Part 31: Mission #29: Every Time a Village Burns, A jRPG Hero is Born

Mission #29: Every Time a Village Burns, A jRPG Hero is Born



Last Time, we decided to hit a supply depot so that we could properly arm ourselves against the rebels. You know, for self-defense.



: He hasn't contacted the rebels yet.
: Sorry about that. But he will definitely contact the rebels. He can't be too far from here.
: We're going on a search. I won't count on it, but send us the correct information from now on.
: ...
: ! It's her.
: We were destined to meet again! She's going out. Why don't you follow her?
: No way!
: Who are you!?
: They're mercenaries I hired.
: Mercenaries?
Hey, why are we still keeping up the whole 'mercenary' pretense? I mean, it seems like everyone in the world already wants us dead anyway, who are we even lying to at this point?
: I'm Liu. An intelligence agent. We're on our way to Shanghai on a mission. Will you provide us with supplies?
: First, the Rapid Reaction Force, now the intelligence agency? What are you all doing in a rural supply base like this? We don't have much in the way of supplies, but you can take what you need.
: Thanks. Why is the Rapid Reaction Force here?
: Someone stole classified information. That's all I know. They like to keep everything secret, just like your agency.
: What's wrong, Liu?
: It's nothing...
: Just don't cause any trouble. We've got our hands full with the Rapid Reaction Force. Use the simulator if you want to run a test battle. I'll give you the data for Taipei.
: I need to check something. Take care of the resupply.
: I don't have time for small talk.
Eh, well, it's time to head the shop and bring forth a new generation of reader-wanzers unto this Let's Play. Despite the fact that we are nominally working for the DHZ government, and it's a purportedly communist nation, we still have to pay for parts and weapons. Marxism has failed me again.
: Are you guys soldiers? You should look at the Tiewudi web site for new products.
And I'll spare you the tedium of grinding for cash to make your wanzers. Let's go to the bar!



: You're sightseeing? There's not much to see, but it's a nice, quiet place.
: The Hua Lian rebels are fighting everywhere. I hear they even fight in the city! Do they know that innocent lives are being sacrificed!? I don't care about their cause! They shouldn't start a war.
Hey, they're fighting for your freedoms! And we're fighting to stop them! Therefore, by the transitive property, we are fighting for your enslavement! Wait...that doesn't seem right...
: The special force is visiting the supply base in this town. They're heavily armed, even more than the Changli Army. I think they're called Express Rapid or something. What are the Express Rapids doing in a sleepy town like this?
: The DHZ is extremely unstable right now. Chairman Jie is fighting to defeat the Hua Lian Rebels, who support democracy. Can't anything be settled without a war? Our country will be destroyed, regardless of which side wins. You should look at the Da Han Daily web site. You'll see that I'm telling you the truth.
Man, this town is full of whiners, "Oh, this civil war is destroying our lives!" "Boo hoo, my family was murdered in the crossfire." Toughen up people, you guys still have it better than all those people who got vaporized in the Philippines.



: What is it!?
: What's the rush?
: Did something happen?
: We found a rebel base nearby. We're going in!
: ?
: Leave it to the elite forces.
: They're gone right now. Maybe the person they're looking for is on the base.
: Then tell Lan about it.
: I was ordered to cooperate with the Rapid Reaction Force. I can't ignore it. Will you help me?
: All right... You saved us many times in the past. We'll cooperate.
: Please don't worry about it. We're friends.
And that's what real friendship is all about : brutally suppressing rebels together.
: Thanks.
: Let's go!



I'm pretty sure this mission is an allegory of America's involvement in Vietnam.



: Are you sure there's a Hua Lian base here!?
: It's just a town. Dude, our sources probably suck.
: Kazuki, over there!



: They found our base. Quite impressive.
: This is bad. Let's retreat!



: Fool! We've got a key mission coming up. We can't run from them! We came all the way from Guilin. We will fight. Take up positions!
: They're determined to fight...
: Liu, what about the people-finding job?



: But if we fight here, the town will be damaged...
: Young lady, we'll worry about that later!
This'll make a great story to tell the Truth and Reconciliation Commission!
: ...



: Yue, they're the mercs you heard about!
: Mercenaries?
: The ones USN want dead.
: So they're the ones with the new weapon. Unlucky for them. I will send them off with minimal suffering. The least I can do.
That's pretty sporting seeing as he's working under the assumption that we apparently have access to a weapon of mass destruction.



The lineup is Kazuki in the double-fisted Poor Decision, Ryogo in the generic GenericBuild, Pham in the surprisingly effective T-52 Enryu. I am also obligated to point out that Alisa is here with the Fire Support, which is basically like the Nintendo 64 to the rest of the party's Sony Playstation, oh, it may have a couple of nice features, but it's just not going to being able to compete in the long run.



The Poor Decision probably has the most potential of any design yet. Now, that doesn't mean it's the best design, because it still doesn't have a shield, and so takes more damage than I would prefer. But, damn, it can hit.



Conversely, the GenericBuild is less exciting, but more dependable. If I were making the wanzers, you'd be seeing most of the team using similar designs. Which, I suppose, is why I invest that power in the thread. Which isn't a criticism of the guy who built it, because it's main flaw is that it's too good.



So we're fighting in a city, which mainly means that there are a bunch of buildings you can jump on and use to boost your accuracy. It also means that losing your legs on this stage is a much bigger problem than usual. How exactly these huts are able to support the weight of our twenty-foot tall walking tanks is never explained.



Pham burns down a tank. Flamethrowers certainly look cool, but they aren't the most effective weapon, mainly due to their low accuracy. I still like them better than rifles, though.



Ryogo opens fire on a tank...



...and then fires again. You know, the rebels are going to need something a bit better than Grapples and Rekson to deal with my new crop of wanzers.



Efficent, perhaps, but I do believe that the GenericBuild lacks a certain sort of quirky energy present in so many of your designs. It's like the Miami Heat of Wanzers, soulless and an abomination to all that is good and true, but undeniably talented.



Kazuki loses his arm...again. How that always happens, I will never know. Anyway, Eject Punch force-ejects the pilot of the other wanzer. It's okay, and it occasionally might net you the extra captured wanzer, but there are better battle skills.



Like Melee III, for example. Melee III doubles your melee level for a round. Okay, that sounds a bit abstract, so, let me simplify it for you. Remember how Kazuki did around 400 damage normally?



Now he can do almost 800 damage. That's enough to kill just about anything at this point in the game. Now, he only managed to hit the legs of this Grapple, but, as you might recall, that effectively means that this wanzer is going to be able to attack anyone on the rooftops.



Well, I suppose Kazuki has earned the rest.



Ryogo gets vengeance for his fallen friend.



This shot encapsulates all you need to know about Alisa's performance this mission. Just simply not quite good enough.



Meanwhile, Pham has been slow-roasting Yue. As you'll recall, Kazuki blew out the old man's legs, and that means that Yue simply can't hit Pham while she's up on the rooftops. Now, the AI in this game isn't terrible, but it's not nimble enough to be able to figure out that there are a number of moves that Yue could make that would take him out of Pham's attack range, and force me to either bring in a different wanzer to deal with him, or, at the least, force Pham into a position where Yue can counter-attack her. Which, of course, is a very long way of say that the AI simply lets Pham barbecue this guy over the course of several turns.



Once Yue goes down, the mission ends.
: This can't be... Has my luck run dry...?
: !?



: ...This is horrible! Stop! The battle's over!
: Out of the way!
: Oh!?
: Alisa! What are you doing to her!?
: Stay out of our way!
: ...The RRF, eh? They must be serious this time...
: We're looking for a man named Wei. Hand him over.
: My memory's been terrible lately... I don't know who he is...
: I see.



And this is the last thing Yue ever sees...
: !
: That's horrible...
: I don't care if you destroy the town! I want Wei!
Come on, I don't think our heroes are going to stand idly by and let you-



Yep, our party aided and abetted crimes against humanity! Now, ironically, in every other jRPG, this is the thing that would launch the protagonist on his journey...here...we let it happen.
: I've had enough of this!
Um...I'm pretty sure that's what you say before they've burned the village.
: Forget it, Kazuki!
: Don't stop me!



: Waaahhh! Mommyyy!
: !
: !
: What are you doing, Lan!? Don't get in the way of our mission!
: Enough... He's not here. We're going.
: Lan, what's the meaning of this!? What do you think you're doing!?
: I'm in command of this mission! We're pulling out!
See, Lan does have a heart. She totally could have killed that child right there, but stopped at just destroyed the lad's hometown and presumably massacring his family!
: They're going home. What do we do?
: I don't know...
: It's pointless to stay here. Let's go back to base.



And the results screen finally comes up. I'd give Kazuki the MVP, but according the rule I just made up three seconds ago, you have to survive the battle to win. Now, it should go to Ryogo, but I did compare him to the Miami Heat, and he is therefore disqualified. Ergo, Pham wins MVP.

Next Time: The game manages to get even more depressing!

Also, the time is nearly here for the next wanzer build. Prepare yourselves.