Chrono Trigger Part #46 - Update Forty Three: Free As A Black Bird

Part 46: Update Forty Three: Free As A Black Bird

Update Forty Three: Free As A Black Bird

Welcome back, folks, to Chrono Trigger! Last time, we saw how quickly shit went south for everyone after Lavos was raised and then we got captured by that son of a bitching bastard, Dalton. Today, we're going to bust out of confinement, so let's bounce.

I remember how we last got out of confinement.

Well, actually, there is something to do with that door, but I decide not to go for it.

We'll see it next time through, so don't worry. For now, though, we'll climb this ladder, see where that--

Holy shit.

Alright, quiz time! What is the only flying contraption we've seen in 12,000 BC?

The Blackbird, of course! The floating islands and shit don't count, since those are landmasses and not contraptions.

So, there's not a lot we can do from here. We need another plan.

Frog, that is an odd reaction to having the frat lady moon you.

Now, we could fake sick at the door, but instead, we'll Metal Gear this shit.

I'm fighting not to make the obvious joke here.

Let's see here; a moron and a machine sit outside of our cell.

But there's plenty of spying spots up here, as well as a few different places to get down from.

Though, security around here isn't exactly top-notch.

If those last three shots have you feeling lost and confused, don't worry! I'm lost, too, and I actually played this section!

Hmm. Let's see what other places we can sneak into.

Alright, before we go down that ladder, let's take a peek at what's there.

Approximately jack and shit; fantastic.

So let's skip a bunch of shots of me traveling through the vents (not even sure why I took them), and get to something interesting.

Also, there's a tab or two hidden around up here, but since I know how to get infinite capsules, I'm not worried about missing them.

The conveyor belts are not the interesting thing I mentioned.

Alright, let's--

Oh, good, it wasn't a vent monster chasing us.

Seriously. What a dick.

Thanks for the news flash, Robo. Thank God you were here to assess the situation.

So, Dalton went and declared himself King of whatever the hell is left in 12,000 BC, and he plans on ruling a bit of land about a mile square with a flying throne.

All twelve people who are left.

But, hey, you gotta celebrate even the small victories. They'll add up to something large sooner or later.

Skipping another small batch of shots, this is the ladder I finally go down.

For those of you not in the know, you're about to see why I chose to bring Ayla here.

You see, everyone else, for a weapon, uses some sort of tool to help them fight.

Apparently, without their weapons, everyone else forgot how to use their magic and other techniques they could fight with. Ayla is the only character currently available who can fight without a weapon; to take her weapons, they would have had to cut off her hands.

Without Ayla, this would be a true stealth section that would last until you found someone's equipment.

But with her around, these sons of bitches (who only have 150 HP, by the way, and nothing else interesting about them) don't stand a chance.

Bytes are new, despite looking identical to the lackeys that the Guardian (in 2300 AD) had with him. They have 192 HP and Defense to match, so Ayla can't one-shot them.

Very close to it, though.

And their missiles do an appreciable amount of damage. Then again, Ayla doesn't have any sort of protective gear, so maybe that damage won't be all that great when she's equipped again.

Well, I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I just saw your spine pop out of your pecker.

After that fight, we find Robo's equipment in the chest. He's now outfitted with what he had equipped before our capture.

However, there's nothing else that we have.

And something interesting here.

I guess until those characters actively participate in the battle, the game doesn't count them as actually being there. I'm thinking they might be considered inactive, like anyone still in the End of Time. I don't know if they get the 75% exp that the other inactive characters do. If they're actually considered inactive or not.

Oh, man, this Tech. This shit is fucking awesome.

How awesome, you ask?

Let's test it out and see!

(A¬Atk × 13.2) + (R¬Atk × 6.7) for damage on that, by the way. And it is awesome.

Alright, we're back in our cell. Not much goin' on here, but we can save, even if we can Shelter up.

So let's head left (I think; pretty sure it's left) and pop into this door.

Well, pal, I'm here to show you the benefits of full-auto fisting.

...In hindsight, I could have phrased that better. 3× attack damage for the formula there, but the damage isn't why we use that. It's because it looks awesome.

Heading north of there, there's another door.

Not that there's anything interesting in there. Just pointing it out.

However, in this room, there's another chest full of goodies.

For this guy, we're going to test out Ayla's new Dino Tail skill. Never mind that Tail Spin is selected in this shot.

Don't ask me how she does that. I imagine it involves a bit of the black artes here, some punching of a demon there, and taming a dinosaur through a drinking contest.

It also does more damage the lower Ayla's health is. It's one of those skills that's neat in theory, but finds very little use in actual execution.

Let's see, we've found Robo's gear, Frog's gear, and our money. We still need our items (consumables and otherwise) back, as well as Ayla's gear.

No reason for this shot, other than that it looks rad as fuck.

Some of you might be wondering why I didn't post any music with the Blackbird. It's because there is no music; just imagine some wind blowing and you know what it sounds like as you're cruising around in here.

Also, a Double Tech I got forever ago!

(F¬Atk × 3.0) + (R¬Atk × 2.4) for the damage here; not exactly great numbers, but it looks really cool.

I swear, this place is more interesting when you're actually playing.

But I've got Cure Wave to spice things up! It's a mixture of Frog's Heal and Robo's Heal Beam, restoring HP based on Frog's Mag × 24.5.

Whoo-hoo, we've got a shitload of items again! And for now, I won't be going in that door. We'll get to it later.

As we still have to find Ayla's equipment. It's not in the room I'm running past.

Nor is it in this room. But there is a ladder.

But this is the ladder I want.

Sure, I could have gotten here from the other ladder, but habit makes me use the ladder I just did.

Hey, buddy, you dead?

Ruining your fucking day, pal.

And now Ayla is kitted out again.

Let's boogie on outta here.

At this point, if you've forgotten to get anything, the game will ask and make sure you're ready to continue on. You could leave without finding a character's equipment or restoring your inventory, but that's a very stupid thing to do. Especially since the party inventory includes all of the accessories, armor and weapons, as well as the items.

For the music out here, imagine a louder wind. Also, when you move around here, you're constantly being pushed down by the wind.

Turrets are interesting enemies.

As in, they're similar to the Rubbles, but with 700 HP and an actual attack they can use.

As well as giving 500 more exp. You wouldn't think that 200 more HP would make it such a pain in the ass to kill them, but it makes a difference when you're hitting a quarter of the time.

Here's their single attack, by the way. It's a goddamned laser.

Shadow element, though, so Ayla absorbs it, thanks to her Black Plate.

Despite what this skill usually means in a Final Fantasy game, it means nothing of the sort here in Chrono Trigger.

It's just how they run away.

Five or six of these fuckers dot the outside of the Blackbird, but I leave most of them alone.

Despite having our equipment back and having killed most of the guards keeping us in check, we're still no closer to getting out of here than when we were just sitting in that cell.

However, coming down here triggers something.

Something that's coming, even.

Hey, I recognize that type of portal!

To see this fight in motion, click here!

How many of these things does Dalton have?

Whatever. Throw as many at me as you want, and I'll keep dropping robots on them.

Nothing to steal here, but this guy does have 15,000 HP, which might be the highest we've encountered yet.

Oh, balls, he's one of those count-down bosses.

But, whatever, I'm going to kick his ass.

Now, what happens if he reaches the end of that countdown? It goes pretty damn quick.

He apparently loses confidence in himself.

And if he reaches it a second time?

He has another bit of dialog here, where we find out he's afraid of heights. No, seriously, that's what it is here.

I meant to show that off, but, uh, I killed him before he could get to that part of it. Even so, the Golem Overlord is a joke fight; after enough time, his fear of heights will get to him and he runs off.

And I brutally murdered him while he was cowering in fear.

Then again, were I some sort of servant of Dalton, I think I'd rather someone just kill me and be done with it.

But we're not done here!

Also, the music here is absolutely necessary. Which is why I'm posting it.

And yeah, Dalton had some wings installed on the Epoch.

Even if he does give it a stupid name. C'mon, you jerkoff, ~~Bowser~~ Epoch is a much better name!

I think he's selling us short if he's calling us meddlesome.

Dalton begins liftoff and now we--

Wait, what?

Well, let's see what else I've got here...Will this work?

Douche.

I think Dalton's biggest problem is that his parents didn't hit him enough when he was growing up.

...Well, I'll be damned. It actually flies. I half expected the Acme Wing Kit he used to explode in his face right after takeoff.

Unimpeded by the wind right now, they go to investigate the flying time machine.

Out there, zoomin' around and shit. I hope we get that back.

Dalton, whoever told you that you were good at naming things was not looking out for your best interests.

Oh, yeah, did I mention he fucking put lasers on the Epoch? Because he put lasers on the Epoch.

However, they don't seem incredibly accurate, as our party dodges each one with ease.

I know, Frog. I wish Chrono were here; you could jab your sword into his forehead and Chrono would all electrify it and it'd be great.

So, Ayla is not pleased with Dalton right now. She has a couple of options for what course of action she can take. Does she

A) Wait for him to fly closer and throw Robo at him?
B) Summon her dinosaur tail to do the job?
C) Hope Frog and Robo come up with a plan?