We're all locked up in chapter 18, but I'm the one in trouble because I like Calista - so her fiancé is doing everything he can to have me executed. That will definitely sort out his suitor problem.
Dagran has been released immediately and it's never really explained why or where he's going. Off he goes nonetheless.
In what appears to be a scene from the original Star Trek - but not the scenes with polystyrene rocks on a sound stage - I'm on trial. I choose to remain silent and receive several beatings before being thrown back into gaol.
Mirania heals me (because that's her specialism) and I speak to all the other inmates. One of them has lost something valuable to him in a mansion in the city (which we'll cover later), and is currently digging a hole with a plastic teaspoon and we agree to help.
Before long, we've dropped into a catacomb, huge, undisturbed and far beneath the city. Now I can experience some tomb raider fun.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Saturday, 16 June 2012
Homeward Bound
On our return leg I can delay our imminent docking indefinitely by wandering around the ship buying, trading, assessing my weapons, upgrading, talking, selling, exploring. Chapter 17 is much like chapter 12 in that respect.
When I discover Calista, she is crying and we talk about how she wants to travel the world with us. Given we glow bright white when we're together, I think it would be lovely, but I say I'll talk to the mercenaries before I make any firm plans.
Before we arrive we're all discuss taking Calista away from the castle (and her impending wedding) but most of my band are against the idea on the grounds we will be fugitives. We collectively decide the best thing is to return her to the castle.
When we dock, Calista is taken away and we charged with kidnapping the princess by her fiancé and are slung into prison. We find our comrades that stayed behind. They've been put in prison for no good reason.
Monday, 11 June 2012
We'll have to swim for it (to begin the next chapter)
Chapter 16 officially starts after we discover a Gurak base, sail to it and swim from the boat before they spot us.
The assault on the Gurak base takes a great deal of time, sharp-shooting, treasure hunting, and using the Gathering to protect both your party and the General and his Knights from Lazulis Island who arrived in an armada.
The most notable thing in this battle-heavy chapter is the point where Calista and Zael are surrounded by Gurak and Calista has spent all her magyk halting their advance. She collapses into Zael's arms and the Gurak step closer and closer.
Suddenly, the couple glow a brilliant white and the Gurak are thrown back unconscious. Something in The Gathering and her royal blood has reacted to their doomed situation and saved them.
After a bit more searching, we find the throne room, but Ganondorf is not interested in talking to us and he leaves his super-fast cat to mop us up. After five minutes spent missing the cat with arrows, swords, bombs and The Gathering, I finally figure out how to throw bombs.
Bombs properly away this time, the cat is stunned and some damage can be dealt. However, we learn the Gurak forces have fled in their ships, and we decide to point our own ships in the direction of home.
The assault on the Gurak base takes a great deal of time, sharp-shooting, treasure hunting, and using the Gathering to protect both your party and the General and his Knights from Lazulis Island who arrived in an armada.
The most notable thing in this battle-heavy chapter is the point where Calista and Zael are surrounded by Gurak and Calista has spent all her magyk halting their advance. She collapses into Zael's arms and the Gurak step closer and closer.
Suddenly, the couple glow a brilliant white and the Gurak are thrown back unconscious. Something in The Gathering and her royal blood has reacted to their doomed situation and saved them.
After a bit more searching, we find the throne room, but Ganondorf is not interested in talking to us and he leaves his super-fast cat to mop us up. After five minutes spent missing the cat with arrows, swords, bombs and The Gathering, I finally figure out how to throw bombs.
Bombs properly away this time, the cat is stunned and some damage can be dealt. However, we learn the Gurak forces have fled in their ships, and we decide to point our own ships in the direction of home.
Through a mirror, darkly
Yulrick goes all quiet and wants to be alone when we get back to the ship. Something on the Vono Islands has made him quiet, and he wants to explore alone. Naturally, I went with him (otherwise who'd tell the story, right?)
In Chapter 15, we visit a shipwreck (as depicted in The Goonies) but with the addition of giggling voices behind the heavy curtains.
We're drawn deeper inside, under water, across rotting planks and past small spinning crabs until we find the captain's dining room. It is here that we discover something akin to Time Bandits' bedroom wall scene. Everything we see is a trick from now on, a trick played with mirrors.
In the next room is another wall-to-wall mirror, and in that mirror is me. On the floor is Yulrick's Dad's skeleton, and his dagger. The log he is clutching reveals his Dad saved the village from huge monsters and couldn't return from its final mission.
Wait! In that mirror is not me, because it's doing different things like scratching its head and yawning.
Suddenly, I have a big problem. My entire team is duplicated and fighting becomes really hard because I CAN INJURE MY OWN TEAM MATES. When I've fought for nearly 20 minutes and my team is incapacitated, there's one enemy left and he seems to recover hp as quickly as I knock it off him.
Somehow, I manage to defeat him and my team stand up again. Exploring the ship has been fun, fighting the giggly mirror monsters exhausting, and returning to the ship encouraging because Yulrick is more confident and the repairs are complete.
In Chapter 15, we visit a shipwreck (as depicted in The Goonies) but with the addition of giggling voices behind the heavy curtains.
We're drawn deeper inside, under water, across rotting planks and past small spinning crabs until we find the captain's dining room. It is here that we discover something akin to Time Bandits' bedroom wall scene. Everything we see is a trick from now on, a trick played with mirrors.
In the next room is another wall-to-wall mirror, and in that mirror is me. On the floor is Yulrick's Dad's skeleton, and his dagger. The log he is clutching reveals his Dad saved the village from huge monsters and couldn't return from its final mission.
Wait! In that mirror is not me, because it's doing different things like scratching its head and yawning.
Suddenly, I have a big problem. My entire team is duplicated and fighting becomes really hard because I CAN INJURE MY OWN TEAM MATES. When I've fought for nearly 20 minutes and my team is incapacitated, there's one enemy left and he seems to recover hp as quickly as I knock it off him.
Somehow, I manage to defeat him and my team stand up again. Exploring the ship has been fun, fighting the giggly mirror monsters exhausting, and returning to the ship encouraging because Yulrick is more confident and the repairs are complete.
Of gods and women
Mirania tells me (because I spoke to her first) that she really wants to explore the Vono islands. Something there is bringing back memories.
Chapter 14 opens on the islands, and quickly I discover a treasure chest behind me because (as in Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Mercury Meltdown, Super Monkey Ball and many others) I start the level plonk in the middle of a footpath with an obvious pathway behind me.
Behind that are a bunch of baddies so far out of my league I know that I must come back and fight them later in the game - perhaps in the epilogue. I gave it a good go, but it was pretty much GAME OVER in under a minute.
So, back on the original path we discover a lush jungle, brimming with life - and some enemies to tackle. Fortunately, there's a bit of a maze thing going on here, and having looked carefully I discover lots of rare items.
Pressing on, I find one of the scariest baddies I have faced in the game. It was an armoured meta-spider that could fire web on to my team mates and pull them in while the baby spiders continued taking it in turns to stun me. As a result, I lost team mates to the spider quickly every time I battled it, and they did not come back for their four other lives.
The secret, I learned, was to wipe out the baby spiders, then use armour break, and then to slash at its rear while the meta-spider was a raw, red colour.
When he is defeated, the way is clear to find Mirania's memory-awakening forest god. What we find is his decomposing corpse in a copse. A forest god just like this one had brought up Mirania when she was a girl. What killed it, says Mirania, is the slow but steady death of the land across the globe.
However, in the closing of the cut-scene, the cold-Ready-Brek cat has been watching us, so maybe it stole all the cereals and the forest god starved.
Mystery solved, we headed back to the ship.
Chapter 14 opens on the islands, and quickly I discover a treasure chest behind me because (as in Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Mercury Meltdown, Super Monkey Ball and many others) I start the level plonk in the middle of a footpath with an obvious pathway behind me.
Behind that are a bunch of baddies so far out of my league I know that I must come back and fight them later in the game - perhaps in the epilogue. I gave it a good go, but it was pretty much GAME OVER in under a minute.
So, back on the original path we discover a lush jungle, brimming with life - and some enemies to tackle. Fortunately, there's a bit of a maze thing going on here, and having looked carefully I discover lots of rare items.
Pressing on, I find one of the scariest baddies I have faced in the game. It was an armoured meta-spider that could fire web on to my team mates and pull them in while the baby spiders continued taking it in turns to stun me. As a result, I lost team mates to the spider quickly every time I battled it, and they did not come back for their four other lives.
The secret, I learned, was to wipe out the baby spiders, then use armour break, and then to slash at its rear while the meta-spider was a raw, red colour.
When he is defeated, the way is clear to find Mirania's memory-awakening forest god. What we find is his decomposing corpse in a copse. A forest god just like this one had brought up Mirania when she was a girl. What killed it, says Mirania, is the slow but steady death of the land across the globe.
However, in the closing of the cut-scene, the cold-Ready-Brek cat has been watching us, so maybe it stole all the cereals and the forest god starved.
Mystery solved, we headed back to the ship.
Friday, 8 June 2012
...Is now mine (albeit a bit broken)
Chapter 12 is all about roaming the human-controlled ship and doing a spot of shopping. There are lots of things to do: plenty of people to talk to; weapons to appraise, buy, upgrade and sell; outfits of which to change the colour.
The room which the crab came through has had its wall repaired - perfectly. However, in Chapter 13 the ship is taking on water and needs serious repairs. Also, there's a door which got a bit damaged and someone is going to take three chapters to fix it.
I speak to Yulrick and he asks about my relationship with Dagran. Although I paint him in a great light - rescuing me from poverty and giving me purpose and building a bunch of mercenaries together - he thinks we have a special kind of relationship and that makes for an awkward moment.
I speak to Mirania and she wants to go to the nearby island - I think it's called Vono. She says she senses something on it, something she sensed when she was a girl.
The room which the crab came through has had its wall repaired - perfectly. However, in Chapter 13 the ship is taking on water and needs serious repairs. Also, there's a door which got a bit damaged and someone is going to take three chapters to fix it.
I speak to Yulrick and he asks about my relationship with Dagran. Although I paint him in a great light - rescuing me from poverty and giving me purpose and building a bunch of mercenaries together - he thinks we have a special kind of relationship and that makes for an awkward moment.
I speak to Mirania and she wants to go to the nearby island - I think it's called Vono. She says she senses something on it, something she sensed when she was a girl.
What once was yours...
Chapter 11 opens with Dagran, Calista and I boarding one of the enemy ships. In what is an enjoyable Splinter Cell-type assault on the soldiers without alerting the reinforcements, I manage to tackle three troops in defensive positions without sounding the alarm.
Things all goes horribly wrong when I try to sort out the cannon operators using the crossbow as a lure and waiting for the question mark and the ALONE symbol to appear above their heads. Somehow, everyone comes to investigate my first attack and I'm faced with a three-sided attack.
Using The Gathering again, I manage to see them off. However, I now have no idea which way I am supposed to go. Fortunately, my companions always know where we need to head as they are standing, backs to the walls and swords gripped tightly in front of them.
I recover the rest of my captured band - yes, we were on the same ship all along! I find keys, open locks and explore large rooms with spiders. Ugh! Apparently, according to one website I viewed, spiders are an essential element in a JRPG.
Finding the captain's room, the captain laughs at us before being devoured by his own monster. I don't know whether he saw that coming or not, but we have a spinning, poison-spine-hurling armoured crab to deal with. It seriously ruins the pillars in the cabin, and unlike in Zelda, they don't contain hearts.
Finding cover, and using ARMOUR BREAK I am able to defeat the crab. It's a good moment to point out that there are red symbols on the floor of rooms with major battles that allow me to summon more baddies to bring the levels of my team mates up. Very handy, particularly if, like Mirania, they're ten levels behind.
Soon we discover the boat is broken and needs to be repaired near an island that also contains interesting stories of their own for my band. Zangurak will have to wait until we've fixed the vessel up.
Things all goes horribly wrong when I try to sort out the cannon operators using the crossbow as a lure and waiting for the question mark and the ALONE symbol to appear above their heads. Somehow, everyone comes to investigate my first attack and I'm faced with a three-sided attack.
Using The Gathering again, I manage to see them off. However, I now have no idea which way I am supposed to go. Fortunately, my companions always know where we need to head as they are standing, backs to the walls and swords gripped tightly in front of them.
I recover the rest of my captured band - yes, we were on the same ship all along! I find keys, open locks and explore large rooms with spiders. Ugh! Apparently, according to one website I viewed, spiders are an essential element in a JRPG.
Finding the captain's room, the captain laughs at us before being devoured by his own monster. I don't know whether he saw that coming or not, but we have a spinning, poison-spine-hurling armoured crab to deal with. It seriously ruins the pillars in the cabin, and unlike in Zelda, they don't contain hearts.
Finding cover, and using ARMOUR BREAK I am able to defeat the crab. It's a good moment to point out that there are red symbols on the floor of rooms with major battles that allow me to summon more baddies to bring the levels of my team mates up. Very handy, particularly if, like Mirania, they're ten levels behind.
Soon we discover the boat is broken and needs to be repaired near an island that also contains interesting stories of their own for my band. Zangurak will have to wait until we've fixed the vessel up.
Cliffhanger
The battle spills out on to the cliffs. The Ganondorf character still has Calista and has sent his troops to slow me down while he reaches his ship. Fortunately, I have company and The Gathering to help me dispatch them without too much of a delay. Chapter 10 is mostly combat.
On the edge of the cliff, I cannot cause Ganondorf any damage, but he's very happy to give me plenty. As I lay crumpled at the foot of a boulder, he is about to give me a finishing blow. This is where I discover Calista has inherited magical powers from her family.
Activating something that looks a lot like the Monado's shield power, I am protected from his crushing blow and can now start to damage him. As usual with a damage gauge, it doesn't quite reach the bottom and there's a cut scene.
Amused at my sudden ability to fight back and at Calista's powers, he leaves us on the top of the cliff and gets into his boat. I decide to try and stop him escaping by jumping on one of his other ships...
On the edge of the cliff, I cannot cause Ganondorf any damage, but he's very happy to give me plenty. As I lay crumpled at the foot of a boulder, he is about to give me a finishing blow. This is where I discover Calista has inherited magical powers from her family.
Activating something that looks a lot like the Monado's shield power, I am protected from his crushing blow and can now start to damage him. As usual with a damage gauge, it doesn't quite reach the bottom and there's a cut scene.
Amused at my sudden ability to fight back and at Calista's powers, he leaves us on the top of the cliff and gets into his boat. I decide to try and stop him escaping by jumping on one of his other ships...
Friday, 1 June 2012
Guard duty
We have been ordered by Count Arganon to supplement the knights of the castle in chapter 9, and we dutifully welcome everyone into the Ballroom. There's lots of chatter and it's possible to listen to people chatting - which is odd when later in the game people are talking about me and I'm right there - about the royal engagement and the hubbub before the wedding.
Soon we are introduced to Princess Calista, slowly walking down the double flight of stairs and to the thrones. Soon she disappears to the balcony behind the thrones because she is so sickened by her husband-to-be. Dagran manages to sneak me out and I start to talk to her, when that nasty piece of work fiance comes to challenge me over my interest in his beloved.
Before we can proceed any further, we are interrupted by a Gurak attack. It devastates the castle (and not for the last time either) and in the ballroom we meet the leader of the Gurak - a huge man not dissimilar to Ganondorf. I can't hurt him (because he has a personal forcefield) and he sends me across the room. Calista rushes to me to try and help me up but when I awake, Calista has been kidnapped and I make my way through his various attack parties to the castle exit.
Getting to know the p(a)lace
I like exploring large places, and the castle is no exception. Its Grand Hall is huge and seems to have a mirrored marble floor effect that I like.
Unfortunately, the castle is also mostly full of nothing. In chapter 8 I discover there are one or two things to see (but some of the castle is still "not ready") and my party is spread throughout the castle so that I can find them and talk to them about how they're feeling. About the most interesting thing I have to do is witness the break up of a fight between my loud-mouth companion and the knights. There's a General called Ashtar who comes in and diffuses the situation so there's nothing for me to do but watch. I hope I'll meet the good General again.
Soon, though, it is time to start guard duty, and with my limited explorations complete I try to act properly in front of the nobles - by yawning out loud and not trying to hide it.
Unfortunately, the castle is also mostly full of nothing. In chapter 8 I discover there are one or two things to see (but some of the castle is still "not ready") and my party is spread throughout the castle so that I can find them and talk to them about how they're feeling. About the most interesting thing I have to do is witness the break up of a fight between my loud-mouth companion and the knights. There's a General called Ashtar who comes in and diffuses the situation so there's nothing for me to do but watch. I hope I'll meet the good General again.
Soon, though, it is time to start guard duty, and with my limited explorations complete I try to act properly in front of the nobles - by yawning out loud and not trying to hide it.
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