OFF: The Guardians' Manipulation of Hugo
I'm writing another quick post on a topic I feel isn't discussed enough when it comes to OFF. I touched upon this briefly in my previous post on the Batter, but I felt it deserved to be looked at in more depth.
There is a common idea in the OFF fan base about the Guardians, more specifically:
"The Guardians used to be good and kind, but they have since become corrupt and evil."
This understanding of the Guardians is pretty common, and is fairly understandable given what we are shown. You can look up any of these characters and find many nice drawings and depictions showing them in a kindly and friendly light. However, I feel this image is almost completely false.
To tell the truth, The Guardians are corrupt and abusive from the very start, and only showed their true colors as time went on.
Let's take a look at this.
Our first chronological introduction to the Guardians is shown to us in the final area of the game, The Room. In it, we play through a flashback to the past, where a child (who is quite clearly Hugo) meets three men in the ruins of the world. These men would become The Guardians of the new world. They are Dedan, Japhet, and Enoch. Hugo helps each of the Guardians out, and they promise to be his friends. Hugo runs along back to The Room, excitedly telling the Queen about his new friends.
Many players take this sequence of events at face value, and see the kindly way that the Guardians speak to Hugo as honest and earnest, thus leading to the understanding that the Guardians only became cruel and corrupt with time.
However, if you stop and look at what is being said to Hugo, and take a step back to look at the entire situation, many red flags begin to appear.
As soon as Hugo is done helping the three men, they immediately begin to pitch their ideas of a new world to him. Specifically, a world in which the three of them are rulers. They sugarcoat this world to him, laying on thick the idealism of this new paradise they have planned.
They shower Hugo with praise, and invite him to stay and listen more to their ideas.
How convenient it is then, that Hugo is the one person with the power to give these three exactly what they want?
These three men, lost in the ashes of the world, see their chance and take it. Even in the state of devastation the world has found itself in, these three crave for power. It is not simply enough to find a new world of peace, but to control it and own it.
The conveniences do not end there. How likely is it that the three men have exactly what the other needs? How likely is it that Dedan has the book that Japhet wants? How likely is it that Japhet is directly capable of helping Enoch out of his problem?
This is an exercise in manipulation and control, they are testing if Hugo can be reasoned with and pushed in the direction of their desires, to form a connection with him and solidify their place in his mind has his friends.
Even if we are to take their little runaround quest as a coincidence, their spiel about their desired world is certainly intentional, and notably, the way they interact with Hugo is very transactional. "You do this for me, and I will do that." From the outset, they will not help Hugo unless he does something for them. This is a very dangerous dynamic for any child to find themselves in, and eventually, the other shoe would drop on Hugo.
Once Hugo followed the Guardian's desires, granting them their world to rule over, they immediately betrayed him, casting him away as if he were trash. They left him to rot in the ruins of the old world, happy to have unlimited access to the playground he gave to them. A playground that, notably, is created of Hugo's body and mind. They ingratiated themselves to him, convinced him they were his friends, and convinced him to let them in.
The Guardians are fascinating characters, and it's very interesting and quite revealing to see the massive difference in their behaviors when they do not have power, and then when they do have their desired power. I don't think they are figures to be trusted in the slightest, and ultimately, the fate of Hugo is one of tragedy, and a testament to how a child can fall victim to manipulation and abuse at the hands of those willing to take advantage of them.
I hope you've enjoyed reading, I've been thinking a lot about OFF lately, and I think it is a wonderful and multi-faceted game. It is truly worth reading into and exploring, and I hope to hear your own thoughts as well!
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