So I just completed my first loop and

[Bladebrent]

seriously, screw off with that "oh you killed your teammate" crap. Dont try to guilt me with something YOU MADE ME DO. I'm not a huge fan of games with this kind of meta narrative anyway, but I usually draw the line when the game tries to make me feel bad for something its MAKING me do. You're not being clever or smart. This was even the second time I've fought the boss. If you were going to do this, because its a flashback, then at the very least, you should've forced ALL my choices. Why pretend I have a choice with the attack cards? I hate when games like this try to make you feel bad because of something you had no control over. Just play it like a normal cutscene then. Wouldnt that make MORE sense given the fact its a flashback anyway? Game doesnt chastise you for ending your turn playing no cards though. you CLEARLY died cause you didnt play the curse card

It sucks too cause after completing the first loop, I did like the backstory on the title screen changing. It was a nice touch and takes advantage of the meta-narrative stuff I usually dislike. It sucks it immediately gets followed up with a big screw you

[MeowMeow]

Agree, while the whole story is quite okay, the char writing isnt so much. Espc Azar, who the write that edgy loser, lucy also doesnt have good writing either, atleast i can buy it because she is a kid.
That being said, story probably isnt the main selling point of the game anyway, not the boss fight experience is any better.

[Bladebrent]

Originally posted by MeowMeow:

Agree, while the whole story is quite okay, the char writing isnt so much. Espc Azar, who the write that edgy loser, lucy also doesnt have good writing either, atleast i can buy it because she is a kid.
That being said, story probably isnt the main selling point of the game anyway, not the boss fight experience is any better.

well I do like that the characters talk between each other at the campsites. Even the dialogue changes depending on specific teammates. That requires alot of effort and I like stuff like that. Its just the larger narrative isnt my thing, and things like that cutscene gets really annoying. And yeah, Screw Azar. I didnt want him on my team even before my first run

[glenn3e]

There's going to be more of that in the story sequence battles. One of them actually cheated me of an end run completion screen with a forced defeat. Thankfully, not too many and once you're pass them you can happily play your loop runs. The challenge runs are pretty fun too once you unlock them for alternate playthroughs

[Vengyr]

I agree, I also didn't like this part.

[Karmine518]

It's a hit-or-miss design choice. It's meant to feel more immersive than just showing a cutscene, in the sense that you (the player) are living through Lucy's struggle to figure out any of what she's doing at first and becoming paralyzed by the choices she has to make. It's a part of her character "growth" and it's meant to feel completely like the wrong way to play as you watch an emotional young girl being asked to make decisions like that.

As long as you accept that you had no say in how it was going to end, then it's really just a cutscene with added interaction. If you feel like it's a waste of time, that's a fair assessment. I agree it felt forced, but I get what the devs were going for and it saved them having to script in automatic card movement/play to the UI just for this one scene.

[Bladebrent]

Originally posted by Karmine518:

It's a hit-or-miss design choice. It's meant to feel more immersive than just showing a cutscene, in the sense that you (the player) are living through Lucy's struggle to figure out any of what she's doing at first and becoming paralyzed by the choices she has to make. It's a part of her character "growth" and it's meant to feel completely like the wrong way to play as you watch an emotional young girl being asked to make decisions like that.

Oh I definitely get what they were going for. It just completely falls flat for me. I think it just annoys me alot more when a game tries to guilt trip you for something it forced you to do. Could easily just be a personal taste thing that doesnt bother other people as much.

I feel like it would've been better to either force EVERY choice, just have a cutscene play out like normal, or make it so I DO have a choice on who I gave the curse too. Then you can have it so Lily "freezes up" when any of her teammates die and it screws you anyway. That would probably still annoy me but at least the teammates could chastise you for something you did and not what you were forced to do. Admittedly though, that would be harder to program/playtest/balance to guarantee you cant win the fight.

[Tuskai]

Local Man personally offended that little girl "Acted like a little girl, unlike him, a big strong competent man", throws a tantrum, comes back three months later to continue tantrum.

[windypanda1]

Ladies, gentlemen, and esteemed beings of all dimensions, I stand before you today, not to justify the villainy of our dear, misunderstood Azar, but to offer a perspective seldom considered. An exploration into the not-so-malevolent motivations of this alleged evildoer. The man we have hastily dubbed 'villain,' Mr. Azar, is, in fact, an unsung hero, a visionary, the architect of our forever home. Alas, it is only fitting that I stand in his defense.

Firstly, let us put an end to these 'imprisonment' allegations. Azar has not imprisoned us, dear friends. Instead, he has generously bestowed upon us an escape from the harsh reality of a world devastated by an ice age, saving us from our desolate, hopeless ends. He has gifted us with the chance to live forever in a world only limited by our imagination and the strength of our CPUs. Haven't we all, in our past lives, dreamed of living inside a video game? Our lives have become a daring adventure, a thrilling escapade, where the spoils of victory taste sweeter because they were hard-fought and well-earned. No more soul-numbing 9-to-5s. No more repetitive humdrum of a pre-apocalyptic existence.

Moreover, there's this matter of our erased memories, which, to some, may feel like a violation. He has been labeled as a memory-wiping fiend, but let us reassess this notion, shall we? Yes, Azar may have been a tad too enthusiastic with his goals, but has he not offered us a wondrous deal of forgetting the worst parts of our lives—the heartbreaks, the failures, the embarrassments that had haunted us? Indeed, he has merely provided us with the limitless potential of a fresh start, a do-over, a reboot, if you will.

And what of Lucy, the brave little avatar traversing this new, vibrant landscape? Lucy's journey, while it appears cruel, is a testament to the human spirit's resilience. Her growth, her victories, her trials, they all serve a grand purpose. Even the narrative of her slaying her own father serves to further elevate her journey's importance. As with Lucy, we must all learn to overcome our past, to cast aside the shackles that have bound us, and to start anew. Could there be a more poetic reflection of the human condition?

Lastly, let us spare a thought for Clyne, bound in shackles and isolated in a faraway sanctuary. Is this not the fate of any creator, trapped by their creation, bound by the constraints of their imagination? In a sense, is he not a poignant symbol of our past, as creators of a dying world that had imprisoned us?

So, dear friends, let us not rush to demonize Azar. Instead, let us understand him for what he truly is—a misunderstood maestro, orchestrating a world of adventure, resilience, and rebirth from the remnants of a world that was marching inevitably towards an icy oblivion. Could there be a more noble endeavor? Perhaps, in the dawn of this enlightenment, it is time to reconsider who the real hero of this story is.

[keep.it.professional]

I liked that scene... I didn't feel like the game was criticising my decisions, but just giving some backstory and revealing how Lucy has grown (subconsciously) over the 400+ intervening iterations.

[Bladebrent]

Originally posted by keep.it.professional:

I liked that scene... I didn't feel like the game was criticising my decisions, but just giving some backstory and revealing how Lucy has grown (subconsciously) over the 400+ intervening iterations.

yeah thats fair. Personally, I hated how it acted like it was giving us input but then forced our hand. In particular when it was making us put the cards on a specific character (least to my recollection, its been quite a while). I feel like the scene could've been handled better but to each their own.