Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
| Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals | |
|---|---|
| The boxart for the game Lufia II (US Version) | |
| Developer(s) | Neverland |
| Publisher(s) | Taito (JP) Natsume (NA) Nintendo (EU) |
| Platform(s) | SNES |
| Release | 24 February 1995 (JP) 31 August 1996 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | Role playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals is a RPG game with puzzle elements developed by Neverland and published in Japan in 1995 by Taito, and in North America and Europe in 1996 by Natsume and Nintendo respectivly, for the Super Nintendo video game console.
Basic premise
The story is centered around the hero Maxim, a swordsman from the town of Elcid who is destined to fight the Sinistrals. Throughout his journey, he meets other warriors who join his quest. This game is a prequel to Lufia & the Fortress of Doom, telling the story of how the Sinistrals first appeared in the world and the battles fought against them. There are also many mentions of the things seen in the first Lufia game, such as the Priphea flowers.
Capsule monsters
Capsule monsters are special creatures which the player may only find on specific locations of the world. Once a Capsule monster is found, the party acquires a fifth—computer controlled—member. These monsters can be fed items and equipment, and once they are satiated they evolve to a different form, up to a fourth and definitive form. Seven of them exist, and each Capsule monster belongs to a different element and has a different set of skills. The elements are Neutral, Light, Wind, Water, Dark, Fire and Soil.
Heroes
Maxim The Red Haired Hero, master swordsman and monster hunter is quite a character; he can use various swords and magic spells, hence allowing him to cause severe amounts of pain to his foes. Like all RPG Heroes, Maxim has a specific task in Life, he has to rid the world of evil, and obliterate the four sinistrals who appear to be against humans ruling the world. On his adventure he'll find lots of treasures and befriend various people to aid him in this struggle. One will become his wife, the two will have a child; and name him Jeros.
Tia The Humble Shopkeeper, amateur magician and childhood friend of Maxim. She is one of the most equippable characters in the game, she is able to use rods and whips to cause damage, including a few spears and knives. Being Humble is her major role, she needs protecting due to her carelessness. She assists Maxim a little, and she buggers off back to Elcid never to be seen again.
Selan The Magical Heroine, Maxim's beloved and Mother of Jeros, she meets Maxim when she training the soldiers of Parcelyte. Selan appears to be a Royal Guard, she is looking after her King, whom she holds in high regard....and she appears to be VERY attractive; so beautiful that Dekar tries to charm her as soon as the two meet the FIRST time. She has been living with her aunt, until Maxim comes along, gets her pregnant and she wants to help him obliterate the Sinistrals. Selan feels challenged with Guys jokes, she always thinks he's been insulting so she tends to argue her ideas.
Dekar Strong as Rock for Soul Calibur, a loyal as a terrior and the MOST powerful warrior in existance. He is NOT known to be intelligent, however he makes up with this while putting Muscle in the place of his brains. Dekar deep down is quite a sensitive bloke, He is quite dumb.
Guy The Best friend of Maxim, always supporting him and occasianly tries to rival Dekar. He has Blond hair, a cute girlfriend named Jessy, and a fit sister named Hilda, who is taken ill near the start of the game. He dares to challenge one of the sinistrals before anyone else, but loses and it should also be known that he will always be in the team near the games ending, along with Artea and Selan. He is more agile and brainier than Dekar, but he's always cracking sad jokes, which make Selan fell pissed, because of this, him and Selan have some petty squabbles, usually stopped by Maxim.
Arty Elven Swordmaster, and wielder of Luminous Magic Spells, he joins Maxim and his comrades when a Sinistral takes the life of his friend. His deceased friend has left her daughter all alone, but when it comes to this lil' child, Artea treats her like his own. He's the most agile character, and he is more intelligent than the likes of Maxim and Guy; his physical stats are bearable.
Lexis Genius of the Century, one of the BEST inventors in existance, and also a good magician; thanks to being so clever. Lexis appears to be an Old man, he is more responsible for building the ships engine, and improving the vessels skill, in and out of the seven seas. Along with some of his scientist friends, Lexis will turn an ordinary sea vessel into an Airship, similar to the ships we see in Final Fantasy games. He also promises Milka that he will get rid of the Ooze which pollutes the terrains. His Lab is near Treadool, and it's FULL of traps; after all, this bloke is a Mad scientist. he is quite a strong bloke, he beats Artea, Selan and Tia in the STR value.
The Ancient Cave
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One of the most notable features of Lufia II is the Ancient Cave, a randomly generated dungeon comprised of 99 floors which is presented to the player as a side-quest in the town of Gruberik. Every time the player enters the cave, a new layout is generated.
Within the cave, the characters are downgraded to zero experience points and are stripped of all equipment and items. The player must then proceed through the cave's floors, collecting equipment, finding magic spells and increasing levels, with the objective of reaching the Ancient Cave's final floor. There are three ways of exiting the cave: by dying, by reaching its bottom or by finding and using an item exclusive to the cave, named "providence".
Within the cave lie two kinds of chests - blue and red. A red chest contains items which can only be used inside the cave for the duration of the playing session. As soon as the player leaves the cave, all items from red chests disappear with the exception of Iris treasures, rare artifacts that serve no practical purpose, but are displayed in a house in Gruberik. On the other hand, the rare blue chests contains items unique to the Ancient Cave, which can be used outside the cave and can be brought back to the cave on subsequent journeys.
Differences between versions
The North American release of the game has a few graphical and textual glitches which were corrected in the European version. These appear, most notably, on areas of complicated access, such as the underwater caverns—which can only be accessed with the submarine vehicle—and the last floor of the Ancient Cave.