Final Fantasy Legend 2, Part 4 - Those Damn Hatamotos

 

Next up is Edo World, my favorite world in FFL2. Closing in on the end fast here, and while this game is much longer than the first one, it's still shorter than I remember.

Those damn Hatamotos!

This sketchy, probably a bit racist, merchant is probably the most important merchant in the game. He sells top of the line stuff and is only available for a short time before he poofs (much like the Giant Armor merchant). Once he's gone, you can't get most of his stuff until the final town/dungeon. So like the Giant World earlier, this is the other big spot where it's worthwhile to stop and grind out funds.

Also he's a seedy Chinaman. Enough, Japan! LET THE FEUD GO! WW2 WAS LONG AGO!

Flare is a big one, the best attack spell in the game. Given how wildly expensive it is, I get one and pocket it for the final battles so that my caster has something to spam. Hopefully 10 charges is sufficient. 

Other noteworthy things here: Tank Gun, which functions as both attack and defense for robots. Dragon Helmets have great stats (better than Dragon Armor, on robots) and offer Paralyze resistance. They're what you want to load up on and hammer onto your robots. One each for the human and mutant, and four each for the robots. At 36000 each, this means a lot of grinding, but it'll put the robots at endgame strength.

Editor's Note: I really didn't need to get a Flare here, as by the time I need one, there are several in lategame dungeons for free. Could have gotten another Dragon Helm for the robots instead.

I try to cross a bridge, and the Hatamotos have decided that they control the bridge now and nobody can get through. These people are such nuisances.

Hana is a police officer working to bring down the Hatamoto syndicate. That's right, police and mafia. The SaGa series mashes up so many settings, time periods, and genres.

I revisit the seedy, possibly racist merchant, as he's been receiving shipments of drugs. Is he the one flooding Edo World with fentanyl?

Hana is a real go-getter, and doesn't wait for backup. I hope she at least brought a gun. Considering this world has guns, and lasers, along with the swords and axes...

...and tank guns. This is great for robots because using it in battle does a lot of damage to a group, while also functioning as a defense boost for that turn. Not to mention that it adds substantial HP.

Because this is the American version of the game, the drugs have been translated as various fruits. So Hana is investigating the dangerous Hatamotos for... fruit-smuggling?

Oh yeah, Echigoya, the best merchant in the game to this point, is now inaccessible. He's hiding out now that his operation has been exposed. Hope the player bought everything they needed. Why are the few really decent merchants all limited-time?

This next part is super weird, and involves going before a judge to expose the crimes of Echigoya and the Hatamotos. Their crimes of...smuggling bananas. That or booger sugar.

1997 Shawn Michaels: "These five-star matches aren't going to just have themselves! WHOOO!"

"...booger sugar, your honor."

Echigoya feigns ignorance, of course. He recalls no such items! He is an honest hardworking merchant who sells Dragon Helms!

The police return from checking his ship. Nothing illegal was found. Are they in on this, or did his accomplices clear the place out?

DON'T WORRY FOLKS, turns out the Hatamotos were trafficking fruit to no one. There is no client list! Nothing to see here! We had 10,000 hours of tape and lost them years ago, no big deal guys!

Our heroes realize that these damn Hatamotos are too slick for them, and may well get away with their drug-running.

Those damn Hatamotos!

...so our heroes decide to just forget all this investigation business and go for the nuclear option: Assault the lair of the Hatamotos!

Their leader is this Shogun guy. But first, I must battle seedy merchant Echigoya!

He's got 9 goons in tow, but it's an easy fight. I've got robots equipped with bazookas and tank guns over here.

They can do some serious damage at this point. I take back ever doubting robots as a class.

At the top of the dungeon is Shogun. In the previous world we defeated an actual pseudo-deity, so I assumed this guy would be no problem.

...and I was right, it's another one-round fight that might be a challenge if we were still on World 1.

But wait! The real boss is Magnate, some sort of demon.

He retreats to the roof, and seems to be Shogun's father. Probably a mistranslation, cause he's clearly a demonic entity. Probably had Shogun possessed.

Now this is a tough fight, and actually takes a few turns. Not as tough as Venus, though. Aegis nullifies most of his attacks.

Edo World is complete, and that gets me a bunch more Magi. Pretty much done, at this point.

Hana finds love with fellow cop Taro (while a turtle-man looks on creepily) and our heroes show themselves out.

Short update today. Next time, the game finally spikes to super-challenging all at once as I tackle the endgame.

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