ZX Spectrum Vega game #0022
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this text adventure game by Terry Braverman and Automata in 1985. I was looking forward to it from the sound of the title! It has a nice title screen which flies by briefly on the Vega. The game is presented with white text on a blue background.
I started out as a lonely frog looking for adventure. I took the lantern and went down to the cavern, which drew out this cool looking cave :) I quite like this!
I went further and the screen went black with white text. I was in the dark now and couldn't see! This was kind of clever too. I couldn't use the lantern for some reason and I couldn't escape, so a piranha came along and ate me! Nooo!
I started again and took a different direction. This time I found a pair of silk men's trousers which was kind of strange. I continued and another cool looking cave was drawn but in different colours this time. This might get tiresome because I can't skip the graphics being drawn.
I continued where an old sunken ship was drawn and it was cool to see the variety. Thankfully, the game doesn't seem to spend time drawing the same graphics again when you re enter an area.
Now... the grottos! There are several of them of different colour, and several of the same colour! When I enter a new one, it draws the cave graphic again but slightly different... I managed to escape the labyrinth of grottos after a while thankfully, but I'm gonna have to write my route down if I decide to explore there again.
I headed back home to my pond and went in a different direction. Going North just pulls me back because of the current. Nice drawing of the water though. It looks a bit like a mountain range too but it's water. Just my imagination going :)
East isn't good either so I headed west. Nice drawing of a sunny slab here and I met a friendly robin that pointed out an exit to the north. Yay, friendly company!
Going further I found some grass and a sharp stone and a mirror. I lit the match and then decided to go back to that dark cave. I found the piranha and mortally wounded it with the dagger(I assume). I then ran out of new things to do so I picked up the pants and shoes along the way and put them on. I didn't feel like navigating the grotto labyrinth so I called it quits for now.
My final score was 15%, taking 95 turns. I quite enjoyed this game for the most part! It was pretty interesting and it was nice to meet the robin and to defeat the piranha. All those graphics were pretty cool too. I quite like this little froggy adventure!
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
1 ADVENTURE IN BRISTOL - STREETS AND ROUNDABOUTS
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0021
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this text adventure game by Garry Lancaster. It's black text on a white screen and it gives thorough instructions on startup. Quite unusual! It also uses two word commands for most of its actions so that's very nice. Every keystroke beeps so that's another thing that's kinda unusual. I can't delete keystrokes in this game though, so it can get frustrating when I make a mistake and have to type stuff out again.
I started out near a ship called the SS Great Britain, where a woman was selling admission for £1.00. I had £1.40, so I paid and went on board. I didn't find anything there apart from a bell, which I can't ring or take, so I left the ship to explore elsewhere.
After exploring a maze of roads and roundabouts I came across a statue in the docks of King Neptune. When I asked to examine the statue it said it didn't know the word "statue". So I left.
After exploring more through areas described only by what their street names are, I came across the door of a school house. I tried to open the door and it responded by saying it didn't know the word "door". So I left.
I explored a bit more. By the way, I hope Bristol is more interesting than this game is making it out to be. It only tells me place names so I can't really get an idea of how it's described other than having streets and roundabouts.
I came across a broken drain. Thank goodness the game knew the word "drain"! When I examined it there wasn't any clue, so I left.
Things got interesting when I went into the museum and found the Bristol Mummy in the Egyptian exhibit. There was a clue beside it but I couldn't make out what it meant. Something about ringing in my ears? Does it have something to do with the bell from the ship?
While typing this post up, I didn't have the game paused so the limited time I had ran out and it played a ringing chime, which meant it was game over. It was surprising but it wasn't too startling. Maybe that's what the clue meant about ringing in my ear?
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this text adventure game by Garry Lancaster. It's black text on a white screen and it gives thorough instructions on startup. Quite unusual! It also uses two word commands for most of its actions so that's very nice. Every keystroke beeps so that's another thing that's kinda unusual. I can't delete keystrokes in this game though, so it can get frustrating when I make a mistake and have to type stuff out again.
I started out near a ship called the SS Great Britain, where a woman was selling admission for £1.00. I had £1.40, so I paid and went on board. I didn't find anything there apart from a bell, which I can't ring or take, so I left the ship to explore elsewhere.
After exploring a maze of roads and roundabouts I came across a statue in the docks of King Neptune. When I asked to examine the statue it said it didn't know the word "statue". So I left.
After exploring more through areas described only by what their street names are, I came across the door of a school house. I tried to open the door and it responded by saying it didn't know the word "door". So I left.
I explored a bit more. By the way, I hope Bristol is more interesting than this game is making it out to be. It only tells me place names so I can't really get an idea of how it's described other than having streets and roundabouts.
I came across a broken drain. Thank goodness the game knew the word "drain"! When I examined it there wasn't any clue, so I left.
Things got interesting when I went into the museum and found the Bristol Mummy in the Egyptian exhibit. There was a clue beside it but I couldn't make out what it meant. Something about ringing in my ears? Does it have something to do with the bell from the ship?
While typing this post up, I didn't have the game paused so the limited time I had ran out and it played a ringing chime, which meant it was game over. It was surprising but it wasn't too startling. Maybe that's what the clue meant about ringing in my ear?
Monday, 29 August 2016
13 FINAL FANTASY - CAVERN OF EARTH
Dear Readers,
We ventured into the Cavern Of Earth. Straight away we were met with many paths. The western one wasn't worth taking, as it looped back and had encounters at every single step! Very annoying and kinda scary waiting on a sign for them to end. We didn't get to explore much before we had to go back to Melmond and heal. We know a little more about this place and where not to go now.
The theme for this area is done in the style of a wooden xylophone like instrument and it quite pretty and echoey. The NES original is bouncier and less atmospheric but still quite fun.
We ventured into the Cavern Of Earth. Straight away we were met with many paths. The western one wasn't worth taking, as it looped back and had encounters at every single step! Very annoying and kinda scary waiting on a sign for them to end. We didn't get to explore much before we had to go back to Melmond and heal. We know a little more about this place and where not to go now.
The theme for this area is done in the style of a wooden xylophone like instrument and it quite pretty and echoey. The NES original is bouncier and less atmospheric but still quite fun.
Sunday, 28 August 2016
12 FINAL FANTASY - BLASTING OUR WAY TO MELMOND
Dear Readers,
Nerrick was pretty happy to get the Nitro Powder. He used it to blow a hole in the tunnel, which made an opening from the Aldean Sea to the outer ocean. Horizons are really broadening now!
After gathering more treasures with the Mystic Key, we went back to the ship and sailed out of the newly made opening. Right outside this area was a whirlpool so we went to visit. It was another of those locked dungeons like the one near Cornelia. This one was the Lifespring Grotto, and had a shy mermaid greeting us. "Eek! Humans!" she said before she calmed down and told us what the place was all about. We'll come back later.
Sailing further, we stopped at Melmond. Some nice spells to buy here, including Life and Teleport, which should both come in very handy. Mingling around, we learned about the general area outside of this town and what to do. There's a vampire that's making the land decay in the cave on the peninsula to the south. In the cave to the west, there's a giant blocking the way, saying we shall not pass. He wants something to eat.
After some preparations, we head to the cave in the south.
Nerrick was pretty happy to get the Nitro Powder. He used it to blow a hole in the tunnel, which made an opening from the Aldean Sea to the outer ocean. Horizons are really broadening now!
After gathering more treasures with the Mystic Key, we went back to the ship and sailed out of the newly made opening. Right outside this area was a whirlpool so we went to visit. It was another of those locked dungeons like the one near Cornelia. This one was the Lifespring Grotto, and had a shy mermaid greeting us. "Eek! Humans!" she said before she calmed down and told us what the place was all about. We'll come back later.
Sailing further, we stopped at Melmond. Some nice spells to buy here, including Life and Teleport, which should both come in very handy. Mingling around, we learned about the general area outside of this town and what to do. There's a vampire that's making the land decay in the cave on the peninsula to the south. In the cave to the west, there's a giant blocking the way, saying we shall not pass. He wants something to eat.
After some preparations, we head to the cave in the south.
Saturday, 27 August 2016
10 ONE THOUSAND LIES - MEN IN SPEEDOS
Dear Readers,
Ausse didn't mind losing strip poker because he was happy to show of his body to the girls. I wasn't as keen though, especially since part of the deal meant us jumping into the pool with the stormy weather outside. I didn't have any swimwear since it was a surprise party, and all Ausse had were Speedos.
The visual novel didn't show anything graphic.
After the ordeal, Ausse and I were shivering to death, while the girls towelled themselves because our splashes got them a little bit. Lots of banter followed!
Later on, the weather calmed down and we went out by the pool. There was a lovely atmosphere with the lights and everything. I was chatting for a good bit with Luce and it was building up to a kiss, but my character did a bait and switch kind of thing and went to throw her in the pool instead. She caught a hold of me on her way in!
Ausse didn't mind losing strip poker because he was happy to show of his body to the girls. I wasn't as keen though, especially since part of the deal meant us jumping into the pool with the stormy weather outside. I didn't have any swimwear since it was a surprise party, and all Ausse had were Speedos.
The visual novel didn't show anything graphic.
After the ordeal, Ausse and I were shivering to death, while the girls towelled themselves because our splashes got them a little bit. Lots of banter followed!
Later on, the weather calmed down and we went out by the pool. There was a lovely atmosphere with the lights and everything. I was chatting for a good bit with Luce and it was building up to a kiss, but my character did a bait and switch kind of thing and went to throw her in the pool instead. She caught a hold of me on her way in!
Friday, 26 August 2016
9 ONE THOUSAND LIES - BIRTHDAY PARTY
Dear Readers,
I was out and about with Claire again and she was her usual self. She was being sassy and defensive about stalking me. Same as usual.
Later on I went to Ausse's place. It's a very nice place too as he has a rich family. It's got a swimming pool and everything. There was no big reason to go there other than borrowing notes but then, all of a sudden I get a big "SURPRISE!" greeting. Everyone had planned a surprise birthday party for me! Woo!
Of course, being this protagonist I have to be all grumpy. They are all lovely friends to have really, despite how silly the banter can get. Ausse had it all planned; a nice pool party with the girls wearing swimsuits and everything. That's what he was hoping for anyway, but out of the blue, it started pouring rain outside, putting a damper on his plans.
Disappointed but not beaten, Ausse revealed a room with a big poker table, especially for the occasion and announced that we were going to play strip poker. Boys vs girls. Whoever loses has to strip down into swimsuits. The poker table had "One Thousand Poker" inscribed on it, which was a nice touch.
The poker game itself was pretty exciting and dramatic. You know when someone reveals a good hand, then someone dramatically one ups them and the next one does even better again? It was kind of like that and had lots of suspense. Like something out of say... Maverick.
Things were looking good but unfortunately, we lost! Time for the boys to strip instead!
I was out and about with Claire again and she was her usual self. She was being sassy and defensive about stalking me. Same as usual.
Later on I went to Ausse's place. It's a very nice place too as he has a rich family. It's got a swimming pool and everything. There was no big reason to go there other than borrowing notes but then, all of a sudden I get a big "SURPRISE!" greeting. Everyone had planned a surprise birthday party for me! Woo!
Of course, being this protagonist I have to be all grumpy. They are all lovely friends to have really, despite how silly the banter can get. Ausse had it all planned; a nice pool party with the girls wearing swimsuits and everything. That's what he was hoping for anyway, but out of the blue, it started pouring rain outside, putting a damper on his plans.
Disappointed but not beaten, Ausse revealed a room with a big poker table, especially for the occasion and announced that we were going to play strip poker. Boys vs girls. Whoever loses has to strip down into swimsuits. The poker table had "One Thousand Poker" inscribed on it, which was a nice touch.
The poker game itself was pretty exciting and dramatic. You know when someone reveals a good hand, then someone dramatically one ups them and the next one does even better again? It was kind of like that and had lots of suspense. Like something out of say... Maverick.
Things were looking good but unfortunately, we lost! Time for the boys to strip instead!
Thursday, 25 August 2016
1 ADVENT - CUTE AND WITTY DUNGEON CRAWLER
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0020
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adorable dungeon crawler by Quantum Soft.
It has tiny and basic graphics and it's just full of charm. Each level is a small single screen top down labyrinth and your character moves around very slowly but it's still fun to explore and check what all the other little objects do.
Some of these objects are enemies, some are replenishing stations which you'll need constantly, some are items and treasures and some are portals to move between floors.
I played through the whole game a few months ago to the end and playing a bit of it again now reminds me of the nice time I had. There's a definite ending to this game and reaching it is satisfying. You've got 8 pieces of spell boxes to collect and sort and you have to keep an eye on your stamina and think about your path to the end and back again. The timer counts up in this game so that can be good to challenge your best time.
On top of that this game has a lovely sense of humour! The text box on the right calls out to you when you're idling in the game and it goes "Yum!" when you go to a replenishing item. The "Slurp" sound effect is lovely too when you drink some water. At the game over screen it lets you press buttons for random silly noises and it even has a fake program quit screen. Some very clever stuff in here!
I just went through a complete game and it took me about 20 minutes. That's probably my best time. The game doesn't take too long as there are only 10 floors. Lots of fun though and has a nice sense of adventure :)
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adorable dungeon crawler by Quantum Soft.
It has tiny and basic graphics and it's just full of charm. Each level is a small single screen top down labyrinth and your character moves around very slowly but it's still fun to explore and check what all the other little objects do.
Some of these objects are enemies, some are replenishing stations which you'll need constantly, some are items and treasures and some are portals to move between floors.
I played through the whole game a few months ago to the end and playing a bit of it again now reminds me of the nice time I had. There's a definite ending to this game and reaching it is satisfying. You've got 8 pieces of spell boxes to collect and sort and you have to keep an eye on your stamina and think about your path to the end and back again. The timer counts up in this game so that can be good to challenge your best time.
On top of that this game has a lovely sense of humour! The text box on the right calls out to you when you're idling in the game and it goes "Yum!" when you go to a replenishing item. The "Slurp" sound effect is lovely too when you drink some water. At the game over screen it lets you press buttons for random silly noises and it even has a fake program quit screen. Some very clever stuff in here!
I just went through a complete game and it took me about 20 minutes. That's probably my best time. The game doesn't take too long as there are only 10 floors. Lots of fun though and has a nice sense of adventure :)
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
11 FINAL FANTASY - MYSTIC KEY GRAND OPENING TOUR
Dear Readers,
Now that we had the Mystic Key, we revisited everywhere we'd been in the game so far in order to get at the treasures behind mystically locked doors.
First was Cornelia. This was the most important place as we found the Nitro Powder here. This is for Nerrick later!
After Cornelia, we went to the Chaos Shrine. I'm not sure if the doors here were bound by the Mystic Key, but there were enemies in front of the chests that would almost certainly have wiped us out at the beginning of the game!
Pravoka next, which didn't have locked doors, but I bought a Slow spell for Chris anyway.
Didn't forget the Marsh Cave, which had many locked rooms along its south wall.
Some nice treasures at the Western Keep too.
After all that plundering, we got lots more money and some mythril equipment for Chris and Joseph. Some nice weapons for Nova too. Rocket still doesn't need anything!
I also bought the Poisona spell for Joseph. For some reason he's able to use it now when he wasn't able to before. Was that just due to being underlevelled? In any case, it's going to be very handy.
With all that done, it's time to visit Nerrick again with the Nitro Powder.
Now that we had the Mystic Key, we revisited everywhere we'd been in the game so far in order to get at the treasures behind mystically locked doors.
First was Cornelia. This was the most important place as we found the Nitro Powder here. This is for Nerrick later!
After Cornelia, we went to the Chaos Shrine. I'm not sure if the doors here were bound by the Mystic Key, but there were enemies in front of the chests that would almost certainly have wiped us out at the beginning of the game!
Pravoka next, which didn't have locked doors, but I bought a Slow spell for Chris anyway.
Didn't forget the Marsh Cave, which had many locked rooms along its south wall.
Some nice treasures at the Western Keep too.
After all that plundering, we got lots more money and some mythril equipment for Chris and Joseph. Some nice weapons for Nova too. Rocket still doesn't need anything!
I also bought the Poisona spell for Joseph. For some reason he's able to use it now when he wasn't able to before. Was that just due to being underlevelled? In any case, it's going to be very handy.
With all that done, it's time to visit Nerrick again with the Nitro Powder.
Tuesday, 23 August 2016
1 A VISIT TO TREV AND CAROL'S - SCARIEST ZX SPECTRUM GAME EVER
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0017
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about my session with this text adventure game. I start out on a bus, on my way to meet Trev and Carol at the Microsoftware Club. I get off the bus and head towards someone's house. Seems straightforward so far!
The house is described pleasantly. That is until I ring the doorbell and the door opens by itself, which is eerie. I head inside. At this point I was hoping it was the right house...
I come across a tape and soon, a Spectrum, which is spelled out with nice colourful letters. The rest of the game is black and white. I can't use the tape for some reason so I continue through the house.
It's quite creepy, wandering through this strange house, going through the kitchen, back yard and garage where the resident's car is. At one point I entered an area that's in "utter darkness" which gave me goosebumps! This game is eerie! I don't know where to go though, so all I can do is wander, even though I don't feel particularly good about going through a strange house.
I backtracked a bit and went into a broom closet where I found a torch. There was also a crowbar along the way, but I ignored that for now. Then I went into the Front Room, where my main character expressed their fondness for the room's interior decoration. "I love the wallpaper." they said, before describing it in great detail. This is pretty jarring as this is the most detail I've come across in the game so far! I couldn't do anything with the television, so I left.
I went into the reception room. I couldn't do anything with the bottle I found here so I left.
I then went upstairs to the landing. The creepiness continued when it said that one of the directions was very dark, so I went the other way.
This was the creepiest moment yet! It said that I could see "A VERY ANGRY CAROL". I tried speaking to her.
The game then played a chime and said that Carol threw me out the open window! Absolutely gobsmacking! The game left me there with my final score of 190%, taking 69 turns. I have to try this again!
After more wandering, and trying to use the torch in dark areas and failing, I found myself being killed by Carol twice more, the second time when she caught me in pure darkness. This time the score was 70% after taking 39 turns.
What's Carol's problem anyway? I thought I was invited? Also, where's Trev? So far, this is probably the most engaging and terrifying text adventure I've played yet on the ZX Spectrum Vega.
At least the game tells me to have a nice day when I quit.
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about my session with this text adventure game. I start out on a bus, on my way to meet Trev and Carol at the Microsoftware Club. I get off the bus and head towards someone's house. Seems straightforward so far!
The house is described pleasantly. That is until I ring the doorbell and the door opens by itself, which is eerie. I head inside. At this point I was hoping it was the right house...
I come across a tape and soon, a Spectrum, which is spelled out with nice colourful letters. The rest of the game is black and white. I can't use the tape for some reason so I continue through the house.
It's quite creepy, wandering through this strange house, going through the kitchen, back yard and garage where the resident's car is. At one point I entered an area that's in "utter darkness" which gave me goosebumps! This game is eerie! I don't know where to go though, so all I can do is wander, even though I don't feel particularly good about going through a strange house.
I backtracked a bit and went into a broom closet where I found a torch. There was also a crowbar along the way, but I ignored that for now. Then I went into the Front Room, where my main character expressed their fondness for the room's interior decoration. "I love the wallpaper." they said, before describing it in great detail. This is pretty jarring as this is the most detail I've come across in the game so far! I couldn't do anything with the television, so I left.
I went into the reception room. I couldn't do anything with the bottle I found here so I left.
I then went upstairs to the landing. The creepiness continued when it said that one of the directions was very dark, so I went the other way.
This was the creepiest moment yet! It said that I could see "A VERY ANGRY CAROL". I tried speaking to her.
The game then played a chime and said that Carol threw me out the open window! Absolutely gobsmacking! The game left me there with my final score of 190%, taking 69 turns. I have to try this again!
After more wandering, and trying to use the torch in dark areas and failing, I found myself being killed by Carol twice more, the second time when she caught me in pure darkness. This time the score was 70% after taking 39 turns.
What's Carol's problem anyway? I thought I was invited? Also, where's Trev? So far, this is probably the most engaging and terrifying text adventure I've played yet on the ZX Spectrum Vega.
At least the game tells me to have a nice day when I quit.
Monday, 22 August 2016
10 FINAL FANTASY - RESTORING MATOYA'S SIGHT AND WAKING THE PRINCE OF ELFHEIM
Dear Readers,
Now that we have the Crystal Eye, it was time to sail back to Matoya's Cave and finally help her gain her sight back. She was one of the first people we met when we left Cornelia.
I love the music in her cave. It's a jolly and happy tune!
With her sight restored, she rewarded us with special medicine we could use to wake the Prince of Elfheim. She also told us we were uglier than she thought we'd be... Ah well...
I like that we can use the ship to sail under the bridge that was built for us at the beginning in order to reach the docking point south of her cave.
Now that we had the medicine, we sailed back to Elfheim and gave it to the prince. He woke up and rewarded us with the Mystic Key! He said it was a tradition to give the key to the Warriors Of Light.
This opened many doors for us! We started with the treasures in the back of this castle. Now for the rest of the doors we saw on our journey so far!
Now that we have the Crystal Eye, it was time to sail back to Matoya's Cave and finally help her gain her sight back. She was one of the first people we met when we left Cornelia.
I love the music in her cave. It's a jolly and happy tune!
With her sight restored, she rewarded us with special medicine we could use to wake the Prince of Elfheim. She also told us we were uglier than she thought we'd be... Ah well...
I like that we can use the ship to sail under the bridge that was built for us at the beginning in order to reach the docking point south of her cave.
Now that we had the medicine, we sailed back to Elfheim and gave it to the prince. He woke up and rewarded us with the Mystic Key! He said it was a tradition to give the key to the Warriors Of Light.
This opened many doors for us! We started with the treasures in the back of this castle. Now for the rest of the doors we saw on our journey so far!
Sunday, 21 August 2016
9 FINAL FANTASY - WESTERN KEEP SECRET REVEALED!
Dear Readers,
After retrieving the crown from the Marsh Cave and going back to Elfheim to recover, we returned to the king in the Western Keep. The missing crown seemingly was the reason why the place was in ruin. However, when we brought the crown back, the king revealed himself to be the evil Astos! The same one who put the Elf prince into a deep sleep! He attacked us.
This guy wasn't too difficult for us. Chris just used the strongest spell and the rest of us our main moves, as well as the odd HP recover from Joseph. Astos was defeated in a jiffy. He had a pretty creepy appearance though. Just this scrawny gangly demonic creature with long claws. Imagine him popping out of a disguise as a kindly king!
After defeating him, we got the Crystal Eye. Now we can finally help Matoya!
After retrieving the crown from the Marsh Cave and going back to Elfheim to recover, we returned to the king in the Western Keep. The missing crown seemingly was the reason why the place was in ruin. However, when we brought the crown back, the king revealed himself to be the evil Astos! The same one who put the Elf prince into a deep sleep! He attacked us.
This guy wasn't too difficult for us. Chris just used the strongest spell and the rest of us our main moves, as well as the odd HP recover from Joseph. Astos was defeated in a jiffy. He had a pretty creepy appearance though. Just this scrawny gangly demonic creature with long claws. Imagine him popping out of a disguise as a kindly king!
After defeating him, we got the Crystal Eye. Now we can finally help Matoya!
Saturday, 20 August 2016
8 FINAL FANTASY - MARSH CAVE AND PISCODEMONS
Dear Readers,
Time for the first big long dangerous dungeon! Garland's place wasn't so big. We first explored the upstairs part of the dungeon. There are a few rooms to explore up here but no key items.
Lonely place here apart from the harmless bats that just say "Kee Kee!". The dungeon music is quick paced and gives you a sense of unease, especially when exploring the more labyrinthine areas of this place with all the different rooms.
Before exploring the downstairs, we had to go back to Elfheim to recover and refill our boosted stats after fighting tons of enemies. We would go on to fight tons more(and make many more trips back). So many of them! Between all the undead creatures, Joseph can take care of them easily with Dia and Chris with Fira.
By the way, "Dia" is Irish for "God". I wonder if they knew that? It may be Dia or something similar in other languages too though.
Apart from undead enemies, there are other tricky ones like the green slimes. They don't take much physical damage so fire and ice magic work best against them. We're also starting to see enemies that can land several hits now like the gargoyles. It may be a good idea for Chris to learn Slow.
So back to the Marsh Cave. Actually, I remember the first big main dungeon in Final Fantasy Adventure being the Cave Of Marsh! Pretty different though. There's no hydra boss at the end of this place. Exploring further we found more doors bound by the Mystic Key so we'll have to revisit this place later. There are also tons of rooms to explore down here and many of them don't have chests at all or just have empty chests.
After so many trips back to Elfheim to recover, we finally found the room with the crown! The only thing was that it was guarded by a group of Piscodemons. You don't see them on the screen and they attack you like you'd be attacked in a random encounter, but they're always in the same place. The Piscodemons look like Cthulhu or something. Quite fearsome but we're pretty strong at this point after spending so much time being attacked while trying to find this place. We took care of them easily. After this we got the crown from the treasure chest! Yay!
Now to head back to the Western Keep!
Time for the first big long dangerous dungeon! Garland's place wasn't so big. We first explored the upstairs part of the dungeon. There are a few rooms to explore up here but no key items.
Lonely place here apart from the harmless bats that just say "Kee Kee!". The dungeon music is quick paced and gives you a sense of unease, especially when exploring the more labyrinthine areas of this place with all the different rooms.
Before exploring the downstairs, we had to go back to Elfheim to recover and refill our boosted stats after fighting tons of enemies. We would go on to fight tons more(and make many more trips back). So many of them! Between all the undead creatures, Joseph can take care of them easily with Dia and Chris with Fira.
By the way, "Dia" is Irish for "God". I wonder if they knew that? It may be Dia or something similar in other languages too though.
Apart from undead enemies, there are other tricky ones like the green slimes. They don't take much physical damage so fire and ice magic work best against them. We're also starting to see enemies that can land several hits now like the gargoyles. It may be a good idea for Chris to learn Slow.
So back to the Marsh Cave. Actually, I remember the first big main dungeon in Final Fantasy Adventure being the Cave Of Marsh! Pretty different though. There's no hydra boss at the end of this place. Exploring further we found more doors bound by the Mystic Key so we'll have to revisit this place later. There are also tons of rooms to explore down here and many of them don't have chests at all or just have empty chests.
After so many trips back to Elfheim to recover, we finally found the room with the crown! The only thing was that it was guarded by a group of Piscodemons. You don't see them on the screen and they attack you like you'd be attacked in a random encounter, but they're always in the same place. The Piscodemons look like Cthulhu or something. Quite fearsome but we're pretty strong at this point after spending so much time being attacked while trying to find this place. We took care of them easily. After this we got the crown from the treasure chest! Yay!
Now to head back to the Western Keep!
Friday, 19 August 2016
1 A TOUCH TOO MUCH - TOUR OF LONDON
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0016
Dear Readers,
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about my session with this adventure game. It's got some graphics here and there!
I started out in an office. There's a gun and my boss is here too. This is how they wanted this game to start?! I didn't take the gun and I tried speaking to my boss but couldn't. I just headed out.
I wandered around outside rather aimlessly. This game seems to be a kind of tour of London. There's the Thames and Trafalgar Square, the national gallery...
I headed into the Palace Hotel. There I met a man who wouldn't allow me to go any further unless I was with a resident. Then I left and humorously waded through the River Thames while people looked at me strangely.
Then I went to the mall and through Piccadilly Circus and into a night club, which was noisy, busy and dark. I said "DANCE", but I couldn't :( so I left.
I then found a cinema! Woo! I went inside where it was dark and empty. I said "WATCH MOVIE", but I couldn't :( so I left.
I mentioned earlier that this game has some graphics. Truth is, it only has them in the office and in the bank so far. In all the other places I've visited so far it's just a cyan box.
Oh neat! I went to St. James' Park and they had a little picture of the place! Yay! The hospital had some graphics too.
I went to a warehouse and found some rope. It's the only thing I've found other than the gun at the start of the game, which I didn't pick up.
I just decided to give up at this stage, where I was just walking around in circles.
Thursday, 18 August 2016
7 FINAL FANTASY - CREEPY WESTERN KEEP
Dear Readers,
From Elfheim we headed west and came across an abundance of encounters in the forests. We had to use antidotes a lot. Back along, we were told about a castle to the north that was completely deserted and looked very creepy. The NPC who told us this was too afraid to explore it so it's up to us!
This place was the Western Keep and it was indeed creepy. No one here except for a king missing his crown. He asked us to retrieve it from the Marsh Cave to the south. Some doors bound by the Mystic Key were here too. We'll have to come back for those at some stage too.
More and more people are demanding things and we don't have the answers, so it's time to explore a dungeon and get results. We headed south to the Marsh Cave, which appears as a hole in the ground.
From Elfheim we headed west and came across an abundance of encounters in the forests. We had to use antidotes a lot. Back along, we were told about a castle to the north that was completely deserted and looked very creepy. The NPC who told us this was too afraid to explore it so it's up to us!
This place was the Western Keep and it was indeed creepy. No one here except for a king missing his crown. He asked us to retrieve it from the Marsh Cave to the south. Some doors bound by the Mystic Key were here too. We'll have to come back for those at some stage too.
More and more people are demanding things and we don't have the answers, so it's time to explore a dungeon and get results. We headed south to the Marsh Cave, which appears as a hole in the ground.
Wednesday, 17 August 2016
1 A SERPENTINE TALE - LOST AT SEA
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0014
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this text adventure game. I couldn't figure out what the second letter of the "story" command was until I checked the word again. It's in a stylised font that made me think the 'T' looked like an ampersand for a moment.
The backstory seems like this game is a sequel to another text adventure. On my way back I'm on a ship that got caught in a storm and ended up on a small boat floating out in the middle of nowhere. I asked for help and a figure appeared to drop a scroll before disappearing again. That was kind of cute. Kind of like a Zelda helper like Navi or something :) The scroll offered some tips but not much else.
I typed for help again and got a nicer list of instructions, plus the option to change the typeface to something more normal by typing SET 2. This helped a lot! So this game was made by Moonstone in 1993 and the Zenobi team helped out too. There are some weird commands like MORJAN, which gives the company's address but the list is comprehensive and very helpful.
Not much here to do in the middle of the sea so I looked around and found a large tyre in the water. I eventually managed to access the contents of the chest by saying GET CHEST. I couldn't OPEN it so it took me a while to figure out how to get inside it. There was stuff inside like a snuff box, hard tack, flask of water and a knife. I had to look up what tack was and found that it was some kind of bread made in olden times. I'm learning something new all the time...
Also I just had to take the opportunity to say "GET YE FLASK", which I remember from Homestar Runner. It actually worked!
I couldn't figure out anything else. I ate the hard tack bread, drank the water and tried the snuff as well. That was it really. I decided to quit there with a score of 5 out of 200. After over a 100 turns I couldn't figure out what to do while on a small boat in the middle of the sea. Just had a nice snack!
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this text adventure game. I couldn't figure out what the second letter of the "story" command was until I checked the word again. It's in a stylised font that made me think the 'T' looked like an ampersand for a moment.
The backstory seems like this game is a sequel to another text adventure. On my way back I'm on a ship that got caught in a storm and ended up on a small boat floating out in the middle of nowhere. I asked for help and a figure appeared to drop a scroll before disappearing again. That was kind of cute. Kind of like a Zelda helper like Navi or something :) The scroll offered some tips but not much else.
I typed for help again and got a nicer list of instructions, plus the option to change the typeface to something more normal by typing SET 2. This helped a lot! So this game was made by Moonstone in 1993 and the Zenobi team helped out too. There are some weird commands like MORJAN, which gives the company's address but the list is comprehensive and very helpful.
Not much here to do in the middle of the sea so I looked around and found a large tyre in the water. I eventually managed to access the contents of the chest by saying GET CHEST. I couldn't OPEN it so it took me a while to figure out how to get inside it. There was stuff inside like a snuff box, hard tack, flask of water and a knife. I had to look up what tack was and found that it was some kind of bread made in olden times. I'm learning something new all the time...
Also I just had to take the opportunity to say "GET YE FLASK", which I remember from Homestar Runner. It actually worked!
I couldn't figure out anything else. I ate the hard tack bread, drank the water and tried the snuff as well. That was it really. I decided to quit there with a score of 5 out of 200. After over a 100 turns I couldn't figure out what to do while on a small boat in the middle of the sea. Just had a nice snack!
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
1 A LEGACY FOR ALARIC - SNOWY LAND EXPLORATION
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0013
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adventure game, which starts abruptly with the chief of the Adventurer's Guild giving me a job. I was expecting a title screen or something first!
The opening also says to avoid white rabbits at all costs... is that a reference to Monty Python And The Holy Grail?
Then the game introduced itself in the next scrolled paragraph. It was written by Palmer Eldritch for Zenobi Software in 1989.
I started my adventure after a very long journey in a horse drawn cart and found myself in a snow stricken countryside at the end of it. I like this set up :)
I tried to read my mission but didn't figure out how, so I just followed the road until I came to the Adventurer's Inn. It was locked so I knocked on the door and it was answered by Big Brian. He asked for my membership card. I couldn't show him anything and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to take anything out of my bag. He was very patient to stand there waiting but I just decided to walk away and do more exploring.
I took a path down to the lake and off to the wooden jetty, where I met a very fierce looking warrior. He blocked the path and I couldn't speak to him about anything, so I just turned back.
I went to visit the farm where Old Farmer MacDonald lives. When I couldn't speak to him, I took another path, which led up the mountain to a dark tower.
On the way up, the game nicely describes the view of every other place I visited so far. Unfortunately, when I reached the tower there was a locked door. I headed back down and learned that I couldn't enter the inn unless I had the card, which I wouldn't get until I completed the mission. I went back to the warrior and the help told me to examine him and all it told me was that he had long hair. I had no idea what to do next so I decided to stop here.
My final score was 0 out of 150. I quite liked the idea of exploring this snowy land but I couldn't figure out how to interact with the other people or do anything with items. Maybe another time.
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adventure game, which starts abruptly with the chief of the Adventurer's Guild giving me a job. I was expecting a title screen or something first!
The opening also says to avoid white rabbits at all costs... is that a reference to Monty Python And The Holy Grail?
Then the game introduced itself in the next scrolled paragraph. It was written by Palmer Eldritch for Zenobi Software in 1989.
I started my adventure after a very long journey in a horse drawn cart and found myself in a snow stricken countryside at the end of it. I like this set up :)
I tried to read my mission but didn't figure out how, so I just followed the road until I came to the Adventurer's Inn. It was locked so I knocked on the door and it was answered by Big Brian. He asked for my membership card. I couldn't show him anything and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to take anything out of my bag. He was very patient to stand there waiting but I just decided to walk away and do more exploring.
I took a path down to the lake and off to the wooden jetty, where I met a very fierce looking warrior. He blocked the path and I couldn't speak to him about anything, so I just turned back.
I went to visit the farm where Old Farmer MacDonald lives. When I couldn't speak to him, I took another path, which led up the mountain to a dark tower.
On the way up, the game nicely describes the view of every other place I visited so far. Unfortunately, when I reached the tower there was a locked door. I headed back down and learned that I couldn't enter the inn unless I had the card, which I wouldn't get until I completed the mission. I went back to the warrior and the help told me to examine him and all it told me was that he had long hair. I had no idea what to do next so I decided to stop here.
My final score was 0 out of 150. I quite liked the idea of exploring this snowy land but I couldn't figure out how to interact with the other people or do anything with items. Maybe another time.
Monday, 15 August 2016
1 A HERO FOR SORANIA - DISAPPEARING KING
ZX Spectrum Vega game #0012
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adventure game written by Doreen Bardon in 1998 for Miracle Software and programmed by Karvic.
The game starts mysteriously with almost being run off the road by motorcyclists and then discovering roads I haven't seen before. I followed them and they eventually led to a castle. I like the way this game always tells you where the exits are.
I went in to the castle and met the king, who was in need of a hero to recover his crown and jewels and rescue his imprisoned daughter from an evil witch. Sorania is the name of this princess. When I agreed to be the hero, the king just left without saying anything for some reason. I went back to exploring.
I explored one of the towers to the northwest and found a ladder and some tools. I then went to the stable in the northeast and found little else but hay. In the southeast is a well and in the southwest is the other tower, which is empty apart from a trapdoor I couldn't open. Finally, the east led to the kitchen, which just had a table and shelves. When I tried to leave the castle I wasn't able to open the door.
Shortly after this I decided to quit. 51 turns and a score of 0 points out of a possible 170. Maybe I'll come back to be Sorania's hero if I can figure out what to do.
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this adventure game written by Doreen Bardon in 1998 for Miracle Software and programmed by Karvic.
The game starts mysteriously with almost being run off the road by motorcyclists and then discovering roads I haven't seen before. I followed them and they eventually led to a castle. I like the way this game always tells you where the exits are.
I went in to the castle and met the king, who was in need of a hero to recover his crown and jewels and rescue his imprisoned daughter from an evil witch. Sorania is the name of this princess. When I agreed to be the hero, the king just left without saying anything for some reason. I went back to exploring.
I explored one of the towers to the northwest and found a ladder and some tools. I then went to the stable in the northeast and found little else but hay. In the southeast is a well and in the southwest is the other tower, which is empty apart from a trapdoor I couldn't open. Finally, the east led to the kitchen, which just had a table and shelves. When I tried to leave the castle I wasn't able to open the door.
Shortly after this I decided to quit. 51 turns and a score of 0 points out of a possible 170. Maybe I'll come back to be Sorania's hero if I can figure out what to do.
Sunday, 14 August 2016
6 FINAL FANTASY - ELFHEIM AREA
Dear Readers,
My seafaring has brought me to the southernmost port available. The kingdom of Elfheim is down here. There are also many trees and a very high rate of encounters. We're starting to meet many enemies that can inflict poison, so we have to keep a stock of antidotes at all times.
We visited the town where there are 4 magic shops. Some of the white spells Joseph can't use yet like the poison removal one. There are some nice black spells available like multi target attack ones, so Chris is well equipped.
We visited the castle where the prince was in a deep slumber, caused by the dark elf Astos and cannot wake up. After some mingling, we learned the only way to wake him up was to bring a special medicine that only Matoya can make. She cannot help us though because she's missing her crystal eye. The web of troubled people we're meeting is becoming more complicated.
My seafaring has brought me to the southernmost port available. The kingdom of Elfheim is down here. There are also many trees and a very high rate of encounters. We're starting to meet many enemies that can inflict poison, so we have to keep a stock of antidotes at all times.
We visited the town where there are 4 magic shops. Some of the white spells Joseph can't use yet like the poison removal one. There are some nice black spells available like multi target attack ones, so Chris is well equipped.
We visited the castle where the prince was in a deep slumber, caused by the dark elf Astos and cannot wake up. After some mingling, we learned the only way to wake him up was to bring a special medicine that only Matoya can make. She cannot help us though because she's missing her crystal eye. The web of troubled people we're meeting is becoming more complicated.
Saturday, 13 August 2016
5 FINAL FANTASY - DWARF MINE
Dear Readers,
I decided to sail to the port in the north west. This lead around the sea to the cave where we found dwarves mining. Also found doors that were locked by the mystic key. I'm starting to see many more of these and I ought to take note of them.
Among the dwarves we met Nerrick, who wanted to blow up a gigantic unbreakable rock but he needed the right explosives for the job. It looks like we'll have to come back here later. For now, back to the ship!
I decided to sail to the port in the north west. This lead around the sea to the cave where we found dwarves mining. Also found doors that were locked by the mystic key. I'm starting to see many more of these and I ought to take note of them.
Among the dwarves we met Nerrick, who wanted to blow up a gigantic unbreakable rock but he needed the right explosives for the job. It looks like we'll have to come back here later. For now, back to the ship!
Friday, 12 August 2016
8 ONE THOUSAND LIES - LATE LUCE
Dear Readers,
I hadn't opened up this visual novel in a while! I guess I was preoccupied with Sonic Dash before I eventually deleted it.
So I'm in the meeting with all of the others for a while before making an escape. Claire escapes too and later catches up with me. She was all shy around the others but she's not that way with me at all. She wanted to walk me home and knew the way because she has some kind of obsession with me. When I ask her about it in a roundabout way she says people can do what they want. I asked her about a package that was on its way to me and she claimed to know nothing about it.
The next morning I'm in the class with Ausse. He's very put out because of his "lover of all women" persona suddenly became challenged with Claire, someone who appears underage but is actually the same age as us. We had a chat about it and it leads to the topic about his standards when it comes to women. No matter how many potential flaws about women I can throw at him he keeps seeing a way to love the woman in that particular scenario. This banter is actually quite funny and it's nice hanging out like this. Ziva then comes in and jumps in on the conversation. This leads to me play fighting with her. The substitute teacher then shows up after getting the wrong idea from Ziva's screams. Oh well!
Later on, I went to the place where Luce and I now hang out together. I waited a long time for her but she wasn't showing up... I became worried and wandered around the abandoned building. I came to the piano room and was just about to play when she showed up, throwing her usual insults at me like as if it was a regular meeting between us. Pretty typical!
I was glad she showed up though... I was getting worried.
We hung out for a bit longer in the building and the second part of my written story followed.
It's where the wolf was still chasing the sun and met a snake who wanted to make friends with him but he was too cold and uninterested. She was disappointed when he left and he eventually gave up in defeat in his journey and laid down in the sand to die. Then, the moon came out and saved him. Then he raised his head and howled at the moon. It's quite a nice story to read in full!
It was a nice time hanging out with Luce as well, despite the insults. These characters aren't too bad after all!
I hadn't opened up this visual novel in a while! I guess I was preoccupied with Sonic Dash before I eventually deleted it.
So I'm in the meeting with all of the others for a while before making an escape. Claire escapes too and later catches up with me. She was all shy around the others but she's not that way with me at all. She wanted to walk me home and knew the way because she has some kind of obsession with me. When I ask her about it in a roundabout way she says people can do what they want. I asked her about a package that was on its way to me and she claimed to know nothing about it.
The next morning I'm in the class with Ausse. He's very put out because of his "lover of all women" persona suddenly became challenged with Claire, someone who appears underage but is actually the same age as us. We had a chat about it and it leads to the topic about his standards when it comes to women. No matter how many potential flaws about women I can throw at him he keeps seeing a way to love the woman in that particular scenario. This banter is actually quite funny and it's nice hanging out like this. Ziva then comes in and jumps in on the conversation. This leads to me play fighting with her. The substitute teacher then shows up after getting the wrong idea from Ziva's screams. Oh well!
Later on, I went to the place where Luce and I now hang out together. I waited a long time for her but she wasn't showing up... I became worried and wandered around the abandoned building. I came to the piano room and was just about to play when she showed up, throwing her usual insults at me like as if it was a regular meeting between us. Pretty typical!
I was glad she showed up though... I was getting worried.
We hung out for a bit longer in the building and the second part of my written story followed.
It's where the wolf was still chasing the sun and met a snake who wanted to make friends with him but he was too cold and uninterested. She was disappointed when he left and he eventually gave up in defeat in his journey and laid down in the sand to die. Then, the moon came out and saved him. Then he raised his head and howled at the moon. It's quite a nice story to read in full!
It was a nice time hanging out with Luce as well, despite the insults. These characters aren't too bad after all!
Thursday, 11 August 2016
4 FINAL FANTASY - SEA EXPLORATION
Dear Readers,
Time to explore the sea! There's only so much we can explore because it's locked in from the ocean by land. The ship theme is nice and has a wind instrumental feel to it. In the NES version it was faster and bouncier and the ship itself moved faster too. All the monsters we face during sea exploration have a lightning weakness so Chris' thunder spells come in very handy here.
So where to go next? There's a port at Cornelia, a port to the north-west and one to the south. I decided to stop at Cornelia to rest and plan it out with the other NPC dialogue we've been given up until now.
Time to explore the sea! There's only so much we can explore because it's locked in from the ocean by land. The ship theme is nice and has a wind instrumental feel to it. In the NES version it was faster and bouncier and the ship itself moved faster too. All the monsters we face during sea exploration have a lightning weakness so Chris' thunder spells come in very handy here.
So where to go next? There's a port at Cornelia, a port to the north-west and one to the south. I decided to stop at Cornelia to rest and plan it out with the other NPC dialogue we've been given up until now.
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
3 FINAL FANTASY - PIRATE INVASION
Dear Readers,
After crossing the first bridge, we explored around and came across Matoya's Cave. She's missing her special eye and she's not able to make special medicine. I like the brooms here that tell you how to access the map in the game. Exploring further, and many more trips to the Inn in Cornelia, we finally got to the next town, which was overrun by pirates.
The pirates aren't actually much of a problem and are easy enough to defeat. I like their accents though. Anyway, after defeating them, we got access to the ship! Lots of exploring ahead! At this point, we've run out of land to explore so it's time to explore the sea!
After crossing the first bridge, we explored around and came across Matoya's Cave. She's missing her special eye and she's not able to make special medicine. I like the brooms here that tell you how to access the map in the game. Exploring further, and many more trips to the Inn in Cornelia, we finally got to the next town, which was overrun by pirates.
The pirates aren't actually much of a problem and are easy enough to defeat. I like their accents though. Anyway, after defeating them, we got access to the ship! Lots of exploring ahead! At this point, we've run out of land to explore so it's time to explore the sea!
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
2 FINAL FANTASY - CROSSING THE FIRST BRIDGE TO ADVENTURE
Dear Readers,
The first hour of the game I spent making half trips to Garland's lair before backtracking to heal again. It's still good to learn about the game this way, checking the bestiary and getting the most out of items. Rocket doesn't seem to need any equipment, in fact it looks like things just slow him down. Nova's stuff is pretty expensive and The mages, especially Chris, need to have an eye kept on them lest they collapse before I know it. He's not gaining much HP from level ups.
After defeating Garland and rescuing Sarah, we got a nice welcome back. We got a bridge built for us and everything. We also got a lute from Sarah, a key item for later.
We explored around a little more. We'll need to come back here later on once we get the mystic key. There are treasures round the back of the castle.
We head out and cross the bridge and the beautiful prologue text scene comes up accompanied by the main Final Fantasy music. It's big and powerful and emotional and just so lovely. The big adventure is up ahead of us :)
Our quest is all about bringing light to the crystals and to save the world!
The first hour of the game I spent making half trips to Garland's lair before backtracking to heal again. It's still good to learn about the game this way, checking the bestiary and getting the most out of items. Rocket doesn't seem to need any equipment, in fact it looks like things just slow him down. Nova's stuff is pretty expensive and The mages, especially Chris, need to have an eye kept on them lest they collapse before I know it. He's not gaining much HP from level ups.
After defeating Garland and rescuing Sarah, we got a nice welcome back. We got a bridge built for us and everything. We also got a lute from Sarah, a key item for later.
We explored around a little more. We'll need to come back here later on once we get the mystic key. There are treasures round the back of the castle.
We head out and cross the bridge and the beautiful prologue text scene comes up accompanied by the main Final Fantasy music. It's big and powerful and emotional and just so lovely. The big adventure is up ahead of us :)
Our quest is all about bringing light to the crystals and to save the world!
Monday, 8 August 2016
1 FINAL FANTASY - FRESH START!
Dear Readers,
I started a new game of Final Fantasy! This is the Dawn Of Souls version on Game Boy Advance, which is my favourite version of the game. I haven't played it in 10 years. Gonna play it now again!
The characters and classes I picked were as follows:
Rocket, Monk
Nova, Fighter
Joseph, White Mage
Chris, Black Mage
Nova and Joseph are friends I play with in online games of Final Fantasy Explorers, where we pick similar roles. Chris is another of our friends. Thought this was a nice set up :)
In my last playthrough, I chose Fighter, Thief, Red Mage, Black Mage. This was inspired by the 8 Bit Theater webcomic which was popular back then.
I spent a good amount of time visiting Cornelia Castle and its surrounding town. The king wanted to see us and he addressed us as the crystal bearers. This is also the title of one of my favourite Final Fantasy spin-offs :) Anyway, he wanted his daughter Sarah rescued from Garland, who kidnapped her and ran off to his lair in the northwest. I chatted around and met Sarah's mother and sister, who were very worried about her.
I made sure to equip my mages with spells. Going after Garland was slow as I kept running back to the town inn to refresh, especially with all the stat boosts for the first few levels. Goblins and Goblin Guards were the monsters I encountered the most. Rocket got KO'd a few times. Great thing about him though is that he doesn't seem to need weapons after a while! Kind of better off with the bare fists! I love the punching sound in this game when he attacks. I don't think I'll get tired of it anytime soon, so that's a good start!
I started a new game of Final Fantasy! This is the Dawn Of Souls version on Game Boy Advance, which is my favourite version of the game. I haven't played it in 10 years. Gonna play it now again!
The characters and classes I picked were as follows:
Rocket, Monk
Nova, Fighter
Joseph, White Mage
Chris, Black Mage
Nova and Joseph are friends I play with in online games of Final Fantasy Explorers, where we pick similar roles. Chris is another of our friends. Thought this was a nice set up :)
In my last playthrough, I chose Fighter, Thief, Red Mage, Black Mage. This was inspired by the 8 Bit Theater webcomic which was popular back then.
I spent a good amount of time visiting Cornelia Castle and its surrounding town. The king wanted to see us and he addressed us as the crystal bearers. This is also the title of one of my favourite Final Fantasy spin-offs :) Anyway, he wanted his daughter Sarah rescued from Garland, who kidnapped her and ran off to his lair in the northwest. I chatted around and met Sarah's mother and sister, who were very worried about her.
I made sure to equip my mages with spells. Going after Garland was slow as I kept running back to the town inn to refresh, especially with all the stat boosts for the first few levels. Goblins and Goblin Guards were the monsters I encountered the most. Rocket got KO'd a few times. Great thing about him though is that he doesn't seem to need weapons after a while! Kind of better off with the bare fists! I love the punching sound in this game when he attacks. I don't think I'll get tired of it anytime soon, so that's a good start!
Sunday, 7 August 2016
14 SONIC DASH - LOST EVERYTHING AGAIN
Dear Readers,
I lost all my progress in this game again. This time the game crashed while playing an ad. This game often crashes after playing an ad but this time all my progress was gone when I started the game again. I didn't feel like playing anymore so I just deleted the game altogether.
I lost all my progress in this game again. This time the game crashed while playing an ad. This game often crashes after playing an ad but this time all my progress was gone when I started the game again. I didn't feel like playing anymore so I just deleted the game altogether.
Saturday, 6 August 2016
1 RETRO GAME COLLECTION - ALIENS
Dear Readers,
On a whim I downloaded this app by Jacked Studios from the Play store. It loads nice and fast and has 5 games: Ping Pong, a version of Pong; Aliens, a version of Space Invaders; Snake, a standard version of Snake; Block Breaker, a version of Arkanoid or Breakout; and Meteors, a version of Asteroids. I really like it! One of the things I like so much about it is that it's white objects on a black background, so I can play it on a dark Winter's day without adjusting the brightness. The text is nice and big and everything has a no nonsense basic approach.
I tried a few of the games but mostly played Aliens. It's easier than standard Space Invaders but it's still fun to play. The buttons jam sometimes but it doesn't spoil things too much. I like that I don't have to keep tapping to shoot. As you advance the aliens start closer and closer until they go back to the top. I suppose this is what you'd call the loop. But yeah it is moreish to just keep going. My highest score so far is 29,850.
On a whim I downloaded this app by Jacked Studios from the Play store. It loads nice and fast and has 5 games: Ping Pong, a version of Pong; Aliens, a version of Space Invaders; Snake, a standard version of Snake; Block Breaker, a version of Arkanoid or Breakout; and Meteors, a version of Asteroids. I really like it! One of the things I like so much about it is that it's white objects on a black background, so I can play it on a dark Winter's day without adjusting the brightness. The text is nice and big and everything has a no nonsense basic approach.
I tried a few of the games but mostly played Aliens. It's easier than standard Space Invaders but it's still fun to play. The buttons jam sometimes but it doesn't spoil things too much. I like that I don't have to keep tapping to shoot. As you advance the aliens start closer and closer until they go back to the top. I suppose this is what you'd call the loop. But yeah it is moreish to just keep going. My highest score so far is 29,850.
Friday, 5 August 2016
13 SONIC DASH - WON SILVER IN A WHEEL SPIN!
Dear Readers,
I have spun the wheel so many times in this game I was getting convinced that it was rigged against getting the character prize on free spins and spins earned by watching ads. Finally the arrow landed on Silver The Hedgehog and now I have access to him for good. Yay!
I have spun the wheel so many times in this game I was getting convinced that it was rigged against getting the character prize on free spins and spins earned by watching ads. Finally the arrow landed on Silver The Hedgehog and now I have access to him for good. Yay!
Thursday, 4 August 2016
12 SMURFS EPIC RUN - GARGAMEL'S HOUSE
Dear Readers,
I've progressed into someone's house, which I suppose is Gargamel's. It isn't the final world for some reason. I'm pressing ahead with the levels now because it's taking ages to complete them 100%. I can always go back to them to get more stars anyway.
I've progressed into someone's house, which I suppose is Gargamel's. It isn't the final world for some reason. I'm pressing ahead with the levels now because it's taking ages to complete them 100%. I can always go back to them to get more stars anyway.
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
5 CASTLEVANIA - LEVEL 5, STAGES 13-15
Dear Readers,
Today I'll talk about this set of stages. "Heart Of Fire" plays here.
Stage 13 starts right off with two hunchbacks to welcome me. After so many game overs here, I've made it a habit to jump whip the first one and let the other jump over my head before whipping that too. The bone throwing skeletons and hunchbacks up ahead I still haven't sussed!
On the part where you climb down the stairs, if you keep walking into the right hand wall before descending, a 1UP will appear below. There's a breakable block on the bottom right hand corner of this block structure too.
Red skeletons and hunchbacks up ahead. The red skeletons come back to life and they may not seem like much trouble but when other enemies try to crowd you, you start to wish them away. The wall at the end of this enemy filled path has a pork chop in it. You won't be able to climb high to whip the other candles if you break it too soon though.
Stage 14 is where we meet the shield and axe wielding knights. They're pretty annoying to deal with and the bottom one can be ran off the screen. The one above can't though. There's an axe weapon to collect here too if you want but I prefer the holy water.
Upstairs, if you stand between the two red squares for a moment, a hidden money bag appears. Further on and up the next flight of stairs has a multiplier hidden in the wall. I'm still coming up with a good strategy for this and what weapon to use for the boss at the end of this level. Under the next flight of stairs, if you stand in front of the gate at the left, another money bag appears. Another secret money bag appears when you climb up the stairs, walk along the platform to the right and jump on to the double platform.
Stage 15 you're greeted with the twin dragon skulls. This is before the boss and I'm still trying to come up with a strategy for what to do when I die in this place. What's the best thing to do with regarding weapons. I have never not needed the pork chop in the wall under the stairs leading to the next section either!
This next section with curtains and empty portraits is intensely troublesome. Medusa heads and those axe throwing knights fill the hallway and are a pain to deal with.
The Grim Reaper boss I eventually managed to defeat with holy water. I had to look up a strategy for him. It's an easy way to do it as he's not able to move but the challenge still lies in keeping the holy water and the III multiple shot to the end.
Today I'll talk about this set of stages. "Heart Of Fire" plays here.
Stage 13 starts right off with two hunchbacks to welcome me. After so many game overs here, I've made it a habit to jump whip the first one and let the other jump over my head before whipping that too. The bone throwing skeletons and hunchbacks up ahead I still haven't sussed!
On the part where you climb down the stairs, if you keep walking into the right hand wall before descending, a 1UP will appear below. There's a breakable block on the bottom right hand corner of this block structure too.
Red skeletons and hunchbacks up ahead. The red skeletons come back to life and they may not seem like much trouble but when other enemies try to crowd you, you start to wish them away. The wall at the end of this enemy filled path has a pork chop in it. You won't be able to climb high to whip the other candles if you break it too soon though.
Stage 14 is where we meet the shield and axe wielding knights. They're pretty annoying to deal with and the bottom one can be ran off the screen. The one above can't though. There's an axe weapon to collect here too if you want but I prefer the holy water.
Upstairs, if you stand between the two red squares for a moment, a hidden money bag appears. Further on and up the next flight of stairs has a multiplier hidden in the wall. I'm still coming up with a good strategy for this and what weapon to use for the boss at the end of this level. Under the next flight of stairs, if you stand in front of the gate at the left, another money bag appears. Another secret money bag appears when you climb up the stairs, walk along the platform to the right and jump on to the double platform.
Stage 15 you're greeted with the twin dragon skulls. This is before the boss and I'm still trying to come up with a strategy for what to do when I die in this place. What's the best thing to do with regarding weapons. I have never not needed the pork chop in the wall under the stairs leading to the next section either!
This next section with curtains and empty portraits is intensely troublesome. Medusa heads and those axe throwing knights fill the hallway and are a pain to deal with.
The Grim Reaper boss I eventually managed to defeat with holy water. I had to look up a strategy for him. It's an easy way to do it as he's not able to move but the challenge still lies in keeping the holy water and the III multiple shot to the end.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
12 SONIC DASH - WON CLASSIC SONIC!
Dear Readers,
I finished the Classic Sonic challenge! Now I have the character for good. Another nice thing about this is when you go between classic themed stages and the regular dash stages the music switches between the Green Hill Zone and the regular dash music. So yeah it's a nice way to mix things up and keep it somewhat fresh.
I finished the Classic Sonic challenge! Now I have the character for good. Another nice thing about this is when you go between classic themed stages and the regular dash stages the music switches between the Green Hill Zone and the regular dash music. So yeah it's a nice way to mix things up and keep it somewhat fresh.
Monday, 1 August 2016
4 CASTLEVANIA - LEVEL 4, STAGES 10-12
Dear Readers,
Hoo boy. This fourth level was a nightmare. All the way down into this swampy place with a bad water hazard. I died a lot on Stage 10. "Walking On The Edge" plays here and you can get a sense of the severity of this place through this tune.
Those bats and Mermen are unbelievable here. They can just appear and knock you off the moving platforms in a flash. I died many many times here before even progressing, adding to the many human skeletons thrown around here.
Eventually I climbed some stairs to stage 11 and the music changed to "Stalker" again. In this stage I got all these giant birds dropping hunchbacks on me. They're a lot like the Albatrosses in Super Mario Bros. 2 that drop bombs, but no, these hunchbacks are much deadlier than the bombs! They do not stop attacking! At the end of this stage was the first of those long necked dragon skeleton things and I haven't really sussed their pattern either so I always keep whipping until they're gone.
Stage 12 is a hallway of those dragon skeleton necks. The first one has a pork chop in the block next to it which I usually need too. The last one has a large heart in the block next to it.
The Frankenstein monster and hunchback boss I had many game overs to as well. It sucks when getting killed here because I had no luck defeating them with the dagger yet. The dagger is like the only certain weapon I seem to be able to get in stage 12. I eventually did defeat them but man, it's no fun getting a game over and being sent all the way back to the swamp! This happened a lot!
Luckily with the 3DS I can use restore points but I haven't done it yet for this playthrough.
Hoo boy. This fourth level was a nightmare. All the way down into this swampy place with a bad water hazard. I died a lot on Stage 10. "Walking On The Edge" plays here and you can get a sense of the severity of this place through this tune.
Those bats and Mermen are unbelievable here. They can just appear and knock you off the moving platforms in a flash. I died many many times here before even progressing, adding to the many human skeletons thrown around here.
Eventually I climbed some stairs to stage 11 and the music changed to "Stalker" again. In this stage I got all these giant birds dropping hunchbacks on me. They're a lot like the Albatrosses in Super Mario Bros. 2 that drop bombs, but no, these hunchbacks are much deadlier than the bombs! They do not stop attacking! At the end of this stage was the first of those long necked dragon skeleton things and I haven't really sussed their pattern either so I always keep whipping until they're gone.
Stage 12 is a hallway of those dragon skeleton necks. The first one has a pork chop in the block next to it which I usually need too. The last one has a large heart in the block next to it.
The Frankenstein monster and hunchback boss I had many game overs to as well. It sucks when getting killed here because I had no luck defeating them with the dagger yet. The dagger is like the only certain weapon I seem to be able to get in stage 12. I eventually did defeat them but man, it's no fun getting a game over and being sent all the way back to the swamp! This happened a lot!
Luckily with the 3DS I can use restore points but I haven't done it yet for this playthrough.
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