Access Denied - Spoiler Talk
Discuss anything about Ep 7 here. Sorry if someone made this already
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Discuss anything about Ep 7 here. Sorry if someone made this already
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I just realized that there was no Petra/Ivor choice in the episode like the in-game key art implied
Harvor or Iper needs to happen.
Haha yeah, it was pretty clear that Ivor had a thing for her, I think
You can even choose to tease him.
Oh boy, time to put some of my old theories to rest haha
First, I want to say I was so excited to have a portal hallway scene! Though, I guess since the episode ended with the portal hallway, they had to have the characters talk about what the portal colors could mean and how they were supposed to find their world. It seems like the portal blocks actually imply what the spawn point would be like (or the 'quirk' the world has), and the redstone portal may just be the way Harper wanted her work to be seen as? At least to the other builders / people who were smart and strong enough to get to the portal hallway in the first place.
But for the portal hallway scene itself, it was all I hoped this episode would include haha. We saw them go through different worlds and noticing different quirks about them, which I think could be a reference to different kinds of maps or mods on Minecraft, Skyblock for example (On a slight tangent, kinda disappointed we didn't legitimately survive on a Skyblock, it ended up just becoming more of an easter egg, though I guess I could see time concerns being an issue, or a rewrite of the episode). The jokes made me chuckle, and the argument didn't feel very forced; Petra was used to doing things her way before she joined the Order, so I can understand the leadership criticisms when she feels frustrated. Ivor is in it for the treasure just as much as getting home, and he wasn't about to get in the middle of anything after the whole almost destroying the world thing, but it was unusual to me that Lukas had the open mind and played mediator. He must've grown a lot more as a character than I thought, because he would often lose his cool in earlier episodes when things wouldn't go in the group's favor when dealing with the Witherstorm, but I could also see that being the group dynamic stressing him out just as much. In Episodes 5 and 6 when things went wrong, he never snapped at anyone or got mad, just upset and worried about the rest of the Order. Funny how Petra and Lukas' positions switched from Episode 6; Petra started off looking forward to exploring another world while Lukas was worried and apprehensive, but now, even after being on fire, Lukas is more optimistic than Petra on finding the way home.
In case you couldn't tell, I loved having interactions in the portal hallway xD
I liked the AI takeover as a concept, but there were some elements that could be improved. There was little motivation for PAMA to stall and ask Jesse questions she (?) could just figure out by uploading them faster, unless she just wanted to have the satisfaction of watching them squirm, which I can actually kind of believe; "We walked here" "You are attempting to be 'cute.' Attempt: Failed." And, "That's for me to know and --" "Me to find out. Ha ha, ha ha." Also could be plot convenience.
A criticism I have for these episodes in general is that the choices don't really carry over, maybe the finale will prove me wrong? When talking with the other characters while solving puzzles or looking around Crown Mesa, it would be nice to see reference to previous choices instead of the same old, "How are you doing, ____?" They could have taken this further with the villain as well. Taking control of Jesse's friends is not just to be a deterrent in terms of numbers and strength; by the end it was clear that PAMA was trying to break him down emotionally as well (really dark, but Episode 6 was dark as well; I dig it). The final confrontation with Lukas / Petra could have been a perfect opportunity to bring in past choices. For Lukas, it could include guilting Jesse about letting him leave the shelter, not letting him lead in the End, not telling him about Petra / Gabriel's sickness, not ending on good terms with him, even including failures in the mansion (such as the accusation against Lukas or failing to save every life) that weren't under his control that could get under the player's skin and make the decision on whom to save that much more different. For Petra, it could be choosing to save Gabriel over her / not being able to save both, being mean to her about the sickness or some other event, the list goes on for the two of them. It felt a bit weak and contrived to just toss in Reuben and mention the failure to get home and nothing else, and finally resorting to PAMA saying she could help them home, begging Jesse to leave the heart.
About that scene in specific, PAMA briefly mentions that Jesse could hurt Lukas / Petra and she implies that if he tried anything, she could just 'dispose' of them both by making the controlled person let go of the ledge (fortunately for them, the heart was damaged enough for them to resist the urge). Why not use that as a threat to get Jesse to comply with leaving the heart alone as well as having Lukas / Petra say that the only way home is with PAMA? For example, making them stand closer to the edge and risk them falling if Jesse removes the heart? I dunno, something to make pulling the heart out seem more dramatic and dangerous.
Back to the portal hallway, I suppose one of my previous theories that involved PAMA gaining control is false haha. Obviously, the next episode will focus on who the 'Old Builders' are, and maybe be a bit more backstory oriented? There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and I hope they get around to some of them before they have the cliffhanger into the next season. I still have to wonder about Soren and if he was putting up a fake face or not. Was he like Cassie and Aiden, portal-hopping and happened upon the Command Block while plagiarizing someone else on the Redstone Heart? Or could he be an 'Old Builder?' With that Redstone Heart thing, I am more inclined to the latter. I replayed the game with a friend yesterday in honor of Episode 7, and Episode 3 has a lot of moments with Soren that seem suspicious.
First, he mentions that people turn on you, and when pressed, he says "All of them." Seems strange, knowing that Ivor was the only one that really 'turned' on him, the others just sort of lost touch. Could there have been some sort of conflict with the 'Old Builders,' causing him to stay in one world and try to make himself into a hero, only to see it all crumble? Ellegaard and Magnus mention that he's been a little off since being in the mountain, but he was interested in endermen before even going to that specific world, if those books aren't just easter eggs (considering the importance of the most recent Soren book, it seems doubtful now). I also have to wonder, could the presence of the End and the endermen be the 'quirk' for Jesse's world? They haven't been seen or mentioned in any other world, aside from the books.
Another weird bit was the fact that he created the Super TNT and knew how to make the Formidi-Bomb, but turns out to have been using the command block. Obviously the block was used to make the grinder, but was Soren smart enough to craft the block and keep that a secret, or could he have found it (or stole it from the 'Old Builders') and used it to create everything; the TNT, the F-Bomb, the Heart. Tough to say...
Since I love the sound of my own typing, and 1,302 words isn't enough, I also want to talk achievements. As Petra implied in the portal hallway, it won't be easy getting back to their own world, and the achievements lead me to believing that the portal network is the system. Maybe a builder goes rogue? Before this episode I wouldn't even consider this, but he keeps coming up, so maybe Soren himself? I think it would also be cool to choose people from previous episodes to fight with, like how TFTB did their final episode.
But what are your guys' thoughts on all of this? Humor me, I've dedicated too much time and way too many playthoughs to this game xD