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House Margrace (side)
-WAIT IS THAT AL-CID??
-lol yup that’s al-cid alright. He wants us to give a letter to Vaan.
-He interests Adelle, though not for the reason I initially thought. “House Margrace! Now that’s a family I wouldn’t mind having in my debt.” Never change, Adelle.
-Al-Cid leaves and Penelo arrives. Vaan’s late. She joins the clan! A Dancer job.
-We all head to some ruins where Vaan is fighting an angry seeq.
-The letter for Cid is about something they’ve been pursuing on their own. I really like how we’re on the outskirts of all these adventures. It gives the world an expansive feel.
This is something FFXII has always done better than every other game in the FF series. It shows a small portion of the world and a small part of its history.
-Vaan and Penelo have been pursuing Khamja too.
-So let’s join up. Welcome back to the party, Vaan!
-Back to town. Vaan and Penelo get worn out by spending time with us lol.
-He reminisces about growing up in Rabanastre. This feels very much like the Ivalice series is saying goodbye.
-Hurdy stops by, wonders about whether Vaan’s kept in touch with nono.
PENELO: “It’s been a while since we parted ways in Lemures.” Definitely a little goodbye tour here.
-Nono left the Strahl. He built his own airship. Good to see the little fellow’s doing well.
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The Ritual (main)
-Illua has requested our presence at some celebration ritual. What are we celebrating?
ILLUA: “A completion, lady hunter [Adelle]. The finishing of my story – the grimoire.” [Non-rhetorical question: is this the first we’re hearing of her grimoire?]
-Her story isn’t complete without an archrival to vanquish. Grimoire magick works by both giving and drawing power from a person’s story.
She envisions herself defeating some foe and becoming emperor of the world as reward.
-She casts a spell to get rid of our judge. Ezel Berbier’s law card repels it.
-We defeat her. Her fist form, anyway.
ILLUA: “I have forged a pact with Zomala, God of Time.” That’s a new one. Feolthanos used time, but I don’t think he was a god of it. Maybe Feolthanos also made a pact with Zomala.
“I have compassed time and space, navigated nothingness and every shade of reality. Zomala, open your gates unto me!”
-A giant arcane circle appears and transports us to Zellea, the Forbidden Land.
-ADELLE IS CRYING, NOOOO! That’s the saddest portrait art ever.
-Only Hurdy sees. She plasters a smile back on before he can run and get the others for help. I’m worried.
-Nothing mystical’s causing this sadness. It’s just that she knows when we win, Luso’s gone. Her friend.
-Like with so many FF games, the game’s ostensible protag has nowhere near the most interesting character arc. Scooch over, Yuna. Make room for Adelle.
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To Touch the Heavens (main)
-Illua’s eyes glow red. I really love how FFTA2 uses subtle changes in portrait art to reflect ongoing story.
-She’s going to open some final rift, but needs to finish powering her grimoire. Which means a final battle with us. Just for the story.
She doesn’t even need to win for the magick to work.
-Seems like two fights are coming. Illua, then whatever the rift spits out. I’m assuming that’s Zomala.
-Time for Luso to embrace the traits he’s shown all along, for better and for worse. His heedlessness, his willingness to charge into the unknown. A literal battle of his story versus Illua’s.
-I don’t understand why she’s so hungry to open the rift. Maybe it’s just cause it’s the only way she’ll feel she has a lasting impact on the world.
She claimed earlier that she wasn’t power hungry. That must’ve been a lie she told herself, cause it seems like power is all she cares about now.
-Two behemoths join the fight on Illua’s side. My first time seeing them this game iirc.
-More behemoths and wolves join the fight but I’m able to take out Illua again, with a big shot from my viera assassin’s Ultima Masher.
ILLUA: “Pity me, Cid. Power… power is all I am. Power shaped me. Power sought me, and I sought it… Always…”
I wonder if she’s Gifted, like Adelle. She seems to mirror what Adelle could be if she chose more than anything in Luso or Cid.
RIP Illua.
-Her grimoire floats into the air, now complete. It opens a gate. Another giant demon hand pops out.
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From the Rift (main)
-HOOOOLY SHIT IT’S NOT JUST A HAND, IT’S THE WHOLE TITANIC DEMON
-What an incredible design! It’s oozing, amorphous. Something that only vaguely approaches humanoid if you keep a really open mind.
Its body serves as the battlefield.
LUSO: “If anyone’s gonna give this story a happy ending, it’s gonna be me!”
This again reminds me of Tidus claiming “This is my story!” while I’m looking at Yuna, thinking, “Is it? Is it really?” I’m looking at Adelle now.
(But I get that in the most literal sense, it’s Luso’s story that will finish his grimoire.)
-This demon is called the Neukhia. Much like the Revenant Wings final boss, there are three parts: Neukhia Pod, Neukhia Wisp, and at the head, Neukhia Core.
-There’s a lot of ground to cover. I pick Move +2 as my bonus.
-Every time we hit the wisp, it moves. I spread to cover more ground.
-Lots of dialogue between the party here during this last fight, which I adore.
-Hand and Wisp down! (Really glad I trained up these Ultima abilities, they’re incredible.) The Neukhia Core is all that remains.
-NEUKHIA GOES DOWN!
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Partings
-We celebrate. I think this is the zone where Luso first entered Ivalice, by the Crushatrice.
-lol he thanks the judge. He’s just being nice. Fuck the law system.
-The judge casts some magic and transforms Luso back into his school self. This is surreal to see.
-Cid confirms that even without Illua, Khamja is still around in a weaker form. The world continues.
-Awww! Hurdy wrote a song for Luso. It’s a pretty ditty.
ADELLE: “A bit too good for the likes of Luso, if you ask me.” Bless you, Adelle.
-Luso writes some final words in his grimoire. “And they lived happily ever after?” “The end?” Something like that probably.
-lol Adelle won’t say goodbye.
I laughed because “I’m not saying goodbye” was a funny line until I remembered how she was crushed and weeping when thinking about losing her friend. She still won’t show that to Luso.
I’m not laughing anymore.
See ya.
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Two Worlds
-Luso teleports away and wakes up in the library, where a teacher wakes him.
-He starts telling Mr. Randall about the world of Ivalice. Suuuure.
WAIT MR. RANDALL BELIEVES HIM??
HOLY SHIT MR RANDALL IS MEWT! Jesus, I have CHILLS.
“A world of swords… and magick. It was a long time ago.”
-He excuses Luso, lets him out. Wouldn’t want him to waste his summer vacation here.
-Luso takes what’s now his journal and heads home.
-Back in Ivalice, Clan Gully hunts some dream hares. Ivalice remains alive and well.
[Non-rhetorical question: wait… how are the Ivalices in FFTA and FFTA2 tied together? I assumed FFTA was a pure dream while FFTA2 was “real.” Maybe That’s true. Maybe Mewt happened to go to a dream version while Luso went to the real one.]
-Vaan and Penelo hunt treasure. Adelle and Lezaford talk in his cabin.
-And back to Luso, in his home. Writing in his journal.
“’August… something. It was sunny.’ There, that’s good enough for yesterday’s entry.”
Oh God. What if he doesn’t remember any of that? I get that he’ll still be changed, but what a tragedy forgetfulness would be.
Nah, never mind. Mewt still remembers. Luso will too.
“Wonder what today’s got in store for me.” If ever FFTA2 had a thesis statement, there it is.
-And the credits roll. Finished with 245 quests completed at 82:33:25.
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Next time: Final thoughts on FFTA2.
