Final Fantasy III Part #35 - Part Thirty-Five: Getting Back to the Task at Hand

Part 35: Part Thirty-Five: Getting Back to the Task at Hand

Part Thirty-Five: Getting Back to the Task at Hand

Alright, now that we're done with Saronia, we can fly around our new sky sub.

It's a lot faster than other airships, but it still can't go over mountains, which is annoying. It's nice that this is the only game where airships can't go over mountains.

Now, I could check out a cave or this shitty little pond...

...or I could check out these weird statues.

Who built these? Why are they here?

Why do they kill me?

These things are a mystery to everyone.

Well, not actually. These statues are just a key item check before you go to the endgame. We'll be able to deal with them later. I do think it's neat that there's actually the small scene for death here, instead of just getting booted to the title.

This is probably part of why airships can't go over mountains. There's a dungeon nearby, only blocked off by mountains and statues, and you being able to fly straight to it would be a major sequence break.

I don't know what's on this island. I don't think it's actually important in any way.

This place, however, is important! This is the Dalg continent! The wind can't stop us anymore!

Dead ends can, though.

They can also be annoying because Dalg features random encounters while flying.

They're not tough, but they can be annoying. I think this is also the only game in the series that has regular random encounters while flying. Beyond this game, I think they've been reserved for Deathgaze (Final Fantasy VI) and Ultimate Weapon (Final Fantasy VII).

Oh, and I grabbed a set of rods for Jecht, which boosts his damage output. Now he's not just "also there", he's an active contributor!

I can't remember if the Chimera is weak to Wind or not. Either way, Kuja decides to show off her white supremacist tendencies.

Outside of battle, following the path inland brings us to this mansion.

How do you build a mansion on a continent where the wind is strong enough to blow away a giant airship?

Remember, Doga is the guy we're looking for! Maybe things are finally going to go better for the Light Warriors!

Or maybe we are about to be killed.

Damn. Now who do we have to fight?

...Huh?

How are moogles supposed to seize us?

Who the fuck's this, now? You want some, shitman?

: Hmm...? I know you, don't I...?

We've never met, but these kids are about to kick your ass.

: Ah! The Warriors of Light! Good of you to come. I have something to tell you...

Huh?

Xande?

: Xande, Unei, and I were apprentices of the Great Magus Noah.

This is Doga, by the way. You can learn that from the text box. Doga is important because he knows the plot. If you want to be initiated into the heady plot of Final Fantasy III, this is the update to pay attention to, I suppose.

: When Noah died, he bestowed upon us gifts: the power of magic to me, the world of dream to Unei... And to Xande...Noah granted him mortality.

Note: One of these things is not like the others.

: Of course, Xande was not pleased.

Oh, you don't say! You two get amazing power, and he gets to die someday, of course the dude's pissed! Come on, old wizards, get your heads in the game - your protegé or whatever is never going to like the shitty existential gift you give him! Just buy the dude a car or something!

: He covered this world in darkness, and stopped the flow of time. Xande's plan was to stay his eventual demise by halting time itself...

This is kind of like stopping yourself from dying by killing yourself, I think. Not logically sound.

Why can he just do it twice? In fact, how did he do it the first time? Does Xande control Darkness? Did he just sort of let it through?

: Come, you must help me stop Xande!

Yeah, whatever, fine. Why would anyone start explaining how anything works now?

So, we have a new party member.

Doga can cast a couple of spells in battle (Firaga and Flare(wow!)) but the chances of ever seeing them are slim to none.

: Come, you must escort me to the Cave of the Circle. In my room is a secret passage that leads to the cave. The candle on the wall is the switch that opens the hidden door.

Hey, why'd you hide the door? What does that accomplish, anyway?

Now that we've gotten in touch with someone who knows what's up, there's a very important conversation we need to have.

Look at how sad he is. He knows how fucked everyone is. He knows that everybody is going to die and it's his fault.

Doga: great mage, or senile old man?

Or fucking master troll?

Not only did this totally fuck with the kids for a long time, but gold's valuable in Final Fantasy III. Doga probably tanked the economy with his shenanigans.

: Do not worry. The earth crystal is still whole and safe...but its location is unknown.

And here's another conversation with Doga, where he tells you stuff again. I don't think Doga really believes in these kids.

Whoa, no. No no no.

Oh, goddammit, game! Do not contradict yourself like that! We already had a totally good explanation for the floating continent!

I'm pretty sure this is wrong, but I don't know if it's supposed to be or if it's just some kind of writing conflict. This game has design problems.

Oh, and one last chat for the road!

: Eureka...?

Jecht, come on, you're supposed to sound enthusiastic. It's not "Eureka...?", it's "Eureka...!"

: Eureka is the land where weapons of incredible power, created by the Ancients, are sealed.

Hey, Doga, can you tell us about the Ancients? I'm interested in their role in all of this.

: Only these forbidden weapons, combined with the power of the Warriors of Light, will be powerful enough to defeat Xande.

No, just all weapons, huh? That's cool too.

And we're back in control! This is a regular Mognet moogle, no reason to talk to him here.

Other moogles, though, function as NPC's in this place.

Well, either Master Doga is full of shit, or everybody else we've talked to about it is.

Doga's place features a magic shop

and an item shop. The magic shop is the better deal here.

Aeroga is good for White Mages if you need them to do damage at some point.

Raise is the other must have here, but Haste is a spell that I'd totally forgotten about! I think at some point I'd figured out how it actually works, and that the reason it sometimes doesn't do anything is that it's proportional and kind of shitty in general, but whoops, I didn't write that down anywhere, so I forgot. Now nobody actually knows.