Moth Plays Dark Cloud 2: Chapter 1, Episode 2: Max's Photographic Memory · 4:48am May 12th, 2018
In which monsters are fought, photography is taught, and Brave Little Linda's combat record is one-naught.
Max continues his trek through the sewers of Palm Brinks, which are not only absurdly spacious and labyrinthine, but full of increasingly dangerous monsters. When he reaches the central pumping station, he finds his path impeded by Flotsam and his trained attack elephant Linda.
Max can't put a scratch on Linda with his weapons. Fortunately, Cedric shows up with Steve the Ridepod, a mechanical battle armor with heavy weaponry. Steve has just enough juice to stun Linda so Max can escape, but without a better energy pack, Steve can't last in a drawn-out fight. So what now?
Well, if Max is going to get past Flotsam and Linda, he's going to need to upgrade Steve, and that means inventing new Ridepod parts. In order to do that, he's going to need a camera so he can take pictures of things around town to use as the building blocks of ideas.
The photography and invention system is the most major side-game in Dark Chronicle. Basically, there are hundreds of objects you can take pictures of in the game's environments--towns, Georamas, and even dungeons. Combining three ideas can lead to an "invention"--the blueprint for making an item. Once you've "invented" something, you just need the materials to make it, and you've got a new item, weapon, or robot part.
A disproportionately large number of photographs you need to fill the idea board are found in the first chapter of the game and can be taken before you even leave Palm Brinks. Although only three are necessary to advance the story, I spent a significant chunk of this episode's runtime running all over Palm Brinks snapping pictures to get it out of the way.
Can Cedric's rattletrap steampunk mecha really get past Darling Linda? What other dangers await Max in the Underground Water Channel? How does stringing three random photographs together result in being able to invent stuff?
Find out in the next episode!
Out of curiosity, are you going to be doing anything with the monster badges?
"Only record the first time through a dungeon floor"
...what about Spheda?
4858566
Beyond the forced intro to them? Unlikely. I LOATHE that whole gimmick.
4858574
Well, my Spheda attempts for the first time through any given floor will be included, of course...maaaaaaaybe success-ONLY reattempts, but not the floorplay? We'll see.
4858614
Meh. It grows on you if you've been playing the game long enough. And by "Long enough", I mean since the day the game launched on PS2.
4858632
Dude. I bought my first copy of the game day one. I've beaten the game six times. Cleared the bonus dungeon TWICE.
I have never ONCE had the patience to deal with monster transformation beyond collecting all the badges and levelling the Gemron badge up enough to be semi-useful in Rainbow Butterfly Woods.
It's just not worth the effort unless you're determined to 100% everything.
4858652
Only 6? I've literally lost count.
4858653
Don't be that guy. I hate it when people are that guy.
Going to make sure you get the monster scoops? At least the ones needed for inventions?
4858714
I always do. Especially the missable ones.
Just making sure
4858880
Don't backseat-game me, son. I had someone do that to me all through both Xenoverse 1 and 2 and it is really fucking annoying.
I am very sorry. Dark Cloud 2 is a favorite, and I can forget social niceties at times.