#sf alef

[claire-starsword]

In preparation for the upcoming manga chapters I've translated every scene with Cain, come think about this man 24/7 like me

The attack on Guardiana Castle (had already posted this one but whatever, it is the guy's debut.)

The ambush in Alterone (this one also has every scene with Khris, who was completely changed in the english version too)

Fighting Cain in Dragonia aka the reveal you were supposed to get

Cain in Prompt, possibly the most emotional one, definitely the one i'm most mad about

And lastly, the Tower of the Ancients (this one also has the scene with Alef and Torasu joining, which is not a big deal but still has notable differences if you like these characters)

[starswordartblog]

Shininginktober late Day 5: Alef.

[phantasticalforce]

Some choice caps and crops from the new Shining Force mobile game trailer, as seen HERE

[claire-starsword]

All of Alef’s dialogue. She is one of the few characters changed from the guide book, since there she’s said to be from East Rune instead of near Bustoke.

Also, “Vulpes” is an adaptation of the english version, in japanese she’s still a foxling. In the english manual she’s also still a foxling, so it wasn’t a very consistent thing.

[claire-starsword]

Today I bring you the classic electric pokemon with black tipped ears. That’s right. Alef.

Alef [Foxling] Class: Mage -> Wizard

Burn the enemies to ashes with lightning magic!

*** A sage from Prompt, the country of the Ancients' descendants.

She used to live in a small country that was invaded by Runefaust, but she found out Darksol's ambitions and sought help in Prompt. And thus she settled down in the country. Her specialty is the Bolt line of magic. ***

High class mages can use many kinds of magic, but generally speaking, they have a single line they specialize in. For Tao that is Blaze, for Anri and Domingo it's Freeze, and Alef here specializes in Bolt spells.

Usually, Bolt magic uses Mana (the source of magic) to conduct lightning discharges from the skies. It is an exceptionally strong type of offensive magic, but because it consumes a lot of Mana at once, it is hard to control. Alef however was born with the peculiar ability to generate electricity by amplifying the bioelectricity in her whole body. Using that as an auxiliary source of electric power, she can cast Bolt while consuming less Mana.

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Lowe [Hobbit] Class: Healer -> Priest

He chants healing spells to protect the protagonist

*** An apprentice priest from the church of Guardiana. He was the one to rescue the protagonist when he laid unconscious by the coast, and after that they became great friends.

When he heard the protagonist was sent to the Gate of the Ancients, he decided to join the party, and later became a Shining Force member. ***

Compared to mages, who join the team little by little, three priests join you in a short span of time (Chapter 1).

Lowe's woes start there. There's no problem with his healing and fighting abilities (if you wait for the best weapons he's stronger than Gong) but, he loses to Khris when it comes to cuteness, and to Gong when it comes to looking strong, so he's always in danger of being dropped off the team.

Even in headquarters, you won't hear great things about him (especially from the girls), he's like the bumbling country bumpkin type turned into a troublemaker. With a best friend like this, the protagonist is in trouble, isn't he? Well, things are fine if you don't toss him out...

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Notes on Alef:

I'm sad that they didn't elaborate on it here, but the japanese manual states that Alef foresaw Darksol's plot, implying some sort of precognition power from her as well. Her backstory here in the guide book is very vague and says nothing on how she came to know of Darksol. From how it is worded, I'm not even sure if she went to Prompt before or after her country was attacked.

Notes on Lowe:

*sigh*

As mentioned here, Lowe harasses the girls in HQ in the japanese version. It's a character archetype that pops up in pretty much every game in the series and i'm very annoyed so I won't go in depth about it.

I'm also unsure on the country bumpkin line since it seems to be referencing a specific character from japanese TV, and I couldn't find much on it, and was also a bit tired on the topic here so didn't try that hard. Basically, take that with a grain of salt.

[claire-starsword]

Anri [Human] Class: Mage -> Wizard

The princess of Guardian who uses the cold as her weapon

*** The princess of Guardiana. First in line to inherit the throne.

She went to study magic in Manarina out of her own aspirations. However once the protagonist comes to Manarina and she learns that Guardiana has fallen, she joins the Shining Force. Her specialty is the Freeze line of magic. ***

She has talent for magic, rare among the people of Guardiana.

Her mother, the queen of Guardiana, died while giving birth to her. As the king's only child, she's destined to rule the country of Guardiana in the future.

The bluish purple clothes she wears were given to her by Otrant of Manarina to honor her time studying there. The huge gems that she, Tao and Alef wear on both shoulders are not for decoration. They are called "Mage Stones", and have the ability to gather the Mana (the source of magic) in the air, convert it into magical power, and control it when the magic is cast. It is hard to use high level magic without Mage Stones.

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Domingo [Magical Creature] Class: Magical Creature

He's an unknown lifeform but the guy's really powerful!

*** An artificial lifeform brought to life by the magic science of Manarina. Is classified as a mage.

Capable of flying, with great endurance... If you ignore the low MP, he's the greatest magic user. He's born from an egg called "Domingo Egg". ***

It seems that Domingo was created when Manarina mages were coming up with products to sell. They planned to sell them for a role much like that of guard dogs in our world.

But since incubating the Domingo Eggs is complicated, they gave up on selling them.

Domingo's size is 60 centimeters. Very small. However, what we see is Domingo's "larva" state, once he molts into his "adult" stage he'll be bigger than mountains... is what the rumors say, but it comes from Manarina mages, so it might be all fake.

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Notes on Anri:

I've heard that other guide books were more vague on their language and left people unsure if Anri might have siblings. This one is very clear about her being an only child. I've also heard that there's a manga where she has a sister, but everything else I've heard of that manga is weird ecchi stuff, so let's not think about it too hard.

The Mage Stones are a fun piece of worldbuilding but now I will obsess over every other spellcaster design in this series to see if it works or not lmao. Perhaps other places have different materials that serve the same purpose. Kazin does have more feathers than the average man.

Notes on Domingo:

Domingo shows up again in SFCD, so if he is a larva state, he has been so for 20 years. Worth mentioning is that in the japanese versions of both games, he speaks with a very babyish accent, saying "dechu" instead of "desu" and so on. What I mean is that Domingo would say hewwo. Frequently.

[claire-starsword]

oh no she had gifted kid syndrome