a man of no consequence
Thursday, April 4th, 2019 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amovingtargetI am confused.
played 26 - 27 March
I was a little conflicted about this one. I don't really care about Ardyn, I mean, I do, but not much apart from his from being a deliciously smarmy villain. He literally didn't give a single fuck about anything except himself, that really was what I liked most. It was fun when Verstael asked him, "Are you enjoying your stay?" and he just (this is at the beginning while he's still his 'nice' self) deadpans, "No." Which, you know... mood. But... I wasn't very interested in his story besides the fact that he'd been wronged and cheated out of his birthright somehow, and even then not so much that I wanted to know more about it. Or at least, I didn't want it in this way? This story kind of felt like it was too much about that, and also too much about other things.
Speaking of Verstael, he looks like a very creepy version of Prompto, which makes sense, of course, but is really weird to see, and it kind of was a shame he didn't serve any real purpose except a little exposition. The section where Ardyn is with Verstael in his lab, was somehow both the most and least interesting part. Most because it explained things about the history, about the gods and the starscourge, the least because they could have put it anywhere else in the game. I feel like I might have been more sympathetic to Ardyn if we'd played him doing things and figuring things out about the state of the world himself instead of just being blandly handed information.
In fact they could have put it all in the 'world of darkness' chapter during the royal edition update, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were Noctis and co learning these things because it was something that effected him most, and not only did he know so little about it, it would have been so much more interesting to hear his reactions to all of that.
I guess I feel like... it didn't really add anything to the actual story. Each of the other DLC takes place in what is effectively a missing scene in the main game and allows us to spend a little more time with some characters we already know and love. Even Episode Gladio the shortest and weakest of the three (release two years ago almost to the day?) explores a facet of his character that we didn't otherwise get to see. Another thing I loved is that other DLCs had a side character -- also someone that we already know (and probably care about in some way) that got explored as well. Gladio had Cor, Prompto had Aranea, Ignis had Ravus, Ardyn somehow has very body and nobody. I feel like Episode Ardyn really suffered for the lack of this. I feel like I sympathised more with Ravus in Ignis' story than I did with Ardyn in the whole of his own.
I wonder if it might have been better to play Ardyn's perspective of various parts of the main story. What if they'd done the DLC in the aftermath of the Leviathan battle, and killing Luna was what prompted memories of Aera and Somnus. What if we'd got to play him while he was doing his whole 'you've outlived your usefulness' with Adercapt and disappearing and leaving them all to turn into daemons, or maybe being the cause of it. What if we'd got to see how he got out of Gralea with the crystal, with the remaining bros trying to kill him or follow him or whatever else.
I think when it comes down to it, SE tried to expand on Ardyn's backstory and only made it more muddy? They introduced this new element with Aera -- the original(?) oracle, and I don't understand at all what she actually saw and what she told Somnus. Somnus seems cruel in places, and kind of miserably wise at the end, and I want to know why that is. It doesn't make sense to have him changed in some way and not show us why. Was it guilt? Did the gods tell him something? Did the gods make him do it in the first place and he was acting cruel because it was easier? And why is there no reference to Ardyn having once torn up the city in the main game or the movie? What happened? Did Regis forget he ever knew Ardyn because he was knocked out? What about the rest of the population of the city? Why is the Founder King still in the line up with the others at the end of the game if Ardyn defeats him here? There are a lot of questions thrown up, of the variety that I'm not really able to rationalise in some way with headcanons. It was...fun to play, but I don't understand what happened at all. And what was the point of that ending? I can't say had much of a problem with the whole fate angle in the original game except for wishing it was explored more by the characters, but this seemed kind of redundantly cruel and really disappointing as a player. There were some fun gameplay elements, and it was fun playing with his powers, but overall I feel bemused and underwhelmed, which is a shame because I really enjoyed the other DLC and we won't be getting any more.
played 26 - 27 March
I was a little conflicted about this one. I don't really care about Ardyn, I mean, I do, but not much apart from his from being a deliciously smarmy villain. He literally didn't give a single fuck about anything except himself, that really was what I liked most. It was fun when Verstael asked him, "Are you enjoying your stay?" and he just (this is at the beginning while he's still his 'nice' self) deadpans, "No." Which, you know... mood. But... I wasn't very interested in his story besides the fact that he'd been wronged and cheated out of his birthright somehow, and even then not so much that I wanted to know more about it. Or at least, I didn't want it in this way? This story kind of felt like it was too much about that, and also too much about other things.
Speaking of Verstael, he looks like a very creepy version of Prompto, which makes sense, of course, but is really weird to see, and it kind of was a shame he didn't serve any real purpose except a little exposition. The section where Ardyn is with Verstael in his lab, was somehow both the most and least interesting part. Most because it explained things about the history, about the gods and the starscourge, the least because they could have put it anywhere else in the game. I feel like I might have been more sympathetic to Ardyn if we'd played him doing things and figuring things out about the state of the world himself instead of just being blandly handed information.
In fact they could have put it all in the 'world of darkness' chapter during the royal edition update, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were Noctis and co learning these things because it was something that effected him most, and not only did he know so little about it, it would have been so much more interesting to hear his reactions to all of that.
I guess I feel like... it didn't really add anything to the actual story. Each of the other DLC takes place in what is effectively a missing scene in the main game and allows us to spend a little more time with some characters we already know and love. Even Episode Gladio the shortest and weakest of the three (release two years ago almost to the day?) explores a facet of his character that we didn't otherwise get to see. Another thing I loved is that other DLCs had a side character -- also someone that we already know (and probably care about in some way) that got explored as well. Gladio had Cor, Prompto had Aranea, Ignis had Ravus, Ardyn somehow has very body and nobody. I feel like Episode Ardyn really suffered for the lack of this. I feel like I sympathised more with Ravus in Ignis' story than I did with Ardyn in the whole of his own.
I wonder if it might have been better to play Ardyn's perspective of various parts of the main story. What if they'd done the DLC in the aftermath of the Leviathan battle, and killing Luna was what prompted memories of Aera and Somnus. What if we'd got to play him while he was doing his whole 'you've outlived your usefulness' with Adercapt and disappearing and leaving them all to turn into daemons, or maybe being the cause of it. What if we'd got to see how he got out of Gralea with the crystal, with the remaining bros trying to kill him or follow him or whatever else.
I think when it comes down to it, SE tried to expand on Ardyn's backstory and only made it more muddy? They introduced this new element with Aera -- the original(?) oracle, and I don't understand at all what she actually saw and what she told Somnus. Somnus seems cruel in places, and kind of miserably wise at the end, and I want to know why that is. It doesn't make sense to have him changed in some way and not show us why. Was it guilt? Did the gods tell him something? Did the gods make him do it in the first place and he was acting cruel because it was easier? And why is there no reference to Ardyn having once torn up the city in the main game or the movie? What happened? Did Regis forget he ever knew Ardyn because he was knocked out? What about the rest of the population of the city? Why is the Founder King still in the line up with the others at the end of the game if Ardyn defeats him here? There are a lot of questions thrown up, of the variety that I'm not really able to rationalise in some way with headcanons. It was...fun to play, but I don't understand what happened at all. And what was the point of that ending? I can't say had much of a problem with the whole fate angle in the original game except for wishing it was explored more by the characters, but this seemed kind of redundantly cruel and really disappointing as a player. There were some fun gameplay elements, and it was fun playing with his powers, but overall I feel bemused and underwhelmed, which is a shame because I really enjoyed the other DLC and we won't be getting any more.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-04 11:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-05 05:37 am (UTC)At the end of the day, I feel the regular amount bad for him, but I don't see why I should feel any more bad for him than that?
(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-06 04:17 am (UTC)But on your part, that strikes me as a sound policy.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-06 11:10 pm (UTC)Aera was... I think she's probably in the animated prequel? But I didn't watch it. Either way, she's pointless in the DLC and seems... very cruel and unsympathetic in once of the choices.
My gut feeling is that they could have improved the whole game by making Ardyn and Ifrit the same person - Ardyn as the human embodiment of an angry god seeking revenge. A trickster god who likes playing with his food, before he crushes humanity. In essence, Ardyn is to Ifrit, as Gentiana is to Shiva. I feel like it would have closed up a few plot holes.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-07 05:09 am (UTC)I read that this was just Bahumut using her image to hurt Ardyn, in which case it, I think, might be the only part of the DLC that makes sense.
In essence, Ardyn is to Ifrit, as Gentiana is to Shiva.
Holy shit. This is... such a cool idea! That would put such a mindblowingly good spin on things. Especially since Ifrit/Shiva is canon? And also who Ardyn and Gentiana are to Noctis and Luna, respectively? And it would give such a delicious twist to their interaction on the train when she does that hush-freeze gesture? Wow. This is so brilliant? I... alskdjfhalkjh?!?!
Also, hi! Thank you for commenting! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-07 10:54 am (UTC)I feel like Ardyn being an aspect of Shiva also closes up a few plot holes regarding the Astrals and makes their involvement make more sense. Otherwise everything feels like a big joke they're having because... IDK, the lols. And makes Ardyn a real credible threat to them.
And yeah, it makes the train scene much more potent!