Hold On (Day 240)

Dragon Quest II is a much longer and more difficult game than its predecessor. For a game originally released on the NES, its world is huge and sprawling. Without the access of maps and guides, I would have been completely and utterly lost for a good 80% of the game. If I had invested more time into the game I might have been able to puzzle through eventually by carefully analyzing the dialogue of every NPC I encountered, but I wasn't willing to invest that kind of time. Arguably, I would have gotten more enjoyment and fulfillment out of the game if I had done so, but I think I would only do that if the gameplay were more engrossing. This is a very old game, so of course many aspects of the gameplay are dated, if not completely serviceable.

I liked Dragon Quest because it was short and sweet. You take control of a single character who is a descendant of a legendary hero--a time honored plot trope for RPGs and fantasy stories in general. Approximately 9-10 hours later, you're slaying the Dragon Lord responsible for all the world's ills. In Dragon Quest II, the theme is similar, although in this case you take control of three descendants of the legendary hero. I like the party aspect because every member brings something different to the table. The protagonist is physically strong like his predecessor in the first game, but unlike him he cannot use magic. This task instead falls to his two companions, who have access to some 20 spells between the two of them. This is a tradition that not only likely continues in the Dragon Quest series but is shared by a considerable amount of RPGs from the era and for many years afterward.

As I said earlier, though, the main thing that differentiates the two games is in the scale. I spent a lot of time in Dragon Quest II just wandering the world. This might have honestly been a more interesting thing to do if I wasn't constantly beset my random encounters--on the ocean. I've never been a fan of this mechanic in early RPGs and I'm always relieved when it doesn't happen. Unfortunately, Dragon Quest II is much like the early Final Fantasy games in that braving the perils of the ocean is a daunting task in itself instead of just a way to get from Point A to Point B. In this game, you'll spend a lot of time on the ocean. Locations in the game are very far apart from each other and you'll have to crisscross the globe to collect important artifacts and treasures to advance the plot.

To advance in certain areas of the game you'll need the Silver Key to unlock silver-edged doors, the Gold Key to unlock gold-edged doors, and the Jailor's Key to unlock cell doors. All of these are required to get through dungeons, find certain items, and to face certain enemies. I like this aspect of unlocking more content in areas you've already explored. When you see a room full of treasure chests you immediately think "man, how do I get in there?" and when you find the appropriate method to do so, it's rewarding to come back and collect your treasures.

I can't honestly say the game doesn't provide you with the information you need to progress. That's not true. If you talk to every NPC you encounter, you will get an idea of what you need to do, but you will need travel across the world and discover areas unknown to figure out exactly what it is you need to do. Villagers might drop hints like "Have you been to Osterfair? I hear it's south of Midenhall." or "I've heard you can get in the sea cave if you possess the Moon Shard." However, a significant amount of investigation is required to figure out exactly where you acquire these things--and sometimes, it's very difficult to find out exactly what it is you need to do to progress. There are several instances in the game where you're required to take hidden passages just to advance the plot. These are not optional. This is not
something you're likely to see in more modern games.

You know what, though? For how old Dragon Quest II is, it's a surprisingly solid title that I would recommend to anyone who is into that retro style of gameplay. I'm glad to say that I've completed it and I'm looking forward to what else the series has to offer.

From the Balcony (Day 239)

"Do you know where you're going?" Terakiel asked, his words evaporating into the heavy mist choking the air.

Where? Not exactly. I am taking you closer to where I sense life. There is a human--or perhaps humans there. It is perhaps not accurate to classify it as a specific location--not here, in this forest.

"I don't understand," Terakiel replied honestly. "But I guess there's no real way you could explain it to me."

Although there was no external indications to suggest it, Terakiel sensed regret from the strange, ethereal moth. I am sorry. I'm afraid that I cannot. 

Despite the moth's lack of assurances, Terakiel trusted him. Or it. Or whatever you might call the thing. He wasn't sure the species had genders and he wasn't about to ask. The moth's voice made no sound or impression in his mind. It was as if the words appeared all at once in a nonsensical jumble--but half a second later they would assemble themselves into a statement that he could make sense of. Was it his mind doing the work or was the moth somehow. . .translating for him? It was too confusing to even think about.

Terakiel continued to follow the moth. He didn't bother trying to examine his surroundings because it was pointless. The strange way that the ghostly trees surrounding him seemed to distort his perspective served only to worsen his headache. Maybe it wasn't in his best interests to trust this strange creature but he had made his choice. His only other option would have been to wander the forest forever until he died of starvation. In his mind, that was really no choice at all. He didn't want to die. Despite everything that had happened, he was at least sure of that.

We are drawing closer. 

"What do you sense?"

Humans.

"Two of them? A male and female?"

I cannot say. More than two, to be certain.

"More than two. . . Who else could be out here?"

I do not know. I must say this could be dangerous. I cannot accompany you into the human land.

"Will I be able to find you again?"

It is possible, though not likely. 

"I'm really thankful for your help. . . I, uh, didn't catch your name."

Name? A wave of confusion washed over Terakiel. He realized immediately that it was coming from the moth. I do not have one. Not exactly.

A glimmering pale yellow light appeared in Terakiel's mind. It was the kind of light one might see after rubbing the eyes and then closing them tightly. It was a barely visible light hidden in almost impenetrable darkness. I think that is the closest thing I have to a name.

"I. . .I see." Terakiel wasn't sure what to say to that.

It's only a little further. I will lead you there. Come.

$ (Day 238)

I've gotten one callback on my jobs so far, but I'm hoping I'll get a few more. Obviously I'll take anything I can get, but I'd like to get something that pays a bit more than minimum wage--and of course if it's in a field I enjoy, that's a plus. Still, any job is better than no job, and this place in particular is extremely close to my house. I can get there in less than ten minutes. The work would likely be easy, but the pay won't be great. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm going out yet again to turn in a resume and possibly follow up on the tentative job offer.

I think for awhile I'm just going to be tired all the time. I'm not used to getting up and being active like this. Even though all I did today was drive around, I'm still pretty tired. Granted, my recent 24+ hour odyssey might still be affecting me, but I think there's definitely more to it than that. My bones and muscles ache. It's pretty pathetic that something so simple could be strenuous for me, but it was inevitable that it would happen. I should have started going on walks again, but the temperature has just now gotten to the point where that's a viable option. I'm not sure I'm going to feel like doing it if I start working really soon. . .

I'm definitely excited, even if I end up with something suboptimal. I have a lot of bills to catch up on, but once I'm done with that, I'll actually be able to start living normally again. I'll be able to eat out occasionally (not too often!) and maybe buy a video game or two. I'd like to save up for a nice video card so I could run some higher end games--as well as running some games I play now a lot better. Even though I spend most of my time playing really old games with terrible graphics, it would be nice to play some new shiny ones every now and then.

I have a history of spending money rather. . .freely. I might want to get out of that habit, especially since there's a good chance that once I've had a job for awhile I'm going to have to take on some more expenses. Some of my bills have been taken care of by family recently but I would understand completely if that were to change. There's also the price of gas that I have to consider--something I haven't had to worry about for awhile. Still, all of that is worth it because it means that I have the ability to take care of myself. Relying on others for this kind of thing puts a bad taste in my mouth, despite the fact that I am really grateful.

Yep. Good stuff happening, hopefully.

Explore, be curious (Day 237)

I haven't slept since I wrote the last blog entry. In about two hours I'll be hitting the 24 hour mark. Not only that, but I've been driving around all day grabbing job applications and getting my face out there. My wrists hurt from filling out so many paper applications, and I still have a lot more online stuff to do. I probably went to 15-20 different places today, but I'm glad I finally did it. Surely something will come of this and I can start getting my life back on track here.

My uncle has been really helpful in this whole process. I'm glad that he had enough faith in me to let me drive his Jeep, because that eliminates a lot of the stress of the process. My car is in a state of disrepair at the moment, and has out of date tags and no insurance. It's a gamble to drive it anywhere at all, but occasionally I did so because I had to. When I have access to a fully fueled and insured vehicle, I can just go anywhere without worrying about getting pulled over and ticketed--provided I'm not driving recklessly, which I almost never do.

I am absolutely exhausted. My uncle wants me to come over for dinner in a couple hours but I don't know if I'm going to make it. I feel like I'd be severely misguided to turn down free food, but I just might be tired enough to do it. I'm ready to collapse right now. Food is just not alluring enough to me in my current state of mind. Once I sign up for this healthcare thing that I have to do, I want to be done for the day. I want to just sink onto the bed and get some rest.

I'm going out again tomorrow to turn in all of my paper applications and show my resume to anyone who might be interested. I have a few promising prospects, but it's all up in the air right now. I want to be gainfully employed again and actually have enough money to do. . .well, anything. The socialization aspect of all this certainly cannot be ignored either. I need to meet new people and make connections. That's a part of my life that's severely lacking at the moment. I want to have the right to be happy and work-simultaneously. I can do it. I know I can.

Paladin (Day 236)

My sleep schedule is in a pretty weird spot right now. I've been trying to shift it ever so slightly each day so I can get up tomorrow at 10 AM and start putting in job applications. My uncle is letting me borrow his Jeep all day. It'll be completely fueled and everything, so I have no excuse not to use all of the resources available to me. He also gave me a list of about 15 different places I could apply, so it's not like I can just sort of wander around and make an excuse about not knowing where I should go.

It'll be nice to get out of the house. My only concern is that I'm still incredibly broke, so I won't be able to go get a bite to eat or anything like that. Maybe I'll try to bring some snacks with me. I'm also considering picking up a friend to hang out with so I don't get bored. If I have the vehicle at my disposal all day, then why not? I'm going to get tired because I'm pulling an all-nighter, but that's what coffee is for. 

Other than that, I've been playing a lot of Orcs Must Die! 2. This is a game that I play every now and then and it's pretty much the only game of its type that I keep coming back to. You could probably tentatively describe it as a tower defense game, but it's the least generic and formulaic of its kind. What differentiates it from its peers is its high level of polish and-more important--its support for cooperative play. It's an absolute blast to play with a friend. The game seems designed from the ground up for cooperative play in fact, because it's several degrees more difficult when played alone. Enemies stream in from all sides and you're required to multitask extensively to get the job done.

It's very rare for traps to be strong enough to hold off a section of a map alone. You'll have to run back and forth between different spawn points to prevent the orcs, trolls, and ogres from reaching your rift. This is much less frustrating when you have an ally to shore up one side of the map. Honestly, I'm not sure why the game isn't more popular than it is, because it's one of the most fun games I've played. 

Engulfed (Day 235)

Casnie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't in the same place anymore. She'd not traveled the dark world of the Exod but it was unmistakable that she'd made some sort of journey. She looked behind her and the warped forest was nowhere to be seen. The ghostly mist that had permeated her surroundings was now gone, replaced only by the air--real air that filled her lungs. She drank it in in long, satisfying breaths. She felt as if she'd been freed from a prison. But where was she now? And where were Aisen and Terakiel?

There were trees there, as there had been in the forest--but they were spindly, living plants very unlike the pale ghasts that had reached out their limbs at her. The grass was thinner, and marked by patches of exposed soil baked by the sun. It was invitingly warm there, but very dry. She felt very thirsty all of a sudden, but there was no water in sight. On the horizon she could see that the spindly trees thinned out even more until there was nothing but a massive flat expanse of earth. She looked behind her again. She could have sworn that she had just passed by a massive grove of trees--but no, it was no longer there. She had been yet again deposited into the middle of an unfamiliar land, but this time she had no one to give her an idea of what was going on.

She listened intently to the dry wind rustling through the trees, perhaps hoping she could catch a hint of that wordless chant that had brought her here. If she strained her hearing just so, maybe she could hear it. If she closed her eyes tightly and let the world disappear, then maybe--but there was nothing. Nothing but the warm wind stirring the cloak draped around her shoulders. She suddenly felt overdressed for the weather, but she declined to remove her cloak. She'd likely never get it back. Who knew where she might end up next? Then again. . .she might be here for good.

Casnie shrugged her slender shoulders at no one in particular. She was done trying to figure out why these things were happening to her. There was no point in trying anymore. The air was dry and the soil was parched--but there were trees, grass, and greenery. There had to be water somewhere nearby. She wheeled around to face what had been a massive forest only a few moments before. She felt certain if she advanced in that direction she wouldn't be back to where she had been. She wasn't sure she wanted to go back there. It was just as unknown as her current location. At least here she wasn't being chased by murderous reptiles--at least not yet.

She took a few experimental steps back the way she came, but everything remained the same. She felt the rushing air, and the muted sounds of nature around her. The mist did not return. Her surroundings did not distort around her and make her unsure of her direction. For the first time in what seemed like forever she advanced in a straight line and was confident she was doing so correctly. The grass and trees were greener and more alive in this direction. Surely she would eventually find water if she kept up long enough.

She hoped she might find some sign of civilization on her way. The sooner she found people, the sooner she could figure out where she was and find her way home. She was worried about the plight of Aisen and Terakiel, but what could she do? She didn't have the faintest idea of how she might go about returning to that strange forest--and even if she did, how would she go about getting out again? She didn't even know how she'd gotten here.

Air Chrysalis (Day 234)

Dragon Quest II has a vast world map, especially for a game that was originally released on the Famicom. Granted, it doesn't have twisted labyrinthine dungeons like Faria, but the map itself does cover an extremely large area. It's much bigger than the world maps of games like Final Fantasy VI. In a way this is pretty cool. There's a lot of stuff to explore. However, when your travels take you from city to city it gets a bit tedious to sail all the way between them--especially since the developers declined to include a map of any kind. I've had to resort to using a map online, which gets pretty annoying. I wish I had a printer.

The game is definitely more about exploration than its predecessor. Once you acquire the ship it becomes incredibly non-linear. It reminds me a little bit of the World of Ruin in Final Fantasy VI or the latter portions of Chrono Trigger--except it happens a lot earlier. Even at these early stages of the game, I'm tracking down important items that I assume I'll be needing for late game like the Water Flying Clothes and several of the Erdrick armor pieces.

I'm not sure exactly how much longer the game is, but I'm enjoying it pretty far despite the tedium of traveling all over the world. I'm looking forward to Dragon Quest III since it has a class system and a four character party. After that, I'll be moving on to the DS remakes of IV, V, and VI. Now, there's a very good chance that I stall out right in the middle of this process, but at the very least I'm going to beat this one. For right now I'm not really tired of the series so I'd like to continue on. 

I'm not really certain why I keep taking on these ambitious video game projects. I think maybe once I'm an old man I will have finished everything but it's pretty unrealistic to think that I'm going to beat the entire Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series--at least not in a timely fashion. Granted, I'm almost done with Final Fantasy but I have this way of getting sidetracked. I have at least 50 games I still need to finish and that doesn't include any of the games I plan to tackle in the future. Maybe I'm going a little crazy here.

Why do I have this compulsive need to finish so many games? I guess it's just sort of an obsessive tendency that I have coupled with this desire to have something to write about. Coming up with something to write about every day when my life is so uneventful is actually pretty challenging. I have to come up with new things so I play a ton of games. I can't just play the same old games all the time because I run out of things to write about. It's not like I don't enjoy playing all these games--I really do. It satisfies my completionist compulsion and gives me writing material at the same time. It's a win-win.