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Episode CVI: The Fallen Angel Runs Wild Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) If this doesn't look like bossfightleadin.jpeg I don't know what does. .jpg) Before we mosey in to go kick Nicolai-Astaroth's rear end, there is a very nice accessory Yuri can obtain by shoving his hand into lava roughly half-way across the bridge to the boss arena. .jpg) The Flare Brooch is a pretty drat good accessory as it grants +2 toward both Physical and Special Attack AND Defense. But more importantly, it cuts SP use for Fusions used by Yuri and Kurando by 50% which ain't too shabby. It's also an exclusive accessory to those two. You know... cuz of the Fusion thing. .jpg) It's worth mentioning this is one of the few accessories to appear in all four games of the series. It originally appeared in Koudelka as a reward for successfully slam dunking the ghost of a murdered little girl into the afterlife by flinging a bunch of undelivered letters her mother sent. There it gave a healthy buff to several accessories, most importantly PIE. I will never forget that most baffling stat that is PIE. .jpg) In the original Shadow Hearts it was a reward for defeating an elemental guardian monster to remove a monster plague on a port town. It gave similar stat upgrades but it only granted a 20% SP reduction. I guess the Flare Brooch got more juiced up switching affiliation from the Regina to Lejina fire goddess. It also appears in From the New World doing the same business as Shadow Hearts 2. .jpg) In any event, it's time to save and heal up because we're about to do some dirt. Music: ENDS .jpg) Nicolai has shifted positions from assuming the fetal position in a lake of molten lava to a wack-rear end crystal prison on the edge of a cliff. He has also thankfully put a shirt back on.   Huh!? Kato! Hmph, Yuri. So you have finally arrived...Kato has seen better days. It seems he has gotten the Worf treatment to make clear that this new Astaroth possessed incarnation of Nicolai is a real match and not the same guy who has gotten his rear end handed to him a few times now. .jpg) How ya doin'? We would have gotten here sooner but, you know, that lousy warping maze was a pain in the rear end. I wouldn't know about that. The Mutant Apes and I teleported past it. Ugh! drat it! The first thing I'm doing when this adventure is over is learning how to teleport. You okay?.jpg)  You tell me. How do I look? Heh. You're a tough cookie alright. I'm not gonna lie, you look rough. But you don't have a glass jaw, that's for sure. ...That's not very amusing.The Mutant Apes teleport onto the scene. .jpg)   <nods in agreement> Hm. <laughs>.jpg) <smiles and nods back> You're too late....jpg)  Nicolai! That's no longer the Nicolai that you knew. He is no longer smug and condescending. He's just generically evil now. Don't waste your time letting him monologue for too long. He'll just ramble about destroying the world for unclear reasons. And cackle. Hehehe... ...Like that..jpg) Hehehe. So did you miss us? Time is meaningless here. Pfft. Is that why I had to waste so much of it navigating your stupid maze? Very soon the destruction of this world will begin... Destruction?! Yes, that's right. Destruction. The Malice released in the world will soon destroy it..jpg) What are you going to do? Waste him. Be careful. His claws are poisoned with Malice. There's no antidote for that. One scratch and that's it... Hehehe. <nods and smiles> I got it. And for the record, you can drain Malice pretty easily by fighting a monster behind a spooky gate in your head. I don't know what that means. But... good luck, Yuri..jpg) It cannot be avoided... My soul has been revived! The Age of Mankind is coming to an end... Joy, sadness, desire... All of it is finished now. So did you steal all your lines from Asmodeus or did you guys like share a dorm in college and read a bunch of lame comic books? Asmodeus was a weak-willed fool with petty ambitions. You shouldn't speak ill of the dead. Especially, when you're about to go meet 'em. I will usher in a glorious new future!.jpg) Before you do, can I ask a favor? What do you wish, human? I wish you'd shove it. You know where..jpg) ...... ...... I'm talking about up your rear end. I AM AWARE, INSECT! Just checkin'! It looked like you were doing some mental math figuring it out, is all. Silence!.jpg) Oh! .......jpg) .jpg) .jpg) NEW Music: Astaroth ~ Crack Your Mind ~ The Fallen Angel Runs Wild (This is the Berserk version of Astaroth's battle theme. It might be the last chance we get to hear it.) .jpg) The fully in control model of Astaroth has certainly gotten... spikier. I was kind of hoping we'd get a deformed nightmare version of Nicolai as we did with Rasputin-Asmodeus but I suppose the Level 2 Devil Trigger version of him will have to suffice. Meet Neo Astaroth (or Last Astaroth in Japanese.) As with most high-end Fusion-esque creatures, he is still a Non-Elemental enemy though his health has ballooned up to nearly double that of his previous incarnation with 6120 HP. .jpg) .jpg) Beyond that? He is... kind of just a beefier version of the Astaroth we fought at the end of Disc 1. He'll still always put up a Barrier to nerf magical attacks against him. He loves to nuke bunched together party members with Bright Crest for massive damage and a reduction to Special Attack defense. Which we should counter with an Arc Barrier of our own. His physical attack string can still cause Delay to give him a few extra turns versus the targeted party member. .jpg) Really, the only new abilities he has gained is casting Meteor Burst which is a highly damaging Fire elemental AOE spell that fully necessitates the use of an Arc-Cure to top up everyone's injuries the next possible chance we get. .jpg) And far more annoyingly, when he gets to critical HP levels he'll cast Cure Plus and retrieve a cool 800 HP back. Which, dick move! You're just wasting my time now Nicolai. .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Enjoy another rejection from the one girl you tried to hit on in the form of a Combo Magic Kamehameha straight into your incel dick, you dork. I bet you wish you were still getting your balls zapped by pervert scientists. Music: Result ~ Victory .jpg) .jpg) And with that, Neo Astaroth is vanquished. And he exploded no less so he might actually be dead! I know Astaroth vanilla exploded too when defeated but... Nicolai literally stopped being a character around then and has just been a screaming meat puppet. So, the explosion versus vanishing dichotomy is still in play. As is getting kind of obscene Cash and EXP payouts from bosses lately. .jpg) We also gain the Astaroth Magic Crest so we too can drop magic AOE nukes on crowds that lower everyone's special defenses. I'm going to stick that on Karin. Just to be mean to Nicolai. Music: ENDS .jpg)  U-ugh... K-Karin... A-ah... ugh... Nicolai... <looks up at Karin> U-gh... Huh? Get back!!Yuri rushes over and shoves Karin out of the way. .jpg) Gaaaah!!Music: Holy Mistletoe ~ Graveyard .jpg) Ugh... Gah! <gasp>.jpg) Don't think you can escape the curse of the Mistletoe... Gaaaah! Thanks to you... All my plans have been ruined... Do you know how humiliating it was to be chained up to be poked and prodded and have my testicles electrocuted for months on end?! Hehe... GAH!.jpg) <groans> I thought you... forgot that... I... barely remembered... I was still... cursed... Aaah! It's been months... since that... was brought up... Gah! No. And now... you'll die for it... KAAAAAATO~ ...Wha?.jpg) <decks the poo poo out of Nicolai> PUUUUUUUUUNCH!!Yuri falls to the ground unconscious and Karin runs to his side to prop him up in her arms. .jpg) Nice save, Kato. I see you've learned how to handle things the Yuri way. Also, I guess he downed a Thera Root or two between scenes since he's now fully healed. .jpg) It's amazing how many times Nicolai has just taken a major L nearly every time he's tried some poo poo. .jpg) But Nicolai is not out of the game yet. He just so happens to come upon a jagged red crystal of some sort. I'm uncertain where it came from or why it's here now. Mt. Fuji is clearly just filled to the brim with stupidly placed crystals within it. Nicolai snatches up the crude stabbing implement and... .jpg) Music: ENDS .jpg) Echoing stabbing impact. .jpg) <gasp>.jpg) Ng... Uhh...?.jpg) Ugh... <increasingly shocked look>.jpg) .jpg) Ouka goes limp against Kato. And so you are 100% it's a serious wound, her high-tech visor falls off and clatters on the ground. .jpg) ..... <brief moment of despair followed by getting INCREDIBLY PISSED> You son of a...!!The raged-filled Kato grabs Nicolai by the head and starts raising him in the air and squeezing. .jpg) .jpg) NGH!! OOHHH!!! UGGGGGHHH!!! AAAAAAHHH!!.jpg) AAAAH!! UGH!! K-KARIIIIN!! AAAAAAAGH!! <gasps and looks away>.jpg) NGGGH!! AAAAAAHHH!! AAAAHHH!!.jpg) <The Kato intensifies> HRR!!The very squishy sound of Nicolai's skull being crushed like a melon is heard. .jpg) .jpg) And thus Nicolai is incredibly loving dead! I did not peg the smug early game heel turn villain's ultimate fate to be having his face crushed into pulp for accidentally stabbing the clone waifu of a joke character from the first game in the center of Mt. Fuji. But that's Shadow Hearts for you, baby! .jpg) Kato comes down from his skull-crushing blood rage and realizes he has to address the whole Ouka sacrificing herself for him thing. Poor Kato is not having a good day. .jpg) Music: Faith or Fate ~ Kato .jpg) ...... M-Master... O-Ouka?!.jpg) Are you... hurt...? <shakes head and smiles> I... I'm fine!.jpg) <nods and smiles> I'm... so glad... Ngh...Ouka closes her eyes and dies. .jpg) <gasps and shakes her body> Ouka?! <starts to tear up in despair> ......jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Yep. Kato is definitely having a bad day. I do hope this doesn't lead to any irrational decisions on his part in the future.    Video: Episode 106 Highlight Reel (You should definitely watch this.)   Nicolai Concept Art - In happier times when he still had an intact skull.  Nicolai-Astaroth Concept Art - Looks like he could use a nap. Still looks better than his current caved head state face down on rotting in a volcano.  Immortal Mountain Concept Art - Explore the wack rear end crystal prisons of one of Japan's most scenic spots.
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Mar 5, 2021 21:56
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Well that's one way to get rid of a villain.
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Mar 5, 2021 22:09
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The pathos would work much better if their entire relationship in this game wasn't incredibly creepy and was filled with highly questionable moral and ethical decisions.
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Mar 5, 2021 22:09
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I have vague memories of most parts of the Shadow Hearts games, but I have only four really clear ones: 1. SCHLOOP. SCHLOOP. SKREEEEEEEEE. 2. Metal Gear Blanca. 3. Kato crushing Nicolai's skull like a porcelain vase filled with meat. 4. A random sidequesty detail from From The New World. These games are such a thing.
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Mar 5, 2021 22:27
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It's amazing how quickly this game goes from 'I wish you'd shove it, you know where' to Kato crushing a dude's skull.
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Mar 5, 2021 22:40
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Its terrifying that the best outcome that I can see coming from this is that Kato comes to the conclusion that he shouldn't have stopped at one clone and goes on to form a sentai squad of them. The more likely outcome is that Grahf comes out of retirement.
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Mar 5, 2021 22:59
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You'll never catch me complaining about obscene rewards of EXP and $. Except maybe in the tongue-in-cheek sort of way. RIP Ouka. And Nicolai, I guess.
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Mar 5, 2021 23:02
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Ooops someone left GIMP open on my computer, and a link to spriters resource. Oops my hand constantly kept falling on random buttons and things happened. 
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Mar 5, 2021 23:11
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Ouka was completely off screen so she had to loving fly to take that stab wound
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Mar 5, 2021 23:15
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She can teleport.
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Mar 5, 2021 23:29
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On one hand, I kinda feel like I remember why I stopped playing when they got to Japan as it just doesn't seem especially interesting plot wise. On the other hand, Kato just crushed an incel prick's skull with his bare hands, which was pretty metal.
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Mar 6, 2021 04:30
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Nikolai's pathetic scream for "Karin" really cements how much of a petty dickbag he is at the end.
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Mar 6, 2021 04:43
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man imagine if people from an alternate dimension where Nikolai was the protag like originally planned saw our world's version of the game
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Mar 6, 2021 05:00
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Night10194 posted:On one hand, I kinda feel like I remember why I stopped playing when they got to Japan as it just doesn't seem especially interesting plot wise. There's a bit of a lull in early disc 2, but it picks up.
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Mar 6, 2021 05:21
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At least one of the most memorable scenes in the game for me is coming up at least.
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Mar 6, 2021 05:59
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All of the best stuff that isn't Rasputin is in the right before the final boss sidequests.
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Mar 6, 2021 07:22
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The Mutant Apes will now become a metal band and Kato will deal with his grief by screaming into a microphone and shredding out sick guitar solos. And not by doing anything dangerous or creepy involving cloning or dark rituals. Right? Right?
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Mar 6, 2021 07:54
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The Dark Id posted:
*Ouka immediately gets shanked* Welp.
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Mar 6, 2021 15:45
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He died as he lived. Like a bitch.
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Mar 6, 2021 18:19
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I'm pretty sure the red crystal is actually one of astaroth's claws since one of the Mutant Apes mentioned "One scratch that's it". Why it didn't disappear when he reverted back to a human though, I dunno. Also when I first played the game seeing Nicolai get his skull crushed was unexpected, but pretty rad.
FalloutFan56 fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Mar 7, 2021 |
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Mar 7, 2021 15:46
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Sterski posted:He died as he lived. I was surprised Nicolai reverted immediately to being a whiny petty little murderous jerk after being basically rescued from the traumatic experience of getting your balls zapped by evil mad scientists resulting in the demon spirit inside of him assuming direct control. But yes, truly. Rawkking fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Mar 8, 2021 |
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Mar 8, 2021 03:08
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It's also kind of amazing not once does Nicolai get any moment that makes him really sympathetic - he's been a fuckboy the instant he shows up until his skull gets crushed.
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Mar 8, 2021 03:20
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Rawkking posted:I was surprised Nicolai reverted immediately to being a whiny petty little murderous jerk after being basically rescued from the traumatic experience of getting your balls zapped by evil mad scientists resulting in the demon spirit inside of him assuming direct control. But yes, truly. Reality means very little in the face of a whiny, petulant incel's delusions of grandeur. He's the kind of villain who genuinely thinks he has everyone right where he wants them, dancing to his tune, even as poo poo spins further and further outside of his ability to control it. A dumbass, in other words.
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Mar 8, 2021 07:31
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Episode CVII: Faith or Fate Music: Holy Mistletoe ~ Graveyard .jpg) .jpg) We rejoin Yuri face down in the Graveyard. I'm guessing being fisted by Nicolai isn't doing wonders for Yuri's whole Holy Mistletoe Curse thing. Yes, I am keeping that phrasing because I am a child. Bite me. .jpg) .jpg) Yuri groggily climbs up and notices he's in front of one of those locked gates in the northern end of the Graveyard. If you can't recall, it's the same area where Karin and Yuri traveled to the Mirror Castle to go talk to Albert Simon's ghost. There were two gates there and this is the other one. Perhaps, The Truth lies beyond this one. Why does Full Metal Alchemist keep getting brought up? I'm not rewatching Brotherhood, universe. It's already taking me a hundred years to find the time to get through Hunter x Hunter. I can only do one long anime at a time and I already watched that one! .jpg)  Yuri... Alice?!.jpg) Yuri decides that hey, perhaps the one locked gate in my mind palace Graveyard I've yet to go through perhaps has some relevance. Canonically, he was just lazy and never did go through the weird locked gate in the back of his metaphysical headspace in the last adventure. And, well... You know how that turned out last time. .jpg) Hey, Alice? Are you in there? Aww, geez... Albert was one thing but... You can't be a ghost in my head too! That's gonna be REALLY weird and depressing for me. <presses ear against door> Yuri... Fffffuuuuuuuck!!.jpg) I've... I've got to get in there... <yanks on the door> Huh? It won't open... <puts his foot against the other side of the door and pulls harder> Why won't it open?! Argh! I've got to get in!! <falls back and pants> What the hell is this?! What do I need to do?! Collect all the Fusions? Do an obscure sidequest?! Get to max level?! Just tell me, dammit!!.jpg) Yuri takes a few steps back and rams the door. Maybe you have to push instead of pull, right? .jpg) .jpg) ...This is not the solution. .jpg) <pants> Why?!.jpg) BITE MEEEEEEEE!!Music: ENDSs .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) <gasp> He's awake!! Bite me? What's that?! He said it! Hmph. Well pay up! He lived so I win the bet! 1000 Cash! ...But you bet he would die. <grits teeth> I don't see your wallet opening! F-Fine....jpg) Yuri?! Where am I...? The Fountain of Sukune. ...Where?! The place we fought your possessed aunt. Oh... right. I knew that. <quickly tries to get up and fails> ?! Hey!! Stay still! <lays down again>.jpg) Don't try to get up. You've got a cutscene injury and that is no joke. <smiles and nods>.jpg) They're right. You've been out for three days. You've got to take it easy! <lifts himself to a sitting position> Three days...? What about Kato...? ..... Is he dead? The last thing I remember was him punching Nicolai and Nicolai trying to stab him with some wack-rear end crystal thingie... <shakes head> No. But we were the only ones who got out of there. But he can teleport so he was probably OK. I see... There was an exhilarating escape sequence where we fled from the mountain as its chambers filled with magma! It is a shame you missed it. I'm not really big on those honestly..jpg) You also missed Nicolai's head getting popped like a grape by Kato. ...Wait, WHAT?! Ouka of the Mutant Apes shielded him from Nicolai's attack. He did not take it well. And he killed him?! Super killed him. Crushed his entire face with one hand. A grizzly sight. And I missed that?! Awww! C'mon. That sucks! Nicolai is dead?! Very dead... It was something else! Why are you so thrilled sounding about that? Wasn't that technically your half-brother? <whistles> Not anymore! Let's not discuss this further. <makes squishing sound> ...... But, Kato... He said that if you lived, you should come to the Foreigner's Cemetery.... Foreigner's Cemetery? In Yokohama? <smiles and nods> ...... <nods> I got it..jpg) Music: Field of God-Dog ~ Village of The Dog God .jpg) Looks like I caused you all a lot of worry... But I'm fine now. The curse thing is flaring up again and I might be haunted by my dead girlfriend but ehh... It happens. .......jpg) <turns to Karin> Huh? You really did that? Yeah, well. You know... I like our party but I'm maybe the only one responsible enough to take care of someone when they're down. Meh. Awroo. Awroo. Awroo... (I do not have the means to care for a human. I am a wolf. The most I can do is lick your face...) I can only improve muscles. Not health.  Not it! Let him eat cake. I would have provided assistance but nobody asked me... Oh, I'll assist you if you need it Kurando! Just ask me anything! ..... ...I am OK being in the background. Yuri! Yes? And everybody else too! Listen to me!.jpg) But an even greater crisis, a profound sorrow, threaten to darken the sky. A feeling of empty destruction... Is it him...? ...Frick. Did his weird sexy clone of Kawashima die? I didn't even think to ask about that after hearing she took a stabbing for him. Yes. She didn't make it. He... did not seem to be taking it well. Aww beans. I hear the screams of a heart stifled by sorrow and anger. Anguish that no one can heal... I know that feeling. I spent months fighting Germans off to try to put grief out of the back of my head. And drinking all my hooch! C'mon. We both know you were drinking too much old man. That's beside the point! Are you going to put an end to it? ...For a friend, yes. And he's a good friend of mine..jpg) Go to your destiny. Be careful!.jpg) Fine! We will! Music: ENDS .jpg) There is literally nothing to be done now other than going back to Yokohama and the Foreigner's Cemetery. So let's just hop on Roger Bacon's airship and mosey on over there. .jpg) Only Karin, Gepetto, and Blanca bother to make this voyage. However... .jpg) <nods> All right. We'll wait for you at the Yokohama Inn. Try not to force us into an endgame conflict. That Kato guy seems... to not be doing well. Awroo! (Don't be an idiot around black magic!).jpg) .jpg) So, you're alive, huh? Sorry. I was kinda unconscious for the end of that whole thing. You too. I heard you popped Nicolai's head. Would have liked to do that myself but if anyone is gonna stand in, I'm glad it was you. It was the least I could do... And Ouka? <slowly shakes head> ..... ...I'm sorry.Kato kneels down by a small gravestone. .jpg) It's the second time I've lost her. ..... Love lasts for such a short time... <closes eyes and rises> ...But misery goes on and on....jpg) Now my path is an empty one. I have no love left, no dreams... ..... Kato....jpg) Kamiyashiki in Azabu... It's probably listed on the map as Azabu Kamiyashiki. My apologizes. That's where you'll find Minister Ishimura. Now on one will get in your way. You should go and talk to him. Beat the stuffing out of him. Straight up kill him. I really don't care at this point. I've handed in my resignation. And you? What will you do?.jpg) Kato reaches into his cloak and... .jpg) ...hey, Yuri? Do you want the devil book that makes everyone miserable the entire series? .jpg) The... Émigré Manuscript?! Yes. I give it back to you. Hey, wait. Wait, how did you get this thing?! I was the contact with Nicolai with the whole Russian fiasco. He was betraying Rasputin and worked with me. Mistakes were made... But... Don't you want to see Alice again?.jpg) OH gently caress THIS IS A BAD IDEA! WHAT THE gently caress, KATO?! THIS IS THE WORST IDEA! YOU LITERALLY JUST hosed THIS UP HARD! DRAMA STING! Music: Faith or Fate ~ Kato .jpg) If you follow the instructions in that book, then you can be with her again. W-wait a minute! I don't know how to use magic! Roger should be able to help you. He can bring her back to life. Exactly the way I did. Y-yeah, but isn't that...? Like... Ouka seemed nice and all but wasn't she just a weird clone and not actually Lt. Colonel Kawashima? It was close enough to not hate myself for a while. That is kinda bleak. Look at the world we're in... Wouldn't you like a shred of less bleakness again? ..... For the record, the huge breast, and rear proportions are baked into the ritual. I did not intend that and do not know why that was a thing. ...Roger did write the copy of that manuscript and hmm... No matter....jpg) Yuri. From now on, I'm your enemy. Huh?! This is the last time we'll ever speak as friends. What do you mean?! Are you doing a full heel turn?! I am doing a heel turn. I just don't care anymore. What do you mean? The world as you know it will end. By my hand. ......jpg) If you really think you can stop me, my old friend, bring everything you have. Unlike Nicolai and Rasputin, I won't depend upon the power of some evil god. I'll do it with my own hands. C'mon. Enough with the joking! This is no joke! ...... I am standing at the grave of the only person I have ever loved and the grave of the clone of the only person I have ever loved. I am OVER this poo poo, my friend. And I'm going to do something about it..jpg) If you want to know what my plans are, look inside that book. There isn't much time left... Kato!!.jpg) Farewell, my friend. Uh... Uhh... Yep. So a LOT went down in that chapter. Nicolai is loving dead. Kato is establishing himself as the final boss. Maybe we'll go resurrect Alice with the Book of Bad Ideas. poo poo's all hosed! But we did gain several entries in the Library. So let's take a look... Monster: .jpg) You probably shouldn't have devoured that phoenix chick. Just saying. .jpg) You probably shouldn't have tumbled into cursed lava. Just saying. .jpg) You probably should have bathed more and cared more about victory than taking life. Just saying. .jpg) You probably should have stuck to eating moss and so many of you wouldn't have died to Yuri and his gang. Just saying. .jpg) You probably shouldn't have thrown hands at the strongest party in this narrative. Just saying.  Video: Episode 107 Highlight Reel (You should probably watch this for Punished "Venom" Kato.)  Shadow Hearts 2 Keyart - The REAL Shadow Hearts 2 starts here. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Mar 12, 2021 |
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Mar 8, 2021 20:36
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No complaints on childish phrasing here. It works for me too. Good to see Yuri’s mindverse and Alice again, been a while. Really worried about Kato. Worried even more we’re going to go through an unnecessary plot sideline about reviving Alice when people should know better before we deal with Kato. Shadow Hearts! 
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Mar 8, 2021 20:50
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The Dark Id posted:
The invocation "Et Sicut Extrema Magna, Et Ego Non Mentior" is the only known way to prevent the subject from getting monster'd. does this mean Roger Bacon is secretly dummy thicc as well Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Mar 8, 2021 |
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Mar 8, 2021 21:02
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It's nice that Kato is so polite about declaring that he's going to destroy the world unless Yuri stops him.
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Mar 9, 2021 01:49
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Kato plans to commit Suicide by Yuri.
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Mar 9, 2021 02:33
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They're doing a much better job of the whole "hero and villain with mutual respect" thing this time around. Also, I loving KNEW this would happen. Yuri can NOT be dumb enough to try the thing that has never worked out for anyone ever, right? RIGHT?
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Mar 10, 2021 22:20
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Sterski posted:They're doing a much better job of the whole "hero and villain with mutual respect" thing this time around. No it's definitely this time that loving with the orphan blood recipe book will work. In an alternate world:  : "Rip to ur clone girlfriend but im different"
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Mar 10, 2021 23:57
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This is actually a really good Hero Villain rivalry, one of the highlights of the game is the Yuri Kato conflict.
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Mar 11, 2021 04:31
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Hwurmp posted:The invocation "Et Sicut Extrema Magna, Et Ego Non Mentior" is the only known way to prevent the subject from getting monster'd. Well, remember the rest of the incantation : “Et fratribus non possumus negare”
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Mar 11, 2021 13:57
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 Episode CVIII: Mecha Lord .jpg) Azabu Kamiyashiki has now appeared as a location in the Imperial Capital. We have no other business of note we can attend to at the moment. So... who is up for storming a government building and beating the poo poo out of a right-wing rear end in a top hat old man with questionable policies? Yuri Hyuga has raised his hand at this query and so the motion is passed. Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg)   Who the hell are you?! Yo! It's the protagonists. He's here, right? The mastermind behind all this... Foreign Minister Ishimura! I've gotta 11 o'clock appointment with my fist and his face. And a noon luncheon with my foot and his rear end.  Those appointment are NOT on today's agenda schedule, good sir!The two soldiers advance forward and point their guns at Yuri. .jpg) Do not take a single step further!.jpg) .jpg) Kurando and Joachim ninja down off a rooftop and clobber the two guards. You'd think they would just lead with that play. But then again, that probably was the plan but Yuri hasn't really shied away from an opportunity to poo poo talk jobbers and we're kind of running out of named ones at this point. So here we are. .jpg)  <paces back and forth> So what are you guys ordering for the evening shift snack? I'm thinking tacos. That doesn't sound bad. I'll pass. Mexican doesn't agree with my stomach. Plus, my daughter has me on a strict diet. I think I'll just get a big salad. You're looking good. It's really paying o—.jpg) The sound of gunfire a few rooms over downstairs. Music: Crisis .jpg)  Oh you didn't hear? He resigned a few days ago. What?! Nobody told me about that! Yeah he's gone. I think his girlfriend died. That sucks. She was hot. What about those other super cyborgs of his? I think they quit too. They were pretty loyal guys. It's a shame but it's nice to see solidarity in a team. So it is JUST us left to defend Minister Ishimura?! Seems that way. Yep. These rebels... these TERRORISTS killed an entire battleship full of our men a month ago! Two of them had swords. The rest were barehanded. They had a wild wolf! We had a full platoon on that ship and twenty units of mechanized support. I barely made it out with my life! And Special Agent Kato decides now is a good time to retire?! Grief is rough, Lt. Colonel. He's going through a lot. Yeah, I heard he was planning on destroying the world or something. What?! Nobody is looking into that?! That seems like a VERY LARGE public security issue! Beyond my pay grade, sir. I just do what I'm told.Another soldier storms into the room behind the trio and startles them in the process. .jpg)  The officer in command said the Minister wouldn't leave... What?! His family is leaving through the back. Why isn't he leaving with them?! He said he wanted to take a nap first, sir. You know how fussy he gets if he misses his early evening nap. He does get rather fussy, Lt. Colonel. Mhm. God DAMMIT! This country is running on clown shoes!Another soldier hurriedly rushes into the room. .jpg) Ah, Kasama! What's the situation down below? Sir! Boar Team at the entrance has been completely eliminated! Captain Yamazaki of Stag Team is leading a counter! drat them! They won't get through! They won't get to the Minister! Sir, didn't you say these guys took out an entire platoon and mechanized units? We don't even have mechs stationed here. ...Oh that's where you're wrong, son. We'll show them the glory of the Iron Soldiers! We're actually Titanium Soldier classification, sir. No matter! We're all in this fight now! Take positions! This is not what I signed up for. I knew I should have just eaten the student loan debt and went to university....jpg) Welcome to the raid on Azabu Kamiyashiki. To call this a dungeon would be a real stretch. This is just a forced battle gauntlet since we're literally just kicking open the front door and beating anyone's rear end between us and Yuri's fist connecting with Minister Ishimura's face. We could honestly probably ignore this guy at this point since all of his plans are shot and his supernatural henchmen are either dead or quit to do a solo villainy gig and it's just a lovely old man with a bunch of stormtroopers under his command. But Yuri really needs to vent some aggression for getting robbed of acing Nicolai after all that and these guys pulled the short straw. .jpg) Every time we come into the aggro zone of a soldier on the field they will utilize the tried and true to get you immediately killed having more bravado than brains method of rushing in to face the party. .jpg) Music: Deep in Coma ~ Battle in Japan .jpg) The only common enemy we'll be facing in this area is the final tier reskin of the Japanese special forces Iron Soldiers -- the Titanium Soldiers. These are Fire elemental enemies with 210 HP. Which is JUST enough health to be kind of annoying to deal with. They come in groups of four to six and usually are bunched up in configurations of four clumped together or several rows of two soldiers. Their health is annoying because none of our AOE magic QUITE does over the 200 HP of damage threshold and using an AOE attack has knockback that will scatter them in every direction so we cannot just follow up with a secondary AOE attack. .jpg) And they can actually output a decent amount of damage as their only attack is dumping their oversized faux-MP40s into a target three times in a row for 75-100 HP of damage and all members surviving a round will immediately squad up to do a combo. Usually, two soldiers at minimum survive a round so that's one character down in the ballpark of 200 HP every battle. Lucia put in some work healing folks between fights on the sidelines. And their AI seems to just pick one character to hate and everyone will target them in succession regardless of combo building. Their AI particularly seemed to hate Blanca. I had one fight where four guys were still left at the end of a round and they just stacked up to shoot a dog to death firing literally 60 bullets into it until dead. It was like I was watching a mid-season episode of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Music: Crisis .jpg) That aside, all we need to do is follow this winding series of corridors to the end in order to reach Minister Ishimura. But there are some side rooms. .jpg) .jpg) All of which just lead to ambushes by the Titanium Soldiers and bonus fights. If the mandatory number of fights isn't enough. .jpg) .jpg) There are not even bonus items or anything in most of the rooms. It's just... here's an extra squad of soldiers you can kill! Have fun! Back to the main path... .jpg) (Desperate Lieutenant Miyagawa) Engage!.jpg) They should not have engaged. .jpg) .jpg) His boldness was his undoing. But this one side room does have a point of interest in an optional conversation. Plus, we may want to come back here later. .jpg) Meh. Ishimura is upstairs... We just can't get to him... What are we going to do? We can't retreat now that we've got this far. I wanna see who we're dealing with face to face... As long as he's alive, the war and the lies will never stop. So what's the plan now? They're out in force. We... keep beating up guys until we get to him.  I figured as much. Hey, if it works....jpg) There's nothing to be done here at the moment other than possibly save and use a tent. But let's remember this location exists and return to violently assaulting the Japanese military. .jpg) .jpg) Here lies Stag Team. Cause of Death: Suicide by Yuri Hyuga and friends. At this point, Yuri is on a big fuckin' adventure of kicking a bunch of people's asses #4 and he's only been in two games. The word should have gotten out to not approach Yuri Hyuga and weirdos surrounding him. .jpg) Sees Yuri running at him and nopes out down the hall and bursts back into the room Terada is guarding. .jpg) .jpg) What?! Yamazaki's out?! Did he announce his team's name and tell them they're putting their lives on the line?! He did, sir. It had no effect! They're all dead! <looks at the wall for a moment>  <turns to Kasama> Okay, you take back up here! Sir! Listen up, everyone! Butterfly Team is all we've got left! It's up to us now! We're not gonna be beaten by these kids! Let's show them what the Titanium Soldiers can do! Let's do it!.jpg) At this point, we're dumped out at a save point and can just lick our wounds and go face Terada and his men at the door ending the hallway. But there are a couple of side rooms to explore first. .jpg) .jpg) Ambush Leader, Captain Kubotani was not particularly well trained at ambushes. It goes poorly. .jpg) .jpg) But we can loot a Locker Key 5 off his corpse. Disappointingly, it only produces another Pure Extract if we backtrack to the locker room. Also, it is of note there are actually random battles against more Titanium Soldier squads if we do decide to backtrack during this sequence. I was actually surprised I hit one on the way back from traveling to the locker room. .jpg) There is another side room just before the boss chamber at the end of the hall. .jpg) .jpg) Charging instead of ambushing did not help. Unless his name was Charging and he was a Sergeant and the fact he charged into battle before dying was just happenstance. .jpg) .jpg) His body also has another Locker Key that can be looted. This one has another Mind's Eye if memorizing where the Judgment Ring parts to make the already fairly easy battles go quicker. Not really my thing. Especially playing on an emulator with the slightest hint of input lag iffiness on occasion. .jpg) Anyway, going through the door at the end of the hallway leads to the end of this mini-dungeon. The only prep we need is to make sure everyone has some decent magic spells and physical defenses. .jpg) You guys aren't so bad... Solid C- for generic goons. But if you value your lives, get out of my way! It's only Ishimura I want..jpg) Attaaaack!.jpg) Music: Deep in Coma ~ Battle in Japan .jpg) The two soldiers in the room manage to split into six and the room balloons to five times its original size. And Terada decides to hang back. Someone needs to coordinate the battle, right? Music: Result ~ Victory .jpg) .jpg) None of these tactics help them from all getting slaughtered within a minute. Music: Crisis .jpg) Oh? Is someone actually coming to their senses, huh? Yeah, sure. Go. I don't have a beef with you if you're not in my wa— Just one more thing before I go... <deep annoyed sigh> Uuuuuugh!! <points weapon at Yuri> My ultimate weapon! Mecha Lord!.jpg) Music: Deep in Coma ~ Battle in Japan .jpg) Welp. I guess we're fighting a robot now. It's unclear if this is some superpower armor mecha Terada is in or if he just stuffed a 12-foot tall robot into Ishimura's office awkwardly to unveil it and attack Yuri and the gang. It really doesn't matter, does it? This is a Water elemental enemy with 6380 HP. The only other note is that its Japanese name is Mobile Weapon Platform: Kannazuki -- the traditional Japanese name of the 10th month (October) on the Japanese calendar. I don't know what that has to do with a big clumsy-looking steampunk mecha, but there you go. .jpg) Oh and its other noteworthy trait is that it is completely immune to physical damage. It can't take magical elemental, especially Fire-based, attacks for poo poo but we're not punching and kicking this thing to death anytime soon. .jpg) Its most dangerous attack is Power Cannon which is a straight line magical attack (i.e. it can hit grouped up party members) that inflicts a fairly healthy amount of damage in the 200-225 HP range. Despite being a laser cannon this is technically considered to be a physical attack. .jpg) .jpg) Actually, while being immune to physical damage itself, all of Mecha Lord's attacks are physical attacks. So Arc-Shield is a must to have up at all times. The latter two of which are just punching the poo poo out of a targeted character to the tune of just shy of 200 HP of damage as well. One of his attack strings will Falcon Punch a character across the room and can potentially damage anyone in their path. The machine can also fire an AOE cannon. It hurts for roughly the same amount of damage. But... that's about it. .jpg) .jpg) And beyond that... it's a Shadow Hearts 2 fight. If we do not have to heal, we just Combo the poo poo out of it, but with magic this time! And boy, does he not like getting the Combo Magic Fire elemental finisher. Pulling that off is over 1500 HP of which 650 is just the finisher of damage for the whole combo. Music: Result ~ Victory .jpg) b.jpg) Yuri, I have good news! With these deaths, I am positive we have wiped out the entire Empire of Japan Military! c.jpg) And even more importantly we got an accessory with +2 Physical Defense and a 20% increase to the wearer's max HP. .jpg) I do not know if we killed Valiant Lieutenant Colonel Terada and just left an orphan in our wake since they explicitly mentioned he was a good dad in both his bios. But Yuri and the gang have defeated the Iron Soldiers faction for good and we never see them or Terada in the main plot ever again. So basically they're all dead as far as the game is concerned! All generic goon squads have been defeated in Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Now to go kick an old man's rear end in celebration!  Video: Mecha Lord Boss Battle  Titanium Soldiers Concept Art - "Steve, can you see a goddamn thing in this helmet?" "That's a negative, sir."   Lt. Col. Terada Concept Art - I'm glad he's canonically actually just a dad they stuck in power armor.  Mecha Lord Concept Art - Guy on Left: Wow, cool robot!
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Mar 12, 2021 23:32
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6000 hp + plus physical damage immunity is entirely manageable if you know it's coming. I didn't, and that was not a fun fight.
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Mar 13, 2021 00:10
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Huh, I was expecting the end boss would be eldritch Kawashima or Alice. Well, I guess the 2nd isn't entirely out of the question yet but ID is all but saying it's going to be Kato.
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Mar 13, 2021 00:36
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I was surprised Terada was still alive when I first played this level. And at how tough his boss fight was until I tried magic over punching.
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Mar 13, 2021 00:51
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I had actually completely forgotten about Terada and his lackeys, and confused his boss fight for the Hojo throwdown. Completely forgot about this dungeon too. Though even with the physical immunity, Terada and his lackeys were still glorified damage sponges.
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Mar 13, 2021 02:37
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The Dark Id posted:The only other note is that its Japanese name is Mobile Weapon Platform: Kannazuki -- the traditional Japanese name of the 10th month (October) on the Japanese calendar. I don't know what that has to do with a big clumsy-looking steampunk mecha, but there you go. it's an October surprise Mecha Mecha Lord, Mecha Heinie Horde
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Mar 13, 2021 02:51
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I'll be honest, I do not remember this part of the game AT ALL. maybe all the concentrated side quest after this just buried the memories.quote:Does anyone else think this bot looks like it comes out of Xenogears? Possibly a relative of Renmazuo? No actually it looks like Steir stole Renmazuo's hat. stryth fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Mar 13, 2021 |
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Mar 13, 2021 04:24
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Man, this turn of events seems to be designed to suck any of the satisfying catharsis of beating the villains. Even Yuri seems half-hearted about it now.
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Mar 13, 2021 04:35
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