The island suddenly appeared in the sky. Let's Play Lufia & the Fortress of Doom!

Battle



These elemental creatures are among the strongest. They're fairly easy to kill, but they have the power to unleash extremely potent elemental magic on you. Best to kill them quickly, if you can.






Lufia II: Sealed Tower

Glasdar Tower is the largest, most confusing dungeon in the game. It's filled with treasure, but a lot of it is hard to get, and really, by this point you should already have everything you need. Nothing you find between here and the final boss is going to make an appreciable difference in your power; almost all of the best equipment in this game is store bought, and there are no special weapons or armor to be found.



At the top of the tower, you'll find this room.

This room.

This fucking room.

This room is home to the most insufferable “puzzle” in video game history. The only way forward is via this warp.



But you must manipulate three switches to set the warp point. Only one combination goes forward. The others drop you at various points throughout the tower.

There's no hint as to how the best way to proceed is. So you have to guess.

Guessing wrong can send you back to the beginning of the tower.

This is a bad room. This is a bad puzzle. Screw you, Lufia!

There are some treasures that can only be found by checking every combination, but I don't need any more treasure! If you hit the center and rightmost switch, it leads to a large treasure trove, but I no longer have any use for the various vendor trash littering this game's dungeons. I have everything I need.

I thumb my nose at you, stupid room!



The correct way forward is to press the center switch only.



Dropping down this hole leads to some recover tiles, if you need them, but you'll have to climb back up.




The way was long and arduous, but we've finally reached the top of Glasdar Tower. Make sure to make sure your team is properly equipped before proceeding past this point! In particular, you especially want to make sure Lufia is wearing the Flash Ring.



Time to figure out how to reach the island. Huddle time. So, Aguro, how far can you throw a half-elf?


Wave of Evil

Uh oh, here comes the welcoming committee! Who's it going to be? Gades? I bet it's Gades.



Umm, who the hell are you?



Well whoever he is, he's almost as bad an actor as Gades, at any rate.

Very few creatures in the universe directly identify as servants of the Sinistrals, and when they do, it's almost always Amon calling the shots. Nazeby, whoever he is, is the only one who ever claims to be working for Daos.

Sadly, we'll never get any more background on Nazeby beyond what you see in this text box, so there's no point in dwelling on it. Let's send him crying back to his boss.

Boss

Judging by his appearance, Nazeby seems to be some kind of skeletal wizard, like a lich or something. He's the strongest enemy in the game so far; he actually has more HP than any of the Sinistrals, though his damage output pales compared to them.



No matter. Lufia will solve this problem the way she solves all her problems.



Jerin has little damage capability in boss battles, so having her use Trick on Aguro or Medi is a good way for her to spend her time if nobody needs any healing.



Spark? Really? That's all you've got? Daos must be really backed into a corner if you're all he's got left.



Oh no, Bounce, whatever shall I do?



Ffffffff-



As the fight drags on, Nazeby starts cycling through progressively stronger spells, moving into the second tier, and eventually the third.



One of the most amusing things you can do in this game is make an enemy blow himself up. The Mirror spell is very overpowered, since it reflects all hostile magic, but has no effect on support spells. It's little wonder it got cut in Lufia II.



Once he gets sufficiently desperate, Nazeby will even start throwing Succumb magic at you, praying that the God of Random Numbers strikes us down. Alas, as we all know, the God of Random Numbers is the biggest prick of all the gods, and gives poor Nazeby nothing.



Oh no, that's not good at all!

Actually, that's the message indicating that Lufia is no longer silenced, albeit in a very badly-worded manner.



So long, Nazeby. Next time Daos has something to say, you tell him to come himself.


Wave of Evil

Yeah, that's a legitimate complaint, I guess. When the Sinistrals aren't pleased with your performance, they tend to revoke benefits like health care and immortality. Also, living.



Oh come on, someone already tried to give the half-elf to the Sinistrals! I'm not sure why anyone wants her anyway, she's kind of annoying, and who likes elves anyway?



Hmmm. Usually when somebody does this, bad things happen....






Uh oh.

Oh, don't you start too, now!



Unfortunately, as the series will go on to make clear in other games, the Dual Blade is just as capable of causing mischief and disaster as being a power for good.



Well, I'm sure if Raile were here, he'd try to sell you some “headache pills,” guaranteed to work, just sign this waive-







Uh....Lufia, you're supposed to do that to the other guys...


Lufia II: Judgment

I don't know, did you?!



Who said that?!?



Ah.



Hey, that's a little uncalled for, Medi is still a kid, I'm sure with time he'll- wait, what did you call him?



This was your plan? You realize that it was about twenty seconds away from being too late, right? You Sinistrals sure like to cut things close.

As far as evil plans go, “let my greatest enemy come within a few feet of my flying island while wielding the one weapon that can kill me and hope for a miracle” isn't a very good one.



This does handily explain why the Sinistrals kept letting Medi live, though. Apparently, they needed him alive to use the Dual Blade. But it looks like Medi has finally outlived his usefulness.



Nice try, but we know Lufia would never turn her back on her best pal! Lufia and Medi go way back! Remember when he asked her to make him a pie, and then he didn't even eat it? Good times!



But...but I don't wanna!

Lufia II: Judgment

No fair! Just because you lost your blue-haired lightning user doesn't mean you can steal mine. That's cheating!





At this point, the conflict becomes clear. Lufia and Erim cannot coexist. One of them will survive this struggle, and the other will be destroyed. It's up to her to choose, and Daos, being the bastard he is, made sure that Medi wasn't conscious to make the case for staying Lufia.



No way! Medi would never hurt Lufia. She still knows the score.



B-but...





Hey, what are you doing? Come on, we can talk about this! Is this about the pie? I thought we were past this!!



No, don't do this! I know you don't want to!



Come baaaaaack!!



Sadly, it seems our tale has come to an end. The Sinistrals have won, Lufia has betrayed us, they have the Dual Blade, and Medi is lying helpless before them. One shot from Doom Island's death cannon, and the world's hopes for salvation are dashed forever.

Amon, reasserting his position as the smart Sinistral, immediately demands that Daos not squander this opportunity.



Daos knows better, however, recognizing that he's having a hard enough time coaxing Erim back to the Dark Side. She still has a strong attachment to Medi, and blowing him up right in front of her while she's holding the Dual Blade would be a grave tactical miscalculation.



After all, without the Dual Blade he can't kill any of them anyway. It's probably more fun to let him wallow in his abject failure.





It's going to break his heart to learn the truth.





Not only did Lufia leave Medi behind, but she bore with her his only hope for victory over the Sinistrals.

She has defeated him more sharply and decisively than Daos could ever have on his own.



Medi doesn't need to hear any lip from Aguro right now! Surely this is all just some big misunderstanding! Lufia's his closest friend! She'd never really turn her back on him, right?

...Right?

Lufia, no!

I really enjoyed that Last Duel remix. The music in these games is just spectacular.

Uh... Maybe he's a sub-contrator?

Well, the gods had to get the job done somehow, and Erim stopped showing up for work because she liked playing tag and drinking tea better than her job. So now Daos is forced to hire all these freelance deaths and it's just so much paperwork.

Daos has been stuck in middle management since time began, which might explain why he's always in such a bad mood.

Likely a mistranslation of a feudal title.

This next section is my favorite part of this game, and indeed one of my favorite parts of any RPG, for reasons.

everytime i played this game in the past i had taken this to be about her not remembering anything that happened at doom island but now i see it's about her past life.

she is a goddess do you think she is going to let cubic zirconia touch her body
diamonds or gtfo

Ah, I actually know what a Baronet is. A few years ago I played in a Play-by-Post RP and my character held the rank of Baronet (son of a Baron.)

He was also a priest, and, incidentally, served the Goddess of Death.

I, too, know it primarily from playing D&D. Though my Baronet was actually a commoner landed for service to the crown.

Ah, that was the backstory for my character's family. His grandfather become a lord due to distinguished leadership in battle, and some of the older noble families took issue with a commoner being raised to peerage. Eventually his parents were overthrown and killed and the other nobles installed a puppet ruler over his homeland, and he was on the run trying to restore his family's name. The villains prophesied that great ruin would befall them if he reclaimed his title, and threw everything they had at him to try to stop it from happening.

It was pretty awesome.

Actually, not likely, since according to this, it was "BARIANTO" in Japan, whereas "baronet" would be something like "BARONETTO."

Hard to say. I've seen some crazy kana transliterations.

it's "valiant"

Four Sinistrals



For the first time in a century, the four Sinistrals stand together in the Fortress of Doom, preparing to bring about a new age of darkness and terror to the unsuspecting humans below.

Lufia, overwhelmed by the memories of the Sinistral Erim, has left Medi and her friends behind, and brought the Dual Blade, the only weapon that can kill the Sinistrals, to Daos.



Two decades later, and this dialogue still creeps me out. It's clear that the character talking isn't quite Lufia anymore.



In ages past, Daos wielded the Dual Blade to terrorize the lands of Estpolis, but now that humans exist who can wield it, the most omnipotent artifact in the cosmos is more of a liability to him than a boon.





No, don't do that! I need that sword to kill you with!







Despite possessing limitless cosmic power, even the Dual Blade is no match for the wrath of an angry god. Daos smites the Dual Blade with all his power, sundering the weapon into useless, broken shards.



Without the Dual Blade, there is no hope of victory.

Chapter 12: Savior of the Earth


Field

His goal accomplished, Daos proceeds to move Doom Island away from Mt. Glasdar, setting off for locales unknown.



Jerin notes that it is heading southeast, but we can't actually tell where it's going.



Medi isn't about to let Daos run off with his girlfriend OR his sword though, at least not without a fight. But what are we supposed to fight him with? The Dual Blade is gone!



There is a Lufia-shaped hole in my party menu. And in my heart. :'(



Fortunately, the game designers were merciful, and left this Zircon Sword for you to find in the cave north of Mt. Glasdar. Make sure to hang onto it!



Doom Island is long gone by the time we reach the bottom of the tower. We'll need to find someone who knows where it went!

Raile and his staff have been monitoring Doom Island's movements, I'm sure they saw where it went.


Shaia Labs

Raile reports to us that Doom Island is currently hovering north of the Tower of Grief, which was the tower where Flake, the elder of Arus hangs out.

Why the Sinistrals chose to move there of all places is beyond me. Possibly, they intend to make the wizards who live there their first targets, since they learned firsthand a hundred years ago that wizards with Thunder magic are a serious pain in the ass. Another possibility is that the Tower of Grief is situated roughly in the center of Westland if you looked at it on a map, thus making it a pretty good vantage point to sit back and watch the world end.



I uh...I'm gonna go now.

Lou is one of the very few NPCs in the game to acknowledge Lufia's absence. Notably, the two children in Alekia's streets will comment that she is missing, but Roman, a mere six tiles away, has nothing to say on the matter. Traveling around the world and interacting with certain events where Lufia would normally talk can have very strange results.


The Sky

Well, here's the Tower of Grief.



And just a bit to the north, we find Doom Island.

When Maxim attempted to invade Doom Island aboard his own airship, it involved a complex quest to release ancient, forbidden magic to bind the island in place, followed by a dramatic air battle where Amon attempted to shoot down his ship with Doom Island's destruction rays.

But Medi has been so thoroughly emasculated at this point that he no longer even registers as a threat to the Sinistrals, and they'll offer no resistance as we try to land.


Doom Island

You can only approach the southern half of the island, as the northern half is protected by mysterious plot magic that forbids you from passing.



The purpose of this mysterious sigil was the subject of much debate when I was a kid. Just what was it supposed to be? What was it for?

But years later, I have discovered the secret.



Landing pad.


Battle

This is the final area of the game, so the absolute final batch of monsters is upon us, and they're the absolute nastiest we've ever faced. What's worse, we have to face them without our black magician girl to annihilate their faces with a single wave of her hand.

This can make the battles of Doom Island much more difficult and desperate than we've become accustomed to. It really adds to the tension and drama. Our party is not whole, and we feel weak.



One last structure stands between us and the Fortress. But what is this place?


Shrine

This place seems...familiar somehow.



You!



The old man who watches the world has been waiting here, at the foot of Doom Island, all along. He knew we would come here one day, on our road to the final battle.

There has been a lot of speculation as to the identity of this mysterious old man. A common theory at one point was that he was actually Maxim, who had survived the fall of Doom Island, and while I never believed this myself, I admit there's some sound logic to that theory; there's only one person that a random old man hanging out on Doom Island can really be. But the ending of Lufia II pretty much closed the door on the idea that Maxim could have survived.

What's more, recently discovered game data from a prototype version of the game reveals that this old man was intended to be in Lufia II, but was cut. So he's been around at least since Maxim's time, and probably a lot longer than that. Of all the all-knowing old men in this game, this one is by far the oldest and all-knowingest. Let us nod our heads solemnly in respect.

Anyway, it's never specified just who or what the old man is. If he's a god, he's probably the only benevolent one in the entire Estpolis pantheon.



Anyway, the old man heals us and offers to save your game one last time before you approach the fortress. I turn him down because I'm hardcore.

Doom Island



The creatures here are not to be trifled with. We see here the fourth type of Elemental, the whirlwind, that I didn't catch back at Glasdar Tower. We also see Greencore enemies which actually cast Succumb and are very hard to kill.





These Ancient Hydra are basically super-charged versions of regular Hydra, and can cast the highest tier spells at us.



High atop the highest peak of Doom Island, the Fortress of Doom waits. It is a spiteful, hollow thing, a bastion of darkness against all the good in the world. The home of our hated enemies who have taken so much from us. The stronghold of the mightiest, most dangerous creatures to ever exist.

The mightiest hero mankind has ever known didn't walk out of this place alive. Somewhere inside, Lufia is waiting for us.


Last Duel -Listen

Do you hear that?

That is the sound of shit getting so real. This shit is so real we better pose as a team.



Sad to say, but we're nowhere near where Maxim and his team were in their day. Maxim was pushing level 80 when he first stood on this threshold. Medi's companions aren't even level 50 yet.

And of course, there's only three of us.

And the monsters we're facing here are much stronger than those Maxim faced, to say nothing of the Sinistrals themselves, who have grown in power tremendously the last 100 years.

And we don't have the Dual Blade.

At least we have our Might Armor. If we're going to die, might as well make it as hard as possible.



Although the Fortress was in ruins only few days ago, it has been restored to exactly as it was in Maxim's day.



Even the treasures are the same.


Battle

The monsters, however, are far more powerful and dangerous. The four elemental creatures from Glasdar Tower are the only holdovers from old areas. The rest of the monsters here are new.







The basement and first floor hold the usual array of stat-boosting potions, just as they did long ago. The Speed Potions can still be a nice boon for Jerin, but the rest is mere fluff at this point. If you aren't strong enough to challenge the gods yet, these potions aren't going to help you.

I still used them though. I mean, duh.



One floor clear, on to the next one.

Last Duel



These Ancient Demons like to cast Sunder and other high-end magic, but they're not the nastiest foe in the fortress, they're still to come.



Medi hasn't quite reached the point where wussy elves have more HP than him, but it's not far off. Jerin is six levels behind Medi, and if they were the same level she'd probably have more than him.



I always feel compelled to screenshot this room whenever I walk through it. I don't know why.









These Mega Atlases hit really hard, but are actually among the easiest enemies in the Fortress. As you can see, they don't have the good sense to wear clothes, and thus have very low defense and are easily taken down with just a few hits.

They also drop Power Potions if you felt so inclined to farm them.



These Gold Golems are probably the mightiest enemy in the game. Iron defense and a special attack called Gold Arm that deals ludicrous damage. And they come in packs of three. Without Might Armor, these guys could easily hand you a game over. They hit hard enough that I actually like to use Courage in fights against them. Great rewards if you win though. Seriously, 10k experience is a lot.





Ancient Hydra give them a run for their money though. At least they only come in groups of two.



I miss Lufia. :'(





the game sees fit to hand you three last Miracles before the final battle begins. Sadly, we really need a different kind of miracle right now, but that kind doesn't come in a bottle.



Whatever. Medi is a descendant of Maxim. He can make his own goddamn miracles.

Four Sinistrals



We've arrived at the Sinistrals' lair...but it looks like nobody's home.




They've left a clear sign for us, however. “Hope is lost and your chances of victory are but a memory. Go home.”

But Medi isn't taking the bait.





One by one, the Sinistrals warp in with a blinding flash of light. First comes Gades, God of Destruction.



Followed by Amon, God of Chaos.



And last, but not least, Daos, the God of Chaos Style Monologues Terror descends.



With but a few sharp words, Daos strikes to the heart of the matter. As far as he's concerned, Medi has already lost, and they have no further business. From his tone, it doesn't even sound like he's interested in killing Medi anymore. Seems he would rather send him crying back to the people of earth and watch him try to explain to everyone how he screwed this up so badly.



Daos wonders aloud what this pitiful mortal is doing in his fortress, standing before the gods themselves in such a reckless and pointless act of defiance.

But come on, do we really have to explain it at this point? It was our destiny to face each other! I'm Belmont and you're Dracula! Die monster, you don't belong in this world.

Four Sinistrals

But Medi doesn't even care about fighting Sinistrals right now. There's only one thing that matters to him.



Of course she does! Haven't you been following this LP? Haven't you seen how adorable and heartwarming they are together?









It's Lufia! : D





Lufia, come on, you remember, right?



Haha, you got me, very funny! I'm laughing, see?



Lufia?

Come over here and yell at me about something. I don't even care what.

Please.





Ouch.

It's over. Medi has lost everything, even the person he treasured above all else. He stands powerless in the heart of the Sinistral's fortress, and the girl he loves doesn't even recognize him.


Savior of the Earth



But as Medi screams Lufia's name one final time, suddenly a ringing sound fills the air. Whether responding to Medi's anger, pain, anguish, or raw, unbridled sexual frustration, the Dual Blade responds.



Daos is horrified. But how could he understand?

In only 100 short years, the Sinistrals have already forgotten just what it was that gave Maxim his power.
















Having been empowered by Medi's energy waves, the Dual Blade springs to life once more. In a flourish of magical spirally energy, it is restored to its true form, and returns itself to its rightful bearer.










”Yeah, well, aren't you the kid who was having trouble with the spiders a few weeks ago? I figured you needed all the help you could get.”





There's nothing left to say.

Lufia might be a Sinistral, but she's my Sinistral. You can't have her.

Let's kill some fucking gods.

Last Duel



Haha, Sheran! I remember that! Good times! Just one problem there, Gades.

Medi isn't level 4 anymore.


Battle Theme I

All of the Sinistrals have stepped up their games considerably since Maxim fought them in the prologue. They all have around double the HP and some new techniques they've been itching to use on us.

But they all have roughly the same strategy they had before. Gades still has only single targeting physical attacks.



Medi's Courage spell is a great boon to us here, to help us ward off The God of Destruction's incredible power.



Jerin has very little ability to hurt the Sinistrals, so she'll be adopting a purely supportive stance from here on out. Any round she isn't spending healing will probably be spent casting Trick on Aguro or Medi.





Uh oh! Medi didn't die in one hit this time! What now, you overgrown tin can? Hahaha!



You son of a bitch.



Gades' Destruction Wave is probably the hardest hitting attack in the entire game, and can easily break 300 damage after he uses Undead. Remember when Gades blasted Medi for hundreds of damage back in Chapter 1? That wasn't a cutscene power. Not only is Gades really that strong, but apparently he was holding back when he did it.



Gades' damage output is outrageous, but he can't hit more than one character at a time. As long as Jerin stays on top of things with the Champion spell, he shouldn't ever overwhelm you. Unlike Lufia II, Gades' Destruction Wave can only hit one player at a time.



Rounds where Jerin isn't healing should be spent casting Trick. Gades is weak to Thunder magic, but since Lufia isn't here, he has no weaknesses to exploit, so physical attacks will have to do.



Even with the Might Armor, Gades' attack power isn't to be underestimated. Doing over 100 damage to Medi is kind of a big deal at this point. And bear in mind, this is after a defense buff. None of the other Sinistrals' damage output holds a candle to his. In a lot of ways, Gades is the toughest Sinistral this time around.



Eventually, even the God of Destruction is forced to yield to us. I imagine his last thoughts are to wonder how he ever let that puny knight whose ass he kicked back in Sheran get the better of him, and then regrets all those times he let him live instead of finishing him off. Foresight is not one of Gades' virtues.



Killing a Sinistral nets us a king's ransom in experience. Each one will probably give our entire party a level up.



At level 46, Jerin learns Valor, which I believe is her final spell.

Sinistrals Destroyed: 1/4

Last Duel



Brother, you must be the God of Stupidity to step between Medi and Lufia. The most charitable way I can describe it is as the wrong place to stand.

And to think I've been saying you're the smart one.


Battle Theme II

Amon has learned a few new tricks since last time as well.



Since Amon attacks exclusively with magic, Jerin's Mirror spell can really come in handy here, especially when Amon pulls out his trump card.



Amon has the usual array of high end magic you'd expect from a god. You might think his use of the Dread spell is a waste, since he uses only magic. However...



Despite being incorrectly labeled as the Master of Terror, Amon still has his iconic Chaos Wave ability.



And it does exactly what you think it does.

Amon blows away your defense and watches your team tear itself apart with physical attacks. It's probably the most sinister combination any enemy in this game uses. I told you guys he was smart.



Of course, Jerin's brand new Valor spell does wonders for keeping us in fighting shape. When you can full heal your whole team in one spell, even Sinistrals will have trouble keeping up.



Amon retains his weakness to Fire, so you could have Jerin use Vulcan if you want. But even with the Flame Ring, she's not going to match Medi or Aguro in damage output, and her turns are better off spent casting Valor, Mirror, or Trick. Mirror is especially important since it's your only defense against Chaos Wave. I've been giving Jerin a hard time all game, but she's absolutely indispensable in these final battles with the Sinistrals.



After the insane damage output of Gades, Amon's attacks may seem small in comparison. Since the AI of the game isn't very sophisticated, he might cast useless, non-damaging spells like Dread over and over again, which probably makes him the easiest Sinistral again.



“Melanchoy” is a bastardization of “Melancholy” which is a bastardization of "Sad" which is a bastardization of “This move is bugged and does nothing.” I kind of wonder what it was supposed to do!



So long Amon, don't let the door dent your stylish armor on the way out!

Last Duel



Let me ask you something, Daos. Can the God of Terror feel fear?

But enough talk! Have at you!


Battle Theme III

Daos has had enough posturing. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. And in Daos' case, you need to make sure you look damn good while doing it.

I like the fact that it's apparently canon that the Sinistrals enjoy fashion.



As always, Daos stands head and shoulders above his brothers in magical prowess, and his offensive power is astounding.



He also has the Dread spell, but unlike Amon he has absolutely no way of utilizing it.



Since Daos uses only magical attacks, casting Mirror is a good way to protect a character from damage. Daos' own magic won't damage him much, but if he reflects Dread onto himself, he gives you a free defense debuff.



Daos has no weaknesses, so the only solution is a good old-fashioned thrashing.



Daos has added the Thunder spell to his repertoire, giving him a fairly powerful spike damage spell on a single target, though honestly it completely pales compared to the kind of damage Gades' Destruction Wave was doing.



To say nothing of the fact that his multi-target spells hurt almost as much.



Daos final technique is the “Amnesia” spell. I have no idea how they translated this to amnesia, but I suspect it's meant to be Daos' Terror Wave, which in later games would inflict multiple status ailments. Here, it only inflicts paralysis. Which makes sense, paralyzing your enemies with fear and all.



This is the only time I've used the “Stun” spell all game.



When Daos gets low on health, he'll cast “Stronger” on himself to heal for a laughable 90-something HP. He really needed some sort of unique healing magic that could heal for at least a few hundred.



Daos is powerful, no doubt, but our team has grown strong, even with only three of us. Between Aguro's strength, Jerin's magic, and Medi's spiritual power, there's no hope for even the mightiest of the gods to stand against us.

Four Sinistrals

Yeah, they're really backed into a corner now. We've got them on the run!

Note that even though we already killed Gades and Amon, they're still standing in the back with Daos. If this game were made today, I'm sure someone would mention how it's not really them, but their “residual energy waves” or something like that.

Not everything needs an explanation.



Are you still talking? Just die already!

I have destroyed Destruction, confounded Chaos, made Terror tremble with fear. You've got nothing left!





Uhhhh...




Oh man, this is not good! Amon and Gades are already defeated, and Lufia doesn't seem interested in fighting us, so Daos' solution is to take all of their energy waves for himself and use them to destroy us all! Last time Daos did this, it took the spiritual energy of earth's four mightiest heroes combined to break it, and one of them didn't even survive the doing. This time, we only have two and a half such heroes. I think it's safe to say we have pretty much no chance of disrupting that energy flow the same way Maxim did.

So in closing, we're all dead.



But even after everything that's happened, Medi still isn't about to give up on Lufia, and certainly isn't going to let her be sucked dry by Daos or turned into some kind of horrible super monster.

In desperation, he calls out to her.



Through the power of the Dual Blade's plot magic, his voices reaches out to his beloved friend. Something stirs in Lufia's mind...

Daos is outraged at this interference.




With a dramatic flash of light, Lufia is ejected from the Sinistrals' energy flow.





Medi races to her side. It seems the power of the Dual Blade helped restore her memory.




Sort of...



Lufia is still a little fuzzy on what's actually going on, but Medi doesn't care about the details. He's just overjoyed to finally have Lufia back.



But tearful reunions will have to wait. Whatever happened to Lufia, it didn't stop Daos from ganking Gades and Amon's energy, and the horrifying transformation continues.





I think he's mad.



Daos has had just about enough of these annoying red-haired heroes always messing up his plans. Maxim didn't let him unleash this final power in the previous battle, but there's no stopping him this time.

With the power of three Sinistrals, Daos is ready to grind us and all of Estpolis into the dust of history along with all the other foolish heroes who stood against him long ago.

And so begins the final battle.

Final Battle

1. Yay, Lufia's back!
2. Oh my God what is that



Meet Guard Daos, the final form of the God of Terror. It's....appropriate.

If you're thinking Guard Daos is a stupid name for a fusion of three gods, you're right, because it was actually a mangled translation. It was originally called Gardios, but since Dios was changed to Daos in the western localization, I guess he's supposed to be called Gardaos?

When the Sinistrals unite their spiritual energy, the intention is to create one perfect being whose energy waves are so intense they could annihilate the entire world. But since Erim bailed out at the last second, only three Sinistrals were included in this union, which apparently resulted in mutating Daos into some sort of horrifying Akira-esque flesh blob.

Anyway, his name wasn't the only thing that got mangled when the game was released in the west. Guard Daos is actually a pretty lame final boss.



In the original version of the game, Guard Daos included abilities from all three Sinistrals that comprised its union. It not only had the Flood Spell, but a selection of other high end magic, as well as Amon's Chaos Wave, Gades' Destruction Wave, Daos' amnesia spell, and a unique party-wide version of the “Thunder” spell. Which sounds like a pretty appropriate arsenal for a final boss.



But for reasons forever lost to science, Guard Daos' attack pattern was changed in the english version of the game. He now casts only Flood, and the mass-confusion causing “Figual” spell.

Which more or less results in his only move being to spam confusion over and over and over again. Which really just makes him an annoying sack of crap. Rather than an unstoppable super god, it's more like a twisted, tormented creature writhing in agony, lashing out in pain and delirium. Which is almost scarier if you think about it.



Which isn't to say he's not dangerous. Daos' Flood spell can deal over 100 damage to the whole party, and if half your party is confused you're not going to get anything done. Without a strategy, he can demolish you without you even having a chance to fight back.



This is where all those Speed Potions we gave to Jerin can pay off. With high enough Agility, Jerin can maintain a Mirror spell on the entire party if she needs to. It's a degenerate strategy, but there's little other recourse. There's no other defense against Figual.

At the very least, keeping Mirror up on Jerin is good strategy, so that she can heal everyone with Valor if things get messy.



But as powerful as Mirror is in this fight, our MVP will be Lufia in this final battle. With the Flash Ring, her Thunder spell can clear over 500 damage per shot against Daos; more damage than Aguro and Medi are likely to do combined.



The fight can drag on for some time. But if you keep Mirror up, there's little Guard Daos can do to hurt you. If it had the Destruction Wave, it could bypass Mirror and do a lot of damage, but as it stands all he can do is uselessly bounce spells back at himself for piddling damage. It's a damn shame.



Without Erim's power, Daos' last ditch effort to destroy us is faltering, which allows Lufia the freedom of some well-deserved payback for what Daos has been putting her through.

“Yeah, I was doing just fine without any of you! I met this nice guy! He played tag with me! You guys never wanted to play tag! Go to hell!”



Tag! You're it!







No tag backs.



And so, with not a bang but a whimper, Daos fades into oblivion, denied the supreme power he sought, knowing that in the end, he was betrayed by one of his own, and even the combined might of all the Sinistrals was no match for the power of the human spirit.

If you ask me, his biggest mistake was ditching the cape.

Above is the final experience totals for the party over the course of the game. Note that Lufia being missing from the party for about 25 minutes resulted in her missing out on almost a quarter of the total experience we gained.

Next time: And with strange aeons...

So suddenly you're playing SMT.

Oh no Lufia is going to start reflecting all your spells now isn't she.