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Welcome to possibly the toughest choice in the game. Whatever you decide to pick, you’ll be stuck with for untold hours, so pick wisely…

Once a new game is chosen, you are made aware that the game’s plotline is fictional (no, really, it was completely necessary to note that…), and that you will soon get to choose a name. You will first experience a dream-like state with some random ramblings in the background before getting to do so

For the purposes of this walkthrough, “you” and “Flynn” - the main character’s default name - are one and the same. Press the Y Button once you’re sure of your name.

Soon thereafter, you awaken in a town, ruined and in flames. A voice emanates from the light in the distance; move towards it with the Circle Pad. It suddenly transforms into Walter. After some brief talking from him, you reawaken elsewhere, surrounded by sand.

Approach the light in the distance and, like before, this one will take shape as Jonathan. Finally, after that, there’s a bit more cutscene and the opening sequence to the game.

After that, you truly emerge from the dream, awakened by Issachar, urging the two of you to the Gauntlet Rite. The two of you progress down to the castle town, confused as to where the Rite might be held. The local residents are of no real help, too snobbish to give a crap. So, we’re basically on our own. Where to go?

You can visit the Luxuror and Casualry Districts to speak with various people. This will help a little with the subplot of the game’s society and to figure out where the Rite is being held. But, more or less, this is feudalistic Japan set near the end of the fifteenth century, still relying on a caste-like system.

The Gauntlet Rite is also a ceremony occurring at Mikado Castle for those who turn the age of eighteen to be chosen as samurai.

At Mikado Castle itself, you can go to Obelisk Plaza to read the epitaph on it for more spoilerific backstory. At Aquila Statue Plaza, you can join the crowd. There, the samurai tells everyone to line up

Meanwhile, Issachar elaborates on some rumors, including that which implies samurai must live in Mikado Castle and cannot return home, barring missions. Soon, Issachars’s turn comes up. And, later, Flynn’s. Nervously, he approaches the blue-clothed samurai at the Aquila Statue.

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At key points in the game, you have to make choices. Doing so has relatively little impact on what immediately happens next, but all the choices you make will determine your ending.

There, you can choose to extend your left arm.

• Alignment +1 = Extend your arm
• Alignment -1 = Don’t extend your arm
  Either way, after some more speech, touch the Touch Screen to “Engage”.

Suddenly, a light appears on the Gauntlet - it has accepted you as its owner, as a samurai. You then follow Hope out of the plaza to the residence area. There, he introduces himself as the head of the samurai. Hope gives you the cliché stuff - you will begin training tomorrow, get to bed early, etc. - before leaving.

Meanwhile, you comply, uncertainly pondering your life, your friends, your family, and the expectations of the samurai before falling into a dreamless slumber.