Zanarkand

 

The Game Beginning

 

The game is a little slow to start. You begin with Tidus, the hero, and his friends around a campfire. They seem pretty sad. Tidus talks to "you" the player, and starts to tell you about his history. You go back to the 'good days'. He was a huge Blitzball (underwater soccer) star in the big city of Zanarkand. You start with him greeting his fans. Talk to all but the 3 kids, then talk to them last. Then you start down a street to the stadium.

 

You learn that Tidus' dad used to play Blitzball too, and vanished 10 years ago. His dad's name was Jecht. You get through a few more fans, and then you see the game in action. Lovely graphics! All is fine and dandy until Sin attacks.

 

Sin Attacks

 

After Sin attacks the city of Zanarkand, Tidus runs into Auron, an older friend. He follows Auron a bit, and is frozen in time for a moment with a ghost-child, who says "it begins ... don't cry". Next, Auron gives Tidus a sword - a present from his father, Jecht. Tidus takes the sword, and you go into your first fight.

 

Luckily, the first few fights are extremely easy. You simply attack whatever the default is, and the Sinscales all die with one hit. You fight first one sinscale, then 2, and then 3. You run past each group you slay. Then you hit the Sinspawn Ammes. By now both characters should be ready for 'overdrive'. This is their super attack that you get to with the left directional key.

 

Auron does Bushido, which requires a series of keys to be hit quickly. Make sure you memorize the keys before trying this one. Tidus is easier - his Spiral Cut just requires you to hit the X key at the right time. That should be simple to do. You can kill the Amines and 5 sinscales pretty easily if you get both. If not, be sure to use items to keep you alive. Potions heal hit points, while Phoenix Down brings someone back to life if they go down to zero.

 

After that set, there's a save globe. Hit X to use it, to save your game and heal yourself up. Even if you don't really want to save, those globes are good for free healing. Then there's a few more enemies, and instead of fighting them, you hit an electric ball to the right. A few hits, it explodes, and you're sucked into Sin. You have a few moments in a strange land with a man/boy, and then you're in the water 1000 years into the future.

 

The Al Bhed

 

Landing in Water

 

After Sin attacks you in Zanarkand, you're alone in a little cove area. You learn how to swim around, using the circle key to go underwater. To the right is a set of runes to read. They say:

 

Eh dra myht frana

pumdc uv mekrd

emmisehyda dra pnylgacd hekrd

Fedr MACALANIA pareht

dra vuindr bemmyn oui cekrd

muug hud uh dra mavd

pid uh dra nekrd

 

As you might guess, this is in another language. In fact, it's in Al Bhed, sort of a cryptogram of English where every character (say A) is represented by another character (like C). You're going to find primers all over that tell you letter by letter what the conversion is. So "dra" really means "the" and so on. It says:

 

In the land where bolts of light

Illuminate the blackest night

with MACALANIA behind the fourth pillar in sight

look not on the left but on the right

 

 

Flint and Tinder

 

When you go forward from your first save spot in the "future", you'll get a hi potion on the left, then fall into th water. 3 Sahagin will attack, then a Geosgaeno. Don't worry much about it - after one hit it'll chase you and you'll be safe, although trapped, in a circular room.

 

There's a save sphere in here, and a cold campfire in the middle. You want to be warm. Go north and get some tinder from dried flowers in a wall vase. Just past them, on the balcony, is a hi potion in a chest. Now back to the south, in the room with the overturned table, is some flint. Go back to the campfire and you'll start a fire.

 

Now you're attacked by a Klikk, but again, don't worry. A girl - Rikku - will come with her pals. They're Al Bheds, and they'll help you out. You of course can't understand them yet.