Main Character whimsical?

[Lord Jack Hayter]

In the first many hours of the game the main character seems very irrational and emotional even tho he is supposed to be a trained pro. He gets lectured all the time by others and disregards duty and prioritizes emotions. Does he experience some character change in the later part of the game or does he stay like that?

[parent child bowl]

Yes, there will be a change in character.

[Kapika96]

It'll change.

Although it makes sense. He's a "trained pro" only in the sense that he's had training. He's still completely inexperienced in actual life or death battle and watching people die in front of him. No amount of training in the world can prepare somebody for that, have to actually experience it first hand to learn how to deal with it.

[GameBuild]

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

In the first many hours of the game the main character seems very irrational and emotional even tho he is supposed to be a trained pro. He gets lectured all the time by others and disregards duty and prioritizes emotions. Does he experience some character change in the later part of the game or does he stay like that?

Move the story forward and you'll understand.

[Krainz337]

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

In the first many hours of the game the main character seems very irrational and emotional even tho he is supposed to be a trained pro. He gets lectured all the time by others and disregards duty and prioritizes emotions. Does he experience some character change in the later part of the game or does he stay like that?

Well the love of his life died in front of him. Then all of his teammates die. That would ruin everyone. Also no one is a profesional. Nothing prepares them for things that are actually outside there. And yes. Theres gonna be change

[Lord Jack Hayter]

Literally all of them are used to loss. People have been disappearing and fighting for 67 Years. All of the other characters are more composed than he is. They are all not new to fights they know the enemy and developed technology and strategies against them. Him suddenly going all hysterical and wanting to desert the mission made me almost want to quit the game. Luckily the main plot seem intriguing otherwise I wouldn't bother anymore. He barely qualifies as a sidekick. I'd rather play the cool Asian chick as the main but I'll take you guys word for it that he gets better.

[Haruspex]

Act 2 Gustave becomes a beast.

[Fanta]

Oh yes he will change!

[Lord Jack Hayter]

Awesome, looking forward to it.

[0wnz0r]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Act 2 Gustave becomes a beast.

Originally posted by Fanta:

Oh yes he will change!

[GameBuild]

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

Literally all of them are used to loss. People have been disappearing and fighting for 67 Years. All of the other characters are more composed than he is. They are all not new to fights they know the enemy and developed technology and strategies against them. Him suddenly going all hysterical and wanting to desert the mission made me almost want to quit the game. Luckily the main plot seem intriguing otherwise I wouldn't bother anymore. He barely qualifies as a sidekick. I'd rather play the cool Asian chick as the main but I'll take you guys word for it that he gets better.

He wanted to have kids with Sophie, who refused to this idea, that's why they broke up. Instead of spending his last moments with Sophie, Gustave joined the expedition only to protect Maelle, his adoptive daughter, who joined the expedition many years ahead of her gommage because she was looking for a better life outside Lumiere. Then Sophie dies in his arms. Arriving at the destination, almost the entire crew was deleted by a know human figure and other unknown forces. Everything planned was simply destroyed in a fraction of time. He saw many corpses of past expeditions and decided to end his existence and was saved by Lune, who was highly obsessed with having success, she had no other option in mind because of the way her parents educated her since early age, I guess 4 y.o.

[Lord Jack Hayter]

Originally posted by GameBuild:

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

Literally all of them are used to loss. People have been disappearing and fighting for 67 Years. All of the other characters are more composed than he is. They are all not new to fights they know the enemy and developed technology and strategies against them. Him suddenly going all hysterical and wanting to desert the mission made me almost want to quit the game. Luckily the main plot seem intriguing otherwise I wouldn't bother anymore. He barely qualifies as a sidekick. I'd rather play the cool Asian chick as the main but I'll take you guys word for it that he gets better.

He wanted to have kids with Sophie, who refused to this idea, that's why they broke up. Instead of spending his last moments with Sophie, Gustave joined the expedition only to protect Maelle, his adoptive daughter, who joined the expedition many years ahead of her gommage because she was looking for a better life outside Lumiere. Then Sophie dies in his arms. Arriving at the destination, almost the entire crew was deleted by a know human figure and other unknown forces. Everything planned was simply destroyed in a fraction of time. He saw many corpses of past expeditions and decided to end his existence and was saved by Lune, who was highly obsessed with having success, she had no other option in mind because of the way her parents educated her since early age, I guess 4 y.o.

So did the others each in their own way. Everyone in that world faces hardship and loss; he’s just remarkably bad at handling it. My point still stands: who wants to follow a whiny, aimless protagonist who falls apart under pressure? I literally roll my eyes every time he speaks, and almost without fail, someone ends up lecturing him. That’s not the mark of a leader, especially in high-stakes situations where composure and decisiveness should matter. Honestly, I don’t understand why he’s not just a sidekick. Anyway, any further debate is pointless. Let’s see if he actually improves.

Just a heads-up for anyone who prefers a more classical portrayal of a protagonist, rather than the modern type.

[GameBuild]

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

Originally posted by GameBuild:

He wanted to have kids with Sophie, who refused to this idea, that's why they broke up. Instead of spending his last moments with Sophie, Gustave joined the expedition only to protect Maelle, his adoptive daughter, who joined the expedition many years ahead of her gommage because she was looking for a better life outside Lumiere. Then Sophie dies in his arms. Arriving at the destination, almost the entire crew was deleted by a know human figure and other unknown forces. Everything planned was simply destroyed in a fraction of time. He saw many corpses of past expeditions and decided to end his existence and was saved by Lune, who was highly obsessed with having success, she had no other option in mind because of the way her parents educated her since early age, I guess 4 y.o.

So did the others each in their own way. Everyone in that world faces hardship and loss; he’s just remarkably bad at handling it. My point still stands: who wants to follow a whiny, aimless protagonist who falls apart under pressure? I literally roll my eyes every time he speaks, and almost without fail, someone ends up lecturing him. That’s not the mark of a leader, especially in high-stakes situations where composure and decisiveness should matter. Honestly, I don’t understand why he’s not just a sidekick. Anyway, any further debate is pointless. Let’s see if he actually improves.

Just a heads-up for anyone who prefers a more classical portrayal of a protagonist, rather than the modern type.

The classical one is the Stoic, for sure. Move the story forward and you'll understand.
I just don't want to spoil it.

[Maiden In Black]

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

Just a heads-up for anyone who prefers a more classical portrayal of a protagonist, rather than the modern type.

I am curious. Classical portrayal means what exactly in this case? Silent? Lacking anything whatsoever in characterization? Because thats pretty much the classical portrayal of protagonist when it comes to videogames.

I kind of understand why Gustave might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I honestly find him more relatable and interesting than the cold type. His struggle is something I think we would all share if we were in his shoes. It would be mightily dissonant if we were introduced to all those corpses and death and stuff and they all were, 'oh, this is Thursday.'

Gustave, as the closest link to the audience, is thus the one to have the reaction of horror at seeing the reality of the expeditions play before his eyes.

[GameBuild]

Originally posted by Maiden In Black:

Originally posted by Lord Jack Hayter:

Just a heads-up for anyone who prefers a more classical portrayal of a protagonist, rather than the modern type.

I am curious. Classical portrayal means what exactly in this case? Silent? Lacking anything whatsoever in characterization? Because thats pretty much the classical portrayal of protagonist when it comes to videogames.

I kind of understand why Gustave might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I honestly find him more relatable and interesting than the cold type. His struggle is something I think we would all share if we were in his shoes. It would be mightily dissonant if we were introduced to all those corpses and death and stuff and they all were, 'oh, this is Thursday.'

Gustave, as the closest link to the audience, is thus the one to have the reaction of horror at seeing the reality of the expeditions play before his eyes.

Everything will be explained throughout the story, make sure to interact with companions in the camp for extra, optional dialogues.

Most of the male protagonists in the history of entertainment, especially movies, were portrayed as Stoic Heroes, who often display emotional resilience, rational thinking at any circumstances without showing emotions or any human feeling, not even pain in more extreme cases. This was massively sold by Hollywood but what most people don't know is that the majority of the top action movie stars weren't real actors, they had persona, military background, martial arts training, even charisma but lacked acting skills, so a flat face of a Stoic hero was the only way to justify their casting making easy cash-grab movies. More recently, it's time for female stoic protagonists, which is the same low level storytelling approach to make cash grab stories.

[Lord Jack Hayter]

I get what you’re saying, and I’m not advocating for emotionless robots or shallow writing. But there’s a difference between emotional depth and a character constantly crumbling under pressure. Strong protagonists whether male or female can show emotion without losing their sense of purpose, composure, or decisiveness, especially in moments where leadership is crucial.

Sure, the old action heroes were exaggerated, but classical heroism wasn’t just about flat stoicism, it was about embodying ideals like courage, duty, and responsibility under adversity. That doesn’t mean they never felt pain or doubt; it means they knew when to process those emotions.

Modern protagonists often swing too far in the other direction: emotional vulnerability takes center stage at the cost of competence and growth. It’s not more realistic to make a hero constantly self-pitying or indecisive, it’s just a different type of narrative. And frankly, I find it less inspiring and less believable, especially when the setting demands a capable leader, not someone who needs constant lectures and pep talks to function.

Of course, I’ll wait and see if things improve as the story unfolds, but for players who prefer a protagonist with classical heroic qualities strength, resolve, clarity of purpose it’s understandable why this portrayal feels underwhelming.