Firstly, I appreciate your insights on Karlach's ending in BG3, it resonates a lot with the split perspective I share on the character. Your perspective is entirely valid; the dissonant and tragic climax to her character arc does indeed accentuate the unpredictability and, often, the harshness of fate – both in the game's universe and, as you pointed out, in the real world. That said, while understanding and respecting the narrative choices of the developers, I think the consensus of this thread is to advocate for an additional ending option.
One of the key features of role-playing games like BG3 is the variety of narrative paths available to players. While the tragic ending serves as a poignant reminder of life's unpredictability, offering an alternate, more hopeful conclusion doesn’t negate that point. Instead, it broadens the scope of experiences available to players. It allows for a wider spectrum of emotional engagement, ensuring players who want a break from the often grim real world have a chance to see their favorite character find some semblance of happiness.
Throughout the storyline, Karlach constantly battles her impending doom, holding onto hope even in the bleakest of situations. While the bittersweet and tragic endings are artistically and narratively strong, offering an ending where her enduring hope pays off can serve as a testament to her resilience and the broader theme of hope's power.
Many players become deeply attached to in-game characters. While tragic endings can be deeply moving and memorable, they can also leave a lasting sense of sorrow. By offering an alternate ending, players are given the choice to decide Karlach's fate based on their own emotional journey and relationship with the character.
Advocating for an additional ending doesn’t necessarily mean discarding the original one. Both can exist in parallel, preserving the originally intended narrative while providing an option for those seeking something different. This approach ensures the hard work of the writers isn't "ruined" or diminished but rather expanded upon.
In conclusion, while I completely understand where you're coming from and respect the strength of the narrative crafted by the developers, I believe there's room for multiple endings that cater to diverse player experiences. After all, a story’s strength lies not just in its conclusion, but in the journey and the choices that lead there.
Yes, I agree with you completely, and that the more diverse choices the better, and with the fact that sometimes you just want to take a break from this dark world and just immerse yourself in this magical world and take a break from everything that surrounds you in reality. And about how people can get very attached to game characters and want the best for them, yeah, I got very attached to Minthara myself.
But I guess, I don't know, over the many games I've played, I've gotten tired of good stories with happy endings. And that's why I'm immensely grateful to BG3 for the experience and the feeling that it was able to give me thanks to the evil walkthrough, although it's not perfect, but it's just incredible and feels like a breath of fresh air, when the game doesn't force you to go the way of the good guy, but allows you to go the way of the villain and even argues some advantages, wow. just wow. That's rare.
There's another thing. I don't know why, but the plot of Karlach reminded me of The Last Of Us 2, maybe because of Karlach's monologue after killing Gortash, and despite the fact that I don't like the plot of TLOU2, I really liked the plot of Karlach, maybe they are really similar just Larian unlike the developers of TLOU wrote it much softer(? I'm not sure, I can't find the words) and neater compared to the same plot of TLOU where they shove scenes with head smashing with a club in our faces in the beginning, and that's why personally I was able to accept and understand the plot of Karlach as it is, while the plot of TLOU is not. Maybe TLOU developers should learn from Larian how to make such plots. I don't know where I got that idea from, maybe I'm overthinking it, maybe it's pulling an owl over a globe
