Commander

My uhhh relationship with Rejuv is complicated. I did say the only reason I'm still playing the game is due to this run and for good reason. The reason why I picked this game up is no longer there. And oh, so that scene is found by digging around here. It doesn't matter that much since I'd probably miss it again if I went back and replayed. As for Grand Dream City, I...really am not looking forward to that actually. @Gentleman Jaggi You have to remember that Madelis kind of is the best villain/antagonist we have right now. Madelis. The one that I could go on a tangent for a very long time. Angie is a simple one-off character which simply they appear and then disappear shortly after. For some reason Jan decided to hype her up and make her seem like she's this big deal when I would've played on the mystery. There's quite a bit to digest but I actually don't mind a shallow villain character taking the lead role for a subplot...and I mean it worked really well in Vesperia with Zagi (who you know nothing about for a good chunk of the game). Though she kind of is pointless as you said all she does is say stuff then disappear and has no impact on the characters. It pushes Melia to go alone...which makes even less sense when you think about it. I just like how it wraps up pretty much and I really do think she could've died and we would consider her role finished...unlike everyone else who god know whenever we're getting their backstory let alone have it executed in an okay and easy to understand way. I do wish that instead of "mind control" Angie played with the Darkness in Venam and Melia's hearts as it could have played a much more significant role to connect the dots. I also like how despite being off the deep end, she still holds many points and part of me wishes she didn't have ice powers to see how it'd go.

You already watched episode 54, but it caused your mind to implode erasing it from existence and all you remember is the ranger station.

The controls were always bad and a nightmare to handle. There are difficulty modes and you do kind of make the game as hard as you want. As for jRPGs...I got nothing since I don't own a switch...Xenosaga port. Don't fail me, big N.

I honestly wasn't expecting anyone reading this to be too much of a fan of the Trails series...obviously I love that blasted franchise. Onion Graham is my favorite of the main protags if you're wondering. *** So after doing two chapters in the Trails in the Sky playthrough, I kind of realized something...I've been forcing myself to like this game. I mean I always had issues but I think after all of this we've really gone from "wow, I dislike a lot of stuff in this game" to "Joy. There's more stuff for me to complain about." It's not the subcaptions which play a part, but more, I'm just tired. I don't hate Rejuv and in fact most of V9 I really enjoyed it even Blacksteeple which was a brutal grind and test of my patience. I was frustrated and I ranted, but V10 broke me. Like getting crushed by Valarie was the start and Crawli didn't help and I just haven't bounced back. I'll go over it more in the review (which I'll do up until Angie) but...yeah, it's just not good. I would switch back to V9, but it's far, far too late for that and now we're back to where I was and what I hated. When Shofu said he was "playing Reborn for the fans" I absolutely understand what he's saying now. I love talking about Rejuv to people since responses have been so varied and people were brutally honest. I'll probably hang around and still watch the game progress even if I'm no longer a player. I'm not just stopping the run, I'm legit stopping after Angie so I'm just going to do the whole thing and end it here. I'll at least cover my thoughts on the future areas and ideas I've seen to end it on a less sour note, but I really, really dislike the direction the game suddenly went. I'm also getting old and the harder the game is, the more a turn off it becomes. Pokemon is worse as if you hit a will it might be impassable unless you spend hours resetting or grinding new mons for possibly better luck. This isn't quite a lack of motivation or commitment unlike last time either so yeah, this is actually real and not one of my mood swings. Here's the key difference between those two runs: I did this run to push me to play Rejuv while the Sky one I'm simply doing while playing the game. This run will be a thousand times more popular than that other one which is in the now dead gaming general and I honestly don't give a damn. It's fun relooking at that game and talking about it even for a small handful who will even read it. If I had that same motivation and interest towards Rejuv, this run wouldn't have slopped down to the quality and energy its given off. It'd be as good as the early chapters (or maybe not) and not gone to probably skim the captions and read the rants. And for those who don't believe me, I actually don't hate Melia as much as I give off. I actually still do think she's a bad character but she actually has a lot of potential to easily fix many of the flaws she has that maker her a character I really dislike. The biggest issue isn't her character (other than the child nonsense) but the fact we didn't see her character growth and understand how she came to be this "leader" and main character pretty much cutting out the meat of what makes many protags end up so likable and interesting. Because of that, I think another layer should've been added or that should've been explored. It's one big gripe I have about the rewrites. Sure Jan explains things and removes the nonsense, but it rarely expands on stuff kind of making it the exact same as before. That'd be fine if that weren't many of the flaws I see in the game. I think fans would be willing to suffer through old Terajuma Jungle if let's say Melia, Valarie, Crawli, and Aelita had fantastic character development in exchange instead of most of those being props. But that's a big old debate and we're here to see the finale of this run. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finale Chapter 45*: A Maiden's Tears *See bottom of the chapter ...I just thought that sounded cool. Don't judge. We're also doing 50% of the Angie segment in one chapter so I'm not going to do a screencap every pic. (She's quite the good peni..pianist) (Does she actually wear boots. Oh idioms...I don't miss those) (So we're standing here and keeping the crazy ice lady waiting) Something that always bothers me is when characters stand around and talk while the bad guy just stands there and lets them do that. Sometimes it can make sense, but usually it's just pure nonsensical. Probably had that argument before though if I were Angie, I would've froze one of their butts by now. (Oh look, it's the rangers actually being of some use. I guess they do make great room decorations) I know it's supposed to be intimidating, but I preferred when the room was just empty with Angie. It felt much, much more intimidating then and made her have a much better appearance. Cera...I honestly have no idea why Cera exists. (She seems to know exactly what I want then) (Kind of agree...kind of don't. Now if I'm allowed to smash my gift...) (Great...more crazed religious people) So I never really liked the church being an evil entity aspect in RPGs. I mean Xenosaga had it, but they actually were a terrorist group with a very, very good drive and reason behind them and not really taking over the world. Just the pope who was a godawful character and terrible final boss. Everything else around it was pretty amazing. Kiseki though...oh where do I begin? They nailed how to do a church group and despite being good, they do have some questionable amount of power which I feel there is a link between them and the main villains of the series. Maybe I'll find out in the Crossbell games. If you love Angie, Trails of Sky 3rd villain is certainly something for you. (...Ah Melia, I didn't miss you. Also can't you read the captions? You have superpowers so that'd be easy) (...I didn't think she was that bad) That hypocritical statement reminded me of something funny which was apparently on 4chan (yeah, somehow this made it there). Melia, Venam, Saki, and Amber are referred to the 4 Bitches of the Apocalypse though apparently Melia is the least annoying one. I only side with Amber because she hasn't dragged me close to the meat grinder...unlike the other 3. I didn't forget what you did, Venam. I will feed you to Indy personally if we ever go back. (Huh. I never realized Angie was wearing a ponytail) (Yeah, I too would leave if someone interrupted my performance) (I was forced to by the plot. Don't throw those two into this) (Eh. I got 3 others I could possibly collect and a 4th one is in...I should've asked Madelis to get me the TM for Lava Drift. I'm an idiot) That reminds me. I'm pretty sure Light Platinum has Lava Surf. I know it was one of those old hacks that did it...before it was cool. (I also took a trip to Liberl and Crossbell) (Yet I'm referred to by my alias. My real name is...) (You...are one to talk. How did you become a gym leader again?) (Also put a terrorist, accept a badge from the past, and there is no order) (You've never read "The Wrath of God" have you, Melia?) (Yeah. Let's call out the crazy lady who can freeze people instead of trying to get a badge. That always ends well) (I already know I'm a terrible and lazy jackass so you got nothing on me, lady...shit we're in a church. Which one is god of this world? I think its Naga. Naga save me) (It's a goddamn magical artifact. Don't question it) (You aren't wrong there. She does kind of abuse her friends to get what she wants) Sadly, we never see this progress any further despite being great character development. (Please tell me this isn't judgement day. I'd probably go to hell otherwise) (Heh. Caring) (Maybe not so much that last one) If I was there, this is where I would interject "I think you're book might be a little broken as Melia isn't any of those things" (...Angie, let's just leave the Melia roasting to me) (...This is one of those things that...) So everything Angie says shouldn't be a surprise and if it was, then it means the writing is poor. I mean I see it a bit now but it could've been done so much better than have Melia's lashing be her coping mechanism. It just kind of makes her...for lack of...this is the goddamn finale so we may as well go gun-ho. She's a bitch. She is a goddamn bitch and bitches at every problem in her way. And everyone just lets her do it because she's special and the leader. She also became the Amber replacement which I'm sure that girl was thrilled about, but she ain't allowed to lash at Melia in frustration because Melia is perfect. These people need to grow up and get the fuck over themselves. Also, I am sorry to swear in the house of thy lord, but thou must speaketh the truth. (I do. I really do) Hmmm...let's see what the book would say about me. "Thou is smart and wise beyond his years, but his attitude and arrogance drives those away along with being a coward. Also, he thinks he's funny when he's not and irritates people" If you want to humor me and make a passage for me or your own, go ahead. I'm like the one person who would make a thread just to roast me if people wanted to do that. I have no shame. (Amen. A to the bloody men) I have waited over a year and this is the first time I can honestly say...thank you game, I needed that. And despite all of this, it simply gets chucked away...or at least I think it does...it's confusing what happens to cause Melia to leave... (I could cry right now. There may be no better way to end this journey) (So see these two, they haven't done a damn gym fight since my battle with Venam. That was a year ago) (So they really are worthless pieces of rock. All this time I've been doing it for nothing! Screw you guys, I'm going back to the resort where I'm welcomed) (It's a religious figure in an RPG. Were you expecting someone not corrupted by power?) (...See. She's like me. She acknowledges her problems) (Oh hey, boss time?) (I don't see any bosses anywhere) (No...I'm Gon A. Murdrazu) (Let's not. I think this is the perfect end to me. Cold and alone. Alone without suffering) (See. We should just stayed there to die. Now I've got two bitches to find) (Wait...did the lord just answer my prayers?) (I'm...the protagonist. What a great way to end the series) (I...am the hero. I am the one who gets to kick ass and nobody can take that way. Alright, Angie. I'll play your little game) (See you on the top floor, finale boss) (Oh hey free TM...what a g...I'll stop. But hey, free stuff is nice) (Oh no. Shadow Angie has risen. Where's that bottle I just emptied) (Hmmm...there's something off about that pitch. Take it from the top) (That's rude. She's been giving us great hospitality) (Trust me, she never will. Music isn't her forte...or being nice) (I too enjoy this holy funk) (This woman, she's breaking the two characters I hate...this...what a great way to end the run) (Okay now she's being mind controlled. We all know she cockstrokes Melia...in more ways than one) When I said I was going all out, I wasn't kidding. Since we won't ever get there...I don't get the whole Melia and Venam thing. There was never anything there than them just being friends. Well kind of close friends...which makes it weird considering Ren...mother of god that guy just can't get a break, can he. Now I'm not against having gay relationships in games but...most romances in games are often week as it takes a long time to properly build then execute. That's kind of why I'm not a fan of forcing LBT that one acronym in media. I think it's an insult since these people struggle and it's not just a simple happy ending. I kind of like Modern Family's take on it. Basically if it's included, fine, but don't include it for the sake of representation. All you'll do is get funny looks. I'm not against these elements at all, but for the love of god, try to make sure you know what you're doing. (I should probably stop this, but I'm not going to. Let this finale end on a happy note) (I'm kind of neutral. It's not the same if I can't kill her) (That or annoyed with all the sacrifices. There's a reason real God asked for it to stop) (Are you actually surprised? There's not much going up there) (She's Pope Agnie the Cold Blooded. She slays the sinners in cold blood) (.........Makes you wonder where they came from) (Hmmm...are you sure those weren't from my heart?) (Hi, do you guys have any snacks? The maid back there said you were out) (Or we can just battle. Why can't we just chat like normal people?) (...And they will) (Yeah...that was easy) (I guess all minions suck in this world...who aren't AA...but those guys suck in a different way) (Why didn't she just do that to us?) (I've stopped questioning this game's logic since the pervy grandma) (You aren't wrong. Guess it makes management easier as well) (You do have some good points and you hate Melia. I'll think about it...though I do want to get out of here) (Either she's flirting or she's my rival...I'm not sure which one) (Thou shall no swear in thy house...if thou name does not start with "C") (Is this like that we have 3 bells to reach her segment?) (You do that and I'll watch. I'm tired of being the hero. I have to deal with people's shit) (So basically I do all the work and you take credit. Lovely) (Rorrim, what the hell happened to you?) (I'm just...) This is the stupidest thing Jan has ever written. Hi, I'm Commander. It's spelled C-o-m-m-a-n-d-e-r. Also, there's a missing space, but that could be the text box limit. That thing is annoying. (There's a period and a space missing...good job) (Uhhh considering Angie doesn't kill anyone she hates, he's probably a good guy) (That is a fair argument) (...I like him. He's the only one in this room not driving me up the wall) (Na-na-na-na Na-na-nana Angie's World) (I say take him with us) (...It's not speaking Catholic nonsense so it's not a trap) (You never used your brain before so why start now?) (Why is this even a choice?) (It only took us 5 years to get in Reborn so thank you for not taking as long) (It's not like he's going to be able to get out of here) (Oh great. This is going to be a long one) (Oh so the truth finally comes out. Good. I didn't like you anyways) (I kind of believe it. Man, I missed a persona reference hanging from the low tree) (Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmm! I'm sorry I never am going to save you) (Eh, I just want to go home is all) (Or that. Just get the girl and let us go home) (I didn't know Azery was in this game...he looks good in a maid outfit) (And skipping the easy battle) (And they died. Guess we'll never have to see them again...not like we would've anyways) (Oh good we get to see Melia sacrificed. What a fitting end to this shitshow of a run) (And the big reveal she is Maria in 3..2..1..) (I didn't get pics of her flipping in and out) (Plot armor. She is immune due to plot armor) (It's dark hey Venam wanna...oh wait I hate you) (Did she die from that fall? Nice) (Oh yeah, this is breaking for some reason) (...dammit she's okay) (Venam actually doing something...that's a first) (And cue lazy animators) Black screens are an old trick to warp characters out of cutscenes. Kind of lazy, but lazy isn't always bad. (Maybe there's a warp point to escape) (Why we had to see this...I honestly have no idea...) No really, what was the point of that. (Yeah, I don't really need it) (I think Melia broke Angie. She's giving me this creepy stare) (Venam, you're making my life harder than it already is. I just want a badge and to go home to daddy Cassius) (Wait...is she getting a heart...nah) (Isn't that a cliche. Whatever. It's battle time) (Today the town, tomorrow the world) (OH GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYES) (You don't fucking say. You're holding the problem. Maybe if we drop her, she'll let us leave peacefully) (Though I think we crossed the point of no return) (And cure that battle) So what happened was I had the audio set to my monitor which wasn't plugged in meaning I didn't record any Audio. I tried to replicated the sound, but that's the best I could do...sorry Yeah...Angie I almost won first try then RNG screwed me. RNG screwed me a lot in this fight especially trying to figure out that the AI input reads and why things were acting off. It's a pretty decent battle and man, that was a climatic finish and while the game does go on, I don't think I could nail a final battle any closer than that. Angie is suffering and I certainly suffered. (Shit, she's about to use her suicide attack) (I didn't give you permission to kill me) (No shit, Verlock) (This is paper mario all over again) (It's cold) So I'm pretty sure Jan used that free RMXP art for this but...it looks pretty intimidating until you realize it's scripted. It's just one of those illusion tricks to scare you. It works so it's fine though it is cool seeing things get distorted showing Angie's demise. (Damn, I was hoping to be the only one who made it out alive) (And here she is...again) (Wait...didn't she use a Froslass?) (...I know nothing about that) (Why can't I ever get credit for making good decisions) (Says the guy who lost the town to her) (...I highly doubt that) (If only I was good at recording Gifs that would look awesome) (...Well that's a solution) (Well that was disappointing) I kind of wish Angie actually died since she kind of comes back later. She sounded like these were the final minutes of her life and I would've loved seeing it all pan out. This cast is already too bloated so a one-off character like Angie would've been fantastic. I just haven't been saying much because there's nothing to be said. Angie is great and something this game needed since post Venam. I honestly wish she was the final boss of the Terajuma segment because her execution was done just right from her entrance here all the way to her fall. I don't care about her beyond that though. I know she was Maria's mother or that maid in the freezer which I know had a deep connection to Indy before finally being corrupted by her own ice powers losing control or something, but that can be explored even if she's dead. She's not that interesting beyond seeing her on stage and damn does she slam those truths on hard. Another little thing I kind of wish was done was that Angie took that Ice Gym Leader's team to use against the player. I would've been a nice detail and better explain what happens, but oh well. That's a nitpick over a complaint. Also felt good to be the lead instead of following Melia's orders. (No, no it doesn't. Oh hey, free TM) (You mean they don't know each other despite being registered under the same league? Have these guys ever been to a meeting or anything?) (You...did jack shit. I tried saving you guys and then we almost died. The end) (Oh hey free badge) Will get to this in a minute. (I'm liking this logic) (Yes, yes I would have) (You'd be out of the frying pan and into the freezer...that joke was bad. We shouldn't end on bad jokes) (Don't question the man who gives us what we need) (Thank you lazy and irresponsible gym leader) (He'll probably show up again and have a long tragic backstory. This is how there games work, right?) (Just lay her on the ground somewhere. She'll be fine) (What did I say about being a bitch, bitch) (And it's weird knowing this is the end...of the chapter) This is probably a rather disappointing chapter for what is a pretty solid segment, but I'm just kind of done with Rejuv and did this to at least no end on a cliffhanger. I'm not going to lock the thread but yeah, we're done. There's not going to be any jokes nor any revivals to surprise people. But now, let me cover some of the future things in the game and my thoughts on their ideas (I haven't exactly seen their executions). So I have a pretty good idea what happens up through Valor Mountains...I forgot about something. I really like the idea of a gym leader just giving us a badge for no apparent reason. I honestly wish we saw that in a more playful way then basically beating Angie. It's a pretty funny idea that could come about with a "WTF!" kind of reaction. I love it and that's one of those small things that help mix things up. Seriously, I'd die laughing at any game that you go through a complicated puzzle expecting a fight...and suddenly you earn a gym badge. Most of these fan-games are more or less the same (and even Reborn falls into the samey category) so stupid things like that help... Hold on I gotta add that comment at the top...Y'know, I think I'm going to restructure how I go about this after I take a long hiatus. The subcaptions kind of are there for me to really digest and break the plot to discuss it more, but we're getting to that point so change may be good. I have got to figure out a better way to tackle these things and I'll probably do something closer to this but with more breaks inbetween scenes doing rants or stupid stuff. WHY CAN I NEVER SAY I QUIT! I mean if I really need to stop I'll stop it, but we'll be taking a break. Like a 6 month break. Is it sad the thing I dread the most if spending an hour on a gym leader over the 14-20 hours it'll take to do all of the Volcano segment? Also something I'd like to know is if you guys mind like 6-7 pics in a row not have captions or anything. That'd cut down 3 hours on each chapter to crank out.

I'm going to say that while exposition dumps are usually considered the worst part of a game, they are a necessary evil. So something you get jammed into your face as a writer is show, don't tell which they leave off the "but you can't do that for everything otherwise it'll take half a century to walk a single step" The reason exposition dumps exist is due to getting it done and getting it down fast on top of not having to resources to properly execute it well. I'm also going to say that the void segment is not an exposition dump and is at the same time. It's a cooldown time after a brutal battle and you could tune out quite a bit and be fine. I also feel like this is just giving small insight to events we shall find out about later (though if they are postgame or not is a different story). Nothing here is needed which could storm up a great debate. The scene is ridiculously long without any breaks to explore so I will give that point, but we actually have a much, much worse exposition dump in the game. Remember Dittoceus? That scene pretty much tarnished Elias to be one of, if not the worst character in the game. And we didn't have text skipping back then so it was all the more painful reading that dull crazed religious text which felt like 30 minutes. Also doesn't help that we're a silent protagonist so info dumps sometimes are required to even have a functioning plot. I'm not going to mention Sun/Moon not that much since it's a terrible example to compare Reborn with which that game also has a case of rose-tinted lenses playing it the first time through. And don't lash out on Reborn for having exposition when 25% of that game is a bloody tutorial jammed with explanations on how to do mundane tasks. I'll leave my bias at the door since I feel everything post Gen V is a hollow shell of the Pokemon series and I could go on a Gen7 rant. I don't talk about this game much due to being an eroge, but MGQ makes fun of this trope. There's always 3 choices: The right choice, the wrong choice that leads to the right choice, and the choice so out there you are going to press purely out of curiosity. So one issue with a game is that choice can be resource intensive and often have to lock the freedom of choices down due to that reason. Optional characters often have choppy inserted lines if any at all, choices only affect a single line of dialogue, and split paths usually end rather quickly. It also requires a good knowledge of writing to account for all the changes and differences. So what does a game that gives a great freedom of choice look like? It feels amazing and like you are in control. So I'll talk about Trails in the Sky SC where a flaw and a perk to the game is you can only bring 4 characters along at the time. You only get a choice of two though as the other two are required. So you can choose what optional tasks to accomplish, but whenever you talk to someone, many of them have unique dialogue with the optional characters. These aren't exactly swap in pieces of dialogue either such as a certain general being shocked someone with such a high status would be with the group. 3rd goes a step even further adding certain fights with unique lines for every character and sometimes an even more unique pair for having a certain two at the same time. Something about it feels so rewarding seeing reactions between characters that are optional. I'll jump into a more familiar series: Fire Emblem. We'll talk about two very famed games in the series: Path of Radiance vs Awakening. Awakening has this illusion of choice you make with different options leading to the same exact result regardless. The most famous is saying not to give the Fire Emblem which Chrom is going to do regardless. So now let's jump into the first chapter of PoR. Let's say you royally screw up and lose everyone but Ike. They are very important to this plot so they all retreat, right? No, Boyd and Oscar die. Titania does live but I believe after a certain point she can die as well. This actually is reflected upon in a conversation in which Mist tells Rolf her brother will rescue them...which he comments that both his brothers are dead now. You'd think the game that followed it would keep the same homage to death, but nope. Literally half of the Awakening cast cannot die. All the females in the game cannot die due to being "needed" in the scenes to recruit their children. Important plot characters retreating (such as Virion) not dying isn't new, but Awakening created the saying "Nobody dies in Fire Emblem" which is a ridicule in the change in direction. Even the choice of death is stripped from you which hurts the impact of the games. Just imagine if the writers had the balls to kill off the mothers. Those children scenes might be some of the best in the entire series...I mean it did give Clive such a memorable moment. Gonna say it's kind of irony that you would praise Sun/Moon when Reborn does the same thing. Both sets of characters are tropey and pretty much rely on that trope through both their dialogue and their actions. Julia still acts like a high school cheer captain which many of her lines are peppy and whiny when she doesn't get her way. Shelly has trouble getting her words across so she'll often use "...Uhmm.." and characters will tend to ignore her. Character development is the term I feel you are looking for. And while I don't feel Sun/Moon is something to write home about (opinions are opinions) I would agree with you here on this stance. While they start out the same, the SuMo cast gets more time to be explored and at a much better pace. Reborn takes a character in an episode, drops knowledge, then expects you to remember it after 20-40 hours of events before seeing it developed more. It's choppy and very hit or miss. Some do it well like Bennett while others such as Amaria are an "oh dear god." Titania needed more screentime to develop as well as so much of her is just very, very passive and easy to miss. Also Samson and Ciel get their stories dumped in an exposition...which you can't see the other yet. This is not said in words, but it had a major impact on a certain character. Cal uses a Medicham the next time we see him. It's a small detail that speaks a lot about his feelings on the events that went down there. Though this was dampened as he kind of now uses whatever Pokemon he wants. It was a much bigger deal before because he broke his beliefs (using only fire types) due to those events. The removal of the monos did dampen many impacts from certain scenes. It's the fact he was the one to do it what makes this payoff interesting. So this is false. Many RPGs have a cast the size of this game...it's just how it's handled. I think Fire Emblem is a great reference on getting a barebones idea of how to handle it, but Reborn has a special problem, it didn't handle balancing the cast right. Every character getting treated equally and getting roughly the same amount of screentime on paper sounds good, but oh boy does it not end well. And then jam all of the reveals and development until the very end pretty much is why everyone thinks this. For what Reborn does is technically fine, but it does too much in too little time and it's WAAYYYY too late to go back now. So I guess everything is technically done fine, but because we don't venture another with our favorites, we can't invest into them as much. Episode one had a pretty wrapped up story and I don't think people would have though much if Julia never showed up again. This closed structure for less involved characters would work wonders letting the more active ones be the ones we follow and watch...except that happens to everyone even after big plot revelations (cough *Dittoceous* cough). There are many characters with hidden details which I wish we could've seen a lot more of...but that'd mean they'd have more spotlight so we can't let that happen. This is a giant discussion as while smaller casts are easy to make, smaller casts =/= better than bigger ones. I find it funny people say they have no time when I managed to mod hardcore while working 60 hour weeks (glad those days are over). I get that long RPGs are a huge investment and you can't just sit around and play all the time though. Not everyone likes getting into long games either which is why at one point jRPGs felt like they were going to die. That's a different discussion for another day. Episodic releases are no different here than segments of a game. It's like when you defeat the main boss of an area. There's not much left to do so you take your things and move on to the next town or region. That's kind of what I was saying. I do agree that if you are going to take years and release the game bit by bit, there should be a summary. I would show the bracer book in Sky...but I'm not far enough to show how it nails giving a summary and makes the game not hard to pick back up. I really think all RPGs should be required to have a synopsis though if they go beyond 30 hours...especially the ones with more convoluted plots. Wait is he still working on that thing? Seriously, there's no reason it should be in development still as it's a rather simple game. So while what you are saying is true, you are attacking Ame for using the meme for it known by the Pokemon community instead of being "correct." I know Ame does know a bit of Japanese (I know some things but I can't read Kanji to save my life), but most NPCs are just pop culture and references. It's flooded with it so is it really a problem with the localization or being over reliant on memes. Personally, I don't think they add or take anything away so I'll leave it at that. We actually only see one single church in the entire Pokemon series and I think a lot of that got cut in the English localization. I'm not sure but Gen IV is a mess to follow given the censorship war was still going on. (And still is but it's not as bad). So basically, Arceus created Pokemon as I've come to know and I've used that idea before when messing with the lore and stuff, but let's just treat him as "God". But "Oh, Nintendo is Japanese and they never had any games with worshipping god" >Dragon Quest >Fire Emblem PoR/RD >Actually pretty much all Fire Emblem >I think Golden Sun (I know the Wise One) >Final Fantasy (VI I want to say) >Xenoblade Chronicles We could argue about this all day as while many, many pieces of Japanese culture and traditions are implemented into their games, we've also seen a lot of westernization influences. The Kiseki Series is very heavily inspired by the European Renaissance Era and Fire Emblem is based of the Middle Ages. I don't know Arcues's origins and what he is based off of but it's given off the impression of God from the Cathlic and Christian religion for many people which many people also play off of this. Many, many RPGs play off of this concept (Giratina is not as widely accepted as Satin) so I don't think we can simply say "It's not like that because Japan." Japan does everything, man...everything. I want you to take a minute to reread what you just said. Reborn would need a lot more than a studio to fix its issues. And for every good game that comes out, there's a least 20 godawful ones. Even some great and well known companies publish terrible games such as Camelot's Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (I still liked it, but it was pretty bad). I'm not here to ridicule you other than pretty much completely disagreeing with that being a good solution. I think you really disagree with Ame's game dev philosophies in which if she laid off of certain traits (such as silent protags) and did certain things the game would feel much more enjoyable to you...at least. I disagree with the use of a lot of the Pokemon tropes and standards used in Reborn, but most people who pick up this game are going to be Pokemon players and not RPG enthusiast such as myself. It has lead to some jarring and questionable choices and many turn offs, but no dev is immune to it. Even Intelligent Systems who botched the Paper Mario series (likely due to some back door publishing demands and executive decisions). And the irony here is that Ame is putting more focus into the game than before and it has shown in the progress and changes in the game to improve it. So if you say that now, I don't think a dev team would change much of how Reborn looks or the story. And on a random closing note...since I missed it: So an issue with writing a Protagonist like this is what I would call a "ragdoll" effect. Since the character isn't a character, there needs to be a method of moving them around otherwise they'll end sitting in a place and mean nothing. So what happens is that they are handed off from character to character and more or less witnessing events other than scenes with Taka and/or ZEL in them (which are honestly some of the best in the game). I think a perk to this is that it helps create a better atmosphere when exploring which Reborn has a heavy emphasis on, but at the cost of hurting other characters since they need to focus on narrating the player as well. I think the only reason the protag is silent is because Ame is following the Pokemon formula. (Starlight Divide I'm pretty sure doesn't have a silent protag). You brought up a lot of good points which is why I responded to you.

I mean it ain't wrong to call Corey an idiot, but it is very easy to miss the point behind the suicide. And that diary event is optional so we really can only define it in a single instance. Corey is a one off character so obviously he will be weaker than someone with a lot of screen time to develop. He's the kind of guy easy to drown out what he says bit basically he was a puppet to Sirius and he had enough and took his life. So I think it's fine and it's also the one time a character plot is wrapped up instead of letting it hang for the entire game.

Silence...again, I'm not expecting much out of it but thanks for coming if you read or looked at it. Let me just show you the sheer scale of this game in which I screencap roughly every piece of dialogue: This is only through the tutorial. I'm not going to cap every screen in this... Though this does move quicker as there's not as much to rant on. This series has a lot of faults, but it's not things that happens over and over again that need to be restated. Just let me have this. 1,000 pics here feels about as much work as 100 pics in rejuv. Chapter 2: Our First Mission (Lo and behold I kept my promise) I think that's actually a piece of art from the ending...it kind of reminds me of Joshua sitting under a tree playing the harmonica. I swear I've seen this before though and that really bothers me more than the Cassius thing. I would say my guess but I don't want to spoil those things. It could just be random art though. (And me showing the biggest fault in the game) So the camera is awful. I don't think its in the Crossbell games (not that I'm complaining) but this bloody mechanic will drive you up the wall as while you can keep it one way, sometimes it's hard to see place and where you're going and then you get disoriented. It's a minor complaint, but good god I hate the camera in this game. (Thankfully we have a map to help sort our marbles) This is easily the thing I love about this series. You never go anywhere blind...I think. Basically if you get lost, just use the map to find your way back. This game is actually really, really small and I'd say it's the total size of Reborn City. Just Reborn City and not all the areas outside of it. It is jam packed with stuff to do in that small space as we'll quickly see. (Praise XSEED for translating signs) So that's a small detail but I always find it cool when you can actually read signs since it's so rare to see...let alone see it localized. Another nice touch is that party members follow you (which is also a complaint) and while I can switch the lead, I usually just stick with Estelle. Those pigtails, man. (I can't believe they dubbed these in EVO of all things) So yeah, we can't go that way yet, but we eventually will. We are a bit limited on where we can go but things open up as the story progresses. (I'm not going to show this afterwards, but we get a zoom out every new town we go to) (Heh. We are going to be late since I'm in charge) (...Oh Aidios, forgive me for what I'm going to have to do) (I'll get into the lore later and translate it to the "english" version) (Schera...she's a character.) (Let's not) You know how most tutorials you are locked to one place and you can only do that. Yeah, the town is our oyster and I think you can actually leave town and go north a little bit. You can actually talk to every character before the tutorial and they will say things different then if you talk to them afterwards. You'll figure out why kind of quickly. (Stregas are the sneakers of this world. If you look at Estelle's feet, she's wearing some now) (The shoes will have more use. Gotta up our defenses) (Darn, that's one really cool thing I wanted to show off. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait) (We'll have to come back here later) Now what if we talked to him again. (Or my favorite bracer, Anelace) Seriously, I did not expect to really like Anelace. I do hope she and Rean eventually meet and talk because that'd be an amazing conversation...oh...I guess that's kind of spoilers, but she's awesome. (Good. We'll need it.) And that's the real beauty of this game. This game's filler is what makes it so charming. There are so many characters that have their own stories and it's up to you rather or not you want to explore and follow these characters. You cannot view or remember them all so really just pick out a character you like and talk to them after every important event. They never just say one thing over and over again for the rest of the game. I'd say each NPC has around 8-15 scenes of dialogue. You aren't meant to talk to and follow them all. It's just extra dialogue they didn't need to add...but they did and I'm going to give some highlights: (Bloom...actually is a rather interesting character who does stuff for her son...against his will. I don't know if we'll see that though) (Wasn't going to screen this until I saw this gem) (It was worth it if she won though) (Do it. He deserves it.) You think she's kidding, but she would. (Okay, airhead) (Nope. We aren't doing that yet) (...She would if he was ever home) (There's nothing we can really afford here right now) Don't worry about spending your Mira as you'll get it all back rather shortly. You can't lock yourself out of this game even if you try. Also take a look to the left screen. That's the exchange rater for sepith. It's pretty useful if you're low on mira and have an abundance of a certain sepith. Never sell any of the black ones though. Time Quartz are the most valuable ones in the game. (Here's the seven elements and what artes they give) (It was probably an emergency) (See, an emergency) (That's me when a new LoH: Trails gets localized...it's been two years now) (Pretty good nod to the second game) (But I don't wanna) (The woman always wins) (But then that'd make her...wait for it...Bright) (She never does) (Ah ZCF. We don't go there for a very long time) (That applies to quite a lot of characters) So one thing that really applies to skies that neither of the other two arcs start out with is that most of where this cast started they were really bad at what they did. Many of the ones that are good or where they are now worked for it and put in the hours. 3rd really helps display that (and don't skip that game despite people treating it like a side game). (Pretty sure the evil and cunning Cassius could look monsters in the eye and scare them off) (You see this, remember this. It is the single most important piece of lore in the game) (That is true and also kind of important) (It's scarier than not liking it, but we'll go into it later) If you're a fan of fire emblem and are randomly watching this, you're going to be in for a real treat. There's a lot to talk about in these games. (If only there was an off button) (Cold Steel II - All AP on Nightmare mode. Now that is hard work) (Don't worry, Estelle. You'll be putting in hard work and living like the olden days very soon) (Missed it but this guy wants to talk to Cassius about the olden days) (I can't remember which NPC is his daughter though I have one idea who it might be) (...Oh yeah, they Royal Army. They have their own part to play) So the Royal Army is pretty much the security force of Liberl. Every country is kind of different in how they run and function. I don't know much about Fate so I might try to talk to him a lot more since he seems rather interesting. (And we have some of that politics already) So many NPCs talked about lumber trading and I don't remember this at all actually. That isn't the most famous thing Liberl is famous for, but I'll also probably talk to NPCs to see if I can learn more about the wood industry. (Well being a miner is a huge deal here) (Maybe he should become a cook instead) Mining is one of the most important jobs in this game. It is more important than drilling for oil in our world. Septium is one of the most valuable resources and it's why people exchange it for mira because it's so valuable. I'll go more into it once we hit that point in the game, but I just want to emphasize the importance of miners in this game. (Oh...you. I remember you.) (You can go into the clock tower, but I don't remember much about it) (I mean I'm no stranger to looking at chicks while doing my job...) (Says the girl who probably can't get a boyfriend anytime soon) (You know when a guy hates a job when it makes him crack like this) (...I wonder if this is a bug. Dunno and my hand slipped so I don't know what Estelle said) Probab (News reporters. They are the bane of every Zumerian hero) (Meanwhile in Crossbell, a certain group wishes they weren't) (And the shipping starts...ho boy...this) So I'm just going to open the can of worms now in that Estelle does like Joshua and there is a love interest between the two that happens throughout the plot. Play the third game before making a final judgement on it. Just...it's not exactly what you think it is. Their relationship and views are that they are very close friends and really don't see each other as brother and sister as they both sharing the name Bright may make you think. I just want to give you insight to make this more bearable (since its a focus of the plot...but not the main focus). And you'd think possible incest (even though it's not really) would be the controversial romance, but ho boy you have no idea. There is a certain misunderstood situation that can set people up in flames. Poor Agate. (Not helping, Estelle. Not helping) I'll need to listen to the Japanese dub to make sure, but do take note that neither Joshua nor Estelle refer to the other as brother/sister. They do consider each other family which I think Scherazard might also be considered family. It doesn't matter too much. All I'm saying is that there's a lot more to it than you may think. Wasn't a fan of it until 3rd. (Right. Adoption. Who even was Joshua's parents?) (...Please go away...creepy child) (.........Dammit. Please save me from self-created torture chamber) (I hope you don't plan to be a waiter your whole life) (If it's convenient and easy, it's not Estelle. Actually that pretty much applies to the trilogy as well...except the easy part for the first game) (...I forgot about that Tio) So fun fact: there actually is a main character with the same name which confused me (...Now I want to continue Zero. Tio...I miss you) (And that's how you get swindled into working for the man) (Always get on the church's side) (Yeah, she does that...even for work) (It's part of the packaged deal) So yes, this is a church. I also want to point out that the year is 1202. History nerds are gonna love this. So up until 1152 roughly, the world was the same as ours. What happened was a new discovery of energy source called sepith was discovered creating the orbal revolution which accelerated technology to an unprecedented amount. So due to this technology, four main power were formed: The Erebonian Empire, The Calvard Republic, The Bracer Guild, and the Septian Church. Two of those are countries while the other two are very influential across the continent. You see back in the middle ages, the church held the most influence over the people and it still in fact does here. They hold power over countries and every town has a church. Most people are also the equivalence of what you would call Catholic. It's a hot debate whether the Church or the Erebonian Empire is the strongest of the 4. Unlike many RPGs, the church is not corrupted nor evil. Unnervingly neutral is the best way to put it. (This maid. She's pretty likable...but isn't so great at her job) (And that's the mayor) If I had to pick one character that probably didn't deserve a portrait, it'd probably be this guy. He just is not that important. Maybelle best mayor. Also, now we can finally go to the bracer guild. All of this was completely optional and honestly, you learn a lot about Estelle. It's one of those things I really like about this town. The people know her and some of them even are her friends. That was also most of the townsfolk. If you don't want to talk to them, that's fine and there's still a lot of things, but if you don't care about characters over plot, this series will disappoint you. It's more about the characters over the depth and the uniqueness of the plot (you can probably guess half of it right now). Aina is one of those characters who doesn't get the justice she deserves until the 3rd game. She is the second most interesting guild master (other 3 are nothings) and there is quite the large gap between her and the best one. I don't know how much we learn about her before 3rd, but she's really someone I can talk about if you want me to since it isn't a spoiler. So I pulled this off of gamefaqs as this is one of those things I didn't understand. This will clear something up about this little foreshadowing (mostly for those who played the game already): (Schera is a slave driver. Also, love the booze on the tables. It's a nice touch) (So can mine) (At least it's better than the library) (Don't worry...she'll soon have someone else to pick on) (Those are all her positive traits) (Forgot to mention she's a little slow) Also I never noticed until now that Estelle has a cowlick on the top of her head. It's a nice touch to show her hygiene issues as shown earlier. (...Did you just take my only joke? Oh how cruel you can be, Joshua) (This has nothing to do with the plot but everything to do with the plot at the same time) (Schera has known Estelle long enough to figure out how to hammer stuff in her head) (Well that's a lot of things to cover) I'm just going to let these topics run and I'll post a: LORE TEXT ENDS HERE at the end. Nothing inbetween. BORING TEXT ENDS HERE Liberl is quite a powerful nation due to its orbal technology but...Queen Alicia is a pacifist and doesn't attack any other nation. It's a very unique place and this stuff is very, very important to understanding the story. The first two sky games deal with the politics of Liberl while the third game explores international relationships. I'm just looking at the Liberl Kingdom history and it seems only a ceasefire was given order due to the 100 days war. This is a very important even for Liberl. Erebonia really doesn't talk about it. (Well that's practical) (Nope, thankfully) (If Estelle was a secretary, there'd never be a boring day in the office) (Also, this is the only gave which gives thorough details like this...rest of the games kind of assume you know what you're kind of doing) (These things are awesome) You see this thing, this is the most important item you get in the game. It's basically both the bible and journal of the game. It is such an amazing tool and you will be wanting to use it quite a bit. I love this thing and there's a reason it's become a staple in the series. (Don't you dare...) (This is a very easy test) Believe it or not, the Crossbell one is easier. (But...I like talking to you) (And we have our first job) Basically, you go up to this board and click on each job to grab it. There's no limitation and I recommend doing all the optional ones ASAP. This is our sidequest system as well. It works beautifully in this game (then SC 1ups the quests) (I'd be worried if Estelle failed even that simple task) (Shut up. This is fun and you will learn to like it) (I already explained this) (Our lecturer or something) And now we cut to the only real boring part of this segment...only because I already explained it. (We're not going to do that as I've already explained it) (And finally we regain control. I've been wanting to do this) So here's what the bracer notebook looks like: (This is your overall stats and achievements. You'll get some more stuff here later) (This is the list of magic and how you can gain access to it) (This is the quest screen which shows both sidequests and the main quest) I'd also like to mention there have been a lot of QoL additions since I last played it. There's an autosave (more like save backup) feature as well as a speedup button that I didn't have when I started playing. Both are pretty welcomed features for me, but I really didn't need them. (Just a note that it's probably best to refine one of each quartz though Blue is the most important) (This is why blue is important) If you're wondering the quartz color importance Time > Water > Mirage > Space > Earth/Fire > Wind. They all have uses but that's my personal thoughts on it. Also there's a limit of one type of quartz per slot. You can't have two HP Quarts in an orbment. Though I think you can if it's different lines. It's something that you get used to rather quickly. Also, open Joshua's and Estelle's slots fully ASAP. If you don't open anyone else's it's not a big deal. Also, I have to say Sky FC has the ugliest orbments in the series. And also the lamest. (Yeah, she's gonna shut up since I know what I'm doing) (This isn't useful in FC but in the other two games it's kind of vital to survive) (And this is why you should have used up all your quartz...I think or at least got 3 quartz instead of 2) (Estelle is going to be my main arte user for this chapter so she gets priority) (None of the other games give as thorough explanation of this) So one of the debates is whether or not to start with Sky or Cold Steel. I'll give you the reasons for both: Starting with Sky: -It's the first game in the series which all other connect to it -It is very well paced in introducing the lore and many elements to the series -The story and characters are very well written Starting with Cold Steel (just the first game): -The first game has very little connection to the series letting newbies come in -The graphics are a huge step up from the previous games -The battle system is better refined and much more engaging -Battle system is more simplistic and easier to learn -The voice acting is great and many bells and whistles speed up the game -The school NPC cast is more interesting than the random Sky NPCs (and you see them more often) I know I hate on Cold Steel but it's one of the best ways to get into the series though the second one does go into a bunch of heavy spoilers (not all of them but one NPC spoils many plot points of Sky). Sky is the best introduction to the series, but oh boy does it have many turn offs which Cold Steel doesn't have (despite it having a weaker plot it's what got me hooked and Sky didn't). The key difference is that Sky is kind of boring or feels dull the first 8 hours before getting interesting while Cold Steel really only takes an hour before getting a feeling what to expect from it. (Oh that happens to me all the time) Imagine getting the dates mixed up for a final exam. That's always a fun time when you royally screw up (thankfully it was a day too early instead of a day too late) (The fate of the bracers are doomed) (And this is one of those limitations in the art style) You don't really see it unless in a standstill but you can see Estelle and Schera have a gap between them. It's not uncommon for this in RPGs, but hey, this game is very animated believe it or not. I think they were just limited in how they could design that or something. (Something tell me Schera is responsible for Estelle graduation Sunday School) Oh yeah, there are high schools, but it's not really required and not everyone goes. Cold Steel really helps establish how it works and what exactly they learn and why. There's only two years of education for people. Before that, it's actually the church who teaches and educates children across the world. You probably can see why everyone has the same religion now. After school, you pretty much are taught and trained in the field of profession you strive for. While the game does do a very good job explaining all of this, I feel it's better from my mouth now then trying to sort it all out down the line. Schooling is also very different than what you may think. (Joshua wouldn't miss an opportunity to betray you like this, li'l Estelle) And here we are: the thing I wanted to get to in this chapter. (Yeah, I get to bring this up) So there are actually multiple ways to become an official bracer. We don't learn about it in this game but in Crossbell, you can actually take a written test as part of a qualification. I believe it is roughly 100 questions and it tests you knowledge on both the current world, the history, and the guidelines for being a bracer itself. We'll learn much more about bracers along this journey, but I can't disagree that it's pretty important to know those things as like the church, bracers aren't bound to a single country. (Seeing how good of a father he was, this probably happened on numerous occasions) Believe me, SC saves the abomination that would have been this main protagonist. I actually enjoy seeing Estelle this time around compared to the first time since I know what happens. Yeah, I kind of dislike how much of an idiot they portray her as even now. Still a better lead than Rean, I suppose. (Show of hands who actually read that screencap...I didn't either.) I think this is a brilliant way to teach you to read those. Cold Steel is even better as some of the funniest lines are written into the quests you'll drone out including one where the writer even says "You probably aren't even reading these at this point." It's a pretty brilliant tutorial to teach you to read stuff and next chapter we'll get to read something great. (Yep, not paper and penciled test in this game. You're home free) (It's also Sewer Appreciation day. You better than those sewers for dealing with your garbage) (Estelle also is pretty arrogant and cocky, but she is lovable nonetheless) I seriously don't blame anyone who starts playing the game hates Estelle. She does have all the checks that can really nudge people all the wrong ways. She gets better, I promise. (Thank you. I don't think we'd ever progress without you, Schera) (She did have a go through a smelly sewer just to set this up for you) (Yes, I can finally talk about the actual combat) Okay so items play a much more significant role in this series compared to others. I'll explain it in combat as they have one huge perk that otherwise you'd just use healing and items outside of battle. You'll want to buy a number of status healing items for sure as yeah...those are always fun to deal with. (This is...the only game it doesn't have much use) So in both Crossbell and Cold Steel, filling out the monster guide will net you a bunch of good items and completely filling it out (up to the final dungeon) would net you an amazing item which was either a super valuable accessory or a rare and really good quartz. It's pretty easy to do in those games since it's a craft skill. (Time to finally get to work) (Yeah, dungeons in this game aren't very complicated) (They also are pretty convenient) So one thing this game often does is make a clean cut path from a healing point to the boss. It really cuts down on the tediousness of having to backtrack to heal. EP is also pretty scarce in the early game so you really have to conserve it...which is kind of hard on hard. In other words, these things are your best friend. (And cue the tutorial) I honestly wish we could skip these but they aren't too bad. (Sometimes they magically teleport behind you) (This is different in the Cold Steel and Crossbell games) And now for the fun time: ...I forgot how archaic this game is compared to the other arcs. I didn't take a pic but we have a drop down menu with the options of: >Attack >Craft >Arte >Item >Move >Flee For a turn based game, it can be surprisingly tactical and you can use strats to gain an advantage. So we'll start with attack. There's a stat called Mov which is the number of blocks a character can move on a single turn. It's pretty much the blue squares which you can give characters an insane Mov stat with the right equipment and quartz. You'll also want to move characters much closer to the front since the player and enemies are so far away in this game...for some reason. Starting position will save you a headache later. Anyways, the area in red is your range for attack someone. Estelle has a larger range stat so she can hit enemies 5 squares away compared to Joshua's 4. Hitting an enemy with an attack moves them a square depending on the direction you hit. As for move: The attack button locks you into moving towards an enemy to hit without control. The move button lets you move to a specific square and then wait until your next turn to take another action. It's not too useful in this game, but in later games it's a pretty significant strat as location can mean everything including winning or losing a fight. (That's a terrible pic) So when defeating a monster, they turn into smoke dropping septith like you see and sometimes a treasure chest which is a random item...which usually is just an ingredient. Sometimes you can get a useful item such as an antidote but mostly just ingredients. They do not drop Mira (money) like most RPGs. Also as a note these monsters don't attack for some bloody reason. Don't ask me why they felt the need to do that. Anyways, defeating a monster in battle gives exp. The amount given varies depending on your level so don't every expect to be able to powergrind in these games. On the opposite note, characters who fall behind can easily catch up and be one or two levels below the party. Levels...mostly are for gaining new crafts and HP. Your stats always go up but you'll only be around level 32-35 for the final boss so don't expect to gain levels like crazy. I think we end the prologue at level 8 (we're level 3 now) (Eventually we'll get a quartz that gives us all the information on the monster without having to fight a billion of them) (...These things) (...Let's use our physical attacks) (Oh, I thought it was called Artes and not Arts...I need to stop playing Tales games so much) So how arts aka the magic in this game works is that you have a turn to cast and then have a turn to attack. The cooldown time for each art is different but offensive arts generally take longer than support or healing ones. One important thing to note is some skills and attacks from both you and enemies can cancel arts. Also in the sky games, arts are your best source of damage. I don't like these guys as they don't really do art displaying justice as they die in one hit to anything (kind of feels like you're wasting your EP on them that way). The two turn thing is jarring, but it's a brilliant mechanic when you get used to it. (Clock up raises speed which in harder fights...not this game...it's a very useful attack) I'll be honest that the art menu is the clunkiest in the sky series but it's not that bad. Only real grip in all three games is healing with artes outside of battle...with skies being the worst offender. You have to go to that orbment menu then scroll all the way down to the art you want to use. It gets annoying after having to do it every battle. (I would like to add normal attacks do roughly 60 damage) (Pizza Cake!) So after battle, the character having the finishing blow will do a victory pose and say one of 2/3 lines. Estelle says Piece of Cake which one of the steam achievements is Pizza Cake due to the VA's english getting a bit garbled making it sound like that. Yeah there's a small bit of VA in this game and it's not bad and there are some well known VAs who voice those quotes. I will say that Olivier did receive a different VA for the Cold Steel series. And for this tutorial: (Yeah...about that, buddy) Okay so Crafts are...okay in this game. Cold Steel they are amazing (outclassing arts on many occasions), but they aren't awful to use. Just don't expect to do a lot of damage with them. Some are great though like Estelle's Morale: (Missed it, but it raised both their attack stat letting Joshua one shot both enemies) Joshua has the Double Slash Crafts which is a pretty cheap CP (what crafts use) and hits enemies twice for 75% of his normal attack. Very useful for tactics and art breaking though...unfortunately this game is pitifully easy so you probably won't worry about that much. ([Edgy Voice] "We're not do yet') And now we go into something a bored localization member did: (Is that sarcasm?) So something about the first game is that every chest was coded individually to say "the chest was empty" and so the loc team would have to write that every single time due to poor programming. Some guy said "Fuck it, I'll put whatever I want" and every empty chest has a unique quote. They later added this to the SC and 3rd due to its popularity in the West. Even CSII recieved special chest sayings which some pun master put them all in. These are not found in the original Japanese just like autosaving and the speed-up button. (If you're asking if we'll ever go behind here...not in this game. At least we do get to find out what's behind there...unlike a certain franchise a certain fangame(s) is based off of) (DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS FORCED TO!) (Again, don't do this unless necessary or on a boss) (And now we introduce our trump card) So since I'm forced to show this...this is an S-craft (Once you hit 100 CP your character glows like this) (You select a target like this) (Darn...I missed the finishing swing) S-crafts are your trump card as not only are they your strongest attack, but they also can be activated at any point in the battle as long as you have 100 CP (200 CP makes them even stronger). These attacks are also very flashy and can have a different range of effects. Some are individual enemies while others can heal or buff the party (usually both if 200 CP). They also have quotes with my favorite being: "For the sake of my master, I must stop you." Pretty sure on Normal mode you can S-craft spam your way to victory on bosses (I know you can for Cold Steel normal mode for half the game) so that's one way to breeze through the game. This all is about to be tied together in which it all makes sense...and reminder that this is a turn based RPG. (This, my friend is where everything comes together) So if you see the thing on the left, that's basically the battle forecaster and although you don't know who the enemies are going to attack or what they are going to use, you know exactly when they will go and you also will know exactly when you'll go next. Every action you do causes a lag time delay before you can take another action. Crafts have more wait time then attacks. Artes have roughly the same wait time as attacks though the time is split to when you attack (adding an additional action to the order). Defeating an enemy also causes the turn order to shift up since that enemy can no longer take an action (same goes for fainted party members). S-craft is your trump card as it can cut in the turn order at any given time which now I'll take about the attributes for the battle forecaster: So there's 4 basic attributes in FC (there's like 20 kinds by Cold Steel): Increased attack, healing HP/EP/CP, Septith bonus, and critical. Increased attack boosts your damage by the percent shown (usually it's just 10% in this game). Healing is based on the Icon and Percent. Yellow is for HP, Green CP, and Blue for Ep. The Sepith bonus is additional Sepith gained per hit on the enemies. The more hits you get the bigger the bonus which certain attacks hit once while others hit multiple times. Critical shown by an explanation mark doubles the damage you do. Whoever has the icon as shown below is given that bonus. FC is really tame so only Crits matter and by the way, there are no crits in this game other than that and by equipping certain items and quartz. That means you can't get screwed over by a random crit since you'll know it's coming. This really helps make battles more engaging...outside of this one. (I say as I almost die) I don't know why but the enemy in the far back doesn't move...well at least that's end of this tutorial. 6 monsters in a fight isn't that bad...and would've been easier if I certain someone wasn't forced to start at 0 CP. I probably won't showcase too many battles outside of bosses since even those usually are a joke in this game. Biggest problem with this game's combat is that it's too limited and enemies are too weak. (All that work just for a box) (So there was a box inside a box. There's probably a box inside those boxes too) (Estelle, you better not give us a game over) So while you don't do it here, you're often given choices in this game. If you perform the correct choice, you'll be rewarded even more. If you pick a wrong choice though, you won't be punished too much and at least get the base reward. There's many quests which you can go the extra mile as well to earn an even better reward which we'll get to soon. (Yeah, would you believe this also is part of the tutorial) So what this is teaching you is to think about your actions. I feel Cold Steel does this better by giving you an opportunity to fail and not missing out on the bonus points showing you should carefully think what you're doing. Though you won't be able to get a perfect unless you follow a guide as there's many easy to miss or screw up things to get the best ranking. Some of which aren't worth the effort. It's still better than flat out telling you like most games would. (And Estelle almost failed to nobody's surprise.) (By the way, Joshua is the smart one of the group. He can kind of do it all) (Yeah! We get to learn what we had to find) (This also is very important) Yeah something that's kind of is important is that a sidequest isn't finished until you report it. The bracer book helps keep track of what you need to do so sometimes it's best to finish a group of quests and report them all at once. The most important thing is that as long as you finish the quest, there is no time expiration to report them, unlike completing the quest. They are time sensitive and you could miss out on it if you wait too long (which is why it's best to try and get them done asap). (Unless you're playing Cold Steel) You see this, this is how you earn the bulk of your money in the game. You don't really ever need to grind for it so long as you do sidequests. Only motive for fighting enemies is three things 1) Sepith, 2) Levels, and 3) the battle theme: (And this, my friends is what you suffer through all the tutorials for) (Oops...I hit talk instead of report) (500 mira for going through a tutorial. If only all games were this nice) So all the stuff in parentheses is rewards for doing extra tasks not required by the quest or making the right choices in the main quests. Yeah, you get extra cash and Bracer Points (BP) by doing a good job. And speaking of that, the first Cold Steel (not the second) went away with paying for quests only giving rewards which with an even bigger cast made mira shortages all too common. Thank Aidios for Omlette boy there. It's not a terrible shortage but it's apparent. This game you'll rarely have Mira shortage. (And we're rank 9...only 8 more ranks to go. Hooray) I think I was rank 3 by the end of this game. I could actually find out if I wanted. The top tier ranked rewards aren't all that great. (If you think Schera is bad...she's a saint to Aina) (WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS ARE YOU RUNNING BACK HERE!) (DON'T! It's a tarp!) (Ah the junior bracer badge) (It's 3 o'clock. Jeeze that tutorial took longer than I thought) (You're in my hood now) (...I can't remember why Joshua wanted to be a bracer. I have a good guess though) (It truly is the best feeling when you barely pass something so I'd probably do that as well) (Nah. I'm pretty sure this is kind of the dead time for bracers. Just wait until Jaegers get involved) (About that...) So something you learn in 3rd is that Schera was kind of like Estelle and maybe even worse. I was always on the line with Schera but that door event kind of ended up winning me over. I also image how she treats Estelle is similar to how Cassius treated her though every bracer has their own unique way of teaching their students. (Still doesn't make him any less of a terrible father) (Pretty sure Schera is a C-rank bracer) So something about bracers is that they're ranked from G-A...or something like that. The closer you are to A, the more respected you are and often go on more dangerous and out of country missions. Despite being a totem pole, A rank bracers are usually the only ones that travel out of country and often in the most dangerous or areas that need bracers the most. That's actually why there aren't too many A-ranked Bracers in Liberl. And while gameplay wise you can reach A-rank, lore wise it's actually very difficult to do so. (If you are young and even a C rank you are considered very, very good) (I mean...she isn't wrong) (Yeah, we did the easiest thing in the game. Let's celebrate with fish) (I actually didn't know this) So my guess is that most people become bracers at 18...mostly due to schooling which is two years. It's actually a fact I didn't know until this playthrough that they were the youngest which is kind of an interesting fact. (I don't think little boys would be dumb enough to charge out to fight deadly monsters) (Good thing Estelle isn't a girl) (Wait...there's other places to get milk. I wanna try that stuff) (High pony you created...probably because you didn't want to do homework) (Believe me, that tis a wound upon any human being and a danger to the world) (Well they let you become one, didn't they?) (I think Father Fate would pull the trigger at that thought) (Sure, kid. Sure. You see how far that takes you) So fun fact, Luke actually gets a portrait in the second game despite not being relevant at all. Go figure. (Pretty sure you are the one egging him on though) (I'd be jealous too...) So you remember how "All boys dream to become bracers." It's funny how all the dialogue connects and really shows how tied the lore is together. We haven't really even hit the modern politics. (And boys will be boys) (This is gonna be a long journey, isn't it?) I'm not going to defend Estelle because I really didn't care for her in first chapter. I'll just say the onion boy makes everything better. I haven't seen enough of Lloyd yet, but Kevin is my favorite of the 3 main protags so far and he's in the "side game." Now let me show you the bracer book again: As you can see, it got pretty updated since last time we checked. I thought the 3 rules were in this one but I guess not. This'll be updated chapter by chapter and more tabs are added over time. Any question you have though is always found in this book. Except history which we have quite a bit that happened in 50 years alone. That's a whole different demon which we'll talk about over time. And also, this game or part isn't as bad as I remember. I guess that's a plus.

Maybe if you're lucky a Houndoom attacked and KO'd her Togekiss causing her to fall into a pit of lava. Of course she unfortunately has magical powers that prevent her from dying but seeing her scream in pain would still be worth it, right? I'm just trying to make you feel better about being stuck with Melia without anyone you like.

Yeah I looked at the scripts and noticed a bug and I'm not sure what caused it. Try talking to her now using this save: Also I couldn't fix your weather since it's supposed to rain all week...lovely. Game.rxdata

...I'm going to assume you installed the mods in the mods folder and the one lockout mod to read the terms of service for using the mods (or whatever that is). I'm guessing that it's just not able to combine and make sure of the scripting as the files are different on a Mac though I'd need a Mac user who uses mods to confirm that. I know the weather bug can fix itself in E18 but hell if I remember how I did it. The only option is to send someone a save and have them get the sticker for you unless we have a Mac user who is willing to walk you through. Or actually...just replace this file with the one in the data folder and that should at least let you get the sticker. I just removed the weather requirement Map271.rxdata

You do realize Rose can learn surf so he's fine. Unless Rose died and I missed that. Also I didn't say it but that image Derogatory made a while back killed me. I needed to resurrect myself to tell him so.

Hi there. I've been kind of wanting to do something with this series for a while as I talk about it quite a bit in the Rejuv playthrough. Now before you click away thinking this is just going to be about a guy fanboying a game, this is actually my least favorite game in the series as there's a lot of things I dislike about it. I thought Estelle and Joshua were pretty boring/annoying characters (I really hated Estelle), the combat was a joke, and mother of god those graphics are kind of an eyesore. I shot this game down like many people before due to these faults and it's a damn shame some of those people didn't come back and give it a second shot. I also know it's a turn off since the storyline is very long (probably 100 hours between the two games...I'll explain that later). For now, I want show you the title screen: The game could not have picked a better title screen. When the game uses these standstill images, it looks fantastic. I never really looked too much at this games title screens until now and wow, I wish I looked at them more. I didn't even notice the Areseille in the background. I'm pretty sure that's the market on the left and I think you can see a smidge of the bracer guild with the golden building being the orbal shop. As for that clock tower, I don't think it has much significance other than one past event...but I suppose that's a spoiler. There's only 5 towns in this game and I must say Rolent is the most memorable of all. It was luck that we got the one where we started in. I also want to point out the Falcom and Marvelous company names at the bottom. XSEED is the one that localized them, but that's not the link to the two companies I'm talking about. I'll go more into that when we get into combat but...I'm not sure when we'll be hitting that. This game has a lot of dialogue...so much that most localization teams would consider it a loss before taking it on. XSEED hit it big by luck (especially with Cold Steel). There are also dedicated fans who have spent over a year working on the unlocalized behemoths to translate them. This game has a lot of text. I forgot easy didn't exist in the first game. This is like the Tellius games all over again. So compared to all other games in the series: Normal is Easy, Hard is Normal, and Nightmare is the "Don't play unless you are a masochist" difficulties. You can see why people thought the sequel was brutal compared to the first game (yes, they expect you to play part 1 before part 2 and understand the mechanics). Always pick hard mode, imo. The game doesn't punish you for picking the harder difficulty which is one of the nicest things about it. That does mean certain difficult optional wins...will be hell though. I'm sure there's a mod that adjusts the difficulty (I know there's one for Cold Steel). Speaking of mods, I decided to install the Japanese voices from the enhanced port to the game. It's certainly not needed, but it is a nice touch. Just don't touch nightmare mode. You'll thank me later. Not even Aidios (goddess of this world) can save you from the wrath of the poms. Did I mention this series has its own deep and established lore? Don't worry, this makes sure not to overload you (unlike Cold Steel *cough*). Oh...that's the famed drawbridge of Ruan in the pic above. That's not for quite a while in the game. It's one of my favorite areas in the game. Totally not because we meet the best girl there. I'll just shut up and actually play the game now: Chapter 1: I haven't even picked up the controller in this (I missed it but the room is dark before having Estelle fade in along with the food) Okay, I think I should probably stop here and talk about the graphics for a minute. Actually, I'm just going to talk about that food there. Is it just me or does that salad look like something straight out of clipart? I would also like to point out that some people call this game a masterpiece. (Oh joy...I know where this story is going. Hello new edgelord protagonist) Also, I should probably mention this was a PSP game to start, but XSEED ported it to steam and I'm pretty sure crisped the graphics to look better. I know Zero looks way more jaggy compared to this. (If she's in Grancel right now, she'll certainly have quite the story to tell you later) (I forgot to mention Estelle likes hitting people with her giant stick) (I wonder who that could be) (Oh look it's Cassius Bright. I'd recognize that signature mustache anywhere) Yeah, I kind of tricked you on Estelle's dad being dead. The game does play on that cliche thinking something bad had happened to him. There's a reason for his delay, but I'm not allowed to tell you~ Also, Cassius is a terrible father. I fear the day he becomes a grandpa. (What kind of man leaves a small child in a house all alone?) And the first screencap screw-up. This time I will do a counter: Pic Screwup Count: 1 Estelle said "Did you r[emember to bring me a present?]" (I might have messed that up, but you get the idea) I need to turn Autorun off...if I can ([Vietnam War Flashbacks] Nope, I'm sure he was fine) (You don't mess with mustached men) (Oh boy, I hope it's a Cold Steel 3 localization announcement) (Spoilers: it's the third option) (At least he acknowledges he's terrible...unlike a certain character in a certain fan-game I will not mention) (Who do you mean? The girl loves her shoes) (That's a pretty good philosophy. Practicality always wins) (Isn't that jewelry on her head?) So something I will mention is yes, Estelle is a tomboy. It's mostly due to what she naturally grew up around. As for the question everyone who hasn't played the game is probably beggining to know, her mother is dead. She's been dead for quite a while. I'm only mentioning this as while it does get covered, I don't remember when and it's kind of obvious. I won't share anymore information about it though since it's linked to a major historical event. It's nothing major or a plot revelation, but it's not the best time to talk about it. (Probably a lethal weapon used to kill the dreaded pervy sheepers) (Wow, she's more deceptive than the average anime protag. We're really off to a good start) (If you're really sharp, you probably figured out what he's holding) (And here comes the big reveal to nobody's surprise...) (Yep. On top of being a terrible parent, he abducts small children) (Holy crap! That picture in the background looks like the Golden Gate Bridge) I gotta look at that picture up close for the next chapter. It's gonna kill me not knowing what it's supposed to be. (That smile. That is the smile of the purest of evils) (Did he really just abduct a child to help solve his parenting problems? Well played Cassius, well played) (Hey, some people would kill to be in your Stregas right about now) (Man probably murdered his parents just to get his hands on a second chance of raising a kid) (Wait...you mean he brings dead people home. How is this man not in jail?) (He's only dead on the inside) (And I'm willing to bet he was the one to give him those wounds in the first place) (And this shall be the quietest night of rest he will ever get for the rest of his life) (Sleep...sleep, my child. I have big plans for you) And then we cut to a new scene... (It's kind of creepy to watch someone as they sleep, y'know) (I can't remember if he's the same age or a year older) (Well that's certainly one way to flirt) (Like all anime protags do) (That's...not ominous at all) (Also if you look close at Jo...the boy, you can see the bandages on his chest.) (And the crook must confess his schemes being outsmarted by a 10-year-old) ([Whistles innocently]) (He was attack by some Jaguars) What? I didn't write this games plot. Btw, for those who have played and finished this series, there's actually a manga that goes into the backstory of a certain antagonist in this series and it's really, really good. Play the games first before reading it. All 3. (I'll let Cassius answer this one for us) (Oh Estelle, Cassius f*cks with everyone. Why did you think he became a bracer in the first place?) (I would say the internet but that hasn't been invented...yet) Fun fact: the concept of the internet does come about in the later games. I'm just not dumping you with lore right now. Be thankful. (Schezard, now there's a woman who would be the fear in the hearts of alcoholics) We'll meet Schezard rather soon. She's probably the most boring of the playable cast in this game and I don't mean that as an insult. This game really doesn't do her justice though. (She's also Estelle's BFF...for now) ([Thinks about it for a moment] Hasn't she already?) (What was Cassius doing again?) [Plays Jepordy music] Damn, I really can't remember which event it was. This happens sometimes. Probably a trip to Erebonia. It's not that important...I hope. I imagine a hardcore Kiseki fan is probably wanting to strangle me right now. Just don't even make me play Miraniare again. (Wait a minute, you know his eye color, but not his name. That's...a very questionable decision you made.) (So butting your head into business it shouldn't be in then) (...Shit. It probably is important. This is gonna bother me now) I have an idea what it might be related to, but I'm not quite sure. Can't say due to spoiler reasons. I hate using that word but these games all interconnect and this is the first game. I can only mention so much. (Guess that's better than saying "Oh Aidios, it's alive") (Somewhere you'll be safe and happy) (I'm also pretty sure this is Cassius's room because I'm pretty sure that's his desk) (He does need to clean up a little bit. It is kind of messy) (I don't blame John Doe there as this is his first abduction) (Notice how Cassius didn't know the boy's name, but the boy knew Cassius's name) (Believe me, he knows exactly what he's getting into. Perhaps more than you even know) (She's not wrong as obnoxious as she is) (Is a 10-year-old really more mature than most teenagers? That's new) (Your worst nightmare.) (Even if all the lights aren't on upstairs) (And the most mature one in the household) (Ohhhh...so he was conscious at some point. That explains a bit...except the fact he took him into his household) (He's an angry boy) (That's one way to shut him up) So Estelle jumped onto him. I've been refraining from talking about the graphics as while they may look ugly, I've grown to really like them. It kind of reminds me of claymation and once you get used to it, you're in for a few surprises. This game is really well animated and feels much, much more alive than its predecessor arc: Cold Steel. (And if you haven't figured it out, Estelle wears the pants in the family...or would it be skirt?) (Probably might break a few bones as well. Good job, Estelle. He deserved it) (Still more polite than my high school nurse) (Ah, is that a whiny baby I head in the background?) (Yes, please jump on him again) (Darn. The boy learned his lesson. This was fun) (There is something evil about that laugh) (Yep, terrible parent who doesn't discipline his child. And he wonders what went wrong) (I don't know why but this makes me laugh rereading it) (Maybe he has amnesia after following off a ship and doesn't remember anything) (I see...trust issues. We need to work on that. Estelle, jump him again) (LMAO Cassius knows. She's gonna jump him) (And cue the opening) Now I'm not sure if I'm going to show every scene fully (If I do I certainly am not subbing them all cause oh god we'd be here forever), but I wanted to show this one. If you said "Wow, that was a super engaging and well written scene" I'd be rather shocked. I found it rather boring the first two times I saw it. But going back now after being on the journey, it just feels amazing to look at and see how it all connects. I think a lot of people kind of agreed which in future arcs they added an opening that cut right to the action or a future event before jumping back. A lot of people find the prologue of this game boring and generic but looking back, it just looks that way. Just the opening scene alone I missed so much just due to not knowing. As for the characters, I don't hate any of them if it seemed that way. Just me having a little fun. I will go over my first impression and new impression of the game. And you guys can youtube the opening if you really want to see it but there's nothing too big other than showing off future characters. Though I did want to show one pic from it: (I am a little pissed I didn't get a perfectly clean image of my favorite ship) I love the Arseille. I would say it's honestly my favorite airship and this is coming from a hardcore Final Fantasy fan as a child. Yes, it's a pretty generic looking airship with not much design to it. There are plenty of cooler ones I could list right off the bat and most people who play and beat this game (and not the sequel) probably will wonder what even is so great about it. I don't know but after seeing the arc coming to a close, there's just something about this ship. It just feels right. And it never gets old seeing it soar across the sky. Now back to the game: (Just a man cooking breakfast. Nothing to see here) (So make note of all the items you see here. There's some nice details to catch) (That's how I feel in the morning...go away, sun) (Probably given the edgelord he is...I mean nothing) Yeah, I'm like that one guy who doesn't like Joshua. I don't hate him and think he has a fantastic arc and character growth. I just don't like him. Doesn't help that he's really good in battle. (Honestly, I wouldn't mind being woken by the sound of a harmonica in the morning) So obviously a song appears here and it's this one: (I like how the portrait art has her in her PJs as well) So while I bash on the graphics, the character portrait art is amazing. The Liberl Arc is the only Arc that doesn't have the lines VA'd (only victory quotes). I just added the Japanese in to see how much it adds or change. I like the audio, but it doesn't hold as much as these portraits do. I'd argue these are the best looking ones and it's kind of a shame that these got lost in Cold Steel because they are great. (See, look at that happy face. Also, she's clapping) (I don't think they live on a farm, do they? Has Cassius smuggled animals as well?) (Hell, I'd wake up to that song every day. I should make it my alarm) (That's a diss on yourself, bro) (Btw, those pigtails move as she walks. It's weird but you get used to it) (Told you see wears the pants in the house. And that's why she's the main protag and Joshua is not) They actually both share that role. I just like Estelle better. She's just the Sky's icon. (And thus we established Estelle is the leader. It could be worse) (I'd take Joshua on my team. I don't like him, but he's good.) (Joshua and trying. Those two don't go together) (Hmmm...I wonder if that will ever come into play) (He has other songs? Guess he is better than Azura at least) So a bit of a spoiler is that this is the only song you hear Joshua play on the harmonica. It's not Fates bad as it's a really good tune and despite hearing it...a lot...it has value in the plot. It gains more meaning each time you hear it. That's all I can say. (It's okay, Estelle. I forgot the name too.) (Did I mention this game came out WAYYYYY before Fire Emblem Fates? 2004 maybe. Let me check...I was right on. Nice!) (The song is ingrained in my head again...not that I'm complaining.) (I, too, suck at the harmonica so I feel you) (Hitting people with a stick is much easier. I know from my experiences with this game...it's how I kill bugs) (I...can't believe I missed the connection) So I'm going to slightly spoil you on something. You see this conversation. There's an event which happens at one of the most random times in the game that reflects off of this. The funny thing about this series is it's unbelievable that something so highly detailed and well planned out can exists. They are on the 9th game in this series which is I think a 5 year time span since this point in time and that's the 70% mark. I don't think we'll ever get a game series like this every game. Similar maybe but this...I don't know. And while you don't have to play the arcs in order, you'll miss many references and connections. (She's really good at fishing, btw) (I should probably do that more often as well) (Pretty sure girls are into sophisticated guys...aren't they?) (Weren't you?) (I see nothing wrong with it.) (*shamefully raises hand*) Except on the bug part. (These two are practically opposites if you couldn't tell) (The bug academy would like to differ) (I hate bugs. I especially hate giant bugs) (Oh look, Cassius is around. That's a shame) (To this day, I still find Joshua calling Cassius dad weird) (And cue the transition) (Only Estelle would put it that way...and I love her for it) (Also doesn't worry about dieting and looks.) (Don't worry, we have a lot of walking ahead of us. A lot of walking) (>Guild >>>Guild >>>>Guild Let's go right now. Gotta get those quests) (Shit. Uhhh please don't let there be a bracer exam. I barely passed mine in Crossbell) (Bracers are the best...except in Crossbell. Those assholes) (Oh Estelle. You'll never get a child to treat you like an adult) (*cough* And common sense *cough*) (Oh great. We get to be rookies. Woo-hoo! I'm so thrilled at being insignificant) (Even then, you're still a scrub. Trust me, I've seen what you have to do to get those ranks) (>A little. Honey, you have no idea what you've signed up for) (He's kind of got a lot of years of being a bracer over you so good luck with that) So one nice touch about the arc is that even at the end of the 3rd arc Estelle still have a lot of room to grow meaning she hasn't surpassed her father. I'm not actually sure if she ever will honestly. I just want to say that as most generic protagonists do achieve that goal and very quickly. Most protagonists also peak their strength by the end of their story. ([Montage of Vietnam War Flashbacks] I'll do anything but the worms. THE WORMS!) (Dammit...I knew there'd be a test. Just let me copy you, Joshua) (...............Ladies and gentlemen, this is our fearless and great leader) (She did.) (Oh combat training. *Phew* I thought we had to take that other part) (..........Don't fail me, Estelle. Don't fail) (We are so screwed.) (Sheer determination. Sheer determination is the answer you're looking for) (Gee, I wonder where she got it from, hmmmm.) (This girl is doing my job for me. Makes my job easier) (Did I mention Schera is also the scariest woman in all of Liberl?) (Ruan is about a uhh...40 minute walk from here so we'd be gone for a few hours. I'd do it though) (I'd still try it. My stomach can handle quite a bit) Don't ever eat sushi that's been left out...while at work. Longest 3 hours of my life. (At least Estelle didn't inherit his troll abilities) (I can only imagine Estelle in her early cooking days.) (Ah the famed Estelle stare. How I missed thee) (Remind me to talk about this when we get it) (Yeah, I remember something about the sky bandits in there) (Yeah money!) (Oh we're totally going to waste it) (And he's pretty much just going to sit there and do nothing while we work our butts off. Isn't he the greatest dad?) So I do want to say a couple things and that this is actually a tutorial about Mira spending. You get a finite amount of Mira before it just gets really hard to find so you really should conserve it. Unlike Cold Steel, you won't have too much Mira trouble though. It's a really good push to do sidequests which oh boy you will want to do sidequests in this game because they are fun. That's later talk as we're still in the tutorial. Let's at least look at Joshua and Estelle's stats: So I'm going to teach you some things about this game that aren't very well explained. Crafts will get explained later and that's with combat, but take a look at the numbers right below HP. EP is basically the MP of this game and I'm going to tell you that it never goes up with your level. One of the most important things to do in this game is increase you EP as fast as possible and to do that we'll look at the orbment section (yeah I won't get to equipment in this chapter). (Also ignore that playtime. This game is 40 hours at the most so don't use my time as a reference. Probably can beat it in around 20 hours if you don't screw around like I do) This right here is the blood of the series. Orbal technology plays a huge part in this entire franchise and it plays a vital role for setting up your characters. Do you see those sealed slots? Unlocking those slots gives you more EP and the cost to unlock the slot (also how much EP you gain) is based on how far down the line it is. Both characters have two lines but Joshua has a longer line 1 so he would have more EP once all lines are unlocked. And for those who played Golden Sun, think of the Djinn system when I say what's next. So what goes into these slots are quartz which affects stats or give you extra skills. They also add a number to certain colors on the line and if you meet the requirements, you gain access to that type of magic. It's pretty barebones in this game which is a shame, but all the games that follow (besides Cold Steel) really just add to how you can customize your characters. So even if a character has terrible Magic Attack, they can have a buff spell to use on the party to make use of their EP. I'll get into the issues with it in the first game, but we need quartz to demonstrate that. I love this system though and really helps add to make every party member unique. As for Joshua and Estelle, Joshua is kind of an offensive glass cannon with a pretty good arte attack stat and the best quartz lock. I just realized Artes and Crafts...wow...only took me 3 years to realize that one. Anyways, Estelle is uhhh...a jack of all trades, master of zero. She's not going to be a heavy hitter nor a white mage though a pretty good tank. She is well rounded which is actually a really good thing in this game. Her best trait is the Morale Craft which uhhh...we'll see eventually. I hope you like these two because you'll be forced to use them the entire game. On the closing note, I'll explain why this is a mini playthrough. All I'm going to do is go up until the end of the prologue. The reason I want to do this is because I end up talking about the Kiseki series quite a bit and want to have at least something to refer to since not a lot of people have played and gotten into the series (it's pretty booming now though). It's also since I pretty much believe people on here are only interested in Pokemon I don't want to invest too much time into these behemoths. If I'm wrong and the actual interest is there, oh I dropped the Rejuv run without hesitation and get to the end of SC even if it'd take 3 or even 5 times as long.

They should have made Lin a country bumpkin

Hi, long time no talk. And before you ask, the mod isn't dead and I've actually started working on it again. I kind of wanted to get to Angie in Rejuvenation before fully jumping back but...I think I've been on hiatus for this long enough. I'm not going to update since most of it is getting HCHQ done which depending on the day could be done in a couple days or a couple weeks. Once that's done things will probably pick up a lot more since there's just a lot of copy and paste along with editing instead of 25+ tabbed events. Btw, I hate events and would rather do dialogue through scripts, but what can you do. Also decided to finalize my plan to go about what I promised (as I am a man of my word) though I do want to cover one topic: The Level Limiter I know Rejuv uses this and honestly, I see why a lot of people like it. At one time, I thought it was the best solution to tackle the problem. It works really, really well, but there's still one issue. Training up a Pokemon from the ground up is a tiresome if not time wasting mess. You also waste exp often which feels bad (and the gold you get from it is pitiful at points) so it feels a bit wasteful. This issue is cranked up with Redux as wild Pokemon are now 5 levels lower compared to Reborn and that whole rebattable trainers mess. I may in E19 go and add a bunch of levels to wild Pokemon to better match the trainer levels (maybe even give them the trainer exp multiplier), but I can only do so much testing and focus on that. I mean Pokemon is weird as most RPGs you fight and defeat all random encounters, but Pokemon it's pretty much the complete opposite. I just want to comment that just because something is great and enjoyable doesn't mean it can't be improved (god I should fix the no item mod to make the PBS file less of a nightmare) Now I want to talk about the modding community here for a moment. There have been some absolutely amazing mods to come from this especially the transfer Pokemon from game file to game file. Mods are a controversial topic as they can make a community thrive and at the same time completely ruin the gaming experience for everyone. Sometimes you just don't know what will happen when you do something. I feel like we've somehow hit a dead middle ground...which is the worse place to be. I consider Debug mode cheating which a lot of people find it acceptable and okay to use when replaying the game. I'd say it's even encouraged. This kind of has put modding to a complete halt as there's no point in putting the effort if people aren't even going to bother using the features anyways. But really, I'm just a whiny bitch who instead of acting like a baby, I should spend that time being productive...solving my gripes. Also about time I reclaimed my throne for best mod again So something I think a lot of people don't know is that I'm actually a pretty good listener and I've been listening. Sure I rant and get angry all the time, but that doesn't mean I didn't hear what you guys say. If someone makes a valid point I refute, I may go back and end up agreeing with them. I mean I was looking at Something Awful and they were making fun of the Haunter event and how terrible and lazy a mod I was. Most people would get upset or mad, but I was honestly happy I was worth mentioning. Besides, it ain't nothing I haven't told myself already. Let's just move on to where I talk about some things I've noticed: The Party System Sucks It was a good idea on paper and a bad idea in practice. As much as I want to save it, I can only manage to salvage a few interactive things to do with it without spending a lot of dedicated time on it. I'd love to do that, but unfortunately there's nobody to do the more important job if I spend all my time on that. It's okay as everyone gets a bad idea once in a while. Or if your the Paper Mario...I won't go there. For the people who do like it, I will improve it and remove the annoyances such as missing possible add-on Pokemon for them (besides the secret mons) and will change a certain secret mon to be easier to get (since I don't think anyone would ever figure out Aya's second one). There's a bigger issue with it that I have heard everyone complain about: it's too much grinding. I agree. Actually, a lot of Pokemon in the game get screwed just due to being late game to the point the viability from them just is not worth the effort. I actually have a solution for the party system that I'm like 99% sure will work, but...I'm actually going to add the main character into the system as well. At first, I know I'm going to get a lot of hate and backlash for it, but there are checks to prevent it from being abused. All I'm doing is chucking 80% of the grinding in the game out. That's 80-90% grinding that people would not have done in the first place. I am a firm believer that you need at least 15 minutes worth of grinding to feel stronger. Praise Helix for the Heart Scales So something you guys might not know is about the Fossil Maniac in HCHQ...he's going to be replacing the TM Vendor. And before you whine about that going away, that pretty much was only for getting Shadow Ball and Power-up Punch early. I'll at least promise one of those will be available much earlier than you may think. He'll be easy to find then and after a certain point he'll sell Helix Fossils, Shards, and Heart Scales. I feel this is a nice and easy place to find those pain in the butt items to get. Do I Really Have to Redownload the Entire Game Again For E18, yes. For E19, you shouldn't have to but I will say more people will want to. I looked into it a bit and I think it'll be safe to upload the developer version of Redux on Github. If I make any changes to the game such as maps or the scripts, you could see and track it and simply download the pieces that changed instead of the entire thing. I want to get all the edits done before doing that since it's mostly a my end. This also means that other people working on the game can edit and change it without waiting for me. Obviously I'll keep the Mega file for official releases, but this way I don't have to deal with endless hotfixes and then taking it down to reupload it every time a critical bug is found. I'll give more details on that later. When will you release the mod? December is my stretch goal, but bloody hell we all know it's going to be like April if E16 is anything to go by. I'm not rushing it this time and if it takes a year, it takes a year. I'll try to at least give monthly updates so people can see where things are, but some months I might not do much (but honestly I want this done and over with as much as the next guy so I doubt that will be the case still). It's way long overdue as I've basically been gone for two versions. That's a long time to only have a small portion of the game even playable.

I'm just going to add on that Rejuv does have input reading (weird story how I figured that out) which I am pretty sure we can assume most fan-games do have this cheating mechanism in it. Reborn's AI is just very smart compared to what it was in the olden days so it could feel like it's cheating or just pure bad luck. Though to really see if the AI is cheating it's pretty easy to tell: Is the occurrence repeatable? If you change your attack, does it change what they do? I'm pretty sure E15 had switch input reading as it often would go for moves super-effective against the Pokemon I switched into back in ye old testing days. I don't believe it does that now but that's just a little fun fact. That's not the weirdest thing we've seen the AI do (cough*Stallord*cough)

Sigh...I guess I'll break it down what is going on and how much validity each of that comments statement has: There Have Been Fake Leaks Within Nintendo That is likely true. It's likely true that they've found the leaker and likely sued them because well what they are doing is a crime and really does deserve it. I'm not sure if they fake leaks were actual leaks but it's actually something companies do to catch people so it's just best to leave that at that. I think this is true and the only thing true. October 24th Will Have a Smash Direct Not true. I think there is a possibility that there is a direct which heavily focuses on Smash, but I feel like they would combine it with other games rather than just have it be on Smash. There's not much left to cover and there's quite a few big named games we have yet to see anything from. Fire Emblem 3 Houses, Metroid Prime, and Luigi's Mansion 3 are just a couple examples. There's also the possibility of surprise ports or HD remakes (please give us Xenosaga Port...please). As for the date, I think that is a ballpark number but it doesn't hold much validity if it's true or not. Something like that is easy to leak since a lot of people need to know to prepare for it. This should not be the reason you believe a leak to be true. Ken and Incineroar I have no idea. This leak actually held a lot of ground because we did the math and two characters fit on the box based on the design. We do not know who these two characters are, but Ken actually made a lot of sense given he and Ryu are major names. It'd also be very, very easy to make him and perhaps even easier than Dark Samus since he pretty much as Ryu's build. Incineroar is an interesting case as it's not one we can really explain and it seemed everyone hated the idea. That's kind of why it's believable because a fake leak wouldn't mention something really disliked or kind of ignored by the fandom. A fake leak would play on... The New Fighters I'm absolutely sure this is fake. The evidence is right in plain sight. There are rumors that there are fake rumors going on about the cast so just basing it off of what he says really shows that you can't really trust what this guy says. I would say that those are good guesses but I'd have to break it down to really see what information is correct and what isn't. We also know right now that the 2 characters is the only basis we have right now. We know there are at least two characters. We don't know who they are. Story Mode Again, I have no idea on this. This is where I think it being fake falls into place. We can actually at least prove whether or not this is false by image editing the blurred image from the direct. Also take deep note on how he described it. Want me to break this even more: Take a look to the pixels on the blurred image. The only letter I can truly make out is the second one being "p". This likely means it spells Special however that name doesn't work so Space could be it. I doubt it's about Tabu either as that'd pretty much spoil why Sakurai made Subspace in the first place (as he wanted to keep all the details under wraps). Yes, I am aware it is easy to mess with those pixels but even so, the word story would not work there. I don't think Smash Ultimate will have a story mode as I don't think they have the resources to pull it off in that short amount of time. The Last Character Being Revealed in the Demo This might be true, but that would upset a lot of the fans who don't have a Switch being locked at of a good quality video of the Smash Character. It's far too early to really say whether or not this is true or not especially considering our little "leaker" and this and the date are likely the two things they actually caught wind of out of everything. ----------------------------------------- Sorry to be the bummer, but given all Smash leaks are usually fake (yes, even the Palutena one was fake which hilarious enough we needed the model to prove it), we can't really trust anyone. There's a bunch of other questionable things in this leak I could challenge or bring up, but do I need to? I do grow tired of how gullible the Smash community has become believing in any post they see. For now, I shall stick with Incineroar and Ken rumor until proven otherwise.

So while I can't say I've experienced such a situation myself and I'm certainly much younger than you are, I suppose I can somewhat understand where you are coming from. Seems weird but taking writing as a hobby has made my mind tread into very dark places. And while yes, it is fiction, fiction is merely another form of reality. And in a sadistic way you kill off the things you get attached to and you don't know how many times I get cold feet and want to bring them back. I'm not going to tell you how or when, but you will need to let it go and accept he is gone. It's a truth and no matter how much you wish it, you can't bring back the dead and nothing will be able to replace the times you had with him. You know this and you know what thinking about him is doing to you. The early steps are the worst and I won't lie in saying it's probably miserable. You just have to keep walking forward even with that hole in your heart which doesn't go away. It'll get better, but only if you believe and try to make it better. It's not a fast process either. You already know this stuff though. After all, you are the only one who can get yourself through this as no magic man sitting at a desk will make it all go away. People can help, but only if you are the one pushing for it. And yes, you have my condolences. I just can't tell you what you need to do to move on from this as it's different for everybody.

So just a simple fact that I think you just kind of glancing over: just because a game is viewed by the general consensus as bad doesn't mean you can't enjoy or love it. The same for a fight being too hard. I'm not going to dive to deep into that logic since basically you have to learn to use your opinion to guide your criticisms, not justify them. Hardcore Julia was a fight that I found super easy but due to the sheer amount of people struggling I nerfed her. Also nerfed Aster and Eclipse (and forgot Gen VII buffed Lunatone and Solrock so fun times). As for DQ, the games really are a lot of fun and worth picking up and trying. DQ IX is probably my favorite of the couple I tried and really is a gem despite a couple parts being kind of grindy. The crazy part is that there's no saving in dungeons...at all. It really makes the stakes high and basically you feel that game over. Early game is really intense due to that. I think you can still continue after a game over but you get really punished from doing so. And that's kind of the magic of making every action important. Unless your DQ7 though, most of these games are shorter or faster than Reborn. That did bring up something I do want to talk about. Limited rosters are actually great for game designing. It not only is much easier to balance (where all fights feel difficult), but because it's limited you learn how to optimize your characters and grow a bias much easier. It's impossible to use every Pokemon and Reborn's limited exp really bites here. It's a bit of irony when you think about all those quests. It's like in an RPG where you pick up the most powerful weapon after going through a 2 hour dungeon and not use it simply because it requires your character to be worthless for 8 hours. Redux and now Rejuv have a band-aid fix to that issue, but I still think a majority of Pokemon are still in that worthless category. Clefable is a great example. Super good Pokemon, but nobody uses it. It's the mess and price with Pokemon as most RPGs players get excited about getting someone new to play and control. Also what it feels like when you're favorite character in a game becomes playable: Amber definitely is a love to hate character, but honestly she grew on me quickly seeing the shit she has to go through. And yeah, I know about fighting her alone and you could choose to fight with Melia back then as well. I kind of wish that the player had to option of fighting them alone (just a dialogue box of choice of "I can take them both") which would resolve all issues (and who cares if we lose Melia points). Also scarf Explosion Metagross...make it happen people. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 44: Something, Something, Praise Angie We're off to a great start with that horrible title (Last time we met someone who gave a damn about me) (I should have tried getting to this chapter on my birthday) Funny enough my birthday is in February...and yes, it's bloody cold at that time. (I decided to pick the most accurate representation of my thoughts on this game) (Yeah, and I hate sour stuff) (I'm a 24 year old man...and I still help my mom in the kitchen) I do know how to cook a few things...though usually I'm in charge of the basic or tedious stuff. Cleaning afterwards is not fun either. You probably know where this is going. (I hate people who blast their loud music...or that ass who taps drumsticks for 3 hours straight) (Can't really say they're wrong) (Not all but most do so it's no surprise) (Well the teenage years are the worst of it...then they're gone) (Still think the E8 thing is weird.) So something you don't really think about is that 4 is this magic number in RPGs. There's 4 crystals in many Final Fantasies which are based on the 4 elements many older RPGs built plots around. The big bad often has 3-4 henchmen who serve as generals or key characters. I don't think I'll be playing this game to the end because I have bigger fish to fry and conquer (and once Reborn is completed, finishing Redux is my biggest priority...but it's a low priority until then). I really don't want to deal with 8 leaders in a row as struggling on one just adds to a very, very slow pace until the end. It's not like an E4 where you feel like you've accomplished something major getting through a quarter of a brutal gauntlet you spent the whole game preparing for. I will make it through the Grand Dream arc though because bloody hell it took two versions just to get here and we still have a long ways to go. 9 trainers is too many but too late to change that now. 4 really, really well designed betters tops 8 hit or miss ones any day. I could say cutting it down to three instead of the natural 5 could top anything with careful investment. (Nah, she's probably depressed or something. Aren't all teenagers like that?) (I mean we do have things in common having to deal with those idiots. It's fortunate there's no pubs in this game otherwise I'd be over there a lot) So thinking on that, I could totally see me in this world being the guy at the bar trying to get drunk but failing since he doesn't like alcohol. If I ever get into the game by some miracle, all I ask is for a Delcatty and a Ninetales. Those two are kind of iconic for me once you get to know me. Though if I had a full team it would be Ninetales, Delcatty, Cherrim, Venusaur, Infernape, and Alakazam. If Doubles online every becomes a thing, I totally would use the Ninetales and Delcatty combo. (It's gotta be she's bullied by all her friends, right? Oh...you mean her attitude) (If only chapters could get done that fast) (Let's face it: that's everyone does looking at the screencaps now. I am a man of my word though) (Doubt it could make me cringe more than SAO: Lost Song) (Huh. I have no idea what that does) (Shit. I am not ready for this) (Ladies and gentleman, whatever happens at the resort, stays that the resort) (Oh boy my favorite thing in RPGs: finding out what's behind that locked door) Seriously, I hate locked doors that you never can open. I don't care when, but that door better be opened at some point or we're going to have a problem...GF! (Either I'm getting laid or we're about to enter a very long dungeon to take Telsa down at the end. I'm hoping for the first one) (How does that bed even work? Reminds me of the isolation room) Seriously there's a very, very small bedroom in my house that's in a closet. It's called the Harry Potter room and it's hard to move around in. I mean put a TV and PS4 in there and I'm good. (Yeah. Why is this in a PG-13 game?) (Well that escalated quickly. Gone from hobo to honcho in a year) (All of my sexual desires left from hearing that name alone) (Well whatever moment we were having is ruined. Wait, what do you mean we weren't having a moment?) (Trust me lady, you do not know my pain. By the time I get to Shota, it'll be bloody V13 kind of pain) (Being a solo protagonist is thing thing I WANT to be right now.) (Something tells me that wasn't my mother and I'm some chosen one to save the world which Melia is gonna end up ruining or something. I could be god for all I know. Also, I already clean up Melia's messes so...nothing would change) (Normally I'd rant, but you're a millionaire so I'll just shut up and nod my head) (Let me think about this...) She's rich, her daughter isn't that much to handle, she's rich, it's far away from all the idiots I hate, she's rich, and I can relax any time I need it. Any normal idiot would say of course, but I'm a special idiot. After this chapter is done, I gotta go clean up a certain headquarters of a certain scientist. (Also I could use Amber as a Saki and Venam repellent. I am really liking this situation even more) (Wait there's more?) (........This is *sniff* the happiest day of my life) (If this is the welcoming gift, I wonder what the wedding will be like...I mean nothing) (And I'm always welcome here. Hell, this is better than Reborn where I sleep in a cardboard box in the corner) (Oh hi, li'l sis) (Since we're family, I'm allowed to give you noogies now, right?) (By the way, you owe me a gym battle so while Tesla buys paper we can hand...) (I'm trying to help you so would you please...shut those lips) (Really should have went with the dating thing to see how she reacted.) (I would send you to your room, but you'd like it there) (She's not wrong about the us...wait she did save me from a sinking ship. Why can't the people who actually do work be with me?) (Not the worst but...kind of bad. Sorry...it's the truth) (I...leave my mother out of this) (Nevermind...wait...that explains a lot) (Boy I'm going have a really long talk, aren't I?) (That's one too many ups there, Jan. Gotta up your game, buddy) (At least she acknowledges it) (............Have not had) (You dun goofed now. Though if she runs away, I'll gladly drag her ass back...I need to anyways) (S'okay. Just leave me alone with...all this money and fancy stuff. I don't mind) I know I was talking about something but I kind of forgot because hooray for terrible short term memory. I guess something I really like about Tesla and Amber is that their characters are understandable. So let's go back a moment to one of my favorite games: LoH Cold Steel. Most games the second time through its a worse experience, but honestly, I thought Cold Steel was better the second time through. It's all because of how many little details are jammed into the story which you won't catch until you've experienced the entire plot a first time. I thought the plot was slow and dragged on with Chapter 3 being one of the worst...now I ended up appreciating it a lot more than I did. Tesla is similar to this. We don't see it since we have no idea up until this point. It's also why Tesla has been supportive towards the player compared to everyone else because she actually understood how the player felt. Funny how small, kind gestures ended up meaning a lot more than it did. We really don't see that kind of detail in any other character. That's also what makes Tesla interesting to look back at and also I find it odd that the older characters are overall more interesting than the main cast. The villains are dull (none of them really stand out), the main cast is a messy shift (why give us the main protag role if we aren't the true main protag), and most of the joke characters fall flat. The sad part is that Tesla and Amber are the level of character I expect from the main cast. I want to just make it clear that I'm praising a game for just being average. Want to establish that before continuing on. Amber and Tesla also hit something I don't think we also hit before: they feel like actual characters. It's not some nonsensical thing like Melia taking leader without question or Venam shrugging off losing all her friends. I know there's proper terms but for my sake (I know these aren't correct) let's just refer to the conflicts in Rejuv as internal conflicts and external conflicts. So for external conflicts we'll refer to as conflicts that take place outside of the group usually with the opposing side. Every conflict against Melia or the player is just the "bad" side or the negative one. This should be true for most cases, but it's good to throw a wrongdoing once in a while. It's fine since that's how game design works but if you take the philosophy "there's no good or evil, just perspectives" you'll really end up with interesting heroes and villains. I personally start with a black and white scale when plot and character design then slowly push it more and more gray. Another topic I could go way more into detail with proper terminology but I dunno what you guys are interested in. The problem with Rejuv has to do with internal conflict as I'm calling it. Basically think of how an individual handles conflicts. Melia bottles up any conflict in her way or pretends its of no significance. Venam bottles up any conflict or pretends its of no significance. Aelita handles the main plot pretty direct, but anything about her personally we don't hear much on. Ren was pretty bottled up but actually let out small bits giving us insight. Pretty much all of team Xen does this. Any conflict that comes there way either gets passed or completely dismissed. If it puts them in an ugly light, we aren't going to see it...now enter Amber. Obviously, I haven't seen much but I'm going to try to piece together a character we've seen for a very, very short time especially compared to everyone else. We don't know what Amber was like before she was moved to the resort, but we can get a feeling of why she does what she does. She didn't want to be a gym leader, but she had to be. Your parents are very influential to who you are and Tesla was gone most of the time. So Amber really only had her father which I can probably assume left (don't think he died...someone can correct me) and all she ever knew was how great her mother was. It's more likely she took the gym leader role because she either wanted to be as good as her mother or for people not to look down on her because of her mother. It's possible she avoids gym battles as losing would only distant herself more from her mother who basically never loses. The two were obviously close as seen by the kitchen scene, but as they grew older, the two grew more and more apart. We'll jump back to this in a minute. The more interesting thing is that Amber doesn't have too many friends. I'm going to assume it kind of was like that when Amber did live in Gearen City as well which is why she really did treasure her friendships she had. Now here's the real kicker: I'm pretty sure Amber and Venam were very, very close friends. I'm only able to deduct this because of that Doggars CD. I really do think that was Amber and Venam's favorite thing to listen to in Gearen City. I also shows when they fight it ends up brief as at the end of the day they were friends and they cared about each other (which is probably why Venam dived after her). Crazier is that I think they both are lying about what happened to the CD. Venam told Melia she illegally burned it and Amber tells us Venam stole it, yet Venam denies it. It's probably that Amber gave it to Venam which due to an event she feels like that's the only reason why the two became friends in the first place. That's due to a fire that happened in Gearen. We don't know the full story, but we can likely assume Amber didn't do it. Instead of fessing up or defending her best friend, she did the opposite. She let her take the blame for something she didn't do and that just crushed Amber as she was forced to move elsewhere. Now let's go back to Tesla. We know that Tesla spoils Amber and often spoiled kids act bratty which she does act like her mom is a prop or servant. I'm not claiming Amber was ever a nice person or one who didn't get on a lot of people's nerves. Whats interesting is how she acts. Her two biggest activities are playing music and going into the cave. The funny thing is that those are both considered ways to relax or relieve stress. It's very clear she's very unhappy about this new lifestyle. In other words, she's depressed and lonely. So perhaps some of her attitude is simply just to get attention from people since her family pretty much ignores her (mostly due to Tesla's job over anything). And that leads to present day... So now we go back and look as Amber in the cave. Good old bratty Amber. She says she'll only battle us if we get her a Doggars Album. That was her way of saying screw off since it was impossible to find. Now let's look beyond the text here and get a little crazy. What if she actually meant "if you make me happy again, I'll battle you." The times with Venam could have been some of the best and her memories of the Doggars jam outs probably still haunted her in a way. That Doggars Album was a sign of their friendship one which burnt to the ground. What's more interesting is when Venam and Amber confront each other after so long. As pitiful of a show that was, it pretty much showed neither was willing to back down or ever willing to restore their friendship though I feel Venam was egging Amber on and getting her mad. Kind of wonder if she did that when they were friends. So after she runs from the spa back to her house, we see something unusual. Venam goes to talk to Amber. That's very out of character for Venam as she usually just lets things be. She was pretty nice towards Amber as well mostly for the purpose of trying to get her to battle the player...and then turns back to a piece of scum stealing one of Amber's Pokemon. And now we throw Saki into the mix. I have no idea how she fits in but the three probably were friends. As much as I dislike Saki's character, I'd like to actually know something about her. Highlight of Amber calling out her replacement and being the only one to criticize her. Pretty much Amber wants the player to beat Saki and Venam because she thinks that'll make her feel better...it doesn't so she goes back to her party idea. After all, she is trying to avoid losing...especially with two people she despises around. As for Tesla, her character is much more straightforward. She wants to make sure others don't have to suffer what she had to go through (since losing a parent is a very big deal). I'm really surprised she didn't say anything about Melia when she denied her father...but we have to look back at Tesla's husband so perhaps she knew it was better to not say anything. Basically, her heart sometimes acts before her mind and she does nice things to make others feel better. She's aware what it did to Amber yet she's not sure how to handle it (she pretty much didn't have parents in her teen years). This doesn't make her weak though as honestly she's strong and that's not talking about her Pokemon. Despite the horrible situation they're in, she's able to keep moving forward with a smile on her face because that's what she needs to be for her employees. So obviously went through a lot of hardships and that's what made her snap when Amber said she hated her. She didn't want Amber to know but sometimes the truth just slips out when we least expect it. Now these may be incorrect since this is very little info to go off of, but at there's so much more to work with compared to most of the cast and I really feel like a good character can be pieced together if the writer presents what is needed. Though it's the presentation itself that determines how well made they are. Also if you're wondering how I made those analysis, I actually based them off of two trails characters: Maybe I'll do a playthrough of the Prologue in Trails in the Sky just to show the beauty of the series...even if that's pretty much the worst part of the series. While I'm being shameless, the two Cold Steel games are coming to PS4 and I recommend those version over any of the others since the steam controls are a little wonky (not awful but annoying) and it's a big step up in graphics and VA over the PS3 version (still good and pretty cheap to find nowadays). I pre-ordered mine off Amazon. Can't say how stock will be handled but hopefully they'll be plenty of the normal editions around afterwards. Maybe I'll make a list of the trails equivalent of each character. I guess Ren would be Loewe. That would mean the protag is...Joshua...holy shit. (Okay where did that poster come from? Is that Amber's?) (Yeah because I can totally tell by a dialogue box) (...Dammit. I didn't think the reaches of telemarketers could extend here) (Why is their a bystander looking away?) (Oh hi Xen, long time no see and by long time I mean...has there even been a chapter without them?) (I can see that. Though why doesn't she roll like 2 feet to safety) (How did she get captured by these goons...oh wait she doesn't have her Pokemon on her) (If I had a dollar every time that worked, I'd be broke) (Please don't be Geara...please don't be Geara) (Oh thank god) (Well she's partially responsible for wrapping up in this mess...actually, she started a lot of messes...how is she still a part of this group?) (I love how I'm the only one she recognized or called out. She must actually be a fan) (I...will refrain from answering) (Great two hostages. It totally worked well the first time.) (...If you really wanted that vacation home, there's better ways) (I mean...are any of the Xen Admins in good standing? Geara and Zetta went AWOL and Neved...uh...what did Neved even accomplish?) (Terrorist have guidelines? Do you have to sign a wavier now too?) (Can't argue with that logic. I didn't have to do this but...pick a time and place and I'll meet you there) (What status? Your team has been grounded to a bunch of idiots with an OP leader...who lost to a 10 year old girl. It's a surprise you're all not considered a joke) (Thanks. Could you leave out your life story next time?) (For the love of...if you aren't going to install benches, don't ask stupid questions) (Thank you. Finally learned not to talk too much after being beaten to the brink of death by a Pokemon) (What if I say no? Getting sick of my friends and family turning into game pieces) (...What are they even doing up there? Probably rehearsing for the opening number) (Why are we negotiating in a mountain? There's a bloody arctic tundra to the right of us that's a better meeting place) (So either give Melia to you and Nim dies or give Melia to Geara and Amber is taken away...forever. Well that's an easy choice) (You realize that Nim takes priority, right?) (No, no I can't. What are you going to do? Turn her into a shadow person...oh god this is a Persona rip off) (The people standing their like idiots letting her talk) (Didn't I beat two of you last time? No? Nobody remembers that) (Should've went with The Ravens) (We're really going to just stand here. Okay. Guess I'll die now) (Dammit intern-kun. Don't ask questions nobody wants answered) So I missed the quote where she says "Because I said so." I mean it's humorous nonsense which unfortunately it feels like Rejuv is two different games. On one half the game feels like it parodies the anime with its wackiness and nonsense and on the other hand it feels like the story is trying to be serious and be taken seriously. Someone want to explain what this game is trying to accomplish here because it's bloody confusing criticizing things when on one hand it'd be fine, but on the other it'd be fine only if it was focused on the other type of story its crafting. (Throw a bloody rock or something at him. Just don't stand there and do nothing) (Great. And now I have to sleep on hard wood...dammit get my mind out of the gutter) (Oh good I'm sleeping on my transparent bed) (........It probably wasn't important anyways) (Really? We're worried about badges. Look to my right. There's the solution to our badge problem) (I really find it quite hilarious that we need a badge and have TWO gym leaders we haven't faced and one that could finish registering if we really needed it) (Probably tracking Xen as we speak) (...Why didn't we recruit her earli...I'm done. Just send me off in a box to Reborn) (Let me guess: you gotta be the hero. Gotta take all that glory for yourself again) (Don't bloody go to the mountain and let the other 5 of us handle it...and maybe Aelita) (Thanks...Saki, just give me the badge. It'll save us a lot of problems later) (I mean...is she still battling Crawli. Well considering his team...I could see why she's struggling) (That...is the most intelligent thing we've heard in a while. Guess that brain of yours does work) (...Well she isn't wrong about that) (And we know who the first to die is going to be) (Besides, I have the power to freeze time in which it only continues in this world once I upload a chapter. Nobody is in any danger anytime soon...I wonder what a year as a statue feels like) (It's not like Saki would've been much help) (Bwahahahaha! It really shows how competent we are at handling some goons) (This conversation is getting very...) (Interesting) (I think I'll call her Diama) (This has something to do with Indy, doesn't it?) (Uhhh...I dunno. Maybe to give us a prese...everybody run that maid is gonna blow) (She has...a church. Haven't been in one of those in a while) Even if you are an atheist, you should totally look at some Cathedrals just to see their designs. Not a big fan of them personally but I'm glad I got to see a couple famous ones regardless. (Don't ask why a tyrant asks you to do something...I should start running now, shouldn't I?) (Nevermind...I'm listening) (Don't ask questions. If she wants to give a badge then so be it. Can't be harder than getting it from you idiots) (Well she has been stalking us) (I get to be the protagonist because Melia isn't allowed?) (Dammit. So close) (Something tells me this is more an order than a choice) Skipping the rest of the dialogue since it's pretty much this: Valarie: This is dangerous. Are you sure it's a good idea? Melia: We have no other choice other than the obvious one in front of us and stealing Crawli's Lava Surf TM so we must go no matter the danger. Yep. No other choice. And 2 minutes later... (It's f****ing cold, man) (After all I've been through, this is just a normal day) (Valarie really would have liked this place) (Uhhh....seems pretty majestic to me) (Can we at least have a snowball fight before we go into the part where I almost die...again. I almost die a lot) (I mean there's a Pokemon that literally does just that) (Yep. Just an average day in the life of Rejuv Mander) (hahaha! You make it sound like it's gonna be easy. Gotta be some convoluted plot device pulled out of the dev ass to prevent us from doing so) (And there it is) (Well that's one way to greet guests) (I'll call you Ravillgir.) (I think Ravillgir is a better name) ...for those who don't get it: Random Village Girl (Who is Angie? Is she like your god or something? Goddess. I mean goddess. Don't kill me) (Shit. Karma caught up to me) (Oh goodie. Free stuff. I love free stuff) (Uh...probably not. Gotta do sidequests, talk to everyone twice, hunt for invisible items...) (Venam gets it) (Oh...we're playing the manipulation game...) (Can I get the badge from Angie first?) (Free TM is a free TM) (Probably not.) (That's...the one thing I wouldn't go after. It's a piece of metal I don't need) (You guys do that while I do...anything but that) So just a heads up, I don't know what Derog did, but I didn't manage to get the same dialogue he did and I did try going to the church but it's guarded. I'm guessing you have to leave after going down to the beach to get that dialogue. Just want to point that out. And now for random NPCs (What the hell even is romantic about Terajuma? It's a jungle...oh the resort...why are you here then...oh Angie trapped you) (Buddy, you better be good in bed or you're getting a divorce) (Uhhh...you're one of those crazy servants...aren't you?) (I'm just gonna stand here until you let me buy stuff) (Lord, forgive the me for what I shall do to this sinner) (Just let me by stuff and be on my way) (Shit...I don't want to talk to you) (You mean a fandom? That sounds just like a fandom to me) (Still more character than Valarie) (I mean it's not like you make any income unless you sell blankets. Those probably make a killing right now) (Wonder what my boyfriend...I mean Adam...I mean I wonder what Adam is doing. You tell him this...you're dead) (Wait a minute, you're a servant to Arceus. I see why they gave you this job) (Hmm...I see must potential in a friendship with you. Would you like to meet my friend, Melia?) (You are a lethal weapon...I like it) (Maybe not as lethal) (You, my friend, are my new secret weapon) (Yes, yes you are) (Here's my number. Call me when you get off duty. I have an important mission for you) I like this NPC. (Can I get Dunderbolt while we're bargaining) (Well that's convenient. What else do you sell?) (Don't ask questions. Just gimmie) (And things go south in 3...2...) (1...) And they became frozen. (Bye! Don't forget to change your name) (Is she the leader of a rebellion or something?) (We need more guys in our group. Tired of listening to these girls chat my ears off) (Pretty sure how customers feel waiting for an associate to find something) (And why you shouldn't rush them) (Damn. This was almost a good day for me) (Is that the essentials ice or hand-made? I can't really tell.) (Kind of looks out of place but it's a free game so I can't complain too much about that) (I'm pretty sure the old version looked nicer but it's been like 3 years since I saw that so who knows) (You don't say...what we talking about? Ice. It's could and it kills. Ice is evil) (Uh Melia...use that brain for a minute. Crawli WAS trying to help. Look at what happened) (She fucking froze a house instantly. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will.) (I will. I'm getting the hell out of...dammit script. Why do you force this upon me?) (...We're going to need a lot of guns and I just know the gal who can get us some) (No, I think killing is a better idea. She froze a house instantly. She'd break out of jail effortlessly) (I doubt it. Some...wait I almost died again. I guess I'll be safe since we checked of the "I almost died" criteria for each section) I don't have much to comment other than Rejuv really like reusing story elements again and again in a plot. You almost get killed in V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, and V8 (or whatever on you fight Amber). I'm not kidding someone tries to kill you in each version at least once. You're also pretty much always with Melia, Venam, or Aelita who basically does the talking for you and directs the plot forward. Though in V3 you are kind of given the drive, but it's shared with Maria. V5 and later it's pretty much following someone else which kind of sucks. It's also pretty much a stop team Xen then face leader every single version. And it's strung together by conveniences. I just want to call this out now since it's more interesting than "here we have the same issue as before." I mean plot doesn't always have to be interesting and it's okay here. Just not interesting to comment on, but I do want to talk about a framed or segmented plot. There's aboslutely nothing wrong with segmenting the plot to have a similar structure. LoZ Minish Cap divides segments into collecting the elements. It gives good insight when players should take a break and put down the game as it's a good stopping point then. It just pretty much tells you what to expect and for how long. It's an issue when things get samey. This plot is actually very similar to V2 in which Madelis kind of has Keta's village in her palm. Or the prison segment where Neved has everyone as a prisoner. What probably happened was the story was rushed too soon or not planned out enough and now Jan is going back and fleshing it out. You really do need two people when writing a plot. One who writes the plot and the guy who the writer punches in the face for making their life harder. Joke aside, it really does help having someone look it over and try to understand it. Plot is the hardest thing to change so it is better to be safe then sorry. Now, I'm going to make this simple to understand what the same and different means so I'll give an example where the plot feels the same and completely different using the famous "party member has been captured" Example A Segment 1: -Player travels to the map -Person A gets captured by Villain A -Player rescues Person A -Person then challenges and Defeats Villain A Segment 2: -Player travels to the map -Player talks to Person B shortly before they get captured by Villain B -Person A rescues Person B -Player defeats Villain B while this is going on Segment 3: -Player travels to the map -Player walks to square when Persona A, B, and C get captured by Villain A who reveals he didn't die -Player rescues Person A before falling into a trap -Player escapes and rescues Person B and C -Player defeats Villain A when Villain B comes back and is defeated with both escaping Example B Segment 1: -Player travels to the map -An Elder tells the story of a maiden who was capture by Villain A -Player rescues the maiden -Villain A kills Maiden as it turns out it was a trick and the Villain was the maiden -Villain A joins the player Segment 2: -Player travels to the map -Many villagers talk about a merchant who disappeared after visiting the lord's manor -Player talks to the lord and learns merchant headed to spooky woods -Player visits woods and overhears merchant and his scams ripping people off -Player confronts mechant who flees -Player saves merchant from vampire in the forest -Merchant decides to abandon his ways and joins the player Segment 3: -Player travels to the map -Player turns around and Villain A and Merchant are gone -Player travels a bit and finds Villain A but is stopped by Maiden and Vampire -Player defeats both causing him to wake up in a strange hut -Doctor explains a plant they ate caused a hallucination -Villain A and Merchant wake up as well -Doctor Joins the group Admittedly, it's 3am so you can only expect so much from me at this hour. Anyways, the biggest thing I want to tell you that these two are basically the same thing. The same framework and all the events more or less happen the same way. Key difference is what causes the transitions and that's the beauty of writing. When people say they've wrote one thing five different ways this is what they mean. Though I feel a lot of Rejuv's rewrites are pretty much rewriting it the same way but with more wording and explanations where explanations shouldn't be. And there are difference in each segment and I often cover and talk about both the good and bad. Admittedly, I know the next part is pretty different but that's a 2 part behemoth. Then there's the Amber segment afterwards. That's probably going to take longer than Blacksteeple. Drinks up for having another year in Terajuma. And for the people who are curious who I consider the Kiseki equivalent to the Rejuv character is:

This is basically me whenever I see these theories:

It's like I'm not even here. Though I'm sure most of us remember how things were before mods and unintentionally opening the flood gates kind of changed how things are handled around here. I find it funny how Debug mode is the new Gyarados. So for the oldies here, that was basically what people said to do when asking for help. E11 through I'd say E15 is where people really got into the strategies and suggestions. Good times. But yeah, I'd say up to E18 you shouldn't hit too many walls as E18 really is a roulette wheel of difficulty depending on what you have and how much you're willing to waste on certain fights. For your first point, I kind of have to agree there. That's kind of why I have specific days I work on projects and the rest go to schooling. Though I will say that choosing between doing 1,000 tedious text edits does give motivation to do schoolwork. Also I don't mind grinding at all as you can often multitask while doing it or sometimes I use grinding as an excuse to test out new things I've acquired to see how good or useful the are. Hi, I design what could be considered some of the most difficult fights in Pokemon history. I'm actually not all that spectacular at Pokemon. I mean I got the gist of everything and can win matches competitively, but I never could win any of those Master Fights I made. I ask myself "How do you people do this?" every time someone says they beat it.