Part 1

Let's listen to: Phantom Dust (Title)


Important
Watch the opening cutscenes




Man is being used as a double entendre. In one case, Man is being used as shorthand for mankind, meaning the entire human race, and this is for obvious reasons presented in the opening cutscene. The other case is that the main character is a literal man with amnesia.



That sitting man looks to be the one who was found frozen in those tomb-like enclosures.



Let's talk to him.



"Wait a minute. Who am I? And what is this place? Hey, tell me! What?! You've lost your memory, too? Shoot! What the hell is going on?"

The main character is a mute, and conversations are only a one-way affair.



Nothing else can be interacted with. We've got to talk to the sitting man again to progress.



Important
Watch cutscenes




There are a bunch of options given for a name. I've decided against putting it up for vote because it's so minor that it's not worth it. Here are the choices:

Alpha
"Based on the location that you two were found ... we'll call you Alpha. It means where all things begin. It also means the unknown."

Ice
"Ice is perfect for you. The capsule in which you two were found was frozen."

Age
"Would you like to be known as Age? It describes the flow of time."

Key
"What do you think of Key? It refers to the key for humanity."

Gin
"Perhaps you should be Gin? That's the name of a beverage favored by one of the officers who found you."

Cruz
"This is also the name of a beverage favored by one of the officers who found you. You were rumored to be the savior, so how about ... Cruz? In ancient times, objects that were found near the savior were called by this name."

Io
"Io is a good choice. It's the name of a wanderer from ancient mythology."

Air
"What do you think of Air? It's the energy that keeps all of us alive on this earth."

Duke
"I propose Duke for you. This generic term refers to someone of high status, although it may be wasted if used on you."

Beard
"Beard? What do you think? I don't know the specifics, but I recall men with beards are considered very masculine."

Silver
"Silver would be perfect for you ... the color of your hair."

Green
"I suggest Green for you. It's simple ... like your clothes. Simplicity is a virtue."

If you decline all of those options, this is the result.



"Your name is Nanashi. Got it?! First things first: go meet Meister, the combat instructor. He's waiting for you two at the Battle Terminal."

Kaboom Dragoon points out that



Let's listen to: Plastic People (Visions Headquarters)

I really like the song for this area, by the way. It uses the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata!

Between missions, we're allowed to talk to various NPCs. There's a lot of flavor text, as a result, but sometimes you're required to talk to certain NPCs to take on missions to progress the story. I will be showing off all of the optional dialogue. Let's start with Leader.



"Devote yourselves to the cause, and don't let him down."

"Leader is in charge of the Visions who control the area. He barely moves on the podium. No one can hear his actual voice, but his statements are verbalized by Spokesman, who always stands by his side." - from the manual

Spokesman just repeats dialogue we've already heard from him until we progress to a later point in the plot. There are two other people to talk to in this room.



It's important to note that there is no voice acting in these conversations. The japanese verion had a lot more voice actors, but I'm not sure



The other person is next to this machine with multiple monitors and keyboards.



"After all, we don't know our real names anyway."



When I show multiple images like this in a conversation, it means that either I had to talk to the NPC again to get this dialogue, or the camera has switched to show another angle.



This memory box terminal will become important later, because we're not allowed to use it right now.



"With a temporary credential, they'll let you touch it."

That's a really awkward way to say that we're not allowed to use it without authorization, so I'm guessing it's a translation error.



With that, we'll exit the Visions HQ and head straight and to the left to get to the Battle Terminal, as Kajikawa said. Strange that he didn't mentioning leaving the room to get there.



Let's Listen to: Wanderers (Main Floor)

Uses several songs: Rêverie by Claude Debussy, Polovtsian Dances by Aleksandr Borodin, and the traditional songs Greensleeves, Scarborough Fair, Sakura Sakura

There are a bunch of NPCs to talk to out here.



"What? The Battle Terminal is straight, then left."



We'll first head up the stairs straight ahead.



"My name? If I tell you, by the time you reach the surface you'll have forgotten it."



Know blocks access to two places that will become important a little bit later.



"From somewhere there are voices wanting to speak to you--I'll convey these messages. The memories of this world are automatically saved."

Ai tells us functionallity about the game, in this case, she means that the game autosaves. Yes, her lone fuction in the game is to tell us stuff we could read in the manual.



Hi, Chunky. Let's talk to you again.



"Isn't it about time they went to find food for us on the surface? I'm hungry!"



Let's talk to the woman standing behind him. Some NPCs are programmed to walk around areas, but some just stand stock still, like her.



"The Battle Terminal? It's on the other side."



"The Battle Terminal is on the opposite side."



Let's visit the area that the path behind Tsubutaki leads to before we head to the Battle Terminal.



The Atrium houses a the bar and clinic, as Tsubutaki pointed out. The stairs up are broken, but we are able to head down.



There's a kid walking around this level of the Atrium.



"I wanna see the surface! The Ruins? Sure, them too. But first, I just want to escape this place."

As you've probably noticed, NPCs act like the main character is having a conversation with them even though he's being completely mute.



"Hey you, you're different. People usually don't ask a kid's name."



Let's head into the bar first. The clinic is on the lower level.



Let's listen to: Club Baroness (Bar)

Uses L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera) from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen.

There are three NPCs here right now, but it changes depending on where we are in the plot.




"Once you're an official adventurer, we'll work together."



"Because it's a blast to destroy enemies, of course."



Baroness is very long winded.



"My name is Baroness. I'm the owner of this bar. What does my name mean? I have no idea. It just seemed to fit. It's just like everybody else. I heard even "Visions" doesn't really mean anything. I seem to remember being called that in the past. If it means something bad, then I'm out of luck! Somebody said it was a good word, but I wonder if it really is? Oh my ... I've talked too long again. Sorry, a bad habit of mine."

Elipses are actually presented in-game as I transcribe them, so I'm not actually omitting anything, if that's what you think. It is a logical conclusion to come to, given that the elipses are presented exactly like what's considered to be the usage for omission, and not a brief pause, meaning that there is a space before and after the three dots.



"Or maybe it's life in this hole ... Don't they all look gloomy? It's okay to talk to different people, but you have to take things with a grain of salt. Me? No, I'm different. You can talk to me anytime you have a problem. I'll do my best to help you."



Looks like he's altering his pH with either an acid or a base. Oho.



"It's not that simple ... the drinks leave a bad aftertaste."



"That really makes me want to get the hell out of here. But it's not like I have a choice. Grrr!"



That's all for the bar. Now to the clinic.



"Below is where the non-Espers live. You can't go down and they can't come up. If they do come up, they will be in danger. That's why we implemented this rule."



"Sorry. You're restricted from going past this area. That's the rule."



We're never allowed to travel down.



Anyway, to the clinic.



Uh..



"I can care for you if you're sick, but I can't remember the correct doses ..."



"I'm told nurses wear uniforms like this. How is it? Do I look okay?"

Cheesecake. That's the main purpose of the nurse. But there is a little more to it, as we'll see later.



Now to the battle terminal.




Know blocks the path on the right, which leads to one of the places he's guarding from us.



Looks like Edgar made it here before us.




"You should do the same. We can keep each other company, and pass the time."



"I'm Tetsuya. First, talk to Meister. That's him over there."



"I am Meister, the Visions' combat instructor. I'll accompany you on the surface until I'm confident you can fend for yourself."




"Here, you receive your missions. That man there, Tetsuya, go talk to him."





Ok.



"The Visions do not allow underground dwellers to visit the surface. We scouts take care of all surface tasks. We call these missions. Let's see right now ... Ah! There's a mission here from Meister."







The objective is repeated when you begin the mission, so I'm not going to show it here from now on.



We can repeat missions later in the game, but it's not something I'm going to do. This screen will always show 0 in every catagory, so I'm not going to show it from now on.




Later on, we sometimes get to choose a partner. Just assume it's chosen for us unless I say so.

Watch To the Surface


Let's listen to: August 31st, 1982 (Palace)

Uses both Le Quattro Stagioni Op.8 No.1 "La Primavera" Allegro by Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, and Minuet in A major (from String Quintet No.11, G.308) by Luigi Boccherini



"I'll prepare for your next lecture. Go and see Tetsuya."

There is another mission available that we'll do in just a second. We get a memory box from each mission, but we won't know what they are until we get authorization to use that machine.



Edgar's gone, but two other people are here in his place.



"It created this world! I know, because it speaks to me. Its voice is poison! It gives me a shiver, right where it counts! Ahh!"

I hate it when writers resort to using insanity as a means of foreshadowing. I think it's really lazy to resort to that trope, and that's all that Maniac is.



"That's a load of crap! Oh my! Wash all these sinners away right now!"



"It was in the document that the Visions found. I wonder what it means?"



"But the surface is full of creatures and thick dust. We, the Visions, have to do something about this. We're counting on you, rookie!"

There's new dialogue with Arthur, back in front of the entrance to the Visions' HQ



"Since then, she just babbles weirdness. I'm glad I'm an officer."

And with some NPCs in the HQ.



"An officer of the Visions, Spokesman is always at leader's side, as he is the sole human who can communicate with Leader and verbalize Leader's thoughts into others. It is not known, however, if he's actually relaying the truth." - the manual



"I hope someone will discover why the dust steals our memories, so I can live under the sun."

Now we'll attempt the next mission.



"Don't use it without permission."




"understand the basics of combat."

Assume there's only one available mission unless I say otherwise.

Watch Watchful Eye


Let's listen to: May 18th, 1976 (Highway)




"But if you want to learn more, there are missions that will teach you about defense and close-proximity attacks. Other than that, do as you please. I don't like regulations."

We'll finish up chapter one next episode.