Legend of Legaia - Part 24 - What in Tieg's Name IS THIS

 

Judging by today's title, we're in for something

Welcome back to more Legend of Legaia.  Last time, we destroyed the Floating Castle… kinda.  It was more Songi’s doing than anything.  Anyways – despite that, we quickly learned that the castle was not the source of Karisto’s mist, so today, we are heading towards the northern mountains, where the real mist generator resides!

But before that, I’d like to attend to a few things.  As we’re about to head into a new isolated area, it would be wise to prepare accordingly.  I went ahead and bought out every equipment in the Soren equipment shop.  Again, these are the best buyable equipment in the game.  If you need to do some money grinding, the Muscle Dome Soru Bread trick should help.  Also make sure to buy some Door of Winds.

 

So, something happened when I tried going back to Rim Elm to fight the bees again.  They didn’t spawn back!  I only fought them once, and you’re supposed to be able to fight them up to 3 times, but I tried checking the tree where they’re at, and they didn’t come out.  Maybe there’s a point in the game where they stop spawning completely?  Well, that stinks.  Lesson learned: fight off the bees all in one visit.

now entering: Karisto Station

 

While not all of Karisto is free from the mist, there is one place that’s free from it, so let’s check out the Karisto Station.  This was where we literally crash landed into Karisto.  But now, the place is mist free, and it looks like the Flying Wagon services are back up and running!   

I like to think he does this to every stranger he meets

 

There’s a guy attending the Traveler’s Kit kiosk, and if we talk to him, he expresses how happy he is to see someone actually bought his kit and left the money there.  He decides to give us a Vitality Ring!  You’ll get this accessory only by paying for the Traveler’s Kit the first time you enter here.   

 

Anyway, this accessory’s pretty great – it raises the user’s agility by 20%, meaning you will get a larger attack bar in battle.  I’ll give this one to Gala, as he suffers from low agility.

 

Well, I say that the transportation is up and running, but it seems like the wagon from Octam has not yet arrived.  I made a quick warp to Octam, and talked to the conductor there.  

 

I’ll now have to pay for the fee, and transport the wagon to here.  You don’t actually get anything from doing this, but I just wanted to do it anyway.

Alright, with that done, let’s head back to the Soren Camp.  You can use a Door of Wind to get there quickly.  We need to talk to Luctes if we wanna go to Conkram.  

 

He first apologizes for his rotten behavior towards our heroes, and asks if they are ready to head to Conkram.  Our heroes will need to parachute into the area, as the area around Conkram is filled with mist.  Luctes also gives us a Door of Wind.  Much like our first time in Karisto, this is our only way out of the area.   

 

With that, Luctes picks up our heroes (or just Vahn) and carries them to their destination.  They reach a small area isolated by mountains, and our heroes parachute down.

 

Well, in front of us, there’s a huge clam like area we can enter.  …Let’s not head there yet and explore this area a bit.  As small as it is, we can still encounter some monsters here.

 

Heavy Grude is an upgraded Grude we’ve faced before.  Its individual attacks aren’t very strong, but it can hit multiple times, much like its previous versions.  Dark Ogre is a strong monster.  Unlike the previous ogres we’ve fought, this one’s not so much a pushover.  It hits hard and hits multiple times.  Exercise caution when fighting this foe.

 

Scale Lizard is another nasty foe.  Much like the rock lizard we’ve faced, this one also has earthquake.  It also has a lot of HP, so take it down before it decides to smack the ground with its special attack.  Gold Bison is another bison recolor.  Again, it’s even stronger than the one we’ve faced before, but otherwise, not much worth mentioning.

now entering: this foreboding place

 

We can explore this area and find a castle to the north.  This must be where the last mist generator is!  

 

However, as we enter the area, there doesn’t seem to be any entrance.  All that’s here is this huge stone wall.  With nothing we can do here, let’s head back to that clam looking area.

But first: did you know that you can face some enemies in this opening area?  I won’t go over them now, but there are some strong monsters we can face here.

now entering-

 

Okay.  There’s the clam looking place.  Let’s go.

But before that: did you know that you can play this game with analog mode on with an analog controller?  You’re still kinda locked in 8 directions, but the weird thing about analog mode is that the right faced buttons (X, square, triangle, O) are mapped onto the right analog stick!  Meaning that tapping up on the right analog brings up the menu, much like the triangle button does, and tapping down on the analog is the same as pressing the X button!  Kinda weird, huh?

now entering-

Alright, I’ve said that neat tidbit.  Let’s head into this place.

But first-

Okay, okay.  I got a confession to make.  I am stalling here for a reason.  I really don’t want to go to this next place.  I distinctly remember not liking what I saw in the area we’re going into.  Back at the first part, I kinda made a stink about how this game is inappropriately rated E for everyone.  Sure, that opening part is pretty disturbing, but THIS place, along with another future area, is why I believe in my stance that this should not be E-rated.

now entering (for real this time): Conkram

Okay… no more stalling.  Let’s rip the bandage and head right in.

you can't see it here, but the whole place is pulsing up and down

Our heroes are greeted by a scene beyond their imagination.  In previous towns engulfed by mist, all of civilization has come to a halt; monsters and human-seru creatures roam the place, while the houses and buildings were abandoned.  In Conkram however… the entire kingdom is engulfed by a giant Sim-Seru.

couldn't have said it better

 

The whole place is covered in flesh, and even as our heroes walk, the ground slowly pulses up and down, much like walking on top a living creature.  Or rather... inside it.  Noa appears to be stunned by this place, but she knows that her mother and father must be here somewhere.  She then hears a voice nearby.  Someone’s calling out for help!   

 

Our heroes run toward the voice and find a man… with his body fused into the flesh wall!

Noa tries to pull the man out, but Terra stops her.  Much like Maya’s situation back in Biron Monastery, Terra reminds Noa that tearing a human away from a seru when fused like this would kill the human.  

 

Terra points out that the entirety of Conkram is all part of a giant Sim-Seru.  Perhaps the mist caused it to grow as large as this, Ozma points out.  Despite that, there is nothing we can do with these people.  Gala points out that there is a castle they should check out.  Perhaps we can get some answers there.

 

eugh, just looking at this ground is upsetting

Ugh.  Just… ugh.  Even when looking at these still images, I get a response of disgust out of it.  Back when I first played this game, this part legitimately frightened me.  How everything was moving up and down, the people stuck to the walls, the floor moving up and down – this stuff was scary as hell!  And even now, I feel my throat tighten whenever I see Conkram.

hey, what about our monster roll call?

 

Right, the monsters.  We got new monsters in this area, as usual.  Slippery is a funny name for a seru.  This nautilus looking seru’s regular attacks aren’t much to write home about, but it has a special attack – poisonous bubbles – that attacks everyone and has a chance to inflict toxic.  As per the usual for new seru, bring Ivory Books if you wanna capture this one.

Lamia is an annoying monster.  It’s not terribly strong, but it’s very fast, and can potentially outspeed even Noa.  It has 2 special attacks that can cause some trouble: Glare (may petrify a character) and Terror Scream (immobilizes a character for a turn).  Take it down before it becomes a real nuisance.

 

Mad Golem is like the Ironman and Golem we’ve faced before.  This monster has a LOT of HP, and it hits pretty hard.  Just keep hitting it with your moves, and it should eventually go down.  Nightmare is another monster recolor.  It has the same Fatal Decision move you gotta deal with.  Fortunately, it doesn’t have a ton of HP, so taking it down should be rather easy.

There’s another monster which I did not manage to screenshot: Kemaro returns, in a lvl 2 form.  It’s surprisingly an easy monster to take down, especially with Noa’s hyper arts.  I wouldn’t worry too much about them, but if you haven’t gotten their magic, this is a good chance to do so.

I must reiterate: This is RATED E FOR EVERYONE

 

Alright… let’s explore this place.  We can find more people stuck to the walls.  They all cry for help.  Someone here says how painful it is, so much so that death would be a better alternative.  This is all really upsetting.

 

Head north from the east wall to find a chest containing another Spirit Jewel.  If you continue north, you’ll leave the “town” area and find a pair of stairways.  If you head west from the stairs, you’ll find a Lost Grail.  Anyway, head up the stairs and we’ll be right in front of the castle.  Let’s head inside.

 

We enter inside and- Lord almighty, this place is triggering my fight-or-flight response.  What would be a carpet is covered in the pink and green flesh, and the pillars are also covered as well!  Noa looks around, and says she recognizes this place.  She seems to be scared though, for many reasons, I’d guess.  

Gala comforts her and tells her that he and Vahn will stay by her side, no matter what.

 

There are more people stuck to the walls.  Some of them have lost track of time, as this guy is still talking about the war between Conkram and Sol.   

 

To the upper left are 2 soldiers… combined into one mass.  They’re blocking entry to downstairs, and won’t allow anyone to pass without the queen’s permission.  To the right are stairs, so let’s head there.

 

No matter where you go, the Sim-Seru’s flesh can be seen everywhere you look at.  By heading upstairs, there is a giant bulb of mass at the end of the room.   

 

Our heroes stop, and they hear a voice calling out to Noa.  Noa recognizes the voice – it’s her mother, Queen Minea.

 

The flesh bulb opens, revealing the queen, barely alive.  Apparently, the mist has blinded her, and she cannot even see Noa, but she can at least hear her and feel her presence.   

 

Queen Minea informs our heroes that the last mist generator resides in Jette’s Absolute Fortress, and destroying it would stop this Sim-Seru.  However, the fortress is guarded by the Gate of Hell, an impenetrable wall that blocks the entrance.  The only way to break the Gate of Hell is through something called a Nemesis Gem.

 

Noa seems ready to find this Nemesis Gem.  Unfortunately, her mother informs that the Nemesis Gem no longer exists in this world.  However, it is possible to travel back to the past and find a Nemesis Gem there.  Yup, you read that right - we’re gonna time travel!

Minea says that it is possible to travel back to the past, but our heroes need the Seru Flame in order to do so.  Noa’s father is holding it and can be found in the lower floor.

With that, we need to head downwards.  But before that, there are a couple of doors behind Minea we can check out.   

 

In the door to the left is a room you can enter.  Inside is a chest containing a Healing Fruit.  There’s another door to the right that leads to the castle rooftop.   

 

There’s a Wonder Elixir you can pick up there, so don’t miss out on that.  The door to the right of the queen leads to this peculiar looking room with a mirror.  There’s nothing else we can do here, so let’s head back.

eww, the colors...

 

Going back down, let’s talk to the soldiers again.  They learn that the queen allowed us to pass through, so… their combined mass splits into 2, opening the way downstairs.   

the walls are moving in and out

 

The stairs lead downward, deeper and deeper to wherever it may lead us.  The gas exhaling from the walls make for an unsettling walk downwards.

 

Eventually, we’ll reach a room at the end of the corridor.  In the middle of it is King Nebular, Noa’s father.  He seems to be inside some kind of clear gelatinous mass.  Noa has finally met her father.  Much like Minea, Noa’s father is also blinded by the mist, but is aware of her presence.   

 

Nebular already knows why our heroes are here, and asks them to take the Seru Flame.  He then informs our heroes to use it in the room of mirrors.  Vahn grabs the Seru Flame, and now we can use this to travel to the past!

 

The Seru Flame is another equippable item.  It’s an accessory that raises AP recovery rate by 25%!  Unfortunately, we’re immediately going to use it, so don’t bother equipping it.  Let’s climb back out of the basement room.

Now, before we head into the next part, save your game.  This is very important, especially if you’re playing on an emulator or something other than a PSX or a PS2.  I mentioned at the very beginning (at part 0) that there is a game breaking glitch that prevents you from progressing any further if you are playing this on a PS3 or on some emulators.  Well, the next cutscene is where that problematic glitch will occur.  If you are playing on an emulator and you do encounter this glitch, you may be able to save it by playing on a different emulator and transferring your memory card data.  I happen to be playing on Duckstation emulator, and I managed to get through this upcoming scene with no problem at all, if anyone’s curious.

 

Head back to the door to the right of Minea.  In this mirror room, there are 2 torches on both sides.  Our heroes light the torches with the Seru Flame, and the mirror lights up.  

this is some Silent Hill 3 vibes

Through the mirror reveals the same room, except less nightmare inducing.  This must be the Conkram of the past!  Our heroes walk through the mirror and get transported to this space.   

this is the scene that causes the crashing, btw

Terra informs Noa and everyone that while they are at the past, they must never reveal that they are from the future, or reveal any events that would come to pass, as that would result in chaos, and only serve to benefit the henchmen of the mist.

 

Our heroes travel through the space, and they land in Conkram of the past.  Our heroes’ task is to find the Nemesis Gem, and then return back.   

 

As we exit the mirror room, we get to see Conkram Castle as it used to be.  Quite a pretty looking place; it’s hard to believe how this and the flesh covered castle was once the same place.   

 

The soldier here mentions that the king and queen have retired to their rooms, so we’ll have to see them tomorrow.  Another soldier mentions that the queen will soon be having a baby.  This means we have travelled back to the point before Noa was born.  Meanwhile, another soldier is talking about some kind of weapon demonstration that will happen tomorrow.  Conkram and Sol were at war, so it does seem to make sense that they would be trying to develop new weapons.

 

There are doors that we can open that were unavailable in the present.  In here, we have come to the room of Secretaries Zeto and Dohati.  Wait, Zeto and Dohati?   

 

Yes, this is the same Zeto that would try to destroy Rim Elm!  I recognize that outfit.

Dohati is there as well, and it seems like he’s got his eyes set on Ratayu.  Man, it’s crazy to see things come back in full circle!

In the other room at the other side, we see some more familiar faces.  It’s the Delilas Family!  

 

Apparently, they were originally bodyguards of the royal family.  There’s another familiar face we see here: the High Priestess Zora.   

She tells our heroes that the Nemesis Gem is supposed to be a secret, so it doesn’t look like we can pry anymore information from her.

 

On the first floor, there’s another door we couldn’t enter before.  Some soldiers here are talking about the war, and how it’s been dragging on for more than 10 years.  Another soldier mentions a dangerous warrior from Sol by the name of Gaza.  Well that’s a familiar name.   

 

While we’re here in this room, pick up the Power Water at the far corner.  There’s another door to the right, but there’s nothing much worth mentioning there.

 

Head outside, and it seems like night has fallen.  There are some more chests you can find here.  To the west is a Guardian Water, and to the east side downstairs is a Magic Fruit.  The town here is open, so we can check out the place.   

 

A Wisdom Water can be found in one of the houses to the left.   

 

There’s also an item store here, selling the usual stuff.   

 

The house to the right is filled with Biron monks.  Interesting enough, they also had a dojo back in Sol.  Apparently, that’s because they have a neutral stance on the war.  Another chest can be found near the upper entrance, containing a Swift Water.

 

There’s a weapon store here as well.  However, the stuff you can buy here, you can also buy back at Soren Camp.  Don’t worry about being pressured in buying off all their equipment here, since you got another place to do so.

 

Finally, there’s an inn where we can save our game.  There also seems to be another man staying here.  He introduces himself as Dr. Usha!  Man, a lot of recurring faces.

Well, that’s gonna do it for this part.  I dunno about you, but I feel kinda drained from the whole Conkram part.  But next time: our search for the Nemesis Gem continues!