So Atul....(SPOILERS!!)

[shadeling]

... just leaves on his own?!?!
No Everdoor, no parting words to his beloved niece? Really!? Isn't Stella supposed to guide all souls to the Everdoor? Isn't the whole point of the game is that Stella guides souls to their end? How would it be possible to circumvent that??

I get that death happens without warning but, it just seems like if a character can circumvent Stella, then that just begs the question of what is truly her actual purpose in the game? If she truly did take over the role of Charon, and is now ferrying the dead, then Atul should have had to make that journey with her. Otherwise, it just kind of makes Stella seem a bit pointless.

Loving the game all the same but, this seems like a big ole plot hole.

[Violent Rainbow]

i felt exactly the same way, like that was so not ok I get that he reached his peace and was able to move on by himself (at least that's how I understood it) but like... no saying goodbye? Really? Just gone like that? It didn't feel right.

[jinmaruuu]

I think his sudden disappearance reflects what happened to him in the real world. From the artbook:
"While Stella was still in Europe [REDACTED], Atul disappeared
without a trace. This was a great shock to Stella, and she never truly learned
what had happened to him. His disappearance was one of the reasons
Stella decided to move to North America with her mother, Marie, and her
second sister, Lilly."

[Patrochilles]

I'm not certain whether the whole point of the game is for Stella to "guide" the spirits to the Everdoor. Pretty much what I think Stella has been doing is more like being there for them. You just accompany them and try to make them ready in one way or another. If they are all set, then there we go. Regarding it so might help make more sense of Atul's sudden disappearance.

A huge shock still. We were at one point going frantic because of him.

[Einherjia]

Originally posted by Patrochilles:

I'm not certain whether the whole point of the game is for Stella to "guide" the spirits to the Everdoor. Pretty much what I think Stella has been doing is more like being there for them. You just accompany them and try to make them ready in one way or another. If they are all set, then there we go. Regarding it so might help make more sense of Atul's sudden disappearance.

A huge shock still. We were at one point going frantic because of him.

Agree. Also I think the dinner Atul prepares for us is his way to say goodbye.
By the way,as long as Atul is a frog……maybe he swims to the Everdoor by himself……

[PhyreMatrix]

I think that Stella's interactions with the spirits she meets somewhat reflects her real life history with them. Considering the ending, I question whether she actually WAS a replacement for Charon. While Overbrook has some questionable patients the more I think about it Stella might not have been the intended replacement for Charon. (But in her reality she is?)

It wasn't hard for me to accept Atul moving on without her knowledge / help. That's how it might have been with their real life relationship. People go without notice or warning. And considering Stella's profession there's a good chance she might not have been present for his life death.

[Seraphita]

Originally posted by PhyreMatrix:

I think that Stella's interactions with the spirits she meets somewhat reflects her real life history with them. Considering the ending, I question whether she actually WAS a replacement for Charon. While Overbrook has some questionable patients the more I think about it Stella might not have been the intended replacement for Charon. (But in her reality she is?)

It wasn't hard for me to accept Atul moving on without her knowledge / help. That's how it might have been with their real life relationship. People go without notice or warning. And considering Stella's profession there's a good chance she might not have been present for his life death.

I think you get it right or about. I believe that's a little what it meant as well. There's lot of things about characters and even herself that is implied to be related to her real life. The way she lived it with them and all. The way it ended. God I cried so much... Atul himself was a blast of joy and kindness and despite everything, all he wanted for his final day was a party.

And then he just... vanished. I felt the characters leaving me one after another. My heart...

[rmsgrey]

Originally posted by PhyreMatrix:

I think that Stella's interactions with the spirits she meets somewhat reflects her real life history with them. Considering the ending, I question whether she actually WAS a replacement for Charon. While Overbrook has some questionable patients the more I think about it Stella might not have been the intended replacement for Charon. (But in her reality she is?)

The implication I picked up was that the whole game is Stella's period of adjustment to her own death - except for Buck, every spirit on the boat is someone from Stella's own life - even Lily, who is the only one who hasn't died in life (except possibly Atul, who's missing presumed dead). Whether the whole thing is purely her imagination, or whether she's really helping the spirits of people she knew in life to move on after death (having hung around for ages to wait for her rather than letting Charon guide them) is rather more open, but it's clear that this setting revolves around her and is intended to help her let go and move on.