This was perfect!
(spoilers)
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So, I finished all of Leopold's bad endings this time. *screaming internally*
(The guide helped a lot btw!)
(MORE SPOILERS)
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Whew, those really put my heart through a wringer. (I was not kidding about peeking through my fingers while picking the wrong choices deliberately.) But!! I very much appreciated how each ending reveals a bit more about Leopold and Iolanthe (especially Leopold), in a way that you wouldn't be able to see if you just read the best ending (aka The Stolen Crown).
*clears throat* I conclude that there are 3 main things that can break Leo's spirit:
1. Crossing a moral line, in his case, murder or war. The game gave me the impression that while Leopold had prepared mentally and logistically for both outcomes in pursuit of revenge, he had not considered the emotional toll it would take on him until said outcomes had occurred. A part of him really hoped it would not have to come to that. This makes the best ending even sweeter in retrospect-- Iolanthe really did save him.
2. Iolanthe's betrayal. Like, if there was ANY doubt at all that underneath all of Leopold's charm and cunning, he really did love her, his reaction to her lying to him really dispels all of that! Like, he can be disappointed if she doesn't agree with his course of action but he will still trust Iolanthe to cash in the Silversmith bonds without thinking to ask to see the receipt right after. But Iolanthe straight up either telling him that he cannot trust her or going behind his back to the Council is where he draws the line! 'The Cruellest Cut' ending is so aptly named!! He is unable to carry out his revenge through any means because of his once dearest love!!! (Leopold returning all her letters unanswered was just an extra knife in the heart when he brought all of her love letters with him to Garllucio in the beginning 🥹🥹🥹)
3. Losing his revenge. He does take it somewhat badly in 'A Bitter Defeat', but that ending was more bittersweet than I expected instead of outright tragic or sad. In 'The Cruellest Cut' or 'Murderer' endings though...
Honestly, what a fascinating character in a fascinating story! Now I'm even more curious about his POV but I shall wait patiently. Until then, I will be figuratively spinning him around in my head like in a microwave for quite a while.
(On a side note, I started playing Guillaume's route and I was pleasantly surprised that Leopold interacts with Iolanthe more than once, which makes sense. Anyways, I took a hard left into the 'Betrayal' ending because Leopold is my favorite and now I'm imagining how a Leopold/Iolanthe romance would look like after a case where Iolanthe divorces Guillaume hahahaha.)
I waited for Leopold's route to be released before playing the game and it was so worth it!
(SPOILERS BELOW FOR LEOPOLD'S ROUTE)
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For me, the difficulty level in terms of getting the best ending was just right. I had to backtrack at some parts, but the story and characters give enough hints at the theme of the choices you should be taking, e.g. Leopold telling Iolanthe to be discreet in the second half, or Iolanthe mentioning Francesca's easily wounded pride when dealing with her. (I do plan to use the guide to try and complete the endings though.)
The story! I like how the route follows up on Leopold's plans and the issues that would arise in his and Iolanthe's relationship considering that a significant part of his motivation is revenge. Reading about the political intrigue is fascinating, especially with how cunning Leopold is (and Iolanthe too, if she succeeds at the game's tasks). I love, love how the twist at the end of Act 1 was executed! The slow build up of dread, Leo's admission, Iolanthe's outburst! The raised stakes! And then you have to use your allies' help from Act 1 to succeed at the plot in the second half of the game, which is a really nice way of bringing everything together!
Next, Leopold and Iolanthe and their romance! I'll keep this short, otherwise I'll start quoting entire lines haha. Let me tell you, I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole route. Their banter was so cute and sweet! (Lmao @ Duchess Parisi catching them flirting outside the ballroom.) And the way Leopold made sure to make it very clear to everyone that Iolanthe was his equal and was very much in on the plan as he was!!!!!!!! And he will not tolerate any disrespect to her!!!! I also love those snippets about their life in Tremaine, like them drawing and painting together awwwww. And there's Iolanthe. Iolanthe!!!! When she declared she would save Leopold and Segunda!! And then she did!! The best ending was so deserved. Co-rulers in name and deed!! Holding hands together on their twin thrones!! Being very much in love all over the place while advancing their plans for Segunda. *chef's kiss*
(Pardon my exclamation marks. Ahem.)
Also,the question posed repeatedly: how far would Leopold go for revenge? Luckily, Iolanthe saves him before he has to find out on his best ending. So I tried doing the others, and I felt like I had to peek through my fingers picking all the wrong choices hahaha. The answer: definitely far, but not without remorse.
Onwards to playing the rest of Leopold's endings!! Even if they will break my heart. Also looking forward to playing the other routes and the eventual TTOW LI POVs! Thank you for this story!
Wow! Love the characters, love the wordbuilding here!
Also I really really liked the different ways the relationship between the Dragon Commander and Matthias could go. So far, I've only tried the 3 variations of the romance route. At first I tried a gentle DC, and then I was pleasantly surprised at how Matthias turns out when doing an angrier or more controlling DC. Ahem. *fans self*
Looking forward to future updates and to how all the choices will affect future events. Thanks!
