Mr. Takashi Tokita, who directed the timeless traditional Stay A Stay after engaged on Remaining Fantasy IV, had a need to create a recreation with unbiased situations that empower and increase on one another, amounting to a multilayered story the place every half is a mirrored image of the entire, but nonetheless capable of stand by itself.
Stay A Stay had eight completely different story sections, every set in a special period. Each single state of affairs was completed by a separate artist, because of Sq.’s ties with Japanese manga writer Shogakukan. Past that, the sport integrated many influences and design ideas from each the east and the west, enriching the narrative past what any director had ever completed in Sq.’s historical past.
The article accommodates spoilers about Stay A Stay story and endgame dungeons. Tread with warning.
The primary motivation for Mr. Tokita was Devilman, a traditional manga by Go Nagai (Mazinger Z/Getter Robo) that depicts the lifetime of a highschool scholar, who absorbs the powers of a darkish demon with a purpose to battle the creatures hidden in human society. Nagai designed Devilman as an anti-war work, and the manga’s violent and darkish tone was meant by the writer as a warning in opposition to battle, stating that there isn’t a justification for human beings killing one another.
Chapter 1: Center Ages
Oersted, the principle character of the chapter and the principle villain of the entire story, appears most impressed by Tokita’s Devilman. After Oersted loses all the things due to his pal and rival’s hatred of his success, the damaged hero decides to wage a battle on all heroes throughout all timelines.
His battle was centered across the concept of heroism being a mistake, and that combating – nonetheless virtuous the trigger – isn’t righteous. Oersted leaves a touch of himself in each timeline. Generally he even breaks the fourth wall (like within the prologue of the close to future), asking the gamers to consider all of the disappointment they’re leaving within the wake of their self-proclaimed noble journeys.
Chapter 2: Distant Future
The Mechanical Coronary heart chapter, occurring within the distant future, has an analogous message. The story revolves round a spaceship crew who’re transporting a secret package deal to a distant planet, however when issues begin going improper on the best way, they start blaming one another.
The true trigger of those accidents, nonetheless, was the superior ship AI OD-10. In each the sport and the unique film inspiration, 2001: A Area Odyssey, the ship AI acts out in opposition to the people in deadly methods. This not solely acts as a warning in opposition to the damaging energy of uncontrolled technological innovation, but additionally in opposition to adverse feelings and the way they hinder the true progress of any civilization.
Chapter 3: Wild West
The Wild West chapter protagonist KID is a transparent homage to Clint Eastwood’s film of the identical title: Joe Kidd. Child is a wanderer with a bounty on his head and nowhere to go, however amidst his loneliness and regrets, he tries to assist a small city fend off evil raiders. It’s unclear what precisely goes on in his head throughout the chapter, and his actual motivation is left for the gamers to determine.
That is on level with how Joe Kidd was portrayed. The movie was a so-called ‘anti Western’, and Joe was a person of few phrases, so the viewer would by no means actually know whose facet he was on. This was the purpose, because the movie was questioning the concept of taking sides in battle, and from the eyes of an outsider ex-bounty hunter we might see this message with readability.
Chapter 4: Imperial China
On this chapter, a grasp of Chinese language martial arts, is on the lookout for a disciple to cross his secret strategies and life classes on to earlier than he passes away. The chapter appears to have taken cues from Kenji, the manga the artist, Yoshihide Fujiwara labored on as an assistant.
The manga artist of Kenji, Ryuchi Matsuda felt like an inspiration for the grasp’s character, as he was a real-life martial artist and Buddhist who advocated for peace and understanding, and criticizes the trendy Japanese martial arts scene for dropping its ‘essence’ in favor of competitors and the concept of successful on “so-called power” alone.
Chapter 5: The Current Day
Masaru Takahara, the protagonist of this chapter, needs to grow to be the strongest, and endeavors to take action by getting into a worldwide combating match. Masaru’s western opponents exhibited an obsession with bodily power and confirmed off the strategies they satisfaction themselves on.
Coaching for power alone is what the Chinese language would name “useless power [sili 死力],” versus the “Stay Power” of Chinese language martial artwork, the place practitioners exhibit many various sorts of power, akin to respiratory, meditation, and somatic practices.
That’s why Masaru learns from his opponents and lets them reside, though they may return for revenge later, as a result of his true purpose is conquering and transcending the internal self slightly than partaking in ineffective fights, and surrendering to cravings for energy and revenge.
Chapter 6: Twilight of Edo Japan
Twilight of Edo Japan appears to have been influenced essentially the most by the manga background of Yumi Tamura, one of many artists who labored on Stay A Stay. She was in the course of engaged on the manga Basara earlier than becoming a member of the challenge, a narrative about Japan being managed by a succession of corrupt and oppressive rulers.
In Basara, the heroine falls in love with the Crimson King, whom she swore revenge on for destroying her village and killing her household. As a result of the 2 lovers didn’t reveal their true selves to one another, their relationship begins to grow to be extra strained and bloody down the highway.
Oboromaru, the chapter protagonist, was additionally conflicted about what sort of particular person he needs to be (a pacifist or a assassin), and whether or not he is able to fulfill his mission in any respect prices, even at the price of killing innocents and his personal emotions.
Chapter 7: Close to Future
The primary protagonist of the close to future arc, Akira, additionally has a narrative arc that revolves round studying to regulate and transcend oneself. Born with psychic and telekinetic powers, he begins out through the use of them for violence, earlier than studying that power is nothing with no calm and picked up thoughts that guides him to make use of it for the suitable causes, akin to serving to the weak.
The artist behind the chapter, Kazuhiko Shimamoto, has written many works that revolved across the identical themes of righteous anger, friendship, and compassion. Probably the most distinguished is Blazing Switch Pupil, which was additionally a few scholar who tries to resolve all the things with punching and kicking, till he learns to develop his personal technique of combating and the suitable mindset for fixing his disputes.
Chapter 8: Prehistory
The final period, prehistory, relies on a gag manga referred to as First Human Giatrus. Probably the most distinctive high quality of this manga was that there was a financial system in use regardless of its prehistorical setting, which it used to touch upon the regressive affect of cash on human society.
On this chapter, though the cavemen seem to have some working techniques for looking and buying and selling, they nonetheless fall into the identical spirals of jealousy and discord in any case. Oersted is observing all of this as a lot because the participant, and interprets the occasions in a adverse manner due to his previous expertise and cynical worldview.
Remaining Dungeon
Due to the multilayered view of each story, the ultimate dungeon is designed to be paying homage to the liberty of alternative applied within the Romancing Saga sequence, one other sequence by Sq. Enix that follows a non-linear story of eight completely different protagonists. Right here the selection is given to the participant to finish their story with any character they select, any variety of characters, and even with the choice to facet with the villain.
The primary message, ultimately, is self-development. So long as gamers with eager eyes can establish the causes for conflicts and disagreements in each period, they will grow to be higher individuals, but when they keep blind to the truth of issues like Oersted, the strife won’t ever finish. Giving the gamers the company to decide on empowers the sport’s themes, and implores gamers to be each constructive and demanding concerning the causes they’re combating for.
Stay A Stay HD-2D Remake is now obtainable completely on Nintendo Change.