Allow me to say this before I begin...
THIS TOPIC WILL BE SPOILER-LADEN!
If that bothers you, please don't read it. Considering that I've put this here and that I've placed a spoiler warning in the topic, I think I should be safe to talk about the ending, now, and what I perceive to be something that kills the game.
I've already talked about the combat as hands-down the weakest part of Dragon Commander, in my opinion, but I now want to talk about what truly put the last nail in the coffin for me, the final straw that mutilated the uninsured camel's back, in a country that doesn't have a health service no less.
The ending.
So, in my campaign, I chose to create more of a Socialist setting, where the technology of Corvus was used to create a better society for everyone. This meant that people like Henry who had sustained injuries could have body-parts replaced by magitech augments. It was good.
However, when I came to the ending, I had no agency of choice against Maxos. It felt like the Catalyst (or god-child, if you prefer) from Mass Effect 3. Yet it was actually worse, as I wasn't even able to choose my colour/theme of ending, and all I could do was sit there as Maxos pretty much spelled out what was going to happen. Considering that I barely knew Maxos, this felt like a deus ex machina on par with what people complain that the Catalyst in Mass Effect 3 is.
I can see the Rivellon times now...
"Emperor stands idly by as evil wizard destroys technology throughout the realm, greatly impairing quality of life. This reporter has had to sadly bear witness to mass suicides as magitech augments became useless hunks of metal, including those of famed general Henry, supposed loyal friend and confidant to the Emperor! The imps are furious, demanding the head of the man who allowed this to happen! Civil unrest is rife, and there are talks of a rebellion and civil war throughout Rivellon. Was our draconic Emperor brainwashed? We believe so!"
At the very least I'd like to tell Maxos where to stick it. At best I'd like to kick him out of the Raven from miles in the air for even having the audacity to want to ruin everything my character has put so much effort into building. The sheer nerve! The gall! And all I can do is sit there and nod my head?
This is one are of the game that desperately needed player agency (right up there with choosing not to have a partner at all, or perhaps being able to choose to marry someone of the same gender), because without it the ending feels completely out of place. It's inherently wrong.
What makes it worse is that the Architect is built up as the big bad throughout the storyline, and yet we never actually have an encounter with him at the end. Instead the plot devolves from uniting the world and dealing with the architect to... well, what can only be described as a World of Warcraft-derived story about saving the world from demonic corruption.
Like we haven't seen that billions of times before.
Ultimately, I'd prefer to encounter the Architect ta the end, to defeat him, and then to actually be able to choose the future of my empire -- even if Maxos doesn't agree with it. I know that Larian might be precious about their IP, and that might be the reason rather than resource constraints, but even still you can just say that it's non-canon and exists in an alternate timeline. Besides, the empires are different enough to be non-canon, anyway.
I mean, having Falstaff as the Emperor versus the player is a pretty huge change, and something that would radically alter the history books. So it's not like the canon isn't being tampered with by the game already.
So yes, Act III is a letdown, but the ending... the ending kills it. Even if we never get to encounter the Architect, could we at least please get to choose the future of our empire? Personally, I actually really like Henry and I'm invested in the character, and it's upsetting to think that the ending just totally screws him over. (Along with so many others.)
The ending is even ridiculous considering that you're permitted to be an advocate of scientific progress within the game itself.
Mind boggling.
This is one of the areas that needs to be fixed, badly. Maybe by Larian, or maybe by modders, but... my goodness, it's disheartening.
