Raid on Vector

After being stranded on the southern continent and buying all the equipment needed, the party walks right up to the Imperial Castle. We’re met by a boss we can’t damage! The only way to defeat the Guardian is to retreat. Alternatively, and the actual way in, we must find an old man on the east side of the city. He’s a Returner sympathizer who acts drunk to distract the guards guarding a back entrance. While the old man pukes up his lunch, we climb atop the pipes that snake through the city and sneak in over their heads.


We’re now in the midst of the Magitech Research Facility, featuring the most mechanical music in the game. It’s filled with banging pipes and drums and is kinda annoying. This dungeon is not nearly as long as I remember. Sadly, I did miss a number of treasures due to the labyrinthian nature of it. Those Dragoon Boots might have been cool... The layout here is, as you’d think, very factory-like. It’s filled with conveyor belts and automatic, one way elevators. After falling into the wrong tube and not getting a treasure, we see Kefka yelling at someone about them being weak.

He goes over to a blue woman and throws her around before shoving her into a garbage shoot. He does the same with a red beastman. When the camera pans back to us, Kefka is gone, and the only way to go is down the shoot. There we find a dying Shiva and Ifrit who attack us.

Have Celes use Runic, as only their magic is a threat. They attack in a gauntlet like fashion, one after the other with no breaks. Eventually, Shiva will sense the presence of Ramuh, and they’ll stop attacking.

They inform us that their power is about to be gone, and they’re dying. They decide to sacrifice themselves and surrender their power to us. Ifrit increases attack power, and Shiva only gives magic. Behind the dump is a long stairwell up that leads to the heart of the complex. We see more dying Espers that we try to save. Sadly, we’re too late, and they turn into magicite. From everyone’s right, a voice is heard, and the banana man/engineer. Cid. shows up. He and Celes have a moment, as Cid knows Celes well and isn’t sure what she’s doing here. No one told him she'd gone rogue. This causes the party to question her motives, much to her chagrin. Unfortunately, there’s no time to hash things out as Kefka shows up. He realizes that Esper power can only be transferred after the Esper has died. He then attacks the party. Rather than an actual fight, Celes asks everyone if this answers their questions and teleports Kefka, his attack squad, and herself somewhere else. Before anyone can question what’s going on, the facility begins to shake. It's a sign that what little fighting did take place has weakened the supports, and it's about to collapse. Cid, feeling sudden guilt for what he’s done to the Espers, takes the remaining party to an escape route/minecart section.

This is a strange part of the game. We’re on a first-person view of a railway out of the facility and can’t do anything. There are battles here and there with easy mobs. It’s a technical marvel for the time but doesn’t land well in player's memories like the opera scene, Dancing Mad, or the whole second half of the game. There’s a boss at the end, but it’s easy. Attack the main body and ignore the arms.

Out of the facility, Setzer shows up, saying things are happening in the city, and we go to the Blackiack, his airship. The camera cuts to Kefka activating the cranes that protect Vector. Rather than use the airship’s three-dimensional travel ability, we fly right into the trap.

Focus one and DON’T use Bolt. Edgar’s drill is a tiny lot OP. Even with no healer and Setzer having no reason to exist, I didn’t find this fight hard.

Afterwards, Setz takes us back to Zozo to wake up Terra. One of the Espers we gained is recognized, by Terra, as her father. We then have a flashback to either Terra’s memories, as the game says, or the memory of the character we're about to play as, Maduin. We’re in control of the gatekeeper of the Esper World on a night when the winds cracked the barrier between the two worlds. That night, a lone human woman named Madonna found her way in. Maduin took her to the Elder’s house to rest, despite no one wanting her here. Madonna agrees that humans are filthy creatures but runs back out to the gate after other Espers insult her. Maduin catches up, and they have a Disney-esq dance scene where they fly around the room with sparkles falling from them. Those sparkles form into a baby named Terra, and the three of them live together in the Esper World. Two years later, the barrier is weakened again, and the Gestahl Empire, the evil people we just raided, attack. Despite the Espers having “awe inspiring power”, they go down to a sweet judo chop from a basic grunt. To protect the remaining Espers, the Elder activates a spell that kicks everything not magical out of the realm. This includes Madonna and Terra. Maduin chases after them and ends up being abducted after Terra is taken to be raised by the Emperor, himself.

Back to the present time, Terra transforms back to human form and finally knows her history. They make a plan to bring down the Empire, but how? They return to Narshe to formulate the plan, and Bannon and friends think it’s time to ask the Espers for help. They somehow know the Esper World is to the east of the southern continent, so that’s where we go...

...tomorrow!

Something that always struck me is how young Terra was when she was abducted. It makes me wonder about her "amnesia". Mainly, is she an amnesiac, or does she just not have any memories? If that slave crown has been on her for sixteen years, it's possible, if not likely, she didn't make any memories. How did the Empire raise her?

I have airship access now, so I flew around the world and found some good stuff. Mostly the three Espers Golem, Zoneseek, and Saraph, but good stuff nonetheless. I gotta go back and get Mog before continuing. I’m starting to notice some issues with the JCC. Cyan has access to every basic black magic, and I don’t know how that happened. Hopefully, now that we have more varied options, things can start making sense. I’m not sure I like stat gains being tied to equipped Espers. Finally, why isn’t anyone wondering where Celes is?