Describe the way

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Describe the way

Postby demisX2 » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:50 pm

Tell me what the way is like
The end of the would is near with demis the destroyer
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Postby Dr. Casey » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:00 pm

I'll copy and paste a topic I made about the game at a different board.







Where do I even start on the best RPG series I've ever played? Hmm. I'll start with a quick rundown of the games.

Story

Episode 1: The Land Beneath the Sky - The land beneath the sky refers to The Way itself, the little world this game takes place in. We're introduced to our hero, Rhue, who's been searching for some odd-number of years for his old love, a girl who was washed downstream during a massacre that's very infamous on the Way. Rhue, at the start a fairly timid gentleman, has gotten used to a life of little sleep or rest in order to devote as much time to his search as he can. Rhue is introduced to the Plunge, a few new friends (although some of them seem to be rather shady... the Way is a pretty cutthroat place) and an enemy/rival. The plot of Episode 1 is fairly aimless, and to be honest it didn't impress too much when I first played it. It's by far the shortest, with average playtime being around an hour. I do like the somber atmosphere though, which comes as a result of little light being shed on the few characters which are introduced and the overall feeling of isolation. Rhue's spent a good deal of his life alone, driven only by the desire to be with that certain someone again.

Playable Characters: Rhue, Wes, Dana, Traziun, Gaius

Episode 2: Echoes of the Past Decry: The meaning of this title is left up to personal interpretation and not as concrete as the first game's was, but it's easy enough to come up with someone. Everyone has bad things in their past, after all. This episode is a tremendous improvement over the original. Rhue was the only character in the original to have any real definition, but the new characters and the old (excluding Strata, who doesn't receive the same treatment until Episode 4) are fleshed out very well, showcasing Lun's great writing far better than episode 1 did. The bulk of this one takes place in the western-themed town of Lide, where Rhue along with his new best friend, Traziun, bond and participate in a fighting tournament. It's the most relaxed and easygoing of the series, and considered by many to be the best. I can't really choose, though, since I love all of them too much. Other things to look forward to include Rhue coming into his own as a fighter, the introduction of Kloe, one of the series' most core characters (amongst other more minor ones), and some dark scenes late in the game that make me more sick than any other RPG ever has. In addition to all this, Rhue's personality seems to be going through a change...

Playable Character: Rhue, Traziun, Gaius, Kloe, Rhan

Episode 3: A Lost Love Carried On - I suppose the title refers to the series's main plotline, although you can make of it whatever you will. While the second game increased the series' scope, this one shrinks it back to focusing on a small amount of characters. That's not a bad thing, though. I rather like it. Continuing his quest forces Rhue to enter an uneasy alliance with Slade, an experienced swordsman (with green hair) a good ten years older that could kick Rhue's ass very easily if he so desired. The fun doesn't stop for Rhue, though; he also gets to hang out with another "friend", a mask-wearing woman that makes Slade seem like a friendly guy. Episode 3's main function is to introduce these characters and develop Rhue's relationship with them. It's not a very popular game going by the common opinion, but the common opinion often sucks, so. I like it since this is the largest role these guys get, having a good hour a piece dedicated to them.

Playable Characters: Rhue, Slade, Scatha, Traziun

Episode 4: Words to a Lonely Song - This is a very, very vague title. Make of it as you please. Rhue finds himself in Estrana, the largest city on the Way, where he stays for the entirety of the episode. No wandering around nature in this one. Estrana is a bustling town, with both good and bad characters alike coming to stay, but encounters with friends are few and far-between in his week-long stay; Rhue is forced to spend most of his time working for a shady organization that he's not entirely sure wants to keep him alive. Conspiracies and backstabbing abound, and Rhue enters into the thick of it only because it might help him with his search. A lot of these conspiracies center around the Grand Tournament, a fighting tournament which is currently being held in Estrana. For the first time, Rhue is expected to hold his own against high-class fighters - usually in the arena, but not always. In his spare time, Rhue is able to cultivate the love he feels with a certain girl he meets in the city. Overall, it's a brilliant piece of work; the second half of the series is in many respects on a higher level than the first, and that level begins to show itself with this one.

Playable Characters: Rhue, Kloe, Slade, Lexus, Stoyko, Dirk

Episode 5: Everyone Must Bleed - Umm... I don't think I need to explain this title. ^^; This is a pretty violent installment. No longer confined to the city of Estrana, Everyone Must Bleed takes Rhue to locales more exotic and riveting than anything the first four games had to offer. This is the episode where the series stops holding back; the story's coming to a close, after all, so it's only natural to no longer pull any stops. All the battles in the game are against key characters; no more fighting random minor charactes. Every major character in the series receives very significant development, and one particular scene involving Traziun is often credited as the most badass scene in RPG Maker history. I'd have to agree. I can't go into any detail since none of you have played it, but there's just so much that's profound about this game. It's amazing. This is my favorite of the series.

Playable Characters: Rhue, Kloe, Cetsa, Dirk, Scatha, Traziun, Gaius

Episode 6: Truth Hides Nothing - Rhue's quest comes to an end in the final episode. He learns the truth about himself and his past and, as the title states, nothing is hidden. This is a very unorthodox title (after the very conventional fifth episode lulls you into a sense of security), and the opinions on it aren't too good. Frankly, I almost hated it the first time I played it because it depressed the utter shit out of me. Rhue finds himself all alone in new territory; the old faces from the first five episodes barely get any screentime in this one, generally only appearing in one or two scenes each. Everything before the sixth episode feels detatched and like it's part of a completely different reality. I eventually came to appreciate this; it's not at all what I was expecting, but I love the isolated, almost apocalyptic feel of the game. It's incredibly atmospheric, and that's what caused me to dislike it when I first played it. (Well, that and the fact that it was on the same day that I asked this girl if she had a boyfriend and she said yes, but that's another story. =P) It's just plain unsettling. Once I was able to adjust to the drastic change in scenery, I was able to love it for the many things it does right. Episode 5 is still my favorite simply because the lack of the important characters in this one, while having its own sense of artistic integrity, can't beat the way the fifth game had them all in abundance; still, Episode 6 isn't to be underestimated. It struck a far deeper chord with me than anything else ever has. A brilliant end to the series.

Playable characters: I won't spoil this one, but it's certainly a rag-tag crew. You'd have never thought of this group of seven to get together. This is the only game where the player is able to pick their own party instead of having it be dictated by the storyline.

Well, that was fun. ^^; Now it's time to go over the playable characters. I'll use even more bold, because bold print kicks ass and stuff. I'll give the character's ages and a little bit of description; and, since Rhue basically is The Way, I'll tell a little bit about the character's relationship to Rhue (no real spoilers, though).

Major Characters

Rhue
Age: No specific age is given, but he's referred to in-game as being in his early twenties. I always thought that twenty-three fit him well.

The main character of the game; his plight has been outlined in my Episode 1 description. Starting off as a bright-eyed, gentle man, the events that transpire throughout the game slowly transform him into someone more sarcastic, cynical, cutthroat, fearless, violent, unfeeling, and disregardful (Is that a word?) of social norms. He's a very complex character, and for about a year was my favorite character from any story. He's an extremely passionate guy, and prefers having only a few close relationships to having a multitude of friends. He's also extremely strong emotionally, always able to carry on despite extreme duress.

The Girl
Age: No age is given. She's probably 'bout the same as Rhue.

I'm leaving her name out as it's not said until the second episode. The girl Rhue remembers vividly but can't find any trace of. There really aren't any limits Rhue places on his love for this girl; she's the driving force in his life and, unlike any other character, he sees her as beyond reproach.

Strata
Age: He's obviously in his twenties, but no age is given for this guy, either. I think he's older than Rhue, so I'll place him at age twenty-four.

Rhue's main rival and enemy; Strata is far, far, FAR stronger than Rhue (one of the strongest on the Way) and bullies him around simply because he doesn't like him, causing some pretty extreme antagonism between the two. This rivalry gets the most coverage during the fourth and fifth episodes. He wants to use his power to achieve fame.

Traziun
Age: A few years older than Rhue, mid-to-late twenties. I always pegged him at twenty-eight. It's a manly age.

Rhue's best friend. Traziun is almost ungodly powerful, and as such he acts as a mentor to Rhue sometimes in teaching him about the plunge; his primary function, though, is to act in a sort of big brotherly way. He's a very sociable guy and has friends in both high and low places. He has a badass appearance, and some of Lun's best writing and characterization finds a place in his dialogue. He's probably the most collected character in the series, never letting his emotions control him. He's not the kind to get sappy, but he has an affinity towards Rhue that's honestly pretty heartwarming. Rhue shows a special form of respect to Traziun in several ways, although I obviously can't say anything more right now. Arguably the second most important character in the series.

Gaius
Age: Honestly, I don't know. He's probably somewhere in his twenties, but it's hard to give a specific age range to this guy.

As a character whose main trait is being enigmatic, I can't really say much about him. He has a gentle personality and seems like a genuinely good guy. He and Rhue aren't extremely close to each other, but they do share a shallow friendship and seem to respect each other.

Kloe
Age: She's 18. This is the only age in the game which is specifically stated.

The patrolling officer of the western town of Lide, Kloe initially pisses Rhue off by employing her powers as an authority figure. I like the way her character is written; there's a very subtle sadness to her, and while she's kinda sophisticated and dignified, she's also an honest girl who doesn't seem to have anything to hide. The Way has an affection system where your choices determined the relationship between Rhue and the character, and Kloe is the character with the widest variance. Your relationship can either improve drastically or get worse; it's up to you. I was always nice to Kloe since I like her.

Rhan
Age: Mid-twenties, I'm guessing.

Kind of a loser, really. Doesn't seem to be the ambitious type. Rhue and Rhan don't have a deep relationship in any sense of the word, but Rhue definitely has a soft spot for the guy.

Cetsa
Age: Her maturity level suggests that she's older than Rhue. Twenty-six feels appropriate.

This is a very important character that dictates a good deal of the plot, so I can't really say anything without spoiling stuff. I'll just say that she and Rhue have a very interesting relationship and leave it at that.

Scatha
Age: Late twenties. I've always thought of her as twenty-nine since it just feels right.

An extremely cynical woman who wears a creepy mask for reasons unknown. She likes to make use of biting sarcasm. Definitely not the most feminine of girls. Anyway, her relationship with Rhue is difficult to interpret on her end. Rhue holds nothing but contempt for Scatha, while Scatha seems to be tolerant and amused towards Rhue in a condescending sort of way. At times, it seems like they have a dark affection for each other in that they offer an outlet for the other to vent his or her anger.

Slade
Age: Early thirties. Thirty-two feels right; I don't want to get too far removed in years from Rhue.

Slade is a Shadow Foot, a group dedicated to upholding justice and protecting the innocent and all that. They're the police of the Way. While showing up briefly in the original, he isn't given a proper introduction until the third. A very strict and proper man, he's nevertheless infused with style and personality. He acts as one of Rhue's pseudo-rivals; they quite obviously dislike each other, but they also respect one another although it doesn't show itself very often. They're usually pretty pissy and shitty towards each other, though. It's funny.

Lexus
Age: She seems to be a bit younger than Rhue. Twenty-one or twenty-two.

A very strong-willed and enthusiastic girl; when she first meets Rhue, she actually scares him a little. ^^ She's the daughter of a rich man, and likely one of the most popular girls in Estrana. The only character who rivals her in terms of being a social butterfly is Traziun. She has a passing interest in the Plunge, although I doubt she's any more than a Corlyn. Rhue and Lexus get along together very well; she's at least equal to Traziun in Rhue's eyes, if not even higher. She tends to bring out the best in Rhue, and despite Rhue's vow to one girl, there's a chance that he loves Lexus as well.

Dirk
Age: He's an old man. I'm guessing somewhere in the range of sixty-five to seventy-five.

A crazy old man that Rhue and Kloe spend some quality time with in the fourth episode. He's not a terribly important or well-developed character, but he's an entertaining one. He has a pretty raunchy sense of humor and seems to have never learned how to keep his thoughts to himself. Rhue treats Dirk with civility, mainly because Dirk is inconspicuous and does nothing to piss him off. He doesn't actually care for Dirk, though, so his restraint and even kindness can't be pushed as far as it can be with Traziun, Kloe, or Lexus.

The Way does not use a traditional leveling up system. Now, I'm a staunch traditionalist, but The Way's system managed to win me over because the game is just so great and brilliant and awesome and wonderful. Rhue gains stats by absorbing Notch items. A Heart Stone, for instance, increases Rhue's hit points by 3. To get that 3 hp, 100 CTP is required. CTP is won after battles, and it is multiplied by the Notch item's value. A Heart Stone has a value of 5; so, if a battle yields 6 CTP, that's 30 CTP points toward the Heart Stone. Four battles and you get 3 extra hp. There's actually an excess of Notch items to give people leeway with trying to find them. More than likely, Plunges will be either infuriatingly difficult or ridiculously easy. Good luck trying to strike a balance. In order to win the battles in the final episode, though, you'll need to beef up.

What is a Plunge, you ask? It's a one-on-one battle between two swordsmen; in most cases, between Rhue and someone else. It's kind of like Suikoden's battle system; you choose between three attacks in a Rock-Paper-Scissors style manner. Initially the battles are frustratingly random, but things tighten up by the third episode. A major plot point is Rhue's progression from a newbie fighter into a real badass. There are eight ranks for Lyn (the technical term for plunge fighters... they're not called Plungers <_<).
sqpat17 wrote:Slade: Maybe the sword flew over and landed in his chest. "Oof! Stabbed by two shadow swords in one week!" Okay, maybe not.
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Postby Sage Of The Wise » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:40 pm

I may not have taken the time to read all that, but with that amount of information you just have to be spoiling half the game for him.
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Postby Dr. Casey » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:48 pm

Nah. It's semi-spoiler-free.
sqpat17 wrote:Slade: Maybe the sword flew over and landed in his chest. "Oof! Stabbed by two shadow swords in one week!" Okay, maybe not.
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Postby PsychicK » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:33 am

I've read it through. It certainly doesn't spoil too much.


Edit: Oh, and about Traziun's scene at E5. After building throughout the game the story about Traziun, that scene is definitely one of the best ever created. Not just in RPG Maker, but movies/tv series/whatever. I've played through it only 3 times, but each time I was so eager to play it... Words can't describe it.
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Postby Fitz Tayo » Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:38 am

The Way: Better than our universe.
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Postby Sage Of The Wise » Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:40 am

I have a save file on the traziun scene 8)
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Postby hudabigbadwolf » Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:12 am

that is definately the most fun bit of the whole series
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Postby Strayed Wanderer » Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:36 pm

Fitz Tayo wrote:The Way: Better than our universe.


It isn't better than my universe. Mostly because I took The Way universe and infused it with tons of lesbian sex.
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Postby Fitz Tayo » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:29 am

Strayed Wanderer wrote:
Fitz Tayo wrote:The Way: Better than our universe.


It isn't better than my universe. Mostly because I took The Way universe and infused it with tons of lesbian sex.

You make it sound like a bad thing.
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Postby Strayed Wanderer » Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:39 pm

Fitz Tayo wrote:
Strayed Wanderer wrote:
Fitz Tayo wrote:The Way: Better than our universe.


It isn't better than my universe. Mostly because I took The Way universe and infused it with tons of lesbian sex.

You make it sound like a bad thing.


How can I make lesbian sex sound like a bad thing?
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Postby chrono10v3r » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:08 pm

Strayed Wanderer wrote:
Fitz Tayo wrote:
Strayed Wanderer wrote:
Fitz Tayo wrote:The Way: Better than our universe.


It isn't better than my universe. Mostly because I took The Way universe and infused it with tons of lesbian sex.

You make it sound like a bad thing.


How can I make lesbian sex sound like a bad thing?


Yuri!
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Postby War » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:28 pm

.....Yuri yes that pretty much sums it up.

Yuri also being bikkel and all.
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Postby Strayed Wanderer » Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:55 pm

He actually wasn't that bad when he showed up in mIRC a while ago...

Anyway, you can't make lesbian sex a bad thing.
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Postby War » Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:04 pm

Ya, but the whole ppg thing still creeps me out alot.
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