Kilika
-Dona is here to welcome us.
-In her own annoyed Dona-ish way. “Sphere hunters that give back spheres. Don’t you think that’s a little odd?” XD
-They’re having a spat on the island with New Yevon and warn us away. Can’t explore further for now.
-If I try Bevelle, I’ll likely find the same kind of response.
-I see now. I’m on the airship mission select screen, and some of the non-Hotspot zones have missions while others don’t. I’ll explore the ones that have missions and leave the ones without missions alone for now I think.
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Besaid Island
-The Aurochs, minus Wakka, meet us at the sphere outside town.
-They’re all with the Youth League, though Wakka hasn’t joined. Why? Reluctant to fight against the New Yevon order out of habit, even after the events of FFX?
-Wait, Datto says his kid’s “popping out any minute.” I thought Lulu wasn’t that far along. Hm.
-A new character appears. Beclem, from the Youth League.
-He comes off as a typical hard-ass coach. I immediately dislike him.
-Lolol rikku: “Ok, he’s creeping me out.” We’re out.
-OK THIS ASSHOLE JUST CROSSED A LINE. One of the Aurochs says goodbye to us with that typical Yevon bow, and Beclem chides him for clinging to old traditions, disrespecting summoners as “a thing of the past” while he’s at it.
-Like, I get that summoners can’t summon aeons, but that’s like going to a veterans’ hospital after World War 2 and mocking the people there for their injuries as being worthless. What the fuck is wrong with this guy?
-Mission time to prove something to this guy although I don’t really think we need to. We have to get to the beach and score 500 points within a time limit.
-This will be a new type of mini-game. It’s a shooter, but it models the “tab target” style I’m used to from MMOs rather than something that requires aiming, which I appreciate. A to lock on, B to fire, X to change targets. Limited ammo. LB or RB can swap between ammo types, since there’s a special “dual shot” ammo.
-Note to self as I start this: I will likely fail. That’s okay. Chill. Timed events aren’t normally my thing, this’ll take some getting used to, so use the first run as a practice run.
-lol I died on the second screen.
-Second attempt I got to the beach, but only a score of 257. I’ll try once more.
-Got it. Just BARELY. 512 with 2 seconds to go.
-Beclem is still a dick. “I find it hard to believe you defeated Sin!”
-He starts to say she probably had help, and Yuna emphatically agrees. What, was there some rule you had to defeat Sin solo?
-Yuna lights into this jackass:
“My pilgrimage was successful because my friends and the aeons supported me along the way. And they still do. Memories of the time we spent together make me strong.”
YUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
BECLEM: “Must your kind always prattle on about your precious memories?” FUUUUCK. THIIIS. GUYYYYY.
-Mission complete. Got an Enigma Plate garment grid.
-lol back aboard the airship, Rikku is supportive: “Nice work, Yunie! Way to put that masked reject in his place!”
-I head back to Besaid for a last exploration/check.
-The next level of the Gunner’s Gauntlet is 750. No thanks. I probably get progressively better stuff, and might try again later, but not super into such a reflex/twitch-based game.
-Beclem used to be a Crusader.
I love Lulu deeply.
-Going to try next hitting up the non-hotspot locations with active missions.
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Mi’ihen Highroad
-Wild Chocobo Chase listed as a mission here.
-Instead of chocobos for rental here, there are hovercrafts.
-Found a woman who seems familiar. Her voice at least.
-Calli? OH!! She was the little girl who was excited about the Calm back on the Highroad.
-She wants to ride a chocobo. But there’s a chocobo-hunting fiend around, and this just isn’t fertile chocobo grounds like it used to be.
-As we’re talking one saunters up to the nearby Agency and just kind of looks at us. Chocobos are really lovely and goofy creatures, aren’t they?
-lol the two options for “do we help Calli catch a chocobo” are “of course” and “You can’t be serious.”
-These mission screens are a delight. XD Time for the “kwest of a lifetime.”
-Going to chase it along the highroad and try picking up feathers as we go.
-We followed Rikku’s advice, pointing to a side-road. Got a treasure chest, but the chocobo got away.
-I’m not sure if there’s any benefit to following Rikku’s advice and going down these side-paths. Not sure if I can collect the treasures at a later point.
-Yeah, that was my third attempt at this and each time I followed Rikku’s advice the chocobo got away. Gonna juts say not each time.
-There are mechs on the side of the road. Going to try talking to one.
-We finally get near it. Seal the deal, Yuna!
-Another mini-game. One which I seem to uniquely suck at.
I have to block the path of the chocobo by quickly choosing left, right, or center. Like a goalie on a penalty kick.
-I swear the game isn’t listening to my controls. I try picking left, or right, and Yuna just stays in the center. What the hell am I doing wrong?
-I lose the game and the chocobo gets away.
-We keep chasing and the frigging thing keeps escaping.
-As I fight my way down the Highroad, I learn something pretty cool: I can actually time some attacks to chain. For instance, I can have Rikku cast Thunder, and wait to use Paine’s regular attack until the moment Rikku’s Thunder is about to hit so that the second of those to hit does more damage as a “chain.” Neat!
-Someone at the far end offers to help us with the chocobo. They hop on a hoverboard and end this.
-I’m not certain whether that was the intended way to end this or if it was the “holy crap you SUCK at mini-games! Let’s just have mercy on you” ending. Either way, the chocobo is ours.
And I feel kind of bad about it! We terrified this chocobo, running it all over the place until it gives up of pure exhaustion. We’re dicks.
-Ruh-oh. Calli is in trouble. The chocobo-eating fiend is attacking.
-We get to the next screen and the game gives us a timer to reach Calli. Why? Because “fuck you,” that’s why. (That’s my assumption behind why games ever include timers.)
-Made it with about 10 seconds to spare.
Chocobo Eater.
-Quick fight, and thanks to a deadly Fira dealing abour 1400 damage (????), Chocobo Eater goes down.
-Calli gets to ride her chocobo victoriously around the battle area.
-Mission complete! And we get the “Selene Guard” garment grid.
-Going to try something a bit different – giving the Selene Guard specifically to Paine, and spreading the Garment Grids out a bit among YRP. Allows for a bit more diversity in dresspheres.
-Heading back to the Highroad for a second check in case I missed anything.
-Calli wants to join us with her chocobo on the Celsius. WOOHOO!
Chilling happily in the cabin.
-DANG!! The way north of the agency is blocked now. I was hoping to explore the camp up there, the place just before the mushroom rock road.
-A quick test: I want to see if regular attacks help raiding Paine’s AP as much as other abilities.
-Three attacks got three AP. Seems like it does. I could’ve sworn that as a warrior, regular attacks didn’t do much…. Nope. Tested it and I guess attacks always build AP.
-I learned another thing!! Power Break stacks.
-The Highroad has all these sentry machina walking around, protecting travelers. Maintained by the Al Bhed. A nice touch to differentiate this world from FFX. (Also, prediction: at some point the machina will go rogue and I’ll have to destroy them.)
-My favorite new ability by far is BlackMage!Rikku’s MP Absorb. I’m trying to get Paine ranked up as a thief so that she also gets Steal MP. Self-sustaining = super helpful, especially since ethers seem in relatively short supply.
-Ok, walked down the full Highroad that’s open currently.
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Next time: more missions around Spira.
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