Part 6: Fun With Minigames

Part 6: Fun With Minigames


To continue on with the plot, we merely need to reenter the smithy after leaving the house.


There, we find Jyabil and a new camera angle.

I'll test your skill as a Spirit Blacksmith. Repeat what I do.


Alright, so the short version is that we now get to play a version of Simon Says. Jyabil moves and acts in a random pattern with a set number of steps, then Meis has to repeat it using those controls on the screen. Here, have an example:


Simple enough, right? In fact, it was so simple that I kept screwing up at first by trying to do more than what was required.



Anyway, my reward for not screwing up too badly is 50 MP. Not bad for 5 minutes of following the leader.

You have quick reflexes, but your heart isn't in your actions. Train your mind and skill.


Was that two sentences already? Whelp, time to go.


If the Spirits are even slightly out of harmony, the sword becomes useless.


I'm totally a Spirit Blacksmith now, Sodina! Watch this!


Damn


Damn


Damn


But randomly looking at stuff usually works for me!

(Fade out. Time passes...)


Wait, what?

Meis, remember. Whenever an object is out of control, the reason must lie in the feelings of the Spirit. Therefore, the object will return to its original condition once the Spirit calms down. Sodina, go with Meis and help him. The lady should be waiting in front of her house.
OK. Let's go, Meis.


Let me repeat this for emphasis: in this world, things imbued with Spirits go crazy if you misuse them and start murdering up the place. Let that be a lesson to all of you who thought that putting the soul of a mighty warrior into a can opener would be a good idea.


What follows is another minigame, this one based on timing your swings to when the knife passes through the green rectangle. Of course, the knife has a mind of its own, so sometimes it stops before going through or just turns around without approaching. Since Meis' swings have a cooldown, you have to be very careful about when you decide to hit X.


I'm not very good at it myself.


Hence the tiny reward. Anyway, after smacking the knife enough, it eventually just sits and glows there for a while, sort of wobbling in place.


My brother always says to listen to the voices of the Spirits around you. Then you'll certainly understand their feelings. Listen, Meis...

What follows are some weird screeching noises.


What's that, Meis?
*Nod*


After the talk, the knife calmly floats back over to the kitchen counter.


The client walks back in now that her kitchenware isn't murderous.


I know you probably bought the knife just to watch my brother use his hammer, but if you're bothering to smelt Spirits into a utensil, you need to use it every once in a while.

Lady with sexy lips: OK, I'll do that. Thank you very much, and say hi to Jyabil for me!


Sodina leaves, providing another opportunity to save. Once, again, Meis needs to enter the smithy to progress the game.


He reshapes the pot so the spirit can put more energy into cooking good meals.
Sodina, can you take this pot to its owner? She should be standing in front of her house.
OK, Jyabil. She's waiting in front of her house, right?



Oh, my.

Glamorous lady: I'll make you something to eat, for bringing the pot to me. Come on in!


You're so pathetic!



GodDAMN does she slap hard!


That the lady liked Meis...a lot! Better not be late! Hmph!

At this point, Sodina storms off and the Glamorous Lady goes back into her house.


Well, she was hardly rejecting him, right?


The screen then fades to black...


...So we can get an outside shot of the husband returning home.


Husband: Huh? What are you doing here, kid!?

*Sound of cracking knuckles*

*Sound of someone getting their ass beat*


Meis is then forcibly ejected from the house. Better luck next time, kid.


Speaking of next time, it appears that we've finally reached the actual plotline again.

Sure, Jyabil. Fort Teve is to the west of Boyzby...OK!


The Dark Acolytes were seen in the area recently. Keep your eyes open.


Yes, the ones that attacked Kant. Are you nervous? You'll be fine, as long as you're with Sodina. If you're still worried, why don't you fortify your sword with Sodina? It could help you...perhaps.
Oh, come on! I'm not as bad as you think.
I'll be counting on you, Meis. Let's go west, to Fort Teve! It's a bit far from here, so you may want to fortify your sword first. If so, I can help you.


Sodina is now officially a member of the party. If you take a look back at Meis' stats from the fourth update, you may notice that Sodina is better than Meis in every single way, except for a slightly lower Offense and a much lower Critical Rate.


Still, that's mostly because Meis only has a level 1 sword. Reforging the weapon should help with that.

Alright, time for some mechanics explanation. When Meis selects a town's forge, this menu with all available girls (party members plus girls from the town) appears. Each girl has an attribute, and when you forge with them, the weapon's attribute changes to match. Naturally, this is an elemental sort of thing, and the weapon does more damage against its opposite type (but not enough that I ever bothered paying attention. Getting spells and special abilities is far more important).

Intimacy ranges from 1-10, and each level has different spells and special abilities associated with it. Meis can only add spells etc. up to his current Charisma, so if I were to get Sodina to Intimacy 3, there would be absolutely no point in doing so. There's a spell associated with that level, but Meis wouldn't be able to add it. You should also note that spells can only be added from the current level, so you have to forge at each level to get all the spells and abilities. You can still go back by having a few terrible dates, but since it costs extra MP to do so, it's not really recommended.

Mood is something that just generally fluctuates between 0 and 4, represented by quarters of a heart. Having a high Mood means cheaper MP costs when forging with that girl, but it unfortunately tends to change randomly. Not always, though; I imagine getting Sodina to slap Meis twice did nothing good to her Mood level.


While there's a basic cost for forging, improving the weapon's level adds to the cost, as does adding spells and special abilities. For instance, Sodina's knife costs even more than upgrading Meis' sword because instead of improving levels, it would add her special attack, D. Knives, as well as Heal.


Let's just go ahead and do that.


And now, Meis' sword is once again more awesome than Sodina's knife. Well, mostly. +5 Offense really makes up for a lot, though.


Now that Sodina is in the party, we can finally try out this dating thing I've heard so much about. In fact, we could also give her presents or try out a minigame, too. Note that all of the above also have an MP cost, and that number will go up as Intimacy improves.


Starting a date is as simple as wandering around town until something like this pops up. Girls will generally like some areas better than others, but I believe the airship dock is the best you can manage in Boyzby.

So here's the formula: she says something, you get two responses to pick from. The responses can vary between dates, and the response she expects can also vary depending on intimacy level (before and after 5, usually). Of course, you also get the problem where it seems like neither answer is good; in these situations, either the girl expects an answer you didn't think would work, or else the random response generator decided you should be proper fucked.

Also, that Q&A session at the end was an indication of a successful date. Normally she just kisses you, but if you pick a good location, you can ask her a question instead.


The one date wasn't quite enough to raise Sodina to 2, so let's show off the minigame. Sodina's, as you can see, is to help her with the cooking.


Basically, Sodina is a lot like her brother, and her minigame is variation on Jyabil's Simon Says. Instead of using the d-pad, you use the buttons and try to mimic her actions in under 5 seconds.


You have 10 chances to do so, each worth 10 points.


I screwed up once, but it was still enough to get to level 2.


Sodina level 2 gets me access to the low-powered air spell and Barrier, a physical damage reducer which even the back row can cast. Not that I give it to Sodina yet. Damn, that's an expensive upgrade.

See you next at Fort Teve.