Part 1: Part One: Entrance Exam

Part One: Entrance Exam


Narrator: ...anyone with excellent exam scores, that is. The process is completely blind to race, sex, or class. The score is all that matters. This particular exam is being attempted by Wein Cruz, a boy with high hopes for the future.


: Excuse me.



: So then, Wein, did you fare well on the written exam?


(Second line in and we're already putting words in his mouth. Of course he did well, he's a smart young man!)
: I am confident I did well.



: Here...I have something to aid you. It's a ring. Try it on.
(How is one little ring supposed to help Wein become an officer?)


(No, really. It's just--)



(Oh.)
: So you can use the power of the ring!
: What is this!?


: As you have seen, the ring converts the power of your mind into a physical weapon with special capabilities. Our knowledge of these magnificent artifacts is not complete, and not everyone has success with them yet, but you seem to have a good start. Use it well.
: Thank you, sir.


(Including the previous question on how Wein did on the exam, these interview questions determine Wein's stat growth. Wein works best as a physical attacker, so I answer the questions so his strength is as high as possible.)


(Courage. For first time players, it's best to choose Charisma here. It actually makes character endings a lot easier to get.)
: A dangerous choice, but perhaps the best given the scenario I presented. The line between recklessness and courage is often too fine to perceive.


(One who sticks to his convictions. This question changes depending on what you choose for the previous question. For Charisma you are asked "What else is important?", Battle Experience or Decision Skills gives you "Tell me, how would you deal with a surprise attack?")
: Hmmm, really?


(Proud to fight for my kingdom)
: Hmmm, really?


(Increase Might, which opens second options of Strength, Endurance, Agility, Attack Skill, and Defensive Skill. Strength is the way to go!)
: Well, good luck to you!


(Intelligence, which also gives second options of Attack Magic, Defensive Magic, and Combat Tactics. Taking the hit to the INT stat by choosing Combat Tactics is fine for us.)
: That makes sense. I shall bear you response in mind. We're almost finished, just a few more questions regarding your state of mind...


(Wind)
: Hmmm, really?


(Garnet)
: ...Mmmm, I see.



: This is important, so do your best!
: Yes, sir! *he exits the room*



: Wait, Cruz!?



(Oh great.)
: Bah! It couldn't be...I need to stop thinking so much...
(Whew!)





: This practical skills exam should be a breeze with you at my side, Maximillian.
: Suffice to say, I hope to live up to your expectations! Being a Ring Master is not always predictable. By the way, I hear you're a Ring Master as well. They say we're the only two enrolled this year.


(Well, these two seem to be getting off to a good friendship!)


: When you first took the ring, did you get a scythe as well?


Ring Weapons come in many forms, as we'll see when we get more characters. Pretty handy little guys.


(Abbreviated version of rules: Four teams fight, and the team with at least one survivor at the end wins. Your fighting skills are more important than winning, since this is an exam and not a fight to the death. But we're gonna win!)
: Good, then let's fight to win!


(A few questions won't hurt, so yes it is.)


: ...Well, I'll tell you, but, you have to promise not to laugh...



: It's a great honor to be chosen. I can see why you would want that assignment. Just one Imperial Knight is said to be the equivalent of 100 soldiers.


(At this point in time, only men can become Imperial Knights. This fact is an important plot point in Growlanser I.)


(You mean Academics, Courage, and Charm?)
: I know it will not be easy, but I must try.
: Well then, I cheer your raw ambition and wish you the best!
: Well, you know my goal now...what about you?
: Now it's your turn not to laugh...




(And now, for our opponents...)



(And of course, our dynamic duo)

: Well, it appears that this is it.


(I've actually found out that taking his advice sometimes messes up what the AI does in battle, making my strategy to get the best rank useless, so we don't take it. I'll explain it myself instead.)



Dailymotion | Viddler
(Here's the mission screen! This guy pops up at the beginning of every non-random battle giving conditions on how to pass, and how to get a game over. The "completion conditions" are the basic minimum needed to not fail the mission. To get the best ranking, you'll have to do more than what's listed here. Game over is obvious.)


(This is the character control screen. You have six options to choose from: Attack, Defend, Magic, Technique, Move, and Equipment. On the upper right is the map - very handy to see where you, your teammates, and your enemies are. The bottom lists what characters you have, their HP/MP, action bar, and what they are doing at the moment.)


(Since Wein doesn't have magic or techs to use, we choose to attack, leading us to this screen where the action pauses for us to choose an enemy. Hitting X on that enemy leads to Wein marching over there to kick some butt. Wein will continue to attack that enemy until it's dead, or until you press Square and tell him to stop attacking. After Wein's action is chosen, we get an interruption...)
: It is probably best for us to coordinate our attacks. What shall I do then, Wein?
: I will do my best to find success.


: Please issue a command, then.


(Max has magic! This is the magic menu, where you choose which spell to use, and what level to cast it at. CT is the count, or amount of battle time it will take to charge the spell. Level 1 magic has a lower CT than Level 9 magic.)


(The red bar that filled part of the action bar up to the left of Max's profile at the bottom is shows how it will take for the spell to charge, while the "M 0" above it tells how many levels are charged. The bar drops until it reaches the bottom, when...)


(This menu appears. Here we can choose to immediately cast the spell, hold onto it until a later time, or cancel it all together to choose another action.)


(Choosing to cast the spell lets us choose the target. This is just a single target spell charged at level 1, so we get one hit with it. It is possible to charge up a level 9 spell, and choose 9 different enemies to cast on, or choose one enemy to cast all 9 levels on. After casting, you're brought back to the character action screen to choose something else to do.)


(For every attack you make, physical or magical, or healing/buff spell you cast on yourself or an ally, you get a bit of experience, as shown by Wein here. Also, a blue bar has filled up part of Wein's action bar. This is his attack wait, a bit of a downtime between physical attacks or skills. The length of this bar is determined by the character's ATW stat.)
(This first battle is pretty much having Wein physically attack and Max cast magic until he's out of MP, which is three spells. To get the best rank, "Mission Complete", you have to defeat every enemy with Wein or Max. Having the enemies defeat each other gets you a "Mission Clear" at best. After lots of hacking, slashing, and fireball-ing...)


(The third option other than Complete and Clear is Mission Failed. You can fail some missions and still have the game go on, while others give you an automatic game over. A majority (the exact percent is unknown, but it's pretty high) of Mission Completes is required for one character's ending, and also for one of the alternate paths to open.)



: Well, now that the practical skills exam is over, we should return to the examination hall.


(At the end of every mission, you get some bonus experience and some Elm, the world's currency. Well, that battle was easy. I think Wein and Max can take whatever's thrown at them.)

Next update: Wein's test results, and the final exam!