Part 54: Snow Chronicles 11: Everyone Left in the World

Snow Chronicles 11: Everyone Left in the World


Music: Rare



Welp. We’ve met literally every character of note in the world. At least all the ones that aren’t cursed with non-name physical traits or personality quirks as their titles. Treasure chests, monsters, locations and weapons have also shot up considerably. I’m fairly certain the last location is just the final boss’ zone. I’ll have to figure out what to do about the last Snow Chronicle entry later. But that’s for another day. Right now we’ve got a downpour of new datalogs thanks mostly to the two exploration and backtracking updates.





It’s just a cacophony of overlapping Linkin Park lyrics drumming around in Dingus’s head at all times.



Eutess’ personal taste involves swearing off pants for all eternity, despite living in a place literally known as “The Land of Snow” and... frogs? Look, don’t kink shame. It was a different time a millennium ago.







I don’t think that’s how antlers work. I’m no expert on deer physiology. But I feel like I would have heard about the innate lightning rod aspect to their antlers by now. It would certainly make deer hunting a much more competitive activity if startling a 5 point buck resulted in the hunter potentially being roasted with a lightning bolt.



This, on the other hand, is just simple science. If it can generate its own electricity, why on earth would it go with growing outrageously large antlers? Deer can manifest their antler size at will, right? I think that checks out...







I feel like the overarching vague “monster” threat of I Am Setsuna would be far more palpable if more things like this were showing up to attack villages and not... ornery pigeons and malcontent walruses that half the bestiary consisted of overall. Or just... I don’t know... giving the monsters an actual dumb fantasy title instead of simply “monsters”? That could have gone a long way too...



Behold! The flawless recreation of the human form...? Uhh... Snow Chronicles author, I think you have some issues to sort out...





Ah yes, the mighty Mountain and Cave Shroombacks which calls their home... the frozen halls of the Last Lands castle and the void ruins Frozen Land, situated nowhere near a mountain. Indeed, it’s a sky fortress... the absolute opposite of a mountain. At the very least, bizarre mushroom spore infected apes is a step in the right direction with threatening creature design. Even if their gimmick is just beer burps...



I don’t want anything known as a “Glistening Scale”, thanks...







You know, I’m surprised there wasn’t any subplot involving a subterranean humanoid lizard tribe given all the other Chrono Trigger references. A trio of inexplicable dinosaur enemies is the closest they do. Frankly, that’s fine. The Reptites were lame as shit and all had awful sprites. To make no mention that the entire Prehistoric era was the worst part of Chrono Trigger.



Alright, I take back what I said earlier about the big dopey walrus enemies being kinda lame. I did not see the crazy eyed stare of the Spritenite-Eaten variety staring directly into my soul in my brief encounter against this thing...



...Okay, a few Snow Chronicles articles were a bit anachronistic in spots like having innate knowledge of genetics and the like. I don’t think The Land of Snow is privy to nuclear weapons and fallout shelters. I’m sorry, spoilers. The Dark Samsara doesn’t turn out to be a sealed allegory for an unstable nuclear reactor. Dial it a down a notch.



And now we have extra-dimensional electricity elemental deer. That’s not a sentence I expected to type today...



Maybe the wording of “in its eyes” isn’t the best use of words when it has a solitary pulsating glyph where optical nerves ought to be, eh?



This description does not apply if you have initiative in battle and use literally any tech immediately. The weird rare owls haven’t been able to flee immediately in battle since like Chapter 6 or 7. I’m still really unclear why they locked two extra battle themes for enemies you’ll fight no more than 15 seconds at any given point.



I really wish Reaper’s monster category entry was just “Mid-Boss”.



No mention of the Dragnarok pun, huh? Too embarrassed to even pretend that happened, eh, Reaper? I see how it goes...



Hey, have you taken a good look at the Time Judge’s staff? Does it look familiar? Take a real good gander... It’s the C from the logo in Chrono Trigger. Which... ehh... I’ll let slide since it is a cool looking staff and she is literally a time wizard.





They really like to use the term “magical energy” in the crafting process of these weapon descriptions, huh? I played that Nier Automata demo around the time I recorded the footage for these last set of updates. I can confirm Weapon Histories are back in.



Remember when Crono got ganked off-screen by the lame mid-boss Dalton and an army from bullshit town south of where anything actually happened in that time period? Good stuff.



Setsuna is the only one that doesn’t get a Tron looking techno weapon. This is her equivalent and it’s just not the same.



The eight foot wingspan on this thing is still hilarious. It, Walrus Dagger, and Nidr’s log make up the trifecta of funny dopey ass weapons everyone will be wielding until the game’s conclusion.



I don’t think chucking a non-functional crossbow at things is any better than lobbing an actual crossbow at someone’s head. In fact, it’s worse than it’s not a functional crossbow. Setsuna being such a dumbass that she thinks a crossbow is some ornate boomerang would be a lot funnier.



You just shrunk the model scale on the katana Endir got earlier. You cannot fool me.



Shape metal alloy specifically molding itself to fuck up someone’s innards is a pretty metal excuse for a higher critical hit rate. I’m good with that.



Huh... I guess we haven’t gotten Aeterna’s Chrono Trigger reference weapon yet. Weird... Anyway, this dagger is lame. Give me the walrus dagger or the HF Blade.



Everything about this sword is pretty baller. Alas, it came at a time when we already had a much better option. The shrunken baby skulls adornments is a nice touch, though.



Look, let’s just get to what matters...



Nidr whipping out a tree trunk every time he’s ready to throw down is still my favorite weapon in this game.





I’ve run out ways to be exasperated at Kir’s ghoulish collection of dead magical girl casting rods. It’s weird, Kir. What’s your deal? Is this going to take a dark turn in your future? Do you get your tail surgically removed and grow up to be Lezard from Valkyrie Profile or something? Is that your deal, Kir?



This at least has a unique look to it with the floating segmented sections. Even if it is just a sliced up weird mace.



Hey, remember how Lucca got ganked by a random catman and a French jester lady? More importantly, remember how Gato and his generous bounty of Silver Points was taken out by fire imps? Chrono Cross was fucked up, man...



You know, I was going to say I thought most of Julienne’s lances had a pretty solid design to them. But then, well...



Looking at this close up... Everything about this is just terrible looking. The colors. The awkwardly fitted, Chrono Trigger’s Masamune latched to the top. Just nah... This looks like crap. I don’t like it one bit. No sir.



Oh right, we had Dingus join the party, didn’t we? Well, comes with that scythe he’s been swinging around the last five times we encountered him. I mean... it’s an alright looking evil scythe. But it’s kind of hard to make a shitty looking scythe, if we’re being real here. You got a big stick with a nasty curved blade curving off one end? Great. Done!





Endir didn’t get any Techs this entire chapter. Don’t worry, most everyone else is picking up the slack. Like Setsuna, with a physical attack Tech we’ll never use because that is absolutely not what Setsuna is remotely made for doing.



Lightning II, other hand, does have its uses. Its damage is comparable to Luminaire as far as full enemy damage but at nearly half the MP expenditure. It’s a solid mop-up Tech to take out any stragglers in battles.



Ah yes, a fondness for frogs. Not really the sort of thing you want anyone to see possessing given the trash fire of 2016.



This just lets you dupe certain items. If you’re really hurting for an Ether for the entire party or the like. I honestly cannot think of a use case for this one.



I cannot believe Nidr would go and directly one-up Endir’s Cyclone like that. Rude as fuck.



...Is this just Nidr putting a fancy title on ripping a dank, bubbly fart? That’s what I’m getting out of this description and the term “Emission”.



Yeah, just blow about a quarter of Kir’s total MP in hopes he doesn’t get blasted into the shadow realm. Warning: Will not prevent him from getting crushed into a pulp by any accompanying physical attacks. Of which literally any boss that require a magical barrier would also possess...



Kir is going to return to his home village and accidentally burn the entire goddamn forest down trying to show off to his... siblings/friends. Just you wait.



I ENVOKE THE POWER OF GLACIAL BLADE. FINISHING STRIKE... ICICLEEEE DISASTEEEER!





So big surprise, the whole briefly dying thing wiped Reaper of all his Techs. He’s only got the two stock ones he had the second time we fought him on Lord Whatshisface’s airship. Which, whatever. I am going to use Reaper once to do his side quest and NEVER again.





This was the ruins that will house all the side quest bosses and the super boss after they’re all finished. One of the sidequest might take us here as well. As of now, only a clone of Eutess has migrated here for a refight.



This was the field with the guy very cross about someone stealing a jewel and seemingly destroying their village. The one we couldn’t be bothered to return to in order to clear up the misunderstanding. Pretty sure he’s still wandering around that field. Assuming hypothermia didn’t get to him.



Santa Claus is over everyone’s shit.



Did we actually go here...?



The Nameless Village at the very least I can say is involved in a sidequest. Though it won’t live up to its seedy libertarian claims.



It was a house. IN a snowfield. I know... fucked up!



We left a man to bleed out here. That is a thing this party did. He’s almost certainly dead by now, but I’m not going to double check because I don’t remember where it was and there’s no bloody world map to guide me there!



Morthshaw Woods is a place we saw a portal to and promptly left. There’s a reason for that! It’s the entry below: The Village of Heroes. We’re gonna go check out the Village of Heroes after we do all the sidequests because... that’s the most appropriate time to do so. You’ll see why when we get there.



So umm... this is literally the only place they give the “ancient kingdom” Julienne’s whole backstory and half the game’s locations are tied to a proper name... Golteria. Unless I’m forgetting something, it is never alluded to or acknowledged outside this brief blurb on the Last Lands. I don’t know why this game is so against giving proper names to shit that ought to have them. It’s like the reverse Xenogears in dolling out proper nouns.



Ah... So Eutess isn’t actually immortal. She’s just hanging out in a pocket dimension where time has stopped and she can remotely reset the outside world’s time with little consequences. Well, then. I guess she just has white anime hair and isn’t really old.





And that’s a wrap for the penultimate chapter of I am Setsuna. Up next is a side quest round-up, an optional area visit, and poking a couple super bosses that I’m going to poke in the eye. Then it’s a straight shot to the Dark Samsara in err... Chapter 13: The Dark Samsara...