Part 42: Kodachrome

Update 36: Kodachrome

Alternate Title: The One Where Someone Doesn't Get Cutscene Killed

Welcome back folks, we're almost through with this game. This month's a really sparse one with only 4 events, presumably because they were running out of ideas.

Even though the school's wrecked, daily events still happen and only a few acknowledge said destruction. That being said, I'm not really showing any of them at this point because they are less frequent and less story relevant as time goes on.

Here, have the first half of the update while I find something remotely interesting to talk about.

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~ Randgriz Prison - Main Story Event ~

Music: Theme of the Rebels




: It's been some time. Since your coronation, perhaps?
: You were a loyal officer in the Army. Why join your father in this madness?
: Do you truly need for me to say it?
: After you lied to your people? Presumed to claim Valkyrian heritage?
: I stand by the decisions I have made.
: The Gallia I have sought to create is one free of bonds of race or house.




: Gallia is a sacred land. It can only be kept so only under sacred rule.
: Gallia belongs to the Valkyrur. Not to a Darcsen.
: It is because of false leaders such as you that Gallia has fallen to rot.
: That it must live in fear of it's neighbors.
: Do you deny this?
: I have no intention of affirming House Randgriz's history of duplicity.
: But we were able to drive back the Empire from our lands for one reason.
: We came together as one. Set aside our differences. Ignored race and class.
: A wise man once told me...
: A person is not defined by her birth, nor her blood...but by how she lives.



: I will live my own life by the Yggdist precepts.
: I will fight for a Gallia at eternal peace, brought to us by the Valkyrur.
: I invite you to watch from here in your cage.






----

The only meaningful development we got there was that these two at least knew one another before the rebellion. Audrey's still a whiny cultist, and Cordelia's still trying to reason this out with them.

Meh, let's move onto the next one.

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~ Randgriz Throne Room - Main Story Event ~

Music: Theme of the Rebels




: Those damned cadets!

: There's more. It seems they've sparked a sense of rebellion in the locals. The Darcsen settlements in the south are showing increasing resistance, sir.

: Darcsens are fighting back?
: Which is the largest of those settlements?

: I would say the Doerfein mining quarter, sir.

: Ready my men. We leave at once.

: B-But surely there's no need for you to go in person, Your Highness.

: There is a meaning in it. The archduke himself is sending a message.






----

Wow, those were short. Imagine the disappointment of getting that after trudging through 3 generic missions and still having two or so more to go. This is a really boring month.

Since the next event I have to show is the pre-mission event, I figure it'd be a blessing sad thing if I let this be a tiny update. To add a little bit of possibly interesting content to the update, I'll cover some bonus units I have.




First up is Welkin and Alicia, apparently their anime versions. You get them when you beat the game, and they're suitably overpowered.





Then there's Selvaria, Marina, and Varrot from the first game. Murder kid actually has higher accuracy than Selvaria, strangely, and she doesn't get the token Valkyria potentials, but she's still an okay unit, I guess. She's unlocked with a password.

Marina is unlocked as part of the Edy Detachment and the first game, because yes, you can torture yourself by having them on your team with an unlock code.

If you don't know who Varrot is, she's your commander in VC1, basically the person that Brixy stands in for. You also get her on game completion.



Speaking of him, you also get Brixy when you beat the game. He's a pretty good unit, and I wish you didn't have to wait to get him. This game might've been tolerable at that point.




I've also got a few dummied out units, including an extra Avan thanks to excessive cheating. This is the one from the intro in the work clothes.





There's a lot of callbacks to VC1, actually. You can even have the long since dead prince of the Empire wreak havoc on the rebels for stealing his plot hooks.





The last ones of any interest are these three: Sleepy Cosette, Whiny Aliasse, and Jerkass Zeri.

Aside from having the wrong classes, these three all have a visible change to their design. This Cosette has hair that looks like she woke up from a hangover, Zeri's missing his glasses, and murder kid is using her ponytail from the...summer event.

All of them have a wide slough of negative potentials, with Sleepy Cosette having a total of three, including one that causes an attack to randomly fail. She does however have the absolute highest lancer accuracy in the game.

Zeri and Murder Kid 2.0 have an extra positive potential in comparison, but they all share one potential that lets them take a second action if it triggers.



Oh, and apparently Candyhair is a bad singer. Who knew?

*Checks watch*

Yep, that seems like a sufficient amount of your time wasted for me to call this an update by the end. Let's get back to it then.

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~ Hallway / Classroom - Main Story Event ~

Music: Faint Youth





: There's a blue folder on my desk in the faculty room. Could you get it?
: Blue folder? Uh, yes, sir! I'm on it!
: (Ugh, you're going to give the girl a meltdown, Brixy.)



: Nothing yet.
: I see.
: If I hadn't recommended him for that mission, he'd still be--
: It's not your fault.
: No, I should have trusted my intuition sooner. Even without concrete proof.
: Leon wasn't the only one. A number of Lanseal's best students lost their lives.
: But by the time I learned the specifics, it was too late. I failed them.
: I can't do a lot about that. Sorry, but--



: You're not listening. I was gonna say you should tell all this to Leon.
: ...I would like that chance.

*Cosette struggles to move back on screen*



: Cosette?! I only needed the one--
: I thought I'd be on the safe side and just bring them all, sir!
: Y-You never know when you might need them. Right?
: (That's the lamest thing I've ever heard!)
: (What else am I supposed to say? I couldn't tell them apart!)



Music: Conflict

: Something's happened. Get the squad prepped and waiting!



Music: Briefing



: A large portion of the mining staff is comprised of Darcsen laborers.
: The rebels have set explosives in the mine and are calling it a cleansing.
: Are they trying to bury those people alive?! That's inhuman!
: Your objectives are twofold: force the rebels out and stop that bomb.



: Every second counts. I wish you Godspeed.






----



Yep, we go get to shoot Baldren again. Can you guess what's about to happen?



Oh, and this map's actually rather pretty for a PSP game if not overwhelmingly BLUE. Doerfein brings back the minecart mechanic used all of two or three times in VC1, and sometimes has a global passive healing effect. Oh, and it's littered with those ragnite canisters we first saw way back at the beginning of the game. Now they bring that mechanic back.

Anyways, it's pretty simple, and aside from being generally buffed, Baldren's the same as usual.

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~ Doerfein Ragnite Mines - Main Story Event ~

Music: Theme of the Rebels



Dude, just stop this whole rebellion. You're getting thoroughly beat by schoolkids. It's just embarassing.





: The day is mine, cadet! You and your men can die alongside the Darcsens!

*Runs off*

Good fucking job, Leonard.



: Rgh! Split up, guys! Half of you evacuate civilians, the rest find that bomb!
: Okay! Radio back if you find anything, guys!




: Zeri here. I've evacuated the east block miners to a safe distance.
: Copy that. Round up the squad and come on back.
: Now we're just waiting on that bomb.
: Avan.
: Cosette? Is that you? What is it?

Music: Conflict





: Cosette, there's a timer? Can you find an ID number on it?
: N-number? I don't... Yes, it says T898 on it.
: The 98 series can be disabled by cutting the red detonator wire.
: Cutting any of the other wires will trip the fuse and trigger the bomb.




I mean, really, how often has this scenario been used before?

: I told you, after seeing my parents... I can't! I just can't do this!
: Not if you tell yourself you can't!
: You promised you'd stop running away. Did you forget?!
: I didn't forget...



: There's only a minute left! You all have to run! Get as far as you can!
: I'm not going anywhere! I'm not leaving you here.
: But, Avan!
: I made a promise, too. I know I'll survive this because I believe in you.



: You can do it, Cosette!

: Trust your gut, Cosette! The whole squad's behind you!
: You guys...
: Now, beat this thing! Cut that wire, Cosette!
: Hoo...










*A snapping noise is heard*



Music: None






Music: Faint Youth






: Cosette!



: Avan!









: It was knowing that I had you all with me that did it. Thank you.




: Zeri, I...
: Woo hoo hoo! What's this about "friends," Zeri? You feeling feverish?
: ...Be quiet.
: Also, I've been wondering for a while now... What is this "promise" about?
: Was I absent from class the day this happened?



: Not just sweet, but sweet, sweet...?
: Wh-what?! No! It's not-- we're not like that!

It's really not. Like I said, Candyhair is the only love interest in the game's main story.



Here's your answer as to why.



: Dude, shut up! Don't throw my own material back at me!
: And somehow it always boils back down to this.



*Supposedly after leaving the caves*



: The whole world is. I've been missing out...
: You can catch up now, though, right?
: This right here is a good start. I'll remember this sunset for a looong time.




----

I mean, that was nice, but it would've been nicer if it didn't feel so cliched. "Cut the red wire" , "colorblind bomb defusal", "we're all counting on you", and even the cure for colorblindness by way of friendship power.

I mean, literally, we just saw someone's colorblindness be cured by the power of friendship. Also Baldren got away again because thanks Leonard.

Cosette's terrible blood trauma potential has also been replaced with Beautiful World which gives her a chance to act again, and thus probably making her one of the best engineers. That's not saying much, though.

Next time, we see someone get cutscene killed again. And it'll happen again after that too. Seriously, nobody ever dies in this game with us just shooting bullets to win the map.

Oh, and we're going to be ripping off VC1 again. This will be a recurring theme for the last few updates, tragically.