Become the bullet hell!

As I said before, Ys Origin has two (and only two) playable characters. We beat the game with the axe slinging slasher, Yunica Tovah, last night. Which means it's time to play as a sorcerer we met during her story, Hugo Fact, today. He's a vastly different character in every way, so let's see how different his story is!

The opening animations are the same. It's not until the reason why Hugo joined the group is revealed. Text over a black screen says that Hugo must join the expedition. There's someone else he needs to find...
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A man in black is lying on the ground. He wakes up and talks to himself about the transport spell being struck by a magic spell before realizing where he is. There's a large tree next to him that Hugo knows as the Roda Tree. It's the younger tree, and he's aware of who the person before him is. Not personally, though, as it's been fifty years since the tree last spoke to a Fact. Ever the focused and to-the-point, Hugo Fact asks if the Roda knows about Feena and Reah, the goddesses that watch over Ys. The Roda points out the giant tower to the west, and Hugo thanks the tree and begins walking there.

Hugo enters and sees three other people in the search party surrounded by demons. He jumps into the fray and summons his weapon, The Eyes of Fact, two floating orbs that shoot magic. Those two magical items and Hugo's own magic rod make quick work of the mobs. Father Shion, Eolia, and Dino rejoin him, and the four discuss what happened before planning on what to do next. Dino will seek out the missing members of the search party while Shion and Eolia make base. Hugo, wanting to find the goddesses, will scout out ahead. No one objects to him going forward, but Shion and Eolia teach him about navigating and communicating in the tower of Darm.

[Hugo navigates the Wailing Blue, the lower floors of the tower.]

After falling through the hole, Hugo sees two people standing on a platform. They're discussing a missing sorcerer. Hugo walks up to them, knowing they're not from Ys, and asks them who they are. This is a conversation between three people who are overly confident in their abilities. They yell and insult each other until the man leaves because a fight is about to break out, and he doesn't like fighting sorcerers. He allows the woman to do the work, and the insults between her and Hugo increase. It gets under her skin, and she declares that the Darklings will fulfill their plan. She realizes she shouldn't have said that but also states her name is Epona, and her skill with the trident is unmatched.

Hugo doesn't care and makes quick work of her. Epona thinks about fighting another round after her defeat, but Hugo says the same thing will happen again. He has total control of this situation, and both of them know it. She states that Hugo looks just like the newcomer to their team, and you can tell by their brooding look. This raises Hugo's interest, but Epona runs off. She's faster than him and gets away. Hugo deems her a mild threat and is more interested in if that new guy is "him."

[Hugo keeps scouting and finds Rico.]

As Hugo defeats the gravity trap, two voices catch up to him. The white mage, Miuscha, the fragile girl Hugo worried couldn't defend herself when talking to Rico, runs up to him and wraps her arms around him. He does not reciprocate. Miuscha asks how Hugo is before another sorcerer joins them. Cadenza wonders how the scouting is going, and the response is fine. Miuscha is worried about Hugo and asks to come along, but Hugo quickly shuts that down. He suggests helping Rico, and both women before him get annoyed. Miuscha wants to aid Hugo, and Cadenza doesn't understand how someone so smart can be so dense. It's a feeling Rico had earlier. Ultimately, both sorceresses agree and head to help Rico. He's mildly annoyed that the search party is forming as it will impact his mission...

[Hugo beats the boss and begins to explore the Sunken Prison.]

Standing in the middle of a pathway is Epona. She's ready for round two. As before, Hugo remarks how easily he beat her in their last fight, but Epona has a backup plan. Using magic from someone named Zava, she summons two gargoyles! Even Hugo ponders if he can win here. One would be fine, but two is unlikely. And that's not accounting for if Epona joins them. As he thinks, both of the summons turn around. Epona is now their target. She gets mad at them and Zava and pleads with Hugo for help. "Why? We're enemies." Epona noticed that bringing up the new guy piqued his interest, so she did it again. If Hugo helps, she'll spill all the beans. Hugo agrees and takes out one Vagullion.

Epona managed to kill the one who chased her, and she returned to fulfill her end of the bargain. Six months ago, the new guy, who said his name is The Claw after the claws on his arms that he fights with, joined the group. He used to be human but allied them and now absorbs all the demons that Zava summons, much to her chagrin. She continues to describe Zava, and it's clear the two women don't like each other. Hugo's high class kindness irks Epona after he starts to shut down the discussion. After more arguing, she teleports away. Hugo, to himself, says that the timeline works out, but everything else appears to be a different person.

Epona was guarding the Dragon God Scales, which Hugo knew was an artifact of Ys and what they did. Before testing them out, though, Eolia shelled him with the news the search party was regrouping. Not wanting to be suspicious, he returned to base.

When he introduced himself to Galleon and the rest of the Holy Knights, they all acted slightly surprised. Hugo, and his last name, carry a lot of weight in Ys. But that's for another day. All but two people in the group were here. Dino was still looking for a girl named Yunica, which caused Roy, one of the knights, to worry.

[The planning.]

Miuacha wanted to travel with Hugo still, but he turned her down. The Eyes of Fact don't play well with others, so he convinced her that it's best if he goes solo. Miuscha was broken hearted, and Cadenza was annoyed.

[The rest of the Sunken Prison takes place, and he makes his first steps into the Guilty Fire.]

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Hugo plays as the bullet hell most Ys bosses are. He shoots out three magic pellets from his shoulder mounted floating spheres and his personal wand. This gives him plenty of range and damage, but the attack window isn't good. He can't hit things up or down stairs. He's also a lot slower than Yunica. I just realized he turns the game into Gauntlet! He is a very confident person, and he easily gets on others' nerves. Generally, though, he's well spoken and kind. But he always has this air of superiority about him that I'm willing to bet he doesn't even realize. That's probably his growth side quest! I'm playing on very easy because I'm in a hurry to reach my 100th game. And they weren't joking when they said it's "very easy."