Part 80: Proto Merkabah 1

Channel:

Arve Eriksson

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90

Published on May 4, 2015 3:02:42 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccvH6E4xFNA

Game:

Xenosaga Episode I (2002)

Duration: 23:42

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WALL OF TEXT! Consider pausing the video, to get the time to read all of it...
This is it: The last dungeon, here we come! After demonstrating a few fights, I arrive at the first puzzle in the area. One involving moving bridges - not terribly complicated.

Let's take a moment to reflect on the cast, though:
First, gender roles. Throughout the game, you may notice the only typical 'damsel in distress' is actually... Allen. Yep. You may have been sent to rescue MOMO from the big bad U-TIC organization over on Pleroma, and on the Song of Nephilim, but in the future she will prove to be kind of a bad-ass, in her own way. (Not a physical wall of meat like Ziggy, but you will see.) Shion is quite capable too, despite being in distress about some other things - and, well, a mythical not-really-a-pre-pubescent-orange-haired-girl comes to HER rescue regardless, so... Okay, darker skin tones are mostly absent from the game, sans Helmer, but this seems to be a fairly progressive group.
Another consideration is the difference between western and japanese protagonists. In the west, protagonists are typically paragons of some persuasion - which is not very common in the games I've played that were made in Japan. My use of the word 'paragon' is no coincidence, as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard is a terrific illustration of my point (as is Wing Commander's Christopher Blair). Always capable, never showing any hesitation or insecurity beyond what might be required by the unfolding drama.

MOMO: Innocent, school-girly - but also naive, which is normally not a paragon-like trait. For a realian, isn't she unusually sociable? Human? I don't think it's a particularly significant detail, but it's clear that she's a very special realian. Why is that? We've seen through most of the game that realians are mostly treated as tools - some people respect them more than others, sure, but even the Durandal's realians are barely ever seen out of their function, and they're often terse, to the point, and serious about their work. Why don't you juggle it in your head a little in between more serious matters: What makes MOMO special compared to other realians?

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