So I timed this really badly, sorry. Farla didn’t want extra posts during reviewing month. Have an ending:
Here’s something I forgot to mention last time. Dehl says this while giving a (far too short) speech on how he’s going to make a better world, which is an absolute non-sequitor after everyone said they were a-okay with slavery in chapter 4. It feels incredibly token, like obviously slavery is wrong so the heroes have to object to it in the end, even though they made no attempt to stop it before or even made the slightest prior acknowledgement it was wrong. There’s no proper buildup to this, they just go from spitting on fantasy Malcom X to SUDDENLY I REALIZE SLAVERY IS VERY WRONG with no transition. Possibly the idea is supposed to be that discovering Skint wasn’t evil made them change their minds, but that’s really reaching and no connection is explicitly drawn. If they were more conflicted in chapter 4 this would be more believable, but as-is this is a very childish resolution, where everything just magically works out perfectly for no reason. There was no deep analysis of slavery and how liberation might come about, it’s just a cheap prop to make the heroes look good here.
Then we skip to after the rebuilding, because why would we want to actually see how that happened? We were only told a dozen times how impossible it would be, so obviously nothing interesting could possibly happen during this period we might want to see. Yep, now is the time to skip over massive parts of the story, that makes perfect sense. We start with a pan over the rebuilt Wadassia and… is that Hiu? Did none of the important characters die in the cataclysm? That feels like a continuation of protagonist-centered morality; we’re told that tons of people died horribly and families were broken up, yet almost everyone important to us and the main cast has miraculously survived. I guess this is another reason to like Tehgonan and Yfus, they’re the only main characters who suffer real loss over this.
The game tells us one year has passed.
The ending is a montage of scenes showing where all the characters are at. Santes and Zargos have had children, and though Santes has a traditionally feminine job (teaching), she is the breadwinner; Zargos has retired and is now a stay-at-home husband. They say Qualstio is always welcome to stay at their house because they’re all good friends now. I would have liked to see that developed properly with more interaction (I don’t think they converse at all after chapter 1), but this is still nice for what it is.
Qualstio: “Is Dehl around? I wanted to see how he’s holding up.”
Zargos: “he left… just a week ago. Went to Do’Ssha, or what’s left of it anyway. Can’t say why.”
Qualstio: “I think I have an idea. He’ll be fine.”
Qualstio: clairvoyant sue to the last.
Qualstio: “So how are you guys and the squirt doing?”
Zargos: “Just grand! Nice t’be back in Wadassia, where we belong.”
Kulkumatz: (“Where we… belong… Mmmmm…”)
Kulkumatz closes his eyes and dies, taking a page from Skint and accepting the company of friends as his final resting place. Aw. We were told from the start that he was going to die, and it’s nice to see such a heartwarming and meaningful resolution to that.
But before they notice, Tez shows up!
Qualstio: “Yeah. I see you got some real clothes. And you took that weird jewelry outta your face.”
Except that supposedly he needs his cyborg bits to live according to IMTS. I guess the surface ones were nonvital? But how did he extract them in the first place with no equipment? Bah, whatever, I’m done trying to make sense of logistics. He says he has something he needs to do and will be away for a while.
Tezkhra: “If all goes well, we shall meet again soon. Thank you for your hospitality.”
o_O
I…I don’t even. Just make a note of this for now, we’re almost at the payoff.
Qualstio asks if he’s really a creator, and if he had anything to do with the disasters. He answers the first one honestly (“It is true. The ‘Shra’ people are all my direct descendants”) but dodges the second like a pro: “As for the disasters… …it is as the Watcher said. The pillars were activated when the Cycle’s time ran out.” Nice passive voice there. He should go into politics. For once Qualstio’s sue powers are disabled and he does not see through the blatant lie, because.
Tezkhra: “You’ll accomplish little if you fixate on the end. Focus on today. Do not live a live of worry.”
Oh wow, screw you. I guess he’s trying to be nice in the same way that keeping livestock from seeing the blade is nice, but that still doesn’t change the fact that this is incredibly callous coming from him, given what he’s about to do.
The bit characters make some ~quirky~ contributions but it’s obvious that this is the Lani and Rehm show.
Lani: “These people are barely clingin’ as it is. Maybe they’ll come t’ New Wadassia…”
Kidra: “Huh? Yeah, good luck organizin’ THAT, girl. People ain’t gonna drop their lives like that.”
This brings up a good point: Why do people stay in Nal? It doesn’t seem to have anything to recommend it unless you’re one of the top brass. There’s no food, lots of crime, and you’re living in a swamp. How does the city foster such loyalty? I assumed that Nal was essentially a slum and most people wanted to live in Wadassia but couldn’t, either because it’s expensive or because Wadassia just doesn’t let Nalians in.
Sirush: “Negative. A return to the wilds, they require, to re-assess their basic survival instincts.”
Lani: “That’s a joke, right? … Well, it came outta you, so I reckon it ain’t. You’re still crazy.”
Such realistic and friendly characters these people are.
The bit characters politely wander off. Rehm thinks a migration effort would be a good idea, then transitions to talking about the police. He says the officers seem to all be gone, which disappoints him because he was thinking of going back. Wow, Stockholm much? He tells Lani to go on ahead so he can have a soliloquy where he talks to his ghost dad again or something. I still don’t get what’s up with that. He reveals more explicitly that he wasn’t a true Sikohlon, and reminds us that there were three fathers without giving us any clues that Skint was the third because the developer loves his impossible mysteries. Still have no idea what his father was like or why this was important enough of a subplot to waste the story’s one coherent plot arc on.
We switch to Kidra.
She asks if there are any police around.
Muck-Covered Shra: “You need police? Why you need police?”
Exhausted Man: “Yeah, the Si’Shra took most of the guards away. That was years ago, though.”
Kidra: “Just curious how you all are managing without any guards around, is all. Seems quiet!”
Sweaty Female: “With no one breathin’ down our necks? This is the best Nal’s ever had it!”
Kidra: “You really think so? You’re not looters, are ya?”
Exhausted Man: “Of course not. Look, we can police ourselves just fine. We don’t need authority.”
Muck-Covered Shra: “Is right! Guards bring trouble. Is bad people. Is STRONG people. Make things worse.”
[…]
Kidra: (“They got a point… no police is better than bad police. I guess I’m out of a job then…”)
So I see Rehm’s little bit earlier was supposed to be the objective truth of the universe and not a single person’s understandable opinion. That’s a shame.
Picture the Mafia. That is what people “policing themselves” looks like. Anarchy creates the exact power structure these people are trying to escape from, where the strong and selfish dominate while the weak cannot receive the accommodations they need. Yes, police brutality is a major problem; recent events demonstrate that all too well. But as corrupt as law enforcement can be, eliminating it completely is not a solution. You must have some mechanism to prevent people from robbing you blind and/or murdering you in broad daylight; you cannot have a functional society otherwise. I don’t always agree with Zero Punctuation, but Yahtzee has a good piece on this. Narratively, this is once again a very simple and naive solution that sounds like something out of a childrens’ book; you would never believe we just have an incredibly dark and gritty episode about the end of the world just a few minutes ago. The tone is horribly dissonant.
And that’s the last of Kidra. The story could have done interesting things with her but mainly just used her as the butt of lolwomen jokes. She was a character from a different genre and shouldn’t have been included.
We then switch to Sirush, who is in a graveyard.
(“Unnamed, this gravestone is. For one unknown. For all unknown. For everyone. And for you, my dearest, shall this stone mark. Keep watch from here, you must.”)
I like this bit. He’s coming to terms with his past and finally moving on, which is the proper conclusion for his character. It’s also nice to see such a gesture from the people of Nal, showing that they’re not just out for themselves but are willing to make this comforting gesture of solidarity. Possibly this is just supposed to be his own speculation/projection, but that still reflects well on him. It’s a good ending for this sequence. But like Kidra, Sirush is someone who does not belong, and I still can’t make much sense of his story.
And that’s the end of Nal. Lani is the only one who doesn’t get a solo scene, much to my disappointment.
Well, it’s not quite the end of Nal. Rulian says his magic touch hasn’t come back, so Tez broke him permanently. Tez is disappointed because he wanted to study that power, but says he’s here for a different reason.
Tez explains that this is the cause of Rulian’s inability to age and his distorted perception of time. He turns it off, saying that there are more and he has to find them.
Rulian: “So are you leaving now? I feel tired. I think I need to rest.”
I take this to mean Rulian is going to die now because living past your natural lifespan makes you disintegrate when the immortality source is removed. That feels a bit too much like a fantasy trapping when this is supposed to be sci-fi, but the emitters seem to run on magic science so sure, that makes as much sense as anything. Tez does agree to escort him to safety for whatever that’s worth.
[…]
Yfus: “Hmm. A shame Sicious Qualstio did not wish to see this. He would likely be in tears.”
Tehgonan: “Is that, uh tears of joy? Or the other kind?”
Yfus: “Deep down? He pretends he doesn’t care, but you know he really loved this city. He would have gladly died along with it if it meant getting the people to safety.”
Hahaha what? Yes, he loved it so much he tried to burn down its capitol. From now on I’m going to believe Qualstio has mind control powers that make people perceive him as a saint and no one can convince me otherwise, because that’s the only explanation at this point. I get that the game is trying to insist his bluster and snootiness was just him covering up his true feelings but I just don’t see it. You can do this sort of reveal, but you need to provide actual evidence for it, either by showing us the character’s thoughts or by having their mask slip. Neither occurs here; Qualstio is unflinchingly resentful toward the city, its citizens, and its ruling body throughout the entire game, and we never see a thought bubble on the subject. Possibly the idea is supposed to be that he had such great acting talent that the mask never slipped, which is just incredibly tacky, lazy, and sueish. Show don’t tell, game.
Yfus: “Lady Falitza, have you seen enough? Take my hand; we can take you home now.”
Falitza: “So they were telling the truth. It’s really all gone. I’m… I’m free…!”
FINALLY we get the reveal that should have happened from the beginning. I feel no shame about spoiling this one.
Falitza: “You’ve all been so sweet… It all worked out better than I could have imagined.”
Tehgonan: “H-hey, you’re not sick any more?”
Yfus: “The appropriate question is, was she ever?”
Falitza: “You simple folk are so easy to fool. Indeed, the whole world was eating from my hand! Yes, I’m afraid I’ve been deceiving you. Impressed? I know I would be!”
[…]
Tehgonan: “What in the hell? You were FAKING it? Why?”
Falitza: “You’ve no idea what it’s like to be ‘little miss perfect’ all the time, do you? Making your teachers look like fools… getting stepped on by your parents… urghh! I had to get out! I needed a break! So all it took was the performance of a lifetime! But now that Fortifel’s gone, I have a chance to start clean! Now I can live my own way!”
Wow, that was probably the stupidest and most contrived passage in this entire game. I’ve repeatedly stated that her motivation doesn’t match up with her actual actions, and logically she should have revealed herself long before now. But that has nothing on “SURPRISE! I’m actually just a whiny rebellious teenager!” Reveals are supposed to make things more interesting, not less, game. And that’s not even getting into the writing itself, which is just godawful. It reads like something out of a bad children’s cartoon, not a serious tale about the end of the world. This could have provided some interesting insight into the world by showing the dark failures beneath the bright image presented by the Fortian education system, but it doesn’t take her seriously at all. It’s just this incredibly forced excuse for why she did something so idiotic. At the end of the day she’s simply a minor character we were never meant to take seriously. Ensemble piece!
You know, I’ve been assuming that the reason this is so weird is that the developer added it in at the last minute, but now I wonder if it isn’t the reverse – the tone and general writing quality is more consistent with the start of the game than anything else. I’m starting to think that what happened was he thought “what if I had a crazy person turn out to not be crazy wouldn’t that be so clever???” way back when he was planning on a more comedic tone and didn’t concern himself too much with the details. Unfortunately it seems he got too attached to the idea to cut it even as it became abundantly clear it wouldn’t fit. Sometimes you really just have to murder your darlings.
Continuing…
Classy.
She admits that Qualstio probably knows, because he’s a sue. AND THEN.
Falitza: “A shame my brother had to get so close. I almost lost myself when I saw him.”
Tehgonan: “Yeah, uh, that was kind of a jerk move, toying with him like that. You’re mean.”
Tehgonan tells it like it is! Falitza tries to justify it by saying he didn’t care about her, only how she dishonored the family name, which, uh, wow, no. Perhaps it’s easy to buy in the linear game, but in a format where you can go back and check what he actually said it’s pretty easy to see this doesn’t match the actual events. He never mentions the family name or how she’s a shameful secret; he is 100% concerned with her personal well-being from beginning to end. And I’d think that if he was really as cold as she claims he would cut his losses at the end instead of having a breakdown over losing his sister.
“I turned into Daddy’s dark little secret when I went ‘crazy’. He put me in Sanctifel.”
One, she’s not a secret; the trial keeper implied her situation was well-known. Two, what did you expect him to do. Three, unless he kept this from his son it once again doesn’t make sense; Hunio said he hadn’t seen her since “they” took her away, and I think he’d phrase it differently if he knew it was their own father pulling the strings. And if he didn’t know his father considered it a shameful secret, how could that be his motivation? Apparently we’re universe hopping now. Tehgonan then tries to say his family was exactly the same, because letting your kid wander off to do whatever he feels like is the exactly the same as locking them in an asylum.
So wow, that was incredibly disappointing. I remembered this being…better. But no, nonsense all the way down topped with a sociopath cherry. At least her The Drop characterization retcons her to be less evil.
Then there’s some rumination on how magic is gone and no it’s not, Fortians were not the literal source of magic, why are they saying this?
Tehgonan: “[Metzino] had this weapon… it was like magic, but not magic. Anyone could use it. That’s how it should be. Anyone should have the ability to take care of themselves.”
Once again, this reads like a bad children’s cartoon. There’s no deep societal analysis here or mention of technology’s own flaws (resource crunch, anyone?), it’s just RAWR MAGIC EVIL which is a really, really weird moral to have in a fantasy story.
They walk off and Yfus gets his own scene.
“At least you’re with Brother
Ack, this again. Is this a thing where the developer is from and I’m just an uncultured weirdo?
“I hear that Do’Ssha was wiped out, too. So much work… was it all for naught? Maybe the gods were right. Maybe we really didn’t deserve this world they had given us. It was nice to think I was making a difference for a while, anyway. Well… goodbye. I’ll see you soon, I hope. Just as soon as my work’s done here.”
Is he going to commit suicide??? D: Jesus, this is depressing. Yfus needs hugs.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Yfus, actually. I used to think he was boring and unremarkable, but he’s actually surprisingly deep and his melancholy personality is a breath of fresh air after so many off-the-wall wacky characters.
Ques says it’s almost as if they knew the flood was coming. Hm. Yacatec says he’s going to search for a way in.
Ques: “And how do you intend to do so, Sire Yutli? Burrowing, perhaps?”
You know, that’s actually a good idea. The wall probably does extend downwards, but not as far as it does above, I would imagine. Unless they were really smart and made a floor of the same material… Fero suggests they try to find out how they let the hatchlings outside, which is an even better idea. There must be an opening somewhere.
Moke walks up to the wall suddenly and says he thought he heard something. Your guess is as good as mine. We learn that Dehl freed Moke from his servitude, which I think is pretty meaningful. Dehl was likely restricting him out of his own hangups with the plague, so the fact that he’s letting Moke go means he must also be letting go of those. He’s healing. Unfortunately, Moke has fallen victim to the subservience brain hack and doesn’t know what to do without a master. He explains he doesn’t even know what he did before the Sikohlon picked him up, as he got amnesia when he caught the Blue Plague. With that final piece of the puzzle I do think it’s quite possible to figure out what happened in interlude 4, but again, too subtle for something so pivotal. Forcing people to figure it out after the logical conclusion and payoff of Dehl’s arc is also really weird narratively.
Fero says he wants to stay behind and live out the rest of his life in the wilds because he is a stock character. Remember when he had actual personality? But sure, whatever. Everyone walks off, but…
Moke flips out and reasserts that he won’t leave his friends.
Shra: “The Humans have nothing left. Yet, it is here where you and I can survive indefinitely.” […] “We shall be waiting, in and out of every eternity.”
Hm, sure sounds like they have the last emitter. Might be more of a plot twist if it isn’t and they have some other means of eternal life. Or maybe Tez didn’t destroy the one in the holyland after all and they recovered it…
“We are the One True People of this world. The First Builder told us this himself. Only we understand what the Powers Above desire. I hold it. You hold it. And our brothers… Don’t you see? The outside is doomed to a cycle of despair unless we placate Them! We cannot hope to succeed without you. Have you forgotten why you are here? Have you forgotten your father? Our father? The First Builder… The Greatest One?”
Oookay. That was some impressive jargon vomit but I’m not entirely sure what it means. My best guess is that the Black One is still in there and is feeding them information somehow, but I don’t think he knows that much about the project. Maybe it’s someone else, but I can’t think of any other prominent lizard characters. Possibly there’s a third bodyhopper we haven’t heard about, but that would be really cheap. Or I’m barking up the wrong tree and they’re talking about different powers that be – perhaps the ones controlling the tatzylvurm? Hm. It’s more PLAY THE SEQUEL, but I am genuinely intrigued by what’s up with this.
Regardless, he leaves Moke alone, reiterating that they can wait as long as they need. We jump to a new scene.
He explains there was a second blackening. Man, their life sucks.
Fih’Jik: “We’ve not had a visitor in several Nights. You are not… one of those Si’Shra?”
Dehl: “I am a friend.”
He didn’t answer in the negative! CLEARLY he is actually a secret si’shra and this is ironclad evidence because that’s how mysteries work in Space Lizard’s stories. IT’S ALL SO OBVIOUS NOW.
The fih’jik says their population has dropped to less than one hundred. Yeesh, that’s one heck of a bottleneck. I hope they still have enough genetic diversity to survive, I would be very sad to see them die out in the sequel. He continues to say he has a favor to ask: there’s a young shra that they can’t properly care for, and they want to let another shra raise him.
Fih’Jik: “Friends, we have a visitor, from the outlands. His name is…ah…”
Dehl: “Dehl. Just… Dehl.”
At first I thought this was sad, but given my previous analysis I think there’s happiness too. He’s finally moved on from a philosophy and society that never really worked from him, and he’s acknowledging it out of his own volition rather than clinging to it now that there’s no Mahk to tell him otherwise. (Oh yeah, Mahk’s dead. Pretty sad in hindsight of IMTS, especially if you selected him as Ros’ soulmate.) The youngling comes out…
Oh hey, he has a third horn now! He was blinded in the blackening, and apparently all the other Sikohlon died. He forgives Dehl for killing the slavers, and says he doesn’t want Dehl to leave him alone again. Aw.
Dehl announces that Wadassia has been rebuilt, and he’s here to ferry them there.
Fih’Jik 1: “That is wonderful news. How many people can your ship carry at once?”
[…]
Fih’Jik 2: “You cannot leave now! Our homeland is in its direst time of need! We must all stay!”
Fih’Jik 1: “Are you not sane? We’ve nothing but death and misery left here! Anyone can see that!”
[…]
Fih’Jik 2: “The Supreme One entrusted us with this land! We cannot turn our backs on Her now! […] Sinner!!! It is your blasphemy that has caused all of this! How dare you insult the gods!”
So even after all that, absolutely nothing has changed. What a lovely note to end this subplot on.
This reminds me of A Song of Ice and Fire, where freeing the slaves just led to them enslaving a different group, and it’s looking like the moral is going to be that the hero shouldn’t have tried in the first place. This is just taking such a purposefully cynical and misanthropic view, almost to the point of farce, and it sends the message that people just shouldn’t even try: people are all terrible and never learn from their mistakes so they don’t deserve your help. And indeed, Dehl’s next line is “Silence. I have heard enough. Let your own wills guide you for once in your lives.” Don’t you see??? Trying to make it better just made everything worse!!! CUTTING SOCIAL COMMENTARY.
This is such an incredibly dismal and depressing viewpoint, and I have to wonder if it’s related to the heroes’ lethargy throughout the story. Trying to accomplish things is evil and just leads to more problems, so the only correct response is to be a leaf in a river. It seems there is some middle ground in small-scale do-gooding, like Dehl taking these people to safety, but any kind of vocal, political activism is doomed to failure. You can make the world a better place, but only if you’re quiet and work within the system. All hail the status quo.
Possibly the idea is supposed to be that you shouldn’t trample on other peoples’ cultures and should only work within your own scope, but once again that’s manipulative and crippling. Plus, like, it is not physically impossible to educate yourself on other cultures, especially if you’re working within them for prolonged periods of time. Honestly, this one seems fairly simple: Their entire culture is founded upon the idea that God is loving and does not subject them to cruel tests of faith, allowing for pragmatic decisions if survival hinges upon it. It just doesn’t make sense for them to echo the Kir’Sshans by obsessing over the homeland, even if we’re talking about the most devout. That isn’t a virtue in their religion, it’s the crazy thing the heretics do. (That’s another missed opportunity – Kir’Sshans see the Do’Sshan sect as heresy, so wouldn’t Do’Ssha feel the same way about Kir’Ssha?) Unless the idea is supposed to be that there are Kir’Sshans mixed in here, this kind of fracture doesn’t make sense. All it would take is one person pointing out that their religion doesn’t actually work that way and they’d realize they were being stupid.
(Speaking of Kir’Ssha, I notice we never see it in the ending. I maintain my headcanon that they all starved to death after Dehl killed their only chance at survival.)
Dehl: “I envy you, Xopi. You shall never have to see your world in such a state of disaster.”
Xopi: “What will you do now, Brother Dehl?”
Dehl: “We are going to learn how to help others, Xopi. And not merely through words. Do you feel well enough to travel?”
Xopi: “Uh huh. Uhm, Brother? Do you still… fight?”
Dehl: “Every waking hour. But, not always with a blade, and not always against another.”
But I do like this. It effectively shows what Dehl has learned and how he’s changed, and it’s a positive note to end on. Immediately preceding it with a scene about how helping people is wrong dampens the effect, but it’s still nice to see people trying to be good and expressing hope for the future.
This is where the game ends normally. Overall, the ending sequence has some bumps and inconsistencies but it presents a happy image of life continuing, and this is a muted yet poignant capstone to end on. Everything works out in the end.
But. I recruited Tezkhra, which means it’s not over quite yet. Join me next time for the true ending and some final thoughts.