Threads of Fate
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Threads of Fate is a computer role-playing game for the PlayStation console developed by Square Co., Ltd. (now Square Enix). It was first published by Square in Japan in 1999 under the title Dewprism. It was published in North America by Square Electronic Arts in 2000 under the new title Threads of Fate. The story revolves around the adventure of two characters, Mint and Rue, and a highlight of the game is that the player is able to play from the perspective of either.
Gamplay and Story
The gameplay is simple and action-oriented, rather than turn based, and plays more like an action platformer than a traditional menu-based RPG like those in the Final Fantasy series. It is more similar in style to the Seiken Densetsu games by Square Co., Ltd. or even The Legend of Zelda series by Nintendo (more recently, the game has been likened as a successor to Kingdom Hearts, and in many reviews of this newer game, Threads of Fate recieves mention as a source of the combat system). The character Mint attacks with a pair of chakrams, known as the Dual Haloes, and is a proficient magic user. The character Rue is more physical and attacks with his axe, Arc Edge. He also has the ability to transform into various monsters that he defeats and can use their attacks and powers. The ring menu used to select Mint's magic attacks or Rue's shape-shifting is reminiscent of the menu system in Secret of Mana.
At the beginning of the game, the player is given the option to choose to play through the game as either Mint or Rue. Depending on your choice, you will be presented with one of two storylines. Though the quests are very similar (and, in fact, contain only one dungeon difference between the two), the storylines themselves have an interesting branch quality that brings certain scenarios to life in one storyline without remotely mentioning them in the other; completing both games will give the player a wholistic storyline to weave together from the two, as well as a 'true' ending to the game.
Of the two, Rue's game is typically considered the far stronger narrative, while Mint's is far more fun-loving and, at times, could almost be considered a parody of the elements found in Rue's game. Because of this, many veteran players will suggest that the game be played first as Rue -- in order to appreciate the strength of the storytelling -- and then as Mint, in order to revel in the self-deprecating comedy and impressive turns-of-phrase, as well as to maintain the integrity of Rue's story and ensure that the plot twists remain as plot twists. Additionally, Rue's game is typically considered the 'true' storyline (further supporting the suggestion to play it first), but more recently fan opinion has been that the two stories work to compliment each other and are two somewhat disjointed halves of a whole, although exactly how these pieces fit together (due to some wild contradictions) it's difficult to decide how it all works together, which is another job that many fans have taken upon themselves to accomplish.
The storyline, more than the gameplay, is often considered the highlight of the game; the game has a surprisingly strong narrative for its puny length (an average of ten hours for each character the first time through; any subsequent playthroughs will probably be cut in half), and even putting aside the narrative itself, the character interaction and depth is something to study. The dialogue has been kept real, true to the characters, and has been Westernized beyond the treatment most games get (the standout example is the recurring 'Pinto' joke in Mint's quest), and the results of this impressive nationalization is one of the reasons that longtime fans have remained so deeply in touch with the game, and still pine for its sequel; they consider these characters almost living entities.
Plot Line
The game, from the beginning, offers two plots stemming from the origins of the two characters and their reasons for searching for the legendary artifact known as a relic (referred to in brackets for almost all of the game, barring only the 'true ending'), which as created by a group (or possibly race) of super-magicians known as the Aeons. As the game progresses, the plots will weave, split, and weave back together, leaving a more analytical (and somewhat obesessive) observer to wonder and piece together the exact relationship between the two stories, and how they play with and against one another.
To start, Rue is a quiet, caring young man with a mysterous origin; his adoptive sister, Claire, has been comforting him for two years before a tragic incident brings a man, known only as the Arm of Death (sometimes called the Right Arm of Death) to their small cottage one clear winter night, presumably to assassinate Rue. Claire, however, gives her life in order to protect Rue, leading the boy to set off on a journey to find a great relic in order to bring her back to life.
Mint, meanwhile, is a rebellious, ill-mannered, hotheaded princess entrusted with the crown of East Heaven Kingdom; however, the Council that aids the kind seems to believe that her brash and crass nature are unbecoming of a future ruler, and they elect unanimously to promote Maya, Mint's younger sister, to the position of heir apparent, giving her the Book of Cosmos (the kingdom's most powerful relic) in order to mark their decision. Mint is shocked by the news, and even more shocked that two of her advisors -- the man known as Doll Master, and her grandfather -- agree fully with the decision. Stripped of her title and chased from the castle by an army of demon pumpkins, Mint promises revenge -- even better, she vows to take over the world.
Both characters find themselves travelling by boat to the port town of Carona, where they hope to find information concerning a relic; they both avoid meeting one another getting off the boat because a strange object (later realized to be the Pulsar-inferno Typhoon Omega, Rod's ACV) slams into the boat and sends Mint hurtling into the water, where she is fished out by the dock master Davis. Rue, unaware of this happening, continues into the town and suffers deja vu.
In both scenarios, a quick run around the town will reveal that the inn-keeper, Ms. Cartha, is worried about a girl named Elena, who left the town to look for her parents because they had been gone for nearly four days. Skipping the conversation (or any of the other conversations around town) does nothing to the game except minimally change the dialogue tree, although speaking with Ms. Cartha is typically considered canon. Heading off into Carona Forest, the player finds her being mugged by Blood and Smokey, ineffectual brother thieves. After a quick scuffle, they are sent running, and Elena is rescued. Elena will continue her path through the forest, now accompanied by her hero, and introduce your chosen character to her parents, Klaus (a doctor whose hobby revolves around archaeology, and especially the study of relics), and his wife Mira. In Mint's scenario, Rue is introduced here as well.
Klaus will explain a bit about relics and the power they hold, as well as explain about ateliers, magician workshops. Working off the information held in some old documents, he sends the player off to find an atelier that once beloged to Cadomon, a magician studying the relic in Carona Forest. Within the temple some interesting artifacts are retrieved and, in Rue's game, Mint makes her introduction.
Returning to Carona, Klaus looks over his research and finds information concerning another magician who was attempting to find a relic; Grand Magician Elroy. His atelier, also located near Carona, is where more information can be retrieved, so he sends the player to look for it. At the seal to Elroy's atelier, the two characters meet and agree (one way or another) to work together, since they're after the same goal. Within the atelier, the player finds some items of interest (a cube and a tiara). However, two treasure hunting theives, Belle and Duke, appear before they can leave (in Mint's game, it's revealed that she and Belle ran across one another a year prior, although what happened is never revealed) and swipe the tiara from the character.
Returning to Klaus, he inspects the cube and worries about the tiara later. Though he announces that he's found the location of the relic -- in the lake ruins near the town -- he admits to having no idea what to do next, and suggests the player go to Fancy Mel, the 'crazy witch', before warning them that she's dangeorus in some way. Upon entering Mel's world (a jarring contrast from the dark forest scenery to the pastel hues of the childlike dream state that she lives in), the player finds that they cannot reach Mel, and must play with the local dwarves, known as Poppul Purrels, in order to pass the time. Mel will arrive just after the last is completed, and invite the thunderstruck character of choice into her atelier as they process the reality of the prefix 'Fancy'. Within, Mel gets serious and informs the character that their actions in looking for this relic could lead to the destruction of the world; the relic was made by the Aeon Valen, the greatest mage to have walked the planet, and its power could be too much for the planet to bear, causing a chain reaction that could result in the destruction of all. The character insists, however, and Mel makes a tradeoff; she promises to help with the cube if the player promises to find a missing Poppul Purrel. (In Rue's game, after leaving, a short scene where Mel looks out the window and states "Poor boy... he still doesn't have a clue" will play)
The Poppul Purrel is under assault in Carona Forest; beating up its muggers (Blood and Smokey again) will prompt the dwarf to run back to Mel, and prompt the player to head to the inn and get some sleep. Both characters will have a nightmare concerning their past before waking up and head to Mel's atelier again, where she issues another dire warning and then hands over the instructions for opening the cube. Before allowing the player to leave, however, she asks the character a revealing personal question. For Mint, she spins a brief rumour-based yarn about a princess from East Heaven who was much despised by her subjects and looked down upon when compared to her sister. For Rue, she inquires wether he is human or not, leading into a discussion where Rue reveals a crystal embedded in his forehead and states that he awoke in a ruined temple and was found, after losing consciousness, by Claire; two years later, when she was killed, he unlocked the power of the gemstone and used it to drive off his assailant, and then used its power to absorb Claire's soul. Regardless of the character, Mel gives them her best wishes and sends them back to Carona.
Upon returning to Carona, Blood and Smokey will appear with an invitation to a side-quest in Carona Forest; if the player chooses to participate, they will encounter Trap Master (a pseudo-mage who utilizes traps and surprise) for the first time, and the dialogue later in the game will be altered. Otherwise, the characters will not meet with Trap Master until a fair while later, leading to some humorous exchanges between Trap Master and the player character. The sidequest offers nothing else, but acts as a point of interest.
Klaus unlocks the seal on the cube and releashes the Prima Doll, an artificial child constructed by Elroy for purposes of breaking the seal in the lake ruins. However, the Prima Doll is incomplete without certain items held by Elroy's apprentices, and the two games split into seperate dungeons at this point; Rue heads to Yordaf's Ghost Temple (which is haunted by Yordaf's failed experiments) in order to retrieve the gauntlets and sollerets, while Mint heads for Gamul Forest and Sorceror Genema's atlier in order to recover the earrings. Both of them run across some interesting problems, crescendoing into an encounter with Duke or Belle (respectively), which leads the given treasure hunter to hand over a piece of the Prima Doll that they stole.
On the return to Carona, the items are given to the Prima Doll, bringing it to partial life, but the doll is incomplete without the tiara that was stolen by Belle and Duke, as well as a necklace constructed of Phantomite. The player character will be sent to the Raging Mountain in order to request a sample of Phantomite from Wylaf, an ancient and powerful dragon, while the other character will stay back and pursuade Belle and Duke to return the stolen goods. Klaus begins to work on a Phantomite necklace, while the tiara is applied to the Prima Doll, bringing him to life with the personality and fervor of a small child. However, something else goes wrong, and it seems that the doll's power supply -- over the course of five hundred years -- has run dry; the player character will request some help from Mel, who prompts them to fight one of the small bat-like creatures named Gorotan in order to gain his lightning abilities. Upon recharging the Prima Doll, the doll requests to be taken on a walk; the appropriate character obliges and takes him to the Lake Ruins, where Prima expresses his insecurities about the future, and what will happen after his purpose is fulfilled.
Returning from the trip, Prima is upbeat and ready to unlock the seal; enlisting the aid of Rod the Blade Star (met by default by Mint; no scenario in Rue's game forces any earlier encounter with him) and his ACV, the Pulsar-inferno Typhoon Omega, they make a trip to the Lake Ruins. At this point, the games suffer a very distinctive split.
In Rue's game, he and Prima Doll arrive at the ruins, and Rue begins to recite the spell necessary for unlocking the Aeon's atelier, promptly creeping Prima Doll out. The doll, however, begins the ceremony anyway, only to be shortly interrupted by Maya, Doll Master, and Psycho Master. Maya pits her Book of Cosmos against Rue, who manages to counteract the relic's power, but Doll Master's unique magic is too much for him, and Rue is sealed. Thankfully, Mint, Belle, and Duke were watching from the sidelines the entire time, planning to snatch the relic the instant they got a chance, and utilizing Belle's transport vehicle the Hexagon, they grab Rue before anything more can happen. Prima Doll, in order to protect the relic from the East Heaven Kingdom people, petrifies himself. Back at Carona, those present at the lake trade stories, and Rue vows to save Prima Doll.
In Mint's game, she and Prima Doll arrive at the ruins, and the doll begins the ceremony only to be stopped by Maya, Doll Master, and Psycho Master. A brief battle of wills breaks out, with Maya becoming the apparent victor by using the Book of Cosmos to manifest pumpkins, and in the tumult Rue and Rod appear to rescue Prima Doll, with Rue vowing to return for Mint when he can. The Tower of Maya is raised around the ruins, and Mint is imprisoned within it and threatened to be made to eat pumpkins for the rest of her days. Rue arrives in the guise of a Stinger just in time to break her out -- and reveal what little of his backstory he knows -- and leads her out of the Tower of Maya, ascending the stairwell for several floors until they become trapped between Trap Master and an army of demon pumpkins; they are saved by the presence of Belle and the Hexagon, and back in Carona Rue tells Mint about the arrangement he had with the treasure hunters. Mint vows revenge on Maya.
This is considered the most radical departure point between the two games:
- Rue's Story: The day after, Rue heads for the Lake Ruins only to find the Tower of Maya in their place; he retires for the day to think of what to do next, but that night somebody throws stones at his window. Looking out the window, he finds Claire, and tries to follow her through the town, only to have her constantly disappear until she enters the church. Within the church. Rue battles Psycho Master, and after besting him Psycho Master advises the boy to come to the Tower if he wishes to save the girl. The next day, Rue obliges, and enters the Tower of Maya via the front gate, ascending up the stairwell until he nearly reaches the top. In an open room near the top -- the meeting room of the East Heaven group -- he finds Claire, who reveals herself to be Mode Master, who was impersonating Claire under orders of Doll Master. Doll Master reveals himself to be the Arm of Death, the mysterious assassin that inadvertently killed Claire, and Rue, in a fit of rage, attacks him; the battle that proceeds is unwinnable, and Rue is knocked unconscious, where Doll Master manipulates him and utilizes his latent powers to destroy Maya's Book of Cosmos. The Book, in an attempt to protect itself, teleports the three into the cosmos, where Atenacius -- the Aeon who made the Book -- flies into a rage upon seeing Rue. Rue fights of the Aeon, but it's Doll Master who properly defeats him, and Doll Master begins to tell a tale of the Aeon Valen and his prized creation, the greatest relic to have been made, the Dewprism, known as the 'microcosm of the universe'. Atenacius reappears, nearly dead, whereupon Doll Master finishes him off and explains the truth to Rue: Rue's life is actually artificial, and he is in reality a Doll of Valen, created for the sole purpose of releasing the seal on the Aeon's Relic and aiding in the rebirth of his creator; the gemstone in his forehead is a fragment of Dewprism, and gives Rue his powers and his very life. Despite Rue's denial, Doll Master reveals that he, too, is one of Valen's dolls, albeit a failed creation. However, now that he has the power of the Book of Cosmos, he can un-petrify the Prima Doll and force him to unlock the seal and bring the rebirth of Valen; they all leave the cosmos and Rue and Maya return to Carona, shaken by the reality of the situation, just in time to see Valen's atelier rise.
- Mint's Story: The day after, Mint investigates the Lake Ruins and the Tower of Maya; she gives up and returns to Carona. Upon returning to Carona, a hysterical Elena tells her that Mira is out in the forest, and the forest has been overtaken by strange monsters. Mint runs off to help Mira and finds that Carona Forest is infested with Puppets and Specters, monsters that thus far have only appeared in Rue's Ghost Temple dungeon. She fights her way to Mira, and both of them stand off against Trap Master, who is apparently controlling the creatures, until Rue leaps in to save them. They decide to split up and try and find the origin of the Puppets; Rue goes back to the Ghost Temple, while Mint investigates reports that they are spawning from the pathway to Elroy's Atelier. At the teleporter to the atelier, Mint finds Maya and Psycho Master discussing the revival of Valen's relic; she follows Maya into the ruins, believing that she is now justified in her revenge (Maya wants to use the relic for her own purposes) only to find that it was a trap, and back in Carona, Doll Master is threatening to burn the town to ash unless they hand over Prima Doll. Mint arrives in time to see Klaus keeping Prima Doll from turning himself over to Doll Master. Doll Master orders Mint to fight Psycho Master, who obligingly teleports them both into the church, and after the battle Mint leaves to find that Prima Doll has given himself up in order to protect the town. Valen's atelier rises shortly thereinafter, and the next day Mint investigates the Tower of Maya to see what's going on with her sister. At the Tower, she first ascends to the top only to find Maya taunting her about Valen's relic. The two fight, and when Mint defeats her sister it is revealed that Maya was actually Mode Master. Mode Master teleports away, and Mint runs to the dungeon, where she finds Maya and faux-Maya. Revealing which one is real, Mint and Maya work together to beat up Mode Master, and then leave the area. Maya heads to Fany Mel's in order to avoid prosecution in Carona, where it was said that under her orders the town be attacked, and Mint looks for a way to make it up to the atelier.
Prima Doll meets each of them just before they enter the atelier, and he transforms into his cube state after speaking with them (and, in Mint's game, giving her his necklace). They enter the atelier and work through the area, encountering Psycho Master midway up, and then Doll Master at the top, leading to another interesting split in storylines.
- Rue's Game: Rue finds Doll Master and informs him that no matter what Doll Master may say, Rue will live by his will, not by some ingrained sense of duty. The two fight, and Rue comes out victorious after a difficult battle, triumphing over Doll Master, who he decides not to kill. Rue enters Valen's inner sanctum and is greeted by Valen's spirit, which seems rather happy to see him, and allows Rue to fulfill his personal promise to Claire by instructing him on how to use the Dewprism. However, Valen constructed the dolls for two purposes; returning his soul and his Dewprism to the real world, and providing a new body upon his ressurection. Valen decides that Rue's body is insufficient and instead possesses Claire; Rue demands that he leave her out of his sick reality, but Valen simply decides that Rue is obviously broken, and must be cleansed; he summons the Light of Defense, Morning Dew (DewTwilight in Japanese), and the Light of Purification, Evening Dew (DewRedMoon) in order to protect him; Rue defeats Valen's constructions and Valen prepares to take care of his malfunctioning servant personally. However, a human body seems insufficient to contain his spirit, and Claire rejects Valen, who decides that it's best to use the body of a doll. He prepares to possess Rue when Doll Master makes his reappearance and tries to bring out Rue's inner strength in order to defeat Valen, whereupon Valen mortally wounds him, which causes Rue to unleash his powers and disrupt Valen's spirit energy. Valen, in a desperate bid for life, merges with the Dewprism, while Rue briefly checks on Claire before going to Doll Master's side as he dies. Just as Doll Master perishes, Valen unleashes his power and the power of the Dewprism; Rue fights and defeats him. After the battle, the Dewprism and Valen are taken to a pocket dimension where they will await a time they can be revived; Rue takes the opportunity to pick up Claire and make a run for the exit as the atelier begins to collapse. Midway down, he meets Mint, and the two fight their way out only to have a rockslide near the end of the pathway block Rue and Claire from escaping. Mint attempts to get them out, but Rod literally knocks some sense into her and the two woefully return to Carona before the atelier falls on them. Psycho Master, however, appears on the teleporter behind the two trapped in Valen's atelier and teleports them to safety. Three days later, Rue awakens to find that the crisis is over, but Claire is still asleep. He says his goodbyes to everybody and prepares to wait for Claire to awaken when she steps out of Klaus' house and the two are finally reunited.
- Mint's Story: Mint finds Doll Master about to finish off an unconscious Rue and proceeds to enter a verbal battle with him, blaming him for her exile from East Heaven. Doll Master informs her that the Council elected her unfit to rule themselves, and Mint defeats him "in the name of justice!" She drags Rue into the inner sanctum and runs across Valen's spirit, who proceeds to verbally abuse her. Mint attempts to fight him but fails miserably, and Valen leaves her alone and instead possesses Rue's body, informing Mint in the process that he created the boy for this purpose. He summons Morning Dew and Evening Dew in order to protect him, and Mint fights him, shattering his defenses. Valen prepares to take her down himself, but Rue's body -- with aid from Claire's soul -- rejects him, and he attemps to maintain his new body by merging with the Dewprism. Maya arrives in time to grant Mint the remaining power from her Book of Cosmos, and Mint uses this new power, in conjunction with Prima Doll's necklace magic ('Gold'), to defeat the Aeon. The building collapses, and Duke picks up the unconscious Rue in order to get him out of their while Maya and an exhausted Mint follow. Mint gives in to exhaustion midway down the atelier, however, and Maya attempts to keep the monsters from consuming her, eventually attempting instead to use any remnants of the Book's power to teleport them. Finding that the book reacts positively to negative reinforcement, Maya drop-kicks and repeatedly jumps and stamps the Book in order to force its latent power. Her gambit succeeds, and she and Mint teleport out of the collapsing ruins. Three days later, Mint awakens to find the crisis is over, and that East Heaven Kingdom wants her back. Rue says his goodbyes to her just before Gramps appears and requests she come back on the kingdom's ship; on the ride home, Maya asks if Mint would be willing to serve as a co-ruler on the throne, as Maya now realizes that she is too sheltered to properly run the kingdom on her own.
Mint is back in East Heaven when she recieves a guest in the form of Prima Doll, who has been adopted by Klaus and Mira, and Rod, who drove him there. Prima Doll delivers a letter from Klaus, the content of which makes Mint a very happy woman, and shortly thereinafter she bursts (literally) into the residence of Rue, Claire, and their new house-mate Ruenis. Mint brandishes the letter she recieved and informs the trio that Klaus has apparently found a new relic in the desert to the west, in an abandoned city known as the Ephlesia Ruins. Ruenis recognizes the name and states that Valen did several experiments there, and no doubt several of his dolls were sealed in the area. Mint demands that Rue pay his debt to her, as he got to use the power of the Dewprism and she didn't, and Rue agrees after checking to make sure that Claire and Ruenis would be okay in his absence. The two leave for their journey, with Rue prompting them to take a momentary stop near a small shrine which bears Doll Master's mask, and they prepare to set off for their next adventure.
Sequel
The new ending hints at a sequel but Square Enix has no current plans to develop one. However, fans have created the sequel Duo Princess, which stars Mint and Maya as it's playable characters. It is untranslated, but seems to possess a unique story of it's own, though how else in ties in with the previous game is unknown.Music
The music in this game is composed by Junya Nakano who has worked on several other games for Square/Square Co., Ltd. A soundtrack was released in Japan (titled Dewprism OST), and was available via import for several years in other countries. The soundtrack has since been discontinued and gone out of print.The OST was divided into two discs in accordance to the characters (Disc RUE and Disc MINT), and features all of the tracks played throughout the game, according, for the most part, to which character they best fit with; much of the mellower music is contained on Rue's disc, with a fairly small selection of 'happy' tracks or battle tracks, while Mint's CD contains almost all of the more intrusive tracks, the happier tracks, and several battle themes (although due to the overwhelming number of 'nuetral' tracks to any of the more emotional tracks, Mint's disc doesn't reflect her personality as well as Rue's.
Success
The game was released at the peak of the RPG boom for the original PlayStation, during Squaresoft's "Summer of Adventure" promotion (which included Vagrant Story, Legend of Mana, Chrono Cross, and Parasite Eve II), and was largely "lost in the crowd". The outdated graphics (the characters and backgrounds were constructed of crude polygons that resembled the graphics of early Nintendo 64 games) and oversimplistic gameplay led many players to bypass the game in favor of more publicized and technically accomplished games. Despite its limited commercial success, the game is not considered to be altogether bad (its average rating is around a 7.5 out of 10) and is even regarded as a gem in some circles, and this particular group gives the game a fairly adamant cult following.External links
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