Dragon Quest IX finished

Bringing everyone's level up to 45 did the trick. I finally beat Corvus. Dragon Quest IX is over.

Looking back, the shape of the successful final battle was weirdly by the numbers. 

It had its first act, in which things were going well for my party of Minstrel, Thief, Mage, and Priest. Then, the second act rolled around when Corvus recovered his HP and his MP and it reached a climax after Corvus knocked out Nizk the Minstrel and left everyone else with just a few HP. Finally, the third act kicked off with Peridot the Priest successfully healing everyone over the course of a few turns and then climaxed with the final blow to the big bad. 

I know that much of the battle wound up as it was largely because of chance, but still. Its shape is perfectly that of a grand cinematic battle. 

Unfortunately, the game's ending doesn't share that quality. 

After a pseudo-anime sequence in which Corvus is appeased and reminded of his true Celestrian nature, the standard RPG "what are they doing now?" scenes play over the credits as each major area and character is revisited. Scenes that are rendered in the in-game graphics. 

What makes this so disappointing is that it feels like the developers forgot to replace the in-game graphic scenes with their animated counterparts. Unless, simply because it directly involves a dragon (and this is a Dragon Quest game after all), Greygnarl's fight with Barbarus was meant to be the only animated cutscene.  

Overall, as an RPG, Dragon Quest IX is, for the most part, a bog standard J-RPG.

Its story is interesting, if spread a little thin from the start of the fygg quest to the discovery of Corvus. Actually, the game's characters are much more interesting than most of its story events. 

The game's job system holds potential for those who don't mind grinding as a matter of fact, but is quite frustrating for those who would rather grind with broader goals in mind. 

The game's music is quite grand, but lacks variety. 

And the game's combat system is simply that of a classic turn-based RPG.

Anyway, despite the shortcomings listed above outnumbering the game's strengths, I find myself interested in the promise of the post-game's being its "mortal" phase. It feels like a shorter, perhaps deeper, adventure is about to start.

Yet, I can't say I'll be dedicating myself to finishing what's left on the Dragon Quest IX cartridge before moving on to something else. I have other Dragon Quest games to check out after all, not to mention other games that are much much shorter than this grand adventure proved to be.

Like Full Metal Alchemist: Duel Sympathy.

Grinding for two

Though easier metal slime battles would be welcome, Dragon Quest IX's levelling system is far from broken.

Yet, based on a suggestion from the GameFAQs forums my level grinding just got faster.

Reducing my party to two members gives both far more experience than they'd get as members of a four person party.

Nonetheless, the  game's experience divvying is weird. It doesn't give more experience to the lower level character. Instead, the lion's share of experience goes to the party member who does more. So Nizk, my main character, is going to be a few levels above 45 when my grinding's done.

At least the Bowhole's Liquid Metal Slimes give about 20,000 experience per party member. It's just a matter of defeating them with only two. A feat that'll be all the trickier while bringing up my Mage's level.

Facing Dragon Quest IX's final boss once more

Well, in this case, the third time was not the charm. My latest battle against Corvus was going well until he kept using breath attacks turn after turn.

If only you could lob breath mints at monsters in Dragon Quest IX.

On the upside, I can't fault the game's AI for its random factor.

Just as Corvus went heavy on the breath attacks for the first time in our latest match two monsters in his realm nearly slaughtered my party on its way up. Who knew that they could use the spells Kaboom and Kacrack?

Corvus will be tried again after another round of level ups. And maybe a wardrobe change. But not a shift in trades; my party of a minstrel, thief, mage, and priest seems quite effective. Its three loss streak notwithstanding, of course.

Grinding in grottoes with bruising bosses

Dragon Quest IX's grottoes have a strange difficulty curve. In one found through following a map called "Rock Mine of Doubt Lv.29," the monsters you encounter change thrice.

At first they're throwbacks to the early part of the game, then they're the sort that give about 300 experience points each (whereas monsters in the Realm of the Mighty give about 1750 per group per battle), then the boss is a machine with two attacks per turn.

Attacks that do damage ranging from 50 to 120 HP.

When party members have about 200 HP a piece a one-two punch from this boss just leaves them reeling. If my healer has a miss timed turn, one character - or the whole party - could wind up dead. Balancing on a pin like that makes for a tricky fight.

At least there are some Metal Medleys lurking in this grotto. So level grinding isn't impossible, just drawn out.

Writing of balancing on pins, though, I think that my party could get through the fight with Corvus at this point. And, not that it isn't fun, wrapping this game up sooner rather than later is definitely something I'm keen on doing.

Seeking hidden grinding spots

After my second attempt on Corvus went even worse than the first (since he was much more aggressive), I've decided to sit back and grind for a bit. But, rather than just going on a prolonged metal liquid slime hunt, I'll be exploring another of Dragon Quest IX's features: the secret grottoes.

These hidden areas are found through the use of various treasure maps. Those grottoes that I've been in so far have been laughably easy, but there are some that promise much more challenge and much greater rewards. I imagine that eventually they'll get to the point where even the regular enemies give decent experience and something of a challenge.

However, I'm not going through all of the game's secret grottoes. That would add way too much to my time with this game. Instead, I'm just aiming to get all of my party members from level 41 to level 45. I've alchemized the Rusty Sword found in the Realm of the Mighty into Erdrick's Sword, but that wasn't boost enough. So I figure that once the whole party's reached level 45 they'll be much more prepared for the game's final story-related battle.

As long as Corvus doesn't end up as aggro as he was in my most recent attempt.

Dragon Quest IX's still got some fight in it

Well, Corvus doesn't quite follow in Zoma's footsteps, but his final form still overwhelmed. Two attacks per turn and quite powerful ones at that.

So it happened like this.

After a few more oddly easy mini-bosses and more climbing I reached the game's big bad: the fallen Celestrian Corvus. Dragon Quest IX's end was in sight.

My party first fought a semi-Celestrian, semi-demonic Corvus. In this fight I was forced to shift tactics since he regularly used a technique that nullified my stat boosts. So my troubadour, thief, and wizard attacked while my priest healed. This fight went well. A fine success.

Then my party was pitted against the dragon Barbarus. Another steady battle, one in which my old stat-boosting strategy worked perfectly. The only problem with this fight was that it took a toll on my party's MP.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but Dragon Quest IX's quick save feature seems to trigger a bug that breaks the Goddess Ring. This accessory is supposed to recover its wearer's MP with every step he or she takes. But after loading quick saves this power, more often than not, de-activates. Unfortunately, I was working off of a quick save.

Nonetheless, I had curatives to spare so I bolstered my party's MP and then faced Corvus' full demon form. Without bothering to manage my in-battle inventory beforehand. Who needs a Yggdrasil Leaf (this game's revive item) when two characters have the equivalent spell?

I'm convinced that is just what decided the fight.

My priest, my party's steadfast healer fell first. My main character and troubadour tried to sing her back from the brink of death, but with no luck. Not before he joined her there.

Then the battle became nothing more than a window onto Corvus' attacks. Interestingly, he flashed no stat-boost nullifier in all twenty or so turns of the battle. The most frustrating moves being a healing technique that recovered 500 HP and another that restored all of his MP.

So, having been the mop rather than the mopper in the answer to "who will mop the floor with whom?" I'm left with three choices. Extend this game's time on this blog with quests and more grinding, things that could well stand to make that final fight a breeze; re-configure my battle inventory and try again, this time fighting much more conservatively (healing every round); or just grind and give it another go.

Considering Dragon Quest IX's fairly full post-game game, I'm drawn to just trying again. Maybe after just one more helping of this game's grinding.

Dragon Quest IX's final dungeon: Underwhelming (despite its transformation)

You know a final dungeon means serious business when it's alive. Dragon Quest IX's is special though since you get to see it come into being.

Once you choose to go to the Realm of the Almighty to finish off Corvus you're treated to a scene in which the once simple architecture of the Realm breaks apart as tendrils and muscle tissue erupt at oblique angles, making it into a strange perversion of a world tree. As is the usual for the game's cutscenes, it's done in the game's usual graphics.

No fancy animation is shown for it (though the transformation would definitely work as a cinematic piece).

But, somehow, seeing the final dungeon take shape before your very eyes in the general graphical style of the game makes the transformation more shocking.

A clean, entirely separate, animation sequence would definitely give much more detail and personality, but showing this transformation in the game's quasi-16-bit, 2.5D style makes the transformation truly look like the work of a greatly powerful being. One that can rend the very ground over which you've watched your characters walk for the whole game and turn it into something twisted and deranged.

Although that powerful being's henchmen are worryingly easy.

The monsters in the Realm of the Mighty tend not to give chase. And those that do don't take more than two rounds to trounce. I took down the second iteration of Goreham-Hogg in so few turns I was left asking myself and the game: Really?

Is this really the game's final dungeon?

I know that there's more to do once the game's story is complete. There are more treasure maps to find and grottos to clear. Side quests are likely to still be accessible, too. But, my characters are sitting at levels 39-41 and it looks like the only challenge the rest of the dungeon will hold is its sheer size.

Unless, of course, it turns out that Corvus took some lessons from this game's version of Zoma (found in a grotto) and attacks at least twice per turn, doing well over 200 damage per attack. But somehow I doubt that.

An angelic archfiend revealed (spoilers below)

That Celestrians are constrained by strict rules makes perfect sense. Angels are considered beings without free will, after all. And so such rules would constrain the angels of the Dragon Quest IX world.

As such, it makes good sense that Corvus the famed and captive Celestrian (who was finally revealed to be the game's big bad) couldn't be attacked when faced in battle because of his senior rank. And after I'd spent a good twenty minutes walking around with the Goddess Ring equipped to refill everyone's MP.

Oh well.

The Oubliette beneath Gittingham Palace was enemy ridden enough to make up for the lack of a boss battle. It's narrow twisting halls also made it difficult (but not impossible) to avoid fights. But I can't see the newly renovated Realm of the Mighty being bigger than the Oubliette. Unless in his ascending to this game's high heaven, Corvus radically redesigned the Realm of the Almighty.

Finally standing at the precipice of Dragon Quest IX's end I am faced with a question. It's the same question that faces any gamer at the end of an RPG. Should I barrel onward or take a step back and do some quests and such to (eventually) get the game's best equipment?

This game's definitely reminded me of Radiant Historia with its limited (though well-composed) music. Maybe its final boss will be just as much of a pushover.

Grinding through Goresby-Purrvis and Godwyn

Once again, all it took was gaining a single level all around and Goresby-Purrvis went down. With a fight, but nonetheless. I chalk most of the victory up to my new strategy, however (mostly because everyone who reached level forty didn't get any skill points for their trouble and so nothing new and powerful was learned by anyone). 

First there's the assist duo. Thoth, my wizard, increases the party's speed and then attack power while my priest Peridot heals and boosts defense. 

Then there's the attack duo. My thief Kleftis (weirdly tank-like) attacks or heals my main character Nizk. Nizk, always uses the "Falcon Slash" ability since it attacks twice (and after all the magic buffs he hits for around three times the damage of a single strike). 

Keeping this setup running and using Coup de Grâces as they came up saw me through the fight with Purrvis.

And the bout with the the Gittingham big bad himself, King Godwyn. 

Not to mention the battle with bad King Godwyn's second form as well. 

Though being levels 40, 40, 39, and 38 (Nizk, Kleftis, Thoth, Peridot) no doubt helps, I think my strategy is doing more than grinding ever could. And this, using the game's stat-boosters to concentrate attack power in a few select characters, is definitely the way to play. Dragon Quest IX's combat is purely turn-based after all.

RPGs like Chrono Trigger, where there's less time to make decisions about stat-boosts cut back on the players' ability to do so. 

RPGs like Tales of Phantasia, where the battles play out like arcade fighting games, include such abilities usually only for the AI controlled characters. In doing so, these games release the player from having to actively use them in combat and thus release them from case by case strategizing for the most part. 

But purely turn-based games like Dragon Quest IX are much more contemplative. Having finally figured that out, I'm now ready for the last leg of the game. And surely that's what's coming next. 

Weapon Shop de Omasse is open for business

Weapon Shop de Omasse is a rhythm game and so much more.

Unlike other Nintendo-exclusive rhythm games (ie: Rhythm Heaven), Weapon Shop de Omasse's more of a complete experience. Instead of having disconnected rhythm-based mini-games, Weapon Shop de Omasse happens to be a shop simulator that features a rhythm mini-game.

Specifically, Weapon Shop de Omasse is a game that puts you into the role of a blacksmith's apprentice living and working in an RPG. So, instead of being the one who does the adventuring and is at the fore of the action, you see the classic "defeat-the-evil-lord" plot play out from the perspective of a weapon shop.

The game's rhythm element comes in when you work to forge the weapons that you rent out. Aside from that, though, you need to manage your inventory, judge your customers' abilities and needs and give them the appropriate weapon, and work to become a deluxe weapon shop before the evil lord makes his grand entrance.

All of these aspects of the game revolve around your customers. Surprisingly, even early in the game these people are all rather distinct. Even if they're mostly just named "NPC," they all have at least some personality. The way that your interactions with them are presented adds quite a bit to this as well, giving the impression that Weapon Shop de Omasse is filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Out of all the rhythm games I've played to date, Weapon Shop de Omasse is my favourite. However, the premise, the shop management, and the characters are more to thank for this praise than the actual rhythm sections of the game. Truth be told, five customers into the game, these sections have yet to be longer than thirty seconds.

If all of the above sounds good to you, though (and you have a 3DS), head on over to the eShop. As of this writing, Weapon Shop de Omasse is going for $7.99.

Dragging my heels back to the priest

Dragon Quest IX is a modern old school JRPG. The presence and incredible importance of churches is what leads me to this conclusion. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that the churches aren't the only way to revive fallen party members, given what they're needed for in the game. Case in point: You need to go see a priest to figure out how much experience a character needs to level up. There's no status screen for that here.

Yet, as much as I find this delegation and concentration of features otherwise taken for granted in other games annoying, such a system really adds to an RPG. Take character revival, for example. When  your spell caster finally learns the revive spell, or you find a reliable source of a game's reviving item, you really feel like you've accomplished something - at last you're free from the tyranny of the game's administrative center!

No doubt the people at Level-5 knew this. Maybe that's why you need to go to a priest to figure out how much grinding you've yet to do: they didn't want their world's churches to become irrelevant.