Part 6: Searching for the Secret Treasure

Fair warning, this update and the next contain a LOT of We've entered Plotsville and there's a lot of setup to get out of the way before we start the downhill rush to resolution. I'm structuring it this way to break things up into manageable chunks.



Before that, though, it's time to go ahead and do some looting. There are a number of treasure ships lying about on the ocean floor and now we can get all of them.




For the most part the treasures in here are things like elemental stones and weapons and armor. Unfortunately, much of it is more of a novelty than anything else.



Next up we've got a shipwreck at the edge of a continental shelf.



If you're one to use the explosives, extra ammunition is a pretty good treasure. The problem with grenade type weapons is that the late game ones cost thousands of gold per shot.



A lot of the shipwrecks are actually locked away behind these seamounts, so you have to go to the surface with dive and then move forward a few spaces to dive down.



Dark and Light stones are another variant of the elemental stones, although in some ways less useful. Firearms aren't as great in this version as in previous FFL games, but I'm thinking I might be missing something here. More experimentation could be in order.



It's kind of a nice little detail that the coral around this ship in the heart shape has changed. That's actually
something you'd expect to happen as the depth changed.



Hmm. TNT? That seems a bit out of date...



Stingrays come in to the picture under the sea, although they're not that tough. I get that the robots on the right are being named after plants, but in my opinion that in NO way resembles a cactus.



Almost done!



The Sandman Helmet is actually one of the best options we have for a little while, so it's actually a nice gift to get from the ships. As you might expect from the name, it also prevents sleep.



The Water Entity was mentioned in the intro, but you can actually fly up to it if you look around enough. Nothing to do here, though.



Going back to the Present we can find the ship in the heart and demonstrate one of the differences in the way this game handles time travel. Where a game like Chrono Trigger would let you loot the same chest multiple times as long as you started from the future and worked backwards, once you open a chest in FFL3 that's it. Since none of the treasure are that great, waiting until the Future just makes it easier to get everything in one swoop.



Now it's time to look into that Morph spell. As you can see, Morph allows us to take the shape of a WaterHag here in town, blending in with the townspeople so that we can communicate with them.



Unfortunately, this conversation makes it look as though we're kissing. Ignoring that, we've got another statement that this whole becoming a fishperson isn't such a bad thing and someone losing control now that they've changed. I hadn't thought about it before, but more than anything this reminds me of Shadow Over Innsmouth. I wonder if anyone on the writing staff for this one was a fan of Lovecraft?



The shopkeepers all mention that you're a newcomer. There's actually some decent equipment here, so it's a good time to stop up. Quake is a must have spell, as it's our first spell that can target an entire field of enemies. I don't think I mentioned, but one of the big differences between level 1 and level 2 spells is that the level 2 spells can attack an entire enemy group if you press the up arrow when targeting. Quake hits everything on the screen. Ice 2 is another must have, and Erase is actually a bit more effective than a run of the mill instant death spell. Fast isn't the gamebreaker that it was in the original Final Fantasy, but it can be useful for a bit of extra punch.



PSI swords for everyone, as they actually work quite well. We've also got some new armor, although we're going to be getting more opportunities in the near future. Accessories like the Shades tend to block status effects, and since you can have two it allows for a certain amount of mix and matching. Shades prevent blindness, which can be debilitating in this game.



Annnnd we've finally got a name as for who's behind this whole Water Entity deal. This helps to clear up the plot a bit. Xagor created the Water Entity, is presumably responsible for sending it into our world, and the four Water Entity monsters are his flunkies sent to make certain that his plan doesn't go wrong.



Since he's not here, he's presumably in Pureland ruining their lives as well.



As if the enemy weren't monstrous enough without kidnapping children at random. We now have an answer as to what happened to Faye, although this conversation indicates that the enemy doesn't have an exact age range and is just grabbing anyone who might fit.



The elemental stones we've been collecting are the ingredients for 10 spells that can't be gotten any other way. These include some of the most powerful spells in the game, so tracking them down is well worth it.



Zipping through the water we can see this odd building, but it's not quite time for that yet.


top and right.

The Ifram Tree is still here with a hint about where to go next. Hiding an entire town under a graveyard is more than a bit morbid...and wouldn't that put it below the waterline?



The graveyard itself is located in this little shack, which is a callback to the appearance of the Ryu-O's place in the first FFL.



With this rather bizarre statement we push the grave stone up. Very much a Zelda moment.



This is hardly unexpected, considering his age...



Every kid wants to be a Rebel. Nobody wants to be a Stormtrooper.


here in New Dharm.

Keep telling yourself that.



We get it already, we're going!



These two statements appear to contradict each other, but it will all be explained.



Hooray!


to draw the Mystic Sword!

They really don't let you miss this point, do they?



We know better, considering that the protagonists had to be sent back.


monsters now!

...we'll just go with that, shall we?



You guys?!



Tactful as always...


City's sunk and Elder has passed away.

At the same time? Didn't any of you think to help him out?

What?! NO!


to a specific era.

Hmm. That's actually kind of interesting, if you think about it. It's a very limited form of time travel.

You've already achieved a lot.



Are you sure about that?

What do you mean?

Well, are people just randomly popping back to life as we kill monsters that were presumably responsible for their deaths? How do you know things are changing?

Well, no... but believing that you're doing something beats the alternative.

Then can we now stop the Water Entity?

No, there's still Maitreya up in Floatland. And they took Faye!

I'm glad that she was actually in your thoughts somewhere.



Next time: To Viper, and Beyond!