CHRONICLING AIDYN 3-25: SORT OF SEEN OFF

Posts

halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-6: The Mistress in the Mist


So, this is a place that doesn't strictly exist. The game portrays it as a vast, empty abyss with a swirly, cloudy-looking floor. Like most things in the game, it leaves a lot to the imagination, so even my portrayal here is a little more interesting. It has some creepy ambiance, though.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-7: The Poison Within

And this is where the writing starts to get complicated.

Aidyn is one of those RPGs that gives you dialogue options. Sometimes you're able to explore them all, or reinitiate a conversation to try a different route. In many others, you're stuck with what you chose and will have to reload (or replay) to see what else can be said.

For this story, I'm lucky enough to have exhumed all the game's dialogue files, so I can weave these conversations into whatever I think works best. We won't be covering every scrap of dialogue, but you sure won't miss anything interesting!
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
I also remember at a few points, the dialogue was actually somewhat randomized, and in at least one instance you can't proceed until the clueless Alaron figures out the right thing to say on his own.

halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Can confirm. I'm pretty sure some of the conversations are broken, too (surprising no one). If I was tied to the in-game dialogue trees, this would not end well.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-8: Abesnt-Minded Adieu


So, this derpy farewell sequence exists in the game, but to my knowledge, there's no way to actually trigger it. Because I have all the game's dialogue files, I have access to scenes that you might not be able to see normally. I've done my best to find each one for real, but some like this are mysteriously absent.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
Thank God for those lights too, this is one of those games where one wrong turn can send you to the far fringes of nowhere in a hurry.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Yes indeed. I can't tell you how often I used to get lost just in Oisin alone. Luckily, there are helpful minotaurs to kill you dead if you go the wrong way.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-9: Mirari Maiden Meetup


I told you they'd be back! Did you remember which one was which? Even if you didn't, they still aren't that important.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-10: Lost and Found


The weirdo at the start of this page normally appears in Gwernia, but some of his dialogue suggests he was misplaced. This let me set something up for later anyway, so keep it in the back of your mind.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-11: Home, Sweat, Home

Gwernia has one of the derpiest BGMs I've ever heard in a game. I probably only like it because I'm used to it by now.

Anyway, something I never noticed before about the knights in Gwernia is that their rank is denoted by their shoulder pads. Alaron only has one, while standard guards have two. Abrecan has four, so you know he's a big deal in the knighthood.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
I seem to recall the Castle winning the 'worst music of all time' award.

Abrecan and Brenna manage to be mildly interesting characters in a game where nobody but the main character really undergoes any development.

Maybe Rheda too since she actually has a story arc but I never got far enough to finish it.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
I dunno what you're on about. Castle Gwernia is one of my favorite tracks. That's a matter of opinion, though. Regardless, the worst BGM of all time is Bomberman Hero's Non-Gravity.

But yeah, those are three of my fave characters easily. It's a shame that Brenna is so flimsy in battle, because it's easy to lose her early on. I've never gotten her to Erromon without having to save scum.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
I think I got around that by giving her a ranged weapon? She's quite solid with throwing knives. I seem to recall having the opposite problem since Brenna refuses to ever leave once she joins, and Keelin is a better rogue in pretty much every way.

Granted, having both of them in the party at the same time is kind of hilarious.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Keelin is an excellent Brenna 2.0, but really, any agile character with Thief skills can kick ass in battle. The only edge Brenna has over her is potential for early spell investment.

Apparently there are some special scenes you can get if you keep both, but I've yet to find them myself...
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-12: Royal Summons


Nothing says 'welcome home' like a guard locking the door as soon as you arrive.

Anyway, here we are in Castle Gwernia, home of my favorite BGM in the game (your results may vary). We're gonna be here for a loooooooong time. There's a lot of talky-talky that happens here, so I'm gonna try to hit everything while also keeping it relevant and interesting. Settle in; adventure is on its way.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-13: An Alchemy Appointment


Meet Godric, the basement-dwelling absent-minded alchemist. This is probably his most coherent conversation in the entire game. He's not stupid, but he's kind of a wacky character in general.

And hey, world building.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
Godric comes across as wacky to a first-time player, but if you've played the game you realize he's actually pretty sharp and that maybe he read the script.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Yeah, it's like his insanity is just a front for his perceptiveness. I haven't spent as much time with him as I'd like. He's the inferior wizard to set out with, and taking him later is even more difficult because level scaling doesn't exist, so I've never really gone on a full quest with him.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
1-14: Antidon't

This is more like how Godric normally is during the rest of the game. He's the kind of character who's like a complex jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing. Always a good time.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
This dialogue is a lot better than I remember. It's a shame this game's presentation was so...subpar.

Somebody who was making this game really cared, and it shows.