Record of Lodoss War adventure log

[+neogeo1982]

Kept meaning to play this with many others but my Phantasy Star Online shoot and loot bug always got to me first. This is pretty cool so far. Has a real story and reminds me of the Baldurs Gate games.

[+neogeo1982]

Hunting goblins and getting loot. This is pretty fun so far. 

[+neogeo1982]

I like that there are dialogue options in this. I am unsure if they have any affect on what happens but it is a nice touch nonetheless.

[Austin]

I really enjoyed this one and wouldn't mind going for another playthrough. I clocked about 30 hours into it and finished it about 12 years ago and had a good time from start to finish. I liked how every new area felt pretty threatening compared to the previous.

[+neogeo1982]

23 minutes ago, Austin said:

about 30 hours

I better make it last then. I've become accustomed to very long grinds with different games. Destiny grinding brought me back to Dreamcast to give PSO another go after 20 years. It's good to know this title will eventually end and isn't just an endless looter.

[Austin]

7 hours ago, neogeo1982 said:

I better make it last then. I've become accustomed to very long grinds with different games. Destiny grinding brought me back to Dreamcast to give PSO another go after 20 years. It's good to know this title will eventually end and isn't just an endless looter.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure there was still a lot of optional stuff for me to do. Later optional dungeons that need beefier characters. It's been a while now though so I can't remember the details. Either way, enjoy it! I was hooked when I finally decided to get serious about the game (I had originally played it when it launched, but only for an hour or two, it wasn't until over ten years later I finally dug in deeper).

Edited May 19, 2023 by Austin

[+neogeo1982]

Progress through a cemetery and into the goblins fortress. Found a blacksmith that it let me name him. He'll be my weapons upgrader after this quest I guess.

[+neogeo1982]

Goblin fortress down. Onto the next. The enemies aren't very hard yet and I have an awful lot of refillable healing potions in this. Also of note is save crystals. They seem to be scattered every 5 minutes of playing. Even throughout dungeon levels.

[+neogeo1982]

In game cutscenes! Complete with early 2000s cgi that's entertaining. I recognize a couple characters in it from the anime of the same name. I guess that's how this is all tied together. This story seems separate from the anime adventures though. And I learned some magic. It's a fast travel spell. This is getting good now.

[+neogeo1982]

Ah ha! So this is a side story from Record of Lodoss War. Ok that's cool. I'm not a huge fan but I have seen some of the series in years past. I did do some more looting and weapon upgrading is fun with the blacksmith.

[Lostdragon]

My Dreamcast is in storage and i pray one day my missus will let me connect it to the SD TV one day, so I can return to this. 

 

Poured hours into it back in the day, loved it. 

[+neogeo1982]

Save crystals went from every other screen to non-existent. And the difficulty ramped up from a 1 to a 10 real quick. I see why the fast travel spell and hoard of healing bottles was given at the beginning now. 2 hours of getting this screen is irritating while exploring.

 

[+neogeo1982]

@LostdragonIve been using this and plug into my 4k TV. It works great and has a 5ft cord so I can put the console where I want it. It throws the Dreamcast into vga mode using it. So my SNK games don't support it like KOF or Last Blade. Really out of the whole library there's very games that don't work with it and playing these on the big flat screen is a real treat.

[+neogeo1982]

Another hour of almost no progress. I must be doing something wrong. Maybe I'll try grinding and upgrading the same gear for awhile.

[newtmonkey]

Once you get out of the tutorial dungeon, the game is pretty non-linear.  The game doesn't require any grinding; some caves, etc. are just very difficult and meant to be explored later on.  You can also just run by difficult enemies when exploring the world.

Edited May 23, 2023 by newtmonkey

[Austin]

1 hour ago, newtmonkey said:

Once you get out of the tutorial dungeon, the game is pretty non-linear.  The game doesn't require any grinding; some caves, etc. are just very difficult and meant to be explored later on.  You can also just run by difficult enemies when exploring the world.

Yep, basically this.

 

It has classic RPG syndrome where if you walk into the wrong area unprepared, you are going to get annihilated.

 

I remember that being a fun aspect of the game though. No hand holding, you’re basically dropped in and forced to experiment. Get wrecked by huge ogres? Well, look forward to going back later and trying again when you are beefier.

 

if I remember correctly, there are trails marked all over the place, and some go upwards to the Northeast. That might be where the player is supposed to go next. Don’t quote me on that as it’s been forever.

 

Grinding definitely helps though. Enemies drop ore or whatever it’s called, and you can upgrade your character with it at the blacksmith I believe. Eventually anyway, I am not sure if it’s available this early on. It’s a huge part of becoming resilient however.

 

Man, now I really want to fire this up just to get all the details down again.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Austin

[+neogeo1982]

9 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

You can also just run by difficult enemies when exploring the world

Yes absolutely 😅. My many deaths are more from just exploring where I shouldn't be yet mostly. @Austin Yes after getting to the Dark elf village and opening more options up I see what the gameplay loop is with the blacksmith now and upgrading myself. Moving all the upgrades and adding more to a weapon is fun working on a good weapon/armor build.

[+neogeo1982]

End of the Dark forest area finally. Much easier with upgrading gear properly now. Many small paths and nooks and crannies with loot to find. 

[+neogeo1982]

The save game crystals actually bring back a bad game memory from around the same time this came out.

 

Every time I save it reminds me of this game on PC for some reason. Must have traumatized me at the time or something.

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by neogeo1982
Grammar

[+neogeo1982]

Oh wow the companions actually fight with you this is cool! Fought my way to another goblin lair and found Deedlit. Another small cutscene with Deedlit being abused by goblins. And we slaughter the goblins in short order.

 

[+neogeo1982]

Onto the Dark Elf evil guy at the end of the ruins. He burns the forest in a cutscene and then proceeds to beat me pretty good. Guess I'll level up a bit and try tomorrow.

[+Biff Burgertime]

It's been a loooong time since I played this, but I remember really enjoying it. My most enduring memory is rallying the goblins while at your hideout (or whatever you'd call it).

 

Actually I played this way back when DC piracy was somewhat new, after they figured out how to get discs to boot via the MIL-CD exploit without needing a mod chip or anything. But there wasn't a convenient menu of games to pick from and download, no no. You had to put the work in and go find the corners of the internet hosting such shady things. This was the first time I downloaded mIRC and learned to use IRC - something I still do to this day!

 

Sorry, Dreamcast - I always loved you, still do, but the temptation of free software as a chronically-ill, nicotine-addicted teenager was too great. My income was nil. No excuse, I know, but that was my situation.

[+neogeo1982]

8 hours ago, Biff Burgertime said:

after they figured out how to get discs to boot via the MIL-CD exploit without needing a mod chip or anything.

Really without that exploit and using it we wouldn't have had the homebrews or translated games we've gotten over the years. 

[+neogeo1982]

Having companions was short lived. They really helped in that battle before leaving. The story makes them sound kind of negative. They're going to go back and protect Lodoss, I'm on my own to fight here. Had enough to get the special katana made and upgrade it a bit. Now off to another cave. 

[+neogeo1982]

Lair of the Iron Golem. Got too far too quick again. Lost an hour of not saved