Introduction

Doolin, Ireland - a place steeped in legend. It's said that in Doolin, there is a portal that allows living people to cross into the Land of the Dead and speak to the souls of departed loved ones. In modern times, few still believe this legend. Into this village come two people who have never met, but whose destinies are about to be intertwined...

Folklore is one of the first PS3 games I ever played, and was in fact the reason I bought the system. That isn't to say it's a great game, but the ideas are solid and the story is pretty compelling. The gameplay alternates between investigating Doolin by day, talking to the townsfolk and advancing the story, and action combat in the Netherworld by night, where you capture the souls of your enemies and turn their powers on other enemies. It's a very slow-paced game as a result, especially since Ellen and Keats each have their own perspective on events, and you have to play through both to get the whole story. After each chapter, you get to choose whether to continue that character's story or switch to the other character and pick up where you left off. Want to play through the entire story as Keats first, then go back and play as Ellen? You can do that! Want to play each chapter as both characters before continuing? You can do that too! In this LP, I'll put it up to a vote after each chapter until one character finishes chapter 5, at which point we're forced to let the other character catch up. Until then, here's how I intend to conduct the LP for each chapter:

Voting: I'll give everyone a few days to watch the last video of the preceding chapter and vote for the next character, unless one character gains a commanding lead early on. Vote by placing the character's name in bold somewhere in your post - providing a reason for your vote is optional, but may help other people agree with you. I expect voting to be open for three days unless something unusual is going on, like a holiday or video host outage. When voting begins or ends, I'll update the OP and the thread to indicate so - please try not to vote when voting is closed.

Investigation: The first video or two in each chapter will be the character exploring Doolin and talking to people. There will be minimal commentary for these videos as the game speaks for itself.

Combat: Once the portal to the Netherworld is open, the next several videos will focus on the combat areas, where Ellen and Keats will collect the souls of Folks and use them to fight other Folks. I may try to cover these videos in solo commentary early on, but I'll probably bring in guests, particularly the second time through each chapter.

Quests/Grinding: In each chapter, quests will be available, which offer new Folks or rare items as rewards. I'll complete as many of these quests as I can, and likely provide video of a bit of grinding for Karmas in early chapters - it's likely to become cumbersome in later chapters as more Karmas are available for more Folks, so I'll only include the grinding portions if there's demand and guest interest. I have at least one guest available to provide some insight into the actual legends on which the game is based. These videos will likely be optional to the overall game experience.

Folklore: Each chapter ends with a boss, known as a Folklore. Defeating the Folklore will provide important clues, and a goal for the next chapter. After this video is posted, the voting will begin for the next chapter.

Please don't spoil the plot of the game if you're familiar with it, since I've forgotten enough that I'll be discovering everything along with the rest of you. Spoiler tags are okay if you want to ask about things you think I might miss, but my plan is to capture every Folk available in the game and collect all of the unique items, even if I have to look up how to do it. Discussing future events (or past events yet to be revealed) will make me very sad.

Videos

Ellen - Prologue
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: Youtube

Keats - Prologue
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: Youtube

Keats - Chapter 1 Mirage
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Red Rover
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Ellen - Chapter 1 Familial Warmth
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Red Rover
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Ellen - Chapter 2 Only one Wish
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Red Rover
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Keats - Chapter 2 Lamplight
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Hippo Swarm
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Keats - Chapter 3 Oblivion
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Red Rover
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Ellen - Chapter 3 Youth
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Red Rover
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Keats - Chapter 4 Labyrinth
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Sweet and Awful
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Ellen - Chapter 4 Darkness
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Zain Youtube featuring JamieTheD
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Ellen - Chapter 5 Guilt
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring Major_JF
Folklore: Youtube
Bestiary

Keats - Chapter 5 Judgment
Investigation: Youtube
Combat: First Half Youtube Second Half Youtube
Quests: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube
Grinding: Youtube featuring JamieTheD
Folklore Youtube
Bestiary

Chapter 6 Memory
Youtube

Chapter 7 Fear
Investigation: Youtube
Keats Combat First Half: Youtube
Ellen Combat First Half: Youtube
Ellen Combat Second Half: Youtube
Keats Combat Second Half: Youtube
Keats Quests, Daytime: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube
Ellen Quests, Daytime: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube Fourth Part Youtube
Ellen Quests, Nighttime: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube Fourth Part Youtube
Keats Quests, Nighttime: First Part Youtube Second Part Youtube Third Part Youtube Fourth Part Youtube Fifth Part Youtube
Keats Grinding: Youtube featuring Abitha Denton
Ellen Grinding: Youtube featuring JamieTheD
Folklore: Youtube
Finale: Youtube
Ellen Bestiary
Keats Bestiary

Miscellaneous Bestiaries
Ellen
Keats

Dungeon Trial Folk Grinding: Youtube featuring JamieTheD
Dungeon Trial mode: Youtube
Quests revisited: Youtube
Final bonus video: Youtube

Character List

Humans:



"Mother... I was so very lonely."

Ellen grew up listening to the tales of Doolin and the Netherworld read to her by her mother, who died when Ellen was very young. Now in college, she has received a letter that tells her that her mother is still alive and waiting for her in Doolin. With the power of the Cloak of Sidhe, she can enter the realms of the Netherworld and communicate with the recently deceased.



"A murder in the village of the dead? Tell me this is a joke..."

Keats is a reporter for Unknown Realms magazine who doesn't believe in its subject matter himself. He receives a desperate phone call from a woman who says she's about to be killed, summoning him to Doolin. His power of Transcension allows him to fight in the Netherworld as Ellen's Guardian.



"The only mother I knew was a monster."

Suzette is the first person Ellen and Keats meet - the first living person, anyway. She doesn't seem to be very fond of her family, but she remains curious about what happened to them in the past.



"I was unable to settle that score from 17 years ago."

Regine was Suzette's mother, who was already dead when Ellen and Keats arrived in Doolin. She left the village while still pregnant with Suzette, after her husband and son had died.



"I cannot die... Suzette has yet to be born."

Renaldo was Suzette's father. Shortly after his son Herve's death, he fell from the Cliff of Sidhe.



"17 years ago, I made a terrible mistake..."

Ryan was the lighthouse keeper in Doolin. He was murdered 17 years ago.



"My obsession with myth ruined his life."

Harriet still lives in Doolin, mourning Ryan's death. She is reluctant to speak about what she knows of the events 17 years ago.

Halflives:



"Lucky for me... I'm already half... DEAD..."

Scarecrow is Ellen's guide to the Netherworld. His glee is endless, whether he's introducing Ellen to something wonderful or being attacked.



"Even Invisible Men need to express themselves."

Belgae is an Invisible Man who guides Keats to the Netherworld. He seems to be working at cross purposes to Scarecrow, warning that Ellen will bring disaster to the Netherworld.



"Do you seek the truth?"

Livane is Belgae's master. She seeks to defeat the Faery Lord, which she believes is the way to save the Netherworld.



"Did you come to hear me play?"

Charlie Rawhead is said to be the greatest musician who ever half-lived. All the other Halflives are happy to put their affairs on hold to hear him play his saxophone.

Faerys:



"Humans are weak. They purge memories of pain and suffering. But, where do you think such memories end up?"

The Faery Lord rules over the Faery Realm and supports Ellen all he can in her quest to discover her lost past. He seems to be using Ellen as a means to establish control over other Realms.



"The Netherworld is vast and dangerous, but we Faerys will advise you."

Bogle is the commander of the Faery army, and the establishment of the Faery Lord's presence in other Realms.