MyCurrentObsession

From what I can tell none of the characters are the same. It's an entirely different crew and story with no connection to the first game, from what the trailer indicates.

We've had other games with the same concept (The Quarry, Little Hope, etc), this could have been another one of those with its own name. If you're going to call something Until Dawn 2, I expect it to be a followup to Until Dawn. I expect at least some of the (PLAYABLE) characters from that game to return in major roles.

And I've seen some people argue that given the choice-based nature of it, you CAN'T have a sequel. But I think the perfect middleground is to have just one or two members from the first game return, solidifying them as "canonically" surviving, while having them make vague references to everyone else and implying AT LEAST one person died (because let's be real it's a horror game. As much as I like a good ending it makes sense for at least one person to die).

Part of it is that they straight up have more moments in addition to Rebecca being slapped in the face by the knowledge of his feelings on an Isabella dead or hospitalized route. But I also feel like there's a a subtle difference in how the two relationships are portrayed in the little things. Like... if you don't have high enough affection and Isabella rejects Ashton, it's explicitly a problem of "not right now". She has other priorities. But while the LOW friendship rejection has the scene end very strained & awkward, and Ashton ruminate that the events lately might have proven they're not a good fit... The HIGH friendship rejection is genuinely still very sweet and honestly makes it feel like Belle really is just too preoccupied for romance right now. There's a door left open to the possibility later.

Meanwhile Rebecca getting "rejected" by Ash goes one of two ways. Either she had a wakeup call from Luke earlier, prompting her to reflect on her feelings and choose to let him go (regardless of affinity; you can have MAX affinity but she'll still choose to move on rather than want him to reciprocate) and even ENCOURAGE him to confess to Belle (or comfort him over the missed opportunity if she's dead). Or she didn't receive Luke's wisdom and is still pining, in which case the rejection HURTS. Depending on your affinity, she can take it okay at best (still upset but she'll get over it) or she'll be a combination of devastated and angry. There's no real good outcome here. The good outcome IS her resolving to let Ash go and confessing just for closure's sake.

This subtle but weighted difference carries over into the good & bad friendship endings. A bad friendship ending between Ash/Belle is very... wistful. It lingers on the possibility of "what could have been" and how sad it is that things ended up this way. A bad friendship ending between Ash/Becca is much more matter of fact. Whether she got Luke's wisdom or not, she struggles to let go of her feelings, and in the aftermath of her confession they drift apart. As for the high friendship endings, Ash/Becca makes a point to say her confessing once was enough. She is moving on and the pair can finally be just true friends without any baggage. Whereas Ash/Belle talks about them "finding their rhythm", how good they are together and for each other. There's nothing explicitly romantic, it IS a friendship ending. But it's not shutting the door on romance like Ash/Becca did. AND the picture choice is curious, since it brings back the special ice cream from an earlier (optional) moment they shared, on an outing I'd bet Ashton considers (or wishes at least) a date.

Finally there is the actual acceptance of romance. Even if you pair Ashton and Becca, there's never a clear moment where he pivots AWAY from Isabella and to Rebecca. We're in his head for this scene, and it kind of seems like he's just stunned and pulled along by Rebecca. He definitely doesn't dislike her, he can objectively admit she's beautiful, but there's no sudden realization or changing of his feelings. It's just that she managed to woo him in the moment. And then their epilogue makes it clear them talking it out and properly getting together was MONTHS later. Which I take to mean he needed time to let go of his feelings for Isabella and really consider being with Becca instead.

Meanwhile when he confesses to Belle, we're still in his perspective. We don't know what she's thinking, only what she says. But I do find it notable that we never got a moment while controlling her where she actually considers and dismisses the idea of romance with him. She says he's not her boyfriend, but again, that's talking. Not thinking. From what the game tells us of their backstory, it seems like Ash and Belle's dynamic and friendship has changed in the last year or two. It's become strained due to a combination of him hiding things because of his case (as well as acting out a bit due to self-loathing BECAUSE he's hiding things), as well as him being much more awkward and deliberately teasing her because of his feelings, which upsets her. I kind of think there's a soft implication that the pair has already passed one instance of "what could have been". I think maybe earlier on in their friendship, Belle might have liked (or at least been considering) HIM, before his behavior pushed her away. If Belle accepts, it comes off the heels of her being at an all-time low. Her dad just died, she feels personally responsible for what's happening with the curse. And she's been upset and mixed up for a long time now about why Ashton started treating her differently. This at least, she's just gotten an answer to. But she's so down on herself she can't help but question why, what he would even like about her. Ashton reassures her by being open and warm. In what I THINK is meant to be a "return to form" rather than something new. This is what they could have been years ago, if not for Ash's own insecurities and hesitation. But it's not too late, in this timeline.

The way the story lingers on "what could have been", if Ash and Belle don't get together. The way it includes very moving and sad moments for Ashton to mourn that loss in routes where she dies or is hospitalized, while SIMULTANEOUSLY forcing Rebecca to acknowledge and accept that. The way despite her longheld feelings, the narrative has her easily move on. Or bluntly says her inability to do so ruins their friendship. The way the narrative goes out of its way to make it clear Ashton really knows and adores Isabella for who she is. But Rebecca might be holding onto an ideal rather than anything real.

I think the thing that fascinates me is that... unless they planned on adding Zach/Becca interactions to the "Isabella is alive and well" route, then these two could ONLY end up together after tragedy strikes. And I kind of prefer it that way. They are canonically, explicitly, The Friends Who Never Hang. They're both closer to Bella and Ash than each other. They're "friends" but don't really know or hang out with each other solo. Until something happens to Isabella that brings them together.

And they do have a compelling dynamic, I think. He's intimidated by her but ironically is safest from her wrath because he's perceptive enough not to trip her wires like Ash and Bella are. Meanwhile she respects his kindness and maturity. Together, they'd form a cute contrast as a steady, mature couple to Ash and Bella's more awkward and childish romance. Though again the irony is that these two pairs are mutually exclusive, not because they involve the same people but simply because Zach and Rebecca have no reason to spend more time with each other and come together unless something happens to Isabella. And if it does then obviously Ash loses his chance to act on his feelings.

Personally I think both games are amazing and I really wish more people knew and liked them so I'd have someone to gush about them with. The choice system in The Letter is a thing of beauty with far-reaching butterfly effects. The lore and worldbuilding of Love Esquire is really engaging and surprisingly thoughtful/detailed considering, again, this game is poking fun at romance VNs as much as it is BEING one.

And both nail character arcs and drama. Luke/Hannah is an absolute trainwreck that I love to watch and I love that you CAN salvage the relationship. But should you? The Becca/Ash/Bella love triangle is also compelling (though I have a very clear side on it) and it's wonderful that I can influence it in so many ways. Not just who Ash ends up with, but whether he ends up with anyone AT ALL. Whether the people involved can stay friends despite a bungled romance attempt, or whether this just ruins them. Whether Becca tries to confess and succeeds, whether she crashes and burns... Or my favorite outcome of all, getting a wakeup call by a certain OTHER asshole that helps her accept Ash's feelings for Bella and let him go.

All the girls' routes in Love Esquire go to some very deep and heartfelt places, which you wouldn't expect given the Squire's shallow starting motive of wanting to get laid. But as he actually gets to KNOW them and gets invested in their troubles, a genuinely moving relationship is formed and he becomes a much better person in associating with and attempting to help them. I adore them ALL, even the "what are you doing stepbro" route, but Vel has the best arc and relationship with him, IMO.

If spoken to first, both girls have genuinely good responses that would make sense as to why he'd choose them. If spoken to second, they instead give a much more bland, basic answer that seems to only exist to justify NOT choosing her. Ultimately, both routes Scarlen can take here are valid (even if later plot events make one route end in tragedy) so why must the "2nd girl" be undermined? Was there really no way to let them both give their initial, more moving answer, and THEN still have something else to determine between them? Like, say, you choose whose response to TELL him first and he latches on to that. Or he asks outright for your opinion. Either case making this questline align more with the other matchmaking questlines where the choice is in who you pick rather than needing to talk to BOTH but the first one locking in the result.

Especially since the core of this questline seems to be how much they ALL mean to each other and want to remain close, it just feels wrong to undermine whoever ends up the "other girl".

I adore the music - while this game has overall fantastic music, a lot of it is a bit... high energy to be listening to for long stretches of time. The music here is more lo-fi and just has a nice vibe I could listen to for hours without getting sick of it.

I adore the level design - largely linear but still with room to explore and lots of little places you can use to sneak around enemies, letting it become player choice whether you want to fight everything or stealth around. Also a fun puzzle-y element between being able to clearly SEE a unique monster but having to figure out how to reach it, as well as how to reach several collectibles, a quest item, and even a small populated area with a handful of quests! That's not something you want to miss but the game makes you work for it and feel so good when you figure out how where it is and how to get there.

Lastly, this is more of a taste thing, but I think of all the big "Mechon" areas this is the most visually appealing. And it has moving walkways you can rapidly cross and jump back and forth on to quickly gather all the collectibles. So that's fun!

Shulk's decision to stop Dunban here is a powerful show of will. Without even realizing it, he's winning. Against the "other voice in his head" that, like after the events at Colony 9, is probably screaming at him to commit or endorse murder. There is no reason that [spoiler] would want to spare Metal Face. That's genuinely Shulk behind the wheel. It definitely helps that his primary reason for revenge, what made him easy to sway up to this point, has been neutralized. He's no longer fighting to avenge Fiora. And thus...

In this moment, he prioritizes compassion for human (or rather Homs) life as well as trying to get information about what's really going on. And the more the party learns about the backstory behind this fight, the more they learn about, well, [spoiler], it's at best inconvenient for [spoiler]. At worst it could be a spanner in the works.