Welcome to Dept. Heaven: Let's Play Riviera The Promised Land [SSLP]
 

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6391/riviera01.png

This is rather misleading about this game's difficulty already; it may be an Atlus game, but it's pretty easy overall.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6646/riviera02.png

Indeed. Riviera: The Promised Land; easiest Atlus game ever made... but that's because it was actually created by a company called Sting Entertainment (whom you may know as the developers of Baroque). Atlus just published the game in North America and 505 Games published it Europe and Australia.

Riviera: The Promised Land is the first game in a series known as Dept. Heaven and is the only one to be released in Europe thus far. The other two games (Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone and Knights in the Nightmare) are available in North America. The third game in the series isn't actually released yet (Knights is actually the fourth game) but it's planned to be an MMORPG.

Riviera was originally released exclusively in Japan on the Wonderswan Colour in 2002 but was remade for the Gameboy Advance in 2004. This version was the first to be localised, in 2005, and that was only released in America... however, it was eventually remade - again - for the PSP in 2006. It was then translated, in 2007, and released in America and a Special Edition was released in Japan a few months later (however, said Special Edition was basically the US version with Japanese text). 2008, however, was when the PSP version was released in Europe and Japan. Whilst the GBA version received something of a tumultuous reception, the PSP version was regarded as being worse overall despite having more of what is important: game play (but that's a [strike]argument[/strike] debate for another time).

Characters:

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png
Ein
A Grim Angel whom wields the sword a Diviner, Einherjar, which he acquired at the cost of his wings. The game's main protagonist and is more than a little slow and naive, but he does learn what he's been taught... eventually.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png
Ledah
A Grim Angel who is an experienced warrior and wields the spear a Diviner, Lorelei, which he acquired at the cost of something... He is a cold-hearted prick who seems to look down on others, especially those who are weaker than he is. He follows orders without hesitation.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png
Rose
A winged cat who teaches Ein, and also the player, by frequently breaking the fourth wall.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3830/rivierahector.png
Hector
One of Seven Magi, and a friend of Ein's. He seems to know more about Riviera than he lets on, however...

More will be added as the game advances, and character descriptions will be updated accordingly.

Whilst I don't have a rigid update schedule, I'll try and update at least once a week. I'll likely have the first 3-4 updates done daily though since I already have them written. I just need to rehost the images. Note that this thread will never be considered abandoned unless I explicitly say so; any large waits between updates can be attributed to me being a lazy bastard.

Also, before people ask, I intend on showing all the endings. HOWEVER, the order I show them in? That's up to the readers. Don't vote on an ending possibility until the initial requirement for that ending has been triggered though; this prevents spoilers and I'll let you know when we've got a requirement done for those that haven't played the game. Aren't I nice?

Et finalment, I have a minor self-imposed-challenge-that-wasn't-self-imposed; I am going to try and get every single rock in the game. Will I succeed? Doubt it. Is there a point to doing so? Other than high score, not really (but they do come into use - to an extent - at a few points). So why would I do this? Because I was challenged/requested to do it.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Angelic Advent
Part 1 (below)

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3574/riviera11.png

Overrun by demons, Asgard teetered
on the brink of destruction.
In desperation, the gods broke
the ancient covenant and created
the black-winged Grim Angels.
Each armed with a Diviner,
the angels descended to battle...
The battle raged on, but through
their valiant efforts, the angels
brought an end to the war.
The demons were sealed away,
but the gods would soon follow.
Leaving their power behind in the
heavenly isle of Riviera, the gods
entrusted the land's inhabitants to
watch over it until their return...
1000 years passed quietly...
Signs of the demons' return were
rumored throughout Riviera.
The Seven Magi, proxies of the gods,
made a difficult decision for the sake
of Asgard's continued existance...
...To activate the diviner power
of destruction, "The Retribution."
The Magi appointed to this task
to beings well-suited for the job...
Now, two angels shall descend
to the sacred soil of Riviera.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4402/riviera12.png

Unlike other games with chapter "systems", here they are fairly lengthy so they aren't over that fast. This is pretty much a necessity though since there aren't that many of them in the first place.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4193/riviera13.png
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3522/riviera14.png

I'll be seeing this screen quite a lot, since even though the chapters are lengthy, the areas for the most part aren't but they can have a lot to do - at times - in them.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8351/riviera15.png
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9741/riviera16.png

Ledah is, for better or worse, far superior to Ein in combat. This will be very useful, since this chapter has some strong enemies for how early it is.
Ein, however, is the game's protagonist and he comes across as being fairly dense. They are both Grim Angels.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png Everthing must seem new to you. Just stay out of my way.

It's only his second line of dialogue, and Ledah already comes across as being a complete prick. This won't change.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/372/riviera17.png
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1358/riviera18.png

We're mere moments into the game, and this is the first fight of the game. As is the case with (almost) every other game that exists, this is accompanied by a tutorial.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5660/riviera19.png

Rose, despite being a cat, is something of a tutor/mentor to Ein (also she is his familiar). She breaks the fourth wall the most, but Ein frequently follows suit in this.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2969/riviera110.png

You get the choice to Fight or Run before every plot encounter (exception: bosses). I've never even contemplated selecting Run before so I have no idea if it sends you back a screen or just cancels the fight. I'd presume the prior though. In this case, however, your choice doesn't matter as you'll do the fight regardless.

The name that appears for the enemies isn't the monster's name; it's the name of the enemy formation. This isn't particularly important, but if you want to fight a specific formation later it helps to remember its name.

As for the 1500 points? They're relatively pointless (pun not intended) unless there's something I'm missing. Whilst the game does have a high-score system, it doesn't seem to actually do anything other than give bragging rights.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1815/riviera111.png

This appears before every battle. Every single one. The item space is also very limited, but that won't shouldn't be a problem for a while anyway. As it stands, we only have two items and one of them is forced into being used anyway and you can't choose to use 3 items or less unless you have that many. It can get annoying later, but since everything in battle is done by items (even attacking) only having specific items/abilities can screw you over.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8568/riviera112.png

Lorelei is Ledah's weapon of choice, but since the 4 items selected (in this case 2) can be used by anyone, Ein has the ability to use it. Unfortunately, though, by doing so Ein's attack (a fire spell) will always miss the target.
Einherjar, on the other hand, is Ein's weapon and Ledah can't do anything with it.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5637/riviera113.png
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png Select an item and press the A Button, right?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png That's rather basic... Don't forget it.

I didn't say it was a particularly long tutorial, but it's still a tutorial.

In this very battle, you find out how Ledah is overpowered. At the start of his turn he automatically heals 250 HP and if you press left on Lorelei...

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4589/riviera114.png

Over Skill's are more powerful attacks. Ledah's Lost Seraph ability is one of many, and is the strongest type as it's an Execution level skill (OS's come in four levels; 1, 2, 3 and Execution). The Over Drive! gauge has an effect on which skills can be used, and the skills affect the gauge. This is most noticable with an ExL. skill, since it can be used at any time but gets more powerful as the OD gauge charges (at Lv. 0 it's still powerful but at Lv. 3 it's retardedly strong) but there's a catch: once an ExL. skill is used, the OD gauge shatters and cannot be used at all for the rest of the fight.

Every skill that's Level 3 or higher comes with a screen showing the character holding the weapon (type) that was selected for the attack and a very short description;

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4374/riviera115.png

Since I used it at Lv. 0, the animation is rather basic but it's still strong enough to outdamage everything else at this point;

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7149/riviera116.png

At base damage, this just dealt a little under 7 times what a regular attack can do (which is around 110-120). The enemy survived, barely, but Ein took it out straight away.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3669/riviera117.png
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5932/riviera118.png

This appears after every fight, and where it says TP on the first screen usually shows your total score thus far. TP is the only thing that isn't rewarded all the time (forced/plot battles only) and has a cap of 16. It has no use at this point anyway. The Potions are a guaranteed drop (for tutorial reasons) and do exactly what you'd think...

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/970/riviera119.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png What is it? A bottle? What's inside?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png It's a Potion. It restores health.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Is that so? How lucky.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png Just don't waste any items you find. They'll be essential to an amateur like you.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Oh, by the way... You can check your items by pressing SELECT.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7507/riviera120.png

Now we can move ahead. Nothing else to do here, that isn't a waste of time I mean, so might as well march onwards to the next screen.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8805/riviera121.png
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8545/riviera122.png

Hector is a friend of Ein's and is one of the Seven Magi mentioned in the game's introduction scene. He's pretty important and does a lot of the early exposition.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3830/rivierahector.png Report the situation.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png We have encountered demons at Heaven's Gate.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3830/rivierahector.png As I thought. They must be under someone's command. But the Gods' decision is absolute... You must hurry and complete your mission. Riviera is the source of the problem. Truly, it seems to have become another Utgard. The ancient war must not be repeated. That is the purpose of your existence. Now, Ledah... Ein... Hurry towards Riviera! In the name of the gods, protect this world.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png I understand, Hector.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3830/rivierahector.png Once you pass Heaven's gate, you will be on your own. I will no longer be able to contact you. I entrust you with this task...

That's a fairly long-winded way of basically saying "there's shit going down at Riviera. Stop it before we get a second Ragnarök" but if it works, then so be it.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Was that an illusion?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png That was Hector, one of the seven Magi. He ordered us here. It's the duty of Grim Angels to defeat demons.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Seems like Riviera is turning into Utgard...

You know it's pretty bad when someone who gives you advice and tells you how to fight is asking you if what they saw was real or not.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3038/riviera123.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png I don't know. I guess so... :downs:
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3738/rivieraledah.png We can't afford to waste too much time here. Let's hurry, Ein.

And now we can move again;

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9608/riviera124.png

Even though it is possible to backtrack one screen, there's no point to it so once again it's a forward march.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9744/riviera125.png
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4591/riviera126.png

Well, this can't be good... Might as well fight though.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3273/riviera127.png

This means the enemy starts with a full Rage meter. When the Rage meter is full (shared by all enemies, and it doesn't carry over after a battle), most enemies can use a special attack that is only available at that point. It's basically the opposition's version of the Over Drive! gauge.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1122/riviera128.png

This attacks both Ein and Ledah; it doesn't deal that much damage but it will hurt Ein a fair bit since he has low HP at this point.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4189/riviera129.png

Come Ein's next turn, you can try and attack but the game prompts to use a Potion instead. Upon doing so;

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1145/riviera130.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Not all items are used for attacking... You can use some to produce unique effects. Get it?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png Uhhhh... Not exactly...
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png I knew it. Well, pay attention! Press the R Button when you're selecting an item. You'll be able to see more information on it.

If the enemies rage meter fills again in this battle, which it almost definitely will, then this could happen;

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6486/riviera131.png
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7564/riviera132.png

Yes, it throws a meteor at Ein and Ledah. Strangely, it doesn't hurt as much as you'd think.

Eventually, there's just one enemy left and the OD gauge is probably at Lv. 3 at this point, so there's only one way to end the battle!

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4780/riviera133.png

This line doesn't appear the first time you use Lost Seraph since Ledah explains what an Execution level skill is instead then.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8997/riviera134.png
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3623/riviera135.png

Whilst it is possible to get an S Rank without using an ExL skill to finish, it is much harder so this way takes the hassle out of it.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3736/riviera136.png

They may have been weak, but they could buff their strength... but that only happened once anyway. It might be able to happen more than once, but I doubt it for some reason.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png Good thing I had that Potion. With that and my Diviner, I'm unbeatable!
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Ignorance really is bliss. You don't know anything, do you? The number of times an item can be used is limited.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png That's not true! My Diviner, Einherjar, can be used over and over.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png That's because it's special! Ledah's Lorelei is too. You saw the numbers when you selected the Potion, right? The "03" tells you how long the item will last.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png So if I use the Potion 3 times, it'll be gone?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Bingo! But, you just used it, so... you don't even have 3 uses remaining!
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png So, I better use my items more carefully from now on.

Items are, indeed, limited with very few exceptions and this game has no shops at all, so the only times you get items are from the occasional skill (not likely) or as item drops. Drops are pretty much guaranteed after every fight so you'll never run out of items... most of the time anyway.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7988/riviera137.png

Dammit, there's no way to advance so we have to head back.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6488/riviera138.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png No, just ran into a dead end. I was wondering if there was another path.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Ein, I'll show you how to look more carefully... Let's go back.

This happens automatically and the scene continues there.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Alright, I'll teach you how to look around. First look at the bottom right of the screen.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png It says "MOVE".
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png That's right, "MOVE". That means we're in Move Mode. In Move Mode, you can move from place to place. But... You can't do anything in Move Mode. Try pressing the A Button.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png The A Button? Okay.

This game really loves breaking the fourth wall early on. It sort of repairs itself later, but it gets worse before it gets better.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6416/riviera139.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png I pressed the A Button...
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Now look at the bottom right of the screen.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png It says, "LOOK".
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png That means we're in Look Mode. When you want to look around the room, press the A Button to switch to Look Mode.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png The A Button is used to switch modes... So, what next?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Look Mode differs from Move Mode... (I never would've guessed) When the Trigger Icon appears, press the Control Pad.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png The Trigger Icon?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png It'll be displayed in the middle of the screen. By pressing the Control Pad, you'll be able to look around the room.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png I don't really get it, but it sounds useful.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png You'll get used to it. Go ahead and try it out.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8919/riviera140.png

The arrow on the trigger is what direction on the D-Pad you press to activate it. Most of the time, when there are several, you can do them in any order but sometimes you can only do one trigger.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1019/riviera141.png

Ein really gets happy over the stupidest things; "I can look now! :D"

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you. Every time you use the Trigger in Look Mode, you lose a Trigger Point. You'll need them to look around. If you don't have any, you can't look around. In Look Mode, "TP" is shown at the top of the screen. You can earn more by defeating enemies, and by getting a good score in battle.

That just means the amount you get is influenced by the rank from battle. As you may have noticed, I got 4 TP for an S and only 2 for a B. Whilst there is some variance (depending on enemy strength, location etc.), getting as high a rank as possible always gets more TP.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5805/riviera142.png
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6516/riviera143.png

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png When you look around and discover new paths... new Move Triggers will appear. So, you shouldn't just give up at dead ends.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7673/rivieraein.png Does moving require TP, too?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2572/rivierarose.png No. Only Look Mode. Some triggers don't require TP, either. Red icons require TP, while white ones don't.

White triggers are pretty rare, and are basically only used for plot points. Red ones are for everything else, and whilst most are pretty useless, you can get some stuff out of them at times (like items, stat changes etc.) but this isn't always a good thing.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6516/riviera143.png

Yes, the game really does make you select Drop Down twice to continue... How very redundant.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/214/riviera144.png

There's no point sticking around here, so down we go!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2743/riviera145.png
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2636/riviera146.png

I'll save Skywalk for next time (usually, areas are pretty short; sometimes they won't be, but for the most part - especially early in the game - they are... this place doesn't really conform with that though).

I must ask, why bother making a Let's Play if you're basically JUST narrating the game? I've seen a couple, but the only ones I actually liked were the ones that had their own appeal outside of the game. DFM had an outstanding LP, for example, on Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, that was excellent for the characterization he wrote himself. Had he just been narrating, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but the extra dimention HE provided made it worth reading.

After the heavy criticism you gave Pyros in his thread, I was expecting yours to be a bit better... but all I see is you making conclusions people would naturally come to were they playing it themselves, and you telling people how to play a game they aren't actually playing.

So where's the fun? What's the point?

Let's ask ResearchIndicates!

DFM's characterized the main character extremely well and gave the game added depth. Kerensky's was really funny, and we got to name the characters stuff like "Bitch", "You", and "Thou". Ahrha photoshopped his/her IWBTG for humor, like Liquid Kid and the like. As shortlived and unfunny as my Mother 3 LP was, it at least had Kamina the Mole Cricket. Yours might maybe work as a video LP, but even then you'd want to go for some entertaining moments and mockery of the game.

There isn't a facepalm picture big enough. LPs don't have to be funny. They don't need to deviate from the source material - DOING SO IS WRITING FUCKING FAN FICTION AT BEST - and letting the reader's name characters is not a good thing.

Well, that's the sort of thing we enjoy in our Let's Plays, so if you're going to criticize the Let's Plays of members here, and get snippy when we find no entertainment value in yours, perhaps you should stick to being an SA goon.

OKAY GUIZ U WIN. ILL RERITE 2 GIV U WAT U WONT. AFTA ALL, TEH REEDER NOS BESTEST. I HOEP U LYK EIN/LEDAH SLASH CUZ I DO :D

I'm glad you were able to come to this decision in a mature way with the minimum of sass.

But no really, I don't read Let's Plays to see a game I already know the story to, just like I don't read 8bit Theatre to get a walkthrough of an old Final Fantasy.

Good for you. Don't read LPs at all then.