It was 2015. A Bird Story had come and gone, leaving little in the way of impact. But that wasn't really that much of a concern: after all, he had been working on the next actual major story, featuring the doctors' next patient. But this was no ordinary case - indeed, in several ways, this would be a truly extraordinary tale.
If To the Moon focused on the idea that sometimes wish fulfillment could be a good thing, Finding Paradise instead focused on the other side of the argument, that wish fulfillment was dangerous and had to be done in moderation. This is cleverly illustrated through the patient's central desire, which at first seems too broad and vague. It turns out that all of his pains come from his hankering for more, from him not seeing what he'd already got. In this manner, it's actually very profound, almost like a Buddhist sermon without the preachy, religious bits.
Of course, that's not to say it's perfect. A lot of the focus goes towards a relationship with a muse. The story tries to draw sentiment for him by attempting to portray him as a boy so lonely he ended up creating a muse to amuse himself. Except, everything we see of his condition fails to convey any of that. If anything, he comes off as an extremely sheltered guy making mountains out of molehills.
Still, unlike the past two stories, the author here actually succeeds at conveying the core theme and messaging, even if it's diluted a tad by the somewhat unnecessary focus on the muse, especially when he keeps needlessly hiding her true nature for the sake of a surprise "twist". Unlike the past two stories, this is actually fairly enjoyable once you grasp the central theme driving the tale.
So, let me bring attention to something. To the Moon began by taking a look at wish fulfillment, and taking the position that sometimes, for some people with noble yet unfulfilled ambitions, wish fulfillment isn't so bad. Finding Paradise then takes the opposite side, pointing out how dangerous it can be when not applied in moderation. So, the theme was effectively covered in full, right? How can there be more main games? How could they say more about the central theme? Would they perhaps change tacks and focus on something else, like perhaps the ethics of the memory manipulator?
Well, the author found a...let's say "unconventional" way to get around all of that. Exploring that is best suited to the Impostor Factory review, however. 🙂
Also, the author doesn't deal with the whole "forgiving the central protagonist for selfishness and irresponsibility" thing here either. While Colin's hankering for petty desires and his neglect of his many blessings is at least portrayed negatively, it still remains the case that he is very self centered and uncaring, and is still ultimately rewarded despite that. To be fair, this is likely a flaw in the premise itself, where the doctors are instructed to fulfill the patient's last desires, not improve them, and that, at the deathbed, improving their personality would be too late to really mean anything, but it still comes off as rather wrong and disturbing.
That aside though, this is an actual good story that succeeds at its messaging, despite warts, and very well worth playing. If you wish to experience this franchise, it's best to only pick this up, and then go back to To the Moon if you get curious.
If To the Moon focused on the idea that sometimes wish fulfillment could be a good thing, Finding Paradise instead focused on the other side of the argument, that wish fulfillment was dangerous and had to be done in moderation. This is cleverly illustrated through the patient's central desire, which at first seems too broad and vague. It turns out that all of his pains come from his hankering for more, from him not seeing what he'd already got. In this manner, it's actually very profound, almost like a Buddhist sermon without the preachy, religious bits.
Of course, that's not to say it's perfect. A lot of the focus goes towards a relationship with a muse. The story tries to draw sentiment for him by attempting to portray him as a boy so lonely he ended up creating a muse to amuse himself. Except, everything we see of his condition fails to convey any of that. If anything, he comes off as an extremely sheltered guy making mountains out of molehills.
Still, unlike the past two stories, the author here actually succeeds at conveying the core theme and messaging, even if it's diluted a tad by the somewhat unnecessary focus on the muse, especially when he keeps needlessly hiding her true nature for the sake of a surprise "twist". Unlike the past two stories, this is actually fairly enjoyable once you grasp the central theme driving the tale.
So, let me bring attention to something. To the Moon began by taking a look at wish fulfillment, and taking the position that sometimes, for some people with noble yet unfulfilled ambitions, wish fulfillment isn't so bad. Finding Paradise then takes the opposite side, pointing out how dangerous it can be when not applied in moderation. So, the theme was effectively covered in full, right? How can there be more main games? How could they say more about the central theme? Would they perhaps change tacks and focus on something else, like perhaps the ethics of the memory manipulator?
Well, the author found a...let's say "unconventional" way to get around all of that. Exploring that is best suited to the Impostor Factory review, however. 🙂
Also, the author doesn't deal with the whole "forgiving the central protagonist for selfishness and irresponsibility" thing here either. While Colin's hankering for petty desires and his neglect of his many blessings is at least portrayed negatively, it still remains the case that he is very self centered and uncaring, and is still ultimately rewarded despite that. To be fair, this is likely a flaw in the premise itself, where the doctors are instructed to fulfill the patient's last desires, not improve them, and that, at the deathbed, improving their personality would be too late to really mean anything, but it still comes off as rather wrong and disturbing.
That aside though, this is an actual good story that succeeds at its messaging, despite warts, and very well worth playing. If you wish to experience this franchise, it's best to only pick this up, and then go back to To the Moon if you get curious.
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