up haunted by the narrative*
*nintendo/game freak actually ending arven’s story Like That. like maybe it’s part of a phenomenon we’ve seen in recent years in the industry, where older and beloved franchises have dev teams that have similarly matured and grown, and we get games like god of war that actively deal with parenthood and mortality beyond just going berserk on bots, but holy shit. to not only acknowledge that death and childhood abandonment exist and are painful and traumatic—in a franchise where death is this handwavey thing and the most explicit it’s come is probably the marowak plot point in gen 1–but to also message that love beyond the grave doesn’t fix anything, that it’s okay to be angry and confused and bitter about having to say goodbye. and in the same stroke, also validate the good in goodbye, where there can be room for change and growth past that???
it feels like a personal love letter to a past self, like somebody lost their parent and didn’t know how to cope, whether to forgive, or to move on as quickly as possible, and they allowed themselves some healing through this character. arven’s plight in general just resonates so deeply with what i think everyone struggles with at some point in their lives—growing up. trying to become your own person while dealing with the pain of losing the things that matter most to you. he is just so devastatingly human. in a sense, arven is defined by loss: that of innocence, of childhood, of parents, which culminates in a heartbreaking expression of resignation that he’ll lose mabosstiff as well. like all he wants to do is save his dog, the one and only constant presence in his life, because he cannot deal with the fear that he will lose it too. but through saving mabosstiff and being arven’s friend, and through the closure he gets from seeing his parents move on to the next world, we’re able to help release him from this cycle. and isn’t that just what we need sometimes? permission to let go?? whether intentional or not, this game feels like permission to move on from the hurt, to just live life to the fullest and be, if not the very best that no one ever was, at least better.
i started crying once turo said “look how much you’ve grown” and didn’t stop. it’s been weeks since beating this game and i continue to be floored by like. the maturity displayed in it, or the trust it has that the audience is mature enough to handle it. the way it doesn’t shy away from ugly feelings and how it validates them without enabling them. the way it appreciates that relationships can be difficult and sometimes unfixable, even with the people you’re supposed to share unconditional love with. the way it explicitly tells the player that they can be themselves and pursue happiness despite it all. hands down favourite pokemon game to date