UPDATES

Recently I went on a two-week holiday abroad, which was pretty memorable (but probably for the wrong reason 😵😵) First stop was Bangkok; though I'd been to Thailand a few times (Chiang Mai and Koh Samui) but never its capital. I was there just at the tail end of its Songkran Festival so the streets were still pretty wet and I find the city a little chaotic and, err, smelly. The soaring heat (37c in the morning!) didn't help but I was there mainly to have an overall body checkup, which was extremely cheap. And thought that was gonna take a whole morning but I was in and out within, like, three hours max. Very efficient. Nothing alarming discovered (yay) though maybe it's time for a colonoscopy (will look into that later ><!) 

The rest of the time I pretty much spent indoors or in shopping malls, which are HUGE!! Like, there is one that is as big as the convention and exhibition centre here. So no temple visits for me ... it was simply too hot to be on the streets. The FOOD was a definitely highlight. A yummy meal + Thai tea 😋😋 cost less than HK$100. I mean, it really is outrageous cheap there. 

After four days there it was time to fly to Portugal for a yoga retreat 😁😁 but before that I had to transit through Dubai and it was there I was, literally, trapped for 1.5 days 💢💢 With the benefit of hindsight, when I heard that a whole year's worth of rain poured onto the city in one day two days ago, an alarm bell should have gone off and I should have just bought a one-way ticket to Lisbon but ... how bad could it be?

Well, it was VERY bad. Thousands of travellers were stuck at the Dubai International Airport (one of the biggest in the world) and all tried to get out. So my flight to Lisbon, scheduled to leave at around 2pm, was eventually cancelled eight hours later. Which meant I would need to rebook 😫😫 my flight to continue with my journey. Even though my travel agent was super efficient and secured me a flight out not on the following day but a day after that, I still needed to speak with someone directly/ in person, to confirm that. Also I would still need to think about spending another 24 hours at the airport....

Cut a very long story short, I managed to find a "queue" that actually moved and finally spoke with an airline staff (after seven hours of solid queueing) .. by that time I was very dehydrated and incoherent. I had to sit down to look at a tiny pile of stuff to realise the airline had organised for me a transit visa out of the airport so I could stay in a hotel (the Hilton!) for a night free of charge. My lower back was v sore by that point but I managed to order myself a butter chicken dinner before falling into a deep sleep...

But it wasn't over yet cos when I got up the next morning (4am!) to return to the airport there were no taxis! Luckily there was a car for hire and I didn't even ask him how much and made my way back to the airport and caught my flight out.

Lisbon (never been to Portugal) is as beautiful as I'd imagined it to be and the weather was incredible. On the afternoon I arrived I immediately visited its famous Castello de S. Jorge and learnt that the Moors were once occupied the country and those beautiful and famous decorative tiles are actually heavily influenced by the Islamic culture (like, how amazing and cool is that?!?) 

I managed to see quite a bit of the (very hilly) city over the weekend and on Monday it was time to go to the retreat at Quinta Carvalhas, an area that is about 1.5 hour-drive north of Lisbon. The location is BEAUTIFUL but when I first arrived and waiting for others to arrive (including a long-time HK friend), I was slightly taken aback (and that's totally just me!) by just how "white" (a la White Lotus) the group was. Ahem. I was so relieved to see my friend -- finally, diversity!!

The mare gave birth to this cute foal when we were at the retreat

But, of course, that slight awkwardness so dissipated cos this group of 30 is just the loveliest people on the planet. They are mainly from Canada (where the organisers are based), the UK and a couple of yogis from Chicago. The FOOD alone was worth the $$$ but the whole retreat was so Zen and restorative (yay) it was exactly what I needed (esp after Dubai 😛😛). Also practised doing the handstand and realised I have some strength back after that Covid hiatus.. am gradually moving forward on that particular journey.

A week flew by very quickly and it was time to leave. And guess what I found at the airport before flying out of Lisbon? Unicorn Overlord !!! 

After having beaten the last optional boss of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Reunion (but not actually finishing the game cos of the very sad ending), I finally started Persona 5 Royal, which I must confess it is a disappointment (might elaborate on that in a later post if I have time) ... it just didn't quite do it for me (for now).

Instead, I have picked up the physical copy of the English version of Unicorn Overload (not available at home) and have been having some fun playing that.

It's not as hard as Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (and you know how much I love this title... played close to 1,000 hours!)  but still challenging ... and there is still so much of the game I haven't explored (yet I have been getting by not even with the best weapons...) But I think I have reached the point of the game where difficulty is gonna spike so that should force me to learn more about the game's combat mechanism.

PHEW!! So that's what I've been up to 😁😁

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Reunion -- Revisited

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core (PSP version) was the first video game (handheld or otherwise) I ever played and I remember having a hard time beating some of the mission bosses (cos I had no idea about accessories and boosts). Over a decade later, the title has been ported over to the Switch and I knew I had to play it again.

But I didn't get into it right away. The overall graphics/ presentation definitely received a makeover -- but I was disappointed by how some of the characters (I'm looking at you Angeal) still look so I left the game on the shelves for a few months.

After all the hype surrounding the Rebirth release though, and with Zack Fair putting in a guest appearance, I decided to give it another go (and in doing so I have to take a break from Final Fantasy XV). And within a couple of weeks I'm already on Chapter 7, where I should be completing more than half the 300 missions.

One thing that really stuck in my mind re the original Crisis Core is how grindy it was to max out Zack's stats: getting HP + 999% x 2 (yup, I fused Costly Punch) and 255 VIT and SPR for the Minerva (big optional boss) fight. I remember after maxing all his stats I said I would never replay the game again. It got just too tedious.

Luckily with Reunion, the game is less grindy, partly because there are now more than one way to break damage limit (so, not just Costly Punch in the original); with the new Buster Sword battle stance limit break skill, Zack can do 99,999 damage with any other command abilities (like, High Jump and Darkness). All I need to focus on is getting the +100 ATK. I don't even need to worry about boosting HP cos I am not using Costly Punch in this play through. And getting +100 ATK definitely is less grindy and was actually quite fun. Though that has invariably pushed Zack's level to 40+. I am hoping to end the game at around level 60 (90 in the original game, which I still have on my Final Fantasy VII PSP special edition !! 

I should be able to complete 50%+ mission by end of this week and then will jump back into the story -- there is ONE mini game that I am not looking forward to and that is to save someone from a burning house, like, blind... it's such a ridiculous side quest I wish they had gotten rid of that... 

ELDEN RING (PART 14)

This Tarnished's journey takes him deeper into the lore of Melina ... who exactly is she? There are speculations that she is the daughter of Queen Marika, and even the younger sibling of Malenia and Miquella.. the weapon she wields (the Balde of Calling dagger) and the incantations (Erdtree) she casts only give some clues. (Hopefully the upcoming DLC will explain it all!!!)

(Credit: Nameless Ring/ YouTube)

But whoever she is, Melina's presence is beginning to take a hold on our protagonist. 

He may have started as a prophet skilled in Two Fingers, Fire Monk, Dragon Communion and even a bit of Blood incantations but it was the Erdtree and Frenzied Flame spells that gradually had him ... enchanted, as it were. After duelling with many foes, he has also been focusing more -- and excelling -- in his combat skills, wielding the Vyke's War Spear with much dexterity; so much so that he no longer relies so heavily on the mystic (dark) arts. 

Today, he finds himself back in Limgrave, at the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, where he will be seeking out the Dragon Communion Seal as he no longer has enough faith to wield the Erdtree Sacred Seal. But his strength in the spear continues to grow ...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (PART 1)

I've never played any games from this franchise before but its latest release, Tears of the Kingdom, has this Elden Ring vibe to it (open world!) that I thought 'd give it a look-in. Also how can I resist Minecraft but with better/ superb graphics and possibly an interesting storyline.

So I am one week into TotK and I've been making steady process. But first, a confession: I read the game was patched to mend a "duplication" glitch so I am still playing the very glitched 1.0.0. version. And there is a reason for that.

Just like Elden Ring, the game lets players take whatever approach (mostly) however they want. So on top of the usual real time combat, the gameplay mechanism also offers a powerful new feature of crafting (which is more versatile than the system in Breath of the Wild). Here you can craft machines for combat... and as anyone can imagine, they can be extremely OP. And, as you know, I like being OP. 

From the word go (very long tutorial) I knew I was only interested in this new feature and the story itself was gonna take the back seat. However, also a bit like the alchemist/potion build in The Witcher 3, this takes some time to set up and hence the need of the duplication glitch. 

Since machines run on battery power, Link (the mute protagonist) only has one miserly battery in early game, and to increase that it involves A LOT of grinding and with tough(er) enemies. But there is a way around it, which is to get hold of the main material, something called the Large Zonaite that is need to create more batteries, and duplicate as many as possible. I think to get max power I'd need to dupe 675 Large Zonaite, which is a bit crazy (since the duping process doesn't always work and it also break the shield that you need) so, for now, I've only duplicated half that amount. Hopefully with that I will be able to grind for the material properly from now (since I imagine I will be semi-OP even with half of the max capacity, esp in early game).

I actually haven't done anything else in the game other than doing the shrines (really for puzzles) to increase Link's health and, possibly, stamina. 

But first I'd need to take out one boss to open the "forge" to actually start making those battery cells, which is my next major mission. 

Then the setup is (finally, after a week) in place. And it's annihilation time 💣💣💣💥💥💥

 

ELDEN RING (PART 13)

The more this Tarnished fights in Colosseums across Lands Between, the more his armour set and skills evolve. In the quest for more "poise" (to withstand heavy attacks), he now sports the Veteran chest piece, which he acquired after defeating Commander Niall at Castle Sol Rooftop, as well as the Veteran gauntlets. He, however, wears the Fingerprint greaves because of his affiliation with Knight Vyke, and the Nomadic Merchant's Chapeau... maybe to pay tribute to those (of the Great Caravan) who were persecuted and then ultimately banished by the Golden Order and ended in the Cathedral of Forsaken. Together they give him 85 poise (which is pretty decent).

The Tarnished continues to wield the Vyke's War Spear, focusing on its Faith rather than Dexterity scaling because he is more skilled in frenzy flame spells and the Frenzyflame Thrust than melee attacks. But other than inflicting Madness on himself and others, he also casts Catch Flame (oh yes, remanence of his distant Fire Monk past) and Honed Bolt, a nod to Vyke's affiliation with lightning spells. 

But most recently, he decided to also dabble into (the blasphemous) "thorn sorceries"; wielding the Staff of the Guilty to cast Briars of Sin -- a Blood spell. 

He has yet "to turn" for fear of retribution from Melina. But, one day, this Tarnished will have to decide whether to sacrifice her or himself -- and be embraced (quite literally) by the Three Fingers -- to become Lord of Frenzy. For now though, he is waiting to learn more about Miquella (upcoming DLC!) ... how will that affect his ultimate journey to become the next Elden Lord? It is also worth noting that it is with the Miquella's Needle that he can cleanse and free himself from being totally consumed by Madness and, perhaps, redeem him from Melina's wraith ...

To be continued ...   

ELDEN RING (PART 12)

 ... and after this Tarnished battled many foes in the Lands Between -- both the brave and the idiotic -- many have come to realise his Prophecy, if not true calling, lies not with Fire but Madness. And that Chaos was his vision. While he still wields the fire-affiliated Blasphemous Blade when travelling, probably as an act of defiance, when he reveals his true identity -- and armour set -- he is not unlike another (great) Tarnished before him: Vyke, Knight of the Roundtable. 

According to the Elden Ring lore, there are two versions of Vyke; there is the one who uses Ancient Dragon Cult lightning incantations -- he could be found in the Evergaol on the Mountaintops of the Giants -- and there is one who casts Frenzy Flame incantations -- and he is the invader outside of the Church of Inhibition near the Frenzy Village.

Legend has it that: "No other Tarnished was closer to the throne of the Elden Lord than Vyke. But without announcement, Vyke travelled far below the [Leyndell Royal] capital, and was scorched by the flame of frenzy. Did he make his choice for his maiden, or did some other force lure him with suggestion?"

Contemporary scholars (on Reddit), however, have made these notes:

a) Vyke is Lansseax beloved/lover. She's the Priestess of Dragon Cult, also female Ancient Dragon that took form of a human to communicate with the Cult followers. Only those, who are loved by dragons, can clad themselves in lightning, so says the description of Dragonbolt Blessing and Vyke's dragonbolt spell specifies that Lansseax loved him the most of all Cult members.

b) Dragon Cult is and was in Leyndell ever since the end of Golden Order vs Dragons war. Which was ended by Godwyn who defeated Granssax (likely) and Fortissax, the Mightiest Boulderstone (confirmed) who also is Lannseax sibling. Then he befriended Forti, and started a Cult, because both humans and dragons had the same "Gold" in them.

c) Vyke was tricked, by Shabiri (likely) to use himself as Kindling for the Forge, because being the noble hero, he wanted to protect his human maiden, who otherwise had to be burned in the Forge. And since Shabiri is "chaos incarnate" and Three fingers = Chaos, we can see where did Vyke go. To Three Fingers, as the only way to be a Kindling and survive is to burn yourself in the forge, and only grasped by the Frenzyflame seemed to be able to do this. (eg our Tarnished)

So is our Tarnished to follow the same fate as Vyke as he, too, refuses to sacrifice Melina to start anew?

ELDEN RING (PART 11)

It has transpired that there are two types of incantation casters in the Lands Between: those whose spells are laced with curses that inflict deadly status, which can cause instant death; and those who wield (often blasphemous) magics like weapons. 

This Tarnished, the Mad Prophet, belongs to the latter. Those who have the misfortunate to cross his path (and lived to tell their tale) have seen him cast fire and frenzy spells like missiles. His build is heavy on FAITH, with reasonably high MIND, meaning his incantations are strong on damages. Boosted by the Edtree sacred seal, his castings can be devastating. His frenzy spells, however, are less likely to "proc" the madness status. 

Those from the other school, who are extremely well versed in ARCANE and wield the Dragon Communion sacred seal are equally (if not more) deadly. As each spell can almost guarantee madness to be inflicted onto the opponent who, for a brief moment, will be completely paralysed, leaving the caster enough time to execute their final blow.

But as we have previously determined, this particular Tarnished is not likely to have any affiliation with the dragon cult. Instead, it is fire -- and the hellish burning flames -- that have seen many of his enemies fallen below his feet.