Still playing!
If I remember right, we were about to head into Lolithia's Tomb. It's located north of Adlehyde and isn't a big deal. It's still a tutorial level and exists to mandate you learn to use all three characters' tools in a dungeon. Rudy will need to blow down a wall or two, and Cecilia opens locked doors with the Tear. Many of the chests explode when interacted with, so have Jack throw Hanpan. There is a puzzle at the end that involves finding a switch behind a statue and then pushing four build blocks to its corners. Doing so opens the door to our destination.
It's a giant robot!
So Lolithia is an ancient mech from the time of the Demon War. It's a golem used by the Elw and/or humans to even the odds. There was no sign of any workers, but who cares? We return to Emma and get warped back to Lolithia. Emma uses her engine to lift the automaton out of her temple and, somehow, bring it to the fair. We'll need to speak to her there tomorrow. The party heads back to Adlehyde, but Cecilia leaves us. She has other business to attend to and thanks us for the help. Jack and Rudy spend the night at the inn.
They're awoken by the sounds of a fair! There's an eastern exit of the town, which is where the Ruins Festival is located. I walked around the square and played a few of the mini games. One can be used to farm stat boosting apples, but I didn't want to spend that much time here. In the center of it all are three golems. I accidentally skipped ahead in the story, so I didn't get the backstory on them. Emma is hanging out in the back, so make sure to get your $500 from her.
In the back right corner is a woman missing her child. She's beside herself with fear, so we take up the task of finding her son. He'll be spotted with his red balloon. Another NPC near the gate tells us the kid went back to town. Rudy sees him near the stairs to the castle.
The kid is afraid, too, so he lets his balloon slip out of his hand. It rises to the sky, and it takes our eyes with it. And it lets us realize that the gates of hell are open. There's a hole in the sky, and a narration plays over it. This hole represents "The Beginning of the End" for humans. A "sword of light" strikes the ground, creating a "wall of fire" on the ground. The lightning bolt strikes the town, setting the whole place on fire and killing most of the population, including the poor kid we just found. Demons begin to roam now, starting a fight when interacted with.
Go north to the castle. Cecilia is surrounded by the demons, and the boys save her. Rather than flee, she asks us to save as many of the citizens as we can. The castle gates close in five minutes, and there are only ten people who need us. It's pretty easy to get them all. I don't know if we get anything for finding all of them, but I feel like I did the right thing.
Safely in the castle, we have full range of it as Cecilia reveals she's the princess. More importantly, the King was harmed in the attack. We find him in his room at the top, and he's not doing well. A soldier rushes in to inform us of what we (the player) saw a moment ago. The demon leader, Belzelk, wants the Tear Drop. Cecilia agrees to surrender it, but the King is adamantly against it. It's a powerful memento of the lost Queen. Our mage still wants to give it away for the sake of her citizens, so her dad grounds us to her room. And so a stealth mission begins!
Don't speak to any knights. There are a few who are programmed to chase after us, but they can be outmaneuvered and sprinted past. Head for the kitchen the long way and avoid the throne room. One of the chefs will unceremoniously drop us into the secret passages, which probably aren't sewers. There are no bosses down here, and the exit was the blocked house east of the inn. Belzelk is near the castle, and Cecilia gives him the Tear. For some reason, Jack gets aggressive, saying something about revenge, and he drags the two others into a fight. Belzelk doesn't bother too much. He attacked twice in seven rounds, so it was free damage. We'll get 200 exp, but Belzelk isn't dead. In fact, he doesn't care. Humans are too weak to be worth the bother. But he follows through with his word and leaves. We then see several winged demons drag away the three golems even Belzelk was scared of, and Adlehyde returns to safety.
We jump back to the King with the news. He's upset. But Cecilia knows what she needs to do and wants to come with us to get the Tear back. The royals are shocked, but no one more so than the King. With his wounds, this bad news, and uncertainty of his planet and kingdom, he lets out one call to his daughter and dies. Cecilia has dragged Rudy and Jack into this, but Jack, at least, would have gone along with it. But there is one thing that makes him refuse. He's mad Cecilia hid her identity. Out of such a strong desire to right her wrongs and to save the planet, she takes Jack's sword and pulls a Garnet from Final Fantasy IX, cutting her hair. This convinces Jack.
We cut to the King's funeral procession through town as the opening credits roll. Four kids are playing as the corpse of their ruler goes by, and we see the boys hiding under a tree. The funeral leads into the church as the camera pans to the title card.
A week later, Jack and Rudy are ready to head out on this journey. They find Cecilia in her room, donning new clothes. They're less regal, but she is cuter in official artwork. The three say their farewells to the regent, with Cecilia promising to rebuild her town. We open several chests for us, and we'll head out to the rest of the game...
...tomorrow!
I wish I didn't blow this off for a week. That was one hell of a prologue. I'm hooked! The music during these few moments was great!
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Go back to the old west
How Wild are these Arms?
Long ago, in the ancient year of 202...1, I played the second game of a franchise, skipping over part one. The internet said it was better. But I'm wrapping back to check out the first Wild Arms. I'm in the mood for something new but familiar, so here we are. I don't know Jack about this game, so let's dive in.
Just as its sequel, we can choose from one of three characters. I'll spoil it now, though, and say they all come together at the end of their introductions. I know the first guy is the main character, so I skipped him.
Our blonde boy has arrived at an ancient ruin. It's a well known location, and the locals warn that the Temple of Memory has been picked clean by treasure hunters. Even Jack's sidekick, Hanpan, a wind rat, thinks coming here is dumb. But Jack paid money for this hint, so here he is. The two enter the temple and approach a pedestal at the back of the room. It speaks! It asks for a name, so Jack gives it his. It doesn't work! Jack falls into a pitfall that ends up being a trap. It's filled with falling platforms, wall spears, floor spikes, and Indiana Jones rocks. He avoids all of it while narration prologues his tale. Jack van Burace is seeking the ultimate power.
We eventually regain control, and the dungeoneering begins. It's your standard affair, which is to be assumed as it's 1997 again. I used to be happy... It's also a tutorial dungeon, so why would I expect anything grandiose? But just like Wild Arms II, Wild Arms has the tools for exploration. Jack can throw Hanpan to activate switches, be a weight, or open far reaching treasure chests. There are stage hazards here, so Jack's dungeon is the most interesting.
At the end are the remains of an advanced civilization. Jack gets a giant plot dump from a hologram. It tells us that the humans once aligned themselves with the Elw and the guardians to defeat a great evil. While the guardians have disappeared, the Elw have gone extinct, leaving only hidden records. Someone named Lolithia is brought up a lot, and her resting place is to the east, but the Elw warn us not to seek her. And with that, Jack's story is finished without a boss. He leaves the ruins, gets another ominous narrative, and we can select another character. I don't and explore the world. It's not much, but we can walk to the castle of Adlehyde, where a fair is to take place tomorrow. Check out the shops and inspect the rainbow bird outside the inn to change characters because there's nothing else to do here.
Character two is Cecilia. She's cooped up in Curran Abbey, south of Adlehyde, studying magic. She's also asleep... A voice calls out to her, calling her the Innocent One. It warns her that the world is weakening, and it needs to be fixed. To do so, Cecilia needs to find the "Book." The voice loves to say her name and disappears. She fell asleep in class... The nun wakes the girl up, but that's not important. Cecilia is turning seventeen, so she's about to be kicked out of the all girls school. Her classmates suggest she say her final farewells to all her friends, and she's off. But there's something else she needs to find. Another nun gives her the idea that there's a forbidden area of the abbey. This may house the book the specter mentioned. She then needs to go on a treasure hunt, cleaning up a pile of books and obtaining her second tool, Pocket Watch, along the way. Inspecting the statues in the middle of the courtyard opens a new way forward. Cecilia can trigger her tool, Tear, to warp to the Sealed Library. Cecilia is a magic user, so her basic attacks aren't great. But they'll suffice for the most part. Don't hesitate to cast magic on the bigger, less common mobs. You should have gotten two crests to form new spells, so you'll have a couple of options. Follow along, spamming Crystal, and you'll reach a giant library. You can read the books and get more backstory on the hologram Jack saw. This game is very front loaded. After being a Republican and burning three books, the way forward appears. There's a book on a desk that Cecilia opens. Rather than the shadow that spoke in her dream, something evil appears. Nelgaul. Go all out. There's no shame in healing early (with berries) and spamming your magic attacks. After the boss dies, the shadow reveals itself. It's the whelk from Final Fantasy VI... But it's also a guardian. Stoldark, the game's first rune, guides Cecilia to her future, which is to save the world. She warps out of the library, where the nun is awaiting her. All girls of the royal family attend this abbey in the hopes that they gain the guardian and the knowledge of magic, for this is their destiny. Once again, Lolithia was brought up again in all this, and it's time for our mage to begin her journey. She leaves, gets her narration, and I guide her home. No one in Adlehyde recognizes their heir except her father, who lets her continue anonymously to enjoy the fair.
And now it's time for Rudy. He has amnesia, so he's a farm hand in the sticks of Surf Village. They're nowhere near the ocean... Explore around town until someone rushes into the mayor's house. One of the kids in town, Tony, has run off. He's gone to the forbidden area of Berry Cave. This place used to be where the village got its food, but an evil spirit invaded it. It ruined everyone's lives until an adventurer placed a Holy Seed in the monster's rejuvenating body, stopping it from reviving. That is the legend, at least. While the town gathers, our mute protagonist goes ahead. Good thing the mayor gave him bombs.
It's a tutorial dungeon, and the only thing of note is the room with bats. You're supposed to calmly walk across the cliff. If you run, though, a bat will hover around Rudy's head. I don't know what this means... Besides that and the destructible walls, Tony is at the back. He came here to find medicine for his wounded dad, but a bombable wall blocked him. Rudy destroys it and enters the shining room. A Holy Seed is resting at the back, and Rudy picks it up. He and Tony leave, and an earthquake shakes the region. We (the player) can follow the quake to the abbey.
Surf Village has gathered at the cave entrance, which is a perfect place for them to watch a boss fight! Zombie attacks us. The best strategy is to use Rudy's focus skill to guarantee his ARMs blast to hit. Do this six times, healing when needed, and you'll win. But then you lose. Everyone hates you now. Not only did you trespass, but ARMs are forbidden for some reason. They return to the village, where they exile Rudy. He makes his way to Adlehyde, learns his earthquake caused an accident at Lolithia's, and follows the kids to a woman named Emma, who's north of the inn. She tasks you to find a team and save the workers in the tomb. Guess who's outside the inn and waiting to be helpful? And we'll continue this...
...tomorrow!
So far, I'm having fun. The graphics are dated as all get out, though. Treasure of Rudra was prettier. But the battle graphics look like a lofi N64 game, so that's interesting. 1997 is a weird drug. But the music is hella rad. Surf Village felt so peaceful, and I dug the Berry Cave ambiance. I value a lot over graphics, so I'm looking forward to this. Battle system wise... I don't think its sequel changed much. Not necessarily a bad thing, though...
PS: I don't know how I'm updating this. I might not be playing every night, and I don't want to write every night, so... [shrug emoji]
Long ago, in the ancient year of 202...1, I played the second game of a franchise, skipping over part one. The internet said it was better. But I'm wrapping back to check out the first Wild Arms. I'm in the mood for something new but familiar, so here we are. I don't know Jack about this game, so let's dive in.
Just as its sequel, we can choose from one of three characters. I'll spoil it now, though, and say they all come together at the end of their introductions. I know the first guy is the main character, so I skipped him.
Our blonde boy has arrived at an ancient ruin. It's a well known location, and the locals warn that the Temple of Memory has been picked clean by treasure hunters. Even Jack's sidekick, Hanpan, a wind rat, thinks coming here is dumb. But Jack paid money for this hint, so here he is. The two enter the temple and approach a pedestal at the back of the room. It speaks! It asks for a name, so Jack gives it his. It doesn't work! Jack falls into a pitfall that ends up being a trap. It's filled with falling platforms, wall spears, floor spikes, and Indiana Jones rocks. He avoids all of it while narration prologues his tale. Jack van Burace is seeking the ultimate power.
We eventually regain control, and the dungeoneering begins. It's your standard affair, which is to be assumed as it's 1997 again. I used to be happy... It's also a tutorial dungeon, so why would I expect anything grandiose? But just like Wild Arms II, Wild Arms has the tools for exploration. Jack can throw Hanpan to activate switches, be a weight, or open far reaching treasure chests. There are stage hazards here, so Jack's dungeon is the most interesting.
At the end are the remains of an advanced civilization. Jack gets a giant plot dump from a hologram. It tells us that the humans once aligned themselves with the Elw and the guardians to defeat a great evil. While the guardians have disappeared, the Elw have gone extinct, leaving only hidden records. Someone named Lolithia is brought up a lot, and her resting place is to the east, but the Elw warn us not to seek her. And with that, Jack's story is finished without a boss. He leaves the ruins, gets another ominous narrative, and we can select another character. I don't and explore the world. It's not much, but we can walk to the castle of Adlehyde, where a fair is to take place tomorrow. Check out the shops and inspect the rainbow bird outside the inn to change characters because there's nothing else to do here.
Character two is Cecilia. She's cooped up in Curran Abbey, south of Adlehyde, studying magic. She's also asleep... A voice calls out to her, calling her the Innocent One. It warns her that the world is weakening, and it needs to be fixed. To do so, Cecilia needs to find the "Book." The voice loves to say her name and disappears. She fell asleep in class... The nun wakes the girl up, but that's not important. Cecilia is turning seventeen, so she's about to be kicked out of the all girls school. Her classmates suggest she say her final farewells to all her friends, and she's off. But there's something else she needs to find. Another nun gives her the idea that there's a forbidden area of the abbey. This may house the book the specter mentioned. She then needs to go on a treasure hunt, cleaning up a pile of books and obtaining her second tool, Pocket Watch, along the way. Inspecting the statues in the middle of the courtyard opens a new way forward. Cecilia can trigger her tool, Tear, to warp to the Sealed Library. Cecilia is a magic user, so her basic attacks aren't great. But they'll suffice for the most part. Don't hesitate to cast magic on the bigger, less common mobs. You should have gotten two crests to form new spells, so you'll have a couple of options. Follow along, spamming Crystal, and you'll reach a giant library. You can read the books and get more backstory on the hologram Jack saw. This game is very front loaded. After being a Republican and burning three books, the way forward appears. There's a book on a desk that Cecilia opens. Rather than the shadow that spoke in her dream, something evil appears. Nelgaul. Go all out. There's no shame in healing early (with berries) and spamming your magic attacks. After the boss dies, the shadow reveals itself. It's the whelk from Final Fantasy VI... But it's also a guardian. Stoldark, the game's first rune, guides Cecilia to her future, which is to save the world. She warps out of the library, where the nun is awaiting her. All girls of the royal family attend this abbey in the hopes that they gain the guardian and the knowledge of magic, for this is their destiny. Once again, Lolithia was brought up again in all this, and it's time for our mage to begin her journey. She leaves, gets her narration, and I guide her home. No one in Adlehyde recognizes their heir except her father, who lets her continue anonymously to enjoy the fair.
And now it's time for Rudy. He has amnesia, so he's a farm hand in the sticks of Surf Village. They're nowhere near the ocean... Explore around town until someone rushes into the mayor's house. One of the kids in town, Tony, has run off. He's gone to the forbidden area of Berry Cave. This place used to be where the village got its food, but an evil spirit invaded it. It ruined everyone's lives until an adventurer placed a Holy Seed in the monster's rejuvenating body, stopping it from reviving. That is the legend, at least. While the town gathers, our mute protagonist goes ahead. Good thing the mayor gave him bombs.
It's a tutorial dungeon, and the only thing of note is the room with bats. You're supposed to calmly walk across the cliff. If you run, though, a bat will hover around Rudy's head. I don't know what this means... Besides that and the destructible walls, Tony is at the back. He came here to find medicine for his wounded dad, but a bombable wall blocked him. Rudy destroys it and enters the shining room. A Holy Seed is resting at the back, and Rudy picks it up. He and Tony leave, and an earthquake shakes the region. We (the player) can follow the quake to the abbey.
Surf Village has gathered at the cave entrance, which is a perfect place for them to watch a boss fight! Zombie attacks us. The best strategy is to use Rudy's focus skill to guarantee his ARMs blast to hit. Do this six times, healing when needed, and you'll win. But then you lose. Everyone hates you now. Not only did you trespass, but ARMs are forbidden for some reason. They return to the village, where they exile Rudy. He makes his way to Adlehyde, learns his earthquake caused an accident at Lolithia's, and follows the kids to a woman named Emma, who's north of the inn. She tasks you to find a team and save the workers in the tomb. Guess who's outside the inn and waiting to be helpful? And we'll continue this...
...tomorrow!
So far, I'm having fun. The graphics are dated as all get out, though. Treasure of Rudra was prettier. But the battle graphics look like a lofi N64 game, so that's interesting. 1997 is a weird drug. But the music is hella rad. Surf Village felt so peaceful, and I dug the Berry Cave ambiance. I value a lot over graphics, so I'm looking forward to this. Battle system wise... I don't think its sequel changed much. Not necessarily a bad thing, though...
PS: I don't know how I'm updating this. I might not be playing every night, and I don't want to write every night, so... [shrug emoji]
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