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In Media Res (Watch this first) Optional Introductory Videos For the sake of giving the game a better first impression, I cut out a sizable chunk of unskippable gameplay from the very beginning. We went back and took a look at the unedited opening of the game for the sake of completion and morbid curiosity, and so can you with this supplementary video, but I don't recommend it.  There's also a lengthy cinematic that plays before the game's title screen. It skips badly on my copy of the game and I can't record it, but it's on YouTube here. Opening Cinematic Now, a little bit about what you've just seen...  Blood Will Tell is a Playstation 2 exclusive action game from 2004 adapting the unique premise of a classic series. Using the backstory and characters from Dororo, it tells a captivating story with its own take on the source material and is especially notable for having dozens of boss fights. It received mostly middling reviews upon release and quickly faded into obscurity, but a young Fiendly caught wind of it and was so enthralled by the absurdity of its hero's situation and enticed by the promise of so many bosses that the title never left my mind, even in the many intervening years in which I didn't play it (even though I owned it for several of those years). Finally, nearly a full decade later, I gave it the chance it deserved, had exactly the reaction I'd been expecting all along, and knew I had to share it.  Dororo was originally a manga series that ran through 1967-1968 created by Osamu Tezuka, an artist known the world over for works like Astro Boy and bearer of titles such as "Godfather of Anime" and "The Japanese Walt Disney." This story focuses on a boy named Hyakkimaru on a quest to defeat the 48 Fiends that are each responsible for robbing him of a body part, along the way meeting a younger boy named Dororo who fancies himself a master thief. The story was adapted into a 26-episode anime series in the year following the manga's completion, then lay dormant for a full 35 years before some genius at SEGA realized its potential to make a badass video game. We're obviously going to be focusing on that incarnation of the tale, but I will be covering its ancestors as we go through it, as well as the live action film that followed a few years later. About This LP Joining me will be various guests throughout the chapters, all of whom will be mostly blind to the game's twists and turns. We will of course be taking on all 48 Fiends in hopes of seeing our hero made whole again, including many hidden Fiends which will require the occasional return trip to a completed chapter to find and slay. We are unlikely to collect all the weapons due to the luck-based method of their acquisition, but they're honestly pretty samey anyway. With the introductions out of the way, our journey can now properly begin... Chapters  Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3  Part 1 - Part 2  Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3  Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Hidden Fiends  Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3  Part 1 - Part 2 - Hidden Fiends 2  Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Dororo Mode - Gallery Videos & Art - Sword Showcase 
Fiendly fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Oct 17, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 07:05
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Encyclopedia Every Demon and Fiend in the game has an entry in the Encyclopedia. After each chapter, the entries for all enemies first encountered in that chapter will be compiled and posted here, along with what body part they restore upon defeat and information on what traditional monsters they are based on where applicable. Prologue & Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Final Chapter & Gallery Yokai Corner Zain's series of short videos about the attributes and nature of specific yokai, not necessarily ones that appear in this game, but still relevant and interesting to anyone who appreciates the game's numerous yokai allusions. Rokuro-kubi Kappa Kama-Itachi Bake-Kujira Yuki-Onna Gasha-Dokuro Fiendly fucked around with this message at 11:59 on Dec 13, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 07:06
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Edvarius posted:Oh how I wish I had heard of this sooner. Hyakkimaru has got to have the greatest backstory I have ever seen. I can't wait to see where this goes. He sure does. If you ask me, it doesn't disappoint. Zain posted:Trying to find this game on the cheap is near impossible! I know 30 bucks used isn't that bad, but like considering how old of a Ps2 game it was and most unpopular games tend to be maybe 5-10 bucks. When I found out the pre-title cinematic was broken on my disk and I feared other stuff might be broken too, I went looking for a replacement copy and quickly gave it an audible "gently caress that." All the more reason to do the LP, provided my copy holds out. Heavy Sigh posted:That Knee Cannon We will in fact be gaining abilities left and right as pieces come together. As for what happens when the useful prosthetics get replaced, that remains to be seen, maybe we'll get something better in their place?
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Aug 6, 2014 11:34
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Chance II posted:Man I really need to finish this game. Fun fact: the hand drawn artwork in the backstory flashbacks and the japanese cover has done by the manga artist Hiroaki Samura, who created Blade of the Immortal. Its a pretty badass series featuring a guy that is basically samurai Wolverine. Oh cool, I love Blade of the Immortal! I was wondering why the art for those cutscenes was so great.
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Aug 7, 2014 05:43
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 Chapter 1: Yudai (Part 1)
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Aug 7, 2014 18:57
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The aforementioned kappa also have a lot of butt-related details mentioned in their description that Western monsters just wouldn't touch. Yokai are definitely a whole different genre of horror, which I deeply appreciate and will be bringing up a whole lot throughout the LP as it will frequently be relevant.
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Aug 9, 2014 10:07
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 Chapter 1: Yudai (Part 2) Surprisingly, I need to include this for reference: 
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Aug 13, 2014 03:20
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 Chapter 1: Yudai (Part 3) Encyclopedia: Prologue & Chapter 1
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Aug 14, 2014 15:54
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Green Intern posted:This game seems to have cut out Hyakkimaru's flashbacks to his childhood and his first days out on the road, where he meets an extremely inspirational blind monk. Well, yes and no. This will be relevant in a chapter we'll be seeing soon, so no further discussion of it for now please.
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Aug 14, 2014 16:14
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Are you guys talking about my favorite kind of theatre?
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Aug 15, 2014 05:28
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 Chapter 2: Dragon Brood (Part 1) In the Encyclopedia, I've started adding reference links to the monsters that the in-game demons are based on, so definitely keep pointing those out if you catch them. There's a lot of Demons that are agonizingly familiar but I just can't place the name of.
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Aug 21, 2014 18:26
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 Chapter 2: Dragon Brood (Part 2) Encyclopedia: Chapter 2
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Aug 31, 2014 17:54
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I think the movie does the best job of explaining how the doctor's work made Hyakki into a fully functional human being, describing a process the doctor invented that basically turns corpses into stem cells that can then be made into any organ a person might need (still leaves the matter of how Hyakki survived in the period of time between birth and getting fixed up by the doctor, but at least they're close to a full explanation). I personally like to fill in any and all blanks with Hyakki's ill-defined psionic omnipotence since we're rarely provided with a better explanation.
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Sep 1, 2014 02:47
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 Chapter 3: In the Belly of the Mountain (part 1)
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Sep 3, 2014 03:51
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 Chapter 3: In the Belly of the Mountain (Part 2)
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Sep 4, 2014 17:45
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 Chapter 3: In the Belly of the Mountain (Part 3) Encyclopedia: Chapter 3
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Sep 6, 2014 12:41
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 Chapter 4: The Wall (Part 1)
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Sep 9, 2014 17:03
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 Chapter 4: The Wall (Part 2)
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Sep 12, 2014 03:10
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Frionnel posted:
So many pointless explosions... Michael Bay's Blood Will Tell.
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Sep 13, 2014 16:00
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 Chapter 4: The Wall (Part 3) Fiendly fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Sep 14, 2014 |
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Sep 14, 2014 09:53
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Discendo Vox posted:So was there a hidden fiend or something in the lower left of the map at around 11:40, once the "I'll come back after giving up my humanity to become a real boss" fight was over? I usually identify weird collections of enemies in dead ends as a sign of something worth collecting. Nah, that part of the map is actually the first section of Southtown that we'd just looped back to, and that cluster of enemies was a group I'd run past previously. There is a hidden Fiend in that direction, but it's beyond the blocked off section and can only be found upon replay as we're going to see next video.
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Sep 14, 2014 17:41
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 Hidden Fiends Encyclopedia: Chapter 4 coming soon.
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Sep 16, 2014 19:11
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 Chapter 5: Legion (Part 1) Encyclopedia: Chapter 4 AccidentalHipster posted:To avoid derailing the thread too much, Fiendly, without spoiling too much, could you tell us if there are any other super dickish Fiends in the game? Or is it all uphill from here for Fiend fights? Rangpur posted:I can think of one in particular that made me quit the game for a month. We haven't seen it yet and won't for quite some time, so I'll leave the question of whether it's difficult or I am merely dumb for later. I know who you mean and it is indeed quite terrible. For the most part, though, Fiend battles will be either pleasant diversions or satisfying challenges for the rest of the game, this very chapter boasting some especially great ones including what might be my single favorite hidden Fiend.
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Sep 17, 2014 17:17
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Drakli posted:Do you suppose the specters are based on Gaki, AKA Hungry Ghosts? The distended bellies and obsession with constantly eating matches up. I've also seen Gaki portrayed as physical entities despite being called ghosts, similar to these specters. These are two of the demons that I was sure were meant to reference something because they're so oddly specific, and these both seem like probable sources. I'll add them to the first Encyclopedia soon.
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Sep 18, 2014 23:47
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 Chapter 5: Legion (Part 2)
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Sep 19, 2014 17:20
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Oh yeah, I'll fully admit that a few kid shows have come full circle and are as eager to do and say disturbing things as my old favorites. I especially love this Adventure Time clip, which made my skin crawl immediately the first time I saw it because I recognized the angel's voice actor and knew it was going to go somewhere seriously wrong.
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Sep 20, 2014 06:06
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 Chapter 5: Legion (Part 3) Encyclopedia: Chapter 5 As mentioned in the video, here's the first of Zain's series of informative videos about yokai, not necessarily ones that appear in the game but still highly relevant to the thread: Yokai Corner: Rokuro-Kubi
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Sep 21, 2014 10:04
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 Chapter 6: Gates of Hell (Part 1)
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Sep 24, 2014 18:04
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 Chapter 6: Gates of Hell (Part 2) What the hell, have another picture of the Minotaur, who in addition to being the best boss in the game also has the only vaguely interesting animation cycle in the encyclopedia: 
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Sep 26, 2014 10:04
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AnotherGamer posted:Does the "mind's eye" thing actually do anything or is it just the speed boost that it gives which unlocks that last set of attacks? The latter. Having all three eyes and the +20 speed from the Crescent Moon finally gave us access to every combo, but any sufficient speed boost would have done the same.
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Sep 27, 2014 01:36
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 Hidden Fiends 2 Encyclopedia: Chapter 6
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Sep 28, 2014 05:00
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Pesky Splinter posted:Guts inventory. Thanks! Now I don't have to do that. And since there's interest in guessing what's left, I'll give our completion stats per category as a hint: Digestive System: 5/6 Muscular System: 4/4 Skeletal System: 3/4 Immune System: 3/4 Respiratory System: 0/2 Circulatory System: 3/3 Oral Cavity: 1/2 Appendages: 3/4 Sensory Systems: 4/5 Nervous System: 4/4 Endocrine System: 2/3 Spiritual: 4/7 Choco1980 posted:You didn't mention that Hyakki now has three 1-up slots since picking up the new, overpowered sword. Ah yes, thanks for reminding me! Although in the tradition of this game confusing the poo poo out of me, the slot for the third 1-up doesn't appear until after Maimai'Onba's intro, even though nothing changes between the start and end of that cutscene. My best guess is, recovering the liver raised Hyakki's Regeneration high enough to hold a third 1-up, but Dragon Kin was lowering it back down below that point, so switching swords removed that penalty, but the new slot isn't programmed to appear during gameplay so it didn't show up until after the loading screen. Ridiculous. cokerpilot posted:So if you level up the sword that gets stronger by killing things does it eventually reach that kind of power as well? The Genbu only gains additional Attack Power as it levels up, and I think there's diminishing returns after a certain point. It would eventually be able to deal much more damage than any of the swords we currently have, but it would never gain abilities like maxing out the health bar like Great Lotus does or a number of other sword attributes we'll be seeing soon. I'm told the Fool's Blade, which can also gain levels, has a Flashing Blade (random instant kills) ability if you get it to a high enough level, but there's no way I'm gonna do all the grinding and testing I'd have to do to confirm that.
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Sep 29, 2014 02:57
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 Chapter 7: Tragedy (Part 1)
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Sep 29, 2014 15:38
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Wow, it really does look very similar, especially the sheath, and Blade of the Immortal's creator Hiroaki Samura is Blood Will Tell's character designer and contributed a great deal of art to the game. Excellent find, and much appreciated reminder that I need to read a lot more of Blade of the Immortal.
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Sep 30, 2014 06:17
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 Chapter 7: Tragedy (Part 2)
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Oct 2, 2014 02:14
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Choco1980 posted:Right, for saying Dagon is a terrible film KD, you and I must now be sworn enemies. I'm assuming pistols at dawn will suffice? I say we gather all of our fellow mutated Gordon worshipers, chase him through dark, rain-soaked alleyways for a while, then skin him alive. alcharagia posted:so that's my story. Also he's gonna buy me Blood Will Tell for Christmas and I'm going to enjoy it You certainly are. Always baffling that everyone seems to know of this game, but only by vague, dream-like disjointed imagery. Chimera-gui posted:The Fiend driving the tank wasn't even a dragon, it was a chimera. What do you know about chimera?! Oh, wait... Yeah, you're probably right.
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Oct 2, 2014 05:00
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 Chapter 7: Tragedy (Part 3)
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Oct 3, 2014 17:09
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 Chapter 7: Tragedy (Part 4)
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Oct 5, 2014 17:10
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Ruebinok was convinced Dororo was a girl all along and was just humoring me in my insistence to the contrary. I edited out a few of his lines where he refused to accept this as reality before he gave in and just went with it. Personally, my first impression of Dororo could have gone either way, and when the game and manual started calling him a boy, I saw no reason not to believe it until I had the endgame reveal spoiled for me long before the LP started. Meant to post this as well: Encyclopedia: Chapter 7 And one last important thing, the Dororo anime was funded on Anime Sols so the first 13 episodes will be translated and streaming on their website soon. Fiendly fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Oct 6, 2014 |
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Oct 6, 2014 02:59
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 07:02 |
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 Dororo Mode - Gallery Videos & Art
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Oct 11, 2014 08:55
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