Coff9

Hello there everyone! Hope you are doing well!

So, I made it to the Mist Cave. First thing I notice are the puddles on the ground. I love the little touches the 3D brings to the game. Like I said yesterday, it brings it more to life and makes me feel just a bit more immersed, which is great. The updated version of Into The Darkness is good and feels as mysterious as ever. This theme is used in several of the dungeons in the game and I look forward to hearing it more often.

The boss fight with the dragon was intense, even if a bit easy. As long as you don't attack it when it's in it's Mist Form, you should have no problem, even at a lower level. It's also weak to the Dark element, so if you use Cecil's Darkness buff, you should be able to end the battle in just a few turns.

The activation of the Bomb Ring when I arrived at the Village of Mist was very visceral. The voice acting, along with the 3D, make it much more gut-wrenching than I remember it. I really felt for Rydia losing her mother. The scene also does a good job of establishing that Rydia is gifted with magic, since she was able to summon Titan and rip a gigantic ravine in the earth. Wicked stuff.

Now, after this scene, Kain vanishes in the aftermath and Cecil decides to take Rydia some place safe before looking for Kain. He finds himself in a desert and heads to the town of Kaipo. When you enter this town, a cutscene automatically happens where Cecil takes Rydia to the Inn so she can rest. Before this point however, Rydia isn't actually in the party, so Cecil gains full EXP from battles, which is a great time to train him up a bit. This is why I like to stock up on items in the beginning so I can grind out some levels without having to go to the Inn. The Sand Worm fight is especially lucrative, but also intense, since all the sprites are now 3D models and Sand Worm is much bigger than he used to be! Gave me a bit of a jump, if I'm honest!

I was able to grind up to level 19 before running out of items. I headed into town, the cutscene started, and then a battle happened! While Cecil and Rydia rest in the Inn, soldiers from Baron arrive and demand that Cecil hand over the girl. He refuses and this starts a battle. Being at level 19 and with the Darkness buff, I one-shot the General, and the soldiers became confused and I was able to slay them all before any retreated. This gets you the most EXP possible from this encounter.

This sequence earns Cecil Rydia's trust and she joins the party! She starts at level 7 in this version, but I remember her always starting at level 1. I'm glad she's at 7 tho, because now she starts with a nice little chunk of her spells, which will be great, even if the EXP will now be split between her and Cecil. More grinding, but more fun!

Speaking of that, there's an auto-battle mechanic in place that is very useful. I can relax and watch as Cecil lays slain all of his foes! It makes grinding so much easier, though I think that if you enter the commands yourself, it's faster if Active Battles are enabled.

Tomorrow, I will level up Rydia a bunch and explore the town of Kaipo! As always, wish me luck, and I'll see you tomorrow! Have a great day!