The 'Shroom:Issue 227/Strategy Wing
Director's Notes
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom! I hope that you enjoyed the Lunar New Year, that sunsets don't feel too far away for those of you fasting for Ramadan, and/or that your Lent observance is off to a good start. May there be no large horses in your rooms, especially if they're on fire. Hm? Valentine's Day? Oh yeah, we had that, true, but I bet you've already seen another Team Director cover that in their notes. I guess I can retreat into a hole like a groundhog if I turn out to be wrong and none of the others mention it, though...
Anyhow, whether your February is jam-packed with activities and observances or you're limping through the end of a dreary month, a new Strategy Wing is here for your enjoyment! Unfortunately, So You Want to Romance the Three Kingdoms is going on a break, and Rhythm Review is off this month as well. Lunar New Year celebrations require an experienced choreographer, you see. On the flipside, we have the rest of your usual slate of sections ready and waiting, including a new Four Steps for a 3D World. Learn to shatter stone and withstand the power of a steaming train with Mega Man, to take on the Extinction - er, Extension - Corps from Brothership, and to wield the power of the Eviolite. We also have a rather unique role on feature this month for you Killing the Killing Game Roles fans!
Go forth and read! If you're feeling inspired afterwards to share some tips and tricks on your favorite games or to put them under the microscope and analyze their design, check red box on the sign-up page for instructions and send an application to MightyMario. Come tell us all about your favorite games. From the ongoing Deltarune to the newly-popular Escape from Ever After to Pizza Tower to Mario Kart to even TTRPGs or forum games, we'll cover most any game!
Section of the Month
[[SPARKPLUG [TALK]]], PENNING THAT [[UNAUTHORIZED GUIDE]] FOR [[LET'S MAKE A DEAL]] WAS A REAL [[BIG SHOT]] MOVE! Congratulations on taking a decisive victory last month, and on the simultaneous silver for your tips on gunning down Gravity Man and cracking Crystal Man, among others. Let me also give thanks to Waluigi Time (talk) for his feature on the return of Chargin' Chucks to the spotlight, and to Roserade (talk) for their thoughtful analysis of a AKG3's Ultimate Ghost. There's a wonderful team of writers behind Strategy Wing, so please do keep showing them your support!
| STRATEGY WING SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | BE A BIG SHOT! | 7 | 41.18% | Sparks (talk) |
| 2nd | An Overly Detailed and Funny Walkthrough of Mega Man 5 | 3 | 17.65% | Sparks (talk) |
| 3rd | Rising from Obscurity | 2 | 11.76% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
| 3rd | Killing the Killing Game Roles | 2 | 11.76% | Roserade (talk) |
Brothership Boss Battle Guide
Welcome back to Brothership Boss Battle Guide, just the section to beat all those big bad bosses in Mario & Luigi: Brothership! Last month I went over Glohm Sharpcask, the second of the three optional Glohm bosses in the game. For February, we're looking at the Extension Corps, Zokket's three goofy henchmen!
After a long and difficult journey, Mario and Luigi arrive at Fortress Zokket to put an end to Zokket and his plans once and for all. Unfortunately, the Extension Corps hinder the brothers by separating them. What they didn't account for is their incredible teamwork! Now reunited, Mario and Luigi must defeat the Extension Corps before taking on Zokket.
Here are the stats of each Extension Corps member!
Extension Corps stats
Ecks' stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 3741 | 198 | 144 | 178 | Zok Troop, Flying | 5700 | 450 | Max Syrup Jar |
Ten's stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 4208 | 202 | 152 | 163 | Zok Troop | 5700 | 450 | Max Nut |
Shun's stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 4675 | 196 | 192 | 104 | Zok Troop | 5700 | 450 | Max Mushroom |
Extension Corps' abilities
Each member has their own attacks:
Ecks' attacks
Ecks has two attacks at his disposal:
Hyper charging: Ecks "dashes" around the battlefield and frequently stops at specific spots before resuming. Some of these spots are directly in front of Mario and Luigi. Ecks must be countered at the right time to damage him and stop the attack. If you take too long (ha!) he will attack a brother.
Sneak attack: Sometimes Ecks leaves the battle, making him unable to be attacked while he's gone. After a turn or two, he will attempt to sneak up behind Mario or Luigi before charging at them. Ecks must be jumped over to avoid taking damage. If timed right, he can be stomped on, damaging him.
If you get hit by any of Ecks' attacks, he will steal a random Battle Plug from you before tossing it away! If this occurs, you won't be able to use that Battle Plug for the rest of the fight, so defend well!
Ten's attacks
Remember Ten's battle at Desolatt Island? He only had two attacks then, and he still uses them for this battle, although they aren't changed in any way.
- Mirror attack: Ten creates five mirrors and shoots multiple orb-like projectiles (one at a time) that ricochet off the mirrors before being sent toward Mario and Luigi. The orbs must be countered to avoid damage, and each orb struck will be knocked back at Ten, damaging him. If an orb hits the red mirror, then Mario will be attacked. The green mirror is for Luigi.
- Orb charge: Ten creates a large orb and jumps on top of it. He will then charge towards either Mario or Luigi, who must counterattack before he gets rammed. If successful, the orb will crack and get knocked back a little before Ten charges again. After the third strike, the orb will shatter, and Ten will fall to the ground in front of his target. Ten can then be whacked, damaging him. This attack can cause the Trip status effect.
However, Ten has a brand new attack that he didn't do before:
- "Dancing" attack: Ten stands at a set distance in front of Mario or Luigi. He will then do one of two things:
- He can step twice in a rhythm before jumping forward and slamming his head at his target. To avoid damage, Ten must be countered before the character gets hurt. Countering Ten does not do any damage to him.
- Ten can charge up his arm cannon before firing an orb. If the orb is countered, it will be sent back at Ten, damaging him.
- Ten can randomly change targets after he does an attack. After multiple attacks, Ten's arm cannon will gain a pink energy blade and the enemy will spin towards his target in an attempt to strike him. Ten must be countered before he can get the chance! After this, the attack ends.
Ten does not have the ability to summon Snaptors in this fight.
Shun's attacks
- Weight toss: A barbell falls and Shun catches it. He will then lift it up and down three times before throwing it at Mario or Luigi. The barbell must be jumped over to dodge the attack; successfully avoiding it will cause the thrown barbell to fly into either Ecks or Ten from behind, damaging them. You can see where Shun will throw the barbell because he faces his target, although he may change directions as he's pumping iron. Sometimes, Shun may struggle to catch the barbell, indicated by his slower movements and loss of balance upon catching it. If this happens, he will only lift it up twice before tossing it seconds later. This attack can cause the Trip status effect.
- Later on in the battle, Shun will instead use two small dumbbells and count to four before throwing them at both Bros. If Shun's right arm is raised at the end, then he will throw towards Mario first before Luigi. The left arm last means it's Luigi then Mario. Both Bros. can jump at the same time to avoid this attack because he throws both dumbbells almost instantly. If avoided, the dumbbells get sent at the backs of Ecks and Ten, damaging them! This variation may also cause the Trip status effect.
Teamwork
After a few turns pass, the Extension Corps reveals that they have Battle Plugs as well! There are four Battle Plugs they can use, each with specific conditions:
- HUUUGE Iron Ball Plug: Available when the Extension Corps mention they have Battle Plugs, which isn't far into the fight. Whenever Mario or Luigi take damage, Iron Balls will immediately fall on random characters. Rays of light indicate where Iron Balls will fall. The Bros. must use their hammers to knock them away before they take damage. Countering an Iron Ball will send it at one of the Extension Corps members, damaging them. Sometimes, Iron Balls fall on the enemies instead, making for free damage! The more hits you take from an attack, the more Iron Balls there will be.
- PunishMush Plug: Available after a few turns since the HUUUGE Iron Ball Plug is used. Any Mushrooms used by Mario and Luigi will hurt them instead of healing! Other healing items like Candies and Nuts aren't affected.
- Theme Song Plug: Becomes available a few turns after the PunishMush Plug is used. The Extension Corps all dance to music, permanently increasing their POW for the rest of the bout.
- Single-Minded Plug: Available when one of the Extension Corps members loses all of his HP. This Battle Plug combines the HP of all three Extension Corps members, meaning they all share HP and therefore, all take damage when one is attacked. If the Extension Corps members take lots of damage, they may get angry and beat each other up before calming down. If this happens, they'll do damage to themselves. Nice!
After the Single-Minded Plug is used, the Extension Corps gain a new attack - one where they all work together!
- Trio Attack: The Extension Corps all work together to bring an attack with three different parts to it:
- Ten's shots: Ten charges up for several seconds before firing orbs at targeted locations one right after the other. While he's charging, targets appear at the places he's going to shoot at in a random order. Ten will then shoot in that exact pattern, so memorize it! Jump over those projectiles. While he's firing, Ecks may start his part of the attack.
- Ecks' dashing: Ecks prepares himself before flying towards the left or right side of the screen. Sometimes he may turn around about once or twice before zooming off for good. He will then charge where Mario and Luigi are standing three times. Both Bros. must jump to avoid Ecks' charges. If he goes left, then Luigi must jump first. If Ecks flies to the right, that means Mario is targeted before Luigi. If Ecks is jumped on, his part of the attack stops and all Extension Corps members take damage. While Ecks is dashing, Shun may start up his section of the attack.
- Shun's punching bag: Shun stands behind the Bros. and punches a punching bag. After some punches, he will uppercut it, launching it into the air. It will then fall on either Mario or Luigi, who must hit it back at Shun to avoid taking damage. Shun looks directly above the character on which the punching bag will fall on. You can also tell by which arm he uses to uppercut it - left for Luigi, right for Mario. Successfully countering this attack will damage all Extension Corps members. While the punching bag falls, Ten may start his part of the attack.
This is a complicated attack to explain. Furthermore, this attack can start with any Extension Corps member. If Ecks or Shun are countered during their attacks, then this will cancel out some attacks entirely. Shun stands behind and punches a punching bag while Ecks flies at the Bros., right? If Ecks is countered, then Shun's attack will not happen and Ten will start charging up for his move. That means if Shun's punching bag attack is defended against, then Ten's attack will cancel, and Ecks starts his move. It always goes from Ecks, then Shun, then Ten, then back to Ecks, although who starts the trio attack is always random. Additionally, this move may last for more than three "parts", so one member may get a bonus opportunity to attack.
When every member loses all their HP, the final Battle Plug is used:
- Invincible Plug: The Extension Corps become impervious to all damage! However, there is a slight side effect; after a few turns, they will all explode. There are three explosions total, and they cannot be avoided, only be Emergency Guarded against. Afterwards, the Extension Corps collapses in defeat, and the battle is won.
There are no Luigi Logics in this fight. I should also mention that throughout the entire battle, you can't see the remaining HP of the Extension Corps.
Tips and tricks
Recommended gear
These three are fought directly at Fortress Zokket, which isn't very long if you fight Glohm Sharpcask right before going there! Conveniently, there is a peddler available just before facing the Extension Corps! He has the same gear as the one on Jellyfish Island:
- Boots: Astonishing Boots/Supersonic Boots
- Hammer: Astonishing Hammer/Steel Hammer
- Wear: Astonishing Wear/Hex Wear
Oh man, I don't want to write all the special gear descriptions again... there's so many! If you want detailed descriptions of them, please look at the previous issue.
- Supersonic Boots: 4 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, increases damage dealt depending on how much SPEED you have; great for Mario
- Steel Hammer: Four points stronger than Astonishing Hammer, increases damage dealt depending on how much DEF you have, great for Luigi
- Hex Wear: Two points stronger than Astonishing Wear, attacked foes will have their POW and DEF decreased by 10%
Don't use Double-Edged stuff.
These are the Great Conductor gear pieces that will REALLY help you out. However, once you arrive at Fortress Zokket, there's no turning back! Make sure you equip these before moving on:
- Great Conductor Boots: 16 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, and also increases SPEED by 8 and STACHE by 5
- Great Conductor Hammer: 16 points stronger than Astonishing Hammer, and also increases 7 points to DEF and 5 points to STACHE
- Great Conductor Wear: 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear, and increases STACHE by 12
Cue the long list containing gear of similar strength that isn't found at shops!
- Gobblick Boots DX: 4 points stronger than Astonishing Boots and increases STACHE by 5. Also allows its wearer to heal 10% of all damage dealt.
- Forge Boots DX: Awarded for clearing the Jellyfish Pizza minigame on hard mode. It is 23 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, and also has the passive ability of increasing damage dealt by 30% when the wearer's HP is low.
- Adaphnikki Boots and Adaphne Boots: They have the same POW as Great Conductor Boots, but both have unique properties. Adaphnikki Boots increases damage dealt with Jump-attack combos by 30%, while Adaphne Boots increases the strength of single Jump attacks by 30%. You likely won't use normal attacks against the Extension Corps, so either are fine. You can only get one of these Boots, and they're both from the Dueling Geniuses side quest. If you let both Adaphne and Technikki work together, you'll get the Adaphnikki Boots. If Adaphne worked on her own, then you'll receive Adaphne Boots instead.
- Full-Belly Hammer DX: Stronger than Astonishing Hammer by 4 points, and also increases damage dealt by 30% when HP is full! Found inside a ? Block on Conductor Island.
- Dodgy Jump Wear: Found inside a ? Block in the back door of Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island. It's the same strength as Hex Wear (two points stronger than Astonishing Wear) but also reduces damage taken by 20% if you fail to dodge an attack.
- Repel Wear DX: Found after clearing a puzzle on Morsel Islet. It's 21 points stronger than Astonishing Wear. It also has the bonus of reducing damage taken, for the more enemies there are, the less damage you'll take!
- Blocky Hammer Wear DX: Found inside a ? Block on Dropplet Islet, but you'll have to take down three Glohm Shower Fish to get it. It is 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear, but it also increases SPEED by 4 and decreases damage taken by 20% if you miss countering an attack.
- Zokket Wear: Found inside a Hidden ? Block at Fortress Zokket. It is 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear and also increases SPEED by 4. Furthermore, it reduces damage taken by 30% when the other brother is absent or KO'd, allowing for a less stressful revive when fighting as a duo. Finally something new!
Use whatever gloves and accessories you wish! Bring ones that fit your playstyle.
Recommended Battle Plugs
Here are my choices for Battle Plugs I recommend for facing the Extension Corps! You can also bring ones that suit your playstyle.
Anti-Zokket Specialist: All three of these guys serve Zokket, so of course they'd be classified as Zok Troops!
Attack Boost combined with two Surprise Iron Balls and Kaboom Attack: Takes up four slots, but unleash very powerful normal attacks with double Iron Balls and shockwaves! Attack Ten so that the shockwave hits both Shun and Ecks. You will have five slots before this battle, so you could make that fifth one be "Anti-Zokket Specialist" for more mayhem! And the best part is, no BP required!
Damage Shield: Their attacks aren't incredibly powerful and usually rely on multiple smaller hits. Damage Shield helps with that!
Protectus: One of the few ways to "avoid" the final explosions at the end. Don't waste its charges beforehand!
Empower Counters: The Extension Corps have plenty of attacks that can be counterattacked. Take advantage of that with this Battle Plug!
Surefooted Guard: For those who hate tripping.
Other things
It's totally fine to use 1-Up Mushrooms while the PunishMush Plug is active! It only affects standard Mushroom items (Mushroom, Super, Ultra, Max).
- However, don't use the Auto Mushroom Battle Plug! It'll work against you, not for you.
If you're strong enough, you can win this battle before the Extension Corps use all of their Battle Plugs. I never saw them use the Theme Song one!
If you spread out the damage throughout the fight, then the Extension Corps will have less time to use the Single-Minded Plug because none have lost all their HP yet.
Bomb Derby and Yoo Who Cannon are very effective during this battle. They deal adequate damage to all members, but they're even better when they all share HP because of their final attacks!
Once the Extension Corps become invincible, there's no point in attacking them. Prepare yourself for the explosions!
- The explosions can simply be avoided by using a Boo Biscuit.
Ecks' "Hyper charging" attack gives you plenty of time to counter him before he strikes. Try to remember where he rushes to and time your counter correctly. You could whack every second, but you might miss...
If Ecks steals one of your most vital Battle Plugs, don't freak out and swap it for something else. You'll regain all stolen Battle Plugs after you win!
A reminder that Ecks counts as a flying enemy. Were you wondering why he wasn't attacked by Clockout Blow? Now you know!
During Ten's part of the trio attack, the targets are color coded! Red ones are aimed at Mario, green ones are for Luigi, and blue ones miss completely.
And that's the Extension Corps! Up next is going to be the main villain of the game - Zokket! You don't wanna miss out on an amazing fight, so you? Be sure to return in March for the final battle! Okay... it's not the last boss, but still. It'll be awesome!
Killing the Killing Game Roles
Welcome back, readers, to another edition of Killing the Killing Game Roles, the section where we analyze various player roles from past Mario Boards Killing Games in hope of answering the question, what makes for a good role? By analyzing what's come before, we can discover some tricks and tips that could even help you design your own roles!
February is renowned as the month of love, but for those of us without valentines to celebrate with, there might be some... negative feelings surrounding the holiday. Thankfully, if negativity is what you're after, there's a role from Awards Killing Game Odyssey just for you - and accepting that energy might open you up to a whole new world of possibilities.
AKGO - Chaos Minus, the Negative Influence
Card 1 - Info
- NAME: PERIDOT
- VESSEL: CETUS
- ROOM: PORT-7
You are a stranger to these lands, are you not? What compelled you to come here from the lands of salt, good showcases of creativity and... unmentionables that cannot be brought to these lands? Well, you are here now, so no matter. Use your abilities wisely, and spread a negative influence throughout these lands while you take a cruise.
Card 2 - Role
- You, as a stranger from a distant land who exerts a negative influence, have selected a role from a Minus World KG: the Ultimate Plague Knight.
- With your negatively influenced powers, you have the magical ability to conjure and throw small bombs, at a limit of three per night. However, the explosions are not very strong, so they have a very low chance of killing anyone. They can, however, guarantee someone is knocked out, and you can use them to propel yourself upwards with the force of an explosion, for a special Bomb Jump. Unlike others, you are not hurt by this; you are immune to the effects.
Card 3 - Role cont.
- You also possess an extreme natural skill with chemistry, and as long as you can find the required chemicals, can make any chemical compound you wish, including other explosives, poisons, and more. You can also use the chemicals to enhance your existing Bomb Jump bombs, but these effects need to be discussed with the hosts before these can take effect.
- Your cabin has been fitted with a mannequin that holds an iconic Plague Knight outfit. You can put that on, if you want, but it is not a disguise.
Card 4 - Stats
- STAMINA: 3/5
- STEALTH: 2/5
- SOCIAL: 2/5
- SPEED: 4/5
- STRENGTH: 2/5
[FORBIDDEN ACTION]
You are not allowed to, in any way, touch a shovel, be it by touching it yourself or by having someone else touch or hit you with one. You are also not allowed to tell anyone the origin of this role, or admit that it's from Minus World in any way.
You didn't suggest Baby Sans Thanos. Congratulations on not dying prematurely!
Well now, this is an intriguing one. The powerset itself seems pretty straightforward in its inspiration and aim, but then... what's all this about a visitor from a distant land? We'll discuss this in just a minute, but for some added context, the Negative Influence was given to MoonAge for the Cetus ship, meaning this is now Moon's third time being named in this section! A new record, wow! While Moon's run as Peridot would end fairly early, she would be sure to return later in Awards Randomizer Killing Game, utilizing the Secret Player role we've analyzed previously. A bit of a complex history for this character, I've gotta say.
General Overview
The Negative Influence is our first example of an archetype I will dub as a "crossover role". There have been a lot of Killing Games in the history of both the Mario Boards and Minus World, and legitimately hundreds of roles that have been utilized in the past. Crossover roles, then, are roles where a player in a current game can borrow role abilities from a past KG. This has been seen multiple times in both communities: Awards Killing Game 3 had this with the Boo Buddy role, allowing its user to pick from a catalog of Awards Killing Game 2 powers; Killing Game 8 on Minus World had a role which had its user select a role from a Mario Boards KG. In the case of the Negative Influence, Moon was allowed to pick a role from a past Minus World game to inherit in its entirety. For this purpose, she chose the Ultimate Plague Knight, based on the character of the same name from the Shovel Knight series. The Baby Sans Thanos joke on the final slide is a reference to another Minus World role she could've picked.
What does a crossover role actually accomplish for the game as a whole, though? Does it exist as purely a fun nod to the past? I wouldn't say so. I would argue that crossover roles can, in essence, act as a "reward" for someone participating in past KGs. MoonAge is a prolific player on both Mario Boards and Minus World, so giving her the Negative Influence rewards her history on both sites, giving her the opportunity to gain a role of interest through her recall. Additionally, inheriting a past role power gives the player who has it the benefit of hindsight. There's been an entire Killing Game to see how it functioned, how its previous holder did or didn't use it efficiently, and how it could be utilized in new ways. For a powerful role that was knocked out of the pool on something like Night 2, it can be an excellent opportunity to give a power more limelight than it had before. In both of these ways, a crossover role presents a unique angle of consideration for the player who receives it.
Because of the nature of the Negative Influence, we'll be conducting our analysis with a two-pronged approach: we'll further discuss the nature of the "select a Minus World role" part, which will likely err on the side of "meta" analysis; in a more straightforward way, we'll be dissecting the Ultimate Plague Knight as written, and see how its powers worked in practice for AKGO.
Ability Application
Already, when we're looking at "ability application" as a broad category, the Negative Influence sits in a particular league with its "crossover role" peers. Because, like, this role could do... technically anything. Sure, it can't do anything on any night of the game, but there have been so many Killing Game roles before that there's a discoverable niche for just about anything. You could be a puppeteer, a magic caster, a cult leader, a movie director. You could have fire powers, be impervious to gunshots, constantly mutate into a stronger monster every night. There's been blackmailers and sushi chefs and everything in between. As long as somebody's cooked up a rolecard for it before, it's all yours. This is a tremendous amount of power out of the gate, though your initial decision will naturally railroad your gameplay for the rest of the game.
I'd be curious to hear more from MoonAge sometime about her choice with the Ultimate Plague Knight. There have been some other roles on Minus World I'd be more keen to snag, but I imagine this was mostly about the in-character powerset that Peridot would feasibly have.
Anyway, onto the Ultimate Plague Knight role. First, there's the ability to conjure small bombs. Although the explosions aren't particularly potent, they can be used well both offensively and defensively when it comes to knocking someone out. Submitting to keep one snug in your fist in case someone jumps you would be an easy protective measure, especially when you're immune to the explosive effects yourself. These bombs can also be used for the Bomb Jump, which is better suited for map exploration than anything else, but likewise can put you in a good defensive position, if you're launching yourself out of harm's way. I'd want to know a bit more about the landing for this skill; is it a hard descent, or does it act as more of a float to solid ground? More clarity about its use in vertical/horizontal movement would also help out.
Then there's the natural skill with chemistry, which is a bit... vague in its application. Overall, I understand the aim of the natural affinity towards chemistry, and how it's meant to engage with the Bomb Jump ability. But when the role says "as long as you can find the required chemicals, [you] can make any chemical compound you wish", my eyebrows furrow, because isn't that what any player in the game can do? Chemical kills are not entirely uncommon (just look at Hooded Pitohui's history of kill attempts), so what makes this ability different here? Is the player required to actually know the science of chemistry, or can they just improvise some stuff together and say it's a freezing agent? Or maybe the components just come together magically, as opposed to needing a full set of vials and beakers to brew the chemical? A clearer distinction of how this operates functionally would improve this role's overall vision, I feel. As it stands, it's intentionally left open-ended presumably to allow for player creativity, but it feels too loose in what it's expecting of the player.
Lastly, there's the Plague Knight outfit, which also feels like an odd outlier in this role design. It doesn't count as a disguise? Why not? Costumes disguising true identities is a major component of KG gameplay, and I don't quite see why the Plague Knight outfit is being treated differently. Giving a player a costume upfront is pretty powerful, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it needed to be weighted this way. If the Plague Knight costume isn't really a disguise, there's no functionality to it whatsoever, and I don't know how much KG roles need an attribute that is strictly cosmetic with no gain.
Environmental Functionality
When it comes to designing the map around the Negative Influence... I mean, it's kind of impossible, right? You need to be prepared for anything the role might bring with it, because there are past roles that are centralized on map features. Some roles even spawn in entire rooms with their abilities! So if you're hosting a game with a pick-a-power role like this, you'll need to leave yourself open to a new map addition by necessity.
As for the Ultimate Plague Knight, there's not a ton of environmental factors at play. You'll probably want chemicals or ingredients to be readily available around the map, though, if that's the angle you want the chemistry ability to take. The Bomb Jumps would also be better suited to a map with some verticality to it; my new hit map, Perfectly Flat Plains, would provide less intrigue for the Ultimate Plague Knight.
Drawbacks & Balances
As for the balancing factor of this role, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the hosts would veto any role choices from Minus World that could be overtly overpowered. With how many roles exist in the world, there are bound to be a few not tuned enough to be balanced (believe me, I would know). So though I would've aimed for a different role, I can't imagine boarding the ship with the powers of a god under my arm. Vetoing a role request is a luxury any host is afforded, at any time; though leniency should be considered, don't be so lenient as to let something completely break your game's foundation.
With the Ultimate Plague Knight, there are a few built-in limitations. The magically-conjured bombs amount to three per night, which is a fair cut-off that aligns with Plague Knight's mechanics in Shovel Knight. Having an infinite supply of those things would be obnoxious. The chemical adjustments to the Bomb Jump require explicit host approval - although that would kind of be the case regardless of whether or not the rolecard mentions this. And as discussed before, the Plague Knight costume only really functions as an aesthetic detail.
Lastly, we have the Forbidden Actions to look at. The Ultimate Plague Knight cannot touch a shovel in any way, which is... not all that bad of an FA, especially when you consider that a cruise ship is unlikely to house many shovels anywhere. It would require more precautions against melee attacks for the Plague Knight, though; you wouldn't want someone knocking you out to turn completely fatal. Then there's the clause of not being able to confirm where the role comes from. A wide number of roles in KG history have had secrecy FA's like this, and I'm somewhat torn on them. Usually, they're included out of flavor over anything else - you're a mysterious traveller from another land, so you can't share where you actually come from, that kind of deal. I feel like secrecy FA's don't add too interesting of a dynamic to a role, though. Typically, it just means you get sussed a bit more because you're being cagey about your abilities during a case, which is only sometimes relevant. That said, being able to say "my FA is that I can't tell you" is sometimes a great deflection if someone is threatening you over sharing role details!
Player Responsibility
When a player receives the Negative Influence, a hefty burden is placed on their shoulders: picking which role they're going to recycle! The Minus World catalog is brimming with potential powers, and selecting one determines many of your aims for the game you're about to play. This is a much different mechanical premise than being given a pre-written role; this is basically the host saying "alright smart guy, you figure it out!" The Negative Influence in particular would be basically required to go to someone with Minus World familiarity. Giving this role to someone who has no history with their KG's would be, frankly, cruel.
Little responsibility exists for the Plague Knight proper, however. This is a straightforward power kit with straightforward applications. Depending on the intention of the chemistry power, it could be that the player needs to do some outside research to figure out what they're making and how they're making it. If it's a little more fantastical than straight science, that responsibility decreases notably. Otherwise, keep a creative mind and an awareness of your FA's, and you're set.
Host Responsibility
For the Negative Influence, the host is responsible for who the role goes to, which is an important aspect. Pure randomization could lead to a bad outcome for the recipient. They are also responsible for accepting or denying a role request, and then crucially, adapting said request into the game they're putting together. This might mean slightly altering role traits that don't work mechanically in the game, or introducing new NPC's, map rooms, etc. depending on the role's needs. Really, what the Negative Influence demands of a host is flexibility and adaptability, with the discerning eyes to still say when a role shouldn't be chosen. Preferably, a seasoned host (or at least one who has played a good number of KG's) would be the one to manage this role, as they're more likely to be familiar with the past role being selected.
For the Ultimate Plague Knight, the host has a similar kind of responsibilty, though at a much smaller scale. The host still needs to determine what's a fair use of the chemistry ability, and how creations can interact with the Bomb Jump ability. Beyond that, count off the magic bombs to ensure there's only three, and it should be coasting from there.
Overall Thoughts
Crossover roles like the Negative Influence provide a special form of engagement between host, player, and KG history, and for this reason, I think they're well-worth including in KG. It's up to the player to determine their own power level, and it's up to the host to keep that power in check. If you're looking to include a role like this in your future KG, be mindful of what seems fair and what seems busted, and maybe even consider fun ways to flavor the role beyond just saying "pick a power". Something like "You may choose any past role associated with fire" would help to limit a massive scope, and add some extra flavor to what you're cooking. Whatever your framing is, just keep an open mind, and a player's genius is bound to show in what they choose.
That’s all for this month. Tune in next month for more Killing Game goodness!
Four Steps for a 3D World
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom, and welcome back to Four Steps for a 3D World, a section in which we look at levels from a selection of 3D Super Mario titles through the lens of a design philosophy Koichi Hayashida discussed in an interview.
In brief, 3D Mario game levels in certain titles are designed around an introduction that lets a player learn a mechanic in a safe environment, further development that builds on what the player is learning and introduces more complicated aspects of a mechanic, a twist that adds some kind of significant wrinkle or challenge to force players to consider the mechanic from a new angle, and a conclusion which gives players one final satisfying chance to show they've mastered the mechanic. We look at 3D Mario levels and see if they conform to this model while trying to get some insight on how a good level is constructed.
A number of countries have recently passed Día del Amor y la Amistad, Día de los Enamorados, Valentine's Day, or whatever one might call it locally. Whether celebrating romance or friendship, taking a trip to see a rare and lovely sight offers plenty of time to appreciate one another and deepen a bond. In that spirit, could there be any Super Mario level more befitting the holiday than Super Mario 64's Rainbow Ride? Picture it - taking your beloved on a ride upon a magic carpet, isolated from the world and high above all of your worries, following spiraling rainbows through the boundless skies.
Although, there are no safety restraints, and it would be rather frightening on a blustery day... On second thought, perhaps a cruise through the skies is better left to fictional plumbers... Fortunately, the Super Mario 64 developers have already designed an itinerary for Mario's cruise for one.
Rainbow Ride, as one of the last levels unlocked in the game, occupies a strange space compared to most of the levels we've covered previously. So late into the game, Super Mario 64 has imparted many of its lessons already. Does that mean it gets to eschew our familiar four steps, assuming players know all it has to offer? To find out, let's see how Rainbow Ride introduces itself by dissecting its first mission, "Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow".
| Step | Notes |
|---|---|
Introduction 
|
The mission begins with a textbook Introduction step. Mario begins on an isolated platform with nothing nearby except a carpet and a rainbow. With nowhere else to go, a player jumps on the carpet and discovers it moves, following the rainbow. The path takes the carpet under a block which players must jump over in order to avoid being pushed off, teaching players they will need to proactively jump over obstacles during these rides. The carpet and Mario approach a circular platform with an Amp and a ring of coins, with a nearby Flamethrower spitting a stream of fire directly in the carpet's path. By hopping onto this circular platform, players can bypass the Flamethrower then return to the carpet. This takes just about enough time for the carpet to begin blinking, signaling it will shortly vanish. Through this, not only is the lesson that players will need to jump on and off to avoid obstacles reinforced, but players also learn that they need to avoid stepping off the carpet for too long a period to prevent it from despawning. It's a short, simple ride which teaches players all the basic mechanics of the carpets found throughout this individual mission and Rainbow Ride as a level. |
I need to interrupt things to highlight the circular platform a bit more, because it's an incredible bit of design. The first block encountered on this ride is easy enough to jump right over. Mario can jump off the carpet and land directly back on it while clearing the obstacle. Even if a player lands on the block, they'll spend such a short time on it before stepping back onto the carpet that it offers no lesson on the carpet's despawning. The developers needed a larger platform to teach players not to linger while off the carpet, and they needed to ensure players would be lured into spending a little time on it.
That's where the combination of coins and Flamethrower come in. Learning that the carpet follows the rainbow, when players see the Flamethrower, it's likely that they'll see the opportunity to hop off on the circular platform and catch up with the carpet on the other side to skip the flames entirely. Even if they don't catch on to that opportunity, the coins are there to lure them to the platform, and if they did hop off to avoid the flames, they'll likely spend a moment collecting the coins regardless. Whether they're distracted by the ring of coins alone or they're waiting for the carpet to pass the flames, players linger on the circular platform just long enough for the carpet to begin flickering. There's a cushion here, with the platform being small enough that most players will reach the flickering carpet before it disappears. I imagine the developers worked hard to fine tune the timing of the Flamethrower and carpet and the size of the platform, because it lines up remarkably well.
Say players don't care about the coins, though, or try to pass through the fire without hopping off. Even in these scenarios, the circular platform does its duty. A player beelining across the platform without collecting the coins stands a decent chance of getting zapped by the Amp, which stuns them just long enough for the carpet to pass the flames and begin flickering. While Mario sometimes runs off into the void, in my experience, getting hit by the flames caused Mario to run onto the circular platform more often than not. After I regained control of him, the carpet was still close enough to be hopped onto, and often flickering. This is an Introduction that accounts for multiple types of players, offering multiple incentives and obstacles to all but ensure players will learn the mechanics of the carpet no matter their exact experience.
| Step | Notes |
|---|---|
Crossroads #1 
|
That first carpet reaches the end of its rainbow just as it arrives at four large, spinning platforms arranged in a diamond shape. The platforms are large and have a smattering of coins on them, luring players to jump to them before the carpet falls away into the void. Here, depending on which direction players go, they'll end up in different parts of the level altogether. The first platform that players jump on slowly rotates counterclockwise, carrying players towards the platform to their right. This platform also has a ring of coins on it, encouraging players to jump over. In this way, this mission subtly nudges players towards the correct path for its star. |
Development 
|
Hopping over to another carpet, players go on a longer ride with a few more blocks as obstacles. One pair of blocks requires players to jump over the first while allowing them to jump over or duck under the second. A second pair is close enough players can directly hop from one block to another without touching the carpet, but at the risk of the carpet beginning to flicker. This can especially crop up if players stop to break the box on this second set of blocks. There isn't much that is added here, but the route is considerably longer and asks players to navigate slightly more complex obstacle arrangements, so it's safe to call it a Development step. It requires players engage further with the carpet mechanics they were recently taught. |
Crossroads #2 
|
The carpet arrives at the end of its path, and players are presented with two new carpets to choose from. If they fail to choose and get off, their current carpet will fall, carrying them to... the four circular platforms from the first crossroads. This helps players who breezed past the end of the introductory carpet's path and didn't realize the carpets fall away, giving them a chance to recover and resume rather than sending them to the void. Unfortunately, the mission stumbles a bit here. Unlike the first crossroads, nothing nudges players towards the correct path for this mission (the left). There are some Donut Blocks visible to the right, but there are also poles visible to the left, so neither path immediately stands out as easier for players. |
Twist 
|
Hopping onto the left carpet, players take a spiraling ride up and around a large spinning platform with two bars jutting out of its top and a Flamethrower at its base. This is a solid Twist section. At its core, it's still asking players to dodge obstacles as they ride, but the ride takes them through the same obstacles multiple times, and those obstacles are in constant motion as well. The blocks are no longer the only source of challenge; the carpet's movements themselves now carry the player back into danger. The spinning platform also has a 1-Up Mushroom on it, optionally challenging players to hop onto it and return to the carpet, keeping abreast of its spinning bars and how much time they're spending away from the carpet. After making its spiraling climb, the carpet forces players to go over a few more blocks of varying heights, to jump over a sloped block which they can't land on, and to jump onto some Donut Blocks before it reaches the end of its path. The sloped block and the Donut Blocks expand on the mechanics of the magic carpets by showing that players won't always be able to safely jump atop obstacles they encounter while riding. |
Conclusion 
|
After jumping off the Donut Blocks, players arrive at a large platform that functions as something of an aerial dock. There are no challenges here, with a plank of wood leading to the Rainbow Cruiser itself. A Bob-omb wanders around and there's a bit of wind blocking from the bow towards the stern, but they pose little threat. The Power Star awaits at the ship's bow. The satisfaction here mostly comes from the setpiece. There's no final carpet-related challenge to overcome, setting it apart from later games like 3D World, but it makes up for it with seeing a winged ship feeling pretty cool. |
Stepping back to look at the big picture, we have a mission that follows our familiar four steps closely! The Conclusion isn't quite as closely tied to the main mechanic as it would come to be in later games, true. If this were 3D World or even Galaxy 2, there might be a carpet with a short pathway placed on the ship, leading to the Power Star/top of the Goal Pole. Still, the experience of arriving at the Rainbow Cruiser, with its surprisingly concrete design compared to the abstract platforms dominating the level, makes a solid substitute for that last challenge.
We did have some Crossroads interspersed among our four steps. I see that as a necessity for this style of level in this style of game. In a game like Galaxy or Galaxy 2, the different routes would be separated by vast distances, and each mission would whisk players away to a different route by making certain Launch Stars exclusive to each mission. With Super Mario 64 having a sandbox design, you can't box off parts of the level and put strict walls between missions. Rainbow Ride, being platforms floating in a void, is forced to offer clear forks in the road to balance the game's sandbox design with its linear platforming challenges. These work fine, but I wish that the second fork did more to nudge players onto the correct path for the first mission, though. The mission is really well designed! Players should experience it as their introduction to Rainbow Ride! If I were to tweak the design, I would move the carpet on the right a little further away and make players cross some Donut Blocks to reach it. As a simple obstacle, they wouldn't render it too inaccessible, especially if they were positioned to fall to the first crossroads platforms as a mercy to players, but they would nudge cautious players to the left carpet.
Before we dug into the mission, I raised the possibility that it could eschew the four steps altogether since it comes so late into the game. So why doesn't it? Why doesn't it assume players know the game and hit them with a challenging gauntlet of all that has come before to test what they've already learned? The immediate answer is that it isn't the final level; challenges need to be saved for "Bowser in the Sky". Going further than that, though, I would posit players tend to most remember the beginning of a game and the end of a game. Through the first few levels, players devote more mental resources to acclimating to the game's design, and so they retain more memories of that portion. By the middle of the game, they're accustomed to its controls and expectations, and operate more on muscle memory and heuristics. As a result, they tend to remember less. This changes near the finale. When finally the credits roll, players remember the closing stages of the game because... well, those were their most recent experiences with the game.
As a result, to wow players, you want to pack big ideas into the start and end of a game. Those are the periods in which it is most critical to impress players and to give them something to talk about - at least going on my experiences with and observations of platformers like Super Mario. The developers of Super Mario 64 understood this principle, and it reflects in Rainbow Ride and Tick Tock Clock. Rather than coast on established mechanics and challenges, the developers packed in flashy new mechanics like the carpets of Rainbow Ride and the variable-speed gears and pendulums of Tick Tock Clock, weaving them into all of their missions. Rainbow Ride's magic carpets are Super Mario 64 striving to entrench a final positive impression in the minds of players, and in order to make the most of them, it needed "Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow" to introduce and develop them thoroughly. As a result, even long before Hayashida articulated them, our four steps cropped up. They sure work wonders for acquainting players with a novel mechanic!
With four flat spinning platforms, three magic carpet rides, two Flamethrowers, and one Rainbow Cruiser, this has been Four Steps for a 3D World!
Pitohui's Pokémon Academy
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Guest contributions by: Boo1268
Well now, have you all studied up on Galarian Corsola as we discussed at the closure of our previous session? Excellent! Then you are well prepared for a short oral examination conducted by local paranormal expert and historian, Boo1268!
…do tell, did I successfully scare you? A trick befitting a Ghost-type, wouldn't you say? Relax yourselves. There is no examination. Monsieur Boo is here only to provide some additional insight into Galarian Corsola. Monsieur, if you will please:
Thank you, Monsieur. As our guest alluded to, Galarian Corsola is less active than its evolved form. While Cursola wobbles and wanders, freed from its shell, Galarian Corsola sit in seabeds, often getting mistaken for stones. This reflects in the stat distribution of the two Pokémon. Whereas Cursola is a powerful special attacker backed by high special defense but hindered by a paltry physical defense, Galarian Corsola lacks offensive power but has rock-solid and equal defensive stats. Today, we will compare an evolved Pokémon directly to its pre-evolution, and in doing so, examine whether or not evolution always improves a Pokémon's fortunes.
|
The following information applies specifically to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield V 1.3.0+, the latest games in which Galarian Corsola is available. | 
|
The standard glossary follows below, should you need to consult it. If you are familiar with our terminology, please do skip it and we will get on with the lecture promptly!
Base Stats: Base stats are the values associated with a particular Pokémon species, and are the same across every individual Pokémon of a given species. You have no influence on them. You can think of them as traits tied to a species. A chimp isn't ever going to be able to get as good as digging as a mole will be, and, likewise, an Abra is never going to have the defensive prowess a Shuckle has.
Individual Values (IVs): Individual values, as their name implies, are associated with individual Pokémon. They range from 0 to 31 in each stat, with 31 being considered a "perfect" IV and higher numbers corresponding to different stats. Magikarp A and Magikarp B will have the same base stats, but they may very well have different IVs. To stick with the animal analogy, one mole may be born with larger claws than another mole, and that first mole is probably going to have an easier time digging through dirt than the latter. Individual values are set in stone, strictly speaking, but you can use Hyper Training (from Generation VII onwards) to functionally get a perfect IV in a stat.
Effort Values (EVs): Effort values are the one thing you can easily change. A Pokémon can earn, primarily through battling, but also through means like the use of certain items or mechanics like Super Training, up to a total of 510 effort values, with up to 252 in any given stat. To finish off the animal analogy, no matter what kind of claws a mole is born with, moles who have more experience digging are probably going to be better at digging than moles which have never dug.
Nature: A Pokémon's nature is, more or a less, a stat modifier with a name meant to make it sound like a Pokémon has some personality. Natures will raise one stat by ten percent and lower another stat by ten percent. Some natures raise and lower the same stat, canceling out the effect and leaving stats unchanged. Natures can be functionally changed with the use of special mint items from Generation VIII onwards.
STAB: STAB stands for Same-Type Attack Bonus, and refers to the boosted power of moves that match the type of the move's user. To illustrate this, consider the case of a Lombre, a dual-type Pokémon which is both a Water-type and a Grass-type. Any Water-type moves Lombre uses will have their power boosted by 1.5x, and any Grass-type moves Lombre uses will, likewise, have their power boosted by 1.5x. (There are circumstances where this does not apply, and, while the 1.5x multiplier is typical, some games use other multipliers.)
Bulbagarden Archives: Not a term to be defined, but the source of many of the images used in this section. I thank those who maintain it as a resource.
For more information on the terms defined here and how you can raise Pokémon, feel free to consult this guide. It is written with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in mind, but its broad principles are applicable through many of the main series games beginning with Ruby and Sapphire.
Our introduction today was longer than is typical, so let us touch on stats only briefly. Galarian Corsola, while having 100 points fewer across all of its base stats compared to Cursola, concentrates what it does have in its defenses. As a result, it has great defense and special defense. Its HP is low, but that issue can be mitigated with EV investment. Its offensive stats are so low to be hardly worth using, but its special attack is slightly higher than its attack, so we'll treat attack as a dump stat that can safely be lowered.
Taken altogether, this gives Galarian Corsola the opportunity to fill a different niche than its evolved form. While with Cursola our main concern was finding a way to ensure it could leverage its high special attack to do as much damage as possible, leading to us using Trick Room and damaging HP-restoring moves like Giga Drain, with Galarian Corsola, we can safely adopt a more defensive posture. There is no longer the risk of a physical attacker busting through our Pokémon of interest like a parade vehicle through a banner. Rather than focusing on dealing damage quickly, we can equip Galarian Corsola with the tools it needs to remain on the field for many turns, frustrating its opponents all the while. If you ask me, this defensive and tricky niche feels better suited to a Ghost Pokémon.
At this point, you may wonder, if Galarian Corsola is objectively weaker than its evolution. After all, even with its stats distributed differently and a niche that synergizes better with its typing and movepool, it still has a lower base stat total. Even this, however, is a weakness we can minimize. We don't often discuss held items in these sessions, because they're typically best chosen with the context of a full team in mind. However, with an unevolved Pokémon, especially a defensively-oriented unevolved Pokémon, we must discuss the Eviolite. The Eviolite is a held item that increases the defense and special defense of an unevolved Pokémon by 50%. This isn't entirely accurate because the Eviolite affects final stats, not base stats, but if you'll permit the simplification, a 50% boost to Galarian Corsola's base defenses is fifty additional points in each. By this reckoning, with the Eviolite, Galarian Corsola is just as strong as Cursola! Add to this Galarian Corsola's more favorable stat distribution, and you might even say Galarian Corsola outdoes its evolution. Just beware Eviolite loss through Knock Off!
Given that HP is Galarian Corsola's weakest defensive stat, we'll give it the full 252 EVs it can have. We'll invest another 252 EVs into special defense, with the remaining 6 going to defense. We favor special defense here because Galarian Corsola has a few options in its moveset for reducing the opponent's physical attack.
|
Name: | Galarian Corsola | Base HP: | 60 | |
| Category: | Coral | Base Attack: | 55 | ||
| Type: | Ghost | Base Defense: | 100 | ||
| Abilities: | Weak Armor | Base Special Attack: | 65 | ||
| Cursed Body | Base Special Defense: | 100 | |||
|
Base Speed: | 30 | |||
For similar reasons, we will choose a Calm nature to bolster special defense while lowering physical attack. Like its evolution, Galarian Corsola has two abilities it can choose from. Weak Armor is a poor choice for Galarian Corsola, raising its terrible speed while lowering its all-important defense. Cursed Body is by far the better option, adding to Galarian Corsola's breadth of disruption tactics by giving it a chance to disable a foe's move when struck.
| Level: 55 | HP IV | 31 | HP EVs: | 252 | HP: | 182 | ||
|
Attack IV | 18 | Attack EVs: | 0 | Attack: | 73 | ||
| Defense IV | 31 | Defense EVs: | 6 | Defense: | 132 | |||
| Special Attack IV | 31 | Special Attack EVs: | 0 | Special Attack: | 86 | |||
| Special Defense IV | 31 | Special Defense EVs: | 252 | Special Defense: | 182 | |||
| Nature: Calm | Speed IV | 31 | Speed EVs: | 0 | Speed: | 55 | ||
Turning our attention to selecting moves, we finally have the opportunity to use a fun tool we discarded during our discussion of Cursola. Galarian Corsola can make more effective use of Strength Sap than its evolution can. Strength Sap is the foundation of Galarian Corsola's moveset. Its defenses allow it to take a hit, and then it immediately restores its HP while weakening its foe by using Strength Sap. It does become less useful the more it is used on a given opponent (unless the opponent switches out or raises their attack), however, so Galarian Corsola must be equipped to wear down its opponents efficiently.
Enter Will-O-Wisp. Much like it did for Cursola, Will-O-Wisp strengthens Galarian Corsola's defense by reducing the power of an opponent's physical moves. Well, the Burn is what causes the power reduction, strictly speaking, but Will-O-Wisp inflicts the Burn. Between the attack drop from Strength Sap and the power reduction from the Burn, physically-oriented opponents are rendered much less threatening, and our lesser investment in physical defense is offset. The key difference is that, whereas Burn's damage over time was a slight bonus for Cursola, Galarian Cursola gets more mileage out of it by using it to chip away at an opponent's HP. This is an element of wearing down opponents efficiently, doing just enough damage to save Galarian Cursola an extra turn pitted against a given foe.
| Name | Category | Power | Accuracy | Description | Base PP | Learns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Sap | 
|
75 | 100% | The user restores its HP by the same amount as the target's Attack stat. It also lowers the target's Attack stat. | 10 | Lv. 35 |
| Will-O-Wisp |
|
- | 85% | The user shoots a sinister flame at the target to inflict a burn. | 15 | TM38 |
| Night Shade | 
|
-- | 100% | The user makes the target see a frightening mirage. It inflicts damage equal to the user's level. | 15 | Lv. 45 |
| Mirror Coat |
|
-- | 100% | A retaliation move that counters any special attack, inflicting double the damage taken. | 20 | Lv. 55 |
We have yet to select a STAB move, so we shall now consider what special Ghost-type attacks Galarian Corsola has access to. Hex, Night Shade, and Shadow Ball are our choices. Assuming the opposing Pokémon is Burned, we can immediately discard Shadow Ball, as its power is lower than Hex. Hex has a high base power, effectively 100 as long as a Burn is inflicted first, but Night Shade always deals damage equal to the user's level. To determine which is a better choice, we'll need to do some calculations!
...don't worry, however, because I've done them for you. With the stats our Galarian Corsola has, Night Shade deals more damage in the majority of scenarios you're likely to encounter. Add that Hex requires Will-O-Wisp's aid to reach its full power, meaning that Fire-types could prove an obstacle, and Night Shade is the safer choice.
For a fourth move, we have a range of options from which to choose! As I have stated before, I'm more inclined to experimenting with a Pokémon's unique tools or gimmicks than raising Pokémon to be perfectly optimized for competitive play. In the spirit of Ghost-types being known for trickery, I have selected Mirror Coat as a fourth move. With its high special defense and our EV investment, Galarian Corsola can take a special attack and return it with double the power. This may allow Galarian Corsola to deal a heavy blow to special attackers already worn down by Burn damage and Night Shade. If it catches them by surprise and KOs them, all the better! Maybe a physical attacker will replace them and allow Galarian Corsola to heal with a Strength Sap.
If you would prefer more reliable final moves, however, I would suggest Whirlpool and Stealth Rock as alternatives. Whirlpool will deal damage over time, further wearing down an opponent while also trapping opponents to prevent them from switching out. If an opponent struggles to break through Galarian Corsola, take advantage of their struggling and trap them! The other benefit of Whirlpool is that it offers an attack that can be used against Normal-types, which are immune to Night Shade. While its initial damage isn't high, it's better than nothing in a pinch! If you're willing to risk being blocked by Normal-types and don't have a better Stealth Rock setter, Galarian Corsola can instead fill the role.
| Name | Category | Power | Accuracy | Description | Base PP | Learns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool |
|
35 | 85% | The user traps the target in a violent swirling whirlpool for four to five turns. | 15 | TM036 |
| Stealth Rock |
|
-- | -- | The user lays a trap of levitating stones around the opposing team. The trap hurts opposing Pokémon that switch into battle. | 20 | TR76 |
With that, we conclude our discussion of Galarian Corsola. Quite a different experience compared to raising its evolved form, isn't it? Although Galarian Corsola may appear weaker when comparing its base stat total to its evolved form's, the distribution of its stats - alongside the boost from the Eviolite - give it its own utility. Many Pokémon, even those in an unevolved state, have great potential. One need only nurture that potential, and find an approach to raising them suited to their individual strengths. In other words, a little knowledge and a little love can go a long way, wouldn't you say so, Monsieur Boo?
An Overly Detailed and Funny Walkthrough of Mega Man 5
Played by Sparks through the Mega Man Legacy Collection for the Nintendo Switch. Why not the Nintendo Switch 2? That's because I have to figure out how to transfer my data safely... Nothing wrong with the first Nintendo Switch, right?
Welcome back to An Overly Detailed and Funny Walkthrough of Mega Man 5! Last month we took down the first four Robot Masters (Star Man, Gravity Man, Gyro Man and Crystal Man), and now we're ready for the second half! Napalm Man, Stone Man, Charge Man and Wave Man stand in our way on our quest to bring Proto Man to justice. Here we go!
Let's kick things off with Napalm Man!
Napalm Man stage
Napalm Man's stage initially takes place in a jungle, but soon we'll reach a military base.
In the first section of this stage, Mega Man must reach a hole at the end of it. We encounter multiple dangerous tiger enemies that leap forward if approached. They continuously jump in one direction until they reach a wall (they'll turn around if that happens) and deal high damage. Be sure to take your time and navigate safely; use high ledges to your advantage and be careful not to fall in any gaps along the way! One tiger leaps from a high platform, so we must slide to get past it without any harm. Sometimes the best way is to destroy the tigers before they get ya! Several Mega Buster shots will do the trick.
After falling in the hole, we enter a small room with another tiger and a large health power-up. Use the small cave to protect yourself from the tiger until you get rid of it! We must then fall down some more, and encounter two brand new enemies in another small room. There are two of each: one of them is a Mettaur on a turret. It's sleeping, and cannot take any damage while in this state. Once it senses Mega Man, it'll wake up and fire a large projectile straight ahead. It's vulnerable while awake, so take the time and quickly strike it down! After shooting, it'll go back asleep for a second or two. The other enemy is a flying bug initially attached to the ceiling. After a few seconds, it'll wake up and slowly pursue Mega Man, occasionally firing bullets directly at the Blue Bomber. This enemy is more of a pest than anything, and one Mega Buster shot will take it down. Oh, and they're invincible while sleeping. Now we must proceed right into a narrow cave.
This cave holds nasty surprises in the form of instakill spike walls! They spawn at the far right of the screen from time to time and "move" towards Mega Man. Shoot them down before they reach you! Because they spawn on a timer and not by progression, move a little in the cave, stop, and shoot down a spike wall. Repeat until you reach the end of it. The next room has a ladder leading upwards into another short room containing an E Tank behind a wall. It seems impossible to obtain it, but this is a deception! There's a secret passage through the wall you can take to grab that E Tank.
The next area is still underground, but now there are waterfalls that push Mega Man if he's on the ground. Those ground enemies (the ones that are stationary before shrinking and sliding) appear throughout this section, but now we have an extremely annoying helicopter piloted by a Sniper Joe. When one appears onscreen, it will constantly chase Mega Man with erratic motions and sometimes shoot projectiles at him. It doesn't help that there are two of them here, across many gaps too! The strategy I did was to gun them down before they move - there's about a second of time you get before they start chasing you - use it to your advantage! A ladder at the end of the room leads to yet another small room, but this one has Eddie! He gives me a large weapon energy capsule... darn. The next ladder leads back to the jungle's surface.
This "hallway" has another new enemy; this one is big and strong, but does not move at all. He raises his arms before opening a hatch on his chest to release a homing missile that'll home in on Meg Man, obviously. His weak point is his head, although attacking it is difficult due to its small size. Additionally, his arms deflect Mega Buster shots whenever he raises they up, so you'll need patience to deal with this foe. Destroying him also destroys any homing missiles he summoned. The second one is fought in an area where you have little room. Just small platforms spaced between spikes to be exact! You'll have to stay at one place and not fall. A hole at the end of the section leads onwards, but there's a letter to grab here, an "N"! You'll have to fall and land on the ledge the letter is at. Shouldn't be too bad. Just move left when falling!
After falling, there's once again another small intermission room. This one has two more of those Mettaur turrets, one of which guards a 1-Up! Falling down some more, we enter the military base I mentioned earlier. There's a hallway that starts out narrow, but widens as progression is made. Those missiles from Star Man's stage return here, so you'll have to blast or dodge them depending on where they're coming from. Remember that shooting them splits them up into four pieces that fly in diagonals! If they hit a wall, there'll instead be three pieces that fly directly at you in a spread formation. There's also a large purple enemy here too, but he's easy to deal with because of the ledge that'll protect you from his wrath. There's then a jump over spikes, but beware of one missile that appears mid-jump! A hole leads to another small room. This one has spikes you'll have to avoid. Fall to the ledge and proceed further downward.
One more hallway before the boss! Our final challenge involves us jumping across gaps on small platforms, but there's another new enemy to face off against; this one is red and constantly lobs bombs at us that explode when they hit a surface. Their range is not infinite, and only goes a set amount, so if you're far enough away, they can't hit you. Those rockets from Star Man's stage that emerge from pits make a comeback here as well, and now they're actually an issue! Stand at the edge of platforms to get them to come out, then jump once they're low enough. Time to fight Napalm Man!
Napalm Man fight
Napalm Man isn't too difficult. He only has two attacks, and after performing one, he jumps forward towards Mega Man. He can fire three rockets that travel in a straight path (one at a time of course) or he can launch two Napalm Bombs in an arc at Mega Man, exploding after hitting something. Jump over the rockets and if needed, slide under him when he jumps. To avoid the Napalm Bombs, either jump or slide away from the boss. Easy! Crystal Eye is his weakness, so use it! Try to hit him with the large crystal to make the fight go by faster.
Defeating Napalm Man gives us Napalm Bomb! It allows Mega Man to shoot out a Napalm Bomb that rolls along the ground a short distance before exploding. When compared to Napalm Man's version, it's a disappointment... While equipped, Mega Man becomes dark blue/yellow. The weapon is labeled as "N. BOMB" in the pause menu.
Up next is Stone Man!
Stone Man stage
Stone Man's stage takes place at a construction site.
The first area of this stage is a hallway leading to the right, getting higher due to the terrain. We encounter Mettaurs along the way that pop up to shoot three bullets in the spread formation before hiding. These Mettaurs have a surprise for us, for when they're defeated, three smaller Mettaurs appear and hop around! They only do so for a few seconds before disappearing, but you can also shoot them to get rid of them faster. Two of those ceiling bug enemies guard a ladder leading upwards. The next room is short and contains two more spiders and a special Mettaur. The way forward brings us to another small room with another special Mettaur, but there are two of those sliding enemies too. This room contains a secret passage leading to the letter! At the bottom right are two cracked yellow stones. Shooting at them will destroy them, opening up the secret passage. The "G" is found within! Now let's head back and climb a ladder to the next room.
There's another small room containing bugs and a special Mettaur. Nothing new. Afterwards is a hallway containing many bugs and also a few of those bomb enemies from Napalm Man's stage, although now they're green and lob rocks instead. Honestly, this is a pretty uneventful stage so far. A hallway takes us upward to another small room. This one finally has a new enemy in the form of a three-legged machine that's on the ceiling at first. When Mega Man is near, it'll drop down with a loud sound and charge towards a set direction, exploding upon colliding with a wall. One Mega Buster shot will get rid of them. You could also just avoid them entirely! A large health power-up sits atop a ledge for you if you need it.
Nest is another hallway with more bugs, but also a few of those mouse enemies from Crystal Man's stage. Remember that they're too low to hit with a normal Mega Buster shot! A ladder at the end of the hallway leads ever higher, but be mindful of the Mettaur guarding it. The ladder brings us to a room where we have to reach another ladder, but two of those three-legged bomb machines are present. One of them isn't an issue, as it'll crash into a wall, but the other is in our way, so we'll have to shoot it quickly. The bottom rock on the second "level" can be destroyed to reveal another secret passage containing an M Tank! If you already have one however, then there won't be anything worthwhile in here. Just another bomb mech and a rock lobber atop small platforms. Time to move on!
Now we're outside the cave! After a short room, we have to get through a "hallway" leading to the right. Interestingly, the enemies fought here are both in Gyro Man's stage as well: those slow flying enemies that actively pursue Mega Man, and those shielded enemies that occasionally raise their shields to shoot. One of those spinning platforms (the ones that move when you land on them) is here as well. A ladder at the end leads higher, as you'd expect. After climbing, there's - you guessed it - another short room with no enemies in it. There's a 1-Up behind a rock wall. I've tried all my special weapons but nothing worked. Napalm Bomb doesn't explode in time, by the way. I don't need it as I already have nine lives! Like a cat - meow!
Now what, you may ask? This next room has more of those spinning platforms and flying enemies. These foes are in annoying positions, so I don't blame you if you use something like Gravity Hold to remove them. Right before the ladder is a test of skill; you'll have to jump across three spinning platforms at the right time to reach the ladder. There's an E Tank to the left of the third platform if you're brave enough... You could also use Rush Jet if you really wanted to. These platforms respawn if you go far enough off-screen, so be sure to go left until they return if you happen to fail. The ladder brings us to an Eddie Room! The kind soul gave me a 1-Up! His room also has another secret passage to the right, so destroy some more stone blocks to access it! It contains a large health power-up and a large weapon energy capsule, so that's nice. Another ladder means more climbing.
Almost there! Now we must get past ine more hallway before the boss gate is reached. The hallway has more Mettaurs and flying enemies, and there's also two paths to take. I recommend the top path as it'll help protect you from the spikes below. Take your time and defeat any enemy in your way before moving onward. Ready for the boss fight?
Stone Man fight
Stone Man is a piece of cake. He's probably the easiest boss in the game! His main attack is to jump high into the air and crash to the ground, becoming a pile of rubble before reforming. Stone Man does not take any damage while he's a pile of rubble. He also has an attack where he creates two spinning stone fists that don't go very far, but he didn't do it for me. I guess you have to be far enough away for him to perform it? But yeah, this boss is a joke, even without Napalm Bomb.
Defeating Stone Man gives us Power Stone! Oh boy... this is easily the worst weapon in the game. It releases three spinning stones around Mega Man, but they move too fast and travel outward too quickly, so you won't hit anything most of the time. This is a very unreliable weapon that doesn't have much use unfortunately. The only time I can see it being useful is if you're surrounded by foes. When equipped, Mega Man becomes maroon/white. Power Stone is labeled as "P. STONE" in the pause menu.
Two down, two to go! Charge Man is next in line!
Charge Man stage
Charge Man's stage takes place at a railway station. We even board a train during it!
The first section involves us reaching the end of a short hallway to climb a ladder. A new enemy appears here - a red flying enemy that drops three bombs, one at a time. The foe only flies in a straight line and will continue to do so even after it drops all three bombs. There are multiple of them too, but they're easy to avoid. One Mega Buster shot will dispatch them, and you can just avoid the high ones. After climbing the ladder, we reach a small room where we only have one way to go - right.
Now we're on top of a moving train! This next part is a hallway with a few of those slow, homing flying enemies. The main threat to watch out for are these Mettaurs on top of trains of their own. Like many other Mettaur types, they're invincible when hiding, although these ones move on their own because of their trains. Whenever they see Mega Man, they'll awake and stop in place, firing three bullets in a spread formation (it's even signaled with a train whistle sound effect)! After a second, the enemy will start charging at a fast speed, turning around if it encounters a wall. After several seconds of charging, they'll explode. One Mega Buster shot will do the trick, but just be sure to get 'em before they charge! A hole at the end of this section takes us to the interior of the train.
Now we must get through a LONG hallway inside the train. There are three enemies here: those chickens from Gyro Man's stage. more ground-bound mice, and ceiling bugs. The most common one is the mice, while the bugs only appear near the end of the room. Remember that summoned eggs from the chickens can jump up ledges! The other "A" is present in this room; we'll have to use Rush Coil to grab it. Only one letter left to go! A ladder at the end of the hall takes us back on top of the train.
Here we have another hallway to get through! More train Mettaurs are found here, as well as yellow palette swaps (ha!) of those bomb-lobbers from Napalm Man and Stone Man's stages. A fully charged Mega Buster shot will get rid of those lobbers and pierce through them, which helps to defeat them faster. There are two instances of there being two close to each other, so try to take both of 'em out! A hole at the end of this section takes us to the boss gate, inhabited by one of those burly guys from Napalm Man's stage. It's easier to deal with this one due to having more space!
Charge Man fight incoming!
Charge Man fight
Behold the hardest Robot Master in the game! Charge Man has two attacks at his disposal: one of them is, fittingly, charging right towards your current position. Jump over him when he's close! His other attack involves him turning red with anger and firing hot coal upwards, which then comes back down as three flaming coal projectiles that rain at three separate spots. While Charge Man is performing any of his attacks, he's invincible to all forms of damage. Between each attack, the boss walks towards Mega Man, allowing him to be vulnerable to damage. Sometimes he may charge after his coal attack.
His weakness is the terrible Power Stone. Because of its unreliability, you have to get close to Charge Man if you want to hit him with it. My strategy to defeat him is to stay as far away as possible for most of the fight, and then attack him at the right moments. Let's say he charges at me from the right. I jump over him, use Power Stone before I land, and then slide to the far right of the room. If he uses his coal attack, I attack him immediately after he regains his original color. In this way, I beat him and only took damage once. I usually have a bit of a hard time with him, but now I think I can defeat him without any issues! Yeah!
Charge Man gives us Charge Kick! This is a very unique weapon because it does not give Mega Man any projectiles. Instead, his slide turns into a powerful kick that can damage foes! Unfortunately, I don't use it that often because I prefer to shoot my foes from a distance, but it's still neat! When equipped, Mega Man turns tan/white, and the weapon is labelled as "C. KICK" in the pause menu.
One more left! Wave Man is last!
Wave Man stage
Wave Man's stage seems to take place inside a ship. I'm actually not sure about this one, but a ship seems to be the most viable right?
The first room is a short hallway with no enemies, although there are obstacles. Those spiky chains from Gravity Man's stage return and operate the same, but there are cracks on some pipe platforms. When Mega Man gets near one, steam will rise up from the crack for a few seconds before disappearing, only to return a few moments afterward. The steam is capable of damaging Mega Man, so watch out! These obstacles are paired together, so try to get the steam to "activate" while the spiky chains aren't in the way to allow a safe passage through. At the end of the room lies two pipes and a large health powerup atop both of them. You can enter either of these pipes to move onward, but try to get into the higher one as it leads to a 1-Up! Be aware that said 1-Up is protected by steam...
Regardless of which pipe you take, you'll still arrive at the same destination. There is another hallway with more steam pipes, but instead of spiky chains are indestructible, slow moving saws from Gyro Man's stage. Focus on not taking damage, OK? Afterwards, we enter a room where bubbles appear from holes in the ground before they float upwards. We must use these bubbles to take us higher to our goal! Big bubbles are safe to stand on, but small ones pop a moment after standing on one, so if you're not careful you'll plummet back to the bottom. They can still be used as platforms, albeit briefly. You must first use the big bubble on the right to reach the next screen, then you must jump across small bubbles to reach another big bubble on the left side. This bubble will get you out of harm's way in the next screen (there will be spikes on the right side)! Then, you must jump on another small bubble to get to solid ground before you reach the ceiling spikes. Nice!
We enter an empty area outside of the ship and arrive at a vehicle on water. Mega Man boards the vehicle, and we enter an awesome fast-paced water section!
While Mega Man is on the vehicle, Charge Shots are disabled, and you cannot pause the game normally. This part is a straight path with enemies in the way. There are four different foes here:
- A cone-like enemy that serves as an obstacle on the water. It can be shot at to defeat it, although a few shots are needed.
- Sniper Joes on different-colored water vehicles. A few of them are on the water like the cones, but most of them appear from behind and shoot after a few seconds. They have low HP, so the ones on the water can be destroyed easily. Make sure you're not at the far left side of the screen! Give yourself enough space to jump over the sneaky Sniper Joes that attack from behind, but ensure you have enough time to dodge the obstacles that may arrive in front of you.
- Dolphin-like enemies that jump out of the water. These are the trickiest to deal with, as they can only be attacked while they're in the air, and dodging them is annoying. Thankfully, they only have 1 HP, but sometimes it's better to avoid them.
After about a minute of this, the background goes dark, and a miniboss attacks us! The momentum has stopped too, so now we have easier control over Mega Man. Anyway, this thing slightly moves to the left and right, and rises and sinks into the water in a steady pattern. Whenever it reaches its maximum height, it'll fire a large projectile directly at Mega Man. We must jump at the right moment to dodge it, which could prove to be difficult if it's close to the left side of the screen. To defeat it, we must attack the bright green spot on its head, although many shots are needed to destroy it. After it explodes, we can move on and continue the ride!
This section is similar to the first water section, but there are more dolphins to watch out for. Sniper Joes are still present as well, but there aren't any cones. The final letter to obtain is in this section - the "E"! It's above the water right when two dolphins attack, so grabbing it is tough. Try to constantly jump and shoot to defeat dolphins early on to make grabbing the "E" easier! Just don't be too reckless, and remember that sneaky Sniper Joes exist. At the end of this section, we reach solid ground, and Mega Man dismounts the water vehicle.
But wait! We found all the letters, so we unlocked something very special - BEAT! It's labeled as such in the pause menu.
When Beat is activated, you'll summon the robotic bird of the same name! He will attack foes on screen by flying into them, but he can only do so if they're within a specific distance. That distance is still pretty large, thankfully! Furthermore, weapon energy will only be depleted every time Beat strikes an enemy, so you don't have to worry about it draining automatically. Beat will definitely help out against the final boss, and getting him is worth it. The final room before Wave Man has one of those cannons from Gyro Man's stage. Easy peasy, and great for showcasing Beat's powers!
Wave Man is going down!
Wave Man fight
Wave Man is on the annoying side. Everything he does is in a pattern:
- First, he causes a stream of water to rise up from the ground at a random spot. The best way to dodge this is by jumping straight upward and moving if necessary.
- Then, he shoots an anchor that travels in a straight path before jumping towards Mega Man.
The problem is if a stream appears right where Wave Man is. If that happens, you won't be able to Charge Kick him without taking damage in the process. Try attacking right when he lands and, if the water stream is far away, simply jump over the anchors and slide at Wave Man after he lands, like I mentioned earlier. Not difficult, but pesky.
With Wave Man defeated, we acquire Water Wave! This weapon allows Mega Man to create a wave of water that travels along the ground, but it cannot be used in the air. It's capable of piercing and destroying Star Man's Star crash! When equipped, Mega Man becomes blue/white (it's the same shade of blue, so the change isn't really noticeable), and Water Wave is labeled as "W. WAVE" in the pause menu.
After defeating any Robot Master, you can replay their stage. Try to grab any letters you missed, as BEAT will be super helpful later on... trust me.
Oh yeah! With the Robot Masters dealt with, only Proto Man remains. Be sure to tune in next month for the infiltration of his fortress! Goodbye!
An Octet Gazette
Written by: Museful Traveler (talk)
Welcome back one last time to An Octet Gazette! Yes, for the foreseeable future, this is the last edition of this section. We've covered many of the improvements and quality-of-life changes between Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II in the process of comparing their jobs and characters, so today we'll be covering some of the miscellaneous changes and additions to the latter that haven't come up in those discussions. This won't be an exhaustive list, but will instead briefly touch upon the most notable additions.
Traveling By Moonlight
Before II's release, its marketing put a good deal of focus on its new day/night mechanics. The addition of nighttime may sound like a mere aesthetic change (and many areas in the game do look great at night), but it brings a few mechanical changes along with it. NPCs are positioned differently during the night, with some appearing exclusively in the night or exclusively in the day. This adds an extra wrinkle to some sidequests, and makes settlements worth exploring twice over - once in daylight and once in darkness. Occasionally secrets can be discovered by switching the time of day. A stall in the wilderness may have an NPC tending to it at night, selling rare and expensive equipment. Making this all much more convenient, day and night can be swapped with the press of a button. Only a very small selection of secrets in the game require waiting for the time to change on its own.
Beyond shuffling around NPCs, night has effects on Path Actions and enemy encounters. We've covered the former, but as for the latter, stronger enemies spawn at night. It makes night an ideal time for quickly gathering JP, EXP, and cash, and in the event you happen to get into a pinch, you can switch to day to make the road a bit easier to traverse.
Straying Steps
In the first Octopath Traveler, each traveler's tale followed a predictable and rigid pattern. Each traveler advanced through four chapters, with each chapter invariably concluding with a boss fight at the end of a dungeon. The system worked fine and served as a strong structural foundation. That said, II saw room for improvement and seized on it. The structure of each traveler's story is less rigid in II, with chapter structures varying by traveler. There's still some uniformity in the sense that each character has five major story beats, but reaching those five beats is accomplished differently for different travelers. One traveler has three chapters, but their second chapter is split into three different events across three different settlements. Some have a given chapter split into two beats across two settlements.
In one particularly notable case, Partitio Yellowil gets four true chapters, and a fifth that straddles the line between a highly-involved sidequest and a story chapter. He gets three stories across different settlements in which he's looking for some profitable investments, with each labeled as "The Scent of Commerce". Each offers its own rewards, and this little sidequest collection connects back to his main storyline.
These split chapters don't always conclude with a boss battle, either. Some are short, serving primarily as bridges between two narrative beats. Some exist mostly to shed more light on a character by having them engage in a different challenge than that presented by a fight. Others still seek to tell a different kind of story than a typical chapter can tell. "The Scent of Commerce" demonstrates this last point well. By eschewing dungeons and boss battles, it provides a chance to show Partitio's skill as a merchant by focusing on a search for investment opportunities. Flexibility in story structure gives the game narrative flexibility, allowing it to develop characters in a way the first game could not. Split chapters also give players a greater degree of choice when advancing through the game, allowing players to choose which portion of a story they want to tackle first. The flexibility provides benefits all around!
One If By Land, Two If By Sea
Another feature that received a decent bit of marketing attention was the ability to cross water. While exploring the overworld, the party can now find docks over bodies of water. Stepping off of them will put the party in little vessels, allowing them to traverse waterways. It's simple, and, while it does add a few extra nooks and crannies where the devs can hide secrets, it doesn't add all that much to the game.
Or, well, it doesn't at first. I'm aiming not to spoil too much, so I'll keep quiet about some specifics. What I will say, however, is that the game eventually allows the party to travel on open ocean, which opens up new locations and new enemy encounters.
When Our Paths Cross Again
A major criticism of the first Octopath was a lack of interaction among the party. Despite all of the themes of traveling together, the eight original travelers don't address each other anywhere on the field and don't play any part in one another's stories. Their stories don't even directly intersect until the end of the game! They only speak to one another during "Travel Banter" cutscenes, which occur between two travelers when entering certain settlements with the right travelers in the party and between four travelers at taverns under certain circumstances. While cute and numerous, they're not that substantial, can be permanently missed, and can only be viewed once.
II takes some steps to improve Travel Banter. Any unlocked Travel Banter can be viewed again in the game's Journal feature. This includes not only Travel Banter that was previously viewed, but any that have been missed due to not meeting the party composition requirements at the point they trigger. These are small but welcome changes.
Going further, II expanded party interaction with in-battle voicelines and Crossed Paths storylines. Now, when taking certain actions in battle such as breaking a foe or using a healing item, party members play voiceclips acknowledging each other. They might congratulate each other, by name, on a successful break, or thank each other for a bit of healing. Again, it's small, but it's cute and serves as a constant reminder that this group is traveling together.
Crossed Paths are a much more substantial addition. The eight travelers are split into four sub-groups, with two travelers to each group. Each of these sub-groups gets their own miniature Crossed Path storyline to follow, with two "chapters" to each. Through these, the game wrings out some extensive interactions between its traveler pairs and begins weaving the travelers' stories together earlier. Crossed Paths provide some narrative hooks and intrigue that aren't fully resolved in the travelers' individual storylines, building up to there being a bit more to the game...
What A Tangled Web We Weave
...which, in turn, leads us to discussing the finales of each game. Once again, I'm keeping spoilers to a minimum, so we won't discuss the content of the duology's finales. Instead, we'll talk about their general execution.
The first game's finale is executed... poorly, to be blunt. Accessing it requires completing two series of sidequests, and it's not made explicitly clear which sidquest chains need to be completed. One is obvious, but the other is not. Then there's an additional non-obvious step. A number of players were unaware the game even had a finale when it first came out! The finale itself is underbaked, as well. Thanks to a boss rush with no chance to save afterwards, it can take upwards of an hour to get through, which isn't great when it will likely require multiple attempts unless players go in fully-prepared. Despite all the travelers being together, they still don't actually interact. It's short and isn't much of a story on its own. Overall, it feels like an afterthought.
II addresses all of these points. It telegraphs the finale clearly and makes accessing it straightforward. Its finale is a whole story chapter in its own right, interspersing its boss battles into an unfolding narrative. While that does make it lengthy, it also means there are chances to save and take a break. The travelers extensively interact throughout it. Everything about it is an improvement. There's no contest. II successfully executes what its predecessor could not.
Temporary Travelers
Looping from the end of the game to the beginning, II introduces temporary playable companions that join the travelers during their first chapters. Not every traveler has such a companion, but the majority get one. This helps out the frailer characters who start with only one weapon, such as Agnea or Temenos. More broadly, it introduces players to some of Octopath's strategic elements much earlier. With multiple party members, you can begin thinking about, say, when to have one character hold back to build up BP while the other focuses on breaking the foe or when to have one character focus on healing and augmenting another. Some of these temporary characters go on to have large roles in a traveler's narrative, while others quickly get left behind, but they add an extra splash of character and a welcome earlier taste of battling with multiple characters.
Minor Miscellany
Unlike the first game, II provides the option to fast-forward battles. You can set their animations and overall pace to play out as a higher speed if you're in a hurry. This falls slightly under the "graphical enhancements" umbrella, but II also offers varied camera angles and movements when using fully-boosted attacks. They're fun little flourishes.
Occasionally, rare enemies called Caits will appear in both games. These enemies are your classic Metal Slimes, offering great rewards but taking scratch damage from most attacks and often fleeing battle before they can be defeated. The second game adds Octopuffs as another enemy in the same niche. More importantly, however, the second game adds a special music theme for battles which include a Cait. This is hardly a notable change, but I wanted an excuse to link the theme!
On the topic of music, II adds an in-game sound test! It has to be unlocked by progressing a certain story, and after unlocking the feature, individual tracks must be unlocked by collecting music discs throughout the world. It's not the most convenient system, but it does add an extra reward to pursue and it's nice to be able to listen to the soundtrack on-demand.
Until We Meet Again?
If you're thinking that II sounds better than its predecessor in all respects... you're correct, honestly. II is a significant upgrade and feels like the vision of the original game fully realized. It takes the foundation that Octopath Traveler set and polishes it to a shine, building upon it with improved mechanics, new additions, more compelling stories, and a fresh coat of paint.
There is, however, one small feature I found myself missing from the original during my playthrough of II. In II, there is only one side story that is divided into multiple discrete sidequests that build on one another, and all involve a stationary NPC. The first game had twelve such sidequests, and the NPCs that were their central focuses were encountered at different locales throughout the game. I really appreciated these multi-part side stories. Not only did it excite me to encounter a familiar face and see how their story was unfolding (endearing me to a number of these otherwise minor characters), but it felt thematically relevant. This is a series about traveling and intersecting tales, about encountering someone on their journey and gaining a story. Fleeting glimpses into someone else's adventures is a core theme of the series, and these multi-part side stories reflected that perfectly while making the world feel more lively. Seeing others were having their own stories unfolding apart from the eight travelers gave Orsterra extra verisimilitude. It was a bit of a shame that these didn't make their way into the successor title.
It has been an age since last I marked these pages. In the span between the preceding entry and these words, I have encountered charming fellows with tales most fantastical. The customs of the residents of Solistia are all at once familiar, and yet distinct from home. For those who await my return, I am much gratified to know I will deliver to them a wealth of knowledge. What practices may cross the sea by way of this journal, I do not know, but I content myself knowing this record shall promote the adoption of techniques and traditions by which we shall reduce the drudgery of our days and expand access to leisure to all.
I depart now for Orsterra, returning whence I came. Upon arrival, I shall tend to the copying of this journal before allowing myself a period of repose. Concluding that, perhaps I will endeavor to uncover Orsterra's history.
Until such a time, these musings conclude.
| The 'Shroom: Issue 227 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Poll Chairperson Election • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
