The Kraken Cruise hadn't been quite the attraction I had expected, but the battle with the Kraken was a real thrill... Honestly, it was a blast.
The setup featured both cannons and ballistae. The cannons packed quite a punch but had a slower reload time, while the ballistae dealt less damage but fired rapidly. I primarily manned the cannons, and the experience was heart-pounding and exhilarating.
During the initial phase, we had to fend off tentacles emerging from the water surrounding the ship. Dealing a certain amount of damage would cause them to flinch, and hitting them further would make them retreat back beneath the waves. Since they surfaced some distance away and gradually closed in, we had to intercept them before they reached the hull.
We managed to repel every single one this time, but I suspect the game might end if the ship is approached a certain number of times.
The tentacles appeared from all directions—front, back, left, and right—but since the cannons and ballistae only had a firing arc of about ninety degrees, we couldn't just stay in one spot. To hit a target outside our current range, we had to move to a different weapon station. This kept us on our toes, preventing anyone from just camping at a single point.
Fortunately, we had a large group of acquaintances, making coordination a breeze. We were able to assign sectors to each person, which I think was the key to our success. It might be quite a challenge for a group of strangers to sync up like that on the fly.
Once we’d fended off enough tentacles, the main body—the Kraken itself—finally made its entrance. It was a sight to behold.
At roughly twenty meters long, it felt every bit like a giant sea monster. The sheer scale gave the encounter a sense of a true grand finale, and I found myself getting genuinely excited.
When the Kraken appeared, it only had two tentacles out of the water. I wondered if the number of limbs it used in the decisive battle changed based on how well we’d performed in the previous phase. Most likely, a minimum of two always appear, but if we hadn’t repelled the earlier ones effectively, the fight probably would have been much harder.
One thing about that Kraken, though... and maybe it was just my imagination... but when it surfaced, it seemed to be looking right at me with round, liquid eyes—like a chihuahua's—as if it were pleading for something. But that was probably just my fancy. It was just a projection made of phantom magic, after all; it shouldn't have had a will of its own.
At any rate, the final showdown followed the same basic flow. We targeted the Kraken with the cannons and ballistae, though the monster fought back this time.
Of course, it was still just an attraction, so we didn't take any actual damage or feel any physical impact. However, if the Kraken landed an attack, the weapons in that area would temporarily shut down. You’d then have to relocate to a functional station or wait for the weapon to be repaired before you could fire again.
The Captain shouted lines like "Everything's still fine!" or "The sails are taking damage!" throughout the fight, leading me to believe there was some sort of turn limit. We likely had to defeat it before it attacked a set number of times.
The attack patterns seemed entirely random, meaning whether or not you could stay on the offensive was largely down to luck... Yes, pure luck.
Perhaps that was why, but the cannon I was using was never disabled once. The Kraken also had a habit of diving and reappearing in a different spot after taking a few hits, which also seemed random—yet it kept surfacing right in front of my station until the very end. Thanks to that, I was able to keep firing without pause until the battle was won.
"Alright! We did it! The Kraken's down!"
With the Kraken defeated, we’d successfully cleared the attraction. As the combat came to an end, the Captain walked over to me and gave me a firm thumbs-up.
"You dealt the most damage of anyone! Top-notch work! It’s thanks to you that we took that beast down!"
He praised me with a bright smile, making me realize there was an MVP system based on total damage. Apparently, I’d taken the top spot.
Since it was just an attraction, being the MVP didn't earn me any special prizes—just the Captain's recognition—but I have to admit, it felt pretty good nonetheless.
As we reached the exit, we each received a small reward for subduing the Kraken: a plushie about the size of a palm.
It was surprisingly cute, and I noticed Luna-san’s eyes sparkle when she saw it. She really does love her stuffed animals.
The Kraken Cruise had been a different experience than I’d expected, but it left me with a sense of great satisfaction. Just as we’d planned, we began making our way toward the next area.
Illusion Kraken: "...(Please! Just fight me normally! I'm a perfectly beatable boss! Just... just please don't use those special attacks!!)"
Kaito: "...It has such sad eyes."
Illusion Kraken: "...(Ah, since my attacks are random, I guess it’s just luck where I hit! It’s totally possible a safe zone could just happen to open up right where someone's standing! And since my spawn points are random too, I might just happen to keep appearing in easy-to-hit positions! It’s only natural that guy’s practically a lock for MVP—it’s just the luck of the draw!!)"
Kaito: "...For some reason, it never attacked me, and it kept popping up exactly where it was easiest to aim."
Serious-senpai: "...T-This illusion is toadying with everything it's got."
Machina: "Even Mother is beaming at this... wait!? A toadying Kraken..."
Serious-senpai: "Shut it!"