Part 9: Chapter VIII: Momo and Her Surprising Lack of Daddy Issues

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I AM REBORN! Only instead of ashes it's phlegm and vomit

Chapter VIII: Momo and Her Surprising Lack of Daddy Issues

Yep, still physical attacks only




This is Momo, our newest party member. Her strength isn't the best, but her weapons are obscenely powerful. Her weakest weapon has 50 strength. To put that in perspective, Ken's Claymore, which will last him throughout the entire first half of the game, only has 43. She has a great Intelligence score too. And her repetoire of spells consists of healing, assist, and a couple earth attack spells. She's very much a jack of all trades, but her defense could use a little work. She also has the lowest accuracy in the game, an awful 70/100




In the next room, we come across a puzzle. To start it, read this plaque. Basically, you wanna walk on the tiles until they're all gray. It's fairly easy. The only stipulation is that you can't step on the tile you just left.



After solving the puzzle, the door opens and we can get a Skill Ink, a Flame Chrysm, and an Ice Chrysm. Momo can shove these last two in her bazooka to change the element of her attack. In addition to sheer power, a lot of Momo's weapons have some kind of added effect, and they're all pretty useful.

This plaque gives us a clue to the next puzzle.



These are Ice Toads



And this is Ice Breath. All offensive breath attacks in this game are based off your HP stat. And it's not a Current HP/Max HP formula either. It's a straight up HP total. Say for example, Dragon!Ken uses Flame Breath (Which you'll see later in the update). It will do more damage at 200/200 HP than it will at 100/100 HP. It's really the only reason to focus on HP.



And right now, it'll wreck your shit. If I hadn't gotten lucky in hitting both before they cast it, this could have very easily ended with a Game Over. But now, Ken and Momo needs to be healed, and since items are out of the question, I brainstorm for a minute and get an idea.

Which I, uh, neglected to get a picture of right now. But there's one later.



Here's the next puzzle. We wanna hit the switches below the cubes that match the one on the far end. From left to right it's numbers 2 and 4.



The next puzzle is easy. Every RPG ever has had this puzzle. The platforms start caddy-corner to each other, and the switches move them around to help you get across. Hell, Lufia II had this (which is a game I really need to get around to finishing someday).



These are Hyper Bots. If you see them, run the FUCK away. Especially if they're in groups. They're Blitz Skill (which can be learned, but there's better ways to do it) will slaughter you if you're not prepared for it. But in return, it halves their HP, making them easier to kill.



In that door we find Moon Tears. Moon Tears are the single best healing item in the game. They fully restore the entire party's HP and status. Save these for a rainy day.




A couple floors up we come across a floating platform puzzle.



Basically, Nina's wand is used to charge that crystal. The more times you charge it, the further the (off screen) orange platform moves.




The Breastplate is a great body armor for Ken and Momo, but we stick with the Chain Cap and Crepe Cape. At the very least, it'll sell for a pretty penny.

The Ivory Dice I have big plans for...



And it's here that I remember to get a picture of how I've been healing. Throw the Ice Chrysm on Momo, slap the Ring of Ice on whoever needs healing, and go to town. I think the medical industry would be much better if doctors healed us through bazookas. At the very least it would be more hilarious.



And this brings us to the final puzzle of the Tower, thank god. I hate this place. See those beams? If you run into it, the character will be poisoned. But hit the crystal with Nina's staff and...



The beams move. It's simple.



And our reward is the best room in the game.



: This room is where my father used to work...

: There's a hidden exit in here...? Cool...

: You bet! My dad was really something! He was the greatest engineer in the whole world! And before he died, he told me he'd made an escape device... and had hidden it in the tower!








They missed a golden opportunity to examine the bed and have the party find it sticky.



A siren sounds, and the bookcases separate revealing...something.





Porn AND a rocket?! I wanna move in!

: Wow! Only my dad could've made something like this...!

: ...But why did he build something to get away like this?

: Just because, I guess... My dad loved machines. Come on, let's take a look at it! Let's see, we ignite it here... I wonder what it does...Gee, I'm so excited! Oh boy!



Everyone grabs hold.

: OK everyone ready? Here we go... 3... 2... 1... Go!





I think by now, this is par for the course for Ken. Nothing's really gone right for him in his short life so far.



: Ah... ...ah... ...ouch ...looks like the landings... need a little work... ...What's this? It's the instruction manual...Let's see......... Whoops! It says there's only supposed to be one passenger! It also says... ...to make sure to open the roof hatch before take-off... Well, aside from that it worked, didn't it? I mean, it worked... pretty good, right? All right... Come on! If we stand around like this they'll catch up with us!

Lucky for us, we land next to another Dragon Gene, the Thorn Gene. And I promise you'll see this stuff in action this update.



The map forces us to go to this coffee shop. God bless coffee. If it were possible to fall in love with a beverage, I would be in a sister-wife situation with all the various coffee beverages. But for now I'll settle for the hot guy at the coffee shop who gives me free drinks when his boss isn't there.




Waitress: Hello! Are you stuck in town too? No? I asked because there's some strange fellows checking everyone on the Road and no one can get through to Wyndia. 'Course, that means we get more customers.

Gee, wonder who that could be?

: It must be the men who are after you...



Man: Excuse me, but... are you Momo? Long time no see! It's me...Palet!

: Yes, I'm Momo... But I don't know who you are!

Palet: It... it's me... I'm the director of the plant your father built...

: It may have been my father who came up with the idea of using chrysm ore to breed stronger crops... But he died before the plant was finished being built...

Palet: Yes, exactly! Ever since your father Repsol passed away, we've been having nothing but trouble with the machines at the plant...

: I'll bet! Only my father would be able to make and use a machine like that, one that uses chrysm to make crops grow faster!

Palet: I won't... I can't deny that... That's why I wonder if you, Momo, could help us? You're familiar with all your father's work, aren't you?

: I'd be glad to help... So...I can have access to the machines then?

Palet: Yes, of course! Oh, thank you so much, Momo! I'll see you at the plant, then.

And Palet wanders off. something seems off about him though. He seemed to get fidgety when talking about Repsol. I wonder what that's about.



: Excuse me, Momo? I'm not sure if I understood all of that...

: Well, you see... There's this plant where they use chrysm to grow plants, see... And my father helped build it... And since they're my father's machines, well, I thought maybe I'd help them out a little bit... I mean, it's not like we'll be getting anywhere on the road for a while, right?

Makes sense. It's on the way, too. And it's the least we could do to pay her back for helping us.



And above the coffee shop is the reason why we've been stockpiling weapons. D'lonzo here is our newest Master, and for her to teach you, you need to have 15 weapons unequipped in your inventory. That's why we haven't sold any of them and bought a second Mace for Nina so she could have one equipped and one in the inventory. It's possible to have 16 weapons by this point.

Here's D'lonzo's stat changes, but we're not gonna take her up on her offer just yet:

- Power+1
- Agility+1
- HP-1
- AP-2
Surprise and Dodge + 10, Accuracy + 5




A little further west, we reach the Plant. The same music from McNeil Farm plays here.



Most of the NPCs talk about how chrysm makes the veggies grow faster, they still taste weird. Or about how cheap they are to buy.



And after going through the tedious conveyor belts, we find Palet. Who looks vaguely dog-like to me.

Palet: We've been expecting you! I tell you, it was pure luck to have met you there, Momo! As you know, I worked as your father's assistant when he built these reactors.

: Whatever...now, which machine needs fixing?

Palet: Heh heh heh... Well, I've been meaning to tell you... We managed to fix the machines ourselves. What I want your help with is... Well, take a look at that...




I heart Momo.

: How cute...What is it?

Palet: C-c-c-cute!? How can you say that? We can't sell things like that, so we take them to the disposal area... But several days ago... As we were collecting the crops to be processed and disposed of at the dump, well, um, how should I say it...

: You found a mutant like that one?

Palet: Exactly! A huge mutant... Everyone's afraid of it and won't go near the dump anymore.

: It got mixed in with the chrysm ore?

Palet: Yes... so... We have no idea what we should do with it...

: All right... We'll take care of it. I mean, this wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for my father's reactors, right?





Nina and Ken get bored during this scene and it's just so

Palet: The disposal area is inside the mountain to the west of here... I'll make arrangements for your visit.



But first, a pitstop.



...a feeling of awe overcomes you

We'll be back here in a little bit.



This is our next destination. It's a short dungeon, but it's full of new enemies, a boss fight, and our next party member.




These are Eye Bulbs. They start each battle by casting Silence on your party. It works the same way as it does in every other RPG, it stops you from using magic. After this dungeon it's a non-issue. They also restore HP each round.

Oh right, the music



Slugs cast Chlorine, which does miniscule damage and poisons one target. Beyond that, they're nothing.



The name of the game here is conveyor belts. Hit switches to move the crates and get the few treasures here.



Fire Slugs are the counterpart to Ice Toads, they cast Fire Breath. It's still just as dangerous.



Rank Weeds and Pain Weeds tend to appear as a pair. Pain Weeds absorb all elemental magic, and Rank Weeds have high defense. That's all there is to say about them.



Our last new enemy of the day is the Bomber. Bombers and their pallet swaps are the most fucking annoying enemies in the game. In addition to high defense, these guys use Air Raid, a damaging physical attack that has a good chance of cancelling the targets action. It's learnable, so if you wanna use it make sure to give it to someone speedy.



Flip this lever until the crate is just barely connecting the two platforms.



The Artemis' Cap increases accuracy by 10. It's tailor-made for Momo and should almost always be equipped.



And alongside the magma pool, we find this, which we give to Ken. It ups AP by 1.



And here's our destination.



: Wow! Look at that! That...thing...is moving! Who would have believed it... that chrysm energy could mutate a lifeform like this! If my father were here to see this, what would he say? Too bad you never met him... It's a shame to get rid of it, but...I guess we should chop it up... and throw it into the magma.



And it wakes up.

: It talks? That mutant plant can talk!?

Mutant: Mutant plant? Am I a mutant?

: No! Well...um, actually, some might call you that, but I think you're wonderful! It would be a shame to dispose of a specimen like you...

Mutant: 'Dispose'... You mean you're going to kill me? Please...don't... please...stop...

And our next boss fight begins. Being a plant, it's weak to fire so make sure that's what Momo is packing.



And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Dragon talk.

Once Sunder stabs Ken at Mount Myrneg, this ability appears in Ken's list. Select it to open this screen.



When Sunder stabs you, you get the Flame Gene, in the upper left. When we jumped off Mont Boumore, we got the Defender, just below that. Reverse was the one in the field just after that (it's on the far right), and next to that is the Thorn Gene, found at the rocket crash site. All together, there are 18 Genes. 5 are handed to you by the plot, but as long as you explore everywhere you can't miss them. A ton are even out in the open.

Anyway, here you can combine up to 3 Genes and create a unique dragon form. Typically, the first row is elements, the second is characteristics, and the third row is forms. Any form you've used gets put in the Data section, and from there you can put it in the Best category for forms you use often.

This time, we'll choose the Flame + Thorn Genes. The combination costs 13 AP, and then 7 AP a round to keep up (half the transformed AP rounded up). Flame on it's own creates a red Whelp (the dragon from the prologue but red). Combining it with another creates a full blown Dragon, and the Thorn Gene makes it so it absorbs Fire. If I had chosen the Defender Gene instead, it would have simply nullified fire.





And voila! Dragon. You'll get the name of the form you're getting as you transform for future reference. There's a ton of combinations in this game, and I'll do my best to show every form the game has. It's one of the main reasons why it's near impossible to screw Ken up. This gives him versatility unlike any RPG character in history.



This is his ability list. I usually stick to the Claw attacks, but the Breath attacks are fucking cool as hell to see.



Like so.

Now, back to the boss fight. At the end of each round the Mutant regenerates 250 HP. It has 500 max. This is a Bad Thing.



And after using flame elemental attacks, you get this message. Get it a few times and this pops up.



And just go to town.



Mutant has access to Venom Breath (which he didn't use this time) and Dream Breath (pictured). Dream breath puts the party to sleep, and unfortunately hits Ken and Momo, dragging the fight on.



This is Flame Claw, the attack that finishes this boss off.



Mutant: I'm sorry... I couldn't stop myself from... attacking... you... My body just moved... on its own...

: No worries! Besides a mutant that can talk and move around-- what an amazing discovery! If only my father could see this...

Mutant: .........Discovery? No...You cannot tell them about me. I have something to ask of you...

Scene change



: Do we really have to do this? It's such a waste...

Mutant: You came here to 'dispose' of the 'mutant', didn't you?

: Well, yes, we did... But we didn't know you were alive...

Mutant: No...I should be destroyed I was never meant to be... I should never have been born... Please, turn the conveyor on...



Nina is a bit confused by all this, but still not thrilled.



Momo understands, but doesn't like it either.



An attempt at humor in a dark scene. Hit the blue switch and send the belt going the other way.





: Wait! You don't have to do this! I promise I won't tell anyone about you... Just let me study you!

Mutant: The desire to know is not necessarily wrong, but......... Remember that if you're...not... careful...one mistake ...and you'll
create monsters...far worse than I...

...
...



What the fuck?






Have I mentioned lately that I love this game? Because I really do.




Well yeah, we did just kill his dad.

Ken, understandably, freaks the hell out and slashes at him.

: W... wait, Ryu! The mutant entrusted this...baby...to us! I think I understand... He left you to us as a reminder never to make another like him!



"He seems sad..."

: He can't talk, can he, Momo?

: Looks that way But...I'd bet anything That the mutant wanted us to take him with us--don't you think?



: Why don't we call him...Peco? I mean, he does look like an onion, right?

To this day, I have no idea what this line means.

And thus did Peco join the party. And monsters everywhere felt a chill run down their spines...but for now, he has one purpose. We don't have the means to break him just yet.



He can talk to Yggdrasil. Give him a Wisdom Fruit and he'll become a Master, and he's a pretty good one. Here's his stat changes:

- AP+1
- Defense+1
- Intelligence+2
- HP-1
- Power-2
Flame resistance -1

And we put Nina under him, which means it's time to level her up a bit. But in the meantime...

What is my new gameplay change?
Do I put Momo under D'lonzo or Yggdrasil?