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I do still need to get around to play it, but even if I hate the combat I love everything else about the game so I don't feel it would be a waste of owning it.
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Jul 10, 2018 05:35
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The combat's not terrible as such - it's biggest problem is that it's too complex for such a short game, and too underdeveloped for a longer one, and just flat out doesn't tell you anything; you can't really strategise too far, as you're never sure who is going to get the next turn, or what an enemy drops, or what element they are, or how much health they have left. To be fair they didn't really fix those elements in Shadow Hearts until Covenant. Although there is an attempt to make the fights more dynamic with the Judgement Ring, and some of the information can be found ingame either through the library or...other methods...as there is less of a reliance on drops because you can just buy things. And even for the enemies health, the player is given a visual hint when an enemy is in critical health, and they start obviously swaying, or twitching, or breathing deeply, or whatever.
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Jul 10, 2018 06:50
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This might not be an issue going forwards, and it might be just me, but whenever Yuri transforms and a battle ends, the highlight videos start flickering like hell.
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Jul 11, 2018 03:38
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Episode XII: The Sewer That Killed My Computer.jpg) You know, it is a bold move to introduce a pair of protagonists for the opening couple of hours of a game only to kill them both off out of nowhere and shift gears from occult intrigue to a spy thriller. But Shadow Hearts plays by its own rules. The Alluring Spy leaps off the roof. She has very sturdy legs.  Music: Blade .jpg)  …Ugh. H-hey now… What’s with the big boom alla sudden… <looks around> Whoa! Lady, I can see your… Good, you’re alive. Thank God the bomb I designed to SAVE people didn’t end up killing them! Still... getting a real show here lady... Kinda just got blown up... This is on you... Anyway, I hope you got a good look, sonny boy. Just think of it as my apology. ...I’ll take it. <walks over to Alice> …And how are you feeling, Miss? I’m… I’m all right. Alice, you get a free show if you lie around for a minute... W-what...? I don’t think it is your concern..jpg) Alice and Yuri pick themselves up. As they do, a couple of Japanese soldiers run onto the scene down the alley. .jpg)  They’re the people from the radio!! Wait... I thought we were after only the one white woman. Yes and...? There are two white ladies here. Err... What was the description again? Caucasian, slender build, light color hair, wearing a short dress... Err... Again... There’s two of ‘em. Hmph. Ergh... This is above our paygrade. Call for reinforcements!! H-hurry, we gotta inform the Captain!The two soldiers run off. .jpg) Hee hee! So they’re after you too, are they?! Us?! We’re not bomb-toting terrorists, ya hear? Jeez, lady, my ears are still ringing! Don’t worry, that’ll clear up. Now then, I’ve got to get out of here before they get back, but… What are you going to do? I can’t baby-sit, but you can come with me if you want. Where? The street you blew up or the other part of the street you blew up? I’d call it more of an alley, but... <walks to already open for some reason manhole> Okay, I’m going on ahead. See ya!.jpg) The Alluring Spy peaces out into the sewer. You think she put a small explosive beneath the manhole to blow it off giving her a quick Plan B exit? .jpg) Yuri, did you hear that radio broadcast? Yeah, sounds like they’ve blamed you for the attack on the train last night. Me…?! Yeah... You heard the same broadcast as me. We just got chewed out by that old hag shopkeeper. Right... I just had an explosive go off near me. Forgive me for being a bit out of sorts. Don’t worry. I’m your accomplice, after all. I did splatter two or three monster heads and punch out a wizard’s eye. I can take the blame for SOME of the mess. Wait a sec, we can’t stand around chatting! Let’s move! Looks like we can get out through here, like that woman did. Ugh... I can’t believe I’m already roped into a sewer level....jpg) Before we head down, the bombing knocked loose a Lottery Ticket in a random spot in the alley. We’ll need to hold on to that for later. .jpg) No avoiding it. Our only option is going forward into a sewer level. At least they’re getting it out of the way early... Music: ENDS. Sound of stock water flowing begins. .jpg) Narrow side paths, a canal in the middle with muddy flowing water, narrow bridges over said canal, straight line corridors and a ladder or two. Yep... This sure is a sewer level. Thankfully, it’s a very short one by JRPG standards. Before we get on our way, you see that small staircase? The one leading into the raw sewage? If we have Yuri inspect that, we find... .jpg) I’ve got some bad news about those “granules of gold” you just found in that sewage hourglass... .jpg) As we all know, the various subterranean waste canals the world over are host to all manner of unseemly characters in the best of times and an unwavering nest of man-eating monsters in all other cases. Fengtian’s sewers are no exception... .jpg) Music: Brain Hopper .jpg) .jpg) Mutant Frogs make their home in these particular sewers. Ones with tendencies to smack anyone that comes their way with their err... tongue hands. Now does a hit with tongue-hand constitute a slap or a lick? Maybe a... slick? Slaick? Regardless, these hits can cause the Poison status effect at random. .jpg) They can also lickap Yuri or Alice in a specific gross way to cause a random Ring Abnormality if they’re feeling really saucy. .jpg) Other than that, they’re not too substantial a foe. Especially with our new weapon load-out. Even Alice is able to bop a Mutant Frog in a single combo. Yuri has ‘em beat in at most two strikes. .jpg) The far more troubling mob are these jerks. Hey, remember the monsters from the Plains? Well they’re back with a new coat of paint and in greater numbers. .jpg) Fire Bats in particular are a real pain in the rear end because, as the name might suggest, they can shoot Fire Balls doing a not too bad 6-12 HP of damage. The more annoying part is they have high Agility so they get more turns/initiative over our party and they ALL do nothing but Fire Ball, which is about an 8-10 second animation. Which might not sound so bad but look, I don’t want to see any lame lengthy casting animations that give me flashbacks to Koudelka, alright? .jpg) The New Music: Ghost Jogging (Doubt we’ll hear this much, so listen to an anxiety attack now.) .jpg) ...have her become Berserk. VIOLENTLY! Berserk gets its own music track to know you’ve done hosed up and better fix it immediately. I briefly mentioned what Berserk does earlier, but let’s see it in action. We completely lose control of anyone who is Berserk, naturally. What makes this status really suck and to be avoided at all costs is the following... .jpg) They’ll waste our consumables! That Elixir equivalent you’ve been hording the entire game JUST IN CASE? Berserking character won’t give a gently caress! Yuri’s down 9 HP. Top him off! Top the enemy off! gently caress it! .jpg) .jpg) They’ll also do other assorted stupid poo poo like buff or heal the enemy and generally waste MP on frivolous junk. Set their allies on fire. gently caress it! YOLO! Needless to say, we’re gonna avoid Berserk status if it can ever be helped. .jpg) One final note: Sanity Points don’t just stop at 0 SP and start the Berserk status. They keep going down into negative SP if the condition is not treated and the Berserk character keeps getting turns to be a huge crazed dingus. Friends don’t let friends stay Berserk. Music: END. Back to water flowing. .jpg) There’s a couple more monsters in the area. But we’ll see ‘em soon enough. In the meantime, there is a treasure chest to loot. I bet whatever Fengtian native stuck this down here thought they were being really clever with their hiding place. Who’d look around in a sewer? The FOOL! .jpg) All that’s in here is the second tier of Sanity Point restorative. These don’t start showing up in shops for several areas, so it’s nice to have an early sampling. It only restores 7 SP but that’s usually more than enough for a single fight. .jpg) To progress, we actually need to double back around the canal and reach the other side to that hole in the wall. Jumping across a sewer waterway is unthinkable. What if poo water got on Yuri’s coat? Scandalous. When we reach it, we find... .jpg)  Is something there…? Another monster…? I dunno… <crackle knuckles> One way to find out...The puppy from earlier bounces out. .jpg) HOLY FU—wha? Bark, bark! G-Goddamn it, don’t freak me out like that!!.jpg) Whine, whine... The little runt got lost in here, and now he can’t find his way out! Hah! How dumb! <laughs> Tee-hee! Just like us, no?   Stupid dog! Ya making me look bad! A-anyway, Alice! We’re off! Forget about the dog. But we can’t just leave it here! Let’s take it to the exit with us, at least. Hey, suit yourself, baby! I sure wish someone would take US to the exit… Don’t blame me if you get fleas. Don’t be mean. You don’t have fleas, do you? Bark! Bark! Bork! Just sayin’, it IS a sewer pup... Gunshots are heard. .jpg)  Gunfire!!Alice scoops up the puppy and the two run in the direction of the shots. .jpg) OK, maybe they don’t immediately run in the direction of gunfire. If we inspect the hole the puppy was hiding in, we find yet another Lottery Ticket. What a lucky puppy. OK, now about that firefight... .jpg) It’s that woman…! Oh… Asleep again, eh? Heh heh heh… What should I do? <laughs> Asleep again...? You know, like that one time yo—ergh. Never mind! Um, hello? She isn’t... dead... right? I dunno. Sure ain’t gonna be able to tell from the smell down here. <shakes head> Good heavens, she’s out cold. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I just… Go ahead. <jumps back> Whoa!! You’re awake?! And you’re a bit of a creep, huh?The spy picks herself up off the ground. .jpg) Aren’t you going to help me up with an “Are you all right, fair lady?” and a smile? B-but, you obviously don’t need any help… <shrugs and shakes her head> I never imagined there’d be monsters roaming the sewers. I guess even I can slip up sometimes. ...That’s like the only thing that is ever roaming in sewers, lady. That and weird information broker hobo villages. Yes, well... I thought perhaps China would be different, is all! That was almost the end of my epic saga! If the press were to lose me now, they’d be positively crushed. Ow! Ouch. Are you all right? <laughs> Yes, I’m fine. Thanks. Oh, you’re the two I met before, aren’t you? The terrorist boy and the mysterious girl. YOU’RE the terrorist. We’re just a couple’a helpless “murderers”. Hell, I think I’m only vague “accomplice” to miss Rail Tracer over here, right now. Could we please stop bringing that up? Terrorist?! Don’t lump me together with those barbarians! I’m a spy. S-P-Y. Get it? A ravishing beauty that just happens to be Miss Spy Genius. But you did just set off a bomb in a public place, right? Yes. But the reasons for it were much more complicated than mere pedestrian terrorism. ...Don’t think that one is gonna hold up in court. The name’s Malkovich. Of course, “Malkovich” is only my CODE name. Say, tell you what… I’ll let you in on a secret, sonny boy: My real name. A little “thank-you” for coming to save me! Look, I didn’t come to save you. And you don’t have to tell me your name.Yuri begins walking off. .jpg) The hell is a “telephone number”? Look, I ain’t big on math. Little bit of a bumpkin, huh? I could educate you. <turns back> Jeez! I got it, already! Okay, so what’s your name?  You wanna know THAT bad, huh? My, my! I can’t keep them away with a stick! Fine, forget it. <starts walking away again> H-hold on! All right, all right. Here goes. My real name is....jpg) Meet our fourth party member: Margarete Gertrude Zelle. Who you might know better from history as Mata Hari. Don’t worry much at all about the historical Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod/Zelle. Shadow Hearts’ version may as well just be Nina Williams from Tekken with the martial arts replaced with more guns. .jpg) Nice to meet you both. You won’t regret having me on board! .jpg) About ten seconds after this line I saved a recording of footage and my computer blue-screened as several components of my PC decided now was the time to die. poo poo... You called it, Yuri! Well done...    Margarete Gertrude Zelle Status Art – I’d comment, but my computer is on fire. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Jul 12, 2018 |
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Jul 11, 2018 19:08
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Nothing good ever comes out of sewer levels.
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Jul 11, 2018 19:58
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One last dick move of the berserk status: Berserked party members don't gain EXP if they end a battle in that status.
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Jul 11, 2018 20:13
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Cursed Sewer Level. ...Well, Sewer Levels are always cursed, this one was more cursed than usual.
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Jul 11, 2018 20:14
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I totally wasn't expecting Margarete to join the team. I'd guessed you would fight her a couple times throughout the game, maybe as a midgame boss and again during the penultimate stage of the game as she acts as a decoy to allow the bigger badguys to escape to their final lair. Welp.
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Jul 11, 2018 20:48
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Christ, I remembered Margarete, but I forgot she was Mata Hari. I think it say a shitload about the series that Mata Hari joining the party is a forgettable detail.
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Jul 11, 2018 20:55
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TalkLittle posted:I totally wasn't expecting Margarete to join the team. I'd guessed you would fight her a couple times throughout the game, maybe as a midgame boss and again during the penultimate stage of the game as she acts as a decoy to allow the bigger badguys to escape to their final lair. Welp. The flubbed bombing defiantly looks like they are setting her up to be the recurring joke villain like Dalton in Chrono Trigger or The Scorpion Army in Secret of Mana.
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Jul 11, 2018 21:04
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The Dark Id posted:I’ve got some bad news about those “granules of gold” you just found in that sewage hourglass...
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Jul 11, 2018 21:05
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TalkLittle posted:I totally wasn't expecting Margarete to join the team. I'd guessed you would fight her a couple times throughout the game, maybe as a midgame boss and again during the penultimate stage of the game as she acts as a decoy to allow the bigger badguys to escape to their final lair. Welp. Someone on this pulp action occult superhero team has to be the person who just shoots people with guns.
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Jul 11, 2018 21:13
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Night10194 posted:Someone on this pulp action occult superhero team has to be the person who just shoots people with guns.
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Jul 11, 2018 21:20
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Supersonic Shine posted:The key to getting the bad ending in this game is letting John Constantine join your party. Nah, that gets you the secret joke ending where a bunch of devils show up and fight off the final boss for you because otherwise John'll die and they'll have to fight over his soul since he owes it to all of them and they certainly aren't the sharing type.
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Jul 11, 2018 21:37
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Omobono posted:Christ, I remembered Margarete, but I forgot she was Mata Hari. Covenant and FTNW's historical characters are much more obvious in comparison. Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jul 11, 2018 |
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Jul 11, 2018 21:49
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I kinda love that the aspect of Mata Hari that this game draws on is the spy aspect. Ya know, something which I believe historians aren't 100% sure Mata Hari actually ever was, and if she was, she wasn't very good at it. Although let's be real, Margie here isn't doing a great job either.
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Jul 11, 2018 22:31
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Camel Pimp posted:I kinda love that the aspect of Mata Hari that this game draws on is the spy aspect. Ya know, something which I believe historians aren't 100% sure Mata Hari actually ever was, and if she was, she wasn't very good at it. Although let's be real, Margie here isn't doing a great job either. Woman Suspected of Being Bumbling Spy
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Jul 11, 2018 22:51
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Beyond not realizing that the characters in this game were based off real people, I remember changing her name back to Malkovich because that was way cooler then Margarete. She's a fun character, but yeah I totally saw her more as a slightly more selfaware Clouseau.
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Jul 11, 2018 23:31
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Camel Pimp posted:I kinda love that the aspect of Mata Hari that this game draws on is the spy aspect. Ya know, something which I believe historians aren't 100% sure Mata Hari actually ever was, and if she was, she wasn't very good at it. Although let's be real, Margie here isn't doing a great job either. Good spies generally aren't famous yeah. I noticed the historical Kawashima is sometimes called the Eastern Mata Hari, according to wikipedia. Maybe that's what inspired the idea of Margaret seeing her as a rival.
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Jul 12, 2018 04:30
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Now, is the puppy just a puppy or some spirit/monster/spy/magic dude in disguise? Or a magic dog, maybe.The Dark Id posted:you get a free show if you like around for a minute... Guessing the 2nd should be "it" or "that" and the 3rd is missing an "s" on that possessive.
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Jul 12, 2018 08:49
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Guess a Baccano! reference was only a matter of time with that opening...The Dark Id posted:
If we wanna nitpick the track's called Ghosts Jogging which, again, is a great title. Also compared to some other berserk themes, this one's downright relaxing.
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Jul 12, 2018 10:00
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I don't know much about Mata Hari other than she was a spy, got caught, and executed. This information that she probably wasn't a spy is news to me. At least this sewer level wasn't that long?
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Jul 12, 2018 20:43
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Yeah, it's complicated, likely story was she was blackmailed into it, failed to get any useful information due to her targets not actually being involved with the military (German Propaganda made the Crown Prince to be far more useful than he actually was), then she was executed to basically quell the unrest in France.
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Jul 12, 2018 22:03
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Episode XIII: Seals and Guards Music: Blade .jpg) Margarete has now joined our party filling in the Water element niche. She is more of an all-around character unlike the more magically inclined Zhuzhen from earlier. Though she possesses the highest Luck stat of any character. Which I would imagine is an important trait of any super spy. .jpg) The only new piece of equipment Codename Malkovich comes packing is this Mini-Mauser. This is actually a 1914 Mauser Pocket Pistol which is a little weird for someone to be carrying in 1913. But we can hand handwave that with the whole spy having rare/prototype tech. Other than that, she comes equipped by default with a Leather Skirt, like the one we just bought Alice. No accessories to her name, though. That’s fine. There’s a reason we stripped down Zhuzhen before he departed the party. I hope spies are OK with second-hand belts and bandannas. .jpg)  As it turns out in the weapon hierarchy according to Shadow Hearts, guns beat staffs and heavy books but they're no match for a strong fist. That's just science. At least Margarete looks like she's having fun. .jpg) Unlike the rest of our cast, who are varying degrees of arcane superhumans… Margarete is just a normal lady. Zero magical abilities. Instead, she has access to Secret Weapons and a vast spy network to aide her in battle. Activating a Secret Weapon results in Marge pulling her 1913 cellphone out of her coat and calling for assistance. .jpg) Yeah, I could use some help here..jpg) What did you think I was joking? S-P-Y remember? Don't worry about it too much! This call results in a grenade dropping from the sky into Margarete's hand, no matter the location. All of her Secret Weapons work in a similar fashion. She has a VERY good support network. It's like the assassins in AssCreed: Brotherhood. Doesn't matter if there's exactly one bush on an empty field 5km from civilization. There's a dude in there ready for go time to shank a guy as soon as the signal is given. .jpg) Despite being an explosive, the Grenade causes Water elemental damage and decent amounts of it too, in the 50-65 HP range where we're at currently. It's a very wet grenade, you see. .jpg) Our new spy also comes pre-equipped with her Water elemental imbuing "spell", Water Edge. This time she phones up for help and a rope pulley drops from the sky. Margarete casually yanks on it and… .jpg) …the targeted character has a bucket of water dumped on their head. See? Now they're just DRENCHED in Water element. It's that easy! Hopefully, Zhuzhen won't come back with Fire Edge which just results in him lighting a torch and tossing it at someone's head. .jpg) That does it for our brief overview of Margarete. We'll be seeing a lot of her in battle. Mostly because (spoilers) she'll be our third party member for a lot longer than Zhuzhen stuck around. Music: ENDS. The sound of rushing wastewater takes its place. .jpg) Back to business, now that Margarete has joined our ragtag little band we can continue exploring the sewer. The whole area is just a big + layout wise. If we return to the entrance and head east, we'll end up at a Save Point and the exit. I told you it was a short sewer level! Let's crawl up and get the hell out of here! .jpg) Hey, is this…?! Yup, no question about it. It’s a Taoist seal… Maybe to keep us from getting out? But who set it? I doubt there’s anybody in the Japanese Army that can use black magic like this. It’s a lot different than the kind of magic I know… You’re right. This feels far more sinister… and evil. It simply reeks of it. …Wait, did you say you knew magic? Yes. Just a basic curative spell. Nothing amazing like Yuri. Huh… What can you do, sonny boy? Huh? I can use Fusion. Right… You say that like I'm supposed to know what that means… He can transform into monsters! Hey! It's a little more complicated than that! Oh? Ergh… Well, you see… I've got to get Fusion Souls from my mind Graveyard and there's Soul Energy that builds up and ergh… <confused stare> Yeah, OK. I guess it is transforming into monsters. Tch… Well… that's… different. Anyway, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to get out of these sewers unless we break it… Break a Taoist seal? How? I don’t have a clue. Met an old geezer that probably knows a thing or two about that but he's long gone. It looks like something fits into the center of this symbol.Everyone climbs back down. .jpg) There are two ways to break that seal: Open the lock on the other side, or destroy its guardian… <looks around>There aren’t any guards around. It’s just us three. But that terrible, oppressive feeling I get here… It’s like someone’s been watching us. Ever since we arrived… Ah, what a pain. If you’re out there, save us both some time and show yourself! C’mon, let’s play! Dear, dear. There are plenty of situations where brute strength just isn’t the answer, sonny boy! I dunno… It's worked PRETTY well for me in all situations so far… So that leaves the lock… And all we’ve got to do is find something to unlock it with! Right? Awright, let’s start lookin’….jpg) …Huh? Right on schedule! The bomb I set in the train depot just went off. Lady, could you STOP doing terrorist attacks!? Really reconsidering hanging out with you. I told you, it's not terrorist attacks it's strategic strikes from a master spy! drat, Margarete, how many firecrackers do you have up there? Tee-hee! That was the last one. I bet the Japanese Army didn’t even know what hit ’em! Didn’t know what hit ’em…?! If this whole sewer system collapses, we won’t know what hit US, either! Oh ho ho ho! Come now, who do you think you’re talking to? I’m Margarete, Miss Spy Genius! As if I’d make that kind of mistake. It’s all according to plan! Every last detail! I can’t believe this… Fun Fact: Margarete's bombings of the railroad in Fengtian is derived from the Huanggutun Incident which was a railway bombing in the same region (granted it was some 15 years later, in 1928.) That bombing had very little to do with a haughty spy trying to dick over Imperial Japan. It was more some Japanese colonel stationed in the region Galaxy Braining the assassination of a regional leader in a bid to install a successor more malleable to Japanese interests. He did not take into consideration everyone getting super pissed they blew up a train and killed a bunch of people, which ultimately resulted in blowback weakening Japan's influence in Manchuria. Whoops! .jpg) .jpg) May as well continue our trek around the perimeter of the sewer passages. The northern, righthand side of the tunnel leads to a treasure chest containing… .jpg) A new pistol for Margarete. That was quick. Unlike our spy's default weapon, which wasn't available until the following year, this is a Type 94 Nambu pistol which wasn't available until 1934 at the earliest. Don't ask me what it's doing in the back of this sewer in southern Manchuria 20 years early. We can't get too hung up on that when Marge is carrying a cellphone. Anyway, this weapon offers +2 Attack Power but -2 Special Power. That's not a huge difference either way. For running around with random battles, it's a touch better. But we'll be mostly using special attacks for upcoming major encounters, so… I equipped it and forgot to switch back when it was boss time. Pfft… It's barely a difference! It's fine! .jpg) .jpg) Unlike Koudelka, which had like all of 20 minutes of backtracking the entire 12-hour game, Sacnoth REALLY gets their money's worth out of each pre-rendered screen in Shadow Hearts. So to progress in this dungeon, we need to run ALL the way back around the perimeter of the area, past where we acquired the puppy and Margarete joined up, to reach the northern edge of the area. There's that chest we just found the pistol in. C'mon, guys! That's like a three-foot gap. You could jump that!  .jpg) Spy bomber's explosion has caused the brickwork to crumble and revealed this little trinket. That orb sure looks like it could fit in an evil Taoist manhole cover. .jpg) …Oh, oh ho ho ho! Th-this is according to plan, too. See? We got the stone, right?? Not buying that one, huh? I'm afraid not. Nope! Okay, I admit it, it was a mistake. But it turned out all right, didn’t it? See? Now, let’s hurry!.jpg) .jpg) Before we retrace our steps all the way back to the exit, there's a Paralysis neutralizing accessory invisibly hanging out at the end of this platform. Good thing the architects of this sewer decided to make some useless platform, lest this orb be stationed over sewage and the party would have to get all gross wading through it. Real foresight. .jpg) Another trek clear across the dungeon, with a pitstop at the Save Point to clear Malice, use a Tent and naturally save the game. Let's try this again… .jpg)  <growl> The evil I sensed before… it’s getting stronger! Indeed, I’m breaking out in a cold sweat. This is just… icky. Think that's just the turd on your boot? Watch your step. The WHAT!? UGH! <snicker> <inserts Sealing Stone> …C'mon, baby… Is that good!? S-something’s… coming!!.jpg) Music: Brain Hopper .jpg) Oh CHRIST! What is this inside-out Creature of the Black Lagoon rear end fishman? .jpg) Oh, good grief! There's three of 'em! Mini-boss time. Meet the Kappa (the green fish boys) and Water Tiger (the red fish lad.) The Kappa duos possess 100 HP while their big brother Water Tiger is packing 380 HP and is the actual mini-boss. Before we get into 'em, let's jump into some folklore. Kappas Wikipedia on Kappa posted:
 Had to look up the parts about sumo wrestling and mystical rear end organs to make sure the wiki wasn't vandalized and nope. They're totally into that kinda poo poo. Sure… Water Tiger, on the other hand, is based on the Shui Gui -- the Chinese equivalent of a Kappa. It just has a feline head and possesses a more monkey-like than turtle motif. They took some liberties here… .jpg) .jpg) Back to the enemy at hand. Margarete is just going to be lobbing grenades non-stop until otherwise noted. That might be Marge's game plan for a good portion of major enemy encounters for a time. The two Kappas are Water elementals, so Grenade is only doing around 35-40 HP of damage. But Water Tiger is, despite the name once again, a Fire elemental foe. So he's taking upward of 65+ damage a blast. .jpg) .jpg) Meanwhile, we're going to have Yuri turn into a tiger of his own and start going hog on the two Kappa first. After Marge softened 'em up, a single decent combo should be enough to finish both of the two buggers off. Which is good, because Kappa possesses a curative spell and will heal Water Tiger if given the chance. .jpg) We're not going to allow that. .jpg) Water Tiger doesn't possess many attacks, though they do hit for nearly 40 HP of damage if he does strike. Knockback is a mighty kick that has the potential of knocking a character into the back row. I suppose I should mention there are a front and back row formation during battles. Back row takes less damage from enemies but deals less physical damage as well. Magic-oriented characters hang out there since range does not affect Special Abilities. That's another thing from Koudelka that has thankfully been eliminated. Alice and Zhuzhen are back row folk. Likewise, front row characters deal/take more damage from physical attacks. Yuri and Marge hang out on the front lines. Row orientation can be swapped at any time (at the cost of a turn) by pressing right on the D-Pad to access a hidden option from the battle menu. .jpg) The Kappa can also slap around our characters, but it's much less impressive – only doing around 15-20 HP of damage. .jpg) As usual, Alice is on support duty topping off everyone's health as well as making sure she herself doesn't go Berserk. Tents are cheap and we're right next to a Save Point. No sense in conserving MP. .jpg) .jpg) Once the two Kappa are dealt with, Margarete can take a moment from her Grenade spamming duties to dump a bucket of water on Yuri. Remember, Water Tiger is a Fire elemental. .jpg) Now that there is no threat of the Kappa healing up the Water Tiger, Yuri can get to business tearing away at the mid-boss' HP. Though I doubt in his current man-cat form, he much appreciates getting drenched in water. .jpg) .jpg) Once the Water Tiger drops below 100 HP it tries a last-ditch effort of buffing its Physical Attack by 15% with some Shonen anime Fighting Spirit. This increases the monster's damage to around 50+ HP a strike. .jpg) .jpg) This increasing in DPS does not help it to survive. Get rekt, you gross fish dudes. You're between us and getting out of a sewer level. That I cannot abide. Music: Results .jpg) .jpg) We get a pretty nice amount of EXP and Cash from slaying the assorted eastern river mythological creatures, including an entirely useless accessory. Getting knocked into the back row will never warrant an accessory slot to deter, sorry. Though I do want to know more about Quick-shoe Joey… Music: ENDS .jpg) Jeez, what kind of trembling little coward double-locks? Hmph. At least it was an easy victory. Ya know, you said that explosion before was your last bomb and then you turn around and toss like a half dozen grenades. Pft! Those hardly count! Uh-huh… <look around concerned> …What is it? I know we destroyed that thing, but… I can still sense intense evil… Don’t worry. The seal’s broken! Up ahead’s a landing strip. We’re gonna go get us an AIRPLANE! C’mon! …We're doing what, now? <looks around nervously> I still feel like someone’s watching us, though….jpg) .jpg) That does it for Shadow Hearts' obligatory Sewer Level. That wasn't so painful. Other than the hundreds of bucks it cost to replace my desktop, I mean… The Puppy jumps out of… wherever Alice was storing it and trots into the field. .jpg) Who the heck is "Tiny"? The puppy. …You people were stashing a puppy with you this entire time? <shrugging> Evidently… Hmm? Aw, the mutt ran away, huh? Forget about him, Alice. He’s just happy to be outside. <turns to Yuri> But… Okay, fine! <continued bewildered look that a puppy has been here the entire time>.jpg) The trio dash after Tiny, who has decided he is sick of the outdoors and wants to sniff around one of the plane hangars. .jpg) Bow wow wow wow! Heck! …Did that puppy say "heck"? I think it just sneezed. Aww. So cute!A Japanese soldier wanders over to see what the commotion is all about. Music: Army Mood .jpg) Uh-oh! Japanese troops! Weren't we sneaking on their base? Who'd you think would be here? I was hoping the bomb would draw their attention. ALL of them!? …There was a miscalculation or two, I'll admit. ……Another soldier wanders over. .jpg) S-sound the alarm!! Prepare for battle!! Inform Lt. Colonel Kawashima immediately!! <nods and runs off> <swipes the air> Tsk! drat dog! <barks and runs off-screen> Looks like we’ve got no choice but to fight!An alarm sounds and more troops run to confront the party. .jpg) .jpg) Music: Brain Hopper .jpg) For no particular reason, only two of the four Japanese "Elite Guard" decide to attack the party instead of all four just opening fire immediately. It's not like we've never fought four or more enemies in this game. The Elite Guards have only 45 HP being… ya know, just regular dudes with rifles. In theory, they would use those guns to take aim and take pot shots at our party members. .jpg) .jpg) In practice… they all get their faces smashed in and gunned down before they even get a chance to yell "OH poo poo!" .jpg) If you're wondering if we just incapacitated those human enemies or some handwave? Nope. Totally just straight murdered them. Yuri gets Soul Energy and everything. Turns out the Japanese military are Wind Elemental folk if you were wondering. .jpg) I feel like we should fall back and get reinforcements. I will not be dishonored by retreating! The guy in the coat kicked Private Tokizawa so hard he disintegrated… <cracks knuckles> Yup! Sure did! … …… …I think we can take 'em. Charge!  .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Yeah, it goes just as poorly for these two stormtroopers as well. Who'd a thunk? It might not be as messy, but Roger Bacon's rampage on the train only killed five soldiers in total. We've now racked up four and kind of justified the military being after us, especially when we're murdering guys on a military base we just broke into. Music: ENDS. An alarm siren is heard in the distance. .jpg) What are we going to do now?! Reinforcements are going to be here at any minute! They're going to be really upset when they find their comrades we knocked out. Yeah… Knocked out… Right. No time to waste! Let’s grab that plane of ours!.jpg) Aww CHRIST!  Now the killing the protagonists out of nowhere in some terrorist attack three hours into the narrative? Anyone can pull that off. Fake killing them that first time only to have them die for real in a completely unrelated explosion thirty minutes later? Now that takes some balls! Shadow Hearts continues to play by its own rules. Tune in next time as we return to check in Zhuzhen as the game shifts to a series of rural China vignettes involving the exorcism of assorted ghouls and ghosts!   Video: Episode 13 Highlight Reel (You should watch this just to see Margarete's Secret Weapons in action.)  Margarette Portrait – Just chillin' with my peacocks. No big deal. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Jul 15, 2018 |
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Jul 13, 2018 21:46
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Margarite's deep "Yeah, I could use some help here" followed immediately by a much higher "SORE" is pretty funny, I wonder why they never bothered dubbing all the combat lines and grunts.
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Jul 13, 2018 22:07
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'Just start throwing grenades until poo poo makes sense again' is a pretty reasonable response to finding yourself swarmed by occult bullshit.
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Jul 13, 2018 22:13
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Night10194 posted:'Just start throwing grenades until poo poo makes sense again' is a pretty reasonable response to finding yourself swarmed by occult bullshit. Admittedly it does look like she is involved with her own occult bullshit considering what she fights with.
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Jul 13, 2018 22:15
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Making Margarete water-element kinda fits considering if she likes explosives so much she's bound to have participated in some wetwork. Anyway, here's waiting for Id to unlock Margerete's ultimate move where she calls down an orbital waterjet strike.
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Jul 13, 2018 22:31
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Fun fact, Margarete is the only party member in all four games that doesn't use magic at all, just tech several decades ahead of her time.
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Jul 13, 2018 23:12
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Yeah, Flashdance is a pretty good secret weapon.
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Jul 13, 2018 23:18
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Accordion Man posted:Fun fact, Margarete is the only party member in all four games that doesn't use magic at all, just tech several decades ahead of her time. In a way, isn't her sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic?
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Jul 13, 2018 23:46
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 Those are some deadly water bombs.
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Jul 13, 2018 23:50
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I thought Kappa was just some scrunched up Emilio Estevez face. Never cared enough to correct that misconception. And have already forgotten the jerks' name already.
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Jul 14, 2018 00:07
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FeyerbrandX posted:I thought Kappa was just some scrunched up Emilio Estevez face. Never cared enough to correct that misconception. And have already forgotten the jerks' name already. I thought it was Conan O'Brian.
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Jul 14, 2018 00:18
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If you go a little further down in the Wikipedia article on Kappas, it gets more specific:quote:As water monsters, kappa have been blamed for drownings, and are often said to try to lure people into water and pull them in with their great skill at wrestling. They are sometimes said to take their victims for the purpose of drinking their blood, eating their livers, or gaining power by taking their shirikodama (尻子玉), a mythical ball said to contain the soul, which is located inside the anus.
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Jul 14, 2018 00:18
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Accordion Man posted:Fun fact, Margarete is the only party member in all four games that doesn't use magic at all, just tech several decades ahead of her time. I don't think Ricardo's incredibly versatile guitar case is any more magical than Margarete's cell phone.
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Jul 14, 2018 01:01
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ZiegeDame posted:I don't think Ricardo's incredibly versatile guitar case is any more magical than Margarete's cell phone.
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Jul 14, 2018 01:17
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Margarete's supplier is Jackass. via Accord Weeble fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Jul 14, 2018 |
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Jul 14, 2018 02:15
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Weeble posted:Margaret's supplier is Jackass. This is a delightful thought and I will stick with it.
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Jul 14, 2018 02:46
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 20:08 |
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Jackass IS Accord.
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Jul 14, 2018 03:12
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