What in Blazes!? It's Wild Arms 2!

Post #3 in an update that started on the previous page.



Now we can take the second path around the save point.



Mostly just lava dodging…



Oh, this is… medium interesting. It’s basically a maze of rocks and treasures, but the design of the area does give the impression this “dungeon” is a series of natural rock growths (or the results of random lava flows? I’m not a geologist).



And some HP crystals in case you need a fill up after all that lava.



Now we can blast that final spout.



And, since we hit the other two spouts earlier, we can walk around with impunity. Progress in our time!



Sure, random slate in the middle of an inactive volcano. Whatever you say.



Whipping out “the power of destruction” (aka Brad’s bombs) will blast that monolith to pieces.



And leave a natural fart behind.



That final blast opens what appears to be our first doorway leading inside the volcano.



And this is our final destination. If you know what you’re doing, the Sleeping Volcano is a pretty quick dungeon. If you’re me… things take a little longer.



Please tell me ARMS isn’t just tripping on carbon monoxide poisoning…



Hey, that sounds familiar!



Knowing his name did come in handy!



Guys! Oh my God! Guys! He’s not a dragon! He’s a transformer! We’re gonna get a transformer! It’s Christmas!



“Am I doing this right? Is this thing on? You guys are pathetic. Did you understand that?”



This raises all sorts of questions about that dragon we killed yesterday.



Hey, remember when Ashley turned into a monster, and, despite being an intelligent creature, all he could do was communicate through grunts? And remember how we have killed 70,000,000 random monsters since then?



That’s what I thought.




Dragons are cool, but rude.



So Cybertron got eaten by Unicron. Got it.



Well, this all sounds very familiar.



So the good news is that if ARMS fails, a few humans might actually survive in the “new” universe. The bad news is they’re likely to be just as helpless as the dragons, and… that doesn’t end well.



“Couldn’t save your own universe, but why not give ours a shot?”

CONTINUED NEXT POST

“I understand. Hanging out alone in a volcano sounds like a much better use of your time.”



“And my programs are on…”



“Unlike some dragons.”



“Saving the world is just like learning to play the trumpet! We’ll be the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in no time!”



Score!



Okay, I’m going to talk about this three second GIF for a minute. Tim and Lilka are the two youngest members of ARMS, but, by and large, they barely ever interact. I think their biggest scene together was when Tim found Lilka on Ashley’s steps, and, for that bit of drama, Tim could have been essentially any other character. Or a particularly verbal chair. However, even though we don’t get reams of Lilka/Tim dialogue, we get adorable little moments like right here, where we have successfully convinced a freaking dragon to join the party, so high five! Brad, Kanon, and Ashley are as professional as ever, but the kids are freaking psyched, and, in a one second animation, we’re rapdily reminded of party dynamics.

It’s a pretty rad way to sneak some character moments into the script, and it would be nice if the talky JRPGs of today could remember this simple shortcut to making characters relatable and interesting.



Oh, but now, we fight.



Cool pose, caliber.



Official game art gives Lombardia a sort of Sonic the Hedgehog vibe.



“So you just want us to hit you?”
“Yes! That!”



Whoops! Kind of forgot to heal after all that lava…



And Lombardia isn’t going to wait around while we break out the berries.



Lombardia’s “belly” is clearly that jewel in his middle, and, while I don’t know much about dragon physiology, I’m almost certain you don’t want to hit a potential ally in that spot.



Lombardia’s strongest attack is some manner of party-wide dragon laser. Fortunately, this is Lombardia’s only threatening attack, so if you heal after each blast (which doesn’t happen that often), you should be fine.



We get 15,000 EXP and gella, which seems to imply Lombardia had a stash of cash.



Because, if you’re good, one day, you might tame a transformer.



“I feel like we really had a breakthrough when Brad hit you with4 that missile, but I’m still going to recommend continuing counseling for everyone here.”



Oh, right, fighting in a “sleeping” volcano always leads to an active volcano.



How will ARMS get out of this one?! Is anyone here secretly a jet?



BAD END



Oh, no. Lombardia. Right.



So where does the party fit in Lombardia? It’s unclear!



Meanwhile, back at the chateau.



Lombardia basically confirms what we learned from Gaia: a world is trying to eat our world, and it’s difficult to punch.



But apparently Lombardia provided info on where the parallel universe originated. So we know where to aim our rail gun now?

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Irving reveals that Ashley gave him an idea: if we can “trap” the encroaching universe in a physical shell (like how Lord Blazer is trapped within Ashley), then we can stab that universe until it… can a universe die?



Guess we’ll find out!



“Ley lines are hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths. Their existence was suggested in 1921 by the amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins, whose book 'The Old Straight Track' brought the alignments to the attention of the wider public.”



So the newest plan is to manipulate our planet’s energy into forming a magical cage to trap the other universe.



Wonder why nobody thought of this sooner!



“Just make sure that ‘mortal conception’ has limited HP, okay?”



And that includes...



Our brand new dragon buddy!



Wild Arms Mission #23
Gain the power of a dragon.
Status: Success!
Notes: And it turns out the dragon was a chatty cathy, and we now have a brand new objective, too!



Seek out the reypoints! For great justice!



We finally have a legit airship! Hooray!

A quick word about Lombardia: we now have a sentient airship equipped with marvelous laser weaponry… but that volcano bit was the last that will ever matter. Lombardia is going to just stand around while we’re off exploring dungeons, and doesn’t join us for a rad dragon-based battle even once. Lame! This will be rectified when a version of Lombardia returns in Wild Arms 3, so please look forward to that game I am absolutely not LP’ing.

Oh, also, WA3 Lombardia is female. There’s really no reason to assume this Lombardia is male, but I’m going to do that anyway, because I suspect this Lombardia is Starscream in disguise.



So let’s talk about why the Wild Arms 2 world map kind of sucks. For the first time in the game, we have Kanon’s radar and an airship that can land (almost) anywhere. So that means, for the first time in the game, we can go anywhere, and find all of the hidden dungeons scattered around the map. Why couldn’t we do this before? Well, because the varied requirements for “landing” in the other vehicles are very limiting, and that can make exploration very bewildering.

Remember Judecca’s Diablo Pillar from a while back? We were told it was on that island, we could see it on the radar, but we couldn’t actually reach the tower through traditional means. We could park the hovercraft nearby, but, thanks to some random cliffs, we just couldn’t make it to the actual pillar. It was eventually revealed that we had to go to a ghost town halfway across the world, and use a hitherto unmentioned teleporter to find our way to our actual goal. And that was an interesting way to frame one mandatory dungeon, but applying that same thinking to optional content is absurd. We can’t get up this cliff to reach that tantalizing green dot? Well, does that mean we don’t have the plot mandated latest vehicle upgrade, we’re not supposed to go to this location yet, or that we’re simply missing a random hill on that cliff that we’re supposed to climb? Without a FAQ or a very dedicated map, there’s no way of knowing!

And, what’s more, with the “activate landmarks” system, even if you do find an “unusual” location where there is clearly supposed to be something hidden, if you don’t find anything, there’s no way of knowing if that area is waiting for plot activation, or if you’ve just encountered a particularly weird bit of geography. The Sleeping Volcano from this very update was clearly always going to be a dungeon, but we first found the area hours and hours ago when it was inert. Which, if we killed some time on foot looking for this impossible entrance at that time, we would have just been rewarded with a bunch of aggravating random battles.

Basically, what I’m saying here is that the world map of Wild Arms 2 is interesting, and it’s nice that it contains secrets that are available as early as Valeria Chateau’s first take off, but actually exploring this world is a pain in the ass if you don’t already know where you’re going. Without Lombardia and Kanon’s radar, determining whether you’re exploring a potential secret, an area waiting to be unlocked in another few hours, or a dead end is nearly impossible.



But now we have our airship, so everything is hunky dory. We’re supposed to be aiming for those four reypoint dungeons (which will remind us of Diablo Pillars soon enough), but we can also tackle a lot of optional content, too.



And our first stop? Well, this castle looks like a lot of fun…

Next time on Wild Arms 2: What crazy thing will we recruit next?

Oh yeah, this is where the story starts to get delightfully bonkers (and we still got a bit to go until the end!). Trapping the metaphysical concept of 'a universe' into a physical form you can punch to death is such an absurdly wacky concept that's played just straight enough by the characters. WA2 came out on the cusp of when JRPGs were becoming particularly serious about their philosophical stories but there's still enough 'old school' charm to this game that it doesn't quite go there.

"Let's put this encroaching universe in a physical body so we can punch it!"
"Yay!"

If this story were in a game that came out today I'd expect we'd get twenty minutes of brooding and pondering over, like, what even IS a universe, man, and whether we're even doing the right thing and maybe it's OUR universe that's encroaching on THEIRS, all with inexplicable made-up fantasy jargon (like instead of 'Trapezohedron' it would be 'Ethereal Multiside Mana Enclosure' or something) every other word.

Not here though. 'We're putting a thing in a thing to punch it, now get in your goddamn Transformer Dragon'.

Oh WA2, bless you.

Trapezohedrons are an actual thing, but their pop culture use comes from Lovecraft I think?

Being trapped in polyhedral dice - truly a fate worse than death.

That's just as well, 'cause I'm gonna spoil it pretty thoroughly at a certain part of this game's story.

Previously on Wild Arms:





So we’ve got our “airship” now, and that grants us access to the whole of the world. As a result, this update is going to be entirely optional content… though the first two items are arguably optional content that is more important than some of the mandatory stuff we’ll get to later.



So let’s explore this random castle in the middle of nowhere.



I’m sure there are some helpful NPCs that hint toward the location of this castle, but you’re equally likely to find the place through Kanon’s radar while zooming around the planet. It’s right in the middle of a continent that is large enough to scream “there’s got to be something around here”.



This dungeon is predominantly switch based. The first two switches are one of those “one or the other” type deals. Pick your pathway!



Right seems… right.



But we’ll need to find some more switches to make it through here.



So let’s look around elsewhere.



Save point! Not that this dungeon has a boss or anything, but it is nice to have one available.



Here’s our first switch…



Number two is just across the way…



Library with unreadable books in the middle…



And here’s number three. Ashley ran square into that thing, and he’s going to have to lie down for a minute before proceeding.



But proceed we shall!



Ominous!



But the monsters around here are pretty typical fare



Red Barney? Well, I suppose there could be a resemblance…



We literally already recruited a god of darkness, so this can’t be that terrible.



… Ganon?



… Dracula?



Yep, definitely Dracula.



I like to think this is deleted dialogue from every Castlevania finale.



Heeeeere’s Marivel.



“I thought it was just the 10,000 random monsters that I apparently live with.”



“Where’s the King of Darkness we were promised!”

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Tim was a penniless urchin a week ago, and now he’s “heard” the legendary immortals live in a giant castle in the middle of nowhere. I choose to believe the guardians are gossipy blabbermouths.



“You were looking for immortal darkness? You got it! Right here! A whole hundred pounds of it!”



Lilka and Marivel would be super best friends if they could only tolerate each other.



Brad also pretty much directly addresses the audience and says, “Look, you’re playing a game with an immortal fire elemental trapped in a random blue haired kid. Are vampires any worse? Just roll with it.”



“Which is why we were exploring a random castle that has nothing to do with anything.”



Incidentally, this is the first we’ve seen “natural” Marivel in the present. I’m kind of surprised the rest of ARMS doesn’t respond with at least a little surprise at seeing Marivel’s actual face.



But the last thousand years were pretty good, right, Ms. Immortal?



Apropos of absolutely nothing, Ashley decides Marivel needs a stern talking to.



And she reacts well!



“It’s not because I like you or anything!” ◕‿◕



Marivel joins the party!



And she’s got her own tool!



The Electel will only ever be used on very specific objects, but Marivel naturally believes it is intended for frying human flesh.



Welcome to the team, Marivel!



Marivel is our one hidden character, and brings our party count up to six. Incidentally, the final boss seems to assume you’ll have a full party of six playable characters, so I have to wonder if she’s really all that hidden. Note also that, unlike some games and their hidden playable characters, you will never reach a point in Wild Arms 2 when you cannot recruit Marivel.



And since we’ve got this vampire on the team, let’s reexplore her old digs.



Side note: Marivel has the best running animation.



Now that Marivel can read those “ancient” books hiding around the castle, the place yields practically a town’s worth of random backstory.



It was not by Crimson Noble hands that they were once again given flesh.



And maybe someone should keep an eye on Marivel around dinnertime?



But we all know why Marivel is alone now.



Lord Blazer was a conceptual being, so he could attack and destroy souls. There aren’t any more vampires in Filgaia because Lord Blazer exterminated their very existence with extreme prejudice.



Second runner-up for “greatest enemy”, ultimately.



We’ll get to that!



We didn’t need Marivel to loot the treasure chests littered about the castle, but it would be rude to search through her stuff otherwise.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

I guess we’re not only happy meals for the vampire population.



Please tell me this book is Marivel’s friendfiction magnum opus. … Wait. That actually appears in Wild Arms 3?



I’ll keep an eye out for any items that summon monsters! We sure do need to fight more monsters!



This is a clue to the location of one of Marivel’s unique tools. Remember any ruins with inexplicable markings?



Nope! It was a close one, but we beat up that nuclear dragon!



The Crimson Nobles are aware of the Guardians, but they’re regarded as a bunch of losers.



This book needs to talk to its neighbor book.



These vampires really are knowledgeable about everything on the planet.



Bet Marivel read that one a few times.



Marivel’s weapon during battle isn’t a sword or her fangs or something remotely sane, it’s a pair of tiny robots. Note that we’re not just talking about weapon “type”, Hob & Nob will be her only weapon for the entire game, period. Luckily, you will find powerups for the ‘obs, so their attack power will increase as we go.



Aw, guess Anastasia had a hobby before she became a Sword Saint.



… What was that last thing?



Okay! Let’s fight some skeletons! First of all, Marivel is basically a mage. Her general attacks are pretty weak, but her magic stats are off the charts. And how is that helpful? Well, Mari is a blue mage.

Marivel’s blue mage skills are very… Final Fantasy 5. On one hand, you have a host of elemental skills that can be learned from random monsters, and they’re absolutely not worth it. Fly around the world, find some random lizard creature, use skill drain, and then earn a fire spell that is no different than what Lilka or Tim could use from practically the start of the game. But! Some of the skills are downright gamebreaking, so that can be useful.

For instance, if you’re paying attention to the spell list in Wild Arms 2, you’ll know we don’t even have a basic “sleep” spell yet. And that’s not really a bad thing, because since when have random status ailment spells been useful for a JRPG party? There isn’t a golem guarding a secret town in Filgaia, so why bother? Well, the reason to bother in Wild Arms 2 is that the programmers didn’t think anyone would bother, either, so some of the absolute most powerful bosses in this game are vulnerable to “common” status effects. For instance, one of the deadliest super bosses around can be put to sleep with something like 80% success. And the only way to get a sleep spell is through Marivel’s blue magic, so it’s probably a good idea to keep her around.



But who cares about any of that? I’m not going to spend all day tracking down random spells, so let’s just summon a golem and be done with it. All of Marivel’s FP level moves are various golem summons, but we only have access to one at the moment.



Go go! Fighting vampire! For bloody justice!



Here is Marivel’s basic attack. Operation Genocide is off to a bad start.



And, if you’re curious, here are Marivel’s starting (Level 99) stats. Please be aware that the goggles do nothing.



Stare at this screenshot long enough, and you’ll notice a tiny, nearly imperceptible lightning bolt mark on the wall.



Time to put Marivel’s one tool to use!



Whammo! A new door!



This previously hidden stairway seems a lot like the entrance to Marivel’s crypt/bedroom.



And it contains… the last metroid in captivity?



Nope! It’s a new golem!



… Well, “new” is kind of a misnomer. Asgard is a golem that was featured heavily in Wild Arms 1, and will return again in later Wild Arms games. Asgard doesn’t have much in the way of a “plot” here, but it is good to see the ol’ barrier buster return.



And that’s about it for this castle!

CONTINUED NEXT POST

I have a moderately okay memory, so we’re going to make a quick trip back to Meria.



Remember that book in the Meria library that we haven’t been able to read since the very beginning of the game? Well guess what.



One optional dungeon leads to another…



So there’s a Wild Arms anime, Wild Arms Twilight Venom (“TV”, get it?), that was released after Wild Arms 2. It was kinda sorta based on Wild Arms 2, or at least drew its version of Filgaia from WA2. There’s a Crimson Noble in that series right from the start, and she is not supposed to be Marivel. She is, physically, mentally, and spiritually a totally different character. However, she is named Mirabelle Graceland. Obviously, Marivel could be a mislocalization of Mirabelle. Marivel could also be a mislocalization of Isabelle/Isabel. And Wild Arms TV does make mention of an ancient Mirabelle Armitage. And, while we’re talking about ancestors and descendants anyway, all evidence points to Marivel Armitage being the last of the Crimson Nobles, so who the hell else could write a book about how the Crimson Nobles are all dead?

Anyway, my point is that Wild Arms 2 is a land of contrasts.



I need to clear my head, let’s hit that old monster-studying club we visited back when we were tackling Telepath Tower.



We were barred from going downstairs before…



But now we can use Marivel’s Electel to activate a robot and… This sounds interesting.



Welcome to the Black Market! This is another Wild Arms recurring location.



And it’s the only place on the planet where you can buy healing items. Revive Fruits (phoenix downs), War Respites (all purpose remedies), and Mini Carrots (+25 FP at any time) are all very useful.



And there appears to be a puzzle area over here, but we can’t make it through that fence, so we’ll be back yet again.



Now let’s check out that dungeon from Isabel’s secret book.



Aaaaand we can’t get anywhere, because there’s an impassable gap. Put this one on the “return later” checklist, too.



So it’s time to fly around the planet and use Kanon’s radar to find all sorts of random items.



And maybe a werewolf?



Spooky, scary.



This cave has very poor lighting. There is eventually a tool that could clear up that issue, but we can bump around in the dark just fine.



Oh no! A mon(ster)!



At least the way the lighting works makes it really easy to find the edges.



And occasionally bomb the edges.



Don’t fall!



The first demolition wall is pretty easy to find. After that, it’s a little more difficult, but since you’re already aware it’s explosions time, it’s easy to drop a billion bombs and hope for the best.



Here’s the best.



Wave back, Tim.



You’re the worst medium ever.



Yes, your optional character does get dialogue. Yes, she’s still Marivel.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Damn you, dialogue box, you were supposed to help us out with names!



Like I could ever forget such a good dog.



And Ashley is teleported away!



Welcome to the Velvet Room. Wait, no, this looks more like violet…



“Sup?”



Shocking!



Note that Lucied, like Marivel, apparently took the long way back to the present.



Also note that Lucied didn’t actually speak during our time together in the Memory Maze.



“Are we going to have to fight? That has been happening a lot lately.”



“And I am, as you people say, a hungry puppy.”



Sounds familiar!



I’ve been playing this game for nearly a year, and this is update #32. Each of these updates takes hours of assembling screenshots, writing, and then editing a comprehensive commentary on a complete game. And, having said that, who the %^#^ is Grandma!?



Ashley has learned from his adventure full of heroic deeds!



He never really wanted to be a hero, either, he just wanted to make his girlfriend happy. Aw?



Just in case the audience missed it the first sixteen times we said that.



And Lucied is willing to put up with the whole “Marina” thing.



This is will prove to be surprisingly literal.



Also literally.



Zephyr comes later, you silly doggo!



This will be explained shortly.



“I haven’t been okay since this game started.”



“We had a nice chat.”
“Was it about power and whether or not it can be good or evil?”
“How’d you know?”



Kanon busts out a quick history lesson. She knows her stuff.



More’s the pity.



Best vampire.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

So Mad Lucied is exclusively an attack for when Ashley is in Over Knight Blazer mode. It entirely replaces Hot Fencer.



Mad Lucied is pretty much the exact same move, but it is non-elemental. Hot Fencer is always fire type (I think), but Mad Lucied just plain does damage. This is important for some of the remaining boss fights, as there are at least a handful of powerful monsters that will absorb Hot Fencer attacks, but take neutral damage to Mad Lucied.

And… that’s all we get out of Lucied. While it makes sense that the most unique Guardian on this planet would grant a very unique bonus (and one that only applies to Ashley, too), this always seems like a letdown. Considering Lucied was a playable character earlier, when Lucied finally joins us in the present, you’d expect something closer to Bahamut ZERO, and less… random fat chocobo summon.



And now we have to walk out of this damn dark dungeon! Lame!



Where to next?



Oh, finally, this dungeon.



Technically you can access this cave anytime after piloting Valeria Chateau, but I kept missing it. Also note the monster pyramid for later.



Yeah, wind is a real mystery.



This dungeon has three rooms (with random monsters). The wind blows at timed intervals in each room.



The idea is to light all of the torches with Lilka’s fireballs before the wind blows them back out. The first room is no big.



But the next two rooms are a little more complicated/tense.



But they’re certainly doable without too much effort.



And we’re done.



He's still a total sub.



“Here’s my medium.”



Fengalon is an angry cat-type Guardian that uses wind attacks. As expected, he confers a pair of wind spells to Tim. However, Fengalon’s unique skill, Pickpocket, is the only “steal” command in the game. As such, you really should pick up this Guardian earlier rather than later, so that way you can earn… useless crap. Hey, this isn’t Xenosaga and its damned steal-required special moves again. However, you do need pickpocket for at least one other sidequest we’ll be hitting soon enough, so it’s good to have.



Hm, don’t think we’ve been on this continent before. Looks like those mountainous shores were keeping out our hovercraft.



A town! Neat!



Does this place seem familiar to anyone?



Monsters in the fields? That does ring a bell…



This is the best armory in the game, so that’s good.



Oh! This is the town from Lilka’s intro! We couldn’t explore inside the houses then, but now we’ve got free reign of the place.



And everyone is so friendly!



“I have a name, you know…”



And we’ve got a good clue to one of those Raypoints that are actually plot relevant.



Hello, kid behind a tree.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

We just made some NPC’s day!



Speaking of Lilka stuff…



Knew I was forgetting something. We delivered it, but did we ever confirm that dude did anything with it?



May as well check that out.



Yay! He did that thing. Better tell the hermit that invented High Level Magic.



But while we’re here, we can get a clue to another Raypoint.



And Terry the Good Boy continues to be a clever, polite lad.



Now back to the island, and we earn Lilka’s Level 3 skill.



Extend basically just ups the number of targets for a particular spell. It can be a life saver if you need to “heal all” immediately, but, other than that, the 75 FP cost means that it is usually more efficient to just waste two turns casting on your individual targets. It’s not like you ever encounter a great number of monsters at once, anyway.



It’s that last thing.

Incidentally, this “quest” can be completed as soon as the Diablo Pillars appear, but I’m so bad at doing things on time.



And speaking of places that could be explored earlier, let’s check out this highly suspicious crater.



We already figured that out!



Another monster pyramid…



And a hole!



This dungeon is holes for days. Test your spatial awareness by falling to the right places!



And there are weird elemental treasures all over the place, too.



Are artifacts supposed to impress me?



The general goal of this area is to fall through the right hole to pull this switch. I realize I could just back up the ol’ screen grabber and get a capture of that very hole, but I’m terrible.



Tom Cruise’s personal Guardian.



Rigdobrite only appears in Wild Arms 1 and Wild Arms 2 (and technically the remake of WA1). However, there is this interesting bit of dialogue from Wild Arms 3:

“August 17: Today is August 17, Star Festival Day. Once, a guardian from the stars landed in front of a starving young boy. Introducing himself as Rigdobrite, he ripped a chunk of his own flesh and offered it to the ailing boy. As a token of his gratitude, the boy became a baker and made Rigdobrite flavored cookies. Since the cookies tasted like shrimp, Rigdobrite became known as the Shrimp-Flavored Guardian.”



Does this guy look particularly edible?

Rigdobrite confers a pair of uninteresting, non-elemental spells upon Tim. They’re pretty powerful, but they have significant FP costs, so they’re rarely useful. Rigdobrite’s unique command is Artifact, which allows any character to “use” one of those artifacts (only found in this dungeon) as an elemental attack. This can be pretty useful, as it means any of the bruisers on the team can nail an elemental weakness at any time… but, at this point in the game, they usually have better options available. But it’s the thought that counts!



Anything else fun around this area?



Floating temple? That seems important.



Hey, the first Raypoint we literally stumbled into. Guess it’s time to at least throw the plot a bone.

Next time on Wild Arms 2: Tim gets all the best stuff.

Marivel is the best and while she's technically an optional character, come on, who is going to play all the dang way through this RPG and not pick her up?

I don't think I've ever seen even a video of the end of this game without her.

On hiatus

Abandoned

Oh yeah? Well would an abandoned LP do this?

Previously on Wild Arms 2: Man, you got me. There are 32 parts to this thing? And I ignored it for a year? Crap, I’m going to be lucky if I remember these dudes’ names.



Raypoint Wing? Is that… is that the vampire girl? Can she fly?



Oh, right, we’re at one of those reyline dungeon thingys. There are four elemental dungeons that can be completed in (kinda) any order. Here’s the first one. It’s wind themed.



Each of the dungeons also corresponds to a character and their spiritual journey. And their tools. Tim already has a wind wand, so he’s up.



Basic dungeon mechanic: wind-push platforms until they are safe to cross. Blow it until you know it!



Basic dungeon mechanic part two: Sometimes platforms appear next to each other, and spin with each other.



Let’s see if we can just mosey a little over here…



And toss Pooka the Tool Creature at this treasure chest.



New tool! Tim’s final tool is the Mist Cloak. It is arguably the most useful tool in the game, and no small reason we hit this dungeon first.



Straight-forward explanation for the best damn magic cloak in this or any other franchise (eat it, invisibility cloak).



In practice, the Mist Cloak allows Tim/the party to “skip” one block spaces, and float leisurely over pits and obstacles. In JRPG universes that revel in blocking off areas with impassable 1x1 squares of water, Tim is now a god.



So the Mist Cloak is obviously going to be the featured tool of this dungeon, and will help us quite a bit in navigating this vaguely-Grecian floating dungeon.



Mist Cloak is going to be useful from now until the end of time (unlike about 90% of the tools in Wild Arms 2), and it even gets a special bonus move in this dungeon. Fans will blow misty Tim around these rooms, meaning the lil’ dude will be able to cover a lot more than one block’s worth of space.



And here’s a fun room where we can apply everything we’ve learned. There are four paths in this room, but each of the paths may only be traveled when a fan is blowing in the proper direction. And how do we control the fans?



Um… That’s the worst answer. Can we do better? I mean, you said “wind” way too many times…



Here we go! This giant weather vane will point in the direction of the currently working fan. Spin that puppy around with Tim’s own windiness, and you’ll be ready to explore every direction.



South leads to a treasure chest on the other side of a cage. Hey! We can mist through cages now, too! Way to go, new tool!



Ah, my favorite anime, Fate/Staff Night. Though I guess Fate/Staff Night: Unlimited Tim Works was slightly more realized.



A quick vane flip later, and North leads to…



Yep, that’s a boss room if I ever saw it.



Tim, you have the least HP in this entire party. Focus on protecting Pooka or something.



Spriggan Wing Knight! For anyone that has seen this word a thousand times in videogames, but never thought to check, the “spriggan” apparently originates from a goblin-type card in Magic the Gathering. Wait, that can’t be right…



So each of these dungeons features a boss (more of a midboss) that is simply a colorswap of this dudette. As you might be able to guess, this one’s element is sprite wind.



Wing Knight seems vaguely defensive, and will blow some turns on buffs that don’t really work that effectively (see also: all of Wild Arms 2, 90% of PSX JRPGs). However, if you destroy her shield, she will get a little more offensive with some full-party attack spells.



Also, she’s big into Mirror Coat, which will reflect all offensive magic. Lilka or Tim are stuck on healing duties, as usual.



Yeah, Tim! Staff her good!

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Oh, did you guess that her biggest spell would be wind-based? Remember, you have to wind the windy wind wind in this wind.



Bye, Spriggan. I’ll say hi to your sisters for you.



This is Tim’s best helmet. Woo?



The boss disintegrates into a save point. A save point after the boss? Poor sportsmanship, Wild Arms 2.



A fan blowing directly up is an elevator for Misty Tim.



The whole point of these dungeons is that we are exploring ancient mystical reylines, and, while it is never expressly stated, there is some evidence that these dungeons are less “old worship temples” and more “energy plants” for harvesting reyline energy. Or some dungeon planner just wanted to throw a windmill in there. Whatever.



Fun fact: between all the misting around the place and generally small rooms, this random encounter was the first in this dungeon.



We will find that the reyline dungeons share random mooks, too. BEWARE THE GIGACLOUD!



More platforms to wind-push. That orange button to the side will reset all the platforms to their original orientation. I assume this means there is some way to make this room “unwinnable”… but I haven’t found it.



In a weird bit of balancing, you can sidle along a completely vertical platform. Tim has the agility of a housecat. Same weight, too.



The basic trick to this room is to remember you have a Mist Cloak, and use it all the time.



I am going to sell this for so many pokédollars.



Another room, another excuse to get blown.



The whole “vertical platform” thing is actually the answer to reaching this treasure chest.



I’m sensing a theme here…



Tim has other tools, too!



But the Mist Cloak is best.



Um, excuse me, Wild Arms 2. I think you will find that the sun is a star, and we already have a Star Piece. I hope someone got fired for that blunder.



And the center of this whole area is the obvious place we’re going to plunk down all these random rocks. It is simply heavenly.



So the answer here is to drop these stones in celestial order… or what Wild Arms 2 seems to think is celestial order. I guess it makes sense that you would hit cloud, moon, sun, and then the stars on your way out of the planet’s orbit, but it seems kind of arbitrary.



Also, I definitely failed this puzzle at least once because I was confused about starting the order at the door or the monolith…



Whatever, time to move on from this silly place.



“Hi, mysterious voice! You’re not really great at nicknames, are you?”



“To earn EXP. Any other questions?”



Eternity? One damn twelve year old can’t answer a question, and the place shuts down forever? Damn. Don’t blow it, Tim.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Crap. We’re boned.



“I fight for fate”?



Yeah, that does sound lame.



If Other Barry shows up, I’m out.



“Oh, is that why you pass out during every other boss battle?”



“Colette! I was just talking about you!”



“… which seems kind of silly now that you’re apparently a giant.”



“FATE! … Sorry, got into kind of a groove there…”



What? This is going even worse than I expected. And I already expected Tim to Lilka this thing up from the beginning.



Oh, hi Pooka. You’re not a giant ghost creature, so we should probably listen to you.



“Don’t die. Yeah, figured that out a while ago, fluffball.”



We already covered all of this. Tim dying is bad for everybody (particularly Tim).



Is Pooka implying that encroaching universes attempt to destroy Filgaia on a regular basis?



Yeah, he did help you reach a few treasure chests.



This is relevant.



Pooka isn’t supposed to have a will of his own, and is merely a vessel of the gods/guardians. The fact that he’s helping here of his own volition is… unexpected (assuming you’ve never experienced any human fiction ever).



Pooka being Pooka means that Pooka failed to be Pooka. Wind.



So Tim takes Pooka’s advice, and believes in his own reason to fight (to protect Colette and anyone generally Colette-shaped), but Pooka doesn’t make the trip back.

Even though Pooka was mostly just a tool, it’s always sad when a cute mascot creature…



… Huh?



Oh, that was a harrowing thirty seconds without Pooka.



I absolutely choose to believe this is a gross mistranslation of the Twain quote regarding “the reports of my death”.



Tool-Pooka died so new, independent Pooka could be born. It’s basically the same plot as REDACTED DUE TO SPOILERS.



Uh… good?



Tim can now utilize Pooka to use his final force ability, Hi-Combo. Hi-Combo, unfortunately, is pretty boring. It just allows Tim to summon the highest tier summons available (which still have to be found out and in the world). The ability does not enhance your old summons, and is useless if Tim is not equipped with a high-tier guardian rune. On the other hand, you can eventually summon a giant robot lion, so that’s always a plus.



Pooka got an unusual amount of character development. Neat! Pooka will now never speak again.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

And we’re teleported back to our super transforming robot dragon (man, I forgot how much I loved this game).



Tim deserves a shiny new Guardian for his new summoning ability, so let’s go grab one back in Brad’s favorite village.



Hi, Alby! Who’s a good boy? Yes you are.



Hey, Merrill.



We could always use a little luck.



Merrill is the most adorable creature on this planet. Sorry, Colette, you’ve been dethroned.



So, true to her directions, Good Luck Zone is hiding to the south. We didn’t have to take the flying mecha dragon to get here, but when you’ve got a flying mecha dragon… well… why the hell do you even need legs?



This is an unaffectedly weird location.



You might expect the typical JRPG answer here of we have to find a key somewhere in the dungeon… but the dungeon just started, and there are no treasure chests around. Maybe we have to find a key in some other corner of the world? Or hire a locksmith? … Treasure hunter?



Nope! There are enemies in this dungeon called Golpa.



Their model seems to be holding a key.



So, in what appears to be the only instance of this happening in the game, use the steal (pickpocket) command…



To pilfer a key item, the secret key. I picked up two during the battle, but it is “infinite”, and you only need one to navigate the dungeon.



And now these locks trouble us no more.



The Amulet is hidden in this dungeon. Appropriately enough, it ups the wearer’s luck by two levels. Very convenient for Kanon and her luck-based skill learning.



Also convenient for the dungeon’s ultimate “challenge”: you must have a high luck rating to open the final door.



Which we do. Hooray.



I’m not very trusting of “nice guys”, Chapapanga.



Some luck is good enough for me!



Chapapanga is a high-tier Guardian. You can tell because his rune is gold. Tim is the only character capable of summoning Chapapanga, but any character can equip a similarly gold rune and enjoy the stat boosts.



But speaking of Tim’s Hi-Combo…



Chapapanga is one of the few new guardians not originally seen in Wild Arms 1. He does return in later titles, though, so I guess someone liked him. It was probably the goggles.

Chapapanga confers two skills to Tim: Lucky Word, which raises the party’s luck, and Goldhammer, which, like the summon itself, does who knows what. Apparently this “Lucky Shot” is supposed to increase item drops, but I haven’t seen it work when I wanted it to work. Lousy, rotten luck…



I don’t know about you guys, but now I’m in the mood for some dessert. Raypoint Flan time!



Wait! Dammit! This is not what was advertised!



Raypoint Flam is just north of that village from Lilka’s intro. It can only be reached by radical dragon, and is the focal point of the only island we haven’t really explored at this point. It also contains some weird blocks. But that is about to…

CONTINUED NEXT POST

WAIT FOR IT

WAAAAAAIT FOR IT

Change.



Lilka’s final and wildly specific tool is the Change Rod.



It changes exclusively these translucent orange blocks into HP restoring crystals, and visa versa.



As you have no doubt already guessed, these blocks are going to be all over the place in this dungeon.



On a side note: Gigaflame sounds about a hundred times more threatening than a Gigacloud.



Like back in the wind dungeon, we’re going to wind up using all of our featured character’s tools…



So please remember to use your Fire Rod and Ice Rod to light or extinguish torches responsibly.



Now we’re going to get into something more interesting. The idea here is create a single block “above” that switch. And I guess that really only takes one Change Rod swipe. … Sorry, a little premature on the interesting part.



Now Ashley can bounce a dagger off the solid orange block (just out of frame), and hit that switch just fine.



Light all the red torches, but not the gray ones. Ice is still helpful for dousing flames.



If you collect these HP crystals first, you’ll never be able to create a bridge to score Lilka’s… huh. I think that’s one of her random armors, but don’t quote me on that.



Yes yes, l suppose the fire dungeon has to have a few fire puzzles. Moving on.



This dungeon isn’t nearly as creative as the wind dungeon. It’s basically a whole lot of “gee, wonder why these crystals are exactly here? Do you think I should use that new tool I just acquired?” thinking. That is to say, there is no thinking at all.



This room requires lighting all of the torches before they naturally blow out, so it’s basically a timed/coordination puzzle. There might be some easier way of vertically/horizontally lighting multiple torches at once… but this is more GIF-appropriate.



Is it hot in here, or is it just lava?



I wonder if the game just assumes you’ll have the natural dungeon leader up front for these confrontations, or if there are a number of players confused as to why Lilka decides to hop out and threaten a boss.



Sprigg has sprugg!



This Valkyrie looks familiar.



Flam Knight has radical, flame-themed armor, but she’s otherwise the same fight as before.



Shouldn’t you have a sword? Maybe attack with that big ol’ shield? Though I suppose that would be kind of goofy…



Lilka gets a lovely crown for sitting out this and every other battle.



If you haven’t noticed, each of these spriggan bosses appears at roughly the midpoint of the dungeon, and there are no “final” bosses to these areas. Considering how the spriggs feel like minibosses both due to their easiness and re-used nature, each of these elemental dungeons almost feel half-finished by lacking the polish of a unique boss.



Unfortunately, thanks to a shipping error, the remainder of the Flam Dungeon will be replaced by a Super Mario Bros. castle.



Though there are a few change blocks left.



So, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone born of mortal flesh, you don’t want to fall into the lava. However, lava is only an HP drain issue, so it’s not too big of a deal if you decide to take an extremely hot bath. The other issue with these rooms is that you have to find proper locations to light the red torches, and avoid lighting the gray torches. It’s not that difficult, you just have to get a handle on the geometry of the area.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

And if you don’t feel like dealing with lava, remember that Kanon has a lovely set of rocket boots.



The final challenge is another timed-lighting puzzle that mostly just tests your ability to orient your character in a straight (kinda diagonal) line. I’m terrible at that, so screw this dungeon.



Oh Lord, we’re going to have to rely on Lilka to save the world, aren’t we?



“Are you my dad?”
“Blame the translation, honey.”



“This entire dungeon of using nothing but your powers was not enough.”



We’re boned. Again.



Don’t think about it, Lilka! You’ve never thought about anything! Don’t start now!



Crap! She’s in a Shinji-hole!



I always like how “the power to do anything” in a JRPG is always “the power to cast, like, three different fire spells.”



“Hi, Apprehensive, I’m your sister.”



Okay, Lilka’s Sister (or Lilka’s own inner-voice taking the form of Lilka’s sister?) is trying to make a point about being yourself, and not just living trying to be someone else. That is a valid moral. But, that said, if I had to power to do anything with magic, you better believe I would try out being other people on, like, a daily basis.



Lilka has deep-rooted emotional issues, and I acknowledge that. However, girlfriend, nobody else on the team even remembers there was a personnel snafu when you first got hired, and your sister was supposed to get your job. Hell, Tim and Kanon have never even heard of your sister!



“I once saw you eat an entire hoagie in three bites!”



This is in reference to Lilka not sacrificing her life for Ashley in the Millennium Puzzle back at the start of Disc 2. Considering that Ashley and Lilka survived that whole adventure entirely intact, it kind of implies that Lilka’s Sister maybe should not have sacrificed herself for Lilka…



Or it implies Lilka sucks. Lilka likes that implication.



Try to remember… I think it was update #16.



Does that put a smile on your face? I do like the “fizzi” part.



“It’s not Terry the Good Boy, is it?”
“No. Not him. Not ever.”



“Promise me one more thing. Don't cry anymore. Come on, laugh, Lilka.”



“I’m not crying, you’re crying.”
“I’m a disembodied voice devoid of a body, left alone tear ducts.”
“Well… shut-up.”



Apparently “feelin’ fine” is a kind of magic.



“Are you…”
“Just let her have her moment.”



Let’s double back to that shortly…



Oh man, remember that one part in Final Fantasy 9 when Dagger is completely useless because she’s traumatized and is effectively paralyzed every time she tries to do anything? Man am I glad that Lilka’s unreliability doesn’t translate to the game proper.



Anyway, yeah, Lilka passed the test, hooray.

CONTINUED NEXT POST

Lilka earns her fourth and final force ability, DualCast. On one hand, it’s just X-Magic, and allows Lilka to cast two spells in one round. That’s lame. But! DualCast also has properties that are not very well documented within the game, and casting two “alike” spells together will sometimes create a new, much more potent spell. Okay, it’s actually pretty straightforward: all of the elemental spells, the two main cure/heal spells, and the one non-elemental damage spell (saber) are the only spells that combine, and they only combine with themselves. So, basically, Dualcast Lit1 and Lit2, and you get Lit3. Pretty neat!

… Except it requires 100/maximum FP for just one casting, so it’s effectively useless, as you generally want Lilka to conserve her FP for healing.

But still! It’s there!



And we’re here. Let’s take a moment to talk about Lilka, as this is the last she is remotely relevant.

Yes, that’s right, plot-wise, we’re done with Lilka now. Some of the characters get codas in the form of a guardian awakening or three, but we just experienced Lilka’s final “featured” dungeon, and she’s just going to blend into the background from here on out. Sorry, Lilka fans!

And, really, for the whole game: sorry Lilka fans. Lilka has an interesting personal plot going on (she is coping with the loss of her sister in an environment where she is asked to be her sister), but that “plot” is resolved before she even joins ARMs. Right from her opening, Lilka learns she has to do things the Lilka way, and not mess it up by trying to do things the Lilka’s Sister way. And she does that! Right then! And repeatedly afterwards! And, frankly, we know nothing about Lilka’s Sister (right down to her name), other than that she was good at her job. And, aside from being a little ditzy, Lilka actually is pretty good at her job. I might mock her a touch because she’s the Allen of this group, but she’s still right there on the frontlines battle after battle, and (in a playthrough where I’m not recklessly cheating) her speed, healing abilities, and magic spells are all very useful. Her Mystic skill alone is responsible for pretty much every Wild Arms 2 clear file.

So, unfortunately, her arc in Wild Arms 2 rings a little hollow. She learns that she’s not really a “crest sorceress”, she’s Lilka. Except… during about 3,000 random battles, she is absolutely a crest sorceress, and the only reason she’s ever in the party is that she’s an adept crest sorceress. Yes, if Lilka’s Sister were around, she might be a better crest sorceress for the team, but, come on, that’s not how JRPGs work. She’d still start at Level 1, and she certainly wouldn’t outshine any of the other main characters.

Basically, Lilka’s journey from “bumbling mage” to “confident woman” would be a little more believable if it wasn’t literally everyone else’s exact same journey. We all start with loser equipment and low levels, Lilka!

Next time, could you please have a father that secretly founded the bad guys, or an interesting rival character, or something? Thanks. Please pick up your participation trophy on the way out. It’s umbrella-shaped.



Before we wrap up this update, we’re going to swing back to Odd Headquarters, that optional building we found way back when we were exploring Telepath Tower.



Now that we have Lilka and Tim’s final tools, we can change some HP crystals found in the basement…



And mist through a nearby cage…



And use Ashley’s OG dagger for some reason…



And gain… a teddy bear. Huh. Was not expecting that.

I literally cannot remember if I previously explained the “luck system” in Wild Arms 2 in any great detail, so here’s a go at it. Basically, every character has a current luck level that varies at a few notches between “Worst” and “Best”. As we’ve already seen this update, there are items that can increase a character’s luck; however, sleeping in an inn will change a character’s luck level… and not always for the better. The Teddy Bear, being a very blessed sleeping object, will guarantee a character’s luck will not decrease after a good night’s rest. So, basically, it’s an accessory that is only useful when using an inn. Yes, it’s one of those items that is only valuable in one specific instance, and, even then, you will likely forget it exists until after you awaken to Kanon suddenly having WORST luck.

This Teddy Bear sucks, and it pains me to say such.



One more loose end! Everyone is earning their fourth and final Force Ability, but Ashley already has his 100 FP skill (it’s the one that lets him turn into a Power Ranger). However, he doesn’t have his third Force Ability, so let’s rectify that.



Down in Guild Galad, here’s Prince Dork that we escorted on a train forever ago.



He confers Full Clip, which is a skill that allows Ashley to empty an Arms’ entire bullet clip on an opponent. As you can probably guess, it will do a lot of damage. No damn idea why would bother when Ashley has Knight Blazer available to kick major ass at just 25 FP more, but it’s nice to have.



And in preparation for our next update (estimated arrival date: February, 2020), we’re going back to the Promised Catacombs.



Remember how there was a one-block gap that kept us from entering? I wonder what tool we found in this very update that might help us…

Next time on Wild Arms 2: Turning back the clock.

!

Is this a late Festivus gift, or a really really early one?

I would love to catch up on this thread, but for some reason none of the images are showing up! I hope it's just something on my end...

Is anyone else experiencing this? I tested it on the www/no www versions of the site, and it seemed to work. Soren, are you able to see the LP on Gogglebob.com? That's where all the images are hosted.

I can see all the images. I'm on the www version, using Firefox.

Hm... I can see the images just fine on your website, but for some reason they don't show up in this thread in Chrome. Works just fine in Firefox, though!

Previously on Wild Arms 2: Tim and Lilka conquered their elemental dungeons, and we checked a few global sidequests off the list. Now it’s time to do that some more!



We are hitting the Promised Catacombs, an entirely optional area that can only be discovered by having vampire Marivel read a book hiding in the first town in the game. Suffice to say, a lot of people probably miss that one.



And you absolutely need to have completed Raypoint Wing… or at least dove into that dungeon far enough to claim Tim’s Mist Cloak.



Marivel, as an optional character, doesn’t get her own Raypoint dungeon, but this one seems to hold the same significance for her. Get ready to give this vampire’s tools a workout!



And maybe get some cardio on a whole lot of stairs.



Now that is one weird-looking block.



A treasure chest across a pit is supposed to only be accessible using a tool Marivel is about to obtain… but Pooka has a tendency to break puzzles. This won’t be the only time that happens this update! Anyway: new Marivel cape.



And now a new Marivel tool.



The Windup Key is a pretty typical Wild Arms optional tool. Like Marivel’s sparky tool, this item is basically an “on switch” for a few random puzzle blocks across the planet. Like the elemental dungeons, you’ll see these blocks a lot in this dungeon, and then practically never again.



As you’ve no doubt guessed, these smiley blocks are the windup blocks. In this case, the block rotates the platform so we can proceed. Woo.



The next room features a block that appears to walk on air. Spooky!



This is a big room, and it features an invisible path over a bottomless pit. The goal here is to activate the block, watch its movements over the path, and then mimic it exactly to avoid falling into an endless void. Simple!



It’s pretty straightforward, but the camera freezes while the block is moving, and occasionally the block will get juuuuust out of view. If your camera is positioned exactly right every time, it isn’t an issue, but, short of having a psychic rapport with WA2 directors, I don’t know how you’d pull that off. Presumably, this area wasn’t tested that much before release. Or nobody cared.

Luckily, if you fall off the platform, you’re just restarted at the last place the block was activated, and not all the way back at the start of the room.



The final “jump” requires using Tim’s Mist Cloak to clear that one lost bit of pathway. Tim is so useful!



Marivel only ever has one “weapon”, the mechanical Hob & Nob. Mecha Boost items (only found in places Marivel can access) will permanently increase the attack power of Hob & Nob. This is a rather succinct way of avoiding the “a shop is selling guns, did I miss a character that could use guns” problem of optional/hidden characters and their equipment in JRPGs.



The official name of Marivel’s weapon is Hob & Nob. Pol & Pot is right out, item screen!



And we’re practically at the end of the place. Didn’t ever say that an optional character would get a long optional dungeon.



Cool. Cool. Can we leave now?



Oh, so Marivel’s secret dungeon is a… mortuary showroom?



There is a magic door over here at the right, and it is basically half the reason you should ever visit this lil’ dungeon (the other half being picking up Marivel’s tool). Use a duplicator to find…



Hidden guardian!



Dan Dairam is the Guardian of Time… and also an adorable puddy tat. Dan was a super-secret guardian in Wild Arms 1, and now returns as a “gold class” guardian for WA2.



Dan Dairam is all kinds of a weirdo. First of all, there are the three “highest” guardians (we don’t have them yet), and they’re all so high and mighty that they’re gold and they only confer one skill to Tim (as opposed to the usual two). And then there’s Dan, who is in the same boat for some reason. Dan grants Tim Speed Down, which would be useful in another game where the “slow” status effect actually makes a significant difference. Here? Not so much.

But Dan’s summon: now there’s a kicker. Dan will “freeze time” for the entire battlefield, and allow Tim three full turns. This can be a literal life saver in some situations (as three free turns of healing is pretty damn useful), or an opportunity for some major damage if your opponent has an elemental weakness Tim can exploit. Additionally, technically, Tim could gobble down a Full Carrot during the time freeze, completely restore his FP, and then summon Dan again and again, effectively freezing time “forever” until the end of the battle. This will even work against all bosses! Of course, I’m pretty sure there are only like five full carrots anywhere in the game, so that’s kind of theoretical without a cheating device…

In conclusion, Dan Dairam is a land of contrasts.



Still a few more steps to go before we’re done with this dungeon.



There are refugee monsters from Final Fantasy 6 intros around, but there are very few actual places to enjoy an encounter in these catacombs. That is kind of a shame, as Marivel is still a blue mage, and she could learn a few neat techs.



And now we’re at our goal. No boss for you, Marivel.

CONTINUED NEXT POST