Utawarerumono: Simple Game FAQ

Back in the days when the Utawarerumono anime seemed fresh and exciting, each passing week brought an ever increasing desire to step into the realms of the original game that spawned it. Every screencap I saw seemed designed to make me want to play, but for a time, I hesitated- after all, wasn’t it an H-game? What foul pit of hell would my soul be damned to if I even dared to play it? Would it be the first step on a long and dangerous road that would see all my friends turn away in disgust?

Okay, so in hindsight I was probably overreacting a little- why should a few stills that can be easily fast-forwarded through be so much worse than, say, the events of ‘acceptable’ series such as Ikki Tousen, Tenjho Tenge or the Mai-Otome manga? Nonetheless, at the time it took no small amount of agonising before finally giving in to temptation and playing the game.

Anyway, all that is in the past now, and I don’t really have any intention of reviewing the game. I have, however, decided that it would be useful to go back into the game and put together a simple FAQ to explain the things that aren’t covered elsewhere. Since there are parts I still don’t understand, however, I’m also hoping that someone can fill in the gaps for me.

Getting started: a few background resources

Official Utawarerumono Game Site

Game review and summaries: If your Japanese isn’t up to scratch and you can’t be bothered with the hassle of translation software, just click here and browse through Mastress Alita’s summaries of the game story. You can also find links to all the resources you could possibly want to ‘acquire’, so just click here instead of asking me “where can I download x?”.

Sora Nao’s Simple Battle FAQ: Explains the Utawarerumono battle system. I won’t be repeating what’s already been written here, but I may go into additional detail for some points.

Utawarerumono Battle Practice: Although I have summarised the tutorial mode below, roxybudgy has done a full translation summary for the first six of them which goes into more detail.

Playing the Game

WARNING! Significant anime and game spoilers ahead- proceed with caution.

Main Menu

New Game: Start a new game. The top option seems to be the default game; the lower three correspond to increasingly higher difficulty levels. When you start with any of the lower options, a text box comes up asking if you want to skip the ‘scenario’ part of the game- select yes (left option) if you just want to play the battles without the text scenes.

Note that in the higher difficulty settings, attack and defence can be boosted by placing your characters wisely. For example, female characters will be strengthened by standing next to Hakuoro, whilst Dorii and Guraa will be strengthened by standing next to Oboro.

Load Game: Self-explanatory.

Tutorial Mode: Learn how to play before getting stuck into the main game. When you start, two battles will be unlocked, but more will become available as you progress through the main game.

1. Explains the game basics. At the end you can get a feel for battle by controlling Hakuoro and attacking a piece of wood.

2. Practice combos by attacking the wood. When you successfully manage a triple hit combo, the tutorial will end.

3. Wood is a real threat to our way of life, so once again you must attack it. This time, you must use Dorii and Guraa to perform ranged attacks on the wood.

4. Much the same as Tutorial #2, only this time you must manage a full combo, complete with finishing move. If you succeed, you get to see a giant rock crush the deadly wood.

5. This time, you’ll play as Urotorii, and your objective is to simultaneously attack three pieces of wood using magic (if you use a physical attack or only hit one piece, it’s game over). Magic will only be available if you haven’t changed location since your last turn.

6. Now Hakuoro, Dorii and Urotorii are all available, and you can put your skills to the test against some real enemies- namely Sasante and two Avu Kamuu. Since all three of them are quite a bit more powerful than you, they’re also penned in by wood and rocks, so I suggest using ranged attacks and magic to attack them without letting them out to retaliate. The tutorial only ended for me after then destroying the rocks that penned them in, and finally tackling an especially large rock at the bottom of the map.

7. Not so much a tutorial as a developer’s room, you’ll play as Hakuoro and take a tour of the Leaf offices. The level is entirely happy and cheerful until you attack the ginger cat, which triggers an options menu and a transforms the level into a more aggressive place. Once again, I’m in need of help here as I don’t know what the cat’s options actually do.

Options: Many thanks to Yozora for filling in the blanks.

Extras

1. Complete CG stills from the game. The last two pictures, “Aru undressing” and “Aru naked”, can only be unlocked by playing the higher difficulty settings (so far I have unlocked the thumbnail of the first, but the game ends if I click on it).

2. Music player; listen to the in-game music.

3. Relive the H-scenes.

4. Transfer data to and from P/ECE handheld. Since this game marked the first time I’d even heard of the P/ECE, I haven’t actually used this function, but I understand it allows for a ‘Free Mode’ sort of levelling up.

5. List of saved games. If you saved a game after the end credits, you can look at character stats and achievements (could use some help translating this list, but I assume it’s skill point style records).

6. Benchmark Test. Runs some kind of system test.

7. Return to main menu.

Quit: self-explanatory.

Other tips

Fast-forward: Most text sequences and some enemy turns can be fast-forwarded through by holding down Control.

Levelling Up: Since there are a fixed number of battles in the game, those with a yearning to level up their characters (and no P/ECE handheld) may find themselves at a loss as to how to do so. Apart from the obvious advice to attack everything (including wood), it is actually possible to level up by deliberately getting yourself killed and repeatedly attempting the same level (the EXP from a game over level is saved if you choose to retry that level). Personally, I don’t have the inclination or patience to repeat the same level ad infinitum, but it’s gratifying to know that even if you die, you’ve strengthened your characters for the next attempt. If you don’t take any special measures, you can expect your average level to be around 27-8 by the final battle.

When you gain a level in-battle, your HP is fully restored.

Boosting stats: At the end of each battle, you get a choice of four stats to upgrade with the points earned by any given character- from top to bottom, these are combo, attack strength (or healing strength for Eruruu), physical defence, magical defence (may also affect magic attack power for Urotorii and Kamyu). See Sora Nao’s guide for more information on the basics.

During my first time through the game, I concentrated mainly on attack and defence, and neglected combos, however in the harder difficulty, combos became more useful. My personal preference is to hone attack skills and only bulk up defence for the more vulnerable characters; I tend to neglect magical defence as there are very few mages in the game.

Elements: On the default difficulty setting, elements aren’t greatly important, but once you move onto harder levels it’s worth keeping an eye on them, as having a weaker element than your enemy can turn a decent attack into a pathetic tickle.

Elemental hierarchy: Fire > Lightning > Wind > Earth > Fire

Party select cheat: According to the Boy’s Love forums, you can add all playable characters to your party by pressing Shift on the party select screen (this circumvents on the restriction on the number of characters you can take along).

I have since tried this cheat on several levels, and although the game has crashed a couple of times (equally likely to be due to my computer), it is effective in placing all possible characters on the map. What you may find, however, is that some characters will be invisible at the beginning of the level because the computer has put them off the edge of the map. Just wait until their turn comes up and you’ll be able to move them onscreen.

Be warned, however, this cheat is not always as useful as it sounds; sometimes your useful characters will not be able to move and attack as easily because the screen is filled with pathetic weaklings. I would recommend thinking through your battle formation when working in close quarters with this cheat.

Characters
Unless otherwise specified, characters can only attack the squares adjacent to them (not including diagonals). I’ve included the character’s element and movement range in brackets after their name. For a more detailed look at movement, attack and magic ranges, take a look at this guide (it’s in Japanese, but the pictures are self explanatory).

Hakuoro (None, 4)

Hakuoro is the one character you must keep alive in practically every battle, and he is also the character the enemies most love to target. For that reason, whenever there’s even a hint of danger or an unknown situation, I like to keep him far back from the front lines, or close to Eruruu for healing. In terms of levelling up, defence is a priority, with strength coming second.

Note: Since Hakuoro is one component of the game’s final boss, the stronger you make him, the stronger that boss will be.

Teoro (Earth, 3)

Since Teoro is only usable for the first arc of the game, I don’t put too much thought into his character, and just pump everything into strength. As expected from an axe wielder, he’s a strong but slow character with low movement range.

Eruruu (Earth, 3)

Eruruu is a rather unique character in that she cannot attack- all she can do is heal any ally standing next to her (annoyingly, she cannot heal herself). Since she is compulsory in most battles, you’ll almost always have healing to hand, but unfortunately she has a low movement range and is an attractive target for enemies, meaning she may not be around when you most need her. For this reason, I try to boost her defence as much as possible, even though it is a costly stat.

Dorii (Wind, 3)

As one of two archers, Dorii has a useful ranged attack (2-4 squares distance) but in turn has a low movement range and an inability to attack anything adjacent to him. Nonetheless, there are often times when the close range characters can’t get close enough to attack, so be sure to reserve a spot in your party for him.

Guraa (Wind, 3)

From the very start, Guraa is some way behind his brother in terms of usefulness as an archer, and with his costlier attack stat, he can only keep getting worse. Personally, I usually drop him in favour of Dorii since there is rarely room in the party to take along two ranged attackers.

Oboro (Fire, 5)

During my first playthrough of the game, Oboro was truly my best character- his high movement range and the relatively cheap cost of raising all his stats made him easy to turn into a front line powerhouse. Unfortunately, he did lose something in the higher difficulty setting, becoming a solid attacker who could not quite measure up to Touka and Karura.

Aruruu (Wind, 4)

Aruruu is designed with defence in mind, and can easily turn into a top class shield and damage magnet for the party. Unfortunately, in turn, her attack is low and difficult to raise, which means she may just get in the way of your more effective attackers.

Later in the game, Aruruu is also accompanied by her pet Gatchataru, who adds a lightning strike to her combo attack.

Benawi (Lightning, 4)

Since he’s mounted on a Woptar, Benawi can attack enemies from up to two squares away, which makes a useful change from the general run of close range attackers. Unfortunately, he isn’t a particularly outstanding character, and there’s rarely room to bother with including him in your party and thus giving him a chance to level up.

Kurou (Earth, 4)

Although I didn’t bother with him first time around, in my latest playthrough, I thought I’d use Kurou’s relatively cheap stat costs to turn him into a decent Woptar-mounted character (like Benawi, he can attack from two squares away). The experiment was a moderate success, resulting in a solid but never outstanding attacker who all too often suffered due to his low defence.

Karura (Fire, 4)

Whatever difficulty level you’re playing as, Karura is a must-have character for any party. The important thing is to play to Karura’s strengths- her attack power is the easiest to raise, so pump all your points into that, and turn her into a one-hit killer (bosses included). Once her strength is in the nineties, turn to combos- her finishing move can hit for over 900 damage. The drawback is that her physical and magical defence won’t be up to scratch, but her HP is solid enough to ensure her survival for long enough to demolish a small army.

Urotorii (Light, 4)

I’ve yet to give either mage a proper chance to develop in battle- with the cost of raising their attack and defence, the only way to make them stand out is to rely on raising their magic. Properly boosted, their magic will make for a useful ranged attack, but if you neglect it, they’ll just be weak all round.

Note: Since Urotorii and Kamyu can fly, they can move past enemies even when ground-based allies would be unable to get past.

Magic: Wind 1 (adjacent squares, including diagonals), Lightning 1 (single square), Wind 2 (wider range than Wind 1), Lightning 2 (diagonal cross), Light (long rectangle in front).

Kamyu (Darkness, 4)

See comments for Urotorii.

Magic: Fire 1 (five square cross close to Kamyu), Earth 1 (as Lightning 1), Fire 2 (wider range than Fire 1), Earth 2 (drops huge rock across several squares), Darkness (as Light).

Touka (Lightning, 4)

When I first played the game, I unthinkingly dismissed Touka as being weak, thinking she came to the party too late to ever reach Oboro’s level. The harder difficulty has given me a new appreciation for her, however, and she now ranks as my second favourite character in the game.

The secret to Touka’s success lies in the fact that her combo is already at the maximum level when she joins you, meaning that there’s no need to spend hefty amounts of points in raising it. Instead, you can quickly raise her attack strength, turning her into a killing machine second only to Karura. The only drawback is timing- it is all too easy to make a mistake when clicking and fail to enact her killer finishing blow.

Derihourai (Fire, 3)

Much as I would like Deri to be as worthy as his sister Karura, the fact of the matter is that he is more of an average Hakuoro-class warrior. Since he’s only in your party for the relatively brief Na-tunk arc, I just dump all my points into his strength.

Genjimaru (Earth, 4)

Like Touka, Genji is an Evinkuruga warrior, and he also happens to come with his combo fully levelled up. Since he joins up quite late in the game (and gets turned into a blood spatter before the end), there isn’t really the opportunity to realise his potential, but he’s a worthy ally to bring along whilst you have him.

Walkthrough- Battles Only

Battle 1

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro (Eruruu joins after a couple of turns)

Victory Conditions: Defeat all Kimamau.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro or Eruruu are killed.

This is a simple enough battle to get you started, but it’s worth not being too reckless even at this early stage if you’re playing at a higher difficulty level. Just keep your party together and systematically work through the monkeys.

Battle 2- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Eruruu

Victory Conditions: Lure Mutikapa into the water-trap (bottom right of screen).

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

The Mutikapa starts at the top left, but your more immediate concern will be a pack of Kimamau. Given that Mutikapa is on the way, don’t bother stopping to fight them, just head straight for the watering hole and wait (if you want to fight, send Teoro out and let Hakuoro wait safely in the bottom right corner).

Battle 2- Part Two

Party: As part one (fully healed)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Mutikapa.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

It’s just you and the Mutikapa, so surround her with your attackers and let Eru stand back and heal.

Battle 3

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Dorii, Guraa

Victory Conditions: Open the way into the fortress by reaching the gate switch on the far right (the square you need to reach flashes white).

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Another straightforward battle; systematically take out the soldiers and head to the switch. The soldier guarding the switch won’t even move from his post.

Battle 4


Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro (Oboro does not appear on the party screen but joins up in turn one).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Nuwangi and Sasante

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro or Oboro are killed.

Have Oboro move back and work with the main party to systematically take down the soldiers before concentrating on the two bosses. Nuwangi and Sasante will obligingly remain inactive until you approach them.

Battle 5

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro (Aruruu will join later).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Benawi and Kurou

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Let the generic Woptar riders come to you and work on them before tackling Benawi and Kurou. Once Aruruu arrives, she can act as a shield with her high defence. Note that Benawi and Kurou can attack from two squares away.

Battle 6- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Oboro, 2 others (choose from: Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Aruruu)

Victory Conditions: Destroy the wooden gate and fence.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

I’m not sure if it’s necessary to destroy all enemies in addition to removing the wooden fence, but to be honest it’s just easiest to clear the field before concentrating on the wood.

Once the gate is destroyed, you’ll see a cutscene in which Teoro blocks Benawi’s Woptar squad with a rockfall.

Battle 6- Part Two (Kurou appears)

Party: Carried over from part one (no healing)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Kurou.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Every time I’ve played this battle, I’ve killed all enemies in part one, so I don’t know if any stray generics would get carried over. Otherwise, the battle is straightforward.

Battle 7- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 3 others (choose from: Teoro, Oboro, Dorii, Guraa, Aruruu)

Victory Conditions: Hold the bridge for n turns.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

After a run of straightforward battles, this is the first time things start to get tough. My personal choice for optional members here is Oboro, Aruruu and Dorii- make a frontline of Hakuoro, Aruruu and Oboro on the bridge, place Dorii behind to snipe at approaching enemies, and keep Eru safe at the back to move forward and heal where necessary. The enemy assault will seem to last forever, but endure it as best you can, and do not move off the bridge.

Battle 7- Part Two (Nuwangi appears)

Party: Carried over from part one (not healed).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Nuwangi.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Thankfully, all the other soldiers vanish, making this an easy end to a tough battle.

Battle 8

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu

Victory Conditions: Defeat Kurou.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Another straightforward boss battle; start with the generics and then move onto Kurou.

Battle 9

Party: Hakuoro, Teoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu

Victory Conditions: Defeat Benawi.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Yet another straightforward boss battle.

Battle 10

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou

Victory Conditions: Destroy enemy woptars.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

There are a few soldiers, but the unmanned woptars just run around and do not attack. It is not necessary to kill the soldiers, although you may want to do so for the EXP.

Battle 11

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Karura, 3 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou)

Victory Conditions: Defeat enemy soldiers.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

They may only be generics, but the Woptar cavalry are a strong force. Play it safe and send Hakuoro and Eruruu to the back whilst the others systematically attack the enemy. It will be tempting to rely on Karura’s strength, but be equally careful that she doesn’t end up surrounded.

Battle 12-Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 5 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Orikakan.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

At the beginning of the battle, you’ll find yourself boxed in by Ori’s Woptar forces; since this is a two part battle, it is best to clear out the generics first. Move your party away from Ori and let the generics come to you, before moving on to tackle him. Watch out for his lightning magic attack.

Battle 12- Part Two (Ori revives, Touka arrives)

Party: Carried over from part one (no healing).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Orikakan and Touka.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

It’s likely that the first half of this battle left your party a little the worse for wear, but now you have two bosses to contend with. Ori will have revived with half his max HP- since your party should be close to him, just resume the attack and take him down. Unless your team is still fresh, don’t bother with the generics Touka brings along (including the game’s first generic mage), just go straight for her and end it quickly.

Battle 13

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 2 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Touka.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

This battle is somewhat crippling in that you only get four members (I suggest Karura and Dorii), which means that Hakuoro will most likely have to fight. Touka will hang back whilst her generics move forward, so let them come to you in the usual way before moving onto her.

Battle 14- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 3 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura). Note that although you choose your party now, in part one you will be controlling Hakuoro, Generic Soldier, Generic Woptar Cavalry, Generic Archer and Generic Mage.

Victory Conditions: Hakuoro flees to safety (bottom left of screen).

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

There is no point trying to put up a fight here; have Hakuoro run away whilst the generics act as a rear guard- they won’t last long, but they should buy enough time for Hakuoro to get a good head start.

Battle 14- Part Two

Party: The one you chose before part one, plus Urotorii

Victory Conditions: Defeat Orikakan.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

The Woptar troops form a tight and formidable formation- unless you’re feeling particularly daring, just go straight for Ori himself and end it quickly.

Battle 15

Hakuoro and co are top left, Deri’s party is bottom left.

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Kamyu, 2 others (choose from: Aruruu, Karura, Urotorii, Touka). You’ll also be controlling Derihourai and his band of generics (three swordsmen, one archer).

Victory Conditions: Rescue Derihourai by defeating the enemy soldiers.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro or Derihourai are killed.

This is quite possibly the hardest battle in the game, due to the condition that Deri must be kept alive. The first time I played, I didn’t actually realise this until Deri was almost dead, and inadvertently won by having him break through the enemy and take shelter in the bottom right corner whilst Hakuoro’s party fought their way to the rescue. This tactic can work, but it is highly dependent on both the formation taken by Deri and his generics as they ‘surge’ forward, and basic luck as to who they attack and how much damage is done.

An alternate strategy which seems to yield more success is to have the generics form a shield (albeit a paper thin one) whilst Deri retreats to the bottom left. If you have a strong character like Karura act as the frontline attacker for Haku’s party, they should be able to arrive in time to divert the enemy from hunting down Deri.

Battle 16

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Karura, Derihourai, 2 others (choose from: Aruruu, Kamyu, Urotorii, Touka).

Victory Conditions: Reach the entrance to the tunnel to Suon’s castle (top left)

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

You may have thought you were done with the Kimamau, but this battle has Kimamau 2.0- fortunately, they are weak enough that you can split into two different teams to take both the left and right hand forces down. The top of the screen is occupied by stationary fire breathers, which you can attack for EXP if you wish.

Battle 17

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Karura, Derihourai, 2 others (choose from: Aruruu, Kamyu, Urotorii, Touka).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Suokasu.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro or Karura are killed.

This is a relatively tough battle by virtue of length, and it’s safe to say that there are too many enemies for you to get very far by charging straight in. Before even approaching the stairs (Suon is at the top with two archers), be sure to clear out the generics below- start by taking out the ones on the far left and then let the others come to you. Once the floor is clear, head up the steps, but make sure only one (preferably expendable) character goes up them.

As soon as one of your party members gets to the top of the steps, “The Wall” will appear between you and Suon, and two squads of three soldiers (two swordsmen, one archer) will appear from the left and right. Retreat back down the steps and let the new squads come to you so that they can be killed without your getting hit by Suon and his archers’ ranged attacks. Once you are ready, attack ‘The Wall’ and let Suon out, then concentrate your attacks on him. Beware of his lightning magic attack.

Battle 18

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Aruruu, Touka, 3 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Kamyu, Urotorii).

Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemies.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

To mark a change of pace, this is a very simple battle, with few enemies. The only annoyance is that you’ll have to waste turns breaking down wooden barriers in order to reach your foes.

Battle 19

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 5 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Kamyu, Urotorii, Touka).

Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemies.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

After a few turns, your objective changes to crossing the river before a flood hits (if even one party member is washed away, it’s game over). With this in mind, start making your way across the river right from the start. There should be a few turns spare to attack enemies, but don’t linger too long, especially once you get notified about the flood.

Battle 20- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, 5 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Kamyu, Urotorii, Touka).

Victory Conditions: Hakuoro reaches the top of the mountain (top left of screen).

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Unlike the Kimamau level, this is not a battle where you can afford to have your forces split (as they are at the beginning of the level); keep all your fighters together, and have them tackle the enemy groups one at a time. Use the wood barriers to your advantage in keeping your foes confined whilst you regroup and heal before moving onto the next squad.

Battle 20- Part Two (Niwe’s castle)

Party: Carried over from part one (fully healed)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Niwe

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

In true boss fashion, Niwe awaits at the end of his gauntlet, and as always, it is best to address the generics first (note that the grey obstacles represent more fire breathers). Move to the left systematically take down all attackers before finally presenting yourself to Niwe- be warned that his red fire breathers are indestructible, and that he’ll happily toast the squares in front of him with a wind magic attack. At this point, it is best to just close in and get it over with quickly.

Battle 21

Party: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Kamyu, Urotorii, Touka

Victory Conditions: Survive for n turns.

Defeat Conditions: Everyone is killed.

This is quite simply the most pointless battle to grace the game- the Avu Kamuu cannot be harmed by any of your attacks, and so all you can do is have your characters continually run away until the battle ends.

Battle 22- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Urotorii, Kamyu, Genjimaru, 2 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka)

Victory Conditions: Reach the barred entrance (top middle)

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

The key to defeating real Avu Kamuu is to practice against these proto-versions on a previously unmentioned island to the north of the main continent. Both the proto-Avu Kamuu and the mechanical crossbows that accompany them are stationary, so all that is required is to walk up to them, attack, and heal if necessary. Once you reach the area you’re supposed to get to, Hien will appear.

Battle 22- Part Two (Hien appears)

Party: Carried over from part one

Victory Conditions: Defeat Hien.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Hien has quite a nasty instant hurt special attack not unlike Genji and Touka’s finishers, but provided you close in and press the attack, he shouldn’t get more than one or two chances to use it.

Battle 23

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Genjimaru, 5 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Urotorii, Kamyu, Karura, Touka)

Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemies.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

With the training island under your belt, the real Avu Kamuu are now strong but vulnerable. Just systematically work your way through them, and watch out for mechanical crossbows.

Battle 24- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Genjimaru, 4 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Urotorii, Kamyu, Karura, Touka)

Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemies.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

This is a deceptively simple looking battle- the first squad of zombies shouldn’t pose too much trouble, but just as you seem to have cleared them out, a new set appears in the midst of your party. You may find you lose a couple of weaker members to the second wave of zombies.

Battle 24- Part Two (Dii and Kanhorudari appear)

Party: Carried over from part one (not healed).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Dii.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Having run the marathon of part one, an extra few laps are added on as Dii, Kan and their zombie retinue shows up. If you really are in dire straits, just head straight for Dii and hope for the best (beware his powerful light magic attack), but if you think you have the stamina, hang back and let Kan and his zombies come to you first. Kan has a strong fire attack, but if the likes of Karura and Touka are still with you, he should go down quickly.

Battle 25

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Urotorii, Kamyu, Genjimaru, 3 others (choose from: Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka)

Victory Conditions: Defeat Kuuya.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

There’s nothing bosses like better than standing at the end of a gauntlet, and Kuuya is no exception. As always, stay on the left and let the Avu Kamuu come to you, before finally moving forward to tackle Kuuya. Although she uses a fire attack, she seems disinclined to move around, so just charge in and attack.

Battle 26- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Urotorii, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka

Victory Conditions: Hakuoro reaches the doorway to the next room (top left).

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

After asking for immortality, a group of scientists were turned into red slimes, and now your party must fight them. Although they aren’t the strongest of creatures, the slimes are numerous, and if you aren’t careful, they will overwhelm your party. Keep the group together, make sure Eruruu and Hakuoro are safe, and just systematically work through them as always. It may be tempting to have Hakuoro make a run for it, but the slimes are too numerous and take their turns too swiftly for him to survive.

Battle 26- Part Two

Party: Carried over from part one (fully healed).

Victory Conditions: Defeat all enemies.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

For some reason, in this room, the slimes transform themselves into evil shadow versions of your party, with level 20 stats. Since your party should be around level 23-5 by now, you will have the edge, but be careful not to get overwhelmed in the relatively closed space. Also watch out for shadow Urotorii’s light magic attack, and be aware that even shadow Eruruu can attack you.

Battle 27

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Urotorii, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka

Victory Conditions: Defeat Hien and Hauenkua.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Here you’ll be boxed in by Avu Kamuu on three sides, and only your most-used characters will be able to put a scratch on them. As always, move out to tackle the generic ones first (only Hau will approach you, Hien stays still at first), then turn your attention to Hau. After Hau’s death, a cutscene will occur, and then you’re free to take out Hien.

Battle 28- Part One

Party: Hakuoro, Eruruu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka (although you choose this before the battle, in part one you control Monster Haku only).

Victory Conditions: Defeat Mutsumi.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Since it’s a one-on-one battle, there’s not much you can do except trade blows. Fortunately, Hakuoro should be easily able to take down Mutsumi well before his HP gets critical. Monster Haku is stronger than regular Haku, but his stats will depend on those of his human form.

Battle 28- Part Two

Party: As chosen in part one.

Victory Conditions: Defeat Dii.

Defeat Conditions: Hakuoro is killed.

Dii has now taken on a more monstrous form, and with it he now has a sweeping attack that can rip through a line of party members. Since there are no other enemies on the field, however, it will be easy to close in on him and take him down.

Battle 29 (Final Battle)

Party: Eruruu, Urotorii, Kamyu, Dorii, Guraa, Oboro, Aruruu, Benawi, Kurou, Karura, Touka

Victory Conditions: Defeat Uitsuarunimitea.

Defeat Conditions: All allies are defeated.

It seems to be a recurring theme that all final bosses in tactical RPGs are huge monsters unable to move off a fixed square, and Uitsuarunimitea is no exception. Since he is the fusion of Haku and Dii, his stats depend on Haku’s- bad news if you’ve boosted your main character’s stats significantly.

Uitsuarunimitea has two main attacks (a magical ‘Ultima’ style attack, and a lesser used physical arm swipe, both of which hit pretty much the entire field. In the default difficulty setting, however, he cannot reach the squares directly to the left of his torso, so you can place a close ranged attacker there with an archer/Woptar rider behind him and they will not get hit. This rule does not hold in the higher difficulty levels, but if you need to retreat to safety, the left corner is always an available option.

Since only one square on the left hand side of his torso can be damaged, your options for attacking are limiting. To finish things as quickly as possible, place your strongest warriors in front and to the left, then have Woptar riders behind them and archers or mages further back (provided they are strong enough- lesser used characters won’t be able to do more than single figure damage). Uitsuarunimitea’s attacks will be very damaging to even your strongest attackers, but those able to do a significant amount of damage to him will level up and automatically heal every few turns, so you should survive long enough to finish the beast.

With the battle complete, you are free to sit through the ending and credits- after this you can save one more time and browse your characters’ levels and achievements in the extras menu.