RyougaSaotome
Member
Welcome, children of the womb, to my LTTP thread for a game that I have been wanting to play ever since discovering that I wanted to play it.
Welcome to the LTTP Growlanser I thread. "I" as in the number "1," as in "numer uno," as in "konnichiwa."
Yes, the one that never got localized into the English languagiano. The one that time forget (except it didn't shut up).
Welcome to Tippi's Wild Ride.
So for a little bit of context, I made this LTTP thread for Growlanser IV a little over a month ago. After years and years of sitting on the series, I decided to finally play my Japanese copy of the PSP re-release, and ended up spending the following month adoring it. Much to my own surprise, series fans (hi Aeana) would stress to me that I absolutely had to go back and play the original Growlanser (the PSP remake), because while IV is good, the OG is a genuine PSX classic ass masterpiece classic diggity dang dong.
Needless to say, I was excited.
But after the hellish gauntlet that was the last few missions in GIV, I felt like I needed to put some time between games, so I picked up Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology and figured I'd play through that first. Five hours into that, and I could resist temptation no longer. To the Japanese PSN store I went, and it was there that money was spent.
I decided to make this LTTP thread early into my time with the game (I'm literally but a single hour in), and much to my surprise, there's already lots to talk about. I hope you'll listen. With your eyes. That read the text? I don't know what I'm saying.
The first thing that jumped out at me upon booting up the game was this lovely PSX era anime opening that gets me in the mood for a classic like no other.
Look at this opening.
Shout outs to the MC who has decided that he's going to start a new trend for how to wear jackets. Boy gives zero fucks. Respekt.
Anyway, the second thing that immediately leapt out to me was HOW MUCH BETTER THE OST IS THAN IV's. Noriyuki Iwadare is an incredible composer and it's so nice to go back to a game I missed and be confronted with brand new Iwadare beats.
Don't mind me, I'm just chilling to some SMOOTH FUCKING BEATS PLAYUH.
The third thing that leapt out at me was how much better the game looks when compared to IV. This is probably the weirdest change, simply because both games use 2D sprites. But what Growlanser does differently is that it doesn't do the weird prerendered shit that IV does, which means those old school backgrounds still look fantastic even today. I love it.
But perhaps the most important impression the game made on me was in its first big sequence, in which MC is given some cash to go out and get ready for his super duper cool trip. Mom is all "Hey something something the apocalypse take some money and have fun!" Tippi, your hateful sidekick fairy that wants to see you burn in hell, accompanies you on your trip into town, and you quickly discover that the place it FILLED with people who have no fucking idea how to live their lives.
"I'm looking for a weird store I heard about!" says a man. You lead him to an alleyway in which a proud shopkeeper proudly proclaims his shop to be in the most inconveniently located place ever. You bump into a girl who wants to shop for weapons but hurt her leg. She begs you to PUSH her up the stairs??? You intervene in a scuffle between two dudes in love with the same girl. They both end up getting rejected and then falling in love with a guardswoman on the eastern edge of town. You play with some kids who have their names erased because they're too difficult to say out loud. Thieves, treasure chest hunts, and old dudes who apparently have zero sense of direction are the order of the day.
So after you do all these things (successfully or unsuccessfully), you do your shopping and head back home, where you discover that Tippi has been monitoring and timing your every action. Did you take the drink that was sitting on the table in the empty storefront? Did you help people the right way? Did you take your sweet ass time? Tippi digs into you endlessly, and you soon discover that your actions in this opening section determine what your stats are.
It's fucking character creation.
I. Lost. My. Shit.
The whole sequence reminded me a lot of that opening bit in Chrono Trigger, only here it's integrated directly into the gameplay. And even better? If you think you could have gotten things done better, the game allows you to try again from the top without reseting. Smart game design.
So needless to say, I'm EXTREMELY excited to dig into this classic, and while I don't expect this thread to get much traffic (only a handful of people here have played this), I do hope to post my progress and get as many people interested into the series as possible. This is shaping up to be an amazing ride.
Just remember: this is Tippi's world. We just live in it.
Welcome to the LTTP Growlanser I thread. "I" as in the number "1," as in "numer uno," as in "konnichiwa."
Yes, the one that never got localized into the English languagiano. The one that time forget (except it didn't shut up).
Welcome to Tippi's Wild Ride.
So for a little bit of context, I made this LTTP thread for Growlanser IV a little over a month ago. After years and years of sitting on the series, I decided to finally play my Japanese copy of the PSP re-release, and ended up spending the following month adoring it. Much to my own surprise, series fans (hi Aeana) would stress to me that I absolutely had to go back and play the original Growlanser (the PSP remake), because while IV is good, the OG is a genuine PSX classic ass masterpiece classic diggity dang dong.
Needless to say, I was excited.
But after the hellish gauntlet that was the last few missions in GIV, I felt like I needed to put some time between games, so I picked up Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology and figured I'd play through that first. Five hours into that, and I could resist temptation no longer. To the Japanese PSN store I went, and it was there that money was spent.
I decided to make this LTTP thread early into my time with the game (I'm literally but a single hour in), and much to my surprise, there's already lots to talk about. I hope you'll listen. With your eyes. That read the text? I don't know what I'm saying.
The first thing that jumped out at me upon booting up the game was this lovely PSX era anime opening that gets me in the mood for a classic like no other.
Look at this opening.
Shout outs to the MC who has decided that he's going to start a new trend for how to wear jackets. Boy gives zero fucks. Respekt.
Anyway, the second thing that immediately leapt out to me was HOW MUCH BETTER THE OST IS THAN IV's. Noriyuki Iwadare is an incredible composer and it's so nice to go back to a game I missed and be confronted with brand new Iwadare beats.
Don't mind me, I'm just chilling to some SMOOTH FUCKING BEATS PLAYUH.
The third thing that leapt out at me was how much better the game looks when compared to IV. This is probably the weirdest change, simply because both games use 2D sprites. But what Growlanser does differently is that it doesn't do the weird prerendered shit that IV does, which means those old school backgrounds still look fantastic even today. I love it.
But perhaps the most important impression the game made on me was in its first big sequence, in which MC is given some cash to go out and get ready for his super duper cool trip. Mom is all "Hey something something the apocalypse take some money and have fun!" Tippi, your hateful sidekick fairy that wants to see you burn in hell, accompanies you on your trip into town, and you quickly discover that the place it FILLED with people who have no fucking idea how to live their lives.
"I'm looking for a weird store I heard about!" says a man. You lead him to an alleyway in which a proud shopkeeper proudly proclaims his shop to be in the most inconveniently located place ever. You bump into a girl who wants to shop for weapons but hurt her leg. She begs you to PUSH her up the stairs??? You intervene in a scuffle between two dudes in love with the same girl. They both end up getting rejected and then falling in love with a guardswoman on the eastern edge of town. You play with some kids who have their names erased because they're too difficult to say out loud. Thieves, treasure chest hunts, and old dudes who apparently have zero sense of direction are the order of the day.
So after you do all these things (successfully or unsuccessfully), you do your shopping and head back home, where you discover that Tippi has been monitoring and timing your every action. Did you take the drink that was sitting on the table in the empty storefront? Did you help people the right way? Did you take your sweet ass time? Tippi digs into you endlessly, and you soon discover that your actions in this opening section determine what your stats are.
It's fucking character creation.
I. Lost. My. Shit.
The whole sequence reminded me a lot of that opening bit in Chrono Trigger, only here it's integrated directly into the gameplay. And even better? If you think you could have gotten things done better, the game allows you to try again from the top without reseting. Smart game design.
So needless to say, I'm EXTREMELY excited to dig into this classic, and while I don't expect this thread to get much traffic (only a handful of people here have played this), I do hope to post my progress and get as many people interested into the series as possible. This is shaping up to be an amazing ride.
Just remember: this is Tippi's world. We just live in it.
