#his name is [name]. we’ve compared notes and i’m almost certain he is our sibling. i realise you’ll have a lot of questions so please don’t

[fingertipsmp3]

I am once again asking why everything I do leads to me having the weirdest problem ever known to man

[hamliet]

Metals and Heavenly Bodies: Why There Is So Much Metal in RWBY

So, why is RWBY so metal? 

RWBY uses metallic symbolism to explore the alchemical process (the refinement of metal into gold via the creation of the philosopher’s stone). Alchemy has seven metals that are ordered in terms of refinement: three base metals, one that is the most refined of base metals, and three refined metals. RWBY has been associating each metal with certain characters. It’s also been giving these characters their ultimate focus in the precise order of refinement.

Metals in alchemy are also associated with heavenly bodies, or planets (well, plus the sun and moon, because we’re dealing with ancient astronomy here). The planets, of course, are named after Roman gods, so they too can be associated with the metals, and RWBY directly correlates them.

NB: It’s very valid to critique tropes and subtext. This isn’t intended to invalidate any criticism but rather to offer a symbolic reading of the metal motif.

So, let’s dive in.

Base Metals:

Lead-Saturn

Associated characters: Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Mercury Black

While I can’t think of any specific reference to lead in RWBY, there are a ton of references to the mythical Saturn. 

Saturn's father (Uranus) was a piece of work who hated Saturn’s mother and so took his son (and other children) and imprisoned them in a cave so that they could never see the sunlight. Saturn’s mother eventually persuaded Saturn to take a sickle and castrate his father. He then wasn’t a particularly great dad himself, becoming more like his father than not.

In alchemy in particular, we have images of Saturn with a prosthetic leg (see: above). This is where Mercury begins his arc. He’s abused by his father, who steals his semblance and refuses to allow Mercury to be his own person (effectively rendering him a prisoner). So, Mercury kills him, and then is taken in by Cinder and Emerald to be an assassin for them, an assassin just like his father. You can see the parallels. 

Saturn’s sickle is also often drawn as a scythe, which Death holds in the above image. A scythe is of course the weapon used by Ruby and by Qrow--specifically, Qrow is the person Ruby imitates and admires. But we know (and Ruby now does to) that Qrow is a flawed human himself; Ruby is better of becoming her own person rather than continuing to stay like her father-figure in Qrow (her own dad is great, but that doesn’t mean Qrow isn’t also a dad figure to her!) 

Qrow, of course, is self-destructive, believing his semblance is to bring bad luck wherever he goes. His name is “crow,” the bird symbolizing the first (black) stage of death and rotting in alchemy. His own upbringing can also be compared to Saturn’s. 

But, you see, Saturn isn’t actually a sign of doom and death. It is one of the symbols of the prima materia, the lead to be transformed into gold by the end of the alchemical process. It shows where the characters can grow, and indeed all three of them are along their path towards growing. 

Tin-Jupiter

Associated character(s): James Ironwood (maybe Weiss Schnee)

Well, I’m actually going to talk more about Ironwood and his arc in the next section. But in Ozpin’s circle, in which characters are based on The Wizard of Oz (a blatantly alchemical story), we have Qrow as the scarecrow, Lionheart as the Cowardly Lion, and Ironwood as the tin man. Jupiter is also associated with the Sublimation stage in the process of alchemy, which is where we are now. 

In case we didn’t get the allusion, RWBY has helpfully placed artwork of tin men on the walls in the background of Weiss’s room this season.

I’m aware that this screenshot isn’t from this season but it gets the point across. I also feel tin might well have an association with Weiss and where she was at in her arc after the fall of Beacon. 

Additionally, Jupiter is actually Saturn’s son in mythology, and is saved from being eaten by his father (look Saturn really wasn’t awesome). He returns to force his father to regurgitate his siblings, and Jupiter and his rescued siblings (yes they were still alive; it’s mythology) fight to dethrone their father. They succeed with the use of lightning, among other things. Saturn was then imprisoned in tartarus. You can see the parallels. 

Do note that the glowing sun above the head of the tin man on Weiss’s wall, showing Weiss is destined to become refined like gold. The golden sun is in sharp contrast to Ironwood’s allusion to the Dark Sun, but there’s a lot more to say about Ironwood in the Iron section. 

Iron-Mars

Associated characters: James Ironwood, Marcus Black, Mercury Black

First, let’s continue with Ironwood. I’ve noted before that iron is associated with war:

Iron in particular is ruled by Mars, the god of war, meaning it is associated with violence. It’s not a coincidence that pretty much from the second Ironwood is introduced, the concept of war comes up, and his entire character has gone on to be the embodiment of the military and violence.

In addition to seeing himself as a sort of be-all-end-all Jupiter figure, Ironwood of course is always expecting war. His arc is one of reverse alchemy, which is a thing. It means that instead of becoming refined, he’s corroding from Iron to Tin. I don’t see good things for him. 

Mars in mythology also becomes obsessed with Venus, which... you’ll have to read the next section for that ;) 

Marcus Black, of course, is an assassin, hence it makes sense that his name literally means “dedicated to Mars.” Mercury (our Mercury) becomes more like him in taking over his role as an assassin. He’s so broken from his father’s abuse that he refuses to become his own person and just falls into his father’s role. It’s tragic. 

So is Mercury’s arc reverse alchemy? No, I don’t think so. There’s more (of course) later on, but if we look at the stages of his development, we see he has moved from Lead to Iron. It’s progress. His leg is a focus for the early arcs of the story (he uses it, along with Emerald’s semblance, to trick everyone into turning against Yang), and only later did we learn his history with his father. Even if the events of course did not happen in succession, the story revealed the allusions one after each other. He’s also made progress in that he’s clearly emotionally attached to Emerald even if he pretends otherwise. Also... (see below)

The Most Perfectable Base Metal:

Copper-Venus

Associated character: Penny Polendina

As I also mentioned previously, Penny’s name references copper (a “copper penny”). The Summa Perfectionis, a thirteenth century alchemical text, calls copper “the most perfectable of base metals.” 

Venus in alchemical imagery is almost always wearing (or surrounded by, since she’s also often, well, not wearing anything) green. 

Green is in alchemy the color of the prima materia, the raw, immature material that will eventually be refined into gold, because green is of course symbolic of the earth, fertility, growth, etc.

As I wrote previously, in mythology Mars had a thing for Venus. I’m certainly not suggesting Ironwood has a thing for Penny in a romantic/sexual sense, but he does seek to control her, and like the Mars of myth, his pursuit of Penny/Venus leads to his humiliation (the Mars of myth gets caught in a trap--no literally a net--by Venus’s angry husband). 

In contrast to Ironwood, Penny, who is originally made entirely of metal, becomes human, while Ironwood becomes more metal--not necessarily literally, but in his spirit. He’s lost his humanity, or rather, gave it away, while Penny found hers. It makes sense to me that a story with spiritual alchemy at its core (which focuses in the Jungian sense on individuation/self-actualization, or fully coming into an understanding of the self) would have Penny literally transform into what she has always been: a final product, a real girl, the philosopher’s stone. 

Refined Metals:

Now these are going to be a bit more predictive. The allusions are clearly there, but how exactly those will play out I don’t know because if we look at these metals as steps in the process, we’re not quite there yet. 

Mercury-Mercury

Associated character(s): Mercury Black, (maybe Emerald Sustrai)

I think the name says it all. 

Kidding. Mercury as a metal is also known as argentvive or quicksilver. It, along with sulphur, form the basis of the alchemical process. They must be united to achieve the Philosopher’s Stone (it’s one of the reasons I am wondering if we’re going to get an important, Mercury-related event in a place named for sulphur or its other name, brimstone, in Vacuo; all the places we know of in Vacuo are named after types of stones including several that are sulfuric in nature). Mercury himself unites the two principles of the work, sun and moon (for who those are, read below). Mercury is the metal from which all other metals come from--he’s way more important to this story than we’ve seen yet. Most likely, he will eventually turn on Salem as well, and in a pivotal moment.

As a god, Mercurius is the author of alchemy. He’s the mythical author of the Emerald Tablet (which Emerald’s name alludes to; I actually don’t personally think Emerald alludes very much to Aladdin. Instead, I think her allusion is the Emerald Tablet and her Egyptian design is based on Thoth, Mercury’s Egyptian counterpart). Mercury is the spirit that gives life.

Lyndy Abraham notes that Mercury is “both destructive and creative” (oh look at the relics of Atlas and Vacuo) and that “the elusive, duplicitous Mercurius who consorts with the devil is at the same time a redeeming psychopomp” (”psychopomp” means spiritual guide) “The fact that he can freely participate in both light and dark worlds without taint makes Mercurius the perfect mediating bridge.” Jung calls Mercury “a symbol uniting all the opposites.” So yeah, Mercury should have a redemption arc that will probably be pivotal in the story.

If we follow the self-actualization endgame of spiritual alchemy, with true life and wisdom as the metaphorical philosopher’s stone here, I think it’s likely Mercury becomes more himself--going from being Lead to Iron (as he’s clearly spiraling right now, but also has a connection to Emerald) to Mercury. I would also suspect he’d get his semblance back to establish that he’s his “own person” (a major recurring theme of RWBY), and while, like with Yang and her arm, I don’t think he’ll get new legs, I think it’s pretty likely his semblance will enable him to fly (since mythical Mercury, you know, flies). 

Silver-Moon

Associated character(s): Ruby Rose (also Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Oscar Pine, Jaune Arc, and Summer Rose).

The most important character here is Ruby, obviously. She’s our MC and titular character! But Weiss, Jaune, Blake, Summer, and Oscar are all addressed here. But I think it’s obvious that Ruby’s defining trait is her silver eyes. They got her noticed by Ozpin and sent to Beacon early, they’re the reason Salem is targeting her, they’re what could destroy her (turning into a Grimm) or save the world (what’s going to happen). Silver is noted to be “pure” which is what other characters constantly comment Ruby is. 

Gold-Sun

Associated character(s): Oscar Pine (also Sun Wukong, Yang Xiao Long, Tai Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, and maybe Jaune Arc)

The most important/obvious character here is Oscar. Oscar’s first name is a shade of gold and a type of fish that is most often brown or gold. He’s facing a similar dilemma to Ruby: the threat of merging forever with Ozpin (which clearly won’t happen; he needs to be his own person, as Ruby said). 

Both Ruby’s and Oscar’s individualizations are somehow instrumental to defeating Salem. 

[ccwastaken]

Howdy hi this story is set before Scarlett and the shakers got uh. Popular. There's some swearing in here. Oh and. Janana is referred to as Janet because Janana is a nickname in my hcs that she hasn't been given yet.

×××××××××

Janet set down her pen and sighed. She glanced at her watch. Three twenty seven pm. Hm. She had an appointment in three minutes, didn't she? She reached for her journal and flicked it open. Looking over the appointments for the day, she found she was correct. Some amateur band "Rudy and the Shakers". She frowned at the name. She hated appointments like these. They were almost always wannabe rockstars, entitled rich kids or teens that barely knew how to play a guitar. She sighed. No- no she wouldn't be negative about this one. Every band deserved a chance at fame. That was why she worked in A&R.

But she would admit the job got...tiring. She sometimes wished she didn't have to stay in this office all day, doing paperwork- she wished to have a band of her own to manage, to help and popularise- that was what she'd always wanted. But...she was starting to doubt it would happen...

The phone on Janet's desk buzzed. "Miss Patel, there's a group here to see you." The secretary's voice came. She snapped out of her thoughts and sat up.

"Send them in." She replied, her voice back to formal business. She straightened the papers on her desk, pulled her chair closer to her desk and watched the brown wooden door across the room from her. There was a knock. She looked down at her paperwork and held her pen in her hand. "Come in."

Janet looked up at them as they entered. There were four of them. All fairly young, probably fresh out of highschool. The first was a guy with a navy mohawk, sunglasses, and a pierced ears. He wore a ripped navy jacket, grey shirt, and ripped black jeans. The second was a tan woman with long red hair. She wore a similar outfit, white ripped jacket and jeans and a red shirt. Both of them wore matching combat boots, red and navy respectively. The third was another guy. His spiky hair was clearly bleached blonde. He seemed pretty average compared to the other two. He wore a denim jacket, a striped shirt and jeans. He looked like a normal guy who'd work at a burger joint or something. The last was a ginger girl with blonde bangs. She looked both younger than the others and like a typical ska fan. White button-up shirt, black tie and hairband and blue jeans. A pair of drumsticks stuck out of her belt.

Oh great, punk rockers, a ska fan and a possible stoner. She sat up. "So you guys are..."

"Rudy and the shakers!" The sunglasses guy interrupted. Just by his voice Janet could tell this guy had an ego.

"Uh-huh. I take it you're Rudy?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yep! I'm frontman, secondary singer and bass player." He gestured to the blonde man, who had tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. "That's Marty, he's our guitarist," Marty looked from a sign on the wall to Janet. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved a bit in greeting. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Rudy. "That's Clover, our drummer." he gestured to the ska girl. She grinned and waved.

"Yo." She chirped

"And this fine lady is Scarlett, our primary singer." He grinned at the girl and grabbed her hand, kissing it. Janet cringed internally. Eugh. These two were big on PDA, weren't they? She folded her arms on the desk.

"Alright, well," she gestured to the couch in the centre of the room. "Did you bring something to show me?" She asked as they sat down.

"Uh- yeah." The blonde man, Marty, fumbled with his jacket pocket and pulled out a CD case. He moved over to the desk and held it out. He sat down again after she took it. Janet stood up and looked at the cover as she walked over to the CD player in the corner of the room. There was paper taped to it. In the most punk rock font she'd ever seen was written "Rudy and the Shakers: album 1"

She put it into the player. "It's only a demo album," Marty said. "it's uh- all kinda experimental and-"

"It's our best work." Rudy interrupted, shooting Marty a look. The blonde fidgeted and looked at Janet.

"Just- we've never recorded music before so-"

Not saying anything, she hit play and moved back to her chair. She picked up her pen and grabbed a fresh sheet of paper.

The CD contained ten songs. She sat through every single one, taking notes, listening to the occasional interruption from the band members. As the last few drum beats of the final song faded into silence Janet looked up at the four of them. They all looked anxious, scared of her response.

"Well," she began. "You're definitely not experienced." She looked at Marty.

"But it's good, right?" Rudy asked. His confidence seemed to have died down a bit. Not much but- enough for there to be a slight nervous tone in his voice.

"Weeeell..." Janet tilted her head and looked at her notes. "You're interesting to say the least. I like the style of music, and you certainly have potential..." She frowned for a few seconds. "Your lyrics are unique and attention grabbing. Your song titles too. What I think you all lack is cooperation and experience."

"Cooperation?" Scarlett asked. She seemed to be the one that spoke the least. Even Clover, who was extremely nervous, spoke more often than her. Scarlett did seem anxious yes, but also...prepared. like she was taking this as serious as a job interview.

"Yes. You guys combine punk and ska and it's a great combination but you need to balance it, you need to refine that style." Janet explained. Scarlett nodded in understanding, seemingly thinking over everything. "And some songs are clearly Rudy songs or Scarlett songs- Marty and Clover don't really get that treatment. There's one or two that are distinctly one of them and a couple others where they're sort of crushed together."

"They're siblings." Rudy replied defensively.

"I just think you don't like sharing the spotlight, Rudy." She narrowed her eyes at him. Rudy seemed to stiffen in surprise for a moment. "You guys need a balance. Your songs should sound like all four of you working together. Occasionally you should make one for a certain member."

"Yeah! Yeah I was thinking that because- well we all like different types of music so-" Marty smiled at her a bit. Rudy shot him a look and folded his arms. Janet quietly wished rockers were less entitled.

"So?" Scarlett asked. Janet looked from the anxious band members to her own notes. She opened her mouth, then closed it.

These guys showed promise. More than the other amateur bands she'd met. She looked up at them. These kids...they looked so full of hope as they stared at her in anxious anticipation. She looked down at her notes then quickly back.

"...I'll cut you all a deal." She said. All of them snapped to attention. "I can give you all a year to improve and create an album-"

"What?!" Rudy interrupted. Now it was Marty's turn to shoot Rudy a look.

"Underneath mine and other professional's mentorship," she continued "You'll be given professional grade equipment and lessons. You'll have a team and a professional recording booth to use at your disposal. I'll be there too, obviously." Janet looked at them, arms folded again. "So?"

"We don't-"

Scarlett slapped a hand over Rudy's mouth. "We'll do it." She said quickly. "Thank you so much I-I promise this won't be something you'll regret."

Janet nodded and looked at the other two. Clover and Marty both grinned at her. Clover looked almost ready to cry. Janet scooted her chair back and looked through her drawers. This one year record deal was a standard offer for new bands. It established a business relationship, let the band produce work, and then, if they succeeded, gain a record deal. She pulled out four contracts and stood up.

Walking over, she handed a contract to each band member. "Now, I want all of you to read this over before handing it back in. You can mail it in within the next two weeks, just address it to me." She looked at the four of them as they read. "If the album you guys produce isn't satisfactory, you will have to pay back the costs of your use of equipment. Recording sessions are limited, use of our instruments is not."

"F-Forty thousand dollars...?" Marty asked. He suddenly looked pale. Janet winced.

"It is a lot, but we give you six months to pay it. Start saving throughout the year."

"Uh- excuse me," Clover asked. "It says here you need to be eighteen to sign this. I'm seventeen."

"You'll need parent's permission then." She replied. "Is that all your questions?"

"Yeah why are you such a-" Scarlett slapped her hand over Rudy's mouth again.

"Yes, we're done." Scarlett said. "Thank you miss- we'll make this worth your time, I promise."

"I hope so." Janet moved to her seat and sat down again. "I'll see you guys soon, I hope." She said with a small smile. The shakers grinned at her, except for Rudy who scowled, and left. Janet looked from her paperwork to the door. She- she just signed a band on. She'd be managing them soon if everything worked out. She leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling.

"What the fuck, Scarlett?" Rudy snapped as they stepped outside. His girlfriend looked at him.

"What? We got a contract, Rudy, didn't you want that?"

"Yeah but not one with a bitch of a manager and a bigass price tag! How're we gonna pay this shit back?! We'll have to sell our instruments or some shit-!" He gestured at Marty. "We'll have to sell his fucking kidneys or something!"

"This could be our big break!" The blonde retorted.

"I'm not listening to that bitch, Scarlett. This is a shitty deal and you know it!" Rudy hissed.

"Well you're gonna have to, aight? We got no other choices." She snapped. She looked over at Marty and Clover. "You two got any complaints?" She asked, a bit more earnest than she'd been with Rudy.

"Well- I'm worried about the money thing- I could get a job! Maybe a fast food place or somethin' but-" Marty wrung his hands together nervously as he spoke. "Clover?" He asked, looking at his little sister.

"Wh-what if our parents don't let me do this? Would you guys kick me outta the band?" She asked nervously. She looked scared, and Scarlett felt a pang of sadness. She walked over to the two siblings.

"Hey, we wouldn't do that," she gripped each of them by a shoulder. "The shakers aren't the shakers without drums and ska." She smiled at the two of them. "We'll work it out, okay?"

"Okay," Clover smiled a tiny bit. "Thanks Scarlett- you always know what to say..."

The redhead smiled. "Psh- nah, I've just been around Rudy too long," she looked over her shoulder at Rudy. "Ain't that right babe?" She asked with a grin. Rudy huffed and trudged away from them.

"Where are you going?" Marty called.

"The van! I'm getting food and I'm not waiting on you dicks!" Rudy called back. The three other shakers laughed and followed after him.

[xseedgames]

Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection - Localization Blog #1

Excelsior, true believers! Nick here again, penning these gladsome tidings from my grand scriptorium full of musty scrolls and ancient cartridges. Alas, it’s been quite a while since I checked in with all of you – well over a year, in fact, with the release of the first Trails of Cold Steel. With that giant title now roaming free in the wild like the majestic brachiosaurs in Jurassic Park, you may have wondered what I’ve been working on over the course of the last year. It always seems to unintentionally happen that I get assigned to projects I can’t talk about for significant lengths of time, but this stretch has easily been the longest. So many times I’ve wanted to tell you some quirky story or fun little side-note about this game as I worked through its script, but alas, the official XSEED duct tape was covering my mouth – until very recently, that is.

In our yearly lead-up to the gaming extravaganza that is E3, we finally announced my long-in-coming project: the classic Falcom action RPG Zwei 2, making its debut outside of Japan as Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection!

Of course, I’ve also helped out with a variety of other, more time-sensitive projects, leading to Zwei taking a bit longer to bring to you than it would have otherwise, but I think we’ve got something you’ll really enjoy in the making here. And conveniently, the benefit of the slow going is that the release isn’t too far off now. As Zwei II enters its final stretch before release, I wanted to tell you more about the game – which is exactly what I’ll do, over the course of the next couple weeks.

Zwei II has an interesting history: released in 2008, it was the very last game Falcom developed exclusively for PC. Back then, the PC gaming market was far from being the robust, thriving scene we know it as today, especially the Japanese market. Thus, the title seemed almost fated to fly under the radar despite its quality craftsmanship and hours of fun. But now, with the worldwide PC game market booming and digital storefronts ensuring copies can get into the hands of anyone who wants to play, it felt like the right time to fill this conspicuous gap in Falcom’s lineage.

“But...what about the first Zwei?” you may be pondering aloud to your monitor. If you’re wondering whether you’ll be at a disadvantage playing the second game in the series before the first, worry not! I’ve played both (thanks to Tom’s Japanese boxed copies) and can confirm that Zwei II gives you all the info you need to understand the world, its plot, and its characters. There was a 7-year gap between the first and second Zwei games in Japan, and Falcom couldn’t assume players would’ve played the earlier entry, so the structure is something more akin to Trails in the Sky versus Trails of Cold Steel, where the games take place in the same world, but in different locations and with different casts. This makes it easy to jump right in.

To start things off, I wanted to sit down and flesh out the game a little for you, since compared to its siblings in the Ys series, and even Xanadu, it’s far less known by fans. What is the Zwei series? What makes it great? How does it play? Why is it cool?

Let’s start from the ground up: the name of the game. “Zwei” is simply the German word for “two” and, as you’ll soon discover, it’s a very fitting title – the game features not one, but two protagonists. Our leads in Zwei II are Ragna Valentine, a lively treasure hunter and pilot-for-hire, and Alwen du Moonbria, a confident vampire princess looking to avenge herself against an unknown enemy. How these two very different people meet and come to really understand (and maybe even appreciate) each other is the relationship that forms the heart of the game, and I’ve done my best to make that journey of growth and understanding a fun and memorable one. And, as with any good RPG, the journey is not without obstacles to overcome. Fortunately, our hero and heroine are up to the task, with Ragna skilled at mixing it up in melee, and Alwen versed in the ways of magic. You can swap between them at any time, and whoever you’re not controlling runs along behind you, ready to leap into the lead role at the press of a button.

Zwei II’s combat is action-based, not unlike the Ys games or Gurumin, but the two-character setup creates an interesting dynamic in combat. Over the course of the game, Ragna will be able to upgrade his weapon, the half chain-whip/half katar Anchor Gear, into several different forms, and Alwen (who begins the game bereft of most of her magic) will regain her powerful spells. You end up being able to do some interesting things, like using a claw-variant of Ragna’s Anchor Gear to grab an enemy, then throw it into another enemy, knocking both into a corner, then swapping to Alwen and unloading a fiery salvo on them. Or have Alwen cast her whirlwind magic to sweep up a couple enemies and keep them stun-locked, then swap to Ragna to leap into the air and string together a midair combo on them. In many dungeons, I often found myself favoring one or the other to take the lead because of the strategies I came up with to best deal with certain types of enemies, and you’ll likely fall into styles of play that fit the way you prefer to approach the game’s combat as well.

And speaking of approaches to combat, Zwei II has a rather unique leveling system, too. In the game, you don’t earn EXP from quests, or from beating up monsters. You actually earn it by eating food – the same food you use to heal yourself when you’re running low on HP. There’s even a “food exchange” service available at the restaurant in the main village of Artte that lets you trade 10 of any one type of food for one of another type that gives more EXP than the ten individual pieces of food would have if eaten on their own (example: trade 10 cheeses worth 10 EXP each for a single pizza worth 150 EXP). Will you chow down now, or hoard in the hopes of cashing in for savory plates of EXP-rich cuisine? You decide! It probably sounds weird (it certainly did to me when I first learned about it), but in practice, it actually works really well. It frees you up from having to grind in dungeons, or feel like you absolutely MUST kill every enemy on the way to your destination. It also gives you a lot of control over your own challenge level. When I was playing the Japanese version of the game, my loose rule was that I’d never eat food just to level – I’d just use it when I was hurt, to restore HP. I ended up going through most of the game under-leveled because of this, but never TOO under-leveled, because the more under-leveled I was, the more damage I’d take, thus getting infusions of EXP more frequently from using food to heal myself. There’s a strange sort of balance to it, and the game isn’t stingy about giving you food in chests, as drops from enemies, and even from giant slot machines you’ll find in each dungeon, so you can decide whether you want to blow through the game as a force of nature but with less on-demand healing available, or a bit underpowered but with a fully-stocked pantry.

If that talk of slot machines that dispense food or trading wedges of cheese for a pizza sounds a little...weird, that’s by design. More than any Falcom game I can think of, the Zwei series embraces its sense of humor, poking in good-spirited fun at its two main characters, the townspeople, and even many of the foes you face down along the way. It’s got a lively, colorful, and cartoonish art style that has helped the graphics hold up well, too. You probably know from personal experience that stories more focused on being comedic sometimes run the risk of not being able to successfully shift into a more serious mode when the story calls for it, but thankfully, Zwei II doesn’t suffer from this issue. It’s surprisingly adept at conveying a serious atmosphere when the story calls for it, making for some excellent dramatic moments, and even a dab of pathos here and there. But on the whole, Zwei II is a game that feels deeply informed by 90s anime and manga, with all the oddness and charm that comes with that. I can certainly say that being rooted in that style proved fertile ground for my work to help the game achieve its comedic potential (speaking as a weeb from ancient times), and I’m already planning my next blog post to focus on some of the details of the writing and the characters.

One thing I love about Zwei II is that it reaches out and really grabs you from the start. In just the first 20-30 minutes, you get the following ace setup (obviously, skip these next two paragraphs if you want to go in totally blind):

The game begins in the skies, as courier pilot Ragna Valentine is cruising in his cool red biplane, the Tristan, toward the island of Ilvard on a routine delivery mission. Suddenly, he’s ambushed by unknown assailants, and after a dogfight against a pair of dragon-riders in the skies over Ilvard, his plane takes a bad hit and plummets toward the land below. The next thing he knows, he wakes up in a bed in the nearby town of Artte as the town doctor marvels at how he came out of such a crushing impact with barely a scratch. After all, his plane didn’t fare nearly as well. Going out to investigate the crash site, Ragna finds his plane on a hill on the outskirts of town, busted up and snapped in half just as the doctor said. So how did he even survive such a nasty crash?

Well...he almost didn’t. After that crash, as he lay among the wreckage, broken of body and bleeding out, he was rescued from his mortal fate by none other than Princess Alwen du Moonbria. Alwen isn’t your ordinary RPG princess, though: she’s a sharp-tongued shut-in vampire princess. Not too long before the start of the story, Alwen’s castle was invaded by a mysterious foe who ultimately seized the stronghold and gave her the boot, after stripping her of her ancestral magic. Seeing the outsider Ragna as her best bet to help her search for her magic and retake her castle, she takes some of his blood and gives him some of hers, sealing a pact that turns him into her ‘Blood Knight’ – a warrior in thrall to a powerful Trueblood vampire whose physical abilities and regenerative capacity far exceed what humans are capable of. But Ragna, see, is all about freedom and doing things his way, and he hates the idea of working as anyone’s lackey. After realizing the situation he’s in, though, he strikes a deal with Alwen: he’ll help her get her castle back as thanks for saving his life...but instead of being master and servant, they’ll do it as equals.

And so, our story begins.

Cool, right? And that all happens in fairly short order – no longwinded tutorials, no hours of quests before the gears really start to spin. Zwei II has a lot of heart and a lot of dialogue, and to its credit, it seldom feels like it drags. The story starts with a bang and keeps things moving at a good clip.

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty to do, though. The island of Ilvard is dotted with thriving communities and, in the fashion of the Trails or Ys games, they’re populated with fleshed-out NPCs who have their own small story arcs and conflicts to overcome over the course of the game, with dialogue that changes frequently after progressing the main story. Some of the residents are funny, some are petulant, and some are just downright strange, so I hope you enjoy getting to know all of them over the many times you’ll visit the towns. You might even stumble upon unique scenes, a secret hint, or a good ol’ fashioned RPG quest (you know, the kind from back before there were convenient quest logs to keep track of things). And of course, what with Zwei II being focused on Ragna and Alwen as dual protagonists, they’ll often have unique things to say in response to other characters depending on whom you’ve got in the lead.

In the course of working on the game’s script, I observed with no small amount of fascination that in some ways, it almost seems like Zwei II was made more with Westerners in mind than the Japanese market. Ragna himself is an incredibly un-Japanese character, with his bravado, easygoing swagger, and sass, but he’s a character that I know will click instantly with the North American audience in particular. We see Ragnas in our books and films; we all probably know someone like him, or who has elements of his personality. Alwen, too, is a character I think will be well-liked by the West. Not content to lament the loss of her home or sit idly by, she picks herself up and decides to get even and take back everything that was taken from her even though it promises to be an uphill battle. The core of her personality is her self-assured nature – even when confronting a world she’s mainly just read about (in books that were, sadly, out of date on the latest trends and customs). Quick-witted and keen, she matches Ragna tit-for-tat, helping the two play well off each other. Beyond just them, there’s the wild west-flavored bounty hunter Odessa, chain-smoking nun Isabella, the worldly jazz pianist Shester, dependable engineer Miriam, and of course, the irrepressible luchador-masked man of mystery, Gallandeau, among many others. Having a zany cast of characters like this all together in one place feels like the kind of storytelling we enjoy so much in Japanese games. But at the same time, after seeing so many forgettably milquetoast light novel-style characters in the games and anime of recent years, it’s refreshing to come upon a game where the characters have an abundance of personality – where I know they’ll resonate with the audience I’m localizing the game for.

So...there you go. In a nutshell, this and more is what you have to look forward to when Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection finally makes its debut. Like a time capsule laden with the charms of a bygone era of RPGs, I think it’ll prove its worth to you as more than simply a pleasant surprise – I think it has the merit to stand proudly as one of Falcom’s finest.