- enter OLD ROAD>> No, it doesn't explain what this is the old road to. We arrive at a large scaffolding inhabited by numerous werewolves. A woman lies on the ground, completely ignored by the monsters. Nguyen Le: "A damsel in distress!" Bluh... Zelos: "I'll do what I want, when I want!" No one asked, dude.
- slay pathetic monsters, despite not understanding combat system>> Thankfully, Mr. Le(e) offers to do some explaining. He explains the CHARGE function in detail, failing only to explain what CHARGE actually does. I do some experimenting with it, and conclude that CHARGE allows you to waste your turn and stand around glowing pink for a while. Screw that, I'm just gonna attack.
- check on damsel>> She's injured and doesnt speak. We decide to take her back to town. Not sure if we completed the mission or if we're giving up. Oh well, that doesnt matter because suddenly the scene switches back to a generic dungeony looking place and we meet the mysterious ???? NO 3, who fortunately is not represented by a shadowy profile pic. She's a long silver haired girl.
- observe mysterious monologue>> ???? NO 3 establishes that we are in a FACILITY, and that it is NEW, which is apparently surprising. Then she starts talking about ALIEN SOULS, which are IMPOSSIBLE. End of scene. Yeah.
- give up on trying to understand plot>> So we're back in the (sigh) Guild Hall, where Zelos is attempting to ditch his crew. Makes sense, since so far he's killed them more times than he has actual enemies. Nguyen takes offense at this, and the two of them seem to switch voice actors, leading me to believe the game is actively trolling me now. Since taking the time to characterize the existing characters would be too much work, the game now introduces me to a new character, the previously mentioned 'damsel.' Her name is Aria, and she is MOE. I do not consider this a plus. The characters take the time to establish that Zelos is a 'world class jerk,' which I kinda already had figured out.
- acquire 20WP>> What the hell is WP? Game: lol, guess you'll have to figure that out.
- check status of MOE girl>> Aria is a CLERIC, and wields a Broom Wand. She has pathetic Strenght and Vitality, but vast amounts of Intelligence. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that means Magic, not actual INTELLIGENCE.
So anyway, I'm dumped back out on the map screen with no indication of what I'm supposed to be doing. The only place to go is the city I'm in, Noasulan, and the Old Road I just beat. So, uh, I go back there I guess? No, screw that, I don't want anymore random battles. I click on Noasulan and we appear back in the guild hall. Duja has something he wants to ask Zelos. Hopefully, its about the plot. Duja: "Do you know a woman named Dena?" No. Please stop introducing characters until you explain what the hell is going on. Duja: "Oh, nevermind then." He leaves. What the hell was the point of this scene?
- acquire 5PP>> Shut up game. The game heaps a whole bunch of unexplained stuff on me for no apparent reason.
Ok, now I'm in town. Maybe I can ask people what I should do in time honored rpg fashion. A man called James the Kind informs me that there is a wood outside of town, full of monsters. I get the feeling it's been added to my map. Of course, I have no reason to go there. I learn that in order to find new areas to explore, I need to first speak with someone who will tell me where it is, then acquire WP (work points), go on a SEARCH, scan certain areas of the map, acquire an ALIAS or several ALIASES, use said alias to complete certain CONDITIONS, in order to gain more ALIASES, which allow me to gain new ABILITIES, which can be purchased with PP (Party Points). Yeah. I think this game is trying to deliberately confuse me so that I don't notice it is completely devoid of plot.
- search for monstery woods>> I succeed in finding the woods. Yay... this game is giving me a headache.
- travel to woods for no discernible purpose>>
