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Rainslick Episode 4 unanswered questions
mogwaimon
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all, long time PA fan here, just got around to playing all four of the Rainslick episodes for the first time. Rainslick 3 was the best IMO, just saying.
But...I literally beat Rainslick 4 like just now and felt it was kinda....I mean, I liked the music, I would have preferred to keep the battle system from 3 rather than the shoehorned Pokemon-esque system, but whatevs. I have story questions
1. The Necrowombicon was the Omnibbus sword all along, but how did that come about? How did Tycho get possessed from the book? Especially since....alright, let me put it this way, Yog Bamoun was the narrator, right? He knew everything that was going on. If he had control of the Necrowombicon, which he presumably did, then why allow Tycho to use it as a weapon to begin with? Tycho was present for what, two out of three pillars, and Yog Bamoun did nothing to stop him. Even at the second to last fight, he didn't do anything to avert Tycho using the sword against him. Actually, come to think of it....the Necrowombicon had nothing to say to Tycho, right? Could it be that since Bamoun was already talking to Tycho through the narration, is that why the book had nothing to say to him?
2. What did Tycho mean when he called Gabriel the Lightbringer? I understand that Gabe was not entirely human, but he wasn't exactly a Lightbringer either. I mean, I felt the ending was extremely rushed to begin with, but this just leaves a lot of questions, because he also says that Gabriel was created by the older Brahes...and if I am understanding correctly, the older Brahes with the exception of our Tycho want to end the world period, not wash away the slate to make a new universe. So why would he be a Lightbringer? Why the name Lucifer?
3. For that matter, why is everyone basically shitting on Tycho? I mean...I guess you could argue that it's his fault that the Yog-gods were killed and the universe ended, but at the time...if he didn't kill the gods then they would have gone on to take over. And for that matter, he wasn't the one reassembling the pieces of Yog Modaigh in the third episode, he was trying to prevent it. We never really understand why Tycho actually WANTS to end the universe as well. I mean, he wants to escape the curse of the Brahe clan, I thought. Wouldn't that mean ending the cycle of trying to destroy the universe, rather than continuing? I can understand that once Episode 4 begins and Underhell is basically 'it' for the universe, he had no choice but to destroy it to make way for something better, but before that....I mean, I don't consider him the villain. I didn't want to kill Tycho at the end. Perhaps I'm just being biased.
4. Come to think of it, I thought Gabriel and Dr. Blood were special in Underhell. How did Dr. Blood die so easily? I mean, now that I think about it didn't he explain that since he and Gabriel didn't actually die, they essentially had two lives to work with in Underhell? This might just be me misunderstanding or having a poor memory.
5. Finally, WTF is up with "You." Tycho preserves him in The Beginning of The End. He is a Gardenar, essentially, from a long dead race (As hinted in Episode 1 when you upgrade his weapon to max). I know Tycho saw something special in "You" and preserved him along with Anne Claire, but then near the end Yog Bamoun mentions off-hand, "Oh yea, that was my servant." and then makes nothing of it. WHAT. Again, this is the same as the Omnibbus. Yog Bamoun is essentially helping Tycho end the universe....why, exactly? And for that matter, what happens to "You"? I mean, Tycho embedded Kismetite in the crystal for good luck and everything, yet at the end the only reference to the character is that one line saying "Yea, he was in league with me all along." Was it something like....Yog Bamoun knew the universe was going to end and that this Tycho was going to be the one to do it, so he made "You" to get close to Tycho so that Tycho would preserve "You" and essentially give Yog Bamoun a vessel to hide out in for the end of the universe? But then that doesn't make sense because then the universe wouldn't have ended since Bamoun would have still been in "You".
6. And finally....Bamoun also wrote the quatrain? Really? This old evil god created the prophecy for the end of the universe (And himself, mind you) and then not only did little to prevent it, but aided the people he knew were going to destroy the universe?
I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the games. Had that PA humor and both styles had their merits (Hothead episodes looked great and had that Penny Arcade feel, but the Zeboyd games felt more like RPGs, had better battle systems, and I loved those retro graphics) I'm just highly confused by the ending, and just a little disappointed...I mean it was bad enough that it turned out that the aim the whole time was
but I at least expected more answers than what I got.
I'll understand if you close this topic like the other guys, BTW. I figured my thing merited a topic since I had a TON of questions but I'll understand and apologize if this is coming across as too bloggish.
But...I literally beat Rainslick 4 like just now and felt it was kinda....I mean, I liked the music, I would have preferred to keep the battle system from 3 rather than the shoehorned Pokemon-esque system, but whatevs. I have story questions
1. The Necrowombicon was the Omnibbus sword all along, but how did that come about? How did Tycho get possessed from the book? Especially since....alright, let me put it this way, Yog Bamoun was the narrator, right? He knew everything that was going on. If he had control of the Necrowombicon, which he presumably did, then why allow Tycho to use it as a weapon to begin with? Tycho was present for what, two out of three pillars, and Yog Bamoun did nothing to stop him. Even at the second to last fight, he didn't do anything to avert Tycho using the sword against him. Actually, come to think of it....the Necrowombicon had nothing to say to Tycho, right? Could it be that since Bamoun was already talking to Tycho through the narration, is that why the book had nothing to say to him?
2. What did Tycho mean when he called Gabriel the Lightbringer? I understand that Gabe was not entirely human, but he wasn't exactly a Lightbringer either. I mean, I felt the ending was extremely rushed to begin with, but this just leaves a lot of questions, because he also says that Gabriel was created by the older Brahes...and if I am understanding correctly, the older Brahes with the exception of our Tycho want to end the world period, not wash away the slate to make a new universe. So why would he be a Lightbringer? Why the name Lucifer?
3. For that matter, why is everyone basically shitting on Tycho? I mean...I guess you could argue that it's his fault that the Yog-gods were killed and the universe ended, but at the time...if he didn't kill the gods then they would have gone on to take over. And for that matter, he wasn't the one reassembling the pieces of Yog Modaigh in the third episode, he was trying to prevent it. We never really understand why Tycho actually WANTS to end the universe as well. I mean, he wants to escape the curse of the Brahe clan, I thought. Wouldn't that mean ending the cycle of trying to destroy the universe, rather than continuing? I can understand that once Episode 4 begins and Underhell is basically 'it' for the universe, he had no choice but to destroy it to make way for something better, but before that....I mean, I don't consider him the villain. I didn't want to kill Tycho at the end. Perhaps I'm just being biased.
4. Come to think of it, I thought Gabriel and Dr. Blood were special in Underhell. How did Dr. Blood die so easily? I mean, now that I think about it didn't he explain that since he and Gabriel didn't actually die, they essentially had two lives to work with in Underhell? This might just be me misunderstanding or having a poor memory.
5. Finally, WTF is up with "You." Tycho preserves him in The Beginning of The End. He is a Gardenar, essentially, from a long dead race (As hinted in Episode 1 when you upgrade his weapon to max). I know Tycho saw something special in "You" and preserved him along with Anne Claire, but then near the end Yog Bamoun mentions off-hand, "Oh yea, that was my servant." and then makes nothing of it. WHAT. Again, this is the same as the Omnibbus. Yog Bamoun is essentially helping Tycho end the universe....why, exactly? And for that matter, what happens to "You"? I mean, Tycho embedded Kismetite in the crystal for good luck and everything, yet at the end the only reference to the character is that one line saying "Yea, he was in league with me all along." Was it something like....Yog Bamoun knew the universe was going to end and that this Tycho was going to be the one to do it, so he made "You" to get close to Tycho so that Tycho would preserve "You" and essentially give Yog Bamoun a vessel to hide out in for the end of the universe? But then that doesn't make sense because then the universe wouldn't have ended since Bamoun would have still been in "You".
6. And finally....Bamoun also wrote the quatrain? Really? This old evil god created the prophecy for the end of the universe (And himself, mind you) and then not only did little to prevent it, but aided the people he knew were going to destroy the universe?
I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the games. Had that PA humor and both styles had their merits (Hothead episodes looked great and had that Penny Arcade feel, but the Zeboyd games felt more like RPGs, had better battle systems, and I loved those retro graphics) I'm just highly confused by the ending, and just a little disappointed...I mean it was bad enough that it turned out that the aim the whole time was
destroying the universe
but I at least expected more answers than what I got.
I'll understand if you close this topic like the other guys, BTW. I figured my thing merited a topic since I had a TON of questions but I'll understand and apologize if this is coming across as too bloggish.
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2. speculation - maybe the name is symbolic, that Gabe is the light passed down from generation to generation. From the Ep3 descriptions I believe one of the old Brahes found him near the light waterfall then passed him down.
3. Ep3 stories were written essentially from the viewpoint of Tycho and again I think this question would be well served by the same for Ep4. At too many points, this game felt like a Harry Potter book from the point of view of a random Hufflepuff, where all you get to see of the plot is Harry playing quidditch and winning the end of year house trophy.
4. For much of Ep3 Blood was under the protection of necrowombicon, then apparently at some point after the end of the world it went to Tycho.
5. This is tone confusion. The ending was cheerful in that Anne Claire was starting a new world, but it was never made clear whether the rake is supposed to be an ominous warning or a warm companion for Anne.
6. like for question 3, it would be spiffy to have a chapter or 2 focused on the gods.
I've said it before, I still believe that the Ep3 stories were some of Jerry's best writing, and when he is less busy Ep4 needs the same.
....Wait, unless....unless....Maybe Doctor MissingNo is the protection from death that was spoken of? Because Blood wasn't supposed to be able to die in Underhell, perhaps when he got shanked he ended up being resurrected on that island but it didn't go so well since he and Gabriel surviving Yog Modaigh's death was a 'glitch' anyways?
That's correct.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
And I'm not sure where you got the idea that your avatar was the 4th god's servant all along.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
I thought Bamoun was orchestrating everything because he was the narrator, yea. When he reveals himself, Tycho is aghast and exclaims that he thought that 'those were my thoughts' or something along those lines, hinting that Bamoun was manipulating Tycho all along. Also near the end when you destroy the brain, the universe doesn't end because a part of Bamoun is in the Necrowombicon....which is Omnibbus, the sword Tycho was using, and which was the link that Bamoun used to possess Tycho. I thought Bamoun was more of a passive manipulator than someone who actively takes part in influencing events, honestly, but it seems like he manipulated Tycho into getting into position to kill him. It's just weird how Bamoun is responsible for "You", is a part of the Necrowombicon, and has been watching and (seemingly) stirring the pot if it's all leading to the demise of the universe, and himself. Maybe he IS a passive spectator, but he has shown an ability to manipulate events and even alter reality; he made those two robots in Q'atra appear out of thin air after all. And thinking back, when Jim and Moira were traversing the desert and fight the sand worm boss...it's a little suspicious that a sandworm just 'happened' to be in the area when Jim jinxed the party by mentioning one.
I mean, it's just a little odd. You say he's a spectator but he seems more like a manipulator to me, and from his actions it seems like he was suicidal. If "You" wasn't Bamoun's servant, then what was his nature? Why would Bamoun be a part of the Necrowombicon, allow Tycho to wield him as a sword, giving him the ability to fight on his own in Underhell where normal humans can't fight without the aid of monstorbs, and allow him to fight as far as destroying his own brain without revealing himself?
I guess a possibility is that when the brain died, Bamoun's essence happened to seep into the sword/Necrowombicon, causing the rest. But that doesn't explain that comment about "You" and that doesn't explain why the Necrowombicon took the form of a sword in the first place
As for where I got the idea that the player character was the 4th god's servant, he basically says so, again in one of the last scenes. He says something like "And I even sent you a friend of many faces to accompany you on your journey" to Tycho. I thought that the 'friend with many faces' was an allusion to the PC, especially since in Beginning of the End in Episode 3, Tycho reveals that he's always seen the PC in many different ways, like his existence isn't entirely static (Thought that was a neat reference to the create-a-character element of the first two games BTW)
I really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions though. It's not often that a developer takes the time to do that, whether or not he's the best man for the job
Agreed re Rake guy, the 'friend of many faces' should only refer to the PC, since narratively this calls back to the beginning of the first game, and to the Ep3 dlc appearance stuff. Having this phrase refer to someone else, say Gabe, isn't appropriate.
Also agreed re narrator. The narrator-Brahe family madness-Tycho's voice interlink has been speculated upon by fans since Ep1 and this is one of things I very much want to see Jerry devote some prose story effort to.
I dunno about the rest of your post, I think it's too much guessing without support. It really isn't made clear what the role of the Necrowombicon is in the whole story, etc --
it would be too easy of a cop out for the story's curators to just 'confirm' random speculations.
perhaps someone can pass on the message that there is some demand for his writing? someone who is more than just a random voice in the forums?
What hurts this game is the complete lack of time spent with Tycho. He flits in and out as a party member sporadically, but he's the only one who has any idea of what's happening. We never spend a single moment alone with him, and when we do get to interact with him he is rushing you to do X for Y reasons, but he never tells you what those reasons are.
I found it incredibly odd since this series is essentially Tycho's Story. It's Tycho's 'CTS', the series where we see everything that makes him so interesting and dynamic in a setting where it affects the world stage. He's a very selfish, egotistical character who ultimately wants something good for everyone and is willing to do the terrible things that need to be done in order to make it happen. He wants to create the perfect universe and he knows there's no place in it for him.
I think about 80% of the confusion would be cleared up if we spent more than five minutes with Tycho, and the time wasn't spent running around as he told you to kill things.
I have a few theories regarding some of the initial questions, however. Here we go!
As for the Necrowombicon and the Omnibus being the same-- no. They are two distinct and separate books. Either Bamoun manipulated Tycho into thinking the Necrowombicon was the Omnibus come to help him, or it was merely wishful thinking on his part.
As for Tycho saying that he thought those were 'his thoughts', I suspect he wasn't actually hearing voices so much as having ideas. It's stated pretty clearly in the second game that his father and uncle heard actual narration before they were ultimately told to do things, whereas Tycho never indicated that this happened to him. Whether or not he was just stubbornly refusing to admit it is up for debate, of course.
As for it possessing Tycho-- again, absurd and convenient. Gods can only be killed if imbued in something that can be destroyed in three out of four cases, with Yog Modaigh being the exception. He ate the universe and then ceased to exist because there was... nowhere for him to exist, I guess? This part's kind of unclear to me. We have to assume Yog Modaigh is dead for this game to work at all.
Maybe if we spent some time with his character we'd KNOW *fume fume*
2.] The Lightbringer is another title for Lucifer. Gabriel's name in both forms is just one big Biblical reference. Honestly? I suspect that since the Brahes fought the old gods regularly and knew that the Abrahamic interpretation of God was false, it was done mostly for irony's sake. They're fuckers like that.
The real question here is actually who Gabe is. Johnathan Gabriel serves no purpose. Gabe is obviously more obedient and more useful when Tycho orders him to be Lucifer. There's no desire to jump into maws, no running away to make capes. Why does he even have this 'mode', so to speak?
Call me a sap but my personal interpretation is that Tycho just wanted someone in is life who wouldn't leave him, so he made The Lightbringer create this alternate personality.
As an aside, if this is the case then that means Gabe's backstory as a prize fighter who fought the devil is a complete fantasy invented by Tycho. It's essentially Bible AU Fanfiction, and you have to appreciate what a ridiculous person Tycho is for that.
Also! I was genuinely under the impression for about 80% of the game before Bamoun revealed himself that Gabe was the final god. That the Brahes trapped him and kept him close by so that when it came to finish off the last one, he'd be right there and willfully waiting for them to off him.
Still sort of bummed that this isn't the case, but ~*ah well*~
3.] I think you are misinterpreting this. While Tycho was killing off gods, he only started doing so in the first place because cults and mortals kept bringing them back. Without their interference, they would not have arisen. It's implied that the Brahe clan knew where the other three gods (Bamoun aside) were the entire time. They knew because once they were sure the Periphary was empty they could destroy them and bring the End of All Things.
Tycho's an antagonist for two distinct reasons. One, he rebels against his family. The Brahe clan was working towards utter universal elimination, whereas Tycho was not. He wanted to destroy the universe, but he wanted a new one to grow out of it. He had the idea when looking at the dead possum in the novella. The creature died, and beneath it the grass flourished. It was then Tycho knew that he wanted a seed to be left behind to create something new-- Anne.
Two, despite the fact that he is fighting his universe ending family ... he still wants to destroy absolutely everything. This rubs people the wrong way for a lot of reasons. Reasons being that they like existing.
Tycho was basically the universe's most rebellious teenager, and that trait never changed going into adulthood. He still thinks he knows better than everyone about everything. He gives the middle finger on everyone else's interpretation and opinion about The Universe and what should and should not happen to it, and this is why nearly every character resents him in some way.
He's an egotistical douche.
4.] Already answered, sweet. But also: I suspect Gabe might be immortal. Dr. Blood is ancient. Hestia says she's been in Underhell for hundreds of years, which means he's approximately the same age. The Necrowombicon gave him some form of immortality in that, once killed, he'll rise again. I suspect that years of being immersed in this kind of magic made him sense that Gabe was exempt from death as we know it as well-- admittedly for different reasons.
5.] To be perfectly honest, I think You was added to 3 and 4 in the way that they were to appease people who got attached to the character in 1 and 2. I suspect that if Hothead had finished the series, or if it had remained a novella and Jerry had flushed out the fourty part via writing, none of that would have happened. I wouldn't read too much into their significance.
6.] He is a narration god. He can fight his end but ultimately it seems he can't actually do much more than manipulate some people into doing what he wanted. There's a story and he has to stick to it. Books don't get to decide what kind of story to tell and neither does he.
I have a TON of questions about this game, and the series in general. This one is my biggest and I am so frustrated because I don't know if it's foggy for the sake of the joke, or if it actually means something.
... who exactly does she think Anne is, then?
Speaking of Tycho's brother, is he another Brahe clone or was he born naturally? Is it possible Emeritus created two rebellious clones? If so, where is Tycho's brother during all of the childhood flashbacks. Emeritus puts the weight of the Brahe family's job on Tycho's shoulders with no mention of his other son.
I haven't slept in probably two weeks so hopefully this don't all come out as word vomit and it makes some sense.
As for your theories, I think I can agree with them, or at least accept them, for the most part. I'll clarify my position on one or two things, however
1. I know the Omnibus and Necrowombicon are two separate entities, like in the second episode. Omnibus was the book that detailed the schematics for ancient and powerful weaponry whereas the Necrowombicon was...well, not entirely sure I can put into words what exactly it was, but it was evil. It IS odd, though. In the second and third episodes, the name is spelled Omnibus, yet in the fourth they spell it as "Omnibbus"...and not just once or twice, but rather consistently as though it weren't a typo. I wonder if that has significance.
2. I like this. So you're saying that the 'Lightbringer', Lucifer, is Gabe's 'default' personality, and then the Johnathan Gabriel persona was instilled into the Lightbringer's body so that Tycho would have a friend, of sorts? I can see that, and it sounds agreeable.
3. I can agree on this too, for the most part...but I disagree that Tycho always wanted to destroy the universe. I think that he was perfectly fine with existence, but created the Startling Developments Agency to watch for the signs of an Old God's cult and try to prevent the apocalypse from occurring. When Yog Sethis and Yog Kathak both appeared within a week of each other, Tycho knew the signs from the quatrain and knew there was not much he could do to deter fate. So, he took steps to ensure that the universe would be reborn after it was destroyed, since he knew that there was no chance that the current one would survive.
Then again, that may be me just misreading noble intentions in an ignoble character; he did express distaste for the current universe in a few lines in Episode 2, I think....
Either way, you'd think maybe someone would see it his way. Anyone, even just one character, would realize "Well, he tried, but there's nothing else for it". Maybe it's just easy to think someone would see it how he sees it, given our perspective on the matter. Not many of the other characters know what Tycho does, nevermind what the player knows by being there from the beginning.
I don't have much more to say on 4, 5, or 6. Well, maybe a bit on 5....perhaps it was a concession made for the new nature of the episodic games, after Hothead backed out, but the point remains that the way "You" was dealt with remains a bit of a loose end.
Good question too, on the last bit. We never did learn about this brother, or the way in which the Brahe family uniquely reproduces....Ponderous. I presume that this other brother, if he ever existed at all, was a natural birth. Anne-Claire surely would have noticed that her beloved uncle looks unnaturally similar to her father...Plus the brother is supposed to have disowned the Brahe family and has no apocalyptic intent. Our Tycho is rebellious, sure, but he's a slight deviation whereas the brother is almost normal. That bit slipped by me honestly, everything else sort of overshadowed it.
I do hope that novella is still on the website somewhere; I shall have to add it to my reading list.
As far as the whole brother/niece thing, my personal guess to make things work out would be that Tycho's brother is actually only a half-brother (same mother, different father) which would explain why his brother is so normal and doesn't interested Tycho's father. This is just my own speculation though (I did ask Jerry about Tycho's brother briefly but that was way back when we were still working on Precipice 3 when the nature of the Brahe clan wasn't as clear. He did say that there's absolutely nothing unusual about Tycho's brother).
As far as the whole Omnibus/Omnibbus/Necrowombicon thing, I think Jerry wanted that to remain intentionally obtuse so that people could create their own theories on what exactly happened there.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Amen to all your points, brother. Someone raise Jerry on twitter or email and get him on this job.
I wanted to talk much more about your theories, but I'll just end up speculating more and more on the foundation of less and less. The game didn't give us a lot of story to work with. So, only 2 comments.
1 - Your thoughts on the Tycho-Gabe interplay exactly matches my interpretation too, so that he wouldn't end up alone, even if it took an artificial friend.
2 - Anne's dad is a reference to Annarchy's dad from the comic strip, who is also comic Tycho's brother, a stuffy sweater vest guy. (I think Jerry has a brother in real life but I don't remember if he was ever mentioned.)
Aughilovethisseriessomuch, but when it gets explained only briefly at the end of the game I made a strangling motion at my screen. Gabe word vomiting all those questions because he knows it's the end breaks my heart, and Tycho assuring him that he needed him not just as a weapon kills me. They had a pretty good opportunity to discuss it at Yggdrasil and I have all of the sads in the world that they didn't.
I like the half brother theory, though admittedly the idea of Emeritus pitching woo and actually winning a girl over only to sacrifice her to make a clone is... unnerving. Brahes don't seem to get attached to their wives (going so far as lumping together as Brides like they weren't individual people), with Tycho seeming to be the exception.
Regarding Brahe procreation...
In addition to being the first one to treat The Lightbringer as an actual person he's probably the first Brahe who actually loved his wife.
Also: Jerry does not have a brother. He has a sister, but the character of Tycho's brother isn't based on anyone real. Somewhere in one of the PA books he is described as being 'a better Tycho than Tycho', which kind of sums up their relationship. It's hard to get along with someone so similar to you, especially if you're a know-it-all douche and he's forty times more douchey than you are.
Anyway, @mogwaimon
Also no one is more sad than I am that the fourth game glossed over the fact that Tycho was a corpse that was stitched back together come on that is RAD.
Oh! And you can read the novella here: http://www.rainslick.com/chapters/list It's a bit hard to follow in places, it skips over some scenes and sort of throws you into the middle of others, but if you've played the game you should be able to follow along.
I tried to encourage one of my friends to read the novella first as I think going from the writing-->game has the most significant impact on the story but he didn't listen because he feared about spoilers. He regretted it once he did beat the game and read it.