The Unauthorized Guide to Circles Drain

B.R. Yeager

June 3, 2015

OVERVIEW

Circles Drain (released as どこへ行っても、あなたと私をキャリー in Japan) is a top-down action RPG/farm simulator for the Sega Game Gear. If you’ve never played this kind of game before, you should familiarize yourself with the instruction manual before beginning a new game.

Players control a farmer named Henry. The objective is to help Henry manage his crops and livestock while also maintaining a successful marriage

Circles Drain does not have a password or save function, so be sure to set aside at least three hours before playing.

GETTING STARTED

Make sure the Game Gear power switch is in the OFF position before inserting the Circles Drain cartridge. Failure to do so may damage the cartridge or Game Gear. Once the cartridge is inserted, switch the power to ON. The Sega and ByōkiSoft logos will appear and you will be presented with the title screen. Select NEW GAME and press START.

The screen will fade to black and a small man will appear, accompanied by some text:

NAME: HENRY KOWJOLSKI
AGE: 87
OCCUPATION: FARMER

THIS IS HENRY. HE’S BEEN REAL FORGETFUL LATELY, SO SOMETIMES HE NEEDS A HELPING HAND WITH HIS CHORES AROUND THE FARM. LET’S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP!

The man fades into the background and a woman takes his place:

NAME: ALANA KOWJOLSKI
AGE: 84
OCCUPATION: HENRY’S WIFE

THIS IS HENRY’S WIFE ALANA. SHE HAS BEEN REAL TIRED AND TWO WEEKS AGO SHE FOUND BLOOD IN THE TOILET. LET’S SEE IF THERE’S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO HELP!

Press the 2 button to begin.

DAY ONE

Monday morning. Henry and Alana lay in bed. Golden sunbeams fall through the windows and fill the room with light. The sounds of birdcalls and dog barks can be heard from outside. Henry yawns and stretches his arms over his head. A dialogue box appears at the top of the screen.

HENRY: GOOD MORNING, ALANA.

ALANA: GOOD MORNING, DEAR.

HENRY: LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY OUT, TODAY.

ALANA: THAT’S NICE, DEAR.

Use the directional pad to move Henry around the bedroom. Press 2 to interact with objects and Alana. If you press 2 next to the armoire, Henry will say THERE’S DUST ON EVERYTHING! If you press 2 next to the closet, Henry will say BUT I’M ALREADY DRESSED…? If you press 2 next to Alana, she will say I’M SO TIRED. There is nothing else to do here, so exit the bedroom through the door to the south.

Walk down the stairs to the kitchen. Press 2 next to the refrigerator and a menu will appear. From the menu, you can select EAT MOLDY CASSEROLE, EAT OLD STEAK or DRINK EXPIRED MILK, or press 1 to exit. Eating or drinking will have no affect on the game. Exit to the porch through the door to the west.

The sun beats down through the maples and little blue and yellow birds chirp and dance in the grass. From here, you can go north to the barn, west to the garden, or south to the chicken coops. You can also press 2 next to the rocking chair to bring up the SIT UNTIL SUNSET? option. Doing so will allow you re-enter the house without performing any chores.

BARN MINI-GAME

Enter the barn through the door to the north. Inside are three emaciated cows. Stand next to one and press 2 to begin the mini-game.

You will need to rapidly press 1 and 2 to milk the cow’s teats. Alternate between pressing 1 and 2 until the timer runs out. Once the timer runs out, Henry will look at the bucket and say I TUGGED AS HARD AS I COULD, BUT NO MILK CAME OUT! It doesn’t matter which cow you milk or how many times you press 1 and 2, this is the only possible outcome.

Exit the barn through the door to the south.

GARDEN MINI-GAME

Enter the garden through the gate to the west. Press 2 to try and pull up vegetables. Henry will either say NOTHING IS GROWING or LOOKS LIKE THE GOPHER GOT IN AGAIN. You cannot harvest any vegetables.

Exit the garden through the gate to the east.

CHICKEN COOP MINI-GAME

Head south toward the chicken coops. Before feeding the chickens, walk east to the side of the house. You will see Henry’s dog, Artimo, tied to a tree. Press 2 next to Artimo to make him bark. Henry will say ARTIMO IS A GOOD DOG.

Walk back to the chicken coops and stand next to the grain barrel. Press 2 to pick up a handful of grain. Stand next to the chicken coops and press 2 to feed the chickens. Henry will say THERE AREN’T ANY CHICKENS TO FEED…

There is nothing else to do here, so exit by walking north.

BACK INSIDE

Once you’ve completed the mini-games (or used the SIT UNTIL SUNSET option), the daylight will dim, casting the grass in vibrant hues of orange and pink. Return to the inside of the farmhouse through the door to the east.

Now you can explore the rest of the house at your leisure (you can also eat from the refrigerator again, but it will have no affect on the game).

Head east through the dining room (there’s nothing you can do there) to get to the living room. Stand next to the TV and press 2 to turn it on. Henry will say IT WON’T TURN ON.

From the dining room, walk north to enter the bathroom. You will see a small flashing dot on the sink. Stand in front of it and Press 2. Henry will say I THINK ALANA SAID I NEED TO TAKE THESE PILLS. A menu will open, prompting you to TAKE PILLS? Select either YES or NO; your choice will have no affect on the game.

Exit the bathroom, walk west to the kitchen, then north to go back upstairs. Enter the bedroom.

Upon entering, Henry will say HOW ARE YOU FEELING, HUN? Alana is still lying in bed. She doesn’t respond. Stand next to her and press 2. Henry will say ALANA…?

???

…

SHE’S NOT BREATHING.

DAY TWO

Tuesday morning. Henry lays in bed alone. Golden sunbeams fall through the windows and fill the room with light. The sound of birdcalls and dog barks can be heard from outside. Henry yawns and stretches his arms over his head. He looks to either side of himself and says WHERE’S ALANA? Exit through the door to the south and walk downstairs to the kitchen.

There is a man wearing a business suit and a woman dressed in white standing in the kitchen. Press 2 next to the man and Henry will say I THINK…THIS IS MY SON? Press 2 again and Henry will say WHY IS HE SAYING HE’S SORRY? Press 2 a third time and Henry will say HE SAYS HE’LL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING?

Walk over to the woman in white and press 2. Henry will say I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE’S SAYING. Press 2 again and Henry will say I DON’T LIKE WHAT SHE’S SAYING. Press 2 a third time and Henry will say WHY IS SHE TELLING ME THIS?

Walk east to the dining room and north to the bathroom. Stand in front of the mirror and press 2. Henry will say I DON’T EVEN RECOGNIZE MYSELF ANYMORE.

You can go outside and play any of the mini-games from Day One, but doing so will have no affect on the game. Return upstairs to the bedroom, stand next to the bed and press 2 to go to sleep.

DAY THREE

Wednesday morning. Henry lays in bed alone. The room is dark. Raindrops clatter on the aluminum roof. Henry puts his face in his hands before saying I SHOULD PROBABLY FEED THE ANIMALS. Exit through the door to the south and walk downstairs to the kitchen.

Go outside through the door to the west. The blue and yellow birds are gone. Lightning crackles overhead and the grass fills with grey rainwater. Head north to the barn.

There will be a pack of mangy wild dogs howling and pawing at the side of the barn. Try approaching them; the dogs will hiss and cackle at Henry. If you still want to get into the barn, go back inside and get the shotgun from the dining room. Return to the barn. Press 1 to bring up the shotgun’s crosshairs. Use the directional pad to line up the crosshairs with the dogs. Press 2 to shoot. The dogs whimper and turn into piles of wet and red. Killing the dogs will have no affect on the game.

When all the dogs are dead, enter the barn. The cows are missing. Henry will say I GUESS JUNIOR REALLY DID TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING.

Go south to the chicken coop. Walk east to the side of the house to find Artimo laying on his side, still tied to the tree. Stand next to him and press 2. Henry will say ARTIMO ISN’T MOVING. Press 2 again and Henry will say HIS TONGUE IS HANGING OUT THE SIDE OF HIS MOUTH. Press 2 again and Henry will say HIS BODY IS SKIN AND BONES. RAIN DROPS ARE FALLING IN HIS EYE. Henry will put his face in his hands and fall to his knees.

There is nothing else you can do here, so go back inside and upstairs to the bedroom. Stand next to the bed and press 2 to go to sleep.

DAY ?

It is nighttime. Henry stands over the bathroom sink, holding a glass. His hands are shaking. Press 1 as fast as you can so Henry can keep his grip on the glass and fill it with water. If you fail, Henry will drop it and get shards of glass in his feet. Your success or failure has no affect on the game.

Stand in front of the toilet and press 2. Henry will say THERE IS RED IN THE WATER.

Once you’re finished in the bathroom, exit through the door to the south and head back towards the bedroom. When you reach the kitchen, Henry will say WHAT? Try walking again and Henry will say WHO IS THAT? Try walking again and Henry will say THERE’S SOMEBODY IN THE HOUSE!

Walk through every room in the house, then exit through the kitchen and check the garden, barn, chicken coops and side of the house. You won’t find anyone. Return to the bedroom, stand next to the bed and press 2. Henry will sob into his pillow and say WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?

DAY ?

Henry lays in darkness. The floors, walls and furniture are cast blue and cinder and the only sound is a nauseous hum.

Henry wakes up, his entire body shaking. He can’t stop himself from crying and he’s not entirely sure why. Press 2 to get out of bed, then exit the bedroom through the door to the south and walk downstairs to the kitchen.

There are shadows dancing on the walls—creatures with empty eyes, their faces etched with mocking smiles. You can press 1 to take out your shotgun, but shooting the shadow creatures will have no affect on the game. Instead, exit the house through the door to the west.

Outside has become a blurred, unearthly dark. Purple mist hangs in the air. Large chunks of ground are missing, as if scooped out of this dimension and replaced with throbbing negative space.

Go north to see that the barn has collapsed into rot and splinters. Go west to see that the garden has been overrun with mammoth weeds and clouded with black flies. Go south to see the chicken coops blown into disarray and the bones of small animals littering the ground. Or return inside. Nothing you do will have any affect on the game.

Return inside and walk upstairs to the bedroom. Stand next to the bed and press 2 to climb in. Accept that there was nothing you could do to make the people you’ve loved last forever. Accept that there was never any way for you to replace the bits of yourself that gradually fell away. Accept that you will come out of this world as nothing more than matter and electricity, and that in time no one will know you were ever here to begin with.

Press 1 to close your eyes. Press and hold 2 to let go.

A bell chimes. The world blurs and twists into a fractal of neon light and dissolving golden hoops. Men and women without faces appear and flicker into particles. Everything fades to black before returning to the title screen. There are no other endings.