Welcome everyone to another edition of Mento's Alternative to E3 2016, wherein I continue to delve into the forgotten Squaresoft JRPG Rudra no Hihou, or The Treasure of the Rudras. The game's been a bit slow so far, but today's updates are gonna accelerate the plot just a smidge with a few curveballs. If you're just joining us, be sure to check out Parts 1 and 2 here, and Parts 3 and 4 here.
Before I resume the LP, though, I have some musings about the short-lived scenario-based JRPG.
I've been wondering why Squaresoft decided briefly to focus on RPGs with a scenario format - specifically, those games that let players take on the roles of various heroes in any order they choose, and requiring that they complete all the available scenarios before they would be allowed to move onto the end-game. Most of these are the Squaresoft JRPGs we never received overseas: Live a Live, Seiken Densetsu 3, and the Romancing SaGa series. It occurred to me that there's a number of benefits for this format from a purely narrative standpoint. We'll see one of those later when the LP resumes, but another significant one is that it allows players to spend time with secondary and tertiary characters that would otherwise get lost in the mix. Consider the many RPGs often of a more strategy bent that offer huge casts of characters - the Fire Emblems and Suikodens of the world, say, or the many heroes of games like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Cross - and how they're often lacking when it comes to fleshing out characters that aren't central to the plot. These characters might get a few lines of backstory, or an optional side-quest that offers a lot more levity than the game's central plot, but tend to get sidelined when the player has more characters than they have spaces in their active party and some are inevitably left in the non-active roster to depreciate in value as their companions continue to outpace them in levels and equipment. With scenarios, you give multiple fixed parties their time in the sun before the final act inevitably draws them all together and the player is able to cherry-pick their favorites.
I wouldn't say Rudra is taking full advantage of this. Ture's a fairly important character in terms of moving the plot forward, as well as being living proof that the "extinct" races of legend still exist in some form, but we've had little in the way of development for Foxy. She's simply introduced as a proficient hunter of criminals early on and saddled with Vbomb as his constant companion, interjecting occasionally when the plot demands a sassy female outlook on current events. I'm not going to start any kind of poopstorm about the lackluster characterization of women in Japanese RPGs, but it does feel like a missed opportunity to give these three characters - which is a small group, comparatively speaking - more time to flourish before they're thrown into the predicted giant end-game stable and disappear in the shuffle.
But scenario-based JRPGs do more than give characters room to grow. By looking at the world from various perspectives - a reckless warrior, a learned scholar, a compassionate environmentalist and an opportunistic treasure hunter - you give the bizarre central plot and the various legends and prophecies govern it some much needed alternate perspectives. I've no doubt, without knowing for sure, that each character will face their own challenges and see parts of the world that the others will miss, purely based on the fact that I don't think the game will want to repeat itself that much with so much geography to explore, but their disparate adventures will serve to create deeper context for the larger mysteries governing this encroaching end of the world scenario and the journeys of all four characters. That's the true strength of the scenario-based format, I figure: having different angles on the same story, and allowing the player to use those to piece together the big picture.
Part 5: More Crossovers Than an MCU Movie
Last time on Paul Ruddra's SNES Commercial: Looking for answers and the whereabouts of Vbomb's friends Rostam and Heuy, as well as Ture's companion Ramyleth, the heroes tramp all the way up a mountain to look for another old person who knows a lot, only to have to tramp all the way to the bottom because I missed something somewhere. It's a JRPG, in so many words.
Turns out I needed to talk to a merchant in Opressa. I think the game told me as much, but I'd visited his store earlier to be told by his assistant that the merchant was "out" and other NPCs had told me about men going to the mountain north. Easy mistake to make.You may have noticed another curiously-dressed bunch hanging out during our conversation: it's actually Wizmaker and his party! It's natural enough that the four scenarios would overlap eventually, but seems way too cute a coincidence. Until we play his scenario, we won't know who that ninja or the woman in purple is, but it's a fun enough teaser.Heading back north, there's something different about the world map...Ture's friend Ramyleth has an airship, named the Ark, but it appears to be abandoned. That's too bad; I could really use an airship. I mean, it'd be convenient at the best of times, but even more so with this time limit hanging over our heads.Yeah, no Grand Theft Dirigible, alas. The airship's locked up tight, and only Ramyleth can fly it anyway. I guess we better find him first.The tower is now mysteriously open, no key required, and so begins the next tower dungeon. Or so you'd think.These are the only enemies I met in the tower. They're resistant to physical attacks, and hit you with this fire elemental Mantra. Doesn't take a whole lot of ratiocination to figure out what to counter them with. I mean, the game went through all the trouble of telling us how elements worked...Two rooms into the tower and we overhear these knuckleheads trying to make off with a statue that looks suspiciously like the old man we've been searching for. It is of course Lockedwn, our rogue with the E3-themed name, and the second look at how another scenario is getting along.His pal, another thief, is called Cid. So if you're wondering where that guy was going to show up... either way, they managed to trick us and run off. We also happened to spot Lockedwn receive his jade from the statue, so I'm hoping Ramyleth isn't too sore about that. If we can figure out how to defrost him.Actually, I guess the jade did the trick. We're introduced to the spry old man Ramyleth, Ture's close friend and a fellow scholar of the Rudras.He also gives us this Mantra, which seems kind of obvious in retrospect. Having our own Life spell this early on is bound to be useful. While I'm talking about other scenarios - I guess it is important which order you do them in, because when I finally get around to playing them I'll have all this mantra knowledge to fall back on.Ramyleth also joins our party! He's not packing much physically, but his Spirit and Mag Defend stats are through the roof compared to our other party members. Though he has fewer MP than Ture, his mantras are a lot more powerful. Also of note? He's apparently not only a member of the Danan people - you might remember them from the intro as being the bald wizard race - but also their King. Seems like a useful ally!Of course, we're denied our airship this early on. The implication here is that the thieves took Ramyleth's jade and are using it to joyride in his supremely useful conveyance. I guess we'll be sailing back to Danelf after all.Perhaps inevitably, we bump into the third hero on our way back across to the tournament. Sclonna, you might recall, is the druidess. She's here to visit the King of Cryunne, and hails from a continent where the pollution is the strongest. I'm already dreading whatever climate change jeremiad her scenario will involve.Our last challenger, a secretive monk, goads Vbomb into accepting a one-on-one match, despite the fact that we'd easily overpower the guy with our full party (really, we've had no chance to try out Ramyleth yet).Needless to say, this puts us at a distinct disadvantage. Vbomb's total MP is still in the single-figures, so I can't rely on heal magic to keep me in this fight. It's a lot of using healing items and hoping I don't run out, while whittling this guy down between all his martial arts moves. It's not quite as crushing as it sounds though; I've given Vbomb all the best equipment so far, and going up and down that mountain twice (sigh) has ensured that he's at a decent level.Afterwards, the monk reveals himself to be... Pastor Miller!! Wait, who? I guess I should've visited that church on the map...He's an old friend of Taurus, anyway, and had previously lost to him 10 years ago during the last Tower of the Valiant contest. He lets slip that Taurus has gone deep underground to dismantle the Rudra Cult, something we're going to have to get back to doing now that these silly arena shenanigans are over with.At any rate, alls well that ends well, I suppose. Time to get back to the castle and start figuring out where to go next.Ramyleth suddenly moves us to this platform and remarks on a sudden eclipse, which apparently means the world will end in twelve more days. Right. I forgot about all that.And then the Jade suddenly goes crazy and the platform we're on starts rising from the ground. Uh, OK?OK????
Part 6: OK???????
Last time, on I Can't Believe it's Not Rudra: The party gets flung into space by a magical platform? I guess?
We land unceremoniously on this sky castle? What the heck? I recognize those two though, or at least recognize their race: they're every bit like the Danan we saw during the intro.Ramyleth fills in the confused humans. The Sky Islands are a magical nation built by the mystic Danan race, and is the home of Ture and Ramyleth and many others. It was also the reason the Danan were able to avoid complete annihilation by the Rudras. It's curious to note that the Danan race would've been wiped out 20000 years ago. Surt gave us a different figure for the Giants' own doomsday: 8000 years ago. It's been four thousand years since the last culling and the rise of humans thereafter, so I'm wondering if this is like Mass Effect and the Reapers. The Danan, Reptiles, Merfolk and Giants were all the dominant species of the planet at different points in its history, and each were all but wiped out by the Rudras with humanity now next on the chopping block.I'm also getting some strong Zeal (of Chrono Trigger) vibes from this place, with its location in the sky and the wondrous technology of a millennia-old civilization that figured out a way to merge magic with science. Those two games were released so close together that I was expecting some thematic overlap.The Sky Islands also host members from the two other species we'd yet to meet - the merfolk and the reptiles - shown here waiting for a train. I guess we have a lot in common after all.I figured I'd check out the map here too. Like Ramyleth says, it's an archipelago of floating islands linked by a skytrain, like the one foretold in that Train Simulator QL. Where we're going, we don't need rails.Buying some new equipment with all my hard-earned loot. It was expensive, but this fire bow makes Ramyleth a lot more powerful, and it also means I can stick him on the back row out of harm's way. He's effectively a powerhouse both magically and physically at this point, and he'll definitely pull his weight when we finally get to use him in a boss fight.I really like how the world map looks up here. Peering down, we can see the smoggy cloud cover and distant landmasses. It's a neat effect.We also spot the airship flying off at a tangent. Do those thieves even know how to steer that thing?Sigmund Glacier, which has "Ice Dungeon" written all over it, is the only other thing on this island worth checking out. Ramyleth tells us there's a Holy Danan waiting beneath the ice for a hero, to whom he will bequeath an immeasurably powerful sword. Naturally, I can't find a way in. In fact, the only thing here are these annoying ice monsters (hey, guess what element works well on them?). A fire bow would be particularly useful here, which is why Ramyleth leaves the party for vague plot reasons, taking his expensive new equipment with him. This game's kind of a procession of teases, huh?Back in the Danan castle to look for Ramyleth, I must've missed the library the first time through. Just a bunch of lore and magic tips we already knew about, but this was a nice find. I now have the final two elemental mantras I was missing.You! Lefty!Vbomb talks big, but I got ganked last time and I had a full crew of knights with me. Vbomb's naturally upset about his missing friends, but it doesn't seem like Surt's here to stir trouble.In fact, he gives us a bunch of directions to help us get back home to the surface. The veracity of his instructions might be highly dubious, given how much the dude hates our guts, but it's not like we've got a whole lot else to do. We're off to visit all four of the Holy Danan prophets in a plot-contrived order.Meanwhile, on Freaky Sky Bridge.UhhhhhhhCoooooool? I better tell Ramyleth that his bridge is haunted by thirsty ghosts.So with that ominousness out of the way, we're off to visit another series of dungeons and towns across the Sky Islands. Join us tomorrow as we hunt down some powerful wizards and try not to think too hard about whatever demonic Horsemen of the Apocalypse might be following us.
