the Deaths Continue (day 222)

As the defeat of Shin-Ryu marks the end of the most difficult boss in Final Fantasy 5, I had nothing left to do but beat the game. Yes, I fought Ex-Death. He was attached to a giant tree and turned into something with with four body parts. It was a hell of an easier fight than dealing with Shin-Ryu. For one thing, Ex-Death didn't have any attacks that can wipe out all four of you. Next it's evasion was not impossibly high. I beat him by summoning Bahamut over and over, while healing and using Quick to do double casts. He dies, we return to the earth, and see a long cut-scene. The crystals' strength is restored and the elements return to the earth. The girls become princesses, our lonely hero wanders off, Krile visits his grandfather grave. We see them all get back together and well, it ends.








No, it doesn't end. I'm still stuck in a rut. There is an earthquake undersea and another "Sealed Temple" surfaces. I am definitely under-leveled here. I beat the Gil Turtle the second time, but the fact that there aren't many consecrated save spots around makes it really hard. Until the finishing of the end game, I'll be fighting.

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• Game Time: 36 Hrs and 4 mins (+55 mins lost time)
• Days: 212
• 11 Gameovers
• Charred by Lasers from the "Soul Cannon"
• Killed by Gil turtle
• Killed by Gil turtle's quake
• Killed by Possessed Crystals
• Killed by Possessed Crystals again!
• Nuked by Bahamut's Mega-flare
• Bashed by Twintania in the Castle within the Rift
• Poisoned by Shin-Ryu in the Crystal Palace
• Drowned by Shin-Ryu in the Crystal Palace
  


• Nuked by Shin-Ryu in the Crystal Palace
  


• Burned by Dark Elementals in the sealed Temple
  

Shin-Ryu the Dragon God (Day 212)

It's been a long time since I returned to this blog, and it's not without reason that I left for so long. The truth is, I got to the end of Final Fantasy V awhile ago, but I had to defeat Shin-Ryu in the crystal palace - and that's not easy. This is definitely the hardest boss in the game, and one of the hardest bosses in all of Final Fantasy. Let's not forget his return in Final Fantasy 10. But anyway, the strategy begins.

Firstly, I don't have four coral rings, I have two. This makes it really hard because his Tidal Wave attack hits 8000 damage. Surviving the first wave meant I had to do reviving for two of my other characters. His other attacks include Poison cloud that does 800 - 1500 damage, Ice Storm that does 2 - 3000 damage, Heat Ray that does 3 - 4000, and Lightning, which causes 1 - 2000 damage on all. In addition to all that, he does Mighty Guard on himself and hits from 2500 - 4000. His evasion is only second to Omega Weapon, but still it isn't impossible.

Now I was level 46 when I first fought him, and I realize that it can not be done at that level. I had all the spells, but there just weren't enough HP. Sooner or later he'd hit you and you'd die flat. I read some strategies, but they all involved four Coral rings and having Dragon Whisker spears; which was a no go. My recourse? Back to leveling up. After dying a couple of times, yes it was humbling and agonizing, I decided that I had to go back to the castle and level up. I powered up my Canoneer job so that I can get the "EXP UP" for two of my characters. It wasn't that hard with Iron Giants walking around giving 2500 exp each (Use Odin and slice him up). I decided to stop when all my characters were level 50. It wasn't enough, but it was a difference.

The new fight against him meant a new strategy. I turned off the active battle configuration and set it on wait. It's a bit of cheating, but I really couldn't think fast enough to fight this boss. Next I set my characters to Gladiator (!Finisher, !Throw), Knight (!Cover, !Throw), Summoner (!Summon, !Time), and Mime (!White, !Black, !Time). I took off my Genji gear and put on Ice Shields and Diamond armor to fend off ice and lightning.

Now the one thing that really helped me out was the "Berserk" spell. Place it on him and he will not use spells for a couple of rounds. Next every time my mages' turns were up I'd use "Quick" so that I can use two spells. The warriors just threw Fuma Shurikens, which I used 10 of. It was a tough battle, but I defeated him after all the healing, reviving, and ninja stars.

Next update: the End Game.

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• Game Time: 33 Hrs and 6 mins (+30 mins lost time)
  


• Days: 212
  

the Humor of Final Fantasy V (Day 162)

When I talk about funny moments in Final Fantasy V I don't really mean laugh-out-loud moments, but just some scenes and lines that I find myself chuckling at. It adds to the game and I'm not sure if I should credit this to the original writers of the game or the translators for it in the American English version.

I decided to add some snapshots for you guys, as I love taking pictures.

The first one is of Gilgamesh. His story is funny, as he is a lackey for Ex-Death, and he finds himself crossing swords with you more than once. One thing that you notice is that he wears some pretty neat gear (Genji Armor set), so every time you battle him, you should start stealing. This picture shows him at the end of the bridge that leads to Ex-Death's castle; as you escape he guards the final exit. His quote, "Ha ha! Guess who's been waiting behind this door the whole time? Yes, it's me!" Just seemed funny for a video-game to me. He will live on in the Final Fantasy world as he is given a re-appearance in Final Fantasy I (remade for GBA) and Final Fantasy 10 as a summon. I guess thats what happens when the fans like a character, they get promoted to be a summon.


In this second screen-shot we see the guys all jump away from Ghido. I don't blame them, who wouldn't be startled at a talking turtle. Yes, that's what the great sage Ghido appears to be. The long search for him in the underwater cave brought you strife, but you finally meet, and the pleasure is all his. Bartz says, "Sweet Christmas, it's a talking turtle!"





This last picture shows our main character having completed his piano training. Here's another aspect of the game that has never been reproduced: piano training. In every major town of Final Fantasy V, a piano is hiding somewhere. Your mission is to play them all to improve your own piano skills. It's silly, but only takes an extra few seconds to find. Upon playing the last one, you get to call yourself a piano master, and get the last song of the game. The song enables you to gain levels, so it's not a bad thing to have. The quote says, "You have mastered the piano!!!! All others quake in fear at your superhuman keyboard manipulation skill!" I doubt this kind of writing will ever appear in later Final Fantasies, but can you blame me for finding it funny?

I have continued on my quest of completing FFV. I finally got all the magics, all the summons, and all the songs. Next up would be a lazy trip to cleaning up the blue magics, then onward to the last boss.

Next update: the end is near, again.

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• Game Time: 30 Hrs and 6 mins (+30 mins lost time)
  
• Days: 162
  
• 6 Gameovers
• Charred by Lasers from the "Soul Cannon"
• Killed by Gil turtle
• Killed by Gil turtle's quake
• Killed by Possessed Crystals
• Killed by Possessed Crystals again!
• Nuked by Bahamut's Mega-flare