So I haven’t updated in a while, but I’ve definitely been playing. Edward’s Challenge Dungeon took me really long. It was interesting but those same mechanics that made it interesting also made it kinda grueling, especially considering the fact that this tale probably had the absolute worst party in the entire game. When Edward is the strongest member of your party, you know you’re screwed.

Then came Kain’s Tale, which was pretty much the best one yet, with probably the best challenge dungeon party in the entire game (though it still took super long because leveling four characters at once takes ages here). I like how this ties up most things together for the climax and honestly, aside from giving people more value for their money, I feel like combining Ceodore and Kain’s chapters together was a terrible choice for the Wii version. It’s clearly meant to be played near the end, as played at the beginning it makes several chapters irrelevant (mostly Porom’s) and the other chapters just feel like filler instead of enhancing the intrigue of this plot. After Kain’s Tale you’re pretty much just ready to finish things.

Now I’m in Golbez’s chapter and it’s another one of those very interesting chapters. Golbez himself is a very odd character, serving as both a black mage and a tanky warrior that draws attacks, making him a sort of reverse Paladin, but not a dark knight lol While I already knew the reveal, I feel like this being the first time you actually defeat the Maenad and she stays dead, only to come back later thus revealing there are more, was really well done. I’ll be finishing this off soon and then it’s time for the final two challenge dungeons before the big final chapter!

I’m also thinking about what my final party should be. My previous run I basically did the classic party just with Golbez instead of Edge, but now I wanna do things differently. Considering going with the kids (Ceodore, Ursula, Luca, Palom, Porom) but I have my doubts about that setup. I’m pretty set on going Palom and Porom at least, just for fun. Porom is probably the best healer with dual cast and while Rydia is probably a better black mage in every way, I don’t think this game is hard enough to warrant such min maxing, and I like the idea of the twins reuniting for the climax. Cecil is a character I think I want there if only because he’s absent for most of the game, but then he’s also probably just the best character all around, like in IV proper. But then maybe there are some other characters I should consider?