Ah….the good old Haunted Crossroads. Every great story about selling your soul to the devil has a “crossroads.”
Some would say that is is a metaphor for being at a crossroads in your life when can clearly take one path that is good for all, and another that is good only for you. Others would argue that there are literal crossroads where the Devil likes to hang out to do his business.
Others would also point out that the song “Crossroads” is one of the most covered blues staples ever…and relates to the story of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil to gain talent, fame and fortune. And the way Robert’s life turned out, one might tend to believe the tale.
Or…it could just be another prize for a mobile game, struggling to remain relevant after more than 6 years.
This directly from EA via Twitter…
So, are we at a crossroads in the game?
Well…yes…kinda. Because it IS the first prize in Act II!
But before we get to the details… Let’s take a look at the real Crossroads Legend, and the man behind it… Robert Johnson.
For many, the short, tragic, and less-than prolific life of this blues artist is like many others who lived fast, died young, and left a legacy. Joplin. Hendrix, Morrison, and countless others may not have had rock careers without Johnson. Because, many believe that it is the seminal catalog of Robert Johnson that made Rock and Roll possible. Certainly Clapton, The Stones, Led Zepplin and countless other British rockers would have become who they were, without purloining some of their earliest hits from Johnson and a ton of other American blues artists. Ironically, America didn’t really appreciate American blues, until British rockers brought it back. The artists certainly got paid better in England than they did here. But, not Robert Johnson. He was long, long, dead and gone.
Perhaps it’s a lesson about selling your soul. Or maybe you would have preferred “pop songs” like “How much is that doggy in the window” and “don’t sit under the apple tree” to the hip shaking, palpitating and sexually exciting lyrics and beats that came with Rock. But, for me…I’m glad Elvis and the Stones and countless others stole from the earliest, to create blues and rock that still resounds today…long after Robert sold his soul.
Here is the Robert Johnson story...and if you google it, you will also find out that there is a REAL Crossroads in the deep south.
“Devil’s Crossroads
This is “The Crossroads,” the location where the legend says blues musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil for the ability to play a mean guitar. The Crossroads has continued to gain popularity in music (“Highway 61,” “Crossroads,” “Cross Road Blues,” “Highway 49,” etc) and in movies (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Crossroads,” etc.).
Located at the corner of Highway 61 (“The Blues Highway”) and Highway 49 in Clarksdale, MS, this is a definite photo stop for any follower of the blues, or rock & roll, for that matter. Some contend that the true crossroads is located at the intersection of Highways 8 and 1 in nearby Rosedale, but since it’s nearby, go take a picture there too!
And in Clarksdale, adjacent to the Delta Blues Museum, is the Ground Zero Blues Club, a former cotton-grading warehouse from the early 1900’s. Co-owned by Morgan Freeman, you can hear some great live Delta blues and chow down on some great southern grub, all in a venue considered to be one of the top 100 bars and nightclubs in America.”
But, here? In this game? It’s pretty much just another decoration…
Act 2, Prize 1- Haunted Crossroads
Size: 6×6
Conform-O-Meter: Vanity + 100
Can be Placed: On grass|pavement|boardwalk|pier|dirt
Arrangement Bonus: 2.80% when placed in bonus area
What Does It Do: Animated when tapped. Unlocks the ability to craft more
Dialogue When Placed:
Marge:Homer, we’re lost. I knew we should have asked that last ghost for direction.
Homer: What, and have Casper think I don’t know my way around. Not this mortal. See, a haunted crossroad sign. If you can’t trust that for directions, I’m a poltergeist.
TASK: Tap the Haunted Crossroads
Marge: Okay, the signs says this way to Eternal Damnation, that way to Mind bending Terror. Any other bright ideas?
Homer:Yes, let’s just abandon our old life, settle here, and run a crossroads gas station.
Doesn’t give a bonus % when purchase in XXXI 2020 event or I placed it in wrong area
This won’t unlock for crafting in my game. I have tried storing the one I got from,the prize track, then putting it back. I even tried reinstaling the whole game. But it remains locked with a message that to unlock,it I need to do things that were done several day s ago (yes I have filed a bug with EA). Has anyone else had this issue?
Game is letting me in.
Not even login screen, just the donut spinning…
anyone else out there?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK4pdo5j73o
You get it or you don’t
😎Cool summary… quite appreciated having personal musical background; there’s certainly been many rich & complex reviews of the roots of musical genres… my favorite vocalist Robert Plant has paid worthwhile, sincere respects, & expounded on it many times as here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/10400729/Robert-Plant-interview-Everyone-feels-the-blues-from-time-to-time.html
&
https://youtu.be/oEOvfI5uhLM
😎🤘
Haunted Crossroads
Doesn’t take up too much real estate
Offers 2.80% in Bonus Zone (Old Ruins Dig Site)
I’m not going to lie …. after crafting further Transylvania Cottages / Chalets? This was quickly stored (I do ♥️ the Crickety Old Bridge, probably the best thing to Craft in Act 2!) …. we’ve had worse Act Prizes! 👍
Thanks for the beautiful reference to one of the greats.
Along with:
Slim Harpo
Arthur Big Boy Crudup (That’s alright Mama)
Leroy White
John Brim (I’m your Ice Cream Man)
Love those 12 Bar Blues- tune your Pandora Radio to John Brim radio and sit back and let it wash all over you
If the blues was money, I’d be the richest man in town
If the b,yes was money, I’d be the richest man in town
Since I ain’t got no money, Blues, please don’t let me down
p.s. listen to Dion’s The Wanderer, the listen to
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
12 bars is where it’s at!
Hah, cheeky, EA. You created this monster! :p
“and I took the road less traveled…. and that made all the difference
Nice of them to give us a crossroads that doesn’t really line up with the roads or match their color.
But the skelly is cool💀💀💀👍
You can line it up with roads, but you can’t line up roads to the crossroad. I move my crossroads, they adjust by the square and not the 4×4 that the roads are locked to. My favorite is to use them with dirt roads, then cut the road with a river, and put a rickety bridge over the water to connect the dirt path.
Have a picture?
Not so…
https://imgur.com/gallery/1IqUUlf
Thanks for the post Patric 😊 it seems to me that the crossroads bonus per incantations is one of the bests so far
It is the best so far, yes. I’m spending all my crafting currency on crossroads…
Did anyone else like the special last night? It was the first one I seen in a while and it felt very rushed and forced. Not sure, but after seeing the season five through ten not even a month ago this one seems not as good. What did everyone else think because I haven’t reallt seen a new one in a while?
Was hard to follow and disappointing…
I gave up on any season after 13. Believe me…Ive tried. They make me gag😞
I ♥️ ‘d the H.P. Lovecraft themed intro and would’ve preferred it to have been 10 minutes vs 2 minutes … Cthulhu be damned!😄
I only appreciated the Invasion of the Body Snatchers homage (the other 2 segments were boring for me), but 6 minutes wasn’t enough (in fact? every segment felt rushed this year! so I’d prefer only two stories at 13 minutes each? or the Treehouse of Horror episode needs to be an hour special with 3 segments at 18 minutes apiece). 🤷🏼♂️