Off to Hell, Then

Feminina O'Ladybrain

Sep 7

Spoilers for the almost-end of the Dragonspear expansion to Baldur's Gate

Feminina:

So am I going to have to fight my way through each of the nine hells one at a time? Man, this is going to be great.

All right!

I finished looting the yard and went into the castle. Pretty sweet visuals, really, with the giant dragon bones all over and incorporated into the castle. That was cool. Like the giant dead machine that rebel camp was based under in Horizon Forbidden West.

We healed, we sold some loot, we rested, as you promised we could. Then we went into the basement, confronted Caelar, Hephernaan revealed his treachery (so shocking!), and we were sucked into the apparently first level of hell. Fought some demons. Talked to Caelar, she went through a door, some more demons showed up, and I said "all right, it's bedtime."

That's what I did.

Butch:

Hey! Nice cold open! Leading with a shocked, indignant question is always a great go to!

Nah, only one of the nine hells. Don't be silly. Well, and the stuff after the hell bit. There's that, too. Hell's small! If you've already gone through a door you're almost done! With the hell bit. Then there's the stuff after.

I have to say, given how angry I was at the game not ending, the fact I ended up in actual hell seemed fitting somehow.

Like, this should have been OVER in the castle. Big fight with Caelar or a come to Jesus moment or something, boom, done.

And yet? No.

Feminina:

Clearly no.

You must literally go to hell first.

And yet no one thought to utter the classic line "I'll see you in hell" before we left. Sad, that.

Butch:

That was a missed opportunity.

Would've been a spoiler, though.

I could not believe it. When there was another picture with scrolling text and deep voice narrator, I think I said "Are you fucking kidding?" out loud.

I don't know what on earth the writers were doing. Did they think it was a cute plot twist? This "Ah! You thought this was the climax because we've been setting this up as the climax but NO!" Could they not think of a way to finish the story at the castle? What IS all this? Why make the climactic battle not the climax?

Feminina:

I was wondering about that, but maybe they thought since Caelar has been talking all along about going to hell to rescue souls from demons, we would be wanting to see that? Maybe they didn't think they were setting up "fight at the castle" as the big battle, maybe they thought they'd been teasing "let's go hell" as the big battle the whole time? They might have been saying to each other "we can't just end at the castle, people will feel let down and wonder what all the hell talk was leading up to."

I don't know. Maybe there are people who would in fact have felt cheated if we didn't get to go to hell. Maybe I would have been one of them if I hadn't already spent 687 hours in this game. Which is partially my fault, but also very much partially their fault.

Butch:

Well, get through hell and we'll talk. Later.

Then, get through what's next and we'll talk A LOT. Later.

What I thought would be the end was some falling out between Caelar and Hephernann with the latter opening the gates, making Dragonspear war two or three or four or whatever, and the Crusade being all "What have you done???? We were such fools! We will help you!" and redemption of Caelar and big fight against demons. That would've been a nice, acceptable ending.

And yet, no.