Part 197: 12/24: Velvet Deception

Part 186: 12/24: Velvet Deception

Music: Aria of the Soul




I was torn apart by a malevolent will, and took the form of those twins. I sought help before my body was split in two.





And I beg of you… Please save us…




Your lies shall work no longer now that my sight has been restored…!



It’s not!? Ah, shit! How much more of this is there!?

Music: Desire



Igor’s got a nasty case of levitation going on there.



You guys, I’m starting to think this might not be the real Igor!

Be careful.





Well, that’s… strange. Whatever the hell your plan is, it’s incredibly elaborate!

No… It may be more accurate to say that I am a god who responds to desire and holds dominion over man.



However… the result is as you know—the masses have made it so none of it has transpired. Humans should be met with ruin: you brought forth that answer. But to be frank, Inmate, I believe it may be worth reevaluating you. A human has reached the Holy Grail and has seen through my true identity… You’ve surprised the god that I am often enough. That cannot be done by a foolish commoner. You truly were a prisoner that did not bore me.

Music: The Spirit



Oh, for fuck’s sake




Yadda yadda, let’s get on with it.



I shall grant you an opportunity to make a deal with me.



Should you wish it, I shall return the world to its prior state—one rampant with distorted masses.



You forcefully dragged him into the Metaverse and imposed an ordeal he did not deserve… Yet you still intend on toying with him!?
The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame. The world will escape ruin as well. ...What say you?
If I agree to this, the ruined city will return to normal. However, the people will remain trapped, abandoning their ability to think for themselves… Is that really how the world should be?

Oh no, it’s a bad ending option!




Maaku gets sassy.

Well said.
Such irredeemable foolishness… You choose death for yourself? Very well. I have no need for you.







Music: Aria of the Soul




Hmm, are we sure this is the real Igor this time? Let’s rough him up just to make sure.




Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.



Meet Real Igor.

Okay, this is actually really weird and silly, but I should probably mention it. In Persona 3 and Persona 4, Igor was voiced in Japanese by Isamu Tanonaka. Unfortunately, Tanonaka died in 2010, so his role was scaled back considerably for later games, with all of his following appearances using archive audio. That’s part of the reason the Igor we spend most of this game with was a fake. However, they did not actually recast Real Igor. If you play the Japanese vocal track, it’s again just archive audio, with any lines they don’t have just being muted.

Anyway, in the English versions of Persona 3 and 4, Igor was played by Dan Woren. Then, for some weird reason, they recast him as Vic Mignogna for the few lines he had in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax instead of using archive audio like the Japanese version. The “Warden” (Fake Igor) in 5 is voiced by David Lodge, but they didn’t get Woren back for this game either, instead using Kirk Thornton for some fucking reason, because hey, he was already in the booth recording for the SIU Director, I guess!

He is the rightful master of this Velvet Room, the true aid on your journey.



It may be difficult for you to understand this all at once.
If I were to summarize this, the “fake” has left, and the “real” has returned.

That doesn’t really help, no.

Indeed…



Thus, you may be able to save this world that is headed toward certain ruin. However, it will prove difficult to win against him with your power alone…



You must release your teammates, with whom you’ve shared your conviction.



Oh hey, my friends are actually still alive. That’s cool.

This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…



Not necessarily? You make it sound like they’re either currently dying or some of them have already died. That doesn’t sound great.

Just as you were trapped here, they should be confined somewhere as well… Since you’ve deepened your bond with them, I am certain you can release them. Once they—the Phantom Thieves—are all gathered here… We will tell you everything.



Well, looks like it’s time to reassemble the party.