Submerged Ruins
-I can move around. I can also submerge myself, diving a bit. Not a deep dive, but underwater a bit. It lets me get under certain barriers.
-My initial question is: if there are secrets to find, will I get a question mark above my head or do I have to spam click everywhere? FFX has been phenomenal in terms of quality of life changes so far, so I have to imagine I’ll get the question mark.
-I should mention at this point that I have a fear of giant monsters, and a fear that ramps up by 1,000 when we’re talking about sea monsters. (Nothing traumatic or triggering; the kind of fear that I enjoy!) Given the presence of water in this game so far, I have no doubt that we’ll get some giant sea monsters. [later edit: I did NOT expect we’d get one this early…]
-Found a thing on the wall, some writing in another language. Can’t read it yet. I’ll transcribe it here for my notes though in case I get a key to decipher the language shortly:
“Er dra myht frana pumdc uv mekrd emmisehyda dra pmylgacd hekrd
Fedr Macalania[“Macalania” is in pink] pareht dra vuindr bemmyn oui cekrd
muug hud uh dra mavd pid uh dra nekrd.”
-Found a chest on this island. Booooo. Didn’t get the question mark from FFIX while standing in front of it, so this means it’s SpamClick Central.
-This music is getting to me. Not in a bad way. It’s been playing during the whole time I’ve been swimming around as well as looking through the status screen, and the cumulative effect is that I’m feeling incredibly unsettled, unnerved, even a bit spooked.
-Ooh!! Found another ruin with “Introduction to Al Bhed,” that’ll let me decipher the language.
-Not quite understanding this, but this is an Al Bhed Compilation Sphere. I can use “previously saved Al Bhed Primer data to synthesize a new Al Bhed primer!” I’m nervous though since it then asks me to load a saved file, and I don’t want to accidentally erase what I’ve just done.
-Or not. Perhaps I have to save (now that I’ve read that weird text which must be Al Bhed) and then return to the primer?
-The Al Bhed Compilation Sphere is a tiny half sphere, watery blue. Perhaps Al Bhed is related to the Sin sphere.
-Found a save point up ahead. Tried coming back to the Compilation Sphere afterwards and loading data from that save, but no luck. I’ll table this for now.
[Question for y’all: I’m always afraid of something happening to my files. If they get corrupted, or if my computer goes kaput, or anything like that. FFIX had a “Save to Cloud” option that I used frequently. FFX doesn’t have that. Are my saves automatically stored on Cloud or Steam, or on my hard drive? Is there any recommended way to back these saves up if they’re not stored on Cloud/Steam so that if something happens to my computer, I don’t have to redo everything?]
-I should note at this point that I don’t know quite where we are. Is this a continuation of Tidus’ dream? Some more persistent nexus-dream? Another time, like the future or past? Or an actual physical location? (I think this last option is the least likely.)
-This is creepy. Now I’m going on a stone arch that looks like it’s above a bubble-dome.
-Giant underwater statue.
-Bubbles from beneath the statue. It’s alive? And the bridge collapses, sending Tidus into the water below.
-JAWS CAM BENEATH THE WATER
-Not Jaws – a bunch of what look to be Sahagins.
Don’t get me wrong – they’re creepy, piranha-esque monsters that would scare me if I saw them in real life, but I know they tend to be low level enemies. Like opening a closet in a horror movie and having a cat jump out.
SWEET MOTHER OF GOD IT WASN’T JUST A CAT
THIS IS LITERAL NIGHTMARE FUEL FOR MY FEAR OF SEA MONSTERS
Geosgaeno.
Everything about that boss reveal was perfect. A zoom in on a hole beneath the ruins. The quiet. Then the monster tearing out of the hole and EATS THE REMAINING SAHAGIN.
-Something unusual is going on. The boss deals massive damage and takes practically no damage.
-Swim away, Tidus!
ABOUT TO EAT TIDUS
IT’S INHALING TIDUS HJEKLSHJKLHSKLESHSHFKL JUST AS HE’S ABOUT TO ESCAPE
LIKE SERIOUSLY THIS ISN’T JUST NIGHTMARE FUEL, THIS IS LITERALLY MY RECURRING NIGHTMARE AS A KID COME TO LIFE
[Later edit: the recurring nightmare was being on a boat as it collapses, seeing a huge shark in the water, and sliding down one of the ship’s planks into its jaw. I kept trying to scramble up the plank to get away, but the slippery footing made it so I kept sliding and sliding until I fell into its jaws and woke up.]
-The walls just barely collapse on Geosgaeno and he escapes.
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Into the Freezer
-Ok, not a dream. More of that narration: “I had made it out of the frying pan and into the freezer. I thought I was gonna die in this place!”
-I notice also that Tidus has infinite breath. No problem there. I’ll just assume it’s an evolution of people living in a watery environment. Anything to justify not having to deal with a “breath meter” or some such nonsense that pervades water levels.
-Tidus emerges into what looks to be an arena. A cold arena.
-Eeesh. Creepy statue. Chances it comes alive and I have to fight it: 20%
-Need to start a fire to keep warm, so hunting around for tinder and flint.
-The art on the doors has a sort of hors monster on them. Writing above the doors that I can’t read.
-Regarding the whole “question mark or button mash” question, a couple of things. First, this game seems like it’ll have FAR fewer of those hidden items laying about than FFIX, so less need for that system. Second, for items you can interact with, there is an “Examine” button that pops up. Can’t do that with treasure chests though, so can’t rely overmuch on the “Examine” option.
-Started the fire, but it sounded like a shotgun went off. Hm.
-crap we got someone stalking him from above.
That “Jaws” monster-vision, though at this stage of the game I’m betting it’s a new party member.
---
Flashback
-Tidus meeting Auron?
-No, they know each other. Auron is scolding him after a blitzball loss.
“It’s been 10 years. I thought you’d be crying.” Maybe this was the memorial of Jecht’s disappearance.
-THERE’S STEALTHY AGAIN!!! “You cried.”
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU BROSEPH??
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The Ruins
-lol nope not a new party member. We see a monster rush by in a blur above.
-The fire’s about to go out when the monster shows itself fully. It’s a skittering, insectoid thing. “Klikk.”
-uhhhh hi??
-A team of AWESOMELY dressed people joins the fray. A woman leads them, and something about her reminds me vaguely of Tank Girl.
-The woman joins in combat. No name yet.
She has sort of an insectile movement pattern that mirrors the Klikk.
-Tutorial on using grenades.
-She has the “steal” ability, so probably a thief.
-I’ve managed to steal a Grenade with her three times. I like that they’re keeping that change from FFIX. Continued to try to steal, and got the “Couldn’t steal anything” message a few times rather than “Nothing to steal,” so perhaps it’s indefinite.
-Victory! Tidus’s S.Lv is 1 (thought it was 0? Hm), and ????’s is 0. Got two ability spheres.
[Later edit: she removed her mask, and while it’s possible she’s the woman from the intro I’m just not sure.]
-Ok. Soooo… we’re not buds. Her gang pulls guns on Tidus and sticks him up.
-They’re speaking Al Bhed!
-An argument between the thieves. She seems to be advocating not to kill him. Walks up to Tidus. Leans against him. Says something in Al Bhed.
-AND KNEES HIM IN THE STOMACH KNOCKING HIM OUT LOLOL. I just met you and already ship you with Faris from FFV I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND
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Next time: aboard the salvage ship.
