Monday, April 23, 2012

TEXT PLAY: Legend of Mana (PlayStation; 2000): Issue #07: A Different Path (Branch B Start)


OK, so that whole Mindas thing wasn't working out the way I'd hoped, so let's try going a different way completely, shall we?

There are several ways I could go here, so I think I'm gonna change things up from my normal play style a bit. The area we're going through this time is the Jungle, courtesy the Medallion artifact, which I put south of Domina.

When we get there, we're introduced to a trio that we'll probably be seeing again: Southerbee, Skippie, and Hamson. Essentially, these guys are the game's Three Stooges, and I'm going to be a main character alongside them in The Three Stooges In The Jungle. The mission this time, as Southerbee explains it, is to find a creature called Du'Cate and bring back his tail. Our boys want it because Skippie and Hamson owe some rich dude ten million Lucre for damages that occurred while they were on the job at the guy's house. Southerbee's there to make sure Skippie and Hamson bring back the tail and to offer me a clue as to how to get through the area.

That clue is to follow a little thing called a Lillipeas around for a little while. Eventually, it'll lead you to what previous attempts at this game have told me is a penguin that casts a spell on you so you don't get lost in the jungle. The Lilipeas is just outside that room again. Following it again sets me on the path to this guy called Rossiotti and his penguin retainer. Rossiotti says that Du'Cate's been causing trouble and suggests that I get a little help stopping him. That means getting Skippie and Hamfist to work together so that this quest's boss gets cornered so I can put a beat down on him.

It would be tough enough to get that to happen on account of the duo in question isn't exactly the sort that plays well together. On top of that, the Jungle is still a real maze, even after the first penguin's spell, and the random monsters about the place can really kick a guy's ass in a hurry if he's not careful.

But it's a doable task, and eventually, I got Skippie and Hamson working together and going in the right direction. It took me a couple tries, and I found a plant egg in the process, but I got it done. And beating Du'Cate was a cakewalk for a change, because once I met the conditions to start the fight, I had no trouble cornering the beast and smacking the crap out of him. It was especially easy and nice because he only counterattacked once. That was a nice change to the weaker monsters that pretty much beat the hell out of me the rest of the way.

Once Du'Cate went down, Hamson and Skippie take it's tail to Southerbee, who takes twenty grand off their debt and offers me 500 for my help. I'm given the option of taking it, asking for more, or giving my share to the other two morons here. Guess I'll be a pal and give the dimwits my share of the money. For my kindness, I'm given an artifact called the Sand Rose. I'm not sure if that's the only way to do it, but it's the way I always have.

With that, the quest ends and it's time to go home and tell Lil' Cactus about the ordeal. It's also time to check on the tree and the egg in the barn. There's some new fruit on the tree. They're a Squalfin, a HeartMint, and a couple others that I didn't quite think to remember the names of. The egg has not yet hatched.

From here, I think I'll do the first of a few issues that'll show up every now and again in this Text Play, where I show off one of the things I love about this game: the fact that I can actually do things without necessarily advancing the plot any. I've got some stuff I need to sell off, and I need to buy some shit, too, so that'll balance out. And while I'm at that, the rest of the fruit that's been on the tree for awhile will probably be ready, and the egg will hatch. It'll also be a perfect opportunity to use up some of the seeds I've been getting from beating plant enemies and mention what they turn into.

So, hopefully, before too long, I'll have a Runnin' Around issue up. See you soon, folks!

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