Ephemeral Fantasia - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Ephemeral Fantasia - Strategy Guide (Page 01).

Ephemeral Fantasia (PlayStation 2)
Walkthrough

Document written by PyroFalkon (pyrofalkon@hotmail.com)
Current version: 2.3
Last update: 06 February 2003



+---------------+
|+-------------+|
||LATEST UPDATE||
|+-------------+|
+---------------+

v2.3 (06 February 2003)
Added a new piece of Unconfirmed Information.



+-------------------+
|+-----------------+|
||TABLE OF CONTENTS||
|+-----------------+|
+-------------------+

1. Intro
   a. The Golden Rules of RPGs
2. Walkthrough
3. Blacksmith shops
4. Mini-games
   a. Music
   b. The Drinking Game
   c. Musical Dominos
5. Unconfirmed Information
6. Confirmed Information

7. Version History
8. Copyright Info
9. Contact Info



+----------+
|+--------+|
||1. INTRO||
|+--------+|
+----------+

I would like to start by saying that IGN.com, GameSpot, and other reviews
didn't do this game justice. While it has its problems (most of which slap you
in the face right off the bat), I think it's much better than it's being given
credit for.

Okay, that's off my chest. I played about an hour into the game, then I
realized, "Hey! I could do an FAQ about this! Woo hoo!" So I started the game
over, and I wrote as I played.

I'm going to assume you've read the manual at least enough to know how to walk
and all that basic stuff. After the end of this tiny section, I jump into the
game, so if you want character bios, this isn't the place, although I'll offer
my own comments about personalities and such along the way. For example, if
there's something particularly stupid in the diaglogue, I'll make a note of it.
Feel free to submit your own!

This FAQ is designed to take you from the very beginning to the very end in 52
game days. There are spoilers all over the place, including plot lines, so
don't say I didn't warn you.

One thing I pride myself on is making complete, accurate, and detailed
instructions on how to get from point A to point B. I can't stand FAQs that
simply say, "You need to be here, so go here and follow the path." Well, that
path may have a million intersections, and I don't like getting lost. If you
ever do get lost, e-mail me and I'll make sure to fix the directions for the
next update.

I used Bodi Anderson's FAQ on this game (also available at GameFAQs) as a
reference, although his is for the Japanese version.

My strategy may differ from yours. If you have anything to add, by all means
e-mail it my way. This game is EXTREMELY non-linear after day 5, so you can do
most of what I did in a different order and still be okay. If you have a better
suggestion of how to do things, e-mail it to me, and I may put it in the next
update. You'll get credit where it's due, yada yada.

Enough of that, it's game time!

+----------------------------+
|1a. The Golden Rules of RPGs|
+----------------------------+

Three simple rules that dictate play in any and all role-playing games. Read
'em, memorize 'em, and practice 'em.

1. Talk to everybody.

2. Explore everything.

3. Search everywhere.



+----------------+
|+--------------+|
||2. WALKTHROUGH||
|+--------------+|
+----------------+

+-----+
|Intro|
+-----+

Let's see... eject button... disc in... loading up... yay! Title screen!

Okay, if you're a fan of the Final Fantasy series (or, really, any other RPG
series out there), I recommend you head to the options, then choose Battle
Config, then turn off Command Memory. This has the same effect as the Cursor
Memory option of FF games, and I don't really like it. Then again, if you do,
by all means leave it.

Choosing start... now loading... wow! Shakespeare!

So there's this boat in the ocean. It looks small enough to fit inside my
living room.

Okay, our orange-haired hero is riding this boat and heading to Pandule Island.
He wakes up as a seaman tells him the island is just over the bend. Apparently,
he's been asked to write this happy song for a royal wedding.

Pattimo, the lute that our hero has on his back, starts talking (maybe our hero
got a really bad case of motion sickness; I know that when I do, the ship
itself starts talking back to me). Pattimo makes some off-hand (is that
off-string?) comment about our hero getting too distracted by women, and that
he really should try to behave on Pandule. Yeah, right, I can already see where
this is heading.

The ship lands; our hero disembarks, and is told he'll be picked up in six
days. Sounds like a plan.

After that, you get manual control, but as you walk south, you'll be forced
into another automatic converation with seaman Kyte, some jabroni that's
holding a swordfish. Moments later (while still in automatic control), you run
into Royal Guard Rummy, a strawberry blond who apparently doesn't like wearing
too much. Gotta love animé.

Anyway, you finally get to name your hero... The default name is Mouse?
Blech... Oh well, I always stick with defaults. No one named Pyro will be
running around this island, I can tell you that.

(The game zooms in on Rummy here. It's funny, when you look at anyone straight
on, their nose seems to disappear.) Apparently, Rummy is Mouse's guide on the
island. She'll lead you to the inn while talking, and everything is still in
auto control. She gives you a bit of info about the island, like the fact that
there's only 400 people there, and that everyone is going nutty with
preperations for the wedding.

As they continue, you learn that Sir Xelpherpolis is marrying the princess,
which does sound like a pretty darn important event. Immediately after, Pattimo
makes a comment about Rummy's breasts (which, I'm sure you've noticed, have
been merrily bouncing this whole time). Man, games have changed in the past
decade.

Rummy and Mouse make their way to the inn, and Rummy shows Mouse to the room.
She says that she'll escort you to the palace at 5 PM, but you're free wander
the city while you wait. She then leaves, and Pattimo and Mouse again strike up
a conversation. That thing makes me nervous, but apparently Rummy makes IT
nervous. It wonders whether Rummy has a private adgenda, and warns you not to
let your guard down.

Then it reveals that apparently Mouse is not only a good musician, but a thief
as well. With the island in chaos over the event, swiping valuables should be
no big challenge, in theory.

Then, the inn keeper pops into your room and talks your ears off. He finally
goes away, indirectly giving you a piece of map (accessed by hitting the Select
button).

Finally, you get freedom.

+-----+
|Day 1|
+-----+

Off the bat, search the other two rooms carefully for items. You get your first
chance to save when you exit the inn; from what I can tell, you can save
anytime you're not in a building or dungeon. I would just like to state for the
record that I love "save anywhere, anytime" games.

Hmm... it seems that every house has at least one item to swipe. Not too bad.
Just make sure to search every nook and cranny inside the houses if you enter
them. The townspeople don't have anything too important to say, but Golden Rule
#1 still holds merit.

Quotable quote #1: "Drinkers always want to drink. They just want to always be
drinking!" ~Aldon's Brother

Anyway, explore to your heart's content. Make mental notes and directions so
you can get to the mall and Pubilc Office whenever you need to. The former lets
you buy items and weapon upgrades for Mouse, and latter is a source of money
soon, which I'll explain in a second. At 5 PM, Rummy finds you no matter where
you are and escorts you to the palace, making automatic control kick in again.

You and Rummy meet General Bagoth at the palace doors. Sir Xelpherpolis is
waiting for everyone, so you're led to his throne room. (He looks like a nicer
version of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, I notice.) He talks a bit, giving
everyone a bit of Mouse's past and reputation. He repeats his request that
Mouse write and perform a song for the wedding, knowing full well that 5 days
is a bit unreasonable.

After agreeing to perform (you're forced into it), Xelpherpolis -- you know
what, I'm going to call him Xel from now on -- Xel declares you a friend and
offers to pay you 100,000 gold once the wedding is done with. He pays you 10%
in advance now.

Just then, Princess Loreille enters the scene. She's the chick on the front
cover of the game, and she, like Rummy, thinks clothes are out of style and
skin is in, and I'm certainly not complaining. For some reason, I have this
thing for animé chicks with that aqua-colored hair. Bah, I still think Rummy is
hotter.

Um, ahem, anyway... Mouse is completely overcome by Loreille's beauty and drops
Pattimo on the ground. Loreille silently picks it up for Mouse, then hands it
to them. As they both hold it, Mouse is inspired for his song.

Now, I'm gong to interject here and explain how this lute-playing thing works,
because I don't think the game did a good enough job at it.

First off, hit select to bring up options, and choose controller type. Four
buttons will be used, but you'll need extremely nimble fingers. Still, I
recommend the default control type.

Anyway, the way this works... see those three vertical columns on the left? As
the song plays, lines (the measures of the song) will scroll up from the
bottom, and sections will be colored. What you have to do is hold the correct
button matching the section. Then, as the color lines up with the colored bar
near the top of the column, you hit the pick button.

For example, the first note is colored red. So you'd hold L2, lighting up that
entire column. As the note hits the red bar near the top, you would hit Circle
to pluck the guitar and make the note. Of course, that's all under the type-A
control scheme. Your buttons may vary. Watch out for the very last note since
you'll need to hold all three buttons at once, which is a weird task in the
type-C and type-D schemes.

Man, if only Rummy and Bagoth are clapping, they're sure making a lot of noise.
Anyway, don't worry if you totally bomb this on your first attempt (I certainly
did), because you can practice anytime afterwards. However, if you do
exceptionally poorly, Xel will take back some of his advance. Do exceptionally
well, and he'll give you a small raise.

After the impromptu performance, an angry Rummy escorts Mouse out of the
palace. She's a bit jealous of Loreille... I thought it was because my crappy
performance. You get your manual control back, and now you can practice the
song anytime you wish by accessing Pattimo through the item screen.

Anyway, now you can explore the city again. Remember I told you to keep the
location of the Public Office in mind? To get your advance, head to the Public
Office building on your map and talk to Cofotober, the guy on the east wall.

Now that you have some money, it's time to go shopping. Exit the building and
go southwest a little to the intersection, then take the west path. The road is
linear if you ignore all the buildings. The road will turn south, then it will
turn west again. After it makes that west turn, a building will be on the south
side of the road. Enter; this is where you can buy Antidotes and other
status-restoring potions. Don't worry about buying anything now, but make sure
you remember where this building is. You'll need a bunch of Antidotes
eventually.

After that, I recommend you buy Live Berries (northwest building of the mall)
and upgrade Mouse's weapon once (south-central building of the mall). Although
the weapon is a high priority, those antidotes and Live Berries are a little
more important at the moment.

After you have your stuff, keep on exploring. Start where you left off and keep
pillaging the poor people. If you get antsy and want to hurry to the next
event, head back to the inn and check your bed. You can sleep and advance the
clock there by a few hours.

+-----+
|Day 2|
+-----+

At either midnight (if you stayed up) or when you wake up, Pattimo will suggest
that you head to the palace. You're forced into it, but you don't have to worry
about walking there since you're teleported automatically. You begin at the
entrance of the palace, so move around and get a feel for the place.

Eventually, you'll want to head to the throne room. It's on the second floor,
and stairs are provided toward the northwestern corner of the first floor. In
the throne room, Pattimo and Mouse look around but find nothing to steal.
Pattimo suggests that you "look over there," although it doesn't tell you what
exactly "there" is.

On the north end of the throne room, you can head east or west, though you
won't get anywhere important if you go east. When you finally do head through
the northwest door, follow the extremely linear path to Loreille's bedroom. You
automatically walk out onto her balcony to find her staring out at the starry
sky. Pattimo starts talking out loud, and it notices that Loreille doesn't seem
to care that Mouse just broke into the room (or the fact that the thing is
talking at all).

For the first time, Loreille speaks, and calls the island paradise a prison.
Hmm... She then walks away, and Pattimo tells Mouse that they should leave.
That seemed rather pointless. You're deposited at the castle entrance at the
base of her tower, and you can go back in... You can't talk to Loreille any
more, though. I hate it when they keep secrets from me.

Anyway, you get freedom, so go exploring.

Quotable quote #2: "People who take things are thieves." ~from a piece of paper
inside a treasure box in the NE part of town

At a hair before 6 AM (again assuming you stayed up and explored), you're
thrown back to your room. The innkeeper whishes you good morning, then tells
you that the Holy Gem ceremony is happening today. Pattimo suggests you go.
Sounds like a plan.

At the beach where the event supposedly will take place, all is quiet and empty
with no one in sight. Well, not until Mouse looks over to his right, anyway.
Standing in the water is Rummy, wearing even less than normal. She says that
the ceremony starts at 8 AM and is held a bit north of where you're now
standing. She then decides to escort you, which just makes the day that much
better.

As you head north, you enter your first fight. Rummy is strong enough to kill
it herself, but she'll comment on how strong Mouse is whether he actually did
anything.

I'm interjecting here again. Now that battles come into play, I want to talk
about the styles (or stances, as I call them). Before and during each fight,
you can select what stance you want your fighters to take: offensive,
defensive, or balanced. Offensive gives you more attack, but you take more
damage. Defensive does the opposite, and balanced lies somewhere in between.
Through most of these early stages of the game, I recommend a balanced stance,
although you can probably get away with an offensive stance, especially if
you're packing plenty of Live Berries to heal HP.

You can pick up a D.H. Egg in a treasure box on the west end of beach (head
down to the Confirmed Information for more about D.H. Eggs, but reailze that
there are a million spoilers in that section). Within a few seconds, it will be
time for the Holy Gem Ceremony, and you'll be transported there automatically.

Some weird funky magic happens as mummies do pelvic dances, and eventually the
Holy Gem appears after Loreille, who is looking absolutely stoned, passes out.
It's times like this that you just stare at a game and say "Oookaaayyy..."

After the ceremony, General Bagoth talks to Mouse and asks him to be at the
palace in the afternoon. Don't worry, like usual, you'll be transported there
automatically when the time comes. Rummy, the ever curious one, wants to know
what's going on, but doesn't stick around to pry. You're left alone with the
talking banjo again, and you're given freedom to explore the forest. Explore it
at your leisure, and make sure to level up as much as possible. Ignore
Pattimo's request to head back to the inn; fighting is more important.

After the cutscenes, run south a bit, then turn west into the grassy plain.
Keep heading southwest until you find a sign post in the middle of the plain,
then head north to the farmers' house. In the house, you can find another map
piece, this one for your immediate area in the forest, in the little bookshelf
by the beds. (There's another set of houses nearby to the east, but they don't
contain any map piece.)

At 11:30, Pattimo warns that you probably shouldn't go to the palace, but
realizes that you're going to go anyway. At 1 PM, Pattimo says that it's time
to go talk to the general, and you're teleported there automatically.

At the palace, you find Rummy in one of her really ticked off moods again.
("Unfortunately, I'll be escorting you," she says. It's not unfortunate to me!)
She escorts you to Bagoth's chambers anyway, where he greets you happily. He
asks Rummy to fetch the two of you drinks, then mentions how she's always angry
at everything. Bagoth leads Mouse to a different room before Rummy gets back,
leaving her even more angry than how she started.

Bagoth confides in you that he's been sensing evil approaching the island, and
he asks if you think he's crazy. I answered yes, because I'm mean like that. He
leaves you alone, giving you freedom to explore, and Pattimo suggests we get
the heck off the island. Well, we shouldn't do anything that rash yet... so for
now, let's explore the castle.

Within a few steps of leaving the little area, you're attacked. Pattimo wonders
aloud what the creature is, but lets it pass. I assure you that all the enemies
in this place are realatively easy, as long as you avoid the offensive stance
since you'll take mediocre amounts of damage. I just stayed balanced and
performed well.

Anyway, now you can explore the castle. The paths are generally linear, but you
could get lost. The shortest route to the exit from your starting position is
to head west, go down the stairs, follow the hallway around, north at the next
intersection, go down those stairs, then just said straight south. However, I
stick around a bit, grabbing items and talking everyone, not to mention
leveling up. Of course, it's up to you.

If you head through the east path closest to the palace entrance, then enter
the room on the east edge, one of the soldiers there will give you a map piece.
It's not that detailed, but hey, it's something.

At precisely 5 PM, Rummy appears out of nowhere no matter where you are. She
invites you to join her at the restaurant in town at 7:30 PM and provides you
with a map. Unlike the events so far, you are NOT teleported there
automatically when the time comes. If you're on the other side of the palace,
you need to hurry to the exit to get to the restaurant in time. I would suggest
that you save, just in case you don't make it and need to do a second attempt.
I timed that it takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to get from the castle entrance to
the restaurant if you run full speed, don't make wrong turns, and don't talk to
anybody. Therefore, the absolute latest you can leave the palace is at 6:20,
and that's cutting it close. If you get there early, I'd suggest practicing the
song. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes.

Okay, here's how to get to the restaurant. Exit the castle, then cut through
the town square. Exit the square from the southwestern exit, then head north
immediately (like you're going to the Public Office). Turn east at the next
entrance and pass under the bridge, then take the first north. Go up the little
ramp, then head east (the only way you can). After the next section loads, keep
going east. The road will end and turn north, then give you another
intersection. Go north, then turn east when you come to the next T-section.
You'll pass a little well on the north side of the road, and the next building
you see is the restaurant. (Double-check your map to find the exact place.)

In any event, once you're in the restaurant and 7:30 rolls around, Rummy
appears at a table. You sit with her, dine, and can ask her questions about
Loreille, Xel, the wedding, or Rummy herself. If you want the most information,
choose Loreille last and choose the others repeatedly until she starts
repeating herself.

Once you're ready to continue (or if you're in a hurry to just get on with it),
ask her about Loreille twice to trigger the next event. Rummy gets rather mad
again and walks out to the balcony, where Mouse follows her. There's a short
dialogue exchanged, then Rummy leaves. It's 8 PM, and you again have the
freedom to explore. You may want to get the piece of map on the east side of
town. It's held by a peace-keeping officer inside the church, which is two
buildings south of the restuarant.

Things are getting a little creepy on the island, so let's take Pattimo's
suggestion of getting out of here (just humor me). Once you get the map piece,
exit the church and head east. Cross the stone bridge and follow the road
around as it eventually heads south. At the intersection, keep going south, and
you'll go down a small ramp. You'll be on some dirt in an area behind some
houses if you're on the right track. Cut west between the buildings until you
find the cobblestone road, then turn south. This road is linear for a long
while before giving you an intersection. At it, go west, then keep following
the road north. At the next intersection, go west down the little ramp. At the
next intersection, go south. Yet again the road become extremely linear. Take
the west turn when you get to the T-section, and you'll be back at the harbor
that you started the whole adventure on. Keep going west, and you'll enter
automatic control.

Mouse sees a guy sleeping on the job, so he sneaks past him and heads to a
little red rowboat. Mouse heads out to see, thinking about things, and Pattimo
notices that the boat didn't get very far before turning around. Loreille's
words about the island being a prison come back to haunt Mouse. He decides to
just head back to island, and you're given manual control.

+-----+
|Day 3|
+-----+

It's now 6 AM, and we need to book it back to the inn. From the harbor, go
east, and take the north path at the intersection. The cobblestone road is
linear for a long time, then you reach a familiar T-section. Go north here,
then turn west when the cobblestone road shortly ends. Wind your way through
all the tents and everything, and you'll eventually cross a stone bridge. Keep
going west through the mall and town square, then head north as if you're
heading to the Public Office. Go east, pass under the bridge, and jump into the
inn just beside you.

Talk to Rinna's father from across the desk. He mentions that the bandits are
active, so the town is a bit dangerous at night. After a few more warnings,
Rinna, the innkeeper's daughter, pops up from nowhere and offers to give you a
tour of the island. Go for it.

She'll show you several places in the town, then take you to her "special
place" (it's an area in the forest, you sick pervert!). There, you'll have to
perform the song for her. You don't get or lose anything no matter how well you
do, but it's nice to have a high score and to hear Rinna's applause.

After the song, the Holy Crown Ceremony commences near the clearing. Rinna
leads Mouse to it. The mummies do more of their pelvic dances, Loreille passes
out again, and a gold crown appears on the pedestal. After that, you get to
explore and fight in the forest. Rinna will assist you in fights, but be
careful with her, because she's a total wussie. You may want to keep her in a
defensive stance; she's not all that strong on offense anyway. I mean, just how
much damage CAN you do with a mop?

By the way, immediately after you get manual control back, head northeast. In a
treasure box there obscured slightly by the trees will be a map piece. You
should also head back to Rinna's special place to grab the treasure box you saw
when you performing the song for her. Hit Select to bring up the map piece you
just got. Her special place is that little clearing in the southeast corner of
the map.

Anyway, run around the forest leveling up until 4 PM when you'll be teleported
automatically back to the inn. Rinna departs to get ready for the Dancing
Ceremony, and the innkeeper says that your presence is requested at the castle
for the wedding reception, but it's not for a few hours.

You're free to do as you please. At 6 PM, it starts raining, but dancers appear
in the town square along with a bunch of people anyway. The citizens have some
nifty things to say, some of which is of course totally pointless. However,
you're still not due at the castle for another hour, so just explore or relax.

When 7 PM rolls around, a Lady of the Court will appear and teleport you to the
palace automatically. There, Xel publicly thanks everyone for supporting him,
then summons Loreille to appear in her wedding dress. (Isn't that bad luck?)
She is, of course, stunning, although she has one funky hat.

Unfortunately, the party is crashed by bandits, led by their leader, Gallhint.
During the battle, Loreille says that the whole thing is staged and that Xel
would win by stabbing the leader in the chest. It happens that way exactly,
with the stab accompanied by a fountain of blood. Xel reveals for apparently no
reason that he's actually controlling the people on the island, and everyone
eventually forgets their identity to act how Xel himself chooses. In other
words, not only does Xel LOOK like Sephiroth, he's just as evil.

You're left to wander around on your own.

+-----+
|Day 4|
+-----+

At just a hair before 6 AM, you're thrown into a cutscene with Ano, the magic
scientist. He makes a comment about the Sacred Sword, and then the scene cuts
again to Xel and Loreille on her balcony. We find out a bit more just how
detestable Xel is. After that, the scene changes back to Mouse, wherever you
were standing when the scenes started, and you're free to explore again.

At some point in the morning, if you head to the castle, you'll trigger an
event. Xel more or less threatens you, although he does it in such a way that
you can't just bash him over the head with Pattimo, although that would
certainly be a nice option right now. Anyway, Ano pops up, informing Xel of a
few problems with the Sacred Sword because the Demon Reactor is having issues.
Ano leaves after making his report, and Xel invites you to dinner with him that
night since it'll be the only chance you have to see all the treasures up close
and personal. He says that the dinner in the castle is as 8 PM, and then he
leaves you in peace to wander everywhere again.

Immediately, go west along the path past plants. You'll pass Loreille's tower,
and after you take a few more steps, you'll see the princess herself in a
cutscene. She dismisses her aides and is left alone with Mouse. She asks you
what you want from her, and either choice more or less produces the same
answer. Either way, she basically says that Xel can't be stopped, and we're all
screwed. We'll see about that!

You're free to wander around again now, and there's a quick stop we need to
make. From the castle, go south so you cross the long bridge and fly down the
stairs. Bear west around the town square, then go north as soon as you can (as
if you're going to the Public Office). Turn east and keep running, going PAST
the inn. At the end of the road to the north side is a gray stone building.
Enter this, then talk to the guy in the back of the room. He'll thank you for
being a tourist, then he'll give you a Monster Chart, accessible through the
Item menu. This is a record of the monsters you've fought, although it's pretty
darn empty at the moment. You won't be able to get more info for the monsters
for a long time, but I'll mention it when we get there.

Now you're free to do as you please until 7:30 PM, when a nameless royal guard
will appear and escort you to the palace automatically for the dinner. Rummy is
there to serve drinks, but Xel senses something and takes Loreille's drink away
from her, then orders Rummy to drink it herself. Rummy tosses the blue glass
away, which bursts into flames (that's some powerful stuff). Rummy is taken
away for her attempted murder, although Xel doesn't seem too concerned.
Loreille isn't pleased, but Xel insists that everyone is going to end up being
his puppets. What a nice guy!

An explosion in the Demon Reactor sends Mouse scurrying to the scene. Many are
dead, including Geneal Bagoth. He managed to save the Sacred Sword though, so
it's not all bad... Although, he was a nice guy. Pity we couldn't get him on
our side.

You have freedom, and you can even walk into the building that just exploded.
However, there's nothing inside the building except for enemies. Then again,
you could always hunt around here to gain a few levels and some money. As
always, it's up to you.

+-----+
|Day 5|
+-----+

At about 6 AM, you get a cut scene of Xel, happy that this is the day of his
wedding. Immediately after, you get control of Mouse again.

Sometime between noon and 6 PM, head to the castle. Take the little stone road
that goes west right before the first planter. Walk on the grass near the
tower, and Pattimo will make an off-hand comment about being under Loreille's
room.

Freeze, then go to your Items list. Whip out Pattimo and play Impression, the
only song you have. No matter how you do, a short dialogue will go between
Mouse and Loreille, and you'll get a new song, Love Grow! (It doesn't SAY you
got it, but if you go to Pattimo through the Item screen, you'll see that it's
there.) Don't take a step, immediately play the new song. You'll get ANOTHER
cut scene with Loreille, who tosses down a flower.

Now you're free to explore until 8 PM, when a scene in the town square is
shown. The dancers keep dancing, and fireworks light the sky as the cloth on
the statue finally comes off to reveal a stupid large stony version of Xel.
That guy's ego is so huge, I'm not sure how his head fits on his body. Anyway,
you're again free to explore until 10 till 9, when Pattimo says that it's time
to give Xel a new present.

The wedding gets underway, with Loreille not looking too pleased about the
whole thing. The crowd happily applauds at everything as a spotlight falls on
Mouse. Here, you have to perform a new song called Eternal Love, which is
similar to but much longer than the original Impression. I absolutely bombed my
first attempt. Here was my score:

Rank: D
Great: 96
Good: 61
Bad: 81
Max Combo: 37
Score: 1610400

The crowd applauds for you, no matter how badly you did. As Mouse goes up to
shake Xel's hand, the former sees his chance and pulls his sword out. However,
Xel is too quick, and he grabs the Sacred Sword to block, completely warding
the attack. A few words are exchanged, and the guards come rushing while the
crowd becomes panicked.

Loreille tries to cheer you on, but Xel says that it's too late to fight. Mouse
and Loreille look around to see everything frozen. A fight commences between
you and Xel, but it's a fixed fight that you WILL lose. Don't fret, it's part
of the storyline.

Anyway, you see the island getting washed over with Xel's evil magic as Mouse
gets frozen himself.

The screen goes black for a moment. When it clears, Mouse is... on the boat
that had dropped him off??? He's told that he's arrived at his destination, and
is thrown off onto the docks. The boat disappears in a haze as it sails away.
Things are getting weird.

+-----+
|Day 6|
+-----+

Just like last time, seaman Kyte talks to you after a few seconds. The
conversation proceeds exactly as it had in day 1. Pattimo and Mouse realize
what's going on with the time, though Mouse plays along as if it had none of
this happened before. Rummy comes up, bouncing all the way, and repeats what
she said the first time through. As Pattimo points out, everything that
happened on the first day is simply repeating itself. It's at this point that I
thank Konami for putting in the fast forward button to speed the cutscenes. The
only real difference is that Mouse cuts off Pattimo before it finishes its
comment about Rummy's breasts. Ah well, at least she doesn't walk away as mad
this time.

Once she escorts you to your room at the inn and leaves, Pattimo updates you on
the situation. It explains it better than I ever could. In short, you need to
start your journey early and prevent little mistakes the islanders make. Your
reward will be additional people on your side who manage to remember
everything, in theory. (Of course, in theory, you were supposed to leave the
island yesterday, and you weren't supposed to be attacked by a ruthless evil
guy.) By the way, any item you had at the end of Day 5 is gone (aside from
equippable items and map pieces), but any that you've swiped from houses are
back in their drawers or cupboards or wherever.

You are free to explore the place until 5 PM, when again Rummy will come for
you and teleport you to the castle to meet with Xel for the "first" time. This
time, Mouse doesn't drop Pattimo when Loreille appears, but the conversation
happens as if nothing changed. She touches hands with Mouse, and he plays.
Here, you can select which song you want to play. I go with Impression since,
you know, it's the easiest of the three. If you've been practicing, you should
be able to absolutely tear up the song. Don't forget to collect your advance at
the Public Office.

+-----+
|Day 7|
+-----+

It seems that now you're on full exploration mode. You need to find some allies
and get stronger so you can fight Xel. Sounds like a good idea.

Let's see, the first thing that happened after day 1 is... *scrolls up his FAQ*
... Pattimo suggested that you go to the castle. Well, nothing happened there
except that Loreille called you a prisoner of the island. I doubt we can
recruit her, so let's pass on that. The next event was... Ah! It was the whole
Holy Gem Ceremony! We met up with Rummy, who then took us to the event. Since
we know that she's going swimming, maybe we can beat her to the beach. Make
sure to stock up on Live Berries and Antidotes before heading out, you'll need
them.

For the first time, you'll encounter enemies that can poison you. The poison
status sticks after a battle, but it only damages you when you're actually
fighting. Every few seconds, a chunk of your HP is taken, but the game won't
tell you how much. If you get poisoned (maybe that should be, WHEN you get
poisoned), always try to do quick attacks. If you're in the middle of a long
attack, HP will still be taken away during the animation, and it can be a total
killer, so be careful.

You'll need to get to the beach by 6 AM. I timed that I could make it in about
3 hours (remember, battles don't take game time), so you'll need to leave no
later than 3 AM. To get to the beach from the city, you need to take a path as
east as possible. Head to the inn, it's a good starting point. From there, go
west, and take the first path north up the little ramp. Follow that road as
east as possible. Eventually, you'll have to take a short turn to end up going
east again. If you're heading the right way, you'll cross the river on a stone
bridge. The road will come to an end, and it'll turn south. Go ahead and head
south with it, turning east at the little garden.

Now here, instead of following the road, keep going east behind the building. A
tiny path will be there that will lead you into the forest. This is around the
area where you saw the Holy Crown Ceremony, but you're still a bit away from
the beach. Follow the dirt trail south, around the bend, and east. When you
come to an intersection, head east, then follow the dirt path north. Keep an
eye out for a small dirt path on the east edge of the forest: that's what you
want to head to. After that, follow the dirt path as northeast as you can.
You'll eventually stumble onto a piece of map in a treasure box! Keep heading
northeast, following along the coastline of the river. You'll be able to
recognize the exact part of the beach by a small pile of brown rocks (where
Rummy hid behind to change clothes). Once you make it, chill for awhile or
fight around to get some money. Those weapon upgrades are expensive!

At 6 AM, Rummy will appear there. Mouse explains what's going on, but Rummy
doesn't believe him, not that I can blame her. ("So, uh, the time is doing the
thing like in the movie Groundhog Day. No really, it is!") She gets ticked off,
changes clothes, then says that she'll escort you to the ceremony anyway.
There's no period of fighting this time, you are teleported immediately. You
watch the Holy Gem Ceremony again, and General Bagoth again comes to ask you if
you'd speak to him at the castle. Rummy promises to pick you up after noon
again.

Just like on Day 2, at exactly 1 PM you'll be teleported to the castle
automatically. There's no new dialogue until the General asks you whether you
think he's crazy. This time, I chose "No." Mouse goes through the trouble of
explaining things to Bagoth, but the General doesn't believe him. Pattimo
suggests that you show him proof, like foretelling something that will happen
in the next few days. Sounds good, keep it in mind.

(I just had a chilling thought... does this mean that a talking guitar is the
brains behind the good guys? That's not too reassuring.) You're free to wander
around the castle. At 5 PM, whether you're in the castle or not, Rummy will
appear and give you the invitation to dinner that night at 7:30. Again, you
won't be teleported automatically, so get there early.

The dinner goes a little different this time, with Rummy getting absolutely
drunk off her cute little butt, and she poses a question to you: whether you
think she's attractive, especially compared to the Princess. How can you say
that those gorgeous green eyes are unattractive? I can't, I'll tell you! The
problem is, Rummy doesn't believe it. Bah.

Rummy passes out moments later, and Mouse does the gentleman thing, walking her
(well, practically carrying her) to her house. A short cut scene ensues, and
when it finished, almost 12 hours passed. Remember where Rummy's house is, I
use it as a reference point several more times.

Anyway, once she's home, Rummy softly says (once Mouse has left), that if he
really can tell what's going to happen in the future, he should stop her from
doing what she's planning. Well, we know she's going to try to explode
Loreille. It will fail, but she doesn't know that yet. Keep that in mind, we
can prepare to do it later this week.

+-----+
|Day 8|
+-----+