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Hi everyone! The first several posts of this LP will be from my previous attempt at Arc the Lad Collection in 2016. I intend to post fixes/additional commentary as I go, followed by new content immediately after I catch up to where I was in the early stages of Arc the Lad 2. I'm all caught up on my old posts now, so feel free to comment or inquire in this thread to your heart's content. Thanks! Hello, everyone, and welcome to my Let's Play of Arc the Lad Collection! Miketopus, here, presenting a series that has been near and dear to my heart for half of my life. And welcome again in 2023! This will probably either amuse or annoy, but I intend to add commentary every so often to my first attempt at this LP. Seven years is a long time. Has my writing grown better with age, or has the Miketopus brand of silly style gone stale? You decide! I'll be fixing these re-posts as I go, as some have broken links or whatnot, but I will also pipe in with bolded comments like these to show new commentary. I guess it'll be like I'm doing an LP of my incomplete LP before I move on to completely new content in my LP.  As far as video game RPG series go, Arc the Lad tends to be a series that lots of people have "heard" of, but never actually played. Part of this may be due to the timing of its release in the United States; although the series was released in Japan in 1995, it would be a full six years before it would see the light of day elsewhere. Working Designs, a localization company that sadly closed its doors in 2005, worked to bring several Japanese games to the States. Most people are familiar with their other localized titles, including Alundra and the Lunar series. While I've played several of their projects, the Arc the Lad trilogy maintains a high status among them. The storyline, while somewhat cliche, has just enough going for it to keep the player interested. The battle system, while sometimes ridiculously arbitrary, is also something that requires a lot of participation from the player to survive and master combat. And, perhaps its greatest strength and weakness is the sheer volume of playable characters. Although the cast of the first game is relatively small, the titles afterward explode with a variety of characters to choose from. A ton of them are rubbish, but there's more than enough awesome characters to make it worthwhile, and even the characters that "suck" can be improved with time and patience. Games The following is a brief synopsis of each game. Because this is a collection, the games will be showcased in chronological order.  Arc the Lad is, naturally, where things start off. Arc is a young boy in the country of Seirya who aspires to find his missing father and ultimately becomes the hero of the world. Along the way, he meets several friends and makes numerous enemies in his quest to save the world from endless darkness.  Arc the Lad II continues straight after the end of Arc the Lad I. This time, the focus is on a Hunter named Elc, who lost his village to the worldwide wanted criminal, Arc. When Elc encounters a mysterious girl named Lieza, who seems able to speak with monsters, he finds himself caught up in a struggle far beyond any he could have imagined.  Arc the Lad: Monster Arena isn't really meant as a standalone game. It's more of an offshoot game, where monsters you gained in Arc the Lad II can compete in tournaments for prizes that can be imported back into your Arc the Lad II save game. There is also a versus mode, where you and another Arc the Lad II player can have your monsters fight it out in the arena.  Arc the Lad III follows Alec, a young man aspiring to be a Hunter, who is living in the world created after the Great Disaster has occurred. It begins with him attempting to save his hometown of Sasha Village from bandits, and evolves beyond that into another worldwide struggle. Extras Similar to the previous section, this area will likely be updated with the LP's progress.  The original art on the PSX CD. Similar to the front cover of the game case, it is Arc and Kukuru looking at the Silver Noah.  The CD art for Arc the Lad II, featuring Elc in the foreground with Arc in the background. General Rules Although this RPG series is fairly linear, particularly in the first game, I will be trying to make this as enjoyable as possible for you awesome readers. Therefore, just a couple basic rules before we get rolling: 1. Spoilers are... well, spoilers. I'd prefer not to have any for games we haven't even approached yet, but if you decide to discuss the plot in some way, be sure to use spoiler tags! 2. Although I've beaten this series before, I was by no means a completionist doing so. I'll be doing my best to showcase everything the games have to offer, but if you feel I missed something important along the way, reply in this thread and let me know. Again, if it's storyline related, use spoiler tags. If you aren't sure one way or the other, please err on the side of caution. 3. Once a game is completed, if you have something interesting to offer, such as unique art or anything else that might make a good addition to the Extras section, post it! I want this overview post to have a lot of fun stuff for everyone to see and enjoy. That's about it. The post immediately following this one will launch us into Arc the Lad I. See you there! Miketopus fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Sep 11, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 14:30
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Saving a post as a placeholder in case I get fancy and need some quick navigational links or somesuch.
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Aug 22, 2023 14:31
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Before we go into the game proper, I want to take a moment to recommend an existing Let's Play of Arc the Lad 1 to anyone who might not have seen it previously. http://lparchive.org/Arc-the-Lad This LP by Wanton Spoon and Syrg is great, and the idea to do the entire Collection was due in no small part to the awesome way in which they showed the first game off. If either of them are reading this article someday, I want to take a moment to thank them for their awesome work. Oh, and Syrg, I'm really not a fan of Kukuru either.  I'm going to backpedal a bit and say Kukuru isn't that bad. Sorry Syrg! Oh, also. While I was able to somehow save all my update scripts that I had for the LP so far, I was not able to keep my save game data from back in 2016. Since I couldn't, I decided to go with an entirely new game-playing program with better options. Ducks were involved. What does this mean? Well, for one, I'm coming at this game from a relatively fresh perspective considering how long it's been since I started this, but I was also able to play through it more effectively in general. I'll explain more as we go. (Intro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsYhhc_pj4) Arc the Lad 1 is the first up in our Collection LP. You'll likely notice during the Let's Play (Actually, you probably noticed it if you even watched the intro) that this game is particularly simple in its presentation. You get a group of people with different strengths, fight map encounters, and somewhere along the way an airship flies you around. A couple things you should probably know going into this game: 1. If you're looking for a one-off game that resolves everything in one go, you won't find it here. Arc the Lad 1 sets the stage for both II and III, and has no conclusion on its own. You may be somewhat surprised when the game ends, but don't worry. With your save game file, you can transfer your progress to Arc the Lad II! 2. Working Designs worked very hard on its translations; looking at their other titles is ample proof of this. Arc the Lad I, because of its simple storyline, may come off as somewhat juvenile when compared to other games. Don't worry, it gets easier as time goes on. 3. This game is very unbalanced. Save often, and beware of getting yourself into checkmate situations where you can't move forward or back because the game's difficulty is spiked. I'll try to identify these as they happen. That aside, this is just the beginning of an awesome series. So, I'll likely try and move through this game quickly compared to the others. This is both because this game is much shorter than the other two, and because of the Syrg/Spoon LP having covered most of the major points already. Let's meet our characters and go over them in brief: Well, hold on a second Historical Miketopus. One caveat I have for this area: Previously I used Tindeck to have each character's theme song and music during cutscenes. With the demise of that sorely missed service, I will be trying to find a new way to link the game music to the LP. I don't want to bog down the recap posts by trying to do so now, but I will try my hardest to go back and update these with music as soon as possible. Thanks! Arc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38gW6Hgidtk  Arc is the titular character of the game. As the main character, he follows the grand JRPG tradition of being good at absolutely everything. If he has a failing, it is his somewhat low MP pool and relatively high magic costs. But, this levels out through the game, and there's more than enough MP cost reducing and MP restoring accessories along the way. In fact, as a player, there are two different schools of thought concerning Arc: Either you should keep everyone at the same level as him to make things fair, or you should pretty much just power him up to max level and cruise through the game. In this game, either way will technically work, but there's long-term consequences if you take the easy road and only use Arc throughout the game. Naturally, he will remain at the front of your party at practically all times, but don't forget about the others simply because he's awesome. Kukuru - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ipSFk6rCvo  As the female lead for this game, you would expect Kukuru to be on a somewhat similar level to Arc in terms of utility and combat usefulness. Sadly, Kukuru suffers from perpetual mediocre status through most of the game. She's not bad, per se; her abilities are passing useful, such as her ability to heal HP and remove status ailments. The only problem with her abilities is that she isn't particularly great at anything she does. There's more than enough melee fighters that outshine her, and both her healing and offensive magic are done better by other party members. Even so, I don't recommend letting Kukuru fall to the wayside; try to level her up when you can. If you don't, then certain parts of this game and the next game will be much, much harder than they have to be. Poco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQVA4Egj9Xw  You really don't expect much out of Poco. His personality is very flighty, and his abilities are extremely mediocre to begin. Even so, with some patient leveling and ability upgrades, Poco becomes one of the most useful characters in the game. While his stats are fairly average, almost all of his abilities bring something to the table. He combines good healing, very good buffs, and some extremely devastating attack abilities to good effect. The only caveat to his abilities is that most of them require the acquisition of instruments, either during the course of the story or through optional sidequests. Even so, Poco has a lot of use, and will become the staple of any good party. Also he's kind of fat. There I said it. Aww, fat shaming past me? That's not cool. Anyway, the only addition I wanted to post here is that you want to be careful with Poco. Because he gains instruments mostly through advancing the story (And a sidequest), you actually don't want to max him out too early. Level 60 is the cap in this game, but your characters' abilities will get stronger and sometimes increase in range as you level up. If Poco can't level up anymore, then instruments he gets later on may have some issues of effectiveness. I'm led to believe this balances out in the next game, but still, try to keep him below level 40 until he has all his instruments and you should be fine. Tosh - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werAoBA141I   Not much to be said here. Tosh is exactly as he appears on the tin: an excellent melee attacker. He gets a few useful abilities based around physical attacks, though his abysmal MP pool prohibits him from using these too often. His defense also starts somewhat lower than most of his other skills, so while he's very good at dishing it out, don't expect him to take many hits without healing support ready. Tosh is easy to use and level up, and given how much damage he can do to the enemy party, there's no reason not to use him. Gogen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4321yaAnUOU  Those eyebrows... Gogen is your classical JRPG glass cannon. He's extremely brittle in physical combat, but if you can keep him alive his magic can take out large groups of enemies very quickly. It takes a little while for his magic to increase its range, but once it does you'll find him an excellent bombing support character. Mostly unchanged here, but as a little tip going into Arc 2, try to keep Gogen's leveling in pace with the rest of the party. He's far and away the hardest party member to level given his frailty (I'm not even counting the Proto-Borat I talk about next, as he's a complete waste of time), so it's easy to let him fall to the wayside. This will cause a significant difficulty spike in at least one part of Arc 2 if you don't try to keep him decently leveled. You may just want to hang onto all your Full Power Fruits in this game and force-feed them to Gogen before you get your clear data saved. That should be enough to close the gap. Chongara - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-xbr5qYKA4   Chongara is terrible at everything. It's almost like the game designers set out to make a character that was so frustratingly terrible that no one would like him. Even so, while Chongara himself is awful at every aspect of combat, he can summon monsters from his pot. Perhaps to make up for Chongara's own universal incompetence, his summoned monsters are almost all useful in some aspect or another. Think of him as a useless placeholder for useful reinforcements. One quick note about Chongara's only redeeming feature, the Guardian Forces: They are pretty useful in this game, but not required except in a couple of situations where you want to get some loot. While their stats carry over into Arc 2, it's actually way easier to make use of them in the sequel than in this one since you don't need to waste time playing with Chongara's Summon Pot. Still, make sure you get all of them in this game, including the toughest one at the bottom of the optional dungeon. Oh, also. Chongara has the ability to use his scanning ability not just on enemy monsters, but on every good guy in the party. If you somehow have the tenacity to have him add every possible monster/boss/ally to his Monster Book, it's supposed to unlock an extra Arena feature at the end of the game. But I didn't have the mental fortitude in 2016 to do that and I certainly don't have the mental fortitude to do that now. Sorry not sorry. Iga - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adoyCAQBDVQ  I'll be honest, I really wanted to like Iga. You'll see why as the game introduces him. But, he's a rather mediocre character. True, his attack and defense are both pretty good. His HP goes through the roof if you level him. But by the time you get him, he's hopelessly outclassed by all the other characters. He boasts the lowest MP count in the game; which doesn't actually matter, because almost none of his magic abilities are even useful. Despite his fancy status window above, his attack power is always eclipsed by both Arc and Tosh. And, perhaps his most fatal flaw is how dreadfully slow he is. These all make him largely a waste of time to level. Overall, despite being presented as a badass in-game, I was very disappointed with Iga. I'm going to backpedal again, and this time it's with my opinion of Iga. I'll explain more in the relevant section why this is, but suffice to say Iga is actually an absolute powerhouse if you give him a good selection of accessories and take the time to level him a bit. I was blown away (No pun intended) at how he could demolish entire groups of enemies on his own, and in some fights he was taking out half or more of the monsters on the entire map. If Tosh is the single-enemy slayer, Iga is the group destroyer. Having presented our cast for the game, it's time for us to get things cracking! The update is coming at you fast, but in the meantime, I want you readers to consider a few things: Who are you most interested in seeing more about combat-wise? Who should we work on throughout the game? Would you prefer to see Arc plow through everything only to end up becoming a giant liability, or see a more even-tempered party? Ignore this, it's all ancient history. Still, character commentary is always welcome! Expect the first real update shortly! Miketopus fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Sep 3, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 15:14
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Enough dilly-dallying and exposition! Let's get into the game! ...With more exposition! (Please don't hurt me there's combat in this update I promise)  Mayor - It is written that only those of the Sacred Clan may walk with the Guardian.  Mayor - Yes, yes, my dear. It is regrettable, but you are aware of the legacy you have inherited. The path is clear. To start the prophecy's fulfillment, you must ascend the mountain and...  - I know. You needn't speak it again. I am prepared to do what I must.   Kukuru heads up the mountain to do prophecy stuff.  And makes awfully good time on the miles-long hike, too.  - If only I could remember the reason it burns. Perhaps then I would embrace my assigned destiny more readily. No. This is no time to doubt. I have chosen to cast aside the sacred writings. When the new year dawns, I'll be summoned to Palencia Castle, in the tradition of our clan, to be wed to the prince. And all because of some ancient nonsense that my lineage is divine. - "...the Sacred Clan of priests and sages." Pfft. I sure don't feel sacred... This cursed flame is the only thing holding me back from the freedom of choice I deserve. I have grown to loathe its very existence, and to detest the light it radiates down upon the village. And now my new destiny is to extinguish it and free my clan from the chains of traditions. One day, they shall thank me...  - Hmm...strange...I thought it was supposed to...Uh...that certainly wasn't what I was expecting. A rather understated reaction to a doused torch telling you it's finally free of a 3,000 year confinement, but okay.  Mayor - ...is finally extinguished by a silly girl - of the Sacred Clan, no less. The irony is almost too great to bear! Ahh...And here she is. Mayor - Oh, I've been waiting for you, my sweet trifle. - ...? ...?(I don't even know what this reaction means. She's... hesitantly confused? Twice in a row?) Mayor - What's the matter, my child? - A v...voice. I heard a horrid voice. I...I feel sick. Like something terrible is about to happen...Mayor - My! I didn't know you were so sensitive. I'm certain it is nothing of import. In the morning, it shall be forgotten. - I shall trust what you say, though I can't shake this feeling of impending doom...   I've got a hunch this guy isn't on the up and up. Oh well. I really should've thought to name him "Evil Fat Man #1" instead of "Mayor". Yes, #1. There will be a long line of Evil Fat Men for us to deal with in this series. It's been pointed out before, but Kukuru comes across as extremely stupid in this introduction. She puts out a 3,000 year old flame because she doesn't want to be shackled with responsibility, but can't be bothered to read up on why the flame exists in the first place. And then, when she hears a monstrous voice after putting out the flame, someone tells her not to worry and she just goes, "Kay." It can be inferred somewhat that the Mayor is taking advantage of her naive nature, and perhaps even coercing her to do something she wouldn't ordinarily do, but this strains credibility. tl;dr it's all Kukuru's fault this game happened.  Village - Thanks Kukuru! You're the best!   - I must find a way to break the lock.And thus we meet Arc, hiding in his parents' storage room and rummaging through their things.  Busted! Welcome to your teenage years, kid. - The blizzard has come again, just like before! If I go to the mountain tonight, perhaps I can learn what happened to Father.Mother - Your father perished long ago...you must accept that, Arc. - I won't believe it. I just can't believe he died so needlessly...Mother - Arc, there is no way to know how your father met his end that night. On that dreadful mountain lie all manner of terrifying beasts. One of them must have taken your father's life. - Whether he met his end or not, I must know what became of him, and tonight is the night. I feel it. If by chance I find the person or beast that killed him, I will have my revenge as well. Not knowing if he lives or has died is worse than knowing the truth, and so tonight the uncertainty ends.Mother - Oh, Arc...  Arc's mother opens the chest and goes back into the living room like any self-respecting JRPG parent.   Flashback time!  - Darling, if there were another way, I would gladly take it. The future of our world...hangs in the balance this very night.Mother - But, why...w...what will Arc and I do after you leave? - Live. Carry on. Make my sacrifice meaningful.Mother - No! This can't be happening! Why must you torture me so? I didn't mean to wed a martyr! - Alas, the path we must walk is not clear from the start. And this is where the road we have chosen to travel has led. All I can buy now is time. On this very day 10 years from now, the seal shall be broken, and the mountain will tremble. Arc, who will have grown strong in your loving care, will then depart. Mother - The mountain will tremble? - The black seal will be compromised, and the terrors released once more. Mother - Such grim talk...my boy Arc will...no! Stop this nonsense. It's madness! - Polta, until that time comes you have nothing to fear. Raise our son well. Help him grow strong. Prepare him for that day. I leave Arc in your gentle hands now, my darling. Know that I will always love you both. Farewell. More stereotypical JRPG parent behavior.  Admittedly, Arc doesn't look terribly impressive.  Until he gears up, that is.    - I'm sure I can dent a few monster skulls with it.Just one, Arc. It's one use only. So yeah, sometimes searching the area is good. In this case, we got a healing item and a disposable throwing weapon, but sometimes the loot is much more valuable. I'll probably skip over most of these treasures unless they're something one-of-a-kind.  Mother - Oh, Arc. Take these with you... Received a Kaiser Glove! Received a Revival Tonic! Received an Energy Fruit! Received some Sacred Water. I like how excited the game is until it gets to the Sacred Water, then it's like    - Take care, Mother...And so our hero sets out on possibly one of the greatest leaps of logic in JRPG history.  - I know that I am responsible, and I must fix the damage before something worse happens.See, this is why I have a hard time disliking Kukuru in the story. Sure, she comes off as incredibly stupid in the presence of the mayor, but it's not like she just sat on her hands and did nothing about it. She got her act together and decided to re-light the fire.  - Who's that? Why have you come? - I am Arc. And you? Why are you out in a storm like this? - My name is Kukuru. I'm protecting the Shrine. Or rather, I was SUPPOSED to be protecting the Shrine. I was upset because I was being sent out from my clan to marry the prince...and I sort of...well...put out a 3,000-year-old flame. After I did it, I heard a voice and the snow started. I think I have to light it again... - Yes, the Flame must be lit again, but I shall do it. - What? No! I extinguished the Flame. You have no idea what dangers lurk up there. When I was last up there, I heard that creepy, terrible voice coming from nowhere! I'm certain putting out the Flame had something to do with it. I cannot let you go in my place. It's my fault. I should... - If there are monsters out there, they must be the ones that killed my father 10 years ago. I'm going, with or without the torch. So, you might as well let me relight the Flame. Yoink! - Trust me. I shall restore the Flame. - I hope so...for all our sakes. Arc climbs the snowy mountain by leaping up ledges. Pretty ballsy.   This should end well. - You...you're the one that killed my father! - I have killed many, and your father may have been amongst them. But if I did slay him, his death was so unremarkable that I have no memory of it. But enough talk.  - Have at you! - It is time for YOUR ignominious end, boy. And then the Ark Ghoul literally Goomba stomps Arc. Huh, this may get confusing later. - That was too easy. This cannot be the one who released me.The Ark Ghoul flies off to find Kukuru, who I'm sure will prove to be a much greater challenge than the main character.  - I mustn't be allowed to fail in...shame...   - M...my strength...it's returning. - W...who speaks? - I have kept watch over the Flame Cion, which holds the seal of the Ark. Ascend to the Shrine at the peak. Light the Flame Cion once more. Once the Cion's flame burns brightly again, the Ark Ghoul shall vanish. - I was on my way to do that when it attacked me. - Very well. Ignite the Flame. Just know that later, you shall return to extinguish it once more.- What? Why? - It is your destiny. - My...destiny? - Humankind is rushing toward the blackness of the abyss. It is your destiny to avert that fate. By using the power of the Ark... - I can stop the end of all humankind? - Your father made a pact with us to prevent the death of your race. That is why you are here on this very day. We've awaited your coming. In keeping with that promise, I bestow upon you the power to defeat all manner of monsters. - I don't understand! What are you talking about? - All shall be clear soon enough. Good luck.To this day, I'm a bit confused as to why they decided to name things so closely together. Arc, Ark, Ark Ghoul. Seriously, what an unusual overarching element of a story arc. Couldn't resist.   Power up!  And then our first fight literally comes out of nowhere!  Before each fight, you have the option of changing character equipment. Since this is pretty much the only place to do it, you'll want to check everyone's gear before major battles. On the lefthand side, here's a breakdown of the stats from top to bottom and left to right: Cross - Character's level Heart - Character's HP Blue Orb - Character's MP Sword - Character's Physical Attack Power Cane - Character's Magical Attack Power Shield - Character's Defense Winged Shoe - Character's Evasion Hourglass - Character's Experience level / Required experience to attain the next level Spring Shoe - Character's Jump level Hand Tossing - Character's Throw level Crossed Swords - Character's Counter level Hand Holding - Character's Catch level Lots of stuff, huh? Don't worry, it'll make more sense as we go.  This window also shows a character's current equipment. Max equipment for any character is four. Available equippables are shown on the large right window. In this case, all we have is the glove Arc's mother gave before leaving the house. It allows Arc to throw projectile weapons. Situationally useful. At least, if your Throw skill is at 0. If it's any higher then the glove is just taking up space in your equipment. There's a couple of items like this in the game. If they say "Level X Ability" then if your ability is already at or higher than X there's no point in equipping it.  The game takes a grid approach to battle. Each character has a movement amount they can traverse each time their turn comes up. Multiple characters can't stop in the same square, but friendly characters can pass through each other's squares if they have enough to wind up at least one square further away. Monsters, obstacles, and high ledges can also limit a character's movement grid, though a high enough jump ability will allow characters to jump up high ledges. Also, idling for a couple of seconds will bring up the character's HP/MP, and a quick button legend at the bottom of the screen.  Pressing Square will open up the inventory. Use of any healing or throwing items comes from this window.  Your character's turn ends if they attack, use an ability or item, or if you press Triangle to end your turn without taking an action.  It's a little hard to tell with Slimes, but monsters and characters all have one direction they face. Attacking an enemy head-on makes you more prone to being blocked, dodged, or even counter-attacked. Similarly, an enemy attacking you from the front is prone to the same risks. Therefore, attacking from the sides or the back is always a good idea when possible.  Arc has some pretty impressive attacks. Some create sparks like this one, but others are somewhat more drastic. The other characters have the same flair toward the dramatic, but express it in different ways. This makes combat particularly robust, since characters and enemies all have multiple combat animations.  Since this is the first real fight, and because it's Arc, one hit is enough to turn every Slime into puddles.  Enemies will occasionally drop items, too. This one dropped an Herb.    You can also find treasure chests during some fights. Using any kind of attack, offensive spell, or throwing item on a chest will open it and bestow its contents.  Level up! Arc will be seeing plenty of these. Since you can level up in the middle of combat, sometimes your characters will gain the extra edge they need.  All in all, the Slimes are typical tutorial fight enemies. They wander around the battlefield, randomly reproducing, and will only sometimes go to attack Arc if he's nearby. Usually they're too busy being asexual to care much what's happening around them. You know, until Arc nukes them with his flaming sword of justice.  Victory! Crosses are kills, and yellow orbs are gained experience. Items won during the battle are also displayed wherever there's room. Things will get pretty cramped before too long.  Meanwhile, Kukuru has a problem of her own to deal with. - G-g-g-g-g-g-go away! - I only wish to thank you, little girl. And now, I must kill you to complete my emancipation. - Noooooooo!   - What miserable infidel has lit that cursed Cion once more??! Arrrrrgghhh!!He would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those darn kids.  And so, Arc saves Kukuru and prevents doomsday. Better get used to that happening a lot from now on. See you next update!
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Aug 22, 2023 16:02
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Hey everyone, welcome back! When last we left, Arc was busy kicking around some slimes and saving naive priestesses from demonic retribution. This next update is... well, it has a fight scene too! You may notice also that the image issue I experienced before has been fixed. Sorry about that. You should be able to enjoy all images in a consistent and delicious 640x480 size. Similarly, faces have been re-sized to appear more even. Thanks for your patience with that. Now, on with the show!  And how better to start the action than with Arc's mom blubbering... Polta - Oh, Arc! My baby...Why must all whom I love leave? - Mother, this is not forever. I shall return. I've just been summoned to Palencia. Perhaps they wish to recruit me. If that is the case, the pay will be handsome, no doubt. I can send money home, Mother.Polta - Take care of yourself. If the training proves too difficult, there is no shame in returning home. - You needn't worry, Mother. I shall be fine.Polta - Oh, Arc...  And so our hero leaves his mother in tears for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.  - I read the ancient manuscripts that tell the history of our clan. They say that Seirya is a country founded in harmony. And that the Sacred Clan is the family who weaves the harmony together. Like a tapestry, see? The daughters of the Clan are the weft of this tapestry. When the world is about to end, it predicts, the warp shall appear. The weft and the warp shall come together to make the world new. I believe it means that I am supposed to help you. It doesn't mean I love you or anything (Baka!)...it's destiny. - I didn't take it to mean that. But, it does call to mind what I was told on the mountain. Something about humankind dying out and my destiny...I don't know. Anyway, one thing is still clear. I must find my father. Nothing can happen for me until I leave this village...I'll find out more at Palencia Castle. - Arc...I...I'd like to follow you.(Not that I LIKE you or anything! Baka!) (Crap, I used that one already) - Kukuru... - Arc, it's important. I must follow you, because our destinies are intertwined. I don't know why I know that, I just do. You are the warp that will point the way. - Warp? Way? What are you talking about?(Dude, she just told you half a minute ago. Try to keep up.) - My path. My destiny. My way! After you go, the way shall appear. I...I can't explain it very well. In the ancient manuscripts, they wrote about our special abilities. I'm not ready to leave right now, but soon, after training in these abilities, I shall follow you. - I see. Well, then...to destiny! - Arc, be careful. For me? This conversation really did a 180 in a hurry. "I don't like you." "I'm leaving, bye." "Wait, you are my destiny! I will come with you!" "...I'm leaving, more confused than before. Bye." Normally Working Designs does an excellent job of translation, but the entire Arc/Kukuru thing feels very... artificial in this game. We'll be seeing more evidence of this later.  And so we come to the overworld map. Sort of. Travel in AtL I is based on country.  Once you're in a country, you can select different regions to visit. Each country also has its own theme song, though to be honest Seirya's theme is my favorite of the lot. Maybe it's just my J-nerd side showing, but I adore the song.  Pushing Square on the overworld map will bring up the save screen. Speaking of music that makes me feel fuzzy...  Erm, right, let's move on.  It's also possible to go back home if you want.  Received an herb.    The extra herb is okay I guess, but the letter from Yoshua is actually a tutorial in disguise. There are some general useful tips that work throughout AtL I and II, however, such as the direction of the party members and monsters mentioned in the previous update.  This one's pretty handy. Pushing the L1/R1 buttons in battle will let you roam the battle map to scope out distant enemies. It's a very good idea since it will affect your party's positions during the fight.   This is another useful tip. Several enemies in the game will split, which is somewhat dangerous if you become overwhelmed but is also a great source of experience. Polta - Please try to avoid danger, my son. I could not bear life without you! Yeah, yeah. Let's go to the castle.    - What? Why are the soldiers marching out? Is there a war?    Bye Poco! See you in about five minutes!  - No sir, I wouldn't think of it. I'm Arc of Touvil. I was summoned by the King.Guard - Arc of Touvil...well, really! We expected someone more...uh, grown up. Regardless, you are expected. Proceed to the King's audience chamber. Straight ahead, then right.    I know he's the king and all, but man this is elegant. Did you like that bit of pseudo Mode-7?  - Yes, Your Majesty.King - Word of your brave effort to light the Flame Cion again reached all the way here. It is said you possess unique abilities. - I was given a gift on the mountain. By a Guardian, I think.King - Guardian? So, did this...Guardian...speak to you? - Yes. It said humanity is dying. The end of our race is near. King - Humanity...is dying? Minister (Also known as  going forward because he is definitely not an arrogant traitor) - Curb your malicious tongue, boy. Your Majesty, don't trouble yourself with these wild imaginings. King - The end of the world...My brother, the Crown Prince, said the same words before he disappeared. I must ask a favor of you, Arc of Touvil. It concerns an artifact known as the Ark. - We are not sure yet, Majesty, if he is the hero or not. It it too soon to tell him of sacred things.King - Well, what then? - Would you permit me, Sire? I have an idea. Arc, we must make sure that you're genuinely blessed by the Guardians. There is a plain called Colbo to the north of here. Prove your allegience and ability by exterminating the monsters there. Our army has already departed. If you hurry, you may catch them. I shall wait for the reuslt of your quest breathlessly, as will His Majesty, I'm certain. I pray that you do not disappoint us. - Yes, sir.King - We wish you success and await your return, Arc of Touvil. Godspeed!  That's some test. Go send the teenager to fight monsters with the army to prove he's telling the truth! Don't have him just, you know, cast a spell or something. That'd be too easy. Oh well. It's a worthwhile investment anyway.  Also, before big battles, the game will usually ask if you want to save. It's nice of them to offer, but sometimes it does sneak a fight without a save prompt, so be careful.  - Strange...where are the troops?Suddenly!   Wild Poco appears! - Whoa! - Please don't kill me. Please...help...help...I don't wanna die. Ooooh. I thought...wait! You're not a monster. Nobody in my unit was here! I was hiding b-because I think they have all been killed by the monsters! I promise, he gets a lot cooler. - What a poor excuse for a warrior! - My name is Poco. I never wanted to be a warrior, honestly. I'd rather play music than battle with filthy beasts. - I'm Arc...from Touvil. I have been sent by the King to exterminate the monsters here. - Okay? Let's go...hellooo? Why are you just standing th...uh-oh. Rather eloquent for a zombie. Must have graduated Valedictorian from Zombie U. - Oooh - monsters! Whadda we do? Whadda we do? - Don't turn to jelly! Stand your ground and fight them. - But I don't have any weapons, just my band instruments! - So, fight with what you have! - What?!! But that's crazy! - Crazy or not, you don't have a choice! Here they come! Don't worry Poco, you'll be okay! We haven't received any new equipment since the last fight, and Poco doesn't start with anything, so not much point in checking the equipment menu this time around.  With Poco in the party, today we'll be covering spells in brief. Press the Circle button Arc learns Burn Ground very early on. It starts as a single target fire attack.  You have to be pretty close to the enemy to use it, but once you're in range...       Enemies get roasted alive.  Or in this case, roasted dead. Because, you know, zombie. Although I guess other enemies die after they get hit by this too... so... Boy, it sure was a lot easier to make fun of Robin Hood.  Poco comes with quite a few abilities to start with. Battle Drum increases attack for Poco and anybody adjacent to him. He also gets Speed Ocarina, which increases agility with the same range. Slow Bass is a debuff that slows down opponents, but to be honest its use is fairly limited when most of the time you'll want to be one-shotting enemies. Last, but certainly not least, Healing Harp will restore hit points within a certain range of the target. Even though Poco starts the game with half of his abilities, he isn't exactly a powerhouse to start. But don't worry. There's more good abilities coming, and his effective range will increase too.   Gotta love them animations, though.  As mentioned earlier, the L1/R1 buttons will free up the cursor to explore the current map. Let's check out our opponents.  Slimes are nothing new. Zombies are somewhat dangerous at this point, since they have fairly good attack and defense.  Ghosts have high evasion and agility, but aren't particularly troublesome at this stage. Flames, however, can ruin your day if you're not careful. They have surprisingly high evasion, and their attacks can cause some damage.   Arc, as usual, tears through anything on the battlefield.   Poco manages to get a couple of hits in, too. He's not as strong as Arc, but for now he can hold his own as long as the enemy doesn't gang up on him.  One thing about flames is that they don't always care to come after you right away. This one wandered around this corner of the battlefield until I got around to finishing it off.  Victory is ours! - I knew you could do it! - That's funny. I wasn't afraid when I was fighting with you. - Let's return to the castle. I'm certain the King will be impressed by your bravery.  With more party members, the overworld map and save screen get more and more active. It's the little things, sometimes. Anyway, back to the Hands-Sitters Nation.  - Then why, pray tell, was your return not accompanied by the battalion? - If you please sir...I...I...I...I...I...ohh. - Speak up, soldier. Who are you? - Yes, sir. I'm Poco, first snare and cymbal in the drum corps. - You were at Colbo Plain as well? - Yes, sir. The corps were destroyed, sir. Well, all except me, that is.King - What?! Destroyed? - He must be lying. That battalion was the best unit in the country. So, you lads just happened to escape unharmed, did you? Wait... their strongest battalion was eight troopers and Poco? That's pretty sad. - No, we extermined the monsters as requested, sir. Your test, remember? Unfortunately, the monsters there appear to be limitless.King - What? Limitless, you say? - How may we believe that you have beaten the monsters who have bested our finest? King - Monsters at our doorstep! How? Why?!! Pretty sure you just heard the why, Chief. - There is no time for delay. Why haven't they been engaged in battle yet?Guard - They have bested every infantry squad we have put before them. They seem invincible! - If His Majesty will just watch, I shall demonstrate the power granted me by the Guardian. Let's go, Poco. We have monsters to slay! King - I must admit that I am curious to see them in action. To the balcony, then! The King continues the tried and true tradition of doing absolutely nothing while teenagers handle all the work.   - Oh no! It's Kukuru! - Arc, what's happening? - The monsters have followed us from the plains! We need to stop them, HERE!Oh, no! Will our heroes prevail against the two slimes? Will they save Kukuru? What will be the fate of what is apparently the weakest nation in the history of the world? Find out next time! Or, you know, read ahead with that other LP. I promise, things get more exciting!* *-Future posts may or may not contain exciting content.
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Aug 22, 2023 16:15
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 Welcome back everyone. When last we left our heroes, Slimes were invading Seirya Castle and the king ordered some teenagers to do what his entire army can't. You know, JRPG logic. Also, one of my favorite Arc the Lad I battle themes here. Oh, Tindeck, how I miss you...    Here's everyone's stats going in. Pretty even for the most part.  I guess there are more than just Slimes to deal with. We've also got more ghosts, shaman, and monks. The shaman, in red and white, knows a few annoying spells, but can't fight well at all. Monks are just annoyingly above average that you have to take extra time to squish them, but typically not strong enough to present a serious threat on their own. They do like to cast Silence on party members though, which is very annoying.  A good idea at the start of every battle is to have Poco take time to buff everyone with battle drum and speed ocarina. Especially this early in the game, it can help tip the scales.  Kukuru's ability selection is decidedly white mage at this point. She can cure wounds just like Poco's healing harp, and she can cure poison, which is useful .01% of the time. This is because status ailments, with the exception of silence and darkness, are exceedingly rare to encounter. In my latest playthrough, I don't think I was ever afflicted with anything besides these two ailments the entire game. Not that I'm complaining! A JRPG that pulls its punches with status ailments is refreshing.  She also punches ghosts.  It's a bit hard to see here, but when the monks attack, they use a lightsaber. Not even kidding. Fortunately, Kukuru has also apparently had Jedi training and dodges with ease.  The shaman uses a sleep spell on Poco and Kukuru. The success rate is hilariously low.  Kukuru using her healing magic. One interesting thing to note is that characters can level up when casting cure spells. And, oddly, characters can level up from being healed by a cure spell. It's worth noting that I've seen characters (And occasionally, enemies) level up for just about any reason. Attacking, killing, healing, opening a chest, throwing a rock at someone, it's all experience. I even once had a character level up for seemingly no reason after one party member ended their turn and before someone else started theirs. Gogen is a man of many mysteries.  - Yes. It appears that I showed up just in time. I... - I trained in the...special skills...like I said, so I could...follow you. But, I think it was a little soon to fight so...hard. I'll be all right if I can just rest for a while. - Don't say any more. Conserve your strength. - Boy, she looks awful. Look at her face! She's white as a ghost! We'd better get her inside.Arc was gone for what, a day or so tops? Kukuru must have read the Cliff Notes version of those holy scriptures.  Victory and loot!   - I did tell you I was blessed by the Guardian. - Impudent boy! I would advise that you choose your words more carefully and be mindful of whom you are addressing. He's saying what we're all thinking! King - I really don't mind. These children saved our hides. Pfft. Arc, pay no heed to Andel. He has control issues. So...now that you've proven yourselves, I wish to ask your help in finding the legendary Ark. But before we go into that...I wish to speak of the legend from the ancient texts, and about my brother. So that's Andel, eh? Enter Evil Fat Man #2. Strap yourselves in for some exposition.      King - That Ark, it is said, contains the only hope to save our world when humanity is again in peril. Nowadays, everyone refuses to believe this legend...but...my brother sincerely believed it. He left for Millmana 20 years ago to stop the war between their country and ours...and hasn't been seen since entering Toyoke Forest. When my brother left, he was consumed by the belief that humankind was dying. - My liege, you should not speak such things to strangers. King - But the things he told me about the legend have come true! Monsters HAVE appeared, and strange things HAVE occurred. Arc, you must go to Toyoke Forest to learn what my brother may have seen, where the Ark is, and how it may be opened. - Your Majesty, if it pleases you, I wish to accompany Arc and Poco as well. King - And who is this beautiful brave warrior? (His name is Poco.) King - Ah yes, the lineage of White, protectors of the Flame Cion. I see. - My power was granted not only to serve the royal family, but to shape the future that the hero will bring. I have learned these things from the ancient manuscripts. - Hrmph! Well, then, this quest is convenient for you, hm?King - Enough!  That was a badass enough slap in Andel's face that I upgraded the king to a face.  - I see. Kukuru, you may accompany them. My personal airship awaits you at the royal skyport. We are now depending on you. I pray that you do not disappoint. - Leave it to us.  Mirror (  ) - Fool! You allowed him to be seen in the King's eyes as a hero. - It's too early to regard this upstart as the hero, but he should be watched. He and his companions are leaving for Millmana now. - Then we'll let General Yagun put him to the test there. The General will settle this either way. Do you still doubt that this lad is the hero of legend? - I have no doubt...that he must die!Dun dun DUNNNNNNN! This game is exposing supposed allies as traitors to humanity before they even appear in the game proper!  Our world map stage is getting more and more crowded.  Keep in mind how timid Poco is right now.  Lets take a look at our items. The Magic Card is a good magic booster, but since Arc is the only character with attack magic right now, he's the only one who gets any use out of it at this point. The other item is Jump Boots. It boosts Jump ability by 1. Poco's the only one who doesn't have a point in jumping yet, so he can have them.  Everyone needs at least one useless ability as part of their contractual obligation for this game. Arc gets his out of the way early.  Poco starts tanking flames.  And so, this is the map of Seirya as we head out to Millmana. When next we come back, all hell will break loose. You'll see what I mean next update. Don't try any of the random encounter maps shaded red in Seirya after you leave the country this time. You'll be able to come back soon, and for some silly reason the monsters in these areas get upgraded to end-game difficulty between when we first leave and when we can come back. If you need to, Millmana is way better for early level grinding.  Yup, a 19th century music composer is our airship pilot. He's every bit as awesome as he sounds.  - Know that after entering Millmana, you cannot leave without permission from the military. It's also good to note that monsters in Millmana are sronger than the ones here.  You can ask Chopin for advice, but all he does is re-hash Yoshua's tutorial letter. Chopin's tips do evolve over the course of the game, however. He gives you some advice on more advanced mechanics of the game, as well as some leads on optional content. Overall, a good guy. - All aboard!All aboard the SS Anachronism!  I pick on this a few times, but really it's just refreshing to meet a king who actually gives you something awesome to help you save the world instead of, say, 500 gold or something.   The area transition FMV is pretty cool. The airship flies while a superimposed map shows the party's destination on the world map.  Scenic Millmana! Vibrant but lethal flora, forests that are actually swamps, secretly covert but obviously evil generals, Millmana has it all. Book your tour today.   And this is Millmana's map. It'll have quite a few destinations by the time we're done with it.  Headquarters looks like a giant metal ship for some reason.  The General's office, meanwhile, looks like something out of a British outpost in Africa from the 1800's. Warrior - Ahem. The envoys from Seirya, General. Yagun - You disappoint me, Sergeant. I expected more than sniveling children.  I don't envy that man his job.   - And I am General Yagun, commander of Millmana's forces. I understand that you wish to gain entrance to Toyoke Forest. You don't have any idea what you're asking! That place is much too dangerous for children. You've either got guts, or you're just too damned stupid to live. Why don't you just leave the monsters to us? - Hey, hold on just a minute! You can't just dismiss us like that! We may be young, but we're here as representatives of the King...and as such, you should treat us with the proper respect. - Pardon me, YOUNG lady. I was led to expect a battle-hardened soldier endowed with special fighting skills. I'm quite sure you understand my disappointment. There ARE legions of monsters in the forest now, so the danger is QUITE real. If you were captured or killed by the monsters, I would bear all the blame. I have no desire to shoulder responsibility for the actions of emotional children. Hah, hah, hah... - Laugh as you will, but the soldier you were expecting stands before you. I am blessed with the power of the Guardian, and my friends are skilled in battle. We are more than a match for even your best soldiers. - He's right. Our skill cannot be denied. The King has witnessed it personally. - Very well, then. I will give you a chance to prove your boast. Recently, monsters have been seen near here, too. Use your SPECIAL gift to rid the area of monsters and report back here. If you can't best THEM, you'll NEVER defeat the monsters in Toyoke Forest.  - And make sure they stay in one piece. I'm not in the mood for any...messes today. I think Ruvag Woods and Sembara Marsh would be good places to start. Let them warm up with the monsters there. I'm looking forward to some GOOD news for a change. That's all, Sergeant.Warrior - Yes, sir.  And the party files out of the office awkwardly. Evil Fat Man #3, folks. Two countries in and there's already a trio.  - Oooh! That man's attitude really bothers me! He believes us to be about as capable as his monkey. - Well, you have to admit, we don't look like warriors. What can we do? - We can show the General we're the best warriors around, that's all. - Are you sure? We don't even know what kind of monsters they have here. - We don't care. We just...do it. Right, Kukuru? - Exactly.There's a couple of interesting NPCs around, though nothing important per se.  I predict we're going to need some duct tape on that fourth wall pretty soon.    Warrior - Let's move out.    Uh... that guy over there was watching. - Mmmm. That's better. Sweet dreams. Let's go - Um...i...is he gonna be okay? - He'll be fine. He'd just be in the way if he came along. - She's right. We need to do this ourselves. Let's go. Seriously, he just stared at the party for that entire altercation. Top Yagun really needs to work on his hiring standards for guards.  So, let's go fight in some marshes and some marshes that are named woods.  Sembara Marsh has a new enemy type.  Skeletons are pretty scary in physical combat, especially if you take them head-on.  They also took some notes from the blood skeletons in Castlevania, since if you get them to 0 HP they collapse only to get back up in a couple of rounds.  Fortunately, they skipped some of the more important notes, since attacking them one more time while they're down will finish them off.  Poco unleashes the beast on a hapless skeleton.  Guess who got a range upgrade!   Arc the Lad logic is hard at work. Normally you can't get next to these chests and attack them, but offensive items or abilities will do just as well. Although, if you're looking to the future, you'd hang on to as many stones as you can for the moment. You won't see why in this update, but it'll come into play in the near future.  Poco makes the enemies' clothes come off.  Woah there killer, save some of that energy for Toyoke Forest. Weren't you whining earlier today about fighting monsters in the Colbo Plains? I guess Millmana's marshy air agrees with our murderous musician.  Ruvag  As usual, get to work buffing right from the get-go.  Ooh, Arc gets a new ability. Time to cause an Ice Age!    Sigh. I promise, it gets a lot better later on.   Plants are somewhat of a pain. They don't move, but they can split like Slimes by shooting a seed to an unoccupied space two squares away. Since they usually hang out at the farthest end of the battlefield, they can swarm before long. Thankfully, like Slimes, they cut their HP in half when they split.  They have a bad habit of bitch-slapping if you don't take them out quickly.  Fortunately, Arc is able to take care of business.  Mighty Flies can be a bit of a hazard since they move quickly, can cover a lot of squares, and can pass over any terrain. They also hit pretty hard.  You know, when badasses like Poco aren't just Matrix dodging them. (Piles of dead enemies later)  - Ehhh, heh, heh, heh! You've got quite a mouth on you there, kid. Your little dalliance with the monsters nearby has proven nothing of substance. Now if you were to defeat the beasts in Toyoke Forest, THAT would be an accomplishment. I've sent numerous detachments there to clear the area and none have returned. Your smart mouth would be of little use in that godforsaken place, I assure you. If you choose to go, you do so of your own will. I cannot be responsible for your safety. - But you will bask in the glow of our victory, no doubt. We take our leave of you, then. You shall not see us again until we are victorious. - Hmmmmm. Have I underestimated these children? Perhaps they ARE the ones of legend. And if that's the case, I had better find a way to finish them off...and soon. Ehhh heh heh heh...ha ha ha ha ha ha...Ahhh...hah hah hah hah!  - See that the adventurers reach the forest...and use whatever means you find entertaining to turn them to nourishment for the flora.  - Mmm. An eco-friendly megalomaniac is so refreshing in these dark days. It shall be carried out exactly as you desire. Gee, it's almost like Top Yagun wants us to fail, huh? Well, time to board the Anachronistic Express!   ~Runaway train never goin' back...  Warrior - Stay close to me. If you lose the trail, it is certain death. (Literally ten seconds later)   - Do you think he's still irritated about the sleeping bomb, Kukuru? The only new enemy is the ninja. As you might expect, he has ridiculously high speed and evasion, and at this point in the game will kill anyone except Arc in two attacks.   I say except Arc because he has main character powers and would have to sit there and let the ninja go to town for about five or six attacks to fall to critical health. Also, beware getting any strain of Ninja to critical health. If you do so without finishing them off, there's a high chance on their next turn they will do an unblockable self-destruct attack. It can really knock your socks off if you aren't expecting it. There's a couple other enemy types that do this and it's a huge pain.  Poco takes up gardening for this fight.    And Kukuru takes up... dying, I guess. This could be a running theme for Arc the Lad I.  Anyway, ninjas aside, the battle is pretty one-sided with casual leveling. I hope you liked that exposition near the beginning of the update, because its big brother is coming to play!   - It's so beautiful! - I...I've never seen a forest this radiant and alive before. ? - Forests the world over were all like this once, but you, blind humans, have spoiled them in the name of greed.   Forest Spirit (  ) - I have waited long for your arrival. - You knew I would come? - Yes. Since the time of your father 10 years ago. - You know my father? He was here? - Yes. The Crown prince of Seirya. Your father. - It's true! Arc's father would have been the King! - Can you tell me why he left? I must know. - Your father, Yoshua, was in danger, as was the entire royal lineage. He was attacked and left for dead. He dragged himself to this forest, where I healed him. Though he was returned to health, he said he wished he had perished. The strife amongst the humans of this world had made him weary, and he was fast losing hope that he could make a difference that could save them. - It's true! Humanity is dying. It's just as my father feared! - You humans believe that the world is out of your control. You have lost the wonder and love in your hearts for the amazing world into which you were born. And therefore, you seek to bend nature to your careless desire. As a result, you bring pain and eventual death to that which gave you life. - Not all people are that way! - Yoshua said as much. So, I gave him the final hope and trial. To keep his future alive...And he fights for your future, still. In fact, he entrusted the key to you, Arc. - Key? I don't know what is expected of me. Did he tell you any more? - Stay on the path, Arc. All will become clear in due time. I trust that humanity has found a capable defender, for their destiny is truly in your hands. Here, Arc. Yoshua left this with me to deliver to you upon your arrival. Hero Crest Received! - Your next task is to return to Touvil in your homeland of Seirya. Go quickly... Once there, I trust your father will make the way clear for you.  - My father...he's still alive!? Come BACK! COME BACK! WAIT! - Perhaps that was a clue of some sort. Arc, if your father IS still alive, I know you'll find him. - But we're not going to find him here. We should get moving, then. Besides, I'm getting hungry. We're no good to anyone if we starve to death. - You're right. All we'll become here is lonely, cold, and hungry. We must press on.Life is pain, Arc. Good God this LP is going to give me Carpal Tunnel. By the way, it's necessary to visit the Forest Spirit eight times in the game for a good item near the very end. This was the first, and you need to come back immediately after certain story events. If you miss even one of these "checkpoint" visits then you will never see that nice item. I recommend an FAQ for this reason alone.  And here's Millmana map, fully explored. Somehow that big bullet train crossed a small body of water to get to Toyoke Forest. By the way, if you haven't leveled up a few times by this point in the story, it's best to grind out a bit in the random encounter zones. There's a sharp increase in difficulty when we get back to Seirya, and if you aren't prepared you'll be stuck. More on that next time. See you next update!
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Aug 22, 2023 18:14
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Hey everyone, hope you like gigantic updates! For you, Chopin? Always. But, let's see if he has any good advice for us yet.  Hrm... relevant.  Before you leave Millmana, go back to Toyoke Forest.   - Change for the future begins in the present with those that listen to their hearts. Return to Touvil and continue on the path you are destined to travel, Arc. Here. Take this Cure-All to aid you in your journey.Visit number two is done. It'll be a hot minute before the third visit comes up. Still, feel free to come back multiple times if you want free Cure-Alls. You won't need them.  Send me to the stars, Chopin!  Huh, okay. Guess we should go see him.  Couple new encounter zones opened, but they actually contain end-game random encounter monsters. Gee, wonder why. See, this is one way you can get stuck. If you don't level up enough in Millmana for the next couple of encounters, you can't go back. You can only grind on the newbie monsters in Colbo Plains or get stomped in these new zones. Luckily, you guys have me on your team. (I kind of fell prey to this the first time I played hush) I know this part seems redundant after my shpiel last update, but I can't stress enough how much of a no-win this can become if you aren't prepared for it ahead of time.  - Yes, it does seem like ages since we left.Probably because everyone won't stop talking. - I bet no one believes what a great warrior I've become. I know I don't!Never change, Poco.   Badass comin' through. - Hmm. That was interesting. What do you suppose he did? - Well, that was the elite corps. He must be a fairly dangerous criminal. - I don't know. He didn't have the eyes of a criminal...Guard - You're back, young Arc! Have you succeeded in carrying out the King's request? - We did exactly as requested, yes. Mission accomplished. Say, who was the prisoner those guards just dragged into the castle?Guard - Oh, he's a guard from town. I heard that he was actually an outstanding guard, but... - I suppose he's done something terrible to end up in restraints.Guard - You didn't hear this from me, but I think he was imprisoned for his beliefs. - Yes...go on.Guard - The Minister wants to evict many of the citizens of Palencia to allow room for more guards. He wants to have a military state where no one can move without his knowledge. It's not a popular plan with the people, as I'm certain you can imagine. They are rallying in protest. Guard 2 - Hey, you talk too much! Your tongue will be the end of us both! Arc, the King is awaiting your presence. You should go... Seriously, did you see how many Poco clones they needed to bring him in?   Guard 2 - I can't believe that one of our best would turn on us.  Guard 1 - Your first allegiance is to the King. You chose to forget that.  - No! This time it's different. Innocent people, my people, are being killed! Don't you care?Guard 1 - I follow orders. That's it. If you had done that, you would still be out here. Guard 2 - Hah, hah, hah! Try not to think so much. - What about the people that live here? Have you no conscience?Guard 1 - That kind of talk is for the philosophers and politicians. Get some rest. You're going to need your strength... Guard 2 - Yeah, you've got to kill all of us in about five minutes! Guard 1 - ...What? Guard 2 - What?  - Excellent. The King will be pleased, I'm certain. Unfortunately, he has taken ill, and cannot hear your report in person. Arc of Touvil, I shall hear your report and relay it to His Majesty. Proceed.  - Let's hear it.Captain - The rebel Tosh has been captured and immured in the dungeon. - Excellent work, Captain. We had bett... Ah...Arc, I'm afraid I have rather pressing business to which I must attend. I shall hear your report at a later time. You are dismissed.  - Yes, I noticed the change in his voice when he heard the news. - I wonder... - I wonder when we get to eat. I'm starving. - Poco. Now is not the time for jokes. - I wasn't joking. I'm really hungry. - It will have to wait. We need to check up on the Minister. - Poco, you know how to get to the dungeon, don't you? - Yes, I know how. But I'm... - No time for excuses. We must see what's really going on here... - Lead the way. We're right behind... - ...but, I'm afraid of...well...it's off limits...and it's...it's...kinda...you know...stinky. Ooohhh...I have a very weak stomach...All right gang! Let's go into the creepy dungeon!   Yay!   Oh.  Guard 2 - The Minister is adamant that we cannot have a breach of security at such a critical time. - He believes that I pose a security risk? You cannot be serious. He massacred my family, my clan!Guard 1 - He's deadly serious, as you are soon to discover. - I fail to understand how trying to stop the eradication of my clan makes me a security risk!Guard 1 - Your failure to obey the Minister's order betrays your allegiance. - He BURNED my village to the ground! He KILLED my father! What did he expect?!Guard 2 - Allegiance. Listen, if you had just kept your mouth shut, you'd still be one of us. Guard 1 - You should have known that you couldn't stop it. All you did was seal your fate as well. But, if you're going to bring trouble on the Guard, good riddance, I say. Guard 2 - Pfft. I'm with you there. We don't need any more chaos. Guard 1 - I pegged you for trouble from the start, and you turned out exactly as I imagined. - Grrraaahhhhh!!!!Guard 1 - Hah. Don't get all worked up about some slight that passes my lips. Believe me, you have much bigger things to worry about now. Guard 2 - But not for long. Hah ha ha ha! - Father...what calamity have I brought to the clan? Are we all to perish? Elder - Tosh, we are outcasts from society. But always remember the people who still need our protection. - I like the view of Palencia from here the best. Even our humble hovel looks beautiful from this serene vantage point.Elder - You are ready to care for the clan, Tosh. I shall retire to this place and leave them to you. - They can't do this! I won't LET them do this!   Holy BALLS!   - Wait...there's something wrong.Guard 1 - I think it's the fear of losing his country that's made the King sick. Guard 2 - Yesss, the once-great King grows weaker by the moment. Guard 3 - These lands are so corrupt and twisted with fear, we won't have to do a thing. They will fall of their own accord. Guard 1 - Palencia first, my comrade. Then the rest shall tumble before Romalia. It's so great talking about our conspiracies out loud! Right guys?!   Wait, his sword lights on fire naturally? Holy crap! Guard 1 - Grahh! You'll not leave here alive! How dare you challenge the King's guard! - The charade is over! I'm the only real guard here! I shall put an end to your heartless slaughter of the innocent. Guard 2 - Killing people? That's your life story, isn't it? Thank the gods it's almost over. - Silence! I don't think you're in a position to dictate my fate any longer! Guard 1 - Possibly true. Then again, perhaps not. GET HIM!  - I smell the fear within you all. Your end is NOW! Annnd dead. Poor Tosh. - I can scarcely believe it! The guards are all...monsters!?! - It certainly is far more interesting than I'd imagined down here... - The mirror...it's shining... - Mirror? - It is handed down by our clan. The legend says that its shining precedes the hero. The mirror is blessed with the power of the Guardians. - I know whose side I'M on. COME ON! - There is no doubt now...that I can SMASH YOU ALL!! - I'm not handing this country over to monsters. Tosh's first stop on the pain train starts him off with ridiculously high attack power. Trust me, this train does not stop anytime soon. Oh yeah, equipment. The Hit Scroll adds to attack success. The Hero Crest restores MP every turn, but only Arc can use it. So, Tosh gets the scroll.  The ghouls are nothing new, just stronger zombies that sometimes paralyze. The Doll Master, that creepy goon in brown, can be a pain to take down. Their attack isn't the highest, but they can take a lot of punishment and hit hard enough to make it risky business.  So how good is Tosh?   That good.  Turn on the pain, baby!   Kukuru learned a couple new spells. She also got her useless ability in, Silencer, which sometimes mutes spellcasters. Refresh isn't exactly useful most of the time, but by comparison...  Meanwhile it's still Tosh o'Clock... the rest of the party is still working on those ghouls from earlier.  Seriously, this guy is a machine.  - So tell us, why were you made their prisoner? - Forget it. It's in the past now. besides...it's best if you don't get involved. But, thanks...for the thought.  I'm pretty sure you can guess where most of the kills went in that fight. Sadly, Tosh is out of the picture for a bit, but he'll be back later.  - Yes, Sire. - An obvious lie! This is not the son of royalty! Your Majesty, surely this whelp is a rebel spy... - A rebel...? We really don't believe such a lad as this could be a spy. Cut to opening credits! - Arc, do you have any evidence that you are indeed the son of my brother? - The Guardian said she had received this from your brother. - Why, this is the Hero Crest that's been in the royal family since times immemorial. You give me hope, my lad... my brother may yet draw breath.Cut to opening... crap. used that one already. - What is the connection between the Ark, the Guardian, and my brother? - I'm afraid that's unclear still, Sire. The Guardian said he had made a pact with her about the future of humanity.So, I just want to cut in here to say that they keep calling the Forest Spirit a "Guardian" but she isn't one of the big five Guardian Spirits that factor into this game's overall story. Truth to tell, I'm not sure what she's about, or whether she's some sort of otherworldly consultant or something. I only bring it up because there's this quiz minigame a bit later on, and I found it annoying that they ask you about the Forest Spirit and that is a specifically wrong answer during that. - Humanity's future? What on earth have we done? - In the name of greed and ambition, we have pillaged the land, endangering our future. The natural balance has been upset and we are at risk of paying the ultimate price for our folly. - Seirya is known as the Guardian's Home. Is even our sacred land not exempt from this peril? I fear my brother left our family because he could not bear to accept such a reality. So then, my friends, where does that leave us? - I don't know. But, the Guardian said to await guidance from my father back in Touvil. I would ask permission to pursue that course. - I see. Of course. Set forth at once. I shall assist you in any way I can. That is to be my role. I sit on this throne, after all, only because of my brother's absence. - Thank you very much, Your Majesty.   Poco's a nice kid, but a little slow on the uptake.  - You have a keen sense of the obvious. - His power seems to have grown since he was here last. - I see. I shall warn the generals of this nuisance. YOU must keep him from discovering the Ark, fool. - I...I shall not fail you. I plan to search Touvil for a message from Arc's father. If I get it first, perhaps I can slow his advance. - I'm looking forward to hearing a good report from you...for a change. - Yes, Master! Welp, time to go home. Get ourselves a free herb, be too upset to read my dad's tutorial letter...  That's always promising. - Oh, no! My house! Typical, really.   - Arc, what... what happened?Really bitch? Three guesses. - Is the rest of the village destroyed as well? - Demolished. There's nobody anywhere to be seen... - Something very bad got here ahead of us. Someone or something knew you were coming... - I feel so helpless! I don't even know where to start righting this wrong!  - ...It's from my father!Deus Ex Machina delivery service, straight to the burned remnants of your door!  - As you heard from the Forest Spirit, the world is near its end. The Ark that will save the world is in Seirya. However, to gain control of the Ark's power, you must seek out the Guardians of this land and obtain their blessings in the form of Power Stones. Most of them have been hurt by humankind, and have closed their hearts to us. I want you to turn the Guardians' eyes from the greedy ones, and help them to open their hearts again. While it's true that I once lost all hope, I haven't surrendered in the struggle to believe in mankind. The ancient book that will guide your journey can be found in the circle of stone, at the Ancient Monolith near Touvil. I know this letter must come as a shock to you, my dear son. I only wish I could tell you the story in person, Arc, and reveal what must seem such a mystery to you.  These ramblings are seriously getting out of hand.  - Poco, Kukuru, I cannot guarantee anything at this point, but I would be honored if you joined my quest. - I'm not so strong and maybe not so much help, but I'm not afraid when I fight by your side. Besides, running away won't solve anything, so I'll stick with you. - I told you when you started this journey - we share the same path. I can't quit now. - Well, then, where to start? I have no clue as to how to find my mother. I only know that these events are all pieces of the same puzzle. Our first step should be to find the book Father mentioned. Let's go! All right! Let's go! ...Straight back to Arc's house!  Romancing Stone doesn't do anything on its own, we have to find all four to Actually, I have to fact check myself on this one. I can't believe I forgot this at the time, but I posted a question about the Romancing Stones on the GameFAQs forum for Arc the Lad Collection when I played through it ages ago, well before the first LP attempt. I received the following response in that post: Romancing Stone (White): Increases Jump Level to 2 Romancing Stone (Yellow): Increases Throw Level to 2 Romancing Stone (Blue): Increases Absorb (Damage) Level to 2 Romancing Stone (Red): Increase Retaliate (Counter-Attack) Level to 2 These are all more or less useless by themselves. However, once you have all four of the Stones, if you equip them all to a character then their MP cost for spells/skills is 0. I know that sounds cool, but it's honestly still kind of a waste unless you want to basically solo the game as Gogen. Still, you can't get them anywhere else, and they factor into Arc 2.  Way to break that fourth wall, Kukuru. It doesn't stand a chance at this rate.  Anyway! Let's go find that monolith!  Must... not... make... obvious joke! - This is the place my father described in the letter.I really must have zoned out when I was transcribing that letter. "Dear Son, there's a clue at the old - Whew! That was quite a hike. I'm pooped. I'll just take a break here while you rummage around, okay? - Look! Arc! What's this? - It looks like some kind of writing. Let's see... Huh... okay...  Wh, what? A fight? ...All right bring it! Let's   ...Guys... might want to turn around. All right! Let's take on the hardest fight in this section of the game! ...Next time, on Let's Play Arc the Lad Collection! (Now roll credits!)
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Aug 22, 2023 19:34
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I keep starting AtL games but I never finish them.
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Aug 22, 2023 19:36
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So when last we left... this rear end in a top hat.  Couple new pieces of equipment also. The weird little brown thing is the Fiend Statue, which raises dodge ability. While we're at it, let's take a look at stats thus far.    So far, Kukuru is keeping up with Arc and Poco. As long as you use her for a backup fighter/heal mule, she does pretty well with experience. Poco's leveling has gotten a little slow, but he'll have plenty of time to workout soon. All right, let's go! Time to teach the Illus-   In case you can't tell, this fight is going to be a bag of dicks.  This fight can get lethal very quickly. Illusion Lord commands several offensive spells. Besides his ridiculously successful sleep spell, he can also use some wide range elemental attack magic that easily takes off half a character's max HP. To boot, his illusion flames are competent fighters, and will usually gang up on one person.   For example.  Even though attack magic hurts this early in the game, you want to try and keep the party together. If the illusion flames can isolate someone, they can go down very quickly. Getting Arc to tank them is ideal, with Poco for his usual buffs and Kukuru on healing duty. The more flames you clear out, the easier this part of the fight becomes.  Illusion Lord's one, and pretty much only, weakness is that his MP pool is actually pretty low. Once he throws out a few offensive spells he can only attack adjacent blocks from his central body. In case it's hard to see, this would be the area around that eye on his stomach.  At this stage in the fight, you can sit back and throw spells at him...  Sadly, it's woefully ineffective due to his insane magic defense. Arc's spells don't do much more than this, either.   Throwing stones is surprisingly effective during this fight. The damage is a little unreliable, but it's free damage and you don't really need stones for much else during the game.   Arc can hit fairly hard, at least compared to other attacks against the Illusion Lord.   On the other hand... ouch. He hits like a truck.  It takes practically all the stones in my inventory, combined with the occasional lucky spell or melee attack, but eventually the Illusion Lord crumbles. This fight was seriously one of the most frustrating parts of my most recent playthrough, too. Unless you feel like grinding to ridiculous heights, Illusion Lord is always a touch and go fight. I wonder if he could be silenced? That would at least take out the ranged multi-target attacks. Still, he smacks people around like it's going out of style. Also, I guess the fact he still managed to put my party to sleep means I suffered three ailments in the entire game, not two as previously quoted. My bad.   - Fortunately for you, or that monster would still have you! - Excuse me, but who are you? - I am known as many things, but most commonly I am called Gogen. I have waited in there over 3,000 years for you. - Waited? - You came here for the ancient book, didn't you? - So, you mean you...? - Yes. I'm "the book," here to guide you on your quest. Ho, ho, ho, ho, haaah... - All right...now that the laughter is out of your system, tell us, what do we do to gain the power of the Ark? - Well, since I'm awake again, that must mean there is trouble among the Guardians. You ought to save the five Guardians who bind this world together. Yes, that's what you ought to do. I think. - Five Guardians? Keep talking. - Yes, yes. They... organize this world and control it. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Light. If the Guardians accept you, they'll give you the stones that embody their power. Collect the five stones and break the seal of the Ark. And summon Captain Planet, as a bonus. - So, okay...how can we find these Guardians? - You probably already know the answer to that. Tell me, who or what led you here? - Led us... the letter from my father?! - And where did that come from? Hmmm? - It's from Alatos! We must travel to Alatos! - That's quite some distance from here. - We'd need an airship. - All right, we'll ask the King for help. He said he'd help us. - You guys seem to have your minds made up. Now, shall we go? - Oh! You're coming with us, then? - Don't you know who I am, plowboy? I'm the Book! I mean... I'm Gogen the Great. The Great Gogen, ancient magic master. Er, master of magic. - So, you mean you can use great magic, too? - Certainly. That's what I mean. Maybe...I mean, it's been 3,000 years, you know. - Perhaps you're still a little groggy... - All right, enough of that. Let's get back to Palencia! - Say there, Arc! Wait up! What is that stone... Do you have a Romancing Stone, boy? Wait up!The "item get" noise plays during that last sentence; Gogen gave us another Romancing Stone. We've got half of them now, but they still don't do anything as-is. Dammit, Past Me! Get your poo poo together.  Yup, Gogen spices things up by floating around and sleeping. Works great at parties.  - Yes. I believe they are scattered in the far corners of our world, Majesty. - Very well, Arc. You shall have full use of my airship, the Silver Noah. And here, please take this with you, Poco. - Ooh, that's nifty! What does it do? - It is a drum possessed of unique ability. You should find it useful in battle. - Why, thank you, Majesty! - Retrieve the Five Power Stones and return here without delay. I shall await your report. - We leave at once, Majesty. That about does it for Seirya. You can go back to the monument, and pick up three free stones each time you visit, but at this point it's a bit of a waste. To the skyport! Well, not entirely a waste. It's good to have a modest stockpile of stones for getting hard to reach treasures and such. 15-20 is plenty.  Even better! - I should leave this miserable town behind for good. drat! If only I could regain the power surge I felt the other day... Then I could give Andel and his brainwashed minions the beating they deserve! - Wh...where are you? Speak up! - It is not necessary for me to speak louder. You hear what I say all too well, for I am the Spirit within your blade. There is nothing but blind rage in your attacks. - I kill those that are destroying our world. What's wrong with that? - And what is gained by such folly? - Gmhh... [sic] - Follow the young man who fought beside you at Palencia Castle. You'll find in him the destiny which is yours and mine. They are preparing to depart this land soon. Hurry! - Hey, wait! I still have...hello?  - I am instructed to help you, so feel free to ask anything you wish to know. You may board now. - It's the fugitive guard from the castle! - I have no way to prove what I feel, but I must accompany you! I promise not to be moody, as was the case when last we met. - Oh, yes indeed! Come aboard! I daresay our little adventure mightn't be the same without you. So much for the whole moody thing, I guess. - Well...your manners could stand a bit of training. You could use a bit of personal hygiene as well... But, facts are facts. And, the fact is that this man is linked to your destiny, Arc. I can sense it. - How can you be certain? - Let's just say that when you've been around for over 3,000 years, the clue storehouse has a surplus. I sense that your spirits have been intertwined since MY journey began all those years ago. - Um, you're creeping me out a little. How could you know that? - I've been around. And so has the Ark. And so have you. Things are all coming together in quite a grand way. - I shan't even pretend to understand... - Perhaps it's best not to try... - If there are no objections, then, I'm ready to leave. By the way, I am known as Tosh. - I knew that already... - Why did I know that was coming? - Because you're beginning to see a glimmer of my magnificence? - Well, actually... - Enough! Let's get moving...You know it's a great JRPG when the characters get tired of talking.  Anyway, now the overworld map is available for area selection directly. Each time a new country is discovered through the plot, it becomes another access point for the airship. Pretty swanky, actually.  It's possible to revisit Millmana, but there's nothing new there just now. Tosh is just itching to deck somebody's face off. Anyway, to Alatos!  God... here we go. - You've been...waiting for me? - You come here to see Guardian, don't you? - Why, how do you know that? - My business is know things. Many things. - Your business? Do you want me to kill you now or later?If only, Tosh. If only. - Wow, wow, wow! You much big strong warrior, like tiger! Grab calmness! Chongara is friend! Anyway, come my shop and listen long time my story. Come on this way! Hurry, much fastness! - We're not going to follow that madman, are we? - As the way is put in front of us...so we should follow.  Not a lot to see just yet in Alatos. Ever since the giant Gogen formation set up in the northeast of the country, it... oh wait, that's just Gogen flying. Also, I wish I could find the rear end in a top hat playing the bagpipes and punch him in the eye.  God, everything about Chongara is annoying.  - Perhaps you can start by telling us where to find the Guardian in this region. - Oh. Before that, I tell about this place. This is first place people build a city after great calamity 3,000 years ago. That means this is place where our history began. That why so many ruins here, falling down now. Chongara is adventurer and always looking for the treasures. It is business, yes? - We have no interest in your business affairs. - Yes, yes. Rude is not good color on you. Perhaps you fix that, eh? OK, I tell you about Guardian. Make your ears stick up and listen. They say Light Guardian still at place people started their history. - Yes, that would put it in this general area, but can you be more precise? - Ungh, that not easy to do. Very hard for Chongara to think that hard. - I'm starting to get the idea that currency may help you remember...But money doesn't exist until the next game! - Mmmm. Chongara likes this pretty flower. You keep her, eh? Heh, heh, heh, heh. Bigger treasures, you know, they have the bigger monsters who protect them. So, Chongara cannot get them alone. I can take you to ruins, and you can get treasure there for Chongara. Then, I tell you where is Light Guardian. - I cannot believe you would try this! - Oh no! Do not doubt. Chongara never tell a lie. It is bad karma, eh? - So, I suppose the question is, "Do we trust this guy?" - Well, I can vouch for the accuracy of what he did actually tell us. It's all quite true. - I really want to believe what he says. And since he is our only lead, we have little choice. Besides, my father was once here, too. I think there is some connection. - Your father...? - What? - No, it is nothing. Let Chongara tell you about ruins. Listen big, eh? You need to fetch Summon Pot. Rumor says it is on 5th level. Ruins go deeper than 5th level, but monsters are bad and danger is big. The deeper you go, the bigger the trouble, so stay out of deep level, eh? Go too deep in dungeon, and go "boop! boop!" up in the sky, dead like goose. Eh, heh heh heh heh... Tomorrow danger, but tonight you stay safe with me. I don't even charge you, eh? - I've got a bad feeling about this... Well, time to go to the The Forbidden Ruins work a little differently than other dungeons. You start adjacent to the staircase leading outside, and you proceed by moving a character to the next staircase and ending their turn on that tile. No matter what is going on, if one character makes it, everybody moves on to the next level in the same condition. That means healing items and magic restoration will become important the further down you go.  The first level is easy street. Sembara Marsh enemies are hopelessly outclassed by now. The treasures are usually common stuff like herbs or power fruit. I'll try to point out some of the nicer stuff.  Oh, Poco's newest ability is now available for combat. What does it do, you may ask?   This becomes a pretty powerful move later on, though there are a couple better abilities in Poco's musical arsenal by the end of the game. That range, though...  Tosh is still kicking rear end. Sadly, the hit scroll I gave him in his debut fight appears to have disappeared when he rejoined the party, but oh well. There's better stuff anyway. I don't know what I'm talking about. I did the same thing in my most recent playthrough and the scroll was still on him.  Floor 2 introduces a new enemy type. Werewolves can hit pretty hard and have higher HP than most enemies. Given the structure of the level, it's best to bottleneck them with a couple competent fighters and then pelt them with special abilities.  Yeesh, that looks painful.  Oh, while we're at it, let's take a look at Gogen's abilities. He starts with Explosion and Dream Knock. Illusion Lord used both of these during the boss fight, but Gogen's is noticeably weaker since he's still pretty low level. He'll come into his own with a bit more time and patience.    Even though the range is pretty small, this is surprisingly good damage. Tosh hits for around that much in one attack, on average. This is probably my one biggest complaint with Gogen. Can't take a hit? Little to no attack power? Relatively slow? These are all things one comes to expect with a magic user. But the range on his spells is just so unfairly small for way too much of the game. While all of his spells get to the + range of hitting pretty early on, by around this point your other magic-wielding characters should be close to or perhaps even already have the next level of range beyond the basic +. Gogen's spells take way too long to get to that point. Add to that the fact he has to somehow keep up with the party and get in pretty close to the enemy groups without being right in front of them, and you have a character that isn't well planned out.  Also, I know I said it's good to bottleneck, but Poco has literally become a human tank already. Little guy can take some abuse as long as you keep him healed semi-regularly.  The next floor is a little magic-abusive, but not much in the way of new threats. Tosh has a significantly lower magic defense than the others, but his movement usually lets him get to a magic user before they can throw a spell.  Accessory get! We'll review the items received a bit later on, maybe next update.   The next floor is begging me for mercy in short order. The Poco rampage cannot be stopped.  More items!  The fifth floor is where we can find Chongara's treasure. There's also a new upgraded swordsman enemy here, which can get out of control if you're not careful.  Keep your eye on the birdie! I couldn't get a good screenshot right after, but Tosh throws his sword in the air, slugs the enemy in the face, and then catches the sword. Did I mention how great Tosh is?  Arc picks up a pretty handy heal spell. You'll typically want Poco and/or Kukuru on healing duty, but this is nice to have in a pinch.  Though personally I think the enemies need it more than me right now.  Kukuru's healing spell, meanwhile, gets a ridiculously good range upgrade.  And then Tosh gets his first ability!   It's a situationally useful paralysis ability. Usually you'll just want Tosh to one-shot whatever he's fighting, but sometimes it can come in handy to paralyze baddies before moving in for the kill.  Poco, stop! They're already dead! It's not worth it man!  You probably saw this chest in the first screenshot of the fifth floor, but here's the summon pot. Now we can go back and... ...  We need to go deeper!  Get 'im Tosh!   Oh no.    Bad thing! Bad thing! Gas cloud enemies are a bit of a sneak preview of things to come. Their physical defense and evasion is usually very high, but their magic defense is pretty low. Right now Poco and Arc are blowing them away. Gogen would too, but his MP tends to run out quick with his costly magic.  Oddly enough, paralysis works just fine on them too.  Anyway, the difficulty curve is pretty silly right now. I was thinking of trying to soldier through more of the Forbidden Ruins, but since it's supposed to be something you come back to later on in the game, the challenge goes up greatly. Plus, the enemies respawn on the way out, and there's no shortcuts; you take the stairs all the way back up.  Yeah, yeah, shut up you fat worthless troll. - We've fulfilled our part of the bargain. Now tell us where the Guardian is. - Yes, yes. Deal is good if pot is real. I have to inspect first, eh? - This is Summon Pot. Our deal good. Now then, tell Chongara why you want to see Guardian. Is that a biiig business? Chongara just want to know. No reason. Really. - The Guardians shall play a pivotal role in our mutual survival. - I'm not certain I understand it all yet, but we do need to contact them all...and soon. So, please, if you will, tell us where we might find the Guardian nearby. - What do you get from saving the world, eh? Riches? Fame? - Believe it or not, some people do good, not for personal gain, but for love of others. - Mmmm. Eeeeyaaaah...Not for personal gain...Hmmmm...is stupid, eh? Mmmm! You are one hero man talked about...Flashback time!    Yes! Finish the job!    Dammit Yoshua!  - Chongara grateful, but treasure is mine. Saw treasure first. I cannot give treasure. - Listen, you quivering pile of slothful avarice, I ask but one thing of you. One day a boy shall cross your path who fights not for personal gain, but for the good of all. I ask only that you favor that one with your assistance. With that, your debt to me shall be repaid. Remember my words. The boy shall come from the East, seeking the Light Guardian. - Chongara won't forget. Sounds like boring, stupid boy. But I will help, eh? - What? Oh...well, Chongara show you way to Azenda Highland next day. It is biiig day tomorrow. Now we sleep, eh? And with that, we're off to see the Light Guardian. See you next update! Oh, the next update may be a bit late. Phoenix Comicon is just around the corner, and cosplays won't finish themselves at the last minute. If any of you are in the area and you see a Phoenix Wright and/or Professor Layton cosplayer at the convention, you might be able to say hi to me! Ahh, simpler days. Been a few years since I've done a cosplay.
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Aug 22, 2023 20:15
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Welcome back everyone. Let's go find that Light Guardian! But first, how about some updated stats?       Everyone's doing pretty well. Except Chongara, because gently caress that guy with acid. His stats may look comparable on paper, but he's useless in a fight. You may also notice a few new items. The brown card in Arc's equipment is the Insomnia Card, which prevents sleep, and the square jewel in Tosh's equipment is the Armor Stone, which increases defense by 10%. The gray armband Poco's using is the Skill Bracelet, which turns a character's grab ability into Throw Back. Sounds cool, but it really doesn't come up that often.  Right, so let's take a look at the enemies. This battle can be pretty challenging, since all the monsters hit pretty hard. The bats especially, though lacking much of any defense, can hit very hard with their attacks. The lizards have high defense, and can also hit for high damage now and then. The golem at the top is... special. We'll get to him towards the end of the fight.  As I mentioned before, Chongara's shtick is that he can summon monsters to serve as allies. Right now, he's limited to the Healing Kelacks and the Mofly. The former is a potent source of additional healing, and the latter creates floor tiles over normally impassable zones. Naturally, since this is Chongara's debut, both monsters will be handy for this battle. He also has the ability to scan an enemy, which will give them an entry in a monster book.... thing... that largely has no consequence in the game. As mentioned in the character summary, it does something, just not a very useful or desirable something. Certainly not enough to let Chongara draw bad pictures of 100 different things throughout the game, some of which are totally missable if not done the first time around.  Chongara shouts something ending with "Screw Ya!" and then...  Bam! Instant monster. Just add worthless fatass.  Even though Tosh takes a lot of abuse in this battle, he's still the best source of damage to bats. Usually he can one-shot them. With Kelacks on backup healing duty, he can clear out the entire right half of the battlefield for you if you're careful.  Meanwhile on the left, Kukuru is getting destroyed by other bats. It's very possible to lose both her and Poco very fast right at the beginning, so make sure they're able to heal between salvos and let Arc take some of the heat if you can.  What a great team.  Another tug of the summon pot, and...  Mofly time! There's a few treasures here that the characters can't reach without Mofly's ability. Nothing rare or missable, so don't worry about it too much if you prefer to just cruise through the battle. One cool tidbit for this battle: If you go through the entirety of the Mofly's MP making floors, you will need three Moflies' worth of floor making power to get all the treasures on this level. I did it in my most recent playthrough. If you want that, it's best to keep Chongara safely behind allies, then let the Mofly get eaten by one of the lizard monsters. Chongara can re-summon a monster ally that's been killed without any issue, and the monster comes back with full HP/MP.  Haha... eat it, Chongara.   The lizards have a special ability that lets them hit everything adjacent to them. It can pack a punch if you crowd it too much.  Arc's having none of this bullshit.    Arc's Total Healing doesn't restore as much as Kukuru or Poco's magic (Yet), but it's better than nothing. And flashy as hell.  Tosh will not be stopped by treasure boxes!  Mofly's ability in action. It's every bit as thrilling as it looks. Gogen doesn't really have much stopping power in this fight, so he's mostly in charge of blowing up treasure boxes once he can reach them.  And now, for the ultimate challenge! Golem versus Chongara! Golem hits very, very hard, and has a long-range attack in case you're thinking of pelting him from a distance. He can also self-destruct, which he usually does fairly quickly when you confront him.     I find it hilarious.     Heh heh... you deserve every inch of suffering that comes to you, Chongara. As satisfying as it is to see Chongara get exploded, sadly this does prevent you from getting an accessory that the Golem drops. Therefore, it's actually better to kill it without the self-destruction.  (Phrasing.) - Let's hurry and meet the Light Guardian... Victory!   Light Guardian - You have shown a heart full of courage to come this far. Now, show that you possess a spirit of wisdom by listening carefully. Humankind has sacrificed the truth of our existence on the altar of selfishness. They have destroyed the natural wonder of this world to satisfy their greedy desire. Their illicit acts have weakened our power and opened the way for monsters to come. Even now, as the world turns to darkness and monsters of every sort appear... the people of this world fail to see the error of their ways. And so it comes down to you, brave Arc, to vanquish the beasts that threaten this world. Seek out the other Guardians and slay the beasts and restrain them. Then, listen to the tale each has to tell and gain their Power Stone. But, do not mourn a future of darkness. For you see, if you succeed in freeing all the Guardians, the future shall be only one of light. I trust in the light I sense within your souls that you shall accomplish your task. Therefore, I know that these gifts shall serve your mission well. Use them in good health.   Light Guardian - Go now, Arc! Our hopes lie with you... - Ooh, Chongara know this thing! With the King's Image you can steal experience of another. It is mine! The King's Image good payment for Chongara, eh?Do not equip Chongara with the King's Image under any circumstances.  - Very much fun that was. Then, goodbye to you. - What is Chongara still doing here? All excitement over, eh? Yeah... anyway, back to the airship. Boy, that was words-heavy.  - ...Hmm, hmmm, hmmm. What to do...it is not easy think time...no. - Step on board...we are preparing for takeoff.  - ...please take Chongara with you, eh? - Why? You only get involved when there's a profit in it, don't you? - Well, Chongara can change mind. After Guardian talk, Chongara's mind is new thing. So, if Chongara join you, my great talents be so helpful to big fight, eh? - All right, then. But you had better be on your best behavior! Gogen, what is our next destination? - The stone shall guide us now...behold! - Mysterious robe men who have much strange power in Amaidar...Greyshinne, eh? - Well, strange robes or not, we shall depart for Greyshinne without delay! [/i]Next stop, That is incorrect! And this is apparently where I messed up in the LP the first go-round. You need to go back to Millmana and visit the Forest Spirit in Toyoke for the next round of dialogue. Each of the next few visits should be immediately after you meet a Guardian.  Say what you will, but Greyshinne's got awesome scenery.  - I hear talk from other men, so Chongara doesn't know firsthand, but...    - Um, I'm scared now. - Oh Poco, calm yourself. These monkish types might be perfectly hospitable gentlemen... - Then again, they might be savage, inhuman killers.(Spoiler alert: You're both right!) - Well now, that certainly was not a reassuring thing to say, Kukuru. Have you no tact? - We must not delude ourselves that there is no danger. We cannot be lulled to complacency. - What he said. I think... - Well then, only one way to find out. Let's head for the temple...  Not a lot of choices for such a big landmass. Still, of all the lands in Arc the Lad 1, I'd say Greyshinne is my second favorite. Let's go see what the temple has to offer.  Archmonk - Their purpose in coming here is to meddle with the Guardian of Mt. Amaidar. Monk - Yes, but they are weak. We should not concern ourselves with them. Monk - Do not underestimate them. I sense in them a power I've never felt before. Archmonk - Hrmmpf! Summon Iga.  (I'm sure is going to be just fine.  ) Archmonk - Iga, a group of outsiders approaches. They will seek to take the sacred writings we preserve on top of Mt. Amaidar. You must prevent them from reaching the mountaintop. Can you do this for the temple's honor?  - The foreigners are ill-informed. Even I have never climbed that high. It is very difficult.Archmonk - If these sacred tomes from the days of our forefathers fall into their hands, they shall learn the secret of the seal, leading to a horrific outcome more terrifying than can be imagined. The honor and future of the clan rests with you, Iga. Do not fail us. - I shall do exactly as you desire, Master.(Not sure of the point behind mysterious robes for Iga, since there's not much mysterious about him at this point. But eh, whatever.)   (Kickass music, though.)  - One thing Chongara knows solid. This only way to reach Amaidar mountain peak.  HAI GUYZ!   - I warn you, travelers. It would be best if you turned back now. The mountain is forbidden to the unclean. Our sacred books must not be corrupted. - What sacred books? We seek only to speak with the Guardian of the mountain. - Ha! Again, you have acted exactly as the Master foretold. I shall not fall victim to your lies. - He's not going to listen to us, is he? - It appears we're going to have to step on a few toes here. I warn you, sir. Our mission is dire. If you stand in our way, we shall have to deal with you in a most unpleasant manner. - The fear of death is unknown at Amaidar Temple! - Well now, that's certainly a...progressive attitude. Hmmm... It seems we are at an impasse...but perhaps I can find a way around it. Let me think. - How about a match between you and this lad? Would you wager your skill against his? If our boy here loses, we march out of here. If he wins...you have only to lend us your ear.  Half-naked man fight time!  During the last fight one of the enemies dropped a Counter Bracelet. Not exactly useful to Arc since he already has a Counter of 2, but some other characters may get a kick out of it. Also, the black piece of crap above the yellow diamond is the King's Image, which gives Chongara all the experience his monsters earn in a fight. If I could, I would throw this stupid thing away. Like everything involving Chongara specifically, it's useless. Quite -unlike- Chongara, however, it is VERY useful in Arc 2.     Arc starts out by using Slow Enemy. Pretty fancy animation for such a useless ability. I was hoping to gain extra turns on Iga by doing this, but sadly it didn't pan out.         Well that... doesn't seem like a fair trade at all. I kept Arc a little underleveled for this fight to give it some challenge. If you solo grind Arc, he'll tear through Iga like you were fighting Chongara. But, if you're taking an evenhanded approach, Iga will prove to be a fairly challenging fight. His defense and attack power are both very high.  Case in point, he can do a little more than half of Arc's max HP per attack if you're unlucky.  Fortunately, Arc's mastery of laser light shows gives him the strength to carry on. Plus, since Arc counter-attacks pretty frequently, it's possible to hold your ground through pure healing if you wish.   Not like there's much point in using magic for much else during this fight. Meteor Swarm is woefully inadequate.  Poor Arc really takes a pounding during this battle.   But eventually, Main Character power conquers all.   Uh... where was he hiding that?  Look at all that experience! Being a little underleveled can also cause level ups at the most unusual times. Arc gained a level during the fight by using an herb on himself.  - We are not after any "sacred books" or sealing technique. We have journeyed to your mountain for another reason entirely. - A life of training...you defeated me too easily...how is it...possible? - Yes, it was rather quick. Do you wish to know why you lost? I shan't wait for the answer in the affirmative. It is because of your mind. Your body has been superbly trained. But the mind that leads such a finely tuned machine has not. Your skills lack spirit and purpose. - But...I used everything I had been taught...every technique. I never even saw it coming! - Well, what else can I say? There's more to fighting than you've been taught. I'd like to confer with your master. Is that permitted? - Wait...I need to speak to him, too. I shall take you there.  Archmonk - You need not confess your shortcomings...my own eyes behold your failure. And you even dare to bring these thieves into my innermost chamber! - Master, I meant no disrespect. I believe you may have hastily judged their intent.Archmonk - And now you DARE to judge... - Um, may I just interrupt here a second? I am really enjoying this humiliating exchange and all, but you're a poor actor, really. And how can we not be tipped off by your STENCH?! - How dare you insult the... - I know a filthy MONSTER when I smell one! Let me help you out of that disguise!    Well... that escalated quickly.  Fight time! Here's Iga's stats going in. Not bad, except for that aforementioned godawful speed. Also, the Short Sword he was carrying in his underwear boosts attack by 10%. Arc earned that bonus.  The Amaidar Monk and his Disciples are very strong. Their defense is average, but their attack and HP are high. Especially the big man himself; his HP is higher than even the Illusion Lord's.  Iga has two abilities to start with. Only one ability is open at first. Shingan-ho puts a mark on any enemy it touches.   Like so.  Then, Taima-kodan will unleash a ranged attack on any enemy marked by Shingan-ho.   Naturally, since it involves awesome looking lasers and he isn't Poco, it's an underwhelming move at best.  Tosh picked up a new move recently, and it's a a lot more useful!    It's not the flashiest move, but Tosh literally bends time and space to cut an enemy. Not only does this prevent them from counter-attacking, it's also totally un-blockable. Since these Disciples like to block head-on and side attacks, this is extremely potent.  Speaking of telling physics to sit down and shut up, Arc got a new ability too.     Granted, it's pretty weak right now, but give it time. This actually becomes one of his strongest offensive spells when all is said and done.  See, Iga? THIS is how you fire a laser.   Iga remembers he's a monk and starts punching.   Sadly, it doesn't go well for him.  I also have Chongara tank a Disciple because his pain is hilarious to me. Somehow, he actually kills one of them!  You'll want some constant healing when taking on the Amaidar Monk. His ranged attack can hit everybody remotely close by, and for low magic defense characters like Tosh they can barely take one hit.     Naturally, if Tosh is healed well, he'll ruin the Monk's day.  Oh boy! That's only useless! We'll get to that next update.  - They used your focus on physical discipline to undermine your spirit. - Well, then. That was...entertaining, eh? How about we head to the mountain? The Guardian awaits... Victory! And proof that Chongara can kill monsters!  Next time, we'll climb the mountain. Don't miss it! See you next update!
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Aug 22, 2023 21:35
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Taking a break from more posts because it might be overloading to have so many on one page. In the meantime, trying a solution for music by making videos for each Arc the Lad track, laying a basic title screen over, formatting through MeGUI, and uploading to YouTube. Thoughts? https://youtu.be/s4mnpXZTO3s
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Aug 22, 2023 21:40
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I have fond memories of playing this game as a kid. Not the most amazing or groundbreaking title, but certainly fun
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Aug 23, 2023 00:21
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I had a bit of a realization on my latest playthrough as to why so many people find Kukuru weak. She's one of the two characters who has 4 movement instead of 3 (Tosh being the other). All the characters start out with relatively decent physical attacks up until about the Illusion Lord fight. It's very easy to think Kukuru can function as a frontliner and over extend her. Since every action gives EXP if she dies early on in a map or two it can make her become underleveled very easily.
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Aug 23, 2023 13:26
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 Welcome back everyone! When last we left, our heroes beat up Iga, and then helped Iga beat up his master, who turned into a monster and beat up Iga! It's less exciting than it sounds. Anyway, let's go scale the mountain and find that Earth Guardian!  Oops, wrong way.  That's better.  So, this fight? One giant pain in the rear end. The spellcasters and slimes are nothing new, although the slimes are a little tougher. The big threat is those drat white monkeys.  If one hits you, you turn into a Hemo-ji, which is also what these monsters are called. This status ailment is one of the most annoying in the game. It seals off your abilities, and sharply cuts your attack power. Also, it seems characters will only semi-randomly snap out of it. Of course, Kukuru's Refresh ability will cure it, but when you have a single target spell and you're fighting about six enemies that can inflict the status with their regular attack... Ugh, fine, FOUR status ailments worked on me in this game. I was still not poisoned or paralyzed or turned to stone in my latest playthrough.  Gogen is extremely valuable during this fight, since his magic does high damage to everything except the magic users, and he can continue to roll out good damage if someone takes Hemo-ji hits for him. It's only an awesome coincidence that it looks like he's blowing up Chongara in this picture.  Tosh continues the pain train...  But then a Hemo-ji slams on the brakes.  Arc's spells are gaining some oomph to them as well. Enemies group up a lot during this fight, so area effect magic really pays off.  This is the way the fight ends, this is the way the fight ends, not with a bang, but with Iga's fist.  (They... cleaned it off, it looks like?) - Monsters have no regard for anything that humans cherish. They seem to have used this sacred place for a hideout. - Ahh! This cannot be! The sacred books have been stolen!? - The books you mourn losing were but neglected reminders of a gift you lost long ago.   Guardian - This ability is a gift from the Guardians. We gave these gifts in a time long forgotten. A time when humans could fully appreciate their divine source and be grateful for them. However, now they use this power to dominate the land around them with thankless irreverence. - You must be the Earth Guardian.Earth Guardian - Yes...I am. Though it pains me to witness what humanity has done to my ward. We did not bestow our gifts upon humankind to increase strife and selfish desire. But it seems that when people believe they hold exclusive dominion over the gifts of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, problems begin. These sacred treasures are not for human beings alone. A balance must exist in the natural world. Every creature, every living thing must share in and at the same time respect Nature's riches. I sense the purity of your desire, and trust that you shall not forget the words I have spoken. I therefore entrust you with my most sacred gift, the Earth Stone.  Earth Guardian - Remember...we are never far. Believe in yourself and you shall accomplish the task that lies before you...  Victory! Told you Gogen is useful in that fight. It's not often Chongara outslays Tosh.  - I would not blame you if you denied my request, but may I join your noble endeavor? Perhaps in your company I can find the purpose that now seems lost to me. - Iga, we'd be honored to have you in our company. - Thank you. I shall not disappoint.(Don't make promises you can't keep, Iga.) The time is coming soon when I talk about what changed my mind about Iga. Suffice to say, I think it was more an indication of my impatience than any actual problem with the good monk. - You heard the decision I've made. Amaidar holds nothing more to teach me now, so I am leaving. Our sacred temple has suffered a great shame. I do not know if it is possible to recover. If all of you departed as well, I would not blame you.Monk - There are yet many of us who have remained preserved from evil. Monk - You have shown me the bravery necessary to bare the faults within, and the strength to correct them. Monk - We shall remain and restore Amaidar Temple to the true path, protecting it until your return. - I am impressed by your humility and tenacity. When this sojourn is complete, I shall return - perhaps to a new beginning? We shall see. Until then, remain true to yourselves, my brothers.  And with that, we have our final party member and Greyshinne is complete!  Just kidding, there's a bit more.  There's a fighting area that you can do now, although the scale in difficulty means you can only do part of it before the enemies become too powerful.  But if you say No and have a good memory (Or an FAQ more likely), you can do quiz time for a prize!  Dude, this part is so boring. I'm just going to write down the questions and answers. You're not exactly missing much. How many characters are there in your party? 7 Who joined the quest right after Poco? Kukuru What is Tosh's strongest special ability? What is the Minister's name in Palencia Castle? What is the Guardian you met in Millmana? None (Forest Spirit isn't a Guardian) Told you. Game can't even decide on what to name its own Spirits properly. Name of the royal airship given to you by the King of Seirya. Silver Noah Which instrument DOESN'T Poco play? Autoharp (What is this, anyway?) What is the name of Arc's special ability that draws on cosmic powers from outer space? Gale Flash The alternate choices in this one are hilarious, though. Where is it said that you will meet friends who will share your destiny?     Don't get too excited, the Monolith Crest just protects against paralyzation. Nice in a couple situations, but not game-changing.  Anyway, the shtick behind the fighting arena here is that you fight a million of one enemy type each time you accept the challenge, and the enemy difficulty goes up a notch each time. I book it when I face off against two dozen Hemo-ji. This is good for a couple quick bits of experience, but honestly the next country has a way better method.  Shove it up your rear end. How do you even find these things and corral them in your temple grounds?  God yes Chopin, get me out of this crazy China ripoff. - Well then, get on board and we'll be on our way! (Shut up, Chongara.) - What? - I said nothing! - Gogen, I have no idea where to go next. - Have you forgotten already? Trust in the stone, my friends, trust in the stone... - I am familiar with that place. They hold a notorious tournament there. The top prize offered is the fabled Wind Orb. It is reputed to be a wild competition. - Wind Orb? That some kind of treasure ball, eh? Chongara heard about that. Is good! - In any event, it sounds like a promising lead. Let's move.  Shut up, Monk. I hope you spend weeks getting the smell of Hemo-ji poo poo out of your temple.  Have I mentioned how much I hate Hemo-ji? Anyway, on to Niedel. Nope! On to Millmana, where the Forest Spirit has a slight variation on "Nature good, humans bad, have some items". She does give you a Throw Scroll in addition to a Cure-All this time, so that's neat. If you're into throwing that is. All it says is that it "Changes Throw Ability" so I'm not sure offhand what that means. Once that's done, THEN on to Niedel.  Well, that city and arena look pretty badass anyway.   They don't care, random NPC. Sorry about their manners. Especially Chongara's.  Well, this country is refreshingly small at least. Let's check out the arena.  Not sure why it says this room's music is a battle song... I don't recall ever hearing it during an actual battle. Oh well. Haha, actually it plays the Niedel "Arena Waiting Room" song as a battle song on ten floors of the Forbidden Ruins, so it qualifies.  You can switch the active character here for god only knows what reason. There's nothing to do here except talk to random NPCs and find an herb in a gong. It does let you pick the person you're controlling first when you talk to the Arena receptionist, but since you can select anyone on a list anyway it's by no means required to switch to your preferred fighter first.  Sure! Let's get that Wind Orb! Now then, Arc, let's talk about strategy. In the first round-  I... what? Ignore the "pick a fighter" bit below, ancient history. That's right, you can pick who gets to fight one-on-one with the baddies of the tournament! And best of all, I'm going to let you guys vote for who fights! Just reply in this thread with your preferred fighter and I'll tally up the votes sometime shortly after the Fourth of July weekend. Here's updated stats in case anyone is curious. If you choose someone underleveled, I may end up grinding them a bit, but anybody is fair game! (Keep in mind the Syrg/Wanton Spoon LP did Chongara already so please don't put me through that horrible ordeal)        See you all next update!
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Aug 23, 2023 16:14
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Note to those reading the Let's Play: I've actually inadvertently missed one of the Romancing Stones! If you go back to Arc's burned out house, you get letters from Yoshua every so often (). In the letter you can obtain just before going to Niedel, the Romancing Stone is included. Sadly, this means we can't utilize all four Romancing Stones at this point, but essentially they can be equipped all at once to reduce a character's MP cost to zero. Since MP pool concerns fade away long before the Romancing Stones unite, this isn't exactly game-breaking. But, for those of you more concerned with having a full collection, there you have it. As for me, if I have to go back to my last save, Arc would be level 16 in Seirya and about to go meet Chongara. And I will eat glass before going through that again for a stinking rock. Anyway, on with the show! Don't worry, I saw this coming ahead of time and got it. That being said, between the Romancing Stones and the Forest Spirit, there are some silly missables in this game. I think with this I've covered just about all of them, but still, an FAQ is your best friend for this game.  Welcome back, everyone! When last we left our heroes, they were deciding who will fight in the arena! Through your votes, it has been decreed that Poco must sing the song of victory! Here's Poco's stats at the time I first touched down in Niedel. Up until now he's played the role of a support character, with the occasional attack of opportunity for extra EXP. But, while this is fine for a full party, poor Poco would get eaten alive in the arena's (Currently) fixed battles. So, where do we go to toughen up our one-man band? The answer may surprise you.  (No, not Chongara's shop, but we'll get back on track in a second)  (Oh god they're multiplying  ) - Eh? It is very handsome brute, eh? - Hey, is everyone else seeing this? I mean... two Chongaras? (Better, if only slightly) - Hey, what are you guys laughing at...? - It is Odon, yes? Yes, Odon, you funny, funny thing. Out of my house, funnyman. - Ahhh heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. I could be doing the show business. I am killing myself to pieces. Hah!(For once you aren't letting monsters do it for you?) - All right then, back to business.And through this unlikely series of events, Chongara gains a new summon. I would showcase Odon, since his shapeshifting ability is kind of cool, the only problem is that he just doesn't copy very well. His stats are never as good as the monster he's copying, although he will occasionally get to use some cool special abilities. Humorously, though, you can make him shapeshift into a treasure chest. No, he doesn't have treasure inside of him. I checked. Odon is one of those summons that, sadly, never works out well. In this title, it's because monsters just plain aren't as good as main characters. But even in the next title, when summons get some versatility upgrades, Odon just isn't up to snuff. Sorry, funnyman.  Anyway, this is why I'm back in Alatos. The Forbidden Ruins offer scaling difficulty the further down you go. Granted, I'm still not fighting the evil death fart ghosts, but for the moment Blood Knights and Mad Monks will serve. Essentially, since this floor contains a workable chokehold and a high volume of enemies, you want to stick Poco in front and make him the primary target for the enemies. Since his current dominant stat is his defense, even at his level he can survive a couple of hits at a time before needing to be healed. You can see I have Kukuru and Arc both on standby, but believe it or not the best support for Poco during his training are the Kelacks. They cost Chongara 4 MP to summon, and even if they die he can summon them again at full power. Best of all, they can level up, and this is a prime opportunity to help them catch some levels while Poco works his mojo. You guys know how little I think of Chongara, but the Healing Kelacks by themselves are worth keeping him around for. So, what to do at this point? Take hits, dish out damage with cymbals...  And death lasers, always death lasers. Another benefit of this dungeon is that you can simply go upstairs, then back downstairs, and all the enemies will be back and ready for more punishment. Provided you can keep a reasonable MP budget, it doesn't take long.  When Poco begins to one shot everything with his drum laser, you're pretty much ready to rock. I didn't go this route on my most recent playthrough, but that's because I knew ahead of time I'd be using Poco solo in Niedel. This strategy above is great if you need to catch him up, but if you keep him an EXP priority up to this point it's entirely possible you won't need to grind in the Forbidden Ruins for him to take on the Arena.  We all know and love Poco. He's the spirit of the team. He's the everyman, the one we can relate to because he got wrapped up in a gigantic plot to save the world from man-eating monsters when all he originally wanted to do was play in the marching band. But, the fires of the Arc the Lad crucible burn hot, and have transformed our meek and gentle musician...  ...Into a death machine. This summarizes pretty well why I like Poco. Sure, he whines and complains a bit, but it tapers off as the story progresses, and he's a solid party member if you keep him current. He's a character you don't expect much out of, but he exceeds expectations easily.  Seriously, do you see his attack and magic stats? Above average physical attack, and enough magic power to become the Tosh of offensive spellcasting.  But the question is, can he hold his own in one-on-one combat?  (Either somebody took a stage name or has the most badass parents in the world)   - As anyone who hasn't been living under a ROCK knows... the grand prize in this tournament is the ultra-famous, the ultra-COOL...ultra-ancient Wind Orb! But you may ask, what is it made of? What is its function? What relevance does it have for me?  - Everyone drawing breath covets it simply BECAUSE it's the fabulous, iridescent Wind Orb! Of course, the rules of the tournament require me to mention the potential downside to owning the famous Wind orb. But, you all must know already that the person or persons...who possess the Orb may die a sudden and unnatural death. Lest you doubt that warning, let's discuss the history of the Orb for a moment...  - The mysterious circumstances of their passing left every person of power, fame, and beauty... insanely attracted to this iridescent spherical mystery. And so, fools rush in to possess the unpossessable. They yearn to relish the relic that holds such power, and foolishly believe they can tame it. Fortunately, their folly is our gain, for the battle is always FABULOUS!(  )  (Oddly enough, people cheer for the runner-up prize) - But, wait! There is yet one more surprise for today's combatants! Once he has beaten the field of contestants, the new champion must face and defeat the prior champion to claim the Orb! Good god that was a new record in .Oddly enough we're turned back to the main hallway to chat with NPCs until the organizers allow us to fight.  I agree. Chongara, go with the nice man.  This guy is a pretty neat Swordsman palette swap.  Poco was born ready!  The first couple of fights are against... monsters I was slaughtering by the score in the Forbidden Ruins! Since each battle is technically separate, there's no reason to pace yourself during the arena. You can throw everything you want at the enemy and be fresh as a daisy for the next bout.  So naturally.  You may not be able to see it very easily, but Poco just did 104 damage to that poor sod. That's more than double the Blood Knight's max HP, and even Tosh hasn't scraped the 100 point damage threshold yet.  Next fight, Poco versus-  ...A charred corpse!  Hey neat, a Black Knight. Haven't seen one of those yet!  HADOKEN!  Huh, he survived. Well, guess another laser ought to put him in his place-  Oh, he can cast Cure for some reason. Well, guess it's time for...      Pure, unadulterated violence!  Why don't you ask the Black Knight's sword?  Upgraded Mad Monk is the second to last match in the arena. You have to watch out for it's silence ability, especially-  TIGER!  They won't even find his bones.  Yeah, this whole "Poco destroys everything" bit might be getting a little stale before too much longer.  ...  ...    - Let me do the honors...and present you with the Ultra-Fabulous...Wind Orb! Come on now, let's hear it for the new champion! Yeah-yeah-yeah! Poco, you fought especially hard, so I'm going to add this to the prize package as a FABULOUS bonus!   (This really needs to be my new wallpaper)  This is the perfect time to see if my new screenshots look better than the old ones. Here's one I took with Duck using my new resolution settings:  What do you think? Let me know if it's awesome or not. If it's not, then I have failed you and I will punish myself with deep shame for seven years of dormancy and nothing to show for it.  Don't let that bias your opinion though!  - You definitely impressed me. - Yes, your skill is admirable, especially under such difficult circumstances.  - So! You've been killing every champion that wins the Orb and stealing it back. Then you enter a phony champion from the year before to cover your tracks! - With such a sharp mind, it's a pity you have to die. But, alas, I have no choice. Make your peace and say your prayers. It's the beginning of the end...for YOU. Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmmh...  Gasp! Rock Roctoll was nothing more than a Blood Fiend in disguise! How can I believe in anything anymore?! He does lose points for not being fat before his transformation, so he will now be Evil Man #1.  Just in case you're wondering, the Toy Ring just alters the Shift Flute's ability to be slightly less worthless. I guess you can do hilarious things like flip monsters backwards for back attacks, but that's kind of a waste of Poco's turn when he can simply annihilate them.  Not sure why Niedel's music plays during this fight, but eh, whatever. So yeah, this fight may seem a bit intimidating, but the Boogie Men haven't really gained any magic power.  Plus, you know, Poco.  The only danger to them is that they all go at the same time, and will often concentrate their magic attacks on the same group of people.  If you're Chongara, and I thank the fates every day that I'm not, this can be bad news.   The Blood Fiend is remarkably slow, but hits like a truck and has HP to spare. It's sort of like how I think they wanted Iga to be. Iga is way better, don't worry. Not in this fight, because there's a golden opportunity for him and other party members soon after. But he is way better.  But, there' s a force of nature coming his way that even a high level demon didn't count on.  First a laser...   ...And then dancing cymbals of death.  I fear I have created a power too great to control.  (Could've fooled me... sheesh) - At least we've got the Wind Orb, but we still need to find the Wind Guardian. - Yes...there must be some connection between this Orb and the Wind Guardian. But the question is, what IS it? Nothing immediately springs to mind. - Let me have a gander at your little bauble, boy.  - Oh dear me! How terribly clumsy! I've gone and ruined the blasted thing!  Wind Guardian - You are the first humans I've encountered in more than 600 years! You see, long ago an evil merchant conspired with dark forces to entrap me so that he could control the wind. He sealed me in that orb all those years ago, controlling the wind while he lived. - So you've been trapped in there since he died?Wind Guardian - Correct. Tell me, why are human beings so greedy? Since being sealed in the orb, I've seen people kill repeatedly for that worthless blue ball that was my prison. If you hadn't broken the orb, it might have held me forever. Oh, what a thought! - People's ignorance and greed cause these tragedies. But, people CAN learn. They are not all greedy and thoughtless.Wind Guardian - I see. You would ask me to believe there are still ones who would deny their greed to seek the truth. Though I remain filled with doubt, I give you the Wind Stone as a token of my hope that your words are true.   Although the item description says it has an unknown effect, the Tragedy Glasses reduce elemental damage dealt to the person wearing it. So, Tosh now has something to soften the blow from bad wizard juju. Wind Guardian - The last of the Stones are with my brothers, the Guardians of Water and Fire. Seek them out.  Hooray, two more Stones to go! And now the arena is unlocked for optional prizes! I'll go into more detail on this aspect of the game later on, but as a fun little hint, the ultimate prize can be obtained after match number 1000. Oh, also, now is a good time to talk to the receptionist from behind ten times. He gives you the Book of Corvis, which prevents all status ailments on the person holding it. Not exactly great right now with how seldom they come up, but at least you can stop the odd silence or hemo-ji condition if you have nothing better to equip.  I have Arc run through ten matches for a tiny bit of grinding to catch up to Poco. The first prize pack isn't exactly earth-shattering, but having the extra Power Apple (Full Power Fruit) is nice, since using one during battle will allow that character to gain a level. So, the Niedel Arena is actually the perfect equalizer for just about every party member who's behind on levels except Gogen and Chongara. The monsters scale with the level of the entrant, so you steadily fight tougher monsters that give a good amount of EXP. This is, naturally, where I caught up Iga, as well as giving Kukuru and even Arc, Poco, and Tosh some fights. I got all of them to level 40 (And did my best not to do anything for Poco before the end of the next country and its sidequest), and this also completed the first 200 fights of the Arena at the same time. This is important because several of the accessories are quite good, and they make Iga very formidable since one accessory balances his speed issue (Whirlwind Bandanna, he was moving faster than Tosh when he had it) and he also got a character-specific item (Diel's Fang) that turned his counterattacks into deadly barrages. This also unlocked his devastating group-attack ability, which operates in a huuuuuge radius away from him in the center and one-shots most regular enemies. So yeah. Iga is cool in my book now.  One more thing: The accessories you can get up to win 200 are really good. Power Wrist/Hyper Boots are fantastic, and the Phantom Gauntlet is basically the best offense boosting accessory in the game. So you can really get some benefit from getting to the 200 mark early.  - Very well, then. Hop on board. - Here is where we use the stones to discover our destination. Step forward, old man! Our time is short! - That certainly wasn't very respectful, Tosh. Gogen, don't take it personally. Tosh is just...unmannered. - Not to worry, Kukuru. I've seen his type before. Remember, I'm thousands of years old! Hee, hee, hee... - I'm ready, Gogen. Let's put the stones together. - All right, then. Here we go. Let's see where the stones lead us... - Hmmm. I've heard mention of that. I believe it was when I was very young. It's quite a journey from here. We'd best get started. Dude, Arc, it's across the bay from Niedel. Don't be so dramatic. So what awaits us in Zariban? Find out next update! I'm sure you're tired of hearing this by now, but go to Millmana first for your daily Forest Spirit login bonus! Hang in there, we're now halfway through the Arc 1 updates! I will say that this was one of my favorite updates back in the day. Ah, memories.
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Aug 23, 2023 18:51
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Hi everyone! Still alive! Despite what I said earlier in the thread, after realizing all the stuff I missed through The good news is, Zariban is the final new land in the game. And, after that, it's mostly just sidequests that take a while. Anyway, let's start by recapping what I already missed, and then we'll pick up where we left off.  Remember how some enemies drop unique items after you kill them? Turns out if they blow up it doesn't count and the item never drops. Good news is, self destruct is a spell, so if you silence the enemy (Which oddly enough almost always succeeds first try) then they can't explode on you. This is mostly useful for golems and ninjas, all of whom can use a self-destruct ability. The golem from the Azenda Highland fight in Alatos drops a Deity Fist, which apparently does damage to "certain kinds of enemies". Basically, anything that's flying takes extra damage if someone attacks with the Fist equipped.   As I mentioned before, Toyoke Forest is a place to go back to after every event in the game. Talking to the Forest Spirit each time a stone is acquired, and a couple of times during events in the endgame, will get you a Silk Belt. This doubles experience gained during combat. Of course, since you get this at the very END of the game... I'll include a transcript of Forest Spirit's dialogue at the end of the Arc the Lad 1 LP for anyone who's curious.  Not content to let someone else be a train, Yoshua also writes letters to Arc's house in Touvil after every event too. Most of them are inconsequential, but it's necessary to check the mailbox before going to Niedel to earn the third Romancing Stone. As with Forest Spirit, I'll include Yoshua's letter dialogues at the end of the Arc the Lad 1 LP.I swear, my hands are going to fall off.  Also, the party members all hang out at Touvil, and their dialogue changes periodically. Chongara mentions this about his "Search" ability. Sadly, I hate Chongara and will not draw every monster in the game with him. Especially because the only prize for completing the Monster Book is new enemies in the Niedel arena, which you'll see why I will never set foot near that hellhole again.  You and me both, Gogen, you and me both.  So yeah, backtracked... fought Iga...  Went to the tournament and wiped the floor with everyone as Poco...  Ah, here we go, Zariban! To find the Water Guardian! Don't you hate losing your bookmark in the middle of a story?  Looks like some Guardian has been slacking off.   - Yes...how did you know?Saryu Tribesman - I am of the Saryu Tribe, and I welcome you to the land of the Water Guardian. Yoshua asked me to accompany you to our village. - ...! My...my father? Saryu Tribesman - Yes. Your father anticipated your arrival and has made preparations for your safety and comfort. So, if you please, come this way.   Not much in this desert to look at. Ah well. Let's go see this village. Maybe it's like the Arc the Lad world version of Vegas.   Saryu Tribesman - Tribal legend tells us they settled in this valley for its fertile land and abundant water. - But...it's nothing but arid desert as far as the eye can see. How did the land change so much since then?Saryu Tribesman - I will tell you. Did you see the large structure in the distance as you arrived at the skyport? (Go ahead and check back on the first Zariban scenery screenshot. I can wait.) - Mmm. Chongara remembers building. Big. Very big. What was that?Saryu Tribesman - The structure is a mining plant that processes energy stones. The stones it processes are the primary source of power for most of our world. It began nearly 1,000 years ago when a merchant from Romalia happened across an energy stone in this valley. From that singular discovery he built an industry that eventually supplied all industrialized areas of this world. The stones brought prosperity beyond all dreams, but a heavy price was soon exacted. The overly zealous mining of the land laid everything you see to waste. Nature itself suffered a wound that some say was mortal. As the land suffered, the ground itself dried up, turning to desert as far as the eye can see. Now it is all we can do to grow enough grain to feed our dwindling population. And our ruler, who is descended from that merchant of long ago, seems to care not that we suffer. - It's almost too terrible to be true.Saryu Tribesman - Bah! Enough of this grim talk. I did not mean for your arrival to be such a sad affair. Come! We have much to discuss. The Elder wishes to speak with you...    (Yeah, I'm sure he's just dying to speak with us! )Saryu Tribesman - AAHHH! M...m...my village! - What was THAT?! A beam of light just...just...vaporized the valley!   - What kind of person would carry out an act of genocide like this? We must spread out and search for any survivors!(Literally 50 feet away)  Blood Skeleton - Ugahh haahhghah uhhf! Insane Minotaur - Excellent. Kasadoll is waiting for them. Let's go. - Hold it! Minotaur - What do we have here? A boy unscathed by our little party favor? - How can you speak of the horror you unleashed like that? You killed an entire village. Their blood is on YOUR head!Minotaur - Hah! Even better! Our refugee is a ball of furious anger! Well now, BOY, what do you intend to do? - I intend to make you pay for what you've done here. My blade shall exact payment for your act, PIG!Careful, Arc, getting dangerously close to Luca Blight territory there.  Oh yeah, I forgot I picked these up after the Roctoll fight. Apparently they raise your resistance to elemental damage. Since Tosh is the only one who takes two digits of damage from that, I guess it makes sense to slap these on him.  This fight is actually fairly challenging if you aren't ready for it. The minotaur hits like a truck, and can take a pounding. Blood Skeletons are pretty tough, and their counter-attack rate is unreasonably high. And, plants are as annoying and stationary as ever.   Arc's magic is really coming into its own, though. Burn Ground gets insane range for this point in the game, but it's still nothing compared to how broken Gale Flash is going to get before we're through.   Laser-wielding angels still need to work on their aim a bit, though.  Take notes, angels.  I played around with Odon a bit during this fight. Odon can copy any character or monster on the field, but he doesn't get their abilities. This is kind of sad, since the only thing I'd want him to copy at this point would be a healer like Kukuru or the Kelacks.  Anyway, battle over! Even Chongara and Iga got their beaks wet!  Elder - Unh...ungh...Is this the one of whom Yoshua spoke? Saryu Tribesman - Yes. This is Arc of Touvil. - It is best that you save your strength...we can talk later.Elder - N...no. My time is short. Listen... Our tribe has been left behind...lost in time. Forgotten. If we are forgotten and wither away, the world will not mourn our passing. However, the Guardians that guide our world have been wounded and forgotten by the world of man. Their pain is deeply felt in all nature...it is a pain that affects us as well. Yoshua said you were the last hope for the future. I look into your eyes and see it, as well. You mustn't let this world slip away. Do whatever is necessary to save what we all once held so dear before it is lost forever. Here...I have no aid to offer you but this. I pray it serves you we..ll. Unghhhh... Received the Elder's Charm! Elder - Unghh...that bastard, Kasadoll, seeks to possess the Water Shrine. He mustn't be allowed to harm the Water Guar...Unghhh... Saryu Tribesman - Noooooo!  - Who is this Kasadoll?Saryu Tribesman - He is the General of Zariban. A man far more brutal than any monster...I shall not rest until he's paid for this! - If that's true, the Water Guardian is in danger. Arc, we'd better hurry! Arc...  Not a lot of choices right now. We've got to go stop Kasadoll and save Zariban before it's too late. You're going to see Past Me go on a bit of a bender here, shortly, but suffice to say there's plenty to do before going to help the Water Guarunghhh. If you rack up 200 wins in the Niedel Arena right after the events of the Wind Orb, then both the previous fight and the upcoming ones at the Shrine should be pretty trivial. And if you level Iga so that his devastating zone attack is in good shape, you can even clear the infamously annoying "Kill X Monsters" sidequest coming up right after.  So let's go talk to Chopin!  Chopin's information gets pretty juicy at this point in the game. He'll tell you about free Stones at the Monolith in Seirya. Another factoid I didn't realize is that you can switch your ability ring slots by pushing Start during combat. He also talks about Chongara's extra summons, such as Odon.  A couple more handy facts. Chopin mentions Poco's array of instruments. He also mentions something cool happening if you throw a bomb at Gogen's Heat Wall spell. I'm sure this would all be awesome if I used Gogen more. He also mentions the Arena... The...  The Arena?  The Arena? Winner?  The Arena? Winner? M-monsters?  ARENA!  WINNER!  MONSTERS! 
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Aug 23, 2023 19:39
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Man, that was weird. Just blanked out for a minute...oh, I'm in Niedel? Well, I guess I could go ahead and do the arena subquest.  Fun fact: Talk to the official ten times from behind and he'll give you the Book of Cravis he apparently keeps in some unmentionable place. It helps prevent status ailments, which is nice, if anything does those anymore.  So yeah, the arena. The enemy you face is actually dependent on your character's level. Arch Knight is pretty high up there, but they tend to be annoying with their high attack and ability to use Cure to heal on a whim.  The first set of prizes for ten wins is fairly unremarkable. I forgot to mention these items, but some items you can use in battle will increase a stat permanently. These, and the Power Apple/Full Power Fruit, are the most common. If you had to pick one, the Palo Nut is probably best since it increases agility and you get fewer of them than the other stat-boosting items.  The Ninja Lord is the strongest enemy you can fight in the arena without Chongara's maxed Monster Book. You start fighting them around level 46 or 47, I think. They're the strongest ninja, naturally, and are a real pain with their high attack power and self-destruct ability.  20th win prizes still aren't that great. I pick the Whirlwind Bandanna, which gives a +10% agility boost when equipped. It gets better.    80th win and the prizes still kind of suck. Anti Hemo-ji, I guess.   Humorously, I max out Arc at level 60 at about this point, and switch in Poco and his death laser. Remember, not a good idea at this juncture because Poco doesn't have all his instruments yet.    Diel's Fang is a dinky little Iga-exclusive accessory that increases his counter-attack rate. But it's actually awesome, so.  Sigh... keep climbing that ladder.  Even Ninja Lords must bend the knee before the might of Poco.    NOW we're getting somewhere. Hyper Boots increase agility by 30% when equipped, and are easily one of the best accessories in the game. With these equipped, you can even go two or three times before Ninja Lords.  Oh now you're just being silly, game. Forty more wins? No prob!  - Swear to me!   This is a "boffo" gift indeed! Phantom Gauntlet increases offensive power by 50%. It doesn't work on magic, but anybody with this equipped will hit stuff like a truck that was injected with truck steroids that are made up of smaller, roided up trucks. Aaaaaaaaaaaand this is about where Working Designs expected you to give up. ...  About 100 battles later, Poco is maxed out. Now, there is actually a downside to leveling Poco up too much at this point. I'll go into a bit more detail when we get to Zariban, but the good news is that this issue is fixed by the time Arc the Lad 2 rolls around.    With two of my favorites maxed out, the next logical choice is Tosh. Time to cherry-blossom stuff to death! Tosh's Ouka-raibaku-zen (I admit I had to Google that one) is his best move. It does a massive amount of damage to one enemy, and will one-shot almost anything in the game except for a few of the more deluxe enemies and bosses. Of course, anything in the arena is screwed.   The pain train don't stop when Tosh is at the pilot!  Urgh...  Welcome to the big leagues, buddy! So... guess I should... switch back to Arc or keep trucking with-  HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!  Bet you didn't see this one coming!  My mind is going numb, but I'm having a ball!  Kukuru's stats aren't exactly mind-blowing next to the other three, but she can actually hit almost as hard as the others when she gets a chance. And her laser-wielding angels actually do pretty good damage finally.  Hang on guys, I can't find the image I just linked. Give me a sec. (This is the story of how Miketopus was booed out of the Let's Play community for telling terrible jokes)  Fun's fun, but I don't max out everyone. Iga, Gogen, and Chongara (especially Chongara) just aren't useful enough to bother.  Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr  Mggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg  Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn    Here's the 1000th win prize count: Full Power Fruit - Instant level up Big Bomb - Piddling damage when thrown Atrophy Ball - Slightly better damage when thrown Revive Medicine - Revives from KO Power Nut - Increases attack permanently Palo Nut - Increases agility permanently Life Nut - Increases max HP permanently Magic Sprig - Increases max MP permanently Ice Charm - Reduces ice damage Fire Charm - Reduces fire damage Magical Card - Increases magic power by 10% Whirlwind Bandana - Increases agility by 10% Insomnia Card - Prevents sleep Anti-Hemo-ji - Prevents Hemo-ji Mirror - Prevents stone (I don't think this has ever happened to me in this game) Sunglasses - Prevents darkness (Something seems odd about that) Power Wrist - Boosts attack power by 30% when equipped Hyper Boots - Boosts agility by 30% when equipped Healing Charm - Increases HP recovery when equipped Shell - Increases monster item drop rate when equipped Phantom Gauntlet - Increases attack power by 50% when equipped Violet Laser (Violet Necklace) - Hit rate becomes 100% when equipped Unicorn Horn - Increases monster item drop rate when equipped This time around, I used the fast forward feature on Duck. It only took me most of a morning to get 1000 wins again. Sorry for the Past Me drama. By the way, the 1000 prize pile is awesome.  You're not my mom! Well, I officially made Working Designs angry. I'm happy.  Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa they actually appear on the results screen.      Going back and fighting some more shows you more dialogue Working Designs never expected you to see.  And that's the story of how I sacrificed hours of my life in a fruitless endeavor that will amount to perhaps a minute of amusement to a dozen strangers on the internet. Well, anyway, let's get on with the main story-   Time to die, you scum-sucking ape bitches!
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Aug 23, 2023 21:38
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Well, let's see how our party is doing with the Hemo-ji army fight.  Yeah. So, after that  - ...Okay, baby. I do "search" on him and sketch for Chongara's book!  (You were never far off, Chongara.) - So, look on bright side...I add him to my collection. Chongara is too lucky sometimes! Heh, heh, heh, heh, haaah...Gained the "Hemo-Ji" Guardian Force! Just add it to the list of monsters I never use. Although inflicting Hemo-ji status is surprisingly effective in combat, it's also a chore to keep the thing alive long enough to hit something with it.  Bats...  Roided-up fire...  Dead  The final group is the strongest class of fire monsters in the game. Yup, still not a "match" for me. Heh heh...   Received a fabulous Monster Fang. Monk - There are none left who can match your skill. You have nothing left to prove here.  It talks a good game, but all it does is increase monsters' item drop rate. Okay, we should really get back to Zari-  Christ. I need to find Past Me and punch him in the face. Oh god, I referred to Past Me as Past Me in the past. Me. Fuuuuuuu-  So, as you can imagine, the first portion is pretty much a pushover. There's a few good items peppered around, but nothing particularly useful. There's a Chongara-only accessory called the Power Gauntlet which boosts his defense by 30%, but that would entail Chongara living longer. You can decide for yourself if it's worth it. It isn't. It never is with Chongara.   Tosh isn't really a fan of Bleach.  Floor 10 yields a change of scenery. Everything for the next ten floors is undead, so skeletons and ghosts and zombies become a chore.  Flay's Crest has the dubious distinction of being one of the worst accessories in the game, and in this game that's saying something. It says it does more damage to certain foes, but they must be pretty specific because I don't know of anything that takes more damage with this equipped. So in the first game it's a paperweight. Like most of the accessories, it can be ported to Arc the Lad 2, but I don't think it's much better in that one.  The Power Wrist increases attack power by 30%. Not bad if you need something to tide you over until Phantom Gauntlets.  This is a Kukuru-only accessory that heals the entire party a little bit each turn. If I weren't jacked beyond all belief, this would be extremely useful if you went back topside and equipped it. Free heals each floor! Then again, Arc recovers ridiculous amounts of MP with the Hero Crest, and Total Healing comes into its own by about level 30 or so.   It rarely comes up in this game, but monsters can level up too. Just like with the good guys, taking damage is a legitimate way to gain experience. Essentially, I hit regular enemies so hard now that they gain a level. You just don't really notice it unless you're fighting skeletons, since they can't die in one hit.  More scenery change, and more decent items. This is a Poco-exclusive accessory that boosts magic by 30%.  More Hyper Boo- what the gently caress happened to this screenshot?  This is Tosh's unique equip. It adds a paralyzing effect to his best skill, Ouka...booka...babagaloosha...zen. Something. This is assuming that Tosh isn't powerful enough to kill anything outright, of course.  Whoo! More Phantom Gauntlets!  Erm... Ark Ghoul's cousin?  Floor 30 is about where things turn soul-crushing in a normal playthrough. All of the enemies are very strong, especially the blood skeletons and hell hounds.  Oh yeah, and it's throwing late-game bosses in too. You guys haven't even seen this thing yet.  Another Tosh-exclusive accessory, this one claims to increase attack accuracy.  Floor 40 is the final stretch, and it changes the mood pretty quick. Expect lots of Ruins-exclusive encounters and rare trinkets from here onward.  The Phantom Shield boosts defense power by 50%. Very nice.  Oh god not again. I would've skipped this screenshot if it was nearly anything except the Phantom Sword. It claims to boost attack range, whatever that means. It's wayyyyyy better in Arc the Lad 2, however, so it's important to grab it here.  A Gogen-only accessory that... boosts physical attack power by 70%? Working Designs, take your pills.  Restores like... 5 HP each turn when equipped. Meh.  Now this is something major. Boosts magic power by 50%. Slap one of these on Arc along with Phantom Gauntlets and Hyper Boots, and watch the fireworks. The Hero Crest adds some versatility with the MP regen, too, so that Arc can keep on blasting if need be.  The monsters are not having a fun time.  This is another important accessory. It boosts HP gain with level-ups. As you can imagine, it'll see more use in Arc the Lad 2.  - ...? - Uhh... hey. - ...Hi... - So... erm... nice weather in these ruins... - Uh... yeah... so... - Good talk, yeah... see you next update or so? - Maybe, but this LPer is dragging his rear end. We'll see. Later. - Bye! This is kind of an obscure accessory. If Kukuru is hit with any healing spell with it equipped, she'll heal to full. Sort of a niche accessory.  GOD GAME I GET IT. IT'S A LONG rear end DUNGEON. GET TO THE POINT ALREADY.  There's awesome music in this little cutscene, but oddly enough it's not on any soundtrack I can find. Don't worry, it'll come up later in the game and I don't want to spoil it for you. Also guys Poco's hat is on fire hey guys   - Wh...who are you?! - Choko is scary warrior! - If it's a fight you're looking for, you've chosen your opponents poorly! - Wait! You're not Arc...uh, are you? - He is, indeed! Betcha you're scared now! - Choko not scared! What makes you think... - Drat! - Monsters! Fight and slash! - Ohhhh...my head hurts. Okay, so, this place is littered with treasure, but the only one that matters is the one in front of the giant skeleton.  Sure is nice of them to label the final stone for us. Anyway, you need to make sure you grab this before the fight is over, because anything left over when the enemies are gone is forfeit. You can never come back after this fight.    Choko hits pretty hard even when it's not Gogen. She's fast, and has a ton of HP. In fact, she's the strongest enemy in the game!   She has somewhere in the neighborhood of 999 HP, so you can expect a challenge even at max level.  It's also hilarious to hit her.   Like, really hilarious.  Her attacks also cause darkness, which is annoying for physical attackers. And when she's low on HP, she gets even sillier looking somehow.    As usual, it takes Poco to make her eat dirt. On my latest playthrough, I made use of the debilitating items to lower Choko's stats, surrounded her with my melee people, and let Kukuru, Gogen, and Poco run around the battlefield picking up the like twenty chests that are on this level. Much easier, and much safer overall, since you can counter her for decent damage and keep healed pretty easily that way. As long as she can't kill you in one hit, it's fair game.  - Guess what? Choko wants to be friends! - Uh, friends?? - Choko just tried to kill you, but it really was more of a reflexive thing than something personal. So, we can be friends, right? The Summon Pot can call me out of here, but only in certain areas. In Seirya, I can be summoned on Colbo Plain, Quina Hill, and Karagan plain. In Millmana, in the Ruvag Woods, Nicarus Forest, and Sembara Marsh. And, in Zariban, I can be summoned in Raiden Ruins, Salyan Desert, or the Ishima Rocks areas. Unfortunately, those are the ONLY places that Choko can be summoned. But rules are rules, right?  So basically, Choko is a level 1 powerhouse summon that can only be summoned where you don't need a powerhouse summon. Good to know! Also, she's a recurring character for some ungodly reason, so don't expect this to be the last of her. Keep her at level 1 and it'll pay off with some determination in Arc 2. The game dumps you at the staircase leading up from floor 49, but if you wander back down to floor 50...  Dance off! So... it's kind of a kick in the pants, but the game makes you go back up the way you came. All the way back up. Thanks, Working Designs. Next time, on Arc the Lad 1:  THE WATER SHRINE!
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Aug 23, 2023 22:05
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Hi everyone! Ready for more story events?   Uh oh, Evil Fat Man #4 has arrived! How will the group deal with him? - Trouble? You lay scores of innocent people to waste and gouge life from the land itself and WE'RE trouble? - Hrmph. It is nothing more than a matter of perspective my sweet adversary. I simply take what is ours and dispose of the valueless waste others of lesser fortitude cling to. It's a gift, really. - Your lack of regard for life sickens me. Here is where your bloodletting ends. - Oh! Hah hah hah! What an amusing delusion! Perhaps one day you will be strong enough to best me... but not today. If you tree-hugging fanatics manage to best my beastly guards, perhaps I'll grant you an opportunity for revenge. However, the unfortunate truth is that the most-likely outcome of your next encounter is abject humiliation, followed by a painful death. Enjoy the fight, kiddies. I have more important matters to attend to than watching you die... And then, after If you aren't hilariously overpowered, this fight can be a significantly challenging one. The Brainpicker can hit pretty hard, and takes a lot of hits. His smaller buddies, the Fleshrippers, function a lot like bats in that they hit pretty hard but can be destroyed quickly. In normal conditions, you'd want to avoid the Brainpicker and pop off the minions.      But, things being what they are.  - I think it came out of the monster's belly...or thorax, or whatever you call it. - This...wow! This is an Atrophy Horn! I can't believe I found one of these! That scary beast must have swallowed the horn! What a stroke of luck! This will be a BIG help!Took the Atrophy Horn. True to Poco's word, the Atrophy Horn is a ridiculously strong ability for him. It won't be seeing much use in this game, because I glossed over something when I power-leveled everyone as early as I did. See, in Arc the Lad 1, abilities will level up along with characters. This makes them stronger, and often increases their range and area of effect. The Atrophy Horn starts in a basic five-tile range, but eventually has range equal to Burn Ground and several of Gogen's spells. However, if your characters are already at max level, they can't increase their ability levels, and therefore the range doesn't get that nice increase. "But Miketopus," you might find yourself saying, "Why didn't you just wait until after Zariban and then max out Poco and everyone?" A worthy question. The main problem I have with Zariban onwards is that it's almost universally wall to wall boss encounters. Poco's Atrophy Horn, and later on his Cheer Trumpet, are both really powerful, but not worth the overall delay in maxing out. Besides, the good news is that returning characters in Arc the Lad 2 get their abilities re-scaled to their level. Considering how short the first game is, the only really important things to keep an eye out for throughout the game are your character levels and your accessories. Technically true, but overall I found it better to delay maxing Poco until after getting the Atrophy Horn and the final instrument. Since you can secure both before leaving Zariban, it's really not that huge an inconvenience to delay all the power-leveling stuff I did in the previous updates. Getting everyone to 40 and having 200 Arena victories is plenty for this part of the game. Anyway, after this fight is done, the game immediately throws us into the Water Shrine.  - But first, you must tell me...why did you destroy the entire village of Saryu. What treasure did they possess?(Arc is clearly well versed in classical villain protocol as well.)  - I need no reason to kill you, just like I needed no reason to decimate that worthless village. However, it just so happens that in this case, the village was destroyed for a reason. Those stinking, filthy desert rats possessed the Water Shrine key...and I needed it. - You have not changed my mind in the least. You are a bloodthirsty tyrant deserving only of death! - And, the time has come to deal with this little annoyance, once and for all! And then Kasadoll performs a Rock Roctoll and becomes a monster. Bet you didn't see that one coming.  Not going to lie, I pretty much sent Poco up alone to deal with this entire enemy encounter. Ordinarily, you'd have to deal with the hard hits of a Fire Golem and his Necromancers, Dark Monks, and some Fire Bats that are offscreen. And it would be a pretty challenging encounter, since almost everything will hit your party at the same time. The most dangerous part was the spellcasters, honestly. It's hard to avoid grouping everyone together, and they're just far away enough to where they can't be reached before wandering over and laying down some area of effect punishment. Having Tosh equipped with the Tragedy Glasses is a must if you don't want to have one or more dedicated healers during the fight.  But, you know, Poco. The Fire Golem drops a Hawk Statue, which  And that, as they say, is that.   - Ahhh...it's so cool. Doesn't it feel good in here? It's as if the mercy of the Water Guardian is caressing us. Water Guardian - Who has come before me? What purpose fills your heart? - Oh, my! It's the Water Guardian! The Water Guardian, throughout conversations, is hitting that hookah pretty hard. Therefore...  - The humans on the surface harm the land and pollute the water with no regard for the future. The lands above were once teeming with life and overflowing with copious cool, clean water. Now the whole world teeters on the brink of disaster, and all because you humans failed to listen to the land. - Not all humans are blind and deaf to the problems. We are here to try to save this world before it's too late. - Then I shall bestow upon you a gift in the hope that you truly can change our dangerous course.  - You must go now, but do not forget the task at hand. If you fail, this world is doomed to perish. In return for my generous gifts, I would ask only that you use your skill to lessen the presence of evil on the land above. If you could destroy even 10 monsters from this country, I would appreciate it very much.  And on top of it all, Chongara gets another monster. Fu-jin isn't much by himself, but if you like to use summons, he gets a companion later that makes things pretty awesome. Although Zariban is done at this point, the Water Guardian's quest is unlocked. After killing a required number of monsters in Zariban encounter areas, the Water Guardian will reward you with an item, then turn you loose to kill more monsters. Each time you kill enough monsters, he'll give you the next item, and then the required number jumps up. Frankly, I don't like this quest for a number of reasons. The first and definitely most annoying is that the Water Guardian's required number isn't always accurate. Sure, he'll always say to kill 10 or 20 or 75 monsters, but sometimes the imaginary number in his head is actually higher than what he says. And, since going back to the Water Shrine will reset your kill count whether or not you actually killed the required number of monsters, you could end up doubling your work just because he's too high on some sort of spectral hookah to give you accurate information. Second, as you might expect, this quest is incredibly boring and only has one or two good prizes out of a set of six. The minimum number of enemies you need to kill is 275 for the whole lot, and the best encounter is ten monsters at the Raiden Ruins. With Iga's newfound usefulness as a group destroyer, it's not nearly as bad as I remember from 2016. He can take out half the Raiden Ruins map by himself by the time everyone else is mopping up the other half. It's still a boring quest, but it's not going to take you as long as maxing the Arena or clearing the Forbidden Ruins.       The second to last prize is Poco's last ability, the Cheer Trumpet. It functions identically to the Atrophy Horn, but costs a little more AP and seems to do a little more damage. Also its description is hilarious and makes no sense. I like to think Poco has trapped the souls of the monster legions he has slain so far so that he can command them to manifest as ghost bombs he shoots out of a trumpet to annihilate the living.  (God yes, please, I don't want to ever see Zariban again after all that inane grinding) - Please board up the ramp and observe the no smoking regulations. - Well, this is the last time we'll have to do this. One more stone and we'll have them all. Gogen, let's find out where this one will take us. - Then hold your stone close, for one stone leads us to the next... - Are you kidding? I sure didn't expect there to be a stone under Palencia Castle. - Oh...I just got a strong impression of something so...not right about that place. - The stone said, "grieving"... - Now's my chance to flush out that slime Andel! My revenge is near at last! - I knew this destiny was also mine since this journey began.  And so, the party heads out. And, after a brief stop at the Forest Spirit's place, it's back to Seirya! Correct, Past Me! Go see the Forest Spirit. Now you're on the right track. See you next update!
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Aug 24, 2023 15:47
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Right. Let's go into Palencia Castle and find the Fire Guardian.  This didn't really fit anywhere else into the LP, but heck, it's Tosh.    - I...I just wanted to say thank you for your services throughout our long journey. - Don't mention it. I just did as the King ordered. It was my pleasure to be of service. - You served well, and I'll always remember that. Thanks. - Arc, we have to go. Time is slipping away... - Oh, uh...sorry. Let's go. - I'm going to miss this ship. - Even the King doesn't seem to know about it, and I certainly don't want to involve Andel. - Yes. It is difficult to know who to trust in Palencia anymore. I believe stealth is our best course of action. - I agree. Find the stone first, ask questions later. It is a good plan. - But we don't know WHERE the stone is kept, remember? - I only know about a warehouse and the dungeon prison underneath the castle. It must be in one of those two places... - The warehouse was where we fought that battle with Tosh the first time, right? - Right! And, that seems like a likely place to start. Let's go! - It is nearly completed, sir. - Yes, but we need to examine some paperwork in the archives so he can finish it.Gate Guard 2 - Hmm...I should run that by the Minister first. Passage requires his personal approval now. - Andel is probably asleep by now, don't you think? It would be a shame to wake him just for this. (Well that was... abrupt, guys.) Taking the Millmana approach, I see.  - But is good for time like this, eh? One hit on back of head, and BOOM! Lights go out. Is big help, no?(Shut up, Chongara.)   - ...someone's coming!  (Wait, scientists? This kind of clashes with Seirya's whole "Feudal Japan" thing.)     (Pretty cool zoom out effect there.)    (Arc and friends stumble across an anachronistic secret laboratory underneath a castle...)  (And the oddly out of place scientists are not happy about it.)  Does this qualify as Evil Fat Man #5?  - You two! Inform Andel of this intrusion immediately! - Well, well, well. There is only one possibility. You must be the boy from Touvil of which Andel spoke. This must be your misguided attempt to free the Fire Guardian. Of course, your plan shall fail utterly.      Well, that just happened.  The red slimes and mad monks are nothing new, but the Wyvern is one of the stronger enemies in the game. In a typical playthrough, you'll either want to take out its flunkies on both sides of the map before ganging up on it, or otherwise blast it from a distance with special abilities before it can close in for combat.  Or you can be Tosh and just punch the crap out of it.  Creature - I...am the Fire Guardian...or I was. They trapped me and found a way to steal my power. - Steal your power?Fire Guardian - Yes. In this laboratory they research energy...life energy. They caught me, and have drained away my energy. This country's rapid development has been made possible by my power, my...life. Energy must be used by all, not hoarded by a few. We Guardians gave it freely. There was never a need to steal it. Please help me...break the tank...break it...and set me free.   Fire Guardian - ...Thank you.  - However, I cannot forgive your race for the cycle of destruction they have begun. They not only twisted nature to their liking, but dared to think they are free to use the life force of others as energy! Humanity's thirst for power led them to discover the ultimate power source... Guardians. And still there is no end to their greed and lust for power! Is it never enough? Humans think themselves lords over Nature...stealing its energy, but producing NOTHING of lasting value! - It is true that our greed and selfishness have caused so much tragedy. And still, I have been powerless to stop it thus far... - Fire Guardian, you say that humankind produces nothing of lasting value, but they do produce one very important thing. They produce offspring with the capacity to love and to feel the pain of others deeply. This boy's tears don't lie. Children can possess the bravery and power to make right the sins of their forefathers. I'd rather entrust the future to the tears of this boy than to any abstract hope or prayer. - I did not think I could be swayed by such simple words... Very well. I believe your words, that boy's tears, and the bravery it took to get this far. You have earned my trust. Come forth, Rai-jin! I summon you! (Hooray! Chongara's final summon for the game! Together with Fu-jin, Rai-jin can flank an enemy, and they will attack the enemy together for massive damage.) You know, if it was ever necessary. Which in this game it really isn't. - And this...this is why you have come to me. Take with you the power of the Fire Stone. - Please don't lose your purpose in the tears you shed, Arc of Touvil.  (God drat it, JRPG guidelines! ) - The bio laboratory and surrounding facility will be sterilized by explosion in sixty seconds. All personnel evacuate immediately. Have a nice day. - That's not good. - Let's get out of here! - Wait! Look at that!  - You all get out of here and leave these ghouls to me! You must get out NOW! - Wait! I'm with you, remember? This is one of those fights that can be ball-breakingly hard if you haven't been keeping Kukuru at a reasonable level. Anything less than level 30 or so will likely get her one-shotted by any of the enemies in this fight, leaving Arc to deal with the battle alone.  But, between Gale Flash and laser-wielding angels, this fight is a snap if both characters are kept at a fairly good level. With both of them maxed, it's laughable.    If the other fight was a reasonable challenge with an under-leveled Kukuru, this one is a ridiculous slaughter. Even Arc can be taken down in two hits if you don't have him properly prepared for the fate dragons. When I first played this game, I remember quite vividly winning this battle by the skin of my teeth. As far as abilities go, Fate Dragons can use a ranged one-target wind attack that can hurt characters with low magic defense. And, their attack power and evasion in close combat are both very high.  Hey guys, have you ever met the Wind Guardian before?    - As am I... - I worried about you. Those monsters big badness. - This could bring the whole castle down. Our first job is to save the King. Let's move! - And, your precious King lies unconscious, awaiting his end! Ha! - My Minister...A...Andel, he...he was sent from Romalia to... He diverted our country's attention by using the monsters...so that Romalia could conquer the world...(And this surprises absolutely no one.) - Your Majesty, lie still. You must save your strength. - They are looking for the Ark. They believe it will grant them...immense power. You mustn't let them obtain it! Stop them at all...costs! - I shall do my best, Majesty. Now then, you must lie still. - Arc, you have been so kind, so honest. I must confess something to you. Your father did not leave for Millmana of his own accord. I sent him away. Andel tempted me with Kingship and fueled my desire to possess the throne. And so, my ambition and jealousy led me to devise a scheme to rid Seirya of your father. I regret that action every day of my cursed existence, Arc. You must believe me. If you find Yoshua, tell him...tell...him...I'm... - Nooooo!  - drat! - Let's move!!    And so, the party barely escapes with their lives. I can't help but feel like a little bit of foresight may have prevented this, but eh, it's a JRPG.   Woah, what? Did we go a couple hundred years into the future?    Announcer - According to the King's Minister, Andel...   Announcer - ...immediately preceding an explosion that shook Palencia to its very foundation.  (Pictured: The three deadliest human beings in the world.) Announcer - The gang of seven is armed, and may have hostages...for they hijacked the Silver Noah, airship of the King, to make their escape. Following up on this extraordinary turn of events, we have a special announcement by Prime Minister Andel. We are now transferring to his address live... - During this difficult time, I have created a military state to keep matters under control. I shall maintain law and order while we attempt to bring this crisis under control. From this point forward, all orders shall be given from Palencia Tower, which is under construction. - This is a difficult time for us all, and I am counting on your support and cooperation. Good night.Announcer - And now for the local weather...  Pictured: Someplace we won't be going to in this game. And so, Arc and the others are outlaws in his own country. Which apparently is a modern technological society in every locale except their own ruler's castle. What will happen next? Stay tuned! I mention it very briefly next update, but don't forget about the Forest Spirit!
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Aug 24, 2023 16:39
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Hey everyone! Deepest apologies for the delay!  There's a couple sidequests to tie up, one of which we'll cover now.  At about this point in the game, the Amaidar Temple gets a new round of trivia questions. As usual, fun and pointless, but let's give it a whirl. Who is wanted by the castle guard for unspecified crimes against the King? Arc Kukuru Poco Tosh <--- General Yagun has a pet. What is it? Monkey <--- Raccoon Parrot Ring-tailed Lemur What is Arc's full name? Arc the Lad Arc Proctor Arc Ricolne <--- Arc Polta What is the name of the monster that held Gogen? Illusion Lord <--- ( )Dream Master Lord of the Dance Dark One Where is Hemo-ji's native habitat? Amaidar Mountain <--- Guardian Mountain Saryu Desert Sembara Marsh What is the name of Arc's father? Yoshin Yoshua <---- Schadrach Judas What is Arc's mother's name? Polta <--- Polenta Madonna Betty What is the name of Kukuru's Clan? Sacred Blue Clan Sacred Fire Clan Sacred White Clan <---- Unholy Rollers What is Poco's choice in comfortable adventure-wear? Spandex <---- Choir Robe Sweat suit Super Hero Cape Who is the flight attendant on Silver Noah and a friend of Bach? Chopin <--- Mozart Chopstick Chimera In what country did you discover spies? (Besides loving all of them?) Millmana <---- Seirya Alatos Niedel Which symbol do you find on the save data screen? Title Logo <---- Kukuru Arc Hemo-ji What is the name of the Guardian Force at Chongara's shop? Ahchuu Odon <---- Odin Odor The sequel to Arc The Lad... is packed in! <---- is adults-only! is a 2600 port! will blow your mind! How many people are there on the staff that made Arc the Lad? 150 200 250 Too many. <---- In the military office in the capital city, a dungeon with 50 basements... has a secret entrance. doesn't exist. is being built. <---- is where they keep the dialog writer. What lies at the very bottom of the Forbidden Ruins? The Colonel's Secret Recipe Secret Sauce Absolute Enlightenment It's a Secret <---- How many people can you see when the door of the temple is open? 20 21 <---- 22 23 Which item did Chongara find at the Ancient Monolith? Great item <---- Broken item Cheap item Sticky item Choko is... Cute <---- (Debatable, really) Spawned from Darkness Hot Messed Up   Geez, who was FIRST to give all right answers? Also, hooray, Rune Ring! It's useless! In actuality, it doubles Arc's MP consumption and slightly increases his spell power.  Wait, that's a...? Eh, whatever. The next step to advance the story, after seeing the Forest Spirit for our usual heart to heart chat, is to try to re-enter Seirya.  - So, somebody think of something! - Chongara has good idea. - What is that? - Uhhh...I no can tell you. - Chongara! - Hey, Gogen. I tell you. Listen big. - Uh...wow...that's really quite good! - How good is "really quite good?" (Oh dear god my eyes )Freak 1 - Oh, great apologies! Call line on ship not work well. Big sad mistake, eh? But, it was not fault of mine, no? (Seriously, they can SEE it's the Silver Noah. How do you expect this to work?) Guard - I do not need your life history. Show me your papers! Freak 1 - Papers? Eh? What papers, specifically, are you requesting? Guard - Your identification paperwork! You know, passports?  Guard - ??? Freak 2 - You tell him, tell him.  Guard - Clarph? You're the Prince of...Clarph? Freak 1 - It is all true, yes. Guard - But...I've never even heard of the Kingdom of Clarph... Freak 2 - Simpleton! Just because you are steeped in ignorance, are we all to suffer? Guard - Hey! There's no need for that! I mighta just forgot... Freak 2 - You sure to have heard King Nodesked of Clarph! He is biiig famous. Guard - Nodesked...that sounds more familiar, yes. I think I've heard of that. But who are these people with you? Do they have papers? Freak 2 - Have you never seen official delegation? These attendants of Prince! Guard - Delegation? Freak 2 - Yes. Yes. Official business! Freak 1 - We hear king of your country died in big problem. We come to give official comfort, eh? Guard - Oh, then I'm afraid you're too late. The funeral was 3 days past. Freak 1 - Eh? Come once more? Am I to understand that the funeral has already taken place? Guard - Right. Freak 1 - Oh no! It is big problem for us! We come all this way for nothing, eh? Well, having come this far, we should at least pay our respects at the grave. Guard - Very well then. Carry on. Freak 2 - What did you say, m'boy? Freak 1 - He say "carry on," I think. Guard - We would not want to disappoint delegates from Clarph. Please pay your official respects. Freak 1 - We should hurry, eh? Freak 2 - Yes. Yes. We're already 3 days late, so there's no time to waste in righting this faux pas. Hurry...hurry!     Seriously, how did that work? Sigh... JRPG logic. Anyway, back to Touvil, for the final leg of the game.   - I never imagined I'd have to sneak into my own village one day. - I never thought I'd be fighting to save the world with a pair of cymbals, either.(Point goes to Poco.) - Yes, but even though our gifts are very different, we have almost achieved our goal. - Enough talk. I'm nervous. Let's get this over with before I back out... - It is time to take hold of our collective destiny. - Yes, yes! Let's get moving, while the cover of night shields us. - You wait here while we extinguish the Flame. - I know it's silly, but I'm worried about you...(It IS kind of silly, since they're two of the strongest characters in the world.) - If we don't return within an hour, come for us. - Good luck. - Thanks. We'll be back soon.  - ...and once it is extinguished again, we shall have reached the end...right? - Oh, Kukuru... (Oh hey romance! Where were you hiding this whole time? What's that? Something about being shoe-horned in?)  (I guess they're... erm... putting out the flame, if you know what I mean. You know, freeing the spirits. Calling the Guardians. Raising their levels. Sharing some Total Healing. ... going to jail now bye)     (Well, you know, you did kind of run into them in the Forbidden Ruins and everything.) - Your foolish course shall soon be apparent to all! For once I have slain you, the bonds which have held me for 3,000 years shall be broken forever! I shall wait for you at the Ark, for I know that you will not deny your date with destiny. (Wait, he just left instead of, say, trying to murder their faces outright? Like he did last time?) ( - Eh, I have a headache.) - Something happened. Let's go! - We need to hurry, or it'll be too late! - Wait for Chongara!(Iga, you're right there... kick him off the cliff. Gogen's too senile to notice... come on...!) - We are right behind you! - Well, you don't think you're going to leave me behind, do you? (...Dammit Iga. You had this one chance to destroy evil forever.)  - Perhaps extinguishing the Flame unsealed them, as well? - Well, regardless of how they got here, we have to fight our way through them to get to the Ark before time runs out! - Hold on! We'll be up to help you as soon as we can! Nah, it's fine guys. Thanks anyway. This fight is barely worth mentioning. Any decently leveled characters will have no problems here. It's more or less filler because it's the third to final storyline battle of the game.  - We need to get down the mountain as fast as possible. The Ark Ghoul has been unleashed, and is waiting at the Ark in Sabatico Falls! And so, with one more sidetrip to Millmana (Yeah, the party is in their Hemo-Ji outfits whenever you go in to or out of Seirya for the rest of the game)...  We get the Silk Belt from the Forest Spirit. It doubles gained experience, which as you can imagine would be a lot more useful earlier in the game than this.  Last stop of the game! Let's go ahead and beat the Ark Ghoul!  And... his entire family I guess! Almost done! Next update to follow much sooner than this one!
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Aug 24, 2023 17:22
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Okay everyone, let's finish up this game before I die of old age. It feels kind of funny to read this when I started this LP in my early thirties and am now in my late thirties. Oh, life.  I put the Rune Ring from last update on Arc because apparently I like to make things harder on myself. As you can see, it makes Gale Flash cost a ridiculous amount, and the extra damage output really doesn't make up for it.  Another quirk: Sometimes if you're facing up or down you can't see your entire range with line attacks. Poco is actually melting off an Ark Ghoul's face just a bit north. How's THAT for ironic?  I guess I should talk about these jerks. Ark Ghouls, the bad guys in red, are fairly tough enemies to take down. Their defense and HP, as well as attack power, are all pretty high, and weaker characters can be one-shotted if you aren't careful. The bad guys in green, Arch Fiends, are slightly weaker, but not so much as you'd notice a significant change in difficulty between the two. Even with my hilariously overpowered party, it takes a bit of effort to put these guys down.  The weaker party members find ways to amuse themselves while the real fighters take the prize. Chongara decides to paint Iga like one of his French girls. Once the Ghouls and Fiends start clustering up, Iga is ridiculous in this fight. Really took a lot of the edge off of the encounter when he could inflict 300 damage to anything within a mile radius of our officially awesome monk.   Arc may not be able to one-shot these guys, but he can sure make them feel pain.   They try to use the poor man's Lion Drum attack, but it doesn't have much effect.  God drat, Poco. I've created a monster.  So, the final area is coming up... and to be honest, I'm tired of typing. So, let's go ahead and put up a video for the finale: Hold it! Before the final fight, I recommend unequipping everyone if you're max level with almost everybody like I am. I've heard there can be issues with the Arc 2 import items if they're equipped on people. The next fight can be tricky, but at max level you shouldn't actually need anything equipped to get you through it. Again, not sure how substantiated this import issue is, but why worry about it when you can just avoid it entirely? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRUxz7I98AI Now, even though you can just watch the video for all the dialogue and awesome phiharmonic orchestra music (Which, by the way, is the same music you hear when you find Choko at the bottom of the Forbidden Ruins), I'll go into a bit of detail about the final battle.  The final battle is the evil party. Which, for almost anyone who isn't overpowered, is a ridiculously hard fight. Maybe even the hardest. Evil Arc is, oddly enough, one of the less effective enemies during this fight. His moveset is normally kind of limited, unless you spend a lot of time augmenting his slightly above-average stats. The AI seems fond of putting him on healing duty. Evil Kukuru is pretty flimsy. She can dust off a weakened character if you aren't careful, and her healing is annoying, but otherwise she isn't much of a threat on her own. Evil Poco isn't much stronger than Evil Kukuru. Still, you want to be careful of some of his attacks. Thankfully, most of the time the AI will decide he wants to buff his party before doing anything offensive-based. Evil Tosh can do a lot of damage, just like the regular brand. If he gets a chance to attack or counter-attack, he can take out almost anyone else. Try blasting him with ranged attacks. Evil Gogen is, surprisingly, one of the most threatening enemies in the group. His attack magic is devastating, especially to physical attackers like Tosh and Iga. He can also put a lot of people to sleep with Dream Knock, which leaves them open to a coup-de-grace from Evil Tosh. Evil Iga is pretty strong and tough. Thankfully, he's also very slow and pretty far away from the action at the start. In a normal fight, I let him play with Chongara for a bit to buy time while the party handles the bigger threats. Evil Chongara can't summon anything... so he's about as threatening as you'd expect. Each of the evil party members is at level 50, and as far as I can tell they have the same stats as an unaltered version of that character at that level.   Too bad they don't have Hyper Boots and Phantom equipment.    Evil Iga might be the tankiest, but against Tosh it's a foregone conclusion. And, my favorite part:    A reason to murder Chongara with face-melting laser blasts of death.  Seriously, I made a save state before this attack just so I can relive the moment. Anyway, that's about it for the final fight.  I do want to point out that they give you a save menu after the awesome post-battle cutscene. It's important to make a save here, because this is the save that gets imported into Arc the Lad II. Since the ending of Arc the Lad I is easily my favorite part of the game, I won't ruin the rest of it with my inane commentary. Instead, have another video for the epilogue, and one more for the ending credits. Epilogue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpDQgz4hOaQ End Credits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mAgTY_B-5Y  Okay everyone! That about wraps it up for Arc the Lad I! I'll post one more update showing the party's final stats and equipment, as well as the dialogue from Arc's mailbox and the Forest Spirit. Then, we'll move on to Arc the Lad II! Thanks for reading so far, everyone! It's almost here! Thank you in 2023 to everyone who is re-reading this part of the LP. We'll have a wrap-up update next, followed by what little I covered of Arc 2. And then it's on to brand new content! Get excited!
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Aug 24, 2023 17:36
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Final Stats Note: With the exception of Healing Kelack, I did not really use summons during this run. Therefore, summons will be skipped. They weren't a waste of time, however; all summons will be returning in Arc the Lad II! Anyway, here's the awesome and not so awesome stats.        Balance? What's that taste like? But wait, there's more! Final Stats, 2023 Edition (Still sans the summons, as I used them even less this time around):        You also get to see the glory of a complete accessory list! Note that some are blacked out on some screens because several accessories are character-exclusive, so it only lights up when you're on their equip menu. Exposition Transcripts 1: Yoshua  (After getting the Light Stone from Alatos) Dearest Arc, I pray you receive this letter. There are forces that wish to stop what I have started. I shall continue to send helpful information here in the hope that it can guide you. I have learned that you received the Light Guardian's stone. The next Guardian is in Greyshinne. Leave as soon as you receive this. The forces of darkness seek to overtake you. Love, Yoshua (After getting the Earth Stone from Greyshinne) Dear Arc, You have retrieved the Power Stone from the Earth Guardian. Good work! By now you have gathered the six that will see you through to the end of your journey. Treat them well, for without them, it will be impossible to achieve the goal. The next Guardian is in Niedel, where the tournament is held. Win the tournament and gain the prize. Keep a wary eye on Roctoll, the tournament promoter, however. The man is not to be trusted. I leave you now with a special gift that may help you in the tournament. Good luck, my son. Yoshua Received a Romancing Stone! (After getting the Wind Stone from Niedel) Dear Arc, You have met three of the Guardians and received their Power Stones. These stones are precious, since they represent the will of the Guardians. Guard them well. I hope by now you understand that the thing that drove us to the edge of extinction was our own desire. Your quest ot right the wrongs of our forefathers fills me with pride. Always remember that. I suppose you must know by now that the next Guardian is in the parched land of Zariban. Help them, and find the Water Guardian. One day, I pray we shall meet again. Yoshua No further mail arrives after clearing Zariban. Exposition Transcripts 2: Forest Spirit (After completing Alatos... for some reason)  - Though forgotten by humankind, he has been watching you with great interest. When you meet, listen carefully to the wisdom he has to impart. Now, go! Your next destination is Greyshinne. Take this gift to aid you in your journey...(After completing Greyshinne)  - All you have and all you are comes from me... You can never truly "own" anything. It is this truth that causes strife among humankind. Remember the wisdom of the Earth Guardian. I shall give you this gift to aid you in your quest... Wait! Take this as well...(Note: Doesn't actually give you anything new here.) Lies! The Throw Scroll is obtained from this. (After completing Niedel)  - Sunlight, rain, and wind...all have a purpose and reason for being. The Wind Guardian has reminded you that the ways of mankind are not always to the benefit of other creatures. Show these others wisdom and mercy. (After completing Zariban)  - The world must be healed, but that task will be more difficult than many imagine. Do not forget the dry ground in Zariban and the words of the Earth Guardian. (After freeing the Fire Guardian in Palencia Castle)  - All creatures have energy within. However, humans ruthlessly take energy from other creatures or even other humans. It is barbaric. The world we share is bathed in the ebb and flow of energy, and we all are entitled to share. But, if one takes more than their share, the balance is upset and suffering begins. Most of all, I know that you who shed tears for the Fire Guardian understand.(After freeing the Ark Ghoul in Touvil)  - I feel joy that you heeded the words I imparted to you. Perhaps you truly are the ones of legend that can lead this world back to balance. I therefore give this gift to you...(Silk Belt get!) Music Link Compilation I'll be adding a few of these to easy to remember areas in the previous posts, but in the meantime here's all the links to the entire Arc the Lad 1 soundtrack. Noticeably absent: The Ark opening/Choko intro epic orchestra song. General/Atmospheric/Unique Themes Theme of Arc the Lad - https://youtu.be/s4mnpXZTO3s (The intro music, naturally.) All Beginnings - https://youtu.be/Dxt29yYfMhw (The music played at the very beginning before the Mayor turns into Evil Fat Man #1.) Anger - https://youtu.be/_i-iCZUM6ew (Played infrequently in some of the GRR I AM SO ANGRY scenes in the game, but most easily remembered because it was played as Tosh ripped through a solid metal prison door to escape.) Ark Demon - https://youtu.be/nETRALrhNFY (Although it first plays when the Ark Ghoul stomps Arc, you also usually hear this track in cutscenes that lead into a fight.) Between Audiences - https://youtu.be/mlmVJcrZcJY (The audience hall theme for the Seirya throne room.) House of Hometown - https://youtu.be/iCzyhow44Ck (The music it plays when you go to visit your mother for a free herb and upsetting tutorial letter. You know, before the house burns down.) Ghost - https://youtu.be/ottu-caGdOM (They probably meant to say "Spirit" because this plays whenever you meet with one of the Spirits, Guardian, Forest, or otherwise. Super chill.) Four Generals - https://youtu.be/3QNvvGRIESY (Most often played when Andel is having facetime with his mirror buddy. Also plays infrequently in other areas, most often when Kasadoll is involved in the scene.) Father Yoshua - https://youtu.be/D8ZQCeWyAVk (Naturally, this pompous little theme song plays whenever Yoshua is in a flashback. Sometimes even just getting a letter from him comes with this theme.) Critical Moment - https://youtu.be/60BRHeImRZo (Off the top of my head, I remember this song playing when the Ark Ghoul's fire is re-lit, and when you are going to put it out for the second time. It's way more common in Arc 2 as one of the overworld themes.) Separation - https://youtu.be/7AgCi0m4r18 (Your typical "Aww I'm so sad and I miss you" music, plays very frequently in this game during any cutscenes where people aren't getting actively punched or murdered.) Save & Load - https://youtu.be/guNYyD780G0 (Self-explanatory, but I like how nice it sounds.) Recollection - https://youtu.be/bBsEMIwJ_8s (Also plays frequently during sad parts of the game, most notably when Ark's house is burnt down and when Zariban village is turned into a charnel house.) Underground Prison - https://youtu.be/iQfxA9TWTVU (Plays infrequently throughout the game, most commonly around scenes showing Tosh's imprisonment.) Victorious Fanfare - https://youtu.be/pGsLhJ4IIj4 (Your standard "Yay you won the fight" song. Plays as a theme, oddly enough, for a minor character in Arc 2.) Travel Themes Area Movement - https://youtu.be/wb_6YifTcjw Alatos - https://youtu.be/NzC-95PzLEE Greyshinne - https://youtu.be/eltYZc9-q-4 Millmana - https://youtu.be/H0zdAhWY3rI Niedel - https://youtu.be/oLMxA7Ed2J4 Seirya - https://youtu.be/lXy-yAS4GNo Zariban - https://youtu.be/9hxevwQ20Mo Battle Themes Battle 1 - https://youtu.be/nngjJXuUc8o Battle 2 - https://youtu.be/ztZvEtDUmfk Battle 3 - https://youtu.be/45lYoklt44I Battle 4 - https://youtu.be/3Jaalioinfo Battle 5 - https://youtu.be/xyOB0YumCUo Battle 6 - https://youtu.be/_A2TgRBRvtQ Battle 7 - https://youtu.be/mKKkvJnpteM Battle 8 - https://youtu.be/BeqWNnQg1uo Battle 9 - https://youtu.be/6wIkjpqNuU8 Character Themes Arc - https://youtu.be/38gW6Hgidtk Chongara - https://youtu.be/b-xbr5qYKA4 Gogen - https://youtu.be/4321yaAnUOU Iga - https://youtu.be/adoyCAQBDVQ Kukuru - https://youtu.be/0ipSFk6rCvo Poco - https://youtu.be/oQVA4Egj9Xw Tosh - https://youtu.be/werAoBA141I Unused Tracks Biotechnology Research Institute - https://youtu.be/haUBZ4wH3iE Joy - https://youtu.be/GGQYmYXb6y0 Recollections - https://youtu.be/v_GIkslBhJY (Not to be confused with "Recollection" above.) (Technically you never hear Kukuru's theme in the game either, but it made more sense to put that with the other character themes.) And that wraps up Arc the Lad 1... or does it? I will take a break before starting in on what I have so far of Arc 2 so that I can get the music entries updated and do last minute checks for any necessary fixes. I know this first page of the thread is huge as heck, so I appreciate everyone who endures it. Feel free to leave random comments so we get a fresh page for Arc 2. Thank you readers, new and returning, for your patience in my years-long hiatus. It's really good to be back in the saddle. Miketopus fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Sep 3, 2023 |
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Aug 24, 2023 18:14
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I'll be keeping an eye on this. I'm always up to check out an older JRPG. And the corny jokes Working Designs snuck into their translations were great. (I really do regret not picking up a copy of this collection back when it was on sale.)
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Aug 25, 2023 02:00
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For some silly reason, YouTube has an upload limit of 10 videos per day, so the soundtrack is slow going. Still keeping at it!
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Aug 26, 2023 21:21
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Almost there! Arc 1 soundtrack has been uploaded, will be updating these posts with some music for that. Getting Arc 2 sorted as well. Once I've caught up on the music edits, it's on to Arc 2.
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Aug 30, 2023 01:58
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Music edits complete, or at least complete enough to where all tracks are represented in the final post and the character bios. May add more to certain posts later, but for now I think it's important we keep moving with Arc 2!
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Sep 3, 2023 22:50
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Hey everyone, I'm back! Between surgery and a new PS4, it's been kind of up and down the past few months. But, short of Bard's Tale 2, I never fail to finish an LP! So let's jump into Arc the Lad II at long last! January of 2016 was a very busy month for me. Good thing it was just my appendix. Opening video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0iFjj0N32w Arc the Lad Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFWv7T1lKA  Arc the Lad II picks up shortly after the events of Arc the Lad I, in which the heroes became fugitives of Seirya and the world at large. Although the battle system is the same at its core, there is a lot of new features that give you more options in fights. Furthermore, the cast of characters explodes in this game. Instead of seven playable characters, you will eventually have your pick from over a dozen storyline characters, and several potential slots for monster recruits. I'll try to ease you guys into some of the differences as we go, but there's a lot to cover. As a side note, AtL II is generally billed as the best of the original trilogy. Oh, and if anyone is interested, there is an Arc the Lad anime from around 1998 or 1999. It is based almost exclusively off of the story of Arc the Lad II, though it has several significant plot and character differences. Overall, it was an interesting watch, but the game is vastly preferable. Big surprise, yeah? Anyway, on with the show!  Typical start menu, but "Convert" is the option you want if you have previous save data.  For the completionists out there, it's critical to have finished the previous game, and found all of the key items such as the Romancing Stones. You'll see why much, much later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3OVeB3-ZZU    Well, this is promising.  You might be wondering why soldiers are gunning down innocent villagers in a backwoods village, and the answer may surprise you.  They want their artwork. The Four Generals (Bit early, eh?) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1q-Dn46t9U   - If I were staring down the barrel of a gun, I would be less inquisitive. - We will never allow the Fire Guardian to be taken! - Hrmph. Is your Guardian so valuable to you... that you would sacrifice yourselves to stop us? Fine. We shall give you the martyrdom you desire. - Elc--! - FIRE!!!Apologies for the size discrepancy in a couple of the screenshots coming up. Once I'm caught up in 2 it'll stop being an issue.   Elc - ...Why? Why did you do that?! They did nothing wrong! - They were in the way, boy... and so are you. Prepare to join your father in the afterworld!Elc - NO!! You won't hurt anyone else! You'll suffer for what you've done!   Elc - Now it's your turn!  - Hrmph. He appears to have exhausted himself. That was quite an impressive display, don't you agree? The boy seems to channel the power of the Fire Guardian!  - ...he unleashed Fire energy upon your soldiers. It was absolutely extraordinary. - Fasten the chains, men! Double-time! Signal the Silver Noah, soldier.  ( )  - Excellent job. Return to the ship! Shall we take the child to the facility? - Certainly.  Elc - Let me go... Leave me ALONE!!   - ...I had that dream again... I wish I could erase the memories so I could get a decent night's sleep. So, right after Elc's introduction nightmare, we find he has the ability to freeze time at will. Pretty basic options to start with. "Monsters" will be grayed out for a while.  I tend to get a little excited when I see the roster size and how little space each character takes up. Don't you?  Phew, boy... there's a lot to cover here. Feel free to skip to the next screenshot if you get bored. This is the status window, where you can see a character's information such as HP/MP, attack, defense, etc. Most of the parameters that were in the first game haven't changed in functionality; you can still catch stuff, jump, throw stuff, that sort of thing. But, you can also see weapon skills on the left. Each character has innate weapon skills that determine what weapons they can equip. And, the more you use a certain type of weapon, the more the skill advances. Elc begins the game with a spear, but he can also equip swords and axes. There are numerous weapon types in this game, including ranged weaponry, and some characters can equip a combination of melee and ranged weapons. Below the weapon skills is the character's equipment. While the overall equipment slots have decreased from 4 to 3, there are several more options for characters. Typically, a character will equip a weapon, some armor, and an accessory. Some weapons and armor will gain levels with use, making them hit harder or absorb more damage depending on their original function. Other items are kind of a wild card, and I'll show you why in a moment. Next to Elc's HP and MP, you'll see "Fire". Some characters and enemies have an innate elemental attribute, which indicates the general types of abilities that character or enemy will use. As we saw earlier, Elc can use fire magic. Unlike Arc, who was able to use magic through the blessing of the Guardians, Elc's magic is innate, due to his clan's affiliation with the Fire Guardian. Just like in the first game, characters will gain new abilities either through leveling or through storyline events and rewards. Wealth is cash, nothing simpler. We'll have to take a raincheck on Nol skill until it becomes applicable.  The equipment screen offers a more concise description of a character's stats, and will indicate with red and blue arrows whether or not a selected item will increase or decrease certain stats.   Interestingly enough, even single use items can be equipped on characters. It's usually better to equip an accessory instead, but as you can see we aren't starting with a wealth of goods here. Equipping the Revival Dust on Elc will raise his attack from 7 to 10, however, so it's well worth using for a time.  Elc's apartment is uneventful in itself. No items or extra trivia, although the picture on the wall looks somewhat familiar...   - You've got to come to the Guild... right now. - Lynx, do you know what time it is?(A question I ask my cat many times when she wakes me up in the middle of the night. Same name and everything. And still going strong at age seventeen in 2023!) - Yeah. It's time to go to work. I've got a job for you! Besides, you're a Hunter, remember? Saving the world from darkness at any hour! You're not supposed to care WHEN the jobs come to you, just how much they pay... - Speaking of which, how much are we talking, here? - You'll do it, then? Great. We'll talk money at the Guild. Get ready!At this point the game lets you wander around your apartment again and access your menu. No point though, nothing new. Lynx will ask us if we're ready next time we talk to him. - Great! Let's go. Next time, on Arc the Lad II: The Job! Arc the Anime Lad: Character Highlight Every so often, I would like to compare an aspect of the anime to the game. For the first update, it's no surprise who we'll be looking at: Elc.  Elc retains most of his personality in the anime. He is brash, hot-headed, cynical, and doesn't usually let people get close to him. He uses fire magic extensively in the anime as well, and retains use of a spear throughout the series. However, Elc tends to cling more to certain characters in the anime than he does in the game. In particular, the anime emphasizes a strong romantic relationship with another character, and his evolving ability to question himself and the world around him. Part of the reason for this is the comparitively smaller cast of characters in the anime compared to the game, thus giving Elc more time and dialogue. Overall, although several characters are changed considerably in the anime, Elc retains most of his personality traits and gains more of a "Main Character" feel than he does in the game. See you guys next update! PS: I'd be interested to know if people want to see more Arc the Lad anime comparisons in future updates once we're caught up. I'd need to rewatch it but I could give it a shot. Feel free to chime in.
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Sep 7, 2023 00:10
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Welcome back! When last we left off, Elc was commissioned for a job in the middle of the night by a suspiciously-named agent for the Guild.  Naturally, we can't go anywhere until we hear about the job. But first, a little about how Guilds work in this game.  Hush, Elc, you'll have plenty of time for storyline related angst later. So, each Guild in the game has a bounty board just above the entrance. It's the wall full of posters you can see directly above Elc.  At a glance, you will see some special encounters you can have. Some are based on random encounters, others are fought as part of a job or even part of the storyline.  Checking out a poster in more detail shows some very basic information about the enemy, including where they are encountered. The reason why this is important: You need to check out the posters on the bounty board before you can fight and get credit for killing the bounties. Sounds basic, I know, but as I mentioned some of them are encountered as part of a one-time event such as a job or story mission. So, if you aren't diligent with checking the bounties, you may miss some of them forever.  - Cooger? Is that you?! - Yeah, it's me, you walking waste of the Fire Guardian's power! - Heh! Don't sugarcoat your feelings for me, buddy. - You've been a stranger, lately. What've you been up to? - You know... just business.We won't be seeing too much of Cooger in this LP, but he's sort of a comic relief that you can find frequently in almost every Guild in the game. Oddly enough, his role in the anime is much more prominent in the first episode, as he is hired on for this job at the same time as Elc. I would draw a comparison, but we have bigger fish to fry.  This guy blabs on for a while, but he's the tutorial NPC for the beginning of the game. He tells you how to attack, use items, and the principles of counterattacks.  This is Arc the Lad II's save point. Since dungeons and towns are a lot more involved than they were in the first game, these save points were created to give players more stopping points than just the world map like before.   Geez, everyone in this building is an rear end in a top hat.  - This is a hot one, kid. You're lucky I didn't give this to someone else. The location of the operation is Aldia Skyport. Some radical freak is causing trouble. He's giving the Skyport cops fits, but I guess that's no surprise, eh? The job pays 2000 G, and I gave it to Lynx in advance to hold for you. Wrap this one up quick, okay? And, I don't want a mess this time, or I'm charging you for the cleanup! - No problem, but why did you give the dough to Lynx?! - Look, kid. I paid in advance for your services this time. I'm counting on success. Nothing less. - Hey, don't worry, bean counter. You bought the best.I'm seriously trying to figure out how anybody in this place gets through a conversation without beating the poo poo out of each other.  - Yes. Funny thing. The dispatcher says you've got the bounty for this job already. - Uh... yeah. I didn't want him to rip us off. - I'm more concerned about getting taken closer to home. I'd better get the lion's share of the bounty when this is done. - Yeah, yeah. You should know to trust me by now. I'll take care of you! By the way, did you sign in on the journal at the counter? He explains how save points work if you weren't curious/OCD enough to check everything in the room. Don't worry, I've got you covered on that front.   - Great! One Skyport coming up, one terrorist going down! Quick glance at the overworld map. Don't worry, we'll see more of this later.       - Why are you all standing there?! HELP ME!! - Please remain calm, miss. We want you to walk away from this unharmed. Now then, sir, tell us again what you want. - Didn't you hear him the first time?! He wants you to close down the Skyport! - Please remain CALM, miss!!  - If the Skyport is shut down, the Saint Diana cannot land. - Of course...now I understand this thug's motives! Without those guests, the Ceremony cannot take place!  - Why don't you stop asking questions and do what he WANTS?! - But I don't have authoriza... - I SAID, shut up and DO it! NO EXCUSES! - If they can't handle this criminal, what are we going to do?! - Hunter? What's a Hunter? - They're mercenaries that take on tasks for money. I don't know how they started, but I hear they get the job done. (God, that guy's forehead...)  Eh? What is...  Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. I see. Taking the shortcut.  Straight through the freaking window! Fight 1 (Very ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-MsYLANsuc  - Huh?! - What the hell do you think you're doing?! - Taking out the trash. - Nothing personal. I've got a job to do, and today, you're it. - What about the garbage coming out of your mouth, punk?! Now stop talking and start bleeding! Everyone's favorite movement system remains the same as it did in the first game, but combat itself has some notable improvements.  For starters, some weapons have interesting attack ranges. When Elc is using a spear, for example, he can actually hit up to two squares away. You can either attack one enemy from a distance to completely avoid a counterattack, or you can attack two enemies at the same time and only incur a counterattack from the one closest to you.  Didn't get a good shot of this, but you only need to hit this guy once to complete the first phase of the battle.         Naturally, we have to follow electro-ninja into the ship. You can talk to NPCs hanging around the area and listen to their dumb banter. However, there's one NPC I recommend talking to before following the bad guy.  - Oh... There's a cut on your forehead. You're bleeding! - It's nothing. - No, no. Let me see. Here. Tie this around the cut. - Please be careful. That man won't hesitate to kill you... Fully upgraded armor that also makes me faster? Yes please.   Ha, okay. Go get 'em, Wolverine.    Erm... don't think you have the right suspect there, Elc.  Meeting with Lieza - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OaSZQRHk0c   - Please don't be angry at Paundit. He's just protective of me. - Uh, how can a monster be your guardian?! - Paundit is NOT a monster! - Then your definition is quite different from mine. But, why isn't your mutt attacking me? - ... - You've tamed the creature! Amazing! I would love to hear an explanation... but I have a more pressing question for you. Did you see a strange man run past the door? He's a dangerous fugitive. I've come to capture him. - ... - I shall take your silence as a "No".  - Excuse me? - You might be looking for ME. - What do you mean? - ... - I said, WHAT do you MEAN?! - ...Please let me escape. - Escape? - I can't tell you... - drat it! I'll be back for that explanation!  Fight 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwbSJDVuXw  - Or will you wise up and surrender? - I choose... neither. The chase is over, Hunter... and so is your short career. I will enjoy watching the life run from your veins!  - Aren't they beautiful? - How did you... DO that?! - Drink deeply, my pets! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!  - Do you feel better now? - You--? - Is that all right? - No complaints here! I think you just won this battle for me! Urgh, forgot how conversation-intensive this game is. Anyway, bad guy and his bat brigade. The bats can lay down some pain if you aren't careful. They take a couple hits from any of the characters, but otherwise aren't a huge threat as long as you don't let them gang up on someone. During the first couple of rounds, the guy Elc's been chasing moves away from the fight, so at first it's just the bats you have to worry about.  Mystery girl starts out a bit weaker than Elc, but has some pretty useful magic. She uses throwing knives to start with, so she has a distance attack.  Paundit isn't as strong as Elc either, but he can hold his own in a straight fight. He also has a situationally useful water-based area attack that can do some damage to groups of enemies.  Now serving bat kabobs! ...Or is it kebabs? I can never remember. ...  Since Lieza is somehow attuned to monsters, she inherits a couple of Chongara's abilities. She can scan an enemy to enter it into an information book later. This time, I would actually recommend filling it out as much as possible. And, for the bats and the bad guy, this is your only chance to get an entry for them. So, this is one point that I'm admittedly still unclear about at the time of these updates. Apparently while "Search" can be useful for knowing an enemy's stats (And it remembers repeat enemies so you don't have to Search them again), the Monster Book in this game may operate off an entirely different premise than Lieza's Search ability. I intend to talk about this more later on. For now, though, Searching every enemy doesn't hurt.  Huh, apparently our bad guy's name is Alfred.  Such a cool move. ...drat it, I made a pun. Sorry.  Although it's less intrusive this time around, you still level up mid-battle. Although, monsters also seem to level up mid-fight much more often than they did in the first game.   After a few rounds, Alfred decides to run back to the melee.  Paundit gets a knife to the face...  And follows up with a counter atta-OH MY GOD!  - I'm not qualified to counsel nutcases. Perhaps you can consult a prison psychologist. - No! You... you don't understand! They'll never forgive my failure! They'll... kill me! - Who are "they"? - The Cabal! They're everywh... - !?? - He could never close his trap.  - Who are you? - Oh, no...! - Gimme the girl. Now. - Do you know these men? - They... - Shut up! You should keep your nose outta our business... before it gets cut off.(...Before your business gets cut off? Also, why are Italian mobster stereotypes attacking us?) - WHAT did you say?! - Where you gonna run, huh?  - Watch your step, kid. - All right! I'll... go with you. - No!! - But I have to. Don't you see? If I don't, they'll kill us both.(Flashback time!)                 - ... - Ain't you gonna t'ank her, kiddo? She just saved your life. - Thank you... - There ya go. - ...for dropping your guard.Elc's Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixd0miw2yNo   - [Gasp!] Paundit!! - This way! - We'll trade explanations later. HANG ON!!    (Lieza gets shot faster than I can screencap!) - NOOO!! - Stop shooting, ya dumb bastid! She ain't worth nuttin' cold! - Sorry, boss. - Bogart. - Yeah, boss? - Go to Gallarno and tell him what happened. - Will do, boss. - Dat punk's gonna regret dis... - How badly are you hurt? - It's hard... to breathe. - I'm taking you to Indigos. We can find someone there who can heal your wounds. Just hold on... The Four Generals Theme (And the debut of Evil Fat Man #6!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1q-Dn46t9U   - A Hunter... with the power of Flame? He beat Alfred... and he took Lieza? Find him... or suffer the consequences. - I knew it was too early to send Alfred on a job... But I never imagined that kid would become a Hunter. And a Flame Master, as well! So to summarize... Elc busted into the airport to stop an electro-ninja from committing terrorist acts, saved a girl who can tame monsters, had the electro-ninja get killed by the mob, then ran away from the mob who also shot the mysterious girl. And the Godfather was playing both sides, apparently? Don't worry, it'll make more sense later. Later than you might like, though. See you next time! Arc the Anime Lad: Character Highlight You might think I would pick Lieza for this episode, but this time around we'll be looking at Alfred, the electro-ninja.  Alfred follows a very different role in the anime. While he is still a terrorist bad guy, this time he hijacks the airship and attempts to use it to escape the country. Elc and Cooger chase him down after hopping on the ship in mid-flight. Rather than being shot down by random mobsters, however, Alfred transforms into a scary-rear end mutated monster, murders Cooger, and attempts to capture Lieza. Then he gets set on fire by Elc and blasted by an airship cannon before the airship itself is exploded by the aforementioned mobsters.  Told you the anime took some radical differences. We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg here. Just a couple updates to go until we break new ground!
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Sep 7, 2023 06:02
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God drat I'm bad at this. Can I do a Toxx challenge mid-way through an LP to force myself to stay on track? Sorry guys. Let's do this update thing now. Good thing I didn't or I'd have to have bought a new account. By the way, the overworld theme for this region is actually Critical Moment from Arc 1. There's no entry for in on the Arc 2 soundtrack, so here you go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60BRHeImRZo  So! When last we left all those months ago, Elc was helping Lieza after she got shot by a mysteriously competent mobster. Hope she hasn't bled out in all this time. Oh, and this is news. The overworld is now walkable instead of being made out of brightly colored jagged bits of candy! You still move between each country as its own "zone" but the areas are explorable. This will come into play every once in a while...  ...Just not now. Everywhere you try to go except Elc's destination is some variant of, "I don't feel like it."  Here we go. Indigos is going to be a pretty common sight for a bit. Shu's Theme (A subtle intro to a badass) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eQOWnbH4o  - Is this... Indigos? - Yes. I have a friend who lives here. - Police continue to investigate the bizarre crime scene at Aldia Skyport. The terrorist who attempted to shut down the Skyport remains missing... along with the Hunter who was called in to subdue the criminal. The authorities have asked for the public's help in finding both men... while they continue to investigate possible links between them. We'll keep you updated on the situation as it develops.   - ...and so does she. - Who's the girl? What's wrong with her? - A long and strange story. I don't even know her name. But I do know she's in big trouble. - ...You want to put her on the bed? - I thought you'd never ask. - You came here from the Skyport? - I'm afraid to ask how you knew that. I encountered this girl while I was there. She has the ability to tame monsters... and she was being pursued because of it. - By whom? - Men with strange hats and large guns... one of which shot her as we escaped. (The man, the strange hat, or the gun? This game has some issues with sentence structure at times.) - She needs medical attention, but... - ...What if her pursuers find her again? And now the police are pursuing you. - Any ideas? - Talk to Lado. - Oh? And how can he help? - Doctor for hire. All the Hunters around here use him. I have business to take care of. You can stay here while I'm gone. I suggest you get some rest, too. You look like crap. - I know. Thanks again. - Any time.  As far as free inns go, I've had better. Oh well. Guess we should go find that doctor. Indigos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BbHMONWxAM  Indigos is pretty big for a one-map town. It's got shops, a bar, and a Hunter's guild.   Also it has profoundly unhelpful NPCs.  - No. I am in search of someone. His name is Lado. Heard of him? - A Hunter who hunts within the walls of the Guild?! Give me a moment to savor the sweet irony! - I was told that Lado was known amongst the Hunters... - Do I look like a Hunter to you? I thought not. So why don't you go and find one?Geez, why are these clerks always such dicks? The answer is actually a couple squares away, though I ended up wandering half the town because I had talked to that guy before the clerk, which doesn't trigger the correct dialogue unless you talk to him again after.   - Yes, I do. He is a skilled surgeon and an infamous lush. Lado can be found destroying his liver at the tavern. Yes, you can go here first.  Yes, you can find Lado here. But he's passed out at the bar if you come here before talking to baldy at the Guild.    - Yep. He just walked out the door... mumbling something about the Ruin Town. Well that was easy.     - Don't you recognize me? I didn't think you would. Do you remember a thief who was shot in Indigos last week? A man you walked past instead of trying to help? - I wanted to help him, but I couldn't. He was surrounded by police officers! - Well, that thief's life was saved after all... and he was given the amazing gift of a new body. This body! And now, it's time for you to pay for what you failed to do!  - Don't you know anything, kid?! You NEVER interrupt a psychotic diatribe! (I think I want this for my new signature.) - I could educate you about that kinda stuff... but I'd much rather just kill you, too!Fight 3 (Enjoy the Forbidden Ruins flashbacks!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Ol276PGiA  So, Elc versus Sword Guy...      Oh come on, game! I get how to play! Quit throwing tutorial fights at me! Anyway, Sword Guy beats a hasty retreat. Pretty sure he's a bounty later or something.  - Yes, but only because of you. How could that man have been turned into a monster? I didn't know such power existed in this world... - You're Lado, aren't you? - Yes, I am. - I need a favor, then. A friend of mine has been shot. Without your aid, she'll... - I understand. Take me to her.  - Somewhat weak, but she will recover quickly. If I had arrived much later, however... Who did this to her? - ... - Never mind. Allow her plenty of rest... and consider my life debt paid in full. Goodbye. - He had a bad attitude, but he was an excellent doctor. - Did you bring him here? - Yes. - Thank you. Why... did you save me? - Because you needed to be saved. My name is Elc. I'm a Hunter, but I think you already know that. What's your name? - I'm Lieza. You're the nicest person I've ever met outside of my village. You helped me without even knowing my name... - Why were those men after you, Lieza? - I was taken from my village and put on the ship. They were sending me to a place called the Facility. They said the Facility has a lot of kids like me. On the ship, they did a lot of tests on me. The only thing that got me through that was Paundit. He is the wolf-beast I've had since I was young. Then, last night, they decided to move me to another room...Lieza's Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqbeDLjxZR8              - I see. - I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. - It's alright. - Ohhh... All that talking made me tired. - You need to rest, anyway. We can talk more later. - Okay... - ...Which might be related to my lost memories. - And your power to command Flame? - Yes. - When I have completed my current task... I will join you. - Thanks, Shu! - I suggest we follow Lieza's lead, and get some sleep.Opening (Gets a lot more use than just the intro) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3OVeB3-ZZU   - Stop it! STOP!!  - Are you okay? You were having a nightmare! - Yes... I'm alright. All my dreams are bad ones. You're feeling much better, aren't you? - Yes! I'm not weak at all. - That's wonderful to hear. Where is Shu? - He left to finish his work. - I see. - Elc... - Yes? - You have missing memories? - ...So you overheard me yesterday. When I was a child, my father and grandfather were... murdered. An army invaded our village and burned it to the ground. A soldier dragged me into an airship... and that's when my mind goes blank. Shu found me five years ago... wandering through the west Aldian Desert. - Oh... - It's not a very interesting story, is it? I've never enjoyed speaking about myself... - It's okay, Elc. - Anyway. I need to take on a few jobs. I refuse to ask Shu for financial aid! - Elc... may I come with you? - Are you kidding?! - No... - Those men are looking for you, Lieza. What happens if they find you again? - That's why I need to stay with you... for protection. - But... - Please! - Alright. You can come with me. But you will do whatever I ask of you, whenever I ask it! - Of course. Thank you! Paundit! Come on! Oh god NO NOT THE WOLF NO  Arc the Anime Lad: Character Highlight Okay, now seems like a good time to talk about Lieza.  Lieza has a major role in the anime, though she isn't an active character like she is in the game. Sadly, she falls to the trope of "Get captured by literally everything" and so has a lot of time off-screen. In fact, about halfway through the anime, she gets captured by a character we haven't met yet (And never will in the game), and thus she loses most of her screentime until close to the end of the series. There is also a stronger romantic link between her and Elc in the series, although several characters ended up being paired in the anime so that isn't exactly surprising. In the game, Lieza is a fairly dependable character. You've already seen her specialties, monster abilities and healing magic. We'll see more of what she's capable of as the game progresses. Sorry again for the delay, everyone. Look forward to another update much sooner than this one! Definitely a new record now at seven years between updates.
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Sep 7, 2023 23:33
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Hey, less than a month this time! I'm getting better at this update thing! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Nope. Good news and bad news: The bad news is, for those of you looking for more action, this is one more dialogue-heavy update. The good news is, for those of you looking for dialogue, this is one more dialogue-heavy update! Yay! (There's cool scenes in this game I promise)  This is our party so far. You've pretty much seen their stats already in previous updates. We've got at least one more incoming soon, so next update we can take a look at their finer points.  Our next destination is the Hunter's Guild to make some cash.             And to earn cash we're... going to take a job for free. - Those bandits aren't gonna know what hit 'em. - I should hope so.  - Hmmm. Strange. - Uh-oh... Turn around, Elc! - Who are you?  - Ah, well. Surely you realize you're about to die. - It's a trap!Fight 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5as81AJsvjM  So, are you tired of gimmick fights yet?   Beating any of these monsters is actually pretty simple. When they don't miss the party, they only do single digit damage. And two attacks or less from any party member will wipe out a monster.    But, the gimmick is that they keep spawning friends.    I'm pretty sure this battle ends after a set number of turns, but killing the ringleader always makes me feel better.     - Be careful when apprehending the girl. She has the ability to control monsters. - It's the police! They're here to help us, Elc! () - I don't think so, Lieza. You and I are fugitives from the law, remember? They're more likely to arrest us than to help us. And their commander has a vendetta against me... (The police and the monsters start to fight each other in... hand to hand combat...)  - Use deadly force if necessary! - This is bad. Very, very bad...    (Mystery lady leads the party into the bar...)   (...And the cops completely miss their mark.)  - Whew... thank you. I'm Elc. I work as a Hunter. This is Lieza. - You're a...? Ha, ha, ha! You should be ashamed of yourself! - Uh... - My name is Shante, by the way. - Why did you help us? - I don't know... but I just couldn't ignore you. What kind of Hunter isn't even man enough to protect his girlfriend? - Lieza isn't my girlfriend! - Well, Shante, thank you very much. - Don't mention it. Well... Elc, right? She's a good girl. Don't lose her. - I TOLD you, she's not... - Ha, ha, ha! You're funny. By the way... you two are fugitives, aren't you? - And how do you know that? - A Hunter vanished from the Skyport... and a girl vanished from the airship. - Where did you hear about that? - From them... I used to live as an informer. Do you want to buy information? I think I can find out who's after you. - Really? - How about 1500G? - So you helped us for money. Well, that's too expensive! - Too expensive for a Hunter? I thought Hunters made that much every day! - But... - You have no idea who's after you. You're in serious trouble. You NEED my information. - Okay. I'll hire you. - It's a deal! Come here again when you have enough money to pay my fee. - Perhaps. Be careful. Our pursuers are very dangerous. - Ha, ha, ha! The hapless Hunter is giving me advice? Thanks for the warning, but I'll be just fine. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I sing on this stage, so come and see me sometime. - Sure! Elc? - ... drat!The Four Generals (Surprise surprise) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1q-Dn46t9U   - Follow those brats... and no screwups! - Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...(Meanwhile, back at Shu's place...) Shu's Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eQOWnbH4o  - I can pay you later. Don't worry. - No. That is not what I mean. There is a strange aura around her. - I'm sorry... It's my fault... - It's not your fault at all. The group that tried to take you... you need to be protected from them. - I shall accompany both of you from now on. - Thank you, Shu.  You may not realize it right now unless you're familiar with the series, but... we just got an awesome character. Shu has a very interesting set of moves. He can use shoes for kick attacks... or he can fire machine guns or shotguns (Gun and Gun 2). Believe it or not, all of these are pretty powerful options. We'll get into more detail about Shu soon. For now, this update is complete. Next time, look forward to, oh I don't know, an actual battle that we can finish! See you then!I lost count, BTW. One more update and then we're caught up!
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Sep 9, 2023 07:45
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Less than a week! Getting better at updates! Best part? We're actually going to have some gameplay in this update instead of wall to wall ! Excited?Indigos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BbHMONWxAM  Huh, they don't want to sleep first? Well, okay, sooner the better right? By the way, at this point Shu's apartment is a free inn. We will be exploiting this. First, let's take inventory and see where our party stands.    Elc is pretty bland to start. He's got pretty good attack and defense, but not much in the way of useful abilities. His Fire Storm hits for single digits currently. Still, what do you expect? An ability that turns him invincible or something? He'll come into his own, I'm sure.    Lieza, being the female lead, is squishy as heck. No problem if she's got people in front of her, though, since her healing will bring anyone to 100% in one go.    Shu doesn't look like much in terms of raw stats, but he's a very potent character. He's fast, he has a variety of weapon choices available (Later on, anyway), and his abilities are situationally useful.    Paundit is a good partner character. Don't expect him to go wiping out groups by himself, but he's excellent when used in conjunction with Elc or Shu. His Cold Breath is great for laying down some early damage so that other characters can clean up a group faster.  Cool extra fact: different NPCs are wandering around based on the time of day. The clock doesn't advance on its own, but certain jobs and story events change the time of day. Doesn't affect anything that I'm aware of besides inconsequential NPC dialogue, but I'll keep an eye out for other stuff.  So, let's get real work done in the Hunter's Guild, why not?  In Hunter's Guilds, there are two primary sources of revenue: Jobs and Bounties. For jobs, talk to the guild clerk.  To stab you in the face for setting me up, rear end in a top hat. There is some extra dialogue that basically amounts to Elc going, "WTF Man?" and the guild clerk saying, "Didn't know it was a set-up, not sorry, deal with it" but it's just more babble and frankly I'm tired of long dialogue.  Pretty basic stuff. Accept Job shows a list of available work, Present Jobs shows jobs we have accepted, and Former jobs gives a brief summary of jobs that have been completed. Get Bounty is used when we have jobs/bounties to report in for rewards.  This is what we have available to start with for jobs.    So, which one should we pick first? Just kidding, I took all of them at once.  The other, equally important work we have, is Bounties.  Each Guild has a separate bounty board, with unique monsters available. Just looking at each poster on the board is enough to unlock the potential to encounter that monster, but you don't always find them right away.     In fact, three out of four of these bounties will make an appearance in this very update! The fourth, though... not until way later. One more quick tip: As the game progresses, it's important to check the Guilds in every accessible location frequently. They can update with available tasks. Go too far in the story, and you could easily miss out on something.  Oh, wait, I should totally get this bounty first, huh? Why spend all my money on Shante's advice when I can have 998,500 gold left over? ... Crap, nevermind, I think I heard about this guy. I heard they gave him everything but the kitchen washbasin at the Niedel tournament. Something about a fat kid with a drum laser and a scary guy with a teleporting katana.  Eh?  Apparently so!   Spoiler: We'll be seeing a lot of this manhole cover. Battle 5... but for the previous game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyOB0YumCUo (You're not mishearing, a lot of battle tracks were recycles from AtL1 and it's easier to just repost the link for them) That and the soundtrack doesn't even have all of them. I'll try and include the Arc 2 versions of redone songs when possible, but some tracks are plain missing from both games, too. Really weird.  So, for simplicity's sake, let's go back in time and say I held off on accepting any jobs.  Sometimes it's just that easy.    This pretty well summarizes most of the fight. Even at basic levels, my characters can kill anything in the sewer in a couple of hits.  Doesn't stop the levels from pouring in, though!  Hilariously, sometimes the monsters gain levels just from getting the stuffing beat out of them.    I mentioned this briefly before, but your equipment can gain levels too. This has some interesting effects that I will show you further in the update.  Um... thanks, Paundit.     So, Shu's Steal ability. It's notoriously inaccurate, and most enemies don't have anything worth taking. But... just maybe keep this in mind for a while.  Fun fact: Lieza can Search party members, and herself.   Another fun fact: Elc can stab Shu directly through the back and kill enemies without bothering him in the slightest.     Speaking of Shu? Amazing fellow. Did I mention? One free night's sleep later...   Anyway, here's a cool thing. Leveling up equipment sometimes changes its name, and almost always makes it stronger. In the lower right, you can see an item's current level on the left, and the right is the max level it can achieve.  But last night I just...  Oh for the love of...!  This fight is exactly the same as the last.      Flying death dogs notwithstanding.  It's hard to capture, but Shu dodges stuff by splitting into three separate illusions. Pretty sweet for a standard-issue ninja dodge.     Now see, THIS is a good steal. Sometimes you can get unique or strong equipment from bounty monsters. Since you only encounter them once, if you don't get it before they're gone, you never will. I won't highlight every bounty monster's steal, since as you saw with Aju they are oftentimes nothing special. I'll make it a point to show the good ones, though. Apparently this is one of the harder items to get/steal in the game. Shamus is bugged, and not just with the bugs in his flesh. As an aside, he can't even use that "head toss" ability from his poster, something about not having enough MP to actually execute it. Some monsters have multiple possible steals, but Shamus' alternate appears to be an item called "Poison" which is a placeholder that isn't actually anything. I'm still not sure what causes it exactly, as it's never happened to me, but I've seen a GameFAQs post or two about it happening to other people. Best I can say is, if you wait until Shu joins and then go into the sewers before doing any jobs, when Shamus shows up it seems to steal from him fine. Anyone want some random violence? Here you go!         And finally...        Two down, two to go. Neat new graphic for undead going down right before needing to be finished off, too. Used to be just skeletons, but zombies have it now too.  Not a bad start for rewards, either. Already about halfway to Shante's asking price.  Also, yes please. Anyway, let's all sleep in Shu's bed and then hit the jobs.  Sigh... last time, I promise.   Old Guy -         Well that's... different from the last time.            It ends about how you would expect.    For job number two, we actually get to go somewhere else!  I didn't say it was somewhere new.    Elc and his sixth sense of finding job-assigned haunted houses. Uncanny, I tell you.    Charlie Brown would be... proud?  - Ha! Hunters never quit, especially when they're told! Let's go upstairs!(Upstairs we find... umm...)  - Are you the one causing all the trouble? - I'm sorry. It's just so funny when people are scared! - Whatever you say. Where did you find that skeleton? - You mean this? This was... It was inside that box over there. But it was just a heap of bones when I found it. I put them together and gave it a sword. - That means... ( )    Fight 6 (Bit of a jump) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLESA82n0X0      Thankfully this isn't an escort fight. The kid is a non-target. If only Twilight of the Spirits had remembered more lessons from this game. So anyway, this fight is laughably easy.    Mostly because if you beat Mr. Skeleton, the fight is over.   - Huh?! - That monster was controlled by evil. He didn't know what he was doing... or if he was dead or not... nor even who he killed... Thank you for saving his spirit. Now... I can... leave, too... - Okay, that was officially weird. - ... - I've seen a lot of weird, and that ranks. - Let's get out of here. - No argument here. Let's go.And that was... erm... job number two.  Job number three!   - Well, I have a job for you tonight! Are you ready for it?(Boy, that sounds wrong...)  - I'm counting on you.      - March! - Smash!  - Collect the jewels! Hurry! - Why are you in a hurry? Expecting me? - drat! A Hunter! - If you drop the jewels and just back out of here, we may forget we saw you. - Never! Golems... SMASH! - Well now, those sound like fightin' words, eh Shu? - I would have to agree. Unfortunate for them. So, this is kind of a gimmick battle, but a potentially tough one.   There are four rows of golems, and they will grab jewels from every display case or table in their respective row before doing anything else.  Docsun will try to go for the big jewel on the display case, but he takes his time doing so. He's supposed to grab it and then sound the retreat...  But it's entirely possible to stop him from moving an inch if Elc gets there first.   Once the golems are through smashing cases, they'll join the fight. They aren't too strong, although they have the potential to use an ability which causes paralysis to one character. No fun.   Of course, you'll want to take your time with Docsun, because stealing from him is very much worth the trouble.    Otherwise? Easy as pie.   Unlike the last fight, however, you have to finish off all the monsters to end this battle.       Violence solves everything!    (How do you even make that sound...?) - I'm afraid you're a little late. We already stopped the robbery. - Shu. Are you trying to show me up? Make me look stupid? - No sir. You're the law here. We were just hired to stop this robbery by the owners here. - And we did exactly that. Stopped the scum cold. - E... Elc! What are you doing back here? - A little of this and a little of that. I'll be around a while. I'm sure we'll cross again. - Well, officer, I'll leave this place to you then. Elc, Lieza, let's go.  - Great, as if we don't have enough trouble with the Cabal and monsters! Now we've got that troublemaker Elc back in town... (2) - What should we do now? The thieves are gone... - I don't know! Grab a broom and clean up this mess!  Let's go turn in our reward.  Also, awesome by itself, but has a use later on.  Hooray for quest pay-offs! Anyway, next time we'll go see Shante about that information. In the meantime, let's close out with a summary of the jobs we accomplished today.     See you next time! And now, the moment that like twelve of you reading this have been waiting for! This is officially the last update I posted in 2016 for Arc the Lad II. From here on in, we are going into new LP territory. I sincerely hope that all of you reading this have a moment of enjoyment, as I have for other LPs in the past. Dark Id, Bobbin Threadbare, Slowbeef, Nakar, and so many others have filled my hours with entertaining LP articles, and I hope I may do the same for whoever reads through these. In 2016, I lost a parent, endured personal ordeals that broke me, and found myself unable to express myself creatively in any great measure in the seven years that have followed. I'm late getting back to the game, but hopefully better late than never. Enough with the E/N! The next update will be new and ready to kick rear end! Thank you to everyone reading this. Let's finish Arc the Lad Collection! Miketopus fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Sep 16, 2023 |
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Sep 11, 2023 18:46
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All right, update time! Your boy Miketopus forgot that one more job comes up after the other three. Don't worry, it's fast and simple!  - Good! I want you to find my dog. He looks like this... He... certainly is descriptive, if nothing else. - I know my dog has to be around here somewhere. I'm just sick that I lost him in the first place. When you find him, bring him back as soon as you can, okay? This definitely sounds like it'll be one of those "check out areas and ask people about a dog that looks like so and so" jobs, but thankfully it's not. The dog is in exactly one place. Guess where it is?    If you said the sewer where almost everything in town happens, you are a former employee of Working Designs and/or correct! ? - Not one step closer!  - Well, sorry to disappoint, but it's my job to return the pooch. I'm not leaving here without it. Guess you're going hungry. - You're right. You're not leaving here. (Spawns bad guys) The mutt's our appetizer, and you're the main course! - Well, I guess I'm gonna have to work for the pay on this one! It's four zombies and the ghoul ringleader, but honestly there's nothing special about this fight. You don't even have to worry about the dog; like the kid from the ghost job, the monsters ignore it entirely and only go for your team.  Bad Paundit! Leave the puppy alone! I did take advantage of one thing in this fight, and that is the undead regeneration factor. As I mentioned ages ago, undead brought to zero HP go down and need to be hit one more time to truly die. If you wait around, they get up with a seemingly random amount of HP. I've seen it range from 1 HP to full health in this fight alone. What this means is, in a controlled environment you have a reliable punching bag to knock down, let it get back up, and then knock down again. This isn't necessary in too much of the game, but the beginning does present a bit of a steep curve unless you're north of level 10, so I use this time to get pretty much everyone to 11 or 12.  You might see stuff like this occasionally for buffs and debuffs. It's the same " two icons swirl around a circle" animation each time, but the tones are slightly different based on buff or debuff. In this example, Shu is using Plasma Shock to lower the zombie punching bag's defense.  These can be useful, but early on in the game it's not very noticeable. Elc normally does 10-18 damage per hit depending on how well his attack goes on the enemy. One thing I've noticed is that there seems to be more degrees of success for attacks in this game, so the range of damage your attacker does is wider than it was in Arc 1.  What's a bit more interesting is Elc's newest ability. Fire Shield is fire protection, similar to Paundit's Ice Shield, but Charge gives Elc a significant attack boost for his next attack. How significant, you ask?   Pretty drat significant. Anyway, after clearing the area of the undead...  - Aww... look! He yawned! - It was some fight to get him. Better be SOME reward. - Let's get him out of here. Come on, poochie...With doggo in hand, we are free to leave the sewers.   - "I waited as long as I could, however, business has forced me to travel abroad. In the event you find my dog, please take care of it until I return." Why would I need you to read a two sentence letter again...? - Mr. Barns also left these for you.Received 4 Doggy Treats. (But not actually, there's no new items in our inventory or anything) - I have to go now. Bye! - Great. Do a job, get a fleabag to take care of. But, he's the customer. I suppose I'd better watch his pet.So, the dog will actually go home, but not to Shu's apartment. If you recall, Elc lives in Prodias, so the dog winds up there and is otherwise inaccessible until we return. I hope Elc has a doggie door built in somewhere or he's going to have major clean-up duty when he gets back.   Don't worry, the job still comes with actual compensation. So it wasn't a bust or anything.  - He's strong, silent, and scrumptious. - (Don't I have a restraining order against you?)Anyway, let's go see Shante about her info.     People start to remark on not seeing Shante lately. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.  - ...I've got a message for you from her. She said to come back with the cash after the tavern is closed. - Great. She isn't here! Maybe we should go back to Shu's place.I'm starting to notice Elc has a very bad habit of using "Great" sarcastically. Anyway, time to head back to the apartment and rest up. Later that night... Battle 6 (For really no reason, as it stops as soon as you go outside) - https://youtu.be/_A2TgRBRvtQ (Arc 1)  I mentioned briefly that day/night seems to affect things slightly, and it's so slight sometimes that it's not even worth including screenshots. All kids have left the Indigos streets, and the jewelry shop is closed. Big woop. We can leave the city, but nothing to do out there. Let's head to the tavern. Opening - https://youtu.be/U3OVeB3-ZZU  - This is too creepy... - Shaunte? Are you here? Hello? What was that? - The door... automatically... - Stay on your guard! - Huh?!  ~He is my music monk...  - Who are you!? - My name is Gulnag. I am a New Human, with the soul of a man and the body of a monster. - New Human? You're the ones who tried to capture Lieza! - Where is Shante? - We're... taking care of her. She was sniffing around too much for her own good. Elc... Lieza... our master really admires you. Why don't you join our little family? You'll receive power beyond your wildest fantasies. - None of us would trade our humanity for power! - That means... no deal. - I can't say I'm not disappointed. We traveled here hoping you would join. Very well, then. I suppose it can't be helped. You've left us no choice... but to eliminate you!Battle 1 - https://youtu.be/nngjJXuUc8o (Arc 1)  And so, the ringleader summons four henchmen (One is off-screen near the entrance) for a fight. This is really starting to seem like a pattern.  Our newest variant of punching bags are called Robbers. They're not really anything special.  Their shockwave attack looks kind of cool, but it does single digit damage. They can use Charge like Elc can to do significantly more, but considering it takes one or two hits to kill them, it doesn't do anything to make the fight more challenging.   Oh, he can steal MP too, but that's not worth worrying over. He grabbed 1 MP from Lieza here.  ~He is my music Elc... (Okay, just in case anyone's curious, I'm riffing on one of the more well known vocal songs in this series: Music Man - https://youtu.be/YRqvx5NhPx4) After Elc stops trying to find a hit new career as a concert pianist and smacks Gulnag with a spear...  - If you want the girl back, go to the Square of the Goddess. Hurry, if you know what's good for you! - We have to save Shante. - Yes, we do. The Square of the Goddess is in Prodias... - You realize we're walking directly into a trap. - But we don't have a choice, do we? - Not at all. Our only choice is to overcome whatever they throw at us. And so our heroes open the doors to the tavern and- Underground Prison - https://youtu.be/iQfxA9TWTVU (Arc 1)  - You did exactly as I said? All I have to say is that you had better not screw this one up! Or else!(click) - Elc and Lieza have grown stronger than I thought. They are my final hope. Now... I must prepare for the Prodias Plan.  -step out into-  -the night-whaaaaaaaaaaa?! - What if they're waiting to ambush us? - Ambush or not, we must stop them. They cannot be allowed to pervert the minds of those in Prodias. - I do not care if there are one or one thousand in there... I shall slice each and every one to ribbons. So it's Arc, Poco, and Tosh out of nowhere. And they're busting up a... mind control lab? Sure... sure, why not?  Checking my update notes, but I think we're up to Evil Fat Man #7 now.  - Unfortunately, our "gift" has already been installed. In a matter of hours, the mind control device within it will be activated. Then all of Prodias will join the experiment, whether they choose to or not. The only business remaining here is to dispose of you. So at this point, our evil fat scientist friend turns into a wizard...   ...And summons two groups of three undead for assistance. Wow, six henchmen this time? High roller. - The weak always join together in their lust for power. - Wait... these are not ordinary zombies... - Ah! So our little hero is perceptive, too! You're correct! Each and every one of these is a noble failure. In sacrificing their humanity... their souls, they have given us knowledge. - What?! - Yes, the knowledge that will fuel Andel's glorious plan to success. - Did you say Andel?! - Yes. Andel is the smartest of the 4 great Generals! You remember him, don't you? - I knew he was from Romalia, but... a great General? It can't be... - Ah, but it is. But, you cannot hope comprehend (sic) the brilliance of his plan. Fortunately, since you'll soon be dead, you don't have to try.Battle 7 - https://youtu.be/mKKkvJnpteM (Arc 1)  And so, with the trap sprung, our heroes find themselves in a plight too dangerous Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha wait, sorry, I couldn't even finish that sentence. Check out the stats for our returning champions:    And here's the stats we can see on the zombies since Lieza Searched them and somehow that carries over to Arc's segment:  I mean, sure, these would probably wipe out Elc and the others. But against our three champs?               I think you get the idea.    Also, check out their abilities! Way more than before. And some, like Arc's  Not anymore, at least. - I came up empty, too. - What is troubling you, Arc? - This machine. It seems to be some kind of receiver. - Ha... ha... ha... - ...will have to... kneel down... before us... - He's... still alive! - It's... too late... The Plan... has... already... started... - Die, already! - I... told you... that you... can never understand... Andel... Stupid worms... you should realize... your helplessness... Heh, heh, heh, heh... Gwahhh... Guhhhh...I seriously used the "words" smilie too early on this update. - He was taunting us. - Yeah, he said that the Plan had begun. - That correlates with what he said before the battle. - Wait! What's this... - Really? ( - ) - The figure appears to be that of a woman. - Wait! That's not a doll! It has to be the statue of the Goddess in Prodias! - Wait! isn't there a Ceremony to unveil it officially? Oh, I don't like this... - (Wait!) I would bet that they intend to unfold their terrible plan there. - Then we have no choice. We have to stop them, by whatever means necessary. We need to get to Prodias, and fast. Let's go!! - Wait(!) for me!! Geez, Elc... how long does it take you to go through a saloon door? That was like half the update between scenes for you! See you next update!
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Sep 15, 2023 00:27
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This should be a pretty substantial update, enjoy! It's the start of a brand new day, and it's going to be quite eventful. We've got all of the jobs out of the way, now it's time to see some new locations and check out some new features the game offers.  First off, remember Prodias? The place we spent five minutes on at the beginning of the game fighting psychos, bats, and mobsters on top of a Prodias (Enjoy that swanky tune!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BvVZGH-g9I  - Of course. This is the capital of Aldia. And this... is my apartment.  - Yes. - May I come in? - Yes.  - I have a small airship hidden nearby as well. The airship used to be Shu's. - Where is it kept? - The hill to the west of Prodias. - So what should we do now? - We'd better try to rescue Shante. - Right. The statue is in the new event square. When I left, the square was still under construction. It's just to the south of town. If it's not done now, it soon will be. - We should probably gather information around town. - What are we going to do with it? - He can stay here for now. It's safe and warm. Besides, my landlady is a gem. I'm sure she'll watch it. - Sounds like a plan! Elc, we should name the dog.But it's not a stray, it has an owner. Come to think of it, why wouldn't the owner tell us its name...?     So, it turns out that Lieza has a very, very narrow window of naming variety. She'll give you a Yes/No option on each of these until you pick one.   And with... Marl... safely billeted, we're free to explore the town. Just like in Shu's apartment buildings, the doors are all locked-  ...Oh. Well, you can intrude on your neighbor's flat if you like.   - But she's not really cooperating...  ...I think you've got bigger problems than her smile, Chief.  So anyway, - The statue of the Goddess was a gift from Romalia. - That's a good sign, isn't it? - Yeah, I guess it is. But I still don't trust those Romalian bastards. I wish I could think of a good reason to refuse that statue! Plenty of foreshadowing in the populace, too. There's around half a dozen people wandering around outside, and most of them either talk about Romalia, Gallarno, or how bad Romalia and/or Gallarno are.  Now, this is a new shop entirely.    - For a small fee, we can process your weapons, armor, and items here. In many cases, I can also determine any unknown effects of an item. Right. So, in most cases, shops in this game will offer you very basic equipment. Level 1 swords, armor, herbs, etc. This is where you take workable equipment and improve it more quickly than using said equipment during a ton of encounters. First off, Judge Item just gives you a basic description and stats for each item in your inventory.  Like so. Not much to this menu. Raise Item Level is the important one.  As you can see, raising the level of a basic Gauze Wrap is relatively inexpensive, at least to start. The rarer and/or better the equipment, the more it will cost you to level it up this way. We'll be seeing a new and unique spear later in this update, and the cost for raising it past its starting level is 4500. I should probably also mention that there is a somewhat obscure but very funny glitch in this game involving buying items in a shop and getting maximum money. I won't be exploiting that, at least not this early in the game, because frankly it would be boring to traipse through the game with every single piece of equipment maximized and enough money to buy every item in the game twenty times over. I might utilize it closer to the end of the game, if it ends up being an absolutely tedious grind-fest to get all my equipment where it needs to be. In case you want to try it out yourself: 1. Go to an item shop that sells an expensive consumable item. Cure-Alls are a safe bet. 2. Even though you can't afford it, buy like 20-25 of them. The game will let you, and you'll have 0 cash no matter what you had previously. 3. Without leaving the shop menu, turn right around and sell one of those items you just bought. 4. Enjoy your new windfall of 999999999G.  Aren't axes supposed to be the executor and not the executee? Anyway, one last thing about the improvement shop. If you upgrade a piece of equipment five times, a new menu option appears once you exit the shop menu and talk to the shopkeeper again.  This one will take a bit of explaining. Basically, some equipment (Not all) have extra effects you can put on them.   The Light Sword, for example, can be imbued with one of two debuffs.   Then, the effect will kick in when you attack with that weapon. It's interesting, but so far it's fairly uncommon to have an item that can be affected like this. Might be handy later though.  Also, improve some equipment enough and it'll change names. Neat, huh?      The two other shops in the southern part of Prodias sell items and basic equipment. I picked up a sword and an ax, not just so I could explain the smithing system but also so that Elc has some variety and can possibly level up his other weapon skills.  Anyway. The bar exists, but there's nothing interesting there and it even lacks interesting dialogue.  The Hunters Guild is open, but you can't take any jobs at the moment. And yes, the clerk still manages to be a dick about that. Still, you can check the Wanted posters, and it's always a good habit to do that. Nothing new, but if you missed them in the intro you can check out the posters now.  - Elc...!! It's good to see you, ya dog! How's tricks? - Same ol', same ol'. You know how this business is. - Boy, do I ever. I hope you're gettin' enough jobs to keep you busy. - No problem there. I'm overworked, in fact. - I wish I could say the same. People seem to shy away from me. Do you think it's the cape? Maybe I should try something else. - Nah. Without the cape, you just wouldn't be Cooger!Enough chewing the scenery. There's one NPC in the southern part of the city we need to talk to in order to unlock the next destination to advance the plot.  - Did you come back for the Ceremony? Lynx has a spare ticket. - Lynx? - He owns the - It's just outside of town... to the west. - Right. I'll give it a rest with the AirSkyport jokes, I promise. Now, while we could go ahead and go visit Lynx for the next element of the story, coming back to Prodias has actually unlocked two Wanted monster encounters. It's best we take care of those early, and one of them is a big reason for the undead grind in the previous update.  Let's start with the easy one.  The first encounter is always this generic mashup of robbers and warriors.  Strike Power and go to town! Just make sure to save up some MP for the next fight, since unlike the previous game you don't recover HP/MP between fights.  Now, we need to go back into this haunted building from the ghost job.  If you have the ability to use save states, drop one here. The Wanted encounter is upstairs, but it's not a guaranteed thing. Seems to be roughly 50/50 whether you'll get the encounter or just another generic one.  Once you get up here, if it goes to yours or the monster's first action, load/reset/whatever, because the Wanted monster isn't there.  If this comes up before the fight begins proper? You're all set.   If you're at a decent level, Golza and his group are nothing to worry about. There's a chance he'll drop a Gladius on death, but those are not rare by any means, and there is nothing remarkable about the fight.  The next Wanted monster, however, is another story. Save or save state before you enter, because again it's not a guaranteed find. Battle 6 (Arc 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2TgRBRvtQ  Once the camera finishes panning around, reload or reset if our next mark isn't pointed out first thing.  If he shows up? Get ready for an interesting challenge. Boosee is a major step up in monster difficulty. How major, you may ask?   (Ignore the inconsistency, I forgot to grab a screencap with his Search stats filled in.  )So yeah. A level 30 monster. We're not even half that level yet. Let's go!     The name of the game with Boosee is piling on every debuff you can, while hitting him with every non-direct attack you can. Paundit's Ice Breath, Elc's spells and/or spear, Lieza's throwing knives, anything you can manage.    Only go for direct melee attacks if you're out of other options. Boosee has a chance to counter attack for massive damage. I didn't cap it very well, but Paundit just took 15 damage. Sadly, since he was softened up by rocs, that's a KO for our ice doggo.   Being one of our toughest characters, Elc can withstand a bit more punishment. But this is not a good exchange rate. Especially because Lieza got swarmed by the Rocs and Wind Devils off-screen.   Herbs don't restore a lot, but they can at least keep your characters in the fight a bit longer. Particularly if another character throws one at the same person who just healed themselves; that's 40 HP back to help Elc tank the hits.  Since Elc is boxed in by the enemies, and moving Shu to allow him to escape would just let another monster jump in and attack, I'm forced to make a stand here and have Elc kill it with fire.  It is a less than ideal tactic.  Finally, Shu has had enough, and forces Boosee to eat his boots. See?    The Scorpion is an amazing upgrade to the basic spear. Let's get that equipped on Elc-  ...Uh oh.  So, it's Shu alone against the remaining monsters. How does that work out?    Better than you'd think!  I mentioned it briefly before, but Shu is an absolute badass. He doesn't pile on the insane damage that Tosh did, but he's got evasion for days, plenty of HP, decent all-around stats, and can work over monsters slowly but steadily at this point in the game.   After clearing out the last roc, Shu and the wind devil dance around the battlefield attacking each other from behind because of their awesome movement.   And with just enough grit to spare, we pull out a win.  Toughest Merits I ever earned. By the way, even though Prodias' guild is closed, you can collect rewards from other guilds if you have bounties to report. Indigos is still fine for that.  Also, that Scorpion is seriously good. Too expensive to level it at the smith right now, but it'll gain levels with use anyway.  Right, that's enough action for one update. It's all plot and dialogue from here. Enjoy!  - Lynx? The hatch is open... He has to be in there! LYNX! I guess there's no choice but to jump the fence. - Sounds like a crazy idea you'd come up with! - Huh?! Very Terminator entrance there, Lynx. Sheesh. - Lynx! Why didn't you answer before? - I am. Now. You're just too impatient! Besides, you've been a stranger anyway. Where ya been? - Sorry about that. Busy. Anyway. Enough about me. I'll tell you more later. Open the gate, please.- Anything you say, my impatient compadre. Say!? Who's the cute girl you've got in tow? - Oh. This is Lieza. - Hello. - Watch out for this one, miss. He only wants one thing. - Will you knock it off, Lynx? Just open the gate! - And with that statement, Elc perfectly illustrates my point! You be careful, Lieza. Okay, let's get this open. - 7... that's it.(Electroshock therapy ensues)  - Oh, dear! Are you all right? - I... uh... I forgot I changed the... uh, password. Let's tempt fate and try that again... - 5... THAT should be it. - Top shape. Never better. I streamlined the bow a bit. It should be roughly 10% faster than before. - Huh. It doesn't look any different. - The engine isn't tuned yet, so it can't be overloaded. But flight at normal speed is not a problem. I planned to fix it for high speed travel during the Ceremony. Might as well. Nothing else is happening in town until after the event. - You don't have to be scared, girl. This baby's solid. It's not going to break if you touch it. () - Ah... um, well... perhaps I'll just rejoin Elc. - Say, are you planning to go to the Ceremony? It's the hottest ticket in Prodias. - Then why aren't you going? - Like I said, I've got to fix your baby here. 'Sides, carved hunks of rock don't interest me. - Fair enough. - But if you want to go, I've got a ticket. You might as well get some use out of it. From here, we're free to go back and continue the story. Talking to Lynx a bit more nets some additional goofy talk. - I was wondering if you were okay after the fence shocked you. - Yeah, I'm fine. A little longer and I might not have been, though. Electrifying that fence really made this area more secure. - But... you've GOT to remember the combination to the fence, Lynx! - Details, details... - Have fun at the Ceremony. I'll be here working on the engine. When you get back, I should have it in top shape!Well, anyway, time for one more nice long scene... with a bonus video, in case you'd rather see it in action. Video - Statue of the Goddess - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcKcaPVm3TE Music - Statue of a Goddess - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okk-Z5_w1hI Hey, that's the Seirya throne room music! More recycling, eh?  - This beautiful statue of the Goddess... is a magnificent gift to our nation... from Romalia, as a symbol of our alliance. Now, we all know that our future... is intertwined with the future of Romalia. Our country is...?I see Gallarno was trained in the Captain Kirk school of speech pacing. - Excuse me. Out of the way, please. - Ahem... Our country is fortunate to be the recipient of such a great honor. Behold the beautiful statue of the Goddess!   - My power has been drained from my body! - I'm... fading... - Elc! Watch out! - ... - Elc... - Hmmm? - Look! Over there! (2) - It's an airship! (3) - What? (2) - Oh, no! It's going to crash into the statue!Music - Niedel (For some reason) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yGHUq8Uc2g   - It's the Goddess statue, eh? Such a pretty big thing. Shame give big bomb necklace, no? - Yes, well, it appears that the Ceremony has begun. All right, Gogen... go(gen)! - Ah, well... yes. Hee, hee. Time to start the fireworks. Jesus Christ, Gogen! Battle 3 (Arc 1) (It plays this a lot during disaster scenes in this game) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lYoklt44I   I'll say! It's even burying the speech bubbles! - Arc! - Arc did it!! - Elc, we need to go... NOW! Elc... what's the matter? - That airship... I've seen it before. My... my village was raided by... - Hey, Elc! What's the matter with you? - I have no doubt. My village was destroyed by that airship. And now I'll destroy IT! - Elc! Moments later, Gallarno activates a Scroll of Town Portal and vanishes into thin air.  Holy crap, Gogen! How many times did you cast - Make a big boom and run. It's good, eh? - We're heading out, then.Very quickly, and in lighting so bad it ruined the screenshot for it, Elc runs from Prodias to the Hien.  - Hmmm? - But... I haven't finished adjusting the engine! - I don't care!!(Electroshock shove ensues)   - Elc, you can't push it too hard! You'll destroy the engine! - What's the matter, Elc? - Elc!! - That airship destroyed my village... but it will never destroy anything else. I'll have my revenge today. And if that criminal Arc is inside the ship, so much the better. We're almost within range. Shu, prepare to attack. - Are you sure, Elc? - Yes. I'm positive that ship is the one. Let's go! - Chongara, something's chasing us. - It must be biiig crazy bird, eh? - No. It's a small airship. - Crazy tiny airship is coming to get us. Maybe crazy people with death wish inside it, eh? Chongara doesn't want to find out. - I think we're about to, whether we want to or not. Chopin, full speed ahead. Lose them. - Check. Hold on. It might be a bumpy ride...Some FMV fuckery later that prevented me from getting proper screenshots, the Silver Noah pulls ahead of the Hien. Which promptly has issues.  - Slow down! - NO!! - Gyaaah! And so, the Hien stalls and falls like a stone out of the sky. Will our heroes survive the crash?
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Sep 23, 2023 03:28
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The setting in the Arc the Lad collection has always been kind of fascinating to me. It feels like the level of technology is a couple of decades behind modern day at the time of release but with the additional complications of monsters and magic. It's funny that the first game managed to hide the relatively modern technology until endgame unless you really paid attention. I also quite enjoy using Shu. He's very different from a typical JRPG ninja aside from the good speed. He's has a skillset focused on support and is very bulky even before his evasion is factored in.
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Sep 23, 2023 05:38
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buddychrist10 posted:The setting in the Arc the Lad collection has always been kind of fascinating to me. It feels like the level of technology is a couple of decades behind modern day at the time of release but with the additional complications of monsters and magic. It's funny that the first game managed to hide the relatively modern technology until endgame unless you really paid attention. Shu's evasion, however, is almost supernatural. In the Boosee fight, he somehow managed to avoid getting hit even when attacked from behind about 50% of the time. I think he is remarkable because of his versatility. It goes a long way in the early- to mid-game. Good point on the anachronism of tech though. When I got to the very end of Arc 1, I was like, "They have TVs? And rail cars? And public transit?!"
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Sep 23, 2023 07:07
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Seraphic Neoman posted:I keep starting AtL games but I never finish them. I am sorry I missed this comment! Working Designs worked almost exclusively in JRPGs that require a huge commitment of time and effort, I find. The series is really quite fun, but it's a huge timesink. Case in point, I've started the PS2 game Twilight of the Spirits several times and have always tapered off a couple chapters in.
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Sep 23, 2023 07:11
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TravelLog posted:I have fond memories of playing this game as a kid. Not the most amazing or groundbreaking title, but certainly fun Working Designs definitely has a certain nostalgia for me. Only the Lunar and Grandia series tops it for me when it comes to the PSX era of RPGs.
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Sep 23, 2023 07:15
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buddychrist10 posted:I had a bit of a realization on my latest playthrough as to why so many people find Kukuru weak. She's one of the two characters who has 4 movement instead of 3 (Tosh being the other). All the characters start out with relatively decent physical attacks up until about the Illusion Lord fight. It's very easy to think Kukuru can function as a frontliner and over extend her. Since every action gives EXP if she dies early on in a map or two it can make her become underleveled very easily. I'm being so annoying with replies right now. Haha. I would add that it's very easy to give up on Kukuru early game, because her stats are absolutely sub-par for about half of the game. She becomes a decent fighter-healer as the game progresses, and near the end she's at least as fast as Tosh. So, with some grooming, she's a fair party member, she just isn't an easily understood character.
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Sep 23, 2023 07:21
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 15:40 |
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 Welcome back! Well, unless we're doing another shift with a new party, I'm guessing by this scenery that the airship crash wasn't fatal. Let's find out. (Assume you see the screen shake and hear a general "Grrrrr" sound)   - Doctor!! Doctor!! - Doctor! Guess what?! - What in heaven's name is it? You're not making any sense! - Doctor!! For an extra bit of added - Big, BIG iron thing. Humans inside! - Well, it sounds like an airship. Are the humans inside alive?  - Oh, for pity's sake! If you weren't jumping so much, you wouldn't be cramping! Just take me to the crash site! - Yes! Come fast, Doctor! (Phrasing) Memories - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhYCtbxoqo Meanwhile, in a... dream sequence...? ? - Elc. - What?? - You like Mariel, don't you? - Nuh uh! That's not true!? - Elc, you try to hide your feelings, but I can see. You should tell her how you feel... - No way!? - If you won't, I will! Hey, Mariel! - Ginie, don't! Please... - Um, not exactly. Mariel, you know...Mariel - Why are you acting so weird? What's wrong? Ginie - Elc called you over to... - Quiet, Ginie! Um, it was nothing, Mariel. Never mind. Ginie just wanted to play a joke and call you.Ginie - Ouch! Elc! Mariel - You two are funny. Ha, ha, ha...  Shu's Theme (Despite there being no Shu) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eQOWnbH4o Suddenly, the dream sequence ends with Elc and Lieza very much alive in a bedroom. As usual, a good night's sleep cures everything up to and including death from falling. - Unghh... where am I? - The house of the person who saved us. - We were saved? I dreamt... about the place I was taken after my village was destroyed. - Do you remember where it is? - No. I just get bits and pieces in dreams... and nightmares... - I guess you're cursed with a bit more time among the living, then. ( ) - You saved us? - Bah! Don't look at me like that. I just dragged your hide here. That girl over there has been keeping watch over you night and day. So slather her with your gratitude. I've not got time for it. Guy sure knows how to make an exit. I like his style; hope he doesn't wind up being Evil Fat Man #8.  I would say that last bit of acidity is a bit odd for Elc to ignore, but considering the Hunters Guild denizens, that was hardly even a blip on the radar for him. - Thank you, Lieza. Say... Where is Shu? - I don't know, Elc. When I woke up, he was gone. - What? Well, we have to find him.A brief scene transition downstairs into the cranky old man's study...  - The only shoes I know are on my feet. ( ) - I'm serious! You must have seen him! He was on the airship with us when it crashed. - Look, kid. I came to this island to be alone. You crashed my party. I helped you out in a pinch. - But we're missing our friend! - And that's not my affair. I helped the people I found. I've got important research to do here... - Research? About what? - As I was going to say before I was interrupted... I've got important research to do here that is none of your affair. Now that you're up and around again, it's time for you to go. - But the airship is... - ...YOUR problem. I've done as much as I intend to do. Good day! And with that, we are dismissed. No, he doesn't kick us out or anything (He just spouts a few variants of "Get off my lawn" if we talk to him again), and in fact the connecting area to the next plot hook is in the north end of this very room. But we should have a quick exploration of the area first.  Back upstairs/on the ground floor, we have a standard-issue free inn and save point.  Yagos Island - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxa50w4awFM Leaving the cabin reveals... a native village. You know, the perfect place to be alone. ? - Oh, you're all better now! Can you play with me, now? There's nothing fun to do here... but Grampa won't leave. Huh, guess the old man does have a soft spot in that heart of stone after all.   I don't usually post whole screenshots of stuff people say in JRPGs because it's wordy as hell, I'm just worried I'm pressing my luck using smilies for these villagers when they so cheerfully speak caveman to me.      .jpg) Don't worry, I won't make a habit of wholesale screenshots... or Doctor Who references. Just showing some of the  However, don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Despite their humble nature (And relaxed rules of grammar), the villagers are hiding two separate treasures behind secret passages. The north end of this hut being one of them.  And inside lurks... revenge! The Revenge Bandanna is a pretty good bit of armor with an increase in counter-attack rate built into it. It has as much defense as its cousin the Gale Bandanna, but this is suited a bit more to Elc since as far as I know Lieza never counter-attacks.        Once again... not an actual item. And I'm not sure if there's even a point to the treat counter. But that hut has the other two treasures in the village, so in we go.  As you can tell, someone in the village has a hoarding problem. Downstairs we find...  A crappy sword!  This time, a telltale room border reveals another hidden passage. It's not a straight shot, you have to kind of fumble around in the blackness a little to find your way into that room. If it was this hard for Elc, I imagine none of the villagers can get both their eyes facing one direction long enough to ever make their way through here.  Huh, wonder if the old guy lost this. It's a decent bit of armor. I give this and the Revenge Bandanna to Elc and the Blood Gauze Wrap and Gale Bandanna to Lieza, making them both decently fortified.  The southwest part of the village has a traveling merchant.  He's got almost nothing new, but the Blood Herb is a good upgrade to the Herb. Worth grabbing a few just in case. There's a bit more to the village, flavor text aplenty...   ...But the combined idiocy of a contaminated "bath house" run by a guy whose two brain cells are just enough to be sexist has kind of tired me out of talking to these imbeciles.  Let's go back to the old man's basement and check out his workshop. I don't even care how that sounds.  Turns out he... got the Hien put under his house...? - Is that the Hien? - It looks better than before it crashed! - So... - What are you doing here?! How dare you enter without permission! - What...? - Don't jump to conclusions... - You're nothing but a scrap-sniffing THIEF!Lieza, he JUST said... - You have no authority to make such judgments, girl! You can't possibly fathom my motivations for... - Doctor!! Doctor!!Oh for crying out loud...  - She went to the Ruins!! I told her over and over not to go there! - Ruins many monsters! - Lia... - We should go there! - We don't really have a choice, do we? - If Lia was... There are a lot of monsters in the Ruins... drat! What to do? - Ruins monster many. Worry, worry, very worry. Right, so, we're going to the Sealed Ruins here in a second, but on the way over, it's worth remembering that there's a new shop called a Combine Shop in the southern part of the island.  There's a big long explanation on this place, but you know the routine: Take some equipment, smush it together, hopefully get something better.  Of course, this would be easier if we had more than two of the 500 different things needed to combine. Which means we'll have to come back later on.  Right, anyway, to the Sealed Ruins. Which, to my knowledge, were never sealed.       Blah blah blah blah GOD SHUT UP His explanation is that this is the cousin of Arc 1's Forbidden Ruins. Multiple floors, staircases to traverse, monsters respawn each time you leave and come back to a floor, etc. Fun for the whole family.   Native Homer may not be much for thinking, but apparently he's one hell of a distance runner to get here before I did. Anyway, let's check this place out.   - ... - Let's find Lia and get out of here! Battle 2 (Arc 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztZvEtDUmfk Well, at least they picked a battle theme I liked better than the one from the Forbidden Ruins upper levels. Anyway, this particular romp in the Sealed Ruins isn't a huge deal. In total, there are three enemy types to encounter: Giant Bats, Vampire Bats, and Mummies.  You know the routine. Pee on Elc...  Level up from watching...  One- or two-shot everything.   Mummies are a new undead type. A chunk of HP, but not much else going for them.  Their "Hit me one more time to actually kill me" animation is pretty funny though. They summon, step into, and close a giant coffin. Don't worry, this isn't a defense buff or anything, it's purely for show.  The floors in the Sealed Ruins are pretty sprawling, and it doesn't throw all the enemies on the floor at you all at once. As you venture further in, little groups will pop up and force you into more combat. So, it's worth using the target reticle while in battle to look around for points of interest.  This floor has a single chest in the northeast corner.... (There's a Defender in it, by the way, a decent dagger that still isn't as good as the GroundKnife)  And the stairs going down in the northwest corner. Which you can reach by circling around the southwest part of the floor and then heading up.  Once get to floor 2, the Giant Bats clock out for lunch and the Vampire Bats take up their vigil. Not much new, though, they just hit a bit harder and have a bit more HP.  Spoken of only in the darkest and deepest legends, it is said that Mummies were feared for their terrifying power to enhance their Catch ability.  Floor 2 is pretty boring. Stairs to the north and that's about it.  - We haven't seen her yet, so she must have, unless she... - Don't think that thought. We'll find her. - Aaaahhh!! - Huh?! - That was... - Lia!!  - Go away! Get back! Ahhhh! No!! - What?!What's the matter Elc...?   Never seen Death Incarnate before?!  - Lia...? - Sob! - Are you hurt? - No... but... but... I was scared! - What is this thing in the wall that vaporized the monsters? - Sob! The robot... Grampa found... He... he saved me. - He saved you? It moves? - Yes, he SAVED me!! - But, it looks broken... - Let's stop debating the issue here. We need to go before more monsters come! - Right. We found the girl. Mission accomplished. Let's go.One insta-warp back to the village later...  Joy (Arc 1) (Hey, they used it this time!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGQYmYXb6y0 - Oh, Lia!! - I'm so relieved you're all right... - I'm sorry to have been so... well, nasty. - We really didn't do much. - What do you mean? You saved my dear Lia! - Grampa, the robot you made destroyed the monsters trying to get me! - What?! Do you mean to say the robot... moved? That's an impossibility. The servo drive has been long dead... Still... perhaps there is a chance... Elc, I have a proposition for you. I'll repair your airship. - And I will... what? - You shall return to the Ruins and retireve the robot for me. I'm much too old and slow to do it myself. I'd given up on it, but if what Lia says is true... there may be some life in that thing yet. - You've got yourself a deal. - Oh, Elc! I know you can do it. Good luck! - Thanks. - I can't believe we're going to get the airship fixed! - Yep. We need to find that robot, but before we leave, we have to find Shu! Before we even talk about the Sealed Ruins again, one of the Mummies dropped this Neutrino Blade. It's apparently a pretty rare drop. I'll have to see if I can test it out on a flying mons sometime and see if it's worth the hype.  Anyway, we should get a snooze in to restore everyone.   Memories - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhYCtbxoqo The next mor... wait, what? - Hey, you gonna be livin' here now. (2) - You don' hafta worry 'bout nuttin'. - Nuttin' until tha study's done, dat is. Mariel - Ginie, don't be so silly! Introduce yourself! Like this... watch! Mariel - Hi. What's your name? - ...Elc.Mariel - Elc, I like that name. I'm Mariel. This is Ginie. Nice to meet you. - Where am I? Why am I here...? Ahhh, my head...Mariel - Are you alright? Ginie - I bet he's reacting to the control medicine. - Control?Mariel - Elc, everyone who comes here has to take the medicine. It makes your head feel funny for a while. Then it's hard to remember. You'll feel better soon. Don't worry.  And abruptly, the dream ends. As does this update. See you next time!
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Oct 13, 2023 03:29
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