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Episode Prompto – Starting Up
-There are three possibilities storylines I can think of for this DLC. In order of likelihood:
1) What’s going on with Prompto now that he got tossed off the train.
2) Prompto’s perspective back in Altissia while Noctis was pushing towards Leviathan.
3) Childhood Prompto, during his running and training, interspersed with current events.
-The episode selection screen locks me into #1. It’s a gorgeous, painterly perspective of Prompto in snow gear. So maybe we’ll see him in the Ghovoras Rift we read about last time, Shiva’s graveyard.
-The one thing I want – the ONE THING – is for this not to be a shooter. That’s just not my genre, and I had enough of a taste of it in Dirge of Cerberus that I’m not super into another one.
But Prompto is a gun guy, so I’m bracing myself.
-I select normal difficulty and we’re off.
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In the Tundra
-We start with Prompto trudging through some snow. This might be in media res for his story, given that he’s already acquired winter gear. [Later edit: no explanation, but that’s okay. Maybe he got it from some settlement he happened across briefly, or just a video game thing.]
-JEEEEESUS he looks cold!
*several days later…*
HOW IS HE NOT DEAD??? [Later edit: I know, I know, another video game thing. Not a big deal.]
-This is painful. Each step he takes through this tundra is a Herculean task.
-He passes out as several imperial dropships hover nearby.
-HEY IT’S ADORABLE KID PROMPTO!
“All I wanted was friends, but nobody ever wanted me back. When I finally found people who did want me, I did everything I could to make them stay.”
-I’ll be miffed if Ardyn’s appearance swappity-doo causes some great split with Noctis. I get that he’d be confused, but the change was so sudden that he has to know it was mind control or something.
“Ever since then, I’d lived my life in fear. That one day, they’d find out who I really was, and they wouldn’t want me anymore.”
Already heartbreaking. (And I even more love aproustian’s headcanon that Prompto is a trans man. Headcanon adopted.)
-We see a montage of him hanging with the group, and the last bit is Noctis’ attack. I totally get how this would confuse him, but I PRAY they don’t focus on another strife-by-misunderstanding plot.
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Life in Captivity
-Prompto wakes up inside a metal room.
“It’s gone.” He looked at his wrist for something. Not sure what he’s referring to, if there he had some bracelet or whatever in the main game that I just didn’t notice.
-A newspaper clipping nearby describes the First Magitek Production Facility, overseen by Verstael Besithia. Now THIS would be cool, to learn more about magitek in the DLC!
-Found a recorded research log from Verstael. Using daemons for trooper fuel has been highly unstable, but “he” provided some new possible formula. Probably Ardyn.
-It’s called “The Deathless Project.” The moment you named your science project that seems like it should be one of those “are we the baddies?” lightbulb moments. Or maybe not – I mean, it’s about preventing death, not a terrible thing on its surface.
-He pushes his hand on some bioscan thing… and it recognizes him?
HI ARDYN. Stole his gun.
“Even after all these years it still recognizes you.” OH SHIT SHIT SHIT. We know Prompto had a lonely life growing up adopted from “Brotherhood.” Was he originally some science project?
The prototypical troll!Ardyn screenshot, capering behind an annoyed party member.
-Prompto’s reminding me of Cloud. Similar physical attributes - wild blond hair, blue eyes, slender build -and possible similar sciency background. As Ardyn talks about Prompto’s “reunion” with Verstael, I wonder how much the resemblance is intentional.
-Ardyn gave the gun back, but disappears before Prompto can shoot him.
I don’t really know if this is a dream, but given last chapter, “Ardyn has currently unbounded time and illusion powers” seems a safe bet. I’ll assume Ardyn really was here.
*sits for two minutes bopping to the music* THIS TRACK!! FFXV has pretty much never gone wrong for me when bringing in electronic pieces.
-Hee! The coffee vending machines are rest areas.
-I have two weapons, knife and handgun. Infinite ammo for the handgun, and good.
-Through a window we see magitek troops lined up in sleep mode.
The large tank behind them screams “Jenova!” The VII feels continue.
-I like the stealth-kill system!
-Another research log. Early troops that were experimented on suffered “ego deaths.”
“If a sense of self is the source of these snags, why not inject infants with the plasmodia instead?” Sounds reasonable and not horrifying.
Maybe the ego death is, like, you inject a daemon’s power into an adult and they feel like they’re possessed and can’t take it?
-More weapons. A bazooka, a sniper rifle, grenades… I especially like the sniper rifle, since I hate trying to aim when rushed.
-The brief outside passage is SO GORGEOUS! Winter settings are my jam.
-The next section has us find a barcode guide, like the barcode we saw on Prompto’s wrist. Troopers use a 5-digit model number, and infants use a 4-digit one. I’ll bet Prompto has four digits.
-The next research log is a pissed Verstael venting that a Lucian stole one of the injected infants.
-Verstael made a ton of clones from his own genes. Have I mentioned FFVII yet because FFVII.
-Prompto is perceptive about all this, picking up on the implications. It hits him hard.
-There’s a “termination report” a bit farther in, in a room with some people in tanks. All those “terminated” have an infant coding.
-Reached the room with the daddo. And now that I see Verstael, his physical similarity to FFIX’s Garland now puts me in mind of that game’s identity mindfuck plot.
-I’m still unsure why Ardyn brought Prompto back here. All we’ve seen makes it seem like Prompto is just one faceless soldier among many. Or is Verstael hoping that his life away gave him something special that’s not present in the other soldiers?
-Whew, half of Verstael’s face is turning this slimy purple.
VERSTAEL: “Mwa ha ha! [he basically says this] With your help, my ascension to divinity is now all but complete.” So something about Prompto specifically is going to be used to power Verstael.
[Later edit: Still not sure about this. Seems like anyone could have “killed” Verstael to trigger the transformation, no?]
-A headshot takes down the monologuing Verstael, but I have zero doubt he’s about to pop back up in some other form.
-He’s also been talking about taking on the gods themselves. That combined with his purple smoky aura makes me think he’s tapping into that (still unnamed iirc?) cosmic enemy.
-As I have so many times in this game, I have to ask myself: what does Ardyn get out of this interaction? Sure, he gets to mwa-ha-ha a bit about Prompto being alone and a patricide, but why does he care about Prompto?
-A mechanical voice reads out: “Daemonification complete. Initiating transfer to Unit XDA-1002: immortalis.” Doesn’t sound great for us, but I imagine this is what Ardyn and Verstael were aiming for.
-ARANEA DROPS IN YESSSSS MY SHIP IS STILL ON COURSE!
-They fight well together. I’m about to run out of time when I realize I can probably just run to the snowmobile awaiting, and off we go.
OR OFF I GO? Aranea stays behind to cover my back.
-And then it’s my worst nightmare: a fucking driving sequence. I’m SO BAD at these, and this is no different.
Thank God it’s forgiving. I make it through despite hitting a billion boulders, getting shot up, and taking a dozen missiles to the face.
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Next time: the conclusion of Episode Prompto.
