NeoQuest II

NeoQuest II
ID #	372
World	Neopia Central
Category	Adventure
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NeoQuest II is a PHP-based role-playing game within Neopets. It was created by Mr. Insane and released as sequel to NeoQuest on January 29, 2004. Combining elements of fantasy and science fiction, the protagonist, Rohane, is a spaceship captain who leads his crew through a series of virtual reality simulations. Unlike its predecessor, NeoQuest II features a four-member party of characters and rest points where the player can respawn upon death. Only a single game per account can be running at a time.

There are three difficulty modes: Normal, Evil, and InSaNe! Beating the game on each of these modes yields a different-coloured trophy and a Battledome weapon. A second trophy is awarded to the top ten fastest wins.

NeoQuest II characters are featured in numerous items, particularly plushies and stamps. There is a Neoboard devoted to chatting about both NeoQuest games.

Plot summary

The story begins in Meridell. Rohane the White Blumaroo, the son of a knight of Trestin, is leaving home for the first time. However, it is revealed that Rohane is actually trapped in a simulation booth, and the spaceship he commands is set to fly into the nearest star. Deciding that the simulation program holds the key to their survival, they descend into four other lands: Terror Mountain, the Lost Desert, the Haunted Woods, and Faerieland. Along the way, Rohane finds and teams up with his other crew members, Mipsy, Talinia, and Velm, who are locked inside their own simulation booths. With the defeat of King Terask in Act 5, they successfully regain control of their ship.

Act 1: Meridell

In Meridell, Rohane is leaving the village of Trestin with only the sword his father left him. The surrounding area has recently become infested by hostile creatures. He makes his way to White River City, where a wizard named Zombom has displaced the bridge, preventing anyone from crossing to the other side. Rohane defeats him and learns that he is working for King Skarl's advisor, Ramtor. On the other side of the river, Rohane meets Mipsy, a greenhorn Acara wizard who joins him on his adventures.

In the town of Lakeside, whose citizens are increasingly concerned about the danger around them, there are rumors of a lost city inhabited by the undead. Only Potraddo, an old hermit who lives in the nearby woods, seems to know anything for sure. He explains that Ramtor has very likely usurped the throne, and the only way to reach the castle is to navigate the mysterious desert city of Phorofor. Rohane and Mipsy use the magical orb within the lost city to teleport to Southeast Meridell. There, the pirate citizens of Seaside confirm that King Skarl has been locked in a dungeon, and Ramtor is responsible for the curse on the land. Rohane and Mipsy corner him at his tower and defeat him for good. They are hailed as heroes of Meridell until they abruptly wake up in a spaceship.

It is revealed that Rohane and Mipsy were actually in a simulation. With no way of leaving their rooms, they decide to enter the next simulation in search of answers.

Act 2: Terror Mountain

Rohane and Mipsy arrive in Terror Mountain, where the paths across the mountain become clogged with snow, making it difficult to traverse, and monsters are swarming all the passes. After defeating Leximp and helping a city of Chias, they learn that the Snowager, who had long served as the protector of Terror Mountain, has been missing for weeks. In a Mountainside Inn, they run into Commander Talinia, who joins them.

Heading up the mountain and through a winding cave, dispatching Kolvars along the way, they eventually come to the Snowager. He was trapped by an avalanche which, by some magic, he is unable to move. In hopes of freeing him, the party proceeds to the very top, where they meet and defeat Scuzzy. Once released, the Snowager is revealed to be the overseer program and the snow the clogged data routes of the spaceship's computer. He breaks character and explains to them the situation.

Thank you for freeing me. Now I will be able to restore order to this mountain. ...But there is much yet to be done. Let us forgo this unnecessary pretence. I am a sentinel program, part of the ship's computer. My task is the keep the data lines clear and prevent rogue programs from taking control. A virus was inserted by an unknown enemy and managed to defeat me, locking me into a data trap. He breaks character and explains their situation.

Thankfully you have freed me. The ship's computer, however, is now under the control of the virus. I cannot defeat it; you must do so, by entering the other simulations, which I will try to unlock. The Lost Desert is your next goal. A program, who I know, is linked there, but I have not had contact with her for some time. Search the desert. Find her. Find the librarian.

—The Snowager

Act 3: Lost Desert

A sandstorm rages in the Lost Desert, impeding trade and travelers, while monsters and bandits roam freely. Rohane and his companions find themselves in Sakhmet. Princess Vyssa seeks a relic, the Medallion of the Wind, designed to control the weather. In order to locate the Medallion, she asks the adventurers to retrieve the Celestial Talisman from the Temple of the Sky, which swarms with fierce creatures. The group defeats Siliclast, the guardian of the Talisman. It directs them to a Ruined Temple, where the reanimated corpse of Pharaoh Gebarn II stands watch. Unfortunately, they soon discover the Medallion has broken in three, and they have only a single piece. But the death of the pharaoh triggered the mountains to move aside, allowing access to the northern desert.

In Waset Village, the party encounters a Techo cleric named Velm with memory problems. He joins them, completing their four-person crew. Meanwhile, the other villagers are worried about a missing librarian named Lifra, who was kidnapped a few nights ago and taken to the Palace of Ancient Kings. Rohane and the others go rescue her, defeating the Revenant. Lifra is actually another computer program whose proper name is Library Fast Retrieval Archive (LFRA). She explains that the Revenant was one of the many virus programs that had overtaken the computer and the Medallion a tool to clear the data lines. She gives them a password and sends them off to find Bukaru, an old hermit who will disclose the location of the next piece.

After finding the second piece in the sand, they defeat King Coltzan's Ghost in Akhten-Ka, who recovers control of himself and directs them to a gemstone, the true power source of the Medallion. With it complete, they head to Zakharukh's Pyramid in order to restore the weather. As it turns out, the sandstorm was random data, and by removing it the ship's computers are now accessible. The heroes discover that the ship is heading toward a star, and they must enter the other simulations quickly before the ship's hull melts and they are burned alive.

Act 4: Haunted Woods

In the Haunted Woods, an unknown malefactor has cast a spell to keep the sun permanently in the sky, trapping ghosts in homes and keeping other such creatures in seclusion. Residents of Shadow Gulch are convinced the perpetrator is Count Von Roo. Upon tracking him down, however, they discover he had been trying to cast a counterspell, but was being kept prisoner by Meuka. He claims to have seen Balthazar, Hubrid Nox, and the Spider Grundo working in collaboration to cast the real spell. Once Rohane and the others defeat the Spider Grundo in his cave, they realize that someone else was controlling him.

The group find a suspiciously cheery Balthazar, clearly under the influence of a spell, outside the Happy Fun Non-Haunted House. After defeating the quartet of faeries responsible, Balthazar directs them to Hubrid Nox. There, they learn that the true mastermind, Edna the Witch, had used the trio as an energy source to cast her spell. Before they can reach her tower, Rohane is attacked by the Esophagor, who blocks the path.

When the group confronts Edna about her curse, she explains she had intended to keep the sun down, but had made a mistake. She reveals herself to be one of the AI on the ship's computer. The spell was meant to slow down the virus, but having got it backwards, the virus became more powerful than ever.

Mipsy figures out how to access the ship's computer from within the simulation and discovers that time is running out. With the sun fast approaching, the path to the final simulation opens up.

Act 5: Faerieland

Rohane and company enter Faerieland in the midst of a Dark Faerie rebellion, with mercenaries and monsters running rampant. Communications with other regions have been disturbed, so a Guard Captain enlists their help. Unfortunately, many of the cloud paths were destroyed, including The Bridge of Mist, so the group is forced to go through The Underclouds. On their way to Faerie City, they pass the lost city of Cumulonimbus and defeat the Devilpuss.

They find Faerie City has been taken over by villains commanded by The Faerie Thief. With demonstrable effort, they defeat her and retrieve the key to the Faerie Palace. Once inside, they learn that the Palace too was overrun by the forces of a dragon calling himself King Terask, while Fyora was upstairs, locked in a sort of stasis. In order to reach him, they must first defeat two giant Pant Devils.

Once through, they apparently kill King Terask, who falls through the clouds. However, their faerie allies note that nothing appears to have changed. The group heads up to the West Tower to free Fyora, but are suddenly attacked by a much larger, stronger version of King Terask. After this second victory, they awaken to the real world, their simulation booths unlocked, and hurry to steer the ship away from the sun seconds before a collision.

Gameplay

A screenshot of a town showing various gameplay features.

Players control a sprite of Rohane around the overworld via a navigational compass. Although there are a few optional quests and boss battles, NeoQuest II gameplay is very linear, with plot progression a matter of going to the right locations and defeating bosses. The world is inhabited by non-player characters in towns and dungeons, most of whom the player can talk to. Gold, which is dropped from enemies, can be used to purchase a variety of potions and equipment from merchants.

Up to four monsters at a time will attack Rohane's party when moving around. On Hunting mode, the frequency of battles increases to every 2-4 steps. Experience points are gained by defeating enemies. With enough points, the characters will level up, grow stronger, and gain skill points, which can be spent on their unique skill sets. The maximum character level is 60.

On a combat screen, the player selects an enemy and can choose to either attack with the equipped weapon, use a skill, or use an item. Turns are determined by the character with the shortest waiting period. For example, if Rohane's next turn is in 2.1 seconds, and Mipsy's is in 1.9 seconds, Mipsy will move first. This makes slowing and hasting vital to battle strategy. Certain skills, such as Mesmerize or Celestial Hammer, can change turn order. Characters can Do Nothing for 1, 3, or 5 seconds, or Flee with a chance of failure.

Healing is also possible through healing potions and skills (Velm's specialty). Resurrection potions cannot be used during battle. Should the entire party die, they return to the last resting spot and lose half their gold. On InSaNe! mode, the player must start all over.

At the end of each act, there is a short cutscene revealing more of the story.

Difficulty

Normal

Basic gameplay, where the boss's hitpoints and difficulty are lowest.

Evil

To unlock, beat the game on Normal mode. Monster hit points increase by 50% and Bosses by 25%, and their strength and defences against certain skills are also increased. Monsters occasionally drop armor and weapons.

InSaNe!

To unlock, beat the game on Evil mode. Monster hit points increase by 100% and Bosses by 50%, and strength and defences against certain skills is raised even higher. Should the party be defeated at any time during the game, they start over from the very beginning of the game, losing all progress. Monsters occasionally drop armor and weapons.

Rewards

Users receive a cumulative sum of 14,100 Neopoints from defeating all the bosses, a trophy, and a Battledome item. The trophy and item vary depending on the difficulty mode. It's also possible to receive the Weakling, Devilpuss, and Bionic Cybunny avatars through gameplay.

Normal
	10,000 NP, a bronze trophy, and a random Battledome weapon.
Possible Item Rewards
Rohanes Armour Polish 3×Earth   3×Physical
Mipsys Charm Bracelet 2×Light   2×Air   2×Darkness Defence
Talinias Whittling Knife 3 3
Velms Healing Potion Heals 10% of maximum HP. Once per battle.
Evil
	30,000 NP, a silver trophy, and a random Battledome weapon.
Possible Item Rewards
Halo of Devilpuss 5×Darkness   1-5×Physical
Ramtors Spellbook 5×Light   5×Darkness
Scuzzys Comb 5 5
Tooth of Terask 3 3 3
InSaNe!
	50,000 NP, a gold trophy, and a random Battledome weapon. Note: Only one InSaNe! mode item is given out per account.
Possible Item Rewards
Sword Of Apocalypse 3×Fire   5×Darkness   1-5×Physical
Wand of Reality 5×Light   5×Air   3×Physical
Bow of Destiny 5×Earth   5×Air   3×Fire
Staff Of Righteous Fury 7×Light   1-5×Physical

Trivia

• The slogan of the game is "Live in your world. Get devoured by a Vampire Bearog in mine." This is a spin on PlayStation 2's slogan: "Live in your world, play in ours." Also, there isn't a vampire bearog in the NeoQuest series.
• The lost city of Phorofor is phonetically 404 (which is the HTTP error code for "not found").
• The phrase for Phorofor "ad ro un ta en" is made up of syllables from "En taro adun", which happens to be from the game Starcraft.
• Mipsy says "I wish I didn't have these stupid shoes" throughout the game, but doesn't have shoes until near the end.
• There are circuit tiles showing up occasionally and randomly in the Act 1 map, giving hints that this is a simulation within a spaceship rather than the actual Neopian world.
• Prior to finishing the first chapter of the game, the user is led to believe defeating Ramtor is the game's only task, and is given no clue (except for the circuit board tiles) the world is a simulation within a spaceship. The revelation surprised many users, as many were expecting a simple story set in a medieval land.
• Chiaoscuro is spelled like chiarocuro, a technique of using light and dark in a work of art. It can also be translated from Italian as Dark Chia.
• Before getting the Wordstone, the Chias in Chia Oscuro don't "talk". Their language is a cryptogram, and the Wordstone is a cipher that replaces each word with the right letters.
• The hermit's password, Alpha-three-seven-tango-echo-nine, translates to A37TE9 (phonetic alphabet).
• Anubits serves both as a reference to Anubis, the Egyptian god, and the bit, a eighth of a byte (a single 0-or-1 switch).
• Nox's Fortress: Various tiles (pillars / walls / boxes) on the 9 maps of Nox's Tower spell HUBRID NOX (one letter per level, without the space).
• Faerie Palace, Level 1 has a very high number of staircases leading up, but there's only one downward staircase on level two.
• Mr. Insane looks remarkably like The Architect (Matrix).
• According to Mr. Insane, Rohane was named after a character on the EverQuest Test Server, while Mipsy, Talinia and Velm were named after members of his guild.
• In NeoQuest II, all the married pets that have children are different species. For example, an acara and a wocky can have a child that is a cybunny. However, Rohane's "mother" is, like him, a white blumaroo.
• Mipsy's red robe appears in the Terror Mountain, Lost Desert (background) and Haunted Woods cut scenes. In the game, however, she has no such robe (dressing up for the occasion, huh?).
• Velm, like Mipsy, has a fancy outfit in the third cut scene we don't see in the game itself.
• Rohane says "We emerge victorious!" regardless of whether there's really a "we" or not.

External links

• Game Link: NeoQuest II
• Caption Competition: #369, #374, #376, #395
• Neopian Times: 500th Issue Special: 500 NeoQuest Questions Answered

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