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Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013



Brave Fencer Musashi is an action rpg developed and published by Squaresoft for the Sony Playstation in 1998. If you asked me to sum up what this game is in one sentence I would say, "Its like the Legend of Zelda except Link has radical hair and two swords; and there's bit of Kirby in there too." This is a silly game complete with a smorgasbord of puns to sink your teeth into.

Story

The story doesn't really unfold until after the first chapter, but luckily the game's manual can fill us in on the details:

The Manual posted:

The Legend of Musashi

Over 150 years ago, a giant monster suddenly appeared in the Thirtquencher Empire, neighboring country to the Allucaneet Kingdom. This monster was known as the Wizard of Darkness and was a huge creature made almost entirely of a powerful crystal known as Binchotite. After easily destroying the Thirstquencher Empire, the monster made way for Allucaneet, seeking the bountiful supply of Binchotite believed to be buried there. The monster destroyed everything along the way. It is believed that many creatures were born of this destruction as the Wizard of Darkness had a strange effect on everything that crossed its path.

Upon hearing of the Wizard of Darkness' approach, King Allucaneet ordered the Hero Summon spell to be cast. The Hero Summon spell is a special magical power that is handed down, generation to generation, amongst only the princesses of Allucaneet. A Closely guarded state secret, this power is only used as a last resort when the kingdom is faced with great danger. It grants its user the ability to summon a hero through incantations made over a specially prepared crystal of Binchotite. The summoned hero called upon to defeat the Wizard of Darkness was a two-sworded fencer named Musashi. Musashi accepted the princess' task and set on a journey to defeat the Wizard of Darkness.

Musashi and the Wizard of Darkness battled fiercely for a long time. Even for a hero like Musashi, The Wizard of Darkness proved a formidable foe. Finally, with the help of Lumina, the Sword of Luminescence, Musashi was able to seal the monster within a magical ward.

It is said that Musashi then divided the power of the monster into the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Sky, and then sealed them within five crests. These five crests became known as the Five Scrolls and in the years to follow passed into myth along with the legend of the brave fencer, Musashi.

Crisis Approaches the Allucaneet Kingdom

Things began rather suddenly. For years, tension had been stadily rising between the Allucaneet Kingdom and the Thirstquencher Empire. Finally, after diplomatic relations between the two nations ceased, the Thirstquencher Empire abruptly attacked the Allucaneet Kingdom. Unfortunately for Allucaneet, the king and queen were absent at the time of the attack.

As if the Thirstquencher Empire had timed its invasion according to their absence, the invasion began with one specific goal in mind; to capture Lumina, the Sword of Luminescence. Unable to repel the surprise attack, Allucaneet's army lost ground quickly while the enemy pressed on toward the castle. As the Thirstquencher army approached the castle, the senior members of Allucaneet realized that their only hope would be to summon a hero.


The LP

This will be an informative LP for the most part. However, I'm more than likely gonna chill out and enjoy the game rather than going out of my way to cover everything, but I'll try to cover as much content as I can.

Spoiler Policy

While this game is old I would prefer no one spoil anything that happens outside of what is covered so far.

Updates

Chapter 1
The Journey Begins

Chapter 2
The Lost Dog Arc
Jon's Secret? Get to the Top of Twinpeak Mountain!!
Steamwood Explodes in 24 Hours!? Climb that Tree, Musashi!!
The Stage is Set! Let's Fight in Hell's Valley!!

Chapter 3
The Vambee Arc Part 1
The Vambee Arc Part 2
The Vambee Source? Let's Explore the Restaurant Basement!
Enter Bubbles, 2nd Place Miss Thirstquencher!
Showdown with The Fire God! Don't Get Cooked Musashi!!

Chapter 4
Musashi, Mayor? Let's Fix Up the Village!
Duel at the Island of Dragons. Enter Kojiro, the Rival.
The Ultimate Move! Let's Find the Thieves' Hideout!!

Chapter 5
A New Crisis? The Princess Visits the Village!
Damp Tunnels? Let's Find the Next Scroll!
A Horrible Infestation! Let's Battle in the Abandoned Mine!

Chapter 6
Musashi Takes to the Skies! Let's Find the Last Scroll!!
Attack On Soda Fountain! Musashi Vs. Leader's Force!! Part 1
Attack On Soda Fountain! Musashi Vs. Leader's Force!! Part 2
The Legendary Brave Fencer Musashi

Fanart

Daigerus illustrates Musashi's idea of a better final boss fight:

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Aug 26, 2017

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Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Characters



Musashi
A brash fencer summoned by Prinecess Fillet of the troubled Allucaneet Kingdom. He has a fondness for duels and rice balls. After learning that he won't be able to return to his home world until he fulfills the wish of the princess, he reluctantly becomes the hero desperately needed by the kingdom.



Princess Fillet
The daughter of the king and queen of Allucaneet. She summons Musashi by casting the Hero Summon spell. Because she is a tomboy at heart, those around her have difficulty keeping her under control and out of trouble.



Butler Livers, Scribe Shanky, and Steward Ribson
These three statesmen aid King Allucaneet in governing the Allucaneet Kingdom. Taking care of the mischievous princess is a constant headache for them.



Rootrick
A Thirstquencher Lieutenant who leads the Empire's military force. Though not especially clever, he is persistent enough to get in Musashi's way.



Tim & Mint

The son of Hilda (owner of the Grocery Shop), Tim (left) is a rambunctious boy with a lot of big ambitions. His dream of conquering big adventures lands him in sticky situations on occasion. The daughter of Hotelo, Mint (right) is Tim's loyal friend and join him in his adventures.




Mayor McGoven
Grillin' Village's leader, Mayor McGoven always has a task for Musashi to complete. Although at times it may seem that he leans on Musashi too much, his concern for his village is genuine.



Jon & Leno
A wandering treasure hunter, Jon travels the world with his loyal dog, Leno. Musashi first runs into Jon during his quest to find the Five Scrolls, but only receives information concerning the different pieces of Legendary Armor. Musashi can rely on Jon for important information throughout his journey, but how does Jon know so much? Isn't he just a treasure hunter?



Gingerelle & Bubbles
Members of the Thirstquencher Army's spy group. It is rumored that they are beautiful sisters who compete for the number one spot in the Thirstquencher beauty contest.



Colonel Capricciola
Fuhrer Flatski's right-hand man. A cold and calculating strategist.



Ben, Ed, & Topo (Leader's Force)
Topo (Right), the mouse-eared dancer, loves raves music and declares herself the leader of the trio. Ed (middle) and Ben (left) also claim to be the head of Leader's Force, but instead of dance parties, they prefer to steal precious items from Allucaneet's citizens.



Kojiro
Kojiro is a mysterious swordsman summoned into the world of Allucaneet by Princess Fillet's second Hero Summon spell. It appears that Kojiro has some old gripes to settle with Musashi, and will stop at nothing (including joining Thirstquencher's efforts) until he has the ability to challenge Musashi to a good, old-fashioned duel.

Misc. Artwork
Chapter 1 Cover
Musashi Concept Art
Princess Fillet meets Musashi
Alchemist Leanman Concept Art
Steam Knight
Chapter 2 Cover
Skullpion
Chapter 3 Cover
Relic Keeper
Relic Keeper Boss fight Concept Art
Chapter 4 Cover
Frost Dragon
Chapter 5 Cover
Queen Ant
Chapter 6 cover
Soda Fountain
Flatski
King Allucaneet
Queen Allucaneet
Credits Art #1
Credits Art #2
Credits Art #3
Credits Art #4
Credits Art #5
Credits Art #6
Credits Art #7
Credits Art #8
Credits Art #9
Credits Art #10
Credits Art #11
Credits Art #12

Library Books
Legend Musashi
Binchotite
Allucaneet
The Empire
Let's Play Shogi!

Bestiary
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 13:47 on Aug 24, 2017

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Update #1



Things are off to a rolling start as we're sent to retrieve Lumina, the Sword of Luminescence.

The Journey Begins

Misc. Artwork
Chapter 1 Cover
Musashi Concept Art
Princess Fillet meets Musashi
Alchemist Leanman Concept Art
Steam Knight

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Aug 7, 2017

Zain
Dec 6, 2009

It's only forever, not long at all
How did you know I like action RPGs? Particularly this one.

Angry Lobster
May 16, 2011

Served with honor
and some clarified butter.
It's my first time watching this game, it might be fun. Also the voice acting seems a bit cheesy but nos as bad as I expected for a PS1 game.

MonstrousMouse
Apr 15, 2014
This might be my favorite game nobody's ever heard of. Glad you're showing it off!

IBlameRoadSuess
Feb 20, 2012

Fucking technology...

At least I HAVE THIS!
I love this game, glad someone's doing an LP of it. The voice acting is a bit hammy, but the translation is amazing. Alucaneet palace and its inhabitants are all surprisingly deep for a PS1 game, it's just a shame that the "sequel" on the PS2 wasn't quite as good.

grimlock_master
Nov 1, 2013

Fuck you, suzie
Instantly following this, I loved this game as a kid and still love it now.

I'm glad they made the spiral staircase at the beggining go the right way, I had forgotten about that.

Also, the amount of sass directed at Musashi is staggering

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
I always wanted to play this since I loved playing Threads of Fate which I believe was another action RPG.

Fun fact: Musashi is voice by Mona Marshall who is also known for her role as Izzy from Digimon Adventure.

Tuxedo Ted
Apr 24, 2007

Hey, I love ARPGs and I love food puns! This seems like the place for me.

Ditchard
Jun 28, 2008

MonstrousMouse posted:

This might be my favorite game nobody's ever heard of. Glad you're showing it off!

I thought this was a pretty well known, and well received game back in the halcyon Squaresoft days. Granted part of the reason for the popularity was probably the Final Fantasy 8 demo disc being bundled with it, but I think the game held up on it's own merits.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Oddly enough, that demo disc was the first time I ever played anything Final Fantasy, and I was so moved by the pretty cutscenes that I asked my grandma for FF8 for chirstmas. But she got her roman numerals mixed up and got me 7 instead.

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.
Good luck getting through this. Somehow, Brave Fencer Musashi continues to be a fun and fondly-remembered game even though almost every individual part of it is more tedious than fun. I really can't explain that.

Shei-kun
Dec 2, 2011

Screw you, physics!

Combat Lobster posted:

Oddly enough, that demo disc was the first time I ever played anything Final Fantasy, and I was so moved by the pretty cutscenes that I asked my grandma for FF8 for chirstmas. But she got her roman numerals mixed up and got me 7 instead.
You actually got the better game. Not the prettier game, sure, but the better one.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Shei-kun posted:

You actually got the better game. Not the prettier game, sure, but the better one.

If you say so. To this day, I still don't know what happens in 7 mostly due to me being a stubborn kid and refusing to read any of the dialog.

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

Jaxxon: Still not the stupidest thing from the expanded universe.



That is probably for the best

Zain
Dec 6, 2009

It's only forever, not long at all

Combat Lobster posted:

If you say so. To this day, I still don't know what happens in 7 mostly due to me being a stubborn kid and refusing to read any of the dialog.

To be fair, people that HAVE read the dialogue still don't know what the hell happens in FF7.

Shei-kun
Dec 2, 2011

Screw you, physics!

Zain posted:

To be fair, people that HAVE read the dialogue still don't know what the hell happens in FF7.
Something something meteor something something weapon something something Omnislash.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Update #2



Today Musashi does a sick rear end rail grind, touches a poo, rescues a dog, and frees a criminal. What a day(s)...

Also since the first video is mostly talking to people and navigating menus, have a second video on me.

The Lost Dog Arc Part 1
The Lost Dog Arc Part 2

Library Books
Legend Musashi
Binchotite
Allucaneet

Misc. Artwork
Chapter 2 Cover

Characters



Jon & Leno
A wandering treasure hunter, Jon travels the world with his loyal dog, Leno. Musashi first runs into Jon during his quest to find the Five Scrolls, but only receives information concerning the different pieces of Legendary Armor. Musashi can rely on Jon for important information throughout his journey, but how does Jon know so much? Isn't he just a treasure hunter?

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Aug 7, 2017

Shoeless
Sep 2, 2011
So Kurt's the jerk who keeps buying all the Amiibos before they even get to the shelves?

XavierGenisi
Nov 7, 2009

:dukedog:

Brave Fencer Musashi was one of my favorites for the PS1, and I rented it a whole bunch of times. It was great and I enjoyed it a lot, but then I got to the final boss and....I never finished it.

There's certainly some annoying bits in this game, but boy howdy, it's a fun and charming game overall. :allears:

ReturnOfFable
Oct 9, 2012

No tears, only dreams.
No lie, I've been waiting for a long time for someone to finally LP this game. I love Brave Fencer Musashi, just like Combatlobster this is probably one of my favorite games from the PS1 era.

Pretty much every time I went to a flea market or a used game store in college was to find a copy of this game. Still haven't yet.

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.
I think this may have been the first video game soundtrack I ever bought. If not, it was close behind Katamari Damacy. The Meandering Forest theme is by far one of my favorite tracks. It's a shame the place is so far out of the way most of the time, because I"d probably go hang out there just to hear the music for a while.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Update #3



The day to day life of Musashi is a dangerous one. Today we climb Twinpeak Mountain and find out Jon's secret.

As always, if you're ever curious about where I'm at in the production cycle of these updates. I'm usually tweeting about it

Jon's Secret? Get to the Top of Twinpeak Mountain!!

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Nov 2, 2016

Zain
Dec 6, 2009

It's only forever, not long at all
This LP made me want to give Samurai Legend Musashi another go... Still bad.

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

Jaxxon: Still not the stupidest thing from the expanded universe.



Man, something I just realized. Is everyone in the castle in the small room next to stage at all hours of the day just to talk to mushashi?

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

bunnyofdoom posted:

Man, something I just realized. Is everyone in the castle in the small room next to stage at all hours of the day just to talk to mushashi?

Maybe it's a portal sorta thing, and everyone is wearing a auto-teleporting bracelet or something. :shrug:

XavierGenisi
Nov 7, 2009

:dukedog:

Oh boy. I forgot how early Steamwood happened in this game. Granted, I was a dumb kid who wasn't very good at video games when I played this game last, but gently caress Steamwood.

I love the toys though. It's like, they wanted to do a model viewer for the game, adding a little bit more detail in some places, but decided to have an in-game justification for it, and it owns.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Update #4



Holy steaming vegetables, Steamwood's gone berserk and Musashi only has 24 HOURS to fix everything. Will he make it? Also we challenge Rootrick to a race or something.

Steamwood Explodes in 24 Hours!? Climb that Tree, Musashi!!

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

Jaxxon: Still not the stupidest thing from the expanded universe.



Jeez Mushashi, yes Rootrick is a dick, but killing him by pushing off a mountain is a bit much.

XavierGenisi
Nov 7, 2009

:dukedog:

Looking at it now, Steamwood honestly isn't that bad here. It is, however, a stressful annoyance, especially for new players. Like, the overall time limit is one thing, but the valve timer that resets the entire sequence if you mess up is aggravating if you really suck at this sequence.

...which definitely was the case for me as a kid. :(

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

bunnyofdoom posted:

Jeez Mushashi, yes Rootrick is a dick, but killing him by pushing off a mountain is a bit much.

It's even more brutal when you beat him by a wide margin:

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

Jaxxon: Still not the stupidest thing from the expanded universe.



Jesus,


Our hero ladies and gents.

Shei-kun
Dec 2, 2011

Screw you, physics!
Goddamn, Musashi.

No mercy whatsoever.

racerabbit
Sep 8, 2011

"HI, I WANT TO HUG PINS NUTS."
:frolf:
I bought this game when it first came out, and drat did I love it! So full of character and humor.

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

Update #5



Happy Turkey day! Today Musashi does battle with the dreaded Skullpion. There's also a bonus video that goes over some very minor stuff from chapters 1 and 2.

If you're hearing weird pops in the bonus video, the emulator I'm using to record the video part of each update messes up the dialogue audio for some reason. Usually I fix this in post, but I figured it'd be too much trouble to have to replay the whole two chapters again in order to grab audio from a better source.

The Stage is Set! Let's Fight in Hell's Valley!!
Bonus Video #1

Misc. Artwork
Skullpion

Characters



Gingerelle & Bubbles
Members of the Thirstquencher Army's spy group. It is rumored that they are beautiful sisters who compete for the number one spot in the Thirstquencher beauty contest.



Colonel Capricciola
Fuhrer Flatski's right-hand man. A cold and calculating strategist.

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Aug 7, 2017

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

Jaxxon: Still not the stupidest thing from the expanded universe.



What happens if you fusion a minku?

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

bunnyofdoom posted:

What happens if you fusion a minku?

Nothing, fusion'll just pass through the minku. Makes you think if they're even real.:iiam:

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Fun fact: The Thirstquencher Empire were orginally called the Liquor Empire and were named after alcohol: Flatski was named Tequila, Capricciola was named Jean Walker after the Johnnie Walker whisky brand, and Gingerelle & Bubbles were named Liqueur & Brandy respectively.

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XavierGenisi
Nov 7, 2009

:dukedog:

Ahhh, the crest guardian. While I think some of the later bosses are better than Skullpion here, the visual design for all of them are extremely good.

And wow, I remember there being a silly naming scheme for the Thirstquencher Empire, but I did not remember Fuher Flatski. That's...quite a name and title alright.

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