Chapter 825 - 825: What Are We So Touched About Anyway?!

If you really think about it, this so-called Easter egg from Boss Lucas for the players was certainly a surprise.

No one expected Boss Lucas to actually create an illusory dreamscape for them.

And it looks like there are big secrets within it.

Especially the scene where they defeated Sephiroth's avatar, which directly showed the future of Tifa, Cloud, Barret, and Red XIII.

This also proved that destiny had been rewritten.

Not to mention Sephiroth's early appearance, though it wasn't his true form, but rather Jenova cells appearing within Cloud's body.

It made countless players feel that this wasn't a simple story at all.

As for the parallel universe setting with Zack at the end, it made countless players' scalps tingle with excitement.

Some players with wild imaginations had already pictured what kind of scenes might appear later on.

Will Zack and Cloud, across different worlds and timelines, face the final boss Sephiroth together, or perhaps the planet's true enemy: Jenova?

And finally defeat it?

Just like the story in Xenoblade Chronicles, although so far only Rex's story has been told.

In reality, within the game, Lucas, a master of leaving plot holes, has buried many of them and Easter eggs.

Players didn't know this at first, but as hardcore Xenoblade Chronicles players researched the game, many details were revealed.

It seemed that in a world outside of Rex and his allies, there was also a group of humans created by gods, who together defeated an evil god's avatar.

Although they were in different worlds, they influenced each other, thus truly defeating the final boss.

Now it really feels like that's happening!

But the key is, why did it stop there?!

Related game communities and forums were filled with countless angry old-timers.

"Holy crap! I really want to beat up Boss Lucas! What the hell is this? You call this an Easter egg?! This is not an Easter egg!?"

"Don't say anything else, I've already renamed my husky Boss Lucas, and I've decided not to feed the husky tonight!"

"Good job, man!"

"Gather at Boss Lucas's official Weibo! Let's blow him up!"

"This is unbearable! How can there be a game designer like this? How dare he!?"

Countless players were cursing in various channels.

Of course, some players who had been fans of Nebula Games since before it grew into the giant it is today, calmed down after the game's release.

And then they looked at the players still cursing online, sighing to themselves.

These people were clearly new players.

How dare he?

Boss Lucas dared, of course!

He had been doing this almost every year for so many years!

Which loyal fan of Nebula Games doesn't have dozens of scars?

Although the scars this time from Final Fantasy were indeed deep and numerous.

The death of the main heroine (Aerith), the death of a supporting heroine (Jessie), the death of a mentor (Angeal), the death of a brother (Zack), and even the cuckoldry that enraged pure-love fans (Vincent). It can be said that Final Fantasy was a masterpiece that caused players' negative emotions to explode!

It encompassed all the elements that Nebula Games had used in the past to make players uncomfortable.

But that alone wasn't enough; this seemingly fate-changing Easter egg at the end also taught players a lesson outside of the game's content.

Regardless, the popularity of Final Fantasy had once again reached its peak.

Many players had been hoping for a happy ending before the game's release.

But now, with the concepts of Lifestream and the multiverse, while it's a bit different from what players envisioned, and it's an incomplete version.

It still managed to satisfy the fantasies of various players.

However, this fantasy also brought some controversy among players.

Besides that, a small portion of players were discussing the content of the new version, with the topic of "Is a perfect ending necessary?"

On this topic, some players had already voiced their opinions.

"Seeing Aerith return to the Lifestream and boost the activation of Holy, and seeing Zack pass on the Buster Sword to Cloud, was actually very moving."

"But why introduce the multiverse setting to allow Aerith and Zack to revive? The original Final Fantasy gave me a feeling of growth and friendship, but now it feels so shallow, like a fairy tale. No matter how bitter it was before, everything ends happily in the end."

"The only thing worth praising, perhaps, is that Sephiroth's image is more complete. Besides his power, his strategic side was also shown more. Although he ultimately failed, Lucas's previous games, like Arthur Morgan and John Marston's deaths in Red Dead Redemption, or the trolley problem choices in The Witcher 3, were full of artistic flair. But now, it seems to be falling into cliché."

This topic sparked some player debate.

"Here we go again, the art critics are back with their superiority complex!"

"Seriously, didn't people used to yell at Boss Lucas on Weibo about all the tragedies? Now that there's a happy ending, they're arguing again?"

"Why can't there be a happy ending? I just want to see Aerith, Zack, and Jessie live well. I just want to see Cloud and Tifa live well!"

At first, this was just a small group of players discussing, but what many didn't expect was that Lucas actually responded on his official Weibo, making this an instant topic of discussion among many Final Fantasy players.

"Does tragedy necessarily equal art?"

"Movies, novels, and even games, why must art be linked to tragedy?"

"Admittedly, compared to a perfect story, tragedy can indeed move people more and be more memorable, but why must a story end in tragedy?"

"Some people think perfect stories are like fairy tales, but is 'fairy tale' a derogatory term? Games are artworks, and they are entertainment, but why can't they also be fairy tales? For players, isn't a game just a fairy tale?"

"Experiencing stories brought by different fantasies, just like the name of the game suggests, this is a world full of fantasy."

"I believe everyone yearns for the beautiful side of things."

"If that were not the case, well... my previous official Weibo would have been hammered."

Lucas's response on his official Weibo also excited the players.

Many players felt that Lucas's words spoke directly to their hearts, and they clapped and cheered.

Despite the heated debates, the yearning for something better is a natural human instinct.

"Exactly! Games are art, and they are also fairy tales. Why can't they have a perfect ending!"

"Countless timelines, countless multiverses. Why can't there be a multiverse where Cloud, Zack, Tifa, and Aerith live happily ever after?"

Countless players left comments expressing their support, though these were mostly younger players.

Following Lucas's words, the older players who had mostly been watching from the sidelines suddenly couldn't sit still anymore.

Old fans of Nebula Games, who had registered accounts five or six, even seven or eight years ago, all jumped out.

"Pah! Boss Lucas, you're shameless!"

"That's right! And what about the new players? Have you forgotten something important? This so-called perfect ending is just wishful thinking! This is a 'once in a lifetime' series!"

"Let's count the plot holes Boss Lucas has dug over the years!"

"Don't be fooled by Boss Lucas! He's more deceptive than Sephiroth!"

"Exactly! This is clearly a distraction! Making us forget that we've only just reached Midgar!"

All the old players who knew Lucas's tricks thoroughly jumped out.

And the players who were just debating whether a perfect ending was worth it suddenly snapped back to reality.

Yeah!

What are we so touched about anyway?!

Wasn't the main topic before how to conquer Boss Lucas for causing trouble again?!

How did it turn into a debate about whether happy endings or tragedies are more artistic?

(End of Chapter)