Target05: Smile is the sixth scenario in killer7. It is the climax of the game, divided into three missions, and deals primarily with Japan's attempts to infiltrate the US' political system, the background of the Smith Syndicate itself and the identity of the enigmatic Emir Parkreiner.
Plot[]
The scenario opens in Washington D.C., where Kenjiro Matsuoka and Hiro Kasai are standing on a rooftop. Following Japan's destruction over a year ago, Matsuoka has become the leader of a secret underground organisation of 10 million displaced Japanese citizens, making him a powerful force to be reckoned with and a genuine potential threat to the US; his first act of revenge is to track down Kasai, kit him out in bondage gear and force him to jump to a humiliating death from the roof as punishment for his betrayal of Japan in Sunset. As the corpse of the semi-naked Kasai lies in a pool of blood on the streets of D.C., Matsuoka watches impassively.
Garcian meanwhile is contacted by Mills yet again; before leaving, he discovers that Samantha has been raped and murdered. Entering the 'Forbidden Room' at the back of his trailer, he finds Harman Smith and Kun Lan playing a game of chess in a lavishly-decorated suite. As they play, Kun Lan relates to Harman a story: the story of a young man who, despite having 'infinite' potential to do anything he wanted, felt empty and unsatisfied with his life. Following his graduation from university his mother tried to seduce him, at which point he snapped, stabbing her until she was virtually unrecognisable. Harman wryly jokes at this story before the pair notices that Garcian is also present in the room. The two begin to have nervous breakdowns at his being there, Kun Lan having a laughing fit and Harman panting and moaning; Garcian says nothing and simply leaves.
Meeting up with Mills on the overpass, Garcian is assigned to locate Matsuoka, who is suspected to be conducting a meeting with the United Nations at the Union Hotel in Philadelphia. When Garcian remarks that Harman has disappeared, Mills begins to tell him the true story behind his relationship with Harman - however, before he can say anything, he is killed by a sniper. Garcian, cool as ever, jumps out of the car and leaps over the bridge, landing on a truck and escaping the assassin.
Part One[]
Upon his arrival at the Union, Garcian is greeted by Edo Macalister, who tells him to proceed to the top floor. Garcian, confused as to how Edo knows his name, inquires; Edo replies that he remembers the faces of all his guests, and even recognizes his suitcase. When Garcian turns to look at Edo however, the mysterious manager has vanished.
The killer7 proceed to explore the hotel, which is overrun with Heaven Smiles. Along the way they learn from Iwazaru, Travis and Handsome Black that six people were murdered at the hotel, acquiring a corresponding set of six Soul Shells - although a seventh shell is found on the 7th floor. Upon reaching the suite at the top of the hotel Garcian encounters two mysterious figures who inform him that Matsuoka is not there, and that Garcian should return once he finds himself getting closer to the truth.
Part Two[]
A short while later Garcian meets up at the overpass with the woman who killed Mills; she introduces herself as Linda Vermilion, describing herself as a 'protector of the country'. She gives Garcian the killer7's final assignment, before telling him to 'decipher how the system works, and seek the real enemies'.
The killer7 are sent to the nearby Coburn Elementary School. Travis hands them a tape recorder and tells them to seek out the various cassettes dotted around the institution; these tapes contain recordings made by a FBI agent named Holbert, who was investigating the school in connection with possible corruption within the electoral system. As the killer7 make their way through the school, they learn both from Travis and from Holbert's tapes that the school is actually controlled by the government of another country, and that the students there are groomed by the Yakumo Party and assigned key posts within the US government. The students then infiltrate the system and essentially control it for the benefit of Japan. The tapes also indicate that Holbert tried to delve into the history of one such student, Emir Parkreiner, but that he simply found conflicting information - shortly before he was killed by Emir himself.
As always, the killer7 are hindered by dozens of Heaven Smiles, including a gigantic Duplicator variant that takes up most of the school's cafeteria. Along the way they receive the last of Johnny Gagnon's pigeon letters, and discover that he has in fact been killed by Harman and Samantha, the latter of whom has now received the name 'Samantha Smith'. After making their way through the final Vinculum Gate and destroying the Galactic Tomahawk Smile, the killer7 reach the principal's office.
Inside, Garcian meets Benjamin Keane, the principal of the school and a hopeful candidate for the Presidency. He invites Garcian to join him for a game of Russian Roulette: if he wins, he'll tell Garcian how to hit on women 'with 100% success'. If he loses then Garcian has to assassinate the President. Garcian agrees. The subsequent game shows the vast difference in character between the two men; Keane is nervous, jumpy and hesitant to pull the trigger, whilst Garcian is cool, calm and collected, and shows absolutely no hesitation whatsoever in putting the revolver to his head.
However, Keane manages to go 5 triggers without being killed, suggesting that Garcian has lost. However, Garcian continues with the game and tosses the revolver back at Keane, indignant at that the principal would expect him not to know the specially-modified revolver actually holds seven bullets. Keane tells Garcian to seek out the truth behind the US' political history and pulls the trigger one last time, but not before keeping his end of the bargain and giving Garcian the ultimate advice about women: 'and by the way... women are all the same!'
Garcian enters the Chairman's office and finds Yoon-Hyun, who gives them one final hint before telling him to trust nobody. After managing to unlock a secret compartment in the office Garcian finds a lone safe; upon opening it his forehead bleeds whilst he stares at the safe's contents, which are not shown to the player. After closing it he leaves via a secret passage in Keane's office and encounters Iwazaru for the last time.
Using a strange, eye-like object obtained from the safe in conjunction with his Vision Ring and various details gleaned from Holbert's tapes about the mysterious Emir Parkreiner, Garcian unlocks the door to the school gymnasium. After a final conversation with Travis about Harman's role in the conspiracy, he finds Kenjiro Matsuoka inside along with the hanged corpse of a large, suited man. Matsuoka reveals the man's identity to be Greg Nightmare, the US Education Secretary, before leaving.
The killer7 are thus forced to deal with the now-reanimated corpse of Nightmare, who is wielding a dangerous Golden Gun. After shooting off his trousers and blasting his crotch, seven Black Smiles appear on the gymnasium stage. The Black Smiles, whose attacks cannot be avoided in any way, destroy each member of the killer7 for good, member by member, until only Garcian remains. Picking up the Golden Gun dropped by Nightmare he proceeds to destroy the last Black Smile and finish off Nightmare before leaving.
With the Smith Syndicate all but dead, Garcian has no choice but to return to the Union Hotel, where he is greeted by Edo. As he makes his way up the hotel he learns from bloodstains located on each floor about the true deaths of the killer7: they were all assassinated by Emir Parkreiner, a.k.a. the Bloody Heartland. Mills, now a Remnant Psyche, explains that the US Presidential Elections are in fact rigged, and that what he discovered (and what he was assassinated for by Linda Vermilion) was the truth about who really controls the country: the Education Ministry. The Ministry organizes the election voting within schools and, before the votes are counted, switches them with their own results - the true winner having been decided long ago.
On the 7th floor Garcian meets the young Harman Smith and the mysterious Dimitri Nightmare. Harman explains who Garcian really is: he is Emir Parkreiner. The killer7 had been comprised of the six Smiths as well as Harman, who was also the principal of a school in Seattle - however, they were all killed by Emir, and Harman's corpse was found by police investigating the case stuffed in the school's safe. Garcian leaves and talks for the final time to Mills, who urges him to overcome his past and live his life.
Garcian travels up to the rooftop suite, where he encounters the old Harman Smith and Kun Lan, again playing chess in the Forbidden Room. However, when the two invite their guest in, they are immediately riddled with bullets and are killed, suggesting their guest's true identity may be none other than Young Harman Smith. Garcian meanwhile emerges onto the roof, where he encounters the manifestation of the 13-year-old Emir. Emir shoots himself and dies, and Garcian is left dumbstruck and distraught; overcome with shock and grief he opens the suitcase he has carried around the entire game - only to discover its contents are actually the weapons of the other six members of the killer7.
That wonderful smile is gone for eternity.
Items Gained[]
- One Odd Engraving
- "Cemetry Gates" memo
- A cassette player
- Ten Cassette Tapes
- Mask Upgrade
Enemies Introduced[]
Music[]
The tune that plays when Mills is assassinated by Linda Vermilion is entitled 'Errand Boy'. The principal theme to Coburn Elementary is 'Election Plot', which contains the various arrangements of the main tune. Several rooms, including the data office near the entrance, the women's toilets and the principal's office after the scene with Benjamin Keane, have 'Vote Falsification' playing in the background. Garcian's infamous scene with Keane itself is accompanied by the appropriately-named 'Russian Roulette'.
The tune that plays upon Garcian's return to the Union Hotel in part three is named 'Original Personality', which also plays briefly when the killer7 reach the suite on the 7th floor for the first time. The theme to the second half of the battle with Greg Nightmare (when the Black Smiles show up) is called 'Ministry of Education', whilst Garcian's confrontation with young Harman and Dimitri Nightmare has 'Back to the Light' playing in the background. Finally, the ending sequence and credits is accompanied by the restrained yet melancholic 'Dissociative Identity'.
The music for several areas is not included on the OST, but can be found by digging around in the game's audio files. The eerie music that plays in the Union's lobby is named 045_HotelC_hps, whilst the main theme for the rest of the hotel can be found under 043_HotelA_hps. The music that plays during the fight with the Duplicator Smile on the 2nd floor is labelled 103_freemoveA_hps. The track in a conversation scene between Garcian and Linda was initially never released in the original, but was finally added to the remastered soundtrack release, under titled 'Linda Vermilion'.
Finally, both scenes involving Edo Macalister are accompanied by Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No.1, which was the primary theme of the Flower Sun and Rain Hotel in the eponymous game.
Names in other languages | ||
---|---|---|
Language | Name | Translation |
English | Smile | |
Japanese | 笑顔 Egao | Smile |
Romaji | Smile | Smile |
French | Sourire | Smile, grimace |
German | Lächeln | Smile |
Previous scenario: Alter Ego
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Target05: Smile |
Next scenario: Lion
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Video Walkthrough[]
Deadly difficulty, no damage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvbgsk0bI14