Have you ever started a game and really liked it, and then the more you played it the less you liked it? I’m experiencing serious Ending Fatigue with Radiant Historia right now. It’s a good game, but I really, really need it to end soon. Luckily I’m on the final chapter of the alternate history, so hopefully it’ll be over before too long. A few of the things that are bothering me this late in the game (some mild spoilers, beware):

1. Timeline shmimeline. I complained a while ago about a character dying in one timeline and staying alive in another. I thought it was a one-off, but they did it again! A bad guy was killed and we had to go get something from them in another timeline, further on. But shouldn’t they be dead in that timeline as well? I’ve given up trying to make sense of how time/dimension travel works in this game.

2. The story is actually kinda slow. Since most of the game consists of backtracking to fix what went wrong, most of your time is spent going to the same places and doing the same things two, three or more times in a row. When I look back over the course of the game, very little has actually happened.

3. The timelines are all a blur now. In the earlier stages, very different things happen in each line and you do very different things. However right now I have all the characters, I’ve unlocked all the areas, and I’m doing pretty much the same thing in each timeline (beating up the bad guys and liberating the continent). Whenever I come back after not playing for a few days, it takes me a while to remember what’s gone on when and where.

4. You can’t fix the things you really want to fix. You’re limited to doing what the “correct history” requires of you, and that means you can’t kill anyone or save anyone unless the story allows you to. At one point someone sacrifices himself because of a trap, and because you were too weak to do anything about it. Once you’re stronger, shouldn’t you consider going back and saving that person? It’ll mess up the timeline, of course (‘cos then you might never meet Gafka and Ath B), but they should let you try and give you a Bad End, at least. Furthermore, there’s a mad scientist that’s responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and soldiers. You should be able to go back in time and use your stealth attack to kill him before that happens. He’s already done bad things then, no need to hold back. Like killing Hitler while he was a nobody, you know? Again that might lead to a Bad End, but the game should at least consider it and give you that choice.

5. You almost never get to kill the bad guys yourself. Of all the major bad guys so far, I’ve only killed one personally (and he wasn’t even that bad). All the others? Killed by someone else / killed offscreen / killed in a cutscene / was let go and, in one ridiculous case, spontaneously combusted before I could deal the finishing blow — and died with a smile! Roche had the decency to comment on that one, at least. What’s worse, the game actually made me kill a good character I really didn’t want to kill, then didn’t give me the chance to go back and try to change things. I feel cheated, very much so. This is bothering me more than anything else I’ve listed so far, because what makes the crimes of the bad guys bearable is the hope that I’ll pay them back eventually. When that revenge is taken away, it robs me of catharsis and leaves me feeling empty and dissatisfied. I am not happy.

6. I’m sick of the cryptic comments. You know, when characters make all those mysterious, unfinished comments: “Stock no, if you do that, you’ll be…”, “Ath, you really are…” “Elca, so you do know…” What? WHAT, DAMMIT?! Tell me already, stop dragging things out! What’s that ceremony all about? What will happen if we carry it out? Why is this all a big frickin’ mystery? Tell me already, arrgh!

7. I’m sick of sidequests too. For story backtracking, the timewarp usually drops you close to the point you have to change. For sidequests, you usually have to play a long bit of story over again before you get to the exact point. Even being able to skip cutscenes with the Start button doesn’t really help. Thanks to that at least, my characters are sickeningly overpowered, but I’ve still had enough. I want to give up on the true ending, but I’m fairly certain I won’t want to play this game again, so maybe I should just soldier on. Hmm.

Phew. Getting all this off my chest makes me feel a little better. Just a little. I think I’ve got it in me to finish the game, at least, if not the sidequests. Wish me luck!

Related posts:

Radiant Historia – First Impressions Radiant Historia – Paradoxes strike again! Radiant Historia – Follow up Radiant Historia – Playable characters (minor spoilers)