Autumn Hills is the second area of The Messenger, the first level of the game with real gameplay. It is a fall-themed forest, always draped with a night sky and a full moon.
The west side of Autumn Hills is accessed from Ninja Village, and the east side leads to Forlorn Temple. In 16-bit, a southward pathway leads to the Catacombs.
Autumn Hills is a forest filled with red-leafed trees with brown trunks. The background sky is filled with stars, and there is a prominent full moon in the upper-left corner of the sky. Glacial Peak is also visible in the distance.
This Power Seal is located a few screens away from the Tower of Time HQ portal, up and to the right. A Power Seal symbol marks the wall in the upper-right corner of a long horizontal room. If Ninja owns the "Strike of the Ninja" shop upgrade, trigger a fireball projectile from a Ranged Kappa to the west, and wait for the fireball in order to Cloudstep to the upper-right wall. Alternatively, return back to this room during the second half of the game after obtaining the Rope Dart, and Rope Dart the upper-right wall in order to reach it. Climb the wall to reach the Power Seal room, a room filled with sawblades and a single swinging platform. Take the swinging platform over to the Power Seal while avoiding the sawblades.
Power Seal #2[]
In 8-bit during the later half of Autumn Hills, a Power Seal symbol is seen near a couple of breakable blocks in the lower-left corner of a certain room below a Ranged Kappa. Break the blocks to reach an underground pathway with a checkpoint and a giant gap. Above the gap are a giant spikeball hanging from a chain and two swinging platforms. Take the swinging platforms across the gap in order to reach the Power Seal room.
Final[]
Power Seal #3[]
This Power Seal is found at the very beginning of Autumn Hills, in the screen above the first shop. Be in 16-bit in the upper-right corner of the room with the first shop, then climb up into the Power Seal room. Navigate the wind currents and avoid the sawblades to reach the Power Seal.
Power Seal #4[]
Be in 8-bit and return to the room with Power Seal #2 with the "Aerobatics warrior" shop upgrade. Destroy the breakable blocks in the lower-right corner of the room by using a downward Wingsuit attack. Rope Dart the metal rings, avoid swinging spikeballs, avoid floor spikes, and avoid falling to death in order to reach the Power Seal.
The Shopkeeper's Dialogue[]
Initial Dialogue[]
Shopkeeper
Ah, The Messenger! I wasn't expecting you so soon.
Ninja
...What is this place?
Shopkeeper
This is The Shop!
Ninja
It doesn't look like a shop.
Shopkeeper
Do I look like a shopkeeper?
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
Anyways, so I'm this mystic character who will be mentoring and supporting you on your epic quest to save the world. All you need to do is take the scroll to the top of a faraway mountain where three sages from my order will be waiting for you.
Ninja
Your order? Slow down, that was way too much text for one dialog box!
Shopkeeper
Look, just keep going eastwards, and make sure you grab all these Time Shards you see lying around, I can use them to upgrade your abilities and artifacts. First one is on the house, enjoy!
Climbing claws[]
Ninja
So, climbing claws?
Shopkeeper
Oh yeah. You can press against walls to cling to them, and climb at your leisure.
Ninja
Makes sense. The way everything looks, it just felt like I should be able to do that.
Shopkeeper
Yes, that's why John Gaiden invented them decades ago.
Ninja
Who's John Gaiden?
Shopkeeper
Never mind. Just an acknowledgement I needed to get out of the way.
Ninja
I don't get it...
Shopkeeper
Some will.
What is this place?[]
Ninja
Seriously though, where are we?
Shopkeeper
Curious, are we? In time, you will come to realize that the question is not 'where?', but 'when?'
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
...
Ninja
That's it?
Shopkeeper
Listen, I know you're still new to this, but you have to be pretty naive to expect anything other than cryptic information so early in your adventure.
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
Wouldn't you rather go back into the action anyway? Just buy a health upgrade or something and be on your way. Kids these days...
Of course, here's one for you. There once was a servant who didn't know how to read. The day came where his master asked him to read something for her to which he replied "I'm sorry my lady, I can't read". That reply immediately got him fired.
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
So he went out in the streets looking for a tea house to relax and accept the bad news. When he couldn't find any, he reckoned he probably wasn't the only one to wish there was a tea house in his small town, so he opened up his own. It really picked up, so he built many more, and became rich in the process. One day, his accountant asked him to review a piece of document, to which he replied he didn't know how to read. The accountant, who couldn't believe her ears, said: "If you became a millionaire without even knowing how to read, just imagine where you would be if you could read. "Oh I know exactly where I would be", the rich man replied. "I would be a servant". The end.
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
What?
Ninja
I don't see how this applies to my adventure.
Shopkeeper
It doesn't, you asked for a story.
Ninja
More like the long version of "when life gives you lemons".
Shopkeeper
Alright, since you don't seem to appreciate me sharing some clever material for your next party, I suggest you move along.
Level boss[]
Shopkeeper
Looks like you're almost at the end of this area. Did I forget to mention there is a giant Leaf Monster guarding the exit?
Ninja
... You did.
Shopkeeper
Haha! That look on your face. Don't worry my dear adventurer, Leaf Monsters only come out during a full moon.
Ninja
...
Shopkeeper
Oh is it a full moon right now?
Ninja
Yes...
Shopkeeper
Oh that's... I didn't mean to... well... good luck.
Trivia[]
The Tower of Time on Glacial Peak in a beta version of Autumn Hills.
In the beta version of The Messenger, the Tower of Time used to remain in place after it was entered, so the Autumn Hills background used to have the Tower visible at the top of Glacial Peak.[1]
Shopkeeper
Ninja
