Part 6: 4/21/09

4/21/09

Yukari was pretty happy that I’d agreed to join SEES.

Video- “April 21”

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Akihiko-senpai’s injured too, and I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai…
Is Senpai okay?
Yeah, Akihiko-senpai was attacked by a Shadow on the day that you collapsed, too.
He said he injured his ribs a little…

She came by after class. Mitsuru, I mean.



* yawn * I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there…
Can I have a minute?
Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone.
I’ll save the details for later. See you there.
> Mitsuru left as soon as she was done…
That was fast…
She’s probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us.
Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?
> …It seems that Junpei was listening too.
Well, it’s not that I don’t like her… She’s just…
N-Never mind. Let’s go, Aelita.

We headed down to the local strip mall on the way home.



A-About earlier… It’s not that I don’t like her or anything, y’know?
Oh, I’m talking about Mitsuru-senpai…
…Why’s Junpei always have to talk about stuff that isn’t any of his business, huh!?
Plus, he says it all in the creepiest, most perverted way. He’s like the poster boy for sexual harassment.
You know, last year he…
> You continued to gossip all the way back to the dorm…

We met up when we got back, just as Mitsuru had asked.

Video- “A New Member”

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> Mitsuru and Akihiko are already here.
Welcome back.
We were waiting for you. There’s someone I wanna introduce.
Huh?
…Hey, hurry up.
Voice from Outside: Hold your horses… This is freakin’ heavy.

I still can’t believe that guy’s a Persona user.



J-Junpei!? …Why are YOU here!?
This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He’ll be staying here as of today.
He’s staying HERE!? You’ve gotta be kidding me!
I bumped into him the other night.
He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently…
I told him about us, and he agreed to help.
You have the potential!? For real!?
He found me cryin’ like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins.
I don’t remember much, but… man, that’s embarrassing!
He said that’s, ya know, completely normal… in the beginning.
Like, bein’ confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?

It’s weird, because that never happened to me.



Heeey, don’t feel bad!
It happens to all us Persona-users.
…But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys.
I had no idea.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know.
I bet you’re stoked too, right!? Havin’ me join…
It’d be nice to have a guy around too, wouldn’t it?
Huh?
Uh, y-yeah…
So anyway, glad to join the team, Aelita.
Let’s do our best.
You can count on me!
> Junpei joined SEES.
Well, enough with the introductions.
I think we’re about ready…

We wouldn’t have long to wait to find out what we were supposed to be ready for.



I’d like your undivided attention.
For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had.
But that number recently jumped to five.
Therefore…
Starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I’d like to commence the exploration of Tartarus.
Tartarus…? What’s that? …Sounds like toothpaste.
You haven’t seen it, Junpei?
Hm…?
It’s no surprise…
…since it only appears during the Dark Hour.
The Dark Hour…?

It seems Tartarus is where the Shadows come from.



And it’s the perfect place for us to train.
You can think of it as a Shadow nest.
Whoa… Their nest, huh…?
But, Senpai… what about your injury?
Since Akihiko hasn’t fully recovered yet, he’ll only come as far as the entrance.
…Yeah, I know.
Relax, I’ve got your backs.
I’m not so sure about this…
What about you, Mr. Chairman?
I’ll stay here.
As you know, I can’t summon a Persona…

We headed down to the gates of Gekkoukan High.

Video- “The Tower Out of Time”

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This is it? THIS is the place?
Why HERE?
Just wait a few minutes…
It’s almost midnight.

And as the Dark Hour began…





The school began to change…



And the Tower of Tartarus rose from where it stood.





I’m not sure how the place can even stand up, much less be so tall.



Labyrinth…?
What are you talking about!?
What happened to our school!?
Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal.
This is the “nest” you were talking about!?
But, why!? …Why’d our school turn into a giant tower!?
……
…You don’t know, either?
…No.
I’m sure it’s complicated.
Well, maybe now we’ll find out.
Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it.
Exciting, isn’t it?
There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour…
Akihiko, I respect your enthusiasm, but you won’t be accompanying us today.
I know… You don’t have to remind me.

There was a massive staircase with a huge clock above it inside the Tower.



But, it sure is creepy…
This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs.
First, we’ll have you three get a feel for this place.
Why don’t you go have a look around?
What!? By ourselves!?
We’re not asking you to go very far, and I’ll be feeding you information from here.
We’re also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions.
For real?
…One of us?
Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!
……

Akihiko put me in charge while we’re in the field. It’s a lot of pressure, but I’ll just have to do my best to live up to his expectations. Junpei… wasn’t happy.



Wha…? B-But she’s a girl!
Well, she HAS fought them before…
Seriously?
That’s true, but there’s another reason.
You two…
Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like she can?
Y-Yeah, of course I can!
I think so.
These are Shadows we’re talking about here. Without your Persona, you’re screwed.
I’m aware of that.
All right, let’s head inside. Are you ready, Aelita?

I won’t lie, I was more than a bit excited to see what was inside the place.



Haha, that’s the spirit.
> You decide to go through the entrance…

Before we could get started, though, I saw something that seemed strange even for this place.



> A strange door is sitting in the corner of the lobby…
What’s the matter?
> The Velvet Key in your hand is shining…
> The key fit into the door’s keyhole as if it was being sucked in…

The door led to the Velvet Room, where Igor was waiting for me once more. I wasn’t totally sure what some of what he’d said meant at the time.



The time has come for you to wield your power.
The tower that you are about to venture into…
How does it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?
Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions.
That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power.
The nature of my power?
Your power is unique.
It’s like the number zero… It’s empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities.
You are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed.
And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you.
There may be times when they are difficult to grasp… But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned.
Your power will grow accordingly… Be sure to keep that in mind.

I’m not sure why Igor’s helping me or who he really is, but I’ll take any help I can get.



But, please come again of your own accord.
I’ll tell you then about my true role… the manner in which I can best assist you.
Ah, but before I forget…
Do you recall when I mentioned another resident of this room…?
Tell me… When you think of this person, what do you see?

For some reason I could just, I don’t know, see a woman in blue standing with Igor.



I see… Then let’s bring her out for a proper introduction.

In some ways she was just as strange as Igor, even though on the surface she appeared much more normal.



My assistant will aid you as well.
Until then… Farewell.

I found myself back in the lobby, I guess the others can’t see the door to the Velvet Room and I just look zoned out while I’m there. At least time doesn’t seem to pass normally inside.



Yeah, what’s up? You look like a zombie.
Really? A zombie?
That’s what you pick to dwell on!?
Ohh, I get it. You’re trying to yank my chain here.
Don’t worry, though! I got you covered whenever you need it, man!
> They don’t seem to see the door.
Yeah yeah, whatever. C’mon, let’s go.

Let’s see, I guess I should talk about our group here.



I’ve stuck with the naginata, it just feels right. My Persona, Orpheus, seems to be best with fire attacks. It feels like it has a lot of weaknesses, though.



Yukari uses a bow, I guess she’s in the archery club. I wonder if she started that because of this whole Persona thing or if it was just a happy coincidence?



Her Persona is Io. I guess she’s a girl who was turned into a cow? Anyway it seems like for now her specialty is healing.



Junpei fights with a sword. He’s not really doing it right but whatever works for him.



His Persona, Hermes, is a god from Greece. It seems to focus mainly on hitting things for the moment.



Mitsuru has a whole bunch of equipment in a motorcycle, I don’t know how it runs in the Dark Hour but it does.



Please don’t touch it.

Everyone was ready, so we headed into the main portion of the Tower.



The corridors of Tartarus are the same horrible green color everything else is during the Dark Hour, and pools of blood cover the floor.

Video- “Tartarus”

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So, this is it, huh…?
I hope I don’t get lost…
Can you all hear me?
Whoa! Is that you, Senpai?
I’ll be providing audio backup from here on out.
Wait… Ya mean, you can see inside here?
It’s my Persona’s ability.
I’d like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day.
That’s why outside support is imperative.
Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…
Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute.
They shouldn’t be too tough, but proceed with caution.
Practice makes perfect.
Right!
Got it.
Why is she always like that…?

And so our first expedition into Tartarus began. We’re calling the first section of Tartarus ‘Thebel’.



Keep in mind, these are real battles you’ll be engaging in.
Now, see if you can eliminate all the Shadows wandering around on this floor.

Feinne’s Fourth Wall Lectures: Basic Mechanics
Alright, so now the game is letting us play a bit and I’ll go over some mechanics. The dungeon works just the same way as it did in Persona 3. We roam around randomly generated levels filled with treasures and Shadows. Treasures appear as silver briefcases on the ground and silver stars on the minimap. Shadows are black shapes moving on the ground and orange dots on the minimap. To engage a Shadow, we walk up to them and swing our naginata at them. If we can manage to hit them from behind, we get a free turn in combat. On the other hand, if they run into us first they get a free turn of attacks. The game is going to take this opportunity to give us some combat tutorials, so let’s walk through those. If you want to see this all in action, kindly watch the video version.



Would you like me to explain the basics of battle?
Yes, please.
The primary offensive options available to you in battle are “Attack” and “Skill.”
“Attack” corresponds to the weapon you have equipped, while “Skill” relates to your Persona’s abilities.
Though skills consume either stamina or spiritual power, they tend to have a greater effect.
Use whichever option best suits the situation.
Keep attacking until you’ve defeated the enemy, but pay careful attention to your stamina.
That’s it for now. Did you get all that?
Uh huh.
Okay, then I want you to defeat the enemy before you. Try using both the “Skill” and “Attack” options.

Mitsuru did a good job explaining our most basic combat actions, Attacking and using our Persona’s Skills. As she noted, Skills cost either SP (for magic) or HP (for physical skills). There are some more important actions we have available to us, though. I’ll start with the options everyone has access to. We can Defend, which reduces the damage we take from the next attack directed at us and also prevents the enemy from hitting a Weakness. We can Retreat from a battle that’s unfavorable (though this will not always work). We can also use Items from our pool of consumables, which can be very key at times. There are also a couple of options only the main character has access to. The first is our ability to change Personas in battle, which we can do once per time our turn comes up. The second is our ability to set tactics. There are a variety of AI control behaviors we can choose from, as well as the option to directly control our characters. This option is new to Persona 3 in the portable version, and it’s the obvious choice at all times. Okay, let’s move on.



Do you want to know more?
Yes, please.
Nearly every type of attack is associated with a particular property.
For example, swords can be used to do “Slash” attacks, while bows are used to do “Pierce” attacks.
Skills, on the other hand, have different properties. “Bufu,” for instance, indicates an “Ice” attack.
Now, most enemies are vulnerable to certain types of attacks. In other words, they have weaknesses.
A Fire skill will deal greater damage to an enemy that’s weak against Fire.
With my power, I can analyze an enemy to determine its weaknesses and strengths. That falls under “Tactics.”
Do you follow?
Yes.
The enemies you’re facing have a weakness that you can exploit. Why don’t you give it a try?

There are ten attack properties in Persona 3, three physical and seven magical. Physical attacks are split into Slash, Strike, and Pierce. Magic comes in four elemental flavors (Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Wind) as well as Light, Dark, and Almighty. The last three are special, as Light and Dark attacks are instant death abilities and Almighty damage has no proper resistance or weakness. There is also a wide range of relationships any given character can have with each property. Attacks you are Weak against do more damage and knock you to the ground. You can Resist a property, which makes it less effective against you. You can also completely Nullify attacks, Repel then, or be healed by them (referred to as Drain). Minimizing your weaknesses while taking advantage of enemy ones is key to survival against the Shadows. Mitsuru is able to analyze enemies, though it will only reveal strengths and weaknesses that you’ve already discovered.



Exploiting weaknesses is key for a few ways, as the next two tutorials will explain.



If you didn’t already notice, doing so will also grant you an additional attack.
Would you like more details?
Yes, please.
An enemy will lose its balance if you exploit its weakness or land a critical hit.
This will give you the opportunity to perform an additional action.
In other words, you’ll get to do “1 MORE” thing.
You can keep attacking the same enemy, or if you prefer, attack a different target.
And if you succeed in knocking another enemy off balance, then you can act yet again.
This strategy is essential to securing victory.
However, remember this: an enemy that’s already lost its balance cannot be knocked off balance again.
You can’t knock down someone who’s lying on the ground, right? It’s the same idea.
Now, to knock an enemy off balance, you need to know its weaknesses.
So, don’t hesitate to ask me for an analysis. I’ll be sure to share the results with the others as well.
Got it?
Yup.
Then, proceed with the battle. Use what you’ve learned to quickly dispose of the enemy.

So yeah, whenever anyone on either side hits an enemy’s weakness or lands a critical hit with a physical attack they knock the person down and get to take another turn. As Mitsuru noted, if the target is already down we don’t get another turn. What does happen, though, is that the target gets dizzied, which means they lose their next turn. Sometimes this can be very helpful against strong enemies. Let’s hit the last main concept of combat.



You can perform an “All-Out Attack.” Would you care to hear more about this?
Yes, I would.
When enemies are thrown off balance, they become vulnerable.
An All-Out Attack will allow your entire team to attack simultaneously.
Your enemies will be unable to defend against it; it’s a very reliable method of attack.
Whether or not you wan to perform an All-Out Attack is up to you.
But remember, you cannot perform it when you’re alone.
So if you want to have it in your arsenal, make sure your team is comprised of at least two members.
That’s all you need to know about All-Out Attacks. Do you understand what I’ve just explained to you?
Yes.
Then, that concludes the basics of battle. But, there’s one last thing I need to tell you…
Shadows become stronger the further you advance. If you don’t think you can win a battle, retreat at once.
There may be times, however, when an escape will be impossible.
…This battle is one of those times. Good luck.

When we knock all the enemies down, we can perform an All-Out Attack. This does a bunch of Almighty damage and ends with all of the enemies standing again and ready to be taken back down (though it ends the turn of the person who was attacking). You also get an awesome splash screen.



Most of the time an All-Out is the right move if you can do it, it’s free easy damage. The only time you might want to avoid it is if you’re trying to lock enemies down by dizzying them. There’s still a bit more to talk about, now. When we end a combat with an action from the main character or an All-Out Attack, we’ll trigger Shuffle Time.



A set of cards will appear and be mixed (there are a few possible ways). We try to pick the one we want, and get some sort of reward depending on what is on the card. There are three card types: blank cards that do nothing, Minor Arcana, and Personas. The Minor Arcana in turn come in four flavors. Cups restore health to the main character or the whole party, Wands increase the experience gained after battle or improve the stats of our equipped Persona, Coins give us money, and Swords give us equipment. Personas are simple, if we pick a Persona card in Shuffle Time we get that Persona unless we already have it, in which case nothing happens. Speaking of Personas, let’s look at one in detail.



Up top we see our little Pixie’s Properties. She’s not particularly weak to anything, and resists Lightning attacks. Next are her stats. Strength controls how powerful our physical attacks are while Pixie is equipped, Magic obviously does the same for our Magic. Endurance controls our defense, Agility our turn order. Luck is a catchall stat that applies to a lot of little things in combat. Below those we see her name, level and Arcana (which matters for a few mechanics we’ll talk about in a later update). We can see Pixie’s skills below that, which for now is only the healing spell Dia. We can also see what skill Pixie will gain next and at what level it will come. Below that we see a new mechanic to this game, the Skillcard. When Pixie reaches level four, she’ll give us a card that allows us to add Dia to another Persona. It’s about time to leave Tartarus now, so let’s go find ourselves a way out and get back to our regularly scheduled programming.



Please return to the entrance.
Okay.

That weird green device brought us back to the entrance.



Welcome back.
So, how was it?
No problem.
I see. Well if you gained confidence, that’s the best thing you could have achieved.
Wow… I never knew I had that kinda power!
But damn, I’m beat…
That’s cuz you were bouncin’ around like a little kid.
You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan.
I’m still trying to catch my breath, actually…
That’s the effect of the Dark Hour; you’ll become fatigued more easily.
Don’t worry, though, you’ll adapt.
But, I’m surprised… You all did much better than I expected.
At this rate, they’ll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko.
Heh, we’ll see about that.

We did a good job all around, though.



> By combining your powers with your team’s, you were able to stand against the Shadows…
> You feel a bond forming between yourselves…
> ……!?
> You felt the power of your heart intensify, as if in reaction to the bond between your friends…



> Just like Yukari and Junpei, you feel tired as well…
> You decide it would be best to return to your room and rest…

I decided to say goodbye to Igor and Elizabeth for the night, which gave Igor a chance to explain how it was he can help me.



Welcome to the Velvet Room.
Well… I suppose it’s time for me to explain what I really do here.
It is my job to create new Personas.
But in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together…
In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona.
The number of Personas you have buried within you is approximately 170…
We’ve never seen a visitor with this many possibilities before…
If you establish Social Links, you may be able to create even stronger Personas, too.
Heh heh heh… This should prove veeery interesting.
So, as you accumulate cards, please bring them to me.
If you wish to learn about fusing Personas in more detail…
Then Talk to me so that I may give you some hints.

I was feeling too tired to worry much about actually trying it out, maybe next time. I’m sure I’ll be back there soon…