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Mind Candy
This section is basically pure randomness. Fandom facts, in-game strangeness, and other tidbits I discovered while playing Estpolis II and probing the depths of its fan base. And it goes beyond Artea being able to wear the Bunnylady costume."Everybody loves Dekar!"
If you ever doubted it, consider the results of a poll conducted on a now-dead website called Lufia's Garden. Tia and Lexis were absent from it, but given how things turned out, I doubt it if their presence would have made any difference:
Although by the time the webmistress closed the poll, some of the results had changed slightly (Maxim ended up with 14% of the votes, while Guy dropped to 9% and Artea dropped to 10%), Dekar still ended up with a landslide victory of 52%. He got more votes than the other four characters combined. To boot, almost all of the comments made were about him: Guy and Dekar rock! I LOVE DEKAR!!! Dekar's great in the Ancient Cave. Dekar is the best WOW!!! Look at all those Dekar fans Everybody loves Dekar! dekar dekar dekar Dekar kicks Ass :) The last comment was the very first one that poll received. So, then, we can assume that if Dekar were in the real world, he would have no trouble getting a girlfriend! (Addendum: Check out this ongoing character poll in which Dekar is kicking everybody's behind — and by a greater percentage, no less.) The lady behind Maxim
Go back to Alunze Kingdom with a party of Maxim, Guy, and Dekar. Visit the weapon shop and talk to the guy on the side. Yes, it's dumb, but I always get a chuckle out of that. "Arty" anomalies
Some strictly elf-related bits:» In the menus of the game, the English instruction manual, and the CD liner notes of the Estpolis Biography soundtrack, Artea is called "Arty." Yet he is never referred to or called by that name in any Estpolis game. » In the German version of Estpolis II, Artea is treated as a female character. » So how should we say it: ar-TAY-uh or ar-TEE-uh? There are a couple of answers for this question. The Japanese pronounce the letter "e" using an "ay" sound, so perhaps it's the former. But in The Legend Returns, Milka refers to her old friend as "Artia," raising the possibility that Artea's name is really spelled that way, meaning the latter pronounciation could be the correct one. Where do the majority of fans stand on this? » Artea seems to be the only blue-haired elf anywhere. That's true for the first Estpolis Biography, too. Jessy the eavesdropper
Take another look at this screenshot. Look at the very top. That's Jessy standing there! Of course, that's probably due to the programmers keeping her there for her scene during Maxim and Selan's wedding (which comes immediately after this scene), but still, it's strange to see her just sitting there, watching.... The language barrier
Those who know Japanese haven't yet come to an agreement on the exact translation of Dekar's name. I've seen so many different spellings: Hidecka, Hydekka, Highdekka, etc. But when I once put a Japanese fan art site through the Babelfish translator at Altavista, Dekar's name came out as "High Decker" (and incidentally, Tia's name came out as "Tear").The wonderful world of...Lufia?
If you're wondering why I refer to the Lufia series as the Estpolis Biographies on this site, a bit of mistranslation is your answer. In the English version of Estpolis II, no one ever refers to the world as "Lufia." Its residents and the Sinistrals simply call it the world or earth. However, in the English instruction booklet, it is indeed called the world of Lufia. Why? Perhaps it has to do with the huge difference between the English and Japanese names for that game. In Japan, the Estpolis Biographies form the ongoing saga of the world of Estpolis. Because the first Estpolis game was called "Lufia and the Fortress of Doom" in English, the prequel was accordingly named Lufia II, so wherever the word Estpolis surfaced in the Japanese instructions, it was changed to "Lufia" in English.But really, calling it the world of Lufia is silly — that's the name of one of the main characters in the first game. Maxim, Selan, Artea, and Gai  Check out this obvious little typo. That's actually the correct spelling for the Japanese version of the game! He wasn't alone!
If you go back to Bound Kingdom any time after Gades' first defeat and talk to all the people there, you'll notice that everyone heaps praise on Maxim as the destroyer of Gades. As if Guy and Dekar didn't help! Without them, Maxim would've met his end prematurely. (And while I'm on that, we have to give Iris some of the credit too, or Maxim would've died after destroying the device Gades used in the tower.)Give him some credit, people
Everyone always rags on Lexis. And it's true, he is pretty bad in terms of offense and defense, and has really low MP for the bargain. But he has one advantage over every other character that's often overlooked. At level 28, equipped with nothing to boost him, Lexis' INT is 163. Selan and Artea don't get that good until they're at level 40 or so. Furthermore, during level-ups, Lexis' INT always increases, and usually by a good amount. Statistically, he's the best magic user in Estpolis II.Sprite swaps
The sailor sprite in the Japanese version of Estpolis II has light blue hair: And there were bunny ladies in the casino on Forfeit Island:  I can see why the bunny ladies were taken out, but why did the sailors get a dye job? Translation troubles, part two
» When you get to the top of the Northeast Tower in Ferim Kingdom and see that "blue" gem everyone's talking about, don't go adjusting the tint of your TV because it appears to be green. The Japanese use the same term for both colors. The translators apparently didn't bother to look at the game when they were working on its dialogue.» The Apron shield should really be Apollo's shield. Apollo is the Greek god of light (among other things), hence the shield's protection against that element. Likewise, the Agony helm should really be the Agni helm — Agni being a Vedic fire god, hence the helmet's protection against that element. » Enemies' names as they should be:
Hidora is the Japanese term for hydra; the English translators simply didn't change it. An orochi is an eight-headed dragon in Japanese mythology. Orcs we should all be familiar with — who hasn't read or seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Dullahan should ring a bell for anyone who played Final Fantasy VI. And the Hound's true name explains why it sometimes drops the Flame jewel. The following is even more pointless
Miscellaneous factoids for you little hoochees.» There are only two green treasure chests in the entire game. Both are found in the Treasure Sword Shrine. » The same sprite used for sailors is also used for cooks in castles. (They sail the seas, they ride out storms...and make a mean soufflé.) » A party of Maxim, Selan, Dekar, and Artea? Or Dekar, Selan, Artea, and Guy? Apparently Estpolis II's developers were considering that at one point, while the game was in the making. Heck, I wouldn't have complained if they had went through with it! » The Princess of Parcelyte is named Cefia. The only way to find this out in the game is to talk to her before you talk to the King of Parcelyte for the first time. » The "Valk" part of the Ice Valk spell is short for Valkyrie (check the description of the Snow sword's IP Deep freeze). Valkyries are part of Norse mythology; they're minor dieties who serve Odin and function mainly in battles. » At the entrance of every village, there is a blue-haired male townsperson. The only exceptions to this are Karlloon and Pico Forest (and Eserikto, though as an elf village it doesn't use any human sprites). Sundletan, Clamento, Merix, Treble, Durale, Narvick — they all have one standing right where you come in. And I'm spent! Hope you got a little chuckle and a little thought out of all this. |
