The Bakunawa repeatedly fires a MASSIVE laser at you, cleverly utilizing the level’s background layers to make it seem like the laser takes up the entirety of the screen- which, by the way, at close enough proximity and full power, is capable of shattering planets, is what wiped out the water dragons, and is more than capable of shaving your petals to nothing even if it grazes you. The proceeding “boss battle” is more of a "battle for survival" as your player scrambles for dear life to the surface. Sure enough, as the riff from the trailer kicks in, there is a full blown earthquake as the gigantic starship wakes up, rendered in low-poly 3D, and so massive its head barely fits on screen at the scale the game’s screen is in. A sudden jolt of seismic activity alerts the party, with Merga simply stating those three beacons you trashed in Sky Bridge? Yea, there were more all over Parusa, and she didn’t just wait around occupying Shang Tu - she had Pangu installed ''immediately''. What might you be expecting? Another round with Merga like many games do with their main antagonist? A pre-climax like Globe Opera? After Lilac cannot bring herself to accept her offer to abandon Avalice and join her - an offer she was tempted by, if her dialogue in the final hub area is anything to go by - Merga casually incapacitates Lilac with a bomb and drops the heel-face charade, not even being fazed by Serpentine’s (failed) sneak attack or the rest of the party joining. That gut feeling you have that it’s probably going to go south? It’s correct, even if Merga actually is sincere at first. She obliges, with the rest following her through Gravity Bubble. After clearing all 3 Parusa arcs late in the game, the party gets a message from Merga, who expresses a desire to talk to Lilac alone. Sure enough, while it is a downplayed example, The Rise of Bakunawa counts for how absolutely breathtakingly intense it is, especially for players who experience the story with Lilac first, if for nothing but the “It’s not if, it’s WHEN” factor. Enough hints are dropped throughout the game where even non-savvy players who are nearing the end of the Parusa Arc could sense it.
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