The mark on Maelle's soul
Back in the summer, I completed Expedition 33 and after that I had some thoughts. By itself, I really liked the gameplay with the timings mod. But what has left a vague impression so far is the plot. Some plot twists and semantic loadings disappointed me, which is why I was even kind of upset about the ending and how everything looks in general. It seems that there is a foundation for something global philosophical, but it seems to be bullshit. But I'll talk about this in more detail in the spoilers section after the picture. And in order to somehow mark his passage and make a kind of curtsy towards the developers, such an art was drawn.
!!!Spoiler Alert!!!
There will be a stream of reflections on why the plot in the Expedition is very controversial, if not at the level of a mediocre game of average quality, which is trying very hard to pretend that it is a masterpiece
1. The general plot and the ending.
Both endings completely devalue any actions of minor characters who do not participate in the final selection.
By choosing Alicia, with her decision to preserve and embody the lives of all the characters in accordance with her idea of a good ending, she denies that the development of the characters proceeds only in accordance with the creator's plan. But in fact, there is an indisputable fact in creativity that embodying certain traits in a character, you need to understand that they have less obvious manifestations of character. For example, if you describe a character as withdrawn and uncommunicative, it's very likely that he doesn't have many social connections or the ability to quickly adapt to a new environment. Moreover, adding a backstory or other features can serve as the basis for other events or actions of the character that are characteristic of him, but were not originally conceived by the author. No matter how she calls everyone inside the Canvas a family, for her they are just characters who live by her and her ideas of what is right.
In the other end, Verso also devalues everyone inside the Canvas and message to "all who will come after us." Verso, not actually being the creator, decides for the same people as him, deciding to destroy them all in one fell swoop. Despite the fact that he himself admitted that he was not the original Version in character, and therefore in motivation and perception. But no, in the end his original version also agrees to leave. But if you think about it, why? If this is a part of Verso's soul, his emotions that were at the time of the painting's creation, then it was his sincerity and love for all the characters in the painting that made this work a canvas. And didn't little Verso feel anything when writing the plot to his favorite characters and friends except the desire to live a little longer with them, to find out and invent a better story full of friends for them? From this position, the only thing that could annoy him is people who repeatedly fit their own into the original picture, which is solved by simply restoring, canceling events and correctly entering the "healing Canvas". But no, Verso says they're both tired of being in this picture. Then does it mean that maintaining the Canvas is hard labor for the creator's soul? And then what is the message of this story, what about other Canvases? After the death of the creator, should any of his works be destroyed and erased? It doesn't come out very well.
Since the subject of the message has already been raised, another problem arises. Every story that claims depth should have its own thought, an idea around which it is built and reveals. Many people write about living through grief, how a person acts in one case or another. But for a 30-hour game, I honestly didn't get too into the emotions and experiences of the characters, I didn't feel all the pain and loss of someone. Yes, at the basic level of empathy, if someone is crying on the screen in front of you and saying some deep phrases, you might start crying, but still, grief is not about such brief and acute moments, it is much more, an imprint on perception, which over time more sharply and clearly emphasizes the absence of a person. nearby. But returning to the idea and philosophy in the game, I would call such a banal thought as "the loss of a person" insufficiently disclosed and quite obviously superficial to consider it the very thought that was suggested. But it's not for nothing that the main characters are a family of creators. And if you have already chosen the entourage of a story about creativity, then be kind enough to reveal this idea. And it is revealed mediocre. Yes, the philosophy has been introduced that every hero inside a story in which his soul has been invested is an independent person with his own dreams and they can be indistinguishable from ordinary people. The idea of the existence of the soul in the works is introduced, that a person lives as long as he is remembered and about gaining immortality through creativity. But after that, the arches end in a distorted way, as if forgetting about the topics raised, without completing the thought to the end. And maybe I wouldn't think so critically if there wasn't an "Omniscient Reader." In a book with a lengthy narrative and the same controversial ending, there is much more depth and unobtrusive reasoning about the influence of the reader/viewer on various works, as sometimes 1 good reader is enough to continue writing, about the importance of feedback and attention to detail. And each of these thoughts was completed in the finale and the narration corresponded to the philosophy involved (although I'm not entirely sure that this was noticed by most when reading senen issekai). Therefore, there is much more of art in this story than in the game, which many call the "game of the year" and "masterpiece."
Does this make the game bad? Well no. I don't regret the time spent, the story's setting is quite unusual and the game's world is quite original, so I wouldn't mind continuing and explaining the date on Verso's grave "February 2, 1879 - December 33, 1905." It's just that the feeling of slight disappointment from the plot makes you sad that the game could have been a little better, but no one in the company noticed the flaws.