LogFAQs > #973344815

LurkerFAQs, Active DB, DB1, DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB8, DB9, DB10, Database 11 ( 12.2022-11.2023 ), DB12, Clear
Topic List
Page List: 1
TopicPost Each Time You Beat a Game: 2023 Edition
paperwarior
05/08/23 3:45:30 PM
#226:


Speaking of only having finished main routes
Rance IX: The Helmanian Revolution (PC)
Gahahahaha. Rance returns in this direct sequel to Rance Quest, helping an exiled former prince overthrow the corrupt and crumbling government of his homeland for typically selfish reasons. The VN elements are greatly streamlined here from the previous few, only offering a small selection of cutscenes and battles at a time. The dungeons are gone as well, leaving only large-scale SRPG combat. This is very reminiscent of Fire Emblem, pitting your named characters against many enemies on a 2D grid battlefield. There are even support conversations between particular units from time to time. In addition to the one-time story battles, there are Free Battles, accessible at any time after they're unlocked, useful for training or offering a unique challenge such as an optional boss.

Outside of battle, there's a solid selection of customization elements to work with. Characters can equip power-boosting accessories, upgrade individual core stats with skill points, improve their weapons, and temporarily improve armor. Upgrading all available stats by 2, 4, 6, and 8 grants a passive improvement specific to the character each time, including lowered special move cost, and increased number of special move uses, and increasing the rate of random effects such as counters. Every unit also has a stat-based chance to not die any time they would have, which relieves some of the FE stress.

Another source of customization is the Hoverfort, a mechanized vehicle that plays a large role in the story. This is represented by a rectangular grid that can be loaded up with weapons and devices, like the inventory in Resident Evil. Upgrading the devices either powers them up or makes them smaller, allowing more stuff to be placed. In certain battles, one of the devices can be consumed to activate their effect, from a large beam attack to a 1x1 wall to moving a friendly or enemy unit elsewhere on the field. In some battles, enemies also attempt to get past your forces to invade the Hoverfort, which can trigger a defense battle where your unused party members defend the core.

There is also Rance Mode, which unsurprisingly involves Rance "interacting" with several of the female party members in H scenes (Not, mind you, the only H scenes in the game). In addition to being storylines of their own, these grant the characters significant numbers of skill points, but to activate each one takes a certain number points acquired from the main or free battles. There are a limited number of these, so you probably can't romance everyone on the first run.

The dark reflection of Rance Mode is bad ends. These can happen when you lose certain party members to certain battles, which seems difficult to do by accident. Then you get a choice to see the bad end or have them turn up perfectly safe. The bad ends are truly unpleasant. One strong point of the series is I like these characters. To see them meet with these terrible fates is just... bleh. They also result in an instant game over. If you're determined to watch all the scenes, good luck with that.

That aside, the story builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. One could say it's not truly Rance's story, but the story of others involved. He's not the most complicated character after all, and he doesn't change all that much. At least he seems to achieve his real goal here in order to prepare himself for the next and apparently final game in the series. On the way there, of course, there's no end to the absurdity from his interactions with returning and new characters. My favorite might be Miracle Tor, a self-styled Dark Witch who's every bit as arrogant and deluded as Rance, but in a rather different way. Also worth noting is Pigu, a strange girl who can divide herself into 8 copies during combat. They have rather low HP at that point but generating a small army of evade tanks has its uses.

I could just go on about this game. Love this series. I know it's not for everyone, but I recommend it to anyone else.

---
"God Hand is the ultimate expression of the joy of humanity, specifically the punching part of the joy of humanity."-Shigeru Miyamoto
... Copied to Clipboard!
Topic List
Page List: 1