Episode 4 has been INCREDIBLE! (obviously, SPOILERS)

[Kurozora Konoi]

This entire thing is spoilers so I won't be tagging any of these.




I just couldn't help myself, had to play as soon as I got home.
This was such a wild ride. Honestly, it was by far my favorite chapter. I don't even have words to describe how I felt about it.

I guess now I'm REALLY glad I've decided my first, canon and possibly only playthrough will have Reese as my MC's love interest.
It was so strange...
From the very start, I "trusted" the doc - but I basically didn't think she was poisonning her son at all. It surprised me a lot when I discovered she did! I felt so confused since I trusted her so much. Then well... we learned WHY, and suddenly my feelings made sense all over again, but obviously it was hard to look at it the same way anymore.

This is also the first episode since episode 1 where I didn't know the "mechanics" of the game in which I have NO idea on my own about how and where the situation could have been "salvaged" by a trait of the MC. Either I didn't have the needed trait (likely), or I took decisions that entirely locked me out of a path where I could have gotten a "golden ending" to the chapter (if that's even possible). With that being said... While I do have regrets about the doctor dying (is that the thing that could have been prevented had I had the "right" trait?), I can't say I would necessarily want the ending of the episode to change. It was incredibly satisfying in a tragic way.

My poor MC feels more and more guilty about things, sadly - first Tabby losing years of her life to protect him because he wanted to make things right, and now the doctor dying because he wanted to do things right and protect her son and give him a chance at a better life. I really opted for making such a nice guy, so this hurts as hell. But I guess despite the guilt, he himself wouldn't necessarily change his actions either - in the end, he always tries to help and do the right thing.
Honestly, I'm glad I went for that kind of character. Brave, selfless and kind beyond measure. Which isn't... necessarily ideal in such a situation in general. But makes for such an interesting narrative.

I can't wait to read about other ways this chapter could have unfolded and the other ending/s it has. It seems the "situation" at the end could have ended in many different ways, but maybe some actually regroup...

Also, I had my doubts about Sybil from the start, but now she's officially the freakiest character of them all to me.
Heck, her... thing... - whatever her compulsion deal is, really - is way more scary than what the carvings do! She's terrifying.
Interestingly, I think the moment that really made me sweat was the outcome of trying to accuse her of being the cat. The fact we can't even go on with that reasoning, and the way the MC's thoughts are clearly "redirected". Brilliant! And, again, terrifying.

And then there's Stella's past... that one was the nail in the coffin, at the very end...
I felt so bad for actually chosing to tell her about the happenings of the day while she was already distressed but... at the same time, I couldn't imagine my MC NOT needing to confide in someone after what happened and... well, she quickly became someone he considers to be one of his greatest friends. He really needed that.


Yes, I'm rambling as hell!
But well, this chapter left me with so many strong feelings! I adored it! It was so worth the wait!

[john doe]

Originally posted by Jackdaw Mask:

sidenote, wow I'm wowed by all buttlerfly effects in this chapter.

Like if Roseline lost her leg, the strike isn't going so smoothly because Tabitha now has good rep ._.; Which means the two less serious police officers are at their office and thus ignore your concerns about Stella being missing completely. Also Oscar refuses to check out basement because he doesn't want to take anymore risks.

that did not happend for me roseline did lost her leg but the strike was going neutral not good but not bad either tabitha diddnt had any good rep and the police officers were at the strike so for me it was different i dont know why though.

[hayakumanul]

so... with Hot you can tame Reese , and while i thought its just kinda fairy tale-ly, later Joan will comment on that and THEN "Wayne" (if romanced i think?) will tell you that he and you can share the bond even deeper, not like with "that half-baked monstrosity" [/spoilers] What is MC's deal?:D
Wayne also calls Reese a mistake [/spoilers] Reese is afraid of him, fleeing from him if you dont follow upstairs, letting him do the Thing. Try to not do anything. its a whole new terror!
im in love with this chapter.
oh! i dont find the pastor to be creepy, btw, even if the background music telling otherwise :D

[Jackdaw Mask]

Originally posted by john doe:

Originally posted by Jackdaw Mask:

sidenote, wow I'm wowed by all buttlerfly effects in this chapter.

Like if Roseline lost her leg, the strike isn't going so smoothly because Tabitha now has good rep ._.; Which means the two less serious police officers are at their office and thus ignore your concerns about Stella being missing completely. Also Oscar refuses to check out basement because he doesn't want to take anymore risks.

that did not happend for me roseline did lost her leg but the strike was going neutral not good but not bad either tabitha diddnt had any good rep and the police officers were at the strike so for me it was different i dont know why though.

Did you call Tabitha so she joined you up at the mine?

[john doe]

Originally posted by Jackdaw Mask:

Originally posted by john doe:

that did not happend for me roseline did lost her leg but the strike was going neutral not good but not bad either tabitha diddnt had any good rep and the police officers were at the strike so for me it was different i dont know why though.

Did you call Tabitha so she joined you up at the mine?

in episode 2 you mean? No she showed up by herself and was really p*ssed at me

[Kurozora Konoi]

In my playthrough, Rosaline lost her leg but the strike seemed to basically go neutral and Tabby didn't seem to have good rep. But maybe I was under that impression because I actually followed some paths that prevented me from seeing more about the strike.

Originally posted by wantacchi:

Then, I played again to see if I could not tranquilize him and instead convince him to not kill his mother, but it didn't work out as you know how that ends. It made me angry that THAT's the only way you get to lock your romance route with him, after you've let him do something horrible that judging by how sweet and kind he is, he wouldn't do in his normal state, and that in the end will also keep you away from him, because he escapes! (I mean, that makes sense after what happened, but what I mean is it doesn't feel rewarding in the slightest)

I'm surprisingly not too bothered by the fact my MC doesn't have the hot trait (since from what other people said it seems that's the key) and thus that I can't prevent the doctor's death. It's sad and I regret the FACT she died, but I don't regret the my playthrough going that way. Like I said, I actually really liked the chain of events, and wouldn't want to change it. I mean, I WOULD have gone for the "golden" ending if my MC had the hot trait, because I'm assuming the dialogue/action choices in that option would suit his personality. But considering the ability to talk with animals and his strength are important parts of who he is, I won't be going and sacrificing basically who he is just to be able to get a different outcome here.
And I sort of think there is a sort of poetic irony or retribution in what happened to the doctor, even if it saddens me.

Also, it's important to note my MC didn't "let Reese kill the doctor", so maybe that's a factor. When the doctor told him to take the tranquilizers, he didn't and instead ran to try and help Reese in the fight, couldn't do anything, and found himself with the doctor. Basically, at that point it makes total sense for the MC not to want to use the tranquilizers, and then just focus on the immediate action happening close by, and try to help there (especially with my MC's personality). So then, when he found himself locked with the doctor, he simply didn't have the tranquilizers and COULDN'T have given them to her, no matter what. I think that makes a huge difference.
That's why I was saying my MC is the nicest guy in the world who always tries to do the right thing, and suffers when it backfires. Which happened here.

[Jackdaw Mask]

Originally posted by john doe:

Originally posted by Jackdaw Mask:

Did you call Tabitha so she joined you up at the mine?

in episode 2 you mean? No she showed up by herself and was really p*ssed at me

Yeah I think you need to call her for the "people think she is hero" thing to happen

[Kurozora Konoi]

I called her and I still don't get the impression she's seen as such. Then again, I actually had a weak strike going on - I thought it was like medium or something, but then I went to fill the survey, and from what I read in there it seems it's actually a small one.

[Jackdaw Mask]

Originally posted by Kurozora Konoi:

I called her and I still don't get the impression she's seen as such. Then again, I actually had a weak strike going on - I thought it was like medium or something, but then I went to fill the survey, and from what I read in there it seems it's actually a small one.

Wait there is survey?

But yeah if you talk to strikers they mention that reason why its going weekly is that she now has good publicity :'D

[Kurozora Konoi]

https://forms.gle/bgLfn4Hmk97pt3RSA

[adog733]

Originally posted by Kurozora Konoi:

In my playthrough, Rosaline lost her leg but the strike seemed to basically go neutral and Tabby didn't seem to have good rep. But maybe I was under that impression because I actually followed some paths that prevented me from seeing more about the strike.

Originally posted by wantacchi:

Then, I played again to see if I could not tranquilize him and instead convince him to not kill his mother, but it didn't work out as you know how that ends. It made me angry that THAT's the only way you get to lock your romance route with him, after you've let him do something horrible that judging by how sweet and kind he is, he wouldn't do in his normal state, and that in the end will also keep you away from him, because he escapes! (I mean, that makes sense after what happened, but what I mean is it doesn't feel rewarding in the slightest)

I'm surprisingly not too bothered by the fact my MC doesn't have the hot trait (since from what other people said it seems that's the key) and thus that I can't prevent the doctor's death. It's sad and I regret the FACT she died, but I don't regret the my playthrough going that way. Like I said, I actually really liked the chain of events, and wouldn't want to change it. I mean, I WOULD have gone for the "golden" ending if my MC had the hot trait, because I'm assuming the dialogue/action choices in that option would suit his personality. But considering the ability to talk with animals and his strength are important parts of who he is, I won't be going and sacrificing basically who he is just to be able to get a different outcome here.
And I sort of think there is a sort of poetic irony or retribution in what happened to the doctor, even if it saddens me.

Also, it's important to note my MC didn't "let Reese kill the doctor", so maybe that's a factor. When the doctor told him to take the tranquilizers, he didn't and instead ran to try and help Reese in the fight, couldn't do anything, and found himself with the doctor. Basically, at that point it makes total sense for the MC not to want to use the tranquilizers, and then just focus on the immediate action happening close by, and try to help there (especially with my MC's personality). So then, when he found himself locked with the doctor, he simply didn't have the tranquilizers and COULDN'T have given them to her, no matter what. I think that makes a huge difference.
That's why I was saying my MC is the nicest guy in the world who always tries to do the right thing, and suffers when it backfires. Which happened here.

Actually, this seems like the one time where you don't need a specific trait to get a good ending. I've played the episode several times and so far the Doc has lived through all of them. Probably because I'm on her side and I give her the tranquilizers. The only thing that happens by having the Hot trait is that Reese isn't locked up, which I guess can count as a golden ending, he's free and his mom's alive. But NEVER have I played a game where "choices matter" like in Scarlet Hollow. We don't know what the consequences are for letting Reese escape. As for the strike, it seems the only time they're weak is when you tell Tabitha to come to the mines and you don't save Rosalina's leg. That seems to be what makes her a hero.

[Kurozora Konoi]

Well, that's a matter of perspectives, as it's often the case for me. Reese being locked up would be a bad ending to the chapter for me, and what my MC was basically trying to avoid at all costs after a while. So from where I stand, both non-golden endings have positive sides and tragic sides to them.
The only chapter where not getting the golden ending didn't really affect me much was chapter 2 on the path you're talking about in regard to Tabby.

[john doe]

Originally posted by Kurozora Konoi:

In my playthrough, Rosaline lost her leg but the strike seemed to basically go neutral and Tabby didn't seem to have good rep. But maybe I was under that impression because I actually followed some paths that prevented me from seeing more about the strike.

Yeah i got the same thing as you.

[Kurozora Konoi]

Originally posted by john doe:

Originally posted by Kurozora Konoi:

In my playthrough, Rosaline lost her leg but the strike seemed to basically go neutral and Tabby didn't seem to have good rep. But maybe I was under that impression because I actually followed some paths that prevented me from seeing more about the strike.

Yeah i got the same thing as you.

I actually dug into it a bit more, and it seems the strike is actually low / Tabby DOES have good rep.
It's just that my MC doesn't meddle with the strike, so I didn't talk about it with the strikers during my first playthrough. On second playthrough, while I still didn't meddle, I picked the option to ask the ones at the mines about how it's going, and they said it's going poorly because people view Tabby as a hero since she went back for the kids.
I think I was confused because no one was talking about it without being specifically prompted, and the amount of people at the dinner made me think it was neutral rather than poor.

[Jackdaw Mask]

Based on survey and my +10 saves, there is only state of strong or weak strike, which makes sense since presumably it could develop further in episode 5 depending on your meddling.