"What the fuck am I going to do with my life now?" --> THIS IS THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR MYSELF AS WELL........ 💦
Sob, at any rate... I'm going to cry from this comment. I'm not only overjoyed you ended up enjoying the last part, but that you'd take so much time??? To write so much??? My heart...🥺💕
You played through the whole game again beforehand ahhhHHHHHH. Somehow this is so touching to me... 😭 I can imagine it could definitely be helpful especially if you haven't played it in a while. Also there's definitely a decent number of times in the finale where I reference past parts of the game. Sometimes even just little small lines, etc. It's obviously not necessary to notice all of these, but it could definitely help if some of them are more fresh in your mind going into Arc 5... (it is a very long game after all and has been in production for a long time lakdjfas) I'm glad that doing so could make the finale feel like it has even more impact!
"That isn’t something one single apology can just fix, and that’s not even considering all the things in the loops that they had to undergo." --> Indeed... I did kinda think about how to approach them for a little bit before diving right into the writing for the finale. In my mind, it would have just felt weird and out of place for them to suddenly be all hunky-dory with each other, not only because it's so fresh, but also because with all the stress and uncertainty of what's to come, they would likely resort back to their typical coping mechanisms LOL That and I kinda see these two as just... well, it's them. Like. Even in the best timelines they'll still be bickering away. But that's moreso because of their personalities and views. Like how even in OC where none of the "worst" things that happened in OW happened in that timeline, they still bicker constantly LOL They just get on each other's nerves and always will. But at least their bickering has less hate behind it and is no longer one-sided.
Hearing you talk about Gidget's part is making me very weepy. I'm glad you like how their route played out. I know it will always probably be the most decisive of all the options, just because of everything that happened, so I really tried to approach it carefully. But I also don't blame anyone who doesn't want to play their route or just doesn't prefer it as much. So hearing that you did still enjoy it and the direction that Gidget's character took is very touching to me 💕
"Funnily enough, I was thinking about Orlam being awake and just watching them" --> LKDJFALSKDF THIS MADE ME LAUGH LOL.
I also feel like Genzou's scene and route in general is the most romantic. Probably because I feel like that's just more the dynamic he and Iggy have. Like of the three possibilities, even though all three of them can settle in and care for each other and have a life together, Genzou and Iggy are the only one where I would say "yes these two are in love with each other," so I think that comes out a lot in how I ended up doing their scene. Plus they had more build-up, I think, that led in that direction. I'm really happy you liked their scene in general WEEP. It may be the one that affects me the most on an emotional level, I'll admit... I just think they're so precious... sigh...
"Notably, there’s also the juxtaposition of how they’re feeling extremely conflicting emotions about each other when Iggy visits Genzou’s house in the beginning, to how SURE they are of their feelings right before they confront Bucks." --> I'M GONNA WEEP
Lol your comments about Orlam... I am indeed always curious how people will react to not only Orlam himself but the Orly dynamic. And I freely admit he's not everyone's cup of tea in general 🤣 I'm touched you still played his route though in spite of not liking him as much! I'm mostly quite fascinated by their dynamic and think it's really fun to explore, even if it wouldn't really be described as romantic. I enjoy what they bring out in each other and how neither one really cares about what the other is doing. I think that also plays into a lot of how they act in the rest of the finale if you take their route. That and Orlam's personality in general. Like he's just not the type of person to show outward distress/fear at someone else's predicament the way the others are, so even in his route, it felt weird for him to ever shout at Iggy in a fearful way. And yeah, you said some really interesting things about him being more accepting of their fate either way than the others are, which I think is also true.
It's really lovely hearing all your thoughts about Bucks's scene and the tree and Saydie.
"He wished that “he could make his friends this happy forever”, but… what happened, exactly? Under the assumption that this wish disappeared just like the others, does it mean that the loop was broken?" --> kdjaldfa this is one of those things where I like to leave some of it rather vague and up to interpretation, which is part of why I went with cutscenes here, as they were a great way to kinda just... show things without necessitating a thorough detailed explanation. I really like letting players/readers come up with their own thoughts about a lot of the things that happen (unless it's something that's like... crucial for the story ofc). I'll say though that yeah, Iggy's childhood wish kinda influenced... everything... after he made it. Like even in his head entering this mindset of focusing on others over himself, which usually just backfired because he was too young to handle a lot of the conflicts and emotions. But also keeping everyone close by even if they would have been better leaving. Keeping everyone with this connection to himself they can't escape from. To then leading to the literal loop where he couldn't die because that went against the wish so restarting again and again, each time focusing on someone else, but it never works, because he can't make everyone happy ofc. And so him destroying the wish destroyed his life in a way, because his life itself had become the result of his wish. And so all the loops and everything after his original wish was destroyed. That's kinda how I see it, but I'm also fine if people come up with other interpretations and theories for that part, too.
"So I will leave it at that, and tell you that this was truly a fantastic game. I’m very happy to have discovered this game when it was still in the works and it feels so great to see it be finished." --> Ahhhhhhh... 💕😭 That really means so lot! And I've always enjoyed reading your comments so much!!! It makes me so happy when people enjoy the chars and story enough to want to dissect it and figure things out and look for connections, etc. So reading those kinds of comments truly means the world.
I'm ecstatic you ended up enjoying the finale so much! And the game as a whole! I can't really believe it's over now. And it's all been hitting me pretty hard. But hearing from people that have enjoyed it and the journey it's taken has really helped so much. Thank you for all the kind words and all of the support and love you've given to the game!! 💕