Ice-san's Exploration Log (Free Boss Rush RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an article introducing "Ice-san's Exploration," a game by Tsuioku that was unveiled at "VIPRPG Kohaku 2022."
This is a boss rush RPG that offers a meticulously crafted, turn-based battle system that eliminates randomness.
This RPG eliminates the hassle of fighting weaker enemies and grinding for money, allowing you to focus entirely on boss battles.

The main story took me about four and a half hours to complete.
After clearing the game, you can fight even more formidable secret bosses.

Game Overview

Ice, chosen as the star of the annual Demon Lord Appreciation Festival, travels across the RTP continent, taking on battles in various locations.

The main focus of this game is combat.
You form a party of three—a front-line fighter, a back-line fighter, and a support character—and fight against up to two enemies.
You cannot freely change the members of your party until the final chapter.
The other members of the group, besides the main character Ice, will change as the story progresses.
Since you'll be forced to fight in various parties, it also means you'll be able to learn a variety of tactics.

While the player selects commands for Ice during battles, the other combat member moves automatically according to pre-set rules.
It might seem difficult, but the program is designed from the start to allow you to fight effectively, so unless you're someone who likes to do challenge runs with self-imposed restrictions, you don't need to worry too much about it.

Frontline and backline members can be swapped during battle, but support members cannot be swapped.
Depending on the character you set as support, special effects will be applied to the entire party, and you can use a special support technique, which can be considered a trump card, once during battle.
Members who become incapacitated in battle will automatically revive after a certain amount of time, but the time it takes to revive increases over time, so you can't just let them get defeated casually.

The combat may seem complex with all the numbers involved, but the early stages of the game serve as a tutorial, so you'll gradually understand it.
The general flow of combat is as follows: ① Select an action → ② Wait for the action to be executed → ③ Execute the action → ① Select an action... and so on.
Powerful techniques often take time to execute or require a cooldown period before they can be used again.
It's important to observe the enemy's actions and strategically switch between offense and defense.

The best part is that you can develop various strategies because a wide range of equipment is available.
Let's find a strategy that suits your preferences.

You can earn money by defeating bosses or touching regular enemies.
(There are no random encounters in this game; you defeat enemies simply by touching them.)
You can use money to increase your LP (which is also known as HP) or to upgrade your equipment.
There are limits to enhancement; performance cannot be increased indefinitely.
It seems that it's possible to clear the game without strengthening your characters at all, but if you're not a hardcore player, I think you'll enjoy the fun of character development by strengthening your characters as you go along.
By strengthening your character, you can reduce the difficulty level from "chess puzzle level" to "level where you can somewhat brute-force your way through."

I think players should decide how much to strengthen their characters in this area, up to the point they feel is just right.
However, even if you max out everything, you can't truly brute-force your way through, so a certain level of understanding of the combat system is required.

You can equip two types of weapons, and you can use two different techniques with a single weapon.
Furthermore, the combination of weapon types determines the combat style, such as dual-wielding (sword + sword) or magic sword (sword + magic book), and allows you to use special techniques corresponding to that style.
In other words, you can use a total of five techniques in combat: two weapon techniques of two different types, plus one style-specific technique.
(To be precise, in addition to these five types, one support character's skill is also included.)

While the game is designed to allow players to focus solely on combat, the "Record Room" allows players to research characters and terminology, demonstrating the game's meticulous attention to detail.
Those unfamiliar with VIPRPG can learn more about it by reading this.

Review (no spoilers)

I was able to stay engrossed and complete the game all the way to the end, including the secret boss that has been revealed so far.
I didn't impose any restrictions on character enhancement during my first playthrough; I played normally.
I progressed by challenging bosses, and strengthening my character after being defeated several times.
Since there was never a complete lack of a clear path to victory, I was able to maintain the motivation to keep experimenting and trying different strategies.

Given the nature of this game, it's assumed that you'll challenge bosses multiple times, but the game's features are so comprehensive that you can retry without stress.
You can retreat at any time during combat, and you can quickly change equipment, rearrange your party, or use the shop.
Of course, there's no penalty for retreating, so feel free to experiment and try different things.

In terms of difficulty, I think it falls into the category of being quite difficult if you're doing a challenge run without any upgrades.
However, since the difficulty can be adjusted by strengthening the game, I felt that the range of target players was fairly wide.
I personally like difficulty levels that are slightly challenging, so when I was working on the walkthrough, I tried to keep the difficulty around that level.
However, even with everything fully upgraded, the secret boss was still difficult to defeat, but I managed to beat it, which gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
This is a time-consuming project where time flies by as you try different things and experiment.

Playthrough Notes (Spoiler Warning)

I've included a screenshot of the results screen from my first playthrough.
I think you'll earn three achievements if you play normally.
What is martial arts...? (I learned how to use martial arts after clearing the game.)

Overall, I often focused on maximizing firepower during battles.
Regarding teammates, I found it easiest to work with partners who clearly defined whether they would be the attacker or the tank.
For example, since Flame will be using offensive magic the whole time, I can focus on being the tank and fighting.
Conversely, if I were to play the offensive role, my image would be to have Nasuun provide solid defense while I steadily attack.

I often equipped items that could restore HP, such as potions.
While status effect recovery items can also restore HP, the drawback is that they can only be used once.
I didn't use it very often because I felt it was a waste to use it when I didn't need to restore my HP yet, but only wanted to cure status ailments.

As for weapons, I often used the Defender, which has high defensive capabilities; the Automatic, which can inflict poison; and the Aim Rifle, which can inflict fire.
I like the gun because it looks cool and has a low WT (Wait Time), but I felt that it was lacking in firepower towards the end of the game.

Regarding shields, the Shell Guard was useful because of its maneuverability, and I used it often.
When defending against magic, I often used Cold Barrier, and rarely used a shield to block magic.

Third set of secret bosses: Strategy notes (normal playthrough with no restrictions)

The third set of secret bosses, Shashiko & Confuse, were undoubtedly the ones I attempted the most times.
I considered various strategies, but I ultimately settled on Flame plus Ashley.
The following are details about the tactics.

- I'll basically leave the attacking to Flame.
I'll set Flame to use Fire III on the enemy's front row, regardless of whether he's in the front or back row.
When you have a free hand, try to use your longsword to inflict confusion.

- Deal with Confuse's skull-splitting attack by using the darkness of "Ice Mist Technique".
Confuse has low resistance to darkness, so if you time your darkness attack well, you can block two of its attacks.
If for any reason Ice is in danger of getting his head split open, Flame will take the hit instead.
Even if Flame is defeated, if you leave him in the back row, he will eventually revive.
However, if Ice, who is the tank, is defeated, the whole team will fall apart, so we need to try to keep Ice's HP from decreasing and endure for as long as possible.
Ideally, I'd like to use the High Potion on Ice as well.

I don't intend to get hit in the head, so I'll equip ice armor.
Shashiko's physical attacks are painful, so you'll want to make sure you have enough DEF.
If you want to protect yourself from sleep, a warm coat is a good idea, but then the enemy will use its ultimate attack instead of a head-splitting attack, so the damage will become significant.

- Counter Shashiko's attacks with a longsword and light shield.
I think this depends on the level of enhancement, but when it's enhanced to the maximum, if you use a defender, the DEF becomes too high, causing Shashiko to use a "ricochet" that ignores defense.
This would guarantee at least 12 damage taken (with Deflect), leading to a gradual decline in your chances.
If you're using a longsword or light shield, they'll attack you with muskets and crossfire, so you can attack them while taking less damage than with ricochets.
If Flame in the back row becomes the target, Ice can temporarily move to the back row and use Light Shield or Ice Rush to deal with the situation.
Depending on the timing, it might be necessary to have Flame take a head-splitting attack.
If the front line is being targeted, you can use a longsword to deal with it, so attack while defending.
Ideally, we'd like to protect Ice while attacking with longswords and ice slashes as much as possible.

- Use the Secret Art of Frozen Time as a trump card.
Let's use Ashley's frozen time magic as a trump card.
Use it flexibly, for example, when you want to prevent Confuse's brain-splitting attack but can't because you're immune, or when one of your characters has been defeated and you're waiting for them to revive.

We defeated them using the above tactics.
As a side note, I happened to use a combination move at the end and finished it perfectly!
(Total ATK 123 - Enemy DEF 12 = 111 damage)

Walkthrough notes for all restrictions (spoiler alert)

These are my strategy notes from my second playthrough, where I'm attempting a no-upgrade challenge.
You might think, "Huh? Why are they fighting in such an inefficient way? It would be so much easier if they just used XX..." but please bear with me.
I think it's just that I haven't thought of anything yet...

Greening Committee Chairman Ardis

Basically, Ice will be in the front row, and when it's a shortbow, she'll use a longsword, and when it's a comeback punch, she'll use a light shield.
The world's password is: Forests are defended against by the Lost Chant Sword.

Royal Knight Jeanne & Female Soldier

The female soldier's crossbow is constantly deflected by the light shield, and her movements are focused on protecting Flame.
I endure Jeanne's Defender and Desperate Slash with Light Shield, and heal with potions in between enemy actions.
Before we run out of potions, Flame should be able to defeat the enemies with his area-of-effect magic.

Swordsman Lilia

Equip yourself with a Defender and a Longsword.
I'll just keep attacking with defenders.
Flame's magic is effectively blocked by Shell Guard, but don't worry about it.
Once the power of the Demon God's Consecutive Slashes is sufficiently high, use the Secret Art of Freezing Time to stop Lilia's movements when she uses Shell Guard, and then inflict massive damage all at once.

Kingdom Knight Brian & Soldier

Equipped with a Defender and a Revolver.
Basically, I'll protect Flame with the Light Shield.
The soldiers use Shell Guard at the same time Flame uses his magic, so that's when I'll use my revolver to chip away at him.
In this case, if it coincides with Brian's attack timing, prioritize using the Light Shield.
You should be able to whittle down its HP to the point of almost defeating it before you run out of potions.
By using the secret art of frozen time, it's possible to overwhelm the enemy in one go.

Ecstatic Darkness & Gatekeeper Mecha Golem

It is equipped with Defender, Revolver, and Shell Guard.
I'll leave the defense to Brian and slowly chip away at the golems with penetrations from the back.
Depending on the situation, you can have Shellguard take the ice for Brian instead.
When the Golem's LP reaches 54, defeat it with a focused flame.
At this time, be careful not to let the Golem perform an action that halves all or all damage (because the damage will be halved).
Once you've defeated the golem, you can win by simply changing your formation and responding to attacks.

Dorako & Minotaur

Equipped with a longsword, automatic pistol, and light shield.
Use the Unspeakable Sword to neutralize Dorako's fire breath, and in the meantime, poison the Minotaur with Venom Shot.
I'll use the poison to automatically whittle down its health, then finish it off with a focused flame.
Let's have Brian take the Minotaur's attacks.
When Dorako is alone, she will use a powerful Dragon Claw attack, so you should defend against her physical attacks while aiming to defeat her with Venom Shot and coordinated attacks.

Makuta & Deshigoro

It is equipped with a revolver, automatic, and shell guard.
We will change the strategy to place Brian in the front line and use Sword Impulse, which he uses when in the front line, on the enemy in the front row (no other changes are necessary).
Ice attacks his apprentice Goro with Venom Shot and keeps firing automatically.
When Makuta's Blizzard is coming, it's okay to use Shell Guard to block it.
Use a potion on Brian at the right time, and be careful not to let him get defeated.
Once I've whittled down Goro the disciple to a certain extent, I'll finish him off with a concentrated flame attack, as usual.

Once Makuta is alone, change the formation so that Blizzard is blocked by Shell Guard and Brian takes the kunai.
His attack methods are similar to Goro's: he poisons enemies with Venom Shots while also attacking with Automatic weapons.

Dark Hero Cleas & Dark Swordsman Eloria

Place Nin-Nin in the back row and equip him with Defender, Automatic, and Shell Guard.
First, we'll aim to defeat Eloria.
I'll leave the attacking to Nin-Nin, and I'll mainly use Shell Guard to defend against enemy magic attacks and Deflect to defend against physical attacks.
If Eloria's magic attack and Kleas's physical attack occur at roughly the same time, use Brian's support skill to avoid the physical attack.
Nin-Nin will effectively deal damage from the back row with her Moonflower Sword, so if Ice can withstand the attacks, you can win.
Once only Cleas remains, start attacking him while also using poison.

Zanninnin & Fake Musha

Place Nin-Nin in the back row and equip him with the Ice Book, Defender, Light Shield, and Winter Coat.
First, we need to be able to defeat Zanninnin.
While defending against Musha's attacks with Deflect and Light Shield, attack Zanninnin with Frost Edge, which has a low WT (Don't worry if it dodges once, as Ninnin will also attack).
Musha's area-of-effect attacks can be blocked with B. Blocking or Shell Guard.
When Musha is alone, defend him while attacking with Frost Edge and Ice (although there aren't many opportunities to use Ice).

Fake Grim Reaper V & Nasuun

I like the battle music here.
Equip yourself with a revolver, automatic pistol, and shell guard, and keep attacking relentlessly with Penetrate.
If Silence is used, switch positions to prevent both of you from being silenced at the same time, and the fake Grim Reaper V will continue to use Silence indefinitely.
Nasuun will continue to protect you with counters and dragon aura, so he won't attack.
You should be able to defeat Nasun first, since she keeps protecting others.
Once only the Fake Grim Reaper V remains, he will use Darkness, so use Shell Guard to defend against it while attacking with Full Fire or Venom Shot.

Dark Ecstasy & Dark Summon

Equipped with a longsword, automatic pistol, and light guard, I aim for the dark, ecstatic abyss.
Dark Summon's nail bat will be used to counter Nasuun's dragon aura.
Ice attacks the Dark Ecstatic Darkness with Venom Shot, gradually whittling it down.
When the Knockout spell begins to be cast, use the Silence Sword at a time that will silence you upon activation to nullify it.
The Dark Ecstatic Darkness's area-of-effect shotgun attack isn't that threatening, so you don't need to guard against it unnecessarily.
Point-blank range shots are pretty painful, so let's use Nasun or Light Guard to counter them.

The Ghost of the Holy Knights

It looks like a lot of work, so I'll skip it for now.

Trish the Ghost & Dullahan the Phantom

Equip Ice with a Book of Endurance Magic, a Longsword, and a Winter Coat, and keep her in the front line.
First, we'll aim to defeat the Phantom Demon Dullahan.
The first move is to use the Unspeakable Sword to block Trish's magic, and from then on, all of Trish's magic will be blocked with the Unspeakable Sword.
While Trish is silent, keep Nasun in the front line, and only move forward when using the Unspeakable Sword.
Ice attacks the Dullahan from the back row with Absorb while recovering LP.
It's safest to have Ice, who is wearing a winter coat, take the Dullahan's Mind Steer.
Since the rapier ignores defense, it's best to either have Nasuun take the hit or use Cold Barrier to halve its damage.

Yamato Spirit & Thunder General Ricepark

Equip Summon with a revolver, automatic pistol, Mystic Cloth, and Shell Guard, and place him in the front row.
First, use Venom Shot on Yamato Damashii and then fire Automatic repeatedly.
Summon will use Mirror Coat to defend against Rice Spark's attack.
In this case, Summon will also protect you from Aim Rifle attacks that it cannot mitigate, so you will take a lot of damage directly, but don't worry about it and defeat the enemy with Automatic.
You should be able to defeat Yamato Damashii right after Summon is defeated.
Once only Ricepark remains, use Shell Guard to withstand the attack until Summon revives, then the two of you can defeat it together.

Green General Green Rhino & Corpse General Black Bison

Equip yourself with a Longsword, Blizzard Scroll, and Shell Guard, and target the Black Bison.
Keep Ice in the front line, and change Summon's Water to target the enemies in the front row.
Use Ice Mist to darken the Green Rhino's physical attacks, and have Summon absorb the Black Bison's magic attacks.
We'll use longswords and ice slashes to whittle down the black bison.
Once you've reduced its HP by a certain amount, the Green Rhino will use a heal spell, so either interrupt it with the spell-sealing sword or defeat it in one go.
If the heal fails, it will try to heal again, so you can concentrate on dealing with the Black Bison during that time.

Even when Green Rhino is alone, we can't let our guard down, and since Thornstorm is powerful, we'll use darkness to survive.
Now, attack with Ice Slash and Blizzard.
In the case of Wide Absorb, you can defend against it with Shell Guard or the Unsealing Sword.

Ice General Blizzard & Fire General Agnefire

I had a really hard time with it.
Equip a shotgun, a book of endurance magic, a mystic cloth, a light shield, and a potion.
I'll leave Summon's strategy as default and position him in the front line, aiming to defeat Agnefire first.
Agne's powerful blows are blocked by the Light Shield, and Blaze Kicks are blocked by the Cold Barrier.
Blizzard's EFB will be blocked by the cold barrier.
The area-of-effect attack, Flame, will be countered with Cold Barrier.
Between defensive and healing attacks, I'll attack Agne with point-blank range shots.
The above are the basic strategies.
If Blizzard is the only one left, EFB will use Cold Barrier to deal with him, and we will leave Total Reflection alone.
The basic strategy is to fire away at point-blank range, but if Summon is using Water, coordinate your attacks accordingly.

The following is an example of actions to take until you defeat Agnefire.
I will omit the part after defeating Agnefire.

Priestess Daisy & Martial Artist Enryu

Equip yourself with an automatic pistol, revolver, ice armor, and light shield.
Nasuun will be the vanguard, and Ashley will be the support.
First, we'll target Daisy with Venom Shot and Automatic.
You'll use Saint on Nasuun along the way, but don't worry about it because Nasuun can withstand all of Enryu's attacks with his dragon aura.
Daisy will attempt to use Recover once she takes a certain amount of damage.
When it looks like the recovery ability is about to activate, use the Secret Art of Frozen Time to stop it, and then defeat it.
Once only Enryu remains, keep it poisoned while chipping away at its health with Penetrate.
When the Blazing Dragon Wave is coming, guard with a Light Shield, and use a potion to heal when your HP gets low.
Nasuun is almost never defeated, so it will take some time, but you should be able to defeat him.

Helen the Archer & Falcon the Thief

If you're prepared, I think it's a fairly easy battle.
Equip yourself with an aim rifle and a revolver.
Brian will be the vanguard, and Nasuun will be in support.
For Brian's strategy, set the action [1] for when he is in the front row to Bearsword Kai.
In other words, the setting is such that you always use the Bear Sword Kai.
Ice, from the start of the battle, just keep firing your aim rifle at Falcon.
When Brian's LP starts to decrease, I'll use a potion on him.
Once Helen is the only one left, I'll attack her with Penetrate.
If you time your ignition correctly, you can defeat them more quickly.

Former pirate Gomez & hero Alex

This battle BGM features a memorable phrase that evokes the main theme of SaGa Frontier 2.
Equip the Blizzard Scroll and the Revolver.
I'll use Nasuun for the vanguard and Ashley for support.
From the start of the battle, keep firing Penetrate at Alex.
If the Starlight Cross Sword comes, I'll use the Ice Mist spell to create darkness and wait it out.
If the timing isn't right, Ice can take the hit for you or heal with a potion.
Nasuun will likely take a hit from the longsword right at the start of the battle, but it's more effective to keep his LP reduced because it will increase the power of his vengeful claws.

The Great Sorceress Carol & Fire & Blizzard

It was a tough fight.
Equip yourself with a rapier, longsword, magic robe, shell guard, and potion.
Place Summon in the back row and Ashley as support.
Regarding the strategy for when Summon is in the back row, change the Water skill [7] from prioritizing the back row to targeting enemies in the front row.

I will definitely block Carol's Blind All with the Unspeakable Sword, and defend against magic attacks with Shell Guard.
(Because the Magic Robe has a darkness resistance of 4, it becomes impossible to attack with the 30WT Rapier.)
I'll use my rapier to attack Fire & Blizzard in between enemy attacks.
I want to attack with my rapier as much as possible while it's asleep, but I mustn't take unnecessary risks.
You can ignore the magic attacks that target summons, but you should block area-of-effect magic attacks one by one with Shell Guard.
Once you've reduced its HP to a certain point, Fire & Blizzard's attack pattern will change, so try to attack with Demonic Slash as much as possible.
You won't need any potions after defeating Fire & Blizzard, so you can use them all up.
Instead, let's save the secret technique of freezing time for Carol.

After defeating Fire & Blizzard, attack Carol with Demonic Slash while using Feint to seal her Medroa with the Unspeakable Sword.
I don't think you can block the second Medroa with the Unspeakable Sword due to the immunity status, so let's use the Secret Art of Frozen Time.
To end the cooldown of Demon God Slash, repeatedly use the WT3 feint.
The third Medroa can be blocked with the Unspeakable Sword, but you should be able to defeat it before or after this.

The following is an example of a successful kill.
This might not be the best move, but it should allow us to defeat them.

Main story with all restrictions: Results

I successfully completed the main story while using all the restrictions.
Because previous players had proven that it was possible to clear the game, I was able to persevere, believing that there must be a solution.
The reason I was so engrossed in playing it was,Iris's GameThis might be the first time since then.
The interesting thing about this is that, precisely because there are no random elements, the results are reproducible if you act in the same way.

Yamichi & Lychee & Wateri & Windy

Equip the Book of Eternal, the Book of Ice, the Magic Robe, and the Light Shield.
The support member is Flame, so I'll place Summon in the front row, turn off Sleep in the strategy, and change Water's target priority to the back row.
With these preparations, you will take almost no damage from the opponent's magic attacks.
The only real danger is the wind that ignores defense, so you don't really need to worry about defenses; just rely on potions and life showers.
Our main sources of damage are Ice's Frost Edge, Summon's Water, and reflected attacks using Mirror Coat.
Wateri and Windy will be accelerating rapidly, so if you place them in the front line while Summon is using Mirror Coat, they will be defeated by reflection, so take them down when the time is right.
However, be careful not to leave them in the front line for too long, as they will defeat enemies at a rapid pace, and their attacks will become more intense.
Each time I revive, the power of my Revenge Kick increases from 20 to 40 to 60... so I want to defeat Yamichi and Lychee around the time of my third revival.

As Yamichi & Lychee's LP decreases, their attacks become slightly more powerful.
If that happens, unleash a barrage of attacks using consecutive spells like EFB and Frost Edge, along with the concentrated Flame you've been saving.
The LP-absorbing attack that Yamichi and Lychee use when they are near death has a low MDF, so it's a good target for Focused Flame.

Silence & Blind

Equip yourself with a shotgun, revolver, ice armor, and light shield.
I'll use Summon for the back row and Ashley for support.
Summon's strategy is the same as in the battle against Yamichi & Lychee + Wateri & Windy: turn off Sleep and prioritize targeting the back row with Water.
Ice primarily attacks blind targets with point-blank range shots.
When Silence is about to use his magic attack, defend yourself with a light shield.
At this point, adjust your WT (Wait Time) with a revolver to avoid inadvertently protecting Blind from the assassination attempt on Summon.
Even with defense, the damage from the magic attack is significant, but you should use potions to heal effectively.
If the timing of the assassination and the magic assassination are too close together, you can use the Secret Art of Frozen Time to shift the timing of one of them.
If only one party member is affected by a status ailment, change the formation to receive the Normal Kill and Normal Kill attacks.

Once you take down Blind, all that's left is Silence.
Ice should primarily attack using Penetrate, while actively aiming to coordinate with Summon's Water.
If you think you can't withstand the attack, rearrange your formation to temporarily tide you over.

Chashiko & Confuse

It was a 34-move checkmate.
I'm equipped with a Blizzard Scroll, a shotgun, ice armor, and potions, but I don't carry a shield.
Brian will be at the forefront, with Nasu-n providing support.
When Brian is in the front row, his strategy is to unconditionally use Bear Sword Kai on the enemy in the front row, and when he is in the back row, turn off all abilities except for Parry Kai (2) and Sword Impulse (3).

If you use the Bonus Supply on Nasuun, the ATK-boosting effect will be removed, so the key is how long you can conserve it without using it.
In the early to mid-game, I rely on potions to survive, and in some cases, I even intentionally get defeated to allow for natural regeneration.
Furthermore, it will be difficult unless you actively aim for coordinated attacks and inflict damage effectively.
We'll weather the head-splitting attack with the Ice Mist technique and Ice's evasion, and Brian will take all the other attacks.
I think the key will be how well we coordinate our timing.

The following is an example of a strategy.

It was a long wait...