Wednesday, July 29, 2009

RGR Game #009: Dragon Warrior III

About time, eh?
About time, eh?
Exciting four-character party action!
Exciting four-character party action!

All right, now we're back on track. Next up is the third installment in the outrageously-popular-in-Japan-but-not-quite-so-popular-in-the-US Dragon Warrior series, Dragon Warrior III. The game begins in the castle town of Aliahan, on the morning of your sixteenth birthday. As the son (or daughter; yes, you can choose!) of the brave warrior Ortega, who died fighting a dragon on the crater of an active volcano, the time has come for you to follow in his footsteps and make some tacos pop. Or maybe fight against the forces of evil. Yeah, that sounds more likely.

Once your mom finally manages to drag you out of bed and send you off to the castle, you meet with the king, who informs you that you've been approved to go out and fight as his successor. He then gives you a hefty quest: to seek out and destroy the Archfiend Baramos. He gives you 50 gold to get started, which I can only assume he happened to have found in his pocket, and tells you to go form a party and get going.

Having played through two Dragon Warrior games already, I think it's safe to assume Baramos will wind up not being the real final bad guy. Call it a hunch.

Mom, you're embarrassing me!
Mom, you're embarrassing me!
Jeez, I just turned 16!
Jeez, I just turned 16!

Isn't it early to be talking about keys?
Isn't it early to be talking about keys?
I feel like I'm being led somewhere...
I feel like I'm being led somewhere...

Before forming my party, I went around and talked to everyone I could get to, and immediately started learning about some key called the Thief's Key made by a thief named Bakor. It turns out he's already in prison, and his key was stolen by an old man in a nearby tower (ugh, not a tower... I had my fill of towers with Faria), and I could get to the tower through the Cave on the Promontory. Looks like that'll be the first leg of my adventure.

I then headed to Luisa's Place, a little local eatery where potential party members gather, to recruit some help. For now, I decided to stick with the default party members waiting for me (Brindar the soldier, Theron the wizard and Viron the Pilgrim). You can also create your own party members, which amounts to selecting a name, gender and class; I made a few extra members, but I'll hold off for now, since I think these guys balance the party out pretty well.

That's a lot of slimes.
That's a lot of slimes.
Apparently, Viron's a robot.
Apparently, Viron's a robot.

Once we've upgraded our equipment a bit and gained a few levels, we'll be heading out to the cave to get that key. Let the adventure begin!

Monday, July 27, 2009

RGR008 - Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead

Upon reaching the final town, I finally learned the reason why all these kyonshi appeared and started hopping around: an evil witch named Obo had settled in this town and begun spreading her magic throughout the area. So it was now up to me to destroy her and bring peace back to the people, so that the clichéd plotline could wrap itself up.

Again, the battle is prefaced with a gauntlet of lesser kyonshi, placed there only to drain my health and give Obo an unfair advantage once I reach her. The final faceoff would actually be pretty easy if the witch avoided you a bit better. She does exactly two things in this battle: she fires little magic arrow thingies, and she teleports. That's it. The problem is that she occasionally (though not occasionally enough) teleports to the spot where you're standing. The arrows are easily jumped over, but Kenchi lacks the ability to break into a sprint, so if she's about to appear where you are, you're going to get hit.

Luckily, Obo also has a habit of teleporting near you, with her back to you. When this happens, she's slow to realize, and you can get in several good hits before she turns around and teleports away. So with a little luck, you can bring her down nice and quick.

Don't you love how I keep switching between first and second-person perspectives?

No one said she was pretty.
No one said she was pretty.
Ha! Take that, witch!
Ha! Take that, witch!

Wait, do I get paid for this?
Wait, do I get paid for this?
Kung Fu Staff Roll GO!
Kung Fu Staff Roll GO!

With Obo defeated, her magic influence over the region disappears, and the undead go back to being just dead. Kenchi, being the glutton for punishment I guess he is, goes looking for new challenges in "a far away land with sand storms raging." More power to ya, Kenchi.

I'll try to get back on track from here, so next up will finally be Dragon Warrior III! Don't miss it!

RGR008 - The Bosses

Since the game is kind of repetitive (enter a room, kick and punch the kyonshi until it bursts into flames, repeat until you have the three orbs, fight the boss, repeat), I'll skip over all the unimportant stuff and just give you a run-down of the bosses:

Boss 1 - Illusionary Kyonshi

Known as Genyoshi in the manual, this boss makes large, slow hops toward you, leaving a trail of phantom images of himself in his wake. The height and speed of his jumps makes him easy to beat, as you can just stroll on under him and give him a couple of kicks from behind each time.

Boss 2 - Knife-Throwing Kyonshi

The manual calls this guy Raunshi (he and Genyoshi are the only bosses named in the manual). He acts like every other tall kyonshi, except that after each jump, he pulls out a couple of knives and throws them at you. If you stick close to him and duck when he throws the knives, he's not too tough.

Ooh, fancy.
Ooh, fancy.
He really does have knives. Promise.
He really does have knives. Promise.

Boss 3 - Front-Armored Kyonshi

This boss has no special attacks, but he can be a little tricky because he can't be hurt from the front. This isn't a big deal, though, as you've most likely gotten used to attacking kyonshi from behind at this point.

There are occasional flashes of lightning during the fight, but they only serve as a distraction.

Boss 4 - Floating... Guy?

The fourth boss is drastically different from any enemy you've fought up to this point. He isn't a typical kyonshi, and his attacks are more direct than the mindless hopping seen up to this point. He actually floats, and quickly charges at you (looking a bit like a lion when he does), knocking you down on contact. I got lucky in this fight, as his pattern is interrupted when the two of you are too close to the edge of the screen, and he wound up standing there stupidly as I kicked him repeatedly.

You don't look so tough.
You don't look so tough.
HATE. THIS. GUY.
HATE. THIS. GUY.

Boss 5 - Super-Heavy Kyonshi

This boss acts like a normal large kyonshi, but he apparently eats bars of lead when there are no people around to feed on. When he lands from a hop, the screen shakes and you're knocked off your feet, interrupting your chance to fight back. But a small, well-timed jump avoids the knockdown, allowing you to get in a hit or two before he hops again.

Boss 6 - Axe-Wielding Numbskull

This guy is kind of ridiculous. A palette-swap of boss 4, all this boss does is slowly inch toward you and swing his little axe around when he gets close enough. Your turn kick has slightly better range, though, so you can keep him at bay and just kick him until he drops. As long as you don't rush, he's laughably easy.

EARTHQUAKE!!!
EARTHQUAKE!!!
The foot is mightier than the axe.
The foot is mightier than the axe.

Boss 7 - Magic Fireball Kyonshi

Ugh. The difficulty of this boss makes up for the lack of difficulty of the axe guy. It all starts when you have to fight four increasingly difficult lesser kyonshi on the way to him, so that you'll tend to have very little life left when you reach him. Then, he throws fireballs. It'll probably only take one to kill you at this point, and they're tough to deal with at close range. Fortunately, like every other kyonshi, he seems to get confused when you duck, and may turn around and hop the other way. You can use this to your advantage, especially if you have the Mirage Thrust and Mirage Walk techniques, which allow you to punch and move around while ducking, respectively. The fireballs are still a threat, though, and I only finally managed to survive this fight when I got to the boss with a fair amount of life left.

Fireballs? No fair!
Fireballs? No fair!
Here goes nothing...
Here goes nothing...

The final town contains nothing but the three orbs necessary to remove the "sealenter", whatever that is, and the final boss' hideout.

As long as there are no more fireballs, I'll be okay.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

RGR Game #008: Phantom Fighter

Yeah, kick that F into place!
Yeah, kick that F into place!
Who will claim victoly?
Who will claim victoly?

All right, folks, it looks like my guest player is going to hold off for now, so I'll get started with another game. Phantom Fighter (known in Japan as Reigen Doushi) is a one-on-one kung fu beat-em-up by FCI where you use your mad kung fu skills to fight... well, not phantoms, actually.

The story, according to the manual:

Those wacky Chinese phantoms, Kyonshies, are on the loose again, wreaking havoc in eight villages. The Phantom Fighter, Kenchi, and his incompetent assistant have been called in to save the villages. Using special skills acquired from the Kung Fu master and items gathered throughout the villages, they must chop and kick their way to victory. But the contest is not all physical--as the Phantom Fighter, you have to answer some tricky quizzes before the master will reveal the secret skills that will help you defeat the Kyonshies.

Uh, yeah. 1989. Anyway, the plot of the game is basically in there: you travel from town to town, fighting off the kyonshi and saving the people. When you enter a training hall to learn new moves, you have to answer some asinine question before you can talk to the master.

But kyonshi aren't phantoms. Phantoms, by definition, are immaterial or illusionary. Kyonshi are hopping zombies. They have substance, and it hurts when they hit you.

Oh, and I should probably mention that this game is very loosely based on a series of Chinese movies called Mr. Vampire. But it's basically irrelevant, so that's the only time I'll bother mentioning it.

But you already have a kung fu guy.
But you already have a kung fu guy.
Remove the what now?
Remove the what now?

This should be a nice quick break between RPGs. Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

RGR007 - The Thrilling Conclusion!

The Final Tower was a bit of a pain, mainly because of its size, but also because there are a few rooms with pits that drop you all the way down to the ground floor. Luckily, my maps guided me back to where I needed to be every time. Hooray maps!

After swearing and going back up several times, I finally made it to the boss room. I actually didn't get a chance to map out a good chunk of the top floor, since you can't go back once you reach the boss corridor. There, the Dragon (aka the Wizard) greeted me with his best pre-final-battle spiel.

This has to be one of the most disappointing final boss battles in the history of final boss battles. The Dragon barely shimmies from side to side, occasionally shooting a short stream of fireballs at you. These are easily jumped over. So you jump over the fireballs, hit him in the "base of the neck" (which really just means the general head region), and back off a bit to wait for the next stream of fireballs. He takes around six hits to defeat. That's it.

With the Dragon defeated and the Wizard's spirit once again sealed inside the Legendary Sword, I roamed around a bit to see what the townspeople had to say. They all just had words of thanks, so it wasn't very exciting. Once I reached the castle, I presented the king with the sword, and he offered me the princess' hand in marriage again. I politely declined, saying I needed to return to my homeland, and the princess decided to follow me. Funny, I don't remember being okay with that. Finally, the credits rolled with images of some people I met along the way, and of my journey back home with the princess.

Hey, neat dragon!
Hey, neat dragon!
He's been practicing his villainese.
He's been practicing his villainese.

I want a sequel too.
I want a sequel too.
He barely moved.
He barely moved.

My mighty inventory!
My mighty inventory!
Oh, what an ending.
Oh, what an ending.

And away we go!
And away we go!
You guys get a staff roll this time!
You guys get a staff roll this time!

This marks the end of game #007, Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger! Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of Retro Gamer Ryan!

I may just have a guest player for the next game!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

RGR007 - I'm a Real Boy!

After much wandering and swearing (okay, not really), I managed to stumble across something other than the looping rooms I was growing accustomed to in the Phantom Tower. I found a dead-end room with a treasure box, and in that box... the HyperSpeed3! Now I walk at least as fast as everything else in the game. Since I went south to get there, I decided to continue north, and found myself in a one-way corridor leading to the boss!

In a repeat of the boss battle in the cave northeast of Somusa, the goofy flying gremlin guy was there to greet me again. His pattern hadn't changed much, although he seemed to fly more directly at me. He also added a single new attack to his repertoire, a 4-way splitting star thing that didn't amount to much. It was a little harder to hit him while trying to avoid him this time, but I eventually brought him down.

In the next room, I found the princess. The REAL princess. I could tell she was the real princess because she was all pink. We exchanged pleasantries, and then exited the tower (which immediately collapsed, as expected) to head back to the castle.

What could it be?
What could it be?
You again? Need more arrows?
You again? Need more arrows?

You'd better not be another fake.
You'd better not be another fake.
Well, pink is a more princess-like color.
Well, pink is a more princess-like color.

I'm bad news for towers.
I'm bad news for towers.
Not very attentive, are we?
Not very attentive, are we?

Once we got past the first set of guards inside the castle, we confronted the fake princess, who was finally, though obviously, identified as the Wizard in disguise. Given no other choice, the Wizard decided to throw down right there in the throne room. This fight was ridiculously easy, as he moves very slowly when he's not teleporting. The only complication to the entire battle is the fact that the Wizard is invisible, but the Magic Glasses make that a non-issue. After 6 or so direct hits, the Wizard was dead.

Well, technically dead, I suppose. His spirit remained, and announced that he'd be transferring himself into the body of a dragon (meaning he eventually did get his hands on the scrolls). The destruction of the Wizard broke the spell that had turned the king to stone, returning him to life. It also had a somewhat unexpected effect...

It broke a spell that had been cast on me before the game even began, turning me back into a man!

Wow, this is confusing.
Wow, this is confusing.
He just looks silly.
He just looks silly.

Creepy disembodied voice, check.
Creepy disembodied voice, check.
PLOT TWIST!
PLOT TWIST!

You've known me for, what, 10 minutes?
You've known me for,
what, 10 minutes?
Oh yeah, there's still a bad guy.
Oh yeah, there's still a bad guy.


Once more with enthusiasm!
Once more with enthusiasm!
Well, at least you didn't change gender.
Well, at least you didn't change gender.

Huh? That's a dude?
Huh? That's a dude?
WHAT?!
WHAT?!

Apparently, the Wizard had heard the prophecy made by the sorcerers who created the dragon that originally defeated him. The prophecy said that if the Wizard were to escape the Legendary Sword's bindings, only a man from a foreign land would be able to defeat him. He tried to win on a technicality by turning all the men in said foreign land into women, and this included me. But it looks like it didn't work.

With the Wizard preparing to become a dragon, it was up to me to hunt him down and reseal his spirit inside the Legendary Sword. So I headed out to the only place I could think of, a small town on a plateau called Baig, where only men are allowed to enter. I'm a man now, so I suppose I can get in. How convenient!

My first town as a man!
My first town as a man!
You seem surprised.
You seem surprised.

That's just great.
That's just great.
And that's where I'm headed.
And that's where I'm headed.

Thanks, Strategy Guide Man!
Thanks, Strategy Guide Man!
Has that ever worked?
Has that ever worked?

Beyond Baig was an icy wasteland with an especially confusing series of caves and tunnels, designed like a maze to prevent intruders from reaching the Final Tower. But I persevered, and eventually found the right path (which it turns out is fairly short) to the tower.

Ooh, it's all snowy and blue...
Ooh, it's all snowy and blue!
Even the enemies are blue!
Even the enemies are blue!

Okay, this is getting old.
Okay, this is getting old.
You just know they're poisonous.
You just know they're poisonous.

Poison, or frostbite?
Poison, or frostbite?
I wonder if the tower is made of ice...
I wonder if the tower is made of ice...

Watch out, Wizard! The man from a foreign land is coming for you!

...yeah, that was lame. Sorry.