Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums

[Taruta13]

I thought you were having a mental breakdown after hitting that glitch but turns out you were just playing Heavy Rain.

 

That sucks that the DLC deletes your save and you have to play the entire game all over again. I recall something like that - I missed a damn chocobo stable in FFVI and had to replay the entire Floating Continent. Luckily the game popped the trophy after visiting a second stable so I didn't have to redo all those dungeons. ?

 

You could always come to Octogonia and gamble your entire life savings away for a stupid whip by plaiyng a Slime RPG.

[Cassylvania]

3 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

I thought you were having a mental breakdown after hitting that glitch but turns out you were just playing Heavy Rain.

 

I can see how you'd confuse these two things.

 

3 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

That sucks that the DLC deletes your save and you have to play the entire game all over again. I recall something like that - I missed a damn chocobo stable in FFVI and had to replay the entire Floating Continent. Luckily the game popped the trophy after visiting a second stable so I didn't have to redo all those dungeons. ?

 

I don't think it matters, unless you were in the middle of getting the platinum. The DLC introduces a lot of new content, including a bunch of new characters you have to beat the game as. In fact, if the forum is to be believed, the new DLC is going to take over 100 hours... I don't think we'll be finishing that this month.

 

If we hadn't rolled Rain World this month, I could've removed it from the wheel. As it stands, I'm now $14.30 more in debt to the PS+ service. This is the reason I didn't want to allow games that have DLC on the wheel. I suppose I can't be mad when I clearly knew the risks.

 

Well, we have at least two weeks before the next rolling, so I guess I can at least begin the DLC. I might even do a bonus PS+ game this month to make up for the cost of Downpour.

[Mori]

35 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

I don't think it matters, unless you were in the middle of getting the platinum. The DLC introduces a lot of new content, including a bunch of new characters you have to beat the game as. In fact, if the forum is to be believed, the new DLC is going to take over 100 hours... I don't think we'll be finishing that this month.

 

Isn't there also a cheat/debug menue that unlocks those characters? Not sure if that's even an option you'd want to take. The DLC apparently also introduces assist mode. 

 

I haven't really looked into any of it to avoid potential spoilers.

[Cassylvania]

4 hours ago, Mori said:

Isn't there also a cheat/debug menue that unlocks those characters? Not sure if that's even an option you'd want to take. The DLC apparently also introduces assist mode. 

 

I haven't really looked into any of it to avoid potential spoilers.

 

Yeah, I think you can unlock the characters, but I imagine you'd still have to beat the game with each of them? Same with the expeditions and challenges. The three trophies nobody has earned yet are The Cycle, Champion (beat all challenges), and Expedition Leader (beat all expeditions), so I'm going to guess you can earn most trophies using cheats, but you'd have to at least do those three legitimately. Not sure what The Cycle requires.

 

I'll look into it tonight.

[James_Tonto]

Any particular games planned for later in the year? Maybe Deadbolt or My Friend Pedro?

[Cassylvania]

3 hours ago, James_Tonto said:

Any particular games planned for later in the year? Maybe Deadbolt or My Friend Pedro?

 

I don't know what either of those are, but Pedro is on the wheel, so there's a chance I'll play it. My rule is I'm not going to play anything on the wheel UNLESS I roll it (at least, until the event is over). Given the randomness of the wheel, I can't say for sure what other games I'll play.

 

Games I strongly suspect I'll get to this year are:

• Atelier Marie remake
• Inscryption
• Persona 5 Tactica (find it hard to believe I won't buy this at launch)
• Potion Permit
• Resident Evil 3 (this time for real, guys)
• Scarlet Nexus, IF we avoid any of the major RPGs on the wheel
• Super Mario RPG remake ?

Edited July 13, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Cassylvania]

OK. Here is what I learned for the Rain World DLC. Possible minor spoilers, but not really.

 

There are 13 DLC trophies. Five of those (including The Cycle, which I said nobody has yet) involve PARTIAL playthroughs as each of the five new characters. Two of them involve beating the game as the Hunter slugcat, which was already a playable character. Looks like that's a complete playthrough. Four of them are new passages. Three of those look oddly specific. I suppose you could just work on them during your partial playthroughs (or Hunter playthrough). The fourth one is for visiting every Echo, which...would might be OK if you can just load up an existing save. Otherwise, that's practically a full playthrough. Might as well get that on Hunter. So, you're looking at five partial playthroughs and one full playthrough, with a few oddball trophies along the way.

 

That leaves two trophies: beating every challenge and beating every expedition. You can "unlock" these using cheats (which I did), but all that does it give you the option to play them in any order. You still have to beat them.

 

There are 70 challenges. These seem to be fairly straightforward. You're put in a situation and have to deal with it. For example, kill all enemies. Some of these have a time limit. Some don't. The ones that have a time limit are only a few minutes long max, so I suspect these could go quick if you're good at the game. I'll probably take an hour each.

 

The expeditions... I have no idea. You pick a character and then you're given the option of completing various, randomly-generated tasks. Doing so awards you points. I don't know what the points do. If they just unlock stuff, they're pointless (assuming you already used the cheat menu to unlock everything). But there are "missions" within the expeditions that are specific to each character. For example, you can undertake a pre-made mission for Hunter that requires killing three little vultures, one big vulture, and reaching the vista point on Chimney Canopy (my least favorite zone). My guess is the trophy is linked to completing every mission. If so, that means each of those is potentially another partial playthrough, because these tasks could involve having to travel all over the map... There are eight of these; HOWEVER, three of them require a "burden" to begin. I'm assuming burdens are the opposite of a perk, so something to make it harder. I don't know how you unlock these. I used every unlock cheat, so my guess is you need to beat one of the other missions first.

 

I hope I'm wrong about some of this because this all seems extremely tedious. 70 challenges, 13 partial playthroughs, and at least one full playthrough on Hunter, with four miscellaneous trophies along the way. I'll have to see how much new content is added. The expeditions/missions might be too bad IF they're zone-specific. But if you have to go from one end of the map to the other, that really sucks.

 

EDIT: OK, I just did one the challenges. What the hell? They actually made the AI intelligent. The lizards were actively working together to corner me. This game has become FAR too self-aware for my liking.

 

EDIT 2: I did all seven challenges as Survivor. They're short but tricky. If the formula is the same for the other characters, these are "single room" challenges. Most of them seem to involve getting a certain number of points. You get points for eating stuff and killing enemies, but the AI is very aggressive.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Cassylvania]

DATE: July 14, 2023

TIME: 10:52 PM

PLACE: A long, lonesome highway, Rain World

 

A steady rain pelted the windshield of our tiny mail truck as we cruised down the highway. Meredith, still behind the wheel, was on her fourth beer of the night. Ajna was asleep in the passenger seat. I was doing my best to stay awake, but it wasn't easy with the radio stuck playing the same three songs on the loop. Meredith said it was the only channel she could pick up and I believed her. Still, I wish Meredith wouldn't sing along. I could see how that would get annoying to anybody listening. I suppose that must have been how Ajna felt when I would do the same...

 

"THEY LEAVE THE BRANCHES ONE BY ONE AND WHIRL AROUND THERE JUST FOR FUN," Meredith sang. "SOME ARE FASTER, SOME ARE SLOW, AND SOME ARE HIGH, SOME ARE..." She mumbled the rest of the verse, as if she had forgotten the rest of the lyrics. I wasn't sure how, considering it was the thirteenth time in a row that song had come on. "Man, I've always loved singing. Did you know I was Diana Ross in a past life? My spiritual advisor told me so."

 

"That logic checks out."

 

She continued humming along for a while and then noticed her beer can was empty. Crushing it in her hand, she tossed it in the back with the others and put the turning signal on, despite there being no visible exit anywhere in sight. "Hey, you hungry? I know a great place to eat around here."

"Sure. I could go for a bite."

 

I wasn't sure what she had in mind, as I hadn't seen any signs of civilization for miles, but she checked the rear view mirror and then veered off the highway. We went careening down the hillside, running over giant lizards and small trees, and kicked up so much mud that it was impossible to see where we were going. Meredith and I had our arms in the air and were screaming with excitement, while Ajna suddenly woke up and joined in. There was a little less enthusiasm in her voice, but I was glad she didn't miss out.

 

We must have hit a speed bump near the bottom of the hill because our bodies all left the seat. We were weightless for a moment and then the van came to a suddenly stop. Meredith and Ajna jerked forward and were thrown back by their seatbelts. The windshield broke my fall and probably would have broken a few bones in my body, but slugcats don't have bones. I didn't know that before, but now I could confirm it.

 

"Here we are," Meredith said, turning on the windshield wipers. A thick layer of mud, rain, and lizard guts were slowly scraped away, revealing a flickering neon sign just over our heads. It read 'MO & RON'S DINER', except the ampersand was burned out. It also looked like we were the only ones in the parking lot. "They make the best blueberry pie in the world."

 

"You almost killed us over PIE!?" Ajna screamed. She was still using her roller coaster voice.

 

"BLUEBERRY pie," Meredith corrected her, turning off the ignition. "And it's legendary. LE-GEN-DAR-Y!" She unbuckled her seatbelt and I followed her out the van. The rain was really picking up now, but the sweet smell of pie practically carried us to the front door. Not so for Ajna, who angrily trudged through a minefield of puddles to reach us.

 

"Meredith, my stars!" came a friendly voice when we entered the diner. "I haven't seen you in ages. And you've brought company. Wonderful! It's so good to see everyone." I couldn't see over the counter, being a slug-thing and all, but I could tell a kind person when I heard one. It was the first time I met Maureen. She was an older woman -- like Meredith, but even older. I'd come to learn later that she smoked between six and eight packs of cigarettes a day, which was why her voice was so raspy, but behind that flurry of red hair and potentially cancerous mole near her lip was the face of someone I could trust. That was good considering Ajna and I had met a lot of assholes in our travels.

 

"Hi, Maureen," Meredith said. She took off her wet jacket and put it on the coat rack by the door. "These are my new friends, Abner and Slug."

 

Ajna was busy trying to ring out her clothes. "Fantastic. You've managed to botch both of our names."

 

"Well, howdy there, Abner and Slug!" Maureen leaned over the counter to smile at me. I hopped up on a bar stool and Meredith and Ajna took a seat on either side of me. "I'm Maureen, but everybody 'round here calls me 'Mo'. Ron is my good-for-nothing husband. I'm not sure why we put his name on the sign, but somehow it just felt...empty without it. I'm sure you'll bump into him if you stick around long enough." She put down the dishrag she had been holding and slapped her hands together. "Y'all must be starving! There aren't very many places to eat in Rain World. I should know -- I own the only restaurant in town!" She laughed, in the way only Maureen could, and winked at me. "Location, location, location."

 

"Yeah, I imagine you do a great business here," Ajna said sarcastically. "Look, we didn't come here to talk. We're trying to--"

 

"Trying to finish the Rain World DLC that just dropped, I know! News travels fast around here, little lady." Maureen leaned forward on the counter. I could almost taste the Chanel No. 5 perfume she was wearing. "Can't run from a horde of ravenous lizards on an empty stomach, I always say! Come. What can I get the three of you?"

 

"We'll each have a slice of your world famous blueberry pie," Meredith said.

 

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry. We JUST ran out of blueberry pie."

 

Ajna and I looked around the empty restaurant. A lone janitor was sweeping up.

 

"Tell you what. You look over the menu and I'll bring you some coffee. It's raining something dreadful out there tonight!"

 

We all nodded and agreed. She gave us a single menu to share -- I guess there weren't enough to go around -- and disappeared into the back. The radio was playing the same damn song about the leaves again.

 

I clambered onto the counter and scanned the menu with my eyes. "Hey, look! An entire section dedicated to me. Slugcat burger, slugcat pancakes, slugcat casserole... Wow, it all sounds so good!"

 

"Um...maybe you should wait in the car," Ajna said quietly.

 

"Slugcat pie! I want that!"

 

"Oh, that DOES sound good," Meredith said. "Hey, Maureen! Two slugca--"

 

Ajna slapped a hand over her mouth. "We'll just have the coffee, thanks."

 

"Comin' right up!" Maureen yelled from the kitchen. If she had help back there, we couldn't tell.

 

When Maureen brought us our coffee, she came with four mugs and sat down next to us. We were glad to have another friend. She even let us stay past closing hours. In fact, we were there for most of the night, laughing and talking and exchanging stories. We paid no attention to the rain outside or the thunder or the busload of girl scouts whose vehicle had broken down outside the diner and were pounding on the glass door. Here, in Mo & Ron's Diner, we had found shelter. I could even see comfort in Ajna's face, where it had never been before. She smiled at me and I smiled back. I wondered how long I would be able to keep her safe.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Taruta13]

Uh, it looks like you're going to be respawning in your bunker very soon as your corpse becomes the next meal.

 

As for me, my party of heroes got eaten by a bunch of losers who were cosplaying as villains in Dragon Quest games. Orgodelotl and Hoopthorne used Befuddle on everyone and Serena got paralyzed and killed and I had no more healers for the next wave on bosses. *sigh* Looks like I have to go farm more trash to make eight pairs of anti-status rings.

 

Maybe platinuming the original Dragon Quest XI was a better deal. I prefer the crossbow challenges more. Too bad it's delisted and I got rid of my physical copy of DQXI and it'll cost me my life's soul to buy a new one. Seriously, Amazon.com prices for Pokemon games are highway robbery!

 

I hope you get through, I just made my third spin and my third project is Persona 3 Portable. I recommend that game if you don't mind following a guide for the day-by-day stuff. Better yet, wait until Persona 3 Reload comes out, it's supposed to be a true port of Persona 3.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:29 PM, Taruta13 said:

I hope you get through, I just made my third spin and my third project is Persona 3 Portable. I recommend that game if you don't mind following a guide for the day-by-day stuff. Better yet, wait until Persona 3 Reload comes out, it's supposed to be a true port of Persona 3.

 

I'll get to the rest of the Persona games eventually. They're just a huge time commitment.

 

So, I think I may have been wrong about one of the Rain World DLC trophies. Expedition Leader seems to be linked to completing all quests, not just the missions. This makes it much worse than I imagined because there are seventy-five quests. I'm pretty sure you can only take on a few at a time. And this is a permadeath mode. I mean, technically I think you're only "dead" if you die while at the lowest karma level, but that's still extremely time-consuming. The challenges are no joke either. According to some things I've read, the challenges are harder than the quests, and I've already completed 28 out of 70 of those. I guess that's good...?

 

I'm also working on the first partial playthrough, which is playing as Gourmand slugcat. He's slow and heavy, but he can one-shot a lot of enemies with his spear attack. He also needs to eat more. They started me in Shaded Citadel, which is a dick move because it's pitch black, but then I learned Gourmand slugcat can also craft items can combining two objects, so I was able to make a lantern from some rubbish and orange goop, MacGyver-style. I then had to make one of the hardest decisions in my life. The trophy requires going one direction, but the way is supposedly locked until I meet Five Pebbles, who is ALL THE WAY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Now, I used all the cheats and one of them supposedly removes all locked doors, but I can't find anywhere on the internet that says whether that applies to story progression. I'm going to assume not...so I'm working my way up The Wall again...but I'm going to be pretty annoyed if I find out I could've skipped this whole step. Chimney Canopy was just as annoying as I remembered.

 

To recap:

• Five partial playthroughs (one per new character)
• One full playthrough on Hunter
• Complete all 70 challenges
• Complete all 75 quests in Expedition Mode
• Four miscellaneous trophies (related to "passages")

Yeah, this is easily 100+ hours. If I didn't mention it before, the platinum took me 44 hours. I'm up to 75 now.

[Taruta13]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, Cass, I've decided for Dragon Quest XI S, if I want to get enough money for pep pops so I can survive Hall of Rememberance 3 to get that damn catsuit for Serena, I am going to have to restart the entire game and hoard like mad. Also, farm bunicorns until I get eight Bunny Tails as they increase drop rates by 1%. Yes, I can do Hallelujah, but...

[Cassylvania]

Well, I finished my "partial" playthrough of Rain World as big boi (Gourmand). I'm putting "partial" in "air quotes" because I'm pretty sure that was a full playthrough. I essentially had to go from one end of the map to the other.

 

You know the worst part? Not only is the DLC harder than the main game. Not only is the DLC much more time-consuming than the main game. But actively having the DLC means the platinum is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY easier for anybody just starting the game because you can unlock passages on any mode AND you can use the cheats. Like the last trophy I got before getting the platinum, which involved killing six different colored lizards? Yeah, the DLC added more enemies, so you can just pick any six you want. In fact, I quickly farmed that passage WHILE PLAYING big boi because I wanted to fast travel back to Outskirts. (I'm going to assume that would pop the trophy since I was able to get The Mother on Expedition Mode.)

 

So, yeah. If you're going to play this game, do yourself a favor and get the DLC. It's like Graveyard Keeper with the zombies -- basically a necessity at this point.

 

Once again, I'm punished for finishing a game too quickly!

[realm722]

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

Once again, I'm punished for finishing a game too quickly!

 

The insane thing is... Rain World has been available on the PS4 since March of bloody 2017. How many games honestly have DLC come to the game well over 6 years since it first released? At the very least, which games have it come out as DLC 6 years post-release and NEVER had one prior? It's one of the most incredible examples of schadenfreude lmao 

[Cassylvania]

1 hour ago, realm722 said:

The insane thing is... Rain World has been available on the PS4 since March of bloody 2017. How many games honestly have DLC come to the game well over 6 years since it first released? At the very least, which games have it come out as DLC 6 years post-release and NEVER had one prior? It's one of the most incredible examples of schadenfreude lmao 

 

The only other one I can think of is Terraria (which dropped THREE DLC packs after six years). That was horrendous.

 

DATE: July 17, 2023

TIME: 10:04 PM

PLACE: Mo and Ron's Diner, Rain World

 

I began shoveling food into my mouth at such a breakneck pace that Meredith had to help Maureen behind the counter to prevent us from running out. Ajna was so disgusted by the whole thing that she had to excuse herself to the restroom, but I didn't care. Big Boi gotta eat!

 

"Honey, you better slow down or you're going to choke," Maureen said, as she handed me another plate of buttermilk waffles (which, by the way, taste even better at night than they do for breakfast). Well, if Maureen cared at all about my safety, she wouldn't have been such a good cook. Also, I burned a hell of a lot of calories getting from Five Pebbles to Outer Expanse. Sat on a good number of lizards too.

 

Meredith handed me the syrup. "So, you have to do this five more times? And I thought my job involved a lot of backtracking!"

 

"Don't forget the 70 challenges and the 75 quests."

 

"Lord help me, I don't think I have enough food in stock for all that," Maureen said. She wiped her hands on a towel and picked up a phone. "I better get my husband over here. Man's useless in bed, but he's a whiz behind the grill!"

 

I was chugging the entire bottle of syrup when Ajna came out of the bathroom. Her face was greener than her skirt.

 

"I'm going to kill RNGeta for giving us this game this month," she said. I could smell the vomit on her breath from across the diner. "Next month, I want something simple. Something cute with a relaxing theme and a welcoming environment."

 

"You could deliver letters with me," Meredith suggested.

 

"Oh, yeah. THAT sounds like exciting gameplay. I'm sure the world is just dying for Lake 2."

 

"...You know, Abner. You could stand to be a LITTLE more polite. It's like Mo always says, 'You catch more flies with honey than chloroform!'"

 

"That's not what I say at all, but thanks for reminding me to check the bug traps, dear," Maureen said.

 

My next journey...would be that of an Artificer slugcat. I didn't know what that was. Spellcheck didn't either. But, according to the internet, it had something to do with magic, which I hoped meant I could shoot fireballs from my paws. I was sure it probably meant the opposite. Like magic was always targeting me. A literal dark cloud over my head. And, as if on cue, the lightning above the tiny diner cracked, sending all the women into a panic as the power went out. I simply continued gorging myself.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Taruta13]

I see you are playing Catmaze. I guess you need a break after all that slugcat action.

 

As for me, I am glad to report I didn't have to restart Dragon Quest XI S. I finally got the platinum for it after realizing I could just use Pep Powers to make myself immune to damage for three turns and then nuke those idiots with Mighty Magic Burst(which does over 4000 once you drug Veronica with 28 seeds of sorcery ).

 

Next up is Persona 3 Portable. That's going to be relaxing. I'd invite Ajna over to Itodawai, but I don't think she'd be pleased at having to climb a demon-infested tower.

 

I'm going to still be in Erdrea elsewhere - I have downloaded Dragon Quest XI S on the Switch and a second account. I just love the Tickington Altars. Do yourself a favor, Cass, take some time to play the DS remakes of Dragon Quest 4-6 or the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest 7 or 8. You need more Dragon Quest in your life.

[Cassylvania]

On 7/18/2023 at 5:31 AM, Taruta13 said:

I'm going to still be in Erdrea elsewhere - I have downloaded Dragon Quest XI S on the Switch and a second account. I just love the Tickington Altars. Do yourself a favor, Cass, take some time to play the DS remakes of Dragon Quest 4-6 or the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest 7 or 8. You need more Dragon Quest in your life.

 

I really do, don't I? Still waiting on DQ12.

 

Anyway, I'm up at 6 AM again so I can work through another Rain World campaign. I beat Artificer yesterday and started Rivulet, who is now my favorite slugcat. And...I'd just like to give my honest opinion on the DLC. How dare the developers have the nerve to pass off a sequel as a discounted expansion. The amount of new content here is absolutely staggering and I am beyond disgusted that we didn't get two platinums out of this. This is up there with XCOM 2's War of the Chosen in terms of a complete game overhaul, which is my gold standard for such a thing. I don't care that I broke my rule for the wheel. This was easily worth the asking price.

 

For those of you looking to play this at some point, I'd like to share with you my compendium of Phrases You Will Say While Playing Rain World. It's very important you practice these. I sometimes manage three or even four in a single breath.

• "Where do I go?"
• "Haven't I already been here?"
• "Is that thing going to kill me?"
• "Where's all the food?"
• "Why's it so dark?"
• "What was I supposed to do in that situation?"
• "Leave me alone!"
• "This [insert enemy/area/section] is the worst enemy/area/section in the game!"
• "JUST GRAB THE FUCKIN' LEDGE!"
• "NONONONONONO"
• "Aw, that thing is so cute" (only applies to slugcat; you will never speak this otherwise)

[Taruta13]

2 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

I really do, don't I? Still waiting on DQ12.

 

Good luck on that, I'm still waiting for more info on DQ10 offline being localized or the Octopath-graphical DQ3 remake, which were announced at the same time. It's been months.

 

I would recommend Dragon Quest Builders and its sequel, but I dunno how much you like games which require you to craft items. The crafting system in those games are pretty simple, though. Although I must warn you, Dragon Quest Builders 2 has some text that you can't skip and takes a long time to clear. They still need to patch the speed of that text.

 

2 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

• "Where do I go?"
• "Haven't I already been here?"
• "Is that thing going to kill me?"
• "Where's all the food?"
• "Why's it so dark?"
• "What was I supposed to do in that situation?"
• "Leave me alone!"
• "This [insert enemy/area/section] is the worst enemy/area/section in the game!"
• "JUST GRAB THE FUCKIN' LEDGE!"
• "NONONONONONO"
• "Aw, that thing is so cute" (only applies to slugcat; you will never speak this otherwise)

 

Here's my list for people waning to play Kingdom Hearts III for the first time, basically the list I called "Phrases That Make You Want to Commit Murder."

• "This looks like a great spot for some ingredients!"
• "There's a lucky emblem!"
• "I'm getting hungry, a-yuck!" (said by Goofy)
• "I think there's a lucky emblem nearby!"

[pelagia14]

Heads up that Yakuza 0 is leaving the PS+ Catalog next month, on-or-around the 15th. 

 

And dang, a DLC after so many years with *that* much content is incredible!

[Cassylvania]

1 hour ago, pelagia14 said:

Heads up that Yakuza 0 is leaving the PS+ Catalog next month, on-or-around the 15th.

 

Good to know. We'll have to think how to deal with this. Yakuza 0 is probably the one game on the wheel that can survive being removed from the catalog, as I already said I'd give myself a choice between that and Yakuza Kiwami, which I already own and had planned to play first. Another game that could run into a similar situation is Desperados III, which I technically already own on physical disc, so I could play that if it ends up being removed.

 

If we do end up having to remove a game, I probably won't add a replacement. I don't think it'd be fair to that game to receive less chances of being picked than every other game. (Because the last thing I'd want is to be mean to the video games on the list.)

 

Anyway, Rivulet campaign done. Spearmaster next.

[Taruta13]

DATE: July 17, 2023

TIME: 10:04 PM

PLACE: Mo and Ron's Diner, Rain World

 

There was the sound of some one teleporting into the back streets. Maureen, who was cleaning up some skillets, heard this, saw her no-good husband nowhere to be found, and decided to find out what had just teleported into her back lot.

 

Opening the back door, Maureen saw a hooded figure, sleeking wet from the constant downpour, with two very fat slugcats bounded and gagged at its feet. Their beady eyes were wide with horror as the figure waved a hand.

 

"Hey Mo, I heard you needed more meat for your diner. Here ya go, two freshly fattened slugcats from the TAZPEN clan, fresh for the slaughter. Oh, and whatever you do, do NOT remove their gags before you butcher them. They'll try to sell your husband some horney demon women. Just kill them and be done with it."

 

Before Maureen could ask what the hell this guy was talking about, he opened up a corridor of darkness and walked through it, snapping it shut behind him. Maureen shrugged, grabbing the squirming slugcats, and dragged them out back to the slaughterhouse.

 

In case you are wondering, I'm bringing justice to the millions of poor souls who were corrupted by the foul entity known as Isekai: Demon Waifu by turning the creators of that mobile game into slugcats to be butchered for diner food. (Just kidding, but we all know this writing is fiction so none of this could have happened, though I wish it had.)

 

Anyways, I wish you luck Cassy and I hope you can get that DLC done super-soon. I need to get back on FFXIV and try to get my main out of Realm Reborn hell before I return to Persona 3 Portable and try to finish it.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

14 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

In case you are wondering, I'm bringing justice to the millions of poor souls who were corrupted by the foul entity known as Isekai: Demon Waifu by turning the creators of that mobile game into slugcats to be butchered for diner food. (Just kidding, but we all know this writing is fiction so none of this could have happened, though I wish it had.)

 

It'd be easier if this game wasn't so vague about everything. I tried to finish the game twice as Hunter, only to find out my maximum karma isn't high enough. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had to physically backtrack to the other side of the map both times, wasting hours of progress.

 

The amount of contempt this game has for its player is astonishing. People complain about Dark Souls being too cryptic and unforgiving. Those people haven't played Rain World. When you beat a really difficult boss or section in Dark Souls, you're rewarded. You get that VICTORY ACHIEVED screen. You know what happens when you accomplish something in Rain World? You cry. You sit in your little hidey-hole and you cry.

 

Maybe it's Stockholm syndrome, but I think I'm in love with this game even more now...? I think about it when I'm at work and when I'm in bed. But I also hate this game. I can't help but say, "This game would be so much better if [insert almost ANYTHING here]". What I find interesting is the subtly to every game design decision. This becomes really apparent when you play each of the new characters. (I don't consider anything I'm saying or have said about the new characters to be spoilers because you're taught their unique abilities in the tutorial section for each campaign.) For example, I said Rivulet is my favorite character. You know how he (she?) differs from the default Survivor? She can run a little faster and hold her breath underwater longer. Those subtle changes COMPLETELY alter how the game plays. You can suddenly make jumps you couldn't make before.

 

"But Cass, of course running faster would change the game."

 

It's not just that. Take the Hunter, for example. The only major change is that you can hold a spear on your back. "Big deal," you think. It IS a big deal because now it means you can hold rubbish in one hand, a spear in the other, AND have a second spear on reserve. Miss your first throw? Now you have a second chance. Need to climb a wall? Now you have two spears to do the job. Compare that to the Spearmaster, who can dual wield spears. You might think that's the same thing, but it's not. A spear and rubbish each have their own use, even if the latter doesn't seem like it would. Only the spears do damage, but rubbish is reusable, easy to find, and can stun enemies or flip lizards over. Since lizards are immune to damage from the front, dual wielding spears can actually be a detriment because you have no way to expose their belly or backside. And every item in the game is like that. Many have multiple uses. Some uses are so small and niche that you wouldn't think they matter, but knowing they exist and when to use them greatly increases your chances for survival. It's actually mind-blowing how complex this game is, without ever having to appear that way. God, it's so good. I fuckin' hate it. I may never be able to rationalize my feelings for this game.

 

Anyway, Hunter campaign done. I know I said I was doing Spearmaster next, but I thought Hunter would be easier.

 

It was not.

[Cassylvania]

DATE: July 23, 2023

TIME: 06:40 AM

PLACE: Rain World

 

Mai and Dog For Some Reason were cruising down the highway on their motorcycle, tongues flapping in the wind. The morning sun was hidden behind the rain clouds and a misty fog. The engine was too loud for them to communicate, but Dog For Some Reason gestured at the girl when he saw the diner and they pulled off at the next exit. They passed some roadkill that looked an awful lot like a slugcat who had spent far too much time in Rain World this month. For what Mai and Dog For Some Reason didn't know was that the very slugcat they were looking for was right there on the side of the road. He had rolled his way to victory as Gourmand. He had slaughtered an entire civilization as Artificer. He had swam with weird squidfish as Rivulet. He had survived in the wilds with no means to fast travel as Hunter. And, most recently, he had climbed his way to the tallest tower as Spearmaster, despite how glitchy the world was and how determined those who had created it were for anybody to beat it legitimately. But now, on his way back to Mo and Ron's Diner, he had collapsed into a shallow puddle, unable to breath.

 

That's why Mai and Dog For Some Reason decided to run him over on their way by.

 

They pulled into the diner just as the rain was beginning to pick up and parked next to a mail truck that smelled an awful lot like marijuana. They waited until they were inside to take off their matching helmets.

 

In this canon version of the story, Maureen has not, in fact, cooking up live slugcats. All the ones she cooked were already dead. It was just, you know, a good thing she didn't know about the one on the highway.

 

"Morning, huns," Maureen said as she pulled Meredith her third coffee for the morning. Meredith spiked it with some brandy when Maureen wasn't looking. The power was still out at the diner, but that didn't stop Maureen from doing her job. "Grab a table and I'll be right with you."

 

Mai and Dog For Some Reason took the table closest to the door and looked around. The only other customers seemed to be Meredith -- they only knew this because of the name tag on her mail carrier uniform -- and a weird little Indian girl who was passed out in a sleeping bag on the floor.

 

"We're looking for someone," Mai said, when Maureen at last came to their table to take their order.

 

"Aren't we all, hun?" Maureen laughed, but neither the girl at the table nor the dog seemed amused. "Well, if you're looking for someone, you've come to the right place. All the people in Rain World wind up here at one time or another."

 

"He's short and white with soulless, black eyes. Kinda creepy, really."

 

"Hey, whatever turns you on." Maureen placed a lantern at their table so they could see. Now that she could make out their faces, she could tell they were serious. "Look... People come to Rain World to get away from people lookin' for them. If this person you're searching for really wanted to be found, he wouldn't be missing."

 

"Unfortunately, this isn't up for debate. We're not leaving until we find him. Our boss is VERY serious about this."

 

"And very mean," Dog For Some Reason added.

 

Maureen shrugged her broad shoulders. She had gotten used to rough customers. "Suit yourself. Got plenty of food here to go around. Now, what can I get ya?"

 

Little did any of them know that the brave little slugcat of which they spoke was sputtering out rain water and back to slowly crawling towards the diner on all fours... It was about to get a whole lot wetter.

[Taruta13]

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

In this canon version of the story, Maureen has not, in fact, cooking up live slugcats.

Okay, sorry. I just had to give those idiots who made Isekai a fate worse than death.

 

Also, I assume you've completed the DLC from what the prose mentioned.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

3 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Also, I assume you've completed the DLC from what the prose mentioned.

 

Uh, no. I don't even think it's possible at the moment. Expedition Mode is buggy. I still have 11 more challenges, the Saint campaign, one miscellaneous trophy, and ALL of expedition to do. (For those keeping score at home, I've now officially put 100 hours into this game on top of the platinum, so I was right about the length of the DLC.)

[Taruta13]

3 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Uh, no. I don't even think it's possible at the moment. Expedition Mode is buggy. I still have 11 more challenges, the Saint campaign, one miscellaneous trophy, and ALL of expedition to do. (For those keeping score at home, I've now officially put 100 hours into this game on top of the platinum, so I was right about the length of the DLC.)

 

Well, if it were me, I would move on. Seriously, Rain World is now in my front yard and it took out the power in a power surge. You can always come back to the DLC when they patch it. Just please... get this stupid rainstorm to go away so the computer doesn't go out again.