Confused about the Ranger's decisions (SPOILERS)

[Magus]

So I just got to the forest area and a recent story beat totally took me out of the story. Why in the world would the Ranger immediately show a murder scene to a group of children and let them walk away with evidence??? My impression so far was that the normal town sections were supposed to be relatively grounded. Even if he's supposed to be a weird guy with poor social skills, that decision makes no sense whatsoever. Like straight up no one past the age of like 15 would even think to do that

Am I supposed to think that? If I'm just supposed to accept it as reasonable I'm really concerned about the rest of the writing from this point on. I've been enjoying the game a lot so far so I don't want people to think I'm just hating on the game.

[datpixiegirl]

I know it's been awhile since you posted your question/comment, but I found it an interesting point to muse over. Since you already marked the thread as SPOILERS, I'm not going to bother with blocking anything. Here's my take:

The whole game - both "normal" and underside sections - are surrealist. So there's a significant difference between what would be considered normal in actual reality and what's considered normal in Bloomtown's universe. Visible ghosts, talking dogs, aliens, witches living next door to the local sheriff, etc., are all in the "meh, we get those sometimes" zone.

I did a good bit of wandering and side questing along with the main story, so in addition to knowing from the store description that this game was, to quote Rachel Zegler "weird, weird!", I'd encountered plenty of far-from-normal behaviors and events around the burbs and farmlands. As a result, the first scene with the ranger didn't strike me as jarring - just another "oh, they ratcheted up the gore-factor again' reaction.

But as far as the ranger's character is concerned, the guy is not normal by any stretch, and that scene is your first hint that he isn't. It goes beyond "weird and no social skills" on purpose. The guy is psychotic, and wants people to stay the hell away from the woods. What's the best way to keep some snooping kids (and their dog) out of the woods? Show them the aftermath of what happens when someone DOES go into the woods. And when you're psychotic AND demon-possessed...your ethics and sense of socially acceptable behavior are no longer relevant.

I'd be interested to know what you thought of the rest of the game, especially after you finished that arc of the storyline. I've just started the city area, and I keep thinking about how Lucifer said "3 demons" - I'm like, "maaaan, can't there be 4 or 5? I don't want to be halfway through yet!"

Anyway, happy new year, and may you find many awesome games to play in 2025! =)