Let’s beat up a holy woman.

The team goes to the Trading Town of Lohan, a merchant run, independent city, and makes a B-line to the doctor to treat Shana. She’s unconscious from the Dragon’s Poison she contacted in The Nest of the Dragon. As Dart places her on the hospital bed, the doctor says he can do nothing. The poison is beyond human knowledge, but he does believe there is a way to treat her. If we can find a Dragoni Flower, he may be able to make something if the old legends are correct.

We wander around town looking for the plant, and we come to the merchant we saved in the volcano, Dabbas. Dart asks him if he has the Dragoni, and he does not. The merchant says one might exist in the area beyond the Nest. Someone reminds us of a plant we were unable to pass in the Nest behind where Shana ran off to in order to regain herself. If we were to use the healing water from before the Greham fight, it’ll function as the other plants down there did and wither. Before leaving the city, I continue to walk around and upgrade my gear. Lavitz has the highest attack, while Dart falls to the bottom. He still hits the hardest when the numbers show up on screen, so I’m not sure how correct the menu numbers are.

Before leaving, we get ambushed by a shady merchant trying to sell us a container for 10000000000 gold. Obviously, I don’t have that much, but he’s able to be talked down to 100g. You can go lower, but I’m a nice guy. I wonder if you get anything special if you sell in his favor. As is, he gives an evil laugh as we head off. With cup in hand, I head to the pool, get some high-quality H2O, kill the plant, and continue on to The Shrine of Shirley.

I hate empty treasure chests, and this place is full of them. Not only that, but each chest has a snarky message telling us to leave. There are also signposts scattered about, telling us the same. As we enter, Rose informs us there is Dragoon power here. At the entrance, the three take out their gems, and one of the dragon statues shines a bright white along with the obtained stones. The dungeon itself is relatively empty because there's no reward for exploring. Instead, we should just make our way to the top of the shrine. As we open the chest up there, we fall into a hole. We’re dropped into a roller coaster that takes the s around the shrine and back to the entrance. As we travel, we see three signs with the numbers 3, 5, and 2 written on them. Back at the entrance, I wander around and take notice of two statues telling us the direction they’re facing. So I guess there is a reason to explore, but it's a puzzle reason, and I want gold! Before returning to the top, there’s a dais to input numbers just below it. Putting in the only numbers I know of drops a ladder to a new area just above us. Climbing the ladder takes us to a set of stairs that, when we reach the top, turn into a slide, forcing us back to the bottom of them. There are two statues on either side to turn, as indicated by the earlier statues. Turn them correctly, and the stairs now function as they should.

We come to a courtyard, and we’re attacked! The man who’s looted my stuff says he’s protecting what lies within. Undaunted by one black mage looking thief, we do battle. Drake is an odd one. He fights with traps, none of which I fall for. His first trap is placing three bombs in front of my characters. I assume they blow up when they get close enough to a character, but I destroy them before they do damage. He also uses a net, which I don’t know anything about. I was spamming Dragoon magic when he used that and never saw what it did. His attacks aren’t too bad, so just use your magic items again. I really don’t like how the strat in LoD is to use magic. Physical attacks aren’t cutting it, and Dragoon magic just seems weak. Maybe if the items were more reliable and readily available, but you have to buy them in town before leaving for a dungeon you know nothing about.

After the fight, we meet what he’s been protecting when the spirit of White Dragoon Shirley comes out and asks why we’ve come. Dart says to save Shana and asks for a Dragoni Plant. Shirley says none are here, and Rose asks if she remembers her. Shirley does. How does Rose know a hero from 11000 years ago? Shirley says that, while no Dragoni Plants are here, her White Dragon Gem can remove the poison if coupled with another's gem. In order to get it, though, she tests us in battle.

Battle is the wrong word here. I’ve read this is a good place to grind Additions, but I’m behind in time, so let’s speed through this. This “battle” consists of our opponent asking us questions. Answer them in a fashion that isn’t selfish, and we win. Shirley can’t be defeated and heals back up to full HP if she is downed. She also counters every attack, so you’re only hurting yourself if you beat up the dead girl.

After the conversation, Shirley gives us the gem, but only if we heal Drake. He’s been protecting her for so long and doesn’t deserve to die here. We do, and she disappears. Drake is confused and distraught with his life’s mission now over. Before heading back, I walk into the shrine chamber and find a bunch of gold and a new weapon tor Rose. I don’t know what happens to Drake going forward, but I hope to see him again. He seems like a good guy and deserves some character growth and a good ending.

We then return to Lohan to save Shana. Dart places the gem on Shana and turns to the party for confirmation. Before combining his gem, the white gem begins to glow. Shana wakes up on her own and is fully healed. Rose assumes she’s the heir to the White Dragoon. The doctor doesn’t know what happened and doesn’t ask. He’s just happy he saw a miracle.

He also tells us about the arena for some reason, which I’ll get to tomorrow!

Before ending it, I do some exploring around old places. I don’t find anything, and I'm disappointed. The fort we were supposed to save is empty with the chest looted, so I regret again tonight. Kaiser in Hoax tells us we’re fired, as does Albert. Lavitz is now free to do whatever, so we have no choice but to go to the arena. Will Dragoon Shana be useful? Let’s see where this goes!

Headache update: Doritos are bad for me. I feel mostly fine, and I’d be willing to to go school tomorrow if I were younger. Editing still sucks with how white everything is, though. Damndable whiteness.

The one where I remember emulation can change FPS.

The party walks out of the ruined Hoax, which has an updated world map sprite, and we walk toward the Marshland. Here we come to a fork in the road. Right goes to the fort we’re to protect, and left leads us to the dragon’s nest. For some reason, I didn’t try to go to the fort and just went the correct way. Here we come to a boat puzzle. It’s straightforward, and we simply guide the boat from outcrop to outcrop to pick up the random assortment of treasure. We return to the start and carry on the path until Shana hurts her ankle in the mud. Dart gives her a piggyback ride to her mild embarrassment. The ride lasts twenty feet, and she regains her strength to carry on. We leave the marsh and come to the ranging volcano, Vilude.

Right, they mentioned this was here... As the party of four walks the convenient path on a semi-active volcano, the Fire Bird launches into the sky. The party laments their predicament, as the bird and dragon now exist in the same world until the bird spots us. Rather than run away, everyone makes the wise decision to run deeper into the volcano. Down here are various mobs with various bits on fire. Having fully mastered Dart’s first Addition, Double Slash, I change to the aptly named Volcano Addition. While here, we gain more knowledge of the Dragon Campaign as we run across, what Rose called, a Virage. The Virage were the Winglies answer to the human's Dragons. Shana claims it called out to her. Riding on 11000 years of hate and resentment, it guided Shana here to attack us.

The Virage has three attackable parts: head, body, and arm. The arm is easy to destroy, but I don’t think you should. Not only can it be regrown, but when it’s down, the monster uses its head laser for massive damage. If the arm is still alive, it’ll attack with a more manageable physical blow. The head is the only thing that needs to be destroyed. At least, it was the last part I defeated before Dart final blew the guy into the lava.

Carrying on, we save a local merchant here to find a rare gem. He gives us an item that I couldn’t find in my pack as a reward for saving him. Further down the path, we meet back-up with Fire Bird.

I still wasn’t fully recovered from the Virage fight, and now this guy shows up. He’s quick, does heavy damage to the whole party, and has more than enough HP. I’m beginning to realize how important magic attack items are in this game as they do significantly more damage than regular attacks. Even Dragoon attacks and magic can’t compare. Maybe if I were good at the timing on the attacks, but I’m bad. I understand the 32 item limit. I don’t like it, but I understand it now. My right arm is gonna be hella strong in 80 hours. Hella!

After the Fire Bird falls, we see the merchant again. Why is he fine? I replenish my potions and continue to the outside world. This was all just a means to reach the destination.

The Nest of the Dragon is located in a forest that surfers from dragon’s poison. Shana is the only person who seems to be affected by it, as she nearly collapses before running off to safer air. She quickly regains her composure, while Dart teases her. Rose says they act like brother and sister, and Lavitz says they always do. The party goes deeper into the wood until they step on a giant cobweb. It’s not very sturdy, and the group falls through into a strange world. This dungeon looks more daunting than it actually is. For starters, there's a full heal spring right next to where they fell if you ever get into trouble. To advance, simply walk/climb through the various paths that are straightforward when you pay attention. There are three mushroom looking things you need to knock over to open the way. The game seems to indicate the healing water allows you to knock the plants out, but I didn't try without touching the pool. At the end of the path is a man whom Lavitz is familiar with.

Greham, a traitor to both Basil and Lavitz’ dad, Servi, stands before us. It is revealed that Greham killed his best friend, Servi, for power when he transforms into the Green Dragoon. The jewel was given to him by Emperor Dole, and he quickly uses it to summon Feyrbrand as a boss battle commences.

Not only do we stand before an ancient dragon, but a legendary Dragoon, as well. Attacking Greham, seemingly, causes him to counter attack. You still need to remove him first as he likes to use teamwide magic damage, which chunks large portions of HP from everyone. He can also perform a tandem attack with Ferybrand that is a physical teamwide attack. Dart died here, and I had to use my first revive. The dragon is a little more manageable, having only single target attacks. Those attacks can cause Fear, which is an ailment that seems to so nothing. The dragon has terrible magic defense, so use earth-based magic items on it to quickly kill it. I only brought one with me, so who knows what would have happened had I killed the dragon first.

The wyrm felled, and the Dragoon dying, Grham feels remorseful for his actions. He apologizes before dying. The Green Dragoon Gem begins to resonate and, in Rose’s words, “chooses its new master.” That new master being the green armor-clad Lavitz. I start to wonder if characters choose their attire based on what gem they want, or if it’s some Assassins Creed style genetic memory thing. Will we find out everyone is descended from a Dragon Campaign hero like I think Dart is? Calling it now, Shana is the white Dragoon. Also, Albert sure did wear a lot of green...

Anyway, with the mission complete, Shana begins to feel ill once more. This time, however, she cannot power through it and collapses on the floor. Not wanting to risk something happening to them on the way back to Hoax, the party decides to go to the nearby city of Lohan.

...Which I’ll do tomorrow! My headache seems to have finally subsided, but I still feel odd. I upped the FPS limit on PCSX to 60, so I’m going 15% faster. You wouldn't think that’s not a big change, but yowie wowie is it ever. It’s also way unstable, so QTEs are gonna be fun. Lohan is in enemy territory, so I can’t wait to find out how we get home after saving Dart's totally not girlfriend.

Why do I want to watch Ronin Warriors?

The party walks in the Capitol City of Basil, Bale, and I decide to explore. I walk into the first house on the left, and Lavitz gets his portrait painted by a small child. Despite taking a mere 30 seconds, it looks so lifelike. Throughout the rest of the town, we learn that Lavitz is pretty much a national hero to everyone. Children want to grow up to be like him, older people compare him favorably to his father, and men say how great he is. We’re just an entourage. Heroes aside, we run into a hospital type place that heals several status ailments. It also has its own music theme. I’m starting to notice that Legend of Dragoon may be a nice callback to retro gaming. The hospital/church gets it’s own theme, as does the menu, shops, inn, and castles. Late 80s and early 90s games get the same treatment. If there are multiple world nap themes, I’ll be pretty thrilled. Continuing to explore, I stumble across several items, learn there’s a 32 item limit (which is awful), and learn what Stardust is. It’s a wish maker. Collect enough, 50, and you get a prize. Every 10 also gets you a new accessory. I don’t know much I’ll be collecting them, but it’s there if I want the super boss. There's also world building lore here and there. Someone mentions an ancient race that controlled the world, and, as I skimmed earlier, we learn a bit about Lavitz' dad. He was a knight, himself, who died in battle. It's all interesting, I hope, foreshadowing.

After I finish the long winding boat trip where I aid an alcoholic in ruining his liver and gain a Stardust, I head to see King Albert. While there, Lavitz fills his liege in on what happened and who Dart and Shana are. As a reward for helping Lavitz, Dart asks Albert if Shana can stay here. She protests, saying she’s tougher than Dart remembers. Albert agrees. Not only that, but he says Dole, the bad guy, has gained a dragon that can fly. Because of the threat of an aerial assault, Shana isn’t safe. Dart acquiesces and then asks for information on the Black Monster. The Minister can only say that rumors of its existence began 11000 years ago, after the Dragon Campaign. Because he knows nothing more about the monster, he tells us about the campaign itself. 11000 years ago, the world was controlled by an ancient race named Winglies. They enslaved the humans until man rose up and split the life of Emperor Diaz into seven dragons. Using the dragons, humans won their freedom, and the age of man began.

The Bale knights go their separate way to discuss the war, while the Selesans go out to the balcony. Shana is a naive girl who just wants to help. Dart is a confused boy who just wants to protect. Lavitz comes back from the shortest war meeting ever and says he’s being sent to the front mines of Hoax. Dart and Shana join up. Before heading there, we go meet Lavitz’ mom.

We follow the 36-year-old man-who-stil;-lives-with-his-mom home and Mama Slabert serves us lunch. She’s a wannabe grandmother, so she confuses Shana with Lavitz’ bride, leading to some humor and some are-they-or-aren’t-they between Dart and Shana. Before lunch, Lavitz takes Dart to the roof to show him “his treasure.” The roof has a great view of the entire city and castle. It’s also Fall, and I’m, once more, amazed at how beautiful this game is again. The treasure is the city and the whole kingdom as a whole. Lavitz is a very patriotic man who considers being a knight to be one of the greatest things a human can do.

After a quick food stop, we say goodbye, Lavitz gives his mom a hug, secretly says he wants her jerky, and we head to Hoax.

Hoax is a small village that was quickly rushed into being a fort. Many of the residents are still here, fortifying their homes and churches. The group talks to Kaiser, the leader and head of the 8th Knighthood, and we’re told our orders. Shana is to cook for the troops, and Dart is to be night watch. Before assuming our roles, we meet the townsfolk. There’s a religion, soldiers, and a famous midwife who assumes Shana is pregnant with Dart’s child. It’s just more will-they-won’t-they comedy. The interesting thing from walking around the town is I finally understand the world. Several years ago, the former king of Serdio, Carlo, died and left his six-year-old son, the current Albert, to reign. Carlo’s brother, Dole, believes he should lead and not a child. This leads to the civil war we’re currently in between Albert, Basil/Bale, and Dole, in Sandora. After the walkabout, Dart and Lavitz take their roles as nightwatchman.

During the night, a confident Dart wants to go get something from Shana. He says as long as the owls hoot, nothing is in the forest. As he walks down the stairs, the owls stop, and a flaming arrow hits the city. It’s time for war! Sandorian soldiers rush the town. Dart and Lavitz take care of the easy ones, but an elite soldier climbs the ramparts, and we to come to the boss.

He’s the toughest fight in the game so far. He has a magic attack that strikes both men, doing a large chunk of damage to Lavitz. He also has the ability to shadow clone himself, making copies who attack us. If we hit the correct one, they fade, but he can use that spell several times, and I couldn't find a way to distinguish who was real. When he dies, the battle is not over.

 From our backs comes the Giganto, another race on the continent of Endiness, named Kongol. He’s a massive human being who wields an even bigger ax. However, he’s very limited and has no tricks or multi-target attacks. We use a few magic items I bought, chinking his HP and defeating him before he manages three attacks. As Dart goes for his kill-steal boss attack, Kongol counters with a massive lariat. Kongol isn’t even close to dead. Not only that, he’s managed to turn the tables and put Dart on the ropes. As he brings down his ax onto Dart, a purple armored woman flies into battle to save him. The woman then says a magic spell, mentioning Dragoons, and Dart transforms into a heavily armored winged knight. He managed to re-turn the tables on the fight, and the invading troops, including Kongol, flee. Shana runs out of the house, and Dart turns back into normal before collapsing.

In the morning, Dart is awoken by Shana and the purple woman, Rose, having an argument. Shana is jealous that Dart knows another woman until he wakes up and clarifies everything. Rose saved him from the dragon at the start of the game and again here. Rose then fills us in on why: Dart has the Red Gem of the Dragon. His dad’s keepsake signified he was of Dragoon lineage, created to control dragons 11000 years ago. I don't know if that lineage thing is true, but that's what I'm going with.

Eventually, we learn that Hoax isn’t the only place being attacked. Kaiser asks us to go to the Nest of the Green Dragon to weaken Sandorian power. As we leave, Rose tutorializes Dragoon combat and...

...I call it a night. I still have a headache. Am I gonna die? Goodnight.

It’s a four disk game, me. Power through the headaches.

I did not power through... What bug bit me is still bitting me. Everything feels fine, except my head is still wonky. Maybe tomorrow. I did play some and even got through two dungeons.

After escaping Hellena Prison last night, the party of mercenary Dart, his friend, Shana, and knight of Basil, Lavitz, attempt to retrace their steps. Sadly, the road back to Seles is blocked by enemy troops. Not sure how they managed to beat us here, but they did. Because of the blockade, we go around via the plains.

I don’t know why they’re called plains since this isn’t very flat, but okay. Also, why is the ocean in the background when the world map says we’re inland? It’s a good thing it’s pretty, or I’d be upset. Seriously, the backgrounds in this game, battle and field, are top-notch. Star Ocean 3, a mid-late PS2 game, looks worse than this. My gawking aside, as the party enters the “plains”, they’re still being chased by guards from Hellena. A lone arrow comes from stage right and strikes Lavitz in the foot. He claims, "‘tis but a scratch", but he’s not moving as well as he was. They quickly struggle through the pain and advance forward and hide behind a tree at a fork in the road as a group of guards catch up. Flustered by a bird confusing them, the guards run off to the right, giving the party a chance to go left.

Here is another fork. Up goes to a river we can’t do anything about, and down goes to a nice cozy, but dusty, hut. Who’s tending to this horse? In the hut, Shana, who’s become a medic of sorts, nurses Lavitz’ wound. He’s now back to full strength. More importantly, Dart fills his friend in on why he left five years ago. Eighteen years ago, his first home of Neet was raised by the Black Monster. His family escaped to a nearby cave, but his father went back to find more survivors. His mother, after giving her son one last hug, followed suit. Dart spent the night in the cave and woke up to a “foreign land” where everything was burnt down. In the rubble, he found his father’s keepsake, a red gem. Dart took it and, byways never explained, came to Seles. Five years ago, we went looking for revenge. It’s also not explained why he was near the village before the dragon attacked, to begin with. Was he returning home, or is it just happenstance? That is the only bit of plot tonight, and I apologize. Sickness sucks.

After taking the time to rest and restore my HP, Lavitz suggests they all go to the capital, Bale, as they may have more information on the Black Monster. At the very least, it’s safer than out in the open when being chased by a tyrannical king.

To exit the plains, go left from the hut to see a tree about to fall. Return to the hut, find an ax, chop the tree down, and return to the river we were at earlier. The field tree will calmly float into place, allowing the party to cross with no difficulty. Seems pretty lucky to me. Before we leave, Lavitz meets a family who blames him and the army for disposing them from their village. Lavitz, a man of honor, feeds their hungry child and offers the family a place to stay at his (and his mom’s) house. A true knight of chivalry! I make a note that this is my new favorite music. I wish the Spotify album had English titles...

We return to the world map but only for a short walk, as we enter the Limestone Caves. I don’t know how that family is going to get through this place, but it’s a straight forward dungeon for healthy adventurers. The thing to look out for here is the Ugly Balloons who can poison your characters. If you catch a frog on the lower jumping stones puzzle, it’ll give you a poison resist accessory. On one of the jump paths, Lavitz, still tending to his wound, nearly falls to his death. Dart is able to save him, and the knight thanks Dart for saving him once more. The two bro-out while Shana feels left out. I’d ship Dart and Lavitz. He seems like a fun character, and I'm curious how he plays out. I find him to be a bit slow in combat, and his damage and HP aren’t drastically higher than Darts, so far, but I’m optimistic I’ll be using him for a while.

But now's not the future, now is now. After we learn of HP restoring Rock Fireflies, at the end of the dungeon lies the “often talked about cave guardian”, Uroboros, a giant snake. He looks tougher than he actually is. He mostly uses single target attacks that, while hit hard, can be healed off easy with a guard or two. After enough damage is taken, he retreats into his cave, where he can only be hit by Shana’s terrible bow attacks or with magic items. I use this time to guard/restore HP until he comes out, and Lavitz gets the killing blow. At least until Dart gets the cutscene treatment and gives his final blow. As the party celebrates their victory and walk away, the snake sprouts back up and goes to eat a straggling Shana. Suddenly, a bright white light emanates from her head. The light not only stops the monster but annihilates the serpent. It is here we remember the opening cutscene where, presumably, Shana glows when that rock was placed near her. Confused but unable to answer any would-be questions, the party carries on. As we reach the gate of Basil...

...I call it a night. I want to play more, but I fear my headache will make me want to not write. I also worry about the impression the game'll make on ill me. I feel better than when I woke up, and better still than the day before, so the bug seems to be losing to my immune system. I’ll hope to be at full strength on Friday. Maybe sooner, but let's be reasonable. This is a long game; we might be here a while.

Legend of Dragoon: Serdian War

Legend of Dragoon was a game I never owned. A friend of mine had it, and I played it once at his house after he moved away. Since this was the early aughts, that was akin to being on Jupiter, so I never got a full grasp on the story. What I did see intrigued me. I have odd memories of doing all the spell items button mashes, telling my friend to sell all his bastard swords, and making a small bestiary with how much HP the enemies had. Ten years later, when I learned of emulation, LoD was a game I rushed to play. Ten more years later, after playing it during my depression induced amnesia years, I’m playing it again. Critics found the game middling, but I’ve heard good things from players. Does this game from this random company known for co-developing other titles as a Sony First Party Studio hold up? Let’s find out! For some reason, I'm playing on the PAL edition, which has a lower FPS limit. Consider it my punishment for stealing it.

We start the game on a CGI cutscene. The camera is in a small village as fire begins to rain from the sky. A small horde of knights on dragonback storm into the village, as the population screams. The background music is peaceful and totally not fitting with the scene, and I laugh a little. I don’t know who decided to pair this music with this scene, but it was a bad call. As the scene continues, a high ranking soldier enters the burnt town and goes to an unconscious woman. He asks a subordinate, with voice acting, if this is her. He pulls out a rock, cut to the moon, and the woman begins to glow. The officer says this is the one. He wonders why they came to this village for this one woman but dares not question Emperor Dole.

We then go game engine as a woman in purple, wearing one pant leg, is on a cliff overlooking a forest. Suddenly, a green dragon, who looks like a praying mantis, raises out of the woods. She calls it Feyrbrand and runs down to it. We then cut to a man in red reading a note. He hears a commotion and runs off to see what it was. It’s the soldiers running somewhere. Probably home is my guesstimate. He stops two stragglers when the dragon appears behind him. The soldiers flee, and the man, Dart, tries to avoid the dragon’s attacks. He quickly realizes he should run too. After avoiding downed trees, the purple woman manages to tackle Dart to safety. She gets him to stay silent, and the wyrm goes away. The woman wonders why the Imperial Army would need a dragon for a small village, and Dart realizes the village alluded to is his home. As he runs off, the woman remains and becomes startled when something starts glowing.

Dart enters the destroyed ruins of his home, Seles. He confronts a few remaining soldiers, and we have our first battle. The system, I think, is turn-based. There’s no ATB meter, hut speed seems to have some element in order. The unique thing about LoD is the QTE attacks called Additions. Every time a character attacks, they can do more damage if they press X at the proper time, as indicated by the UI. Some Additions can also be counter-attacked, so be prepared to press O when that happens. Right now, Dart only needs to press X once for the additional damage, but I know it gets rougher late game. These few battles, as you’d think, are pushovers.

Dart searches on and finds a few survivors. Plos, who remembers Dart from before he became a wanderer, says the army took Shana, a mutual friend, to Hellena Prison. We now have our first quest. What remains in the village is Dart's master, Tasman, who properly tutorializes the battle system and an item called Stardust. We’ll learn what that is later, I hope.

We leave the village and enter the world map. Or, at least, a portion of it. There seems to be several world maps, each hosting several sub-areas to explore. Right now, we can only enter the Forest. The Forest is an early contender for best song in the game, and I already added it to my Spotify playlist. A shame the menu music interrupts it when I bring it up. Enemies here all die in one good attack, but it’s the battle backgrounds that blow me away. They’re stunning, and not just for its time. They hold up well today. I don’t know if they’re worth the massive load times, though. Towards the end of this section, we see a memory of Dart and Shana as children. They're running along the road and get attacked by a wild dog. Dart tries to scare the hound off to protect Shana, but we return to the now before we know how it went. It's a save assumption it well well.

Continuing on, we come to Hellena Prison. It appears to be a partially capsized boat just off the coast, but the innards don’t correlate to such a feat. Dart sneaks his way in, and I try to sneak my way around inside. I think stealth is optional, but I liked Dishonored, so I go with it. We cut to a scene where the Head Warden, Flugel, is told by a man in a hood not to harm the girl. Flugel, upset he can’t hurt anyone, throws a subordinate off the ledge his death. Eventually, I come to a battle between a knight trying to save his brethren and the guards. The knight does his job, but reinforcements arrive and do away with escapees anyway. Before the guards turn their gaze on the lone spearman, Dart shows up. As they go back-to-back, we do battle. The guards die in two attacks, and we learn the knight is named Lavitz. After the fight, he accompanies you to save Shana. Facing off against the guards together taught him Dart is an honorable man and says nothing more of the dead men he failed to save.

The two march on and eventually save Shana. Shana, now grown up, says she doesn’t need Dart to protect her. She walks over to a bow and arrow and joins the party as a playable character. She has no additions, though, so she’s boring. The three fight their way out and, as they do, come to face Flugel themselves. The large fatman tells us we're going, "Not to Hellena but to Hell."

The battle here consists of the fatman throwing a wave of regular guards at us, followed by a second wave of actual worthwhile wardens at us. As the wardens die, they use a magic item to do high damage to the party. So don’t be afraid to use potions before they die. You know they're about to die because the targeting indicator turns red. Neat feature! Flugel only has single target attacks, but they hit hard. I used a few magic items, myself, and finished him in one round. As we think we've defeated the foe, Flugel gets back up. He commands all guards to sacrifice their lives in getting the girl back, so the party commandeers some dragons to flee. They raise the drawbridge, making Lavitz, who's fallen behind, need to do some Fast and Furious moves to jump out. I'm sure the dragon's knees appreciate it.

Now free, I called it a night. I got really sick last night, and it’s carried over to tonight. Because if that, I want to keep my playtime low to limit how much I wrote for blog one. Since I’ve been here for an hour, I’ve failed, so goodnight. I should be better tomorrow. Sorry this wasn't a more thorough write-up.

Lifestream White/Black

(List of prior entries on this topic at the bottom)

 

Lifestream Black:
I:
A man in the Lifestream was being absorbed into it by force. He was able to hold on to only a part of himself: his memories, thoughts, emotions. These were all that remained of him. But still, he knew it was only a matter of time until the grand order of things took its course. It was an act he could never let happen. The Planet was to be his to rule, not the other way around.

He then felt another presence in the stream. Cloud. The man knew that if he could attach himself to Cloud, he could live.

II:
The Lifestream broke though, but the man had given away his thoughts to it. The useless memories of his youth and friends meant nothing to him. It was the hate and power that made him who he is and was all that he needed. What was left traveled around the world and enveloped those who were done moving forward and gave up on life.  He made them sick. Cloud would know what the sickness was, and it would make him think of his enemy. As long as Cloud knew what it was, the man would never die.

III:
Life had gone on as normal for the Planet, but the Lifestream became filled with energy. Many of which were tainted. The man cherished this darkness. He eventually came to want more. He wanted people to know it his doing. He wanted to speak with his voice. He wanted to kill with his hands. For that, he would need a body. If he used the power and body of his mother, he could gain one. He had no memory of his physical form, but he knew memories of it were here somewhere.

He created one near image of himself. And then two more. They were sent to find his mother’s body and memories of himself. All they needed was Cloud. “ That will be the beginning, the man thought.”

The man is clearly Sephiroth, and I don’t really get why they didn’t just say his name. I suppose because his name isn’t a part of what gives him power. But is this true? When people say Sephiroth in Advent Children, everyone reacts with fear and trepidation. Clearly, his name means something. Regardless, this is us learning about how the wannabes came to be and shows a little more of their backstory and goal. They really are Lifestream formed clones made from the Jenova cells that fell into the Lifestream. We also learn the Geostigma is Sephiroth. Makes me wonder what would happen if enough people got sick and gathered together. Makes sense why they kidnapped all those kids.

Lifestream White:
I:
The final Ancient had fallen into the Lifestream. Being an Ancient, she was able to retain her personality. But she sensed a second presence. The spirit of a man who wanted to, and could exert himself on the Planet, even while dead. It was also the man who killed her. The man remained by making Cloud, her friend, the very core of his existence.

II:
The energy of the Lifestream became filled with people who couldn’t be absorbed into it. All of them hated the Planet. She assumed it was the result of something the man had done.

She tried to heal them as best she could by trying to relive their joyful memories. But the deluge of them was too much for her. She then began to search for more spirits like her: Cetra and friends. She found a few, but even still, it was all too much.

She thought of Cloud and then thought she’d have to help at the source. She’d have to contact Cloud, but could his heart withstand it?

III:
While thinking of how and what to say to Cloud. She then felt the evil presence. She was afraid to do anything and learn at first, but she eventually worked up her courage and tried to get close. And then he saw her, and she fled. The man laughed at her, but she learned of his plan to make copies. She thought about doing the same to talk to Cloud but decided against it, wanting to meet him as herself, “the way he knows me.”

I would have loved to see an army of Aerith’s, personally, but I understand why she didn’t. Shadow cloning is a little sketchy, ya? But White tells us of Aerith’s point of view of Sephiroth’s re-rise to power. It doesn’t go into much detail, which is a shame, but Sephiroth’s plan would have been hard to stop before it became a problem. This could have been a great way to really tie things together and be a post-movie epilogue. Sadly, Kazushige Nojima wanted to keep everything in one timeframe, I suppose. Understandable.There is one more piece of Final Fantasy VII literature out there, The Turks: The Kids are All Right, but I don't know if I'm going to read it. At least not any time soon. Legend of Dragoon on Monday!

 

Maiden Who Travels the Lifestream pt.1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/lets-make-temporary-change.html

2/3

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-maiden-who-travels-lifestream-pt-23.html

4/5

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-maiden-who-travels-lifestream-45.html

6/Fin

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-maiden-who-travels-planet-6fin.html

Denzel p1.1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/case-of-denzel-pt-1.html

Pt.2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/case-of-denzel-pt-2.html

Tifa pt.1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/case-of-tifa-pt-1.html

pt. 2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/09/case-of-tifa-pt-2.html

Barrett pt. 1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-barrett-pt-1.html

pt. 2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-barrett-pt-w.html

Nanaki pt. 1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-nanaki-pt-1.html

pt. 2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-nanaki-pt-2.html

Yuffie pt. 1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-yuffie-pt-1.html

pt. 2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-yuffie-pt-2.html

Shinra pt. 1

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-shinra-pt-1-before-meteor.html

pt. 2

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-shinra-pt-2-rufus-is-missing.html

pt. 3

https://deadaghram.blogspot.com/2020/10/case-of-shinra-fin.html

Case of Shinra fin.

So Veld doesn’t do much. He does cause a minor rift to form in the remaining Turks, as everyone wonders who’s in charge now.

Veld informs everyone what he’s learned of Lieutenant Mutton Kylegate. He was on vacation but stopped in Junon to round up a few troops before heading to Midgar. The day Veld appeared before his former comrades, Kylegate stood outside Midgar and announced he’s building a city on the outskirts of Midgar. He then asked everyone to gather tools and whatnot to aid in the build. Later on, he’d mention Kylegate comes from a wealthy family from Kalm, where he still lived, with an inheritance he gained at a young age. He’s also known for being a ruthless man who joined the army, despite not needing to, to pursue his cruel desires.

Tseng then asks his former leader and father figure why he came to them. Veld answered, "Retribution or perhaps paying back a favour?" The Turks thanked him for the information but wondered about the reasons. Reno then got mad but was quickly quelled in a way I didn't fully understand, and he asked why a mere lieutenant would know the passkey. Telling everyone where the Kylegate manor is, everyone runs out to find Rufus after they managed to connect the dots on his whereabouts. Reno stays behind and asks Veld about the other Turks. Reno is informed they're out gathering info. Veld says he’s going to Junon, where Reeve is, and that’s the last we hear of Veld

Mutton Kylegate is trying to “interrogate” the new passcode out of Rufus. Since the Turks changed it, Rufus would have no way of knowing it. The two men argue, and we learn that Mutton’s plan is just Rufus’ plan. A maid comes to tell the master a visitor is here. Mutton tells Rufus he’s begun construction on the new city that he’s named Edge, before leavening greet the guest. Not long after, Rufus hears voices arguing, and a gun go off. The man who, presumably, shot the gun is looking for him. Despite being locked to the bed, Rufus does what he can to hide. Eventually, and with no difficulty, he is found, and a gun is aimed at him. Rufus tried to fight him off and somehow succeeded. He got shot in hand, however, but managed to grab a whip and smack the gun out of his attacker's hands. The man is the same guy who seemed to be leading the raid on the townhouse before losing the job to Mutton. As the two men stared at each other, smoke began to fill the room. We learn the man killed Mutton as he was treated poorly and wanted revenge. Suddenly, another man entered the room.

Refugees from Midgar had filled the streets of Kalm and had gathered around the burning mansion. The Turks asked the people if anyone saw anything. One said a middle-aged man carried a wounded person out. They assumed the wounded man was Rufus.

The doctor who tended to Rufus days before had just shot Rufus' new attacker. Unfortunately, one gun pointing man was replaced with another gun pointing man. The Doc also had a gun aimed at Rufus. Rufus pointed his gun and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The gun had been meant to kill Mutton, but the owner saved one bullet for Rufus. The bullet that shot Rufus' hand was the last in the chamber. The doctor tells Rufus his name is Kilmister, and he once worked until Hojo. He then asked his captive to sniff something. It was the same drug that knocked out Rufus at the townhouse and was just as effective this time around.

Rufus woke up in the back of a truck surrounded by several other people, all infected with Geostigma. A woman believes it is contagious. The truck stopped a few hours later at a coastal cave. Kilmister pointed the gun at everyone and told them to decent a ladder to a cavern, which is where they’d be living for a while. Down in the cave, we learn Kilmister is treating the people in the truck like actual patients. He’s feeding them and trying to find a cure for Geostigma, as well as treating the pain. He only used the gun to make sure Rufus followed without incident. Kilmister, as the name may suggest, has terrible bedside manner. Three months later, Rufus learns that Kilmister believes this disease is caused by Jenova and wants to know her whereabouts. Rufus doesn’t know. We also learn that Edge is still being constructed and is going well. There’s a number of people and organizations in charge. Geostigma is, sadly, running rampant. Kilmister asks Rufus about the Turks. More specifically, if they can get him things for "treatment.”

During those months, several of the patients had died. No clue if it’s from “treatment” or the diseases. One day, after Rufus heard one of the women cry in pain, he went to talk to Kilmister. They walked out of the cave, climbed the ladder, and Kilmister pointed a gun at Rufus’ head. The doctor demanded Rufus contact the Turks because he wanted the “treatment”, which were just painkillers. Painkillers that the bad doctor had been diluting to maintain his addiction to them. There was never any treatment, and this whole thing was a farce. Rufus scrawled a note telling the Turks to listen to Kilmister and told the doctor to travel to Shinra HQ and just yell for them. Kilmister left for a week.

It had been raining for some time, and the cave began to fill with water. Rufus concocted an idea to make rafts out of the beds to float the sick out, as they’re unable to climb the ladder. After floating up for a few hours in the rain, the puddle stopped rising. During the time, several of the patients had fallen in the water. Suddenly, a black snake-like form began to appear in the water. It slowly came up to Rufus and began to consume him. He then passed out.

Kilmister returned to wake him up and apologized for being late. There were only two patients left. The woman Rufus met in the truck bed cried in pain, and a gunshot ripped through the air. Kilmister said he put the woman out of her misery. The male patient yelled for Pamela and began to muster all the energy could to attack Kilmister. Rufus was able to talk Judd out of his attack, saying that they needed Kilmister alive. A surge of pain ripped through Rufus, and he wiped away liquid from his mouth. Geostigma. Hands came from behind Kilmister and knocked him out. The hands belonged to Rude, who reunited the team.

The whole group, including Kilmister and Judd, went to a place called Cliff Resort, a former Shinra sanatorium. We learn Kilmister had been commanding the Turks as he liked, and they followed to gain his trust. They tracked him, and now here we are.

While there, Kilmister kept working on the treatment, and Shinra took the blame for the state of the world. They started building the monument the kids surrounded in the movie as a symbol of peace and a memorial of That Day. Eventually, Judd snapped and killed Kilmister. Rufus informed the Turks that they would seek the remains of Jenova to keep her out of the hands of evil.

Fin.

I’ve been typing for what feels like forever, so I’ll make this short. I wish we learned more about Veld and his Turks. They’re the main characters of Before Crisis and even pivotal in Crisis Core. It just feels like a wasted opportunity and maybe even make me want to know more about the game. The scene where Rufus became sick with Geostigma was interesting. Even a man of his status and optimism isn’t immune from this stuff. A disease that attacks those who have given up really can strike anywhere. I skimmed a lot, but the last few pages are about Kilmister being a terrible doctor and not even trying to save people.  He's also too infatuated with Jenova and Sephiroth. It's never explained why he knew the whereabouts of Geostigma. He never says that he's seen Jenova Cells from the Lifestream or anything indicating this conclusion is anything more than just a hypothesis. Other questions I have: Why didn't the possible split mean more? Why were Rude and Reno looking for a toolbox the night Meteor fell? Why were the Turks in the jungle during the movie?

Regardless, I enjoyed the book, and I’d say it's definitely worth a read, just don't hold it to a high standard. Nothing is gained here, but I don't feel like I lost anything, either. Skip Yuffie, though. I still think Denzel was probably the best, but Shinra gave him a good run, just for its breadth and way it connected a bunch of stuff even if it did so poorly. I plan to start a new game on Monday, but I’ll do a quick write-up about White and Black tomorrow. Call it a two-and-a-half-day weekend, after which I start a game I played ten years ago but forgot everything about. Maybe, more importantly, it’s not a Square game! The first of its kind here. Legend of Dragoon on Monday.

Case of Shinra pt. 2: Rufus is missing

While the battle between Meteor and Holy wage on over Midgar, Reno and Rude are in the Shinra building. Rude takes the blame for being here, and the two talk about their partnership. As the building rocks, they trade sarcastic remarks about their predicament, and Rude walks over to a door. He kicks it at Reno and says it’s a gift: one more thrill. Apparently, they’re looking for a toolbox... Why?

Sometime later, all four Turks, including Reno and Rude, are with Rufus in Kalm. Rufus gives his men two orders. The first is to gather information, and the other is to find friends. Tseng and Elena go to Wall Market to gather info, and Reno and Rude go looking for whatever friends are in this scenario.

Reno and Rude wondered how they’d rebrand Shinra. If everyone blamed them for the world ending, what would happen to them? They came to Shinra HQ and saw it surrounded by civilians. Despite being blamed for everything, people still flocked to Shinra for help.

Tseng and Elena were harassed in the slums, so, to avoid confrontation, they got new clothes. They then went to where every good adventurer goes to start a quest, the bar. Most seats were taken, but they managed to find a few. Looking around the room, they saw a massive man taking an entire table for himself. Despite trying to do all she could, Elena couldn’t take her eyes off the man slumped over the table. Eventually, Tseng went to talk to the man. He remained silent. Tseng tried to shake the man, and, when he did, he felt a sticky black goo cling to his hand. The man was dead. It was the first known case of what would soon be called Geostigma.

Reno and Rude placed a sign telling people to go to the slums for aid outside Shinra HQ. I guess this is how the man who saved Denzel knew where to go.

Rufus is alone, injured, in Kalm. For the first time in a long time, he’s defenseless, with only a thin wall between him and those who wish to do him harm. As he lies there, the doorbell rings. It eventually becomes frantic before stopping, and the door begins to shake. Rude had reinforced it before leaving, and, whatever he did, it worked great. Sadly, windows are easy to break. Rufus then removes the safety of his concealed pistol.

Elena and Tseng are walking back to Kalm and notice how many people there are suddenly. They also discussed the bar and wondered about the sticky substance and panic it caused the patrons.

Reno and Rude talked about going to the Sector Five Plate tomorrow. That’s where Shinra employees live, as well as Miss Ruvi. It also contains a warehouse filled with Shinra weapons that, at the very least, they need to keep away from any potential mobs.

Rufus is talking to three men who forced their way into the house. One appears to be somewhat wealthy, in charge, and is thinking about killing Rufus. The President then tries to talk his way into living longer by telling the mob there are two types of people in this world: those who give orders and those who follow. Those who give orders are always blamed and killed. Those who follow always fail in their next plan, afterwards. Rufus then asks what they plan to do with the town and the influx of refugees they can’t help. The man in charge becomes rattled, and another, slightly more negotiable, takes the lead.

Reno and Rude are unable to get back into the house. There are too many people around and in the place. Many of whom are sick with Geostigma. When they got in, they found no sign of Rufus. Elena and Tseng show up and try to gain information on what happened. No one gives them anything of use.

Rufus thinks it’s been two weeks since he’s been in this room. He’s been fed and medically tended to, so it could be worse. The man who was the charge was named Mutton. Every now and then, Mutton would ask Rufus about his plan for rebuilding. Rufus told it line by line, for he feared being killed if he gave away his whole idea.

The Turks left Kalm and settled on the Sector Five Plate. One day, one of the warehouses storing Shinra goods was looted. The Turks managed to reach the building and questioned them, peacefully, about what’s going on. A young woman was in charge, and she said something to the effect that Shinra has started helping people rebuild and that she worked for a man known as Kylegate. Kylegate had to be a high ranking Shinra worker, probably military, as he knew the secret passcodes to get into the warehouses. I’m assuming he claimed to be the new Shinra or something to convince everyone. Regardless, Elena and Tseng allow them to take what they need, mostly construction equipment. The Turks asked them to leave behind some gas and cars for their use. The people did, and both aides parted mutually pleased.

That night, the Turks were woken up by Veld...

And when Veld shows up, I call it a night.

The story jumps around a lot, and it’s kinda annoying. Especially when Reno and Rude only get three lines. It all just seems too frantic and hard to follow. We’re about halfway through, and I’m sure everything will merge soon. I’ve never played Before Crisis, so I have no idea who Veld is. I wonder if Cissnei gets a cameo?

Case of Shinra pt. 1: Before Meteor

We start out, not with a Shinra, but with Tseng of the Turks. He’s reliving the day everyone went to the Temple of the Ancients during the game. The day the party chased after the Black Materia, Tseng was nearly killed by Sephiroth, and Aerith left the party. He tells how he’s watched over Aerith for most of her life, all the effects he has had on her, and vice versa. He infers that he is responsible for Ifalna’s death. One day, she thanked him for protecting her. He then decided to tell the young girl the truth.

“I hate Shinra!”

We return to the temple, and, despite her feelings toward the company, Aerith still cries over the dying Turk. She didn’t see him as the evil enemy, but as a friend who’s always been there. The tears allow Tseng to accept his death. Death, however, never came.

Reeve, piloting Cait Sith, stood before him. Tseng asked about the Black Materia. The answer took a moment to come, as Reeve was in both sets of Siths, but he eventually informed his boss that he handed Cloud the stone. As Tseng tried to stand, the pain caused him to pass out. Three Turks carried Tseng onto a boat. He had a lot of questions, but the wound and lack of people around made it hard to ask. He was taken to a hospital in Junon to recover.

The story reminds us of the plot from when Aerith died to The Sister Ray's attack on Weapon/North Crater. There’s a small conversation between Reno and Rude that’s a little to Saturday Morning Cartoonish for my taste, seeing as I’m still supposed to hate Reno. The two then head into the ruined Shinra HQ in an attempt to find the president, Rufus.

Shinra was a mess at this point. The majority of the workers, or at least the department heads, quit days ago. Saying nothing of the structural damage or the total unknown if/where Rufus could be. And, of course, Meteor. As they tried to ride the elevator, which didn’t work, they heard a voice telling them to take the stairs. It was Tseng, who recovered enough to aid in the search. We then learn that Elena had gone to the North Cave alone and came back a mess. And then she shows up to give her boss a hug. Some people don’t like random coincidence in stories, and I’m one of them. Tseng tells everyone to get to work.

We change to Rufus himself, laughing at his predicament. He hid under a desk to save himself from falling debris. It worked, but there’s only so much you can do when Weapon fires on you. The damage and darkness made Rufus accept his death. And then he laughed at himself. Why should a member of the Shinra family accept such a stupid thing? He then looked around for any way to escape until he saw a hatch on the floor labeled “L”. This triggered a memory inside him. He recalled being a child and his father showing him blueprints about HQ renovations. In an attempt to impress his father, Rufus tried to contribute what he could. The only thing he could think of was an escape hatch. His dad, who still isn’t named, said there was no need for various security reasons and ego. Rufus then shared a story he heard from Palmer about being attacked from space. This made Papa Shin consider it, but only if they labeled it the Loser way. Rufus, back to an adult, laughed as he fell onto a sliding shoot. He then pondered his own life, about being a boy who wanted to surpass his father. He thought it was normal. Smashing into a wall, though, is not normal. He let out a pitiful cry, laughed at his pitiful state, and felt pain as he had broken his ribs.

The shoot took him to a plain white room with a bed covered in dust. He gimped over to a curtain and found a bag of medical supplies labeled “L”. He ignored what was likely expired and downed some pain meds. He then found a keylock near a door but had no idea what the code was. He went to lie down, looked at the ceiling, saw another “L”, laughed, and instantly regretted it.

We return to the Turks at the top of the building. They’ve looked everywhere three times and found nothing. They ignored the early signs of Meteor and kept looking on the bottom floor. There, in a rarely used employee-only wing, noticed an oddly colored door.

Rufus tried more codes - his mom’s birthday, death date - none worked. Eventually, after more painkillers, he inputted one last code. The door before Rude and Reno opened, and Rufes collapsed before them. Rude walked and took note of the code that was pressed. It was Rufus’ birthday.

The three of them are outside, near the entrance of the building, awaiting a medic helicopter to take Rufus away. Rude was glad that Rufus was alive, as that meant Shinra would continue. He dreaded a life alternative. As the medics came to pick up the wounded, Rude didn’t inform them of who it was, unsure of how they’d treat him as they took him to Kalm. He then saw Tifa and Yuffie, seemingly indicating this was during their raid to kill Hojo.

No one bothered to think about life after Meteor. They simply went about their lives, hoping the Planet would take care of it. They then spoke of atonement, as we learn that Veld reappeared. I think this, and the ensuring backstory about the Turks’ sketchy past and near dissolution, are the plot of Before Crisis, but I’m not 100 percent sure.

Regardless, I called it a night here. The whole time I was reading about Rufus’ backstory, I was thinking about how awful his family is. I know of a few “crazy” billionaires in the world who are very similar. They're people who don’t accept weakness, have no plan B, and just generally suck. They think only of themselves and judge people solely on how much use they can be to them. We know Rufus changes some from Advent Children, so let’s look forward to that change. The next line in the book is about Meteor and Holy, so the real interlude is about to begin!

The fate of Threads of Fate

Threads of Fate is a very odd game for several reasons. Namely, because it doesn't know what it wants to be. This, of course, is by design.

Firstly, there’s not a lot of serious games that somehow don’t take themselves too seriously. The game runs into a few major topics, most obviously fate and what it means to be alive. Prima wonders about why he’s alive. What’s gonna happen to him after he does the job he was created to do? Rue and Mint both calm him down with their own views of the meaning of life. Rue is an existentialist who thinks life is what you make of it. Mint, on the other hand, is a realist and believes that if you’re alive and can feel, then do whatever. It’s been a while since I failed philosophy, so I urge you not to take those concepts as accurate. Please feel free to correct me. Regardless, both main characters don’t believe in fate. Rue outright states it, while Mint doesn’t care. I don’t really know what I’m talking about, so let’s change topics.

Secondly, as I skimmed in the introduction, the game has a wide gravitas to it. It could have been dark and gritty, like many of Square’s games are. They’re discussing heavy topics about the meaning of life, fate, and death. Chrono Cross talked about these too, but that lacked the carefree attitude ToF has. Instead, the game is filled with comedy and laughs. Mint’s overreaction to every perceived slight is a running gag regardless of if she gets mad, stomping the ground and swearing, or simply collapses on her face in embarrassment. My third favorite scene is when Elena, the ditz, seems to confess her love to Rue but swerves us by saying she’s making pie for dessert. Mint is the primary comedian, but I feel like she’s the primary source for the grit of the game as well. Doll Master doesn’t lay siege to Carona, and no innocents are at risk of being killed in Rue's story. In that sense, I suppose Rue is the generic story, as he doesn’t have the peaks and valleys but has a constant feel throughout. He deserves that happy ending for enduring his suffering, rather than being, what would really be, an evil playthrough for Mint.

Thirdly, just how expansive the game feels despite being short and limited in scope. We only explore one town and its surrounding area, but we know of so much more. The East Heaven Kingdom and Ephlesia are secondary locations. Many of the characters have interlinking backstories. How does Rod know Mira? What business did Belle and Mint have a year ago? Who really is Fancy Mel? Actually, no, that last idea sucks.

The fourth oddity of Threads of Fate is it’s an action platforming game by a company known for RPGs. I know it sounds strange now, but Square used to be a turn-based game developer. It’s only recently that they did the action type thing. It’s all the more reason why I hope ToF gets some love in the future. At least re-release it on PSN or Steam of something. It’s been completely forgotten by the company, despite it being a perfect game to remake/expand with the current thinking of the industry.

Lastly, and sticking to Square tendencies, the breaks a lot of conventions. Squaresoft/Enix is known for makings long, life-consuming experiences. ToF clocks in at 20 hours across both stories.
They’re also known for being the masters of musical composition. While I think the OST is fine, it can also get repetitive fast. Both in the fact that the songs get played too often, and there isn’t much variation or layers. What I mean by layers is there isn’t much accompaniment. The basic backing melodies are great, but I feel like there needs to be some “lyrical” quality over it. The basics are there, but it’s missing something. None of it is memorable, sadly.
Platforming doesn’t hold up, but it’s twenty years old so let’s not worry about it.

In all, Threads of Fate is a very good jumping-off point for something that might work as a whole franchise. I read in the game's development, it was planned to be a gaming introduction for young kids and girls. The cutesy graphics and easy gameplay are there for barely literate kids, and there is some grit in the story for those a little older. I'd remove the "[expletives]", though. Despite being short, we get a grasp of the characters, many of whom have more dimensions than Yuffie. Rod somehow has become one of my all-time favorite characters, and I want to know about him. The multi-faceted gameplay could easily be polished up for modern sensibilities. Do we play the physical Rue or magic inclined Mint? Honestly, I just want more Threads of Fate. The future is there, man! Rod prequel, Ephistia Desert, more Master stuff, more dolls, more Klaus! I fall in love too easily...

Also, I just looked this up, and the Japanese release date for Threads of Fate was a week ago. The day after I finished Rue's story. That means there was one last...thread of fate after all! YEAH!!!

Mint’s Finale

Before venturing in, I fight Rod for what will be the last time. He’s not using the Black Hurricane hammer but has moved on to the Dark Wind reverse-Ivy-from-Soul Caliber blade, I think it was. It, like for Rue, beat me the first time, but I managed to defeat him on the second attempt. Don’t attack Johnny Wolf!  

With all side quests done, it’s time we beat up Maya. As we approach the gate, we see Valens’ Fortress appear in the sky. The seal has been broken, but there is unfinished business we need to tend to. We head to her tower and climb it. It has the same layout and mobs as it did for Rue. Oddly, no dialogue about the pumpkins from Mint. Did she overcome her fear? Nor is Trap Master around to lock us in, either. We reach the top and confront Maya. After a long argument, Maya tries to fight us. I find it strange that she’s not using the Book of Cosmos. Because of that, she goes down without any real fight. She turns us into a pumpkin, so there’s that, but she doesn’t capitalize on it. After a few hits, we manage to KO our little sister. And then she transforms! It turns out Maya isn’t Maya, but Mode Master. I knew something was fishy. She reveals she’s working for Doll Master and falls back to the prison. 

There we see the real Maya and the Maya Impersonator. They’re doing that whole, “I’m the real Maya. Attack her. No, I’m the real one, so attack her.” thing. I don’t know if it matters, but I hit the fake (bottom) one. When asked how she knew, Mint says she took a wild guess. I was slightly upset that there was no cool detective mini-game to figure out who’s real, but, honestly, a wild guess is totally in character for Mint. I can dig it.

After we hit Mode, Trap Master, who we beat up earlier, shows up and says the two of them are done fighting. Mode gives Maya back the Book, and the princesses leave the tower. Mint takes Maya to Mel because people might be angry at Maya after her imposter called for a raid. It's also an act of petty revenge. Mint and I have a similar opinion on the Fancy One.

Back in Carona, Mint needs to find a way to reach the fortress. Before that, she and Rue have a discussion. Rue is ready to accept defeat and has lost hope. Mint reminds him that he’s fighting for Clare. He’s been doing this for her, for so long, and she believes in him. This re-inspires the lad, and he promises to keep fighting. The only place I can think to go for a ride is Rod. He informs us that his (not a) PinTO has the ability to fly! However, it needs more special fuel first. Our new task is to find five Cannon Orbs.

Klaus has one, which he gives us after he confesses how scared he is of the [relic]. He’s been hunting it for his whole life but is filled with trepidation at the last moment. He asks us to save his son, which only Mint and her eternal optimism and confidence can do.

Belle and Duke have one. They give it to us after they dig it out of the Hexagon, but only if we agree to save Rue.

Hobbs, the stat increase shop owner, has one. He’s selling it for 100 Million Gold. With a down payment of 5000G, we can promise Maya will pay the rest of it. Mint doesn’t bring this up with her sister, of course.

Mel has one, but only after we play with her mini-knuckles. Since Maya is there, we have one last sisterly discussion about giving up the hunt for the [relic[. Since it’s no longer just about world domination, Mint is unmoved. It's now personal. We also learn of the Dewprisom. I didn’t fully get it, but apparently, it controls the essence of nearly everything in the universe.

Before finding the last one, I take a walk to Raging Mountain. At the top, we see Rue turn into Walaf and beat us to the fortress. Then the dragon asks us a few things. Namely, if we can handle the power of the [relic]. He then tests us, and we have a proper fight. Spamming the lightning circle magic, I take him down with little issue. He grants us a new subcategory of magic. I forget what it’s called, but it allows Mint to heal, so I suggest everyone come here just for that. As we leave, Mel sneaks in behind us to talk with the ancient one. They agree that their time is over, and it is now our world. Whether we save it or destroy it is entirely up to us.

The last Cannon Orb is found after we talk to Belle at Rod’s camp. Duke is missing, and Mint thinks Belle is worried about him and using her aggressive behavior to hide it. Duke returns with a severely injured Rod. We learn that Walaf had a Cannon Orb and the Blade Master challenged him for it. Duke helped but was late showing up because his star costume took too long to put on. This meant that Rod got a targeted fire blast all to himself. Despite this, the two defeated the dragon and won the orb. Sadly, Rod is in no shape to fly. Rod says Duke, with his acts, should act like Rod and be the pilot. After some minor miscalculations, the team takes flight and reaches the fortress in only a mildly bumpy manner.

I got all the legendary gear but didn't feel like grinding for the stats. If late game Rue is any indication of difficulty, I should be more than okay.

We see Prima, who says the same stuff but gives us the last subcategory of magic, and enter the fray. The dungeon has the same layout, so I’ll skip to the end. As we reach the gate, we see Puppet Master squeeze the life out of Rue. To pay off the debt to Belle and save our friend, we beat PM up. He dies with little fanfare or revelation. He is strictly an antagonist in Mint's world. Mint drags Rue into the Dewprisom room since she does want him to get his wish. Here we meet Valens.

Because Mint is such a disrespectful human, he tries to kill her. He possesses the body of Rue, and we start the fight. It happens exactly the same as it does in Rue’s story, but instead of hitting Clare, we beat up Rue. After the battle, the spirit of Clare kicks Valens out of Rue’s body. Maya shows up, and Valens combines with the Dewprisom. It’s explained that they form new light. I think they're starting to lose the plot now. Maya gives us the Book of Cosmos’ power, which unlocks the final category for Mint, Gold Magic. It only has one spell, but it's the only way to defeat the final boss.

It’s functionally the same boss but, instead of pressing triangle to block then attack, Mint casts the new spell. The spell absorbs the damage when pressed. Releasing the button after it fires at you will return the absorbed damage back to Valens. Do this five times, and you beat the game. Mint is melancholic that the Dewprisom is gone but comes-to when the dungeon breaks apart. Duke shows up to carry the still unconscious Rue out. The team begins to run out until Mint collapses of exhaustion. She used up all her energy fighting the wannabe god. Mays stays behind to defend her sister until she regains her strength, while Duke and Rue (and Prima) make it back outside. Belle takes Rod’s place and regrets they can’t stay around until the sisters reach the exit.

After fighting off enemies, the Book of Cosmos begins to regain its power given to Mint. After Maya acts like her sister, thus proofing they are related, the Book comes to life, and Maya teleports them out.

Three days later, Rue wakes up Mint. Or, maybe more apropos, she wakes up just in time on her own. Rue says he stopped by to say farewell since he’s leaving ASAP. They promise to go [relic] hunting again, as neither of them got their wish. Rue leaves for good and is nowhere in town. At least Mint hung around for a little in Rue’s story. Everyone else says their same goodbyes until we reach Maya. In the hotel, Gramps is relieved to see us alive. Then he guilt trips us into coming home bu wishing he was dead. Reluctantly. Mint agrees, and the scene cuts to Mint and Maya, now on a ship back to East Kingdom. They talk about the kingdom, their father, and their future. They have more sisterly squabbles, yet this one feels a lot less serious and more good-natured as the credits roll!

But what’s this? A sub ending? If you beat the game with both characters, you unlock the secret ending. It seems to indicate Rue’s ending is the canonical one. Maya is seen with Rue waking up another doll, who is a blue color swamp of Prima. The new guy wonders about his existence if he’s not going to revive Valens. Rue says that he’s alive, so he can do whatever he wants. We then swamp to Mint, who’s being scolded by Gramps for wanting to eat. He says guests have arrived, and the guests are Prima and Rod. Rod starts eating while Prima gives Mint a note from Klaus.

We then swamp back to Rue, with Clare and new guy Ruean, and they hear a chaotic knocking on their door. It’s Mint! The note from Klaus is him saying he’s found a New [relic] in the Ephlesia Ruins in the desert. Rue asks Clare if he can go, and she says yes. The two of them walk out to find a grave marker to Doll Master and march on to their next adventure!

And that’s Threads of Fate. You can continue with what appears to be New Game Plus, but I think I did everything I could. Threads of Fate was a fun game, not perfect, but worth a good play. It’s short, fun, has enough plot twists to keep the story interesting, and makes me yearn for more. Final thoughts tomorrow...

Fun fact, as I finished editing this, a song off my enditing playlist was a tune from Threads of Fate. So I guess you could say that the last...thread of fate!

Turns out, the stories get very different.

Before we get to the title, I go a spell hunting. No new categories, but several subtypes are found. Across the Forest and Underground Ruins, I find some great stuff. I think I’ll be spamming these circle and power spells from here on.

Now, back to the story. Mint does the lake scenes with Rue and Elena. It’s pretty much the same. Then she does it again with Prima. When the boy starts questioning his existence, she responds, “If you were a tool, you wouldn’t be crying.” While Rue thought that merely existing was what allowed one to decide their fate, Mint believes it is emotions that determine if one is alive. They return and prepare for the Lake Ruins. It follows the same basic path, but Mint gets Rod lunch instead of fighting. Mint gets excited she won’t have to share the [relic].

Now here’s where the story changes. Maya and Doll Master still show up to block them, but we’re not saved by Belle and Duke. Maya drops a pumpkin on her sister's head, removing her from the equation. When Doll Master goes to abduct Prima, Rue stops him. As they retreat, Psycho Master impedes them. From behind our enemy comes Rod with a strong punch, debilitating the foe. The three men leave, leaving Mint to be captured. Doll Master still suggests they use the [relic] to keep it out of other people's hands. He goes so far as to say they should actively raid the town to get Prima. Maya is appalled and shuts this whole thing down. Mint’s story might get dark, after all.

We then cut to a jail cell in the tower. The two sisters have a heated sisterly squabble, where titles and roles are discussed. Doll Master reminds Maya of the upcoming work. The two walk out, and Mint tries to escape. Despite clearly being able to fit through the bars, she’s locked in. Then, from the vents, a lone porcupine pops out. Before Mint’s very eyes, the porcupine transforms into Rue. This is Rue's first transformation in Mint’s story. I'm reminded of my theory that Mint's path should be played first. He then shows his head gem and gives a glimpse of his backstory, saving most for later. He transforms back, goes through the bars, opens the door, and they escape together. Mint has no spells, so it’s a good thing we only have a jump puzzle to do. Follow Rue and its EZPZ, and, at the end, Mint gains her magic back.

They fight up the tower, where we need to avoid witches shooting things at us. All you have to do is dodge, but I died anyway. I got it on my second attempt and scaled the tower until we saw Trap Master. He summons more pumpkins and traps the two here. Rather than fight, they jump off the tower. Belle and the Hexagon are waiting to catch them, and we return to Carona.

Once more, they meet up in the tavern, and we learn of Clare and the rest of Rue’s backstory. Belle and Duke are moved and wholeheartedly back Rue. Mint tells her story, and everyone thinks she sucks. They split up and prepare for the morning. Mint talks to Rod, and we learn of Lucine. In Mint's story, though, we also discover that Lucine is still alive. She’s waiting for Rod to fulfill his goal and come home. I really want a prequel about Rod. Make it so, Square!

We then go to bed. Here’s where Mint’s story gets real. When she walks out of the inn, we’re harassed by Psycho Master. He tells us that if Prima and Mint don’t turn themselves in, they’re going to attack the town. He then ports away. Elena comes running up to us and informs us that Mira is being attacked by new monsters in the forest. Mint tells Elena to find Rue while she heads off to save Mira. The forest is now flooded with mobs from Rue’s Haunted House. We fight our way through until we reach Smokey and Blood, who, themselves, are having problems. We have the option to save them and choose to do so. I imagine we'd have to anyway, but we get a Gold Coin as a reward for doing it this way. We then go on to find Mira being attacked by Trap Master. She’s managing, but it’s looking dicey. Trap Master admits their manufacturing the mobs and laughs because they're endless. Mint delays a fight long enough for Rue to show up and chase the ginger off. Everyone returns to Carona to plan their attack. There is also a scene with Prima, who is considering his future, as well as everyone else's. He's thinking that he should turn himself in, as that will save the town. Mint yells at him, saying they're not fighting for him, but the [relic]. There's also other things (revenge), but mostly just that. This appeases the kid for reasons I can't really wrap my head around. Any excuse to not sacrifice yourself is a good reason, I guess.

Back to the plan: In short, they somehow know where the mobs are coming from and split up to end their production. Rue goes back to the Haunted Manor, and Mint goes to the Underground Ruins. Before she enters, Maya and Psycho Master teleport in. Maya says the raid needs to happen, and they should have the [relic] and descends down. Mint feels validated that her evil sister really is evil and chases after her. I think something seems fishy...

We have to redo most of the dungeon, which is also inundated with the new mobs, until we get to the lake and see Maya. They have an argument, and Maya tells us that if Rue and Mint are gone, no one is defending the town. Mint then returns to Carona, hoping this distraction wasen't fatal.

Doll Master is seen flying over the town, demanding they give up Prima Doll or be destroyed.  There we see Duke and, mostly, Belle holding their own again Psycho Master. The villain gains the upper hand until Mint storms in with her patented kick. She chases Psycho Master into the church for a fight, which is the same as it was in Rue's story. During the battle, Doll Master almost kills Klaus, which causes Prima to turn himself in. The battle was a ploy and another distraction.

We prepare to siege Maya’s Tower to save Klaus’ new son, which we’ll do tomorrow!

The humor quickly dissipated and was replaced with a genuine war. I didn’t expect Carona to be a battlefield. The whimsy is over, and it’s getting dark. I doubt it will get much darker, but who knows? I wanted to keep playing, the ultimate compliment, but got caught up in an IRL political discussion and ruined my enjoyment. Damn my acquaintances! I might try to finish this game tomorrow, but we’ll see. If the games are a similar length, it’s possible, but I don’t know just how different the stories are anymore.

PinTO!

Today we pick up Mint’s story and get deep into the fray. Some scenes are switched up, and I’m thrown for a loop. But I’m more into it now than before, so loops are fun.

So, while we’re still in the basement, I just want to point out my second favorite scene in the game. Rue asks to help find and use the [relic]. Mint doesn’t want to share it but says she will as long as she gets a 9:1 share. Rue agrees with this because he only wants one thing. He's not here for riches, power, or fame; just Clare. Klaus says how terrible she is for suggesting that, and Mint says she didn’t expect Rue to agree with that. I think she feels a tinge of guilt. Is this the beginning of her redemption arc?

We start today by splitting the party up. Rue goes to the haunted house, and Mint goes to the Tree House called Gamul Forest. Klaus informs us that the Gamul are peaceful creatures who won’t attack unless it’s in defense. Let’s see if I remember this tidbit by the time I get there. As Mint steps to the town’s front gate, she’s stopped by Mira, who informs her that the village is a week away by foot. She then suggests we talk to Rod.

This scene plays out exactly as it does with Rue when goes to the Lake Ruins. We fight Rod, he gives us a ride. The enroute conversation is different, though. Mira gives us lunch, and Mint called the boat PinTO. It’s short for Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega. Rue and Prima bite their tongues trying to say it, but Mint gives it a slightly rude nickname, which is in character for her.

As they reach the village, Mint gives Rod the lunch she didn’t eat and tracks to where the Magicians Atelier was. I say "was" because it's destroyed, with only the foundation remaining. She finds a book stating the earrings are stored in the guardian, who demolished the house and ran away. Suddenly, Belle shows up with the Hexagon! The trick here to avoid damage, obviously, and wait until the Hexagon raises stones from the ground. Jump onto the stones and then jump kick Belle. It's a fairly simple boss with manageable mechanics.

After Belle is dispatched and knocked-out, Mint loots her fallen foe and walks to a nearby wooden elevator. Here we come to my favorite dungeon in the game. Maybe not favorite, but it’s the most unique in the game. For starters, the majority of enemies won’t attack you on sight. You have to actually hit them first, which, of course, I did because I am one with Mint. Once attacked, they respawn immediately and forever. It might be the best place to grind due to frequency. It also has the most magic needed puzzles. Defeating Belle unlocked green/wind magic for us to use. We need to use the new wind magic to spin windmills, which move several platforms throughout the level. What keeps it from being my favorite is the puzzle. It’s a rail puzzle where you need to toggle other switches in the dungeon to properly trigger the correct path. Every time you try the puzzle, you have to start several scenes back, and you need to do the puzzle at least three times. It’s more tedious than it needs to be, and I hate it. I also feel bad beating up the Gamul to restore my MP, so I am not at one with Mint. Eventually, Belle catches up to Mint, and they’re chased off the treehouse paths by the Gamul. They fall off a platform and land hard on the ground near a lake. Mint sprained her leg, and Belle heals it back to health. Why didn’t Mint find healing magic when she searched Belle earlier?

...and then Belle gets eaten by a whale. This guy is another reason I don’t like the dungeon. The whole schtick is to avoid the waves the Cloud Whale summons and don’t get sucked into it like Belle did. After what feels like forever, the gem on its head starts to glow, signaling we’re to attack that. You can only get one hit in, and it takes so much time for it be attackable again. Not only that, but every time I smacked it, I fell into the lake. And I when I ran away from its suck. And when I fought its minions. And when I randomly got hit by a waterspout. I hate monotony. It’s not a difficulty level or a game mechanic, just a way to make your game not fun.

Regardless, the guardian Whale is felled, Belle is spat out, Mint finds the earrings, and everyone returns to Carona. The same scene happens with Prima getting his new clothes. This time, Mint goes to Mel, and Rue is seen talking to Belle and Duke. Once again, he wins them over with his backstory and promises to give them the [relic] after he revives Clare. Mint gets lightning magic and then goes to the Raging Volcano. She doesn’t want to, but non-PC Rue doesn’t offer, so off she goes.

The dungeon is the same, but Mint finds explosion magic here to destroy the rocks. The same boss fight with Duke, Belle, and Hexagon happens. The same Wylaf boss happens, where we only need to deplete his HP to half. He fought us this time because he thinks Mint’s spunkiness can handle the power of the [relic].

We return to Carona, and we’ll make Prima Doll whole tomorrow!

Mint’s story is a lot funnier than Rues, and I kinda wish I had done her’s first. While her story is shallow thus far, what we see of Rue’s is mysterious and vague. It would definitely make me interested in playing him if I hadn't already. Maya is about to show up, so Mint’s story is really about to begin, and I wonder how the two stories are gonna diverge. How much with Mint change? The seeds were planted tonight, so will they sprout or wither away?

Threads of Fate: Mint’s Story

We’re back in Carona. This time around, we’re following the perspective of the quirky, plucky, selfish, adventurist, magician, Princess Mint.  I'm sure it'll be an experience.

Her story starts with the camera panning over a massive table filled with food. Mint walks in and is told, by Gramps, that dinner is in ten minutes. Rather than wait in her room, she decides to begin eating now. After a time, she takes a seat on the King's Throne, much to everyone’s dismay. Her little sister, Maya, with Doll Master on her side, walks into the room. They insult our soon-to-heroine, but Mint reminds them Mint’ll be queen one day, so who cares about decorum? And then it’s revealed that she won’t be resigning anytime soon. The council has decided that Mint isn’t worthy ff the title and believes the kingdom would collapse under her rule. They decided Maya will be the heir and striped Mint of her right. Upon this note, Maya threatens her sister and summons pumpkins, which Mint hates, and chases her out of the dining hall.

We skip ahead two years, and Mint is on the ship that Rue was on at the start of his story. She has fled the castle and is searching for a way to regain her titles. We meet the same cast as before, and the red ship causes them to nearly capsize. Unlike Rue, Mint is thrown into the sea. She winds up being saved by a local, and the game begins as it did for Rue. Everything is closed, and Elena is missing.


So Mint goes on the same trail as before. She has similar controls, but her unique skill is magic. Press square, and it brings up a magic submenu filled with various spells. The spells are split into seven types based on color, with several more spells within those categories. There seems to be 49 spells in total, but we start off with four, a rapid and a multi-shot, across two types, normal and water.

But we’ll discuss them as they come; back to the story. The dungeon has the same everything until we reach Elena. Mint isn’t one for subterfuge and, rather than sneak in, just straight jump-kicks her way to Blood’s face. In the confusion, Elena casually walks away, and the fight begins. Going from OP Rue to a starting Mint is rough. I feel like she does no physical damage, and I’m not big on magic. Fortunately, tutorial bosses are simple, and I win.

We then continue to meet the KME family on the same hill. Somehow, Rue got here before us but didn't save Elena. Eventually, Mint goes down the same route Rue did. The only difference on the way to the atelier is Mint needs to beat up the gargle puzzle, and then she counts the steps up. It's filler, but it takes 3,345 steps. Then we fight the boss.

I died! Mint doesn’t have the physical prowess of her counterpart, and it shows here. She stands still when using magic, which also takes time to charge up, so she lacks the mobility as well. This is gonna be a long playthrough, isn’t it? On the second attempt, I succeeded, only missing most of my HP. She walks into the house, tries to open the vault, and is interrupted by Klaus, who fills her on the book's contents. He then asks Mint and Rue to carry things back home. Mint gets fire damage at the end of the cutscene.

The story progresses until the Underground ruins. Rue is awaiting Mint at the entrance and suggests they team up. Mint doesn’t want to, as that might mean sharing the treasure. He assures her he doesn't care, and they unofficially team-up anyway. The dungeon goes the same, but it’s Rue who gets eaten by the rock. I figured out how to avoid the falling rocks: jump when you hear a sound. Mint doesn’t wind up in the drink this time as she treads the path Rue did. I feel like Rue getting eaten is slightly out of character, but I understand not doing a total rewrite for the scene.

The big difference is we don’t fight Duke down here. Mint, instead, fights Belle. She summons green spheres to attack and defend her, but I start to understand Mint. You have to passive and wait for an opportunity. I didn’t need to wait with Rue, so I can see how much effort the devs put into boss AI. That’s always fun. I probably won’t bring it up here since I don’t know them from Rue, so don’t worry about me being boring with technical stuff. Regardless, it's hard to hit Belle with her green orb shields, to hang around a wait for a chance to cast your preferred magic. Mine's Water: Three Blades.

Continuing on, we run through the immortal boss where, when we get cornered, Rue jumps down to save us. He’s a good guy, that Rue fella. Even when he’s not the star, he’s there for the save.

We return to Klaus and carry on to Mel. I wanted to get this out of the way tonight since it still sucks. I play the games, save the fourth mini-Knuckles, and get help from Mel. The difference in these scenes is, rather than learn of Rue’s magic head, Mint gets “accidentally” insulted by Mel. Mell asks if Mint knows of the missing princess from East Kingdom and lists off an extensive list of negative traits. Mint collapses to her knees. Mel then says how great her replacement is and says a bunch of positive qualities. Mint falls on her face. Mel claims she didn't know Mint was the missing princess, but Mint gets the feeling there's a white lie somewhere.

Yadda yadda yadda, we beat up Duke on our first try, and I call it a day.


Mint is an interesting character. She starts as an anti-hero, who almost bleeds into full-blown villain. She doesn’t change much in Rue’s story, but that might be because the devs want us to play her, and she didn’t get the spotlight. I’m hoping something happens to make her a good character. I’m also curious how her magic will function. With an estimated 49 spells, how is everything gonna work? How different will everything feel? I’m only slightly afraid of how the battles will work now with her bad physical attributes and the need to worry about MP. Tomorrow we do her unique dungeon, so things should start ramping up. This was the worst day in Rue’s story, so it’s all uphill from here!

Case of Yuffie pt. 2

Yuffie laid Yuri on the back of Nanaki. I put the future of the world on Nanaki, so what’s one child? As they walked back to Wutai, Yuri appeared peaceful, and the liquid stopped flowing from his mouth. Nanaki told Yuffie he had a new phone, better than the PHS Yuffie still had. It took him a long time to use, not having hands, but he could use it. A man in Midgar was giving them away to make sure everyone could contact missing loved ones. Remember what I said about all the kind and wonderful people in Midgar? Yuffie dug it out of Nanaki’s neck backpack. Before she could take it as her own, Yuri chimed in with an interesting tidbit.

He had a phone. Just before Meteor fell, Yuri was in Midgar. He was there in an attempt to find a cure for his mother, who had been sick long before Geostigma was a thing. He was there during the battle with Holy, and, upon explaining his story, admitted that he may have tracked the disease into Wutai. His yelling at Yuffie about selfishness was him projecting his own feelings. Although, for the record, she’s still pretty selfish. They then ruminated on Materia.

Geostigma probably didn’t exist during the time of the Ancients. That might mean there’s no way to cure it with Materia, seeing that the stones are a physical form of their knowledge. This is why Nanaki doesn’t believe the illness can be healed in a way his ninja friend thinks.

As they returned to Wutai, the group noticed that small huts have been erected outside the city. These were quarantine rooms where those sick were exiled too. Yuffie became upset and called it inhumane. Two weeks later, they began to notice that, even with the quarantine, people were still getting sick. They began to think that it’s not contagious, at least in the traditional sense. The virus attacked those who had given up hope and were ready to die. Because of the time away from family, the chance of death, and previous sickness, the virus began to spread. Is Geostigma a synonym for depression? Reading this during a global pandemic is rough. Upon this realization, Godo apologized to his daughter. They also thought it might be the water, so, just in case, they ordered everyone to boil their water before using it.

A year later, we learn of Yuffie’s schedule. She spends two weeks at home, healing the sick, and another two weeks on the road, looking for Materia. During this time, three children, all related, became ill, and Yuri’s mother died while Yuri remained alive,

Another year passed, and Yuffie was in Corel. She saw the airship Cid was making in Nanaki’s story, but her’s goes into more detail. The airship landed, and out came a larger Nanaki. Cid may have lost weight. They talked about Barrett and how hard it is to find oil. Cid offered Yuffie an airstrip ride, but she still gets motion sick, so she declines. She says women need a weakness, or no one will love them. Cid says she’s only weakness. Cid is a brave and correct man. She finally asked Cid if he thought there was a Materia to cure Geostigma. He inferred that as long as Yuffie thinks there is, then there is. He gives a thumbs up and takes once more to the skies.

The story ends with Yuffie and Nanaki hugging.

And that’s it. That’s the whole story. No character growth. No cool revelation. No real expansion. It’s definitely a Yuffie story, and I continue to feel no regret about not using her in the game. Yuffie sucks, fight me. We'll return to Threads of Fate: Mint's story tomorrow.

Case of Yuffie pt. 1

We return to On the Way to a Smile for the next two days, just to get through Yuffie. Grin and bear it. It’s short, and I think we can make it through and be stronger for it.


The story begins in the Forgotten City as the party says farewell to Aerith, just after Meteor was destroyed. Vincent sneaks off before the rest of the party, and Yuffie feels as though he’s abandoning the group. After all they’ve been through, how can he just leave without a word, as nothing happened? Vincent tells the child, “take care.”

Cid says he’s going to his woman, knowing full well Lucrecia is dead. Barrett says he should do the same, and Yuffie thinks both men are taking this too lightly. Cid responds that it means they all know they’ll see each other again. Reluctant, but with no other recourse, she accepts. Until she remembers the Materia. Yuffie then spends the next while convincing everyone to give her their Materia. They all agree that the offense stones no longer mean anything in this new world but agree to divvy up the healing stuff. Cloud takes care of the attack Materia, so that's what was in the backpack during the movie. Yuffie gets enough to help Wutai, and the rest of the group goes their separate ways.

Yuffie, riding a Chocobo, talks about how she foresees her welcome back party. She’ll be revered as a hero. Should she change her clothes to look the part or resemble the tired savior she was? In the end, she snuck back into town to wash her face, only to be confronted by her father, Godo, hammering something. Godo tells her to look around at the damage the Lifestream caused when it came through. While he was glad to see her, he cared nothing for the return of his daughter or her heroism.

He then told her his view of how everything happened. The universe wanted the Planet to die, and it summoned Meteor for that task. There is no mention of Sephiroth. Instead of accepting death, the Planet fought back and won its continued existence. There was no mention of Yuffie, Aerith, or anyone else. Wutai is out in the middle of nowhere, so do they just not know what’s going on? Godo tells his daughter not to tell anyone of her involvement as they may not be so kind.

Seeing the damage of the town and all the wounded people, Yuffie sets up a doctor's office of sorts. She uses the Materia to heal as many as she can. Some can’t be fully healed, but she does what she can. Her own mental strength is tested during this. Even in story, magic use still uses MP, and she says she'll ask about ethers next time she can. I like it when game mechanics have lore behind them. I’ll give the story a point for that alone. One night, Yuffie is awoken by people throwing rocks at the tower she's in. She’s unsure why anyone would tempt damaging the Sacred Tower. It turns out Godo has locked, the hard way, his daughter in. He's sealed Yuffie in. She tries to think about what's going on until someone else starts pounding on the tower. The person in question is yelling that Yuffie infected Yuri’s mom. Yuffie brought the disease from Midgar and is infecting everyone. Later that night, another person knocks against the tower. It ends up being Yuri himself, who Yuffie barely remembers. She is able to remember just enough that, when Yuri breaks her out, they reconnect quickly and reminisce. The two of them run away to escape the coming adults, holding hands the whole way.

They ran until they encountered a monster. Since Yuffie is the great warrior, she kills the creature with ease. The two then go to a scenic overlook that was over the town and talked about what had happened. They spoke of Midgar, the disease, and compared Yuffie to rats. Rats spread disease but do not suffer its effects. Wutai has a very negative view of the outside world and is very closed-minded and ignorant of what’s going on. Yuffie said she’d find the true culprit but was reprimanded by Yuri, who wondered how she could be so selfish. The actual plan of attack is to cure everyone, not place blame.


To find a cure, the two head south to the area where the Quadra Magic Materia was found. The mountain keeping people away had been destroyed by the Lifestream, so now anyone could go. The two ventured into a dark cave and found nothing. As they exited, another monster attacked. The monster launched a fireball at the two kids and missed. Yuffie, once again, easily dispatched the foe. However, that fireball would do more damage than either could imagine.

Suddenly, the ground erupted, and a liquid came blasting out. It bounced around the cave and flooded it. Yuffie managed to escape, but Yuri was still trapped. She was able to find her friend quickly, but the damage was done. Yuri was smothered by a black liquid that, when moved, fell from his mouth. Unfortunately, Yuffie continued to think only of herself and wanted him to get up. If Yuri died, Uffie would be blamed for his death. Yuri was able to reprimand the ninja again, proving he was still alive. She then tried to drag him back to safety but was unable to, being so physically weak. Then she heard a voice. “Need some help?” It was Nanaki, who she still called Red XIII, much to his dismay.

When the two stories converged, I called it a night. It had nothing to do with the screaming raccoon in my neighbor's yard. I’m halfway through, so straight shot tomorrow to finish this up. Hopefully, my opinion on Yuffle changes soon.