Part 2: Smashing Through SCSI Domain

Through some mystic time traveling or something, we're now following Thor and his DemiDevimon Mjolnir on their adventures


Before setting out, we need to stock up on items.


HP and MP Disks restore your Digimon's health. The Anti items cure status effects. Parts Fix repairs a broken part on your Digi-Beetle -- some traps can disable parts and make you unable to see, move, or do other important things. Mech Fix restores Beetle HP, and EP Packs restore Beetle EP.

EP Packs are the most important item to get now, as our basic Beetle only has 100 EP. This isn't enough to even finish the first dungeon.


There's another shop on the other side of the room selling different items, mostly specific for Virus-type Digimon. The ROM items restore HP, MP and revive a Virus-type on your team. The Kickboard and Skateboard are Gift items, used to capture wild Digimon. Steel and Macho are buffs, and the Candy and Weak (on the second page) are debuffs against Data-type enemies.


You need to transfer your items from the Server to your Beetle so they can be used in dungeons. Right now our Beetle has a whopping eight inventory slots. Since we're in the menu, let's have a look at the other screens.




Here's our team's general information. The only new things are the Bug box, which would tell us if we had a Bug on our Beetle in a dungeon, and the Rank box, which gives us our current Tamer rank.


This is an overview of the equipment on our Digi-Beetle. There's a lot of blank spaces to add things, and our parts can be upgraded once we get the cash.


Key items. Nothing special.


Going into our Digimon menu, we can see what Digimon we have on our team, both in the Beetle and stored on the Server. We just have the one now, so here he is. Nothing amazing, since he's at EL 1. His Parents section is blank since he was handed to us instead of getting him as a product of a DNA Digivolution, but those will come later.


His tech is a bit expensive for him now, he can only attack four times with it.


The Digi-Line is the last important part for when we get a larger party. Our Beetle can hold more than the three Digimon allowed in battle, and this allows you to switch mons in and out.


Jerk. This happens at whatever two Guard Teams that you don't join. We'll explore the rest of Digital City as the buildings become relevant to our adventure. Let's head to the Gate and check out the side room before leaving.


This guy lets us assemble and upgrade our Digi-Beetle. We'll be back to see him once we get 500 BITs to upgrade our Battery. You want as much EP as possible.


These two guys are the Ammo and Parts vendors. Ammo will be required later to remove traps in our way, and we'll buy new Parts for our Digi-Beetle once we have the cash.


Every time we want to leave the City, we need to talk to Carol, mash through four text boxes, and wait through a screen transition.


SCSI Domain is our destination, though Boot Domain is still open if we want to go poke around at Digimon there. The Gazimon and Gizamon we fought before were EL 5, so this isn't a good idea.


All dungeons are going to be randomly generated now...sort of. It's random what room you start in, where the floor portal is, and if there are items, but you see the same layouts often. The number of floors never change, though. SCSI Domain has 4 floors total, with six different Digimon to fight not including the boss. We can only catch the Virus ones right now, which are on later floors. The enemy in this room with me is a Vaccine-type Tapirmon.


Instead of wasting precious EP to go to him, I press X to investigate the square ahead of me. This counts as a turn, and the enemy marches my way.


Mjolnir is a tad slow, but his attack takes out the Tapirmon in two shots.


Low experience gain! One reason why the game is so grindy. Mjolnir also only has 7 HP left from the first battle, and I'm not wasting a 40 HP recovery disk on that.


Luckily when we're in dungeons, the Save option turns to Auto Pilot, which automatically and safely brings us back to the city.


Three text boxes and two transitions here. Remember, this happens every time. Our Digimon are fully healed when we return to the City. Time to dip into the dungeon to grind up levels before tackling the whole thing! Luckily you get fully healed upon leveling up, so it's not TOO bad.


Much better. I also already have enough cash to upgrade my battery. It's only an increase of 100 EP, but when you can barely get past the first floor of the first dungeon before using an EP Pack, every bit helps.


While floor 1 of SCSI was home to Vaccine Digimon, floor 2 has Virus types for us to capture, in this case it's SnowGoburimon. Pressing square with enemies in the room brings up this menu.


And pressing X brings up this one. We can pick what Gift to fling over to the enemy Digimon.


After two Skateboards, he's got a giant heart over his head. The bigger the heart, the higher the chance the Digimon will join you after battle. Yes, you have to punch the guts out of them before they'll join.


You have the option to not let it join, in case it's a team of multiple enemies and the wrong one asks you to join or something.


He seems like a Fred to me. You need to go through the Digi-Line menu to put them in your battle line, or else they just be chilling in your Beetle.


A couple more trips back and forth to get money for more gifts lets us befriend a Betamon too. Leveling the team to around EL 5 or 6 will be good for the boss.


I wasn't able to disarm the trap, but luckily nothing was damaged. The better the Hand equipped on your Digi-Beetle, the easier it is to disarm traps. By the way, the third floor is where you find Data-type Digimon.


The boss here is Hagurumon, and he's got a bit of an advantage by fighting us on a floor of his specialty, Machine.

Hagurumon: I'm Hagurumon, Boss of SCSI Domain, will crush you! This is it for you...Gzzz...!

: That's what you think! I'll show you. Go ahead make my DAY!

This game follows in the tradition of Digimon games having weird translations.


With a team of three leveled Digimon, Hagurumon isn't much of a problem, going down in two rounds.


Even this comparatively good amount of experience isn't enough to level anyone.



: My mission is complete! Now I must go back to the City and report this to our Leader!



: The Black Sword Leader has been waiting for you. Please go to his Room.

: Roger!



: I have destroyed Hagurumon, the Boss Digimon of SCSI Domain!

: Good job Thor. Chief Carol was right about you being a good Tamer. You have much potential.

: Thank you, Sir. I'm doing my best! I'll keep it up!

: But stay alert! I have another mission for you. Boss Digimon were spotted in Video and Disk Domains, which are near SCSI Domain. Because the Wild Digimon are united under the two Bosses, we expect a large offensive. So your next mission is to destroy these two Boss Digimon!

: Roger! Yes Sir! I will hit Video Domain and Disk Domain and destroy those Boss Digimon!

Having hit our exclamation point quota for now, we leave the room, and run into those two other Tamers again.



: You were just lucky this time. Don't think it'll be like this all the time!

: ...huh!???

: Bertran! Don't you have anything nice to say?

: There's no way I'm going to lose to a kid like this!!

It's not like we're fighting him or anything, yet he's mad at us.



: Thor, don't be offended. He thinks you're his rival. That's why he speaks to you like that. Please understand.

: A rival...? I'll do my best to win also!

Next time: Hammering through one of the two new dungeons.