Post by failureisanoption on Jun 22, 2015 22:19:43 GMT
Yo guys,
How ya all doing? It's been a while, hasn't it? Due to my very own laziness, the Thursday schedule didn't really work out, so my apologies for being some amount of days late. Four whole days to be exact. I think it means Gulag for me....Please don't take me there, I don't like the dark.
But now I am ready, and I hope you are, too. But as well as ready, I hope ya also brought some time, 'cuz
ya know this is wall of text stuff. Don't like reading? Well, too bad, I guess ya will miss out on another
great (according to me) game. But don't worry, I even prepared some (shoddy) pictures. So let's get started.
Word of Warning: This time it's really frigging long. Like really really long. The length of a short story. (Though I won't show ya those....) If ya do not like reading, use the back button now. Actually, use it anyway, since I just talk crap about games for no reason. For all we know, I probably never actually played this game and am just making stuff up as I go along....
Today, we will look at another of my favorites (just like the other ones)... I present to ye:
Developed and distributed by Capcom and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1994 in Japan, 1995 in the US, and licensed to Laguna to be released in Europe in 1996, it is (obviously) the second game in the series, which to date spans five games. And yes, I played them all, that's how much I like this series. It has also been released on the Gameboy Advance, with worse graphics(due to limitations), and has had also some gameplay adjustments. In 2007, a Wii Virtual console version has also been released.
Unlike the following games, this one is a sequel to the first game, set some 500 years after the events from Breath of Fire (because it's a sequel and it wasn't clear at all....). On a side note, it was released around the same time as the original PlayStation, since it came out rather late in Europe, though back then I have never heard of PlayStation until about half a year later when I entered secondary school. (There ya go, ya learned something about me.) Amazingly, I also still own the actual physical Cartridge, box, and manual, though I have not played it on the console in a long time, due to the internal battery being dead, so my saves will be lost....Maybe I will take a picture and insert it here, if ya don't believe me, and if I can be bothered.
Now, enough with the basic introductions, let's talk about it a bit (a lot....!!!) more in-depth. Since I'm a nice guy (sometimes), today I will make a little Table of Contents (or something like that), for your pleasure.
How ya all doing? It's been a while, hasn't it? Due to my very own laziness, the Thursday schedule didn't really work out, so my apologies for being some amount of days late. Four whole days to be exact. I think it means Gulag for me....Please don't take me there, I don't like the dark.
But now I am ready, and I hope you are, too. But as well as ready, I hope ya also brought some time, 'cuz
ya know this is wall of text stuff. Don't like reading? Well, too bad, I guess ya will miss out on another
great (according to me) game. But don't worry, I even prepared some (shoddy) pictures. So let's get started.
Word of Warning: This time it's really frigging long. Like really really long. The length of a short story. (Though I won't show ya those....) If ya do not like reading, use the back button now. Actually, use it anyway, since I just talk crap about games for no reason. For all we know, I probably never actually played this game and am just making stuff up as I go along....
Today, we will look at another of my favorites (just like the other ones)... I present to ye:
Developed and distributed by Capcom and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1994 in Japan, 1995 in the US, and licensed to Laguna to be released in Europe in 1996, it is (obviously) the second game in the series, which to date spans five games. And yes, I played them all, that's how much I like this series. It has also been released on the Gameboy Advance, with worse graphics(due to limitations), and has had also some gameplay adjustments. In 2007, a Wii Virtual console version has also been released.
Unlike the following games, this one is a sequel to the first game, set some 500 years after the events from Breath of Fire (because it's a sequel and it wasn't clear at all....). On a side note, it was released around the same time as the original PlayStation, since it came out rather late in Europe, though back then I have never heard of PlayStation until about half a year later when I entered secondary school. (There ya go, ya learned something about me.) Amazingly, I also still own the actual physical Cartridge, box, and manual, though I have not played it on the console in a long time, due to the internal battery being dead, so my saves will be lost....Maybe I will take a picture and insert it here, if ya don't believe me, and if I can be bothered.
Now, enough with the basic introductions, let's talk about it a bit (a lot....!!!) more in-depth. Since I'm a nice guy (sometimes), today I will make a little Table of Contents (or something like that), for your pleasure.
1. Story (maybe with spoilers)
2. Gameplay and Graphics
3. Characters
4. Sightseeing
5. Other exciting stuff
2. Gameplay and Graphics
3. Characters
4. Sightseeing
5. Other exciting stuff
1. Our story starts off with your dad (who is head priest of the local church) of all people asking ya to go find yer sister Yua, who ran off because she didn't wanna take a nap. Little girls, eh? Nothing ya can do about, just go and find her. Is not that hard, as some friendly people will actually tell ya where she went. Easy mode activate. As ya go to get Yua from wherever she went, ya will learn a small bit about yer parents and about the villages past as well, and events are set in motion shortly after.
Picture Time you and your sister:
On your return to your village, ya will notice that things have changed, as it seems that people don't recognize ya, even though it seems not much time has passed. So with nothing else that ya can do, the church is taking ya in, even if ya sgould be a thief or some other lowlife. Forgiveness is everything... It is here that ya will meet your future companion and best friend (I guess), who actually is a thieving little runt, and ya soon decide that there is nothing worthwhile in this backwater village, and ya set off to go to the big city, and make it big as shady people. But your travels take ya through the caves, and evil is lurking inside the darkness. With no way out, it seems that yer time has come to an end, but it is not so. Ya survive the encounter and we skip forward to some years later (through some cutscene, I guess, which also tells a bit more story). Ya are now employed as a Ranger, basically People who fight monsters, and do other stuff that might be too dangerous for normal folks. As it happens, your first job is to find a pet, yes, a freaking pet. Is exactly what yer friend thinks, but then he finds out that the beautiful princess owns the pet, and all of a sudden, he's game.
So off ya go, get the pet, come back, and now things are getting interesting. While ya sleeping, a man visits yer friend, and asks him to do a "special" job for him, which of course dosn't work out the way it was supposed to, and now he's in real big trouble. Your new task now is to clear his name (I mean, that's what friends do, right?), which will take ya halfway around the world, and many sidestories will develop as a result. And ya will have to them all, no way around it. As you travel, more and more looks into the true evil of the world are given to ya, and soon ya must take the fate of the world in yer hands. Can ya save the world, or will it be doomed? Only one way to find out, I guess....
Damn, that must have been the worst synopsis I've ever written, maybe I touch it up and revise it some other time.
But not now, too lazy....
On to number 2: Gameplay is your typical 90's RPG, top-down view, turn-based combat, get xp to level up and such.
Though the pace of the game itself is slow, if ya expecting to just breeze through it in an afternoon, forget about it.
Some time investment on your part is required, though personally speaking, it is worth it. Actually, the whole series is rather slow-paced. Unless ya playing the GBA version, the addition of a run button makes progress a lot faster. But the GBA version is not just faster, it is also easier. Considering it's not exactly the easiest game around, for some people the GBA version might just be a bit more suitable.
Battles a random encounter mode, so if ya don't like that kinda system, stay away from it, if ya don't mind it so much, then read on.
Not really much more I can say about it, so have a picture to illustrate the battle screen:
Picture Time you and your sister:
On your return to your village, ya will notice that things have changed, as it seems that people don't recognize ya, even though it seems not much time has passed. So with nothing else that ya can do, the church is taking ya in, even if ya sgould be a thief or some other lowlife. Forgiveness is everything... It is here that ya will meet your future companion and best friend (I guess), who actually is a thieving little runt, and ya soon decide that there is nothing worthwhile in this backwater village, and ya set off to go to the big city, and make it big as shady people. But your travels take ya through the caves, and evil is lurking inside the darkness. With no way out, it seems that yer time has come to an end, but it is not so. Ya survive the encounter and we skip forward to some years later (through some cutscene, I guess, which also tells a bit more story). Ya are now employed as a Ranger, basically People who fight monsters, and do other stuff that might be too dangerous for normal folks. As it happens, your first job is to find a pet, yes, a freaking pet. Is exactly what yer friend thinks, but then he finds out that the beautiful princess owns the pet, and all of a sudden, he's game.
So off ya go, get the pet, come back, and now things are getting interesting. While ya sleeping, a man visits yer friend, and asks him to do a "special" job for him, which of course dosn't work out the way it was supposed to, and now he's in real big trouble. Your new task now is to clear his name (I mean, that's what friends do, right?), which will take ya halfway around the world, and many sidestories will develop as a result. And ya will have to them all, no way around it. As you travel, more and more looks into the true evil of the world are given to ya, and soon ya must take the fate of the world in yer hands. Can ya save the world, or will it be doomed? Only one way to find out, I guess....
Damn, that must have been the worst synopsis I've ever written, maybe I touch it up and revise it some other time.
But not now, too lazy....
On to number 2: Gameplay is your typical 90's RPG, top-down view, turn-based combat, get xp to level up and such.
Though the pace of the game itself is slow, if ya expecting to just breeze through it in an afternoon, forget about it.
Some time investment on your part is required, though personally speaking, it is worth it. Actually, the whole series is rather slow-paced. Unless ya playing the GBA version, the addition of a run button makes progress a lot faster. But the GBA version is not just faster, it is also easier. Considering it's not exactly the easiest game around, for some people the GBA version might just be a bit more suitable.
Battles a random encounter mode, so if ya don't like that kinda system, stay away from it, if ya don't mind it so much, then read on.
Not really much more I can say about it, so have a picture to illustrate the battle screen:
As ya can see, it's real simple, with two additional commands located on the shoulder buttons (defend and formation).
Turns are taken according to characters Agility stats, so ya can plan ahead to some extent. A neat feature is that even if ya get totally annihilated in combat, ya actually won't have to start again from wherever ya saved last, instead ya will be teleported to that point and lose half yer money. Sounds like a good deal? Well, it sort of is, if only stuff wouldn't be so expensive. If ya wanna buy all the new gear as soon as ya come across it, ya better not die, and be prepared to grind some money.
A look at the inventory:
The combat sprites amd backgrounds are rather nicely drawn, and all actions are animated, which makes the games combat graphics look quite beautiful. (The series as a whole actually has very nice combat sprites, apart from the fifth one, which uses Cel-shading technology.) Map graphics are nothing fancy, though they are suitable for what they are there for.
Music-wise the game has nothing special, though some tunes are quite nice. But since I'm too lazy to go look for some examples, I'm not gonna post any links. (Maybe I will update in the future, but probably not.)
Hmmm, do I need to write more in this section?? I don't think so, so let's move on, shall we?
Point 3, the main characters, and maybe some side ones, too.
First I shall talk about the main character. His name, just like in the previous game, and every one since, is Ryu. (He sure is a popular guy, taking the lead role in every game.) If ya don't like the name, ya can change it, up to four characters. Interestingly, he is unable to talk, or maybe he is, but he sure doesn't have any lines. At all. He never got any until the fifth game. Talk about (haha) how hard it must have been to communicate. Strong in all areas, he makes an excellent front line fighter, though he does not excel in any particular area. His special GUTS ability lets him restore some health in a pinch, though it works better the lower your remaining health is. His weapon of choice is the sword (and to some extent, the dagger), just like many heroes before and after him.
Next, we have his childhood friend, Bow, a sort of man-dog hybrid (it is a fantasy game, after all). Growing up as a thief, he has now cast aside his tendency to have some sticky fingers, and him and Ryu now work as men for hire. His favorite weapon is the bow, so his name either derives from that, or the fact he is a dog. I have no idea which it is. As far as stats go, i don't really use him all that often, though his special ability SHOT can come in handy. If it connects, it will instantly kill its target. If it fails, it only does 1 measly damage, but such is life. He also gets healing spells and some buff spells, so if ya need a healer, bring him along.
Then we have Rand, a big massive Pangolin-like kinda guy. Very brawny, his origins lie in a farming community far to the west.
But the life of farming was not for him, and so he left, triyng to find something new to do. He eventually found a calling as a builder, and now works constructing a coliseum. He will make an excellent damage sponge due to his very large HP pool and good defense values, though he is slow. He also doubles up as a healer, in case one is not enough for ya. In combat, he prefers to let his fists do the talking, not caring about what it might do to his knuckles. His special combat ability WAKE can revive a fallen comrade (by punching them while they are down and out...talk about dirty fighting), though success is not guaranteed. But keep trying and ya might just get it. He also got the special ability to curl up while on the worldmap, and roll around avoiding encounters, though he will return to normal after hitting something, and ya might get into combat as a result. Not used often, as it needs some good reflexes to use proper.
On to one of my two favorites, and my first meeting with a catgirl (though by today's standards, she'd probably be considered at least half-furry, but I don't care, I still like her). She is the Woren tribe (cat-like people) member Katt (.......). A feisty young woman, she makes a living as an arena fighter. Until she comes into contact with our hero. Saving her from certain disaster (if ya so choose), she will pledge loyalty to ya, and follow you. Strong and agile, she makes for a very good fighter, possibly the best. Though she is weak in health and not very smart, so if ya planning to cast any spells, ya will have to wait a long time. She is very fond of the staff as a weapon, and can use it with great efficiency. Her special ability DARE works just like many similar taunting abilities from other games, insofar as it will try to make enemies focus her. Not exactly very useful due to her low health and defense, but good evasion might make it work.
And now my other favorite, the Wyndian beauty Nina. (amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, she was really popular as well, and just like Ryu, has featured in every game in one form or another. Not that I have a problem with it. For people that care, she is quite teh adorable loli in 5. Personally speaking, of course. Your opinion may differ and I really don't care....
) Wyndians are humans, but with wings, sorta like angels, only they are not angels. Herself sporting gorgeous black wings,s he has been exiled from her own country, due to belief that black wings bring misfortune and now she attends magic school far from her homeland. Nina is rather quiet and composed, possibly due to her upbringing, but she does care deeply for her friends. ya will first encounter her as she is being blackmailed by evil bandits, and ya decide to help her out (because who can say no to such a beauty?? Not me anyway...). She is a powerful magic user, and prefers to use that as her main form of attack, though she can also use physical attacks, though they are not very effective. Due to being rather weak in body, she is best used as a support fighter, casting spells from the back. She knows many offensive spells (and I don't mean that ya will be offended by it), though she also knows a few buff spells, but does not know healing magic,so be careful if ya do not have a healer in your party, and bring the apropiate items. Her special ability WILL can restore some of her MP, but it does not always work. She also has a special field ability that can save ya from pitfalls.
Do ya like Monkeys? Ya don't? Well, that's too fricking bad, because our next hero is a Monkey. No way around it, a genuine monkey -man named Sten, probably got stuck somewhere along the lines of evolution....(sorry, I don't like monkeys, though he is rather useful). Prefers to use knives and daggers, and is trained in combat, probably due to him being in the army in his home country to the south. He is rather fast, though he does not really shine in any area. Also knows some fire based magic which can be useful in certain situations.
His special combat ability RIP is useless, as far as I know. What's the point of playing dead, just to avoid taking a hit? I have never found a practical appliance for this skill, maybe ya can. If ya do, tell me about it, so I learn something. Though his Map skill is much more useful, and sometimes even necessary. He can use his long arms to navigate narrow cliffs, and help the party advance further. I don't use him often (only if I really need to) as I can fill that slot with someone more useful. Poor Sten.
Nearly done now, only two characters to go. Next up is our Prince Jean. A frenchliek guys of royal lineage who has been turned into a frog by a witch. No why would she do that, ya ask? well, I don't think she wanted to, as he was in love with her. Maybe somewhere along the line she lost it because of all his frenchness....Due to him being frogified, he might not be the most impressive fighter, and I actually really don't have a clue, as I use him once when I have to, and never again. I know he uses a rapier, and knows some buff magics, and maybe some attack magic as well. Can transform into a giant frog to help ya traverse lakes and rivers, and proceed at double speed on land.
LAst we have our flower child, a mysterious creature called Spar. Born from nature, he/she/it is now being used as an attraction at the traveling circus. Eventually though, ya will need her help, so another quest begins to save this creature. Another character I do not use beyond what is necessary, so I can't really say much here either. Uses a whip in combat, and some sort of magic. Can use a special type of magic called NTRE (I think, I forgot), which has different effect depending on the type of terrain ya fighting in....try to find all the possible options. Or don't. I don't really care. The special field ability allows ya to walk unhindred through forsts and talk to certain trees (ya hippie). Quite possibly weak in the physical department, with some decent magic stats I guess.
And now some other characters ya will come across:
The mysterious phantom thief Patty. She is responsible for a lot of your trouble, so whenever ya find her, make sure ya make her pay.....haha, just kidding. She will actually show up a few times during yer adventure, always on the lookout for new opportunities. Will ya ever find out her real identity?
That quite beautiful princess Mina. She of lost pet fame, just what part does she play in this story?
Preacher Ray. A wandering man of the church, he is helping many people of this world, all in the name of St. Eva. But just what is his ultimate goal? Is he just being forced into his role?
There could be others, but I don't have a clue. Or I can't remember. Whichever sounds more believable...
Now, Just so ya know that this is a great game, I shall tell ya about some of the locations ya will visit. Some of them are quite strange, but no matter, it's fantasy. Let me list them in no particular order:
- Caves
- Cities
- More caves
- More cities
- Mountains
- Forests
- Castles
- another forest
- Caves again
- A castle in the middle of a lake
- A restaurant
- A witch tower full of pretty boys that have been turned to stone (too much weed I guess....)
- The inside of a whale
- Inside the body of an obese queen (yea, really)
- Churches
- The mind of a tree
- The circus.....(everybody needs entertainment)
- A strange town where people communicate with flutes
- A coliseum
- An underwater tower that regulates the weather (don't ask me how)
- Hell
- A village full of dragons
- Other places I can't remember
Enough about locations, lets move on to the last part. ("Finally", I hear ya exclaim, though I can't fault ya)
(I wonder if there is a limit as to how much I can type...?)
Extra stuff:
To pass some time from grinding xp, 2 mini games have been implemented.
Totally just for ya, the games ya can play are Fishing and Hunting. Sounds boring? Well, it ain't. Both can be a source of income, especially in the early game, and can also provide free healing items. So if ya wanna be jewish, play those games and save that money. Or play tose games and sell the spoils and make more money, ya greedy bastard. Of course, there is some limitations to them. Fishing can only be done by Ryu, and he also needs some sort of fishing rod, and some bait, too, which can be bought in local shops. Fishing spots will appear in predetermined locations after battle ends. Look for the jumping fish, approach as Ryu, and press the proper button. Each rod has a sey amount of time ya can reel in the line before ya need to recast. But ya can just not fish for fish (...), some spots also hold sunken treasures, while others hold a special type of merchant that sells items and equipment ya won't get anywhere else.
Hunting can only be done by Bow and Katt. Due to their favored weapons, both hunt differently. Where Bow uses his bow (...) to hunt from range, Katt uses her natural instincts and likes to smack those poor animals in the face. Apart from some powerful healing items, not much else can be found while hunting, so fishing is much more fun and worth yer time.
Puzzles.
Everyone loves puzzles, so have some of those as well. Either they are switch based puzzles, or labyrinths, but hey, puzzle is puzzle. They are never incredibly hard, but some can be quite annoying. No matter, a bit of thinking or just messing around will usually yield the answer.
Two different endings depending on the choices ya make. Will ya get the good one or the bad one? Or will ya get both?
Build yer own town and populate it with the people ya want.
This one is actually rather neat. Depending on some choices ya make during a certain quest, ya can choose up to three different designs for your town, each allowing ya to recruit different inhabitants. But not just that, each type of town will have its own little minigame. One is useless (or at least I can't remember what it was), one is cooking, which allows ya to make special items not available anywhere else, and one lets ya use tokens ya find around the world to win special prizes, also not available anywhere else. But even more awesome is the fact that ya can make yer city a flying city. No, I have not been smoking funny stuff, it really can fly, though to do that, ya have to fulfill a certain condition.
Special Fusions.
While traveling around, trying to save the world, ya will come across the mysterious shamans. Each relating to a different element, they can be fused with yer characters to grant new powers, or in certain cases, generate completely new, more powerful forms of that character. Definitely worth yer time to find all the shamans and experiment with different combinations.
Backstories.
Contrary to what I said a little above, each character actually has a purpose in this game. They are not just tacked on, instead they each have their own story and background that ya will explore, which adds to the believability of the charaters and automatically will make you care more for them. Which I think is a good thing, because if ya care about them, ya will automatically enjoy the game much more, as it draws ya in much more than copy paste generic characters ever could.
Transform into a dragon to kick ass.
What more can I say...transform into a dragon and kick ass. Multiple types are available.
(though the third game did it the best in my opinion. Mayne I will talk about it in the future.)
Raid cupboards
A staple in any good RPG, what would they be without being able to steal peoples possessions.
The dragon tear
A special piece of equipment ya have that lets ya know how people feel towards ya.
Turns are taken according to characters Agility stats, so ya can plan ahead to some extent. A neat feature is that even if ya get totally annihilated in combat, ya actually won't have to start again from wherever ya saved last, instead ya will be teleported to that point and lose half yer money. Sounds like a good deal? Well, it sort of is, if only stuff wouldn't be so expensive. If ya wanna buy all the new gear as soon as ya come across it, ya better not die, and be prepared to grind some money.
A look at the inventory:
As ya can see, a simple but functional menu. Top row shows current location, Encounter rate (the faster he moves, the higher the encounter rate, sleeping means there is no enemies), and your money.
On the left we can see the various categories, which should be self-explanatory, the bottom bit shows your formation.
The big, fat window shows ya at a quick glance your current party members, their basic health, and xp levels. Nice that ya don't have to go into a sub-menu to find out how much longer until ya level up. Of note should be that the xp gained after battle shows base xp multiplied by number of characters in your active party. Once yer party exceeds 4 members, ya can change them around at certain locations in the game, namely every save point, and in some special events as well. Item spaces in your inventory are limited, so once ya reach maximun level, ya have two choices. Ya can either discard or use the extra items, or ya can use the bank to store the items, though space there is limited as well. Ya can also put yer money in the bank, useful if ya have a large amount of money and don't want to lose it should ya die.
On the left we can see the various categories, which should be self-explanatory, the bottom bit shows your formation.
The big, fat window shows ya at a quick glance your current party members, their basic health, and xp levels. Nice that ya don't have to go into a sub-menu to find out how much longer until ya level up. Of note should be that the xp gained after battle shows base xp multiplied by number of characters in your active party. Once yer party exceeds 4 members, ya can change them around at certain locations in the game, namely every save point, and in some special events as well. Item spaces in your inventory are limited, so once ya reach maximun level, ya have two choices. Ya can either discard or use the extra items, or ya can use the bank to store the items, though space there is limited as well. Ya can also put yer money in the bank, useful if ya have a large amount of money and don't want to lose it should ya die.
The combat sprites amd backgrounds are rather nicely drawn, and all actions are animated, which makes the games combat graphics look quite beautiful. (The series as a whole actually has very nice combat sprites, apart from the fifth one, which uses Cel-shading technology.) Map graphics are nothing fancy, though they are suitable for what they are there for.
Music-wise the game has nothing special, though some tunes are quite nice. But since I'm too lazy to go look for some examples, I'm not gonna post any links. (Maybe I will update in the future, but probably not.)
Hmmm, do I need to write more in this section?? I don't think so, so let's move on, shall we?
Point 3, the main characters, and maybe some side ones, too.
First I shall talk about the main character. His name, just like in the previous game, and every one since, is Ryu. (He sure is a popular guy, taking the lead role in every game.) If ya don't like the name, ya can change it, up to four characters. Interestingly, he is unable to talk, or maybe he is, but he sure doesn't have any lines. At all. He never got any until the fifth game. Talk about (haha) how hard it must have been to communicate. Strong in all areas, he makes an excellent front line fighter, though he does not excel in any particular area. His special GUTS ability lets him restore some health in a pinch, though it works better the lower your remaining health is. His weapon of choice is the sword (and to some extent, the dagger), just like many heroes before and after him.
Next, we have his childhood friend, Bow, a sort of man-dog hybrid (it is a fantasy game, after all). Growing up as a thief, he has now cast aside his tendency to have some sticky fingers, and him and Ryu now work as men for hire. His favorite weapon is the bow, so his name either derives from that, or the fact he is a dog. I have no idea which it is. As far as stats go, i don't really use him all that often, though his special ability SHOT can come in handy. If it connects, it will instantly kill its target. If it fails, it only does 1 measly damage, but such is life. He also gets healing spells and some buff spells, so if ya need a healer, bring him along.
Then we have Rand, a big massive Pangolin-like kinda guy. Very brawny, his origins lie in a farming community far to the west.
But the life of farming was not for him, and so he left, triyng to find something new to do. He eventually found a calling as a builder, and now works constructing a coliseum. He will make an excellent damage sponge due to his very large HP pool and good defense values, though he is slow. He also doubles up as a healer, in case one is not enough for ya. In combat, he prefers to let his fists do the talking, not caring about what it might do to his knuckles. His special combat ability WAKE can revive a fallen comrade (by punching them while they are down and out...talk about dirty fighting), though success is not guaranteed. But keep trying and ya might just get it. He also got the special ability to curl up while on the worldmap, and roll around avoiding encounters, though he will return to normal after hitting something, and ya might get into combat as a result. Not used often, as it needs some good reflexes to use proper.
On to one of my two favorites, and my first meeting with a catgirl (though by today's standards, she'd probably be considered at least half-furry, but I don't care, I still like her). She is the Woren tribe (cat-like people) member Katt (.......). A feisty young woman, she makes a living as an arena fighter. Until she comes into contact with our hero. Saving her from certain disaster (if ya so choose), she will pledge loyalty to ya, and follow you. Strong and agile, she makes for a very good fighter, possibly the best. Though she is weak in health and not very smart, so if ya planning to cast any spells, ya will have to wait a long time. She is very fond of the staff as a weapon, and can use it with great efficiency. Her special ability DARE works just like many similar taunting abilities from other games, insofar as it will try to make enemies focus her. Not exactly very useful due to her low health and defense, but good evasion might make it work.
And now my other favorite, the Wyndian beauty Nina. (amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, she was really popular as well, and just like Ryu, has featured in every game in one form or another. Not that I have a problem with it. For people that care, she is quite teh adorable loli in 5. Personally speaking, of course. Your opinion may differ and I really don't care....
) Wyndians are humans, but with wings, sorta like angels, only they are not angels. Herself sporting gorgeous black wings,s he has been exiled from her own country, due to belief that black wings bring misfortune and now she attends magic school far from her homeland. Nina is rather quiet and composed, possibly due to her upbringing, but she does care deeply for her friends. ya will first encounter her as she is being blackmailed by evil bandits, and ya decide to help her out (because who can say no to such a beauty?? Not me anyway...). She is a powerful magic user, and prefers to use that as her main form of attack, though she can also use physical attacks, though they are not very effective. Due to being rather weak in body, she is best used as a support fighter, casting spells from the back. She knows many offensive spells (and I don't mean that ya will be offended by it), though she also knows a few buff spells, but does not know healing magic,so be careful if ya do not have a healer in your party, and bring the apropiate items. Her special ability WILL can restore some of her MP, but it does not always work. She also has a special field ability that can save ya from pitfalls.Do ya like Monkeys? Ya don't? Well, that's too fricking bad, because our next hero is a Monkey. No way around it, a genuine monkey -man named Sten, probably got stuck somewhere along the lines of evolution....(sorry, I don't like monkeys, though he is rather useful). Prefers to use knives and daggers, and is trained in combat, probably due to him being in the army in his home country to the south. He is rather fast, though he does not really shine in any area. Also knows some fire based magic which can be useful in certain situations.
His special combat ability RIP is useless, as far as I know. What's the point of playing dead, just to avoid taking a hit? I have never found a practical appliance for this skill, maybe ya can. If ya do, tell me about it, so I learn something. Though his Map skill is much more useful, and sometimes even necessary. He can use his long arms to navigate narrow cliffs, and help the party advance further. I don't use him often (only if I really need to) as I can fill that slot with someone more useful. Poor Sten.
Nearly done now, only two characters to go. Next up is our Prince Jean. A frenchliek guys of royal lineage who has been turned into a frog by a witch. No why would she do that, ya ask? well, I don't think she wanted to, as he was in love with her. Maybe somewhere along the line she lost it because of all his frenchness....Due to him being frogified, he might not be the most impressive fighter, and I actually really don't have a clue, as I use him once when I have to, and never again. I know he uses a rapier, and knows some buff magics, and maybe some attack magic as well. Can transform into a giant frog to help ya traverse lakes and rivers, and proceed at double speed on land.
LAst we have our flower child, a mysterious creature called Spar. Born from nature, he/she/it is now being used as an attraction at the traveling circus. Eventually though, ya will need her help, so another quest begins to save this creature. Another character I do not use beyond what is necessary, so I can't really say much here either. Uses a whip in combat, and some sort of magic. Can use a special type of magic called NTRE (I think, I forgot), which has different effect depending on the type of terrain ya fighting in....try to find all the possible options. Or don't. I don't really care. The special field ability allows ya to walk unhindred through forsts and talk to certain trees (ya hippie). Quite possibly weak in the physical department, with some decent magic stats I guess.
And now some other characters ya will come across:
The mysterious phantom thief Patty. She is responsible for a lot of your trouble, so whenever ya find her, make sure ya make her pay.....haha, just kidding. She will actually show up a few times during yer adventure, always on the lookout for new opportunities. Will ya ever find out her real identity?
That quite beautiful princess Mina. She of lost pet fame, just what part does she play in this story?
Preacher Ray. A wandering man of the church, he is helping many people of this world, all in the name of St. Eva. But just what is his ultimate goal? Is he just being forced into his role?
There could be others, but I don't have a clue. Or I can't remember. Whichever sounds more believable...
Now, Just so ya know that this is a great game, I shall tell ya about some of the locations ya will visit. Some of them are quite strange, but no matter, it's fantasy. Let me list them in no particular order:
- Caves
- Cities
- More caves
- More cities
- Mountains
- Forests
- Castles
- another forest
- Caves again
- A castle in the middle of a lake
- A restaurant
- A witch tower full of pretty boys that have been turned to stone (too much weed I guess....)
- The inside of a whale
- Inside the body of an obese queen (yea, really)
- Churches
- The mind of a tree
- The circus.....(everybody needs entertainment)
- A strange town where people communicate with flutes
- A coliseum
- An underwater tower that regulates the weather (don't ask me how)
- Hell
- A village full of dragons
- Other places I can't remember
Enough about locations, lets move on to the last part. ("Finally", I hear ya exclaim, though I can't fault ya)
(I wonder if there is a limit as to how much I can type...?)
Extra stuff:
To pass some time from grinding xp, 2 mini games have been implemented.
Totally just for ya, the games ya can play are Fishing and Hunting. Sounds boring? Well, it ain't. Both can be a source of income, especially in the early game, and can also provide free healing items. So if ya wanna be jewish, play those games and save that money. Or play tose games and sell the spoils and make more money, ya greedy bastard. Of course, there is some limitations to them. Fishing can only be done by Ryu, and he also needs some sort of fishing rod, and some bait, too, which can be bought in local shops. Fishing spots will appear in predetermined locations after battle ends. Look for the jumping fish, approach as Ryu, and press the proper button. Each rod has a sey amount of time ya can reel in the line before ya need to recast. But ya can just not fish for fish (...), some spots also hold sunken treasures, while others hold a special type of merchant that sells items and equipment ya won't get anywhere else.
Hunting can only be done by Bow and Katt. Due to their favored weapons, both hunt differently. Where Bow uses his bow (...) to hunt from range, Katt uses her natural instincts and likes to smack those poor animals in the face. Apart from some powerful healing items, not much else can be found while hunting, so fishing is much more fun and worth yer time.
Puzzles.
Everyone loves puzzles, so have some of those as well. Either they are switch based puzzles, or labyrinths, but hey, puzzle is puzzle. They are never incredibly hard, but some can be quite annoying. No matter, a bit of thinking or just messing around will usually yield the answer.
Two different endings depending on the choices ya make. Will ya get the good one or the bad one? Or will ya get both?
Build yer own town and populate it with the people ya want.
This one is actually rather neat. Depending on some choices ya make during a certain quest, ya can choose up to three different designs for your town, each allowing ya to recruit different inhabitants. But not just that, each type of town will have its own little minigame. One is useless (or at least I can't remember what it was), one is cooking, which allows ya to make special items not available anywhere else, and one lets ya use tokens ya find around the world to win special prizes, also not available anywhere else. But even more awesome is the fact that ya can make yer city a flying city. No, I have not been smoking funny stuff, it really can fly, though to do that, ya have to fulfill a certain condition.
Special Fusions.
While traveling around, trying to save the world, ya will come across the mysterious shamans. Each relating to a different element, they can be fused with yer characters to grant new powers, or in certain cases, generate completely new, more powerful forms of that character. Definitely worth yer time to find all the shamans and experiment with different combinations.
Backstories.
Contrary to what I said a little above, each character actually has a purpose in this game. They are not just tacked on, instead they each have their own story and background that ya will explore, which adds to the believability of the charaters and automatically will make you care more for them. Which I think is a good thing, because if ya care about them, ya will automatically enjoy the game much more, as it draws ya in much more than copy paste generic characters ever could.
Transform into a dragon to kick ass.
What more can I say...transform into a dragon and kick ass. Multiple types are available.
(though the third game did it the best in my opinion. Mayne I will talk about it in the future.)
Raid cupboards
A staple in any good RPG, what would they be without being able to steal peoples possessions.
The dragon tear
A special piece of equipment ya have that lets ya know how people feel towards ya.
It's that thing in the top left corner of the textbox. I guess it works like them mood rings ya can get. Pointless really, but still neat I guess, as it conveys a bit more emotion in a way that would otherwise not be displayable. I think ya can even buy it in real lifea as a pendant.
A hidden character.
A special treat has been added. Because she didn't do enough 500 years ago, a character from the first game has decided to make an appearance, just to make ya go "Whaaaaat? How are ya still alive?"
Bonus chapter:
A modding group has actually modified the original game by adding a new title screen, a new menu screen, possibly some new graphics, and most important, new and better text . Which really adds an extra bit of depth to the game, as the original font is quite large and therefore less text will fit into the box. So if ya can, ya should probably try to get that version, as it will make it more enjoyable. A word of warning, though, the guys decided to keep the original japanese names, so they will be different to what I have listed here, but in no way does it diminish the experience.
Bonus chapter part two: have a link to the modified version, to save yerself the trouble.
www.dropbox.com/s/sg56uvota0p1m2a/Breath%20of%20Fire%20II%20%28USA%29%20%5BEn%2BHack%20by%20d4s%2BWatercrown%20v1.2b%5D%20%28Original%20Title%20Screen%20Music%29.zip?dl=0
Should the link not work, tell me, and I will fix it for ya.
Well, that's another one done, and man, am I glad it's over. This took me the better part of a day,so I hope ya can appreciate it, and maybe I got ya interested in the game as well. As always, if ya wanna talk about it, or ya have some suggestions, feel free to let me know. For the next installment,we shall look at an adventure game from the PS2 era. Relatively new, it is still a game I enjoy very much. But more about that when the time comes. Hopefully we will have more humor as well, it's been kinda lacking this time....
See ya, and good gaming.
A hidden character.
A special treat has been added. Because she didn't do enough 500 years ago, a character from the first game has decided to make an appearance, just to make ya go "Whaaaaat? How are ya still alive?"
Bonus chapter:
A modding group has actually modified the original game by adding a new title screen, a new menu screen, possibly some new graphics, and most important, new and better text . Which really adds an extra bit of depth to the game, as the original font is quite large and therefore less text will fit into the box. So if ya can, ya should probably try to get that version, as it will make it more enjoyable. A word of warning, though, the guys decided to keep the original japanese names, so they will be different to what I have listed here, but in no way does it diminish the experience.
Bonus chapter part two: have a link to the modified version, to save yerself the trouble.
www.dropbox.com/s/sg56uvota0p1m2a/Breath%20of%20Fire%20II%20%28USA%29%20%5BEn%2BHack%20by%20d4s%2BWatercrown%20v1.2b%5D%20%28Original%20Title%20Screen%20Music%29.zip?dl=0
Should the link not work, tell me, and I will fix it for ya.
Well, that's another one done, and man, am I glad it's over. This took me the better part of a day,so I hope ya can appreciate it, and maybe I got ya interested in the game as well. As always, if ya wanna talk about it, or ya have some suggestions, feel free to let me know. For the next installment,we shall look at an adventure game from the PS2 era. Relatively new, it is still a game I enjoy very much. But more about that when the time comes. Hopefully we will have more humor as well, it's been kinda lacking this time....
See ya, and good gaming.
