#So far Leon's route isn't bad

[clayderogatory]

okay let me just say i am a big music nerd and also a big resident evil nerd. put two and two together, and now you have this. greetings and salutations everyone and today i am going to analyze and discuss the 4 major boss themes in resident evil 4 remake and my interpretations of each one.

note that i am no big music theory major, but i know way too much about resident evil and i know how music can influence how someone can feel and how it can relate to the characters they are for.

the bosses i am going to be talking about are as follows:

Bitores Méndez, Ramón Salazar, Krauser, and Osmund Saddler.

they will go in order right under the cut!! i hope u enjoy because this actually took hours to write im not even kidding.

Bitores Méndez:

Starting off with Méndez, his boss theme is very very different from the OG. What the Remake has, I believe it further demonstrates and shows to the player through music more insight on how he is presented in the game.

In the original, his theme is really just...eerie. It's unsettling, with much of it being very high pitched and almost just screaming in your ear. Some really other good examples of this are like—for instance—the very end of the Undertale Genocide route or like Something in Omori. It's made to be unnerving, like something is incredibly wrong in the situation you are in. But for Méndez's theme in the OG, it's really as far as it goes. It's just high pitched noises with creepy sound effects, almost like something is chasing you. There's even remnants of someone screaming in the background if you listen super closely.

The thing I love with the Remake is that they added so much more to this theme. Firstly, they kept that eerie high pitched noise that was primarily in the OG's soundtrack, in the background. That feeling and that aspect is still there in the song, but they added more instruments so that it was definitely more of a boss theme. There's drums, violins, tubas, etc. Those were at least the main ones I heard upon inspection.

Méndez is supposed to be the first big bad in re4r, he's kind of like the strong and seemingly invincible character for a good long while. He doesn't talk much, he's just there to follow Saddler's orders and to carry out his will. You have to try to avoid him in many cases because you can't get past him, but now you're in a situation where you have no other choice but to fight him. The music really amplifies this because it really conveys that feeling that he's like a mindless soldier. He's extremely intimidating, a lot of the music feels like it isn't leading up to this big finale or any sort of release. It's meant to build up tension or suspense, and it isn't much of a build up.

Méndez is there for the purpose to kill, with Las Plagas infecting his mind so badly he doesn't even have thoughts of his own anymore. That's only the first half of the song, because the second does get interesting.

It turns very fast paced and hurried. Like a cat and mouse chase, there's even an added primarily male choir in there to further add to the eerie feeling. It gets a lot more intense, because further in the fight, Leon is doing more to injure Méndez and that tension is finally rising to where it's a much more intense battle because Méndez had mutated a second time and now they are at each other's throats and the heat of battle and the burning building is probably getting to the both of them. And the tension is rising, rising, the music gets louder and its crescendoing more and more and then, it goes quiet.

it's not a big flashy ending, it just fades out to quietness. all of it is over, you can take a break and let what just happened sink in. it's so much more interesting and i do love they incorporated the same eerie noises from the OG into the remake's.

----

Ramón Salazar:

Up next we have Ramòn Salazar, and his remake theme is one of my favorites in the whole game. But starting with the OG, it lays a pretty decent foundation. There's that eerieness to it in the first, but then it grows a bit bigger. It primarily has a lot of organ parts to it. Plainly stating, Ramòn is from Royalty, he lives in a castle and had people do his bidding and such. His official title is of a Castilian.

He is also very weak compared to everyone else, and he hides behind the stronger ones with his rank and title. Organs are very primarily used in settings of where we are now, a very gothic style castle where before Los Illuminados came, everyone there was very Catholic. Which in other cases, they can be heard in churches as well. They're typically seen as very creepy instruments that unnerve many people. There's also usage of violins and a choir, which give this feeling of almost like a Haunted Mansion like sound as if there were ghosts taunting you.

Interestingly enough, there's also some more modern hints in the song with a faint electric bass in there. It's also a little waltzy, like it has elements where you could kinda dance to it. It has a similar tension where it rises and rises and then goes quiet again.

But what I really want to get to now is his remake theme, holy shit it is so so SO amazing. Ramòn in remake is very vastly different from OG, he has that same element of being weak and using his authority to always have a higher ground, but he isn't nearly as cowardly. He has a way more sadistic mind to him, and even in records found in the game, he was described to be this nasty little guy who reveled in seeing people suffer.

he also presents the whole section as like a story or a play. He calls Leon a "gallant knight" and Ashley the "princess fair." He's over dramatic, and he sees himself as a higher being than the others. Except for Saddler, because he worships the man—like everyone else.

Already within the theme we are starting off BIG, it's loud, dramatic, very fitting to how he sees everything as a show, a drama even. We get a lot of build up within the first 35 seconds or so. They utilize a lot of choir parts within this, mainly SSA (sopranos and altos) to make it very high pitched and giving that eerie vibe again. The title of the song comes into play too, "Baile de la Muerte," or as translated, The Dance of Death. Already off the bat it sounds as dramatic as the music is, and because the song is very much a waltz.

It's also something to note that Ramón moves around a LOT in this fight, similar to how you move in a dance. But he looks a lot more like a horrifyingly mutilated bug so it's more annoying than anything.

String instruments are HUGE in this song, and especially that choir part mentioned earlier coming in really heavy towards the middle. There is some more SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) at this part compared to the beginning. There's already so much tension because the song starts big and keeps. getting. BIGGER. towards the end the choir part keeps striking with more and more tension, its keeps building and building, and then HUGGEEE beat drop where there is just this beautiful and amazing finale that is just so so SO dramatic and theatrical. it's like the big end to a show, the strings are fast and furious as the drums are striking and LOUD, and what i believe to be brass instruments just killing it. and the final note ends on a high ass note for the choir and all the instruments coming together to deliver the end of this AMAZING track.

its a dramatic piece for an equally theatrical and dramatic character, and it leaves with this satisfying finish before ending and letting it all settle again.

---

Jack Krauser:

Now with Krauser's theme, it is my favorite in the whole game. I could loop it for hours because it's so catchy and it even ties back to previous lore with his character. Firstly to compare to the OG, the OG and remake are already extremely similar.

It's very strong and heavy, like how Krauser is. It's also very dramatic and one big thing to notice is that there is this kind of very fast drum that is prominent. It's kind of something that you would hear in a theme pertaining to jungles and whatnot, which IS important. I'll get to that in a moment, but, it's a very fast paced song. It does have that tension because Leon is facing a formidable for that he used to know. There's a lot of build ups ready for a beat drop that just adds so much to the intensity. There's not much to say because the melody and sound for this song is pretty much the same as remake, but obviously they expanded on it.

what i really want to get to is remake, because they utilize SO many elements in this to make it really powerful and to support Krauser's character. First and foremost, Krauser and Leon's relationship in remake is different than OG. In OG they were more "comrades" who fought with one another in the military, but in remake, Krauser and Leon, have this relationship where he was his mentor. They both know the same combat skills, it just comes down to who can apply them better in their fight. That's what makes Krauser so terrifying, because he knows everything Leon knows to a higher degree.

As well as that jungle aspect maybe coming from Darkside Chronicles that expanded on Leon and Krauser and Operation Javier. I thought that was a neat touch to add with the music as well, but anyways, this piece is powerful with the primarily male choirs, harmonies, and so. much. buildup. it's leading up to something so much bigger with it's fast paced structure. there's a lot of heavy drums that are just going and going, and it eventually leads to this HUGE beatdrop that really makes it feel more like a final battle. Leon is facing someone that was close to him, even if he was a huge asshole, he was Leon's mentor and taught him everything he knew.

it's so heavily dramatic because the stakes are high, Leon has to get to Ashley before it's too late and try not to get killed by his teacher. It repeats until at the end It leads up and up until it goes to this somber music. Leon has to kill someone he did care about. He proved himself worthy and now has to take the final blow, all while trying not to cry because he was forced into doing it. It leads up to this big big tense feeling until he strikes the blow and it's over.

"I taught you well, Leon."

"That you did, Major, that you did."

---

Osmund Saddler:

With Saddler, it's, again, similar to the OG and to be frank, I'm just gonna talk about the remake. Saddler is so interesting because the whole game has been leading up to him. He's a mystery, he is the leader of Los Illuminados, the one with all the control over everyone in the hivemind. With his theme, they really use a lot of the choir instead of the instruments taking over.

The reason due to this is probably all of the religious themes within Saddler and how he is literally a cult leader. within churches, there are usually church choirs that sing which is probably why it's very abundant in the theme. The music is matching with the choir a lot, and a lot of drums are used in this piece. Compared to some others, there are a lot of flowy parts to the song and also some very staccato moments where it's very on the dot. Especially in the middle where it's very big and intense.

This is a serious battle, Leon has to kill Saddler to get rid of Los Illuminados, and it isn't an easy task. They really keep that feeling of it being such a tough fight and that it is menacing, Saddler is not just a pushover. He wants to spread his cult across the world and he will stop at nothing to try and achieve that. It mainly repeats a lot due to it obviously being a boss theme and it will repeat until you kill the boss, but the ending is so interesting as it goes from this very flowy and moving section, and then it goes down, and then ends abruptly with even a hint of organ snuck in there.

Saddler is posed as a threat, on or off screen, and his theme definitely delivers on that as well.

---

and that is a wrap! if you made it to the end, you get a cookie 🍪

and if anyone wants to discuss anything more, feel free! these are my thoughts and ideas of all of these themes and how they relate to all of the characters they are for :)

[shummashum]

Since I first got into this game in Feb 2023, I've somehow managed to watch the story from Season 1 to Season 5, from Elias Goldstein to Mel Glover (thx youtube)

So? I'm going to write some reviews about them

1. 13-day System

The main story, from Season 1 to Season 5 (hereinafter Previous Seasons), takes place during Liz Hart's period as a provisional student at the academy

The story consists of a total of 12 days + 1 ending day, of which Day 11 is divided into 3 parts... Exposition, Complication, Crisis, and Climax — everything has to be done in 11 days

Therefore, the narrative flow of previous seasons is bound to go relatively shallow

This is where problems start to arise

The so-called fateful love or love at first sight tends to occur in a short period of time, and as WH Sekai is a world where magic exists, relatively dramatic developments can happen... But how many people can reveal the backstories buried deep in their hearts to someone they've only known for a few days

Of course, Solmare must have known about this. So what was suggested as the solution was...

"The World of Images" (I mean 心像世界 but I don't know how to translate it properly)

It's simple: it's difficult to unravel the character's mystery and develop the main plot in just 11 days, so let's uncover the hidden truth and emotions through The World of Images — interactable landscapes that reflect the psyche!

I'm not meaning The World of Images itself is a bad thing; if used well, nice and dramatic results can be achieved. But I felt The World of Images of previous seasons was so focused on conveying hidden facts and backstories that it didn't really touch me

That "time travel" in Klaus 1 route was not bad at least. Honestly the keyword itself feels a bit out of the blue, but I'm somewhat satisfied with it because the foreshadowing itself exists (I'm not telling about the quality)

But the way I see it, the problem starts with Azusa

The World of Images began to unfold under the name of 〈Time to explore a parallel world with a mysterious butterfly!!〉, and I guess the writer must have felt that this was really good to use, she(he?) started using it for everything including Joel, Vincent, Leon, Glenn, etc…

Although it disappeared in Season 5, the description of learning all the hidden truths at once in a short period did not change — and it was the biggest problem, dammit

But this isn't the only problem

While the stories of Season 1 and Season 2 progress along the lines of individual desires, the keyword "world destruction" begins to appear in any form from Season 3 onwards. And we must remember that all parts of the story (except the Falling Action) have to be completed within 11 days

Can a story that deals with the destruction of the world in 11 days be of good quality? I cannot give a positive answer to this

Come to think of it, in Season 1 and Season 2, where Luca and Azusa act as villains with their individual desires, the world will continue to run fine even if those two achieve their goals. Even if Luca gets the Dragon Eye / even if Azusa gets the unicorn horn, there will be no change for ordinary people not related to them

But signs of the destruction of the world began to appear and… At this point, I cannot help but think the plot is going too far

(And if it's a matter of the world's survival, shouldn't the Ministry of Magic handle it? Why is Liz, who is just a provisional student, solving everything? Why is the Ministry so incompetent huh)

Aren't these problems ultimately a limitation of the game structure itself, the 13-day system. There are bound to be limits to unraveling the increasingly large main plot in a short period of less than two weeks, and in the end, the backstories are revealed as if running out of time, and it becomes difficult to get immersed in it

Is it not so? I feel somewhat detached

As far as I know, from season 6, it is divided into Chapters instead of Days. Of course, even if it is a chapter system, the amount of story for each character won't be very different from the 13-day system

Still, wouldn't the quality of development be better if the time passing within the story was longer

And I heard that the story of Season 6 continues beyond that, so maybe much deeper developments that require a lot of time will be possible (please tell me I'm right)

2. Reviews for Each Season

Season 1: The Tower of Sorrow

tsundere(tm) + playboy-like + curse/eyepatch/transform… classic classic

Elias was the one I played the first. He was the character at the top of the list, and I wanted to watch the story from the beginning. But it was 100% tsundere from shoujo manga in those days so I was a little freaked out (it's not that I didn't expect it though)

btw why is he like that on his route when he's like a trustworthy friend on other routes. how much pressure did he feel about his grades and so on, I mean it's understandable though

Yukiya was honestly great, I say his story is worth reading. A bit of a cliche, but reminded me why clichés are used: provide a stable taste

However, it is a bit disappointing that the settings regarding his curse are not unified. It's not a curse but just a contract with Seth in the main story, so why did it become a curse in the sequel?

And the villainous, Luca

I interpret him as a character who is unable to withstand the discipline that restricts him in any form because of being locked up as a child, and who longs for freedom but feels only emptiness even in a "freedom state" that arises from ignoring the rules

Okay, this is good... But I was scratched and I don't know why. Luca in Season 2 onwards is a great supporting role, but Luca in Season 1 keeps scratching my mind and that bothers me

Season 2: The Spring of Unicorn

This is my favorite and the reason is clear

Klaus… What do I need to say about him? His story tasted very familiar; the plot goes exactly according to the standard of shoujo manga (It's not that it doesn't taste good though)

Eh… actually I don't have much to say. I liked that there was a bunch of Azusa's villain behavior. Hmm

Randy, I mean Serge, was definitely great, his story is also worth reading

I think the true protagonist of Season 2 is Serge; The tangled events of Season 2 are centered around him, and in the timeline where Liz is connected with Serge, Season 2 comrades eventually find some comfort at least!

But one thing I can't agree with is his catchphrase, "There is no failure or right or wrong answers in magic." Isn't it a bit weird for someone who lost his best friend to a "fail" of magic to say something like that

Erm… I don't know

And another villainous, Azusa

This must have happened:

A: Now let's make up Azusa's route

B: But isn't deceiving and taking advantage of Liz a pattern that has already been used with Luca

A: Hmm… now that I think about it, you're right

C: They say young kids these days like spiciness! If we add some capsaicin, it'll be good

A: Let's fucking go

But they fumble while rolling the dice

To be honest, I don't like this kind of shallow salvation. I like the flow of emotions colliding with each other, but smashing "twisted love愛 built up over years" with "romance恋 built up about 10 days"? Well…

And Solmare, please, why are you eager to justify him okay I got it I understand he has his own reason (and I like the reason) but please please don't I don't want this asshole to be labeled as "just a poor guy with a broken heart" please??

oh well

Season 3: The King of Fairies

A: I'm tired of one of the romanceable characters being a villain. Let’s make the main antagonist a non-romanceable character!

So the fairy king Oberon appears

Joel was honestly quite good… I like that kind of damn personality. The argument between Joel and Eress was very funny, I really like it when those with a damn personality fight childishly

btw his concept was the forgotten childhood friend, he's bound to lose every time a new romanceable character comes out then... he suits BSS so well omg

In my personal opinion Vincent's visiting student concept is fucking ×3 unreasonable and stupid... In other stories except Season 3 (as far as I know), he appears as just a Ministry of Magic agent 1. And it was much better that way honestly

And Liz is so helpless in his route!!

okay, it might have been to highlight Vincent's attributes as a knight… but I don't like it

and raising a baby dad? What the fuck is this It's fucking ×3 creepy omfg

If there's anything worth noting in Season 3, it's related to Leon: All of the events in Season 3 happened because of Leon's actions, but he doesn't act as an antagonist

Personally, I'm not a fan of those "teaching emotions" stories, but his happy/unhappy endings are fuck dammit Those saved his whole story I dare say, his ending was the global maximum of the previous seasons

Season 4: The Princess of Crystal

Season 4 feels similar to Season 1 and Season 2? There was quite a bit of the story that unfolded in the classroom, providing glimpses into the narrative of a Season 1 comrade as well (such as Yukiya being despised by his classmates), and the formula of a romanceable character taking on the role of a villain was applied too

Cerim was, well, I thought he had quite a damn personality because he stabbed Liz in the neck with a wand in the preview… I was a bit surprised that he was nicer, milder, and more normal than I expected

But! I don't agree with making him confess, kiss, and propose first while giving him that insensitive attribute

Guy was quite good, I enjoyed it

But on one hand, it feels like the full potential of his story was not revealed because he was with the positive queen Liz??

I mean, a genius pretending to be an ordinary person ← This is a very good element to stimulate feelings of inferiority you know... Liz just thought "Oh he's awesome!" and moved on, but think about how he would interact if paired with an ordinary person with an inferiority complex

Yeah?

But!! I was very, very disappointed in Glenn

I honestly had really high expectations for this story, but why the fuck did the story unfold like shit. Why did that fucking rabbit suddenly jump out, why were they recklessly delving into his backstory with the necklace he dropped without his permission — besides it's just ridiculous, it was revealed so hastily. Why on earth do they let me know nothing until Day 10 and then say it all at once on Day 11-1 hello??

And I was dumbfounded watching Aster vanished with that fucking song

wait what WHAT Is this the end? Seriously? What will happen to Guy if we get rid of Aster like that? Oi? You guys are taking away his chance to untie the knot in his heart like that? Is this right??

Uh… Anyway, it was a bit disappointing, I didn't expect the climax would be this unremarkable

Season 5: The Sol Maiden's

Looks like Solmare made a big decision… because in Season 5, the main instigator behind all this only appears in the final route

Leslie was easy to watch, he had no hidden story at all, plus I like his damn personality

But all the stories were Leslie is amazing~ Leslie is awesome~... eh seriously

Sigurd was, actually, I saw a review about him before starting his route: "The writing is sick, but the plot is shit."

After reading the whole story, I really understood what it meant… I really don't have anything more to say than that

Mel was, what can I say… Wasn't he a nerd? Why is he acting so sly

Mel's route provides an answer to the question of why the villain did not appear in the other routes in Season 5. Kate, the villain in Season 5, was gathering power from all worlds, and her plans were foiled by Liz in other timelines so she couldn't reveal herself… that was the case

I didn't think Kate was a villain because she appeared with too much villain vibe. Since Mel showed an uncooperative attitude in Sigurd's route, I thought Mel would be the antagonist and Kate would act as a helper... But she WAS a villain (duh)

What? She has the ability to cross alternate realities? You just throw such a big fact without any foreshadowing? Are you insane Solmare

Well, I did like the twist that the voice of the magic tree that was continuously heard was actually created by Kate (I saw through it in advance though — I didn't trust the tree because it didn't teach me how to help; it just fucking complained about needing assistance)

And please stop with that damn transformation gimmick PLEASE why do you guys keep changing Liz's clothes like a magical girl, dammit it's not cool at all, it's just stupid as fuck

3. Overall Review

I really think these stories in previous seasons have potential. They could definitely become a highly stimulating and delicious story if it were done a little more… but it doesn't work out that way

And why the FUCK are they already getting engaged after just meeting each other. Is this how all Gen Z live these days? Or am I just fucking narrow-minded

Erm... I decided to look forward to Season 6. It'll definitely become more interesting since the cataclysm occurred. Right?

[fateinthestars]

Must be time to do another SCM Ramble/ Review post and to go with yesterday's two White Day special story sets here is the other one! This post contains:

White Day Treats for a Crimson-Lipped Goddess

The stories in this are set after the Valentine's Day 'To the Victor Goes the Spoils' stories and as such this set features stories for: Leon, Scorpio, Huedhaut, Zyglavis, and Aigonorus.

Spoilers under cut. Oh and maybe some gushing, cos Zyglavis' and Aigo's stories in this set? 🥰 (Hue? 🤦‍♀️ )

Leon: Flowers of Love Bloom in the Sky

I can't quite believe that from his POV chapter in this that it was technically Ichthys who planted the idea in his head to actually use his powers for once...

Anyway, Leon is actually internally very contemplative and trying his hardest to understand why human holidays matter so much. His internal monologue even admits he's just learnt something from Partheno of all people. Leon is still learning and growing and once again this story shows why it's so important to have these stories from their point of view.

One thing that did stand out to me when re-reading this is that Karno's gift in this is technically the same thing as he uses in the Victor goes the Spoils - presumably untampered with this time. No-one brings that up though... I wonder whether that's just Karno deliberately reminding Leon about Valentine's to make sure things run smoothly?

As to Leon's eventual gift in this one? It's really touching and thoughtful and calls back very nicely to Leon's main story.

Scorpio: Your Colour

Oh sweet Scorpio. Your vague questions in order to be really touching always seem to end up backfiring somewhat and you don't think before snapping if something unexpected throws a spanner in the works. Though, MC? I know you forgot it was White Day the following day but when the others mentioned that, could you maybe not have... yanno... put two and two together that maybe just maybe that was why Scorpio was suddenly interested in your makeup?

Oh gosh the stuff Scorpio blurts out to the sales assistant 🥰 I know you Scorpio you are not the angry irritated God you project there's far more to you than that. Also, talking about his POV chapter he actually makes it clear here that he's decided him and cooking don't mix. So I guess in my cooking post that moves him down a little (only a very little mind, his stuff you could still eat...)

Huedhaut: Tones of your Future

Oh Hue! Hue please!!!!!!!

I am going to forbid you from putting your forehead against MC's at this rate.

I mean honestly, Hue: You see she's crying in the future but you don't know why, or what, or whether it was definitely even you who caused it (though you seem to think it was)? Yeah you letting it slip to the other Gods and their comments probably didn't help your brooding but your conclusion as to what to do was to stay away from MC for a while? HUE!

No wonder Teo scolded him later. Yes it's Teo that gets Hue out of this funk, his actions seemingly shocking both Hue and later MC when Hue tells her who snapped him out of it.

Hue's actual White Day gift is really moving and no wonder MC cried. This story probably shows more than most why Hue's divine power is not one you want. He must be so stressed all the time.

Though... Hue? As it turns out that you ended where your vision was and it actually wasn't a bad thing at all, you could have actually had your White Day date as well.

Thank you for pushing him to go see MC, Teo. Though I think the wish he'd received also made him realise what an idiot he was being.

Hue you really are a worrier aren't you? In an attempt to make sure you kept MC happy and avoided anything potentially negative you actually made things worse.

Oh Hue... *hugs him tightly*

Zyglavis: Love Cannot be Planned

A massive change in tone here and oh my word this story. This story! It's not just one of my favourite Zyglavis stories, it's one of my favourite stories featuring Ichthys that isn't in his own route.

Ichthys hasn't forgotten about the Valentine's Day Punishment and now he's come up with A PLAN. A plan that all the others are trying to tell him not to be foolhardy about and don't even try it but nope Ichthys here is on a mission!

That mission appears to MC & Zig to be a battle of who can give the best White Day present but no... this is actually Ichthys trying to humiliate Zyglavis in front of all the others.

I can't help but feel having read this story that Ichthys is a million years too early to be able to get the upper hand on Zyglavis. Of course Zyglavis is so suspicious about what is actually going on he looks further into things.

Everything Zyglavis does here is wonderful. And even he admits because of Ichthys' ridiculous present battle he thought more about what to give MC and is happier with what he chose as a result.

Everything about this is PERFECT. This... this is everything I need from an SCM story. 🥰

Aigonorus: A Sweet Trap

Oh Aigo, I really do adore him. I wish Aigo had more content because he's so sweet, loveable, cuddly, and determined once he gets a clear idea in mind.

I love how once MC has explained White Day so he understands, he immediately drags her off to get her to pick something out. Aigo is so impulsive and impatient sometimes but in a really sweet way.

I'm also gonna have to include this screenshot from his point of view story when he's first trying to make what he finally decides on giving MC as a White Day gift because 🤣 :-

If anything shows how pure and kind hearted he is though is what happens after he sees an article saying that his gift has negative connotations and thus refuses to give it to MC even though he spent many days perfecting it...

Cos what he was gonna give her was what she has given him in the past and here he never once thinks that what she gave him could have been negative in any way. And yet he still worries that his would be taken negatively.

Aigo really is one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring of all the Zodiac Gods. And I hope in the routes other than his own he finds love from somewhere and realises that that Goddess was just a jerk. Aigo deserves the world.

Ranking attempt then? Oh gosh...

Zyglavis

Aigonorus

Scorpio

Leon

Huedhaut

[scorchieart]

Ohh I get you. I've played visual novels in the past, but Ikepri is the first game I've played where the story actively tries to direct you the player act as the protagonist (giving her a blank slate with minimal backstory) as opposed to the player just following along. It was jarring at first, but if that's the trick of the trade then it is what it is.

Yes, morally ambiguous characters are always a delight to follow when done well. I wouldn't say Ikepri is the best at showing this, since the princes are always ultimately coded to have the moral upper ground despite their beliefs or what they've done in the past, but it's still a lot of fun to follow. I think the 1 month limit the routes have isn't a long enough timeframe to really transform these guys, they all had issues they've been dealing with pretty much their entire lives, but at the end of the day it's an otome game so I guess most players wouldn't be playing it for its believability.

But the point you made at the end about how the game seems to present domestic affairs as the good path and foreign affairs as the bad path, I agree and I think it extends even further than that with the game claiming Rhodolite is unquestionably the best nation in terms of morals and lifestyle and the others (namely Obsidian) are backwards and evil. Sure, it makes sense a nation's top priority would be the welfare of its own people before considering others, but sometimes the game goes out of its way to prove Rhodolite as a country can do no wrong, and it's kinda unpalatable.

I'm mostly thinking about the issue with the slaves in Leon's route. It was mentioned that slavery as a practice is banned in Rhodolite in the current time and the fact that Obsidian still uses slaves makes them the evilest of the evil. Not defending Obsidian or anything, but in the very same route it glosses over the fact that Rhodolite used slaves as well, and not so far back in the past either. I mean, basic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

I will say the story does pick up in the more recent routes with presenting Rhodolite as more in the wrong, but the blame is pretty much always traced back to, "well, the previous king wasn't a good guy," and now that he's dead Rhodolite is this perfect utopia again.

I dunno, again this is probably some heavy stuff I don't think the game makers intentionally thought too much about when making the game, but it's just something my writer's brain picked up on.

Luke's route really wants to show how ruthless Chevalier is, but that makes me love him all the more.

Between the two factions, it seems that the one given more thought on politics is Chevalier's faction. They really have shades of the IR theory of realism, especially when it comes to the balance of power among the kingdoms. Sorry, Team Leon, but I personally find Team Chevalier to be more interesting lol.

Nokto's skill as a negotiator makes him an efficient diplomat; Clavis's goal of expansion to troll more people equally is ridiculous, though I see hints of anti-monarchy in him. How carnivalesque. Luke I haven't finished his route so I reserve my judgement of him. Chevalier's goal of conquest, though, reeks of imperialist ambitions. Oof. Uncomfortable. I think it will just remain a goal, however; Chevalier is better off redirecting his energy to investing in a competent diplomatic corps. Besides, I don't think Leon's faction will allow Chevalier to invade other kingdoms. Chevalier is smart; he's just ... straightforward in his methods -- quick to produce results. I don't think he's patient enough for subterfuge, which is why Nokto's skill is important and Chevalier should utilize him effectively.

To be honest, I see Leon as a leader and Chevalier as a manager haha. Leon is charismatic, a crucial quality in a leader. People are inspired to follow his example. But it's Chevalier who's better at handling the tasks. He's going to plan and implement projects in a streamlined manner, less bureaucracy and more results. He's the one you want when you want the system fixed (because he's straightforward and has no patience in the tortuous hahaha). Leon is charisma, Chevalier is competence.

Anyway, this post is originally just a love post on Chevalier lmao I rambled on and on though.