Now then, it's about time we headed Zwaardsrust's way.
...Well then. That's never good.
(Erik has appropriate behaviour for all cutscenes from now until his formal join time, and it's always worth checking to see what some animator had him doing in the background.)
This is not at all encouraging. While I don't necessarily fear sinking, perhaps it's possible we'll face something similar-
Oh, lovely.
We got a surprise guest.
I was wondering when we'd get around to saying hello to Alizarin.
I kneel only to Queen Marina.
Rab prepares to open the Pearly Gates up on him.
Alizarin proves resistant.
And I thought it was bad enough the Dark Orb could do that.
We can certainly expect a difficult time getting to a shore.
...Well, that couldn't have happened at a worse time.
...Sandy, I think we might be in Kansas now.
The Nautican's out of place, though.
The game doesn't specify where we are... and to be honest, I don't think it ever does. And I have no idea where this place even comes from. Nothing stands out, even as a reference to Cobblestone.
...Weren't you a Nautican earlier?
...That wasn't the question I was about to ask, but now that you mention it...
Well, if you insist.
...Again?
Leather mask.
That too, I guess. I didn't necessarily mind, but if you're-
Oh, a shapeshifter.
A shapeshifter who's asking different questions about their form.
And a lot of faces to pick from.
To some extent, the way this character appears is in the eye of the beholder. With that said, I'm not sure why it matters we don't know who they are. Surely this illusion is based more on first impressions?
Now then, who "The Seer" is could fill several pages of questions and you'd get no closer to figuring out answers even if you asked them all to her face.
And then she replies with questions of her own.
...Incidentally, no, I just sat down.
Of course it'd come back around to vague metaphors.
This is... by no means bad advice, but would I call it relevant to what Erdward is doing, or needs to do? Perhaps it's meant to be a cryptic piece of advice about Alizarin, but I'm not sure how "being patient" is supposed to be related to how that problem gets solved.
The Seer off-handedly mentions having met Erik before.
Before even more off-handedly dismissing that reference entirely, as well as the whole fishing metaphor she had set up. A cryptic, vague metaphor conversation in the vanilla version, made almost entirely worse when the Definitive version added the fact the Seer is responsible for Erik's amnesia.
You ever feel ever so slightly more irritated at a woman who is doing everything she can to help? It'd be a little less biting if she could tone down the vagueness.
...You know, yeah, actually. Not sure what I need it for, but it would come in handy. Besides, it's a Skill Tree.
...Does the Seer do anything except make up new rules as she goes along?
That conversation was unhelpful and I suspect deliberately cryptic. Knowing the secret of the Seer, I... can't exactly say I understand her motives any more than one might expect.
...Yeah, that sounds urgent.
And thank Yggdrasil for that.
On it.
That's that sorted out, then. And we're relatively free to forget that ever happened.
Although I'm certainly even more lost about exactly what it was that happened.
...So you dragged Erdward up from the water before docking the Salty Stallion? At least we were ambushed relatively close to Zwaardsrust.
And the worst part is, I haven't ruled that out.
Of course it happened inside my head, but why should that mean it isn't real?
...Yeah, probably for the best on that one. My mind clearly needs it after one too many vague metaphors.
One last message from the Seer, in a language I'm not sure comes up anywhere else and about a topic I think only tangentially at best discusses the whole "restoring Luminary powers" thing.
...So you don't see it? Goddammit, the Seer is in my head.
Hendrik: This place... It is exactly as I remember it... But this is no time to be wallowing in old memories. Come, Erdward- we must push on.
Rab: Och, it was nothing short of a miracle, laddie! I thought we'd lost ye to the depths... But then there was a bright light, and suddenly there ye were, floating up from the seabed! That's the luck of the Luminary for ye! This is no time to be dwelling on yer good fortune, though. Ye remember what Dave said about everyone at the Warrior's Rest having the same dream? Well if ye ask me, it's high time we go and investigate!
Sylvando: So that nasty monster called itself Alizarin and said it was a servant of the Lord of Shadows, right? Well, honey, we need to take care of that thing- I mean, next time he might sink the Salty Stallion, and no way am I going to allow that!
Erik: Huh? What's that? You're asking if I ever met a woman with blue hair who called herself the Seer? ...Hm. Now you mention it, it does ring a bell. Um... Yeah... I think I might have. But I can't really remember the details. Sorry about that.
I've certainly had luckier. And also much less lucky.
I'm not sure whether or not you're barred from sailing until you've resolved the Town Stories at this port. I certainly never bother checking, both are just way too important.
Yes, yes, I heard you the first time.
Pint-sized pigs who wander the world in their beloved hats, breathing fire on all and sundry from their sizable bellies.
Ham shamwitches (I always get them and their recolours confused) first appeared in DQ10, and their flame breath is their only talent. That and staring blankly into space. They happen to have Happy Hats in their rare slot, though, if you want to try your luck for some spares.
The troll shows off its animation for missing. It winds up and tips over. Some miss animations are amazing.
No one seemed to shut up about them, honestly.
At least they've turned it into a business venture.
With that aside, though, there is actually a DQ reference here: DQ4 has another quiet little village that has a dream that occurs to everyone who sleeps there.
You'd think, if it was one of those kinds of dreams, that the people who slept there would be famous for something else. Like all vanishing.
Depends on how much money they wind up aiming for, and how high they hit.
All right, then, so what's this dream about?
...And you're profiting off this?
Well then... clearly we're supposed to do something here.
That is something. Now comes the hard part- doing.
This voice is that of a woman, clearly distinct from the knight himself. Much like the DQ4 vision, which was also a woman sending a plea for assistance to be given to a man driven by despair and regret.
The similarities end there, including in terms of how simple it is to resolve the issues.
Sylvando, in pointing out what we don't know, ironically gives us a place to start. We may not know where he is, but there aren't a lot of candidates that would get to this inn...
Rab, recognising the armour, latches onto the only real clue we have: It's a Drasilian knight in the dream.
Hendrik: Surely not... Surely it could not have- Ah... Forgive me. This is no time for my idle musings. Let us press on.
Rab: The man we saw in our dream was wearing Drasilian armour, laddie. Ye can take my word for it. Let's head over to what's left of the auld city. I have a feeling we'll find out who he is once we're there.
Sylvando: Every guest at an inn having exactly the same dream!? That is seriously weird! And that man's voice- I don't think I've ever heard anything so sad. Honey, we have to help him!
Erik: That soldier we saw in our dream looked kind of sad, right? I wonder what happened to him...
Oh, of course there's people talking about Jade still around here.
We know where she is thanks to the Side Story, at least.
Glitzy little snail-like so-and-sos whose shells get their shimmering sheen thanks to a diet of almost exclusively precious metals.
Gold drohls are new to DQ11, knowing the spells Swoosh and Zammle. I'm not entirely convinced their gold drops are as high as their shells suggest, although they do drop gold nuglets in the rare slot.
Entities entirely encased in mechanical armour that responds to the will of the wearer, making offensive and defensive actions an absolute breeze.
The masqueraider is from DQ10, and has an inferno attack, a defend command, and something my sources call a "Bouken shield" with no elaboration.
I presume it's this. Basically Kabuff and Magic Barrier, but only for the caster.
OK, this is partially because of the bulk of the face invader family, but Sylvando?
Rab's building up in this direction for Wild Animaul. In hindsight, I challenge this decision, but am less sure on the correct alternative.
Rab is insistent that we go and solve the issue of the Drasilian Knight, to the extent of hard-railroading us from visiting Northern Dundrasil, and Octagonia in turn. Which stings even more, because if you've done the Side Stories or are on a replay, you know Jade is up that way.
The boulder blocking the South Dundrasil-Zwaardsrust pathway has now been destroyed.
Over-eager executioners who take it upon themselves to practise their craft upon unsuspecting passers-by with their oversized axes.
Oh my gods I love it. The hoodlum appeared in DQs 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 and the remake of 7, being a playable monster in 5 and all of a sudden I'm getting new feelings about that fact. In this game, they have crits, blocking, and Muster Strength.
(To add to the fun, their old name was "Eliminator".)
Umbral entities born in the screams and suffering of mankind. They throw Thwack around indiscriminately, sending all and sundry to the afterlife.
The silhouette appeared in DQs 3, 6, 8, and 10, and in addition to Thwack, they have a polluting breath that lowers the group's Attack and MaMight by one stage each. At this point, we are in Dundrasil, despite the lack of telegraphing.
These nasty knights gave up all pretense of chivalry long ago, and now aid the strong and prey on the weak.
Headless horsemen, despite the similarities, are not the enemy we fought at the Last Bastion- that truly was a boss enemy. Here, they know Oomphle, a horse's whinny, swinging their weapon recklessly, and can call for help from dullahans. Of course, they are new to DQ11.
While I'm here, I think to show off Hit Parade, since I expect I'll have better ideas with the Pep Power in future.
Sylvando is, surprisingly, forced into his "Parade Participant" outfit, despite having the Parade Master one. I suspect it's because the game knows you have access to this one, but it's never a guarantee for the latter.
The Soldiers of Smile, as well as Dave, drop what they are doing to rush to Sylvando's side.
It's a valiant charge, led by a guy with a glowing sword and a guy playing a recorder.
This attack unleashes a flurry of relatively low-power attacks on all valid targets.
Yes, this is all foreshadowing.
Most humans can't tell the various breeds of chimaera apart, but to their own kind, these are the most fetching fellows of all.
I dunno, I feel like most people can tell the bright pink of a cosmic chimaera from its duller brethren. Appearing in DQs 1, 9, 10 and the remake of 7, this guy can spew out an inferno and cast Multiheal.
Fortunately, so can we. It says a lot I did so outside of a boss fight, though.
Workaholics from the depths of hell whose every action is evaluated, including the clobbering sprees their bosses constantly send them on.
Whackolytes were in 2, 10 and the remake of 7, and when they're not blocking attacks, they can cast the spells Sizzle, Kasizz, Whack, Moreheal and Bounce.
Just because the gimmick is for Metal Slimes doesn't mean you can't throw this out whenever Rab has Pep.
Also you can ride these horses around. I'm not sure on the specifics, but they just don't feel right to ride. I wonder if it was intentional.
Ah well. The only enemy that appears only in rain in Act 2 is the Vicious Toxic Zombie, and you can find those in clear battles as hangers-on, too.
Ah, hello, I was wondering when I'd get you. Kaquadrabash is the king of Flourishes. This thing is worth 8 normal bashes, applying Double Whammy four times in a single action. Not only is this super heat-efficient, but it's just plain awesome, taking up 28 of the 40 Focus needed for that many Bashes. Any Forge with a 2x2 arrangement is made that much easier with Kaquadrabash, and even patterns where only three of the tiles are valid (like boomerangs) find this at least somewhat close to being as efficient as alternatives.
The Metal Slime Shield will not evade bonus this time.
Regal reptiles with an aristocratic air which is well-deserved- even dragons don't dare give them too much stick.
Liege lizards are from DQ10, and they are the most annoying enemy in the whole entire game. They can War Cry, launch a hellfire howl for single-target fire damage, act twice per turn, and oh yeah-
Make themselves invincible from physical attacks for a turn.
Fortunately, they're still vulnerable to magic, but this is still a pain in the ass and I suspect partially derived from the MMO mechanics from which it was born. Later liege lizard derivatives can block all Magic with their Eye, so you've gotta keep on your toes.
Our destination is up here, in the Ruins of Dundrasil proper. That's our parent's grave up ahead, and, well...
Hendrik: Dundrasil was a place of great beauty, both in its landscapes and the hearts of its people. That Mordegon could destroy it all without compunction is unforgivable. He must pay for what he has done.
Rab: If we're going to solve the mystery of that poor man in the dream, the answers lie here in Dundrasil, mark my words. In fact, I think I know exactly where we need to head. Come on, laddie. Let's push on.
Sylvando: Ahh, this takes me back. Remember when we followed Rab here on our quest for the Rainbough? The place was in a bad way then, but after what happened to Yggdrasil, it's looking ten times worse now. I feel so sorry for the souls of the people who lived here. There's no way they can be at peace with their hometown in this state...
Erik: Whoa, this place has been totally trashed. What the heck happened here? ...Huh!? This is your hometown? Oh man, I'm sorry...
It seems Mordegon wasn't happy with how trashed up it was the first time.
If we wander this way, we might notice the door to where we performed the ritual to send Mum on her way is shut now.
Although there's something suspicious over in this part of the walls.
Rab reckons the place we need to check for clues is here.
Well, once we've gotten all this rubble clear. I know we're strong, but can we really lift that big one on top? Between the three of us- and Hendrik is pretty burly- we should have plenty of strength, but that still looks imposing.
Fortunately, we figured something out.
This tunnel is an escape route- the one that was used to get Erdward to safety.
Rab suspects the Drasilian knight has gotten in that way.
Sylvando: Honestly, I could have traipsed around these ruins for hours and never noticed those stairs. Well, now we've found them, I guess we should use them. Come on, honey- down we go!
This is a brief underground area, surprisingly unravaged by time, and with absolutely no monsters whatsoever.
Hendrik: We must be wary. I sense a presence up ahead...
Rab: This place has seen better days, eh, laddie? It's gone to rack and ruin like the rest of the city. Mind you watch your footing in the dark... Now, if my suspicions are correct, we just need to push on a little further. With a bit of luck, all our questions about that dream will soon become clear...
Sylvando: Hmm... It looks like this was a kind of escape route out of the castle...
Erik: (cough) Ugh... (cough) Man, it's so dusty. I don't think anyone's been down here in a long time... (cough)
I set up my party equipment to prepare for a boss that will throw lots of Dark magic and Curses my way. That Hades Helm is readying itself.
Sage's Elixir in these chests, now. We're in the big boy magic heals.
Well. There's our knight.
Surrounded by the ghostly fire of the undead. I think this is a Japanese cultural thing I recognise from all the video games that include it more than the actual significance.
...He seems to have confused us for his enemies.
Oh hey, he's got a Falcon Blade.
Like the fact he drew a sword? Rab, sometimes you can be so thick.
??? family
2400 HP
999 MP
Sorry for no bio, it's rather spoilery. The Restless Knight has a lot of Dark-based attacks to throw our way, including a dark version of Gigagash and several curses. He also knows some more of Erdward's tricks, like Big Banga and Kasnooze. Yes, that is a Falcon Blade, he will hit twice with a single blow.
Why do we always do that by beating the crap out of it?
Best to get Erdward ready, then.
Big Banga is a Str-based group-targeting Fire spell. It's got a bit of a reputation as being an ultimate spell in the way it's set up to be acquired in-game, but I never felt it worth it.
This is one of those Curse attacks to watch out for. I'm a little unclear on what kinds he can throw out, only that he can do so and you should try to avoid it.
That it for Parallax? I guess you don't have an Atk up...
Oh great, Rab's cursed.
Ha ha.
Wow, that's a lot of damage out of Sword Dance. I always feel bad that it never seems to break 200 damage a hit for me, but this is impressive damage nonetheless.
This number is much more impressive, but if you read the bottom of the screen, you'll note that Erdward is doing the greater damage.
This turned out to be a pretty effective cast.
And followed up with a pretty effective Negagash. Although Hendrik might be skewing the numbers a bit.
Thank you.
And Erdward lands the finishing blow.
A beloved Eleanor and a son...
King Irwin of Dundrasil's tragically tortured form. A hollow shell of a man swirling with sadness on which the Gloomnivore greedily feasted.
Nice for Rab to recognise his old son-in-law.
Less great he didn't bring up the possibility. It might've encouraged me to try and go this way first rather than go help Jade.
Well, for one thing, his entire kingdom was destroyed before his eyes.
...For another thing, that.
Fortunately for Irwin, it looks like someone's been looking out for him.
...Anyone have any ideas on how we're going to manage that one?
Well, OK, we know it's probably Eleanor- and I think you can tell that from the VA- but Rab is surprisingly unperceptive when he wants to be. Either that or he doesn't want to mention his daughter, after not mentioning our father.
All right, time to start thinking in earnest.
Hendrik was present in Dundrasil when it fell. He would never have been able to save our father, though.
Rab, fortunately, has the clue to what to do mechanically.
Well, it can't be any scarier than Sylv's family crisis...
Erik can't connect this situation to his own parents. We never ultimately do get to meet Erik's dad ourselves. I'd say this isn't unusual, but I think Rab and Hendrik are bad examples.
To figure out what's going on with our restless father, the solution is to approach him.
...Although perhaps we coul've planned that better.
...Who are you? They do a lot of close-ups on this monster's mouth, and it's very disconcerting. Not the least because this is a recoloured manticore.
Next time: We stew on our father's last regrets.
No comments:
Post a Comment