The time has come to enter the final of the three Trials of Drustan's companions.
And the game is happy to cement that by confirming the place as the last locale we have to visit in all of Erdrea.
Jade: So this is it, the Trial of the Luminary. We're facing the toughest monsters of all, and it's easier to get lost than ever. But we can't give up. This is the last trial. We have to show Drustan we have what it takes.
Hendrik: This place is vast, and yet you seem to know where you are going. Surely you cannot have been here before...? In any case, lead the way. I shall follow.
Rab: Ach, why'd we have to come here? It gives me the willies! Whoever designed this place needs their head examining, that's all I'll say.
The Citadel of Spite is the Fortress of Fear from Act 2- much like the Gyldenhal, the game is taking the opportunity to bring it back- except we have spawned in the middle of the place. There were teleportals all around the outside, and the game has broken them up to make the organisation of this place a mite confusing.
First off, this room. I'm not actually sure what happens if you jump down. I'm in no hurry to find out, we'll get back later.
Meanwhile, heading over this way...
Mechanical dolls animated by unseen forces. They keep humans as pets, and punish them painfully when they don't do exactly what they want.
This is a bit of a glaring sidenote: I found platinum poppet here at the end of the game, and decided it was best to mention it here. They can mesmerise with an attack, trap people in their cages, and let out Flames of Darkness. They are Rarefied monsters of Iron Maidens, but Vicious Iron Maidens only appear in the Citadel of Spite at night time. I have the day spawns right now, and so I get Vicious Golden Girls instead. You'd think Platinum enemies would spawn alongside Gold ones just fine, wouldn't you?
Of course the first chest we find is a mimic.
Is it just me, or is the fact that three of these in a chest feels unsatisfying? I never really felt pressed for these...
The last Tockle left in the game is waiting here in the Luminary's Trial.
The cave leading to Rendarak is quite possibly the most famous location in all of video games to not have its own name. This dungeon, apparently not important enough to the developers of DQ2 to have nominal importance, is where 99% of DQ2 runs go to die: It is the home of one of the first difficulty spikes in video gaming history. Rendarak is where the final bosses of DQ2 live, and if you're brave enough to make it through the cave, you're foolish enough to smash your head through the final bosses and at least earn the bragging rights of having actually beaten DQ2.
We'll be just fine, the main culprit was a poorly designed enemy.
Aha, a recipe book! The recipe books in this place make some of the best stuff you can possibly get, although how much you might need them for after everything you did to get here...
Swords of Judgement and Sacred Spears, we've seen, and Soul Suckers are the improvement of Devilry Drinkers we might've cared about were it not for Metal King Shields. But it's the last two prizes that really sell this book:
Exotogas are good for 25% elemental resistance and 35% resistance to Sleep, Paralysis and Poison. Erik, Serena, Sylvando, Rab and Jade can wear it.
Seraph's Robes are good for 25% elemental resistance and 50% resistance to Whack. Veronica, Serena, Sylvando, and Rab can wear it.
These two can either compete with or outright outstrip the costume armours as the best choices for these six.
This is the door to the middle room, locked to us from here. Which is part of the reason I'm hesitant to jump down into the middle from above: Not entirely sure how we get out if we do.
Malevolent machines whose idea of an ideal day is one spent supping on the souls of those who foolishly trade them in for one last spin on the reels.
New slot machine: Gold grabbers have all the same tricks one has come to expect, like spreading mesmerising gold and all sorts of curses if the slots turn out poorly. Mini medals in the common slot, Pep Pips in the rare.
Custom-built overkilling machines on the chassis of Type G0s, they're the fastest, toughest and most terrifying tin men of all time.
Crimson killing machines apparently first appeared in Super Parade, so them appearing in DQ10 doesn't tell me anything about when they did so. I think we're long past pretending we actually know what any particular attack a Killing Machine is about to do other than turn us into new and exciting forms of matter. Don't bother trying to steal from them, they don't have anything good.
Imagine using a Pep Power on normal enemies.
So much for Can Opener.
...Was that Blade of Ultimate Power? Clearly it's what I need to be using.
At the end of the hallway is the teleportal up to level 3 and more mayhem.
Nigh-on unstoppable dealers of death who aren't just masters in name alone - they know every calamitous trick in the book.
Yeah, like these guys, master moosifer. They come from DQs 7, 9 and 10, and only know Scorch, Kaboom, Air Pollution and a Body Slam. Yeah, sure, only know. These things are quite possibly the scariest thing the game expects you to fight in any numbers.
Good rare drop, too.
Common drop is the uber agate of evolution. Of the two enemies in the Citadel of Spite that drop it, these guys are both the scariest and the easiest to find multiples of, which means every time I see one, I'm fighting it.
And they're not exactly easy wins.
Case in point.
At least two of them are asleep now.
Blinded, attack down...
When I'm done, best to break out the serious stuff.
Because clearly they're responding in kind.
At least I beguiled this one!
Frostfire fingers are a solid candidate for the game's ultimate claw: third highest might, it makes up for it with an 8% crit rate at +3 rather than 5%. You could've got these in Act 2 if you felt like you could go up against Master Moosifer in 2D Mode. I'd have my doubts myself.
At least there's only one of them this time...
I see 72 MP on the resources, so this should be significant, but he's still going to hurt and it's not like Scorch uses MP.
Speaking of.
Sylvando makes sure we have some Benevolessence, too. I forget why Sylv even had that.
...This is going to get worse before it gets better.
Why is Erdward getting hit by Kafuddle here? Yeah, he's mesmerised, but...
Confusion seems to result in a lot of misses, I've noticed. It's like a weird mixture of Blind and Mesmerise.
Again, breaking out Omniheal on normal fights.
...Erdward doesn't have enough MP for a second Omniheal. Really banking on that level up.
Another surprisingly high-Def helmet for a tiara, this thing gives 50% resistance to Snooze, Fuddle, Fizzle and Whack. I notice we now have hats for Erdwin, Serenica and Drustan. Poor Rab doesn't get a Morcant hat.
Speaking of EXP:
Never mind, maybe later.
Yeah, for some reason, this is when the non-shop users get Serpent Bone. It's also in rare drops from night-only enemies in the Sage's Trial (Vicious Rantingen Raven and Vicious Skelegon), which is ridiculous for something you can buy well before that.
There's the level up. Erdward is now set.
The leaders of elite three-hundred-man units in the underworld army who have led their men through hell and back, only to emerge smiling.
Brodysseus are somewhat weaker than Vicious Jerkules, but nothing to scoff at as such. They get three attacks a turn, Multifists, Boulder Toss, and flexing for mesmerise chances.
They have Fire Balls in the common slot. They are the only enemies to drop Fire Balls at all. The rare slot is just Mighty Armlets.
This is the point where we rode around in one of these mech suits, and there's a point we're going to have to do that here, too.
Oh, for crying out loud...
Is there any question the kid gloves have been removed?
Right here. These zappy floors can be walked over, but please don't.
...New and unique lethal enemy formations.
Jade remembers she can use Claws too.
And even heal slightly.
...Ah great. A big box.
Titanic treasure chests in which are contained all the calamities of the universe. If they were ever to escape, that would be the end of everything.
Material family
3600 HP
40 MP
Only 40 MP? That can't be right? Pandora's big bad box is practically a boss unto itself, having three moves a turn, crits, Kathwack, Snub, and Drain Magic.
...Drain a lot of magic.
Hopefully he doesn't succeed on the Whack roll. Depends on your resistances.
He drops Pep Pop. A reward that matches the battle.
...Now to head back.
Oh, hello there, Cute and Cuddly.
(Which is which is an exercise left to the reader.)
Ow. I take it back, this one is neither.
That was dumb.
...Although...
Don't mind if I do.
I may or may not have jumped multiple levels, or I just left a lot of these people hanging.
I am using the SP, but at this point, we've seen it all.
Metal King Slimes drop Pep Pips in the rare slot. You can also get these from gold grabbers, if you want them.
Spits out great torrents of tokens, but these are just a trick to attract the unwary, who it swallows whole when they come close.
Fortune filchers are Rarefied gold grabbers, and with their two attacks, they have crits, mesmerising gold breath, and have on their roulette Blessed and Boogie Breaths to join curses and gold increase.
Orichalcum in the common slot (only enemy to do so), and Pep Pop in the rare slot (only enemy to drop Pep Pop at all). You could do worse than find this guy.
The party doesn't seem bothered either.
...Never mind.
Jackpot indeed! Slot machine enemies like having oddly satisfying prizes for victory, and the Fortune Filcher is the most satisfying of all: He gives 7777 EXP and 7777 Gold for defeat. Not that you'll ever see the latter figure, between his ability to buff his own gold prize and the fact he must spawn with a Gold Grabber (1110 G a head) at minimum.
Unfortunately, curing a "halves your max HP" curse doesn't give you the HP back.
This can not end well.
Aw, neither can this.
Veronica, proving why you don't AoE spell in a Mesmerise fight.
...All of a sudden we're at the top. But there is still plenty to find elsewhere. Including... right behind us!
Drustan was a sword user? I guess most historical warriors weren't going to be anything else. Drustan's Sword has a higher Might than even the Metal King Sword, making it fall short only of the ultimate Swords for damage, and has a surprisingly persuasive effect of making Hendrik a more tempting target. Does this work? Probably not, Provoke and the like notoriously never works when you need it.
But this is roughly the point I start putting Hendrik as a Gyrfalcon Slash user rather than Parallax. Although I really don't like that sword pose. It's not like he held Greatswords any less awkwardly. I don't think I've ever seen anyone not immediately put Hendrik in Axes.
Well, if you're going to keep giving them to me...
Wow, 30 Metal Slimes. Plus the Hardy Hands.
More Serpent's Souls, if we ever need them.
And 1000 Casino tokens as a random drop. Remember when we were savescumming to scrounge up 500?
Right, back up here, and... annoyingly, while riding this skullrider, that teleportal has a surprisingly "forgiving" range to grab you and send you on your way. How rude.
Right, we have made it to this part of the dungeon, although there's one path that works and another that doesn't. In the original Fortress of Fear, I think both teleporters were on the other side of the central room, although that's an academic distinction. Clearly, the game is having fun with how we get to the buttons.
Only the Lord of Shadows himself need not fear these utterly unforgiving fiends. Their armour is awarded to them by the Dark One when they destroy their first kingdom single-handed.
Don't you love how much wholesale slaughter these descriptions hint at? Who is writing these things and why do they have the maturity of children? Red giants have Ferocious Roar, Gigathrow, Falcon Slash and Kazing.
Uber Agate of Evolution in the common slot (yeah, these are probably safer to grind than Master Moosifer) and Metal King Helm in the rare slot.
I appear to have mesmerised that headless hunter at some point. I think the red giant also killed it here, way the horse's legs are bent. Glad it's not just me.
The balconies really aren't paying this time around.
Funny, game. (You might notice from my feet I have already done so.)
...Well, OK, if it was the formation that starts next to us, it would still be unhelpful, but the fact we get this button first feels deliberately rude.
I love having these guys fight each other.
Instead of telportals, these hallways have potent recipes. This one gives only the recipe for the Sceptre of Time. Serenica's trusty wand gives Alma Mater on spawn and 10 MP regen a turn at +3. It's Serenica's wand, but...
This one's a jackpot, though. Ultimate weapons galore are hiding in this book- not the ultimate weapons, but powerful alternatives that are frequently the match, if not the superior, until you can actually acquire said ultimates.
Timeshear and El Stupendo are Erik and Sylv specific knives, with Erik getting a weapon with 10% chance of Stop and Sylvando getting one with high Charm and a 3% evasion rate. El Stupendo may just be Sylv's ultimate weapon overall, but Erik's probably got better picks than this.
Like the Hunter's Moon. I didn't actually show the Hunter's Moon recipe, which is super weird, but maybe I just thought I did. 2 Gold Bars, 3 Lucida Shards, 3 Lunarias, 2 Royal Rubies and a Spectralite to create a boomerang that hits all targets for equal damage. This is another of those weapons that makes a compelling argument with the corresponding ultimate for really being the weapon you want.
3% Magic crit chance. This one is clearly Ronnie's, although the free debuff-removal on the ultimate is also good. How often is it going to come up, though?
A light-elemental spear that bears the Miracle effect. It's also weaker than the Metal King Spear. Good, I guess... but definitely not the best.
Skipping the Whip is intentional. These give a 15% chance that the user just doesn't use MP on use, although if you look down the bottom, you'll notice a big problem: Yeah, the game can't just let Rab get away with free magic, but still. This is why Rab likes the Frostfire Fingers- he's not allowed these.
3% crit. I think most of the good attacking moves with Axes have issues with crit, so I wouldn't say this is worth it on that front.
I would like to remind the reader we still haven't actually found the ultimate recipe book. The weapons in here are probably good in part because it takes so long to get the ultimates. I will wait until the save point to actually make these, though, which does take away a little from how useful they'll be, but...
If only I could bring a dragooner in here...
Speaking of dragooners.
Miscellaneous prizes on the various exteriors on the way down.
And can't forget the five gem sparkly spots down here, too.
This is a Mini Medal sparkly spot. In case you didn't want to grind by looting.
On the other side, a weapon I have foreshadowed but didn't bother to get this run. No bonus effect, but it has high Might and is useful for Erik at the start of the postgame. By now, less so. Barbatos drops it on the rare slot, and I hope to Yggdrasil the one you fight in Act 2 with Irwin can drop it too.
The fights you can always see going poorly from the word go.
...Lightning, not Light, Erik.
That's better.
Stupid bounce.
That's the seal on the door back to nearer the start of this place.
A second sage's stone out in front of the castle. Say, what happens if we try to leave?
Oh, teleportal. This is where we need to go.
Why do we only get one of these?
And that's the path forward...
So what happens if we push the red button?
...Three treasure chests, gimme gimme gimme!
20% elemental resistance and 10 MP a turn, can you say Erdward's new favourite robe? Little late for the regen to be meaningful, but Sword Dance is still a free action now, even with Greatswords.
25% Fire and Ice Resistance, the fact this isn't elemental annoys me disproportionately. Maybe it would've been too good if it were- it does have +40 Def over Metal King Armour.
20% chance of absorbing MP from hostile spells, and 50% for blocking Confusion, Curse and Beguile. A little harder to recommend, but hey, I love Serenica's getup. Incidentally, the Ring of Changes isn't the only Serena outfit piece we're missing at this point.
I do find this looks a little bit like the Cobblestone Clobber in practice (did you notice I was wearing this when I moved the recipes up?), but Erdward pulls this off just as well as Erdrick. Perhaps a little more dorky, but it remains one of my favourite costumes.
I'm sorry, Hendrik, Drustan's armour does not suit you. At least when female Warriors got stuck in bikinis, men weren't exactly less stupid looking (at least the bikini armour was cute).
...On second thought, apparently DQ3 male Warriors had dignity? Hendrik, what happened to you?
Serena, meanwhile, almost manages to pull of Serenica's Sage armour better than Serenica herself. Although I notice the DQ3 Sage, while somewhat lacking in grace, at least avoided the weird outer corset.
I would've laughed.
16 Focus, that's a surprising amount from one go. I guess I did get all those Vicious Metal Kings...
Sword of Judgement recipe. Kaleidocloths, best to leave this for stealing.
Of coruse I'll need these...
That's a lot of Forging.
Hunter's Moon in the left or right hand? It depends on whether Skills are affected- and annoyingly, I'm not sure what the answer is on that one.
Going Erdward-less? Going Erdward-less. Erik and Jade are musts in the party for this round, and Serena wasn't too far behind. Although seriously, Jade, Bunny Tail?
Time to face Erdwin's Trial.
40 Actions, that's 10 turns. Decent time. So who's after Alizarin?
The Luminary's worst excesses made flesh. Those who cave in to temptation and give themselves up to debauchery will themselves paying a weighty price in the afterlife.
Demon family
4800 HP
999 MP
The Luminary's most grotesque gluttonies made flesh. Its fangs can tear straight through steel, and its roar can make even the most fearless fighter's hair stand on end.
Material family
2600 HP
999 MP
2600 HP? That can't be right, Gyldygga had more than that... one more for the "these numbers are weird" pile. Sheer Decadence and All-Consuming Greed really take the wind out of your sails for the same reason Booga did the first time around: Status ailments. Decadence can Beguile between Tornado, Kafrizzle and Giga Drain Magic, while Greed's Kaching Kaclang is an omen of Oomphle, Acceleratle, Kabuff, Rake 'n' Break, slicing and dicing, and she can even call in her Gyldenauts again.
Is there any question whether or not Jade should come to this one?
Making sure we keep Erik, too.
Because Booga is back up to his old tricks. Look, we don't need to fight Jinxed Jade too.
Veronica readies herself. Kaching Kaclang can come from any angle.
Well, at least Jade's no longer Jinxed?
Oi! Swiper no swiping!
Thank goodness for that.
...I guess?
Jade, meanwhile, has undergone spontaneous existence failure on being hit by one of Veronica's Kaboomles. I look at 800+ damage and wonder how Veronica survives having that power inside her.
I imagine this is more impressive earlier- these look like the Hunter's Moon numbers.
...Of course they do.
Right then, Jade, we're counting on you.
...I can't even call unfair, it was 4 vs 2 before this.
I really needed the healing...
Erik's back and ready for another Double Down.
Jade's got Pink Typhoon at hand. Wow, All-Consuming Greed is bulky. I can kinda believe that HP count now.
Kaboom!
...You know exactly where this is building up to, right?
Yeah, that too.
Please stop killing Jade, my party.
Erik starts doing the moonwalk.
And Veronica got Decadence accounted for.
...And from the looks of it, Enchanting Echoed into killing Greed.
Jade missed her own catharsis. I think I'm more annoyed by that than the "she kept dying" and "missed the EXP".
I wonder if he counts turns spent as solid gold.
Which of these wishes do I want most? Obviously it's the one with no mechanical reward whatsoever. Because at least it has a reward- that being the narrative satisfaction of companionship.
...I think "None of the Above" allows you to change your mind on your wish, although I'm imagining Erdward marrying some faceless nobody.
The choice in which of my companions to stand beside forevermore is a long and difficult yeah, no, we're marrying Gemma.
Drustan, and indeed most of the party (with one exception), sees nothing wrong with the idea of using a wish on Erdward going and marrying Gemma. The weird bit is less in the moral and ethical issues raised here, and more asking why Erdward needed a wish to do it. My two leading theories are "Erdward knows he's never going to get a break from helping people after everything he's done in Act 3" and "Erdward is actually cripplingly shy and has never actually successfully hugged Gemma yet despite years of both of them trying". I'm leaning towards the former on 3:1 odds.
Translation: "The real reward is the idea you might actually get to have a conversation with her."
Drustan follows up that otherwise surprisingly solid conversation about Erdward's romantic difficulties by compounding them further: Clearly we're supposed to put down our married life to keep up this quest so we can power up enough to get Serena a haircut and Rab new pornographic material.
A very packed few days: It is implied that there is both a proposal and a full wedding ceremony between the pair the game is yadda-yaddaing over.
And we spawn back in Cobblestone. This is why I think we need to have repaired the place to make this wish.
Veronica: Oh, Erdward! How can you act so cool when you're with us and then go all soppy and soft when Gemma's around!? I know you're in love and all that, but you have to keep your mind on the job. We've still got things to do, you know!
Erik: First Derk ties the knot, and now you... It seems I'm the last man standing. Well, that's fine by me. Marriage is more trouble than it's worth if you're a lone wolf kind of guy...
Jade: It looks like things are going well with Gemma. You're very lucky to meet someone so... nice and sensible. Oh, and don't worry. I'm not going to breathe a word to her about what happened with Drustan...
Hendrik: I admire anyone who commits to a lifelong union- especially when they are as youthful as you, Erdward. Perhaps one day I shall do the same.
Serena: So you married your childhood sweetheart, eh? It's just like something out of a storybook. It does make me think I'd like to meet a nice man of my own one day, though...
Sylvando: You and Gemma were made for each other, darling, I can tell! This is true love! Do take some advice from your old pal Sylv, though: Youthful passion won't last forever, so make sure that you're always open and honest with each other. That way, your love will last forever!
Rab: Och, laddie, ye've done well there! Gemma's a bonnie lass and no mistake! Yer parents would be over the moon, I just know they would. They're up there smiling down on ye both, ye can take my word for it.
Everyone in the village does get to comment on the marriage.
Dunstan shows a surprising amount of reticence towards the idea- a non-zero amount. He does have a good argument, partially helped by the suddenness the circumstances have provided-
But the only person whose maturity he's questioning is the guy who's doing everything for the entire world. You'd think he'd be a little more worried about where it came from for Gemma.
...And that's slightly more about my own sex life than I needed to know. ...Dear Yggdrasil, I am ace.
I could've gone without your opinion, honestly. I guess I was the one to ask...
Even Cole has some understanding of what's going on. I wonder how this would've combined with his Act 2 self.
In our house, if you check over here, there's actually a painting you can have a look at of the ceremony.
Complete with a fancy tux design for Erdward and a wedding dress for Gemma. The game is ambiguous on whether the other party members have marriages or not, but the big evidence that they don't is that neither Erdward nor the companion is wearing fancy dress on their versions of this photo. Also Veronica's not holding the bouquet.
Incidentally, it is actually possible to marry someone before rescuing Mia from the gold curse. She'll still pop up in this picture. Then again, I guess King Irwin might not exactly make it from the afterlife if you haven't saved him from the Gloomnivore either.
As part of the marriage wish, Gemma has actually got a lot of extra voice work going for her- these lines aren't properly voice acted, but a good few sentences in each line are.
If you say no to turning in for the night, you get a bonus event, just Erdward and Gemma.
She says this, but she'll be a temporary party member and not a guide, so she's following us.
Gemma: It's such a shame you're always away, Erdward. I'd love to stroll round the village with you more often. Still, I'm absolutely ecstatic you're here right now. It's the little moments we spend together like this that I treasure the most. Come on, let's take this chance to go to Cobblestone Tor again. I bet it'll be fun!
The rest of the party all stays in our house while we're out on our date. You can see various party members depending on which window you look in the house in and from what angles.
Climbing the Tor seems to be a fairly acceptable way to pass the time for adult Cobblestonians- and it'd certainly be wrong if you showed your kids the world at age and then never let them see the view a second time. It's just, in this game, where the Tor is full of monsters, that it doesn't really seem like a good idea to make that climb.
Gemma: Do you remember when we climbed the Tor together, Erdward? Well, the truth is that I was planning to tell you that I'd always liked you once we reached the top. With all the monsters and excitement, though, I couldn't find the right moment... But it seems you knew all along anyway. When you proposed to me, I was so happy I thought I was going to burst! Oh, I wish I had the words to tell you exactly how I feel... All I know is that I want to be with you, forever!
Case in point, the enemies are still there. Gemma reprises her Act 1 role as less than a full Guest, but she can still cheer us on and give us medicines.
Unfortunately, she no longer applauds us for levelling up.
...I wasn't expecting Erdward to level up here either.
At this point in the climb, where the smogs were at the start of the game, is a smog and a red mist with buffed stats. This is just an excuse to make sure you fight something on the way up, but it's not much of anything in any other regards.
We've come a long way since throwing Frizzes and hoping for the best.
On the other hand, so have they.
Gemma's medicine has actually been buffed since Act 1- she uses Strong Medicines instead of the plain ones. I expect she's also been buffed to at least Magic Waters, but with Erdwin's Tunic, like hell am I ever seeing that.
What a use of Pep.
I'm sure there's nothing like seeing your husband let out a gigantic hand slam of lightning to prove how much stronger he's got since.
Nothing like a little mountaineering for a date.
Gemma: Wow! I knew you were strong, but I had no idea just how strong. That's my husband! Hee hee! Say, would you mind going up to the top of the Tor with me again? It'd be a lovely place to spend some time together.
This is a fully and properly voiced cutscene. Also, the game switching Erdward to his vanilla outfit is on the game- all the dates with the party members do the same thing, but apart from Sylvando, I'm not sure why.
Considering Erdward is non-verbal, there's a surprising amount of chemistry between the two that gets expressed non-verbally. Probably a good sign you've got an actually strong relationship going on.
I almost kind of wonder if this is supposed to take place in some nebulous "after we finish up Calasmos and all our business" time period, and has just been shifted here for gameplay purposes. It's hard to continue with all our unfinished mechanical business after that Gemma line.
Not that it wasn't hard after all her other ones.
I don't think this wedding celebration was shown in the original release, but I can only imagine how horrified the devs would be if they got asked to actually show this for all eight possible companions.
"Your grandad and the cake" is also a bit of a weird line to think about from the perspective of Gemma's relationship with the party: This might be the only time Gemma ever actually acknowledges a party member other than Erdward himself. Well, OK, she acknowledges Hendrik plenty during the Last Bastion events, but that's before he joins us as a party member.
One thing that does kinda happen from the whole "wedding was off-screen and it's being discussed after the fact here" is that the other companions' equivalents to this scene don't linger so long on whatever happened to set this situation up, which kinda leaves Gemma's scene from the original feeling a little more shallow than it perhaps looked without any points of comparison.
This bit, though, feels weird even without the extra context from the companion marriages.
The traditionally silent character having to suddenly speak because the game is demanding a wedding scene was awkward in DQ5, and that game got away with it (despite having to show the wedding) by being a game fully aware that is is playing with the traditions of JRPGs (that, considering how old DQ5 is, were still being codified) and being "allowed" to just have a Yes/No prompt to the question "do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife as long as you both get resurrected from the church", tonally. DQ11 isn't really building in this direction, so just reusing that solution doesn't work so great.
...The weird fade to black here is strange too. I think most companion scenes use the fade to black, but I probably would've taken the chance to hide Erdward's actual vows in this.
...
Look, see, the fact that the DQ11 Hero is already borrowing heavily from the DQ5 Hero in other departments (and Gemma isn't a million miles away from Bianca either) means we're not taking the option of saying "Yes" here as being an excuse to hide Erdward's impassioned speech.
Even if it is a hilarious callback to that original scene to include the joke at all.
It could also just be that Gemma is legitimately moved to tears by the idea of Erdward actually saying "Yes" aloud. Depending on how far the silent hero trait translates to his narrative role, that alone could speak volumes to the girl who grew up knowing him.
Gemma at least gets her own spotlight.
It might feel a little awful on our parts that we're saving her for later, but Gemma knows full well that she's playing the long game on this arrangement. Once we get the chance to hang up the sword for good, it's getting hung up for good. We'll stick with her in Cobblestone, and any further arrangements with the party will be the sorts of things she can come along for.
I believe this Accolade was called "Happily Married" in the original version, and also probably had a better description for Gemma specifically.
One last line to have as an odd semi-party chat.
And then it's back down the mountain. Just respawning back in the village, though.
Gemma: It's such a shame you're always away, Erdward. I'd love to stroll round the village with you more often. Don't worry, though. I know you have important things to do. Your destiny is to restore peace to the world... And once you've done that, we'll be able to spend much more time together. Remember that I'll always be here, waiting for you.
You'll either have to head back home to your house or possibly try to leave Cobblestone altogether to switch back to the normal party.
I say the latter because of this line. Gemma shouldn't need a fade-to-black "Gemma goes home" when she's going to stand where we already are.
We probably should take it. We don't need it- we got fully healed after making the wish- but we might as well.
I can only wonder which of the party members slept elsewhere in the village and which tried to stay here.
...Was that second bed behind Gemma always there?
Gemma, at least, has plenty of time to hang around Amber now that they're actually family rather than just most of the way there.
Also, it turns out there's a ton of extra dialogue listed in the datamine, I assume if you talk to Gemma more often.
Wouldn't it be really lovely to go away somewhere together when you've finally finished saving the world? I'd really love to relax in the famous bathhouse of Hotto and forget all my worries... Oh, but the beach at Puerto Valor sounds wonderful too! Not that it matters, of course- as long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where we go!
I hope you're wearing the charm I gave you, darling! That way, even when we're apart, you'll always have a reminder of your happy home here!
Oh, sweetheart, I've had the most wonderful idea! You know that Jörmun? The great big sweetie you brought here to be the town mascot? Well, I've been thinking of making little dollies of him! They'd make perfect souvenirs for visitors to Cobblestone! What do you think? It's a lovely idea, isn't it?
I've got a question for you! Am I your oldest and bestest friend Gemma?
[Yes]: WRONG! I'm not your friend any more- I'm your wife! Hee hee!
[No]: Hee hee! I knew you'd get it right! I'm not your friend any more, of course- I'm your darling wife!
Anyway, that's enough of my silly jokes!
I'm still getting used to cooking for two. I keep making far too much food! But then I don't want you going hungry, do I, darling?
I still can't believe how tidy you are, darling! You never leave old socks lying about or dirty plates or anything! I probably have your mother to thank for that! Didn't she bring you up well!
It's amazing how tough and grown-up you've become, darling! But then, I s'pose you're not a boy any more- you're a man of the world!
Um, darling... I'm a little shy about saying it, but there's something I want you to know... ...Being with you is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I love every second we spend together! There- I said it! ...I hope you feel the same!
Dragon Quest's relationship with love interests is surprisingly varied for a series that prides itself on tradition, although that's probably just as much on the fact that the series has little need of a romantic angle. The wandering lifestyle of a DQ Hero means that there's next to nothing DQ can do for a romantic interest that cannot be on constant call while on the move- hence why Bianca and Medea, the strongest romantic interests DQ has done, have been in the party itself.
Gemma herself is... well, I like her, but I'm biased. Within the limited screentime she has, she's cute and she actually seems to be good at the demands her environment places on her. Her problem lies in that she doesn't expand on that- not in itself a problem on her part, but a problem selling herself when Erdward has other potential ambitions depending on player preference, like restoring Dundrasil, marrying Jade, or adventuring with Erik. I have a personal preference for the Gemma ending, but she is not making a convincing argument for it.
I have seen a lot of arguments, and even started a few myself, on the idea of making Gemma a potential party member. I think, in practice, there's no reason not to stick to DQ's big number of eight party members, and nobody in the current eight is really replacable. Yes, even Sylv, Jade and Serena, they're only tagalongs some of the time. The problem posed by Gemma isn't exactly a problem that the game needs to solve, which is why many of its solutions ring hollow, but I think the biggest lesson we can take from Gemma is that, no matter how well you communicate "the main character feels this way about their home environment", you can't really convince the common denominator to consider that unless you make them feel that way themselves. Which may just be why so many RPGs leaned into long openings to immerse the player in an environment the main character has been in for years.
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