NOTE: This guide originally posted to Speed Demos Archive forum by Wyxz on 2013-09-22 11:08:44pm

All credit to original author.

__ About the run:

I choose to run Mint story first because is easier, her magic makes everything faster and the Doll Master at Mint story is a joke.

About the route, i do the Last Hero Quest at very begining of the game, with +4 str you can kill early bosses in one cicle (Skull Beast, Belle at Gammul Forest and Cloud Whale).

There's a point where people lose time, is when you defeat Mode Master and went back from tower of maya, most of people go talk with Rod to start to search the Canon orbs. At this time if you go first at Mel Atelier she will give her orb without you having to play with her gnomes more one time.

Money may be a problem if you don't route properly. Have 3 gold coins and 1 rare item that you need to get to not have problems with money.

The first gold coin you get on Undergrounds Ruins at Elroy Atelier when you geting the tiara and cube itens:

The second gold coin you get at docks on Carona village at first night time of the game, here is the localization:

The rare item is a brooch on Gamul Forest, you sell this item for 6000g for a guy before you go to kill Gorotan. He's at fountain between Klaus shop/Inn and you need to refuse his first offer to sell the item for 6000g. Here is a video to how to get the brooch:

There's 3 things that affects directly, those things are:

1º Bosses Pattern: Almost all bosses don't have a specific pattern, so if you get lucky and the bosses make a good pattern you may win some time in your run. 2º Japanese Version: Who can run Japanase version have advance against who run the US version, because the texts in Japanese version are faster. 3º Player Skill: Your ability to react to the differents patterns.

So basically to have a good run you just need know how to make the bosses on the most efficent way.

Bosses:

I will show how i make the bosses on Mint Story, if anyone have a better method please share with me, i will love to know. (:

Blood and Smokey: There's not important here just go for Blood immediately after the fight begins and use basic attacks to kill him, blood will come to hit you eventually, when this happens just knock him with a Jump Kick and switch to Blood again.

Nightmare: Easy fight, you can kill him in 2 cicles using the White Magic with Wide. Its important to kill him using less MP possible to have after for Last Hero Quest. Video of a solid kill:

Skull Beast Just avoid his jumps and shit, then one shot him with the same spell you used to kill nightmare:

Belle She have a specific pattern, she always start with vulcan shield, just wait her throws it at you, then go to her meele and use the magic you used to kill the skull beast, she will survive, just wait her move and cast a fireball spell, after the fireball you can cast another time on her with 100% hit chance:

Blood and Smokey 2 This fight is easy if you know what you doing. Blood and Smokey have a specific pattern: They never hit you at same time, when one is going to hit you the other just stand still and does nothing. So just stay near Blood and cast White Spell with Wide on him when you can. Let Smokey hits you on purpose, when he hits Blood will immediately hit you right after because you are on his meele, since you become invulnerable for a brief moment after getting hit Blood will miss you and the turn will pass to Smokey again. This way blood never will move and the fight became a lot easier:

Rod Rod is annoying because he change his pattern every time. When he basic attack you just perform a well timing Jump Kick sequence every time he hits you, if you lost the timing or he changes the pattern just let he hits you with basic attack again and restart the pattern. You can lose health here, when you goes to Gamul Forest you will be healed:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwTQoprjxqqN6xKpmP9piA

Belle 2 You can kill her in one cicle with Vulcan spell, just wait the platforms appear, avoid her fireballs and spam Vulcan at her until she dies:

Cloud Whale This is the first "RNG Cunt" of the game, actually you can kill him in one cicle, but you need to be blessed with a initial pattern which happens in less than 10% of cases and even if you got blessed you have to perform perfecly to kill him. Stay on the frame where you started, if he went on the right side to drag you start to cast Basic Wind Magic right after he opens his mouth (if you cast before you not will hit him and if you cast after you will not give enough damage to kill him), then when he start to drag you have to cancel the casting and run to the opposite side to survive. You have to stay very close his mouth for when he stop to drag you start casting again. if you are not close enough you will not kill him. This boss worth be praticed, if you kill him in one cicle you pretty much save about 2~3min in your run. If the explanation is too complicated just see the video:

Belle and Duke This is the hardest battle of Mint Story in my opinion. Duke pattern is random as well the hexagon grab positions. The best spell for this fight is Blue Magic with Wide and you only have room to cast it after a uppercut of duke and after a flamestrike of Belle at last phase, if they use any other spell just Jump Kick for damage. You really have to pratice this boss to know how to deal with Duke randomness:

Wylaf He always have the same landing pattern, this makes the combat easy. When he is about to land stay from a certain distance of him (if you stay too close he will hits you before you cast and if you stay too far you will not triple hit him with your spell) and cast Blue Magic with Wide, try to Jump Kick him right after (sometimes work):

Gorotan This boss is pretty easy. Just avoid his Spark spell until he releases his shield, then go to his meele and cast Blue Magic with Wide 2 times (you have to cast 2 times or he will call his shield back), after this just stay on his meele casting and avoiding his Shock spell until he dies:

Psycho Master Just use Blue Magic with Wide on his back until he dies. He have one skill which he floats and chase you, if you hit him when he's begining to make this ability on the next time that he appears he will just chase you without doing the casting animation. If this happens you can't hit him, just run until he dissapears and appears again:

Trap Master Use Blue Magic with Wide when he's at one adjacent platform, you need to stay at edge of your platform to make a triple hit:

Mode Master There's nothing special about this boss, you have to kill him with basic attack or jump kicks. If have too many pumpkins just kill them near the boss, then she may get cleaved for extra damage.

Psycho Master 2 Is the same thing of the first battle, but now he have a extra spell which he summon ice lances to hit you. When he cast this spell don't brother in cast magic, just Jump Kick him:

Doll Master You have to stay a certain distance of him (not too far and not too close), this will force him to cast a ice spell, when he cast it just avoid jumping above it and cast Blue magic with Wide on his meele. When he gets low HP he wil summon 3 black pollywogs, when this happens go to his meele and hit him with basic attacks, the pollywogs with die by your cleave:

Vaelen 1 Use Spark basic magic to hit Rue (Vaelen). The secret of this fight is to have pacience. This fight is long and the big add is annoying as hell, but if you avoid his attacks eventually you will kill the boss and is way better you take longer to kill him than rush and dies having to start all over the begining:

Vaelen 2 The fight is pretty much what is it, the problem is his pattern he can take YEARS to switch to the right form.

Other General Tips:

-Yolo in everything, the coin forgiving system of the game allow you to do this. Sometimes is faster you just continue using one coin than walk all way to the inn to recover your HP.

-Jumping in this game is frustrating sometimes, when you need to make a precise jump use the D-pad instead the Analog Stick, Jumping with D-pad is more responsive.

-When you are playing with the gnomes at Mel Atelier at big balls game after you finish it there's a mini game to kill babies. Try kill most babies you can because you can sell them later for extra money.

-On the second time you visit underground ruins (at puppets assault specifically) you don't have to make the route of the begining maze again, just go to north until you find the exit.

Extra videos:

At begining of game in Carona Forest you have to kill 2 Gargoyles at same time to procced to Nightmare, this is the fastest method to kill them:

Fastest path to first visit at Undergrounds Ruins:

Fastest way to do the Zodiac Platforms:

First Mini Game at Mel Atelier:

Second Mini Game at Mel Atelier:

Third Mini Game at Mel Atelier:

Arenas Route at last dungeon: