I enjoyed reading your analysis Oya! Like you, I just wanted to finish the boss fight at the end of Act I so I could go to bed. Then, complete chaos 😭
I was badly shaken by Gustave’s sudden demise and I don’t think I completely got over it which was why Maelle’s ending was a no-brainer for me. The devs did a fantastic job of making me feel what Aline was feeling by using Gustave as the player’s version of Verso. And when I found out that Verso could have saved Gustave? I was like: oh hell no!
My biggest issue with Verso, apart from all the lying and sneakiness, was that he unilaterally thought that he alone had the right solution or ideas by virtue of his age/experience. Remember how he said the Axons were pretty much impossible to kill?
I feel like by letting Gustave die, he eliminated any chance of an alternative ending to the one we got. I mean this is the same guy who came up with the lumina converter that essentially made the whole expedition go from a lost cause to a decisive victory. What if Gustave could have convinced Alicia to exit the canvas? Or presented an alternative that would have worked for everyone? I guess now we’ll never know.
I have a LOT of thoughts on the story as you can see lol! I had a fantastic time playing this game and I’m looking forward to what else this studio has in store for us.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! The end of Act I got me by the throat for sure. I could not believe that Gustave was gone, just like that! I really thought he was going to come back. I wish you could have seen the face I made when I realized that Verso was his ''replacement'' lol. I did NOT want this man! I was like, give me back my kind and loving leader who apologizes profusely to a Gestral because he (unwillingly) yelled at it, who keeps a journal for his little apprentices, who made sure to support Sophie at her final moments 😭
You are absolutely right about the devs making the player feel what Aline was feeling. I'm absolutely sure that this was intentional on their part and wow did it hurt.
And I completely get what you mean, a third choice was robbed from us because Verso did what he did. That's why he says that they are all hypocrites, doing the same thing to each other. Because he absolutely recognizes his hypocrisy and doesn't feel good about it - that's what made him such an interesting character for me. I don't know how many times I've said ''what the hell, Verso??'' out loud during my playthough 😂 I still appreciate his character, I felt like he had so many layers to his motivations. I definitely understand why people have issues with him though, completely warranted.
I'm currently slowly playing through NG+ and let me tell you, I feel upset every time I see Gustave on my screen. I keep doing side content because I don't want to finish Act I yet. I even equipped Gustave with the Second Chance pictos so that I wouldn't see him die again lol. The denial is strong...
I have faith that their next game will be just as solid! I hope they take their time and give us another game that will hit just as good as this one 😁
Right???! My favourite Gustave moment was when they were just about to fight François and he broke the fourth wall and looked right at the camera like: is this really happening? 🤣
His death was like a cruel joke. Plus Verso looked so shifty all the time! I was giving him the side eye from the beginning - something about his demeanor just made me cautious, even as he started to grow on me a little.
Plus I kept thinking they would bring Gustave back somehow and my party could go back to the way it was 😭
You're absolutely right about Verso. These complexities are what make him so compelling as a character. The fact that a fictional figure could evoke such strong emotions in us as players is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in bringing these characters to life.
What you mentioned about seeing Gustave in NG+ is precisely why I couldn't bring myself to play again. I just can't do it just yet - I need more time lol!
I totally get you! Normally I would also take some time between replays but I guess I love making myself suffer 🤣 I think it's a good idea to take your time and go back to it whenever you feel like it! <3
So I haven't played this, am intrigued and may get round to it in the future. I did follow along with your write up though - I don't mind spoilers, life is too short to be worrying about stuff like that!
What I was picking up on though were the characters and how they looked in your screenshots and GIFs. They looked incredible! And not just in terms of static graphics rendering, but their animations and/or motion-capture. I may not know the context behind what each character is thinking, but I see genuine human emotion that I can interpret. Am I mistaken that this is not a triple-A game exactly, more a mid-tier costing game? Because if it is, it has put many budget busting, splashy games to shame in my opinion.
Firstly, thank you so much for reading even though you haven't played the game. I appreciate it!
And yes, you are absolutely correct. IIrc they call it an AA game, and costs cheaper than a triple-A game. Theirs is not a small team per se, but it's also not as big as the triple-A games in the industry, that's for sure. What they managed to do is really commendable.
What you said is exactly why I tried to put as many GIFs as possible. The range of emotions they managed to capture on screen is even more incredible in motion than in screenshots. Some of them are obvious but a lot of them are very subtle, and now that I'm playing through the game again, I find it even more amazing to see just how much work they put into the animations and motion capture. Because now I can pay more attention to what's going on in the background, with the other characters and it really pays off. They paid so much attention to the characters' body language and I can only hope that they continue putting this much detail in their future works.
I enjoyed reading your analysis Oya! Like you, I just wanted to finish the boss fight at the end of Act I so I could go to bed. Then, complete chaos 😭
I was badly shaken by Gustave’s sudden demise and I don’t think I completely got over it which was why Maelle’s ending was a no-brainer for me. The devs did a fantastic job of making me feel what Aline was feeling by using Gustave as the player’s version of Verso. And when I found out that Verso could have saved Gustave? I was like: oh hell no!
My biggest issue with Verso, apart from all the lying and sneakiness, was that he unilaterally thought that he alone had the right solution or ideas by virtue of his age/experience. Remember how he said the Axons were pretty much impossible to kill?
I feel like by letting Gustave die, he eliminated any chance of an alternative ending to the one we got. I mean this is the same guy who came up with the lumina converter that essentially made the whole expedition go from a lost cause to a decisive victory. What if Gustave could have convinced Alicia to exit the canvas? Or presented an alternative that would have worked for everyone? I guess now we’ll never know.
I have a LOT of thoughts on the story as you can see lol! I had a fantastic time playing this game and I’m looking forward to what else this studio has in store for us.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! The end of Act I got me by the throat for sure. I could not believe that Gustave was gone, just like that! I really thought he was going to come back. I wish you could have seen the face I made when I realized that Verso was his ''replacement'' lol. I did NOT want this man! I was like, give me back my kind and loving leader who apologizes profusely to a Gestral because he (unwillingly) yelled at it, who keeps a journal for his little apprentices, who made sure to support Sophie at her final moments 😭
You are absolutely right about the devs making the player feel what Aline was feeling. I'm absolutely sure that this was intentional on their part and wow did it hurt.
And I completely get what you mean, a third choice was robbed from us because Verso did what he did. That's why he says that they are all hypocrites, doing the same thing to each other. Because he absolutely recognizes his hypocrisy and doesn't feel good about it - that's what made him such an interesting character for me. I don't know how many times I've said ''what the hell, Verso??'' out loud during my playthough 😂 I still appreciate his character, I felt like he had so many layers to his motivations. I definitely understand why people have issues with him though, completely warranted.
I'm currently slowly playing through NG+ and let me tell you, I feel upset every time I see Gustave on my screen. I keep doing side content because I don't want to finish Act I yet. I even equipped Gustave with the Second Chance pictos so that I wouldn't see him die again lol. The denial is strong...
I have faith that their next game will be just as solid! I hope they take their time and give us another game that will hit just as good as this one 😁
Right???! My favourite Gustave moment was when they were just about to fight François and he broke the fourth wall and looked right at the camera like: is this really happening? 🤣
His death was like a cruel joke. Plus Verso looked so shifty all the time! I was giving him the side eye from the beginning - something about his demeanor just made me cautious, even as he started to grow on me a little.
Plus I kept thinking they would bring Gustave back somehow and my party could go back to the way it was 😭
You're absolutely right about Verso. These complexities are what make him so compelling as a character. The fact that a fictional figure could evoke such strong emotions in us as players is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in bringing these characters to life.
What you mentioned about seeing Gustave in NG+ is precisely why I couldn't bring myself to play again. I just can't do it just yet - I need more time lol!
I totally get you! Normally I would also take some time between replays but I guess I love making myself suffer 🤣 I think it's a good idea to take your time and go back to it whenever you feel like it! <3
So I haven't played this, am intrigued and may get round to it in the future. I did follow along with your write up though - I don't mind spoilers, life is too short to be worrying about stuff like that!
What I was picking up on though were the characters and how they looked in your screenshots and GIFs. They looked incredible! And not just in terms of static graphics rendering, but their animations and/or motion-capture. I may not know the context behind what each character is thinking, but I see genuine human emotion that I can interpret. Am I mistaken that this is not a triple-A game exactly, more a mid-tier costing game? Because if it is, it has put many budget busting, splashy games to shame in my opinion.
Firstly, thank you so much for reading even though you haven't played the game. I appreciate it!
And yes, you are absolutely correct. IIrc they call it an AA game, and costs cheaper than a triple-A game. Theirs is not a small team per se, but it's also not as big as the triple-A games in the industry, that's for sure. What they managed to do is really commendable.
What you said is exactly why I tried to put as many GIFs as possible. The range of emotions they managed to capture on screen is even more incredible in motion than in screenshots. Some of them are obvious but a lot of them are very subtle, and now that I'm playing through the game again, I find it even more amazing to see just how much work they put into the animations and motion capture. Because now I can pay more attention to what's going on in the background, with the other characters and it really pays off. They paid so much attention to the characters' body language and I can only hope that they continue putting this much detail in their future works.
I’m going to bookmark this one for when I actually finish the game 😅
It'll be here, waiting for you! 😁