villain, a post-apocalyptic adventure game about a cat, is mostly great. The two of us Kotaku recently gets stronger through puzzleshe eats it dense, mysterious post-apocalyptic environments and generally enjoys the outdoors a power fantasy of a cat’s role. Then we hit the credits. Obviously we had to talk.
Ari Note: John, we’re both done villain. Tell me: did the ending fall for you? Or…did it detract from what made the rest of the game so great?
John Walker: I knew we were a bit far from puns. No, I would say my experience villain it was a straight diagonal line, starting high and then descending to an absolutely terrifying end.
Ari: I’m not quite the same – with a really high plateau flying off the cliff at the end – but I totally agree that the ending is terrible. I actually had to warn people IRL: This is so sad!
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John: And yet, I’ve had so many people so furiously tell me off for who completely forgets the ending THE WHOLE REASON I PLAY THE GAME. But I think a lot of it is a reluctance to admit that the cute cat sim has long since become just another gray third-person robot game, so the defense against reality is already very high.
Spoilers follow villain.
Ari: Ah yes, that blog did rub some people’s fur, didn’t it? But yes, the whole reason to play villain it’s quite simple: you want to reunite the cat with its friends. And you go through all these adventures, including the robot shooting sections, the merits of which we don’t agree with, but I totally respect your opinion, so that he doesn’t even get the idea that he’ll ever see his friends again. It’s a very strange ending for a game that was so preoccupied with hope.
John: They’re not just friends, are they? They are brothers who love each other. They are abandoned kittens, survivors of the apocalypse, and then one of their number falls. This, of course, sets up a game aimed at getting back at your brothers and sisters. And on the contrary, it was as if they had completely forgotten. They have committed themselves to an absolutely pointless sacrifice.
Ari: Yes! For a game about a cat, a person got too caught up in the drama around them. Do you get that B-12 is really the last man alive? And more importantly, did he suddenly turn tail (sorry, sorry, I can’t help it) and in a matter of minutes decide that all traces of humanity are not worth continuing?
John: Well, it’s a human mind trapped in a machine. It is a small urban area, so millions of people can live happily in China, Sweden, Bangladesh or Australia. And none of this explains the logic behind his apparent “victimization”. He obviously uploaded his consciousness into the computer, so no victims anyway, but other than that, what was his point? To let out a creature that cares about nothing but itself, a cat, why? What is the purpose? If it was the end of humanity, as the game seems to imply, did he do it to… release the cat?
Ari: Wow, man, no way, the cat is definitely past his own self-interest! (My own cats should note.) In the prison scene, for example, he’s running with Clementine and then she’s like, “Meow, meow, meow, meow,” which I believe translates to “We can’t.” leave it yet. We have to carry out a risky operation and rescue my friend B12, who is trapped in this cage protected by lasers and laser-shooting robots.”
John: I was very confused if I had to get used to the cat understanding what the B-12 was saying, or just look where the noise was coming from and hope there was food on the way, as with my own cats. I played it like a game where a disinterested cat accidentally flips the right switches or bumps into the right person.
But all that aside, in the end, my cat stepped out into the bright sunlight and exclaimed from the camera, “Damaged?!” This is so. That was all I needed. I didn’t need a reunion to watch them fall for each other. You just had to know it was going to happen.
Ari: Exactly! I got what they wanted by leaving an open ending so that the story doesn’t wrap up neatly for the audience. But all it needed was the slightest hint that a happy ending might happen—it might have “meowed” a little off-screen.
John: What’s even more strange is that they don’t like such a “Maybe!” they said. ends. Except the bloody man! We turned on the computer light, I can only assume that B-12 was still alive.
Ari: So what does this mean for the sequel? Missing all the robot-shooty parts, cute cat stuff?
John: I honestly hope they don’t get a sequel. They are a talented bunch, though villain It revealed that they had no idea what to do with the idea they had. I either want to see their next fresh idea or focus on making a cat sim that everyone actually wants in the first place. Oh my, the microscopic observations they made at the beginning. And the joyful moment when the cat puts on the ridiculous saddle for the first time. After spaying one of our cats, we had to put him in a protective stocking and he did the same thing, he just collapsed like there was a building on top of him. It was gratifying to see these details executed so neatly. It sets up an ending where some boring robot-bloke doesn’t kill himself for possibly the dumbest reason.
Ari: Poor cat! Please tell me if you have photos of it.
John:
Ari: ohwww but yes villain It absolutely nails the feeling of being a cat, waltzing across the keyboard and watching people play chess and such. And I think it carries that feeling mostly to the end. (Even filming segmentspassed in a frenzy in my head—in fact, I found myself wishing for an extra chapter or two.) But unlike the real cat, the game didn’t land on all four legs.
John: Before we wrap up, and you’re a little bit wrong about the shooting sections, let me tell you how the ending went down in our house: 7-year-old Toby had a few friends over, and I finished the game. on the living room TV. After Toby stopped being a cat, he completely lost interest in the game, but wanted to be there for the reunion. As it was clear that the game was going to leave me out, I said to him, “Toby, what do you think is going to happen?” I sat down, “kittens!” And so we all watched the inevitable, glorious moment… And there was just nothing. And we looked at each other in shock. It was just plain awful. And Toby continued to complain about this oversight for days afterward. And you know something is wrong when a 7-year-old criticizes your story structure.
