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  • Locked thread
Keldulas
Mar 18, 2009
The game's stories has enough hooks in me for me to hope that the difference in the storyline feels like it could mean something. Hope that means it actually delivers, but story-wise there's definite potential.

Then again, it could just merely be the sanitized version they tell other people. In the other storyline, Eluca and Zhamo could've had the same situation, they could've just used the battle experience they received to plan to overthrow the King.

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Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
When you say advanced enemies, you mean enemies from later dungeons? Or are they like, uh, miniboss-caliber random battles?

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

Glazius posted:

When you say advanced enemies, you mean enemies from later dungeons? Or are they like, uh, miniboss-caliber random battles?

Basically I mean enemies with more HP and higher attack power. As you know, when you enter the dungeon, you choose the enemy level, but some enemies don't even show up at lower levels, you need to choose level at least 40 or so for them to start appearing. This is what I was referring to--basically they are close to dungeon bosses in power. Usually they are also a lot bigger than normal enemies so it's easy to tell when you run into them.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.




We have one more last dungeon to go through this time with Eluca and Zhamo.





Escher and Musiea are over here, but of course first we will sort out the equipment...



I'll tell you why. The bikini is a mark of a true man; the garb of gods!
Hey, you wanna try it on? Go ahead, it'll look good on you!
Wow... the garb of gods, right here in front of me...
I told you not to take this idiot seriously.
Come on, you're a man, you know what I'm talking about.
When you look at the history of timespace, it is obvious that bikini is the holy grail of clothing that men have been searching for!
Inside these few pieces of material lie the hopes and dreams of humanity.
So, Eluca, that's why you have to give me your breastplate.
Fine. If you really want it, it's yours.
Whoa, really?
In exchange for your head.
Hmm. Eluca's breastplate, or my head... Hmm...
...You actually have to think about it?

Oookay.





New weapons. No new clothes as we already have better from last time and they don't have cool names either, so...





And two new accessories.

So let's talk to our competitors. For the more sensitive among us, be warned that this conversation goes way into the T.M.I. territory! Actually, don't skip it because it contains some plot-related explanations (maybe).











...Huh?
Do you realise that none of us have needed to go to the bathroom even once since we came here?
At first, I thought it was just because of nerves...
But apparently it's not. Nature simply doesn't call here.
What's going on? Where did you route that call?
...
Now now, calm down, Escher.
The truth is, the time you are experiencing here is different from the time you experience normally.
Here, your powers of concentration have been pushed to their limits, which also serves to compress the time itself.
You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die?
Well, here the same level of concentration is being maintained artificially.
So our concentration is being pushed to its limit even now?
That's right. That's why you have been able to grow and develop so quickly.
So that's why we've been growing so strong the more we fight here...
...In other words, we haven't actually been here long enough to have to go to the bathroom yet.
Nice going, little guy.
Well, I can't really take all the credit... but I'll be happy to anyway!
...
That's a relief. Now we can move on without worrying about it,



And Musiea really can't leave the well enough alone and has to get in one last line just when we thought the worst part of this conversation is over.

Oh well, to the dungeon it is then.



Coincidentally, it's again Purgatory that's the last on the menu.



At first, I was not feeling adventurous so I keep the level same as before.



And here we are.





Around the corner, Escher and Musiea are defeating a monster.



It would seem that they did not defeat Olgar and Vahti merely with good luck.
They did not get along at all when we first got here.
(I guess they cleared up their misunderstanding.)

At this point I realise that I forgot to buy some keys to open locked chests, so I exit the dungeon.

But then this happens:

















...Your father was right in what he did.
Huh?
The Divine King did nothing to help his subjects, only to hurt them.
That is the truth.
And yet, as his servant... I cannot turn my back on his orders.
...If we hadn't been brought here, you would have executed me too, right?
...Yeah.
But you didn't. Instead we're here and I've been chosen as a warrior.
Eluca... I'm going to win this tournament, go back home, and carry on my father's work.
(Carry on his fathers...?)
Go to sleep. Tomorrow's another early morning.



And here we are. I'm pretty sure that if you don't exit the dungeon on purpose, this scene will simply not happen at all and you will not even get to see it, even though it does contribute to the character backgrounds quite a bit.



After purchasing the keys, we go back in, but really we can handle the stronger enemies, so why the heck not.





And just as we go in, there is a chest with a new weapon for Eluca!



Around the corner is the first puzzle. These ones are kind of stupid. Use the candlestick to make blocks near them appear and disappear and collect all gems. It gets a bit annoying when there is more than one candlestick and it's not clear which blocks "belong" to which.



As always, this gives us the first of two items that we need in order to be able to unlock the boss.



And then the second puzzle...



...gives us the second item.



So we can go here and...





...fight the boss.



This time I decide to have some fun by using the Divine Fist skill, which guarantees a critical attack, but at the cost of having to go last in a turn. This is not a problem at all, and it only takes two of these until we are done with the boss.



But, Zhamo's spear is broken!







I'm going to repair your spear. Could you leave me alone for a while?
Sure, but...
It's okay. I'm used to this.



Musiea is outside...





Yeah. You've been fighting so hard.
What about you, Musiea?
Escher said he wants to rest by himself for a while.
He's... never mind.
...Can I ask you something?
What is it?
Why did Escher choose you to be his partner?
Huh?
I-I'm sorry. That was very impolite of me.
I... I have no idea what he thinks, about anything. So why did you choose Eluca?
I, uh...
Is there a special reason?
N-no, not quite a reason...
Well, if you have any idea, I'd love to hear it.
Eluca was my idol. I loved watching her practice.
When she takes up those blades, she looks so strong and amazing...
Uh-huh. So that's why you two are together.
What do you mean?
She's your first love.
F-first love? N-no way, it's not like that!
Sometimes, you are not even aware you've fallen in love...
Whether she's your first love or not, she's clearly important to you.
Be sure to take good care of her.
Me, take care of her...? I couldn't do that. Eluca is much stronger than I could hope to be...
It doesn't matter how good you are with a sword. I know I'm going to whatever I can to help Escher. He can be rough, but he's also very kind.



Eluca reappears from the room.



Zhamo, no matter what happens to us, let's both do our best to help those we care about.



And he is up too, now we are complete.

Eluca, don't be afraid to face Zhamo directly. It's probably the only way to get through this. I know it was for us.
Oh, Zhamo, you're looking a little red there. Do you have hots for Musiea or something?

Ok well enough of that. Going back to the dungeon now.



As before, we need to collect three items to unlock this teleporter.



First one is in the chest over here.



Oh hey, it's this guy again! Defeating him nets us two levels each. Also we get a skill called "Happy Smile". When equipped, this skill gives you 1 EXP for every step you make while moving around. At our level, this is not a whole lot any more, so we won't be using it much at this time.





The first puzzle gives us the second item.





And the second puzzle opens way to the chest containing the last item.



So we can unlock the way forward...



...and go to the the boss. I forgot to mention this last time, but this guy's name is, interestingly enough, "Prototype Agent". You might recall that his superboss equivalent is called "Libido". Both of these are important for the plot.



He is in fact weak to physical attacks, so the Divine Fist strategy works even better than before!



Let's have a chat!





Even if we do make it back home, nothing will change.
I will still have to spend my day... executing people who have done no harm...
I won't let that happen. I'm going to defeat the Divine King and become the new king!
And I won't make you execute anyone.
You...? Defeat the Divine King?
That's right. I'm going to rebuild our country. But, I can't do it by myself.
Will you help me, Eluca?
Rebuild our country? Are you serious?
Of course I am.
I am going to make it a country where there will be no more poverty, no more conflict between classes...
A place where everyone can be happy.
Your father said the same thing before he...
My... father?
I can't listen to your family's foolish daydreams anymore.



















Well. We are definitely nearing the end of this part of the game.


ivantod fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Nov 29, 2012

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Actually, Museia raises a valued point. I wouldn't want to pop a squat with the encounter rate being what it is.

CrookedB
Jun 27, 2011

Stupid newbee

ivantod posted:

So our concentration is being pushed to its limit even now?
That's right. That's why you have been able to grow and develop so quickly.
So that's why we've been growing so strong the more we fight here...

Well, at least the game tries to give some kind of explanation to the RPG leveling up routine.

As an aside, it looks like you forgot to include screenshot #146.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

CrookedB posted:

Well, at least the game tries to give some kind of explanation to the RPG leveling up routine.

As an aside, it looks like you forgot to include screenshot #146.

Yeah, this game does have some occasional nice touches.

Thanks for letting me know about the mistake--I got a couple of screenshots mixed up (nothing important though, just a picture of the boss which we've already seen). I've fixed it now. :v:

Exewu
Jun 21, 2009
<br>
I'm looking forward to seeing where this story is going (can't say I've said this ever before of a video game)

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.




Well, there isn't really much else left to do. If we want to progress, we'll have to go and defeat Escher & Musiea (and they are standing right there too!).



First of course we go to Piu-Piu to upgrade our weapons. He doesn't really have anything new to say.









New weapon for Zhamo. We have once again reached the point of boring weapon names. But don't worry, there are still several to be found in dungeons later on, that hasn't changed!





New clothes for both.





And two new Opals.

And then we go and talk to Escher and Musiea one last time before the battle.









Hey, Eluca. Are you still worried about that?
...Hard to say.
Hey, now, that won't do. I told you before, I don't like bullying the weak.
So what about you? I thought you weren't able to worry about anyone but yourself.
Don't worry, I took care of it.
It was tough 'cause she's so stubborn, but now there are no more misunderstandings.
Besides, you know what they say. There's a thin line between love and hate.
Now that we've resolved our differences, she can hardly keep her hands off of me. Honestly I don't know what to do.
Escher. Shut up.
Come on, don't be shy!
...
I'm wasting my time on this idiot.
Zhamo, Eluca, I will fight you with everything I have.
That won't change whether or not you've found your proof or if there's something worrying you.
I look after war orphans. I'm all they have. As long as they are waiting for me to come home... I cannot afford to lose.
As for me, I am not going to let Musiea die in a place like this.
My sword will speak for me on that.
I understand. I would expect nothing less.
I think we are the strongest people the world has ever seen. It's going to be an amazing fight.
I can't wait!
I'll admit it. You two are all right.
But I'm out of time. I will become immortal. I have to.
Once this is over, I will have many sins on my head. But that is my burden to withstand.

That's it for now, we need to go inside now.













Now that you've made it this far, there is nothing more to say.
I guess not.
All of us want to win. Whatever happens, no hard feelings.



Fight!



Even though we are higher level than our opponents we actually can't oneshot them. But we still do decent damage.



They do about 10x less to us.



Of course, as always, Escher has his physical block ability so sometimes this happens.









I said I won't let that happen. Not if you help me rebuild our country.
...Why don't you hate me?
Why are you asking that now?
Tell me!
Escher, now's our chance!
Wait, give them a minute.
Why would I hate you? It wasn't your choice to kill them. And even if I did, it wouldn't bring my parents back.
What good would it do?
That's not good enough!
Don't you get it? You forgiving me is the hardest part of all!
Eluca...
Zhamo, you are a great man. Too great for one who has done such evil things as I.
Escher, that's long enough. We should...

Wow, bloodthirsty much, Musiea?



















Musiea is defeated shortly after this.



And a couple of turns later, Escher too.



















Yeah.
...I'm, uh... I'm sorry.
For what?
For failing to protect you.
I'm sorry too. If I had only been stronger...





















We learn new and useful skills. These are all skills that we already know from back when we played Escher and Musiea and other than Mental Wall they are some of the best ones to have, in fact.

And so, another sad fight has finished and we need to get out of here.















Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Are those just Escher and Museia's skills or the ones they're supposed to have inherited from their first-round opponents as well?

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

Glazius posted:

Are those just Escher and Museia's skills or the ones they're supposed to have inherited from their first-round opponents as well?

No, it's just their default skills that they start with (two each). This was the same before, when we defeat a couple we only get their starting skills, not any of those that they have earned by defeating others.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.




Last time, Escher and Musiea have been defeated so now it's time to do another bit of "what if?".

Some words of encouragement from Piu-Piu...





And then of course we go forward.







That is why the warriors here were summoned together with the member of the opposite sex that they cared most deeply for.
Now, it's the time for you to demonstrate that power for the last time.











Zhamo, I'm sorry... There's just no way normal humans can beat him.
It appears you have lost all will to fight in face of overwhelming power.
You are weak, Eluca.
I guess... this is as far as we go...
If you have truly given up, then I have no more use for you.







Zhamo...
It's okay, Eluca.
When you have someone you want to protect, you will find the strength you need.
Ayuta, Mana, Escher and Musiea all helped to show me that.
No one will hurt you as long as I'm alive.
(He's... protecting me?)
(Yes, I see now. Those were the words I've been waiting for...)
(I wanted someone to protect me. Someone to tell me it would be okay.)









And our rings finally start glowing!





And now we have to fight him, same as before.



The battle does not go very differently either with us hitting hard...



...and him not doing much. This is over quickly, as expected.









And again, we get this strange scene:







...its scents, into your genes...
The land it is your destiny to reach... The Promised Land.
Is this one of his attacks?
Even if that be nothing but a seed, planted in a time long since passed...
Carve your desires... Your mother's entreaties...
The memories of this land, into your genes...





And we're back here.





Does it mean... it's over?
It looks like it.
...Thank you Zhamo. If you weren't here, we never could have defeated him.
Oh, sure...
What's wrong?
I can't help about what he said at the end...
Is that the "final couple"?
The promised land also...
Well, there's no point in looking back.
Don't worry, let's go back home. It's time to leave the Ark Arena.
Yeah. You're right.

As a result of this, we of course get new equipment:













Piu-Piu actually has some things to say, but it's all we've seen before, so...





We will see what would have happened had we gone through this door.





Where are we?
Zhamo, Eluca. This is Earth from 10,000 years ago.

The game certainly labels this character again as "????", but since we already know who it is I will use the real picture.

10,000 years ago?
Look up.
What's that?



You two are about to become this world's First Couple.
What are you talking about? I don't understand.



...a being known only as the Qualia will appear and destroy everything.
Your job is to spend the next 10,000 years creating a human race that can defeat it.
That's ridiculous. There's no way we could do something like that.
Oh, but you can.
You two are the ones who triumphed in the Ark Arena.
And now you have eternal life and eternal youth as well.
I am entrusting the future of humanity to your superior DNA.





With this, the Ark Arena disappears from the sky.

























If you are counting, this is the third time we see these end credits. No, it's not the actual end this time either.







Of course, as with Escher and Musiea, here too, this is just a false ending. And the real ending is obtained by reloading the game and NOT going through this door. But this is for next time.


* * *

Appendix

Of course, after this, before progressing the plot, you have the chance to do the eight optional bosses. In order to be able to do this, I first did a bit of grinding to level up the characters, like so:





During the grinding, in the dungeon I found still more advanced equipment than before:









And finally, after defeating the bosses, they yielded even more advanced pieces, except for the accessories:









I am not showing the actual fights here, because they are absolutely identical to the ones seen with Escher and Musiea, so there is really no point to repeat it here. But I do show weapons/clothes because most of them have pretty awesome names and it would be a shame to miss out (especially since some of the names actually give out the backgrounds of various characters!

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Background through equipment names and descriptions is kind of an interesting idea, but I haven't really seen it done outside of here and * Souls.

Mokinokaro
Sep 11, 2001

At the end of everything, hold onto anything



Fun Shoe
Drakenguard and its sequel had the weapon histories but they weren't related to the current plot.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.
Hey guys, just to let you know that I noticed that all three Chaos Rings games are on sale now on AppStore until 4 January. They are quite heavily discounted (50-70%) depending on the game.

So if you wanted to try them out for yourself, probably now is the time to buy!

P.S. Both iOS and Android versions are on sale (except there is no Chaos Rings II on Android)

ivantod fucked around with this message at 14:50 on Dec 20, 2012

Captain Walker
Apr 7, 2009

Mother knows best
Listen to your mother
It's a scary world out there
Does that bring them into the "reasonable iOS" price range and out of "standard Squeenix mobile title" price range?

I'm not sure I can actually get mad over their ridiculous price inflation, people still buy their stuff anyway. Plus they publish great stuff like Deus Ex, Sleeping Dogs...I dunno if any of the later FFs were any good except maybe Theatrhythm, which I can't play since I sold my 3DS. See, that'd be a great iOS title that I'd pay $25 for.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

Captain Walker posted:

Does that bring them into the "reasonable iOS" price range and out of "standard Squeenix mobile title" price range?

I'm not sure I can actually get mad over their ridiculous price inflation, people still buy their stuff anyway. Plus they publish great stuff like Deus Ex, Sleeping Dogs...I dunno if any of the later FFs were any good except maybe Theatrhythm, which I can't play since I sold my 3DS. See, that'd be a great iOS title that I'd pay $25 for.

Ha ha, yes exactly that. You'd pretty much have to be mad to buy any SquareEnix iOS games at full price, just wait for the inevitable 50% off sale or something. You may have to wait a while, but it will happen (hey, even FF Tactics is finally 50% off now!)

As for Theathrytm... Uh, you do know that there already is an iOS version of that game, yes? Unfortunately, the news is not all good since it's (a) missing some features from 3DS version and (b) except for 2 introductory songs (To Zanarkand and One-winged Angel), all other songs are paid DLC! But you could get a reasonable amount for $25 I'm pretty sure.

Captain Walker
Apr 7, 2009

Mother knows best
Listen to your mother
It's a scary world out there

ivantod posted:

As for Theathrytm... Uh, you do know that there already is an iOS version of that game, yes?

I did not! Time for the inevitable flurry of in-app purchases and searching for more Squeenix stuff to gift myself because I spend too much time on this drat iPad.

Torrast
May 17, 2007
Speaking of SE iOS games, Final Fantasy IV was just released.

On topic, I cannot remember if it is this Chaos Rings or one of the later versions, but I seem to remember the "post game" bosses, such as the Agent and the Almighty, having some unique attacks and attack animations. Any chance of showing those off?

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.




After exploring the option of going through the "Original door", we decided that this is not really what we want to do. So instead...



Eluca is obviously eager to go...



...Bereshith road it is. Incidentally, "bereshith" (בְּרֵאשִׁית) is a word in Hebrew which means "in the beginning". It is the name of the first book of Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the Christian Old Testament (Book of Genesis). But please don't take the religious references in this game too seriously, ok?



But... Hey, Zhamo, why are you going there?
Didn't you want to build your ideal country?
Of course I do. That's exactly why I have to see this battle through to the end.
No one will follow anyone who gives up on everything halfway through.
Don't you think so?
As usual, everything you say is straight and true... Which is exactly why I am worried.
People like you often end up dying young.
Don't worry. I am not going to die anytime soon.
Not as long as you're with me.
...Okay, you've convinced me.



As you might recall, this area consists of tiled hallways, separated by lifts.



First stop is floor 46, but...











...we are interrupted by the executioner.

The executioner!
Did we break one of the rules?!
Maybe we weren't supposed to come here?
At any rate... It looks like we have no choice but to fight him.
It's okay. We may have been no match for him before, but he won't defeat us easily now!
You're right! Okay, here we go!



Uh, what's happening...

























Tell me. You can't actually believe what Zhamo has been telling you, can you?
What do you mean?
Do you think your crimes will disappear just because you helped some child with his little daydream?
What about the grief he feels from losing his parents?
You really think it's okay just because the King ordered you to do it?
No I don't.
As you shouldn't. His hatred for you will continue to grow and you will never be able to escape what you have done.
But don't worry. I will soon put you out of your misery.



Uh, so, looks like Eluca will first have to defeat... Eluca?



Cool touch... she's exactly the same level as real Eluca! But it won't help her, remember that enemy levels are a lot "smaller" that ours.





So the difference in our relative powers is like you see... another easy battle.







That's right. Die and pay for your crimes!
An eye for an eye, a life for a life.
You're right.
If the people I've hurt wish for me to die, I will gladly offer up my life.
But until that day comes, I cannot let myself die here. Especially not by my own hand.









Eluca! Are you okay now!?
Yes. I just needed to take care of something.
Now, let's show this thing what we are made of.



There is still nothing special about this battle, just keep attacking...



...and the giant spider goes down easily.

...We did it! We avenged their deaths!
I could never have done it without you, Eluca!
...Thank you, Zhamo, for believing in me. I will doubt myself no longer.
Now let's keep going.



And here we come to the first tiled corridor and the first set of terminals you may remember from before.




-------------------------------------------------
     THE AGENT

> An organically-grown lifeform programmed to
  ensure that the Ark Arena proceeds smoothly.
  Loaded with advanced A.I. to assist in
  guiding participants.
> Follows commands given by the Almighty.

Objectives:
> Guide participants to proper destination.
> Execute insubordinate participants.
> Judge participants' eligibility to open
  the Final Door.
-------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------
     THE EXECUTIONER

> An organically-grown lifeform programmed to
  ensure that the Ark Arena proceeds smoothly.
> Follows commands given by the Almighty.

Objectives:
> Execute insubordinate participants.
> Judge participants' eligibility to open
  the Final Door.
-------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------
     THE FIRST COUPLE

> The two participants that win the Ark Arena
  will be sent back 10,000 years to become
  the First Couple.
  Their superior DNA will be used to reconstruct
  humanity and create powerful warriors.

Currently discovered special abilities:
  Toughness:     Loop #768
  Pyrokinesis:   Loop #782
  Magic:         Loop #1737
  Psychokinesis: Loop #1979
  Teleportation: Loop #2001

Warning:
> The act of sending living matter back in time
  has a high probability of being noticed by
  the Qualia. Should that happen, the Qualia's
  interference is predicted to speed up the end
  of timespace.
> Therefore, only two people at a time will be
  sent back in order to keep this risk as low as
  possible.

Latest subjects:
  Vieg Valma (Olgar)
  Vahti Pauwell
-------------------------------------------------






But we're human. No one made us.
...I don't want to believe it, but... That would mean that Olgar and Vahti are our ancestors, since they won the last Ark Arena.
No way... Then, if we had gone on to open the First Door...
Yes. We might have been sent back in time 10,000 years.
Which would mean that our descendants would one day go to take part in this Arena themselves...
It is truly unbelievable...


-------------------------------------------------
     IMMORTALITY

> A means of ensuring that the First Couple can continue
  to produce a predetermined amount of descendants.
> Their bodies will be boosted to superhuman levels
  using the principles of transhumanism. This will
  allow their cells to increase their divisiions at
  a vastly increased rate, even upon taking damage,
  resulting in automatic regeneration.
> Simultaneously, telomere reduction will be employed
  to prevent their cells from aging.

Warning:
> These effects will likely be neutralized in the
  presence of the Qualia's energy (Quintessence).

Latest subjects:
  Vieg Valma (Olgar)
  Vahti Pauwell
-------------------------------------------------






I wonder why they'd do that? An immortal warrior would have to be stronger than anyone else.
Unless... there was some kind of enemy whose attacks were even stronger?



Next, we are led to the...



...Arena itself.



So this is where it was.
Escher, Musiea, Ayuta, Mana... they were all such good people...
...and we used them as stepping stones to get here.
Does it bother you?
Yes.
Why was the Ark Arena created in the first place?
I wish I knew. But I have a feeling we are getting closer to the answer.
I think you're right.
Let's keep moving.



Next lift takes us to the 137th floor...



But of course, not without interruption!



YOU!
But, we defeated you!
Our earlier battle was just to judge if you were worthy of becoming the First Couple.
Now that you have come here, I will judge whether you are worthy of proceeding through the Final Door.
441 couples have made it this far before. Only 13 of them have been able to defeat me.
The final door? 13 couples? What are you talking about?
Calm down, Eluca. Just focus on the enemy at hand.
Yeah. You're right. Until I make you king, I can't lose to anyone.
Ignorant fools. There is no point to becoming king!
The Qualia will soon arrive and eradicate every living thing there.
This time axis will soon run out... and the world will meet its end.
Qualia? The end of the world?
I don't know what you're talking about... But it looks like we have no choice but to fight you.
Correct.
All that's left for you is to seek the Final Door. Our master, who awaits you there, will tell you all you need to know.
If you can make it that far.
Now fight me and show yourselves to be worthy.
Here he comes!
Don't be afraid. We've already defeated him once before!
Defeated me before? I think not. What you defeated before was not my true power.
Now that it is time to judge the Final Couple, I will hold nothing back.
Hold nothing back?
I guess he was going easy on us earlier?
That was going easy?
Don't worry! We're not done growing yet! I know we can still become stronger!
Zhamo. You have always inspired me with your bravery.
No. Not just me.
I am sure you can inspire bravery in countless others, too.
I cannot... will not let you die here!

Ok, finally! The battle!



This is actually easier than the executioner! Although the game, as always, thinks it won't be.



He was really going easy on us earlier.
If you are having difficulty now, you will never be able to make it through the Final Door.
What is beyond that door?
You will find out once you defeat me.
Zhamo, if you are ever going to be king, we can't get held up here!
If you stop now, everyone who gave their lives so we could be here will have died in vain!
You're right. We can't afford to lose!
Let's show him what we can really do!



Ok, we're done here.



After endless years, countless time loops, and nearly infinite ends of all life...
You two have the potential to save us...
In this world, your names are Zhamo and Eluca... In other worlds, others will answer the call...
The world, coming to an end. Do you think this is true?
I don't know.
...But I do think that both the Agent and the Executioner were being controlled for a purpose.
I guess we'll have to keep going forward if we want to find out.
You're right. Okay, let's go find that final door.



But, before that, another hallway with terminals!


-------------------------------------------------
     THE ARK

> Can travel up to 10,000 years in the past
  using the principles of timespace navigation.
> While the first couple uses that time to
  propogate, the Ark will hide inside the time
  axis, to avoid altering history.

Contents:
> Contains records of multiple Earths.
  1. Re-creation and preservation of Earth's past
     and historical artifacts.
  2. Lifeform preservation (both sexes).
> Synthesized monsters created from existing
  animal DNA will be placed around the Ark
  to serve as level counters for participants.

Curent number of voyages: 2003

Newest Companions:
  Vieg Valma (Olgar)
  Vahti Pauwell
-------------------------------------------------









-------------------------------------------------
     THEIA LIEBERG

> One of the First Woman candidates for the Ark Project
> Genetic Rank: 3
> The original First Woman
-------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------
     ALEXANDER PIULITZER

> The founder of the Ark Project
> Widely acclaimed for his work on timespace.
> Famously succeeded at preventing plant and animal
  extinction by controlling their time axes. The
  first to discover the existence of the Qualia
  through his research on how lifeforms become extinct.
> Known during his college days by the nickname
  "Piu-Piu".
-------------------------------------------------






I'd say he's more insensitive than interesting.
For that matter is he even human?
Well, he walks upright and he can talk... He fulfills all the conditions for humanity that I can think of...
Oh, I can think of a few more.
Really? Even so, I think he really was a scientist.
Remember when he kept reciting all those numbers with that deadly serious expression?
Numbers?
Yeah, 34, 24, 34... over and over again.



I really don't have anything to say to this. In the meantime...



...Oh, hey you! How many levels will you give me?





Five? Not bad, not bad. Of course, as before, we don't really need them (at least for now).



After a while we reach this control room-looking thing. Let's check the consoles.


-------------------------------------------------
     THE ALMIGHTY

> A system used to ensure the Ark continues to
  run smoothly.
> Connected test subject Theia Lieberg's cranial
  nerve directly to the Ark central nervous system
  in lieu of A.I.

Objectives:
> Produce a human race capable of matching
  the Qualia.
> Judge participant's ability to open the Final Door.
-------------------------------------------------






...
...
Yeah...
What's wrong, Zhamo?
If I hadn't been summoned here, you would have executed me.
I would have never met Escher and the others, or be together with you... I wouldn't even be standing here right now.
I know we've sacrificed countless lives to get here...
But there's still a part of me that's happy to have been able to take part in it.
Zhamo...
I feel the same way. The times I've spent here with you and them... have been the most fulfilling moments of my life.
It allowed me to face my own weakness.
And that's exactly why I want to see this through. We must take responsibility for our actions.
We must end it, no matter what may be laying in wait for us.
...Then let's do it!


-------------------------------------------------
     PARALLEL TIMESPACES

> Separate timespaces that exist in parallel.
  Theoretically, these individual timespaces
  should never cross paths with each other.
> Beginning with the Original Couple, the Ark
  has helped spawn countless new timespaces.
  Of these, 99.99% have been confirmed to have
  been destroyed by the Qualia.

Warning:
> It is predicted that the Qualia will even cause
  separate parallel timespaces to converge.
-------------------------------------------------






And all of them will be destroyed by the Qualia?
Maybe there are even other versions of us in those worlds?
Another me...
You are not alone! No matter how many more of you there are, I promise you there are just as many of me!
I feel oddly.. replaceable...

Finally, the console in the middle...


-------------------------------------------------
     THE QUALIA

> A conceptual being of pure energy. Its only
  determinable purpose is to distort space,
  consume everything and bring about
  nothingness.
> Once it appears in a timespace, it consumes
  everything until that timespace is destroyed.

Confirmed Data:
> Millions of attempts to destroy the Qualia
  have been undertaken over thousands of
  timespaces, but a powerful corrective force
  always brings the timespace back to destruction.
> Confirmed timespaces destroyed: 64,762.

The Singularity:
> After a long and exhaustive observation,
  a single point in timespace, though to be
  the Singularity, has been confirmed to be
  capable of enabling a sufficiently powerful
  force, in theory, to destroy small amounts
  of energy.
> The primitive human race that exists in the
  Singularity has been confirmed to be incapable
  of producing even the smallest amounts of
  this energy. The Ark will be used to help this
  race develop their ability to produce this
  energy.
-------------------------------------------------


The ground shakes, suddenly...













...Is this the Qualia's power?
I... I can barely stand up.
Impossible... It's just an image... and yet...
Does the almighty really expect us to fight this thing?
Why don't they fight it themselves?
They created this giant space! The Executioner! The Agent!! They should be able to defeat this thing!
...There must be some reason they need us.
Perhaps there's something that'll occur when we fight it.
I guess we'll just have to go ask them ourselves.
Either way... I've already decided... I'm going to make a country where everyone can live together happily...
I know it will be extremely difficult... But I also know I can pull it off...
That's why, no matter what may happen... or what kind of future awaits us...
I cannot allow myself to lose!!



Finally the anomaly fades out!





Zhamo.
Hm?
That was a pretty good speech just now.




Outside is the last lift that takes us to the top floor to meet the Almighty (again).



I can already tell she is far stronger than the Agent.
But, we have nothing to fear. We've defeated both the Executioner and the Agent, and we can defeat her too.
Yeah...
Hey, Eluca...
Yes?
What do you think it means to be king?
I'm not very good with these types of questions, but...
I don't think it means just standing above other people.
If it did, every king would be just like ours.
Then, what?
I think it's someone who gives people the chance to fulfill their dreams. And not just certain people.
Men, women, children, the elderly... those with power and those without... Someone who makes it possible for everyone to achieve their dreams.
That's what makes someone a king in my eyes.
Perhaps I'm being naive...
Not at all.
I'll do it.
I will become a king that gives everyone a chance to fulfill their dreams.







I am the one who selected and summoned each of the five couples for the Ark Arena.
Zhamo and Eluca. I have watched your battles closely through the eyes of the Agent.
What do you want?
Everything I have done was done to defeat the Qualia.
That's why I prepared the Ark and made my way to Earth.
Only humans have a chance of defeating Qualia that appears in this timespace.
So... that's the Singularity?
Correct. My task is to create humans at that point in this timespace that can match the Qualia.
Truly I am relieved. My anguish all these years was not an infinite loop, but a spiral with an end.
Zhamo, Eluca, thanks to you, this bloody spiraling path will soon be over.
Now is the time for final judgment, to see if you are truly worthy of becoming the Final Couple I have been waiting for.
Now that you have come this far, you must defeat me to proceed to the Final Door.
The fate of humanity rests on it.
Now, show me your true power. Once I am satisfied, I shall open the path that leads to the Qualia.
But if I determine that you do not have the sufficient strength for this battle...
All we want to do is to go home and rebuild our country.
Why do we have to fight Qualia?
If you cannot defeat Qualia then everything will return to nothing.
There will be no country left for you to rebuild.
First this Almighty person, then the Qualia... How much longer do we have to keep fighting?
Zhamo, there is no way to build the country without spilling some blood.
That is why people like me exist.
Just give me the order and I will fight in your place until I can fight no more.
Thank you, Eluca.
But I will never order you to do that. If blood must be spilled, we'll spill it together.
I refuse to become a king who hides behind his people.
Understood. Then let us fight to the end together.
I have no interest in your ideals.
All I wish to know is if you are weak or if you are strong.
Let's go, Eluca!
Okay!

Let's get this over with!



After a few attacks...











And after a few more...



Beyond the door... lies the focus point... The place where Qualia will appear...
At last; at long last, the time has come... After nearly eternal despair... your genes have provided a glimmer of hope...
You two... are the final couple I've been waiting for...
Once you pass through that door, not even we know what will happen...
Now... I leave the future... in your hands... and pray for your victory...







And indeed a portal appears in front of us.





(W-what the...!)
(Such evil power. I have never felt such a dark force!)
(Is it really something humans can fight, let alone defeat?)
(And yet, if we lose, we lose everything. We cannot turn back now.)
...Eluca, you are not going to try and go alone, are you?
...Would that be so bad?
Of course it would.
Do you want me to become the kind of king that sacrifices others to win?
Were you lying earlier when you said we'll fight together to the very end?
...You're going to make quite a king.
Okay, we'll do this together or not at all.
That's right. Together, no matter where destiny leads us.

















Of course, another attempt at end credits follows.








* * *

There still one more thing we can do now. If we reload the game and climb up to the arena floor...



...we get the same optional boss battle as before.



It is against the dark versions of our characters. This battle is not very different from the one that Escher and Musiea did, but I will show you the how the final attack that I did turned out...



...because it was pretty ridiculous as you can see. Let me explain what happened here: this is actually a combination of factors at work. First of all, the enemies did a pair attack previously so they were both hit; secondly, the attack hit their current weakness (physical) so that already more or less doubles the the damage; finally, I used a skill that guarantees a critical hit, which is another 2x multiplier on top. So in the end you get an attack that SHOULD have hit for about 8-10,000 HP hitting for over 40,000 HP. I think that's not so bad. And for the record, the enemies in this battle are level 90, whereas our characters are around 70 or so, so the enemies are about 20 levels ahead.





In any case, this fight nets us two diamond accessories for our characters.




And so, that's about it for this chapter; we'll check in with Eluca and Zhamo again a bit later.

As for what is on the table next, well, things are going to get a little bit messy!


Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!
Sooooo now do we get to clear up that plotline about how the final boss is totally into Ayuta or what

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

I'm betting on an Ayuta/Mana (Is that her name, I am dumb) chapter opening up, which covers different ground then the Esther/Zhamo chapters. That'd be the obvious way to go anyway, maybe the game will surprise me and do something entirely different.

zidane13
Jan 2, 2005

by Smythe
Or maybe the game'll throw a curveball and it'll be Alexander/Theia.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

zidane13 posted:

Or maybe the game'll throw a curveball and it'll be Alexander/Theia.

Or maybe... those are the same thing :aaa:

klapman
Aug 27, 2012

this char is good
So I have a question - this game's story is pretty interesting to me so far, but i'm holding off on buying it because i'm not sure just how much of it is left, and it'd be kind of a pointless purchase if there only ended up being a little left. Could anyone who's played ballpark how far this is into the game in a spoiler tag or something?

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

klapman posted:

So I have a question - this game's story is pretty interesting to me so far, but i'm holding off on buying it because i'm not sure just how much of it is left, and it'd be kind of a pointless purchase if there only ended up being a little left. Could anyone who's played ballpark how far this is into the game in a spoiler tag or something?

I can tell you, I wouldn't consider it a spoiler really especially since I was already posting before the progress percentage. I can't tell you exact percentage because I have already played/recorder further, but after this last update we are still not even over halfway point yet!

The game is also currently on sale for both iOS and Android so it's a good time to buy it--it's 70% off and costs only $4.99 until 4 January 2013, and for that price it's more than worth it.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you're buying for iOS be careful as iPad and iPhone versions are separate so make sure to get the right one.

And yet one more thing... happy Christmas to all of you who celebrate it next week! Next update will be posted after that so you'll find out soon where this will all go. :v:

ivantod fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Dec 24, 2012

klapman
Aug 27, 2012

this char is good
Oh hell yes. Thanks for the quick response, now i'm gonna go find out just how well a game like this can run on a 6 inch long phone. :getin:


EDIT: Four hours of gameplay later, and i'm running around with Escher and Musiea at level 70. I can't even tell if this game is grindy or not because it just keeps throwing so much xp at me!

klapman fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Dec 24, 2012

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Well now. I would definitely like to see where the plot goes from here. Looking forward to it.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.


Hello everyone!

You may remember the following screen. When we started the game, it looked like this:




Well, it looks a little different now:



Notice those little arrows at the bottom? Let's push!



Ah. But of course.

In fact, the arrows were already present there last time--check the update number 13 if you don't believe me! So basically the way it works is thus: You HAVE to play first either Escher/Musiea or Eluca/Zhamo story. But after you finish one of those, you can go and play the other three in any order you want.

This sounds nice in theory, but in practice, of course, there is still ONE TRUE ORDER since some stories contain spoilers for others. Specifically, the best order to play the stories for maximum impact is the following: Escher/Musiea -> Eluca/Zhamo -> Ayuta/Mana -> Olgar/Vahti. Olgar's story in particular is massively spoilery for more or less the whole plot and should definitely be played last. As for E/M and E/Z, you can more or less play those two in either order, although even there, E/Z contains some subtle(ish) hints at the overall plot that are not present in E/M. But as I said, they are a bit subtle and you will probably miss them anyway so it doesn't matter too much.

So, without further ado then, I present to you princess Mana and her devoted stablehand(?) Ayuta:






















Wait, that's not...



























But not unfamiliar for us any more at this point!















And here we are one more time. Will it be different from the last?

Let's go talk to some people. First up, Alto and Garrick:





No idea. But I did notice that one person from each couple is an incredibly skilled fighter.
I haven't seen warriors this strong since I first met Garrick.
You, of course, are one of them.

No, wait, he's just a stableha...

Me? But I'm just a stablehand...
Come on now, don't be so modest!
But I'm not. I'm sorry. May I ask your names?
I'm Garrick and this is Alto. We are fellow knights in the same order.
We were attacking a castle when, all of a sudden, it grew dark well before evening.
Our friends and enemies seemed to freeze in place, and before we knew it, we found ourselves here.
You're from the eastern continent, right? How did you get here?
It went from daylight to to nightfall in an instant in my country as well.
I wonder... do you suppose we have angered the spirits in some way?
The anger of the spirits, eh...?
I don't know about that, but I find this whole situation intriguing. Don't you?
Intriguing? All I am is anxious.
Ha ha. I see.
Well, my partner here is also a warrior. I don't need to protect her, and I'm sure that we can take whatever they can throw at us.
Hey... do you feel that?
Yes. Someone is watching us.
It must be the host that invited us here.
And it doesn't look like they intend to throw just any old kind of party.
I can't wait to hear what they have to say.
Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we work together?
I think we'd get along pretty well.
When things settle down here, I'd like to have a match with you.
I haven't seen someone with your skill in a long time.
Once you've become the best there is, you get bored waiting for everyone else to catch up.



Next, over here are Museia and Escher.







Of course, with a dopey face like yours, even if you were my enemy, I don't think it'd be a problem.
...Why not test me and find out?
Ha ha, don't get so upset, I'm just kidding.
Escher! Stop taunting him!
There is no point in getting into a fight with these people now.
I know, I know. Sorry about that.
It's fine. Don't worry about that.
I'm just a little irritated.
I mean, you feel it too, right? There is some kind of... terrible power here...
Yeah. And whatever it is, it wants us dead.
Let's hope we're just imagining it...
I've got a really bad feeling about this place.
This doesn't look like a party. What's going on here?



On the other side are Zhamo and Eluca.







Nor mine.
Keia, god of the sun... Omali, god of the moon...
When these two gods cross paths... it is said the world will end...
It's just as legends say, except...
...something's not right.
The end of the world? I highly doubt this is the afterlife.
We're not dead yet. I'm sure of it.
I know. That's why it's so disturbing. I've never heard of any magic that will transport living people to another location in an instant.
What if... it wasn't magic?
Do you know something?
Huh? Oh, sorry, it's nothing.
(What am I saying?)
I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
This place is beautiful, but something doesn't seem right.

Finally, over in the corner are Vahti and Olgar:









Hm. Obviously we already know that Vahti and Olgar have previously participated in the Arena, but...

No matter. We should go and check in on the princess.







This could be a plot of one of our enemies... Or perhaps, the spirits themselves have come and taken us away...
Spirits... Could that be why the nightfall came so quickly?
I'm afraid I don't know. But I can say this. This is an extremely dangerous place...
I can tell that something isn't right.
Ayuta...
I know it may not mean much coming from one such as myself... But I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.
Even if it costs me my life.

And then, like clockwork...











Ayuta and Mana. Escher and Musiea. Zhamo and Eluca. Garrick and Alto. And, Olgar and Vahti.
Welcome, my children. Welcome to the Ark Arena, where the world's strongest compete.
And where you will now fight for your lives.
Fight for our lives? Are you serious?
All of you here are but one sheep in two bodies. The person standing next to you will be your partner on this journey.
Of course, we do not ask you to do this for nothing.
To the last pair left standing, I promise eternal life and eternal youth.
Immortality?
You may not refuse to compete in the Ark Arena. And you are prohibited from fighting until I tell you to.
If you break either of these rules you will pay with your lives.
Stop. Before you speak further, answer me this. Where are we?
Why do we have to fight each other?
I am under no obligation to answer your questions.
Hmph. You really think we're stupid enough to fight each other just 'cause you say to?

















Poor Garrick can never catch a break in any timeline!







You may be the chosen warriors, but you are not yet qualified to fight in the Ark Arena.
In order to qualify, you will need to find and equip the rings beyond this door.
...Rings?
One is the warrior's ring, the other the companion's ring.
These two rings will prove your eligibility for the Ark Arena.
Why do we need those?
It doesn't matter why. If we don't play along, we'll all be killed.
That much is certain.
...I think we should go along with him for now.
Wait! Stop! I have to get back home immediately!
Princess Mana! Don't get close to him!
Don't stop me Ayuta! I need to go back for the betrothal!
Betrothal?
In the east, they call engagements betrothals.
There will be no exceptions, no matter what the circumstances. The only way you can return home is by triumphing in the Ark Arena.
This can't be...
Princess Mana...
I think we should keep going. There may be a way out of here on the other side of that door.
...Okay.

All right. Let's catch a breath here and then for one last chat with everyone before venturing past the door.

First a quick stop with Alto. She has nothing different to say this time either.









And then, Musiea and Escher again:







That Garrick guy was strong.
Did you see the sword he had? It was a national treasure, the kind only given to heroes with exemplary records!
What a waste. It would have fetched a great price.
I don't suppose the vortex will spit out Garrick's equipment any time soon, will it?
Poor Alto. I don't know if she'll ever be the same...
If the one I loved the most was ever killed in front of me like that, I'm sure I would go crazy.
So, Escher there is the one you love the most?
Hmm. I'm not sure. I guess maybe he is.
When that monster showed up and started making unreasonable demands, I felt like my fear would have overpowered me if I had let my guard down even for an instant...
But since Escher is here with me... I feel things will be okay.
That, somehow, we'll be able to get through this.
I understand. If Ayuta wasn't here with me, I don't know what I would do.
We're so lucky to have good companions.
You're right. Thanks! I feel better now. I just know we are going to make it out of here alive.
I'm really glad there is someone like you here. All the other women are a little to scary to talk to.

Well, we can't avoid Piu-Piu any more, sorry.





No, keep going, don't change the subject now!







Ah well. In any case, we can already upgrade our stuff.



Ayuta uses dual katanas to fight.



Whereas Mana, somewhat appropriately for her position, uses bow and arrows.





And some clothes. As you could see from the pictures, Mana likes to wear kimonos.



Finally I buy a moonstone for Ayuta. As before, the other half of the pair already comes with one of those.

Getting back to the central area we can have a few more words with Zhamo and Eluca.







If I were to turn tail and run now, I would never be able to face the ones who are counting on me back home.
Besides, these things are clearly dangerous. If we can defeat them now before they can attack my country, that would be for the best.
I do not wish to fight you.
I only hope that there is a way to escape on the other side of that door.
We don't have to listen to that monster. The fact that we came here from the outside means that there must be a way out.
All we have to do is find it...
But the only thing in this room that looks like an exit is that door.
There is no other way out, not even a window. It looks like we are completely trapped.
Either way, we have no choice but to move on.



Oh, by the way, we can again get that revival item in one of the bedrooms...

And finally, finally, Vahti and Olgar one more time.



















What, indeed.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Well.

This certainly portends.

Poor Garrick. Third time hurts even worse. You'd think Olgar and Vahti might try to stop him.

Bellmaker
Oct 18, 2008

Chapter DOOF



Well, it seems there's more to Mana and Ayuta than we thought, and not just their backstories.

It's a shame the gameplay isn't more refined, I eat this alternate reality stuff for breakfast.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

Bellmaker posted:

It's a shame the gameplay isn't more refined, I eat this alternate reality stuff for breakfast.

On that front, I'm interested in how Escher and Musiea's backstory seems to keep changing. I mean, in their story she started off wanting to kill Escher, now she's pretty much in love with him from the start.

Not going to lie, I wasn't expecting Olgar and Vahti to have stories too, although it's kind of obvious in retrospect.

I'm hoping we get a Garrick/Alto story, where things just go off the rails straightaway. I'm almost positive we won't, just based on the whole two pairs of two stories thing, but I'm a sucker for that type of thing.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

Cake Attack posted:

On that front, I'm interested in how Escher and Musiea's backstory seems to keep changing. I mean, in their story she started off wanting to kill Escher, now she's pretty much in love with him from the start.

Well the way I understand it, these are simply different parallel universes/timelines, so things may play out differently in each of them, even though the same people seem to exist in all for some reason. They are definitely not simply different perspectives on same events.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

ivantod posted:

Well the way I understand it, these are simply different parallel universes/timelines, so things may play out differently in each of them, even though the same people seem to exist in all for some reason. They are definitely not simply different perspectives on same events.

I figured that was the case, although I can't recall if it was ever confirmed.

I suppose what I should have said is that I wonder if there's any reason for these small differences beyond simple alternate universes?

Keldulas
Mar 18, 2009
Given the fact that they seem to be giving more importance to Olgar and Vashti, it kind of feels that they're going to be the ones who win the fight the first match fight this time.

And the shifting Escher and Musiea is kind of interesting. It's definitely the most stark change, albeit there's also some visible changes with Eluca and Zhamo from being/not being them.

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.




Last time we had some interesting conversations with Vahti and Olgar. But now is the time to go into our first dungeon and get the Warrior's ring.



First dungeon this time is the Purgatory. An interesting note, if you look at the character selection screens from the previous update, you will notice that they all have as background the first dungeon that they have access to. I was thinking that perhaps this is supposed to represent their own country, but really Ayuta and Mana don't exactly scream "post-apocalyptic" to me, so I think it's just random.



As always, we start at the beginning.







Thank you.
I just wonder if we'll make the betrothal...
I'll try and find a way out of here.
Thank you again.



Ok, let's get started. After a bit of wandering, we get to a teleporter...



...leading to the first puzzle. Candlesticks again, but this time they are connected diagonally in random ways making trial and error necessary (luckily, you have infinite number of moves allowed in all of them).



The result is the first of two items needed to unlock the boss.



Around the corner is the second important teleporter.



Because it leads to a puzzle. These are getting a bit tiresome.



And now we have second item and can head to the end of the first half of dungeon.



Really.







Of course, as always, unlocking makes the boss appear.



He is still no more of a problem than he used to be...





And we're done before we've even started.



After this I quickly exit and re-enter the dungeon to up the enemy level to the next step!



Second half is more post-apocalyptic, deserted, "New York".



First of three items is in this chest.



And then the next puzzle leads to...



...the second item.



We pass the locked teleporter, on the way to...



...the last puzzle...



...which gives us the third and last item we need to proceed.



Oh hey, it's Vahti and Olgar!







What?
I remember killing you with my own hands!
Olgar, wait. Maybe you shouldn't say any more...
Yes. Yes, you're right. Now that you're here, this deadly boring tournament has gotten interesting.
Are you excited now?
Excited? I can barely contain myself!!
Ayuta! I will be counting the seconds until our next bloodbath!

And with this, the two of them leave...





A long time...
Is something wrong?
N-no, it's nothing...



We can now unlock this and proceed.



In one of the chests, we run into a clothes upgrade for Mana...



Actually, it's quite a substantial upgrade! What I haven't mentioned so far, but is visible on this screen, is that various kinds of clothes not only upgrade your defence, but also your HP and MP! This leads to a somewhat paradoxical situation that Mana (a mage) now has more HP than Ayuta (a warrior).



But, anyway, here we are at the boss area... but he's not around!



However, a crazed Alto appears suddenly!

















Hey, look who's decided to appear!







And the boss dispatches Alto very quickly. I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, this is the third and last time we are seeing Alto suffer a gruesome death! It won't be happening again!



Of course, this leads straight into the boss fight for us, too.



He is quite weak to physical attacks.



And so.





Is something wrong?
If we don't get back home on time... you won't have to get betrothed.
Huh?
I... I-I'm sorry. I should never have said that...
Then why did you? It almost sounded like you don't want me to get betrothed.
No, of course not. Please just forget that I said anything.
I don't like stopping conversations in the middle. I want to hear whatever it is you're thinking.

I must say, I do like her attitude here!

Okay... The truth is, I...
I... I don't want you to get married.
And why is that?
Why...? Well, uh...
N-never mind. It's nothing.



Well. In any case, we got the warriors ring. We'll figure out the rest later.







And with that, we're back in the main room.







So, next time we'll have a chat with everybody and then again venture forth into the dungeon.

Speaking of dungeons, I hope nobody minds that I am not showing the intricate details of dungeon traversal any more--except for the items and plot-related events, the rest of the dungeon (layout, enemies...) is always the same so it's not worth spending time on that over and over again. One other thing that is of course different every time are the puzzles, but as I mentioned, they are really getting tiresome at this point and I am pretty sure that nobody is interested in spending more time on those.


Keldulas
Mar 18, 2009
Yeah, I definitely don't mind. The story is actually really interesting, but the sheer repetition is mind-numbing. It probably doesn't help that the gameplay doesn't look like it actually evolves any, and that it starts relatively easy and only gets easier as you level.

Panic! at Nabisco
Jun 6, 2007

it seemed like a good idea at the time
This is about where I realized that not a lot was changing between the routes and I didn't have the time or interest to mash through hours of the same dungeons with the same easy enemies and only nominally different characters. Looking forward to the story differences, at least!

ivantod
Mar 27, 2010

Mahalo, fuckers.

Keldulas posted:

Yeah, I definitely don't mind. The story is actually really interesting, but the sheer repetition is mind-numbing. It probably doesn't help that the gameplay doesn't look like it actually evolves any, and that it starts relatively easy and only gets easier as you level.

I'm starting to think that they've made the game to be relatively easy exactly in order to offset the repetitiveness. If the game were harder, and you really had to work on getting through the dungeons I'm sure a lot of people would give up after the second time. Also, the repetition doesn't feel quite so bad when you're actually playing it; also in a reversal from a normal JRPG setup, this game allows you to save absolutely anywhere, so you can stop any time you want. Honestly, I almost prefer to see this game not even as a JRPG but more as a visual novel-style game with some easy battles thrown in.

Although it should be said that the second half of the game contains a lot more plot than the first half; this is also one issue I have with the game, the plot is way too slow to get started. Basically, one of Eluca/Zhamo or Escher/Musia stories is not really needed because they are more or less the same and the characters who seem to have more connection to the overall plot (Olgar/Vahti/Ayuta) get killed off early in them.

I'm playing right now through Chaos Rings 2 and so far it seems a lot of these issues were fixed in one way or another. For example you don't level up nowhere near as fast so more strategy is required for boss fights, and the battle system has been expanded quite a bit (to the point where I think they have now pushed it into the other direction too much to be overly complex!). But I'm not too far into that game yet, so we'll see. I'll probably end up doing an LP of it unless it turns out to be complete crap by the time I am done. :v:

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Psion
Dec 13, 2002

eVeN I KnOw wHaT CoRnEr gAs iS
Strike Commanderrrrrrrrrrrrr

dooooooooooooooooooooo strike commanderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr



My scrollwheel definitely appreciates you cutting out a lot of the dungeon navigation repetition, though!

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