Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Neverland |
| Publisher(s) | Taito (JP) Natsume (NA) Nintendo (EU) |
| Release date(s) | 24 February 1995 (JP) 31 August 1996 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | Role playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A) |
| Platform(s) | SNES |
| Media | Cartridge |
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals is a RPG game with puzzle elements developed by Neverland and published in Japan in 1995 by Taito, and in North America and Europe in 1996 by Natsume and Nintendo respectively, for the Super Nintendo video game console.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
The story is centered around the hero Maxim, a swordsman from the town of Elcid who is born with a natural ability to fight and is destined to destroy the Sinistrals. Throughout his journey, he meets other warriors who are able to confront the Sinistrals as well. The game is a prequel to Lufia & the Fortress of Doom, set a hundred years before it, telling the story of how the Sinistrals first appeared in the world and the battles fought against them. There are also several references to events and objects seen in the first Lufia game, such as the Priphea flowers. The story ends in the same way Lufia & the Fortress of Doom began.
The game starts off with a red-head man (Maxim) walking to a residence house in the town of Elcid. Tia, a childhood friend, pays him money for getting rid of the monsters (Maxim's job is a "monster hunter" apparently.) Tia, upset that Maxim does not have normal jobs like a shop owner, angrily runs to the back. The player then goes to a cave south of Elcid and is given a beginner lesson by the old man. After this event, Tia and Maxim have a big dinner called the Phantom Fish made out of 'naravoa'. Maxim goes out in relief, as the dinner brought him a cheerful evening. However, a guard runs to the town, and delivers some unfortunate news-- a horde of monsters have flooded the cave and have blocked access to the north town, Sundletan. People become worried if the monsters will come to this town. Maxim, being the only one as a monster hunter, sets out to the cave.
When arriving in the cave, the cave guard says a young woman went into the cave, despite his attempts to stop her. He let her through anyway, as she seemed to not be from any town. After fighting a good amount of monsters, and defeating the monster guard who holds the key to Sundletan-- a green haired woman named Iris comes to Maxim (This is the woman the guard was talking about) and mysteriously tells him his destiny to save the world. After this event, the player can either head back to Elcid and have an extra sequence with Tia, or simply head to the next town, Sundletan.
When Maxim arrives in the small town of Sundletan, he arrives just in time to feel an earthquake. He gathers information and finds rumours that a giant catfish living in Lake Cave (next to Sundletan) has been causing the earthquakes. After Maxim is done investigating, Maxim sets off to deal with the problem. When Maxim finally goes through the caves, he confronts the source of the earthquakes himself, the Catfish. The Catfish refuses to stop the earthquakes despite Maxim's negogiations, and they engage in battle. After the player defeats the boss, the Catfish listens to Maxim and promises not to make the earthquakes in Sundletan anymore. Maxim, done with the job, heads back to the town. However, when going back to the town, the guard says a young woman has come looking for Maxim in the cave. Maxim goes back only to find Tia, trapped by monsters. Tia wants to go with Maxim in his journey, but despite his pleas for her to not go, he allows her to go anyway. Maxim tells Tia that he has a destiny that needs to be fulfilled. They then set off for the kingdom of Alunze.
When they head into the town, they find out that a coronation ceremony is about to start (someone is going to be crowned to the royal family) and Maxim and Tia head to the throne room to see. However, two messengers appear and announce that the crown is a fake, and the king commands them to get the real one. They take it, but, they are stopped by a royal guard, who notices that they aren't wearing their real uniforms. After that, they reveal themselves to be Berty and Bart, who are thieves. They make a run for it, and snatch the crown. Maxim and Tia, hiring themselves as vigilantes again, find out they went into the basement. After the long route, they confront the thieves, and have fell victim to a trap, which they are trapped by tall spikes and when the button is pressed, water will be released and drown them. Fortunately, they press the wrong button, and they fall victim to their own trap. Maxim and Tia retake the crown, with no sight of the thieves. They return the crown, just in time for the ceremony, and are given a reward by the King (depends on what the player chooses) and head for the north town of Tanbel.
Unfortunately, the town of Tanbel is inaccessible due to a kid named Abel taking it and playing a game of treasure hunting by himself in the Alunze Northwest Cave. Maxim and Tia volunteer to help take the key to continue the journey. After retaking the key, Maxim and Tia hand back the key to the woman who needs it, and goes as well. He goes to the town, greeted by the woman he met earlier, revealed as Hilda. She introduces her brother, Guy. Guy is the hero of the town. After knowing about Maxim, he challenges him into a little battle. Unfortunately, a red spiked-haired man barges in, looking for a fight. He lets the party fight two green beasts called 'Followers.' After winning, he escapes, and the town seems to be okay again. However, he sadly takes Guy's sister hostage at the Southeast Tower. The party, now with Guy, head to the tower to save Hilda. After the long ordeal with monsters and the trouble, they finally confront the man, revealed as Camu. Camu is surprised to see they made it here but challenges all three of them into a fight, which he loses. After his defeat, he secretly uses magic to shut the door behind them, and mentions small info about 'Sinistrals.' The tower begins to shake, but Iris appears and transports them all to Tanbel. Hilda's condition is not very good and is being cared for by other townspeople. Guy, after fighting alongside with Maxim and Tia, decides to join the party. They head over to Clamento.
When the party arrive in Clamento, a small town similar to the likes of Sundletan, there is nothing very special. There is also a glass shop, where this will be important in another quest further in the game (It hasn't been selling well these days, and the owner of the town threatens to evict them). The owner of the small town is identified as Rochy. Rochy takes the opportunity to ask the party to acquire the 'Ruby Apple' located in the North Cave. When they find the Ruby Apple however, they are surprised by a giant Tarantula, which the party defeats. It is sadly, broken during the battle. When the party goes into the room above, they spot the glass craftman in Clamento, named Jaffy. The party had come just in time to save him (according to his story, the Tarantula was about to eat him) and as a reward, he gives the party a craft of the Ruby Apple. Maxim sets up with a scam, giving the glass Ruby Apple to Rochy instead of the real one. It is successful, and Rochy gives the party a great amount of money, which Maxim gives to Jaffy, so they won't be threatened for eviction. He gives Maxim an Ear Jewel, but Maxim gives it to Tia. The party heads over to the next town, Parcelyte.
The next town, we see a little girl (revealed as Lemmy) being teased and bullied by two younger boys. We then are introduced to another lady, much older, named Selan. Selan scares the small kids away and comforts Lemmy. She then heads out to the castle. The party follows her, and we are shown Selan training a Parcelyte soldier, and lectures him after he loses. The party then visits the throne room, similar to Alunze. The king of Parcelyte has heard of Maxim by the king of Alunze (Maxim saved the crown) and sends the party on a quest. Selan, showing off her talent and saying she can do it all by herself, is shunned by the king and told to join the party on the conquest. Selan joins, and when they fight the two bosses, Danielle and Pierre, her knowledge is useful, and it helps defeat them. They return to Parcelyte afterwards, and gives Maxim an award (which is only equippable by a female).
- This summary is incomplete. It will be complete in a few days.
[edit] Main Playable Characters
[edit] Maxim
The main hero of the game. His story begins in Elcid, where after meeting a mysterious woman named Iris in a cave, she informs him that his fate is to travel on a great journey.
He is mild-mannered and polite, and is an impressive, natural warrior. He is childhood friends with Tia, and it is unknown if he is unaware of her romantic advances, or if he is ignoring them.
As a fighter Maxim has decent strength, and can use some magics (his main limitation is that he cannot learn fire-based spells). He can use strategic, curative, and some defense/strategic spells. Maxim is the only character who can cast the "Reset" spell and wield the Dual Blade.
[edit] Tia
A young woman who runs the store in Elcid. She is Maxim's childhood friend, and goes to great lengths to impress him in the hopes that maybe he will notice her romantic intentions. She decides to join Maxim on his journey when she realizes that he doesn't plan to stay in Elcid after his encounter with Iris.
When Maxim is in danger, she is stubborn and refuses to leave his side which can lead to trouble. She is possessive of Maxim, and is capable of becoming very jealous if another girl seems to be getting too close. Her affection could stem from the fact that Maxim was the one who told her that the reason why she was being teased is cause she would cry easily.
Physically she is not strong, and relies on magic to contribute to a fight. She has a wider range of spells than Maxim.
[edit] Guy
Guy is an optimistic warrior from Tanbel who is always up for a duel, or a bit of adventure. He joins Maxim on his journey after Hilda, Guy's sister, is kidnapped and taken to a tower by a minion of the Sinistrals. Upon her safe return, Guy is hesitant to leave Hilda while she is injured, but Jessy, Guy's girlfriend, urges him to go. Guy is one of the warriors that is destined to travel with Maxim.
Guy tends to have a friendly rivalry with his companions, particularly Dekar and Arty, which leads to some interesting banter.
One of the strongest characters, Guy can use his weapon to deal a devastating blow. He is unable to use magic and has a low magical defense, and is very susceptible to being hit with spells.
[edit] Selan
Selan is the commander of the Parcelyte army, and is the best warrior in the ranks. She joins the party after she is ordered by the king to help retrieve the Treasure Sword. She is independent and resents having to ask Maxim for help, as well as be under his command. She eventually grows accustom to his leadership, and learns to trust him (and more) after a series of events. Selan is also one of the warriors fated to fight along side Maxim.
Selan lost her parents at a young age, and her only family consists of an aunt. She is tough as nails, yet kind enough to comfort Lemmy, a girl from Parcelyte, when she is being bullied.
She is a better figher than Tia, but is slightly less talented when it comes to magic. Unlike Tia, she can use light swords.
[edit] Dekar
A protector of Bound Kingdom, Dekar is a formidible warrior. He acts as bodyguard to Prince Alex, and is very protective of his charge. When Alex overestimates his abilities in battle, it is always Dekar who comes to the rescue. He joins Maxim to help fight against Gades after the destruction of Gordovan, claiming he "wanted to meet the bum" who could destroy an entire city.
He is loyal and kind, yet is not the brightest of the bunch. He tends to have a very confident attitude, outright cocky at times, and has a few tricks up his sleeve to deal with monsters. Dekar can be very philosophical, especially when it is someone's feelings that are on the line. He has a rivalry with Idura, a minion of the Sinistrals.
Like Guy, he can use heavy weapons, but cannot use magic. He is stronger physically, but is weaker mentally, thus magic can deal more damage to Dekar than the others.
[edit] Lexis
Lexis Shaia is a great inventor, even if his creations have a tendency of blowing up from time to time. The party meets Lexis in his lab in the search for an engine for their ship. Impressed with the results that Maxim provides with one of inventions's tests, Lexis joins the party to observe what might come.
Lexis is a genius when it comes to inventions, some of which include the engine that can make ships sail without wind. He can be a little quirky, but is overall a friendly guy. Lexis is mentioned in the first Lufia game, as it is his descendents that help the hero.
Lexis fights using tools. He can use magic, but as a fighter overall, is not very impressive.
[edit] Arty
Artea (or Arty which is displayed on the menu screen) is the only elf to join up with Maxim. He can sense that something is wrong in the world, and that the Sinistrals are a great threat. He joins the party after the elder from his village Karen is kidnapped by the Sinistrals.
Artea can be aloof at times, especially given that the relationship between elves and humans is not the strongest. He and Guy are usually verbally sparring about the difference between the two races. He is the oldest member of the party, due to the difference of how elves age compared to humans.
Artea is capable of wielding light swords and more particularly bows. His magic is the strongest in the entire game and he can use two spells that no one else in the game can, "Zap" and "Fry", which are holy light based.
[edit] Non Playable Characters
[edit] Iris
A mysterious woman who seems to come and go with the wind. She possesses very powerful magic, which she uses to help Maxim and his party. She is the one who tells Maxim that he should start his journey, although her motives at times are not completely known.
[edit] Hilda
Guy's sister. She owns the inn in Tanbel, and is a good cook and is much better housekeeper than her brother. She is captured by a minion of the Sinistrals, and is wounded during the event. She is recovering through part of the game, and is being cared for by Guy's girlfriend Jessy.
[edit] Jessy
Guy's girlfriend. She enjoys poking fun at Guy, especially at his unease of being able to comment on their committment. She plans on marrying Guy, although she is getting impatient with how long he is taking to propose.
[edit] Jaffy
A glassmaker from Clamento, his work is much admired by those who see it. Jaffy was the apprentice of the master glassworker who created the Ruby Icon. Jaffy's business falls on hard times, and it is Maxim who helps pull it out of trouble. Jaffy is pertinent to the story a couple of times.
[edit] Berty and Barty
A couple of dim-witted thieves. Maxim encounters these two throughout the story, with their first appearance being in Alunze, when they try to steal the king's crown. They don't pose much of a threat, but their actions can lead to some irritating consequences.
[edit] Prince Alex and Joseph
Prince Alex is the crown prince of Bound Kingdom. He is adored by his subjects, for he is a kind and gentle person. He is often follwed by his attendant Joseph, who usually encourages the prince to do whatever Alex thinks is right.
Alex's only downfall is that he is not a good fighter in the slighest, which leads to trouble when he feels that it is his duty to protect his kingdom. Dekar (his bodyguard), often has to save him, and is asked by the king to usually do so secretly to prevent hurting Alex's ego.
[edit] Sinistrals
[edit] Gades
The Sinistral of Destruction. The weakest of the four Sinistrals, Gades is fought on multiple occasions. Gades is responsible for the destruction of two cities. Proud and headstrong, Gades' use of his might causes much destruction in the battle for the Sinistrals' supremacy on the planet.
[edit] Amon
The Sinistral of Terror. In Lufia II, Natsume made an error, switching his role with Daos, as the Sinistrial of Chaos(Amon is actually the Sinistral of Terror, Daos is the Sinistral of Chaos) . He stands tall in his gold armour, and is capable of attacking with strong physical attacks as well as magic.
[edit] Erim
Erim is the Sinistral of Death. She is the only female sinistral out of the four. However, Erim is a VERY important character in the Lufia II storyline. Called Erin in Japan. She is the healing powerhouse of the Sinistrals' army.
[edit] Daos
The Sinistrial of Chaos (Terror in Lufia II) He is the strongest sinistral and is responsible for the rise of Doom Island. Called Dios in Japan. Leader of the Sinistrals', he is looking for the ultimate weapon which will lend its strength to his cause, the subversion of all the peoples of the earth to the Sinistrals' rule. Causes much strife among the population and destruction through his lieutenant, Gades.
[edit] Sir Arek
Not much is mentioned about Sir Arek in the game. In the beginning of Lufia 2, he talks with Erim about who should rule the world, humans or the sinistrals. Called Arekdias in Japan. His role in the ending of the game is revealed much to the surprise of players.
[edit] Gameplay
In Lufia II, characters walk around an overworld map, enter dungeons, fight monsters, buy or find new equipment and spells, and set out on a quest to save the world. The player's party will support up to four characters at once, along with a Capsule Monster. The game features a number of new gameplay features, explained below:
[edit] Dungeons
All monsters appear on the dungeon map as well, and can be avoided if the player wishes. Motion in dungeons is also "turn-based," in that monsters do not move unless the player does. Maxim gains a number of tools and weapons for use in dungeons (similar to the The Legend of Zelda titles), such as a bow and arrow, bombs and a hookshot; these, along with his sword (swung using a face button), will stun monsters temporarily and interact with obstacles. Finally, dungeons place great emphasis on challenging puzzles.
[edit] Skill Ring
During the course of the game, utilization of acquired "skills" are key to progressing in dungeons and towers. The player starts out with 'Reset', which when activated either by pressing Select or using it as a spell, resets the whole area to its previous state, if by accident something was placed that couldn't be fixed. Other skills are acquired later in the game, such as Hammer, Hook, and Arrow, all of which are added to the 'Skill Ring'.
[edit] IP Skills
Aside from the RPG standards of "Fight," "Use Item" and "Use Magic," characters also have access to IP Skills, which are attached to weapons, armor and accessories. Each character's IP bar fills when he or she takes damage, and the filled bar can then be used to invoke whatever IP skills they have available. Each skill requires a varying amount of IP, making them much easier to use. The player cannot alter which skill is attached to which piece of equipment, creating a secondary consideration when going shopping. IP skills are similar to Limit Breaks later used in Final Fantasy VII.
[edit] Capsule monsters
Capsule monsters are special creatures which the player may only find on specific locations of the world. Once a Capsule monster is found, the party acquires a fifth, computer controlled member. These monsters can be fed items and equipment, and once they are satiated they evolve to a different form, up to a fifth and definitive form, labeled M. Seven of them exist, and each Capsule monster belongs to a different element (Neutral, Light, Wind, Water, Dark, Fire and Soil), and has a different set of skills. This gameplay element is similar to Pokémon (Lufia II was produced a year before Pokémon).
[edit] The Ancient Cave
One of the most notable features of Lufia II is the Ancient Cave, a randomly generated dungeon comprised of 99 floors which is presented to the player as a side-quest in the town of Gruberik. Every time the player enters the cave, a new layout is generated.
Within the cave, the characters are downgraded to zero experience points and are stripped of all equipment and items. The player must then proceed through the cave's floors, collecting equipment, finding magic spells and increasing levels, with the objective of reaching the Ancient Cave's final floor. There are three ways of exiting the cave: by dying, by reaching its bottom or by finding and using an item exclusive to the cave, named "providence".
Within the cave lie two kinds of chests — blue and red. A red chest contains items which can only be used inside the cave for the duration of the playing session. As soon as the player leaves the cave, all items from red chests disappear with the exception of Iris treasures, rare artifacts that serve no practical purpose, but are displayed in a house in Gruberik. On the other hand, the rare blue chests contains items that are for the most part unique to the Ancient Cave (though not completely — the Catfish Jewel, for instance, can also be won in the battle against the giant Catfish), which can be used outside the cave and can be brought back to the cave on subsequent journeys. The equipment found in the blue chests is often far superior than those found outside of it.
On the 99th floor, the player must fight the "Master" (a huge red jelly). It must defeated in four turns (actually three, since it goes before the characters), or else it will commit suicide and give no reward. Upon defeat, however, it gives the player the Ancient Key, unlocking the room in the lobby. It is very difficult to actually defeat the Master, since it has almost 10,000 HP. Thus, a much easier and somewhat cheap way has been devised to kill it. It was found that it was not necessary to kill it-the battle only needed to end. So if the characters killed each other in the allotted time limit, the game would still consider it to be a victory.
Also found in the Ancient Cave are the "Iris Treasures," which are found in red chests. Unlike normal red chest items, the player is allowed to take them out of the cave. They are not equippable and serve only as collectibles. The bottom floor of the inn and Gruberik serves as a storage for these items. Defeating the Master also counts as one of these treasures.
[edit] Differences between versions
[edit] North American and European differences
The North American release of the game has a few graphical and textual glitches which were corrected in the European version. These appear, most notably, on areas of complicated access, such as the underwater caverns—which can only be accessed with the submarine vehicle—and the last floor of the Ancient Cave.
[edit] North American and Australian differences
The Australia release of the game was titled "Lufia", not "Lufia 2". There was also no subtitles. It is, however, the same game. In Australia it was released in 1997, 1 year after the North American version. The background color for the instruction booklet/box/cart is also purple-pink, not black, although it maintains the same image of Maxim with the sword and the island.
[edit] Japanese and International differences
[edit] Bunny ladies
In the Japanese version of the game, inside the Markao Casino, most women are dressed up like bunnies. They were changed into ordinary women in the other versions. This also explains why there is a set of bunny equipment for sale in the Casino.
[edit] Priests
In every church there is a priest to be found, however in the original Japanese version the priest had a cross instead of a vertical line on his miter. Also, inside every church there was a cross behind the priest, instead of an obelisk.
[edit] Treasure Sword Shrine's alternative puzzle
The Block Puzzle rooms inside Treasure Sword Shrine aren't there in the original version of the game. In the Japanese version this was one big room with a simple teleporter puzzle.
[edit] Ancient Tower's "X" & "O" puzzle
On the Second Floor of the Ancient Tower there is a small puzzle which was removed from the game in the international versions. All that remains is an empty room with one enemy in it. To solve this puzzle the player had to walk on the tiles so that the "X" changes into an "O".
[edit] Gordovan's Holy Cross puzzle
In the Japanese version of the game the player had to form a cross on the ground using 6 blocks to get past the undead Zombie for the Sky Key. The other versions all have a puzzle where the player had to hit 7 blocks in the right order.
[edit] Harbor men's hair
In the U.S. version of the game, all men in the Harbor town have brown hair, but in the Japanese version they have light blue hair.
