The Let's Play Archive

Ogre Battle 64

by loquacius

Part 45: UPDATE 40: The Lord of Remus Keep

Only a few things to do before we get underway this time.



The Laevateinn looks exactly like a Glamdring, but with a lovely STR bonus. And isn't it about time we got another item that makes me want to shoot myself every time I have to type its name anyway?



I've also got another Ring of Eloquence that needs a home, but more importantly...



...we ALSO have a new Book of Drakonite! The only unit besides Leia's with only one spellcaster is Freddie's, so Lemon receives this second Book of Meteor Strike. Here's hoping I'll have something with a little more variety to give her soon!



That said, the sooner we're done clearing out this strategically worthless polar region which is questionably even worth our time in the first place, the better. Let's go here.

Update 40: The Lord of Remus Keep





As we open on the Hugo Room, we are greeted with some plotty music rather than Hugo's usual theme. Notably absent: Leia. You'd think she'd be in on the planning process for our invasion of the place where she grew up.

: "I thought they were rebel sympathizers. I don't know why that changed. I'm not sure who's ruling now, but they're obviously not friendly. Now, look at this. Let's get started..."



: "We must liberate Remus."

Kinda wish they'd picked some other name for this keep that didn't have vaguely racist connotations, but it is what it is.



: "However, the troops are small. This just seems so odd. They're comparatively small and disorganized. We should expect some kind of trap... Or, maybe they want us to expect there's a trap... Who knows."

I choose to believe that that's not a translation error and the Central Division is sending their scrawniest soldiers against me.



: "Did their sympathy for us cause them problems?"



Finally getting Leia's thoughts on the situation calls for some even plottier music.

: "What's up, Leia? ...Are you okay?"

: "Um... I have a question. ...Freddie, how did you feel before you fought against your father?"

: "........."

Remember, even in the nicest of high-CF playthroughs, you must fight Ankiseth at least once (in Soathon, I believe?), so this question always makes sense!

: "Tell me!! ...Freddie, what were you thinking? How did you resolve yourself to that!?"

Well, he kind of didn't. If I recall correctly, it was less of "let me spend a month in mental preparation for fighting with my father" and more of "oh shit, dad's coming this way with his ball-choppin' sword and he looks PISSED" but I dunno if that exactly applies here.

: "If my father... has succumbed to the darkness... what should I do? I never imagined I'd have to fight... my own father. I left home, but not because I disliked him. His love for me was a little bit too much... I didn't want to be dependent on him."

Right, right, cake, jesters, unfaltering love and support. Quite a row to hoe there. My dad killed a guy. Two feet away from me. By sword to the balls. But yeah, condolences on your thing, that sounds horrible.

: "To live up to his expectations, I needed to be in an environment where I could challenge myself..."



If you can't tell, she is pounding on his shoulder. In any other JRPG, this would lead to an overwrought romance scene that would make me uncomfortable when I saw it as a child. I don't think there's any danger of that here, since Freddie hasn't even gotten past "are you okay" conversation-wise here.

: "If... If my father has become one of them..."



Heeeeeey look who managed one word. Way to manage your people, General.



Now let's leave all these silly womanly emotions behind and go kill some people like sensible problem-solvers.



Looks like we've got a sizeable initial attack this time. That's the way it usually seems to be on these smaller maps.



Okay yeah I'm seeing a definite theme here. And to think I almost didn't bring Europea along this time.



Yeah, I guess Buzz is a pretty good vampire name. Little John was better. Now am I gonna see ONE unit that isn't full of undead or





No words.

Well, let's get killing.



Europea's here, but the initial reason I didn't want to bring her was her relatively high EXP level -- I try to keep all my units around the same level mostly because I'm a huge softie. As such I give the first couple of battles to Dio -- he doesn't have quite the Virtue punch Europea does, but thanks to his high attack count he's got a good chance of wiping these Zombies and Skeletons out before they can regenerate. And that's just what he does!



Y'know, it's been a WHILE since I found an awesome staff. I think the strongest ones I have are still Hraesvelg and Kerikeiyon or however they're spelled. Time to change that!



Buzz wasn't quite able to make it all the way over here -- that earns him a reprieve because fighting a Vampire unit full of Undead in the daytime is pretty much the most fruitless endeavor ever. Let him get his beauty rest.



I don't know why Meredia and Rose still can't manage to combo off each other every time, but they're still killing stuff anyway so I guess it's alright.



Ivory ended up taking one too many hits from that Golem, but Meredia's unit wasn't quite able to get away from this Pumpkinhead unit in time! Meredia and Rose still can't combo to save their lives, but Marty and Cucka sure can. Here they are showing the back row how it's done.



A single Pumpkin Smash attack isn't too threatening to Ivory right now, but I still don't want to stick around for that back-row attack. Get the hell out of there, guys.



Paula tried to run away and heal after that. Yeah, that's not happening.



I suspect that Liches might be completely immune to sleep -- either that or Tallgeese is just that badass. Check that pose.



UGH will you HOLD STILL??? GOD
Okay that's it.



DODGE THIS







Oh right, this. THIS is the part I was trying to avoid.



Luckily 3 Meteor Strikes are enough to polish them all off and I won't have to worry about them again. MOVING ON!



Jihad's pretty damn good against a unit made up entirely of demons and undead -- roughly equivalent to a Venerable Dragon attack -- but only Gramlock is metal enough to kill Han!



...Belmont. The Enchanter's name is Belmont. The Vampire's name is Buzz, and the ENCHANTER's name is Belmont. You're killing me, AI naming pattern.



Get outta here and come back when you're a vampire. Jerk. <>



I don't know why OB64 contains so many one-handed axes when Ravens and Vultans are really the only endgame units that can equip them. Of course, there are roughly 500 one-handed swords in this game, but the thing is everyone and their dad can equip those things, whereas if it wasn't for Sheen's unit, we'd have fuck-all to do with one-handed axes. This one's second in power only to the Gramlock; as you might be able to tell, it's Bane-element.



I'd just accidentally gotten in one sideways fight with Buzz which failed to kill him when what should come round the bend but a Legion! That Saturos in Hicks' unit is the first one we've seen not leading a Unit, but I am currently without any Love And Peaces. Next time!



I had a college professor named Andy once. That guy was kind of a dick. I will now vent my frustration through the medium of Ogre Battle.



UGH

1 HP short? Really? REALLY???



FUCK YOU, I GRADUATED



Edgar's ghosts, meanwhile, really sucked at putting me to sleep. I was able to kill him AND get off a lucky Virtue shot at one of them. That'll make them that much easier to hunt down.



UGH JUST DIE



I swear to god this game's RNG is cursed or something.



I was almost allowing myself to think I'd be able to get off my HQ when who should turn up but ANOTHER Legion. Eh, with a name like that I honestly don't mind.



More Undead units. Yawn. Let's try something different here.



Attack Leader has failed Katreda as a strategy over and over -- Apple and Banana keep using their Pumpkin Showers on the same character, which loses battles. Let's try spreading it out.



Okay, yes, good. Lots of damage all over the place. Good start.



Now at this point I have three melee attacks left (2 from Debonair and 1 from Comet), which if I set Attack Weakest should be just barely enough to kill Anderson.



Okay, so far so good, now I just need Debonair to



WHAT

That is NOT your weakest possible target!!!

Waste of an entire battle.



Well, no matter what, the front line is NOT going to cut through that dragon in time to kill Samus, so let's cheat a little bit with a Pedra. That's what they're for!



yeah y'know what, just go home

Pumpkinheads are not an effective counter against Undead. Live and learn.



Luckily Virtue and back attacks do just fine!



Anyway I think it's finally time for me to start branching out!



Apparently I've got YET ANOTHER Legion coming at me in the south, but I'm honestly tired of waiting, so Freddie and Katreda seize me a forward base. I'm confident they can deal with it from there. Let's see what we've got.



Hydras are better than Flarebrasses, but from the front row it honestly doesn't matter all that much.



uggghhhhhhhhh

if I never see another ghost again it'll be too soon



Oh hey look, another Ring of Eloquence shop! I WIN AGAIN

Yeah, it's been too long since I bought way too many of something. I love these things.



Anyway since at this point I'd rather do ANYTHING ELSE besides fighting that Ghost legion (and also because I forgot to call Asnabel off before he reached this town), let's talk about fighting Vampires during the day!



As you can see, that coffin is nigh-indestructible due to Unholy Wood Magicks or something. Decent guard rate, and what attacks do get through don't damage it for shit.



In exchange, rather than actually doing stuff all the Vampires themselves do is look creepy twice a battle.



Virtue damage can make a BIT of a mark on them, but not really much (especially considering that the axe-wielder here is a Helm-of-the-Fearless-wearing Asnabel). This is pretty much one fight you're doomed to lose no matter what.



I'm still mad at you, Debonair. You're on probation.



I know I shouldn't keep Freddie in front and center like this, but as a General with a good sword he just wrecks so much shit! Reynolds can keep him alive anyway.



I really don't know how I manage to keep killing people with falling meteors without doing any harm whatsoever to the surrounding buildings. They look so flammable, too!



This mission map, and the entire path it's on, are entirely optional, but you want to make sure you come here if for no other reason than to pick up these precious, precious Drakonite books. Presenting White Mute, the Water-element Drakonite spell (for the record, Meteor Strike is Earth-element).



I'm basically done with the map now. Remind me again why Buzz is still alive?



Better fix that.



...Okay "Armor of Death" is not exactly the most confidence-inspiring name for something that's supposed to protect you. Plus it's bright purple. Nice codpiece on there, though! Also: best armor we'll be seeing for a while. Nice find.



A couple of last-minute liberations later (complete with Asnabel trudging across the entire goddamn map between them) and we're ready to take a look at the Keep! Wonder how Leia's dad is doing, anyway.





So, uh, not well then.



What I wanna know is why Leia's dad's house looks like a damn casino.

: "Hmm... You're his daughter? ...He is dead."

: "...!! ......You...!"

once again, excellent use of punctuation here

: "Did you kill him? Answer me, now!"

: "Maybe, maybe not. Hahahaha..."

man what an obnoxious skeleton

: "...I will avenge his death!"



"With the help of my own Lich, whose robes, by the way, are much more stylish than yours, good sir!"



The Evil Spear isn't much good against Reucharle, predictably. For a spellcaster in the position he's in, he holds up remarkably well to being stabbed repeatedly -- Liches, as discussed earlier between updates, have good armor ratings, for spellcasters anyway.



Well, at least he doesn't have a Book of Drakonite like my Lich does --



JESUS CHRIST



Aaaaaaand there goes the healer.

I swear to God if Aisha turns into an Angel Knight on me I am going to hit someone

And that someone is going to be this game



Well punched, Vad. Well punched.



I guess an Altar of Resurrection makes sense as a prize for this mission, but it still seems really lame. Whatev, at least it's not a Glamdring.



: "...That's wrong. He ended his own life. He didn't want to succumb to the Infernal Aura, to be engulfed by his desires... An honorable man indeed. He resisted me even after his death..."

"then I decided to live in his house for some reason???"



So passes the most powerful squatter in Zeteginia.

Funny story: If you wait to come here until after storming the capital at Latium, (alternate playthrough spoilers)  Reucharle will not exist. The final boss will be Leia's dad, Numitol Silvis, a Vanity with a name that sounds like an over-the-counter medication who has fallen to the Infernal Aura. I didn't take that path despite its high-drama-ness because in a Nice Playthrough Numitol deserves nobility even in death, and also because we've fought like three Vanities before and this is the only place in the game you can fight a Lich, which was cool even if he DID kill Aisha, what the hell 



At this point our aimless wandering carries us to the south for some reason. I guess this next place is called Barpheth??? SURE WHY NOT. We've got nothing but time on our hands apparently! NEXT TIME ON OGRE BATTLE.