RPG Progress Report

[Xeogred]

Rinoa is hands down one of my least favorite FF characters. What a bitch.

It's just amusing they kind of had an angle going with Quistis in the early parts.

But nope, gotta make room for the Tifa knockoff who hates you throughout the entire game basically.

[MrPopo]

Quistis also spends most of the game fucking up, which is sad.

[Ack]

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

Day 7 in the abyss.

I started this brief trip into the abyss on level 7 by making my way through the crypts and searching for secret doors. Success! A series of hallways brought me up against a creature of shadow but also uncovered a black sword of terrible might. I then discovered a passage back to the fire chasm, where I rounded up and slaughtered the last remaining fire elementals. The way now clear, I explored. My ring of leap proved invaluable as I hopped from platform to platform, finding an alternate way into the maze as well as perhaps the most crucial magic item I could possibly discover: a ring of levitate!

Unfortunately the ring of levitate seems a little bugged, as moving forward and back is...well, it's not always easy. The game seems particularly adverse against me traveling north while wearing the ring, but I successfully used it to seek out several more secret areas and explore before finally using the crown the imp had given me to wander the maze I had discovered. The true path revealed by the crown, I followed through until finally reaching my destination, a locked door for which I already possessed the key. I opened it with great trepidation and replaced the crown with my excellent helmet to be ready for anything.

Almost immediately I noticed movement out of the corner of my screen; it was Tyball, dreaded wizard scourge and the reason for my imprisonment. He slung magic in my direction, and I hurried to dodge away. There, in the center of the room, was his orb... I hastily pulled out the Orb stone I had found and used it on it, destroying Tyball's source of power and restoring my mana. But the wizard was not done, and he very nearly smote me with a fireball. With my last ounce of health, I charged and pushed him into a corner, where I rained down blows like a hurricane. Faced with the intensity of my onslaught, the wayward wizard crumpled before me and gagged on his own blood, his last words revealing the cruel truth of the situation: he was meant to be the hero, but his own pride had gotten in his way. A creature far worse than he lay imprisoned in the abyss below, a demon named the Slasher of Veils, and already it was loosening its bonds. With a bloody cough, Tyball died before me.

With this new knowledge, I did what had to be done. I freed the princess from her restraints and sent her back to her father, and then I slept to consult the ghost of Tyball's brother. Garamon reached out to me and informed me in my dream that I must recover his bones and bury him properly to defeat Slasher of Veils. I awoke, gathered up the keys that had fallen from Tyball's pockets as he fell, and stalked off into the dungeon of level 7 to free the few remaining prisoners I was sure were there. The three men contained within gave me an image of the old woman's lost love from level 5, a magic password for a wizard on level 6, and the key to a door to find the Key of Courage. I immediately used the key and sought out the Key of Courage, slaying all manner of monstrous foe until finally I beat down a door with my bare hands to recover my prize. With a new treasure in my possession, I called it quits for the night. But once my final few quests are complete, I'll enter level 8 and seek out the Slasher of Veils for the final combat.

[Exhuminator]

It astounds me that Ack remembers in such intimate detail his adventures in gaming. It's almost like reading a war journal.

--

Crimson Shroud
I've made it to Chapter 4. I'm at the fight with the Witch Kings just before the final boss room. I have not been able to defeat the Witch Kings yet, although I killed one last night. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back and grind for gear to meld to do this. Not something I want to do, but the only way to get stronger in this game is to meld grinded gear, since there are no levels to gain.

I still enjoy Crimson Shroud fair enough, but I'm ready to be done with it. Even though the in game clock says I only have 5 hours invested, the 3DS log says I've got 8 hours in it, and I know that's actually accurate. (I think a lot of people who posted on HLTB just posted their in-game-save time which is not accurate.) I love Matsuno, but this isn't his best work, and I'm a bit burnt out on the molasses pace. So doing a new game+ for this isn't gonna be in the cards for me any time soon.

[noiseredux]

It astounds me that Ack remembers in such intimate detail his adventures in gaming. It's almost like reading a war journal.

it's fun to read. I wish I'd keep sort of "play journals" of games I'm working on more often. I've done it w/ a few in the past and they are fun to come back and read as a composite later.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Cool posts Ack. They're like CRPG Addict worthy.

Speaking of first-person RPGs I played a little King's Field last night. And by "played a little" I mean that I promptly got owned. Didn't even make it to a save point.

[MrPopo]

I'm on the final stretch of Lagrange Point. Story-wise I just need to get to the final dungeon and kick the Bio Kaiser's ass. There are two large dungeons before I get there, and I'm hoping that when I reach his door I'll be level 50 so I can upgrade to rank 6 weapons for Gene and Kris (Rita is a lost cause for rank 6 without MASSIVE grinding). I gotta say, it is SUPER nice that the final dungeon is a warp point with the Hydrowing.

[Xeogred]

Cool posts Ack. They're like CRPG Addict worthy.

Speaking of first-person RPGs I played a little King's Field last night. And by "played a little" I mean that I promptly got owned. Didn't even make it to a save point.

YOU DIED

[PartridgeSenpai]

Well, on the People's Choice Thread's recommendation, I've started Riviera, and that game gets tough quick :/

It is KILLING ME having to decide what to throw away and what to keep with my tiny tiny inventory, when so many things can potentially give my party more stats, and when the way you level up is basically ONLY through using new items a certain number of times, it doesn't make it any easier :/

[Exhuminator]

Speaking of first-person RPGs I played a little King's Field last night. And by "played a little" I mean that I promptly got owned. Didn't even make it to a save point.

Well if it makes you feel any better, every KF game has an inverse difficulty curve. They all start off hard and get easier the further in you go. Usually by the end of the games you are damn near unstoppable. KF4 is the only one that is still pretty challenging at the end, but still way easier than it starts. KF3 starts off the hardest but is also the easiest at the end.

Anyway, don't give up! There needs to be at least one other person on this forum who has beaten the original Japanese KF besides just me.