Final Fantasy 4: The Darkness Within Hack
Feb. 7th, 2018 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chuckroThe Red Wings return from a training exercise without Cecil aboard. The king sends Cecil to retrieve the crystal from Mysidia, which he does, killing the twins in the process, but as he attempts to leave, the Elder kills him with a spell. He wakes up in the underworld, near the "Castle of the Damned." King Giott orders him to go retrieve a stolen airship from the nearby tower, with the help of two wizards his men killed, Palom and Porom.
Underworld enemies are nerfed to early-game levels. Cecil has DarkWave, but the twins don't have Bluff or Cry. The different consumables for each status ailment are implemented. The chests in Bab-il mostly have consumables, though there are monster-trapped chests with Leather equipment (which feels incongruous, somehow). Beating Lugae on 8F (he's still clearly working for Rubicant) gets you the Falcon airship. It can't fly over lava, so when you return to Giott, he brings in Cid (executed by the king for trying to steal an airship) and has him upgrade it. Then he sends you to investigate the Feymarch.
(At this point, the stores in Tomra won't sell you anything without the mayor's permission.)
Cid has a "Drink" ability instead of Peep, and it appears to...make him blind. Handy. Porom learns Float very early, making the Feymarch tolerable. Chests in the Feymarch contain a Tomakawk upgrade for Cid and the Darkness sword and armor for Cecil. Then the Magus Sisters guard the entrance to the town. The town stores have equipment upgrades, and then Leviathan reveals that there has been a massacre in Mist Village, corresponding to the deaths of many Eidolens. Returning to Giott, Cecil is told to confer with the Slyphs regarding the great evil in the world above.
The treasure branch of the Sylph cave has a bunch of consumables and a Spanner for Cid. The abundance of monsters that use debilitating status effects (Toad, Stone, etc) when you need a grand assortment of healing items is particularly annoying. The Sylphs show you a vision of the Red Wings destroying Damcyan, and Kain killing Edward and taking the crystal. When they return to Giott, Edward is waiting. Then they hear a monster stealing the crystal from the castle, and rush in to fight Calbrena. The monster is revealed to be Milon, Fiend of Death, ruler of the Sealed Cave. You're sent to Tomra to find a way into the cave.
Edward has Sing, which works as usual, and Aria, which gives the whole party Regen. In Tomra, the Mayor gives you dynamite to enter the cave, and lets you use the stores to upgrade your equipment. These include a Silver Sword for Cecil which lets him hurt undead--very important, given the cave is full of undead. It also has the Black Sword and Hades armor for Cecil, and only some of the doors are trapped. There's a Lamia Harp for Edward and a Viking Axe for Cid. You fight Milon in the crystal room, but he's already passed the crystal to Golbez. As you exit, Milon Z does his back attack.
Giott then restores Cecil's soul and has him use the teleporter to the overworld part of Bab-il...alone. (The game actively suggests running from battles here.) He finds Edge fighting Rubicant. Edge joins, but the battles here are still a bit much for a two-person, no-healer party. There's a Moonring for Edge on the way out, and a Silver Knife in the Eblan Cave. The Elban refugees have a bunch of upgrades for sale. The King and Queen are still alive and hiding underground, so they grant Cecil and Edge the use of a hovercraft and ship. Eblan Castle is full of consumables and (guarded by monsters) an armor upgrade for Edge. At the end of the basement section is a dock. Cecil and Edge sail to Fabul, where they're joined by Yang for the seige. (For the record, Yang has Kick and Focus; Edge has Throw and Ninja magic.)
The seige goes as usual, with Edge taking Edward's place. Rosa comes in with Kain and Golbez and stays behind to heal the party when they take the crystal. She joins the group. (She has White and Aim, and a revamped Pray command.) After they plot to return to Baron on foot, there's a cutscene of pirates stealing the ship, then getting sucked into a whirlpool by a sea monster. The king gives Cecil the Ancient Sword, and the equipment shop has new armor for everyone else. The monsters around here are buffed to match the party, which is really weird because you're getting your ass whupped by Imps.
So begins the journey to Baron. On Mt. Hobs, the party is ambushed by MomBomb. There's also a Silver Staff and some consumables to find. Then you can walk to the Antlion Cave, where Tellah joins, as he wants to get to Damcyan to see his daughter. He has a new "Train" skill that...fails to cast Meteo? The Antlion Cave includes lots of consumables (including a Whistle--there have been a couple of those), and Holy Claws for Yang. The Antlion guards an exit to Damcyan. The Damcyan storehouse has a new Kodachi for Edge, and Rubicant is waiting on the top floor. (Rubicant now counters physical attacks with Fire3 when his cape is open.) As Anna isn't there, Tellah requests the party continue on to Kaipo.
The Watery Pass has been somewhat rearranged so you don't worry about the waterfall. Treasures include a Dancing Dagger and Dark Claws. The monsters here are nasty, especially if like me, you didn't buy Bolt Claws for Yang back in Fabul. Octomamm attacks at the far end, and has a new Deluge attack that will destroy you. Kaipo finally has a shop with a few upgrades. Anna is in the sickbed, and Tellah opts to leave the party and stay with her; he gives them a Package to dispel the flames blocking Mist. Cecil goes out at night and is attacked by a monster attracted to his darkness. At Mist, the party finds Rydia crying over her mother's body and take her with them. (The burned-out fireplace has equipment for her.) She has a decent selection of Black and Call magic, and the Hide ability.
The Mist Cave is short and the Mist Dragon fight is moved to the other end and powered up. Rydia learns MistD afterwards. Baron Town is off-limits, and entering the castle kicks off a cutscene. The king throws the party in prison, but Kain breaks them out and sends them to escape through the sewers. There's a Leech Sword and Ashura Katana here. When you emerge, Baigan cuts you off. Cecil automatically runs for the Serpent Road after the fight, but a Mysidian mage turns the party into toads and drags them to the Elder. He tells Cecil to go to Mt. Ordeals and become a Paladin. The shops have a full complement of new equipment for the party.
The undead on Mt. Ordeals are strong, but equipping Cecil with the Slumber Sword means he's useful. The only noteworthy chest is a Blitz Whip. The Shadow Dragon guards the peak, and after the battle, Yang leaves to swim back north to Fabul. YOu need to actually fight the reflection--I swapped the Leech Sword back on and that was that. Right after the battle, you're teleported to the Moon. (Paladin Cecil comes equipped with Silver armor, in case you forgot to buy the Paladin stuff.)
The Lunar Caves include a Zephyr accessory and a Templar Cane that Cecil can use. In the Lunarian's Retreat, FuSoYa explains that he's the last Lunarian and Golbez is trying to revive Zemus. He also turns Rydia into an adult, which gives her the Flirt ability (which decreases enemy hit rates). He then joins the party and teleports you back to Mt. Ordeals. Back in Mysidia, the Elder reads the Mysidian Legend and re-opens the Serpent Road for you. In Baron, the weapons shop is locked, and you can enter the castle by fighting through several waves of soldiers. Then Kainazzo reveals himself as the king, so you kill him. Kain leads you to Cid's last airship, and joins when FuSoYa goes off to delay Golbez. Meanwhile, Golbez gloats that he only needs one more crystal (apparently the fifth) and plans to distract Cecil and company. It appears there are sidequests now?
In Kaipo, Tellah has mastered Meteo. If you beat Lotan (a Leviathan palette-swap upset about rocks in his lake), he'll teach it to Rydia.
In Mythril, you'll find Yang transformed into a pig. He asks you to get help from his wife. Get the Frying Pan from her, hit him with it, and she'll give you the Murasame Katana for Edge. (Mythril also has some lovely equipment upgrades.)
Nothing going on in Agart unless you want to buy bottom-tier equipment. Nothing new in Mysidia. The king is "attending to his duties" in Eblana Cave, but there doesn't seem to be anything to do about that. Mist is still abandoned.
Baron Castle has the Avenger, Blood Spear, Gigas Glove and an assortment of consumables. In the basement, you can fight Odin, and winning gets the Odin summon for Rydia and the Zantatsuken Sword, which no one seems able to equip.
In Tororia, you need to buy Gyshal greens in order to ride black chocobos. You get conflicting reports about Cave Magnes--that Titan the Fiend of Earth is there, that the Dark Elf lives there, and that you can mine "Ultralight" metal there. Most of the new equipment from Mythril and Tororia isn't magnetic (the weapon sheet that accompanies the patch file details what is and isn't), which makes things much easier. There's a Rat Tail in an obvious chest. The Gungnir Spear, Assassin Dagger and Light Sword (all curiously non-magnetic) are also found here. The Dark Elf/Dark Dragon fight is fairly straightforward, and he drops the Ultralight afterwards. Behind him is an optional battle with Titan, and Rydia gets the summon when you win.
When you return to Tororia, you learn that Golbez came and stole the crystal when you were gone, and then he releases the Giant of Bab-il, so you rush right over there. The Giant has a bunch of "alternate load-out" equipment, like the Mjolnir Mace for Cecil and Battle Robes for the wizards. There's also a monster chest with a Ribbon. Valvalis attacks in the passageway, then the CPU battle goes as usual. The party flees and wakes up in the Tororia infirmary. (The Tororia treasure chamber has the Artemis Bow and Arrows, and lots of high-end consumables.)
Cid's assistants will retrofit the airship back in Baron, then FuSoYa arrives on an airship and leads the party to the Tower of Zot. Treasures include a Poison Axe for Kain, a Defense Sword for Cecil, and a full set of Genji armor. Where you'd normally fight the Magus Sisters, instead you re-fight the four fiends. Then you fight Golbez, and after he's defeated, FuSoYa rushes in and cures Zemus' brainwashing. Golbez reveals he's one of the Lunarian Guardians. They hurry to the crystal chamber, but the five crystals shatter and Zemus is revived. FuSoYa warps the party to Baron. He and Golbez head to the Lunar Core to stop Zemus; the party is told to go to Mysidia and then follow.
You can now use the hook to move the hovercraft to Mythril, and the tail trader will trade the Rat Tail for a Spoon Knife.
If you throw the Zantetsuken Sword into the well in Agart, it re-opens the Underworld. Cid is in Cafe HOWDY in the Dwarf Castle, and wants the Baronian Whiskey from under his bed.Retrieve that from his daughter in Baron, and after getting drunk with him, he'll give you the Adamant. Bring that Kokkol as usual to get the Excalibur. (Kokkol's shop also opens with the Perseus Bow and Arrows and shuriken for sale.)
If you hike to the end of the Sealed Cave, Edward is escaping from the FellWall trap. Kain's Holy Spear is the reward for beating it. Palom is in the Feymarch, where Bahamut is making trouble. Beating him gets Rydia his spell. Porom is in the Sylph Cave, possessed by a demon called Rakshasa (...it's the Asura fight.) Winning gets the Holy spell for Rosa.
If you missed any sidequests, the leaders of the Hummingways have cryptic clues for all of them.
Bahamut's Cave is now relabeled as "Lunar Underground" and plays that area's music. There's a Rune Axe for Kain shortly after entering. There are no spiked Behemoth battles, and Bahamut's throne is the teleporter to the core proper. The Lunar Subterrane is basically unchanged--some of the best equipment has been adjusted, with new names or details, but it's mostly where you expect it to be. The Crystal armor pieces are now in monster chests in the Lunar Core, and Ogopogo guards the final Save point, rather than an item.
The battle against Zemus/Zeromus goes generally according to script, basically removing references to Cecil and Golbez being brothers and having the earth-side team pay lip service to King Giott restoring their souls. Then in the end, Cecil opts to go with Golbez and FuSoYa rather than return to earth. Rosa becomes queen of Baron, everyone else goes back to their lives and rebuilding. And some time later, a party of five warriors approachs the Lunarian throne and Cecil appears before them.
Overall: The difficulty is definitely increased versus vanilla. Enemies are loaded with counterattacks and status effects--I found there was a lot more "fun" with status effects in general than in vanilla, which I suspect is related to the fact that accessories can now be equipped by anyone and each prevents a certain status. The rearranged plot was amusing and there were some interesting ideas in the new mechanics, if not the best execution for my preferred playstyle. I think Unprecendented Crisis was a better hack, but this kept me entertained.
Underworld enemies are nerfed to early-game levels. Cecil has DarkWave, but the twins don't have Bluff or Cry. The different consumables for each status ailment are implemented. The chests in Bab-il mostly have consumables, though there are monster-trapped chests with Leather equipment (which feels incongruous, somehow). Beating Lugae on 8F (he's still clearly working for Rubicant) gets you the Falcon airship. It can't fly over lava, so when you return to Giott, he brings in Cid (executed by the king for trying to steal an airship) and has him upgrade it. Then he sends you to investigate the Feymarch.
(At this point, the stores in Tomra won't sell you anything without the mayor's permission.)
Cid has a "Drink" ability instead of Peep, and it appears to...make him blind. Handy. Porom learns Float very early, making the Feymarch tolerable. Chests in the Feymarch contain a Tomakawk upgrade for Cid and the Darkness sword and armor for Cecil. Then the Magus Sisters guard the entrance to the town. The town stores have equipment upgrades, and then Leviathan reveals that there has been a massacre in Mist Village, corresponding to the deaths of many Eidolens. Returning to Giott, Cecil is told to confer with the Slyphs regarding the great evil in the world above.
The treasure branch of the Sylph cave has a bunch of consumables and a Spanner for Cid. The abundance of monsters that use debilitating status effects (Toad, Stone, etc) when you need a grand assortment of healing items is particularly annoying. The Sylphs show you a vision of the Red Wings destroying Damcyan, and Kain killing Edward and taking the crystal. When they return to Giott, Edward is waiting. Then they hear a monster stealing the crystal from the castle, and rush in to fight Calbrena. The monster is revealed to be Milon, Fiend of Death, ruler of the Sealed Cave. You're sent to Tomra to find a way into the cave.
Edward has Sing, which works as usual, and Aria, which gives the whole party Regen. In Tomra, the Mayor gives you dynamite to enter the cave, and lets you use the stores to upgrade your equipment. These include a Silver Sword for Cecil which lets him hurt undead--very important, given the cave is full of undead. It also has the Black Sword and Hades armor for Cecil, and only some of the doors are trapped. There's a Lamia Harp for Edward and a Viking Axe for Cid. You fight Milon in the crystal room, but he's already passed the crystal to Golbez. As you exit, Milon Z does his back attack.
Giott then restores Cecil's soul and has him use the teleporter to the overworld part of Bab-il...alone. (The game actively suggests running from battles here.) He finds Edge fighting Rubicant. Edge joins, but the battles here are still a bit much for a two-person, no-healer party. There's a Moonring for Edge on the way out, and a Silver Knife in the Eblan Cave. The Elban refugees have a bunch of upgrades for sale. The King and Queen are still alive and hiding underground, so they grant Cecil and Edge the use of a hovercraft and ship. Eblan Castle is full of consumables and (guarded by monsters) an armor upgrade for Edge. At the end of the basement section is a dock. Cecil and Edge sail to Fabul, where they're joined by Yang for the seige. (For the record, Yang has Kick and Focus; Edge has Throw and Ninja magic.)
The seige goes as usual, with Edge taking Edward's place. Rosa comes in with Kain and Golbez and stays behind to heal the party when they take the crystal. She joins the group. (She has White and Aim, and a revamped Pray command.) After they plot to return to Baron on foot, there's a cutscene of pirates stealing the ship, then getting sucked into a whirlpool by a sea monster. The king gives Cecil the Ancient Sword, and the equipment shop has new armor for everyone else. The monsters around here are buffed to match the party, which is really weird because you're getting your ass whupped by Imps.
So begins the journey to Baron. On Mt. Hobs, the party is ambushed by MomBomb. There's also a Silver Staff and some consumables to find. Then you can walk to the Antlion Cave, where Tellah joins, as he wants to get to Damcyan to see his daughter. He has a new "Train" skill that...fails to cast Meteo? The Antlion Cave includes lots of consumables (including a Whistle--there have been a couple of those), and Holy Claws for Yang. The Antlion guards an exit to Damcyan. The Damcyan storehouse has a new Kodachi for Edge, and Rubicant is waiting on the top floor. (Rubicant now counters physical attacks with Fire3 when his cape is open.) As Anna isn't there, Tellah requests the party continue on to Kaipo.
The Watery Pass has been somewhat rearranged so you don't worry about the waterfall. Treasures include a Dancing Dagger and Dark Claws. The monsters here are nasty, especially if like me, you didn't buy Bolt Claws for Yang back in Fabul. Octomamm attacks at the far end, and has a new Deluge attack that will destroy you. Kaipo finally has a shop with a few upgrades. Anna is in the sickbed, and Tellah opts to leave the party and stay with her; he gives them a Package to dispel the flames blocking Mist. Cecil goes out at night and is attacked by a monster attracted to his darkness. At Mist, the party finds Rydia crying over her mother's body and take her with them. (The burned-out fireplace has equipment for her.) She has a decent selection of Black and Call magic, and the Hide ability.
The Mist Cave is short and the Mist Dragon fight is moved to the other end and powered up. Rydia learns MistD afterwards. Baron Town is off-limits, and entering the castle kicks off a cutscene. The king throws the party in prison, but Kain breaks them out and sends them to escape through the sewers. There's a Leech Sword and Ashura Katana here. When you emerge, Baigan cuts you off. Cecil automatically runs for the Serpent Road after the fight, but a Mysidian mage turns the party into toads and drags them to the Elder. He tells Cecil to go to Mt. Ordeals and become a Paladin. The shops have a full complement of new equipment for the party.
The undead on Mt. Ordeals are strong, but equipping Cecil with the Slumber Sword means he's useful. The only noteworthy chest is a Blitz Whip. The Shadow Dragon guards the peak, and after the battle, Yang leaves to swim back north to Fabul. YOu need to actually fight the reflection--I swapped the Leech Sword back on and that was that. Right after the battle, you're teleported to the Moon. (Paladin Cecil comes equipped with Silver armor, in case you forgot to buy the Paladin stuff.)
The Lunar Caves include a Zephyr accessory and a Templar Cane that Cecil can use. In the Lunarian's Retreat, FuSoYa explains that he's the last Lunarian and Golbez is trying to revive Zemus. He also turns Rydia into an adult, which gives her the Flirt ability (which decreases enemy hit rates). He then joins the party and teleports you back to Mt. Ordeals. Back in Mysidia, the Elder reads the Mysidian Legend and re-opens the Serpent Road for you. In Baron, the weapons shop is locked, and you can enter the castle by fighting through several waves of soldiers. Then Kainazzo reveals himself as the king, so you kill him. Kain leads you to Cid's last airship, and joins when FuSoYa goes off to delay Golbez. Meanwhile, Golbez gloats that he only needs one more crystal (apparently the fifth) and plans to distract Cecil and company. It appears there are sidequests now?
In Kaipo, Tellah has mastered Meteo. If you beat Lotan (a Leviathan palette-swap upset about rocks in his lake), he'll teach it to Rydia.
In Mythril, you'll find Yang transformed into a pig. He asks you to get help from his wife. Get the Frying Pan from her, hit him with it, and she'll give you the Murasame Katana for Edge. (Mythril also has some lovely equipment upgrades.)
Nothing going on in Agart unless you want to buy bottom-tier equipment. Nothing new in Mysidia. The king is "attending to his duties" in Eblana Cave, but there doesn't seem to be anything to do about that. Mist is still abandoned.
Baron Castle has the Avenger, Blood Spear, Gigas Glove and an assortment of consumables. In the basement, you can fight Odin, and winning gets the Odin summon for Rydia and the Zantatsuken Sword, which no one seems able to equip.
In Tororia, you need to buy Gyshal greens in order to ride black chocobos. You get conflicting reports about Cave Magnes--that Titan the Fiend of Earth is there, that the Dark Elf lives there, and that you can mine "Ultralight" metal there. Most of the new equipment from Mythril and Tororia isn't magnetic (the weapon sheet that accompanies the patch file details what is and isn't), which makes things much easier. There's a Rat Tail in an obvious chest. The Gungnir Spear, Assassin Dagger and Light Sword (all curiously non-magnetic) are also found here. The Dark Elf/Dark Dragon fight is fairly straightforward, and he drops the Ultralight afterwards. Behind him is an optional battle with Titan, and Rydia gets the summon when you win.
When you return to Tororia, you learn that Golbez came and stole the crystal when you were gone, and then he releases the Giant of Bab-il, so you rush right over there. The Giant has a bunch of "alternate load-out" equipment, like the Mjolnir Mace for Cecil and Battle Robes for the wizards. There's also a monster chest with a Ribbon. Valvalis attacks in the passageway, then the CPU battle goes as usual. The party flees and wakes up in the Tororia infirmary. (The Tororia treasure chamber has the Artemis Bow and Arrows, and lots of high-end consumables.)
Cid's assistants will retrofit the airship back in Baron, then FuSoYa arrives on an airship and leads the party to the Tower of Zot. Treasures include a Poison Axe for Kain, a Defense Sword for Cecil, and a full set of Genji armor. Where you'd normally fight the Magus Sisters, instead you re-fight the four fiends. Then you fight Golbez, and after he's defeated, FuSoYa rushes in and cures Zemus' brainwashing. Golbez reveals he's one of the Lunarian Guardians. They hurry to the crystal chamber, but the five crystals shatter and Zemus is revived. FuSoYa warps the party to Baron. He and Golbez head to the Lunar Core to stop Zemus; the party is told to go to Mysidia and then follow.
You can now use the hook to move the hovercraft to Mythril, and the tail trader will trade the Rat Tail for a Spoon Knife.
If you throw the Zantetsuken Sword into the well in Agart, it re-opens the Underworld. Cid is in Cafe HOWDY in the Dwarf Castle, and wants the Baronian Whiskey from under his bed.Retrieve that from his daughter in Baron, and after getting drunk with him, he'll give you the Adamant. Bring that Kokkol as usual to get the Excalibur. (Kokkol's shop also opens with the Perseus Bow and Arrows and shuriken for sale.)
If you hike to the end of the Sealed Cave, Edward is escaping from the FellWall trap. Kain's Holy Spear is the reward for beating it. Palom is in the Feymarch, where Bahamut is making trouble. Beating him gets Rydia his spell. Porom is in the Sylph Cave, possessed by a demon called Rakshasa (...it's the Asura fight.) Winning gets the Holy spell for Rosa.
If you missed any sidequests, the leaders of the Hummingways have cryptic clues for all of them.
Bahamut's Cave is now relabeled as "Lunar Underground" and plays that area's music. There's a Rune Axe for Kain shortly after entering. There are no spiked Behemoth battles, and Bahamut's throne is the teleporter to the core proper. The Lunar Subterrane is basically unchanged--some of the best equipment has been adjusted, with new names or details, but it's mostly where you expect it to be. The Crystal armor pieces are now in monster chests in the Lunar Core, and Ogopogo guards the final Save point, rather than an item.
The battle against Zemus/Zeromus goes generally according to script, basically removing references to Cecil and Golbez being brothers and having the earth-side team pay lip service to King Giott restoring their souls. Then in the end, Cecil opts to go with Golbez and FuSoYa rather than return to earth. Rosa becomes queen of Baron, everyone else goes back to their lives and rebuilding. And some time later, a party of five warriors approachs the Lunarian throne and Cecil appears before them.
Overall: The difficulty is definitely increased versus vanilla. Enemies are loaded with counterattacks and status effects--I found there was a lot more "fun" with status effects in general than in vanilla, which I suspect is related to the fact that accessories can now be equipped by anyone and each prevents a certain status. The rearranged plot was amusing and there were some interesting ideas in the new mechanics, if not the best execution for my preferred playstyle. I think Unprecendented Crisis was a better hack, but this kept me entertained.
