SB’s Gaming Memories: Me vs. the Gil Snapper

Not all of my greatest memories have been made on Nintendo consoles…the Sony members of my console family have tales of their own to tell.

To set the scene for you, let me begin with some background:

I received Final Fantasy XII as a Christmas present last year, and for days afterward, me and my family were pulled into Vaan’s quest to free his homeland. (to have a game engross all of us at the same time is rare) We logged quite a lot of playtime in a matter of days, but the most memorable battles we fought would be during the hunts.

Late one night I was running round Giza Plains during the wet season, looking for the mark known as the Gil Snapper. Since I was fairly early on in the game and had defeated the marks before it relatively easily, I figured that giant turtle would go down just as fast, right?

WRONG!

My stock of healing items was drained in seconds, with my main lineup of Vaan-Balthier-Fran down soon after. The B team, Basch-Ashe-Penelo, didn’t fare very much better, and before long I met the dreaded Game Over screen.

No problem, just reload my save and find my way back, right? Before I went in the second time, I went and did a few more sidequests, including getting an item that causes your healing items to harm. My thinking was, if I could incapitate this mark before it could hit me hard, I could win.

So after grabbing a fresh stock of items and running around the Lhusu Mines training both teams, (Having Larsa on hand was a huge help!) I saved and got ready for the match of a lifetime.

The first phase of my plan went perfectly, and the Snapper was quickly rendered helpless for the most part, save the odd -ra spell or attempt to squish my characters. The second phase: whittle down its HP. It took two hours, and earned me an audience once word spread through the house of the epic match in progress.

I felt the most satisfying rush after I delivered the final blow two hours later. On another file, we’ve unlocked even tougher hunts that take an entire day to defeat, never mind that you have the best everything and are lv. 99…but that feeling of joy after a two hour bout with a giant turtle has so far been my biggest rush in beating a boss. (Beating Liza and Tate for the first time on Pokemon Emerald would rank up there as well, but that’s another story)

At least, it will be until a tougher and more challenging opponent comes along.

Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue