Part 72: Guest Update III - Director's Cut Content: Beautiful Fool

So this is breaking sequence somewhat for something that's not usually availble until the endgame, but it's entirely inconsequential to the overall story, and the quicker it's out of the way, the better, as it's one of the worst aspects of the game - it's all the good shit from here on out after this unfortunate little blip.

Just to forewarn, maybe don't read this one around other people. It's kinda grody.



So, the first order of business is there is actually a little secret bonus for having a SH1 save game on the memory card. And it was actually translated into English!

However it was never properly implemented in the international versions - only the Japanese versions of the game, and not, as previously believed, exclusively in the Director's Cut.

And it also only detects a Japanese SH1 save file.

I have a feeling it was removed for...well, you'll see soon enough.

There's going to be lots of jumping between the English and Japanese versions to show this off, if the sudden text flipflops are confusing anyone.
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Now, the normal sequence of events is getting to the endgame, and visiting this guy in the Wine Cellar, who offers a little RNG "Lucky Chest" minigame, where matching all the items in the chest will give you an item.





I'll leave The Dark Id to explain the actual game itself when he revisits the Wine Cellar, but with a SH1 save detected, Jimote here unlocks an extra stage - the EX Stage, which will reward you with an ultra special item.



(Just pretend the above is what I'm talking about )

But of course, there's no legitimate way to get this in the English version.

Nil desperandum, however!

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.
It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.

It is an area which we call ...





Who you callin' a dummy, room!?

This is the games debug room - internally called Debug Island -from here we can modify the various game flags, give/remove items, teleport to maps, set up battles, and engage in general jiggery-pokery of the game.



It's very extensive, and even has some unused items, but right now we're after a very specific and exclusive item.



And yes!





It's Wanderer Meiyuan...the gross pervert molester from the first game - looking considerably more buff than last time we saw him.


Thankfully, we no longer need him to modify our Judgement Ring attacks, and he was replaced by a menu, which doesn't grope the male characters.

Oh, and the Soul Ring, a far better character.

Despite having this in our inventory, there is one more prerequisite; we need to have acquired all the previous dresses (and stud cards obviously).

I've done that already, so now, Yuri and company stop off in Montmartre to have a little chat with Gerard and Pierre.






Music: Dear, My Dressmaker ~ The Tailor



What's up?

Can you help out? Pierre's so down, he's not doing any work.

What's the problem?



You're trying to find yourself? That's something you should have figured out twenty years ago.

It's this book I read recently. It really got to me. I've just been seeing things so superficially. Never really finding the true essense of things...All the dresses I make...They've got no substance. There's nothing to them! Oh, it's no use! I'll never be a top designer at this rate...

That's a shame. Just when I brought you a Stud Card too.





Is it...?! Just smell all those pheromones! Could it be...? It'd be too good to be true!

Huh? This? Jeez, keep your shirt on!

It is, isn't it?! I knew it! The most sought-after of all Stud Cards. The best of the best! The rarest of cards! Only one was ever printed! Meiyuan! Y-you're going to let me have it, right?

Well...I dunno. I mean, you're not making dresses anymore, right?

Yuri, you tease.

I will, I will! Don't worry about that! The best I've ever made! Oh, just looking at it makes my eyes water!

Really? This?

Oh, yes! Really! No question! You won't regret this, I promise! C-can I have it?!

What's so great about it?

Pleeeease! Just let me hold it!

Okay, okay! Here, have it!

<Yuri hands over the card>



I'll start designing a new dress right away! Like this...a bit here...a bit there...There! All done!

Let me see, let me see!

Ta-da!



It's bugged in the English version, giving Cornelia her starting dress and the wrong name. But with a bit of editing magic;



Et voilà.

Huh? There's no dress there...

Ah, this dress is invisible to fools, you see!



Surely...you can see it...right, Yuri? It's a beautiful garment, isn't it?



All those frills on the sleeves. It's very pretty!

There aren't any frills. It's a tube top.

Um...



Okay, take care of it, now! It's my best dress! But don't use your eyes to look at it. Use your heart! See ya!



Gerard has an additional line that never actually triggers.



The book that made such a big impression on him was "The Emperor's New Clothes." You must be furious, huh?



Oh, we'll be furious in a minute Gerard, just you fuckin' wait.


To the dress menu!



Hopping over to the parallel Japanese dimension for a moment...



Oh dear...that sketch...

Music: ENDS. Drumroll begins.



Presenting the latest creation from my 1915 Pierre Magimel Collection! I call it...





"Beautiful Fool"!!

Thanks. I hate it.



why game? W-H-Y.



Why, Pierre? Why?



So...yeah...this is the "Beautiful Fool" dress.

Obviously based on the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, it's a joke "dress", and doesn't teach any new skills whatsoever.

It has the property of "全ての特殊攻撃力減" - "All special attacks reduced" - though I'm not too sure if it's Gepetto's attacks reduced, or the enemies.



_{Gepetto please stop doing that with your cursed daughter substitute}



It's honestly pretty grody.

It gets even worse with the fact that - Spoiler Warning - you can equip her in just white panites, or a black thong when you unlock them later.

Thanks. I hate it.

Thankfully, the rest of the Director's Cut stuff is actually good and not gross.
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Oh, Cornelia! You're pretty as a peach!

Hey Gramps, do us a favour and put some clothes on it yeah?

Oh yeah, her dresses are adorable!

You know, I'm really not comfortable with the...um...naked doll thing.

Same. You'd better keep it away from me пожилой человек.

It's alright. They're not including it in the international versions.

*Pant, pant* (Phew!)

C'mon! The quicker we do these sidequests, the quicker we can get back to Russia! It's only...1700 miles that way! _{Let's just pretend this never happened okay?}

Fine! Fine! Fine! I'll put another dress on her, and we'll say no more about it. _{You're just salty you're too much of an idiot to see it.}
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To wash out that bad taste, have an goofy un-used concept for Cornelia.