Izumo Zero/Game mechanics

Gameplay
The gameplay can be divided into three parts: story, character development, and battles.


 * game.jpg Izumo 0 is an eroge (a.k.a. H-game), the game's main point is to get a girl (in our case, choose guy/girl pairings among the team members). This is done by reading/listening to the story and selecting an answer when a question comes up; the activity is undoubtedly familiar to anyone who played at least one eroge. The answers leading to the pairings are given in the Character Walkthrough section.


 * In between the missions, you can visit several places and upgrade your characters' stats.
 * You visit the blacksmith (third menu option on the main screen) to upgrade each character's attack and defense, as well as punch the slots for the elemental beads/globes. Each upgrade consumes a certain amount of elemental points.


 * The fourth menu option leads to Yoshino's place. Here, the small elemental slots can be "upgraded" to larger ones. Other options include upgrading spells and buying potions to use during battles.


 * When cap01.jpg have available elemental slots (i.e. the ones that do not have elemental beads in them), you can go to the training hall (the first menu option), and place the yin-yang-like elemental beads and/or spheres into those slots to infuse them with elemental power. Small slots equipped with elemental beads will allow you to cast corresponding spells, and large slots will allow you to get stat modifiers. You can also change the placement of beads during battles.
 * --More information about elemental beads can be found in the Tama description area.


 * The turn-based battles is where you will spend the most gaming game03a.jpg. You can either choose the last menu item to go to the maps you already cleared (to get elemental points, spheres, or experience to level up), or choose the second one to continue with the story to the next map/battle.
 * When the battle begins, all characters (including enemies) are sorted by their action points - who has the most, performs an action, and the turn goes to the next player. The available actions are: move, attack, cast a spell, use a potion, and change the elemental power. During its turn, a character can move and/or perform one of other actions (depending on what is available at the moment), but not more.


 * On the screenshot below, you can see Souichirou making a move.
 * game01.jpg

Controls
The game was clearly developed with mouse users in mind, and pretty much everything in the game can be done using it – just point and click. You can exit menus and cancel incomplete actions by right-clicking. Also, the last option of a menu (except the main menu) is for going back.

However, some people may be unable to move the mouse. In that case, the cursor keys are used for selecting menu options and moving characters, Enter to confirm the choices, and Esc to cancel them. The mouse still has to be used for placing elemental beads into slots, though.

Another useful key is Ctrl. Keeping it pressed makes the game fast-forward through the story and animated actions during battles, to skip the stuff you don’t want to see or read again. Saves lots of time when you’re playing second or third (or more than third) time.

Hints

 * Make elemental slots early in the game, and place beads into them. The elemental powers for equipped elements increase during battles, so equipping early allows you to level up the elemental powers before you get to fight _really_ tough opponents.


 * Following the traditions of RPG gaming, make some of your characters learn healing spells, and others learn support spells (boost elemental power, attack, and/or defense). That way, you will be less dependent on potions.


 * Return to previously cleared maps for particular elemental beads (e.g. キジムナーの森 map for Fire beads), to keep them in stock for certain useful spells like Sleep, Heat, Heal, and Resurrect


 * Find and equip as many elemental globes as possible. If you use beads for spells, one bead is consumed with each spell cast. A globe is not consumed, so it gives the character “unlimited” number of spells of that particular element. Of course, the character can only perform the spells that they learned, which you do at Yoshino’s place.


 * After you get an ending, do not hurry to start a new game. If you load the last of the saves (the auto-save at the bottom), you will start a new game while retaining the stats, spells, and elemental beads that you finished the previous game with.


 * And lastly, learn the Chinese/Japanese 5 elements and their relations. Using tamas (the elemental beads and spheres) is based on those, and the knowledge which ones to use after which could help you maximize the effects of your attacks and defense.