OPEN SPOILERS FOR FFX. It's an old game, but here's fair warning!
Legendary guardian? I was just a boy. A boy about your age, actually. I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story.
Final Fantasy X is an interesting game. Often considered the last great Final Fantasy Square made (notice I said often, not always, so calm down, XII-lovers, X-haters, and otherwise) it set out to tell a riveting story with very specific themes and motifs, in a much more cinematic way than we had ever seen before. Relationships were a big part of the game's story.
If you call to mind the word "relationship" when thinking about Final Fantasy X, you would probably call to mind a number of characters.
Tidus and his blossoming love with Yuna.
Tidus and his tumultuous father issues with Jecht.
Wakka and his prejudice against Al-Bhed in general, and overcoming the loss of his brother Chappu.
Yuna and Rikku, cousins from different worlds.
But one you might not call to mind immediately is Tidus and Auron, or at least not in the way I'm thinking. For most of the game, these two have a very clear mentor/student relationship, with Auron acting as the world-wizened soul who teaches Tidus what he needs to know and guides him in the right direction.
But when I think of these two, I like to start at the beginning. We see a younger Auron accompanying Braska and Jecht during several flashbacks in the game.
Before I get into how young Auron relates to Tidus, we should look at how this trio's dynamic worked. There was Braska, the calm, wise, and responsible centerpiece of their journey. There was Auron, his steadfast friend and guardian with a strong sense of justice. Then there was Jecht, the headstrong and arrogant sidekick who gradually matured and became someone much better than he was. Braska kept them in line, Jecht had a can-do attitude, and Auron put doing the right thing above all else.
When you look at these three, they are obvious predecessors to the party you control in the main game. Braska is very much a proto-Yuna. So that would make Jecht a proto-Tidus, and Auron basically a proto-Auron, as he's still there... right?
I don't think so. Other than being an outcast, if you look at the group's behavior and how they interact with each other, the young Auron is much more like Tidus than Jecht.
He places Braska's safety above all else. He wants to see Sin defeated. He's hot-tempered and easy to provoke when things don't go as planned or when they don't go the way he thinks they should. He even thinks of Jecht in a similar way to Tidus - a worthless drunken blowhard. This is all very, very similar to how Tidus wants to protect Yuna, how he blows a gasket when things go south, how he thinks lowly of Jecht, and how he can't accept the bleak reality of Spira.
Young Auron ends up discovering the truth of Sin and its endless reincarnations, ends up discovering the truth of the sacrifice necessary to temporarily defeat him, ends up discovering the truth of the Yevon religion and Yevon and Yunalesca's lies. He protests, unable to accept it, unable to reconcile his sense of righteousness and justice with these truths. He takes up arms against Yunalesca because of this, and dies. Jecht sacrifices himself to become Braska's final Aeon, and all of Auron's protests are for naught. Braska dies, Jecht becomes the new incarnation of Sin. Auron is forced to live with this as an unsent, becoming reclusive, brooding, barely speaking unless he has to and dropping his headstrong nature for a somber and reserved one.
Auron is who Tidus would have become had he failed in his journey.
And when we watch the older Auron guide Tidus throughout his own journey, we can see how he's placed all of his youthful idealism in him. How he realizes that his time is up, he failed. But Tidus still has a chance, so he puts everything he has into guiding him towards his old goals, even if it means cheating death for over a decade. This is doubly effective because it brings the redemption of Jecht full circle. Auron initially distrusted Jecht and considered him worthless, but grew to see him as a close friend and a comrade. Then, in the end, he places all of his hopes in his son.
And when Tidus does eventually defeat Sin, Auron can finally feel like he's righted all the wrongs he failed to do while he was alive, and also completes Jecht's redemption story.
Auron is as much a father to Tidus as Jecht was, or at least a really, really cool uncle.
It's a relationship you can't fully understand the depths of until a replay, once you know everything about Spira and Auron's past.
It's as beautiful as any romance or fatherly redemption, and an underlooked part of the game, I think.
Let me begin with a disclaimer; I am no comic book fan. I have not seen every superhero movie. I have definitely missed quite a few of the DC movies. I never saw Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, or Batman vs. Superman, having them exist to me only in terms of what I've heard others say or how they've been ingrained in the public consciousness.
However, I do enjoy a good one.
Aquaman was amazing.
The DC movie universe is a special beast. Some of its movies range from lauded (Wonder Woman) to mediocre (Justice League) to laughed at for being terrible (Batman vs. Superman). Again, I know some of these only through their critical reception or hearsay. But it's obvious that their reception has been mixed, even to a casual fan like myself.
It's clear that they're chasing the cinematic universe Marvel's set up, but it's also clear that DC hasn't been quite as successful. DC's take on comics - at least in their films - is darker, grittier, more hardcore. It's a direct response to Marvel's camp and feelgood quips. Or at least, it's meant to be. The execution often falls flat. I often hear Suicide Squad cited as a good music video, but a bad movie. So the aesthetic and intended vibe is there, and people can see that, but it doesn't always follow through into the writing or the direction.
Aquaman is everything the DC universe has wanted to be from the beginning.
What follows could be considered spoilers, although I won't spoil the outcome of any events in the movie, only the general outline of things. Still, if you want to go in blind, don't read further!
First, the narrative.
The narrative is hardly the thing that's at the forefront of the typical superhero moviegoer's mind. It's nice if there's a decent story to be told, but nobody ever really expects more than that. Aquaman is no literary masterpiece, but there is a classic tale to be told here, one that borrows from Arthurian legend of all places.
Let me make one thing clear. The metaphors towards King Arthur are heavy handed and very obvious. There is no attempt at nuance in their representation. Aquaman's name is Arthur. He is named Arthur by his parents because of the legendary king who brought peace to Camelot. There's an added bit about a Hurricane Arthur hitting their home around the same time they're naming him (get it, he's Aquaman and he's a water hero), but the symbolism is pretty much thrown at your face like a brick.
That doesn't make it ineffective or poorly utilized.
We see Arthur grow up as the half-human son of a lighthouse keeper and Queen Atlanta of Atlantis, who I can only describe as Galadriel from Lord of the Rings with a big ass trident and water powers. Which is interesting, because the other Atlantians have like, space age plasma guns and shit instead of swords and tridents. But I'll get to that later.
Early on in his life, his mother is ambushed by said Atlantians. She manages to fend them off like the badass the writers want to portray her as, but decides by her own will to leave her human husband and go back to Atlantis. She fled the kingdom to escape an arranged marriage, and stayed on the surface because she found true love, but comes to the realization that she must go back and accept this marriage if her true loved ones are to remain safe. And so she makes the noble sacrifice of leaving her family.
First of all, it's great that the badass in this situation is the wife, the queen and not the king. It's great that she shows agency and capability from the beginning. I think we need more awesome warrior women in movies, if you ask me.
Anyway, she goes back to Atlantis and has another son with arranged marriage guy named Orm.
Orm is the traditional, super whitewashed, blonde Aquaman we're used to. Right to the throne, son of the king, Atlantian by nature and capable of fighting on water and on land. He even looks like the old school Aquaman. His one goal is to rule all seven kingdoms of the sea, or what's left of them.
Arthur, meanwhile, is played by Jason Momoa, so he's not any of those things except capable of fighting. He drinks a lot, makes quips at people, lives for himself and likes to have a good time. He has long flowing black locks and a devil may care attitude. He could care less about ruling Atlantis, let alone the other kingdoms.
Oh yeah, Orm is also a psycho who wants to wage war on the surface and subjugate the earth. That's why Arthur eventually ends up deciding he has to claim the throne to Atlantis, despite not wanting to at first.
And so the crux of the movie is set in place. Tradition vs. change. Lineage vs. inherent worth. Accepting responsibility for one's place in life.
Those are all portrayed through the conflict between Arthur and Orm. Brother vs. brother is the central theme of the movie, and all other themes and motifs flow from there.
I fucking love this. There's something about a good brotherly conflict that's intensely appealing on an innate level, especially if the antagonist brother is evil, and especially if the antagonist brother is set up to be more capable and in control than the hero brother. Which he is, here.
Brotherly rivalry is classic for a reason.
Behind this conflict is a surprising amount of really cool world building.
The history of this aquatic world is fascinating. The ancient Atlantis that existed above the sea, why it fell, how it fractured into seven kingdoms, how some of those kingdoms fell and others changed and, in the end, only a few were left. How there was an ancient super-king who wielded (what was essentially) a holy trident and ruled the unified Atlantis.
The Atlantians and their offshoots are supremely technologically advanced. They basically wear cool water-themed spacesuits and shoot plasma and wield plasma swords and whips and the like. They have robots and spacecrafts and cities that glow beneath the waves, rife with technology the surface can only dream of.
Each remaining kingdom is explored and plays a role in the story. They're not just background fluff. There's the main kingdom, ruled by Orm. There's the other still human looking kingdom, ruled by red-haired guy. There's a kingdom that became more fishlike and turned to philosophy and academics instead of warfare. There's a kingdom that fell to ruin and became lost in the Sahara desert. There's a kingdom that devolved into mindless monsters. And then there's a... weird crab people kingdom.
Red-hair is named King Nereus, but you'd be hard pressed to remember this if you know nothing about Aquaman characters going in.
You see them all. Every last one plays a large role in the story, even the one that no longer exists. Even red-hair's kingdom feels distinctly different from Orm's traditional Atlantis, and his citizens look different and carry different styles of weapons and ride different vehicles.
I realize that the story is pulling from Arthurian legend, but the way the high fantasy backdrop blends into the modern superhero story is seamless, unexpected, and awesome. It gives the plot a feeling of legitimacy and wonder that goes far beyond campy space villains. It feels like a journey to learn about a lost past, a journey to explore what became of that past, what has happened since then, what went wrong and how to fix it.
Arthur's journey of self-discovery, his journey to defeat his brother and visit the other kingdoms and find the lost trident of the old king, is made extremely enjoyable not only because we are sold on him as a character through Momoa's great acting and the unique take on an established character, but because of the world that he inhabits.
The art direction in this movie is... man.
It's fucking amazing.
When I think of Atlantis, I think of something like this.
The movie fully embraced the DC universe's heavier aesthetic, however. And we were given this.
The luminous cities, the advanced armor, the character design, the vehicles, the weapons, the set pieces of giant tidal waves and huge krakens and battles between underwater armies all feel fully realized and fully unique. They also feel colorful and vibrant and alive, all while adhering to DC's "heavier" feel. It adapts to the new style without compromising the color of the classic style. A job well done on the part of the artists and special effects teams.
I especially love how everything underwater glows with the natural glow you'd see in the depths of the ocean, from the flora and fauna down there. Even the tech in the vehicles looks like that, like a jellyfish all lit up or the end of an anglerfish's lantern. It feels advanced and organic.
If I were to describe the art style in one word, it would be fusion. A fusion of old and new, natural and technical, industrial and organic.
I wish I could touch on the weapon design in this movie in more detail, but seeing as how it just came out, there aren't many ways to capture footage of the arsenals you see the characters in this movie carrying. Aside from the trident(s) the major players wield, everyone else is wielding some sort of Star Wars shit. And it looks way cooler than most Star Wars shit, because it's adhering to an aquatic theme that ends up looking extremely unique.
I'll have to come back and do a post on the fight choreography and weapon design once it's easier to grab pictures of it, because words alone can't do it justice. There's everything from sword fights to aquatic trident-battles with combatants zipping through the water to plasma whips to water-based superpowers to people riding sea creatures to futuristic guns that convert water into plasma. This movie has a lot of fight scenes, and they never, ever feel stale because each one introduces a new form of combat, often in ways you weren't expecting at all.
There's one particular scene with wine bottles that floored me.
The soundtrack was equally amazing.
This isn't even my favorite track, but it shows the fusion between old and new, the heroic anthem mixed with the industrial beats of the modern age, the spirit of a hero not being lost with said fusion, only enhanced. A King Arthur for a new age, in a place where nobody expected to find one. But one that works regardless.
The only other DC movies I've seen are Suicide Squad and Justice League. This one felt like it came from an entirely different franchise. It was coherently written, had naturally flowing dialogue, underlying themes and motifs that resonated with me, and a hero's journey that was simultaneously traditional and modern.
Akatsuki is one of the best villainous organizations I've seen in comic-style media. Naruto Part 2 gets a lot of hate, especially its anime counterpart of Shippuden, but I don't think even its detractors can say Akatsuki isn't an awesome set of bad guys, even if just on a visual level.
So, without further ado, allow me to rank each member and explain why they were all so damn cool.
SPOILER WARNING!
1. Pain
I honestly loved this character to death, from his past to his relationship with Jiraiya to the twisted relationship he had with Yahiko after his death to his status as a fallen chosen one to his parallels to Naruto.
Nagato is perhaps the only parallel in the series to not feel exceedingly on point. For example, you have Kakashi and Sasuke, Orochimaru and Sasuke, Jiraiya and Naruto - all of these feel like they are screaming at you that "hey, look, these are the past generation versions of these characters and a glimpse of who they might become." Nagato is a little more subtle. He shares a similarity with Naruto in that he was Jiraiya`s student and really wanted justice in the world, and had that "something special" about him that drew others to him, but his techniques, appearance, and personality are all his own.
He was hyped up for hundreds of chapters as the mysterious leader of the most dangerous criminal organization in the world, and those years he spent as a rainbow shadow only made his eventual reveal all the more hype. He lived up to it, too, killing Jiraiya of all people in his first fight, in what would go down as one of the coolest fights in the series.
Intimidating, capable, cool, unique abilities and a unique relationship with the main cast in a way that didn`t feel hamfisted. What a great character.
2. Itachi
Sasuke`s mysterious older brother. I can`t say anything that hasn`t been said a thousand times elsewhere already.
Part of Itachi`s appeal is that we are introduced to him gradually through the character of Sasuke. Sasuke is introduced as a genius ninja. We later learn he has an older brother who is thrice the ninja he is and more, but more than that, he`s incredibly dangerous and responsible for killing Sasuke`s entire extended family. Holy shit. Throughout Part 1 we always wondered - why would he do that? Is he just a psychopath, or is there some other reason? He had a mystery about him that made him appealing.
His techniques are also just really, really cool - turning into crows, black flames that burn even fire, skill in all three forms of ninja combat, the works. He really felt untouchable, even up to the end. The twist that he was good all along seems to be divisive, but I loved it. It made his already appealing character a hundred times better.
The loving older brother, the perfect ninja, the tragic hero, the solemn warrior. Itachi is just too cool.
3. Kisame
I`m a sucker for water based characters, so I liked him a bit more by default, but he really was awesome in his own right. His shark water bullets, his water prison techniques, his ability to summon tidal waves, his giant scary sword - this guy`s shark theme was done justice.
He has the added benefit of being one of the first members we see, and of being Itachi`s partner, so we as readers had that added attachment to the character. His past as a rogue ninja who lived in one of the worst villages in one of the worst times in its history is also interesting, especially since he shares a connection with his partner Itachi in that he was forced to kill his comrades against his wishes. He and Itachi are both the "ultimate ninjas" in that regard - sacrificing everything for the mission. The scenes the two of them share have a unique feel when compared to the other Akatsuki members, where there`s a sense of mutual understanding and respect between them, but also a distance that precludes any sense of real friendship, showing that they`ve chosen to remain emotionally isolated because of their pasts.
Kisame held his philosophy until the end. Was he a good person? Not really, but he was empathetic and admirable, to a degree, despite his generally bad actions. Awesome voice actor, too.
4. Sasori
His resurrection arc excluded, Sasori is an amazingly terrifying villain. He first appears monstrous in the body of his puppet, and then after learning his past, we discover that he is an actual monster who turned his parents and even the Kazekage into puppets.
He was an appropriately psychopathic villain for a criminal organization, and he also gave us more insight into the Sand village and its history. I loved his dynamic with Deidara as two artists with conflicting ideas about what art is. His battle with Chiyo and Sakura is honestly one of the best fights in the series, especially when animated.
I don`t have much to say other than that, as he had the shortest run of any Akatsuki villain, but he definitely served his role well while he was there. What a great introduction to the rest of the organization in Part 2.
5. Deidara
Technically our first glimpse at the rest of the organization after their tease in Part 1, Deidara enters the scene by... fighting the new Kazekage, which is now Gaara, and defeating him. Whoa. That`s how you make an impression.
His exploding clay and brash, youthful arrogance give him a generally loud aesthetic that the other solemn members lack, and all of his techniques ended up being really creative for running with such a simple theme, which basically amounts to "statues that explode." His relationship with Sasori was great, but I also loved his relationship with goofball Tobi, which was often hilarious. Had a great fight against both Gaara and Sasuke. Loved how he`s one of the first Stone Village ninja we see.
6. Konan
An origami ninja? Awesome. Her past with Pain and her status as second in command and her angel motif gave her a lot of presence. Unfortunately, she didn`t get any really great fights. I put her higher because as a character, conceptually, I thought she was really cool, regardless of how she ended up being used. Great design and overall aesthetic. She looked very "heavy metal," and stands out quite a bit compared to the other female characters in the series.
7. Kakuzu
A ninja from an older time who keeps himself alive by stealing hearts. A man who cares for nothing but money. A cold and calculating ninja who doesn`t have the time for pleasantries or relationships. Kakuzu is the kind of villain I`d expect to see in a series about good ninjas vs. bad ninjas. He reminds me a bit of Zabuza in this regard, where he just feels like he fits the premise of the series.
Unfortunately, I didn`t find either his design, role, or abilities to be all that interesting. I don`t actively dislike this character, but I don`t find much to praise about him, either. Maybe it`s because he got shoehorned into a fight with Naruto and Kakashi in an arc that wasn`t about them.
8. Hidan
I found this character actively annoying. Sure, his death god theme was kind of cool, and fitting for the general atmosphere of Akatsuki, but his personality was shallow and his past was nonexistent despite being immortal. A cultist who serves an evil god who was able to become immortal by serving said god. The religious aspect felt out of place in a series about ninjas, especially because this "Jashin" is never explored any further and ends up feeling more like a plot device to make this particular character unable to die.
His whole schtick is that he`s unapologetically evil, but it fell a bit flat because it`s only ever explored at face value. The best thing about this character is that he let Shikamaru have his time in the sun by defeating him.
9. Zetsu
He was sort of creepy and appealing as a weird flytrap man who gathered information for the organization, but nothing good came out of this character, ever. In fact, everything involving him could probably be considered a low point of the series. The whole thing with White Zetsus being clones and Black Zetsu being "the will of Kaguya" and Zetsu fusing with a teenage Obito and... yeah. I really didn`t like him.
With only two real duds out of nine characters, I think Akatsuki was the bee's knees, my friends.
My gaming childhood mostly centered around Blockbuster and Nintendo Power. It was before the internet (90's kid here), so I never knew the release date of the games covered in Nintendo Power, which was my only source of information. I would frequently have to go to Blockbuster and hope for the best. Frequently, the game I wanted wasn't there. Frequently, if it was popular, the game I wanted was out of stock. Frequently, I didn't ever want to "waste" a rental on a game I was only tangentially interested in. This, understandably, left a lot of games from that era unplayed, including most handheld games.
This ended up creating a list of "legendary games" or "forgotten treasures" that hold an almost mythical place in my heart, to this day. On the off-chance that I have returned and visited these games, it's always been an amazingly cathartic experience, as if it's been a journey decades in the making.
Mega Man X3 was one of these experiences - it was the hardest original X game to procure, and by far the most expensive, sitting at the way-too-expensive-for-a-kid price of 80 dollars. I did eventually track down the game, trading a copy of X2 for it. The cartridge I got was mostly broken, and you had to open it up and wedge a screwdriver in there for it to even work at all. But! Finally playing the game I'd pined after for so long was absolutely amazing, especially because my best friend at the time shared my interest and longing for it. He borrowed it after I was done with it. It had been the subject of many a lunch table conversation, and we had found our holy grail at last.
The prospect of hunting down an almost legendary blue flower to propose to your loved one of choice was romantic even to my six year old self. I know, I'm a sap.
The original Harvest Moon was another. I remember longing after it in Nintendo Power, captivated by the bizarre prospect of a game solely about living a life on a farm, finding the premise utterly unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was always hoping it would one day appear on the shelf at my local Blockbuster. It never did, and I was only able to play it much, much later. It's for this reason that it was also one of the only lifelong longings to disappoint, as it was an object of my distant affection for a very long time, long enough for me to play Harvest Moon 64 before it - which is an all-around superior game.
Most, however, still remain untouched to me, even almost two decades later.
Some of these legendary, mythical games include:
Perfect Dark
This was a follow-up to Goldeneye for the N64, made by the same developers. And every kid knew Goldeneye was the best multiplayer game ever, so its spiritual successor had to be even better! It also had extensive coverage in Nintendo Power, for what seemed like a very long period of time, so I saw this game quite a bit... without ever actually seeing it, physically.
I still fantasize about the couch co-op experience that never was. I refuse to revisit it now, as its multiplayer-centric focus on a very dated console made it a product of its time, and I firmly believe that you had to be there to fully appreciate it.
Fun fact: The "Ghost Babel" subtitle was dropped in the US for some reason, with "Solid" adapted as the subtitle instead. This is why I used this cool key art instead of the box art. Why drop a cool name like "Ghost Babel?" That sounds awesome.
Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel
A game that's an alternative sequel to Metal Gear 2 for the MSX, which means it's set in an alternate universe to the Solid series on Playstation. Despite this, it feels more like the first Metal Gear Solid game than any other game in the series according to everyone I know who has played it. Whereas the mainline series went in different directions after the first game, focusing on things like social commentary, a vintage spy theme, or meta-commentary on the director's own experience of the aging process, this just looks like a tried and true, by-the-books sequel. A pseudo-anime stealth adventure with a colorful cast of characters and just the right amount of Hollywood cheese. I think a lot of people wanted that instead.
I should really play this. I'm hyping myself up for it all over again just writing about it.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
I was, like most kids, a huge fan of platformers at the time. Being somewhat of a prude by nature, and much more so in my childhood than now, I avoided this game for its supposed adult and racy content. Not because my parents wouldn't let me play it (they would have) but because I would have felt dirty doing so. The way it was marketed, you'd think it was pornography or something. Turns out it's really just South Park style humor. Still, I've never gotten around to playing it or its remake.
Mario is Missing
Luigi looks... off. What is that enemy even doing?
I know what you're thinking. What the hell is this bad game doing on your list of legendary games? Isn't it universally hated and made fun of by almost everyone?
Hear me out for a second.
I would always see this at Blockbuster, calling out to me. "I'm a Mario game!" it said. "Luigi is the main character!" it said. But then I would look at the back of the box and see its questionable nature. Why waste my rental on an educational game? I ultimately made what I still think was a rational decision, especially for a gullible 1st grader, and passed on it every time. But its whispers still intrigue me, on a deep and primal level. It IS a Mario game, and it DOES star my favorite Mario brother, after all...
Beyond the Beyond
In the era of JRPGs, this game always looked to me like another Lunar or Wild Arms or Suikoden, titles I held very dear to my heart. But something about it seemed "off." I could never put my finger on what it was, either. The character design and overall art style looked like other games I liked. The genre seemed to fit my tastes. The weird Engrish-y name was a lot like other weird Engrish-y games I played and liked, like Wild Arms. But something in my gut told me I wouldn't enjoy it. Reviews I've read since then have clarified that as true. At the same time, its developer, Camelot, has made a lot of actually very good games, like Shining Force and Golden Sun. I know everyone says it's bad. I know it probably is. But, like Mario is Missing, the initial intrigue I felt towards it remains.
I think it's kind of funny how I'm perfectly content leaving these games untouched after pining after them so strongly in my youth. Some desires truly do fade with time. I'm still slightly curious about some of them, but for the most part, I'd be ok never playing any of these games for the rest of my life.
Except for Ghost Babel. That game is just hard to find. Still it eludes me!
This game needs to be experienced by more people. Its predecessor, Lunar: Silver Star Story, been remade a hundred times (ok, well, three), but Lunar 2 was never remade past the PSX version. This means that unless you were around playing JRPGs in the 90's or regularly delve into retro games, it's unlikely that you've played this game. I love the first game as much as anyone else, but its sequel brought it to the next level in so many ways. Let's look at what Lunar 2 does right.
-It has a better soundtrack (and SSS already had a good one)
-The cast is much more colorful and involved in the story this time around. Lucia, the resident heroine, goes way beyond damsel in distress, Ghaleon comes back and subverts his role from the first game in completely unexpected ways, Leo is an amazing frenemy, the major villain feels a LOT more threatening this time around, I could go on. Every party member and villain feels incredibly fleshed out and substantial in this game, and the cast interact with the world and each other in much more nuanced ways than in the original game's relatively vanilla plot. The hero himself (named, appropriately enough, Hiro) also has a much more substantial personality and active role in the story than the relatively blank slate that Alex was in Silver Star.
Nall, Alex's dragon sidekick from the first game, returns in human form as a sort of Peter Pan analogue this time around. He acts as a mentor to the new heroes, which is a nice twist from his role as goofy sidekick in his last journey.
Leo is a white knight type of guy. Only problem is that the white knights aren't on your side. Uh-oh!
-The world is more creative this time, too. You get different cultures, such as Jean and her martial arts dojo, Nall and his band of misfits, and Leo and the holy knights that he serves, that feel completely unique from the rest of their world. In Silver Star Story, everyone seemed to live on a fairly culturally homogeneous world.
This screenshot is actually from the Sega CD version of the game. You can tell the sprite art has a slightly different, darker style to it in the original release.
-The stakes felt higher, the cast was more fleshed out, the story was pure unadulterated JRPG goodness with excellent pacing and use of its extended cast, the connections to the first game were on point, the soundtrack was bangin', and it's easily one of the best RPGs of the PSX generation (I never played the Sega CD version).
Characters from the first game return, often in very different roles. Watching their development between games is fascinating.
It does everything the first game did and more, while also carving out a unique identity for itself. I would put it above Grandia II, another sequel to a beloved RPG that has had the fortune of recent re-releases, as a classic sequel of its era, because it evolves without changing the mood or tone you grew to love in the first game all that drastically.
Classic Working Designs humor.
It's one of the only games I've seen that balances playing it safe and subverting expectations almost perfectly. The party members you get are blatant inversions of the first game's (the womanizer is now the healer instead of the warrior and the shy mage became the outgoing mage, oh my) but it works on both levels.
I'll top this article off with the lovely world map music.
I would say don't sleep on this game, but it's hard to find nowadays. I really wish it would get remade. If you can find it, I'd definitely set aside time to play it, as it's truly one of the classic greats.
Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron. A stalwart defender of justice and promising Paladin, future king of the strongest nation in the known world and a man of kindness and compassion. When the scourge of undeath began to claim his land, he claimed that he would pay any price, make any sacrifice, to save his people. And he did.
Taking up the cursed blade Frostmourne, his singlemindedness was his undoing. The first thing the runeblade did was steal his soul, and with it went everything he once stood for. In taking up the blade, he fell victim to The Lich King's machinations, becoming everything he once fought against. He became The Lich King's champion, losing his connection to the light and becoming the first of a new generation of powerful Death Knights.
Arthas was so effective as The Lich King's champion that upon the completion of his plan to merge with the corrupted prince and obtain a new physical body, Arthas shoved the King's consciousness out and took the mantle of Lich King solely for himself, becoming one of the greatest threats that Azeroth had ever known.
I LOVE this story. I think a lot of people would say it's one of the major highlights of the entire WarCraft franchise. Why is it so good?
When we meet Arthas, he's:
Likable
Heroic
Driven
Compassionate
But also
Narrowminded
Overly passionate
Impulsive
Reckless
His flaws are apparent almost from the beginning, but they don't overshadow him or outright spell his downfall. I don't think he ever had a giant red flag that said "I WILL TURN EVIL" over his head, at least not until the major incident at Stratholme. His journey into darkness felt mostly organic.
Even at his worst, when he still had his soul, his actions could still be justified. He purged Stratholme to save the rest of his kingdom. He used mercenaries to burn his own ships because he honestly believed that going home would spell doom for Lordaeron. He was an extremist, and he missed the forest for the trees, but his heart was always overflowing with a desire to do well by his calling, which was to protect and lead his people.
Frostmourne itself is an instrument of tragedy. He loses his soul, and all that's left is his passion, which turns from a burning love to a cold whirlwind of death. Without his care for others, all that's left is his extremism, his strength, and his drive, without any of the human emotions that directed these traits to good places. The Lich King plays the role of a deceiver who is fully aware of Arthas' flaws, and uses them against him to turn him into his pawn.
Arthas ignores all of the warning signs (including a literal one on the dais of the blade) and lets himself fall into his trap. If he had calmed down for just a moment and tried to assess the situation, or listened to his friends and troops, he could have avoided his fall. This makes him accountable for his actions to a degree, which means even without his soul, the chaos he brings to others is equally tragic and detestable.
Even watching others spew their hatred for him has an element of tragedy to it. Can a man be held entirely accountable if he's missing his soul, and if his soul was stolen from him in a devil's gambit? Only the one who was closest to him, Jaina, seems to realize that something went wrong. Jaina claims over and over again that Arthas isn't being himself. All anyone else sees is a man that betrayed his kingdom for reasons they can't fully understand. A traitor and a monster. Which he was, but only through some fault of his own.
In the end, when he's finally defeated, Frostmourne releases all of its captive souls. The first thing Arthas sees is the ghost of his father, and, almost in abject terror, reaches out and grasps his hand.
"FATHER!" He says, with great exasperation. "Is it over?" He asks, as if this entire time, his soul was begging for him to be released from the torment of becoming what he hated.
And his last line doesn't end with a bang of light, like many fallen hero stories do, but the chill of darkness.
"I see only darkness before me..."
Arthas was never redeemed. He was, in the end, accountable for what he became. But there's an underlying sense of sadness to everything he does, because it's not entirely his fault either.
The juxtaposition between what a person can do for good or for evil is always interesting, and Arthas is no exception. When he fought for good, he was a proud prince who'd do anything for his people. When he fought for evil, he became a storm of death and destruction, a terror that the world collectively feared and abhorred.
I want to say rest in peace, but does he deserve it? I don't know.
