Let's Play KAIMA! (One Off #4 - Chapter 1)

[Monster growl]

We start off with an unconscious girl surrounded by evil red squiggly lines.

"No... I have to... survive..."



[They're Eating Away At You]

"Only one way to go if I don't want to die!"

Oh come on, we can take them. They don't even have defined forms!



Bring it!



O-oh. Maybe this wasn't a smart idea after all...

As a side note, combat in this game isn't that different from a standard RPG Maker game, but it's just short enough not to be an issue.



[Game Over]

Remember kids: this is what happens when your lust for blood overwhelms your common sense.

I should also mention that the music in this game is top-notch. It's 8-bit stuff, but it conveys the mood really well. The title theme alone was enough to tell me we're in for some somber stuff.



The real answer to escaping this scene alive is to tap into the Joestar Secret Technique, obviously:



By the way, the World Destroying Monsters don't need to touch you in the overworld to initiate a fight - this may be the only area in the game with true random encounters. It's supposed to punish you for not retreating like a reasonable person.



Oh boy, there's a sad girl in the way. Well, I don't want to be a complete swine asshole before the world gets eaten, so...



Mismatched Girl responds in ellipsees because she is sad.

: "Uhh? Didn't you hear me?"



The people in this world have quite a mouth on them, but I like that. I mean, the world is rotting away, you're not going to have time for manners.

: "Alright sourpuss, you're coming with me!"



This is where KAIMA shines, by the way. You can either run away like I'm doing here or you can stand your ground and fight the World Destroying Squiggle.

Mismatched Girl can cry healing tears to ease our pain while we just... beat it up. I like that you have a choice as opposed to doing the standard "run away" thing.



[Current OST: Illi]

"My name's Searina, by the way. What's yours?"

: [More elipsees]

: "... If you don't want to say it yourself, I have other ways of finding out!"



Oh hey, she actually opens the menu screen to find out our new friend's name. That's pretty funny.

But yes: these two are Searina and Illi... and hot damn they are adorable. The characters in this game have to be some of the cutest demons I've ever seen outside of the Disgaea franchise, and that's just dandy with me.

It's hard to say who's my favorite, but Searina's really perky.

... I also like how Illi's class is just "very sad".



Illi still says nothing which leaves me to wonder what happened to the poor muffin.

: "You're not very talkative. That's fine! I'll lead the way."



: "Hey, better luck in the next life, guy."

Death must be a normal thing around here if she goes up to someone's corpse and is just like "well friend, you tried".

... That's pretty sad, honestly.



: "Uhh, okay? Don't get killed!"

: "No need to worry about me! It's a man's duty to protect girls!"

: "If that's how it is, then I won't feel bad when you die."

Well, goddamn. Searina the savage.



[Current OST: Vido]

We go one room and then it cuts to the Main Bad Guy Scene. I do find it interesting that we get to see another perspective instead of just sticking to ours for the entire thing.

: "What of it?"

: "Don't give me that! Why are you destroying KAIMA?! What could you possibly have to gain?"

(Roll credits? I mean, the name of the world is the game's title...)

: "... Calm down. This is the way it has to be."

I can already tell he's not just doing this for shits and giggles. Let's Player's intuition.

: "Where's the princess? You did something to her too, didn't you? Is that what this is, a power grab?! Seriously, what the fuck!! My home is gone, my family is gone...! I'll... I'll kill you!"

Bold statement, but...

: "Sorry, I can't allow that."



When someone has a cut-in like this, you know they're serious business.



He skeletonized them!

Are we sure this isn't a Halloween game?



"If they would just wait for the end... They'll see..."

I'm trying to remember what character Vido reminds me of. Magus from Chrono Trigger is the big one right now for reasons we'll see later on.



[Current OST: Melancholy]

(This is arguably my favorite song in the game. It reminds me of the Zelda Oracle games which are already two of my favorite game boy color games.)

: "Vido, like the prince? Is he the bad guy?"

: "It's all because of him... I won't forgive him..."

Now that I brought up the Chrono Trigger comparisons, I can't help but imagine Illi wearing a Frog costume complete with oversized sword.

: "Yep, sounds like he's the bad guy. Let's work together to stop him!"

That's some grade A perkiness right there.



: "You gave up too easy! Have a little more will to live!!"

Encouraging statement but they're already dead, my dude.



: "Well don't just sit there! It's dangerous. Pick a direction and run!!"

: "I can't choose... I can't decide..."

: "That's fine. We'll stop the person responsible for eating up KAIMA before you die.

Searina has to be the most charmingly direct protagonist I've ever controlled in an RPG, I swear.



: "Looks like whoever killed you wasn't really concerned with that. Sorry, but you can't stop me. I'll be taking that."



We straight up grave rob this guy, but I'm willing to look past this because I am a black belt in the Martial Art of Not Dying.



I like the cheeky little descriptions and yowza that's quite a boost. There's not much armor in this game and the only weapon as far as I'm concerned is Illi's Demonolisher... which I have to assume is a giant sword after all because it makes a slashing animation when she attacks.



: "Your family's been separated? That's no good at all!"

: "If it weren't for these monsters... Why hasn't the princess done anything to save us?!"

: "It's alright. You can leave it to me instead."

Where would this world be without Searina?



Oh, this is gonna be a bit difficult.

: "That won't do. Come with me!"

: "Why should I? What'll you give me if I do?"

: "Your safety and happiness, kid. I can't offer much else."

(What an offer, huh?)

: "Then I'm not moving!!"

Wow! Who shat in his corn flakes? Jeez.



Is now really the time to act like a spoiled child? Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.



Ghost: "Those monsters ate it up... so I ran away. Ran, flew, whatever. It's pretty tragic, what's going on."

: "Yep! Wanna join forces and beat up whoever's responsible for this?"

Ghost: "No thanks. Souls like me can't affect the physical world. Most people just ignore me, actually."

: "Probably because you're so miserable."

They're dead and you still act like a cheeky dickwaffle. I like you, but I think you're missing a few screws.

Talking to the ghost again makes them wonder why Searina seems to be the only person to talk to them. Hmm.



: "Yeah, it's pretty dire! But I'm working on it."

: "If you save us from the one here, I'll give you anything! Please."

They trapped one here and apparently we're the only people with strong muscles.



: "You're right! But if it's just this one, I'll try."


: "Yeah? If you ain't kiddin' about that, hurry up and get ridda this thing then!"


I like this guy.



Let's get crackin.



[Replay They're Eating Away At You]

Alright, the first real battle! (If you don't count the optional fight when you encounter Illi)

It's not hard in the slightest, really. Illi can patch up any attack they dish out and it goes down in two hits regardless.

I mean, there was the threat of Searina having low HP, but I could have easily solved that by using the Heal command outside of battle.



[Current OST: Victory]

Ain't that a cute little tune? There is a purpose to leveling up despite how short this game is, mostly because we get ~ special techniques ~



Searina went and bumped fists with Death due to her low HP... not that it matters because we still got the experience. You only get this extra bit of dialogue if she dies, so that's neat.



: "Damn, you really did it... Good job."

: "Here...! Take this Token of Gratitude for your trouble."


[Ding SFX]


: "Cool! Sidequest complete. One step closer to the big bad boss."


Nice. I wonder if it's a chocolate coin?



: "Vido..."

: "You're looking at a 100% failure rate! Don't rush off to your deaths all stupid!"

I know I said we could take on the Doodles of Destruction while only having 6 HP, but I'm positive we'll stand a better chance against Vido. You know, unless he decides to use his Instant Skeleton magic.

: "I'll kill him... I'll kill him for what he did..."

: "Illi? What's up?"

: "I have to make him pay. He has to pay!!"

: "Yeah, I think everyone feels that way. Come on, let's keep going then!"

Illi is still cute when she's angry.



Looks like we'll have to do some puzzle action to get that chest.

The corpses around here seem to be proof that what Searina hears from them are recordings of their thoughts when they died.

She just snarks them off. I mean, look at this:

: "They ate everything up... Until there was nothing left to stand on... Ha... Haha... A dead end..."

: "Yep, a dead end indeed."



This is the path to treasure. The bones on the other side wonders how the monsters managed to get to them, but even Searina's like "the same way I got here, dummy."



: "Illi! Help me out, will ya?"

: "... Okay."

Would the event still play out the same way if it was only Searina? I'm curious.



Oooh! I wonder how it's like.





Good god, those are some amazing boosts. I don't think we'll be dying anytime soon with this thing on.



: "You're really giving me something? Woah, thanks!"

: "Uh, things are pretty dangerous right now so don't scare your sister like this anymore. Stick with her 'til it's safe, alright?"

: "What do you care..."

: "I had a family too, until recently. It sucks to lose people you care about."

Everyone but Searina is angsting and truthfully I can't blame most of them.

: "... Yeah. Okay."

[Fade to black, followed by pink bro leaving]



: "Ezel..."

: "Hm? Wha-zel?"


[Replay "Illi"]


: "I won't get to see her again, it won't be as easy as giving candy to a child to lure him back, we can't reunite like they did! There won't be a happy ending for me, will there? Because he already killed her! Ezel's already dead!!"


Illi is very sad for a reason.

: "Princess Ezel? Huh, I didn't know she died. That sucks, I guess. But you're still alive, so it's not like you can't be happy."

: "You don't understand!! Of course you wouldn't... I already caught on, you know!"

[Searina takes a step back]

: "Caught on? To what?"

: "That you don't have a soul!! You're empty inside, that's the only way you can be so chipper when our world is collapsing! That's why you keep 'responding' to dead things. A body can only hear a soul if it doesn't already have one of its own."

Clever.

Searina literally doesn't have soul! No wonder why she's unfazed by all of this tragedy - she can't feel any of it. Sort of like a Nobody from Kingdom Hearts.

This also explains why her eyes aren't fully colored in like everyone else's.

: "... You're right. My soul got eaten by those monsters. I lost it a little before I found you."



"Those things you've been doing for others, you don't ACTUALLY care for them. There's no feeling in your words, it's all fake."

Look at that snide grin.

: "Fake? Technically, yeah, it's a bit of an act. I only kinda remember what right and wrong is. I can't really feel, or judge it myself anymore."

: "So then, what's the point of all this? What's the point in trying to make a difference if we're all going to die in the end?!"

: "Yeahhh it sucks, but y'know? I'm still here. I'm not ready to quit being 'alive'. That's why I want to keep fighting."

I love this woman.

Somehow, despite not even having a soul, she still manages to be charming. I don't know how that works, but I'm rolling with it.



"That was the last thing I felt after all! Before losing my soul."

: "Vido... is really strong. You're not afraid of what will happen when we take him on?"

: "I can't feel stuff like that, remember? But even if I did, I wouldn't let it stop me. I have to save the world in order to live."

Compelling argument, but just how will we pull it off?



: "You won't have to die at all! Have faith in me and Illi!"

The little brother's just like "sorry >:(" because he doesn't want to admit he messed up.



... Whoops is right, jesus christ.

: "This is what happens... when you run around pretending to be a hero."



: "You're not listening. She's only in danger now because we haven't dealt with Vido yet."

: "You want to leave her to die? That doesn't feel right. What if she's somebody's Ezel?"

Reasonable argument.

: "No one can compare to Ezel... How dare you say that!"

Told right off. Like the lesson is miles above her head.

Granted with the talk about having no soul earlier, it might be mite condescending... then again, Illi still doesn't get it.



: "No... what would be the point of that? I don't have a reason... to go on living..."

: "Do you really need a reason?"

You know, now that I think about it, what exactly is animating Searina if she doesn't have a soul? Is it literally her will to live?

: "... You're not moving, huh? If I don't fight the monster, you'll get eaten up for real."

She means that, by the way. If you let the monster get close to Sad Purple Girl, she will get turned into a pile of bones. This game may not be gory, but that's still pretty brutal considering it's on you if she bites it.



However, since I'm too much of a hero to just sit around, it's time to fight.



We get two of them this time. Now it's actually fair.



Illi may be sad but hot damn if she isn't a good monster hunter. Where was she when KAIMA needed her?



Nice.

Crit!! is her ultimate move and while it's not essential, it's definitely appreciated. Illi gets Better Heal and it's way better because it heals the entire party to full.



: "Ezel was kind and loving! She was the only person who cared about me before! She...! She didn't deserve to die, not like that! She's the princess...! How could anyone defeat her...?"

: "Oh, you finally opened up a little."

: "Are you making fun of me?!"

I wouldn't put it past Searina, honestly. But...

: "No, I was just thinking if I could still feel emotions, I'd be happy right now."

: "What are you talking about? You always look happy... with that stupid expression."

: "I don't want to hear that from the girl who's done nothing but cry this whole time. Anyway, let's go! Prince Vido awaits!"

Aww, they're bonding.

Searina has more of a personality soulless than most complete protagonists in commercial RPGs. That's kind of a shame.



We tell her to not worry about it, although with how much they've built Vido up, I'm kind of worried.



: "You had the right idea. Someone's gotta be the hero!"

She always takes an opportunity to be cheeky, huh?



: "Saved who?"

Heh. I see what you did there.

The other boneheads are just like "I can't do it alone" or "Prince, why did you do this", although I'm sure we'll find out why in just a bit.



[Music fades out]

We're in the red now, friends. It's do or die time.



You put up a good fight, Blue Guy, but it's time for the real heroes to make a stand.



[Replay "Vido"]

: "Vido... You murderer!! You have no right to wear that crown!"

: "... Perhaps not. But if you'd let me explain..."

: "You've done some pretty unforgivable stuff. I only lost my soul to monsters, but everyone else suffered a lot more. I mean, eating up half of the planet? That's like insanely evil, even for a demon."

Yeah, he only ate up half the planet. It's no big deal.

: "This was the only way... Though I suppose you're all beyond hearing excuses."



She's really pumped.

: "Yeah, this is a battle for vengeance! We've waited long enough to kick your ass! So uh... get ready!"

Teehee. I mean, Searina can't really match Illi's pure rage, so she pulls out her best sounding speech.

: "Then I have no choice..."



[Current OST: Vengeful Battle]

His battle sprite and music are pretty snazzy, not gonna lie.



We're gonna demolish him. Watch this.



: "Then you shouldn't have hurt Ezel!!"



Using Crit!! gives us a better look at Searina via cut-in and she does over 666 damage! That's pretty crazy.



Illi gives him a piece of her mind... not before cutting him up and having Searina punch him in the gut.

: "Ezel was kind to me! She loved me! And I loved her so much!!"

Dude, we get it.

: "She had everyone fooled... She was a really good liar."

: "Shut up!!"

Illi lands a critical blow and does over 517 damage. That's... yeah, never piss her off.

Vido has his own super attack complete with the same cut-in from earlier, but it didn't hit me... yeah, so much for being scary.



: "You think that's going to stop me from killing you? After what I saw you do to Ezel?"

[Replay "Illi"]

: "Why did you do it, Vido...? Why are you trying to make me kill you... I hate you...! I hate you!!"



[Searina steps aside]

: "Give her back... Give back my Ezel!"

Illi might be off the deep end at this point. Just sayin'.

[The World Destroying Monsters around us disappear]

: "You don't... understand..."

: "Why did you betray her...? Why have you done any of this? Answer me, then you can die!!"

: "She's the reason... for everything..."

: "What... are you saying...?"

: "I had to stop her... before she became too powerful... I had to seal her... in order to save KAIMA."

To save KAIMA? Oh, you know where this is going and it's nowhere good.

: "Seal? Then she's...?"

: "Alive, yes... I'll take you to her."

Ah, I see. But don't think I forgot about the "Ezel being a good liar" thing... something tells me we're in for the long haul, folks.



: "This is the best I could do... Keeping her in this state takes an incredible amount of power. I had no choice but to collect that power through those monsters... Everything they devour is converted into raw energy. And that raw energy... will be enough to destroy Princess Ezel once and for all."

Huh. Interesting...

[Illi runs over to him]

: "Why would you want to destroy her...?"




Jesus.

: "She ate them? Souls and all??"

I love how she steps up to ask this question because you know she's not concerned for other people, just herself.

: "You fucking liar! This is just some sick fantasy you're using to justify your horrible actions!!"

: "No one has believed me so far... Princess Ezel's followers truly are devoted. That's how she was able to devour so many... Imagine happening upon something like that. Seeing someone you could trust, swallowing another demon whole. I had to stop her. There was no other way."

God damn. So she's like Queen Nehellenia from Sailor Moon? Somehow this story got even more depressing.

[Illi falls to her knees]

: "So this was all in order to kill your sister... Whether it was right or wrong, the world is still getting eaten up right now."



Good question, but I'm afraid we'll have to leave that for later because I'm out of time.

I'm sorry to cliff-hang all of you like that, but KAIMA actually has multiple endings! The next chapter will cover all of them, including the secret ending. I love the attention to detail that went into this game, but for now?

See you then.