Lia's BK tweets archive - 2020-10-25: Holoholo Jungle, Opu

Lia @liareplaysbk · 06:56 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Doing a few chores before dinner, hoping to get through the jungle after that.
DID I MENTION THIS GAME IS PRETTY YOU KNOW THE TUNE BY NOW

A lush jungle with giant orange flowers, labeled “Holoholo jungle”.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 06:58 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

This place is a colossal pain to navigate because the walkable areas are really unclear, most of them draw foliage over your character.
And when we do find an exit to the first screen, we end up back at the entrance.

Same lush jungle, the character barely visible at the top.

Same lush jungle, character back at the bottom entrance.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 07:00 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Helpfully, a NPC is lost two meters from where we come in, and hammers home the mini-fetch-quest.
We kinda have my grudge with Anuénué here, so much of it feels like filler rather than really driven like Diadem.

Lost NPC: “It’s no good, I forgot to bring a Landmark Stone to guide me through.”

Lost NPC: “It’s impossible to get through this jungle without one.”

Lost NPC: “I want to get back to the School of Magic to get a Landmark Stone from the principal, but... I can’t get [out].”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 07:02 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Back to town, the Principal not even pretending to be more than game mechanics in a suit.

The School Principal: “I knew you’d come. Actually, I know everything.”

The School Principal: “You wish to travel through the Holoholo Jungle to get to Opu, don’t you?”

The School Principal: “Take this Landmark Stone. It will enable you to get through the jungle.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 07:03 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

We take a detour back through the cursed library to go find a Family Sidequest Member who is apparently protected from the ghosts by not believing in them. That or he’s exceptionally reckless.

A NPC reading a book in the cursed library, oblivious to the nearby monster.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 07:04 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

He mentions that he’s looking for his father, who is stuck in the “Illusory Fortress of the Book” i.e. inside a magical book.
It’ll be A FAIR FEW HOURS before we go there, but that is in fact a legit hint. We’ll end up going there.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:58 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

The enemy designs and their death animations get legit goofy at times.

Combat screen, showing a weird stripey monster with a glowing tail orb, a flower around its head, long swirly arms and two feathers for ears.

The same monster, freshly KO’d. It’s upside-down resting on its flower neck frill.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:59 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

I’m at this annoying stage in the game where I have the class up items for everyone, but not enough cards to make decent decks after the upgrade, so I’m having to hold off and stick to 4-card combos. Soooooon

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:44 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Made it out of the jungle with a whole bunch more XP, since I’m still mostly steamrolling everything and absolutely not avoiding battles.
The waterfall village is also pretty. We meet Mayfee, a young Keeper of the Celestial Tree, who tells us Savyna’s not around yet.

Title screen for Opu, the Waterfall Village. A large waterwheel is at a dead stop under a roaring waterfall.

Mayfee: “Oh, I’m being rude. I’m Mayfee. One of the Keepers of the Celestial Tree.”

Mayfee: “Said she had something to take care of, and that a bunch of people might come while she’s gone. She [cont]”

Mayfee: “[cont] told me to ask you to wait a while.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:47 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Mayfee’s grandma is sick and bedridden, and has a tale of climbing up the Celestial Tree, seeing the giant flower bud that typically starts the bloom. Plus a bit about the spiritual significance of said tree.

Mayfee’s Grandmother: “I went around the back, and before I knew it, I found myself in front of the giant bud.”

Mayfee’s Grandmother: “When people pass away, they return to the foot of the Celestial Tree.”

Mayfee’s Grandmother: “Celestial Flowers are the souls of our ancestors who have been sleeping in this land.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:50 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

A NPC has impressions about Savyna, whose name we still don’t know at this point. By now we have:
- She’s a very good hunter;
- She knocked down Folon when we couldn’t;
- Folon thought she seemed Imperial;
- She arrived recently and is mysterious.
On the Suspicious List she goes.

Random NPC: “She’s quite a hunter. I bet she came to this nation for hunting.”

Random NPC: “Now she’s waiting. Waiting for her prey to come along.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:53 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

We go find Mayfee again, who’s doing her praying routine for her grandmother’s health and for the waterwheel to get unjammed so she can make medicine.
Is it the sweet sweet whiff of bullshit fetch quest I smell in the air?

Mayfee: “I’m sorry, I was praying to the Guardian Angel.”

Mayfee: “I pray like this every day in hopes that my grandma gets well.”

Mayfee: “I also pray that the waterwheel will start working again, so even if Grandma doesn’t get better, [cont]”

Mayfee: “[cont] I’ll at least be able to use the mill to grind Celestial Flowers and make the medicine for her.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:56 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

Remember those cookies Kalas said no to? Turns out this mysterious spirit benefactor is fond of them, we got time to kill, and Gibari likes making kids happy even based on superstitions he deems ridiculous, so BACK THE OTHER WAY WE GO.

Mayfee: “I guess I’ll have to offer Komo Mai cookies after all...”

Random NPC: “Offer Komo Mai cookies to the Guardian Angel, pray, and then your wish will be granted.”

Gibari: “We’ve got some time to kill until that woman gets back.”

Gibari: “Let’s go find some Komo Mai cookies.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:58 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

I had forgotten how much back and forth Anuénué ended up involving for vague reasons of “Woops got to kill time”.
It makes the place feels smaller than it should and it’s all a bit ridiculous. At least now that we crossed the jungle we can just go right back on the map screen.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:59 PM · Oct 25, 2020 Permalink

But yeah this is why I don’t like this island much in spite of how gorgeous it is. It’s so much busywork, with too few good character moments, no dramatic tension.
The finale is a pretty solid payoff, but... urgh.
Next time we go back to fetch some cookies, yay?