|
Chapter 40: The Ancient Cave or I Think I Broke It In order to put a bow on this game, there's one last mode I need to show off. It won't take long. In fact, we've mostly seen it already.  That's right! Gift Mode is the Ancient Cave and nothing but the Ancient Cave. You're stranded on the island and your Warp list of towns has been cleared, so you can't even teleport yourself back to the plot.  Part of the draw of Gift Mode is that the game allows you to build any party that you want, so long as it includes Maxim. I didn't say this system was perfect.  Matter of fact, you can even go with just Maxim, and the game will dial back the number of monsters to compensate. Granted, you'd only do that if you're treasure hunting, because the boss at the end is probably not even doable with just Maxim. Though I'm sure that people have tried it all the same.  For this first run, I decided to go with Team Second Bananas, aka Tia, Lexis, and Dekar. If you're trying a serious run, you'll probably want something like Guy, Dekar, and Artea, aka Team Bro, since they have a good balance of magical ability and sheer unstoppable force. And I guess there's Maxim too, though given the choice, I'd swap in Selan instead.  There are a few myths and urban legends surrounding the Iris Treasures, but they're strictly ornamental. If you find them, this lady will display them here. That's it.  Well, let's hop to it.   Blue Chest items tend to be very powerful compared to the regular game stuff. We've already established that with the Dragon Spear.    This is a beautiful combo of spells to find. Health recovery, MP recovery, and life spells are all good for sustainable dungeoneering. We should be pretty well set with these, just so long as we don't do anything stupid.  Oh hey! A suspiciously bright blue chest! I wonder what's inside!   I think the game might be telling me something. It's telling me...  Vote for Dekar, because he didn't die. Yes, the actual run of the Ancient Cave is going to be as cheaty as I can make it, because the alternative is several weeks of blue chest hunting until I have a loadout able to make it to the end. Why four Dekars specifically? A combination of ridiculous physical stats and amazing weapon/armor options.  To that end, let's make our Dekars as OP as possible.  I mean, what's the worst that can hap-  Oh. Evidently, the game doesn't like trying to level a character's stats above the 999 maximum. Guess it's time for the next best thing:  Good thing that defining an item as quantity 0 makes it effectively infinite. I'll only be raising Agility, because Dekar only needs to hit first to win most fights. Now you might be saying, "Wait Blastinus, won't that just raise the upper left Dekar's stats?"  Yeah, about that... It seems that the game defines stats, equipment, and other relevant data on a per-character basis. Rather than tracking Party Member 1, 2, etc., it's just tracking Dekar, no matter how many Dekars happen to exist at the moment. There's a downside to that, of course, since any damage that Dekar receives will affect all four Dekars simultaneously. That includes status effects, by the way, up to and including instant death.  Oh, but wait! It doesn't end there! The game rewards experience to specific characters too, so Dekar gets awarded experience four times for every battle. You know what that means? We've found a way to unlock Retry mode bonuses in Gift mode!  We are on Floor 6 right now, by the way. Just feel I ought to note that.  Mimics. Wow.  Remind me to be scared.  Normally bees would be one of the scariest enemies to face on these early levels, since they're so fast and hit so hard.  It's amazing what a little speed will do for a guy.  Did you know that Dekar and Guy can be fed MP boosters? The only downside is that they can't equip any spells, unless you cheat them in.  You know, I wish it was possible to switch out Dekar's animations for Maxim's. That would make this perfect.   This blue chest item is VERY useful, since a lot of enemies like to throw out lightning spells.   Not this time!  I'm sure you were wondering for a while how we were supposed to remove curses from weapons/armor.  It's a cleric in a can!  Now, see, this is quite the improvement of IP's. Iron Kick doesn't even have a description.  See?  Let me just say, by the way, that I absolutely hate the Medusa/Lamia/Siren line of enemies, not only for their resistance to Neutral attacks, but for their confusion attacks.  It's a good thing that Legna has a status recovery move, otherwise this would have been very, VERY bad. Dekar's worst enemy is easily himself.  In general, it's probably better to just speed through the Dankirk section of the Ancient Cave as quickly as possible.  As always, it's best to chase after Cores any chance you get.  For obvious reasons.  By the way, keep an eye out for weird-looking grass like this.  Free healing, always a plus. You'll never be able to find a save point or an MP recovery pad, but I'll take what I can get.  Okay, we're in the Shrine of Vengeance now, it looks like.  It's too bad that Dekar can't equip this one. In lieu of magic, elemental attacks are the next best thing.  Before you ask, no, you can't equip that. Like I said, everything Iris-related is just decorative.  Fun fact about Cores in general is that they have a special passive that does a really good job of reducing physical damage to 1/10 of what it should be, but for whatever reason, it doesn't do jack against magic.  Not that it helps Dekar any, but it's interesting to note.  Almost there!  The 60's are basically the last time that you'll see familiar enemies if you played through the regular game. We are officially on Dragon Mountain now.  And all that implies.  Whatever the case, now that Dekar's finally Level 99, I can put my plan into action.  There we go. You might be wondering why I haven't boosted Agility as well, and the simple answer is that the Dekars are faster than almost everything in the game.  I love the random structure of this dungeon, by the way. Sometimes you'll just be dumped right next to the stairs, or sometimes the stairs will be several rooms over. You don't know!  Check out this damage though. That's what a perfect 999 strength does for you.  Several floors later, things start taking a turn for the weirder.  Fortunately, this is a considerably weaker version of the Ghost Ship. I was worried for a second there that the game had decided to just start throwing bosses at me, but all this one does is summon weaker enemies. It doesn't even do Doomcry, which is all for the best.  Going off the ever-popular Hydra line of monsters, this fella throws eight attacks at us in a single turn. This is as dangerous as it is tedious.   Any particular reason why Dekar can't use this ring? I mean, Guy can use the elemental rings.  Now then, Archfiends! I'd say that basically anything from Floor 70 onwards is dangerous, but these guys are their own special flavor of evil. Instant death spells, paralysis attacks, 1,735 HP and, oh yeah, the same friggin' resistance to normal attacks as the Medusa line. Oh yeah, and they're also really fast, so you have to be someone like Artea or Tia to get them before they get you. Nasty buggers!  Which is why Dekar mysteriously discovered the Fry Blade, which happens to be a top-tier light-elemental sword. Fancy that, eh?  These guys can also insta-kill you if they get an attack off, but they're also a whole lot weaker.  Interestingly enough, the four genie types correspond to the Greek elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air instead of the four elements we're used to.  They've also only got one elemental attack each and will spend most of their time either absorbing MP that Dekar doesn't use or just defending. Overall, not a threat for the big man(s).  Not to be confused for Hade Chariot, except for the part where it's pretty much the same except stronger.  This monster is amazing for that hair alone.  Last but not least!  Interestingly enough, the Copper Dragon is supposed to be proofed against light, but all the elemental resistance/weakness info is bugged, so the Copper Dragon isn't weak or strong against anything.   They're not afraid to rain down Light-elemental attacks on our head though. Good thing that Dekar spontaneously discovered the Apron Shield, which protects against Light attacks.  ...Yeah, no.  Can you believe that we've still got 10+ floors of this?  Man, I knew they drew inspiration from a lot of places, but Civil War-era politicians?  By the way, the Gold and Silver Dragons have their resistances and weaknesses working just fine, so they're basically impervious to anything that isn't Shadow, Dragon, or Flying-type damage.  Like so. Pretty much every dragon in the game also has a flying weakness, so you've got some options, at least.  We're in the home stretch now! Remember, there aren't any checkpoints, so if you wipe at any point along the way, you lose everything. Start from Floor 1. No take backsies.  At this point, I'm just booking it to the end. Nice thing about dragon types is that they don't go very fast.  Fortunately, the RNG is on my side!  Spoke too soon.  Interestingly, and probably frustratingly for the kids of the 90's, the Silver and Gold Dragons will actually buff themselves.  If you're having trouble killing them normally, this must be a punch in the gut.  But at last, after several hours, we're finally done with this nightmare.  Yeah, you can see why I left this until now.  Since the final floor of the Ancient Cave uses the same assets as the Sunken Shrine, it's similarly glitchy and horrible in the NA version. For many people, this might be their first time seeing the final floor in all its...  ...Well, it's got a pedestal and...some pillars.  But enough about the aesthetic! It's time to meet the Master of the Ancient Cave! Is it Arek maybe? Or perhaps some bizarre supernatural entity?   : Who are...? Wait a minute, you're just a blob of jelly, right? : Fool! I'm the strongest and oldest of jellies. I control everything in this cave. I am also the last enemy you meet here. Since you've come this far, show me what you're made of. Well, the teleporter that brought us here isn't working, so barring a Providence (which this guy's happy to give you if you don't have one) there's only one way to proceed. : Now then! I'll show you my gelatin gestures! Right. As if we'd be afraid of a little jell-   ...Huh. So I should mention right now that the Master can't and won't try to kill you. In fact, all of his stats are in the single digits except for his 9,980 HP and 510 Agility.  He'll actually spend his three turns either helping you or doing nothing. Did I say three turns? Oh right, I haven't mentioned the "trick" of this fight.  You see, in order to compensate for not trying to kill you, the Master will end the battle at the start of the 4th turn. Since beyond cheating, there is no earthly way to beat that Agility of his, that gives you three turns to end the fight yourself, otherwise...   You get to start the ENTIRE FRIGGIN DUNGEON over again! That's right. From the very beginning. Have fun!  Usual boss strategies work here, but you can't buff too extensively because of the time crunch. Your best bet is to drop a single Trick on the team at the start and then just wail away and hope you can beat the clock.   As it so happened, in my case, Legna chipped in just at the right time to make the difference.  I suppose I should mention that if you're desperate, there is one last way to win this fight. Remember that I said that you have to end the battle. That's the objective. Let me just stress this: the way to beat the Master is to have the battle end somehow by your doing.   I think you get what I'm implying here.  No clue why it happens this way. Probably some quirk with how this encounter is coded. But regardless, whether you destroy the Master or yourselves...  : I am honored to have been able to fight with one as brilliant as you. Before I go, let me give you this.  And at this point, if you don't have a Providence to escape the dungeon, you get one. The game isn't kind enough to chuck you out.   You probably noticed this door behind the man at the desk. That's where the key goes. And what's behind the door?    Amazing pieces of equipment that would be awesome except you can't bring them into the Ancient Cave.    Such wasted potential. It's really a shame.   And that's it. That's all there is to tell about Gift Mode. I'm glad that they threw it in though. I really got sucked into the Ancient Cave as a kid, and it's not hard to see why. It's spontaneous, it's challenging, and the blue chests reward replayability by making you a lot stronger for every new run. Whatever the case, that's it for me. I'll be leaving the thread open for a few more days, then this LP will be officially finis.
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 07:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:40 |
|
|
Go go Dekar rangers! A marvelous LP Blastinus, thank you for playing.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 08:10
|
|
|
Maxim Dies at the End …but Dekar doesn't 
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 13:02
|
|
|
This has been a great LP, Blastinus, thanks for taking the time to show it all off. It couldn't've had a better ending 
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 13:41
|
|
|
It such an incredible shame they didn't make the ancient cave have some sort of payback. Even, like, a small cutscene with Arek would have been enough. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 16:10
|
|
|
Crisis of Infinite Dekars Also, can someone spoil the ending differences in the DS remake before the thread closes? I've heard the side characters (Tia, Lexis etc) get better conclusions, but that's all I know.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 17:16
|
|
|
This was a great LP and really informative, thanks Blastinus! (Also, I'd never heard of Lufia until now  ) Is the DS remake LP dead, though?On the (late) topic of the ending, it felt like Selan's death was rushed. It was very abrupt and sudden, and it didn't seem like there was a lot of build-up and just kind of happened. Also, it's too bad that there wasn't unique final boss music, because the music was pretty great. On the other hand, the Ancient Cave looks pretty fun if you can use fast forward!
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 17:39
|
|
|
Brony Hunter posted:Crisis of Infinite Dekars I played it once years ago but from what I remember the main difference is Tia doesn't actually disappear after the wedding, she comes back, and starts dating Dekar. Good for her. I don't think Lexis had anything change for his ending, but given that he's a backseat team member instead of an active team field member I guess he tags along to Doom Island or something. Other than that it's all still mostly the same plot till you hit NG+, where at the start Erim thinks she recognizes Maxim, which means at the end of the game she decides to use her last energy to personally save Parcelyte and send Maxim and Selan home. Pretty much a change from out of left field for the sake of having a happy ending.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 18:03
|
|
|
For fans of the Ancient Cave, there's The Enchanted Cave and The Enchanted Cave 2 for Flash and mobiles that are pretty good and run on the same concept.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 18:42
|
|
|
The two times I've beaten that boss is with the team of Dekar, Guy, Selan and Maxim in the main game when you have the Gades Blade. The most important thing to find in the dungeon is Dekar's Sword, which does the 1/2 total health attack. Drop that move at the end of round one and then unload in round two with the Gades Blade 8 attack combo with every attack booster you have on the wielder (Guy) and whatever really powerful IP attacks Maxim and Selan can use. It works reasonably well, but it takes some massive luck not only getting there alive, but with maximum IP on everyone. Also, any gear you find on the way that does % damage with IP attacks that Selan or Maxim can use helps as well. Krumbsthumbs fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jul 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 22:03
|
|
|
Unlimited Dekar Works was wonderful. Great job, Blastinus!
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 23:06
|
|
|
Thanks for the LP, Blastinus!
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2015 23:49
|
|
|
You deserve a little cheating after the game you've been through. Thanks for this LP and I look forward to future projects.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2015 12:26
|
|
|
Sworder posted:For fans of the Ancient Cave, there's The Enchanted Cave and The Enchanted Cave 2 for Flash and mobiles that are pretty good and run on the same concept. Having played both...I don't think it's an apt comparison. The overarching idea's there, certainly, but they're both rather bland and uninspired. Final Fantasy V: Ancient Cave, on the other hand... (Warning: in Japanese. There's a translation elsewhere on the Internet, but it prefers to stick with the original fan translation rather than the GBA translation.)
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2015 12:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:40 |
|
|
Just to make you feel bad about your troubles with the cave, here's a speedrun where someone makes it to the end and kills the jelly in under an hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IruprymmFvY
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2015 12:39
|
|
