RIVIERA: THE PROMISED LAND - GAME GUIDE

This GUIDE written by BALSAMIC DRAGON, all rights reserved, do not publish
without permission.

TABLE OF CONTENTS AND SHORTCUTS                     To use SHORTCUTS,search
                                                    for the three letter
     Introduction             [INT]                 code, including 
     Game Play                [GPL]                 brackets.
     General Information      [GIN]
     Advanced Information     [AIN]
     Chapter Overview         [COV]
          Chapter One         [CH1]
          Chapter Two         [CH2]
          Chapter Three       [CH3]
          Chapter Four        [CH4]
          Chapter Five        [CH5]
          Chapter Six         [CH6]
          Chapter Seven       [CH7]
          Chapter Eight       [CH8]
     Battle Information       [BIN]
          Character Status    [CST]
          Over Skills         [OVS]
          Practice            [PRC]
          Turn-Based Combat   [TBC]
          The Rage Bar        [TRB]
          Tactics Hints       [THN]
          Battle Ranking      [BRK]
          Items               [ITM]
     Special Endings          [SPE]
     Conclusion and Updates   [CON]

___________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION     [INT]

This is my first attempt at a GAME GUIDE!  Note that this is NOT a
walkthrough!  It will not tell you step-by-step how to play this game.
Rather, this is a GUIDE to enjoying RIVIERA: THE PROMISED LAND more 
thoroughly, with less time and frustration, and with absolutely NO 
SPOILERS.  It is designed to give you the information you need to figure 
everything out on your own without having to constantly restore saved 
games.  This is the kind of GAME GUIDE that I would like to see more of, 
and hope it will inspire others to create the same!  (Especially for games
that I want to play!)

___________________________________________________________________________

GAME PLAY (read before you start)     [GPL]

Complete controls are not available until partway through CHAPTER TWO of
RIVIERA.  As a result, some menu options cannot be used until explained
by NPCs (Non-Player Characters) to your MAIN CHARACTER.  Simply following
the normal storyline will introduce most controls as they become available.
This GAME GUIDE will not repeat information that is explained by NPCs in
the game.

The big exceptions to this rule are the MINI-GAMES.  You will see
instructions for these, but they will flash quickly across the screen.
There are four kinds of MINI-GAMES, and all are timed.

BUTTON-MASHING:

Repeatedly tap the requested button as rapidly as possible in the time 
allowed.  There is no penalty for starting early.

ENTER SEQUENCE:

Enter the sequence of buttons in order, without mistakes, in the time
allowed.  The sequences are not always random; sometimes you may go back 
to an earlier saved game and get the same sequence.

TIMED ENTRY:

Hit the A button when the arrow is over the white part of the bar.  Note
that you can wait until the arrow has gone to the end of the bar and is 
returning.

RHYTHM GAME:

Enter each button as the arrow passes under it.  It is fairly forgiving,
but you can't make any clear mistakes.

There is also a large amount of information available to you in the game
that is not explained by NPCs.  This GAME GUIDE will assume that you, like 
me, do not have the booklet that accompanies RIVIERA because you have 
bought the game used or are borrowing it from a friend.  I have provided 
two sets of information: one is basic, for those who just want to jump into
the game, and one is advanced, for those who want to know more before 
starting, or who have specific questions that have arisen in-game.

___________________________________________________________________________

GENERAL INFORMATION (read before you start)     [GIN]

Everyone wants to have fun playing a game, but not everyone wants the same 
thing!  Some players simply want to finish the game.  Some want to get the
best equipment, find the special ending, explore every area of the game, or
get the highest score.  Here are some basic goals that you may want to meet
and some general information on meeting them.  For more advanced goals, see
the next section.

"I JUST WANT TO FINISH THE GAME WITHOUT GETTING STUCK." 

The main thing that will prevent you from finishing RIVIERA is if you
cannot win a battle, and the only battles that are particularly challenging
to win are the boss battles.  Most FAQs on www.gamefaqs.com will help you
with boss battle strategy.  However, it is important to find and use
certain ITEMS in order to win these battles.  I suggest that you first read
the sub-section on ITEMS in the BATTLE INFORMATION section near the end of
this GUIDE, as well as the CHAPTER OVERVIEW section.  Then skim each
CHAPTER section before you play through it for ITEM NOTES.  Finally, after
CHAPTER ONE but before CHAPTER TWO, you may want to read the PRACTICE 
sub-section under BATTLE INFORMATION.  These sections alone will give you 
the basic tools you need to win!  There are also a couple of puzzles in the
game that you may be stuck on.  Again, there are FAQs available on the web 
that will help.  You can also look at PUZZLE NOTES in each CHAPTER for 
general information without spoilers.

"I DON'T WANT TO MISS ANY AREAS, CHAPTERS OR MAJOR SCENES."  

The CHAPTER portion of this GAME GUIDE will detail, for each CHAPTER, what
you need to do to avoid missing something important later on.  You should 
read the CHAPTER OVERVIEW section, and then read each CHAPTER section 
before you play through that CHAPTER.  There are no spoilers in the CHAPTER 
sections (nor anywhere else in this GUIDE!) but you do not have to read 
ahead to future CHAPTER sections until you are ready to start that CHAPTER.
As with many games, not every scene is viewable in a single play-through of
RIVIERA, but this GAME GUIDE will allow you to catch as many of them as 
possible.  Once you have played through the entire game, you can replay to
try to get different scenes (or different endings, see ADVANCED INFORMATION
below), but at that point a more traditional walkthrough will be more 
helpful than this spoiler-free GUIDE.

___________________________________________________________________________

ADVANCED INFORMATION (you can skip this section and go directly     [AIN]
     to CHAPTER OVERVIEW if you aren't interested in detailed 
     information at this time)

"I WANT TO GET THE BEST RANKING ON ALL OF THE BATTLES IN THE GAME."  

RIVIERA is a great strategy game, but unfortunately it is not always a fair
measure of tactical skill.  There are times throughout the game where you 
cannot get the best ranking on a battle (S RANK) unless you have made 
certain decisions in an earlier CHAPTER (generally involving getting and
using certain ITEMS). This GUIDE will provide two types of information to 
help you consistently achieve S RANK.  First, carefully read the ITEM NOTES
for each CHAPTER before you play it, as these can be invaluable in getting
S RANK in certain battles.  Second, read the BATTLE INFORMATION section at 
the end of the GUIDE thoroughly to make the best use of the information
available about your MAIN CHARACTER, NPCs, MONSTERS and ITEMS.

"I WANT TO GET A SPECIAL ENDING."  

As in many RPGs, there are several different endings to RIVIERA.  You can 
receive a special ending by making particular choices throughout the game. 
Almost every area that you enter will have a choice that may affect the 
ending you receive, and thus it is not practical to list all the 
appropriate decisions without spoiling parts of the game.  However, since 
few players will wish to play through the game six or more times in order 
to get every special ending, I have included some information in this GUIDE
which should help.  You can find this information at the end of the GAME 
GUIDE in the SPECIAL ENDINGS section.  I will note, however, that with a 
few exceptions, common sense will be likely to lead you to the special 
ending that you desire.  In other words, if you role-play your character in 
a particular way, you are likely to get the ending that is appropriate for 
that character.  Only check the SPECIAL ENDINGS section if you will enjoy 
RIVIERA more by playing through only once and getting the ending that you 
want the first time through.

"I WANT THE BEST ITEMS IN THE GAME."  

Of course you do!  The best ITEMS often present the biggest challenges,
while at the same time making it easier to finish a game with a high SCORE.
Each CHAPTER section has information that will help you get the best ITEMS 
possible.  Please note, however, that RIVIERA has a harsh inventory 
management system!  You can only carry 16 "BATTLE ITEMS" (i.e., normal 
equipment) at a time!  Getting the "best" ITEMS in the game will probably 
mean giving up some other ITEMS that could be useful.

"I WANT THE HIGHEST SCORE POSSIBLE."  

Almost everything that you do in RIVIERA affects your SCORE, which is 
totaled after each CHAPTER.  There is at least one point in the game in 
which having a high SCORE is important, but otherwise it is useful only for
bragging rights.  Generally, you will get a higher SCORE for the following:
1) getting a high RANK in battles, 2) winning MINI-GAMES, 3) getting 
through the game as quickly as possible, while at the same time not missing
anything.  Needless to say, it would be impossible to tell you how to get 
the highest SCORE possible without spoiling the game!  Thus, the only time 
this GUIDE will mention your SCORE is when it is valuable for in-game 
effects.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

CHAPTER OVERVIEW     [COV]

Each CHAPTER is divided into AREAS and each AREA is divided into a number 
of SCREENS, as displayed on your in-game map.  Generally, once you have 
exited an AREA, you cannot return there, although there are exceptions to 
this rule.  You can only save the game between AREAS.  You can usually tell
when you are about to exit an AREA because the in-game map will show an 
arrow instead of a line to a new portion of the map or an NPC will warn you
that you cannot return to the AREA.  However, there are times when you will 
exit an AREA suddenly and without warning, so be sure that you thoroughly 
explore each SCREEN before leaving it.  Check your in-game map and only go 
in the direction of the arrow when you have visited every SCREEN at least 
once.  The CHAPTER sections below will tell you when a) you might want to 
visit a SCREEN more than once, or b) you might not get a warning before 
exiting an AREA, and offer advice on how to proceed so as not to miss 
anything.

Several assumptions will be made in this GUIDE.  I will assume that you 
will:  

LOOK AT EVERYTHING AND TALK TO EVERYONE AT LEAST TWICE.  

If you shouldn't look at something or talk to someone (or if you should 
only do so once), then the GUIDE will warn you.  Note that following this 
strategy will lower your SCORE somewhat in the game, because you will spend
more time looking and talking when you could be moving forward.  This GUIDE
assumes that it is more important to see every scene and not miss anything,
rather than attain a higher SCORE.

STRIVE FOR S RANK (THE BEST RANKING) IN BATTLES.  

The GUIDE will tell you for each CHAPTER when a) you are destined to lose a
battle, b) you may want to deliberately lose a battle, or c) S RANK 
requires a particular ITEM.  It is not necessary to get S RANK for all 
battles to do very well in the game, so do not stress out if you get an 
A or B RANK occasionally. 
 
STRIVE FOR SUCCESS IN ALL MINI-GAMES. 

Losing MINI-GAMES can result in harsher penalties than not getting S RANK 
in a battle, so make sure you do as well as you can here.  Read the 
information on MINI-GAMES in the GAME PLAY section above for tips.  The 
GUIDE will warn you if it might be more desirable to lose a MINI-GAME.

TAKE ALL ITEMS WHEN OFFERED, OPEN THINGS WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO OPEN 
THEM, POKE THINGS THAT CAN BE POKED :) 

The GUIDE will warn you when this is clearly not desirable, and when 
certain key ITEMS must be kept in your limited inventory (possibly 
precluding you from taking new ITEMS).  Otherwise, use common sense, but be
adventurous!

If an AREA says "no special notes", it means that these basic tips are all 
you should need to complete the AREA successfully.  After each AREA, there
may be an important NOTE concerning later events, so read the NOTES 
carefully!

___________________________________________________________________________

CHAPTER ONE     [CH1]

     AREA ONE - Introduction and tutorial
     AREA TWO - Remember to explore all SCREENS before leaving!
     AREA THREE - Try out your first MINI-GAME.
     AREA FOUR - (no special notes)
     AREA FIVE - It is important to beat both MINI-GAMES in this AREA.  The 
          first gives you an ITEM (ITEM#1) needed to get S RANK in the next 
          battle.  The second gives you access to a secret AREA.
     AREA NINE - (no special notes)
     AREA SIX - To get another important ITEM (ITEM#2), go right at the
          fork in the path, and get S RANK in the next battle.  
     ITEM NOTE - It is necessary to learn the OVER SKILL from ITEM#2 in 
          this AREA and keep it until CHAPTER TWO, AREA THREE in order to 
          S RANK early battles in CHAPTER TWO.  
     AREA SEVEN - (no special notes)
     AREA EIGHT - The first boss battle!  
     ITEM NOTE - If you attain S RANK on this boss battle, you will get a 
          powerful ITEM.  Like most of the boss battle ITEMS, no one can
          learn any OVER SKILLS from it, so don't be afraid to use it up.

CHAPTER TWO     [CH2]

     INTERLUDE - CHAPTER TWO starts with an INTERLUDE, as do the remaining 
          CHAPTERS.  The GUIDE will not detail all of the AREAS in the 
          INTERLUDE, but will give any NOTES that may be necessary.
     ITEM NOTE - Keep ITEM#3, received from a child, until CHAPTER THREE.
     AREA ONE - Use the OVER SKILL from ITEM#2 in order to attain S RANK in
           the first battle.  Do NOT search the BRIARS on the last SCREEN.
     AREA TWO - Use ITEM#2 in order to attain S RANK in both battles.
     AREA THREE - Use the OVER SKILL from ITEM#2 in order to attain S RANK
          in the first battle in this AREA.  After this battle, you will 
          have access to PRACTICE and will no longer need ITEM#2 because 
          you will be able to quickly master other OVER SKILLS.
     NOTE - PRACTICE is a very important part of this game!  It might be
          useful to read the sub-section on PRACTICE under BATTLE 
          INFORMATION below.
     AREA FOUR - There is a battle in the second SCREEN of this AREA that
          you automatically LOSE.  You can fight this battle multiple times
          and damage to the MONSTER is cumulative.  I suggest also losing 
          the second time you fight, because you will get an important ITEM
          (ITEM#4). After the first time you lose this fight you will be 
          separated from one of your party members, randomly determined, 
          for a single battle.
     ITEM NOTE - Get ITEM#4 for access to two good ITEMS later on.
     BACKTRACK - You will bounce between AREAS THREE, FOUR and FIVE before
          continuing on after defeating the MONSTER in AREA FOUR.
     AREA FIVE - Go right at the fork to avoid missing a secret AREA.
     AREA NINE - You have a choice between three, equally useful ITEMS in 
          this AREA, and you can only get one.  You will have to fight a
          different MONSTER for each ITEM.  These battles are very hard (or
          impossible depending upon what ITEMS you have) to S RANK.  
          Fortunately, you get the same ITEMS for A RANK.
     BACKTRACK - Head back through AREAS THREE and FOUR to AREA FIVE.
     AREA FIVE (cont) - (no special notes)
     AREA SIX - (no special notes)
     AREA SEVEN - Go down at the fork first, and then backtrack to SCREEN 
          ONE to receive one or two important ITEMS.  Also, note that the 
          battle on the last SCREEN is not winnable at this time.
     ITEM NOTE - In AREA SEVEN you will have the option to give up ITEM#4 
          in exchange for another ITEM.  It is up to you which to choose,
          but I would suggest (for the best overall result) keeping ITEM#4.
       AREA EIGHT - The boss battle in this AREA has two stages.  In the 
          first stage you will be unable to do any damage.  If you can get
          S RANK in the second stage, you will get another powerful 
          one-shot ITEM.

CHAPTER THREE     [CH3]

     INTERLUDE - In CHAPTER TWO you may have found a code.  When you give 
          the code to the person looking for it, do NOT talk to that person 
          again during this INTERLUDE if you want to unlock extra game 
          content later. Remember to otherwise treat each INTERLUDE as an 
          new AREA and talk to everyone at least twice!
     ITEM NOTE - In order to get a powerful ITEM after this CHAPTER, you 
          must attain a high SCORE.  S RANK most or all battles, win all 
          MINIGAMES, get all ITEMS you can, and solve the PUZZLE in AREA 
          ONE quickly.
     AREA ONE - Explore up and down first.  Do NOT look at the northern 
          chest! For large plants: look, but don't take; for small plants: 
          take, but don't eat!
     AREA TWO - (no special notes)
     AREA THREE - You will leave this AREA suddenly, but will be able to 
          return.
     AREA FOUR - (no special notes)
     AREA ONE (cont.) -  You can return to AREAS TWO and THREE, or you can 
          explore right for a PUZZLE and some ITEMS.
     PUZZLE NOTES - This is tricky, as there are THREE solutions, each with 
          its own reward (two treasures and access to the exit).  However, 
          the first SCREEN where you arrive doesn't "count" for one 
          solution, but does for the other two, which can be confusing. 
          For best results, save, explore, then restore your game and use 
          each solution in turn.
     BACKTRACK - Note that things may have changed the second time through.
     AREA THREE (cont.) - (no special notes)
     AREA NINE - On the SCREEN with a statue, make sure you look up FIRST 
          and choose to CATCH what you find, to unlock a powerful ITEM 
          later on.
     AREA FIVE - (no special notes)
     AREA SIX - Backtrack one SCREEN before leaving this AREA.
     AREA SEVEN - Have NPCs pick up something found on the ground to access
          a scene later (see CHAPTER FOUR INTERLUDE note).
     AREA EIGHT - S RANK the boss battle for a powerful one-shot ITEM.

CHAPTER FOUR     [CH4]

     INTERLUDE - There are two "fan service" scenes in Riviera, one in this 
          INTERLUDE.  Note that they are not required and provide no ITEMS.
     ITEM NOTE - In this chapter there are numerous written ITEMS.  You can
          read them from the out-of-battle menu: check out EVENT ITEMS.
     CHAPTER NOTE - Several AREAS in this CHAPTER depend upon timing, so
          this time only look at things ONCE unless told otherwise.
     AREA ONE - (no special notes)
     AREA TWO - Do NOT look at the rocks on the first SCREEN.  On the
           second SCREEN, look up TWICE.
     AREA THREE - This is a large AREA.  Explore right before exploring up.
           When you have to leave an NPC behind, leave S or F.
     AREA FOUR - Pull the left rope of the three.
     AREA FIVE - (no special notes)
     AREA SIX - Treat this AREA like a timed PUZZLE; count turns carefully.
     PUZZLE NOTES - Backtrack to get two ITEMS plus a total of 3 chests.
     AREA SEVEN - (no special notes)
     AREA EIGHT - Do NOT look at the first statue.  Look at the second
          statue TWICE, then backtrack to look at the first to go to a 
          secret AREA!
     AREA NINE - Looking at the statue on the first two SCREENS will annoy
          NPCs, but the third SCREEN is safe and will give you an ITEM.
     AREA EIGHT (cont.) - Boss battle, S RANK for one-shot ITEM.

CHAPTER FIVE     [CH5]

     INTERLUDE - The second "fan service" scene can be viewed, if you wish.
     AREA ONE - Some backtracking may be required.
     AREA TWO - After exploring the third SCREEN, backtrack to the first.
     AREA THREE - Explore down to a new AREA, you will return here after.
     AREA SIX - Explore this AREA thoroughly, then backtrack to AREA THREE.
     AREA THREE (cont.) - This time, go up to another AREA.
     AREA FIVE - Again, explore thoroughly before returning to AREA THREE.
     AREA THREE (cont.) - Finally, explore to the right and exit.
     AREA FOUR - This AREA is the second big PUZZLE of the game.  You will
          jump between AREA FOUR and AREA SEVEN multiple times, but explore
          how the PUZZLE works before saving.  Two final notes:  First, 
          avoid getting wet, it will affect your inventory.  Second, you 
          may find a place where you can play a MINI-GAME over and over
          again.  This will give you a higher SCORE, but no other reward.
     AREA SEVEN - This is the second AREA of the PUZZLE.
     PUZZLE NOTE - Again, there are multiple ways to solve the PUZZLE, each
          with its own rewards.  The first way is to use the information
          that you gathered in AREAS FIVE and SIX.  This will get you most
          of the treasures, and access to the exit.  There are other ways
          to solve the PUZZLE, which will give you access to more treasure
          and a secret AREA. It might be helpful to draw some maps to
          find these other solutions.
     AREA NINE - A secret AREA accessed by solving the PUZZLE in AREA FOUR.
          The ITEM that you get at the end will unlock a BONUS CHAPTER.
     AREA EIGHT - Boss battle, S RANK for one-shot ITEM.

CHAPTER SIX      [CH6]

     INTERLUDE - There are two places where talking/doing something up to
          five times in a row will get you an ITEM, so explore thoroughly!
     AREA ONE - (no special notes)
     AREA TWO - In the next three AREAS you can drop down to lower levels,
          but once you do you cannot return.  Make sure you explore all of
          a level first before dropping down or jumping to a far point.
     AREA THREE - There are two exits to this AREA.  Take the one on the
          first level.  Don't lose your first fight and don't drop down!
     AREA FOUR - Again, explore each level before dropping down.  On one 
          level there are two drop down possibilities.  Take the left one 
          and exit to a secret AREA!  (You can return later).
     ITEM NOTE - Keep the ITEM that you find on the level with two possible
          drop points (ITEM#5) to use in a special event in AREA SIX. 
     AREA NINE - (no special notes)
     AREA FOUR (cont.) - (no special notes)
     AREA FIVE - (no special notes)
     AREA SIX - Explore up first.
     ITEM NOTE - If you have ITEM#5 you can trade it for a better ITEM.
     AREA SEVEN - (no special notes)
     AREA EIGHT - Boss battle, not as nice an ITEM for S RANK though.

CHAPTER SEVEN     [CH7]

     INTERLUDE - (no special notes)
     AREA ONE - (no special notes)
     AREA TWO - Two fights here must be handled carefully:  1) S RANK at
          least one with the leader(s) defeated last to get ITEM#6.  
          2) Don't let the leader(s) use their special abilities!
     AREA THREE - use ITEM#6 from AREA TWO to get to a secret AREA.
     AREA NINE - (no special notes)
     AREA THREE (cont.) - (no special notes)
     AREA FOUR - (no special notes)
     AREA FIVE - The next three areas form a sort of maze, so you will jump
          back and forth until you reach the end of AREA SEVEN.
     AREA SIX - (no special notes)
     AREA SEVEN - Second-to-last battle at the end of this AREA.  Be 
          prepared with multiple attack types for best results.
     AREA EIGHT - Final battle!  Good luck!

CHAPTER EIGHT     [CH8]

     This is a bonus CHAPTER which you can unlock and play after the game 
     is over.  See CHAPTER FIVE for notes on how to unlock it.  When you 
     play this CHAPTER, your characters' stats will be fixed, your ITEMS 
     will be pre-set and you will have mastered all OVER SKILLS for the 
     ITEMS that you have.  There are no special notes for this CHAPTER.

___________________________________________________________________________

BATTLE INFORMATION     [BIN]

The NPCs in-game will teach you how to fight battles, but there's a lot 
more information available to you than what the in-game tutorial provides! 
This section is not an exhaustive guide to that information, but it should 
provide enough tips to get you well on your way to success.

CHARACTER STATUS    [CST]

You can view STATUS for your MAIN CHARACTER and any NPCs in your party from 
both the in-battle and out-of-battle menus (press the RIGHT SHOULDER BUTTON
to access the in-battle menu; press SELECT to access the out-of-battle 
menu.)  You can view a MONSTER's STATUS before choosing what NPCs are in 
your group (an option you will not get until CHAPTER TWO), and from the 
in-battle menu.  There are five STATISTICS listed under STATUS, and all are 
fairly self-explanatory:  STRENGTH, MAGIC, AGILITY, VITALITY and MAX HIT 
POINTS.  There is also a set of pictures at the bottom of the character 
STATUS pages that shows how skilled the character is with different 
weapons.  However, these can be misleading and it is generally more useful
to look at a character's skills with each individual ITEM.  NPCs have a 
symbol next to their portrait that shows how well they like your MAIN 
CHARACTER (see the SPECIAL ENDINGS section for more information.)  

The most important piece of information on the STATUS page (especially for 
MONSTERS!) is a bar graph which shows what attacks are most/least effective 
against that character or MONSTER.  A bar above the mid-line indicates a 
high level of resistance.  A bar below the mid-line indicates a weakness or
vulnerability.  Listed next to the bar are the most and least effective
attacks, but in the case of a tie only one attack will be shown, so make 
sure to check the bar graph itself!  For more on attack types, see the 
ITEMS section below.

OVER SKILLS     [OVS]

You may have noticed that there is no character level system.  Instead, 
your character improves STATISTICS by learning OVER SKILLS from ITEMS. 
Learning OVER SKILLS is generally explained during the in-game tutorial,
but it is very important, so I will mention it again here.  While every 
character will have a normal skill associated with an ITEM, only certain 
characters will be able to learn an OVER SKILL by using that ITEM.  It is 
critical for success in the game to learn every OVER SKILL possible as soon
as you are able!  Each OVER SKILL also has a level, ranging from LEVEL ONE
(lowest) to LEVEL THREE, plus "EXL" (which is greater than LEVEL THREE).  
This is important because it tells you how many levels on the OVER DRIVE 
BAR you need to use the skill, as well as how good a finishing move the 
OVER SKILL will be (see BATTLE RANKING below).

PRACTICE     [PRC]

The option to practice between combats does not appear until part way 
through CHAPTER TWO.  When it does, it is very important that you make full
use of PRACTICE.  The general rules will be explained in-game, but here are
some tips.  First, use PRACTICE to master every OVER SKILL possible when 
you get a new ITEM.  You may want to wait until right before saving the 
game (i.e., leaving an AREA) to do this, but don't wait any longer than 
that!  Second, use PRACTICE to experiment with ITEMS and tactics.  You 
should try out your OVER SKILLS to see how they work against different 
MONSTERS.  Third, use PRACTICE to get free ITEMS as needed.  MONSTERS that
you can PRACTICE against will drop ITEMS after combat, meaning that you
have an unlimited supply of these ITEMS and thus need not carry extras.  
Once you are able to PRACTICE, you should never have to drop or use up 
an ITEM for which you have not mastered every OVER SKILL possible.

TURN-BASED COMBAT     [TBC]

RIVIERA uses a turn-based combat system.  Each character has a WAIT score 
that decreases as their turn approaches.  After that character has acted, 
the WAIT score resets to a higher number, depending on how fast the 
character is.  Faster characters will get more actions in combat than 
slower ones.  In addition, not all actions are the same.  A combat action, 
such as an attack, resets your WAIT to a higher number than a non-combat 
action, such as using an ITEM to raise your STRENGTH.  If you have two 
characters in the front row, using attacks will be faster, while if you 
have two characters in the back row, using magic will be faster.  You can 
view the WAIT score of everyone in combat, including MONSTERS, by selecting
WAIT from the in-battle menu.  This is especially useful when setting up 
your finishing move (see BATTLE RANKING below).

THE RAGE BAR     [TRB]

This is similar to the OVER DRIVE BAR (explained in-game), but for 
MONSTERS.  It is important to note that the game sometimes "cheats" with 
the RAGE BAR, giving MONSTERS an increase in RAGE for plot purposes.  In 
any case, it is good to pay close attention to the RAGE BAR, because some 
MONSTERS have very powerful special attacks that they can use when the RAGE
BAR is full.  MONSTERS share the RAGE BAR in the same way that characters 
share the OVER DRIVE BAR.  A good tactician will learn to manipulate the 
RAGE BAR and WAIT times so that the MONSTER that gets to use its special 
ability (i.e., whose turn it is next after the RAGE BAR is full) is not the
most powerful MONSTER in the group!

TACTICS HINTS     [THN]

Selecting TACTICS from the in-battle menu will give you a hint on how to 
fight each MONSTER.

BATTLE RANKING     [BRK]

After each battle, you will be given a RANK.  The highest RANK possible is 
S RANK.  Your rank will depend upon two things:  first, how fast you finish 
the battle (the fewer turns you take, measured in WAIT, the better); 
second, how you deal the final blow.  You get more points if your final 
attack uses an OVER SKILL, and the higher level of OVER SKILL you use, the 
better.

ITEMS     [ITM]

As explained in the in-game tutorial, you can only use an ITEM a limited 
number of times before it breaks.  However, it does not pay to be stingy in
using ITEMS because you can only carry sixteen ITEMS at a time!  
Information on each ITEM can be found by pressing the right shoulder button 
when that ITEM is highlighted on the ITEM list.  Here are some tips that 
should help you determine which ITEMS to keep and which ITEMS to use:

NOTE WHICH SKILLS AND OVER SKILLS EACH CHARACTER CAN USE WITH THE ITEM:  

Because different characters can use an ITEM in different ways, some ITEMS 
can be extremely versatile: inflicting damage when used by one character 
and healing when used by another!

NOTE WHICH STATISTIC THE ITEM USES FOR DAMAGE:  

An ITEM will use a character's ATTACK or MAGIC STATISTIC for each 
particular skill or OVER SKILL. 

NOTE THE NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 

The number of symbols displayed under each skill or OVER SKILL represents 
the number of attacks made by an Item.  Each attack may miss or hit, so the
more attacks, the greater the chance of successfully doing some damage.

NOTE THE DAMAGE TYPE OF THE ITEM'S ATTACKS:  

There are five types of attack damage: White (PHYSICAL), Blue (ICE), Red 
(FIRE), Yellow (LIGHTNING) and Green (HOLY).  Use attacks that are 
effective against the MONSTER you are fighting.

NOTE ANY SPECIAL EFFECTS THAT THE ITEM MIGHT HAVE: 

Pressing the RIGHT SHOULDER BUTTON during combat before using a skill or 
OVER SKILL tells you about any special properties of the ITEM.

NOTE THE AREA THAT THE ITEM TARGETS:  

You cannot choose what MONSTER to attack; the skill or OVER SKILL you use 
determines it.  Some ITEMS target a single MONSTER, some target multiple 
MONSTERS, and some are random.

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SPECIAL ENDINGS     [SPE]

There are six different special endings that you can get in the game, 
although the main quest will end in the same way.  The ending you get 
depends upon how much the NPCs in your party like your MAIN CHARACTER, 
which is in turn determined by decisions you have made throughout the game.
As I mentioned above, there are a huge number of decisions that affect NPC 
attitudes, and it would be impossible to list all of them without spoiling 
the game.  However, I will provide general guidelines to getting the 
special ending that you want.

To avoid spoilers, I will name the special endings as follows:  ENDING L, 
ENDING F, ENDING S AND ENDING C depend upon whether the NPC in your party 
whose name begins with that letter likes your MAIN CHARACTER the best (as 
compared to the other NPCs) by the end of the game.  There are also two 
additional endings, for which you must have gotten all four NPC endings 
first!  Both of these endings require that none of the NPCs likes your MAIN
CHARACTER particularly well.  The first of these I'll call ENDING N (for 
None) and the second I will call ENDING NC.  For ENDING NC, none of the 
NPCs should like you particularly well, but NPC "C" should like you better 
than the rest of them. Some endings are harder to get than others.  
Generally: ENDING L is the easiest, followed by ENDING S, then ENDING C, 
and then ENDING F.  If you have already gotten all four of these endings, 
ENDING N is much easier to get than ENDING NC.

There are several ways to gauge whether an NPC likes your MAIN CHARACTER. 
First, use common sense!  If you offend them, they will dislike you.  Treat 
them well and they will like you more.  Second, symbols may appear over an 
NPC's head after you take a given action.  A musical note or a heart 
indicates a positive gain, while an ellipsis (. . .) or a broken heart 
indicates displeasure.  Third, when you look at the NPC's STATUS screen, 
they will display a symbol that tells you how they feel (similar to the 
ones that appear over their heads in play).  Finally, at the end of a 
CHAPTER, when you receive your total SCORE, you will see a picture of the 
NPC who likes you the best.

In addition to conversation choices, NPCs who die in combat will like you 
less, and NPCs who you allow to deal the finishing blow in combat will like
you more.  A good rule of thumb for an NPC that you want to like you:  
Never let them die in combat and allow them to deal a finishing blow 
(PRACTICE battles do not count!) at least twice per CHAPTER.  

One final note to help you get the ending that you want:  Remember that the
NPC who likes you the best will help determine your ending. Thus, you may 
want to deliberately annoy some of the other NPCs to give your favored NPC
an advantage.  

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CONCLUSION AND UPDATES     [CON]

I hope that this GUIDE will help you in enjoying RIVIERA!  RIVIERA is an 
often overlooked strategy RPG and while it is very experimental, it is a 
nice change of pace from the other games out there and a good addition to
anyone's GBA collection!

BALSAMIC DRAGON

6/17/06 - VERSION 1.0