At least the kid made it out. Didn't think anyone else got too close to Tatsunaga, but there was fire everywhere.
Let he who is without sin swallow the first maiden, or something. With that said, though, there's something to be said about the punishment fitting the crime: Miko wasn't exactly paying for anything by sacrificing herself, even though she has a debt to Hotto to repay. If sacrificing people meant anything, Tatsunaga should've left before we fought it off.
Do I want to say that... you left a woman to get eaten by a dragon, yeah, you probably are at fault this time.
...What happened to you? No one get between this guy and his forge.
Well, I'll be needing a key first.
Now that Miko's dead, we have access to her room, and we can find her maid back here, mourning for her.
She's perfectly fine just handing over the key right away, though, she wasn't exactly "in league with her".
With that said, though, she does want to share more details with us before we blaze too far ahead.
Namely, she's been reading Miko's diary for clues about why she did the things she did.
Well, that's a nice reason to write it down at all.
This story starts with the defeat of Tatsunaga. As mentioned, Miko was being truthful when she said she killed him.
However, when she said "Ryu was killed by Tatsunaga"? Torturing the truth a little.
Ryu was lost after the battle with Tatsunaga. But he's not dead yet.
Seems just as tough as the "real deal", if such a concept can really exist.
Don't interrupt, Sylv.
This is Ra's Mirror, although DQ11 never calls it that. DQ veterans might recognise that design from any DQ between 2 and 7. In DQs 2, 3, 5 and 6, it was used as a plot item to reveal the true form of whatever it reflected. In 4, 7, and most of the above games, it could also be used on battle to undo the effects of the Morph spell, which allowed enemies to assume the shape and abilities of party members.
Although the lion's share of plot uses have been "turn things pretending to be human back into monsters", Miko planned to use it for its original DQ2 use of "turn a cursed non-human back into a human".
Unfortunately for her, the mirror did not do what was necessary. The other instances of using Ra's Mirror weren't so picky. What does the DQV hero have that Miko doesn't?
While this thing is not working, Ryu is turning even more monstrous by the day.
And Miko decides that she's not going to be the one to put down Ryu- even if it means sacrificing her village to do so.
And here's where I'll mention Pimiko's secret: She actually was Orochi, in disguise. Hotto has kept the plot elements of human-dragon transformation and the guardian woman of the town trying to keep the sacrifices going, but it has twisted both on their heads to provide a vastly more compelling narrative on the parts of everybody involved. Hell, it even gave the sacrifice something to do- Yayoi, the little girl who was next to be fed to Orochi, is all but a generic NPC with aspirations.
I can't argue with that, but I can argue with the premise that it was an equal choice here. Ryu is lost, and the tools available can't help him. Putting him down may hurt, but feeding your people to him should hurt just as much- and the former option actually has an end goal.
Oh yeah, and if we wanted to try Miko's trick with our Luminary powers, she had the mirror on her.
Your first haiku is true, but the second one was unncessary.
Atsuo runs ahead to the gate to the main Mount Huji area, as if he is going to contribute anything. He hasn't forgotten he's a kid, right?
Hendrik: When we first learnt of what Miko was planning, I thought she was a heartless wretch... Once again, I have seen that there is always more to people than we can ever imagine. Come, Erdward, Atsuo awaits us at the gate. We must see how this unfolds.
Rab: Aye, reading her diary gives me an insight into what it must have been like for Miko. I mean, there's nothing I wouldnae have done if it could have saved Irwin and Eleanor's lives...
Sylvando: Oh darling... I just can't begin to imagine what Miko must have been through. I mean, she had to make a choice, as a mother... And she had to go through all this alone...
Jade: So Miko just wanted her son to survive. That's what was behind all of this. Truly, the love a mother has for her child is strong enough to transcend all questions of right and wrong.
Erik: That dragon used to be a person, right? Well, there's no trace of human left in it now. I mean, we saw it eat Miko! Sounds like that was a seriously nasty curse...
Serena: I, I still can't believe it. The dragon was Miko's son... and he ended up devouring her! It's such a tragedy. Ryu's nothing more than a beast now...
Amnesia Erik cameo:
Erik: A dragon's curse... ‘Curse’... There's something about that word... Something that makes my blood run cold.
Mini medal in the cupboard...
Warhogcrap.
Hotto’s fortune grew.
Great piles of shining treasure,
Tall as Mount Huji.
Our stores overflowed,
The glimmer lit the night sky,
The surplus was moved.
Great treasures, Bloodstone,
Look down upon the peak’s fire,
Reached by the back path…
There is actually content in this book if you read it later in the game. This is a gameplay clue the game won't give you if it's not relevant.
...Apparently Atsuo's just here to see the story through. This is a volcano. And there is molten rock everywhere!
Atsuo: Come, the path is clear! A showdown on the mountain, the wounded beast waits. I must go with you. The story draws to an end, I must bear witness.
Hendrik: Ryu is already lost, Erdward. We must slay the dragon. If there is any trace of the man left within it, perhaps it will bring him some relief to be freed from the curse.
Rab: I understand why Miko wanted to protect the dragon, but it's clear there is no trace of her son left in that thing. No, laddie. There's only one thing left for us to do now- we have to slay the beast.
Sylvando: I wish I could do something to make people laugh and smile again, but I'm finding it impossible... I know I should be able to overcome these things, as a performer, but when I think about Miko and Ryu, I just feel so sad...
Jade: There's a lot I could say about Miko and Ryu, but sometimes in life it's better to leave things unsaid. Come on, Erdward. They have suffered enough. It's time to bring this to an end. It's time to release Ryu from the dragon's curse...
Erik: Even if the dragon used to be a human, we can't go getting sentimental- this isn't a fight we can run away from. It's up to us to bring Miko and Ryu's story to an end. I just wish it could be a happier one...
Serena: Look, Erdward... Whoever the dragon used to be, it's too late for us to help them. There's only one thing we can do now. You understand, don't you? We have to kill it. Don't worry. I'll be beside you all the way...
...I guess we're just dragging him in anyway, though. Mount Huji's main area is a two floor dungeon that doesn't have much meat to it, but there's just enough to make it substantial.
Monstrously muscled four-armed fiends who love nothing more than flexing in front of the mirror. They've got a pose for every possible occasion.
If you thought Jockilles was bad, Jerkules is somehow even worse. Same basic premise- flexing for mesmerise, the Multifist strike, and muscles that can block sword strokes- but the extra stats and general... annoyingness of the original really hits hard. This guy's new to 11, same as the original.
...Excuse me, Serena?
The great helm is a helmet that is traditionally the best helmet for heavyweight characters, but you can usually only get it for an obscene five digit price at the endgame shops and I rarely bother. It's got a similar fate in this game, except there's better helmets. It can be worn by Erdward and Hendrik.
Fire Wood collection point...
Military machines made once upon a time to protect an emperor. Now that the ruler they guarded is gone, they've been left without a proper purpose.
Visor kaiser is a DQ10 enemy mostly here as a tough enemy to kill for a ride. It's got Cursed Mist and Air Pollution to be annoying, but mostly it's about the physical power.
Erik's going for Critical Claim next. Apparently I wasn't big on Dually Deadly's odds.
Fire balls in chests. You get enough of these.
The magma staff first appeared in DQ4, and in both that game and DQ5, it was a key item that triggered volcanic activity in order to open a path forward. It's also, quite frankly, a practical staff for staff users and also had a really good Use effect in the Bang spell, so it stuck around, often as a chest find like this to harken back to its key item days, although some games let you alchemise it.
In this game, it is good at neither purpose, although if you really need the "Use for Bang", it's good to have on someone, maybe.
They may be the same colour as metal slimes, but they're nowhere near as nimble, owing to the weight of their all-but-impervious outer layer.
Clangoustines are not Metal enemies, but they do have an obscenely high Defence stat for their HP and the fact they can block attacks. They have some multi-strikes and can crit, but they're mostly here to be super irritating. They're new to DQ11.
Mini medal.
And we're already at the boss.
...Jade, get out of the chest.
...Oh great, it's asleep. We're going to have to wake it up and then kill it.
Atsuo says this as if he knew Ryu. I see no reason he wouldn't. Even if that does make things hurt.
Well, I guess that means Ryu wouldn't have wanted Miko to put her people to the torch for his sake.
A ferocious red dragon feared for its penchant for eating people. It was originally attracted to Mount Huji by the heat and the smell of humans.
Dragon family
4800 HP
240 MP
Tatsunaga is back, with double the HP, 80 more Agility, and... nothing else. He's as scary now as he was back in Hotto- and that's scary enough that he's still big, bad and bad news here.
The two Tatsunaga fights don't have separate beastiary entries, and while I don't blame it, it does kinda make the one it does have feel unfitting.
Second verse, same as the first. Hopefully that extra HP won't hurt too badly.
When you're doing damage like this, I think I can work with that.
Always work from basic premises.
...Erik. Erik, please.
Don't gang up on Erdward!
Serena trying her best to cast all the spells she needs to with the turns she has.
Now that's more like it!
What do you know? I did have control!
Let's just stay back. It wouldn't do for Atsuo to become Tatsunaga.
...So how do we stop the curse of Tatsunaga. The bright glow is promising, but we don't know what happened to Ryu.
Fortunately, it seems we've done a good somewhere along the way.
And not only are we not Tatsunaga'd, Ryu has been un-Tatsunaga'd!
I am never using Tatsunaga as a verb again.
Apparently, Ra's Mirror works much better from the inside. I'm not sure how much I like the "the truth lay within" using Ra's Mirror- sure, it's weird a mirror undoes curses by reflecting the truth, but it's not a great deconstruction if it does the traditional thing in a novel way.
Plus, it's not like Ryu fully understands how the Mirror got inside him. Also, I'm not sure if this means the mirror is istill inside his gut.
Atsuo goes to tell Ryu how Ra's Mirror got inside his gut, and Sylvando tells him to keep quiet.
Fortunately, Ryu is about to pass on himself, so he can live without knowing he ate his own mother. We'll let him sort that out in the cul-de-sac.
Also, I would not be entirely surprised to find out Ryu's cause of death was "having a giant mirror in his gut."
...Ah great, we're putting our hopes in Atsuo, aren't we? Not a bad choice, but he is a kid right now.
...
Wait, that's Ra's Mirror? Traditional artwork in the series, and I think some scenes with the mirror in this game, depict the mirror as being at least as big as Atsuo's head!
I think Atsuo is trying not to blame her too much considering he traumatised a monk trying to protect his mother. Even with that in mind, though, Miko did a lot more damage to Hotto than Atsuo did.
Hendrik gives him a reassuring pat on the back.
Well, at least he can pick himself back up long enough to get out of the volcano.
And so we're teleported over to Hotto to spread the news.
Also, someone gave a heads up so Atsuko could bring their mother out of hiding.
Although we don't get an idea what she thinks of Miko, she's content to look past the whole "condeming her to a sacrificial dragon bait" thing the rest of the villagers had. Miko certainly had an influential position.
After all, the people of Hotto have bigger problems.
"...Little girl, why aren't you speaking in haiku?"
(Annoyingly, even counting the "Ugh!", that sentence is 16 syllables.)
Atsuo decides to pin some of the credit for defeating the dragon on Miko. OK, fair, she did kill Tatsunaga, and also her Ra's Mirror plan worked, but still...
Atsuo taking a surprisingly mature outlook and just casually smoothing over Miko's crimes in order to keep Hotto running long enough for time to heal the wounds.
Quite frankly, the fact the village promises to be looked after by a pair of children is dangerous enough.
Apparently, the pun director was running low on ideas for that achievement's name.
Hendrik: Ryu had already been transformed into the dragon by the time we arrived here. It was too late to save him. Though it is painful to admit, we could not have done more.
Rab: At least Ryu did have a wee taste of freedom when he was released from the dragon's curse... Perhaps it was Miko that gave him those last moments of life. Aye, there's nothing more powerful than a mother's love.
Sylvando: Hotto's had a tough old time of it, but once the tourists return, it'll be back to its fabulous old self before you know it. Miko and Ryu won't be around to enjoy the village's bright future, of course, but let's hope they're up there somewhere, looking down on everyone.
Jade: I've been thinking about the dragon's curse, Erdward... Who knows how many others fell victim to it before Ryu and Miko? It's just awful to contemplate.
Erik: With the dragon out of the picture, the folks in Hotto can finally relax. Hey, maybe the weapon and armour shops are back in business, too! Let's see if they've got any good kit!
Serena: Wasn't Atsuo incredible when he was speaking to the other villagers? He sounded like the most grown-up person there! I have a feeling he's going to be very important to Hotto's future.
Jade brings up an interesting point that I admit I hadn't considered before now: The dragon Miko killed, that was "Tatsunaga", but who's to say it was always Tatsunaga? Was it, perhaps, some other unlucky sap, turned into Tatsunaga by the same curse that overtook Ryu? Following this train of thought is liable to make Miko come off as less sympathetic than she already isn't, though.
Oh wow, Atsuko had a friend who missed her. Although she seems to have missed the entire hullabaloo. The wonders of a child.
...I get not sharing the whole story, but did we brush over the answers to those questions in our report?
At least the maid knows. This woman may just be the one who keeps the forges hot while Atsuo and Atsuko are busy being kids and not understanding such matters.
Oh yeah, we needed something from Hotto in order to complete our main adventure.
This is true: Although what we need from Hotto is "the Forge in Mount Huji", that is a sacred place we couldn't enter earlier. As a matter of fact, it's not until beating Tatsunaga 1 and opening up the Mount Huji dungeon that we can even get to the door.
With that, though, the third and last "ingredient" of the Sword of Light is ours!
Hope it still works.
Just as long as he doesn't turn into a village headman too soon.
You might just rethink that in a few years or so. You at least owe it to future historians.
Of course it is.
The Hotto shops were actually shut down because of Tatsunaga, so any new items in the inventory are brand new. The Brimstone Blade is actually (+1 Atk) stronger than the Lord's Sword, although I wouldn't splurge for it. The Fire Claw can be Used to cast Frizzle as a held item effect- this was huge in Dragon Quest 6 and helpful sometimes in the other DQs it appeared in, but it's long been outclassed here.
This is content new to the Switch version.
The Hotto shop has added a new kind of cosmetic armour to the shop! This has some very interesting uses, but only one really significant one.
Also, they sell Liquid Metal gear at obscene prices. The Helm is good for 20% Sleep/Death/Fizzle protection, the Armour 18% elemental Defence. You'll soon get the chance to Forge these, if you're into the idea of claiming them but don't want to splurge. The Macabre Mantle is the only other interesting piece of armour here: Everything else is just good for Defence- the Mantle gives Evasion, and 5% evasion at +3 at that (good for Erik, Serena, Sylv, Jade and Rab). Admittedly, I think you already had access to that one.
Wolf Dragon Armour has some decent bulk to it (+85 Defence makes it equal to a +2 Metal Slime Armour), and 25% Turn Skip and Fire/Light Defence is just as valuable as some of the armours you're probably putting on on its own.
And to add to the appeal, I kinda think this is one of Erdward's coolest armours- although I'll admit it's not a particularly flattering angle here. I'll be keeping this one for a good while to come.
Anyway, time to enter the Crucible.
Oh hey, Tockle! I suspect this one was added because "the Crucible" wouldn't be added to your Pastword List until later and they wanted as many surprises as they could. I'm also told you can get this Tockle before getting the Crucible Key in 2D Mode, although I'm not sure how this works.
Baramos's Castle is the home of the big, bad archfiend Baramos, the alleged final boss of DQ3. I say "alleged" because, while you have explored every area of the known world when you make you way to him, it turns out that- surprise- there's a man behind the man and you have an entire new world to explore to take that guy down. The way I'm told the story, DQ3 pioneered the idea of video game villains who were pawns for bigger villains later.
I have absolutely no clue what symbolism giving this Pastword now serves, though, we're clearly about to fight the Final Boss of DQ11.
Attempting to venture much further into the Crucible gets us to a cliff face into a giant lava-y drop.
With that said, though, we can use the Guiding Light to change that fact.
Violently.
A forge, and a pathway there, rise from the lava, ready for an exciting round of hitting stones.
This is definitely a good place to do something Capital S Significant.
All-righty then. Let's make some magic.
Hendrik: How extraordinary... I have no idea how this place was constructed- and I suspect that questions of who built it and how shall forever remain a mystery.
Rab: Did ye see how the whole Crucible reacted when ye held up the Guiding Light, laddie? However the ancients built it, they made sure that only the Luminary could trigger their contraption...
Sylvando: That was so dramatic! Watching the forge rise up from the fiery lava...the tension was incredible! Those ancient folks really knew what they doing- they were proper showmen!
Jade: There's something about the design of the Crucible, something that really draws you in... And you know the strangest thing? It feels familiar somehow...
Erik: I can't believe the forge we were looking for just came rising out of the lava like that! Anything we make here is going to be pretty special, that's for sure. Come on, Erdward, let's gather everything we need and then get forging!
Serena: Can you feel it, Erdward? The sacred power that emanates from the centre of the Crucible... It's clear that that's where we need to forge our sword.
Does anyone else feel like the weirdly video-gamey message kinda makes the moment funnier?
OK, I hope this translates to the blog appropriately, but the combination of these two shots looks really cool in the preview window. I think the gap the site adds on upload might weaken it. It's not intentional on the game's part, though, these are two sequential camera angles.
Erdward stops for a breath. A lot of fan content characterises Erdward as being a huge fan of tinking with the Fun-Size Forge, because of how much fun it is for the player to use it, but the extra weight of the Forging Hammer compared to the tiny little hammer Erdward normally uses probably makes it more exhausting without being in the middle of a volcano.
If you remember from the Yggdrasil's Guidance we saw, Erdwin was not the only member of the Luminary's party to hit the Sword of Light with the Hammer.
The party takes a stance that they reckon this part of the process helped make the sword function. I can't challenge them on that, I would not be surprised if this meant the Sword of Light was literally forged with the power of friendship.
It'll be like everyone's swinging the sword together! If that was something helpful.
If anything, I think Erik is underselling how much the two of them owe each other.
Always the showman, eh, Sylv?
Throw a little of the parents in, too, sure. Now I wish I grabbed Gemma and Amber. Although perhaps that much positivity and friendship would make the sword too powerful...
...Not gonna lie, Jade's line feels a little weaker. Doesn't even get into her personal history with the Luminary or anything.
Then again, Hendrik has one line for expressing the desire to follow Erdward's path.
And with Serena invoking Veronica's name, this is a blade we won't soon forget.
...Oh hey, that's the symbol of Ramia! This thing is everywhere in DQ games, and usually it's a Good Thing when you spot it. No wonder this is such a good place to Forge something.
The Sword that gets made is... well, Erik is justified in his skepticism here.
It's all black and dirty and... not really impressive. The game kinda brushes past all the stages in forging between "put rock on stone" and "make shiny impressive sword."
Dragon Quest prefers the idea that the Luminary's Kazap is powering that part.
No longer a "the" Sword of Light now, though, is it? Erdward's Sword of Light uses an entirely different blade from Erdwin's, resembling more closely the Zenithian Sword from DQs 4-6.
This is now true. Forging the Sword of Light is the last step before one is ready to confront Mordegon.
And the game makes sure you walk away with that impression.
Hendrik: You feel it too, don't you, Erdward? All the trials we have been through have only served to make us stronger. Now that you wield the Sword of Light, we have nothing to fear from the Lord of Shadows. Yes, we were defeated before, but things have changed. It is time to go to him. It is time to finish this.
Rab: Eleanor... Irwin... It's finally time. Yer wee boy is about to fulfil his destiny. He's going to defeat the Lord of Shadows and save the world... Watch over him, won't ye? Make sure he comes home safe and well...
Sylvando: You know something, honey? That sword really works for you! You've never looked more stylish! It's more than just a fashion accessory, though- let's go and show the Lord of Shadows how sharp it is and put the smiles back on people's faces!
Jade: Mordegon has brought so much despair to the world, but now that we have the Sword of Light, I finally feel hope returning. Do you hear us, Lord of Shadows? Your time is coming to an end. You will pay for all you have done, mark my words!
Erik: We've got a sword, we've got a ride- what more do we need!? Lord of Shadows, here we come! It's time to bring this story to an end, Erdward. Let's saddle up and head for that floating fortress. We need to make that monster pay for what he's done!
Serena: If I'm honest, the thought of facing Mordegon in battle still terrifies me. But don't worry, Erdward. I'll conquer my fear. I'm not going to run away. The Lord of Shadows must be defeated, and peace must be restored to the world. It's what Veronica would have wanted...
All right, so what's the Sword of Light doing? First of all, there's no reforging it in the Fun-Size Forge. Uh... I feel like I don't need to provide any reasons why, waves vaguely at inspiring cutscene we just watched. With that said, 109 Atk is superior to any Sword we'll find for Mordegon. It would be beat by a +3 Razor-Wing, though- that is, if you can accept the loss of a Shield for the Lord's Sword. If you've been using Greatswords thus far, it's not a terrible idea to continue to lean into what works.
I think I'll be sticking to the story beats and actually using the Sword we went so far to make, though. Don't forget about that "cures negative statuses" as a Use Item, that can always come in handy at the right moment.
Oh, and by the way, we're going to quickly visit Insula Centralis. There's something you'll want to see.
...Since when were there mermaids here giving out Seeds of Skill? I wouldn't be surprised if there's more item-giving mermaids on the other insulae, I just never went to the effort to find them.
That Seed of Skill is kinda the only really engaging point of interest on this Insula in Act 2, aside from some new enemies that may or may not help your Beastiary.
In the vanilla version.
(Pink Typhoon from that battle, Jade's about to go places.)
In the Definitive version, you can ride around on chihuawyrm-like enemies with the Wolf Dragon Armour on. The main thing this gets you is the ability to fly around Insula Centralis- you're intended to be able to do this later in the vanilla version, but this is some "early" prizes.
This is the only prize that differs from the vanilla version: It was a lump of orichalcum there.
The Assassin's Attire is a new Definitive Costume for Erik, and as such the stats cannot be improved. This is a pretty nice offensive option, especially with Erik's power, although note the lack of an Atk up. You might like to focus on the Defence with the Armour slot and find some more Offence elsewhere. Or be satisfied with Erik's already obscene bonuses.
"Most feared of footpads"? Way to sound intimidating. Not going to lie, something about the red kinda makes this one pop a little more than the Wolf Wear. Might make for some excellent variety.
Some more cool prizes as treasure chests.
And an interesting sparkly spot. I wouldn't say come all the way out here to pick this up, but this is one of those rare ingredients you want lots of and can't buy. So, you know, remember it's here.
The Act 2 Town Story of Hotto is a story that is, in some ways, defined by the fact that the Act 1 story was a character piece introducing Veronica and Serena in the first place. We met Miko in the blog, but even if you're collecting all the available treasure in Hotto, it is not necessary to enter her house then. Every character we met in the story is brand new, especially to players who didn't check the lore. This isn't something the game makes you feel behind on, though- it's a nice way of adding a brand new "new character Town Story", the likes of which Act 1 specialised in, into Act 2, which prefers to reuse characters and focus on setpieces.
So who did we meet? Miko, the village head maiden, whose strength and toughness were as much misdirection about the nature of the Jipang reference as they were her own. Atsuo and Atsuko, crafty kids who wound up out-crafted by Miko's plan. Ryu, the Tatsunaga to serve as the Orochi reference, both mythological and DQ3. And the townspeople- while many Town Stories can and should impact the townspeople, the effect of having Miko turn out to be acting against their interests hits them hardest here. With the chief surviving named character being Atsuo, using the reactions of the townsfolk as a character for Atsuo to bounce off helps the arc reach a conclusion. I may personally disagree with the ending basically whitewashing Miko, but sometimes needs come before the right thing.
Another point to think about here is that, similarly to Gallopolis, this is a Town Story that, theoretically, you could do anytime in Act 2. There's another similarity to Gallopolis here, though- this is a Town Story that changes dramatically in tone once you've seen a little further in. Unlike Gallopolis, where the nature of Erdwin's Lantern is clearly telling you "there's something here you don't know, and we're having fun not telling you!", there's nothing obvious about the story of Tatsunaga that makes one think to come back here... except that one Hendrik Party Chat at the end. "Ryu had already been transformed into the dragon by the
time we arrived here. It was too late to save him. Though it is painful to
admit, we could not have done more." Part of me is starting to wonder just how far Ryu had transformed into Tatsunaga while we were running around with Veronica back in Act 1... was it too late to save him then?
No comments:
Post a Comment