Part 1: In hindsight I should probably have made this update a little meteor.
Part 1 In hindsight I should probably have made this update a little meteor.
Starting the game brings up the game logo on a black and blue background. This whole thing was just Square flexing with Super Nintendo hardware and using
Ahead On Our Way (Pixel Remaster)
When possible I'm including the Pixel Remaster version of the OST, but the source doesn't have the whole OST. I've tried to identify the tracks as either (Pixel Remaster) or (Original), but if I fail to specify it's probably the original track.
Just more flexing, now throwing our hero riding his chocobo while the world parallax scrolls by.
Finally to the actual title menu. Load Game and New Game do what they say. Options lets you map keyboard and controller buttons. Language settings and window sizes are available too.
Extras has a bunch standard issue bonuses. Concept art gallery and music player are available immediately. The game also includes a bestiary that is populated as you progress through the game. Strangely enough this seems to be only available from the main menu, despite it being more useful when actually playing the game.
For those of you playing at home, I am not actively going to demonstrate all the achievements. I will however warn about dungeons that are only available for a limited time and show their treasure locations and enemy formations (Treasure Collection and filling out the Bestiary are the majority of the achievements).
Choosing New Game
Screen fades to black
Opening Theme (Pixel Remaster) (feel free to skip ahead to about 2:30, when things actually do something beyond just dull synths)
The black fades back to Tycoon Castle.
The dragon bleats as the king approaches.
Do you really have to go?
Under no circumstances are you to follow me, do you understand? But, Father...
I must go to the Wind Shrine to make certain nothing's happened to the crystal.Definitely concern over the crystal, no worries about the strategic Staff reserve.
Lenna. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Have faith.
As the king flies off we cut to a perfectly legal ship full of legal goods helmed by legal sailors.
The pirate with a unique sprite notices their hair stops flowing in the wind.
Smash cut to a guy in a cave.
Just to break up the string of screenshots, I want to mention that originally I was dreading restarting the screen to get all this. For some reason this whole sequence feels much longer than it does. I suspect its due to how slowly the music track is paced at the beginning, combined with how the whole sequence ignores button inputs progressing text boxes. The whole thing is just a bit longer than 4 minutes until you regain control. FFIV between starting and the big iconic text crawl is much longer.
We now return to our regularly scheduled shit losing.
King Tycoon is taking it well.
When possible, Pixel Remaster replaces effects like the crystal shattering or magic spells with particle effects.
We cut to our hero, sitting at the fire in a forest clearing. Apparently shielded enough from the wind that the fact that the wind has stopped isn't causing a reaction.
But something is finally getting a reaction.
The roar of a meteor smashing into the atmosphere is loud enough.
Our hero is camped out just off screen to the left of this image. Tycoon is just to the north.
The meteor crashes and our hero leaps onto his chocobo to check it out.
???? is here to chew bubble gum and beat some Butz, but he's all out of gum.