Part 2: Page 2: Through the Looking Glass

Page 2: Through the Looking Glass

There's always a large difference between what we should be doing and what we will be doing.



For example, we're going to completely ignore helping our friends in order to check out the other square we can visit.



: Kweee! Kweee! (Nobody gets through until Mr. Volg arrives.)

Well then. This Jailbird raises more questions than it answers - not hard, since it doesn't answer any. Who is Mr. Volg? Whose orders? Why can't they talk like every other Chocobo in this game?



Inside the barn we find a....playing card?



Scattered throughout the game are single cards just kinda lying around, waiting for us to pick them up. No real rhyme or reason why.

Anyway, back to where we were supposed to go...



: But it's tied to a balloon. It's too high to reach....

Never mind that you have a large yellow bird next to you that is known for being able to fly short distances, jump around, and has a beak.

Y'know, to pop the balloon.



Let's check out this totally not suspicious book instead.

: Hey... What's a picture book doing over there?



Astute readers will have noticed that the two images are the same. Rather impressive, Square.

:I thought it was absorbed by Bebuzzu. Why is it here?



Huh? What? It's a book, what can it



...do....



: Boco! Boco!!!

Uh. What. Did the protagonist just get eaten by a magic book?


Crystal Room

Oh look! It's a choice!

If we choose No (the joke answer):

: So how'd you just answer my question? Stop fooling around!

If we choose Yes (the boring answer):

: Thank goodness! I hope you're ready for this...

These thrilling choices have an effect on the game you play! In this case, it's how quickly you get tired of stupid no-choice choices.



: How are we going to get you out of there?

I know how.


Win Place Show Chocobo!

By reading the book and playing minigames! Welcome to the second of three gimmicks in this game. We've seen the first - Microgames, like Unlocking the Book. Picture books like The Adamantoise and the Cactuar have minigames inside them. More on that and the third mechanic later.

For now, it's Story Time with GeneralYeti!


The Adamantoise and the Cactuar: Race to the Top! Prologue
Prelude

Once upon a time, there lived cactuslike monsters called "cactuars" and tortoiselike monsters called "adamantoises." One day, a herd of adamantoises stopped at a clean spring to quench their parched throats. A cactuar came by who was quite thirsty as well. He lined up behind the adamantoises, but soon grew impatient.
"Speed up the guzzling, girls and boyses! No time to wait for adamantoises!"
One of the adamantoises replied: "We're just taking our time, friend. The water tastes much sweeter when you drink at a moderate pace."
The cactuar did not like the sound of that, not one little bit. "Moderate pace? What a disgrace! Speed is key, can't you see?"
"'Slow and steady wins the race' is our policy," replied an adamantoise.
"Slow and steady? What a laugh! My blinding speed tears up the path! So up that mountain, to the summit! We'll race until I've clearly won it! To better the mood, the loser should give to the winner their favorite food!"
"We accept your proposal, little friend."
And so the race began between the speedy little cactuar and the slow but steady adamantoises...

Whew!



Reading through the prologue is almost always the first thing you have to do. It then unlocks the ability to continue playing in the book - in this case, Trial Mode.




Trial mode is just Boco against the clock. The goal is usually to make it as fast/ as far as possible as quickly as you can. In a book like this, speed is key (Don't you see?) as it's a race.



The rules stated this already, but you control the adamantoise by holding your stylus on the bottom screen. The top screen has our little friends.


Race to the Top! Trial Mode
Fiddle de Chocobo

After that Cactuar!



Oh. Sleepy, stupid cactuar. It's a cute graphic style, where everything is a pop-up book except Boco. I kinda like the touch.



Hooray! You should have watched the video, or the next bit will confuse you a little.


Victory

A winner is us! We made it to the top and beat our old score! Of course, the old score was 4'59", but hey, it's progress.



Each book has specific challenges to meet. For this one, it's beating trial mode quickly.



The book's summoning circle glows, and...



We get another card!



We also met this challenge - it was a pain, let me tell you. The boulders can be avoided by hiding in your shell, but they have weird movement patterns.



Our reward is the Miraculous Shell card. I know none of this makes sense, so just hang on a couple updates and everything shall be clear.



The final 'challenge' was to beat trial mode. This one is for plot advancement, so of course they'd make it easy.

: That was fantastic! You made it to the top!

As for our reward...



The book opens to a blank page...



and writes in a new ending.

: What's this!? The blank pages are filling up with words!



For what it's worth, the explanation given is that Bebuzzu stripped the pages of their words when he swallowed the book and locked them away. It's why we need to unlock them through completing challenges.


The Adamantoise and the Cactuar: Race to the Top! Epilogue - Prickly Pride
Prelude

And so the race began! The contenders sped away from the starting line. The cactuar had put a lot of distance between himself and the adamantoises, but unfortunately for him, his mind wasn't quite as sharp as his prickly spines. "There's no way I can lose! It's time for a snooze!" With that, the little fellow settled down for a nap-- in the middle of the race, no less! At the same time, the adamantoises were moving up the mountain, slow and steady, at their very own pace.



A short while later, the cactuar awoke to quite a shock! He peered up the rocky path and saw the adamantoises already at the top of the mountain, holding a post-race debate. "This can't be right! Alas, alack! Restart the race! Yes, take it back!"
"Now, now, little friend, don't forget. Speed is key. You said it yourself." With his own words turned against him, the cactuar blew his tiny top. He showered the adamantoises with a burst of prickly spines. Luckily for them, their hard shells protected their delicate skin, and it didn't hurt...not even one little bit.



Epilogue 1; wherein everyone is a dick.


Magical Picture Books

Well, that just takes pop-up books to ridiculous levels.



Hey, thanks, random cactuar from a book. Now we can rescue our friend.


Chocobo Village

There's a mailbox right there. There was no reason for Boco to not be able to pop the balloon himself. Ah well.



We've rescued Gaz- holy fuck her model Unfortunately, DeSMuMe can't render certain models correctly. I have no clue why.

: I'm free! Thanks, Boco! It was so dark and stuffy in there! And it had a peculiar odor of gym socks to boot!



: Shirma! I missed you so much!

: Boco was the one who rescued you!

: I know! I was watching! I was cheering him on, too!

Wait, what? She was in the card. Unless every single card PAGE is somehow connected to the whole, there's no way she could see us.

: Gazzy, you should get some rest.

: Good idea. I feel flattened after being in that card!

I like to think that Shirma wants Gazzy to get rest because of how implausible it is that Gazzy was cheering Boco on.



Naw, really? I thought regular books ate you and glowed and spawned cactuars.

: Could it have anything to do with Bebuzzu absorbing it...?



Oh, so flippant!

: Hey, who's that!?

Well, hopefully it's a well-designed person.


Irma's Troupe

Well, so much for that hope.





That's really all I can see.



: And you two are Shirma and Boco, correct? I'll give you one chance to cease your meddling.

: But we're just trying to rescue our friends who were captured--



"Putz" is no longer a word that should be used. Ever.

: B-but...

: Come forth my loyal jailbird, and do my bidding!



Hee. Little guy's so cute.

: My lovely jailbird...and your stupid pet chocobo! Let us judge which is the superior...by racing them inside the picture book!



I guess all chocobos can enter picture books.



Eh, I'll pass. Irma has this weird thing where she changes between formal and informal speech within the same lines.

After this, we get control. Hey Irma, got anything else to say?



: Get in that book now, and race my jailbird!

Hey! Boco's not undomesticated!



I'ma get that jailbird and it won't be getting parole!

Next time: Why Jailbirds are the best.