Installment II
Day 4 Okay, I’m back on the job breaking into the palace via an underground waterway. The atmosphere is pretty standard sewer design, nothing that really jumps out at you but nothing bad either. So too are the enemies you face; fish, bat, and lizard creatures all populate the sewer system. After breaking into the palace you’ll play what I would almost call a mini-game of sorts as you try to avoid guards and make your way to your objective. Once you’ve reached your goal you’ll bump into two new playable characters. *Slight Spoiler Ahead, ie who you bump into* I know I said this would be spoiler free but I need to get this off my chest. I’m not going to lie Fran is freakin’ hot. Never really had a thing for bunny girls before. But I guess I know why people refer to it as “Doing it like rabbits* Rawr. *End Spoiler* Making my way out of the palace and escaping back through the sewers with my new found companions is quite simple, actually way too simple as you know it’s only a matter of time till a boss battle takes place. On queue as if magically summoned it does indeed appear. This is a pretty straightforward battle as basic attacks are perfectly adequate. The battle is almost a complete no-brainer till the boss finally unleashes a multi-person attack that throws a wrinkle into it, though not much of one. After the battle comes the expected capture and imprisonment and my night with FFXII is concluded.Day 5 Woot! It is time for the obligatory break out of jail portion of the game! Best part about the prison break sequence of any RPG? The fact that your captors always leave your loot and weapons in an unlocked room that just happens to be located on the most easily accessible point of your escape route. Now that I am rearmed and making my way out a series of tunnels and the enemies have become much more interesting to fight, the game is definitely picking up steam. Flan, Mimics and Bombs line the caverns as you try to make a hasty retreat. (The bombs look graphically amazing btw.) What really makes the cavern escape special though is an interesting twist. As you proceed down the dimly lit path, of which you have already restored power, you will run into what are called Battery Mimics. Battery Mimics are spider like creatures that are ripping into the power cables and sucking the electrical energy dry. Your objective is to keep the power meter filled as you make your way through the caverns, since stronger enemies appear when it goes dark. To do so you must defeat the Battery Mimics as quickly as possible (doing so will return the energy they have sucked dry). It is a fun twist, as you must negotiate your need to battle intelligently with the need to battle quickly. Making your way out of a tunnel you will be forced to fight a boss. While it is by far the most challenging boss battle to date, paying attention to all your character’s health bars and an intelligent battle strategy should net you win. Returning to Rabanastrr via a short trip through the Eastersand, you will discover that one of your companions is no longer there and you will be forced to head out to the Lhusu Mines in Bhujerba to find them. Meeting a mysterious boy you will weave your way through the mines in order to find your friend that is held captive there. The mines are a pretty standard location, littered with various types of skeleton creatures. It is at this point that I decided to do some power leveling; it was a good opportunity for me to tinker with my party settings and spend some time learning some abilities through the license system which I’ll go over more thoroughly in the next installment. Till next time.
Jeremy Mravlja Gamer's Perspective Want to talk about it? Click here to discuss in the Gamers’ Perspective Forums. |
