Part 1: Take me down to the Fort City

Welcome to Fort City Island - Check out the cutscene.

Real quick: Italics dialog is stuff I added to character dialog, bold is just me, parentheses are character's thoughts.



We open on an overhead shot of some kind of fort island in the world of Aterra. The database states it's "A magical world which worships the Star God. The world has prospered through the power of Star Energy, bestowed by the Star God." Star Energy is just the power that let's people use magic.



A boat is approaching the island. I gotta say, I love it when anime cutscenes do bright coastal scenes. Always looks so beautiful.





And off it steps our hero, Wake Archus. That's the default name. You are able to name him yourself when you start the game.





We get another look at the fort before Wake decides to strike a shōnen hero pose, no doubt eliciting mocking laughter from all the dock workers who see this shit every time a boat full of fresh meat sails in.

-Forest-



Graaaaaaah!

Girl: Ahhh!



Immediately upon entering the forest, Wake hears the sound of careless idiots about to be monster chow.



What should we do? It's coming towards us!

We'll have to fight it!

Huh!? But we don't have any weapons!

No problem! We're Disciples, after all!

Hrraaaaah!

Here goes! Eat fist, monster!

*futile attempt to punch the sixed-eyed creature made apparently out of pure darkness*


Chlotz!

Why did you think that would work?!

Owww... Man, this thing's good. But you're right where I want... you...

Hrgh... H-Huh? I can't... stand...? Crap... I was hurt more than I thought...

Hrr hrr hrrr!

Is it laughing at me? Come on...

Chlotz!

N-No, Fuuko! It's too dangerous! Stay back!

Forest Battle - Check out the cutscene.





Things aren't looking too good. The monsters gun it straight for Fuuko.



Ahhh!





Until Wake appears and decapitates that sumbitch.



Whoah...

Chlotz is suitably impressed and also nursing his arm since he tried to punch that thing like a dumb ass.

Huh?







Wake proceeds to show off what actual competence can do.

*stock hero battle grunts*

Oh my gosh.

No way. That's crazy.

Look.









Are you alright?



Ah, yes.



Ready?! Here goes!



You saved us! Man, you're really strong!

Thank you so much! I only just got to this place, and I thought I was already gonna die.

Fuuko, thanking him's good and all, but maybe you should at least stand up first. I mean... we can see up your skirt.

Huh? ...! Eeeek!

Ow! You screamed louder than when you were being attacked by the monster...

Ugh... You jerk!



The player is occasionally given dialog options to decide how Wake should respond. He isn't a silent protagonist though. The game gives him enough dialog to establish a general character while retaining the 'Self-insert' aspect. I'll be skipping these sometimes and giving Wake his own dialog, although I will highlight any particularly amusing/weird options.

Here, I'll lend you a hand.

Th-thanks...

Can you stand?

I'll manage... Um, you're wearing that uniform. Does that mean...?

I'm Wake. The Brand of the Star God appeared on my hand... I just arrived on the island today.

I'm Chlotz. Fuuko here and I just got here, too. We were on the same boat from the mainland.

Mmhmm! I'm Fuuko. It's nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you two, too.

So we're introduced to Chlotz Genus and Fuuko Amicus. Fuuko is obviously one of our main heroines for the game, so we'll be learning plenty about her very shortly. Chlotz is essentially the Yosuke Hanamura to our Yu Narukami hero. That is, the main character helps him out one time and then he attaches himself to you like fucking glue for the rest of the game. He also has some other Yosuke traits such as perving on girls, attempting to get the main character to perv on girls, not knowing when to shut up, and getting exasperated when you give him shit for anything. However, unlike in Persona 4, our bro here will not be accompanying us into dungeons (thankfully). He will still be with us in spirit, but we'll get to that when the time comes.

I'm sorry, did you say your name was 'Chlotz'?

Uhm... Yeah, why? Have you heard of me before?

No... No I have not. Forget I said anything.

('Chlotz'? Really? What did his parents have against him?)

It was amazing how you defeated those monsters. Since we've all been given the gift of the Brand, we should follow your example.

You should start by carrying a damn weapon with you. Hell, grab a kitchen knife if you're hard up for cash. Just carry something.

The Star God sure is cruel... To think He would give us such heavy burdens when we should be enjoying youth... I mean, that moment when you look down and see the Brand suddenly on your arm... You realize that you have to toss your whole life away and move to this island.

I'm thankful to the Star God. Thanks to Him, I've been given the power to protect the world.

And kill monsters. Especially kill monsters.

...

That's... Nice.

You're a good one, aren't you? Anyway, once we get to the city, we've got to go to the Church to be tested, right?

They'll tell us what rank of Disciple our Star Energy makes us... I'm so nervous.

Well, there's no doubt that I'm going to be an S Rank. Elite Class all the way!

Huh? Isn't that the class of only the most distinguished Disciples and leaders?

Yep, that's right. Elites are the best of the best. That's why they're called Elites!

And what exactly leads you to believe you'll be one of them? You almost got taken out by a random monster before even making it to the Academy.

Well, it's in my blood, so... Never mind, it's nothing. Let's get going. Come on.

We're given the option to save here, even though you can fast forward dialog and skip cutscenes. You could easily start a new game and get back to this point in seconds.



Here we have Fort City, which is home base and where all the various facilities are located. That's all there is to be said about it right now since we only have the one option. I'll talk more about it and the icons on the left once the game actually gives us a little freedom. For now, we'll just head to the Church to proceed.



The gang arrives at the Church and are immediately met by High Priest Mattero.



We stand in a branch of the Church located at the center of the Fort City. I, Mattero, am the High Priest leading this church.

...Is the High Priest someone important?

I've heard that they're the most important people in the churches in each area...

Guess that makes him pretty important, then...



Now...First I must ask that you three show proof that you are indeed Disciples.

We move into the Ritual Hall so that Mattero can confirm our protagonists are actually legit and not just here on a monster infested fortress island for shits and giggles. I guess?



Uh... We already know we have these Brands. Why are you both awestruck? You guys weren't out in that forest getting high were you?



I believe there is no need to explain...But it is your duty to exterminate the creatures of Dusk with your holy powers.

I'll fight with all I have.

I will kill them all.

Mm, I expect great things from you all.

And possibly a counseling appointment for that boy in the middle.

Umm...

What is it?

This holy power only Disciples have... Exactly what is it again?

Good heavens... Didn't your school teach you anything? Very well, listen closely. The Dusk Circles have been appearing in this world over the past twenty years. The monsters that poured forth from them raised havoc among the people. These creatures could not be defeated with the meager amount of Star Energy we had. But, the Star God began to lend His might to a lucky few among us. In bestowing you Disciples with holy power, He marked you with the Star Brand.

Now, listen carefully... The creation of the Dusk Circles is a direct result of Man's growing desires. The first Dusk Circle appeared here on this island, and represents our cardinal sins. Accordingly, Dusk Circles representing the 7 deadly sins appeared around the world.

So we have 7 Dusk Circles, representing the 7 deadly sins, along with 7 heroines. See where this is going? If you said 'nowhere at all', then congratulations! You're right!



Ohh! It's finally time!

I have high hopes that you will all be selected as the Elite "Nemesis Hunters."

(It can't be...)

What are those?

It means "those who hunt with a vengeance." It's become a nickname for the Elite class.

That's a relief. For a second there I thought we were about to suit up in our STARS jackets.

You are an odd young man. Regardless...

As I have said, the Qualifying Exam is held at the AngelMarker R&D. Go there, and seek out Chief Ruby, who is in charge of administering the examination.

We'll do our best!

*Wake, Fuuko, and Chlotz leave*

My, we have some truly...*clears throat* well-developed female Disciples this year.

Mattero is our pervy old guy. It's basically JRPG law that once you hit your 60's you have to creepily perv on young women. The game takes a few twists with some of the characters on display here, but Mattero is unfortunately not one of those cases. How fucking mind blowing would it be if Mattero was actually just a perfectly respectable and universally likable authority character? But no, he's old so therefore a perv.



That old coot seemed kind of fishy.

...You think so?

Fishy is not the word I would have used, but sure, let's go with that for now.

Even so, you shouldn't be asking basic questions like that of a Church elder. Did you ever attend classes wherever you grew up, Chlotz?

What, do you want to test me? Go ahead, ask me anything.



Then tell us about Disciples, Mr. Encyclopedia.

Sure thing. Disciples are people like us, who receive the Star Brand through the Star God. The Brand indicates that we've been granted more Star Energy than the average person. By the way, I received my Brand when I was taking a bath. I felt something like lightning run up my arm, and I looked down... and there it was!

Made you feel like you were being electrocuted while you were in the water? The Star God really punked you there, man.

I told you He's cruel.

Additionally, only people between the ages of 16 and 18 receive the Star Brand. The Brand disappears before we reach maturity, and our holy power goes with it.

That last part, and the Star Brand/Star Energy connection in general, is a little dodgy I recall. I'll get into that when specific moments pop up. There's also a good chance I'm just not remembering some hand wave the game does at some point.

The Star God has bestowed His power on us since the first Dusk Circle, twenty years ago.

Is there anything else you wanna ask about?

Asking about monsters just provides a basic rundown about what this world is dealing with. Monsters have always existed in this world, but twenty years ago they got way stronger and started spawning in bigger numbers because of an increase in Dusk Energy and the appearance of Dusk Circles. There are eight open circles in the world with the largest and oldest one being in Fort City. Monsters and monster nests are constantly spawning from them and there's basically jack shit humans can do about it other than stem the tide, even with the Star Energy provided by the Star God. The reason for that will be explained soon. Also, not all of the Dusk Circles are completely active yet, so there's a bunch of ticking time bombs just sitting in various parts of the world.

Alright, alright. You've proven that you're not as dumb as you act.

Come on man, don't be a dick about it. I was totally being helpful.

Well, now that we all know that I did get an education... Let's head to where the Qualifying Exam is being held!



So this is where we'll be taking the Qualifying Exam.

Fancy.

It sure looks like the place.



Excuse me.



Kind of thought that would be obvious with our uniforms.

Come on Wake, be nice.

We're new Disciples, here to take the Qualifying Exam.

New Disciples? Oh, good. Welcome to AngelMarker R&D. I'm Mark, a researcher here.

This is Mark Flask, and he is a pretty cool dude. As one of the lead researchers at the lab, we'll be seeing a lot of him. He is genuinely helpful and I don't recall him having any annoying quirks. He apparently just sucks at naming inventions/creations.

Nice to meet you!

Likewise. Sorry about the snark, it's a habit.

Oh, no worries. If I let little quirks like that bother me I would have been out of this job long ago.

Huh? Why is that?

Oh, uh... Just thinking aloud. Don't mind me. More importantly...

Chief Ruby! The Disciples have arrived!



And here we have Ruby Coiler. Ruby is...well she's not exactly an irritating character, but she has a pretty glaring weakness that won't be revealed until later in the game and the ramifications it brings won't be fun.

Good Stars...! That is one smokin' hot tomater!

Keep it in both your pants and head, Chlotz.

Right?

Chlotz, your inner thoughts are falling out through your mouth.

You're an honest young lad. I like that. I might have a nice reward for you later.

S-seriously?

Hot damn!

Oh yeah, and she is also an authority figure that acts questionably around the academy students, like Mattero does. The database describes it as a "penchant for teasing her subordinates", but let's call it how we see it. She is using her looks and the fact that teenagers are horndogs to get the guys into doing shit for her. We'll run into an example as soon as we get to the Academy proper.

(Great, less than a minute and Chlotz has eagerly wrapped himself around her finger. Are there any authority figures here that aren't future inmates?)

Don't tease the new meat, Ruby.

I know, I know.

*whispering* I'll have plenty of time for that later.

Chief!

Right, moving on.

So, you're the new Disciples that were scheduled for today. Mattero's told us about you. I've already confirmed your identities with your names and faces. I hope we get along.

I hope so too.

Chlotz, tone it down. She would eat you alive.

Sweet.

Not a good thing, champ.

Let's see... Is there anything you'd like to know before we administer the Exam?

More question time!



Well... (Better get some information about this place. Might come in handy when I inevitably have to rescue Chlotz from some freaky sex dungeon.)

What's the deal with this lab?

Very well. This research lab is completely financed by AngelMarker Industries. It's actually under the direct management of AngelMarker. We mainly develop new means of fighting against monsters here. Is there anything else?

She doesn't get into it much, but here's a quick database entry. "AngelMarker Industries is a world-renowned company. They are a main source of funding for the Academy, and have many connections to the Church and the government." I don't think what they did prior to 20 years ago is elaborated on, but they basically swooped in when this whole monster business took off and started establishing themselves as saviours by building up counters to the monsters. They are a big deal in this world.

Chlotz keeps rambling about ranks. What are they exactly?

All Disciples that are transferred to this Academy undergo a Qualifying Exam. The results of this exam determine the classes you will belong to. Students are divided into either Standard or Elite classes. Elite Disciples are ranked from A to F. There is also an S Rank of Elites: a very few people with outstanding skills. These Disciples are considered to be especially exceptional here at the Academy.

Wow. You're really setting those sights high Chlotz. Might want to temper your expectations a bit.

No way, that describes me to a tee. Just you watch.

How many S Rank Disciples are there?



That's really low!

That's pretty Elite all right. Seriously Chlotz, lower that bar for yourself.

Shut up! I-I can still make it... maybe.

Still, Disciples who perform well on their Qualifying Exam can increase in Rank. I hope you all work hard to become S Rank Disciples.

Especially you Chlotz. Make sure you give me everything you've got.

Alright, I think that's enough for one day.

I'm with Fuuko. Let's just get this over with so the two of us can get the hell out of here.

Let's move on to the Qualifying Exam, then. Chlotz, you're first.

Of course.

Then Fuuko, and you'll be last, Wake.

Alright! S Rank, here I come!

Chlotz is up. So how does Mr. "I'm going to be Hokage, believe it!" score?

There, you're done. You are in the Elite class, Chlotz. Your rank is B, Congratulations.

...Seriously? I'm not an S Rank!? No way!

A shame too, I was expecting more out of you.

Damn it... Come on, Star God! Why couldn't you just let me have this?

That's still impressive. You're an Elite!

Stop being such a baby just because you didn't get an extra gold star.

Don't you think so, too?

Gotta side with Fuuko on this one. Better than being standard class, right?

I'm not as good as I wanted though...

Hey, I told you to lower that bar. Not our fault that you ran headfirst into it instead.



Male Disciples usually average around 50, so it is rather impressive.

Mm, there may be hope for you yet.

Really? Hear that Wake!? 60! Beat that.

Yes Chlotz, we're all proud of you for being slightly above average.

There are six magic elements in this world: Fire/Water/Wind/Earth/Ether(Light)/Dusk(Dark). Ether is the only element that can harness Star Energy, and Star Energy cannot circulate in places without Ether. People in those Etherless regions are hosed when it comes to using magic.

You're next, Fuuko. Come on into the simulator.

I'll do my best!

Fuuko is up next. How will she stack up? I'm kidding, she's a main heroine. We already know her rank.

Impressive results. She has a great deal of Star Energy.

Amazing, Fuuko! You're not only an Elite as well, but you're an S Rank!

Seriously...?

Why do you have to keep dumping on me Star God?



This is some kind of joke, right?

Physical fitness isn't an indication of a Disciple's natural gifts.

And no, the fact that the current S Rank Disciples are all slim and battle ready does not disprove that.

Bastard. Cutting me off at the pass, huh?

It's a habit.

Also, according to the Church's records... Female Disciples with a great deal of Star Energy are more likely to be S Rank. The Academy now has another S Rank Disciple among its ranks. This is a great day.

It certainly is. We finally have a replacement for Sarah. May she rest in peace.

Should I be concerned about that comment?!

Heavens no. Just thinking out loud again. Pay it no mind.

Well... In any case, I'm glad for you Fuuko. And I'm not just saying that because the look on Chlotz's face was hilarious.

But will I really be okay being an S Rank?

Man, I'm so jealous! You're seriously lucky!



I think Sarah made that pretty clear.

Well, you're last. We've had a good run today, so let's finish this with a bang.

Make sure it's-

Stop doing that.

*sighs* You're no fun at all.



We're going to use a simulator to examine you. When the holographic target is displayed, attack it with all your might. We will monitor that and calculate your abilities. Let's get started.

There's a brief bit of actual gameplay here, but all it does is tell you how to move the camera and open a door. Then you enter a "battle" where the only two options are 'Press Attack' and 'Move to a different spot and Press Attack there'. There's another tutorial fight in a bit that actually gives us some kind of information, so I'm going to slot a piece of that one in now to give us a break from dialog.



To quickly go over what we've got here, dungeons work very similarly to other dungeon-crawlers. Floors are randomized every time, and you run from room to room looking for items and battling. The goal in these Labyrinths is to reach that portal we see in front of us. In this case it gets us out of the test dungeon, but in actual gameplay these portals will mostly be leading to the next floor. Also, the 3D portions look like blurry ass since this wasn't optimized for PC. This is the closest to the Vita's screen size it can get. There's also near constant movement which makes screenshotting a pain.



Enemies are visible when in a room (they don't appear in connecting corridors as far as I recall). Running into them starts a battle. It's all very basic stuff. The enemies are capable of pulling some dick moves later on, but I'll highlight those when they happen. These test enemies just slowly roam around the area.



Here we have the battle screen. The blue arrow along the top right is indicating which direction the selected units are attacking from. All enemies have a weak spot somewhere, with some having multiple, that will cause bonus damage. The blue attack direction arrow turns red when you select an angle of attack that will hit the monster's weak spot.



I've taken these screens from a tutorial later on. In the actual game, this tutorial just gives you a rundown on camera controls and then asks you to press attack. It's a little confusing as to why they bothered with it at all, since it tells us nothing of real importance. Because the full battle tutorial is a little lengthy, we'll stop it here for now. I'll go over it in detail later, probably in a post dedicated to it. This is all we need to know for the time being.

-Laboratory-



A, huh...

Kind of disappointing to be honest...

Hrgh... That's higher than mine. Not bad, man!

Wow, thanks Chlotz! You sure are supportive!

I hate you so much right now.

I know, and that amuses me.

We're all Elites! Don't start complaining about not being super on your first day.

We just went over this with Chlotz.

Yeah, you're right. At least I've got a goal I can work towards. That's good motivation.

Oh, hold on a moment. Before you exit the simulator, we're going to calculate your Ether Count.

Can you at least let me have this one, Star God? Please? I promise to pray extra hard to you.

*screen flashes. Laboratory shakes. Warning sirens/beeps going off*



What's wrong? ...What the--? His Ether Count is... It's more than 1500! It's off the scale!

Oh, fuck you Star God!

Is the Renda malfunctioning?

No, this isn't a malfunction. His body is generating a fantastic amount of Ether!

H-Hey guys?! I'm not going to explode or something am I?!

I-I'd really like to know that too, actually!

Seconded!

You're kidding, right? This is over 30 times the average Ether Count...

The Ether detector can't take any more!

Still waiting on that answer!

Same here!

*Shaking stops. There's a short-circuit noise, then a fizzling sound*

...

Good, I'm still in one piece. Someone mind explaining what that was all about?

Don't tell me, is this boy...?

He has to be. He's the one the Church has been waiting for...



This is how the game normally gets around referring to Wake by name in voice acted segments, since his name can be changed. It's similar to how the Persona protagonists are referred to as 'Leader', or how Tidus in Final Fantasy X is 'that moron over there'. Wake will be referred to as 'God's Gift'. Not all the time mind you, they still have moments where his name will show up in dialog and the character voicing the line will just cut it short or omit his name.

Uhh... what?

As you know, Ether Density is extremely low within Dusk Circles. That's why Disciples can't use their Star Energy in them and can't fight properly. Because of this... We've only been able to intercept monsters that leave the circles.

So ignoring the fact that Ruby just pulled an 'As you know', we learn that this is the reason why humanity has been kind of boned these last 20 years. Dusk Circles have very little Ether, which means that Star Energy is useless in there (it needs Ether to circulate). The pitiful amount of Ether in the male Disciples hasn't been enough to overcome that either. So Disciples can't fight effectively in there, even with their Star God boosted Brand powers. This is a problem, since the dusk circles are kinda the source of the monster issue.

But your body is naturally exuding an incredible amount of Ether. So much so that it's possible to create a battlefield within the Dusk Circles.

Um... Is it safe for us to be standing next to him?

Trust me, the closer you stand to him the safer you'll be.

*grips on to Wake's arm*

I'm going to ask you to stop doing that.

*grips Wake's other arm*

You have 5 seconds before I knock you out.

This means that you can fill the space around you with Ether, even inside the Circles. So much so that you can use Star Energy there. If other Disciples and Star Children are by your side, they can fight as well.

That sounds... great!

He's the greatest ray of hope since the Dusk Circles were born.

That's a pretty heavy statement to lay on me Chief.

I've never even heard of such a thing until now.

There's never been a male Disciple who created this much Ether. Never. You truly are a gift from God.

Getting really uncomfortable now. You guys aren't about to start kneeling at my feet, are you?

The significance of this is so great that I can't even bring myself to innuendo that.

Man, I have some amazing classmates.

Just so happy for all of you.

Since you're a God's Gift, I'm going to give you this.



It's a special device that male Disciples with high Ether Counts can equip. All weapons you use while using this will be strengthened further by your Ether.

That's so cool! I want one too, Chief Ruby!

Your Ether Count isn't high enough to make it effective. You won't get any result from having one.

I... Oh.

But my Ether Count is higher than average...

And Fuuko, this is for you.



They're advanced weapons that compress the wielder's Star Energy into coherent energy.

Wow! That's awesome!

These are specially made for S Rank Disciples with high amounts of Star Energy. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they've been made for people like you.

Oh... I hope I'll be able to master such expensive-looking weapons.

What's to master? They're guns. As long as you don't point them at your face like a dumb ass then you're pretty much golden. They don't seem to have finite ammo, so spray and pray away baby.

I really don't think that's a good idea...

One more thing about the Ether Amp and the Dusk Breakers. This is an innovative feature, so I hope I don't gush over it too much.

I'd prefer it if you didn't gush over it at all, or anything else for that matter.

Don't be like that. I have a feeling you're going to love this.

Activating it during battle absorbs holy power from the wielder's Brand. It then envelops the user's body with a combat suit.

Yeeeeesssss...

In other words, it puts you into battle mode.

Th-That's so cool! You can even transform in a fight, too!?

I am one hundred percent on board with this God's Gift shit now.

Chief Ruby, please! I really want one, too!

You'll be issued a mass-produced Dusk Breaker later.

That's not fair. I say this is Rank discrimination!

Seriously. Did I accidentally kick a shrine on the way over here?

Chief Ruby, I've finished the report to the Church.

Thanks.

You make me feel so appreciated Chief.

Hm? What was that?

Nothing.

I'm sorry for the trouble, but we'd like you to return to the Church right now. It seems Mattero wishes to speak with you regarding "Classmating".

Class-whatting?

Alright! Let's hurry back to the old guy's place!

Y-Yeah! You guys have fun. I'm going to go and... train for a bit...

Chlotz, we were told that you don't need to come.

Huh!? Why not!?



That includes you Fuuko.

Darn it...

*sniff* That's not cool... This really is Rank discrimination...

Also, you three are all second-years, correct? The Elites are divided into one class per year, so you'll all be in the same class. Make sure you get along well together. Now, hurry up and get going. I'm sure Mattero is waiting for you.

Sure... thanks...

And we will (mercifully) stop there for today. Join in next time as Wake continues to get bashed in the face with a copy of Encyclopedia Aterra, Chlotz finally pisses off for a while, and we learn where babies come from. Who knows? Maybe we'll finally be able to start playing the game and get cracking on this whole monster problem (Hint: Not likely).