Beyond the Beyond: Update 107: Resolution (Ending)

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 107: Resolution (Ending)

When last we saw the team they'd just beaten up an alien! Go team!

Upon exiting battle the team is still staring eye to eye with Akkadias.

Impossible... I, Akkadias... defeated by mere humans...
Not so high and mighty now are ya!
NOW! Throw the Light Orb at Akkadias!

The team casts about in confusion.

Arawn... I knew you were watching...
Why do I want to throw the Light Orb at this guy?
Before he can recover and escape. Just do it!

Okay. Whatever. Not arguing over this.

Finn steps back to apparently get a running start with his throw.

Then he launches the Light Orb at Akkadias. It appears as a bright white orb bigger than Finn.

How do I know for sure that Finn threw the Light Orb? Well the game said so mere moments earlier, that's how! Otherwise we might have thought he cast a spell or threw a piece of fruit or something.

As Akkadias erupts in mini-explosions and flames the screen starts flashing white.

Ughaaaaa!

Finn my Light Orb's going haywire. What did you do?
Exactly what Arawn told me to do!

Then he turns transparent and shrinks to, uh, signify dying or something? Eh, I'll take it. The screen blanks white for a few seconds...

..and when it fades back in the upper most platform has been completely destroyed alongside the statues. Less visible is that one of the pillars holding the second level has also broken. Meh, probably don't need that for support or anything.

A healing force flows through the party!

*blinks several times* What happened? When did we teleport?
Um, hi guys.
When did you get here?
Just now I think.
I would be all angry and ask where you were when we needed you but I already know.
You sort of had the final say in that matter!
I know! I'd just have to be mad at myself!
We get here after the big fight. Figures.
I'd say we handled ourselves just fine.
But still...
Let's just be happy with what we've accomplished, Finn.
I know. I know.
So where are we gonna have the celebration party?
Well, uhm, I hadn't given any thought to that.
I don't really care. I'm just going to savor this moment.
Finally... our journey is over.
We finally restored peace to the world.
My wife and son, may your souls rest peacefully. Your lives have been avenged.
We did it! We saved the world from destruction!
Yaaay...

Annie turns to Finn.

Finn... Finally...
I suppose this is all bittersweet for you.
I don't mean to be a drag. Really. I'm just... full of emotions I can barely handle right now.
This is the culmination of everything we've fought for. Father... the people who destroyed Barbaros have paid for their deeds.
Shutat... Terrifying. But... at the same time he had such a sad story.
Broken and used for such evil.
I almost ended up the same way.
But ya didn't!
Knowing how close I got to the precipice makes that sentiment hard to accept.

Finn continues to be so articulate and vocal with his actual in-game dialogue!

...
I don't like it when you get so quiet, Finn.
We might start thinking you're plotting something nefarious!
Tont, please. Now isn't the time for such jokes.
Sis...
Finn... Don't look so sad! What would Lord Kevins say if he saw you like this?
Well if he could see Finn then he'd probably be here!
The fact that he's not is the problem.
We heard his voice. Surely he knows what's happening.
I don't understand how. It's not like he has a Light Orb.
Magic of some sort. What exactly probably doesn't matter.
Finn you can't keep beating yourself up about Lord Kevins. I'm sure he wants you to go on with your life. Moping around isn't going to help anyone.

A moment of silence passes as no one speaks.

Now everyone... shall we be leaving?

Percy is the first to head down the stairs. He was blocking it anyway so I suppose it would have been awkward otherwise.

Home sounds good right now.
I agree. We can consider what to do next once we're not in a monster-infested pit of chaos.

Tont is the next down with Domino a distance behind.

*starts humming a tune to himself*
Well someone's chipper.
This isn't just mission accomplished. We've done what no one else could! If this same battle had been won by our ancestors we wouldn't even be standing here right now. Oh, you know what? It's kind of depressing thinking I might never have met you guys.
The world would likely be quite different. Some or all of us might not have been born, kid.
Don't say such things! I like the fact that I was born!

Lorele is next to head downstairs. When Edward turns to go Sir Samson is right behind him.

Finn, Annie, it has been an honor to travel with you. I feel like I've finished what Sabbit started.
*nods*
If you need anything you know where to find me.
Lord Kevins devoted much of his life to preparing you for this task, Finn.
I'm not ungrateful. I just keep thinking that I could have done more to return the favor.
But what? He stayed behind in Marion during the invasion and was captured before we could help him.
Knowing my brother he'll obsess for years.
You can't spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been, Finn.

Annie then heads downstairs leaving Finn all alone.

Everyone else is waiting by the gate to the non-cloudy part of the Abyss.

Is he coming down?
He probably just needs a few minutes to collect his thoughts.

Suddenly the screen flashes and starts to shake. Whoops! That was a load bearing alien! In all seriousness though the game hints that this juncture between worlds is a temporary, unstable thing. "When the balance between the two worlds becomes upset, the Abyss shall appear."

Oh no! The shrine is collapsing. Everyone, get out!

The screen pans up to Finn.

Finn, hurry! There's no time!

Before Finn can do anything the ground under him begins to warp and fade away. No ground means Finn plunges into the cloudy Abyss. Where does everyone else go?

Finn!!

Well Annie shouts for her brother so I assume she and the others scurried into the open door they were standing next to. That would be the sensible thing to do.

Finn continues to fall head down, kicking his tiny sprite feet as he does. I guess it's supposed to represent him flailing about but it just makes me giggle.

Then Steiner flies in and catches Finn on his back.

Steiner!

Did anyone really expect Finn to fall to his death? Or fall to some other horrible fate? This game isn't nearly cynical enough to do that.

Hey there buddy!
Steiner? How?
Just a little magic from the Light Orbs. Something about Arawn being worried for you guys. Wait. Why are you hugging me?
What? I shouldn't hug a good friend who just saved my bacon?
You're not the hugging type, Finn.
Today I'm making an exception.
Well as long as you hold on tight I might be convinced not to blab about you going all soft on me.

Steiner flies off screen with our lucky protagonist.

After a quick and convenient cut the team is standing in the top room of Arawn's Tower with Arawn.

Finn and friends! Thank you! I saw everything.
Steiner said you sent him to help us.
Due to the agreement, all I could do was watch. But [sic] seeing the Abyss collapse, I asked Steiner to go help. [sic]
Is that why the Light Orb went so wonky?
Oh that? Yes.
Thanks to you and Steiner, we are all safe!
Well, don't thank me. That's about the only thing I could have done.
Ha ha ha. Gosh, you're selfish. You never help in time of need, but you take all the credit!
Insulting Arawn right to his face! I think Domino's ready to join his family.
Oh it's quite all right. A bit of levity is warranted. I could say or do nothing and plenty of your kind would still hand me all the credit.
You never told us that the Vicious Ones were led by a being such as yourself.
*nods* I did not wish to discourage you. Your people see me as an all powerful being. As you can see, that is not the case.
Still put a hell of a fight.
That's why I had to be so sure that you were ready for the challenge.
And the Light Orb you had Finn throw at Akkadias?
I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that to destroy one of my kind you must deliver a blow to the true heart of what we are. If you had not done as I asked, Finn, Akkadias would have recovered to fight another day.
I take it that that's happened before.
Yes but those days are long gone. Thanks to you, peace has been restored to the Common World, and the Aridia continent may rest for a while. [sic]
What do you mean, "for a while"?
Well, "a while" for me is a long time for you.

Arawn paces in front of the crystals for several loops before returning to his previous spot to address the team.

Is something bothering you?
There's one matter that now must be attended to. No need to be alarmed though.
Well I have a question.
Just one?
Okay, a whole bunch. But I'm just gonna ask one right now. Did you ever intend to send someone to take over from Shutat?
Ahh, that. I was wondering if any of you youngsters were going to ask. The answer is a bit complicated. You see I knew that Akkadias was behind the aggression of the Vicious Ones. He and I had, uh, well a difference of opinion ever since he found this world.
You got here first then?
Thankfully yes.
And Shutat?
As I was saying I knew that so long as Akkadias had his thumb on the scales then no agreement would ever be reached. He could not accept that sort of compromise. That's why it had to take place in the Abyss. I gave the delegates a device to bar our kind from entering.
But...
You are correct, my lad. That means I couldn't offer any direct input during the debate. I had to trust that they'd reach something both sides could live with. Everything about the Great Light was actually a misunderstanding. On my part as much as the delegates, I must say. Once the tale had taken root though I just let it be. Finn, I never had any intention of sending anyone to Quamdar.
Why?
The guardians from the Underworld received training to help them fight possession and other such undue influence. That doesn't happen much here in the Common World so... Someone from the Underworld would stand out in the Common World. They wouldn't understand the realities of life on this side. Allowing someone believed to be a savior of prophecy, who might have the trust and adoration of this world behind them, to potentially be corrupted by Akkadias... well that is a risk I wasn't willing to take.
If it was a misunderstanding then where did that legend of the Great Light come from?
I knew that, given the circumstances, there would come a day when Akkadias started another war. I figured someone would rise up to lead the Common World in resistance. Of the likely candidates Marion's line was a natural choice. That's really all that I said on the matter. I had no idea how events were going to shake out but I must say I feared far more death and destruction.
...why me?
I think you'll find the details of that are, shall we say, a bit closer to home. I know that this situation has not been easy for you to accept. Finn, you and your friends have done amazing work. You've saved many lives.
So what happens now?
I spoke with the people of Simone, and we decided to place a guard at Quamdar. [sic] None of you people need to go there. We will monitor the followers of Akkadias to see if they may rejoin the rest of the world.
Really... I was thinking about going personally. Oh well!
Prince, what are you saying?
Well the Abyss is fascinating...
It is indeed, Prince Edward.
And dangerous.
Well, who is going there in our place?
A dragon will guard the path to the Underworld.
Like, in the shrine? How does something that big get in there?
Well that's easy. They'll just one of the smaller, travel sized dragons that are already running around the place!
You let us worry about those details. I asked Zeon to seal all the gates between Quamdar and the Abyss so you can live in peace!
That reminds me. What are we going to do about Zeal?
I'm afraid the people there will have to be evacuated to Bandore.
Which will leave Quamdar even more isolated.
I don't think it can be helped, kid.
Given the risks I will strongly recommend that they too be moved.
It's not like the village being where it is stopped Shutat!
That is true. And there are a still a great many monsters roaming the countryside that it might be best to just leave that landscape to nature for now.
Oh...!
Annie, are you all right?
Oh yes... I'm fine. It's just that...
Yes, Annie. I believe Finn wishes to continue his search for Kevins in the Underworld.

Finn is once more so articulate! It might be the game's ending but Finn's riding that Silent Protagonist train all the way to the station.

...!
Ohh, Finn! Is it true?

Finn nods slightly.

See, slightly!

I have to try.
Finn, I will allow you to enter the Underworld and search for Kevins if you so wish.

Finn nods strongly.

See, strongly! Why Finn suddenly has so much dialogue he might plain knock himself out.

You know how dangerous it is.
Steiner will be with me. And... I feel I owe Kevins this.
But...
What's my alternative, sis? Just abandon him? He wouldn't even be in trouble if we hadn't walked into Yeon's trap.
Well, I didn't mean that.
Then it's settled.
Besides, after fighting the Vicious Ones and Mr. Alien what dangers could the Underworld possibly hold?
We don't know and that's the problem!
To be perfectly frank I have no idea. In order to uphold the agreement I haven't been able to look in on the Underworld in quite some time. Finn, your very presence might stir up a hornet's nest.
My mind is made up.
No one said it wasn't. I just want you to be aware that this decision might have far-reaching consequences neither of us are prepared for.

Lorele suddenly rushes forward to address Arawn.

What's wrong?
Speaking of consequences, Arawn... Can you send me back to Barbaros? I want to help rebuild my kingdom.
Oh! That's right! Well, since I told you everything you needed to know, I'll send all of you back to where you belong.
Hey! Wait! Arawn! What about my body?! Make me human again, please!
That's right, that's right! I knew that. Well, I'll ask Zeon to do that for you. Ask him when you get back to town.

Tont's so happy that he jumps for joy throughout his dialogue.

Hurray! I'll be human again! No more egg jokes! Yippee!

Actually no scratch that. The "jump for joy" animation continues on through the next bit of dialogue which is Arawn's. Kid's just all worked up about this!

Before you ask Zeon, though, you must apologize to your parents for making them worry!

At that Tont finally settles down.

Oh no! They're gonna kill me. Shoot! Titan can't help me with that...
Well Titan could but I don't think you want that kind of help.
What am I gonna say to them?
Sorry would be a good start.
But I'm terrible at sorry!
*giggles* We know.
Aaaah! In my hour of need...!
Now then everyone, good luck!

Lorele begins to fade away.

I'll miss you guys. Come by Barbaros some time to say hi.
I don't know when I'll get back, if ever, but sure.
We're really very grateful for your help.

Next is Samson.

No parting shot?
Piss off.
I'll accept that as a goodbye.
...and thanks.
Oh my! How scandalous!

Third in line is Percy.

I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Mom and Dad.
If you think of a way can you give me some pointers?
I can't give any guarantees that what works on my parents will do the same for yours.

Then it's Domino's turn.

I'll let you in on a little secret, kid, to lighten the mood.
Oh?
I don't actually mind Samson's company.
Really?
Sure. You know exactly where he stands on any and every issue.
But...
And if any of you so much as breathes a word of that to him I will deny it to my grave!

The fifth to go is Tont.

I don't think Sir Samson would believe me if I told him.
But it would probably be fun to try!
...
Oh dear. I guess I really am running out of time to figure out what I'm going to say.

Then comes Annie's turn.

He'll figure something out.
Don't think our little talk about the Abyss is over, Finn!
I never assumed that for a moment.
I guess I'll see you in Marion soon enough, Prince Edward.
Yes. This is only a temporary goodbye.

Next goes Edward.

I don't even know what I'm going to tell my father.
The truth. I guess.
The truth... that would be a good place to start.
I'm just now realizing what some of that truth is. Uh, Edward...
If he asks I'll tell him what I know. Otherwise I'll leave it to you.

And of course Finn's the last one out the proverbial door.

It might be a long time before we meet again. Is there anything you'd care to say to me before we part ways?
A thousand things but I guess I'll just settle for 'thank you' for now. The rest can wait until I return with Kevins.
You're welcome. Well be on your way then. You might have a long journey ahead of you.

Then Arawn himself exits stage left.

After a quick transition Finn is squaring off against Sir Galahad, Sonya, Annie, and Percy in his old home. Or maybe they're rehearsing a new act. Hard to tell.

Finn, take care!

Then the screen pans down to reveal that Steiner is waiting outside. Why hello there scale issues! I see we've returned to finish the game where we started. And perhaps to terrify the neighbors by having a huge fire breathing dragon in the middle of Isla Village.

Finn, are you ready yet? We have to go!

The screen pans back up to the house. I'd like to note that the front door is closed and although Steiner, being a big dragon, can probably make himself heard rather easily the other characters in this scene are all humans. I guess they've got a megaphone or two stashed in there.

Steiner, don't rush him!

The camera again focuses on Steiner.

(frustrated) Ohhh!

The door to the house opens on its own. No seriously, it opens on its own. I have mentioned that this particular door is strange, right? Well it is! The whole family waltzes outside to carry on the conversation.

Finn, no matter what happens... don't give up! And bring back Kevins! [sic]
Finn, I'm sure you'll be all right. You have become a hero.

Silly Percy. Of course Finn's become a hero. It says so on his character sheet!

...Good luck, Finn.

Annie walks over to her adopted brother.

...Finn, ... take this with you...

Annie hands her Light Orb to Finn. Then she steps back to stand between Sonya and Percy.

I think this might help. With it, you can return here anytime. [sic]
Thanks.
Let's go, Finn! Get on.

Keep your scales on. I'm ready.

Finn hops on Steiner and the two are off!

Once he's airborne Steiner turns south and flies off screen with Finn.

But since that's apparently not enough Steiner circles around. His shadow sails over the family heading west before circling around a second time to fly south... again. You know I'm starting to think Finn's getting all confused on directions again.

Farewell, Finn. Please don't forget about us.
Don't worry Annie. Finn will return for sure. He is like family.

Annie again steps forward, perhaps hoping to catch a glance of Steiner as the dragon flies into the distance.

Like family, Percy?
*shrugs*
Let's not have any fighting, kids. I have to head back to the castle tonight and I'd like at least one quiet day.
Fine by me.

And with a zoom out and gradual fade to black the credits start to roll!

After a transition to the world map Steiner flies to Marion Town.

The game's credit sequence is actually a bit novel. Finn and Steiner fly to a sequence of spots on the overworld map. At each stop the screen zooms out and another section of credits is displayed. This is one way to combine a staff roll and a trip down memory lane. Beyond the Beyond isn't the first (or last) game to end on such a note. Games like Castlevania have been doing it since the NES era.

After another transition to an exterior shot of Marion Castle Prince Edward, Sir Samson, and some other folks are gathered to say their final lines.

There's Finn and Steiner! Finn! Good luck!
Another noble quest. I wish I could help him find my friend.
Alas we are needed here.
I draw the line at you running off into the Underworld.
I have no plans to do so. Should disaster strike the Common World someone able to address it should be here.
I was thinking more along the lines of what needs to be done to rebuild Marion.

Again the screen zooms out to a fade to black for more credits. I won't show them because I've already stuffed this update with plenty of screenshots. Anyone curious to know who worked on the game can look it up elsewhere or play the game themselves.

Steiner then sets off from Marion to Zalagoon. Not only does that mean Steiner flies on a diagonal path, which is impossible in game, but he flies over the mountains of invisible walls that line Marion's eastern border. Again, that's impossible for Steiner when playing the game. The magic of scripting doesn't care about such trivialities! It just flips the player the bird and carries on its merry little way.

When the pair reaches Zalagoon they find the king, queen, Piat, and Bison standing in the courtyard. Oh and in these scenes some of the NPCs, usually the soldiers, are jumping up and down just to add a little more activity.

Oh! There's Sir Finn! At last... the day has come when he goes to Quamdar...

Just how long has Finn been putting off this search for Lord Kevins? Or maybe Sir Piat is confused and thinks that prior journey to Quamdar the team undertook never happened?

Ahh! That's my nephew, Finn...
...Indeed. Our nephew.
Certainly. The beginning of his journey. And... a heroic one at that. [sic]

Oh and along the way someone spilled the beans about Finn and Edward being cousins.

The next stop is Simone.

However after a quick transition Tont, Zeon, and assorted mages are in the shrine up on the ridge. I guess there aren't any open spots in the village itself for the devs to put all these characters.

Finn... finally. He's heading to Quamdar.
After all he's been through it's no surprise he took some time for himself.
Well then. Tont are you ready?
Am I gonna have to stay on trash duty, Elder Xelmet?
That remains to be decided.
Well I guess after being grounded and chewed out I should be happy it isn't worse. Master Zeon... I'm very sorry. Please turn me back... okay?
Are you sure, Tont? Ok, I'll turn you back.
Yahoo!

Once again a transformation sequence involves the transforming character glowing and growing gigantic in size.

Then our familiar squishy summoner transforms into a small boy... summoner. It's the same small boy sprite already seen in Simone. I guess the developers didn't feel it was worth the effort to design and implement a unique sprite for this brief scene. I do like that the old man who spilled transformation powder on himself and was turned into a yellow blob is also present. Why he is still in that form while Tont shifted to a more human shape with hands and feet is never touched upon but could be because of the cauldron explosion. It would be rather difficult for Tont to equip a staff or wear rings without hands.

Does the old man ever get changed back? I presume that if Zeon can restore Tont he can do the same for that old fellow. He might just be waiting his turn.

The next stop is Luna.

In the town are Domino with various sailors and other NPCs. Perhaps the most amazing part of this game is that Domino's ship survived the plot! If he chooses to go into legitimate business for himself he's got a leg up on the competition.

Because the competition was sunk by the Bandore Navy. Or was part of the Bandore Navy and sunk by the new super battleship that Shutat stole.

My journey has come to an end, but for Finn... this is only the beginning...
Don't tell me you're retiring already.
I might... until I get bored.
The repairs will be done in a couple of days.
A couple more days, eh? Now which one of you dogs wants to lose more money?

Steiner next flies west to the Shrine of Discipline.

To meet the visitors are an assortment of priests and townfolk who have nothing to say since none of them are named or have portraits. You have to have a name for the devs to care enough to give you dialogue in this ending.

Steiner then flies over the giant desert that is home to Zeal. Or was home to Zeal. At this point the game is just outright taunting the player. "Hey you remember that long tablet quest you had to go on to raise the Flying Palace so you could fly in here? Yeah well Steiner's gonna do that trip on his own 'cause we say so! DEAL WITH IT!"

Steiner presses on to Bandore where there are various soldiers and townfolk NPCS to witness the dragon's route. None of them have any dialogue because, again, no names or portraits among the lot. Pretty much everyone in Bandore who got an official name died over the course of the game.

Then for some reason Steiner flies north to Mistrall. While the real reason is to lengthen this trip because the credits aren't done yet I like to think that Finn's hoping there might be some awesome new equipment on sale. He's got lots of money now and it's probably going to be worthless in the Underworld.

Alas though there's just a brief shot of the (elven?) townfolk and none of them have anything to say.

On the way to Barbaros the game suddenly throws the established rhythm for a loop when twice it stops, zooms, and displays credits while Steiner hovers over a forest. Given that this is clearly from the translation staff I rather strongly suspect they were shoehorned in during localization. So if you want to know who translated the game here you go: Kei Kuboki and Masahito Kagita. You two did a respectable job.

Ahh there's Barbaros. Never mind the fact that Steiner can't land in forest when the player's controlling him. The magic of scripting says he goes through his landing animation on this spot in the woods and by golly that's what happens.

But at this stop there is someone with both a name and portrait.

Look! A dragon!

Lorele turns around to scold the soldier.

That's Steiner! And Finn astride him. They're deliverers of peace throughout this world.

Just to complete the taunting Steiner of course flies directly from Barbaros to the gateway shrine at Quamdar. No game don't remind me of the chain of quests and the annoying dungeon I had to traverse to reach the same location. It's not like that irritates me or anything!

*grumbles something not suitable for print*

And then through, uh, magic Steiner somehow goes directly to the cloudy Abyss between the worlds. Eh this I'm just sort of shrugging at. Arawn waved the magic wand or something.

Then comes the final screen of the game: a spotlight on Finn's sword with the words The End in the corner. As far as I'm aware there's no secret battle or message or anything of the sort. Eventually the game just reboots to the title screen. If you're wondering how I know it's Finn's sword specifically that's because he's wielding it on the game's front cover and in the hidden cutscene accessible from the title screen.

I suppose one could see this screen as rather ominous. An abandoned weapon in a pool of darkness easily leads to questions of what happened to the owner. If the developers were trying to hint that Finn never returned from the Underworld they made it too vague. This just feels like a final goodbye to the character we've been following the entire game. Maybe Finn leaving behind the innocence he started the game with to accept the mantle of Hero?

If you'd like to see the entire route in map form here ya go! It hits most of the game's towns and all of its castles.

Next time on Beyond the Beyond - the epilogue.

Update One Hundred and six | Index | Update One Hundred and eight