Gergoth, again

Ok, I've put Gergoth out his misery. This goes fairly quickly with a constant flood of Axe Armors and the occasional High Potion or High Mindup — make sure your HP is high enough to survive the plunge through the tower floors. I think I was above level 30 at the time.

Progress is slow after that. Find the tower key, then use it in the locked corridor just below the warp point Gergoth was guarding. That's straightforward, but then you reach the clock tower floors. Mistakes here cost you dearly, there are no convenient save points. Usually a good sign you need to be focussing on something else...

These virtual battles are always intense, focussed and technical. There is no emotional flood of relief, no emotion at all, usually — not reaction to adversary's taunts, or fear, or rage or even satisfaction. It's fascinating that a game can invoke a state of mind that martial arts seek to develop. You wind up as stunted as Gergoth. I can see why a samurai's karma is so bad he can only be reincarnated as a samurai. No one would do this to themselves unless it were in service to a greater cause.

[Update 10 jun — Dawn of Sorrow is tedious, frankly. The game lasts too long, and things that could seem humorous (like Killer Clowns) just seem redolently strange. Plus you must collect every soul in order to advance. Uh. Huh. Sure. The Game Boy Advance version, Aria of Sorrow, was way more playable and loads more fun.]