Clouds of Darkness (Day 61)

So it had to happen, death by a last boss. I went as far as the very end of the game, but I couldn't defeat her. It was just not fair to have no save spots after Xande. I was level 53 and my HP was still under 2800. Doesn't add up. I really need to level up, but it seems like the crystal palace is not that great for leveling. I need something better but I'm not sure where. I had a level 99 Thief, a level 80 Dragoon, a level 20 Summoner, and a level 20 Devout. It was no match for the battle that ensued. My mind's not clear for the battle in the end. Everything seemed so simple until the end. Another hour set back, and I have to rethink my battles. I'm really considering jumping Final Fantasy 4, but I know if I jump, I'll never pick up FF3 again. Just need a good place to gain levels!

Summoners? (Day 49)

The world is a strange place for adventurers in Final Fantasy III, and to help them along their way they have to conjure aids in their battles. What am I hinting at? You can all them Espers or Aeons, but we'll just remember them as Summons. Final Fantasy III introduces the notion of Summoning or Call Magic in Final Fantasy IV. The first five are the regular ones:

1. 1. Chocobo
2. 2. Shiva
3. 3. Ifrit
4. 4. Ramuh
5. 5. Titan

But from there on you have to fight for the rest. From there you had to prove yourself to the later three. Odin awaits you under Sardonia Castle, Leviathan lurks beneath lake Duhr, and Bahamut awaits in his own lair. I thought that they were pretty difficult to fight, but I think I went there a bit too early.

My party now consists of a Thief, a Summoner, a Dragoon, and a Devout. Hopefully I will change into a Knight so I can use the Excalibur and Ragnorak. Thief is pretty weak, but since he's already at level 78 for his job, he might as well finish it up. I finally got all of the crystals, so now the end game awaits. What about my equipment? Well after my travels in Eureka, I acquired the Masumune, Excalibur, Ragnorak, Moon Blade, Elder Staff, Omni-Rod, and Gungnir Spear. So it's all about training people to use them from here on. Hopefully the end game isn't that hard, I can't wait to play something more familiar.

• Game Time: 20 hrs 6 mins
  
• Deaths: 1
  
• Days: 49

The Invincible! (Day44)

The Invincible, a ship in Final Fantasy III, can fly and submerge into the sea. What a wonderful vehicle. Now what has happened so far? After rescuing the Kingdom of Sasune, I have acquired INGUS and REFIA, the third and forth party members. Unlike Final Fantasy II, this game has a permanent party. I really think that Final Fantasy game designers were at odds in deciding do they want permanent members or temporary members in their games: FF1, 3, 5 had permanent members, while 2, 4, and 6 had continuously changing ones. I guess the latter team won, because from FF7 on people came and left, and parties got a lot bigger. But as I said, the permanent party is formed from the beginning, but what you want them to be has to be determined. I really didn't get too creative with it. I started out as a warrior, a monk, a black mage, and white mage. And 13 hours later, it's pretty much the same: monk, viking, black mage, and white mage. Perhaps I'm just the kind of guy that likes to know what my guys can do.

The game so far is fun. A lot more better than FF2, and the characters are a bit more likable than those before. Naturally, this is the 2007 remix of FF3, so there are many changes. I believe that the original game started with the 4 characters starting in one place, with no back story to them. So I'm glad they took the time to fill in the gaps.

The story unfolds as the world is being tormented by an unknown evil. As you do your adventuring, you realize that the crystals are defaced, and your job is to once again retrieve them and restore them. With every crystal, more jobs are unlocked. The Salamander guards the fire crystal. Luckily by then you have the Blizzaga spell. Defeating him grants you the second set of job classes.

After that chapter, we find out that the continent is in danger. Actually we find out that the continent is actually a floating continent, and only a part of a larger world that has been frozen in time. Taking the airship Nautilus you journey out of the world that you know to a murky cloud-filled sky of an outer world. With the aid of a priestess you journey to the temple of Tides and battle the villain that has drained the power of the water crystal. Who might that be? the Kraken again, yes, again!. He shoots out ice, but fears lightning. Defeating him grants you a third set of job classes: including the Dragoon, Viking, and Evoker. The cloud lifts and you see the continents at large.

Flying westward you see a castle surrounded by four towns and a long wall. Upon closing in on the castle, you're shot down, a cut-scene ensues and you realize that your beloved Nautilus is being destroyed by cannon fire. Nothing like landing in between a war. The kingdom is on the verge of being divided and you save the day by restoring Prince Alus in power. The culprit behind it all? GILGAMETH, any relationship to Gilgamesh? perhaps. Saving the prince and the kingdom grants you a pile of treasure chests in the castle and the new ship: the Invincible. And then we're back to square one, the hunt for the last crystal.

• Game Time: 13 hrs 26 mins
  
• Deaths: 1
  
• Days: 42
  

Final Fantasy III (Day 37)

No, not the one with Terra and Locke, but the original Final Fantasy III. So I'm finally playing the only Final Fantasy game re-made for the D.S., and it is amazing! I'm so glad that they took the time to redo it.

After the first hour or so I found myself in the second town. I had just found Arc, my black-mage destined party member. The townsfolk told me not to go towards the cave in the back, but of course I had to see. Five steps in, and I meet two skeletons and my doom. Another game over. Ahh, it's gonna be a hard game.

The game brought back levels (no more uncertainty about what level you are from FF2), and introduced job classes and job levels. I will add more about this game next time, but here's a picture of the cute outfits!

• Game Time: 3 hrs 2 mins
  
• Deaths: 1
  
• Days: 37
  

Final Fantasy Evolution (part I)

In the beginning there was Final Fantasy I. This is the bare-bone edition of the game, the core of it all. No CGI's or FMV's, no summons or job classes, nothing but 8-bit graphics and imagination. Here's a quick summary of core items that carried onto the series after Final Fantasy I.

1. Four Elemental Crystals (plot)
2. Four character Party
   
3. Airship, ship, and Canoe (vehicles)
   
4. Job classes: 12 in all
5. Masamune Blade, Excalibur, Cat claws (weapon)
6. Ribbon (helm)
7. 1 mini game
   

Here's a quick recount of what was added in Final Fantasy II.

1. Ultima (magic)
2. snow craft (vehicle)
3. temporary party members (people come and go)
4. Chocobos
5. Cid as the air-ship maker/owner
6. Aura, Osmosis, Drain (spells)
7. Dragoons
8. Bows and Spear class weapons
   

Forgiveness? or an eternity of suffering? (Day 33)

Hello again from the land of Final Fantasy 2. After a harrowing eight hours of game-play and THREE more deaths, I completed Final Fantasy 2: The Soul of Rebirth. It felt impossible the first two hours, as I died and died with my pitiful gear. Starting with only two party members was the worst. If you don't know, you restart the game as Minwu in an alternate universe. You collect Josef, Scott, and Ricard. What seems like the afterlife becomes a hell for many, not just any hell, but Arubuf: a hell ruled by the Emperor reincarnated.

To my surprise, after a good four floors of nail-biting battles you surface to a town. Towns in hell? Well yeah, and Cid's waiting for you at the bar. How appropriate? The town has everything a role-playing game character needs: an INN, a magic shop, an item shop, an armory, and a weapon's forge. Hell isn't that bad of a place eh?

Moving on. There are two other warps in town, and the townsfolk say monsters have been leaking out of them. One of them, to the far east of town leads to a familiar tower. Yes, it's a similar one to the one that holds the Ultima tome in the present world. No world as great as the present! But anyway, the only difference here is that Minwu won't die when he tries to get the tome, no, he cannot die twice. Here he has to face the Ultima Weapon. Yes, he is added on again, an optional boss that hits you hard with magical attacks. I read an FAQ that said that he is immune to physical attacks. That's B.S., I powered up my magic for nothing. In the end I just put Berserk and Haste on my hitters (Scott and Ricard) and beat him to death. My reward, the Ultima spell, which is useless. Even at level 16 it only hits 800? Why bother, just level up your swords and spears.

To the north of the town is the major dungeon. There you will find four more sub-bosses and the Emperor. Nothing too hard after you get the hang of it. As your party levels up to 2000HP, the enemies get a lot easier. Some notable weapons appear, probably the strongest weapons in the game: the Stardust rod (does level 16 fire, which is similar to Meteor), Bracers (gauntlets that enhances attack), Wyvern Lance, and the Wild Rose blade. All pretty sick weapons, and pretty much exclusive to Final Fantasy 2. Not a bad deal. Take those and stick it to the Emperor of the underworld? You betcha.

So you reach the last boss and she gives you a nice long speech about death and afterlife, and the reason why you're there. Yes, this new emperor looks like a woman. She lets you have two choices: to ask for forgiveness in the things you have done or spend an eternity suffering there. Naturally, you picked the third choice, to fight! Not a bad fight, but pretty damn easy. It didn't last more than 20 turns and she basically bruises like a peach.

After the long battle with story-sequence, you get to travel back to the real world as spirits. We find out a pretty big secret about Ricard. He is the father to the kid that wants to be a dragoon. The kid happens to be called Kain. Like father like son. I wonder when will he show up again? Oh nevermind, I just wish we had Final Fantasy 2 when the Japanese folks did, Final Fantasy 4 will make a lot more sense. Now, to Final Fantasy 3, and the wonderful world of "job classes".

• Game Time: FF2: 25 hrs 40 mins + 15 mins (Deaths and ending)
• Game Time: FF2 - Soul of Rebirth: 8:05 +20 mins (Deaths and ending)
• Beastiary: 98%
  
• Deaths: 5 (2 from FF2, 3 from FF2:SoR)
  
• Days: 33