General Bruise
| General Bruise | |
|---|---|
 | |
Location |
General Bruise's Lair, ultimately |
|
|
“ | I am your superior officer, and you will address me as such! | „ |
General Bruise is the commander of The President of Shadows' military and your nemesis as a Pig Skinner.
Personality
General Bruise presents the demeanor of a drill sergeant rather than a general. He addresses you aggressively as maggot and is often seen smoking a cigar. When speaking to his commander-in-chief, however, he uses a much more formal and respectful tone.
The General loves fighting and hates losing, but moreso respects physical strength and the chain of command. He values honor and accordingly stands by his word, even in defeat.
Bruise's theme "music" consists of the sound of an army's marching steps.
Encounters
| Fight him (ch. 4) | |
|---|---|
Enemies
|
General Bruise (random) Random shadow (3) |
XP (kill) |
13-14 |
| Fifty knuckles! (ch. 2) | |
|---|---|
Enemies
|
General Bruise's Left Eye General Bruise's Right Eye |
XP (kill) |
7-8 |
| Fight it (ch. 6) | |
|---|---|
Enemies
|
General Bruise (phase 2) |
XP (kill) |
30-33 |
| Fight him (ch. 6) | |
|---|---|
Enemies
|
General Bruise (phase 1) Random shadow (4) |
XP (kill) |
20-22 |
You first meet General Bruise at the Refrigerator Factory. Having little patience for distractions, he calls Shadow Oliver Gluck to attention and orders him to kill you.
Communicating remotely through a pair of shadow orbs, General Bruise interrupts you on the way out of Valley Hardware in Chapter 2. You can fight the two "eyes" or simply skip the combat.
Later that chapter, Bruise is mentioned as the foreman of the Crystaldream Dam Construction Site. He supplies old Cola War MREs for the workers' lunches, which are apparently too awful to even consider eating. He's called Lieutenant Bruise here in 1917, showcasing his impressive advancement through the President's ranks.
He interrupts your wanderings in The Big Moist in Chapter 4 to deal with you personally. This time, the fight is mandatory; if you refuse or lose, you're stuck with Bruise's Mark for -1 to all stats until you defeat him, much later, in Chapter 6.
You confront General Bruise for the final time in General Bruise's Lair, after being captured at the Army Recruitment Office and making your way through Charlestown State Pen. You must either fight his first and second form, beat him in a shadow-fueled arm-wrestling contest, or absorb him with shadow power.
Bruise also makes an appearance all but the first night's dreams:
| Chapter | Dream | Major event |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | A Dream About School | Choose a character class |
| 1: Welcome to Ocean City | A Fitful Dream | Talk to your Nemesis |
| 2: The Spooky Forest | Another Fitful Dream | Your nemesis reports to their boss |
| 3: Back to School | Yet Another Fitful Dream | Dean Wormwood hopes his barrier will hold |
| 4: Swamped | A Disconcerting Dream | Vignettes of the President's life |
| 5: Heartland of Darkness | An Exceptionally Fitful Dream | Talk to the President |
Notes
- An MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) is a U.S. military food ration introduced in 1981. The 1928 equivalent was (if my cursory Wikipedia research is accurate) the Reserve Ration.