brandish jp version

[esteban]

And now you have this guide for Brandish. Damn.

Anyway...

Do you have MB128 or PCE Mouse?

yup have both, I don't quite like playing with the mouse as it feels a bit clumsy when the action hots up. I still need to add a bit more to Magicoal guide but right now playing Brandish..

Plus I am playing with the Arcade Card PRO and can't really tell much difference in performance between it and the super CD-rom system card.

Awesome, I am glad that you intend to build on the Magicoal guide, too .

It was my understanding that the Arcade Card simply provides greater buffering of cinema scenes (fewer pauses) and therefore making the sequences more "fluid".

I don't think it actually affects the gameplay itself...although, if I had to speculate, I would have wanted  the battles to benefit in some manner from the Arcade Card?


NOTE emperor & Digi.k: You helped answer my question about the mouse controls...can you be more specific about how the pad is "better" than the mouse concerning Brandish's battle system?

I wrote some garbage here (jump to #3) a long time ago:

http://archives.tg-16.com/Gekkan_PC_Engine_1994_02.htm#brandish

...and I am still curious about how folks feel about this game.

I have since acquired Brandish, but I don't have a mouse and, to be honest, I have not really played much of it (ARPG/RPG = too much of a time commitment for me for the past few months).

[EmperorIng]

I don't think the mouse would help much with attacking. I mean, you just press the attack button, and if an enemy is occupying a square in front of you, you attack. Some quick moving enemies may pass through you, but as long as you attacked when they were at that "sweet spot" they won't damage you.

There's also a way to block if you have your shield... I think it's just holding the attack button. It's useful if you have enemies that take many hits and you have to trade blows.

[Digi.k]

The shops of Brandish. 



Weapon shops selling armor, weapons and keys, Magic spells shops selling enchanted rings, potions and spell scrolls to shops that just sell you the basics to help you along your quest and offer you information or a place where you can just sell crap in exchange for gold coins.. To enter any shop just stand infront of the entrance hold down button II and press down on the directional pad.




Item screen can be accessed in the UTILITY menu.  Again on the game pad.  Pressing Button II will select and pressing again will action it.  Button I is for cancelling and pressing Button I again will go back to the previous screen.



Using the Memory 128 back up unit with Brandish.  While on the UTILITY screen regardless of what file you select either FILE 1 or FILE 2 you just get allocated 12 save spots and while the memory 128 back up unit is plugged in the save file in the CD-Rom base unit will largely be ignored and untoched.



Will get back on the mouse controls for another day.. for now I need to unwind and relax with a game controller in both hands and a copy of Brandish booted up on my screen.




To be continued...

[Digi.k]

actually after playing for a while with the mouse the controls feel pretty good. unlike the traditional pad when playing the mouse the mouse icon changes depending on where you position your cursor and you just click with the right mouse button to cycle through the cursor options such as search, open chests etc. 



One strange thing about using the mouse is that I find performing actions a lot slower than with the controller for example with flying monsters you can't seem to block them so you have to attack them straight away and that is something you CAN'T do instantly with some foes but you can do instantly with the controller however, with the mouse you might have to click the right mouse button several times to cycle around the cursor options till you select the right one fight monsters.  Something that can get you killed immediately if you are not quick enough.  This isn't much of a problem with slower monsters but could be tricky when there are several monsters on screen that either fly around or shoot projectile attacks at you. 



As EmperorIng mentions in order to attack monsters you need to have them directly one square in-front of you.

To mouse or not...

That's tricky to decide.  I guess if you are used to playing with a mouse controller then fine.  I have to admit I do like playing Brandish with the mouse but as a dungeon crawler searching for items and roaming is an joyful experience, but I find that; when there are several monsters onscreen and you can only attack one at a time, there is danger from floating fire obstacles which cannot be blocked along with jumping over pits then these can be a little trickier with using the mouse.

So I guess it really does boil down to how quickly you can react to things depending on what control method you use otherwise prepared for lots of these screens.....Actually you can also change the pace of the game in the UTILITY menu to suit whatever accessory you want to control Brandish with.



At least with the pc engine version you have a luxury of playing with either the game pad or mouse.  Playing Brandish well it's not a game that's easily accessible where on first play you just boot up and go it requires a little learning and getting used to.  Once you do get used to it, it's kinda enjoyable.  Slightly frustrating and tricky at times but certainly more easier to access than most japanese RPGs as there isn't many menus to go through. Another great game that should have gotten a translated treatment.....

TIP:  Brandish is like most Japanese RPGs that require the usual grinding and leveling up.  There are some spots around certain maps that have several monsters in the same area that can give high exp which you can check with your stat screen (press START button while ingame) and while you are attacking these foes you can see your stats increase in real time.   Once you are familar with that area find a safe spot where you can rest/SAVE game and LOAD back up without having a monster spawn right on top of you because doing this SAVE/LOAD cycle repeated after killing monsters will instantly spawn those same monsters in the same area again and again racking up lots of exp fast.  Since Brandish's SAVE and LOADing is almost instant be a little careful not to save once you just died which although I haven't done this yet I think it is possible.....

[Digi.k]

has anyone played this game? i can't seem to get the warp magic in ruins basement...thinking it's different on jp. version than the u.s.

I don't know if THOR still is active on these forums anymore but to answer his question I don't think there is a warp scroll on the pc engine game.  I just beat the last two bosses on Ruins dungeon and you can unearth a path that can take you back to area 1 or you can just advance to the next dungeon.

That Wizard sub boss was a little tricky and he has 3 doppelgangers all on screen at the same time.  You might need to level up your Magic Resistance which is possible a few maps before the fight.  Where you find 2 Magic Serpents.  They will fire at you from a distance and you can also rest and heal from a water spring nearby.  Just take a few hits from their magic attacks and go back to heal yourself and keep repeating this to level up your magic resistance.

Anyway that wizard if you take down two of his doppelgangers with a magic attack and remember to block when needed.  Taking down his final form is easy.  Then the last boss a crab spider will be quite easy to take down, just avoid the little babies and only do physical attacks.

ITEM management is key to this game and you don't have much space to store your stuff.  Thankfully somewhere in the first Ruins dungeon I think it was area 5 you find a blue treasure box which is a dimensional box.  This will give you additional storage which will allow you an additional 16 spaces to store your items.

[xelement5x]

So fun to see this thread active.  I can't comment a lot on the PCE version, but I've been playing the PSP one ever since mid-December and the gameplay is quite fun an addictive.  I can easily see the frustration with trying to play this on a PCE controller, as even in the PSP version there are so many commands to keep track of.  If it had 6 button support I can imagine it would be much less frustrating to many people. 

[Digi.k]

The monsters sure do get bigger and tougher.  But the exp gains are amazing.
It's around here you might need some potions that increase your defense.


Although the game is mostly a lonesome affair from time to time Ares will meet people who are in aid of help.  You will have the option to do these optional side quests but hopefully the rewards should be worth it.  Here a stranded woman is pleading you to help find her other half..



The exit next to her will only open if you have a crescent moon key which can be found in a nearby hidden chest.

Here's the young geezer..

[xelement5x]

In the PSP version, you get the first dimensional box after freeing her douchebag boyfriend.  There is another "quest" later (in the PSP version) where you help a soldier who broke his sword and get a scroll that doubles your EXP gain. 

[Digi.k]

Santa is that you ?

In the PSP version, you get the first dimensional box after freeing her douchebag boyfriend.  There is another "quest" later (in the PSP version) where you help a soldier who broke his sword and get a scroll that doubles your EXP gain. 

Think I found him or further into the game i must go?  or maybe it's just a PSP thing..? 
Man-At-Arms is that you?


This was a little tricky to understand the guide at gamefaqs but on that Tower floor 9 the floor switches should spell SE.  Get it right and you will hear a door open..

[xelement5x]

That's the spot!  In the PSP game it's quite tricky and I needed a FAQ for this point as well to proceed. 

You'll find the wounded warrior Gadie on this floor, his location is easy to
re-find on the map because of the two chests in the room. He'll tell you about
how he got beaten up in the puzzle room and gives you the key to that room.
Open the locked door and kill the enemies. To solve the puzzle, write "3 5" by
walking on the switches when facing east. When the door opens head back to the
Gadie to tell him about it, he'll give you the armor from his other chest

The hint on the plaque nearby says something along the lines of: to open the door requires 3 on the left and 5 on the right.  At first glance you would think 3 specific switches on one side and 5 on the other, but Gadie even says he has tried all the combinations so writing out 3 and 5 makes sense.  I guess

To get the EXP scroll there is a sidequest where he gives you his broken sword and you take it down to the smithy on the lower levels and they give you a temporary replacement.  The puzzles seem identical across all versions, which is nice because you can look for different hints if you get confused.

[Digi.k]

That's the spot!  In the PSP game it's quite tricky and I needed a FAQ for this point as well to proceed. 

You'll find the wounded warrior Gadie on this floor, his location is easy to
re-find on the map because of the two chests in the room. He'll tell you about
how he got beaten up in the puzzle room and gives you the key to that room.
Open the locked door and kill the enemies. To solve the puzzle, write "3 5" by
walking on the switches when facing east. When the door opens head back to the
Gadie to tell him about it, he'll give you the armor from his other chest

The hint on the plaque nearby says something along the lines of: to open the door requires 3 on the left and 5 on the right.  At first glance you would think 3 specific switches on one side and 5 on the other, but Gadie even says he has tried all the combinations so writing out 3 and 5 makes sense.  I guess

To get the EXP scroll there is a sidequest where he gives you his broken sword and you take it down to the smithy on the lower levels and they give you a temporary replacement.  The puzzles seem identical across all versions, which is nice because you can look for different hints if you get confused.

I guess when the FAQ I was using was saying that above puzzle was SE I suppose that was 35 upside down.   Also after I opened the chest to get the armor I talked to the wounded knight again but I am certain the exp item quest did not appear so that might only be for the PSP game.


Also in the same FAQ I am using which is based on the SNES/Super famicom version on the map CAVE B7 there is another dimensional chest found in a treasure box.

Take the Dimensional Box, but before
you could leave, the rock submerges again and you are stuck, just like the
plaque says.  The only way to get out of here if you don't have Warp Magic is
to sacrifice an item of value and put it in the chest.  And no, you can't
sacrifice a Broken Sword or an item that has one use left like a Ring of
Fire.

In the pc engine version you do NOT need to sacrifice anything just pick it up and walk off.  Those CAVE dungeon areas man there are so many hidden walls!

Also that WARP magic scroll is on the pc engine version but on a different map!


Be careful when you use that warp scroll as it uses up all your magic bar.

hmmm Somewhere on CAVE B3 there is a magic shop.  They are selling what appears to be like a Key of fortune/Lucky key perhaps.  I hope that for 200k it won't be an expensive mistake...

[xelement5x]

Heh, you are already past me if you are on Cave B3.  If that is like the luck talisman you get in the PSP version than it is an infinite use item and you can use it whenever and it temporarily increases your luck stat to increase the chance of criticals. 

Also, in the PSP version you can put whatever in that treasure chest to continue after you get the third dimensional box, but you are actually stuck.  I just put a retry bread or something cheap in there. I used that SFC guide as well recently because I got stuck at the Indiana Jones part with a million rolling boulders on Cave 5 or 6.

[Digi.k]

The guide also mentions that in CAVE B1 there is an area that has empty chests lined up on either side.

Once you enter the room with four chests lined up on
both sides and a plaque in the middle, be careful.  Once you open a chest,
the door you came in will be locked, as well as the other door to leave.  The
plaque explains it all, so I guess greed is not so good after all…yeah right! 
To fix this problem, first open all the chests to get the treasures, but most
of them are empty.  Then close all the chests on both sides.

In the pce version you just leave them alone although I think one has like 18 gold which you can take..

CAVES BOSS  -  Damned ninjas in my Brandish..


The Dark Zone.

That chest will release a scroll of healing for you to use.

I might have missed quite a few treasure chests in here but I couldn't stand staying in this map for much longer.  There is far too many pitfall traps that drop you back down into the dark zone 1 area. Thank goodness the Dark Zone only has two areas.

[Digi.k]

The Fortress dungeon is one annoying crawl. That took a while and certainly it has some annoying monsters inhabiting that place and some puzzles are a little tricky to solve but it's doable.  there are also plenty of warp circles that send you around to other places in the map plus pit traps that drop you down to a lower level or cause you damage.  Lookout for treasure chests that have arrow traps and ones that are fake and attack you !!!!!
Some of these maps have ice when stepped on will send you sliding and you could fall into a hole that sends you back to a previous map..

The trickiest levels in the fortress are probably Fortress 2 where once you activate a certain switch you will unleash some monsters, one of these looks like a pixel meshed egg-like monster called Erase Eye which erases your map discovery.  So you will need to kill them quick.  They also raise your magic defense considerably if you let them attack you from afar.


Might want to play around with those wall switches.  Also this dungeon has lots of hidden paths. aka magic walls along with traps that hurt a lot!



Fortress 5, 6 and 7 are inter-linked so there will be some warp circles that send you back and forth, floor pits some of these will hurt you and others will allow you to fall to areas below and hopefully parts of the map where you couldn't reach before.

The last few levels If your magic defence is weak you can block the projectile attacks and it should boost your magic resistance.  Hide and rest to regen both your hp and magic bar and repeat.




It's here in this final dungeon you  might have to help ドーラ ドロン /  Dora Delon's life.  I didn't try to kill her here so I don't know if you can or whether this affects the outcome of the ending.  Well her original intent was to kill you.....



Something awaits Ares but if you have high magic def it should be quite easy to take down.



Boss Belzahydra.

Don't matter which head to take down first just kill it anyhow.  After that you can unlock the other chests and also pick up the planet Buster sword.

Final boss time...





It's probably been undisturbed and lying around for more than a 1000 years but now it's time to meet a former king..  Boss Berebus

These two magical machines scroll left and right.  They shoot magic laser beams front and both sides.  Just hack away and heal/ use rings of protection.  One by one they fall so use the purple warps to advance forward.



Then you will eventually reach Berebus himself..
Avoid the green warp circle and while his two arms fire magical laser beams down at you just hack away.


Berebus was once a king.  And the city he lived in Vittoria was protected by a huge dragon that was perched ontop of a huge tower. Fortunately for the people surrounding this tower the dragon brought protection and the city flourished and trade was booming.  After being presented with an ancient tome the king sought the power of the  dragon and what possibly could be hidden at the top of the tower and decided to take down the dragon's and possess whatever treasures hidden within for his own.  The dragon gave in and it's power transferred to the king.  Unfortunately for him he couldn't contain the amount of power flowing into him and because he was filled with selfish deeds he began to transform into a monster and the city sank and was never heard of again for a thousand years.....

[Digi.k]

pc engine ending screens.





my time/score/attack/magic commands it took me to clear?? and a password for an NEC competition which was being held at that time?



Remember to save a lot!  But be careful where you save especially on areas where you could save on a spot where powerful monsters spawn!  You will find yourself dying a lot!!!

What a great game.  Just spend some time getting accustomed to it I am sure if you are a dungeon crawling fan you will like it.  I just wish some of the dungeons the music wasn't so upbeat particularly the final dungeon the fortress.  Also it would have been fantastic if hidden extras were unlocked once you beat the game but alas...