I didn’t realize I hadn’t updated this page in almost a year. Geez.
While I apparently didn’t bother to announce on this page specifically, I did update the site a few times in the past year. I uploaded an updated shrine (Final Fantasy VIII) and some new reviews, the latest being Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. In fact, Wo Long is the reason I didn’t update for so long, since this game took me a very long time to finish. Currently, I think it holds the record for longest time I’ve actively spent on a single game at ~534 hours. Unfortunately, as you’ll see if you read my review, I didn’t spend all that time because I was having fun. It’s just a long slog and I’m too stubborn to give up and leave the game unfinished. But, in the end, I did beat the game on its second difficulty, so I can put Wo Long behind me for good. Recently, Persona 3 Reload came out. I still remember when the game was first announced (or, more precisely, leaked) and how my jaw literally dropped in shock. I didn’t think they would ever remake Persona 3. I…don’t think I’ll play Reload, at least not anytime soon, given just how long and involved the game is and the fact I’ve already cleared Portable twice, but just the game’s existence blows my mind. …That said, let me write down something I’ve been wanting to touch on for some time. Spoiler warning for Persona 3 after this paragraph! If you read my shrine to Persona 3 Portable, you’ll see I have major beef with the game’s ending, as it kills the main character with no real justification. Nyx is descending in an event called the Fall, and Nyx is invincible for reasons, so the only way Minato can stop the Fall is by casting a soul-empowered seal on her, which kills him. The game never gives any justification for why Nyx cannot be killed. The writers did that just to have an excuse to kill the main character for maximum shock and edginess. And that’s stupid… …especially because the game itself already sets up a scenario where Minato would need to cast a seal on Nyx to stop the Fall, no invincibility required. The game just abandons it for some reason. So today, let’s look at what the game itself says to construct a justification for the game’s downer ending. I…don’t know why I’m doing this exactly, since I hate downer endings, but I guess I just hate dumb plots more? Who is Nyx? Ryoji at first refers to her as the “mother of Shadows.” This aligns with what Nyx herself says immediately before you fight her: Nyx: “What people fear most…What they try to ignore…That is what I am.” Persona’s lore has its roots in Jungian psychology, where one’s Shadow is a unrecognized aspect of one’s inner personality. Persona 4 shows this the most clearly, as each member of the Investigation Team faces his/her Shadow and accepts it, transforming it into a Persona. Each Shadow represents a part of the cast they’d rather not recognize: a small part of Yosuke thinks the murder mystery and the TV world are exciting, a small part of Chie enjoys the fact that Yukiko relies on her, a small part of Yukiko resents her family’s inn for placing her life on rails, and so on. These Shadows are, indeed, “what [they] fear most…what they try to ignore.” Nyx’s identity as the “mother of Shadows” fits very, very well. But beyond these two lines from Ryoji and Nyx, the game never touches on this idea again. Instead, the game focuses on how Nyx brings Death, except she doesn’t actually bring Death. This is unfortunate as Nyx’s role as the mother of Shadows gives the game ample justification for why Nyx cannot be killed. In this case, it’s not that Nyx cannot be killed; it’s more that Nyx should not be killed. Destroying a person’s Shadow will severely mess that person up, as Persona 5 demonstrates. If Nyx is somehow connected to every human’s Shadow (as she would be if she’s the “mother of Shadows”), killing Nyx would destroy all human life on the planet. At the same time, as the end of Persona 4 shows, allowing Shadows to take over will also destroy all life on the planet. This is Izanami-no-Okami’s plan with the fog – it’ll make everyone blissfully ignorant of everything, thus turning everything into “an unrecognized part of a person’s psyche” – in other words, the fog will turn everyone into Shadows. If “the mother of Shadows” actually descended upon the world, one might imagine a similar situation happening. The alternate plot With the above, here’s how I would’ve written Persona 3’s ending. What actually happens in game: Ryoji states that Nyx cannot be killed. How I would've done it: Ryoji explains that Nyx should not be killed because killing her would wreck everyone’s Shadow, thus killing every human in the world. At the same time, Nyx descending upon the world would transform everyone into Shadows, thus killing every human in the world. What actually happens in game: SEES doesn’t believe Ryoji and decides to fight Nyx anyway. How I would've done it: SEES believes Ryoji, but doesn’t give up hope that there must be some way to stop Nyx. What actually happens in game: The team defeats Nyx, but she just levitates up to the moon and begins radiating Death waves. How I would've done it: The team defeats Nyx, but they cannot kill her, and she begins radiating waves that manifest people’s Shadows, thus beginning the Fall. What actually happens in game: Minato obtains the Universe Arcana. Igor says that with this Arcana, “You may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated.” Instead of defeating Nyx, the one who cannot be defeated, Minato casts the Great Seal on her and dies. How I would've done it: Minato obtains the Universe Arcana. Igor says that with this Arcana, “You may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated.” But, that was never the issue in the first place, and Minato chooses the only available option – he casts the Great Seal on her and dies. ...and there you go. You get your downer edgy ending without shoehorned unexplained plot armor. Anyway, I wonder what I'll do for my next project. I spent so long trapped in Wo Long's bullshit that I now don't quite know what to do with my freedom. |
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