Celia's Quest

[Celia]

I'm assuming you're talking about the long winding corridor with a bunch of levers on the wall, with a chest at the end?

Spoiler: show

Try using every other lever instead of all of them on your way to the chest, so you have some left to reset the timer when you move back.

[Bluerose]

Thanks, will give that a try.

[Bluerose]

Okay I did what you said, but the chests do not open. Confused. I am talking about the chests on the 2nd level behind gates. The levers put the gates up or down.

[Celia]

Are you talking about the chests behind the bars?

Spoiler: show

In that puzzle you want to hit every lever at least once. Hitting them multiple times doesn't matter, as long as you've used them all once. There's a bunch of them. You'll know you're done when the game makes a sound. Or you could just do what most people have done and run around hitting any lever you find until you're lucky enough to have used them all.

[Bluerose]

Going to try that now, will let you know. Thank you, that worked!

[Bluerose]

Celia

Not happy that you get only three refills to use in battle and in between uses they take so long to show up. While the enemies can refill there health quickly all the damage I did to them is wasted. All I can do is die.

I have never died as much in a rpg then I have in this game.

Not happy.

[Valdy]

I nearly bought the game, but decided to hold off for a few days, just to see if there are any major glitches, or if any of the hardcore gamers have difficulty with the fights.

It would have been better if Guy could have helped us while we are in battle mode as well as having access to the inventory to be able to heal ourselves with an apple or whatever is available. I think I will give this game a miss after all, if the fights are near impossible to deal with.

Also, the part about "puzzles" hadn't fully registered when I first read the description of this game. And I just don't play puzzle-filled games (unless I can skip them). Well, it depends on what is meant in this game by "puzzles". But in this type of game, if I can't do a puzzle, I will be stuck, and can't continue. And I prefer to play a game where I know I will reach the end eventually.

[Celia]

Hello Bluerose.

I don't mean to be rude, but if you are dying to the enemies that heal early on (Wisps) you probably need to reconsider your approach to battles. The game has been extensively tested and balanced and I know for a fact that on Casual mode (Which I assume you're playing based on you having three potion bottles from the start) pretty much every possible skill and stat build (unless you're actively trying to be as weak as possible) can make it through the game.

Spoiler: show

A wisp has 8 HP. Assuming you grab the ring in the chest in the forest early on and return it to the villager who wants it, you'll have 2 in one of your stats. Icky Bomb will kill a Wisp as soon as it explodes no matter your stats. Punch will hit for 4+2 damage with 2 strength, which guarantees a turn two kill on a wisp even if they heal. Disappointing Spark will hit for 1+3 damage with 2 intelligence, and 2 intelligence will also let your Punch deal 3 damage guaranteed. Any of these setups guarantee you an easy victory against Wisps. Even without the stat point from the short ring quest, all the fights in the forest itself can be beaten as long as you make sure to refill your potion bottles between area clears.

The game draws inspiration from older RPG and adventure titles, and because of this requires you to plan ahead and pick your fights. Monsters are visible on the map and fairly easy to outrun for a reason. Very few enemies actually do heal, and a Wisp will die to one Icky Bomb, while they in turn deal very low damage and can be bursted down in a turn or two.

I'm sorry to hear you're unhappy with the difficulty of the game. The game is challenging, but hardly impossible, but if you feel like it's too difficult for you then that is a shame.

Hello Vald.

The fights are hardly near impossible to deal with. Yes, you will probably die a few times. No fight in itself is that challenging though, and it comes down to you preparing properly for it. The reason you don't have access to your inventory in combat is because it'd simply make fights too easy, and a game that finishes itself without a challenge might as well be a book or a movie.

Apples and other foodstuffs are balanced around being eaten before combat for their in-battle buffs, not as an emergency heal. Guy is there as a way to help you sustain your resources between fights as well. As stated previously, fights are challenging, but hardly impossible. The game has been finished multiple times by different players running different setups.

As for puzzles, how do you define a puzzle? There are some that you will have to solve, but I intentionally avoided blocking the main route with hard puzzles. If you want to find all the secrets and such you'll have to figure some more difficult ones out, though. Or, you know, you could send me an email and I'll give you a hint or two.

I'm sorry to hear you're put off by the perceived difficulty of the game, but if it's not your cup of tea then that's fine as well.

[Valdy]

About the fights: so what you are saying is that it's best to be prepared: find things or buy things or exchange things before getting into the more difficult battles. Is that what you meant, Celia? Bluerose's comment has somewhat put me off, because I worried now that if a master RPGer can't get passed some enemies, then I will never get passed them either.

About the puzzles: the puzzles I am talking about are those that you can find in John Wizard games. Where you have to move stones in a certain order to open a door, for example. Those type of puzzles. I don't like them, and they distract from the gameplay, I find. And I worry that I won't be able to finish them, and then can't go on...

And did I hear you mentioning a timer in the place with levers on the wall? Do I have to do something in a certain amount of time?

[Celia]

I feel like you and Bluerose have very uhm... differing ideas of what a typical RPG actually entails, compared to mine. I'll go over your post step by step and try to respond as well as I can.

Yes, I'm saying it's best to be prepared. As with any game with an open save feature, save often and take it slow. Heal up after battle and make sure you have enough resources to take another fight. If not, maybe try to avoid a fight or two and see if you can grab some treasure before going back to town to power up.

As for Bluerose being a master RPGer, if anything he seems to be very much like you in that he would rather play an interactive story than a gameplay-first RPG. Yes, some fights are tough, but playing on Casual, while properly reading and understanding skills, I can only think of a few fights that are big enough challenges to make a "master RPGer" have to try them twice. Of course, Celia's Quest does punish you for rushing in head first without thinking. It's very much a tactical game in that you need to consider your resources and how to use them properly rather than just spamming a basic attack.

As for puzzles. There are puzzles, yes. Some of them involve you moving things, such as bouncing light off mirrors, or creating patterns on the floor, though most puzzles are connected to side quests and hidden bonuses, rather than the main story. I personally find puzzles to be part of the RPG experience and gameplay rather than a distraction. No mandatory puzzle is hard enough to get you stuck for a very long time, and if you truly do get stuck you can always send me a message and I'll help you out. I love discussing my game, and it's fun to hear about people's progress and thoughts.

Yes, there's a temple in the game with a timer involved. It's fairly simple. You can't stand on the "lava" floor for too long or you get a game over. A clear timer ticks down telling you how much time you have left. Using one of the many levers on your path will reset the timer. These areas are small and don't take much time to complete, and there are no enemies in the timed areas, so you simply have to figure out how to best time using levers to make it through.

[Valdy]

Thanks very much for the explanations, Celia. Now I know what I could expect.

[Bluerose]

Celia

I am playing easy mode and here is a list of what I have:
HP 132
TP 5
Strength 5
Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1
Fame 3
Moves 3
Friendship 3
Hve
Frosty Sword, Flame Shield, Blue Hat, Greenrobe . Uppercut, Stabbier Stab, Icky Bomb, Party Bomb Disappointing Spark and Stat Token 1. Red Potions 3

Right now I am in Rock Temple.

Are this the right supplies and things to have for where I am or do I need to start over? Oh, and by the way, I am a she.

I really appreciate you coming on here and helping, I didn't mean to sound rude, just tried of dying so much and no way am I a Master role player. I always pick easy.

[Celia]

Hello Bluerose!

Your build looks fine, I don't see why you'd have to start over. However there are some more stat and skill tokens and other goodies you can find before heading to the Rock Temple, so if you have a hard time getting through that place I'd suggest you explore the world a bit more before trying the Temple again.

Generally, the world setup for the game gives you access to two Dungeons for every Temple. The difference between a Dungeon and a Temple is that a Temple must be beaten to progress the story while a Dungeon's optional but gives nice rewards. As an example, in the beginning of the game, the Unkempt Garden and the Slug Village are considered dungeons while the Fire Temple is considered a temple.

There are also several hidden puzzles and rewards spread through the world itself once you leave the starting island. Exploration is key to success!

Sorry about the gender mix up, it's hard to tell online. And no worries, you didn't sound rude, I just tried to explain things from my point of view to give counter points to your questions and feedback.

I'm glad to know my responding here is appreciated! It's always fun to discuss my baby, and if my helping out a bit makes people enjoy it more then I'll gladly do so.

[TERRBEAR]

Can anyone help with Sluggo in the slug village, I need the answers?

[Celia]

Spoiler: show

Sluggo always lies, and will always assume you're lying. Pick the one that's opposite from the most boastful thing you can say. In general, tell him you want to run away or not be there.