so according to the AC6 music vinyl the lyrics are as such: Standing in a cold place Let me know My steel core peeling away All my blood Let me rise Rusted pride Let me rise (Uh uh uh) High and dry I fly high Watch the sun rise in the dawn Rust away Lost to the wind Watch the sun rise in the dawn I fly high I fly high
Interesting, I found that image on twitter so I guess it's legit. Hard to wrap my head around some of those still. The first official line has so many syllables compared to what I hear.
@@galax12370 Yeah I have to agree with that, in the new song Steel Haze (where truths meet) you can hear the official lyrics a lot clearer. I struggle to hear "standing in" and if I do it either sounds like one word, and doesn't help the audio for song a bit to loud at certain sections.
@@longbreadPNGtuber I listened to that specific version thank you for that. idk what version is the first or "original" but it doesnt really matter this tune vibe is unmatched
Ace Combat prepared that feeling for me long ago. The sister series to Armored Core has always been Ace Combat. Look up videos of Solo Wing Pixy, to see the character that FromSoft drew from for Rusty. c:
@@Weyland_Punanimission based sorties with briefings given on what you're going to do beforehand, combat with a heavy emphasis on mastering movement in a 3 dimensional space, radio chatter being one of the main ways the story is told/attachment is built to characters, and there is a bit of a general overlap between fans of mecha games and other vehicular games just bc of the customization and aesthetic and stuff
I would point out you do some REALLY evil things in the game’s first half. I think it’s more apt to say that Rusty is the classic Gundam hero while you’re playing a Gundam villain.
Another cool thing is that his first insignia has the guitar pick shaped background Arquebus uses. His second insignia has the rectangle background that the Rubicon Liberation Front uses.
@@MaidenlessScrubif he hadn't taken out the entire Arquebus fleet solo and wasn't snuck up on, Walter wouldn't have stood a chance. Walter is bitch made.
@@TrevTheMan00 and if anyone wants a little (maybe insignificantly little) bit of proof that he’s a Gundam MC, in the duel between 621 and Ortus Rusty, he’s literally hardcoded to assault boost straight towards you anime style at the start of the encounter
Fun fact: In the wild, Ravens are known to occasionally create special bonds/friendships with individual Wolves. So you could say, a Raven has found a friend...
Fromsoft are one of, if not the premiere dialogue writers within videogames. We never see Rusty's face, shake his hand, buy him a drink. But he feels like a brother when the story ends.
@@kentanakamura89Except for being mentioned by O’Keefe when you eliminate him in the ALLMIND path. It’s left ambiguous as to what exactly happened to him. “See you in the other side, Rusty.”
Meh, not really. He always seemed like someone who imagined a friendship to me because of how 621 never expresses any emotion whatsoever. And it's pretty weird how he considers 621to be his friend after just one mission where 621 never spoke to him or communicated once.
@@DauntlessChaos Yeah, she acknowledges him plenty. But technically she calls him Raven most the time though. Not sure if it's on purpose, but it seems like the whole cast either calls him some form of Animal (Dog, Raven, Vermin, Hound...) or an Object (Gun 13, 621, etc), with Rusty being the one exception. I don't think Ayre means it in a degrading way, but it's just an interesting theme the story has.
@@_VISKAR_she said the reason she likes the name Raven is because of what it represents, the freedom to make choices that can change the world, so I believe that she uses it for its representation because that's what she sees with in us. Also Raven has been a long standing name in the franchise, so I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I may also overlook somethings when it comes to Ayre, cause in the end she's our schitzo coral waifu and her voice lines are cute and adorkable but maybe I'm just biased towards her
Every 'I won't' from him gave me goosebumps, and this last one gave me the most of all. A great running theme and fantastic way to tell us a lot about his character in a very simple way. And it sets up him engaging terminal armour (The ONLY enemy AC in the main story to use it) and making an already intense fight even more so, especially if you're out of repair kits and low on health.
Thats what made it hurt more in fires of raven when you had to stomp him then ayre back to back the two who believe in us the most i wasnt to attached to walter till the very end of liberation of rubicon after destroying him i loved carla but i just couldnt bring myself to kill rusty on my first play through to bad he fucking disappears and is never heard from again after snail belteus fight
@Kingcobra4835 that's a bit upsetting if walter did kill rusty, considering he made me feel bad for fighting and beating him with that whole you found a friend shit i swear the only ending that walter and carla live through is the fires of raven its upsetting
Putting the pieces together across routes, NG+ mission changes, and his arena log and realizing Rusty was a Liberation Front plant all along who is fighting for his home above all else just hammers it home that he's the hero that Rubicon needed and Raven's the one they deserved.
After learning about him being a double agent im kinda curious what his intentions were in wallclimber considering snail said something about him being pretty eager, why would he want to wipe out his own base
@@SnakeEater776he said Rusty had been ‘equally brazen of late’, which is Snail’s way of saying ‘he’s been an uppity little bitch’, so doubtless he was being unwilling to carry out operations against the RLF - or at least unwilling to commit as many war crimes as Arquebus probably wanted him to be.
@@mirchiamemeina1524 fair enough, guess i misread it a bit, honestly had a theory that snails reinforcement order was complete BS and it was just to leave you with the jug so youd die and eventually the RLF would win, not expecting that you would take it down by yourself. But rusty would never do that tbh
@@SnakeEater776Rusty litterly sends you a message at the end of the mission saying just that. There were no reinforcements coming at all for Raven. They were waiting for them to weaken the wall enough for vespers elites to move in. But because raven did so well and even destroyed the heavy units for them they couldn't ignore it.
@@kentanakamura89 you clearly didnt read my comment properly, i knew about the vespers plan, what im saying is (in a theory i dont believe) rusty dipped so the juggernaut would kill you but not for arquebus, but instead for the RLF so they had somewhat a chance of fending off the vespers. Also the reinforcements i mentioned were the rlf reinforcements that rusty goes to kill midway through jug, not arquebus
I played through the game 7 times before, with tears in my eyes, I loaded up and then s-ranked Intercept The Redguns. Even though he dies anyway, something about me being the cause was so unsettling I always avoided it until then. When he died, and his AC finally went silent, I thought to myself: "Sorry, Michigan. No more field trips for me...Gun 13, sounding off." I so desperately wish there was a route where you save Michigan against Rusty and Arquebus. I would have 100% gone down that route so fast. He's by far my fav char next to Ayre, followed closely by Walter.
Michigan is by far the quintessential, "platoon daddy" he is the man that you look at like he is 10 feet tall, the crusty old NCO that youd gladly follow into any hell, because he will lead you through it. Killing Michigan was extremely difficult for me, because he reminded me so much of my old platoon sergeant back when i was a paratrooper. Michigan is by far the most human character in the game, the redguns are the perfect analog for found family forged in military service. Michigan goes above and beyond for all of his soldiers, like a father does for his children.
"Looks like the guest of honor's is here. Hey buddy. Never thought I'd be rubbing shoulders with the liberator of Rubicon. Every Rubiconian who heard your cry rose up to fight. Let's show them that there's a future for Rubicon beyond these scorched skies." - V. IV Rusty, Raven's Best Buddy and the friend we all wish to have
Rusty survives the liberator ending and no one can convince me otherwise. We know he goes in with evacuation plans and we know from the fires ending that he has terminal armor; my buddy survived Walters attack and is waiting for me back on rubicon!
I want to believe you’re right. I DESPERATELY want you to be right. But the fact that, fully charged, the oscillator beam hits so many times, and Rusty being exhausted…😢
The entire way escaping an AC works is so inconsistent in the game and feels limp writing wise. Cause in a narrative like a TV show/movie you can show it making sense in game it's scripted per encounter so it frequently makes no sense why one character can escape while another can't. If I wipe a suit by firing a fully charge plasma/laser blast no pilot is surviving the explosion. It's part of the issue with this situation, there's no good reason Rusty can't survive that encounter, at the same time there's no proof he does hence we assume he dies (probably does) though it's a universe building problem cause there's no good reason to explain why he's dead. All the reasons you listed are valid, in a similar note how the hell doesn't swinbourne escape for example?
@@GWalsh-on5xj I'd reason it out that Rusty already has an exit strategy that he's utilized before and prepared to use again. Swinburne on the other hand had already spent his expansion and wasn't really prepared to escape because he thought he could bribe you.
Rusty's theme depicts his character so well. His emblem is a muzzled wolf, and as such the song has parts where u hear a howl. However, it sounds worn and metallic, which compliments rusty's name.
He is the main character. His goal is similar to ours, except better. Whatever routes you are choosing, Rusty will always take the one that serves Rubicon better.
Rusty is the hero of Rubicon and the people on it, that is a fact that can not be denied However, we have a role that is much bigger, given the dose of Coral that allows us to fight and move as we do (even able to go toe to toe against the Ibis core, the originator of the fires), our destiny is to save the entire universe! ...and we failed What a familiar story...
@@lazyer0511 yeah i was more making fun of Rusty being called the "protagonist". Also, i doubt we have the "destiny to save the universe" but rather the oportunity of changing the course of humanity's fate, for better or worse with any of the three endings depending how you look at it. At the end of the day, we are just a really good AC pilot in the right moment at the right time.
something really cool about Rusty and the vespers is that they are all named after artists/philosophers and he is named after a painting of a Wolf by Leon Kelly. what's crazy about it is that it is the artist's piece #617. and if you followed the story in AC6 617, 619 and 620 were Walter's previous hounds. 619 and 620 are confirmed dead while 617 is M.I.A I'm not saying Rusty is 617, but it would make sense as to how he "knows" 621
That is super interesting! I love that theory but I’m not sure why Walter or rusty wouldn’t have some kind of insinuation of knowing each other. Edit: also I can’t find anything about 617 being missing
TLDR: Rusty does not know 621. Rusty knew Raven, the license that we stole at the beginning of the game. 617 is dead. 621 is basically the last “Hound” Walter has, arguably as a last “Hail Mary” to complete the mission. Major spoilers, NG++, mild speculation Rusty likely knew Branch’s Raven, and likely fought together as part of Branch’s operation of breaking into Rubicon. Allmind controls the Rubicon Liberation Front through Father Dolmayan, which Rusty was loyal to, and later planted into the Vespers. Allmind also hired the Branch mercenaries to break into Rubicon from the outside, which allowed for the corporations to also break past the blockade by the PCA. I find it hard to believe Branch would have been able to do it alone, so I suspect that Allmind used both the Rubicon Liberation Front and Handler Walter as well as Branch to breach into Rubicon III. This then allows for the corporations can come in and consolidate the coral for the convergence. The mission we see with 617, 619 and 620 in the story trailer is probably from the time they are trying to break the PCA’s blockade. However, since all of them were lost despite completing the mission, Walter has to go back to square one and acquire 621, which from the doctor’s comments is likely a lower quality candidate than 617. This also helps explain Rusty's confusion as to why Raven is with Handler Walter now when you first meet him at the wall.
My best friend I started playing AC with way back on PS1 used the handle "Wolf" in all of his pilot aliases. He always had to play the hero anytime he could. I hope he's still playing these games.
My favorite line in this is the "I can fly!" line. It's so proud. It's a declaration that Rusty is capable of extraordinary feats and a challenge to all who stand against him. All communicated with just 3 words.
Fromsoft:In this game, we wrote four characters that you will definitely like: the best dad Walter, the best aunt Cara, the best buddy Rusty, and the best waifu Ayre. But there is a catch, you have to kill two of them with your OWN hands in the end. Which one will you choose? Me: I hate(love) you Fromsoft...
@@nocount7517 forget to add this part lol: Before you make any decision, remember the following rules: 1. killing them wouldn't make them to hate you, instead they still love you and respect your decision. 2.If You decide not to kill anyone, an AI demon will decide for you. Killing every one in the world by imprison their soul into a war machine for eternity, including you and your waifu's soul as a punishment.
"You're right Rusty, you have something worth fighting for. But unfortunately, so do I now. So fight me Rusty! Let's see who has the stronger resolve! Kill me if you can, because I WON'T hold back. But know that whoever comes out on top, you, and all the other pilots that have stood in my way, have my respects and I honor your deaths." I just finished my first run a few hours ago, and took the Fires route knowing who the the final boss was. I wasn't prepared to have one final showdown with our Buddy. I genuinely said some campy/cringey anime lines outloud, similar to what I wrote, because in the moment I ceased to be the player. I was my Raven, clashing steel against steel with Rusty, a battle of will and skill. He outplayed me the first round, but I was relentless the second round.
I gotta admit, after seeing the official lyrics I still find this versions interpretation of the lyrics superior. Thematically it fits, especially given Rusty's role in the story and the route you hear it in first. Rusty in that route is answering Rubicon's cry. These unofficial lyrics fit so much better and I will stand by them.
i like that rusty & raven's relationship in the fires of rubicon ending is pretty much the inverse of pixy & cipher in AC0. you're the maniac who showed up with a superweapon in the final act to burn the world down, and he's the blue & white protagonist who's here to stop you.
i dont think a fromsoft game has hit me this emotionally hard ever. both the fires of raven ending and the liberator of Rubicon ending used this song so well his line "I won't stop! Ill chase the clouds from over Rubicon... Only I can fly high enough!" with this song blasting actually made me cry
Thought I beat him first try, then he does this anime bullshit. At that moment, I knew he was the MC. Dude just willed his AC to not explode and wombo combod me.
@@alastor8091 yeah, the first ending i got was the liberator ending, so i only realized this was HIS theme when i went back for the fires of raven ending. the song fading out as you kill V.II snail balteaus only stops when rusty gets shot down over the comms as well.
I love how the vocals start with a tenor quality, light and airy, higher pitched. Then in the later half, the vocals transition to a deeper, intense chanting by a full choir of mostly masculine voices. At first it's a young dog's lament, but then it becomes the war cry of a seasoned wolf pack
I…I finally understand one of the deeper meanings of this game. To fly high, reject your status as a dog and become a Raven. To stop fighting on the ground, to let go of your past(DS, ER) and fly high(by the end of the game you have near infinite boost). I know this might sound dumb, but for me that is is genius writing. Pure ludonarrative brilliance. FromSoft have outdone themselves.
"I'll chase the clouds from over Rubicon, only I can fly high enough" THIS combined with the music was pure fucking kino, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since no one does boss design like FromSoft, but damn dude
The way how the song is designed just works for Rusty’s story too At the start, lyrics are nearly incomprehensible till you actually read what they’re saying By the halfway, aka After our duel and being considered dead by Arquebus, he comes back in the Ortus and the lyrics are clear as fucking Day
I've said it a hundred times now but god damn. This music, the friendship with Rusty, and knowing the many ways it all ends, genuinely breaks me down to tears. How Fromsoft is able to elicit such visceral emotions through sheer storytelling, music, and voice lines is baffling. Igaf if it's GOTY or not, this holds a very special place in my heart, and I will be playing this for a very long time.
"It's too late now, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!" He never stopped believing in us... He didn't want this, he needed to save the world even if it meant cutting down his best buddy...
What I love most about Rusty’s OST is how it end. It ends right after he says I fly high, like it’s about to go into the chorus, bus it doesn’t. Man goes out fighting and flying to the last second. Respect
*SPOILERS BELOW* Dueling Dusty was the coolest and most adrenaline pumping, climactic fight I’ve had, since battling Anubis in Zone of the Enders for the first time. The whole scene was so effective, because Rusty went through the same process of getting defeated, upgrading, and returning with a new and improved AC, the same way that all players do. Made him so relatable. Still chokes me up a little when the vocals kick in. You fought like a badass, buddy.
Hmm you might be onto something. Now I'm thinking even another possibility could be "I can fight" as well. "I take flight" could be the winner though. Time go listen a bunch later.
I also think there's something different at the beginning that links the first two lines together. I was starting to hear it as: Rubicon cries, "Welcome home" But part of me thinks it is an odd pairing. However there's a pattern for every other pair of lines being a combined phrase. So still pondering the accuracy there.
@@_VISKAR_ It could be anything, really. Kota Hoshino has always been one to make lyrics slightly nonsensical and sound like different words, but always words that easily fit the song. He really likes different interpretations
rusty's ac will take skills to get the hang of it, quiet an interesting playstyle as my main is a semi speed mech too. One thing for sure, if you are abit used to his ac, its an AC killer for sure, i used it on pvp sometimes n its doing very damn good surprisingly
I want an ending where he wins against us when we fight him on the Xylem. I don’t mind dying against him. The first few runs where he beat me in that fight I was thinking “Just let him win, FromSoft. C’mon, play a cutscene after I die where he wins.”
Using the Laser Slicer against Arquebus Balteus while this played in the background was one of the hypest moments in the game for me. The satisfaction I felt at landing the killing blow with the charge attack on Snail was indescribable.
What I love about Rusty's second AC is how it reflects his character perfectly. Every other AC are aggressive, mechanical monsters, less like Gundams and more like tanks with legs. But Steel Haze 2 is like a knight in shining armor, the weapon of a hero, not a mercenary.
I've just recently completed this game (as in I've done NG++ too). Rusty's one of my favourite characters, so much so this actually made me side with Arqebus in my first playthrough only because I liked both Rusty and Pater more (but was taken aback when Arqebus sets you up to fight him). Needless to say in his second bossfight my jaw dropped when this man pulls a Deus Ex Machina moment on you just when you think you've defeated him, From Software did an amazing job displaying the resiliance of this character. Even in the alternate route where you get to side with him he was still a badass - I loved part where he's going up against the fleet on his own, the enemy is in dismay with how fast he is and he says in response "Sorry, but there's only one person who can keep up with me" (meaning you, the player, obviously).
When he is unshackled as a corporate dog, he will be a wolf running through the snow with freedom in his hands, hunting his prey, his comrades in arms. I can hear him howling.
The best part of this fight, is that in the beginning Rusty is scripted to assault charges at you fully, he will only attack after you head butt him. (assault charge) With that in mind, you can make it be like a Yakuza boss intro.
Fighting Rusty on the Xylem felt like a waltz, it was beautiful. It was the most beautiful mech battle i have ever experienced. I will remember you, buddy
Him saying "i wont stop" and getting half his health back really reminded me of WG on hard mode. Both of them refuse to die and through sheer will power they push there machines past there limits.
They kinda function like a midway point between standard bipedal legs and reverse joints, because they have a better max load than a lot of lighter reverse joints with similar movement speed, but lower jump height and distance. I’ve been running the nachtrieher arms (firearm specialization goes brrr) and legs alongside the Melander head and orbiter chest with dual shotties and a pulse blade, and it makes an excellent close range build. Really fragile at less than 9k AP, but so mobile it doesn’t matter.
Note that the first fight you blew Rusty arm and Sekiro being the one handed Wolf, plus he uses the terminal armor and actually die’s twice on fires of raven ending and the wolf insignia, fromsoft really put effort on this character
I think the lyrics are something like this: Rubicon cries I will come My steel core Peels away All my blood Let me rise Rusted pride Let me rise High and dry I fly high Watch the sun rise Into dawn Rust away Lost to wind Watch the sun rise Into dawn I fly high I fly high
fromsoft has this issue of making the hero of the story a NPC that always dies and us the lacky that either killed them or put the last piece in the puzzle they built from scratch.
@@nachalnik5738 def is, would dark souls 3 have been any worse thematically if there was an avenue where gael beats you, a cutscene proceeds where he delivers the dark soul to his niece and the painted world is created... Creating this threshold where beating gael 1st try is a requirement to achieve the current ending where you deliver the dark soul.
so according to the AC6 music vinyl the lyrics are as such:
Standing in a cold place
Let me know
My steel core peeling away
All my blood
Let me rise
Rusted pride
Let me rise
(Uh uh uh)
High and dry
I fly high
Watch the sun rise in the dawn
Rust away
Lost to the wind
Watch the sun rise in the dawn
I fly high
I fly high
Interesting, I found that image on twitter so I guess it's legit. Hard to wrap my head around some of those still. The first official line has so many syllables compared to what I hear.
standing in the cold place def doesnt fit aswel as rubicon cries. the other I can see
@@galax12370 Yeah I have to agree with that, in the new song Steel Haze (where truths meet) you can hear the official lyrics a lot clearer. I struggle to hear "standing in" and if I do it either sounds like one word, and doesn't help the audio for song a bit to loud at certain sections.
@@longbreadPNGtuber I listened to that specific version thank you for that. idk what version is the first or "original" but it doesnt really matter this tune vibe is unmatched
Vinyl?
hard to believe that a game without a single human appearing on screen would be so fucking emotionally exhausting
That part. Somehow From Software does it again. Champions
our ac is just an extension of our self
Ace Combat prepared that feeling for me long ago. The sister series to Armored Core has always been Ace Combat. Look up videos of Solo Wing Pixy, to see the character that FromSoft drew from for Rusty. c:
Honestly props to tbe voice actors, every single bit of emotion was shown through their voices and nothing else, they fuckin nailed it
@@Weyland_Punanimission based sorties with briefings given on what you're going to do beforehand, combat with a heavy emphasis on mastering movement in a 3 dimensional space, radio chatter being one of the main ways the story is told/attachment is built to characters, and there is a bit of a general overlap between fans of mecha games and other vehicular games just bc of the customization and aesthetic and stuff
You cannot claim to be the protagonist of the story when your friend gets a literal gundam as his final form.
I would point out you do some REALLY evil things in the game’s first half. I think it’s more apt to say that Rusty is the classic Gundam hero while you’re playing a Gundam villain.
We are the protagonist but Rusty is the Hero of the story
@@spartanhawk7637 Rusty was also working with the corporations undercover though, I'm sure he had to do many bad things to get his rank.
@spartanhawk7637 not a villian but a rival a char foil to their amuro
@@anenemystand5582 Yeah, that's a better way to put it honestly. Lotta moral grays in Ac6.
I love the detail of Rusty's insignia on his 2nd AC. It's a wolf without a dog muzzle, signifying that he's free, and ready to bare his fang.
I've played the story numerous times already and never noticed that detail. Always learning something new
Another cool thing is that his first insignia has the guitar pick shaped background Arquebus uses. His second insignia has the rectangle background that the Rubicon Liberation Front uses.
And I put him down
@hayaokakizaki4463
He died as a Freeman instead of a corporate slave
@@tottalynotimportant6224I guess you could say we Hunted Down the Freeman.
“You’re out of luck. There is only one person that can keep up with me.”
I honestly screamed when he said that, I miss my buddy
😭😭😭😭 fly high buddy, fly high over Rubicon...
And it's Walter 😢
Walter: lol, lmao even
@@MaidenlessScrubif he hadn't taken out the entire Arquebus fleet solo and wasn't snuck up on, Walter wouldn't have stood a chance. Walter is bitch made.
Most of the mechs in AC6 look like what they are, brutal machines of war but Rusty's Ortus look like a goddamn hero.
Well the interesting thing about rusty is if you look at his lore he’s basically a Gundam MC.
The ALBA set is designed by the Gundam EXIA architect
@@mujiha stop spreading misinformation thats ebikawa not yanase
@@TrevTheMan00 and if anyone wants a little (maybe insignificantly little) bit of proof that he’s a Gundam MC, in the duel between 621 and Ortus Rusty, he’s literally hardcoded to assault boost straight towards you anime style at the start of the encounter
@@Sky_darts yep and its a great way to start the fight you both smash into each other back off a little but and then the fight begins.
Fun fact:
In the wild, Ravens are known to occasionally create special bonds/friendships with individual Wolves.
So you could say, a Raven has found a friend...
Oh Fromsoft knew what they are doing.
Geniuses.
Actually genius
*dies of peak fiction*
Fun fact - this dumb myth is not confirmed.
@@Alen725I mean we do lead people in one ending using our raven name to get people to help so people are following us
Fromsoft are one of, if not the premiere dialogue writers within videogames.
We never see Rusty's face, shake his hand, buy him a drink.
But he feels like a brother when the story ends.
Yup. Masterful work. He's easily a top FromSoftware character in a field of greats.
This. Fromsoft are masters of "less is more" when it comes to dialogue
What's worse is what the hell happened to him in NG+++ cause after you fight him he just disappeared
@@kentanakamura89Except for being mentioned by O’Keefe when you eliminate him in the ALLMIND path. It’s left ambiguous as to what exactly happened to him.
“See you in the other side, Rusty.”
Meh, not really. He always seemed like someone who imagined a friendship to me because of how 621 never expresses any emotion whatsoever. And it's pretty weird how he considers 621to be his friend after just one mission where 621 never spoke to him or communicated once.
If there was a single person that could be called "friend" there...
And that friend is the only one who calls 621 a person.
ayre exists too, technically@@_VISKAR_
3rd ending best ending.
@@DauntlessChaos Yeah, she acknowledges him plenty. But technically she calls him Raven most the time though. Not sure if it's on purpose, but it seems like the whole cast either calls him some form of Animal (Dog, Raven, Vermin, Hound...) or an Object (Gun 13, 621, etc), with Rusty being the one exception. I don't think Ayre means it in a degrading way, but it's just an interesting theme the story has.
@@_VISKAR_she said the reason she likes the name Raven is because of what it represents, the freedom to make choices that can change the world, so I believe that she uses it for its representation because that's what she sees with in us. Also Raven has been a long standing name in the franchise, so I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I may also overlook somethings when it comes to Ayre, cause in the end she's our schitzo coral waifu and her voice lines are cute and adorkable but maybe I'm just biased towards her
@@DauntlessChaosan army of unmanned killer robots who live for the thrill of the fight is better than liberation?
I WON'T STOP!
I'll chase the clouds from over Rubicon...
Only I can fly high enough!
Goosebumps
You flew just out of reach… buddy
Every 'I won't' from him gave me goosebumps, and this last one gave me the most of all.
A great running theme and fantastic way to tell us a lot about his character in a very simple way. And it sets up him engaging terminal armour (The ONLY enemy AC in the main story to use it) and making an already intense fight even more so, especially if you're out of repair kits and low on health.
'I won't stop', huh? Where did I heard that before? :3
@@chaosgreyblood ur uncle
Rusty being the only character in this game acknowlidging us as a living human being and his "buddy" makes me absolutely love him.
I'd agree with you but in Liberator ending, Walter says some really heavy stuff
@@tokiwartooth4239 man, all the endings hit hard
Thats what made it hurt more in fires of raven when you had to stomp him then ayre back to back the two who believe in us the most i wasnt to attached to walter till the very end of liberation of rubicon after destroying him i loved carla but i just couldnt bring myself to kill rusty on my first play through to bad he fucking disappears and is never heard from again after snail belteus fight
@@ticcitoby5501I'm like 90% sure he gets killed by Walter
@Kingcobra4835 that's a bit upsetting if walter did kill rusty, considering he made me feel bad for fighting and beating him with that whole you found a friend shit i swear the only ending that walter and carla live through is the fires of raven its upsetting
It's crazy how this song hits differently depending whether you're fighting with or against Rusty.
"I would never cry to AC6! Lets be honest, I am a man!"
2:25
"I WON'T STOP! I'll chase the clouds from over Rubicon...ONLY I CAN FLY HIGH ENOUGH!"
" You flew just out of reach...buddy."
Putting the pieces together across routes, NG+ mission changes, and his arena log and realizing Rusty was a Liberation Front plant all along who is fighting for his home above all else just hammers it home that he's the hero that Rubicon needed and Raven's the one they deserved.
After learning about him being a double agent im kinda curious what his intentions were in wallclimber considering snail said something about him being pretty eager, why would he want to wipe out his own base
@@SnakeEater776he said Rusty had been ‘equally brazen of late’, which is Snail’s way of saying ‘he’s been an uppity little bitch’, so doubtless he was being unwilling to carry out operations against the RLF - or at least unwilling to commit as many war crimes as Arquebus probably wanted him to be.
@@mirchiamemeina1524 fair enough, guess i misread it a bit, honestly had a theory that snails reinforcement order was complete BS and it was just to leave you with the jug so youd die and eventually the RLF would win, not expecting that you would take it down by yourself. But rusty would never do that tbh
@@SnakeEater776Rusty litterly sends you a message at the end of the mission saying just that. There were no reinforcements coming at all for Raven. They were waiting for them to weaken the wall enough for vespers elites to move in. But because raven did so well and even destroyed the heavy units for them they couldn't ignore it.
@@kentanakamura89 you clearly didnt read my comment properly, i knew about the vespers plan, what im saying is (in a theory i dont believe) rusty dipped so the juggernaut would kill you but not for arquebus, but instead for the RLF so they had somewhat a chance of fending off the vespers.
Also the reinforcements i mentioned were the rlf reinforcements that rusty goes to kill midway through jug, not arquebus
Rusty is my buddy
Walter is my daddy
Michigan is the man that I wanted to be
I played through the game 7 times before, with tears in my eyes, I loaded up and then s-ranked Intercept The Redguns. Even though he dies anyway, something about me being the cause was so unsettling I always avoided it until then.
When he died, and his AC finally went silent, I thought to myself: "Sorry, Michigan. No more field trips for me...Gun 13, sounding off."
I so desperately wish there was a route where you save Michigan against Rusty and Arquebus. I would have 100% gone down that route so fast.
He's by far my fav char next to Ayre, followed closely by Walter.
Too bad he hit the ground too hard
@@某香港人MEAN OLD MICHIGAN DIED OF A BAD FALL!
Ayre is my brain wife ❤
Michigan is by far the quintessential, "platoon daddy" he is the man that you look at like he is 10 feet tall, the crusty old NCO that youd gladly follow into any hell, because he will lead you through it.
Killing Michigan was extremely difficult for me, because he reminded me so much of my old platoon sergeant back when i was a paratrooper. Michigan is by far the most human character in the game, the redguns are the perfect analog for found family forged in military service. Michigan goes above and beyond for all of his soldiers, like a father does for his children.
A free wolf.
A soaring raven.
Rubicon's protector.
Our best buddy.
The true hero.
"All or nothing!"
wahhhhhhhhh haaaaa wahhhhhhh :((((((((
"Looks like the guest of honor's is here. Hey buddy. Never thought I'd be rubbing shoulders with the liberator of Rubicon. Every Rubiconian who heard your cry rose up to fight. Let's show them that there's a future for Rubicon beyond these scorched skies." - V. IV Rusty, Raven's Best Buddy and the friend we all wish to have
We fly high
マジでルビコンのヒーローなんだなラスティは。こっちがどう考えても主人公だよね
だがレイヴンという自由の名を持つ621より高く飛ぶことはなかった…それ故に主人公なり得なかったのだ。
企業という名の口枷を外しても、自由にはなれなかったか…
@@user-kotori14610結局枷を外して狼は鳥にはなれないんだな
Rusty survives the liberator ending and no one can convince me otherwise. We know he goes in with evacuation plans and we know from the fires ending that he has terminal armor; my buddy survived Walters attack and is waiting for me back on rubicon!
I want to believe you’re right. I DESPERATELY want you to be right.
But the fact that, fully charged, the oscillator beam hits so many times, and Rusty being exhausted…😢
@@AzureGhidorah Still too little damage to break terminal armor which also resets stagger so he could get away!
The entire way escaping an AC works is so inconsistent in the game and feels limp writing wise.
Cause in a narrative like a TV show/movie you can show it making sense in game it's scripted per encounter so it frequently makes no sense why one character can escape while another can't. If I wipe a suit by firing a fully charge plasma/laser blast no pilot is surviving the explosion.
It's part of the issue with this situation, there's no good reason Rusty can't survive that encounter, at the same time there's no proof he does hence we assume he dies (probably does) though it's a universe building problem cause there's no good reason to explain why he's dead. All the reasons you listed are valid, in a similar note how the hell doesn't swinbourne escape for example?
@@GWalsh-on5xj I'd reason it out that Rusty already has an exit strategy that he's utilized before and prepared to use again. Swinburne on the other hand had already spent his expansion and wasn't really prepared to escape because he thought he could bribe you.
I 100% agree. Just because he got shot down don't mean that he's dead. In my own headcannon he survived
Rusty's theme depicts his character so well. His emblem is a muzzled wolf, and as such the song has parts where u hear a howl. However, it sounds worn and metallic, which compliments rusty's name.
In his 2nd AC his emblem has the muzzle removed 😭
より高く飛ぶのは、私だ!って言われるのが辛すぎる。敵対したとしても、あなたは最高の戦友だったよ。
Solaire: greets you warmly, later forced to fight you
Rusty: greets you warmly, later forced to fight you
THEY CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS
Blaidd as well
@@saileshsingh9374all the wolf characters really, sif too
And just like both games, you can spare them
@@ezoni8438you can spare him?
@@noofthecorn3380 not blaidd but Solaire and Rusty you can, Rusty may die anyways though.
He is the main character. His goal is similar to ours, except better.
Whatever routes you are choosing, Rusty will always take the one that serves Rubicon better.
Damn, and here i though that only could decide the destiny of Rubicon or the human race as a whole.
Oh, and i murdered the MC, oopsy
@@ShirakiAkarin you dont decide shit you listen to the voice in your head.
@@netherlim i decide if i want to kill that voice or force others to hear voices.
I also decided that i wanted to kill Rusty.
Rusty is the hero of Rubicon and the people on it, that is a fact that can not be denied
However, we have a role that is much bigger, given the dose of Coral that allows us to fight and move as we do (even able to go toe to toe against the Ibis core, the originator of the fires), our destiny is to save the entire universe!
...and we failed
What a familiar story...
@@lazyer0511 yeah i was more making fun of Rusty being called the "protagonist".
Also, i doubt we have the "destiny to save the universe" but rather the oportunity of changing the course of humanity's fate, for better or worse with any of the three endings depending how you look at it.
At the end of the day, we are just a really good AC pilot in the right moment at the right time.
Bro dropped the hardest Rusty edit snd thought we wouldn't even notice
something really cool about Rusty and the vespers is that they are all named after artists/philosophers and he is named after a painting of a Wolf by Leon Kelly.
what's crazy about it is that it is the artist's piece #617. and if you followed the story in AC6 617, 619 and 620 were Walter's previous hounds. 619 and 620 are confirmed dead while 617 is M.I.A
I'm not saying Rusty is 617, but it would make sense as to how he "knows" 621
Nice find.
That is super interesting!
I love that theory but I’m not sure why Walter or rusty wouldn’t have some kind of insinuation of knowing each other.
Edit: also I can’t find anything about 617 being missing
TLDR: Rusty does not know 621. Rusty knew Raven, the license that we stole at the beginning of the game. 617 is dead. 621 is basically the last “Hound” Walter has, arguably as a last “Hail Mary” to complete the mission.
Major spoilers, NG++, mild speculation
Rusty likely knew Branch’s Raven, and likely fought together as part of Branch’s operation of breaking into Rubicon. Allmind controls the Rubicon Liberation Front through Father Dolmayan, which Rusty was loyal to, and later planted into the Vespers. Allmind also hired the Branch mercenaries to break into Rubicon from the outside, which allowed for the corporations to also break past the blockade by the PCA. I find it hard to believe Branch would have been able to do it alone, so I suspect that Allmind used both the Rubicon Liberation Front and Handler Walter as well as Branch to breach into Rubicon III. This then allows for the corporations can come in and consolidate the coral for the convergence. The mission we see with 617, 619 and 620 in the story trailer is probably from the time they are trying to break the PCA’s blockade. However, since all of them were lost despite completing the mission, Walter has to go back to square one and acquire 621, which from the doctor’s comments is likely a lower quality candidate than 617. This also helps explain Rusty's confusion as to why Raven is with Handler Walter now when you first meet him at the wall.
My best friend I started playing AC with way back on PS1 used the handle "Wolf" in all of his pilot aliases. He always had to play the hero anytime he could. I hope he's still playing these games.
Wonder how he felt about Rusty.
He maybe found his wolf pack@@Laikafan02
My favorite line in this is the "I can fly!" line. It's so proud. It's a declaration that Rusty is capable of extraordinary feats and a challenge to all who stand against him. All communicated with just 3 words.
全てのプレイヤーに愛されるべき唯一人として私を扱ったヒーロー
最後まで戦友って言ってくれて心が締め付けられる
Fromsoft:In this game, we wrote four characters that you will definitely like: the best dad Walter, the best aunt Cara, the best buddy Rusty, and the best waifu Ayre. But there is a catch, you have to kill two of them with your OWN hands in the end. Which one will you choose?
Me: I hate(love) you Fromsoft...
In the True Ending, you don’t kill any of them.
@@nocount7517 forget to add this part lol: Before you make any decision, remember the following rules: 1. killing them wouldn't make them to hate you, instead they still love you and respect your decision. 2.If You decide not to kill anyone, an AI demon will decide for you. Killing every one in the world by imprison their soul into a war machine for eternity, including you and your waifu's soul as a punishment.
@@chjam4554such is the punishment of inaction, peak fiction
@@nocount7517 But that doesn't mean they all survive, regardless.
@@chjam4554when I think about this I see everyone trying to live as Giant robots and just being confused.
灼けた空に散ったイカロス。
この英雄をして「主人公のひとり」たるのが、
AC6のストーリーテリングの奥深さ
"You're right Rusty, you have something worth fighting for. But unfortunately, so do I now. So fight me Rusty! Let's see who has the stronger resolve! Kill me if you can, because I WON'T hold back. But know that whoever comes out on top, you, and all the other pilots that have stood in my way, have my respects and I honor your deaths."
I just finished my first run a few hours ago, and took the Fires route knowing who the the final boss was. I wasn't prepared to have one final showdown with our Buddy. I genuinely said some campy/cringey anime lines outloud, similar to what I wrote, because in the moment I ceased to be the player. I was my Raven, clashing steel against steel with Rusty, a battle of will and skill. He outplayed me the first round, but I was relentless the second round.
I gotta admit, after seeing the official lyrics I still find this versions interpretation of the lyrics superior.
Thematically it fits, especially given Rusty's role in the story and the route you hear it in first. Rusty in that route is answering Rubicon's cry.
These unofficial lyrics fit so much better and I will stand by them.
i like that rusty & raven's relationship in the fires of rubicon ending is pretty much the inverse of pixy & cipher in AC0. you're the maniac who showed up with a superweapon in the final act to burn the world down, and he's the blue & white protagonist who's here to stop you.
but he fails
@@axeloth But he fails...
i dont think a fromsoft game has hit me this emotionally hard ever.
both the fires of raven ending and the liberator of Rubicon ending used this song so well
his line "I won't stop! Ill chase the clouds from over Rubicon... Only I can fly high enough!" with this song blasting actually made me cry
Thought I beat him first try, then he does this anime bullshit. At that moment, I knew he was the MC. Dude just willed his AC to not explode and wombo combod me.
@@alastor8091 yeah, the first ending i got was the liberator ending, so i only realized this was HIS theme when i went back for the fires of raven ending. the song fading out as you kill V.II snail balteaus only stops when rusty gets shot down over the comms as well.
@@Shinofeya Feels like it could apply to both Raven and Rusty since it always plays when both of them are around.
the true hero of this story. kind of wild that the menu music has his theme, and the bosses we fight with him also have his theme
Theres only one person who can keep up with me.
BEST ACTION GAME 2023🔥🔥🔥💯
ONLY WE CAN FLY HIGH ENOUGH
I love how the vocals start with a tenor quality, light and airy, higher pitched. Then in the later half, the vocals transition to a deeper, intense chanting by a full choir of mostly masculine voices. At first it's a young dog's lament, but then it becomes the war cry of a seasoned wolf pack
Me playing armored core: haha big mech go brrr
Also me: f-fly *sniffle* fly high buddy! *uncontrollable crying*
"i got your back, i hope you got mine buddy"
Rusty gave me STRONG Ace Combat vibes
Ele lembra muito o Pixy de ACZ.
So... have you found a reason to fight yet?... buddy
@@SnakeEater776This is what V2 is for.
I…I finally understand one of the deeper meanings of this game. To fly high, reject your status as a dog and become a Raven. To stop fighting on the ground, to let go of your past(DS, ER) and fly high(by the end of the game you have near infinite boost).
I know this might sound dumb, but for me that is is genius writing. Pure ludonarrative brilliance. FromSoft have outdone themselves.
2:25 ここから女性のコーラスが入るようになるのだけれど、個人的にはラスティの歌に合わせて621がコーラスを歌っているように聞こえる
狼と鴉のハーモニーが美しい
The sense of community in AC6 is much more subtle than Elden Ring or DS3, but I feel proud to be part of it. thanks for uploading my fav ost, buddy!
"It'll be just like when we climbed the wall"
The vocals give me chills every time
just want to say thanks for the lyrics man. I used them to make a synthwave cover of steel haze c: I added your video to the description too!
Wow that was a banger! Great job! Glad this helped ya out, and thanks for sharing!
Yup that's what brought me here! Great job, both of you!
Fire edit bro all i have to say is
"MINE IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS PIIILLLEEEEE BUNKEERRRRRRRR!"
Your cover fucking rocks dude nice work.
I thought I recognized the name, I fucking love your synth cover of Mogh!
"I'll chase the clouds from over Rubicon, only I can fly high enough"
THIS combined with the music was pure fucking kino, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since no one does boss design like FromSoft, but damn dude
The way how the song is designed just works for Rusty’s story too
At the start, lyrics are nearly incomprehensible till you actually read what they’re saying
By the halfway, aka After our duel and being considered dead by Arquebus, he comes back in the Ortus and the lyrics are clear as fucking Day
we beating V2 Snail to death with this one
今作、ボーカル付きの曲あんまりなくて、ちょっとがっかりしてたけど、この曲とStargazerがほんとに良くて好き。
I've said it a hundred times now but god damn. This music, the friendship with Rusty, and knowing the many ways it all ends, genuinely breaks me down to tears. How Fromsoft is able to elicit such visceral emotions through sheer storytelling, music, and voice lines is baffling. Igaf if it's GOTY or not, this holds a very special place in my heart, and I will be playing this for a very long time.
WE'RE LIBERATING RUBICON 3 WITH THIS ONE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
When FromSoft made the sirens on the Xylem in the same key as this track.... That was genius.
"It's too late now, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!"
He never stopped believing in us... He didn't want this, he needed to save the world even if it meant cutting down his best buddy...
I cried real tears multiple times during this game. Especially during the two times this song played.
先週ぐらいにこのゲームを買って
今日やっと一周目レイブンの火ルートで
クリアしたけどこの曲流れながら登場するラスティホントカッコ良過ぎた
ホント敵に回っても味方になってくれてもカッコいいのずるいよラスティwww
What I love most about Rusty’s OST is how it end. It ends right after he says I fly high, like it’s about to go into the chorus, bus it doesn’t. Man goes out fighting and flying to the last second. Respect
I cant stop replaying this game. how a game without any people present can move me so much is beyond me.
*SPOILERS BELOW*
Dueling Dusty was the coolest and most adrenaline pumping, climactic fight I’ve had, since battling Anubis in Zone of the Enders for the first time.
The whole scene was so effective, because Rusty went through the same process of getting defeated, upgrading, and returning with a new and improved AC, the same way that all players do. Made him so relatable.
Still chokes me up a little when the vocals kick in.
You fought like a badass, buddy.
I think the beginning “I can fly” should be “I take flight”. Overall, great job on the lyrics!
Hmm you might be onto something. Now I'm thinking even another possibility could be "I can fight" as well. "I take flight" could be the winner though. Time go listen a bunch later.
@@_VISKAR_ Im leaning towards “I take flight” since the lyrics follow it up with “over land and the mountains”
@@Lemon_SorbetYep agreed. I just made the updates. Thanks for contributing!
I also think there's something different at the beginning that links the first two lines together. I was starting to hear it as:
Rubicon cries, "Welcome home"
But part of me thinks it is an odd pairing. However there's a pattern for every other pair of lines being a combined phrase. So still pondering the accuracy there.
@@_VISKAR_ It could be anything, really. Kota Hoshino has always been one to make lyrics slightly nonsensical and sound like different words, but always words that easily fit the song. He really likes different interpretations
世界中でac6が売れることでラスティに触れるユーザーが増える
さらにAmazonがACの実写短編を撮ることも決定してる
これは続編やDLCへの期待が高まるな
Goodbye, Rusty. May you fly beyond Rubicon’s scorched skies, and may your soul be a grossly incandescent beacon for those who cannot.
This has inspired me to do’s play through with Rusty’s ac design. I’m also thinking of doing a no heal run so I can’t wait. Rusty best boy.
Good luck! His AC loadouts are pretty rough for some bosses. Was trying some Ch. 5 fights with Ortus and it was a pretty hard challenge.
rusty's ac will take skills to get the hang of it, quiet an interesting playstyle as my main is a semi speed mech too. One thing for sure, if you are abit used to his ac, its an AC killer for sure, i used it on pvp sometimes n its doing very damn good surprisingly
"You just flew out of my reach"
I want an ending where he wins against us when we fight him on the Xylem. I don’t mind dying against him. The first few runs where he beat me in that fight I was thinking “Just let him win, FromSoft. C’mon, play a cutscene after I die where he wins.”
Using the Laser Slicer against Arquebus Balteus while this played in the background was one of the hypest moments in the game for me. The satisfaction I felt at landing the killing blow with the charge attack on Snail was indescribable.
歌詞がラスティすぎる…
So, have you found a reason to fight yet,
Buddy.
What I love about Rusty's second AC is how it reflects his character perfectly.
Every other AC are aggressive, mechanical monsters, less like Gundams and more like tanks with legs.
But Steel Haze 2 is like a knight in shining armor, the weapon of a hero, not a mercenary.
Rusty always have his own camera man
I refuse to believe that the first line is not "Rubicon cries."
It is in one of the other versions.
Barely started playing the game and this song already makes me want to cry just because of how beautiful it is
Bro I can’t help but feel like rusty was the main character the whole time.
Rest in Piece V.IV. my only true friend through all 3 endings.
キャラソンの歌詞までかっこいいとかずるいぞ戦友!!
I've just recently completed this game (as in I've done NG++ too).
Rusty's one of my favourite characters, so much so this actually made me side with Arqebus in my first playthrough only because I liked both Rusty and Pater more (but was taken aback when Arqebus sets you up to fight him).
Needless to say in his second bossfight my jaw dropped when this man pulls a Deus Ex Machina moment on you just when you think you've defeated him, From Software did an amazing job displaying the resiliance of this character.
Even in the alternate route where you get to side with him he was still a badass - I loved part where he's going up against the fleet on his own, the enemy is in dismay with how fast he is and he says in response "Sorry, but there's only one person who can keep up with me" (meaning you, the player, obviously).
And then it turned out that... he was wrong. RIP.
This is the most epic track in AC6. I love you Buddy!
When he is unshackled as a corporate dog, he will be a wolf running through the snow with freedom in his hands, hunting his prey, his comrades in arms. I can hear him howling.
The best part of this fight, is that in the beginning Rusty is scripted to assault charges at you fully, he will only attack after you head butt him. (assault charge) With that in mind, you can make it be like a Yakuza boss intro.
ラスティのこと本当に好きだ
これ聴くと泣けてくる
Blue, white, gold body and green eyes
That’s about as on the nose “I AM THE GOOD GUY” as it gets for Mech colours.
Best song imo in the game. So good in the liberator ending.
And depressing in the Fires of Raven ending
@@DragonessYTI hate that Ending tbh
All of them are depressing 😭
Like that one guy said:
"When the RLF and rusty came, and we busted out xylem, i felt like a fucking hero"
Damn. Hearing this song battling Arquebus Balteus felt beyond satisfying. R.I.P Rusty you were a true buddy only one who could keep up.
Fighting Rusty on the Xylem felt like a waltz, it was beautiful. It was the most beautiful mech battle i have ever experienced. I will remember you, buddy
Pixie would be proud of Rusty becoming our Buddy.
Him saying "i wont stop" and getting half his health back really reminded me of WG on hard mode. Both of them refuse to die and through sheer will power they push there machines past there limits.
Such a good fucking game
Fun Fact:The Nachtrieher legs that Steel Haze uses arent reverse joints they are just oddly shaped bipedal legs
They kinda function like a midway point between standard bipedal legs and reverse joints, because they have a better max load than a lot of lighter reverse joints with similar movement speed, but lower jump height and distance. I’ve been running the nachtrieher arms (firearm specialization goes brrr) and legs alongside the Melander head and orbiter chest with dual shotties and a pulse blade, and it makes an excellent close range build. Really fragile at less than 9k AP, but so mobile it doesn’t matter.
Look at you...621...You found...a friend
In that ending Walter says that right after killing Rusty….. how ironic
"I won't miss"
Fly high, Buddy.
This game is a beautiful masterpiece.
Our best friend. The only one who treated us as a human
Note that the first fight you blew Rusty arm and Sekiro being the one handed Wolf, plus he uses the terminal armor and actually die’s twice on fires of raven ending and the wolf insignia, fromsoft really put effort on this character
I think the lyrics are something like this:
Rubicon cries
I will come
My steel core
Peels away
All my blood
Let me rise
Rusted pride
Let me rise
High and dry
I fly high
Watch the sun rise
Into dawn
Rust away
Lost to wind
Watch the sun rise
Into dawn
I fly high
I fly high
Thanks
“…knew there’d be more, I’m beat buddy. Well you’re gonna finish this aren’t you? Guess I’m not done yet then!”
They made me cry over a giant robots game, god damn it
fromsoft has this issue of making the hero of the story a NPC that always dies and us the lacky that either killed them or put the last piece in the puzzle they built from scratch.
I wouldn't call that issue tho
@@nachalnik5738 def is, would dark souls 3 have been any worse thematically if there was an avenue where gael beats you, a cutscene proceeds where he delivers the dark soul to his niece and the painted world is created... Creating this threshold where beating gael 1st try is a requirement to achieve the current ending where you deliver the dark soul.