81 replies to this topic

[Ether]

So first off, I updated the player character spritesheet. It's on the front page now. (I didn't bother with the sprites for getting hurt/beaten, since those are a little more annoying to obtain, but aside from that this should be up to date for the resources I have.) I don't think I'd use most of these in a quest of my own without editing, but I'm a spriter! I have options! Whatever doubts I might have about the quality, this is still a game with 90 different effective player characters, and there's inherent value in keeping it up to date. I think that's my final answer to the question that was bugging me earlier. I'm not going to edit all of them, although I might do individual edits on request.

 

I have to redo Limestone Caves, which is fine. In hindsight I realize that that one switch I pressed next to a consumable gift I picked up was supposed to be at the end of a "kill all enemies in order" puzzle, and the switch was probably necessary for a door later in the dungeon. This is the thing I bypassed with Submariner last time.

 

I get Repair and License30 from Bishop. I'm gonna try to grab some Kenshi licenses and see about getting into a class that gives me access to those cooler swords.

 

He still has a high damage jank attack that would need visuals, but it seems to be a horizontal attack. Staying above or below him and attacking from diagonals seems to keep me mostly safe. He still hits like a truck when he does hit, but I understand enough to safely heal up from a distance when I need to.

 

The fight goes way better this time.

 

He shatters. It really is a cool touch.

 

This also gives me a bunch of skill points so I can buy the other Kenshi licenses. That puts me at B-rank, which probably is enough for Ronin when I get back to town. I switch back to Bishop for now, might as well work toward Timegetter.

 

The trilobyte sheet definitely needs work done to bring it into the GBC Zelda style, but still a cool starting point. (That gap in the first petrified frame was already there, I didn't make it.)

 

Ricefish Seed, Bear Seed, Dragonfly Seed.

 

My way is open.

 

Looks like I have to walk back, though. Oh well. Without the detours, it's not far.

 

For bringing the ancient guardian of the caves low, my dark patron gives me a boon.

 

The Ronin class. Man, she really looks a lot cooler in silhouette.

 

On the plus side, she has 5 skills maximum, so that's nice.

 

I thought she had fancy sword access, but oddly no. Even though her skill icon is the fancy sword, she doesn't seem to be able to wield the Kai either. Blah.

 

きりおろす Downward Slash

けんで　てきを　きりおろして　ダメージを　あたえる

Use the sword to slash down and damage the enemy.

つく Stab

けんで　ダメージを　あたえる　ねむらせることも　ある

Damages with a sword, can also cause Sleep.

ひっかける Hook

けんで　ダメージを　あたえる　マヒさせることも　ある

Damages with a sword, can also cause Paralysis.

(P) ムキ Confrontation

ちょっとだけ　がんじょうさが　あがる

Slightly increases STR.

(P) License39

よろいを　そうびできる

Lets you wear armor.

 

The fancy sword license isn't here. Oh well. License39 looks nice. I'm not sure if STR boosts are nice or not, I guess it depends on the mechanics? STR is a subset of ATK, remember, and female character are more DEX-oriented, but I have no idea what that actually means in practice. Eh, it can't hurt.

 

Tomb Time.

 

...Huh? It's just a house. Even the cheerful music outside hasn't changed.

 

Somehow this is even scarier.

 

We saw these rooms in a flashback at the beginning of the game. It seems that there's a north exit, though.

 

Oh.

 

Sign:

One by one, one by one, in the dark

If you let the monsters come to you, you'll find your way.

Here's a hint for you.

 

I'm not confident on this translation. Other sources and concatenations suggest letting the monsters come to life, or letting them faint. Oh well, we'll find out.

 

I can't walk on this water. Irritating. (I also can't walk on the water south of town, near the gate, incidentally.)

 

There's a whole moat here. I don't think there's actually anything in there except trees, but still, if you give someone a walk on water ability they should at least be able to use it consistently.

 

Sign:

WHEN YOU GO DOWN THIS LADDER

YOU WILL BE IN AN ANCIENT TOMB

 

I'd snark about how this is SO helpful, but I already got confused about what is and isn't Ancient Tomb once, sooooo I don't think I'm in much of a position to.

 

Let's get going, then.

 

Spoiler

Limestone Caves end gifts:

メダカのタネ

クマのタネ

トンボのタネ

 

Shokuan remodel attempt (success!)

メタモードを　かいぞう　できるか

どうか　しらべてみますね

よろこんでください！

へんしんできる　すがたが

ふえましたよ！

さっそく　コマンド「へんしん」を

ためしてみて　ください

 

 

Ronin:

きりおろす

けんで　てきを　きりおろして　ダメージを　あたえる

つく

けんで　ダメージを　あたえる　ねむらせることも　ある

ひっかける

けんで　ダメージを　あたえる　マヒさせることも　ある

(P) ムキ

ちょっとだけ　がんじょうさが　あがる

(P) License39

よろいを　そうびできる

 

Sign behind the old house:

１へや１へや　かくしつに

モンスターを　きぜつさせていけぼ

かならず　みちは　ひらかれる

こん　こふんの　ヒント

 

Sign at Ancient Tomb:

この　はしごを　おりれば

そこは　こふんのなか

[Ether]

I'm not totally sure what these walls are. Unlit torches?

 

The monsters sort of wander around aimlessly until you get close, and then then they get up in your face and hit pretty hard. I could totally see these being the ones that sign was referring to.

 

The first thing to do is hit this switch...

 

The south path to the left of me opened as I entered the room. I guess that's what the switch was for.

 

That mauve thing shoots bullets at me, but only when it's lined up with me. So far it doesn't seem hard to deal with, just a matter of attacking from diagonals.

 

The statues are kind of creepy but I don't think they do anything.

 

At this point I get 50 skill points on Ronin, take both passive skills and and switch over. I think I'll be a bishop again, I'm more curious about Timegetter than Witch. I take Confrontation and License39 for the defense and strength boosts, though.

 

This room locks me in. Not a huge threat, though.

 

The guy here is a healer, he has the same dialog as the one in Limestone Caves. The tile seems to warp me to another place in the dungeon. Continuing right takes me back to the entrance (a shortcut, not a one-way door).

 

This feels like a test of character or something. Don't care, I'm a bishop, God will forgive me.

 

For my eternal damnation I get a tuna and a Kitsune Seed.

 

This is another room that locks me in for an easy fight. When I win, I get stairs.

 

Both of these exits seem to go to the same place? One has a fight first and one doesn't, but they both lead to the same arena.

 

A switch appears when you beat them. It puts a path over the north pit in the room I came from.

 

These monsters just wait there until I line up with them, and then lunge out at me. They're fast and they don't seem to react to my staff. Hmm.

 

Maybe the bestiary has something to say. (We have a bestiary, by the way! It's under Album, then the rightmost of those three options.)

 

"It was supposed to be protecting something, but it was so long ago that it doesn't remember."

 

That's less useful than I was hoping...

 

...

 

But then I hit it with the staff again just sort of experimentally and it goes down. Okay, then.

 

The door opens when I kill the monsters. A switch also appears, separately from that, but I don't know what hitting it did.

 

This seems meaningful...

 

Here's another easy arena, beating the monsters gives me stairs. But if I go right...

 

It looks like I'm trying to open a path to the north.

 

First I go back to the healer, since I have another shortcut.

 

Huh. I like these rock tiles.

 

Going right gives me a switch that lets me go north.

 

After this screen I switch to Miko, since it's the only class I don't have at least a C rank in.

 

Miko skills are oddly expensive. Repair was like 20 skill points; each one of these lesser ones is 30.

 

Another switch.

 

Looping around brings me to this warp. It doesn't take me to a new place--it looks like I can go to all three warp exits at will.

 

But it's pretty clear where to go.

 

 

Approaching it opens the way.

 

There's a boss ahead.

 

A big spider floats down from above.

 

Big, but toothless.

 

It doesn't really have attacks. I can't hit it when it's in the air, but all it does is move around and eventually slowly land and become vulnerable.

 

It's a slow fight, but not actually a challenging one. But I'll take that over the jank of the last two.

 

Also it becomes a cat mask for a second before disappearing, when it dies.

 

(As usual, this is me doing a halfassed recolor for now, not a full overhaul.)

 

Gifts: Okaka, Cow Seed, Elephant Seed.

 

I hit the switch, my character looks around, and...

 

...I guess I'm free to go?

[Saffith]

The statues everywhere are haniwa and dogū (only the former of which is really appropriate here). I think the torch-looking things are Jōmon pottery. The tomb itself is a kofun.

Anyway, I mostly just want an excuse to link to Ooi! Hanimaru.

[Ether]

 

Oh, that Kofun image is interesting. I didn't post it, but the minimap uses that imagery too, and in hindsight that's probably what the moat was. I translated it as Ancient Tomb because that's what that soundtrack was calling it. (No idea if those name choices are official or not, but.)

 

...I watched the video and I feel like I understand less than I did before.

[Ether]

I head back to Shokuan, and...oh dear god, I unlocked 7 new classes while I was away.

 

Witch.

 

Samurai? The name is more like Samurai Girl, but it doesn't explicitly say Samurai, and I'm a little worried that there's a future class that will show up with that name.

 

Uncomfortable Stereotype.

 

I actually don't know what ヨネ is.

 

Woodcutter. Jesus, what? Are the houses in this game built from assassinated ents?

 

Multiple translations, gonna go with Scamp. Whatever she is, she's a martial artist that uses Kenpo.

 

"I don't know."

 

Wait, excuse me? The silhouette's right there. Is there a limit on exploring new classes? Is this a level cap thing? Ugh.

 

It looks like I can't do Timegetter yet either. Irritating. Shokuan doesn't say anything helpful, either; he seems to think I can transform right now.

 

All of the classes that are still question marks--there's three of them--are gated behind Ronin. (The new classes won't have their own unlock paths added to the menu until I start playing as them.) I think I'll put off unlocking them for a bit, in case the limit is tied to how many E-rank classes I have lying around...but I'm definitely curious.

 

Witch:

S アイス Ice

てきに　こおりのダメージを　ちょっとだけ　あたえる

Deals a little ice damage to the enemy.

S マッド Mud

てきに　つちのダメージを　ちょっとだけ　あたえる

Deals a little earth damage to the enemy.

M* ガス Gas

てきに　ドクガスを　かける

Poisons the enemy.

M アイサー Icier

てきに　こおりのダメージを　けっこう　あたえる

Does a lot of ice damage to the enemy.

M マッダー Muddier

てきに　つちのダメージを　けっこう　あたえる

Does a lot of earth damage to the enemy.

L アイシスト Iciest

てきに　こおりのダメージを　すごく　あたえる

Does A WHOLE LOT of ice damage to the enemy.

L マッディスト Muddiest

てきに　つちのダメージを　すごく　あたえる

Does A WHOLE LOT of earth damage to the enemy.

L ピヨリング Pyro Ring

てきを　ピヨらせる

Makes the enemy burn, I think.

L デビル Devil

しゃあくな　チカラで　てきを　たおす

Use wicked magic to defeat the enemy.

L サタン Satan

てきに　やみのダメージを　あたえる

Inflicts dark damage on the enemy.

P マジカル Magical

ちょっとだけ　まりょくが　あがる

Become slightly more magical.

P ママジカル Mamagical

けっこう　まりょくが　あがる

Become more magical.

P マジマジカル Magimagical

すごく　まりょくが　あがる

Become a whole lot more magical. (I assume these last three all raise the MAG stat.)

 

Man, this kid just looks like a magician's assistant and then BOOM, SATAN.

 

Combat techniques are very irritating--I hate engaging with the A/A+ B/B+ split enough that my solution is to stick two redundant skills and tend to just not use either--and I'm not particularly interested in this route. Still, I guess we'll have to play this at least a little to see what's behind it.

 

The Magical line might make it easier to spade out exactly how the stat works, if that's a thing I ever care enough to do. Mostly I've just been spending 1 MP at a time on the cheapest healing spell and recovering with no problem.

 

Anyway, on to Samurai!

 

S* しざいけん Punisher Sword

じまんの　けんさばきで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Damage the enemy with a powerful sword.

M ちばけん Blood Sword

まわりの　てきに　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Deals damage to surrounding enemies.

L しちせいけん Seventy Swords

ひろいはんいの　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Damage a wide range of targets.

P ムキキ Mukiki

けっこう　がんじょうさが　あがる

Get strong.

P ムキムキ Mukimuki

すごく　がんじょうさが　あがる

Get real strong.

P いたみどめ Painkiller

ダメージを　うける　ばしょも　ヘッチャラになる

I think this heals damage passively. Intriguing.

P おおぼら Big Talker

おおぼら　ふいて　おこづかいを　ちょっとだけ　たくさんもらえる

Gets a little more money for fighting.

 

 

I'm sure there's an actual throughline with the sword skill names that I'm just not getting.

 

By the way, the Ronin passive that I called Confrontation at the time was also Muki. So we've got a Magical, Mamagical, Mamagical line and a Muki, Mukiki, Mukimuki line so far. I'm guessing there's a line like this for every stat.

 

I wonder where the Fancy Sword License is. I guess it's one of the classes still behind Ronin?

 

 

Stereotype:

 

S* はんらん Rebellion

はんらんを　おこして　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Revolts to damage the enemy

S ビール Beer

てきに　すいみんやくいりの　ビールを　のませる

Puts sleeping pills in the enemy's beer. "すいみんやく" is apparently sleeping pills, so I.............guess  this makes the enemy sleep.

Is this witch doctor herbalism?

Is this roofies?

oh god what am I doing here

S ぼうどう Riot

あばれまくって　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Go on a rampage and do a lot of damage to the enemy

S じきそ Direct Appeal

じぶんの　ゲンキを　ちょっとだけ　かいふく

Recovers a little HP.

P License09

なぎなたを　そうびできるし　とくいになる

Use spears.

P しゅっけつ Bleeding Out

すべての　どうぐが　ちょっとだけ　おかいどくになる

Makes consumable items more effective.

 

I am...even more uncomfortable! I know this is a 20 year old non-Western game, but euuuuuurgh what the fuck why

 

Treebeard's Bane:

 

S* しばかり Gathering Firewood

しばを　かる　ついでに　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

I think it's just a damage move.

S まきわり Woodchopping

まきを　わる　ついでに　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

And this.

M うちつけ Blaze

おのを てきに　うちつけて　ダメージを　あたえる

This too.

L きりたおし Cut Down

きを　きりたおす　ついでに　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Don't imagine it's gonna let me cut down trees on the overworld, it's probably damage.

P License11

おのを　そうびできるし　とくいになる

Axes.

P みみにちよう

りょうみみが　にちようびになる　まほうが　きかなくなる

I don't have a clue. I think it makes you deaf, which either removes you ability to do magic or to be affected by magic?

 

I don't get it.

 

 

The Scamp is last. Ten skills to go.

 

S* なぐる Strike

てきを　なぐりつけて　ダメージを　あたえる

It's a damage technique, never seen one of those before.

S へこます Indent

てきを　へこまして　ピヨらせる

Beat your opponent to pieces.

S めつぶし Sand Attack!

てきの　めを　つぶして　ゲンエイにする

DeepL suggests, "I'll crush your eyes and turn you into a stingray." I think this checks out.

S しっぺ That bamboo stick the monk who's training you keeps hitting you with

チカラいっぱい　しっぺして　てきに　　ダメージをあたえる

Use all your power to damage the enemy. But probably not that much power, it's still an S move.

M こかす Knockdown

てきを　ころばせて　フドウにする

Knocks the enemy over.

M はたく Slap?

てきを　はたいて　ダメージを　あたえる

Hit the enemy for damage.

M どつく Punch

じつりょく　いじょうの　ダメージを　あたえるかも

L まじんがあ Tilefish. Devil's Cackle. I don't know, I'm not using this anyway.

うでを　とばして　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Throw out your arms to damage the enemy.

P License13

グローブを　そうびできるし　とくいになる

Gloves.

P ベコベア

アベコベのゆかも　ヘッチャラになる

The closest thing I can get to a sensible translation is "You'll be fine even if you're not," but that was by turning it all into hiragana when I assume the katakana parts were like that for a reason?

 

And that's all five new classes. Not an image-heavy update, but...taxing. I'll update the spritesheet later. Samurai seems like the most tempting way to proceed because of Painkiller, but some of the passives that didn't translate very well might also be good? Eventually I'll have to hold my nose and at least try all of them, to see what classes they unlock.

Edited by Ether, 11 August 2021 - 06:43 PM.

[Ether]

Girl:

"Ah, the bad guy smell is gone!

Did you wash it off with soap? Good on you."

Her very old dad:

"Yes, it's perfect. The evil smell is gone."

Old lady:

"Anpo might be far away, but don't worry."

 

I'm not gonna re-talk to all the townspeople. I know this game has some sidequests and there might be secrets there, but...meh.

 

I can pass through the gate now.

 

There's a frog, and what appears to be a rabbit with a big mangosteen for a hat.

 

And a round thing throwing projectiles, which home in on you slightly you after being thrown.

 

I can't walk in this river here, incidentally. Annoying.

 

Sign:

YAMAOKU'S SHOP

OPENING SOON

 

The giftbox contains a heavy axe.

 

Girl:

"My dad...he...he never came back.

So that's why...he...we can't open."

 

...Oh.

 

This that mud that pushes you north. It's odd, because the area it's keeping me out of seems to contain absolutely nothing.

 

Here's that screen we saw much earlier. According to the map, this is the north border of this area, and there's nothing above it. I guess L2 flippers aren't a thing, I just can never cross rivers for some reason? Dumb.

 

I get Painkiller. It doesn't let me equip it, at least not as a Samurai--other classes seem to be able to use it. It doesn't seem to actually do the HP regen I was hoping for. A random Japanese blog I found seems to suggest it negates terrain damage.

 

I find that tent monster, the one that's immune to everything except magic.

 

I have magic. (I forgot to take a picture here, sorry.)

 

"Someone help me! Help!

I'm in this house! Please help!

The monster's weak point is its face!"

 

...Hmm.

 

I've seen this monster in the YouTube LP. But the guy who did that grinded up to L23, for some reason. I'm L9.

 

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be able to do this fight at this point. But I'll give it an honest try. Or at least a try. Maybe not the honest part.

 

It has these vine arms. They have a few different positions, and the rose itself moves around. This is exactly as awkward as you would expect in a GBC game with janky boss fights in general.

 

At one point it just fucking one-shots me?

 

But it's okay. I can cheat too.

 

Bizhawk can rewind, so eat shit.

 

Incidentally, the flower turns darker when the fight gets further along. I don't know if this does anything. The vines can also be cut separately from the body. They grow back eventually, though.

 

I kill it eventually.

 

I'm not going to bother dignifying it with a spritesheet. It's a shoddy mess with no shading at all, and the vines are just...super awkward. This shouldn't be anywhere near ZC.

 

The coast is clear.

 

Man:

"Oh! Thank you!

I had to hide so the creature wouldn't notice me.

I was searching this old house for things to sell, but it caught me...

You saved my life. Thank you!

By any chance, are you a Kools? It's amazing what you guys can do!"

 

"I'll leave the treasures in this house alone. They're yours if you want them."

 

The giftbox has a Ripper Knife. The shelves have a Self-Defense Sword, which has an icon sort of like that Kai sword I can't use, except that this one also has sparkles. Blah.

 

Now there's a functional shop here! It's a fancy one, too, everything's way out of my budget.

 

All of the equipment is accessories, and you only get one accessory slot. Maybe I could bust the game wide open with one of these. Maybe. But I'm not sure I have the willpower right now.

 

Oh, I try unlocking the other metamode transformations again and it works this time.

 

Double Agent (Okappiki if you'd like to look up the real context), and Timegetter.

 

I don't have it in me to check their skills right now either, but I checked just long enough to recognize that Double Agent has a license skill, and the first word is "katana." Good.

 

The Kai I'm holding is apparently weaker than, uh, some other random katana that I guess I picked up at some point. Fair enough, I guess.

 

Oh, there's bulldog enemies, incidentally. They charge when they're lined up with me, and they can be pretty fierce. They take a couple hits, and the tall grass slows me down.

 

Stairs.

 

The giftbox contains a Capsule. I don't know what that is.

 

There's heavy use of that ground that pushes you north...I don't get it. Is it going to be used in a puzzle? Is it just "hey, look at this cool terrain effect we made?"

 

Well, whatever. Here's our exit.

 

Next up: desert.

 

Spoiler

elder's daughter:

あ......　わるいひとの　においが

なくなってる！

こふんで　おはらい　したんでしょ？

よかったね

elder:

うむ　かんぺきじゃ

じゃあくな　においは　きえとる

では　がんばるんじゃぞ

old woman:

アンボのまちは　とおいけど

あせらず　さわがず

きをつけて　いくんだよ

 

shop near the gate:

sign:

やまおくのショップ！

もうすぐオープン！

gift

ヘボアクス

girl inside:

あのね......　おとうさんがね......

かえってこないの

だからね......　おおせもね......

オープンできないの

 

girl, when her dad's back:

あなたが　おとうさんを

たすけて　くれたんでしょ？

うちには　ほかの　ショップには

うってないような　モノも　あるの

よかったら　かいもの　していってね

 

passing tent:

だれかー！　たすけてくれ！

このやしきの　なかに　いるんだ！

たすけてくれー！

そのバケモノの　じゃくてんは

カオだぞー！

 

inside after fighting the rose boss:

おお！　ありがとう！

(he comes close)

バケモノに　きづかれないよう

このやしきに　しのびこんで

うちのショップで　うれるものを

さがそうと　したんだけど

あっさり　つかまっちゃって......

キミは　いのちの　おんじんだ

おりがとな！

ひょっとして......

キミは　クールスのたいいん？

やっぱり　クールスのたいいんは

スゴイな！

(he welcomes you in)

このやしきに　あった　たからものは

キミのために　のこして　おくからさ

ほしけりゃ　もっていきなよ

[Saffith]

Uncomfortable Stereotype.
 
I actually don't know what ヨネ is.

Can't help you here. I get the feeling there's some historical context to this one, and I suspect it's a Chinese or Korean word, but I can't find anything useful at all.
 

P ベコベア
アベコベのゆかも　ヘッチャラになる
The closest thing I can get to a sensible translation is "You'll be fine even if you're not," but that was by turning it all into hiragana when I assume the katakana parts were like that for a reason?

The name is something like "sdrawkcab." Sounds like it negates control-reversing floors.

[Ether]

So I realized belatedly that there is no transformation cap. The reason I couldn't unlock Double Agent and Timegetter immediately was that I was on the wrong menu option.

 

I'm a dabbler and not a real speaker, but I can't find any evidence of Yone being anything but the League character in Korean. Can't speak for Chinese.

 

Anyway, I'm going to glance through the Double Agent and Timegetter class skills (chronologically I did this after everything else), and then we'll start.

 

Class skills:

Spoiler

Double Agent:

S* じって Jitte

じってで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Attacks the enemy with a jitte (traditional okappiki weapon) for damage.

S ぜになげ Coin Toss

ゼニを　てきに　なげつけて　ダメージを　あたえる

Throw coins at the enemy for damage.

M おとこまえ ...Handsome Man?

おとこまえになる　しばらく　ピヨらない

Er....the translators say this skill turns me into a man. That doesn't sound like it can be right, can it? Just buried as a medium skill in some random class for 30 skill points? Ugh, I'm going to have to try this at some point, aren't I.

M おおごえ Loud Voice

まわりの　てきを　おどろかせて　こうげきを　よわくする

Frightens the enemy, weakening its attacks.

M わきざし Short Sword

わきざしで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Damage the enemy with a short sword.

M あいくち Dagger

あいくちで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる

Damage the enemy with a dagger.

P マメ Mame

ちょっとだけ　きようさが　あがる

Minor DEX increase

P マメマメ Mamemame

けっこう　きようさが　あがる

DEX increase

P ゲキマメ Gekimame

すごく　きようさが　あがる

Major DEX incease

P License15

かたなを　そうびできるし　とくいになる

Katanas.

P トンズラ Escape

ピンチになると　にげあしがはやくなる

If you're in a pinch, you can get away fast.

P すべりどめ Anti-Slip

コオリのゆかも　ヘッチャラになる

I think this negates ice floor effects.

 

Timegetter:

Most of these ability descriptions start with "じくうを　あやつる." This phrase has been translated as, among other things, "Control the airspace," "Manipulate space time," and "I can control the universe." Fuck yes.

 

S スローフット Slow-foot

じくうを　あやつる　てきに　ドンソクにする

I bet it makes the enemy slow-footed.

M* バリア Barrier

じくうを　あやつる　まほうこうげきに　つよくなる

Resist magic attacks.

M モーション Motion

じくうを　あやつる　てきを　マヒさせる

Paralyze the enemy.

M ストップ Stop

じくうを　あやつる　てきを　うごけなくさせる

Disables the enemy.

M ニンブル Nimble

じくうを　あやつる　スピーディ　かつ　ハヤアシになる

Papago describes this as, "Become a swift and falcon in time and space." Good.

L クオータ Quarter

てきの　さいだいゲンキの　４ぶんの１　ダメージを　あたえる

Deals 1/4th of the enemy's HP.

L ハーフ Half

てきの　さいだいゲンキの　2ぶんの１　ダメージを　あたえる

Deals 1/2th of the enemy's HP.

P ソッコー Abrupt

すばやく　こうどうできる

Move quickly. (!!!)

 

Sign:

A LAND OF HISTORY

WELCOME TO KATOL DESERT

 

Or, as DeepL would put it:

 

Lady:

"You want to go to Anpo? I'm sorry, but that's not possible right now.

These fires everywhere are blocking the route out of town.

Even worse, magic doesn't work against it."

 

"Yah!

You see?

I guess we'll just have to leave this to the Kools."

 

Interesting that she's a magic user but not a Kools. Does she have a Metamode? She does look a bit like a gardevoir from the side...

 

The snake isn't a Rope, but it does come for me when I get close. More about distance than lining up properly; it's not restricted to vertical/horizontal movement. The cactus thing throws prickly pears or something at me. They hurt.

 

That guy rolls a big boulder around in front of him. Or, uhhhhhh...I hope it's a guy and a boulder. I think this might be a dung beetle.

 

Man:

"Monsters suddenly appear in the pyramids, fires pop up all over the city...

What the hell are the Kools doing?"

 

The gift is tonkatsu. Inside...

 

Boy:

"I heard there's fires in the city. Well...I'm sure someone from Kools will take care of them."

Man:

"My dream is to transform into a Scamp. But I don't believe that dream will ever come true..."

 

If we rub our superior shapeshifting in his face, then...

 

"Oh! You have a Scamp form!

You came to show me? Thank you.

These are for you. Please accept them."

Ami got Gun Gloves!

 

The icon has sparkles like that Self-Defense Sword I can't use.

 

Sign:

TWO HANDED WEAPONS

Weapons that require both hands are called two handed weapons.

They include spears and bows.

When you use a two-handed weapon, you can't equip anything to your left hand, so be careful.

-Kools Boss Yang

 

Spears, the Yone/African Tribesman Stereotype class weapon, are garbage. They're stabby weapons, not slashy weapons, and there's no increase in reach either as far as I can tell. Back on that last update, when I fought the rose boss, my first effort was with a spear approach, and for all the things you lose out on for equipping a spear, you STILL can't reach anything that's two tiles in front of you.

 

I am very curious about bows, though. I wonder if they come with their own set of animation frames.

 

Spoiler

entering desert:

sign:

ふるい　れきしを　もつ

カトルさばくへ　ようこそ！

lady (who looks suspiciously like a gardevoir from the side, incidentally):

アンボのまちに　いきたい?

ざんねんだけど　いまはムリだぞ

 

この　ほのおが　まちのでぐちを

ふさいでるからな

しかも　この　ほのおは

わざを　つかっても　きえないんだ

（she turns to face the flame）

てや！

(she casts a water spell)

な？　ムリだろ？

クールスの　ひとたちに

まかせるしか　なさそうだな

 

man:

とつぜん　ピラミッドに

モンスターが　あらわれたり

まちの　あちこちで

ほのおが　もえだしだり......

クールスの　れんちゅうは

いったい　なにを　しているんだ！

 

inside building:

boy:

まちの　どこかで

ほのおが　もえているらしいね

ま　そんなの　クールスの　ひとが

チャッチャと　かたづけて　くれるさ

old man:

ワシの　ゆめは

こぼうずに　へんしん　することじゃ

しかし　もう　そのゆめも

かなうことは　なさそうじゃ

old man, talking to him as a scamp:

おお！　そのすがたは

まさしく　こぼうず！

ワシに　みせにきてくれたんじゃな？

ありがとう

これは　やさしい　あんたへの

おれいじゃ

うけとっておくれ

[name] got ガングローブ

talking to him again:

あんたのような　やさしいコに

あえて　ワシは　しあわせじゃよ

 

Yang's sign:

「りょうてぶき」......

「りょうてぶき」とは

りょうてを　つかって

こうげきする　ぶきのことである

「りょうてぶき」には

「ゆみ」や　「ナギナタ」が　はいる

「りょうてぶき」を

そうび　するときは　かならず

ひだりての　そうびを

「ナシ」に　しておかないと

そうび　できないので

ちゅういすること

......クールスたいちょう　ヤング

 

Sign:

SOUTH DANCE HALL

NORTH SHOP

EAST SHOKUAN

 

I'm calling it a Dance Hall because the soundtrack refers to it as one. I believe it's an arena for multiplayer fights.

 

Let's see it.

 

We can't get any further than this on singleplayer, unfortunately.

 

Boy:

"If you have a tool you don't want to use, you can select it through Self - Items and then select 'Bank.'"

 

I pick up my paycheck from Tabitha and head to the shop. I buy a heavy shield because I don't seem to have any items of that type yet. I see some other clothes types that I suppose different classes will need. It's a little annoying, because I'm guessing most classes have SOME way of filling a given slot without a license, and it just totals up to a bunch of arbitrary interchangeable item types where the only difference between them is which classes can use what.

 

Anyway, this brings me from like 50ish to 70ish defense when I'm done, and hopefully it'll give me some flexibility for other class changes in the future.

 

Man:

"I can't go home until this fire burns out..."

 

I stop in with Shokuan. No new classes unlocked, but my list of locked classes gets expanded. It seems so far like there's one for each new class I got, and of course still the 3 Ronins.

 

As usual, Surfacing does nothing.

 

Sign:

EAST: KATOL FALLS

 

Here they are.

 

These guys float around and blow wind at you.

 

Very pretty, but I'm still mad.

 

 

Sign:

KOOLS - KATOL BRANCH

Man:

"The Kools are unusually agitated."

 

Civilian:

"Why did those fires suddenly start?! If we don't get rid of them, we'll be trapped in town forever!"

Kools:

"I don't know either! We'll find out when the main group comes back from the pyramid. Please wait a little longer!"

 

I mostly haven't been going through people's shelves, but I'm a Kools too, so what's theirs is mine. I get a Dragonfly Seed.

 

There's a north exit.

 

Nothing here. I guess this branch is just a skeleton crew.

 

This gift contains アサデスヨ, which is not just any consumable but the default S for the Item Use signature. My grudge against it is so strong that I actually remembered its name.

 

Inside are an old lady who tells me I can do PvP fights in the Dance Hall, and a man who's worried about the fires and the monsters in the pyramid.

 

The quicksand moves me around. I guess that's a job for the Scamp passive, or it would be if I had it.

 

Woman:

"When you beat a monster, you sometimes see a ! on top of their head, right?

That means you've found the item that the monster dropped."

 

Huh. Yeah, I was seeing that and had no clue what it did.

 

This probably isn't super helpful for me unless they drop non-consumables.

 

Woman:

"Even if you can't get a treasure chest, you might be able to if you work together."

Man:

"The Pyramid has two types of switches. One type opens up new paths.

The other kind...

Well, you'll see what I mean."

 

I guess we will.

 

Spoiler

directions sign:

みなみ　ぶどうかいかいじょう

きた　ショップ

ひがし　ショクアン

 

outside of shop:

boy:

つうしないてと

どうぐを　こうかん　したいときは

「じぶん」の「もちもの」で

どうぐを　えらんでから

「きんこ」を　えらぶんだよ

 

あいうえお

しゅるい

 

man outside Shokuan's:

この　ほのおが　きえるまで

いえに　かえれないよ......

 

dance hall:

woman:

ぶどうかいは　もう　おわりました

トモダチと　たいせんするのたら

かいじょうを　かしても　いいですよ

 

sign:

ひがし　カトルのたき

 

Kools branch:

outside:

man:

クールスのひとたちが

めずらしく　アタフタしてるんだ

sign:

クールス　カドルさぼく　しぶ

inside:

civilian:

なんで　きゅうに

ほのおが　もえだすのよ！

あの　ほのおが　きえてくれないと

まちから　でられない　しゃない！

kools:

じめんから　ほのおが　ふきだした

りゆうは　わかりません！

たいいんが　ピラミッドから

もどってきたら　しらべますから

もうちょっと　まってください！

shelves:

トンボのタネ

 

south of Kools branch:

gift nearby:

アサデスヨ

old lady inside:

つうしんプレイ　しとるか？

>yes

なら　ぶどうかいじょうに

いってごらん

トモダチと　たたかうことが

できちゃったりして

>no

かーっ！　さみしいのう

man inside:

まちの　あちこちで　とつぜん

ほのおが　もえだしたんだって？

ピラミッドでは　モンスターが

あばれだしたって　きいたぞ......

なんだか　ぶっそうだな

 

woman on cliff:

モンスターを　きぜつさせたとき

あたまのうえに　「！」が

ひょうじ　されるときが　あるでしょ？

あれはね......

モンスターの　おとした　どうぐを

ひろったことを

しらせて　くれているのよ

 

north of pyramid:

woman:

どうしても　とれない　たからばこ　だって

ふたり　ちからを　あわせれば

なんとか　なるかも　しれないわよ

man:

ピラミッドには

２しゅるいの　スイッチがある

１つは　あたらしい　みちを

ひらいてくれる　スイッチ

もう１つは......

ま　おしてみたら　わかるさ

Edited by Ether, 14 August 2021 - 09:42 AM.

[Ether]

I updated the player spritesheets on the front page! And here's the Pyramid.

 

I take the katana license from Double Agent and then switch to Ronin. Three new classes is too important.

 

The map shows a whole dungeon off to the right and a single screen to the left. I go left.

 

It locks me in, and creates stairs when I win. The mummy here is very similar to the snake; both mind their own business until I come close, and then home in on me.

 

The torch floats toward me slowly, and sometimes stops and launches a slow fireball at me. Actually not a bad monster concept, one of those really simple ones where you'd think ZC would have it but it actually doesn't.

 

Stepping on the green square bridges up that slightly out of place pit in the south part of the room, but only while I'm standing on it. It doesn't seem like there's much I can do about it. I can't push the torches or the skeletons. I think this is a multiplayer thing.

 

This is one of those tents that doesn't move and can only be hurt by magic. I get it in my head to suicide on it with save states and get some death sprites.

 

There's actually 4 different frames of death sprite for each class: three that vary based on the direction you're facing when you die, and then a final one. I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready to open this can of worms. I just get the ones where you die facing north. (Also in this case I can only get the side and north ones anyway because of where the tent is positioned.) Except Kenshi, where I already had a side-facing one from when I died against Trilobyte.

 

Beyond the tent...

 

...hmm. Do I have a ranged attack yet?

 

I switch to Yone for a second. The spear attack seems to work if I'm careful where I stand.

 

The giftbox has a Capsule. Eventually I should look up what those do.

 

This place seems a little more nonlinear than the other dungeons so far, so I just wander around aimlessly for a while. Here's a room that locked me in until I killed all the enemies, and then gave me a switch.

 

And this is what the switch did.

 

Odd. Is this an elevator?

 

The room right after locks me in with these two switches. I take the first one, the one that looks the same as the switch in the previous room.

 

Both switches disappear. The door opens. I receive stairs, and a shortcut warp. I leave the stairs alone for now, I want to see what was to the right of the entrance this time.

 

Oh, I saw this area from the other side, huh. My left warp path took me up those stairs past the pit here.

 

I get A rank in Ronin. Let's do...Timegetter. Timegetter's speed passive could be fun.

 

I didn't take a screenshot at the time, but I've been here. The stairs I came from were blocked off, and so was that door to the right.

 

The gift contains a longbow. That's a relief, bows are really expensive and I wasn't looking forward to having to buy one when I unlock a bow class.

 

So these switches are probably traps, huh.

 

Cheeky.

 

I hit the actual switch. This removes that little island in the room to the south, like that other switch did...odd. I take the stairs on that screen.

 

And as I watch, this pit fills itself in.

 

Up the stairs, and...

 

>"No..."

>"We can't hold off this monster...

We have to get back to the headquarters and rethink our strategy!"

>"Yes, sir!"

 

They start to retreat, and notice me.

 

>"What are you doing here?"

>"You should turn around. You're gonna get hurt."

 

They leave. There's still at least one thing in the dungeon I haven't gotten yet, but I'm sure this will be fine.

 

I switch back to Double Agent for this, class changes seem to affect my stats. I haven't spaded this out closely, but eh, I've still got to increase rank for both of them.

 

A sphinx.

 

She never moves. She has two attacks. One is this wind blade. She aims two at a time. They're slow, but these are pretty large projectiles.

 

The other is flapping her wings, pushing you to the bottom of the screen. This can knock you into the path of wind blades, or just keep you away from her.

 

She has a lot of HP. I take a lot of abuse in this fight. But I can heal, and she can't.

 

Then another Kools immediately warps in.[/i]

 

Kools:

"I've never heard of such a powerful force in this town.

If the monsters get dealt with too soon, that'll mess up the plans at Katol Falls!

I have to tell Knack!"

 

He warps out again.

 

Whatever, nerd. I have treasure to loot.

 

The giftboxes contain Turtle Seeds, Sheep Seeds, and...compassion?

 

Compassion is a sparkly lance, apparently. Huh.

 

Oh, here's the sphinx sheet, by the way. It doesn't look great on just a casual recolor, this is another one like the Trilobyte where I'll have to put a bunch of effort in first.

 

I grab this. I think that's it?

 

Next time I guess we'll be putting out some fires.

 

Spoiler

gifts

カプセル

おおゆみ

 

Kools encounter:

＞ダメだ......

＞こんな　きょうぼうな　モンスターは

おさえられない......

いったん　ジムショに　もどって

さくせんの　ねりなおしだ！

>はい！

(they see me)

>こんなところで　なにをしている？

>はやく　ひきかえしなさい

おおケガを　することになるぞ

 

after sphinx

>このまちに　こんな　つよい

たいいんが　いるなんて　きいてないぞ

こうはやく　モンスターが　やられては

カトルのたきでの　さくせんが

うまくいかなく　なってしまう！

はやく　ナックさんに

しらせないれば！

 

post-sphinx gifts:

ヒツジのタネ

おもいやり

カメのタネ

 

Compassion lance description:

やさしいこころの　こと

いきすざると　たんなる　おせっかい

 

---

 

EDIT: the Kools mutineer at the end is talking about Katol Falls, that one waterfall we saw, not Katol fires.

Edited by Ether, 14 August 2021 - 09:42 AM.

[Saffith]

M おとこまえ ...Handsome Man?
おとこまえになる　しばらく　ピヨらない
Er....the translators say this skill turns me into a man. That doesn't sound like it can be right, can it? Just buried as a medium skill in some random class for 30 skill points? Ugh, I'm going to have to try this at some point, aren't I.

Nothing so interesting, I'm afraid. It makes you manly, and therefore immune to being stunned.
 

P License15
かたなを　そうびできるし　とくいになる
Katanas.

It may be relevant that "katana" doesn't really mean the same as it does in English. It's a general term for swords, usually used for single-edged swords. So if you find a saber, falchion, cutlass, anything like that, it may be considered a katana.
 

Compassion is a sparkly lance, apparently. Huh.

It's a heavy yari, but that is indeed homophonous with a word meaning "compassion" or "consideration." They're clearly playing on that in the description: "Kindness taken too far is just nosiness."

[Ether]

Are katanas and けん two separate categories outside of this game? The katanas in this game just seem like a more powerful, more expensive, more exclusive version of けん.

Edited by Ether, 13 August 2021 - 07:40 PM.

[SkyLizardGirl]

OMG this game Looks amazing!

 

I would love to try this game out.*

 

Somebody needs to rip every part from it and make a new tile set.

Edited by SkyLizardGirl, 13 August 2021 - 07:49 PM.

[Saffith]

Typically, a katana is a single-edged sword and a ken (or tsurugi, same thing) is double-edged. Different sources disagree a bit on the precise definitions , but ken seems to be preferred as the more general term.

[SkyLizardGirl]

Just found this.

 

Preview video.

Edited by SkyLizardGirl, 13 August 2021 - 11:29 PM.

[Ether]

Yeah, there's some Japanese playthroughs of it. I linked to one in my opening post; another is here.
 
So, uhhhhh, I made a mistake in my translation of the last update. The Kools mutineer who notices you when you beat the Sphinx is talking about Katol Falls, that waterfall we saw, not Katol fires.
 
Before progressing the plot, I head to Shokuan. I get the three ronin classes, no others.
 

Thief:
 
S* げんきん Cash
てきが　もってる　おかねを　ぬすむ
Take the enemy's money.
M もちもの Possessions
てきが　もってる　どうぐを　ぬすむ
Take the enemy's stuff. (This is 150 skill points, nothing else in the game so far is anywhere close.)
P ラン Ran
ちょっとだけ　すばやさが　あがる
Get kinda fast.
P ランラン Raran
けっこう　すばやさが　あがる
Get fast.
P ラララン Rararan
すごく　すばやさが　あがる
Get real fast.
P はっくつ Discovery
モンスターが　もちものを　おつす　かくりつが　あがる
Increase the chance of getting items from monsters.
 
Discovery might be more tempting if I had any evidence that there are non-consumable item drops. I have no way of knowing what any given item drop is unless I go to my inventory right afterward and scroll through everything to see if something's changed, and...god, I don't care enough to do this.
 

Carpenter:
 
S* くぎ Nail
くぎを　うちこんで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる
Hit the enemy with a nail for damage.
S のみ
のみで　けずって　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる
Kick and damage the enemy.
M ノコギリ Saw
ノコギリで　きって　てきを　やっつける
Use a saw to beat the enemy. (This one doesn't use the word "damage," oddly.)
M キリ Lower Branches
キリを　うちこんで　てきに　ダメージを　あたえる
Another damage attack.
P パワア Power
ちょっとだけ　ちからが　あがる
Seems to be a minor STR increase.
P License35
ハチマキを　そうびできる
Headbands.
P しょくにん Craftsman
どうぐを　じょうずにつかって　こうかを　パワーアップする
Use consumables more skillfully.
P License17
トンカチを　そうびできるし　とくいになる
Hammers.
 

..............Archer:
 
S こおりのや Ice Arrow
ゆみやで　てきに　こおりのダメージを　あたえる
S つちのや Earth Arrow
ゆみやで　てきに　つちのダメージを　あたえる
M* せいのや Holy Arrow
ゆみやで　てきに　せいのダメージを　あたえる
M やみのや Dark Arrow
ゆみやで　てきに　やみのダメージを　あたえる
P おんそく Sonic Speed
てきの　こうげきが　あたりにくくなる
Makes it harder for the enemy to hit you.
P License21
I bet it's bows.
 
The portrait is creepy and weird and racist and I really wish it would stop making that face at me, and yet, a part of me is just relieved that this isn't Beer Revolt Riot again.
 
I didn't translate the Arrow skills. I figure the names say it all.
 
Sonic Speed looks intriguing. The bow license too--I don't really have any kind of ranged offense right now.
 

I head back to the Kools base as an archer. Bows are too fucking good not to use. Seriously, archery in this game is godly.
 
There's more people here now.
 

Civilian:
"You have to get rid of the flames! Didn't you say you would when you got back from the Pyramid?"
Kools Guy:
"Please wait a little longer! I swear we've got this handled!"
Kools Girl:
"Are you with that out-of-town team that came to help?
What? No?
What! This so complicated!"
 
Out of towners, huh. Let's see what's happening in the back...
 

Kools Guy:
"I don't understand how such a strong monster could suddenly show up at the Pyramid..."
Kools Girl:
"We've got to get help from other cities, and fast. We'll never be able to stop that monster alone."
 
Talking to the officer...
 

Officer:
"What? You calmed down the monsters in the Pyramid?
You're going to Katol Falls?
......　......
......　......　......
Something's about to happen at Katol Falls....something bad...
Okay, move quickly. I don't think the rest of us can do much, but we can do this."
Ami got OPEN SESAME
"If you stand in front of Katol Falls and speak it, it'll open the way."
Kools Girl:
"I can't believe you beat that monster all by yourself, that you're just marching off to Katol Falls on your own...
Just who are you?"
Kools Guy:
"You're going to Katol Falls? You're gonna want to take Thief form or grab "Quick Pace." Otherwise it's gonna be rough."
 
So fun fact: translators don't know how to catch OPEN SESAME. DeepL returned "flakeheaded sesame seeds." Papago got "white-spotted woodpecker," which is actually the second time it's returned that. The first time was back when I was trying to translate the Normie skill list. (The grated wasabi, if you're curious. A totally different consumable returned "black-spotted woodpecker," so Papago really just likes woodpeckers, I guess.) This was extremely confusing.
 
What I'm trying to say here is I thought this woman was giving me a shitty consumable.
 
Anyway, I can't find Quick Pace, labeled はやあし in Japanese, anywhere. Timegetter had Abrupt but I'm not sure anymore that that even gives me a walk speed boost, if that's what this guy is even suggesting anyway. Blah. I guess I can just be a Thief if it gets unbearable, I'll have to do it eventually anyway.
 

Katol Falls are open.
 

In we go.
 
EDIT: forgot to add the Japanese:

Spoiler

inside Kools base:
first room:
civilian:
はやく　ほのおを　けしてよ！
ピラミッドから　もどってきたら
けしてくれるんじゃ　なかったの？
kools guy:
もうちょっと　まってください！
かならず　ほのおは　きえますから！
kools girl:
ほかのまちから　たすけにきてくれた　たいいんのかたですか？
え？　ちがう？
なによ！　ややこしいれね！
anpo team:
guy, before talking to the officer:
なんで　きゅうに
あんな　きょうぼうな　モンスターが
ピラミッドに　あらわれるんだ......
girl, before talking to the officer:
はやく　ほかのまちの
たいいんたちに　きてもらわないと
あのモンスターを
おさえることは　できないわ
officer:
え？　ピラミッドの　モンスターを
おとなしく　させてきた？
で　カトルのたきに　いかせろ？
......　......
......　......　......
カトルのたきで　なにかが
おころうと　しているのね
なにか　よくない　ことが......
わかったわ　いきなさい
でうせ　いまの　わたしたちには
なにも　できないものね
じゃ　これを？
[name] got ヒラケゴマ
それをもって　カトルのたきの　まえに
たてば　みちが　ひらけるわよ
talking to the officer again:
あなたの　その　するどい「め」に
かけてみるわ
なにかを　やってくれそうな
その「め」に
girl:
たった　ひとりで
あのモンスターを　たおして
さらに　カトルのたきにも
ひとりで　いこうなんて......
あなたって　なにもの？
guy:
カトルのたきに　いくのかい？
しゃ　こそドロに　へんしんするか
「はやあし」を　プラスしなよ
じゃないと　かなり　きびしいよ

ヒラケゴマ description:
カトルのたきの　いるぐちを
ひらくための　あいことば

Edited by Ether, 14 August 2021 - 09:18 PM.