#solo rpg playthrough

Game Link: https://itch.io/queue/c/862577/wretched-alone-games?game_id=959773

Note: This is one of the better Wretched and Alone games I’ve played and they’re currently having a sale for $1 a copy (they also have free copies if you can’t afford it)

Game summary: LONG HAUL 1983 tells the story of a dangerous journey through an empty world. You play a long-haul truck driver trying to make their way home. Every day, you’ll hit the road, navigating treacherous highways, fleeing from menacing threats, and dealing with the psychological impacts of isolation. And at the end of each day, you’ll find a payphone, make a call, and leave a message for the most important person in your life. They never pick up. You never stop calling. Using a deck of cards, a few dice, and a microphone, players will create an original narrative of resilience in the face of world-shifting catastrophe.

Call 1:

It’s a fucking fog out here. Can’t see shit.Might as well be driving with my eyes closed. Listen, Paviche, I…I hadn’t meant to leave. I… I just needed to get out of there. I couldn’t…I couldn’t handle… *sigh* I’m coming home alright. It hadn’t meant to be this long. Fuck. I hadn’t meant to even go this far. I’m heading back. It’s all highway from here. I’ll just stop for rest. I should be there in a couple of days. I took Pops old sports car. He maintained it well even though he never drove it anymore. Sure is in a better condition than… I was jumped at the border. I thought they were just thugs but… I’m sure its nothing. Just keep an eye out for underground talk. I… I’m coming home. For good this time. I…I promise.

Call 2

Listen. I know I never picked up my calls when I left. Doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Don’t bother calling back this number. I won’t be here tomorrow. I…I’ve been hiding out in seedy motels. I think they’re tracking me. Am I being paranoid? Maybe. Maybe they aren’t assassins. Maybe they were just thugs. It just…It just didn’t feel right. It was something they said. They knew exactly who I was even though I was hundreds of miles from GeneCo. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t like this Pavi. Just fucking pick up so I know the two of you are alright. But…it’d be all over the news right if something happened? Maybe they came for me first cause they knew they’d do it quietly. Fuck! This fucking fog is making things harder. I keep taking the wrong fucking turn. I… I think the solitude is driving me mad. I keep imagining pops sitting next to me in the car. And he keeps saying all the same fucked up shit he always… I missed him. That’s why I left. I couldn’t fucking stand the memories in that fucking house. I… It had nothing to do with the two of you alright. I just…I just needed some time. I…I’ll call the same time tomorrow.

Call 3

Of course you’re still not fucking picking up. *cough* *cough* Fine. It’s a little later than I said I would call. I…The heat nearly blew the engine. I had to stop and let it cool. But I’m getting closer. I’m getting much closer. I keep…I keep thinking about these assassins. Who the fuck would dare do this? Even if they killed all three of us, no one would get control of GeneCo right? It’d just fall. We don’t have any competitors who would stand to gain from this. This…this isn’t you right Pavi? Fuck. It’d be the smart thing to do. But… It isn’t right? I keep thinking about that night after pops funeral. I… If this is you… I’ll be in GeneCo in a week. You can do whatever you want to me then.

Call 4

I’ve been making more progress than I thought. I managed to get across California when it started to snow. I’m almost halfway there. *cough* *cough* Fuck. They got me better than I thought. I think those bastards broke my ribs. Why am I still fucking doing this? You obviously have no fucking interest in picking up. Or you’re dead. *pained laugh* I keep wondering… I keep having this feeling that I’m not going to make it back. Those bastards haven’t caught up to me yet but… I feel they’re there just out of reach. Just waiting for me to slip up. Or maybe I am just fucking paranoid. I’m not giving up. But I…if I don’t… I really am sorry, Paviche. For leaving. And for…*swallow* And for being a shit brother. *click*

Call 5

I need a fucking smoke. I’ve raided every motel I’ve fucking broken into. Not one fucking cigarette. Did you send pops old bodyguards to find me? I found one of them dead. Single bullet to the brain. Executed. Still think I’m fucking paranoid? Still think this isn’t assassins? FUCK! *long coughing fit* They’ve been dead for awhile though. They probably got them before finding me at the border. So maybe they aren’t near. I don’t know anymore. I need to keep moving. I’m halfway there. I’m halfway. Why isn’t Carmela’s phone in service? Did she just block me? That’s all right? You two are just being fucking assholes right? You aren’t…*click*

Call 6

Decided to hide out in the pharmacy. Didn’t help much with the ribs but fuck did it help with everything else. And the fucking painkillers. It’ll make the next half of the journey fucking bearable at least. *cough* *cough* I saw them from the window. They didn’t send assassins; they sent a fucking hit squad. I don’t think they know I’m in this town. But…I couldn’t hear where they’re going next. I think they know I’ve been hiding out at motels. I should be safe here. If I leave before dawn, maybe I’d be able to lose them. Especially if they’re planning to search the town.

Call 7

It’s starting to rain again. Good. At least it’ll put out the fires. They’re razing the towns looking for me. The smell of burning flesh is… It brings back too many memories. It’s a good thing I left at dawn. But if they’re this desperate… It’s not because they’re desperate to kill off the last piece right? You two bastards are fine right? FUCK!!!! Just answer the fucking phone!!!!!! *coughing fit* Please. If you’re still alive, I need a fucking sign. I… I can’t…*click*

Call (Rotti)

Pops, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough. I’m sorry for being a massive fuck-up. I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were sick. I keep playing the last few months over and over. I… I should have seen it. The coughing fits. The weight loss. I keep thinking…why hadn’t I noticed? I should have fucking noticed. You’re a right bastard for not telling us either. That wasn’t fair. We had a right to know. We deserved to have known. If I had known you were dying I… I don’t know pops. But at least I’d have time to… You didn’t even give us a chance to say goodbye. You spent your last words telling us how much we failed you. I…I tried pops. I tried so hard to do everything right. To make you proud. Why wasn’t it enough? Why wasn’t I enough? To be honest when I got in this car, I didn’t even know where I was going. I just drove. Fuck I think I just considered driving off the fucking cliff so many times. But now that these assassins are right here I… I don’t want to die. Fucking hell pops. I’m running for my life and all I can think about is you and that fucking opera! Maybe…maybe this is your last directive. If your useless children took GeneCo then they would take us out. I’m just done pops. I’m just done. I don’t want to die. But I don’t think I care about living either. If this is you pops, just send me a sign. I’ll stop running. I…I still miss you.

Call 8

I think I missed a call yesterday. I didn’t…I didn’t stop driving. I had to get out of there. Pop’s car overheated again. When I stopped to let it cool…they found me. They didn’t bother to pretend they were thugs or anything. They just started shooting. They got me in the shoulder but I managed to get out of there. Still think I’m paranoid now? I don’t know how far I can go anymore. They are so close. They are so fucking close. It’s when I nearly drove the car off the cliff when I realized I had to stop to sleep. But I don’t know if they’ll find me. I’m almost there. I’m almost fucking there.

Call 9

There was a boom box playing on a car hood. A fucking boom box. Aren’t those things fucking extinct? It was blasting some sappy 80s song. Fuck if I’ve heard it before. But… That song… I… I’m tired of fighting. Pops is dead. There’s nothing to fight over anymore. Amber has GeneCo. Honestly I don’t give a fuck. I…I’m tired.  Can we just go back to how everything was before it all went to shit? I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. I don’t deserve forgiveness. But…if there’s any chance of things going back… I’m just outside town. Do you even want to see me again?

Note: Destination was the ending I got so I consider it the canon ending. But I placed in the other endings for flavor as well

Destination ending

The elevator doors swung open. Please. Let everything be alright. Let them both be alive. His eyes met his brother and sisters shocked ones.

“I’m tired of fighting…” Came from the phone they were listening to.

“You look like shit.” Pavi said, turning off the phone.

Luigi just stared at the phone. They were getting his messages. They just weren’t picking up.

“We couldn’t.” His eyes met his sisters. “We couldn’t pick up. We couldn’t call back. They would trace the call and find you.”

“Who?”

“The President.” With all that power, that’s how he was found so easily.

“You missed a day.” Amber choked out. His eyes widened as he saw his sister’s eyes welling with tears. “You missed a fucking day you bastard.” She ran to him and hugged him.

Luigi hissed at the pressure on his ribs. But he didn’t pull away. He tightened his arms around his sister. They were alright. The assassins didn’t get to them. They were alright.

“3 months.” Luigi released his sister and turned to his brother. “You go missing for 3 months. Refused to answer calls or messages.” Pavi refused to look at him. “Refused to give a hint about whether you were alive or dead.” He just glared at the ground before him. “And you dare give us shit for not picking up for a week?” He spat.

“Pavi, I… I just needed time.”

“And we would have given you that fucking time. Just one call or message. ‘I’m alive.’ That’s all we needed.” Pavi’s shoulders shook. “I wanted to pick up. I knew you were hurt and scared and…” Pavi swallowed. “They burnt the first two motels to the ground just after you left. We shut off Amber’s phone. They took my phone so your calls could be hidden and was untrackable. But it meant we couldn’t pick up. Couldn’t get the messages until the next day. And we couldn’t track you.”

So…that’s how they found him. He called pops. The one number they wouldn’t have blocked or protected. He wondered if that was the sign he wanted. A message from pops. Obsessing over pop’s last words to them nearly got him killed. Luigi sighed. “How do you do it?”

“Do what brother?”

“Accept what pops said. Accept everything he thought about us. Accept how much he hated us.” Luigi sank to the ground, exhausted.

“Fratello.” Pavi caught him and led him to a chair.

“I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

“You’re hurt. You need a doctor.”

“I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“You can rest now fratello. You’re home.”

Luigi gripped Pavi’s arm. “You’re both really alright.”

Pavi looked at Luigi hand. He shook and embraced his brother. “I didn’t dare hope. 3 months. I didn’t dare hope. You scared me to death fratello.”

“I’m sorry.” Luigi leant tiredly into his brother’s embrace. “I meant what I said. The last message. You can listen to it later. I meant every word.”

“Come on fratello. You need a doctor.” He lifted his brother to his feet. Luigi swayed and leant against his brother. “Fratello, are you…”

“I’m fine.” He slurred. “Adrenaline crash.”

Pavi grabbed him as he stumbled. “Fratello.”

“Really Paviche. I’m fine. I’m home.”

*****************

THREAT ENDING

Fuck Pavi. They found me. The leader of the hit squad. I’ve seen him before. He’s one the President’s bodyguard. I think Pops had a clause in his will that if GeneCo had no heirs, the government can take over GeneCo. Fuck. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? It’s him. It’s the President. Kill him before he comes for you too. Fuck… I… I’m sorry Paviche. For everything. I- *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

********************

MIND ENDING

“Mr Largo!” The man in the suit and glasses ran in and passed him the phone.

“Was there time to encrypt it?”

The man just looked horrified. “Barely. You’re going to want to hear it.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No.”

“Paviche. I… You’re a lot of things but you’re not this cruel.” Luigi sounded tired. “If you really were alive, you would have picked up by now. I know you would. I think I knew from the start. But I was just fooling myself… I had to fool myself or I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far.”

“Pavi, what is he-”

Pavi hushed her. But he knew. He heard the broken sound of his brother’s voice. The horrified look of the head technician. He knew.

“But I’m done. I can’t… I’m tired of running. I’m just tired. If I had a reason to run…I… I can’t… I never should have left. If I was home, maybe I could have done something. I’m sorry. I fucked up. I always fuck up.”

No fratello. We’re right here. Please. We’re right here.

“I keep trying to convince myself why you’ve not picked up. Maybe your phone was destroyed. Maybe you’re stuck in the bunker without signal. Maybe you just don’t know how to check your messages. Maybe… If there’s a chance you’re alive…I’m sorry. I really am sorry.” A single gunshot echoed through the room.

“No!” Amber stared at the phone in horror. “NO!”

Pavi closed his eyes as a dark pit settled in his chest.