TW: spiders. Sort of.
Orchestra in the Forest
-Our party moved into the Evil Forest and got an Active Time Event. Our one scenario option: Orchestra in the Forest.
-It’s the musicians on the wrecked ship playing.
-wait. wait wait wait. I know this music. I think I do.
-Are they playing that relentless theme from the FFVII parade that kicked my ass? LOLOLOL
I’m SO GLAD I’m playing this series in order.
-Baku hears the music and likes it. He’s going to take a look around.
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Evil Forest
-Back to the main party.
-Vivi has a combat option to “Focus.” Not sure what that means. Maybe it’s like Yang’s focus ability in FFIV TAY, where he doubles his next turn’s damage.
-Vivi and Steiner working together! It’s like Chrono Trigger’s techniques. Steiner had a Sword Magic ability called “Fire,” where Vivi set Steiner’s blade on fire and Steiner did heavy damage.
It’s not quite like techniques since the combo-ness only takes up Steiner’s turn and mana, but I’ll bet that if Vivi’s not in the party he doesn’t get this as an option. Love it. Love love love that this sort of combo system will be in the game.
-Some of these equip abilities, like Beast Killer on Steiner, have an “AP” bar. When that bar fills up, I wonder if they’ll learn the ability permanently.
-There are like 3-4 separate paths I can take in the forest. [Later edit: there were only a couple, not sure why I thought 3-4.]
-Found a glade with a moogle hiding.
Moogles: not the best hide-and-seek players. The FFVIII chicobos would destroy them.
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Do As I Say, Not As I Do
-Another ATE. On the ship with Baku.
-Baku and Blank are getting set to head to Lindblum?
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Evil Forest
-The moogle is Monty. Mognet delivery #1 complete!
-We see the letter. It’s NOT just a mindless “find the moogle” quest. There’s a story!
Kupo suspects both Brahne and Garnet of stuff, including suspicion that Garnet will leave with a prince on a white horse.
-Another letter from Stiltzkin to Monty. Stiltzkin is somewhere cold – somewhere that used to NOT be cold. Nothing more than that for now. Maybe we’ll get the next quest when we find Stiltzkin.
-Brief, yet creepy, cinematic of a plant as we move through a screen.
I like labyrinthine areas, but they make me a bit nervous that if I get to the end too quickly I won’t be able to go back and explore. I’ll take that cinematic as a sign that this path is the path to the “end,” and will backtrack now to explore the other branches.
-Found a river with a waterfall.
Can’t use it or progress down it at the moment.
-This whole place has an eerie beauty that I love. Not like an evil or haunted forest, but more like a dangerous and wild sylvan feel.
-Into a tree…
-Yup. This sounds like boss music. A plant boss is here, and Garnet in the background.
-The boss, Plant Brain, puts on some heavy damage, and I have to use Eye Drops to let Steiner go to work, but we get him down.
-I LOVE VIVI’S CASTING ANIMATION
-Blank joins the fray!
And we have a four person party, returning to this size after three-person parties in FFVII and FFVIII.
-Continues to be a pretty tough fight for an intro boss given the Thunder damage that Plant Brain puts out.
I also spend a bit of time trying to steal with Blank and Zidane until I get an Iron Helm.
Victory!
-We give Garnet the healing potion. Some mantis-types surround us.
-We escape. They follow.
-Steiner’s Fire Sword has a ton of damage, but he has a low mana pool so I have to use it sparingly.
-In another retro move, unlike FFVII and FFVIII, Vivi’s fire spell can target all enemies if I want it to. Nice!
-We continue to run. Zidane feels that something weird is happening, that the “entire forest is after us,” and asks Blank to take care of everyone. Is Zidane planning some kind of self-sacrifice?
-lol at vivi’s running animation
-AAAARGH SWARM OF PLANT SPIDERS
Not sure whether it’s beautiful or horrifying. Both.
-Ok, two things happened. One bad, one weird. The bad is that a plant spider got Blank. The weird is that the Plant Spiders seem to be petrifying, like a wave of petrification is hitting them.
-AARGH PLANT TENTACLES
-Blank throws a scroll to Zidane and Zidane LEAVES HIM (not like he really has a choice).
-They escape the forest. Barely.
-NOOOO!!! Blank got petrified too.
What the hell caused that?
-OH CRAP DID THE PRIMA VISTA AND EVERYONE ABOARD ALSO GET PETRIFIED??
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Campfire
-Steiner blame Zidane for all that’s happened, and it’s hard to fault Steiner for that interpretation since I don’t think he knows the princess is here voluntarily just yet.
-Garnet wakes up.
-lol Steiner and Zidane are competing for credit. They both deserve credit. All of the three helped.
-here it comes
-Yup. Garnet tells Steiner that it was a voluntary kidnapping.
-hee! I love Zidane tweaking Steiner. He’s such a great straight man.
A wiseass like Zidane should treasure him.
-Steiner mentions the Mist again. It is something mystical, something that spawns abnormalities and mutates and corrupts, mind and body.
-Steiner wants to leave – or more precisely, doesn’t want to listen to Zidane – but Zidane turns his logic against him. Steiner’s primary duty is to protect Garnet. They decide to stay and rest up.
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Outside the Evil Petrified Forest
-Garnet talking with Zidane.
-Aha! It must’ve been the Plant Brain’s death that caused the forest to petrify. Maybe he was the thing that made it all evil.
-Zidane thinks we’re not done with Blank, and I agree.
We’ll be back.
-The scroll blank threw to Zidane is a map. There’s a cavern to the south.
-Back at the campsite. Monty comes along.
MONTY’S GOT FUR ON HIS TUMMY LOOK LOOK LOOK
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Next time: tutorial.
