MARREND'S PROFILE

Castlevania - Curse of Darkness - Started

The opening post of this thread hasn't been updated since... Darigaaz, November of 2020? Welp.

*Edit: It might take some time to figure out where, exactly, the OP left off, and what games have been added, and/or reviewed, since then. Would it actually be helpful to update the OP, or... be lazy devs/mods, and just leave it as-is?

A ring menu implementation was a thing I did in Ace (among other things), and even used proper trigonometry functions to do it. With 2K3, well, I think it might be possible through the Maniacs Patch, or whatever it's called? I'm not familiar with it, beyond it's existence, so, I cannot help more.

I'm not sure how it works as-is, but, from what I'm reading of what you want to do, I'm thinking this custom menu idea might want to be it's own map. The picture that the menu uses would include the text for each available choice, and the player graphic would turn into a cursor. The facing for the player character would likely need to be locked. Each choice would, then, actually be an Action Button trigger based on where the player is on the "list" of choices. Though, perhaps I'm assuming too much by thinking this menu is vertically aligned, rather than horizontally?

Last time, MOMO was captured again, this time by Albedo. A fake MOMO joins the party for a while, and jumps on Jr. before the boss battle. However, Albedo gets away, only to activate Proto Merkabah. Which we are summarily charged with bringing down by Juli, standing for her entire committee on this matter. The sight of "mommy" brings a certain mixture of joy and sadness in the prototype 100-series, but, she does not make any attempt to butt into the conversation, or make any other kind of contact.

There's an opportunity to putz around, and I do! For a while! Then they start laughing at the gun. Nonsense aside, let's get into that Proto Merkabah, and maybe find an end-of-chapter save this time. Naturally, there's a bit of a cut-scene before the Elsa docks on on Proto Merkabah, but, it's mostly fluff at this point.

After going through a bit of a puzzle creating a bridge, we take an elevator, only to run into flights of stairs to climb instead. There's explorative space on each floor, but, the amount of space to explore varies. On some floors, you can very clearly see that there's room on the other side of the wall, or there's a straight-up door that's locked. Of course, those areas aren't accessible until you climb to the very top. Even then, the path forward isn't unlocked until the climb down the other side for a spell. However, when it's all said and done, we face off against a cameo boss...


...in the form of Proto Dora. Ya'll remember Dora, right? It was the Gear Vanderkaum used after the Kefeinzel went kablooey in Xenogears. Back then, it used it's claws to pick up one of the AI-controlled allied Gears, and used it as a weapon to bludgeon of inspiration Fei's Weltall. The fact that the Proto Dora comes with two AGWS highly suggests it might do something similar. However, the battle doesn't last long enough for the boss to attack, much less the bits that came with it.

Further in is a room MOMO recognizes as the place she was born. While she was never specifically told what purpose this overall facility was meant for, she's got a good idea. She knows that not long after she was born, Joachim died, and the Gnosis were summoned. Of course, a lot of the blame of the summoning of the Gnosis lies on Joachim's feet, and I'm pretty sure MOMO is distinctly aware of that. However, it seems like Proto Merkabah was the main tool. That she was also born here gives her the impression that she's a part of the package. To put it another way, would there be a need for the 100-series if it the Gnosis weren't around in such large quantities as they are now? Is she little more than a method to stem the tide of the catastrophe her father triggered? Is she merely a tool of redemption? An abomination created in the need to eliminate the abominations that are the Gnosis? Shion profoundly disagrees. Even if MOMO is a Realian, she is still the child of Joachim. Surely, no parent would consider their own child an abomination?

That aside, this isn't the room we were looking for, but, we're certainly closer. We take a number of elevators, one of which has fights every so often. A bit further ahead is our next cut-scene, where Albedo taunts Jr. for the umpteenth time before engaging in combat. Of course, this is another "you didn't actually win this battle" scenario. Albedo mouths off even more, because of course he does, then summons another boss fight.


This Gnosis fused with the reactor, so, defeating it means a cascade explosion effect across the entire structure of Proto Merkabah. If that wasn't enough, movement is detected, and KOS-MOS confirms it through her sensors. The facility is now on a crash course set to Second Miltia. If the facility is broken up into compartments, a decent number of those structures might vaporize in the atmosphere, and the rest might land on the surface, the planet relatively unharmed. There was a control room on one of the floors we passed on the way here, and there, MOMO gets to work. Naturally, the console in that room is the only place where the command to decompartmentalize can occur, and the process will take one minute. Not enough time to return to the Elsa. Ziggy asks if it can be done remotely, but, MOMO's data references and search functions come up negative.

KOS-MOS volunteers to stay behind to input the commands necessary. While non-Vector personnel might not be a priority for her, her internal logic dictates that having her stay behind provides the greatest chance of survival. There may be many factors involved in this calculation, but, she tells Shion that, at maximum speed, she can reach the Elsa in under one minute.

The next sequence is a medley of scenes of the party running, cutting to KOS-MOS doing her thing in the control room, with exterior shots of the facility, as explosions trigger, and subsections falling off one by one. When they reach the bridge, and relay the situation to Captain Matthews, he's a little troubled that they aren't lifting off right away. Of course, Jr. wants to wait for KOS-MOS, and the Elsa gets pelted by rubble as they do. The situation is unstable, but, Jr. holds off the launch as long as he dares. However, he can only dare for so long, and the launch happens before KOS-MOS makes her rendezvous. Shion, of course, will not leave her creation behind, but, Captain Matthews is adamant about the decision to leave. Nephilim speaks to Shion's mind, asking her to "see with your heart". She closes her eyes, and has a vision of KOS-MOS running. Back on the intercom, she pleads to get closer to the port side wall by 400 meters. The Captain will have none of this, but, Tony complies. From the opened port door, Shion observes the wall, looking for the errant KOS-MOS. A portion bends and crackles, and the battle android bursts forth. Shion calls out for KOS-MOS, and reaches out. KOS-MOS catches her hand, but, her frame is rather heavy, and takes everything Shion has just to hold on, much less make any attempt at pulling her in. Just as Shion's grip is about to fail, Ziggy is there to provide support, and manages to pull KOS-MOS in. The line that comes out of Shion after this is kinda funny.

Shion: KOS-MOS, I really ought to put you on a diet!

So, we're cool, right? Things can finally settle down? We can get our end-of-chapter save? How about...



...No. Not even close. Because of the hits that the Elsa took while waiting for KOS-MOS, they cannot stop their own deadly descent onto Second Miltia. As Hammer reports that the hull temperature is exceeding the maximum limit, there is a cut to chaos in, er, I think that's the AGWS hanger? KOS-MOS enters, presumably from her lab, and says something nonsensical...

KOS-MOS: Relinquish your pain... unto me.

...before leaving the room. Cut back to the bridge, a report is made that the aft hatch is open? To quote Captain Matthews...

Matthews: What!? Who's the moron doing that!? Is he trying to burn all of us from the inside out!?

I'll give you one guess. Yep, it's KOS-MOS. By her estimation, she can maintain this position for one minute and twenty seconds, and that should be enough time to stabilize the Elsa. Shion thinks this is suicide, and tries calling her back, but, well, KOS-MOS is quite stubborn about this. The scene shifts a number of times between Nephilim, a child (who looks suspiciously like Fei) in a white room, and Wilhelm before getting back to the Elsa. But, you know, something weird happens. It's not just KOS-MOS getting blue eyes again. She grows...


...wings of light? The Elsa, now stabilized, and very much in one piece, cruises across the surface of Second Miltia. Matthews raises his chair, looking out the window, thinks he sees something out there, and orders Hammer to activate the bow camera. There, at the bow of the ship, stands KOS-MOS, as if nothing happened. The only visible marking of damage is that her visor snapped off, her rather lengthy hair blowing in the wind as the ship moves.


Shion almost can't believe her eyes. Trust me, I couldn't believe my eyes either, the first time I saw that. Then the credits star rolling, and a number of cut-scenes play as they do. First, we see a lone man approaching a rock tablet on a cliff, watching the meteor storm, created by the remnants of Proto Merkabah's decoupling before the Elsa passes by. Next, Gaignun speaks to Helmer over comms. They confer on the likelihood of U-TIC's target is on Miltia. Albedo is also name-dropped, as he might want the same thing. Speaking of the devil, Albedo's next in line. He seems entertained enough for the moment. All he needs to do now is wait for MOMO to link up with the UMN, and he can do his thing. Next is Wilhelm and the red-cloaked guy. Wilhelm doesn't mind Albedo doing his own thing. The key to Abel's Ark can only be opened by him, and he cannot link with U-DO again, even if he wanted to. Wilhelm seems to think it's a shame to relegate such a minor role to a person with such a bright will. Next up, we're back on the Elsa, this time, at the canteen. Ziggy is talking with MOMO, while Jr. is messing around with Allen, ad Shion's just kinda standing there. The attention moves to the door as it opens, and the camera cuts to Shion turning around in slow motion, and faces KOS-MOS once more.

KOS-MOS: Mission complete, Shion.
Shion: Welcome back!

At this, the screen fades to black, the credits finish, and we get our Clear Game save to load into Episode 2, when I get that far. 21 hours, 6 minutes, 34 seconds, by the way. We were hit with a couple of cool cut-scenes at the end, there, so, let's throw them here.


This was a funky little journey, I hope I have been entertaining as you took it with me, or if you read it after it's completion. However, this is only the first episode out of 3. What kinds of zany things await in the second episode? Find out, when I do the Xenosaga Episode 2 LP!



What? Don't give me that look. I said in the first post of this topic I'd do them all. Though, as mentioned, it might be a bit before I delve into Episode 2. I'll leave a post here when I make the topic so that one can follow along. Until then, remember: Winners don't use the `Drive`! They use... lots of `Drive`!

Oh. Wait. Wrong game.