Warning: It's pretty clear from the title that any game simply mentioned in this thread is a spoiler in itself, so continue reading at your own risk.
So, I recently wrapped up a full playthrough of the Access Games 2010 cult classic masterpiece Deadly Premonition through 360 BC on the One, and while I could go on for paragraphs about all the reasons I have fallen in love with this game, I'm making this thread to discuss one particular scene/trope:
Now for those of you who have yet to play this game (and if you haven't, please do. I cannot stress that enough. The game is an experience and the plot points ill be discussing ruin that experience. If you have even a slight interest in the title, stop reading here.) and are questioning just what the heck you just watched, allow me to fill you in:
After discussing it with a few friends, the only other game that came to mind that did this was
So, failing to think of more examples, I was curious if Era might have a few.
So, I recently wrapped up a full playthrough of the Access Games 2010 cult classic masterpiece Deadly Premonition through 360 BC on the One, and while I could go on for paragraphs about all the reasons I have fallen in love with this game, I'm making this thread to discuss one particular scene/trope:
Now for those of you who have yet to play this game (and if you haven't, please do. I cannot stress that enough. The game is an experience and the plot points ill be discussing ruin that experience. If you have even a slight interest in the title, stop reading here.) and are questioning just what the heck you just watched, allow me to fill you in:
The guy in the video is FBI Agent Francis York Morgan, who is investigating a homicide in the rural town of Greenvale, Washington. This scene takes place almost immediately after the games opening chapter, and is seemingly completely random to the player, with many players I talked to not even being able to see what Francis is seeing in the coffee (it's actually there, just not as clear as a crisp spring morning)
Now, at the time this information means nothing to the player. But as you progress through the game and Francis's investigation, your eventually introduced to a character named Forest Kayson, and upon being introduced the scene is referenced again through a flashback. However, Forest is clearly not the killer you are after, as he consistently has an alibi for his location during the murder.
Later, after discovering the true raincoat killer and their motivations and putting a stop to it, the game pulls the rug from out your feet by informing you that actually, Forest Kayson was the mastermind of the whole thing and has been doing this for a loooonnggg time. The Raincoat killer was just an irrelevant pawn. Oh and, just before you find out, you kind of just trusted him to bring the woman you spend the course of the game falling in love with to the hospital after she's injured in the pursuit of the Raincoat Killer....
Yeah.
Now, the reason this particular example works so well is related to another plot point revealed at the end of the game. After all, even with the information that Forest Kayson is the true mastermind, it still doesn't explain why Francis would just randomly pick up on that staring into some coffee. You see, Francis is actually the alternate personality of Zach Morgan, and was created when Zach experienced the trauma of watching his father commit suicide after failing to mercy kill his wife (Zach's/Francis's mom). And why would Zach's dad be killing his mom out of mercy? Well as it turns out, Forest Kayson planted a parasite like seed in Zach's mother stomach, and it's literally growing from inside her body. She dies a horrible and painful death due to Zach's fathers failure to euthanize her, and that horrifying experience causes child Zach's mind to break to such a point a completely new personality is created as a defense mechanism.
So in short, Francis is already aware of who Forest Kayson is at the beginning of the game in a sense, but because of the trauma experienced by Zach that lead to Francis's creation in the first place, is either unwilling or incapable of remembering the exact relevance of why FK would be important to this case.
The reason I say unwilling or incapable is because there's a possibility Francis is more aware of the circumstances then he lets on, and doesn't disclose this information because his true end goal is to have Zack return as the personality in charge of his body which requires Zach to breach these memories that locked away in his head on his own terms, but that's just my own speculation.
Now, at the time this information means nothing to the player. But as you progress through the game and Francis's investigation, your eventually introduced to a character named Forest Kayson, and upon being introduced the scene is referenced again through a flashback. However, Forest is clearly not the killer you are after, as he consistently has an alibi for his location during the murder.
Later, after discovering the true raincoat killer and their motivations and putting a stop to it, the game pulls the rug from out your feet by informing you that actually, Forest Kayson was the mastermind of the whole thing and has been doing this for a loooonnggg time. The Raincoat killer was just an irrelevant pawn. Oh and, just before you find out, you kind of just trusted him to bring the woman you spend the course of the game falling in love with to the hospital after she's injured in the pursuit of the Raincoat Killer....
Yeah.
Now, the reason this particular example works so well is related to another plot point revealed at the end of the game. After all, even with the information that Forest Kayson is the true mastermind, it still doesn't explain why Francis would just randomly pick up on that staring into some coffee. You see, Francis is actually the alternate personality of Zach Morgan, and was created when Zach experienced the trauma of watching his father commit suicide after failing to mercy kill his wife (Zach's/Francis's mom). And why would Zach's dad be killing his mom out of mercy? Well as it turns out, Forest Kayson planted a parasite like seed in Zach's mother stomach, and it's literally growing from inside her body. She dies a horrible and painful death due to Zach's fathers failure to euthanize her, and that horrifying experience causes child Zach's mind to break to such a point a completely new personality is created as a defense mechanism.
So in short, Francis is already aware of who Forest Kayson is at the beginning of the game in a sense, but because of the trauma experienced by Zach that lead to Francis's creation in the first place, is either unwilling or incapable of remembering the exact relevance of why FK would be important to this case.
The reason I say unwilling or incapable is because there's a possibility Francis is more aware of the circumstances then he lets on, and doesn't disclose this information because his true end goal is to have Zack return as the personality in charge of his body which requires Zach to breach these memories that locked away in his head on his own terms, but that's just my own speculation.
After discussing it with a few friends, the only other game that came to mind that did this was
Resident Evil 7, with the E-001 picture located right in the beginning of the game
So, failing to think of more examples, I was curious if Era might have a few.
