Part 1: Reader Input

The very first thing we're prompted to do is create a name for our save file. I'm going to need some suggestions for this, as there is no default.



We've got 8 spaces and every character you see here. Kamui was a joke of my wife's, since she's a CLAMP fan.

Most popular and/or most amusing name wins. Voting will close in roughly 24 hours.

With that out of the way, it's time for

The Story So Far



"Now, all types of monsters are in total control of the earth. This is all because of a demon they call Tanzra, the one who sealed your power."

"Tanzra? Don't you mean Satan?"

"Not according to Nintendo Of America, my Lord."



"Shouldn't be too hard to manage. Nothing makes people faithful faster than a a good smiting or two… go find me a sinner and I'll warp up the ol' lightning arm."

"Um… about that, Master…"



"So there aren't any people? Well, we can fix that… buncha monsters should make a pretty good warmup. We'll just need to save a few of 'em so we can send 'em after anybody who gets heretical."

Mechanics Chat

Now that we're loose and can actually start to enter commands, I'll take a moment to talk about the sky palace menu.



Our first two options are to move the Sky Palace and Observe the People. Observing the People takes us down into sim mode and lets us interact with our cities, but we don't have any at the moment so we'll handle that in the first update.



Our second set of options is the first one we'll actually be using, which allows us to enter into a stage and perform a side scrolling segment. Each Act follows the same pattern: Initial scrolling stage, simulation time, and then second stage.



We could also select magic here if we had any. There are four magic spells in the game that can be used in action stages but are found in simulation mode if you know where to look. We'll be getting all four in the course of the game, and I'll be sure to show them off.



Our next options give us a status update of both our cities and our avatar for the action stages.



Right now we're not too impressive. Level goes up as a function of the population of our cities, granting more HP and SP. HP is the health of our avatar in action stages and the angel's health in simulation mode. SP is the fuel for our divine miracles in simulation mode, which I'll discuss at length in the first sim stage. We've got no MP, as that also comes from simulation mode in the form of Sources of Magic, which our townspeople will present to us on certain occasions.



The second status screen is for our cities, and gives us their population, growth status, level of civilization, and how many items they have waiting to be picked up. This will make a bit more sense once you see it all in action, but for now the important part is that there are six cities, which means six simulation stages and twelve action stages, plus a final boss rush. With that in mind, we can go ahead and take an aerial tour of the game world.



Our first Act takes place in Fillmore, which is a very open area with a few bushes and some forests. Each Act has a level requirement before you can enter except for this one, so your'e essentially required to start with Fillmore and get a few levels to get the hang of things.



Act II is in Bloodpool, which you can see was named by someone with a great deal of imagination. It's a very marshy land, but it's nearly as open as Fillmore otherwise and the two can actually be connected later. We were floating above the stone circle in Fillmore, but each area has one. Once we beat the first action stage in each Act this is where our temple is placed.



Act III is Kansandora, which is a bit more challenging as it's mostly desert and requires some attention to make it fertile. Kansandora is pretty much the largest area, and it's got the least obstacles and other interruptions to civilization.



Act IV is the volcano stage of Aitos, which is a rocky area with a lot of trees and boulders. It's the second smallest zone, and requires some pretty extensive cultivation to be livable.



Act V is in sunny Maranha, which is even more cramped than Aitos. It's a tropical zone with a great deal of vegetation, marshes, and a break in the two land masses. This is the smallest area, but it has a fairly decent number of secrets crammed into it.



The final Act takes places in Northwall, which is the northernmost inhabitable point on the map. Inhabitable might be a bit of a stretch, but we'll be able to work something out.




Finally we've got our progress log (not being used) and the message speed setting, which comes mercifully set up near the faster end of the spectrum. It won't be apparent in screen shots, but it's a relief for the person playing through.

Any further information will have to wait until we get started. In the meantime:

What is our name?

The people have spoken! We shall conquer under the name: