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 The Game Shadow Tower Abyss is a first person Action RPG developed by From Software and released for the Playstation 2 in 2003. It is the second in a series of horror themed spin offs of their popular King's Field series and can be considered a direct influence on their recent "Soulsborne" titles. Unlike the original Shadow Tower, this game was never released outside of Japan. Luckily some dedicated fans have produced a somewhat competent fan translation. The Story Though the Tower seems man-made, it is in fact one massive organism, with sentience and a will of its own. Once making its home on another planet, the tower sustained the life of all living things, and in turn fed off the energy of those lives; some of the organisms made the Tower itself their home, the Tower itself acting as an ecosystem, connecting everything in it as one body. Realizing one day that its planet was threatened by extinction from an unknown cause, the Tower regressed itself to a seed state, and launched itself into space, in search of another planet on which to perpetuate itself. Eventually its guidance systems died, and the seed drifted for untold years, until finally arriving at the planet on which the game is set. Immediately the seed attempted to grow itself into the Tower it once was, but discovered that the light of the sun was ruinous to its body; the parts of the Tower that reached the surface immediately withered and died. With no options, the Tower contented itself to wait underground, doomed to die without being able to recreate the cycle of sustaining life and feeding on life. As it was nearing the depletion of its energy reserve, the Tower felt a presence within itself, of a life form with greater intelligence than anything it had encountered before: primitive humans. Deciding that these were the beings it had been waiting for, the Tower captured the life forms and transformed them into parts of its new structure. However, the parts created from these life forms had minds of their own, and rebelled against the Tower; having no choice the Tower pruned these parts off and left them to die. Again returning to its lengthy slumber, the Tower was at last awakened by a civilization of cultured human beings. Discovering the ancient remains of the Tower, the King of this civilization insisted on exploring the interior, despite the objections raised by his vassals and advisers. The Tower was pleased by the nature of the King, and these new forms of humans, because they were ambitious; and taking advantage of the King's wish for power, the Tower gave to him the "Spear". This Spear was imbued with the magic of the Tower, and allowed the King to expand and rule over territory without equal. The only payment for the power being, the continuous sacrifice of humans, so that the Tower could continue its experiments on creating the perfect life-form. In a few decades the King had built himself an unrivaled empire, the voice from the Spear guiding him at all times. But gradually the voice of the Spear began to diminish, until one day it fell silent. Though the King did not know, the experimental life forms the Tower had been creating all these years had run rampant, and usurped control of much of the Tower. Fearing that his power would be extinguished, the King decided to journey into the Tower and find the source of the troubles, leaving his people with one final command: "Until the day I return, do not stop the flow of sacrifices". At the point where the game begins, and the main character enters the Tower, the place has fallen into chaos and decay; each floor of the Tower is made up of multiple self-contained areas, and whereas it used to be the case that all were governed by the one intelligence of the Tower, now they are controlled individually by the species that make them their home. Each area is distinct in structure and environment, and in each the species within have adapted to suit the environment. The LP Shadow Tower Abyss is a very atmospheric game and I wouldn't want to ruin the experience by trying to talk over it. This will be a subtitled commentary LP. I will do my best to be as informative as possible with my commentary. Though I do wish to show as authentic an experience as possible I will be doing some light editing for the sake of pacing. Videos will be broken up by area and will be kept to about 15-20 minutes each.                         THE END Thanks for watching! AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Jul 9, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 13:56
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Databook A catalog of all areas and enemies found within the game. Shrine Below the Forest "Vast ruins under the forest that enshrine strange creatures." Technically not a part of the tower, but the overgrown remnants of the shrine constructed by the King to honor the Tower. The only entrance into the tower is hidden somewhere deep in this forest, protected by the disfigured remnants of the once-worshipers. Enemies:     Quiet Shore "Piercing cold river leading to the central tower." An infinitely deep river runs through a cavern beneath the forest, flowing towards the Shadow Tower. A ferryman waits on the shore; his once ornately decorated craft carried the sacrifices meant for the Tower, but now the intricate carvings on its surface have faded and worn away, and the boat carries only lost travelers. Enemies:  Blue Light Area "Those here endlessly monitor the calm blue light." The bowels of the tower, and the first place a new entrant would see. Bathed in a perpetual green-blue light, the area contains devices which once created this light, as a means of energy for the Tower in place of sunlight - now only single device remains in operation. The creatures which once manipulated these devices are left without purpose, now that the Tower has ceased to function as it once did, and they roam the level aimlessly or continue to perform their duties without reason. Enemies:  Bridge Area "A bridge in the tower linked to the outer realms." A series of bridges and elevators connecting the various levels of the Tower. Enemies:  Insect Area "A maze-like insect nest covered in slime." A massive hive suspended above the abyss. Filled with insect monsters who will vigorously defend the hive and their Queen, the Queen who has found a way to gain immortality through manipulation of the light energy of the Tower. Enemies:       Poison Area "Clear away the poisonous fumes to survive." An area comprised of two floors: the bottom floor is steeped in pools of toxic waste, the upper clouded in a poisonous miasma. The area was once used as a disposal for waste produced in the Tower; the rotting carcasses and other contaminant waste dumped in the area are the reasons for the toxic atmosphere. Enemies:      White Wall Area "White-walled area of masters and servants." Carved entirely from the rock walls of the cavern, this area is quite human in its architecture. Once the home peaceful inhabitants, working under a benevolent ruler who allowed them access to the energies of the Tower. As the Tower was corrupted, the ruler went insane, and so too did the workers who relied on him for their sustenance. Enemies:      Scouring Rush "Realm covered in ivy." Populated by sentient plant life which has propagated itself through spores. The plants have a tendency to grow back unless their roots are totally destroyed. Enemies:        Waterfall World "Realm hidden by endless water. Nobody will save the drowning." What was once a marvelous temple structure, now flooded after a section of the Tower caved in allowing water to flow inside. Populated with fish-like and reptilian amphibious creatures. Enemies:          Cliff World "Restrictive cliff realm inhabited by flying creatures." An area composed of narrow rock pathways and cave passages carved into the rock. Avian creatures, who pay no heed to the precarious footing, make this area their home. Enemies:      Red Sand Spire "Strange things dwell here in the crumbling tower's rubble." Once upon a time the Tower was made up of numerous smaller towers, each extending skyward; now all that remains is this one, consumed by the ever flowing tide of red sand. The humans sacrificed to the Tower, experimented on and mutated, gravitated to this area and make it their home. The ancient King who entered the Tower ages ago still resides here, malformed beyond recognition. Enemies:     Fog Area "Pervasive mist obscures vision." Covered entirely in a deep fog, which is exhaled continuously by a strange creature in the center of the area. This area is responsible for the functions of all the rest of the Tower; the conscience of everything within the Tower gives off energy which is drawn to this place, and in turn energy is reciprocated back into the Tower. Enemies:      Moving Platform Area "The platforms lead the way." The Tower's vault. All it's greatest treasures are stored here and protected endlessly by floating sentries. Enemies:       Illusion World "Temple with deadly pitfalls built by the Tower Lord." The penultimate area of the tower before the apex chamber. It resembles a castle of human construction, but filled with various magical devices which impede progress. It is populated by worshipers of the Tower, who are unconcerned with the presence of others, and the powerful prototypes of the Tower's supreme being. Enemies:       Dazzling Globe Area "Where the blue light converges." The Tower's apex chamber and home to a strange life form known as the Will of the Tower. Enemies:  
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Jul 9, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 13:57
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Glad to see you're still playing this game!
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Jun 17, 2017 14:36
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Oh cool! Welcome back! I missed this LP.
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Jun 17, 2017 16:18
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I'm so glad you're back to continue this!
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Jun 17, 2017 19:07
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Welcome back! I'm excited to see the conclusion of this LP.
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Jun 18, 2017 01:28
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Oh, man, I almost forgot about this LP. I'm going to have to rewatch it and refresh my memory.
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Jun 18, 2017 02:20
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New Update! In this episode we finish Red Sand Spire. Mostly just combat and item collecting with a liberal amount of fast forwarding to mitigate backtracking. Red Sand Spire "Strange things dwell here in the crumbling tower's rubble."
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 12:04 on Jun 20, 2017 |
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Jun 19, 2017 13:26
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I'm glad this is back! This weird game is neat.
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Jun 19, 2017 13:45
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It is! I'm having a lot of fun with it and I'll probably be doing King's Field: The Ancient City next.
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Jun 19, 2017 13:52
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Two for one special! New episodes are live! We enter the Fog Area, try to play Tetris, and then do some platforming. Fog Area "Pervasive mist obscures vision."
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 12:03 on Jun 20, 2017 |
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Jun 20, 2017 08:10
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AllisonByProxy posted:It is! I'm having a lot of fun with it and I'll probably be doing King's Field: The Ancient City next. Oooh, that sounds nice!
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Jun 20, 2017 15:07
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I have a question: What do the stats in this game actually do for the player character? For instance, I notice you're pumping quite a lot of points into Stamina, but the benefit isn't readily apparent while watching the videos.
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Jun 21, 2017 04:08
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KieranWalker posted:I have a question: What do the stats in this game actually do for the player character? For instance, I notice you're pumping quite a lot of points into Stamina, but the benefit isn't readily apparent while watching the videos. Stamina is just HP boost. Vitality, Strength, and Dexterity increase the 3 damage types(slash/break/pierce) by varying amounts and also give a small HP boost. All 4 of these stats slightly increase maximum carry weight. Magic is a large MP boost. Concentration, Mentality, and Mind affect the other 3 stats(element/solvent?/spirit) while also slightly increasing MP. The boosts seem very minimal though. Here are the results of some of the tests I ran just now by pumping 20 points into each stat. Stamina + 20 HP +80 Vitality + 20 Slash - 229->230 Break - 154->155 Pierce - 376->377 HP +40 Strength + 20 Slash - 229->230 Break - 154->157 Pierce - 376->376 HP +40 Dexterity + 20 Slash - 229->231 Break - 154->154 Pierce - 376->379 HP +40 Magic +20 MP +80 Concentration + 20 Element - 244->245 Solvent - 309->309 Spirit - 314->317 MP +40 Mentality + 20 Element - 244->244 Solvent - 309->311 Spirit - 314->314 MP +40 Mind + 20 Element - 244->244 Solvent - 309->309 Spirit - 314->315 MP +40
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Jun 21, 2017 06:40
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Ahh, I was somehow expecting the stats to line up the same as Dark Souls. Which... I mean, you are trying to hunt down Patches, so... Edit: I should say, were trying to hunt down Patches. Just getting caught up to the current videos. KeiraWalker fucked around with this message at 13:18 on Jun 21, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 12:56
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New bonus update: We make some progress in the original Shadow Tower for PS1.
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Jun 22, 2017 13:27
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I was a tad disappointed by the denouement with proto-Patches. Otherwise, you can really see where so much of the BloodSouls groundwork was laid.
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Jun 22, 2017 16:32
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Glad to see this back. There's actually a lot of things I've forgotten about in both Shadow Tower and Shadow Tower Abyss, so these videos are helping to refresh my memory somewhat.
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Jun 26, 2017 23:17
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You want hidden walls, whoa nelly this game has nasty hidden walls with virtually no hints.
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Jun 27, 2017 22:45
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^^ Yes it does. Can't guarantee I'll find them all. New (classic) update!  Despite a few crashes, yet more progress is made in the original PS1 Shadow Tower. Next update we'll be back to Abyss.
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Jun 30, 2017 12:15
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New Abyss update! In this episode we find a LOT of loot and see some environmental storytelling.
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Jul 1, 2017 14:27
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I was going to say that this looks like the point where the devs said "gently caress you more than usual, players!" but then you took out superior firepower.
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Jul 1, 2017 17:57
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Latest Abyss Update! We finish the moving platform area and head back to the hub for some additional action. Databook update: Moving Platform Area "The platforms lead the way."
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Jul 5, 2017 |
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Jul 5, 2017 07:24
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These games look surprisingly good for their age. I wish I'd heard of them when my PS2 was still functional. 
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Jul 5, 2017 20:33
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While we wait for the next episode I'll leave you guys with this: The symbol on all the doors in Shadow Tower Abyss looks a lot like the Deep Sea rune from Bloodborne. Thoughts?  Edit: And the wait is over! New update! A much needed change of scenery awaits us in this area. AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 09:57 on Jul 6, 2017 |
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Jul 6, 2017 08:51
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And because I couldn't leave you hanging, here's part 2: We finish Illusion World. Only one more video left. Look for it soon! Databook: Illusion World "Temple with deadly pitfalls built by the Tower Lord."
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Jul 6, 2017 15:22
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Yeah it feels like we just stepped into a souls game all of a sudden, but with teleporters.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:00
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So we killed the only person in that tower thing who would ever talk to us. Except perhaps for the aliens on the first floor of the giant elevator shaft of the magical spaceship spear. And they aren't particularly intelligible.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:47
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I want to poll the thread. There's only one update left for Shadow Tower Abyss. Is anyone interested in seeing more of the original Shadow Tower? We've barely scratched the surface there so if I decide to continue it I'll start a new LP thread for it I think.
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Jul 7, 2017 01:09
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I'm interested to see where it goes, we've had proto-patches and almost proto-maiden in black, I want to know what else turns up.
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Jul 7, 2017 01:17
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AllisonByProxy posted:I want to poll the thread. There's only one update left for Shadow Tower Abyss. Is anyone interested in seeing more of the original Shadow Tower? We've barely scratched the surface there so if I decide to continue it I'll start a new LP thread for it I think. Yeah, these games are super interesting.
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Jul 7, 2017 01:23
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We did it guys! Thanks for sticking with me through the long absence. Stay tuned for news on the next LP. Databook: Dazzling Globe Area "Where the blue light converges."
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 07:38 on Jul 7, 2017 |
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Jul 7, 2017 07:34
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That ending cutscene was a bit too close to "it was all a dream" to be comfortable.
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Jul 7, 2017 11:48
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I read it more as an "I climbed to the top of the tower and escaped" type situation. I wish there had been a bit more gameplay to back that up though, perhaps a small escape sequence after the boss.
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Jul 7, 2017 13:20
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Yeah, but he's missing his hilarious piles of loot. Is it ever explained what the tower is aside from a magic alien spaceship?
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Jul 7, 2017 14:55
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Seriously though, in Fromsoft Town, whenever your king shows up going 'Hey man I found this incredible new source of prosperity forever' that's the time to drop everything and get out of town. Spear-kings, soul-kings, blood-kings, all it ever leads to is some bewildered outsider stumbling through the ruins of your civilization being hunted by all kinds of monsters.
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Jul 7, 2017 15:10
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SIGSEGV posted:Yeah, but he's missing his hilarious piles of loot. I added a story section to the OP to help clear this up but that's the basic idea yes. Edit: Also I missed one enemy while playing and now I have to go into NG+ to find him to complete the databook in the OP. Double Edit: Got him! That's 100% for the enemies.
AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Jul 7, 2017 |
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Jul 7, 2017 15:21
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Okay, but who the hell was Rurufon?
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Jul 7, 2017 17:42
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The whole tower deal makes a lot of sense and is very reminiscent of for example the recent AC4 / 4A LP where most of the story for AC4 was in the OP's posts rather than the game. Very From Software, that. Rurufon is evidently a lady with horns and a scythe, who can, unlike the tower, not die in the sun and was in the first game locked in a glass coffin and a scarecrow or something. I'm guessing that Rurufon is also exactly what the tower wanted, a lifeform to feed it that it can control. Hence her wanting out and still being the final boss's attack method. E: Also, it's in her description in the monster manual thing. SIGSEGV fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Jul 7, 2017 |
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Jul 7, 2017 17:57
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SIGSEGV posted:
Oh, I -uh- probably should read that. And thank you.
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Jul 7, 2017 18:08
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