Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
If this Mine is abandoned, why are the conveyor belts still on?
Mine
You'll fight some new enemies again here, and the first two you'll meet are the Zombie and the Red Bone. The Zombies can be killed with Thunder and Cure even though they're easy, and the Red Bones are weak against Water.
Anyway, you're better off going up first before you go anywhere else, you'll find more objects in that direction.
The conveyor belts can easily take you where you want to go. If you get in the buckets, you'll take a one-way downward trip further into the Mine.
Going left after taking that basket down will net you the Charm claw. It works like the Cat Claw both in and out of battle, but the Charm Claw can also Blind, Confuse and put enemies to Sleep.
Before you can go further, you'll have to face the Jinn.
Jinn
Finish off the Red Bones first; you don't want them giving you any trouble, obviously. Jinn has no elemental weaknesses, and he can put you to Sleep.
If you need to, use Reuben's Life Spell to get Benjamin back to full health. Jinn isn't hard, but his attacks can do a fair amount of damage.
When you're done, you'll be able to rescue Reuben's dad Arion.
Sealed Temple
Now that you've moved the boulder with the Mega Grenade, you can access the Sealed Temple.
You'll meet the old man on the cloud again. He'll ask you for 10 GP for a cup of coffee, then he flies off. (This has nothing to do with the story whatsoever, so I have no idea why he even asks you that.) Now that you have the Gemini Crest, stepping on the Gemini symbol on the ground will let you reach the blocked-off room in the Wintry Temple. If you want to stock up on both Cure and Heal Potions, going back and forth here is your best option, especially for Heal Potions.
Fireburg
If you talk to Arion, he'll tell you the Fire Crystal is in the Lava Dome.
The Gemini symbol in the house where you go the Battle Axe will take you back to Aquaria. You can now switch between the second and third regions without going through the Focus Tower.
Now that you've freed the Water Crystal, the areas north of the Libra Temple are yours!
Libra Temple Battlefield 3
Nothing here in the way of new enemies.
Clearing this one out gives Benjamin the Exit spell, which allows you to instantly exit dungeons! Yay!
Libra Temple Battlefield 4
Once again, nothing but familiar territory.
Clearing this battlefield out rewards you with 744 EXP.
Wintry Temple
There's not much here for now. That same symbol from that house in Aquaria is there. Perhaps this is the other side of that warp...?
Focus Tower
You'll meet the old man on the cloud again. He'll mention that Captain Mac left for a reason, and that you should seek Reuben in Fireburg. He also mentions the statue next to him before he flies off.
Bomb the sealed hole in the wall, and open the chest. Since you have the Venus Key, you'll be able to open it and get the Venus Shield. It protects Benjamin from Paralyze ailments, which is pretty useful.
Moving the statue will get you where you want to go, so push it to the gap between the two parts of the second floor you can't access...yet.
Leave Focus Tower, then re-enter from the point that you entered this region from in the first place. Open the blue door with the River Coin, and you'll finally be able to hop across. The stairs to the third floor now give you the best Cure Potion restock point in the entire game, so make good use of it.
On your way to Fireburg, the ground will shake. Ignore the battlefields for now and head to Fireburg.
Fireburg
When you enter the Hotel, you'll find a man that sells Seeds, so if you're running low, you can buy some here. You'll also run into Tristam at the bar. Long time no see!
The band here plays a variation of "Johnny B. Good" (or some other Chuck Berry song) which is rather interesting to listen to, to say the least.
The house next to it is Reuben's house. Talk to him, and you'll find out you'll have to rescue his dad from the Volcano. He'll then join your party. You'll have to find his dad's friend to get the Mega Grenade.
Reuben's Flame Armor protects him from Fire, which works quite nicely here. Just remember to save and reset the game for it to take effect. His Morning Star is considered an Axe weapon, and it's pretty powerful. His HP is also quite high. His only spell is Life, which is better than nothing.
A house in the south has a woman who will sell her Battle Axe for 500 GP. Take it, it's much stronger than Kaeli's axe. Going downstairs here displays yet another warp tile...and it's that same symbol. Hmmm...
The house in the bit near the hotel has the guy you're looking for, but the door's locked. Head back to the Hotel and talk to Tristam; he'll give you the Multi-key so you can pick the lock.
Go in, and talk to the guy inside. He'll give you your third Bomb weapon: the Mega Grenade. These are even more powerful than the Jumbo Bomb. He'll then tell you to go through the Mine to reach the boulder that's strapping Reuben's father, Arion. Going downstairs here will give you another symbol tile. I wonder...
Anyway, pressing A with the Mega Grenades equipped will throw one Mega Grenade four spaces ahead in whatever direction you're currently facing, which is pretty nifty. Remember that for later, as you'll need to throw it to reach some sealed doors.
Fireburg Battlefield 1
New enemy here: Jelly. The Mega Grenade makes quick work of them.
Clearing this battlefield gives you 900 GP.
Fireburg Battlefield 2
New enemy here: Sting Rats. There's a new enemy for every battlefield here, so getting your practice in on each one is well-advised.
Clearing this battlefield gives you the Gemini Crest! Use these where you saw those three symbols and see what happens!
Fireburg Battlefield 3
The Plant Man is easily destroyed by Axe attacks.
Clearing this battlefield out gives you 816 EXP.
Fireburg Battlefield 4
The Flazzards are weak against Water, so your Blizzard attack will work wonders against them.
Clearing this battlefield gives you 1200 GP.
Fireburg Battlefield 5
The Red Caps can be de-commissioned the same way as the Flazzards. The big difference is that the Red Caps can Confuse you, so be careful.
Clearing this battlefield out gives Benjamin the Thunder spell! Finally, Benjamin has a Wizard attack!
There's not really much to do here, but to get to the center room and get treasure and fight monsters takes some doing.
Ice Pyramid - 5F
Upon entering, press Up on the D-Pad to fall back down to 4F, and you'll get everything! Joy!
You'll also find a switch that opens a door near the red chest near the stairs that you couldn't access at first. Open that chest before you leave; it contains the Noble Armor for Benjamin, which supercedes the Steel Armor. It has protection against Water and Poison, which is pretty nice considering the next boss is Water-based. Now you can go back upstairs.
After collecting all the explosives and beating all the monsters, place a Jumbo Bomb on the crack in the floor at the middle of the intersection. Fall down there, and keep falling into pits until you reach B1.
Ice Pyramid - B1
For some reason, I am reminded of DeceasedCrab saying a pyramid is a "five-sided shape. Yes, there's a base."
The red chest that you'll spot immediately gives you the Knight Sword. It supersedes the old Steel Sword and is a lot more powerful.
Go up the ladder and you'll meet the boss. He'll disappear, so go down to the lower level (the stairs are at the lower-right corner of the room) and you'll be able to make your way back to 5F. Hit the switch with your sword, and you'll finally fight the boss.
Ice Golem
Weak against: Fire
Use Fire as much as you can on him. He can put you to Sleep, so be prepared to use Heal Potions.
When he casts Snowstorm, he'll replenish some health, so smack him with Fire spells to offset it at the post.
When you beat him, you'll free the Water Crystal, and Phoebe will leave your party. Don't forget to open the nearby chest and take the River Coin!
Aquaria
Take the stairs near the Inn and go towards Phoebe's house. You'll find Spencer's Place. Take the path downward and you'll meet Spencer, who will tell you about a shield in Focus Tower. He'll give you the Venus Key so you can access it. He'll also tell you about a ship that you'll be able to access later.
He'll also tell you the Fireburg has had some strong earthquakes recently. Another corner of the world needs your help!
In this video, we finally enter the Ice Pyramid and rip more monsters a new one.
Ice Pyramid Battlefield
You get a new enemy here: the Mage.
The Mages can cast Silence, but if Benjamin is wearing the Magic Ring, it won't work on him. Since Phoebe is wearing one as well, the attack is virtually pointless against your party.
Clearing this battlefield out gives you 540 EXP.
Ice Pyramid - 1F
Upon entering the Ice Pyramid, go up to the dark blue statue with the flashing eyes. Phoebe will find a switch in the statue, but she isn't able to reach it. Switch to the sword and press A, and you'll be able to hit it and open a door.
Don't let the rest of the pyramid fool you...there are monsters, but they're all invisible. Hmmmm...
Go all the way to the right after opening the door at the beginning. You'll find the Magic Mirror, which counteracts this. You'll have to fight monsters at least twice before you can get it, but it's all good.
Ice Pyramid - 2F
You'll meet the Phanquid here. Despite weak against Fire, a Jumbo Bomb can insta-kill them if they're the only monster on the battlefield. You'll also meet another enemy that's weak to Phoebe's bow: Stoney Roosts. You're better off using it; the Stoney Roosts will counter attack Benjamin's axe and sword strikes with Petrify Touch.
Ice Pyramid - 3F
Even more new enemies...even when the game still holds your hand, there's a new fight on every floor.
Gathers can be killed easily with the Jumbo Bomb, which actually makes the explosives useful in battle for once. If you don't kill them in one strike, they'll more than likely have enough time to to inflict massive damage on one of your party members with Selfdestruct...so heal up before you fight monsters here.
The Freezer Crabs are really easy. Just one shot from Benjamin's axe and they're gone.
We take the Libra Crest and fight more monsters! What's next?
Wintry Cave - 2F
This isn't too hard. Just clear out all the monsters and head to the door on the other side. There are more bombs and arrows if you need them.
Wintry Cave - 3F
Upon entering the third floor this time around, you'll have easy access to the lower level. Go up the stairs and fight the Squidite.
Squidite
Let Benjamin kill the Sparnas with Fire, while Phoebe uses Thunder on the Squidite. Once the Sparnas are gone, use Bombs on the Squidite.
When you finish it off, open the Chest where the Squidite was and you'll get the Libra Crest.
Libra Temple
Once you get out of the Wintry Cave, head back to the Libra Temple. Now that you have the Libra Crest, you can stand on the Libra symbol on the ground and warp immediately to the Life Temple.
Problem is, you'll find out the Wakewater is gone. Go up to meet the old man on the cloud again, and he'll give you what's life of the Wakewater. Get back on the Libra tile and exit.
Aquaria
Go back to the center of the town and you'll use the Wakewater on the plant. It'll be the only thing to thaw out, but at least the old man at the inn will be able to make Cure Potions and sell them to you again.
Your only hope will be to head to the Ice Pyramid and free the Water Crystal.
Wintry Cave Battlefield
New enemy here: Desert Hags.
These guys counter-attack after being hit with a physical attack, so use magic, shoot attacks and bombs.
Clearing this battlefield out gives you 600 GP.
Falls Basin
To the north of Aquaria is the Falls Basin. You'll have to get through here to get to the Ice Pyramid.
You'll have to push some columns to get where you want to go. You'll be doing this a couple of times in oder to open all the chests and beat all the monsters here.
If you push a column into a corner, you'll have to leave the area, return and start all over again.
The Lamias can put you to Sleep with Sleep Lure. Use Thunder to take them out as soon as possible to prevent this!
You'll eventually get the Heal spell for Benjamin. This spell basically works the same way a Heal Potion does. Using Heal on enemies in battle can afflict a random status ailment...you can even Petrify them if you're lucky.
Equip the Axe on Benjamin, and make sure Phoebe's Elemental Defenses are in effect.
Snow Crab
Weak against: Axe
The Snow Crab has Water attacks, but they do less damage on Phoebe. The axe does a lot of damage on the Snow Crab, so let loose with it!
Finish the Desert Hags off with Fire. You'll have to target them individually to kill them...unless you've used a Bomb in battle at the very start. In that case, you can multi-target everybody even though Fire only does 1 damage on the Snow Crab that way.
Once you're done with the Snow Crab, Phoebe will give you the Jumbo Bomb, which is obviously more powerful than the Bomb.
We go to the Wintry Cave...but first, level grinding!
Libra Temple Battlefield 1
The Mintmints confuse you with Stare, but it goes away after a battle.
For clearing this battlefield out, you earn 99 EXP.
Libra Temple Battlefield 2
The Giant Toads can Poison you, but this is the only real thread they pose.
For clearing this battlefield out, you win 300 GP.
Aquaria Battlefield 1
The Scorpion shows up here. (Weird place for a Scorpion!) Yes, these things can Poison you, but if you roast them with Fire, you won't have to worry about that very much.
If you clear this battlefield out, you'll win a Magic Ring for Benjamin. This is the same ring that Phoebe wears, and it protects against Silence.
Aquaria Battlefield 2
Yet another new enemy: Edgehogs. These little critters can Blind you, so be careful.
Clearing this battlefield out rewards you with 99 EXP.
Wintry Cave - 1F
If you've been to all the battlefields near Focus Tower and Aquaria, you should definitely know how to handle the monsters here by now.
After your first fight with the Land Worms, continue until the ground caves in from below. Phoebe will grab hold of the wall, but you'll fall to the bottom. She'll come down and tell you how to use the Cat Claw outside of battle (equip it, hold A and press a direction on the D-Pad when both near and on the rock ladders), then she gives it you.
Her new weapon is the Bow of Grace. It's not only stronger, it can also Blind enemies, too. Once again, the Cat Claw can Poison and Paralyze, but compared to the axe, the attack rating is a little weaker. Your magic goes up a bit, though, so keep that in mind.
You'll meet another new enemy near the sealed entrance to the next room: Centaurs. They can use Confuse against you, and they're not really weak against anything.
Wintry Cave - 3F
You'll meet some new enemies here as well. The first one is the Sparna, then you'll meet the Land Turtle.
You'll have to find a different path to the lower level of this room. Go back and continue left through the ladders on the wall and you'll reach the second floor.
