WE FINALLY HAVE THE ENDING TO THE TRILOGY, and what an ending it was! Rather than go chronologically, instead we go back to the inciting incident - the thing that started it all.
The writing is as beautiful as always, combining the poeticism of TDOTS with the slightly more raw (but still poetic) prose from SOTW. The BGM was also very well chosen, the crescendoing orchestral pieces artfully amplifying with the tension of the scene.
From a technical perspective, this entry masterfully combines elements from the previous two games. It particularly makes good use of the color matrix from TDOTS, as well as the symbolic elements from that game (the statues and the sun). It also artfully uses the ripple effect from SOTW in multiple places to illustrate a character's anxieties, much like how it was used in SOTW.
The voice acting is absolutely splendid, particularly the VAs for the leads, Phaedra and Hippolytus. As always, Justine incorporated so much dignity and poise into her lines, with palpable vulnerability and emotion that really colors the flawed individual that Phaedra is. Dylan brings a similar amount of emotion to his performance, particularly excelling later on, when Hippolytus' psyche is colored by his anxiety, fear, and anger. They also sound very age appropriate, really highlighting the difference in age between them - and how inappropriate this relationship is. It's also really interesting hearing the two VAs side-by-side - Phaedra's voice is much more theatrical, while Hippolytus' voice is much more grounded, similar to how a person would normally speak - perhaps reflecting how Phaedra has become caught up in "fate," in the "story," in the "theater" - while Hippolytus is just an unwitting victim of her delusions.
The opening CG of Hippolytus is beautiful, painting him as a majestic but very lonely figure, set against the backdrop of the sun, with the walls caving in around him - a symbol of his impending fate. The actual sprites are gorgeous - Phaedra is softer than I expected (particularly her facial features, at least compared to TDOTS), her figure "soft and frail" compared to Hippolytus - however, this only makes her aggression later on more palpable. Hippolytus, on the other hand, looks very masculine and dignified, posed like a Greek statue, but at the same time his face is soft, with youthful features - emphasizing how young he is.
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Here, we really see the mentalities of Phaedra and Hippolytus that we saw in the previous two entries - though now juxtaposed against one another. And, when you see these two people side by side, you really get an idea of how terrible Phaedra is, and how faultless Hippolytus is. In TDOTS, Phaedra is understandable - sympathetic, even. But here, when faced with the target of her aggressions, you see just how ridiculous Phaedra is being as she continuously gaslights and pushes blame onto anyone except herself. It starts early on, as she tells Hippolytus that she "deserves pity" despite bullying him for many years. Hippolytus, on the other hand, is trying his best to understand her - to extend to her his sympathies, no matter what she does. At the start, he accepts her past mistreatment of him, although he was not obligated to do so, and when she starts to speak of love, he automatically assumes that she speaks of his father. Even after she comes on to him (in a very inappropriate fashion, after recounting to him her fanfiction in which he was Theseus and she was Ariadne), Hippolytus still tries to understand her, to give her the benefit of the doubt (he even APOLOGIZED to her).
Whether you actually believe Phaedra was doomed by Aphrodite's curses (or "the Sun") - it is clear that she is still RESPONSIBLE for what she has done. Her stating that she hates herself, that she feels terrible for her feelings - has no impact on the final result. Ultimately, she still imposes her feelings on Hippolytus. She states that she had no choice but to reveal her feelings to him, but prior events reveal that is the opposite of the case - Hippolytus gave her an out, accepted that she was talking about Theseus and not him - and she suddenly confessed her feelings to him out of the blue. The reveal that she mistreated him PRECISELY because she loved him (and wanted him to detest her) makes her even more detestable - completely self-absorbed, wrapped up in her own feelings and desires.
After that, it seems like everything is settled - Hippolytus and Phaedra cross each other, each planning to go their separate ways - and ONCE AGAIN, Phaedra chases Hippolytus, telling him to kill her. Multiple times, Hippolytus could have been free from the mess of his stepmother's feelings towards him, and each time Phaedra drags him back into it. Even when Hippolytus cries out that he does not want to kill her, that he wants to be left alone, Phaedra persists.
The usage of color matrixes here was BRILLIANT. In the first TDOTS game, color matrixes were used so that one sprite could be used to symbolize three characters - the Daughters of the Sun, Ariadne, and Pasiphae. In that game, all three characters were portrayed as victims of "curses" that they received from Aphrodite (and, ultimately, these could all lead back to "the Sun"). Here, Phaedra once again turns into the different colors representing the Daughters of the Sun - purple for herself, pink for Ariadne, and red for Pasiphae. When she starts to recount the tale of Ariadne, imagining what it would be like if she were in Ariadne's place and Hippolytus in Theseus', she turns pink, overwhelmed by her "love." Then, when she is consumed by her irrational "love" (and anger), she turns into red - representing Pasiphae. This callback to the TDOTS game also reframes it in a slightly different light - as here, it is clear that Phaedra, despite her protestations, is likely acting of her own will.
The final CG with Hippolytus as Phaedra reaches for his sword is brilliantly composed. At first, I thought that it might be framed as Hippolytus looking down at Phaedra as she claws at his clothes - however, instead, it focuses on Hippolytus' face, on his distressed expression, as his thoughts swirl around him. We don't see Phaedra - only her hands, tinged red, reaching up from the darkness like some kind of monster reaching from the deep. (And, even as she asks for Hippolytus' sword - she reaches further, passing his sword - perhaps symbolizing that she is asking for something more dastardly...)
(I really loved the fade out to the text alone as the finale reaches its climax - allowing you to focus on the words, Phaedra's crazed begging tinged with red - it reminded me a lot of silent films!)
The meaning of the title, "The Thread and the Sword," is quite an interesting one. In direct terms, it's a reference to the red thread that Ariadne lent to Theseus, allowing him to escape from the Minotaur's labryinth. It's interesting that this red thread, a symbol of Ariadne's love and affection, is contrasted against the thread between Hippolytus and Phaedra - one of dangerous obsession, "love" that is not truly love at all. At the same time, Ariadne's thread led to her death, abandoned by Theseus - a tragedy. And in this way, the thread of fate connecting Phaedra and Hippolytus also leads to both of their deaths. (Now, had Hippolytus taken Phaedra's life - could he have cut his thread and escaped his fate? Who knows...)
Overall, as a conclusion to the trilogy, it was brilliantly conceived. In TDOTS, you hear Phaedra's perspective - you sympathize with her plight. In SOTW, you learn the perspective of Hippolytus, the victim of her transgressions - and you start to question her, to sympathize with him. Here, in TTATS, you finally see the event that started it all - and it puts everything into perspective, as you see the real colors of the people involved in this tragedy.
Fantastic work, phaedriquement! Racine would be proud (probably)!