The Auntie Ethel is defintely my favorite area / encounter in the game so far.
I also loooove Auntie Ethel (whether it's at the Druid Grove or the bog). I mean, I still kill her, but I respect her craft (to some extend) 😁
Auntie Ethel is also fantastic. Her writing and acting and her hag character model are all amazing (though I always think her human body model is too skinny and young-looking for all she’s hunched over). The whispering masks if you put one on without protection are soo spooky I can’t resist doing it, and I love all the mini-stories behind her “pets”. And the whole illusion over the swamp and redcaps as sheep, and poisoned apples in a picnic basket with the “loving note”, and so many little touches like that.
Though there are some bits of the Ethel encounter I don’t yet find wholly satisfying, such as Mayrina’s brothers and the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a way to free the “saveable” mask before killing Ethel. And I’m sure there must be a better way of navigating through the poison trapped part of her lair than I’ve yet discovered. Plus what is really going on with that frog? I don’t feel I’ve got closure there!
But based on what we get in EA, I’m really looking forward to meeting Ethel’s “sisters” in the full game.
