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So are the little girl's kidnappers connected to Kaito or just a rando yakuza clan making trouble? Perhaps led by a dashing fellow with an eyepatch and a hanya tattoo? Or do I have the wrong game? Taking bets now!
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Apr 9, 2020 02:02
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achtungnight posted:So are the little girl's kidnappers connected to Kaito or just a rando yakuza clan making trouble? Perhaps led by a dashing fellow with an eyepatch and a hanya tattoo? Or do I have the wrong game? Taking bets now! Okay, I would pay for a Shadow Hearts/Yakuza crossover. Judgment Ring + HEAT action? Yes please.
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Apr 9, 2020 04:27
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HR12345 posted:Okay, I would pay for a Shadow Hearts/Yakuza crossover. Judgment Ring + HEAT action? Yes please. Yuri's heat action while transformed into Amon is just that loving airship-obliterating punch he hit Rasputin with.
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Apr 9, 2020 04:34
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Yes, and also Yuri wears sunglasses when he turns into Amon now.  Glad people got my joke. I too would approve such a crossover. In spades.
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Apr 9, 2020 13:35
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achtungnight posted:So are the little girl's kidnappers connected to Kaito or just a rando yakuza clan making trouble? Perhaps led by a dashing fellow with an eyepatch and a hanya tattoo? Or do I have the wrong game? Taking bets now! Please. The Man with the Hanya Tattoo is no match for the Man with the Dragon Tattoo. Though is he a match for The Man that transforms into a loving Demon Man is certainly a question I would love answered.
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Apr 9, 2020 22:00
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Eyeapple posted:Yuri's heat action while transformed into Amon is just that loving airship-obliterating punch he hit Rasputin with. Not his Kamen Rider eye beams? that would be peak Yakusa cheese.
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Apr 10, 2020 02:16
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And the tones of the two aren't especially far off. If you told me Yuri was going to have a karaoke sidequest shortly after getting embroiled in a complex mess of political scheming in which he has to punch a lot of people, I'd see no reason to doubt that. The Dark Id posted:But just cover everything, let's jabber with the last of them. Just checking if that should be "just to cover everything"
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Apr 10, 2020 17:29
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We’ve been in Japan for a few days and we’ve already wandered into the first episode of a shonen anime.
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Apr 12, 2020 14:31
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Episode LXXXII: A Snowball's Chance Music: Rising Sun ~ Japanese Town .jpg)  I owe you all a great deal of thanks. Really, it was nothing. Half of us weren't even there. I have no idea what I missed. But doesn't he need to go to the hospital? Those were cutscene bullets that hit him. Those can be rough..jpg) He's fine. He may be thin, but don't worry, he's extremely tough. It's nothing a Thera Seed or two cannot remedy. Was that your daughter that was kidnapped? Yes..jpg)  We've got to go save her! I want nothing more than for her to return. But she's an important hostage. So I'm sure they'll do nothing to harm her. This isn't my first involvement with a political kidnapping, you know.Music: ENDS .jpg)  Don't you think he seems kind of calm, considering what happened? Shh! He'll hear us! Don't worry. He's probably hard of hearing, anyway. He's like five times older than my dad and he can barely hear. Are you sure he isn't just listening most of the time? Like there is a difference. I'm old but I'm not deaf, little lady! Not yet..jpg) ...... ...... Umm... I, uh, umm, err...A door slides open behind the old man. .jpg) Oh, how are you feeling? <bows> I'm fine. Please don't be concerned about me. That was nothing compared to the number of times I was shot last night in the trainyard.Lovey-dovey harp plays. .jpg) Wooow....jpg) .jpg) Master, these people? Is there some manner of circus in town? These are the ones who brought you here when you were hurt. <giggles and wiggles back and forth> Oh, I see. .jpg) <bows> Thanks you. I owe you all my life. Oh really... it was nothing! It-it was our pleasure! ...Uhh? Why are you so red? Have you developed a fever? I know an exercise regimen that ca—  You! <returns to giggling>.jpg) Anyway, we thought you died back there. Like I told the old man, cutscene bullets can be no joke. ...... ...Yeah... Hmm... Soooo... what now?.jpg) There is dangerous work ahead. You've already done much to help. You needn't get further involved. Well, maybe not, but... Yeah, but getting involved with stuff that isn't really our business is kind of our thing... An odd hobby, to be sure. Ehh. The last time I tried to keep to myself I ended up fighting the German Army and getting cursed by a cult. Anyway... I think you know the people who took your daughter, don't you? Heh. That's true. But it would be wiser for you all to keep away from this. It's not your concern. I'm afraid we can't do that. And why is that? My partner... I mean, my pet wolf....jpg) You mean Snowball? Snowball?! Pfft... hahaha... Snowball...? Yes that's him! <points at Yuri> You mean Blanca, don't you?! Hmm... I don't know. Snowball is growing on me. Hehe..jpg) That wolf. He saved us last night too. You see. We can't just forget about him. He's halfway through the international Wolf Bout circuit. It'd be a shame to abandon it now. Wolf... Bout...? Hmm...Blanca, on cue, wanders into the room. .jpg) .jpg) Heeeh?! Huh?! Ohh! <smiles> Snowball!! <waves arms in protest> Blanca!!.jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Hmm? Eh? Oh? It's the Princess's!! You found their secret hideout, boy? <nods> Awroo!! (That's right!) Good job, Snowball! Awroo!! Grr! (Don't you even start with that!) See, he loves it. No he doesn't!Music: Rising Sun ~ Japanese Town .jpg) I guess it's decided then. It's not like we're doing anything else or have any other leads. <looks to Kurando> Hmm. Shall we accept their assistance? <nods> Yes..jpg) The Mysterious Old Man puts his waiting cap on and proceeds to chill out. I suppose we ought to have asked the name of the man we're helping and whose home we have been hanging out in all morning. Or the name of the kidnapped princess we're gallivanting off to rescue. But, eh. Details. Speaking of details, if we investigate the pillar just to the right of the old man, we find... .jpg) Our first Disc 2 Soul Drop. How convenient. .jpg) And wouldn't you know it? There's a save point right outside the old man's house. Or, I guess it's just an inn he's staying at that only seems to have one room. Whatever. Music: Holy Mistletoe ~ Graveyard .jpg) There is no sense in hanging on to the Soul Drop for a rainy day. So let's go straight to the Graveyard and cash this one in, shall we? .jpg) .jpg) We picked up the ever-useful Level 3 Fire Elemental Fusion in our last Soul Drop excursion. We may as well get its less useful cousin, the Water Elemental. .jpg) Music: Vicious 1915 ~ Battle in Europe .jpg) This time around we are facing Pripegala -- which is a slightly mangled version of Pripelaga (also known as Dodola) a Slavic goddess of the rain. Again, it's identical stat-wise to its counterpart Level 3 Fusion beasts (600 HP.) .jpg) .jpg) This version buggers around with raising Yuri's Evasion and buffing its own. It probably has a middling Water elemental spell too. .jpg) I really couldn't tell you. It was annihilated by the first strike of Yuri's third turn. Again, these bosses are the one time I'd say maaaaybe level scaling would have been a good idea. Music: Holy Mistletoe ~ Graveyard .jpg) .jpg) Taking out Pripegala has bestowed us with the Veneficium Fusion. If you want another Great Flood, look no further. This is giving me a real aquatic enemy from Final Fantasy X vibe to it. I think it's the Bahamut-esque coloring scheme it's obtained in the glow up to Level 3 form.  At Level 1, Veneficium comes boosting stats by:
In addition to the Amnis and Mahrae Fusions' potential skill set, Veneficium can also learn: Arc Mirage - 36 MP. Increases Evasion for all allies. Cure All - 32 MP. Restores all HP to one ally. Not bad if somewhat situational. Hail - 64 MP. Single-target Water attack. The best we're going to get for Water class magic. Good stuff. Music: Rising Sun ~ Japanese Town .jpg) With the Soul Drop business taken care of and another Level 3 Fusion added to the pile, we're now free to chat up folks around the Yokohama Streets. Or, really just the one street. The plural is misleading. This is quite a small little portion of town we have access to, yet it is surprisingly dense with content we want to acquire. .jpg) Is the sky always a sickly green around here...? I guess it's a change from it always being sunset back in Europe, but... It's mostly just like this in May. That is oddly specific..jpg) Climate change is no laughing matter, old man..jpg) Cake, maybe. But I don't think I would call the rest of those "western food." What would you know? ...I was living in Europe for the last year. Pfft. A likely story..jpg) Around the corner, we have another Lottery Ticket. No Lottery Members to be found on the Yokohama Streets, though. .jpg) Are you allowed to complain about that while wearing a three-piece western tailored suit? Tragically, I cannot help but concede to the latest fashion trends. Yeah. How terrible for you..jpg) This character is part of an alternate path we could have taken in the Trading sidequest. If we took the Daruma Doll to a man standing outside Carla's place in Florence then we would have gotten a Fine Tea Set which in turn we could trade to a man in the Yokohama Brick Warehouses who would prematurely abort the quest with a final reward of Strongoids. Alternately, we could trade the Fine Tea Set to Akiko the Celebrity here and obtain the Talking Panda and get back on track with the main sidequest thread. Or just skip all that like we did. But, there are some inane additional details for you. .jpg) .jpg) There is also another crest hidden in a chest around the corner from here. Heading any further to the north will make us exit the area. So let's continue heading west down the main street to find... .jpg) Oh... Of course, the Magimel Brothers followed us all the way to Japan. How could we ever doubt as much? And with these two, of course, comes... .jpg) .jpg) Yeah, I feel like that stripping in front of your patients should be frowned upon. But this guy, Dr. Uzuki, told me it was fine. He learned it was an acceptable practice back in med school. And I'm no doctor, so what do I know? Let's talk to the rest of the people wandering nearby before we tango with the merchants. .jpg) Nihonbashi is a district of the Imperial Capital and definitely not a future destination. .jpg)  What's it called? It's "Rashomon," by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Interesting. I'll try to remember that.OK. Let's see what the hell these Frenchmen are doing in Japan. .jpg)  W-what are you guys doing here?! This is Japan... You know that, right?! Oooh, what a cold reception! And we came all the way along the Silk Road to join you! We took a rocket plane 90% of the way here. How did you get here ahead of us?! Pure tenacity to please our best customers.  <start chuckling>  Y-you're stalking me!.jpg) I can't let all that money we spent on gas getting here to waste! Yeah... wouldn't want you to continue stalking me... I'll buy something..jpg) The Magimel Brothers' stock is largely the same as the inventory back in the Brick Warehouses merchant except Kurando has now formally joined the party (oh by the way Kurando is in the party now) and he does have a weapon upgrade. The Awataguchi has +121 Physical and +88 Special Attack Power. We're heading off to a dungeon and Kurando may be a mandatory component of the proceedings so we may as well grab the upgrade even if we just got him in the party proper. After all he still doesn't have any abilities beyond "Use Sword." Beyond that, we did just get a Stud Card but we exhausted all of the common elemental options. And the ones we don't speak of... So for the remaining dresses made by Pierre, we need to obtain special items to spark... inspiration in the dressmaker. You know, beyond the softcore beefcake porn trading cards. So remember that Raccoon Friend doll we purchased in the previous area...? Well... .jpg) Hey! That raccoon toy... Huh? This? It's pretty cute, isn't it? The fur feels weirdly natural... Will you sell it to me? Or tell me where I can buy one?! It's giving me inspiration for a new dress. What? You want this? I dunno if I can let it go... Oh, all right! Here, have it! Why do I feel like I am immediately going to regret this...?  Thanks! Now I'll sketch out my new design! Like this... a bit here... a bit there... There! All done! Well, it came out really well! I'm a genius, even if I say so myself! That really perked me up! Now that I've gotta new design, I'll sew you a dress any time you want! Of course, there's the usual S-t-u-d Card exchange! Hmm?! Have you got a new card for me? I could make you a dress right now if you're in the mood! Unfortunately, I do... Make it quick..jpg) This is definitely someone's fetish and we're all going to jail. Again. This dress boosts both Earth and Fire elemental damage. Ecstasy is a non-elemental special attack the function of which I do not know and am not going to investigate. According to the dress description... .jpg) And we're done here! Let's talk to the rest of the townsfolk and get the hell out of here before the cops show up. .jpg)  It's all well and good to worry about what's going on overseas, but what about the state of things here?I've got bad news for a century from now, pal. .jpg)  I heard America may drop its neutrality and join the war since German U-boats sunk its luxury liner, the Lusitania.I guess we did hit a time warp at some point and we're just in 1915-2 seeing as the Lusitania did get sunk in May 1915. .jpg) ...... Do you mind not getting so close? A true gentleman only smells a lady's perfume when they're waltzing! ...... Please! Behave yourself! If you like this scent so much, here! Have it! I haven't got anything else to give you! Now, will you kindly stop loitering around near me!.jpg) Pestering that woman several times nets us another of Lucia's Aromatherapy Oils. Goodie. .jpg) Let me tell you, bergamot fires me up more than a tumbler of whiskey and no amount of orange or grapefruit will calm my rage. OK. The increasingly robust combinations this time are:
.jpg) Speaking of Lucia, right up the street from where we obtained some .jpg) The Sun either increases everyone's Sanity Points by 50% or reduces it by 50%. Special Effect either doubles SP or in Reverse it reduces everyone's SP to 1 and we end up with another goddamn party wipe if Lucia has the last turn in a given round.  .jpg) There is one last very important encounter hidden precisely at this street corner in between where we obtained the Shining Oil and the Sun Tarot. It's time to catch up with an old friend! .jpg) Glad to see you could make it to Japan. I was worried you only hung out in Europe. Boo-boo! Today I'll be playing the diddly-widdly A-ya, as the Wing Soul! Butterflies in my tummsie-wummsie! <backs up in shock> Ha ha ha?! Great...! I'm the Wing Soulsie-wolsie! The will of the Judgment Wing! The administrator of every teenie-weenie bit of fate! Ha ha! Aya... right? Great performance! Peekaboo! I can see you! I can see your future! This is for you!.jpg) We can start sticking these on Kurando now. Or rather, gather all the ones we were wasting on Anastasia or Gepetto and shove them all into Kurando. .jpg) It's the power of the Judgment Wing! Wow! Next time I come to play, I'll give you more power! I pwomise! I'm gonna watch and see you're all fwiendly to Mr. Destiny-Westiny! Thanks for being my fwiends! I had fun! Yeah, little cutsie-wootsie... ...That's the kind of thing! That was my little Aya. She's the cutest, huh? Right? Y-yeah! Really cute! Ha ha! We've been watching her really closely, me and Miyabi. Every night. Not doing anything else! Oh, I'm so glad you like it! And the last one too! Great! How about my grandma next time? She's no longer with us of course, but......No, thanks. No?! I don't mind, really. It'd be great! No, really! You uhh... wouldn't want to get it wrong and umm... disrespect the dead or anything, ya know... Heh... ...I guess that's a good point. I couldn't nail it like Aya or Miyabi. Y-yeah... Oh, what a shame! I was sure I could do it as well! See you, then!Ring Soul vanishes. .jpg) You're the one that started this.  Yeah, I have a lot of regrets in my life... Thanks for reminding me..jpg) And with that, we are done with Yokohama and are moving on to the villain's secret base. Which is still, technically, in Yokohama. But minor details. Tune in next time for... raiding wherever the hell Blanca is taking us because we don't really have anything better to do than general heroics at the moment. Look, we'll get a real plot soon enough. Stay tuned.  There wasn't much in the way of new enemies and we only learned the name of one of the new characters we met. But, that still adds some entries to the Library.  Monster: .jpg) You know, except for the occasional nighttime raids or broad daylight kidnappings and drive-by shootings... a pretty dull assignment. Character: .jpg) I think we know Young Swordsman's name is Kurando... Though I guess technically the party doesn't know his name beyond maybe Blanca. And nobody can actually speak Awroo. .jpg) We REALLY should have asked this guy's name before setting off... .jpg) She's a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. Or Needlemouse-chan as he was known in 1915.   Video: Episode 82 Cutscene    Yokohama Inn Concept Art - Quaint.   Yokohama Streets Concept Art - Rustic. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Apr 13, 2020 |
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Apr 12, 2020 22:46
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The Dark Id posted:
It was at that point that I realized that I was reading that line towards the top of the page and that the hell image was at the bottom. I quickly scrolled back up, and then found there were 2 of those things in a row.  quote:Speaking of Lucia, right up the street from where we obtained some [s]perfume[/i] oil from harassing a random townsperson, we can find another of Lucia's Tarot Cards ditched in a corner. broken tags
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Apr 13, 2020 00:21
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Now that we have all the local items and side quest stuff, on with the main story! I agree, we really should have got that old man’s name. And he constantly has problems with Assassins, huh? Hope he’s not a Templar! Guess what series I’ve been playing again since the quarantine hit my area.
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Apr 13, 2020 00:33
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Look Yuri, you can't call him Snowball, that's his slave name.
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Apr 13, 2020 04:40
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Between trolling a Russian princess about what to call the best doggo, and deciding on the spur of the moment to save some random Japanese girl princess from yet another shady anime org, Yuri truly does not give a gently caress anymore.
Shitenshi fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Apr 13, 2020 |
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Apr 13, 2020 06:11
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Shitenshi posted:Between trolling a Russian princess about what to call the best doggo, and deciding on the spur of the moment to save some random Japanese girl princess from yet another shady anime org, Yuri truly does not give a gently caress anymore. It’s not like they had any coherent goal in Japan before all this. It’s either do this and hope it leads somewhere or keep squatting in a warehouse like the hoboes they are.
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Apr 13, 2020 08:21
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The Dark Id posted:
https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/express quote:
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Apr 13, 2020 13:38
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Geostomp posted:It’s not like they had any coherent goal in Japan before all this. It’s either do this and hope it leads somewhere or keep squatting in a warehouse like the hoboes they are. But they have one. "Get to Tokyo, find The Chin, get Nicolai back, take him to Tsarist Russia, have him tried for treason and executed."
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Apr 13, 2020 20:10
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cdyoung posted:But they have one. "Get to Tokyo, find The Chin, get Nicolai back, take him to Tsarist Russia, have him tried for treason and executed." Having a plan, and having a means to execute that plan, are two different things.
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Apr 14, 2020 00:20
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So it's not sidequesting and chatting to strangers on the street, it's "information gathering", cause who knows, maybe the real lead is outside the main plot.The Dark Id posted:I can't let all that money we spent on gas getting here to waste! "go to waste" I assume.
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Apr 14, 2020 00:30
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You realize there's the distinct possibility Lucia and Gepetto will be forced into the party and their survival will be paramount to wi- oh who the gently caress am I kidding, they're benchwarmers for the rest of eternity.
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Apr 14, 2020 20:26
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Kemix posted:You realize there's the distinct possibility Lucia and Gepetto will be forced into the party and their survival will be paramount to wi- oh who the gently caress am I kidding, they're benchwarmers for the rest of eternity. Actually they will be necessary for a few parts at endgame. I learned that the hard way during Joachim's personal quest.
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Apr 14, 2020 23:30
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Xander77 posted:https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/express Regardless of which one he means, it's a short story, not a novel
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Apr 14, 2020 23:41
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 Episode LXXXIII: Picking Teams .jpg) As it turns out the secret headquarters of the Amagi Soldiers that have kidnapped the princess is just on a battleship in port about a block away. Blanca's efforts are slightly less impressive with this knowledge in hand, to be honest. He's still a good boy but also it makes Kurando seem lazy for not sniffing them out yet. Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon (Disc 2 gets a lot of new music. Unfortunately, a new common dungeon theme is not in the cards.) .jpg) Welcome to the first real dungeon of Disc 2 of Shadow Hearts: Covenant. And it's a dozy of tedium and gunmetal grey color scheme endless corridors. Before we proceed further, there is something that needs our attention in that stack of crates to the left of Yuri's position. Our pal Ring Soul wants another chat already! .jpg)  We just talked to you like maybe twenty... thirty minutes ago... Thirty minutes too long! What is it? It's Miyabi. She's been going out a lot recently all dressed up. I think she might be having an affair. No, you're just imagining it! Well, she's 17 years younger than me. She's only 28. She used to be a hostess. She's really cute. I mean, she's got such a great body! She's 28 and she speaks like that?! Wait, you're 45...? Hey, I was only 38 when I took on the Ring Soul job, alright. Look, I can't go on worrying like this! What should I do? I'm going crazy here! Me too! Oh, Miyabi! Who's looking after Aya, then? Oh, that's okay. Miyabi's mum and dad came from Chiba to stay with us, so they're looking after her. Then she's probably just letting her hair down while she's got the chance! You know, a stay at home mom getting a chance to go out while you're working. That probably doesn't come up a lot. I'm on salary. The Ring Soul sessions are only once ever... well, when I talk with you all. ...That's a pretty good gig. Maybe. I hope that's all it is. Yeah, don't worry! Just do your thing! Be serious! How can I do that when I'm so worried about Miyabi?! Forget it! It's not important! N-not important?! Not important?! Did you just say it's not important?! Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that! Aaaah! I thought you were a friend! You don't care about me at all! I do. I do! Look, I'm sorry! Shouldn't you go and look for her? There's gotta be someplace she likes to go. And if I see her, I'll let you know, okay? Don't think I will, though... You're in Japan, right? Your wife and daughter have Japanese names. We live in the Kobe area. Psst... Karin. Are we near there? Not even close. We'll be on the look out! Just don't think the worst, yeah!? You're right! Okay, I'm off, then! Here, take this!.jpg) Oh shoot, Anastasia now is at her max of THREE physical attacks we'll never use because she is garbage at physical attacks. But hey, I guess he's helping. .jpg) Ring Soul disappears into the marriage crisis zone. .jpg) Maybe I'd better start re-thinking my friendship with this guy...? How did we even get here? I try to be friendly with folks that aren't trying to kill me. ...... ...It's not always a good idea. Clearly!.jpg) Before we just waltz onto the Battleship Mikasa itself (naval security was not a thing in 1915 Japan evidently) there is a crafty hidden chest behind the stairs to the ship proper. .jpg) That seems like a new higher-end Fire elemental magic ability I'll undoubtedly forget to equip on anyone because the Crest system is just the most cumbersome mess of customizable magic crap. At any rate, let's get on the ship proper. .jpg)  It's all about battleships now! Look at them! Look at the sheer size!.jpg) Sukiyama, the With-it Cadet forks over another scene of the Nibelung play which powers up Karin's Heuervelk Sword Art further. Good to see Japanese folks are fans of obscure German operas as well. .jpg) With the zero security above deck, we're free to move into the belly of the beast that is Battleship Mikasa. Which leads us to... Music: ENDS .jpg)  Captain, is the ship ready to leave yet? In a short while. We're still making preparations. We've already waited three hours! That's already two and a half hours longer than I wanted to wait!.jpg) Lt. Col. Terada, you cannot simply bring armed weapons onto a high-speed ship and expect to disembark immediately. Now, can you, sir? A tank can disembark immediately! A truck can disembark immediately! What is the problem?! Are those going across water, Lt. Col. Terada? ...No? Then I kindly suggest you shut the gently caress up and be reasonable with the method of travel you are working with here..jpg) I'm operating under direct orders from Minister Ishimura! During wartime my orders take precedence over anything, you must know that! Don't get so excited. I told you all would be ready soon. But I hope, for your sake, that you don't find yourself in trouble for using the Empire's most advanced destroyer as a mere taxicab. <salutes> You needn't worry.Terada begins walking away. .jpg) I've been informed that you brought a girl as a captive? Is this true? <turns back> Yes, and it's none of your affair. Our division will do sketchy villainy as it sees fit. The Emperor has approved it. <shrugs> Fine. I didn't get this far by sticking my nose where it doe not belong. Excuse me, captain. Yes? What is it?A sailor walks in and whispers into the captain's ear. .jpg) Whisper-whisper-whisper. ......? <grunts> ...I see. As you were, sailor. Carry on. <salutes and walks off>.jpg) It seems intruders have boarded the ship, Lt. Col. I'll leave the matter to you. As you were the one who vetoed stationing sentries outside the ship saying, and I quote, "Who would possibly board this ship? Guards are a waste of time!" Yes... Hmph... Good. This is what I was hoping for!.jpg) Awroo! Awroo? (When did we become partners, again?) But where could she be? This ship is bigger than I thought. I've only been on a couple of boats and was throwing up the entire time on both so my metric for boat size isn't the best, but....jpg) Okay, sounds good.Blanca walks up beside Kurando. .jpg) Hehe. We'll make a great team, eh, Blanca? Awroo! OK... I see how it goes, partner... Ex-partner... So who's coming with me?.jpg) OK well, umm... Wait, what the hell is your name? Have we not asked that? Come to think of it... I'm Kurando. Kurando Igami. Good for you. Well, whatever. You got first pick with Blanca so it's my turn. ...Turn? Yeah. Turn. We clearly have Team Kurando and Team Yuri and you got first pick with Blanca so it's my turn. It is not a competition... It is now! Karin! Get over here! You're on Team Yuri! Umm... OK. Shouldn't we divide our forces evenly with their talen— Pick, dickweed! ..... Fine, umm... Oh, I don't know your names either... Err... the large, muscular gentleman who seems to have turned invisible. <flexes> Is... is he coming? My muscles are at your side!! Gah!!.jpg) OK. Fine. You take the big guy. I see how it is. ...I don't. Alright, kid. Anastasia. Get over here on Team Yuri. Oh... no, that's fine. I'll take one for the team and get on Team Kurando. That's not necessary. You're on the A-Team! No more sitting on the bench. No, really. I'm just fine sitting on the Kurando bench. Team. Yuri! .....  ...Dammit..jpg) If we are to do it like this, it would not be proper to have an all-male team so I select miss... umm... <smiles> Lucia. Happy to have you aboard, Ms. Lucia..jpg) Dodged a bullet there. Excuse me? Huh? What? Don't know what you're talking about. OK, so Gepetto. You're over here, I guess. Doesn't that make me feel great being selected last. C'mon, you know I would have taken you over Lucia. Don't be like that. <grumbles>.jpg) Thus we have our teams of Kurando, Blanca, Joachim and Lucia on the first floor and Yuri, Karin, Anastasia and Gepetto on the sublevel. .jpg) Tune in next time for a loving annoying dungeon I am heavily going to abridge because life is too short to go through every step of endless level switching on two different floors this thing requests of you as Shadow Hearts: Covenant continues.  Video: Episode 83 Cutscene (What a chufty armored boy.)  Battleship Mikasa Concept Art - Much nicer looking when the sky doesn't look like it's on fire.
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Apr 17, 2020 03:10
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Oh no, Ring Soul 
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Apr 17, 2020 04:50
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Surprising to get two appearances of Ring Soul this close together. Nice to get the extra Attack Boost. A noble yet apparently dim Navy captain and a Blood Knight Army Colonel in a WW1 steampunk exo-suit. This game has turned into even more of an anime than usual. Great.... a split party dungeon that forces you to use all your party, even the benchwarmers. I loathe these so much.
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Apr 17, 2020 04:55
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The only thing I remember about this dungeon is that when I used a guide to deal with it's stupid gimmick, that as I was finishing it up, I realized I'd never be able to do it on my own due to how annoying it is. You're definitely making the right call here.
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Apr 17, 2020 06:12
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Oh Kurando you poor uninformed sword boy. If you see Lucia reaching for her cards, knock her out!
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Apr 17, 2020 08:16
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The Ring Soul stuff has gotten so surreal... It went from having a mysterious unfathomable entity watching you from beyond the fabric of time and space bestowing power upon you... to listening to him mimic baby talk from his kid and then share his marital infidelity concerns.
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Apr 17, 2020 08:30
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Schwartzcough posted:The Ring Soul stuff has gotten so surreal... It went from having a mysterious unfathomable entity watching you from beyond the fabric of time and space bestowing power upon you... to listening to him mimic baby talk from his kid and then share his marital infidelity concerns.
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Apr 17, 2020 08:47
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Zereth posted:And revealing that "beyond the fabric of space and time" is... modern-day japan, apparently. Well japan is kind of an esoteric place, one that kinda seems to exist in its own world sometimes. So maybe a small exaggeration?
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Apr 17, 2020 08:54
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achtungnight posted:Surprising to get two appearances of Ring Soul this close together. Nice to get the extra Attack Boost. I would guess the idea is since you just picked up your last PC and he's locked to swording at people, they wanted to toss you a bone in case you'd missed some of the scenes in Europe.
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Apr 17, 2020 11:13
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achtungnight posted:Great.... a split party dungeon that forces you to use all your party, even the benchwarmers. I loathe these so much. But you at least like resetting everyone's crest magic yet again, right?
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Apr 17, 2020 13:16
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Zereth posted:And revealing that "beyond the fabric of space and time" is... modern-day japan, apparently. I mean, talking to someone about a century in the future from you is pretty impressive, really. Sure, he’s a neurotic salaryman rather than a mystical force of the universe, but still. Besides, this is Yuri we’re dealing with. He’d be just as irrelevant even if it was a magical ancient spirit.
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Apr 17, 2020 13:44
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The Dark Id posted:
the Shadow Hearts/Yakuza connection continues to deepen
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Apr 17, 2020 14:32
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Hwurmp posted:the Shadow Hearts/Yakuza connection continues to deepen I'd fuckin pay to see Kiryu and Majima just...pop up to be a crazy hard bonus boss and have a bunch of banter between them and the party mid-battle.
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Apr 17, 2020 16:28
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The Dark Id posted:sticking my nose where it doe not belong.
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Apr 17, 2020 22:02
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Terada looks like he fell through a Fallout armor wardrobe and wound up here.The Dark Id posted:And it's a dozy of tedium and gunmetal grey color "doozy"
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Apr 17, 2020 22:45
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Zagglezig posted:Terada looks like he fell through a Fallout armor wardrobe and wound up here.
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Apr 18, 2020 10:32
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Zagglezig posted:Terada looks like he fell through a Fallout armor wardrobe and wound up here. Supposedly, “Duesy” best preserves the ‘original’ Duesenberg etymology. It also reveals you to be a twit and too clever by half, as the two terms are actually completely unrelated.
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Apr 18, 2020 15:18
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Shitenshi posted:The only thing I remember about this dungeon is that when I used a guide to deal with it's stupid gimmick, that as I was finishing it up, I realized I'd never be able to do it on my own due to how annoying it is. You're definitely making the right call here. It literally bugged out on me at the last hurdle when I did this dungeon - somehow I managed to make one of the parties skip over a trigger at the very end leaving me wandering around aimlessly until it randomly triggered properly. It's a bad dungeon regardless - it's visually unappealing, and the gimmick is basically a worse, more confusing version of the Gallery of the Dead's.
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Apr 20, 2020 16:15
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| # ? May 25, 2024 23:14 |
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Episode LXXXIV: The Security Key Conundrum Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) Has there ever been an RPG dungeon with a split party gimmick that has been enjoyable? Sure, make a new character mandatory for a dungeon or something but don't make me use the B-Listers that are lagging behind five levels. Oh well. It is what it is and it is the gimmick of this dungeon. At any time we can switch between Team Kurando and Team Yuri and we will need to do so quite a few times to progress because this battleship was designed by an ancestor of a Resident Evil architect. .jpg) Orders are orders, but kidnapping a little girl just isn't conduct worthy of the Imperial Japanese Forces! So will you aid us in rescuing her? The navy won't help you, but we won't stand in your way either. Good luck..jpg) Despite saying the navy won't help, this guy will, in fact, restore HP/MP if we speak to him again. How helpful. .jpg) .jpg) So right next to a locked bulkhead door we have treasure chest containing a security key. This seems less than secure when anyone can just walk up and take it from an unsecured and unmonitored box left out haphazardly in the middle of a corridor. .jpg) Next to the key, we find a console with two different slots. That's clearly not the number 1 and 2 marked below the consoles but we'll ignore that fact. .jpg) There is also a map which they have not bothered to translate during localization but anything marked with a green circle with a line through it is a console where we can plug in a Security Key and the symbols denoting the circle will open the corresponding doors. On each level, bizarrely. .jpg) So if we enter the security key into Number 1 slot on this console, it will open the door next to us as well as the one in a similar location on the Lower Deck. That doesn't seem the most secure system or particularly sensible for that matter. But here we are and we need to work with what we got. .jpg) We also need to work with the old stand by of any dungeon... .jpg) Music: Deep in Coma ~ Battle in Japan .jpg) Akagi Soldiers are wandering the halls of Battleship Mikasa. They're identical to the ones back in the Brick Warehouses from earlier. Joining them are Spider Walkers. Yeah, Japan totally had the 1915 version of the Tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell in the Shadow Hearts universe. Don't worry about it! Spider Walkers (who have a much fancier Japanese title of "Walking Calvary: Killing Frost) are Earth elemental enemies with 144 HP. I'm not sure how you imbue a machine with a particular elemental type but there are many mysterious things in this universe. These mechs primarily attack by unloading on a target with their dual heavy machine guns and the central gatling gun for good measure for around 50-75 HP of damage. .jpg) .jpg) They also have a huge rear end cannon mounted on them for good measure that deals around 50ish HP of damage and also is an AOE attack that can nail multiple characters if they're unfortunate enough to be clustered together. .jpg) Since spider mechs armed to the teeth isn't enough for 1915 Imperial Japan, they also are supported Flying Drones (which get the subtitle of Autumn Clouds in Japanese.) These are water elemental enemies with a robust 480 HP. You would think a flying drone would utilize its... you know, power of flight to drop bombs or perhaps strafe a target from afar. Not this drone. Despite the fact it clearly has a chain gun on its undercarriage, this robot instead employs its four long arms, for lack of a better term, to just fly up to a target and bludgeon them repeatedly for around 100+ HP of damage. That's kind of it... that's all it does. Japan made a melee based flying drone. It does have the troubling potential to cause Paralysis on its victims. I suppose getting hit with a steel column repeatedly would stun someone, to say the least. I hate these things because they're in every single random encounter pool and they have enough HP that it takes an entire round of turns just to maybe deal with one and often that falls just short. So every encounter takes twice as long as usual in a dungeon that is already annoying as poo poo. Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) Getting back on task, each level of the ship is essentially two long corridors with some connecting halls in the middle and a large open space on either end. Our goal, on both decks, is to get the party to the far western end of the boat. So let's get started on the process of that. .jpg) ...After we investigate a random set of pipes down a dead-end (ignore all the doors that look like this one they're not real.) Here we find... .jpg) Another Tarot Card. Just the thing we need. As it says in the description, this can potentially boost everyone's HP, MP, and SP by 50% of the max value. The reverse card will reduce everyone's HP, MP, and SP by 50% of the max value. The special effect fully restores all those stats. And the reverse special effect is literally just "gently caress you! Game Over!" Yep... good stuff, Lucia. Get used to being in the B Squad for this dungeon because you are getting slam-dunked back in the dumpster when we're done. .jpg) Further down the corridor, we find a console with allegedly a "3" label on it. .jpg) And another locked door with an "A" on it at the far end. It's going to take some doing to get through this door. We'll just remember it's here for now and put a pin on it. .jpg) So we need to backtrack to the first console and switch the key from the 1 slot to the 2 slot. This locks the door ahead of Kurando and cuts off any progress. So... .jpg) We now switch to Team Yuri on the Lower Deck. The "2" console might not help Kurando but it does open the way for Yuri to progress through a connecting hall in this batshit security system. .jpg) In the hall where we begin with Team Yuri, we find a door with an actual normal lock separate from any of this console tomfoolery. .jpg) And a "B" door at the far end. .jpg) .jpg) And up at the northern path, we've got another pesky "3" door. .jpg) But since Kurando used the Security Key on the "2" console upstairs, this "2" door downstairs is now unlocked allowing Yuri access. .jpg) .jpg) And in this room Yuri finds his own Security Key. How the hell do they coordinate this where there seems to be no radios or means of communications between decks is beyond me. .jpg) But there's a secret trick to getting around with only two keys. ...Do you know what I'm talking about? Does it involve switching between two separate teams on each deck? ...How did you know?! Lucky guess..jpg) Now that Yuri has his own Security Key, he can use it to unlock the "1" console which will keep the "1" door back by Kurando open. .jpg) This means Kurando is free to just take the Security Key here with him and proceed further on with the key in tow. Though this locks out Yuri downstairs. .jpg) So, now we can run all the way back to the "3" console and insert the key there. Note that this is just a "3" console. This is not a "3" door in front of Kurando. In fact, that's not a real bulkhead door at all as far as the dungeon's puzzle goes. That's not confusing or anything. Remember, Yuri was the one that ran into the "3" door down in the Lower Deck. .jpg) Now Yuri can insert the Security Key into the "2" keyhole and unlock this door. .jpg) And then head straight down the hallway through the newly opened "3" door. .jpg) Here we have a crossroads. To the west is... .jpg) .jpg) Getting through bulkheads? An elaborate system of various consoles and electronic keys that seems specifically designed to make sure sailors drown in an emergency. The actual cabins of the ship? Meh. Some garbage key we got from the 1915 equivalent of Ace Hardware. Down that other path, we find... .jpg) <becomes Lottery Member 8> Although... if that's a lottery ticket you've got, I could make an exception! Wanna try your luck? I'm supposed to be helping to rescue a kidnapped child. But eh... what the hell. I'll do it! Top class!.jpg) No gimmick with the Lottery Ring to speak of here. Physical Attack Down 3 is EXTREMELY good and will make the next boss a joke. We'll also nab that Kendo Mask since that is the current best headgear available. .jpg) Now that we have the Cabin Key we can retrace our steps back to the sole door that isn't controlled by electronic locks or is a fake background detail and unlock it. Keep in mind between all these points of interest there's been at least two random battles to delay things. I was not thrilled by the end of this dungeon. .jpg) .jpg) In this rather spacious cabin, we find another Lottery Ticket to replenish the few we blew just before. I hope the sailor standing in here doesn't mind we just steal this right in front of him. .jpg) Captain Kaneda is a fine man, a man of the sea, responsible and loyal. But the government is appropriating the military now. They're up to no good, and Captain Kaneda is very upset. I'd be upset too if I had to run a ship that had a security system this dumb too. I'm not sure I follow. Yeah, you wouldn't..jpg) Now, we do want to throw that enticing switch in the corner of this room. But... .jpg) Remember that Treasure: Sneak clue we got from Loud Croft. If you'll recall the clue was... "In a cabin on the warship in the port. Check the pocket of the military uniform hanging on the wall." .jpg) Well, we are in a cabin of a warship and there is a military uniform hanging up here. And wouldn't you know it, there is a treasure. Well, this feels less like discovering "treasure" and more outright thievery. But I'm sure Loud Croft doesn't care about the distinction. Too bad we have no means of returning to Cannes anytime soon to rub it in his loud face. .jpg) About that Switch. The "A" Switch, you say... If flip that... .jpg) We can now switch back to Team Kurando and proceed through the A door at the far end of the Middle Deck. .jpg) .jpg) Here we find yet another Magic Crest. I don't think we've seen Hail Crash yet. Or perhaps we have and I've just forgotten. It's a little difficult to keep track of dozens of different crests with seemingly randomly selected attributes and all the spells having similar names. But that's another one for the collection regardless. .jpg) I had heard that loose lips sink ships but that doesn't seem to be the policy here. Those guys are from some specials forces called the Iron Soldiers, and they wear armored uniforms. Man, they strut around the Mikasa like they can do anything they want! They make me furious! Worry not. There will be far fewer of them after today. Oh thank goodness! Are they finally getting transferred out of here? In a manner of speaking. They are indeed departing..jpg) In this room, we find the "B" switch. Which you'll recall, opens up a path on the Lower Deck for Team Yuri, just outside the cabin where we left them. .jpg) So now we need to switch to Yuri and have him backtrack to the security console as he needs that Security Key to progress. Except... taking the key out would lock out Kurando and Kurando ALSO needs his security key again. .jpg) This means backtracking as Kurando as well, grabbing the Security Key out of the "3" console where we left it and then returning here and inserting it into the "2" console so Yuri's door opens downstairs. I loving hate this dungeon and writing about it is annoying me all over again. .jpg) .jpg) Now Yuri can recover his Security Key and proceed through the newly opened "B" door. Why did we need the Security Key, you ask? Well, there's more security consoles, of course! .jpg) There are now keyholes for the "1" and the as of yet unseen "4" door (it was actually at the far end opposite the 1 and 2 consoles. So basically straight ahead from Kurando's current position.) .jpg) So what we need to do now is have Yuri insert the key into the "1" keyhole. .jpg) .jpg) Switch to Team Kurando, have him take out his Security Key and then walk him over to the "4" door. Then... .jpg) Now that Kurando is safely past the "1" door we need to switch back to Yuri, have him swap the key to the "4" door. .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) This gives Kurando access to a backset of stairs which leads to the far end of the Lower Deck. Down those stairs is our ultimate goal. But we still need to get Team Yuri over here for... reasons. .jpg) But don't worry, there's "C" lever here we can yank which might get Yuri and the rest of the gang where they need to go. .jpg) To open a security door, you have to press the buttons on either side of the door at exactly the same time. If anyone asks you, you never heard it from me, understand? No one will know of your betrayal..jpg) Talking to that guy is actually mandatory to progress. Yuri and Kurando are helpless to figure out the complex machinations below if they don't get this hint. Look, psychically linking to telegraph a series of key swapping and lever pulling is one thing. This is an entirely different matter. How could you ever hope to figure out pressing two buttons on opposite sides of a door at the same time otherwise? Madness. .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Thankfully, we don't have to wait long as the "C" door is just a short jog from the security console where we last left Team Yuri. I did manage to get one last random battle during the fifteen seconds it took to run to the same position. gently caress you, Battleship Mikasa! I hope you sink and all hands aboard are swallowed by the sea. .jpg) Right. Our destination is definitely beyond this door. I never want to see another key or security console again after this. Agreed..jpg) Let's get our timing down perfectly. Yeah, I'm ready. On the count of three... Okay, go ahead..jpg) Now you'd think there would be a brief mini-game or prompt to do this. I was playing through the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and that sure as poo poo did. But here... .jpg) Nope. They just do it automatically. Fine by me. I don't think Kurando would be as amusing as Barret getting pissed if we kept goofing it up. .jpg) Yes, let's hurry!.jpg) Now that Team Kurando and Team Yuri have merged once again, it's time to get a proper mainliner party together. Sorry, Kurando. You need to learn more abilities than just "Use Sword" before you get to hang with the big boys. .jpg) We also want to make sure we have that P-Attack Down 3. Really, we should load up on Physical Attack debilitating Add-on Effects for this next fight. They're super effective! .jpg) Finally, the end of Battleship Mikasa is in sight. This dungeon took an hour and 45 minutes if my footage recording time can be trusted. Which puts it up there with Idar Flamme as one of the longest slogs yet. And bare in mind, that was having a guide open and doing all the steps optimally. Yuri and the gang enter the back room. .jpg) Why are you dressed like an action figure? Silence! This cutting edge battle armor's strength is unmatched! ...In dorkiness maybe... I might've known you were behind this! Hand her over! I'm afraid not! It's time I introduced you to my Iron Soldiers!Two more Iron Soldiers rush in and take aim at the party. .jpg) So... is that like, all the soldiers you have left on the ship? I've beaten like dozens of those guys upstairs. I cut down a similar number. This is more than enough men to stop the likes of you! <snort> Yeah, keep telling yourself that, champ..jpg) Tune in next time for the climactic battle of Team Yuri vs. a chufty guy with a gun and four redshirts that will die in the opening round as Shadow Hearts: Covenant continues.    Battleship Mikasa Concept Art - Mhm... OK. I see what you did there using colors and all but. Now this is just a suggestion, but what if we took this and made everything a muted grey? I think we're on to something there! The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Apr 22, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 19:48
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