Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo (Switch 1)

 

Here we go again!

Well, they are (or have as of release) remaking Dragon Quest VII, this time for modern console, including Switch and Switch 2. I've only played the first remake for the 3DS (Damn, almost 10 years ago... I'm getting old) and I recall that being a great time, although a bit long, but I've heard everyone else speaking about finish some of the early games like in 25 hours where I spend 100 hours so I might just be really slow. There's some buzz about changes like the casino being gone since that would net it an immediate 18 rating and that they changed how the class system works. 

The demo then, it starts from the beginning and ends before you can get to the second island, which feels like a logical end point. You get to try out some of the combat, how the story progression works and still leaves you with the mystery of why the world is what it is and leaves you on a cliff hanger. Pretty wise move. I don't recall how the 3DS version began, but I suspect that they threw in a battle a bit earlier with some spirits just so that people would get faster to a fight cause that is both a praise and complaint I've heard about the game, taking to long to get to the meat of the game with something like running around on fetch quest for 2 hours while other finds it interesting. I can find it rather ballsy.

Nothing much else to say. Beside the set up I provided for the 3DS version the first island's story is about a village of cowardly men where all women have been kidnapped and you try to figure it out. You met the warrior woman Maeve that was the younger sister of the town hero that was left to die hoping the townspeople would come and save him as he led the charge alone against the monsters of the island, but they didn't due to cowardice. And in turn Maeve turned into a vengeful spirit, but pretty much turns around when she helps this little kid that tried to protect his father. I guess feeling sympathy for him since he did pretty much what she did. And as the party storm the enemy the kid rallies the townspeople so that they actually show up for the final confrontation. It's short, it's sweet, it's a tear jerker... a great short story with tragedy. And that is what I recall from playing it all those years ago. As of writing it should arrive in four days. Can't wait.

Dragon Quest II (Dragon Quest I+II 2d-HD) (Switch)

Time for a new (old) adventure!

Well, it was just continue with the second game. Still have PTSD for the end-game with the kamikaze monkeys. The story is pretty much the same with some exceptions. For example, you get a fourth party member, the princess of Cannock. She first helps you looking for the prince of Cannock that elevated the early games and then when he gets poisoned she joins again, and more permanently after that, making the rest of the game a bit easier with another character carrying things and using magic. They also added an underwater section with mermaids and hidden depths. Hadn't I played it I wouldn't have noticed that all that was an add-on for the remake since it fits right in the world... granted, Dragon Quest-games tends to be rather easy to do this with since eventhough each game has an overarching story, it has a lot of small moments.

Is there more? Yes, they tie all three games together here, referencing each other and explaining better the relationship between, Hargon, the Dragonlord and Rubiss. There's also a hint of another adventure after beating Hargon. But to get that you gotta defeat the boss Octavian or whatever it's name was which roam the ocean in the ghost ship and let me tell you, that's a bitch to fight. Negating magic and attacks, healing a high rate every turn and dealing a lot of damage. I tried several times and then gave up... I could of course have used the lower setting to finish it off, should have thought about that before. Don't know if it's the big bad from the third game, but I'm quite content. And I got other games to play so I better get a move on.

So overall, it's a fun game, get a lot of backtracking and such to get every treasure chest after each key upgrade so I would have preferred a guide to diminish the amount of hours. But it's fun just roaming around, but after seeing the same towns and dungeons for the third game they can get a little stale, especially when there's a lot of empty treasure chests that I opened in the earlier games. As I saw someone writing, probably contender for the best upgrade on any game. Even the kamikaze monkeys aren't that problematic anymore. And 7 is on it's way as well, and then 12... wonder if we will see 4,5,6,8 and 9 as well. Although to much time seems to go RPG.

Dragon Quest I 2D-HD (Dragon Quest I+II 2d-HD) (Switch)

 

The beginning... and end?

And here the sequel... original... whatever it is, Dragon Quest I, but now in 2D-HD. I was a bit worried about playing this game again since it would be going back in progress compared to Dragon Quest III when you go solo against the dragonlord. But it worked rather well. Could be due to me using the qualities of life they added to the game, like allowing you to see hidden areas and chests on the maps so that it would cut down on running around. Yeah, searching every part of the world for some hidden area and then not be able to see it, but have to find it again afterward with improved abilities was a hassle. Much easier this way,

Took me around 24 hours and the story is basically the same. The evil dragonlord have kidnapped the princess of Tentagel so a scion of Erdrick appears and rescue her, defeat the dragonlord and brings peace to the land before leaving an settle a new kingdom for himself and his princess. I say basically since they've added a lot of cut-scenes. We get to see the princess fight of the dragonlord with the help of Rubiss and that the dragonlord kidnapped her to get the sphere of light that was given to Erdrick and then the king of Tentagel. You have actual characters like the three soldiers that hunt for the princess that you rescue, Robbin 'ood, Zalen the descendent of Galen the Bard and an adventuring party that you compete with in the beginning. So it actually feels like a post-Dragon Quest III-game. They've even added the mini-medals.

So it feels like a modern game. I will say that if I replay the series it won't be the old games I got since the game feels so much easier to play. And since they feel like a coherent story it is better to play III-I-II it seems and they even mention things after III like Erdricks longing to return home, but not being able to. Characters he meet on his journey that affected this game and so on. It feels like it should. Some people will probably complain that it feels bloated compared to the original with all side-quest and going back and forth on the map compared to the circle around on the original I believe, but since that was single enemy encounters this feels a bit more dynamic with several enemies at once. And you got Golden Golems, Metal Slimes and Liquid Metal Slimes that fastens the grinding process a lot. Especially when you get the metal boomerang for 38 Mini-Medal right before entering the Dragonlords keep where Liquid Metal Slimes can appear, meaning I got something like 3 levels right before fighting the dragonlord facing him at level 47. He was no pushover either, I had to rematch him 4 times before beating him. At least gather all of Erdricks equipment changed the look of the hero while equipped.

What I gather, beating the final boss and saving pretty much only opens up two more hidden areas so that you can find the final two Mini-Medals. No other post-game, but the hero spoke at least. Got all monsters, missed 10 things to get, but the 100 000 gold in my bank account will probably clear that if I was so inclined. So that leaves the second game.

Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter (Switch/Switch 2)

 

Wonder what skies have to do with anything since you walk most of the time.

I've heard about the Trails-series for a long time since I played Ys, being part of the Legend of Heroes-series that appears to be Falcoms biggest series beside Ys. The one thing everyone said was that it was a fantastic to get into, but there was 13 games in the series and where do you start on a game series that started out on the PSP? Well, you wait for a remake on the newest consoles of the first game of course. 

As usual I got it for the Switch since then you at least saved on the space on the console, and then just upgraded to the Switch 2. Apparently they are gonna update it to 1.05 any day forward, but I already cleared the game so some of the things I won't be seeing I guess. Story is that the country of Liberl was attacked by it's neighbor the Empire, but after 100 day was freed due to Colonel Cassius Bright who devised the plan to repel the invasion. He then joined the mercenary group the Bracers and trains his daughter Estelle. 5 years after the battle he finds a boy Joshua he brings home and adopts and 5 years after that the kids are doing their Bracer entrance exams and then starts doing jobs while Cassius leaves. An airliner is attacked by air pirates and the Bright kids gets involved since Cassius was on the liner.

From there they travel all around Liberl uncovering a conspiracy from within the Royal military of Liberl to seize power by brainwashing certain targets, for example the air pirates, a mayor here and several military commanders. You also meet several other Bracers that help you on your journey like Zin the Unmovable, Scharezard the whip-wielding drunkard, Agate the red-headed swordsman, Tita the genius, Olivier the imperial minstrel and Kloe the schoolgirl. You also meets people like the reporter and photographer of Liberl News that gives you hints on the overall story or Professor Alba getting in trouble all the time at the towers scattered across the land. 

It's a bit slow in the beginning since it took something like 10 hours leaving the first town, but when it gets going it gets going. The story always calls back with persons reappearing in a chapter after the one they introduced and you also gets some in between stories between chapters keeping the mystery pulling you along. Spoilers ahead, but nothing is what it seems and the bad guy is actually someone you can understand. His reasons for doing what he does is logical, and then in the credits pretty much it turns out someone was pulling his strings. Which I didn't see coming. The story is also interesting in that it has a female main character. Estelle is the main character and seems to be in the following two games as well and that is rather fun since she is a fun character to follow. Her goofiness and naive nature make sit fun to watch her collide with others or such things. Funny how no one talked about the woke agenda in this game with the other main character Joshua dresses up in a dress and maid outfit. One character even talks about bringing down the patriarchy. Damn posers in the gaming community.

Graphics are fine, but I noticed a flicker one time, but that was it. Music is alright and you have good voice actors like Matthew Mercer and the guy voicing Doggi and Doug. Interestingly enough the voice lines are kinda inconsistent. There are scenes when when side characters have a voiced line, but the main guys aren't voiced. Maybe it has to do with actions that affects the scene so they didn't voice them, but it feels kinda weird. The second game is on the way and I might have to get my hand on the other games in the series.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD (Switch 2)

 

Love in the Crossfire!

I thought I had written about the original game since it came out in 2014, but apparently I didn't began writing my synopsis on finished game until half a year later in 2014 so I never did it. The closest when I was writing about the follow up demo for the second game, Bravely Second. Still haven't finished that main game so might continue with that, but that will be a while since the first game has a tendency to overstay it's welcome. And I had hoped just writing about the differences from the 3DS version and skip the story and such. 

So basically the story is that the great chasm swallows Norende, the pastoral town where Tiz Arrior lives together with his brother. His brother dies in the Chasm and Tiz wakes up in the nearby capital being saved from drowning in a river. He returns to the Chasm and meet Agnes Oblige, the vestal of Wind that looks into the Chasm together with Airy the Cryst-Fairy. They are being hunted by the Eternian forces that are intent on destroying any believers of the Crystal followers. They meet with Ringabel that have lost his memory and joins them after following instructions in his journal. They also meet Edea Lee, daughter of the Grand Marshal of Eternia that switches side after the cruelty shown by the Eternian forces. Together they travel to the four crystals to awaken them and banish the darkness.

The story is pretty much callbacks to Final Fantasy I-V. The order of the crystals is reversed from Final Fantasy I with wind, water, fire and earth. The class system is brought over from Final Fantasy III and V. Braev the Templar looks a bit like paladin Cecil (and Artemis looks like his dark knight version, but that looks like all dark knights in the series) from Final Fantasy IV. The other classes looks a bit like other classes from the games. The magic system is basically the same as Final Fantasy and so on. The biggest difference being the summons that are unique and looks like modern things like planes and trains, but stylised to look like summons so like the plane looks like a bird and so on. Had they done them like in Final Fantasy with Raruh, Bahamut and so on togheter with Moogles and Chocobos it would be the continued series if they hadn't done VI and so on. 

So you get the crystals awakened, fight the asterisk bearers to get the classes and some story bits. Each country is being undermined by the Eternians in different ways so you have to clean it up. You also meet the Sage Yulyana that helps you and then Lester the vampire. After defeating them all and fixing the crystals a pillar of light appears that you enter, Artemis Dim, the dark knight follows you and after defeating him his face is revealed showing Ringabels face and then you are transported back to the beginning of the game. The game is in a time loop like the original Final Fantasy as well. SO you fight the bosses again to awaken the crystals and get more story bits. You do this five times and is in one way kinda admirable for them to stick to it, but it gets repetitious since the dialog repeats as well, making you wonder do they remember what happens between each jump? Especially when the game pretty much spells out the plot for you, Airy is a lying fairy (which at the reveal shows up on the title screen as well). She pushes our heroes to go through this since she is in actuality a demon from the abyss that helps her lord Ouroboros to connect 10 000 worlds to release Ourobors from his prison and invade the celestial realm. I got it and the numbers on her wings showing how many there is left is kinda neat when you notice it, but the characters didn't seem to get it.

You defeat Airy and then fights Ouroboros on a stage that looks like the battle with Chaos from Final Fantasy I and he begins destroying world after world (if you where a bit more social on the 3DS or Switch I have the feeling they would have named the worlds after that compared to "Someone World". Our heroes almost gives up, but then heroes from other worlds helps out (named after my AI buddies since I'm a very anti-social person). Our heroes stand up for a final battle and the background have my mii in the background (Ouroboros hints that a celestial is in Tiz and on the 3DS they used the camera to show the players face making it kinda obvious that the celestial realm is our own). You defeat Ouroboros, everyone returns to their own world (meaning Ringabel went back to the world prior to the starting world).

It's a fun game, but the endgame really drags. In both versions I maxed all jobs and levels. It doesn't make you overpowered, you still need to figure out how to break the game and I don't know if I did it on normal on the 3DS, but I got to the final subplot battles in chapter 8 and tried to go directly to Airy but got beat up so bad. That's when I needed a break with Minish Cap, but after that I just lowered the difficulty to easy and ran through the game as quickly I could. On the 3DS I spent over 100 hours and on this I was something like 90 hours and it's to much. The classic games take something like 20-30 hours and at the 40 hour mark you enter the pillar of light for the first time and would have been better if you maybe had done 2 passes, but no, 5.

What did they add then? Since it's a launch game for the Switch 2 they added things to show the systems functions. They added two minigames that is mouse based. One is a rhythm game and the other is a game where you pilot the airship. By playing you unlock entries in the journal about people you meet and you also get flower points which you can use to get equipments and items. Played mostly Love on the Battlefield-theme, and by looking at the whole Linked Horizon concert the sound was taken from I learned that Motoi Sakuraba was the man playing the synths, you know, the Golden Sun music guy. Best song ever! I spent a couple of hours playing the rhythm game with the song the singer sings. It's rather good so that wasn't a problem, but I thought I could get several ribbons so I grinded up to over 150 points and turned out I could only got 1 of them from the store. There is another in the game, but that was the moment my carefully thought out plan went away and I stuck with easy mode instead. Still, I got a silver sword as fast I got to the mini games and that was useful at the very next part of the game since it was great against undead that was all over the next area. 

So, buy it if you are interested. I got it as a game key card and I wonder if it will be the only one I got like this. As I said, haven't finished the direct sequel and haven't started Bravely Default 2 either even though I have it for Switch. Will take some time before I play it though. The new Donkey Kong game comes out next week (in 2025 when I write this) so I will play something short in between.

Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness - Enhanced Edition (PC) - Magus Awekens

 

Feed Me Seymore!

Well, went out with the fourth and furthest game I've played in the series. I got the Enhanced Edition for this as well. It added another hour of narration from John Rhys-Davies as the narrator and added in the 9th wraith from the Bargov Crypt that was dummied out of the game, probably due to time (said enemy only have 1 HP so is a bit of a pushover and you don't get anything so it doesn't add much). As usual for these play throughs it was trying to go only on information I knew, but solving the Squid stone I think the only information you get is from Davy after you been put under a geas to get the rituals meaning the final three days of the game. At least the game acknowledge different routes. For example the Leshy's riddles, being a magic user I could bypass the whole rhyming scheme and talk to Bonehead to learn that it is Baba Yaga, but the Leshy tries to shame me for not validating the fact.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum... I have no shame.

Still, a great game to play through with the voices and such. The add-libs or what ever from the three townspeople are a joy to listen too, and actually a bit more funny than the text as written. John Rhys-Davies is great as the narrator. Some blemishes like Magda that have two voices or when John Rhys-Davies have to step in for some reason like with Funny Bones in one scene. And that Igor's fate is spoiled by the voice over by the three locals in their introduction. But overall a great voice cast, I can still mimic parts of Boris speech pattern.

Now, last time I had a bit of problems with bugs and whatnot. In ScummVM I couldn't get past the Squid Stone on my way out of the Dark Ones Cave for the first time so I used DosBox to get it working. This time ScummVM actually runs really great. No problems with the Chernoevoy in Swamp or such things. I encountered another crash though when I left the Rusalka one time, but that seemed to have been a coincidence. There was another more fatal problem though, each time I entered a screen with a Wraith Mound the game crashed instantly. And that is a problem since I was running out on funds. Looking around for a solution on the internet I found out that you can get money from a lantern in Erana's Garden for free so I got that which forced me to avoid meeting the wraiths in the forest. Now, before the wizard seemed to be have been the most bugged out class of them all, but now it was to my advantage, since I tried it with fighter and couldn't get past the wraith either. And to get the final Ritual you have to find it in a Wraith mound, except for the Wizard who has to get Erana's staff and fight the fairies for it. Praise be the wizards. 

I tried playing the vanilla version instead of Enhanced Edition and it still crashes for me there, both with wizard, fighter and thief. But, the Floppy DOS-version works... don't no why since it's the same files, but it works. A pity the save files aren't shared between version so I can't play it with voices, change over to DOS-version to fight the Wraiths and then turn it back. Cause if I continue with the replaying as the other classes during this summer, I probably have play the DOS-version from the beginning. It might also be that the latest update of ScummVM broke something and will be fixed in the future (maybe I have to even make a complaint myself since I see no one else do it and it is listed as excellent on their compability chart). 

Well, did some digging and the fact is that the Floppy version wasn't the same files, it was something I got from another source, which made me think a bit. Was it the GOG files I've had on my computer, or was it files from somewhere else? Well it turned out to be from somewhere else. I got the GOG version installed and checked, that worked so I grabbed those files and put them in the map for ScummVM and after some back and forth I finally got it all to work, Enhanced Edition and normal version both. Sadly my Magus files where corrupted, but the save for V was saved I hoped.

Still a great game, but I hate the combat, which also makes a remark I saw someone make that 1 & 2 you max out your stats, 3 you do the best you can and 4 you just do whatever. I can really see it. Max Mana, Magic and Intelligence and the only spell that maxed out was flame dart. Ended the game also with 5 points missing. Have no clue what that could have been, or if I rushed the dreams of Erana or readings from Magda. Hopefully I can get 5 working so we finally can see something new. And what do you know, it doesn't work. Well I be... time to look for some launchers or patches that can get it working.

Quest for Glory III: Wages of War (PC) - Enhanced Edition - Magus Awakening

 

The Sacrifice for the Gaming Gods!

Continued directly with the next game. This time I played the Enhanced Edition (which means a fan made patch was applied to try to fix things that wasn't working and bringing back things that was left on the cutting floor). Now, I'm not that familiar with this game since I've only played through it once before so I can't really say what is different other than a scene with Uhura in the Simbani village after the failed Peace Conference and that the meerbat you can get the glowing eye from is gone for mages and thieves since they are supposed to get it from the statue in the Lost City. And you actually can train magic in your room in Tarna, but if you do your honor takes a real hit so be prepared to spend a lot of commons on the drummer in the market.

Overall the game felt better paced than last time I played and I can't say if it was due to me actually following the story or that the patch fixed the order a bit. I somehow was able to max out Strength and magic as the only major attributes. Magic I was able to get flame dart and force bolt to max. This time the game didn't majorly bug out on me, don't know if luck or that the patch and ScummVM have ironed them out, but leaving the giant tree I noticed I just walked across the screen. Same thing happened back at the Inn, and I actually got stuck in a loop where I tried to leave but Magus went back into the Inn. I was able to get out by going through the other door. 

Replaying it... I feel this is probably the weakest of the four I've played. Very much walking back and forth and the game feels a bit empty. I gathered 20 dino horns, but they where totally worthless for me. I could at least have sold them to someone? As I said last time, Tarna felt very small and it just shows again since it only took me one day too play through it. I can see that it was made in haste to cover a stopgap between Trails by Fire and Shadows of Darkness, that once again is teased at the end of the game. 

Quest for Glory 2: Trails By Fire (EGA) - The Grind of Magus

 

Dawn of yet another adventure!

Continued onward with the second game, also playing the EGA-version. Gotta say, the map for Shapier I had printed out looked awful so I had to write the names beside the printed names to know what the streets was called. And I have a terrible hand-writing. Anyway, I can safely say that when the first game is a matter of preference between VGA and EGA, the VGA-version of the second game is obviously better. I expected stuff I thought was part of the original game like the acrobat or finding the Poet in a plaza and returning his purse, but I guess it was only the VGA-version (I've later checked and no, they are in the game, the acrobat you need acrobatics and the poet in the plaza I just missed). And since it can allow you to use both parser and point-and-click the grinding for future wizards should go faster. It allows it to be more stuff to do and train your skills a bit easier. But I gotta assume it's easier to become a paladin in the EGA-version since I did become it without reaching max score and using the X-ray glasses while helping... hrm, maybe I should keep quiet about that.

Well, I maxed out magic and enhanced it with a wish up to 250 so I'm prepared for the next adventure. Dodge, Weapon skill, Intelligence and Agility was maxed out for 200 and I used the second wish to get Strength to around 195 so I can get the stamina and health high enough. Magic skills was harder. I probably began grinding them to late and should have bought more mana pills earlier, but I maxed Flame Dart, Force Bolt and Open. Fetch something around 179 and Detect Magic around 187. Most other spells around 100 (from the last game) and the new spell Reversal was around 63 while Levitate around 44. Had problems finding a place to cast the spells, but when I realized I could stand in the streets it went better. Wish I had thought of standing outside Aziza from the beginning instead of W.I.T. 

The parser makes the game immersive as the first game, but due to the need to "greet", "thank" and "Say goodbye" to grind on the communication and honor skills it was a bit irritating since I didn't always knew if I did it correctly. Much easier in the VGA-version since you have options. Also since they expected you to tell things I was a bit more lost and I didn't realize I could ask about rumors or news until a week in the game. It's obviously better than the original, but makes it harder for me. And sitting and typing out the wishes for the ring djinn was absolut hell since "wish transport" or "wish iblis" didn't work and I swear I wrote "wish for transport to iblis", but it didn't take the first time and it made it hard to understand what I was doing wrong. 

I won't say it was a bad idea playing the original version, it's still a great game, but I might go forward with only the VGA-remake from now on (unless I want a fighter-paladin on the first try compared to the VGA:s near-impossible list. It's also fun to look at the ending when they hype Quest for Glory III: Shadows of Darkness which is the fourth game in the series. Especially since that version getting added to ScummVM making it so easy just let the saves lie in the same place and no care in the world. 

Overall, if I'm gonna compare the first two games, the game has at least more instances of music, but the time limit is a bit annoying at times. Nothing obviously bad, but still. Still, the endgame feels more epic than storming the brigands fortress. Stopping the summoning of Iblis feels threatening and the much better music drives it home.

Quest for Glory 1: So You Want To Be A Hero? (EGA) (Computer) - Return of Magus

 

You again?

So, I finally got my hand on Quest for Glory V, but now I lost the save so what do I do? Well, it's been a couple of years... wow, 9 years? Really? So better start over and technically, my characters wasn't named Magus at the time, so let's fix that. How do I make it new? I play the original EGA-version, meaning I gotta type everything,,, how fun!

Same game so there's noting to comment there. I would say I think grinding with the magic user goes faster in this version sine type "cast #spell name" and then enter and bring up the spell again with space bar. Emptying the mana pool goes in seconds. So I actually maxed out all statistics beside strength that ended at 99... which I think also effected Health to stay at 99. 

So, the difference between EGA and VGA, besides the graphics and how you play the game. The EGA version forces you to interact with it on more levels. In the VGA all dialog is in a dialog tree which you have access to from start to finish, I can ask the Sheriff most of the things to get all points from dialog options. The EGA version on the other hand forced me to write down namnes and interesting things on paper beside me. I also kept a paper for writing what I got score for, enabling me to backtrack if I died without saving and writing a map (which I probably should do for all games anyway from Sierra). I also have all manuals in a binder together with other Sierra things like copy protection things so I might make the summer 2025 like a Sierra-summer.

I haven't played games like this since I played through Myst something like 20-25 years ago, pen and paper heightens it all. Could I have finished this as a kid? Probably not, I would probably have been afraid to enter the forest. It was kinda fun putting up a small TV-screen, connect it to the computer and keyboard and mouse. The mouse for this version is kinda pointless, the only thing I used it for was Mage's Maze (which I won on the first try... after restarting and reading the instructions on how it worked... it counts!). And another thing, the battles look better in the EGA-version, maybe doesn't play better, but getting the monsters and enemies front first in detail looks amazing. They are basically spam attack or flame dart until I decided to grind out certain spells like Zap and Dazzle. Also, music is very sparsely used, only having it at the intro, Erana's Peace, Kobold's Cave, Baba Yaga's place, the whole Brigands hideout and all battle scenes. Not much sound either, but checking on the VGA-version the instant you start there is a theme in the town and sounds from Otto's yo-yo. Music was more impactful  in EGA, especially when I accidentally pushed Ctrl-U and disabled all music and it took me a minute to get it back on.

Took me a weekend from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Helped that I knew what to do. I tried to play is straight, but I jumped finding the Baronet and went to overhear  the meeting between Brutus and Bruno since I didn't recall how to know about it until it just popped up that there was a supposed to be a note in the tavern, but as the magic user I don't really have a reason to be there than to drink ale or being robbed or killed. Nothing points me there and when I recalled it, it was to late. Probably the thing that missed me the last 8 points before hitting 500. Overall, games still fun and imaginative. Some things doesn't add up, like the Kobold fight. Apparently the optimal thing to do for the magic user is kill it with magic before it can do the same, but getting the key dismisses the kobold and you can get it as a magic user by using Fetch if your skill is high enough. Normally, using the non-killing solution usually give more points in Sierra's games, but not here funny enough. Instead MAGIC DUEL TO THE DEATH! OH YEAH! I forgot it was here. How fun.

Lunar: Silver Star Story (Lunar Remastered Collection) (Switch)

 

I mean, look at the helmet!

A remaster of the first game in the Lunar-series. Originally for the Sega CD (and was released on the Sega Mega Drive Mini II in Japan, but due to disagreement on payment it didn't follow with the western releases), later ported for Playstation 1 and Sega Saturn and then remade for the modern consoles. Fun with some old-school JRPG. Tells the story of Alex that wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Dyne the Dragonmaster. Together with Luna sets out on an adventure, first helping their friend Remus get a diamond from the White Dragon that lives in a cave near by and then taking it to the closest town to sell it. The story balloon from there where you meet Jessica, the daughter of the beastman hero Mel and her on and off boyfriend Kyle the bandit. You also meet Nash that takes you to Vane, the town of magicians. There you meet Mia and are set out to look into the fake Dragonmaster... and then it turns out that the magicians leader have been usurped by an imposter that have you arrested. Mia breaks you out and you unveils this conspiracy. Ghaleon, one of the four heroes joins you towards the white dragon to ask for help.

Well, turns out Ghaleon is the real mastermind behind it and captures the white dragon, kidnaps Luna (over the course of the game singers have been kidnapped so one would assume that's why they got Luna since her singing have magical effects). Alex is saved from the cave by Laike, a friend Alex and Luna met while leaving their town of Burg. Setting off with the other friends Alex looks to complete the trails set by the other dragons in order to become the Dragonmaster and stop Ghaleon. Turns out that Luna is the reincarnated goddess Althena who gave up her life to ensure that humans had free will and stood on their own legs and didn't depend on her. Ghaleon was a bit more cynical and believed humans needed a strong leader and if Althena wouldn't do it he was the one to carry the mantle. And Laike is Dyna and the world is probably our moon and the blue star they have as a moon is probably our earth they escaped from in ancient times when humans almost destroyed themselves. 

It's a standard JRPG, I think they modeled it after Final Fantasy IV since Alex turning into the Dragonmaster feels like Cecil becoming a paladin. Nash betrays you like Kain and Ghaleons armor looks  a bit like Gobbels. And their is 5 playable characters at the most! Well, it was fun. One town was the frontier town of Pao where people got sick as the evil songstress sang a song. I think that part is inspired by the Song of Hiawatha or one of the stories based on Hiawatha's life since after watching the feature on Disney's Pocahontas where they described how they tried to adopt it since Walt Disney's days (beside the kid Hiawatha short that spanned a lot of comics) and then ended with Pocahontas... would have preferred the supernatural Hiawatha than Pocahontas to be honest.

It was fun. Music was good and the remastered wide-screen graphics looks good. They have a lot of animated scenes introducing characters and pivotal moments in the story and they due their job, but at times the designs feel a bit generic... and the Dragonmaster armor looks kinda goofy. What is that helmet? It's just a cap! Voice acted and I get it's a new dub to avoid the problems the Sega Mega Drive Mini II had. The ending focused a lot on Alex and Luna's love for each other's and it's sappy, but I'm weak for this romantic moments. As Alex said, the human spirit will prevail. And for future me, remember that when you get into the thieves guild to return and get the locked chests since when I recalled it in this playthrough, two of them was locked out.

Suikoden (PS1) (PS3)

 

Now I get it, the painter painted the cover of the game!

Well, I was waiting for the Suikoden remaster to come for the Switch, but for some reason as of writing it has gone two weeks and it seems to be stuck somewhere. Didn't really bother since I'm waiting for the Xenoblade Chronicles X to come out this following week and that is a 100 hour commitment at least. So I decided to continue the playthrough I started in 2024, but never finished (don't recall why, but it didn't take me 8 hours to finish). Was recommend this by the one driving me to work at the saw mill back in 2013 so I got them for the PS3. Konami's own RPG-series.

So your the son of a high-ranking General in the Empire. The Golden Emperor Barbarossa have been turning evil for some reason and his closest advisor, the sorcerer Windy is whispered to be behind it. One day you meet up with Ted, a friend and after some mission to check the taxes of a northern village Windy intercepts you and kills Ted since he carries the Soul Eater Rune. Before being killed Ted gives the rune to you so now you gotta escape the might of the Empire. You join up with an resistance group lead by Odessa Silverberg and Flik and Victor. After a mission your hideout is found out and Odessa is killed. The rest gives leadership to you so you start the Liberation Army.

So you have to gather the 108 Stars of Destiny in order to stop the Emperor and Windy. It's a fun game and is not only an RPG, but also a base builder and strategy game (although the strategy is kinda minimal). Yes, a strategy game where you take control of the Liberation Army and have to lead them to victory by choosing the right attack or use special things like Ninja's to get information on the plans of the enemy, Merchants to make the enemy army turn to your side and so on. Fun distractions, if it wasn't for the reason that your 108 Stars of Destiny can die in the battle for some reason (seems mostly RNG). 

Really, the most trouble with the game is probably the 108 Stars of Destiny. You gotta collect them all, but of course some of them are missable or hidden behind side-quests and so on. So I used a guide through it all. Maybe when I replay it on Switch I might play it more legit, since it was so slow on the PS1 with reloading and so on. Actually, I spent most of the time gambling with Gaspar to accumulate enough gold to keep the Stars of Destiny you could take with you upgraded in armor and equipment. A pity that the max amount was only 999 999, but it at least forced you to constantly use it since the end-game allows you to hit that amount fairly easy just by battling monsters. 

Cause that cost a lot. Also interesting in that level grinding isn't really a thing in the game. Characters get EXP depending on how tough the monsters are according to their level which allows you to easy level up a character that have lagged behind, but the cost to sharpen the weapons is really step at the end and matters more. But just save/restore the save if you succeed on the gambling and since each time you win you can gamle it all the winnings add up really fast.

In the end I had fun, but as the end credits roll and each of the 108 Stars of Destiny gets a small note like in Skies of Arcadia I just can't feel for all of them since frankly, I've forgotten most of them. Skies of Arcadia only had what, 22 characters in your crew? That's manageable, 108 isn't. Especially since very few of them has any story beside joining. A bit of waste I think. Well, some returned for the sequel which I also have, but I might not finish it since as mentioned, in 4 days Xenoblade Chronicles X is supposed to be released and this took me 26 hours and I would suspect that Suikoden II would take the same amount of time. 

Ys Memoire - The Oath in Felghana (Switch)

 

Wait... which Oath was it we took in Felghana?

Been a while as of writing. The usual winter slump so I haven't finished a game since december and as of writing we are one week from March in 2025. It's also due to playing a game I really had a big dislike for, which was Fantasian Neo Dimension. I got half way through and just didn't have any fun with it and after spending 1 hour fighting a boss to get killed I just gave up. Maybe I will come back to it, but I just don't feel like it.

So instead I went with Ys Memoire - The Oath in Felghana which I gathered is a remaster of a game from 2005 that was a remake of Ys III: Wanderers of Ys. It uses the same type of gameplay as Ys Origin and was a much better time. Much shorter as well with something like 12-15 hours of gameplay on Normal from start to finish. So Adol Christin and Dogi has arrived at Dogi's homeland, but monsters are running around so Adol gets to rescue Dogi's childhood friend Elana Stroddard. More trouble brews when the corrupt lord of Felghana, Lord McGuire tries to gather the 4 holy statues in order to take control of an ancient god. Helping the lord is Dogi's childhood friend Chester Stoddard and Elana's brother.

Fight monsters, level up, get money and Ravel ore to buy and upgrade your equipment and then of course you have to defeat the evil god yourself. There's revenge, betrayals, heartache, tears, laughter and Dogi crushing a wall. It felt amazing. And somehow Adol loses all the equipment I fought for, the sword I get since it's story reason, but the shield and armor? And level 1 again? I maxed him out both in Ys I & II as well as Ys X that take place before this. 

Overall, just what I needed. An relative easy and short experience. Dogi is the same voice actor and it was fun to discover that the voice actress for Elana is the voice actress for Colette in Tales of Symphonia. And the game ends with Dogi staying and Elana standing and waving Adol of as she cries... man, Adol ends every game with a beautiful woman crying over him. Makes me think of the Quest for Glory-series and makes me wondering if they like that series will end with a final series and the possibilities to meet people from all the games. Before that I still have Ys IV-VII to play. 

Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake (Switch)

 

The father of JRPG:s!

So the long awaited remake of the third Dragon Quest game finally came around. I played one version before, the mobile port they added to the Switch. I recall liking that so I was a bit itching to play it again, and this time in SquareEnix HD-2D engine they used for the Octopath Traveller games. It starts like normal, some personality quests and once again I got Lazybone... I mean, he only wants me to push the rock once, why would that make me lazy? I can also choose difficulty affecting how quickly you level up and how much gold you earn. Since this wasn't my first time playing the game and since I gotten a taste for classic challenges from RPG:s I went with the Draconian Difficulty (the Hard mode that is).

Glad I did since I ended the game with the Hero having a level of 54 and I can't say I grinded that much in comparison (maybe getting a thief from level 1 to 40 to check all the areas for treasure might have had something to do with it). Still, the game starts of as usual, get your party and head out. I chose the classic combo of Hero, Warrior, Mage and Priest. No class change. On one hand, a really good combo for battles since you have everything you need, but the additions of mini medals, secret areas and monster collecting makes the choice a bit harder. I should probably have taken a Hero, Thief, Mage and Priest since that allows you to find secrets, sneak up on monsters and using healing and attack spells like no other. 

They've also added the monster wrangler as a new class that has a very easy time getting the monsters since it bypass all the other problems, like using musk to hide your scent, evade to make yourself invisible and Padfoot sneak up on them. It's worth getting the monsters since fighting in the monster arena gets you great stuff (and finding things with the thief does as well, no problem with money this time). I didn't fight in the arena until the second world when I had pretty OP party. Got me through all the battles in the first world, couldn't get through in the second world. 

Played the game to fight of Zoma in 74 hours which is a bit longer than in the first version I played and there is much more, besides the other things I've mentioned you also have secret areas that doesn't show up on the map, but contain recruitable monsters and/or items the thief can help you find. And going around the world with a thief to find them all after the fact probably added up (I also trained the monk up to level 39 or so at the same time just to see it). You also can have a constant reminder where to go next which I believe activate when you here information to that affect, but I'm not sure. You also have a recall function where you press X and the latest conversation is recorded to look up in the menu, great for keeping track of hints in the game (wish I got that in the beginning and not when I ended up in the second world). 

Still, even with all that I'm still too dense at times, like forgetting that the destroyed town should probably have something to say at night so I went back there several times wondering why I can't get the orb there. Or trying to traverse Soma's Castle and after almost giving up finding the hidden passage below the throne. Still, it is fun playing it and compared to the Final Fantasy games I've constantly have to wrestle with which version to play, this is the best version as of now. I heard there was some controversy since they put shorts on the female warrior (not mention that it isn't called male or female, but type A or type B). Now, I'm a man that can appreciate the exposed skin of 2D characters, but this scandal(?), is just in bad faith. I mean, I spent the final portion of the game with my male hero and his three supporting female characters all decked out in bikinis because those where the best armor for them. Why are then the Internet complaining about some shorts on the female warrior when I can use the "blessed bikini" on her? What's even the problem? Other people are ****ing insane!

The ending then, they put in a too be continued for the next games that will come in 2025 which I'm already waiting for and apparently they are gonna give you some bonuses for clearing the third game so I'm ready. They also made a twist in the ending with the dragon lord egg left by the dragon queen. Apparently it's protected by the priest Hargon... which was the big bad for Dragon Quest II... implying that the dragon lord in the egg might be the dragon lord you face of in Dragon Quest I? I'm excited. I wonder if they are gonna add the party system into the other titles or if they are gonna stick with the original intent of the games which is fine, but kinda makes the games less varied. Still dread the kamikaze monkeys in the second game. Anyway, I got the end-content dungeon to traverse in this game left to meet the Almighty and get some wishes. First encounter was no problem, the trolls I just brute forced, the second encounter went to hell with Barmosa wizards spamming Kaboom several times killing the party before I could react... this will take some time, but Fantasian Neo Dimension comes out next week as of writing. Choices, choices! Hope I don't have to finish the extra content to get bonus for the other games. If I would repay this game, I would probably go for a Hero, Thief, Mage and Priest line-up and after getting all the stuff for the the Thief class change it to a warrior since the damage is rather needed. Or should I do it the other way around since the Thief passive stealing ability is kinda useful for farming seeds... as stated, choices, choices.

Happy Christmas everyone! When this went up I was asleep waiting for Santa as it is Christmas Eve in Sweden and we celebrate Christmas the day before everyone else.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES Classic Edition)

Always loved this sword.

So I'm waiting on Dragon Quest III: 2D-HD Remake to be released in November 2024 so I prefer playing shorter easier games and the NES is perfect for it so played through Zelda II again on the NES Classic Edition. So long I got a save state function I can fix it meaning the last versions I have on the Wii Virtual Console and Zelda Game & Watch I probably won't be able to finish. I can probably get to the great palace, but since extra lives don't stack I've have a hard time both getting there as well as getting through the palace with the jumping chozo warriors they seem to populate the palace with. And the damn Thunderbird ain't no pushover either.

Up until that point it's a great game, the only other faults of the game would be finding the hidden town and realizing the flute open the way to the hidden palace. Otherwise everything works rather well. Went and got the magic jar and the first heart container as well as the jump spell without the candle, being the only sequence break I could do. It's a very linear game really since there's hardly any point going different palaces since you need the things in them up until the next palace, and going in there to snatch items and go to a different palace feels rather redundant.

I still find the game fun to play, but get a guide with maps for palace 4-6 and the great palace. I finished the game below 6 hours and with only 007 continues. Fun number, but I find the time interesting since I feel like as a kid I could spend 5 hours before even entering the first palace.

Ys X: Nordics (Switch)

Invaders!

Finished yet another Ys game, the latest released and it take place... between II and IV? Well, that screws over the timelines overall, but apparently a remaster of III is coming next year (that is 2025 I might add as of writing, not 2026 at the posting of this... post). So Adol and Dogi is traveling with a cruise ship on the Balta sea (which I assume is the Baltic... but since there is a volcano here I would guess we are somewhere in the north Atlantic with Iceland maybe being Balta Island). Suddenly the ship is attacked by Norman vikings belonging to the Balta Seaforce lead by Princess Karja Balta. And after the battle Karja decapitates the captain as he hasn't paid the dues and this is his second warning. The Normans take them to Carnac, an island under the Seaforce protection. The citizens and the Normans have an uneasy alliance and while Adol and his friends wait for another ship to continue their journey he walks around the shore and finds a seashell. The seashell belongs to a water spirit named Lila that grants him the power of Mana, meanwhile Karja shows up and wants to spar with Adol again. Both uses Mana and suddenly Karja and Adol is shackled together by a Mana link so they can't leave each others side. 

But the bad luck begins piling up. Griegrs attack the town, undying monsters that can only be killed with Mana. After trying to save the townsfolk the whole town is raided and Karja and Adol escape with a ship and Grenn, the mayors son and friendly militia guard who leads the Youth Brigade. As they are followed by the Griegrs the Seaforce finds them and destroys the Griegrs. They are brought to Balta Island and joins the Thing led by Jarl Grimson, Karja's father. They draw up a battle plan to fight this supernatural threat. Adol must take a test to become Karja's Shield brother so that they can set up and patrol the seas. They also encounters a puppet griegr which turns out to be Dogi, cursed by one of the generals leading the Griegr. So you basically travel the sea, looking for griegrs to fight and save the townsfolk you can find. So a bit like VIII and the rescuing of the shipwreck survivors. 

Meanwhile, after picking up certain artefacts or a just before death experience Adol seems to be sent to some limbo realm, Viewpoint Island, where you meet this old man who has lost his memory. Since we are in Scandinavia I thought it was maybe one of the gods, like Odin (or Harr as he is known in this game), except he haven't lost an eye or maybe Thor. He usually helps you unlock more abilities from your artefacts and then you return to use them to avoid certain death or progress the game. On the seas you also find runestones bearing the tale of Rollo of the Bloody Sea, a Norman Viking that sailed the seas 100 years ago that spread fear across the world, until he mellowed out, built the Duchy of Novgorod and then disappeared in the Great Calamity that seems to have drenched the whole world or something. 

So the plot is that the Trident, the three generals that is, is looking for a vessel for their liege, an offspring of Rollo. Turns out that it's the Balta family and since Karja is the only living member (since her father married into the family) she is the target. Killing the generals makes her absorb them and awaken a bloodlust and berserker mode hinting on Rollo's return. In the end you find Lila who is the one that made Rollo turn nice by purging the malice in him which created the Trident that she then sealed away. They somehow caused the Great Cataclysm and then was sealed of again, until they were able to escape by trapping Lila in the same prison. And that was something like 6 months ago that kicks off the plot. Rescuing Lila you are called to look for Viewpoint Island and it turns out the old man is Rollo and he survived 100 years ago and ended up on Viewpoint Island where he prepared for the day to be defeated to stop the Tridents to repent for all the bloodshed he caused. 

Adol and Karja kills him, a viking funeral later, Adol, Dogi and Dr. Flair (another traveler with them from the second game) is taken to Spain or France according to the map by Karja and the game is over. Plays mostly the same as earlier games I've played in the series. Naval combat is new and a bit of fun distraction. Played it on Normal and the game isn't that hard. Hardest boss was the worm you fight directly after the demo ends and that is due to the low resources you have. In the end you have so much bottles and lunchboxes it is hard to kill the main characters. I even succeed putting on an item that blocked experience and turned them into gold. Did it at level 70 and realised it before the fight with the super boss. I still beat him and got 4 levels right out of the gate. I then used the level and EXP boosters so that I could bridge the gap I've missed out. Still feels VIII is better, but the more colourful world places it over IX for me. Speaking of IX, in that game there was also viking gods and such... but they have changed the name for some reason. Grimnir is now Harr (which is Odin the Allfather) and I just don't get it? Why? Was it to close to Griegr or something like that? Well, gotta wait for III and then see if there will be a XI.

Final Fantasy (NES Classic Edition)

Deja Vu

I've just been to this place before

Higher on the street and I know it's my time to go

... I feel like I'm stuck in a time-loop! Again!

So I played through the Ys X: Nordic Demo in wait for the full release of the game on Switch, but I beat that and my copy of the Tintin Reporter game was late so I thought I could fire up the NES Classic Edition and play through the original Final Fantasy. I tried to mod the console to fix the bugs and make it a bit more working and faster, but my Mac didn't want to play with me on that regard so it was what I had in the box.

Somehow I feel that I can understand why people still play this version even though all the bugs and non-working things in it. It's just fun. Especially when I know a couple of things like Peninsula of Power, where to find the magical items and how to properly use some of the classes, like Monk where no weapons and armour is the way to go and what magic to go for. Still fighter, monk, black mage and white mage. 

Now, using the save state function on the console elevates a lot of the stress if you play it as intended. Pause in dungeons, restart directly beside bosses to try if luck is with you the second time (used that for every encounter in the Ice Caverns) and skip the problem with the house bug where they save before replenishing spell charges so in the normal game you have to use another tent or cottage (houses cost 3000 gil so no) to save after healing up. Funny enough I actually changed class at level 19 and beat the game on level 28-29. Don't enjoy having to buy a single item at a time.

I can actually recommend playing as is if you want too. I know some mention the guide in the manual as a necessity, but I actually think the game does decent at explaining what to do and you hardly need maps (I used them to speed up everything, I guess I would have a bit higher level if I wandered around a bit more). And with that I only have the Wii Virtual Console left to play of these versions and that one doesn't have save states so I guess when I play that version that will be the most legit run I will do, and maybe Switch it up with a fighter, monk, red mage and white mage party.

So, recommended over other versions? I like the graphics, but I miss the cut scenes they added in later versions. A bit hard getting what happened after giving the TNT to the dwarf that blew up the canal. This also enforces my thought that 1/2 EXP on the Pixel Remaster would be the better option (would have to try since they changed the stats for Chaos and maybe making a low-level run around 30 levels makes it a bit harder). Would I play this version again? Maybe if I mod the console to get a working version with all the bugs and such just to experience it. It's not unplayable by any means, the player just have to change perspective for a much slower and more methodic combat. Especially when you use people to heal with the heal helmet and heal staff to save on the potions while the damage dealers just wreck havoc on the enemies. 

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Castlevania Dominus Collection) (Switch)

 

The moon rises yet again!

The final of the three DS games on the collection. And I've played it not that long ago after playing through the Advance Collection since I just wanted to continue the stories. Pretty much the same as last time, except that I actually had to play the game legit from beginning to end. And I recalled that in a normal play, the game is hard. Went through a lot of potions and meals I tell you. 

Overall, it get's better as the game went on, but it's a bit obnoxious. A lot of item and glyph grinding to finish quests or even get enough levels to stand a chance. Cause you gotta do the quest of the villagers to get useful items like the more effective potions and armors. At least the castle actually feels like fully explored compared to Portrait of Ruin. Nice with a lot of voice clips, both the intro scene, all the villagers and a lot more monsters having voices beyond the succubus.

So of the three, I actually end up with Portrait of Ruin the best. Didn't think that back in the day. It's more fun to play through and the choices of weapons and such is more interesting. 

The Dominus Collection then. It was really good. The main three games are good either way, I've only played around the Haunted Castle bonuses on there since it's bit much for me with the arcade feeling of it. One thing I was bothered with was that the three main games wasn't in release order of Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order Ecclesia. No they put it in Order of Ecclesia, Portrait of Ruin and Dawn of Sorrow. I get that they where going for in-game chronology order since Order of Ecclesia is 1888, Portrait of Ruin 1944 and Dawn of Sorrow something like 2036. You get art and music so it's all nice. Some people wished for Symhony of the Night and Rondo of Blood, and I would like that too, but hopefully there will be another collection... and I would like the 64-games as well to see if with a better controller I might get around it. Or Konami can give me a Mystical Ninja collection so that I can have Mystical Ninja 64 Starring Goemon at home.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Castlevania Dominus Collection) (Switch)

Time to break out the whip again!

Well, continued with the other game in the series, Portrait of Ruin. Nothing much to add from the last time I played it. I somehow enjoy this game a bit more than Dawn of Sorrow this time around. I actually almost 100 % the main game by grinding all items from the monsters and such, I got through the Nest of Evil around level 65 compared to the level 80 I was on my first playthrough. Probably got lucky since the Castlevania III cameos got into a loop where I could stand in a corner and whip Trevor until he died, beat Grant after that and Sylpha was rather easy after that moment. Didn't take 8 hours this time, but it was enjoyable enough. It might have to be due to the music, I prefer the music in this game than Dawn of Sorrow, it is more "forceful" here compared to the other game. 

That and the customisation of the main characters. It's fun to change sub-weapons and such compared to the soul system of the last game. The only one that would probably need some work though is Charlotte since it's a lot of changing around spells and such for her being good in special situations. Jonathan is a lot better. Maybe it's the fact it's a whip-wielding hero with options. Or that the quest system is actually rewarding in revisiting area beside grinding. Although, one quest I realised doesn't jive with modern life and that was to talk with Wind when it's between 12 and 1 (am or pm). I work or sleep at that point, I had to do that at midnight between Friday and Saturday pretty much expanding the game for a couple of days. My whole weekend was off after that... god I'm getting old! 

Some things I realised I like less with the game is the map, the castle map is so small, hardly any secret rooms and the left side of the castle map is empty. Usually the map covers the whole screen. And the paintings are pretty much a straight line with a loop back to the beginning. And the fact that the second half of the painting is just the same first maps again is rather boring. But it's a solid game, and there is no touch screen shenanigans that hold Dawn of Sorrow back... at least in the main game.

There is the sisters mode that exclusively plays with the touch controls on the DS. They did the stick option like the in Dawn of Sorrow for the ice breaking ability. It works rather well, I find that Loretta's Ice magic being the best option to traverse the castle since you only need to aim direction. compared to Stella's slash attacks where you need to mov the cursor back and forth. Didn't finish it, I thought I just needed to reach Brauner to finish the mode, forgot you needed to defeat the bosses in each painting in order to get near Brauners sanctum. Maybe I will play the alternate modes some other time when I play through all the games. Less grinding for most of them since there is no items to get.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Castlevania Dominus Collection) (Switch)

 

They are all here!

Well, I didn't think they would port the DS games when I played through them after the Advance collection, but here we are and I had to get them right after the Direct. And I finished Dawn of Sorrow three days later. And I had a better time it seems than last time. Is it that I played it on Normal Mode? Is it due to not having to use touch screen controls? Maybe the bigger screen? Who knows, I enjoyed myself greatly this time either way.

It's the same story so no need to add to that from the last time, so let's go on how the game play. And as mentioned there are improvements. The Magic Seals work using button prompts now, wish they weren't there at all like in Julius mode, but it's workable. Didn't have that much of trouble when I trained up some of the seal combos. They are also nice enough if you miss the first attempt they highlight which buttons to press. Thanks for that!

Then the screen, since it was a duel DS screen in the original they decided to put all three beside each other with the main screen being the gameplay and the others being a status screen and a map. Diminish the need to shuffle around the other screens. Played it mostly on handheld mode due to using the TV for other things. The screen is bigger than my 3DS so no problem with that. It works fine. You have the option to change the screens for example emulate the DS screen set up, but not a single lone screen. I don't know why, at times I would like to have the whole screen with just the battle, for example bosses since I don't need the map and mostly you don't need the status screen. A bit of complaint online about this as well.

I won't play Portrait of Ruin right now since Nintendo also released the next Famicom Detective Club the same week so that will be the weekend game, but I will continue the Dominus Collection after that.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS)

 

So, when will we save the planet?

Played through the third game in the series again. A bit later after the original games, and the reason being that there is no pull to play through this. At the time it has been 15 years and still no sign of an eventual continuation from the cliffhanger ending they left us in. On the other hand I have reconsidered my hate for Tyrell, so I actually find him rather agreeable somewhere like a quarter to half of the game length. Still a POS in the beginning since he needs to be to start the plot. 

Overall the plot works out for me, the graphics are a bit dated and I actually believe the 3d hampers it. Like many other games, it's the need for rotating 3d cameras and such instead of a quick action taking place. Which reflects that every attack takes a bit longer than in the GBA games. Interestingly it also gives them a bit more heft as you almost feel the heaviness of the weapons as our heroes swing them on the enemies. 

No, the worst part with this game is still the points of no return. Even with a guide at my side I still missed a djinn in one of the areas I couldn't go back to. And this reflect something that the game isn't as polished as the first games. You get mind read super late in the game which took away one of the most intriguing method of puzzle solving or finding information to progress or just lore of the world. And then by locking out several areas you diminish the workload even more. And that is what it feels like. Less passion in the game. They did put in the effort to show how for example Kraden's group could traverse the first temple, like they did in The Lost Age with Piers looking for his control gem for his ship. But there you could use your own psynergy to follow that path, here it gets locked behind the Point of No Return. It shrinks the world.

A fun thing is that I actually did the game for the first time as intended after leaving Belinsk on the ship, almost. You're supposed to go to Warrior hill to get the third eye, and from their to Izumo to use it in order to get Himi and then head toward Tonfon in order to get the Echo Gem to look for the Umbra Gear map. I usually find the map and the people carrying it before going to Tonfon and then wondering what the Echo Gem is doing in the item store. A pity that due to constantly creating points of no return I'm more inclined to go off the beaten path pushing me away from the narrative cause who knows what the game will lock out for you.

And the last part with the game was that since I forgot one djinn and realised it after doing everything you can do before fighting the final boss I switched file to the one where I had grinded to level 99 and gotten everything. Here I changed djinn around since the guide didn't have a class list and due to the very different structure of finding djinn meaning the carefully chosen class might be hampered due to the djinn you find since at times you will have a lot of a single element. 

At the end of things, it's a working game but their is a lot of missed potential and it just doesn't hit the highs of the older game. Not even the music compare really. It sounds like it should, but there is only two tracks from this game that really stand out and that is the Apollo Ascent and one of the outside dungeons track with the bells and bass. But there is no song like Elemental Stars that just sucks you in the mystery of the world. So it becomes a disappointment. 

So in a remake after they have to make it before going through the next part the only thing I would like is getting rid of the Point of No Return and why in the world is Crossbone Island set behind finishing the game? That is just irritating.