Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-05-28: Lava Caves, Naos

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:56 PM · May 27, 2021 Permalink

This time, THIS TIME surely I’m finishing Azha. And huh probably Bein too, if my Plot Fortune Telling continues to be on point. Hope not.
Onwards to the Lava Caves!

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:24 PM · May 27, 2021 Permalink

Aaaaand we get to redo all that because it threw a group of FOUR bugs at me, poisoned everyone, the RNG didn’t cooperate, and a defeat on a regular group is a back to main menu. Yay, old games.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:26 PM · May 27, 2021 Permalink

In practice this is going to result in me running back out to save every time I solve a puzzle or collect a treasure, which is not great game design.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:45 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

To the Lava Caves, then. On our way in we get some free magna essences and a reminder that there’s a helpful tutorial NPC in the next room.
(As to what this means, it translates to “Water of fly” [the bug] and is phrased in a way that evokes perfume)

Textbox: “Obtained 1 of the magna essence Eau de Mouche!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:48 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

Soldiers are still blocking the way, but let Bein through ‘cause he works there. So we use our, huh, mobile phone? to call Verus, who calls the soldiers.
The existence of this technology seriously has heavy implications but whatever.

Milly, looking annoyed: “We’re here on the quaestor’s business! Let us through!”

Guillo, looking down: “They won’t listen to talk. Should I eat my way through?”

Sagi, on the phone: “We followed the criminal to the Lava Caves’ entrance, but the soldiers on guard won’t let us pass.”

Empire Soldier, on the phone: “Huh? Uh...sir! Yes, sir! Of course, right away!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:51 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

In the caves, the puzzle mechanic is to put Bug Smell on every lamp to attract bugs, which proceed to die and block off steam vents or create bridges. We also get to collect the corpses to trade for more bug juice. SURE.

A cavern filled with winding passages around lava. Title card: “The Lava Caves.”

Sagi standing in front of three roasted bugs jamming a steam vent.

Textbox: “You obtained the magna essence Rockfly Corpse!”

Sagi standing by a bridge made of burned bug corpses. Ew.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:52 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

I’m still not enjoying the combat system. It feels too random, and with those groups of four monsters wipes happen really fast.
Typically:
- Use potion on low health character;
- Character goes down before that, turn wasted;
- Use resurrection item, heals near nothing;
- Repeat.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:55 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

We get to Bein, who’s EXTREMELY ANGRY, and...

Sagi: “Bein! There’s no place else to run!”

Bein: “Every, single, day—DAY after DAY after DAY, we dig up the flame ice—“

Bein: “and what do we have left?! The Empire’s pocketful of change and our battered bodies!”

Guillo, eyes glowing blue as the group faces a large cloud of black mist where Bein was: “This mist!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:57 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

Caaaaaaaalled iiiiiiiiit.
Sagi immediately calls Verus, who says he’ll explain later and that we need to kill the thing.
Boss battle ensues, we win but we go down but we don’t? And Guillo gears up for the kill.

Sagi: “Quaestor! It’s Bein—the criminal just turned into one of those monsters!”

Verus: “If you don’t kill it, you’ll die. And not just you... Everyone.”

The monster standing over the flattened party.

Guillo, glowing: “I’m going to finish it. Sagi!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:00 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

Sagi hesitates. “Something” tells him killing the beast is wrong, not just because it’s Bein.
Valara shows up with giant lasers which I thought we’d established are dangerous to overuse, what with breaking Hassaleh and all.
The second the thing goes down, Sagi gets another fit.

Valara, piloting her big mecha: “Step away from my prize.”

The mecha firing a large blue laser at the monster.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:02 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

Back to Mystery Place! With more names we don’t know yet.

Seph: “Cujam has decided to go along with Wiseman.”

Pieda: “They’ll all be turned to magnus if we don’t intervene. Just like in Rasalas...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:03 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

I absolutely love this. What a delightful bit of world-building via narrator perspective.

Inspection text: “Irregular green splotches have been painted upon a blue globe.”

Inspection text: “Perhaps the patterns mean something to the people here.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:07 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

Thoran promises to help us out if needed and then... doesn’t. Oh well.
If I’m reading it right, this section also establishes that Marno / Sagi, Thoran, Seph and Ven are four brothers.

Thoran: “Spit it out! Whatever it is, I can talk you through it.”

Sagi: “Excuse me, could you tell me where we are? What do you call this island we’re on?”

Thoran: “There you go again. You really are acting strange.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:09 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

More explaining-by-not-explaining. “Promagna” is clearly a parallel to “promachination”, but beyond that, not much clarity to be had.

Seph: “You know why. We can’t allow this promagna nonsense to continue.”

Seph: “The power of men’s hearts has grown too strong. Wiseman’s in particular is beyond reckoning.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:11 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

THANK YOU VEN this is the first time we get an actual straight answer.
So far what I’m piecing together is that Wiseman is turning people into magnus (?) because he thinks it’s a good thing (?).
The people here are pondering the merits of disembodiment as a result.

Sagi: “Who is this Wiseman person, anyway?”

Ven: “He’s the lord that rules over the world. His heart’s reeeally powerful.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:13 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

After watching a kid learn to summon fire like it’s normal, which does cause Sagi to go “what?”, we go upstairs and Milly suggests walking around...
This sure looks like a boat and she’s in for a surprise.

Sagi: “Couldn’t this just be another island? Maybe we got blasted across the sky and wound up here.”

Guillo: “I wonder. I have the strangest feeling I know this place.”

Milly: “Well, let’s start walking. We’re sure to find something out.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:15 AM · May 28, 2021 Permalink

And on this bit of HMMMMM, we close off for the day.
I’m a bit sad about Bein. But it’s awfully convenient for the plot to throw Valara in and save Sagi the moral dilemma.

Villager: “They say that Wiseman is making himself a puppet that’s clad in Sandfeeder silk.”