I AM LOUIS GUIABERN - Metaphor: ReFantazio - 28

[@NicoB]

Holy shit, I don't know what's happening. I'm scared.

[@BanditTheThief09]

My exact reaction tbh

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

And this is the Atlus experience we sign up for

[@roninwarriorsfan]

Atlus is good at storytelling, thats for sure

[@NotaStalker1000]

Oh you better strap in, my boy.

[@tacoman422]

Admit it, you totally didn't expect your plan to assassinate Louis to be interrupted by the Phantom Thieves breaking in to steal the Holy Grail.

[@Gestrid]

I think you mean they... _puts on sunglasses_ never saw it coming. _YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!_

[@BlueCrimson10]

Who'd have thought they would Take Over the game's plot

[@StarBornMichael]

Oh god, and remember that part where Morgana told Bizzle to go to sleep for a random reason? I don't know why, but he's only dead. It's kind of weird and random, and we were all just watching after 5 minutes anyway. Yeah, that was something I never saw coming!

[@JackDout]

Cinema

[@JackDout]

-He didn't recognize it, somuvabich

[@Dsmi2222]

Louis tanked a lance that pierced through him after it was thrown with extreme speed, resisted Eupha's attempt to recall it by keeping it inside him, eventually pulled it out himself, then willingly came up to the roof to accept a duel, inviting the opposition to fight with as many members as they wish. I can't help but imagine after removing the lance from his body, Louis simply stared at it for a moment before saying "...Fascinating."

[@LianteakaLia]

Or a simple "Ah... it actually works. Good to know." :D He's almost scaringly pragmatic.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

Louis: "Tis but a scratch!" Bizzle: "A scratch!? You've got a lance impaled in your chest!" Louis: ".... I've had worse."

[@oreotaku4017]

Bizzle: You LIAR!!

[@Cosplaythief]

“Only a flesh wound”

[@zeroknight1311]

Bizzle: Like what? Louis: Trust me.....there's a reason why the spiciest of foods isn't allowed to be served on my runner anymore.

[@ZonaiHero-ul5nm]

@@zeroknight1311So does that mean it’s canon that Louis survived mystery food x?

[@zeroknight1311]

@ZonaiHero-ul5nm Well just barely survived

[@fafaaf61]

Fun fact: the relics presented at the the exhibition are all references to other Atlus games. The holy grail is an exact replica of the Holy Grail form of Yaldabaoth from Persona 5. The other relics include the Piggytron which Kaneshiro summoned during his boss fight and the helmet of a Demonica from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

[@Demon_Tiem]

I knew that pig was familiar for some reason lol

[@shiromatsunoki]

I won’t lie at first I thought Louis had a body double to trick us, but no that was really him who got struck by the lance and just tanked it. Now THAT is how you have a villain show off their skill and terror

[@CyrusLastiwka]

*pulls the lance up and out his shoulder, then tosses it to the feet of a nearby goblin* "try, again"

[@gregperianayagam4522]

Nico I don't know if you noticed but Junah literally sang "I am thou and thou art I". Very subtle reference there atlus.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

If she's really a Persona user, then of course she would've heard those words...

[@Gestrid]

By the way, I believe the Memorandum updated to mention this since Batlin brought it up early this episode, but the so-called "Paripus Riots" that were caused by those Igniter experiments were the very same "riots" that cost the life of Heismay's son. You'd do well to check out the Memorandum more often. It's usually got some interesting tidbits whenever it updates, even if it's just basic world-building. There's a lot of interesting history stuff, and there's also a new entry unlocked whenever your party members reach Rank 8, too, called "On [Party Member]".

[@SientifikSiameez7799]

Oh this entire sequence of the assassination plot had me by the BALLS, which is really impressive considering I don't even have any!

[@Amberle38]

Same on both counts 😂

[@Cosplaythief]

Lol same. I haven’t been on edge for a jrpg assassination since FF8.

[@pn2294]

@@SientifikSiameez7799 no you do They’re just tucked inside

[@IrfanFakhrianto]

I FUCKING LOVE LOUIS GUIABERN AS AN ANTAGONIST, HES SO FUCKING COOL BRO FACETANKED THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AND SAID "FUCK IT, TRY AND KILL ME AGAIN, IF YOU KILL ME THAT JUST MEANS YOU'RE BETTER"

[@zanesy6250]

Bro is a true warrior and is supposed to be representative of the might is right philosophy. He clearly believes that only the strong should survive and he actually has conviction for this belief.

[@LianteakaLia]

@@zanesy6250 So true! I love how he said: "If you live by a creed, show me its strength!" Boiled down, the duel would show which side had strongest conviction in their own belief and vision. It might look odd on the surface but when you think about it, it's amazingly true to his character.

[@Ken-z1j8l]

It's kinda funny how the crier's voice is so different between when he announces and when he's having a heartfelt conversation, like an annoying uncle and a friendly man who's been through so much.

[@thunderhogTH]

If there's ever a scene in this game that perfectly portrays the anxiety that they constantly talk about, it's the assassination scene. Slowly readying up the killing blow, your entire journey thus far riding on this one toss. The only thing standing in your way is a single glance your direction. Every second you hesitate that chance growing larger, only building up to your anxiety. All the while Junah's singing a grandiose song to motivate you to press forward. And all the tension is just brought down to zero the moment you finally let the lance fly. Louis gets hit, and as far as we're concerned, we did it. But then as a player you suddenly worry about what insane crap did Louis pull off to get past this. Anxiety starts rushing back until all of a sudden Louis returns, injured but prepared to fight. With all options gone, you now have to turn your worst fears into a final push to fulfill your mission. Anxiety now turns to power, as you finally put an end to Louis.

[@VariantJD]

The sheer tension during the assassination attempt was probably the most in sync I’ve been with a protagonist while playing a game in a long time, completely on the edge of my seat. Then when I was certain something was going to go wrong, I was absolutely floored that it technically worked, Louis just ended up tanking it and still showing up to play ball. Just an amazing cinematic sequence.

[@diandraaliffa2116]

15:48 I saw someone else once point this out, but Heismay crying in this scene is probably him trying to cope with the realization that the paripus weren't responsible for his son's death, and were instead victims all the same. Probably had to face an uncomfortable truth about his paripus racism from earlier. A lovely extra detail for this goofy drunk scene :) 21:02 As someone who went to the trouble of reloading and seeing all the dragon statue cutscenes for myself, sadly not all of them are particularly romantic >.< If you wanna know what Strohl's was though, there's a moment where Strohl asks Bizzle "what did you wish for?" and there's an option that says "I forgot to...". Strohl will then say "If you can't think of any (wish), feel free to steal mine. It could use all the help it can get" and "Your wishes...they seem to come true. I've felt that way since all the way back in the fort." Later as they return, Junah comes up and asks what they ask for and Strohl says "you're not supposed to tell anyone, you know" to which Junah responds "Something not fit for a lady's ears, is it?". Strohl then denies this while flustered and then tells Bizzle to tell her she's got it all wrong xD

[@fafaaf61]

I like how you can find references to the igniter experiments long before they become plot relevant. Not only does Neuras mention it in his Social Links but If you check random NPC dialogue, there's actually some reference to the experiments too.

[@Gestrid]

It comes up in several small instances throughout the main story, too.

[@Christian_Kim]

I love how confident and unwavering Louis was when starting the duel. When after being pierced by the Lance, his convictions were unwavering and he never backed down from his vision of his utopia. This was definitely one of the moments that made me love him as the game’s antagonist.

[@colt1903]

So he's still alive then, cuz you refer to him like he's the sole antagonist instead of just one of them.

[@pn2294]

More like he didn’t want to admit that he was weakened

[@colt1903]

@@pn2294 Except he did. Him being there after being wounded is him blatantly admitting he was weakened, cuz it's impossible for him NOT to be after that. Once they saw him wounded they would know he's weakened.

[@rktnate14]

It really says a lot about how detestable Louis is when Eupha, after ONE conversation with him, immediately jumps on the bandwagon of killing him, after expressing doubt over the fact beforehand.

[@TLNT2103-zg3sb]

A bit funnier if you account for the fact that Louis admits to the whole scorched earth plan AFTER he notices that Eupha doesn't hate him, as if he decided that he MUST rectify that immediately.

[@genesys3357]

​@@TLNT2103-zg3sbI have a theory about why that is. It involves spoilers but it makes alot of sense.

[@fafaaf61]

I like how the Magnus brothers don't immediately just buy what the party tells them and actually brings up a very good point: for all the talk the party gives about equality and ideals, ultimately that's the party's own ideas not the prince's. The party has no guarantee that the prince will believe the same things that the party does. Sure we know from flashbacks that Prince believes in a better world and was inspired by More's book but Louis himself perfectly demonstrates that believing in utopia and being inspired by the book are NOT guarantees that a person's beliefs will be the same as the protagonist's. Hell even if the Prince's ideals do match the protagonists there's no guarantee that he'll keep them for his entire reign or that electing him is the right idea. After all the old king believed in a better world too yet look at where he left the country: infused with division and strife.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

Yeah, now that you mention it... Louis did claim to be the bringer of an Utopia But if all you believe in is Power, then by Power you will also fall... the metacomentary of this story is top notch, very nuanced and diverse

[@pn2294]

What’s great about this whole plot is that it’s a dark parallel to the rest of the game. Heismay’s arc in particular. Louis who was so candid about his crimes never once admitted to killing the prince. Everyone assumed that Louis was just an Aizen level mastermind and that’s why he was able to get away with his crimes, but in truth, the reason why he was so good at covering his tracks because he was never involved to begin with. Unlike with Heismay, the group was prejudiced against Louis, Strohl in particular, so they were eager to assign blame to him without thinking about whether it made sense.

[@mastermindmonokuma]

The fact he killed the king, and Grius, who was convinced it was him too, based on his eye witness (pun not intended). Certainly didn't help.

[@DLxxx]

Eh, I mean... The biggest reason people thought it was Louis who assassinated the Prince is because he all but admits it to Forden at the King's funeral. Not outright, but he never even tried to deny it then. You'd think, being as candid as he is, that he'd just say no. Funnily enough, Nico (rightly) didn't think it was Louis because we never saw the asailant's face.

[@BlackfangDragon]

An eye witness who didn’t actually see the person in question. Just a masked individual. They assumed that only one person could be a child prodigy capable of such a feat, reinforcing that from the start Louis was easily demonized for being talented.

[@AlexT7916]

​@@DLxxxto be fair Louis admitted to killing a royal, a.k.a the king. He never mentioned the prince

[@evangraham2254]

Bizzle: I wonder who should I choose for the fire festival date tonight. Strohl sits on a table staring right in his eyes. Bizzle: I think I'll take Eupha. Sthorl sheds a tear.

[@colt1903]

Alternatively, Strohl: "Oh thank God, he's finally over me"

[@elijahquiles8507]

It makes sense why forden had the holy grail, he and yaldabaoth both think themselves untouchable from the masses they claim to have control over

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

Yaldabaoth is also a being falsely claiming to be god the creator of all, both in myth and in persona

[@evan_mirDM]

Xbox achievement unlocked: You killed the wrong guy, ya dingus!

[@CyrusLastiwka]

Achievement get: Guilty bystander.

[@pablothecoffeelover2551]

*Ff7 victory fanfare?*

[@Gestrid]

@@pablothecoffeelover2551 More like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. "Doo DOO _DOO_ dink". (I hope someone knows what I'm talking about.)

[@gamefreakin]

16:02 And thus, after saving her village with the help of Bizzle and his companions, Eupha finally got promoted from Priestess to High Priestess

[@milesstorzillo7650]

Fun fact. That's literally all the attacks Louis uses in the fight. A basic attack, Royal Slash, Royal Coercion, and Soul Cry. So if you have someone with Tetrakarn you literally can't even lose, provided you have enough MP. And if all 4 party members have it? Guaranteed unscathed bonus.

[@Gestrid]

@@milesstorzillo7650 And he still wiped my entire team several times until I rearranged some things. Then he still brought me close to death a few times, but I still won.

[@Calhasnopals]

Now seems as good a time as any to bring up one of my favourite stylistic choices about Metaphor: it is VERY French. From its 18th/19th century architectural towns, to the literal "Enlightenment" the Kings magic is forcing upon the people of Euchronia, Metaphor is deeply inspired by post-revolution France. Louis Guiabern is a main catalyst for this Louis is, in so many ways, a parody of the Enlightened France's most prolific figure: Napoleon Bonaparte. With his background as a military wunderkind, his delicate, yet authoritative and utterly captivating personality and his deep disdain for the theocracy, especially the head of said institution, all stem from Napoleonic traits. Even his insistence for a more meritocratic governance is a trait borrowed from Napoleon; one that has fascinating implications for his character if you know the history. As someone who has a degree in this era of history, seeing all this in Altabury, the religious captial of Euchronia (another illusion to Napoleon's fued with the Pope of his day) was such a treat for analysis. It's one of the many reasons this part of the game will always stick with me and helped make Louis even more enthralling an antagonist in my eyes

[@mythriljojo]

The reason Eupha gave more points than Heismay is because the amount of points you gain scale with the activity's availability. The later into the game the activity is unlocked, the more points you get. Doing a speech or a debate later in Altabury Heights yields more points than doing it in Grand Trad or Martira.

[@pippastrelle]

The brothers are such great characters. They're given depth and smarts you couldn't guarantee in other things. Just accusing Junah straight up, brilliant

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

They're my favorites

[@DLxxx]

Fidelio is definitely becoming my favorite so far 💚

[@Blacktwinswords]

Fun fact: Louis's boss theme is called "you face Louis Guiabern".

[@theKingdomKid]

I just want to point out, the name of the song that plays when you fight Louis is called "You Face Louis Guiabern" What a fucking great name for a really great track.

[@Tim0chiii]

1:44:36 "You Face Louis Guiabern" Hands down probably one of my favorite osts in gaming rn👑

[@gregperianayagam4522]

I don't think this is spoilery, it can be removed if it is. But I think the story wants us to catch on that Heismay is kinda racist against paripus, but only because it was a paripus riot where his son died. It is here that both Heismay and the brothers hear the truth about that riot from a man of the theocracy. I only bring this up because it is a story aspect that is barely explored and kinda happens in the background.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

You’re good it’s not a spoiler. It’s been established by what we’ve seen already.

[@linhlenguyen1749]

You're supposed to read that info right when the memonundrum updated. I know you can play the game how you want but the appendix is not that long in this game, especially when Nico can read the entire Trail's book no problem 😢

[@Cosplaythief]

It is something that is written in the memorandum way before this point in the game so it’s not spoiler. I kinda wish they had gone a bit more with this plotline specially with Batlin talking about the riot in passing. But I understand the story didn’t really have space for it because Metaphor trims the fat down already for its story. The memorandum does point out that Heismay feels bad about this part of himself but he can’t help his dislike of paripus and being judgemental on the brothers.

[@colt1903]

​@@Cosplaythief He's like Van Zieks. Perfectly aware of how nonsensical his prejudice is, but can't help that he feels that way and acts on it borderline subconsciously.

[@MugdhaMahdiShams]

Louis gets stabbed by a giant spear and is bleeding out: "GG, Now try again, face to face!"

[@FlameOfUdun96]

September in Metaphor, aka Shit Gets Real month lmao Decades from now, Euchronians across the kingdom will ask each other “where were you the day Louis Guiabern aura farmed on the roof of the Altabury Opera house before dying for our sins?” A truly auspicious day.

[@diandraaliffa2116]

Louis is kil

[@Rogeryoo]

no...

[@H3rmon861]

I love how Louis isn’t even mad you betrayed him. He just respects the hussle and keep it pushing. It’s so funny to me

[@patriciaholt4964]

I'd like to add, Junah, the resident flirt and the person with the most knowledge about love amongst Bizzle's party, interferes with two festival scenes for the Dragon God, those being Strohl's (directly with her butting in at the end and asking if what we were talking about wasn't fit for a lady's ears) and Eupha's (indirectly by telling her that her smile was enough to knock people out). Why interfere with those two specifically if not to tease us about the feelings Bizzle shares for Strohl and Eupha? Do with this information as you will, but the only conclusion I can make is that Strohl and Eupha are both canon love interests for Bizzle, since Junah, the queen of tea, gossip and love, interferes with them specifically over all the others

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

I like how Junah shows up in Strohl's scene, since she mentioned looking for the Magnus brothers and it perfectly fits with the immediate scene she has with them.

[@jjmara01]

I mean there is no romance, but many put Eupha as "canon", but to me I still feel Junah has better chemistry with Bizzle, or the MC, then them. But I mean it is all subjective and how we see scenes.

[@patriciaholt4964]

@@jjmara01 I understand where you're coming from as Junah also has great chemistry with the MC. It is a pretty subjective take on who is or isn't romantically interested in the MC (and he towards them) and I might be reading a bit too much into the lines when romance isn't the focus of the scene or the game. I still find the decision to have no proper romance in the game to be disappointing, but I understand why it isn't a mechanic, considering how it could derail or muddle the story. Perhaps we'll be graced in the future with either DLC or a revamp version of the game that has romance either late game or post game (coming from someone who hasn't finished the game yet like Nico)

[@sbfh014]

Idk what better, Louis just saying "ENOUGH TALK, RUN HANDS", or the insane fact that THIS IS HIS VAS FIRST MAJOR OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE(first as in apparently, he did some additional work on ac valhalla and another small game) BUT THATS STILL WILD

[@OmegaWrath77]

This is his VA’s first official performance??? That’s insane his performance is so good

[@FlameOfUdun96]

This is apparently misinformation btw

[@sbfh014]

@@FlameOfUdun96 is it? Nooooooo

[@TheJokerAkaCirque]

First in gaming. He has a background in British audio dramas I believe

[@PanPanHaylie]

Isn't he Dion from FF16 too iirc?

[@EternalFireLynx]

"Aye aye, me hearties," Eupha is a treasure, protect her.

[@Gestrid]

I'd like to compliment the overworld theme for Altabury. As soon as you arrive, it makes it feel like the entire city is waiting with baited breath for what is about to happen.

[@andoryuguen1273]

Same I love the anticipation of the theme with the very slow beat of the triplets and then the light brass blares in the back. It almost mimics the intensity and sound of your heartbeat.

[@Gestrid]

@andoryuguen1273 Exactly!

[@jorgevalencia5673]

One big hint that Louis wasn’t the assassin is when you first talk with him and he allows you one question. One asks what he is going to do about Forden. Louis plainly replies that he is going to kill him. Another asks if he and Junah are an item. He is disappointed by this and say no. But it’s this one question: did he kill the king AND the prince. And how does Louis respond? He admits to killing the King yes, but he at no point never makes any mention of the prince. Louis is someone who does not shy away from the awful acts he committed, he states them plainly and factually. Yet he never even implies he killed/cursed the prince. You ask Louis, a man with no shame or regrets, if he killed the king and prince. And he only talks about the king.

[@Cosplaythief]

Yeah I chose the Junah one in my playthrough for shits and giggles but Nico *did* choose the King option in the LP and when I watched I hadn’t played to this part of the game. But I noticed that he did not admit to killing the prince in his response, only the king. So I was very much full of suspicions after that.

[@destinydivided8689]

The biggest hint for me was going to Rella and her remarks that the formula for the prince's curse was made from memory and incomplete

[@DLxxx]

​@@destinydivided8689 But how would Louise even have a memory of the curse formula if he's not the one who used it?

[@nbewarwe]

To clarify, your voices have not ruined my experience with the manga. If anything, they've enhanced it to a point that few in the world will ever get the privilege of getting themselves.

[@DarknessDpa]

This is it, the moment we have all been waiting for! This was the part where it became really hard for me to put the game down for the entire duration of this video. Everything the game has been building up for starts to show from this point onwards.

[@pippastrelle]

"Alright, guys, the last person we assumed to have killed the Prince ended up being innocent but let's go all in on Forden and hope we don't make the same mistake twice!" "Yayyy!"

[@nbewarwe]

In case you haven't realized or someone hasn't said already, all the music in the game is played by Gallica's magic. This means that whenever you meet Count Louis and hear his theme music, that's Gallica seeing this guy and going "Oh yeah, I know EXACTLY the right song to play to this mfer!"

[@colt1903]

Not to mention, assuming she's the one naming them, she literally heard him say "YOU FACE LOUIS GUIABERN!" and went "... Yeah, that's as good a name as any for your boss battle music." 😂

[@TimeAxis]

Actually the memorandum says that the magic just automatically makes you hear music equivalent to what you're feeling, so it's less that she's picking and more that it reflects how the main character feels.

[@LuccaRPG]

It's amazing how Fidelio just figures out everything. He's an ace. A Tsundere, to be sure, but an ACE.

[@thoughtsofaleo2916]

an ace...detective, would you say?

[@colt1903]

JUNAH: I'm joking, darling! We all know you're an Ace in the Hole. FIDELIO: An Ace in the what now?

[@DLxxx]

Right! Louise doesn't even realize they gave him a fake lance, but Fidelio figures it out almost immediately. And not because he was around the real one, but through the simple logic of: "It's hard to believe a divine relic that's been worshipped by an entire island nation for ages doesn't have ANY magma flow." I guess Louise was so excited at receiving it that he never bothered to check (although, I guess that makes Louise an idiot, but I digress, lol).

[@Gestrid]

@@DLxxx I think it's more that he realized it was fake but just decided to play along to see how things went. His whole motto was about the strong surviving. If he didn't survive this (which we saw he didn't), then, by his own logic, he clearly wasn't strong.

[@DLxxx]

​@@Gestrid You think he let the assassination play out without any real counter measures? I dunno.. I can see how that might stick to his philosophy ("If my strength of will is truly superior to theirs, then I'll find a way to survive whatever they throw at me."), but it was still a really bad move. He's _lucky_ that he didn't die the first time that spear impaled him. Actually... how DID Louise survive the initial attack? If impaling him with Drakadios is what finished him off in the end anyway (and his sheer bloodloss all but sealed his fate), then why was he able to recover the first time? His heart should've been destroyed twice over, lol.

[@Blue_Firefox]

*Eupha puts on mask* "Don't forget to wear protection when committing heinous and lewd actions against the gods like hand holding."

[@ShadowoftheMask]

I think this is where writers were like "dating sim elements =/= 100% platonic"

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

2 HOURS LONG! That's how you know we're ramping things up!

[@LinkcarioX]

Seeing Nico get si nervous was so relatable. I remember my breath getting heavier and heavier as the story progressed in this section. My heart was beating so fast I almost wanted just to skip dialogue and reach to the climax.

[@Sandy-ik1ic]

My favorite part of the assassination plot is that Louis, despite knowing you were traitors and totally anticipating you trying to pull some kind of trick, still got completely blindsided by the lance, took that shit like a champ, and was so impressed that you actually managed to catch him off guard he was willing to accept your challenge. So cool

[@HappyPotat]

One of my favourite parts of the assassination attempt is that the song Junah sings feels like it's specifically chosen by her to serve as encouraging words to the protagonist - like she's asking him to steel his nerves and trust he'll hit Louis.

[@Chimjjl]

So this is rather fun. Since the start of the game, we've been told that when Louis was accused of assassination of the Prince, no hard evidence could found in spite of there not exactly being a plentiful supply of young, magically talented people who were the right size and could have cast the curse. That's why they couldn't just execute him but had to kick him to some remote posting: they didn't have any actual proof that he did it and Louis was way too popular to convict without ironclad proof. And naturally, everyone we've met who opposes Louis and fights for the Prince has cursed Louis for his cunning in making sure that there was no hard evidence that connected to him. Except no. As we find out here, there was a far simpler and in hindsight obvious reason that no evidence could be found to convict Louis. It's not that this child masterminded an assassination plot to murder the heir to the kingdom while leaving absolutely no evidence that he was ever involved despite the best efforts of the entire kingdom. There was no evidence that he committed the crime because _he didn't commit the crime._ And thinking about it now that the truth is out there, in hindsight there were quite a few holes in the logic of Louis being the culprit. Louis was a rising star in the Kingdom's military. What reason would he have to kill the Prince? A coup? But why would he go after the _heir_ in that case, but not the _king_ until years afterwards? Louis, when you think about it, would have gained nothing from the Prince's death. But he was the right size for the assassin who cast the curse, and magically talented enough to have done so. And it seems everyone just went along with the bandwagon that it _had_ to be Louis, likely because everyone _else_ was saying the same thing. Including _you and your own party._ And this offers another insight into Louis and his 'power is all that matters' mindset and how the Kingdom's laws are trash best ignored. After all, how much faith would _you_ have in the law if it and the kingdom at large nigh-universally decided you were guilty despite there being zero evidence and you knowing you didn't do it? That you were framed and no amount of protest by you or attempt to clear your name seemed to convince anyone?

[@nataliecoronado4206]

to add to this, the narrative that Louis had to be the culprit could have also been in part due to how the Rhoag tribe looks down pretty heavily on the country's youth. Forden would have saw Louis, the paragon upstart he was, as not only a threat to his own personal goals but also as a pesky runt that needed to be put in his place like how a parent would reprimand an unruly child. And there's also the possibility that Grius, as open-minded of a man as he was (being married to a Paripus and having a halfblood daughter), may have had some subconscious biases during his time in the Royal Guard that bled into him pinning Louis as the culprit. He never saw the assailant's face, only that whoever did it was small in stature, and therefore young. Because Louis was the only young person in the vicinity that could fit the bill, Grius was certain it _had_ to be him. Never considering the possibility it could have been someone else entirely.

[@BlueCrimson10]

1:06:33 Strohl the Idea Guy gets to work yet again! Dude is carrying most of the plot forward on his own!

[@pancho.carlos]

When I was in this exact point in the game, I was in complete and utter disbelief and amazement that I stopped playing at the same end point you did here. From the infiltration to the assassination attempt, to the shock of the fight and its outcome, and Strohl's emotional speech and the Magnus Brothers' being naturally unsure what to do next, the game kept me at the edge of my seat. That very next day, Metaphor won Best Narrative in the Game Awards and I was already raving about this game having the most well-thought and impactful storytelling I have ever experienced in a game

[@linhlenguyen1749]

Ah yes, the very next day... in game and in real life

[@Gestrid]

I stopped playing at this point, too, but only because I just couldn't stay up any later. It was (probably) already about 4am.

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

No joke, during my first playthrough, for a while, I thought Batlin could end up being a villain. I think it was the way he mentioned that even he could enter the race if he wanted to, I thought there was a chance that he'd do so, or simply gain supporters on the side who wanted him to take the throne. I am so so so glad that I was wrong, and he was simply buddy through and through.

[@jokerfanboy9882]

Metaphor is so freaking peak man and it only gets better from here, the narrative of this game is truly masterpiece level.

[@crazybagel9979]

Gallica: It’s finally time to fight Louis, be careful we don’t know the full extent of his po- Louis: I AM LOUIS GUIABERN!!! *Louis critical hits Bizzle and kills him instantly* Gallica: ………Was……. Was that a reference to something?

[@colt1903]

... I AM GUIABERN VON LOUIS!! Ferdinand: I like this guy.

[@griefingg0lem685]

You know how you know this story is _really_ good? A lot of stories, you know that the heroes will win in the end. It's always a major thing that typically there has to be a happy ending. And even in things like Persona, you know how things should end which can sometimes lessen the feeling of a scene. My heart was actually beating fast getting through this section of the game as I genuinely felt nervous about the plan working. The story is so well made that it draws you into the worries of the characters on such a strong level.

[@mystery8820]

Persona 4 shouldn't do its thing of misleading us to early conclusions, honestly.

[@jamestatsumi7095]

Given the time in the story that this happens, everybody expects failure, but the way the mission fails is spectacularly done.

[@dirtybirdperson4020]

Yeah definitely look into really focusing down Hiesmay as an evasion tank. Without going to far into the spoiler weeds I'm not sure I could have beaten the game on higher difficulty without Hiesmay dodging and weaving

[@StripofPaper]

Communal bathing, that's just fine! But shaking hands?! 😳 Good heavens

[@shadowrmidnight]

Louis was blindsided and still shugged off a giant stab wound

[@rext.b.4436]

If you notice during the battle with Louis, he doesn’t use Drakodios. Why? Drakodios can only do Almighty damage. So what does Louis do? He says, fuck that shit, and pulls out his RGB sword and says, “I’m going to get those extra half-turns, bitch.” THIS MAN PULLS OUT THE GENUINE TACTICS AGAINST WEAKNESSES INSTEAD OF THE LEGENDARY RESISTANCE IGNORER. Louis is a master tactician, through and through, and the gameplay complements this absolutely perfectly. Edit: watched the battle, I’m pretty sure he was meant to change sword elements if you didn’t beat him so quickly.

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

I mean, Louis doesn't use Drakodios AT ALL, given we see him toss it aside right before the fight.

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

@ Spoilers, man. Nico doesn't want that in the comments section, no matter if he ends up seeing it or not.

[@rext.b.4436]

@ Oh, whoop. Didn't realize.

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

@ Np, thanks for deleting it.

[@Dan_Geer_]

A few minor things to take note of: Since you’re getting close to getting your free time back around Altabury, it’s probably time to mention a few things to keep in mind. Catherine is hanging out down by the magic shop, and is a night time social link. You’ll want to get her up to level 7 quick before you do more side quest dungeons, because her ability to “help” you is awesome. She only shows up for dungeons around Altabury, so basically all the dungeons on the right side of the map. In the square just before the opera house area is a man selling steamed buns. This is the Metaphor equivalent of the moment in P5 when you could call your teacher once a day to make you coffee. You can only get one steamed bun per day, so teleport back here every day from now on before you spend your time to buy another bun for 3k each. The mushroom bun gets you an item that restores 200 mp to one ally. The bracken bun gets you an item that restores 100 mp to all allies. And the mugwort bun gets you an item that cures stat ailments for all allies. Outside the inn, you’ll find Loveless and Rudolf. Talk to both of them to unlock a quest. Doing Loveless’ unlocks another quest afterward. I don’t know if there are time limits in these, but it makes more sense to finish them before your next deadline. I wouldn’t waste time using the hot spring until you unlock a quest that sends you in there anyway. I think my tip last time about the night market gold beetle confused you because I could have written it better. I wasn’t sure if you had gotten it yet because it is one of two beetles that only spawn after you’ve talked to the bug collector outside the arena. It’s not sold in a shop. It’s up close to a market stall along the outer edge of the market, pretty close to the guy that had you do an eating challenge that one time. The second gold beetle that spawns is in Martira, in the back alley you take to infiltrate the manor sewers, not far away from the fairy. Speaking of guys with eating challenges, did you talk to the NPC standing on the pier near the cooking ingredient shop in Eupha’s village?

[@Leiliel1]

Fun fact: due to the way Mustari calendars work, September 9th is actually their version of April 20th. (ba-dum-tish)

[@ZenoKnightShade]

…. respect for the aged day? What’s the significance th- Oh. You meant the Sarin gas attack in 95

[@johnnorris5675]

@@ZenoKnightShade I think they were making a 420 joke from the fruit.

[@Leiliel1]

@@johnnorris5675 Yeah. Seriously, that is not funny. What the hell was that guy thinking?

[@InfinityJKVX]

2 hour long video!!! Let’s goo. Yea when I played this section, I unironically played for a solid 5 hours no end to the cutscenes and while it’s very anti-gameplay, the lore drops and story bits really pushed the narrative flawlessly in a way that I had to pay attention. Cutscenes so long I forgot I was playing a a game and not watching a whole feature film Also, I highly advise looking at the other party members’ interactions with the lighting of the dragon god ceremony in like a video or something, some of them are really fun (including neuras)^^

[@yate0128]

"Who could that masked man be?" Nico will all due respect... that is one of THE most distinctive accents this game has ever given a character 😂

[@Vitflamo]

Forden be like "So Louis is Dead and I just got the lance that kills other candidates HOLYYYYYY CLOSUREI!!!!"

[@mastermindmonokuma]

I hope that when we get to the festival in the manga it just becomes THAT episode of Persona 4 with everyone drunk off their asses.

[@ldogg2488]

What a nice and complicated story, you love to see it!! Louis was scum and has zero chill ... but you can't call him flakey, or unmotivated. This man had goals!! And the only way he'll stop is if someone is strong enough, or cunning enough to make him stop. S tier villain in the comment section!

[@joelsasmad]

Look at the date of the Opera house event Nico. That's right. P.s With the fact that they never explain Eupha being unable to pull back the lance when they first get him with it, I can only imagne Louise just flexed too hard with his abs for it to be pulled out.

[@colt1903]

Holy shit... Someone is gonna crash Louis' skyrunner into that giant floating rock, ain't they? Twice, even.

[@jameslawrenson1208]

The similarities are tragic. 😢

[@joelsasmad]

​​@@colt1903Nah. We all know it was a conspiracy by the kingdom. Flying Magla does not produce flames hot enough to melt the steel beams.

[@brandonc5061]

It is easy to forget that Forden is supposedly a moderate among the church. There is the fact that self-proclaimed moderates are decidedly not so (hell, the church got more power under him to the point where he could've made the country a theocracy), but I do think there is more to it. We see his evil more clearly, but he does try to appear wise and reasonable, which is why he put on an act of getting his relic peacefully. Even with a future scene, he uses indirect speak to try to lessen what he is asking. More importantly, I think he doesn't actually care about the church as an institution. I think he and Louis are more similar than either care to admit, but this is one stark difference since I don't think he believes or thinks about what he proclaims to believe in. It is all about looks for him, so I guess he is a "moderate" in that sense.

[@Cosplaythief]

Yeah Forden puts on an image of non violence and how things can be solved by talk and diplomacy. That’s why Louis loved how we forced Forden to actually get his hands dirty by killing Johanna in front of all his believers. Showing Forden to not be as peaceful and diplomatic as he seems. And honestly he doesn’t seem all that religious or wise for realsies.

[@mystery8820]

Ugh, Forden reminds me of the evil SIU Director from P5, who should have gotten a proper last name.

[@RopsHyde]

Going off what you said about Fidelio being feeling indebted to Louis, I kinda feel like it's more of him wanting to protect Basilio. As they were talking in the tavern Fidelio warns him that he'll get himself killed if he keeps talking the way he was. If he really was concerned for Louis I think he would've brought up the chance of it being fake and us not sharing info with him. Instead he seems more passive than he lets on. Almost as if he's doing just enough to please Louis to keep him and his brother safe after spending time with us and Basilio bringing these doubts up to him did effect his loyalties even if just a little. It may also explain why they didn't kill us after Louis' death as much as Fidelio threatened. He did care about Louis, but he started waking up to the facts that everyone was presenting to him and his overall protectiveness for Basilio. This is just my speculation cause its hard to get Fidelio's true thoughts as Junah and Basilio mention he keeps his thoughts to himself. Also a side note I think the Holy Grail was a refrence from P5 as its design is pretty identical along with the etrian odyssey refrence. The special edition did come with atlus' 35th anniversary history book so they may have put these refrences in to celebrate 35th~

[@Omeyrolx_OhMayRolks]

I mean, even if Fidelio wanted to kill us for killing Louis, he wouldn't even be able to, thanks to the king's magic. ^^;

[@thunderhogTH]

Not to distract from the absolute insanity that is confronting Louis head on, the other artifacts on display are also all references to other games. From the left, theres the piggy bank safe boss from Persona 5, then the Demonica helmet, the symbol of SMT strange journey. The giant chalice is none other than the final boss of Persona 5, just now with it's golden wings clipped off. Sadly the other 2 on stage dont really get enough screen time to really make out.

[@rei2829]

Let me tell you, Louis's fight on hard was a bitch for me, and I kinda liked it, let me explain. Like it was warned before entering the dungeon, u can't leave until completing it, so you're forced to fight the boss with only what you have on you. To add salt to the wound, I didn't know the farming strategy of sp items on Eupha's dungeon nor did I have enough money to replenish my Items and finally, my main dps (Eupha) had little sp because she spend it on the dungeon. That explained, let's get into the fight itself, Louis has, like explained by a informer on the city, the tendency of using elemental attacks to exploit weaknesses, that plus the skill that gives him action icons plus the extra from playing in hard, you can go watch a movie before it's your turn again, finally you run into the move that reduces your attack defence which makes your life misserable for around another 2 hours. Even after all that, why do I say that I liked the battle?, well it's because it made me realize all the things you can do to make the rival lose turns, from reflects to nullify damage to reducing stats and improving yours, until this point I only brute forced my way through the game, but this boss made me, with a serious challenge, appreciate the beauty of turn-based games. In conclusion, don't forget to farm money to replenish your items, abuse turn losing strategies and Faker is the best class in the game 😂

[@TimeAxis]

Yeah I also played on Hard and remember the fight being much more of an ordeal than here. Not sure if Nico just got really lucky with his attack patterns, or if he only does some of that stuff on Hard mode.

[@lefishe5884]

I really appreciate that Louis actually doesn’t feel untouchable, even with all his powers and resources. He straight-up got owned here no matter how you slice it, not to mention that Grius might have killed him all the way back at the funeral if the King hadn’t intervened, which Louis could not have planned on.

[@PJSam1998]

Saw that coming. Remember that time Bizzle asked Louis "Did you kill the king and prince?" and Louis freely admitted that, "My dagger laid buried in the king's chest until his mortal husk entered the casket." and then talked about how he thinks Forden is keeping that quiet to avoid Louis growing in popularity? Notice that he did not mention the prince at all.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

Oh. OH. I have WAITED for this episode. Shits about to get REAL!

[@BlackfangDragon]

Here’s some of the Holy Relics they have in the background! The Holy Grail and Piggytron of P5 Demonica Helmet of the Demonica battle suits of Strange Journey and SMTIV and Apocalypse. Used to combat demons. The Demonica relic is also further interesting due to how much the Summoner Archetype and how the ruins of Shinjuku said humans used Gods as tools of war is so much in line with typical SMT games. With Dragonstreated as their own thing natch.

[@UnevenerGgc2]

“You Face Louis Guiabern” (the track playing during his boss) is probably my favorite song in the game. So majestic and fitting in my mind for Louis

[@kjdj9976]

What i love about this section of the game is the anxiety your feeling your planning to throw the lance at louis. Will the plan work or will something go wrong the scene with the mc's breathing and the long build up at that scene just makes it one of the best cutscene in my opinion

[@danteallstar826]

Louis’s line he says right as the fight starts is such a badass and killer line! His whole character has cemented him as my all time favorite villain. A man who wholeheartedly believes in his convictions and will do whatever it takes to see them through. Metaphor has done such a fantastic job with all the characters, but especially with Louis in my opinion.

[@zeroknight1311]

The plot twist of Louis having not cursed the Prince is one that I like a lot. Since it works with what we know about him already. That being how he sees how corrupt the Sanctist Church is and how the Late King was a fool. Plus when asked, Louis did admit that he killed the late King. Making the thought of him commiting Regicide with no remorse quite high. And the fact that Forden is in the know regarding the injury which was inflicted onto the Prince's attacker years ago makes it clear that he sought control over the Kingdom from the very beginning. Since the combination of the Prince dying and the King making Sanctism the state religion is most definitely apart of the plan that was put in place to gain complete control. With Louis and his followers having been an obstacle in those plans. But with the death of the former and the latter becoming scattered, everything is falling in place for Forden to become King. Even more so since he has the Lance. Edit: So something I just realized is that Louis was shaped by the world due to the experiences he had throughout his life. With those experiences, especially with the Sanctist Church, had made him realize that strength is everything and will be what brings change in the world.

[@aneonfoxtribute]

So a lot of the Divine Relics in the background are actually SMT references. The Holy Grail that Forden got, for instance, is the Holy Grail from Persona 5, the first form of the Yaldaboath boss fight.

[@willthemost]

HOLY SHIT I DIDN'T THINK WE'D GET HERE TODAY

[@arizahmad9850]

I was waiting a long time for you to get to this arc Nico. Caught me off guard too. Had the same bad feelings you did as well. Glad this was a long episode. Looking forward to the next one too.

[@LianteakaLia]

Oooh it's getting so good! I love it when the plot just punches you in the face!

[@BlueCrimson10]

32:23 and it was at precisely that moment that I fell in love with Eupha

[@ninjaydes]

1:44:15 That's a Satsuki Kiryūin pose right there...

[@Sleepyduo38]

Its also the Saber pose

[@saltypepper3340]

11:46 "People will always prefer their own feelings to the truth" speak the truth Batlin. absolutely agree with his statement.

[@pn2294]

1:33:23 Yaldabaoth: Help! I’m trapped here!

[@Rixec2]

Louis gets stabbed through the back, hints that this does nothing to help the prince, and then refuses to elaborate further and dies. Total Chad move.

[@metaldl]

I commend Nico's willpower to stop playing at the end of this episode. I seriously could not.

[@zzoazy]

this section really cements louis as a great antagonist imo. He literally tanks a boosted almighty attack finds who did it and says “ this is your best chance to kill me bring as many people as you need “ he truly believes he is the strongest and will not flee

[@colt1903]

You know, I just now heard it, and I can't unhear it. Does Louis ever sound like Jack Atlas from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds to anyone else?😂

[@omegadreemurr6271]

I am Ferdinand Von Aegir

[@tebeakim3670]

Wow. That was a great twist that Louis was killed and it seems that the curse is not lifted and maybe he was not the one that cursed the prince? I think that there is more of it and maybe he still is alive somehow or someone else cursed the prince. I agree that Forden´s aide is too suspicious and he could be the real mastermind and maybe he is someone known, then that would be another great twist. It is getting very exciting and I am curious how it will continue.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

13:34 In Batlin’s case, that’s probably because he was originally written with the intention of being one of your Followers. He and Fabienne both got in early development.

[@Blacktwinswords]

JoeFrederick compared Batlin to the Hierophant characters in Persona. Additionally, he had Fabienne as the Temperance arcana.

[@diandraaliffa2116]

W H A T. You gotta tell me your source. I've seen someone dig up the empty character slots and all there was are slots for two characters that I won't spoil now just in case, and Baby Junah. There's also a beta tutorial screen where Brigitta seems to be a party member. Batlin and Fabienne though? Where was that from?

[@ZenoKnightShade]

@@diandraaliffa2116 Sorry. I got that one second hand like… Back in November? Can’t remember where I heard it.

[@tokatstorm9270]

@@ZenoKnightShade ​ @diandraaliffa2116 Party members or just Confidants?

[@ZenoKnightShade]

@ if I’m remembering correctly, just confidants.

[@thoughtsofaleo2916]

two hour metaphor episode jumping right into the batshit crazy month that is September? oh I am SO seated. okay, so let's talk about the entire opera house section (aka one of the best parts of the game): when facing the guards, obviously they're targeting eupha the entire time, but if you use knight's proclamation, as you might expect, they literally cannot attack you. it also is hilarious to think about how they left treasure chests around, so while eupha is panicking about making sure they get on stage in time to slay Louis, the protagonist is just casually grabbing treasures without a care in the world. while I haven't found anything that confirms this (yet), the holy grail that Forden presents is absolutely an easter egg from persona 5. "a holy grail with the power to make wishes come true" - sound familiar? also, the other relics are nods to other smt games! as for Louis himself, the lance DID strike him, but it wasn't a one-shot kill, which is why he's able to face you on the roof. then, the party attacking him, a lance through his chest, and plummeting 50+ feet onto the hard stage floor is what actually does him in. if you look back at the cutscene, it just gets him in the shoulder, which isn't fatal, but it's gonna hurt like a bitch and make it harder to fight (though through sheer willpower and badassery, Louis is still ready to throw hands despite that.) that's why, despite being known as an archmage, he only uses physical attacks against you for the fight because he is severely injured by the attack. (he literally only has three attacks!) in addition, even if you use knight's proclamation on other characters in this fight, Louis will still primarily attack the protagonist through all of this. post-Louis battle is where things get even crazier because it was not Louis after all! while a lot of people I know suspected Louis was framed from the get go, Forden's slip up, whether intentional or otherwise, feels like a classic Atlus twist a la Adachi and Akechi and I absolutely love it. who could it be? someone we know? someone new? plateau the cat??? all answers will be revealed next episode.... like seriously, everything is answered in September and you are not ready for all of the uno reverses this game is about to throw at you. buckle up, Nico, you are in for a wild ride and are about to see why this won best narrative at the game awards.

[@colt1903]

>Severely Injured >Attacks Physically Anyway >No Magic >Archmage ... Yeah, no, that's bullshit. Muhfucka was swinging a clearly magically enhanced sword at us like he wasn't hurt at all, and you expect me to believe he did that cuz it'd have been easier for him to do that with a butchered shoulder than playing to his strengths and shooting magic at us. And dies because of it. If that's actually the route Atlus went, then yeah, no, I hate this even more than I did initially.

[@Arrowhead47]

Fun fact the relics on display are all from previous ATLUS games. From left to right we have: The Piggytron From Persona 5's Kaneshiro fight. Ref: NicoB P5 ep 25, timestamp 27.00. The Demonica helmet from strange Journey. look at splash art. The Holy Grail is a blatant P5 final boss reference with its memorandum collborating it. Ref NicoB P5 ep 73, timestamp 29.45. Regrettably we don't get good angles for the relics on the right and I am not as familiar with ATLUS works to know what they would be, commenting what they areunder this post would be appreciated. Though to make up for it, did you notice that the blocks upon the map within the gauntlet runner are actually from Catherine, they are the immovable blocks.

[@fireballdragon21]

*Bizzle:* Louis, I challenge you to a duel! (Slaps Louis with a glove) Do you accept, or are you a coward? *Louis:* I... am a COWARD! (Runs off) *Hythlodaeus V:* I, King Hythlodaeus V, declare Bizzle the new king of Euchronia! *Bizzle:* Yes! (Catches the crown with his sword) _Roll credits._

[@weirdguy1495]

Louis pouts in the corner. “Great. Good for you. I am so happy for you.”