Part 2: Gob's Hideout

Good name suggestions. "Squawks" is appropriate, but I think I like Pearl better for the historical reference. Pearl it is!



Update 2: I DARE you to break into the old Whateley place!



Naturally, the purpose of the prologues is to show how the characters come to be on that train. They also act as extended tutorials.




There, you've taken everything we have. I ask that you leave here at once and leave us in peace!
Uncle Tesla!
Gob-gob! Tough words from loser! Me teach you lesson. 'Might is right!' So you are wrong and me am right! Me am right, so me am cool! Gob-gob!


Gob-gob! You are uncool. So you feed me and buddies. Dat is new rule dat me decide! Gob-gob!

These cliques are really getting out of hand.




*NUT*

Gob-gob? Taste good? Weak get full quickly. You have no food den eat some of dat! Gob-gob!


Having eloquently made his point, the boss decides to leave, taking all of the town's valuables with him.
... only two carts? These people are poorer than the dirt they farm!


I'm all right. Don't worry about me. Everyone is safe... And that's all that matters.


Instinctively, he knows she'll be causing further trouble.


Good thing someone saw her leave.





"I'll just walk straight onto their home turf with no plan and no backup whatsoever. This can't possibly end badly."

CREEEAAAAAKKKKK!

Yikes... Rusty hinges. Great... Now they probably know I'm here. But...


She glances around, and prepares her ARM.

There's no turning back now. I've got to push ahead and prove myself. It's time to fly

See that word there, 'fly?' You should probably get used to seeing that.



With that scene over, we finally get a chance to play the game. Typical RPG controls - d-pad/l-stick moves Pearl, X uses things in front of you, O cancels, and Triangle uses the menu. L1 and R1 move the camera in 45 degree increments instead of it being mapped to the r-stick.



The game's puzzles start off at the "braindead easy" level. I doubt you'd get a single picarat for figuring out you need to pull this lever.



In the next room, Pearl meets the goblins she was tailing.



They seem to be pleased to see her!



They attack, and we go into our first battle!



Battles in Wild Arms 3 are entirely turn-based. Like in Dragon Quest or Earthbound, you input your entire team's actions at the start of each round and then the party members and enemies act in turn depending on how high their Reflex score is.

Before each round you get a chance to change your character builds, turn order and options. Or you can just stick everyone on autobattle, though some enemies will cream you if you do that.
None of that is relevant at this point though, so lets move on.



Here's Pearl, waiting for a command. She's usually got 5 options, though one is disabled right now. The remaining ones are...

GUN: Fire ARM. The basic physical attack, this uses up one of the character's bullets. You can see how many bullets are loaded down by her feet - currently it says 5/5. If you're out of ammo, the character will need to make an unarmed attack instead, which does less damage.

BAG: Use an item. Pretty simple stuff.

GREEN THING: Force abilities. These are special skills that consume Force Points (FP) - you can see at the bottom of the screen that Pearl currently has only 1 FP. I'll explain these skills as I need to use them.

SHIELD: Guard for a turn. Reduces incoming damage of course, but also makes the character reload their ARM. Vital for longer fights.



Our opponent! Ugly bugger, but I like those teeth.



His sole attack. Hardly ever hits



His other "ability" doesn't actually do anything. Many enemies have actions that are just skipping their turn. If one Gob does this in a round, all the others will too.




Pearl's attack is pretty good compared to theirs. Though I'm going to make fun of her foolishness, Pearl's a pretty quick draw.




After battle we get the typical rewards - XP and money (Gella), plus any items the enemy dropped. I'll explain EXP bonus later.

Something that's important to explain is Vitality (VIT) in the second screenshot. You start off with a full bar of VIT. When battles finish, some of your VIT is converted into enough HP to heal you to full.

This game can make getting healed pretty tricky. Vitality is a big help with this, but it needs to be watched because running out can make things tough, especially in the early game when resources are scarce.


So this is what it's like to actually fight... Only the strong survive -- the law of the wasteland. All that shooting must've alerted the others. I can't just stand around like this.
I have to stop shaking... Control yourself... Stay strong...
I'm going to have to fly on my own!

I'd suggest making this a drinking game, but I don't want to be implicated in anyone's death.



Up the steps, there's a locked door and an open one. We take the obvious route.



Some kind of storage room full of bookshelves and wooden crates.

That exclamation mark means we're about to have a random battle. WA3 has a system where we can duck out of battles that we don't want to fight - just press O while the ! is showing and you cancel the fight!

There's a price of course - it'll take points off the gauge in the top left, and once that empties we have to fight. You also can't dodge ambushes, and of course skipping fights will get you less XP, gella and items.









I choose to fight, and get treated to the Critical Hit's nice Action Replay effect.



Every bookshelf has its own book on it. Some are mini-tutorials, others provide foreshadowing or details on the world. I won't show all of them in this thread, but I'll probably copy over some.

The estate and fortune I inherited from my ancestors have reached rock bottom during my watch. Just as the sun sets in the west, the Whateley fortune will fall below the horizon.
My family and my servants have left me, and here I am alone in this mansion, making note of how the Whately fortune has come to an end.
I would like to dedicate this memoir to the next tenant of this mansion, so that they do not make the same mistake I did. Do not let desire lead you astray...

I'm thinking golddigger victim.


These crates can be picked up and thrown. There's nothing in most of them, but one has a Revive Fruit - a tomato that brings one character back to life. No M on it though.


Excellent, our first tool!
This magical crest graph is thrown straight ahead by pressing Square. It'll light anything it hits on fire.

There's also two books here.

Birds of Passage

As its verdure recedes, our world Filgaia is slowly but steadily swallowed up by wasteland.
Long ago the forces of this world battled furiously with those of another. the scars left behind formed the beginnings of the great barren lands.
Despite the danger, brave souls trek through the deserts in search of adventure. They are called Drifters. Like birds in the sky, these nomads are constantly on the move.
They honor Alan Smithy as the first Drifter, and wander tirelessly from land to land.

To Those who Come and Go

Just like birds of passage, Drifters do not follow a set path. It is a trackless path they wander. Their path is only complete once they reach their destination.
Their willpower leads them onward, and gives them the strength to fly... However, willpower is ephemeral, and will not last...
Wings may break, or tire during travel. This is true for all Drifters as well. Should you ever embark as a Drifter, I highly recommend you rest your wings before your relentless will gets the best of you.
To those who come and go... never lose sight of your destination, and I wish you godspeed.

That's all very nice, but what exactly is a Drifter anyway? As far as I can tell they're heavily romanticised armed hobos for hire.



This is what we call a 'clue.'



"The hat goes on the head! It's all so obvious!"



The passage to this chest is blocked. We'll loop round to it later.



Heading upstairs leads us to this room. I don't like the look of those holes, we'd better be caref-



FUCK



It's OK, falling off a platform doesn't do anything except return you to the door. Doesn't even do any HP damage.
You have to hold O to sneak. Stepping carefully will prevent any more holes opening up.



Pearl refuses to climb anything taller than knee height. It is impossible to get up here, and always will be.
Really.



Moving on, we come to the upper floor of a large hall. Lighting this torch opens a locked door. The same setup is mirrored on the other side of the hall.

Both locked doors lead to dead end rooms, but there is a Heal Berry in each room. The weakest healing item, it returns 300 HP when used.

There's also a book.

Whately & Co.'s Prospectus

Here at Whateley & Co., we began as a caravan specializing in grain. Today, our business has expanded to include everything from daily commodities to ARMs.
We strive to aggressively promote our line of fine products in order to increase total sales. This fiscal term, we have high expectations for our gross revenue, thanks to our timely acquisition of new market routes for fine arts and crafts.
We at Whately are also committed to the promotion of archeological discovery by exhibiting objects of cultural value, such as a statue we call, [Stone Wolf].



Back in the main hall, there are these white gems. Very useful. They refill the encounter gauge, allowing you to dodge more random battles.
The gauge also refills by one point every time you win a battle.



These orange gems recharge your VIT. VERY useful.
The door is locked, but a switch at the bottom of these stairs opens it.



Inside there's a chest with a Mini Carrot.
These are great. They instantly charge your FP by 25 points in battle, but they're fairly rare. It'll be a while before we can afford to idly waste them.



Pearl takes a look around as she enters the lower level of the hall. The door to the left is magically sealed, while the one to the right is locked with a mechanical device.

I'm not sure what it is, but I feel like there's something important here. Better keep a sharp eye out.



Holding R2 and pressing X will highlight anything you can interact with with this triforce symbol.



Holding X while rotating the L-stick clockwise opens the door.



None of the crates have anything in them. The chests allegedly contain the entire town's valuables...

400 gella
A Heal Berry
A Gimel Coin - this allows you to save your game anywhere, and acts as a Continue if you're defeated in battle. The game suggests that you use it as soon as you get it, and it's generally a good idea as it means a Boss is coming up.
A Duplicator - Unlocks a single magically sealed treasure chest or door.

Man, Boot Hill really is dirt poor. Barely worth the effort to rob...

Hm? Whats this?



* An old scrap of paper lies at the bottom of the chest where you found the Duplicator.
* This photo that speaks of days gone by shows her father dressed in a white lab coat.
* Her uncle once told her that her father was a scientist, but that's a side of him Pearl has never known.

*FLASHBACK*



A father teaches his daughter how to shoot guns.
Best. Dad. Ever.



Even if she's miserable at it.


Ummm... I like shooting with you, Daddy! You think I can shoot two ARMs at once like you?
Two at once... That's gonna take some practice.
Okay, I'll practice real hard! So teach me... Okay, Daddy? Promise?


I thought I destroyed all his pictures after Mom died, since they only bring back painful memories...
This is no time to dwell on the past... I have to do what I can for the people who need me today! You're on your own in the wasteland...

"Unless you have some kind of chump who'll go out and risk their life to fix your problems. Man I wish I had someone like that."

We take the torn photo with us.

When we go back to the sealed door in the hall, we can use the Duplicator on it and pass through. Even though it's a lock and key puzzle, sealed doors and duplicators are usually used to block off dead-end treasure rooms and aren't needed to get though the actual game. They do keep some of the best items though.


She seems to have got to the front door. Pearl looks around, uneasily.


Uh oh.




You... You're the one who stole all our valuables... You're the one who brought so much grief to everyone!


BOSS BATTLE: HOBGOB BOSS


This guy isn't so different from the regular gobs. His Battle Axe and Tackle moves are a bit better than their Reckless, but he's no real threat.


After taking a few hits, he falls to the ground but just gets back up again.

He's still on his feet? What now? I can't back down now...


Someday this girl is going to jump to her death off a building wearing a superman cape, and everyone will ask what went wrong.


... no comment.

The game has filled our FP to the MAXIMUM - 100 points. This is our chance to use "Gatling" to finish the fight.

Gatling is a Force Ability that fires all your remaining bullets in one turn for a huge amount of burst damage. The number of shots you fire scales with how much FP you are spending, and if you don't have enough bullets loaded the character will use unarmed attacks instead. Since we have 100 FP, Pearl will use her entire 5 bullet capacity all at once.


First though, we'll reload since I only had one bullet left.


Into the Force Ability menu. The guns at Pearl's feet show how many shots we'll get off. Here we go!


BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!


"THE COOL!"





Battle over! We get a Potion Berry for our troubles... this will heal 1000 points of damage. Since Pearl's current max HP is 42, I think we'll save it for a while...


uncle Tesla... Aunt Shalte... Everyone... Daddy...


Everyone! In here! Hurry!


Uncle Tesla and one of the farmers burst in. The mere sight of two unarmed men they easily bulled less than an hour ago is enough to immediately rout the Gobs.


"Thanks for coming to rescue me Uncle Tesla, you really saved my a-"



"Ouch."

Back in Pearl's bedroom...


There is a knock at the door, and Pearl sits up.

Come in.


Much better, thank you. I'm sorry to worry you. I must have caused you so much trouble.
Oh, don't worry about it. You know...

"... we all get a thirst for vigilante justice sometimes. You should have seen me in my younger days..."

Everyone's waiting downstairs. They all want to thank you for bringing back all our things.

Uncle Tesla, Aunt Shalte... There's something I need to talk to you about.

"When Armengard came to rescue me, I felt a strange feeling I've never felt before for a girl..."

I... I want to become a Drifter.


Shalte reacts as if she'd said she wanted to take a video game design course.

My father disappeared into the wasteland, but one thing he taught me was the ability to handle ARMs. If there's anybody out there -- out there in the vast wilderness needing my help, I want to have wings so that I can fly right to them.
I know it sounds arrogant, and it might even be a mistake on my part... Even during this last incident, I wanted to help everyone, but in the end, I was the one who needed help. But even so... I can't turn away from this desire of wanting to help people. When something sad happens, its memory is engraved into the heart. Nobody wants to have sad memories... Even I know that. So... If my ARM is able to help even one person out of trouble...


You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?

She almost certainly hasn't.

Hmmm... Unlike land, the open sky has no roads for you to follow. There's no one there to guide you. You must find your own destination, and fly there with your strength alone. That's what it means to be a Drifter in the wasteland. If you desire to help people, always make that your destination, and fly as far as your wings will take you. If you're ever too tired to fly against the wind, you'll always be welcome here.

... I finally get it! YOU did it! YOU're the one who filled her head with these endless flight metaphors and allusions! You MONSTER!

Besides, you are family and we are proud of you. I'm sure everyone feels the same way as well.


And... I'm sorry...


I guess with such a strong heart you deserve my blessing as well. But I think you should tell someone else, too. Go tell your mother in heaven about your decision.


The graveyard in Boot Hill.





And everything was very portentous and meaningful without actually meaning very much.


While I'm going to complain about Pearl a bit, I do appreciate her character. She's a female JRPG main character, which is rare enough, and on top of that one who's dressed pretty practically and not in some swimsuit fetishwear. All in all she's headstrong, principled and pretty decently characterised.

It's just a shame that sometimes that characterisation starts mangling metaphors.



The game now returns us to the character select screen, and it's up to you who goes next. SO...

Please give me some NAMES for these characters and

Please pick the order we should play them in!


The Boy Who Broke In

Weapon: Machine Gun
Annoying catchphrase: Whining about memories

A young man who vastly prefers to work alone. Seems to consider himself a bit of a hotshot drifter.


The Suspicious Intruder

Weapon: Sawn-off shotgun
Annoying catchphrase: "Lineage and Destiny"

Neither too bright or too responsible, he just wants to live freely and do what he wants.


The Drifter Guardsman

Weapon: Sniper Rifle
Annoying catchphrase: None! ... OK, "looking for a shortcut will lead you astray" may qualify, I guess.

An educated man who is searching for clues to the planet's decay. Probably my favourite character.


Got it? That's the end of this update, lets hear who you want. See you la...

Hold on. I have a mysterious e-mail. Let me just open this.




Huh. Ooo-kay then.