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.

---

• 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.

---

• 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

Phoenix, I summon thee... (Day 149)

So the second world came and went. When Galuf is plunged in without you guys, you realize that the only way to defeat ExDeath is to plunge in with him. The story of the previous four lightwarriors is revealed, and we find out that Galuf is one of them from before. We find out that Ex-Death's castle is shielded by a barrier that prevents the good guys from getting in. To break the barrier I had to climb up the barrier tower and defeat the boss that guarded it. Of course it was Atmos, his first appearance in Final Fantasy. A giant mirror that sucks your party members in. Not only does that character die, but he can't be used anymore during the battle; pretty gruesome.

After that battle the worlds collide and you find yourself returning to your world, only that remnants of the other world exist. The worlds have collided, but whats more intriguing is that it was altogether one from long ago, but the split was done to prevent Ex-Death from reviving. The story continues as you go back to Lenna's castle. Faris is greeted to be as the princess. After a brief departure from the gathering, Bartz finds himself with a conversation with Krile. They

After the worlds unite and I have retrieved Lenna, there's a bit of free time for the foursome to roam around. With airship in hand, I finished the piano quests and became a piano master. Playing that last song to the bard in Crescent gave me the Hero's song. I visited the Phantom town and purchased some remaining level 7 magics: Arise, Hastega, and Doom.

From there I fought Bahamut. Not an easy fight, but I managed to cheat him by using Hastega and healing faster than he can do Maelstrom. I was defeated, once again. Making it the fifth death in this game. After defeating him on my second run I had to show Odin's who's boss. After acquiring these two old souls, a new quest appeared, the phoenix tower. The quest was to treck up 28 floors to find Hiryu. The dragon jumps, burns, and is reborn as the Phoenix summon. One of the most useful summons of Final Fantasy 7, I guess it first appears here. That's enough talk for now.

Next update will talk about some of the humor of Final Fantasy V, and there is plenty.

---

• Game Time: 21 Hrs 10 mins (+30 mins lost time)
  
• Days: 149
  
• 6 Gameover
• 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