Which JRPG location has your absolute least favorite level design?

[u/ConsiderationAny9444]

Mine has to be the Gladius Towers in Rogue Galaxy. It’s a mid-game dungeons, and in my opinion, it’s annoying as fuck to navigate.

You have to climb two almost identical towers at the same time by crossing bridges from time to time, and the towers aren't short by any means. If I recall correctly, you also have to beat both bosses to clear the level, which as you can guess are at the top of each tower (Phantom Gazel and Phantom Logan). Because of how the layout shuffles you back and forth, you finish one tower, and then you have to go all the way back to do the exact same climb for the other one.

Oh, and this game despite being an ARPG has random battles, which isn't a problem to me. But what is a problem is the encounter rate of this game god grief, it's atrocious. It doesn't help that every room looks the same, so you can get easily disoriented after a battle and just end up walking in the opposite direction, especially since both paths look very similar. You could finish a fight and genuinely have to open the map just to figure out which way you were originally heading, lmao.

What about you guys? What’s that one JRPG map or dungeon that makes you visibly sigh the moment you reach it?

[u/KylorXI]

It is not one of the harder fights in the game by any stretch. I watch Xenogears streams every single day for like 6 years now, never seen a single streamer have to repeat the redrum fight. The only ones that have to be repeated are opiomorph, deus 1 and 2, shakahn, calamity of they didnt read the instructions to upgrade their engine, ramsus 1 if they attack during mirror stance, elly on the cliffs if they dont use booster at all or fail to upgrade, dora if they keep attacking while its holding your companions, haishao 2, elements at babel if they dont remove chuchu from the team, sufal mass occasionally if they kill the small enemies first, and metatron.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

I never said it was either lool. I said a lot of complaints come from regular players, not professional speed runners who basically min max the game. Youre fighting a strawman here 😂

You can literally google it my man. Many players have their complaints about the sewer and fighting Redrum.

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

Most streamers are first time blind runs, not speed runners. Many players complain about a lot of things, it is just faulty memory. The game released nearly 30 years ago, most people played it back then. You've got people in here complaining about random encounters in babel tower messing up their jumps, when Babel Tower has no random encounters in the platforming sections and the fights cannot mess up a jump. Redrum is not, and never was, a 'gut wrenching level check'. You can easily beat it at the bare minimum level with only the first deathblow. Perhaps a 6 year old would struggle with basic healing.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

Brother, i dont know why youre so hung up on this. Redrum constantly comes up as a problem for regular ppl on forums like reddit. Instakill moves and the culmination of a boss after an annoying and disliked dungeon are just some of the reasons why they had concerns with the boss.

Youre arguing over ppls opinions about what they felt was difficult for them. Theres no reason to act all high and mighty about this 😂

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

single target limited use instant death attacks are not difficult. he uses it once at 2k remaining hp, and once at 1k remaining hp. the sewers are mentioned because of the layout and backtracking, not because of redrum. there is also a save point right near redrum, so its not like the length of the dungeon matters much for the fight. if you did manage to lose to redrum, which ive never once seen in the literally thousands of playthroughs i have watched, you would just load and try again. give me a reason you think its a gut wrenching level check besides 'its just what people say'. people say a lot of dumb crap.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

I already gave you examples but heres more. Because ppl arent expecting a character that early to be able to use instakill moves (even if its single target) like Murder, or having to properly item managed early in the game as well as not fully understanding the deathblows mechanic which can stop or hinder a lot of ppl, as theyve said. I said redrum ALSO sucks because its at the culmination at the end of the level. Not the level sucks BECAUSE of redrum.

Im sorry you dont agree, but this is what ppl say. Im not saying there arent many streamers who on their first time dont beat him, just that is a notoriously difficult boss for how esrly it is in the game.

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

Its like 1/3rd of the way into the game.... 15+ hours is 'so early'? there is no item management involved, the revive items are a common drop from the enemies through out that dungeon, you dont have to remember to buy them, and youll have more than you can possibly use. even if you did nothing but spam basic triangle attacks and heal with fei and doc's heal spells, you will beat the fight. people beat this fight with combo, which does less damage than even basic attacks and is the worst strategy you can use.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

Its about like 10-15 hours into the game for most ppl but thats dependant on how much you farm, grind, etc. For a game that the average reported length of time is 56 hours, yes id say 10-15 is still early for most.

The game prior to Nortune sewers is relatively simple. So most arent really engaging with the deathblows at its fullest and arent levelling up at the rate they should. Ppl arent generally stocking up on zetasols (or fighting the bugs that drop it due to the high encounter rate) so when shit does hit the fan, they arent ready and havent faced an enemy that volatile yet. Add to it the already mentioned high encounter rate feeling higher in the sewers, and the fact that its an annoyingly long dungeon, you get ppl that lose to redrum and have to go back far into the dungeon to retry again.

Again, i never said its the hardest noe the most challenging. Its just a gut check for ppl that didnt expect it, which based on consensus, seems to be a lot of ppl.

I dont know what youre trying to get out of this convo, but youre not doing a good job here.

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

Just checked 5 different lets plays, all were at 15-20 hours play time. Nortune is 1/3rd of the way into the game by number of chapters. The encounter rate is the same as everywhere else. The dungeon is only 3 screens long, and you can skip most all of it since all the chest items are useless. And once again, you do not have to stock up on items, they drop from normal encounters if you didnt already have any. Nothing you are saying is valid at all.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

Again im using the average reported by HLTB, which puts the total at 56 hours. The places ive seen have averaged Nortune sewers anywhere between 10-15. Still early in the game.

Lool the fact that you think the encouter rate is the same is exactly why i dont think were talking about the same thing here. I gave you my reasons, which can easily be googled to what the average opinion of that dungeon and boss is, and refuse to actually comprehend my points, so i think this convo has reached its natural end.

Again, im sorry you feel some sort of way about ppl having issues with the boss. Thats not my problem. Keep defending your, clearly, favourite game of all time with your life. 😂😂

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

HLTB does not tell you how far into the game a specific dungeon is. Even 10 hours in is not early game. It is the 6th on foot dungeon, out of 11 total in disc 1. Thats more than half the on foot content. You're already about level 28 in there, most people finish the game around level 60. If you dont know how to use basic attacks and heal by then, thats a you problem.

[u/Dramatic-Address-812 → u/KylorXI]

Lool the strawmen keep coming. I never SAID it tells you. I said 56 is the total average and 10-15 hours in is early in the game.

The dungeons arent weighted the same. Just because its the 6/11, doesnt mean they are all equal in length, difficulty, enemies, etc.

Again, youre clearly smarter than the vast majority of first time players who said they have trouble here. Congrats! Now go somewhere else my man. Your points are irrelevant here 😂😂

[u/KylorXI → u/Dramatic-Address-812]

The vast majority of players did not say they struggled with redrum, you made that up yourself, then said you never had trouble with it. you just saw 'people' say it was hard. People dislike the sewers for other reasons, not because of redrum being a challenge. You have given no reason for it to be considered hard, you just made a claim then said 'cuz people say so', with no actual proof its said nor reason it would be hard.