The result of SteamWorld Dig
Let's talk about SteamWorld Dig's story. Wow even if you have cleared only SWD, you can read this article safely 😄
SteamWorld series share the same universe and they are on the (maybe) same timeline *1. However, even if we focus on only the story of SWD, it's painful and impressive enough.
At the last of SWD, after the scene of voltbot Joe's explosion, Tumbleton people mourned lost Rusty but Dorothy decided to find him. Then only the player saw the apparently Vectronized Rusty.
It forces the player to imagine worst case scenario; Rusty assimilated into or turned into the voltbot, which is not him *2. When I saw the scene, I felt as if the player(me) is to blame for that. I pursued the mystery, and rushed into the last boss for the catharsis. It resulted in the protagonist's severe fate. He looks at least alive, but the player definitely lost the protagonist at the end of the game.
(This feeling as "the player is to blame for that" might be easier to understand if you have played Undertale. It clearly portrays the selection of the player and the characters' fate.)
Although I feel these impression is a little exaggerated, well, I played the game that has protagonist-lost ending for the first time in a while. Moreover, it's not just a dead end, but one that is rather worse. Definitely delicious.
Then, I'll also refer to Dorothy.
I say it once more, Dorothy decided to find Rusty. If the player knows the fact that SWD2 is her story of this explornation, this determination in SWD sounds more serious to him/her.
Moreover, Image&Form prepared some depictions that emphasize it. That's below.
Thanks to Rusty, steambots in Tumbleton became better off. Dorothy also has possibilities for the bright future and she has the choice of giving up him like the other townspeople. But she said...
"He's still down there, somewhere. I just know it."
"I will keep looking."
"For better or worse, I will find him."
Dorothy......... (´；ω；｀)
What will she confront Rusty as? An enemy? Dead steambot? What will happen to him?
I have remembered that she was the first person to find Joe's corpse in the mine. "For better or worse" must includes various possibilities in her.
I dreamed "What if he confronts her as a cruel voltbot enemy and something tragic such as hurting her happens?"
To be honest, that's what I expected SWD2 to do. The tragedy, difficalty and torture of my loving characters and how they overcome is always delicious.
(The actual ending of SWD2 is wonderful and amazing, I felt. I'll write about it on other article.)
Anyway, the subsequent truth is not revealed in SWD. It is postponed until SWD2, but there's enough element of the story that impress the players even only in SWD.
*1: There's official explanation of the SteamWorld timeline on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBJ0wSI88-g
*2: Assimilated is also the name of Steam achievement you can get when you clear SWD.
SteamWorld series share the same universe and they are on the (maybe) same timeline *1. However, even if we focus on only the story of SWD, it's painful and impressive enough.
At the last of SWD, after the scene of voltbot Joe's explosion, Tumbleton people mourned lost Rusty but Dorothy decided to find him. Then only the player saw the apparently Vectronized Rusty.
(This feeling as "the player is to blame for that" might be easier to understand if you have played Undertale. It clearly portrays the selection of the player and the characters' fate.)
Although I feel these impression is a little exaggerated, well, I played the game that has protagonist-lost ending for the first time in a while. Moreover, it's not just a dead end, but one that is rather worse. Definitely delicious.
Then, I'll also refer to Dorothy.
I say it once more, Dorothy decided to find Rusty. If the player knows the fact that SWD2 is her story of this explornation, this determination in SWD sounds more serious to him/her.
Moreover, Image&Form prepared some depictions that emphasize it. That's below.
Thanks to Rusty, steambots in Tumbleton became better off. Dorothy also has possibilities for the bright future and she has the choice of giving up him like the other townspeople. But she said...
Dorothy......... (´；ω；｀)
What will she confront Rusty as? An enemy? Dead steambot? What will happen to him?
I have remembered that she was the first person to find Joe's corpse in the mine. "For better or worse" must includes various possibilities in her.
I dreamed "What if he confronts her as a cruel voltbot enemy and something tragic such as hurting her happens?"
To be honest, that's what I expected SWD2 to do. The tragedy, difficalty and torture of my loving characters and how they overcome is always delicious.
(The actual ending of SWD2 is wonderful and amazing, I felt. I'll write about it on other article.)
Anyway, the subsequent truth is not revealed in SWD. It is postponed until SWD2, but there's enough element of the story that impress the players even only in SWD.
*1: There's official explanation of the SteamWorld timeline on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBJ0wSI88-g
*2: Assimilated is also the name of Steam achievement you can get when you clear SWD.
> I wound up bingeplaying it until around 1 AM and getting *very* close to the end.
ReplyDeleteI know! I beated SWD2 within two holidays while I played SWD day by day. I couldn't wait to reach the truth...
>I got to the ending, and while I was relieved to see that Rusty wasn't evil
Yes, he wasn't evil. In that respect, the storyline exceeded my expectations.
Moreover, *familiar* Shiner Rosie, doomsday device, earthquake and so on... Image&Form has great method of reversal at the end, I again realized.
He wasn't affected by Vectron tech than I expected, but he was tortured enough as a battery...
It satisfi... *coff* tore my heart. It's true!
a thought: El Machino's on the sign right?
ReplyDeletewhat if the big rock formation in the background is the one Dorothy was on at the very beginning of Dig 2?