Originally posted by gameboy900@May 31, 2004 @ 03:23 AM
Well at least it's not like beat it over your head subtle like FFX. At least here you're pretty free to explore but you still know where you're going since it's the only area you haven't been to.
That doesn't quite fits in SOA case... the Ixa'Taka part is nearly frustating. The South skies have insane random battles (and many, many enemies know that damned death spell) that get you DESESPERATE for a place for docking.
Also, they tell you to go south, when goddamned Ixa'Taka is at the bottom
extreme left of the map. I spent lots of time trying to go south, and south, when I really had to go
east after reaching south ocean. It's not a simple route when you're unfamiliar with the map and is being constantly distracted by lengthy random battles.
I know at least two people who quit playing the game when they got stuck at South Ocean.
I see the game designer's intention in showing the player that Ixa'taka is hard to reach for the first time, and thus why the people in the game don't know for sure it exists and only speculate. It suceeded in that. It also suceeded in making analogy to the first time Europeans sailed to the American continent: I only knew I'd find a continent there, but I didn't kne how far, nor how large it was, nor what exact directions I had to follow.
But it ended up very frustating. Maybe if they had some events/cutscenes/boss along the way, instead of simply throwing hundreds of random battles at the player.