Torneko no Daibouken Day 1: I think I just named the town Lance.

So. This was my idea, and I'm the one posting under the name of the site- and I'm the only one who hasn't written a Flailthrough yet. For shame, for shame!

Luckily for me That Guy has been taking this really seriously, and in getting games together he snagged a couple that are Relevant to My Interests. The interests in question this time around are Dragon Quest and Mystery Dungeon. The Fushigi no Dungeon series is long-running and probably best known in the US now by their Pokemon entries. But just as with Pokemon proper, Dragon Quest was there first! Torneko no Daibouken (or Torneko's Great Adventure if you prefer. Or Taloon's Great Adventure if you really prefer) was only the second in the Mystery Dungeon series, and was the first DQ spinoff. Plus it features one of my favorite characters ever.


Torneko- or Taloon in the NES Dragon Warrior IV -is possibly the least likely JRPG hero ever, a portly family man trying to make his shop the best in the world. His chapter of DW4 was such a breath of fresh air- and his computer-controlled antics in the final chapter of the game were so endearing -that he's one of my favorite characters despite never saying very much, as DQ heroes frequently do not. (Though technically he has more lines than anyone else in the game thanks to the Appraise command.)

This may be a tough game to flail through, though- Mystery Dungeon games are Roguelikes, with story segments only in between the randomized (and frequently ruthless) dungeons. Still, I've got some factors on my side- I've played DQ games in Japanese before, so I ought to be able to recognize the important items, and it's a kind of game I really do love. So, here we go!

We open with a scene of Torneko talking to his wife and son under a tree, and then we ask me to name something.

When English isn't available I tend to go with Lance (Well, "Ransu.") It fits in the blanks available for damn near everything and I usually recognize it as it goes by.

And now Torneko's talking to a king! Asking for permission to do something or other, I think. The name Lance comes up in the discussion, so unsurprisingly, I've named something important to the plot. The old guy at the bottom of the screen starts pacing in circles, which is my cue to assume control of good old Torneko. I start talking to people, like you do, and the king asks me a yes/no question. I almost always answer "yes" when I do a Flailthrough, so... I'm treated to what I'm assuming is a longwinded explanation of how a Mystery Dungeon works. Turn-based, EXP level resets each time, you have to eat or you'll die, different layout each time, yadda yadda yadda. One more Yes gets me five more pages of text, and it's time to talk to everybody else. All basic tips on how to play, I think? So I leave the throne room.

Torneko walks to the entrance of a cave so quickly I can't hit the screen capture, and I'm in the Dungeon! Right next to my very first Slime. An easy fight, even bare-handed- as is traditional, you enter the dungeon with very little- one Medical Herb, one loaf of bread, and a third item I don't recognize. At least there's a shield next to me I was able to grab shortly thereafter. My Defense Rating is now 3! Hey, it's better than that big, disconcerting zero I've got for attack power. So far it's a nice, easy introductory dungeon- a slug here, a Slime there. No weapons, but I did at least find an Antidote Herb.

Okay, now I just picked up a scroll- the last thing you see in the inventory there. I see the symbol for "Earth," and I think the Earth Blessing Scroll reinforces your shield in Torneko: The Last Hope. (Never played this before, but I have played the sequel. Cheating? Maybe...) Or was that Shiren the Wanderer? Oh well, let's see!

Okay, no! This kind of scroll is the one that lets you see the position of every monster on the map- handy if you want to level up or you're limping around until your HP comes back up.

Now, in later Mystery Dungeon games there's a way to permanently display the map over the screen as you go- makes thing easier. I tried the last option on the menu, but that's Quicksave. So now I know how to leave off for the day. Seems like as good a place as any to do so!

Tomorrow: Torneko sets out in earnest, and we learn that Mystery Dungeon games can be bastards. See you then!