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Harder to keep dead than Lester! Welcome back to Let's Play Sword of Mana! Back in 1991, Squaresoft was feeling adventurous, and released a new, full-fledged RPG on the GameBoy. Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, better known here as Final Fantasy Adventure. This game was the birth of what would come to be known as the Mana series, giving us it's trademark action-RPG style and introducing some of the standard elements, including the Tree of Mana, and the Sword of Mana (although it was called Twelve years later, four years after the release of Legend of Mana, Square-Enix decided it was time to revisit the original game, and (after contracting the work through Brownie Brown) gave us Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu, or as it was named for release outside Japan, Sword of Mana. It's a complete remake of the original game, keeping most of the elements of the original game intact while bringing the title more in line with the other Mana games, including the visual style, elemental magic, recurring characters, and... more. It gained a lukewarm reception, but objectively, sold fairly well (which I almost wish it hadn't - then we might not have gotten Dawn of Mana and Children of Mana, which are terrible games.) On the whole, Sword of Mana is a pretty enjoyable game, and worth it for fans of the Mana games... or you can watch us suffer through its drawbacks, instead! This will be a screenshot style LP, with videos (with subtitle commentary) for boss battles. To add to the fun, this game allows you to pick which one of two protagonists you wish to play... but I say to hell with that. Shei-kun is coming along for the ride, providing a simultaneous playthrough! I'll be playing through the Hero's story, while Shei-kun gets the honor of playing the Heroine. This will allow us to present you all with the entirety of the story without having to suffer through my blunderings twice. Besides, Shei-kun's funnier than I am. Wait, what do you mean "welcome back"? This LP was actually started a while ago, but during the latter half of 2012, due to the dreaded monster of Real Life Problems, the LP fell by the wayside and eventually into the archives. It was never our intention to abandon this game or LP, however, and as such, we're back at it. We'll be starting over from the beginning, both to fix some problems that we had early on and to give our readers a chance to choose fresh names and classes with which to torture us! A few notes before we get started. Number one, my playthrough of the game, as the hero, is a (mostly) completionist playthrough. I'll be showing all the sidequests, fighting all the monsters, getting all the spirit upgrades, showing off the one "secret" in this game, and getting top-material gear. I'll be trying to show things off at intended difficulty, but the difficulty curve of this game is less a curve and more a gentle slope that you hop past with ease (so expect both of us to break the game quickly and easily). My updates will focus on picking apart the game and story. Expect periodic rants about how stupid some of the design decisions are. On the other hand, Shei-kun (who, playing as the heroine, gets the better version of the story) will be showing off the game in a more narrative style. He'll still have most of the content, as well, and tends to have more luck than I do. He also has no intention of holding back and will simply break the game like a twig. Finally, please, limit spoiler talk to things in the immediate future, and block them properly. Although this game is a decade old, not everyone's played it or the original. Also, no discussion of timelines - even though there are a number of games that, supposedly all take place in the same world, no official timeline has been produced and the discussions about it can get stupid.  UpdatesUpdate #1: Prologue, or Dear God, This Game Has Backstory? Update #2: Augh! Sepia tones! No! Update 2a: In which Nina gets a tragic backstory Bonus Updates Bonus Update #1: Stats, Levelling, and Classes! Serifina fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Mar 20, 2014 |
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Feb 17, 2014 12:51
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Update #1: Prologue, or Dear God, This Game Has Backstory? Brownie Brown! Mother 3 and... Magical vacation. I'm not sure if I should be scared or not... (Fun Fact: I've never played either of those games.) They did also do Heroes of Mana, which I haven't played, and helped developed both Mario 3D Land and World.  Music for this game is excellent, and I recommend listening to it while reading. I'll be posting the music where appropriate.  A Goddess with serious issues in keeping her world alive. Com'on, Goddess!  Maybe she'd be better at it if she didn't spend so much time as vegetation...  Except not. Seriously, I don't even know where this line comes from. It's totally ridiculous.  Creeping! Oh, man, is he a stalker? Trees can't run away!  Is it just me, or is there a bit of a disconnect between this screen and the last? It leaves a lot to the imagination, but maybe that's not always the best thing.  Vandole! Players of Secret of Mana know this name.  A few, in this case, being explicitly three. Or not? This is one of the more confusing aspect's of the game's story, and we'll go into a bit of detail on this... much later.  Gee, this sword wouldn't be important to the game at all, would it? Or even the series as a whole, maybe?  Mana power being explicitly different from magic. Somehow.  Dun dun duuuuunnn! I don't see why they bothered to include this. There's a million ways they could have ended this backstory prologue, and this is about the worst.  Wait, I was wrong, that was the second worst. This is the worst: A big fat lie. People haven't forgotten the goddess. And it hasn't been nearly long enough since the fall of Vandole for people to forget.  Yeah, that was all before you even get the title screen. It's very easy to miss it, as well - any button press will skip all of that and bring you right to the title. It's probably not vital information, but it's certainly handy. After pressing start, we're brought to a character select screen, giving you the choice to play through as either the hero or heroine, and then you get to name them. There's no default names coded into the game, but material... elsewhere... suggests that the names are supposed to be Matt and Rose. But we don't want dull names like that! Please choose names for the two main characters.  This is the hero, who I'll be playing as. He's a bit of a meathead, and his primary characterization is brash sword swinger focused on revenge. In other words, your typical RPG male lead. (We get to pick what his actual role in combat will primarily be, though... but that's for a little later.) Here's the heroine, which will be played by Shei-kun. She's supposed to be the bright, spunky girl. She's also naturally gifted in magic. Again, another typical RPG lead.Choose one name for each of these characters. Both Shei-kun and I will be using the same names for each of our playthroughs. Oh, and don't pick stupid names. As amusing as some of you may think it is to call the heroes Dongs and Boobs, we'll be ignoring any such choices. Names are limited to six characters. Serifina fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Feb 28, 2014 |
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Feb 17, 2014 12:52
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Got a couple of wrong tags up in there. Preview Reply is your friend, don't be afraid to use it.
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Feb 17, 2014 15:20
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Never played Sword of Mana, so this will be interesting to see. That is a lot of reserved spaces though  As for names, how about Billy and Ginny/Jenny? (can't decide whether Ginny or Jenny is a better reference)
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Feb 17, 2014 16:22
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Hey, your images are stretched and are in the wrong format. They ought to look like this:  Not like this:  You might want to fix that.
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Feb 17, 2014 18:20
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How about George and River (something on their color scheme makes me think of earth and water)
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Feb 17, 2014 19:01
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Carlioo posted:As for names, how about Billy and Ginny/Jenny? (can't decide whether Ginny or Jenny is a better reference) I like it. Second.
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Feb 17, 2014 20:42
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dotchan posted:Got a couple of wrong tags up in there. Preview Reply is your friend, don't be afraid to use it. Augh, dammit. I thought I got them all! Schir posted:Hey, your images are stretched and are in the wrong format. They ought to look like this: Right. I'll fix them. I'm not sure what happened this time...
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Feb 17, 2014 23:55
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Nina for the boy, Ryu for the girl.
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Feb 18, 2014 02:06
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No thoughts on names yet, but happy to see this is back. This game is weird, because it seems like there's the perfect formula for a Mana game (Secret/SD3's fantastic gameplay with Legend's gorgeous presentation, with FFA's story actually being pretty good if simple, perfect for being fleshed out in a remake), but there's just so many little things wrong with it. And of course latter Mana games just went downhill (though of those I've only played a bit of Children, which was fun until it got repetitive) until the series just sputtered out. Can't wait to see you two dig into the game again.
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Feb 18, 2014 11:58
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Mega64 posted:Can't wait to see you two dig into the game again. 
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Feb 18, 2014 12:49
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Mega64 posted:Can't wait to see you two dig into the game again. I've played about half of Children, which really was very repetitive, and I played a bit of Dawn of Mana which is... just... ugh. It was gods-awful, really, right from the get-go. Anyway, yeah, the only reason it took so long to get this going again is we didn't realize we were each waiting for each other. Now we can go on and end up with new silly names and relive all the frustration! Oh god I'm so doomed.
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Feb 18, 2014 12:53
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And you can threaten to kill me for trivializing all of the RNG-based quests that rely purely on sheer luck to complete again! EDIT: Current Names and votes are as follows 4 Billy & Ginny/Jenny (Double Dragon Reference) 5 Ryu & Nina (Breath of Fire Reference) 1 George & River (Thematic reference, apparently) 1 Kris & Rheya (Solaris Reference) 1 Bonnie & Clyde (I shouldn't have to specify what this is referencing) 1 Snake & Meryl (... Metal Gear?!) More suggestions are always welcome, as are more votes! Shei-kun fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 06:29
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Well, with silly names disallowed, I suppose AAAAAA and AAAAAA would be disqualified, so throw my support in for
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Feb 19, 2014 06:46
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Ryu and Nina I loved the original game, and always hated this remake. I've said it before, but part of that was playing it on an actual handheld. FFA let you save anywhere on the original Gameboy, whereas for this one you have to find save points that are annoyingly far apart. Hmm.. maybe sometime I'll play this on an emulator after being inspired by this LP.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:51
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Nina for the boy, Ryu for the girl.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:15
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How about Kris and Rheya for their names?
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Feb 19, 2014 07:36
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4 Billy & Ginny/Jenny (Double Dragon Reference) 5 Ryu & Nina (Breath of Fire Reference) 1 George & River (Thematic reference, apparently) 1 Kris & Rheya (Solaris Reference) 1 Bonnie & Clyde (I shouldn't have to specify what this is referencing) 1 Snake & Meryl (... Metal Gear?!) Fun with updating vote counts! Shei-kun fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 10:12
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Billy and Ginny/Jenny just seems right for this.
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Feb 19, 2014 16:00
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Hell no, Breath of Fire is much more thematic. I say Ryu and Nina.
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Feb 19, 2014 16:08
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Also voting for Ryu and Nina.
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Feb 19, 2014 16:37
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Bonnie and Clyde, just to be an rear end.
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Feb 19, 2014 20:25
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Shei-kun posted:1 Kris & Rheya (no idea, but they sound neat!) It's a Solaris reference. (We can pretend the main character is George Clooney, ha). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_%28novel%29
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Feb 19, 2014 20:55
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Boy and Girl. Or, given that both protagonists have the penchant to repeat plot points, Snake and Meryl.
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Feb 19, 2014 22:37
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ddegenha posted:Ryu and Nina I like this remake, but I think the original is a stronger game... which is kinda funny, actually. I did love the hell out of the original, though. --- Anyway, folks, we're going to give the vote until when I wake up this afternoon, so probably about 4pm or so Eastern. Enough time for some last minute calls! After that, we'll have some names and we'll get underway on the game.
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Feb 20, 2014 11:11
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All right, folks. Voting is now over, and it looks like we'll be playing as the Breath of Fire pair, Ryu and Nina. We'll get started playing and get updates out soon.
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Feb 21, 2014 01:34
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Awww just missed the voting, but I would have voted to Nina and Ryu anyways. Secret of Mana is my favorite childhood game, but I never played any of the other mana games, so I'll be looking forward to this.
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Feb 21, 2014 01:45
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So, judging from my We could always have the Hero be Nina, though! But I think Serifina will veto that.
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Feb 21, 2014 05:14
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Maaaaaybe if I was better at writing funny. But, uh, I'll pass. I'll take Ryu.
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Feb 21, 2014 05:27
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There's quite a bit of negativity around this game, I see. I played this game myself, and didn't think it was that bad. Then again, I didn't let myself get bogged down with Item crafting. I hope there'll be open discussion on the plot so far and why it's bad or good.
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Feb 23, 2014 02:56
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MightyPretenders posted:There's quite a bit of negativity around this game, I see. It's not so much that the plot itself is bad, but more... that everyone in this game is completely goddamn stupid. Don't worry. This game is plot-heavy enough that it'll come up a lot when I'm writing updates.
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Feb 23, 2014 03:35
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Serifina posted:It's not so much that the plot itself is bad, but more... that everyone in this game is completely goddamn stupid. Don't worry. This game is plot-heavy enough that it'll come up a lot when I'm writing updates.
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Feb 23, 2014 05:16
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Okay, folks, I've updated the images for the OP and the initial update. Hopefully, things look better now! Also, I'm nearly done putting together the first Ryu-specific update. Sorry it took so long, I had some technical issues to work out! (Technical issues called my computer hates me and I have to sleep before work.) The update should be out within the hour.
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Feb 28, 2014 16:55
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Update 2: Augh! Sepia tones! No! So, it seems we shall be following the adventures of Ryu, the... one who can't turn into a dragon. Dammit, now I want to play Breath of Fire 4 again!  : This dream again... Oh, don't make me watch it again!This line is on a totally black screen. I'm not showing black screens. Blech.   Then the goddess appeared. In her left hand, she held the light of hope, and in her right, the Sword of Mana. The goddess summoned spirits to assist in the creation of life. Finally, to maintain peace, the goddess cast away the sacred sword. It is said the sword rusted the moment it left her hand. A mystical power guards the sanctuary where the tree stands to this day... Right, so, very, very first screen after choosing our name, we've proven that people haven't forgotten the Mana Goddess! You know, if I didn't love this game, the stupid would drive me to drink.   : I could practically see the Mana Tree...! : Is that so?: Your voice is so unusual... It's like I'm dreaming.Of course you're dreaming, Ryu! It's a Stupid Flashback! Wait, no, comments about dreams during flashbacks are stupid as hell. Moving on. : Ryu. Your words are magic-- and a great encouragement.: Magic, you say? Not at all! I'd rather hear you tell me your story... about how the Gemma Knights defeated the evil Vandole Empire!: Unfortunately... I cannot sing songs about myself.That's right. This old dude singing with the 'stache is one of the legendary the three Gemma Knights who fought Vandole. Technically, that makes him one of the most badass people in the world. Too bad he's only in a flashback! Also, I am providing you with completely unedited punctuation for this update - share my pain, friends! : Why not!? I wanna know the truth! Other minstrels just sing about stuff they've heard from other people... They get the story all wrong.If Granz refuses to sing about himself, how does KidRyu have any clue what the real story actually is? For all he knows, the minstrels are 100% accurate! : Hahahahaha! A story's just a story. No matter the truth, no matter who tells it, it's still a story.Um, riiiiiight. Remember that bit about cutscene stupidity? Allow me to present Exhibit A... the very first cutscene of the game. Buckle in, folks. : Then I'LL sing! YOUR story! Oh, I just remembered... we have a lute at home. I'll go get it!Yeah, our non-dragony sword-swinger is apparently a bit of a musician, too. Although as far as I know, outside of this scene, this will never come up again. Actually kind of a shame, since the music for this game is excellent.  There's a weird wavy-line dissolve between things in this dream sequence. It's hard to show in screenshots.  : Dad won't be mad. Today's my singing lesson with Lord Granz!So, yeah. Granz is, of course, the leader of Granz Realm, and Ryu's the son of someone important. It makes at least a little sense - Granz isn't likely to be spending time teaching the son of a nobody, after all. Later on, it's heavily implied (if not outright stated, I don't recall) that Granz's power comes from his music, but there's never any indication Ryu has that kind of talent. The whole thing is just an excuse for... well, I'd say backstory, but all we got was a bit of the Mana Goddess legend.  : Wow, I'd heard that Lord Granz quit singing after he lost his lute.: Nuh-uh! Lord Granz hasn't quit singing!A lot of this, however, makes no sense. Granz's "refusal" to sing probably has very little to do with any lute, and a lot more to do with a Very Important and Tragic Bit of Backstory. Yes, that gets caps'd, because it'll be large and stupid later. Also, Granz is basically a freaking king - he could get a million lutes if he wanted. Thankfully, the least sensical part of this dream sequence is over, and there's another wavy-line-dissolve to this next part of the dream. The music stops here, for the moment, as well.   : But Dark Lord... This is Granz Realm Consul Hermann's estate!Yeah, Dark Lord. In the Japanese version, he's called Shadow Knight. This isn't actually as ridiculous as it seems, as you'll find out in a moment.  : So what? Because he's consul, we should allow him to harbor heretics?: (Heretics in my house? Did something happen to Mom and Dad?)Heretics is one of the things that's totally new to the remake. It's kind of an odd addition, given everything that we find out, but basically he's referring to anyone who uses magic. It's also the first plot thread that will ultimately go nowhere very quickly, if anywhere at all. : Most certainly not! But Sir Hermann is a friend of Lord Granz! To suddenly barge in with soldiers seems unthinkable!Hey, this soldier's got some sense! Or a proper understanding of how a normal power structure in any kind of monarchy works, at least. Of course, given who is boss is, these protests aren't really the wisest choice. : At the very least, let us get Lord Granz's permission. It's thanks to him we enjoy peace now!: Leave if you object. I have my ways. And that's that.: (Oh no! I've gotta tell dad right away!)Yet another wavy-line dissolve. Every time they switch screens, we have that during this dream. It's really annoying, in fact.   Ryu runs in from the back. Also, all flashbacks in this game have this weird, sepia-toned color palette. I detest it. In some games, it might be okay, but here, every time it comes up, it looks god-awful. And despite that, it's only the second-worst! You'll see the worst next update. : Dad! Big trouble! We're surrounded by soldiers!Just to clarify, the guy at the left end of the table is Ryu's dad, Hermann. Also, look at the kid and his overreacting! Two soldiers and a guy in a stupid mask don't constitute enough people to surround a building, Ryu.  : What? Dark Lord enters from the south - but there was only a single knock sound, so clearly, the door wasn't locked or barred or anything. Why would it be? Up until Ryu burst in, Hermann had no reason to suspect he was gonna have a lunatic burst in on him! : Prince Stroud!? What is all this about?Did I forget to mention? Dark Lord is Granz's son. A soldier talking back to him was actually a really stupid idea. : You will refer to me as Dark Lord.Yeah, Dark Lord's a deliberate affectation on the part of the prince. I used to think it made it a bit less ridiculous, but now, actually, I think it's more ridiculous. It's like he's entered his goth phase or something. Oh god, I hope he isn't wearing mascara under the stupid mask!  : As a servant of the Realm, surely you know the consequences of harboring heretics! : Hermann, it's just as I told you! This masked man is the one who burned down Mana Village! This man is insane!I think he's planning to audition for the part of future Davy Jones later. Seriously, look at that beard! I can totally see it morphing into tentacles. Now we just need a Jack Sparrow. (We won't get one.) In a bit of nice animation that I'm not going to gif because meh, Hermann actually looks back and forth between Dark Lord and the other man several times here, before he speaks again. : Now, Prince Stroud-- I mean, Dark Lord-- surely there must be... this can't be true...: Heretics... I vividly remember how Vandole used them to pull the wool over the eyes of the entire nation. I won't allow you to protect them!Here's another instance of the confusion about Mana power and magic. Sometimes they're the same, sometimes they're distinct, and it's confusing as hell for no good reason. Also, levelling the Mana clan heretics doesn't make much sense for the moment - after all, they would have been against Vandole. : Of course not! I'm not one to protect subversives! If things are as you say--Why does this game keep using double dashes for no reason?! Also, "subversives"? Really? What is this, the USSR? : That Granz... He's not a real man. How does one raise such a foolish son?Hey, just 'cause he likes to sing doesn't make him less of a man! : Pph, pph, pph. That's enough of that. If you've got something to say, let your sword do the talking.That is the dumbest laugh I've ever seen or heard of. Is that supposed to be some kind of stupid hissed laugh or something? Dark Lord, you fail at menacing.  : Put your sword away, please!Oh, poo poo just got real. Swords! : Out of my way! The gifs commence! Seriously, it will be a rare update when there isn't an animation I'll do this to. If there's one thing this game does well, is cute, funny, or ridiculous animations. Anyway, fear the slash of doom! I don't get why Hermann and Bogard switched places here. It seems needlessly complicated. Unless maybe the idea is that Bogard pulled him out of the way? The animation for this game is good enough to show that better, though. : The idea that the Mana Clan are heretics is simply laughable! I don't know what excuses you'll make. But your sins are severe! I'll make you pay!: Pay? You're the one who'll pay, Bogard!: What?: Knowing all you do, still want to play hero!? I'll show you! I'll show you the truth! Yep, showing him means having your lackeys finally saunter in. Also, Dark Lord is a complete idiot here. Bogard really is, in fact, a hero. : Traitor! Protect Dark Lord! Hermann grabs Ryu and they run out to the north. At least they know how to hustle, right? Unlike Dark Lord and his cronies. No, seriously, the two in armor really did walk in slowly. To be fair, I don't think they were programmed with a run animation.  : I don't know! Prince Stroud mentioned something about the Mana Clan being heretics...! I have no idea!What's the point of having both an ellipsis and an exclamation point? The whole game is filled with this nonsense, folks. Which is why you get to suffer it today. Next time, and from then on, I'll be editing most of it out.  Dammit, Bogard! How could you lose to gothmask here? WEAK. : (Go out the back! Take Ryu and the girl... Don't let anyone see you!) : Y-yes!Ryu and mom exit out the northern end of that left hallway. : I have no choice. I'll take you to her.Hermann takes Sir Gothmask and Cronies and leads them to the south. Because, y'know, it's gonna accomplish much. I don't think Ryu's family was all that bright. Although, one does have to wonder what Granz will do when he hears of this, right? Invading a consul's home, attacking his guests...    : What...? What's wrong...?: No time to explain! Take her with you! Hurry! Go!: ??? Who's she...? What's going on...?Ryu's right to be confused, even if he is murdering English punctuation in the process. There's knocking sounds here. At the same time, the music changes.  : Open up!: One moment, please! I'm dressing for bed!That's supposed to delay them? Or make any sense at all? There's intruders in the house! There's no indication it's nighttime yet! Right, Ryu's family is filled with stupid people. : Go! Quickly!: But Ma'am...: No, I won't! You come too!: You're a big boy now. Take care of her!Okay, yeah, this takes the cake for stupid. Ryu can't fight a heavily armored soldier, but it's pretty clear they can't move fast... so why not, y'know, all three run away? Plus, Ryu probably doesn't know how to survive on his own, pampered son of nobility and all that. Eh, whatever. The two kids run out the back door. : Don't worry about your father and me. Prince Stroud is such a nice man. I'll tell you all about it later.Psycho gothmask? A nice man? Lady, you're not just stupid, you're oblivious, too. Oh, well. I'm sure that's a big help.  That trio walks in, and then the dream switches to the last scene.  : Oh no... Not this dream again...The girl runs away, leaving Ryu behind. Since he tripped pretty hard, he probably sprained an ankle.  The music fades out here, as well. : Ooooh....   Like I said, the animations are great. This one was too ridiculous. It's what made me want to start with the gifs in the first place. Anyway, at least we're done with the flashback dream! No more sepia!  : Whoooooooooaaaaaahhh!Willy wakes up... using the same animation, but he doesn't have all the panting and shaking his head.  Oh, Willy. I really, really hate you. But Shei-kun's going to get to hate you more. : For once I was havin' a pretty sweet dream... Until you interrupted!Hey, guess who dies in the original after about this much total dialogue? Willy! That's right, in the original, Willy passes on a bit of info to the hero, then promptly dies. I wish they'd kept that. Willy is the worst character in the game. And yet, there's a character I hate more! But Willy is emblematic of the changes to the story between the original and the remake. The tone in Sword of Mana is a lot lighter than Final Fantasy Adventure, and there's a lot less death.  : ...: Hey, Ryu, what kinda dream were you havin'? Want me to tell ya what it means?Here, we are, in fact, given the first of many useless yes or no choices. It literally does not matter which you pick. Because Dumbass Willy keeps on rolling. : Were ya eatin' a Rabite? Or maybe a Mushboom?: A girl...Um, Ryu, answering a question about eating that way isn't, uh, the best thing to do. : A chick? ...Whoa! The same one as before?: I couldn't protect her... Only I was left... She... After that, she...: Aw, get real, will ya? It wasn't your fault. Times are tough. A kid like you couldn't protect her. What couldja do?: Her name was... Hello, staff chick! You're a much better character than Dragonless. : It was Nina...: Nina!? Did you say Nina!? Nah, nah, can't be. Ryu, after we're outta here, ya can tell me the whole story. In detail! For now... just hold that thought.Wow, Willy, sudden obsession much? Calm the hell down, man! You're in jail! Or rather, gladiatorial holding pens, but it counts as the same thing.  : Hah! I got extra. And it's primo stuff.Bread is a highlight of everyone's day! Or it is when you're a slave. Or just a moron like Ryu. He does take the bread, though. : That chick... I hope she's alive... I mean, I'm sure she's alive. No doubt about it. Awright, eat up! We're still alive, too! Ya wanna see that Nina chick again, right? I'm gettin' pretty interested in her, too!Right, Willy, now you're verging on creepy. Stoppit.   : You're not still thinkin' about escapin', are ya?: Hmph! I'm serious this time. One of the soldiers told me.: Your last escape plan was a disaster!Hey, Ryu, this guy has the right idea! Dumbass Willy shouldn't be trusted. Particularly since a slave who's tried to escape before tends to get watched even more closely. : Another escape plan?: Oooh, yeah! Seems there's a way out through the monsters' holding cell.Augh! This is so stupid it makes my head hurt, and is only somewhat forgivable because it's directly from the original game. Why would the monster cells have a direct, completely open path to the outside? And why would they let you through there even if it does? : He's pullin' your leg.Hmm, maybe Ryu's not a total moron. A glimmer of intelligence! : Last time, they even punished US with no food for a week!Oooh, hunger punishments! And Willy's somehow getting extra bread? And you guys haven't lynched him yet? What the hell is wrong with you all? : The guy's legit, I swear!: Ya believe the guy 'cause he gave ya bread?Okay, the accent with the "ya"s is just stupid and gets annoying fast. Unfortunately, there's stupid accents throughout this game. Wait, how did Ryu know the extra bread was from the same guard? And why would you trust info from a guard? Why is nobody thinking this through?! : No, it's not that. His song...: Song?: He sang this sad song.: Lord Granz's songs were pretty sad, too...Hey, the legend of the goddess isn't sad! But I swear, if people start singing every time they turn around, I'm going to set something on fire. This isn't a cartoon, it's a Serious Game! (Pffft, hahaha yeah right.) : That's it! Lord Granz turned into a soldier to help us!To quote: "Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to that. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul." Also, please gently caress off and die, Willy. : Pffft! You wish!: Trust me! The Goddess loves me!Yes, Willy. There is a saying that the gods protect the stupid. And you have extra helpings of it. : The Goddess, eh?For the first time in the game, we have control over our character! And it only took... five minutes or so. That's not terrible. There's only three people in the cell with us. Willy just says "He's legit, I swear!" So we'll ignore him for now. We'll also ignore the unnamed slave for a minute, and go explore off to the right, where we find the other prisoner.   : Ya shouldn't fight when you're ticked off. If you do escape, tell my brother in Menos I said hey. No matter how many years it takes ya! Hahahahaha!Hello, Amanda! Amanda's actually one of my favorite characters, for a few reasons - not in the least being that she can kick rear end with that gigantic flower stuck to her head. Y'know, she may be a plant person... hm... Actually, her part is relatively small in the grand scheme of things, which is sad, but it's handled mostly well. We actually need to talk to her twice to progress. The second time, she says this. : You can get the Mana Goddess's protection by praying at the statue. It's a good idea to get her protection whenever you can. But don't let the Realm soldiers see you!Asking for the Mana Goddess's protection is, in fact, walking over and talking to this:  Save points in this game are statues of the Mana Goddess. There's two varieties. This one, the silver, broken variety, only allows you to save your game. We'll see the second, better kind in the next update. As I'm paranoid, I tend to save my game every time I see a statue (and I use save states.) That done, we go talk to the nameless slave again. : Don't listen to Windbag Willy. Beat monsters, show the crowd the "beauty of agony and pain," and go on living. Even if ya could escape, it's hell outside... Windbag Willy! I love it. It fits him so well. Perfect for the game's worst and second-most-hated character. However, that "beauty of agony and pain" thing is just dumb. Oh, well, I guess they can't all be winners. Anyway, with this done, that's the last flag ticked for us to be able to advance the game. Going over and talking to Willy again triggers the advancement.: It's almost time!The music fades out here, as well. Probably just as well - we'll be hearing plenty of this song later.  : The Realm Monster Bouts are about to begin.The arena! Colosseum? Whatever. This makes it clear that Ryu and pals are gladiator slaves, at least. : But first, a word from our leader.And now, a word from our sponsors. We'll be riiiiiight back! (I make no apologies for these kinds of jokes. Not even when I reuse them.)  Dark Lord gets a round of applause here. Actually, unlike many RPGs, and despite being Lord Gothmask, he's not out to be evil or anything stupid like that. As far as we can see throughout the game, he actually seems to take some care with leading his people. He's an extremist with a hatred for Mana power for some reason, but he's not really evil. This is very different from the original game's Dark Lord just being Evil. But this fits with the trend that I mentioned with Willy - this game is less dark than the original. A lot of the villains are much less evil than they were in the original. Also worth noting that Lord Granz has seemingly vanished at some point. Given that it's probably been at least ten years or some similar number, maybe he died. No indication is given, Dark Lord's just in charge of everything. : Your daily struggles are appreciated. Heretics still prowl outside the towns, but have no fear! Crowd: (If that's what they are, let's get them! After all, they control Mana power, right? Pretending to be weak, they're just like the Emperor Vandole.) No, I'm not faking up an image for a "crowd face". I could use a smiley, but I think this is about the only time it'd happen, so I'm going to skip it. Anyway, as you can see, Dark Lord's rhetoric has taken hold in Granz Realm. : We advance ever onward to victory! A victory led by our own strength. Are we not more powerful than those who rely on the Mana Goddess's strength!?So, what about that whole "forgetting the Mana Goddess" thing. This is the leader of the world's greatest and most powerful country talking to her to a packed audience! The prologue was seriously full of poo poo on that. : Without any effort, not breaking a sweat, wanting only glory for themselves. Will people such as this be victorious!? What we need is not Mana power! The Emperor Vandole was manipulated by Mana power and was destroyed! Let us not make the same mistake. We must be of strong mind and heart! Crowd: Strong mind and heart... Dark Lord rules! : Tales of the three Gemma Knights from the Dark Age of the Empire are old news now. Do not rely on legends! We must shape our fate by our own hand. Hey, Lord Gothmask, I know you've got issues and apparently hate your dad or something, but show some respect! Lord Granz isn't "old news". : We shall not lose! The victory is ours for the taking!What gets me is that this is all pretty pointless. It sounds a lot like Dark Lord's whipping up the crowd to get support for a war or something, but that makes little to no sense at all, and we'll never see anything like that during the course of the game. Crowd: Long live Dark Lord! Long live Granz Realm! The scene switches back to Ryu and the Superfriends in the cells, and the music returns. : They're sure fired up. : It's a "bout" time!"No, Willy, I get to make the bad jokes around here. Ten lashes for punishment.  I like the thumbs up, but this is a one-time-use sprite. Still, at least it goes to one of the better characters. Ryu and Willy give Amanda a nod, then walk over to the guard. : Thanks for the bread!: So are you going through with it?: You bet! Let's do it, Ryu!: Right!I take it back. Ryu, you're still a moron for agreeing to this plan, particularly after he told the guard he was gonna do it! What the HELL, people?! Boss Fight #1: Jackal If you're interested in the music, the fight with Jackal is accompanied by this one:  Also, this fight gives you a taste for just how utterly useless Willy is, as well as most NPC partners - he spent the entire time walking around in a corner. It is one of unforgiveable aspects of this game.  : Now's the time! Play it cool and smile at the crowd!So, during the fight, that gate was closed... but now it's open again. Why? I guess maybe we're supposed to think it was Willy's guard friend, but it still doesn't make a lot of sense. In fact, I still think this place is stupid. : Gotcha!Oh god, you can't possibly think this will work, right? : Long live Dark Lord! (Under a very big rock...)Ladies and gentlement, allow me to present the paragon of maturity, Windbag Willy! No, really, this is stupid. : Long live Granz Realm! (Under new management...)This isn't an improvement. Crowd: Long live Dark Lord! Long live Granz Realm! If you're not paying attention, you might actually sit here for a minute wondering why nothing is happening - you're actually given control long enough to... walk out the gate. I don't know why they allow you to play for the second it takes to do that. Screw it. There's actually a wavy-line transition after entering the gate, and we appear here.  Honestly, I like this spot. It's one of the prettier ones in the game, and the game is overall pretty nice looking for a GBA game. : We did it! We're really gonna get outta here! Mana Goddess and Granz, hats off to ya! Ryu, we are FREE! We can go anywhere! We can do anything! We can eat till we hurl! Ryu, whaddaya wanna do?So, you're, what, five steps from the castle gates, right? KEEP RUNNING, YOU DOPES. : I want to... get Dark Lord...And here we go. Disney Princesses get a want song, but RPG sword-swinging protagonists swear to kill somebody. Ryu's primary motivation throughout the game is revenge on Dark Lord. If he isn't doing something for Nina, he's trying to find a way to get his murder on. : Oooookay... No comment here. By the way, Ryu... about that chick Nina... I know that name, too.Shock! Surprise! No, really? Your sudden obsession wasn't a total clue or anything! : You do???: Yeah.. but I'm not sure whether the Nina you're talking about is the same Nina I used to know or not. No use gettin' all serious here!Nina still isn't that uncommon a name. Thankfully, in a brief flash of something resembling intelligence, Willy at least allows for the fact that it may not be the same Nina. : Okay, yeah. That's it... Let's go to Topple! They have lots of Mana believers. We can talk there.: Okay. So we're off to Topple!Oh, dear gods, let me count the ways this is stupid. Wait, no, let's not. But I'll tell you anyway. Topple is, physically, close to here - the heart of Granz Realm - but there's no direct path or anything. In fact, Topple's way the hell down the mountain. But still, why would Dark Lord allow a village so close to the heart of his realm harbor "subversives"? For that matter, why do Willy and Ryu know this? The only explanation I can think of is that they heard it from another captured slave... or maybe another dumbass turncoat guard.  And this is why we don't have extended conversations in PLAIN SIGHT of the castle gates! : You made it this far. Not bad.: !!! Wha-! Dark Lord! Uh! We, um... just wanted some fresh air! Out with the bad air, in with the good. Aaaah, that'll do me... Whaddaya say we head back? When's the next bout!?Willy, not everyone is as dumb as you. : ...Dark Lord!Oh, hell. Dammit, Ryu, keep it in your pants for five minutes! : Good fighting skills, smart enough to escape. Too bad you're slaves. How about it, you two? Why not work for me? We're short on Heretic Hunters.Hey, that's actually pretty nice of Dark Lord! Not dying because you escaped, not going back to being a slave hoping for bread... Hell, I'm betting being a Heretic Hunter gets some pretty sweet perks, even! Sounds like a sweet deal! Take it, and then betray the Realm later! : Well, I, um...: What's the matter, boy? Jackal got your tongue?Pfft. Willy didn't even get close to that ugly cat-thing. : Work for you? You murdered... my father and mother... And Nina, too...Shut up, Ryu. Just... shut up. For five minutes. Live to fight another day. : Murdered? What do you mean? The law is the law. Even the laws I made are out of my hands-- they've been set into motion. There's no point in bellyaching to me.Uh, you run a dictatorial realm - that's complete bullshit. : (H-hey, Ryu! Play along!): Do what you want, Willy. Go be a Realm soldier. But count me out!Dammit, Ryu! Now he's gonna kill your dumb rear end. : The lawless prefer the sword to the law. I can play it that way, too. Come on!  H-he stopped the sword with one hand!?Anime Badass Trick #73: Using one hand to stop a sword. To provide emphasis, the music stops, as well. : What the-! What ARE you!?: Pride comes before a fall, foolish fencer! Dark Lord slashed Ryu and knocked him off the bridge. Why? Who the hell knows. Probably because it goes best with his little saying there. Or maybe he didn't want to actually get blood on his... wait, why is his sword pink? : Wooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhh!That's twice he's used that yell. Most people would shriek in terror at falling from a bridge, but no, he pulls an extended Keanu "woah".  : Mana Goddess, save Ryu! Break his fall!...Willy, Dark Lord kills heretics. You just admitted to being one right in front of him... you moron. Well, this update ends on a cliffhanger! Eh, we all know Ryu lives. There'd be no game, otherwise. ----- Bonus Artwork! .png) Promotional artwork of the hero. I actually really love the art for this game, even if it does lie. For the record, no, there's no dual-wielding, ever. That dagger is a big fat lie. Serifina fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Mar 20, 2014 |
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Feb 28, 2014 18:54
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Willy's going to be alive and well and saying stupid things all the way to the end of the game, isn't he?
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Mar 1, 2014 02:05
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Glazius posted:Willy's going to be alive and well and saying stupid things all the way to the end of the game, isn't he? To my neverending dismay. He is the worst character. Thankfully, he's not going to be my moron to deal with for the most part after this. He actually won't reappear until we get quite a ways in.
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Mar 1, 2014 02:31
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