@brillpickle yes, that was it, thank you!
@ninjapresident I‘m basically at the very beginning. I’ve meandered around for an hour or maybe two just talking to everyone in the first few towns. The only things I‘ve purchased are two dogs I took a loan out by the suggestion of a villager. I don’t like the mindless combat so far and the prospect of spending more time grinding than it would for me to just start a new save file is annoying.
I guess my real question should be: Does the combat get interesting? If it doesn't the rest of a game just isn't enough of a draw for me to continue.
@Herb The combat can get interesting depending on how you‘d describe that word. Mechanically, it doesn’t evolve too much beyond what you‘re seeing, no. There’s a few extra little bits that will be revealed down the line but they don‘t fundamentally change much of anything. Conceptually though, it’s one of the most fascinating evolutions of JRPG battle structure I‘ve ever seen. There is one crucial point that doesn’t start showing itself until some way through the game: animals must stay alive in order to be captured. Overpowering animals will kill them for-real-dead and not grant any experience points. The conventional structure of JRPGs is to continue getting stronger and stronger and stronger still, for the sake of making battles faster and easier. Linda works in the opposite way, where getting stronger makes the main gameplay mechanic more difficult. Past a certain point in the game you‘ll be nearly one-shotting nearly everything, and the battles become not about dominance but about yielding. This especially gets tricky when extremely late-game locations start tossing around animals even weaker than those that appear in beginning areas. Animals become puzzles to solve rather than obstacles to overcome, a little UNDERTALE-esque in a way. The mechanics are simple but their applications are far from mindless. Admittedly, by the end of the game (I finished Scenario C a few nights ago) it does wind up getting a little tedious just because the game is so long between all the scenarios (though each scenario is different enough to not feel repetitive in terms of content). If you’re the kind of person to appreciate the more nuanced math-y aspects of RPG battles and weighing the marginally slight differences in numbers and stats between moves, characters, equipment, etc. it‘ll carry you through no problem. If you’re looking for something like the vast, colorful battle mechanics in any given classic Final Fantasy, this will absolutely wind up feeling exceptionally dry. There‘s a lot to love, but it does get a little long in the tooth and it’s not for everyone (or even all JRPG fans).
@Funbil I guess I would use the word interesting to describe any kind of combat that is roughly more than a pulse check. Uninteresting combat doesn‘t require me to engage meaningfully with any of the mechanics of the game, has no compelling decision making and is something that becomes a literal chore. If I find myself mulling over the fact that doing the dishes or laundry would be equally engaging and actually beneficial that’s when I have a problem with a game's combat.
From the way you describe it there's enough of a hook to make me push through and see more of the game. The game had worried about its' approach to things when Linda literally told me something like, "Go grind until you're level 3 and come back to me." JRPGs are my favorite genre - and aside from my love of Dragon Warrior I as a kid I can't stand games with compulsory grinding and "just hold the attack button down" combat.
@Herb To put you at ease: that‘s the only level check in the game (and it’s only in that scenario), and I‘m assuming it’s only there so players are forced to engage in and understand the combat before it starts layering on more ideas. Think of it as the mandatory Sakaguchi ATB boss. The rest of the game isn't like that!
I replayed this and yeah it still owns. Just did Scenario C this time since that‘s where the real game starts. I played trough the Saturn version in Japanese even though it’s been translated because I guess I'm a bit of a freak, and still remember enough of the story?? Uh.
Beat scenario c the other day for the first time, really really glad I played this weird game. Might try again w a guide to get all the animals but prob not for a while. >!Also tried and failed scenario d lol no thanks that's for freaks!!!<
Don't have too much to say cos I don't wanna just write a spoiler-laden bunch of things but I guess I'll just vaguely say I love how much is hiding in plain sight in this game, and I love the aforementioned "grinding might be bad actually" mechanics (>!even if it made me waste 2 hours trying & failing to get the mammal w/ 1hp in the temple, ugh that was annoying) (yes I know there's a trick to it but I didn't save my squirrel weapon and I couldn't even not kill squirrels at that point and time was short!!!<)
Y'all gotta use traps!!
I did not mess w traps enough! Will keep this in mind for round 2