All right! Tonight I'm replaying an NES game which I have long considered one of my favorites of All Time, Dragon Warrior IV! Unfortunately I'll have to emulate this, since my friend Yūji Horii insists that he won't re-release Dragon Quest games without extras. I can appreciate that, but still I'd really like to see this on the Virtual Console, you know!? Flipping a coin determines that my Hero is male, and the Random Name Generator decides I shall be known as Marc Simeon. Marc it is!
I'm going to take this moment to direct everyone to the Realm of Darkness, which contains a lot of info and really good maps—at least for the NES—which will help you follow along (or play along!) with me.
We begin the story with Chapter 1. Excellent counting! As it turns out, I am not Marc at all, but a Royal Soldier named Ragnar. The King comes to speak with all of us soldiers, and we learn that we've heard about children going missing. The mothers from Izmit came to the King in tears this morning, so we can't ignore them any longer. This leads naturally to a hypothesis that the King generally ignores things until people cry, which will require further testing.
Looking around the castle before leaving, we find some useful gameplay advice, along with an old man who tells he's researching "something" but won't say what. Suspicious! Diligently searching all the drawers yields a single Medical Herb in a room in the southeast. Invigorating!
Outside the castle in Burland, there seems to be nothing of note except for an old man who offers to come along and then proceeds to lurch after me, giving up his quest once he finally catches up. Oh, and Flora is missing her husband Alex. I can't afford any better equipment than what the King has given me, so I buy some Herbs (both kinds, just in case!) and head out.
To the northwest, there is a cave. Everywhere else is rivers and mountains. A dangerous walk to Izmit, no? In the cave, the first branch off to the right holds a Medical Herb, nicely replacing the one I just used. Next treasure, following the path that opens on the left, has a bit of money. Heading upwards leads out. Back on the surface, we are near a tower on an island. Is it important? Hey, it's in the game, isn't it?!
Wow, there are a lot of monsters! Eastward, and I reach the village just as the sun sets. A sign nearby reads, "Do Not Play in the Woods." Sound advice! Poking around in the town at night, there is a Medical Herb in a drawer in the nun's room at the inn, and a peeping tom lurking beyond the bushes waiting for her to take a bath. Eww! Upstairs in the inn, I am glad to find that the cat's anus is not drawn in like it was in Dragon Warrior III. The innkeeper's son Pocos was playing with some shoes and vanished. A lead! It also seems that Alex, missing from Burland, has lost his memory and has been imprisoned for stealing bread and generally acting like a manchild. The horror! But the kids love 'im. Having nothing else to do, I spend the 6G at the inn to make it morning instead of wandering about the wilderness.
Nothing else really happens in the daylight. A fellow soldier says the tower looks suspicious, and a child says Pocos flew into the sky. They can't be connected! Since I now have some money, I buy a Wooden Hat and call it quits for now.
Now for the Japanese original release! Since I ended up with a male Hero on the other, I'll take female here. My random name shall be...Lynn Stirling! We'll go with りん [rin]. Playing up to the same point where Ragnar left off, it doesn't seem anything was changed except for names (like Ragnar's! See below). I expect that to be true for the duration, and I'll list the changes as they come. I'm not going to list everything, just a few names of people and places.
Of course, since I'm not attempting a full translation this time around, I am more than likely going to miss any subtle changes or interesting censorship, like the priest in Dragon Quest II who asks if you believe in God, but in the N.A. version instead asks you for the time and yells at you if you don't tell him. That was trippy.
EDIT: The table of name changes between the U.S. and Japanese versions, originally located here, has been moved to the next blog post and expanded.
Next time I'll go into the DS remake, and then finally play the PlayStation disc that I imported six years ago! Also, new as of 1/4/13 is the first video of my video LP of DQIV, added to the next blog post since I played the DS version there.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Roll for It! #01
EDIT: The original title for this post was a total spoiler for which game I ended up choosing. I've fixed it now, and added a few extra notes to the release list for the winning game at the bottom!
This is the part where I point out that I haven't played Torneko in over two weeks.
What!? Has it really been that long? Unfortunately, yes. And unfortunately, I'm just not in the mood to continue right now. I'll come back to it (and be horribly lost when I do, picking up from the middle of a dungeon), but for now I'm moving on.
On a related note, I've been playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy on the 3DS. Now this is a fun game. I bring the 3DS to work with me and play it during breaks; since it's a rhythm game, it's great for annoying people nearby with game music and J-pop. ^_^
Anyway, now it's time to decide what to play next. As I did when I chose Torneko (it's not in the blog, it was on Twitter), I'm going to split my games into groups and go from there! So, should I play:
...I don't really feel like making the fancy starting post like I have in the past, so I'll just put up the basic release info and mention which versions I'll be playing.
This is the part where I point out that I haven't played Torneko in over two weeks.
What!? Has it really been that long? Unfortunately, yes. And unfortunately, I'm just not in the mood to continue right now. I'll come back to it (and be horribly lost when I do, picking up from the middle of a dungeon), but for now I'm moving on.
On a related note, I've been playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy on the 3DS. Now this is a fun game. I bring the 3DS to work with me and play it during breaks; since it's a rhythm game, it's great for annoying people nearby with game music and J-pop. ^_^
Anyway, now it's time to decide what to play next. As I did when I chose Torneko (it's not in the blog, it was on Twitter), I'm going to split my games into groups and go from there! So, should I play:
- Dragon Quest,
- Final Fantasy,
- A spin-off of one of those, or
- Is it time for something completely different?
- The Loto Trilogy,
- The Zenithia Trilogy, or
- Those other three games?
...I don't really feel like making the fancy starting post like I have in the past, so I'll just put up the basic release info and mention which versions I'll be playing.
- NES
- Dragon Quest IV: 導かれし者たち [michibikareshi monotachi], JP 1990—The subtitle loosely translates to "The Guided Ones."
- Dragon Warrior IV, US 1992—Name changed to protect the innocent once again. I'll be playing both this version and the original Japanese, although to save time I won't be attempting to translate everything.
- PlayStation
- Dragon Quest IV: 導かれし者たち, JP 2001—A North American localization of this remake was planned, and was in fact advertized in the packaging for Dragon Warrior VII, but it never materialized. I actually imported a copy of this, so I will definitely play this version in Japanese!
- Nintendo DS
- Dragon Quest IV: 導かれし者たち, JP 2007—This remake is basically a port of the PlayStation version, with a few extra features.
- Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, US 2008—And finally the west gets the remake! From among the DS releases, I'll only be playing this one.
- Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen, EU/AU 2008—I almost forgot about the European and Australian releases! This was the first time this game was released outside of Japan or North America, and it was only the second Dragon Quest game to get that treatment. As with Dragon Quest VIII the number was dropped from the title, apparently because so few entries from the series had been released in those regions. (VIII was the first, followed by IV and V. Starting with IX in 2010, and subsequently VI in 2011, the numbers have been kept in the titles.)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Torneko: The Last Hope #06
Toro Ruins! Is that "Loto" spelled backwards? Kinda!
1-3F are super easy, as usual. Lots of good Staves, too! Down to 6F with no major problems, Druids and Derangers and such are annoying but not awful. I'm running low on bread though, and I'm carrying way too much stuff. Then on 7F, an Evilamp catches me when a Druin puts me to sleep, and I end up surrounded and crushed by no less than fifteen monsters. Awesome.
Things are looking pretty good on the second try, except that I'm lower on bread. I took a chance and started with a Melding Pot I got from the bank, and I've put my Metabble Sword+1 and every other sword I find into it. Hopefully it can save me. Down to 6F with no problems....
7F--killed an Evilamp, got a Dragon-X Sword+3! My Mettable is up to +8 now, with the Dragon-X skill on it, woot! I'd better be winning this time! Scapegoat and Itemizer Staves save my life. Heal Pots are great too, but I used it up by the time I reach 11F. Okay, Spectets' Ironize is really annoying. On to 12F! Wow, direct path to the exit. I'm gone!
13F! Manage to down a Magiwyvern for 115 EXP, nice! Right at the exit, too...almost there! Surrounded, I decide to break out the Mettable+8, and I still almost die. Saved by a Warp Herb that I Itemized from a Spectet! Then I get stuck in a hallway confused, and lose everything. Yuck.
Always the glutton for punishment, I go back in. But I really should have stopped, so I use a Quicksave Scroll to interrupt the dungeon after 3F. We'll pick up there next time!
1-3F are super easy, as usual. Lots of good Staves, too! Down to 6F with no major problems, Druids and Derangers and such are annoying but not awful. I'm running low on bread though, and I'm carrying way too much stuff. Then on 7F, an Evilamp catches me when a Druin puts me to sleep, and I end up surrounded and crushed by no less than fifteen monsters. Awesome.
Things are looking pretty good on the second try, except that I'm lower on bread. I took a chance and started with a Melding Pot I got from the bank, and I've put my Metabble Sword+1 and every other sword I find into it. Hopefully it can save me. Down to 6F with no problems....
7F--killed an Evilamp, got a Dragon-X Sword+3! My Mettable is up to +8 now, with the Dragon-X skill on it, woot! I'd better be winning this time! Scapegoat and Itemizer Staves save my life. Heal Pots are great too, but I used it up by the time I reach 11F. Okay, Spectets' Ironize is really annoying. On to 12F! Wow, direct path to the exit. I'm gone!
13F! Manage to down a Magiwyvern for 115 EXP, nice! Right at the exit, too...almost there! Surrounded, I decide to break out the Mettable+8, and I still almost die. Saved by a Warp Herb that I Itemized from a Spectet! Then I get stuck in a hallway confused, and lose everything. Yuck.
Always the glutton for punishment, I go back in. But I really should have stopped, so I use a Quicksave Scroll to interrupt the dungeon after 3F. We'll pick up there next time!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Torneko: The Last Hope #05
All right, let's try this again! Attempt number 4! Did I mention they hoisted me back home in a stretcher last time?
Brought a sword in with me, and by the end of 1F I have a shield as well. But ugh, by the time I reach 7F I've been caught and surrounded and poisoned so many times, I just used that Outside scroll to escape with my life.
Trying again.... Made it to 4F without a hitch. Made use of a Bang scroll I brought to take out a couple Mummies while I was cornered. Yay! Down to 8F now, and I have a couple Warp Herbs for emergencies. And here I am using one, cornered between a Wyvern and a Crabus! Nice, straight to the exit! It's gone really well through 10F, let's see how I handle Berserkers again....
And I can hardly believe my luck! I started 11F right next to the exit. Just a little exploring for a little EXP and money, then down the stairs! 12F isn't being so nice, but thankfully I still have Warp Herb to get out of a jam. Met a couple of Berserkers, thankfully still L1! And here's the exit! That should be the end.
Another pentagram! And Torneko jumps into the middle of it like a moron again. And we get a Tree's Lament. Yay! And here comes the Old Man! He asks if I could possibly be.... Well, of course I am, dingbat! You never thought to ask the last half-dozen times you saw me?! And again with the tubby joke. He says he's been investigating the kingdom for some time, and he never expected the Magic Dungeons to get this far. He's glad to hear the King is looking for him, and comes with me to the Castle voluntarily!
The Old Man is surprised to learn that they think him responsible, and explains that in the past the kingdom was home to fools who wielded magic selfishly. They gathered demonic power without realizing its nature, and it destroyed them. Afterwards, all that remained was the channel through which that power had been gathered. This power causes the land to cycle through extinction and rebirth. It is responsible for reshaping the land into dungeons! But we don't believe all that nonsense, take him away. Sigh.... But what's this?! The Prince and Princess have returned from the west! The Old Man is none other than Gashira, Great Sage of the Western City! Unhand him, ye scoundrels!
It seems the root cause of everything is the Darkevil Chest, the twin of the Joy Chest. Do we know why the Joy Chest was in a Magic Dungeon? Well, no...so Gashira tells us! It was created by the dungeon itself! Amazing! So was the Darkevil Chest. The Magic Dungeon creates them "regularly"...you know, with regularity and all that. So we must destroy the Darkevil Chest which has been created! But even then, the dungeon may simply create another. What to do?!
Don't panic, that's why I'm here! says Gashira. He'll create a Banish Chest to seal everything up. But he needs three things! (Sounds like Dragon Quest I here, don't it?) I already have two: The Fiery Murmur and the Tree's Lament, of course! The third is the Stone's Mutter. Let's get to it!
Hmm, there is a villager cackling like a Gremlin saying he'll find the Joy Chest. Also, Ernest thinks the monsters want the Joy Chest because he wants it too. Can't argue with that logic! Remi's Magic Shop can now increase staff usage points, so that's good. And there's another monster-like villager outside.
Well, that's it for now. Toro Ruins next time!
Brought a sword in with me, and by the end of 1F I have a shield as well. But ugh, by the time I reach 7F I've been caught and surrounded and poisoned so many times, I just used that Outside scroll to escape with my life.
Trying again.... Made it to 4F without a hitch. Made use of a Bang scroll I brought to take out a couple Mummies while I was cornered. Yay! Down to 8F now, and I have a couple Warp Herbs for emergencies. And here I am using one, cornered between a Wyvern and a Crabus! Nice, straight to the exit! It's gone really well through 10F, let's see how I handle Berserkers again....
And I can hardly believe my luck! I started 11F right next to the exit. Just a little exploring for a little EXP and money, then down the stairs! 12F isn't being so nice, but thankfully I still have Warp Herb to get out of a jam. Met a couple of Berserkers, thankfully still L1! And here's the exit! That should be the end.
Another pentagram! And Torneko jumps into the middle of it like a moron again. And we get a Tree's Lament. Yay! And here comes the Old Man! He asks if I could possibly be.... Well, of course I am, dingbat! You never thought to ask the last half-dozen times you saw me?! And again with the tubby joke. He says he's been investigating the kingdom for some time, and he never expected the Magic Dungeons to get this far. He's glad to hear the King is looking for him, and comes with me to the Castle voluntarily!
The Old Man is surprised to learn that they think him responsible, and explains that in the past the kingdom was home to fools who wielded magic selfishly. They gathered demonic power without realizing its nature, and it destroyed them. Afterwards, all that remained was the channel through which that power had been gathered. This power causes the land to cycle through extinction and rebirth. It is responsible for reshaping the land into dungeons! But we don't believe all that nonsense, take him away. Sigh.... But what's this?! The Prince and Princess have returned from the west! The Old Man is none other than Gashira, Great Sage of the Western City! Unhand him, ye scoundrels!
It seems the root cause of everything is the Darkevil Chest, the twin of the Joy Chest. Do we know why the Joy Chest was in a Magic Dungeon? Well, no...so Gashira tells us! It was created by the dungeon itself! Amazing! So was the Darkevil Chest. The Magic Dungeon creates them "regularly"...you know, with regularity and all that. So we must destroy the Darkevil Chest which has been created! But even then, the dungeon may simply create another. What to do?!
Don't panic, that's why I'm here! says Gashira. He'll create a Banish Chest to seal everything up. But he needs three things! (Sounds like Dragon Quest I here, don't it?) I already have two: The Fiery Murmur and the Tree's Lament, of course! The third is the Stone's Mutter. Let's get to it!
Hmm, there is a villager cackling like a Gremlin saying he'll find the Joy Chest. Also, Ernest thinks the monsters want the Joy Chest because he wants it too. Can't argue with that logic! Remi's Magic Shop can now increase staff usage points, so that's good. And there's another monster-like villager outside.
Well, that's it for now. Toro Ruins next time!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Torneko: The Last Hope #04
No intro, right into the action! Lost Forest! Oh, a Gargoyle with a shop! Didn't bring any money with me, so I only have enough for some bread, really. On 3F, we see something new: ice panels! Slip-n-slide!
4F: I need to stop attacking Mummy Men. Hmmm.... Pillow Rats seem to be mildly annoying right now, just moving to act like they're threatening, but then stepping back. Ooh, nice, a Gargoyle selling shields! I needed one, since I only took a sword and Outside scroll with me (in case of emergency!). An emergency like the one on 7F, where I disturbed a meeting of Yetis and got knocked out before I could run to safety. Did I remember to use the Outside scroll? No, I was too busy running like a moron. D'oh! I guess I'll retry...I've lost everything I came in with now, though.
On the retry, I'm getting mauled by Big Mushrooms. My Strength is down to 3! Close call on 6F, Mummy right behind me and I just barely found the exit in time! No way to heal right now besides waiting, and that doesn't work with monsters in the room.... Aaaand on that note, 7F is my end again, knocked out by a Dance Vegi. The Gargoyles failed me! I never found one shop that time! Retry once more.
AWWWW YEAAAAH, there's a Dragon-X sword for sale on 2F! I'm just a little short on cash since a Trick Bag got me before I got knocked out last time. AAARGH, I just need one more gold bag to buy it! And I got hit with two poison traps while looking for cash, so I'm down to 6 Strength already. Gotta take what I can buy, I guess. Another shop on the next floor, now I get an Antidote and a sword again!
Okay, 7F again, and now I have a Bronze Shield+3. Let's see how it goes this time. Awesome, actually made it to 8F! Meeting Wyverns now, great sources of Exp! Stepped on a trap, and it molded all my bread. Yuck! Also decided to kill that group of Yetis--they're fast! But I lived, so that's nice! 9F! I'm just going to run for the exit now, and I get to 11F easily. Aaaand, there's a Level 3 Berserker. Done.
4F: I need to stop attacking Mummy Men. Hmmm.... Pillow Rats seem to be mildly annoying right now, just moving to act like they're threatening, but then stepping back. Ooh, nice, a Gargoyle selling shields! I needed one, since I only took a sword and Outside scroll with me (in case of emergency!). An emergency like the one on 7F, where I disturbed a meeting of Yetis and got knocked out before I could run to safety. Did I remember to use the Outside scroll? No, I was too busy running like a moron. D'oh! I guess I'll retry...I've lost everything I came in with now, though.
On the retry, I'm getting mauled by Big Mushrooms. My Strength is down to 3! Close call on 6F, Mummy right behind me and I just barely found the exit in time! No way to heal right now besides waiting, and that doesn't work with monsters in the room.... Aaaand on that note, 7F is my end again, knocked out by a Dance Vegi. The Gargoyles failed me! I never found one shop that time! Retry once more.
AWWWW YEAAAAH, there's a Dragon-X sword for sale on 2F! I'm just a little short on cash since a Trick Bag got me before I got knocked out last time. AAARGH, I just need one more gold bag to buy it! And I got hit with two poison traps while looking for cash, so I'm down to 6 Strength already. Gotta take what I can buy, I guess. Another shop on the next floor, now I get an Antidote and a sword again!
Okay, 7F again, and now I have a Bronze Shield+3. Let's see how it goes this time. Awesome, actually made it to 8F! Meeting Wyverns now, great sources of Exp! Stepped on a trap, and it molded all my bread. Yuck! Also decided to kill that group of Yetis--they're fast! But I lived, so that's nice! 9F! I'm just going to run for the exit now, and I get to 11F easily. Aaaand, there's a Level 3 Berserker. Done.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Pushmo Pack #1!
If anyone reading this is a Pushmo fan, here's a little gift just for fun: A pack of three Dragon Quest I themed puzzles! Try them out and tell me what you think! Edit them if you like, and send them back--I'd like to see what improvements you can make! ^_^
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