ROOBZ GAMING BLOG!!!!

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Ruby's RPG Corner

September 10th, 2023

(archived on here from tumblr)

after finishing Chrono Trigger over the summer, I tried to find the next SqaureSoft RPG I'd play.

that turned into me trying three different games, recommended from friends and the internet. what did i think of them???

Fantasy Life (3DS, 2012)

after hearing that this game is getting a sequel on the switch this year (probably next year), recommendations from my mutuals, and hearing that nobuo uematsu (final fantasy composer) composed for this game, i was getting excited!!! plus, i wanted to check out more rpgs on handheld systems outside of pokemon or mario & luigi. unfortunately, for the one hour i played, i felt kindof underwhelmed :(

i can usually push through a games early beginning if theres a hook, and i thought this games hook would've been the high amount of classes i could change through during the games story (kindof like miitopia each time you respawned after a major event death). but the mage class i chose was. kindof boring so far. maybe i need to give this game another hour and maybe i'll get around it, but idk if that'll be the case because nobuo uematsu is kindof phoning it on this game??? like, the tracks are kindof mid compared to his other work, and it's not like he isn't a bad composer too. far from it!! maybe this isn't his best work

like i said, i'll give this game another hour and hopefully i'll be able to get into it more

Live A Live (Super Famicom, 1994)

i immediately chose this one as my next game after chrono trigger, and ig my expectations were also too high for this game, as i've only experienced prehistory thus far (didn't even finish it yet), but hopefully the other games chapters will impress me!!!

Expanded Thoughts on Prehistory (as of 9/11/23)

OK i'll be real with you. when i wrote that on tumblr i wanted to keep my thoughts on these games brief and short. but since i'm on here blogging my experiences anyway, i will say this

prehistory isn't bad in the slightest. i understand this game's battle system, it's kind of like. a tactical rpg kindof??? but with more focused battles like you'd get in a final fantasy or a dragon quest. i Really didn't expect what this game's battle system would be like (reminder, i'm playing this on the super famicom, so idk how different the remake changes the battle system)

i appreciate how comedic and lighter this chapter's tone is. i'm sure i'll get a wild tonal whiplash when i change chapters.

i think the monkeys funny. who doesn't like funny monkeys (you can see in the promo image above. he's SO funny, funniest shit i've ever seen)

the crafting system is also fine as is, reminds me of the chrono trigger prehistory crafting system. not nearly as fun in this game because they're very stingent on giving you the required materials to make weapons or armor for (granted, im also using a walkthrough for this. ik there's a cheat early on in the chapter that'll allow you to easily make those materials, but i'm horrible with timing, so i just skipped that part. it made the game more challenging, but not to the point i was dying??? it was perfectly fine for me so far)

i also think the cave woman in this chapter is cute!!! the romance between her and the kid (YEA YOU PLAY AS A KID) is more like a childhood crush on an older woman, i don't think they both reciprocate each other's feelings btw. it is heavily implied the cave girl is just playfully flirty with the kid, but not in too much of a romantic point. again, the kid has a crush on her, but the cave woman really doesn't; she's just sticking with him because he treated her better (+ she wanted to escape her forced marriage. this is cavemen times afterall, misogyny ruled in this era)

i will give this chapter this. she does flash you at one point. so that rules

(yea, it is literally pixels, and flashed for like a second. you don't even see anything. but you know how rpgs were like in the 90s LOL. ff4 also did this too)

(NO SHE DOESN'T FLASH YOU IN THE REMAKE LOL)

maybe i'll make a new update on here once i finish live a live and make the update it's own thing, but overall. yea, it's neat so far!!! hopefully i'll enjoy the future chapters more!!

Tales of Phantasia (PS1, 1998)

one i'm surprised how interested i got in this game so far!! they change up the battle system in this game wiht like a fighting game-esque system instead of one where you have to scroll through menus just to attack an enemy. i may even check out the other 2d tales games on ps1!!! the opening animation was really beautiful and i can't wait to see the one pink haired witch i've seen in that intro!!!

besides that, yeah, i've been enjoying my time with tales of phantasia 👍

Ruby's PSX Corner :3

March 28th, 2023

(archived on here from tumblr)

this morning i’ve tried out a couple square ps1 games before i napped, and they are

Brave Fencer Musashi (1998)

i’ve talked about loving the intro/first chapter to this one, it’s really alot of fun!!! think of something like mega man legends mashed with crash bandicoot, but as an rpg. and i totally love the 90s attitude this game had. unfortunately, once the crash bandicoot-esque gameplay was applied to a big, open rpg-esque map, it started to get less fun. altho, that could only be because i’m bad at this game. i wanna love it more after that first 30 minutes, but it didnt really hook me after those first 30 minutes

Threads of Fate (1999)

really interested in this one. it’s another rpg with gameplay kinda similar to mega man legends, but with better controls and a more serious tone (not super serious, but a lil more serious compared to brave fencer musashi’s light & laxed tone). especially interested in the sa/re1-2 style of storytelling, where the whole story is divided between two characters whose stories crossover at points. the gameplays actually kinda close to alot more modern rpgs, like kingdom hearts or neo twewy. of the two stories, i’ve only played rue’s, whose story is kinda simple (get the relic to save the partner). at least his gameplay is interesting, where you get to turn into the monsters you fought (kinda like the mario odyssey enemy capture ability). i haven’t played mint’s story yet, but its very interesting you basically play as the squaresoft equivalent to tron bonne from the mega man legends series; just w/o her own fun minions

overall, yea!! very interested in this, especially since its like. one of square’s more obscure offerings considering it didn’t really do well, despite its ambitious storytelling. think of it as a more focused saga frontier, but in 3d