A new controversial take, this time about the ending of Extreme Mode. Don't read if you haven't defeated the final boss.
I understand it's not the ending of the story, it's just the ending of the Prologue, but I am DISAPPOINTED. It was all wonderful until those last dialogues after the monster is defeated...
- I understand there are MANY characters, but the fact that not even half of them appear is depressing. I was ready to read 30 minutes of dialogues about every single one of them, especially after getting so invested in every single one of their stories! Hell, I am not too fond of Brandon but after the fight with Rosanna he basically DISAPPEARED, he was as relevant as Lumie in Normal Mode.
- We don't even know what happens to the prisoners. Not only Joshua and Frederick, but also the ones that came on our side but still need to be judged: Nine, Solphi, Brandon, Baretta? I want to know where Nine and Solphi go! Do they stay in Dakkeon? Do they follow Laphlaes? Have Aslan and Laphlaes even spoken about that? They are in a way parents to the same kids and they didn't even talk about it during the whole scenario?
- I need to expand on this: JOSHUA?? He had a whole story arc about redemption and free will and we can't even have him talking with Kartis? AND FREDERICK?? He is Kartis' clone? Why is nobody TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT KARTIS HAS A CLONE? (Or a son, if we consider the thing from Laphlaes' perspective...)
- Speaking about having a chat with Kartis, Olivia wanting an explanation was an intriguing point. Thanks for not expanding on it, I guess.
- Other people that should have spoken with Kartis: Nine? Solphi? Baretta? They finally meet Kartis and before the final battle they don’t ask WHY their lives were thrown away like that? Baretta was dumped by the Empire and she doesn't have anything to say?
- Talk with Kartis, part four: I didn’t care much to see Rosanna, Charles or other people interact with MC. I was much more interested in seeing what they had to say to Kartis. Especially somebody like Lumie, who lost her whole kingdom to him, technically. Seriously, nobody has a single “Fuck you” to throw?
- Rosanna and Charles in the same environment. And they haven't even spoken with each other. This is a crime against humanity.
- Vanessa's family. That's about it, Vanessa's family. Didn't the game set up a story arc about them? Where was it? Can we at least see what happens to the brother she wanted to smack on the head? Is he even alive? Did the writers forget about him? I thought we'd meet him in East Gallus, he was never mentioned again.
- What happens to Lumie's people? Do they stay in Dakkeon? Do they try to rebuild Lunaris? As much as I'd let Charles step on me, rather than have him curse us for our manners, I would have happily read about Lumie's future plans. We know Rhodon is fine, Lunaris is a bigger question.
- That’s... All the dialogue we get with Johan? For real? Real real?
- Lairei wanted to leave for the East. Does she? Why didn’t she talk about it with Dhurahan? Honestly, why did they disappear entirely in Gallus? She was Nine’s new aunt before Lumie appeared, but as soon as Lumie and Nine became friends, she wasn’t relevant anymore? Nine didn’t mention her again despite having her as a babysitter for so long?
- Last but not least, actually, I'd say it's the main thing. Everybody SAW their other selves. They experienced lives they never lived before. And nobody is freaking out? Charles discovered Krom and Zaira dumped him and he doesn't bat an eye? Alev finds out she is Aslan's adoptive daughter, no big deal that the king you admire was actually your father? Not to mention how many other lives they felt within themselves we never even saw! Mikhail found out his family in another universe is ALIVE! Helga that there is a version of herself who kills dragon as a purpose in her life! Vanessa that her siblings and family all died! And taking what Fram said, "I saw three Luciliccas there", NOBODY freaked out seeing their other selves there? It was something worth talking about, I think?? I understand some things might get expanded on later, although I think mentioning at least SOME of them would have given us a less anticlimatic ending (honestly, a cut scene where we see what everybody is doing would have been perfectly fine), but this point especially annoyed me. I feel like this part of the story, from Normal to Extreme, was all about the timelines, how to deal with it, meeting people who have the same name and face as the ones we love but that are somebody else entirely, etc. As we reached the ending, and everybody finally experienced their past lives just like Kartis and Lord did (something I have been foreseeing since Hard Mode, so you can understand how excited I was), I really wanted more of an insight about that. Especially considering some of the lives they remember are TRAUMATIC, it's something they'd never dream of doing. Seriously, imagine Extreme Mode Krom or Zaira remembering that they betrayed Charles - but that also that Charles deserved to be betrayed. Imagine Laphlaes remembering the brainwashing. Imagine Helga, Walther and Aslan remembering not one, but HUNDREDS of wars they fought. Imagine Olivia remembering she used to be a RULER instead of a simple soldier following orders. That calls for an identity crisis, I think.
I want to make it clear that this doesn’t change my take on how amazing the story and the characters all are, but to be honest, East Gallus felt a bit rushed compared to the rest, and I expected a lot more after such a huge build up.
Still, can’t wait for new updates, maybe we’ll get to know more about some of the points I made.
