Summary: Deathguise. Kuja. Necron.
Beginning Thoughts
-Here we go. Dagger, Zidane, Steiner, Vivi.
-Kuja is in the next room. Pausing it.
-It’s worth saying that I don’t know what’s about to happen. There are a few possibilities and questions I have rattling around in my head going into this.
1)What is the Crystal? Is it sentient? Perhaps it’s the start of life, and if it’s destroyed then life goes with it. This would explain why a fading Garland would care about protecting it – his overriding goal has been to ensure that life continues for Terra’s souls regardless of the cost, and Kuja’s about to destroy that. [Later edit: or maybe it’s too late, since Terra’s souls probably all died when Kuja burned it all down.]
2)Is Garland playing me? This is the big one. Garland in FFI was the human form of the monster he became, Chaos. The elemental fiends we fought were “guardians of Chaos.” There’s nothing saying FFIX has to follow the same Garland/Chaos dual identity that we saw before, but I think Chaos will still have to be reckoned with in some way, shape, or form. Maybe Chaos even ends up being Kuja’s final form.
3)Will there be more game after fighting Kuja? Specifically, will I have the chance to find Mois in the Ice Cavern or did I only progress on the Mognet track too late? No idea. Could go either way.
-This world is crystalline, but there’s clearly a single crystal spinning at some energy matrix in front of Kuja.
-He created the four “Chaoses” from the crystal’s memory. Interesting. Perhaps the chaoses were early primal elements in some way.
-Yeah, Kuja believes that if he destroys this crystal, this “origin of all things,” then everything will perish.
Whew. That’s just how much being mortal bothers him! He’d rather everyone die than anyone outlast him. I’ve had some bitter and spiteful moments in my life – more than my fair share – but this is still pretty far.
-A good point by Kuja. Even if we win, Terra has already begun to assimilate Gaia. How do we stop it even if we beat Kuja?
KUJA: “See? I win, either way.”
-Zidane says… hm, this is really interesting. Zidane says that even if Gaia is assimilated he’ll try to remake the merged planet as a new home. I had just assumed that the assimilation process would involve the destruction of all life on Gaia. Perhaps not.
-Kuja’s egoism is incredible. He confirms not only that what I posited before is right, but that he’s even AWARE of it! “Why should the world exist without me? That wouldn’t be fair!”
Beginning Thoughts
-Here we go. Dagger, Zidane, Steiner, Vivi.
-Kuja is in the next room. Pausing it.
-It’s worth saying that I don’t know what’s about to happen. There are a few possibilities and questions I have rattling around in my head going into this.
1)What is the Crystal? Is it sentient? Perhaps it’s the start of life, and if it’s destroyed then life goes with it. This would explain why a fading Garland would care about protecting it – his overriding goal has been to ensure that life continues for Terra’s souls regardless of the cost, and Kuja’s about to destroy that. [Later edit: or maybe it’s too late, since Terra’s souls probably all died when Kuja burned it all down.]
2)Is Garland playing me? This is the big one. Garland in FFI was the human form of the monster he became, Chaos. The elemental fiends we fought were “guardians of Chaos.” There’s nothing saying FFIX has to follow the same Garland/Chaos dual identity that we saw before, but I think Chaos will still have to be reckoned with in some way, shape, or form. Maybe Chaos even ends up being Kuja’s final form.
3)Will there be more game after fighting Kuja? Specifically, will I have the chance to find Mois in the Ice Cavern or did I only progress on the Mognet track too late? No idea. Could go either way.
-This world is crystalline, but there’s clearly a single crystal spinning at some energy matrix in front of Kuja.
-He created the four “Chaoses” from the crystal’s memory. Interesting. Perhaps the chaoses were early primal elements in some way.
-Yeah, Kuja believes that if he destroys this crystal, this “origin of all things,” then everything will perish.
Whew. That’s just how much being mortal bothers him! He’d rather everyone die than anyone outlast him. I’ve had some bitter and spiteful moments in my life – more than my fair share – but this is still pretty far.
-A good point by Kuja. Even if we win, Terra has already begun to assimilate Gaia. How do we stop it even if we beat Kuja?
KUJA: “See? I win, either way.”
-Zidane says… hm, this is really interesting. Zidane says that even if Gaia is assimilated he’ll try to remake the merged planet as a new home. I had just assumed that the assimilation process would involve the destruction of all life on Gaia. Perhaps not.
-Kuja’s egoism is incredible. He confirms not only that what I posited before is right, but that he’s even AWARE of it! “Why should the world exist without me? That wouldn’t be fair!”
-Boss time. Regular boss music though, not special final boss music, which makes me suspicious.
-Aha! It’s not Kuja yet. One of his minions, “Deathguise,” who looks more than a little bit like Deathgaze from FFVI.
-HOLY SHIT IT USED METEOR AND OBLITERATED MOST OF MY PARTY BUT STEINER.
Annihilated.
-Adjusting my abilities to grant Auto-Life and increased HP when possible.
-Take 2. Survived the initial Meteor. Whew.
-GOT HIM! Steiner’s Shock is so awesome. Expensive, but awesome. And Vivi’s focused Flare helps too.
-Can it be? Is the game merciful enough to let me save after Deathguise? It is.
-Kuja senses his time is almost up. I believe him – he knows that Zidane’s ascension in power is his deathknell, and we just beat Deathguise. Whoever that is.
-Kuja time.
-Organ music.
-Crap. He cast reflect on himself, and I forgot to give Vivi that ability that gets around it. Let’s see if Meteor goes around it…
-Can’t tell. It missed him. And Kuja – excuse me, Trance Kuja – may retaliate with Flare Star.
-THIS MUSIC THOUGH WTFFFFF – if Ultimecia’s music was eerie, Kuja’s flat out kicks ass.
-Shock breaks through Reflect!!
-Though not worth it. I’m reasonably sure he retaliates to magic with Flare Star.
By some miracle, I did NOT get annihilated here.
-Seems that way with some more testing. Sorry, Vivi.
-CLUTCH PHOENIX FROM EIKO SAVES THE DAY!!
-This phase is down. “At least I won’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Kuja is… more graceful about dying than I would have expected here.
“But I’m not gonna die alone. You’re all coming with me!”
Lol nm. He casts Ultima.
It wipes us out (in a scripted way, like his last Ultima). Fade to white.
-Aha! It’s not Kuja yet. One of his minions, “Deathguise,” who looks more than a little bit like Deathgaze from FFVI.
-HOLY SHIT IT USED METEOR AND OBLITERATED MOST OF MY PARTY BUT STEINER.
Annihilated.
-Adjusting my abilities to grant Auto-Life and increased HP when possible.
-Take 2. Survived the initial Meteor. Whew.
-GOT HIM! Steiner’s Shock is so awesome. Expensive, but awesome. And Vivi’s focused Flare helps too.
-Can it be? Is the game merciful enough to let me save after Deathguise? It is.
-Kuja senses his time is almost up. I believe him – he knows that Zidane’s ascension in power is his deathknell, and we just beat Deathguise. Whoever that is.
-Kuja time.
-Organ music.
-Crap. He cast reflect on himself, and I forgot to give Vivi that ability that gets around it. Let’s see if Meteor goes around it…
-Can’t tell. It missed him. And Kuja – excuse me, Trance Kuja – may retaliate with Flare Star.
-THIS MUSIC THOUGH WTFFFFF – if Ultimecia’s music was eerie, Kuja’s flat out kicks ass.
-Shock breaks through Reflect!!
-Though not worth it. I’m reasonably sure he retaliates to magic with Flare Star.
By some miracle, I did NOT get annihilated here.
-Seems that way with some more testing. Sorry, Vivi.
-CLUTCH PHOENIX FROM EIKO SAVES THE DAY!!
-This phase is down. “At least I won’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Kuja is… more graceful about dying than I would have expected here.
“But I’m not gonna die alone. You’re all coming with me!”
Lol nm. He casts Ultima.
It wipes us out (in a scripted way, like his last Ultima). Fade to white.
---
Hill of Despair
-We wake up on a rocky platform, fire all around.
-A voice: “You stand before the final dimension, and I am the darkness of eternity…” WAS GARLAND NOT DEAD??
“Life fears death, but lives only to die.” The voice certainly talks like Garland. “It starts with anxiety. Anxiety becomes fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…”
I know where this speech is going, Darth Garland.
“The only cure for this fear is total destruction.” Will we get Chaos after all? The scenery and the music make for quite an apocalyptic vision.
-The voice (Chaos, Garland, whoever) sees Kuja as proof that life leads to death, and wants to finish the job on the world.
“I exist for one purpose. To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life.”
I think I see. So this entity is summoned as a sort of reset button when the crystal is shattered.
-Zidane tries to be defiant, but the voice tells him that one day he’ll choose destruction over life, just as Kuja did.
The soundtrack isn’t just music – there are moans and wails as well that I can make out.
“Now come. Enter the zero world that you desire.” This is some seriously nihilistic shit right here.
YESSSSS
The voice thinks it has a monopoly on the long view, but Zidane fights there. Says that if they fight and lose, that losing fight will stick in humanity’s collective memory as hope.
Things are bleak, but Zidane’s seen bleak before. He knows now that he’s not alone.
-Party selection. Everyone at 1hp. Going to dance with the party that brung me. Zidane, Steiner, Vivi, Eiko.
-THIS IS SO COOL – the other party members not in the fight are lending me their energy. Amarant encourages Vivi, Freya to Steiner, Quina to Eiko, and Dagger to Zidane. We got this kind of power transfer in FFIV before Zeromus and it was just as delightful/heartening then.
-Status screen puts this as the “Hill of Despair.”
Hill of Despair
-We wake up on a rocky platform, fire all around.
-A voice: “You stand before the final dimension, and I am the darkness of eternity…” WAS GARLAND NOT DEAD??
“Life fears death, but lives only to die.” The voice certainly talks like Garland. “It starts with anxiety. Anxiety becomes fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…”
I know where this speech is going, Darth Garland.
“The only cure for this fear is total destruction.” Will we get Chaos after all? The scenery and the music make for quite an apocalyptic vision.
-The voice (Chaos, Garland, whoever) sees Kuja as proof that life leads to death, and wants to finish the job on the world.
“I exist for one purpose. To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life.”
I think I see. So this entity is summoned as a sort of reset button when the crystal is shattered.
-Zidane tries to be defiant, but the voice tells him that one day he’ll choose destruction over life, just as Kuja did.
The soundtrack isn’t just music – there are moans and wails as well that I can make out.
“Now come. Enter the zero world that you desire.” This is some seriously nihilistic shit right here.
YESSSSS
The voice thinks it has a monopoly on the long view, but Zidane fights there. Says that if they fight and lose, that losing fight will stick in humanity’s collective memory as hope.
Things are bleak, but Zidane’s seen bleak before. He knows now that he’s not alone.
-Party selection. Everyone at 1hp. Going to dance with the party that brung me. Zidane, Steiner, Vivi, Eiko.
-THIS IS SO COOL – the other party members not in the fight are lending me their energy. Amarant encourages Vivi, Freya to Steiner, Quina to Eiko, and Dagger to Zidane. We got this kind of power transfer in FFIV before Zeromus and it was just as delightful/heartening then.
-Status screen puts this as the “Hill of Despair.”
-Boss time.
-Who the hell is that? She’s BEAUTIFUL, in a cold and terrifying way!
-Not Chaos. Necron. [Later edit: is she the uncaged version of Soulcage?]
-Crap. She’s using Grand Cross, that eyeball-melting spell from Exdeath in FFV.
-Fight’s continuing. Grand Cross is by the most brutal thing because of its status effects.
Grand Cross.
Neutron Ring.
-Victory against this form. (Not beginning to kid myself that this was its last form.) It says, “Why defy your fate?” and starts teleporting us away.
“Is the will to live that powerful…?”
-It begins to obliterate the sky arena around us.
-It’s starting to recede into itself. Imploding. I can’t look away – this is beautiful. The way that watching a controlled skyscraper implosion can be beautiful.
“This is not the end. I am eternal… As long as there is life and death…”
WAIT DID WE DO IT????JDFHSK FDHSFJKLDHSJKLF
[Later edit: it shocked me at first that this was only one form, until it hit me that this was a three phase final boss still, with Deathguise as phase 1, then Trance Kuja, then Necron. This was just a BILLION times more merciful than Ultimecia’s four-phase endurance test. Also felt much more comfortable with the combat system of FFIX compared with FFVIII.]
[Later edit: That was awesome! Minor complaint: Deathguise and Necron felt like they came a bit out of nowhere. The themes around Necron were well built up, but she still seemed more abstract than I would've liked compared to, say, a three-form Kuja fight focusing on his story and role more exclusively.]
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Next time: the end of FFIX.
