Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
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| Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals | |
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| 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 ninety-nine 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. Tia expresses concern that Maxim does not have a "normal job." Maxim goes through a practice dungeon and then has dinner with Tia. After the dinner, 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 sets out to rid the cave of monsters.
Maxim single-handily beats the monsters and their boss, and gets the key to Sundletan back. Maxim ponders why monsters would disrupt human life. A green haired woman named Iris comes to Maxim 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 rumors that a giant catfish living in Lake Cave (next to Sundletan) has been causing the earthquakes. 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 negotiations, and they engage in battle. After Maxim defeats him, 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 to find Tia, trapped by monsters. Maxim defeats the monsters and saves Tia's life. Tia explains she 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 and Maxim and Tia head to the throne room to see. During the ceremony, two thieves disguised as messengers managed to steal the crown and escape to the basement of the castle. Maxim and Tia, hiring themselves as vigilantes again, follow them through the dungeon. After the long route, they confront the thieves, but leap into a trap. Fortunately, the thieves push the wrong button and spring the trap on themselves. Maxim and Tia retake the crown, but find no trace of the thieves. They return the crown, just in time for the ceremony, and are given a reward by the King. Maxim and Tia head to 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 unlock the door to the shrine to Tanbel. Maxim and Tia goes to the town, greeted by the woman they met earlier, revealed as Hilda. She introduces her brother, Guy, the local swordsman. Guy challenges him into a skirmish. Unfortunately, a red spiked-haired man barges in, looking for a fight. He lets the party fight his followers. After Maxim and company win, the man escapes, with Guy's sister, Hilda. The party, now with Guy, head to the tower to save Hilda. After the long ordeal with monsters in a tower, they finally confront the man, revealed as Camu. Camu is surprised to see they made it to the top of the tower 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. Guy, after fighting alongside with Maxim and Tia, decides to join the party. They head over to Clamento.
When the party arrives in Clamento, a small town similar to the likes of Sundletan, with a small glass crafts shop. 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 the party find the Ruby Apple however, they are surprised by a giant Tarantula, which the party defeats. After the battle, the party notices the Ruby Apple has been smashed. When the party goes into the room above, they spot the glass craftsman from Clamento, named Jaffy. The party had come just in time to save him and as a reward, he gives the party a craft of the Ruby Apple. Apparently Jaffy had made two of them in Narcysus and sold one to a rich man. Somehow it reached the North Cave and became a fabled treasure quickly. Maxim quickly thinks of a plan and sells Rochy the glass Apple, then gives the money to Jaffy and his wife to help them pay the bills. He also buys a set of earrings for Tia, and the party continues to Parcelyte Kingdom.
Rumors of a female Parcelyte Soldier named Selan are abound. The party sees her in town stopping two boys from bullying a young girl named Lemmy. Maxim and company visit the castle and talk to the King. The King of Parcelyte has heard of Maxim by the King of Alunze 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 reluctantly, and is distrusting of Maxim. When the party fights the two bosses, Danielle and Pierre, Selan's knowledge and strategy defeat them. They return to Parcelyte afterwards, and the King gives Maxim an award. The celebration is cut short with news that the neighbor town of Gordovan. Maxim immediately leaves for Gordovan, and Selen requests to come with the party.
They find Gordovan destroyed but the people unhurt. They all tell of a monster of a Man named Gades who destroyed the city just to prove his power, before disappearing into the Tower to the west. The Party hurries to the tower and reaches the top, there they sense an extremely strong energy force. Gades introduces himself as Gades, Master of Destruction. He easily beats the party and disappears. Iris comes and revives the party, then reveals more of Maxim's destiny. She says Guy and Selan are also destined to fight with Maxim against the Evil Light. Maxim asks Iris why she is traveling, Iris reveals she is merely looking for answers. Iris does not mention Tia's destiny.
The Party returns to Parcelyte and reports the situation. A messenger reports Guy's sister is in critical condition, Maxim orders him to go back to her. Guy is reluctant to leave the Party in their time of need, Maxim requests the aid of Selan again. The party splits apart, with Guy heading home and Maxim, Tia and Selan heading onward towards Gades.
- 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.
His past is unknown, other than bits and pieces. He has said himself that he has always known swordsmanship, even though no one taught him. His father is never mentioned, but he is always cited as the 'beginning' of a legendary bloodline destined to do war with the Sinistrals.
He is mild-mannered and polite, and is an impressive, natural warrior as well as a strong leader. 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. He is one of the most well-balanced characters in the game, but other characters of specialties may overshadow his abilities easily. 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. He has a deep respect for Maxim, even electing to leave his hometown to journey with him. He rarely argues the fact that Maxim is much stronger than himself, and it rarely seems to bother him. Since Maxim himself is a wandering loner, Guy is the closest thing he has to a best friend.
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 being under his command. She eventually grows accustomed 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 fighter 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 formidable 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 his inventions' tests (a measurement of power, to which Maxim buried the needle), 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 descendants that help the hero.
Lexis fights using tools. He can use magic, but as a fighter overall, is not very impressive. He is the only one who can equip tools, such as Wrenches.
[edit] Arty
Artea (or Arty which is displayed on the menu screen) is the only elf to join up with Maxim. Despite claims, Artea is male, not female. 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 Eserikto 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. Like all the other party members, he grows a respect of Maxim due to his strength and selfless nature.
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.
Iris is proven to be Erim, Sinistral of Death, after Daos' ghost threatens to drop Doom Island on Parcelyte. Erim acts as Iris (this is supposition) to test the theory of Sir Arek, to test humans to see if the power of "Super Beings" is still needed by humans.
[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 commitment. She plans on marrying Guy, although she is getting impatient with how long he is taking to propose.
[edit] Jaffy
A glass maker from Clamento, his work is much admired by those who see it. Jaffy was the apprentice of the master glass worker 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 Bart
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 followed 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 slightest, 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.
[edit] Amon
The Sinistral of Chaos. He stands tall in his gold armor, and is capable of attacking with strong physical attacks as well as powerful magic. He is also an intelligent tactician.
[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. She is responsible for the resurrection of the Sinistrals, as they can be revived as long as she is alive. It is unexplained as to how Erim returns every 100 years.
[edit] Daos
The Sinistrial of Terror. 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] Arek the Absolute
Not much is mentioned about 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 not 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 can deplete it to invoke available IP skills at any time, assuming they have enough charge in the bar. IP Skills take varying amounts of charge to activate. Players can purposely wear weaker equipment and/or fight higher-level monsters to fill the gauge faster, but run the risk of having characters killed in battle. Also, IP Skills cannot be customized, sometimes forcing the player to choose between a newer and stronger piece of gear, or an older, weaker one that has a useful IP Skill. 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 nearly 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. 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. 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.
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, as well as one of the Iris Treasures. It is very difficult to actually defeat the Master, as its power was based on your party's level. The stronger your team was, the stronger it was. 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.
[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/Dutch 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. The room is an Amidakuji puzzle where the player had to find the spot that would allow him or her to reach the door based on the rules of Amidakuji. Amidakuji is a Japanese lottery game where the players choose a course to receive a prize. The player must take the first available (complete) turns into another path until the player reaches the end of the course.
[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.
[edit] External links
- Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals at MobyGames
- Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals at GameFAQs
- Forfeit Island - Lufia II
- AncientCave.com - a Lufia Fansite
- Maps for Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals at SNESMaps
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Lufia & the Fortress of Doom • Rise of the Sinistrals • The Legend Returns • The Ruins of Lore |
