Let's Play Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals!

[Fynn]

Hello and welcome to my first ever Let's Play! For this particular Let's Play, it was you - yes, you, you wonderful posters! - who've decided what I should play. I wanted this to be a game I had not experienced before, so the choices were narrowed down to Lufia and Tales of Phantasia, so I made a poll and... it was a tie :eep: But still, when I read the posts in that thread, people were way more passionate about me playing Lufia, so there you go :monster: Also, Wolf Kanno recommended it, and I would trust that magnificent man with my life, and Skyblade seemed to really want to see me play it, so I humored him.

Alright, let's get this over with! Say hello to your host, Fynn! I am wearing glasses throughout this playthrough because I am an academic.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/Picture0002.jpg
ACADEMIA!

So this game has got an interesting title. I don't know if you knew this, but the Old English word "lufian" (pronounced /ˈluviɑn/, or "loovian" if you can't read IPA) means "to love". I have no idea if this was the intention behind the title. But that's what it is. The more you know :monster:

So, we start with this marvelous screen:


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Yeah, I already disagree with this game. Natsume was not a seriously fun anime. It wasn't even just fun. It was a serious bore.

If you don't click a button by accident (which usually happens to me), you get graced with a very atmospheric scene of a castle being hit by balls of light.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA002.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA004.png

Then it sends off some balls of its own.


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But seriously, this scene is really beautiful with some creepy music to further enhance this foreboding atmosphere. But I digress. Who could be the denizen of this obsidian fortress?


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA010.png

Okay, so it's apparently some lady and her master. He seems pretty nice. I mean, he's her boss, but the way he speaks to her is super polite, even respectful, almost as if he cares about her. I kinda already like this Arek fellow.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA013.png
That face looks really trustworthy.

Ah, but he asks some difficult questions. Turns out these two aren't humans but something they call "Sinistrals". Your guess is as good as mine. Erim is pretty sure that Sinistrals are the clearly superior race, but is puzzled why her boss would ask her something like that. Turns out a legendary artifact called the "Dual Blade" is supposed to decide the fate of this planet. The fated time of judgment is to come, a time where it shall be once and for all settled if it's humans or the Sinistrals that should stay. You know, it's kinda like the nineties, when you were either camp Backstreet Boys or N'Sync. Though, sadly, I think there's substantially less fangirling involved here.

So Arek asks Erim to... go? I dunno, I guess she's supposed to get the Dual Blade or something?


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA021.png

Hey look! The balls of light are actually people! So she flies around the Mode-7 worldmap a bit and up comes the title screen.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA025.png
Totally not a triforce.

Now, if you don't press anything for a longer period of time here, you will get another nice cinematic showcasing the many characters I presume will join the party later on in the game. None stand out at this moment, though, apart from one character who speaks like a Southern gentleman, yessuh!


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA059.png
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA061.png
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA062.png

Anyway, moving on straight to the game, this is our hero, Maxim.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA099.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA100.png
I wish they served jellies where I work. Oh wait, I don't have a job. :cry:

Here he is with his not-girlfriend, Tia. Apparently, he hunts monster and sells her the loot, as she runs a shop. The rate for jellies is really low as the town is really struggling financially lately, what with so many monsters about, so she pays him 120 instead of 180. Love is in the air. He's an insensitive dick, she's a complete ditz! These two are made for each other.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA107.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA108.png
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA109.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA110.png
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA111.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA113.png
"Um... My job is the only job I can think of..." "Yeah, well, your job is stupid."

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA114.png
You tell'im, gurl!

She gets angry and goes to the back of the shop. Don't worry, she'll still sell you items. Even though she shouldn't. Dick.



Anyway, hope you liked this one as a start. I'll try to post something up tomorrow, as I've still got quite a bit of gameplay captured. So tune in as we take a tour of the beautiful town of Elcid and perhaps even venture out of it as we follow Maxim in his pursuit of more Jellies. :monster:

[Carl the Llama]

God I haven't played this game in yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrs, might give it a whirl after I finish my VII playthrough.

[Fynn]

Oh, one more thing! If any of you guys have some tips, please feel free to share as long as they're spoiler free! I've noticed some of the item descriptions are poorly translated and it's sometimes hard to make out what does what.

[Pumpkin]

This is interesting! I wonder who these non-human human look alikes are. Was that covered in the first Lufia, maybe? I have played neither.

Your write up is excellent!

[Wolf Kanno]

Don't be too hasty about selling gear in this game, weapons have special abilities and sometimes the ability makes up for the low stats. Yeah, poor Tia, I kind of feel really bad for her with putting up with Maxim. The biggest thing I would remind you is to make a note about pivoting. It's a skill shown only once in the first dungeon but then becomes paramount to completing puzzles later in the game. When I originally played this I forgot that ability and was completely stumped with a very simple puzzle that required it...

[Fynn]

Thankfully, I take screencaps of practically everything, so the tutorial stuff is there and I won't forget it :p

[Formalhaut]

Great job with the commentary Fynn. Can't wait for the next one!

[Pumpkin]

Needs moar update!

I still lol at "My job is the only one I can think of..." "Yeah well your job is stupid"

[Fynn]

I apologize for the delay! I was too caught up with things and stuff yesterday that I couldn't do a proper write-up. Expect an update later today!

[Jiro]

Maxim is such a moron. Tia totally digs you, dude.

[Fynn]

Sorry for the humongous delay. My academic endeavors have been keeping my large brain at bay. :cool: Now, let us engage in more Lufing.

Welcome to the fabulous town of Elcid!

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA123.png

http://u.jimdo.com/www27/o/s09f61cc6aab623d3/img/ifb34117e559a26bd/1297865074/std/image.jpg
Close, but not quite as fabulous as this guy.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA124.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA125.png

So apparently the whole town is in on board the Maxim/Tia ship. That is, everyone except Maxim himself, because, like all shonen protagonists, he's got all the sensitivity level of a teaspoon. Also, you can't see it on his map sprite, but Maxim has one magnificent coiff.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA119.png
I want his stylist here. Like now. We need to talk.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA130.png

Indeed it is! Some people are concerned about the growing monster population, but others have more pressing matters to attend to.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA128.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA135.png
I smell a subquest! :jess:

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA134.png
"... Whatever it was, I think it had boobs."

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA131.png
"Like, I know, right?" :smug:

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA136.png
"Oh, don't be silly! I'm sure it's just gas."

So as I take a walk around town, I notice there is a church here. You guys probably know I'm a big fan of churches, so I go in. It's all nice and churchy and I just wanna pray but it turns out churches are extremely useful in this game! :love:


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA137.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA138.png
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA140.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA141.png
Oh game. You so clever and fourth wall-breaking. :shobon:

So yeah, churches allow you to save. You can't save on the world map, but you get save points in dungeons. Seems pretty fair. Just keep in mind, you guys, that I don't intend to use the emulator's save states. I want this to be as close to a normal playthrough of the game. We'll see how long I can make it with that mindset :eep:

So I go to the spell shops. Apparently, everyone in this game can learn spells, but not all of them. Still, the prices are pretty over the roof, so I can't buy any now anyway. And this girl gives me a nice explanation of how to target multiple enemies with them.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA157.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA158.png
Alright game, we need to talk. It was funny once. Now it's just stupid.

I've visited most of the town now. The inn's free of charge for me, which is pretty neat. I guess despite being a dick Maxim is still pretty well liked in this town. But of course. Otherwise, Al-Cid would have to deal with the constant invasions of demonic jellies. Anyway, I go South to leave town and meet this guy.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA127.png
Oh, cool! I love secret techniques!

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA164.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA165.png
"... If you know what I mean." :smug:

Alright! That's it for now. Join me next time as I follow this old man into his dungeon, hoping he can show me some useful... techniques :cool:

[Wolf Kanno]

Maxim definitely has some swagger to go with that coiff.

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[Fynn]

Maxim definitely has some swagger to go with that coiff.

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That is simply magnificent.

[Wolf Kanno]

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Tia isn't too bad either.

[Fynn]

Spoilers? Or is that Tia?

[Wolf Kanno]

It is Tia, I won't post artwork of characters you haven't met yet.

Now to kind of throw you off, Lufia 2 was remade a few years ago for the DS and um... "updated" for modern taste so let me either surprise you with the changes, this a picture of both the original Maxim artwork and his remake artwork:

http://elder-geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Comparison.png

[Fynn]

I actually like the remake artwork much better. Seems to fit his personality more. Got one for Tia too?

[Wolf Kanno]

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[Fynn]

What

[Pumpkin]

Ahahaha

[Wolf Kanno]

Apparently they completely redid her character in the remake.

I prefer the original but it's likely because I've been exposed to that version more. Something about redressing Maxim as a Shonen anime/rpg hero kind of rubs me the wrong way even if hindsight tells me he's not too far from it. Though that changes about half way through the game cause he does eventually mature. I'm probably more thrown off by my favorite character's redo in the remake cause his design is kind of a cheesy 80s look and his remake incarnation looks a bit like Snow Villers.

[Fynn]

Guess it must be some nostalgic thing then, because I really feel the new design suits him better, at least for now. The old one, in all its cheesiness, makes him seem really gallant.

What they did to Tia is unforgivable, though.

[Wolf Kanno]

Maxim is only a spaz in the beginning, he grows into the gallantry as the story progresses. He's not so much of a clueless jerk as much as he just has a one track mind but there are reasons for this.

[Fynn]

Shush! For now Maxim is my pet selfish, insensitive dick and I love him just the way he is. I don't want to see him differently until I get there ;)

[Skyblade]

It is Tia, I won't post artwork of characters you haven't met yet.

Now to kind of throw you off, Lufia 2 was remade a few years ago for the DS and um... "updated" for modern taste so let me either surprise you with the changes, this a picture of both the original Maxim artwork and his remake artwork:

Wait, there's a DS version of this game? I have to hunt that down and acquire it.

Also, I have to say that from what Fynn has shown, I have to agree with him. If you take Maxim as a selfish, insensitive jerk (which is how he's portrayed at this point), the remake artwork suits him a lot better.

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah, it's been remade into an Action-RPG though it still keeps puzzle elements in dungeons. I have not played it myself but apparently so much was changed it could be considered a different game inspired by the original. I know it now has a stat customization system and I think they changed around some things about your party set-up as well but as I said, I have not played it so I can't say much. I think NeoCracker played it so maybe he'll wander into here an enlighten us all.

Fun fact, the series is now owned by Square-Enix who were in charge of the remake.

[Fynn]

Okay, so I have a question to you guys. Since this is my first ever LP, I have no idea what I'n doing. Do you like the pace of this? I mean, do you think I go into too much detail and should more generally cover larger parts of the game? Or is this fine? (I mean, as long as I update often enough, unlike what happened now :eep:)

[Skyblade]

I don't really think it's possible to go into too much detail with an RPG, so you're doing fine. We can work on the update speed though. :D

[Wolf Kanno]

I think you just need to find a good pace for updating. You've only updated twice so it's hard to say one way or the other. I've been hoping you could finally move onto the meat of the game but as I said, you've only updated twice so it's understandable. I like your commentary so far, I would suggest to continue doing what you are doing and we'll see if any issues come up.

[Pumpkin]

I think you're doing really good! It's very amusing and I enjoy reading it

[Wolf Kanno]

You know, what really bugs me the most about the DS remake is that they should have remade Lufia 1. Lufia 2 is an amazing game but Lufia 1 has so many problems and clunky design that it really needed an overhaul.

[Fynn]

As we leave the town of http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080630225742/finalfantasy/images/0/03/FFTA2-AlCidSprite.png, we find ourselves on a traditional SNES world map.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA166.png

Nothing too remarkable about it. I honestly expected something more from that mode-7 animation at the beginning. But oh well, what can you do :monster: We can actually go in two directions now, north and south. Since south is where the old man wanted me to join him, that is where I go!

But wait! I am interrupted by a random encounter!


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA168.png
*gasp* Is that the fabled jelly?

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA171.png

Pfft. The thing went down in one hit. Does that mean Maxim is just that strong, or is the entire population of the town just incredibly useless? I also find it weird how the games says Maxim "gets" money and exp without any name, pronoun, not even a simple "you got X xp!". It just states it matter-of-factly, nonchalantly. It's as if even the game doesn't like Maxim very much.

Let's get to the point, though. Here's our destination.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA175.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA176.png
I'm still not sure if this is the right place.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA177.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA179.png

Alright, so apparently encounters are random only on the world map. In dungeons, all enemies are visible on the map and move along with you, which is actually kinda smart and sounds fun. We'll see how that works out for me! It's just jellies for now, so of course there's no need to try and avoid that (though I'm not reall given much of a choice now anyway. This is a tutorial dungeon).


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA183.png
"You're wrong... That jelly meant a lot to me..." :cry:

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA184.png
Aw crap.

So, in the next room I get access to the "arrow" skill. Basically, I can shoot stuff from a distance, so that enemies freeze in their tracks. I can also shoot switches! :jess:


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA209.png
Okay, now that actually looks pretty darn adorable.

Next comes the room with my first ever switch puzzle. Essentially, I need to step on the switch to hold the door open, but if I step off it, it closes instantaneously. Luckily, there's a statue nearby that I can push (but NOT pull!) by moving while pressing the A button.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA218.pnghttp://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA219.png
Why, for one of such academic prowess as I, this puzzle is insultingly easy. If it were only-

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA220.png

...

...
Well, f**k.

Thankfully, I wasn't stupid enough to push it all the way and managed to easily manoeuvre the statue back on the switch. It later turns out I can fix my mistakes with the free "Reset" spell anyway, so there's that :monster: Trying to ignore the agonizing screams of my injured academic pride, I continue along the corridor and stumble upon a peculiar room, where the old man teaches me the most awesome technique yet.


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA248.png
"... And you're telling me this NOW?!" :onoes:

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA250.png

http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/aKzNmOO_460sa.gif

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http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/LufiaII-RiseoftheSinistralsUSA263.png
I feel so much better now... :smug:

And so I cut down the last patch of grass to reveal a switch. Don't need to keep standing on this one, it opens up the door for good. Beyond it is another puzzle, where I get to carry around a jar and put it on switches, which is pretty neat. When I'm done with it, that's it for the tutorial dungeon and I can go back to the world map. Now, that wasn't so bad :monster: I can actually see where Golden Sun took inspiration from. I always loved the puzzle elements in that game, so let's just hope the fun will just keep coming in the later dungeons.

Join me next time (tomorrow, hopefully), wherein I shall go back to http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080630225742/finalfantasy/images/0/03/FFTA2-AlCidSprite.png where love is blooming and something smells... fishy :cool:

[Skyblade]

I do hope that Golden Sun style puzzles continue, because they were indeed awesome. I'd love to see more abilities for use in the field, too. I mean, you have an arrow and sword, but what about magic (or Psynergy)?

[Fynn]

Well, nothing yet aside from "Reset", but that's just an emergency thing as it resets the whole floor, including monsters. I'm hoping for some more cool stuff once I get more party members.

Oh yeah, almost forgot! That "arrow" thing is in my inventory and apparently there's gonna be more types of projectiles later on :monster:

[Pumpkin]

Yaaay, good update!

[Wolf Kanno]

I do hope that Golden Sun style puzzles continue, because they were indeed awesome. I'd love to see more abilities for use in the field, too. I mean, you have an arrow and sword, but what about magic (or Psynergy)?

Nothing like Psynergy I'm afraid but there are additional tools and stuff. This game is a blend of typical JRPG and Legend of Zelda but the heavy emphasis on puzzle solving sets it apart from other JRPGs of the 16-bit era.

[Skyblade]

Have you made it back to town yet? :D

[Jiro]

I do remember that Lufia II had some decent puzzles. I really liked that pyramid puzzle that's coming up shortly. It was tough as a little kid but still possible. I don't know how confusing it would be for Fynn with his academic brain though :ffviwag:

[Wolf Kanno]

I want an update! :mad2:

[Fynn]

I'm sorry these updates are so sporadic nowadays. I will do my best to post something up today, but this is just a hectic time for me in more ways than one :cry:

[NeoCracker]

Just as I looked into the lets play forum, I see this one I am interested in only to have my hopes dashed. ;_;

[Fynn]

Just as I looked into the lets play forum, I see this one I am interested in only to have my hopes dashed. ;_;

As in it's updated so rarely? Sorry :( I intend to post something today!

[NeoCracker]

....O_O

[Wolf Kanno]

The funny thing is that this Let's Play got me replaying this game. So on the brightside, when you start this up again, I can actually be helpful. :D

[Pumpkin]

Yay positives!

[Wolf Kanno]

Some early pointers I would like to give:

Don't sell your gear, there is a far more useful way of getting rid of obsolete gear, not to mention some gear has useful abilities that compensate for their crappy stats.

Don't worry about conserving MP and IP in this game. Every dungeon usually has a place to restore your HP and MP next to a save point, so the game is practically begging you to use those magic spells. IP is not restored but you will get enough of it over the course of the battles to be able to use them freely.

I will give you more tips after you get further along.

[Christmas]

All the pics are down. I wanna see Lufia. :(