So, when Drippy said we'll see an old guy in the forest for magic help, I figured it would be some kind of wizard. Turns out it's a giant oak tree with a kappa face. Just goes to show you shouldn't make assumptions...
Ok, I get the wise old forest spirit, but why the beak?
After divining that Oliver is the grand pure chose one of legend (counted his midichlorians or something), he gives him a new spell. This one gives him the ability to summon familiars, which are physical representations of his will and courage.
I guess in the DS version you had to drawn these
So what powerful spirit being will Oliver manifest? This gormless little twerp...
Well, he at least has a proper sword, unlike Oliver's stick
The familiar is basically an alternate character that Oliver can switch to in combat. They share the same health and magic bars, so it's not like an extra character, but there is also a familiar stamina gauge, so you can't just rely on them for a long fight. This guy, who I named Mulberry, is much strong in physical combat than Oliver, but doesn't have any magic abilities.
Speaking of magic, Oliver gets two new spells, a healing spell, and a fire ball spell. pretty basic stuff, but certainly helps Oliver stay fighting between healing spots.
Spells also double as tools for solving some quests.
The reason for all these power ups is that the kappa tree has a quest for Oliver. The guardian of the wood has going a bit crazy and is wreckign stuff, so some one has to knock some sense into it.
To prepare for this upcoming boss fight, I started running around exploring the wood, getting loot and grinding levels. Along the way I come across a blue chest that I can't open and gives a message of a powerful magic. This reminds me of those locked chests in Dragon Quest VIII, that are littered all over but can't open until you get an item later in the game, then you need to go all around the world to find again...
Not this again.
Better living through noms
After grinding Oliver and Mulberry to level 5 (the game levels slow...), it was time to take on the guardian of the wood!
"I am Groot"
The first boss of the game, and i'm likely bit over levelled from the grinding, this should be a piece of-
Crap!
So, my first mistake was trying out the new skill that Mulberry got at level 5, turns out that it was a status ailment, which does not work on bosses! This took up a lot of my magic points, so even after switching back to Oliver and his much more effective fire balls, I didn't have the magic to keep up the attack. Then the boss dropped a gold power up orb and a tutorial menu came up explaining that this will refill all HP and MP plus give a great attack. Unfortunately this tutorial came up just ass the boss started charging it's super attack and I was in no position to block. With next to no health left, I made a mad dash to the orb, which the boss was now standing on, and proceeded to punch me the heck out.
The game over screen is kinda annoying, it gives only 2 options: Quit to main menu, or resurrect yourself for a percentage of the money you have. There's no option to just continue from the last save I made, right before the boss. You have to select to quit, and then select continue form the main menu.
Learning from my mistakes, and using fire ball and blocking much more effectively, I was able to take out to boss!
And stay down!
Aside from a bunch of experience point, I also got two more pages for the wizard book. One's about the guardian I just beat up, and the other is some kind of short story (didn't look at it yet).
Woo! Reading!
Cutting back to the kappa tree (forgot it's name, oak-something), it's time for even more presents! First up as a new 'companion' a stone of knowledge (or some such name). It's basicaly just a new section in the menu screen that holds records of every thing, place, and creature you have encountered so far. It also spouts exposition now and then.
It's a smart thwomp
Then at last we get the thing we came here for! A spell to take emotions from one person, a spell to give them to another, and a locket to hold them in the interim. Now we can help the idiot at the gate move on with the story.
Not sure why they didn't just make this one spell.
I decided to take the scenic route back and explore the open world some. Turns out there is a lot of space, but nowhere really to go since getting near an exit prompts Drippy to insist you get back to the task at hand. Also, it gets annoying having level 2 enemies attack every couple minutes.
It's on my to-do list!
While exploring, I came across a new monster that I hadn't seen yet. It's basically a unicorn flaaffy!
No, you are now Uniflaaffy
So we finally get back to Ding Dong Dell, use spell A on the energetic guard, use spell B on the lethargic guard, and all is right as rain. So open the stupid gate already!
It's not like it even takes 2 people to open the gate!
So, like everything in this game, the town looks gorgeous. Also, while exploring, it's starting to feel more like a proper fantasy JRPG. I can set aside the still weird story line and just explore and do side quests for a while.
Nice town, dumb name
Right after entering, there's a little girl NPC by a tree. Let's go talk to her!
...
This town is weird!
One thing that I found which is very JRPG, was basically the adventure guild office. You can take small side quests from towns folk, and hunt certain monsters for bounties. This kind of fun stuff is where I spent most of my time with.
Side quests!
Back away slowly.
Also while exploring, I came across the tombstone of a famous sage, with the ghost of said stage hanging out behind it. He game Oliver a magic spell that lets you talk to ghost, and then said he's off to the desert and hopes to see him again.
3 spoopy 5 me!
Getting back to the main story line, Oliver looks really out of place in his earth clothes, so Drippy insists they get some local garb. One shop says they have some old clothes that might fit him, but they need to be adjusted, so come back tomorrow. To past time they have to go to the local inn and sleep. As a perk, they get a page about the local history.
Informative!
While sleeping, Oliver has a weird dream about his mother. She tells him that he has to keep on the path that he's on and not give up until he reaches the man he's heading to. She says that man is very important to their lives. This brings back into question if this whole adventure isn't just Oliver trying to cope with the loss of his mother, and the big bad that's cursing everything with bad feelings is a representation of his so far absent father. Is this game dumb or just pretentious?
"Keep playing, at least for the artwork."
Next morning Oliver wakes up and gets his swanky new duds. It's not too bad, and he's rockign that cape. The shin high pants are a bit weird though.
Needs bigger boots to cover that gap.
Time to see the king!
Or not. the guard says no one can come in until they find the king's favourite red herring. Har har har.
Now the game is just fucking with me.
After finding the dumb fish, we get to see the king, and he looks like a giant version of he cat the store owner had back home. He's very lazy and lethargic, which is normal for a cat, but apparently it's another curse. He won't bother to help them find a new wand because he's too lazy.
Typical cat
So it's off to find another person with energy. As luck would have it, they find that creepy mouse killing kid from before. Since the king is being lazy, some how that means everyone in town is getting lazy, resulting in mice running around stealing and eating stuff unchecked. Creepy kid is the only one motivated enough to do something about it.
Well, good to have goals.
Taking some of the kids energy and giving it to the cat king breaks him out of his funk, and he promises to find a wand for us. Though it may take a while longer, so he gives Oliver a couple new spells and permission to buy armour and weapons in town.
Not so typical cat
The new spells are one that unlocks things, and one that turns back time to fix things. Not sure the use of the second one, but the first is for those blue chests! At least I only seen 2 before getting a way to unlock them.
More spells!
So, after getting some gear, finally spending some of that money that's been piling up, they go back and find that the king has gone missing. Oliver is never getting that wand!
Drippy comes up with the idea that since the king looks just like that shop cat (which he never saw, since he was a doll), they must be soul linked. So, if they can get to the cat in the other world it may help them find the king in this one. How they intend to get info from a cat, i have no idea.
That is exactly what i thought!
One magic portal later and they are back in Motorville, with Oliver dressed weird! I stopped here, since I was already over time, so tomorrow we'll try to find a cat to save a king!
That cat has a good name at least...
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