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.
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