The narrator tells us about the three universes: The Netherworld, Earth, and Celestia. We’re at a terminus built by ancient angels.
A “Cute Angel” enters the screen to speak to a distinguished looking man she calls Master Lemegaton. It's odd to name an angel after a book about demons, but what have ya? The two converse about the flowers, and the angel trainee, Flonne, wishes she could be just like them. Eventually, Lemegaton/Seraph brings up the task he has for Flonne: Kill King Krichevskoy.
NANI!!!
Next we see Flonne, she’s sneaking through Laharl’s palace, onomatopoeiaing the whole time. She wonders why Lemegaton assigned her to this task and not Master Volcanus. The scene switches to Celestia, where a man wearing a ramen bowl on his head and a mustache that connects to his ears complains. Lemegaton says this is a task only Flonne can do, and Volcanus expositions his feelings.
Back to Flonne, when she reaches the Prince’s room, she suggests she would be a great ninja. She then considers the morality of an assassin. Is it more okay to kill someone you know than a stranger? Laharl quickly interrupts her, which scares her, and she attacks. The two then talk for a bit as Flonne says she’s an assassin. It’s an odd thing to tell someone! Eventually, she says her target is the ruler of the Netherworld. Laharl says that's him, and Flonne assumes she can’t win like this and flees. Etna walks in and wonders what’s up before saying the Prinny guards partied themselves to sleep, and the chapter begins.
Before doing anything, I messed around with the Dark Assembly, an easily bribed Senate that we have to use to advance our shops. I get Eyewear, Belts, and eventually, Shows passed. I also make my last two friend characters. Xander is a thief, and our fifth for Smash, Mr. Funk, shoots things.
The GateKeeper says Flonne went to a place called the Frozen River. No one bothered to stop her because who wants to work these days?
Stage one a wide open battlefield covered in snow and zombies.
Stage two has our characters catching up to Flonne. We can’t do anything as she uses angelic magic to summon more zombies, which just makes sense. Flonne flees after telling the two of them to run if things get dangerous. There’s another scene on Celestia where Lemegaton talks to an unknown voice about a secret plan.
Stage three has Etna trying to burn Flonne with demon magic, but Flonne manages to reflect it. In hilarious fashion, it hits Laharl, who complains about his hair. There are more zombies here, but the real threat are the imps. They have a move that attacks the three squares in front of them and the two on the sides of that. Fortunately, they’re at the back and won’t come forward until you get close.
The last stage has Flonne summoning a dragon. Obviously, it’s big and scary, but once again, worry abound the imps. The dragon can only attack one character at a time, so get some combos with your party. Flonne is also a combatant, but all I saw her do was heal. Power of Love heals every target, friend or foe two squares around her in all directions.
Once we win, Laharl says Flonne could never kill him. She then asks why she would because he’s not King Krichevskoy. After Etna insults the news networks in Heaven, Laharl then says his dad, the actual target, is dead. Flonne begins to cry as this family will never see each other again. Since the Prince is so nonplussed by this, she begins to wonder if demons have emotions. She then wants to know if demons know love and wants to stay in Hell to find out. Laharl complains she sounds like his mother with all this talk of love before promising to make the angel rue her decision as the chapter ends.
The joke preview has Etna telling a story about Flonne being a killing machine. She then turns into a spaceship, so Etna must destroy her to save the world. Flonne now wants to be a space detective, but Etna puts the kibosh on that.
Space Detective Etna tomorrow!
The secret in Etna’s room is a demon has stolen her memories. It's mostly a reminder of that glimpse we tot in chapter one.
Friday, April 16, 2021
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Chapter One: Prince of the Netherworld
The party teleports into Vyer's Castle. Who's Vyers? Who cares? We're looting his stuff. Etna begins to suggest being picky about what to take until Laharl tells her that makes them basic thieves. Instead, he says they're taking everything. Etna and the Prinny Squad then tell them how great and evil the Prince is until he gets mildly embarrassed, and the first battle happens. Upon further review, that happens after battle one. There is no story when we reach this place, which makes sense.
Fight one is outside the palace. Destroy the two Geo Crystals, and you'll take several of the weaker mobs with you. One should be destroyed as it makes mobs stronger, but the other one gives more EXP, so it may be worth keeping around.
Battle two is a kinda T-shaped map. There are four Geo squares that could be affected. At the start, the effects only buff the enemies, so do what you will. You'll probably gonna spend a turn wasting a few attacks regardless.
Battle three is in a large room with a balcony to one side. Characters can go down to the room or stay on the balcony above. The Geo Crystals give 40 percent recovery, which can go either way. I blew them up because I just want to destroy something beautiful. This fight introduces us to enemy mages and archers. We don't have archers/gunners, so they can be pretty rough. They're fragile, though, especially if you spent an hour last night grinding Etna and Laharl.
As we go to the fourth and final room, we hear a snarky man who feels insulted that we broke into his house without even knowing who owns it. The man/demon shows up and calls himself Vyers, The Dark Adonis. He's a flamboyant pretty boy with an ego issue. Etna knows him as someone who has taken out a good share of would-be Overlords, indicating he's quite strong. When Laharl says he has no idea who he is, and doesn't even remotely care, he gives Vyers a new name: Mid-boss. Mid-boss becomes angry at both the insult and the sheer ignorance of his beauty and strength and attacks.
There's a bit of a three fold fight here. In the first stage, focus on the three Geo Crystals far to the left and the closest enemies to the starting square. Pick up Laharl and have someone pick up THAT person to throw them to the crystals. Laharl can destroy all three crystals with Blade Rush. While this is going on, only the first group of mobs will attack us. They're not too terrible but be wary of the mage and archer. Once those are gone, the two "bodyguards" will come forward. They're strong, but there are only two of them. If you get close enough, Vyers himself will come forward, and he's a boss true-and-true. I only got to see a few attacks of him, but one if a long-range blast, Adonic Shot. It's single target but can one shot a character. He can also counter a counter, which will make sense once you see it.
When the dust settles, Mid-boss says he underestimated us, and Laharl says that Mid-boss is lying. The Prince thinks he went all-out. They bicker for a moment before Mid-boss leaves in disgrace. As the party plans to loot the joint, Etna says she needs to use the bathroom and leaves. This causesLaharl to demand that the Prinnies do all the heavy lifting as Etha's vassals are his vessels. A pink female Prinny comes and tells the Squad that this is only until the next Red Moon.
We see Etna in a dark room talking to someone with a Transylvanian accent. She says that the Prince has awoken. The voice wonders how the potion he drank didn't kill him, and Etna promises that this is a mild speed bump. The voice will get the throne, and Etna will get the mysterious item he stole from her.
As we return to the game, a mock preview of the next chapter happens. Etna talks over Laharl about how the Prince died and left the throne to her. To honor him, she promises to become the greatest ruler the Netherworld has ever seen! Chapter 2: The Great Queen Etna...
...tomorrow!
If you lose the Mid-boss here, you gain the first secret ending of the game. Also, turns out there are only, like, five endings, so ignore what I said about Chrono Trigger last night. It's been a while, man. A part of me is glad there's no day one plot dumps, which makes sense here. The plot is more of a framing device in Disgaea and is more about the battle mechanics and humor. I remember it getting pretty deep at the end, so let's look forward to that! Finally, if you check the back of the throne, the skull on the item counter, and the downstairs corner of the room with Longinus in it, you'll find a secret room of Etna's. In it, a diary that reveals her memories are gone. I wonder if this has something to do with that Transylvanian guy...
Fight one is outside the palace. Destroy the two Geo Crystals, and you'll take several of the weaker mobs with you. One should be destroyed as it makes mobs stronger, but the other one gives more EXP, so it may be worth keeping around.
Battle two is a kinda T-shaped map. There are four Geo squares that could be affected. At the start, the effects only buff the enemies, so do what you will. You'll probably gonna spend a turn wasting a few attacks regardless.
Battle three is in a large room with a balcony to one side. Characters can go down to the room or stay on the balcony above. The Geo Crystals give 40 percent recovery, which can go either way. I blew them up because I just want to destroy something beautiful. This fight introduces us to enemy mages and archers. We don't have archers/gunners, so they can be pretty rough. They're fragile, though, especially if you spent an hour last night grinding Etna and Laharl.
As we go to the fourth and final room, we hear a snarky man who feels insulted that we broke into his house without even knowing who owns it. The man/demon shows up and calls himself Vyers, The Dark Adonis. He's a flamboyant pretty boy with an ego issue. Etna knows him as someone who has taken out a good share of would-be Overlords, indicating he's quite strong. When Laharl says he has no idea who he is, and doesn't even remotely care, he gives Vyers a new name: Mid-boss. Mid-boss becomes angry at both the insult and the sheer ignorance of his beauty and strength and attacks.
There's a bit of a three fold fight here. In the first stage, focus on the three Geo Crystals far to the left and the closest enemies to the starting square. Pick up Laharl and have someone pick up THAT person to throw them to the crystals. Laharl can destroy all three crystals with Blade Rush. While this is going on, only the first group of mobs will attack us. They're not too terrible but be wary of the mage and archer. Once those are gone, the two "bodyguards" will come forward. They're strong, but there are only two of them. If you get close enough, Vyers himself will come forward, and he's a boss true-and-true. I only got to see a few attacks of him, but one if a long-range blast, Adonic Shot. It's single target but can one shot a character. He can also counter a counter, which will make sense once you see it.
When the dust settles, Mid-boss says he underestimated us, and Laharl says that Mid-boss is lying. The Prince thinks he went all-out. They bicker for a moment before Mid-boss leaves in disgrace. As the party plans to loot the joint, Etna says she needs to use the bathroom and leaves. This causesLaharl to demand that the Prinnies do all the heavy lifting as Etha's vassals are his vessels. A pink female Prinny comes and tells the Squad that this is only until the next Red Moon.
We see Etna in a dark room talking to someone with a Transylvanian accent. She says that the Prince has awoken. The voice wonders how the potion he drank didn't kill him, and Etna promises that this is a mild speed bump. The voice will get the throne, and Etna will get the mysterious item he stole from her.
As we return to the game, a mock preview of the next chapter happens. Etna talks over Laharl about how the Prince died and left the throne to her. To honor him, she promises to become the greatest ruler the Netherworld has ever seen! Chapter 2: The Great Queen Etna...
...tomorrow!
If you lose the Mid-boss here, you gain the first secret ending of the game. Also, turns out there are only, like, five endings, so ignore what I said about Chrono Trigger last night. It's been a while, man. A part of me is glad there's no day one plot dumps, which makes sense here. The plot is more of a framing device in Disgaea and is more about the battle mechanics and humor. I remember it getting pretty deep at the end, so let's look forward to that! Finally, if you check the back of the throne, the skull on the item counter, and the downstairs corner of the room with Longinus in it, you'll find a secret room of Etna's. In it, a diary that reveals her memories are gone. I wonder if this has something to do with that Transylvanian guy...
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Disgaea takes more than an hour to beat...
I've been going through some weird stuff lately, so I kinda needed some extra time. I'm probably still gonna take some extra time, but I want to play something fun. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is something I remember being quite fun. A tactical RPG with a humorous plot, tons of extras, and more secret endings than Chrono Trigger? Sign me up! Due to that "weird stuff," I don't know if there will be an update every day, but I'll try to do something. I'm also gonna go a bit slower than usual.
As we start up a new game, a deep voiced narrator introduces us to the backstory. King Krichevskoy, the ruler of the Netherworld, has died. This created a chaotic time in Hell. A woman, Etna, tries her best to wake a boy up, and we see flashes of light and sounds of explosions as she gives it another go. Suddenly, Prince Laharl wakes up! He questions Etna before asking why she woke him up. Etna responds that King Krichevskoy died...two years ago. Laharl is shocked that he's been asleep for so long but says nothing of his father's demise. He then makes a promise to remind all of the pretenders who he is, and our game begins as Etna joins him!
We walk through the castle and talk to vassals of various loyalty. We gain glimmers of mechanics to come, but our goal is the Dimension Gateway behind the cleric. To warm up, Etna takes the two to a beautiful field of flowers. The subsequent few segments introduces the battle mechanics. It's like Final Fantasy Tactics, but rather than every character's turn being based on their speed, the whole team goes as one. I'm kinda not into that, but it has its strategic value and has its fair share of intended downsides to make it interesting. Laharl ends us being used as a guinea pig and gets killed before the battle, which ends up in comedy.
The second battle introduces us to the Prinnies, dood, who are Etna's hired help. They don't really work well and quickly go gallivanting off to do their own thing before Etna sets them straight.
Battle three teaches us about the ability to throw characters. Etna reminds us not the throw Prinnies as they act like grenades if you do.
The fourth and final battle teaches us about Geo Squares. Geo Crystals can alter the characteristics of colored squares on the field, but we can destroy them if we want to. We also gain some advanced rewards if you do so.
After this fight, we return to the Palace to gain access to the rest of the mechanics. Character Creation and the item world are the big things for now. I grind up the last tutorial fight to make a few friends of mine, who you may recall from my Final Fantasy I playthrough. We're not important to the story, but we're here and in Hell... Male Red mages aren't a thing in Disgaea, so I'll be an Ice Skull for a while. Tryton is a warrior, and Drew is a Monk. No clue what the C-Men leader, Xander, will be. I also begin to wonder how I'll afford everyone's equipment!
As we approach the Dimension Gate again, the attendant tells us she loaded up Vyer's Castle in the gate. She doesn't know what's there, as it's new, but I assume it'll be fun.
But we'll do this tomorrow! No need to rush becoming the Overlord, eh?
The humor is this game's main drawing point, as well as the ability to get to level 9999 and get your stats to 99999! I won't be doing that, obviously, but the option is there. I'm planning on getting through a chapter an update, although I've split chapter one into two nights, so go me! As I said, I'm dealing with "weird stuff." So weird I don't know if I'm actually dealing with it or it's all in my head. Either way, it's distracting me, so who knows how often I'll be playing? Disgaea's short, monster of the week style story and chapter system may be perfect for this, now that I think about it. I remember this game fondly from fifteen years ago, and I even had to freshen up the disk in 2008/9, so let's hope it 1.) remains really good, and 2.) doesn't crash! Let's see what ending I'll get!
As we start up a new game, a deep voiced narrator introduces us to the backstory. King Krichevskoy, the ruler of the Netherworld, has died. This created a chaotic time in Hell. A woman, Etna, tries her best to wake a boy up, and we see flashes of light and sounds of explosions as she gives it another go. Suddenly, Prince Laharl wakes up! He questions Etna before asking why she woke him up. Etna responds that King Krichevskoy died...two years ago. Laharl is shocked that he's been asleep for so long but says nothing of his father's demise. He then makes a promise to remind all of the pretenders who he is, and our game begins as Etna joins him!
We walk through the castle and talk to vassals of various loyalty. We gain glimmers of mechanics to come, but our goal is the Dimension Gateway behind the cleric. To warm up, Etna takes the two to a beautiful field of flowers. The subsequent few segments introduces the battle mechanics. It's like Final Fantasy Tactics, but rather than every character's turn being based on their speed, the whole team goes as one. I'm kinda not into that, but it has its strategic value and has its fair share of intended downsides to make it interesting. Laharl ends us being used as a guinea pig and gets killed before the battle, which ends up in comedy.
The second battle introduces us to the Prinnies, dood, who are Etna's hired help. They don't really work well and quickly go gallivanting off to do their own thing before Etna sets them straight.
Battle three teaches us about the ability to throw characters. Etna reminds us not the throw Prinnies as they act like grenades if you do.
The fourth and final battle teaches us about Geo Squares. Geo Crystals can alter the characteristics of colored squares on the field, but we can destroy them if we want to. We also gain some advanced rewards if you do so.
After this fight, we return to the Palace to gain access to the rest of the mechanics. Character Creation and the item world are the big things for now. I grind up the last tutorial fight to make a few friends of mine, who you may recall from my Final Fantasy I playthrough. We're not important to the story, but we're here and in Hell... Male Red mages aren't a thing in Disgaea, so I'll be an Ice Skull for a while. Tryton is a warrior, and Drew is a Monk. No clue what the C-Men leader, Xander, will be. I also begin to wonder how I'll afford everyone's equipment!
As we approach the Dimension Gate again, the attendant tells us she loaded up Vyer's Castle in the gate. She doesn't know what's there, as it's new, but I assume it'll be fun.
But we'll do this tomorrow! No need to rush becoming the Overlord, eh?
The humor is this game's main drawing point, as well as the ability to get to level 9999 and get your stats to 99999! I won't be doing that, obviously, but the option is there. I'm planning on getting through a chapter an update, although I've split chapter one into two nights, so go me! As I said, I'm dealing with "weird stuff." So weird I don't know if I'm actually dealing with it or it's all in my head. Either way, it's distracting me, so who knows how often I'll be playing? Disgaea's short, monster of the week style story and chapter system may be perfect for this, now that I think about it. I remember this game fondly from fifteen years ago, and I even had to freshen up the disk in 2008/9, so let's hope it 1.) remains really good, and 2.) doesn't crash! Let's see what ending I'll get!
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation sure was revealing
This is such a strange game! I started out really liking it, and, honestly, I didn't hate the ending. But the middle bits were so, so terrible.
What sucked?
The middle part. The whole second and third act after the fall of Mudo. By which, I'm meaning Arcbolt to Durren. The team walks around, almost aimlessly, doing things with no rhyme or reason. You fund out a few of those chapters tie in at the end, but even those have some flaws. Jamerias was introduced and immediately lost all plot relevance. I found two random NPCs that gave us a hint about a Sleeping Sickness, and then there's no mention of anything past Calcado. Glacias had even less of an introduction, and it could have been less had I not followed a walkthrough to find Poseidon. Durren, somehow, had an even poorer impact than Glacias. Including Mudo, all four of those guys are high ranking commanders for Deathtamoor. Why give an entire section of story to Mudo but not the others? I would have loved it if all of them had the same strength. Have a soldier from Arcbolt ask Reidock for aid in their problem with Jamiras. Holsten/Foan could be a big seafaring nation having trouble with the seas because of Glacias. Have Durren be the last King of Grandino! Tie everything together WHILE in progress. I'm glad it all came around towards the end, but I felt so lost for a week. But that's the major plot points.
Why did we baptize that kid? I don't know if anyone could tell, but that whole section was when I began to sour on the game. The kid ran away five times, and we had to go find him. It was so terrible. Tedium shouldn't be a game mechanic, and it damn sure shouldn't be a plot mechanic. For that matter, what was the point of Foan, other than because they have the Watergate Key? World building is cool, but not at the expense of your actual characters.
Everyone's boring. Muriel had a lot going for her, but it all stopped once you get her. When and how did she reunite with her physical body? Why can't we do anything about her past in Grandino? Based on the intro scene, she's supposed to be one of three important characters, but I felt that Chamaro was more relevant than her. Barbara didn't get much of a spotlight either. With her backstory, I'm not sure how she could have, admittedly. Have her give random outlooks on things? "I don't remember this being here." Or have her be a voice of reason. Hell, who's Barbarella? Give her some lore and tie them together. Make us think, even if it's clearly obvious there's a connection. Hassan is a strong guy for the sake of being strong, Rek is a silent protag, and the other people are just there. Draggy doesn't even get ending scenes!
The secondary characters felt flat too. The Mountain Spirit (who lives in the water) has nothing to do aside from one scene. The translation team didn't help this as returning to old towns gives empty text boxes. Maybe there's more to be said, but NoProgress is a terribly apt name. I'd say I'd love to play the DS remake, but the rest of the game has soiled me on that thought. I just went to know why my horse gets more of a shine than most others?
Why were there were so many secondary plots that were never touched upon? The San Marino mayor debacle, for example. The mayor imprisons the wrong girl, who later joins a traveling merchant. We never see this merchant. When she's back in San Marino, the mayor is gone. We never see the mayor again. And the real culprit is never punished! In Clear Veil, there was talk of an entertainer everyone liked. We never see this guy at all. What happened to Rob and Denae? I didn't even get blank text boxes explaining them if you return to their towns. And don't even get me started on Grandino's confusing rulership that goes nowhere!
Also, the ending wasn't that great, either. An evil guy is evil, so he wants to take over the world by splitting one world into two and creating a third world for himself? How memorable.
So, I'm done being mad. What did the game do well?
It sure is pretty. I love good background artwork. Lifecod, alone, filled that for me several times. Battle scenes aren't just pixels in the back, but they give us a good reminder of where we are. Towns and castles feel alive. Square has always been the bar with graphics in RPGs, retro especially, but Dragon Quest VI hangs with the best of them. Sprite work went up several notches from DQV. There's even animations and emotion that might be better than Final Fantasy VI.
I'm digging the music. All of the overworld themes would go on Spotify playlist if they were there. A few dungeon themes, emotional tunes, even town songs have a uniqueness to them. Not every place gets the same melody as its precursor did.
Every dungeon had its own thing, and I'd like to point out The Mirror's Tower gimmick, especially. I don't recall too many functional mirrors in older video games, so don't let anyone say how advanced modern games are because of Raytracing. I doubt DQVI did Rarytracing, but I only care about reflections, not how they're implemented.
The first quarter of the game is great! I'm grasping at straws now, but I thoroughly enjoyed the first few nights of Dragon Quest VI. Everything seemed tight and properly, carefully strewn together, but once the big evil died, it all fell apart. Was I a mercenary for hire or someone looking for the truth? What would have happened if I didn't continue on? Probably bad things, but I'm sure Terry could have handled it. I need a conflict to get invested, or at least some good hook or clue, but DQVI just tossed me out into the cold, unforgiving world of seemingly random events. Why did we need to baptize that kid?!
As you can see, that's all I enjoyed about Dragon Quest VI: The Realms of Revelations. It starts absolutely amazingly but comes undone pretty fast. And once it's undone, it takes even longer to get back together. I don't think I would have minded being directionless for so long if it wasn't for so long! It might come back around, but by then, the soul is gone, and I'm deep into the doldrums. It was a very long winter, you see. I loved me some Dragon Quest V, but its sequel proves they can't all be zingers. I'm gonna try another game in the franchise at some point, but not for a while. I'm moving on to something else. I'm not ready to get hurt again. Maybe in the fall. If not, March of 2022. Ready for fourth lockdown!?
Why did we baptize the goddamn kid!
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Deathtamed! ...sorta
We're ready to assail the castle of the Demon Emperor, So guess what we did tonight?!
The first few floors are fancy foyers providing no real threat or puzzles than steps to walk in a game with random encounters. The next floor is a Sylph Co. Floor Puzzle. On the second of these puzzles are three chasms of interest. The left side is a treasure, a Demon Spear. The middle staircase leads to a heal spot, and the third place is the way forward. There is a switch that turns off the floors. Up those stairs takes us to a jumping puzzle. If you hit the wrong springboard, you're either turned the wrong way or sent to a floor below. Explore around. There are only a few boards, and it's obvious as to where they lead, so it should be a quick walkthrough. Eventually, you come to a staircase down. Follow them, and you'll come to another pressure plate-a-ma-jig. Step on it, and the room will begin to move forward. Go to the top of the screen until you reach a door and enter a black smoke filled room. I didn't explore around here, but the way out is straight north. Grab the Book of Dragons if you want to explore the post-game dungeon. Through the doors out is a white smoke filled room. Navigating through here is significantly more annoying. The easiest way to do so is to wait for lightning to strike, which will temporarily reveal the invisible walls. By this point, I was ready to finish this game, so I didn't walk around looking for treasures. The exit is from the left side of the room, so hug there until things light up. From here, walk the castle byways, go down when you enter the red smoke filled room, and follow the only path you can take. You'll stand before an old man, Deathtamoor himself. I'm glad this dungeon was quick and straightforward because this fight isn't.
Deathtamoor offers no motivation for his actions beyond being evil for the sake of evil, so there's not much dialogue. This is a three round fight with no breaks, and your buffs get removed between them. Round one is, arguably, the hardest. While the old man form has the lowest HP, he seems to have the highest attack. He loves his teamwide stuff that can do over 100 HP to everyone. I think it's fire based, though, so Magiguard and Barrier can help. Despite being an old man, the dudes got speed and WILL go before you pretty much every time. Despite the frequency of buff removal, you're gonna need to be buffing. Sadly, I couldn't find a predictable pattern like DQV.
Round Two takes place when the orbs the old man was using merge. A dragon comes out of them, and things pick up. He is slower, so you get some advantage here. Increase will help more than Magiguard, but you should still use Barrier to prevent the Fire Breath from ending you. Annoyingly, he can buff himself, but we can't remove those buffs. If he gets to the point where your attacks are doing single digit damage, switch Rek and Hassan to either Discharge, Wind Slash, Vacuum Blade, or Grand Cross.
After he says he's done playing, Round Three will commence! I'm not having fun anymore. I mean, I haven't been having fun for a while, but this is infuriating. He gets FOUR attacks a round! At least one of them will be teamwide attacks, and two will be massive magic blasts that can be teamwide. The other can be a physical attack or a remove all buffs spell from time to time too. It gets easier as you progress, though. Take out the Left Hand and then the Right Hand. Lefty has the least HP, and Righto can revive, I'm told. Once you're down to just the disembodied head, things ease up. All of the attacks are still possible, but there are only two of them a round. I had Muriel using Hustle Dance, which is a skill I wish I knew she learned sooner. Barbara used Mandante just to see if it's good. At 107 MP, it did 250 damage, so it was pretty alright. At around 150 MP, it was over 400. If you max out her MP, she can one shot DT. Unfortunately, Mandante spent all her MP, so she was useless to me now. I had MP healing items on characters, but hat awful Style Competition unequipped them. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! I swamped in Chamaro because he is the designated White Mage. He performed admirably, but his attacks here terrible. Even him truing into a dragon did no damage. He has the Medal King Sword!
Now, keep in mind, I save scummed so hard for this. I didn't want to redo the dungeon, and I really didn't want to keep playing. Had I lost, I would have quit and looked up the ending on Youtube. I don't care! I got other stuff I want to do, and I really don't want this fight to ruin any future Dragon Quest games I want to play. IX actually works okayidly on my computer. Regardless of my terrible ethics...
After the dust settles, the platform we're on begins to collapse. Masarl and Kermit telepathically talk to us to say this world is falling apart. They'll get the citizens of the three towns out of there, but we're on our own. We have Pegasus, so getting out is a simple task. We return to the Dream World and talk to King Zenith in Zenithia. Zenith tells us that it was DT that split the two worlds into two, tangible, places, and, with him gone, the two will now become one...or something. Physical bodies won't be allowed to stay in the Dream World is what he was getting at. He tells us to say our goodbyes. Terry runs off to the wagon, and Muriel chases after him.
First up are Rek and Hassan in Reidock. Soldi thanks us, as neither the King nor Queen are around, for all we've done. The Royals left a note saying they're looking forward to seeing them in the other world.
Barbara, and her long named city, is up next. The old couple who made our Magic Capet think she should become Elder since it's her bloodline's tradition, but she believes it isn't time. They agree and ask her to get stronger, perhaps with King Zenith.
We go to the Dream Lifecod to say farewell to Tania and Rand. The whole town is at the bar, celebrating, but Tanis is alone with Rand creeping outside her window. She wants us to promise we'll never forget her before she becomes translucent. She says, "I love you," and we leave. The rest of the town appears similar now, with several people saying they're tired.
We then come to the real world! Muriel and Terry spend time with Grandmaz. Muriel wants to become s fortune teller. Grandmaz makes dinner, and we continue on.
In San Marino, Hassan joins his family's carpentry business.
In Gent, Cham and his grandpa discuss the Sacred Ship magically returning to the dry dock because it's magical. He then stays there to help the sick.
It's another Muriel and Terry scene, this time in Grandino. The old man we stalked a while back ends up being their father. He sold Muriel years ago, but the whole family joins back in an enjoyable reunion.
With only Rek and Barbara left, we return to Lifecod. Everyone is gone. Does this have something to do with the see-through villagers of Dream World? No. The mayor is still around and tells us everyone went to the party in Reidock.
Once there, the Royals say how proud they are of their son before the King thinks Rek and Barb are together. Shera quickly throws to the party. In the courtyard, there's dancing. Tania, unsure of what to call Rek, and Rand are together while Muriel is with a random soldier. Chamaro is with a child, and everyone else is throughout the castle. Hassan is looking over how to improve the worn down stone and woodwork. Terry is hanging out in the war room. Barbara, though, is looking sad and pale in the throne room. When we talk to her, she says she can't be here. She never got a real body, and her time has come. The worlds merge, she says goodbye, and she disappears. Her last words are, "I'll never forget you." I'm curious if she had feelings that game, surprisingly, never touched on towards Rek.
Castle Zenthia raises to the sky, and the credits begin to roll as we see the last scenes of our characters!
Chamaro is healing people and cats in Gent.
Hassan is hammering stuff in his family home.
Muriel is telling the fortunes of various surprised people in Grandmaz' house.
Terrance is exploring Amoru Cave.
Prince Rek is hanging out in the castle on the verge of a gathering of old friends. They meet up at Grandmaz' house, and Muriel brings up Barbara on her magic orb. We see her in Zenithia Castle, alongside the King, some dude, and an egg. We've heard of the egg in the castle a few times, and it's finally about to hatch. The inside of the egg is supposed to be the future of the world. I don't know what that means, but it sounds mystical and exciting! Everyone is pumped as it starts shaking. When it bursts open, outcomes...fireworks. The metaphor is lost on me.
The End
The first few floors are fancy foyers providing no real threat or puzzles than steps to walk in a game with random encounters. The next floor is a Sylph Co. Floor Puzzle. On the second of these puzzles are three chasms of interest. The left side is a treasure, a Demon Spear. The middle staircase leads to a heal spot, and the third place is the way forward. There is a switch that turns off the floors. Up those stairs takes us to a jumping puzzle. If you hit the wrong springboard, you're either turned the wrong way or sent to a floor below. Explore around. There are only a few boards, and it's obvious as to where they lead, so it should be a quick walkthrough. Eventually, you come to a staircase down. Follow them, and you'll come to another pressure plate-a-ma-jig. Step on it, and the room will begin to move forward. Go to the top of the screen until you reach a door and enter a black smoke filled room. I didn't explore around here, but the way out is straight north. Grab the Book of Dragons if you want to explore the post-game dungeon. Through the doors out is a white smoke filled room. Navigating through here is significantly more annoying. The easiest way to do so is to wait for lightning to strike, which will temporarily reveal the invisible walls. By this point, I was ready to finish this game, so I didn't walk around looking for treasures. The exit is from the left side of the room, so hug there until things light up. From here, walk the castle byways, go down when you enter the red smoke filled room, and follow the only path you can take. You'll stand before an old man, Deathtamoor himself. I'm glad this dungeon was quick and straightforward because this fight isn't.
Deathtamoor offers no motivation for his actions beyond being evil for the sake of evil, so there's not much dialogue. This is a three round fight with no breaks, and your buffs get removed between them. Round one is, arguably, the hardest. While the old man form has the lowest HP, he seems to have the highest attack. He loves his teamwide stuff that can do over 100 HP to everyone. I think it's fire based, though, so Magiguard and Barrier can help. Despite being an old man, the dudes got speed and WILL go before you pretty much every time. Despite the frequency of buff removal, you're gonna need to be buffing. Sadly, I couldn't find a predictable pattern like DQV.
Round Two takes place when the orbs the old man was using merge. A dragon comes out of them, and things pick up. He is slower, so you get some advantage here. Increase will help more than Magiguard, but you should still use Barrier to prevent the Fire Breath from ending you. Annoyingly, he can buff himself, but we can't remove those buffs. If he gets to the point where your attacks are doing single digit damage, switch Rek and Hassan to either Discharge, Wind Slash, Vacuum Blade, or Grand Cross.
After he says he's done playing, Round Three will commence! I'm not having fun anymore. I mean, I haven't been having fun for a while, but this is infuriating. He gets FOUR attacks a round! At least one of them will be teamwide attacks, and two will be massive magic blasts that can be teamwide. The other can be a physical attack or a remove all buffs spell from time to time too. It gets easier as you progress, though. Take out the Left Hand and then the Right Hand. Lefty has the least HP, and Righto can revive, I'm told. Once you're down to just the disembodied head, things ease up. All of the attacks are still possible, but there are only two of them a round. I had Muriel using Hustle Dance, which is a skill I wish I knew she learned sooner. Barbara used Mandante just to see if it's good. At 107 MP, it did 250 damage, so it was pretty alright. At around 150 MP, it was over 400. If you max out her MP, she can one shot DT. Unfortunately, Mandante spent all her MP, so she was useless to me now. I had MP healing items on characters, but hat awful Style Competition unequipped them. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! I swamped in Chamaro because he is the designated White Mage. He performed admirably, but his attacks here terrible. Even him truing into a dragon did no damage. He has the Medal King Sword!
Now, keep in mind, I save scummed so hard for this. I didn't want to redo the dungeon, and I really didn't want to keep playing. Had I lost, I would have quit and looked up the ending on Youtube. I don't care! I got other stuff I want to do, and I really don't want this fight to ruin any future Dragon Quest games I want to play. IX actually works okayidly on my computer. Regardless of my terrible ethics...
After the dust settles, the platform we're on begins to collapse. Masarl and Kermit telepathically talk to us to say this world is falling apart. They'll get the citizens of the three towns out of there, but we're on our own. We have Pegasus, so getting out is a simple task. We return to the Dream World and talk to King Zenith in Zenithia. Zenith tells us that it was DT that split the two worlds into two, tangible, places, and, with him gone, the two will now become one...or something. Physical bodies won't be allowed to stay in the Dream World is what he was getting at. He tells us to say our goodbyes. Terry runs off to the wagon, and Muriel chases after him.
First up are Rek and Hassan in Reidock. Soldi thanks us, as neither the King nor Queen are around, for all we've done. The Royals left a note saying they're looking forward to seeing them in the other world.
Barbara, and her long named city, is up next. The old couple who made our Magic Capet think she should become Elder since it's her bloodline's tradition, but she believes it isn't time. They agree and ask her to get stronger, perhaps with King Zenith.
We go to the Dream Lifecod to say farewell to Tania and Rand. The whole town is at the bar, celebrating, but Tanis is alone with Rand creeping outside her window. She wants us to promise we'll never forget her before she becomes translucent. She says, "I love you," and we leave. The rest of the town appears similar now, with several people saying they're tired.
We then come to the real world! Muriel and Terry spend time with Grandmaz. Muriel wants to become s fortune teller. Grandmaz makes dinner, and we continue on.
In San Marino, Hassan joins his family's carpentry business.
In Gent, Cham and his grandpa discuss the Sacred Ship magically returning to the dry dock because it's magical. He then stays there to help the sick.
It's another Muriel and Terry scene, this time in Grandino. The old man we stalked a while back ends up being their father. He sold Muriel years ago, but the whole family joins back in an enjoyable reunion.
With only Rek and Barbara left, we return to Lifecod. Everyone is gone. Does this have something to do with the see-through villagers of Dream World? No. The mayor is still around and tells us everyone went to the party in Reidock.
Once there, the Royals say how proud they are of their son before the King thinks Rek and Barb are together. Shera quickly throws to the party. In the courtyard, there's dancing. Tania, unsure of what to call Rek, and Rand are together while Muriel is with a random soldier. Chamaro is with a child, and everyone else is throughout the castle. Hassan is looking over how to improve the worn down stone and woodwork. Terry is hanging out in the war room. Barbara, though, is looking sad and pale in the throne room. When we talk to her, she says she can't be here. She never got a real body, and her time has come. The worlds merge, she says goodbye, and she disappears. Her last words are, "I'll never forget you." I'm curious if she had feelings that game, surprisingly, never touched on towards Rek.
Castle Zenthia raises to the sky, and the credits begin to roll as we see the last scenes of our characters!
Chamaro is healing people and cats in Gent.
Hassan is hammering stuff in his family home.
Muriel is telling the fortunes of various surprised people in Grandmaz' house.
Terrance is exploring Amoru Cave.
Prince Rek is hanging out in the castle on the verge of a gathering of old friends. They meet up at Grandmaz' house, and Muriel brings up Barbara on her magic orb. We see her in Zenithia Castle, alongside the King, some dude, and an egg. We've heard of the egg in the castle a few times, and it's finally about to hatch. The inside of the egg is supposed to be the future of the world. I don't know what that means, but it sounds mystical and exciting! Everyone is pumped as it starts shaking. When it bursts open, outcomes...fireworks. The metaphor is lost on me.
The End
Friday, April 2, 2021
The Highly Populated Dark World
I finished up in the worlds of the living, and Pegasus took us to Demon World. All of our modes of travel have broken, so I guess I'll hoof it!
Just to the north is a village. The citizens call it Despair Town because everyone suffers from depression. Most of the populace have given up on ever returning home, while others are nearing that horizon, as well. The ones who have given up refuse to do anything, and some can't even speak. I've been there, so this hits home for me. Several people tell us about a spring to the west that is rumored to be a gateway between the worlds. But who we need to speak to is in the basement of one of the "houses." It's a man named Clark Ende from Zaxon Village, a small place north of Lifecod in the real world. He's one of the depressed and doesn't think there's a way out of this world. He gives us a rusty pipe and asks us to bring it to this his wife, who will, in return, give us Ende's Blacksmith Tools. Doing this will change his outlook on the current predicament. Before I left for the Real World, I found a watchman (monster) in the only second story house in town. I tried to fight it, but it turns out I only have one HP! Apparently, he is beatable, but I failed to do so.
Go to the spring in the west. It'll try to take us around a rock in the middle but fight against it. Stay close to the rock on the eastern side, and you'll enter a door. Go down the well, and we'll return to the Real World. Take Pegasus to Zaxon, talk to the dog, Silver, and get the tools from Mrs. Ende. Go back to Hell and give Ende his tools. This encourages him, and he offers to make an armor piece for us. I choose the body armor. In the morning, the entire town will be buzzing! It turns out smiles are contagious as Edne's hope has infected the others. Shop keepers open their wares, and the people are excited again. Our next location is that of Greed Town, to the northeast.
Everyone tries to swindle us. I don't know what a good deal or a bad deal, so I just assumed it was all terrible. The rumors about this place indicate that the Famed Sage, Masarl, has left his treasure in the cave system behind the town. There's a large graveyard on the east side of town filled with people who failed to find the treasure. And there will be more in the caves lamenting a loved one's attempts too. Explore throughout, and at the bottom, you'll find a chest with a note in it. The note will say that the richest person in town, Morgan, knows where the treasure is. Go to his house, and he'll tell you the secret...for 5000 gold. I was saving up for a Blizzard Sword, Game, but okay! The real treasure is buried at the bottom of the lake to the northwest. If we go there, it turns out a lot of people got the same message. After we talk to everyone/tell someone we're willing to sell our soul for the treasure, the lake drains. Everyone rushes in to be the first to get the treasure, fighting each other along the way. Avoid the conflicts, and get to the chest. As we open it, we'll see it empty. Everyone around us comes to their senses and knows that Morgan lied to them. If we return to the town, Morgan will be unconscious in his bed, crying out for the Demon King. Like in Despair Town, the greed of the inhabitants will be absolved. Our reward here will be the Dragon Robe, which I give to Barbara because she's become my healer.
Continue north past the lake. The well you'll find along the way is a resting point. We can heal and save down here. North of that is a large castle. As we approach, a giant fights us because we're not supposed to be here. When we win, he'll ask us to talk to his brother behind him. He'll say we're the ones he's looking for. These are the last two of the Giant Clan, a once proud race enslaved by the Demon Emperor. He'll give us a Prison Key and ask us to kill the guy in charge, Akstar. As we enter the castle, we're immediately thrown in jail. But they don't take our Prison Key...or our weapons. Leave the cell and walk across the lave floors. We'll meet a guard who ends up being General Soldi! After he tells us how he got here, he'll tell us Masarl is locked behind him. He also gives us four Soldier's Outfits, which we use to sneak around the guards. Talk to all the guards until you reach the top, who'll ask for a beer. One of the guards will tell us about one of the prisoners, Sister Anna, and the terrifying fate that awaits her. Return to the prison town, remove your outfits, and talk to the woman at the bar. Then talk to the guy at the bar above her. Go around and talk to Gon below them, and he'll open the passage behind him. Talk to the guy at the bar again, and walk out.
Soldiers will descend from the above floors and bring up a man from the cells below. He's to be executed, but we step in. Round One isn't too hard, but Round Two is a staged loss. You can win, but all you get is 1500 EXP, and the game continues as if you lost anyway. We'll be jailed, and the key will be removed. Hangout for a while until our little rebellion caused a much larger revolution. The bartender poisoned the beers with a sleeping drug, so most of the guards are out cold. They free us and ask us, the only people strong enough, to finish the job. Make your way up to Akstar, and the fight begins.
Akstar is flanked by two minions. They're weak to Lightning, it seems, so have Rek use Zap for a few rounds. Once it's down to one-on-four, the battle becomes simple. Akstar uses a lot of Fire Magic, so Magiguard and Barrier up before trying to BiKill. It's all about attrition early on. Akstar will yell about how the prophecy can't be real and die. As Mudo and the rest did before, all his lackeys will disappear with him. The citizens of this place will come and welcome us before they tell us to free Masarl. Head down with Soldi, and learn that this isn't Masarl. It is his brother, Kermit, though. Kermit will give us an Orb of Truth, which I'd have thought the demons would have taken from him. It allows us to get closer to the Demon Emperor's Castle if we use it on the peninsula up north. We all celebrate that night, but it doesn't last long. The Deathtamor causes half the population to turn to stone, and the other half is turned into animals. Masarl defended himself from the attacks, somehow, and tells us to go find his brother.
Use the Orb and find the shrine just to the north. There are no mobs in here, so enjoy walking over the spike traps to reach Masarl. We'll get a glimpse into the torture that the demons have been using on him before we leave and backtrack to Kermit. Kermit will join the party as we go back to Masarl because everyone loves backtracking! After a long cutscene where the brothers reunite, we fight Masarl's torturers.
Keep in mind, you didn't heal up during the night. Fortunately, this fight is simple. Kill the guy on your right, as he's oddly fragile. He can defend his friend, so he's just asking for it. Buff up, use you're preferred battle commands, cast Healus every two or three rounds. I managed to Bikill everyone, max out my defense, and even Sapped the right guy's defense to zero. The guy on the left can heal and does the most damage, so I took him out first. And because I can speedhack my way through this tedium.
Masarl, now freed, will team up with Kermit to blow up the Emperor's mountain and bring it down to earth. They open the gateway, telling us it's a one way trip, so get ready because I'm ending this game...
...tomorrow!
So, the Emperor created this world? Why did he build an exit? Why let people build a castle before he invaded it? Why did he create a race or giants just to slay them? Maybe it's because I'm not evil, but I don't get it. Anyway, any side plot with secondary characters will be null and void because the translation team gave up. Tania and Reidock have dialog if we return to their worlds, but I have no idea what it is. There's also a lot of open side stories, still so rad!
Just to the north is a village. The citizens call it Despair Town because everyone suffers from depression. Most of the populace have given up on ever returning home, while others are nearing that horizon, as well. The ones who have given up refuse to do anything, and some can't even speak. I've been there, so this hits home for me. Several people tell us about a spring to the west that is rumored to be a gateway between the worlds. But who we need to speak to is in the basement of one of the "houses." It's a man named Clark Ende from Zaxon Village, a small place north of Lifecod in the real world. He's one of the depressed and doesn't think there's a way out of this world. He gives us a rusty pipe and asks us to bring it to this his wife, who will, in return, give us Ende's Blacksmith Tools. Doing this will change his outlook on the current predicament. Before I left for the Real World, I found a watchman (monster) in the only second story house in town. I tried to fight it, but it turns out I only have one HP! Apparently, he is beatable, but I failed to do so.
Go to the spring in the west. It'll try to take us around a rock in the middle but fight against it. Stay close to the rock on the eastern side, and you'll enter a door. Go down the well, and we'll return to the Real World. Take Pegasus to Zaxon, talk to the dog, Silver, and get the tools from Mrs. Ende. Go back to Hell and give Ende his tools. This encourages him, and he offers to make an armor piece for us. I choose the body armor. In the morning, the entire town will be buzzing! It turns out smiles are contagious as Edne's hope has infected the others. Shop keepers open their wares, and the people are excited again. Our next location is that of Greed Town, to the northeast.
Everyone tries to swindle us. I don't know what a good deal or a bad deal, so I just assumed it was all terrible. The rumors about this place indicate that the Famed Sage, Masarl, has left his treasure in the cave system behind the town. There's a large graveyard on the east side of town filled with people who failed to find the treasure. And there will be more in the caves lamenting a loved one's attempts too. Explore throughout, and at the bottom, you'll find a chest with a note in it. The note will say that the richest person in town, Morgan, knows where the treasure is. Go to his house, and he'll tell you the secret...for 5000 gold. I was saving up for a Blizzard Sword, Game, but okay! The real treasure is buried at the bottom of the lake to the northwest. If we go there, it turns out a lot of people got the same message. After we talk to everyone/tell someone we're willing to sell our soul for the treasure, the lake drains. Everyone rushes in to be the first to get the treasure, fighting each other along the way. Avoid the conflicts, and get to the chest. As we open it, we'll see it empty. Everyone around us comes to their senses and knows that Morgan lied to them. If we return to the town, Morgan will be unconscious in his bed, crying out for the Demon King. Like in Despair Town, the greed of the inhabitants will be absolved. Our reward here will be the Dragon Robe, which I give to Barbara because she's become my healer.
Continue north past the lake. The well you'll find along the way is a resting point. We can heal and save down here. North of that is a large castle. As we approach, a giant fights us because we're not supposed to be here. When we win, he'll ask us to talk to his brother behind him. He'll say we're the ones he's looking for. These are the last two of the Giant Clan, a once proud race enslaved by the Demon Emperor. He'll give us a Prison Key and ask us to kill the guy in charge, Akstar. As we enter the castle, we're immediately thrown in jail. But they don't take our Prison Key...or our weapons. Leave the cell and walk across the lave floors. We'll meet a guard who ends up being General Soldi! After he tells us how he got here, he'll tell us Masarl is locked behind him. He also gives us four Soldier's Outfits, which we use to sneak around the guards. Talk to all the guards until you reach the top, who'll ask for a beer. One of the guards will tell us about one of the prisoners, Sister Anna, and the terrifying fate that awaits her. Return to the prison town, remove your outfits, and talk to the woman at the bar. Then talk to the guy at the bar above her. Go around and talk to Gon below them, and he'll open the passage behind him. Talk to the guy at the bar again, and walk out.
Soldiers will descend from the above floors and bring up a man from the cells below. He's to be executed, but we step in. Round One isn't too hard, but Round Two is a staged loss. You can win, but all you get is 1500 EXP, and the game continues as if you lost anyway. We'll be jailed, and the key will be removed. Hangout for a while until our little rebellion caused a much larger revolution. The bartender poisoned the beers with a sleeping drug, so most of the guards are out cold. They free us and ask us, the only people strong enough, to finish the job. Make your way up to Akstar, and the fight begins.
Akstar is flanked by two minions. They're weak to Lightning, it seems, so have Rek use Zap for a few rounds. Once it's down to one-on-four, the battle becomes simple. Akstar uses a lot of Fire Magic, so Magiguard and Barrier up before trying to BiKill. It's all about attrition early on. Akstar will yell about how the prophecy can't be real and die. As Mudo and the rest did before, all his lackeys will disappear with him. The citizens of this place will come and welcome us before they tell us to free Masarl. Head down with Soldi, and learn that this isn't Masarl. It is his brother, Kermit, though. Kermit will give us an Orb of Truth, which I'd have thought the demons would have taken from him. It allows us to get closer to the Demon Emperor's Castle if we use it on the peninsula up north. We all celebrate that night, but it doesn't last long. The Deathtamor causes half the population to turn to stone, and the other half is turned into animals. Masarl defended himself from the attacks, somehow, and tells us to go find his brother.
Use the Orb and find the shrine just to the north. There are no mobs in here, so enjoy walking over the spike traps to reach Masarl. We'll get a glimpse into the torture that the demons have been using on him before we leave and backtrack to Kermit. Kermit will join the party as we go back to Masarl because everyone loves backtracking! After a long cutscene where the brothers reunite, we fight Masarl's torturers.
Keep in mind, you didn't heal up during the night. Fortunately, this fight is simple. Kill the guy on your right, as he's oddly fragile. He can defend his friend, so he's just asking for it. Buff up, use you're preferred battle commands, cast Healus every two or three rounds. I managed to Bikill everyone, max out my defense, and even Sapped the right guy's defense to zero. The guy on the left can heal and does the most damage, so I took him out first. And because I can speedhack my way through this tedium.
Masarl, now freed, will team up with Kermit to blow up the Emperor's mountain and bring it down to earth. They open the gateway, telling us it's a one way trip, so get ready because I'm ending this game...
...tomorrow!
So, the Emperor created this world? Why did he build an exit? Why let people build a castle before he invaded it? Why did he create a race or giants just to slay them? Maybe it's because I'm not evil, but I don't get it. Anyway, any side plot with secondary characters will be null and void because the translation team gave up. Tania and Reidock have dialog if we return to their worlds, but I have no idea what it is. There's also a lot of open side stories, still so rad!
Thursday, April 1, 2021
OMG PLOT!
Last we left off, we were told to repair the legendary sword in the bandit and outlaw town of Longadeseo. The epithet makes it seems sketchy, but it's not that bad.
It is an annoying maze, though. To get to where we need to go, walk through the weapons and armor seller, then through the bar. Go around the flashing bunny house but don't go too far. Near the top of the building, east of the bunny house, is a secret entrance. Run past the bunny girl who wants to make Rek prettier and go up the stairs. We'll meet the man named Hawk, an information dealer. We'll tell him we're looking for the legendary blacksmith. No one else in town is talking, so he's out last hope. As payment for this deal, he'll ask for 50000 gold. And then he says that's too much and lowers it to 2000 if we play a game. We're now playing hide-and-seek with Hawk. He'll be dressed up in three outfits through the town, and we have to sus him out.
He'll first be in the church.
He'll next be in the ladies' room in the bunny house.
Finally, go around the town and past the style smith and talk to the bartender. Answer no, no, and yes, and that'll be him. Return to his house in the well. He'll say the legendary blacksmith moved away one day long ago. He left behind his wife and child. His daughter, Sally, lives in the house to the northeast. She frequents the resting place of her mother in the northern shrine, though. Sally won't be home, so head to the shrine.
She'll refuse to temper the sword because of how much she hates her father. Return to town and keep pestering her. She'll eventually agree to do it because we're a kind soul. Normally, we would have to find the rest of the legendary armor before she finishes, but we already have them on Rek. She then fixes the sword in record time. She'll ask us to find her dad to tell him his daughter is waiting. I don't know if we will, but I set off. Before going anywhere, go to the Style Smith. They can make the Sword of Raminas more powerful when they make it better. I don't know how, but I had the 35000 gold to spend, so what else was I gonna buy? Medical Herbs!?
Northwest of Gandino is a temple. West of Grandino is a shrine with a scholar, giving us a clue about how to use the floor puzzle in said temple. Step on the four plates until a symbol that corresponds with the legendary gear. In a clockwise form, head, shield, armor, and sword. Using the item on the field reveals most of the symbols, but the helm is a total mystery. It's supposed to be Sun, Cross, Heart, and Lightening, but the translation team got lazy again. Finishing this puzzle causes a giant castle to descend from the heavens and a light to transport us up to it. We then fight the castle.
I don't know what happened here, but it was pretty easy. Bikill, Increase, Magiward, Barrier. It doesn't have high DPS, but why are we fighting a floating castle?
The first thing we see are two monsters who want to kill us. They're stopped by a distant voice that wants to see us, so we make our way to that voice. This castle sure looks a lot like Zenenthia from DQV!. In fact, it is Zenenthia from DQV! A ghost tells us Durren, the boss, kicked all the humans out before capturing it from the Dream World King. In the throne room is Durren, who's glad to see the Legendary Equipment. So glad that he sends him minions after us.
First up is the combo of Killer Machine and Land Armor. Land Armor poses no threat, but he will defend his friend often. Killer Machine often gets two attacks in a round. As long as one of those isn't a one-shot to the mages, you should be fine.
The next opponent is Terry! Remember Terry? He's easy and poses less a threat than Land Armor. Has more HP, though. Watch out for his thunder magic.
Finally is Durren himself. His getting two attacks a round can be tricky, but he lacks any real KO power. Annoyingly, he often uses a spell that nullifies all buffs. I had Muri casting Increase and Barb casting Healus every round, but if we were near max HP, feel free to BiKill someone. Unbuffed fighters can use Swordline but use basic attacks if buffed. It'll take two or three rounds for him to kill anyone, even the mages, so just keep your HP up. Durren will die, and give us some plot for the first time in a week! Mudo was just the public display of evil. He's not the great evil we built him up to be, but just a pawn. Him, Glacis, Jamiras, and Durren are merely table setters. When he fades away, Terry will get our attention. He's upset he sucks, but then Muriel will remember something. Tarry is her brother! He'll join the party, and the family will be reunited. Terry's bad, so I'm not using him. The castle will now be empty. Make your way down, and we'll see the castle fill in the gap on the other world's map. For once, it's pretty obvious that's where we're going.
When we enter, we see people roam the halls. Head straight to the King, and he'll give us our next location. More importantly, more plot, too. Everything that was sealed away by those table setters was done so for a reason: to make sure humans can't interfere with the Great Evil's plan. That Great Evil is named Deathtammor. "Death tamer"? Who named this guy? DT lives in the Demon World, a location separate from the Real World and the Dream World. The only way to reach that world is with Pegasus! Fortunately, Pegasus can be found on its own tower only accessible from the well in Zenethia!
I've been wondering what this tower north of the South Gate has been all game! We're heading up a straightforward enough tower with no puzzles. Just don't fall off the unsecured pathways. There's a man in the basement who tells us he's been trying to cure Pegasus but has been unable to. Pegasus has been turned to stone, you see. How have the monster not killed him? There's no way to avoid the lava floors, but there is a secret entrance to the right of the screen, past the pitfalls area. Reach the top of the place, and our horse will begin to glow just as Hassan and Rek did. Before Falshion can merge, three mobs show up to stop us.
This can be quite tough. The genie in the middle loves teamwide ice spells, and the two on either side of him are wildcards. Fragile, but unknown. The guy on the left dies in two rounds, as does the right one. Bikill Hassan, Barrier, and Healus spam solves everything! Afterwards, the horses will merge, and we'll have a proper airship that follows us across both (three) worlds! Return to Zenthia, and the King will give us the ability to go to the demon world. Which I'll do...
...tomorrow!
Even with Terry in the party, there's no new plot in Glandino. You can recruit a monster in Arcbolt if you want. In the prisons is the dinosaur that Terry "slew" and is willing to join us with the Blue Swordsman in tow. Once again, I don't know if I'll be using him, but it's good to have a friend, I guess. I think there may be two more nights of this. I wonder if actual plot can re-sway my opinion that this isn't a very good game? I hope so!
It is an annoying maze, though. To get to where we need to go, walk through the weapons and armor seller, then through the bar. Go around the flashing bunny house but don't go too far. Near the top of the building, east of the bunny house, is a secret entrance. Run past the bunny girl who wants to make Rek prettier and go up the stairs. We'll meet the man named Hawk, an information dealer. We'll tell him we're looking for the legendary blacksmith. No one else in town is talking, so he's out last hope. As payment for this deal, he'll ask for 50000 gold. And then he says that's too much and lowers it to 2000 if we play a game. We're now playing hide-and-seek with Hawk. He'll be dressed up in three outfits through the town, and we have to sus him out.
He'll first be in the church.
He'll next be in the ladies' room in the bunny house.
Finally, go around the town and past the style smith and talk to the bartender. Answer no, no, and yes, and that'll be him. Return to his house in the well. He'll say the legendary blacksmith moved away one day long ago. He left behind his wife and child. His daughter, Sally, lives in the house to the northeast. She frequents the resting place of her mother in the northern shrine, though. Sally won't be home, so head to the shrine.
She'll refuse to temper the sword because of how much she hates her father. Return to town and keep pestering her. She'll eventually agree to do it because we're a kind soul. Normally, we would have to find the rest of the legendary armor before she finishes, but we already have them on Rek. She then fixes the sword in record time. She'll ask us to find her dad to tell him his daughter is waiting. I don't know if we will, but I set off. Before going anywhere, go to the Style Smith. They can make the Sword of Raminas more powerful when they make it better. I don't know how, but I had the 35000 gold to spend, so what else was I gonna buy? Medical Herbs!?
Northwest of Gandino is a temple. West of Grandino is a shrine with a scholar, giving us a clue about how to use the floor puzzle in said temple. Step on the four plates until a symbol that corresponds with the legendary gear. In a clockwise form, head, shield, armor, and sword. Using the item on the field reveals most of the symbols, but the helm is a total mystery. It's supposed to be Sun, Cross, Heart, and Lightening, but the translation team got lazy again. Finishing this puzzle causes a giant castle to descend from the heavens and a light to transport us up to it. We then fight the castle.
I don't know what happened here, but it was pretty easy. Bikill, Increase, Magiward, Barrier. It doesn't have high DPS, but why are we fighting a floating castle?
The first thing we see are two monsters who want to kill us. They're stopped by a distant voice that wants to see us, so we make our way to that voice. This castle sure looks a lot like Zenenthia from DQV!. In fact, it is Zenenthia from DQV! A ghost tells us Durren, the boss, kicked all the humans out before capturing it from the Dream World King. In the throne room is Durren, who's glad to see the Legendary Equipment. So glad that he sends him minions after us.
First up is the combo of Killer Machine and Land Armor. Land Armor poses no threat, but he will defend his friend often. Killer Machine often gets two attacks in a round. As long as one of those isn't a one-shot to the mages, you should be fine.
The next opponent is Terry! Remember Terry? He's easy and poses less a threat than Land Armor. Has more HP, though. Watch out for his thunder magic.
Finally is Durren himself. His getting two attacks a round can be tricky, but he lacks any real KO power. Annoyingly, he often uses a spell that nullifies all buffs. I had Muri casting Increase and Barb casting Healus every round, but if we were near max HP, feel free to BiKill someone. Unbuffed fighters can use Swordline but use basic attacks if buffed. It'll take two or three rounds for him to kill anyone, even the mages, so just keep your HP up. Durren will die, and give us some plot for the first time in a week! Mudo was just the public display of evil. He's not the great evil we built him up to be, but just a pawn. Him, Glacis, Jamiras, and Durren are merely table setters. When he fades away, Terry will get our attention. He's upset he sucks, but then Muriel will remember something. Tarry is her brother! He'll join the party, and the family will be reunited. Terry's bad, so I'm not using him. The castle will now be empty. Make your way down, and we'll see the castle fill in the gap on the other world's map. For once, it's pretty obvious that's where we're going.
When we enter, we see people roam the halls. Head straight to the King, and he'll give us our next location. More importantly, more plot, too. Everything that was sealed away by those table setters was done so for a reason: to make sure humans can't interfere with the Great Evil's plan. That Great Evil is named Deathtammor. "Death tamer"? Who named this guy? DT lives in the Demon World, a location separate from the Real World and the Dream World. The only way to reach that world is with Pegasus! Fortunately, Pegasus can be found on its own tower only accessible from the well in Zenethia!
I've been wondering what this tower north of the South Gate has been all game! We're heading up a straightforward enough tower with no puzzles. Just don't fall off the unsecured pathways. There's a man in the basement who tells us he's been trying to cure Pegasus but has been unable to. Pegasus has been turned to stone, you see. How have the monster not killed him? There's no way to avoid the lava floors, but there is a secret entrance to the right of the screen, past the pitfalls area. Reach the top of the place, and our horse will begin to glow just as Hassan and Rek did. Before Falshion can merge, three mobs show up to stop us.
This can be quite tough. The genie in the middle loves teamwide ice spells, and the two on either side of him are wildcards. Fragile, but unknown. The guy on the left dies in two rounds, as does the right one. Bikill Hassan, Barrier, and Healus spam solves everything! Afterwards, the horses will merge, and we'll have a proper airship that follows us across both (three) worlds! Return to Zenthia, and the King will give us the ability to go to the demon world. Which I'll do...
...tomorrow!
Even with Terry in the party, there's no new plot in Glandino. You can recruit a monster in Arcbolt if you want. In the prisons is the dinosaur that Terry "slew" and is willing to join us with the Blue Swordsman in tow. Once again, I don't know if I'll be using him, but it's good to have a friend, I guess. I think there may be two more nights of this. I wonder if actual plot can re-sway my opinion that this isn't a very good game? I hope so!
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