Part 1: Won't Somebody Please Think of the Children?

Yes, that's really the title. The game's writing is generally pretty tongue-in-cheek.



Our story opens as a soldier enters a small hut, wherein stands a blue-haired woman.




Times must be getting tough if the king is turning to a solitary huntress for aid.




I'll be using default names for the four heroes.



Just in case you forgot between the intro and the naming of the hero.



Every mirror in the game can be examined. They all give flavorful little messages like this, but they're ultimately inconsequential.




Other objects are another matter, however. Most of them are empty, but...






Quite a few of them contain treasures. Medicinal herbs are a basic healing item - one of the least treasures one can find, but still helpful at the outset.



That's all there is to find in Holdana's cabin. Let's head outside.




Once we're on the world map, our next order of business is to change this setting. "Wait" causes the game to pause during battle when a character's turn comes up. The game is a bit janky, especially in combat, so this is helpful for keeping things manageable.



And of course, there's the old adage: Save early, save often.



With that done, we can head north to the city.




The capital is actually quite big, but we're ushered immediately to the castle to see the king.






At least the chapter title is fitting. We've got a goal and even a reason for our hero being specifically chosen for the task. We don't have a lot to go on, but we at least have a general goal: the town of Helminsk, to the north. But there's some other business to take care of first.



Talking to the king again gives a save prompt. Not really necessary when you can leave the city to save, but still not a bad thing to have.






Off to the left are four treasures. The Warp Wing lets us return to any previously visited city or similar area, which is mostly for convenience. The Life Acorn raises a character's max HP by 5. We'll be using it soon, but not quite yet.



For now, we're doing as the king suggested and heading to the barracks.



Holdana won't be able to complete this quest alone, but luckily, she doesn't have to. Each hero can recruit three companions to join them on their journeys, and I'm going to let you, fellow goons, determine who they are. You're welcome to vote for up to three classes (one from each category) that you'd like to see in our first party. You're also welcome to suggest genders and names (11 characters maximum), if you like. The class with the most votes in each category will be the ones who join Holdana, while the rest will show up later, alongside the other heroes.

For more information on the various classes, see this post.