Castle Paradox

[Charbile]

I finished Boundless Ocean last night. The ending left me momentarily speechless, in a good way. It is one of those moments found in all worthwhile art, where the darker side to the story is resolved in a pure and uplifting way. The work is a series of brief, yet memorable experiences bound together by exploration and a simple theme, as all good themes are.

I found myself stopping often to admire the visual design. As is typical of him, Orchard does not hold anything back in that respect. I especially liked the use of the transition maps, (the bottle one being my favorite).

Setu's composition that plays on the starting 'overworld' map is so very relaxing and catchy. Found myself humming it while playing. It is a personal favorite.

The battles filled a gap that was missing to me in City of Dreams; they invest the player more than without, the 'soul stealing' layer to the equipment and exploration give them integrated purpose, and they give the player something to overcome, making progress feel earned. The one major puzzle works in the same fashion--figuring it out adds a strong sense of accomplishment. It gave me trouble at first, but like all puzzles, if you take it one layer at a time, it is a piece of cake!

The high-point of the game for me was the sniper fight. It alone is more than enough reason to play. The intro animation, story lead-in, and danger music start it out with an intense mood. Having to run across a minefield while avoiding the sniper's bull's eye (sounds like metal gear) adds to the tension. It climaxes with the confrontation, and the resolution is beautiful and thematically one of the most important parts of the work. Ultra!

[Friend]

I just uploaded an updated version of BO. It contains several bugfixes that I somehow missed on my playthrough. The most troublesome bug occurs during the sniper boss, where the hero sprite gets misaligned when players ran from the bullseye battle after encountering it at a halfstep. Thanks to Charbile for notifying me of this.

Just a fun sidenote, the sniper bossfight was inspired by The End bossfight from MGS3.
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"I am Collins. From my position in the moon's orbit, I watched Armstrong and Aldrin land and walk on the surface. I was so close to the ground of the moon, and yet I returned without having trod upon it... I am Collins." -Friend

[Tsunamidog]

There were bugs!?

Just when I thought this game couldn't get any better...
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The Following Statement is True.

The Above Statement Is False

[Soule X]

The sniper part is too frustrating.

So was the Judas part, because I kept getting caught in endless battles.

[Friend]

I'll look into the code again, I thought I fixed the judas battle bug in this release.

For the sniper fight. I know I didn't hint this too well, but you can run from the bullseye fight if you run into it. For the most time, you'll be able to escape unscathed. The only setback to this is that you will be placed back at the beginning of the corresponding boss fight maps.

The general rule of thumb in this fight is just to be patient; it's better to run into the bullseye than to step on the landmines.

Also, some hints:

-There's an easy trick to get by in the first boss fight map. It involves exploiting the way NPC works.

-For the second map, it is easier if you head east and hide behind the trees. From there, head east and to the middle.

-There's no actual trick to get by the last map; you just have to advance with caution.

ps: if you miss the chance to use soulsteal on the Guardian, you should consider using it on the sniper. It'll save you alot of time later on.
_________________
"I am Collins. From my position in the moon's orbit, I watched Armstrong and Aldrin land and walk on the surface. I was so close to the ground of the moon, and yet I returned without having trod upon it... I am Collins." -Friend

[Raekuul]

Is there a complete walkthrough? I can't figure out how to get to Judas, which makes me think that I missed something...
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A broken clock is still right twice a day.

[Soule X]

The sniper part was cool in theory, but personally I hated playing it.

I'm having trouble finding the papers to get on the train. Any hints?

[Soule X]

Spoilers


Judas's lair is between some rocks on the eastern side of the world. You'll see like two parallel rows of rocks that lead to nowhere.

I'm not sure you can get there before Judas is mentioned, though.

[Friend]

After you defeat Judas, the book in the next room will give you the ability to create sealbreaker. Use the envelope when you have the sealbreaker, and it'll reveal the papers needed for the train.

You need to rescue the missing councilman, he will tell you the whereabouts of Judas Lair.
_________________
"I am Collins. From my position in the moon's orbit, I watched Armstrong and Aldrin land and walk on the surface. I was so close to the ground of the moon, and yet I returned without having trod upon it... I am Collins." -Friend

[Soule X]

Man, I thought I already tried that, but obviously I was mistaken.

[Raekuul]

No, no, no! I can get to the lair fine, I'm just blocked by a block with a lock.
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A broken clock is still right twice a day.

[Friend]

You need to learn soulsteal and find the book that teaches you how to create bronze keys.
_________________
"I am Collins. From my position in the moon's orbit, I watched Armstrong and Aldrin land and walk on the surface. I was so close to the ground of the moon, and yet I returned without having trod upon it... I am Collins." -Friend

[Charbile]

PRO TIP

(((((in the sniper fight, if you open the menu, you can wait to see the mines without having to worry about the crosshair--advance with caution!)))))

[Soule X]

Damn, Charbile, I could have used that knowledge before I beat that part.

[Soule X]

Okay, someone just tell me exactly how to do the Sphinx puzzle.

¬_¬