void stranger and "some things are never explained"
i have a theory about void stranger that the flaws and unexplained parts of its lore and how it relates to its prequel are actually part of the artistic statement of the game.
spoilers for all of void stranger AND for its narrative connection to zeroranger. basically spoilers for everything.
i have a friend whose vs playthrough i was vicariously enjoying and who just beat the true ending and kind of complained that a lot of the parts of the lore don't super make sense, and while they're willing to accept when a narrative is sloppy if it's like called out explicitly in game as some sort of authorial intent, if there's no evidence to distinguish that truth from "the authors were just sloppy" then they default to dismissing it as the authors were just sloppy.
now, this friend jumped to that conclusion without playing zeroranger, so doesn't know anything about despair, or erasure, or reincarnation, or timelines, and even in game didn't figure out stuff like "gray is add" or "cif can't see B000 because of the seals". but even if you ignore those things i think it's missing the point.
and to be clear, what i'm about to say is entirely my interpretation of the art, i have no evidence that it's what the authors intended or what anyone else things, but that's kind of the point, because:
"some things are never explained and you have to make your own meaning" IS THE POINT of void stranger.
to be more specific, each of the following things:
some things are clearly explained
some things are explained later only through great effort
some things are never explained and you have to make your own meaning
is true in different ways for each of the three protagonists AND for the player.
the player, in relation to the game's puzzle mechanics.
clearly explained: you're playing sokoban, stair go down, ok do it again without infinite lives.
explained through great effort: the void contains secret information - brands and ui manipulation - that allows you to bend these halls to your will and unlock the true ending.
never explained: the karma mechanic (determines whether the Failures show up or unlocks certain credits text). i always wondered about this, it creates this sense of mystery while you're playing the game that there's still puzzles you don't understand even after you think you know all the game mechanics there are. of course, karma also ties into the game's samsara theme, but it has this ludonarrative harmony as well.
gray
clearly explained: you're going into the void to save lily.
explained through great effort: who are these void lords and why have they taken the only thing you've ever been devoted to in your life? (they made a deal with johann and they'll allow you to make a deal with them too.) what does it mean to be a mother? (limitless devotion, choosing lillie over lily on the crazy hope that it will eventually save them both and escape the sophie's choice, having a turbulent relationship with your child, eventually trying to have your own life again in the real world.)
never explained: who are you? why can't you remember your own past? (because you're add who intentionally stripped themself of their memories.) (at least, in the lillie storyline where gray doesn't go herself to dis.)
lillie
clearly explained: gray is your mother, gray isn't your mother, you're in this void now whether you like it or not.
explained through great effort: what are you doing in this void? (saving lily.) what are you doing in life? (coming to terms with your relationship with gray.)
never explained: why is the void so tied up in your family history? (because gray is add.) why did cif bring you back to the void? (because cif wants to see out the end of your story to better understand humans.)
cif
clearly explained: you're a void lord, these floors B197-B224 are your domain, carve statues and supervise your sisters.
explained through great effort: who, or what, is DIS? (erasure finally tells them.) why are we still here? (to defend it from any human or traitorous void lords who'd try to reactivate it.)
never explained: what does it mean to yearn? what makes add's creations unable to burn as brightly as the humans? (this post basically.)
the player, once again, in relation to the game's lore.
clearly explained: the void lords' war, lev's betrayal, add's reincarnation, who or what is DIS.
explained through great effort (aka playing zeroranger): what's going on in the carcass ending, or in the shmup segment? (memories of and/or time travel to the distant past.) why does DIS accept lily? (because she's despair's reincarnation.)
never explained: who is add originally? why did dis create the void? why do the void lords fade from existence as if they've been erased from the timeline at the end of the true ending? (note: i'm not actually super clear on the boundary of what's explained and what's fanlore and what's still a mystery so please, by all means correct me or provide more examples here.)
the lore of void stranger and its relationship to its prequel is intricate and messy and some of the mess may not even be intentional on the part of the authors and yet. if it all perfectly explained itself within its own boundaries it would defeat the point. the imperfections invite the player in.
Anyway, any of you played Void Stranger? I played that game a whole fucking lot back in the entirety of 2024, and oh boy, I certainly have some thoughts about that game
The OST for Eden's Exalt is now out! A Zeroranger and Touhou inspired shmup i composed for for Bullet Hell Jam 7, i would be honoured if you gave it a listen, thank you in advance!
