Born Again

Born Again
Details
Scene:	1
Hunters:	Hoods
Location:	Carcer Mark
Time Goal:	10 Minutes
Chronology
Next Scene:	Doorway into Hell

"You've had an unexpected reprieve. Do exactly as I say and I promise this will be over before the night is out."

- Lionel Starkweather

Born Again is the first scene in Manhunt where Cash is freed from death row and set loose in Carcer City.

Mission

The introduction of the game starts with a female journalist giving information on her personal camera then a news flash about trying to expose Lionel Starkweather from footage of a man named James Earl Cash, of his execution, who had been on death row for the past three years. However, his supposed capital punishment was actually a ruse to the public, carried out by the corrupt Darkwoods Penitentiary staff who had been instructed by Starkweather, known as the Director, to inject Cash with a sedative instead of a lethal injection, therefore saving the convict's life.

When Cash awakes from his "execution", now inside an abandoned shop, Starkweather begins to speak to him through an earpiece, lying near him on a table. Waking up from his sedative and in minor panic, Cash tries to ram the locked door open and swatting a security camera watching directly over him. After telling Cash to calm down, Starkweather explains to him that he will be granted his freedom only if he follows his instructions. Thus, Cash has no say in the matter of participating in the Director's snuff film, so he leaves the room and heads outside.

Gameplay of Cash fighting against a Hood

In the mission, Starkweather introduces Cash to a gang called the Hoods. He orders Cash to execute the first few Hoods to see if he has what it takes to be the leading man in his snuff film. After filming Cash's progress through surveillance cameras, Starkweather instructs Cash to make his way across an abandoned parking lot to Carcer Mark Mall. Then, Cash is forced to pick off two more enemies in order for the disposal chute to open, which is the gateway to the next level.

Characters

• James Earl Cash
• Hoods
• Journalist (cutscene)
• Starkweather (audio only)

Weapons

Green Class

• Plastic Bag (5x)
• Glass Shard (4x)
• Wire (unused)

Yellow Class

• Glass Bottle (can be found in trash cans)
• Brick (unused)
• Can (unused)
• Head (unused)

Gallery

The Journalist in the intro cutscene

Cash awaiting his execution

James Earl Cash awaiting his "execution" in the intro cutscene (official screenshot)

Cash puts on the earpiece after hearing Starkweather for the first time

"These streets are being patrolled by gangs. They're scum, just like you, and they're here to hunt you down and cut you up."

Gameplay screenshot

Cash about to perfrom his first execution on a Hoods Hunter with a Plastic Bag

Cash carrying a dead Hood gang member (official screenshot)

A wounded Cash running away from two Hoods chasing him

Two Hoods running after Cash

The Valiant Video Enterprises Pony van

Rewards

1. Doorway into Hell - Completion.
2. Art panel 1 in Bonus Material - 3 star rating.
3. Runner Cheat - 5 star rating & 5 star rating in Doorway into Hell (5 star rating can only be achieved on Hardcore difficulty).

Hard as Nails - 3 star rating & 3 star rating in Doorway into Hell, Road to Ruin, White Trash, and Fuelled by Hate)

Video Walkthroughs

"Manhunt 1", full walkthrough (Hardcore difficulty), Scene 1 - Born Again, Part 1 2

Part 1

"Manhunt 1", full walkthrough (Hardcore difficulty), Scene 1 - Born Again, Part 2 2

Part 2

Trivia

• As the first level, Born Again is somewhat notorious among the Manhunt series fanbase for Cash's first kill being an execution with a mere Plastic Bag, which introduces the dark nature of Manhunt altogether.
• According to the game's instruction manual, Cash's execution took place at Darkwoods Penitentiary, where he will eventually reappear in Mouth of Madness.
• This level features only Green Class Weapons, and the first to be obtained is the Plastic Bag.
• This is the only level in the game where Cash's health bar does not start from full (unless Regenerate cheat is on). This is because of his sedation and to show the player how Painkillers function.
• If the Fully Equipped cheat is enabled, Cash will have a Brick alongside a Plastic Bag. The Brick itself is unused for the level, as Yellow Class Weapons cannot be found.
• The room where Cash wakes up and exits is a closed down Coffee and Donuts store. The building is to the left of his starting point in the level and can be entered.
• Towards the beginning, there is a shop called Ryton Aide which previously appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
• A black Pony van with the Valiant Video Enterprises decal can be seen in the second open area where Cash kills two Hoods. It is the company of Mr. Nasty's where Starkweather's snuff film works are associated with.
• This scene is the first of the three levels within the storyline where Cash faces the Hoods.
• The Hood that guards the disposal chute is programmed to not run towards Cash by the player striking walls to lure him to his location, unlike other Hunters throughout the game, as he simply walks.
• The level folder is named "jury_turf", implying that the Jury were the original planned Hunters in this level, before being developed into the Hoods in the final release.
• Unused text for this level has Starkweather telling Cash to "Get the video tape for the camera." This would be used for View of Innocence.
• The area where Born Again takes place is actually near the scene of Divided They Fall.
• This scene has 8 Hunters total, making the second least amount in the game, behind the final level, Deliverance, which has 7.
• In the game files, there is some unused dialogue spoken by Starkweather which reflects on Cash's actions. This suggests that an ending in-game cutscene of Cash exiting the garbage chute in the following level was cut; most likely because it was redundant.
• The bonus scene Brawl Game is based on this level.

Background themes

Idle

Suspicious

Spotted

Combat