if i were to make this game, you would play Sigurd, and the very very beginning you had a game-changing choice to make without knowing it was game changing.
the very first thing is that Sigurd monologues about how the world is dying and to destroy these special crystals will end the world, but give it a chance to be reborn, whereas letting the corrupted crystals thrive will slowly encase everything in agony, death, and darkness. but you can 100% just walk away and go on with other parts of the game.
If you destroy the crystal, it’s kinda locked in that you have to destroy the others and you go on your quest to do so, meet Razvra, there are super cute gay moments between them but minor conflicts: razvra figures out sigurd is a) immortal, b) can bring other people back to life. both of these are triggered by either one of them dying. if Sigurd dies and you just reload from your previous save point (which should hopefully be sleeping in cam or other places) Razvra will say he had a dream about you dying, and Sigurd will tell him he probably did, but reality bent so he could be back here instead. Which is a whole other conversation I have to write up that ties back to the crystals. If Razvra dies, Sigurd can bring him back to life, and Razvra will freak out. “I was dead. I died. I was dead.” and his voice will shake, he will stagger and look at Sigurd, then his hands. “I was dead.” Sigurd will approach him slowly, hands on Razvra’s arms, “You are here. You are alive. Feel the grass. Breathe the air. You are here.You will not die under my watch.” Razvra will say, “I.. I need a moment.” ALong the journey of destroying crystals, you’d need to go to each kingdom to slay the corrupted kings and leaders. Mini boss fights everywhere.
Eventually, as you get about halfway through destroying the crystals, Razvra will comment that the world looks to be getting worse instead of better. Sigurd will say, “Yes, it is. Darkest before dawn, and that.”
When you reach the second to last crystal, Razvra will stop Sigurd, grabbing his shoulder. “What are we doing? This isn’t any better. What is happening?”
Sigurd will tell him, “The crystals are the life of our world. Destroying them destroys it, too.” Razvra’s face will twist to horror and he steps away. “We’re the ones destroying the world!”
Sigurd will shake his head. “We’re saving it. This may end all life at once, but it is better for the future possibilities. New crystals will grow in their place.”
Razvra will say he’s insane, like every cliche hero vs villain, of course, and vow to stop Sigurd. Sigurd says they’ve gone too far to stop now, and reminds him hes immortal. Now here’s when the player should say “well fuck” because now you just leveled up and gave all your good shit to your only party member who’s going to use it all against you. If Razvra beats you, Sigurd will fall to the ground and lift his hand to stop the final blow, pausing time, and the player gets a chance to either “Accept Your Fate” or “Try Again.” Accepting your fate doesn’t kill Sigurd, but Razvra pins him to the earth with the sword. Razvra’s own magic binds him. “If I can’t kill you, then I wont.” And basically you’re stuck there forever as Razvra leaves you and the world is ravaged before your eyes. If you try again, itll just keep battling until you win. Sigurd will approach Razvra, who is on the ground, bleeding, coughing blood, but not looking up at you.
“I trusted you.” He’ll say. Sigurd’s grimace is coupled with his pained reply, “I know.” And he kills Razvra. He’d choke up and mourn for a good moment, before collecting himself, bitter about himself, ready to destroy this other crystal. You spend the rest of the journey to the last one alone, without background music. It’s dreadful quiet without party banter.
If you chose not to destroy the first crystal, Sigurd says he should go to each kingdom to warn each leader instead, and break the wards for the crystals to be dealt with later down the line. You still meet Razvra and most events stay the same regarding him, but the main quest is different and the monsters are different, different choices and battles. Upon the second to last crystal, Razvra will ask, “Why don’t we just destroy them, now?” Sigurd will tell him that in one world, he did, and that it would not be pleasant. He leaves it at that until the last crystal, which Razvra will press again. “But if we destroy them, then the sickness, this plague and darkness will go with them, wont they?” Sigurd will shake his head. “The plague will be released in it’s entirety. It will ravage the world and destroy everything. But it will no longer have a place to return to. It, too, will cease and life can begin anew. But not without it ending, first.”
Razvra nods. “I don’t know if I could make a choice like that. End the world to save it, or let it fester until it can’t be dealt with.” Sigurd nods and says the crystals can still be destroyed later down the line, which is why the seals are being broken, but it’s only a prolonging to whomever may decide to end the world themselves.
Razvra will say, “I know I’m only a blink in your life. But I’m glad you’ve been a part of mine.”
So like... The very first choice gets you two different games without you even knowing about it until the end.
Sigh, how the fuck do you even start, though. I have some Art and I have some Story and thats all I can really do. Someday down the line, maybe, I can make something out of this. I’ve been working on the story and characters for a long while, a few years. Argh !
