What happens in the ending?

[Panfilo]

What's the final boss like? What happens in the end? What's the deal with the Ancestor?

[geepope]

The final boss is a multi stage fight basically right out of Final Fantasy, borrowing multiple gimmicks from other bosses.

In the end it is revealed that the entire earth is an incubator for a cosmic horror and all of humanity a mere extension of it, bred for the sole purpose of awakening it. The cultists were right all along. You've delayed its awakening, but cannot escape the inevitable horrifying truth and wind up taking your own life in madness and despair, leaving the Ancestor's letter to make its way to the family's next scion...

[Bomjus]

Originally posted by geepope:

The final boss is a multi stage fight basically right out of Final Fantasy, borrowing multiple gimmicks from other bosses.

In the end it is revealed that the entire earth is an incubator for a cosmic horror and all of humanity a mere extension of it, bred for the sole purpose of awakening it. The cultists were right all along. You've delayed its awakening, but cannot escape the inevitable horrifying truth and wind up taking your own life in madness and despair, leaving the Ancestor's letter to make its way to the family's next scion...

2 questions. can we continue to play with that save once we beat the final boss. and does the party that goes to fight the final boss all kill themselves?

[Panfilo]

Originally posted by geepope:

The final boss is a multi stage fight basically right out of Final Fantasy, borrowing multiple gimmicks from other bosses.

In the end it is revealed that the entire earth is an incubator for a cosmic horror and all of humanity a mere extension of it, bred for the sole purpose of awakening it. The cultists were right all along. You've delayed its awakening, but cannot escape the inevitable horrifying truth and wind up taking your own life in madness and despair, leaving the Ancestor's letter to make its way to the family's next scion...

I wonder how the Ancestor plays into all of this? If what you say is true then each playthrough represents a 'cycle' of a new heir arriving and rallying locals to take back the Hamlet. Since every time the stars align weirdos are gonna try and wake the monster up again.

[geepope]

Originally posted by Bomjus:

2 questions. can we continue to play with that save once we beat the final boss. and does the party that goes to fight the final boss all kill themselves?

You can keep playing, but it's not really well implemented. Nothing special happens with the survivors; I don't even think they get the "Never Again" trait. The last mission appears to still be open, too. Dead characters show up in the graveyard with proper attribution but there's nothing special about their graveyard entries.

Originally posted by jerjare:

I wonder how the Ancestor plays into all of this? If what you say is true then each playthrough represents a 'cycle' of a new heir arriving and rallying locals to take back the Hamlet. Since every time the stars align weirdos are gonna try and wake the monster up again.

Yup. This is made explicit: after your avatar commits suicide the Hamlet falls to ruin again and another letter goes out, and in the NG+ tutorial level the ghost of your previous avatar shows up to taunt you.

As for the Ancestor his spirit is bound to the cosmic entity he serves, and he's deliberately luring his kin and goading them into sending a bunch of bloodthirsty fools to their doom in order to try to awaken the horror.