END ROLL Part 16 | The End of the Dream [END]
1In this episode we wake up to a world that we do not want to stay in.
Sooo yeah. This is the End of End Roll. I have a lot to say about this game so this ending spiel I do whenever I finish a game will be long, so prepare yourself and read this after watching the video (at least until I play the ending, I know a few hours of this is just me doing bonus stuff.
A lot of this will be really personal and touching up on familial abuse and such so as always, read on with caution.
Man, this game was a ride. I knew I'd like playing it because I did enjoy what I played years ago when it came out and had friends that are really passionate about the game so like... it was OBVIOUS i'd like it in my head but I didn't imagine how much I'd truly like it. I came to care for most of Nameless Towns residents by the end of the game a LOT. There were tons of interactions with everyone throughout the game that get you to really know them even if it's before their "Russel backstory reveal" day.
And then there's Russel... man. What a complicated character. I know he did some really terrible things in life, and you shouldn't forgive him for them but I can't help but be sad his fate is to die. I wish there would be an ending with the Dream Send Inc dream residents (or at least Walter and Raymond since they can be party members) coming to you when you end the dream and help you out by supporting you. I know Russel died out of guilt but I also think another facet of his psyche is just that he feels incapable of having a loving relationship with people IRL after all he's done and its shown when you recruit them that they did care for Russel and looked forward to meeting him when he finished the experiment IRL.
Russel was really relatable for me, which can be a bit of a red flag probably for people I bet but I grew up with abusive family members and my mom was an alcoholic while my dad just was never there for me since I never actually met him. He left before I was born. So I could really relate to Russel talking bout how he felt like he never should have been born and how no one loved him, as well as his desire to be loved but a difficulty in expressing himself. I've never murdered anyone but even I have had thoughts like killing my moms boyfriend with a bat out of hatred before, though I never acted on it, I won't deny those thoughts. So even then I could relate to the desperation Russel feels in escaping his situation. So also in that way, I guess the ending was a bit of a bitter pill for me to swallow since I saw a lot of myself in Russel.
There were definitely some stuff in this game I didn't like. A lot of NPCs and stuff would say upsetting things I didn't like, the Cattie town especially was difficult for me. But I think the game was intending on having you not like certain things. I still feel a bit bad I skipped over some stuff in my playthrough like the two compass areas but in the end with a game like this that's so heavy I wanted to look out for my mental health a bit. I didn't want another repeat of when I blindly marathoned all the Hello Charlotte games in like 2 days.
I wouldn't really change anything despite there being some stuff I didn't like though I do think some more days should have been added potentially. I know all the days are spaced out to be character focused on party members so it'd be a little weird but I felt Like characters like Yumi and Mireille didn't get too much time to shine as part of the "party member ensemble" you didn't get much chances to level them up unless you decide to do sidestory stuff (but even then yumi comes in so late into the game you won't have too many side stories to do). Perhaps having some days that focus on Russel or relationships with ppl that aren't party members (like Chris) would be a good solution.
Anyways i'm kinda running out of space in my description for this video so I'll try to cut things down now. I really had a lot of fun with this game, and I'm glad I decided to revisit it to complete it. I understand now very clearly why so many of my friends have a deep love for the game. I eagerly anticipate playing segawas other games. I hope to play farethere city sometime soon.
Download the game here: https://vgperson.com/games/endroll.htm
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