This is one of those games that makes a good case for video games being art. The storybook-style presentation certainly helps, but the threat of losing one of your party members to win a single victory stirs my emotions. Having the option there, by itself, forces me to play as optimally as possible so I don’t lose anyone.

That being said, it’s actually not very hard to get the Golden Ending. Sure, you might die a few times, and you can’t save scum due to the way saving works, but it’s easy to get back up and rethink your strategy should boss fights not work out. In hindsight, maybe the Soul Cannon is a little too easy to avoid using. You’re not really incentivized to use it beyond getting all of the endings, or satisfying your curiosity. Using it even once leaves you slightly disadvantaged in future battles, which can be good for challenge runs but not much else. The sequel to this game doesn’t fix this; instead it forces you into using it should you fail to perform well in battle. I wish these games incentivized me to consider using the Soul Cannon besides being an ‘I Win’ button with strings attached. I wish the choice of character used as ammo held more weight story and gameplay-wise (i.e. driving character growth/regression, unlocking different abilities for characters, changing relationship dynamics, etc).

Regardless of how I feel about the Soul Cannon, I still think this is a very enjoyable game. It’s kinda cozy when you put aside the anti-war stuff. While it has its imperfections, there’s a real beating heart to this game. This game wants you to love it even though it’s made on a shoestring budget. I can’t help but admire that.