Game 1: Phantasy Star (SMS) - Now We're Moving... Somewhere

I'm glad I found another way to save the game. Otherwise, I might be forced to leave the console on between play sessions, and that's probably not the best idea for an Xbox 360. I remember having to do that with Dragon Warrior II when my copy kept losing its save data. I probably left the NES running for a month straight.

Saccubus? Speel Chick?

So, on to progress! We take the cake to the governor, get a letter of introduction, and have a bad dream. (Unwinnable fights become a staple of console RPGs, is this another first for this game?) The letter let's us get our fourth member, a terribly under-leveled Esper that the game claims is a female. So far, this newest member has died 3 times due to having nearly no armor and coming in at level 1.

Noah (that's his/her name) tells us that we can use the manhole in the spaceport to get to the city of Gothic. Alis must be extremely dense since everyone has to tell her what to do before she can do anything. Well thank you for the permission Noah. In Gothic we expect to find Dr. Luveno so he can make us a spaceship.

Good all that training did you... how did you even get down here?

Of course it couldn't be that easy. We learn Dr. Luveno isn't there. I feel that I must comment now on the translation. Many games have this trouble, and this definitely isn't the worst I've seen, but take for example the picture at the beginning. There are only a handful of examples I can think of, but the worst of them is when I'm told, Dr. Luveno, "went bonkers and be inprisoned[sic] in Triada..."

Ignoring the grammar we head off to Triada, find Dr. Luveno, ask him to help three times, and he agrees heading off to Gothic to prepare. So, what's the deal? He didn't look imprisoned to me; he's able to waltz out any time he feels like it. Sure there's a guard at the beginning; all he case is that I have a Roadpass, which you're guaranteed to have at this point. So, how is this imprisonment? There's no indication that these people are prisoners and not just in a heavily secured facility. Poor grammar and spelling I can forgive fairly easily, but misleading ones tend to rub me the wrong way.

1200 mesetas for a spaceship... seems legit.

Putting aside the loss of story development, we're told to fetch his assistant found in the tunnel nearby, and pay a small fee to fund building. It takes time to build spaceships you know, so to pass the time I go back to a couple of NPCs that wanted Cola and learn nothing new. Not enough time passed yet, so remembering the Iala cave southeast of Scion is left unexplored I head over to grind Noah some levels and see what I see. It ends up going very well, and I walk away with nearly 5k mesetas and a weapon for Myau. However, this pit is a nightmare for such an early part of the game with its pits that drop the party down a floor.

Back in Gothic, the ship is done! Finally! Of course, no one can fly it, so there's that. I learned of a robot named Hapsby made of Laconian that can fly it; When I get to the town he's in, I only find piles of junk. I can't actually search through the junk though, too simple. A magical liquid that melts everything except Laconian is needed.

Talking cats don't seem so strange now.

A convenient cave leads the party to another island with two towns where I get some more random hints, Polymeteral to melt the junk, and find a mad doctor named Dr. Mad experimenting on animals. He asks to see Myau, and negotiations break down before I can ask for anything. Dispatching him gains us a Laconian Pot. I wonder if it's the same one I used to get Myau in the first place because that would bring it full circle.

Are you crazy or just upset?

Back in junk town (Bortevo), the first pile I try has Hapsby, and we finally have a workable spacecraft... somewhere. I'm told it's done, it's ready, but it's not outside, and I can't find it anywhere. I even checked back at the spaceport (where else would a spaceship be), but they were kind enough to relieve me of my passport signalling I'm looking in the wrong place. I even check Camineet for some reason, but soon realize it must be in Gothic.

I'd tell you if I could find the bloody thing!

I recall a man that wouldn't let me pass, so I talk to him and find Dr. Luveno had told him I'm allowed through now. The ship opens up two new cities to explore, more hints, and then nothing. No specific direction about where Lassic is or how to get to him. There's a random mention that I'll need Laconian weapons and armor, a crystal, some new vehicles, a city in mist, some poison gas, random trees on top of an ice mountain, and a gem called the Amber Eye. After some equipment upgrades I'm off in search of Casba to get the Amber Eye.

The only reason I chose that particular lead is it seems the most convenient as I was already on Motavia. There are definitely more interesting hints I'd like to follow: Medusa's Tower was pointed out to me, but after encountering high powered enemies like Sorcerers, Centaurs, and Titans I decided to continue on until I could handle them; Frad Fibre is supposed to make a great mantle, which is Noah's armor of choice and having it would greatly increase his survivability, but I have no other clue to find it; a city surrounded by mist has a magic shield, but I have no idea where the city is; and some nuts can make certain cats become huge and then they can fly... no, really.

Intimidated yet? Just wait until he hits for 50 HP.