Archetype Symbolism

The choice to make Marth’s Ancestor Anri Zero Emblem was an interesting choice. Anri represents a hero that Sombron described, a man who could do everything alone. This contrasts with his descendant, Marth; whose humility and sense of camaraderie defines who he is.

Now it makes sense why Sombron admired Zero Emblem/Anri, he valued the power to do everything alone. Alas, eventually we see how Sombron would become the monster he is. So in a twist of irony, Sombron became like the person Anri swore to defeat: Medeus.

Marth not being like Anri is meant to be the point of Marth. Marth’s character is about accepting he can’t do everything on his own. And with valued friends and allies, Marth is able to the Hero King people like Lucina look up to.

Thus, this ties in with Alear and how his character is meant to take after Marth’s character. Alear is able to become the Divine Dragon people glaze them being. The reason being that Alear takes on the traits that made the Hero King who he is in eyes of all who knew him.

The themes of Metaphor:

Can Fantasy have an impact on the real world? The game makes no secret that this is a Fantasy World when More talks to us. But More asks us if Fantasy is a “powerless creation,” and while what we choose isn’t important for the story, I want to share my own thought process when I was asked this question:

“I wouldn’t call it, “powerless” per se; but rather the things that Fantasy have in their world is fundamentally impossible in our “real world.” But when we make stories and give it to others, one life can be inspired by that gift no matter how impossible it is. So I would say that Fantasy isn’t powerless, it’s all about how you frame it.”

I wouldn’t say this speech was my exact wording the first time, but it was something I thought about and this is my “concrete,” both then and now. Something that is reflective of this question is how each character affected by Will (the protagonist) sees the Fantasy Novel. Yes, it is a romanticized version of our real world, but like with More’s question, this is a matter of perspective.

Throughout the entirety of the game, the Fantasy Novel that More created served as the motivations of the protagonist Will and antagonist Louis. The Novel plays the role of the protagonists in our shoes viewing different lens of reality compared to us the players. And this reflects to when even Fidelio and Basilio read the Fantasy Novel.

Then we later learn that Will is a character born from the Prince’s Fantasies and Ideals. As controversial as that plot point may be, through this plot point and understanding what the Prince had to endure, the Prince’s wishes are fulfilled through Will. And Will himself is his own person who learns the path needed to be taken to become a king that can lead the world to peace.

The ideas of escapism

Escapism is trying take your mind away from the real world stress doing activities you enjoy. While it is nice to take time off doing things you like, I should know, allowing yourself to be consumed by it makes you blind to all else to an unhealthy degree. And this is reflected in More, a character based on the author Thomas More, who wrote the Fantasy Novel Will is connected to.

People who complain about the Fantasy Novel being an overly simplistic version of our real world fail to see that’s the point. And this especially becomes more apparent once we learn about the World Before, a time where Metaphor’s world was like ours before magic was discovered. The real world of Metaphor was destroyed by a war that caused the creation of the Human monsters to destroy the world.

Maybe More lived during that time; or maybe, in his research of magic, learned about the power that fought the humans during that time: the ones who wielded the power of the Archetypes. This is the power used by the party members when they face their fears and anxieties.

More fancies Archetypes as the power of heroes fighting to change the world. Not unlike other characters in Fiction fighting to change the world. Or better yet, other JRPG characters taking up different classes in battle.

Now what does this have to do with the topic of escapism? Well from the good perspective, one must consider that the main enemies are Humans. So in a way, trying to be as this unrealistic Archetype is about challenging the realistic ugliness that comes with being “human.”

The bad part of the escapism comes in a way you don’t expect. The Archetypes are is true magic used during a war. The Sanctist Church sought to forbid any form of true magic; thus the Mage Academy was closed, the Archetypes were lost to time, and even the Fantasy Novel was banned

What makes this bad is that, although this is born of good intentions, the truth of the world, the humans and such were lost as a result of ignorance. The corruption of the truth has led the Elda (Will’s race) to be denounced. And to make matters worse, Hythlodaeus losing what he loved the most only added to the grief he had of losing his wife and his son believed to be dead.

Tragedy and overcoming it

We already know that Hythlodaeus would be killed by Louis; but we would also later learn that his death would cause the Royal Magic to activate. Thus the story begins as the grab the throne between Forden and Louis begins. And the party working to free the Prince from the curse.

Now a lot of good and bad came from this; to say that Louis could have started a war and Louis killing Grius is one on both sides to a long list. But Hythlodaeus’s reasons behind lie in two reasons: Hythlodaeus lost his will to live and his genuine hope that the next king would truly be chosen by the people. The other reason is his real reason for creating the Royal Magic: for guidance; this is where the player comes in.

As the true Seeker, you are here to guide the hero on the path to save the kingdom. And thus, everything I believe and all that has been proven in the game comes ahead. The bad endings in this game is not a matter of right and wrong between Will and Louis; this is about the one who doesn’t give up hope and the good Fantasy brings.

Thus, we talk about the scene that I was alluding to that defined Metaphor for me: The Utopia. When Will is seemingly killed by Louis near the end of the game, More begins acting uncharacteristically out of fear. More than reveals the “truth” about Akademia and reveals a modern world promised by the Fantasy Novel.

Will now has a choice between what would lead to the true ending or the “Fantasy Is Only Fiction” ending. IMO, this moment is metaphorically speaking one final test of character, both for Will and for you, to understand what this story is about. Choosing to side with More will lead to the bad ending, but Will’s true answer is a simple fact:

Will: This place… it isn’t a Utopia!

After Will makes the correct choice, the song Traversing the Wastes plays, a song that plays when Will and Gallica were on their way to Grand Trad. Fitting that the song that played at the start of the journey plays at the end. As the living proof that Magic does exist because Music is the one thing that ties Fantasy and Reality together, Will sees the truth.

Will: The journey, my friends… They are as real as anything I’ve known!

By choosing to reject More’s “reality” and embrace the harsh world of Fantasy Will lives in, he has taken the final step needed to become the ideal king Hythlodaeus once strived to be. Speaking of which, this is where Will learns that More and Hythlodaeus are one and the same. Just as Will was the Archetype of the Prince, More was this for Hythlodaeus.

With all of the plot points in mind, from More’s role as a narrator and mentor, and the King’s magic, as well the role Fantasy has in the game; everything ties together in a nice ribbon. Now I implore people to go back to More’s question in the beginning of the game. Now that we know what More had went through in his life, he gave up on what makes the themes of Metaphor.

More: I once took such joy and passion from my ideals… I truly believed that I might end the strife and discrimination that plagued our people across nigh endless years. But the tremendous incomprehension and injustice that defines our world-it was more than I could bear. It broke me. And Louis is likely going through the same thing.

The More in the Narration at the beginning, and the More that are talking now feel like different people. But in the end, when he saw Will, his own technical son, die, it confirmed his worst fears that Fantasy was nothing but a delusion in the face of reality. And now in his desperation to save his son, More is forcing that despair upon him.

By choosing to reject the Fantasy Novel as real, Will made the choice to believe that things can change against impossible odds. And this faith is rewarded with his friends surviving their heroic sacrifice, defeating Louis, and becoming King. The entire reason the Royal Magic was created was to drag the real world players into the game and guide Will into making this choice.

Thus it is the final proof that Fantasy Lives On. Fantasy can change the world and make it better when we choose to believe in the impossible. When we believe that we can make lives better; and that to me connects with me far more than Clair Obscur’s story and ending ever could.

Why Clair Obscur doesn’t work for me?

Now I could give an overly long explanation on this game’s story. But that’s going to take too long, so I trust that a few or most know about how the game ends at least. And the fate of the world is decided in the final battle.

Putting the debate on which ending is right aside, never have I loathed a video game ending my whole life. Do I understand that this game is about tragedy, first and foremost? Yes. But I still have the right to not like either ending or their execution.

And this is because, no matter ending is chosen, the fate of the Canvas is sealed. Verso (painted) ends with the destruction of the Canvas to ensure Alicia’s lives and the Dessendre family can finally move on. With Alicia’s ending only prolong’s the Canvas’s destruction as she slowly withers and dies, all the while the people in it are her puppets to ensure no can stop her.

The reason why this game bothers me compared to Metaphor comes down to the themes of Anti-Escapism costing the future of the painted beings that had feelings and hearts. Helping a girl that has two lifetimes of grief comes at the cost of the characters this game claims it wanted us to love. All the while, the “next best option” is worse when you actually think about it.

The game’s themes of Anti Escapism doesn’t work simply because it required sacrificing other people to do it. That, and this game has characters that we are able to connect with. But destroying them being the right thing to do because a girl would rather die in her illusion makes me sick. (And yes, I understand why she does what she does)

Metaphor’s idealism works because of the darkness of its story. From seeing Paripus being hanged without trial down to the clashes of religions. This game, whether we talk about Hythlodaeus, Will or even Louis, this has been a story about people trying to overcome that darkness.

We see how Hythlodaeus lost his hopes and gave up on everything. His choice to not fight against Forden’s power grabbing corruption is what caused the various tragedies in the game to take place. To say nothing of the impact it had in making Louis the main antagonist.

So for me, Metaphor had the right amount of light and darkness (which is ironic considering Clair Obscur is French for Light and Shadow) for me to stomach the game and appreciate its messages. In Metaphor’s case, it uses the darkness in that game’s story to make its light shine stronger. Whereas I only I felt emptiness at the end of Clair Obscur that made me not care about the story anymore.

Fantasy isn’t a powerless creation

My main reason for connecting with Metaphor’s story comes from my I grew to care about the media we consume in general as of late. In the very same year Metaphor came out; the legendary Akira Toriyama; artist for Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and author of Dragon Ball, passed away. The people who consume the media he played a part in collectively grieve over his death (myself included) and still does to this day.

And that’s because all he had worked on and accomplished touched the lives of fans, follow Shonen Authors, and English and Japanese VAs alike were touched by his works. He is the reason people look back at Dragon Ball every single time. And this doesn’t just apply to him of course.

His legacy and will became a part of us even after he died. If anything, to me, people like him are the proof that writing such stories and creating characters goes a long way in shaping humanity. And that is the living proof of the power of story writing and fantasy; and that’s why Metaphor speaks to my heart.

I prefer Metaphor’s take on Anti-Escapism because, yes, it is important to face reality and trapping yourself in Fantasy isn’t going to help people. But you can still use that power to help people and bring change to the world, like Akira Toriyama did. Books are a part of our lives too after all.

And at the end of the day, Will choosing to stay in his “real” world because he believed in the power to change lives. So his choice to still lines up with Anti Escapism. But it doesn’t mean that Fantasy can bring value to other lives.

And before anyone gets any ideas of calling me being an ableist; I have my own mental disability. And I have people in my with their own mental disability. I have my own struggles, and I have seen others with the same problems, but there are still able to live out their lives.

This is a big reason why I appreciate Metaphor’s story for spreading that hope that we can be the heroes of our own story. And why Clair Obscur’s ending bothers me to no end. So I’m just gonna stop here, before this rant drags out.

Overall

I will say one more time that this post was not made to spite Clair Obscur, the creators and VAs, or anyone who liked the game. I just wanted to express why the ending didn’t do it for me. And at the same time, want to express why someone like me takes Metaphor’s story to heart.