter door which is unlocked by four switches in the room. Fortunately, the first switch is right in front of the door. Take the spring up and start following pons to get to the next switch. Soon enough you'll find a booth with crows in it. Wait until they start laughing and hop on top of the booth to proceed.
From here jump onto a steel ceiling joist and find the foot prints to wallrun to the next switch. Look of three yellow platforms and make a long jump to them. These platforms will fall down when you land on them, so hurry over them to the next switch. Now go back to the last switch and look for a Moon Penguin or Express Owl. Bypass him and walk up some tightropes to another joist and find another set of footprints to find the last switch. Go back to the shutter door and go through to the next area.
B3[]
This is the last area before the boss. It's a little confusing, but fortunately there are only two things left to get; a Sprint Yarn and a Key. The key will unlock a door after a vent that is a one-way drop, so make sure to get it before then.
As soon as you enter this area you'll see a set of chairs in front of a big TV. Look for the pons from where you entered the room and make several wall jumps to make it to the second floor of this room. Find more pons that will lead you into a long hallway. It's filled with several locked doors and a few cameras. Jump to the ground floor to avoid the first set of camera, and when you get to the second set use the pile of boxes to get back to the upper level.
When you turn the corner, jump down and enter the door to the make up room. Look for the footprints and wall run up it to the upper level to find a room that's chock-full of award trophies! On top of the biggest stack is a key. Jump from the bed and wall run up the pile to get to the key. Now leave to the next hallway.
After hearing the director's voice again go into the room with the open door. Jump on the bookcase to bypass the camera, and go through the door to find yourself in another hallway. Go left and you'll see a door that leads to a green screen room. Jump up on the boxes to reach the spaceship prop in the middle of the room. From there climb up into the ceiling to get one more Sprint Yarn. Return to the hallway and go through the other open door.
This room is a board meeting room with all the cameras pointed at the middle of the room. Use the hookshot to avoid detection and get to the other side, landing on a book case. Jump into the vent and you'll find yourself in another dressing room. Take the sand bags up to another vent and follow the pons into the room with saw blades in a hole in the ground. Getting to the other side of this room is tricky since there's a wall where you need to jump. Make one jump towards the wall without touching it, and when you're under it jump again to reach the other side.
From here you'll see a vent. It's a one-way drop so make sure you're ready before jumping down (especially if you didn't get the key yet!) Once you've dropped down, there will be a locked room and an elevator. Open the locked room up to get the Relic inside, then take the elevator down to where the director is waiting for you.
When the elevator opens, Hat Kid will see the director on a stage, which changes based on which director is being fought. DJ Grooves' has a disco dance floor and the stage itself is a colorful display, with different colored stage banners, blue curtains and a big sign saying "20 GROOVES." Meanwhile the Conductor's stage has a wild west theme. The floor is wooden and the stage itself is a stagecoach with cactus and crate props, red curtains and all the "CONDUCTOR" signs are styled like a saloon. Both sets have spotlights, pyrotechnics, jukeboxes in the corner and an audience on either side of the stage, entirely made up of the birds that worked with the director. They both have a spiked fence as well, but it is much more visible on the Conductor's set.
When Hat Kid approaches the stage, the director will comment that she has found his secret basement, and if she wants the Time Piece back, she'll have to take it from him.
Boss Fight[]
While the stage and director you fight may differ in appearance, mechanically they function identically. Their attacks have little to no visual distinction from each other and even their hit boxes are the same size despite the Conductor being much smaller visually. As such both bosses take several elements from the various acts in chapter 2 for their attacks. They have 29 Hit Points, and most of the time they will change their strategy after every 5 hits. Unlike the Mafia Boss, the director is always vulnerable so long as he’s in range. But just like the Mafia Boss, the attacks will get stronger as the battle plays out. Also, sometimes the audience will throw roses at Hat Kid, and in those roses will be heart pons, so be on the lookout for that if you're low on health.
As soon as the battle begins, the director will jump into one of the top corners of the set and then preform a dive bomb at Hat Kid, after this attack the director will be in range. So give him a whack before he retreats! Next, he'll drop stage lights randomly onto the set. Avoid them, and next he will use a body slam. It's probably his weakest attack, so it should be simple enough to avoid and hit him back. Next he'll jump on top of a disco ball before dropping it down, which creates a shock wave. Afterwards he's a sitting duck for a few moments, so hit him again! Now he'll just repeat these attacks at random until he's hit 5 times.
At this point the director will be visibly angry, and he will start attacking Hat Kid with a knife, which in the Conductor's fight he will assure Hat Kid that this one isn't made of rubber. The first knife attack the stage will go dark, with only the knife visible in a red light. It will charge at Hat Kid, so dodge it and the director will be in range again. After that attack, the director will slowly walk toward Hat Kid while repeatedly stabbing in the air. You won't be able to hit him with your umbrella, but a homing attack or an explosive potion will do the trick. The only other attack he uses in this phase is the disco ball drop, but after another 5 hits he'll switch up his attack pattern again.
When the director gets mad again, he'll whistle to signal his next attack. It forces Hat Kid to the middle of the room, while summoning cars that will move clockwise around her. One set of cars will have a red trail leading to the one opposite of it, which will show you which cars are about to ram you! Don't get too used to this, though, because the next time the cars show up all four will charge at you.
In this phase, the director will only use the car, disco ball and knife in the dark attacks. However, the latter two attacks have been upgraded. This time two pictures of the attack will be next to the director, giving him additional attacks. You'll have to dodge three shock waves and three knives before the director is in range again. But don't get used to this, either, because he'll only use two pictures once. Every time after that he'll use four pictures, giving him a total of five attacks! Fortunately, you only need to hit him 4 times to end this phase.
After this the room will go dark. Soon a Moon Penguin will appear on the stage playing a piano, and the director will appear with a table in the middle of the room. He invites Hat Kid to the table to try and reason with her. He politely asks Hat Kid for just one of her Time Pieces, allowing him to go back in time to get all the awards he lost to his rival director; DJ Grooves insisting that the Conductor cheated every time to win (even though he can't prove it) and the Conductor wanting to get award #42 back, the one time he lost. Hat Kid can either say ”Maybe” or “Nope!” If she says maybe, the director will thank her, but say Hat Kid cannot leave the room alive. DJ Grooves would say that Conductor would throw a fit like never seen before, and the Conductor would say that DJ ”Peck Neck” would mock him for cheating. If Hat Kid says nope, the director will say that Hat Kid is greedy and selfish. Despite either option, the fight will resume, but with a catch; he’s taken the timebomb from Train Rush, but this time it's attached to Hat Kid! DJ Grooves would say he stole it from Conductor’s movie set, whilst the Conductor would say it’s attached to Hat Kid instead of his lovely train. You only have 80 seconds to finish this fight before Hat Kid goes out with a bang!
Fortunately the director's first "attack" is easy enough, as he'll just run/skate around the floor attempting to waste your time. However, this will only make the director an easier target. However, his next attack will be launching three buzz saws at Hat Kid, throwing two sets of them. His in range this entire time, though. Just be careful not to get sliced up! Afterwards he'll combine this with his dive bomb attack, throwing the buzz saws before using his dive attack.
He'll keep using these attacks until you hit him 10 times, however after 5 hits the losing director will show up! He says to hang in there while he finds a way to defuse the bomb. Keep hitting the boss director and after another 5 hits, the bomb defuser (which is a comically large pair of scissors) will be ready. Run over to it and get the bomb removed!
This is the last stage of the boss, however now he's called in some help! Marching Owls will appear and be tied to you like in The Big Parade. Keep moving so they don't catch up to you. The good news is all the directors attacks will be stage one now, so you just need to watch out for his basic divebomb, body slam, disco ball drop and rapid knife attack. The only attack that is different is the stage light drop, which will be in complete vertical rows from right to left. After another 5 hits, the director will finally go down, allowing Hat Kid to claim the Time Piece.
Enemies[]
- Cameras
- Moon Penguin
- Crows
- Boss: DJ Grooves (determinant)
- Boss: The Conductor (determinant)
- Marching Owls
Collectables[]
Total: 4 Sprint Yarns, 1 Brewing Yarn, 3 Ice Yarns, 1 Rift Token and 1 Relic.
Diary Entry[]
After each act Hat Kid will write about it in her diary, which can be found in her room under the swimming pool of pillows. The diary will only read the entry for the last act that was completed.
"I’m so excited! There’s going to be a big fancy awards show and I get to go! I mean, I think I’m excited! I mean… I wonder if I helped the right bird win?
"All the birds were really nice and the movies were sooo cool! So… I just… wonder… ANYWAY, I’m super excited to see the award! Oh, also the Time Piece, hehe."
After completing the boss battle, there is another entry;
"Day 15
What is it with people on the planet double-crossing me? It's ruuuuude!
"That’s the last time I get involved in show business for a long time."
Music[]
- The music that plays during the basement is named Dead Bird Studio Basement. It is a remix of the music from the Dead Bird Studio act.
- The boss music when fighting the director is called The Battle of Award 42.
Achievements[]
Below is the list of achievements related to this act;
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
One Punch | Defeat any boss with the 1-hit hero badge equipped! |
Image Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The first Time Piece (the one given willingly to Hat Kid) plays a subtly altered version of the fanfare, perhaps foreshadowing the fact that the true "Award Ceremony" is yet to come.
- In area B2, several boxes at the floor level can be inspected by Hat Kid, typically naming off various story and film terminology on the labels.
- Terms listed include: MacGuffins, Red Herrings, Chekhovs Guns, Jonbar Hinges, and Ticking Clocks.
- The inspection text of the Jonbar Hinges crate reveal that all that's inside is a magnet and a pebble, as seen through cracks on the box by Hat Kid.
- The magnet and pebble is a direct reference to The Legion of Time, which is where the term Jonbar hinge originated from.
- In the B3 Dressing room with DJ Groove's posters, the poster for The Big Parade is a parody of the iconic poster for the film West Side Story.
- The B3 Dressing room with The Conductor's posters can be examined, stating how Hat Kid would not be paid for the movies she took part in.
- During the boss fight, the bomb's fuse is actually much longer than the 80 seconds initially shown on the timer. After the first 50 seconds the timer begins counting much more slowly, giving the player an entire two minutes to get defused.
- If the Player listens closely, they can hear the winner of the Award Ceremony talking, although their voice is muffled.
- Based on things you can inspect, there appear to be problems afoot at Dead Bird Studios... there's a pile of unpaid bills from blowing up too many trains, and their whiteboard includes no less than seven instances of the word "reboot". Perhaps the Conductor and DJ Grooves are running thin on ideas.
- When interacting with the movie posters of Murder on the Owl Express and Picture Perfect, Hat Kid will realize she is not getting paid.