Chain Attacks
You control Chain Attacks with the NORMAL setting. Choose AUTOMATIC if you want the computer to execute Chain Attacks.
The Automatic Chain Attack setting will not perform as well as if you controlled it yourself.
Solo Mode Confirm
Select on to activate a pop-up window each time you choose to enter solo mode. To enter Solo Mode without a pop-up window, select off.
Playing the Game
Joseph begins his adventure in the farming village of Masad. When beginning a new game, a tutorial is available to help you become accustomed to the game controls. The tutorial will also help explain how to talk to other characters, how to find items, and how to engage the enemy in battle. It is highly recommended to use the tutorial to learn how to play Summoner.
You can bypass any of the tutorial screens by pressing the Button.
The Game Screen
The game screen provides important information for each character in your party. You will also be able to view the surrounding environment containing Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to talk with, enemies to battle, and items to find.
Player Characters
Along the right side of the screen are pictures of each character in your party. Press the L2 or R2 Buttons to switch between party members.
Health Points Bar (HP)
To the left of each character's portrait is a red Health Points Bar. This shows how much health (HP) a character has left.
Watch this meter closely when in combat and heal characters that have low HP. When the red bar disappears, the character is incapacitated.
Action Points Bar (AP)
Beneath the character's HP Bar is a blue Action Points Bar. This displays how many Action Points (AP) a character has remaining.
Action Points are spent to cast spells, attempt chain attacks, and use active skills. When a character has spent all of his AP, he is unable to cast spells, attempt chain attacks, or use active skills available to him. AP will slowly regenerate over time.
Dialogue
While traveling through the villages, towns, and castles of Medeva and Orenia, you can talk to any of the characters you meet. Approach a character and press the Button to begin the dialogue.
If several characters are nearby, use the Left Analog Stick to select the NPC you would like to talk to. The selected character has a dialogue bubble over his or her head. Press the Button to begin the dialogue.
If a character has something important to say, the dialogue bubble shows two exclamation marks (!!). These characters often possess critical information regarding Joseph's quest, or they might offer optional adventures to embark on. Some characters may need to be visited more than once before they give you critical information. Joseph will also come across characters talking to each other. When Joseph can hear the conversation, you will see a smaller text box above the two NPCs. The character with an asterisk above his head (*) is the NPC currently talking in the conversation. The dialogue window contains two areas. The top half of the window displays what the NPC is saying. The bottom half lists the available questions or responses.
When the NPC's speech is too long for the dialogue window, the word MORE will be displayed. Press the Button to read the rest of the text.
Sometimes Joseph has many questions to ask a character or has multiple responses to their questions. When more than one question or response is displayed, use the Left Analog Stick to select a phrase and press the Button to talk to the NPC. When the discussion for that topic has been completed, it is removed from the Topic List. New topics will be added to the list as more information is revealed.
To exit the dialogue at any time, press the Button. Otherwise, select FAREWELL to end the discussion. Important conversations cannot be aborted.
Combat
Joseph will encounter many hostile characters and monsters while traveling through the lands of Medeva and Orenia. Even as the adventure begins, Orenian soldiers have destroyed Masad, Joseph's village, and they are searching the area for survivors. Learn to use the combat techniques below to save yourself and your party members from the enemies and monsters that roam the world of Summoner.
The Combat System
A hybrid system of real-time and turn-based combat is used for all battles in Summoner. In battle, opponents take turns attacking each other. Combat begins when either character takes the first action.
The Chain Attack system enables you to extend your turn. Every time a new attack is added to the chain, you gain one additional attack. When you finally fail to add an attack to the chain, your turn is over.
This turn-based system occurs in real time, which means you do not have to wait for the enemy's attack before moving or targeting a new opponent. You can move the party members around the battlefield at any time, gaining a height advantage on higher ground if available.
You can also press the Button to target a new enemy, or you can run away from combat if your HP is too low.
Initiating Combat
Try to surprise an enemy by approaching it from behind or out of view. This will give you an advantage on your first attack.
When within combat distance, press the Button. If more than one enemy is within range, choose your target with the Left Analog Stick. The red cursor points to the currently selected enemy, with a red bar above each enemy's head. The red bar represents their HP. Attack the selected enemy by pressing the Button.
Once a foe is selected, Joseph engages in combat, continuing to fight until you give him another command or until he or his opponent runs out of HP. You can reposition Joseph by using the Left Analog Stick, or you can run