Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

[Count Revier]

It's time to cover the PSP script, as Reives journeys to Baramus again. I expect this to be quick, since there aren't any major story events until the liberation of the slaves at Baramus.

Script:



PS1 scene here. I'll only be noting dialogue and events that are noticeably different from it from now on.

Grion: Walstanians? Here?! And in such numbers...
Grion: How does his eminence not see it? Troubled times such as these demand a staunch front line.

An archer tries to back away, but Grion catches sight of him.

Grion: You there! Hold the line, or I'll kill you myself!

The archer quickly rushes back to position, and Grion turns to address his troops.

Grion: We cannot let these rebels cross Lake Bordo! Forward!

There's not much to say about this, considering the scene by itself is short and straightforward, only meant to "set the mood".

The fight itself is still quite easy. When Grion has lost about half his HP, Ravness starts up a conversation.

Ravness: Warriors of Gargastan! Lay down your weapons and you may yet live.
Grion: By the light! Ravness, is that you? I thought you long dead by now.
Ravness: I know this voice. How is it that you do not find yourself dead, Grion? You have rare luck indeed.
Ravness: Let our swords meet. Their cry of steel is a fitting lament for those you have butchered.

Ravness has a connection with Grion? Interesting. Also a small hint to where she comes from...

Grion falls without much issue.

Grion: More men...We needed more.

Onto Zodo Marsh!

Script:



PS1 scene here.

Ganb: Broken through our line, have they? I always knew Grion weren't nothin' but talk.
Ganb: Just as well. Past time me pets had their first taste o' battle. Belda!

He whistles, and a Gryphon flies in.

Ganb: Obda! To me!

Another whistle, and another Gryphon flying in.

Ganb: And what are the rest o' you waitin' for? Get out here!

A bunch of lizardmen, hawkmen, and hired mercenaries burst out of the surroundings, taking up formation.

Ganb: Belda! Obda! Show 'em how it's done!

While this scene isn't substantial, I do like how the new dialogue injects Ganb with a very lively, cocky personality. It's also a nice touch to make him speak in slang, especially effective since it stands in stark contrast to the formal speech used by many characters before, most of them being of some social standing.

The Gryphons are harder in the remake, but the mission is still straightforward, and Ganb goes down to some focused damage from my strongest attackers.

Ganb: Am I...bleeding!? You children play a mite rough!
Ganb: Belda! Obda! Home now! As for you...I won't forget who it was done this!

And just like that, Reives is on the steps of Baramus. Told you it would be quick!

Script:



PS1 script here.

Soldier: Who...who's there? Rebels!? We're under attack! To arms!

A bunch of soldiers emerge from the surrounding houses, and take up battle positions.

This mission is even easier than the original, remarkably. Perhaps it's because half of the opposition is Archers, who are less durable than the remake's version of Soldiers, in exchange for more accuracy and speed. The soldiers are quickly dispatched without much fuss.

Reives: We have some time before our support arrives.
Reives: There's no time to speak to everyone. We should gather a small group who can serve as our heralds.

Script:



PS1 script here.

Vice: Are you daft? We didn't come all this way to listen to you spout nonsense.
Vice: We are not the enemy! Or are you so taken with your Gargastani masters you have forgotten?

A few moments of silence pass.

Kachua: There's no call for such rancor, Vice. We should hear them out.
Old Man: Suppose we do fight. What then? Conflict will only lead to more suffering.
Old Man: At least here the winds of war do not howl in our ears, and our stomachs do not grumble.

Hah. A random, intermittent bit of flowery prose there.

Vice: Shelter, fodder - you enjoy all the luxuries of cattle. Doubtless you will so long as you remain.
Vice: But do you not long to be free? To live as men?
Vice: You are Walstanian! Where is your pride?

A few moments of silence pass.

Old Woman: Leave as you came. Let us live out our lives in peace.
Old Woman: Today it's the Resistance, tomorrow who-knows-what, but you all sing the same tune.
Old Woman: My son sounded much as you do - the war claimed him six months ago. Will your violence bring him back?

Old Man: We want no part of your fight.
Old Man: You're doomed to fail, any road. Gargastan is too powerful.
Old Man: Heroes you may be, but the pride always comes before the fall!

I've already expressed before that I don't like how this script treats Vice - it just takes off too much of his edge, and thus his personality. It's particularly egregious here since the original script vividly depicted him raging at the protagonists, which was both hilarious and brilliantly highlighted the desperation of the situation. The rest of the dialogue is a straight improvement, even if some of it is too flowery for slaves who have suffered for long.

Leonard: Forgive me, I was delayed. Might I have a quiet word?

Reives and Leonard both head outside.

Leonard: I overheard your conversation. These people do not convince easily.
Leonard: No matter. We feared it would come to this.
Leonard: Listen to me. There's something you must do.
Leonard: You must...you must kill them. All of them. Spare no one.
Reives: What!?
Leonard: The Duke foreknew this outcome. These are his orders.
Reives: But why this? If you know even one reason, I would hear it!

A few moments of silence pass.

Leonard: Because his grace...demands it.

Leonard recalls a meeting he had with Ronway.

Ronway: If the people of Baramus rise up as we ask, well and good.
Ronway: But the words of these children will not be enough to move them to take up arms.
Ronway: When they refuse, you are to kill them under guise of Gargastani agents. Leave no survivors.
Leonard: You can't be serious! You order us to kill our own!
Ronway: Calm, Leonard. You've a good head on your shoulders. Consider our situation.
Ronway: If we are to defeat Gargastan, the Walstanians must unite as never before.
Ronway: If it appears the Gargastani destroyed Baramus, our people in the remaining camps will rally to our banner.

A few moments of silence pass.

Leonard: But...your Grace...
Ronway: Nor will opposition in the Galgastani ranks remain unmoved by such outrage.
Ronway: Barbatos will be beset by foes without and within.
Ronway: We will finally have both the opportunity and the moral imperative to rid the world of the creature.
Leonard: Reives and the others will not do this quietly.

A few moments of silence pass.

Ronway: You will see to that as well, when the time comes.

The scene cuts back to Reives and Leonard, as he finishes recalling the meeting.

Leonard: You are with me then? It is the only way. The future of our people depends on it!

Honestly, not much of a change from the original here. Which is understandable, since the script was already fairly strong there; all this does is polish up the dialogue a bit, which is of course welcome.



And with that, both scripts are now caught up. Next time, Reives decides on a course of action, and embarks on a bloody, heavy hearted adventure. See you all then!

[Count Revier]

I added an index of sorts to the first post. Expect more of this LP soon, and many apologies for taking such a long break!

[Count Revier]

Last time, we left Reives as he was faced with an uncomfortable, tough decision...



However, he won't stand for senseless bloodshed, especially against his own people.

Script:
Reives: No way! How can you achieve peace by murdering innocent people?!
Leonard: You are still young...
Leonard: I envy your pure soul...
Leonard: If you can't stain your hands to achieve that ideal, you have no business being involved in this war!

Leonard suddenly swings his sword at Reives! Baffled, he falls back. Kachua and Vice show up, looking at the scene transpiring.

Kachua: Reives!

She runs hurriedly towards him.

Kachua: Reives, are you all right?
Kachua: Vice, come here!

She steps up to Reives. Vice silently remains in place.

Kachua: Vice? What are you...?
Kachua: No, don't do this to us!

The two parties awkwardly stare at each other, as the thunderstorm blows.

Leonard: Kill them, Vice! Kill them both!

Vice menacingly steps towards the siblings. Frightened, they inch back.

Vice:...What an idiot! People with no will to fight for their freedom are... ...already dead. No matter how many we kill, it doesn't matter. Those people should be happy to die for Walsta.
Kachua: Are you serious? What has happened to you Vice?!
Vice: Shut up, Kachua. Stop treating me like a baby.
Vice: And you, Reives! How did you become the leader in the first place?! You suck as a leader!

Leonard proceeds to whistle for reinforcements. A bunch of well armed units fill the town's exit uphill.

Leonard: Vice, leave them here and follow me. We are going to wipe out the town with or without them!

They rush away from the scene. Reives turns to them.

Reives: Wait, Leonard! Vice!

His appeals fall on deaf ears, as they are left to face the reinforcing army.

Well, that was dark. Now, I must point out something here. You may have doubtless noticed that Vice is a cruel and ill tempered man, and so his actions here are very much in line with expectations.

However, if Reives chose to be complicit in Leonard's plot, Vice would oppose him and break away from Duke Ronway's forces. Quite a few people consider this to be a breach of his character. I maintain that this isn't actually the case, and for good reasons: his dialogue reads like that of a person who is frustrated at the state of his people, and would do anything to uplift them. Reives' decision in that case likely comes as a stark betrayal, considering how he's been positioned as the very champion of Walsta everyone in his state could look forward to for hope, and it would sting Vice harder than the average Walstanian. Whereas here, he's upset that Reives isn't taking the opportunity to save his people, and has had his faith shattered by the cold response of the freed slaves. Both decisions seem contradictory in practice, but are motivated by similar concerns; it's just that the scene here is mainly presented with the assumption that the player will look at Vice's response in light of the story that follows, rather than attempt to compare the two directly. And that's a fair assumption to make!

Alright, time to prepare for battle.



There is one major downside to our training session earlier - many of our units are injured. I should be able to work around this by using some healing herbs early, but it will still set them back a bit. There's little reequipping to be done, so I restock the units up on healing herbs and head for battle.



As mentioned before, well armed enemies fill the exit to the town, uphill. Among them are two archers, making this endeavor a fair bit tricky. I choose to deal with them by flanking them from Reives' team's right and dividing their attention. Most of the team concentrates on the main path, while Canopus, the ninja, and one of the archers heads right. The melee units take front position, with the wizard and the archer right behind them. The enemy wizard dents Reives' flank a bit by hitting the archer and the ninja with a thunder spell, but this is easily remedied with Presance and a healing herb. The enemy team concentrates on the main road, and the right flank hits them, considerably hurting their hammer wielding knight.

Reives almost kills him off, and manages to block the counter attack. The Valkyrie then finishes him off, and heads left to get out of the way of concentrated enemy fire. The melee units get into a few bouts with the sword wielding knight, and, with support from the ranged units, he falls without problem. The right flank then proceeds to concentrate their efforts on one of the enemy archers, and easily wipes her out.





At this point, the enemy opposition effectively collapses. They have no capable melee units, and their ranged units can be overwhelmed easily by Reives' team. The battle is a foregone conclusion, and there's little need to further detail it, save to say that the team does win, despite Canopus getting poisoned and almost ending up in a perilous position.

Vice:...After this, it's your turn.
Vice: Until then...


Reives' team rushes to help out, but it's too late...All they can do is take in the destruction inflicted with horror.



And on that morbid note, Act 1 ends. Where will Reives go from here? Will he avenge the massacre of Baramus? Will the Walstanians successfully use this plot to gain victory over their foes? And how will the Zenobians react to this? We'll start finding all this out next time, when Act 2 begins. See y'all then!

[RandomKesaranPasaran]

Well that spoiler text is... more involved, I would say than the explanation I seem to recall (perhaps mistakenly) being given, namely that Vyce is driven by resentment towards Denam due to their respective upbrinings (Vyce's father was a drunk, Denam's was a respected priest) that he needed to find some way that he could tell himself that he was actually better, and it takes Denam actually stooping to that kind of low to for Vyce to begin to realize just how messed up of an attitude that is. Not to say there aren't good points being raised there or that there's a real contradiction to be found there because Chaos route Vyce sure is something.

[Count Revier]

Vice's upbringing is certainly part of it, yes, I just think that his grudges go deeper than that. He's certainly a very intriguing character, though we only get to see his characterization evolve in the Law route, unfortunately. But hey, he does serve the role of a prominent villain, and a cautionary example of what Denim could've become if he had given in to his baser instincts.

[Count Revier]

Alright, it's time to continue this long overdue journey.



Unfortunate, awkward translation job aside, the intro does a good job setting the stakes - the Walstanians are extremely successful, Barbatos is down to his capital, Coritani, and Reives has been on the run.



More unfortunate translation, and a really, really lengthy Act name.

Script:

The scene opens with a quick swoop over Ashton, on a dull, rainy day. It quickly cuts to a dilapidated home, where Reives and Kachua are sitting, deep in thought.



Kachua: Don't blame yourself.
Kachua: There was nothing you could have done.
Reives: I just...couldn't do it.
Reives: I couldn't protect them...

The two awkwardly stay silent.

Kachua:...Reives, let's leave the island.
Reives: Don't say that, Kachua. You know I can't do that, not until I avenge father's death.
Reives: I just can't run away now. I can't let the people who died in Baramus die in vain, I have to finish this.

They awkwardly get silent again. Canopus enters the house and sits alongside them.

Canopus:...Are you kids fighting again?
Canopus: Here, take a look at this.

He unfolds a poster.

Canopus: They raised the bounty on your heads again! It's up to 30,000 Goth now! Ronway must be desperate!

Reives hurriedly picks the poster from Canopus and looks at it himself. Kachua rises up.

Kachua: That bastard...He's making it look like we're the criminals.
Canopus: Actually, in war there are no good or bad. People can be criminals and victims at the same time.
Canopus: We can also say that the winners of the war are the good guys and the losers the bad guys.

Reives hangs his head in shame.

Reives: I see...I guess that means I'm the criminal and the loser, since I couldn't save them.
Canopus: Right. Therefore, you have no choice but to win. Don't brood over your failures anymore.

Kachua walks up to Canopus.

Kachua: But to where?
Canopus: The Liberation Army went over the Barnam Mountains and are gathered somewhere in the Swanzi Forest.

Reives lifts his head in surprise.

Reives: Finally, they've mobilized the attack on the Gargastani Army. And now Gargastan doesn't have enough power.
Canopus: Yep. Barbatos is down for the count now...the Walstanians have all but won.
Kachua: And we will remain criminals...

Canopus gets up.

Canopus: That is why we have to go.
Canopus: We have to deal with our situation first.
Canopus: According to the information I received, Lans is on Tanmas Hill, which is located in back of the Swanzi Forest.
Canopus: If most of the Liberation Army is concentrated in the Forest, then this is the perfect time to break through...
Kachua: Then we can talk to Lans! I know that he will help us!

A moment passes in silence.

Reives: You're right. There's no point in just sitting around here. Let's move!

That was a fun conversation. I liked how Canopus doubled as a wise, pithy man and a sly planner. Especially entertaining was how he outright pointed that if Reives ever wanted to clear his name, he had to do something. Inaction rarely makes for good rebelling.



The shops finally sell new stuff - most notably, special non damaging spells the Witch can use. I buy those, some Great bows, some Heavy hammers and some Power gauntlets, among other things. Great bows are considerably stronger than Short bows, and will let my Archers - or frankly, any of my physical damage dealers - effectively snipe stuff at range. They take up two hands, and so can't be accompanied by shields, gauntlets or melee weapons, else I would've equipped them on all my fighters.

The Heavy hammers are, per their namesake, heavy...but they add a whopping +18 to STR, and I'm willing to take the slowness for their damage. The Power gauntlets are, in effect, better shields, giving the exact same defense bonus but also tossing in a +5 to STR. They go nicely with the Heavy hammers, and promptly get equipped on my melee units.

The spellcasters also get an equipment upgrade, in the form of the Life and Clear staffs looted from the last battle. They have some nice but niche effects on them, the Life staff in particular will always let its wielder recover 50 HP to themselves or a nearby ally. However, you are equipping these for their magical stats honestly, their innate abilities rarely come into play.



Donna becomes a Witch! As covered earlier, they mostly use non damaging magic to either curse their opponents or buff their allies. Such magic doesn't require any magical stats to cast effectively, and instead relies upon the character's accuracy to land. Since she can't really gain much AGI or DEX boosting equipment right now, I opt to maximize her defense as much as I reasonably can.

Well, that's everyone geared up, let's leave for Tan-



Damnit!

Script:

The scene opens focused on Reives' company, stationed downhill. Someone hails him offscreen.

Aloser: You're Reives! I have been looking for you. You will die!!

The scene pans to her side, with her company atop the town's hill.



It then quickly pans back to Reives' side.

Reives: A bounty hunter!? I can't afford to lose my head yet. Sorry...

Something about this line made me chuckle. It felt very deadpan, like Reives was mocking Aloser in her face.

The scene pans again to Aloser...

Aloser: I'm not a bounty hunter.
Aloser: I'm paying you back for what you did in Baramus!

It pans back...

Reives: A survivor of Baramus! Hold on, and listen to my story!

Pans again...

Aloser: You son of a bi***! Shut up!
Aloser: I will avenge the death of my brother!

So, welcome to most Act 2 encounters! Reives will constantly have to dodge or fight people interested in his life, either for monetary or personal reasons. This one in particular is infamous, as it features an extremely powerful Archer as its Leader - Aloser herself. At this point in the game, she will easily hurt even our sturdiest units for two thirds of their health, at range, with unfailing accuracy. Her units are no slouch either, as she has decent support from a Cleric and a Witch, two competent melee fighters in the Amazon and Knight, and two shockingly mobile archers in the Hawkmen.

The best strategy for this map, in my experience, is to flank her company from the left and right, while ensuring some tanky unit holds the center. That way, her attention will be mostly focused on them, while your squishier units can attack from afar. Be careful, though - the two Hawkmen can easily overwhelm Reives' company if they aren't distracted enough. Speed is thus of the essence.

I split the company into two as described, and have my Beast Tamer take the center. Reives gets his turn a bit early...

Reives: Wait! I did not kill the people of Baramus!
Reives: I was there, but I tried to stop the massacre!
Aloser: Do I look that stupid to you!
Aloser: Why did you betray Walsta!?

Reives generally acting like a bit of a clueless idealist becomes a theme of sorts...



The Witch lands a Charm! Charm is a powerful, but rather brittle curse. It makes the affected target fight for the opposing side. However, any physical damage can cure them of it, as can any status restoring spells. This one got cleared by Aloser's Cleric before it could really take effect, but it did take up her turn and distract her from more notable stuff, so I'd say it was good enough.

The company keeps making their way as Aloser gets her first turn.

Aloser: My brother injured his foot while working in the mines. He couldn't even walk. And yet you guys...

She ganks the Witch, who is left in pretty dire straits. She almost gets sniped by the Hawkmen, but a dodge lets her survive, barely.

Reives gets his second turn.

Reives: Duke Ronway was the one who gave the order to kill everybody in Baramus.
Reives: It was not the Gargastanis!
Aloser: Now you are blaming our great leader! How dare you!
Kachua: It's no use. She will not listen. We will have to fight.

Reives being ineffectual at negotiating his way out of fighting will also become a theme...



The strategy works like a charm. Despite Aloser's fierceness, the strong melee and targeted ranged damage, both physical and magical, quickly make short work of her company. Soon, her backlines are compromised, and Reives' company is free to whittle her down, so long as they carefully position themselves to keep vulnerable targets out of her range. And that's what they do, easily.

Aloser:...I guess this is it.
Aloser: I'm sorry, bro. I failed to avenge you...

The casual use of anachronistic slang in such serious dialogue never fails to crack me up.

Aloser: Go ahead, kill me! Kill me like you did to the rest!
Reives: At this point, I can do whatever I want with you. But, I won't take your life.
Aloser: Wha-What do you mean? It's no use to take me prisoner.
Reives: No...I want to prove to you that I'm innocent.
Reives: I want you to see me with your own eyes and listen to me with your own ears. You must know the truth.
Reives: After that, if you still think I'm the enemy, then I'll let you take my life.
Aloser: You can't deceive me...
Aloser: Do whatever you want.
Reives:...Very well.

My, my, Reives already leaning hard into his clueless idealist role!

Aloser "joins" as a guest character, who won't participate in most battles. She will join Reives' company, but that's quite a ways down the line. One great thing about this game is that enemies turned allies are usually as strong as they were when fighting for Reives' opposition, and we will appreciate this greatly when Aloser's time comes. Hard to go wrong with a powerful, accurate Archer!

That's one of the game's harder maps out of the way. And to celebrate...



Reives becomes a Berserker! Yayyyy!!!

Join us next time, as we start trekking back to Tanmas Hill. See ya then!

[Count Revier]

It's time to march, again.



We're heading to Zodo Marsh. As covered before, it's not the most exciting map. Our opposition has been beefed up considerably, but the flaws inherent to this map remain, and are exploited quite easily.

I leveled all of Reives' usable units to level 8 to catch them up with him. It didn't take too long and wasn't too notable.



The only meaningful equipment alteration here is giving Reives' Witch the Poison spell, as she now has enough MP to cast it. The rest simply restock on healing items and move on.

Script:

It is heavily raining. The camera pans to the enemy's side, where a Berserker is seeing taking position.



Zapan: It must be my lucky day!
Zapan: I just found 30,000 Goth!

The camera pans back to Revies' side.

Kachua: He doesn't look like much of a bounty hunter. He's kind of flabby around the mid-section...

Is it really appropriate to mock the physique of your hunters? Especially right before battling them.

The camera again pans to Zapan's side.

Zapan: Ha, ha ha. What a feisty one! If I were you, I would watch that tongue of yours!
Zapan: But don't worry, I won't hurt you. I will spare your life, sweetheart. I will take "good" care of you.

Zapan laughs loudly to himself.

Wow, that got creepy fast.

Zapan: Well, shall we begin?
Zapan: Hey, don't let them get away!

Zapan is...interesting. He can be a steadfast ally or a recurring tough mook. In this storyline, he's mostly going to be the latter.



He is certainly no slouch. I've already talked about how sturdy Berserkers are, and he's considerably tougher than them. Accompanying him is a respectable though unimpressive retinue of two Hawkmen, two Lizardmen and two Amazons. Well, it would be unimpressive if not for the fact that he has an Ice Dragon. Do not, under any circumstance, let him and his Ice Dragon gang up on someone...you may very well be assuring that unit's death.



Thankfully, it starts at the center, far away from all of the action. And dragons are quite slow, so if you carefully move around your units, it should rarely get a chance to attack. Don't try attacking it directly - it has too much defense to effectively pierce, and your wizards aren't up to speed yet.

Do not spread your units on this map - it may seem like a good idea at first, but this simply creates a weak point at the center, where the dragon and Zapan can gang up and kill your units with ease. Instead, bait the enemy by getting on one side, then shifting to the other, all while slowly whittling them down. They struggle with this terrain as much as your units, and the Ice Dragon in particular will have a hard time getting around.



I mostly pull the first part off, but kind of flub with the second part, leaving Reives' Valkyrie a bit too exposed. The Ice Dragon and Zapan nearly take her down, and it is only through some concentrated healing, some quick reshuffling of units, and a timely wake up that she survives. Thankfully, the dragon never gets to threaten anyone else so severely, though it does make Presance sleep, which concerns me for a while.



The Witch lands some solid Charms, including one on the Ice Dragon itself! Charm is a really great status effect when you can make use of it. I don't really get an opportunity to use Poison here, but when she gains enough INT to make it an aoe, it will prove quite powerful.

Besides that, there isn't much interesting to report. The enemy crumbles to our superior tactics, Zapan goes on a wild goose chase, and soon gets too injured to keep fighting.

Zapan: Shit, I underestimated you. How stupid of me! I shall retreat for now!

Zapan is not a graceful loser at all.

And that's that. Join us next time for a hopefully more interesting battle! (Spoilers: It won't be more interesting.)

[RandomKesaranPasaran]

Ah yes, Asyton, aka the part where Tactics Ogre really wants to drive home the fact that archers are grossly overpowered (unless it's Reborn, RIP archers there). Well, it's more that bows in general are just grossly overpowered and archers have no real weaknesses as a class (unless you count the lack of magic use) but it says something that they needed to be nerfed in the PSP version and then nerfed again in Reborn.

Xapan's less interesting other than it shows that how counterintuitive the Berserker/Knight differences are, somehow the guys who don't wear shirts are tankier than the ones in full armor, ok LUCT you do that. Also I can't really say I've bothered with a Witch in any serious capacity, but then again I'm also not much of a gambler. IIRC it gets to Siren reqs faster than Valkyrie but then I noticed our witch here is chaotic and unlike every other Ogre game with alignment-based class restrictions and that class Siren is L/N here.

[Count Revier]

Yeah, unfortunately Tactics Ogre: Reborn has quite a few questionable mechanical changes like that, though at least the desire to nerf Archers is understandable. I still bought it(via a friend) because I do have some interest in seeing the series continue, but it's far from what I was hoping for.

[Count Revier]

Time to continue retracing back to Tanmas.



Next up on our trip is Lake Bordo. It's certainly a step up from Zodo Marsh, if still rather unremarkable as a battlefield.

Script:
The scene pans to the enemy forces on the other side of the lake. A ninja at their center speaks up.

Genzo: Don't they belong to the Liberation Army? Damn it, there's no place to run away...
Genzo: Wait a second. You look familiar...I saw you on a reward poster in Walsta. So you're the kid who wiped out Baramus!
Genzo: You sneaky little cretin! You blamed us for your own evil deeds! I will send you to Hell!

The ninja unsheathes his claws and swings in Reives' direction.

Ah, so we ran into a random Gargastani contingent in retreat. Interesting. Not very consequential, but interesting.

Genzo is better protected than Zapan, with two Berserkers, two Archers, two Hawkmen, an Octopus and a Golem on his side. He himself hits hard in melee, but is also considerably weaker than Zapan, despite being two levels higher. Reives' team has a decent height advantage, so as long as they maintain formation, they should be able to deal with them easily, despite their improved composition.



My first move is to set up Canopus and Reives to draw enemy fire, while the ranged attackers position themselves to pick them off without exposing themselves. This works brilliantly, especially since Canopus dodges attacks pretty well, while also hitting quite hard and tanking quite a bit.

One of the Archers also brought in a crossbow! Crossbows are an interesting variation on bows, they fire in straight lines but have a greater range than regular bows. The tradeoff is generally worse, and they tend to be weaker than regular bows, but there are times where they can prove valuable. This fight isn't one of them.



The two Berserkers try to outflank Reives' forces at their left. I notice this quite quickly, and block them off with my own melee fighters. The Golem joins the fray, but is of little effect - Golems have high physical defense, but terrible offense. Golems, like many Large creatures, consistently struggle to be worthwhile throughout the Ogre Battle franchise.

Genzo soon joins the fray. He gets a hit on Canopus, but he returns the favor well. With the melee and ranged units thus separated, it becomes easy to pick them enemy forces off bit by bit. And, in due time...



The enemy is thrown in complete disarray, with most of their units, melee or otherwise, dead or charmed. The Octopus has entered Reives' backlines, but isn't a threat really...Octopi are only effective when fighting units in water. And that means specifically submerged tiles, not just tiles with water in them. Thus, they are easily negated and of limited value. Again, Large units and Ogre Battle tend not to mix.

That aside, Reives' forces now have free reign to pick apart Genzo, and since he's no Zapan or Aloser, he falls quickly, despite some stupid stunts like positioning Presance in the middle of the battle. Well, I thought it would be neat to get an ever so rare cast of Lightbow off, but he missed. Good thing the battle was already mostly over.

Genzo: Wh-why do I have to die here...
Genzo: This is the end...arghh!

And that's that! Nothing else happened, save for Canopus and the Beast Tamer getting a level in the battle.

Next time, we finally get to Tanmas Hill, and the plot advances! See you then!

[Count Revier]

Finally, we complete this stretch of the journey and head to Tanmas Hill.

Some training occurs beforehand, mostly to catch the team up to level 9, but nothing particularly relevant or interesting happens. The game would be far better if it didn't scale enemy levels, or better, scaled up unit levels to the maximum level in the team, at a cost. That's one thing Reborn does well - restrict grinding and enemy scaling by locking a certain max level for each section of the game, and not letting any units cross it.

Script:

It is night. Reives, Kachua and Aloser trek to the roughly southern side of the pit.

Reives: This is odd. Nobody's here.
Reives: I wonder why they went to Swanzi Forest?

Err, presumably because they're mobilizing for their siege? Isn't this beneficial for you?

Aloser stays back and looks around, as Denim and Kachua make their way to the central pit. Suddenly, Reives spots someone!

Reives:...You are...!

A man walks out of the shadows. It's Vice!

Vice: Long time no see, Reives. Glad to see you again.
Vice: I was worried that you got killed by one of those bounty hunters. I'm glad you are still alive.
Kachua: What are you doing here?
Kachua: Where's Lans?

As she speaks, Aloser walks up to them.

Aloser: Vice? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the Swanzi Forest?
Vice: Aloser? I thought you were dead.
Vice: You bi***! You turned your back on us!

Err, no, she was captured by us in battle. Get it right, Vice. Although, it is rather odd and dangerous for Reives to let her carry weapons.

Vice: Can't you tell who's going to win the war?
Aloser No, you misunderstood.
Aloser: I just...

She awkwardly trails off.

Reives: Why are you here, Vice.
Reives: Where's Sir Lans?
Vice: What an idiot! Can't you see you've been suckered again?

How, though? How did you lie to Canopus, a Zenobian close to Lans, about Lans' whereabouts? Even if we assume Canopus has been with Denim's retinue, he surely would've talked to Lans or some of the other Zenobians to inform Denim of his deployment in the first place. And Lans is much closer to Canopus than he is to Vice. The only ways this makes sense is if Leonard got wind of it and redeployed the Zenobians elsewhere, or if Canopus was just fed false information by Ronway's men and believed it, the latter of which still doesn't add up.

Vice: I didn't think you would believe the information I leaked. But thanks to your stupidity, it worked well.

Leaked to whom? Denim has no allies aside from his retinue, and Canopus only really knows him and the Zenobians. Army deployments isn't something you normally convey to civilians, outside of a broad strokes "The army is gathering here!" way.

Vice: Your beloved Zenobian is not here.
Vice: I guess he's getting drunk at the old town of Rime with some woman.

So, you somehow leaked false deployment plans while not knowing where the Zenobians themselves were deployed. Some cunning planner you are.

Denim slowly backs away, as his forces surround him from three sides. Vice points at him menacingly.

Vice: I will not let you go.
Vice: I'm going to kill you both.
Vice: You're nothing but a nuisance. Besides, the Duke ordered us to kill all the witnesses of Baramus.

Vice, the cunning schemer, casually reveals the truth of Baramus to Reives' prisoner before determining her allegiances. A truth that Ronway likely kept secret from most of his own soldiers, for obvious reasons. Way to go.

Aloser:!!!
Vice: That goes for you too, Aloser.
Vice: I can't let you tell anybody what really happened.
Aloser: You, Vice? Then you were there in Baramus!
Vice: Yeah, with your lover Leonard.

Having already let a huge secret slip, Vice also decides to casually dump that her lover participated in that horrible massacre. I fail to see the point of this, aside from acting like a generic villain delivering his big generic villainous speech to his victims.

Vice:...You didn't know anything about this?
Vice: You weren't told anything?

Why would she be?! God, this is such a sloppy scene.

Aloser backs away in shock, as his troops finish taking positions.

Aloser: No...What a disaster!
Aloser: Is it really worth it? Do you really want to win that badly?
Vice: You shouldn't have known this, but it's too late now.

Vice, having spilled out vital secrets, suddenly acknowledges that he shouldn't have spilled those secrets. This almost reads like a parody.

Vice: You can't live with a guy whose hand is stained with blood. It would be better for you to die here.

Denim steps back and whistles for his own troops. Vice quickly steps back himself.

Vice: Kill them all! Spare no one!

Well, that was terrible. Only redeeming angle to it is if you read it as an overeager Vice trying to capitalize on Leonard catching an intelligence leak. But even that does little to redeem the really hokey dialogue here.



Onto the mission itself. This is a deceptively easy mission, despite Vice's bluster. He only brought two Knights, two Beast Tamers, a witch, a Gryphon and a Fire Dragon. While the Fire Dragon can be dangerous, it's on the east side of the map, and can be easily avoided by taking the west side. Gryphons are not very threatening, not even with a Beast Tamer supporting them. And as for Vice himself...



He's a Ninja, and while he dishes some good damage, he also takes a lot of it in turn. Hacking him down is thus fairly easy, especially since he tends to be rather aggressive.

Aloser tends to take the eastern side, but ignore her. The Fire Dragon is too dangerous and too tough to face head on, and since Vice tends to come for Reives' side anyway, it's very easy to end the mission before she's in any true danger. Besides, acting as bait for the Knights and the Witch puts them out of Reives' way, which is quite helpful. It sucks if you lose her, but eh. While she is a powerful Archer, and has some amazing DEX to her name, you will eventually find characters considerably stronger than her.

Needless to say, this mission goes trivially, even with Aloser being thrown into peril. Let's look at some interesting developments instead.



Reives' Wizard finally gains enough INT to make his spells hit an aoe! This is a major upgrade for spellcasters, one they should aim for. I hope his Witch follows suit, so that I can reclass her to an Archer to gain more accuracy on the status spells.



Presance swings and misses with his LightBow. It's honestly pretty weak, even with his class bonuses he's not dealing much damage with it. Exorcists take a while to really shine as offensive oriented clerics. A long while. At least he's not bad as a healer...

The fight ends anticlimatically, with Vice retreating at low health.

Script:
Vice: This is looking bad.
Vice: We have to retreat!

His soldiers obey orders and scatter back.

Vice: Reives! You can't go back to Ashton!
Vice: I've already blocked the road! Surrendering will not help you, because I'm going to kill you!

Oh, Vice. Still trying to play the cunning schemer.

He teleports out.

Aloser: Vice, you bastard! Are you going to run away from us!?
Aloser: Go ahead, try it. I'll follow you to Hell and back.
Aloser: You will pay for what you did in Baramus!

Everyone silently looks on as the wind blows through the hill.

Aloser: Reives, I must apologise...
Aloser: From now on, my life is yours...

Everyone silently looks towards Reives.

Reives: We will retreat before the enemy's reinforcements arrive. Let's head to Krizar.

Krizar is in Walstanian hands, is that really wise? Ah well, at least Aloser finally joins him.



She's a great Archer, and takes Sara's place. She helpfully already comes with the next tier of armor equipped, all I needed to do was give her a Great bow and a healing item. Yes, she was scoring all those horrifying shots on Reives' team with a regular Short bow! Even more of a testament of her great stats.

Let's close this out with some reading. Been a while since we read the news.



We have, in order: the official Walstanian account of the massacre, reports of Barbatos violently putting down a protest, much to his own detriment, the official Walstanian account of Reives turning heel, and speculation on the upcoming siege of Coritani. Cool stuff.

And with that, an important leg of Reives' journey ends. Join us next time, as we start covering the PSP side of it! See you all then!

[Count Revier]

It's about time I cover the latest leg of Reives' journey in the PSP version. These are admittedly not the most exciting parts, so feel free to skip ahead using the index in the first post, if you so wish.



As before, Reives chooses to protest their plan.

Script:

Reives: Stop this madness! What virtue can there be in taking innocent lives!?
Leonard: You are yet young...your heart is pristine, though I daresay your hands have seen their share of bloodshed.

So here's a line I don't like. Why does Leonard need to acknowledge Reives' contributions to the war here? All it does is weaken the core intent, which is him being disappointed in Reives' naive heroism.

Leonard: All that is required of you is to plunge those hands deeper. Bloody them not for survival, but for your cause.

He suddenly swings at Reives! Shocked, he falls back.

Leonard: If you cannot do that, you do not belong in this battle!

This is just a really clunky delivery of what was a powerful, shocking moment in the original. I especially dislike how he talks about his relevance to the "battle" rather than to, y'know, the war. The broad Walstanian-Gargastani conflict that has been prominent throughout the chapter.

Kachua and Vice emerge, staring at the unfolding scene.

Kachua: Reives!

She hurriedly makes her way to Reives. Ravness silently follows Kachua, and stops one step short.

Kachua: Reives, are you all right? Vice, with us, quickly!

She gets closer to Reives, then turns in shock towards Vice.

Kachua: Vice? What are you waiting--No...!

Everyone awkwardly stares at Leonard.

Leonard: Kill them, Vice. All three of them!

Why are you ordering Ravness killed? She hasn't expressed agreement with Reives yet! Calm down!

Vice walks menacingly towards Reives and Kachua, who slowly back away.

Vice: What good are kinsmen who won't lift arms for our cause? I'll tell you. They're as good as dead.

Was it so hard to just say "the people"? Also I love how Ravness doesn't react at all, even though she's supposed to be killed too.

Vice: If it's retribution you fear, fear not--they'll all be in their graves, thanking you for martyring them!
Kachua: I don't believe what I am hearing! If this is a jest, it is in terrible humor!
Vice: Quiet, Kachua! You've made a fool of me long enough.
Vice: You as well, Reives! You...you vex me. Always have!

I like that they do touch on him being frustrated with the two here. It's too bad they don't have more of it visible in his character writing beforehand.

Vice: What ever gave you the right to command me!
Ravness: Leonard, I cannot believe such an order came from his Grace! And you would see this madness through!

Here's Ravness' role in this convo - repeat whatever Kachua and Reives said, but in more flowery language.

Leonard: I would see through any of his Grace's decrees, as his loyal servant--no, as a loyal servant to our people.
Ravness: You'd call such bloodshed "service"? Since when have we used our kinsmen's lives as leverage?
Ravness: Our lord has betrayed us all. To think I was willing to give my life for such a man. What a fool I was.
Leonard: I did not think you one to abdicate duty, Ravness. To break faith with lord and realm.

Are you thrilled by this bland exchange over insubordination? It's remarkable how bland an argument over not killing your own enslaved people can be, yet, here we are.

Ravness: I break no faith. I renounce the Duke...I renounce you all!
Leonard: I always thought to find you at my side the day the Walstanians won their freedom.
Leonard: But if men of our own blood would stand against us, why should I expect more of you?

Oh great, Leonard's a racist now. Because this added dialogue couldn't be any more hammy.

Ravness: Am I not Walstanian?
Leonard: Walstanian descended from Gargastani stock.
Leonard: But the fault is mine. I should not have placed such faith in one of mingled blood!

He's so close to calling her the fantasy n word, damn.

Ravness: How dare you!

Leonard whistles for reinforcements. The camera pans to them, perched atop the town's exit uphill.

False Gargastani: Hear me, fierce warriors of Gargastan! We made this province to give shape to the peace we all want.
False Gargastani: Yet Ronway in Amorika and his rabble have trampled upon that peace, and lifted their swords once again.
False Gargastani: We will not sit here and wait for death to visit us! We'll show them what it means to be Gargastani!
False Gargastani: Root out the Walstanians in town and butcher them like the swine they are! Leave not one alive! To battle!

It's cool that they gave more context to these soldiers, though it could've stood to be snappier. It also would've benefited from not being preceded by the bland Ravness convo, but eh, details.

The camera pans back to Leonard and the others.

Leonard: Vice, to me! Leave this to the others. We take the town!

Leonard and Vice rush out, but Ravness interrupts the latter.

Ravness: Wait...Leonard! Vice!

Vice turns back and shoots her with a crossbow! Reives and Kachua hurry to her side.

Vice: Heel, Ravness. You yap like the mongrel you are!

Thanks for rubbing in just how pointless Ravness was, writers. Great job!

If you choose to side with Leonard, she gets a bit more time and appears as an unaffiliated enemy on the map. Not that she's too much more interesting there.

Vice rushes along Leonard's path.

Ravness: Leonard...Do not think you can escape...judgement for your deeds.

She collapses.

Well that was terrible. Anyway, a mission happens, Reives kills Ronway's men, but fails to save the city's denizens, gets framed for the deed, Ronway's plan works out amazingly, yadda yadda yadda.



This is a big part of why I don't care about this version - it gives all characters big lists of skills, and way too many of them are bloat. Supposedly it's meant to add depth to characterization, but in practice it just feels like a lot of needless micromanagement clamped on top. The One Vision mod does improve on this, but unfortunately doesn't really fix it, probably because it's too baked into the base systems to really remove.

But enough mechanics talk. Next time we continue onto Chapter 2 and refight a very angry Archer. See you then!

[RandomKesaranPasaran]

The biggest problem with the PSP skill system isn't really the micromanagement since there's not actually a lot of incentive to swap them around, it's that a lot of them are just boring math fixes (which in fairness is hardly a problem specific to TOPSP as far as such systems go) and that the ones that apply to attack/defense work in a way that is incredibly obfuscated to the point where for the longest time people thought some of them were flat out bugged and the ones that are actually moderately interesting are either gated to be far too late or simply take forever to level to the point of being any good. Not to mention that there's so little opportunity to mix and match (outside of one highly specific class that comes along much later) that they may as well simply be a fixed part of a class's identity. Meanwhile all One Vision really did was strip out the math fixes (which in some cases were there for a reason) and made levelling skills less tedious, which is nice but as you say doesn't fix the core issue. Reborn does more to fix it, but it also relies too heavily on auto skills, which is a subject that I have... rather mixed feelings on but that's a topic for another time and possibly another thread.

[Count Revier]

Yeah, Reborn is unfortunately not the "ideal mix of old and new" it billed itself as. I would love more discussion on it, but well, I've got an LP to make.

Speaking of...





We're a bit hopeful today, aren't we?

Script:

It is heavily raining in Ashton. The camera quickly sweeps over several houses before fading to Reives' hideout - a decrepit cabin somewhere. There, he and Kachua are sitting, deep in thought.

Kachua: Don't go on blaming yourself. You did all you could.
Reives: I did nothing. I couldn't save them.

The two awkwardly stay silent.

Kachua: Reives, what if we left this place? Sailed far away and never looked back?
Reives: We've been through this--Father must be avenged!
Reives: Besides, how could we leave things as they are?
Reives: No, we stay and see this through. We owe it to those who died at Baramus.

Wow Reives, your determination is literally shining through!

The two awkwardly get silent again. Canopus enters and joins beside them.

Canopus: At it again, are you? Give your quibbling a rest and look at this.

He pulls out a poster.

Canopus: As the Duke grows more impatient, you grow more valuable! Up to 30,000 Goth now.

Reives gets up and takes a look at the poster himself. Kachua gets up too.

Kachua: Salt in our wounds. We are criminals before all the world.

Reives puts the poster away, and everyone remains awkwardly silent.

Canopus: Justice and war seldom keep company. In the heat of battle, all are criminal and all are innocent.

There's the wise man again.

Canopus: Only later does the victor decide who is which.
Canopus: That's the way of the world.

Reives steps to the side and hangs his head in shame.

Reives: And since I lost--since I failed at Baramus--I am made a criminal for it.
Canopus: All the more reason to be on the winning side. Come, enough navel-gazing. We need to go.

Kachua walks up to Canopus.

Kachua: Go? Where?
Canopus: The Walstanian army gathers southwest of the Barnam Mountains, in Swanzi Forest.

The game calls "mountains" massifs and "forests" wealds. I spared subjecting the audience here to such needless old fashioned flourish.

Reives suddenly lifts his head, surprised.

Reives: Of course. Gargastan doesn't stand a chance of repelling the resistance, not now.
Canopus: You touch it with a needle. Barbatos' days are numbered. I daresay Walstanian victory is in the air.
Kachua: In which case we shall remain outlaws.

Canopus quickly gets up.

Canopus: All the more reason to be on our way. Something must be done.
Canopus: Word reaches me that the holy knight Lans has taken up position behind the Walstanians--on Tanmas Hill, to be exact.
Canopus: With the Walstanians massed elsewhere, Tanmas Hill will have but light defense.
Canopus: What better place to break through the line?

And there's the sly planner.

Kachua: Of course! Lans will aid us, I am certain.

A moment passes in silence.

Reives: Then we move. There's naught more to be done in this wretched place.

That was alright, I find the PS1 script more fun but this hits all of its main points adequately.

And now for Aloser's fight!

Script:

Reives' company is gathered downhill. Someone yells at him from offscreen.

Aloser: At last I find you, Reives. You've given good chase, but the hunt ends here!

I will give credit: Arycelle isn't a bad name, it's one I could feasibly see being used IRL, in a serious context.

The camera pans to her group, then quickly back to Reives'!

Reives: You're not the first headhunter to mistake me for easy quarry.

Heh, is that Reives getting cocky? Interesting choice of dialogue here.

The camera pans back to Aloser's group.

Aloser: Oh, I'll have your head, but I am no headhunter. You'll pay in blood for what you did in Baramus!

And back to Reives' group...

Reives: You were in Baramus!? Please, you must hear me!

To Aloser's group again...

Aloser: We are past talk! For Baramus! For my brother!

As before, fighting breaks out, and Reives tries to naively negotiate his way out of this.

Reives: Enough of this! We did no murder in Baramus!
Reives: We were there, I'll not deny it--but we did all we could to stop the slaughter.
Aloser: Lies! I only pray you sold your loyalty for a worthy sum!

I admit, that got me to laugh.

Aloser: My brother injured his leg---he couldn't even walk--but they cut him down just the same.

You are talking to them right now! Why talk like they're somewhere distant?



Presance himself has some lines!

Presance: Hold, Aloser! You must hear me!
Presance: All Reives has told you is true. We were conspired against!
Aloser: Abuna Donald? How can this be?!
Aloser: Leonard said that you...you died in Baramus!
Presance: Leonard told you this? I did not think him capable of such duplicity...
Presance: Aloser, as I am living proof, Leonard's words are false.
Presance: A cozener playwright, he knows the truth, yet writes for us a damning fiction.

Coze-what? I like the playwright comparison, but please stop using dated words randomly to make your dialogue look more "flavored" or "authentic".

Aloser: What do you mean to say? That Leonard has misled me on purpose?
Aloser: Nay...this is no fiction! I know the horrors I saw in Baramus! I will never forget!
Presance: No, Aloser! You are captive to your own rage. It veils you from the truth!
Presance: Oh, Great Father Filaha! Raise this child's heart from the dark recesses of hate!

Filaha, if you're curious, is the grand god of this universe, the almighty father figure. He goes by different names each game, Filharrh, Philaha, and Filaha. It's uncertain which of these is the "right" one in universe. He also precedes over the Holy element, the one that flavors most clerical spells and a few rarely seen attack ones. Anyhow...

I'm glad that entire conversation ended up being worth nothing. Because nothing says good dialogue more than pointless exchanges that get blatantly cut off just when they get too plot inconvenient.

Reives: All the Duke's doing. Gargastan had no hand in it, though the Duke wished it to appear so.
Reives: Believe what you will, I speak the truth!
Aloser: Have you no shame?
Kachua: She has no ear to listen. If words will not win us free, our steel must!

And so it does.

Aloser: I know when I am bested...though the knowledge that my brother goes unavenged pains me more than any wound.

Aloser this isn't the time to make grandstanding statements.

Aloser: It is done. Now kill me. Kill me as you did in Baramus!

But...you weren't even in Baramus!

Reives: I will not. You are not my foe.
Reives: If you have lost the will to fight, leave. I will not give chase.
Aloser: If I leave here now, I will only return to claim your life.
Reives: Then know I am bound for Tanmas. If you would hunt me, hunt me there.
Aloser: You're going to regret this.



And she leaves.

Reives: Regret? There is already too much for me to regret.

At least they rewrote her parting dialogue and scenario to be a bit more sensible, although it does strike me as a hopelessly naive gesture, even by Reives' standards.

Next time, Revies actually begins marching to Tanmas. Join me then!

[Count Revier]

Next stop, the...Rhea Boum Aqueduct?



Yeah. They added a map in between Ashton and Tanmas Hill, for reasons I can't fathom.

Reives' team heads in and is greeted by Zapan!

Script:

Zapan: The wheel spins true! "You'll find them in Ashton", they said, and here you are!
Zapan: Not every day you chance on a mark worth 30,000 Goth!

Already ruining my day with that awkward phrasing, great.

The camera pans over to Reives' side.

Kachua: These are your headhunters, Reives. I know them by the dull light in their eyes.

What. "Oh, they must be your hunters, none else could be so dumb. Hurr durr!"

The camera pans back to Zapan's side. He laughs heartily.

Zapan: Wa ha ha! A comely maid with a curdled tongue! I approve!
Zapan: Don't worry, little lass. You'll be spared. You alone.
Zapan: A man grows lonely so far from home, heh?

Ew, don't imply they're incestuous!

Zapan turns towards his team.

Zapan: Well, well, let's begin, shall we? Look sharp, boys! Let one go, it'll mean your purse!

The aqueduct is a terrible map. It's full of difficult terrain, and Reives' units can be knocked into the canals fairly easily, where they are often helpless. This fight featuring three octopi definitely doesn't help matters either.

In the middle of the fight, Canopus speaks up.

Canopus: You there, warrior. You've the look of a man who settles for digging in the dust when he could be moving mountains.
Canopus: You'll find more glory in battle than chasing after a pittance of bounty, no?

Seriously? He's trying to kill Reives, and prostitute Kachua! You're being very dumb!

Zapan: Glory in battle? Ha! There's no glory to be had here, not any more.
Zapan: Baramus made a cripple of Gargastan. She only has the one leg left, and that already in the grave.
Canopus: Little profit to be had from laying siege to Coritani then?
Zapan: Aye, that's the truth of it. Still profit in claiming heads like yours, though.

Did we need to hammer in that Zapan is a mercenary with a mercenary attitude to violence? No, seriously, what did that exchange achieve?

He falls after a long, plodding battle.
Zapan: Feh. That was ill played. Pull back! These ones'll keep for later.
Kachua: What, running away? After all your talk of glory? Bristle-bearded boor!
Zapan: Har! That mouth ne'er opens but a mealy nugget spills forth. I'd tarry longer just for that! But next time, fair lass. Next time.

Kindly shut the hell up.



Next up, Zodo Marsh!



Hmm. Something's up. There's enemies, but they aren't waiting for Reives.

Script:

Vance: Take the scouts alive! They'll talk...or they'll scream.
Soldier: Decurion, I know this woman. She led the ambush at Lodum.
Vance: This...this is the Thunder Maiden?!

Aloser walks in from the west!

Aloser: What of it? Near six hundred fell at my bidding, 'tis true. Would you deliver their vengeance?
Aloser: The blood of tenfold that number stains your hands! And then there is Baramus...
Aloser: I'll not be lectured by the likes of you!

The camera quickly pans to Reives' side.

Reives: Is that Aloser? The Gargastani have her outnumbered. We must help!

Why, Reives? All she has done is attack you ruthlessly. Let them duke it out.

Kachua: Oh? It is she pursues us. What cause have we to help her?
Reives: Sister, no doubt you are right, but I will live with no more regrets!
Kachua: My dear Reives...

Deeply sighs.



Reives is supposed to save Aloser, but she's surrounded, and starts alarmingly close to the enemy. Given her precarious position, and the lack of any major incentive, I ignore her and play the mission my usual way.



That doesn't stop her from talking, though!

Reives: Aloser, I'm coming! Draw closer, if you can!
Aloser: Explain yourself, Reives! I am your sworn enemy. I name you traitor!
Reives: I am no traitor. But I was wrong to fight for the Duke. I see that now.
Aloser: Still you spout treason! Stay back! Any closer, and I'll kill you!



With multiple people!

Presance: Aloser, your faith in Leonard is understandable--I would fain believe him myself.
Presance: But he--Leonard has lost his way. He forgets that no aim, no matter how lofty, is ever served by sin.
Presance: He was not like this before. I fear he has lost his way.

It's cute that the script acknowledges that Presance and Leonard had worked together a long time back, before Reives and the Zenobians got involved.

Aloser: It's true then? Leonard is responsible for Baramus?
Aloser: Abuna, I...I can't believe it. I do not want to believe.
Presance: Nor do I. But the blood of our people soaks his sword.
Presance: Perhaps as high champion of the Knights of Amorika, he placed duty before honor.
Aloser: Why him? Why was he alone tasked with such a burden?
Presance: I know no more than you. Indeed, it vexes me I did not espy it in his heart before it was too late.
Aloser: No. I loved him. It is I should have known. Perhaps...it was my love that blinded me.

Couldn't you have had this conversation at Ashton? Perhaps right after Reives defeated you?



She even has melodramatic dialogue on death!

Aloser: Brother, forgive me. I did not intend to join you...before avenging you.
Reives: No! It wasn't supposed to be this way! No!!!

Jesus Christ Reives, you knew her for like, ten minutes. Calm down!

Anyway this entire scenario is dumb and the battle is a slog, like most battles in this version. But it eventually ends with no casualties.

Vance: My life spills on the ground...Forgive me, brothers, your death goes...unavenged.
Reives: Again I've failed. Am I so powerless as this?



To Lake Bodo!

Script:

Genzo: Resistance? Here? I thought they rallied in the Swanzi Forest...
Genzo: Wait. I know that face.
Genzo: You're the Walstanian that did for Baramus! I saw the bill for your bounty.
Genzo: Bad enough you made it seem our work, but to slaughter your own...faithless swine.
Genzo: So young, for acts so foul. No wonder the Duke outmaneuvered you so easily.

What? "Oh, you're so evil, no wonder your former master outwitted you!"

The camera pans to Reives' side.

Reives: Believe what you will, we played no part in that pantomime.

They're GARGASTANIS, they don't care.

Kachua: You waste your breath. Aloser is Walstanian, she did not believe us. Why should they?
Kachua: The Gargastani are our enemy. Convince them of our innocene, and they will remain so.
Kachua: In either event, it will come to battle. We are Walstanian!

The game then spells it out, because apparently the writers assumed its audience wouldn't grasp nuance or detail.

The camera pans back to Genzo's side.

Genzo: It's as the lady says. I care nothing for the bounty on your heads.
Genzo: One Walstanian is much like another--only good to me dead.
Genzo: Rally to me! For our brothers! For our homeland!

And Genzo is racist now.

You know, I don't remember the script being so much worse. Guess this is what happens when Square Enix tries to flesh out works they didn't author.

At least this battle ends relatively swiftly, mostly because Genzo acts too aggressively. Seriously, he marched into Reives' left flank in, like, two turns!

Genzo: My struggle ends too soon...Glory to Gargastan! Glory...



Finally, Tanmas Hill!

Script:

Reives: There's no one here. Strange. Perhaps they've already joined the others in the Swanzi Forest.

Reives and Kachua gingerly head into the center of the pit, and look around. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the shadows! It's Vice!

Reives: What? Impossible!

Vice makes his way up to the two.

Vice: Good to see you again, Reives. And looking so well.
Vice: I worried some second-rate headhunter had done for you.

Kachua walks over to Denim's side.

Kachua: What are you doing here?

Vice cackles.

Vice: Ha ha ha.
Reives: Where's Lans?

Vice cackles some more.

Vice: Ha! All these years and you still surprise me. I did not think false whispers would lure you so easily.
Vice: Your Zenobian's not here. No doubt he's in Rime by now, deep in his cups.

I'll not fault the scriptwriters much here, as this was a weak part even in the original. But I must say, I tire of villains who pretend to be smart while organizing the dumbest, least sensical schemes ever.

Reives slowly backs away as Vice signals for his troops. They emerge from three sides and surround the two.

Vice: Sorry you won't be joining them, but you die here.
Vice: Duke's orders. None with eyes at Baramus are to live.

Reives signals for his own troops! Vice takes a few steps back.

Vice: Kill them all! Spare no one!

He steps back further, as his troops all take position.

Immediately after the battle starts, Vice continues talking.

Vice: A life spent hiding from soldiers...brings back old times, eh?
Vice: After the Dark Knights attacked Griate, we three hid in a deserted house near the church waiting for the Bacrumese to withdraw.
Vice: Our stomachs were empty, our hearts full of fear they would discover us.
Vice: You swore you would never live like that again, Kachua.

Okay, I like hearing his backstory, but I don't see why he thought this the best time to deliver it. Is he trying to convince Kachua to surrender?

Kachua: Your point eludes me.
Vice: It's not too late, Kachua. Come with me. I can have you spared with a word.
Vice: Where has following Reives led you?

So he is. Well, I would say the point would have been made just fine without the backstory, but let's see where he goes.

Vice: Always running, always hiding. It wearies you, I see it in your eyes. Wouldn't you rather walk in the light?
Kachua: Shadow, light, I care not! My only wish is to stand at Reives' side!

Kachua continues the convo on her turn.

Kachua: Do you feel nothing, Vice?
Kachua: How can you look upon the wreckage of Baramus and not weep with shame?
Kachua: We have known each other since we were children! How can you lift your sword against a friend!?
Vice: Because I know that what I do is right, Kachua.

Lol. Just lol.

Vice: I'm no murderer, but this is war! We are not playing at soldiers anymore!

Commits genocide of a town.
Claims he isn't a murderer.

Logic does not compute.

Vice: And I am not content to sit grousing about "injustice" when the means to end this suffering is within my grasp!
Kachua: As you "ended the suffering" of so many of your countrymen in Baramus?
Vice: I see you'd place all the evils of war at my door!
Vice: Tell me, what would you have done if Reives had heeded Leonard--heeded the Duke's orders in Baramus?

Okay, so far this has been a bland, unintentionally funny conversation, but here it gets interesting - Vice smartly questions Kachua over her loyalty while lampshading the path not taken.

Vice: What if he had chosen as I did? What then?
Vice: No, stay your answer. I already know. Readily would you have joined in the slaughter! Am I wrong, Kachua!?

This works because he knows of her personality, knows that she's mostly clinging to Reives and so strikes her lack of independent thought directly. Unsurprisingly, Kachua does indeed support Reives unquestioningly if he agrees to massacring Baramus.

Kachua: Never...he would never...

Reives himself gets some dialogue. Said dialogue does exist in the PS1 version, only I didn't get it because I didn't trigger the right conditions for it.

Reives: Vice! Call off your men! There is no need for this!
Vice: You disobeyed orders at your own peril...traitors!
Reives: Orders? That was a call to slaughter innocents! What man could heed that?
Vice: This man could! How are you unable to see it, Reives?
Vice: History will show that our countrymen's sacrifice built our future anew.
Reives: Vice...what's happened to you?

The PS1 script goes like this:

Reives: Pull your troops back, Vice!
Reives: Why do we have to fight like this?!
Vice: You disobeyed an order.
Vice: You're a traitor!
Reives: Who in the world would allow himself to butcher innocent people?!
Vice: I would...I would sacrifice a thousand lives to create a better future for our people.
Reives: Vice...you're hopeless...

Either way, it's just a conversation that highlights Vice's villainy and his willingness to give up any decency for the "greater good". Nothing really compelling.

This map too ends relatively quickly - Vice is still as aggressive as ever, letting my strong melee units pound him mercilessly.

Vice: Grah! This could've gone better...we withdraw for now!
Vice: No going back to Ashton, Reives! Your route is cut off. There's nowhere to run.

He does the escape gem thing, his troops retreat, yadda yadda.

Reives: We too should withdraw before they receive reinforcement. Fall back to Krizar.

Fall back to a town ahead on the road, controlled by your enemies...great strategy there, Reives.



We've finally caught back up to the PS1 version! Join me next time as the main LP continues, and he "falls back" to Krizar. Later!

[Count Revier]

Well, it's time to head for Krizar, under very different circumstances.

Script:

It is a rainy day. The camera pans over to a captured knight, surrounded by enemy knights. One of them walks towards Reives' group.

Ganashe: Here comes the hero of Griate.
Ganashe: Vice was right.

He then steps in front of the captured knight.

Ganashe: So you're one of Reives' men.

The knight silently stares at him.

He walks back and hails Reives this time.

Ganashe: Look, we have one of your Knights captive. Too bad.

The camera quickly pans back to Reives' side.

Reives: Who is he? Do you recognize him, Kachua?
Kachua: No, I've never seen him before. You never send anyone on scouting missions.

And then back to Ganashe's side. He steps in front of the captured knight again.

Ganashe: Take him away!

Two of his knights drag him out. He turns back to Reives' side, and his troops quickly take up position.

Ganashe: This is where you will die you traitor!

Looks like Reives may have some help after all! He'll have to get past Ganashe's forces first though! And they are fairly impressive - they consist of lots of knights and a wizard. Knights aren't the best tanks in this game, but they're still fairly beefy, and these knights also have some pretty spiffy weapons, besides:



That right there is a Slender spear, the second spear of this game and a significant upgrade over the current spear. To double down on their beefiness, all of them carry a healing grape. Yes, a grape, not a herb. It's the next tier of healing item and restores considerably more HP, practically a full heal for most of Reives' characters at this point.

That being said, the map itself is deceptively easy, thankfully. Ganashe is too aggressive to properly be aided by his group, and Reives' team starts out in a very isolated and defensive position, so all they need to do is hold it and effectively focus him down when he arrives.



Not to say it's free of peril - Reives' witch fell in two hits. Like I said, his forces are quite impressive! But beside that setback, the mission proceeds smoothly, and Ganashe is defeated swiftly.

Ganashe: I-I can't believe it, defeated by a traitor...

Ganashe believed too much in patriotism.

Script:

Reives, Kachua and the captured knight meet up in a dinghy house.

Knight: My name is Forcas.
Forcas: A Knight of the Valeria Liberation front.
Kachua: The Valeria Liberation front? That was the army Sisteena belonged to...
Forcas: Oh, so it was you who saved Sisteena in the city of Rime.
Forcas: I heard that you're in quite a jam.
Forcas: I never thought that I would meet you here.
Reives: Please excuse us, but we don't have time to talk.
Reives: The Duke's army is after us. We have to meet up with Sir Lans in the city of Rime.
Forcas: How do you plan to get to Rime?
Forcas: With the power you have right now, you couldn't break through the guards at Tanmas. You're too reckless.

I mean...Reives' team just came from Tanmas Hill? But it's not wise for them to fight through Walstanian territory, for sure.

Reives: But we can't just sit...
Forcas: I have a suggestion.
Forcas: I want you to help me rescue my comrades who were captured by pirates.
Forcas: When we get our ship back from them, then we can take you to Rime. Not a bad deal, huh?

Well...Reives could certainly use all the allies he can get.

Kachua: It sounds almost too good...
Forcas: Well, the way I see it, you don't have any other choice. Am I right?
Reives: He does have a point, it's a bad idea to take the road there. Maybe a ship would be the safest way to go...

As long as it doesn't run into pirate ships, yeah.

Forcas: The pirates are at Fort Kadoriga. There's not that many of them.

Everyone stays silent, as Reives and Kachua ponder the offer.

Reives: I guess my options are pretty limited at the moment...Ok, I'll help you.
Forcas: Thank you. You won't regret it...

He leaves. Reives trails behind him until Kachua talks.

Kachua: Do you believe him? Remember, he's a member of the Valeria Liberation front.

Oh I see, it's the racial distrust thing. Or perhaps a political disagreement? Or both?

Reives: We have no choice but to go by his word, Kachua.
Kachua: He's taking advantage of our siutation...I don't like this.

You're right, but why not take whatever help you can get? It's not like Reives has many allies or choices here.

Reives: Don't say that. He's pretty desperate too...

Kachua turns away from Denim, lowering her head broodily.

Kachua: But...
Reives: Did you know that you always complain when things don't go your way?
Reives: You can be such a baby.

Damn, Reives! Did you really have to insult her so abashedly?

He leaves in a huff. Kachua stares silently outside the door, brooding over his last words.

Seems like the sibling relationship is getting a bit strained. Though I would say Reives' outburst there was quite uncalled for. But hey, now they have help! Things are looking up.

Aloser, having killed Ganashe, levels up to 10, forcing the rest of the team to train up. I turn Sara into a witch to make up for the loss, and discover that killing characters one level higher gives 3/4ths of the XP needed to level up, considerably speeding up the process. Not much else interesting happens.



Since that map was rather anticlimactic, let's do another one!

Script:

It's another rainy day. The camera pans to a berserker perched atop the fort's walls.

Dasa: Back again? You're a fool.
Dasa: No matter how many men you bring, you'll never defeat us. We've been raised by the mighty Obello Ocean.

The camera pans back to Reives' side.

Forcas: Byan! Are you okay?
Forcas: We will rescue you!

The camera pans to a green wizard, also atop the walls. A soldier on the ground gets closer to him.

Byan: Forcas, why did you come back?!
Byan: You should've left me behind!

Come to think of it, why is he free, and able to fight? Did we walk into the middle of an escape attempt?

Dasa and his men move in to block him off.

Dasa: Ugh, kill the old man as well.
Dasa: I don't care.

He turns to Reives' forces.

Dasa: But don't kill the girl.
Dasa: We can sell her for a high price.

What is with villains and being creepy about Kachua? Is she like, extra attractive to them or something?



As Forcas said, the pirates aren't very numerous. They're also quite disorganized, meaning they won't be too threatening. Despite this, the map is trickier than the last. For one, they have a considerable height advantage. For two...



Byan is one of the more notorious guests, being a wizard surrounded by enemies. He does have a few things going for him: his equipment is fairly strong, he typically starts about 3-5 levels higher than the enemies, and he attacks at range. Even so, it's quite difficult to save him, and frankly, many people consider it an impossible task. Thank God he isn't necessary to rescue.

Strategy wise, there isn't too much to write about - get your fighters to the front lines asap, support them with ranged fighters, try to close out or negate the height advantage as soon as possible. Try helping out Byan by deequipping some units and quickly getting them within range of healing him, if you must, but I wouldn't bother.



This almost made me worried - Petrify is quite a strong status, effectively removing that unit for the rest of the fight, unless they're healed. Cockatrices can inflict this at decent accuracy, and are thus one of the better monsters, but Witches and some advanced classes will be able to do this better and at range later.



Forcas is incredibly strong, and helps out considerably on this map.

Dasa falls quite swiftly, with Byan surprisingly alive!

Dasa: I can't believe this...Veldo...forgive me...

Script:

It is a pleasant, clear day. Reives, Kachua and Forcas are on a calm dock, ready to board a ship. Byan walks towards them.

Forcas: We got our ship back.
Forcas: Now we can move on.
Forcas: I will take you to the city of Rime, as I promised.
Forcas: Please, come aboard.
Byan: Wait a minute, Forcas.
Byan: Sisteena is still being held captive.

Forcas turns to Byan, startled.

Forcas: What?! I thought she escaped!
Byan: Sorry. She was taken to their hideout.
Byan: I think we should rescue Sisteena before we return to Fort Bodo...

Forcas stares at the sea, contemplating the idea.

Forcas:...I'm aware of that.
Forcas: But taking these guys to Rime comes first.

Byan gets closer to Forcas.

Byan: Are you abandoning Sisteena?!
Forcas: They kept their word.
Forcas: Now I must keep mine...

I'm beginning to like Forcas, he seems genuinely principled.

Byan: But we're talking about Sisteena here!

Forcas turns back to Byan.

Forcas: I'll be a Knight before I become a man. I will not break a promise which I made as a Knight.
Byan: You are so stubborn!
Byan: Fine, I shall ask them myself.

Byan walks up further to the group, then turns to Reives.

Byan: Well, you heard the story.
Byan: One of our comrades is still being held captive by the pirates.
Byan: I know this has nothing to do with you, but I'm asking for your help.
Kachua: You have your own comrades.
Kachua: Why don't you ask them to help?
Byan: We don't have much time...
Kachua: Nor do we. The Liberation Army is after us.
Kachua: Look, we've done our part. And just like your friend mentioned, this is the time for you to keep your promise.

You speak well, but Byan isn't bound by any promise.

Byan: Once we are on the sea, the Liberation Army can't come after you.
Byan: Even if we drop by the pirates' hideout, you'll only be held up for about three days.

That's reassuring, at least.

Forcas: Byan, that's enough. What she said is right.

They awkwardly remain silent.

Byan: Reives, what do you think?
Byan: You're their leader.

Reives can choose to reject him, which will make him act hilariously petulantly. But hey, it's rare that I get the opportunity to even take his offer, and he could always use more allies. Why not take it?

Reives: I will help you out. We may have different ideals, but I know what it feels like to lose a friend in battle.
Kachua: Reives!

I am also beginning to like Kachua's attitude here - she seems quite focused on getting things done and staying grounded, in contrast to Reives' bright and somewhat naive idealism.

Reives glances sideways at Kachua.

Reives: Look, I'm in charge here, Kachua! I'm sure everybody will understand.

He then turns back to Forcas and Byan.

Forcas: I appreciate your generosity, Reives.
Byan: I know where their hideout is.
Byan: Fort Damsa is on Dicniga Island.

Reives nods.

Reives: Then we shall go there! To Damsa!

Next time, we assault a rarely seen pirate fort! Join me then!

[Count Revier]

Reives is off to assault his second pirate fort, at Damsa! That's quite the detour, it better pay off...

Script:


It's a dull bright day. Reives' team is gathered in front of a dilapidated fort. The camera pans to its top, where the pirates are gathered in fighting formation. Their leader, a valkyrie at their center, speaks.

Veldo: Are you the one who killed my husband?
Veldo: Sure, he was over-weight, but he was still my husband and the father of my unborn child...

Veldo assuming Reives is a fat shamer, tsk tsk. Also that's dark as hell holy crap.

The camera pans back to Reives' team.

Forcas: Set Sisteena free! If you value your life, it would be wise to...

IThen pans to Veldo's side.

Veldo: Shut up asshole! Before you get to her, you'll have to go through me!
Veldo: Dasa was my husband! Don't underestimate me just because I'm a woman! I will avenge the death of my husband!

Wow, that's some very spicy precombat trash talk! I kinda sympathize with her actually, but well, she's a pirate, and Reives needs some reliable allies on his side. So they fight!



This is potentially one of the game's more dangerous battles - the enemy starts with a massive height advantage, and the two archers and the leader can easily rain Great bow arrows on Reives' formation. It narrowly avoids being one of the most dangerous battles due to the presence of two powerful guests, and the other units not being terribly impressive. Regardless, you should expect some casualties here, and bring a ton of ranged spell damage to mitigate their advantage.

There isn't a lot of strategy beyond advancing as fast as possible, but you should try splitting the team into flanks to distract the archers. They are pretty dangerous if they concentrate fire, being able to kill many units in two or three shots.



Reives' ninja demonstrates this by getting spectacularly unlucky. Fortunately, Veldo had made herself vulnerable, and Forcas and Reives were able to punish her hard, killing her.

Veldo: Dear...where are you...?
Veldo: I'll soon join you with our baby...

Damn. The game really rubbed it in. If only Reives were better at negotiation, or Veldo not a pirate...

Script:

Reives, Kachua, and the trio of Forcas, Byan and Sisteena are gathered at a dock with a ship. The weather is pleasant, and the sea calm.

Sisteena: This is the second time you saved my life. I can't thank you enough.

Forcas slowly makes his way to Sisteena.

Forcas: I'm glad you're alive.
Forcas: I missed you so much.
Sisteena: I missed you too. It's a miracle that you two are still alive.
Kachua: Excuse me for interrupting this picture perfect moment, but can we go now?

LOL. What amazing comic timing.

Everyone turns to Kachua, and awkwardly stares at her.

Forcas: O-of course. We shall leave before it gets dark.

Byan turns to Forcas.

Byan: Hey...How about stopping by Fort Bodo on the way?

Reives and Sisteena turn to Forcas.

Sisteena: That's a good idea.
Sisteena: Then I can repay you for your kindness.
Sisteena: Besides, you may be able to stop my sister.

Hm, what's this? Infighting in the Valeria Liberation front?

Kachua: Fort Bodo? That fort has been abandoned for years. What could be so important?
Forcas: Fort Bodo is one of our bases.
Forcas: Our leader Selye will be there.

Reives turns to Forcas.

Reives: Any particular reason why we should meet the leader of the Valeria Liberation front?

Sisteena turns to Reives.

Sisteena: You'll know what I mean when you meet her. You'll see that we have problems as well.

Definitely seems like it.

Everyone remains awkwardly silent.

Forcas: Now get on board. We should leave.

Since Reives and Aloser hit level 11, I spent some time training his team. I try turning one of his spare units into a replacement ninja, but he takes too long to level up, and well, I do have three powerful guests helping out Reives. So I abandon the idea and move on.

Script:



It is a rainy day. Reives' team is gathered downhill, in a built up portion of Griate. The enemy forces are uphill, directly facing them. Their leader, a wizard dressed in red and behind his forces, speaks.

Dagon: Y-you are Reives!
Dagon: How did you break through the blockade?

Yeah he's called Dagon. I don't know why they named this random bounty hunter after an elder god, but hey. The funny names are part of the charm.

Dagon: Never mind! This will be your grave!
Dagon: That 30,000 Goth is as good as mine.

Will these bounty hunters ever learn not to overestimate themselves?



The enemy forces are quite formidable. Dagon hits hard, and so do his dragons. To complicate matters, the terrain is quite unfriendly, with the lakes forcing units into straight, long lines. Better hope you brought enough ranged damage!



Thankfully, I have three powerful guests helping out. Most players only have Forcas here, and have a much harder fight to contend with. The strategy mostly involves killing or disabling the dragons, then attacking Dagon with full force. He is a wizard after all, and dies easily to focused damage. Especially focused physical damage.



Canopus unfortunately meets his end here. Reives' wizard hit him with an ice spell, and then the damage from the fire dragon and Dagon added up fast. Ah well, mishaps happen.

Besides that, the fight proceeds uneventfully. Dagon's forces crumble, and Dagon himself falls.

Dagon: Damn it, if I only had 30,000 Goth...
Dagon: I could've saved my daughter's life.

Maybe you should've fought better. In stark contrast to Veldo's death dialogue, this comes across as some deeply dark comedy - Reives killing off yet another bounty hunter only to discover they had sentimental reasons to pursue his bounty.



Dasa dropped this back in Kadoriga. I consider using it, but unfortunately it doesn't really fit anyone on the team - it's two handed, and while it does have a range of two tiles, it doesn't pierce enemies the way spears do. If it were one handed, it would've been a great fit for Reives. As is, the combination of a Power gauntlet and Heavy hammer easily match its damage while providing better defenses.



Finally, to Fort Bodo!

Script:



It is a fine, sunny day. Reives, Kachua and Sisteena walk to the base of a dilapidated fort. They stop, and look at each other. Someone hails them offscreen.

Archer: Who are you!

The three look up. A soldier takes aim at them!

Archer: State your business!!

Reives takes a defensive stance, while Selye calmly approaches the soldier. She stops at the fort's base, and turns to Reives.

Sisteena: Don't worry. He is one of my comrades.

Reives puts his weapon away. Sisteena turns to the soldier.

Sisteena: It's me, Sisteena! Put down your bow before you hurt yourself!

The soldier complies.

Warrior: Sisteena!? You are alive!
Warrior: Selye was so concerned about you.
Warrior: Please come inside.
Sisteena: Let's go!

She heads up the fort, and the scene fades out.



It fades into a crumbling room. Reives, Kachua and Sisteena are gathered around Selye, who is flanked by her guards.

Selye: Why did you bring these criminals before me!?

Oh boy, we're off on the wrong foot already!

Selye: Are you trying to give away the locations of our secret bases to them?!
Sisteena: Before you jump to any conclusions, please listen to my story!
Selye: How dare you speak to me in that tone of voice! I'm the leader of this army!

And yet you're so easily irritable.

Sisteena: These kind strangers rescued me from the pirates.
Selye: Pirates? They didn't hurt you, did they?
Sisteena: I'm fine, Selye. Everyone is safe.
Sisteena:...The reason I'm here is to stop you from carrying out your crazy plan.

Selye looks away from Sisteena. Everyone remains awkwardly silent.

Selye: Not again! I'm through discussing the matter with you! I will not change my mind!

Boy did Reives walk into a heated feud.

Selye: Our comrades that also felt the way you did about my decision left here with you.
Selye: I never forced any of you to go along with my decision. That's why I didn't stop you from leaving.
Kachua: What decision? What crazy plan?
Kachua: Would anyone care to fill us in...?

So Sisteena expected Reives and Kachua to help out with her familial feud, yet never bothered to explain it? Come on, give them some handles to work with!

Selye turns her gaze slightly towards Kachua.

Selye: Shut up, you whiny bi***!

Whoa, whoa! Don't take your frustration out on her! Play nicely.

Selye: It's none of your damn business!
Sisteena: She is planning the assassination of Duke Ronway.

That's definitely a gutsy plan. And not one Reives would oppose, given his current condition.

Selye: Sisteena! Silence!
Selye: How dare you involve these interlopers!
Sisteena: Killing the Duke will not end the war.
Sisteena: On the contrary, the Dark Knights and Bacrum will declare war against the Walstanians.
Selye: That's right! It's just a matter of time before Gargastan loses the war.
Selye: Once the Liberation army defeats Gargastan, they will have big power.

Lol "big power".

Selye: Then Bacrum and Walsta forces will be equal.
Selye: If an all out war broke out, both countries should fall.
Selye: But, Branta and Ronway knows that will happen. They will keep their neutrality treaty.
Selye: But if the Duke dies, Bacrum will invade Walsta.
Selye: Once Branta defeats Walsta. After that happens we must assassinate Branta.

Your plan is to constantly topple governments? For what purpose?

Kachua looks away from Selye.

Kachua: Do you really think that your plan will pan out so smoothly?
Selye: It will and when we nail Branta, that is when true peace will return to the land of Valeria!!

Yeaaaaahhhh....I see what they meant when they said their leader had "problems". This is completely unhinged.

Selye turns to the duo.

Selye: Why don't you be part of my plan?
Selye: Why don't you join us and kill the Duke?

If I were Reives, I would yell "Because you're completely senseless!" and run away as far as possible.

Selye: It's a whole lot better than being a criminal on the run.

Kachua turns back to the sisters.

Sisteena: It is always the common people who suffer from war...
Sisteena: I don't want to kill any innocent people.
Sisteena: I don't want to see a country built on a foundation of blood!

Suddenly, a soldier hurries in! Everyone turns to him, surprised.

Selye: What's wrong with you?!
Selye: What's going on?!
Warrior: I just got word that...

He trails off.

Selye: Rest for a moment. Then give me your report.
Warrior: The Gargastanis...they have been defeated by the Walsta Liberation Army.

Welp. That happened quite fast.

Warrior: Coritani Castle has fallen!

Kachua walks slightly forward.

Kachua: What!
Warrior: Barbatos...was captured and executed this morning!

Selye approaches the soldier.

Selye: Perfect...Everything is going according to plan. Tell our comrades to prepare!!

On one hand, I would be genuinely intrigued to follow their assassination plans. On the other, I would be quite terrified of their ideas of achieving "peace".

Warrior: Yes, Sir, err...I mean, Ma'am!
Selye: Also, tell our messenger to rest.
Warrior: Yes, Sir, err...I mean, Ma'am!

The meeting concluded, Selye turns back to the duo. Sisteena hurries and stops in front of her.

Sisteena: Selye, don't do it!

Everyone looks at the sisters.

Selye: Now that Coritani Castle has fallen, we have no choice but to execute our plan.
Selye: We have to act quickly before the Duke completely takes over. It's too late, Forcas.

Forcas isn't even in the room! What are you on now?

Sisteena turns away from Selye.

Sisteena: You're wrong, Selye!!

She runs out of the room.

Selye: I'm sorry, but I have no time for idle chatter.
Selye: You don't see the reality of our situation...
Selye: If you give up freedom, what will you have left?

I'm sorry, what? What does that have to do with anything?

Selye: You've lost sight of what you're truly fighting for. We must do whatever it takes to make our dream a reality.

You're beginning to sound exactly like Duke Ronway. That's creepy!

Selye: My sister is not a revolutionary. She won't stain her hands with the blood of innocents to succeed.

Selye turns away from everyone, before glancing sideways.

Selye:...but I still love her. Take care of my sister for me. Help her anyway you can.

I like that they threw a tender moment in there. After all of her crazy conspiratorial talk, it was a good reminder that, hey, she's a human, and no matter what her beliefs are, she still has sentimental bonds with her family.

The scene fades out.



It fades in to Sisteena atop the fort's walls, staring at the ocean. Reives and Kachua walk in behind her, and quietly watch.

Sisteena:...You're wrong, Selye.
Sisteena: There must be another way.
Sisteena: You're becoming what you want to destroy.
Sisteena: You will do anything to achieve your own selfish goals.
Sisteena: Have we been fighting to establish a country whose foundation is built upon the blood of innocent people?

The two continue to watch silently.

For some reason, the game gives the option to rebuff Sisteena here. Reives will of course not do this.

Reives: Join us, Sisteena. We have a lot in common, don't you think?

Sisteena slowly turns to Reives.

Sisteena: I noticed that the first time you rescued me.
Reives: Then come, let us fight together!

Damn. So close to a title drop.

Sisteena turns away, looking at the ocean.

Sisteena: Thank you...I will never give up my beliefs.
Sisteena: Even if it means that I must fight against my own sister...

And now she joins up, along with Forcas and Byan. Reives may not have been able to get the support of the Valeria Liberation front, but he still did get some powerful allies out of it.

Most players only end up with Forcas here, and the dialogue to get him join is a lot more ambiguous. When Reives invites him to join, he expresses doubts, stating that he's Bacrumese and his ethnicity might be a problem. Then, a choice is offered between responding with "That's not a problem" and "Bacrum's not the enemy". Except it's presented like this:



Yeeeaaaaahh.

Well, that was a long update. Reives took a few more losses, but more than made up for them. Join me next time as he gets to Rime and completes this arc of the journey! See you then!

[Count Revier]

Last time, Reives had recruited three powerful characters to his cause!



I of course fully intend to use them, so I grind up everyone else to level 13. This was a bit more time consuming than usual, as killing a unit two levels higher "only" raises the attacker's level by one, so it wasn't enough to just kill the trio as fast as possible. But it wasn't too bad, once some additional characters hit level 13 the leveling process naturally sped up again.



Finally, to Rime!

Script:



It is night. The camera pans over a well lit, yet silent part of Rime. Reives carefully approaches the center of a crossroad, and looks around.

Reives:...Good, no one is here.
Reives: Kachua, it's okay now.

Kachua carefully makes her way to Reives. Suddenly, a berserker approaches him from behind. Shocked, Kachua steps back slightly, as Reives turns towards him.

Reives: You're Zapan!

Zapan quickly hops to Reives' front.

Zapan: This must be my lucky day.
Zapan: I never expected to see you here.
Kachua: Damn! You again?
Kachua: Why do these things always happen to me?

Zapan, if you will recall, was the mercenary Reives fought back in Zodo Marsh, while trying to make his way to Lans. He has now been abruptly turned into a recurring enemy, for reasons I don't understand.

Zapan laughs maniacally.

Zapan: Come on, be nice. Let's be friends... Hehehe...

His team emerges around Reives and Kachua, effectively surrounding them.

Reives: Is this another trap?!

He backs out a liitle.

Zapan: Not today...That's why today is my lucky day.
Zapan: Before that damn knight from Zenobia appears, I'll have your heads. I want them dead!!

So, this map. This one's a complete doozy, arguably one of the game's hardest maps. Zapan isn't fooling around with his force. Not only are there two dragons, there's two hawkmen archers to snipe Reives' units, and two witches to rain disruption on his team.



Kachua is almost guaranteed to die within the first few turns. Thankfully, she does have an escape gem, so her death isn't permanent. The hits she takes will help take the pressure off Reives, who needs to escape to a better position as soon as possible.



Complicating matters is the fact that his team is deployed in a really awful spot. Sure, it's easily defensible against melee attackers, but it's too low to target anyone with bows, and is overlooked by tall terrain that can easily be occupied by enemy units, especially hawkmen archers. There's also very little room to maneuver there. Thus, you will want to get them out of there as fast as you can.



That being said, it's a good position for spellcasters to harass the enemy, provided they aren't under threat of archer fire. Reives' wizards and witch get some serious mileage out of targeting this chokepoint from here.



The strategy is to funnel the enemy team into two chokepoints, blocking their advance with tough units while whittling down the opposition, and eventually Zapan. This can get quite tricky, as the enemy team themselves isn't lacking in offense, but forcing them to split up does wonders for mitigating their damage.



The witch can now multihit with her curses! She got two Archer levels to help improve her accuracy, and it paid off, with her landing a decisive charm on the ice dragon.



Things start to get a bit dicey, with Zapan making his way into the back. Thankfully, by this time he had already eaten enough spell damage to be whittled down, and indeed, he fell within the next few turns:



Zapan: Shit, you're strong.
Zapan: Man, I should have given up while I was ahead!

Script:

Everyone hears thunderous noises from afar. Surprised, they turn towards its direction.

Zapan: Huh?! What's that noise?

The camera quickly pans over to another part of Rime. There, Lodisian knights are seen murdering the inhabitants and razing houses! It pans further to yet another part, where people are seen fleeing from an advancing Lodisian formation. The formation momentarily stops, and their leader, an armored man with red robes, addresses them.

Barbas: Charge!

The soldiers obey his command and rush into the city. But suddenly, one of them is cut down! Lans rushes past him to meet Barbas!

Lans: Stop! Is this the way of the people of Lodis?!

Barbas takes up an intimidating stance, readying himself for battle.

Barbas: That's the Zenobian crest! You must be the Holy Knight Lans!
Barbas: It was my long time dream to see you Lans!
Barbas: Show me the power that defeated the Highlands!

The Highlands are yet another March of the Black Queen reference, they were the empire that Zenobia took down in that game.

Lans confidently struts forward.

Lans: Your wish shall be granted! Show me your power, Dark Knight!

They clash mightily, and the camera quickly pans back to Reives. He looks around the crossroads a bit.

Reives: Where's Zapan?

Kachua calls for him from afar.

Kachua: Reives!

Reives turns to the direction of her voice.

Reives: Kachua, where are you?!

The camera pans northwest, where Zapan is seen holding her!

This bit honestly always ruined my suspension of disbelief. Seriously, was Reives so daft that he let Kachua be dragged away all the way back? Right after a fight where Zapan was supposedly severely defeated? What happened to his retinue, or her escape gem?

Kachua: Here, Reives!

Zapan cackles madly.

Zapan: Too late, Reives.
Zapan: The girl is mine!
Zapan: I'm taking your Kachua! Come to Amorika Castle if you want her back! I will be waiting!

The camera quickly pans back to Reives.

Reives: Stop!!! Bring back my sister, you bastard!!

An armored knight in purple robes enters, catching Reives' attention.

Reives: You are...!
Martym: What do you want, kid?

Guildus enters right behind him! Martym quickly turns to face him.

Reives: Sir Guildus!
Guildus: Come, Dark Knight! You're mine.
Guildus: Fight me, if you dare!
Martym: What can Zenobia do to us?!
Martym: Come on! You pathetic excuse for a knight!

They begin fighting as the camera pans over to Zapan dragging Kachua. She struggles, and manages to halt him for a bit.

Zapan: Hurry up!
Kachua: Reives!

It pans back to Reives, with the two knights fiercely engaged in battle. He hurries a bit in her direction.

Reives: Kachua!

Guildus quickly pushes away Martym for a moment.

Guildus: Reives! Go! Go after him!

Reives turns to him, as Martym steps forward menacingly.

Martym: So I see, trying to be the good guy here...Take this!!

Guildus quickly turns sideways towards Reives.

Guildus: Go! Hurry!

Reives runs along Zapan's path, hesitatingly looking back once. Martym's voice is heard even as he hurries away.

Martym: Take this, wimp!!

A bright flash is seen, followed by the sound of a gash.

Guildus: Arrgh!

Things have certainly taken a turn for the worse. The Lodisians have broken their agreement, and Kachua is now missing. Reives still remains a fugitive. All he can do now is head back to Amorika, the very seat of Ronway's power. With that, this leg of his journey comes to an end.

But let's look at the news before ending this.



Not only does it report on the fall of Coritani, it also covers the invasion of Rime, with reports of ruthless massacres in the city. There's also a unique video available under the "News" option, but it doesn't show much - just Ronway gloating over his victory, some people yelling curses at Barbatos, and some confused last words from him before he's executed.

And that's that. Join me next time when I cover this journey in the PSP version. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Phew. It's been a while! I was taken up by certain commitments, Star Ocean 2's remake not being the least of them. But enough of that, let's get on with Reives' journey in the PSP version.



To ease the pain, I decided to install a texture pack. It looks fairly pleasing, so why not?

Oh right, I was supposed to analyze its script. Hold on.

Script:

It's a dark, rainy night. The camera pans over to an enemy formation, gathered on the other end of Krizar's bridge.

Farrel: Ho ho, the hero of Griate shows himself. It's as Vice predicted.

He slowly walks towards a golden colored knight. The knight is sulking, and watched over by two soldiers.

Farrel: Had you figured for Reives's man. Out scouting all alone? You've courage, I'll give you that!

The captive knight remains silent. He walks back to address Reives.

Farrel: You should take better care of your friends, lest they fall into the wrong hands!

The camera quickly pans to Reives' side.

Reives: Who is that knight? Do you know him, sister?
Kachua: Their captive? No. And you've sent out no scouts, have you?

The camera pans back to Farrel's side. He walks to the captive knight again.

Farrel: Take him away. We've work to do here.

The soldiers drag him offscreen, as he turns back to Reives. They quickly return and take position.

Farrel: The ground be your grave, whey-faced Walstanians!

I don't have much to analyze. This is a fairly straightforward scene, and it thus got a straightforward rewrite.

After a long, looooonng battle(seriously, why does Farrel have so much defense?) he falls.

Farrel: To die at a traitor's hands...

They free the captured knight as before.

Script:



Reives, Kachua, and the golden knight meet in a dinghy house.

Knight: I am Sir Forcas, of the Valeria Liberation Front, as it pleases you.
Kachua: The Liberation Front. Sisteena belonged to your company.
Forcas: So it was you then, who saved Sisteena in Rime?
Forcas: My comrades have told me of your plight...though I did not expect to come upon you here.
Forcas: Had you arrived any later, you would not have.

Excuse me? What were you trying to say, Reives?

Reives: The Duke's men are at our tail. We make haste for Rime.
Forcas: For Rime? I'd call that rash. Fatally so.
Forcas: You stand little chance of penetrating the Duke's lines with your numbers.
Reives: Yet we accomplish nothing by standing here, wringing our hands.

I will admit, for how much I dislike this script making everyone sound a bit too posh and formal, I do like it making Reives sound more confident here.

Forcas: A proposal, then. As it happens, some friends of mine were taken by pirates.
Forcas: If you were to aid me in wrestling back our ship, I could take you to Rime.
Forcas: A suitable arrangement for us both, I should think!

It also makes his offer sound a fair bit more convincing.

Kachua: A rather self-serving proposition.
Forcas: You lack options. I lack men.

Reives lowers his head resignedly.

Reives: Water does seem the more easily tread path.
Forcas: The pirates are in Kadoriga fortress. It's not far, and their numbers not many.

Everyone remains silent, as Reives and Kachua ponder the offer.

Reives: Very well. We'll aid you.
Forcas: You have my thanks.

Forcas proceeds to walk out of the room. Reives and Kachua slowly follow behind, but Kachua interrupts him halfway.

Kachua: You trust this man? Have you forgotten who the liberation front are?

Reives turns towards her.

Reives: You see another way? If we run afoul of the Duke's lines, we will die, sister.
Kachua: I care not for such coercion.
Reives: Be more charitable. He's merely eager to aid his fellows.

Kachua turns away, and solemnly lowers her head.

Kachua: Would that I had your faith.
Reives: You care for little that does not play out as you see it.

Hah. At least his insult is not as sharp and childish as before. Although it's hard to say whether that's truly an improvement, given the scenario.

He walks off. Kachua gazes at him as he leaves.

Kachua: Perhaps.

Well, that scene was arguably better, but only by so much. It's another fairly straightforward event with some tension between the siblings spicing things at the end.

So let's go fight some pirates.

Script:



It's a very stormy day. The camera pans over to the enemy formation, perched atop the fortress.

Darza: Should've stayed well away if you knew what's good for you.
Darza: You'll need more men than that to break what storm and sea have made strong.

Oooh! Those are fighting words!

The camera pans back to Reives' side.

Forcas: Byan, are you all right? Steady on, I'm coming!

The camera quickly pans to a blue wizard standing in the fortress' eastern ramparts.

Byan: Why are you returned, Forcas? Ought to have left me for dead.

The enemy forces menacingly advance on him.

Darza: Good idea, that. Waste the old fool!

Darza turns to Reives' group.

Darza: But spare the women, lads. They'll fetch a tasty price!

Ah, someone noticed that women are fighters too in the Ogre Battle universe. Good catch, that.

Those flourishes of brilliance aside, this rewrite isn't remarkable either. Solidly good, but nothing standout.

Byan is much easier to rescue in this version, which is just as well because I would hate having to replay battles in this one. I mean, it does also making replaying previous turns far easier, in fairness.

Darza: Veldo won't be best pleased

My earlier praise aside, they totally butchered his dying line here.

Let's get the gang onto a ship.

Script:



It is a calm, sunny day. Reives, Kachua and Forcas are gathered next to a ship. Byan walks slowly towards them, then eventually stops.

Forcas: The ship is ours once more. We sail with the tide.
Forcas: We'll take you safe to Rime, as agreed. Best get aboard.
Byan: Hold, Forcas. They've taken Sisteena.

Forcas turns quickly to Byan.

Forcas: What!? I thought her safely away.
Byan: The others are safe. Her alone they took and scurried back to their den.

Everyone remains silent for a bit.

Byan: Surely we must rescue her ere we return to Bodo.

Forcas looks away from him, staring thoughtfully at the sea.

Forcas: Of course. And we shall. But first we must take them to Rime.
Byan: Foolishness! You'd as well kill Sisteena yourself.
Forcas: They honored their promise. I owe them no less.
Byan: I thought Sisteena dear to you. Perhaps I was mistaken.

I do like how Byan has far more bite here.

Forcas turns to Byan.

Forcas: Before all else I am a knight, Byan. I'll not break a sacred vow.
Byan: Stubborn mule! If you'll not help, perhaps I can appeal to their better nature.

Byan gets closer, and Reives looks at him.

Byan: You heard my tale. Our friend is taken captive by pirates.
Byan: No concern of yours, to be sure, but we'll need help if we are to rescue her. What do you say?

Kachua turns to Byan.

Kachua: Surely there are many others you might call upon. Why do you not do so?
Byan: By the time our pleas reached them, it would already be too late.
Kachua: We are pursued ourselves. Already we've delayed too long.
Kachua: And have we not kept our word? This fortress is fallen, and your ship is yours once more.

Well that's a pretty sharp way to state our actions.

Kachua: Sir Forcas has the right of it. It now falls to him to fulfill his part of the bargain.
Byan: You'll be safe once at sea. The Walstanians cannot give chase.
Byan: An attack on the pirates now will delay your arrival in Rime by a scant few days.
Forcas: Enough, Byan. She's right, you know.
Byan: Yours is the final word, Reives. I would hear your thoughts.

As in the original, Reives can choose to turn him down, and as in there, there's little reason to.

Reives: You have our swords. Though we may disagree on much, I find your devotion to your allies admirable.

Kachua turns towards Reives.

Kachua: But, Reives!

Reives looks sideways at her.

Reives: Follow my lead, sister. The others will understand.

Forcas speaks up, catching the attention of everyone around.

Forcas: I am in your debt, Reives. You have a kind heart.
Byan: I know where the pirates make their den: Damsa hold on Dicniga.

Reives quickly nods.

Reives: To Damsa hold, then.

Another solid yet unremarkable rewrite. Bet you didn't see that coming, eh?

Reives' pirate sidequest shall continue next time. Hopefully it will not be as late as this update. See ya!

[Count Revier]

Last time, Reives rescued Forcas and then Byan. Today, he's going to invade a pirate stronghold.

Script:



It's a fine, clear day. The camera quickly pans up to the enemy force, perched atop the fortress. A valkyrie walks up to address Reives.

Veldrei: You're the ones who killed Darza, aren't you. He may not have been much of a man, but he was my man.

Okay. I'm glad the writers recognized that Veldrei fat shaming her husband barely few days after he died was awkward and contradictory to the tone intended in this scene. I'm not sure why they didn't also understand that her criticizing her just deceased husband was itself disrespectful, and there aren't many good ways to rewrite that at all. Well, props for trying.

The camera quickly pans back to Reives' group.

Forcas: We've come for Sisteena. Return her to us, and I guarantee your safety.

It pans back to Veldrei's group.

Veldrei: A likely tale, but Darza took no fool for his wife.
Veldrei: You'll not have her back so easy as that!
Veldrei: This one's for the boss, boys! Bring me their scalps!

Moments like these are where this script really falters in comparison to the original. One could perhaps argue that the vulgarity in the latter did get excessive, however it did a great job of expressing unrestrained emotion, which is what fuels scenes like these. Paring them down for the sake of a more "refined" script cuts into the passion and intensity of the moment, making them much less enjoyable.

As in the original, she puts up a valiant fight, but falls.

Veldrei: Where are you, my love? Your wife and child...come for you....

This is still dark as all hell. Let's skip to the part where the trio are happily reunited.

Script:



It's a bright and pleasant day. Kachua, Reives and the trio are all gathered near their ship.

Sisteena: That's twice you've saved me-a debt no words can repay.

Forcas slowly nudges towards her.

Forcas: I feared I'd never see you again. Thank the light you're alive.

Sisteena turns towards Forcas.

Sisteena: I rejoice to see you. You and Byan both.
Kachua: I hate to interrupt, but I think it's best we set sail.

Okay, that's a BIG downgrade from the original line here.

Everyone turns to Kachua.

Forcas: Yes. Yes, of course. Best if we reach the deep while we still have some light.

Byan turns towards Forcas.

Byan: Before we make for Rime, perhaps you might accompany us to Bodo fortress.

Sisteena and Reives turn towards Byan.

Sisteena: A splendid idea. If we're lucky, we might even reach Selye in time to stop her.
Kachua: Bodo, you say? It's more ruin than fortress. Why go there?
Forcas: Run down it may be, but Bodo is an essential fastness. Our leader, Selye, commands from there.

Reives turns towards Forcas.

Reives: And you would have us meet her, the leader of your Liberation Front? Why?

Sisteena turns to Reives.

Sisteena: When you see her, you will understand. We've problems of our own.

An awkward moment of silence follows.

Forcas: Best get aboard. We sail.

Kachua's line aside, this mostly reads similarly to the original, and hence I have little to comment on.

Let's go visit Griate for a bit.

Script:



It is raining. The camera pans to the enemy group, gathered uphill.

Dagon: Reives? Here?! How did you escape the siege?
Dagon: No matter. It is enough that the wheel has brought us together, traitor.
Dagon: Your bounty is the answer to my prayers.

Well, at least they recognized his name was worth keeping. Not that the random enemy leaders are too involved or memorable.

Dagon is crushed by Reives' group and the trio of warriors. This is, in my opinion, one of the better reimagined fights - the enemy formation has just enough durability to require a concentrated effort to break, but not so much that the fight turns into a giant slog. Of course, it doesn't fix everything else wrong with the PSP version's gameplay, but credit where it's due.

Dagon: Thirty thousand Goth...So small a sum, to...save my daughter's life...

The joke's delivery is a little haphazard here, but alright.

Now we land at Fort Bodo.

Script:



It's a clear, fair day. A tall, dilapidated fort is visible. The camera pans down the fort to show Reives, Kachua and Sisteena strolling at its base. They briefly stop, and Reives looks around, only to be interrupted by someone shouting from off screen.

Bowman: Who's there?!

The camera pans up to show a soldier on its walls taking aim at them!

Bowman: Answer well, else it's my bow you'll quarrel with!

The camera pans back down to the trio. Reives takes up a defensive stance, and Sisteena slowly walks towards the fort and turns towards him.

Sisteena: Hold, he's a friend.

Reives puts down his defensive stance, and Sisteena turns towards the soldier.

Sisteena: It's I, Sisteena. Unbend your bow!

The camera pans back up to the soldier, who puts away his bow.

Bowman: Sisteena? It is you! I'd feared the worst.
Bowman: Chief's been worried, too. Well, come on up.

The camera pans back down to the trio.

Sisteena: You heard the man.

She walks towards the fort, and the scene fades out.



It fades in to a dingy, dilapidated room. The trio are in the presence of Selye, a woman in red clothes, who is flanked by an archer and a knight.

Selye: You bring wanted men here, to our refuge?!
Selye: Might as well tell every crier and herald from here to Amorika where we hide!
Selye: So tell me, why have you returned?
Sisteena: Be not so quick to anger, sister. At least hear my tale.
Selye: Here, I am not your sister. I am your commander.

Ooh, that's a pretty good line.

Everyone remains awkwardly silent for a moment.

Sisteena: I was taken captive by pirates. These people rescued me. I owe them no less than my life.

Selye walks slightly towards Sisteena.

Selye: Pirates? Did they harm you?
Sisteena: I am well enough, sister - my pardons - commander.

And they even play a little on it.

Sisteena: As for why I've returned, I've come to stop this madness you call a plan.

Selye turns away from Sisteena.

Selye: A tale long since grown stale in the telling. Squabble all you please, it changes nothing.
Selye: You left with those who shared your doubts, did you not?
Selye: I do not oblige anyone to take part against his will, else I would not have let you go.

Here's where the script starts falling, though. Like I've said before, cutting out the emotionally loaded lines for the sake of a more "polished" script cuts into the emotions integral to scenes like these.

Kachua glances at Denim.

Kachua: Take part in what? What plans?

Selye glances at Kachua.

Selye: It's no concern of yours. I would thank you to remain silent.
Sisteena: They mean to assassinate Duke Ronway.

Selye looks sternly at Sisteena.

Selye: Silence!
Sisteena: Assassinating a single man, even the Duke, will not end this struggle.
Sisteena: With no one to tend the Walstanian rudder, the Bacrumese will sense opportunity. It will be all-out war.
Selye: That is our purpose. Barbatos and the Gargastani now teeter on the brink.
Selye: If the Walstanians are allowed to deliver the finishing blow, they will control half of Valeria.
Selye: The Bacrumese and Walstanian armies would then be evenly matched-they would break themselves one against the other.
Selye: But Branta and Ronway are no fools. They would forge a truce, and all would be as it is now!
Selye: However, if the Duke is dead, a very different story unfolds. The Bacrumese would at last invade.
Selye: And when Branta declares himself hegemon over all Valeria, then...then we assassinate him as well.
Selye: This isle will be ours!

I like that her plan sounds completely unhinged even in this script.

Kachua turns away from Selye.

Kachua: A great many ifs and whens.

Selye glances at Kachua.

Selye: No more than we require.

She fully turns towards Reives and Kachua.

Selye: You've heard our plan. Why not join us? Fight at our side?
Selye: You can run, let the Duke hunt you, or...you can become the hunter.
Selye: Help us cast down the Duke, cast down the Dark Knights, and restore peace to this land.
Sisteena: War's horrors are visited not on us, but on the smallfolk caught in the maelstorm.
Sisteena: I want no part in a kingdom built on the bones of the innocent!

Suddenly, a soldier walks into the lower eastern part of the room, grabbing everyone's attention.

Selye: You'd best have good reason for this interruption!
Warrior: A messenger!
Selye: Catch your breath, soldier, and we'll hear your news.
Warrior: Coritani is fallen! The Walstanian forces have broken the Gargastani!

Kachua walks slightly towards the soldier.

Kachua: What's this?!
Warrior: More, Hierophant Barbatos was taken captive and put to the sword this morn.

Selye walks towards the warrior.

Selye: This changes nothing. Have the men prepare.
Selye: The messenger is welcome to stay..and rest.
Warrior: Yes ma'am.

The messenger leaves, and everyone turns their gaze towards Selye. Sisteena rushes to her front.

Sisteena: No, sister! You must stop this!
Selye: What means are left us now that Coritani has fallen?
Selye: We must move swiftly, before the Duke rallies the Gargastani remnants to his flag.
Selye: If there were another way, its time has passed, Sisteena.

Sisteena looks down, forlorn.

Sisteena: No, sister, you are wrong. You are wrong!

She walks out of the room. Everyone stares at her, then turns back their gaze towards Selye.

Selye: I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere.
Selye: While she remains blind to the reckoning of the day, my sister will ever chase her dreams.
Selye: Lofty visions are all well and good, but without feet firmly upon the ground, you will drift.
Selye: If my sister refuses to soil her hands, the moment will slip through her fingers.

This part always came off as weird, and it's not really any better here. "Be more practical" says the lady planning to...constantly throw states into disorder?

Selye:...Much as it has for you.

Kachua stares at Selye, who looks away from her, then glances back a bit.

Selye: Regardless, I love my sister.
Selye: Please, watch over her. Do not begrudge her your aid.

The scene fades out.



It fades in into a fair, clear sky. The camera slowly pans towards Bodo, where Sisteena is seeing standing on its walls, looking at the ocean. Reives and Kachua walk in behind her.

Sisteena: My sister is wrong. There must be a better way.
Sisteena: If we choose ends over means, we are no better than the demon Branta and the Duke.
Sisteena: Is that what you have been fighting for, sister? A country with roots steeped in blood? I cannot believe it.

The two remain silent.

Once again, you get the chance to rebuff Sisteena. And once again, I fail to see why.

Reives: Join us. We're your people now.

Sisteena contemplates the offer silently, then turns towards them.

Sisteena: In truth, I've felt a kinship with you from the time we met.
Reives: Then fight with us!

Sisteena turns away from him, and towards the ocean.

Sisteena: I shall. And I will cling to my dream, even if that should lead me to opposition with my own sister.

And the trio join up!

Alright, now there's only Rime left. Join me next time as this entire arc concludes with things getting worse! See you then!

[Count Revier]

Time to finish Reives' search for Lans. Sort of.

Script:



It is somewhere in Rime, at night. The streets are deserted. Reives slowly makes his way to the crossroads, and looks around. When he's sure of his surroundings, he calls out to someone offscreen.


Reives: Silence...no one's here. It's all right, sister. You can come out.

Kachua emerges on the southern road. Shortly after, Zapan appears on the northern road. Kachua steps back in fear, and Reives turns towards him.

Reives: Zapan!

Zapan quickly jumps towards them!

Zapan: A fortunate encounter! The wheel turns for me!

The wheel here refers to the wheel of fortune, Ogre Battle often features tarot cards as part of its setting.

Kachua: If not for us. I'd have happily grown old never having seen your pock-marked mug again.

Zapan cackles.

Zapan: Ah now, no need to be so sour. If you only got to know me, you'd find me quite amicable.

Zapan's retinue emerges from all sides, surrounding them!

Reives: Amiable when luring us into a trap!

Reives backs himself towards Kachua.

Zapan: No, no trap. Just luck!
Zapan: Now, to claim that head of yours before any saintly knights happen along with different ideas. Get 'em!

Well, that was a pretty straightforward rewrite. This scenario honestly always came off as rather harebrained, and while they TRY to justify it a bit more here, it still doesn't quite land. We're supposed to somehow buy that Reives and Kachua intentionally left behind their retinue while in the middle of Walstanian territory(Rime belongs to them now, remember) but still brought them into the city, that Zapan then brought his army into the city and set them up in ambush positions, and that none of this got noticed by the city's inhabitants somehow. Even assuming that the forces here are as small narratively as in gameplay, twenty or more armed people converging at a specific part of the city would draw significant attention, to say nothing of the huge beasts Zapan brings and Reives can bring.



Right, there's in battle dialogue on the PSP version of this map.

Reives: You spoke of knights.
Reives: So you knew not only that we made for Rime, but our purpose withal.
Zapan: Aye. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that we're here on Amorika's coin.
Zapan: See, with their Gargastani problem done for, they're all eagerness to see you done for as well.
Reives: An eagerness Lans does not share, apparently.
Reives: Why else would they hire you lot?
Zapan: Aha! The lad is more than just a pretty face!
Zapan: Still, it changes nothing. I'll have your head, and I'll have it now!

Did this conversation need to happen? Did it provide anything?

Zapan: I missteped at Rhea Boum, but I'll make no such errors this round!
Kachua: Why not show some sense. Retire before it's your head rotting on some pike.
Zapan: Almost worth it, if my head could rot next to yours!
Zapan: Take my hands, lass, and I'll lead you to a better place.
Kachua: I'd sooner throw myself down before the host at Amorika! You...
Kachua: You'd show me more mercy to gouge my eyes than force me to look upon those bearded jowls!
Zapan: An alluring angel, plucking at the strings of my heart!

We didn't need Zapan to be even more of a creep, either.

The map is like many other PSP maps, extremely drawn out until the leader is sniped down. And Zapan was pretty easy to snipe down.

Script:

Zapan: We've no hope of prevailing against the Duke's men, not yet. We must withdraw!

Okay, right off the bat Zapan is making me ask many questions. Who are the Duke's men? Reives is an outlaw, and so expressly not working for the Duke. The Duke has put a bounty on his head. Why would the Duke's soldiers noticing the fight be a problem? Would they not be on Zapan's side, if anything? Whatever.

Suddenly, thunderous roars can be heard from afar. Everyone turns to the source of this noise.

Zapan: What? What was that?



The camera quickly pans towards another portion of the city, which is brightly aflame! A purple armored knight is seen slaying an old man, with Lodisian knights strolling around the place. The camera pans even further, depicting a red robed knight descending into the city with his knights. He stops and faces them.

Barbas: Take this town!

The knights quickly rush in, but one of them is suddenly cut down! Lans rushes past him and towards Barbas.

Lans: No more! Is this what passes for honor in Lodis?

Barbas takes an aggressive stance, raising his fist in front of himself.

Barbas: You bear the arms of Zenobia...so this is the holy knight Lans!
Barbas: How I have longed for this moment!
Barbas: Show me the power that crushed Highland!

Lans advances forward slightly.

Lans: Only too gladly! Let our steel sing!

They clash mightily, and the camera pans away from them, and back to the crossroads. They are deserted again, except for Reives walking towards their center.

Reives: Come out, Zapan! Where are you hiding?!
Kachua: Here, Reives!

He turns to the direction of her voice.

Reives: Kachua! Where-?!

The camera pans northward, revealing her in Zapan's hands!

Kachua: Up here!

Zapan laughs madly.

Zapan: Greetings, Reives! So close, so very close. Almost slipped away on me.
Zapan: Your sister will be joining my merry band. If you care to see her again, hasten to the walls of Amorika!

The camera pans back to Reives.

Reives: No...Zapan! Don't do this! Coward!

The purple knight from earlier enters from the eastern road, and Reives turns towards him.

Reives: Who goes there?
Martym: Did your mother not warn you against playing on the streets at night, boy?

Guildus emerges behind Martym! He quickly turns to face the Zenobian knight.

Reives: Guildus?!
Guildus: Dark Knight of Lodis! Your quarrel is with me!
Martym: What's this? A Zenobian wants to fight? I'll gladly meet you, if you've even strength enough to draw!

The two fight, and the camera pans back to Zapan, seen dragging Kachua off. She resists, and pulls herself away for a moment.

Zapan: Pick up your feet, lass!
Kachua: Reives!

It pans back to Reives and the fighting knights. He hurries a little towards her, then stops.

Reives: Sister!

Guildus pushes Martym away with his shield.

Guildus: Go, Reives! Swiftly! Follow them!

Martym, undeterred, advances menacingly towards Guildus, making him back up.

Martym: As imprudent as you are impudent. I'll dress you like a holiday goose, hedge knight!

Guildus looks sideways at Denim.

Guildus: I said go!

Reives runs, stopping just once to glance back at the knights.

Martym: But first, a venomous strike to take the fight from you!

A big flash is seen, followed by a thunderous crash.

Guildus: Hnnngh!

Yet another straightforward rewrite. I do like them giving Martym's attacks some personality, but they didn't fix the central issue of this sequence, Kachua's abduction coming off as extremely unnatural. It kind of mars what's supposed to be a huge, dramatic event in the story.

And with that, we've caught the PSP version up! Woo! Next time, I get back to the version of the game I actually like playing. I can't describe how relieved I feel. Until then!

[Count Revier]

It's time to pick up the pieces and continue advancing forward. That's the best Reives can hope to do.

Script:



It's a bright, sunny day. The camera pans over to a formation blocking Reives' path. Its leader, the old woman at its center, speaks.

Ramidos: What do we have here!?
Ramidos: It's the kid that's worth 30,000 Goth!

Oh, yet another bounty hunter. Some things never change.

Ramidos: I've been a bounty hunter for so long that I have become jaded. But I guess Zapan was telling the truth.
Ramidos: I hate to do this to you kid, but I have bills to pay. Sorry...

You know, if vigilante justice is tolerated and even encouraged by the government, why aren't they putting bounties on the numerous bandits roving the land? How come all these desperate bounty hunters keep angling for Reives and not the many criminals around?



Ramidos is a summoner. In gameplay terms, this means that she can summon creatures to aid her in combat. However, this is constrained by a few rules: she won't summon as long as her team size is large enough, and her summoning pulls from a finite pool. Thanks goodness for that, her creatures can be quite irritating and even dangerous, featuring everything from undead skeletons to imps. I'll cover imps when we get to fight them, for now let's just say Reives' team is lucky not to face them here.

She also comes equipped with a rare accessory, the FireOrb. There are various such orbs for all the elements around, and they are notable for considerably lowering the user's wait turn. They can also be used to cast a powerful, party wide damage spell corresponding to their element, which can really hurt when cast by a magically powerful character. Luckily for Reives, she doesn't do that either.



Her entourage is deceptively weak, the ninjas are fighters with little endurance, and while their swings may be of concern, Reives' team has enough ranged damage to defeat them before they close the distance.



Her other units are little better. The clerics do have bows, but they will spend most of their time healing injured units. The witches, meanwhile, can only debuff Reives' units. That would all be well and good if they were backing actually powerful units, but they aren't.



As such, this battle quickly turns into a rout, with Ramidos exposed to Reives' fighters. They waste no time battering her down.

Ramidos: I guess I'm not as fast as I used to be...Defeated by a kid like you...



Her drop right here is a honest to god revival spell. Reives can finally avoid taking permanent losses and lower his attritional pressure a little. Or he would, if he had anyone qualified to become a priest. Regular clerics can't cast this, and it's quite expensive, meaning that you'll likely want to keep them away from any action, and judiciously use their MP so that they always have enough for popping this in an emergency. On the upside, units revived by this spawn right next to the priest, so they are unlikely to die again immediately. Note though that being killed and revived does sap the unit's loyalty, so try not to rely on this too much!

Well, that was a bit of an anticlimactic return. Worry not, though - next time Reives shall storm Amorika Castle, this time on his own! See you then!

[Count Revier]

Alright, it's time to head back to Amorika!



But not before a cutscene!

Script:

The scene fades into a swanky, yet cold castle room. A man in royal robes is seen looking at the landscape through the windows. Suddenly, a soldier barges in.

Ronway: What is going on!
lLiberation Soldier: The Bacrum Army! The Bacrum Army is invading!

Ronway quickly turns around.

Ronway: What!? That can't be...!
Liberation Soldier: It's true. Our army is fighting against the Bacrum Army in Rime.

Ronway slowly paces towards the soldier.

Ronway: Has the city of Rime fallen?
Liberation Soldier: No, my lord. The Knights of Zenobia are stationed there.
Liberation Soldier: Thanks to them the city is still holding. But it won't last for long. They need reinforcements.
Ronway: Call Leonard!
Liberation Soldier: Sir Leonard left for Amorika...
Ronway: Oh, that's right. Uh...
Ronway: Then send a letter to Leonard!
Ronway: Dispatch a messenger to him and prepare the fastest and strongest horse for him!
Liberation Soldier: Yes, my lord.

The soldier rushes out. Ronway pensively struts a little bit.

Ronway: Lodis...What are you up to!?

He slowly makes his way back to the window.

Ronway: Now that Barbatos is gone, my work here is done. Did they really think our treaty was to be terminated?

Ronway is in quite the pickle indeed. Serves him right for ordering a massacre, I say.



I grind for about half an hour to equalize everyone's levels again, and unlock the Siren class for women and the Warlock class for men. I switch the witch into a siren, and Byan into a warlock. They are intended to be upgrades of the wizard and witch classes respectively, oddly enough. This somewhat weakens my army for the moment, but I expect it to pay off eventually.

Alright, now let's head for Amorika.

Script:



It is a bright day. The camera pans up to Zapan's entourage, stationed in front of Amorika's gate.

Zapan: Good boy! I knew you would make it. I knew Ramidos was no match for you.

The camera zooms back to Reives.

Reives: Zapan, where is Kachua!

The camera zooms again to Zapan.

Zapan: She's in the castle.
Zapan: If you want her back, you're gonna have to do it the hard way.

Zapan is a tough cookie. As a level 16 berserker, he has a lot of bulk to him, both physically and magically. And he hits really, really hard. His entourage is no joke either, with two ninjas equipped with bows, four knights, and two golems. Okay, the golems aren't that great, but that doesn't really matter.

There's a huge flaw in his tactical plan, however.



Zapan is overtly aggressive, allowing him to be isolated and focused down upon. As a melee fighter, he can only do damage to one unit at a time, via attacks and counter attacks. Reives' entourage does take a beating from his counters, but easily whittles him to critical health.

Zapan: Damn! I can't believe this is happening...Stay back! Or else I'll...



Zapan I hate you.

Reives' team, or rather Reives alone proceeds into the inner quarters.

Script:



The camera opens with Vice and Zapan at the rough center of the castle's main hall. Zapan is lying partly on the floor, facing Vice. Reives enters from the south.

Reives: Zapan! Vice what are you...?!
Zapan: Y-you...Traitor! What are you doing?!
Vice: Stupid re****! You have to use the hostages in an efficient way!

He strikes Zapan with a swift, mighty blow! He dies quickly, with little fanfare.

Thank goodness. I would've preferred Reives' squad killing him, but I'm just glad he's out of the picture, permanently.

Vice: Now it's your turn, Reives.

Reives gingerly steps forward.

Reives: Vice, where is my sister!

The two silently stare at each other. Suddenly, Kachua is heard yelling off screen.

Kachua: Reives!

The camera quickly pans beyond the two, showing Kachua being dragged by a soldier deeper into the castle. It then pans back.

Reives: Vice! Release my sister!
Vice: I will. After I split your body in half!

The two silently stare at each other for a bit.

Reives: Are you serious, Vice? We were fr...
Vice: Shut up and fight me! One on one!

So yeah, this is a forced duel with Vice, and it's staged very weakly. Somehow Reives enters alone, with none of his entourage, and somehow Vice decides he will duel with Reives instead of bringing some backup.

Vice is a ninja, so while he is fast, he's not very durable. He also is equipped with very basic gear, and no spells. Consequently it's not a very hard fight, and is mostly about giving out more story...unless Reives is extremely injured.

Look, duels in strategy RPGs are almost never good. But if they're going to be there, it's better to make them easy and quick.

Reives: Why do we have to fight, Vice!?
Vice: Why you? Why does everyone like you?
Vice: Since we were kids, everyone liked you, but not me. I was always the outcast!
Vice: Do you know why? Damn it! It's because of my father!
Vice: Your father was a respected priest, but my father was just a scrubby alcoholic. Plus, he used to always beat me!
Vice: Still, everyone just hated me! I'm nothing like my father, nor do I want to be...You always had it easier!
Reives: But, I still treated you like my own brother!

So, they imply that it was Vice's jealousy over Reives that made him choose to side with the Duke and oppose him. I personally never really bought it though - if his jealousy was so great, how were they able to work together in the first place? Wasn't he supposed to be harboring hatred for Bacrum, and more importantly, the Dark Knights? I genuinely think that they attempted to tell the story of a frustrated patriot here, but failed to convey the underlying subtext effectively.

Anyway, Reives defeats Vice and the fight abruptly ends.

Script:

A gate on the eastern side opens, and Leonard rushes out. Both fighters turn their gaze towards him.

Leonard: Stop this! Both of you!

They both head towards Leonard, stopping just before him.

Vice: Leonard, why are you stopping me?!
Leonard: Don't you know what's going on?! Relax Vice!

Leonard rushes down, but is interrupted by Vice.

Vice: You were the one who said to kill him! Why did you stop...
Leonard: Listen to me! Reives, you too!

He continues one step down, then looks sternly at the two.

Leonard: The city of Rime has fallen!
Leonard: The Bacrum Army is coming this way!
Reives: No!!! What happened to Sir Lans? This can't be happening...!
Leonard: We don't know what happened to the Holy Knight! He is either dead or he could have escaped.
Leonard: Anyway, this is not the time to fight between our own people. Let me explain...
Leonard: Reives, obey the Duke. We will forget about the past! Come fight with us against Bacrum!
Vice: This is bullshit! I'm not talking to this traitor!
Leonard: Quit acting like a baby, Vice.
Leonard: Why can't you listen to me?!
Leonard: Reives, what do you plan to do?
Leonard: No, you don't have to tell me...
Leonard: No matter how sacred the ideal may be, if it is not achieved, then it is meaningless.

So I like how he's desperate to get back Reives, and yet chooses to lecture about how his beliefs are meaningless. Because telling him how wrong he is is going to win him over.

Leonard: Do you want your ideals to end up as a dream?
Leonard: Weren't you suppose to avenge your father's death? Come, join us.

So here's where Reives could rebuff Leonard and continue to be on the run. I won't be doing this, I wish to showcase what happens when he compromises on his ideals, as that's a route often not covered by most players. Either they embrace him carrying out the massacre, or they decide to make him the righteous fugitive fighting for justice till the end. Yet, in the face of the circumstances presented, I could totally see him going along with this compromise. All he has accomplished as a fugitive is hiring some Valeria Liberation Front members and killing some bounty hunters, pirates and Walstanian soldiers. Besides, in Walsta's moment of need, does it not make sense for him to express solidarity?

Reives: There's no time. The true enemy is Bacrum...

Leonard slowly paces towards Reives.

Leonard: Great! That is the way of a true hero.

I genuinely got a chuckle out of this. Leonard, as the pragmatic leader who goes along with whatever Ronway plans, up to literally massacring his own people, has little right to make moral judgements like this.

Vice: This is a joke! Are you guys serious?! I'm not going to allow this. No way!!

Vice storms out of the room.

Reives: Wait, Vice!

Leonard glances sideways at him.

Leonard: Leave him alone. We have to see Duke Ronway!

Leonard slowly steps out of the hall, while Reives lowers his head, brooding.

Reives:Vice...

Taking this route understandably pisses Aloser off enough to desert Reives. Ah well. She will be missed.

Finally, the camera pans over scenes of Rime's aftermath...



And reveals a mildly familiar face. Huhhhh...

And that's the end of this act! It was probably not as satisfying as you hoped, but it still tied up a few things, and, in my case, gave Reives some new motivation. Next time, we finish this act in the PSP version. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Alright, it's time to retrace our steps in the PSP version.



Since there's no contingent stopping Reives from directly assaulting Amorika castle, this should be quick.



There's this cutscene again!

Script:

The camera fades into a castle room, where Ronway is seen staring intently through its windows. Suddenly, a soldier bursts into the room.

Ronway: I can't steal a moment's peace...what now?
Soldier: It's the Bacrumese, your Grace. They've marched on Rime!

Ronway turns around to face the soldier.

Ronway: What? That's absurd!
Soldier: Our riders send word that the battle is already joined.

Ronway slowly paces himself towards the soldier.

Ronway: What news of the city? Has it fallen?
Soldier: No, your Grace. The Zenobian knights have managed to hold her walls.
Soldier: But they cannot long last against the Bacrumese siege. They've requested immediate reinforcement.
Ronway: Very well. Summon Leonard!
Soldier: Begging your Grace's pardon, Sir Leonard rode for Amorika at daybreak.
Ronway: Yes...yes, of course.
Ronway: Bring quill and parchment. Leonard must know of this.
Ronway: Ready the fastest courser in Coritani!

"Courser" is a weird pick here. I get that they wanted the language to look all fancy and medieval like, but was "charger" or "messenger ride" not fancy enough? Hell, using "horse" here would have worked pretty well too.

Soldier: At once, your Grace!

The soldier heads out. Ronway tensely struts for a bit.

Ronway: What is Lodis scheming, eh?

He slowly makes his way back to the windows.

Ronway: With Barbatos gone, old alliances turn to ash.

Sorry Ronway, but what you had with Lodis was no "alliance". They only agreed not to attack your forces. Besides, I'm pretty sure you didn't want them to interfere and effectively make you obliged to them.

Ronway: Confound them all!

So we've already seen some gross misuse of words and a drastic change of tone for no good reason. This doesn't bode well.

Script:



It's a warm, sunny day. The camera pans upwards to reveal Zapan and an old lady in grey robes at the center of the enemy formation.

Yep, they made some actual major changes here, not just mechanically, but also narratively.

Zapan: Here he is, sure as the wind. I half worried the Bacrumese had got the best of him.
Ramidos: So this boy is the hero-butcher of Baramus, is he?

The camera quickly pans back to Reives' team.

Reives: Zapan, you coward! What have you done with my sister?

It quickly pans to Zapan and Ramidos again. Zapan turns towards Ramidos.

Zapan: You know what's to be done, then.

Ramidos turns to face Zapan.

Ramidos: Aye, well enough. I don't give a fig for no bounty, long as his head rolls.
Ramidos: I had old friends at Baramus. They'll rest better with him beneath the earth.

So Ramidos is an Aloser now. I can't fathom why they made this change? Like, what does hammering the hate people hold for him due to Ronway's misguided propaganda do for the story? The journey spent looking for Lans was significant, as it showed him taking concrete steps to fight injustice and clear his name, and the journey involving rescuing the Valerian Liberation Front members was also meaningful, as it gave a deeper look into some of its prominent members and gave Reives a ray of hope after the disappointment at Tanmas. This, on the other hand, is just regurgitating plot points for no good reason than to pad out the story.

The two turn back towards Reives' team.

Zapan: Pardon the parley, Reives. Had a few matters needed tending.
Zapan: Your sister's safe and sound within the castle. But you'll not be leaving with her, exceptin' by force.

The camera quickly pans back to Reives.

Reives: By force, then.

This is one of the few genuinely difficult fights in the PSP remake. This doesn't mean it's a good fight though, oh no. Instead, it's tough because it pours a constant stream of troops on you if you take out any of the enemy units. And these aren't just garbage grunts, but actually fearsome units like hawkmen and terror knights. And killing Zapan doesn't end it, but killing Ramidos does, for some bizarre reason. Since Ramidos is the frailer of the two, the reasonable way to do this mission is to bumrush her and unload all of your team's damage on her. No, I'm not lying about any part of that sentence - trying to treat it like an actual mission only leads to serious frustration.

Ramidos: I...I didn't know. I was too quick to judge.
Ramidos: The spirits have...told me everything. Forgive me, Reives.

Wait, you could commune with dead spirits? Then why didn't you consult them before fighting him?

Ramidos: The wheel finally...comes round. With luck, I'll find my sons waiting.
Zapan: Fat lot of good she was, the mealy old hag!

Zapan pulls his old gem escape routine.

Reives: If Zapan thinks I'll abandon my sister, he's sorely mistaken.

There is some additional dialogue in the mission itself, but since most of it regurgitates a lot of general points from Aloser's fight, I didn't think it worth transcribing.

Well, into the castle itself.

Script:



The camera opens with Vice and Zapan at the center of the castle's entrance hall. Zapan is seen lying in front of Vice. Reives enters from the south.

Reives: Vice? Here?
Zapan: You...you can't! We were allies!
Vice: Fool. I know the proper use for a hostage.

Vice swiftly slices Zapan in half! He yells, and then dies unceremoniously.

Vice: You're next, Reives.

Reives gingerly edges forward.

Reives: What have you done with Kachua?

Suddenly, he hears her calling for him offscreen. The camera briefly pans to show her being dragged deeper into the castle, then pans back to the two.

Reives: Unhand my sister!
Vice: Oh, I will. But first, you and I have a score to settle.

Reives drops his head, deep in thought. Eventually, he raises it back to address Vice.

Reives: There must be some other way. Hear me out-
Vice: Talk, talk, talk. Let our steel speak!

As before, this leads to a duel with Vice. And as in the original duel, there's bits of dialogue sprinkled during it.

Reives: Vice, it doesn't have to end like this!
Vice: Ever since we were boys, you could do no wrong.
Vice: They lavished praise on you while I looked on, forgotten.
Vice: Is it because of our fathers, do you think?
Vice: The son of a respected abuna and the son of a loutish drunkard.
Vice: It was a relief when he died. But nothing changed.
Vice: Why do they hate me? What flaw have I that you have not?

Kinda rich to ask this considering what you did, Vice.

Reives: This is...this is a fantasy! You're my friend.

This fight was also ruined by their changes - instead of Vice being a swift but weak target, he now has considerable armor and takes a lot of effort to whittle down, to the point that Reives actually gains a weapon level in the process! He also heals himself up with items, because nothing says good design like duels in strategy RPGs that take forever to resolve.

Ah well. Here's the rest of his dialogue.

Reives: What became of that friendship?
Vice: Did I hide my hatred so well? I was never your friend.
Vice: How I envied you! Your father, the good abuna. Your sister, all beauty and grace.
Reives: Kachua thinks of you as a second brother.
Vice: If you could only hear yourself.
Vice: You've always been the one she cares for. Not even your father was good enough for her.
Vice: You're the only one she trusts-the only one she loves!

So yeah, Vice also had a crush on Kachua, which definitely didn't help his jealously of Denim. It doesn't really come up much, and frankly, outside of this bit of dialogue, and a small portion of his dialogue at the Tanmas ambush, you couldn't really tell.

Reives: No...it's not too late. Whatever you may say, I was a friend to you. And I would be so again.
Vice: I want no betrayer for a friend!
Vice: The Duke and Leonard have placed their faith in me. They are friends enough.
Reives: They only use you. When you've outlived that usefulness, they'll throw you to the wolves!
Vice: You have it the wrong way round. I am using them.

To what end, though? As far as I can see, you're basically working for them, and acting as their pawn.

Thankfully, the fight does eventually end, with Leonard emerging out of one of the gates.

Script:

Leonard: Enough of this! Stay your blades!

Both fighters back off and turn their gaze towards him.

Vice: But he's good as dead!
Leonard: Easy, Vice! Our circumstance has changed.

Leonard slowly advances towards the two, but is interrupted by Vice.

Vice: But it was you who ordered his death!
Leonard: Stop talking and listen! You'll want to hear this too, Reives.

Leonard advances a slight bit more, then faces the two.

Leonard: Rime has fallen. The Bacrumese will soon be here.

Reives quaveringly takes a short step forward.

Reives: But Sir Lans-
Leonard: Dead. Fled. I know not.

Okay, I do like how snappy he is about addressing Reives' concerns about Lans, as he can't really care much about him right now - there's far bigger issues at hand.

Leonard: But we no longer have the luxury of fighting amongst ourselves.
Leonard: Reives, you must join the Duke!
Leonard: What's done is done. Our true foe stands before us!

Vice steps forward slightly.

Vice: Have you gone mad? He's a traitor!
Leonard: Enough, Vice. Did you hear nothing I said?

Leonard directly gazes at Reives.

Leonard: I know why it is you fight, Reives. You dream of a world free of war and hatred.
Leonard: A worthy dream, and reasonable. But reason alone cannot move men to act!

Did Reives ever fight for those ideals? I was under the impression that he fought mainly to avenge his father, and to free his people from the tyranny of the Gargastani.

Leonard: Is that how you want this to end? Will you let your father go unavenged?

Even the writing acknowledges this! So why even bring up the whole "idealistic peace" thing? Yes, Reives is striving to be a goody two shoes hero, but nowhere has he expressed wanting it as a motive, save for the optional conversation with Sisteena all the way back in Chapter 1 Rime. And that singular mention is so miniscule, and feels so forced, given the context, that it doesn't count for much.

Leonard: Join us. If not for yourself, then for the Walstanians!

Once again, Reives could blow him off here, and I of course choose not to.

Reives broods the matter for a bit.

Reives: The Bacrumese are our true enemy. We must work together if we are to stop them.
Leonard: Good. You see the truth of it. I expected no less of our young hero.

Still found this line funnier in the original. Alas.

Vice: You've both gone mad! I'll take no part in this.


Vice storms out of the hall.

Reives: Vice, wait!

Vice does not respond. Reives silently stares at Vice for a while.

Leonard: Let him go. We must away to the Duke.

Leonard walks out of the hall. Reives stays, brooding the matter.

Reives: Vice...Damn him!

Once again, Act 2 is capped off by random scenes of Rime's aftermath, and once again Nybbas shows up in a brief scene.

And...that's it! We've caught up the two versions again! I disliked how they rewrote Ramidos, as well as their mechanical changes to the missions, but otherwise this portion wasn't too bad? Hopefully they'll treat Act 3 better. Honestly, I think it's quite telling how many of their written additions so far have been bad, and far below the quality of the original game, even with its patchy translation. That, combined with the really obnoxious gameplay, makes it quite unappealing to me outside of One Vision. But I'll spare you the rant, next time we shall begin a brand new Act on a rarely seen story path. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Time for Act 3!



The war has stalemated, and nobody knows what to do. Riveting.



Naturally, we cut to the Lodisians, who seem to hold the most cards.

Balzepho: Barbas, is it true that you acted without permission?!
Balzepho: I don't care what your intentions were, it is strictly forbidden to act without our leader's order!

Huh, that's a surprise. The Lodisians didn't actually intend to betray their treaty, it's just that some of them got overtly eager and disobeyed orders.

Balzepho: Moreover, you had ignored the order to retreat several times, and you never showed up until now!
Martym: Balzepho is right. How could you be so stupid! Why don't you try using your brain for a change?

Martym, you don't have a leg to stand on. You fought Guildus directly in Rime!

Balzepho: Silence! I didn't give you permission to speak!
Barbas:...I had no choice. It was the Cardinal's wish.

Right, so Branta is to blame for the attack on Rime. Are we perhaps seeing a split forming in the order? It's strange that they would be so willing to listen to a foreign ruler of a considerably weaker country, though. I hope he gave them some handsome pay.

Balzepho: Oh, what a load of shit!
Balzepho: That is a lie! You know full well that the Cardinal is not our lord!
Balzepho: You heard that the Knights from Zenobia were in Rime. You just wanted to fight them, right?!

That's...a really bizarre motive to pin on someone. Is the idea here that Barbas is a glory obsessed brute?

Barbas:...

Enter Lans Tartare and two new knights.

Lans: Okay, that's enough Balzepho!
Lans: What's done is done.
Balzepho: Welcome back...Ah, Ozma and Oz, you're here, too.

Lans takes his seat, then continues the conversation.

Lans: What is the status of Walsta?
Balzepho: They are gathered on Gruborza Plain, but they haven't made any significant movements...
Lans: That is because Duke Ronway has not defeated Gargastan yet.
Lans: Send a messenger. Tell him we will maintain our agreement.

Alright, glad to see the Lodisians nip that issue in the bud.

Balzepho: How about Bacrum? I don't think the Cardinal will remain quiet under these circumstances.
Lans: He will have to...
Lans: Our mission is not to rule Valeria. And we can't give away our intentions to Zenobia.
Lans: We can't allow this island to become any more chaotic than it already is...We don't want Zenobia involved.
Lans: As long as we stay neutral, Zenobia won't have any reason to. Now do you understand?

Of course, they aren't exactly doing this out of pure goodwill. It's rather telling how secretive Lans is being about their true aims, even in a meeting amongst his own order.

Barbas:...
Lans: Besides, I want you to go to Heigm.
Barbas: You want me to leave the front?
Barbas: You can't send me to Heigm!
Lans Calm down...I'm not telling you to baby-sit the Cardinal.
Lans: The Valeria Liberation Front rescued Plancy from Heigm Castle.
Balzepho: What?!
Lans: Our true mission may be known by those guerillas...
Lans:...we can't even find Manafloa. The priest who knew of her whereabouts is also missing.
Lans: Barbas, your mission is important.
Lans: You have to bring back Plancy nomatter what!

I don't buy that he assigned such an important mission to Barbas, a man who was already seen bungling important orders. It still reads like Lans intentionally distancing him from the action to avoid further mishap. Which, he's honestly in his right to do.

Barbas:...I see.
Lans: Ozma and Oz, you take care of the Valeria Liberation Front. This can't continue.
Ozma: Yes sir, I will complete my mission for the honor of the Gracious family!
Oz: They are mere insects to us!
Oz: Leave it up to my sister and I!
Oz: We will not fail you my Lord!
Lans: Andoras, you will continue searching for Manafloa.
Lans: Balzepho, take Martym and negotiate with Duke Ronway.
Balzepho: As you wish...

And with all those orders out of the way, we transition to...



The Walstanian meeting hall, where our protagonists are seated.

Ronway: Exactly how many Gargastan soldiers will be joining my army?
Leonard: I would say about 30%...
Leonard: The other soldiers that remain have already quit.
Ronway: Hmmm...That means that the remaining two thirds are still with Barbatos.
Leonard: He may not have the number of soldiers that he had before, but most of them are very distinguished.

Wait. How come Barbatos is still alive? Didn't Ronway's forces just storm his capital and execute him? And even if they didn't, Ronway's massacre and subsequent propaganda was explicitly stated to have turned most of Gargastani's forces against him. How does he still have any army of significance?

Leonard: A lot of villagers still support them.
Leonard: It may not be as easy as you think...
Ronway: I see. I will let you handle Barbatos' remaining troops then.
Ronway: Just clean up as soon as possible.
Leonard: Yes, my lord.
Ronway: Fortunately, Bacrum has no intention of going further south.
Ronway: I guess the treaty is still in effect.

On one hand, Ronway is being presumptous. On the other, this is a fair presumption to make - the Dark Knights are powerful enough to beat his army, even with the Zenobians backing it. If they were still aiding Bacrum, they would've progressed a lot further.

Ronway: I should send another messenger...
Ronway:...and you, my hero of Griate. I want you to hunt down Vice...
Reives: Do I have to kill him?
Ronway: He is not like you, my young hero.
Ronway:...Our methods may be different, but we are aiming toward the same goal.
Ronway: That is why you came back to me, right?
Ronway: But Vice is different.
Ronway: He lives just to satisfy his bloodlust.
Ronway: He has no ideals or purpose.
Ronway: And he knows that. He hates himself because of that.
Ronway: He eases his anger by attacking you, the man that is beloved by all. He is but a jealous child.
Ronway: Yet, I waited...I waited for Vice to come back.
Ronway: Now it is too late...
Ronway: He may cause us problems in the future...
Ronway: He is very dangerous...

This is a really pretentious and roundabout way to condemn someone for the crime of...desertion. Which is a serious crime, to be fair, but still. Ronway is still the same deceptive wretch he was, and I'm glad for it.

Kachua: You didn't have to put a price on his head.
Ronway: Believe me, I really didn't want to resort to this, Kachua.
Kachua: Reives, say something.
Reives: As long as I'm here, Vice will not come back.
Kachua: You are not listening to me!
Kachua: Fine! I'm leaving.

And so she does.

Reives: Kachua!
Leonard: Let her go, Reives.
Ronway:...are you leaving too?

Reives looks downward, remaining silent.

Ronway: Oh, I nearly forgot.
Ronway: The Zenobian Knight, Mildain is back.
Reives: Really!
Ronway: Yes...Mildain and Warren.
Ronway: Warren is hurt. You might want to visit him later.

Just then, a soldier rushes in.

Soldier: The Gargastans are attacking!!
Ronway:...Again. Don't they ever learn...
Leonard: Reives, let's go.

End scene.

I like what they try to set up here, exploring the whole nasty process of gaining and maintaining control over a recently subjugated populace, but it's not handled particularly well. Act 2 established that Ronway had a sizeable portion of Gargastan join his effort, and that the Cardinal had become immensely unpopular. Hell, he even got executed to a cheering public! What basis is there for the Gargastani to mount significant resistance? This would make more sense if Ronway had, in his hubris, done something horrible and thus shaken the trust of his people. But so far, all we've seen is him leading a massively successful military campaign and freeing the Walstanians from their oppressors, albeit with some distasteful actions he's been careful to sweep under the rug. If anything, the sudden attack on Rime should work in his favor, with his people becoming more united and determined than ever in the face of a new threat.



The next map is fought in the now-very-familiar gates of Amorika Castle. It's not much of a fight - the enemy's center is durable, but not particularly threatening, and while it is flanked by two other groups on both sides, they are fairly weak and can be tied down easily. Of course, this is not an invitation to get complacent - the berserkers in the flanking groups are still berserkers, and still hit mightily, though their accuracy is rather shaky. Also, the witch in the center can knock important units out of commission for a fair few turns, and the leading knight does a decent amount of damage himself. Still, this is a pretty easy battle, especially since Leonard helps you out.



After that fight, we cut to Mildain and Warren, who are resting in a dilapidated house. Reives walks in.

Mildain: Reives!
Reives: Sir Mildain. I am so glad to see you again...
Reives: How's Warren?
Mildain: He's unconscious now, but his wounds are not fatal.
Reives: I'm glad to hear that.
Reives: Sir Lans and Guildus are not back yet?
Mildain: I don't know...We haven't seen each other since the night of Bacrum's first attack.
Reives:...Guildus he helped me when Martym attacked us.
Reives: Had only I been stronger...
Mildain: You shouldn't blame yourself.
Mildain: You don't know for sure that he's dead...
Mildain: Don't worry, he'll be back.
Mildain: I heard that you are going to try and track down Vice. Do you have any idea where he could be?
Reives: No. But...
Reives: Since the Duke put a price on his head, there can only be a few places where he could be.
Mildain: Hmmm...I see...
Reives: The only place Vice can hide from the Liberation Army and the Gargastans is with the guerillas.

And also the two forts formerly controlled by the pirates. Though he would have a bit of trouble surviving there without some fishing, or even getting there without a boat of some sort.

Actually, what's stopping him from just eloping to Bacrum? Sure their border is currently quite hot, but it's not like he has many better places to go. Come to think of it, how does he know where the Valeria Liberation Front lives? And why would they be willing to admit him?

Mildain: That reminds me. When I left Rime, I saw a new group of Dark Knights.
Mildain: I heard that they were ordered to wipe out the guerillas...
Reives: The only reason the Dark Knights would be in Rime is if they were planning to attack Fort Bodo.

Or, I dunno, defend their most recent acquisition. But Mildain made their deal pretty clear.

Reives: That's where the Valeria Liberation Front is based!
Reives: If Vice joined the Valeria Liberation Front...
Mildain:...He'll be in danger!
Reives: I have to go now!

Reives almost hurries out, but is stopped by Mildain.

Mildain: Wait. I will join you.
Mildain: Reives! I won't kill Vice even if it means going against the Duke's orders.

Reives mulls it over, then nods.

Mildain: I am glad to hear that. Let's move!!

Well, I guess that's one way to setup new stakes?



Warren doesn't join, unfortunately. Thankfully, we have a pretty powerful fighter join regardless. Mildain's stats are pretty sizeable, and while he's locked to a class with no magic, he's still a pretty formidable fighter in his own right. Unfortunately he's a bit overleveled for Reives' group right now, but that's fine, his gear can be used in the meantime instead.

Speaking of which...



The stores are full of new gear! It's all considerably better than Reives' team's current loadout, which, admittedly, isn't much, being mostly stuck with Leather Armors, Spears and other two act old gear. I of course upgrade all of them with what I can. Of particular note is the Balder gauntlet: it grants almost as much defense as the shield, as well as its intelligence bonus(all the Balder gear has an intelligence bonus), but is lighter, making it a perfect fit for the attack wizards.



The new gear includes new spells, which I buy a few of. I'll get to them when I use them, but most of them are buffs and debuffs, though there's also an advanced healing spell and a status curing spell.



Since Kachua isn't joining Reives in battles anymore, and since the advanced light magic spells can't be used by Presance, I turn one of Reives' Valkyries into a Cleric. She's not the right alignment for it, but it can't really be helped, and with Neutral alignment she should still heal a decent amount. Besides, having access to reliable status recovery at all is a big deal in and of itself.

I train up Reives' team a bit to equalize their levels in what ends up being a fairly uneventful session. Then it's time for Fort Bodo.



Unsurprisingly, the Dark Knights have beat Reives to the spot.

Ozma: You're such a pain in the ass!
Ozma: Now, I'm taking you back to Rime, Plancy.
Plancy: Did you kill everybody!?
Plancy: You are such an evil woman!

Oz walks in from Ozma's right.

Ozma: I guess our business here is done. Oz, let's go back home...
Oz: Wait a sec...I captured the leader of the guerillas.
Oz: Bring her here!
Oz: She's one tough bi***! She killed most of the Bacrum soldiers from Rime.

Wait. Are you saying you brought a contingent of Bacrumese soldiers along with your Dark Knights? Because if so, holy shit she's badass.

Anyway, two soldiers drag her onscreen, right behind Oz.

Selye: Go ahead, kill me!
Plancy: Selye, are you okay!?
Selye: I am sorry about this mess, uncle...
Plancy: Don't blame yourself.
Plancy: I was the one who caused all of this...

You know, I have to wonder why the Valeria Liberation Front bothered rescuing Plancy. I thought they were trying to assassinate several head figures to provoke anarchy, and I don't see how Plancy actually plays into that? As it stands, they basically just painted a big fat target on themselves.

Selye: If you ever get the chance to see my father, tell him that his daughter died honorably.
Ozma: Enough of this.
Ozma: Take them away!
Plancy: Selye! You have to find your sisters! Promise me!

He is swiftly dragged away.

Ozma: Oz, what are you going to do with that girl?
Oz: I'm taking her back as a trophy for our lord...
Ozma: Hmmm? Our lord didn't say anything about bringing back prisoners.
Ozma: This bi***! She'd rather die a thousand deaths than become our prisoner.
Oz: I guess you're right, I see the look in her eyes.
Oz: What should I do with her?
Ozma: It's up to you. You're the one who captured her.
Oz: I will place a spell on her so that she won't kill herself.
Oz: Here I go...By the power of Blue Skull!!

That's just a regular Charm spell! What a ripoff!

Ozma: Hmm...I wonder where you got that one from? Oz, was that really necessary?
Ozma: Oh well, she's your problem now. I'm heading back to the castle. Don't be late, Oz.

She walks off.

Oz: Come this way...I will take real "good" care of you.

"You know, I don't think he's evil enough yet. Let's make him act creepily towards his captive."
"Good idea!"

Selye slowly walks towards him, but is interrupted by Sisteena calling for her.

Sisteena: Selye! Selye!

Everyone turns to the direction of Sisteena's voice, and by extension, Reives' team.

Reives: Damn it! I'm too late!
Oz: Now what!? The Liberation Army?
Oz: I want overtime for this!

The fight begins!



This map is a sharp spike in difficulty. Oz himself is fierce, and has not only a unique, deadly axe, but also the Charm spell and a special move that does heavy damage and stuns its target.



But that's not all! He's accompanied by Dark Knights, who, on top of being relatively well geared, and occupying a largely advantageous position, can also cast spells. This group carries a bunch of obnoxious debuffs, which, combined with Oz's Charm, can easily debilitate a good chunk of Reives' team.



Selye dies before anyone on Reives' team can even move. It is theoretically possible to save her here, and you do get some additional scenes and an opportunity to recruit her afterwards if you do so, but it's extremely impractical. I don't bother.

Selye: Reives, your father is...alive!
Selye: You have to rescue him...He knows the truth...

And that's that twist conveyed to Reives. Which is honestly not much of one - we saw Plancy get abducted in the intro, not killed. Of course, it's reasonable for him and Kachua to assume he died, the Dark Knights aren't exactly smooth about things.



Reives' team starts at the very bottom of the fort, of course. This pretty much sets them up for a (literally) uphill task - there's no good place to hide from Oz's team, and literally every single one of them has a ranged attack of sorts.

I do what I can, and try to send my frontliners out first. I also try to setup two flanks, to prevent too many people from bundling up and getting targeted by aoe debuffs.



I also use Reives' team's spells to "equalize" the battlefield a bit. Offensive spells don't care one bit about height, which makes them incredible for situations like these. While each cast doesn't do much damage on its own, they add up quite quickly, and allow me to attrition Oz's team down, even with a HealRain caster attempting to keep them healthy.



Reives' center gets hit by a nasty bout of statuses, with two stuns and then three charms landing in quick succession. And yes, statuses can stack, though stun does negate charm's most dangerous effect by keeping the affected target immobile.



Vitalize, the cleric's status clearing spell, does clear all statuses at once, thankfully. Unfortunately, this doesn't extend to clearing debuffs, and it only affects one unit at once. Still, it's good to have around.



Forcas does an admirable job tanking and punishing the Dark Knights.



Unfortunately, he's punished by Oz in turn. Ouch!

Forcas: It is the time...to go into an eternal sleep...

What a weird death quote. I hope he doesn't become a ghost or skeleton or something.



Byan, currently a Warlock, tries to debuff Oz with Melt. Melt reduces the target's physical attack, and seems to work with perfect accuracy on any target, even bosses.



Of course, none of that matters when he's targeting a half wounded ninja. Ouch again!

Byan also packs Heat, which is the exact inverse of Melt - it buffs the target's physical attack. Applying it may sound like a no brainer, but both it and Melt only last for a limited duration, and often disabling multiple targets works better than messing with a single unit's stats.



But Oz's tankiness makes her attack look unimpressive regardless, though it was the strongest single hit he took throughout this fight.



Despite the unfortunate deaths and setbacks, the battle goes quite well. Oz is left stranded, at precarious HP, and with his last two men up on the ramparts.



One of them does rush to his aid, but by then it's too little, too late.

Oz: I can't die in a place like this!
Oz: It...hurts...

And that's the fight!

It was certainly more expensive than I would've liked, but it should be manageable still. And hey, at least Reives got a spiffy new axe out of the deal.



Unfortunately, that visit didn't yield anything worthwhile in narrative terms, and so Reives is left clueless again. We shall continue his adventures next time, where he will hopefully get a better clue of things. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Well, time to head back.



Time for another Amorika meeting hall scene!

Ronway: Hmm...So you didn't find Vice.
Reives: No. The Dark Knights did not know of his whereabouts either.
Knight: What were you thinking!?
Knight: Why did you fight them?
Reives: What do you mean?

I think you should know what he means. You rushed into a battle with the Lodisians for no good reason.

Knight: You know, we haven't completely conquered the Gargastans.
Knight: And yet you killed a high ranking Dark Knight.
Wizard: We cannot afford to increase the tension between us and the Dark Knights.
Wizard: Your mission was to capture Vice, was it not?
Wizard: You should've ignored the guerillas!

Very sound advice. Naturally, Reives will proceed to ignore it.

Reives: But I...
Ronway: That is enough! The damage has been done...
Ronway: Send a messenger to Fiduc Castle.
Ronway: After what happened, it will be very difficult to negotiate with them.

"Very difficult" is kind of underselling it. I have to imagine they must be very unhappy with losing a knight and his battallion to an errant attack.

Knight: Yes sir.
Ronway: I will increase the bounty on Vice's head by 10,000 Goth!
Wizard: Yes, my lord.
Ronway: As for Vice himself, we will have to wait.
Ronway: With that kind of bounty on his head, he will be unable to walk on the streets freely.

I get what Ronway is trying to say, but the implication is hilariously weak. Like I said, the PS1 translation isn't particularly polished. It usually reads fine, but sometimes there's unintentionally humorous stuff like this.

Ronway: Alas, our first priority is to terminate Barbatos' troops and take control of Coritani.

"Alas, I need to secure my foothold and build a state out of my new conquest first. Petty punishment will have to wait until later."

Also, how do you not have control of Coritani? You spent almost an entire act besieging it!

Ronway:...as for you my young hero, I will send you to Ashton.
Reives: Barbatos still has troops in Ashton?
Ronway: The details of which are not yet known. It seems like they're going to be pretty tough.

Eh, if it's just remnants of the Gargastani army, I'm sure it will be fine. Reives has fought worse.

Ronway: One of our battalions that was stationed there was completely destroyed.

Okay that's a bit more worrisome. Either the Gargastani resistance is really smart, or there's some foul play going on.

Ronway: They attacked several villages and they have taken some heavy casualties. We have to do something.
Ronway: I need your help, Reives. Will you do this for me?
Reives: Yes.
Ronway: Good. You may leave now.
Ronway: Oh, I nearly forgot. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but I heard that the Zenobian Knight Guildus is there.
Reives: Sir Guildus!? What is he doing in Ashton???
Knight: He probably just ran away from the Rime front.

Reives, miffed at this comment, pushes his chair back.

Reives: He would never do that!
Ronway: Enough! This is not the time to argue!
Ronway: Go to Ashton and find out exactly what is going on. I will be waiting for your report.

End meeting hall scene, begin entrance hall scene. Kachua tries to run out of the castle, but is stopped by Reives calling for her.

Reives: Kachua! Wait, Kachua!

He hurries and catches up to her.

Kachua: Did you call me, Mr. Hero?
Reives:...Are you still mad at me?
Kachua:...I hope you have a good reason for calling me here, if not, then I'll be going...
Reives: Our father is alive.
Reives: He is alive, Kachua!
Kachua: What!?
Kachua: I see. So he is alive...Now what?
Reives: What do you mean, now what!?
Reives: We are going to rescue him, of course!
Kachua: He is not our biological father!

Dun dun dunnnn

Yeah, no. This is pretty lame for a "big twist". Why does their foster dad not being of their blood matter? Didn't he raise them anyway? To randomly consider him unimportant just because he didn't directly give birth to them comes off as weirdly cold.

Reives: What???
Kachua: He is not our biological father. We were adopted. We were abandoned by our parents.
Reives: That's not true! That's impossible!
Kachua: I overheard him talking once.
Kachua: Search your feelings, Reives.
Kachua: You know it to be true...
Kachua: We don't have any parents. You're the only family I have.
Reives: Why? Why are you telling me this now!?

Indeed, what does this have to do with anything?

Kachua: Because you are leaving me.
Reives: Leave you, Kachua? I will always be at your side!
Kachua: You're lying!
Kachua: You're going to leave me someday!
Kachua: Just like Vice! You'll probably forget that I ever existed...

Everything about this is hilariously out of place. I can understand her getting annoyed with how Reives never obeys her council, and can also understand his lackadiscal attitude toward Vice being her breaking point, but waiting until now to walk out on him and deliver a pointless bombshell about their dad? It just looks bizarre and unnatural, like the plot had to wait until Reives knew his dad was alive before making her walk off.

Reives: Kachua...
Kachua: You're the only family I have left!

And she leaves.

Reives: Kachua!

Back to Ashton we go.



But first, some training of replacements. She'll make for a fine new cleric. The valkyrie-turned-cleric will return to her old Nordic class.



Accompanying her is a replacement ninja, whom I didn't take any good screenshots of before he leveled up. However, he did level up, all the way to level 17. So did everyone else, as I wanted to use Mildain.

The training fights mostly went well, except for when I had to train the low level replacements - their accuracy was very bad when they took their first shots, and once their levels got close to the target level, their XP gain slowed down considerably, forcing them to resort to chip damage to not kill their targets too quickly. There were also some minor mistakes, like Reives accidentally killing the warlock in retaliation. Even with all that, though, it didn't take too long to get everyone to speed, and soon, everyone was ready to march again.



Reives picked up the Gramrock. It's a two handed weapon that, on its surface, isn't much better than a Balder sword, and certainly not better at all when occupied alongside a Power gauntlet. However, it deals Fire damage, which means it hits a generally weaker resistance on most enemies. Or that's what I thought, but most enemies actually have higher fire resistance than regular physical resistance in this game at their base. Ah well, thankfully it didn't matter too much, and thankfully, most armor, which enemies also make use of, boosts physical resistance, so it was still a good choice to use, overall.



The Beast Tamer gained enough stats to upgrade to a Dragoon. The Dragoon is essentially a statistically better Knight that gets major bonuses against dragons(and lizardmen, which count as dragons for some reason) and some limited spellcasting. They are fairly slow, but this isn't much of a problem for their role of offensive frontlining, as they get lots of strength and fairly good defense. That said, he's still keeping his bow, there's merit to shooting arrows backed by the raw strength of his class.



And now for some news! I'll get to some gameplay soon, I swear.

Most of this is a generic official account of the events that transpired, however, there is talk of a volcanic eruption, and pertinent information about recent mysterious incidents in Ashton. Supposedly, bodies have been going missing from its graveyard, and dead people have been spotted haunting its streets. Very ominous.

Alright, now Reives moves forward.



Only to be halted by an old man at Tanmas. Sigh.

Ganb: Hey, haven't we met before!?

Yes, in a filler battle in the middle of a swamp.

Ganb: Well, what do you know! I never thought I would bump into you again.

I wish I never did. Or rather that my character, Reives, never did.

Ganb: Berda and Obda, come!

Two Griffins fly in, taking positions on either side.

Ganb: And this time, I have some new friends! Let me introduce you to them!
Ganb: Banga! Zanga! Come out!

Two Cockatrices fly in, similarly taking positions on the sides.

Ganb: I will defeat you!

Good luck with that!



What can I say? This fight is blatantly a big joke, not only is the enemy army comically small, two Griffins and two Cockatrices are not impressive at all. Yeah, sure, the Cockatrices can petrify people...but how is that relevant when only two of them are around? Not to mention, the player has access to reliable status recovery now. The Griffins can now shoot long range projectiles...but again, that fails to be relevant when they not only have very middling power and accuracy, but also only target one person and deal damage to their user in return.

Let's just move on.

Ganb: Damn it! Retreat!
Ganb: Just wait...Next time, I will get you!

Reives gets one random encounter on the way forward. They're starting to get more serious, but not by enough to matter. Especially since some of my units, particularly the non Sisteena valkyrie and Byan, have gotten the third and final ranged upgrade on their spells. letting them hit as many as 13 tiles at once! Reives did win a spiffy new orb out of this though, which immediately replaced his crappy boots.

Finally, the group enters Ashton.



It looks a lot spookier than before. A zombified Guildus swings at the terror knight, hurling him back. All around the knight and priest are zombies menacingly surrounding them.

Priestess: Debordes!

Her call unfortunately attracts Guildus' attention, who menacingly steps towards her. She pulls back, startled.

Reives: Guildus!?

Everyone's attention turns to him.

Reives: What's going on here!?
Guildus:...

Debordes takes advantage of the distraction to strike, throwing back Guildus! Having been shocked by this unexpected strike, he slowly backs away.

Guildus:...

And leaves.

Reives: Wait, Guildus!

The zombies close in on the two people left behind.

Priestess: Stay back!

Debordes gets close to her.

Priestess: Debordes!

They prepare to fend off the zombies, and battle begins.



This is a unique map in several respects. It's filled with undead units, it requires defeating all of them to win, and it has two optional recruitable allies you can save. There really hasn't been a map like this, even counting Krizar and Fort Kadoriga from Act 1.



That said, the zombies aren't particularly strong fighters, it's easy to put them down, even without an Exorcist. Of course, having one around is still recommended, Exorcism goes a great way towards cutting short their attritional capabilities, and when that's not needed, they can also heal and, for a change, do good damage with Lightbow.



Really, the only challenge to this map is keeping the priestess Orias alive, and honestly that's not that hard to do if you bring more than one healer to the fight.

So let's skip to the end again.

Reives: What happened to you Guildus?

We cut to the now-very-familiar dilapidated house again.

Priestess: Thank you for saving my life.
Priestess: My name is Orias.
Orias: He is Debordes. He may be vulgar at times but he's a good guy.
Reives: My name is Reives, of the Liberation Army.
Reives: Tell me what happened to this town?
Orias:...A Knight from a foreign land tried to kill me. Why? Do you know him?

Well I mean ALL the zombies were trying to kill you and Debordes. But I guess zombie Guildus stands out.

Reives: Sir Guildus? Yes, he is our comrade.
Reives: We lost track of him since the night Bacrum attacked Rime. I don't know what's going on anymore.

Orias looks down, dejected.

Orias: I see...
Orias: I am sorry to say this but...he is not the guy that you are talking about.
Reives: No, he is Sir Guildus!
Reives: I'm sure of it...
Orias: No, I meant he is no longer who he is. Don't you remember? You saw them...
Reives:...Them? The zombies? No way!!

I have no idea what Reives is reacting to. This conversation flows rather erratically, honestly.

Reives: That's impossible!

And then he looks dejectedly down too.

I...guess he's trying to deny Guildus becoming a zombie?

Orias: I know the person who controlled those zombies...
Orias: He's a man who toys with the spirits of dead men, he has disgraced the Gods, and ignores the laws of nature!
Reives: Who is it?
Orias: Death Master Nybbas.

That's an amazing title, honestly. Did he come up with it?

Orias: Nybbas Obderhode!
Reives: The evil Necromancer of Gargastan. Damn it!

Orias dejectedly lowers her head again.

Orias: Unfortunately, he is my father...
Orias: My full name is Orias Obderhode...
Reives: What!?
Orias: Please allow me to join your Liberation Army!
Orias:...And help me kill my father!

Whoa, that's being really forward. But hey, Reives can always use more bodies.

Reives: Are you serious!?

Orias turns towards Debordes.

Orias: Come here, Debordes.

He does.

Orias: Take your helmet off.

He refuses to do so, staying still.

Orias: I said take your helmet off!

He does so, revealing the decayed face of a zombie.

Debordes:...

He quickly puts his helmet back on.

Reives: Orias! What in the world!? Is he alive!?
Orias: Yes, he is. But he has no soul...
Orias: My brother Debordes rebelled against the Cardinal when the war started and he was executed.
Orias: Then my father used a soul calling magic and revived my brother, but the resurrection was not complete.
Orias: His flesh is alive, but he has no soul...

Look, at least your dad tried to revive him. Would you have preferred he remained a decaying, lifeless corpse? Way to show a complete lack of gratitude.

Orias: He is not the brother I knew. Now he is just a hollow piece of flesh.
Orias: My father continues to experiment on humans to complete the soul calling magic.
Orias: He gave in to the man who killed his own son just so he could complete his experiments.
Orias: I cannot forgive my father! He no longer has any respect for life...

ENOUGH!!! I get it, you don't need to hammer it in!

Orias: I hate him! Look at what he did to my brother! I want to see that bastard suffer!

Once again, they give a completely pointless choice between either growing Reives' team, or intentionally leaving behind talent. There's never really any good reason to go for the latter.

Reives: I understand. You can join us.
Reives: Come with us.
Orias: Thank you. I will fight with you to the end!

And indeed, we get a priest and a terror knight. I've already talked about the former before, they are most notable for being able to cast Revivify but not the aoe heal, Heal+. Since I currently have more than enough deployable characters on Reives' roster, I don't think I'll be using her much over the cleric, but having the option is nice. The Terror Knight is essentially an upgraded Berserker that casts an aura of fear around them, considerably lowering the stats of Lawful and Neutral units. That's great, but I already have enough of the cast dedicated to melee attacks, so it'll be hard for me to use him either, though it's feasible for me to drop one of my current units for him.

For all of the game's attempts to write Nybbas as a villain, he honestly doesn't really come off as too bad, he's just someone so extremely invested in his work that he fails to notice its consequences on others. If anything, it's Orias who comes off as irascible, being both extremely preachy and inflexible. Nybbas is honestly more like a parallel to Deneb from the original Ogre Battle - both of them aren't malicious, but happen to harm the local populace with their scientific obsession and also work for the enemy. I find that kind of clever, honestly.

But we shall deal with him next time. For now, PS1 Reives shall take a rest while waiting for PSP Reives. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Now for the PSP version.



This act's introductory cutscene is fairly similar to the PS1 version, and as such there's little need to transcribe it. Bacrum and Walsta have both been stalled, the Dark Knights are an enigma, etc etc.



At least the Act's title renders correctly here. The PS1 version's title is all glitchy like, which is why I never showed it off.



Back to the Dark Knights' meeting hall!

Balzepho: What am I to do with you, Barbas? Hmm? One cannot deny your insubordination.
Balzepho: To act without leave of the High Champion is strictly forbidden, whatever the circumstance.
Balzepho: Time and again you were ordered to return, and each time you've ignored your orders!
Balzepho: Only now do you deign to grace these halls. I am galled.
Martym: Galling, yes, the obstinate lout. Go on, beg forgiveness.

I appreciate that they retained Martym being a smarmy ass here.

Balzepho: You talk too much, Martym. And I have an ill temper.

This line though, total downgrade. Where's the snappiness? The authority?

Barbas: What was I to do? Deny the regent? Impossible.
Balzepho: We do not answer to Branta!
Balzepho: Speak true. You learned that the Zenobian knights were in Rime and sought to do battle. Is it not so?
Barbas:...

Enter Lans Tartare, Ozma and Oz.

Lans: Enough, Balzepho. What's done is done.
Balzepho: Welcome back, Lord Commander. I see Ozma and Oz accompany you.

Lans takes his seat, then resumes the convo.

Lans: What word of the Walstanians?
Balzepho: They rally their troops on Gruborza, yet they do not make to march.
Lans: I should think not. The Duke has but a tenuous grasp on Gargastan.
Lans: Dispatch an envoy. Explain our position to the Duke and renew our vow to remain unaligned.

I do like how assertive he seems here, it's a fitting attitude for someone leading an elite group of knights trusted to manage sensitive affairs on foreign soil.

Balzepho: And the Bacrum? I cannot imagine the regent sits idle.
Lans: Branta will be made Hierophant, his age-old wish fulfilled. If that does not content him, nothing will.
Lans: Controlling the isles is not our mandate. Nor can we afford the Zenobians to perceive elsewise.
Lans: If we are to avoid giving them cause to intervene in Valeria, we must shun the sword in favor of the olive branch.
Lans: So long as we are the advocates of peace, they dare not act. Is that clear, Barbas?
Barbas:...Aye.
Lans: I'm sending you to Heigm.
Barbas: But Heigm is leagues from the front!
Lans: Steady, Barbas. I do not intend for you to serve as castellan for the regent, if that is your fear.
Lans: Abuna Plancy was being held in Heigm Castle. Unfortunately, a band of rebels saw fit to free him.
Balzepho: What!?
Lans: The work of the Liberation Front, no doubt. Regardless, I would prefer our true task remain secret.
Lans: Manafloa's whereabouts elude us, and now the Abuna, the only man who might know, has gone missing as well.
Lans: Barbas, I task you with a mission of utmost import. Recapture Abuna Plancy, whatever the cost.
Barbas: Yes, Lord Commander.
Lans: The two of you are to deal with the Liberation Front. Too long have we suffered them to move unchecked.
Ozma: On the honor of house Glacius, my brother and I will see it so.
Oz: Common rabble. They'll be little trouble.
Lans: Andoras's search for Manafloa is to continue.
Lans: You and Martym are to proceed with our negotiations with the Duke.
Balzepho: As my lord wishes, so shall it be.

And end scene. Not much to comment on, it's a competent if unexciting rework of the original. There are a few lines which feel a bit run on, but it's not significant enough to point out.

Now for the Amorikan meeting hall.

Ronway: What part of the Gargastani have joined our cause?
Leonard: Half their men, perhaps a little more. Another third have deserted.
Ronway: Hmm. Then the rest are loyalists who will cleave to Barbatos unto the bitter end.

Which he's already met.

Leonard: Few as they are, they were the backbone of his army. The best of the best.
Leonard: Their support in the crofts and villages runs deep. They'll not fall easily.
Ronway: Who better to see that they do. Spare not a moment.
Leonard: It shall be done.
Ronway: The Bacrum show no sign of moving farther south. There's solace in that.
Ronway: Perhaps some faint breath remains in our pact with the Dark Knights.

Excuse me? The pact breathes?

Ronway: Let us send another envoy and remove all doubt.
Ronway: And you, my hero of Griate, are to hunt down Vice Bozeck, who fled behind the enemy's line scarce a month past.
Reives: Must we avenge ourselves upon him?
Ronway: You do not understand the creature you hunt. Indeed, he must seem a strange species to you.
Ronway: You and I share common conviction, however different our methods and means.
Ronway: Else why would you have returned to my halls?
Ronway: Vice is different. He fights not for convictions or ideals but out of some base bloodlust.
Ronway: Unguided by higher philosophy, he acts without thought.
Ronway: Judged by your measure, he is useless-and how that must enrage him!
Ronway: Now he thrusts this rage at you, his onetime friend, a hero to all the world.
Ronway: I had held out hope that Vice might return this past month.
Ronway: But too much time has passed.
Ronway: Were we to wait any longer, we risk him becoming a grave threat to our resistance.

Ah, there's the Ronway brand spin doctoring we've all grown to know and love.

Kachua: But to put a price on his head...is that not going too far?
Ronway: It pains me, truly. But it is the needful course, Kachua.
Kachua: Will you say nothing in his defense, Reives?
Reives: Do not look for Vice to return. Not while I'm still here.
Kachua: As ever, my words fall on deaf ears.
Kachua: Fine. Do as you like.

And she leaves.

Reives: Kachua!
Leonard: Let her go, Reives.
Ronway: Then we are agreed?

Reives looks downcast, and says nothing.

Ronway: Ah, I'd nearly forgotten. Sir Mildain has returned.
Reives: He has? Were there any others?
Ronway: He and Warren. That's all.
Ronway: Warren suffered a grievous wound. No doubt a visit from you would do much to cheer him.

A soldier barges in.

Soldier: The men stand ready, Sir Leonard.
Leonard: I'll join them with all haste.
Leonard: Reives, let's away. I know this sits ill with you, but it is our duty.

End scene. Same rating as before, decent/10.



This version does make an interesting change to this battle - the Gargastani force starts out surrounded on three sides.

Leonard: I make my offer one final time. Answer me, and your lives will be spared.
Leonard: Who leads your band of stragglers, and where is he? Your answer!
Hektor: You may take a Gargastani Knight's freedom, Leonard, but never his pride.
Hektor: We do not sell friends, not even for the unkindest price. Would you do any different?
Leonard: I suppose I wouldn't. Very well.
Reives: Then...
Leonard: Then we shall hold a public execution...however!
Leonard: In deference to your honor, we will not bind you, and will furthermore arm you as befits your former station.

Yeah, they're meant to be executed in public, but are somehow given the chance to fight back, because honor? Not the best thought out point.

Leonard: If you truly desire freedom, fight for it!

Given the circumstances, and the fact that this is the PSP version of the game, it doesn't end up being much of a fight.

There's some in battle dialogue, but nothing worth noting - just a generic speech where Hektor proclaims his honorable sacrifice, and Leonard calls him out for serving Barbatos.

Hektor: Glory...to Gargastan.
Leonard: Your leader's sword lies silent. Will you fight on?

The rest of the Gargastani force remains quiet.

Leonard: Then justice has been served. Those surviving will join our ranks from this day forth!
Leonard: We will show them that Walstanians do not scorn those who embrace our cause!

At least his retinue gets a good ending.



Now to Mildain's place.

Mildain: Canopus!
Mildain: And Reives, too! I am glad to see you both well.

So, unfortunately, I can't directly compare the dialogue in this scene to the version in the PS1 playthrough, as, thanks to everyone being way more durable(and the enemies generally not having enough damage output to be a threat), Canopus is alive and has lines here.

Reives: And you, Sir Mildain.
Canopus: How is he?
Mildain: The Star Seer remains lost in the mists of sleep. But he draws breath and is whole of body.
Canopus: That is well, then.
Canopus: And Lans and Guildus? Have they not returned?
Mildain: I've seen neither since the night of the Bacrum attack.
Reives: It was Sir Guildus who saved me from the Dark Knights' swords that night.
Reives: Would that I had been warrior enough to return the favor...
Mildain: I am sure both will return unharmed, and besides, there was little you could do.
Mildain:...I hear you search for Vice. You know where he makes his den?
Reives: No, but there is a price on his head.
Reives: Not many places where a wanted man can hide.
Mildain: Indeed.
Canopus: He would have to go to ground - or well under it - to hide from both the resistance and what remains of the Gargastani.
Mildain: Aye. As we were leaving Rime, I received report that a company led by an unnamed Dark Knight had taken to the highroad.
Mildain: A commander he was, called to Heigm to help defend the town from partisans.
Canopus: Of course. These partisans must be the Liberation Front.
Canopus: They intend to strike the fortress at Bodo, I'm sure of it! If Vice should be there...
Mildain: They'll have his head in a sack by the morn!
Canopus: We ought make for Heigm at once, Reives!
Canopus: How will you ride, Mildain?

He rides?

Mildain: With your party, of course.
Mildain: Reives, I know you serve his grace, but I also know you would not leave Vice to die an ignoble death.

Reives quickly nods.

Mildain: Good. Let us ride.

Again with the weird "riding"? I get what its intended use case is, but it still seems like an ill fitting verb.

The scene honestly changed little with Canopus alive, he just got a bunch of Reives' lines, but he spoke them in the exact same tone as him. So uh, neat detail?

As for the scene itself? Eh, it was fine, even with the weird use of a verb. This is the weird part about this translation, it will be solidly fine and good for most of its runtime and then abruptly add things that are utter nonsense. I think it would work better if they bothered differentiating between people of high status and education, people who are more ordinary, and people who are effectively illiterate.



But enough whining for now, let's check out the last scene of this post, the skirmish at Fort Bodo.

Ozma: Gave us quite a chase, Abuna, but now it's back to Heigm for you.
Plancy: Godless woman. You...you killed them all!

Oz enters from the right.

Ozma: Our work is done, Oz. We withdraw.
Oz: Hold, sister. I've another prize: the leader of the rabble.
Oz: Bring her forward!
Oz: Slew every Bacrum soldier that marched with us from Rime, this one did. A real firebrand.
Oz: But she doesn't hold a candle to you, dear sister.

Hah. I like him sneaking that compliment in there. You can easily imagine these people having contests over their killing record.

Two knights drag Selye in from the right.

Selye: Kill me and have done with it!

Have? Don't you mean-whatever.

Plancy: Selye! You live!
Selye: Forgive me, Abuna. This is not how I meant to meet again.
Plancy: You've no cause to seek forgiveness. It is I who have troubled you.
Selye: If you see my father, tell him his daughter met an honorable death.
Ozma: Is this touching melodrama played out?

Hah. Sometimes this translation even gives gems like these!

Ozma: Take him away.

A knight drags him, but he resists briefly enough to keep talking.

Plancy: Think not on the grave, Selye. Live. And know they dare not kill me.

Then, he is dragged off.

Ozma: What do you plan to do with her, Oz?
Oz: She'll make a fine gift for the High Commander, I should think.
Ozma: Oh? I recall no order to take her alive.
Ozma: Besides, look at her.
Ozma: She'd sooner choke on her own tongue than go a willing captive.
Oz: Her eyes give the truth to your words.
Oz: What am I to do with her, sister?
Ozma: You rely on me too much, little brother. Decide for yourself.
Oz: Such bile. So be it. But where to begin?
Oz: Darkest Lords of Vuira Viou, grab fast these legs and drag them down!

Despite that metal quote, Oz casts something even lamer this time around - a spell that makes her somewhat easier to hit. Whoop de do!

Ozma: You've a wicked streak, Oz.
Ozma: Enjoy your games, but don't tarry too long.

She walks out. Oz looks at her leaving, then turns to Selye.

Oz: Run, if you can.
Oz: Name your conspirators and the location of their fastness, and I'll spare your meager life.

Why not do the interrogation in a more secure place?

Just then, the Dark Knights hear Reives approach!

Reives: Damn! We're too late!
Reives: Selye! We're coming!
Oz: Feh, I've drunk my fill of these Walstanian dregs. A Dark Knight's work is never done.

And that's the scene! Mostly similar to the original, with some weird additions and alterations that don't quite fit.



Selye is still fated to die, and I see no reason to try to save her, either.



To the scripters' credit, they do make Reives react to her news and her death with more emotion.



Oz is considerably chattier in this, having lots of dialogue to deliver at low HP.

Sadly most of it isn't very interesting, being mostly him ranting about how insignificant Valeria is and how his group came just to "keep the peace".



He does have a few lines referencing Canopus' dilemna in Ogre Battle, but like, how does he know about that? And what use does he think using that to paint the Zenobians as liars would accomplish?

Let's just get rid of him as soon as possible.

Oz: It's a dark day sees the likes of you...get the better of me.
Reives: Where is my father? Why did you take him from Griate?
Oz: So you're the...Abuna's boy...

Oz, smug till the very end.

Next time, PSP Reives gets chewed out for his accidental skirmish and then sent to Ashton. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Time to get chewed out.

Ronway: Then you're telling me we don't know where Bozeck has gone?
Reives: That's right, my Lord. Nor did the Dark Knights give any indication they knew.
Ronway: This business with the Dark Knights - why did you engage them?

Here's the first notable change covered in this post - Ronway begins with the admonishment.

Reives: I...I don't understand, my Lord.
Knight: You knew full well that Gargastan had not yet been brought to heel.
Knight: But still you slew a commander of the Dark Knights.
Wizard: We can ill afford to make an enemy of them now.
Wizard: You were tasked with finding the renegade Vice Bozeck, were you not?
Wizard: Better to have left that rabble rouser to fend for herself!
Reives: I...I couldn't...
Ronway: Enough. What's done is done.

Of course, that doesn't actually change the overall tone of the conversation. The random knight and wizard still do most of the chewing.

Ronway: Dispatch an envoy to Fiduc. There is yet time to settle this with ink and quill.
Knight: Yes, my Lord.
Ronway: Further, we will raise the price on Bozeck's head to 10,000 Goth.
Wizard: It shall be done.
Ronway: We cannot suffer him to come and go as he wills.
Ronway: With a bounty so high, he will think twice before making his presence known.
Ronway: As for the rest, it is in the hands of the headhunters.
Ronway: Our foremost concern is rooting out what followers of Barbatos remain and securing Coritani.
Ronway: To which end, I want you to travel to Ashton.
Reives: To find these followers of Barbatos?
Ronway: Difficult to say. We know only that you face a formidable foe.

Here, the script tips at the foul play not involving Gargastani holdouts a little early.

Ronway: We've not heard from one of our companies stationed in Ashton for some time now. We believe they are responsible.
Ronway: What's worse, the casualties were not limited to our soldiers. Many smallfolk have turned up dead as well.
Ronway: Our response must be swift, decisive. I wish for you to lead it. I trust I may rely upon you?
Reives:...Yes, my Lord.
Ronway: Splendid. You're to leave at once.
Ronway: Oh, there was one other thing. Scarce more than a rumor, in truth.
Wizard: We are told that a man matching the description of the Zenobian knight Sir Guildus has been seen in Ashton.
Reives: Sir Guildus? What would he be doing there?
Knight: Took fright and fled from Rime, no doubt. Bloody coward.

Cue Reives pushing his chair back in indignation.

Reives: Sir Guildus is no coward!
Ronway: Silence! I'll not have you at each other's throats!
Ronway: Go to Ashton. Send back word of what has happened. I know our hero will not disappoint.

And scene! Decent rewrite, barring one overtly long sentence. I was expecting them to hype up the mysterious circumstances behind Ashton a bit more, but sadly, they only stuck to a single line pointing to that. Ah well, it's not long before Reives discovers the situation himself.



Now for Kachua to throw some tantrums and leave.

Reives: Sister, wait!
Kachua: What does the great hero need of me?
Reives: Please, don't. You're still upset, aren't you.
Kachua: If you have no urgent need, I'll be on my way.
Reives: It's father. He's alive!
Kachua: What?
Kachua: So he lives. What now?
Reives: What now? We rescue him! What else?
Kachua: Even if he is no true father to us?
Reives: What do you mean?
Kachua: I mean we are orphans, brother. He is not our father. Not by blood, at any rate.
Reives: No...who told you this? It's a lie! It must be!
Kachua: It is no lie. I overheard him talking about it once, long ago.
Kachua: In all the world, you're the only family I have.
Reives: Why tell me this only now?
Kachua: Because you're leaving me.
Reives: Leaving you? Scarce a moment goes by we are not at each other's side!
Reives: And so it shall remain. I will never leave you.
Kachua: There is the lie!
Kachua: Someday, you will cast me aside as you did Vice!
Reives: No, sister.
Kachua: I'm alone without you...

And she leaves.

Reives: Kachua!

Well, they tried. But there's only so much they could do with a scene so eyeroll inducing...



Now, for the fights. Starting first with the joke one.

Ganb: I remember you, boy! The wheel brought us back together, has it? Someone up there must like ol' Ganb.
Ganb: Obda! Berda! To me!

First the gryphons.

Ganb: You're well acquainted with Berda and Obda, but I been brewin' something special for just such an occasion!
Ganb: Banga! Zanga! To battle!

And then the cockatrices.

Ganb: Time to repay his eminence's kindness. Today you feed on the rich stew of vengeance!

Lol wtf Ganb. You're just a comical boss, you don't get to use fancy tongues!

Reives' team fights him and overpowers him easily.

Ganb: Piss and blood! The day is theirs!
Ganb: Next we meet will be the last! I won't forget what it was you done here!

Meh. Try harder next time.



Now for the main fight.

Priestess: Debordes, brother!
Reives: Guildus!?
Reives: What's going on down there?
Guildus:...

Debordes uses the distraction to smite zombie Guildus.

Guildus:...

He walks off.

Reives: Guildus! Wait!

The zombies gather around Orias and Debordes.

Priestess: No, stay away!

Debordes rushes to Orias' side.

Debordes: Stand back, Orias!

So yeah, Debordes speaks now. I'm largely not a fan of this, for reasons that will be highlighted soon.

They both prepare themselves to face the zombies.

Orias: Help...please, help us!
Reives: We'll be there as soon as we can!

Reives' team again fights the undead effortlessly.

Reives: What has befallen Guildus?

Finally, Reives and co. pay a visit to the good ol' dilapidated house.

Orias: Thank you for your aid, knight. I am Orias.
Orias: And this is my brother. Forgive his silence. He is not given much to conversing.

Oh, if only that remained true...

Debordes: No. I would thank you myself.
Debordes: My name is Debordes...Forgive my rasp.
Orias: My brother is...ill. It has ravaged his throat.
Reives: I am Reives. I fight for the Resistance.
Reives: Please, you must tell me what has happened here.
Orias: That knight who attacked - the one with the foreign crest upon his armor. He was one of yours?
Reives: Guildus, you mean? Yes, he was a staunch ally.
Reives: I had not seen him since the night of the Bacrum attack on Rime.
Reives: No one knew what had befallen him.
Orias: Ah...then I have ill news for you.
Orias: That was not the man you know.
Reives: No, I'm quite certain that was Guildus.
Orias: You mistake me. Did you not see them? The ones pallid of flesh?
Reives: What, the zombies?...What are you saying?
Reives: You don't mean that Guildus...that he was - no!
Orias: There is a man who wields the walking dead as you wield your sword.

So, I'm going to complain about this scene, but this? This is a great line.

Orias: He plays with death, defiling the very substance of life and profaning all that is sacred.
Reives: Who is he?
Orias: The most vile necromancer in Gargastan, Nybbas Obderhode.
Orias:...My father.
Orias: I am Orias Obderhode, the necromancer's daughter, though it gives me no pride to say it.
Reives: Nybbas! What foul turn is this?
Orias: Please, you must let us join your resistance.
Orias: We would aid you in defeating the necromancer.
Reives: You'd fight your own father? For true?
Orias: Yes. My brother...
Debordes: Your eyes will tell you what my tongue cannot.

Que him taking off his helmet and revealing his zombified face.

Reives: Ah!?

He quickly puts it back on.

Reives: What...are you? Do you even live!?
Debordes: Hmph. A riddle, to be sure, to which not even I know an answer.
Debordes: My bones are knit with magics, not sinew. What's more, though my head is mine, my body is another's.

I'm sorry, having bones made of magic sounds hella badass. If anything, that would be a big selling point for turning undead.

Reives: What!?
Orias: My brother...was executed by Barbatos when the warring began, as an example to others who would defy the Hierophant.
Orias: But my father, Nybbas, used a soul-fetching spell to call him back from the shores of death.
Reives: A soul-fetch...?
Debordes: Yes. I was returned to this world against my will. A full five days after my departure.
Debordes: When I awoke, I found that my body was not my own. My father had affixed my head to another corpse.

So Nybbas is a shittier necromancer now, having to switch heads to less decayed bodies to keep them alive. Although, what's this talk about magical bones then?

Debordes: He told me then that my old body had suffered damage too great to be of further use.
Debordes: But...I suspect that was a lie. He merely wanted to see if the transposing would work.
Orias: That, and the soul-fetch was incomplete.
Debordes: It is a difficult thing to fetch a departed soul and seal it within a mortal shell.
Debordes: Though my father's magic did bind me to this body, I know not how long it will endure.
Reives: What happens when the spell wears off?
Debordes: Death. Again.

So not only does he need to switch heads, he also can't bind souls for any extended period of time. Okay.

Reives:...I'm sorry.
Orias: Our father...continues his experimentations, trying to perfect the spell.
Orias: He has even joined in league with Barbatos - the very man who killed his son - to satisfy his need for corpses.

Isn't he supposed to be dead? Even if Nybbas resurrected him, he would technically be under Nybbas' control, not the other way round. Also I'm pretty sure he has no substantial army to make corpses with, what with getting resoundingly defeated and everything.

Orias: I...I hate him! I hate him for his betrayal, and for what he did to my brother!

The PSP version still gives the standard yet bizarre choice to turn down the new recruits. I don't need to tell you that I'm not picking it.

Reives: Join our ranks. March with us.
Orias: Thank you. You'll not regret it.
Reives: Let us after Nybbas, then.
Reives: I've seen enough of his dark work here. I do not care to see more.

Reives seems to have picked up her distaste for necromancy quite quickly.

Orias: I have heard that our father has crossed the straits to the isle of Banhamuba.
Reives: Then we must make haste.

End scene.

So, I don't like making Debordes speak because it robs a lot of the horror of turning undead. The general text and presentation heavily imply that becoming undead removes the affected people's personality and makes them brainless puppets who can scarcely think for themselves. But here, Debordes clearly retains his personality and control over his faculties, he just complains that he doesn't get to keep his old body. Which, I could get if they played up the bodily horror aspect more, but they didn't, so it feels less like someone being turned into a thoughtless abomination, and more like petty complaints. "Ah, Nybbas didn't do a good enough job resurrecting me, woe is me!"

Besides that...Nybbas being more incompetent is mildly weird, but doesn't change anything fundamental about the character? He's still someone obsessed with mad science, and too lost in practicing it to realize how it's harming people. He's still not really evil, just a bit careless and ethically loose. I find this to be a very interesting characterization honestly, and I'm glad they kept that here. I just hope the script ahead won't make me eat my words.

Anyhow, that's that for the PSP version, for now. Next time, we continue busting some more undead as PS1 Reives continues his journey. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Alright, let's now return back to PS1 Reives' adventures!



The next stop is Hedon, one of two volcanic regions on the island.

Reives: They must all be zombies too.
Reives: Be careful!

The enemy composition and quality isn't really much better, but the rough terrain and starting position makes it considerably harder. Reives' forces start out flanked by enemy forces, with a wizard on either side. The lava flows separate their rocks from Reives', making it hard to pursue them. Meanwhile, both wizards have enough magic to cast their spells at the largest range, and Reives' rock doesn't have enough space to reliably evade them.

The strategy, then, is to get the team's toughest units to the enemy rocks as soon as possible, leaving squishy yet important units at the center rock unharmed while the majority of the enemy's forces get distracted by the bulk. Note also that all of the opposition is undead, and so bringing Presance, or another Exorcist if he perished, is not only recommended, but extremely helpful.



Especially if he has Exorcism at its largest range, like here.

There were a few close moments, especially when i got a little too cocky with Reives' wizard, but they get through relatively unscathed, with only a few healing grapes used. The healers' healing is also starting to get quite strong, with their heals hitting 70 to 80 HP consistently. That's a very promising sign.

Reives: Where is Nybbas!?

IDK, probably look ahead? Why do you expect him on a volcano, lol?

Next up, the Banhamuba Temple.

Reives: Don't fall into the hole!
Reives: Don't get close to it! Be careful!

That's a really odd way to start a battle, Reives. You're not really filling your teammates, or me, with confidence.



The temple seems to be easier, starting Reives' team off at an advantageous position and having a clear view of most of the place. However, it's actually a considerable step up, featuring three wizards, two of which are ghosts and thus teleport around with little abandon.



It certainly doesn't help that they have Pain, a revenge spell that deals the damage taken by the caster on its target. Pain is extremely powerful, having decent range and completely ignoring defense. On top of that, it also does hefty damage to MP, often stopping its targets from casting spells at all for a few turns. It can thankfully be evaded, but that is small comfort given how accurate it tends to be.



Especially when they are focused onto one target. RIP Benedict.



As a final, nasty trick, the indents to the side of the staircase are effectively pitfalls for wizardly classes, trapping them in place and leaving them exposed to enemy wizards.

Thankfully, the initial position for this does still work fine, for the most part. But you want your tough melee units to be rushing into the fray and dealing with the ghosts and wizard as soon as they can, else they will kill someone, and you won't be able to stop them. This is certainly a bit risky, but there's not many other relevant options, and with good ranged support the melee units should be safe enough.

Needless to say, an Exorcist is very much advised, as these are all undead units. If somehow your team has made it this far without one, this is where they will hit a giant wall. In fact, it's generally advised to keep at least one character of such specialized classes around going forward, as otherwise fights will be far harder than they need to be.

Reives' team thankfully had the chops to handle this fight well, despite the unfortunate loss. They did their best to keep the spellcasters down, and with them neutralized, the rest of the enemy force wasn't too hard to eventually shave off. They even spent less less healing grapes this time.

Reives: Guildus! Are you there!?
Reives: Answer me!!

Presance "killed" the most units, being the only person capable of exorcising them, so he gets a bonus level up!...In a game where enemies scale based on your units' max level. Okay.

Now, I could go on about how I trained Reives' units to catch up to level 19, how I reclassed the non-Sisteena Valkyrie to a Siren, how I went through a somewhat genuinely tough random encounter at Hedon, but none of that really matters.



Because it's time for the worst map of the game.



But first, story time!

Nybbas: The cells are starting to decay. It's not complete.
Nybbas: "Necromancy" will only turn the dead into the undead...
Nybbas: While "Resurrection" will only give life back but it does not grant immortality.
Nybbas: As for Debordes, I was so close.
Nybbas: I fixed the problem with cell decay.
Nybbas: His body can reproduce living cells.
Nybbas: However, I failed to bring back his memory.
Nybbas: Recovering the soul of the dead which you request is very difficult to do.

Jeez that line got mangled. I get what he's saying though, he's just saying that it's not easy to invoke back a soul that passed away.

Nybbas: When one thing is achieved, then another thing goes wrong. This is always the case.
Nybbas: I apologize that I have made another failure.
Nybbas: Sorry...Eternal life and youth is what all human beings strive for.

I really like that here, they again reinforce Nybbas not being inherently evil, just someone too obsessed with their work to notice its ill effects. He even acknowledges how "imperfect" the undead are and how someone needs to have their soul back in their body to truly be themselves. You can notice the seed of a good intent which drives them forward, even if their actions are morally dubious.

Nybbas:...I guess I have no choice but to use this.

Unfortunately for him, Reives and co. arrive.

Nybbas: Well, look who's here.
Reives: Sir Guildus! It's me, Reives!
Guildus: Reives...
Nybbas: Don't you remember?
Nybbas: He used to be your friend.
Guildus: Friend...
Nybbas: Think hard. You saved him at the town of Rime.
Guildus: Saved, Rime...
Nybbas: Yes, and you died.
Nybbas: If you didn't save him, you wouldn't be dead.
Nybbas: If he were dead, you would be alive!
Nybbas: Don't you hate him! He is the one who has caused all of your pain!
Guildus: If I kill him...
Nybbas: Kill him! Give him all of your pain! I shall call demons from the dark world!

And so he does, kicking off the battle! I love this little exchange, it's a fun little showcase of Nybbas' cunning, and you've got to love a villain who's cunning.



Good news - we're back to leader assassination style maps now.



Bad news, uh...everything else. Some astute readers may remember Fort Damsa, and how I described it as potentially one of the game's most dangerous battles.



This fight is that, but with the enemy getting three dangerous casters on their side, on top of Nybbas opening with his summon alpha strike.



And then there's Guildus, who hits like a Zenobian holy knight even in death.



Oh, did I say three casters? I forgot to include Nybbas there. Yeap.

"But at least they are undead," you may think. "Presance should be able to totally vaporize them when he gets his turn."



Yeah...about that...

This is not a fight you strategize for. This fight is not about coming up with creative solutions. It is not about the weak overwhelming the strong. It is not about clever ploys, nor daring tactics, nor honor, nor glory. It is none of those things.

It is just a game of big numbers against bigger ones.



So I oblige, and bring my own big guns.



Five magical orbs of varied colors.



The results are crystal clear.



Nybbas' fall is nigh inevitable.

"How did you get all these orbs?" you may ask. Well...remember when Reives won a orb from a random encounter in Lake Bodo, somewhere around this post? Yeah, turns out those treasures are farmable, and reliably drop from clearing these encounters.

So yeah, a bit of clever grinding and some cheese saw Reives through. I'll try not to resort to this maneuver for other fights, but will keep it open as a last resort option if the fight isn't being fair or fun at all.

Nybbas: This is the end. I have no choice...
Nybbas: Demunza, provide me with the powers of darkness which have been sealed within this ring...
Nybbas: See my power!!

He turns into a Lich, a really spiffy class complete with cool hood and everything. Reives may get one of these in his team. It depends.

Nybbas: How do you like my new body?
Nybbas: By using the power in this ring, I will be immortal...

Silly Nybbas, Liches are amazing at lots of things, but cheating death isn't one of them. Yeah, they die just like regular living beings, despite their looks.

Nybbas: Of course the trade off is you have to give up being a human!
Nybbas: We shall meet again!

And he flies off.

Reives: Nybbas, wait!
Guildus: What am I doing here?
Guildus: What is this...
Reives: Sir Guildus!
Guildus: Reives?
Guildus: Oh, you are alive. I am so glad...

He promptly falls flat, losing any sense of life.

Reives: Sir Guildus!

Well, that sure was an adventure. Next time, we continue this story, as some startling revelations happen and Reives makes his way back to Amorika. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Last time, we got done taking down the source of Ashton's disturbance, Nybbas, in a sense.



So the story picks up, elsewhere.

Ronway: That hard headed girl will keep claiming she will go back to Griate.

Err...I think she already left...

Leonard: It will only take half a day to reach Griate. Why don't you leave her alone?
Ronway: I cannot do that.
Ronway: The war is not going to end soon and there are a lot of soldiers that are becoming home sick.
Ronway: Under these circumstances I cannot allow Kachua to go home.

That's, err, not exactly going to help with the homesickness problem, Ronway.

Ronway: And it is also necessary to have her here so that Reives will stay.
Leonard: I understand. I will try and talk her out of it.
Ronway: Please do.

Cue Leonard entering the entrance hall, and querying a random cleric.

Leonard: Have you seen Kachua?
Monk: No. I haven't seen her since this afternoon.
Leonard: Okay...thanks anyway.

And he leaves. That was really brief.



Cue him emerging outside the castle.

Leonard: I wonder...

End scene.



Begin new scene in Griate, where Kachua is seen at its docks.

Kachua: Reives.
Kachua: You are the only family I have left...
Voice: That is not true. You are a complete loner.
Kachua: Who is that!?

Enter Lans Tartare!

Kachua: Lans Tartare! Why are you here!?
Lans: Your mother died after giving birth to you.

Realll smooth way to start the conversation, Lans.

Lans: And your father died several months before the war erupted.
Lans: You have no brother or no parents.
Lans: You're the only one left in your family.
Kachua: What are you talking about!?
Kachua: I have a brother. Reives!
Lans: You already know that you are not the real child of Plancy Powell.
Lans: You just assumed that the same goes for your brother. But you are mistaken.
Lans: Plancy is your adopted father, but he is Reives' real father.

A thunderstorm kicks up.

Kachua: Then who am I?
Lans: Your real name is Bersalia.
Lans: Bersalia Overis.
Kachua: Bersalia Overis? No, that's not true.
Lans: You know it to be true...You know the Valeria king's family name was Overis.
Lans: You're the daughter of the late King Dolgare!

Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn

Yeahhhh, no, this is one of the most hackneyed twists ever. There are ways to use the "secret princess" trope well, and Tactics Ogre does use her status as royalty to fairly good effect later, but the way this twist is delivered is still pretty cringey, as it's just dropped as a random bombshell and relies wholly on shock value, while leaning too heavily on one of the most trodden tropes ever.

Anyhow, the thunderstorm grows into an intense rain at this point.

Lans: However, you are not the child of Queen Bernata. The wife of King Dolgare.
Lans: There was a maid that worked for the Queen.

I'm not sure why, after the big reveal that she's actually royalty, he decides to casually drop that she's not legitimately so. I get that the writers want to relay an explanation for how she got separated from her family and why she wasn't considered a heir, but there has to be more elegant ways to do that.

Lans: Her name was Manafloa. Well, King Dolgare lusted after her.
Lans: When the Queen conceived the prince, Manafloa conceived you.
Lans: The Queen wanted to protect her family line and exiled Manafloa. Your mother gave birth to you and died.

Astute readers may remember that Lans mentioned searching for Manafloa. This whole spiel sort of reveals what their scheme was: find her(or her last known whereabouts) to trace the last living heir of Dolgare, potentially to take control of them, and the island through them. A smart play, to be sure.

Kachua: This is a lie.
Lans:...and guess who took care of you?
Lans: It was Branta, the king of Bacrum. He gave you to his brother Plancy. He took advantage of the situation.
Lans: The reason why Branta was able to become Cardinal was because of the fact he had you.

This isn't explained well in the game, but the implication here is that Branta ended up blackmailing people with Kachua's existence to get favors and rise to his position in the Valerian court. After all, news of the king having illicit children would cast a black mark on him, and besides, the Queen knew Kachua would compete with her son for the throne if her status was known. What isn't covered is why none tried assassinating her while she was young. Branta probably had enough influence to blow the whistle on anyone trying this, but that's just a guess.

Kachua: No, you are making this up!
Lans: I can prove my story is true.
Lans: Take a look at your necklace.
Lans: Aren't there ancient words chiseled in?
Lans: Since you studied to become a priestess, read it.
Kachua:...
Lans: Labon Bersalia Zan Von Destonia Lera Finan
Lans: Eternal love to my daughter, Bersaria.

Pretty impressive that Lans knows how to read Valerian, yet still messed up "Bersalia".

Lans: That was the necklace King Dolgare gave you.
Lans: Although, the King wasn't sure that you were alive.
Lans: You and your mother were supposedly killed by the Queen.
Kachua: What do you want with me?

Two Dark Knights enter behind Lans.

Lans: I want you to come with me to Heigm.
Lans: Plancy can tell you all of the details.
Lans: Princess Kachua. This way please.

She departs with them, and the scene ends.

Well, that D R A M A T I C revelation left me winded, so I shall leave this here for now. Until later!

[Count Revier]

With all that out of the way, we cut back to Reives on the overworld.



He runs into some random encounters on the way back, but nothing worth mentioning.



Well, besides winning back one of his orbs, I guess.



In Amorika, Ronway and Leonard quickly get down to business.

Leonard: Forgive me for being late.
Ronway: That's fine.
Ronway: The unofficial meeting with the Dark Knights is confirmed.

Can you define what "unofficial" means, in this sense? You, the formal head of the Walstanians, are going to meet the Dark Knights, who are a formal branch of Lodis' military. There is nothing "unofficial" about that.

Ronway: When I meet with them, I will discuss the possibility of signing a cease-fire treaty.
Ronway: The Dark Knights are willing to be the match-maker between us and Bacrum. Isn't this ideal...
Ronway: Of course I have no intention of negotiating peace. It's only a facade.

Ronway, please don't try to trick the Dark Knights. Not only are they far more powerful, they're also far more familiar with this subterfuge thing...

Ronway: As long as Branta is alive, we will never achieve our ideals. He will probably break the treaty anyway.

Therefore, I am going to break it first. That's how we succeed at diplomacy!

Ronway: Our soldiers will not be happy.
Leonard: Are you still going to try and get back Rime?
Reives: That's impossible! You can't launch a direct attack against the Dark Knights and expect to win!
Leonard: Are you scared? You already killed one Dark Knight. Why are you freaking out now?

Damn, that's a sick burn. Also very rude.

Ronway: I think they are too exhausted to fight, anyway.
Ronway: This is our best chance. They think we are not capable of fighting.

You're basing that on what, exactly?

Leonard: During the meeting, we will then capture Lans.
Leonard: By taking him hostage, we can control the Dark Knights.

Oh god he's really going to do it isn't he.

Reives: But the Bacrum Army is also in Rime.
Leonard: You will lead your troops into Rime and get the town back.
Reives: How? Are we sneaking into Rime!?
Reives: You're talking about taking in a battalion?
Reives: How can I bring in our troops without anyone noticing!?
Leonard: You're right. When you march in with your troops, they will most likely discover you.
Reives: The ocean line is densely watched, also. Taking a surface road via the Gruborza plain is out of the question.
Reives: There are no routes from western Rime because of the Barnum mountains. No, you don't mean...
Leonard: That's right. Nobody will think that we would attack from the Barnum mountains.

"I mean, there's just one volcano there. You already crossed a volcano, it should be no big deal!"

Ronway: You are the only one who will be able to do that.

Just then, a soldier busts in.

Soldier: Coritani Castle has fallen, my lord!
Ronway: Don't panic. This is also part of my plan.
Leonard: It will be the last victory for Barbatos' remaining army.
Leonard: To wipe them out, we intentionally made the security of Coritani Castle low...

And, in the process, gave them control of a formidable defensive position and a former capital.

I can only assume Ronway and Leonard lost their minds somewhere along the way.

Leonard:...the news of Coritani's fall will cause the Dark Knights to become careless.

No it won't, why are you jumping to such flimsy conclusions?

Ronway: I shall leave Coritani Castle under our hero's command.
Ronway: With that piece of news, we should get moving.
Leonard: Yes, my lord.

So, once again, Reives has to carry out a risky mission ordered by Ronway and Leonard. At least he isn't murdering innocent people from his own country this time, I guess.

But before he does that, why not make him pay a little revisit to Griate?



Huuuh. What could this mean?

Well, we'll find out next time. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Let's see what this Griate business is about.



Huh. That certainly doesn't look like Griate, in either of its former appearances. Wonder how big the town is.

Orgeu: Shit, they've found me!
Orgeu: I see! The guy we captured is your comrade, a spy! Just my luck!

Err...come again? I don't see anyone familiar.

Orgeu: Oh well, get ready! I will kill you all!

So this guy wants to kill Reives' team because he thinks he captured someone familiar to them? What a weirdo.



The leader for this map is a Hawkman armed with the latest gear and a bow. You might think this would make for a hard mission.



In practice, he has the common, crippling flaw of being overtly aggressive and leaving his defenses behind.



Reives' team currently outdoes his by a level all around, but even if they didn't, ranged magic damage has become pretty powerful by now.



Little surprise that this fight barely registers even as a bump to them.

Orgeu: Sorry Zaebos. The attack on Amorika is...a failure...

Well, let's see what this spy business is about.



Well, whoever he is, he seems quite capable of handling himself.

Gargastan soldier: Help me! Help!!

He tries to flee, only to run right into Reives!

Gargastan soldier: Ahh!
Spy: Is this your comrade too?
Gargastan soldier: Please have mercy! I don't have a grudge against the Liberation Army! Please, don't kill me!
Gargastan soldier: That guy isn't human! He's blind and I thought it would be easy to get him...
Gargastan soldier: Please don't kill me! I was just following orders! Please!
Reives: Fine! Get out of here!
Gargastan soldier: Thank you. I will never forget this.
Reives: Get lost! I said now!

Well that random soldier sure is having a terrible day.

Spy: You're awfully kind.
Reives: My name is Reives of the Liberation Army. Reives Powell.
Spy: So you are the young warrior of the Liberation Army...
Spy: My name is Haborym Va...Vandom Haborym.

Ah! I remember that name. It was only mentioned....goes through the LP...about three chapters ago! Yeah, that's kinda too long a time for the foreshadowing to stick.

But sure, it's nice to meet him. What's his deal?

Reives: What are you doing here?
Haborym: I heard that you are fighting against the Dark Knights.
Haborym: I would like to join you.
Reives: You hate the Dark Knights?
Haborym: I have my reasons.
Haborym: For example, they took away my sight.
Reives:......
Haborym: I can't see but my skills with a sword are second to none.
Haborym: Will you let me join your troops? If I become a burden, you can abandon me.

Blah blah blah, pointless choice to hire or reject extra muscle, yadda yadda.

Reives: I welcome you.
Haborym: Thank you.

So yeah, we learnt that he has some beef with the Dark Knights(and was formerly Balzepho's brother) but not much else. He actually has a fairly detailed backstory, but most of it is revealed either through obscure side events or extended boss fight dialogue, so there's no telling if it will feature in this LP.



Haborym is a Swordmaster. They are Ninja sidegrades that effectively act as upgrades. Not only do they get similarly high agility and dexterity growths, they get to use status spells instead of damage spells, which key off those stats and so hit with startling accuracy. Haborym, of course, has excellent all round stats on top of that, so he will serve well as both a curse dealer and a ranged attacker. Yes, I know he can attack twice with melee weapons, but that's too risky, even with his stats. Besides, the team has its melee roles more than covered, it doesn't really have much room for more melee fighters.



That's it for now. Next time, Reives assaults Coritani castle and hopefully puts an end to the Gargastani resistance. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Alright, off to Coritani!



We open with a pan up to the castle's ramparts, and some offscreen shouting.

Gargastan knight: This way! He went up on the roof!

Vice emerges, and runs towards the walls!



Unfortunately for him, he gets trapped there.

Vice: Shit!

Just then, Reives' fighters arrive on the scene.

Gargastan Knight: It's the Walsta Army!
Reives: Vice! Are you okay!?
Reives: I'll be right there!
Vice:...hmmph, who asked you to...shit!

Vice punches the soldier hard. He spins and then comically falls down the wall! Then, Vice runs away, and a siren enters.

Zildor: Get him! I will take care of these guys!!

The knight on the ramparts heads off to take position, and the Gargastani army floods out of the castle gate.

Zildor: I will avenge my lord's death!
Zildor: Kill them!

Time to fight, then!



Zildor starts out in a very secure position, high atop the castle ramparts.



Guarding the approach to her is a fairly formidable force, consisting of two strong wizards, an archer, a terror knight and a valkyrie. There's a long bridge separating Reives' team from them, so they get plenty of opportunities to unleash their stuff.



Zildor, like many Tactics Ogre bosses, does abandon the safety of her original position. But this is little comfort, considering her forces and her strength as a spellcaster herself. You might wonder how she got down from that height. That's thanks to her Wing boots making her fly. We'll eventually get a copy of them for Reives' team, hopefully. She doesn't drop them here.



There's an enemy group directly north of Reives' team's starting position. They're generally irrelevant to the battle, taking too long to get to a serious position. They could presumably become a threat if Reives' team stayed put, but that's a pretty bad idea anyway - they want to be rushing Zildor's wizards, or heck, Zildor herself, to get them out of the way as soon as they can, before they pile up too much damage on the team.

The fight, then, is fairly straightforward - try to pepper their ranged units with Reives', get his melee fighters as close to the wizards as possible, and try to maintain a decent distance between his units to avoid the spell damage piling up heavily on the team.



Demonstrated here are Haborym's amazing abilities.



Demonstrated here is the wizards' terrifying capability of frying the entire team.



Zildor herself is no exception.



This bevy of spells leaves Reives and several others considerably weakened. Thankfully, healing spells can undo their damage reasonably well. In fact, it's generally recommended to keep at least two healers around for any serious fights, powerful spells like these will only become more commonplace as the game goes on.



Heal+ in particular is great at countering them, as its range scales the same way other aoe spells do.



With that out the way, Reives' team swiftly closes ranks and runs Zildor down before she gets to pull that off again.

Zildor: Barbatos...Forgive me...

She dies, and her army retreats.

Reives: Let's get this over with!
Reives: We will take back Coritani Castle!

And with that, the first layer of Coritani Castle has been breached. Join me next time, when Reives tackles its keep. See you then!

[Count Revier]

Let's siege Coritani's keep.

Zaebos: We are the only survivors of the Gargastan Army.
Zaebos: Take a good look at us kid! This is how a true warrior dies!

Yet another straightforward affair - Zaebos and his retinue start off opposite to Reives' team, at the other end of a long, thin bridge.



Zaebos' team is actually quite scary, but it doesn't matter - like most Tactics Ogre bosses, he leaves their safety too early, choosing to stand on the frontlines.



This works out less than well for him.

Honestly, I forgot just how overpowered ranged damage gets late in the game, its power is making fights feel rather plain and binary. Unfortunately I don't see a practical way around this, going charging in would just make Reives' team far more vulnerable to enemy formations. But perhaps it could be interesting to try out an all melee class team as a variant.



Right now, though, Zaebos gets effortlessly fried to a crisp.

Zaebos: This isn't fair...

A pretty anticlimactic fight overall.



For some reason, Reives starts calling for Vice.

Reives: Vice! Where are you!?
Reives: Are you all right!? Answer me!
Vice: I never asked for your help!
Vice: Are you trying to be the hero again!?
Reives: That's not true! Vice, wait!
Vice: You underestimate me!
Vice: You are going to regret saving me, Reives!
Vice: You will pay for your crimes!!
Reives: Wait, Vice!

No, I don't know how that scene happened or why it exists. Anyhow, that's another victory! Let's celebrate by reading the news.



There's not much new in there, but it reports on the recapture of Coritani Castle and Vice's new bounty, which is a cool 60,000 Goth! Of course, he himself is nowhere to be found, despite having just run off Coritani, which was the site of two major battles involving the Walstanian army. Probably swam away or something.

And that wraps this up! Join me next time as Reives decides to bravely walk through a volcano, again. See you then!

[Count Revier]

The next update is still a ways away, but in the meantime, I played through Tactics Ogre: Reborn's first chapter and wrote up my impressions of it: https://revierofriver.blogspot.com/2024 ... ons-1.html

[Count Revier]

We take a trip through the PSP version again.



The volcano has some new friends!

Cassandra: You are far from home, Reives of Griate!
Cressida: Reives, you say? Then we are betrayed! Cursed sister...
Cassandra: Nothing I can't handle, Cressida. Go now. Inform Master Nybbas of our visitor.
Cressida: What? And leave you here alone, mother? You must permit me to stay, I beg you!

Yeah, these two are Nybbas' family, or are at least heavily implied to be so. I don't see the point, outside of perhaps trying to make the player more sympathetic to him - they don't add much to the plot, and arguably detract from his whole concept of being so overtly obsessed with his work he fails to realize the harm it brings.

Cassandra: Do not worry yourself over me. Master Nybbas's artifact will serve, should it come to that.
Cassandra: Now, get you gone!
Cressida Have care, mother!

Cressida leaves, and Cassandra turns to face Reives' army.

Cassandra: Denizens of the abyss! From ink of blackest night, I summon you! Darkness to me!

Okay, I understand how imps and goblins could count as "denizens of the abyss", but a lizardman? And no, he's not undead. She literally summoned a living lizardman randomly.

Cassandra: The blood of my dearest daughter, Mordoba, stains your hands. Blood calls for blood.

Oh. So they are trying to make this a family feud thing? Mordoba, if you don't remember(and you likely don't) was the Gargastani witch defending Krizar and keeping Leonard captive, alllllll the way back in Chapter 1. Guess they thought it would be a dramatic twist to tie her back to the necromancer arc here.

They fight, and Reives' team wins easily. At least that's the one upside to this version of the game - for all of its deep, systemic flaws, I don't have to think much to win battles. It's mostly just a matter of spiking as much ranged damage as possible while keeping the sources of said ranged damage alive, and this is much easier than it sounds.

Cassandra: I did not think to need this now...

She invokes the Undead Ring. But, instead of transforming her, it just breaks.

Cassandra: What!? No! Nybbas has doomed me!

One down. Next!

Reives: One false step near that pit, and they'll need no swords or sorcery to do us in.

I'm glad they kept that impromptu advice about pits here.

Cressida: That you profane this temple can only mean my mother and I are forever parted.
Reives: It is she who profaned the dead. I'll not mourn her passing. Yield now, or rejoin her in the ever-world.
Cressida: Who are you to judge, you who have slain legions in your war?
Cressida: The wage of your ambition is paid in the lives of others. You can never understand the prize for which we struggle.

Dude, Reives was barely involved in the larger war. He's just here because your undead started terrorizing Ashton. Put a lid on that, and maybe he could come to an understanding.

Reives: You use souls and corpses for sport! No prize is worth such sacrilege.
Cressida: I've no time to argue with the likes of you. I must focus on the task at hand, both for my sister, and now my mother.
Cressida: Your corpse will make a fine gift for Master Nybbas!
Cressida: Denizens of the abyss! From ink of blackest night, I summon you! Darkness to me!

Her dark army consists of fairies and giants. I guess she's so bad at summoning from hell, it wrapped around to summoning from heaven!

They fight, and Reives' team wins easily once again.

Cressida: Master Nybbas...forgive me...

She dies, and her creatures scatter.

Reives: Sir Guildus! Are you here? Answer if you can hear me!

It's funny imagining him shouting this wherever he goes. "Guildus, are you here, on this volcano?" "How about behind this rock?" "Are you in the ocean, Guildus?"

Anyhow, that's two down. Time for the big man himself.

Nybbas: Hrm...The flesh has already begun to fail. I have yet to perfect my art.
Nybbas: A living-corpse incantation yields the subject undead.
Nybbas: Resurrect restores life to the body, but does naught for the soul.
Nybbas: But Debordes fared better than most.
Nybbas: His memories remain intact. That's one hurdle cleared, at least.
Nybbas: But what is the mind without the body?
Nybbas: Each new success brings only another failure.
Nybbas: But such are the restraints I must work against. No small task, restoring life to the dead.
Nybbas: Another of my works, a failure. Forgive me.
Nybbas: Clearly it is not enough to call the soul back to a house no longer fit to hold it.
Nybbas: But what if there were some means of leaving behind the shattered body - a transmigration of the soul?
Nybbas: Perhaps that way lies the path to vanquish death.
Nybbas: If I must resort to the tools of the magi to learn the secrets I seek, then so be it.

Unfortunately for him, Reives' squad arrives.

Nybbas: Ah, what's this? A visitor?
Reives: Sir Guildus! It's me, Reives!
Guildus: Reives...
Nybbas: Do you remember him? He was a friend of the man you were.
Guildus: A friend...
Nybbas: Think well. You saved his life at Rime.
Guildus: Saved him...yes...
Nybbas: That's right. You died at Rime - died saving him.
Nybbas: Had you not done so, you would be alive today, not he.
Nybbas: You despise him! All you have suffered in death is because of him!
Guildus: I must...kill him.
Nybbas: If that is your wish, I'll not deny you.
Nybbas: Crush the life from his lungs! Visit death upon him!
Nybbas: Denizens of the abyss! From ink of blackest night, I summon you! Darkness to me!

He summons stuff, and the fight begins. This bit is largely similar to the original given some polish, and I quite like it.



Nybbas' platter of summons is the most sensible, being entirely made of undead creatures. Too bad it does little to save him.



Guildus is killed first, as he's the most dangerous enemy around.

Guildus: What fell change has come upon me?
Reives: Guildus!
Guildus: Ah...Reives...?
Guildus: You are...unharmed. That is well. That is...

He collapses to his death.

Reives: Guildus, no!

Yeah, you can't save him here, no matter what. Bummer.



Nybbas follows soon after.

Nybbas: An...unfitting end to my research...

He does his trademarked crow transform and flees.

Reives: Wait, Nybbas!

And that's the necromancer arc dealt with!



But not the chapter. Join me next time, when I shall cover the ~shocking revelations~ and perhaps also the Gargastani resistance's final demise. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Here's some more Tactics Ogre: Reborn impressions: https://revierofriver.blogspot.com/2024 ... ons-2.html

[Count Revier]

Last time, we got done with the necromancer arc.



But not the plot. Let's get back to that.

Ronway: She says she wants to return to Griate and will not listen to reason...the wretched girl.
Leonard: It is only a half-day's journey, your Grace. Why not indulge her?
Ronway: Indulge her? When our ranks are filled with men and women eager to see home and hearth again?
Ronway: Besides...we need Kachua here if we're to keep Reives close.
Leonard: I understand. Permit me to speak with her.
Ronway: Gladly.

He exits to the castle's main hall, where a cleric happens to be passing through.

Leonard: A word, sibyl. Have you seen Kachua?
Cleric: Kachua?...I have not. Not since the noon bread, in truth.
Leonard: I see. On your way.

That thrilling exchange done, he walks right out of the castle.

Leonard: I hope she has not done anything rash.

Well that was productive.



Kachua is of course at Griate's docks.

Kachua:Reives...
Kachua: I am alone without you.

Of course, she's still as emo as ever.

Familiar voice: No. You have always been alone.
Kachua: Who's there!?

Cue the Dark Knight emerging out of the shadows.

Kachua: Lans Tartare! What are you doing here?
Lans: Your mother left this world upon your birth.
Lans: And your father followed her only a few months before the war broke out.
Lans: Your blood begins and ends with you, Kachua. You are alone, truly.
Kachua: What are you talking about? I have a brother! Surely you've not forgotten Reives!
Lans: I gather you have realized the abuna was not your father.
Lans: Yet you assumed that your "brother" shared your orphaned lineage.
Lans: You assumed...wrongly.

Lol at that random witty quip. Anyway, a narratively convenient thunderclap kicks in.

Kachua: Then who am I? Who do you say I am!?
Lans: Bersalia.
Lans: Your true name is Bersalia Overis.

The thunderclap strikes again.

Kachua: Bersalia Overis...that's not possible.
Lans: You are cautious. Good.
Lans: House Overis gave Valeria her king. You are his daughter.

The thunderclap strikes yet again, and this time it's followed by an intense rainfall.

Lans: But it was not Queen Bernata who bore you into this world.
Lans: One of her handmaidens, a girl named Manafloa, caught the king's eye.
Lans: But even as you quickened in the womb, the queen carried the unborn prince.
Lans: Wanting no rival for her son, she expelled your mother from the castle before you were born.
Lans: Manafloa died giving birth to you.
Kachua: Who would believe such a tale?
Lans: It was the Bacrum regent, Branta Mown, who took you in.
Lans: He left you in the care of his brother, abuna Plancy.
Lans: Were it not for you and your secret, a man such as Branta would never have risen so high or so swift.

I kinda dislike that they never exactly elaborate on what Branta did with the knowledge of Kachua's existence to earn his position. There's a potentially pretty juicy story of blackmail and coercion behind it, but not only is that never delivered, his misdeeds are only vaguely alluded to so as to paint him as an opportunistic villain. He fails to really deliver the threat and menace he's supposed to have, coming off as just a convenient tyrant on the throne for the goodly hero to overcome.

Kachua: Nonsense and lies!
Lans: But there is proof: your necklace.
Lans: It bears an inscription, written in the old tongue. One with your religious training should have no trouble reading it.

Lans once again demonstrating his vast linguistical knowledge.

Kachua:...
Lans: Labon Bersalia Xan Phon, Destonia Lera Phoenan.
Lans: To my daughter Bersalia, eternal beloved.

Someone also brought up a great point about how Kachua, despite having the necklace for her whole life, never looked at it. And how it's Lans who somehow knows what it says. To be fair, both can be reasonably explained, but it does demonstrate the lack of care taken in writing this "twist". A better written scene would account for such incongruities in ways that would add to its weight, not simply skim over them.

Lans: A gift from King Dolgare to celebrate your birth.
Lans: The queen made it appear as though you and your mother had been killed.
Lans: He went to his grave full expecting to meet you in the beyond.
Lans: You must have read that inscription. Nurtured doubts about your origins.
Lans: Am I wrong?
Kachua: What do you want from me?
Lans: For you to return with us to Heigm.

His retinue steps into the scene.

Lans: There, Abuna Plancy can answer any other questions you may have.
Lans: This way, Princess Kachua.

She leaves with them, and the scene ends.



Well there wasn't much progress achieved this update, but at least we won't have to deal with all of that exposition and that s h o c k i n g t w i s t again. Join me next time as Reives picks up a badass swordsman. Until then!

[Count Revier]

It's time to get ourselves a badass swordsman!



But not before getting briefed by Ronway. And Leonard, who steps into the room shortly afterwards.

Leonard: Sorry to keep you waiting, your grace.
Ronway: Yes, yes. Be seated.
Ronway: The Dark Knights have agreed to an informal meeting. We must convince them that we seek a truce with the Bacrum.

How is any meeting between you and them "informal"? Both of you are serious representatives of states holding significant power. The only way such a meeting could be informal is if you or them renounced their seat completely.

Ronway: Naturally, with the Dark Knights mediating the negotiations.
Ronway: Ah, it's almost too good to be true.
Ronway: I needn't tell you I have no intention of forging a truce.
Ronway: Branta must die if we are to realize our ambitions.
Ronway: Besides, what assurance have we that he would abide by such an agreement?
Ronway: Too many have died to end this with half measures.

Presented above are the only two good sentences he utters here.

Leonard: Then we move forward with our plans to retake Rime.
Reives: What? We can't openly defy the Dark Knights!
Leonard: The prospect unmans you? It would not be the first time you faced them in battle.

Sheesh Leonard, no need to be a dick about it.

Ronway: They think us weary of fighting, and that shall be their undoing.
Ronway: Their conceit blinds them. They will not expect us to fight any more than they will expect us to win.

Oh good, we're back to the hoary assumptions.

Leonard: We will seize Sir Lans at the parley.
Leonard: The Dark Knights won't dare move against us while we hold their High Champion.
Reives: And what of the Bacrum forces at Rime?
Leonard: Your company will recapture the city.
Reives: How are we meant to reach her, much less take her?
Reives: While one man or two might approach undetected, an entire company is likely to draw notice.
Leonard: True, you cannot hope to cross Gruborza without alerting them.
Reives: Gruborza is out, and they will have eyes along the coast.
Reives: The Barnum massif rises to the west, but- you can't think we'll scale mountains to reach them!
Leonard: Why not? It's the last thing they would expect.

Ah yes, the great military strategy of intentionally going through a volcanic mountain range to jump the enemy. All hail Leonard for his infinite wisdom!

Ronway: There's no one else I can trust with this.

Just then, a soldier busts in.

Messenger: Dark news, your grace. Coritani has fallen!
Ronway: No need for alarm. All goes as planned.
Ronway: We witness the death rattle of Barbatos's men.
Ronway: We drew down our numbers at Coritani to lure them to one place-the easier to snuff them out.

"We also gave them their former capital and a heavily fortified position, but never mind that."

Ronway: It aids in our deception of the Dark Knights, as well. They will think us desperate.
Ronway: Our hero should be capable of dealing with Coritani as well, no? Good.

LOL at how confidently he assumes Reives will go along with this.

Which he unfortunately will, because in this path he's Ronway's willing stooge.

Ronway: Now, we had best be going. There's much to be done.
Leonard: We move, your grace.

Alright, so there's our new(and extremely dumb) plan. Successfully assault Coritani, put down all the Gargastani holdouts, cross a hecking volcanic range, and take Rime.



But before we get started on that, let's go collect an amazing swordsman.

Orgeu: You've a keen nose to find me here...
Orgeu: That man we took...a scout of yours, was it? Bah! Ill luck, that.
Orgeu: Well, plenty of time for remorse after we've carved you into sausages. Look sharp!

Orgeu is still a hecking weirdo.

Orgeu: Zaebos...The assault on Amorika...was not to be.

And Haborym, still a badass.

Gargastani Soldier Yeeearrgh! Spare me!

The poor guy runs...right into Reives!

Gargastani Soldier: Waugh!
Resistance Scout: You with this quailing excuse for a soldier?
Gargastani Soldier: P-please! Forgiveness! I-I've no quarrel with the resistance!
Gargastani Soldier: H-He's no man! He's a demon!
Gargastani Soldier: Thought he couldn't see, we did. Until he left two of me men with stumps for heads!
Gargastani Soldier: I'm too young to die here! We...we was just takin' orders!

You see that's exactly the problem.

Then again, Reives isn't exactly one to talk on the matter.

Reives: Leave.
Gargastani Soldier: Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir! I'll not forget this! Not for as long as I live!
Reives: I said leave!

And so he does. Stone heckin' cold.

Resistance Scout: What's this? Kindness wears armor.

W-What?!

Reives: Reives Powell, if it pleases you.
Resistance Scout: Ah, it does indeed! The young hero of the Resistance, hmm?
Resistance Scout: I am Haborym...Haborym Vandam.
Reives: Why are you here?
Haborym: Heard there was a fight going on, 'tween your lot and the Dark Knights.
Haborym: Thought I might join in.
Reives: You've some score to settle with the Dark Knights?
Haborym: Aye, you might say that.
Haborym: What if I told you it was they who stole the light from me?
Reives:...
Haborym: I may not be able to see, but my sword is truer than most.
Haborym: Let me join your struggle, then.
Haborym: Should I prove more a burden than a boon, I will depart, bearing you no malice.

Our customary no-choice of the day.

Reives: You would be a welcome addition.
Haborym: You've my thanks, then, and my sword.

The man himself! Unfortunately, thanks to this version's mechanics, he starts at an absurdly low level, and it will take him a fair while to become useful. On the other hand, this version of the game is barely difficult, and most of the team ends up being superfluous anyway, so why not bring him to some fights? I'll definitely try to get some use out of him.



And that's that! Next time, Reives busts down Coritani Castle and takes out the rest of the Gargastani resistance. Until then!

[Count Revier]

Alright, it's time to smash Coritani and finish off the Gargastani holdouts.

Gargastani Knight: Over here! He's on the roof!

Vice flees from the knight, but runs into another Gargastani fighter.

Vice: Piss and blood.

Just then, Reives' army arrives.

Gargastani Knight: What? The Walstanians?
Reives: Vice! Are you all right?
Vice: I can look after myself.

He kills the soldier and throws him off the ramparts. This is still played for laughs.



Zildor emerges out of the castle gate, and barks orders to the knight.

Zildor: You! After him! I'll deal with these!

The knight gives chase, and a bunch of soldiers stream out of the castle.

Zildor: I will avenge my lord. For Barbatos!

Zildor isn't much of an obstacle in her current incarnation, and narratively, she isn't noteworthy as anything besides being the leader of the Gargastani holdouts' last stand.



Reives gets some new dialogue! It's him hilariously trying to talk Zildor down. He may have rejoined the Walstanians out of necessity, but at his heart he's still a naive idealist.



Zildor goes down like a pile of rocks.

Zildor: Forgive me, Barbatos.
Reives: No time to rest! Coritani will be ours again!

Off to the castle's keep. Dunno why it's called a Ward, but whatever.

Zaebos: We may be all that's left of Gargastan, but we'll fight to the last.
Zaebos: Look well, boy. This is how men of honor meet death!

Zaebos gets a decent bit of extra dialogue here, hilariously mocking Reives for switching sides so quickly. Denim's rebuttal is a weak "but you're the bad guys". To be fair, he is right, he just fails to deliver it persuasively, especially since Zaebos is technically right about Reives' actions.



Right or not, he falls.

Zaebos: Defeat is a bitter draught...

His forces retreat, and Reives decides to randomly call out for Vice.

Reives: Vice, are you there? If you can hear me, answer!

Who decides to respond back, somehow.

Vice: Did you think to buy my loyalty by saving my life?
Reives: I only wanted to help.
Vice: Do me no favors!
Vice: I swear to you, someday you'll regret saving me.
Reives: Vice, wait!

And he scampers off, again. Typical.

So the Gargastani holdouts still get wiped out rather anticlimactically, but at least they put a bit more effort into fleshing out Zaebos, the leader of their last stand.

Otherwise, as you may have noted, the script for this arc is essentially just a flowery take on the original, much like it has been for most of its runtime. It's certainly technically more polished, and, on the whole, it doesn't read too stiltedly, but it does mute the drama and emotion that's supposed to be innately conveyed by the dialogue, which I find to be a big drawback. That said, I can certainly see how this style could be preferable to some people, and striving for more flavorful dialogue is never a bad thing.

Next time, we return to the PS1 version, as Reives gears up to storm Rime and then hit the Dark Knights at their own castle. See you then!