So, let us get the obvious and the same thing everyone says out of the way. Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is a Legend of Zelda rip off. I knew that going in, and Cornfox & Bros didn't shy away from it. You take your silent protagonist onto a world map and explore a number of dungeons to collect ancient relics. In those dungeons, you'll need small keys to open doors, a boss key to fight the boss, and you'll get a giant treasure at some point. That giant chest is usually something to help you the rest of the game. You collect heart pieces to increase your maximum life and swing a sword that eventually shoots lasers out of it. Bombs, arrows, and reflective shields are also common. But what does Oceanhorn do differently than Zelda? The story is slightly more expansive. "Slightly." Our MC has backstory, his parents have backstories, and he lives in a world with backstory. Hyrule has history, sure, but if you don't know all the games are connected, then it's harder to connect those dots. I'm sure most gamers know about the Zelda timeline, but there should still be more recent occurrences to set apart each Hyrule. And, admittedly, the lore in Oceanhorn isn't the deepest. But it's still nice to have. But that's the Zelda comparison. How does Oceanhorn stand on its own? What sucks about it?
It's shallow. Main characters don't have names, secondary characters aren't important past their one scene, and the gameplay is very basic. Along with that, there's not a lot to explore. There are only a few small islands, and the dungeons aren't exactly memorable. Replayability is lacking because the sword is the only way to do any damage consistently, and there's no way to skip around and do a dungeon out of order.
But that's pretty much it for the outright negatives. There are a few wishy-washy stuff, though.
Many of the dungeons feel too much alike. The emblem zones are clearly distinct, but everything else is in a generic cave. Sometimes there will be mine tracks, and there once was lava. But, usually, it's just rock.
I enjoyed sailing the seas, but it's slow and a bit boring after a while, though. They give you a gun early on to shoot debris in the sea, but that doesn't amount to much once you've crossed the ocean enough times. It starts to feel like a chore. Sailing is fast enough that I won't deduct points, but that part of the game didn't hold up.
When the characters did show up, I enjoyed them. Our dad seemed interesting, and I want to know more about the Hermit. I think he's voiced by the same guy who did the narration on the Stanely Parable. Neeti could have fit into the story more, as could have the other races we saved. What's Rigger and the princess doing?
Neither of those were game breaking, though. So let's end with the good bits of Oceanhorn.
It's all solid. The combat works, the music is entertaining, and I enjoyed the challenges that give you EXP. And that's what you want in an action-adventure game. I had fun exploring the open islands that aren't one square area next to another square area. Keep in mind that Oceanhorn was originally designed as a phone game in 2013. I've only recently gotten a phone, but I can't imagine such a game being on that platform at the time. 3D graphics in a (kinda) open world was a pretty big deal back then. I know Gensin Impact does it, and there's a number of battle royal stuff for mobile these days, but Oceanhorn led the way. As far as I know. Again, I didn't get a phone until 2020.
Oceanhorn is a fun game if you're looking for a classic Zelda experience. And since it's been ported to every console, it's more accessible than Zelda. Don't expect an epic story, and keep your mind on the 90s. Do that, and you'll get a kick out of it. Nothing it does is awful, and it's a solid experience that only last fifteen hours. I bought it for eight bucks in 2015. and I have no regrets. There's also a direct sequel, but I don't know much about it. But I'd like to play it one day!
Story: quick ad to the point. Oceanhorn is about the gameplay, and the story leans into that. It's not groundbreaking, epic, or substantial, but it's enough to keep the flow. 7/10
Gameplay: Solid. Everything just works. The exploration is fun, and there's a surprisingly lot to do. It's best in bite sized chunks on the go. 6/10
Art Direction: Fitting. Things stick out when they need to, and the monsters all look different from one another. There's not a lot of variety in the dungeons or monsters, mind you...8/10
Music: Fun! It's a small game, but there's only a handful of songs you'll hear multiple times. Every piece is built around a different melody, which can get repetitive if you're stuck in a cave too long, but I found them relaxing. Nobuo Uematsu even wrote a track! 10/10
Charm: Fits the bill. I enjoyed our dad's notebook filled with his thoughts on all the islands. There's also an assortment of collectibles and sidequests. I really liked this tiny archipelago and want to know more about Arcadia. 8/10
Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted sea doesn't do anything spectacular. But it doesn't do anything wrong, either. If you need a classic Zelda fix, this is the best alternative. Especially because it's in more than one place! It's a very deserving 29/50 - 778%!
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Let's go sailing with Oceanhorn!
Saturday, October 29, 2022
The final battle.
This was a lot quicker than I thought it would be...
"The White City of Arcadia looks nothing like the capital of an ancient empire. What's all here now are a handful of nondescript ruins. I tossed aside a few of the small robot spiders and found a flute. My father's flute. I wondered why this could be here for a moment before I realized that he must be here. There was a ladder downward, and it took me to a single room.
Before that, though, was my father. He was alive but injured. He informed me that he tried to battle Oceanhorn himself but couldn't harm him. He did manage to disconnect him to the remaining Tritoth power grid. He seemed stable, which was a relief to me. But then Oceanhorn began to stir. My father asked me to run away, but I refused to leave him alone or let this monster keep terrorizing the world!
I was warned about Oceanhorn's death laser, but I knew I could use that against him. My Chronos Shield reflects everything, including this laser. If I remember correctly, the shield was designed to reflect Oceanhorn's laser and make it more powerful. The Coral Blade may have felled one of the three living fortresses, but it couldn't do any damage to Oceanhorn. Nor could bombs, arrows, or the pots strewn around the room. For that matter, the laser couldn't only damage a few areas of my opponent: the legs. Knocking down Oceanhorn revealed two blue spots of electricity. Oceanhorn gets back up fast, so speed was of utmost importance here. Once I damaged both of them, another red heart popped above the monster's head. Avoiding bombs, lasers, and regulating my lack of stamina made this battle tight, so I had to be in a zone during this.
But the battle was not over. Oceanhorn escaped my grasp, but he didn't run far. On the roof of this building is where we'd begin round two. Mezmeroth took control of the living fortress, so a two-on-one battle began. Although many small spiders would spawn during this. The presence of the archmage increased Oceanhorn's defense, but he also stopped using the death lasers. The power system that controlled Arcadia was on this roof and could be activated manually. Turning them on could create a beam of intense electricity that would knock down anything that connected with them. Making Oceanhorn kneel would disconnect Mezmeroth from his robotic shell, and he'd try to duel me. This battle went on and on. Whenever I had the mage on the ropes, he'd return to his monster. Again and again... Eventually, I noticed that there was a delay in Oceanhorn's reactivation. Maybe Oceanhorn was "free" during that time? I don't know what compelled me, but I skimmed through my dad's notebook as I sailed to the Arcadian Ruins. It said he's a descendant of a noble knight who was the pilot of Oceanhorn. I suppose that's the reason why he believed Oceanhorn was after him? But he's from that lineage, then so am I. My dad would always play a song on his flute. It's only a few notes long, but I know how to play them. While Mezmeroth tried to return to Oceanhorn, I played those notes.
Oceanhorn rejected his master. The beast was in my control; I was his pilot. The spirit of Mezmeroth isn't very strong, and I had Oceanhonr attack him. He did, and both fell into the ocean with a mighty blast. It was over.
My father joined me on that roof, and we finally reconnected. We sat for a moment by my boat, and he filled me in on what was in his notebook, the Arcadian inventor, Archimedes, and the living fortresses the empire thought would maintain world peace. More importantly, he decided that it was time to rebuild this world!
To whoever reads this book filled with memories from two people, thank you. This was a chronicle of stories that may one day become myths and legends. A part of me hopes that everyone forgets about Oceanhorn and myself. But, if it's being read, then I hope you enjoyed learning about Arcadia, Oceanhorn, and two members of a noble knight lineage.
-[the name is too smudged to read]"
It took 13:37 hours to beat Oceanhorn, and I did 96% of it. My perfect save file was a bit shorter but considered 100%. I booted it up after this to find a treasure I skipped, so it lied. But I fixed it! In all, Oceanhorn is a fun game. It's basic but worth a playthrough. But I'll get into details...
...tomorrow!
Friday, October 28, 2022
Optional
"I wanted to make sure the seas would be as safe as possible in case something happened to me. I also needed to make sure I was prepared.
Graveyard Island is filed, as you'd expect, by gravestones. Many give clues to ancient wars and heros, and I'd like to learn more about them when this is all over. Specifically, the one who taught me Cure. I followed the clues and story deep into the caverns until I found the massive relief on the floor. I hope whoever missed their loved ones can take solace in how much they'll going to help me in the upcoming fight. With only a small amount of mana, I get a healthy amount of HP back.
Far to the north is the mysterious Island of Whispers. On this island are the remains of a tiny village. The only inhabitants are nonhostile ghosts. Every time I try to approach them, all I hear are them asking for help. Elsewhere on the island, all I hear are whispers. There was a strange, blue skull in the middle of the village, and I felt the urge to destroy it. One of the ghosts nearby suddenly vanished, replaced by a gravestone that told me its story. Every villager is still here because of a tragedy in the past. As I sought out the other nine skulls, I learned that this village once housed an evil child. He was betrayed by a friend when that friend threw the child's toy into the canals. In the proceeding time frame, the child was betrayed again. He began to spend time alone, studying magic. He created at least two creatures that destroyed parts of the village. Many tried to stop the child, but none could. One day, researchers came to the island to study magic as well, but they fled and left their stuff behind. Using newfound information, the child created a monster. It was a massive version of the robot I found far too often on Sky Island. After liberating all ten cursed skulls, all the ghosts disappeared, the sky stopped raining, and the whispers stopped.
I wonder...was that child Mezmeroth?
Dad, I'm ending this tomorrow. You'll read these soon!"
This counts as celebrating Halloween.
Graveyard Island is filed, as you'd expect, by gravestones. Many give clues to ancient wars and heros, and I'd like to learn more about them when this is all over. Specifically, the one who taught me Cure. I followed the clues and story deep into the caverns until I found the massive relief on the floor. I hope whoever missed their loved ones can take solace in how much they'll going to help me in the upcoming fight. With only a small amount of mana, I get a healthy amount of HP back.
Far to the north is the mysterious Island of Whispers. On this island are the remains of a tiny village. The only inhabitants are nonhostile ghosts. Every time I try to approach them, all I hear are them asking for help. Elsewhere on the island, all I hear are whispers. There was a strange, blue skull in the middle of the village, and I felt the urge to destroy it. One of the ghosts nearby suddenly vanished, replaced by a gravestone that told me its story. Every villager is still here because of a tragedy in the past. As I sought out the other nine skulls, I learned that this village once housed an evil child. He was betrayed by a friend when that friend threw the child's toy into the canals. In the proceeding time frame, the child was betrayed again. He began to spend time alone, studying magic. He created at least two creatures that destroyed parts of the village. Many tried to stop the child, but none could. One day, researchers came to the island to study magic as well, but they fled and left their stuff behind. Using newfound information, the child created a monster. It was a massive version of the robot I found far too often on Sky Island. After liberating all ten cursed skulls, all the ghosts disappeared, the sky stopped raining, and the whispers stopped.
I wonder...was that child Mezmeroth?
Dad, I'm ending this tomorrow. You'll read these soon!"
This counts as celebrating Halloween.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
It is a fearful thing to love what death can take.
"Dad
I found out where mom came from. It was here. A few of the scholars told me about a tradition they have, where a young maiden dons a necklace and pretends to be the goddess, Sol. During the event twenty years ago, a scholar went mad and demanded the necklace. In order to keep it from him, she jumped off the island.
As I looked around the town, someone told me they found a way to return the island to the sea. All he'd need is a bomb and access to the storm shelter. After meeting him in the very back of the cave, I threw a bomb into the mechanism, and the door to the core opened. But the guy stole mom's necklace!
The core is how everything in Arcadia functioned. It had access to every part of Gaia. I don't really understand what all that means, but it's filled with more machines and hi-fi tech from the past. It's split into three wings, and I went left first. This was a pretty typical area with the usual affair. But it unlocked the upper left.
There were several targets I needed to hit, but I also needed another laser turret to get deeper in. There was also a tricky timed jump puzzle that I finished with time to beat. Force is fun! Using the key brought me to a new shield. The Chronos Shield is pure gold and reflects lasers. There was a laser turret just before the room that I had to reflect onto two targets.
This took me to a room I had to fill with water to get high and reach the master key. The big door is located in the main hall.
I saw the man who stole mom's necklace trying to summon Mezmeroth! But he couldn't. When I walked in, though... The room shook, and the statue in the middle broke, crushing the guy. A deep voice rang through the room, saying that he'll be reborn as a god. Mezmeroth.
Even my sword couldn't harm him! All I could do was reflect the fireballs at him. Fortunately, this worked! Once his own attacks hit him, he'd split into three balls. One was real and was his heart (or something similar). Occasionally, he'd fly over to a mechanism, and four lasers would start shooting at me. Smacking the four engines would shut them off. I also think he healed during these moments.
As he died, he told me it didn't matter. He'd just come back. Mom's necklace began to rise, and a voice spoke to me. This was the Sun Emblem, and we've had it the whole time. All three emblems reacted, and Sky Island rejoined the seas. The three gods undid the effects of Tritoth, and everyone was thrilled. They've been wondering how to get back, so here they are.
The guy in charge told me Mezmeroth lives in technology. With the Arcadian Engine down, there's only one more Tritoth powered creation: Oceanhorn. That's all I need to do! They told me about the Arcadian Ruins, but there are some things I need to do first.
When Sky Island floated, I saw our old home. I went there to relive the memories and plan for after this. Nothing was there, but why did Oceanhorn come for you? Dad, who are you? You have to tell me when I hand these letters to you. I'll be doing that soon, but there are a few new islands to check out. The first one: I gotta dig Oceanhorn's grave."
We're at the end game now, and it's down to the side quests and extra stuff. I won't be fishing, even if I remember it actually being fun!
I found out where mom came from. It was here. A few of the scholars told me about a tradition they have, where a young maiden dons a necklace and pretends to be the goddess, Sol. During the event twenty years ago, a scholar went mad and demanded the necklace. In order to keep it from him, she jumped off the island.
As I looked around the town, someone told me they found a way to return the island to the sea. All he'd need is a bomb and access to the storm shelter. After meeting him in the very back of the cave, I threw a bomb into the mechanism, and the door to the core opened. But the guy stole mom's necklace!
The core is how everything in Arcadia functioned. It had access to every part of Gaia. I don't really understand what all that means, but it's filled with more machines and hi-fi tech from the past. It's split into three wings, and I went left first. This was a pretty typical area with the usual affair. But it unlocked the upper left.
There were several targets I needed to hit, but I also needed another laser turret to get deeper in. There was also a tricky timed jump puzzle that I finished with time to beat. Force is fun! Using the key brought me to a new shield. The Chronos Shield is pure gold and reflects lasers. There was a laser turret just before the room that I had to reflect onto two targets.
This took me to a room I had to fill with water to get high and reach the master key. The big door is located in the main hall.
I saw the man who stole mom's necklace trying to summon Mezmeroth! But he couldn't. When I walked in, though... The room shook, and the statue in the middle broke, crushing the guy. A deep voice rang through the room, saying that he'll be reborn as a god. Mezmeroth.
Even my sword couldn't harm him! All I could do was reflect the fireballs at him. Fortunately, this worked! Once his own attacks hit him, he'd split into three balls. One was real and was his heart (or something similar). Occasionally, he'd fly over to a mechanism, and four lasers would start shooting at me. Smacking the four engines would shut them off. I also think he healed during these moments.
As he died, he told me it didn't matter. He'd just come back. Mom's necklace began to rise, and a voice spoke to me. This was the Sun Emblem, and we've had it the whole time. All three emblems reacted, and Sky Island rejoined the seas. The three gods undid the effects of Tritoth, and everyone was thrilled. They've been wondering how to get back, so here they are.
The guy in charge told me Mezmeroth lives in technology. With the Arcadian Engine down, there's only one more Tritoth powered creation: Oceanhorn. That's all I need to do! They told me about the Arcadian Ruins, but there are some things I need to do first.
When Sky Island floated, I saw our old home. I went there to relive the memories and plan for after this. Nothing was there, but why did Oceanhorn come for you? Dad, who are you? You have to tell me when I hand these letters to you. I'll be doing that soon, but there are a few new islands to check out. The first one: I gotta dig Oceanhorn's grave."
We're at the end game now, and it's down to the side quests and extra stuff. I won't be fishing, even if I remember it actually being fun!
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Side questing and a balloon!
"Uh, dad...
Was that you? I was on my way to Tikarel, and a strange landmass appeared before me. I climbed onto it and instantly heard your flute. I walked more towards the center and saw you playing. And that's all you did. You didn't notice me, but I heard your voice. You said something about my destiny? What did that mean? Does it have anything to do with mom!
But, before that, I should tell you what I did before tonight. It was mostly sailing around the islands, looking for good stuff. I didn't find that legendary shield, but I definitely feel stronger. The Coral Sword helps so much.
When I went back to the Hermit, he told me the Sun Emblem was on that floating landmass in the sky. I've seen it a million times; how could you not? But I never thought I'd ever reach it. Although, I can't get there yet. Hermiy seems to know a way, but it felt pretty dumb. He told me to get a stool, my travel bed, and a fire pot. All of these were on his island, but I also needed a rooster weather vane. That was on Tikarel, and I hope Neeti's dad didn't mind me taking it.
When I got back, I saw Hermy's new tent. I didn't understand how this could get me into the air, but the surprises kept coming. I handed over the vane, and I saw something begin to rise from behind the tent. He put a balloon on my boat! I jumped in and took to the skies! I flew so high I could see the curvature of the earth! As I got closer to Sky Island, the whole thing started to break. I managed to reach the island, but the landing could have been better.
I skimmed through your old notebook. Mom fell from the sky? I get why you called her a princess, sure, but please say you didn't say anything stupid, like "did it hurt when you fell from heaven"?
Sky Island seems so odd. It's almost futuristic. There are pipes, spinning things, and a laser shooting statue! There are also direfolk! I fought my way through them and found a village. The guard was shocked to see me, but others were nicer. One told me to seek the chief. But I need to see about my wrecked boat...
- Your son
PS: Your voice told me you're still fighting Oceanhorn somewhere. Stay strong, dad. I want to see you again and yell at you because your sword sucks. I found our old home from Sky Island. Let's meet up there."
I got a bunch of hearts and all but one bloodstone. I should have gotten that fortieth before getting up there.
Was that you? I was on my way to Tikarel, and a strange landmass appeared before me. I climbed onto it and instantly heard your flute. I walked more towards the center and saw you playing. And that's all you did. You didn't notice me, but I heard your voice. You said something about my destiny? What did that mean? Does it have anything to do with mom!
But, before that, I should tell you what I did before tonight. It was mostly sailing around the islands, looking for good stuff. I didn't find that legendary shield, but I definitely feel stronger. The Coral Sword helps so much.
When I went back to the Hermit, he told me the Sun Emblem was on that floating landmass in the sky. I've seen it a million times; how could you not? But I never thought I'd ever reach it. Although, I can't get there yet. Hermiy seems to know a way, but it felt pretty dumb. He told me to get a stool, my travel bed, and a fire pot. All of these were on his island, but I also needed a rooster weather vane. That was on Tikarel, and I hope Neeti's dad didn't mind me taking it.
When I got back, I saw Hermy's new tent. I didn't understand how this could get me into the air, but the surprises kept coming. I handed over the vane, and I saw something begin to rise from behind the tent. He put a balloon on my boat! I jumped in and took to the skies! I flew so high I could see the curvature of the earth! As I got closer to Sky Island, the whole thing started to break. I managed to reach the island, but the landing could have been better.
I skimmed through your old notebook. Mom fell from the sky? I get why you called her a princess, sure, but please say you didn't say anything stupid, like "did it hurt when you fell from heaven"?
Sky Island seems so odd. It's almost futuristic. There are pipes, spinning things, and a laser shooting statue! There are also direfolk! I fought my way through them and found a village. The guard was shocked to see me, but others were nicer. One told me to seek the chief. But I need to see about my wrecked boat...
- Your son
PS: Your voice told me you're still fighting Oceanhorn somewhere. Stay strong, dad. I want to see you again and yell at you because your sword sucks. I found our old home from Sky Island. Let's meet up there."
I got a bunch of hearts and all but one bloodstone. I should have gotten that fortieth before getting up there.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Long night
This was four dungeons!
"Yo, dad
The Fire Cavern was behind the gilmen cave. It was on the same island, but that dang fog made seeing it tough. As I got close to the entrance, I found a note that told me about a fortress in the east. There's something that's supposed to help navigate the cavern inside. Wanting to be as prepared as I could, I went to search for it.
It's a direfolk fortress, and it's riddled with the buggers. All of them were guarding a new spell, Freeze. I'll be honest, I don't know how much it helped. I'm a lot like you in battle. I want to swing my sword, and my mana isn't very high. But the MP cost for my new spell is pretty large. It negated the flaming defense of a few bats in the Fire Cavern, but I was low on MP too often to make proper use of it.
So back to the Fire Cavern! It's filled with statues that breathe fire and traps. It's actually pretty peaceful if you can ignore the bats that also breathe fire. But it sure is mazelike. It's very dark down here, and the glow from the lanterns is more overpowering than anything. It's easy to get lost here, which I oft did. Once I found the not-so-secret entrances deeper in, I got through here pretty quickly. Those bats, though... The reward for coming here was the Fire spell. I'm becoming a mage!
The Water Temple is in the back of the Drop, and Fire melts the ice blocking the way. There are more puzzles along the path, but it wasn't too bad. Walking on the gate is a thing I can do. And it's a good thing I noticed that trick here. The temple is filled with puzzles and stuff frozen on ice. I had to free several blocks and gates. The first thing I noticed was a 1000-year-old gilfolk in ice. Fire melted the ice, but he was fine! He was shocked when he thawed but opened a shop for me when he learned the fate of his kind. The puzzles here are pretty fun. I had to light several braziers and walk a thin wall to reach all the keys. That's why I'm glad I picked up on the gate thing. Eventually, I fell into a pit. A treasure was there, and it contained the Trencher Boots! These things let me dodge away or jump across small gaps. I've seen a lot of things just out of reach a million times in this journey, and I want to immediately go get them. But that'll wait!
The Ocean Emblem was in the throne room. I also noticed King Angler was there, but I thought he died? The princess was here, so I unfroze her. She was a lot more out of it than the merchant, but something worse happened. As she came to, the King started moving. He floated in the air and struck his daughter with his cane. And then he looked at me...
None of my attacks could harm him. Not your sword, my bombs, or an arrow. But, for some reason, this room is trapped. In each corner are fire breathing statues that I needed to trigger. That fire knocked the King to the ground in a prone position, letting me slice at him. Doing it a few times, and I won with little issue. Once I learned the trick, at least. He froze one of the pressure plates and anything that got close, but those new boots let me dip and dive away.
The merchant came into the hall to tell us that wasn't the King. He's still dead. Regardless, as thanks for saving her people, the newly crowned Queen Fin let me have the Ocean Emblem. Another god spoke to me. I still don't remember his name.
Hermit wanted me to come home to discuss how to get to the Sun Emblem, but the Queen reminded me about the Coral Saber. I think I know where it is, so I made a b line there. With the Treacher Boots, I could get to the puzzles set up so only the worthy could get to the sword. All I had to do was make two statues fight and blow up a grave. There was a skeleton lizard in the back of the island, and I pulled out the blade. I'm a chosen one. It's been a long day, so I'll think about this tomorrow.
- Kid"
Couldn't I have just taken the boat around the island? This game may need more cliffs and reefs.
"Yo, dad
The Fire Cavern was behind the gilmen cave. It was on the same island, but that dang fog made seeing it tough. As I got close to the entrance, I found a note that told me about a fortress in the east. There's something that's supposed to help navigate the cavern inside. Wanting to be as prepared as I could, I went to search for it.
It's a direfolk fortress, and it's riddled with the buggers. All of them were guarding a new spell, Freeze. I'll be honest, I don't know how much it helped. I'm a lot like you in battle. I want to swing my sword, and my mana isn't very high. But the MP cost for my new spell is pretty large. It negated the flaming defense of a few bats in the Fire Cavern, but I was low on MP too often to make proper use of it.
So back to the Fire Cavern! It's filled with statues that breathe fire and traps. It's actually pretty peaceful if you can ignore the bats that also breathe fire. But it sure is mazelike. It's very dark down here, and the glow from the lanterns is more overpowering than anything. It's easy to get lost here, which I oft did. Once I found the not-so-secret entrances deeper in, I got through here pretty quickly. Those bats, though... The reward for coming here was the Fire spell. I'm becoming a mage!
The Water Temple is in the back of the Drop, and Fire melts the ice blocking the way. There are more puzzles along the path, but it wasn't too bad. Walking on the gate is a thing I can do. And it's a good thing I noticed that trick here. The temple is filled with puzzles and stuff frozen on ice. I had to free several blocks and gates. The first thing I noticed was a 1000-year-old gilfolk in ice. Fire melted the ice, but he was fine! He was shocked when he thawed but opened a shop for me when he learned the fate of his kind. The puzzles here are pretty fun. I had to light several braziers and walk a thin wall to reach all the keys. That's why I'm glad I picked up on the gate thing. Eventually, I fell into a pit. A treasure was there, and it contained the Trencher Boots! These things let me dodge away or jump across small gaps. I've seen a lot of things just out of reach a million times in this journey, and I want to immediately go get them. But that'll wait!
The Ocean Emblem was in the throne room. I also noticed King Angler was there, but I thought he died? The princess was here, so I unfroze her. She was a lot more out of it than the merchant, but something worse happened. As she came to, the King started moving. He floated in the air and struck his daughter with his cane. And then he looked at me...
None of my attacks could harm him. Not your sword, my bombs, or an arrow. But, for some reason, this room is trapped. In each corner are fire breathing statues that I needed to trigger. That fire knocked the King to the ground in a prone position, letting me slice at him. Doing it a few times, and I won with little issue. Once I learned the trick, at least. He froze one of the pressure plates and anything that got close, but those new boots let me dip and dive away.
The merchant came into the hall to tell us that wasn't the King. He's still dead. Regardless, as thanks for saving her people, the newly crowned Queen Fin let me have the Ocean Emblem. Another god spoke to me. I still don't remember his name.
Hermit wanted me to come home to discuss how to get to the Sun Emblem, but the Queen reminded me about the Coral Saber. I think I know where it is, so I made a b line there. With the Treacher Boots, I could get to the puzzles set up so only the worthy could get to the sword. All I had to do was make two statues fight and blow up a grave. There was a skeleton lizard in the back of the island, and I pulled out the blade. I'm a chosen one. It's been a long day, so I'll think about this tomorrow.
- Kid"
Couldn't I have just taken the boat around the island? This game may need more cliffs and reefs.
Monday, October 24, 2022
The fishy honey trade.
I'm starting to see just how much of Zelda Cornfox & Bros ripped from it.
"Yo, dad
A lot of busy work today, but it set me up for later. Before getting into it, I went to Riptide Bay to look for that sword that's better than yours. Sadly, the path wasn't straightforward, so I had to return.
But the Hermit let me know about the secret of his house. An old chronicler used to live here, and all his stuff was in the well. The Hermit wanted it, so I went after whatever was down here.
It's a bunch of stuff about Arcadia. What I got out of it is the three ancient beings aren't primordial. Did Arcadia create them using Tritoth power? I could be wrong, but that's the biggest thing I picked up. The chronicler is buried here, and his notebook is what Hermit wanted. It's gonna take some deciphering to get all the knowledge, so I'm off to find the Ocean Emblem.
I stopped by Tikarel in hopes they'd have new information. No one really cared because the Sol Festival was supposed to begin. I say "supposed" because it's been delayed. The guy in charge of the fireworks hurt his back, so I volunteered to do it. His daughter, Neeti, guided me up the hill. But there was something else waiting. A massive direfolk has begun to attack the town. Neeti stayed back while I dropped pots on his head. He was really slow and got caught on the fire brazier in the middle of the hill. Your sword kinda sucks, but your shield does the job. Neeti lit the fireworks, and the two of us sat on the hill and watched them. It was a strange experience but kinda cool. I got an acorn from the forest, and I felt like giving it to her. She planted it immediately. In the morning, her dad gave me a fishing rod. As I left, Neeti told me about the Gilfolk's Drop and Southwind Isle. She wanted to go with me, but she had to stay here. Maybe one day...
Gilfolk Island is shrouded in a deep mist, and it's constantly raining. It's really hard to navigate. Finding a crevice that acts like a path up, I managed to find fish people! The gate was guarded, but there were a lot of them behind the gate. Way more than the owru. I was the first visitor they/ve had in ages, but they didn't let me in. Apparently, it's customary to bring honey. Where am I gonna find honey!?
A girl in Tikarel told me her dad went to find honey, but he hasn't returned. I ended up checking Southwind Isle because where else was I gonna go? He fell into a hole, and the only way to save him was to solve a pretty tricky push box puzzle. For taking him back home, he gave me a spare jar of honey. I had to manually carry it in both hands to my boat and back through the Drop. The enemies didn't care, but I was careful. With the honey, the gillfolk guard let me pass.
Keeping the rest of this short, I learned more about a sword that's better than yours as well as a legendary shield. More importantly, the Ocean Emblem is near here. Unfortunately, it's blocked by ice. 1000 years ago, a man in a dark cloak placed a curse on the dead king, Gil. It trapped his daughter and kingdom in ice. If I learn to use fire, I might be able to thaw everyone! The Fire Cavern is nearby, and it's keeping the freeze at bay. If I can find my way there, though...
- Kid"
I totally didn't get soft locked at that tricky puzzle.
"Yo, dad
A lot of busy work today, but it set me up for later. Before getting into it, I went to Riptide Bay to look for that sword that's better than yours. Sadly, the path wasn't straightforward, so I had to return.
But the Hermit let me know about the secret of his house. An old chronicler used to live here, and all his stuff was in the well. The Hermit wanted it, so I went after whatever was down here.
It's a bunch of stuff about Arcadia. What I got out of it is the three ancient beings aren't primordial. Did Arcadia create them using Tritoth power? I could be wrong, but that's the biggest thing I picked up. The chronicler is buried here, and his notebook is what Hermit wanted. It's gonna take some deciphering to get all the knowledge, so I'm off to find the Ocean Emblem.
I stopped by Tikarel in hopes they'd have new information. No one really cared because the Sol Festival was supposed to begin. I say "supposed" because it's been delayed. The guy in charge of the fireworks hurt his back, so I volunteered to do it. His daughter, Neeti, guided me up the hill. But there was something else waiting. A massive direfolk has begun to attack the town. Neeti stayed back while I dropped pots on his head. He was really slow and got caught on the fire brazier in the middle of the hill. Your sword kinda sucks, but your shield does the job. Neeti lit the fireworks, and the two of us sat on the hill and watched them. It was a strange experience but kinda cool. I got an acorn from the forest, and I felt like giving it to her. She planted it immediately. In the morning, her dad gave me a fishing rod. As I left, Neeti told me about the Gilfolk's Drop and Southwind Isle. She wanted to go with me, but she had to stay here. Maybe one day...
Gilfolk Island is shrouded in a deep mist, and it's constantly raining. It's really hard to navigate. Finding a crevice that acts like a path up, I managed to find fish people! The gate was guarded, but there were a lot of them behind the gate. Way more than the owru. I was the first visitor they/ve had in ages, but they didn't let me in. Apparently, it's customary to bring honey. Where am I gonna find honey!?
A girl in Tikarel told me her dad went to find honey, but he hasn't returned. I ended up checking Southwind Isle because where else was I gonna go? He fell into a hole, and the only way to save him was to solve a pretty tricky push box puzzle. For taking him back home, he gave me a spare jar of honey. I had to manually carry it in both hands to my boat and back through the Drop. The enemies didn't care, but I was careful. With the honey, the gillfolk guard let me pass.
Keeping the rest of this short, I learned more about a sword that's better than yours as well as a legendary shield. More importantly, the Ocean Emblem is near here. Unfortunately, it's blocked by ice. 1000 years ago, a man in a dark cloak placed a curse on the dead king, Gil. It trapped his daughter and kingdom in ice. If I learn to use fire, I might be able to thaw everyone! The Fire Cavern is nearby, and it's keeping the freeze at bay. If I can find my way there, though...
- Kid"
I totally didn't get soft locked at that tricky puzzle.
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Owl people
The first real dungeon!
"Hey, Dad
I went to the desert today. Apparently, it used to be part of the forest, but it's just sand now. Sand and goblins.
I landed the boat on the nearest beach and made my way up the cliffs. A few caves had to be traveled because the cliffs were so high, but they were easy to navigate. A few even took me to treasure. Since the forests disappeared, this had become a fortress for the goblins. They're smarter than I thought, as they understand basic engineering and written language. Who knew? They also seem to understand ransoms. Halfway through the area, I encountered a prisoner. His name is Rigger, but he's not human. After freeing him, I followed him to his home, where he told me about himself.
Rigger is the last of the owru. Fifty years ago, his brother died. Ever since then, he's been all alone. What a lonely existence. His race began to die off when a man in a dark cape gave them a seed that would destroy the forest. The forest of Pirta still exists, and I don't know how I didn't see it before. It's to the west of the desert, and I'm sure I sailed through it. As thanks for freeing him, Rigger taught me a magic spell. Force randomly summons an object at a location of my choosing. It's usually a pot, but I've seen lanterns drop. I'll probably just use it to hit switches from afar, but it can knock shields away from enemies too.
The Forest Shine is a big maze. I had to walk through the thick wood to reach the secret temple. But the temple was guarded. Before me was another owru, and I think it was a woman. She didn't want any weaklings in this place, so, in hindsight, this might have been a test. After I used Force and force on her, she flew away. I guess the owru can fly? I saw a lot of mining equipment en route, but those relics didn't make it past her.
The temple was filled with a few water puzzles, where I had to adjust the levels to reach other areas. It was dark, so getting through here was tricky. There were also several paths I couldn't get to, which confused me. Each seemed to have a target near them... After getting through to where I could, I battled against a vine from the ground. It didn't hit me, but it was alarming. It also guarded a chest I couldn't open yet.
Eventually, though, after scouring the crypts, I found the key. Making my way back to a giant treasure chest, I found a bow and ten arrows. Using these to strike the targets let me reach new paths and even get to the top of the temple. And here's where you might be disappointed in me. I got lost. I couldn't figure out the puzzle, so I started aimlessly walking around the temple grounds. After far too long, I got frustrated and bombed the gravestone at the top. That knight might have been right about me. But it was the correct choice! I fell down the hole I caused and saw the fruits of the seed that destroyed this forest!
The Evil Overgrowth, Turmos, kept the Earth Emblem from me. It stayed in its pit in the middle of the room and tried to kill me with more of its vines. When I mowed all four of them, it would try to eat me. But I brought bombs! Plants are weak to explosions, it turns out. I tossed a few into its mouth until I had to restart against the vines. It was a long fought battle, but I won with relative ease.
The Earth Emblem was lying on a pedestal. When I approached, the voice of the goddess spoke to me. I was awestruck, so I forgot her name, but she was the goddess of earth and fire. I freed her, and she told me the forest could be restored. Rigger, the knight, and some rando showed up to thank me. They saw me off at the docks, and it seems all three of them are going to move into their ancestral homelands. It's only three, so I doubt it'll go well for their race, but I hope they live peacefully. They promised to sing a song in my honor. Rigger also told me about a legendary sword, which I'm gonna try to get in a few days. But the Hermit wants to talk to me...
- Your Son
Ps: your sword sucks. "
How do islands appearing from nowhere work?
"Hey, Dad
I went to the desert today. Apparently, it used to be part of the forest, but it's just sand now. Sand and goblins.
I landed the boat on the nearest beach and made my way up the cliffs. A few caves had to be traveled because the cliffs were so high, but they were easy to navigate. A few even took me to treasure. Since the forests disappeared, this had become a fortress for the goblins. They're smarter than I thought, as they understand basic engineering and written language. Who knew? They also seem to understand ransoms. Halfway through the area, I encountered a prisoner. His name is Rigger, but he's not human. After freeing him, I followed him to his home, where he told me about himself.
Rigger is the last of the owru. Fifty years ago, his brother died. Ever since then, he's been all alone. What a lonely existence. His race began to die off when a man in a dark cape gave them a seed that would destroy the forest. The forest of Pirta still exists, and I don't know how I didn't see it before. It's to the west of the desert, and I'm sure I sailed through it. As thanks for freeing him, Rigger taught me a magic spell. Force randomly summons an object at a location of my choosing. It's usually a pot, but I've seen lanterns drop. I'll probably just use it to hit switches from afar, but it can knock shields away from enemies too.
The Forest Shine is a big maze. I had to walk through the thick wood to reach the secret temple. But the temple was guarded. Before me was another owru, and I think it was a woman. She didn't want any weaklings in this place, so, in hindsight, this might have been a test. After I used Force and force on her, she flew away. I guess the owru can fly? I saw a lot of mining equipment en route, but those relics didn't make it past her.
The temple was filled with a few water puzzles, where I had to adjust the levels to reach other areas. It was dark, so getting through here was tricky. There were also several paths I couldn't get to, which confused me. Each seemed to have a target near them... After getting through to where I could, I battled against a vine from the ground. It didn't hit me, but it was alarming. It also guarded a chest I couldn't open yet.
Eventually, though, after scouring the crypts, I found the key. Making my way back to a giant treasure chest, I found a bow and ten arrows. Using these to strike the targets let me reach new paths and even get to the top of the temple. And here's where you might be disappointed in me. I got lost. I couldn't figure out the puzzle, so I started aimlessly walking around the temple grounds. After far too long, I got frustrated and bombed the gravestone at the top. That knight might have been right about me. But it was the correct choice! I fell down the hole I caused and saw the fruits of the seed that destroyed this forest!
The Evil Overgrowth, Turmos, kept the Earth Emblem from me. It stayed in its pit in the middle of the room and tried to kill me with more of its vines. When I mowed all four of them, it would try to eat me. But I brought bombs! Plants are weak to explosions, it turns out. I tossed a few into its mouth until I had to restart against the vines. It was a long fought battle, but I won with relative ease.
The Earth Emblem was lying on a pedestal. When I approached, the voice of the goddess spoke to me. I was awestruck, so I forgot her name, but she was the goddess of earth and fire. I freed her, and she told me the forest could be restored. Rigger, the knight, and some rando showed up to thank me. They saw me off at the docks, and it seems all three of them are going to move into their ancestral homelands. It's only three, so I doubt it'll go well for their race, but I hope they live peacefully. They promised to sing a song in my honor. Rigger also told me about a legendary sword, which I'm gonna try to get in a few days. But the Hermit wants to talk to me...
- Your Son
Ps: your sword sucks. "
How do islands appearing from nowhere work?
Saturday, October 22, 2022
A Zelda lite
I downloaded the Dolphin emulator in the hopes that The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker would work. It didn't. It kinda did, but it gave me a headache. So a thirty hour epic of it is out of the question. But I'm still in the mood for a good action adventure game! Luckily, seven years ago, I bought a little game to scratch an itch!
'Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted Seas' is one of the three (two officially) games I've 100 percented on Steam. I even wrote a review about it in an attempt to make my portfolio look slightly better for my final semester's capstone class in college. I might do this again in a few weeks, but I need to see if this game holds up. There's a sequel that I've been wanting to play, so let's see if I want to care about it? And because I'm playing a Zelda ripoff, let's write a diary!
"Hey, dad
I had that dream again. Ya know, the one where you walked out on me? I know, I know, you told me it's to protect me and the world, but you should have let me know face to face. You could have at least told me more about Oceanhorn. What's its connection to mom? Thanks for her necklace, by the way. And your notebook. It's about to come in handy.
I left our house and found your friend like you wanted. I've been here for a while, but I haven't learned anything important. That was until mom's necklace came to life. I woke up and saw it floating away. I chased it to a cave, past your hermit friend, and into a mob filled dungeon. Even my little knife worked fine here. I gotta wonder why this grand thing is here. There are locked doors, heavy duty floor switches, and a surprise at the bottom. Why was your old sword and shield here? How'd it get here!? But at least your friend opened up.
He told me about Arcadia, the ancient kingdom that ruled these archipelagos 1000 years ago. I learned about the three primordial beings that conquered the area after that archmage failed to become one. Mezmeroth, right? It started getting dark, so we went to go to bed.
Why did we get attacked? Was it your awful sword? It's pretty bad, honestly. But I shut down the spiders with it anyway. The Hermit suggested now's the time to begin my journey. I now have to find three symbols of the fallen kingdoms in the area, representing the three races. Hermit told me about two of them, but he skipped their locations. Instead, he wanted me to go to Tikarel.
Tikarel is the biggest town I've seen. I guess that's not saying much. They're preparing for the sun festival, and I met a girl named Neeti there, which is about all that's here. I guess I got some clues about where to go. Someone gave me the location of one of the emblem islands, but I also got the location of Bomb Island. I figured bombs would be important on this journey, so I headed there.
This used to be a mining island, but something bad happened. A notebook said all the miners fell into a hole. Opening locks and switches brought me to that hole. They tried to lock it up with a strange fire pedestal puzzle, but I quickly figured it out. Like father like son?
Down the hole were two giant centipedes. The bomb maker called them a cepede. I threw rocks and skulls at one, which did a good job. The miners got some vengeance, I hope. Your sword managed to take out the remaining one in no time. The bomb maker decided to retire, but I found a few in the dungeon anyway. I also round a boot with one coin in it...
By now, the Adventure's Guild said I was pretty good, so they gave me a gun to use while sailing between islands. But it's been a long day, so I'm going to bed before exploring this desert.
- Kid"
I thought of playing this because you spend a lot of time on the open seas. The game automatically takes you between islands, so the exploring side is a bit disappointing. But the islands themselves are massive and have plenty of secrets. I've only found 43% of them on the first island! But you get a gun to shoot things en route. As an American, that's always fun. I don't remember much about this game, so it's pretty close to a new experience. I remember enjoying it, though, so let's hope it holds up!
'Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted Seas' is one of the three (two officially) games I've 100 percented on Steam. I even wrote a review about it in an attempt to make my portfolio look slightly better for my final semester's capstone class in college. I might do this again in a few weeks, but I need to see if this game holds up. There's a sequel that I've been wanting to play, so let's see if I want to care about it? And because I'm playing a Zelda ripoff, let's write a diary!
"Hey, dad
I had that dream again. Ya know, the one where you walked out on me? I know, I know, you told me it's to protect me and the world, but you should have let me know face to face. You could have at least told me more about Oceanhorn. What's its connection to mom? Thanks for her necklace, by the way. And your notebook. It's about to come in handy.
I left our house and found your friend like you wanted. I've been here for a while, but I haven't learned anything important. That was until mom's necklace came to life. I woke up and saw it floating away. I chased it to a cave, past your hermit friend, and into a mob filled dungeon. Even my little knife worked fine here. I gotta wonder why this grand thing is here. There are locked doors, heavy duty floor switches, and a surprise at the bottom. Why was your old sword and shield here? How'd it get here!? But at least your friend opened up.
He told me about Arcadia, the ancient kingdom that ruled these archipelagos 1000 years ago. I learned about the three primordial beings that conquered the area after that archmage failed to become one. Mezmeroth, right? It started getting dark, so we went to go to bed.
Why did we get attacked? Was it your awful sword? It's pretty bad, honestly. But I shut down the spiders with it anyway. The Hermit suggested now's the time to begin my journey. I now have to find three symbols of the fallen kingdoms in the area, representing the three races. Hermit told me about two of them, but he skipped their locations. Instead, he wanted me to go to Tikarel.
Tikarel is the biggest town I've seen. I guess that's not saying much. They're preparing for the sun festival, and I met a girl named Neeti there, which is about all that's here. I guess I got some clues about where to go. Someone gave me the location of one of the emblem islands, but I also got the location of Bomb Island. I figured bombs would be important on this journey, so I headed there.
This used to be a mining island, but something bad happened. A notebook said all the miners fell into a hole. Opening locks and switches brought me to that hole. They tried to lock it up with a strange fire pedestal puzzle, but I quickly figured it out. Like father like son?
Down the hole were two giant centipedes. The bomb maker called them a cepede. I threw rocks and skulls at one, which did a good job. The miners got some vengeance, I hope. Your sword managed to take out the remaining one in no time. The bomb maker decided to retire, but I found a few in the dungeon anyway. I also round a boot with one coin in it...
By now, the Adventure's Guild said I was pretty good, so they gave me a gun to use while sailing between islands. But it's been a long day, so I'm going to bed before exploring this desert.
- Kid"
I thought of playing this because you spend a lot of time on the open seas. The game automatically takes you between islands, so the exploring side is a bit disappointing. But the islands themselves are massive and have plenty of secrets. I've only found 43% of them on the first island! But you get a gun to shoot things en route. As an American, that's always fun. I don't remember much about this game, so it's pretty close to a new experience. I remember enjoying it, though, so let's hope it holds up!
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Link should have stayed in bed!
I made it well known that I hated Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. I've also heard that many people consider it the best Zelda game in the franchise. I've read that many fans put hundreds of hours into this tiny, handheld product. For the life of me, I can't figure out how it's so beloved. I guess it's one of those "you had to be there" things. But, maybe, ya know, a modern retelling is just what I'd be into.
Let me quickly explain why this review is several days late. I've been watching videos of the Switch version of Link's Awakening. One of my favorite Youtube channels, Outside Xbox, played the updated game in early 2020. I'll get more into that in a moment, but I'm going to let my second person experience compare the two games. I think it's worth discussing.
But before that, let's discuss the GBA version.
What does it do bad?
Everything.
It's a painfully tedious game because of the amount of time you'll spend in the menu. Like all good adventure games, you'll gain a wide assortment of items to explore and battle across your game world of choice. That's super rad, but the GBA is limited by buttons. You can only equip two items at a time. One will likely be your sword, and the other should probably be your defensive option. So how do you use the hookshot, boomerang, or power bracelet? The bracelet, especially, is an item you'll want to have equipped consistently, but that accursed button limit prevents it. This means you'll be switching gear out every four seconds. I hated it, and it brought the game down. Tedious is not a game mechanic. It slowed down the action to a crawl.
This ruined the sense of adventure in all the dungeons. Nothing felt smooth or consistent. It wasn't fun, nor did I feel like spending most of my time in the menu was worthwhile. I'd switch the Roc's Feather out for a moment, only to reequip it as soon as I threw aside the jar. And then I'd do it again in the next room! To say nothing of the times it was needed in the boss battle...
Moving on now...
Link is a silent protagonist. This makes it tough to get a lot of points for my character review. Usually, though, SPs gain a decent amount of points. This Link, though, has scored the lowest I've seen. According to official lore, LA's Link is the same as LttP's Link. Of the three Zelda games I've really sunk my teeth into, this one is the worst. The other two got eight points but only six this time around.
This is a problem with the Gameboy as a whole, but I can't deal with the sound quality. It's tinny and hurts my ears. If you're into it, rad, but I get a headache. There's some good variety here, though, so it's worth giving it a listen, but I can't recommend it.
There are hints of goodness within there, but I don't care to dig through all the trash to find it.
So let's talk about the Switch.
It's amazing!
The Switch Version of Link's Awakening fixes (as far as I could tell) everything I hated about the GBA game.
The Power Bracelet is automatically equipped just as the flippers are. This cuts down on the menu simulator aspect of the game a millionfold (slight hyperbole). And then the additional buttons you have access to makes it even better. You can keep your sword and shield out while having the Roc's Feather and another item at your beck and call. The Pegasus boots also get their own button press, which I can go either way with. Considering how often I used them in LttP, this might be rad! The tedium is gone, and you have access to the full experience! Dungeons look fun again!
The music is vastly improved. Its style is more varied, too. Sometimes there are orchestrated pieces with a few toned down melodies for the dungeons. I've been listening to it as I wrote this, and I'm headache free! I can't tell how much the tracks have changed, but everything is as you'd expect in a mainline Zelda game. There are fun bits and exciting tunes. The dungeon themes are creepy and suspenseful, and the songs in battle are frantic. The game's worth playing just to fully experience Face Shrine. I'm halfway through, and I already want to keep coming back to the Youtube video.
Sadly, Link's still boring. In fact, I don't think there's much additional characterization for anyone. The photographer guy is gone, so it's possible it went down. Which reminds me, I missed most of the pictures, so I should go look into them. Maybe they'll help Link? UPDATE: It did, but only for the GBC version.
I want to keep this short, so I'll end this review by saying one thing. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is either a terrible game or a top notch experience depending on what platform you're playing it on. I'd avoid the Gameboy at all costs. However, I suggest giving the Switch version a play if you're into the Zelda franchise or action/adventure games. I can understand why this is a well regarded experience now.
Story: Fun but with bland characters. LA is not a narrative focused game and revolves entirely around Link getting off this island. It has a fun twist that makes you think about your actions, and I still don't know if I did the right thing. 6/10
Gameplay: Tedious. I can't stress this enough, but a game of this genre shouldn't have you spending that much time in the menu screen. If you ignore that flaw (which I am for this portion), then it's a perfect game. 10/10
Art: Nintendo don't sleep on Zelda. If you can get past the dated looks of an early aughts handheld, it's what you'd expect a game from this fabled franchise would be: vibrant and variyed. 8/10
Music: Handheld. If you can get passed the compression needed to fit into a handheld game, then it's probably a lot of fun. There isn't a great hook here besides the Zelda theme, but that's played in every game, so I can't let it be the defining song all the time. 7/10
Charm: Exists. Butterflies float around you in Mabe, and the side characters are really fun. Marin deserved better! Sadly, Zelda games only really have one way to play them, and the awful mechanics made the game feel longer than it needed to be. 6/10
Negative: Seriously, it's tedious. It's so bad it gets a negative seven and afflicts two possible categories.
This means Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Gameboy Color gets a score of 30 out of 50. You can tell the pieces are there because I'm giving the Switch version 42 out of 50. From a D- to an A-...
Let me quickly explain why this review is several days late. I've been watching videos of the Switch version of Link's Awakening. One of my favorite Youtube channels, Outside Xbox, played the updated game in early 2020. I'll get more into that in a moment, but I'm going to let my second person experience compare the two games. I think it's worth discussing.
But before that, let's discuss the GBA version.
What does it do bad?
Everything.
It's a painfully tedious game because of the amount of time you'll spend in the menu. Like all good adventure games, you'll gain a wide assortment of items to explore and battle across your game world of choice. That's super rad, but the GBA is limited by buttons. You can only equip two items at a time. One will likely be your sword, and the other should probably be your defensive option. So how do you use the hookshot, boomerang, or power bracelet? The bracelet, especially, is an item you'll want to have equipped consistently, but that accursed button limit prevents it. This means you'll be switching gear out every four seconds. I hated it, and it brought the game down. Tedious is not a game mechanic. It slowed down the action to a crawl.
This ruined the sense of adventure in all the dungeons. Nothing felt smooth or consistent. It wasn't fun, nor did I feel like spending most of my time in the menu was worthwhile. I'd switch the Roc's Feather out for a moment, only to reequip it as soon as I threw aside the jar. And then I'd do it again in the next room! To say nothing of the times it was needed in the boss battle...
Moving on now...
Link is a silent protagonist. This makes it tough to get a lot of points for my character review. Usually, though, SPs gain a decent amount of points. This Link, though, has scored the lowest I've seen. According to official lore, LA's Link is the same as LttP's Link. Of the three Zelda games I've really sunk my teeth into, this one is the worst. The other two got eight points but only six this time around.
This is a problem with the Gameboy as a whole, but I can't deal with the sound quality. It's tinny and hurts my ears. If you're into it, rad, but I get a headache. There's some good variety here, though, so it's worth giving it a listen, but I can't recommend it.
There are hints of goodness within there, but I don't care to dig through all the trash to find it.
So let's talk about the Switch.
It's amazing!
The Switch Version of Link's Awakening fixes (as far as I could tell) everything I hated about the GBA game.
The Power Bracelet is automatically equipped just as the flippers are. This cuts down on the menu simulator aspect of the game a millionfold (slight hyperbole). And then the additional buttons you have access to makes it even better. You can keep your sword and shield out while having the Roc's Feather and another item at your beck and call. The Pegasus boots also get their own button press, which I can go either way with. Considering how often I used them in LttP, this might be rad! The tedium is gone, and you have access to the full experience! Dungeons look fun again!
The music is vastly improved. Its style is more varied, too. Sometimes there are orchestrated pieces with a few toned down melodies for the dungeons. I've been listening to it as I wrote this, and I'm headache free! I can't tell how much the tracks have changed, but everything is as you'd expect in a mainline Zelda game. There are fun bits and exciting tunes. The dungeon themes are creepy and suspenseful, and the songs in battle are frantic. The game's worth playing just to fully experience Face Shrine. I'm halfway through, and I already want to keep coming back to the Youtube video.
Sadly, Link's still boring. In fact, I don't think there's much additional characterization for anyone. The photographer guy is gone, so it's possible it went down. Which reminds me, I missed most of the pictures, so I should go look into them. Maybe they'll help Link? UPDATE: It did, but only for the GBC version.
I want to keep this short, so I'll end this review by saying one thing. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is either a terrible game or a top notch experience depending on what platform you're playing it on. I'd avoid the Gameboy at all costs. However, I suggest giving the Switch version a play if you're into the Zelda franchise or action/adventure games. I can understand why this is a well regarded experience now.
Story: Fun but with bland characters. LA is not a narrative focused game and revolves entirely around Link getting off this island. It has a fun twist that makes you think about your actions, and I still don't know if I did the right thing. 6/10
Gameplay: Tedious. I can't stress this enough, but a game of this genre shouldn't have you spending that much time in the menu screen. If you ignore that flaw (which I am for this portion), then it's a perfect game. 10/10
Art: Nintendo don't sleep on Zelda. If you can get past the dated looks of an early aughts handheld, it's what you'd expect a game from this fabled franchise would be: vibrant and variyed. 8/10
Music: Handheld. If you can get passed the compression needed to fit into a handheld game, then it's probably a lot of fun. There isn't a great hook here besides the Zelda theme, but that's played in every game, so I can't let it be the defining song all the time. 7/10
Charm: Exists. Butterflies float around you in Mabe, and the side characters are really fun. Marin deserved better! Sadly, Zelda games only really have one way to play them, and the awful mechanics made the game feel longer than it needed to be. 6/10
Negative: Seriously, it's tedious. It's so bad it gets a negative seven and afflicts two possible categories.
This means Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Gameboy Color gets a score of 30 out of 50. You can tell the pieces are there because I'm giving the Switch version 42 out of 50. From a D- to an A-...
Monday, October 17, 2022
Awaken from a dream.
Maybe I should have done this last night. I won in thirty minutes!
"Dear Zelda,
The egg cracked. Inside was a long maze, but a book in town gave me the path on how to get through. I don't know how the book had the code, but I'm glad anyway. There was only one other creature inside...
I never got his name, but he and the other nightmares forced the Wind Fish to sleep so they could live. This island never should have been...
The Shadow changed form six times. The Shadow started out as a blob that I could only injure with the magic powder. I'd never guessed that witch's magic would still be handy after this journey.
Its next form was exactly like Ganon. I wonder if it's a figment of my imagination or if the power of the dead pig was that far stretched? Fortunately, he fell with the same game of tennis as before.
Round three was against another worm with a weakness on its butt. Been there, done that!
The fourth battle was against something similar to the genie in the lamp because he'd call forth fireballs. My basic sword swings couldn't harm him, so I had to run into him with all my might.
The penultimate encounter was finished with a simple boomerang throw. Go figure.
Finally, he turned into another blob with two flailing arms. I avoided the red bots on the hands and tried to strike it with an arrow whenever its eye would open. This last battle is a real attrition fight. Had I ran out of arrows, I'd have died. The Shadow rarely opened the eye, so there was plenty of time to mess up. But I'm still the Hero of Hyrule, and I still got it!
The owl came to visit me one more time. It turns out he's the guardian of the Wind Fish somehow. It asked me to play another song with the instruments, which would end this dream. As I played, I saw everyone I've met disappear. The bow wow family and the two kids all vanished. Tarin got his mushroom finally. Marin went away singing a song...
I woke up in the same clothes I left Hyrule with. I was floating the remians of my raft. I saw the Wind Fish fly overhead, and I couldn't help but smile. I know the world is more as it should be, and I should be happy with that. There are fewer phony things now. This is for the best...
Zelda, I might be gone a while longer. As I write this, I don't know how you'll get this. I don't even know if you'll get this. But know that all I want is to come home. See you soon,
- Link."
Had I won the game without dying, Marin would have turned into a bird. But I failed a lot, so Link died adrift at sea. What a wonderful ending that's perfect for this game. Disappointing. I don't write a review that craps over a Zelda game, but I might have to. I'll try to keep it short, though, with a blurb or five. But I'll do that...
...tomorrow!
Sunday, October 16, 2022
An almost fun dungeon!
Almost...
"Dear Zelda,
Turtle Rock was surprisingly navigable. There's one floor, and everything mostly flows together. The fun gimmick of this place is the controllable un-vacuum that makes floors! It lets you form paths across various holes and gooey floors. I had to create entire rooms a few times for keys. The leas fun gimmick is I had to fight mini bosses I've already felled. That stupid dolphin who plays catch is back and was just as awful. Because I got lost, I had to kill him a few times. Each battle sucked.
One of the reasons I got lost was the ice. Remember the magic rods in Hyrule? One of them was in Hokolint. I melted various ice blocks in the dungeon and set fire to the blazers.
At the end was a giant drop of sentient lava. I kept attacking it with the Magic Rod until it died. It might have killed me, but my secret fairy saved me. I'm not sure; I kinda just went into a trance while contemplating what's to come. The Hot Head seemed to believe that I was a part of this dream as well. I'm real. Right? Marin feels just as real as you or I. The final instrument is the Thunder Drum.
I visited Mabe Village once more, but I didn't have the heart to say farewell or tell them the truth. Marin seems to have a hunch, though. At last, I climbed the mountain path to the Wind Fish's Egg and played all eight Siren Instruments. I don't know how, but I did. The owl visited me and told me the end of this journey is near. The egg cracked, and I'm camping inside tonight. I'll leave this island tomorrow.
Zelda, I still don't know if this is right. What's real? What's fake? What am I?
- Link"
Almost...
"Dear Zelda,
Turtle Rock was surprisingly navigable. There's one floor, and everything mostly flows together. The fun gimmick of this place is the controllable un-vacuum that makes floors! It lets you form paths across various holes and gooey floors. I had to create entire rooms a few times for keys. The leas fun gimmick is I had to fight mini bosses I've already felled. That stupid dolphin who plays catch is back and was just as awful. Because I got lost, I had to kill him a few times. Each battle sucked.
One of the reasons I got lost was the ice. Remember the magic rods in Hyrule? One of them was in Hokolint. I melted various ice blocks in the dungeon and set fire to the blazers.
At the end was a giant drop of sentient lava. I kept attacking it with the Magic Rod until it died. It might have killed me, but my secret fairy saved me. I'm not sure; I kinda just went into a trance while contemplating what's to come. The Hot Head seemed to believe that I was a part of this dream as well. I'm real. Right? Marin feels just as real as you or I. The final instrument is the Thunder Drum.
I visited Mabe Village once more, but I didn't have the heart to say farewell or tell them the truth. Marin seems to have a hunch, though. At last, I climbed the mountain path to the Wind Fish's Egg and played all eight Siren Instruments. I don't know how, but I did. The owl visited me and told me the end of this journey is near. The egg cracked, and I'm camping inside tonight. I'll leave this island tomorrow.
Zelda, I still don't know if this is right. What's real? What's fake? What am I?
- Link"
Almost...
Saturday, October 15, 2022
A three layered maze...
I'm almost done.
"Dear Zelda,
I'm pushing on as best I can, trying to make do in this dream world. Something that's been keeping me sane is a place that reminds me of Kakariko. There's a bird weathervane in Mabe Village too. And, wouldn't you know it, there's a secret beneath it! There's an ancient rooster skeleton beneath the vane, but the ocarina can revive it. All you need is the song of the frogs! I revived the bird and brought him to a man in the Tal Tal Mountains. The man is a chicken historian, and he had the key to Eagle's Tower. I guess eagles are heavily related to chickens?
Eagle's Tower is a four floored building. Fortunately, we'll only need to explore three of them. The gist is we'll need to carry a small bomb around to knock down the pillars, which'll drop the roof. Of course, doing this is easier said than done. There are a number of one way roads, demonic floor panels, and a guy who attacks you with eagles. The first time I defeated him, I found an upgrade to my shield. I stopped using my shield a while ago, but I can't be upset with a mirrored one!
I don't have much to say about this because I'm getting numb to the pain. It's just another day now. I don't want to feel like this, Zelda.
The eagle guy was waiting at the top of the tower, and he climbed onto a giant bird. They flew around me while I tried to get my attacks in when I could. His favorite attack was to blow me off the tower. The fall wasn't too bad, but my knees have taken enough damage. As he died, he reminded me of what I'm trying to do. I'm gonna make this entire island disappear. And I want that because this place is awful. But I'm torn. Why do I feel so much guilt about fake people?
I was feeling morose, so I walked around the graveyard. I noticed that a few of the gravestones were fake and could be moved. It took a few pushes, but I found a secret dungeon underneath one! This place isn't so bad, and the puzzles were pretty okay. A bit on the nose, mind you. Everything was based on colors and matching then. In the back is the Hokolint Fairy. She offered me new clothes. One upped my attack, and the other gave me defense. I chose to be more resilient, so expect to see a blue man coming home!
There's one more instrument left, and it's to the west of the mountains. I saw Marin en route, though. She was chased up there by moblins. I managed to save her, but there was a sense of sadness in her eyes. She wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't find the words. Talin showed up to save us and brought her home. I carried on, dodging rocks, deflecting fire, and killing a giant turtle that I revived. Tomorrow I'll try to begin my return journey.
I can't help but hurt, wondering if this is the last time I'll see my new friends. Is this the right thing? Ganon's dead, right? Maybe I should sacrifice and stay here?
...sorry.
-Link"
Bleargh!
"Dear Zelda,
I'm pushing on as best I can, trying to make do in this dream world. Something that's been keeping me sane is a place that reminds me of Kakariko. There's a bird weathervane in Mabe Village too. And, wouldn't you know it, there's a secret beneath it! There's an ancient rooster skeleton beneath the vane, but the ocarina can revive it. All you need is the song of the frogs! I revived the bird and brought him to a man in the Tal Tal Mountains. The man is a chicken historian, and he had the key to Eagle's Tower. I guess eagles are heavily related to chickens?
Eagle's Tower is a four floored building. Fortunately, we'll only need to explore three of them. The gist is we'll need to carry a small bomb around to knock down the pillars, which'll drop the roof. Of course, doing this is easier said than done. There are a number of one way roads, demonic floor panels, and a guy who attacks you with eagles. The first time I defeated him, I found an upgrade to my shield. I stopped using my shield a while ago, but I can't be upset with a mirrored one!
I don't have much to say about this because I'm getting numb to the pain. It's just another day now. I don't want to feel like this, Zelda.
The eagle guy was waiting at the top of the tower, and he climbed onto a giant bird. They flew around me while I tried to get my attacks in when I could. His favorite attack was to blow me off the tower. The fall wasn't too bad, but my knees have taken enough damage. As he died, he reminded me of what I'm trying to do. I'm gonna make this entire island disappear. And I want that because this place is awful. But I'm torn. Why do I feel so much guilt about fake people?
I was feeling morose, so I walked around the graveyard. I noticed that a few of the gravestones were fake and could be moved. It took a few pushes, but I found a secret dungeon underneath one! This place isn't so bad, and the puzzles were pretty okay. A bit on the nose, mind you. Everything was based on colors and matching then. In the back is the Hokolint Fairy. She offered me new clothes. One upped my attack, and the other gave me defense. I chose to be more resilient, so expect to see a blue man coming home!
There's one more instrument left, and it's to the west of the mountains. I saw Marin en route, though. She was chased up there by moblins. I managed to save her, but there was a sense of sadness in her eyes. She wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't find the words. Talin showed up to save us and brought her home. I carried on, dodging rocks, deflecting fire, and killing a giant turtle that I revived. Tomorrow I'll try to begin my return journey.
I can't help but hurt, wondering if this is the last time I'll see my new friends. Is this the right thing? Ganon's dead, right? Maybe I should sacrifice and stay here?
...sorry.
-Link"
Bleargh!
Friday, October 14, 2022
I kinda hate this game.
Backtracking through tedious enemies to open doors should be banned.
"Dear Zelda,
I'm starting to think I'm not homesick. Rather, I'm sick of Hokolint.
I found an invisible zora in Animal Village. He just wanted to be left alone, so, to keep my mouth shut (which I was going to do anyway), he told me of another invisible merchant near where I got my first sword. I traded my shovel for a boomerang! And that's all my admin tonight!
I found my way through a hedge maze, aerial bomber, and deep water to find the north Face Shrine. Zelda, I really don't want to relive this place. I found so many dead ends I had to backtrack from, but I couldn't find my way through. Along the way are rooms filled with teleporting wizards who are the most annoying things to fight. Fortunately, my new boomerang made them slightly less awful. But I still had to walk around for hours. There are many secret pathways with no sign they're there, but even those took me to the middle of nowhere. Somehow, I stumbled upon a new path that led me to an upgraded Power Bracelet. I still have to keep it in my pocket until I need to use it, but I can lift even bigger stuff now! It kinda helped.
Throughout this place are elephant statues that block the way. Under one was a stairwell. In hindsight, if I didn't jump into the water first, maybe I wouldn't have hated this place as much. Like all dungeons, this one had a miniboss. I had to play catch with it, but I was still getting used to the new grip of my bracelet, so this sucked.
After forever and a day, I reached someone having less fun than I. A face on the floor threw rocks at me while I put bombs on him. What a life it must have led? As he died, he warned me that, once I wake up the Wind Fish, everything on this island will disappear. After tonight, I think I'm fine with that. But that's a terrible thought. I shouldn't let Marin and the others poof away. Is there anything I can do?
I wanted to focus on the next task, so I climbed to Eagle Tower in the mountains. I got there, but I didn't have the key... Pray to the Goddess for these people, Zelda. I don't know if I can.
- Link"
I'm so close to the end, so I won't drop the game. But the amount of tedious, garbage game design is gonna hurt Link's Awakening's score.
"Dear Zelda,
I'm starting to think I'm not homesick. Rather, I'm sick of Hokolint.
I found an invisible zora in Animal Village. He just wanted to be left alone, so, to keep my mouth shut (which I was going to do anyway), he told me of another invisible merchant near where I got my first sword. I traded my shovel for a boomerang! And that's all my admin tonight!
I found my way through a hedge maze, aerial bomber, and deep water to find the north Face Shrine. Zelda, I really don't want to relive this place. I found so many dead ends I had to backtrack from, but I couldn't find my way through. Along the way are rooms filled with teleporting wizards who are the most annoying things to fight. Fortunately, my new boomerang made them slightly less awful. But I still had to walk around for hours. There are many secret pathways with no sign they're there, but even those took me to the middle of nowhere. Somehow, I stumbled upon a new path that led me to an upgraded Power Bracelet. I still have to keep it in my pocket until I need to use it, but I can lift even bigger stuff now! It kinda helped.
Throughout this place are elephant statues that block the way. Under one was a stairwell. In hindsight, if I didn't jump into the water first, maybe I wouldn't have hated this place as much. Like all dungeons, this one had a miniboss. I had to play catch with it, but I was still getting used to the new grip of my bracelet, so this sucked.
After forever and a day, I reached someone having less fun than I. A face on the floor threw rocks at me while I put bombs on him. What a life it must have led? As he died, he warned me that, once I wake up the Wind Fish, everything on this island will disappear. After tonight, I think I'm fine with that. But that's a terrible thought. I shouldn't let Marin and the others poof away. Is there anything I can do?
I wanted to focus on the next task, so I climbed to Eagle Tower in the mountains. I got there, but I didn't have the key... Pray to the Goddess for these people, Zelda. I don't know if I can.
- Link"
I'm so close to the end, so I won't drop the game. But the amount of tedious, garbage game design is gonna hurt Link's Awakening's score.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
The twist!
But first, let's get stronger!
"Dear Zelda,
I still want to come home, but I'm stuck here, so I might as well do what I set out to do. I started traveling to train for something stronger than Ganon, so I'll keep that in mind during this troubled time. And I made sure I did that today.
The first thing I did was sure up my defenses. I scoured Hokolink for all the ways to make me last longer against my opponents. I feel like I've done all I could in that regard.
I also wanted to remove all distractions. I've been doing weird bartering with the island's inhabitants since I got here. I've been sitting on a hibiscus flower for a few days, and there's a doe in the animal village who wants it. She gave me a letter for a guy in the northwest of the island. It contained a picture of a princess from another land. He gave me a hook that a fisherman wanted, which I traded for a necklace. A nearby mermaid lost that, and she let me take a scale from her for the necklace. Some time ago, an artist made a sculpture of the mermaid, but it wasn't finished. Placing her scale on the statue led me to a new item: the magnifying glass. It allows me to see what was once invisible!
Lastly, all these shells. Following rumors, I searched far and wide. I've found eighteen leading up to tonight and found two more looking now. I took my round number to the Seashell Hut and turned them in. Whatever controlled this place said its job was done. As a reward, it increased the power of my sword! It now functions like the Master Sword and launches a projectile when I'm feeling well!
With my power at max, I went to seek my next instrument. The owl warned me about the upcoming dungeon being in two parts. The key is to the south. I went there first and defeated an armored statue. I had to fight eight of them at the same time once, so a one-on-one is in my favor. Good thing I bought the bow and arrow! It dropped the key, but it protected something dark. Behind him was a wall scroll that taught me the secret of this island.
This island is a dream; It's not real. The Wind Fish concocted this place when he fell asleep. So what's going to happen to Marin, Tarin, and all the animals when I leave? I want to come home, but can I wipe out all these people? They feel so real to me, Zelda.
What should I do?"
All hearts and the Hokolint Sword are in my possession. I should have gone through the Color Dungeon for full defense, but that'll come later. Also, I dig the twist!
"Dear Zelda,
I still want to come home, but I'm stuck here, so I might as well do what I set out to do. I started traveling to train for something stronger than Ganon, so I'll keep that in mind during this troubled time. And I made sure I did that today.
The first thing I did was sure up my defenses. I scoured Hokolink for all the ways to make me last longer against my opponents. I feel like I've done all I could in that regard.
I also wanted to remove all distractions. I've been doing weird bartering with the island's inhabitants since I got here. I've been sitting on a hibiscus flower for a few days, and there's a doe in the animal village who wants it. She gave me a letter for a guy in the northwest of the island. It contained a picture of a princess from another land. He gave me a hook that a fisherman wanted, which I traded for a necklace. A nearby mermaid lost that, and she let me take a scale from her for the necklace. Some time ago, an artist made a sculpture of the mermaid, but it wasn't finished. Placing her scale on the statue led me to a new item: the magnifying glass. It allows me to see what was once invisible!
Lastly, all these shells. Following rumors, I searched far and wide. I've found eighteen leading up to tonight and found two more looking now. I took my round number to the Seashell Hut and turned them in. Whatever controlled this place said its job was done. As a reward, it increased the power of my sword! It now functions like the Master Sword and launches a projectile when I'm feeling well!
With my power at max, I went to seek my next instrument. The owl warned me about the upcoming dungeon being in two parts. The key is to the south. I went there first and defeated an armored statue. I had to fight eight of them at the same time once, so a one-on-one is in my favor. Good thing I bought the bow and arrow! It dropped the key, but it protected something dark. Behind him was a wall scroll that taught me the secret of this island.
This island is a dream; It's not real. The Wind Fish concocted this place when he fell asleep. So what's going to happen to Marin, Tarin, and all the animals when I leave? I want to come home, but can I wipe out all these people? They feel so real to me, Zelda.
What should I do?"
All hearts and the Hokolint Sword are in my possession. I should have gone through the Color Dungeon for full defense, but that'll come later. Also, I dig the twist!
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
The worst dungeon.
It ruined my desire to explore.
"Dear Zelda,
I wanna come home. The Catfish's Maw is a terrible cavern that should have remained unexplored. It's another dungeon with no rhyme or reason to where the paths lead. It's filled with dead ends, but few of them are locked doors. To make it truly awful, though, and the knockoff shy guys. You can only strike them from behind, but they spin around faster than I can land. And they respawn so quickly! It seems they're the masters of this place, as they keep locking the doors when I run through them! But if they were the worst thing down here, I could have managed.
Several times throughout the cove, I had to duel a skeleton. The creature had a massive shield I couldn't figure out how to get around. I just kept swinging until he fell. An owl statue told me to bomb it, which I had to do about fifteen times through four fights. Once it finally fell, I picked up its hookshot. I missed this one!
At the bottom was another worm. I had to use the hookshot to pull it out of the walls while avoiding its tail. It sure liked to take its time appearing before me, so this stalemate battle took what felt like forever. I got the Wind Marimba and quickly left this place. Tired, I just went to bed.
Zelda, I've enjoyed traveling, but I'm ready to relax. I've been shipwrecked, attacked by a dog, haunted by a ghost, drowned, bombed by a monkey, and beaten by rabbits. I know this sounds like something a wuss would say, but I'm homesick. Maybe I should have enjoyed the peace of Hyrule before leaving on this journey. Bake a cake for me, please.
-Link"
I didn't have fun tonight. Can you understand that from this diary?
"Dear Zelda,
I wanna come home. The Catfish's Maw is a terrible cavern that should have remained unexplored. It's another dungeon with no rhyme or reason to where the paths lead. It's filled with dead ends, but few of them are locked doors. To make it truly awful, though, and the knockoff shy guys. You can only strike them from behind, but they spin around faster than I can land. And they respawn so quickly! It seems they're the masters of this place, as they keep locking the doors when I run through them! But if they were the worst thing down here, I could have managed.
Several times throughout the cove, I had to duel a skeleton. The creature had a massive shield I couldn't figure out how to get around. I just kept swinging until he fell. An owl statue told me to bomb it, which I had to do about fifteen times through four fights. Once it finally fell, I picked up its hookshot. I missed this one!
At the bottom was another worm. I had to use the hookshot to pull it out of the walls while avoiding its tail. It sure liked to take its time appearing before me, so this stalemate battle took what felt like forever. I got the Wind Marimba and quickly left this place. Tired, I just went to bed.
Zelda, I've enjoyed traveling, but I'm ready to relax. I've been shipwrecked, attacked by a dog, haunted by a ghost, drowned, bombed by a monkey, and beaten by rabbits. I know this sounds like something a wuss would say, but I'm homesick. Maybe I should have enjoyed the peace of Hyrule before leaving on this journey. Bake a cake for me, please.
-Link"
I didn't have fun tonight. Can you understand that from this diary?
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Lost on an island
But I didn't date Marin.
"Dear Zelda,
This island is a lot bigger than you'd expect. Between the mobs, annoying rocks, forests, and walruses (I'll get to that in a moment), I got flipped and turned all around Hokolint Island. I had no way to get to the waterfall, but there was a key nearby that got my mind rolling. I'll find that key! But the owl told me to visit the desert. Going south from Mabe Village took me to Animal Village! It's a tiny town filled with sentient, adorable animals. Maybe I don't hate bunnies...
This is the last village before the desert, but I've been told we won't go much further. A large walrus (I told you) was blocking the path. He appears to be dreaming of Marin. So I went back to Mabe, but she wasn't there. Another kid told me she went to the beach.
I found her in a remote area, so I should have asked how she got there. We sat together for a moment, and she told me the inhabitants of the island didn't believe anything else was in the world. My appearance here made Marin, and everyone else, rethink this. She told me she'd like to turn into a bird and fly across the planet. It's a simple but honest dream. I hope she can experience something similar in the future. After a moment, we headed to Animal Village. We stopped by the statue in town to let Marin's friend know she was alright, and a local photographer took our picture. Talin showed up, and I hope I can get a copy of it before I leave. Marin's a great singer, and she used her voice to awaken the sleeping walrus. He then dove into the river.
Remember that dream I told you about a few days ago? I found an ocarina in it, which appeared in my hands when I woke up. Marin taught me her song. I can't wait to play it for you!
Deep in the desert with a sandworm. It didn't seem aggressive, but I remembered fighting a similar one in Hyrule, so my instinct went into action. Good thing, too, because it dropped the waterfall key!
Warping to the waterfall, the key caused it to part. But how to get in? There's a mountain nearby, so I started climbing that. I was correct, but I had to make a leap of faith, so I've fallen for something today. My poor knees, Zelda!
Angler's Tunnel is another confusing mess. But that's largely because I keep forgetting to combine the Pegasus Boots and the Roc Feather. I had to use it twice! The real hard part was finding the way across the deep waters. But I eventually found my way to a trapped room. A giant red slime began to chase me around the room. But I quickly realized it was going mindlessly around in a circle. I jumped over it and started smacking it with my sword, slaying the beast with ease. It was guarding a pair of flippers! I'm sea bound again, Zelda!
Swimming through the rest of the cave, I noticed a strange floor puzzle. It's only five squares, so it's an easy memorization game. Deeper on, that puzzle opened the way to the boss. He sure did suck! The Angler just floated there while I whacked it. I'm just that dang good! Behind it was the Surf Harp.
Near the cave is another cave. The fish in this one taught me another song. It's less cool, but it teleported me to a small puddle near the forest. And then I noticed something was wrong. I was being followed. I tried to shake my stalker but couldn't. Without options, I decided to defend myself. I called out to my would-be attacker, and a ghost appeared! It wanted me to take it home, so I did. Then it wanted to rest, so I found its grave. I got a seashell from it, so that's nice. With this scare, I've forgotten where to go, so maybe a good sleep will remind me. Good night, Zelda.
- Link"
The flippers are automatically equipped, so why couldn't the power bracelet be? Terrible game design!
"Dear Zelda,
This island is a lot bigger than you'd expect. Between the mobs, annoying rocks, forests, and walruses (I'll get to that in a moment), I got flipped and turned all around Hokolint Island. I had no way to get to the waterfall, but there was a key nearby that got my mind rolling. I'll find that key! But the owl told me to visit the desert. Going south from Mabe Village took me to Animal Village! It's a tiny town filled with sentient, adorable animals. Maybe I don't hate bunnies...
This is the last village before the desert, but I've been told we won't go much further. A large walrus (I told you) was blocking the path. He appears to be dreaming of Marin. So I went back to Mabe, but she wasn't there. Another kid told me she went to the beach.
I found her in a remote area, so I should have asked how she got there. We sat together for a moment, and she told me the inhabitants of the island didn't believe anything else was in the world. My appearance here made Marin, and everyone else, rethink this. She told me she'd like to turn into a bird and fly across the planet. It's a simple but honest dream. I hope she can experience something similar in the future. After a moment, we headed to Animal Village. We stopped by the statue in town to let Marin's friend know she was alright, and a local photographer took our picture. Talin showed up, and I hope I can get a copy of it before I leave. Marin's a great singer, and she used her voice to awaken the sleeping walrus. He then dove into the river.
Remember that dream I told you about a few days ago? I found an ocarina in it, which appeared in my hands when I woke up. Marin taught me her song. I can't wait to play it for you!
Deep in the desert with a sandworm. It didn't seem aggressive, but I remembered fighting a similar one in Hyrule, so my instinct went into action. Good thing, too, because it dropped the waterfall key!
Warping to the waterfall, the key caused it to part. But how to get in? There's a mountain nearby, so I started climbing that. I was correct, but I had to make a leap of faith, so I've fallen for something today. My poor knees, Zelda!
Angler's Tunnel is another confusing mess. But that's largely because I keep forgetting to combine the Pegasus Boots and the Roc Feather. I had to use it twice! The real hard part was finding the way across the deep waters. But I eventually found my way to a trapped room. A giant red slime began to chase me around the room. But I quickly realized it was going mindlessly around in a circle. I jumped over it and started smacking it with my sword, slaying the beast with ease. It was guarding a pair of flippers! I'm sea bound again, Zelda!
Swimming through the rest of the cave, I noticed a strange floor puzzle. It's only five squares, so it's an easy memorization game. Deeper on, that puzzle opened the way to the boss. He sure did suck! The Angler just floated there while I whacked it. I'm just that dang good! Behind it was the Surf Harp.
Near the cave is another cave. The fish in this one taught me another song. It's less cool, but it teleported me to a small puddle near the forest. And then I noticed something was wrong. I was being followed. I tried to shake my stalker but couldn't. Without options, I decided to defend myself. I called out to my would-be attacker, and a ghost appeared! It wanted me to take it home, so I did. Then it wanted to rest, so I found its grave. I got a seashell from it, so that's nice. With this scare, I've forgotten where to go, so maybe a good sleep will remind me. Good night, Zelda.
- Link"
The flippers are automatically equipped, so why couldn't the power bracelet be? Terrible game design!
Monday, October 10, 2022
Gotta go fast.
And also collect a stick.
"Dear Zelda,
We need to get a dog when I come home. I was forced, against my will, to return the chain chomp by an evil monkey. At least I'll always have this picture.
After that, I found a man who lives with frogs. He said he used to work at the castle and hid five golden leaves before he had to flee. Should I find my way into the castle and retrieve them, I'll get a reward. That evil monkey wanted my bananas, but he built a bridge to the castle to thank me. They left a stick behind, so I hope it wasn't critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
Inside and around Kanalet castle are five off white leaves. Some are guarded by monsters, hidden in walls, and found in puzzles.
One is from the worm in the holes.
Another by the bird in the tree.
A third appears when you kill everyone in the first room.
The next is behind the left relief.
Finally, throw a put against the door and kill the omnicrone inside.
I don't know why I wrote this out, but I'm trying to paint you a picture. The owl keeps telling me to be more specific. Is he reading these letters?
Anyway, Richard, after going through a winding cave and a maze of plants, gave me the key to the next dungeon around the lake.
Key Cavern was annoying. There are a million pitfalls, tanks, and elusive monsters down here. I had to throw a pot against the door to get in, which won't get annoying fast. As the name suggests, there are a lot of keys here. In fact, I even got an extra one before I found the instrument. The path is very winding, long, and filled with hidden stuff. I stumbled on the mid boss and accidentally killed him. Behind him was another pair of Pegasus Boots. I thought Hyrule was the only country that had them? How'd they get here? These boots allow me to run as fast as before, but I have to show you a trick when I get back. Combine the Roc's Wing with them, and I can fly! Almost...
The rest of this place is a confusing mess of fake walls and destructible crystals the Pegasus Boots can break. In the back is the Slime Eye. It's actually a ring that's actually two rings. I had to break them into two pieces before they became weak. Each time I attacked one, they'd jump into the air and cause an earthquake. This hurt my knees, so prepare an ice bath when I get back. But a well timed jump left them open to another attack. They were guarding the Sea Lily Bell. A voice told me to seek the waterfall, but the owl wants me to visit the desert. I can't swim and hate sand because it's coarse and gets everywhere, so I'm gonna go to bed.
- Link"
I miss Bow Wow.
"Dear Zelda,
We need to get a dog when I come home. I was forced, against my will, to return the chain chomp by an evil monkey. At least I'll always have this picture.
After that, I found a man who lives with frogs. He said he used to work at the castle and hid five golden leaves before he had to flee. Should I find my way into the castle and retrieve them, I'll get a reward. That evil monkey wanted my bananas, but he built a bridge to the castle to thank me. They left a stick behind, so I hope it wasn't critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
Inside and around Kanalet castle are five off white leaves. Some are guarded by monsters, hidden in walls, and found in puzzles.
One is from the worm in the holes.
Another by the bird in the tree.
A third appears when you kill everyone in the first room.
The next is behind the left relief.
Finally, throw a put against the door and kill the omnicrone inside.
I don't know why I wrote this out, but I'm trying to paint you a picture. The owl keeps telling me to be more specific. Is he reading these letters?
Anyway, Richard, after going through a winding cave and a maze of plants, gave me the key to the next dungeon around the lake.
Key Cavern was annoying. There are a million pitfalls, tanks, and elusive monsters down here. I had to throw a pot against the door to get in, which won't get annoying fast. As the name suggests, there are a lot of keys here. In fact, I even got an extra one before I found the instrument. The path is very winding, long, and filled with hidden stuff. I stumbled on the mid boss and accidentally killed him. Behind him was another pair of Pegasus Boots. I thought Hyrule was the only country that had them? How'd they get here? These boots allow me to run as fast as before, but I have to show you a trick when I get back. Combine the Roc's Wing with them, and I can fly! Almost...
The rest of this place is a confusing mess of fake walls and destructible crystals the Pegasus Boots can break. In the back is the Slime Eye. It's actually a ring that's actually two rings. I had to break them into two pieces before they became weak. Each time I attacked one, they'd jump into the air and cause an earthquake. This hurt my knees, so prepare an ice bath when I get back. But a well timed jump left them open to another attack. They were guarding the Sea Lily Bell. A voice told me to seek the waterfall, but the owl wants me to visit the desert. I can't swim and hate sand because it's coarse and gets everywhere, so I'm gonna go to bed.
- Link"
I miss Bow Wow.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
The confusion of Shy Guys
And the tedium of switching items way too often while constantly being told how to do so...
"Dear Zelda,
Bottle Grotto was a confusing area filled with masked men. They tried to mimic my actions, and it threw me off. I'd get close and swing my sword, but it did nothing. But then I realized their mask couldn't protect their back. It's unsettling to turn your back on an enemy, but a good spinning sword made quick work of them.
The rest of this place tested my jumping ability. There are a few rooms that are pitch black, but I'm sure you're wondering why they call it Bottle Grove. Well, there are a lot of pots down here. I know, I know, but there's something about these Koholint pots that I can't break. Or...couldn't. Deep in this cavern, protected by a bomb thrower, is the Power Bracelet. It's no Golden Gauntlet, but it works. I can lift clay again!
But there's one more curiosity here. Zelda, I don't like bunnies anymore. I know I've been one, but I'll never transform again.
At the bottom was a fun guy. Another bottle crept towards me, and a genie was inside! I couldn't harm him until he spent all his magic missing me, and I could throw his pot into the wall. Once that broke, the sword sliced him to pieces. He was guarding the Conch Tuba!
A voice told me where to go next, but I wanted to explore more around the island. I found quite a few of these special seashells. I also stumbled upon a comfy bed, but I probably shouldn't have. I had a bad nightmare, but I think it made me stronger. Once I come home, there's some magic we should study: Warp Nodes. I can teleport around the island in a few places, but can I remember where they are? More importantly... Zelda, I found bombs.
I also stumbled upon a giant egg, but I'll have to investigate that and Key Cavern once I figure out this castle in the middle of the island.
-Link"
The tedium of having to switch from your shield/jump is gonna be a huge loss of points.
"Dear Zelda,
Bottle Grotto was a confusing area filled with masked men. They tried to mimic my actions, and it threw me off. I'd get close and swing my sword, but it did nothing. But then I realized their mask couldn't protect their back. It's unsettling to turn your back on an enemy, but a good spinning sword made quick work of them.
The rest of this place tested my jumping ability. There are a few rooms that are pitch black, but I'm sure you're wondering why they call it Bottle Grove. Well, there are a lot of pots down here. I know, I know, but there's something about these Koholint pots that I can't break. Or...couldn't. Deep in this cavern, protected by a bomb thrower, is the Power Bracelet. It's no Golden Gauntlet, but it works. I can lift clay again!
But there's one more curiosity here. Zelda, I don't like bunnies anymore. I know I've been one, but I'll never transform again.
At the bottom was a fun guy. Another bottle crept towards me, and a genie was inside! I couldn't harm him until he spent all his magic missing me, and I could throw his pot into the wall. Once that broke, the sword sliced him to pieces. He was guarding the Conch Tuba!
A voice told me where to go next, but I wanted to explore more around the island. I found quite a few of these special seashells. I also stumbled upon a comfy bed, but I probably shouldn't have. I had a bad nightmare, but I think it made me stronger. Once I come home, there's some magic we should study: Warp Nodes. I can teleport around the island in a few places, but can I remember where they are? More importantly... Zelda, I found bombs.
I also stumbled upon a giant egg, but I'll have to investigate that and Key Cavern once I figure out this castle in the middle of the island.
-Link"
The tedium of having to switch from your shield/jump is gonna be a huge loss of points.
Saturday, October 8, 2022
The Diary Shall Continue!
I've been wanting to play another Legend of Zelda game. They're great, so why wouldn't I? The problem is they're on older systems with limitations my, evidently, millennial soyboy brain can't get over. Either that or they won't run well on my computer. But, well, tough times call for tough men, so I'm gonna grow up! I'm gonna play Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX! It's on the GBA, and it continues the story of Link from a Link to the Past. This means I can keep writing that diary I started back in February or whenever it was I last played a Zelda game. So I play a new entry to the franchise, and I get to change up my writing style. Two birds; one stone.
"Dear Zelda,
Maybe I shouldn't have left Hyrule. This is my first time leaving our country, and guess what happened. I nearly drowned.
It was a stormy night, and the ship I hired was struck by lightning. I don't know what happened to the rest of the crew, but I was saved. Obviously.
Just now, I woke up in a warm bed. A girl named Marin found me washed up on the beach. She said I was tossing and turning, crying out for you, so I guess I was thinking of you the entire time. As soon as I could move, I crawled out of bed and spoke to her dad, Tarin. He had my shield, which was all they could find. Before I left, they warned me that their home island of Koholint has been besieged by monsters since I showed up. Am I the cause of this? Are they following me? Is this just bad timing?
I went back to the beach to see if I could find anything. After guarding my way through spike balls, creatures called moblins, and an angry monkey who throws coconuts, I found my sword. It's not the Master Sword, so I'm a little worried. But I guess it's better than nothing. As I picked it up, an owl came to me. He instructed me to visit the Mysterious Forest, as it contains a key to my next destination. I'll skip to the important bits, but I'm trapped on Koholint because the Wind Fish is sleeping. To awaken it, I'll need to collect instruments on the island.
In the forest is a key to the Tail Cave. To get it, I needed to get past a mischievous raccoon. He could somehow force me to get lost in these woods. I found my way out through another exit and found a witch that wanted a mushroom. Gathering one in a cave in the forest, she turned it into magic powder. Sprinkling it on the raccoon and his sensitive nose, he began to panic. After running around the clearing, he ended up transforming into Talin! He came here to find mushrooms but was changed into a beast. What a strange place I've wound up. The key I needed was just behind him. Zelda, I'm suddenly feeling like this happened to sabotage me for some reason.
I found my way to Tail Cave and began my discovery of this island's secrets. Many of their monsters are similar to Hyrule's, so I quickly figured my way through. They have these strange things called goombas, though. Which reminds me, do you know what a Yoshi is? Inside this cave is something I think I'm in love with? Did you know I can jump? And it's a good thing I learned how to because I needed it for the dungeon's mini boss. He liked to push a log against me, but with my newfound aerial prowess, I made quick work of him. I still got it, bay bay!
Shortly after this, I found an old friend. That guy with the glowing weakness on his tail stood in my way. I fought a similar creature on Hera's Tower. It was annoying, but I managed to win with relative ease. Behind him was the Full Moon Cello. I don't know how to play it well, but I tried a tune Marin taught me.
As I left this place, the owl told me to visit the swamp up north. As I tried to get there, two kids told me Mabe Village was attacked. Moblins didn't do too much, but they kidnapped a dog like creature that resembles a steel ball on a chain. It does bark, I guess... Wanting to rescue the dog to please its owner, I proceeded to get lost. I'm a warrior, Zelda, not a navigator! But I somehow found a cave with many moblins in it. I defeated the boss because he likes to headbutt stone walls. I took the chain chomp home, but the owner wanted me to take it for a walk. Now the Hero of Hyrule is a dog walker... Zelda, I hope you appreciate what I'm going through for us. That being said...
I'm glad I did! The doggy likes to eat and attack anything in our path! This includes sharks and plants. A balanced diet is a good diet! I found the next place my stalker owl wanted me to go, so I'm off to explore Bottle Grotto! I hope this owl at least delivers this.
- Link"
Jumping is so fun! From a gameplay perspective, I might find LA better than LttP!
"Dear Zelda,
Maybe I shouldn't have left Hyrule. This is my first time leaving our country, and guess what happened. I nearly drowned.
It was a stormy night, and the ship I hired was struck by lightning. I don't know what happened to the rest of the crew, but I was saved. Obviously.
Just now, I woke up in a warm bed. A girl named Marin found me washed up on the beach. She said I was tossing and turning, crying out for you, so I guess I was thinking of you the entire time. As soon as I could move, I crawled out of bed and spoke to her dad, Tarin. He had my shield, which was all they could find. Before I left, they warned me that their home island of Koholint has been besieged by monsters since I showed up. Am I the cause of this? Are they following me? Is this just bad timing?
I went back to the beach to see if I could find anything. After guarding my way through spike balls, creatures called moblins, and an angry monkey who throws coconuts, I found my sword. It's not the Master Sword, so I'm a little worried. But I guess it's better than nothing. As I picked it up, an owl came to me. He instructed me to visit the Mysterious Forest, as it contains a key to my next destination. I'll skip to the important bits, but I'm trapped on Koholint because the Wind Fish is sleeping. To awaken it, I'll need to collect instruments on the island.
In the forest is a key to the Tail Cave. To get it, I needed to get past a mischievous raccoon. He could somehow force me to get lost in these woods. I found my way out through another exit and found a witch that wanted a mushroom. Gathering one in a cave in the forest, she turned it into magic powder. Sprinkling it on the raccoon and his sensitive nose, he began to panic. After running around the clearing, he ended up transforming into Talin! He came here to find mushrooms but was changed into a beast. What a strange place I've wound up. The key I needed was just behind him. Zelda, I'm suddenly feeling like this happened to sabotage me for some reason.
I found my way to Tail Cave and began my discovery of this island's secrets. Many of their monsters are similar to Hyrule's, so I quickly figured my way through. They have these strange things called goombas, though. Which reminds me, do you know what a Yoshi is? Inside this cave is something I think I'm in love with? Did you know I can jump? And it's a good thing I learned how to because I needed it for the dungeon's mini boss. He liked to push a log against me, but with my newfound aerial prowess, I made quick work of him. I still got it, bay bay!
Shortly after this, I found an old friend. That guy with the glowing weakness on his tail stood in my way. I fought a similar creature on Hera's Tower. It was annoying, but I managed to win with relative ease. Behind him was the Full Moon Cello. I don't know how to play it well, but I tried a tune Marin taught me.
As I left this place, the owl told me to visit the swamp up north. As I tried to get there, two kids told me Mabe Village was attacked. Moblins didn't do too much, but they kidnapped a dog like creature that resembles a steel ball on a chain. It does bark, I guess... Wanting to rescue the dog to please its owner, I proceeded to get lost. I'm a warrior, Zelda, not a navigator! But I somehow found a cave with many moblins in it. I defeated the boss because he likes to headbutt stone walls. I took the chain chomp home, but the owner wanted me to take it for a walk. Now the Hero of Hyrule is a dog walker... Zelda, I hope you appreciate what I'm going through for us. That being said...
I'm glad I did! The doggy likes to eat and attack anything in our path! This includes sharks and plants. A balanced diet is a good diet! I found the next place my stalker owl wanted me to go, so I'm off to explore Bottle Grotto! I hope this owl at least delivers this.
- Link"
Jumping is so fun! From a gameplay perspective, I might find LA better than LttP!
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
A flawed Masterpiece in a niche existence.
Energy Breaker is my first full foray into the vaulted Lufia series. I played a little bit of "Rise of the Sinstrals" a few years ago, but I stopped when I had the kid. There were a number of reasons for this, but I won't get into them later. Maybe one day I'll replay it and discuss it then, but this is about the unknown entry. Energy Breaker was never released outside of Japan, and it didn't do so well at home. It's so unknown that it doesn't have a Wikipedia page. There's only a stub on the Lufia fandom page. Is there a reason for it?
To answer that question outright, let's see what Neverland/Taito did wrong.
The game mechanics drove me mad. Nothing is tutorialized in EB. Is it one of those games where you need the manual to fully understand it? Regardless, I don't have that. It took me far too long to learn how to put a negative point into my skills, and I kept getting mad when I wouldn't learn Elby. Elby is the healing spell, so it's kinda important. In fact, I didn't learn any spells until nearly twelve hours in. It was frustrating and ruined the game. I nearly quit playing there.
The random difficulty spikes were awful. I spoke about the endless horde fights a few times, and one actually did get me to quit. I came back, but I'm uncertain if it was worth it. Having long, drawn out battles against tanks isn't a fun way to spend an hour. These weren't fun.
Limited item inventory is becoming a deal breaker for me. Five characters get a total of eight items a piece, but half of those will be gear. You can find a way to double them, so you'll find some salvation from it eventually. But you'll still be flicking back and forth between the ten menu screens. All the Item Boxes do is shift the tedium somewhere else.
The pacing, especially towards the end, isn't great. We get Myra's big reveal until the penultimate battle, so it doesn't have any time to mean anything. And nothing even changes; she's the same person as before, but we know she's immortal now. What does that mean?
There are also several plot holes and inconsistencies that ruin the plot. For starters: time travel. We do it a bunch, and it creates a lot of paradoxes. If Parasite went back in time to make Limitz a General, how, when, and why? The flower thing left me asking multiple questions. How did we see, in the same time period, two versions of Limly? By the way, her name's not Limly, but my brain decided not to remember what it really was. The game also leaves several unanswered questions. What's the point of Pygma? Dorothy and Parasite fight over him, and then he loses all plot relevance. What's the deal with the old man taking the grandkids around the island to find their parents? We see them twice but don't get any reason to care or end to their journey. Finally, who the hell is Krill, and how did Star become immortal?
Those are damning indictments to Energy Breaker and explains why I tried to drop it twice. But I kept playing. Why?
First of all, the music is fantastic! According to RPGFan.com, it was composed by Yukio Nakajima, Yasunori Shiono, and Yusei Yamamoto. I've never heard of any of those people and don't know how extensive their resume goes, but I'm curious. The slow, mellow tunes would fit in on my precious Spotify playlist, and I even enjoyed the dungeon/action pieces. There are two songs, especially, that make me want to come back to the OST. It, alone, makes playing EB worth it.
The combat was fun. It's a simple tactical battlefield, but it won't overwhelm you (outside of a few question moments). You know what to do, where you can go. Because it's an adventure style RPG, you wouldn't expect this type of battle system. And because there's no comparison, it doesn't have to be excruciatingly deep. It works, is smooth, is fun, and I'd like to see it more.
I enjoyed the characters. Everyone has clear motivations and goals, and there are a few twists throughout. There are a lot of plot holes, which I brought up earlier, but I enjoyed what we saw. They're all unique, interesting, and even have some minor differences in their spells. I still feel like Myra was the least relevant, which just feels wrong.
The goods are equal to the bad, but there's little middle ground in Energy Breaker. What it does well is amazing, but when it falls, everything falls hard. And I think that's the biggest issue with the game. It's the inconsistency. The translation team broke the fourth wall to explain that the devs dropped a few things towards the end, which is pretty obvious. Some things got cut, and it impacted the game in so many ways. Sadly, since there's no Wikipedia for it, I can't be sure what happened. And it's just a niche game that I doubt there's much information to find in the first place. But let's wrap this up with a tl;dr!
Plot: Inconsistence and filled with holes. It's a time travel plot with an amnesiac framing mechanic. Things are going to get lost in stories like this. 7/10
Gameplay: Huh? Everything works, but I don't know how it works. 6/10
Art: Maybe the best? The graphics might be among the best in the system. There might be too many blue haired people, mind you, because I got confused on a few spirits every now and then. 10/10
Sound: Worthy of a Final Fantasy. I'm going to say something controversial here. Energy Breaker is the third best soundtrack on the SNES. Strong words from a strong man... 10/10
Charm: I don't really know how to explain this. I think the rush job messed with it a lot, but there are a few things still here. 6/10
The only negatives are the confusing element allocation and the item inventory limits.
In the end, Energy Breaker is a solid 35/50. A great 70 percent!
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Plant a bomb in the Temple of your Dream
But Star's the bomb!
There's only a handful of rooms between the entrance and the target. There's an implication of a puzzle with the triggerable walkway, glowing square on the otherside, and other crystals, but it's never realized. The only fights I can remember are:
1.) where we're flanked on both sides by pumpkin heads with a goal of reaching the otherside. This isn't hard, but I liked the idea of it.
2.) the fight where you shouldn't climb the staircase in the middle. Trying to climb takes all of our movement, and it takes forever to get up. Meanwhile, cyclopses will drop rocks on our heads, either killing us or not letting us get any offense in. Split up your party to either side and assault them in the back. They won't react to us unless we're on the stairs. You may have to use your Clothos Thread here, but that's good testing for the final battle.
Leon warns us when we're about to reach the point of no return, and I'm ready!
Oriales is waiting here. He tells us he just wants to create the perfect entity, which self destructive humans can never be. During his speech, Myra occasionally glows and moves around. She starts to scream and has a mild, short term transformation. She's regained her memory. During the same battle that left Leon in the coffin, Myra did something that caused her allies to suffer. She's felt an incredible guilt ever since and sealed off her memory. But now, the Radiant Princess of Wind is back. She, too, doesn't believe in the idea of perfection and opposes Oriales. It's through human weakness that we're able to do all that we can. And, despite only having one true human on the team, we plan to show Oriales how strong humans are.
Oriales summons a bunch of nerds, but he rushes us in the second (or maybe first) round. I'd consider buffing during the round, but I tried to take out as many of the mobs as I could. There are three or four healing mobs here, so you'll want to focus. Once Oriales got to us, I went all out on him. It took a few rounds, but he's more fragile than you'd think. Afterwards, he'll yell that he's not done yet, and we'll all be warped to the final boss!
Oriales is the red crystal in the dragon statue, but we need to get through five turrets, and the terrain sucks. I killed the left turret on round one, so I don't know what it does. The top one shoots weak projectiles, and the far right does a big laser attack occasionally. The bottom one is kinda scary. Don't stand in melee range, or it'll attack. It crited and killed Star in one shot. If Oriales is alone, then he lacks any real pop. He still hurts and can greatly complicate movement, but he can't kill. Oriales is very tanky. It took three Poison Drops for us to do more than one damage. And the path up to him isn't easy to navigate. I had to use the Clothos Thread twice, or else the time limit would have gotten me. But, by then, the battle is yours. Would have been more so if Star didn't blow up!
We'll end up back in the first fight room, and the Temple starts to shake. Oriales is a load bearing boss, so we need to leave! Leon warns us that Oriales will be reincarnated, but Myra is sure she'll stop him again. I don't know if there's a certain number of shakes we can experience before we fail, but I got to the end. But Leon doesn't want to leave with us. He's edgy to the end. Leon offers everyone one sentence of advice about our future and teleports away. We all accept his action and leave. As we run away, the credits roll, letting us see some final actions of our party members.
Myra stops to watch flower petals travel across the restored world.
Leonard is doing something with Star and Marion. We can only see through emoticons, but it isn't going well. They figure it out, and Star and Marion are sent back in time. They hang out with young Leonard.
Dorothy tries to ditch Pygma, but the dragon with no lore loves her. She returns to Pioneer Town to hang with Emilina.
After the credits, more scenes show.
Marion has given birth to Star's son. He names him Krill.
Dorothy started a shop with Emily. Doro is trying to be more ladylike, but it isn't sticking. A man comes in to restart to desert gold rush. He tells Dorothy not to change before telling the girls his name is Krill. I think?
Leonard is at the grave of Limitz. An old woman appears to mourn with him as she's an old friend of Limitz too. Leo asks her name, and she says it's Ellon.
Myra is at the Strata of Age. She's placed the gems around an altar and tells them this world doesn't need them, and it's time to rest. Dariem pops out and asks what Myra plans to do. Myra wants to watch and see how humans shape this planet. The rest of the Satakula join then, and they all go off to wherever it is they go.
A flower petal drops before two people I don't recognize. The man says what the petal is from and how rare it is these days. But it used to be common on an island. I think these are people from the main Lufia series, but I'm not sure.
Finally, the camera sinks into an ocean somewhere to reveal Leon is sleeping with the fishes. I think his hair is grey, so something has changed. A water spirit visits him before poofing away as we see the last of Energy Breaker.
The End.
There's a new mode on the main menu that acts like a cheat mode for subsequent playthroughs, but I'm ready to end this. Review tomorrow.
There's only a handful of rooms between the entrance and the target. There's an implication of a puzzle with the triggerable walkway, glowing square on the otherside, and other crystals, but it's never realized. The only fights I can remember are:
1.) where we're flanked on both sides by pumpkin heads with a goal of reaching the otherside. This isn't hard, but I liked the idea of it.
2.) the fight where you shouldn't climb the staircase in the middle. Trying to climb takes all of our movement, and it takes forever to get up. Meanwhile, cyclopses will drop rocks on our heads, either killing us or not letting us get any offense in. Split up your party to either side and assault them in the back. They won't react to us unless we're on the stairs. You may have to use your Clothos Thread here, but that's good testing for the final battle.
Leon warns us when we're about to reach the point of no return, and I'm ready!
Oriales is waiting here. He tells us he just wants to create the perfect entity, which self destructive humans can never be. During his speech, Myra occasionally glows and moves around. She starts to scream and has a mild, short term transformation. She's regained her memory. During the same battle that left Leon in the coffin, Myra did something that caused her allies to suffer. She's felt an incredible guilt ever since and sealed off her memory. But now, the Radiant Princess of Wind is back. She, too, doesn't believe in the idea of perfection and opposes Oriales. It's through human weakness that we're able to do all that we can. And, despite only having one true human on the team, we plan to show Oriales how strong humans are.
Oriales summons a bunch of nerds, but he rushes us in the second (or maybe first) round. I'd consider buffing during the round, but I tried to take out as many of the mobs as I could. There are three or four healing mobs here, so you'll want to focus. Once Oriales got to us, I went all out on him. It took a few rounds, but he's more fragile than you'd think. Afterwards, he'll yell that he's not done yet, and we'll all be warped to the final boss!
Oriales is the red crystal in the dragon statue, but we need to get through five turrets, and the terrain sucks. I killed the left turret on round one, so I don't know what it does. The top one shoots weak projectiles, and the far right does a big laser attack occasionally. The bottom one is kinda scary. Don't stand in melee range, or it'll attack. It crited and killed Star in one shot. If Oriales is alone, then he lacks any real pop. He still hurts and can greatly complicate movement, but he can't kill. Oriales is very tanky. It took three Poison Drops for us to do more than one damage. And the path up to him isn't easy to navigate. I had to use the Clothos Thread twice, or else the time limit would have gotten me. But, by then, the battle is yours. Would have been more so if Star didn't blow up!
We'll end up back in the first fight room, and the Temple starts to shake. Oriales is a load bearing boss, so we need to leave! Leon warns us that Oriales will be reincarnated, but Myra is sure she'll stop him again. I don't know if there's a certain number of shakes we can experience before we fail, but I got to the end. But Leon doesn't want to leave with us. He's edgy to the end. Leon offers everyone one sentence of advice about our future and teleports away. We all accept his action and leave. As we run away, the credits roll, letting us see some final actions of our party members.
Myra stops to watch flower petals travel across the restored world.
Leonard is doing something with Star and Marion. We can only see through emoticons, but it isn't going well. They figure it out, and Star and Marion are sent back in time. They hang out with young Leonard.
Dorothy tries to ditch Pygma, but the dragon with no lore loves her. She returns to Pioneer Town to hang with Emilina.
After the credits, more scenes show.
Marion has given birth to Star's son. He names him Krill.
Dorothy started a shop with Emily. Doro is trying to be more ladylike, but it isn't sticking. A man comes in to restart to desert gold rush. He tells Dorothy not to change before telling the girls his name is Krill. I think?
Leonard is at the grave of Limitz. An old woman appears to mourn with him as she's an old friend of Limitz too. Leo asks her name, and she says it's Ellon.
Myra is at the Strata of Age. She's placed the gems around an altar and tells them this world doesn't need them, and it's time to rest. Dariem pops out and asks what Myra plans to do. Myra wants to watch and see how humans shape this planet. The rest of the Satakula join then, and they all go off to wherever it is they go.
A flower petal drops before two people I don't recognize. The man says what the petal is from and how rare it is these days. But it used to be common on an island. I think these are people from the main Lufia series, but I'm not sure.
Finally, the camera sinks into an ocean somewhere to reveal Leon is sleeping with the fishes. I think his hair is grey, so something has changed. A water spirit visits him before poofing away as we see the last of Energy Breaker.
The End.
There's a new mode on the main menu that acts like a cheat mode for subsequent playthroughs, but I'm ready to end this. Review tomorrow.
Monday, October 3, 2022
The end is near
Or it already happened. I dunno.
The Earth whosit is located under Pioneer Town, but Emilina won't let us into her basement. Talk to her twice with that interrogation stuff, and we'll convince her to let us in. But we'll have to do her a favor. She wants the flower that blooms from her Mystery Seed. Head back in time and talk to the old dude near the future train station. Plant the seed there, and we'll see it growing when we return to the present. I'm so glad the construction crew didn't dig up the soil, or another person took the seed in the intervening forty years. Show her the flower, and she'll give us access to the storage. Apparently, that's a plant she cultivated.
Make your way to the dragon statue and go to where we saw Barkley. The path should be clear. There won't be a dog here, but Limitz and Marion will be waiting for us. Leonard and Limitz have some back-and-forth, but this scene is about Star and Marion. Limitz has completely warped her mind. No matter how hard Star tries to make his love remember, she remains loyal to Limitz. In one last act, Star pulls out the music box, hoping her song will work. It does! She remembers that her father never approved of Star. Limitz doesn't appreciate this and calls her a failure. He strikes her with lightning, killing her instantly. As expected, Star gets furious, and a fight begins. Star uses one Shot, and Limitz dies instantly.
Star is still upset, thinking all of his life has been in vain. Limitz, though, reminds him Marion is still alive. She has the same immortality he has. Marion emerges from the relief painting in the back and has regained her memories. As he accepts his death, Limitz gives us a Gold Card, which lets us access Star's best weapon and a key to returning him to his human self. It's in the Tower of Sand, a few rooms after the elevator room. Dorothy remembers we need to find Kandel for Emilina's sake, which Marion knows how to do. Pick up the Topaz and go to the Desert.
Star considers separating himself from Krill, his alien ghost. No one's sure what'll happen, but Star has a change of heart. For now, he needs this seemingly unimportant creature inside him.
Head to Emilina, and Marion reveals she's Kandel's physical self. She heads into the relief painting to combine once again and save Barkley. Star gets upset again because this means his goal has lost its meaning. He just found his love, but she's leaving him again. He leaves the team and enters the painting himself. We think he's dumb, so we go after him. Inside is another Satakula we need to beat up. Poison Drop the eye two or three times and attack. Every round, Kandel will summon a cyclops at a random location. Just ignore them. It's a pretty easy battle that only lasted three rounds.
We'll all exit from the relief, Marion included. She's carrying Star, who eventually gets up. Doing this seemed to have saved Marion from whatever would have made Star die, and Star rejoins the team. Emilina thanks us for saving Barkley and goes home.
Unaleph is the last to see. Inspect the ice coffins outside first to learn what happened to Leon in a battle long ago. We'll also notice Ellon is gone. Make your way to Unalpeh, and we can ask her a lot of questions. The biggest thing is that Unaleph is a Satakula, a Priestess, and a General. She's in charge of time, so she gets to be everything. It's confirmed that Selphia and Oriales are gods. Myra is also important, but she's not sure of it herself. If we have the Black Feather, we learn that Unalpeh did help kill everyone in Pioneer Town. When you've done, Unalpeh challenges us to a fight she quickly loses. She survives, gives us the Sapphire, and we should climb back to the statues.
Activating each one will give us a piece of gear that the user can use to summon the respective Satakula. Except for Dorothy's weapon, they're pretty useful, so I equipped them. This also opens up a new path. We're on the rainbow bridge, and there's one battle.
It's another awful one where mobs keep spawning. This is terrible game design!
We'll arrive at the Temple of Dream, Energy Breaker's final dungeon. If all goes well, we'll be done with this game...
...tomorrow!
I managed to get Myra's beat weapon. You bees to hand in thirty Pebbles before she gives it to you. But I still have so many questions! Unless something changes, I have a good idea what EB's rating will be.
The Earth whosit is located under Pioneer Town, but Emilina won't let us into her basement. Talk to her twice with that interrogation stuff, and we'll convince her to let us in. But we'll have to do her a favor. She wants the flower that blooms from her Mystery Seed. Head back in time and talk to the old dude near the future train station. Plant the seed there, and we'll see it growing when we return to the present. I'm so glad the construction crew didn't dig up the soil, or another person took the seed in the intervening forty years. Show her the flower, and she'll give us access to the storage. Apparently, that's a plant she cultivated.
Make your way to the dragon statue and go to where we saw Barkley. The path should be clear. There won't be a dog here, but Limitz and Marion will be waiting for us. Leonard and Limitz have some back-and-forth, but this scene is about Star and Marion. Limitz has completely warped her mind. No matter how hard Star tries to make his love remember, she remains loyal to Limitz. In one last act, Star pulls out the music box, hoping her song will work. It does! She remembers that her father never approved of Star. Limitz doesn't appreciate this and calls her a failure. He strikes her with lightning, killing her instantly. As expected, Star gets furious, and a fight begins. Star uses one Shot, and Limitz dies instantly.
Star is still upset, thinking all of his life has been in vain. Limitz, though, reminds him Marion is still alive. She has the same immortality he has. Marion emerges from the relief painting in the back and has regained her memories. As he accepts his death, Limitz gives us a Gold Card, which lets us access Star's best weapon and a key to returning him to his human self. It's in the Tower of Sand, a few rooms after the elevator room. Dorothy remembers we need to find Kandel for Emilina's sake, which Marion knows how to do. Pick up the Topaz and go to the Desert.
Star considers separating himself from Krill, his alien ghost. No one's sure what'll happen, but Star has a change of heart. For now, he needs this seemingly unimportant creature inside him.
Head to Emilina, and Marion reveals she's Kandel's physical self. She heads into the relief painting to combine once again and save Barkley. Star gets upset again because this means his goal has lost its meaning. He just found his love, but she's leaving him again. He leaves the team and enters the painting himself. We think he's dumb, so we go after him. Inside is another Satakula we need to beat up. Poison Drop the eye two or three times and attack. Every round, Kandel will summon a cyclops at a random location. Just ignore them. It's a pretty easy battle that only lasted three rounds.
We'll all exit from the relief, Marion included. She's carrying Star, who eventually gets up. Doing this seemed to have saved Marion from whatever would have made Star die, and Star rejoins the team. Emilina thanks us for saving Barkley and goes home.
Unaleph is the last to see. Inspect the ice coffins outside first to learn what happened to Leon in a battle long ago. We'll also notice Ellon is gone. Make your way to Unalpeh, and we can ask her a lot of questions. The biggest thing is that Unaleph is a Satakula, a Priestess, and a General. She's in charge of time, so she gets to be everything. It's confirmed that Selphia and Oriales are gods. Myra is also important, but she's not sure of it herself. If we have the Black Feather, we learn that Unalpeh did help kill everyone in Pioneer Town. When you've done, Unalpeh challenges us to a fight she quickly loses. She survives, gives us the Sapphire, and we should climb back to the statues.
Activating each one will give us a piece of gear that the user can use to summon the respective Satakula. Except for Dorothy's weapon, they're pretty useful, so I equipped them. This also opens up a new path. We're on the rainbow bridge, and there's one battle.
It's another awful one where mobs keep spawning. This is terrible game design!
We'll arrive at the Temple of Dream, Energy Breaker's final dungeon. If all goes well, we'll be done with this game...
...tomorrow!
I managed to get Myra's beat weapon. You bees to hand in thirty Pebbles before she gives it to you. But I still have so many questions! Unless something changes, I have a good idea what EB's rating will be.
Saturday, October 1, 2022
I totally didn't quit last night...
Which means you can't call this a comeback.
Emilina left our party to stay near Barkly while we went to find Kandel's physical form. I don't remember why, but our party would wind up going to the Hought Highlands. The terrain here is hard to navigate, as there are a lot of ledges to climb around to reach the enemies. They're nothing we haven't seen, but get ready to spam Poison Drop a lot. It's a standard affair until the fourth battle.
I hugged the top of the screen, but you're also attacked from the bottom. Starting placement is very important for this. We're surrounded by a lot of tanks, and there's even a healer. Worse still are the two reinforcements who arrive every other turn. I kept trying for an hour and a half before I got fed up. But I wanted to keep playing. Start up top and make your way to the reinforcement squares. I used all of my berries that refill to move as fast as possible. There are several mobs between us, but I managed to get there. Once there, camp. Back up can't arrive if we're standing on the respawn points. You'll probably have to send a few characters at the survivors, but keep two there. The next room is where everything changes.
Pope Oriales is surrounded by three of the Generals of Darkness. And around them are the Satakula Statues. Limitz, Parasite, and Unaleph place the Jewels they've taken from us and activate the statues. Leon, who's told us to wait, joins the group with our Wind Gem. Oriales is glad he's here, but Leon is on our side. Activating all four statues will bring about the world's end. Sorta. Essentially, these five people are against the way humans are destroying the world. Rather than kill everything, they just reset it. I take it as an Eternal Return thing. Leon doesn't hand the Gem over, so Limitz traps him in a magic cage. Oriales activates the final statue, and everything goes bad. The sky goes red, and the end of the world begins. Selphie teleports in in an attempt to save us in one final act, and Unalpeh leaves after releasing Leon. Undaunted but successful, Oriales decides to kill us.
This is another battle where I gave up. You have to survive four turns, but you need to keep Selphe alive. She will die in one hit, though. I started by trying to clean out the Generals, but you should ignore them. Oriales will kill his counterpart in his first turn if Selphia doesn't get far enough away. Instead, just kill the Pope. Two Poison Drops work well enough. You don't need to take him out, but twenty five to fifty will suffice. He'll congratulate us on being stronger than expected, but he's got another plan. Oriales pulls out a weapon and attempts to kill Leon. Leon'a pushed out of the way by Selphia, who takes the hit. The baddies leave to prepare for the worst while we panic over Selphie.
Everyone tries to save her, but we have no way to do so. Selphie is fine with this if it means humans are in control of their fate. She and Oriales are two sides of the same coin. The Pope leads the Generals, while she guides the Radiant Priest/esses. Meteors begin to fall from the sky, but Selphie saves us from that as her final act. Leon becomes inconsolable because, I guess, he's in love with her. While he mops, Myra prepares revenge. Everyone joins her while Leon hangs back. Leonard manages to bring him back, and we can continue our mission. Before doing so, Leon instructs us to use the Gem at the statue. Nothing happens because we'll need all four to end the end of the world. So it's off to find the other three Satakula.
Before doing so, we can start getting ultimate gear. Dorothy's best weapon is at her mother's grave. Leon's is where Dariem joined the team, and Leonard's is at the robot Ellon. Irene, who's moved to the forest with some random dude, is supposed to give us Myra's, but she didn't. No clue where Star's is. Myra's best armor is at Selphia's crystal ball.
Head to the Volcano because I know where the Satakula is. We'll see Parasite planning to use it to reap more destruction. It begins to awaken, and we start an interesting fight. We're against three orbs, but I could only attack two. To get past this, take out the one bear where we start. The orb on the left heals, so it might take a while. I didn't find the DPS to be high, and Elby Zone undid the damage we received. Parasite gets madder and runs off for a reason I've forgotten.
We have to chase him back to the past. I think the devs messed up because Limly is alive now. She's living with Paris who hasn't turned yet. He sees someone enter their house and fuse into Limly. Go find the blue crystal under Limitz' house and return. We can find Parasite inside Limly.
Star can learn Elby Zone from the birds that respawn, so do so if you haven't. Parasite is pretty weak, even with a horde of birds healing him. He'll calm down after another beat down, and it seems he's regained his memories. Limly's immune system begins to act as it's revealed Limly is pregnant. I wonder why Dorothy said this feels familiar... Pick up the Red Gen, and we're brought back to Limly, who rewards us with a Shiny Stone. I'll head to Unaleph, the only other place I can think of...
...tomorrow!
Energy Breaker is a game I've thought about quitting several times, but I keep playing it. Even if it's far, far from perfect, there's something special about this game.
Emilina left our party to stay near Barkly while we went to find Kandel's physical form. I don't remember why, but our party would wind up going to the Hought Highlands. The terrain here is hard to navigate, as there are a lot of ledges to climb around to reach the enemies. They're nothing we haven't seen, but get ready to spam Poison Drop a lot. It's a standard affair until the fourth battle.
I hugged the top of the screen, but you're also attacked from the bottom. Starting placement is very important for this. We're surrounded by a lot of tanks, and there's even a healer. Worse still are the two reinforcements who arrive every other turn. I kept trying for an hour and a half before I got fed up. But I wanted to keep playing. Start up top and make your way to the reinforcement squares. I used all of my berries that refill to move as fast as possible. There are several mobs between us, but I managed to get there. Once there, camp. Back up can't arrive if we're standing on the respawn points. You'll probably have to send a few characters at the survivors, but keep two there. The next room is where everything changes.
Pope Oriales is surrounded by three of the Generals of Darkness. And around them are the Satakula Statues. Limitz, Parasite, and Unaleph place the Jewels they've taken from us and activate the statues. Leon, who's told us to wait, joins the group with our Wind Gem. Oriales is glad he's here, but Leon is on our side. Activating all four statues will bring about the world's end. Sorta. Essentially, these five people are against the way humans are destroying the world. Rather than kill everything, they just reset it. I take it as an Eternal Return thing. Leon doesn't hand the Gem over, so Limitz traps him in a magic cage. Oriales activates the final statue, and everything goes bad. The sky goes red, and the end of the world begins. Selphie teleports in in an attempt to save us in one final act, and Unalpeh leaves after releasing Leon. Undaunted but successful, Oriales decides to kill us.
This is another battle where I gave up. You have to survive four turns, but you need to keep Selphe alive. She will die in one hit, though. I started by trying to clean out the Generals, but you should ignore them. Oriales will kill his counterpart in his first turn if Selphia doesn't get far enough away. Instead, just kill the Pope. Two Poison Drops work well enough. You don't need to take him out, but twenty five to fifty will suffice. He'll congratulate us on being stronger than expected, but he's got another plan. Oriales pulls out a weapon and attempts to kill Leon. Leon'a pushed out of the way by Selphia, who takes the hit. The baddies leave to prepare for the worst while we panic over Selphie.
Everyone tries to save her, but we have no way to do so. Selphie is fine with this if it means humans are in control of their fate. She and Oriales are two sides of the same coin. The Pope leads the Generals, while she guides the Radiant Priest/esses. Meteors begin to fall from the sky, but Selphie saves us from that as her final act. Leon becomes inconsolable because, I guess, he's in love with her. While he mops, Myra prepares revenge. Everyone joins her while Leon hangs back. Leonard manages to bring him back, and we can continue our mission. Before doing so, Leon instructs us to use the Gem at the statue. Nothing happens because we'll need all four to end the end of the world. So it's off to find the other three Satakula.
Before doing so, we can start getting ultimate gear. Dorothy's best weapon is at her mother's grave. Leon's is where Dariem joined the team, and Leonard's is at the robot Ellon. Irene, who's moved to the forest with some random dude, is supposed to give us Myra's, but she didn't. No clue where Star's is. Myra's best armor is at Selphia's crystal ball.
Head to the Volcano because I know where the Satakula is. We'll see Parasite planning to use it to reap more destruction. It begins to awaken, and we start an interesting fight. We're against three orbs, but I could only attack two. To get past this, take out the one bear where we start. The orb on the left heals, so it might take a while. I didn't find the DPS to be high, and Elby Zone undid the damage we received. Parasite gets madder and runs off for a reason I've forgotten.
We have to chase him back to the past. I think the devs messed up because Limly is alive now. She's living with Paris who hasn't turned yet. He sees someone enter their house and fuse into Limly. Go find the blue crystal under Limitz' house and return. We can find Parasite inside Limly.
Star can learn Elby Zone from the birds that respawn, so do so if you haven't. Parasite is pretty weak, even with a horde of birds healing him. He'll calm down after another beat down, and it seems he's regained his memories. Limly's immune system begins to act as it's revealed Limly is pregnant. I wonder why Dorothy said this feels familiar... Pick up the Red Gen, and we're brought back to Limly, who rewards us with a Shiny Stone. I'll head to Unaleph, the only other place I can think of...
...tomorrow!
Energy Breaker is a game I've thought about quitting several times, but I keep playing it. Even if it's far, far from perfect, there's something special about this game.
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