Why is Lalapolosa a thing this year?
Anyway, we're halfway through this dungeon, so let's finish it. Part three of the Underground Ruins is a quick trek into Shrine One. The camera is locked to make sure you see the boss, Ruins Guard. RG has two weapons with their own HP bar. Axe, which is a wide area AoE physical attack, and Boomerang, a single target move. At least, that's all I saw them do. I took out Boomerang first before finishing the Axe. From there, whail away at the body. RG can use an electric move that attacks everyone, but even the basic Alheal spell from Justin can undo it. You can now turn the camera to notice the Move Up Food in the corner. Behind him, though, is a green room with a rainbow bridge in it. Across the bridge is the Medal of Knowledge, which I thought Guido placed to access this area? With the key to Alent in our hand, let's head back.
When the party returns to the floating blocks, we see they are no longer moving. Worst yet, the Garlyle Forces have amassed. Baal is leading them, with Leen and Mullen nearby. Baal berates his son for being unable to find the Spirit Stone and takes Leen with him somewhere, much to Mullen's chagrin. With our exit blocked, we need to find a new way. Returning to the area before the Shrine, we see a path leading elsewhere down a cliff. The party jumps and enters the Ruins. They stop to talk about the things on the wall, which gives them the creeps, and Feena has a bad feeling about them. It's a straight path, so ignore the offshoot. We don't get far, though, because Mullen magically manages to surround us. Huh? Mullen demands the Spirit Stone, saying it's in our best interests. He and Justin have a verbal tussle before Feena tries to break it up. The scenes from here can get pretty disturbing.
The camera changes to the Garlyle airship. Baal has Leen standing in a machine/magic hybrid thing, making her use her Icarian powers. Leen is in a lot of pain and cries out for her sister. This excites Baal for several reasons, I'm sure. We return to the party, and an anime cutscene happens. The creepy things on the walls begin to form 3D entities. Dozens of massive blue golems are now in the room. Due to their size, they begin to destroy the small walkways we and the army are on. The floors beneath us fall, and Mullen pushes Feena into a safer location. He did so at the cost of himself as he falls down the chasm. We regain control and make our way out to Section Four of the Ruins. It looks likes the other three portions, complete with treasure abound. There's another Mana Egg here. There's a golem near the exit, but it's not moving. The second golem down the path, though, is. But before anything comes from it, Feena begins to scream in pain. Leen's pain is now her pain. The golem moves and the party gets split up in the ensuing fall.
Justin is alone in the basement of the ruins. There are a few things to get in this first section, two of which are stat uppers. Save and enter the tower we'll be climbing. There are two new mobs here, but neither pose any threat. Magic Head, the birds, are amazing to grind magic on. I finally learned all of Justin's moves, his level two magic, and a good portion of his level three magic. There are three of them per fight, and they stand very close together. When they take damage, their get-up animations take a long time. I could easily get three turns before their one. This is great because three howls usually killed them. The other mob is a single Sphinx that isn't worth it. The layout is a conventional maze with a great assortment of items and gold about. It's worth getting everything, especially the Demon Eye Stone, to boost magic casting speed. After three floors, we reach the "outside." Mullen is nearby, so Justin runs up to confront him about Feena. Mullen doesn't have her, but their argument roused the suspicions of nearby soldiers. For some reason, Mullen throws us in the tower behind him and locks the door. We can overhear the four of them wondering why Baal would kill half of the army and about another Icarian girl he kidnapped. The soldiers say her name is Feena... Mullen changes the soldier's orders and tells them to return to the airship. Justin takes the elevator upwards to the edge of what appears to be a pyramid. There's an overlook that he can see an unconscious Feena being placed into the airship. Everyone else enters after the three commanders, and we see the Grandeur fly over Zil Padon. Justin watches as his friend is carried away. But not all is lost! Guido and Rapp sail into the scene on a manta ray that Guido had "stored away." I have questions...
We see Baal with Feena, and he gives clues to what's going to happen. Something called Operation Yggdrasil is planned. He slowly creeps closer to the fifteen-year-old girl, but a warning clarion begins to ring throughout the ship. Justin and co. have caught up to the Grandeur. When they go into land, the poor mantra ray gets shot down. We're fine, though, so we can now save Feena. The Garlyle Airship is a nice straightforward dungeon with no ways to get lost. The only mobs are a single type of soldier. Field sprints usually avoid us, so there are Preemptive Strikes a plenty if you want to fight. But there's a lot of guys, so I'd advise against it. There are two items here, a Move Seed and an armor I think I missed. The soldiers drop some really good quality helms if you want to farm, though. In the third room are the notorious Mio, Nina, and Saki. As you'd expect, they fight us.
Take out Mio, the green haired one, first. She can inflect a party member with paralysis, the only thing notable about anything in this fight. You need to defeat one, or else they might use a move called Delta Attack. The damage off DA is terrible, though. Justin's basic Alheal could easily undo it, so just make sure he's usable. From there, I did some magic grinding. Is that taunting? After the fight, they run away. They made up the excuse it was all to buy time before we reach J-Base, the Garlyle HQ. It's probably a lie, but there's a hint of truth in there. The party goes over a terminal, and Rapp begins to fiddle with it. In doing so, he activates the Last Order option. This causes the Grandeur to self destruct. Finding Feena now has a time limit. It doesn't, but Justin says it does.
The next room is filled with, I surmise, embers. The party gets halfway across before Guido informs the party the ship isn't doing too well. It then begins to shake and fall apart. Guido and Rapp are on one side, with Justin on another. The two tell Justin to save Feena before we cut to an anime scene where the Grandeur begins to split in half. The rest of the dungeon is even more straightforward, and it takes us to Baal and Feena. Baal demands Justin hand over the Spirit Stone, or else he'll kill Feena. She tries to tell Justin not to believe him, but guess what? Caring more about Feena causes Justin to throw Baal the Stone. When Justin walks forward to get his friend, he falls into a pitfall. Baal begins to laugh maniacally, and I start to think he's the bad guy. Fortunately, Justin grabbed onto a piece of pipe in the tunnel. He climbs out and continues on. He catches up to them when they're at an escape ship.
Baal throws Feena aside, and he and Justin duel. It's another easy fight because I may be too strong. Baal mostly uses magic, and I managed to knock him out of one of his attacks. He can do a lot of damage, but he only has 2800 HP. Justin was combing for 900 a go, and Heaven and Earth Slash doing over 1000. I had to heal because I got cute at the end when he had 47 HP, and I wanted to get one more level of Fire and Wind magic. Four or five rounds should finish the job. Baal is KO'ed, and Justin goes to untie Feena. She knew he'd come to save her, but then she asks about the Spirit Stone. Justin assumes he killed the President, so he'll just ho pick it up. Alas, the President is a tough guy. He's standing right there and reveals a secret about himself. His left arm is a mass of green Gaia tentacles. He grabs Feena from across the room, using his tentacles, and hits Justin. Justin gets back up and tries another go, but he gets pummeled again. This time, though, it's off the airship. Feena, in an act of love, breaks out of Baal's tentacles. With no second guessing, she jumps off the railing after him. Baal begins to laugh because he has the Spirit Stone. He has a congratulatory self conflagration and goes down with the ship.
We cut back to Justin, wondering if this means his adventure is over. Feena is slowly catching up to him and manages to grab on to him. The thrill of it all makes her pass out, so Justin gets to fall to his death with his totally not girlfriend in his arms. But then something different starts to glow green. Feena unconsciously shows of her Icarian magic! She and Justin begin to float in the air with a blinding green column of light holding them up. We see another manta ray enter the scene with two people on it. Three days later, Justin, Rapp, and Guido are outside the Mogay's tent in the Binan Plateau. It's just in time for Feena to wake up. Justin tells her he doesn't care about her being an Icarian. "Feena is Feena." Everyone assumes that Baal, equipped with Gaia and Spirit Stone, died when the Grandeur fell. It's like they've never played a video game before... But they got what they wanted, the Medal of Knowledge! With that in hand, they plan to see the Wisemen of Laine again to find the way forward. But I'll do that...
...tomorrow!
Gee, who could have guessed Feena was an Icarian? I mean, her sister is, but how could she be one too? Justin doesn't seem to care, so I get his silence. But the others? Also, I'm done grinding. Full speed ahead! Also, also, does Guido's Steal move actually steal anything?
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Friday, July 30, 2021
To Alent
Warp Space has a mildly annoying technicolor hue over everything, but it isn't too bad.
There are four mob types down here. The most common are sea stars that can cause one to lose defense by three levels. Flamehounds are common, and I don't know what they can do. Vanatos are the only things that you need to worry about. Their Fire Call...whatever attack can cause confusion. Justin got struck with the effect and proceeded to kill all of his teammates. The last mobs are Sphinxes, but they're rare and have nothing special about them. As I said last night, I stopped listening to the soundtrack. Not Sorry.
Despite being a maze of warps and dead ends, I somehow got through here quicker than that terrible plateau. The first section, part one, is a fancy circle. The warp out is in the house to the lower left. We now come to two paths, part two. Left takes you to some stuff on the otherside of a maze, and left takes you to another warp. That's the way to part two.
Part Two has us walking around a narrow path, trying to find which present to become. Citizens of Old Laine are trapped, forever, in several crystals that lay about the place. The camera zooms on one or two of them, but there's nothing we can do. There are three floors with an odd, smooth look to them. When you stop on a certain square, the floor will wrap you up and teleport the party elsewhere. The one past the stairs and across the bridge is where you need to go. The others take you elsewhere on this same map. There are two stat upping foods here, as well as another Mana Egg in case you missed one. Section two, part two, has us looking for the correct gate to open. Only the way forward does anything, so run into Real Fake Doors to your heart's content!
Section Three has only one part. It's the typical Grandia dungeon, so whatever. Avoid the black tongue things. The goal is to the top right. When you reach the end, it's a circular room with even more tentacles in it. In the middle is a sprouting plant. It responds to our presence by vomiting up a second Gaia Battler. The battle is the same as it was in the Tower of Doom, so I won't go over anything. This guy can heal, for 300, to whatever body part remains, so you have further incentive to destroy the arms. With it out of the picture, we can open the chest behind it to get the Horn of Knowledge. Walk out of the Warp Zone, which we have to do manually, and return the horn to Derlin in Laine.
Milda places the horns on the head of the dumb bull, and he returns to himself. He's still strange and in love with Liete, but he tells us how to reach Alent. Well, sorta. The way to Alent is the way to Zil Padon. The Mogay have a second medal, Medal of Knowledge, which they will bestow upon whomever they deem worthy of reaching Alent. The Mogay are an ancient race who know their role since the fall of Angelou. Zil Padon used to be a flying city, in fact. So it's back to not-Jerusalem. Also, don't mention the naked picture of a girl in the corner by the door.
We leave the tower, and Milda wishes us good luck. This is where we part, it seems. She says her husband lost so much weight while she was away, and she couldn't bear to have him suffer anymore. He looked fine to me, but who am I to say no to true love!? So it's just the three of us from here on.
Justin quickly realizes that the fountain in the center of town is probably the gateway to Alent. Alas, it is currently flooded because, as I said, it's being used as a fountain. Since Derlain said the Mogay are related, the team suggests speaking to their Elder. Suddenly, a small Mogay girl comes to us and asks us to talk to the Mogay Elder. More incentive! Inside the Mogay Elder's House is a lone bunny boy. Guido! We ask to see the Elder to get permission to enter the path, and he asks us a question. "Why do we want to go to Alent?"There are three possible answers, but I went with "to save the world." Justin states that he used to be looking for it for the sake of looking for it all those weeks ago, but now he recognizes something in the world amiss. I don't know if the other two are wrong answers, but this response causes Guido to deem us worthy! He pulls a lever behind him and joins the party. Does this indicate he's the Mogay's Elder? Guido has no magic and limited moves, but he naturally has three attacks per combo. Justin has to equip an accessory for that. We return the fountain and see it dry. The party walks down, places one of the medals, and the way forwards opens up.
Welcome to the Underground/Zil Ruins. It's a big place that's filled with treasure! I've only found three mobs, Lich, Birdskull, and Worm Men, none of which have proven to be difficult or have anything unique about them. One can cause a single target to be paralyzed, so watch out for that. Section one should be ignored for now. Head straight north (Section Three?) to get the stuff up there. It's a dead end, so you'll come back. Walk around and pick up stuff here before heading to Section Two.
Section Two has us starting on a raised platform that makes me think of Sult. The way forward, and the treasure, is on the lower stuff. Slightly north of this are two depressions with purple stones in them. The stones activate nearby doors. The right door leads to another upper area with more stuff. The Left one leads us to a floating box puzzle we need to advance. The blocks float around the room, and we need to traverse from stone to stone. I don't know if you can fall, but it isn't a hard thing to do. The blocks don't go fast and like to touch each other. There is a good sword off the beaten path, though, that's worth getting. It raises defense. Sadly, this is a lengthy dungeon. It's not tedious yet, but I need to call it a night. So I'll be reaching Alent...
...tomorrow!
Fun fact, I found out that characters who leave the party drop scrolls of the skills they gained with us. They're in the stupid stash, so that's why I never found them. I used most of Sue's stuff on Rapp, so it might make him marginally better. Her water skill went to Justin, so I can get another character to learn Resurrect. Milda and Godwin's stuff when to whoever needed them the most. Feena didn't get much, did she? But she knows all of her moves, so she doesn't need it. Something something socialism something something.
There are four mob types down here. The most common are sea stars that can cause one to lose defense by three levels. Flamehounds are common, and I don't know what they can do. Vanatos are the only things that you need to worry about. Their Fire Call...whatever attack can cause confusion. Justin got struck with the effect and proceeded to kill all of his teammates. The last mobs are Sphinxes, but they're rare and have nothing special about them. As I said last night, I stopped listening to the soundtrack. Not Sorry.
Despite being a maze of warps and dead ends, I somehow got through here quicker than that terrible plateau. The first section, part one, is a fancy circle. The warp out is in the house to the lower left. We now come to two paths, part two. Left takes you to some stuff on the otherside of a maze, and left takes you to another warp. That's the way to part two.
Part Two has us walking around a narrow path, trying to find which present to become. Citizens of Old Laine are trapped, forever, in several crystals that lay about the place. The camera zooms on one or two of them, but there's nothing we can do. There are three floors with an odd, smooth look to them. When you stop on a certain square, the floor will wrap you up and teleport the party elsewhere. The one past the stairs and across the bridge is where you need to go. The others take you elsewhere on this same map. There are two stat upping foods here, as well as another Mana Egg in case you missed one. Section two, part two, has us looking for the correct gate to open. Only the way forward does anything, so run into Real Fake Doors to your heart's content!
Section Three has only one part. It's the typical Grandia dungeon, so whatever. Avoid the black tongue things. The goal is to the top right. When you reach the end, it's a circular room with even more tentacles in it. In the middle is a sprouting plant. It responds to our presence by vomiting up a second Gaia Battler. The battle is the same as it was in the Tower of Doom, so I won't go over anything. This guy can heal, for 300, to whatever body part remains, so you have further incentive to destroy the arms. With it out of the picture, we can open the chest behind it to get the Horn of Knowledge. Walk out of the Warp Zone, which we have to do manually, and return the horn to Derlin in Laine.
Milda places the horns on the head of the dumb bull, and he returns to himself. He's still strange and in love with Liete, but he tells us how to reach Alent. Well, sorta. The way to Alent is the way to Zil Padon. The Mogay have a second medal, Medal of Knowledge, which they will bestow upon whomever they deem worthy of reaching Alent. The Mogay are an ancient race who know their role since the fall of Angelou. Zil Padon used to be a flying city, in fact. So it's back to not-Jerusalem. Also, don't mention the naked picture of a girl in the corner by the door.
We leave the tower, and Milda wishes us good luck. This is where we part, it seems. She says her husband lost so much weight while she was away, and she couldn't bear to have him suffer anymore. He looked fine to me, but who am I to say no to true love!? So it's just the three of us from here on.
Justin quickly realizes that the fountain in the center of town is probably the gateway to Alent. Alas, it is currently flooded because, as I said, it's being used as a fountain. Since Derlain said the Mogay are related, the team suggests speaking to their Elder. Suddenly, a small Mogay girl comes to us and asks us to talk to the Mogay Elder. More incentive! Inside the Mogay Elder's House is a lone bunny boy. Guido! We ask to see the Elder to get permission to enter the path, and he asks us a question. "Why do we want to go to Alent?"There are three possible answers, but I went with "to save the world." Justin states that he used to be looking for it for the sake of looking for it all those weeks ago, but now he recognizes something in the world amiss. I don't know if the other two are wrong answers, but this response causes Guido to deem us worthy! He pulls a lever behind him and joins the party. Does this indicate he's the Mogay's Elder? Guido has no magic and limited moves, but he naturally has three attacks per combo. Justin has to equip an accessory for that. We return the fountain and see it dry. The party walks down, places one of the medals, and the way forwards opens up.
Welcome to the Underground/Zil Ruins. It's a big place that's filled with treasure! I've only found three mobs, Lich, Birdskull, and Worm Men, none of which have proven to be difficult or have anything unique about them. One can cause a single target to be paralyzed, so watch out for that. Section one should be ignored for now. Head straight north (Section Three?) to get the stuff up there. It's a dead end, so you'll come back. Walk around and pick up stuff here before heading to Section Two.
Section Two has us starting on a raised platform that makes me think of Sult. The way forward, and the treasure, is on the lower stuff. Slightly north of this are two depressions with purple stones in them. The stones activate nearby doors. The right door leads to another upper area with more stuff. The Left one leads us to a floating box puzzle we need to advance. The blocks float around the room, and we need to traverse from stone to stone. I don't know if you can fall, but it isn't a hard thing to do. The blocks don't go fast and like to touch each other. There is a good sword off the beaten path, though, that's worth getting. It raises defense. Sadly, this is a lengthy dungeon. It's not tedious yet, but I need to call it a night. So I'll be reaching Alent...
...tomorrow!
Fun fact, I found out that characters who leave the party drop scrolls of the skills they gained with us. They're in the stupid stash, so that's why I never found them. I used most of Sue's stuff on Rapp, so it might make him marginally better. Her water skill went to Justin, so I can get another character to learn Resurrect. Milda and Godwin's stuff when to whoever needed them the most. Feena didn't get much, did she? But she knows all of her moves, so she doesn't need it. Something something socialism something something.
Thursday, July 29, 2021
The dungeons get worse and worse.
Brinan Plateau has the worse theme I've ever heard. It's just things clanging together. Not in the "it's an industrial zone" type of clangs, but rather, someone is playing the spoons badly. I'm giving up on the OST of this game. Spotify podcasts from here on out!
When we first get into the area, Milda warns us, and anyone from more tropical climates, that she hopes we're prepared to get chilly. The layout has us walking through passages in the mountain, where we get ambushed by the same two monsters for the next hour and a half. This was not fun, and I'm starting to question if I want to keep playing. Snow and ice are around us, so I understand the warning Milda gave us, but no one seems phased. There are two types of mobs here, Abdominal Snowmen/Apes and Snow boars. Both are resistant to whips and knives but seem weak to any form of magic, including ice, for some reason. The boars can summon more boars, so they may be a decent place to level up magic if you can avoid getting paralyzed. The item worth getting on the first screen is near the exit. Do not venture into the frozen lake in the middle. The chest contains terrible shoes, and you'll get into far too many battles.
Section two has us walking on various ledges to travel across. We'll need to push two snowballs down a slope to create a pathway to an item and to the exit. The item is the Silence Sword, which is a Final Fantasy Mage Masher. I've been trying to inflict mobs with various status effects to little success (besides sleep), so I question the efficacy of the effect. It's got high stats, though. There is also a Fire Sword around and two stats foods. This seems like a short write-up, but it took me an hour to do. I got every treasure and fought nearly every mob I could find. Why is it like this?
I'll never take freedom for granted when we arrive in Laine Village. Milda tells us we're home and suggests we see her husband first. As we enter the gates, she spots the beloved nearby. ...it's a bovine... The male Lainians become bulls, it seems, while the women remain humanoid. We all head to Milda's House to further the plot. While there, Darrlin, her husband, thanks us for stopping the Tower of Doom. It seems something has happened to Laine Village, but we just skim over that plot point for now, which may be related to Gaia. He also surmises Gaia might be responsible for the fall of the Angelou. If Gaia eats spirits, it checks out. Darlin also spots the Spirit Stone. When Justin shows him the Wisdom Medal Liete gave us the second time we spoke (he has a good feeling we're the chosen ones to reach the legendary city of Alent. I think I mentioned the Wisdom Medal, but if not, whoops! At this point, we can ask him several questions.
When we ask about curing those petrified, he thinks Alent may have something.
Asking about Gaia's connection to the Angelou discusses what I wrote about the spirits. I wrote it out of order, it seems.
Lastly, I ask about the Icarians. We also bring up Leen, who is an Icarian. Darlin states the Spirit Stone and an Icarian are connected. Also, Liete isn't an Icarian but a Maiden of Alent. I wonder, now, if Leen is an Icarian, doesn't that make Fenna one? Why am I the only one asking this right now?
With this out of the way, Justin asks where Alent is. Darlin doesn't know but thinks another Wise Man of Laine would, Derlin. Derlin lives a few houses down, and we see him dealing with herbs. Guido told him about us, so he knows who we are. He then tells us we need to restore the Spirits to restore the stoned Cafuins. It says so in a book, but the exact specifications are gone because the page was ripped out. Rapp says something slightly racist related to eating beef. He then finishes by saying Dorlin knows where Alent is before giving us some shifty eyes about him.
Dorlin lives in a tower on the edge of town. He's crazy and speaks in nonsense because his horn was left behind in Old Laine. Men keep their brains in their horns, I guess. All we get out of him now is gibberish about his love for Liete. Milda says the only thing we can do is head to Abandoned Laine Village to the south of town.
It's the rainbow colored stuff on the world map, but it's called Warp Space when we get there. Something strange happened some time ago, which caused the whole area to look like a broken TV. No one's sure what caused it, but I think we'll find the culprit and fix nothing...
...tomorrow.
I think I'm gonna use some codes so I have to grind less. That need to grind to level up spells and physical attacks is taking its toll. There is no reason why a dungeon with no importance should take that long to traverse. It'll give me a massive boost to stats, so I may wait until I get my final fourth party member. That, and I don't have much more to go. Justin needs a few weapon levels to master the stuff I'm interested in, and Feena needs three water levels to learn all of her moves. Rapp is terrible. Why wouldn't Sue's levels just migrate over somehow? What terrible game design; to get her so many levels for no reason.
When we first get into the area, Milda warns us, and anyone from more tropical climates, that she hopes we're prepared to get chilly. The layout has us walking through passages in the mountain, where we get ambushed by the same two monsters for the next hour and a half. This was not fun, and I'm starting to question if I want to keep playing. Snow and ice are around us, so I understand the warning Milda gave us, but no one seems phased. There are two types of mobs here, Abdominal Snowmen/Apes and Snow boars. Both are resistant to whips and knives but seem weak to any form of magic, including ice, for some reason. The boars can summon more boars, so they may be a decent place to level up magic if you can avoid getting paralyzed. The item worth getting on the first screen is near the exit. Do not venture into the frozen lake in the middle. The chest contains terrible shoes, and you'll get into far too many battles.
Section two has us walking on various ledges to travel across. We'll need to push two snowballs down a slope to create a pathway to an item and to the exit. The item is the Silence Sword, which is a Final Fantasy Mage Masher. I've been trying to inflict mobs with various status effects to little success (besides sleep), so I question the efficacy of the effect. It's got high stats, though. There is also a Fire Sword around and two stats foods. This seems like a short write-up, but it took me an hour to do. I got every treasure and fought nearly every mob I could find. Why is it like this?
I'll never take freedom for granted when we arrive in Laine Village. Milda tells us we're home and suggests we see her husband first. As we enter the gates, she spots the beloved nearby. ...it's a bovine... The male Lainians become bulls, it seems, while the women remain humanoid. We all head to Milda's House to further the plot. While there, Darrlin, her husband, thanks us for stopping the Tower of Doom. It seems something has happened to Laine Village, but we just skim over that plot point for now, which may be related to Gaia. He also surmises Gaia might be responsible for the fall of the Angelou. If Gaia eats spirits, it checks out. Darlin also spots the Spirit Stone. When Justin shows him the Wisdom Medal Liete gave us the second time we spoke (he has a good feeling we're the chosen ones to reach the legendary city of Alent. I think I mentioned the Wisdom Medal, but if not, whoops! At this point, we can ask him several questions.
When we ask about curing those petrified, he thinks Alent may have something.
Asking about Gaia's connection to the Angelou discusses what I wrote about the spirits. I wrote it out of order, it seems.
Lastly, I ask about the Icarians. We also bring up Leen, who is an Icarian. Darlin states the Spirit Stone and an Icarian are connected. Also, Liete isn't an Icarian but a Maiden of Alent. I wonder, now, if Leen is an Icarian, doesn't that make Fenna one? Why am I the only one asking this right now?
With this out of the way, Justin asks where Alent is. Darlin doesn't know but thinks another Wise Man of Laine would, Derlin. Derlin lives a few houses down, and we see him dealing with herbs. Guido told him about us, so he knows who we are. He then tells us we need to restore the Spirits to restore the stoned Cafuins. It says so in a book, but the exact specifications are gone because the page was ripped out. Rapp says something slightly racist related to eating beef. He then finishes by saying Dorlin knows where Alent is before giving us some shifty eyes about him.
Dorlin lives in a tower on the edge of town. He's crazy and speaks in nonsense because his horn was left behind in Old Laine. Men keep their brains in their horns, I guess. All we get out of him now is gibberish about his love for Liete. Milda says the only thing we can do is head to Abandoned Laine Village to the south of town.
It's the rainbow colored stuff on the world map, but it's called Warp Space when we get there. Something strange happened some time ago, which caused the whole area to look like a broken TV. No one's sure what caused it, but I think we'll find the culprit and fix nothing...
...tomorrow.
I think I'm gonna use some codes so I have to grind less. That need to grind to level up spells and physical attacks is taking its toll. There is no reason why a dungeon with no importance should take that long to traverse. It'll give me a massive boost to stats, so I may wait until I get my final fourth party member. That, and I don't have much more to go. Justin needs a few weapon levels to master the stuff I'm interested in, and Feena needs three water levels to learn all of her moves. Rapp is terrible. Why wouldn't Sue's levels just migrate over somehow? What terrible game design; to get her so many levels for no reason.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Redemption of Rapp...sorta
The party returns to Cafu, but while we bring good news, good news doesn't follow.
The party sees the Elder waiting for us, but he's not happy because, ya know, outsiders. Justin and Feena are one thing, but a Lainian is something different altogether. He doesn't allow Milda to enter the village, so we're stuck out where the inn and general store are. Rapp is upset as he no longer sees the reason for the rivalry between the two tribes and goes out of his way to insult the Elder. Milda calms him down, and we all head into the inn to rest. That night we have a big meal! Milda mentions how the Cafu cuisine is great. Rapp keeps on being against the Elder. Feena, though, is uneasy. She won't give us a straight answer and keeps to herself. Her mind won't stop, so she gets some air.
Justin leaves the table to talk to her, and we head to a new area of the village, Home Tree Plaza. The sun has set, so I expected some pretty scenery. Sadly, it's just a boring tree. Fenna tells us she wonders about Leen and her role in the creation of Gaia. Justin tries to convince her that her sister can't be evil. There's no way a relative of Feena can be bad. It, kinda, helps. Then he gets a little casually sexist when he tells her that a smile is much for beautiful. "Just smile" is the stupidest thing to say to a person ever. There is no event or emotional issue that a smile can solve. Faking a grin doesn't help you overcome depression, Sarah! Where was I? Right! Before anything else happens, we hear sounds of clatter from the village. Rapp and Miluda come running in and tells us the Garlyle Forces are attacking the village!
The four of us rush back and get attacked by Green Berets. Closer to the gate is the Elder and more Green Berets. Rapp tells the Elder that no matter what he says, we're going in. The Elder "feigns" age related sensory degeneration, and we enter the town the save the villagers. What few I found blame us for the attack! In one of the side areas, behind more Green Berets, is Leen and two soldiers. She's not surprised to see us because who else could constantly defeat the world's only superpower but two teenagers? Rapp and Milda yell at Leen for a second before Feena tells them to stop. This is her sister, and she'll take care of it. Feena asks Leen to stop. After several long moments, Leen tells her troops to get Gaia out of here. Despite commanding that, she then tells us she wants us to live our lives peacefully. Leen, however, has no choice but to do this. Gaia then sprouts from its remains, and the green glow of the Spirit Stone surrounds us. The two soldiers become petrified, but Leen's okay! She then says she doesn't want to do this, and triangular wings sprout from her back. Some words about Icarians between her and Justin are said before Leen teleports away with Gaia and the stoned soldiers. "The Leen you know doesn't exist anymore." When we speak to the Elder, everyone is still mad at us, and he agrees. The Elder is angry Rapp broke the law by bringing outsiders into town. Rapp defends himself admirably, but what can you do in backwater towns? Milda doesn't like the disrespect Rapp is showing, but it's not an important point. The Elder says one of the dumbest lines I've ever read: "Our laws may not be able to save our village but they've prevented trouble." We return to the inn and have another meal. We make plans to go to Laine to eat their food and learn more about Milda. She's married to a village wiseman who may know of Alent. After that, we go to sleep.
In the morning, the Elder is waiting for us. He says all three non Cafuians are no longer allowed in the village. Rapp protests to no avail, and we all remember the plan they made last night. We're off to Laine, and Rapp even comes along. He's too upset at the "old fogey" to stay. Nicky and a few see us off, and I'm glad to see he thinks highly of "Aunt Milda.' Being only nineteen, she doesn't like the name. To reach Laine, we need to traverse the entire continent. How are these two civilizations at arms against each other if they're so far away? Why was Milda at the Tower of Doom? Let's get ready to walk three dungeons. Oh, boy!
First is the Zil Desert. It's two sections of open desert that are easy to get lost in. The only mobs are cactus men and scarabs. The scarabs are more powerful versions of stuff we've fought, but the cactus men are new. They're boring, but they're new. CM can use a move called Fire Song where they play a guitar and damage the whole party, which is cool. A small army of them guards some good stuff in the middle of section one. Section two is a winding path of not obvious cliffs and lowlands that make this a maze. The music is more, I guess, Australian stuff. There's a dronny humming instrument I don't know the name of that plays a melody over an annoying ping with a maraca involved. It's fun for a minute, but if you stay too long, it sucks. There are two optional dungeons in this area. I didn't try them, but I might, depending on how long I want this playthrough to be. So I probably won't. Is the music better?
When we exit to the world map, we're nearly a third of the way there. Before us lies Zil Padon, the desert oasis. This may be the biggest city in the game. Parm gives it a run, but I think Padon's got it beat. It gives me a Jerusalem vibe because three different types of people live in this desert city, and none of them really get along. There are also camel people in the world? The Mogay live here, but I didn't explore around to find Guido because there's enough to do already. The music here has this strange porn jazz to it with a terrible oboe playing over it. The worst thing about Grandia is the music. Upgrade your gear if you have the money, head to the inn next door, talk to the counter camel, leave and see a fight brewing, head back it, and rest. In the morning, we return to dungeon crawling.
I hope you liked the Zil Desert theme because here it is again. The last two Mana Eggs we'll ever need are found here. One is to the east of spawn, and another is to the south of the eastern exit. Don't listen to Milda trying to tell you the take the easy way out. Keep going westward! There are also several stat upping foods, one of which increases every stat. This place is another maze, with much of it blocked by canyons we can't see past. I got lost and accidentally left the screen several times. There are two types of scorpions, and there's a new moth. Flap Birds are new and form in large numbers, making them prime things to grind magic on. Feena only needs one more level in Earth before I only need to spam water spells the rest of the game to learn everything (except the unknown ones I know to be bugged). I don't think I care much to grind Rapp. Maybe I'm almost done grinding? I know I hate this dungeon! The west exit takes us to...
...Brinan Plateau!
Yeah, I'll do it tomorrow. Rapp is slightly better as a character than he was yesterday, which is a definite plus. He's third best in combat, though, and I doubt that will change unless the final permanent character is better than him. I think she is, so that's good. I miss Sue. They let you level her magic so much only to replace her with someone so terrible. That's not fun game design! Between that, the music, the dungeons, which are numerous, I, kinda, think I hate the game? Man, I took a two week break to come back to this? I'm still going, for now, don't worry...
The party sees the Elder waiting for us, but he's not happy because, ya know, outsiders. Justin and Feena are one thing, but a Lainian is something different altogether. He doesn't allow Milda to enter the village, so we're stuck out where the inn and general store are. Rapp is upset as he no longer sees the reason for the rivalry between the two tribes and goes out of his way to insult the Elder. Milda calms him down, and we all head into the inn to rest. That night we have a big meal! Milda mentions how the Cafu cuisine is great. Rapp keeps on being against the Elder. Feena, though, is uneasy. She won't give us a straight answer and keeps to herself. Her mind won't stop, so she gets some air.
Justin leaves the table to talk to her, and we head to a new area of the village, Home Tree Plaza. The sun has set, so I expected some pretty scenery. Sadly, it's just a boring tree. Fenna tells us she wonders about Leen and her role in the creation of Gaia. Justin tries to convince her that her sister can't be evil. There's no way a relative of Feena can be bad. It, kinda, helps. Then he gets a little casually sexist when he tells her that a smile is much for beautiful. "Just smile" is the stupidest thing to say to a person ever. There is no event or emotional issue that a smile can solve. Faking a grin doesn't help you overcome depression, Sarah! Where was I? Right! Before anything else happens, we hear sounds of clatter from the village. Rapp and Miluda come running in and tells us the Garlyle Forces are attacking the village!
The four of us rush back and get attacked by Green Berets. Closer to the gate is the Elder and more Green Berets. Rapp tells the Elder that no matter what he says, we're going in. The Elder "feigns" age related sensory degeneration, and we enter the town the save the villagers. What few I found blame us for the attack! In one of the side areas, behind more Green Berets, is Leen and two soldiers. She's not surprised to see us because who else could constantly defeat the world's only superpower but two teenagers? Rapp and Milda yell at Leen for a second before Feena tells them to stop. This is her sister, and she'll take care of it. Feena asks Leen to stop. After several long moments, Leen tells her troops to get Gaia out of here. Despite commanding that, she then tells us she wants us to live our lives peacefully. Leen, however, has no choice but to do this. Gaia then sprouts from its remains, and the green glow of the Spirit Stone surrounds us. The two soldiers become petrified, but Leen's okay! She then says she doesn't want to do this, and triangular wings sprout from her back. Some words about Icarians between her and Justin are said before Leen teleports away with Gaia and the stoned soldiers. "The Leen you know doesn't exist anymore." When we speak to the Elder, everyone is still mad at us, and he agrees. The Elder is angry Rapp broke the law by bringing outsiders into town. Rapp defends himself admirably, but what can you do in backwater towns? Milda doesn't like the disrespect Rapp is showing, but it's not an important point. The Elder says one of the dumbest lines I've ever read: "Our laws may not be able to save our village but they've prevented trouble." We return to the inn and have another meal. We make plans to go to Laine to eat their food and learn more about Milda. She's married to a village wiseman who may know of Alent. After that, we go to sleep.
In the morning, the Elder is waiting for us. He says all three non Cafuians are no longer allowed in the village. Rapp protests to no avail, and we all remember the plan they made last night. We're off to Laine, and Rapp even comes along. He's too upset at the "old fogey" to stay. Nicky and a few see us off, and I'm glad to see he thinks highly of "Aunt Milda.' Being only nineteen, she doesn't like the name. To reach Laine, we need to traverse the entire continent. How are these two civilizations at arms against each other if they're so far away? Why was Milda at the Tower of Doom? Let's get ready to walk three dungeons. Oh, boy!
First is the Zil Desert. It's two sections of open desert that are easy to get lost in. The only mobs are cactus men and scarabs. The scarabs are more powerful versions of stuff we've fought, but the cactus men are new. They're boring, but they're new. CM can use a move called Fire Song where they play a guitar and damage the whole party, which is cool. A small army of them guards some good stuff in the middle of section one. Section two is a winding path of not obvious cliffs and lowlands that make this a maze. The music is more, I guess, Australian stuff. There's a dronny humming instrument I don't know the name of that plays a melody over an annoying ping with a maraca involved. It's fun for a minute, but if you stay too long, it sucks. There are two optional dungeons in this area. I didn't try them, but I might, depending on how long I want this playthrough to be. So I probably won't. Is the music better?
When we exit to the world map, we're nearly a third of the way there. Before us lies Zil Padon, the desert oasis. This may be the biggest city in the game. Parm gives it a run, but I think Padon's got it beat. It gives me a Jerusalem vibe because three different types of people live in this desert city, and none of them really get along. There are also camel people in the world? The Mogay live here, but I didn't explore around to find Guido because there's enough to do already. The music here has this strange porn jazz to it with a terrible oboe playing over it. The worst thing about Grandia is the music. Upgrade your gear if you have the money, head to the inn next door, talk to the counter camel, leave and see a fight brewing, head back it, and rest. In the morning, we return to dungeon crawling.
I hope you liked the Zil Desert theme because here it is again. The last two Mana Eggs we'll ever need are found here. One is to the east of spawn, and another is to the south of the eastern exit. Don't listen to Milda trying to tell you the take the easy way out. Keep going westward! There are also several stat upping foods, one of which increases every stat. This place is another maze, with much of it blocked by canyons we can't see past. I got lost and accidentally left the screen several times. There are two types of scorpions, and there's a new moth. Flap Birds are new and form in large numbers, making them prime things to grind magic on. Feena only needs one more level in Earth before I only need to spam water spells the rest of the game to learn everything (except the unknown ones I know to be bugged). I don't think I care much to grind Rapp. Maybe I'm almost done grinding? I know I hate this dungeon! The west exit takes us to...
...Brinan Plateau!
Yeah, I'll do it tomorrow. Rapp is slightly better as a character than he was yesterday, which is a definite plus. He's third best in combat, though, and I doubt that will change unless the final permanent character is better than him. I think she is, so that's good. I miss Sue. They let you level her magic so much only to replace her with someone so terrible. That's not fun game design! Between that, the music, the dungeons, which are numerous, I, kinda, think I hate the game? Man, I took a two week break to come back to this? I'm still going, for now, don't worry...
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
So that’s why the forest looks like that…
I was wondering why the forest on the world map looked dead.
Anyway, let's speak to the Elder. To reach his house, we need to find the elevated platforms. The door to his hit is on the second floor, and you need to take a rope downward. He's a little upset that outsiders are here, but that fact we saved Nikki helps us get his grace. He thinks we look too similar to the people inside the Tower of Doom. Justin asks what ToD is, and the Elder tells us about Cafu's history. The people didn't always live right here. They once lived deeper in the forest until the Tower was built, which was when the forest began to turn to stone. Rapp frequently harasses people there, so the Elder asks if he's going today. Rapp says yes, and Justin asks if we can come along. Rapp agrees, and Elder is fine with it but only as a scouting mission.
We head north of Cafu. The town is guarded by a random roly poly but is, otherwise, empty. We can still make out the Cafu architecture, but it's all made of stone. Even some of the townsfolk are petrified. Two such rocks are near the former fate. These are Rapp's parents, and he's been polishing them ever since they became like this. They're perfectly round rocks, which probably means something bad. This inspires Justin to be the hero again when he suggests we defeat whatever is in the Tower of Doom. Rapp is on board, and Feena says nothing to dissuade them. We can explore the safe town and get information about a few of the dead but keep heading towards the pointer. There's a Mana Egg nearby, and you'll know you're getting close when mobs show up. The second section is a grey version of the Virgin Forest, which makes this my new least favorite dungeon! All of the enemies are the same we fought earlier but look for the alligators that run away from you. They're easy and give 1200 EXP when you win. The music is a boring ambiance of pseudo wind.
Past the second section is a scene where Rapp shows us the Tower across a canyon. Justin and Feena think it looks like a military base.
It is! But everything is broken and smoldering. Rapp wonders if a Lainian is here but doesn't go into details. We can explore the rubble, we soon meet the Lanian. She's a raging berserker who bursts through a gate. Rapp calls her "the hussy woman of Laine." The young boy learns you shouldn't insult a raging barbarian of either sex when she punches Rapp across the map. He flies into another wall, and she proceeds to pummel him some more. She then turns our eyes to us. We look like the people she's been beating up, so she assumes we're one of them. The rivalry between Laine and Cafu didn't help.
The battle against Milida is pretty easy. She's big and has a lot of HP but isn't too strong. She lacks AoE and is slow, so I have faith in you. Afterwards, she congratulates us on the worthy fight as she lies there, losing consciousness. We tell her we're Justin, and she thinks we're cool. Justin and Feena haul both Forgotten Worldians into a safer place. Miluda wakes up first, and we manage to convince her we're on the same side. She's fighting the military; we're fighting the military. It just makes sense. Rapp wakes up and yells at Milida. I'm curious about the issues between the two towns, but Rapp doesn't come off as a good character here. Eventuality, though, we settle the argument and carry on. We now need to climb the Tower and discover why, and how, the Garlyle Forces got here.
We need to climb three floors. The only mobs are military personnel, and the music is ambient factory/industrial bangs. Some doors are locked, but we can open them as we go. We'll end up being able to return to the Save Point often, so go all out!
The first floor has us finding the second floor. Go to the right and make your way around.
On the south of the floor is a room with red glowing panels. Touching them turns on a warning clarion, and we're ambushed by fights. From the door they came from is our destination. Follow the long corridor and smash the switch. This opens the path downward. On the east side is the way to the next switch we need to hit.
On the third floor, we're greeted by two glowing switches we can turn off. Turning them off locks doors on the otherside of the floor. There's a similar situation there as well. The side rooms are pretty much empty and, mostly, used to do battle. I think the only stuff worth getting are in the always opened room. The way up is in the second switch room.
There we see something growing in the middle of the room surrounded by Garlyle Forces. Our three commanders enter and discuss their plans. Gaia hasn't grown, which is a concern for General Baal. Interestingly, they wonder how such a thing can lead to a better world. Baal then hologram calla in, and the commanders tell them all is well. He can see Gaia from his position and yells at them for lying. Baal wants this thing to be more effective at turning things to stone. When the commanders ask why they're making this, Baal says it's not their position to know. He wants growth, the commanders promise it will, and he laughs evilly. Guys, I think Baal is evil.
Justin uses this time to sneak onto the floor. He thinks we fan kill Gaia, so he smashes the control panel. The commanders notice their sworn enemy is here and rush forward to fight. But the effects of the broken machine happen. Gaia tentacles explode from the floor. Something else begins to appear in the middle. The commanders think retreat is wise, so they leave. The soldiers in the room try to follow but get turned to stone. The Spirit Stone emits a green glow around the party, which protects us from the effects. Gaia now appears, and a boss battle happens!
Gaia Battler has two arms. One arm is weak to magic and the other to physical damage. Each has their own HP bar and act independently. Gaia does high physical damage to one player, can do a devastating electrical attack to everyone, and can poison players around him. The three together are pretty fast, and even alone, the Battler is quick. Go all out to destroy the arms. Split up your party after and have Feena use magic, Rapp should be equipped with throw weapons, and Justin and Miluda have plenty of HP to withstand as long as you remember to heal.
Gaia dies and drops a piece of itself on the ground. Miluda thinks we may be able to reverse engineer a cure for the petrification from it, so we take it. Feena has a strange look on her face... On the way out of the Tower, we can see some petrified soldiers. But we'll try to save them…
…tomorrow.
I looked it up, and we have seventeen more dungeons to go to, not counting backtracking. Grandia is gonna make LoD look like a short game...
Anyway, let's speak to the Elder. To reach his house, we need to find the elevated platforms. The door to his hit is on the second floor, and you need to take a rope downward. He's a little upset that outsiders are here, but that fact we saved Nikki helps us get his grace. He thinks we look too similar to the people inside the Tower of Doom. Justin asks what ToD is, and the Elder tells us about Cafu's history. The people didn't always live right here. They once lived deeper in the forest until the Tower was built, which was when the forest began to turn to stone. Rapp frequently harasses people there, so the Elder asks if he's going today. Rapp says yes, and Justin asks if we can come along. Rapp agrees, and Elder is fine with it but only as a scouting mission.
We head north of Cafu. The town is guarded by a random roly poly but is, otherwise, empty. We can still make out the Cafu architecture, but it's all made of stone. Even some of the townsfolk are petrified. Two such rocks are near the former fate. These are Rapp's parents, and he's been polishing them ever since they became like this. They're perfectly round rocks, which probably means something bad. This inspires Justin to be the hero again when he suggests we defeat whatever is in the Tower of Doom. Rapp is on board, and Feena says nothing to dissuade them. We can explore the safe town and get information about a few of the dead but keep heading towards the pointer. There's a Mana Egg nearby, and you'll know you're getting close when mobs show up. The second section is a grey version of the Virgin Forest, which makes this my new least favorite dungeon! All of the enemies are the same we fought earlier but look for the alligators that run away from you. They're easy and give 1200 EXP when you win. The music is a boring ambiance of pseudo wind.
Past the second section is a scene where Rapp shows us the Tower across a canyon. Justin and Feena think it looks like a military base.
It is! But everything is broken and smoldering. Rapp wonders if a Lainian is here but doesn't go into details. We can explore the rubble, we soon meet the Lanian. She's a raging berserker who bursts through a gate. Rapp calls her "the hussy woman of Laine." The young boy learns you shouldn't insult a raging barbarian of either sex when she punches Rapp across the map. He flies into another wall, and she proceeds to pummel him some more. She then turns our eyes to us. We look like the people she's been beating up, so she assumes we're one of them. The rivalry between Laine and Cafu didn't help.
The battle against Milida is pretty easy. She's big and has a lot of HP but isn't too strong. She lacks AoE and is slow, so I have faith in you. Afterwards, she congratulates us on the worthy fight as she lies there, losing consciousness. We tell her we're Justin, and she thinks we're cool. Justin and Feena haul both Forgotten Worldians into a safer place. Miluda wakes up first, and we manage to convince her we're on the same side. She's fighting the military; we're fighting the military. It just makes sense. Rapp wakes up and yells at Milida. I'm curious about the issues between the two towns, but Rapp doesn't come off as a good character here. Eventuality, though, we settle the argument and carry on. We now need to climb the Tower and discover why, and how, the Garlyle Forces got here.
We need to climb three floors. The only mobs are military personnel, and the music is ambient factory/industrial bangs. Some doors are locked, but we can open them as we go. We'll end up being able to return to the Save Point often, so go all out!
The first floor has us finding the second floor. Go to the right and make your way around.
On the south of the floor is a room with red glowing panels. Touching them turns on a warning clarion, and we're ambushed by fights. From the door they came from is our destination. Follow the long corridor and smash the switch. This opens the path downward. On the east side is the way to the next switch we need to hit.
On the third floor, we're greeted by two glowing switches we can turn off. Turning them off locks doors on the otherside of the floor. There's a similar situation there as well. The side rooms are pretty much empty and, mostly, used to do battle. I think the only stuff worth getting are in the always opened room. The way up is in the second switch room.
There we see something growing in the middle of the room surrounded by Garlyle Forces. Our three commanders enter and discuss their plans. Gaia hasn't grown, which is a concern for General Baal. Interestingly, they wonder how such a thing can lead to a better world. Baal then hologram calla in, and the commanders tell them all is well. He can see Gaia from his position and yells at them for lying. Baal wants this thing to be more effective at turning things to stone. When the commanders ask why they're making this, Baal says it's not their position to know. He wants growth, the commanders promise it will, and he laughs evilly. Guys, I think Baal is evil.
Justin uses this time to sneak onto the floor. He thinks we fan kill Gaia, so he smashes the control panel. The commanders notice their sworn enemy is here and rush forward to fight. But the effects of the broken machine happen. Gaia tentacles explode from the floor. Something else begins to appear in the middle. The commanders think retreat is wise, so they leave. The soldiers in the room try to follow but get turned to stone. The Spirit Stone emits a green glow around the party, which protects us from the effects. Gaia now appears, and a boss battle happens!
Gaia Battler has two arms. One arm is weak to magic and the other to physical damage. Each has their own HP bar and act independently. Gaia does high physical damage to one player, can do a devastating electrical attack to everyone, and can poison players around him. The three together are pretty fast, and even alone, the Battler is quick. Go all out to destroy the arms. Split up your party after and have Feena use magic, Rapp should be equipped with throw weapons, and Justin and Miluda have plenty of HP to withstand as long as you remember to heal.
Gaia dies and drops a piece of itself on the ground. Miluda thinks we may be able to reverse engineer a cure for the petrification from it, so we take it. Feena has a strange look on her face... On the way out of the Tower, we can see some petrified soldiers. But we'll try to save them…
…tomorrow.
I looked it up, and we have seventeen more dungeons to go to, not counting backtracking. Grandia is gonna make LoD look like a short game...
Monday, July 26, 2021
Another long dungeon...
The boat arrives at the edge of the Virgin Forest. Feena remarks how alien it looks, and Justin agrees. He's mostly daydreaming about Alent because he has a one track mind. Feena says that she kinda appreciates that.
Virgin Forest is very similar to the Valley of Dragons. There are plants that try to eat us all over the place. The mob variety is far less, though. There are roly polys and butterflies. There's a more powerful roly poly in the fourth section of the map, but it has the same attacks. Everything easily dies to physical attacks, but I used this time to keep leveling my magic, which was less effective. I made it much more arduous for me, but each character gained five or six new spells here. The music is a strange bit of didgeridoo played at what might be called a melody. I wasn't into it. Enjoy long maze dungeon number a lot.
Before we exit section one, we see an old acquaintance. It's Guido, the Mogay we met in Dight Inn. Justin's totally forgotten his name! Regardless, he invites the Brave Couple in to eat some carrots and have a rest. Despite being nowhere near Gumbo, he knows what we did to the town. That night, he asks us what we've been up to, and we tell him.
We can ask him about the Spirit Stone. Guido says it means the Spirits have accepted us as someone important.
When we ask him how far we are from Alent, he'll tell us he doesn't know. He has faith we'll make it, being chosen by the Spirits and whatnot. Just as long as Justin remains himself.
Asking him about his people, Guido tells us everyone is searching for "it." Feena asks what "it" is, to which we learn "it" is something that will save the world. The Mogay believe the world is about to end. Guido thinks an adventurer like Justin should have been able to realize that, but our teenage hero hasn't. Maybe if we travel more... We all then hit the hey and get a good night's rest.
In the morning, Guido asks us to pay for the room and board. We're a little annoyed, assuming it was a treat, but we pay up anyway. It's only 100G. Justin calls Guido a great salesman, which makes our bunny boy light up. He wishes us well, and we dig deeper into the forest.
At the end of section two, we see a young boy blocking our path. He asks us why we have such short ears before realizing we must be in league with the rat people in the tower. Legitimately now knowing what that is, we ask him to elaborate. Instead, he turns into a leaf tornado and teleports away in search of someone named Rapp. After a loading screen, we hear voices telling us to stop. Justin calls them out for being cowards, which plays right into their trap. We're standing over an obvious pitfall, so we do the obvious thing. Justin and Feena are brought before a group of people headed by a slightly older boy. This is Rapp. He grills us on our allegiance to the rat people but refuses to believe we're telling the truth. Rapp tells his young friend to return to the village. Justin and Rapp have been going back and forth, so our hero thinks this means we're going to be ambushed soon. We should try to get a one-on-one fight before they return. Rapp is confident he's stronger than us, so he accepts. Alas, before we can duel, we hear a scream nearby. Nicky, the young boy, and the rest of the group have been attacked. With more pressing matters, Rapp goes to that. Being the great heroes we are, we follow. A Treat has ambushed the group, and only we can save it.
Being a giant tree means you're weak to fire. Unleashing as many fire based moves as I could, I took care of most of the Arm and Flower. This is a battle with three separate targets, none of which share an HP bar. The Arm only seemed to do a close ranged AoE attack, and the Flower performed a move called Flower Beam. It didn't target anyone and missed. Rapp only has low level fire magic, but Justin and Feena are rocking 10+, so we more than made up for our new party member. We barely took any damage, so I guess Grimwale was an outlier.
Rapp and Co. are glad we helped. It mended any animosity the two groups had for each other, and Rapp joins the party. He suggests we all head to his village, Cafu, and get a lay of the land. He tells Nicky to return to town ahead of us and get things in order. They do, and we make our way through the last section. The only items in the entirety of the forest worth getting are here. There's an MP up Seed and a Leaf Shield. There was an Agility up seed somewhere in here, too, though... In time, we'll reach the world map of this new continent! Without markers, I have no bearing, so let's head to Cafu. Everyone is mad at Rapp for inviting us, outsiders, into town with permission. He assures them he'll settle things. Our mission now is to head the Chief. But I went to restock my gear. I upgraded my weapons and most of my armor. I didn't pay attention to the prices and bought a shield worth 18000 Gold. It has an interesting effect that I've forgotten, but I'm sure it's great! Once again, I'm poor, so I head to the inn. We can't rest because the keeper hates us, but we can save.
We'll see the Chief tomorrow!
I'm glad to be back, even if I had to trek through another terrible dungeon in Grandia. I should look up grinding strats soon. Feena and Justin have level 10 on everything and have most, if not all, of their first and second level magics known. Feena knows all her moves, and Justin is only missing the very late games ones. Should I try to rush the plot before I get burnt out? This is already a long game, and I don't want to make it longer. Let's not have a Legend of Dragoon on our hands.
Virgin Forest is very similar to the Valley of Dragons. There are plants that try to eat us all over the place. The mob variety is far less, though. There are roly polys and butterflies. There's a more powerful roly poly in the fourth section of the map, but it has the same attacks. Everything easily dies to physical attacks, but I used this time to keep leveling my magic, which was less effective. I made it much more arduous for me, but each character gained five or six new spells here. The music is a strange bit of didgeridoo played at what might be called a melody. I wasn't into it. Enjoy long maze dungeon number a lot.
Before we exit section one, we see an old acquaintance. It's Guido, the Mogay we met in Dight Inn. Justin's totally forgotten his name! Regardless, he invites the Brave Couple in to eat some carrots and have a rest. Despite being nowhere near Gumbo, he knows what we did to the town. That night, he asks us what we've been up to, and we tell him.
We can ask him about the Spirit Stone. Guido says it means the Spirits have accepted us as someone important.
When we ask him how far we are from Alent, he'll tell us he doesn't know. He has faith we'll make it, being chosen by the Spirits and whatnot. Just as long as Justin remains himself.
Asking him about his people, Guido tells us everyone is searching for "it." Feena asks what "it" is, to which we learn "it" is something that will save the world. The Mogay believe the world is about to end. Guido thinks an adventurer like Justin should have been able to realize that, but our teenage hero hasn't. Maybe if we travel more... We all then hit the hey and get a good night's rest.
In the morning, Guido asks us to pay for the room and board. We're a little annoyed, assuming it was a treat, but we pay up anyway. It's only 100G. Justin calls Guido a great salesman, which makes our bunny boy light up. He wishes us well, and we dig deeper into the forest.
At the end of section two, we see a young boy blocking our path. He asks us why we have such short ears before realizing we must be in league with the rat people in the tower. Legitimately now knowing what that is, we ask him to elaborate. Instead, he turns into a leaf tornado and teleports away in search of someone named Rapp. After a loading screen, we hear voices telling us to stop. Justin calls them out for being cowards, which plays right into their trap. We're standing over an obvious pitfall, so we do the obvious thing. Justin and Feena are brought before a group of people headed by a slightly older boy. This is Rapp. He grills us on our allegiance to the rat people but refuses to believe we're telling the truth. Rapp tells his young friend to return to the village. Justin and Rapp have been going back and forth, so our hero thinks this means we're going to be ambushed soon. We should try to get a one-on-one fight before they return. Rapp is confident he's stronger than us, so he accepts. Alas, before we can duel, we hear a scream nearby. Nicky, the young boy, and the rest of the group have been attacked. With more pressing matters, Rapp goes to that. Being the great heroes we are, we follow. A Treat has ambushed the group, and only we can save it.
Being a giant tree means you're weak to fire. Unleashing as many fire based moves as I could, I took care of most of the Arm and Flower. This is a battle with three separate targets, none of which share an HP bar. The Arm only seemed to do a close ranged AoE attack, and the Flower performed a move called Flower Beam. It didn't target anyone and missed. Rapp only has low level fire magic, but Justin and Feena are rocking 10+, so we more than made up for our new party member. We barely took any damage, so I guess Grimwale was an outlier.
Rapp and Co. are glad we helped. It mended any animosity the two groups had for each other, and Rapp joins the party. He suggests we all head to his village, Cafu, and get a lay of the land. He tells Nicky to return to town ahead of us and get things in order. They do, and we make our way through the last section. The only items in the entirety of the forest worth getting are here. There's an MP up Seed and a Leaf Shield. There was an Agility up seed somewhere in here, too, though... In time, we'll reach the world map of this new continent! Without markers, I have no bearing, so let's head to Cafu. Everyone is mad at Rapp for inviting us, outsiders, into town with permission. He assures them he'll settle things. Our mission now is to head the Chief. But I went to restock my gear. I upgraded my weapons and most of my armor. I didn't pay attention to the prices and bought a shield worth 18000 Gold. It has an interesting effect that I've forgotten, but I'm sure it's great! Once again, I'm poor, so I head to the inn. We can't rest because the keeper hates us, but we can save.
We'll see the Chief tomorrow!
I'm glad to be back, even if I had to trek through another terrible dungeon in Grandia. I should look up grinding strats soon. Feena and Justin have level 10 on everything and have most, if not all, of their first and second level magics known. Feena knows all her moves, and Justin is only missing the very late games ones. Should I try to rush the plot before I get burnt out? This is already a long game, and I don't want to make it longer. Let's not have a Legend of Dragoon on our hands.
Saturday, July 24, 2021
What makes a good video game soundtrack?
What makes a good OST? Is it location appropriate melodies? Highly orchestrated masterpieces worthy of Wagner? What about a sad guy with a barely tuned guitar? These are more rhetorical questions I won't be answering! But I just want to talk about my favorite soundtracks, point out specific songs I love, and try to (poorly) explain why. My TV isn't back yet, and I've no idea why. Well, I have some ideas, but some are tragic, and all are out of my hands!
Ten:
Final Fantasy XIII
FFXIII is, by most accounts, a terrible game. And it is! The characters are boring, the world feels empty, the plot sucks, the characters are boring, and the battle system is lame. But that carries into a nice note that makes me happy. The music is so nice. It's relaxing, fun, and even the action pieces are pretty good. It's great to know that even bad games can have good things in them. It sounds dumb to write that, but it's something that sometimes needs to be read. The soundtrack was composed by Masashi Hamauzi, another name I don't know much about.
"The Promise" is the theme of FFXIII. It gets variations often throughout the game, almost to the point where it's annoying. It's still pretty good, though, and there's enough on around it to make it perfectly listenable.
"Daddy's Got the Blues" was my underrated song from XIII. The first song on this list to feature a harmonica, so you know it's special. It plays a blues riff on the mouth harp until a sad guitar, kinda tuned, kicks in. It's slow at first, but eventually, the guitar gets a fun rhythm going under that harmonica solo. I don't drink, so I would never do this, but I've always been interested in that lonely, dusty, after last call bar scene. It's something straight outta Cowboy Bebop, my dude.
"Gapra Whitewood" has an ambient feel to it. A synthetic piano plays, seemingly, random notes, while a woman chants stuff in a made up language. It definitely feels like we're in an active crystalline forest, but there's something not natural going on underneath. The actual dungeon has Lightning and Hope exploring a research facility containing nasty biological sentiment weapons.
"Serah's Theme" is a vocal version of The Promise, but I've had it stuck in my head for years now. The lyrics are about overcoming fate in the name of love. The singer is amazing, and we can understand why it would become overly common in future Nova Chrysalis games.
"Dust to Dust" plays in Oerba Village, the home of Vanille and Fang. I like Vanille, and I don't care what anybody says. The city has been abandoned for centuries, and the only resident in a long dead robot friend of our two teammates who we can revive. A female singer sings in an almost chanting way. There are lyrics, but I can't quite figure out the meaning of the four lined poem. It's got that sad vibe you all know I go for.
Nine:
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Motoi Sakuraba can be a bit hit and miss with his compositions. I sometimes feel like a lot of his stuff sounds the same. Some of his Valkyrie Profile songs sound like Star Ocean Two tracks, for example. Fortunately, they're all really good. Many of his albums seem to focus on rock and action stuff in dungeons. But this makes his relaxing town songs all the more amazing.
Shigo Forest's theme is "The Venerable Forest." It's where the game's plot begins, so it's a good place for the music to kickstart, too. It's a very special place for Rena, one half of our main characters, for reasons I won't spoil. Sakuraba did a great job making us feel like we're lost in some ancient, sacred wood somewhere with the use of woodwinds to provide wind sounds. It just makes sense. There's also a not-guitar making strumming sounds and a not-piano playing a melody on top of it all.
Expel's Overworld, "Field of Expel," fills me with all that a good Overworld theme should. I want to wander and find that mythical bird to treat my friend of his dragon possession! It starts off bombastic with a clang of regalness you'd expect to hear from an army of medieval knights going to war. It sounds like that for a few loops before a flute comes in to change things up a little before a quick build up to a second act. A sudden battle of drummer boys takes place before we repeat it all again. Time moves on, but the drums never stop. But if you listen enough, the whole thing changes entirely. It calms down and lets the flute shine again. I don't remember it being this long, but it's a neat treat for those who grind on the world map.
"KA.MI.KA.ZE" is the solid rock song we need to get through whatever lies in our way. Namely, the final dungeon on disk one. We've spent the whole game trying to get here, but now we're trapped on the continent of El. The Eluria Tower is where the Sorcery Globe landed, or is being kept, at least. As we climb the tower, we see the original inhabitants of this kingdom turned to crystal. A twist only Claude knows is learned here, and the music fits the frantic climb and rush against time that we're on with that excessive snare.
"Misty Rain" plays after the destruction of a certain city. A two fold attack of an earthquake followed by a tsunami leaves this once bustling port gone. Not just ruined but wiped off the map. It's one of the most stunning CGI scenes on the PS1. It's just a few notes on an improperly tuned not-piano, but seeing everything we just witnessed after spending so much time in the town, leaves us devastated. And this doesn't help our mood.
Arlia is another peaceful hamlet that I'd like to live in one day if I can survive without internet. "Pure a Stream" is a short tune filled with woodwinds and a harp playing in the background. Occasionally, it rises to prominence just to let you know it's watching, hoping you're enjoying the fresh air and smell of penguin. ...Huh!?
The fact I'm leaving out the "Theme of Rena" disgusts me. Other songs I want to write about: "We Form in Crystals," "A Quirk of Fate," "Use One's Illusions," "White the Heart."
Eight:
Transistor
While made by the same team that developed Bastion, Transistor is a whole different monster. Tactical action narrated by a sword with some warm and dulcet electronic music. Pyre may be medieval lute music, Bastion is a blues guitar, but Transistor feels more like a synthwave album. But I'm pretty sure it's all recorded on a guitar!
I'm gonna do something different for these next two. I could easily type about the best five tracks Ashley Barnett sings, but that's boring. Instead, I'm gonna categorize the next two. Saddest, most rocking, most chill, best vocals, and favorite.
"Gold Leaf" plays after the first boss fight with Sybil. It's a chaotic battle with the strangest music in the game that may just be the heaviest. You two wreaked the venue where the last concert will ever take place. You tore the house down, not with voice but with sword. There's a fan theory about Sybil that she's in love with Red, so you may have just released your secret admirer. Either way, she can finally rest in the country, uncorrupted by The Process. Gold Leaf brings the weight of the action onto your shoulders, and you're gonna feel it.
Due to my restrictions, the only song that fits the rocking anthem is "Apex Beat." It's the fastest tempoed song on the OST, so it wins by default. Fortunately, it's spectacular. It's got some quick piano arpeggios over a blasting EDM drum beat. A guitar kicks in to provide some much needed unease. Then, suddenly, it stops. It slows down to a dramatic crawl. The drums play something almost relaxing but build up to a piano that plays the same guitar riff. It takes us back to the loop.
This is not a relaxing soundtrack. There are only two that fit, and "Sandbox" is the best. Our talking sword can open up wormholes in the city, leading us to our own private beach. The only there is our dog and a boom box. But why use the boombox when we have a luau to attend? Gotta dig that ukulele.
"We All Become" could have fit in for all of these categories. The music starts slow and relaxing, but a rocking guitar hits pretty quickly. Despite the pace picking up, Red doesn't change melody or veracity. She remains calm and cool in this chaos. She gets a bit louder in verse two but doesn't match the band. But at the end of the chorus, she picks it up. Still calm but forceful, it rings out through everyone and silences the band behind her. The lyrics are about intentionally not fitting in with sketchy people and shine through as she chants the title until the end.
"In Circles" is amazing. That being said, the corrupted version played in the Sybil fight cuts deep. The lyrics are about someone watching a terrible person try to find themselves and failing. The watcher attempts to help, but you can't save those who don't want to be saved. The echoing terror of the chorus is haunting. "But I won't save you."
Seven:
Bastion
The first game released by Supergiant Games has a masterful soundtrack by Darren Korb. I've written a song about Bastion and tried to mash up a few from the game for the tribute. I lost the lyrics and forgot how to play the guitar, so RIP me, yeah? It's a fun hack 'n' slash with a bluesy guitar theme for every location. There are not too many tracks, but every one of them is what I want.
Most of the songs on the album are bluesy guitar stuff that you'd expect to hear in a smokey bar. There's a hint of despair in a lot of them, but nothing that really gets ya down. "Sole Regret" may come the closest. It's one of the slower songs, and that start up really sets the table. An echoey resonator plays something barely resembling a melody until it gives way to a real downer of an actual tune in time. For much of the song, we hear the resonator play a chord and slide to another. And then it does it again with another progression. It goes on like that for a while. A second guitar joins in to play something more akin to a solo over it that never makes the listener feel any happier.
"Terminal March" begins with pots and pans being hit and scraped together. It builds up to the best out of tune, one stringed guitar solo ever recorded. It's probably not a guitar and might be something middle eastern, but what do I know? The same untuned monster occasionally widdles away at something wild and crazy. This all combines into something avant-garde but totally rocking four minutes of a concert I'd like to see (from a distance).
In an album filled with muddled waters, what is the most relaxing? "Slinger's Song." Its whole shtick is a mellow riff that I'd expect to come out of an RL Burnside album. There's a hypnotic drum beat throughout the entire piece that doesn't change one bit. The guitar riffs gives way to a chorus that seems to slow down even more despite the tempo being as standard as time. I get a real cruise vibe from the piece, which might be why I used it as the basis for my Bastion song I wrote back in college.
There are four vocal songs in Bastion. "Setting Sail, Coming Home" combines two of them. Zia's theme, "Build that Wall," is probably the better of the songs, but the way both of them intermingle and form one ultra theme that really shows the duality of the game. Bastion has two endings. I don't remember exact specifics, but I recall them being loosely linked to these two characters. The other being Zulf. Ashley Barnett's voice can sometimes overpower Korb's, but maybe that's by design?
"The Pantheon (Ain't Gonna Get Ya)" is a strange song to list here. For starters, it doesn't get the attention the others do. That might be because Logan Cunningham doesn't have the same chops as the other two, but the song isn't about singing ability. Of all the back bar blues we've listened to during the game, this is the best one. Many of the old blues singers aren't that great vocally, but they don't need to be. They got soul! Cunningham is perfect. I dig me some gravel, brother! The song is a few chords played while the singer sings about being abandoned by all the supposed gods in the game. We get a glimpse of something greater in this broken world. Supergiant Games has this annoying habit of making us ask questions about the worlds they put us in, but they never answer any of them. This is the closest we get to anything about Calondia's origins. We never learn exactly how this world came to be or anything like that. Just two factions at war, and here we are. It's by design, of course, so I'm not mad. I just want something to dig my teeth into. So let's learn about the gods while The Kid does all the hard work.
Six:
Final Fantasy VII
Its OST is as iconic as its story and gameplay. Top tier character themes and memorable locations flood my mind when I try to think of my favorite songs from FFVII. Nobuo Uematsu's first foray into non-MIDI music stands the test of time as one of the greats. It's not just nostalgia that makes everyone love this PS1 classic, but the standout pianos, far range of moods, and the first, honest, orchestrated song in the series.
"One Winged Angel" is Sephiroth's final boss theme. You know things are going to get real when the scary violins kick hard at the start. I didn't even know a violin could be scary in 1997. And then they break when the guitar starts going widely widely widely. Everything comes back in to build up over several riffs to crescendo into quasi vocal singing in Latin. Everyone's a final boss until the real final boss appears with his disembodied female Latin choir. Shout out to Carl Orff for writing O Fortuna in the 13th century. What would this song be without you? Sephiroth is one of the most popular villains in JRPGs, or any genre, and this song is one of the reasons why. Using a whole bottle of shampoo seems wasteful, but it's a much needed sacrifice. Don't ever say I don't like rock songs in video games.
"Cosmo Canyon"/"Red's Theme" won my Final Fantasy Music Challenge for best town theme. The drum based, earthen instrumentation really sticks out in this post steampunk, industrial world. Cosmo Canyon studies the planet and the stars, not oil and weaponry. It makes so much sense for the theme to be played on native instruments and not high tech synths and electronic thingys. It probably still was, but it's the thought that counts. And Nanaki being such an intriguing character to tie it to just makes it better.
"Under The Rotting Pizza" has the best name and the best drum beat. I'll be honest, this is an anomaly for me as it tags nothing I love. It's just so damn catchy! I'm all about that bass today.
I talked about "The Prelude" in my first FFVII playthrough, and I feel the need to have at least one such track in this topic. The slowed down, mellow version we get is probably the best of these iconic arpeggios. I love me songs that stop the threat of anxiety.
"Flowers Blooming in the Church"/"Aerith's Theme" is the most important song in any video game. It might not be the best, but it's the most heartfelt. I've called Aerith my Jesus, which is still nonsensical. I remember what my neighbor was doing while I saw that scene happen. I don't have memories tied to other such events, though. I've said a lot already over the last year about Aerith, but this is the perfect song. Valse Aerith!
"Seventh Heaven" not being here is gonna upset the simps. "The Turks Theme," "Corel Prison," "Anxiety," and the "Overworld" are all solid choices too.
Five:
Neir: Gestalt/Replicant
I don't remember which I played, but I first played the X-Box 360 version on a whim when I rented the game to end summer of 2013. I expected it to be mediocre but was blown away by everything. I thought the characters were unique and interesting. The plot was something I've never experienced before, even if we only learned what made it note worthy on second and subsequent play throughs. But the music! My god, the music! It's the best soundtrack I've heard since Final Fantasy X. It's filled with sad guitars for my mellow mind, and the fast paced, action bits aren't your typical affair. Their BPM is still high, but there's something different about them. It can be a little repetitive with all the variations on themes, but it's all fun enough to listen to many, many times. Nier became almost the soundtrack to my college. I took so many quality naps to this. There's an abundance of mellow tunes, as well as industrial tracks you'd expect to hear in old ruins.
Many of the songs have multiple composers, but Keiichi Okabe is the common denominator, so I'll laud his work over everyone else. I've never heard of him before playing the game, and I haven't played anything by him since (yet). I don't know if I will since I don't care about Tekken, but I kinda really want to.
"Hills of Radiant Winds," I believe, is the field theme that plays when we're north of the town. It's been seven years since I last played Nier, so forgive me if I'm wrong. It's one of the faster songs in the game, but somehow still peaceful. One of the twins, Devola and Popula, is singing a song in their made up language. Continuing with my assumptions, is this orchestrated? I hear a brass section and several strings, so I'm going with yes. But unlike many of my gripes with 120 piece bands, there's melody here. I'd ride a wild boar to this song! Also, we'll hear the vocal melody often throughout the rest of the OST.
"Grandma" is a slightly frantic piano piece with another sad female singer over it, giving us a very different melody. Despite being frantic, it's still filled with sorrow. A song linked to the tragic tale of Kaine, who has so many strange twists I won't begin to discuss here in case anyone seeing this for the first time hasn't played the game. But the fact I can remember Kaine's tale so well, so long ago, tells how powerful this track is.
"Yonah" is about our daughter, a rarity in video games, and why I'm team Papa Nier for life. There are four variations in the OST, but I'm leaning on the second pluck version. The strings and piano versions are almost too sad, and the first pluck track is just a good in between. I'm feeling pretty plucky right now, so let's dance. I think the main melody is based on the theme, which might be why I'm partial to this one. There's still a sense of uncertainty in the strings. Will be able to cure Yonah of the disease ravaging mankind, or will she become another statistic. I really want to save this little girl, guys.
"Kaine / Salvation" is slower than "Escape," which makes it all the motivation I need to like it. The lyrics are the same, probably, but Salvation fits the sorrows of our …maiden better. Again, she's such an interesting character that I don't want to spoil anything. She's tragic, this version is tragic, it's tragic I can't talk more. I want to replay Nier!
"Song of the Ancients," Hollow Dreams especially, is a top tier town theme. I think it was the town theme… I prefer this version because it makes me feel so bubbly. Both women get to sing their tracks over this oddly Mediterranean style instrumentation. It's calming, makes me want to dance, and crushes you when you learn something later.
Shout out to "Shadowlord" for beings rocking! Both "Emil" tracks are great, as are "Ashes of Dreams." The rest of the soundtrack is filled with amazing, fast paced dungeon action tunes, too.
Four:
Final Fantasy IX
If Final Fantasy X isn't Nobuo Uematsu's magnum opus, then Final Fantasy IX is. It's the last FF game Uematsu composed on his lonesome. The game is a tribute to all the games that have come before. Besides "Gulg Volcano," though, I don't know how much the old games mattered on this one. He spent two weeks traveling Europe, looking at medieval castles, which he only, kinda, used as inspiration. But IX was a glorious return to high fantasy, so it worked.
It blends everything anyone looks for in a massive, 140 track OST. It's slow paced and emotional, and there's enough to keep us awake with quick tempo rock. It has one of the best relaxing songs alongside a great villain with guitars. Character themes return, and they're all great. Even if you barely hear one of them because who is Amarant?
"Dark Messenger" is Trance Kuja's metal theme. It starts with an ominous church organ that plays on a variation on his normal theme. It's just to get us warmed up because that guitar hook changes everything. It keeps playing some tasty riffs until a keyboard joins in with some prog rock scales. A traditional piano takes us back to the loop with that guitar hook. It's a lot ominous and only sorta fits him. Kuja doesn't come off as the rock and roller you'd think this song would be written for, but he is the god of death…I think Kuja cheats with his turn order in this fight, and that makes everything feel frantic. This playing in the background doesn't help us get our bearings.
"Rose of May" is the best villain theme that doesn't belong to a final boss. When we first meet General Beatrix, she's killing all the rats. She then beats us up with nary a hair upon her head touched. She does it again later, but we give chase! When we first hear this song, it throws you for a loop. Why does a war criminal have such a peaceful and sad song as her theme? A sorrowful piano plays before continuing to play something a bit more upbeat. But there's still a sense of foreboding about. We learn something shortly after hearing the piece for the first time, and that's that she isn't as ruthless as we're led to believe. She's having her doubts about her Queen and is simply following orders. I won't get onto the ethics of such acts here, but this classically inspired piece of chivalry works perfectly.
"Melodies of Life" is the theme of FFIX. It's a motif we'll hear a few times, mostly involving Garnet. It's a peaceful vocal piece, where a female singer goes "la la lala" for a while. I think it's supposed to be a lullaby passed down in Maiden Sari, which becomes a plot point when Eiko does it too. Garnet is the main heroine, so anything to build her story up is always good. A piece of music rarely does that in JRPGs, I feel. At least not as obvious and upfront.
"Crossing Those Hills" is one of my favorite Overworld themes. I think I called it my third. It starts off with seemingly random bleeping noises before the melody, which I think might be a variation on "Melodies of Life," joins in over it. I don't know the instrument playing, but it's piano-esq. Woodwinds join in on subsequent loops before a piano-esq solo happens, and we start again. It's a prime example of wanderlust caused by Overworld themes. They're supposed to give you a desire to get up and travel, explore, and see the world. When "Crossing Those Hills" plays, I feel like even I can go somewhere, and it'll be a-okay.
"Border Village, Dali" is the uncrowned king of peaceful vibes. This random village in the middle of nowhere is as laid back as can be. Or so you'd think. What once was a farming community hides a deep secret that this track belies. I kinda don't like that lack of suspense with something like that just beneath the surface, but that makes the reveal all the more shocking! A sleepy hamlet I might want to visit during my travels ends up manufacturing war machines! Who'd a thunk it?
I weep because I can't write about the other 100 songs. "A Place to Return To," "Vamo Ala Flamenco," "Freya's Theme," "Lindblum," "South Gate," "Esto Gaza," and "You Are Not Alone," for example.
Three:
Chrono Cross
Another game (I'm doing this in reverse order) that I rambled about and another example of a setting theme done right. The entire game takes place in a tropical archipelago, and the music fits perfectly. All of the cities have the exotic feeling that my midwestern Americana face will never experience. Wikipedia informs me Yasunori Mitsuda based the songs and instrumentation on Mediterranean, African, and other cultures. I can definitely hear the Roman world influences, but I have very little knowledge of African influences. I'll be honest, though, not expecting to see those as the inspiration. I was expecting Indonesian, but that might just be because that's the first location I think of when I think about archipelagos.
But even the pieces that aren't based on a location are outstanding! The pianos, guitars, and other assortment of instruments you'd expect to hear in a game are all here and make for some primo chill times. It's another beach day where we wait to sail the peaceful sea…right up until we need to feel things. When the OST gets heavy, it's a ten ton weight dropped onto your head at terminal velocity.
"The Girl Who Stole the Stars" was a song I wanted to fit into my Schala tribute. I got the first few notes in, but something felt off. And that's why I stopped writing music. Anyway, it's a somber piece about the only other character in the manual. She's a girl with attitude and ambitions but hides a past filled with tragedy, loss, and confusing time ripples. To anyone who hears the song without knowing that past, they'd be pretty confused. If you've played Chrono Trigger and can make heads and tails of the connection, though, you know it fits perfectly.But you are also, probably, confused too.
"Radical Dreamers" is proof that a simple production gets amazing results. All it is is someone playing a forlorn melody on a guitar while a woman sings a language I don't know. The recording isn't "quote" professional, but that's what I love about it. Being able to hear the guitarist's fingers slide across the strings gives us that feeling and soul that orchestrated and overproduced tracks can't touch. The lyrics are about someone looking for someone else. They've searched through all of time and space to find them even though they don't know the other's name. All the singer wants to do is share their experiences before time makes fools of them, as time is want to do. The song has several variations elsewhere in the OST. We'll hear it again in the Home World island song along with "To Far Away Time" from Chrono Trigger. It also appears in "Life ~' A Distant Promise" at the end of the game. It's the best Ending Credits song ever recorded.
"Reminiscing" is a happy song, and I fight you to the earliest of inconvenience to prove it! It plays somewhat often in the game, always during a wonderfull memory. When Leena thinks about her lost love, Serge, we're hearing this. It fills her with a sense of happiness, to recall pleasant times she'd long forgotten, but it, like the melody, fills her with sorrow. These events are gone. Her Serge is dead. Why bother thinking about them if they bring sadness now? It's a common theme in CC: loss. We see how people deal with their loss and grief across both worlds in El Nido, and "Reminiscing" is of great importance to these scenes.
An actual happy song, "Another Termina"! Yes, it's a token happy song, but it's still fun. Termina is in the middle of a big festival, and this piece shows it. It also reminds us of the location based inspiration I talked up but haven't bothered touching on yet. The instruments are vaguely woodwind but don't seem to be clarinet or flute based. The guitars don't seem to sound European, and there's definitely something maraca-esq going on. What's with that springy sound in the background, though? It all forms something fun and upbeat, which I am against! I'll let it slide because of how lively the town is right now. It's probably the jauntiest song in the OST, which is nice because we just found out we died, and the plot of the game is about to get even stranger. I do wish "Home Termina" were a bit less frantic for a fun comparison. Should have played a sad song on your hurdy-girdy, Matsuda.
"Dream of the Shore Near Another World" is another one of those greatest songs ever put into a video game category. It has the guitar I crave, but a nice violin joins in to really reach those strange places I'm uncomfortable with (no). It has a short repeat, but it never gets old. The hour long version on YouTube flies by. It feels like it could be a sad song, and it feels like it should be a sad song, but is it? I've always gotten a sense of hope and longing from this piece. It's as though it's about overcoming the grief and loss we felt talking to Leena in Another Arni. It fills me with nostalgia but the type where you don't need to feel it anymore. "That was fun, but lets create new memories!" It gives me more wanderlust to travel and see new things. Maybe I'll see the sea one day and become a fisherman?
How did I leave out "Arni Village," "Time's Scar," "Garden of the Gods," and "Frozen Flame"?
Two:
Final Fantasy X
I wrote a fair bit about my feelings on FFX's music when I wrote my review, so I'll sum it up here. Final Fantasy X does a great mix of putting players in a location. All the future beachside resorts make you feel like you're at the beach, and you know something big is happening when the music amps up. For the most part, all the character themes fit their character perfectly. Tidus' seems a little off, but it's a really nice song on its own. It's filled with peaceful guitar music, which is just what I love in a soundtrack. But it also does the rock and fast paced melodies better than anything else.
Nobuo Uematsu may be the most prolific composer in video game history, and this is his magnum opus. Now, yes, he didn't compose every track, so I won't argue if you disagree, but this was the end of the golden age of Final Fantasy and JRPGs. Just based on music alone, it went out with a bang.
"Besaid" is the ultimate beach day song. If I ever see the ocean, I'm making a playlist of as many versions and covers as I can. That not-piano buildup starts the tune off and builds up to the chillest jaunt you can do. It's like a free and easy walk in the sand. I have no idea what that drum in the background is supposed to be, though. A steel drum, perhaps? Regardless, the actual piano takes all of our attention until it changes again. It's somehow even more relaxing. We've found our spot on the beach, set our umbrella up, and it's time to space out.
"Spira Unplugged" is just so catchy. It's duel guitarists trying to play the most relaxing thing they can. And they did! As though neither of them tried to, they both meld into a masterpiece. They are, of course, but I'm a terrible musician and have no idea how to write a good song. FFX is a heavy game with no good ending. You wouldn't know it by listening to this with the video plugs disconnected while standing in the ruins of Kilika, though.
"To Zanarkand" is the first song you hear. Not only that, but it's a common theme you'll listen to a few more times. It's maybe the saddest song in the whole game. A lone, sorrowful piano plays as the party remembers all the trials and tribulation they've gone through. Despite it being so sad, it offers us a glimmer of hope. It gets pretty exciting at one point. It gives us even more reason to advance when it reappears in Movement in Green on the Moonflow. But to mess us up more, a third version plays when we learn what's to come to Yuna, what has happened to Braska, and before the final boss. "The Truth Revealed" just hits hard. It's also a motif in "Sudeki De Na" and the Ending Theme. Remind me to check out the guitar version on Guitar Solo Final Fantasy Official Best Collection.
I'm a rocker at heart. I've been into heavy metal since my freshman year of high school. I've mellowed a lot since then, but I'll always dig me some "Otherworld." It's pure focused hard rock with chugging guitars, bass, drums, and unintelligible vocals. What's it about? I have no idea! But I don't need no instructions to know how to rock! "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"
"Someday the Dream Will End" is in my top four favorite game songs of all time. Everything I said about "To Zanarkand" can be said here, but there's something about "Dream" that makes it heavier. It plays during the battles en route to the Final Summoning. It beckons us forward despite all that we know. We know it's all fake. We can't save her. We know she's ready to accept this. The bit of hope we can make out is fleeting as we're painfully aware that all we're about to do, and all that we've done, will be largely for naught in a few years. It's a song that tells us there is no happy ending approaching. Not even the remaster dared to ruin this track. Hell, it might even be better. The way the flutes work with piano and that drumbeat behind it all is perfect.
"Wandering Flame," "Thunder Planes," "Yuna's Theme," "Auron's Theme," "Jecht's Theme," and "Servants of the Mountain" deserved better!
One:
Chrono Trigger
Does the soundtrack make the game the apex of game development, or does it being in the best game elevate it to such high standards? Who am I to ask such a question?
Chrono Trigger was the first game I played where I stopped what I was doing just to listen to the BGM. From the first time I inserted the disk into my Playstation, I knew it was playing with magic, just based on what I heard. I don't think it's possible to properly begin to explain how I felt. It filled me with nostalgia even though I was eleven and playing the game for the first time. The seductive MIDI blips of Wind Scene immediately taught me that this is magic. These are the mythical qualities that humans are capable of. We'll never be able to conjure apparitions to attack our foes or lay on hands to heal the sick and wounded. But mankind is capable of producing Chrono Trigger. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have Chrono Trigger's soundtrack. In 1995, Yasunori Mitsuda proved that he was the Great Sage we should all set out to be.
The Overworld for 1000 AD, "Peaceful Days," is the second most calming song I've ever heard. As it should be! The world is at peace, and the Millennial Fair is taking place! Just ignore Medina across the channel and their shady dreams of 400 years ago. It's got an upbeat vibe but isn't fast paced. It's an instant mood changer when you're down or just woke up.
"Wind Scene" is the fifth song you're likely to hear, and it's one of the greatest ever recorded. It sets out to give you a nostalgic feeling even though you've never experienced the year 600, in game or real life. The Middle Ages are a vital part of the history of CT and gets a big setup from people talking about the events that took place just before we reach it. It's best played on a guitar, in my opinion. That slow note intro that introduces us to the melody is so fun to play. Then it leads into the main part of the song that gives me more wanderlust.
65 Million BC's, "Rhythm of the Earth, Wind and Sky" is a song played by banging rocks together and hitting sticks. It's as earthen as you can get and a perfect example of music fitting the location. I don't think there were fancy church organs during this time frame.
"Corridors of Time" is, perhaps, one of the more famous songs in all of video gamedom. It has more covers and tributes than CT has songs across remasters. The mythical quality amps up for the legendary world of Zeal, from where most events in human history can trace back to: Magic, The Magi War, and The Black Omen. They all start here. And to say nothing of the Gurus and the effect they'd have on time. I always found it odd that it gave me a desert vibe. I guess our sage was looking for the lost and mysterious treasures of the Arabian peninsula when composing this piece.
"The End of Time" is a simple piece. It starts off with a sound reminiscent of a clock tick but ends up somewhere a bit unnerving. And then it changes again to a waltz. Maybe it's not so simple, after all? But we're at the end of time, and there's no Eternal Return. It's supposed to be strange! Does it make sense that only Earthlings are here? Or the only exit is to the end of a single world and not others? What about the convenient bridge to our time machine? Nothing matters except the world is over, and only we can save it. So dance to what has been before we fight the God of War!
I could go on and talk about "Secret of the Forest," "Schala's Theme," or Rick Roll everyone with "Robo's Theme," but I've said enough about Chrono Trigger.
And music as a whole, really. Did I need to make this a top ten? No. It's probably really repetitive, but I like to write. I'm no musician, though, so what do half of these words even mean? My TV should be back tomorrow. It'll take me the rest of forever to edit this (and the others), so Grandia disk 2 on Sunday!
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