Hello gang! When we left off, I'd found out I wasn't seeing most text in game because of a bug. That problem has been fixed by changing the colour of the font from white to grey. Right off the bat, it's making a difference: La-Mulana wasn't telling me how much VRAM I have until now.
I got the fix from this site, though I had to modify it a little to make it work for me. For anyone not following the link, recent versions of Windows break La-Mulana by not displaying the text in these screens. The fix is to open the bitmap file containing the font and change the white colour in it (hex value FFFFFF) to a different value. FFFFFE works for some, the page linked suggests F7F7F7, both pretty much white. Neither of those worked for me. In the end I got it to work with FFFF99, which produced the grey in the VRAM text above. FFFF9A or higher wouldn't work. I think what's happening here is that the game sticks to a 16 colour palette, and FFFF99 is either the grey or close enough that it shows as the grey rather than the white. If I'm right, then I could fiddle around some more and maybe change to one of the other colours, but it would change all the text, including the HUD. Maybe Lemeza's skin tone would be better, but for now this grey is good enough.
It's kind of subtle on the title screen, but START and CONTINUE are now in a darker shade than the finger pointing at them. This is also seen in the words VIT and EXP and the numbers of coins and weights in the heads up display. Plus the text on the MSX window is grey, but the Ok and the cursor remain white. They're not drawn using the font bitmap. It's pretty obvious when you look for it, but not so bad if you don't.
The plan this update is to go around reading all the text I haven't been able to see so far, starting with the two signposts in the village. I think they're both pretty much just colour. Maybe the balance thing is a hint? Anyway, last update I got the Grail, which is supposed to take you to places you've been by pressing 0-9 on the Item Screen. Let's give it a go!
Pressing 0 takes Lemeza back to the Elder's hut. That's pretty useful!
Pressing 1 takes me to the altar in the Guidance Gate. Also handy, though probably not as good as getting back to the save point.
I scan the altar, and see an unintelligible script. That's a big step forward! Then I put Glyph Reader in my MSX, and the message appears in plain English. It's pretty grim.
It was suggested in the thread that the glyphs might be an actual alphabet, and although I haven't gone through and matched the whole thing up, it appears to be true. The words are the same length (though it's hard to tell because there's no space between each glyph and its neighbours), and if you look for the same letter in two locations (for example, the two Gs in "Guidance Gate", or the full stops at the ends of the first and fourth lines), you can see matching glyphs in the same places. If you really wanted to, you could learn this alphabet and ditch Glyph Reader. Perhaps later there'll be glyphs in the background that can only be read by deciphering them yourself?
Here we are at 0/0. I've arranged the text windows to match where what I'm reading is in the room. Upper right: the broken stele. Still says nothing. Lower left: the slumped skeleton. Poor guy almost made it out. Lower right: the intact stele.
The skeletons at 1/0 can't be scanned, so I head back down to 1/-1 and check the skeleton there. It gives a clue about how to read the glyphs that I don't need. In 2/-1 I get a proper clue: "Offer three sacrifices to the heavens." Sadly, I have no idea what it means, but I'm sure it will become clear at some point.
3/-1 has three lots of text, all relating to the room itself. The two about courage are hinting how to get the Shuriken: jump on the spikes. I've done that already. The "holy place" one is warning not to strike the holy blocks. I've also done that already.
The skeleton at the lower right doesn't scan but does get me hit by the spike trap again. The one in the middle of the room I can't reach at the moment, same as the broken stele.
Down in 1/-2 there are some more hints. The "simple tra..." one is from one of the skeletons next to the dais that drops the jaw when activated. That it got cut off mid-word raises the question of what exactly Lemeza is scanning here. Are these messages written down? Did this guy spring the trap, then start writing a lament as he waited for it to fall on him? The stele talks about giants, but it's not clear what it means. The "path where the Angels face each other" is from the upper left side of this room across to two rooms to the left. If I can get up there, apparently there's an invisible floor to walk on.
In -1/-2 I miss this jump, which is sort of a good thing because it lands me next to a stele.
It gives a very specific clue that I'm sure will be useful somewhere down the line. I try to scan the skeleton on the right of the room but get knocked down by a bat instead. I decide to head for the bottom of the area. In the armoury, the broken stele gives a broken message. Perhaps there's another stele somewhere with the same message but the opposite parts broken off? Wouldn't that be nice? The skeleton on the left in the armoury doesn't scan.
-1/-5 has another broken stele. Combining the message with the one on the previous screen, we get: "The guild hides ar water. He who climbs ag search e water will ga key ce to it First water". In other words, these two don't go together. Oh well. The other clue here, from the skeleton, seems pretty clearly to relate to the items in -2/-5. But how?
It turns out they can be broken, though doing so will invite divine retribution.
Having crushed the helmet, I go on to crush the armour. Unfortunately, this doesn't allow me to steal the shield and sword as I'd hoped, and it's left me in perilously low health. I exit the screen hoping to reset the puzzle, but when I come back the two items are still broken. Have I screwed this one up permanantly?
I go a bit further afield, and when I come back the broken pieces are restored. I guess I'll be able to try again. For now, though, I don't have the VIT to be inviting divine retribution again.
Speaking of which, the path back from where I am is pretty dangerous. I use the Grail to get myself back to safer territory.
Then I head back to my established grinding place and get my health back up.
I again miss the jump over the big gap in -1/-2, but this time I reach the skeleton on the right of -1/-3 and get its morbid message. I'll have to keep an eye out for shops.
The broken stele in 0/-3 has the same image on it as the one in -1/-5. If I combine them with the magic of paint.net I get:
Another clue! I guess I need to swim up a waterfall?
After a couple more attempts I clear this long jump again and read the stele and skeleton in the lower part of the next room. The skeleton doesn't tell me much, but the stele warns of a monster, Shu. The hole of sacrifices might be the pit at 0/-3 (two images back). I've been to the room below, but I don't think I've actually gone down through the hole. Maybe something will happen if I do?
Down in -1/-4 I get some info about the temple of the Sun. I think that's a later Field, but on the other hand maybe it's the room at 0/-4 with the star shape in the background?
If only I knew, buddy. Actually, I might have an idea: presumably the guards are the Guardians I've been told about. Probably the two headed snake seen in the background of -1/-2. "Deliver a stone on high" I think refers to the dais at the top of 0/-2 (the path of Angels). "Silent and alone", though... maybe I need to kill all the enemies in a room to become alone, then stand around silently for a while?
Another couple of clues to things I've done already. The skeleton mentions the shortcut I took to get to this room, and the stele shows what you need to examine to activate the Grail.
Only on of the skeletons in this room has anything to say, the one at the upper left. This might be my favourite text so far. Unfortunately I entered from the hole on the right rather than the one in the middle, so I'm still not sure if there's anything to be gained by going through the hole of sacrifices.
This broken stele is I think the last one I can currently reach. I tried combining it with the other uncombined broken stele I saw earlier, but it didn't fit. Neither of the skeletons in this room showed anything when scanned.
With everything (I think) scanned, it's time to get out. I use the Grail to get back to Xelpud's place and save my game.
It looks like Birth and Death tied for where I should go next. I flipped a coin, and it came up death, so that's where I'll go.
Clues:
Village:
"The Algol with the blue body and the many eyes. Legend has it he is weak to the Serpent Staff."
Guidance Gate:
"Eight souls rest in this land. The souls are those of the Guardians that protect these lands. When the Ankhs holding the souls shatter from a shining red light, the souls will awaken. The Ankh in this land is beyond the path of Angels, and the Jewel is at the foot of a long wall."
""There is a path where the angels face each other" I found an invisible floor!"
"Offer three sacrifices to the heavens."
"The sad tale of the giants. Their history is recorded therein."
"If thou dost cross the ocean of the inferno, thou shouldst take the top path."
"Steal the sword, Steal the Shield, Crush the helmet, Crush the armor."
"Apparently there are shops in these ruins."
"Shu, the monster that drinks the lifeblood of pure maidens and has attained eternal power. Do not fall into the hole of sacrifices."
"In the temple of the Sun, a new trap fills a hole and conceals a trigger."
""Twin Guards" "Silent and alone" "Deliver a stone on high""
To-Do:
Village:
-Kill the blue Algol at -5/1, probably with the Serpent Staff.
-
-Explore beyond the waterfall at 3/4
-Purchase:
--Buckler (0/0) 80 Coins
--MSX2 (0/0) 150 Coins
--Waterproof case (0/0) 80 Coins
Guidance Gate:
-
-Open treasure chests at -2/-2, 2/-1
-Get past barriers at 0/-2, 0/-4
-Climb upper ladder at 0/-2
-Get past holy rock at 1/-2
-Do something with the apparent hidden holy rock at 1/-4
-Climb narrow shaft at 4/-1
-Take ladders to other Fields at -2/-5, 1/-4, 4/-1
-Put weights on daises at -1/-2, 0/-2 (upper)
-Reach and press floor switches at -2/-2, -1/-5
-Do something at 2/-4
-Do something with sword/armour/helmet/shield at -2/-5
-Use Hand Scanner with Glyph Reader on:
--Steles:
--Skeletons:
-Push the grey block at 1/-4
-Get the Jewel in the mouth of the face on 0/-3
-Get the Jewel in the star at 0/-4
-Find the Ankh
--"Beyond the path of Angels"
-Find the Jewel
--"At the foot of a long wall"
-Awaken the Guardian
Unknown:
Climb against the flow of the water in the room depicted on the stele in Guidance Gate 0/-3
Conception Locks:
-Guidance Gate -2/-5
Birth Locks:
-Guidance Gate 2/-1
Life Locks:
-Village -4/1
Next Time:
Part 06: Death Death Death
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