Eh, QFG5 is like a half step backwards for me.
I'm actually one of the few people who REALLY liked Wages of War, at least from the Paladin and Wizard sides. I like SQ6, but of course, not nearly as much as 5. I agree with what you said on the others though, mostly.
Well, better optimistic than "Oh, why me? Why do I have to do it?! You shouldn't put much faith in me, because there's not much I can do, really!" because to be honest, in a darker an edgier KQ style game by any other company, you'd know that's what they'd do. Make it so bleak and sorrowful, that you wonder why you're playing. That's what's popular after all in the gaming industry is darkness. Things are never just allowed to be happy, they must be depressing, deconstructed and crushingly bittersweet at most, because it's not realistic. Because that's how stories are meant to be told. Because you learn something valuable from it, and that is that the world wants to kill you dead more than you believe so you better either make people cry or scream in agony and fear, just in the hopes that they'll come out changed and saying "I'll be good, I swear!"
f***... maybe that's why I gravitate towards the new KQ, or at least episode one. It's lighthearted and fun. Yes, there's conflict and drama, and yes, things will inevitably get darker, but... I always feel like I'm going to get out okay and smiling at the end. It's not trying to teach us a lesson about the hardship of the world, it just wants to have fun with itself. And the fun it gives me is likable characters, good puns, amusing deaths, and a good heartwarming premise that will help change that world for the better in the end, no matter what I do.
What's that? There's no tension? Screw tension, I still care regardless because the designers made me like them! Even if I know that Graham is going to inevitably get the Crown of Daventry, that doesn't stop me from enjoying the game, just to see how it all potentially panned out. I know he will succeed, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't not like to see how he succeeded, lest it remain a mystery. I think that it's a great idea that TOG has here, "How about a tale you've never heard before?" if this were just another KQ remake, sure I would have been excited, but the fact that these tales are new, stuff from Graham's past that we've never seen before... that draws me in. Graham's my favorite KQ character for a reason, and I love that, for better or worse, we're getting to know him better all throughout his life from a lowly squire to an elderly adventurer on his final quest. Yes, I expect Graham to become more mature as he grows up, and yes, I expect for things to get darker in terms of atmosphere and plot as the episodes go on, but I love the tone that they had in this first episode. Lighthearted, not taking things too seriously mixed in with some great humor. I believe that reflects Graham's mindset at the time, that he had fun times as a kid, but once he became King, he knew things would get tougher because he has weight on his shoulders and responsibilities and people to protect, and for someone who's barely in his twenties and not raised as a Prince? That's gonna be hard. But even though we know he's going to inevitably succeed, we still get to see how he does it, which gives us something to hold on to, because as dark as things can be, we always try our best to get the best results for everyone, even if it takes us several tries, reloads, new save files and resets, if there's a way out of the darkness, dammit, we're going to find it and bring as many people as we can into the light with us so we can all bask in the morning sun with no regrets.
Sue me, I'm a sucker for happy endings, okay? I'm a sucker for games that aren't "so dark you can't the sun", okay? I like playing a good guy. I like playing a Paladin, a Hero, a lowly janitor who steps up to save the world every time even when nobody appreciates him, a police officer who wants to do the right thing despite all the stigma against his profession, a determined child who saves both his world and a world of monsters simply by being kind to them even when they want him dead. I like showing the world that there's actually hope in life and people. To quote Grahampa himself, "It just made me feel good inside."
Is that wrong?
Don't worry, Numbers, I'm not saying this because I disagree with what you said up there. I just wanted to say it somewhere.
