-Kefka pouts about losing the magicite. Yes. Pouts.
-He heads inside and starts to activate… a thing?
-Some kind of mechanical grabby arms reach out from the palace.
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The Blackjack
-Boss right! As our party tries to fly away, cranes try to latch onto the ship, and we have to fight them off.
-Now I get to see Setzer in combat. His special skill is “Slot.” It’s SO COOL. We get an actual slot machine type interface with three spinning wheels, and it’s up to us to correctly stop each of the three wheels in a beneficial way. I used this ability twice during this fight, and got to see quite a range of Slot’s power.
Slot Attempt #1) I got three different slot results.
It summoned a Mysidian Rabbit, who did a minor group heal, but basically nothing. Nice continuity, since Mysidian Rabbit was the bad result for FFV’s ranger random ability, !Animal.
Slot Attempt #2) This time I got three of the same slot, three “BAR”s.
AND IT SUMMONED BAHAMUT WHO CAST MEGAFLARE WTF KIND OF SLOT MACHINE IS THIS.
I now want to see a short film about a down-on-his-luck gambler. He had a rough week at work and at home, and goes to Atlantic City to feel better. Things aren’t working out so well for this guy at the poker or blackjack tables, so he goes to the slots. His first pull: victory! He gets three “BAR”s and the sirens go off!
But then, instead of a shower of coins, Bahamut shows up and Megaflares the entire casino.
Anyway. Setzer’s combat fits the gambling theme very well. And while I think I can get better at Slot, it moves really fast and will always be risky.
-Flying away. Back to Zozo to see Terra.
-Love the airship view.
---
Zozo
-The magicite starts glowing and wakes up Terra.
TERRA: “Father…?” WHAT? Wat Terra’s father one of the espers from the research facility?
-Terra was raised in the esper wordl.
-FLASHBACK
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Esper World Flashback
-You’re KIDDING ME. We get to play as an esper in her flashback. (Well, it’s not HER flashback exactly, but it’s A flashback.) The horned guy from the canister. Maduin is his name.
-The music’s back.
-Something is trying to get through the gate.
-We get to see espers chilling out and interacting with each toerh. The setting is like a normal village. The espers are growing turnips and cabbages!
-A woman near the gate, a human woman, lies unconscious. Maduin takes her back to her house to rest.
-She wakes up. He gives her his pendant. Aw.
-Her name is Madeline. She came through because she thinks humans suck. Human world is full of violence, strife, etc.
-She wants to stay, but Maduin (despite clearly liking her) heard they can’t coexist peacefully.
---
The next day…
-The Elder says she left.
-Maduin changes his mind. He runs after her, catches her before she leaves, and tells her she can stay.
-We then get this dance between them. I don’t think we’re seeing a literal dance that happens right then, but rather a symbol of their courtship over the near future after he stops her from leaving.
They spin and spin, stars at first shooting out from him, but then from her eventually. The theme of this courtship dance is that they don’t know if they can coexist, but they have to see for themselves. It’s hard to describe, but the whole scene here, with the music and everything, is artful, poetic, and just beautifully done.
-Then... baby. Terra is born.
---
Two Year Later
-Humans are trying to bust through the gate again.
-This time, it’s Gestahl’s soldiers busting through, kidnapping espers.
-AND GESTAHL HIMSELF!
-Fucking Gestahl. Yeah, any hope I had that he’d be more like Leo than Kefka, that he’d have some noble reason for being here, gets extinguished. He simply wants power. Exdeath style.
-The Elder plans to reseal the gate magically. He’s the last esper who can do that.
-One of the espers, a wolfy dude (OF WHOM I’M IMMEDIATELY MISTRUSTFUL LEST HE STEAL MY STUFF) thinks Madeline is too dangerous to stay and should leave.
All humans are alike, etc.
-Madeline overhears this, and runs out with Terra.
-Outside the gate, we see the seal about to lock the gate. It pushes out Gestahl and his soldiers. Unfortunately, it also pushes out Maduin who went to stop Madeline from leaving with Terra. Everyone gets bounced. :(
-FUCKING GESTAHL RIPPED TERRA FROM HER PARENTS’ ARMS
An empire built on a stolen child.
-Madeline pursues Gestahl, but Gestahl punches her. What a charmer. Ugh.
---
Next time: Maybe Terra will rejoin us? Hm.
