NARRATIVE TEXT:

Name: Renzo

Age: 19

Weapon: Sword and shield magic

Series: Threads of Yuugen

"For the honour of our lands, and the glory of our....experience points...."



Character Bio:

Crown Prince Renzo's reputation far precedes him no matter where he goes; compassionate, heroic, a proficient Mage Knight, and as his Ritual of Yuugen sigil has been completed, he also has the power to ascend to a higher plane....if he wasn't so addicted to the journey and adventure outside of his royal duties. If there's trouble, Renzo wants to help, and if it wasn't for his bodyguard--best friend Niro, there's a lot of trouble he may not have come out the other side of. But even apart from his constant partner, Renzo still has a lot to bring to the table, from strong magic, great sword play, and pretty sharp thinking out of the box. Being a hero isn't easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but if he can make the world a little easier and happier for someone, Renzo's going to put everything he's got into it.



Level: The Path of Rain and Hydrangea

One of the most important--or rather infamous--stops in the Ritual of Yuugen is the Mausoleum of Water. Deep, expansive, and full of intricate traps and puzzles, most people who attempt to complete the mausoleum on their journey don't always finish, with many prematurely ending their quests and abandoning it. Even the beautiful path, always drizzling in rain with bountiful clusters of hydrangea abounding, has many obstacles for any adventurer. It contains many ponds and hot springs, overarching trees, and beautiful flowers, as well as hiding sneaky bandits, hidden traps, and a few unexpected monsters. Glittering, sparkling, wet and reflecting from the constant rains, both gentle and beautiful, to torrential and destructive, the Path of Rain may not be easy but it certainly makes for some memorable experiences.

Boss: Master Calais, God of Summer

Since their childhood, Renzo and Niro have been under the tutelage of Master Calais to train for the Ritual of Yuugen. However as they started their journey, it became apparent that Calais had other motives for his students. He joined with the King of the Wandering Army, Nikolai, and began to assist the malicious monarch in completing his ritual. Feeling his betrayal keenly, however, Calais has accepted and gone through so much heartache to bring all his students to godhood, that he doesn't care if they hate him in the end. But of all of the Gods of Seasons, Calais remains anchored and bound to his past, a melancholy and sad fate his students wish to free him from. Calais uses high level magic, in all elements, but that doesn't mean he's merciless. Fighting the God of Summer is simply like a late game shoot 'im up boss; just look for the opportunities and openings he'll give you.

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IN-CHARACTER TRACK COMMENTARY FROM GONKAKA:

Takayuki Mitsuyoshi: When the level concepts were first turned over to us, I immediately gravitated towards The Path of Rain and Hydrangea; the level sounded beautiful conceptually, and I had a very strong vision for how somewhere like that would “sound”. It also gave me a chance to revisit some of the stylistic ideas I explored on Perfect Blæwaz, but hopefully do them more justice.

Fumie Saso: I particularly love that you went for a ¾ rhythm, especially when the song goes full hip hop in its back end.

Takayuki Mitsuyoshi: Thank you; I was very conscious of trying to maintain the stylistic feel of “cool”, even whilst trying to match the soundscape to the ethereal aesthetics of the level. My only regret is the record scratching- I had insisted on doing that myself, and my skills in that area are not quite on part with Denji.

Denji Koshiro: Don't be so modest; I think your more minimal technique better fit the song in the long run.

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DECON'S TRACK COMMENTARY:

What's this? An unusual time signature (3/4 specifically)? Egads!

One of the very first things settled on for the project, musically, was how this track was going to go; Dio gave me an example track that had struck her as being perfect for the level- this official medley arrangement of a couple of Monster Hunter themes, specifically. What struck me about it was the time sig, the structure of the chords (as in, the rhythm they play), the texture of the drum machine samples, and the use of wordless harmonising for some melody lines, and those are the primary factors I wanted to replicate. I took the key/tone in a more ethereal and atmospheric direction to better match the vibe of the level description, and significantly upped the jazz factor with the "rhythm" of quite a lot of the melody lines and one of the bass patterns (and the drums, to a degree). I also had a fair bit of fun with layering manipulated and edited sound effects atop each other in different portions (alongside some atmospheric pad sounds here or there), which is always a good shout.

Speaking of, this song uses the following sample + recordings from freesound(.)org:

- SFX from the intro of a live performance of After Burner Medley (S.S.T. Band)

- Crimean Rain (tomattka)

- rain (BeeProductive)