Sunday, November 15, 2020

The Power of Love in Video Games

 While I usually play Smash Bros. if I just want to pick up a quick gaming experience, when I heard of Super Paper Mario having Mario, Peach, Bowser and Luigi as playable characters, I knew I had to check it out. I really liked seeing the story unfold and seeing the colorful cast of heroes and villains; O'Chunks, the brawny Scottish warrior, Mimi, the obsessive little girl, Dimentio, the creepy wizard, Nastasia, the Bill Lumberg type and Count Bleck, who eventually is discovered to be a tragic figure, a member of the Tribe of Darkness who fell in love with a human woman who was banished to another dimension, she is revealed to be your head Pixl, Tippi. In my headcanon, I like to think Dimentio was the one who did the deed since Tippi does know him from her past, plus it fits his character since he betrays Count Bleck to assume control of the world-destroying Chaos Heart and try to eliminate your team, merging with it and Luigi as Super Dimentio, a fierce end boss. Tippi, O'Chunks and Mimi's feelings for Count Bleck create new Pure Hearts to defeat the Chaos Heart, then Tippi and Count Bleck state their love for each other to banish it. After the end credits, we see their silhouettes in another world, together and happy at last.


12 years went by, and I came to this year. With all the free time on my hands, I went through the Black Eagles campaign of Fire Emblem; Three Houses. I admit, this was chosen because I had seen a Let's Play of Persona 3, so Tara Platt's voice was familiar and comforting, Petra reminded me of Starfire from Teen Titans, and I found out it would be good therapy for the Politics of the last few years, especially since it was a well-crafted Nintendo game with same-gender marital relationships.


However, I couldn't predict just how hard Edelgard's backstory would hit me. To hear this familiar voice describe torturous, experimental "surgery" filled me with passion like I've never felt in a game. I was glad Byleth could outright say, "That's Horrible," when hearing it described. Not only that, but the B and A ranks showed a playful, cute side to the Adrestian Empress, with her asking to take a day just to stuff herself silly and mimicking Hubert for comedy's sake. It kind of showed me what I was looking for in dating, and I was able to see two women in a tender, loving relationship and know I made it. In the end, when Sothis leaves Byleth, causing her to momentarily pass out and drop the sword of the Creator, making Edelgard sob, thinking she has lost her love, only for Byleth to reopen her eyes and hug her love, her hair and eyes once more blue, I felt satisfied. I also enjoyed the closing cutscene, where Byleth and Edelgard get engaged and head to a new dawn, signifying that the closing song is, indeed, from El's perspective.

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