Part 38: Avan Gets Cutscene Killed

Update 32: Avan Gets Cutscene Killed

Welcome back to your regularly scheduled update of Dumb Military School Game, because I'd rather update this now because I won't have time in the morning. Today, we witness the game mostly sticking to a tone after a single whiplash. It's a new record for it, I think.

Also, I have another surprise for you: there's no monthly split this time around, as this is sort of a short month event wise. It's also really jarring when the events aren't shown back to back, which is something the game does by making you do missions while these story events are playing out in medias res.

Yes, this game not only has tone issues, but pacing issues as well.

Oh, and er, it's actually June this time. Not like last time where I showed the picture for June for May because I'm lazy. That means we're nearing the halfway point, in theory. The game just piles on more and more combat to pad content.

----

~ Dorms - Main Story Event ~

Music: Summer in Lanseal

First time hearing this new seasonal track. Musically, it's probably my most liked of the season tracks though something that happens next month really detracts from it. In general, a lot of the music in this game lacks the power that VC1 had, but some of it isn't too bad.



: Yo, Cosette! That book you borrowed from the library? You left it there.

*He then knocks on the door. Which is backward as hell, I know.*

: Is that you, Avan? C'mon in, it's unlocked.



Music: Are We A Spoiled Class?



The game zooms in on various parts of the room with a wacky horn fanfare. Keep this in mind for later.



: P-Purple, red, and teal?! Your room is blinding...
: Really? Hmm, I thought I did a decent job of decorating.
: Anyway, here's that book on medicine that you checked out. You left it there.
: Oh, thanks! I was just wondering where I'd put it.
: You know, I've got to say I'm impressed. I couldn't understand a word of it.
: Your dad was a doctor, right? Did he teach you that stuff?
: A little bit. He ran a private practice in Yuell.



: He could never sit by when he knew people needed help.
: He'd always be heading off to little villages in the mountains or poorer towns.
: Sounds like a real stand-up guy.
: Heh heh. Yeah, that's why I want to be like him.
: I'm sure you will be. Especially if you stop leaving your books at--

*More knocking, but the person doesn't even wait*

Music: Conflict



: What's wrong, Coleen?
: I just heard some professors talking...
: The rebels have entered central Gallia!
: There's a big battle going on in Yuell, and the Army is having a rough time.
: Wait, in Yuell?
: Isn't that where you're--




: Dad... Mom...


: We.. We can?
: I'm sure Brixham will let us go if we explain the situation to him. C'mon!




----

After that tonal whiplash, the game has played part of its hand. Cosette, who's spent most of her time as comic relief or an exposition fairy trying to get noticed, finally begins to reveal her tragic backstory hinted at like 15 times.

The outline of her arc at least makes sense for a war game like this, though this game doesn't do great at writing it well.

Also, the game would go from right here to the normal daily stuff, like usual. Wacky antics and a boring fluff mission would normally follow each of these events. It's very jarring in practice.

But you know the drill, I'm skipping all of that.

----

~ Back Alley - Main Story Event ~

Music: Tear of Wars




: Yuell's a little north of us, so we can't move without Army orders?! Stupid!
: I applied here because I wanted to protect what matters to me, but now...



: What?
: I know two people isn't going to be enough to drive back the rebels.
: But maybe we can make an opening for the Army to turn things around.
: Avan...
: "The pain of my friend is my own." Leon's words.
: Any time I felt blue or got mad or got hurt, he was right there for me.
: He'd be worrying along or getting mad with me. We faced it all together.
: Now it's my turn to be there for my friend!



: Hey, don't cry! C'mon, we should get going!





: This is important, Zeri. I'm going, now get out of the way.
: Even if you do go... You'll be breaking academy rules, going AWOL, and for what?
: So you can die a senseless death in Yuell and drag Lanseal's name in the mud?
: Or maybe we'll actually make a difference! We won't know until we try.
: You'll know the minute you consider the facts. They are elite armored corps!



: You can't win what you can't win, Avan. That's a simple fact.
: Why do you always do this? You drag everyone else into your insane plans.
: I told you, I have to become a hero!
: I have no desire to get killed as a result of your suicidal impulses, oka--



: A hero?! Don't make me laugh!
: A hero for what?! For having played it safe long enough to get promoted?
: If you can't help a friend who's suffering, then to Hel with all of it!
: I've got no more time for this. Cosette, let's go!








----

So Avan slugs Zeri for having common sense and then drags a traumatized girl to a warzone. Our protagonist, folks.

I mean, sure, Welkin would take on a suicidal mission, but at least he'd have a damn plan and a good head for tactics.

And yes, Avan's just going to get through this with the powers of being a protagonist. Why would you expect any more of this game?

----

~ Yuell - Main Story Event ~

Music: Tear of Wars




: Cosette, you're shaking. You gonna be able to fight?
: I...I'll be fine! See? Fine.

*She stops shaking for a moment, but it starts again*

*Then a shell lands nearby*

: ...There are just more of them than I thought.
: We'd never get through them from the front. We need a plan.

*Radio beeps*




Music: Theme of Class G



: I knew it! We got into Yuell okay...
: But there are too many rebels for a frontal assault.
: Obviously.
: You're only two people. What were you planning to do if we didn't show up?
: We?



: I can't have you ruining my reputation by dragging Lanseal's name in the mud.
: Everybody? Zeri, I--
: There's no time. Here's the plan. I see an arms depot in the town center.
: We'll create a diversion.
: Meanwhile, you and Cosette will get in there and blow up that depot.
: That should cause them to panic, which gives us a window to attack.



: Compared to you, anyways. Just the same, this plan hinges on you two.
: Stay alive long enough to rendezvous. Promise me.
: I promise. We won't waste this chance, you guys!






----

So here's the trick, this week has two required story missions and this is just the first. This won't be the last time. We'll start seeing three in a row near the end.



This mission just requires you to walk to a certain location and you win. With my cheats flawless strategy, it's pretty easy to do. That being said, Yuell's an entirely new map we haven't seen before.

[Player Turn Music: Street Battle

Enemy Turn Music: Defense Battle

These are the tracks, and I only bother listing them because they're my favorite battle theme from VC1. These are the remixes used in VC2 which lack a lot of the energy, but they're the songs nonetheless.



That being said, it's also probably one of the better looking areas in the game. It's main gimmick is thunderstorms and spotlights. The thunderstorms are automatic mortar fire every turn, preventable with a lightning rod. The spotlights call mortars on your location when a unit is spotted.

Anyways, we beat that mission and we see the next event.

----

~ Yuell - Main Story Event ~





: Uh huh. And yet here you are with us. Interesting!




: Enough chatter, you goons. We're still mid-operation here.
: Thank you, Zeri.
: We couldn't have made it this far without you. Right, Cosette?



: Cosette?
: ...Mm? Ah! R-right. Thank you, Zeri!
: Are you all right? You look awfully pale. You should fall back.
: No! I can't! I'm fine... I'll be fine!
: Well, tell us if anything comes up. Don't do anything crazy out there.
: I never thought I'd hear that coming from you.
: You always have to go and ruin the moment, don't you?
: The enemy is confused, guys. We'll move in and take their camps.





Music: Theme of the Rebels





That is corret, ma'am.

: Well, no matter. All who would stand in the way of the revolution must fall.
: In casting their lot with the vile usurpers of House Randgriz, they sin.
: It falls to me to put them to justice, in the name of the Valkyrian flame!







----

The game doesn't immediately launch you into this one, if I remember right. That means you can go back to school and catch up on all your wacky hijinks, then come back to serious story time. If not this one, then some later ones do.

Anyways, this time we're up against crazy lady for the first time. She hides, camping the enemy's base camp flag sitting decked out in her super-tank.



This big ass thing, to be precise. It's also what's shooting the mortar fire. Notably, this area has another gimmick, namely toxic waste that drains your HP if you run through it.



The purple stuff you see is said toxic waste. It's kind of annoying because it applies the HP Down debuff, which effectively does a little bit of damage to you then vanishes, so it creates a giant backlog of negative potential notifications.



It's not technically necessary to kill Audrey, but it's basically required. Fortunately, it's not too hard to get behind her tank.

Got it? Okay, onto the next and final event for today then.

----

~ - Main Story Event ~

Music: Theme of the Rebels




: All right... Understood. We'll have no more sacrifice here.





Music: Tear of Wars





: What?! C'mon, let's go!
: Huh?! Wait, Avan!






: Cosette, this man needs immediate attention. Here, I'll help.



: Cosette? What's the matter? We need to hurry!
: No... I'm scared! I...I can't! I can't help them!
: Pull it together, Cosette! You're an engineer, right? You want to be a doctor!




: I can't... Blood scares me... Red scares me!



: Cosette, you... Are you saying you're colorblind?
: But wait. You've treated me plenty of times before!
: Just remember what you did then! You can do it. These people need you!
: No, I... I'm too scared... If I mess up, all these people will die!
: No way.
: Avan, don't!

*Gunshot*

Music: None




: Are you crazy?!
: Crazy if I... thought you wouldn't save me...
: What?



: Yes, I did.
: Then don't... give up. You've still got a... long way to go... Doc...
: You can save me... Save all these people...
: I have... f-faith in...






---

Welp, that's VC2 folks. Avan dies after shooting himself trying to spur on a traumatized Cosette who couldn't save him due to fear of blood.

...Yeah. That's the ending to this game. All that stuff about a dreaded summer scene and a bunch of more updates to go? Nope, none of that exists.

I'll, uh, just go work on my other LP now.













































What, you didn't think I was serious, did you?

Music: Faint Youth





: You idiot!
: Wha--?! That's a pretty harsh thing to wake up to!
: It's the truth! How could you shoot yourself?! How could you do that to me?
: But here I am, all patched up. You saved me.
: Somehow. I didn't know what I was looking at half the time!
: Well, thanks.
: ...You're welcome. And thank you, too. I guess.



: I won't run away from my demons anymore. I promise.
: But I want you to promise me something, too.
: Promise you what?
: That you'll never think it's okay to sacrifice yourself for your squad.
: That you'll never pull another stunt like that again.
: Risking your life in the field and throwing it away to be noble are different.



: I'm sorry, Cosette... I promise.
: I'm going to keep fighting for my squad and for a peaceful Gallia.
: We'll grow old and compare stories about all this someday. Okay?
: Okay!


----

Here's the actual end of the month. It picks up right where the next update begins.

From all of this, Cosette gains Blood Trauma, the reason why she's usually considered the worst engineer in the game. Replacing Klutz, her minor accuracy drop debuff, Blood Trauma causes her to have a very high chance to drain all AP when being shot at. Yes, it makes her a sitting duck. It's awful, I know.

Story-wise, I feel like this would work a lot better if the game maintained a consistent tone. This feels horribly dissonant with the fact we spend half our time watching dumb anime tropes and wacky high school hijinks unfold. Listen, it's not comic relief if it's half your story.

(Also yes, the bad taste in designing her bedroom at the beginning of the update is because she's fully colorblind.)

Again, I think there's some interesting takes here, but this game doesn't use any of it well.


Next update'll be out soon, where we watch Avan get discharged for going AWOL. I won't joke about the game ending early or anything then. I'll admit I had a plan to pull a "Gotcha" by ending the update early but I kinda don't like making light of a serious situation, no matter how contrived it may be.

Anyways, that's it. Come back next time, or not. The dreaded summer scene is coming up next and you're fully excused for missing it.