[Heavy spoilers for Forgotten Gods below].
“Editor’s” Note: this was a thread I posted before the recent forum rollback; please excuse the (technical) repost. Note that it’s not entirely the same as I edited before publishing, so I had to paraphrase myself and modify a bit.
I recently finished Forgotten Gods.
In terms of gameplay, I found it rather fun, although I felt it was a bit on the short side and lacked non-critical content (in particular, secret areas and quests). Ashes of Malmouth, an expansion in the truer sense of the word, was brimming with content, secrets and “stuff” in comparison. That said, it was a very enjoyable adventure, with fun enemies, refreshing maps, outstanding music (yet again) and an appropriate desolate atmosphere.
However, I wasn’t too fond of the story. While the story itself was great (much more focused than other parts of the saga, and a nice thematic diversion from the main Aetherial/Cthonian menace), the problem was the ridiculous railroading of the player character and total suppression of the illusion of player agency.
You are recruited by a mysterious stranger and casually accept taking your time from fighting for the very existence of mankind to help a Cult following entities you know (through your reading of notes and adventures in the secret path) have humanity’s fate extremely low on their list of priorities. This on the flimsiest of evidence (basically, just taking the cult’s words as fact) that the threat you’re facing is actually any problem for Cairn.
I can sort of accept this from a “gamey” (though not story-building perspective). You are a player character. Some guy offers you a quest. You accept. Business as usual.
The problem comes when as the story develops your character is not allowed to raise the slightest concern about the whole purpose of the endeavor. Why kill a myriad of eldritch creatures that for all you know are just defending themselves from the cult (and in the end, it’s discovered are doing just that)? Why kill innocent persons just for having visions opposed from the very dubious ones Dreeg chooses to send to its followers? Why kill Korvaak’s Messenger? Just for being creepy and arrogant?
All points to you being manipulated. The tidbits you find on lore notes paint an increasingly clear picture of the cruelty of the Witch Gods in usurping a relatively harmless (although distant and aloof) God.
Ok, I thought, it all will clear up in the end with a massive twist were the player shows up his agency.
But here I come to the ending sequence. I find lore notes that pretty much confirm every suspicion. The Witch Gods were the ones responsible for the death of an entire civilization. They tortured and imprisoned a divine being just for their lust of power. This being now wants to free himself and have his revenge. Were can I sign up to help him?
I get to Kymon, and get a minimal dialogue were I’m railroaded to admonish him (for actually being right and being a hero) and attack him (!). I follow along the rails, and I go to Korvaak, don’t even get to speak to him, and kill him when he’s just getting free from his chains. Gee, what a “hero” I am forced to play.
And then I go back to my cult “buddies” and receive absolutely no reward of kind words from the psychopaths the game forced me to help.
The whole thing is extremely annoying.
This was made even more jarring as I was playing a Follower of Kymon Purifier (Demolitionist+Inquisitor). So I’m supposed to:
- Go against my buddy Kymon without even speaking with him and trying him to see reason (or actually, see reason myself in that he was right all along).
- Go against my patron god (Ulzuin) by helping the vilest beings, who betrayed him to consummate their abominable plans and drove him into madness and despair.
- Go against my profession and help my ancestral enemies even when told to my face that they have manipulated my kind for generations and gotten away with it.
The whole story concept would have been a strength of the expansion instead of a glaring weakness if the developers included a “Secret Path” style meta-quest that allowed to go against the cult’s wishes in some way.
It could have been as simple as talking with Kymon and telling him “It’s alright bro, I believe you - where do I sign up?”. Then the story can wrap up in a myriad satisfying ways, without too much extra developer work: free Korvaak and let him lick his wounds with a future promise of deliverance or ominous warning. Alternatively, claim his power for yourself becoming your own Witch God - or even bargain with him to release him for a promise to help Cairn in some way. Something that doesn’t immediately change the status quo (though you need to be imaginative to reframe the Cult Encampment’s services) but ends the expansion in a tone that doesn’t say “I’m a drooling imbecile”.
Hell, if pursued with ambition, this would have led to unique features for the expansion that would cement it as superior to Ashes of Malmouth. For example, imagine siding with Kymon at the end (a new exclusive faction choice such as Chosen vs. Death’s Vigil), then having a quest line that has you backtrack from the Temple (now your new faction center) to the Covenant, and finding different enemies along the way (as you now fight eldritch forces loyal to the Witch Gods).
Just wanted to get that of my chest. As I said, I enjoyed Forgotten Gods and Grim Dawn in general but the whole thing left me with a bitter taste, which is not a right tone to close the saga.
P.S.:
I replayed the expansion (again had a blast, very fun gameplay) and found the railroading even more jarring.
It’s quite clear that the only argument presented against Korvaak is “he is so fickle he destroyed the city and his followers”, which is quite fishy at first, and then confirmed a blatant lie. While Korvaak is revealed as demanding, capricious, fickle and intolerant of conceit (much like a Greek God), it’s still clear he allowed a thriving civilization to flourish under his watch (the survivor notes reveal a society that values love, resourcefulness, honesty and many worthwhile human qualities). Hell, in a world of indifferent-to-sadistic otherworldly entities, he appears to be the least bad presented to date (and that includes that bastard Mogdrogen).
Also, the Witch Gods’ cruelty, disregard for fellow humans and unquenchable thirst for power is absolutely transparent. Dreeg, in particular (the one whose madness and aloofness made appear less questionable before), comes out looking as the biggest bastard. Not only he willfully contributed to a quest to destroy a civilization, kill millions and imprison and torture a god, but also his visions are revealed to be deceitful self-fulfilling prophesies, as they are shown as a tool he uses to manipulate humans and steer the situation toward his ends.
This replay has confirmed that while I love the story concept and the manipulative character of the Witch Gods, I feel that having no push-back from the player is a big mistake (and a huge lost opportunity).
