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I can't talk about the available endings yet, because thpoilerth, but once we know a few more key pieces of information, I'll have something to say about the added Lucifer content.
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Dec 4, 2015 08:58
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FredMSloniker posted:I can't talk about the available endings yet, because thpoilerth, but once we know a few more key pieces of information, I'll have something to say about the added Lucifer content. Yeah, I'm really trying not to talk about the theory I now have cuz of spoilers.
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Dec 4, 2015 21:57
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 : Chiaki.Deep breath. : I thought I was the one who changed the most, but if you had been talking like that when we first met... : The strong, the chosen... What about everyone else? They don't count? They don't get a voice? Because they didn't have the good fortune to be born with muscles, or some... some special destiny? I can't get behind that. If I don't use my strength to fight for those who can't, then I'm the most unnecessary of all. : ...That's too bad. I was hoping you'd understand.: I understand very well. I just disagree.: But, no matter what you say, I won't change my mind.    : Honestly, I don't know where to begin... But, since Yosuga is the Reason of the strong, I'll see what I can do on my own first.: At least you put your money where your mouth is.: ...I'm glad we had the chance to talk today.: ...yeah. Yeah, me too. It's not the first time we don't see eye-to-eye, but you know I've always enjoyed your company, even when there were more... when there were... I mean, even before all this. And for what it's worth, I'm glad you found your own path in the middle of this mess.: We both survived the Conception... I'm sure we'll cross paths again.: Take care, okay?: See you later, Francois.: See you, Chiaki.   : Are you going to be alright?: Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. But thanks. : She's an interesting young lady. : One cannot tell where foolishness ends and bravery begins.: Somehow I'm not worried about her. If she made it this far... : Son, we made it this far too. It doesn't mean we should let our guard down.: Eh, you're right. But she's not one to let her guard down either. She's smart. : And hot, too!: Man, don't even. Don't you even even.Alright then, now to check on Isamu. Prison security must be more lax than ever right now.  : For some reason I can't feel entirely sorry for you.  : ...Hey, the prisoners are escaping!There's our chance! To the basement! *: The Pyro Jacks down here are doing a number on Arahabaki. I want it to level up and learn Mabufula as soon as possible, but I tag in Badb Catha for now.    : Hey, are you alright? : Please save Futomimi!: Who?: I feel like I'm free, but our leader is still locked up. Futomimi, who leads us with prophecies, is still being help captive...: Alright, I'll do what I can to find him.I got a lot on my plate already, but if I want to find Ms. Takao, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a prophet on my side. And, well, if it helps the Manikin at all...  *: Oooh, the prison doors are open. There's a Mystical Chest down here (containing a Bead of Life, which restores all HP and MP for the entire party), but I remember there was also one in one of the cells on the upper floors. We get into a few fights waiting for full K, and I recruit a Nekomata, filling up our last ally slot. There's a reason for that, but we'll see.  : Futomimi is being held captive at Kabukicho Prison!: Yeah, I should have guessed. *: Entering the section of the jail where we ran into Isamu...  : Whoa dang, Isamu! Good to see you again. Man I'm glad you're alright. : Ms. Takao isn't with you, is she...?: ...no. There was... there was a temporary setback. : Yeah, I still can't punch through that massive door. And besides, that Hikawa guy told me Ms. Takao wasn't there after all. We're gonna need another lead.: The Mantra's finished, Nihilo's gaining ground... and we still have no idea where our teacher is... : Doing our drat best, that's what we're doing. Pull yourself together, man. : That guy? : Right! Futomimi. I just heard about him.: They say he can see the future... He actually predicted the fall of the Mantra. Maybe he can tell us about Ms. Takao... and what we should do from here.: Great minds think alike, brother.  : There's no place where I can be safe... So, I'll take my chances.: Yikes, are you sure about that? I'm going too, so... : Isamu? I'd feel better if he came with us, but... I have to trust his judgement. *: We try our luck with the door in the back again, but even with Kamudo equipped we're still not strong enough. At this point I want to get the other Chest I was talking about, but we might as well check out the whole building again just in case something else of note happens.    : That woman... This is the doing of that human woman of Nihilo!!Huh, they're blaming Ms. Takao for this. It doesn't feel right, but... for all I know, she's at least partly responsible. *: Dis levels up, learns Diarama, and attempts to change a skill. I let her, and she turns Makajam into Void Mind, a passive skill that makes her immune to Mind ailments. Kind of a side-grade, I guess, but I think I'd have rather kept Makajam. Oh well! Both skills are highly situational, but when they're useful, they're really useful.   : Where... Gozu-Tennoh...? ...Why... he no save... us...?: That's really not his style. *: We make it to the Mystical Chest just in time, and it contains a Strength Incense! The other cells are already deserted. While we're here though, we might as well go up top and see what ol' G to the T has got going on.   Cutscene: The King of HeavenHuh. Well, that's that, then. Heaven and earth shrug when the almighty's head falls from his shoulders; god's death makes no sound across the land...    : Yeah, he's gone. I guess you're in charge now. : No... The Mantra has been utterly destroyed by Nihilo's attack. : We, on the other hand, did nothing more than enforce a reign of terror. ...That is the reason we lost.: It's a little late for self-awareness, but at least you're still around to do better next time.: And all those that we called comrades have deserted us. : Yeah. What about him?: Both of you are free to do whatever you want...: We didn't need you to tell us that.: I have no business here anymore. There is no point in guarding an abandoned city. ...Farewell. I will go on a quest to realize my dream of a world where the strong thrive. If you are truly strong, then we shall meet again...  Slow learner, isn't he? Bah. I wonder if Chiaki is into the muscly 10 foot tall type. She might tell him to cut his hair. *: The Mantra HQ isn't as dangerous as it used to be, but we still expend a bunch of MP, so I go back to the shops area, buy four Maragi Rocks for a ticket (and for reasons), heal up, and look around a bit.    : The prophet Futomimi is there. : Then, our oppression will end. ...I think.So, Futomimi, and Kabukicho Prison. That's a good enough goal for now. But... hmm. *: Gui Xian levels up and learns Estoma, which reduces the rate of random encounters until the next new K. On a whim I check our inventory, and notice that we have 9 Lucky Tickets. I wait until full K, and go buy a Float Ball / Light Ball combo.  : Ain't I just your favorite customer, eh? : Aight, gimme... the white box. : Ah, you got a Ag Incense. Good job!: Hot drat!*: The Lucky Ticket prize essentially makes you pick from three Mystical Chests, and the best stuff shows up on full K as well. You can get some high-quality items like Bead Chains and the like, but Incense is pretty much the best you can do.  We haven't used any Incense so far. It's five levels' worth of stats, but... what if I need the healing somewhere down the line?  : Yeah, and then you beat the final boss with thirty-seven bits of incense in your inventory, just sitting there.*: Don't judge me! Hmm. Alright, you know what? Isamu's got things well in hand for now, Chiaki's figuring out her issues on her own, and Ms. Takao's not going anywhere. I feel like punching stuff that wouldn't ever let me get away with not punching it, my crew could use a bit of training, and I've got a Candelabrum burning a hole in my pocket.   : Good news, Mr. and Mrs. Fancypants! I'm back!   : My master is resting right now.: Ah, I've come at a bad time then. Is alright, I see how it is. I'll just let myself in the back and mess around for a bit, no need to bother him.: ...I want you to know that I'm always thinking about you. The Fiends possess strength beyond compare... But, I have confidence in you.: Yeah, that's why you guys hired Dante to kick my rear end. Really feeling the confidence here.: Francois, I know that you'll return all the candelabra to the Labyrinth of Amala.    *: As Blankd reminded me, you can actually punch the obstacles down here with the circle button. The small red ones in particular are worth destroying, because they earn you 100 Macca apiece. If your timing's off you lose health and money though, so it's a bit tricky. : Alright, chuckleheads, listen up. Daddy's back, he's here to kick rear end and chew bubble gum, and the world is all outta gum. Let's dance with the devil in the blue moonlight!Music: Battle ~ Amala Labyrinth *: I'm glad the battle music is so drat rad, because I'm hearing a lot of it.  Hello, what's this?  *: The music cuts out and is replaced by an impossibly creepy wind sound.   : It's inscribed as the demons are killed by you-know-who... *: The texture on the tombstone is just high-res enough that I could probably make any sense of it if it was in a language I could understand. It's clearly the Latin alphabet, but other than that... not a sausage.  We can still examine it the old-fashioned way. > It is inscribed, "Here lies Forneus." *: The other says "Here lies Troll." We can't do anything with those yet, but, well, here are monuments to our dead enemies. Reassuring!  : You could say that, yeah. : I'll sell you something special. Uh... Wait a minute, your party's full. If you want a new companion, make some room first and then come back.: I'm fine with my current squad, but I'll keep you in mind when a spot opens up.  : I'm good for now, but maybe I'll be back later. : Good. One lives, one dies... That's the way it should be. I pray that you find rest soon.*: Dr. Dark can heal our party, but not for free anymore; it's a flat 2000 Makka fee. If we really really mess up, this can end up being cheaper than the Fountain of Healing, but the location is fairly inconvenient. For now, with Kikuri-Hime around, hopefully we won't have need of his services.  : It remains unchanging, like the still of the night. We demons await the master's words, his proclamation of a new beginning..." That's what a demon I met earlier told me, but I have no idea what it means.*: Aight, this entire endeavor is already enough work without having to write a detailed walkthrough, and besides, there's plenty of that around already. So I'm mostly just going to post pictures of any new visual elements as they come up.         *: Oh, those cheeky mofos. You can usually only obtain Arahabaki by evolving a Momunofu, but this is the Labyrinth, you can't recruit anyone, so they're free to show up and bring suffering to your undercarriage. Zed levels up and learns Mana Drain. I let it replace Mana Bonus, because 10% of our maximum mana is absolutely not better than being able to top off whenever we like.  Music: Playing the Fool  : What a deal!: Yyyyyyeah, how about no.: How dare you?!: I got a bad feeling about this.: Oh... Well, please come again!*: These girls are cheats. They will actually heal you, but you lose consciousness and wake up at the entrance of the Labyrinth with a hell of a lot more than 500 Macca missing. Still, if you're really desperate, they're a quick way out.  *: This red stuff is a damage floor. Fortunetely, Badb Catha came with the Liftoma spell, which is equivalent to a Float Ball in that it protects us from that kind of trap.  : It was pretty rough the first time I came here, but today, I manage.: Really...? Lucky you... *sigh*  quote:Lv25 Wilder Raiju *: Oh hell, the Arahabaki here know Dragon's Eye, which turns a full icon into FOUR half icons. That's rough chuckles. It turns both Dis and Zed to stone with Stone Gaze, and seeing as my other party members are Nekomata and Eligor, who lack any non-physical damage, I'm forced to run away.  *: Ooooh, I remember this. Look at the ceiling here; some of the tiles up there are white, and some are black. Stepping on a square with a black ceiling triggers a pit trap that would drop us down to the damage floor below. It's actually a sort of vortex that sucks us down, so Liftoma is no help here. If you're very precise and careful you can cross a diagonal between black ceilings, but it's tricky and I don't think the game ever requires it.   *: Not sure what it does, but it probably won't hurt to throw it.   Ah, this looks like an important gate near the entrance. Excellent. I've still got a lot to explore but I'll be glad I came here first. The Chest in the same room contains a Luck Incense, and the Cube gets us our first Deathstone. The in-game description for the Deathstone says "A stone that brings death to its possessor", but it's a lot more useful than you might guess: Deathstones allow us to fuse any Fiend whose Candelabrum we've taken. It needs to be the right combination of races, on the right Kagutsuchi phase, and the Deathstone is used up in the process, but that's still pretty good news.  Music: Manekata Huh. That's what it comes down to, I suppose. : I'm a human. : I hate humans. They're so cruel... Don't come near me!*: We can try again. : I... I was just kidding. Have you taken a good look at me? I'm totally a demon.: I'm Kamala. I like demons. They're my friends. Come see me anytime. I'll tell you all about the Fiends.*: If we talk to her again... : Hey, you're back! I have something important to tell you. Wanna hear it?: I can always use good intel. Whatchagot?: Um, I sense the presence of a Fiend on... a highway near a tall building. So, I think you should stay away from there. I hope that helps!*: Kamala will basically tell us a clue about a Fiend that we could reach, if there is one. The tall building in question here must be the Mantra HQ. A bit later, a battle against Disir and Yakas turns sour, as a Dis turns Nekomata to stone and a Yaka shatters her brittle form with a basic attack. Yeah, that's a thing that happens. Not a good scene. I'd revive Nekomata because I want her to level up, but considering how many other party members are competing for valuable experience, I don't feel like spending a Revival Bead just yet.  Hmm, strange door.  : I dunno about the vault on the other side, though. *: We can see the interior of the vault through a barrier like this. Three cubes and a spirit; I'll keep it in mind.  *: Ah, this is the important gate we opened earlier.   quote:Lv31 Wilder Nue     *: Hmm, I think that's almost it for the First Kalpa.   Uh... what? Cutscene: The Amala Universe...gently caress. Billions. Billions! Just... gently caress. What... What is... how... how am I supposed to... gently caress! Okay, no. Okay. Focus. There's only one world that has me and all my problems in it. I gotta keep moving. FrankZP fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Dec 9, 2015 |
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Dec 5, 2015 21:05
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quote:Der ganzen weiten Welt Some research of the first line brings up the "Almanach der neuesten Fortschritte, Erfindungen und Entdeckungen in Wissenschaften, Kunsten, Manufacturen und Handwerken, Band 3", written by Johann Joachim Bellermann. [quote]Die erste dieser Schriften führt den Titel Allgemeine und Generalreformation der ganzen weiten Welt. Die zweite ist die berufene Fama fraterntatis des tödlichem Orderns des Rosenkreutzers, an alle Gelehrte und Häupter Europa's geschrieben." "The first of these writings is titled "General reformation of the entire wide world. The second is the authorative Fama fraterntatis of the deadly Order of the Rose Cross, written to all the learned men and leaders of Europe". e.g. it means nothing but it's german and written in gothic font, which makes it spoooooooky. Himmel, Arsch und Zwirn.
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Dec 5, 2015 23:10
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FrankZP posted:*: As Blankd reminded me, you can actually punch the obstacles down here with the circle button. The small red ones in particular are worth destroying, because they earn you 100 Macca apiece. If your timing's off you lose health and money though, so it's a bit tricky. If I recall correctly, certain obstacles contain special bonuses, and each time you collect one, the amount of macca you get doubles, from 100, to 200, 400, 800, and so on up into tens of thousands. However, that only happens if you pick them up in order. If you miss any of them, it resets you back to 100 on the next one you pick up.
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Dec 6, 2015 01:25
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One of those sequences is one of the best ways to get Macca, too.
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Dec 6, 2015 01:41
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Lunar Suite posted:Some research of the first line brings up the "Almanach der neuesten Fortschritte, Erfindungen und Entdeckungen in Wissenschaften, Kunsten, Manufacturen und Handwerken, Band 3", written by Johann Joachim Bellermann. Huh! Thanks for the info. Kind of a shame that it's practically lorem ipsum, but in the end, that text was never meant to be looked at in 1080p so I can't blame them for taking a shortcut. Still, it seems like a pretty unusual source for a Japanese developer to go to; I wonder if it might be included in some sort of royalty-free texture resource pack somewhere. Ubiquitous_ posted:One of those sequences is one of the best ways to get Macca, too. Yeah, if you don't suck. Like me. I suck so bad at this minigame, I practically forgot there was anything to it but punishment. Mostly I just keep my fingers crossed hoping I don't bang my head against too many rocks. :3 FrankZP fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Dec 8, 2015 |
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Dec 8, 2015 12:29
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  I certainly don't mind an opportunity to jump down a dark hole and just break stuff for a bit. Minigame: Amala Pit, First to Second Kalpa *: So. I'm pretty bad at this. Not gonna sugarcoat it. As Montegoraon mentioned, you can combo red obstacles for increasing amount of Macca; the reason I forgot is that I'm poo poo-awful at it and I treat the tunnel minigame as little else than a danger to my HP as I travel from point A to point B. :3  Music: Law *: As you may or may not remember, this is the Law alignment theme from SMT1. Hearing it here is a bit unexpected, considering how gleeful Nocturne is about throwing our ideas about the law/chaos axis under the bus at every opportunity. It does make sense in the context of the Amala Labyrinth subquest though, as we may see later.   : ...Do you know what cause you serve? Do you realize which path your actions are leading you down...? : You have been seduced by darkness, and now you are about to defy god's will. ZedPower, the one with a demon's body and a human heart, heed my warning! : What I'm learning here makes me feel like my head is going to explode, but if it's the truth, then I'll be damned if I stop now. Besides, where was this god when... when all this bullshit started? : In this land where demons of chaos dwell, the last of your humanity will eventually be lost. I pray that you return to your world and rid yourself of darkness, before it is too late... before god's vengeance strikes this cursed land... *: The question here seems very important, but it's essentially for flavor, as it has no real mechanical effect; even if you agree to turn back you can still keep going, and if you say you'll keep going you're still far from being locked into anything.  > Will you light the Candelabrum of Eternity?   Huh, I seem to be short one Candelabrum.  Looks like I'm turning back anyway. *: Technically we do have the Candelabrum of Sovereignty in our possession, but seeing as having it is what allows us to find the other Fiends in the first place, leaving it down here would not be a smart move. In any case, the shortcut back to the five-door room above the First Kalpa in on the other side of this barrier, so we outright have to retrace our steps. Fortunately, now that the switch is pulled, it's not a very long way to go. And it's two more opportunities to suck at the tunnel minigame! Huzzah. We return to Ikebukuro, and I do the usual post-dungeon upkeep. All in all, after the healing costs, we made about 8000 Macca. As I enter the Cathedral of Shadows to register our crew...     : Under certain circumstances, death will appear and warp the laws of fusion. When this occurs, a Fiend -- a bearer of death -- will manifest itself. Though they are not good, they cannot be classified as evil, either. In the end, it is you who will decide their nature. *: This is our fusion chart for the 7/8 Kagutsuchi phase. All of the fusions marked with a skull would result in Daisoujou... but Daisoujou is level 37, and we're four levels short. I have a few more fusions in mind, but either Zed's level is also too low, or I want the ingredients to get a bit stronger still. We drop by the local junk shop as well. I pick up five Makajam Rocks (200 each, that's a ticket), and enough Poison/Stun/Charm/Stone/Mute cures to have at least ten of each, which earns us two more tickets. So, what's next? We don't know where Kabukicho is exactly, but I'm sure those guards on the second exit to the Mantra HQ are in no position to stop us anymore, so that might be the way to go. And there should also be a Fiend nearby as well.    : My partner's already left... I let that human kid go to Kabukicho Prison... I just don't care anymore.    So, a tall building, and a highway. It's just like Kamala said. The next sucker can't be too far from here.  : I don't see why not.: You should quit while you can! Something terrible's been seen around there lately... A ghost riding a motorcycle!! I don't think he's even licensed!!: Well then, I should see about arresting him.  quote:Lv18 Divine Archangel *: Dis knows Stone Gaze by now, so hitting their Death weakness goes a long way. Cutscene + Boss battle: Fiend Hell Biker: Mmm-hmm.: Bwah...! Wh... huh?: Maybe you're asked twice about it for a reason.: Aw man.*: Welp, good thing Nicolas here is optional, because he's a bit of an rear end in a top hat. He doesn't have the cruel tricks other Fiends have had so far, but he hits hard, he's equipped to shrug off the debuffs we've used to neuter the others, and his buff-removal skill does a bunch of damage. That last missed Stun Needle prevented me from healing Zed so there was a clear point of failure, but I feel that I don't really have a party all that suited to dealing with him either. We'll get back to him later. And besides, it's not like I really want to attempt the Second Kalpa right away.  So let's pretend none of this happened, shall we?     > The entrance is closed tight.    *: ...wait. Dead ends, everywhere. Haha, oh wow, Hell Biker isn't optional. Life is hilarious! Welp, I didn't expect to beat him on the first try, so maybe I didn't give it my 100%. But now I gotta put my battle pants on for real. Let's do this. Boss battle: Fiend Hell Biker Redux *: Well hey, this took a few more tries, but here we are. The difference was that he kept wasting his icons on Hell Exhaust; by the time he managed to kill Koppa, he had already lost. ...Oh wow, I can't believe I didn't think of waiting until New Kagutsuchi to make use of Eligor's Dark Might. Whoops! Lesson learned, hopefully. :3 quote:Fiend Hell Biker *: Upon later verification and testing, it would seem you apparently can slip by Hell Biker if you decide not to fight him when asked if you're ready, though as far as I can tell it he has a chance to pull you into combat anyway (maybe the Kagutsushi phase has something to do with it). Either way he is in fact optional, to some degree. In any case, he's out of our way now. Time to go back to Ikebukuro and get healed up.  : I wonder if he got into an accident... Maybe he just got a flat tire.*: We reach the Fountain without incident. Before heading back, I take a quick detour through the Labyrinth of Amala. I won't venture into the Second Kalpa yet, but I want to hear what Kamala has to say, and I might as well unlock the shortcut while I'm down there. : I don't think there are any Fiends around right now. So, it's safe to walk around!Glorious. *: Eligor learns Mudo on the way, which will make dealing with those Archangels on the surface even easier. They're only level 18, but all it takes is a lucky Hama to ruin our day.    Hmmm... Maybe just a peek.  Yikes, the place is taking a turn for the Silent Hill.  Yeah, maybe later.  *: We take the tunnel shortcut, which is pretty much the same as the tunnel between the first and second Kalpas, and end up back in the main shortcut room, now with one more door open. In any case, we return to Ikebukuro, and I save at the small terminal in the ground floor of the Mantra HQ, since it's closer to the path towards Kabukicho. Aaaand we're back on the road.      : It's a huge torture chamber! *: Lots of red damage goop here, but Badb Catha's Liftoma protects us completely.    Ah, so that's how you get here.  : I should've bought a couple of Float Balls... *: We run into several groups of Zhen down here, which isn't quite what I expected. They're dispatched easily enough, but if one gets a Toxic Sting off, it's a little annoying. Zed levels up, and Anathema would teach him Anti-Death, which grants resistance (not immunity) to Death effects. If we're at major risk of getting hit by one of those, we might as well just equip Anathema itself.     : Man that does not bode well for Isamu, especially if everyone's starved for Magatsuhi.    Atmosphere: Kabukicho Prison  : It just looks like some sort of run-down building to me, but the ambiance is spot-on.: ...Huh? This is just a run-down building? You got that wrong. This is a prison!! Even though the Mantra fell, there's still loads of Manikins being held here.   *: Hmm, I did not remember there being a large terminal here. Welp, ain't gonna complain.   quote:Lv28 Snake Naga *: These guys are fairly common encounters here, and we're not exactly swimming in sources of fire damage. Dis' Agilao is amazing for single targets, but when there are just too many of them, I use one of the Maragi Rocks I bought specifically for this purpose.  *: ...huh.   *: The doors in this hallway seem empty, but...  Voice: Save us... We're trapped in the mirage...  Voice: Mizuchi is holding us captive in his mirage... Someone save us! A mirage, huh? This might be tricker than I expected.      : Gozu-Tennoh is gone. This prison now belongs to Mizuchi. ...I feel like torturing those Manikins in the mirage! I think I'll go do that right now. Heheheh... This guy should grow a mustache just so he can twirl it.  > You need something to activate it.    Huh, can't get through there. That's strange. I don't think there was any other way in. I'll have to take another look around, this can't be all there is.  : C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! You better keep it up, or you'll be dead! You want me to stop? You REALLY want me to stop? ...Well, too bad!! Hyahahahahahahahahaha!!Voice: Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!! : Hyahahahahahahahahaha!! Phew!! I think I'll let you off with that for today. I have this, so I can come and go into the mirage as I please. ...I'll be back!: I like to think I'm not the kind of guy who looks forward to violence, in general. But...: Every so often, correction is amply merited. : Ha, I like the way you put it. : Don't pretend you don't enjoy administering a well-deserved kick in the rear end, though.: Guilty as charged. Now let's get our correctin' on! : Oh you're gonna get it now. : I'm the local Amnesty International enforcer. We've had recent reports about multiple violations of Manikin rights. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? : You're drat right it's me!: ...I-I don't care! This is paradise for us ex-Mantra! *: Dude's alone, so the battle ends predictably.   Alright, how does this... whoa!       How did I not guess this place would get even creepier?  *: It's not immediately obvious, but... we're standing on the ceiling. The layout of the mirage is identical to the real building's, except it's completely upside down.    loving hell. *: It looks like the Manikins are shackled to the floor and forced to stand up, but because of the mirage's bizarre gravity, they're actually hanging upside down.  : Are we Manikins made just to feel pain!? : I don't wanna be sucked dry of Magatsuhi! I don't wanna die!! Someone's paying for this. *: All the cells in here correspond to a generic empty room in the real world.  : The ex-Mantra demons have now turned this...: Yo, I know already.: ............?: Hello?: I thought someone was talking to me...So they can kinda hear me, but not see me.   quote:Lv34 Snake Mizuchi *: There are many minor Mizuchi in here, but we don't seem to run into the unique one in charge of the place.  Ha, that's one way of bypassing this barricade.   *: We're going down, but we actually reach the second floor. Because... upside down, right.    : ...... ......... ...Leave me alone.*: A Raiju kills Nekomata with Shock, so I replace her with Incubus. Eligor also gets drat near murdered on account of his weakness, so I tag Chatterskull in. Incubus' Wing Buffet and high Magic stat come in especially handy, as the large groups of Raiju are weak to force damage. The Mana Aid skill he inherited from Bicorn is still delivering in spades as well. : You know, we don't get along very well, but I gotta admit, you're more than pulling your weight today. Great work!: I'm strong enough for a man, but made for a woman!: What... exactly are you trying to say here?: I... uh... don't... know? : CUBUS GOT A BOYFRIEND!:  : It's beautiful to behold, no matter how many times you see it. Love always finds a way!: Not with that guy, it doesn't.: I absolutely do NOT swing th-: Aren't you still holding on to that paper heart?: That's not... It isn't...!: Don't tease the kids. Their affection will bloom in time.: Hey guys, how about we go save some Manikins, huh?: Excellent idea.*: There are more empty and occupied cells around here, but the Manikins generally repeat the lamentations of their brethren. We reach an intersection with another mirage wall on one side and a ladder on the other, and a hole in the floor/ceiling on the side.  Hmm! I choose the hole first.  It takes us to the third floor, in front of a closed shutter. There's an open corridor behind us though; one path leads to the ladder we could have taken, and the other...  W...what? : Hey, little dude. What are you even doing here?  : But, hee hee ho ho! This place is scary!  quote:Lv28 Haunt Pisaca *: There are more corridors blocked off by shutters on this floor, and a ladder going to the fourth floor.   > A Manikin is doing something. Will you talk to him? : Hey, buddy! What are you doing? : Nah, I'm not with those assholes. In fact I'm here to help.: ............? Noooooooooooo! My spoon broke! : Really now?: It's your fault! I needed that spoon... Take responsibility! ...I know. How about you getting me another spoon?: That's a tall order.: The Collector Manikin should be around here somewhere. He has just about anything.: Aw hell, he went and got himself caught after all.: Find him and grab a spoon. You got that? You're responsible!: Look, I'll go get your spoon, but it's because I want to help, not because I had anything to do with this. : I saw him as I was being dragged here. ...He must be below.So, from my current perspective, above.  *: The only two paths from here are this mirage wall here on the fourth floor, and the other back on the second. I'll start here.   *: Man that Dragon Eye is nasty here. It's fortunate Zed can still use Shock at will. She's not resistant to physical damage, but Retaliate is basically an extra-strong Counter, so it's best to use magic if she's not somehow disabled by an ailment. Tentarafoo does Mind-type damage to all foes, and has a chance to cause Panic.   *: Back to reality. There are a couple doors in here, but they lead to empty rooms; they must be Manikin cells in the mirage. We can take a ladder back to the third floor, but there's also a hole here that would take us to an area that was blocked off in the mirage.  Hello, what's this?  *: There's still a barricade here, but when we get back to the ceiling, it won't be a problem. From here, we can only take a ladder down.  *: We end up on the correct side of a shutter on the second floor. I'm sure this'll be important later.   : ...Bill...... ......1000... ............> You couldn't hear the rest. At least he's still alive. *: We get to the mirage wall on this floor, and use it for the first time. This will allow us to take the ladder back to the new area of the third floor and go over that barricade.  ...no, wait, that's the first hole we went through, so we can't get back there like this. Hmm! Maybe from the third floor itself, then.  Ah yes, there we are. Let's see if this gets us anywhere.  Hmm. I think I missed activating that box on our first time in here. I return to the fourth floor, leave the mirage, and drop down again.  Yup, I did miss it. After a bit more fiddling, it allows us to reach a ladder in the mirage that takes us to a new part of the second floor. This is about the time where Kikuri-Hime's healing juice runs low, so I tag her in to let her Mana Drain her reserves back up.  : Hey! Collector dude! It's me! : ............? ...I know you! You're the demon I met in the Great Underpass...: Couldn't resist the call of loot, eh? Say, did you happen to find a spoon on your trip? I know it's a strange question, but...: ...Huh? A spoon? ............: Another Manikin is trying to dig himself free, but he broke his old spoon and could use another.: ...I see. ...Alright then. You did help me... with the Bill... *cough* I'll give you my spoon...> You obtained the spoon. : Thanks man.: ...While you're at it, could you rescue me...?: Aight, no sweat, I'm not here for sightseeing. I'll find a way to get you out.I almost say "hang in there". Yikes. *: Oooh, I get it. We'll get that spoon to the Manikin, he'll make a hole in the mirage, and we'll be able to use that hole from a real world empty room on the fourth floor to drop down to a northern section of the third floor that we haven't been able to access at all yet. This whole place is really complex, but if you understand the relation between the mirage and the real world, it's not too hard to figure out. It almost straddles the line between cool challenge and pain in the rear end, but there's no Kaiwan taunting you at every step, so it remains comfortably in the domain of the interesting mental exercise. There's a neat distinction between the mirage and the real world too, in that there are more enemy groups composed of harder enemies in the mirage. In fact the Pretas never seem to show up in the mirage. : Yo! Spoon delivery service! : I'd be a right lovely spoon delivery service if I didn't have a spoon to deliver. Here!: Whoa! This is one powerful spoon!> The Manikin began digging.  : ...This is incredible. I dug the hole in a flash. Alright, I'm outta here. See ya!> The Manikin jumped into the hole. *: We leave the mirage again.    *: Yup, this is new.  : ...Dammit!! I was able to escape from my cell... But I need to defeat Mizuchi to escape from the mirage...*: A Yaksini fight earns Zed, Incubus and Koppa a level. We'd learn Mamudo, but, eh, nah. Incubus learns Stun Claw, and Koppa gets Makatora (spend 10 MP to replenish an ally's MP by 10) and gives us an Attack Mirror, which is a one-shot item that casts Tetrakarn.     Voice: Mizuchi... is on the floor above... But......... in the mirage... ............  *: We open up a path to the rest of the fourth floor, giving us easy access to a mirage wall should we need it, and keep exploring.  So this takes us to the fifth floor for the first time. I could go to the mirage right away but I want to recon the place beforehand.   ...aw hell, we haven't seen Isamu yet. Dammit! *: We have a small terminal here, so I take the opportunity to drop a save.  *: More empty rooms here. Which means, cells.  : ...!> It's quiet now.   Voice: YOU CANNOT SEE ME! ...NOR CAN YOU LAY A FINGER ON ME FROM THERE! FOOL! TAKE THIS! > You were knocked out of the room. Alright then, nothing else stands in our way. Isamu, I'm coming. *: We return to the mirage through the fourth floor, then make our way to the fifth floor again.  : Above... He's on the 5th floor...   They're all unconscious in there. Small blessings...    : Yeah, that's what I figured. This is ending soon, one way or another.: Defeat him and save Futomimi, please!! *: I remember Mizuchi having a nasty trick up its sleeve, but man I don't remember what it is. Welp, never mind then. I give Dis a Chakra Drop just in case, and step inside. Boss battle: Snake Mizuchi *: Whuh-oh. Okay, so, nasty multi-hit ice attack. I can deal with that. I make my way back to the boss room, ingest Wadatsumi to void ice damage, and summon Gui Xian and Arahabaki to absorb and repel the same. Let's try again. Boss battle: Snake Mizuchi Redux *: Well hey, no nasty trick then, just a shrinking gimmick. Interestingly, it's not just a neat visual effect; as the Mizuchi shrinks from taking damage, the ice spells it can use grow progressively weaker, from Mabufudyne at the beginning down to Bufu when near death. It's mostly a question of surviving the first few rounds long enough to knock the wind out of him. I was only worried when Zed got panicked, but that Sacred Water came in real handy. (Speaking of panic, Dis picking up Void Mind by random luck sure helped eat up icons.) And I'm glad to see Arahabaki inherited Momunofu's boss-annihilating power despite his lower strength. Shame about how ridiculous his attack animation looks, but he's got no joints, whatchagonnado.    *: Miasma is an upgraded ice Magatama, still spellcaster-oriented. However, unlike Wadatsumi, it's weak to fire, not electricity. It would teach us Wild Dance next, which has a chance to confuse an entire enemy group.  There are four chests in this room, but full K is not for a while yet and we have pressing business besides.   Music: Manekata  : Heyo.  : ......You're...... ...a human...? No, a demon...?: It's complicated.: ...I see. You are the "Demi-fiend" I prophesied about. Very interesting. *: Note that this is the only Manikin we've met who looks us directly in the eyes. He also does not twitch. : It was my pleasure. Your people are having a rough time out there, I had to do something.: My name is Futomimi. You may know it already, but I can see into the near future.: Yeah... I must admit that's also why I came here.: I've been waiting for you to come and save us, you who are both human and demon... : Oh definitely.: It seems he came to see me, but he was also caught.  : I had hoped we'd bust in here together, but he left on his own and I was... side-tracked. But you probably already know that.: You should see him, then. I sense a strange energy in him. I am worried about the other Manikins, so I must be going. Thank you again for saving us. ...Now, if you'll excuse me. Cutscene: Within yourselfHuh. Well then. Fine. He's just lucky someone left a terminal drum in there. FrankZP fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Dec 8, 2015 |
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Dec 8, 2015 13:25
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Isamu, you whiny, ungrateful little poo poo. If you had stayed with your buddy you wouldn't have gotten your wortless rear end captured again but you just had to run like a rabbit the moment you got sprung from your first jail..
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Dec 8, 2015 14:11
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I forgot all about the Hell Biker. What a bitch of a fight. If I recall, I had to go back and fight him much later on since I was such a weakling at that point.
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Dec 8, 2015 19:03
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Good ole Futomimi. Anyways, Hell Biker has a special place in my heart. How many jrpgs let you have a Ghost Rider expy on your team?
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Dec 8, 2015 19:12
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Isamu is a doofus.
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Dec 9, 2015 00:10
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Isamu confirmed for law douchebag, we need to kick his balls in to make him realize what he's looking for is not where he thinks it is.
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Dec 9, 2015 01:48
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Kemix posted:Isamu confirmed for law douchebag, we need to kick his balls in to make him realize what he's looking for is not where he thinks it is. Isamu's the exact same as Chihiro; reacting to the hurt but by looking into himself for strength than by going out and seizing it. It's like looking at how two people put into the same cirumstances react completely differently. Chihiro gains a god complex while Isamu goes and hides far away from demons; but still resolving to build up some strength. But, it doesn't seem like he's got enough of a gumption to build a reason just yet. So he's going to go train a bit it seems. Hell Biker, by contrast to goon opinion, is that fiend I never find myself using all that much. He's far from awful; but Daisoujou carries through much better than he does. Also, I hope you snag yourself a Mizuchi of your own; he's a drat fine demon!
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Dec 9, 2015 03:29
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Seconding the hope for a Mizuchi. Mainly because I just like snakes 
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Dec 9, 2015 04:54
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Tactless Ogre posted:
I just like having one on my team. Just a style thing, I don't necessarily use him. Though I did spend about 2 hours making one that could be taken to the endgame if I so chose too (I'm slightly crazy like that).
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Dec 9, 2015 21:20
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So I've been attempting to play along with the LP and I've just reached the area of the latest update. I just beat down Hell Biker. If it's not overstepping the LP to ask, why is Daisoujou considered worth waiting for?
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Dec 9, 2015 22:16
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Remember that move he had that drained a good chunk MP and HP? Factor in the usual fiend immunities to death and status ailments and his ability to learn high-end all-party heals like Mediarahn and Prayer (Salvation if you're a Persona player) combined with decent health he's pretty much the best healer from now until near endgame. 35 or 50 MP to fully heal the party is nothing when you can just recover 90 or so whenever you want. e: also no weaknesses, so there is literally no obstacle to bringing him to literally every battle. You've pretty much won the next 50% of the game. 
ManlyGrunting fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Dec 10, 2015 |
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Dec 9, 2015 22:44
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Also, in this game Mana Drain and Meditation are effective against enemy bosses. And they can be increased in effectiveness using Makakaja and Rakunda (I'm sure of the first one, and pretty sure of the second). With that, it's not too hard to drain enemies of their MP entirely, giving you a new strategy against certain particularly tough bosses.
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Dec 10, 2015 01:15
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Ah, right. I get it. Well, I got him after the prison and ended up fusing Makatora onto him, so he's basically a limitless MP battery for the team now.
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Dec 10, 2015 01:19
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So, Kabukicho Prison I would consider one of my favourite RPG dungeons, simply because everything from audio atmosphere to floor-reversal gimmick makes the whole thing both really creepy and a fun mental exercise, as you described it. While I don't think it is patterned on any particular building, I think that it was intended to emulate some sort of office or schoolhouse building as a clever nod to the odd association to those kinds of buildings as prisons. It even manages to work in a comedic moment with the Mizuchi battle, and I think if it as one of the dungeons I would show to friends as a demonstration of why Nocturne holds up really well even in the face of more recent Megaten titles and RPGs. Also, I liked the inclusion of the atmospheric sample for the non-mirage portion of the building. I'd appreciate hearing more of those if you have the patience to record them.
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Dec 10, 2015 02:47
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ModeWondershot posted:So, Kabukicho Prison I would consider one of my favourite RPG dungeons, simply because everything from audio atmosphere to floor-reversal gimmick makes the whole thing both really creepy and a fun mental exercise, as you described it. While I don't think it is patterned on any particular building, I think that it was intended to emulate some sort of office or schoolhouse building as a clever nod to the odd association to those kinds of buildings as prisons. It even manages to work in a comedic moment with the Mizuchi battle, and I think if it as one of the dungeons I would show to friends as a demonstration of why Nocturne holds up really well even in the face of more recent Megaten titles and RPGs. Atlus used a similar trope and trap in an earlier game as well. If you played Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, it's quite similar to the Kimon Tonkou formation trap. Which was basically the game's mirror dungeon in Sumaru TV. The gimmick was the same as well; except the seals needed to be read were also inverted. My god I love that game to death. I'm due for a play-through of that soon.
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Dec 10, 2015 04:17
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Tactless Ogre posted:Also, I hope you snag yourself a Mizuchi of your own; he's a drat fine demon! GeneralYeti posted:Seconding the hope for a Mizuchi. Mainly because I just like snakes Ha, I can get behind an early Makarakarn. I'll make it happen.  MarquiseMindfang posted:If it's not overstepping the LP to ask, why is Daisoujou considered worth waiting for? Well, I trust the other posters have answered already. As for my game, I'm fond of my current team and I've decided I'm curious about how I'll do without him, so I'm skipping him for now. That said, Daisoujou is one of the only two Fiends who can be obtained through sacrificial fusion (because they're the only ones who have full K among the phases they can be fused during), so if I change my mind later on I'll be able to jumpstart him pretty quick. In fact I kind of expect one Kalpa or another is going to make me reconsider. We'll see! ModeWondershot posted:So, Kabukicho Prison I would consider one of my favourite RPG dungeons, simply because everything from audio atmosphere to floor-reversal gimmick makes the whole thing both really creepy and a fun mental exercise, as you described it. While I don't think it is patterned on any particular building, I think that it was intended to emulate some sort of office or schoolhouse building as a clever nod to the odd association to those kinds of buildings as prisons. It even manages to work in a comedic moment with the Mizuchi battle, and I think if it as one of the dungeons I would show to friends as a demonstration of why Nocturne holds up really well even in the face of more recent Megaten titles and RPGs. Yeah, agreed. It's a big puzzle box, with mirage walls, barricades, ladders, holes, shutters and spoons as the game pieces, and the rules are instinctive because we all know how gravity works. It's just outright good design. And it's also a demonstration of how to do a 3D dungeon that's legitimately using the third dimension instead of being a gussied up 2D maze. ModeWondershot posted:Also, I liked the inclusion of the atmospheric sample for the non-mirage portion of the building. I'd appreciate hearing more of those if you have the patience to record them. Oh, gladly. It's not even a question of patience, the effort is trivial; it's just a question of remembering to. It's probably obvious that I'm figuring out this video stuff as I go (I just recently started fading from/to black because it outright didn't occur to me before), but I definitely want to pass along as much of this game's amazing flavor juice as I can.
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Dec 10, 2015 10:21
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 *: Checking back on the room Isamu was in, it appears the terminal no longer works. Did he burn it out somehow? Maybe he wanted to make sure we wouldn't go after him.  The room were Futomimi was held captive is also empty. It's hard to tell what this building used to be before the Conception. The rooms mostly contain upturned tables and chairs, and this one has what appear to be milk cartons, bottles, a glass tumbler and... maybe an ashtray or a coaster? Well, it hardly matters by now. So! Four Mystical Chests then. We're on waning 2/8 K, so it'll be a few moments.   Judging from the decor, this could have been a lounge or club of some description. On the fifth floor. Aaanyway! We get in a few fights with regular Mizuchi, so I use Estoma once New K rolls around. It's best not to take any chances for now. Zed, Kikuri-Hime and Incubus may have nigh-bottomless MP, but if everyone else runs out of juice it'll still be bad times. Dis gains a level, and learns Me Patra, the last skill on her list. She attempts to change a skill, and...  Now that's what you want to see happen when a skill changes. Dis also gives us an Attack Mirror, and...   : It shall be engraved upon your soul! : Divine assault!: NIBELUNG VALESTI!: Oh I am such a fan. How's Lenneth doing these days?: Um, she's made-up.: Dante's running around in here, real enough to put a bullet in my spleen, but Lenneth Valkyrie's still fictional?: Afraid so.: This world is just going to keep making GBS threads directly on my head, isn't it?: Such is your fate! quote:Lv33 Wargod Valkyrie *: When Full K pops up, we get a Pearl, a Jade, a Sapphire and a Vitality Incense. Great haul! Alright, time to go... Hmm. I forgot to ask Futomimi where he was going. I hope he didn't take a powder on us. But he didn't seem the type, and besides, maybe I could ask the Underpass Manikins for directions.   : Oh hey, I was just about to go look for you. : Well, once more, my pleasure. But do you guys have a safe place to go to now? : ...We Manikins plan to leave the area. Together, we will find a way to live without suffering.: For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you. Hope it works out. : By all means!  : ...It seems that there is a man waiting for you at Ginza. Go and see him.I bet it's Hijiri. Maybe he found something out through the Amala Network. : Alright, that's actually quite helpful. Thanks.: ...We must get going now. Again, thank you so much.: Happy to be service, and best of luck to you and yours.: ...Now, if you'll excuse us. *: I drop a save at the small terminal, but we go back to the ground floor on foot, just to see if there's anyone left. I'm also kinda curious about Heeho's next step. Hmm, in the end, there's no one left. All rooms are empty, and the mirage walls no longer work. I do find a portion of the third floor we didn't even see the first time around, and it has a few empty room and another small terminal.  : ...Well, it's not a prison anymore, with Mizuchi being defeated and all.*: We hit the large terminal, and go directly to Ginza.  : Fancy meeting you here! : Been better, been worse. : How did you know I was here?: A good reporter never discloses his sources, you know that better than I do. Any news on your side? : Well, he wiped out mankind almost completely, so...: Man, that Nightmare System... It's more powerful than I ever imagined. : Maybe we can figure out where the Nightmare System is located, or more about the Maiden... : I can't do much digging without raising a red flag. We need to find a terminal that Nihilo doesn't know about...: I bet that's even trickier than it sounds.: Remember those Manikins that were enslaved by the Mantra?: I've heard of them, here and there.: I heard they're rebuilding the town of Asakusa. Maybe there's a terminal over there that Nihilo's unaware of.: Worth a shot. : I wasn't even going to suggest it.: I'll see what I can do with this terminal...: Do you know if there's an overland route? Or another tunnel somewhere? As far as I know, I've exhausted my travel options.: ...Wait a minute. I completely forgot about you.: ...that's quite a feat.: Hey, do you feel like going to Asakusa?: I'd be going even if you didn't ask me to. But you'll still owe me one.: If you can get there and contact me through the Amala Network, it'll make my job much easier. : Yeah, no sweat.: Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll tell you everything I find out there, so let's stay in touch, alright?: Ha, I bet I couldn't get away from you even if I wanted to.: I'll be waiting, then. You should check out the tunnel in East Ikebukuro. If the rumor is true, it'll take you to Asakusa.: Huh! It was locked up when I saw it last, but maybe the Manikins had the key all along.: I'll be working on this terminal, but you'll probably have more luck than me. I'm counting on ya.: Aight, see you later then.*: We don't leave immediately though, since we're long overdue for a Fountain visit. Before we spend any cash there, we have... 66677 Macca. Ominous! And after we do, we have 65201 left. Affordable! While we're here, I also check out the lounge and the jeweler.  : I don't know what they're up to, but it'll get ugly if there's too much drama between demons. : I hear that the Maiden has something to do with it. She's messing up everything. : So if that goes down, so does the Mantra's headquarters.  : With Futomimi as their leader, the city's slowly coming back to life. But, it's time like these when the unexpected occurs.I'd ask if she knows something she's not telling me, but who am I kidding, there's no way she doesn't. *: Loki's completely gone. Maybe he ran too high a tab. There are a couple things I'd like to get at Rag's, but they'd be borderline luxury and we don't have enough of any one gem to let me be comfortable with spending them without immediate need for now. We drop by the Cathedral for registration. Zed's maybe 1500 exp from being high enough level to perform one of the fusions I've had in mind. Hmmmm... To hell with it, we're going back to Kabukicho and picking a couple fights. Things go so swimmingly that I decide to stick around and gain another 3000 exp to make sure my ingredients both get one last level. Notably, along the way, I allow Incubus to turn Hama into Mahama. That Angel's skill has come a long way. Aaaaaand we're done. We warp straight to Ikebukuro, and use the facilities there. Badb Catha + Eligor = : Ah, I always enjoy putting those two together.: Yeah, I bet you do.   : Wait, what's this alarm sound? Is the Deathstone causing some sort of interference?: No... It... shouldn't. The phase isn't... Oh. Oh dear.: Oh dear!? What do you mean, "oh dear"?   : WHAT THE HELL!? : NOOOOOOOOOoooOOOooOOOooooo~! : Unexpected? Unexpected?: Indeed.: There's unexpected, and then there's fusing the EXACT OPPOSITE OF A SUCCUBUS.: I don't know what to tell you. This almost never happens.: Which is what you would end up saying if you had fused a Succubus.: Heyo!: So, how do you pull them back apart? : No no no, you, you stay quiet for a moment. Tell me, Mister Minister, how we are going to reverse this.: We are not.: Okay. Okay! Okay. I've lived through the end of the world. I can live through this. : Um... Um... Sorry...?: Oh, poor dear. This is not your fault.: Yeah, sorry mang, is just, I expected something else. Anyway, let's see what you got. *: So, fusion accidents. It had to happen sooner or later. This Troll is one level higher than Zed is, so it's not entirely a wash I suppose. Still, I'd have preferred my original pick. I really liked the inheritance roll I settled on, too... ...He's got an Agility of 4. Oy. : Aight, next one. Is it gonna work this time?: Probably!Koppa + Chatterskull =   quote:Lv35 Jirae Sarutahiko : Well, that's better.: I'm happy to serve.: Alright, you know what? Pull out the Compendium. I came here for a reason.: Ah! But of course. I trust you have the coin?: What good is money if you don't spend it? Just don't mess up this time.*: About 23000 Macca later... Eligor + Badb Catha =  : Well... That was... Wow. Suddenly I don't mind living on Pays-for-Pixies Island anymore. Yikes.: Like I'm gonna let this fake idiot sun mess up MY fusions! Take that, dumb world! I do what I want! *: Succubi don't get to do much numerical damage until they pick up Tentarafoo as their last skill, but giving this one Wing Buffet, Needle Rush and Dark Might will let her deliver some real pain even when setting up a Dormina -> Eternal Rest combo would prove impractical. And we're done with fusion for now. That was unexpectedly eventful! I do have one last thing to do before we leave, however. We warp to Kabukicho again. As we get into a couple fights, Kikuri-Hime leans her final skill, Recarm (resurrects an ally with a small amount of HP). : Yo. : It's a chance to redeem your kind. Take it or don't. : GRR... GRR... GRR...> Mizuchi is chuckling. *: It asks for money and a Bead. : THE WORLD IS NOTHING BUT A PAINTING YOUR SENSES DRAW. : Of course I do. For all I know, I'm a painting their senses are drawing.: SO THAT IS YOUR LEVEL...> Mizuchi made a wry face. : GRRRR... LOSER.: W... what?: ............ I AM NOW SATISFIED.: Huh.: GRRRR... VERY WELL. I AM Mizuchi THE Snake. I WILL TRAVEL WITH YOU. *: Welp, that's a full roster again, which isn't ideal, but we'll manage. Nekomata's the closest we have to dead weight, but Marin Karin and Stun Needle can always come in handy, and she should be evolving in two levels anyway. We return to Ikebukuro, save in the Mantra HQ again, and head out a little ways east then south, to the station we saw in between Hell Biker's victory and defeat.    Atmosphere: Ikebukuro Station  You've been in one station, you've been in all of them... right?  : It's called the Ikebukuro Tunnel. No Sacred Water in this one. I wonder what was up with that.  : I'm sleeping. Don't bother me! Getting in for free... Why does this still feel wrong?  If only the Collector knew!  : ...My guess is, they're gonna try and revive the city of Asakusa.   For a moment, if I closed my eyes, I could almost forget... No. I couldn't. : You look distressed. Are you well?: Oh, I'm fine, is just... I've been here before.: It must be difficult to realize how much it's changed.: That's the thing. It didn't change. It didn't change at all. It's the same. : Why are you so glum, then?: ...: It reminds him of how much everything else did change.: ...yeah. : Is this going to be a problem?: No, it's not. This is nothing. It may have been a train station once, but today it's a hole in the ground. Let's go. We have somewhere to be. *: Both eastern tunnels have collapsed. Westward it is, then.  I know it's not their fault, but they remind me of Kaiwan and I just want to... punch.  : They're all important, as they connect different areas together... But actually, no one really uses them... : I dunno, you tell me. If it's like this all the way through, this'll be simpler than I thought.  : Yup. That seems to be the only way from here, anyway.: Then, you'll need something that'll light up the way. They sell it somewhere...: Thanks for the heads-up, but I'm good.*: We have a bunch of Light Balls that I picked up for tickets, and Sarutahiko knows Lightoma besides.  This is a train station, so there are two tunnels for each direction; for now we take the northern one.  Mmm-hmm. I guess this is one benefit of glowing in the dark, but it's not much help.     *: If you look carefully, you can see the blue light we emit reflecting off the walls, therefore avoiding the old videogame cliché of characters having an unexplained glow illuminating their immediate area. But... this place is pitch black, and our tattoos are really no good for navigation, it's just a neat touch. Sarutahiko casts Lightoma, and suddenly it's... well... a little better.   *: The tunnel is collpsed maybe 40 meters in, but something dug a hole in the northern wall here.  Atmosphere: Ikebukuro Tunnels *: Well that's extra creepy for just one little chest. We're on 4/8 waxing, and the only enemies so far are Slimes, Blobs, Kelpies and Sudama, so it's not too much trouble to wait, though it does expend our light. Aaaand it's a Chakra Pot; even if Sarutahiko runs out of juice, this'll have been a net gain, heh. In any case, that's all this northern tunnel has to offer, so we go back to the platform and take the southern tunnel instead.  Oh hell.  : Pika?: There's oni inside!: You don't say.: Well, I'm an oni, too, but I ran into a strong oni inside! Plus, I hear there's a total of four oni...These must be the four troublemakers that Thor kicked out of the Mantra. I hope Futomimi's foresight was keen enough to avoid them.  *: Ooooh, a large terminal. Saves us the trip from Ikebukuro if we want to heal up, nice.  The main tunnel line is collapsed here too, but this rough-hewn cave seems to be the way further in.  Or... further down. Le sigh. Train tracks would have been too straightforward, I suppose.  Even the ladders have unique designs from dungeon to dungeon.  Gah, look at this. Just look at it. So little detail, but still so striking. This is just a random door in a train tunnel dungeon, and look at it. Man I love this game.    quote:Lv43 Wilder Mothman *: Zed levels up, and we refuse Anathema's Evil Gaze. I'm a little worried about Mothman's Panic Voice, so I ingest Iyomante next.   quote:Lv28 Foul Black Ooze *: Wow, Nekomata levels up, and gives us Magic Incense! I knew I was keeping her around for a reason. She's got another level to go before she evolves, but I want to register her at the Cathedral before she does, so I'll take her out of the party when she's one fight away from it until we get back to town.    We start exploring this third floor, but halfway through an innocuous corridor, a hidden pitfall just like the ones in the Labyrinth of Amala drops us to another corridor on B4. This place'll be a pleasure, I can tell. The northern door from where we fell takes us to a ladder back up, but the only way from that ladder is straight back to the same pitfall. So we head south instead... which leads us to another ladder returning to a place on B3 we had already visited. Oh well! At least we know there's nothing of value there.  Hmm, I said these caves were rough hewn, but... those are stalagtites. This is natural. Or... well, whatever passes for natural here. After visiting a long dead end, we find a ladder taking us to a more legit part of B4, with a small terminal nearby.  A nearby tunnel is clearly covered in damaging mist; neither Succubus nor Troll inherited Liftoma, so I use one of our Float Balls. The corridor has a branch leading to a ladder down (yay), but I want to explore the rest of B4 for now.   Ah, of course.  : ...I didn't see an oni on this floor, though. Thank goodness...  : I don't know what god has to do with this, but I could always use some guidance.: ............ ............ ............ ...Very well. Take this...> You obtained Light Ball x 1. : Thank you.: This is nothing, considering it's for the sake of this world. Please be careful...*: There's more to B5, but we climb back up to B4 to continue exploring, and find another ladder to B3.  : Holy crap, are you okay? : There are four ex-Mantra oni here. They're scary.: You should probably stay here until I get rid of them.: The leader oni's gonna come out if you defeat the other three, and he's really scary! ...In other words, I'm scared.: Yyyyeah, I got that. : You probably should, yeah.> ...You received Magic Mirror! : Huh, thanks.: Don't let the others know, though. They'll get the wrong idea.: Gotcha.: Don't get the wrong idea either!: I promise!Good lord I hope I didn't somehow pick up the one tsundere Incubus.  *: Another ladder up on B3. This place is so sprawling! There are at least three more avenues I want to explore. Welp, we're here for now, let's see where this goes.  Oooh, another small terminal. Usually I'd obsess over the paths I'm not taking, but these convenient terminals would make it simple enough to just start over. Considering how the dungeons in earlier SMT games occasionally reached a level of rudeness that approached cruelty, this feels extraordinarily respectful of my time. Ha, speaking of my time, this save tells me I just broke the 50 hour mark. Man, this typing!  *: This door is labeled "Stone Cave", which... is surprisingly unhelpful.  ...but we're not even asked a question, we are simply turned back to the corridor. Maybe this is where the Oni boss would show up once we've taken out his crew? I can't quite remember. It would make sense, what with the small terminal nearby. We'll see.  Oh dang, that was quick, I completely forgot about saving up her current form. Ah well, so be it!    quote:Lv27 Holy Senri   *: Huh. Strange. There's a tunnel leading west on the opposite side. Let's check it out.  I didn't expect this already. These tracks run north-south, but the north end has collapsed, so south it is.   : Yeah, I did.: Were you attacked by an oni? Luckily, I wasn't...: Me neither. Huh! I guess you guys made it through unscathed then.*: This looks like it's going to be the exit to Asakusa, but I've left like at least half the tunnels behind, and we didn't run into a single Oni, except the regular one in the beginning. Can't help but feel I'm getting off easy here. There's no way this is it... is there?  : That's in Asakusa alright. I absolutely know it, but I can't believe it.: The end of the Ikebukuro Line--!*: Zed levels up off a couple Black Oozes. Iyomante would teach him Life Aid, which regenerates a percentage of your maximum HP after every fight... but it doesn't have a combat effect and I don't feel like it's better than anything else occupying our slots right now. Still, that was all Iyomante had to offer.  *: So we're not a Fiend anymore. Well, we're still the Demi-Fiend, but our official demon race is now Votary. : The hell's a votary?*: Same root as "devout". A votary is a person who has taken solemn religious vows, such as a monk or nun, or it can refer more generally to any disciple of a particular faith or sect. : I don't get it.*: Every Magatama has an alignment on the light/dark axis, and mastering a Magatama earns us one point towards its alignment. Think of it as permanently absorbing a portion of the demonic creature's essence, and keeping that fragment within us even when the actual entity is no longer physically present inside our body. Once a certain total number of points is accumulated, the Demi-Fiend's race changes to one of three titles, depending on how many of each alignment he has. The first break point is at two points. Since we have mastered Kamudo (Neutral) and Iyomante (Light), we now have two points. In case of a tie between Light and Dark, the neutral title is chosen, and in case of a tie between neutral and non-neutral, the non-neutral title is chosen. Therefore, we have the first Light title, making Zed a Light-aligned demon. : Whoa dang, what? Dude just shifted alignments, just like that?*: Yup. : That's huge!*: Eh, not really. Except for one minor element very late in the game, our title and alignment don't matter. It'll continue changing as we master more Magatama, and it just doesn't make any sense to pay much attention to the alignment of the Magatama we ingest over their skills, stats and immunities. : Huh, alright then, if you say so.  Am I just going to walk out of here? There's no way. Any moment now, I'm going to be ambushed by all four Oni, trying to make more of a name for themselves. Any second now.  Aaaaaand... : Ha! Schwaaa... Haiya! Ninja pose!: What the hell are you doing?: I'm being vigilant, prepared, and intimidating. You'll thank me later.: I'll thank you right now if you start acting in a more dignified manner.: WHO SAYS "NINJA POSE"?: Cool people. Shut up.: Ninja pose!: Ninja pose!: ...ninja pose.: But you can't...: Exactly.: Ha, never mind me then. Samurai pose! : Boys! Can't live with, can't live without, eh girls?: It's adorable. : Kunoichi pose!: ...: I've never brought back a ninja before. But I suppose they tend not to die warriors' deaths.: ...I KNEW YOU WERE LOSERS. YOU'RE ALL LOSERS!: You know, I can tell from here that you're made out of saltwater.: Did someone cast Agidyne? Because I just heard a sick burn!: I don't mean to spoil your stealthy sneaky fun, but if the oni didn't know we were here before, they sure know now.: Oh shi, good point. Let's get a move on. Ninja walk! Nope, this is it. Asakusa. No one's stopping us. We're out. We're there. Huh.
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Dec 11, 2015 12:45
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Nice job making it there without a bossfight. Say, why don't you go save at the Asakusa terminal? ...Is what I would say, except you haven't cleared the second Kalpa yet, have you?
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Dec 11, 2015 17:12
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I've lost track. Which demon is special Pixie now?
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Dec 11, 2015 22:55
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Montegoraon posted:Nice job making it there without a bossfight. Say, why don't you go save at the Asakusa terminal? Indeed, i have not! Though I'll probably go before long, even if only to recoup my... fusion-related expenses. FredMSloniker posted:I've lost track. Which demon is special Pixie now? That would be Kikuri-Hime. ( )In fact, to go in way too much detail... code:FrankZP fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Dec 12, 2015 |
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Dec 11, 2015 23:32
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Reading this LP really made me want to play this game again but since my old copy is long gone all I can hope for is that Sony will one day add this to the rereleased PS2 titles for the PS4.
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Dec 11, 2015 23:39
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Sylphosaurus posted:Reading this LP really made me want to play this game again but since my old copy is long gone all I can hope for is that Sony will one day add this to the rereleased PS2 titles for the PS4. It's already on the PSN Store for PS3 at least. I dunno much about how compatible those are with PS4 though.
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Dec 12, 2015 01:09
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FrankZP posted:Indeed, i have not! Though I'll probably go before long, even if only to recoup my... fusion-related expenses. Holy crap. That's dedication. (this is awesome) edit: Is the fusion accident a random monster, or are there certain combinations that, when accidents happen, result in the same monster? So, would another accident when fusing Badb Catha and Eligor result in a Troll?
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Dec 12, 2015 02:09
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GeneralYeti posted:Is the fusion accident a random monster, or are there certain combinations that, when accidents happen, result in the same monster? I feel like it's random with limits. (Can't have the player getting Satan the first time he gets a fusion accident...at Ginza.)
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Dec 12, 2015 02:51
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Sordas Volantyr posted:I feel like it's random with limits. (Can't have the player getting Satan the first time he gets a fusion accident...at Ginza.) For this game, I believe fusion accidents can result in a demon either 15 levels below or 3 levels above the protagonist's level. As for fusions resulting in specific demons, there's none of that in Nocturne. Some other SMT games have races of demons or specific demons that can only be gotten via fusion accidents, but not this one.
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Dec 12, 2015 03:06
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PeaceDiner posted:For this game, I believe fusion accidents can result in a demon either 15 levels below or 3 levels above the protagonist's level. What happens if you get an accident at, say, level 5? Can it roll below, resulting in you getting a Level 90?
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Dec 12, 2015 03:09
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By the way, I really appreciate how much meat is in an average update, it shows real dedication. Also don't forget your incense, you're only using them on Demi-Fiend anyway so might as well just do it whenever he's low on health and in hostile territory, it can save on fountain costs can only be good in the long run because if he dies its game over, right? I know how these hoarder instincts take over, I'm just offering the mental tricks I use to get over them. Also I appreciate the No More Heroes references every time you drop a save.
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Dec 12, 2015 03:10
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PeaceDiner posted:For this game, I believe fusion accidents can result in a demon either 15 levels below or 3 levels above the protagonist's level. Yup. Other than that, it's pretty much completely random, as long as the resulting demon is one that could be normally fused, i.e. no evolution-only demon like Arahabaki, or no boss you haven't beaten yet. I'm pretty sure it can't make a Fiend either, but I can't find outside confirmation for that. Skill inheritance is also completely re-rolled. All in all, fusion accidents are usually terrible, and even when they're not, they very rarely give you something that is as good as what you were planning on getting. So it's a good thing they only have a 1 in 256 chance of occurring, though that's bumped to a 1 in 16 chance on full K, making sacrificial fusion actually quite risky. On top of that, the experience that is usually passed down during a sacrificial fusion is entirely lost. If I was doing a minmaxed game, I'd have reloaded from a save... but here, well, it's giving me a chance to show it off, heh. Tallgeese posted:What happens if you get an accident at, say, level 5? I can't locate outside confirmation for that either, but I'm pretty sure the game isn't adding or substracting levels in a way that wraps around like rank up/down fusion does, it just picks a demon at random, does a level check on the 15 below 3 above range, then rolls again if the check fails. I could be totes wrong about that though, lord knows I've been wrong before. In any case, if it did wrap around, it'd break the game, so I would be real surprised if the devs didn't think of it. ManlyGrunting posted:By the way, I really appreciate how much meat is in an average update, it shows real dedication. Also don't forget your incense, you're only using them on Demi-Fiend anyway so might as well just do it whenever he's low on health and in hostile territory, it can save on fountain costs can only be good in the long run because if he dies its game over, right? I know how these hoarder instincts take over, I'm just offering the mental tricks I use to get over them. When I picked up the game again, I was trying to make sure I didn't have pink nostalgia glasses on, and I was preparing myself for it being not quite as good as I remembered, for it being maybe a bit of a chore to play. But that was really an unnecessary precaution; if anything, it's even better than I remembered. I practically have to force myself to put the controller down every session. I said at the beginning that I wasn't really going to grind, but the few times I voluntarily picked fights to gain exp, I was actually kind of happy that I'd get to enjoy the elegant, buttery-smooth combat system without having to pay attention to the dungeon layout or type anything for a bit. Even when I mention something's a pain in the rear end, I do it in an affectionate way; there are plenty of RPGs out there whose high points are far below Nocturne's low points. As for incense, you are completely right on every point. I'll make it happen sooner or later. :3 And man, dropping a save. The first time I ever said it, it was completely a reference, but now I say it because it feels so right!
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Dec 12, 2015 06:47
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 Wowzers! Going after the Mantra's secret surprise this early? I sure as hell never tried to pull that; but seeing your stat spread could make sense to do that, as your best magics barring tornado aren't available this early outside of dia/media. Because my demi-fiend was a glorified butler, that magic went up evenly too; but I always neglected my luck stat, and vitality to some extent.
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Dec 12, 2015 09:24
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Tactless Ogre posted:
I got it on my first visit because I'd put every point I got into St. The main character ending most things in a single punch is pretty hilarious. quote:And man, dropping a save. The first time I ever said it, it was completely a reference, but now I say it because it feels so right! My boyfriend and I use the phrase all the time as it's used in-game, as a euphemism. It's been cracking me up to imagine the MC of this game "saving" in the same manner as Travis the entire time.
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Dec 12, 2015 10:58
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MarquiseMindfang posted:My boyfriend and I use the phrase all the time as it's used in-game, as a euphemism. It's been cracking me up to imagine the MC of this game "saving" in the same manner as Travis the entire time. First I started imagining the Terminal cylinders as giant toilet paper rolls. Then I started being mildly disappointed that, production chronology-wise, Tlazolteotl hasn't been seen since Soul Hackers and won't pop up again till...I wanna say either one of the Persona 2s or Strange Journey? Not getting a proper 3D model really stints a lot of interesting demons' careers.
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Dec 12, 2015 15:45
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Andy Waltfeld posted:First I started imagining the Terminal cylinders as giant toilet paper rolls. She's in Megami Ibunroku Persona, SMT: SJ, and SMTIV, aside from Soul Hackers.
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Dec 12, 2015 18:46
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Tactless Ogre posted:
That wasn't originally the plan, but at some point I sorta decided to go for it. I know it'll be a long time before I can get full benefit from it, but the boost to the stats I rely on the most in this run is unsurpassed. And besides, I may not know exactly how much Vi, Ag and Lu I'll end up with by the end, but I know I'll definitely want at least 24 St, so I figured I'd focus on taking it there, then start working on the others. As for terminals and dropping saves... The design of terminals is based on Buddhist prayer wheels, so I guess I feel a little bad for putting that image in people's heads. :3
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Dec 13, 2015 01:55
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