Part 87: Update LXXXIV - Featuring: Not time travel

Update LXXXIV - Featuring: Not time travel



So, what's the end result of hijacking the creation of a new universe?



Music: The Daily Grind




The same as the old universe, of course!



I'd like to make it clear that this isn't more time travel. We made a new world that's just 99% identical to the old one.











...We didn't.





Oh god we did.

Somehow we turned Nagamimi from an alien rabbit plushie into a tiny anime girl.

I think the only time the game used a gendered term for Nagamimi before this, period, was when she sarcastically called herself Nagamommy at the very end of Intermission 2.



Who?

Are you deaf!? I told you, I'm the Almighty Nagamimi! W-Wait... What's that look for? Just what are you looking at!? This is all your goddamn fault!

~

You're smoking'!

~~~!? Wh—What're you thinking about, pervert!? It's your goddamn fault I look like this!

~~

You did it, Unit 13. You beat VFD, and saved this planet... You steered us away from the end. You honestly did really well Opal.

*nods*

But... things aren't quite back to normal, as you can prolly tell.




Then why is it still called Nodens.

Nodens is just a plain old game company. Allie doesn't exist. Neither do Chika and Rika. The Dragon Sickness is completely gone, too. More importantly... Nobody seems to remember who you are. I know... Depressing, huh?

And I guess the reason Nagamimi is now a tiny anime girl is because there's no logical way for her to be on Earth as she was with no dragons around? No dragons, no way her home planet gets razed, no ND to take her in and bring her here, so she had to have her history revised to be an Earthling instead.

Sure hope Nagamimi didn't have anyone she missed back home!

*shakes head*



I'm just happy to have saved them.

Is that so...? Heh! You guys are really too much! How can you be that easy-going!?

~

Nope. I have my cute Nagamimi now.

S-Sure... I guess that's better than nothing. I made a proper record of your bravery. I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to.

~~

It seems like the effect was greater on the people who were closer to dragons... But you should go see the others. See with your own two eyes what's been lost, and what's been gained. I'll be waiting here. Feel free to come back if you get lonely.

Time for the time honored 7th Dragon tradition:



Running around and talking to everyone one last time before the credits.



Of course, even this is incredibly slimmed down compared to the others. No dragons means no time machine or refugees means the only people here are a handful of civilians and the Nodens employees.



~

Bartender: New encounters may either create new possibilities, or destroy them...

~

Skilled Man: 7th Encount... Maybe now I can reach the top of the leaderboards.

And since we, you know, utterly erased all the events of the game, we don't get any congratulations for saving the world.



The cats are still here though.





What even is 7th Encount about, now that dragons don't exist?



Hell, this whole ending just raises more questions than it answers the moment you dig into it.



~

Jealous Man: I wish I had a girlfriend...

What's the state of the world in the new universe? If things are identical to how it was before, what happened to human population to keep it so low?



Is life now heading to a dead end, now that there are no dragons to seed barren planets with new life?



What kind of butterfly effect made the otaku never get into anime?



Where are the other party members? Did they just get beamed off to whatever nebulous place they inhabited before we recruited them?

Hell, is Opal still the 7th True Dragon?



Despite Nodens being a totally normal game company here, Akutsu came in for a visit.



This is literally the first time we see him in person.



Nice to meet you.

Ah, are you an employee here? Great timing. Could you call President Julietta down here? He is immeasurably late...

~

Where are Yoritomo and Yuma?

Yoritomo is out with his daughter somewhere, but...



Things we were able to do when remaking reality: Turning Nagamimi into a tiny anime girl.

Things we were not able to do: Bring back Yuma.


Sucks to suck, Yuma!

~~



At least it looks like Yoritomo never abandoned Mio in this timeline.



How long does he plan on making me wait? He is the one who requested we meet about coastal reconstruction. It has been 80 years since the disaster, yet the world is still recovering. We cannot waste time!

Oh so something did happen in 2020 here.

Please excuse me.







~

Receptionist: Welcome to Nodens Games!



Job Seeker: No! I can't be such a coward... Nodens games gave me courage! I should be fine!







Attendant Kureha: Although... you seem to be pretty knowledgeable already.





We're not allowed in the Portal room.



And the only people in the storage room were refugees.



So the entire floor is empty.



Developer Kirk: I wonder what kind of reaction they'll have! I can't wait to find out!











I'd like to point out that we aren't Nodens employees in this universe and Julietta is in charge.

They just let random strangers waltz in to the President's office.





I'm Opal.

Ah... And... what is it you want?

~

Hey, Jurota.

Wh-What!? H-Hold on... Who are you?

~~



Do you remember Allie?

Both give the same result.

Allie...? I've never heard that name before. Is she one of your little playmates?

*nods*

I see... Hm... Allie... Allie... I honestly don't know, though... hearing the name is somehow nostalgic for me...



*sob* *sniffle*

Oh, so this is one of those 'in case of emergency, invoke Power of Friendship' kinds of amnesia.



I've been working on a fun little experiment.



I'd like

to point out

that Nodens is a normal game company now.

And Julietta treats making a time machine like he can do it in an afternoon and happily blabs to someone he doesn't know.



As you do.

The world will change completely once I finish it... I believe in the power of science... and the power of humanity. No matter what, humans continue to grow. By connecting the past and the future to the present time, I'll be able to prove that theory. It'll be a huge step forward if today's experiment goes well. I hope you come see it, cutie! *chuckle* Look forward to it★



The implication here is that Julietta will use his time machine, connect to Atlantis and Eden, (Somehow. There's no True Dragon for the time machine to lock onto anymore so how will he pick those years over all the others?) and then we'll be able to reunite with all our friends.

Of course, given how something happened 80 years ago in place of the Dragon Invasion, it stands to reason that more somethings end up destroying Atlantis and the world before Eden so they can still line up with the old universe's history.



Do you think those deaths would be on Opal's hands now, as the one who made the world this way?







System Message: You don't recognize any of the voices within...





I bet the dorms are to entice employees to work ungodly amounts of overtime without having to leave the office to sleep in this universe.



In our room, there's a shiny object sitting just past the couch.



System Message: Yuma, Allie, everyone from Atlantis and Eden... They are all clearly visible.



We aren't allowed to mess with the party, naturally.



There's no one on the Rest Floor.













Despite Nodens being filled with cats, Nyadens is nowhere to be found.



Nurse Maimai: Hm? Oh, I'm talking about vitamin shots! Vitamin D is great for office workers!



Doctor Hori: It's thanks to Professor Nagumo that we can hold our own even against large hospitals.

Wait...



He's here too!?





I'm Opal.

Hm... I see. That's a nice name.

~

Where's Mio?

Mio...? Are you a friend of hers? She went out shopping...

~~



How about Dragon Sickness?

Um... What exactly is that?

~

And Yuma?

Yuma...? Hm...

~~



... I... I don't know... All I can say for now is... Thank you... Opal.



Overworked Planner: N-No...! They're here... *mumble*

~

Nurse Marimari: Please get a hold of yourself! Nobody is coming to get you! The one-two punch of energy drinks and sleep deprivation must've put him over the edge...









Have you noticed that the Restricted Section itself is never used at any point in the game?



Also Kirino's hideout is still here.













And just one more floor to go.



Researcher Marie: The mission should be saving lots of cats so you can open a cat cafe. What a wasted opportunity...

In the old universe those things in the tubes were dragon specimens.

What the fuck are they here? Decor?





Researcher Joe: This is the fate of an office worker... Even after I got his favorite hero's autograph...



Ami: It took three months to make, but I'm thrilled with the result! It just looks so... delicious!



Marco: Maybe it descended from space...? I can't wait to analyze it.





And we're done!



Talking to Nagamimi lets you move on to the credits.





First option sends you back, naturally.

I'm finished.

Had enough? The world's changed a hell of a lot, huh? A few people seem to have some fragments of your existence in their memories. If not everything about the old world is gone, maybe Allie and Yuma are out there somewhere, too...



But I guess it's not impossible...



Meaning... the will of humanity can shape the future of this planet.



*nods*



Eeheehee... I don't know what kinda! party she was planning, but she seemed real excited.







*giggle* I need to be ready for when they come back.



Don't worry so much, dad~!

Hrm... My apologies...

*giggle* You don't need to be sorry! You're so weird, dad.



Music: Stops














Video: The End














Music: ChRøNiClESeVeN








And that's the game!



In hindsight, maybe they should have cut back on the number of voice actors.



Battle team, you fucked up. You fucked up big.



Monolith Soft worked on VFD????



I can't even find Pixel Pocket Co., but they were probably subcontractors hired to help make the levels.



Considering how little NPC dialogue changed across the game, I bet that was a revolving door of people. 2020-II had just 4, for comparison.



Honestly, there are a lot of separate companies being credited here, more than I usually see in a game. I wonder if they were having to bring in a bunch of contractors by the end just to get across the finish line.

















Next time: The payoff to all those Yu-Gi-Oh jokes.