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I don't even know what's happening anymore Who was the woman Rhue killed at the end of Chap 4? Lyrra? Lexus?
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Jul 2, 2019 02:14
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Tallgeese posted:What makes you think the Illuminati are the Shadow Swords, out of curiosity? Just the way they were introduced. "Oh you're adventurers, you must be looking for these badass swords. Of course, they no longer exist in their current form..." Meanwhile, the only badass swords relevant in the setting now are Shadow Swords.
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Jul 2, 2019 02:17
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:I don't even know what's happening anymore Lexus was the one he was tricked into killing towards the end of Episode 4. Lyrra is the one he killed right at the very end of Episode 5.
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Jul 2, 2019 03:16
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SSNeoman posted:I'm gonna be honest, if that was the ending I got after 6 goddamned episodes, I'd be annoyed as all hell. After the endless parades of distractions and finding straw for holes in buckets we find out that Serena is dead. I don't think the Reaches ending really confirms Serena as dead any stronger than the information we had by the end of Episode 5. If anything, the plot revelations in Ep6 seem to imply that her ultimate fate doesn't even really matter, and that her role is more symbolic, like a fantasy girlfriend version of Godot. I do agree that the emotional, philosophical stuff doesn't 100% land because the narrative is a little too fractured and bloated to fully work on that level. Perfect example, in the Shoals sequence we're presumably supposed to pity Traziun or at least question the worth of his single-mindedness, but just one chapter before the game also uncritically presents us with that super juvenile sequence where he storms some random castle and slaughters a bunch of mooks, and in that moment we're meant to think he's a cool badass. It feels a bit like a cop-out, trying to have it both ways like that. Still very interested to see where the other endings take us though, this game definitely has a certain ineffable element to it despite everything. It's given me more cause to think on and digest it as a text than many many other, indisputably-better games, so there's that at least. King of Bleh fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 05:44
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Episode 6: Part 24: The Guise of Serena.
Fleshwit fucked around with this message at 09:32 on Apr 12, 2020 |
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Jul 2, 2019 08:33
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Episode 6 Finale: The End Of The Way.
Fleshwit fucked around with this message at 10:18 on Apr 12, 2020 |
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Jul 2, 2019 16:39
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Maybe I'm being dense but isn't a major plothole that Gaius knew all this time that Rhue wasn't Rhue and was carrying a Shadown Sword and killing off tons of people and did nothing to stop it until 5 episodes later?
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Jul 2, 2019 17:23
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DariusLikewise posted:Maybe I'm being dense but isn't a major plothole that Gaius knew all this time that Rhue wasn't Rhue and was carrying a Shadown Sword and killing off tons of people and did nothing to stop it until 5 episodes later? I think he didn't know that as such. I think he knew something was wrong, but took some time to put the pieces together.
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Jul 2, 2019 17:29
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DariusLikewise posted:Maybe I'm being dense but isn't a major plothole that Gaius knew all this time that Rhue wasn't Rhue and was carrying a Shadown Sword and killing off tons of people and did nothing to stop it until 5 episodes later? That's something I've thought about a lot and there's no super clear answer that I can see. The best I got is he didn't seem to realise Rhue had the Phantom Slasher until Episode 5. In Episode 2, he's actually initially confused why Rhue doesn't seem to remember him. He does seem to realise something there but doesn't say what, just that it's perfect. As I said at the end of Episode 5, what seems to make Gaius decide Rhue can't keep on as he is, is that he recognizes... whatever that place is, after passing the cave that used to be the 'End Of The Way'. Perhaps he realised how old Rhue must be, or there's something special about that place. The Phantom Slasher chose it for those memories for some reason or other. I have an idea for that too, but it's based on very, very little evidence.
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Jul 2, 2019 17:30
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Geez, I kinda want to start this LP over from the beginning just to see how poo poo developed over time to this point. For such a janky game in many ways it is really oddly compelling.
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Jul 2, 2019 17:30
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Fleshwit posted:That's something I've thought about a lot and there's no super clear answer that I can see. The best I got is he didn't seem to realise Rhue had the Phantom Slasher until Episode 5. In Episode 2, he's actually initially confused why Rhue doesn't seem to remember him. He does seem to realise something there but doesn't say what, just that it's perfect. I was reading the first few pages of the LP and the first thing that kind of tipped me off was Gaius taking off as soon as their group landed at Lyrra's camp. It seemed like Gaius knew that the phantom slasher was coming and took off. I guess there's a question of whether Gaius was just flightly and didn't want to stay or if he knew the slasher was coming but didn't know it was a part of Rhue.
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Jul 2, 2019 17:51
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DariusLikewise posted:I was reading the first few pages of the LP and the first thing that kind of tipped me off was Gaius taking off as soon as their group landed at Lyrra's camp. It seemed like Gaius knew that the phantom slasher was coming and took off. I guess there's a question of whether Gaius was just flightly and didn't want to stay or if he knew the slasher was coming but didn't know it was a part of Rhue. Oh, Gaius probably has no reason to be frightened of the Phantom Slasher. In fact, if somehow it did manage to kill him, I suspect it might do have the same effect killing Traziun did. Rhue literally couldn't hurt Gaius with the sword on two separate occasions. The mostly accepted idea is that the sword outright refuses to harm Gaius because of... whatever Kalmar did to make him his Perfect Blade. His Ultimate Instrument of Justice. Just like the Illuminati and the Shadow Swords. And Traziun was the -failed- Perfect Blade, if you remember.
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Jul 2, 2019 17:56
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SSNeoman posted:I'm gonna be honest, if that was the ending I got after 6 goddamned episodes, I'd be annoyed as all hell. After the endless parades of distractions and finding straw for holes in buckets we find out that Serena is dead. 
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Jul 2, 2019 18:52
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GunnerJ posted:Geez, I kinda want to start this LP over from the beginning just to see how poo poo developed over time to this point. For such a janky game in many ways it is really oddly compelling. Hell, I'm doing it. First thing notable to me is that Rhue's opening internal monologue is pretty creepy when you realize that it's not a normal person reminiscing about his actual past, but more like a spooky sword demon slowly taking over someone's mind a few hours after possessing him. "Nothing can replace her. I've realized that now." Yes, but it's a more immediate now than we realized at the time, yikes. Edit: The whole thing becomes like a rote mantra to maintain the integrity of the false persona that he repeats to everybody to explain himself. Geez. Edit 2: quote:The shadowy figure draws its sword as it approaches the tent. You also see its faceset silhouette briefly as it says "...". It looks very similar to the outline of a character I'll point out later. Wait, is this yet to happen? Not trying to nag, just trying to see if I missed it. 
GunnerJ fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 19:27
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Fleshwit posted:Oh, Gaius probably has no reason to be frightened of the Phantom Slasher. In fact, if somehow it did manage to kill him, I suspect it might do have the same effect killing Traziun did. It's either that, or Phantom Slasher cannot harm Gaius because he carries the final pure Illuminati. As you can imagine from meeting up with Arctura, Phantom Slasher was originally Arctura. Phantom Slasher was corrupted in the Lord Below's desperate attack, and it enacts justice on people because it believes they cannot change, possibly due to fear. When Traizun stabbed himself with no fear, the sword realized it was wrong and that not all fail (see its line in the Reaches ending), and by its own standards it must be destroyed. What's probably going on here is that Rhue is Venge, son of the Lord Below that survived the desperate attack. Phantom Slasher is either lying about not knowing who he is, or lost its memory of being Arctura (it is probably this one). The easiest explanation of how Venge got Arctura is that he was given it to kill his father, whose brow he scarred with it. Sacrifia's version of the story is probably the wrong one. Normal people would go mad from the Shadow Swords' aura absorption properties, which are probably a result of their corruption. However, because Venge is a demon and survived his father's attack, he somehow gained the property of taking on other people's appearances and identities. The mirrors are the first hint. Venge does not like them because they risk his realization that his appearance keeps changing. Traizun's mother saying "your face keeps changing" is the second. So, Phantom Slasher swapped the main aura as needed to accomplish its goals. This either allowed it to gain a functionally unlimited amount of auras and therefore functionally infinite power, or it just liked to not have to go through the trouble of finding a new host. Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 19:56
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Tallgeese posted:What's probably going on here is that Rhue is Venge, son of the Lord Below that survived the desperate attack. Phantom Slasher is either lying about not knowing who he is, or lost its memory of being Arctura (it is probably this one). The easiest explanation of how Venge got Arctura is that he was given it to kill his father, whose brow he scarred with it. Sacrifia's version of the story is probably the wrong one. Okay, I'm missing something. As I understood that last update, "Rhue" (as in, the character we've been following throughout the games) is actually the headhunter Midian, who was the most recent in a long line of people more or less taken over by the sword. The mirror dislike would just be because of the clash between the persona the sword forced on him, and the face of someone totally different. I don't understand how any of this is supposed to work if "Rhue" himself is an immortal shapeshifting demon. Like, who was the demon in disguise in that "Killed a guy together" scene at the end? I guess it would have to be Midian, since the scene ends with the start of the first game, but I thought he didn't have the shadow sword until he took it from Jeruh in that scene. Although I guess with my interpretation the "You are an anomaly, you once had a name but it has been lost" stuff doesn't make sense either. I don't know, I'm lost. What was the deal with that "I've been waiting a lifetime for this" stuff when Midian killed Jeruh? Why was Jeruh in that room in the tower? How did that purple-haired actual-landorin-survivor guy end up in the sword? Are we supposed to know what was up with those guys killed by the sword before Jeruh grabbed it? Why does every girl who meets Rhue fall for him? Why did "Rhue" remember the Landorin massacre as taking place where he did if that's not really Landorin stretch? That's not even touching all the stuff with the NPCs whose names I've forgotten...
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Jul 2, 2019 21:06
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Snake Maze posted:Okay, I'm missing something. As I understood that last update, "Rhue" (as in, the character we've been following throughout the games) is actually the headhunter Midian, who was the most recent in a long line of people more or less taken over by the sword. The mirror dislike would just be because of the clash between the persona the sword forced on him, and the face of someone totally different. I don't understand how any of this is supposed to work if "Rhue" himself is an immortal shapeshifting demon. Like, who was the demon in disguise in that "Killed a guy together" scene at the end? I guess it would have to be Midian, since the scene ends with the start of the first game, but I thought he didn't have the shadow sword until he took it from Jeruh in that scene. I believe the series of events is: 1. The protagonist (Venge? Kura?) at some point acquires the Shadow Sword. 2. His use of the Shadow Sword causes the loss of his original aura and with it his memories. 3. Jeruh acquires a Shadow Sword at Landorin (I don't think it is the same one because it lacks the red tint, but that admittedly doesn't explain why Serena (?) is present in the ghost city). 4. Jeruh kills Serena and the other children with Midian (the child with purple hair who subsequently grew to be the man with purple and black hair) and Lyrra being the only survivors. 5. Jeruh renames himself 'Rhue', deludes himself as to what happened and begins to look for Serena. 6. Midian begins his own search for Jeruh, planning revenge. 7. The protagonist encounters and kills Midian, absorbs his aura, and starts to think that he is Midian. 8. The protagonist hunts down and kills 'Rhue', absorbs his aura, and starts to think that he is 'Rhue'. So: quote:What was the deal with that "I've been waiting a lifetime for this" stuff when Midian killed Jeruh? The protagonist believed himself to be Midian and wanted revenge for the Landorin massacre. quote:Why was Jeruh in that room in the tower? I think it's the place of residence for the person whose memories are most prominent in the protagonist's mind. quote:How did that purple-haired actual-landorin-survivor guy end up in the sword? As theorised above, Midian must have been killed by the protagonist at some point. quote:Are we supposed to know what was up with those guys killed by the sword before Jeruh grabbed it? Probably not? quote:Why does every girl who meets Rhue fall for him?  quote:Why did "Rhue" remember the Landorin massacre as taking place where he did if that's not really Landorin stretch? Presumably a result of his other memories being mixed up with those of Jeruh.
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Jul 2, 2019 21:53
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Yeah the ending definitely feels abrupt, like we're just suddenly back to the real world and Traziun ends it with his suicide. Also Strata is there for some reason? He's not really an important character. The shadow sword and Rhue's identity is a bit confusing to me. Is the sword Jeruh finds the one that Rhue has? Or did "Midian" have it? As for Rhue I think his aura was that of Jeruh, but with altered memories, but then he also seems separate from Jeruh? He also used to be Kura, based on what Kavax says. And if he's been around for ages how is that possible? Is he actually a demon or did the shadow sword make him immortal? That headhunter in Episode 2 basically explained what was going on but it's so early on it's hard to remember that he mentions the name Midian. lol when Kloe tells Gaius to explain it better.
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Jul 2, 2019 22:05
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Twiler posted:I believe the series of events is: Right. I had, uh, actually forgotten that the purple haired guy's name was Midian. That does fit together a lot better (even if it also raises the question of "what's up with sword Jeruh found") Looking back, I'm kind of sad the setting as presented in chapter 1 ended up not mattering much. The setting is honestly really cool, but the story we were actually told would have worked just as well in a more traditional fantasy setting. Honestly, it probably would have worked better - there were a lot of well constructed cities, forts, and organizations with elaborate hierarchies for a people who are constantly on the move.
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Jul 2, 2019 23:09
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There's something rather curious that often gets overlooked. We meet Jeruh in the sword. We meet Midian in the sword. We meet Kava in the sword. We never meet Kura in the sword.
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Jul 2, 2019 23:37
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Nobody is sure who the two people in Jeruh's memory are. Some theorize it is Tetzel and Eyashu. There's just nothing. It is possible that the sword involved is not Phantom Slasher, it doesn't seem to kill kids. It is also clear that Jeruh discarded whatever sword he had. --- Snake Maze posted:Looking back, I'm kind of sad the setting as presented in chapter 1 ended up not mattering much. The setting is honestly really cool, but the story we were actually told would have worked just as well in a more traditional fantasy setting. Honestly, it probably would have worked better - there were a lot of well constructed cities, forts, and organizations with elaborate hierarchies for a people who are constantly on the move. Would it help if I said that The Way is probably a circle? --- As for not seeing Kura... ...yeah I got nothing. That's a good point. Do we see Cade? The sword definitely has his aura. I do not think Kavax would be wrong, though, and I have an idea as to why. It's worth noting that Kavax doesn't point out the changing face, unless he is being cute when he talks about water. It could be that, as the Pharaphalyn, he has the power to just see Rhue as he really is, and he sees Kura after "understanding his mind." I suggest that Kura was Venge the whole time without any sword aura swapping shenanigans after changing his name. In this formulation, he only became the Mimic after Kava was killed and he couldn't use the Kura identity anymore. Note that it is Rhue as Kura who kills the Guided in the play. I think when you read the Kura poem and what Sacrifa says about it, you're supposed to get the idea is that Kura decided that the Guided betrayed him as well, and he decided to execute them all as revenge the night after. Meaning the improvisation is what actually happened, and there was no "ghost of Kava." That could be why the second part of the Venge poem has "fading into the night." Kura faded away from memory after massacring the Guided that night. --- The only hole in all this is the legend relayed by Castor that the Landorin Massacre marked the birth of Phantom Slasher. I think that could be a reason to suspect Tetzel's involvement. I believe it is said that Tetzel is the one who spread the legend of Phantom Slasher. If he was there, and started spreading the legend then, then the comment that the Massacre birthed Phantom Slasher becomes true. Making the seemingly contradictory origin legends of Phantom Slasher technically true all at once. This is similar to how the poem room with its legends about The Mimic, Kura, and Venge are best understood with the idea that they are all describing the same exact entity. I imagine Episode 7 would have explained this by explaining Tetzel. Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 00:05
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Can anyone explain how Traziun killing himself defeated the Phantom Slasher? What is it about Traziun himself that was able to do so?
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Jul 3, 2019 03:40
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Traziun's life was spent consumed with revenge against the killer of his mother, who he thought was his father Kalmar. Kalmar showed Traziun what truly happened. He had an opportunity to take revenge on Rhue, his mother's killer, and instead chose to sacrifice himself, proving the sword's given reasoning behind why it kills people (being unable to change and presumably move on from their sins) wrong. Thus, it felt remorse. Phantom Slasher was supposed a holy weapon of justice. Its criteria for what is just was warped by the Lord Below, but not the fact that it is supposed to stand for justice. It could not bear the idea that it might be unjust, and destroyed itself. --- I should probably mention the Books of Sermeot owned by Tetzel. Sermeot is a servant of the occult demon subprince Ariton. Ariton has the power to see past, present, and future, making the book name quite fitting. The name was probably lifted from this: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Magic-Abramelin-Dover-Occult/dp/0486232115 Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 07:10
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Bonus Ending Update 2: ?????? Ending.
Fleshwit fucked around with this message at 09:44 on Apr 12, 2020 |
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Jul 3, 2019 09:51
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The problem I have with suggesting that it is Rhue in control of his own body is the fact that the dream world still exists. I do not see how continuing to entertain a fantasy inside a dream world would enable him to display such powers. Plus, why would he say "I have no end."? That does not sound like him at all. That said, I do not believe it must be Phantom Slasher. It could be the original Venge personality. I am not sure why Traziun would stop Gaius from chasing Rhue if Phantom Slasher was in control.
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Jul 3, 2019 11:14
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Tallgeese posted:The problem I have with suggesting that it is Rhue in control of his own body is the fact that the dream world still exists. The Venge identity is how I used to see that ending once upon a time and it still is an option I like... I think it even makes -more- sense especially in light of the idea there seems to be no Kura aura, but... I don't know. I just like the idea of it being Rhue is all. We have so little evidence to go on.
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Jul 3, 2019 11:25
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I mean there's really three options. One, it's Phantom Slasher. The problem with that idea is that it does not make sense for Traziun to stop Gaius if there was danger of a crazed flying executioner. It is also not clear why this situation would grant Phantom Slasher control over the body. If outright puppeting a body was something Phantom Slasher could do, one would think it would have done it by now. Two, it's Venge. This would explain the "I have no end" line, seeing as how he is an immortal shapeshifting flying demon. It would also explain why Traziun forces Gaius to let him go, because it's not clear Venge would be under the control of Phantom Slasher. It's not inevitable that a Shadow Sword controls its wielder, as both Kalmar and Traziun himself demonstrated. It could be that the reason Traziun showed up was to eliminate Phantom Slasher; he recognizes that the sword is the problem, which is why he sacrifices himself to destroy it in the normal ending and in the process prevent Gaius from possibly killing Rhue. Traziun was never going to kill Rhue, because if he was, he would not have ditched Night Reaper. If the new personality is in control, the sword is no longer a problem. Three, your suggestion. The holes in it are the very dramatic line and the fact that the Rhue personality is clearly in the sword with Lexus. By the way... no comment that in the Lexus ending, Cetsa is alive for some strange reason? Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 12:00 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 11:44
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Tallgeese posted:Two, it's Venge. This would explain the "I have no end" line, seeing as how he is an immortal shapeshifting flying demon. It would also explain why Traziun forces Gaius to let him go, because it's not clear Venge would be under the control of Phantom Slasher. It's not inevitable that a Shadow Sword controls its wielder, as both Kalmar and Traziun himself demonstrated. The reason Traziun showed up was to eliminate Phantom Slasher; he recognizes that the sword is the problem, which is why he destroys it in the normal ending. If the new personality is in control, the sword is no longer a problem. I wouldn't say Venge is shapeshifting, personally, since there's no indication of that but sure, definitely for everything else. quote:Three, your suggestion. The holes in it are the very dramatic line and the fact that the Rhue personality is clearly in the sword with Lexus. Right, I get that. I just think... Well, you only get this ending if you've done all the sidequests that give you the hints about Rhue's identity, I think, if he chooses to stay with Lexus and accept the hard truth she offers him, he somehow comes to a full, complete realisation of what he is, hence that line. That scene with Lexus doesn't appear at all, I believe, if you haven't fulfilled all the requirements for the Lexus Ending. When Rhue becomes the Pharaphalyn, Kavax tells him that his power has grown as if it gives him mystic powers, even influence over the sword maybe? He uses it to teleport back anyway. As for why the dream world still exists, well. The sword still exists. And Episode 6 isn't the only time we see it. Rhue makes short stops in it in Episode 5 for no reason ever explained and even Traziun seems to have his own brief stop in Night Reapers equivalent, when he's shown Kalmars memory of Traziun's mothers death. I think, if you can unintentionally go in, you can definitely do it intentionally. The Phantom Slasher probably was not responsible for these brief trips, since it had everything to lose as we wound up seeing, and nothing to gain. It even started making up incredibly bad lies to keep Rhue away in the end. It could do very little to protect its secrets directly. quote:By the way... no comment that in the Lexus ending, Cetsa is alive for some strange reason?
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Jul 3, 2019 12:00
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Wait, I see it now. I just realized that Traziun's mother means Rhue's not the same person, even if his face is the same, not that his face keeps changing. I always read her conversation as meaning his face kept changing, when actually she means his personality did. So scratch shapeshifting off the list. I think I read too much into how Lun decided to give Rhue the same eye and hair color as Jeruh. They practically look related. I guess the Mimic poem is literal: he just stole their names. Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 12:39 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 12:10
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Tallgeese posted:Wait, I see it now. I just realized that Traziun's mother means Rhue's not the same person, even if his face is the same, not that his face keeps changing. That's honestly probably why the E1 Headhunter attacks Rhue despite the fact that if there's a bounty on Jeruh, he's most likely the one that put it out there. That scenes also really curious with the idea that originally that Headhunter was looking for Gaius. Did Lun always intend for him to have the role he did? Maybe The Blood Lyn were looking for him too originally? They don't really seem the type to put out bounties though.
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Jul 3, 2019 12:34
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Fleshwit posted:That's honestly probably why the E1 Headhunter attacks Rhue despite the fact that if there's a bounty on Jeruh, he's most likely the one that put it out there. Gaius is the second Blood Lyn who escaped, with Traziun being the first, I thought. So they would definitely want him dead I would think. I can't remember, did you bring up that Gaius is the Harbinger?
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Jul 3, 2019 12:40
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Tallgeese posted:Gaius is the second Blood Lyn who escaped, with Traziun being the first, I thought. So they would definitely want him dead I would think. quote:I can't remember, did you bring up that Gaius is the Harbinger? Yeah, I did. I think right after the final Episode 5 update.
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Jul 3, 2019 12:45
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Oh, right. To tell the truth I was under the impression that the Headhunter was a Blood Lyn, but I suppose that makes little sense. EDIT: Also I'm wrong. Traziun mentions that Blood Lyn were "not" sent after Gaius. I suspect the change from Gaius to Jeruh was a retcon to accommodate the fact that Gaius is the Perfect Blade. I personally suspect that the thing that makes Gaius perfect is that he willingly pushed away his attachment to Kloe, while Traziun could not push away his attachment from his mother. That said, would have been nice to know what Traziun's failed task was. Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 12:47
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Right, retcon is what I've always thought. My question is... then what was Gaius' original role supposed to be? Just some vigilante that could sense auras?
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Jul 3, 2019 13:15
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My guess? To destroy the Shadow Swords or kill Tetzel. The first explains why Traziun makes his snarky comment about his dad Kalmar being young, he knows why. He would have had to be given information on Shadow Swords. The second would explain why Gaius has infiltrated the Guided. The Blana Sera hate the Guided, and killing Tetzel would align with that. EDIT: Oh wait, you mean before he was made the Perfect Blade. Yes, I would imagine he was just a Senser. It just fell by the wayside, just like all the stuff about Bloodlife and Menders being special. I think at some point The Way shifted from being a story about a world, to the story of Rhue. Hence all the unresolved details like Tetzel, the Citadels, what the deal is with the Blana Sera, et cetera. Tallgeese fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 13:19
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Anyway, I think I've settled on what I'll do next out of Master of the Wind and Laxius saga. It's Master of the Wind because of the following reasons: 1. It honestly deserves it far more. 2. The Laxius Saga is -currently- seven full jrpgs. And you might think they're all different stories and characters but no. They're all one VERY long story, even despite the fact the series is divided into two trilogies and a prequel. Well, you could drop the prequel to little ill effect when it comes to understanding the story. That's still six games though, and they're long. To illustrate the deal with the Laxius saga plot I'll vaguely summarise it without any real spoilers. Laxius Power -opens- with an evil organisation talking about preparing demonic invasion scheduled to happen in the next few years. Laxius Power 1 winds up being about that evil organisation, and they're bloodied badly by the end of it. Laxius Power 2 is basically an entire game about the cast going their seperate ways earning their class changes which is why its the single worst Laxius game. Laxius Power 3 is about completely unrelated villains until the very end, like post credits. This is actually my favourite Laxius game and the last one that's any good. (I still love the Force trilogy but not because they're fun games.... and Laxius Power 1 and 3 aren't very well executed to begin with.) The whole Laxius Force trilogy is about the evil organisation preparing for the demonic invasion. At the end of the trilogy, the demonic invasion still hasn't started and is probably still some time away still. He's been promising the next trilogy for years (since 2014) still but keeps churning out unrelated games because, the way he phrases it, long games are less profitable for the amount of work that goes into them in the current market, compared to making a 10 hour rpg, so the series has languished unloved since then. I'd definitely do Laxius after MOTW though. And after that? Well, it might take me years to finish Laxius LP, even with updates as rapid as The Ways were for the last 40 or so.
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Jul 3, 2019 13:26
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You and I both know that Master of the Wind will also take forever anyway. Dear "God" does that game drag on. You will spend hours transcribing dialogue.
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Jul 3, 2019 13:28
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Tallgeese posted:You and I both know that Master of the Wind will also take forever anyway. Dear "God" does that game drag on. Laxius Power 1-3 aren't very dialogue heavy... and are even generally somewhat punchy... The Laxius Force trilogy has some of the worst pacing I've ever seen and some of the longest dullest conversations ever, where everyone repeats things we already know, or were already said earlier in the conversation, or just say completely inconsequential lines constantly that don't add anything. I think I'd actually just cut out straight out like half of any given scenes lines.
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Jul 3, 2019 13:36
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I will admit though, I think Master of the Wind has the single longest flashback I've ever seen in a jrpg that wasn't like a framing device. And I really liked that flashback. But I would be transcribing a novella over multiple updates, I'm sure.
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Jul 3, 2019 13:44
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Kinda think that the Reaches ending is the best one, and I don't really see it as leading up to a sequel that never happened. The Rhue identity is freed of Phantom Slasher and gets to exist as his own person, hard as it will be to figure out what that means. In a lot of ways, the Lexus ending is worse to me because Rhue is still "bound" to Phantom Slasher, even if the sword isn't in any kind of control anymore. The part at the end with the house seems to suggest that Rhue's decided to just chill in his little pocket universe full of ghosts he made. I dunno, that seems dark to me, not really triumphant, and if you take the subtext of the game as being about subverting JRPG cliches, "getting the girl" at the end but at the price of rejecting reality seems like a bad end tbh. Yeah you have to work harder at "figuring it out" and "winning" all the affection points, but if the subtext or theme is that these kinds of "quests" are excuses not to face a harder social reality, then the subversion there works. The hardest ending to get in "game terms" is one where you don't have to accept the real world. Not having that "out" and having to accept your own actual ambiguous place in the real world and form real connections now that you know your "destiny" is false is a better end from that perspective. No loving clue what's even going on with the Shoals ending though?? Mostly just to make the themes more explicit? By the way, what's the track that plays as Rhue is talking to Lexus, the one with the weird warbling feedback and poo poo?
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Jul 3, 2019 13:55
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