Part 12: Update 10 part 2 - Recumen

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The game decides to be kind and opens a passage right back outside. Don't try to work out the physics of how that works when the entire dungeon was heading deeper and deeper underground, by the way.



I'm so glad you're alright. Did you find the Moon Crystal?

Heh, of course we found it!

I knew you could do it! Um, would it be alright if I took a look at it?







Uh oh.



Hahaha... Let me show you.



These soldiers pop out form behind pillars all around the temple. It actually makes a kind of sense that we can't just chew them up and spit them out because these are different guards to the ones we've met before. We won't meet them as enemies for quite a while because they're a lot tougher than the ones we've already met.

Bellena... Who are you?!



Bellena throws up a silk veil to very quickly change her clothes behind.



She also comes up with the worst fake names since Dracula.

I specialize in covert operations. You don't need to get your hands bloody to win battles. Sometimes a little trickery goes a long way.

You!!! You tricked us!!!

Bellena... Or... umm... Belleza... So everything that you said... about your parents... about war... about your childhood... Was it all a lie? Did you just say that to get us to trust you?



Lies of omission do not exist. The concept is a very human one.

Years later, I too, became a soldier... I want to put an end to all wars so nobody has to go through what I went through. Countries go to war arguing over borders and resources. If the world was united under one rule, there would be no more war. This is why we need the power of the Gigas to make sure no one opposes us! Valua must rule the world.

Belleza!!! NO, DON'T!!!





That's a bad thing, if you hadn't realised.

Umm... Fina? What did she do? This is bad, right?

Vyse has not realised.

Recumen... No... She can't be...

Goodbye, handsome... Recumen, I command you! Engulf these three in your flames.

Vyse! Aika! Hurry! We must run!

Fina! What's going on?

Still not realised.



She's using the power of the Red Moon Crystal to awaken him!!!

... She what?! I guess we are going to have to run! Aika, Fina... let's get out of here!

Theeere we go.





The red beam of light fades out and the ground starts shaking and collapsing the pillars as the trio flee.



And the four stone heads start crumbling, revealing something under the shell. Something Red.











Yes, that is the Red Gigas, Recumen.

So those weren't statues in front of the Temple. They were its heads!

It's looking at us... RUN!!!



Okay, I try to defend Fina on most things, but this? There is no defending this.



Fina!



Fina, are you alright? C'mon, we gotta go!

I'm sorry... I tripped...

Aika, Fina! Take cover!











... It missed us... something hit it in the head!!!



Captain!

Cap'n! You came back for us!

Hurry, maybe we can take that thing out in the Little Jack.



Ready the Lynx, I want to make sure they don't escape.

Valuan Soldier: Yes, Admiral.



I didn't want to say anything to break up that little sequence, but just to make it clear that beam blew up the entire horizon. And Vyse wants to take it on in a tiny, ancient fishing boat.





I didn't come back for you... My search for Rhaknam brought me back to this desert. And I wasn't about to watch the three of you get roasted by that... that thing...

Hey Fina, get a load of the Cap'n... I wonder how long he can act like he doesn't care about us.



Who's actin'!? I just want to find Rhaknam! Rotten little brats always getting me into trouble.

Whales are known for their love of deserts.

Calm down, calm down, Captain. But what should we do about that thing?

Hm... well, let's treat it like a practice run for when I finally do fight Rhaknam. That thing packs quite a punch. Do not get hit by that beam, no matter what. I don't know if the Little Jack can take a direct hit.

Aye aye! Let's go!



Again.





Hmm...you know as much as I do about this thing, boy. Just stay up high and see what he does for now.



Here's the battle grid for Recumen. As you probably guessed, red squares indicate that a really, REALLY nasty attack is incoming. In a normal ship battle that might be a torpedo or something similar, but Gigas fights play a little differently. Rather than launching regular cannon attacks, they either do nothing or launch one of a variety of devastating Super Move similar to the Harpoon Cannon. In Recumen's case that means this.





Red Ray is Recumen's signature and in fact only attack unless you make a catastrophic mistake later in the battle. Even blocked it still does some pretty heavy damage, which is the core of a Gigas fight: You (usually) can't hope to beat them in an outright slugfest. Most of the Gigas battles – most ship battles in general, in fact - have some sort of trick to them. Recumen's is rather clever because it was hinted at the cutscene just now.



Remember when I said it was absolutely essential to buy a secondary cannon on Sailor's Island? This is why. Secondary cannons have the ability to fire over several turns.



Allowing you to concentrate fire on a single square. Great for the C! Critical squares, essential for Recumen because it does this.



Hit him with two cannons on the square he uses his Red Ray and it goes wide. I could have done this on the first turn and not been hit at all during the fight had I not wanted to show it off, of course.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the fight is over. No matter what you do, you can't so much as scratch Recumen. This is an unwinnable boss fight, although it's still very much a losable boss fight.



Even the mighty Harpoon Cannon does nothing, although it's the only way to knock it out of Red Ray if you don't have a secondary cannon. Nice of the game to take pity on you there.



After a while of no progress, this scene pops up.



NO. NO NO NO NO. Attacking the feet would be a catastrophically bad idea because it allows Recumen to start using his other attack, Stomp. You don't want that to happen.





The only objective of the fight is to survive until this scene pops up, signalling the end of the fight.

If we keep fightin' it head on, we're going to lose.

Hey Fina, can you think of a way to stop it?



Until Belleza commands it to stop, there's nothing we can do...

Hmmm... So if something were to happen to Belleza... I got it! I know how to stop that thing!



This is...not a difficult choice. It's pretty much a free Swashbuckler boost.

You mean, attack Belleza's ship, right? If we can stop her, we can force her into calling off the Gigas!

You got it!

That's a good idea. Either way, we'll last longer against her than we will against that thing! Alright, full rudder! Target, Belleza's ship! All hands to battle stations!

Aye aye, Captain!


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Hahaha... Meet my flagship, the Lynx. Now, I will show you the true power of the Imperial Armada! My Magic cannon will take care of that little ship of yours!

As you probably guessed, the Lynx is named after a constellation as well; Lynx the...lynx . The guide I'm using says it's shaped like a bowling pin, but I guarantee that wasn't the first thing to spring to mind for anyone first playing this game. Anyway, remember how Drachma said we'd last longer against Belleza than against Recumen? Ahahaha, no. This is by far the hardest ship battle so far even if you don't know the trick to Recumen. Belleza can and will end you in a heartbeat.



Here's her attack grid. Doesn't look so bad, right? Wrong.



The first thing Belleza does is buff her ship up with Increm. Unlike normal battles, ship battles don't rely on AI roulette, so there's no escaping this.



Then she'll start blasting the bejeezus out of you with her magic cannon and torpedoes. Torpedoes are the third type of cannon, they launch an attack that can be set to land 2 or 3 turns later. They're usually really damn powerful, but it's her magic that's the real threat. That Wevlen took off a hefty slice of my health right through a guard. Belleza is fully capable of one-shotting you if you're not careful.



And that's why I stocked up on repair kits. They may not be quite as good as crystals, but they're still incredibly useful for preserving your SP.



Vyse, I can't find any openings! Her defence is too good! What should we do?



The first option should be setting off alarm bells right away. We already know that Belleza is good, getting behind her is exactly what she'll be expecting. She won't be expecting the tight turning circle of the Little Jack, though.



They may have surprised me this time, but I always have a backup plan. Preparation is one of the keys to victory, handsome...



OW. She's not kidding, just because you make all the right choices doesn't mean it's easy street. That magic cannons still hurts like hell.



Boy, we need to get into a good position to fire the Harpoon Cannon!



No point in waiting to see what she does, we already know she's going to keep pelting us with magic. Full speed it is.



Their ship may be fast, but we only need to ensure they do not get into position to fire that Harpoon Cannon.





Honestly? I don't think it matters which you choose here. Both of them net you a shot with the Harpoon Cannon next turn. The only difference is the counterattacks that will be incoming.

Maybe we can catch her off guard if we pull into a steep climb...

B, but...that means they'll have a clear shot at our hull!

That's why she'll never think that we'd do it! We need to try something completely unexpected!

If your strategy is unexpected because it is profoundly stupid, that probably indicates that it's not a good strategy.



Not that it matters. This battle is over.



EEP. That was far too close for comfort, and a valuable reminder not to underestimate Belleza.



But despite that close call, the Harpoon Cannon wins the day once again.









And she's down. I think she has just enough health to survive one Harpoon Cannon shot, so it's still a good idea to ship away at her with your cannons during the battle.



As a prize for taking down Belleza and her...uniquely shaped flagship, we get her Magic Cannon. It's actually a key item that allows us to launch magic attacks in ship battles, just like she was.



Tell them that we will attack if they don't call off the Gigas.

Aye aye that!

Now, all we need is for that lady admiral to listen to our demands...

Don't worry, Captain. Belleza is not the kind of person that would needlessly sacrifice the lives of her crew. I'm sure she'll call off the Gigas.

Belleza... Please...

Vyse! Look! The Gigas...!

There was a reply from Belleza's ship: "We have called off the Gigas. We are making an emergency landing."





We did it!





Fina, please stop cuddling the crystal of unimaginable power like a teddy bear.

You may have won the battle, but you are far from winning the war. There are 5 Crystals left. The Valuan Armada never makes the same mistake twice. You shall not defeat us again.

And we won't make the same mistake of underestimating you again either. We'll get those Crystals. Fina, where should we go next?

Southwest of Nasr, beyond the South Ocean... There is a continent under the Green Moon.

Really?! There's a continent on the other side of the South Ocean?!

Yes. The Green Crystal should be there.

Ha, that's the continent of Ixa'taka. Our soldiers are already there. Besides, the South Ocean has a strong headwind. You'll never make it across with that tiny ship of yours.

No need to worry about that.



What?! Then how am I going to get back?!



What was that saying? "Only those who have walked through the desert can truly know its size."

You want me to... walk? ... Heh. Well... I guess I don't have much of a choice.



Hey, handsome...

You win this time. But, Valua is more powerful than you can imagine. And the trip to Ixa'taka is long and perilous... The chance that you'll survive long enough to get there is pretty slim. Are you sure you still want to go? You still have time to reconsider.

Real sailors aren't afraid of the unknown. I want to see the world... I'm not going to rest until I've left my mark on it, and I won't let anything or anyone stand in my way.

... I understand... You're rash and impulsive... I hope you survive long enough for us to meet again.





I think that should just about do it now. One Moon Crystal obtained, one Gigas downed, one Valuan Admiral defeated. Next time, we head to the unexplored lands of Ixa'taka in search of the Green Moon Crystal. Hopefully with a little less gap between updates, though.

Video list

Leaving Maramba
Temple of Pyrynn
Rokwyrm
Recumen
Belleza