Brave Fencer Musashi (PSX)

2012-10-25 09:22:23 pm

Ciento Dos Huevos

Wow, I actually pulled this out of my closet last week and was thinking of running it, had no idea there already was a run either.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-10-25 09:37:52 pm

...Wha?

The run on this site is meh. I encourage you to practice this run, wouldn't mind some friendly competition.

Sh0rtCircuit

Edit history:

Sh0rtCircuit: 2012-10-25 09:49:42 pm

2012-10-25 09:48:54 pm

...Wha?

For anyone wanting to best the Steamknight with classy satisfaction...well, here's the solution for that.

Mind you, the sweet-spot for the second portion is amazingly sensitive...probably a bit of luck added in with that as well.

Phoenix3568

2012-10-26 12:11:45 am

Procrastination Nation!

It's probably best to just revive the old thread. A mod will probably merge these threads eventually anyways.

Awesome steamknight run! And it's not gunshot dependent either which would have been the strategy I would have chosen for the fight.

That being said, do you have a plan of who you're going to save and the path you want to take? If not you should probably give it some thought. The original run had a pretty good beginning but quickly petered out. I never got around to running (and I assume the other people haven't either) so I never drew up a full running plan for the game.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-10-26 10:07:44 am

...Wha?

Yeah, didn't think about reviving the old thread. Hopefully a Mod will merge the two soonish. If not then...oh well? lol

Honestly, in all my years of playing this game, I never once thought about using Gunshot to take down the Steamknight. Rather, I would spend time hacking away at one leg at a time until I found out about the Spin Attack being able to hit both (and usually destroying both) in one go.

Save plan is simple (forgive me as I don't recall names at the moment), but everyone you can get to on Twinpeak initially since they're required for Skullpion. Only other people needed are the Carpenters and the Mercs for the Gondola and Snow Labyrinth respectively...oh, and lets not forget the Guard for Twinpeak. As for my route, I have a handy little guide/artbook imported from Japan that has the most optimum route mapped out, but that's all I'm able to gather from it as I can't read Japanese. I haven't been able to do a successful practice run all the way through just yet, but I can at least give you a hint for Chapter 2.

Upon entering Grillin' Village, I make a stop at the Bread shop for the Rye bread, then head over to the well for Water. After talking to the Mayor, I go into Meandering Forest to rescue the guard going into Twinpeak then double-back through the village and make my way to Twinpeak. Save Leno sequence (I skip that first person to save on Twinpeak as time is a big factor with getting back to the Mayor) and as everyone should know, it's faster to throw Leno rather than walk him all the way back. Get back to Grillin', talk to the Mayor, then go talk to John, then back to Meandering forest. I haven't really decided if it's faster to cut through the area to the left of John, or to work my way around from the Windmill side. If things end up going well, I get back to John with the key anywhere between 0:00 and 2:30am.

After that, it's all about Twinpeak. Save the two on the first side of Twinpeak, cross the river, cross the bridge and start collecting the Logs and the other two people to save for Skullpion. Meet John, do the raft sequence and with any luck, it's still daytime and I'm able to immediately go to the Appraisal shop to get L-Brace. Go get the instructions for Steamwood, rush to Steamwood and beast it. If people did not know this, it's faster to jump on the valve platforms from an angle, rather than jump over the pipe that's in front of it. Steamwood has a lot of places for big mistakes and time loss (especially the second time around). Once Steamwood is settled, I take the shortcut to the front of Twinpeak and proceed to go meet Rootrick for the climb-race for the Earth Scroll. Once I have that, make a mad dash back to the castle (John meets you just as you come out from Twinpeak). Talk to the Geezer, then make yet another mad dash to Hell's Valley. Beat the crap out of Skullpion and...that's game for Chapter 2.

On my "casual" practice run, my save file reads 41 minutes. This is after I made my way back to town, found out what to do for Tim and then saved. Lately, I've been running the hell out of Chapter 3...and the furthest I've made it was to the Church fight with the Vambee Soldiers. I died from being caught by their..."spit" attack...and then shortly after was eaten like a midnight snack. I actually need to do a little bit of research on the locations of everyone I need in order to progress. I do know where EVERYTHING is, but specifics on who is where...well, that's a different story.

Yeah, didn't think about reviving the old thread. Hopefully a Mod will merge the two soonish. If not then...oh well? lol

Honestly, in all my years of playing this game, I never once thought about using Gunshot to take down the Steamknight. Rather, I would spend time hacking away at one leg at a time until I found out about the Spin Attack being able to hit both (and usually destroying both) in one go.

Save plan is simple (forgive me as I don't recall names at the moment), but everyone you can get to on Twinpeak initially since they're required for Skullpion. Only other people needed are the Carpenters and the Mercs for the Gondola and Snow Labyrinth respectively...oh, and lets not forget the Guard for Twinpeak. As for my route, I have a handy little guide/artbook imported from Japan that has the most optimum route mapped out, but that's all I'm able to gather from it as I can't read Japanese. I haven't been able to do a successful practice run all the way through just yet, but I can at least give you a hint for Chapter 2.

Upon entering Grillin' Village, I make a stop at the Bread shop for the Rye bread, then head over to the well for Water. After talking to the Mayor, I go into Meandering Forest to rescue the guard going into Twinpeak then double-back through the village and make my way to Twinpeak. Save Leno sequence (I skip that first person to save on Twinpeak as time is a big factor with getting back to the Mayor) and as everyone should know, it's faster to throw Leno rather than walk him all the way back. Get back to Grillin', talk to the Mayor, then go talk to John, then back to Meandering forest. I haven't really decided if it's faster to cut through the area to the left of John, or to work my way around from the Windmill side. If things end up going well, I get back to John with the key anywhere between 0:00 and 2:30am.

After that, it's all about Twinpeak. Save the two on the first side of Twinpeak, cross the river, cross the bridge and start collecting the Logs and the other two people to save for Skullpion. Meet John, do the raft sequence and with any luck, it's still daytime and I'm able to immediately go to the Appraisal shop to get L-Brace. Go get the instructions for Steamwood, rush to Steamwood and beast it. If people did not know this, it's faster to jump on the valve platforms from an angle, rather than jump over the pipe that's in front of it. Steamwood has a lot of places for big mistakes and time loss (especially the second time around). Once Steamwood is settled, I take the shortcut to the front of Twinpeak and proceed to go meet Rootrick for the climb-race for the Earth Scroll. Once I have that, make a mad dash back to the castle (John meets you just as you come out from Twinpeak). Talk to the Geezer, then make yet another mad dash to Hell's Valley. Beat the crap out of Skullpion and...that's game for Chapter 2.

On my "casual" practice run, my save file reads 41 minutes. This is after I made my way back to town, found out what to do for Tim and then saved. Lately, I've been running the hell out of Chapter 3...and the furthest I've made it was to the Church fight with the Vambee Soldiers. I died from being caught by their..."spit" attack...and then shortly after was eaten like a midnight snack. I actually need to do a little bit of research on the locations of everyone I need in order to progress. I do know where EVERYTHING is, but specifics on who is where...well, that's a different story.

mikwuyma

2012-10-26 07:47:48 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

Quote from Sh0rtCircuit:

Yeah, didn't think about reviving the old thread. Hopefully a Mod will merge the two soonish. If not then...oh well? lol

Done.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-10-26 07:49:14 pm

...Wha?

Huzzah! Thanks mikwuyma!

Phoenix3568

2012-10-27 01:31:32 pm

Procrastination Nation!

I might run a bit on emulator to see what times I get, but just to outline a general plan for segmenting and pathing. Knowing the exact characters is hard but I think if you look at the older posts most of them are in there. Also looking at game FAQs to see mandatory people and their locations could help as well. Also we should find the best boss strategies. I feel the execution in the old run is one of the worst things ever, so if you could do better platforming and boss fights I think it's possible to shave a significant amount of time off.:

CH1:

Pretty straight forward and linear. I'm not sure if there are any platforming things you can take advantage of but it's fairly linear. You might be able to jump over the bats at the bell tower and go faster through that section but I'm not totally sure. With an optimal Lumina path (throwing a guy across over the pressure plate) and steam knight fight it should go fairly quickly. Also you can use gunshot to take down the statues really quickly. Don't remember if that's in the run or not.

(save)

CH2:

-buy two loafs of bread (one for quest and one for jon) and grab some water if possible, perhaps wait till after the dog quest for water.
-get the guard (not sure if this is worthwhile, but the timing for Macho would be annoying to coordinate)
-dog quest
-jon: bread/water

(save 2)

-possibly use this time to farm money from the restaurant? That way you have plenty of money for items for later in the game.
-Meandering forest
-free the librarian (not sure if it's necessary for ice castle or not) as well as any characters needed for skullpion/ice castle
-free john

(save either here or after 2nd twinpeak, or both. I think after second twinpeak because it isn't THAT difficult compared to steamwood)

-Twinpeak again for log quest (and freeing the rest of the people necessary for skullpion)
-steamwood forest 1
-Twinpeak for Rootrik/earth scroll

(save here or after buying items)

-buy for skullpion. Required people: Soldier Lardwick, Mercenary Meitlofe, Carpenter Carvey and Knight Lardwick
-boss fight. I don't think the boss fights in this game have particularly abusable AI but I could be wrong.

(autosave)

CH3:

-get vambee quest
-underground lake (I think this part was one of the most offensive parts of the old run, just the general speed. It might be worthwhile to get the minku in the area while you're waiting for the right time to get the Wisteria to bloom. Also I'm not sure of the most optimal route for this area.
-get back

(save)

-2nd half: timed twinpeak There are various climbing shortcuts you can use to go faster for this area. I forget exactly what they are but that + falling on the return makes this area much easier)

(save)

-Restaurant time (I really hate this part: make sure you buy/bring mints so you don't have to rest)
-Do the 4 areas. I'm not sure what is the best way to do this, just save after each area or do them all at once. I'm not a particular fan of this part so whatever you do there is probably the best.

(save)

-get L gloves or quilt? I'm not sure how efficient it would be to get either of these, especially since you'll largely be avoiding enemies during this time, and you don't really crit in boss fights.
-church: I actually think this part is pretty easy. Basically using the earth scroll to stun them keeps them from being too difficult. Just make sure you rest beforehand otherwise it rapidly becomes a difficult fight.
-get the bell and water scroll (I think there's a minku down there as well depending on the time)

(save)

-buy stuff
-relic keeper

(save)

Ch4:

I'm gonna stop now becuase I have to do other things, but basically the easiest thing to do is go through and FAQ and just see what the most efficient path is. I was looking at this one to double check information: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/196813-brave-fencer-musashi/faqs/61123

I might finish this up later today but we'll see.

I might run a bit on emulator to see what times I get, but just to outline a general plan for segmenting and pathing.  Knowing the exact characters is hard but I think if you look at the older posts most of them are in there.  Also looking at game FAQs to see mandatory people and their locations could help as well.  Also we should find the best boss strategies.  I feel the execution in the old run is one of the worst things ever, so if you could do better platforming and boss fights I think it's possible to shave a significant amount of time off.:

CH1:

Pretty straight forward and linear.  I'm not sure if there are any platforming things you can take advantage of but it's fairly linear.  You might be able to jump over the bats at the bell tower and go faster through that section but I'm not totally sure.  With an optimal Lumina path (throwing a guy across over the pressure plate) and steam knight fight it should go fairly quickly.  Also you can use gunshot to take down the statues really quickly.  Don't remember if that's in the run or not.

(save)

CH2:

-buy two loafs of bread (one for quest and one for jon) and grab some water if possible, perhaps wait till after the dog quest for water.
-get the guard (not sure if this is worthwhile, but the timing for Macho would be annoying to coordinate)
-dog quest
-jon: bread/water

(save 2)

-possibly use this time to farm money from the restaurant? That way you have plenty of money for items for later in the game.
-Meandering forest
-free the librarian (not sure if it's necessary for ice castle or not) as well as any characters needed for skullpion/ice castle
-free john

(save either here or after 2nd twinpeak, or both.  I think after second twinpeak because it isn't THAT difficult compared to steamwood)

-Twinpeak again for log quest (and freeing the rest of the people necessary for skullpion)
-steamwood forest 1
-Twinpeak for Rootrik/earth scroll

(save here or after buying items)

-buy for skullpion.  Required people: Soldier Lardwick, Mercenary Meitlofe, Carpenter Carvey and Knight Lardwick
-boss fight.  I don't think the boss fights in this game have particularly abusable AI but I could be wrong.

(autosave)

CH3:

-get vambee quest
-underground lake (I think this part was one of the most offensive parts of the old run, just the general speed.  It might be worthwhile to get the minku in the area while you're waiting for the right time to get the Wisteria to bloom.  Also I'm not sure of the most optimal route for this area.
-get back

(save)

-2nd half: timed twinpeak There are various climbing shortcuts you can use to go faster for this area.  I forget exactly what they are but that + falling on the return makes this area much easier)

(save)

-Restaurant time (I really hate this part: make sure you buy/bring mints so you don't have to rest)
-Do the 4 areas.  I'm not sure what is the best way to do this, just save after each area or do them all at once.  I'm not a particular fan of this part so whatever you do there is probably the best.

(save)

-get L gloves or quilt?  I'm not sure how efficient it would be to get either of these, especially since you'll largely be avoiding enemies during this time, and you don't really crit in boss fights.
-church:  I actually think this part is pretty easy.  Basically using the earth scroll to stun them keeps them from being too difficult.  Just make sure you rest beforehand otherwise it rapidly becomes a difficult fight.
-get the bell and water scroll (I think there's a minku down there as well depending on the time)

(save)

-buy stuff
-relic keeper

(save)

Ch4:

I'm gonna stop now becuase I have to do other things, but basically the easiest thing to do is go through and FAQ and just see what the most efficient path is.  I was looking at this one to double check information: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/196813-brave-fencer-musashi/faqs/61123

I might finish this up later today but we'll see.

Sh0rtCircuit

Edit history:

Sh0rtCircuit: 2012-10-27 02:08:44 pm

2012-10-27 02:08:28 pm

...Wha?

Phoenix, not a bad little guide. Though I have some issues with what you outlined for Chapter 2. Here's what I think is the best way to conquer it.

-Upon arriving to Grillin', buy bread and acquire Water.
-Talk to Mayor
-Save the Twinpeak Guard
-Save Leno
-Immediately go to Mayor (I believe either 1700 or 1800 is too late to talk to him)
-Feed John
-Meandering Forest (By the time you get back to town, in-game time should be anywhere between 00:00 and 02:30)
-Free John
-Twinpeak, saving everyone needed for Skullpion
-Meet John
-Appraise for L-Brace
-Talk to Steamwood Manager
-Steamwood
-Shortcut to Twinpeak Entrance
-Race Rootrick
-Talk to Geezer
-Fight Skullpion

The only thing I left out was visiting Mitilda's shop to buy S-Revive, Mints and W-Gels. Though if you're tired level is high by the time you return to Twinpeak to meet John, you can assimilate the Plant enemies. They lower your tired level for a certain amount of time. I've studied a good deal of Chapter 2, which is why I have it set up this way. It doesn't require any down time to wait for events as they happen exactly when you need them to. The AI for Skullpion is random at best, so it's better to go in knowing everything he can do and just watch his movements to anticipate his next move. Unfortunately, what your friends load into the basket are random as well. It ticks me off every time they send antidote leafs. Even when charging Fusion, dodging Skullpions poison attack is easy.

Chapter 3, the only down time required is waiting to talk to the guy living in the Windmill. He's only awake at 2200 or 2300, I can't recall exactly at this moment. But if you're quick enough, you can get to Misteria before 5 or 6am. By the time you come back out of the Mine's, you should be able to talk to the Mayor infront of Mitilda's shop to go help Hotelo. I would like to note that when you're climbing back up from the underground lake, you don't have to go through the rest of the Mine to get back to the entrance. You can use the force of the turbine (and your jump) to get enough air time to come back the way you came from initially.

The climbing shortcut for Twinpeak is just after scaling the dino bones engraved in the wall. Obtaining the L-Glove/Quilt is virtually pointless and a waste of time. It requires you to go to the castle, talk to the quilter, and then come back 3 days later to pick up the finished product. The only time you should need to go to the castle is to talk to Geezer for Skullpion, the Carpenters for the Gondola and the Mercs for the snow labyrinth. Also to talk to Geezer when Topo impersonates Fillet after fighting Kojiro. Of course, that leads to the second Steamwood sequence...which suuuuucks.

Adding to your strat for the Church fight, popping them with Lumina as they're jumping in forces them back, as if you threw them out.

I'm also attaching some route info from the Guide book I purchased a few years back. It's not incredibly comprehensive and unless you can read Japanese, then it's mostly useless. But what IS illustrated are some neat little shortcuts I hadn't noticed before.

Phoenix, not a bad little guide. Though I have some issues with what you outlined for Chapter 2. Here's what I think is the best way to conquer it.

-Upon arriving to Grillin', buy bread and acquire Water.
-Talk to Mayor
-Save the Twinpeak Guard
-Save Leno
-Immediately go to Mayor (I believe either 1700 or 1800 is too late to talk to him)
-Feed John
-Meandering Forest (By the time you get back to town, in-game time should be anywhere between 00:00 and 02:30)
-Free John
-Twinpeak, saving everyone needed for Skullpion
-Meet John
-Appraise for L-Brace
-Talk to Steamwood Manager
-Steamwood
-Shortcut to Twinpeak Entrance
-Race Rootrick
-Talk to Geezer
-Fight Skullpion

The only thing I left out was visiting Mitilda's shop to buy S-Revive, Mints and W-Gels. Though if you're tired level is high by the time you return to Twinpeak to meet John, you can assimilate the Plant enemies. They lower your tired level for a certain amount of time. I've studied a good deal of Chapter 2, which is why I have it set up this way. It doesn't require any down time to wait for events as they happen exactly when you need them to. The AI for Skullpion is random at best, so it's better to go in knowing everything he can do and just watch his movements to anticipate his next move. Unfortunately, what your friends load into the basket are random as well. It ticks me off every time they send antidote leafs. Even when charging Fusion, dodging Skullpions poison attack is easy.

Chapter 3, the only down time required is waiting to talk to the guy living in the Windmill. He's only awake at 2200 or 2300, I can't recall exactly at this moment. But if you're quick enough, you can get to Misteria before 5 or 6am. By the time you come back out of the Mine's, you should be able to talk to the Mayor infront of Mitilda's shop to go help Hotelo. I would like to note that when you're climbing back up from the underground lake, you don't have to go through the rest of the Mine to get back to the entrance. You can use the force of the turbine (and your jump) to get enough air time to come back the way you came from initially.

The climbing shortcut for Twinpeak is just after scaling the dino bones engraved in the wall. Obtaining the L-Glove/Quilt is virtually pointless and a waste of time. It requires you to go to the castle, talk to the quilter, and then come back 3 days later to pick up the finished product. The only time you should need to go to the castle is to talk to Geezer for Skullpion, the Carpenters for the Gondola and the Mercs for the snow labyrinth. Also to talk to Geezer when Topo impersonates Fillet after fighting Kojiro. Of course, that leads to the second Steamwood sequence...which suuuuucks.

Adding to your strat for the Church fight, popping them with Lumina as they're jumping in forces them back, as if you threw them out.

I'm also attaching some route info from the Guide book I purchased a few years back. It's not incredibly comprehensive and unless you can read Japanese, then it's mostly useless. But what IS illustrated are some neat little shortcuts I hadn't noticed before.

Attachment:

BFM.rar

Phoenix3568

Edit history:

Phoenix3568: 2012-10-28 12:37:31 pm

Phoenix3568: 2012-10-28 12:26:51 pm

2012-10-27 10:09:40 pm

Procrastination Nation!

It seems you got the route pretty sorted out. I like the high-low idea that the current run uses for quick money farming, especially for a speed run.

Are you thinking of doing segmented or SS? I think SS would be scary, but possible simply due to the fact that the run isn't as luck based as most RPGs.

I decided to quick compile a list of everyone you have to save for progression so you know your route planning a bit better. I'm not entirely sure of locations but they should be easy to figure out:

Guard Lumpwood: Somloment Forest(the entrance next to jon): Access Twinpeak at any time
Mercenary Meitlofe: Twinpeak Mountain(go past the poles): Skullpion/thieves hideout
Soldier Lardwick: Twinpeak Mountain(first area): Skullpion
Carpenter Carvy: Twinpeak Mountain(past the waterfall after the 2nd log): Skullpion/Gondola
Knight Lardwick: Twinpeak Mountain(After first log before moving platforms): Skullpion
Carpenter Cubey: Restaurant Basement (ghost maze): Gondola
Mercenary Stue: Restaurant Basement (bowling): Thieves hideout
Carpenter Dicey: Binchotite Mine (before lake): Gondola
Mercenary Potrowst: Restaurant Basement (bowling): Thieves hideout
Librarian Brisketta: Basment(opposite from Mannick): Translate last two books (not sure if necessary)

Optional:
Artisan Teebone: Island of Dragons: Fusion improvement

With all these you'll have +50 mana +100 from guardians + 30ish from getting trapped in binchotite.

With hp you'll get +25 from the mayor

Total hp: 175
Total bp: ~330

This means late game getting hit will be terrible, especially since you take a lot of damage from enemies late. The big question is do you think any extra minku's are necessary at all for late game survival. I personally don't think it would be worth the time, especially in a segmented run. On the other hand, getting one that's along the way could allow you to take a bit more damage and run later parts of the game faster.

Do you know the rate of tiredness in the game? If it's possible to estimate how long a section takes it would be easy to tell exactly how many mints/ex-mints you would have to buy. Also, do you have to activate all the crests to get to the final section of the game? I'm not totally sure about that either. I should probably rewatch the run to see what he origionally did.

Looking over the Japanese art book/guide is interesting. My understanding of Japanese is very limited, but looking at that should give a good estimate of what to beat. Hopefully through running and experimentation there are some abusable glitches or shortcuts to use. My personal favorite is going from the village to twinpeak by climbing the tree next to the restaurant and jumping straight on to the ramp.

I think the queen ant might have some ai abuse as well, but I'm not sure. I don't have a guide with me to check it out right now.

It seems you got the route pretty sorted out.  I like the high-low idea that the current run uses for quick money farming, especially for a speed run.

Are you thinking of doing segmented or SS?  I think SS would be scary, but possible simply due to the fact that the run isn't as luck based as most RPGs.

I decided to quick compile a list of everyone you have to save for progression so you know your route planning a bit better.  I'm not entirely sure of locations but they should be easy to figure out:

Guard Lumpwood: Somloment Forest(the entrance next to jon): Access Twinpeak at any time
Mercenary Meitlofe: Twinpeak Mountain(go past the poles): Skullpion/thieves hideout
Soldier Lardwick: Twinpeak Mountain(first area): Skullpion
Carpenter Carvy: Twinpeak Mountain(past the waterfall after the 2nd log): Skullpion/Gondola
Knight Lardwick: Twinpeak Mountain(After first log before moving platforms): Skullpion
Carpenter Cubey: Restaurant Basement (ghost maze): Gondola
Mercenary Stue: Restaurant Basement (bowling): Thieves hideout
Carpenter Dicey: Binchotite Mine (before lake): Gondola
Mercenary Potrowst: Restaurant Basement (bowling): Thieves hideout
Librarian Brisketta: Basment(opposite from Mannick): Translate last two books (not sure if necessary)

Optional:
Artisan Teebone: Island of Dragons: Fusion improvement

With all these you'll have +50 mana +100 from guardians + 30ish from getting trapped in binchotite.

With hp you'll get +25 from the mayor

Total hp: 175
Total bp: ~330

This means late game getting hit will be terrible, especially since you take a lot of damage from enemies late.  The big question is do you think any extra minku's are necessary at all for late game survival.  I personally don't think it would be worth the time, especially in a segmented run.  On the other hand, getting one that's along the way could allow you to take a bit more damage and run later parts of the game faster.

Do you know the rate of tiredness in the game?  If it's possible to estimate how long a section takes it would be easy to tell exactly how many mints/ex-mints you would have to buy.  Also, do you have to activate all the crests to get to the final section of the game?  I'm not totally sure about that either.  I should probably rewatch the run to see what he origionally did.

Looking over the Japanese art book/guide is interesting.  My understanding of Japanese is very limited, but looking at that should give a good estimate of what to beat.  Hopefully through running and experimentation there are some abusable glitches or shortcuts to use.  My personal favorite is going from the village to twinpeak by climbing the tree next to the restaurant and jumping straight on to the ramp.

I think the queen ant might have some ai abuse as well, but I'm not sure.  I don't have a guide with me to check it out right now.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-10-28 10:52:11 am

...Wha?

Location list is great Phoenix. Librarian and Artisan aren't needed if I'm not mistaken, don't recall ever having to get her to translate anything for me to get to the final area of the game, but I'm sure a full run-through will answer that for me eventually.

The berry you get from the Mayor is also optional. I skip it in my Chapter 2 run...as for if Minku's are necessary, I have absolutely not idea. I have a couple of save files for just that purpose, going through the game with stock HP and seeing if it's actually possible to get through Soda Fountain that way.

Rate of tiredness...no real clue. I can say that I usually need to assimilate a plant enemy when I run to meet John on Twinpeak, and then a Mint just before Steamwood. If I had to guess, I would say somewhere close to 1 mint every 25 to 30 minutes. Of course, Musashi is good to do everything he can do until 70% tiredness. That's when he starts to slow down. And still not sure about having to activate all the crests. I don't really see why you'd have to, some of them only open ways to a treasure box. That will also be tested in my research.

...Omfg, Queen Ant trumps Tower of Death as most annoying boss in the game. I feel like I spend 40 minutes no matter what fighting her.

Location list is great Phoenix. Librarian and Artisan aren't needed if I'm not mistaken, don't recall ever having to get her to translate anything for me to get to the final area of the game, but I'm sure a full run-through will answer that for me eventually.

The berry you get from the Mayor is also optional. I skip it in my Chapter 2 run...as for if Minku's are necessary, I have absolutely not idea. I have a couple of save files for just that purpose, going through the game with stock HP and seeing if it's actually possible to get through Soda Fountain that way.

Rate of tiredness...no real clue. I can say that I usually need to assimilate a plant enemy when I run to meet John on Twinpeak, and then a Mint just before Steamwood. If I had to guess, I would say somewhere close to 1 mint every 25 to 30 minutes. Of course, Musashi is good to do everything he can do until 70% tiredness. That's when he starts to slow down. And still not sure about having to activate all the crests. I don't really see why you'd have to, some of them only open ways to a treasure box. That will also be tested in my research.

...Omfg, Queen Ant trumps Tower of Death as most annoying boss in the game. I feel like I spend 40 minutes no matter what fighting her.

Phoenix3568

Edit history:

Phoenix3568: 2012-10-28 12:37:59 pm

Phoenix3568: 2012-10-28 12:29:01 pm

2012-10-28 12:15:05 pm

Procrastination Nation!

Agreed. I forget if it's "dodge stuff till you she gets tired" or if it's "dodge stuff and hopefully hit the core between an attack". I think I have a game save near her so I'll try some stratagies.

Artisan isn't necessary, but I thought he might be useful for the fusion upgrade. It might not be worth the time to get him, however, so that's why I put him as an optional save rather than one necessary for story progression.

At first I really disliked tower of death but after running it a few times I find him pretty easy. He is very luck based though so that could be a major pain to deal with as well. Basically the more luck it takes to get a good time on a boss the harder it will be since you're not in total control.

Would the berry take that much time though? I mean it's a quick stop at the mayors office. I guess doing a few runthroughs of the end at base hp is worth checking. I think it would be possible, especially with S-revives, w-gels, ex-drinks, and so on. The final boss isn't TOO difficult either (at least I didn't think so, I had a tougher time fighting ben/ed than him), especially since his 2nd form is pretty boring. Dodge grab, smack face, repeat.

Watching the SDA run I noticed he goes completely off on the 2nd part of his run saving absolutely useless characters. This run is badly in need of optimization >.< I wonder if he was initially going for a 100% run and changed it last minute.

I also updated my previous post for more accurate locations of the necessary Twinpeak saves, as well as adding another which I missed (Soldier Lardwick for skullpion)

Agreed.  I forget if it's "dodge stuff till you she gets tired" or if it's "dodge stuff and hopefully hit the core between an attack".  I think I have a game save near her so I'll try some stratagies.

Artisan isn't necessary, but I thought he might be useful for the fusion upgrade.  It might not be worth the time to get him, however, so that's why I put him as an optional save rather than one necessary for story progression.

At first I really disliked tower of death but after running it a few times I find him pretty easy.  He is very luck based though so that could be a major pain to deal with as well.  Basically the more luck it takes to get a good time on a boss the harder it will be since you're not in total control.

Would the berry take that much time though?  I mean it's a quick stop at the mayors office.  I guess doing a few runthroughs of the end at base hp is worth checking.  I think it would be possible, especially with S-revives, w-gels, ex-drinks, and so on.  The final boss isn't TOO difficult either (at least I didn't think so, I had a tougher time fighting ben/ed than him), especially since his 2nd form is pretty boring.  Dodge grab, smack face, repeat.

Watching the SDA run I noticed he goes completely off on the 2nd part of his run saving absolutely useless characters.   This run is badly in need of optimization >.<  I wonder if he was initially going for a 100% run and changed it last minute.

I also updated my previous post for more accurate locations of the necessary Twinpeak saves, as well as adding another which I missed (Soldier Lardwick for skullpion)

Sh0rtCircuit

Edit history:

Sh0rtCircuit: 2012-10-28 01:26:16 pm

2012-10-28 01:24:30 pm

...Wha?

All of the bosses are luck-based, unfortunately. Skullpion definitely more-so than the others, since you have to rely on your friends at the same time.

ToD is easy and he's just like any other boss in the game. Know what he can do and anticipate. He's particularly nasty in the damage he can deal to you however.

Grabbing the Berry from the Mayor is completely out of the way, at least in my run. I'm currently encoding a playthrough of Chapter 2 to give you and any one else an idea of what my schedule and route looks like. Albeit, I have a handful of mistakes in the Chapter run, but I think on the grand scale of things, it looks 10x better than Deadsticks run. He would've been better off going for 100% to make his run anything worthwhile. Though again, I must give him props for showing me the proper strat for Steamknight.

The people to save on Twin Peak are easy and obvious. I just think it's funny that they're the exact 4 needed for Skullpion.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-10-28 03:28:37 pm

...Wha?

Here's my (crappy) practice run of Chapter 2. In the route I outlined earlier in this thread, I said that I got back to Jon anywhere between midnight and 0230. lol This is not the case, I actually end up getting back to him at 2300.

Either way, this run is littered with mistakes and goofs, but feel free to let me know some of your thoughts. I already know Steamwood could've been tons better, among other things.

ConHuevos

2012-10-28 06:11:08 pm

Ciento Dos Huevos

I was thinking of doing a 100% route, maybe after I was satisfied with that maybe an any%. I'm gonna sit down and play the game tonight casually so I can get re-acquainted with it again because I think the last time I played this was in 2000, but I would beat it over and over.

Phoenix3568

2012-10-28 07:40:50 pm

Procrastination Nation!

Okay run comments. I'm sure you're aware of any execution errors so I'll ignore them:

- Talk to mike or Nate about audio encoding. I know it's a bitch but for a real run you definitely want to fix it for a submission.
- selling the 2nd rye bread works? pretty cool
- I think climbing the tree and jumping onto the ramp is faster @3:40. I'm not 100% sure though
- I love the music in Meandering Forest @ 7:30. Just saying =)
- I still thinking segmenting between Meandering Forest and Twinpeak would be a better choice for a run. I understand why you don't though.
- I like that your constantly moving while waiting for platforms since it gives you + to body/mind stats
- @14:00 you can jump past the waterfalls without waiting for them. Look at the current speed run (don't remember which segment).
- I assume you're using the waterfall section for money farming
- @22:00 I always hate steamwood. However, really good execution would execution (hopping on the pipes blowing steam) would cut a decent amount of time. I think it might be worthwhile to segment this part as well just so steamwood would be perfect.
- @24:00 I hate the camera angles here. It might be possible to get through the floors in a way so that you can always hit the platform going up, but I'm not sure.
- I still think skullpion looks pretty awesome even if he is annoying to fight
- Pretty annoying luck on that fight. Phase 3 went well though which was awesome.

Besides execution errors I think the route is solid. I still think it might be helpful to make at least one segment for the chapter to break up a section.

Okay run comments.  I'm sure you're aware of any execution errors so I'll ignore them:

- Talk to mike or Nate about audio encoding.  I know it's a bitch but for a real run you definitely want to fix it for a submission.
- selling the 2nd rye bread works? pretty cool
- I think climbing the tree and jumping onto the ramp is faster @3:40. I'm not 100% sure though
- I love the music in Meandering Forest @ 7:30.  Just saying =)
- I still thinking segmenting between Meandering Forest and Twinpeak would be a better choice for a run.  I understand why you don't though.
- I like that your constantly moving while waiting for platforms since it gives you + to body/mind stats
- @14:00 you can jump past the waterfalls without waiting for them.  Look at the current speed run (don't remember which segment). 
- I assume you're using the waterfall section for money farming
- @22:00 I always hate steamwood.  However, really good execution would execution (hopping on the pipes blowing steam) would cut a decent amount of time.  I think it might be worthwhile to segment this part as well just so steamwood would be perfect.
- @24:00 I hate the camera angles here.  It might be possible to get through the floors in a way so that you can always hit the platform going up, but I'm not sure.
- I still think skullpion looks pretty awesome even if he is annoying to fight
- Pretty annoying luck on that fight.  Phase 3 went well though which was awesome.

Besides execution errors I think the route is solid.  I still think it might be helpful to make at least one segment for the chapter to break up a section.

Sh0rtCircuit

Edit history:

Sh0rtCircuit: 2012-10-30 01:49:13 pm

2012-10-30 01:45:29 pm

...Wha?

Thanks for the feedback Phoenix. One nit-pick...@3:40, I don't think it matters if it's the ramp or the tree. Since I'm coming from the South of the village, it would take me just as long to run to the tree as it does for me to hop up the ramp.

I do intend on running this as a single-segment, as daft and insane as that sounds. Any one knowing what BFM has in store will know that there is a ton of room for mistakes and resets. In fact, I started on a single-segment run this morning. Chapter 1 and 2 were good. 2 had some mistakes, but not near as much as the practice run above.

Chapter 3 is when things start going downhill. Misteria and Aqualin are easy enough tasks, but the Bar basement is where things started to hit the fan for me. Suffice to say, I made it out alive, only to die in the Vambee fight due to a accidental hit on the Circle button. I still had the "Bowl" ability and hadn't realized I pressed the button until it was too late. I'm encoding it now so I can post it up and get feedback. I did make a save point after Skullpion, so I don't need to go back and do everything again...for now.

Hell, I still need to get ahead in the game to see if Soda Fountain is even doable with stock HP and minimal Fusion/Lumina leveling.

EDIT: Oh...in terms of encoding the audio, I'm not really sure that will do anything. I'm using the EasyCAP USB card...and with the software it comes with, it doesn't matter how high I set the audio quality...it always comes out sounding like that. Then again, I don't really do that much encoding...actually, running BFM is the first time I've encoded anything. If mike or Nate pop online at some point, I'll ask one of them directly about encoding the audio.

Thanks for the feedback Phoenix. One nit-pick...@3:40, I don't think it matters if it's the ramp or the tree. Since I'm coming from the South of the village, it would take me just as long to run to the tree as it does for me to hop up the ramp.

I do intend on running this as a single-segment, as daft and insane as that sounds. Any one knowing what BFM has in store will know that there is a ton of room for mistakes and resets. In fact, I started on a single-segment run this morning. Chapter 1 and 2 were good. 2 had some mistakes, but not near as much as the practice run above.

Chapter 3 is when things start going downhill. Misteria and Aqualin are easy enough tasks, but the Bar basement is where things started to hit the fan for me. Suffice to say, I made it out alive, only to die in the Vambee fight due to a accidental hit on the Circle button. I still had the "Bowl" ability and hadn't realized I pressed the button until it was too late. I'm encoding it now so I can post it up and get feedback. I did make a save point after Skullpion, so I don't need to go back and do everything again...for now.

Hell, I still need to get ahead in the game to see if Soda Fountain is even doable with stock HP and minimal Fusion/Lumina leveling.

EDIT: Oh...in terms of encoding the audio, I'm not really sure that will do anything. I'm using the EasyCAP USB card...and with the software it comes with, it doesn't matter how high I set the audio quality...it always comes out sounding like that. Then again, I don't really do that much encoding...actually, running BFM is the first time I've encoded anything. If mike or Nate pop online at some point, I'll ask one of them directly about encoding the audio.

ConHuevos

Edit history:

ConHuevos: 2012-10-30 11:42:43 pm

2012-10-30 11:36:22 pm

Ciento Dos Huevos

I'm very please to hear you're not going segmented. I think if you're going to do segmented you might as well just TAS the game. I just replayed up until the bar basement yesterday and it's coming back to me now. I need to play around in the emulator a bit to see if there is anything neat to find like being able to run faster etc... I watched your run and the route does indeed seem very good. I'm curious why you need additional money though and did the log ride again or was it just faster to get back to the beginning using the log ride?

Phoenix3568

2012-10-31 10:35:31 pm

Procrastination Nation!

I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to run the game with 150hp. It would be difficult at the end (those flamethrower guys at the end do a chunk of hp damage) but I think the boss fights are doable.

I personally couldn't run this game SS so I'm surprised of your attempt, especially in the later sections. Most if it would be doable but chapter 4/5, especially boss fights, could make or break a run. That reliability so late in a game would lead me to want to do a segmented run instead of a SS.

Good luck, can't wait to see the next part.

Optionally, you could do segments by chapter which would be much more manageable.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-11-01 09:59:06 am

...Wha?

@ConHuevos: I messed around the other day, seeing if there was a way to move around faster. We all know that full-hopping on inclined paths is faster, so I did a control test on a "course" to see if full-hopping is faster than the full-on sprint. If you're coming into town through the Steamwood forest (the port right next to where Jon is initially) and sprint/full-hop the path directly leading into town from there, you run into a building. This was my "course." Sprinting came out to 7.1 seconds to that building, while full-hopping came out to 7.5. Landing from a jump causes Musashi to stop forward momentum for a very very VERY brief fraction of a second, so it's faster to sprint on level ground...if only for a few milliseconds.

The log ride? I only go through it once for the Bracelet, but yes. I use that to farm Dran as well. A good run of that sequence can get you around 4.5K in Dran. I haven't exactly worked out my shopping list just yet. Usually, I like to have an S-Revive on me for just-in-case, but that is worth 3k. The run I did the other day, I ignored the S-Revive and was able to fill my inventory with half-mints/half-W-Gels and still had money left over to buy more later if I needed them. As for getting back to the beginning of Twinpeak faster...I actually hadn't thought of that. Though the only other time you're on that side of Twinpeak is in Chapter 3, when you're going to help Hotelo. If memory serves me correct, the raft is no longer available at that point.

@Phoenix: There's only one way to find out honestly. Even if it's not exactly possible, I'll have to make it happen. I don't want to give any time to doing unnecessary things. Even going after 3 or 4 Minku would set my time back a good bit.

The SS is more of a challenge to myself than anything. If it literally can't work out the way I want it to, segmented by Chapters was my next plan of action. Maybe even just segmented on the Even Chapters if possible. Though ultimately, if I have to segment, I want as little segmented sections as possible.

I'll see if I can upload my (failed) attempt from the other day. Chapter 3 was pretty bad on my end, but I managed to show off a couple of shortcuts in two of the rooms in the Bar basement.

@ConHuevos: I messed around the other day, seeing if there was a way to move around faster. We all know that full-hopping on inclined paths is faster, so I did a control test on a "course" to see if full-hopping is faster than the full-on sprint. If you're coming into town through the Steamwood forest (the port right next to where Jon is initially) and sprint/full-hop the path directly leading into town from there, you run into a building. This was my "course." Sprinting came out to 7.1 seconds to that building, while full-hopping came out to 7.5. Landing from a jump causes Musashi to stop forward momentum for a very very VERY brief fraction of a second, so it's faster to sprint on level ground...if only for a few milliseconds.

The log ride? I only go through it once for the Bracelet, but yes. I use that to farm Dran as well. A good run of that sequence can get you around 4.5K in Dran. I haven't exactly worked out my shopping list just yet. Usually, I like to have an S-Revive on me for just-in-case, but that is worth 3k. The run I did the other day, I ignored the S-Revive and was able to fill my inventory with half-mints/half-W-Gels and still had money left over to buy more later if I needed them. As for getting back to the beginning of Twinpeak faster...I actually hadn't thought of that. Though the only other time you're on that side of Twinpeak is in Chapter 3, when you're going to help Hotelo. If memory serves me correct, the raft is no longer available at that point.

@Phoenix: There's only one way to find out honestly. Even if it's not exactly possible, I'll have to make it happen. I don't want to give any time to doing unnecessary things. Even going after 3 or 4 Minku would set my time back a good bit.

The SS is more of a challenge to myself than anything. If it literally can't work out the way I want it to, segmented by Chapters was my next plan of action. Maybe even just segmented on the Even Chapters if possible. Though ultimately, if I have to segment, I want as little segmented sections as possible.

I'll see if I can upload my (failed) attempt from the other day. Chapter 3 was pretty bad on my end, but I managed to show off a couple of shortcuts in two of the rooms in the Bar basement.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-11-01 11:28:40 am

...Wha?

Here's that run from the other day. Sucks that it ends in death, but stuff happens.

Phoenix3568

2012-11-01 02:58:59 pm

Procrastination Nation!

once again I'm going to skip execution errors. In fact I'm just going to focus on chapter three quick

- at the beginning (at around 48:00 or so) rather than resting around id's place it would be faster to sleep at the inn. I don't remember how much time each rest takes but the cheaper rooms rest for shorter times. This would mean you wouldn't have to just rest at id's place and instead instantly run to id, get the key, and continue.

-at 50:00 it might be faster to take damage instead of wait. Not sure

-51:00ish I think you can just drop down after Mysteria, but I'm not sure

-This is by far one of the toughest areas to actually platform in the game imo.

-at 55-57ish: would it be faster to climb up to the extending platforms instead of going the normal path? Something else to test =)

-I think resting in front of the restaurant is probably faster than napping @ the inn but once again gotta test it

-1:04:00 The basement is where I know the least about. All I can say is that if you don't need the wisps to light your way then don't use them. If you look at Megaman runs they have the dark places memorized.

-I think it's safe to take damage (at the fire traps) because you can use the invincibility to get through faster

-1:13:00 it might be better to use D-pad for this area so the arrows correspond directly with what direction you want to go.

-I think any gameFAQs run will have the mist puzzle directions written out.

I think that'll cover most of the stuff. Good luck!

once again I'm going to skip execution errors. In fact I'm just going to focus on chapter three quick

- at the beginning (at around 48:00 or so) rather than resting around id's place it would be faster to sleep at the inn.  I don't remember how much time each rest takes but the cheaper rooms rest for shorter times.  This would mean you wouldn't have to just rest at id's place and instead instantly run to id, get the key, and continue.

-at 50:00 it might be faster to take damage instead of wait.  Not sure

-51:00ish I think you can just drop down after Mysteria, but I'm not sure

-This is by far one of the toughest areas to actually platform in the game imo.

-at 55-57ish: would it be faster to climb up to the  extending platforms instead of going the normal path?  Something else to test =)

-I think resting in front of the restaurant is probably faster than napping @ the inn but once again gotta test it

-1:04:00 The basement is where I know the least about.  All I can say is that if you don't need the wisps to light your way then don't use them.  If you look at Megaman runs they have the dark places memorized.

-I think it's safe to take damage (at the fire traps) because you can use the invincibility to get through faster

-1:13:00 it might be better to use D-pad for this area so the arrows correspond directly with what direction you want to go.

-I think any gameFAQs run will have the mist puzzle directions written out.

I think that'll cover most of the stuff.  Good luck!

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-11-01 11:30:36 pm

...Wha?

Thanks for the feedback Phoenix, I'll test some of the notes you mentioned just too see if there's a massive difference or not.

I put recording on hold for today...and instead focused efforts on actually completing the game with stock HP. First off...Ant Queen is still the most annoying boss for me, but her maggot children are great for EXP farming with Lumina (and Fusion if you so choose). Unless you're full confident in your ability to fight her and dodge her attacks, I would say to bring a few extra W-Gels with you. Her maggots hit for -10...but that adds up.

I'm in Soda Fountain right now. Ben is no joke. Shurikens deal roughly -78, Axes (I guess that's what they are) can deal any where between -78 and -117...and his dash attack can deal for -90ish. Bombs deal -93ish. If you're not careful there, the fight won't last too long. He raped me the first go around and damn near used up all of my health items in the second bout. About to traverse the maze...though Ed shouldn't be too hard.

Thanks for the feedback Phoenix, I'll test some of the notes you mentioned just too see if there's a massive difference or not.

I put recording on hold for today...and instead focused efforts on actually completing the game with stock HP. First off...Ant Queen is still the most annoying boss for me, but her maggot children are great for EXP farming with Lumina (and Fusion if you so choose). Unless you're full confident in your ability to fight her and dodge her attacks, I would say to bring a few extra W-Gels with you. Her maggots hit for -10...but that adds up.

I'm in Soda Fountain right now. Ben is no joke. Shurikens deal roughly -78, Axes (I guess that's what they are) can deal any where between -78 and -117...and his dash attack can deal for -90ish. Bombs deal -93ish. If you're not careful there, the fight won't last too long. He raped me the first go around and damn near used up all of my health items in the second bout. About to traverse the maze...though Ed shouldn't be too hard.

Phoenix3568

2012-11-02 09:40:33 am

Procrastination Nation!

I don't think that leveling lumina or fusion would be that necessary, as bosses have fixed hp (skullpion will die in 3 hits, ice dragon in 4 or so, etc). I think leveling body/mind or whatever would me more important as they increase defense. I don't know if later bosses work differently but I doubt it.

http://speeddemosarchive.com/flash.pl?BraveFencerMusashi_406_mp4:BraveFencerMusashi_406_part28

Is the previous run's strategy (starts around 6:30) You'll probably be forced to have a longer fight then he does since you have to be more careful, but it should give you some ideas of how to fight him, or at least avoid the bombs. I *think* there's a somewhat abusable AI glitch against him though. He can't attack when he is taking out his blade, so you can attack at the right moment and not take damage or worry about counter attacks.

Sh0rtCircuit

2012-11-02 10:24:57 am

...Wha?

Crest Guardians and Dark Lumina all take a set amount of damage (and after I watch Deadstick go up against Ben, I'll be able to say this with a little more confidence), but I'm fairly sure Ben and Ed are the only two bosses in which they don't have a set damage. Ben, I was popping 4 or 5 times in a row for 90 each, Ed can vary between 80 and 100...though I learned that you can smack him with Fusion and then with Lumina to tack on a little more damage each time after his super fire laser...attack.

I also learned that you can damage Ed while he's deploying his fire bombs, though it's risky as you can set off one of the fire bombs and take damage to the face. However, this game is most definitely beatable with stock HP. Dark Lumina Part 2 was a pain in the ass and it took me a couple of handful of tries to get a good pattern down. He's lucky to get one grab on me his entire fight. Finale, I think, has a set attack pattern...which makes it stupid-easy. The only attack to really watch out for with Finale is his multi-body attack, where he surrounds you with 5 copies of himself. It's a pain and I'll tell you why. Assuming you do get grabbed, slammed and thrown off the stage with Part 2, that's only going to leave you at 70HP. -44 for the slam, -36 for falling off the stage. Finale's multi-body attack does -86. Just something to be mindful about.

The outside area and everything inbetween Ed and Topo is easy enough. Everything can deal massive damage on you, but the Grenade ability helps. Not to mention the various gates you have to destroy usually drop you 50 in HP and 150 in BP, so it isn't too hard to stay alive. The area after that can be a bit tricky, as the doors (with the cannon's on them) take 3 grenades on each side to destroy. With Blue Knights(?) constantly shooting at you, it makes it a bit hectic and if you aren't careful, death will come swiftly. Topo is...well, Topo. Gotta love the music for her fight though. lol

Just finished that link...and I actually had no idea that you could counter Ben's attacks. Something I'll have to try out next time.

Crest Guardians and Dark Lumina all take a set amount of damage (and after I watch Deadstick go up against Ben, I'll be able to say this with a little more confidence), but I'm fairly sure Ben and Ed are the only two bosses in which they don't have a set damage. Ben, I was popping 4 or 5 times in a row for 90 each, Ed can vary between 80 and 100...though I learned that you can smack him with Fusion and then with Lumina to tack on a little more damage each time after his super fire laser...attack.

I also learned that you can damage Ed while he's deploying his fire bombs, though it's risky as you can set off one of the fire bombs and take damage to the face. However, this game is most definitely beatable with stock HP. Dark Lumina Part 2 was a pain in the ass and it took me a couple of handful of tries to get a good pattern down. He's lucky to get one grab on me his entire fight. Finale, I think, has a set attack pattern...which makes it stupid-easy. The only attack to really watch out for with Finale is his multi-body attack, where he surrounds you with 5 copies of himself. It's a pain and I'll tell you why. Assuming you do get grabbed, slammed and thrown off the stage with Part 2, that's only going to leave you at 70HP. -44 for the slam, -36 for falling off the stage. Finale's multi-body attack does -86. Just something to be mindful about.

The outside area and everything inbetween Ed and Topo is easy enough. Everything can deal massive damage on you, but the Grenade ability helps. Not to mention the various gates you have to destroy usually drop you 50 in HP and 150 in BP, so it isn't too hard to stay alive. The area after that can be a bit tricky, as the doors (with the cannon's on them) take 3 grenades on each side to destroy. With Blue Knights(?) constantly shooting at you, it makes it a bit hectic and if you aren't careful, death will come swiftly. Topo is...well, Topo. Gotta love the music for her fight though. lol

Just finished that link...and I actually had no idea that you could counter Ben's attacks. Something I'll have to try out next time.