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Psion posted:Strike Commanderrrrrrrrrrrrr Haha, actually somebody also asked me about Strike Commander in the WC3 thread. The answer is that I still intend to do it but since it's a longer project it may be a while since there are some shorter games that I want to get to first. So it will happen, but not immediately. I'm glad I could contribute to the health and wellbeing of your mouse wheel! 
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Jan 4, 2013 00:47
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 It's now time for Mana and Ayuta to go into the second dungeon  But first... some new equipment!   I have no idea what this Real:Copy thing is supposed to mean! Actually we'll come across a weapon with an even stranger name later on in the dungeon!    Of course, not buying this one since we already have a better kimono for Mana. The equipment you find in a dungeon is always better that what Piu-Piu is selling, but in order for it to be present in a chest you must fight higher level enemies--the content of chests is "better" the bigger the difference of levels between you and monsters. If you are fighting monsters in the same level range as your characters, then you'll not get any equipment in chests and just consumables. Typically equipment is only found in locked chests, but that's not an issue at this stage since keys are easily purchased from Piu-Piu.   And finally, two garnet rings. Now we can go and introduce ourselves to the other contestants. First up, Zhamo and Eluca, since they are standing right here next to us!      Zhamo will be the next king of our country. Eluca is the head warrior. Don't underestimate her because she's female. She's the best warrior of our country. (Eluca looks like she's much stronger than Zhamo... Which is why I'll need to keep a close eye on him.) (I can't underestimate this one. He's trying to find information on us just like I'm trying to find some on him.) (He doesn't look much like a warrior... But if he's been summoned here, he must be highly skilled.)Ok. Over in the central area are of course Musiea and Escher.    Ah, good old Musiea can always be counted on to be inappropriate in a conversation.  She looks like a princess. Princess Mana is the third daughter of our country's royal family. ...I am a stablehand that works for them. I knew it! You are a real princess! You'd have to be, with those beautiful clothes. May I see them? Yes... That's fine. Man, talk about killing the tension. How do you two know each other? Us? Eh, we haven't been able to get away from each other since we were both kids. Oh, that's a terrible way of putting it. If that's true, why did you spend all that time looking for me? Hey, lay off me, will you? (It looks like they are lovers, of a sort. I hope we don't have to fight them...) (Mana... If only given the chance, I know we could have worked together to escape this place... But there's no way Agent would ever allow that.) (This guy looks tricky. I get the impression that he's hiding his true power. Can't let my guard down around him.)And finally, over next to the door, are Vahti and Olgar. This is probably going to be as pleasant as always...     Tell her what? Stop playing dumb. I refuse to accept that you forgot our last battle. Battle? When? The last Ark Arena, you twit!! The last Ark Arena? Please, we don't know what you're talking about! It doesn't matter how many times you ask... I can't tell you what I don't know. Ayuta... do you mean... you have amnesia? ...That's right. Princess Mana, please forgive me for not telling you sooner. How long have you had it? The last thing I remember is waking up in front of your mansion... ...So everything before then is... Amnesia! Don't give me that load! What are you hiding? Huh? What is it that you want to hide so badly that you'd pretend to have amnesia? I'm not hiding anything! If you insist on keeping your mouth shut, I'm happy to help pry it open. Please stop! It's against the rules to fight amongst ourselves now! Against the rules, eh? Olgar, let's leave it be for now. Just for now... Yes, you're right. Just for now... Princess Mana, please believe me, I truly don't remember anything... It's okay, I believe you. I know you better than those two do. You are not a liar. (The answer must be simple... It has to be. And yet...) (Ayuta is the key. I'm sure of it. But if my hunch is right...)Ookay then. Well, it's time to go forward anyway.     Next up, Ocean of Origins!     I don't know what I was doing there, or why I was on the ground. The mansion's stable manager took pity on me, and gave me a job and a place to live. So that's how you became a stablehand... I'm so sorry... If you'd only told me sooner, I might have been able to help you... Thank you, Princess. That's very kind of you.In any case, after a bit of walking around, we reach...  ...the first puzzle. In this kind of puzzle we need to collect gems to be able to destroy blocks that are preventing us from being able to reach the exit. Actually these are very easy.  And then the second puzzle...  Finally the mid-point boss.  Using a well placed spell counter, I quite literally one-shot him!   Before proceeding to the second half, let's quickly exit the dungeon to up the enemy levels and all that. But we get another one of those scenes...        Let's get out of here...   Or this might happen...?   Say "WHAT" again!  Do you remember anything? How do you know about my memory? It appears that you do not. Then there is no problem. And he disappears again.  Well, if you don't know...  Getting back to the second half of the dungeon...  Here is another puzzle...  ...giving us the first of two required items.  And then in a chest here...  ...we find a very nice weapon upgrade for Mana. But what is up with that name "Single-Letter Bow". What does that even mean? Luckily the game application is multilingual, so let's take a moment and have a look what this weapon is called in other languages.  In French it's basically called "bow that doesn't miss". That doesn't relate to the English name at all. Let's try Spanish.  Well. That says "accurate bow", which is more or less along the same lines as French. Looks like we're going to have to check the original Japanese version to find out what happened with this translation:  Hm. So the Japanese name for this weapon is "一文字の弓". We can forget about the 弓 character because it obviously means "bow"--it is one of the very few characters that actually look like the thing they stand for. As for the meaning of 一文字, technically speaking, 一 means "one" and 文字 is "letter" so this COULD be understood to mean "one letter". However, the typical meaning of this phrase today is actually, believe it or not, "straight line". This is because the character "一" is a straight line, so it's meant to signify "like the 一 character", i.e. straight. Sooo, it seems that the French and Spanish translators more or less got this, but the English translator missed by a wide margin here (pun very much intended!). There is in fact an added small complication here. In Final Fantasy games, or elsewhere, you may have come across a weapon (sword), named "Kiku-ichimonji". Well, guess what, "ichimonji" is certainly one way to pronounce "一文字" and is in fact a reference to high quality swords built by the Fukuoka school in 13th century Japan. They inscribed their swords with just one character ("一"), hence the name. So it could be that the Japanese name of this bow was intended as a word play with this double meaning, indicating that it is a high quality weapon by equivalence to these swords. In any case, I feel that the reference is way too obscure/untranslatable so that even if that WAS what the English translator had intended, it still misses the mark, and it should have simply been translated along the lines "straight-shooting bow" or something like that. But I think it's really just a translation mistake due to over-confidence. Aaanyway. Soon after this, we come to something much more interesting...  ...and that is the last puzzle.  It gives us the second item.  So we can now go and unlock the door to the boss.   Nothing of great interest happens during this battle.   And we're soon done. Pay no attention to the fact that this is the first time that the "corpse" of a defeated boss has stayed visible on the ground after the battle. I'm sure that's not important at all.           Let's go back.                   Hm. That conversation was a little bit weird.
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Jan 6, 2013 18:22
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Hmm... I don't think it's necessarily memory shenanigans afoot given the conversation at the end there. I have a feeling this Mana and this Ayuto aren't from the same dimension, but why? 
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Jan 6, 2013 18:56
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Bellmaker posted:Hmm... I don't think it's necessarily memory shenanigans afoot given the conversation at the end there. I have a feeling this Mana and this Ayuto aren't from the same dimension, but why? Except the fact that Mana seemed to have forgotten the horse incident in the same world. Ayuta might have memory issues but my suspicion is that Mana has body doubles in her world (or might even be a body double of the princess currently.) It was a pretty common thing for royalty to attempt.
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Jan 6, 2013 19:41
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I'm glad Escher and Musiea got a lifetime where everything turned out well for them. Well, until they got pulled into the Ark Arena, anyway. The fact everything was going well up until then actually kind of makes their inevitable deaths even worse. The translation talk on the bow was interesting -- thanks for that! Mokinokaro's point on body doubles seems spot-on to me, especially since it allows for a shared "not what they seem" theme for both of them. Ayuta isn't really a stablehand, Mana isn't really a princess.
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Jan 6, 2013 21:26
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Man, this game was so good. It took me a solid 20 hours to complete everything, and I wasn't ever really straight up bored during any of it. It was just enough of a game to keep my mind occupied, but not to the point where I actually had to put some serious effort into it, which to me is absolutely perfect for a mobile game. It doesn't seem like Chaos Rings 2 is on Android, which is a shame, but I tried the prequel instead. Unfortunately, they made it way too much of a game for my tastes. I liked getting really powerful levels really quickly drat it, so why am I getting destroyed by bosses fifteen levels lower than me because I refuse to use tactics more advanced than "Pair, Attack"? Game's broken, man. 
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Jan 6, 2013 21:49
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klapman posted:Man, this game was so good. It took me a solid 20 hours to complete everything, and I wasn't ever really straight up bored during any of it. It was just enough of a game to keep my mind occupied, but not to the point where I actually had to put some serious effort into it, which to me is absolutely perfect for a mobile game. It doesn't seem like Chaos Rings 2 is on Android, which is a shame, but I tried the prequel instead. Unfortunately, they made it way too much of a game for my tastes. I liked getting really powerful levels really quickly drat it, so why am I getting destroyed by bosses fifteen levels lower than me because I refuse to use tactics more advanced than "Pair, Attack"? Game's broken, man. Well, on one hand, it has to be said that the damage formula in this game is quite unbalanced--it's so bad that by the point you reach level 60, enemies that are 20 levels higher can no longer damage you (as I've shown a few times, they simply hit you for 0 HP!). Also, enemies do give way too much XP, so instead of employing a detailed strategy, it's easier simply to spend 15-20min to gain a few levels. So it could be argued that this needed a bit of fixing. Unfortunately, with Chaos Rings Ω and Chaos Rings II (the sequel), I think they went just a bit too far in the opposite direction so now the game is a bit too hard! They certainly fixed power-leveling--I have been playing Chaos Rings II for a few hours already and the characters have barely managed to stumble up to about level 10 by this point! Also several things have been added to the battle system that make it more complex than before which just adds to the increased difficulty (e.g. there are now 'armored' enemies which you can only damage with pair attacks!). It's not been TOO BIG of a deal so far, but it would be nice to be allowed to have just a tiny bit of power instead of constantly scraping by in encounters, you know? Chaos Rings II is available on Android in Japan, so it will probably be coming over here at some point--my guess is they didn't want to release all three games together at the same time because they feel people may be more inclined to buy the sequel after they have already played the first two a little bit. BTW don't bother with JP version of Chaos Rings II unless you can read Japanese as it doesn't have English.
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Jan 6, 2013 23:41
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Mokinokaro posted:Except the fact that Mana seemed to have forgotten the horse incident in the same world. Ayuta might have memory issues but my suspicion is that Mana has body doubles in her world (or might even be a body double of the princess currently.) It was a pretty common thing for royalty to attempt. That kind of fits, insofar as Ayuta's having a fake princess fits.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:58
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Wait, I've got it! The princess is actually the princess's body double and not the real princess because  either that or I've been reading too much of the DR2 thread and have my mind still muddled.
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Jan 8, 2013 14:54
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ivantod posted:Well, on one hand, it has to be said that the damage formula in this game is quite unbalanced--it's so bad that by the point you reach level 60, enemies that are 20 levels higher can no longer damage you (as I've shown a few times, they simply hit you for 0 HP!). Also, enemies do give way too much XP, so instead of employing a detailed strategy, it's easier simply to spend 15-20min to gain a few levels. So it could be argued that this needed a bit of fixing. Unfortunately, with Chaos Rings Ω and Chaos Rings II (the sequel), I think they went just a bit too far in the opposite direction so now the game is a bit too hard! They certainly fixed power-leveling--I have been playing Chaos Rings II for a few hours already and the characters have barely managed to stumble up to about level 10 by this point! Also several things have been added to the battle system that make it more complex than before which just adds to the increased difficulty (e.g. there are now 'armored' enemies which you can only damage with pair attacks!). It's not been TOO BIG of a deal so far, but it would be nice to be allowed to have just a tiny bit of power instead of constantly scraping by in encounters, you know? I don't remember there being any armored enemies in Chaos Rings Ω aside from the bosses, but it still felt like it went too far in making it difficult. I mean, it might be a pretty good mobile game, but Chaos Rings is still a game that i'm generally going to be playing when I just want to keep myself occupied for a bit. Chaos Rings 1 was perfect, because it had a good story and you could make a ton of progress in very little time without putting in too much effort. In Ω though, I found myself getting really frustrated, because levels effectively meant nothing. Enemies would hit for 700 damage at a time, while you would get 50 HP per level if you didn't have boosted genes, in which case I started getting 90 per level. So basically, to be able to absorb one more attack without issue from a boss that attacks twice per turn, I would have to grind up 8 levels, which is a process that's now difficult in and of itself. It also placed a much higher emphasis on elemental affinities, which made fighting bosses even harder because they would routinely get to move faster than you even if you're over ten levels above them, and then the spell that would've done tons of damage now does basically nothing because they used a different spell. They might have improved that for the sequel a bit, but drat Omega really started to get on my nerves near the end. It took like seven hours to beat too, so I ended up getting a less satisfying and shorter experience from a harder game. I just wanted more mindless grinding that made me an awesome badass guy 
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Jan 8, 2013 15:13
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Anyone else having trouble with images from the Ayuta/Mana updated not loading?
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Jan 8, 2013 17:20
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sudonim posted:Anyone else having trouble with images from the Ayuta/Mana updated not loading? Haven't had any problems, just loaded this and the last page (so last update) and it's been fine for me.
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Jan 8, 2013 18:12
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sudonim posted:Anyone else having trouble with images from the Ayuta/Mana updated not loading? Everything seems to be working fine from where I'm sitting. If you have a specific image that is missing tell me which one (URL) and I can check it.
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Jan 8, 2013 18:35
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ivantod posted:Everything seems to be working fine from where I'm sitting. If you have a specific image that is missing tell me which one (URL) and I can check it. The two Ayuto/Mana updates from page four are missing several images, but I am viewing the LP from a pretty goofy network right now. I'll be using a better network later and can give it a another try. Since no one else is having problems, don't worry about it unless I chime in again. Thanks for showing off this game. The art, graphics, and story are all great, it's a shame the gameplay is so repetitive. Thankfully you're here to handle that for us! 
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Jan 8, 2013 21:36
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klapman posted:Chaos Rings 1 was perfect, because it had a good story and you could make a ton of progress in very little time without putting in too much effort. And that isn't even counting the boss that pulls out a lovely goddamned time wasting gimmick when it's near death.
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Jan 9, 2013 05:15
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 It's almost time for the first eliminatory fight, but before that, let's do some shopping!    New weapons for Ayuta!  No need to buy the weapon for Mana, since we have our nice Single-letter bow still!  New clothes for Ayuta...  ...and, uh, a fake princess coat for Mana which we don't need to buy.   Finally two nice topaz rings. Now, we can go all the way to the other room and have a talk with Zhamo and Eluca.        We searched high and low, but couldn't find anything. The first decrepit old city had some very strange construction, but at the end it was blocked off with walls with pictures on them. Apparently, everything that looks like an outside is all fake. It must be a closed-off room of an enormous scale. Anyone that can create something like that would never accidentally leave a way to escape. It seems that the only way out of here is... to fight.Next to Piu-Piu are our good friends, Vahti and Olgar!     Olgar, couldn't you defeat the Agent on your own? You certainly seem to be strong enough. If you can, then we might be able to escape! Even if I could defeat the Agent, we still wouldn't be able to escape. You'll never know unless you try! I did try. ...!? But enough of that. Now is the time to enjoy the thrill of the battle. That is what it all comes down to. I look forward to seeing how strong this latest generation is.Finally, Musiea and Escher right in the middle.      But if I don't... we'll be killed, just like Garrick. I'm sure you don't want to die when you have a fiancé to get home to, right? Of course not, it's just... Well, what would happen if we all refused to fight? That might work? You mean... try to get the match declared as draw?No, I don't think that'll work. In any case we are interrupted in this conversation.     You know how to fight monsters, right? Well, humans are just another kind of animal. So you should have no problem killing them too! It seems you have all found your rings. Then I will announce the first round of fights. Zhamo and Eluca versus Olgar and Vahti. Which means... Ayuta and Mana versus Escher and Musiea. No... I can't... ...drat. Ayuta. Don't you dare lose now. I've been looking forward to our battle. We'll see if you can say this with a straight face after we're through with you. You'll regret ever having come against us. ...Me? Regret? That's hilarious. I can't wait to see you try. Now, proceed to the arena. Not just yet. We need to hear some last thoughts from others before we do that.   His physical strength may even surpass that of the Agent's. Yes. Olgar's definitely strong. But we do have a chance. He underestimates us, and will surely let down his guard. We will not pass up that opportunity. So don't worry about us. We will not lose today. We have a strategy. Strength alone does not determine the winner of a life-or-death duel. Of course, you may be our next opponent after we defeat him.Well, Eluca there seems rather confident.    If that's how he sees us, we'll make him see otherwise! Ha ha... it's been a long time since I've fought my hardest and wanted more! When I first saw Olgar, I thought he closely resembled the legendary hero of our country that I found myself in awe. But now I am embarrassed I ever thought such things.You know what, it really bugs me that none of their countries are ever referred to by name! Because that's not really how people usually talk. In any case, we should see also what Vahti and Olgar are thinking about this.     Olgar can handle two fighters like them just fine without me. How can you ridicule them like that... Ridicule? Me? You're the one doing that. You know how I feel when I fight. Don't you dare say otherwise. Ayuta, do you truly feel nothing in this situation? Or do you secretly enjoy it? Come on Ayuta, snap out of it. Escher is strong. If you can't beat him, I have no use for you. You are not in any position to tell me what to do. Ha ha, it seems I am truly hated here. The only thing worth anything in this place is strength. Everything else is meaningless. Can't you see the arrogance in that way of thinking? As you keep going, you too will understand... whether you want to or not. And if you can't, that will be the end of you. But I know you will win. You may claim to have lost your memories... But have you stopped to think about how a mere stablehand can fight as well as you? Perhaps your body remembers what your mind does not. I... Either way, I will see for myself during our upcoming battle. Eluca and Zhamo. They're good... but not good enough. In another world, perhaps they could win.Still as mysterious as ever. So on to the fight it is then.      Really? But what about your heart condition? ...You can tell? More or less. ... Don't tell Musiea. She doesn't know yet. When my time runs out, I'll just entrust my hopes to the next generation. And if I'm killed before that happens, I can accept that as my fate. That's how I always lived my life. Now that I've been reunited with Musiea I don't have any regrets. ...Except, I can't let her die in a place like this. If it means keeping her safe, I won't hesitate to kill. That's how it is for you, isn't it? You'd cut us down in an instant to protect her... I can tell just by looking at you. I'm sorry, but I will not hold back. ... ...Ayuta. I... I can't do this... Mana, we... Musiea... If only this were all a dream... Before we were brought here, I was raising children that had lost their parents in a war. We may not be related by blood, but I'm still their mother, their sister, and sometimes their best friend... They're my greatest treasures... If I don't make it back, there'll be no one left to look after them... So... If anything should happen to me... Stop. Please... don't say things like that. I'm so sorry... Princess Mana, please listen to her. This is Musiea's resolve. We should do everything we can to honor it. I'm so scared... My hands... they won't stop shaking...       I'm afraid so... This is ridiculous! We shouldn't have to do this! Princess Mana... we have to. We shouldn't... I can't... I can't fight them... (I can't force Princess Mana to fight against her will. I'll just have to keep her safe on my own.) The fight begins!   We start more or less the same as before, and focus on Musiea first. Neither of the opponents has any regen abilities, so it doesn't really matter who you focus on. Often, they will anyway do pair attacks, so will both get hit. After a while of trading blows...     Ayuta... Besides, what about your betrothal? I thought you wanted to go back home! Yes, but... we can't... We can't beat Escher and Musiea ourselves... I really am sorry about this, but I'm going to end this now. Escher... please don't make them suffer... I won't.         As you can see from the little icons, all Ayuta's stats have increased at this point.  After a bit more fighting, Musiea is done...  ...and Escher too.               No big speeches this time, just a plain goodbye.  Nothing new here, we got these same skills last time when we fought them with Zhamo and Eluca.  Well then, what say you about checking on how the other fight is going?  Not too well for Zhamo and Eluca, it would seem...  ...you were giving me before?      And here's Vahti coming in, presumably to report on the outcome of Ayuta's fight.   So who won the other battle? Ayuta did. I watched him fight... and he's just as strong as before. Is that so? Wonderful! Then it's just like I thought. He's the only one left who can still provide me with some fun! (Olgar... I can't be as strong as you...) (After all, they're...)In any case, it's time to report back to the agent.         
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Jan 10, 2013 22:20
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Way to give it away there, Vahti. I've got a pretty good guess at what's going to happen next. Game: not subtle!
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Jan 10, 2013 23:12
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They're... her children? And Olgar's too. Given that we have to know how the Ark works to play this story, that's not really surprising.
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Jan 11, 2013 04:16
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Glazius posted:They're... her children? And Olgar's too. Given that we have to know how the Ark works to play this story, that's not really surprising. Aren't they technically all their children given what we know of the Ark? What makes Ayuta such a special snowflake to Olgar?
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Jan 11, 2013 04:28
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If I had to guess, Ayuta might be more direct. Like directly a son rather than a descendant. The alternate universes of this game is interesting, especially considering the pair functionally. Even the pairs are paired in significance with another pair. I wonder what the symbolism behind that is, really. I wouldn't be surprised if in Olgar's story, Ayuta/Mana are the other two that win their first round. I do find the curveball they've thrown interesting. I didn't think the Ark arena would have different people period fighting each other in the first round.
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Jan 11, 2013 06:46
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Even though I've already played through this game, it still surprises me just how much of a DICK Olgar is in this timeline. He usually has this "strong but collected warrior" vibe but here he borders on bloodthirsty lunatic.
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Jan 11, 2013 16:24
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 The first eliminatory fight is finished, so it's now time for two more dungeons.  We could have a chat with Vahti and Olgar. It's probably not going to be very pleasant, but...     I remember how you used to delight in killing your fallen opponents. So how about it? Did killing Escher and his girl help to bring back some of those old feelings? Stop it! Don't you dare mock them like that! Escher and Musiea have entrusted their hopes to us. And I will never forget that. You really have changed...  Olgar... do you know something? What did I do at the last Ark Arena? What is my connection to this place? If you know something, tell me! Anything at all!! How dull. What? I can't believe a coward like you is the same man. The Ayuta I knew was more demon than man. He rained down blows like a storm and gave off an aura so strong lesser men would faint before it. When I finally managed to beat you... the sheer excitement caused me to realise my true nature. ...You're really talking about me? I will give you some time. Hurry and return to the way you were. If you cannot do that... you will once again lose everything. Either way, as long as your memory is lost it will do me no good to keep prodding you.Alrighty, let's move on to the next dungeon then.    In the first chest, we already find a new and better ring.  Since Mana is a bit lacking in speed department, I give it to her.  But soon enough, we need to face a puzzle. In this dungeon, we are back to sokoban-style.  And then the second one. All puzzles in this dungeon consist of tightly packed boxes so they are kind of a pain. At least the number of moves is unlimited.  Shortly after that, we discover a new weapon for Ayuta.  Incidentally, Niten Dōraku (二天道楽) is one of the names that Miyamoto Musashi used to go by.  And then we are at the boss, again.   Nothing unexpected happens in this battle. But, Mana has something to say afterwards.     No matter what you say. Why do you care about my wellbeing so much? ...Well, that's... because... ...I'm in love with you. ...! Why... do you love me? Is it because I am a princess? No. No, that's not it. I know how you practice you bow and arrow for hours, even after your official practice. What? Everyone said you didn't have any talent, but you never gave up. You kept practicing until you were satisfied. That's what I fell in love with. So... you've been watching over me all this time... Princess Mana, do you remember how I said I have no memory of anything before I became a stablehand? Yes. Sometimes, I become so scared that I'm not who I think I am. That, maybe the me I am now isn't the real me at all. Whenever I think that, it feels like I could slip away at any time... Yes... I know what you mean... But I do know this. No matter what, I will always love you. That is my reassurance that I can be me. So please, let me protect you. Not just for your sake, but my own as well. Very well...Uh, that didn't go over too good. Let's take a quick trip out of the dungeon before we move forward.                            We can leave the room, but this time there is no Agent to interrupt us, so back to the dungeon it is.  This is the dungeon where paths are blocked by ice.  As always we break the ice by pushing the boulders on it.  Some more sokoban...  ...and finally the last one leads us to...  ...the second boulder, so the path is now clear.  On the final few steps before the boss, we find a weapon for Mana.  Sakura hunt (桜狩り - sakura gari) is basically exactly what it says... it's what people do in spring in Japan, go on a search for blooming cherry trees. Don't think it has much to do with bows, though.  Well, there's the boss.  And now he's gone.            
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Jan 13, 2013 18:12
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Sounds like Ayuta is happy to be ignorant, but it seems like he's got some learning to do.
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Jan 13, 2013 23:32
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 Just one more dungeon left for the Ayuta/Mana team... This episode contains a lot more Piu-Piu than we've been seeing of him lately (he didn't have much new to say really), but trust me, it's worth it.  So yeah, let's go shopping.  Not really the question I'd ask, but...      What's happening.     Uh, shopping it is then.  Gamma knife is actually a kind of a surgical procedure used to treat brain tumours (note, no actual knife is involved in it). Of course, not going to buy it. Also if you're waiting for this episode to get less weird, I'll tell you now: not going to happen.  And here is an even better named weapon for Mana. Since it's weaker, not buying it either.  Clothes for Ayuta. As you can see we have reached that stage in the game where characters receive paired up named items which are only distinguished by the fact that they have their first initial or name appended. Thus, clothes marked with (A) are for Ayuta...  ...and of course, those marked with (S) are for Mana. Wait, what? Well, never mind, let's see how Olgar and Vahti are doing. Hostile, I'd bet.     What!? How dare you humiliate him! Hey, I'm not humiliating anybody. I'm just telling it like it is. ...! Then why don't we see who's truly weak right here, right now! Please stop it! There's no way Piu-Piu can fight you! I'm afraid you're wrong there. This thing is hiding far more power than you can realise. Even more than the Agent. Are you serious? How could a marshmallow like him have that kind of power? ... Look at that oversized head! That non-existent waist! Those tiny legs! Why, he can't be any more powerful than a baby Lesser Panda. ... ... I'm sure that even his filthy mouth is just a way to compensate for his total lack of ability...! Please, just let it go! I'm sorry, I apologise. Please don't defend me any more... Mana, you are very kind. I can't fight him. He's already been soundly defeated.Like I said, it's not gonna get less weird.  But we do have a dungeon and (oh joy!) four puzzles awaiting us.   Almost immediately after stepping in, we find another set of clothes for Mana...  ...but they again have the wrong initial. Oh well, it's an improvement regardless.  In this dungeon, puzzles are quite simple ones where we need to put blocks on switches by swapping our position with them.  This is the second one. They are all super-easy.  After a bit more wandering, here is the first boss.  Bye bye!  Exiting the dungeon does not cause any major events to happen, so we can simply step into the second half.  Here we find a nice accessory.  Again, I give it to Mana.  In this part of dungeon, we need to solve the puzzles to extinguish the fire blocking the path.  Like this.  Final puzzle...  ...and the road is open!  But what's this? Vahti and Olgar are already fighting the boss!     Rings glowing... is that the proof? Ayuta! I see you still haven't gotten your proof! Why do you continue to bore me? ...I couldn't care less about your boredom. Couldn't care less? Couldn't care less!? THEN I'LL MAKE YOU CARE! Vahti, I'm not waiting any longer! Memory loss or not, I'm doing this now!! I see you've made up your mind. Fine then, I won't stop you. Ayuta! Draw your sword! Let's have some fun! Free me from this dreary world! Aaaand... it's a fight with Olgar! Not really. It automatically ends after only one turn.     I can't lose. No matter what happens, I can't lose! That's the spirit! Careful with that axe, Olgar! I think it's safer to point it up at the sky.     The executioner has come for Olgar... probably?  He is dispatched away!         What do you mean, "the last time"? Why, the last Ark Arena, of course. The last...? If you can't remember, I'll tell you. Vahti and I won the last Ark Arena. That's the memory Ayuta lost? After we defeated you, we went on to win the Arena itself. Wait... that would mean... Olgar and Vahti... are last tournament's champions... Now, come on, Ayuta! I know you've still got some fight in you!                     And Olgar and Vahti leave. Well then. That was fun.  Incidentally, since they already defeated the boss, we don't need to fight it. Seriously, there is no boss fight, we can really just leave the dungeon now. * * * On another note, in a very cool touch, the game now changes all references in UI from Mana to Shea, so here is what the status screen looks like:  But there is a surprise waiting if we switch the game over to Japanese language:  So her name in Japanese version is not Shea, but Yae (ヤエ). This is in a way particularly annoying because the game contains voiced dialogue in Japanese only, so you will constantly be hearing one name and seeing another in the subtitles. More interesting question is, does this name mean anything. Well, I'm glad you asked. Up there on the screen the name is actually spelled out phonetically, so I can't be completely sure this was intended, but the most common word with this pronunciation is 八重, which means... "doubled"! More generally, it means "multi-layered", but it is very often used in the more narrow meaning of "double-layered" or "doubled". So there it is. This wordplay is kind of wasted, because you don't get to see this name until after you already know about the switch, but what can you do. In case you are wondering, the weapons marked with (S) in English version are marked with a simple (Y) in the Japanese version, so you really don't learn the full name until after it doesn't matter any more. ivantod fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 15, 2013 22:03
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There's telegraphing and then there's hanging a neon sign on the game saying LOOK! BODY DOUBLE! SECRET NAME CHANGE! WILL BE REVEALED AT DRAMATIC MOMENT! and yet I'm still interested to see where they go next, so, go Chaos Rings?
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Jan 15, 2013 22:23
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...I never realized those red triangles on Piu-Piu's head were a bikini. ...goddamn it, game.
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Jan 16, 2013 00:51
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Huh, Ayuta's eyes turned yellow during the brief (oh dammit) period where he contemplated doing Piu-Piu's perverse request.
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Jan 16, 2013 04:49
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ivantod posted:So her name in Japanese version is not Mana, but Yae (ヤエ). This is in a way particularly annoying because the game contains voiced dialogue in Japanese only, so you will constantly be hearing one name and seeing another in the subtitles. You mean 'not Shea', right? But yeah, that seems like an odd thing to do.
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Jan 16, 2013 21:27
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Polsy posted:You mean 'not Shea', right? But yeah, that seems like an odd thing to do. Yes I meant "not Shea", thanks for catching that, fixed it now. Mana is Mana in JP version too, but Shea is Yae. It's super irritating because of voiced dialogue!  I have no idea why they changed this for English version--I think that simply somebody thought that even in the game full of unusual names, "Yae" is maybe a bit too much, or maybe not feminine enough sounding, who knows.
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Jan 16, 2013 21:50
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Well, poo poo. Olgar's a lot more of a threat this time around, isn't he? I wonder why.
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Jan 21, 2013 17:23
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 Lots of stuff happened last time, but mostly it turned out that Princess Mana is actually Shea, Mana's body double. Other than that, Olgar and Vahti defeated a boss for us, but of course, now we will need to defeat them...  Well, they are not here. Let's go shopping... I guess.    All lonsdaleite all the time!  And an opal. Shea already has better stuff, so skipping her equipment. Olgar and Vahti are not here with Piu-Piu... let's go look at the other side.  Hm, no, not here either. Looks like they must have already gone on to the arena. Well, guess we'll have to follow.       All right, Shea. And I'm not going to run away. We've come this far together. If we die, we die together too. Besides... I know you won't lose. As long as you don't lose sight of who you are, Olgar will be no match for you. But, I... I'm not talking about physical strength. I'm talking about the power of your heart. The power of faith, which is greater than anyone or anything. I can tell. Ayuta... believe in yourself. You can do this. And if you can't believe in yourself, believe in me. Thank you for everything. I'm sure... I'm sure that we'll be fine. Shea...       Vahti is feeling quite violent today. ...I'll manage. Oh, we're not going to break your limbs. What fun would that be? No, we're going to break hers. What! No!! Think you can still play dumb while your princess is splayed out like a broken toy? Weren't you listening earlier? I am just Princess Mana's body double! Ayuta doesn't care what happens to me! That sounds like fun! I think I'll help you break her! I've no interest in fighting a man who knows he's beaten. Ayuta...      What! Ayuta... You didn't know how I feel? The time I've spent with you... has been the best time of my life. You mean... It wasn't Princess Mana you saw practising her archery, or who you rescued after she fell from her horse... ...It was me. ...! I was so happy when you said you loved me... For someone like me, who has lived their whole life in someone else's shadow... So... it wasn't Princess Mana that I fell in love with...? Why didn't you tell me sooner? ...I was scared! I had been Princess Mana's double for as long as I can remember. Whenever I was asked a question, I'd think how she would answer it... When faced with a new situation, I'd deal with it as I imagined she would. I did everything I could to become her... But, if I were to give that up... if I were to go back to being myself... I... I'm not even sure that... ...that I know what my real self is anymore... I know... just how you feel...       Looks like we are going to get an intervention from above! Shea will be as good as new just in a second.               Well then. After this nice bit of trolling from Vahti and Olgar, we finally go into the fight.  This is one of the few battles in the game that can be just a bit of a problem. Mind you, it's still not too bad, just need to be a little careful. And by this I mean that you cannot simply spam Pair Attack to win. The reason is that O&V can deal enough damage to swing the morale gauge back to their side pretty quickly and at that point you are pretty much dead when Olgar uses his skill which deals damage by trading his HP for yours. If he does this after you've used pair attack, he can easily kill both Ayuta and Shea in one go! Also, Olgar has the famous HP regen skill that he obtained from Eluca, so it's kind of pointless to attack him until after Vahti is dead. She also has a trick up her sleeve, but we'll see it in a moment.  I start by firing off a Stressor. You will recall that this item does a % of HP damage to an enemy. The fact that it hits both of them tells me that they will use pair attack. But anyway, this battle will mostly see Ayuta attacking and Shea on support duties. But if there is nothing else to do, she will also attack.  Before I forget, Vahti has some spells that hit both of our characters even when not doing a pair attack. As you can see, this hurts.  We don't get any benefit really when they do a pair attack, because any damage Olgar takes, he will anyway regenerate over the next couple of turns. But it doesn't matter, we'll deal with him after.  Of course, after O&V do a pair attack, then Vahti too can take benefit of HP regen. This is annoying.  I keep spamming Trompe l'œil, to keep the morale gauge from going to far into enemy territory, but Vahti has another annoying spell--she can block our use of magic. Oh well, ordinary attacks it is. It only lasts for 5 turns.  And if you though we're done with Vahti's annoying spells, here is another! She can heal both of them for a non-insignificant amount! Of course we have this spell too, but it costs stupid amount of MP (like 200) so it's not worth using it.  But all that is for naught, since we do defeat Vahti eventually.  Now it's just a matter of pounding on Olgar...  ...until he falls down too.        And also there's still a whole lot of game to go through so we can't reveal everything yet. Ayuta. Whatever you do, don't let down your guard. This battle is not yet over. What? Shea... was it? Yes. I want you to do your best to protect Ayuta as well. But... I'm not... Don't worry. You too have the power to protect the one you love. I can tell. You can...? How? I'm not sure... I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't really want to fight you. Truth be told, I didn't want to fight anyone here... After all, you're our-- Vahti... That's enough... They'll know the truth for themselves soon. You're right. The truth...? What do you mean? It's okay. I'm sure you two will get there.         Again, nothing new here.          But, will it turn out, as the saying goes, that you can't go home again?
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Jan 21, 2013 22:40
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Did she... commit suicide so she couldn't be used against Ayuta? drat, son. At least he got golden eyes out of the whole deal. ...for like ten seconds.
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Jan 24, 2013 19:16
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Olgar and Vahti are a lot more active this time around. It's just setting up all sorts of expectations for their specific story segment. I wonder if it breaks the mold entirely.
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Jan 24, 2013 21:18
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The plot of this game has me hooked on this LP. I'm always surprised that this thread is always hovering on the third/fourth page.
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Jan 25, 2013 05:41
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 So Vahti and Olgar have been defeated and now it's time to (not) go through the Original door.  There is not any new items for sale at the shop, so...    That is why the warriors have been summoned together with the member of the opposite sex that they cared most deeply for. Now it's time for you to demonstrate that power for the last time. But first, we need to take care of you.Uh what.  Ayuta gets himself bound into some sort of force-field.   Do not bother to struggle. No human can break it. drat it! drat it! Now that you have won, this Ark Arena is finished. What?! What do you mean!? I do not need to explain anything to you. Once this woman is taken care of, everything will be reset. That is all.               What is wrong? Did you remember something else? I... won't let go... Never let go... Ayuta? You are finished here, Shea.     Freedom! Shea is the love of my life! No one else! Ayuta. And you are going to pay for what you did to her!   And finally, we are in the fight against the Agent.  Perhaps unexpectedly, this fight isn't different from before, so...   The First Couple? The world will soon be annihilated by a being called the Qualia. The First Couple must create a human race over 10,000 years that can defeat it. But... perhaps you two can... The Qualia? What are you talking about? I don't understand. ...You do not need to know everything now.    We've seen this one already before... ...its scents into your genes... The land it's your destiny to reach... the Promised Land. The Promised Land...? 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... Whoosh, we're back.    Yes... I think so. But those last words it spoke... And those images... Maybe... the real battle is yet to come? I don't know... But it appears that the door to the outside has been opened. Does that mean... we can go home? For now, let's just go outside. I think that's all we need to worry for now. Shea... Yes? It's okay. Okay! Now is the time to go shopping!   Of course, the really hard part is still to... Nah. I'll hold off on that for now. All right, go on through the Original Door. The "first truth" you've been waiting to find out is on the other side. No... Ayuta, for you, even that "truth" is something you already decided yourself... But remember, Ayuta, Shea; the hard part is still to come. It isn't over yet. "The spirits never give you a trial you can't overcome." That's one of my favourite sayings. ...See you again, my friends.As for shopping:   Two positron weapons.   Two optical suits.   And two new accessories.  And now, through the door.          That is where you've been all this time... The Ark. I am speaking to you from it right now. You now have 10,000 years and eternal life and youth to create humans capable of defeating the Qualia. I am entrusting humanity's future to your superior DNA. I can't believe this... 10,000 years to create humans capable of defeating the Qualia... Is that what the Agent meant earlier? Because otherwise, the Qualia will destroy the world...?                         What is it? What do you mean, you think you've been here before? Huh... D-did I say something? You said you've been here before... Oh that, right... ... It feels like I've dreamed about this place many times before. I see. It doesn't matter now. Now we need to deal with what we're going to do for the next 10,000 years. That's true. We have to live here all by ourselves.          Roll credits...  ...this is getting silly...  ...but ok, just a couple(?) more times... 
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Jan 25, 2013 22:45
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So does this game like to play with genetic memories or is this Ayuta actually the original, who's forgotten more than most people will ever learn?
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Jan 27, 2013 04:52
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Hey guys, sorry about a bit of a delay in posting the next update. It's almost ready and will likely post it tomorrow; however it is pretty huge (it's one of those chapter-ending updates) so it would be nice if we could move on to the new page for it especially since we are almost there anyway. There will be plenty of plot to be learned in this one and also golden-eyed Ayuta finally makes a prolonged appearance.
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Feb 1, 2013 01:57
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Glazius posted:So does this game like to play with genetic memories or is this Ayuta actually the original, who's forgotten more than most people will ever learn? My theory is clones. It's Ayutas all the way down...
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Feb 1, 2013 02:10
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The idea that Ayuta fell in love with one of his great-great-great etc descendants is kind of weird. Although I guess the last First Couple was Olgar and Vahti, so there's been at least two 10000 year periods to separate them. He's as unrelated to Shea as anyone else in the world! Possibly even moreso. I don't think we have any real proof that this Ayuta isn't the first one. It's likely that he really is the person he remembers being.
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Feb 1, 2013 02:37
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 03:33 |
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Mokinokaro posted:My theory is clones. It's Ayutas all the way down... This could apply to every character so far. It's ____ all the way down, indeed.
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Feb 1, 2013 02:48
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