♦ Livestream of the ZZT world "Code Red" by Alexis Janson, Matt Williams (1993) [https://museumofzzt.com/file/view/svzztreg/]. ♦
The final ending to Code Red, and perhaps its best of all!
Following the path in the first first ending played, but this time bussing to the airport instead of the local news station. From there this 16 year old boards a plane with only a rifle for a guardian and makes a beeline to the white house. (Am I going to youtube jail for this description?)
Janson's portrayal of the commander in chief and family is pretty hilarious to see now with everyone as devoid of personality as possible, which to be fair would have matched my understanding of the Clintons during Bill's presidency. At least Socks the cat gets some representation.
For whatever reason, Kyle disguises himself as a waiter and prepares some broccoli soup for the family which Bill Clinton loves enough to give the kid a single gem for a tip.
Trouble arises when aliens arrive and kidnap the president, imprisoning him on a tiny satellite in space. Kyle does the usual thing of taking the transporter and finding a way to rescue him, which is easier said than done as it turns out you need to deploy literal oxygen tanks on the flight to DC in order to be able to breathe once you find a space suit. That's just the start of the trouble though as Janson taps into her unparalleled ability to make a good puzzle, absolutely baffling me for what felt like an hour. It's a genuinely well-designed board, really showing off what she can do with ZZT's basic components.
Bill Clinton is safely rescued and does NOT explode in the vacuum of space. The two fly back to Earth and Mr. Clinton and Kyle drive off into the sunset to discuss what just happened to them.
I'm really glad I saved this ending for last as it's definitely the one with the most effort put into it. There are places to go and things to actually do beyond getting into space ASAP and blowing up an alien vessel ASAP. It's also another happy ending. At least for the Democrats.
♦ Play this world directly in your browser ♦
• https://museumofzzt.com/file/play/svzztreg/
♦ Originally streamed on November 17th, 2023 ♦
