![]() There are a lot of jarring story decisions the author made during the entirety of this arc. Unfortunately exactly what I feared would happen happened, less than half way through this arc her character evolution is completely destroyed. I felt they had no real role in the remaining story and dreaded how they would be handled in this newest arc. That's at least something right? The problem lies in the fact that Nanachi's character arc had basically been completely resolved in the first season and the Dawn of the Deep Soul movie. So there's at the very least one compelling character within the main trio. They manage to help the group in ways that feel natural and not like they're just some plot device. They are the only character in the main trio who has an established backstory, distinct personality and actual character growth that they go through during the 4th layer's arc. Though there is one character whom I managed to find interesting, that being Nanachi. So the two main characters are the least interesting within their own story and lack any development or growth which is certainly a bad sign. Reg is a typical amnesiac character with so little known about him even up to this point, its hard to care about him at all. Riko is an average naïve and cheerful child protagonist. The two main leads are not particularly endearing or interesting mostly just serving as eyes for the audience. The main problem being that Made in Abyss' character writing has always been one of its worst aspects. So the actual exploration takes a backseat to character relations and more flashbacks. At the very least we get a bit of info on Reg's potential origin and why he ascended but its not enough to warrant how much the story slows down. ![]() Riko mentions her mother maybe twice the entire arc. The issue is that it barely moves forward the actual plot and sidelines the group's initial goal. Naturally the stories pacing would slow down drastically considering there are only few more known layers left but this arc just grinds the story to a halt. We quickly descended through the early layers hardly learning any substantial details about them which completely undermined what made the premise so intriguing in the first place. The series totally broombrushed through the entire first 5 layers. The danger and atmosphere are set up well enough with compelling art direction and scenery but it doesn't bother actually exploring any of it. You may have seen Made in Abyss flaunted around by its fans for how strongly it establishes its setting but truthfully, its worldbuilding was mediocre from the very beginning. The Narahate Village/The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Arc is where this series completely fell apart for me in both the manga and anime. completely squandered by mediocre worldbuilding, haphazard writing, one dimensional characters and egregious emotionally manipulative tropes. Any potential this story previously had has been ![]() Though the longer it went on the more abundantly clear it was that this series was nothing more than a wasted concept. It was very easy to get drawn into the early chapters from the sheer ambition of its premise. It hinted at a refreshingly original and unique setting that was not burdened by the conventions of traditional fantasy worlds. Become the character you are tasked with playing, put your mind into the role and see what comes of it.Made in Abyss was a series that exuded great potential from the moment it began. But for those who do, it is worth it in every regard.My advice is for you not to go in thinking this is a horror game to be overcome with bravery, but rather a medium of storytelling like none other. Only a few will derive meaning from this narrative. ![]() It leaves certain sections of the game more barren and jankily designed, but the cost for unbroken immersion is worth it completely without question.This is not a game for everyone, this isn't a game for most people, even. Layers of Fear 1 solved this issue in spades by making killscreens a progression mechanic and a part of the narrative, but fortunately Layers of Fear 2 allows you to play without killscreens, which I think is the definitive way to play. This is completely counter to the design of this game and severely breaks immersion whenever caught, and severely hampers exploration when not. It is not as easy to process as the original Layers of Fear, let alone Observer or any other game I've played like this.My only complaint is that this game features a "monster" with sequences where you must run away, and if you get caught it initiates a killscreen which reloads a previous checkpoint. For those who like to derive deeper meaning from entertainment mediums, this is a treasure trove of experience and design which has, in my opinion, not been matched. ![]() One of the most profound and layered (pun not intended) I have ever had with a video game. ![]()
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