Popful Mail is a 1994 Sega CD classic from Working Designs. Click here for a description of the gameplay. Despite being given the label action rpg, the emphasis is clearly on action. It was notable for its voice acting, the quantity and quality of which were great for the time. Of course, you won't be hearing any of it in this run, since it can be turned off. 
A couple years ago, I did a segmented run of this game which I did not submit. Now, I'm at it again (just bought a dvd recorder, yay) and this time I'm going to do the whole thing at once. I should end up with a final time of slightly over 1.5 hours according to the game's timer.
Detailed Discussion
1) Of the three characters, I will be using Mail for 90% of the game as she is the fastest. Gaw is used in a few places where his high jumps are needed and also against most bosses late in the game, while Tatt is used mainly for mid-game bosses. I will also be jumping up most ladders rather than climbing them which saves time. I only do it with ones against a wall though, as it's awkward otherwise.
2) Let's talk items. The only items I will purchases are two weapons, one for Tatt and one for Gaw. Weapons are only really worth using against bosses; most of the time I will just hit regular enemies once to stun them.
No armor is necessary, which means that for pretty much the entire game two hits will be enough to kill me. The tough part is that anyone who's played this game knows how one hit can easily turn into two due to the momentary loss of control upon being hit.
So I will be picking up a few healing items. You start the game with one elixyr (automatically restores life upon death) and one apple. I am going to be picking up an additional 3 apples and 3 bananas upon the way, all of which are directly in my path. It would be very easy to pick up two more elixyrs, which would only take about 30 seconds, but I'm not planning on doing that. I will also be picking up an amulet later on in the game which definitely helps speed up some parts in last world.
3) I will be picking up several healing items as noted above, but your character is also healed after each successful boss fight. Unfortunately, only once is it practical to switch characters to deliver the final hit to get healed. However, there are two other bosses where you can switch characters very fast after the final hit which helps out.
4) I used to think that the toughest boss fight in the game was Goradus, who drops rocks from the ceiling upon being hit which are very hard to dodge. I figured out the simplest solution though: pause the game. That's right, just pause the game a few times so you can see where to stand. Seems kind of unsporting, but whatever. Nothing in the rules against doing something like that, right?
A couple years ago, I did a segmented run of this game which I did not submit. Now, I'm at it again (just bought a dvd recorder, yay) and this time I'm going to do the whole thing at once. I should end up with a final time of slightly over 1.5 hours according to the game's timer.
Detailed Discussion
1) Of the three characters, I will be using Mail for 90% of the game as she is the fastest. Gaw is used in a few places where his high jumps are needed and also against most bosses late in the game, while Tatt is used mainly for mid-game bosses. I will also be jumping up most ladders rather than climbing them which saves time. I only do it with ones against a wall though, as it's awkward otherwise.
2) Let's talk items. The only items I will purchases are two weapons, one for Tatt and one for Gaw. Weapons are only really worth using against bosses; most of the time I will just hit regular enemies once to stun them.
No armor is necessary, which means that for pretty much the entire game two hits will be enough to kill me. The tough part is that anyone who's played this game knows how one hit can easily turn into two due to the momentary loss of control upon being hit.
So I will be picking up a few healing items. You start the game with one elixyr (automatically restores life upon death) and one apple. I am going to be picking up an additional 3 apples and 3 bananas upon the way, all of which are directly in my path. It would be very easy to pick up two more elixyrs, which would only take about 30 seconds, but I'm not planning on doing that. I will also be picking up an amulet later on in the game which definitely helps speed up some parts in last world.
3) I will be picking up several healing items as noted above, but your character is also healed after each successful boss fight. Unfortunately, only once is it practical to switch characters to deliver the final hit to get healed. However, there are two other bosses where you can switch characters very fast after the final hit which helps out.
4) I used to think that the toughest boss fight in the game was Goradus, who drops rocks from the ceiling upon being hit which are very hard to dodge. I figured out the simplest solution though: pause the game. That's right, just pause the game a few times so you can see where to stand. Seems kind of unsporting, but whatever. Nothing in the rules against doing something like that, right?
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