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Leen, no! It'll never work! Mullen is too much of a dork to know anything about high-fives!
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Jun 25, 2015 07:09
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 Still way too many of these left to go....
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Jun 28, 2015 02:14
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Man, they really threw in a lot of incidental text for something you're just running through.
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Jun 29, 2015 00:25
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Glazius posted:Man, they really threw in a lot of incidental text for something you're just running through. And they one-up themselves, too, in J Base. ---- Welcome back!   Geographically, this view's looking to the east. Meaning the sun should rising in this shot. Unless the planet spins backwards, I guess.   : Attention Colonel Mullen! Gaia's main body is heading toward J Base. Prepare invasion defense! : Why? Why has Leen chosen a time like this?!  Despite the new music, this is still just the same as the last area.  Justin ties Feena in HP. I'll remind you again that Feena is up about 80 HP from where she usually is, on account of Time Gate. Justin is a goddamned tank.  And Rapp picks up Halvah from patching up everyone's wounds. All he needs is one more water level for Alhealer+, and he's all done with magic. Liete still has a bit more catching up, needing two water and four fire to gain her last three spells.  It's also around here that I just say screw it to the random encounters. I already fought everything in Luzet once.  But before long, we make it. Back to Zil Padon for shopping. At least the NPCs had nothing new to say that time.  Anyway, back to J Base, plus another Devil Robe.  Gaah, there's so many variations of the Garlyle Forces theme.  Before Gaia, I joked that these defenses seemed excessive. Now it seems as though they're not enough.  Inside, morale is getting low. But we're not here to chat with the grunts. .... Okay, we are, but not this time. For now, we get another voiced out cutscene. Skip down to "cutscene ends" if you don't want to hear "LEEEEEEEN!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_RnuvOMWLk (Polsy link)   : At this rate, we can't move! : Mullen! What in the world is happening? Where is Leen?   : No, it can't be! Dammit, I can't un-see Mullen as having giant googly eyes here.   : What? : I repeat! All systems of J Base are under the control of Lieutenant Leen!: Wh-where are you?! Return immediately! Leen!  Yeah, this is kind of a big important scene for Leen. The game certainly expects you to be listening to her theme, seeing as it starts playing here and all. : I know you're there. Feena... and Justin, too. I can feel you there. : Sister... : Leen?: Now that we are about to repeat a tragedy of the past, I want to tell you something.  : The real power to save the world... that power rests in Feena and not in me. That power is you-- Justin. : It's just.... Your power is still very small, and hard to grasp. : That is why I will buy you time. I will buy you just barely enough time to save this world!  : Perhaps... to live means to repeat many mistakes. Gaia was also born from one of these mistakes. : Yet, if I am able to lessen the sins of those who may torment you... : I... I can feel proud of even these cursed wings. : What are you saying, Leen?! I should be the one saying that! This scene. This line in particular, makes me think back to Sue's departure, and how that scene was arguably stronger for not being voiced out. With just the sprites and music, it's very easy to imagine the voices hitting all of the right emotional notes without going overboard. Why does this particular line make me think of that? Because Mullen's delivery here rather... misses the mark. Seriously, look at that screenshot again. See Mullen's pose, his portrait, and even the punctuation in the text box. Hear the voice in your head reading it out, filling it with emotion. Then go watch the video. Anyway... : The people of the world mustn't repeat the same mistakes in the battles that lie ahead. They must walk a new path, fighting to create an unsoiled world! And... the person who can do this...   : Wait! Leen! What am I supposed to do?!: Colonel Mullen... please hear me out to the end.  And with the monitors cutting to static, the cutscene ends.    : ... There should be a door part way up the stairs that leads to a room. Outside that door is the steam cannon that will be used to stop Gaia's attack. Leen... Leen is probably there.: Mullen! You come too! You're the only one that can stop her!  : You IDIOT!! Your DUTY!? Don't you realize what Leen is sacrificing!?: SILENCE! I have my own way. I don't answer to YOU!Hmm. Enemy commander, willing to sacrifice in the name of duty.... If this were a Fire Emblem game, Mullen'd be that one late-game chapter boss that the game tries to make you feel bad about killing even though there's no way to get them to join your army.  : There is a door part way up the stairs that lead to this room. That is where Leen is. Yeah, on second thought, Mullen isn't a dork, he's a full-fledged rear end in a top hat. Let's go piss him off by saving his girlfriend.  So here's the door that Mullen was talking about. However, we're not going to go through there just yet. Instead, we're going to backtrack all the way through the base, back to the hangar? Why, you may ask? Because there's more loving NPC dialog back that way. Yes, if you ignore Leen and go chat it up with the grunts, you get unique loving dialog. I mean, there's dedication, there's OCD, and then there's this loving game. But enough of that. Let's actually do what a reasonable player would be expected to.  Leen's proving to be very capable at hacking the Gibson. : If you want Lieutenant Leen, go through the door down there. By which he means that door way up there.  You can take a wrong turn for another view, though. ... All right, enough faffing about.   Time for our next FMV, which plays through the end of the update. You really ought to watch this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9RAlirlgFk (Polsy link)    This is another of those FMVs that the attract mode spoils.   Interesting that Leen's Icarian magic is still green, even though her wings are red.    The cannons begin moving into position, aiming at Gaia.    And here we get to see the beast's face close-up.  It lunges....  And takes a cannon to the mouth for its trouble.  But that's not enough to keep Gaia down.   Justin seems fine, too.    Leen rides the final cannon down.  And takes aim.  Gaia, though, is having none of it.  And, suddenly...  Leen's light is extinguished.  But the cannon still fires.  To great effect.   But at what cost?  See you next time. Edward_Tohr fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Jun 29, 2015 01:49
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For some reason this rendition of Leen's theme gives me huge Ghibli vibes.
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Jun 29, 2015 02:29
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I can appreciate the level of effort the team put into all the dialogue for the game, but, come on. Ruining your own pacing, guys.
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Jun 30, 2015 00:53
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Black Balloon posted:I can appreciate the level of effort the team put into all the dialogue for the game, but, come on. Ruining your own pacing, guys. Oh, it gets better. One of the rooms in J Base is completely devoid of NPCs. But it still has dialog defined at various plot points for seven or eight of them. Most of it's the same sort of generic "Raah, Baal is bad" or "Oh no, Leen!" sort of stuff from every other soldier on the base, granted, but it's there. Which reminds me, I'll need to do another cut content intermission at some point before the end of the game. ---- Welcome back! Last time....  Oh. Right.   : I don't understand! Why did she...? : Feena.... : Justin, please. Would you leave me alone now...?Feena's taking it pretty hard.   : She's been stuck in that tent since yesterday. I guess it's normal, though. She did lose family. Maybe we'd best leave her alone. But you be sure to go and cheer her up later Juss. Me and Liete wouldn't cut it, you know? : Maybe we'd best leave Feena alone for now.: Juss, you be sure to go and cheer her up later, now."Hey, Feena's sister died. I wonder why she's so sad?" Let's go chat with Liete.   It is tragic... the past can never be changed. But the future CAN be changed with the power of will. That's right, Justin. You who are outside the ring of fate, and Feena an Icarian.... It seems that with the will of both of you, the future CAN be changed. Feena's will is still weak, Justin. You must help her make it strong.Once we talk to both of them, we trigger out next plot point.   : Feena is inside, isn't she? I want to talk to her.: NO! Not you or ANYONE! Feena doesn't want to see you. And it's your OWN fault!: There is little time. Stand aside Justin! Needless to say, Justin is not a fan of this plan.  : At least you could TRY to understand what Feena is going through.: How DARE you presume to understand! Do you think YOU know the burden that Leen and Feena bear for having been born Icarians!? How could YOU even BEGIN to realize the weight of those wings?!: Know the shame of your OWN ignorance before you accuse OTHERS!  Mullen continues to one-up his own douchebaggery. Anyway, we've got another voiced scene, here. As usual, skip down to "cutscene ends".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9HMIvCaow(Polsy link)  : ....: We must invade the interior of its body and crush the Spirit Stone, its power source. To do this, we need you. Because you are the only Icarian left in the world. : And I will die... just like in the myths. Just like in the mural I once saw.: You're right. I cannot guarantee that you will live. : The operation starts tomorrow morning. Feena, you must decide the rest on your own. I will not force you.: WAIT! MULLEN! Have you forgotten Leen's words?! Both Mullen and Justin have a new portrait here. I guess it might be an attempt to show both the speaker and listener's faces, but this is the only scene that does it. Also, the last few text boxes have no portraits. I dunno. : Shut up, Justin! How do you plan to find such a thing? Where is this new path of yours?!: Well...: I will FIGHT! Fighting is the only way to open a new path!: If you think there is another way, then speak up now, Justin! : ...: So you have no answer? Are you trying to make Leen's death meaningless!?: STOP IT!: My sister... Leen must be really sad.... Those she left behind to be arguing like this. : This precious time that we gained in exchange for Leen's life is irreplaceable. Don't forget that.And with that, he walks out.   : Of course! I'll definitely find it! You'll see! : If that's so, you should have said so to Mullen, too!  : Why didn't you say anything to him? None of the following text boxes have portraits. : Don't give up! We still have time.: It's so strange. My legs won't stop shaking. I'm scared. I don't want to die! Justin!And on that note, the cutscene ends. Well, the voices end, anyway. The cutscene goes on.  : So don't worry, OK? Relax! OK, Juss?: I've never seen Feena act that way. It was shocking.: Feena.... Leen, help me. Tell me what to do.Welp, Justin wants advice and the party isn't giving any, so some random NPC should be showing up in three... two...  : Gina! : What's-a matter you, eh? You make a face like that not handsome!: Ha, ha! Even with the city in ruins, you Mogay NEVER get down, do you?: What would Guido say at a time like this?: That's IT! Guido! What happened to him, anyway? Has he come back from business? Maybe HE can tell me what I should do. Maybe HE knows my next move!: Mr. Big-shot Elder come back just now! He wants to see you! Say he gotta talk to you. : OK! Let's go see him then! He'll know SOMETHING. He must! Bit by bit, the city is getting back to normal. Sure, there are a lot of statues about, and many people who seem fit to join them, but things are getting better.   Guido likes to use the title screen music for a lot of his conversations. ... Or maybe not. There's two versions of this track on the disc, with some very slight differences between the two, and I can't really tell the difference. Anyway.  : Guido! Tell me! Please! Tell me how to save the world without letting Feena die!: I just can't figure out what Leen meant when she talked about an "answer"! I just can't figure.... : Justin. Gaia is not dead. You still gotta big, big problem. And you, you face a big, big test. You take care of everything, just you? I think it's time for ask help.: Ask for... help...? : I'm surprised you no think about it. Anybody fight better when he fight for others and not himself! That makes big power!  : The most... important... person?: Of course! That's Feena!: BINGO! NOW you get it! NOW you know what you gotta do! You know? I think if you work TOGETHER with Feena, you gonna do it! Just like we fix up Zil Padon!: Yeah, that's IT! Me and Feena, together! Thanks Guido! I'm gonna go talk to Feena!And here's where Guido's character starts to come out in force. That whole greedy merchant thing from earlier was (mostly) just a ruse. He has the wisdom to see to the heart of most matters and know what to do about them. I, uh... just kinda wish they had picked a different accent for the Mogay, really. Oh well.  Right! Now that we know what we gotta do, it's time to go talk to Fee-  ...na?  : Hey Juss! She's gone...! : ...? That's.... Why that's the Hero's Armband. One of the Hero's Armbands Feena and I got in Dight. Oh. Oh poo poo. See you next time!
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Jul 2, 2015 04:46
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Oh lord. Mullen's lost it. Paralyzed by guilt at the worst time.
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Jul 3, 2015 16:45
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A number of character motivations feel really contrived and arbitrary for the sake of plot at this point.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:05
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Welcome back! Let's hope we can catch up to Feena before she or Mullen does something stupid.    Looks like we don't have any time to waste! Let's hurry and find Feena and most certainly not take advantage of our last chance to buy anything from the PX here.... I'd harp on that a bit more, but eh. Culture Media are interesting, but there's not much that can be Plague'd that's worth it. Maybe she's in her tent?  Uh-oh. ... Well, let's see what the guy taking care of the bird has to say. Maybe he's seen something.  : Wouldn't be right to keep him captive with us humans. I hope he makes it. I'd better be sure to let him go. Fly away... fly far, far away.With Leen's death, the Garlyle Forces have gone beyond "low morale", and have sunk firmly into "defeatist". And, honestly, it makes sense. There's an unstoppable giant monster on the loose whose only goal is to eat all life. While we may be lacking in blood rain or sky-shattering giant cannibal space babies, but its an apocalypse all the same. Anyway, since Feena's not in her tent, there's only one other place she could be....  The good news is they haven't left yet. The bad news is we're in the cutscene zone.  : You don't have to go! I'll stop Gaia, I'll do it!: Justin... I understand how you feel. But you can't stop Gaia!  : I remember when you gave the Spirit Stone to Baal to save me.: I knew how you felt then. But now... Gaia has been resurrected, and many people have died... even my sister. : Feena, NO, WAIT! I gave the Spirit Stone to Baal so it's MY fault. So I should.... I call bullshit here. None of Feena's Icarian powers do physical damage, so Justin should have more than enough HP to tank it.  : I was born to do this... as an Icarian. It's something only I can do.: If Gaia is not stopped everything will... die.... So someone MUST stop him NOW.: It's... my duty as an Icarian. I'm an Icarian, and so I must go. So... to you... my sweet.... Justin... JUSTIN...! Uh-oh.   Once again, all we can do is watch while Feena is taken away in an airship.   : Huh? "Let's go..."!? : What are you TALKIN' about!? GO!? Go WHERE!? There's only one place for YOU, buddy-bou... and that's where FEENA is! Jeez, even Rapp's attempt at a pep-talk here isn't helping. : Hey! SAY something! You're going with Feena! Right Juss?!: I... I can't protect Feena.... If I can't stop Gaia, then why go? I wouldn't make any difference. : ....: You are the biggest IDIOT I have ever had the misfortune to know! I can't stand the SIGHT of you giving up! I'm going with Feena... Juss!? : You're a COWARD!: I hae NO respect for you ANY MORE! And we're NOT friends anymore either.: Just... get out of my SIGHT! Jeez, Rapp was being kind of harsh, there. : Justin...? Is this really the way you want things to be? : Weren't you going to make a future that would turn my tablet red?: ... : I see. Then I have no reason to spend any more time with you. I shall return to Alent. I take back what I said earlier. I don't want Liete to drop any more sick burns.  And like that, we're all alone.  Of course it's raining.  And looks like the Army's pulling out.   : Not that Herr Mullen or anyone else ever needed US either.... : Herr Mullen has ordered us to escort all the soldiers who won't join in the last attack to their homes.: We wanted to join in the attack, but Herr Mullen said: "I'm leaving the rest of the soldiers in your care".: We had our differences, but the army is disbanding now. I guess we won't see you again. : Get away while you can, Justin. There's no time.  : All right MOVE OUT! We're returning to Messina!  And with that, the game drops us off here, on the empty map. All the soldiers and tents are gone. All we have is the rain to keep us company, and no clue on where to go from here. Depending on how generous I'm feeling at the moment, that's either a game design no-no, or a brilliant way to help us empathize with Justin's plight here. Either way, there's nothing to do here.  Thankfully, we are thrown a bone in that there's only one other place available to us.  The title theme keeps playing here.   : What am I doing in such a far away place...? : Hey there. Are you alone, too? : Ha ha... you're just like me.  Oh dear.And yeah, this line here is why we talked to the Myna earlier. Had we gone with the other option....  : The greatest! You are the greatest, the best!So what happens if you don't talk to the bird and pick either option?  You get to hear the last thing the soldier said to the bird before he set him free. : Do nothing? Is that it?Justin's reply here is only seen if you get this particular quote, so that's... something interesting, I guess? Anyway, the Myna flies off once he's said his bit. : What made me think I could save the world...? : Create a new future...? Rewrite history...? What was I thinking? Forget opening up a new future... I'm useless.... : I can't do anything! Crossing the End of the World... Finding a way to Alent.... They all don't mean a thing! Well, at least he's finally realized how he feels about Feena. And honestly, in a pretty laid-back and low-key way, compared to most JRPGs. : Leen... I'm sorry. I can't find that "New Way" of which you spoke. : Spirits? Are you calling me...? Hey... that's the way to Zil Padon. That's it! Guido! Maybe Guido can tell me what I should do.... And Justin sets off for the city. See you next time!
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Jul 6, 2015 03:28
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The Sergeant Trio actually being NICE? That's probably the clearest sign we're really in the end-times here.
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Jul 6, 2015 04:07
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So there's three scenes I actually remember from playing the game. Sue's Departure, returning from Alent, and this one. This one just... augh. Feena rejecting him or not Justin is hit way, WAY too hard with the angst stick here and it's downright out of character. Considering that Justin's unflappable confidence is like the defining attribute of the game, and if you made it to this point it's because that's what made the game work for you, it's just unbelievably bad writing here. Frustrated or angry and lost, trying to figure out what to do when the Spirits guide him like at the end of the scene? Sure, sure. But "I'm useless. I should never have left home. Woe."? No. Bad game. Having Rapp and Liete just stab him in the back to try and make the whole thing more plausible only compounds the problem.
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Jul 6, 2015 06:45
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CmdrKing posted:So there's three scenes I actually remember from playing the game. Sue's Departure, returning from Alent, and this one. This one just... augh. Feena rejecting him or not Justin is hit way, WAY too hard with the angst stick here and it's downright out of character. Considering that Justin's unflappable confidence is like the defining attribute of the game, and if you made it to this point it's because that's what made the game work for you, it's just unbelievably bad writing here. Frustrated or angry and lost, trying to figure out what to do when the Spirits guide him like at the end of the scene? Sure, sure. But "I'm useless. I should never have left home. Woe."? No. Bad game. Having Rapp and Liete just stab him in the back to try and make the whole thing more plausible only compounds the problem. Yeah I'm with you, they kind of lay it on a bit thick. But I respect what they were going for, at least. They needed to hit a real low-point, and I think the approach they took worked out better than risking not going far enough. I'm not sure what the right balance would have been. What I can say is that it's at least pretty memorable.
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Jul 6, 2015 09:49
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If I remember correctly you're not completely alone on that map. I remember the shop icons and stash place sticking around. It's laid on a bit thick but they do set out what they're going for here. The best balance would probably be Rapp and Liete not being so overtly hard on Justin (Rapp's last three lines and Liete's sick burn could have been left out and still achieved the result) leaving most of that to Feena, the Sergeant Trio and Justin himself. I disagree that Justin beating himself up here is too much, it's sort of the down-in-the-dumps morale situation that he's in. He's done a lot of amazing things that don't help him defeat Gaia. He gave away the Spirit Stone piece that ended up reviving Gaia to protect Feena, who's now going to sacrifice herself to save the world. He doesn't have any fancy Icarian powers without Feena around. He's made promises that without Feena he doesn't have any clue whatsoever in fulfilling. He's stumped and at the limits of his boundless optimism here. It ties into a message of the next bit nicely when you look at it this way.
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Jul 6, 2015 10:32
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Rapp and Liete didn't have to pile on, that's what the sergeant squad is for. But yeah, Justin really has no idea what to do here. I would argue he had no idea what to do ever since he met Liete, on account of she was the impetus for him to get all the way here. He's coasted as far as he can, and really, giving Baal the Spirit Stone was the first sign.
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Jul 8, 2015 11:09
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Not to mention that he could only stand there helplessly while Leen was eaten alive by Gaia right before his eyes, specifically to buy him and Feena time to save the world. And he spent that time she bought for him.... not knowing what to do. But yeah, Rapp and Liete there were basically written out of the party because Justin needs to be alone for this upcoming bit. So while I prepare that update, let's get caught up on NPC chatter, shall we?     
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Jul 8, 2015 23:18
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Welcome back!  Things may still look bad, but at least it's playing the city's proper music again. That bodes well, for once.  And the people are starting to regain hope and trust each other.  For the rest of the NPC chatter, click here.Speaking of the Mogay....  Like Rapp and Liete, Gina is a bit upset to see Justin so down in the dumps. Unlike those two, though, she hangs around and tries to get him to cheer up. Anyway, let's go meet with Guido, shall we?   : I'm ashamed of the things I used to say about you. I never understood what you were preparing for. : Yeah!Yep, all of Guido's : So THAT's what you were doing Guido?! You Mogay knew all the time this would be needed?: That's awesome! Wow. That's so totally not like me. I NEVER think ahead. I kind of wish I knew what to do like YOU all do. I want to be useful too.: OH! I know! Guido! I can help you! Right? Let me help, Guido!: That's no good, Justin. I think you're not cut out for this kind of work. Poor Justin. Even here, in the new hopeful Zil Padon he can't find his path. : What? Kiss you OFF? You not understand Mogay thinking Justin. Mogay NEVER kiss off NOTHING! You know why? 'Cause even something looks worthless, it's got SPIRIT inside! So people can use somehow. We Mogay... we use EVERYTHING!... Perhaps a bit poorly-worded, but that's par for the course with Guido, really. : But Guido... please. Let me help somehow, OK? I can't DO anything else.: Justin... you STILL no listen to me. Everybody got his OWN role.: But I blew it! I'm useless! What can I do!? Nothing! : That's what YOU think. Justin... look at THAT! : Back in the times of the myths, people and Spirits... they lived together. Until Gaia broke the people's hearts! And no one tried to put the hearts together. No one could do it. But Justin! You made it this far! I knew you would! : ME!? What do you mean I made it? It was NEVER me!: It was FEENA who saved Zil Padon! It was LEEN who stopped Gaia! And MULLEN who'll fight the last battle!: Not me! I'm not good for anything!: Justin... maybe you want to be a HERO. But tell me, what can just one person do?: One person? Alone? NOTHING! And me... I'm alone. That's why.... Guido is really enjoying his chance to simultaneously be a jackass and give Justin a much-needed pep talk. : Justin... you STILL don't see?And we get ourselves yet another voiced scene. You should probably watch this one. If not, as always, skip down to "cutscene ends". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77uSuUrgPwE (Polsy link)  There's a face I wasn't expecting to see again.: Sue?! What are you doing here? Oh hey, even Rapp and Liete came back.   : Ehe, hee, hee. We're here! ♥: Everybody... why...? : Justin! Your hard work here'll prove you're a real man. : Women dream of being saved by the man they love! : Of course, that goes for Feena, too. : That's right, Justin! It's not like you to get so down like this, Justin! : Besides, aren't you breaking your promise? You said you would explore the world with Feena together forever!: But Feena must face her fate as an Icarian. There's no way of escaping that.: Li-Liete...?: That's why you must create a new path! You're the only one who can break open doors shut tight against all reason!  : Exactly!Once again,  courtesy of Liete.  : Rather than thinkin' too hard, let's just do it, OK! It'll work out somehow. I just know it!: Rapp... Liete.... : Hmmm! I, Gadwin, certainly see your greatness as a warrior and as a man! : You have good friends, Justin.: Everyone... everyone...!Justin's starting to get choked up here. : Look, you can see that you are not alone. This is your true power!And, with Guido's line there, the cutscene ends. The music doesn't stop, though.  : All this is your power. So use your power to save the world! It's your job, no?: Justin! Come on! Get off your duff! Aren't you going to save Feena?: Right! And you promised to avenge the petrified forest, right?: The chains of fate are breaking. I think I'll be able to color my tablet by myself. : All I had to do is work together with everyone! Why didn't I think of it?!: I'm NOT alone! You're all with me! Spirits! Here I come! Looks like the Spirits have something to say in response.  ; HUH!? What IS that!?: That is the Gate of the Spirits! It is the same as the portal that opened to the one who embodied the truth in the beginning of the Angelou Civilization. I thought the Embodied One only appeared at the beginning of the world but now another is about to be born. : To create a new world.: The Spirits? Me...?: You have been chosen to possess the new Spirit Stone. Let us go, Justin, to the Sanctuary of the Spirits. Rise to the will of the Spirits. If you rise to their bidding, they are certain to lend you their powers.: Yes, I will.: I WILL! Let's GO TO THE SANCTUARY! Speaking of the Spirit Sanctuary, who's ready for a flashback? All the way back to Parm?     Although some facts are slightly distorted, there's still enough truth in these legends to recognize them when we see them. It's not exactly the most useful or important bit of foreshadowing, but it's there, and I find it neat. Another thing: this is the final chance we get to chat with the NPCs. Click on that screenshot of Gina for the final NPC chatter update.  Also, once you step through the gate, there's no turning back. You're on a one-way path leading to the end of the game. There's no more stores, so be sure to do all your buying and selling now. And make sure you have enough room in your inventory for the loot you'll be picking up. But anyway, let's not keep the Spirits waiting.  Next time: There's no turning back. Edward_Tohr fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 04:34
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I've mostly been a lurker here, but this LP has been one of my favorites. This game and it's art style is so unique and full of charm. Time to enter a brand new world...
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Jul 9, 2015 06:06
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Zil Padon is kind of a spirit nexus, isn't it? With the fountain and everything. I guess Gaia also has to be some kind of spirit since it came from the spirit stone. ...holy poo poo you guys. Earth. Fire. Water. Air. JUSTIN'S GOING TO GO BE THE NEW AVATAR!
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Jul 11, 2015 02:15
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Everything changed when the Garlyle Forces attacked...
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Jul 12, 2015 17:51
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Welcome back!  So, the Spirit Sanctuary is a semitransparent structure, floating in the infinite void of space. Okay then.  Welp, that was a short dungeon, guess there's nothing to d-  Oh. This dungeon's gimmick is paths that appear and disappear as you hit certain trigger points. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of dungeons you can't solve with the left-hand rule.  We do get a sneak peek at the boss, a recolor of the Lord's Ghost. And yes, the storyline boss is just a recolor of the optional boss, seeing as we lost the ability to go fight the Lord's Ghost long before stepping foot in here.   This dungeon also loves to tease you about things you'll have a hard time getting to. Oh, I should probably talk about those monsters, huh?    Critters can cause instant death with Death Spear. They're immune to fire and very weak to blizzard. Stingrays exist to die horribly. Seriously, weak to all elements and statuses? Flight Bomb isn't even that powerful of a skill. Guardians are the annoying ones here. Zap All hurts without good elemental resistance, and they can heal, buff, and their Riddle skill confuses all allies. gently caress Guardians.  Liete gains an all right level.  And, along a twisty passageway, we find this. As you might expect, the Spirit gear is the default set of endgame armor. While some other things might offer special abilities, the Spirit gear usually gives far better numbers than anything else. Since Liete is wearing the Glass Slippers, Rapp gets the new shoes.  And that's that, for Rapp.  Liete picks up her final unique spell. Enclose... well, we'll see what it does against the next boss.  This place can get confusing when paths pass over or under each other.  The Force Knife increases the attack radius. The Force Knife increases the attack radius by far less than 128. Therefore, it's not nearly as hilarious as the Telescope. Still, it casts WOW! when used as an item and is pretty powerful, so it pretty much defaults to "best knife".  We've gotten the treasures to either side of that center platform, now. We must be close.    Towards the end of the area, there's this puzzle here. "Puzzle" in heavy sarcasm quotes, as it boils down to "hit the right colors in the right order. If you ever gently caress up, you have to start from the beginning again". Given that the correct sequence is red, green, then blue, this isn't quite as annoying as it could be.    Eventually we come to the central platform. We could go fight the boss now, but there's a few things to pick up first.  Victoly!  And our reward is a pretty decent set of gloves. Between these, the Devil Robe, and the Holy Ring, you can get a character to +5 against all elements.  You can't hide from me, Boss Bread! (it's just a seed of life)  This is a little better, a Fruit of Moves. But whatever, it's time for the main event.     Much like the Lord's Ghost, only easier. Sure, his stats are slightly higher, but our stats are much higher. Howlnado is more annoying than dangerous, GadZap can still hurt if you let the Wand get too many turns, and the head can, in theory, cast BOOM-POW but if it's not spamming Atomic Shot every round then something's gone wrong. By the by, Mage King's Atomic Shot is a 30-power attack. Lord's Ghost's X-Ray was at 67 power. Granted, none of this matters for one simple reason.  Enclose. Its description stats that it "Blocks all attacks of one enemy for now". Based on what we've seen, you'd figure that it probably inflicts both Move and Magic blocks, right? Wrong. Enclose inflicts Stop. You'll note that Stop isn't even a status ailment in this game. It's a hardcoded special effect unique to this spell, and nothing in the game resists it. It's like an offensive variant of Time Gate, only much cheaper and more useful. Kinda like how Magic Art is a cheaper, single-target variant of End of the World. At least Star Symphony and Tree of Life do different things and are both have a reasonable MP cost. Oh, and in addition to completely halting an enemy for more than long enough to win any fight? It also deals a small amount of damage over time, just to add insult to injury. Also, the spell's power stat seems to control the Stop duration, rather than the damage, so with +Mag equipment, Liete can keep the foe stunlocked even longer. Not that it matters, since the default duration is more than long enough for her to attack or chug an MP potion, then cast Enclose again. Poor bastard only gets off two attacks, and both were Atomic Shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpGo-6KMceg (Polsy link)  So, fun fact. He gives a decent chunk of change when defeated. As soon as we stepped foot into the Spirit Sanctuary, though, we lost access to the game's final shop. Money has been 100% useless to us since the start of this update.  Rapp gets a level of unimportant quality. Seriously, if Demon Ball was weapon/explosion elemental, then Rapp's stats would be more or less the same as Justin's at this point.  Anyway, we've got some more cutscenes coming up. See you next time!
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Jul 13, 2015 02:54
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Really it should read more like this. "Enclose (Level 3 Spell). Effect: Win the Game"
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Jul 13, 2015 04:19
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drat, Liete. You got some serious power in that body. I can see why you didn't want to get involved, it'd be trivial and also you'd have to go questing to find your way back home again.
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Jul 13, 2015 22:55
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CmdrKing posted:Really it should read more like this. Grandia is not shy about giving you things that are game-breaking. Which is why Time Gate is so weird. Glazius posted:drat, Liete. You got some serious power in that body. I can see why you didn't want to get involved, it'd be trivial and also you'd have to go questing to find your way back home again. I should check and see if Liete can solo the remainder of the game without too much grinding. I don't think base-level Liete can trivialize everything quite like base-level Gadwin could, but with the right equipment and just enough levels to unlock all her spells, I bet Liete could be scarily effective against most of the upcoming bosses. ---- Welcome back!   : Tell the Spirits what you hope for. : Once your wishes reach them.... The world... humanity will change once again.And we're given control here.  : But I do know ONE THING. Juss... you're OK!: All this "truth" and "harmony" stuff goes right by me.: But... Juss, you can DO IT!: So just take care of business and get back here, OK!?Okay, so maybe I lied about there being no more NPC chatter after we left Zil Padon. : Stop making it difficult! Just take care of business! You're the only one who can! : with people. Only the Embodied One may enter. So it is said.: You, Justin. Accepted by the Spirits. You shall enter here.: Enter, Hero! And write a new page of History!!Eesh, even Liete's getting in on the double exclamation marks. : You who brought people's hearts together shall make them one with the Spirits once more. Just make your wishes known to them. Justin, fear not. Well, with no one else to talk to, we might as well get on with it.   : But here I am. Here I am, about to learn the answer.: I have come to find what you Spirits and we humans have lost... and what we need to protect.: I have come to find what we will need to build!: That's what I have come for! And of course each step removes the platforms that lead backwards. : have been repeating the same, tragic mistakes over and over again. Just like the mythical Icarians! We have let Leen....: We have allowed Leen to DIE!: And now Feena...! All we are doing is repeating the tragedy again! Are we humans so weak...!? Can't we CHANGE things?! : We can CHANGE our destiny!: Enough of all this! No more sacrifices!: I can't stand the thought of seeing more sad faces!: I want to break the chain of sadness and build a world of harmony together with all you Spirits!: So PLEASE...! HELP me DO IT! The Spirits have heard Justin's wish.  And congregate into a bright light.  And form another Spirit Stone. A chance to start over again. A chance to get a re-do of all the sad myths. A chance to repeat the same mistakes that led us to this point in the first place.  : Give me the power to fight! The power to build a new future!  Once again, the Spirits listen to Justin's wish.  And give him the power to fight.   The camera circles around Justin several times here.   : The myth of yore has come to pass, Justin. You have finally obtained it! The power given to the Icarians to bring humanity together with the world!: NOW I finally understand! : The wishes of the Spirits are sure to reach them BOTH! Feena, and Mullen!And so we've done it. We've received the blessing of the Spirits, and gained the ability to fight Gaia and build our own future. Now all we need to do is convince Mullen and Feena that we've found Leen's new path.  : But how...?: It seems that Gaia has begun the final stage of its metamorphosis.Oh dear. That doesn't sound good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bsBSPAt8ug (Polsy lik) (Video plays to the end of the update.)   Gaia seems to be shifting around.  Oh, it's molting.   And starting to stand upright.   Yeah, Gaia.... is bad news.  And its shooting crap out of its wings. Welp. See you next time!
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Jul 15, 2015 18:03
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Edward_Tohr posted:
I'd vote for Justin.
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Jul 17, 2015 11:59
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What would the Spirit Stone even have done at this point? Hatched into a Gaia made up of all the parts of the other Gaias that they couldn't sell and then fought this giant apotheosis form? Also I do like that Leen managed to lop a wing off this thing.
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Jul 19, 2015 06:00
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Glazius posted:What would the Spirit Stone even have done at this point? Hatched into a Gaia made up of all the parts of the other Gaias that they couldn't sell and then fought this giant apotheosis form? Suddenly Grandia 2 makes a lot more sense. ---- Welcome back! Last time....  Thank you, Liete. : If nothing is done to stop it, it will be a matter of time before Gaia rules the world!: We CAN'T let that happen! Come on Rapp, Liete! The underground passages of J Base should lead us to Gaia!Thankfully, we don't have to re-tread the Underground Railway station.  Unfortunately, although we can go to the world map, we can't actually go anywhere else. Before we head into the base, though, we got something quite important at the end of the last update.  The Spirit Sword! Sadly, the Warrior's Helmet, Legendary Armor, and Shield of Light won't be making an appearance. Still, it's the most powerful weapon in the game, attack-wise, and makes each hit restore 6 SP instead of 1. In short, it's by far Justin's best weapon and so Rapp'll be holding onto it just long enough to chuck it into a Stashing Place.  : There is a crack in the building. Gaia is growing! There must be a place deep inside that leads to the heart of Gaia! J Base has seen better days.  This crack in the wall is the way forward. : There is no doubt it leads to Gaia.: Juss! Hey Juss! What are you waiting for!? Let's GO! We've got a brief interstitial area here with some interesting scenery.  I mean, it's recognizable enough as the pillared area from FMV land, which is neat.  It's also got some treasures.  And some gold. That we still can't spend.  Anyway, the way forward is pretty obvious. I guess Mullen and his troops went this way.   So here we are in the Ancient City proper. We've got a large central staircase that connects four levels of ancient ruins.  Ancient ruins that really aren't much to look at.  Well, the hallways aren't, but the rooms are pretty swanky.  With the occasional gimmick. Usually one that turns an open room into something resembling a maze.  Like so. Still, this room in particular is important for one specific reason:  Our next piece of Spirit gear! The +4 status resist is pretty good if you don't wanna give up your accessory slot for the Talisman's complete status immunity. And even if you keep the Talisman equipped, +45 defense is nothing to scoff at. Anyway, there's some monsters in that shot, so let's talk about the enemies.    Skeletons, being undead, are immune to a lot of statuses but weak to fire. Magic Block Cut causes Magic Block, and Magic Cut insta-kills. So try to avoid that. Dragonoids can cause Poison and are immune to Confusion. Coelacanths are very weak to fire and immune to earth, so at least that's somewhat interesting. ... Hang on, there's one that I'm missing.  I will purge your kind from existence, you fu-... Oh, wait, they don't have a full-party Block skill? Nevermind. Crazy Dance buffs all the enemies' attack by 2, but that's usually not too bad.  Because I stocked up on way too many healing items, I wind up having to chug potions every so often to free up inventory space for loot.  Loot like yet another piece of Spirit armor. Strictly speaking, it's better to have instant death immunity than lack it, but there's quite a few other effects I'd rather have.  Normal room.  Indoor garden!  Eventually we get to this... thing that brings us to the end of the dungeon. More importantly than that, though, it also leads us to a stashing place, so I can finally free up some inventory space so I can pick up more more loot.  Like this. Rapp very much enjoys this.  Restores 2% HP at set intervals, which makes it slightly weaker than the Angel Hat, which restores 3%. Plus, it competes for the body armor slot with the Devil Robe.  Eh? It's a boot.  Oh, and don't let the ceiling fall on you. It hurts.  Oh hey, another Gauntlet of Light.  One of the most annoying parts of this dungeon, though, is the lower floors which have this gimmick. The orb will rapidly flash between three colors, and you'll be sent off on whichever path corresponds to the color of the orb when you press X. I am not good at timing minigames. Anyway, it's time to end this. Let's see who we've got guarding the ex-  Oh, gently caress you, another one?!    It's another Gaia Battler. It's slightly weaker than the last one because we only have three people. Despite only having three people, we're way stronger than we were last time due to gear. I suppose you could make the argument that it's supposed to be a good demo on how powerful the Spirit Sword is, but eh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CU4wRgHlJw. (Polsy link) There, it's dead. See you next time! Edward_Tohr fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Aug 12, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:01
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I wish they at least chose an interesting boss to fight over and over and loving over. Having to actually defeat every part of a Gaia Battler might make it a bit more interesting, given the varied defenses each part can have.
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Jul 20, 2015 03:21
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Black Balloon posted:I wish they at least chose an interesting boss to fight over and over and loving over. Having to actually defeat every part of a Gaia Battler might make it a bit more interesting, given the varied defenses each part can have. More interesting strategically, and also give a stronger sense of how much more powerful you get as the game goes on. Oh well, that was the last one, at least.  ---- Welcome back! Last time we put yet another Gaia Battler in its place.  And we've got some sort of Mega Man-esque boss door afterwards.  Hmm. The camera's fixed and there's no compass. I sense a cutscene.   Oh hey, we caught up with Feena and Mullen! : What's that!? Huh. I thought the Gaia Battler sprite was symmetrical, but I guess they're hunched forwards slightly.  : Help! SOMEONE!: Hold ON Feena! I'm coming! : Jus... Justin!? Justin takes a mighty leap....  And annihilates three Gaia Battlers in one go.  : Now I finally understand what Leen was trying to say. The Spirits will bless us if we fight with one heart, together!: If the will of humanity and the will of the Spirits became one, ANY miracle can happen! We can defeat Gaia and build a NEW future!: Justin... your sword... I can feel the power of the Spirits in it!: This sword was given to me by the Spirits. It will forge a new future for all of us together! : Jus... Justin! At long last... the Spirits HAVE accepted you! Mullen never explains why he feels this way. Was it something his mother taught him? Is it what Baal told him? Is it something he thought for himself from seeing the people around him and learning about the Icarians? No one knows. : How COULD the Spirits ever forgive us for what we've done?: Mullen! The Spirits have never forsaken us. The Spirits have never stopped extending their hands to us.  : Wh... WHAT?!: What NONSENSE! Justin! What good is all your TALK!? Show me PROOF that what you say is really so! Mullen status: still a dork. And fine. You wanna see the power of the Spirit Sword, Mullen?  We'll show you the power of the Spirit Sword. : All right. Mullen! En garde!    So here we are, the battle with Mullen. We've been building up to this the whole game, and we're settling it one-on-one.  And going in with the Four Treasures actually makes this interesting instead of the usual cakewalk. His normal physical attack hits twice and, without armor, each hit hurts like a bitch. Also, unless you have some level of Move Block resistance, he's gonna get you with it. : Rip ya to shreds! Yah! Sonic Boom is a 30-power Wind elemental attack that can inflict Move Block. Since his physical attack has a much higher chance of Move Blocking you, that's probably not going to matter much. : Tear ya apart! Yah! Rising Dragon Cut is a 70-power non-elemental magical attack with no special effect. In addition to his special moves, Mullen has access to a variety of spells. Alhealer+ cures him for 300 HP, which really isn't that much. Fireburner does about 80 damage without resistance. As you may be able to tell from the way the list is formatted, though, he's got access to a few more: Vanish, Speedy, WOW!, Crackling and Zap All. The damage spells aren't too much to write home about, aside from the casting quotes. : Power of the exterminating flame!: Power of the The first three, though, are more interesting. Obviously Speedy is trouble if he gets it off, though Cold can help with that. WOW! is less worrisome normally, as the only attack he has that's strength-based is his normal physical. While it can't be directly dispelled, it can be countered with Diggin'. Vanish, naturally, is a double-edged sword. While it will dispel your buffs and get rid of Mullen's debuffs, it'll also reduce any stats of his that are above zero. So if he's getting too strong and/or quick, just cast Diggin' a few times and he'll get around to Vanishing all the buffs away. Mind you, none of that is really necessary. With the Spirit gear, Justin can win a straight-up damage race. With the Four Treasures, Justin has to take Mullen's HP down before his SP runs out. Mullen has inherited a few things from his father, though. Specifically a swanky-rear end casting animation, and hammy-rear end battle quotes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0qI8zce8pM (Polsy link) For the first time in the main game, and the only time outside of the Tower of Temptation, V-Slash is used for its better SP-to-damage ratio. You'd think that this would be the best fight for Immortal Aura, but it's too costly and doesn't last long enough to be really helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJAs2I5RBsk (Polsy link)  Mullen drops no gold. Not only is his gold drop set at 0, but so is his chance of dropping gold.  Level 39 is not one of Justin's best. Anyway, we've got one more voiced cutscene coming up, the last one before the ending. Skip down to "cutscene ends" to skip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yrZXel6s0 (Polsy link)  : Have you been accepted by the Spirits? Has a human been accepted by the Spirits?: So it was I who did not understand Leen. She put her trust in me! How stupid I was! If I had realized this earlier, I wouldn't have lost Leen!: No Mullen. It's not too late. We were all wrong!: And Leen knew that we would realize this. That's why she bought us time!  : We can fight! If we all put our powers together, we'll be much stronger than Gaia!: Can I fight once again? Have I too been given the protection of the Spirits?: It's OK, Mullen. Me, and Justin. Mullen, you and Leen.: All of us live in this world. If we all work together, therein lies the blessing of the Spirits!: To exhaust myself and fall in this place -- that was the path that I was to follow. : Let us upen up a new future for Mother Earth and for the people living on it! Let's go together! Justin. This time, I'll use my power for all of you! : Thank you, Mullen! And the cutscene ends with Feena Icarianing the platform up the elevator shaft.  Well, the voices end, anyway. As does the video. The cutscene's still going on.  : Herr... MU-lleennnn.... ♪ Liete's shocked animation is literally just her hat jumping up off her head. : Hm? Sergeant Nana? What are YOU doing here? You were discharged from service...!  : Yes! Our plan was to go TOGETHER!: Can I help it if you're LATE? : A NEW contest I seek! I have CHALLENGED the VILE BEAST!Sorry, Gadwin. You had a good run while you were in the party, but I don't think you could solo Gaia.  : Thanks to you, Justin, there's no more army OR civilian! EVERBODY's got the SAME enemy!Y'know, I really like that if you look carefully at the Mantas, you can see the people riding them. : All units in position!: All aircraft charged and ready! : Civilian shelters ready! Final attack preparations complete! All units awaiting orders, Herr Mullen. ♪ : Heh! What AM I going to do with you? : It seems that I must give orders for EVERYTHING around here! So be it, then!: I'll provide cover from the outside! Justin! Feena! Focus only on breaking up the Spirit Stone!: OK Mullen! We got it! : And Justin! Feena! Come back safely! : You too.... Y'know, between your epiphany and this jump, I'm going to take off a dork point. Just one, though. : It's up to you now, Justin!And he zooms off to lead the attack.  : Oh well. Guess we'll just mop up, then! Yep, just gonna go mop up the insides of the giant evil bug demon thing. See you next time!
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Jul 22, 2015 18:09
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God the sprite work in this game is so good.
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Jul 22, 2015 19:53
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I was kind of impressed by the starkness of Mullen's world view in this last act, actually. And also how beautifully it crumbles.
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Jul 23, 2015 19:48
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Welcome back! Here we are, inside of Gaia. The beginning of the final leg of the final dungeon. Those of you who get squeamish from dungeons inside living things should... um... crap, I probably should have warned you beforehand, huh? My bad. Anyway, eagle-eyed readers may spot what appears to be a pink cactus just north of us.  That is, in fact, exactly what it is. Yeah, I dunno either.  There's some treasures scattered around.  And this pulsating thing that excretes slimes. Gaia is kind of a loving disgusting dungeon.  It's a slime. Like most slimes, they have high physical defense and can split. Acid Gas hits a range for physical damage that also lowers defense by six levels. So, uh, try not to get overwhelmed by that.  Gaia Trees are also pretty solid, defensively, but stupid weak to fire. Illusion tries to confuse a single target, while Nut Throw just hits everyone for a pile of physical damage.  Completing the trio of palette-swapped disc 1 enemies, the Gaia Mold is honestly not much different from the other Mold-type enemies. Germ Spores cause Plague, Oxy Spores reduce defense. All of these enemies drop gold, despite it having been useless for the past two dungeons.  So, there's this puzzle here. You run over those four cacti, and the order in which you do so causes one of six slime cubes to dissipate temporarily, allowing you access to whatever was in there. There are two items and four monster spawns. The monster slots start off as slimes, then cycle up to trees, and finally....  Mariachi cacti. Okay.  Fire Time boosts the attack of all enemies by 5, and Needles hits all allies for physical damage. Needless to say, setting them all on fire before they can do that is usually a good idea.  Despite being MIA for two dungeons, Feena's still the fastest one around. This is doubly impressive when you remember that neither water nor wind boost wit. In fact, her massive HP bonus is allowing her to tie Justin in that regard. ... Of course, Feena chowing down on a pile of stat boosters might have helped.  I took an embarrassingly long time on this puzzle. So much so that I decided to finish off this floor first.  Gelatinous goop!  It drags you over to some enemies.  Oh, and one of these. Anyway, at this point I clear the rest of the floor and go back to the cactus puzzle.  It took me half a freaking hour.  Still, this is Feena's ultimate whip. It's a whole 12 attack better than the Emperor's Whip, dropped by one of the palette-swaps guarding Alent. Same special effect. As for the other treasure?  While it is, technically, strictly inferior to another Soul of Asura, that's still three people who can get +1 combo hits. With that out of the way, let's look at the rest of the level.  Oh crap, it's a Manhandla!   Oh, it's just a palette-swap of the one boss who hasn't been palette-swapped yet.    Bigger stats than the one we fought back in the Virgin Forest. Also, this flower's Flower Laser isn't forest-elemental, like the other one's was. It's better than yet another Gaia Battler, I guess?  It doesn't last very long. Taking off nearly two-thirds of its health with the opening volley of techs, then chain-comboing the remainder away will do that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ3RQ6D5Ay4 (Polsy link)  He drops a decent pile of gold.  At least Liete gets a good level out of the deal.  Of course, in the very next battle, Justin decides to show her up, with an extra bonus +1 to HP.  While mopping up the stragglers, Feena pulls ahead of Justin in HP again.  Hidden in an alcove behind the boss is this little gem.  As well as a rope leading up to the next area. Whatever, I'll take it. See you next time!
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Jul 27, 2015 04:58
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Welcome back! Gaia's second floor is more of the same.  And Rapp decides that forgoing agility for +2 to everything else is a good idea.  Sweet!  I really get the impression that you were originally able to backtrack to Zil Padon from here.  Speaking of, we can pick up this shuriken for Rapp. Yes, it is exactly the same as could have been bought in Zil Padon as soon as we arrived there. In a small act of mercy, a lot of the enemies in the next section are insects.   And here we enter the second part of Gaia's innards, forsaking the tree-like area for more insectoid surroundings.  Gaia Slugs are just more powerful versions of the same slug monsters we've been fighting since Disc 2 started.  Slightly less annoying than their red Crimsona cousins, Gaia Aliens nevertheless do have something to note. Look at that drop. Look at that loving drop. These shitlords have a 1-in-20 chance of dropping a goddamn Mana Egg. An unusable, unsellable Mana Egg that just sits in your inventory. gently caress you, Gaia Aliens. I hope you die on the way back to your home planet.  ... Huh. I didn't notice that the bats shared a type with the stars.  I guess if you wanted to use your Culture Media, these guys would be the best choice. They're the most defensive enemies here, so that's... something.  They, uh.... can cast a few spells? Seriously, I'm trying my best to say something about each enemy instead of just plopping down a bunch of stat sheets and pretending that it makes for engaging writing.  Silk Orb is notable for reducing Wit by six levels and almost always inflicting Move Block. Other than that... Well, it's a beetle. Last time we saw one of these guys, we were still on the other side of the End of the World. Still, one thing these enemies have in common is that there's quite a lot of them, and they can wear you down over time. If you're avoiding the save points and aren't drowning in consumables. Or spreading the SP/MP load. ... Yeah, on second thought, there's not much to be said about these guys.  So, this area's gimmick. There's this platform surrounded by a fleshy ball of goo.  When you step into it, the whole area rotates around you on several axes. Slightly disorientating, but since there's only two places for it to stop, it's not particularly confusing.  Back in the first room, on a part of the path we can only access once we've rotated the second room, is our next bit of Spirit gear. The armor is only equippable by Justin, and recovers 2% of his max HP every so often. It also gives the largest defense boost of any piece of armor in the game, for what it's worth.  The third room holds this beauty, the final piece of Spirit gear. It's equippable by everybody, and is a direct upgrade to the Holy Ring. Liete snags it.  And also gets herself a good level.  Anyway, the next area is just through this pulsating sphincter. Seriously, Gaia is a pretty disgusting dungeon.  Oh, look. Yet another palette-swap.    Same as the Massacre Machines we've fought twice already.  It's half-dead before either of its parts get a chance to even think of attacking.  Its second chance goes exactly like the first.  Justin beats it to death with a wooden sword before it gets a third.  Still with the crazy amounts of gold.  And Justin breaks the streak of good levels with a mediocre one. And to conclude this disappointment of a boss fight, because he had the chance to start charging a skill, it doesn't even count as a perfect victory. Oh well. See you next time when things get more interesting! ... Oh, right. Boss videos are a thing I usually do, aren't they? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKT47odya0Y (Polsy link)
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Jul 30, 2015 05:09
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"I failed to kill this jerk in 4 attacks with my strongest character gimped to hell. Woe is me.  "Yeah, that's a pretty big sign that the game is breakable as hell and has been thusly broken several times over. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how you restrict yourself for the final boss.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:15
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One character, worst gear, no items, Final Destination...
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Jul 31, 2015 01:50
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Bufuman posted:I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how you restrict yourself for the final boss. idonotlikepeas posted:One character, worst gear, no items, Final Destination... I did try that but it... didn't quite go so well. ---- Welcome back!  Turns out that the Gaia Armor was standing on an Action Icon. Activating it....  ... Causes that to happen. Okay.  Which opens the path to this intestine-like area.  Twister can inflict confuse, so watch out for that.  Their skill, Power Drain, lowers all stats by 3, which is actually pretty nasty. ... In fact, I think it's the only enemy skill in the game to debuff Max HP.  They can summon more zombies with The Dead Stir.  Critical Hit can instant-kill its victim, so try to avoid that. They can also drop Blue Potions, so don't be afraid to spend MP.  Not strictly new, but the last time we saw these guys I hadn't yet figured out how to do these stat cards. Anyway, they are surprisingly vulnerable to paralysis, and can cast a few nasty spells if we let them. ... Okay, one nasty spell and a few annoying ones. Still, nowhere near as bad as their cousins in the Tower of Temptation.  Feena starts trying harder to catch up to Justin and Rapp in strength.  There are a few different zones in this third area, differentiated by color and connected by transparent tubes.  The enemies here tend to come in larger groups. It's usually considered the least-crazy place to level Feena's magic to get Time Gate. But screw that noise. If you're gonna grind to an absurd degree just to unlock a single spell, might as well do it as soon as possible.  Whoops, forgot that Justin still has the sturdiness of a piece of wet tissue paper. Good thing Feena has Resurrect.  C'mon, Rapp, you'll never get stronger than Justin at that rate.  Eventually, we come to a tube that's blocked by multicolor... I'm just gonna call them teeth.  The room right next door has these pillar things. Oh, and some armor.  The Robe of the Sun. Tied with the Spirit Shield for second place in terms of defense, it also boosts IP Loss Resistance by 3 levels. And has some auto effect at 128 power. It's the only item in the game that has said auto-effect, and I'm still not sure what it does. Anyway, touching the three colored pillars releases the door to the next area.  Where we find the final save point of the game, a Stashing Place, and a Spirit Potion. Once we go through that tube, we'll be on a one-way path directly to the final bosses. So heal up, dump what you don't need, and grab what you do.  There's some spheres floating around in here.   Stepping on that circle there will bring you up....  And push you through the sticky membrane of the floor above.  Whereupon everyone seems to notice something.  A giant ugly something.  A giant ugly something what is insulting us. Okay.  : Now that I have achieved the ultimate level of evolution, I am INVINCIBLE! Oooh, that's what Baal's been up to. Okay. There's four independent targets here, and they all do something different.  The Cyst is immune to all elements, but isn't too dangerous. Seed Smash does about 35 damage to all allies, while Death Mark does 50 to one. Nothing too scary there.  The Left Gaia Tentacle deals with the support magic.  While the other one goes on the offensive.  Finally, the former General himself. Thankfully, Grand Cross doesn't take after the Final Fantasy move with the same name. He just smacks the area in front of him with both tentacles. Gaia Tail targets a single enemy and does a slightly smaller pile of damage, but in exchange it neutralizes all buffs. Vanish is, once again, a skill instead of a spell in Baal's hands. And Suck In is the same as it always is. With the four of them tossing attacks and spells around, especially with the danger of Suck In followed by any of the AoEs, this fight can be a little hairy.  And here's a close look at the man hims- Waaaaiiiiiit a second.   That's his right arm. The arm that's been a horrible tentacled monstrosity this whole time. D-did Gaia give him back his normal arm when it turned the rest of him into horrifying plant-bug-crab-thing?  Anyway, focusing down one part at a time helps to keep the barrage of spells under control, at which point Baal really can't do much to stop you from steamrolling him, too.  Fun fact, each of Baal's parts here has a drop of 100 gold, but a 0% chance of dropping it. And the bastard doesn't even give a single level! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZRJhvdfJEM (Polsy link) See you next time!
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Aug 3, 2015 02:57
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I never noticed that part of his body was still there. God that's creepy.
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Aug 3, 2015 03:06
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Black Balloon posted:I never noticed that part of his body was still there. God that's creepy. I was going to post this exact same thing. Also, you didn't mention it but the trick to navigate Gaia's guts is following the colored intestines in the order of the colors of the rainbow 
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Aug 3, 2015 11:53
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Petiso posted:Also, you didn't mention it but the trick to navigate Gaia's guts is following the colored intestines in the order of the colors of the rainbow gently caress, there's a trick to it? Dammit.
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Aug 3, 2015 14:53
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Has Baal's theme ever been appropriate? I mean, it's a great "this guy heads up the Evil Empire" theme, but it just feels kind of weird for an increasingly tentacled increasingly monstrosity.
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Aug 4, 2015 23:41
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