Tag Archives: RPG

Final Fantasy Marathon: The Arcane Labyrinth, Part 2 – Final Fantasy II #16

Today we continue Final Fantasy II’s endgame with the second part of the Arcane Labyrinth challenge — the goal: Firion’s ultimate weapon, the Ragnarok sword.

Each keep of the Arcane Labyrinth has a different number of floors. The first has 5, the second 7 and the third 10 — nowhere quite as sprawling as Final Fantasy’s Lifespring Grotto and Whisperwind Cove here, thankfully!

Today, we take on the 7-floor keep, steamrolling through the floors we previously completed before running into a Giant-sized roadblock…

Waifu Wednesday: Aerith Gainsborough

While her castmate Tifa is arguably a more popular character — primarily due to her more obvious “sexiness” — I’ve always been an Aerith man, myself.

At least part of this may be down to the fact that on my first playthrough of Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation I changed her name to that of someone I really fancied at the time, but there was definitely a lot about the character that appealed to me.

And that appeal has successfully transitioned from the questionably translated, text-only dialogue of the original to Final Fantasy VII Remake on PlayStation 4, too. So let’s take a closer look.

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Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary: The Remake Treatment

At the time of writing, Final Fantasy VII Remake has just released to widespread acclaim (and a bit of moaning, but that’s just the Internet doing its usual thing). But this is far from the first Final Fantasy to get the remake treatment!

Granted, the remakes that the first Final Fantasy has received over the years are somewhat less drastic than the ambitious multi-part Final Fantasy VII Remake project, but they’re noteworthy nonetheless. And they don’t come much better than the PSP “20th Anniversary” edition that released back in 2007.

So let’s take a closer look at what makes this version great.

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Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – Narrative, Themes and Characterisation

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Although technically a “sequel” to Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana — it was even known as Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana 2 in Japan — Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny unfolds quite differently from its predecessor.

It’s set long before the events of Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, for starters, so the world in which the action unfolds is very different. There’s a stark divide between the peaceful land of Eden, where alchemy is widespread and Mana spirits walk (or walk-equivalent) the streets alongside humans, and the “surface world” of Belkhyde, which left the practice of alchemy behind long ago.

Before we delve into all that, though, there’s an important question to address: what the fuck is an “azoth”, anyway?

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Final Fantasy Marathon: The Arcane Labyrinth, Part 1 – Final Fantasy II #15

And so we come to Final Fantasy II’s endgame. Before we jump in to the final dungeons to take down the Emperor once and for all, it’s time to go ultimate weapon hunting!

In Final Fantasy II for PSP, this process involves running the Arcane Labyrinth’s three “keeps”, then heading to the Arcane Sanctuary and hoping you did everything correctly.

Today we get started on the first step of that process. Much like the bonus dungeons in Final Fantasy for PSP, this isn’t going to be an entirely straightforward ride!

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – Worlds Apart

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The Atelier series, as we’ve previously explored, was primarily based around an isometric perspective right up until its shift to full 3D in the PlayStation 3 era.

If anything, this aspect of the game’s overall design and structure is even more apparent in Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny than in its immediate predecessor, with much of male protagonist Felt’s quest consisting of exploring labyrinthine dungeons presented from this distinctive viewpoint.

With that in mind, then, let’s take a closer look at how one gets around in the world of Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, and how it differs from Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana.

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Final Fantasy Marathon: Reunion – Final Fantasy II #14

With the Emperor defeated, what’s next? Take down the Dark Knight, of course, since he clearly reckons himself well-equipped to lead the world.

Naturally, it’s not quite that simple. A merry jaunt into the depths of Palamecia to track down said Dark Knight results in an unexpected reunion with an old friend… and the setup for the grand finale of Final Fantasy II.

That is, after we take care of some business in the Arcane Labyrinth next time around, of course…

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – The Fight for Eden

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The Atelier Iris subseries is, as we’ve already seen with Eternal Mana, something of an outlier in the Atelier series as a whole.

While all of the Atelier games involve RPG-style combat to varying degrees, the Iris subseries places a particular emphasis on what many would think of as a more “conventional” RPG-style structure: the protagonist goes on a journey, explores dungeons, acquires allies, seeks out wondrous treasures… there just happens to be some alchemy involved on the side.

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny has a particularly strong emphasis on its combat and progression mechanics, making it a satisfying game for those who like making numbers get bigger. Let’s take a closer look at this aspect today.

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Final Fantasy Marathon: For the Emperor – Final Fantasy II #13

Could Firion and company’s quest finally be coming to an end?

Today, the crew dive right into the deadly Cyclone that is hovering menacingly just outside the walls of Fynn — and discover an ominous-looking fortress within. Is the Emperor inside?

Yes, of course he is — and no, of course their adventure isn’t over yet. But that doesn’t mean they can’t spend a little time celebrating a job well done… at least, until…

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – Alchemy Evolution

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Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana was very clearly an attempt to do something different with the Atelier series… and also a bit of a playground for the development team to experiment with a wide variety of ideas.

This much becomes obvious almost from the moment you boot up 2005’s Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, which takes many of the things that worked from Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, fixes the things that almost worked and ditches the things that didn’t.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny builds on its predecessor, and how this becomes clear over the course of the game’s early hours.

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