#protagonists

Something I really appreciate about ISAT that I see nobody else talking about is the narrative framing. Ostensibly, Siffrin isn't the main character of ISAT—Mirabelle is.

She is the one to go on the hero's journey, having her call to action in the King's attack and her mentor "dying". It's her country she's determined to save, it's her burden to live up to the "change god's blessing" bestowed by her mentor in her last breaths, it's her crew that she leads through obtaining the House keys. In every conceivable way, it is Mirabelle's story. Even when we arrive at the events of ISAT acts 1 and 2, we are still experiencing the story through Mirabelle's perspective. The player may be experiencing the narrative through Siffrin's eyes but so many important moments revolve around Mirabelle, her connection to the crew, and the overarching goal of defeating the King. The gameplay similarly revolves around Mirabelle as we use our powers to make sure Mirabelle can her journey. It is even stated explicitly by Odile in the first 10 minutes that the only reason Siffrin leads the group in combat is because of his proficiency in traps and keeping the team alive. After Act 2 though, something very interesting occurs... Siffrin happens to the plot.

Now obviously Siffrin has been important so far in guiding the group towards victory, but in Act 3 and beyond he starts to mess with the narrative. After defeating the King doesn't work, Siffrin attempts to break the loops in other ways. In doing so, he shines a spotlight on the other family members in an intimate way that allows them to be truly seen. We get to know these people better with Siffrin, and as that happens the narrative focus shifts more towards the family. Over the course of Act 3 and 4, it similarly shifts around to the King, the Head Housemaiden, the people of Dormont, etc. Our dear Siffrin also starts to share more in the narrative as he attempts to escape the prison of his own making. Through all of this though, Mirabelle is never truly uncoupled form her position as the "main character". She still has all of her character moments, new ones to boot, and is still the person to dispose of the King every time. This all changes in act 5 however.

In a twist of irony, though Siffrin rabidly insists on "sticking to the script" he also causes the plot to derail in a spectacular manner by trying to break the narrative. He tries to supplant Mirabelle's post as the main character by landing the killing blow on the King instead; an idea the Universe viscerally rejects and counteracts. He fails the "script check" on all of his allies, and then when he tries to do the job himself the House contorts and breaks in an attempt to stop him. Even then, having the powers of a demigod, he still cannot best the King and it is Mirabelle with the rest of the team who defeats the King once and for all—her hero's journey left intact. Mirabelle's grip on the plot is simply too strong, there's no room for Siffrin to have his big moment that is demanded of the narrative we perceive (after all, he has been vital at multiple points in saving the country). Thus, he must have it as an antagonist.

In emotional agony, the final fight begins, and something magical happens within this moment... something narratively unexpected. Siffrin's antagonism towards his family centers them all as cruxes to the narrative instead of just Mirabelle. Sure each of them was important in the progression of the quest, defeating the king many times, and saving Siffrin's hide, but fundamentally the perspective was still always centered on Mirabelle. In needing the support of his family, Siffrin makes each of them equally important to the plot vis-à-vis the threat of universal collapse. Similarly in Act 6, if you've been going for the two hats ending, Loop will have their own moment of narrative importance as you remind them just how much they've aided in everything. This entire progression is aided by the musical cues of the soundtrack.

Before you even start the game, you'll hear the track "In stars and Time" playing in the menu. This song establishes the main theme of the game and the story, while also creating an immediate loose connection to Siffrin as he's one of the only things we see in this menu. That connection is then further ingrained when we hear a small bit of the motif in the opening cutscene. This immediate connection of Siffrin to the main theme is then juxtaposed by the vast array of songs that use this theme for strictly narrative purposes. "The Journey So Far", the 3 base House tracks, "Power of Friendship", "It's finally Over...", and "Isn't It Over?" is what the player hears for the vast majority of the game's runtime which continuously reinforces its narrative-centric identity. In spite of this though, there is always that lingering feeling of the theme being connected to Siffrin that one can never really shake. That early planted seed is never truly able to be unrooted, and only develops further when we arrive at "Power of Love".

In the moment we hear "Power of Love", not only is Sif's family concerned with defeating the king and freeing Vauguarde, but also with saving Siffrin's ass from the King. That inkling, that dual function, has returned and continues further with the slowed down rendition of "It's Finally Over..." that we hear. Something is obviously wrong with Siffrin and the world. the track builds narrative tension while also bracing the player for the hell about to be unleashed with "I WON'T LET YOU GO HOME" and the Siffrin fight as a whole. After Siffrin's battle theme settles into its two main motives (which are based upon the death intro and "An Island North of Vauguarde"), the first theme it immediately clings onto afterwards is that main theme. Just as Siffrin steals the moment of the narrative, so too does he appropriate its the musical idea. The theme is then morphed again in "Tell Us Tell Us Tell Us" and "You Want To Stay With Them" as the focus shifts towards the group dynamic with Siffrin as the focal point—just as it does in the written narrative. Even afterwards with the plot driven uses in "It's Finally Over (Reprise)" and "A Long Journey", there's still a feeling of something greater. There's a happiness not only in the completion of the quest, but also in the group resolution of long standing emotional issues. It can be especially felt in the final part of "Long Journey", with the happy lullaby feeling like a nice resolution to the story and a last send off of rest for Siffrin.

What's curious is that the two hat music doesn't ever include the main theme, which is perfectly fitting. Loop is vital to the story of ISAT, but their character arc and needs are fundamentally different and thus require different musical cues to match. Loop is mad at their loses, at what they could've had, what they imagine should've been rightfully theirs. They're mad that they only suffer and suffered where Siffrin succeeded. More importantly though, Loop is mad at themself for not seeing the now obvious answer to their long ago problems... Such problems are thematically distant from Siffrin, Mirabelle, and the story as a whole, and so the music is different.

(Funnily enough, during two hats Loop calls the King a main character, which is right in its own regard but I will save that for a different time.)

And so concludes my ISAT diatribe. Small details like this is why I love the story and lore ISAT so much. There's so much, both intentionally and unintentionally, to dig one's teeth into. And all this stuff about the narrative and music is just one facet of why ISAT's ending feels so exceptionally impactful to me. If you've read this far, I do very much hope that you've enjoyed my writings and I am curious to see what others have to say about this. Much love <3