Part 4

I probably should've broken this one up too, or at least stopped at a better point last time, but I'm eager to get on with the game, so here's the rest of the prologue in all its image-intensive glory!

Chapter 4



My extreme stinginess cost me a Game Over. Good thing we have a save!





Much better!



Full health, plus Attacks are strengthened, which means less time spent whacking enemies!



Fuck Liliths. I'm running away.

And yes, you still drop miniscule amounts of gil when fleeing.

Time to take on that Centaur Knight again!



Of course, while my attacks are stronger, so are his. This is a full hundred damage more than he killed me with last time.



Centaur Knight's a glass cannon though, and he goes down in two hits.



Apparently conquering the guy who defeated him unlocked the Teleport spell from Cecil's memory. Too bad he has no use for this!



At this point, the music stops.




As you will learn, this game really loves to re-use scenes from the original. With the introduction, this is the second one, with the third coming a mere minute or two later.

I'm coming with you.
No, you can't. I will not let you put yourself in danger.
That's why I can't let you go alone, Cecil. A white mage by your side would allow you to concentrate in case of a fight, wouldn't it?
Fair enough. But I want you to promise me this.





Okay!

Rosa joins the party. After leaving the corridor...







The second moon has returned!











Yep, that's the intro to the OP, and really the game itself. Obviously we'll learn more as we continue.

But we still have a prologue to finish!





Move a whole few steps...



Cid!



I'm glad to see you safe, Cid.
Of course I am! I haven't slowed down that much, you know!

Based on Cid's speed, I'd beg to differ.

What I'd like to know, though, is where these monsters came from outta the blue!



He's on an expedition with the Red Wings to obtain the Knight's Emblem...
He ain't back yet!?
There's no need to worry. Biggs is there to take care of him.

Notice how he doesn't mention Wedge. That's because nobody likes Wedge.

Nobody.



And then Cid joins. Hooray!

Unfortunately, Cid isn't nearly as badass as he is in the original. Really, his legacy of awesomeness is more carried on by his protege, who unfortunately has their own issues. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

So anyone looking forward to Cid blowing himself up again will be disappointed. Still, he's fighting at 71 fucking years old, which coincedentally is the same age as Strago, except Cid relies on his hammer instead of his magic.



Rosa's also gotten a bit lazy, forgetting a lot of her magic. At least she knows the important stuff, including Cura, Raise, and the most important spell in the game: Slow.




Cid still has "Peep," which blows more than ever. Risk Strike also sucks, though at least it's something to do when the moon hates regular attacks.

Rosa has Aim, which I think counts as a special attack (correct me if I'm misremembering), though it requires a Bow, and Blessing, which I don't remember how effective it is.

Rosa's still a damn good White Mage, while Cid is sadly one of the weakest characters in the game due to his shitty abilities and his horrible, horrible speed.



Oh yeah, and Ceodore still sleeps with his parents. At 17.




There's some more enemies coming, so for extra challenge we're going to strip naked!



The castle gate has not been breached...
That means they must have flown in!
Here they come!





Hey, it's those guys whose asses Ceodore just kicked!



Healing Staff, which is Rosa's weapon, is one of those weapons that can be used as an item in battle.



It's rather weak healing, but I still get plenty of use out of it after stealing it from her and giving it to someone else in Ceodore's chapter.

Yes, you can steal their gear and give it to Ceodore after regaining control of him. I don't know how this works, but I'm certainly all for taking advantage of it!



Ah, Slow.

Slow is what saved my ass so many times the first time I played this game. It became my crutch for every boss battle. It will punch any enemy in the balls unless they have a spell like Black Hole. You'll get more turns on them, and as far as I know no enemy is immune to Slow's effects.

And the best part is that it stacks. I didn't even know that until I beat the game the first time.

I love Slow.

Anyway, these punks are pathetic and I kick their asses.



That's because you left the party after the Dwarf Castle. These guys are fodder.



Remember Ahriman? He defended one of the end-game items (Ribbon or Holy Spear or something). He likes to cast Doom and Haste on people. The Spirits are nothing more than fodder to slow you down.



I can slow him down, too!

Yes, Slow is multi-target. One spell shouldn't hold this much power!



Other than Doom, Drain is Ahriman's only real attack.

Cid goes down once, but a Raise and a few sword whacks later, Ahriman goes down.



It's only been two battles, Rosa. It's not like you're fighting the Four Fiends one after another.



Strato Avis is a stronger version of the Zu.



In addition to attacking twice, it can cast Tornado, knocking a guy down to single HP.



Even with my nudist party, he's still not tough, though he was annoying enough to make me waste a precious Hi-Potion. Even though I probably have enough money to buy like twenty of them.

I strip Cid and Rosa of their weapons and kill this guy, too.



And what is that?
I want you to take Rosa and get out of the castle.
Cecil!?



Cecil!
Going down with the ship?
I'm staying with you!



And she's the fucking queen.

I understand the sentiment, but really. They probably could've written this a bit better without having this coming across as being a bit sexist.

Take care of Ceodore!
...
Ah, brother... He always has to be so darn stubborn.

Cid Pollendina is the best Cid.



Leave it to me! Just make sure you don't get yourself killed, got it?
Cecil!

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST CECIL CECIL CECIL CECIL CECIL SHUT THE FUCK UP ROSA






Rosa...Ceodore's in your hands now, my dear!




(Recommended listening, NEW MUSIC!)





Aw, fuck. And I left my Reflect spell at home.





Rydia! Wait...no...



You know who I am?

This lady is our antagonist. We will learn nothing about her until the end of the game, except that she has this uncanny ability to be anywhere and everywhere at once.




As you might have already guessed, we're not winning this one.

Bahamut needs to take a lot of damage before he begins his countdown. Since I want that Kingsword Cecil has (even though none of the characters in Ceodore's chapter can actually use the damn thing), I unequip it after a few hits and decide to punch him to death.



Of course, I forget one important thing.



Bahamut has a countdown, giving me plenty of time to unequip after hitting that magic trigger amount.

Stupid me.



Anyway, you know what's coming.




Complete annihilation.



Cecil's not having a very good day.




And that's the end of that part. We're not finished yet, though!



We've still got disaster with the Red Wings!

This feeling... It couldn't be! Father! No!
Maximum speed! I don't care if we blow the engine to pieces!
We're already beyond maximum output, Captain!



Critical damage to the right wing! We've lost control!







Now we're switching to Rydia because, hey, why not?



What is it?

No...listen, Rydia, you must leave here at once.

What? Why all of a sudden!?




What do you want?





We'll see about that.
Bahamut is already under our control.
The Hallowed Father of the Eidolons! Who are you?



!



Well, that's not good.








Is it a thing for Kings to say "What!?" all the time?



Alright, game, enough already. Let's finish Ceodore's crisis!




Shit.




Maybe I should start a tally of the number of times people use the word "What!?".

Granted, this is probably the best case for it being used thus far.

Captain Biggs! Captain Biggs... You put your life on the line for me...




Wedge? Weeedge!



They're dead...all of them.



Huh?






I'm sorry...



Captain...Biggs...




I...I'm still just a squire! You can't expect me to. I can't do it on my own!





Yes, that's the game using the original graphics for a flashback.





Biggs and Wedge were none other than the two soldiers that questioned the King's motives at the very beginning of FF4. Not a major revelation, but still a nice detail, and it manages to flesh out Biggs and Wedge without having to do much effort.



You must return...to our beloved Baron...no matter the cost.







Good... That's what it means to be...a knight of the Red Wings...

Yes, sir!

You are the last...of the Red Wings, Ceodore...




!