Switch cart arrived yesterday, and I have this penciled in to start in August....so I'll have some catching up to do compared to the rest of you.
It does feel a little almost-tedious to need to run around the whole world and play through these "mini chapters" with each character in order to get a proper grounding in the gameworld, story, and all their motivations and backgrounds. Something about it just feels too mechanical. I prefer an approach like Dragon Quest IV took, where you simply divide all the characters' introductions into discrete chapters to play through sequentially, then at the end you'll organically pick them all up with the main character (or your selected main character, though that may be a bit too cumbersome to try to figure out how to program & plan for) in the course of the early portion of the "main" story.
I know I don't need to play it the way I'm going about it, at least not by the game's design. But I do need to play it this way or else the un-acquired party members and their opening chapters being unplayed will scratch at the back of my brain insistently and with ever-increasing irritation. I just need to get through all the chapter 1's and then hopefully I'll be able to better tackle the remainder of the game more organically.
You know, that felt tedious to me too, and I definitely felt that itch in my brain, at the beginning, to recruit everyone. I ended up not doing that because exploring the eastern continent felt really rewarding to me, so I poked around at a handful of areas near the first few towns -- mostly stuff that was level-appropriate. It felt great to find some treasure, level- and gear up a little bit, and unlock a secondary job class.
I don't know if this'll help with the itch, but it helped me: I noticed that, as I unlocked all of the eastern characters + Ochette, that all of the eastern characters had their next chapter on the western continent (Ochette's, in contrast, look like they're all over the place). So I figured I'd naturally start picking up those characters as I advanced the plot for the characters I already have. I don't know why, but that took the pressure off my urge to check those boxes.
By the way, I thought I'd drop another mechanical thing I figured out about the Scholar - Advanced Magic:
I was not really sure about Advanced Magic, and didn't buy it right away. What does "boost the intensity" mean? How good can that really be? It turns out, it means that it grants a double-cast ability. By using Advanced Magic on Osvald, boosting, and activating his latent power, I've been able to get up to about 7,000 damage in a single turn (around level 20).
Somehow I entirely missed voting.
But it turns out I own this one, got it super cheap at Christmas sale for PS5.
I really should finish up Ragnarok disc that's in my PS5... Maybe I can target next week to join y'all.
Hell yes! One more for this month's game.
I have to say, I've binged this one hard in the first week or so of the game. I started playing in earnest last week on Tuesday, probably, and after about 10 days I'm about 18 hours in.
I have to say the more I play, the high praise I heard for this game absolutely rings true. I really, really like it and I think it will be a GOTY contender for me. It is open and allows exploration and discovery, especially early on, in a way that I've not really seen from any JRPG. Honestly, the openness reminds me a lot of FF6's World of Ruin after getting the airship, or even of the original Legend of Zelda.
And an update on my progress, for now:
- Completed: Osvald, Ch. 3; Temenos, Chapter 2; Throne, Chapter 2A (Mother's Route); Ochette / Castti / Hikari / Partitio, Chapter 1
- Acquired Agnea but haven't yet played her first chapter (this is next up, I think)
- Found guilds for the Scholar, Cleric, Hunter, Apothecary, and Cleric jobs, and 1 other job class that doesn't match any party member
- Found 1 skill altar, each, for Ochette, Castti, Throne, Osvald, Agnea, Hikari. Haven't yet found one for Partitio. Possible I found Temenos's but am forgetting right now.
- Have a lead on a ship! (this will be next up after Agnea's Ch. 1)
I got a boat! And immediately discovered that I am way underleveled for the open sea, which has a danger level of at least 10 more than Osvald's current level. But before I high-tailed it off the sea, I found a chest in the water that has a staff that is much better than my current one -- I think it boosted Osvald's magic attack by about 150. I look forward to reporting back on how much he'll dominate the next few quests.
Yeah I'm gonna look at those things to know before you start guides and try to figure out where to begin. But I've heard very good things. Looking forward to it
I've now gotten 5 out of the 8 playable characters, the latest one being Ochette. Have to say it's one of the more charming intro chapters yet. If she's as useful as Ha'anit (sp?) was in the first game, she'll be a part of my A team, for sure.
Found some time today and started the game. I picked Agnea because she sounded interesting and was not what I would usually pick.
Then the "aw shucks" stereotypical Southern voice acting and script made me regret it a bit...
I will continue with her though.
I picked her also but the Japanese VA isn't so bad. The dance to extract items from random people is kind of weird though. Well, so I thought, until I met Hikari who just likes to beat random folks into the ground (but not children thankfully). I think I'll have to just acknowledge these as game mechanics without thinking too hard about them.
Finally found some time over the weekend to dig in! I started with Throné, who's Chapter 1 is a firm contrast in tone from Castti's Ch. 1 when I played the demo. Very grimdark, but I like how grounded and personal the stakes are for her, I see where Lovejoy found the Kill Bill comparison. Also, stealing an entire new wardrobe around her starting town was a delight.
Next on the list is Temenos, who I've juuuust started his Chapter 1 and is already providing a firm contrast from Throné. Fun cold open!
Last note: I found the Inventor secondary job, and I don't think I had found any secondary jobs during my demo adventure, so I started cackling when I found it. Something about secondary jobs screamed "Team Asano RPG" to me, thinking back on the Bravely Default series and how they let you mix & match the jobs/asterisks you'd found through the adventure. Only downside of the Inventor job is that it seems whomever I set to that job is doomed to look like a steampunk enthusiast, and there's a stat-boosting motivation to always have a secondary job equipped.
A small price to pay for Spring Boots, I suppose.
Played a bit more yesterday and completed Hikari's chapter 1. What started as a fairly tropey story took an interesting turn at the end, so I am much more interested to see where they go with him than I was just reading the intro blurb. Next on my list is Castii.
I've collected six of the protagonists so far, and just have Partitio and Agnea to go (not sure which is next, whomever I run across first).
So far, I am pleasantly surprised by how compelling all the characters have been. When I was trying to pick one to start with, the little blurb about each in the initial decision screen didn't really grab me for anyone. But playing through all their first chapters, while it's gotten a little tedious with how each chapter 1 follows a very similar structure (which is giving it a bit of a rote feeling), all of them have something special that makes their character story individually compelling.
It's to the point where it's hard to pick a party of four I want to stick with, and that's a good problem!
I'm struggling a bit with the expectations around the character actions I can perform on NPCs. Am I supposed to be stealing/alluring/mugging/etc. any chance I get? I feel guilty robbing all these towns people but I worry the game is scaled with the expectation that I would have these items
I felt bad about mugging and stealing from people, too. Over time, I've gotten to feel less badly about it.
It seems like there are basically four options for path actions: (1) get information; (2) get items; (3) knock someone out; and (4) get someone to accompany you. And there are multiple ways of doing the same thing. Like, "get items" can be stealing (Throne, daytime), buying (Partitio, daytime), seeking tips (Agnea, nighttime), or mugging (Osvald, nighttime). It doesn't seem like the decision to steal or mug hurts you, or even makes the NPC react differently to you in the future. Though enough failed attempts at stealing or mugging, or at other path actions that have a chance of failure, will "ruin reputation" -- basically, locking out path actions until you pay a bunch of money at the local tavern.
So, if stealing / mugging feels bad, you can always buy the thing, or see if someone will give it to you because they liked your dancing. Once I figured all of this out, I got a lot more comfortable stealing, but sometimes will choose another approach. I do try to collect as many items as I can, though.
I'm not sure if the game is scaled with the expectation that you will steal everyone's gear, but you can definitely get some really good gear if you do. I think it mostly lightens the load on your wallet and reduces the pressure to grind for cash. There are definitely high level townspeople that are difficult to mug, and difficult to steal from, while carrying gear which is extremely costly to buy and requires a high level to have Agnea charm them out of.
Also, a lot of townspeople carry key items that are required to complete side quests. So I think the game does expect you to see what people are carrying and use path actions to get those items.
I unlocked the Merchant sub-class today, and so now I have 6 of the 8 main character classes unlocked (and also the inventor) -- all but the thief and dancer. The Merchant's mechanics for unlocking additional job licenses made me laugh: just pay us more money! A lot it.
There's also a guy right near the Merchant's Guild who's pricey to hite, but looks super useful: he gives a very large discount to purchases. I think that when I'm ready to go on a spending spree, I'll be making my way back there.
This morning (I often play a little with coffee), I finished Agnea's Chapter 2, and really kicked the s*** out of the boss. Beat him on turn 2, as I was setting up Osvald for a big-damage spell, but--totally by accident--before I could actually get the spell off. It turns out I recruited a very helpful follower for Agnea to summon in.
The girl outside the theater who is hiding behind a sign and stalking another patron. She has an extremely powerful, multi-hit knife attack. She also was a low % chance to recruit, so I was taking a chance to get her.
This morning (I often play a little with coffee), I finished Agnea's Chapter 2, and really kicked the s*** out of the boss. Beat him on turn 2, as I was setting up Osvald for a big-damage spell, but--totally by accident--before I could actually get the spell off. It turns out I recruited a very helpful follower for Agnea to summon in.
Spoiler:The girl outside the theater who is hiding behind a sign and stalking another patron. She has an extremely powerful, multi-hit knife attack. She also was a low % chance to recruit, so I was taking a chance to get her.
Nice! I've got 2 more characters to recruit and then I'll be off to the races.
Finished Temenos' Chapter 1 today and feeling like maybe I should've started with him, because Hot Dang I looooove me an eclectic detective! If the characters keep hitting like this then I'm gonna be pained the moment I hit 5 characters and need to set any of them aside.
Yeah, that's what I was trying to explain earlier. I'm at six characters and genuinely like them all so far!
Aaaand I now have all 8 buckos. The last recruitment was Agnea and I have to say the background and motivation for all characters are a serious step up from the first game. I'll be going out of town for a week or so and won't be able to play since I've got this on my now-turning-old PS4. I'm left with 8 cliffhangers, then. It'll be a tough week wondering what comes next for the party!
Finished Castti's chapter 1 last night and her amnesia story is so much more interesting than the intro blurb implied. Puts me at four and next on my list is Ochette (just going west to east on the map). So far Partitio is the only one who has not grabbed my interest. Tressa was a much more interesting merchant than he is. Hopefully his chapter 2 will catch my interest more.
I haven't yet started his chapter 2 either, and I'm hoping it's the same. He's definitely the character I'm least interested in using, and his accent doesn't help.
Completely counter to his personality type and general vibe, Partitio's general role in my party is a fence / money launderer for all of the goods that Throne steals!
I'm still chipping away slowly. Started with Ochette, and now I've picked up Throne and Temenos. Just sort of working counterclockwise around the map, I guess. Next up is the Scholar. The writing is good enough that I feel a bit invested in both Throne's and Temenos' stories so far, and I'm looking at my levels and noticing that I could do the Mother Ch.2 for her already, although it's far away. But sticking to the plan of picking up the crew first, I suppose.
MOTHER IS DEAD and I feel fantastic.
Finished Osvald's Chapter 1 and about to kick off his Chapter 2, I'm actually digging his vengeance quest plot more than I had anticipated. Plus, his scholar ability of pinpointing enemy weaknesses is a tremendous boon.
Might as well call this game the USA Network, because the Characters are most certainly Welcome!
And more progress – I’ve picked up Osvald, and so now we have a full party of four, and I’ve cleaned up the eastern continent. I think he and Throne had the most compelling quests, but on the other hand it sort of works that Ochette is the leader – she’s just kind of out wandering around, more interested in turning enemies into food than her quest. Random people want to join in? Why not!
I was able to do one fight in a level 14 area and won, with my party ranging from Level 13-8. It was probably the hardest fight yet, even compared to the bosses. I was able to capture the big monster for a 4-5 damage ice attack, so that’s pretty neat. I also found a new EX skill for Osvald under a bridge in that zone, and then quickly teleported out before I ran into any more fights.
Throne steals just about everything that is an 80% chance or higher, or maybe 50%+ if it’s a weapon much better than what I have right now. I got Ochette a much better axe from a town where Father is on the second roll of a 55%, but I’m not engaging that story line yet since I’m severely underleveled for it.
On to the western continent now to pick up that crew, and then I’ll start up the second chapters for people. Agnea seems like the closest, so she’s probably first.
This is a very small detail, but I have to say I am absolutely loving the character barks. The little lines of dialogue as they get boosted, or invoke their latent powers, are great (especially Ochette's "I'm STAAAARVING!"). I love the way that characters deliver similar, but not quite identical, lines when they use the same move, and the way that when one character breaks an enemy, the next one up will offer a little compliment to whoever did the breaking.
There was one story specific one that I just stumbled upon, and it's perfect. Spoilers for Osvald's Chapter 4:
While fighting an abomination that Harvey created using the blood of Osvald's late wife, he'll say "Rita, I'm sorry!" whenever you get him to max boost.
Finally got a full party of 4 after picking up Ochette, so all travellers from the Eastern Continent are now in the crew! I noticed when resting up at the inn in Beasting Village that they only take jerky as payment, and I like that nice little touch.
Also, does Ochette have an actual cap on how many monsters she can keep in her corral? Because I haven't hit it yet, but it feels wild to think I can just catch unlimited Pokemon.
Think I'm going to start by trying to pursue Throné's Ch. 2 - Mother's Route and enjoy this current party comp for a while.
EDIT/ADDENDUM:
Also I just ran into a Cait?! And I successfully killed it and leveled my party up in the blink of an eye! Good omens aplenty!
Yes, she has a cap of about 6 -- I forget the exact number. After that, if you catch a beast, it'll prompt you to cook either the new one, or one of the ones you already have. Hikari has a similar cap on the skills he can learn from dueling people.
Ochette's starting monster doesn't count against the cap, nor do monsters that you tame as part of the story.
Have been starting in on the chapter 2's. Did the first part of Throne's chapter 2 (the recommended level 7 bit) and that was a little underwhelming, but Temenos's chapter 2 was more interesting and ended in a boss battle that was no joke for my level 12-14 party! I'm interested in the narrative for the whole roster of PC's, so that's a solid start to the game, but I'm also happy to see that the combat system is robust on a bit of a tactical perspective too. 
Hardest thing for me has been just staying awake while trying to get some gaming in, it's been a rough few weeks between work and personal life, and I'm sleeping awful, so when I sit down to try to get some game time in, I'm nodding off far too easily.
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