The game never tells me about it. I already moved on to Mother 3.
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RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
- Thread starter Deleted member 419
- Start date
There's a NG+ option for the 3rd, but that's about it.
Cold Steel I has some save transfer options for Cold Steel II.
Fingers crossed we see Richard and Zin again in Calvard.
Finished Digital Devil Saga 1 last sunday and haven't given my thoughts yet. The short version is that I liked what the game was doing, even when my patience ran out a few times.
The good part is that it's setting and inspiration is unique even for smt games, drawing strength from hinduism for its themes. This is a very visible aspect of the game, something you can find in the architecture style of the buildings across the game. More notably is when the game deviates from this, giving a sense that it's connected to a different part of the story, the mystery about Sera and yourselves. I'm talking about the Wrecked Ship, Coordinate 136 and the Brutes Base.
Choice is also a very active part of the game. The mantra grid is a giant skill tree where you gotta choose how to build your characters. Thing is you never quite sure how it all plans out. I kept my options broad, which also meant that at certain boss encounters I didn't have the proper tools to deal with it. This results in doing prep work. It's not something I particularly enjoy doing as it involves things that are close to grinding. I think the satisfaction you gain when it works out beats that in the end. It does however highlight a very important annoyance in this game: the absurd encounter rate.
This is the bad part in the game. You would think no time has passed between Mother 1 and DDS1. In Nocturne you kinda know what to expect with the encounter rate and even if you don't, estoma works to reduce encounters significantly. Estoma spray in DDS1 does not have that guarantee. In my experience I would have more encounters even, shortly after one other. This is also coupled with a different problem, because DDS works a bit differently than SMT. You equip a set up on your character demons, allowing up to 24 skills per active party. That means choices, adapting to what encounters throw at you. And encounters can be very mean. Ambushing you, wiping you in one round because you were ill matched against that type. Forgetting to change your set up and not being able to escape from a battle. This game is the digital devil. I've been very unlucky in getting the enemy pair ups that would destroy me. I died more times in this game then I did in most smt games combined. Not being able to cover my ass with a set of caught demons so I can fake my way through the game reminded me how much I relied
on these critters before.
The ugly part of this whole thing is, you're gonna need those encounters a whole lot. You need the karma, you need the macca and you need the atma points. So it might actually be worse than Mother 1's situation. As you can afford to skip out on battles there. Other minor petpeeves like save terminals near the boss being small, so you can't teleport to it definitely made the karma tower a pain in the ass. Not being able to change your mantra on the go or change skills in battle would have saved so much time for me.
In the end that's a very painful thing to accept. The system that sets it off from itself also devours the system. The encounters are the good, bad and ugly parts of the game. I think the most noticeable aspect of how this manifests is in how in other smt games I would not know how to stop playing and in DDS1 I would leave stuff for the next day or in the case of the final boss the next week.
Now the next parts contain spoilers for the final boss and the ending.
Hoping to see more of this love story soon.
EDIT: I pressed post a bit too soon haha, but there's the somewhat longer version. It is a good game, bit frustrating near the end. On a new cycle I should do much better.
The good part is that it's setting and inspiration is unique even for smt games, drawing strength from hinduism for its themes. This is a very visible aspect of the game, something you can find in the architecture style of the buildings across the game. More notably is when the game deviates from this, giving a sense that it's connected to a different part of the story, the mystery about Sera and yourselves. I'm talking about the Wrecked Ship, Coordinate 136 and the Brutes Base.
Choice is also a very active part of the game. The mantra grid is a giant skill tree where you gotta choose how to build your characters. Thing is you never quite sure how it all plans out. I kept my options broad, which also meant that at certain boss encounters I didn't have the proper tools to deal with it. This results in doing prep work. It's not something I particularly enjoy doing as it involves things that are close to grinding. I think the satisfaction you gain when it works out beats that in the end. It does however highlight a very important annoyance in this game: the absurd encounter rate.
This is the bad part in the game. You would think no time has passed between Mother 1 and DDS1. In Nocturne you kinda know what to expect with the encounter rate and even if you don't, estoma works to reduce encounters significantly. Estoma spray in DDS1 does not have that guarantee. In my experience I would have more encounters even, shortly after one other. This is also coupled with a different problem, because DDS works a bit differently than SMT. You equip a set up on your character demons, allowing up to 24 skills per active party. That means choices, adapting to what encounters throw at you. And encounters can be very mean. Ambushing you, wiping you in one round because you were ill matched against that type. Forgetting to change your set up and not being able to escape from a battle. This game is the digital devil. I've been very unlucky in getting the enemy pair ups that would destroy me. I died more times in this game then I did in most smt games combined. Not being able to cover my ass with a set of caught demons so I can fake my way through the game reminded me how much I relied
on these critters before.
The ugly part of this whole thing is, you're gonna need those encounters a whole lot. You need the karma, you need the macca and you need the atma points. So it might actually be worse than Mother 1's situation. As you can afford to skip out on battles there. Other minor petpeeves like save terminals near the boss being small, so you can't teleport to it definitely made the karma tower a pain in the ass. Not being able to change your mantra on the go or change skills in battle would have saved so much time for me.
In the end that's a very painful thing to accept. The system that sets it off from itself also devours the system. The encounters are the good, bad and ugly parts of the game. I think the most noticeable aspect of how this manifests is in how in other smt games I would not know how to stop playing and in DDS1 I would leave stuff for the next day or in the case of the final boss the next week.
Now the next parts contain spoilers for the final boss and the ending.
Party I used was Serph, Heat and Argilla.
Serph lvl 58 (Mabufudyne, Mediarama, Samarecarm, Dekaja, Dekunda, Tarukaja, Mind Charge, Magic Repel)
Heat lvl 55 (Executioner, Revelation, Power Charge, Life Bonus, Life Gain, Phys Resist, Counterstrike, Phys Repel)
Argilla lvl 55 (Teradyne, Mediarahan, Samarecarm, Rakunda, Rakukaja, Sukukaja, Earth Boost, Earth Amp)
Both Vishnu and Shiva forms are not really that hard. Even before this set up, I didn't have much trouble with this. Buff Heat, debuff boss, powercharge heat, whack away, keep party healed.
The hard part is Harihara. My set up wasn't even ideal, as Materadyne would have been so much better for offense on Argilla. She probably doesn't even need mind charge as her magic is high enough anyway. It's enough however, even if the party sequence could have been better adjusted and me stocking up dispel items would have made it less exciting at times.
Typically first turn would be me casting magic repel, power charge, pass and mind charge. Then Harihara would dekaja me from the previous buffs and spend his turns on the repel magic. Then I need to remove his cores, which is the tricky part. My choices were either single attack ice/earth cores or single attack phys core. Once the cores are gone, it's time to dish damage. Harihara favors using status effects a lot in the first part. Mute is especially annoying as it disrupts the flow. I had no means to dispel them so I had to wait it out till he would hunger wave me. Sera would dispel it the next turn and I could go on. Made the battle a bit lengthier than I wanted...
Getting three cores together is a disaster as harihars would immediately use an enemy combo. This nearly wiped me. Luckily I had enough healing items in case of emergency and I couldn't rely on Argilla for full healing or Serph for moderate healing. Just keep letting Serph and Heat attack to pile on damage and keep his cores away.
As unlucky as I have been with enemy rng, so blessed was I when the final blow was a critical counterstrike from Heat with powercharge on him. It had a very cathartic effect.
Serph lvl 58 (Mabufudyne, Mediarama, Samarecarm, Dekaja, Dekunda, Tarukaja, Mind Charge, Magic Repel)
Heat lvl 55 (Executioner, Revelation, Power Charge, Life Bonus, Life Gain, Phys Resist, Counterstrike, Phys Repel)
Argilla lvl 55 (Teradyne, Mediarahan, Samarecarm, Rakunda, Rakukaja, Sukukaja, Earth Boost, Earth Amp)
Both Vishnu and Shiva forms are not really that hard. Even before this set up, I didn't have much trouble with this. Buff Heat, debuff boss, powercharge heat, whack away, keep party healed.
The hard part is Harihara. My set up wasn't even ideal, as Materadyne would have been so much better for offense on Argilla. She probably doesn't even need mind charge as her magic is high enough anyway. It's enough however, even if the party sequence could have been better adjusted and me stocking up dispel items would have made it less exciting at times.
Typically first turn would be me casting magic repel, power charge, pass and mind charge. Then Harihara would dekaja me from the previous buffs and spend his turns on the repel magic. Then I need to remove his cores, which is the tricky part. My choices were either single attack ice/earth cores or single attack phys core. Once the cores are gone, it's time to dish damage. Harihara favors using status effects a lot in the first part. Mute is especially annoying as it disrupts the flow. I had no means to dispel them so I had to wait it out till he would hunger wave me. Sera would dispel it the next turn and I could go on. Made the battle a bit lengthier than I wanted...
Getting three cores together is a disaster as harihars would immediately use an enemy combo. This nearly wiped me. Luckily I had enough healing items in case of emergency and I couldn't rely on Argilla for full healing or Serph for moderate healing. Just keep letting Serph and Heat attack to pile on damage and keep his cores away.
As unlucky as I have been with enemy rng, so blessed was I when the final blow was a critical counterstrike from Heat with powercharge on him. It had a very cathartic effect.
Now the real deal. The last few hours of the game were really good in terms of story. From Colonel Beck that gave the first answers to what might have happened till the after credits of the game. Very elaborate cutscenes.
Serph being left behind is a painful conclusion. Also demons are sturdy, dude fell off the tower that had over 9000 stairs.
Serph being left behind is a painful conclusion. Also demons are sturdy, dude fell off the tower that had over 9000 stairs.
Hoping to see more of this love story soon.
EDIT: I pressed post a bit too soon haha, but there's the somewhat longer version. It is a good game, bit frustrating near the end. On a new cycle I should do much better.
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Always remember, DDS is a Dungeon Crawler that doesnt forget its a Dungeon Crawler like some of them do.
Also MUSIC.
If you go onto 2 soonish, keep an ear open for something about it vs 1's which I think is really neat.
Also MUSIC.
If you go onto 2 soonish, keep an ear open for something about it vs 1's which I think is really neat.
RPGWatch GOTY 2018
Gamer's Choice
1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
The isometric role-playing game Pathfinder: Kingmaker developed by Russian studio Owlcat Games, based on Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder franchise is loved by fans and editors. Despite a buggy release the Kickstarter project is very successful and is the closest thing to a modern Baldur's Gate with some kingdom management thrown in.
The game features great character creation, challenging RTwP-combat, interesting party members, a good story with many choices and consequences. Let's hope that we see a lot of follow up RPGs in this fantastic game universe.
2. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Obsidian listened to gamer's criticism of Pillars of Eternity and pretty much improved every aspect of gameplay in Deadfire. The game also had a much lighter mood and a carribean/pirate setting that some loved and others were turned off by. Also Pillars 2featured well developed companions and stories which have become the trademarks of Obsidian games. Deadfire keeps on getting more features including its current turn based mode.
This is Obsidian's last game as an independent developer, they've made many games we've liked in the past, and we hope they continue to do so in the future.
3. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Though we've seen historical rpgs before, this is the first one with the budget and scope of an AAA game. Despite its rocky release, Kingdom Come: Deliverance won over gamers with its unique atmosphere and tone. It also had a variety of well developed and varied quests, and was both visually beautiful and featured gifted voice actors.
Deliverance ends on a somewhat open note so there is some hope that we will see a sequel before too long.
Critic's Choice
1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
3. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
* Follow the link for the rest
Gamer's Choice
1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
The isometric role-playing game Pathfinder: Kingmaker developed by Russian studio Owlcat Games, based on Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder franchise is loved by fans and editors. Despite a buggy release the Kickstarter project is very successful and is the closest thing to a modern Baldur's Gate with some kingdom management thrown in.
The game features great character creation, challenging RTwP-combat, interesting party members, a good story with many choices and consequences. Let's hope that we see a lot of follow up RPGs in this fantastic game universe.
2. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Obsidian listened to gamer's criticism of Pillars of Eternity and pretty much improved every aspect of gameplay in Deadfire. The game also had a much lighter mood and a carribean/pirate setting that some loved and others were turned off by. Also Pillars 2featured well developed companions and stories which have become the trademarks of Obsidian games. Deadfire keeps on getting more features including its current turn based mode.
This is Obsidian's last game as an independent developer, they've made many games we've liked in the past, and we hope they continue to do so in the future.
3. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Though we've seen historical rpgs before, this is the first one with the budget and scope of an AAA game. Despite its rocky release, Kingdom Come: Deliverance won over gamers with its unique atmosphere and tone. It also had a variety of well developed and varied quests, and was both visually beautiful and featured gifted voice actors.
Deliverance ends on a somewhat open note so there is some hope that we will see a sequel before too long.
Critic's Choice
1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
3. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
* Follow the link for the rest
About a week or so ago, I said that I finished Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. I was stuck on Marluxia, and my controller battery died when I made it to the second form for the first time, adding to my frustration. I was ready to set it down and move on, but instead I somehow got sucked into play Reverse/Rebirth. Last night I finally finished that as well, so I can move on to Kingdom Hearts II. I'm also going to bump up to the PS4 version. I have in my possession a copy of the 1.5 + 2.5 Remix for PS4, but I had been playing Re:Com on my PS3 1.5 version.
Re:Com grew on me. At first I didn't understand the card based combat and hated it, then I figured it out and learned how to cheese it and hated it. I think it started to grow on me around the time I was crashing into Marluxia over and over again. It took me several hours to win that fight with my fire and ice deck.
Riku's story is a lot more brief, and you get a premade deck for each world, so it's more figuring out how to work within the confines of what they give you as opposed to grinding out the cards you want to build your own deck on Sora's side. I feel firmly ensconced in the beginning lore of the Kingdom Hearts world now, heading into Kingdom Hearts II. It will be a while until I get to KH III, and I probably won't even make it this year unless I devote myself to the series. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment.
Re:Com grew on me. At first I didn't understand the card based combat and hated it, then I figured it out and learned how to cheese it and hated it. I think it started to grow on me around the time I was crashing into Marluxia over and over again. It took me several hours to win that fight with my fire and ice deck.
Riku's story is a lot more brief, and you get a premade deck for each world, so it's more figuring out how to work within the confines of what they give you as opposed to grinding out the cards you want to build your own deck on Sora's side. I feel firmly ensconced in the beginning lore of the Kingdom Hearts world now, heading into Kingdom Hearts II. It will be a while until I get to KH III, and I probably won't even make it this year unless I devote myself to the series. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment.
Apparently didn't talk about chapter 2 in Dragon Quest IV yet. It was very good and wholesome.
All Alenas dialogue and actions point to her being a positive thinking and powerful woman who wants to see the world and punch her way through. Her rebellion against her father puts her on a quest to test her strength, which in turn solves many local problems. Eventually she makes her dad see eye to eye and that makes her genuinely happy.
Of course she's not alone, as her companions Borya and Kiryl also have things to say. You get to know them along the way. Borya is strong in mind, but hampered by his physique, as old age makes him easily weary. Eventhough he wants nothing more to return Alena safe back home, he turns around and supports her to his full extent. He can be a bit grumpy and stubborn like an old fool can be, however he is duty bound to a fault. You can always rely on Borya.
Kiryl is a bit of idealist and romanticist. Follows Alena because she's his idol to worship and sometimes that's kinda creepy. Other times he can get embarrassed and that's a bit of Kiryl's cute side. His strength lies in his strong morals and justice. Kiryl is easily swayed and sometimes gets got up with his own fears and insecurities. He would go anywhere for Alena, no matter how far or at what cost.
Alena's quest comes to an end in Endor. Where she participates in a tournament and wins. It's just like she wanted. Her positivity and excitement rubs of you. The fights were really not that hard, except the mad snowman. :(
I really like how the game shapes up in Alena's chapter. The game started off with showing the ropes of movement in the prologue. Talking to NPC's and learning about the quest of the hero. Then in chapter 1 you take Ragnar and you learn simple combat. You can't control healie, just there being a goo slime. In chapter 2 you gain a party of three, so you have a lot more combat utility.
I'm playing chapter 3 right now and I like how different it is. I'll talk more about that in an upcoming post.
All Alenas dialogue and actions point to her being a positive thinking and powerful woman who wants to see the world and punch her way through. Her rebellion against her father puts her on a quest to test her strength, which in turn solves many local problems. Eventually she makes her dad see eye to eye and that makes her genuinely happy.
Of course she's not alone, as her companions Borya and Kiryl also have things to say. You get to know them along the way. Borya is strong in mind, but hampered by his physique, as old age makes him easily weary. Eventhough he wants nothing more to return Alena safe back home, he turns around and supports her to his full extent. He can be a bit grumpy and stubborn like an old fool can be, however he is duty bound to a fault. You can always rely on Borya.
Kiryl is a bit of idealist and romanticist. Follows Alena because she's his idol to worship and sometimes that's kinda creepy. Other times he can get embarrassed and that's a bit of Kiryl's cute side. His strength lies in his strong morals and justice. Kiryl is easily swayed and sometimes gets got up with his own fears and insecurities. He would go anywhere for Alena, no matter how far or at what cost.
Alena's quest comes to an end in Endor. Where she participates in a tournament and wins. It's just like she wanted. Her positivity and excitement rubs of you. The fights were really not that hard, except the mad snowman. :(
I really like how the game shapes up in Alena's chapter. The game started off with showing the ropes of movement in the prologue. Talking to NPC's and learning about the quest of the hero. Then in chapter 1 you take Ragnar and you learn simple combat. You can't control healie, just there being a goo slime. In chapter 2 you gain a party of three, so you have a lot more combat utility.
I'm playing chapter 3 right now and I like how different it is. I'll talk more about that in an upcoming post.
:slime:Apparently didn't talk about chapter 2 in Dragon Quest IV yet. It was very good and wholesome.
All Alenas dialogue and actions point to her being a positive thinking and powerful woman who wants to see the world and punch her way through. Her rebellion against her father puts her on a quest to test her strength, which in turn solves many local problems. Eventually she makes her dad see eye to eye and that makes her genuinely happy.
Of course she's not alone, as her companions Borya and Kiryl also have things to say. You get to know them along the way. Borya is strong in mind, but hampered by his physique, as old age makes him easily weary. Eventhough he wants nothing more to return Alena safe back home, he turns around and supports her to his full extent. He can be a bit grumpy and stubborn like an old fool can be, however he is duty bound to a fault. You can always rely on Borya.
Kiryl is a bit of idealist and romanticist. Follows Alena because she's his idol to worship and sometimes that's kinda creepy. Other times he can get embarrassed and that's a bit of Kiryl's cute side. His strength lies in his strong morals and justice. Kiryl is easily swayed and sometimes gets got up with his own fears and insecurities. He would go anywhere for Alena, no matter how far or at what cost.
Alena's quest comes to an end in Endor. Where she participates in a tournament and wins. It's just like she wanted. Her positivity and excitement rubs of you. The fights were really not that hard, except the mad snowman. :(
I really like how the game shapes up in Alena's chapter. The game started off with showing the ropes of movement in the prologue. Talking to NPC's and learning about the quest of the hero. Then in chapter 1 you take Ragnar and you learn simple combat. You can't control healie, just there being a goo slime. In chapter 2 you gain a party of three, so you have a lot more combat utility.
I'm playing chapter 3 right now and I like how different it is. I'll talk more about that in an upcoming post.
Glad you are enjoying it! I really love this game.
Yeah it is very nice how DQ IV, through the chapter conceit, really changes up both a) your perspective (e.g. why your character is doing something, what their attitude towards said something is, and just their personality: you get a more perspective driven approach to typical DQ vignettes--instead of a vignette about a princess wanting to be a martial champion, you get to play as her in her quest) and b) the mechanics (e.g. how many party members, the role of said party members, the conditions of progress: you get mini-RPGs with their own contours that echo the progression of DQI-III while also providing something fresh).
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This sounds..... in between SMT and Persona. I need to give this game a try.
Going by the soundtrack commentary, it sounds like they were trying to balance streamed samples of individual parts alongside MIDI - the main guitar parts and such don't seem like they'd be sequenced ingame.
"Most of the DDS songs were made with the PS2 internal sound generator in mind, so the capacity for one song is a little under 400KB (makes me want to cry…). Since I was going to do it blues style, I wanted to use guitar samples, but the capacity level was low, so there was nothing to do about it… "
"It seems I could reach a good compromise with tracks with 4 repeating measures… A lot of them are like that."
"
I was going to tackle the Maze of Tribulations in Star Ocean 5, but I got bored after beating 3 bosses in the first section. I'll leave it behind forever.
I'm now focusing on Arc the Lad 2. I really want to beat the game. I'm at the halfway point, so I'm already well on my way.
I'm now focusing on Arc the Lad 2. I really want to beat the game. I'm at the halfway point, so I'm already well on my way.
Anyone have a link to that top 100 RPG poll that was done on the main board here sometime last year? I can't seem to find the right search terms to hit it.
Sure it's here, the Essentials list https://www.resetera.com/threads/re...nal-update-top-101-up-plus-many-extras.53930/
It's incredible how that list is referenced constantly in several threads.
I'm looking forward to seeing the changes to the list this year.
I'm looking forward to seeing the changes to the list this year.
So, it's a little bit late but I wanted to do a small recap of what came out in January in case anyone missed anything.
Note: I'm using IGN and RPGGamer's 'Upcoming' lists, so a bunch of stuff might be missing. Let me know if something needs to be added!
---
January RPG Release Recap
Jan. 10
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
Switch (previously released on PC, PS4, XB1)
Trailer
Jan .11
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
3DS (DS remake)
Trailer
Jan. 11
Tales of Vesperia
PS4/XB1/Switch/PC (previously released on 360 worldwide, PS3 in japan)
Trailer
Jan. 15
My Time at Portia
PC (PS4/XB1/Switch later)
Trailer
Jan. 15
Smoke and Sacrifice
PS4/XB1 (previously released on Switch/PC)
Trailer
Jan. 17
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
PS4, Switch, PC
Trailer
Jan. 17
Feudal Alloy
Switch, PC (PS4/XB1 later)
Trailer
Jan. 17
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force
Switch (previously released on PC/PS3/PS4)
Trailer
Jan. 24
Legrand Legacy
Switch (PS4/XB1 later) (previously released on PC)
Trailer
Jan. 29
Mages of Mystralia
Switch (previously released on PS4/XB1/PC)
Trailer
Jan. 29
Kingdom Hearts 3
PS4/XB1
Trailer
Jan. 30
Mage's Initiation
PC
Trailer
Jan. 31
Dragon Marked For Death
Switch
Trailer
Jan. 31
Tangledeep
PC, Switch
Trailer
Jan. 31
Record of Agarest War: Marriage
PC (previously released on PSP)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander
Switch (previously released on PC)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Mac (previously released on PC, PS4, XB1)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Robothorium
PC, Switch (PS4/XB1 later)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Sunless Skies
PC
Trailer
---
What did you guys grab this month?
I picked up Tales of Vesperia, Legrand Legacy, and Kingdom Hearts 3. I haven't started Vesperia yet but I'm eager to do a replay as my last time was...well, ten years ago. Legrand, I haven't put much beyond 45 minutes into, but our friend Disclaimer here has many thoughts on it. Kingdom Hearts 3 is put off until I finish my Resident Evil 2 Hardcore runs, so I expect to start that this week. I'm tempted to put off my hardcore runs so I can stop playing Spoiler Minesweeper with KH3...
I was going to get Dragon Marked For Death but I want a physical version. I've got a slew of other games to get through so I might just keep an eye on it and see if the price drops any. While it's only $30, I know it'll just sit on my shelf for a couple months.
I'll make a post like I did a few weeks back highlighting what is coming out in Feb. Maybe someones eye will be caught by something there. Or you might be reminded a game you've been waiting for is coming out ever so soon and you're woefully unprepared for it.
Note: I'm using IGN and RPGGamer's 'Upcoming' lists, so a bunch of stuff might be missing. Let me know if something needs to be added!
---
January RPG Release Recap
Jan. 10
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
Switch (previously released on PC, PS4, XB1)
Trailer
Jan .11
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
3DS (DS remake)
Trailer
Jan. 11
Tales of Vesperia
PS4/XB1/Switch/PC (previously released on 360 worldwide, PS3 in japan)
Trailer
Jan. 15
My Time at Portia
PC (PS4/XB1/Switch later)
Trailer
Jan. 15
Smoke and Sacrifice
PS4/XB1 (previously released on Switch/PC)
Trailer
Jan. 17
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
PS4, Switch, PC
Trailer
Jan. 17
Feudal Alloy
Switch, PC (PS4/XB1 later)
Trailer
Jan. 17
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force
Switch (previously released on PC/PS3/PS4)
Trailer
Jan. 24
Legrand Legacy
Switch (PS4/XB1 later) (previously released on PC)
Trailer
Jan. 29
Mages of Mystralia
Switch (previously released on PS4/XB1/PC)
Trailer
Jan. 29
Kingdom Hearts 3
PS4/XB1
Trailer
Jan. 30
Mage's Initiation
PC
Trailer
Jan. 31
Dragon Marked For Death
Switch
Trailer
Jan. 31
Tangledeep
PC, Switch
Trailer
Jan. 31
Record of Agarest War: Marriage
PC (previously released on PSP)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander
Switch (previously released on PC)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Mac (previously released on PC, PS4, XB1)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Robothorium
PC, Switch (PS4/XB1 later)
Trailer
Jan. 31
Sunless Skies
PC
Trailer
---
What did you guys grab this month?
I picked up Tales of Vesperia, Legrand Legacy, and Kingdom Hearts 3. I haven't started Vesperia yet but I'm eager to do a replay as my last time was...well, ten years ago. Legrand, I haven't put much beyond 45 minutes into, but our friend Disclaimer here has many thoughts on it. Kingdom Hearts 3 is put off until I finish my Resident Evil 2 Hardcore runs, so I expect to start that this week. I'm tempted to put off my hardcore runs so I can stop playing Spoiler Minesweeper with KH3...
I was going to get Dragon Marked For Death but I want a physical version. I've got a slew of other games to get through so I might just keep an eye on it and see if the price drops any. While it's only $30, I know it'll just sit on my shelf for a couple months.
I'll make a post like I did a few weeks back highlighting what is coming out in Feb. Maybe someones eye will be caught by something there. Or you might be reminded a game you've been waiting for is coming out ever so soon and you're woefully unprepared for it.
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I bought Vesperia and KHIII as well. If Cold Steel comes out this month I'll get them too. Other than that this seems like another month to get stuff I didn't buy last year.
Hmmmm....probably going to buy EO Nexus. Probably end of February/beginning March though. Getting RE2 in next couple of weeks. Got a glut of games as gifts from others/myself during the holiday season, which, on top of my pre-existing backlog, has me trying to slow down acquisition and play some games I already have.
Been playing FE Echoes lately; think I'm pretty far in. It is a strange game coming from other FE games but I'm enjoying it including its strangeness.
Edit: And changed my mind :P Been thinking about it more since I put my thoughts down here and ended up buying Nexus lol. We'll see.
Been playing FE Echoes lately; think I'm pretty far in. It is a strange game coming from other FE games but I'm enjoying it including its strangeness.
Edit: And changed my mind :P Been thinking about it more since I put my thoughts down here and ended up buying Nexus lol. We'll see.
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I got Vesperia, KH3 and Sunless Skies. Been mostly focusing on KH3 and it'll continue like this for as long as I can possibly stretch the game lol. Loving it so far.
Vesperia has always been one of my favorite Tales games, but curiously I couldn't really get into the remaster. I don't think I can really handle the combat anymore. I know it gets better later on, but MAN is it boring in the beginning. Somehow the story is still pretty fresh in my mind, too, even though I last played the game like.. Ten years ago? Geez.
Vesperia has always been one of my favorite Tales games, but curiously I couldn't really get into the remaster. I don't think I can really handle the combat anymore. I know it gets better later on, but MAN is it boring in the beginning. Somehow the story is still pretty fresh in my mind, too, even though I last played the game like.. Ten years ago? Geez.
Didn't get anything new in January but I did manage to snag a copy of SMT: Apocalypse for $5 one day at Target. I still need to play SMT IV before I get into it however.
Right now the plan is to wrap up Pokémon Let's Go, then jump into Trails in the Sky SC. I'm sitting on a stack of games from the past few years that I want to get into. I also still play quite a bit of Diablo III so that takes some time.
Right now the plan is to wrap up Pokémon Let's Go, then jump into Trails in the Sky SC. I'm sitting on a stack of games from the past few years that I want to get into. I also still play quite a bit of Diablo III so that takes some time.
So I was pretty far in Echoes: I beat it later last night. Played it on Hard Classic.
It is an interesting game and I'm glad my sister gifted it to me and that I got around to it now. I've never played OG FE2 but Echoes is in part a portal onto Fire Emblem before classical Fire Emblem was decided and a very different game. I imagine it also has its own idiosyncrasies introduced in the remake.
I'll start with the first difference that really presents itself: there are text adventure-esque town sequences where you can talk to NPCs and examine the premises for items and descriptive text. This is the primary way of both a) recruiting new soldiers and b) receiving items--there is a blacksmith that can upgrade gear but there aren't shops.
This bleeds into another striking distinction: there is but a single item slot for either an accessory, food, or a weapon. Weapons act as optional, albeit very useful, accessories rather than required tools. They have no durability. They can be upgraded. They impart weapon-specific combat skills. Among other accessories, you can even use shields, other than, say, the dracoshield common in later Fire Emblem. Food provides additional varieties of 'medicinal herb' and also plays into a fatigue system (more on that below).
Another glaring difference, similar to the first in a sense, is the existence of dungeons. Yes, dungeons in Fire Emblem. You wonder around labyrinths breaking pots and engaging symbols to face small battles. You can only take 10 people into the dungeon, unlike the normal battles where generally you can take everyone. Dungeons also operate on a suspend system--you can only suspend save outside of Shrines to Mila and the entrance. Combined with non-refreshing cogs (which give you the option to reset time a bit to counteract losses), a fatigue system (cured by food/offerings to Mila), permadeath, and some tricky enemies and dungeons can become pretty tense at their most potent, although that only really became apparent to me in the endgame.
Echoes is also, like Sacred Stones, a game with a map. It is interesting because unlike Sacred Stones, when your protagonists part ways, you can control them both, in turn, on the map. This allows you to swap between campaigns and there is also a token of interactivity between the campaigns. It is a neat feature: I found myself gravitating towards Celica's army more (heavy on swordsmen, Pegasus Knights, and mages) but it was really cool having two armies with their own identities. Another thing to note about the map is that certain bosses were really aggressive with their reinforcements, which would put pressure on you to try and finish certain parts of a campaign sooner rather than later. It also made it noticeable when they weren't aggressive, and there tended to be an underlying reason therefore, which was interesting world building. The reinforcements could get kind of obnoxious at times.
The classes and leveling are also quite different. There is a base villager class although most units start already promoted into a second tier class. Cavaliers, Mercenaries, and Soldiers have three tiers. The "Lords," Mages, Clerics, and Pegasus Knights have two tiers (DLC apparently adds a bunch of tiers). Upgrading classes brings you in line with a minimum specification rather than being a stock bonus. Moreover, lower level advanced classes are rewarded more experience than high level base classes. Particularly with the three-tier physical classes, this incentives early promotion. Class bonuses also have this affect, e.g. Dread Fighters getting a resistance boost and halved magic damage--quite important in this game--or Falcon Knights getting a plus 10 damage increase against demons.
I felt conflicted about raising my Pegasus Trio early and held off on them until they were about level 15 and I really needed that damage boost against the endless waves of demons that were being thrown at me. Catria and Est in particular seem to have quite good growths and unlike the other main physical classes, they weren't getting 40 levels or so anyway (if/when they reached 20 Falcon Knight). That regret lingered in the background tbh, but they were stellar units nonetheless. I had pretty much no qualms with the other physical classes when I set about doing it--many of those characters seemed to have relatively poor growth rates--or I just had bad luck--and they were still going to be getting lots of levels.
I got Alm/Celica and pretty much all of my mages to 20 before upgrading. Alm/Celica happened naturally really--I could wait on Alm after he could upgrade but it didn't take long to get to 20 and Celica, although her upgrade was mandatory, had naturally reached 20--and there was no way I was going to miss out on their insane growth rates particularly when they mostly had overshot their minimum specifications anyway. My best mages also had insane growth rates but, moreover, in Echoes you actually learn spells overtime (recall the changes to the equipment system) and you learn them faster as lower classes. Besides this, their advanced class abilities tended to not be as clutch as those of some other classes although Saint in particular had nice bonuses.
Some thoughts on the combat itself: Archers are quite different in Echoes: they have generally increased maximum range and can also attack at distance. Similarly, magic spells have more variable range. Mages/Archers can be quite dangerous and quite useful for this reason, particularly the former because it is a game of particularly low resistance. I like these ranged combat differences.
Demons are typically quite hard to kill with physical attacks, making magic (again), the Falcon Knight bonus, and blessed weapons very very valuable. There is also a growing focus on these conjurers that summon endless waves of demons, often in defensible positions, which you need to figure out how/when to blitz to stop the waves, which are also getting between you and your target. Nuibaba's level was particularly complicated in this regard by Medusa (spell), the cliff face, and her hangers on.
The turn-wheel feature is nice and speeds up a classic playthrough by limiting total resets. It is best in dungeons where it does not reset on battle's end.
Many levels are very small and bite-size, particularly in dungeons although those can also be tricky at times, particularly later on. It is a game designed around extra world map battles and dungeon encounters. Not entirely sure how I felt about this. It could inflate the time it takes to make progress and the steps involved relative to a normal SRPG in one sense while deflating it in another. I like a lot of the ideas the game explored, so I'm sympathetic in general, but sometimes I wanted a more traditional, meatier level. Which there are some in the game, just the long levels tend to be ones like Nuibaba's level, which, admittedly, I did enjoy in its own way.
I think the story is also interesting in how it departs from the Marth canon. Fire Emblems always do that to a greater or lesser extent but it felt particularly palpable here with Alm being a kind of proto-Ike in the sense that he brought class into play to an extent it usually isn't and then Celica's campaign very much had its own idiosyncratic goals and "feel." The game tied back to Marth canon at the end, imo but the way it got there was kind of different and strange, which I appreciated.
Edit:
Oh I left off two big things: spells/skills costing hp--this is particularly interesting for healers in the early game, with Healing and Nosferatu having a balance. Rings kind of make it obsolete. The other thing is I felt myself gunning for critical hits more often in this game--they seemed more likely more often.
It is an interesting game and I'm glad my sister gifted it to me and that I got around to it now. I've never played OG FE2 but Echoes is in part a portal onto Fire Emblem before classical Fire Emblem was decided and a very different game. I imagine it also has its own idiosyncrasies introduced in the remake.
I'll start with the first difference that really presents itself: there are text adventure-esque town sequences where you can talk to NPCs and examine the premises for items and descriptive text. This is the primary way of both a) recruiting new soldiers and b) receiving items--there is a blacksmith that can upgrade gear but there aren't shops.
This bleeds into another striking distinction: there is but a single item slot for either an accessory, food, or a weapon. Weapons act as optional, albeit very useful, accessories rather than required tools. They have no durability. They can be upgraded. They impart weapon-specific combat skills. Among other accessories, you can even use shields, other than, say, the dracoshield common in later Fire Emblem. Food provides additional varieties of 'medicinal herb' and also plays into a fatigue system (more on that below).
Another glaring difference, similar to the first in a sense, is the existence of dungeons. Yes, dungeons in Fire Emblem. You wonder around labyrinths breaking pots and engaging symbols to face small battles. You can only take 10 people into the dungeon, unlike the normal battles where generally you can take everyone. Dungeons also operate on a suspend system--you can only suspend save outside of Shrines to Mila and the entrance. Combined with non-refreshing cogs (which give you the option to reset time a bit to counteract losses), a fatigue system (cured by food/offerings to Mila), permadeath, and some tricky enemies and dungeons can become pretty tense at their most potent, although that only really became apparent to me in the endgame.
Echoes is also, like Sacred Stones, a game with a map. It is interesting because unlike Sacred Stones, when your protagonists part ways, you can control them both, in turn, on the map. This allows you to swap between campaigns and there is also a token of interactivity between the campaigns. It is a neat feature: I found myself gravitating towards Celica's army more (heavy on swordsmen, Pegasus Knights, and mages) but it was really cool having two armies with their own identities. Another thing to note about the map is that certain bosses were really aggressive with their reinforcements, which would put pressure on you to try and finish certain parts of a campaign sooner rather than later. It also made it noticeable when they weren't aggressive, and there tended to be an underlying reason therefore, which was interesting world building. The reinforcements could get kind of obnoxious at times.
The classes and leveling are also quite different. There is a base villager class although most units start already promoted into a second tier class. Cavaliers, Mercenaries, and Soldiers have three tiers. The "Lords," Mages, Clerics, and Pegasus Knights have two tiers (DLC apparently adds a bunch of tiers). Upgrading classes brings you in line with a minimum specification rather than being a stock bonus. Moreover, lower level advanced classes are rewarded more experience than high level base classes. Particularly with the three-tier physical classes, this incentives early promotion. Class bonuses also have this affect, e.g. Dread Fighters getting a resistance boost and halved magic damage--quite important in this game--or Falcon Knights getting a plus 10 damage increase against demons.
I felt conflicted about raising my Pegasus Trio early and held off on them until they were about level 15 and I really needed that damage boost against the endless waves of demons that were being thrown at me. Catria and Est in particular seem to have quite good growths and unlike the other main physical classes, they weren't getting 40 levels or so anyway (if/when they reached 20 Falcon Knight). That regret lingered in the background tbh, but they were stellar units nonetheless. I had pretty much no qualms with the other physical classes when I set about doing it--many of those characters seemed to have relatively poor growth rates--or I just had bad luck--and they were still going to be getting lots of levels.
I got Alm/Celica and pretty much all of my mages to 20 before upgrading. Alm/Celica happened naturally really--I could wait on Alm after he could upgrade but it didn't take long to get to 20 and Celica, although her upgrade was mandatory, had naturally reached 20--and there was no way I was going to miss out on their insane growth rates particularly when they mostly had overshot their minimum specifications anyway. My best mages also had insane growth rates but, moreover, in Echoes you actually learn spells overtime (recall the changes to the equipment system) and you learn them faster as lower classes. Besides this, their advanced class abilities tended to not be as clutch as those of some other classes although Saint in particular had nice bonuses.
Some thoughts on the combat itself: Archers are quite different in Echoes: they have generally increased maximum range and can also attack at distance. Similarly, magic spells have more variable range. Mages/Archers can be quite dangerous and quite useful for this reason, particularly the former because it is a game of particularly low resistance. I like these ranged combat differences.
Demons are typically quite hard to kill with physical attacks, making magic (again), the Falcon Knight bonus, and blessed weapons very very valuable. There is also a growing focus on these conjurers that summon endless waves of demons, often in defensible positions, which you need to figure out how/when to blitz to stop the waves, which are also getting between you and your target. Nuibaba's level was particularly complicated in this regard by Medusa (spell), the cliff face, and her hangers on.
The turn-wheel feature is nice and speeds up a classic playthrough by limiting total resets. It is best in dungeons where it does not reset on battle's end.
Many levels are very small and bite-size, particularly in dungeons although those can also be tricky at times, particularly later on. It is a game designed around extra world map battles and dungeon encounters. Not entirely sure how I felt about this. It could inflate the time it takes to make progress and the steps involved relative to a normal SRPG in one sense while deflating it in another. I like a lot of the ideas the game explored, so I'm sympathetic in general, but sometimes I wanted a more traditional, meatier level. Which there are some in the game, just the long levels tend to be ones like Nuibaba's level, which, admittedly, I did enjoy in its own way.
I think the story is also interesting in how it departs from the Marth canon. Fire Emblems always do that to a greater or lesser extent but it felt particularly palpable here with Alm being a kind of proto-Ike in the sense that he brought class into play to an extent it usually isn't and then Celica's campaign very much had its own idiosyncratic goals and "feel." The game tied back to Marth canon at the end, imo but the way it got there was kind of different and strange, which I appreciated.
Edit:
Oh I left off two big things: spells/skills costing hp--this is particularly interesting for healers in the early game, with Healing and Nosferatu having a balance. Rings kind of make it obsolete. The other thing is I felt myself gunning for critical hits more often in this game--they seemed more likely more often.
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I've been struggling to find a game I wanted to play. Thought to myself, "Hey it's been years since I played Final Fantasy X, and there's a fancy HD remake". But then I did some digging, and no Japanese VAing? I know the VAing in any language was never great for that game, but c'mon. Lame. I guess I'll wait and see if they ever give it to me for the inevitable PS5k remake.
There's a neat integration of story and mechanics there: Duma believes so strongly on self-reliance that most of the Rigelian/Duma Faithful enemies have 0 luck, making them extremely vulnerable to critical hits.
That is interesting.
Prompts me to make explicit something I alluded to in my post (just another (unrelated) gameplay/narrative thing):
Maybe I was just lucky but it was really uncanny how Rudolf sent no extra armies after me, which spoke to the confrontation with him later.
I don't think I bought anything new in January, which is probably good since I took pretty good advantage of sales in December. Just more plowing through the backlog, including getting started with Gold Box games, Pool of Radiance in particular.
I played that on release. I think it was on an Apple II+
I'm enjoying it, even more than I expected given the 1st Ed rules quirks. But I'll say I am glad for the QoL improvements from the Gold Box Companion mod.
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the grind in Grandia Xtreme is becoming aggravating. My team is at level 31, fighting level 45 enemies, and they still only gain around 10% XP needed to level per battle. I even went all the way to the bottom of the RNG labyrinths, again. (The story boss is way too powerful for my team, and just steamrolls them utterly.)
Wow, I didn't know that about the DDS OST... that's miraculous given how amazing it is, it tops Nocturne in some areas. Svadhisthana gives me chills.
Also, it's in Catherine, so Atlus knew they had something great.
Thuddert Go try the super boss of DDS1 sometime and tell me how that goes for you. :)
Also, it's in Catherine, so Atlus knew they had something great.
Thuddert Go try the super boss of DDS1 sometime and tell me how that goes for you. :)
I'm trying Grand Kingdom. I'm not going to bother with the online portion of the game, so I'll see if the single player stuff can hold my attention.
Time for another Dragon Quest IV write up. I played through chapter 3 recently. Lots of fun.
Torneko is the entrepreneurial spirit. Fed up with his day time job scrapping by a measly amount of money and coming home to a displeased wife and a tired kid, he finally (as the player) takes hold of his dream to run a shop. Torneko sets out on a treasure hunt to fund his ambition. Along the way many problems arise and the unique part of it is that is solved by raising funds and diplomacy. While you could question if Torneko's greed is a good thing, his influence literally opens roads.
In addition to partychat talk, Torneko being a merchant comes with the neat appraise function. Mechanically it just tells you what you can or can't equip, and how much gold you get for selling it. The best part are the flavortexts when torneko describe items. Making him inspect horse dung and seeing his reaction is a joy to unfold. Speaking about partychat, it is quite different from the last party. Torneko being a merchant uses hired help, abtly called Laurel and Hardie. They don't have that many lines, but there is some banter there, which is quite nice.
Another key feature are the small mystery dungeons that have a few puzzles while you try to get the treasures. It's simple, but it's neat to see the game do something slightly different with the dungeons here. One of my favorite moments is seeing this other treasure hunter trying to figure out how to get to the chests up ahead. Raising the water level brings this guy to the chests and he does take their content, only for him to later find out there's no way out lol.
What I like even more about this chapter is Torneko basically is a bum. He's not handsome, he's kinda lazy with work and he doesn't really spend that much time with his wife and son. His dream of owning a store with his wife feels like a delusion he kept telling his family to keep himself going. Torneko is the antithesis of cool. He's not a knight or a martial artist or a hero chosen for greatness, he's that guy that dreamed big, took a gamble and made it. Then he wants more, as just like the other characters his curiosity drives him forwards. I hope the kiddos that played this got the message that chasing your dreams is good, just don't be another deadbeat dad like Torneko...
Tessie is a fine lassie herself. The relationship she shares with Torneko is a strange one. Ever since the shop got set up she regained her energy and enthusiasm to make something out of life, supporting Torneko in a more healthy way. She probably also liked the prospect of running it alongside her husband and just spending some good quality time together. This is why she doesn't really seem that excited of seeing Torneko run off again, however seeing him chase his dreams makes her remember why she came to love him in the first place and she knows sooner or later he would have o it anyway. Torneko is easily bored after all. I thought this part was definitely a stand out in his chapter.
I enjoyed playing through this chapter a lot. Torneko was a mix of a merchant and a thief. Considering the prices he sold for, it definitely felt like crawling into the skin of a conman. The chapter also was a bit meatier than the last one, which is interesting.
Not sure when I'll start chapter 4, as I want to divide my attention to 428 and builders as well.
Torneko is the entrepreneurial spirit. Fed up with his day time job scrapping by a measly amount of money and coming home to a displeased wife and a tired kid, he finally (as the player) takes hold of his dream to run a shop. Torneko sets out on a treasure hunt to fund his ambition. Along the way many problems arise and the unique part of it is that is solved by raising funds and diplomacy. While you could question if Torneko's greed is a good thing, his influence literally opens roads.
In addition to partychat talk, Torneko being a merchant comes with the neat appraise function. Mechanically it just tells you what you can or can't equip, and how much gold you get for selling it. The best part are the flavortexts when torneko describe items. Making him inspect horse dung and seeing his reaction is a joy to unfold. Speaking about partychat, it is quite different from the last party. Torneko being a merchant uses hired help, abtly called Laurel and Hardie. They don't have that many lines, but there is some banter there, which is quite nice.
Another key feature are the small mystery dungeons that have a few puzzles while you try to get the treasures. It's simple, but it's neat to see the game do something slightly different with the dungeons here. One of my favorite moments is seeing this other treasure hunter trying to figure out how to get to the chests up ahead. Raising the water level brings this guy to the chests and he does take their content, only for him to later find out there's no way out lol.
What I like even more about this chapter is Torneko basically is a bum. He's not handsome, he's kinda lazy with work and he doesn't really spend that much time with his wife and son. His dream of owning a store with his wife feels like a delusion he kept telling his family to keep himself going. Torneko is the antithesis of cool. He's not a knight or a martial artist or a hero chosen for greatness, he's that guy that dreamed big, took a gamble and made it. Then he wants more, as just like the other characters his curiosity drives him forwards. I hope the kiddos that played this got the message that chasing your dreams is good, just don't be another deadbeat dad like Torneko...
Tessie is a fine lassie herself. The relationship she shares with Torneko is a strange one. Ever since the shop got set up she regained her energy and enthusiasm to make something out of life, supporting Torneko in a more healthy way. She probably also liked the prospect of running it alongside her husband and just spending some good quality time together. This is why she doesn't really seem that excited of seeing Torneko run off again, however seeing him chase his dreams makes her remember why she came to love him in the first place and she knows sooner or later he would have o it anyway. Torneko is easily bored after all. I thought this part was definitely a stand out in his chapter.
I enjoyed playing through this chapter a lot. Torneko was a mix of a merchant and a thief. Considering the prices he sold for, it definitely felt like crawling into the skin of a conman. The chapter also was a bit meatier than the last one, which is interesting.
Not sure when I'll start chapter 4, as I want to divide my attention to 428 and builders as well.
The classic D&D isometric games are coming to consoles:
I know these were designed for KBAM, but I've heard the console ports of modern isometric RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin control well, so hopefully these will too.
Will definitely pick these up.
I know these were designed for KBAM, but I've heard the console ports of modern isometric RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin control well, so hopefully these will too.
Will definitely pick these up.
This is fantastic news, yeah. I've been meaning to pick up the Pillars and Divinity games and I expected that they would be my first forays into the subgenre. But now that I will soon have the option to go back to older classics I think I'll start with the Baldur's Gates and Planescape.
Love seeing all the dialogue pictures. Glad you enjoyed Torneko!Time for another Dragon Quest IV write up. I played through chapter 3 recently. Lots of fun.
Torneko is the entrepreneurial spirit. Fed up with his day time job scrapping by a measly amount of money and coming home to a displeased wife and a tired kid, he finally (as the player) takes hold of his dream to run a shop. Torneko sets out on a treasure hunt to fund his ambition. Along the way many problems arise and the unique part of it is that is solved by raising funds and diplomacy. While you could question if Torneko's greed is a good thing, his influence literally opens roads.
In addition to partychat talk, Torneko being a merchant comes with the neat appraise function. Mechanically it just tells you what you can or can't equip, and how much gold you get for selling it. The best part are the flavortexts when torneko describe items. Making him inspect horse dung and seeing his reaction is a joy to unfold. Speaking about partychat, it is quite different from the last party. Torneko being a merchant uses hired help, abtly called Laurel and Hardie. They don't have that many lines, but there is some banter there, which is quite nice.
Another key feature are the small mystery dungeons that have a few puzzles while you try to get the treasures. It's simple, but it's neat to see the game do something slightly different with the dungeons here. One of my favorite moments is seeing this other treasure hunter trying to figure out how to get to the chests up ahead. Raising the water level brings this guy to the chests and he does take their content, only for him to later find out there's no way out lol.
What I like even more about this chapter is Torneko basically is a bum. He's not handsome, he's kinda lazy with work and he doesn't really spend that much time with his wife and son. His dream of owning a store with his wife feels like a delusion he kept telling his family to keep himself going. Torneko is the antithesis of cool. He's not a knight or a martial artist or a hero chosen for greatness, he's that guy that dreamed big, took a gamble and made it. Then he wants more, as just like the other characters his curiosity drives him forwards. I hope the kiddos that played this got the message that chasing your dreams is good, just don't be another deadbeat dad like Torneko...
Tessie is a fine lassie herself. The relationship she shares with Torneko is a strange one. Ever since the shop got set up she regained her energy and enthusiasm to make something out of life, supporting Torneko in a more healthy way. She probably also liked the prospect of running it alongside her husband and just spending some good quality time together. This is why she doesn't really seem that excited of seeing Torneko run off again, however seeing him chase his dreams makes her remember why she came to love him in the first place and she knows sooner or later he would have o it anyway. Torneko is easily bored after all. I thought this part was definitely a stand out in his chapter.
I enjoyed playing through this chapter a lot. Torneko was a mix of a merchant and a thief. Considering the prices he sold for, it definitely felt like crawling into the skin of a conman. The chapter also was a bit meatier than the last one, which is interesting.
Not sure when I'll start chapter 4, as I want to divide my attention to 428 and builders as well.
Sometimes I do wish I took notes during gaming, so I can write based on a script, however I'm not sure if I can game like that. At least I do take screenshots and uploading them to discord gives me a quick way to put them here.
Picking some key pictures from that pool. I noticed just as the game expands, so did my number of screenshots.
I think you had an interesting take on Torneko, going more into just what a departure he is from a standard RPG protagonist beyond just the surface level "he's a merchant, doing merchant things." It came up your comments on discord too, so just like taking the screen shots, you are already taking notes after a fashion.
Discord is a useful tool in this regard because jotting little things down, even if you don't refer to them, can help keep them in your mind and also hone your critical angle--something might just occur to you and stay at that; writing it down can help make you mobilize it into saying something more pointed imo because writing is a process of rationalization and/or explication.
What makes Torneko kinda interesting is that while he's not a badguy, he's still a bad rolemodel.
I've been reading a lot into DnD lately, despite still never having actually played a session of it (though there is a plan with some friends!)
It's been very interesting to see just how many games utilize those rules or some variant of them. I've played a lot of games that are either in the DnD universe (multiverse?) and never really gave it much thought. Back when I played through Divinity OS1 (and 2), I couldn't tell you what a Saving Throw did or why my stats did what they did. It was all gibberish to me for the most part, but things are starting to click and make sense. With the announcement of the classic rpgs coming to modern consoles, I'm curious on looking into them with my newfound understanding. While I don't see myself falling down a rabbit hole with it, its been a fun read.
Additionally, I started listening to The Adventure Zone podcast from the McElroy family. It's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.
On the JRPG side of things, I've put in a couple hours into KH3. I do like it, but it feels a bit frivolous at times. I think its the long cutscenes about nothing (e.g. the bistro shit I really don't care about.) I've still a ways to go though. The movement and general spectacle has been great, however. Combat is kinda easy even on proud, which I suppose isn't bad. I'd rather breeze through a boss fight than spend four hours on it getting mad.
Aside from that, God Eater 3 is very fun.
It's been very interesting to see just how many games utilize those rules or some variant of them. I've played a lot of games that are either in the DnD universe (multiverse?) and never really gave it much thought. Back when I played through Divinity OS1 (and 2), I couldn't tell you what a Saving Throw did or why my stats did what they did. It was all gibberish to me for the most part, but things are starting to click and make sense. With the announcement of the classic rpgs coming to modern consoles, I'm curious on looking into them with my newfound understanding. While I don't see myself falling down a rabbit hole with it, its been a fun read.
Additionally, I started listening to The Adventure Zone podcast from the McElroy family. It's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.
On the JRPG side of things, I've put in a couple hours into KH3. I do like it, but it feels a bit frivolous at times. I think its the long cutscenes about nothing (e.g. the bistro shit I really don't care about.) I've still a ways to go though. The movement and general spectacle has been great, however. Combat is kinda easy even on proud, which I suppose isn't bad. I'd rather breeze through a boss fight than spend four hours on it getting mad.
Aside from that, God Eater 3 is very fun.
Well, maybe Sega Europe will be arsed to port the series to PC. Just rename it to Persona Dungeons or something similar for instant monies.
Also, with Switch being 720p, they could have map drawing area comfortably tucked in the corner and still have enough of screen space for actual gameplay. If PC games could handle that in the 90's I'm sure Atlus will manage.
Renaming Etrian Odyssey to "Persona Dungeons" is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen someone say.Well, maybe Sega Europe will be arsed to port the series to PC. Just rename it to Persona Dungeons or something similar for instant monies.
Also, with Switch being 720p, they could have map drawing area comfortably tucked in the corner and still have enough of screen space for actual gameplay. If PC games could handle that in the 90's I'm sure Atlus will manage.
Anyway, a small area would be fine if you had a pointing device precise enough, but the Switch's screen is capacitive, and most people are using their fingers.
Nice write-up!
DQ4 was my first Dragon Quest and to this day one of my favorites, glad to see you're enjoying it so much.
Two first games of the year bought. Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and The Scroll of Taiwu.
I couldn't resist as they were approximately €30 and Steam had €5 discount for a €30 purchase. I also had €4.20 from card sales. So, I paid 21.50 for both of these.
I couldn't resist as they were approximately €30 and Steam had €5 discount for a €30 purchase. I also had €4.20 from card sales. So, I paid 21.50 for both of these.